Flashette(Book Three)

21

"Is it like looking into a mirror?" Savitar asked Barry as he stepped forward, vulnerable and exposed. "Having double vision, Chlo?" He asked with a dark tone, sending me a devious grin. "Must be a lot scarier knowing that the man that you love puts an end to your fairytale romance." Savitar raised his eyebrows and continued to stare, looking in my direction. I had no words. Seeing this up close and personal made it all to real. It became even more real when Savitar turned his cheek to me, making me gasp as I saw that one side of his face has been seared, covered by burn marks. "Well, not quite," he said, pointing to his scarred cheek. I could see my Barry's expression change, growing angrier with more curiosity.
"You're not so scary without your armor," said Barry, stepping forward, closer to his doppelgänger.
"What can I say? I outgrew red."
"I know what you are...You're a time remnant..." I said, realizing his position in the timeline. I joined Barry's side.
"A temporal duplicate created when you run back in time and meet yourself, Barry...You brought a remnant to life last year to defeat Zoom...Your duplicate died, saving the multiverse, and you continued your happy little life with her...It would've stayed that way, but then you decided to play God...You created Flashpoint and changed everything..."
"Barry and I went to the future...Barry's future self told us that he created time remnants to stop you,
but you slaughtered them all."
"All but one...Me...I lived...But a funny thing happened when I came back...You, Joe, Wally, Cisco, Chloe...You all shunned me because I wasn't the true Barry Allen..." Savitar said, his voice strong and loud. "I was an aberration...A disposable hero. You wouldn't even let me come near my own children because you were afraid and didn't trust me!.." Savitar said, anger in his voice as he directed himself towards me. "Future you failed to mention that, didn't he?"
"How did you become Savitar?" I asked. "You'd think that pain and disownment would cause you to try even harder to make things right."
"I was broken and alone," Savitar replied, looking back at Barry. "I wanted the pain to end. And that's when I realized the truth, Barry...God feels no pain...All I had to do was become one...And I only need two more things: one being for Chloe to die so that you are driven so far into the dark that I can be born."
"And the other?" Barry asked.
"It may sound ironic given who I'm talking to, but I'll keep that one to myself."
"What happens if I kill myself?" Barry asked. I placed a hand to his shoulder in shock. "If I die, then you'll never be created."
"Bar, you can't be serious. That isn't an option!" I said sternly. "That road will never be explored again."
"Cause and effect's a tricky thing...Didn't work so well for Eddie, did it? Shot himself in the chest, and Thawne's still kicking around...See, that's the thing about time travel, Barry...The more you do it, the less the rules apply to you."
"But us having this conversation now, we're changing the future...Are we?" I asked.
"My ascendancy is nearing...
When I have control of all of time, it will be you who is abandoned and forgotten, and it is both of you who will suffer," Savitar said, motioning to Barry and I.
"You're gonna die right here!" Barry yelled, charging toward Savitar. I stood and watched as Barry as Savitar went at it. Throughout this fight, Savitar didn't have his suit. Barry thought he could take him on man to man, but he was wrong. With one move, Savitar was suspended in midair and his suit came to life. Similar to Iron man's trick, Savitar was wrapped up in the armor of his suit and he was no longer an easy target. That didn't stop Barry, though.
"I forgot to tell you my suit's cooler than yours," Savitar said before Barry continued to fight him. Before things got out of hand, I sped Barry back to S.T.A.R Labs.
"It's impossible," Cisco said, his pen against his cheek. "I don't understand...How could Savitar be you?" Cisco asked, standing up and walking over to the board where all our Savitar identity clues had been written.
"He's not me," Barry replied. "Not really."
"He's all the worst parts of you.
It's like in 'Star Trek' when the transporter splits Kirk into good Kirk and bad Kirk," said Cisco.
"That explains why Caitlin was willing to follow him," I chimed in. "He has a face that she trusts...Half of one anyway."
"So when the Legends found that message in the Waverider from old you saying: 'Don't trust Barry Allen,' it was talking about Savitar Barry Allen," said Cisco. "It's all coming together in the worst way."
"You said you made Savitar?" Iris asked. "How is that even possible?"
"Four years from now, future Flash creates a time remnant to fight Savitar...But Savitar lets that remnant live so that it can later become Savitar...So once Savitar is imprisoned in the Speed Force, this remnant starts to go crazy...He goes back in time to the past and becomes Savitar, creating the lie that he was the first speedster, spreading the myth and recruiting acolytes throughout the ages."
"That doesn't make any sense.
Which came first, Savitar or the time remnant?" Joe asked. "And why would he want this?"
"It's a closed loop. No beginning, no end."
"An endless cycle."
"If he's a time remnant, doesn't that mean he has all of your feelings, experiences, and memories?"
"If Savitar is a version of Barry from the future and he remembers everything that Barry does, how are we ever going to come up with a plan to stop him?"
"Figure that out and check on Tracy, I'm gonna get some fresh air," said Barry before he exited the cortex. I followed, and stopped him in the hallway when he ignored me.
