Flashette(Book Two)

25

     Barry and I went through a dark time after the whole miscarriage baby thing. Since that whole thing, we haven't been able to work as well on anything, especially the wedding. But to make matters worse, we continued to talk a lot more about Zoom lately and that has been bringing up our stress. Especially because Barry has been staying up all night trying to figure out a way to use what Wells had given him to figure out how to stop him.
      "Barry, you've been doing that for hours, get into bed."
     "But I have to get this right. I've almost got it. I had to perfect this so I can get Zoom and defeat him once and for all."
     "You need a break. You've been focusing on this for so long. Relax," I said. He contemplated, but then eventually got up from his chair and climbed in bed. I snuggled up close to him and tried to ease his mind off of everything. I know what we've been through isn't something you just brush off, but I know that we can't do anything about it and we have to do our best to move forward.
       In the morning, Barry and I did our usual morning routine and we headed over to S.T.A.R Labs after checking in at CCPD.
      "Hey Chloe, Hey Bar. You don't look so good Barry."
     "I know he doesn't Cisco. These few weeks have been hard for him. But he stayed up all night figuring this out," I said handing Cisco the paper.
     "You figured it out!"
      "Yeah, I did. And all we need is to find a way that will give me that charge of energy that I need," Barry said.
      "That's while you'll use this," Harry said, handing Barry the tachyon device.
      "Why this? I have the speed equation done. All we need is a serum and-"
      "Just put it on Allen," he said before Barry placed the device on his emblem and it formed to his chest.
     "This device should allow you to run much faster than your usual speed. And it uses the tachyon energy to constantly recharge. Run to Ferris air and when you get there we will time you back. Got it?"
     "Yeah," Barry said before he was off. He gave us the okay when he was at Ferris air. You could hear the click of the device being activated and he was off. Within a matter of seconds he was here and in S.T.A.R Labs.
      "How long? How fast?"
     "4 times faster than your usual speed. You're even faster than Zoom!" I exclaimed running over to him. He picked me up and spun me around. I've never seen him smile so big in his life. It felt good to see him smile because he hasn't been usually.
      "We can get him. And we can give him what he dese-"
       "We can't open the breaches any more. Remember, they are all closed."
    "I've been thinking about that as well. There is a way to open the breach and you are the man for the job Cisco."
      "What? I can't....I won't.."
      "It's easy. Reverb on Earth 2 could manipulate energy with his hands and shoot them out at any direction. Since he could do that, he could manipulate the energy in the atmosphere around him. And since you are the same person with the same powers, you can do the same thing. All you have to do is manipulate the energy between the two earths and it's opened."
      "But I can't. I can't use my powers like him. What if that was how I became him?"
     "Cisco, you have to try. This is the only way and I'm not gonna let Zoom terrorize a whole earth."
       "Fine, I'll do it," he said before getting out of his chair. Harry handed him Reverb's goggles they had snatched from earth 2. Cisco stuck out his hand and began trying to work with the air around him.
     "Nothing," Cisco said.
     "Okay. Let me do some thinking about better places to try. We can try again later. I have to get to CCPD," Barry said.
     "Okay, I'm gonna go along too. Bye guys," I said before we left.
      When we arrived at CCPD, Joe was just leaving Captain's office. Barry went up to the lab without consulting Joe, but Joe stopped me.
     "Chloe, I know what's going on with you two and I know it's hard. He thinks avoiding me isn't going to make me notice, but I do. And he needs to know that. I also know he wants to go back to Earth 2, and I don't want that. Something happened there that I don't know, and at this point I don't want to know. Is there any way you can stop him?"
     "You know Barry. When he wants something he goes for it, and you can't change his mind. Besides, I want Zoom gone as much as everyone else does. I have to get up to the lab," I said before I walked upstairs and to the lab. Barry was sitting upright in his chair typing away at his computer. He barely acknowledged my presence when I walked in. I walked over to my desk and threw my stuff down. I took out my laptop and began typing on the computer on my report. This is how it's been lately between us. I have to force interaction.  I know he still loves me, but he's just confused and has many mixed feelings. Tired of the silence, I walked over to his desk and stood behind him. I slid my hands from his shoulders to the front of his chest, and Barry sighed. Finally, a reaction. He put his hands on mine and stood up from his chair. He turned around to face me and spoke:
     "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything. I know I haven't been the same since everything happened, but I don't know how to deal with it. I'm just so stressed about Zoom and everything going on, and then I have many feelings about the past and those events that have happened and it's just too much at once. Sometimes, there are moments when all the memories of the past just come back, and I'm left with an overflow of emotion. I've just suffered so much loss and so much hurt, and I don't know what to feel. I don't know what to do."
     "I don't know what you can do, but I know that you have to talk. I know that you can't ignore people who are reaching out to you. These people care and they immediately noticed a change in you. No matter how hard it hurts you have to move foreword. I'm still me, and you're still Barry Allen. All those times in high school we had trouble, we helped each other out. That's what we have to do here."
