7

638 13 4
                                    

                       Previously on: "Flashette".
  "We were actually hoping Clifford DeVoe could help us. Is he home?" I asked. The woman nodded, her face contorting with confusion.
    "Yes, he is, what matters do you need to discuss?".
      "We just need to ask a few questions, that's all. Routine procedure." I said before a man in a wheelchair came into frame. I looked down at him as he looked up at us. I was not expecting this to be Clifford. He didn't seem to match our profile.
     "They'd like a word," she said before he motioned for us to come in.
    "Coffee, tea?" the man asked as his wife disappeared into the kitchen. Barry and I took in the decor of their estate and settled awkwardly on the couch.
     "We're all set, but thanks for the offer", I replied, smiling at the man. I then looked at Barry, who wore the same look of confusion. I didn't understand how he could be our greatest enemy.
    "Good afternoon, I'm Clifford DeVoe. How may I be of help?" He asked, folding his hands in his lap.
---------------------------------------
     "The name 'DeVoe' came up in an investigation of ours, and we were wondering if we could just ask some general questions," I replied, stroking Barry's arm as we sat next to eachother on the couch. DeVoe sat across from us, and I took a few seconds to study his features. He looked older than his wife, but not too old. He had a small head of curly hair, and was not very tall, though he was in a wheelchair.
     "Ofcourse," he responded. He sat up taller in his chair and gazed at us with concentration. Before I began to speak, his wife emerged from the kitchen as if on cue. She brought a tray out and placed it on the table, returning to her husband's side and placing her hands on his shoulders. She looked down at him nervously, and then back at Barry and I.
     "Why him specifically?," she asked quickly. "There are many people with the same name!". Barry and I shared a glance before I looked back at Mrs DeVoe to reassure her. At this point, I couldn't quite tell if she was truly innocent, but I knew that DeVoe being our guy didn't add up. To be honest, we didn't have enough information to tell.
     "We are aware there's at least over 1000 individuals in the city with the same last name," I said, reassuring the woman. "This name has come up in numerous criminal cases, and we are just trying to eliminate some suspects." The woman looked between Barry and I, and quickly back down to her husband.
     "So you think my husband is a witness to these crimes?". The woman raised her tone. I shook my head and placed a hand in the air at an attempt to calm her down.
     "We're simply here to eliminate him as a suspect." DeVoe's wife scoffed, and DeVoe became visibly angered at his wife for speaking for him. 
     "Marlize!" he commanded. She jumped a little at his action and immediately stopped talking. She then scurried off into the kitchen. "Where were we?" DeVoe asked, motioning for us to proceed. I shifted ubcomfortably in my seat and cleared my throat before beginning the line of questioning.
    "What brought you to Central City?" I asked. DeVoe didn't hesitate to respond.
     "I grew up in South Africa. After studying history and econometrics at the University of Johannesburg, I took a teaching position at Oxford...". I looked over at Barry, who had the same reaction as I did. I wouldn't expect such a complex background from a man who's supposed to be our greatest enemy. "Actually, that's where I met my wife. After a tenured offer from Central City University, I left Oxford and came here...That was four years ago." I took mental notes and processed the information before Barry continued.
    "Do you know anyone by the name of Ramsey Deacon or Becky Sharpe?". DeVoe thought for a minute before shaking his head. "What about Ralph Dibny?" DeVoe shook his head after each name Barry said aloud. I didn't understand how he was supposed to be involved with the bus meta's if he didn't even know them.
     "How about Mina Chaytan?" I asked. DeVoe hesitated. To our surprise, he nodded his head.
      "That name sounds familiar...". Barry and I shared a glance. "Isn't this the Native American woman that left abruptly?" he asked. I nodded. "She was an anthropologist...How sad it was to see her go."
     "While you worked together, did she ever mention her work?" Barry asked. DeVoe shook his head again.
    "She was an animated woman...Then again, people like us who see education as a calling, we often are," DeVoe said with a chuckle. As I tried to put the pieces together, my glance trailed around the room. It wasn't long before something caught my eye. I studied it for a second, before making a connection to something we faced before.
     "That painting-uh, it's beautiful-" I said, pointing over to the wall behind him. "The Samurai." I then thought about the Samurai when Barry came back from the speedforce, and how it acted as if it was a clue that this was our guy. DeVote turned around, and I looked st Barry, who's eyes were wide. I could tell he had the same thought as I did. There was no way our samurai wasn't connected to this. It was no coincidence.