"You haven't said anything to me since the street with Savitar, are you okay?" I asked. Barry ignored me and tried walking away. I then sped infront of him and stopped him. "What's going on with you!?" I asked, getting aggravated. He sighed and slid down the side of the hallway wall. I then joined him and sat beside him.
"How can you look at me when you know that I'm responsible for your death?" Barry asked with a shaky voice. "Do you know how hard this is for me, knowing that I'm the reason we don't have a future."
"That's not you, Barry! That's a version of you that was forced to be this way."
"He was so broken...He said it was like looking in a mirror, and he was right...But not just the way that he looked, but his eyes and the pain they held."
"Bar-"
"I've seen that in myself...The fear of losing you....Ezra...My parents...When I think of those things, I just want to repay that violence with more violence. I want to make someone else hurt as much as I do." Barry clenched his fists and smashed them against the floor.
"But you don't ever do that," I said, taking Barry's hands in my own. "You're not him, You're a good person....A better person."
"But it's in there, you know...That's in me. That power, that pain, that's where Savitar comes from. From loss...From losing you."
"You're not going to lose me," I said, looking into his tearfilled eyes. "I'll always be here with you, no matter where I am," I said with a small smile. Our moment was broken when a voice came from around the hall:
"Hey!" Cisco said as he came around the corner. "Oh, bad time?" He asked as he noticed Barry and I's expressions.
"No, man, what's up?" Barry asked as he got up and helped me off the floor. Barry wiped his face and shifted gears, and I did the same. We put that discussion aside and focused on what Cisco had for us.
"I just came up with the best idea ever...Either that or it's the worst idea ever..." Cisco said as Barry and I looked at eachother with a skeptical glance. "But it's an idea!" Cisco said as he walked us to the med lab. He hooked up a device to Barry's head and grabbed his tablet as Barry got settled in his chair.
"You want to give me a perm?" Barry asked as he examined the device.
"It's not for your hair, Steel Magnolia. This is for your brain, okay? I want to stop you from making new memories."
"What are you talking about?" I asked. "I thought there was no way to-"
"Savitar knows everything we're gonna do because he remembers doing it...He's a future Barry...So what if Barry can't remember what we're doing now?"
"You want to mess with his brain?" I asked, placing a hand on Barry's arm, slightly squeezing his bicep.
"Just a little bit...It's a minimal procedure...It'll still be the same Barry you know and love, except he just won't be able to retain new information..."
"There's two types of memory, Allen," said Julian. "Short-term and long-term...Long-term is where you-"
"This is my presentation, and i'm the expert here," Cisco said, cutting Julian off. "This is the part of your brain that retains new information before sending it to the cortex to be stored forever," Cisco said, displaying an image. "So what if we block that chain with a magnetic disruption? This will ensure that Savitar won't be able to remember whatever strategy we come up with to defeat him."
"Which means he can't be two steps ahead of us anymore...With any luck, we'll actually put him one step behind."
"Beautiful," said HR.
"Cause and effect."
"What do you think, Bare?" I asked, looking down at him.
"Let's do it," Barry agreed.
"And you're sure it's safe?" I asked worriedly.
"No guarantees, but you know I would never do something detrimental."
"Wait, wasn't Caitlin the expert on brains around here?" Julian asked.
"She was...But this is something we'll have to do without her."
"I trust you," said Barry, looking at Cisco.
"You won't feel a thing..." Cisco said, tapping on his tablet. "Okay, let's get this show on the road..." Cisco said, walking over and examining the device on Barry's head. "The disrupter is attached to your hippocampus."
"So it's ready for zapping?" Julian asked.
"Can we not call it 'zapping'? I'm already nervous enough." Not giving Barry time to prepare, Cisco started the countdown:
"Activating in three....two...one.." Cisco counted down before Barry shook briefly. His eyes closed immediately and opened when the shaking stopped. Cisco then placed his tablet down and looked over at Barry, who's eyes fluttered open. My stomach was filled with butterflies as Barry showed signs of awareness.
"Okay, that should do it," Cisco said, walking over to Barry and standing infront of him. "All right...How do you feel?" Cisco asked, examining Barry. He checked the tablet periodically to make sure everything was alright.
"I feel fine," Barry replied, pushing Cisco away.
"You see? He feels fine!" Cisco said, excitedly. Barrys hands suddenly clutched the arm of the chair and he looked around at the room surrounding him. His expression changed and he acted differently than I had ever seen him act before.
"Barry?" I asked. Everyone's attention was now on Barry, who was now showing signs of nervousness. "Barry?" I reiterated.
"Who's Barry?" He asked, sitting up in his chair.
"Not fine," Cisco responded, typing again on his tablet.
"Who are all of you? What's going on?" Barry asked, standing up from his seat. I pushed him back down into his chair and looked over at Cisco.
"Cisco!" I spoke sternly.
"Slight miscalculation," Cisco replied.
"Where the hell am I?" Barry asked, standing up again. Giving up, I just let him explore. "Is this a dentist office?" Barry asked, examining all the white equipment around him.
"No, you're at S.T.A.R Labs," I corrected.
"A laboratory? What are you--Are you guys experimenting on me?" Barry asked nervously.
