The Line Between Living and Dying

Scarlet and Violet

"Has Hartley made contact yet?" Dr. Wells wheeled into the cortex. 

Hours had passed since he admitted his mistake in a press conference at CCPD. Hartley didn't seem to take the bait.

"What makes you so sure he will?" Caitlin asked.

"Because he's Hartley and he'll want to have the last word." Dr. Wells rolled his eyes. The genius who saw himself as the chosen one was also really petty.

Cisco stood up, walking around Barry with a tablet in hand.

"Cisco, you should be resting." The speedster scolded.

"The answer to why Hartley fooled us into catching him is in here, and I'm gonna find it." He snapped before storming into the lab next to the cortex.

Dr. Wells wheeled up into the lab after Cisco, feeling the need to comfort Cisco after everything that happened in the past couple of days.

Meanwhile, Dani sat to the side staring at her phone. Cheyanne furrowed her eyebrows at her friend, walking over and leaning on the desk next to her.

"Everything okay?" She asked.

Dani sighed, turning her phone off and setting it down. "No. Eric and I got into a huge fight last night and I don't know how to fix it."

"What was the fight about?"

"He accused me of lying."

"About what?"

"About work."

Cheyanne scoffed. "Well, that's ridiculous. How can you lie about work?"

"The museum isn't my only job, Chey." Dani reminded the blonde.

"Oh." Cheyanne's face fell in realization. "He knows that you're not really going to 'work' when you say you are."

Dani nodded. "I don't know what to do anymore."

"Tell him the truth," Cheyanne suggested.

"What, that I'm a superhero?" Dani was the one to scoff now. "I can't."

"You trust him, don't you?"

"I do."

"Then why not trust him with this?"

Dani stared up at Cheyanne, understanding her point. But before she could debate any further, the intercoms turned on with a crackling noise.

"What's that?" Caitlin questioned just as sparks flew from the speakers.

"Nice gambit, Harrison." Hartley's voice flowed through the hacked speakers. Dani and Barry stood up immediately. "But this isn't over."

"Hartley, what do you want? What do you want, Hartley?" Dr. Wells' voice grew to a yell. "I already gave my mea culpa today."

"The city already hated you. You don't think I noticed that press conference was a pathetic bishop sacrifice?" Hartley spat. "No, no, no. I've played with you too many times to let you get away with that. This is between you, me, the Flash, and Vortex."

"You don't want to play for those kinds of stakes with me, Hartley."

"Actually, I really do. What do you say? One last game of chess?"

"You and I both know that the winner of the game is the one who makes the next-to-last mistake, and you clearly have a move in mind."

"You're right. And I'm already at the board. So why don't you move your precious scarlet and violet knights... While I take out a few pawns."