     "I understand. Thank you," he said pulling me into his chest. We hugged for what felt like a long time. We broke the hug and ended the moment with a kiss before working at our computers again. When the workday was over, we headed back to S.T.A.R Labs where they had something new to try.
     "Instead of using that large clanky device, Harry has come up with a smaller, more effective way to increase your speed."
      "This was the device I used to take away your speed when I was bribed by Zoom. But with a little help from the team here, I was able to make it so it enhances your speed rather than takes it away. And it fits under the emblem so it can't be seen."
     "Thanks Harry. Now, about the Zoom thing-"
     "Yes, we have figured out the identity of Zoom. Hunter Zoloman, a Cereal Killer on Earth 2. His mom was murdered in front of him, and he lived as an orphan for most of his life. They used Electro-Shock therapy on him until my accelerator exploded-"
     "Giving him those powers. How can we use that?" I asked.
      "Well, he still must have a soft spot for them somewhere. Maybe, that's his weak spot."
     "Good thinking. You ready Cisco?" Barry asked.
     "Yeah, where are we going?"
      "To open the breaches," Barry said before speeding Cisco to the location. I followed them there.
      "This place has the highest amount of the inter dimensional energy. And Harry reworked the goggles so it can expedite the process. Ready?"
       "Yeah," Cisco said before he put the goggles on and put his fist in the air. The force is strong with me," he whispered to himself. It took a few tries, but he finally got it to work and the little portal like structure was beginning to grow. It became big enough and the next thing we knew, Zoom had jumped through.
     "Flashes," he said looking up at us. "Big mistake reopening the breach. Now you're speed is mine."
      "If you can catch it," we said before we ran off throughout Central City. We zoomed by him, and we remained faster then him. There were times when he almost caught up, but we were fast enough to avoid him. We led him to S.T.A.R Labs.
      "You're faster. That just makes me want your power even more."
      "Well you can't have it," Barry said before a cardboard cutout of Zoom's mom popped up. He looked away for a second to observe it. In that second, Barry placed a device on Zoom's leg to cut off his speed.
      "Smart boy," he said trying to speed away. I walked over to him and ripped his mask off. I threw it against the ground and stomped on it.
      "It was you, all along. How? How did you do it? How could you betray us.......all of us like that?"
      "It was easy. I just found my earth 1 doppelganger. It wasn't that hard to convince him to let me kill him. I couldn't do a speed mirage because even I'm not that fast."
      "So you just killed him...and many other people who deserved to live. YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT HOW MANY PEOPLE YOU KILL!!!"
     "No I don't. And it was clever of you to use my own family against me. I'm surprised you found out who I was."
      "It's not hard when you have friends to count on." Zoom sat for a minute in thought before speaking:
      "You can't lock up the darkness," he said in his Zoom voice. That left Barry and I puzzled, but we both quickly realized what he meant. You could see the blue lightning flicker and radiate off his body. He ripped the device off and gave us a final thought to think about before leaving.
      "Family matters," he said before speeding away. Barry and I knew what was coming, and we followed him. We were lead to the West's house where Iris and Joe were.
      "Wally?" I yelled. I got no response. Barry and I sped upstairs and saw a message engraved on the wall:
      "Your speed for Wally." Barry and I looked at each other for a second before realizing what we had to do. We had to give up our speed for him. Joe came up moments later when it was okay. He read the wall and spoke when he realized our choice:
      "You can't. You can't give up your speed."
     "We have to. Wally is important. Wally is-"
      "Family," Barry cut in. "And he's part of this one. We have to do whatever to get him back. The thing is: how are we gonna get the message across?"
      "Cisco can vibe him, and see if anything happens."
      "Good thought," Barry said before we sped over. After telling everyone the plan, it was time to initiate it. Barry held the hat and when he handed it to Cisco, he changed. After a few moments, Cisco gave us some feedback:
     "Wally's alive," Cisco said to us. You could see Joe's shoulders drop.
     "They'll do it," Cisco said. After that thought, The vibe was over. Zoom had sped in a few minutes later with Wally.
      "You know the deal," I said before Zoom dropped Wally to the floor. Joe brought him home.
      "Now for my end-"
      "We know," we said before we headed over to the treadmill. I went first, running my heart out, giving every ounce of speed in my body away. I felt the treadmill slow down, and I could actually feel tired. Barry did the same, and both of our speed was gone. Harry collected it in two vials, and handed it over to Zoom with an injector. He injected both doses immediately into his arm and sped over to us. He pinned Barry and I up to the wall and began to choke us.
      "STOP!" Caitlin yelled. "I know you're bad, but for the time you were on this earth, I know that you had some type of affection towards me. If whatever we had or anything I said to you meant anything, STOP!.....You're killing them!" She pleaded. He dropped us, and we gasped for air. I could just barely see him staring over at Caitlin. And in a split second, she was gone.
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     How was chapter 25? Sorry for the late update. I know I said I was going to update on Wednesday but I need to arrange a new schedule since I'll be updating weekly. Thank you for 5K, 1K, and 230+. Also thank you for all the adds, votes, and comments. I hope you are enjoying the book and I will talk to you soon! -Flashette1