"No one is ex---Well, yes, technically, yes," Cisco replied. "But it was consensual."
"You were? Why can't I remember anything? Why can't I remember my name?"
"Your name is Barry," I replied.
"My name's not Barry, I don't know what my name is, but my name's 'Bartholomew Henry Allen'.
"That's not a good name," commented HR.
"Look, are you sure I don't go by 'Bart'?" Barry asked. "It feels more natural to me."
"Bart's kinda cool," HR replied.
"I don't know where Bart came from, but HR, you're not helping," I said, pushing HR out of the room and seeing Wally when I passed by. "Hey, Wally!" I said, gabbing him and pulling him into the room. When I came in, Barry was trying to get away, and Wally stopped him.
"Who are you? Not another one! Let me go!" Barry struggled trying to get past us. "How do I know you didn't kidnap me here to do some weird brain surgery on me?...Maybe you're like those criminals who trick people into hotel rooms so they can steal their kidneys, and this man is your leader," Barry said, pointing to Wally. "Do I still have my kidneys?" Barry asked, lifting up his shirt and feeling around his stomach.
"We don't want your kidneys," said Iris with an eye roll. Barry his shirt back and became distracted with the medical machines.
"Barry look at these photographs," I said, pulling out my phone. I went to Barry's album and scrolled through the photos of us with our family and friends. "We're your friends...Your family...We just want to help you, okay?" I asked. I then locked my phone and put it into my pocket. As my hand approached my pocket, Barry stopped me. He grabbed my hand and stared at the diamond on my ring finger.
"That's a nice ring, who's the lucky guy?" He asked. I smiled.
"You are, Barry," I replied. "And these are your kids," I said, Barry looking down at my stomach. "Or, they're going to be."
"Kids?" He asked. "I'm gonna be a father?" Barry asked, his expression similar to the time I told him I was pregnant. I nodded.
"Look, I know you're scared, okay?" I asked, crouching down and looking up at him. "You can trust us...." Barry nodded shyly and my attention was drawn to Cisco, who was now talking with Joe.
"How do I know this person?" Barry asked, pointing to Wally who was next to him.
"He's your brother," I replied before Barry gave me a puzzled look. I ruffled his hair before Cisco spoke:
"There is no sign of any permanent structural damage, but he does seem to be suffering from some sort of psychogenic retrograde amnesia."
"Amnesia?" I asked, shocked.
"What if we didn't account for Barry's increase neural velocity, due to his super speed?" I asked. "Wait, do we think he knows he's The Flash? That he has super speed?"
"Hey, Barry," Cisco asked. He grabbed a nearby beaker and got ready to throw it. "Catch," Cisco said before throwing it. Barry went to catch it, and tripped. Barry missed the glass completely and fell to the floor with a crash. I then turned away and giggled.
"Sorry," Barry replied, standing up and brushing off his pants.
"He's pathetic," I whispered to Cisco.
"Can't we flip a switch undo it?" Joe asked, getting impatient.
"Okay, we are not flipping any more switches until we figure this thing out," I spoke. I turned to Cisco to view the tablet readings, and Joe got a call. We waited for the latest update.
"Cecile needs Barry at CCPD right now....She says it's urgent."
"He can't possibly go out in that condition," I said to Joe before looking at Barry, who was talking to Wally. "Tell you what, I can take him with Joe to see Cecile, and you guys here bust your asses and try to find a way to figure this out," I said before walking over to Barry. "Do you want to go for a walk?" I asked. Barry perked up, similar to a dog, and took a step away from Wally. He stretched and spoke:
"I've been dying to get out of here," Barry said before we brought him to CCPD. Throughout the walk, Barry couldn't help but point out every little thing, as well as ask a million questions. The happiest moment of the whole journey was when we got to CCPD and he stopped asking questions about everything.
"Good morning, people," Barry exclaimed as the elevator doors opened and we were taken to the precinct. Everyone looked at him with judgmental expressions, but Barry ignored them. He continued smiling and introducing himself to everyone and everything, even the potted plant across from the elevator. "I'm Barry Allen, but you call me Bart," he said to a nearby officer before I covered his mouth. Before Captain heard, we quickly walked him up to the lab so he could say anything more.
"So, you said there was an emergency?" Joe asked as Cecile came into the lab. Barry eyed her as she walked up to Joe, face full of confusion.
"Where's the fire?" Barry asked. I slapped his chest and he remained quiet.
"Ah, it's funny you should put it like that...Lucious Coolidge, aka, Heat Monger....The worst arsonist Central City's seen since Mick Rory went off the grid...That is until Flash here stopped him," she said, shooting Barry a glance and nudging him. "Flashette was out one leave," Cecile said, giving me a wink.
"What's Flash?" Barry asked. "Who's Flashette?"
"What is the problem?" Joe asked, hoping Cecile didn't notice Barry's remarks.
"Judge Hankerson. He's got an opening in his docket, so he moved Coolidge's probable cause hearing up to this afternoon. Though Chloe helped, Barry was the official that signed off on the paperwork, so I need him to testify in order to hold Coolidge over for trial."