     "As, yes! What formidable foes. They'd often make unstoppable enemies to their opponents. Wouldn't want to cross one...". I seriously considered the possibility that this was connected, and wanted to find out more.
    "Japan...Have you been before?". DeVoe pointed to himself.
    "One of my areas of expertise is infact the feudal history of Japan." I thought about how much this connected to our meta puzzle.
    "Then you must speak the language?" Barry asked, filled with just as much curiosity as I was.
    "Indeed, I do. I also speak French, Italian, Mandarin, and several other languages." My eyes widened in amazement. This man seemed very skilled and educated. Definetely intelligent enough to be one of our greatest enemies. He looked innocent, but I didn't know what to make of the evidence. "I love teaching. It gives me the opportunity to broaden perspectives. But you can't just inspire people to be better. You somehow need to change the way people think." I was about to ask another question before the kitchen door burst open and Marlize emerged. She jogged towards DeVoe and grabbed the handles of his wheelchair as if in a hurry for us to leave.
     "Clifford!...My husband is very passionate, but he also needs his rest. Is there anything else we can do to help?" she asked as Barry and I stood up from the couch.
     "I think we have what we need. Thank you, for everything," I replied, a small smile on my face. I fixed my top and brushed myself off. I then held out my hand for DeVoe to shake. "Thank you, again," I said, shaking DeVoe's hand. I then held out my hand to Marlize, and she was reluctant to shake, but she did eventually. After Barry shook their hands, we walked to the door, which Marlize was holding open.
     "If you need anything else...Anything at all..." DeVoe said as we stepped out onto the porch. "You know where to find me," Clifford said with a smile. With a nod off, we stepped out the door and walked down the walkway. When we were far enough away, we sped to S.T.A.R Labs. 
    "What do you guys think?" I asked the team as we entered the cortex. The team had been watching the conversation along with us, and each had aspects they wanted to discuss. "Do you think he's the guy?" I asked. I looked around at the rest of the team, who all had the same response.
    "I'm not sure," Cisco shrugged, studying the file. "A shy college professor doesn't seem like a criminal mastermind to me." I then thought about the Samurai, and how the evidence fits.
   "But when you think about it, it isn't the first time somebody played nice and turned out to be the bad guy," Barry pointed out.
    "He does have a point. His name wouldn't have come upp from the Council of Wells' if it didn't mean anything."
    "If the Council is right, DeVoe arranged for me to come out of the speedforce exactly when he wanted...Even Cisco can't do that." I decided that I didn't want to make any conclusions just yet until we had concrete evidence. I then commanded for the group to get a little more information on their own so we could draw a more informed conclusion.
     "Harry, why don't you and your friends look for some kind of digital footprint on this guy...". Harry trailed down to the speed lab. I then looked over at Caitlin. "Cait, you have friends at CCU, hopefully they can give us some kind of dirt on this guy...". Caitlin nodded off and I turned to Joe. "Joe, you can handle the CCPD background check...". I then looked at Cisco who was already doing his own thing, sorting through the evidence and trying to make some connections.
    "Look at you being all leadery," Barry said, walking up to me with a smile.
   "I like to take charge," I said, turning to my desk and grabbing a manilla folder. I pushed it into his chest. "You of all people should know that."
    "Trust me, I sure do," Barry responded, taking the file from his chest and looking through it with a smirk. I began typing a few things on the computer before logging off and grabbing my bag off the chair.
    "Since the whole meta situation popped up, I haven't been able to have some time with the twins, so I'm gonna head home for a while. I'm sure Auntie Iris could use a break." Barry chuckled and looked down at the file. "Do you want to join?". Barry looked up from the file and shook his head. I found this odd, considering he was always up for family time.
     "I have to check something out," Barry replied before grabbing his belongings. He then gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and sped out of S.T.A.R Labs. I fixed my hair, which had been a mangled mess from the wind that blew behind Barry as he sped off. Shaking off his unusual behavior, I finished up and headed home to my kids. I trust him.
     After unlocking the door and stepping inside, I placed my keys on the table next to the door and my bag on the hook. I then walked down to the end of the hall and into
the twins' room, where Iris was knelt on the floor next to them. They were currently on their playmats, reaching and gripping the small toys that draped down in front of their faces.
