Short on Time

Chapter 100

"As a kid, there was a part of the flash museum that always scared me," Nora told us. "I guess it's normal for children to be afraid of monsters, but this monster was different. No one knows where he came from, how he got his powers, who he is. All that's known is his alias, and the last sound his victims hear. 

"But that's not what makes him scary, what makes him scary is you never catch him," Nora told us. 

"We never catch him?" Barry questions. 

"Supergirl, The Legends, even The League tried, but no one was successful," Nora explained.

"Probably 'cause he can dampen everybody's powers with that magic friggin' dagger," Ralph said bitterly.

"Not all superpowers are meta-humans though," Caitlin pointed out. "What about-"

"Green Arrow?" Nora supplied. "Yeah, he tried too once, but..."

"So we're dealing with a meta-human Jack the Ripper," Cisco said.

"Lovely," I sighed.

"What else do you know about him?" Iris asked.

"Just that he-he's early," Nora said.

"What do you mean he's early?" I questioned.

"In my history, Cicada's first victim was a meta-human named Floyd Belkin, and his last-" Nora said glancing at me. "And he never killed Gridlock or Block. They're completely different victims."

"Because the timeline changed," Barry supplied.

"Yeah, and now they're both dead because of me," Nora said sadly.

"We don't know that," I said gently.

Cisco gave me a look, "we kinda do."

"Moving on," I said quickly.

"Okay, there's no telling the ripple effect of this change or what kind of future Nora's gonna return to," Barry said. "We gotta catch this guy fast."

"You mean catch the guy that future us can't catch?" Cisco questioned. "Right, I thought beating The Thinker was hard."

"And Thawne, Aliens, not to mention Zoom," I rattled off until an alarm went off.

"Guys, it's Joe," Caitlin said. "CCPD needs help downtown."

"Okay, I got it," Barry said.

"No, I'll I'll do it," Ralph said.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Yeah, I got it," Ralph insisted. "You guys stay here and deal with the meta serial killer."

"Okay, guys, look, we got this," Iris said confidently. "Let's just canvass some crime scenes, interview some witnesses, and see if there's any common acquaintances between Gridlock and Block."

"I have a plan," Nora announced.

"You-you've got a plan already?" Iris asked in surprise.

"I know how to fix this," Nora stated.

I stood in the speed lab apprehensively, "not exactly what I thought you were going to suggest."

"So your plan is to contact Herr Wells?" Iris asked.

"Yes, that's my plan," Nora said. "I know in the future you guys never bring in a Wells to help you catch Cicada. So, if you want a different result this time I try something new."

"Surprised future me didn't insist on trying to get help from one of the Wells that we know," I said thoughtfully.

"You were a little busy," Nora said.