"Barry can't do that," I replied. "He's experiencing slight amnesia."
"What do you mean he has amnesia?" She asked, shocked. With that, I proved it to her.
"Bar, what's her name?" I asked. Barry stood and looked at her puzzled for a moment before answering.
"Um...Felicia?" He asked. I buried my head in my hands and shook my head.
"Oh, my God..." Cecile replied. "Is this--is this like a like a Flash thing? Was he battling a super villain who used his evil powers to steal Barry's memory?" She asked. I laughed.
"We sort of accidentally did this to him ourselves," said Joe. "But the reason doesn't matter...What really matters is you trying to stall that judge."
"He's in no condition to testify, but I will."
"Judge wants whoever signed off to do it. In his eyes, you're not as much of an expert on this case to tell what really was discovered. Besides, if Barry can't testify, Coolidge walks."
"We'll get right on it," I said before Cecile kissed Joe and Barry cringed. She smiled before walking out the door.
"It was nice meeting you!" Barry yelled.
"Oh...Yeah...You too Bart," she replied with a smile before disappearing behind the door.
"I got some friends down at the courthouse. I'm gonna go down there and see if we can delay this whole Coolidge situation, all right?" Joe asked. I nodded before Joe walked out, and Barry and I were left. Barry then walked to the lab window and looked out. He turned to me with a sad expression and his head down low.
"I'm sorry," he said, kicking a stray pebble across the floor.
"For what?" I asked. Barry perked up.
"I'm not sure, but it feels like everything's my fault.
"Not at all," I replied, following him and standing with him by the window. "We just want you to get back to normal, okay? Don't fell down on yourself because of this mistake."
"I would, if I could remember what normal is...I mean, what have you and I been doing lately?" He asked. My mind ran with ideas I could have said, the most recent thing being what we did a few nights ago at home. Since this was temporary, I didn't want to make him uncomfortable. "Anything with the kids? Like names or buying stuff for them?" He asked.
"Lots of stuff with the kids. Names are already picked out and we're so close, Bar. The kids are almost here! And the nursery, you surprised me with it. You ignored me and kept me away from that side of the house for a week."
"Doesn't sound like me," he replied. "Well it might be, but I don't really remember," he said, scratching his head.
"It sounds exactly like you," I said with a smile. Barry rubbed his stomach and looked towards the door.
"As much as I don't want to ruin this sentimental moment, I have to. I have this weird feeling, y'know. I know we just ate, but I'm already feeling hungry," he said with a smile.
"I know how it feels to be hungry all the time," I said, patting his back. "How does 'Big Belly Burger' sound?" I asked. Barry's face lit up and he stepped foreword.
"Sounds great!" He said, heading towards the door. I followed him with my purse and we headed to the restaraunt. Barry got a few hamburgers and fries, where's I got a crispy chicken sandwich and some fried pickles. We sat down to eat our food, and Barry asked me questions about his past.
"Science club?" He asked.
"Yeah. You were also a member of the Key Club, Astronomy Club, yearbook..." I trailed off, thinking about Barry's past. "Ooh, and Anime Club. You loved 'Dragon Ball Z'...Not that you remember what that is at this moment. I couldn't explain that show to you even if I wanted to," I laughed.
"I definitely had quite the nerd thing going on, huh?" He asked.
"Yeah, a little bit. You were always spotted with a book in your hand, and you were in all honors classes. Joe thought you'd be the next Einstein. You were definitely a child prodigy."
"You told me we were best friends. Why didn't you help me out? Make me not so much a nerd?"
"I was the same way. You were more of a super nerd than I was." Barry laughed and I laughed back. I then found myself staring at him in admiration. I knew this wasn't my Barry, but it was weird seeing him this way. He looked so free and happy. Barry caught onto my staring.
"Do I have mustard on my face?" He asked, wiping off his lips with his napkin and licking them.
"You're just--You're so different...
You're so light...Not a care in the world. Oblivious to all of your problems...It's like you're not carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders."
"So, what, I was brooding all the time before?" He asked.
"Sometimes," I replied. "You had your moments."
"Really?" He asked.
"Yeah," I replied. "Sure, you were happy before, it's nice to see you smiling so much."
"How could I not, knowing I'm gonna be with you for the rest of my life?" Barry asked. I shifted in my seat and placed a pickle into my mouth. I then thought of the future of us, but was reminded of the present when Barry took a bite of his third burger and smiled at me with lettuce in his teeth. I was then distracted by a buzz of my phone, and I pulled it out of my pocket. I checked it and locked it before speaking to Barry:
"We have to get you to the courthouse," I replied before I took one last bite of my sandwich and Barry threw away the garbage. I then drove Barry to the courthouse and parked the car. I met Joe inside, and we got settled into our seats. When the judge emerged, Barry shuffled uncomfortably in his seat. I placed a hand on his leg to stop him from fidgeting, and he calmed down.
"Docket number CC-15-204,
Evidentiary hearing for Central City versus the defendant, Lucious Coolidge," the judge said before sitting down in his seat and grabbing his gavel. "I see the city wishes to file felony charges. Are you ready to testify, Mr Allen?" The judge asked him.