     "They're getting so big," she responded with a smile. I looked down at her, giving her the same wide smile. Just looking st them made me smile from ear to ear. I was genuinely lucky they were here.
     "I know..." I replied, kneeling down to her next to them. "It's almost been 7 and a half months...They grow bigger and bigger every day," I placed a finger to my baby girls cheek and stroked it. It seemed like yesterday I was holding them on my arms for the first time. It amazes me how much they've changed as well. I can't believe how quickly they're approaching a year old.
     "It's not long before they start speeding around the house," Iris said with a laugh. "Especially because they seem to mature at a more rapid rate." I nodded my head. I always thought about this. I had never seen a child speedster before, and it's different when they're your own kids. It's gonna be hard for the first few years, considering that's when they're the most out of control. And growing up with powers and not being sure how to control then...what a challenge. In this moment, I just cherished the time I had before things got too complicated.
    "I'm starting to see the same lightning bolt look in Sampson's eye that I see in Barry's," I replied, looking over at my little boy who was gnawing on a teething ring. Iris looked down at him and back up at me.
    "Just like his daddy," Iris replied before standing up and brushing off her knees. I continued to look down at my twins. I then felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up to see Iris' smiling face. "I'll leave you alone...Have a great day." I placed a hand on top of hers that was on my shoulder.
    "Thank you..." I replied, looking back down at my gurgling and squealing children. I was so wrapped up in them that I didn't hear Iris close the door and leave.
    I decided to have the rest of the day be a mommy and me day. Barry was off, and I decided i'd spend some quality time with my kids. I wasn't sure when Barry would get back, so I decided to make good use of my time.
    First, I changed both of them and gave them each a bath, Sampson being too distracted by the toys floating around to care. After that, I clothed them both and placed them both in their high chairs to give them lunch. After that, I sat on the floor and played with them, helping Destiny make a block tower and giggling at her reaction when it fell down. After playing and changing them again, I placed them down for naps.
    I was sitting down on the couch, reading, when I heard the doorknob turn. I turned my head to see Barry emerge from our porch and close the door quietly behind him. I placed my book down and looked at my phone, which displayed the time. After seeing it had been a few hours since Barry left, I asked him about where he had been. Thought I knew I trusted Barry, I still wanted to know what he was up to.
    "Where have you been?" I asked as Barry walked past me and down the hall to place his things down. He then peeked into the twins' room, and then walked back into the living room.
     "There was someone I had to visit," he replied, joining me on the couch. "I went to see DeVoe at Central City University," Barry responded, sinking deeper into the couch. I then closed my magazine and looked up at him sternly. He clearly didn't see how much a wrong move that was.
    "You did what?" I asked. "You didn't check with any of us first!". I felt a rush of emotion in that moment, all regarding anger and frustration. Barry bowed his head at the realization that his actions were wrong. I can't believe he didn't see that for himself. I shouldn't have had to scold him for him to realize.
    "I just wanted to be thorough," Barry responded. "I just wanted to see if I could get anything else...Nothing about him adds up. He doesn't recall where he was the night of January 7th, and he prefers Lyft over a bus...". Barry acting this way made it seem as if we were targeting DeVoe, which could compromise our mission. I told him we weren't making any conclusions just yet, but clearly he didn't care about my opinion.
     "Why is that necessary information?" I asked. "Were supposed to be eliminating him as a suspect, not accusing them!".
     "I wasn't accusing him!" Barry yelled. "I simply as gathering more information."
     "By invading his privacy at his workplace? That's not what we do, Barry!". I raised my voice a little, and Barry stood up quickly and walked towards the window. He usually did this when he was in distress and needed to think. "You're interrogating him as if he was a meta!". Barry turned around and pointed a finger in the air.
     "Actually he's not...I got a sample of his DNA from his coffee mug...It's not the same as meta DNA." Who eyes widened at the extremely unusual behavior of my husband. This was not like him, and I could tall he was sure of something. I assumed he didn't have DeVoe's consent, which was highly inappropriate for our type of work. We were working for the police and should be helping people, not going against the rules and hurting them.
    "BARRY!".
     "I just wanted to be sure! Why is that so hard for you to understand?". I joined Barry's side by the window. Rather than gettting angry and making it worse, I decided I'd take a calmer approach. I took Barry's hand in in mine, and intertwined our fingers, showing him that I wanted to be calm. I could have exploded on him, but that wouldn't make anything better,
    "Everything about him seems normal...He doesn't have a criminal background, and pays his bills on time...He donates to charity...He volunteers at an orphanage...He seems like a normal guy trying to live his life. Why don't you see that?" I asked, calmly. Barry shook his head, taking his hand from mine and rubbing the back of his neck.
     "Everything seems too perfect."
     "What's wrong with educating children and donating to charity?," I asked. Barry threw his arms in the air an yelled in frustration. I could tell he didn't want to, but it was the only way he could immediately get out his stress. I stood for a few seconds, waiting for what was coming. I stood for a few seconds before crying could be heard from the twins' room. That was normal for Destiny when Barry and I would argue, which was not a normal thing. We then walked into the twins' room, Barry taking Destiny and I taking Sampson in our arms. We rocked them back and fourth slowly as we continued to talk, this time, whispering.
    "Everything!" Barry whispered softly, continuing to rock Destiny. "Both Savitar and Kadabra warned us about someone named DeVoe...He could be the guy behind all of this! The bus metas, me returning from the Speedforce...the Samurai...". Barry looked down at Destiny in an attempt to calm himself down as responded, my voice shaky from the rocking motion.
     "I think you're just determined to find the bad guy and get ahead of everything, which is causing you to see things exactly the way you want to see them." I noticed Destiny's eyes closing slowly as she yawned and stirred in my arms. Before she fell into a dead sleep into my arms, I placed her down in her crib. "We're gonna figure this out," I said as I walked up to Barry, taking in the sight of my two beautiful boys infront of me. When Sampson began to fall asleep, I took him slowly from Barry's arms and placed him in his crib. I then walked out of the nursery with Barry following and shut the door behind me. "Our family is safe, and we are working on sorting this out. Alright?" I asked as we walked back into the living room. He was looking down at the floor, and I reached up to direct his chin towards my gaze. I then gave him a peck on the lips and stroked his cheek with my thumb. "You're not alone in this, alright?" I asked. Barry nodded. I then took his hands in mine to reassure him. "Just like everything we've faced, we're gonna get through it together...Got that?" I asked. I then pulled him in for a hug. I could tell he was holding something back as he sighed in my embrace.
     "I've already risked my job over this," Barry mumbled, making me move from his grip. I shook my head, trying to make sense of his statement.
    "You what?" I asked, growing with frustration. He rubbed his neck again and explained further:
    "Captain gave me a strike for DeVoe reporting me. He was worried i'd show up at their house again...Filed for harassment."
    "Barry!".
   "I know, I know," he replied, waving one hand in the air in an attempt to reassure me. "But I needed more information...I needed to be sure." I shook my head. "Marlize has two doctorates, you know?" Barry asked. "One in mechanical engineering and another in advanced robotics. That's how they work! He comes up with the plans, but she executes them. She's some kind of mechanical genius." I looked back st Bary as if he was talking crazy. I couldn't believe his actions. This was not typical Barry behavior.
    "Are you saying they're the next super villain duo?" I asked, taking a step back. My head fell back and I laughed.
     "Why are you laughing?" Barry asked. I shook my head and pointed to him.
     "You," I responded. "This whole situation has you turning into some person I don't even know. The Barry I know doesn't intrude...The Barry I know doesn't go off and do things without asking anyone else...The Barry I know respects privacy and doesn't intrude on people's lives!". I turned away from him to think. I felt myself getting emotional, but I didn't want this to split us apart. That's not what I wanted for Barry and I's future.
    "You don't get it--".
    "I think you're the one who doesn't get the message," I replied, raising my tone a little and cutting Barry off. "We are all trying our best to figure this out, so for the time being could you let it go? I've been trying to plan a get together to introduce the twins to the rest of the teams who haven't met them yet. If you weren't so consumed in your fantasy, you'd see that!". Barry stayed still and silent. "Can you at least focus on that?" I asked. "If you're not going to be by my side, please at least be by theirs." Barry nodded. Leaving him in his thoughts, I walked over to pick up my magazine and my phone. I clicked the lock button of my phone to see I received a text from Cisco.
      "Found something." I clicked the lock button and looked over at Barry, who rubbed his arms nervously by the window.