"No."
"Yes, he is," I replied through a smile, looking at Barry.
"He just needs one minute, please," Cisco yelled, coming through the door. He jogged to our bench and sat down.
"Too late, He's up," the judge said, shuffling papers around.
"Here," said Cisco, handing Barry a pair of glasses. "You almost forgot to put your glasses on," Cisco said with a wink. He placed the glasses on Barry's face and Barry adjusted them awkwardly.
"I wear glasses?" He asked.
"You will now," Cisco said, pushing Barry to the witness stand. Barry sank slowly into his chair adjusted himself. He then looked up at the judge.
"Raise your right hand, please," the judge said before Barry obeyed. Barry first, putting up his left hand before I corrected him. "You swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?" The judge asked.
"I do, yes," Barry gulped.
"Thank you," The judge said before Barry placed his hands on his lap and played with them. "You are a crime scene investigator for the Central City police department, correct?" He asked, cleaning is throat. Barry responded:
"Uh, yes, I am a CSI at the CCPD under the expert direction of Julian Albert, my partner being Chloe, over there," he said, pointing to me. I gave a slight wave.
"Allen, can you tell me in your expert opinion, what substance do you see in this photograph?" The judge asked, holding up a photograph.
"Uh, shellac flakes," Barry replied nervously.
"How does he know this?" I asked, turning to Cisco.
"I'm typing it as we speak," Cisco said, turning his phone to me. "What? You think I'm snapchatting this?" He asked. "This is the only way he's gonna get by," Cisco said before Barry stopped.
"Too fast," Barry said, trying to keep up.
"Mr Allen, what else is unique about shellac flakes?" The judge asked.
"It's the fire accelerant used in all of the arson cases associated with Heat Monger," Barry spoke.
"Such an embarrassing name," Cisco mumbled.
"And how would you know when shellac flakes have been used?" Asked the judge, looking over the case file.
"We calculate flame temperature and burn patterns, and a telltale sign is when shellac is burned into potassium perk-er-lorate or ammonium perchlorate, which is considered a high-temperature accelerant fire," said Barry. The judge looked down at his paper, and a small spark had erupted from Barry's glasses. Barry winced, and I jumped from my seat, Barry looking just as shocked as me.
"Cisco, what--"
"His sweat...The nervousness caused his glands to overproduce, and some must have gotten onto the glasses...I can't reach him."
"Oh boy," I said, looking up at Barry, who wore a worried look.
"So, then would you say the fires in these photos would be considered high-temperature accelerant fires?" The judge asked, holding up another photo to Barry. Barry gulped and proceeded to answer:
"The uh, yes, the fires were high-temperature accelerant fires, because the flames were---were very yellow."
"Very yellow?" The judge asked, surprise evident in his voice. "And that's your expert opinion on accelerant fires?" He asked. "Mr.
Allen?" He asked Barry. Barry sunk in his chair. The judge looked at Barry, who got lower and lower in his seat. The judge was visibly becoming impatient:
"Ms. Horton, if Mr. Allen is unable to elaborate, I'll have no choice but to dismiss." Cecile shrugged and I looked at Barry. Barry returned the shrug and the judge asked him one last time if he could elaborate. Barry remained quiet and silence swept through the courtroom. "Dismissed," the judge said, slamming his gavel against his desk, allowing the criminal to walk free. Barry darted off the witness stand and ran into the bathroom. I waited for him to return, and spoke to Cisco before Barry emerged.
      "How are things going with finding a cure?"
"Not well, but Julian's on it. Another problem though, I just got off the phone with HR, Wally doesn't have his speed."
"We need to find a cure, and fast," I said before Barry opened the door. His head remained downward, and Cisco split off as Barry approached me. I then escorted Barry out, and drove him home. He remained silent all the way home, until we pulled into the driveway. We sat in silence for a few minutes before he spoke:
"Now this Heat Monger's gonna go free because of me, and I feel awful."
"Barry, it's not your fa--"
"It's just that now there's a bad guy on the streets, and I can't do anything about it." I smiled, thinking about Barry's previous words.
"What?" He asked. "Is that not something I would've said before?"
"That is exactly something you would've said before. There's just something about you that always wants to help," I said with a smile. I placed a hand to the back of his neck and stroked it. He then smiled and I opened my car door to get out. Barry followed, and I walked up the sidewalk to our front door. I then placed the key in the door and opened it. I allowed Barry to step inside first and he stood in awe, looking around at our shared house.
"How do we afford to live here?" Barry asked. "This is amazing....And huge!" Barry gushed, looking around and touching everything in sight. I placed my purse down and watched as Barry walked up to a picture. He studied it, and turned it towards me for confirmation. "Is that me?" He asked, pointing to the picture of 10 year old Barry inbetween his parents. I nodded. "Who are these people?" He asked.
"They're your parents....You don't remember anything about what happened to them, but--"
"They died?" Barry asked. I nodded.
"It was unexpected, but they died peacefully...That happened the same night my parents died unexpectedly. That's why we lived with Joe when we were younger. We were friends before that, but not as close as that experience brought us." Barry placed the picture down and walked towards me. "I remember the first time that I saw you...You were the happiest boy that I'd ever met. There was just something inside you that was different than anyone else I'd met before." My eyes brimmed with tears and Barry could see the emotions rising in me. He walked foreword slowly.
"I have a feeling that's because you entered my life," Barry said with a smile. He then placed a hand on mine and stroked it. We looked deeply into each others eyes and enjoyed the tender moment. He then placed a hand to my cheek, and I smiled. To end off that moment, Barry leaned in for a kiss and I closed my eyes. He eased into the kiss, but I allowed it to happen. I wanted it to happen...I needed it to happen. After realizing what he had done, Barry pulled away.
"I'm sorry, it was just--"
"It's okay," I replied with a smile. Barry than pulled me in for a hug and kissed the top of my forehead like he always did. After we broke the hug, I went upstairs as Barry stayed downstairs, exploring. I thought he was going to be okay on his own, but I was wrong. I came downstairs to Barry zipping around the living room.
"BARRY!" I yelled. He came to a sudden stop and joined me on the top step.
"What just happened to me?!" Barry asked as he stood in shock, examining his body. Before he could do anything else, I sped him to S.T.A.R Labs. I brought him down to the speed lab and we all watched as Barry ran the track. I then explained to the team what happened.
"How did this happen?" Cisco asked as Barry paced around the track.
"I don't know, I came home, we talked for a little while, and than I went upstairs to change. When I came down, he was like this."
"That doesn't explain anything...You didn't--"
"No, this isn't my Barry, I wouldn't trick him into that. We only kissed."
"Maybe it was the power of their love that sparked his powers again," HR chimed in, taking a sip of his coffee. I scoffed, and Barry emerged from the lab.
"These powers are so cool!" He said, excitedly. "I can literally feel electricity coursing through my body...I mean, is it always like this? This is amazing!" Barry said before getting into position to run again. Before he did, Killer Frost appeared.
"My presence usually dampens the mood," she said, approaching us. Joe drew his gun and aimed it at her.
"Joe, don't," I said, placing my hand in the air.
"You fire, I'll fire," she said, her hands radiating with frost. Joe put his gun back in its holster and stepped back.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
"She wants to help," replied Wally, coming into the lab.
"I lost my powers, and she knows how to get them back," said Wally, stepping infront of me. "And we're gonna let her."
"Barry, could you give us a minute?" I asked. He nodded and HR escorted him out.
"How did this happen?"
"You got rid of Barry's memories.
What Barry remembers, Savitar remembers."
"So Savitar's lost his memories too?" I asked.
"Savitar loses his memory, he doesn't go along with the plan to give Wally powers...Cause and effect...But if you let me help you figure out how to get Barry's memories back, everything goes back to the way it was...Kid Flash runs again, Savitar survives, and Chloe dies....Life's full of difficult choices...Or it isn't."
"If Savitar gets his memory back, what's in it for you?" I asked.
"That's my business," she whispered, putting a finger to her lips. "Besides, you need my help. You really think he can become The Flash?" She chuckled.
"Yeah, he can learn," replied Cisco. "I still know how to do everything, plus, I still have that robot that I made."
"Admit it, you need me," she said with an evil grin. Cisco and I shared a glance, and came to a consensus that we needed her. If we were going to get Barry back, we needed the brain expert on it. We brought her to the med lab and Barry caught up with us. He sat patiently and watched as we scurried around the room, following Caitlin's orders.
"You should never have tried this without Caitlin," Killer Frost said, tinkering with some things on the desk.
"Well, we didn't really have much of choice, now, did we?" Cisco asked. "Also, don't refer to yourself in the third person."
"It's Caitlin...It's you...It's the same person...It's just confusing," I said before she turned towards Barry.
"Hand me the girard processor.
It'll help me prime his neocortical and medial frontal lobes," Caitlin said, Barry shifting in his seat.
"What?" He asked nervously. Caitlin shook her head and I got it for her. Ignoring him, we continued working.
"Just like old times, huh?" Cisco asked as he stood next to Caitlin. "Hey, Julian, did Caitlin ever tell you about our time working on the Particle Accelerator with Ronnie?" Cisco asked as Julian turned to him.
"No...No, she did not."
"There was this one time we had this very strict deadline, and Dr. Wells was super hard on us...All of us, even Hartley," Cisco said before Caitlin perked up from her work.
"Who's Hartley?" He asked.
"Oh, he was this guy we used to work with...Such a dick...You actually reminded me a lot of him when you first came onboard...Anyway, so we were working on the iridium plating for the, um--" Cisco said, stopping. "The synchrotron, that's what it was!" Cisco said, clapping his hands together.
"So anyway, we were struggling, and we were burning the midnight oil, and we could not get the dubnium capacitor to hold a single charge. All of a sudden, Ronnie just loses all his chill. He turns beet red, and he starts yelling at the thing like--" Cisco said before Caitlin interrupted him.
"Come on, you dumb-nium capacitor! Take charge!" She spoke. After realizing what she said, we all looked at her shocked, even Barry. Caitlin's face shrunk and she pretended as if she didn't say anything.