     "Everything alright?" he asked, looking up at me. I sent a quick text to Iris to come back and watch the twins while I got my things ready to go back to S.T.A.R Labs.
     "Cisco found something," I replied, speeding to S.T.A.R Labs.
     As I entered the cortex, I could see Cisco huddled over the Samurai mask. Caitlin and Harry were watching him as he continued unscrewing off a portion of the mask.
    "What is it?" I asked, looking over at him with furrowed brows. He looked up from the mask and back at the group.     
     "I found a camera in the Samuroid head...You won't guess where it lead back to...". I was shocked. The idea of someone being able to see everything we've been doing here...It genuinely scared me. Someone could know our secret...Our plans...Our lives...It was all up in the air.
     "DeVoe," Barry replied without hesitation. He was dead sure he was guilty.
     "Yup!" Cisco replied, pointing to Barry. "I was here working and heard a strange noise...turns out it was coming from this thing." I then felt a wave of guilt. We just spent all that time arguing about something that Barry was right about this whole time. 
     "Do you know what this means?" Barry asked, stepping out into the center of the cortex. He was right about DeVoe...I should have trusted him. How could I doubt him? He was my husband. I should have listened. "DeVoe's been watching us for weeks. That could have been proven if his wife didn't stop us...Now that I think about it, maybe that's why she did!". Barry began to grow with frustration. His hands tugged hard at his hair.
     "He clearly wants us to think he is weak and unnassuming, but he's the opposite. He's powerful and smart."
     "He's been one step ahead of us this whole time!" Barry yelled angrily, pushing something off of the table close to him. He began to breathe heavily and paced around the cortex.
    "Barry, calm down," I said, placing a hand on his shoulder. He shook it off and continued on his angry tangent.
"He's ahead of us right now. He probably has cameras everywhere. At the lab, at CCPD, I mean he's always watching us!". At that moment, Joe arrived in the cortex with a folder in his hands. I looked over at him, hoping he would have good news for us. The look on his face told me otherwise. He clearly wasn't happy.
    "Do you have anything for us on DeVoe?" I asked, anxious for something new that could help us. Joe shook his head and handed the folder in his hand to Barry. My anxiety grew as Barry examined the folder.
     "DeVoe's wife went in again to see Captain after you left," Joe said. I frowned, assuming the worst. Barry's face told me my suspicion was right. This was indeed not good. I didn't know exactly what happened, but I knew it wasn't good.
      "He's suspending me!" Barry exclaimed, throwing the file down on the floor. "I'm so close to cracking this case!". Barry groaned with anger. My eyes widened at the consequence. Barry wouldn't be able to work on meta cases for two weeks. He would be able to step foot in CCPD for two weeks. The worst part was that this would be on his permanent record.
     "Two weeks off, not a request," said Joe, picking up the paper and placing it back in the folder.
     "It's a good thing he didn't arrest you!" I excaimed, taking the folder from Joe and examining it myself. Barry's gaze was settled on the floor as I continued looking through the folder. "A RESTRAINING ORDER!!" I yelled as I looked through each paper of the folder. "You have to stay 500 feet away from DeVoe". Barry's gaze averted quickly to each member of the group.
    "I can't do that," Barry said, shaking his head. "He's just doing this because we're close." Barry then stood for a second, a million thoughts racing through his head. Barry then sped angrily down to the speedlab, and I followed him, wanting to discuss this more. He was known for making irrational decisions when he was angry, and I wasn't going to allow him to make another.
   "You can't or you won't?" I asked, crossing my arms and tapping my toe on the speed nap floor. Barry stood in the center of the speed lab, flushed with emotion.
     "I don't know anymore..." Barry trailer on, looking at me with a mix of sadness and anger in his eyes. Barry being protective was something that got more and more intense afte he returned back home. He's been known to put too much pressure on himself, and I understood where he was coming from. I was only mad at the consequences of his actions. "I've faced a lot of bad guys, people that would hurt the ones that I love, destroy everything good in the world, and think nothing of it, but this guy, he feels more dangerous than all the others combined," Barry paced again a few times and stopped. "It doesn't help that we don't know anything about him. It's like taking a shot in the dark...". I opened my mouth to speak before he blurted out: "It scares the hell out of me, Chloe!". Hearing these words escape his lips made my heart break. Barry was vulnerable and open. I watched with a heavy heart as he walked over to the steps and threw himself down. His head fell into his hands and his body tensed. It physically hurt me seeing him this way. At this point, I did the only thing I could do in this situation and offered him comfort. I walked over to him in the steps and sat down beside him, placing my hand on his back and rubbing small circles.