"Yes!" Cisco exclaimed. He laughed. "I think about all the memories I cherish most, and and you're in every single one of them, Caitlin." Caitlin paused and put the tool down that she was working on. She turned slowly towards Cisco and met his gaze with a glint of anger in her eye.
"Let's figure this out...I don't want to be here any longer than I have too," she said before I stepped out of the med bay, taking Barry with me. The whole walk out, Barry gushed about his powers. I allowed him to run off his excess energy for a few minutes more, and Joe stopped me on my way out.
"Still a ball of energy, huh? Did Cisco find a cure yet?"
"Working on it, Caitlin's with them...To be honest, as much as I love my Barry, this one seems more free. More at comfort and peace with the reality of his life."
"You can't be serious! As much as we'd all want that, you know this can't stay. What do you expect, him to just fall in love with you and continue his job? He can't do that. Besides, you didn't fall in love with The Flash. You fell in love with Barry Allen, and not this one."
"I know this is a different version of him, but he's he's still Barry."
"Not your Barry. Until yesterday, Barry had 28 years of experiences to define him, and some of those memories were bad, but some were good, too. Those memories are what made the Barry Allen we all know."
"I can't help but think of the fact that this might be the life he deserves to live." Barry ran into the courtyard and joined Joe and I's sides.
"My pocket just vibrated. It wasn't a good feeling, but it startled me a little bit. Can you--"
"It's your phone, Bar," I said, reaching into his pocket and grabbing it. I placed my thumb on the home button, the phone unlocking and brining me to the home screen. I then checked his messages and saw Cisco wanted us to come back to the lab.
"Cisco needs us," I said before we walked back into S.T.A.R Labs. When we entered the cortex, Cisco and the team's eyes were glued to the tv, where the local news station was on.
"Eyewitnesses say the man who set the fire to the offices is none other than Lucious Coolidge, AKA Heat Monger" Barry clicked off the TV.
"That's the guy that went free because of me."
"At this rate, it won't be long before the whole thing burns down. There's hundreds of people who work in there," Cisco said, pulling up the live feed up on the monitors.
"We need to stop it," said Barry, stepping forward.
"How? I mean, you can't right now. You don't know how to use your powers."
"You were telling me before that I was a superhero because of these powers. Memories or not, I'm not gonna stand around and watch all these people die. I'm gonna do something," Barry said before speeding off. Seconds later, he returned.
"Um, forgot the suit," Barry said before he sped on his suit, grabbed his earpiece, and he sped to the scene. I later joined him. Barry and I sped, and came to a hault infront of the burning building.
"Barry? You okay?" I asked as Barry stumbled.
"Uh, yeah, I'm good...Stopping's hard...How do I save everybody inside?" He asked.
"You just run them out of there. I'll help you," I said, getting ready to speed off.
"You really think he can do it?" Cisco asked. "Why don't we try using that device we made?" Cisco asked through the earpiece.
"We haven't done a test run, how do we even know it works?" I asked.
"We don't, but we have to try. It uses the transmitters in his suit to jolt his memory. It should work."
"We can't risk you frying his brain anymore, I say no."
"I say yes," said Barry, standing tall. "Life's a game of chance, and though I don't remember much, I am willing to do this for those people. It's my fault the building is crumbling by the second."
"Bar, you might--" I said before Barry stopped me.
"Do it, Cisco," Barry said before I stepped back. Barry braced himself and Cisco counted down.
"Beware Barry, this might hurt, might sting, might suck."
"Wait, what?" Barry asked before Cisco pushed the button and the device was activated. I stood and watched as Barry shook. When Cisco told me it was clear, Barry perked up and shook his head. He then turned to me and groaned.
"Barry?" I asked as Barry scratched his head.
"I still don't remember."
"Guys, I thought this was supposed to work!" I exclaimed, getting angry at Cisco. "What are we supposed to do now," I said, giving up all hope.
"Maybe it did work?" Cisco asked. "What if it's there, he just hasn't accessed it." I paused and thought about this situation.
"Gas is in the tank, we just need to turn the ignition," I said as I turned to Barry. "We need a visceral memory to spark his brain."
"That's something you can come up with, because I have nothing." When I thought of the perfect memory, I spoke:
"Bar, I need you to remember."
"I can't," Barry said, turning to me. "I'm really sorry, but I can't...I've tried."
"Okay, how about this...The night that your mom died, I didn't want to tell you how, but she didn't die peacefully...She was murdered." Barry's expression turned from calm to anger, and his eyes widened. "My parents were murdered by the same person as yours, and that's how we met. We were both taken to Joe's house because we both lived next door. When I first saw you, we were both emotional wrecks. That same night when I was sleeping in the guest room and you on the couch, neither of us could sleep. I walked downstairs to the sound of you crying, and you sat up and hugged me immediately. We were complete strangers who bonded over a loss. I knew I had to go to you because I found you oddly comforting. We sat next to eachother, wrapped up in each others arms as we cried together. It wasn't until now that I realized that night was the night we fell in love. And it's crazy to think that that could happen at such a young age, but it did. And that night, we realized that we needed eachother, no matter what we meant to each other. I wish I could take our dark moments away from our past, as well as all that pain, but I can't. But as life goes on, I learned that for every bad memory, there's a good one that goes along with it." A tear escaped my eye at the thought of never getting Barry back, and the realization of what I was saying. My tear was wiped away, by a hand not of my own, but Barry's. His expression was back to calm and sweet, and I could see in his eyes that he was back....Barry....My Barry....