     "How mamy times have we been against the unknown?" I asked. Barry lifted his head from his hands slowly and I could see his eyes were glassy. I wiped my thumb along his jawline, stopping the stray tear that was threatening to fall.
    "This feels different," he replied, his voice shaky. "Ever since I came back from the Speed Force, I have been constantly and genuinely happy. My friends are safe, I have a family, Joe's gonna be a dad again, and i'm finally living the life i've always dreamed of having. I have more to lose now than ever before." Barry looked around the room as he collected his thoughts. He wiped his eyes and I felt my eyes brimming with tears. I then wiped my eyes with the back of my hand and placed a hand on his knee.
     "As time goes by, there's gonna be even more for us to lose. And people are always going to be coming after us. You can't let that consume you, you just have to live in the moment and face it as it comes," I replied, taking his hands in mine.
    "How are you not scared?" Barry asked. I brought a hand to his cheek, and stroked it gently.
    "We're the Flashes". Barry looked deep into my eyes and I smiled. He then stroked my hair and cupped my cheek.
    "When I married you, I made a promise...Not only to you, but to myself. I told myself that I would do whatever I had to do to keep you and our family safe...I'm not going to let a restraining order stop me." Barry kissed my forehead and sped off before I got the chance to stop him.
     Having an idea of where he was going, I jogged over to one of the speedlab computers quickly and used the tracking device on his phone to find his location. After a big revelation like this, I'm used to him going to the enemy. When the results came up, I could see he was at Central City University. I then pulled up the security feed to DeVoe's classroom. There, I could see Barry confronting him.
     "You are in violation of your restraining order, Mr. Allen..." DeVoe said as he continued writing on a piece of paper at his desk. "Do you intend to harm me?". He looked up from his paper and placed his pen back in his pencup. Barry then shook his head. "Then pray do tell what is so paramount that you'd risk incarceration?". Barry stepped into the room and squinted his eyes, examining the man sitting before him.
     "I wanted to look you in the eyes and ask: who are you really?". DeVoe chuckled and folded his hands in his lap.
     "Who's asking?". Barry's head tilted in confusion, and his eyebrows furrowed. "Barry Allen? Or the Flashes?". My eyes widened as DeVoe exposed our secret. Barry was filled with just the same amount of surprise I was.
    "How did you--" Barry asked nervously.
     "Please," DeVoe said, wheeling out from behind his desk. Barry stepped forward again defensively, and they were now square with each other. "Your little secret is one of the more underwhelming revelations I have uncovered. I was born on the same evening you were...January 7th, the night S.T.A.R Labs' particle accelerator bathed Central City in gene-altering dark matter." I was overwhelmed with this revelation. Everything we found was now coming together.
     "You were struck by lightening too?" Barry asked. "I knew you were affected," Barry said, a finger pointing to the man. "But how did our test not show your meta-DNA?". DeVoe chuckled and shook his head.
     "For such a fast man, you're rather slow...I'm just smarter than you". Barry turned his head and scoffed, rubbing his cheek with his hand. "You and your science team have devised no strategy, no action, no coordinated effort for which I'm not already prepared."
     "You were behind everything..." Barry mumbled, thinking back to all the destruction. "The Samuroid, the bus metas...Me coming outing the speedforce...it was you. But why reveal yourself now?" Barry asked. DeVoe's expression became serious and stern.
     "Because I have nothing to fear from you." Barry chuckled and shook his head.
     "I'd think twice about that. I have a team of some of the smartest minds from across the multiverse." DeVoe thought about his statement for a second before responding.
     "Yes, your Council of Wells. Could any one of those clowns identify what my abilities are? You could gather every genius on every planet, and you still couldn't outthink me." Barry walked to reward closer to DeVoe, but stopped halfway.
     "Plenty of metas have come after me and the people that I love. You know the one thing they have in common?" Barry asked. DeVoe shrugged. "They failed." DeVoe's face brightened.
     "You've done wonders all these years punching gorillas with rudimentary powers, chasing madmen shooting icicles. Those were children with play guns. Savitar...Zoom...Thawne...Their powers are nothing compared to the power of limitless thought." DeVoe pointed to his head.
     "That's your ability? Your intellect was amplified by the particle accelerator."
     "You may be the fastest man alive, Allen. I'm the fastest mind."
     "So this is how we begin whatever twisted game you have planned?"
    "No, Mr. Allen. You've already lost, and you never even realized it." Barry turned on his heel to walk away before DeVoe stopped him. "Better get home and plan that party!". Barry turned quickly and prepared to charge at DeVoe before stopping himself.
     "He has cameras at home!"  I said aloud as I continued to watch, thinking about all the intimate moments that were captured on camera from the privacy of our home.  
    "After all, what is knowlege without love!...I'll give you some time with them," DeVoe said with a smile. "I'll let them live for a while," he responded before Barry's anger got the best of him and he charged at DeVoe. Barry then got as close to DeVoe's face as he could get.
    "If you hurt them, you'll need more than this wheelchair," Barry growled before speeding out of CCU. DeVoe's grin turned devious as the camera signal cut out and the screen went to black.
     After everything I just witnessed, I figured Barry would definitely want to talk about everything with the team. I shut the computer down, and sped up to the cortex, where the team was discussing the most recent events.
    "He wanted me there!" Barry exclaimed as he entered the cortex. "He knew our secret...he knew everything...". Barry began to panic, and I tried offering him some comfort.
    "I should have trusted you...I'm sorry...You were right about it all." I offered him my hand, but he was too stressed. I knew he'd want to talk about it later. Right now, I let him get everything off his chest
    "He has an intelligence beyond anything we could've imagined. He's orchestrated everything that we've encountered. He's moved us like chess pieces in a game we didn't even know we were playing."
     "How do we stop someone who has super intelligence?" Caitlin asked. She then looked around the room for additional support.
     "We're pretty smart," Cisco proposed, motioning to the rest of the team. Barry shook his head.
     "Maybe we're not," Barry responded. Cisco then wore a frown and slumped in his chair. Suddenly, he shot back up and pointed a finger in the air.
    "The Thinker!".
    "That's pretty good," I responded, pointing to Cisco. He nodded.
      "Nailed it in one try!".
     "Guys!" Barry yelled, getting our attention back to DeVoe. "It's gonna take all of us to stop him."
     "Sounds like y'all could use a hand," a famillair voice said as footsteps filled the cortex.
     "WALLY!" I yelled, running up to him and engulfing him in a hug.
    "Glad to see you all," he replied, giving me a half hug and speaking to the team over my shoulder.
    "How was Blue Valley?" Joe asked.
     "Self-reflection and a battle with a starfish from outer space gives you perspective," Wally replied with a giggle. "I'm sorry I intruded on this very serious conversation," Wally replied, placing his bag down onto the floor. "But I see you've found your guy...What are you thinking? You planning on suiting up and taking him down?" Wally asked. Barry shook his head and walked over to the Samurai head, where he threw it on the floor and smashed it into bits.
     "It's his move now. I think we need to take our time and come up with a plan ourselves."
    "We can handle that, Allen, I think you've had enouh emotional trauma for the day," Cisco replied, patting his shoulder. "Besides, I hear you're having a little fête soon?". Cisco wiggled his eyebrows and Barry's eyebrows furrowed.
   "That's french, for party," I replied, nudging his shoulder. He nodded and looked back at Cisco.
    "Planning on it," he replied as I pulled Barry closer to me and hugged him.
    "I hear it's gonna have all the teams, so let's get planning! You know how much I love a team-up!," Cisco replied before Barry and I sped home.
-------------------------------------------------
    UPDATE FOR YOU! Yes, this significantly shorter than usual updates, but CRISIS ON EARTH X is up next!
    What do you think will happen? How was this update? I hope you enjoyed!
     If you enjoyed the extras I was placing at the end of book two, there is now a COMPLETELY NEW BOOK where I will be posting the shorts from now on, so check that out if you're interested!
    I was also thinking about doing some sort of contest or giveaway, so let me known what you think about that!
    I was also contemplating doing a journal series, or questionnaire type thing where you get to learn more about this character. Let me know what you think, and I love to hear your feedback! Talk to you soon! -Flashette1❤️⚡️

Flashette(Book Four)Where stories live. Discover now