"I remember," Barry said, wiping the tear away from my cheek and placing his hand under my chin. If I was going to move foreword, I had to check to make sure he was telling the truth. Without hesitation, he answered all my questions.
"Just a check, what's your mother's maiden name?" I asked.
"Thompson."
"CODIS is an acronym for what?"
"Combined DNA Index System."
"In the third grade, you renamed the class hamster to..."
"Alexander Ham Bell..." Barry replied, giggling. "I was eight years old," we all laughed, including the team in our earpieces.
"So you got your memories back!" said Cisco excitedly. I gave Barry a hug, but being back to normal, his attention was turned to the fire.
"Now for this fire!" Barry said before we sped towards the building, lightning visible in his eyes. We went floor by floor, me speeding people out while Barry created the vacuum that extinguished the fire. It was difficult, but Barry and I managed to do it together, eventually with the help of Wally. We even locked up the criminal that walked loose because of Barry's fail of a testimony.
"Nice job everyone, peace has been restored," said Cisco as we entered the cortex.
"Good to have you back, mate," Julian said, shaking Barry's hand.
"Well I couldn't have done it without you guys," Barry said with a smile. "Even you," Barry asked, pulling me into his embrace and kissing my forehead.
"Where's my credit?" Killer Frost asked, coming into the cortex. "Please tell me you included me in the work cited page."
"We don't want any trouble, Cait," I said, speaking for my team.
"Can't really avoid that now, can we?" She asked.
"Yeah, we can...You can stay here with us. We're your friends.
Your family."
"Caitlin, I can fix you," said Julian, walking towards her. Julian having high hopes for her return.
"You already tried," she replied.
"Well then, I'll try harder.
I don't care what I have to do.
I swear to you, I will find you a cure.
Caitlin, I love you." Julian wore his heart on his sleeve in that moment, and I could truly see that he cared for her. I just wish she felt the same way.
"I don't love you, Julian...I never did....I never loved any of you," she said before turning on her heel and walking out. I then looked at my team, and we all shared glances. I patted Julian on the back, showing him I had sympathy, but he ignored me. He then took his coat and bag with him to CCPD without saying another word.
"Good to have you back, bro," Cisco said, hi-fiving Barry. Barry smiled and I smiled with him.
     "Good to be back." After a long discussion, we headed home.
"It sucks that she's too far gone," Barry said, putting his stuff down. He flipped through the mail as I walked into the kitchen.
"We'll find a way to get her back, just like we got you back," I said as I sat down at the counter. I began flipping through a magazine.
"What was it like?" Barry asked. "I know I forgot pretty much everything about my life, but what was it like?" Barry asked.
"Totally different. Seeing you without the weight of everything that's happened, seeing you happy, like you were before your mother was killed? Without all of that darkness haunting you, you were finally free...It was nice, comforting even. Similar to how you felt in Flashpoint...Like your life was going right." Barry walked from the table and joined me at the counter.
"My life is going right," Barry said, taking a seat. "Yes, Savitar is a constant thorn in our sides, but I have you...I have the team...I have these kids...." Barry said, placing a hand on my stomach. "I have a whole life ahead of me....A future with you....These problems mold us into who we are." Barry took my hand and interlocked our fingers. "When I was with my mom and dad again in Flashpoint, I could've let it stay like that. I could've let the memories of this timeline fade, but if I had done that, I would've lost Joe, Cisco, Wally, Caitlin, and you. I would've lost all my old memories, and only made new ones. Pain and darkness, it's a part of me...It's a part of all of us. You know, I need it to fuel me, to push me to be a better person, to be a better hero. To keep me from ever forgetting who I am." I looked back at him, admiring my Barry, sitting infront of me right here, right now. Before, I wanted to keep the calm and carefree Barry, but it wasn't until this moment that I realized I was wrong. I love my Barry for who he is and who he has become.
"Now that's the Barry Allen I know and love!" I said before leaving over to him and giving him a kiss. In this moment, all of the stress and worry melted away. I had my Barry back, and that's all I ever needed.
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CHAPTER FOR YOU! SURPRISE UPDATE! Here you are my lovelies! A special unexpected update for my FlashetteFam! I got a lot of love and feedback on the last chapter, and I hope you are enjoying the final installments of this book. I'm hoping to finish by the weekend, and at this rate, I may be able to! Thank you for all the feedback and love from the most recent chapter, I love hearing from you! Thank you for all you've done, and stay tuned for the next few chapters! I hope you enjoyed this update and I will talk to you soon! -Flashette1
**2 CHAPTERS LEFT, ARE YOU READY FOR THE FINALE?**
⚡️Big things are coming!⚡️