Author's Note: This story takes place 1 month after Ronnie died closing the singularity as Firestorm. Also, in this AU the flash drive with Eobard's confession never existed.
Before reading, I'd like to give a very big nod to Crazedtroll who was incredibly helpful with the production of this fic, and who co-created many of the ideas you'll be reading. Check out their work :)
I warn you, this fic is only complete up to Chapter 7. It is on an indefinite hiatus, but I am willing to let the right person adopt it. I will remove this from the description if it gets adopted, so if you see this and are interested, PM me.
Disclaimer: I own nothing from the TV shows 'The Flash' or 'The Arrow'.
Harrison Wells abruptly sat up in his hospital bed and gasped in a lungful of air. It took a moment to hear the loud beeping coming from a machine beside the bed and longer still for his eyes to adjust to the lighting in the room. An influx of medical professionals appeared, he counted two nurses and a doctor, and turned off the beeping from his heart rate monitor. Harrison blinked a few times before his senses started honing in to the present. He realized the nurse was calmly questioning him, the most recent question asking if he could hear her. A grunted 'yes' was all he could get out before memories started hitting him like a brick wall. The death of Tess ran through his mind, then the ceremony announcing the opening of the STAR Labs Particle Accelerator. Next he saw the accelerator exploding, and then saw flashing scenes of himself and 3 coworkers hunting down various…what were they called…meta-humans? Harrison then saw himself in a grey room with a yellow suit, and then his memories seemed to jump to a black hole forming in the ring of the accelerator. But nothing after that. Unbeknownst to him, during this barrage of memories his heart rate had spiked. And once more, everything was black.
The next time Harrison awoke, the experience seemed more natural to him. His senses came to him almost immediately, and the attack of emotions and memories from his last time awake had calmed somewhat. He slowly sat up in his bed. The nurse stationed outside his room was on her computer and came in after noticing his movement.
"Good morning, sir. Are you hearing me okay right now?" She looked on him with concern etching her features.
His voice was hoarse, but he answered her, "Yes, I can hear you." He had so many questions, but didn't know where to start. Why was he here? How did he get here? The last memory he had was of the Eobard Thawne that had stolen his body dying because his ancestor shot himself in the heart. But why could he remember all this? How was he alive in the first place, considering he remembered burying his own corpse after his murder? It took a moment to register that the nurse was asking another question. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you."
The nurse smiled softly in understanding. "Can you tell me your name, sir? The gentleman who called paramedics for you said you didn't have any identification on your person."
He knew there were many standard questions she would have to ask him and took in a steadying breath. "My name is Harrison Wells. Can you tell me where I was found? How long have I been here?"
"I'd be happy to answer all your questions in a moment, but I need to get a few questions of my own settled first. Can you tell me what day it is and the last thing you remember?" the nurse asked him.
Harrison knew he couldn't tell her the last thing he remembered. He didn't even fully understand what was going on himself. "I believe it's sometime in May 2015. I don't remember what happened." Quick as ever, he realized it might be wise to have a cover story and added, "I think I got drunk and my friends left me on the side of the road." Not a great cover, but one that wouldn't require a police report.
The nurse shook her head. "Well, just to inform you Mister Wells, it's actually July 21, 2015. We're not sure why, but you've been in a coma-like state for just over a month now. You already seem to be recovering much faster than the typical coma patient." She watched him look back from herself down to his bed and could tell he was deep in thought, trying to catch up to the present. She placed a hand on his leg. "How about I give you some time to yourself to recoup while I update some paperwork. Do you have a next of kin or someone else to contact?" He shook his head, and she reciprocated with a nod before walking back out to her computer in the hallway. The nurse updated the system with his name and added notes to the medical fields of his file.
Harrison collapsed back onto the bed, frustrated at the confusion he was experiencing. His first thought was to get to STAR Labs and have Cisco, Caitlin, and Barry help him figure out what was going on, but he realized he had never actually had a relationship with any of them. He remembered that Eobard knew them and could remember every experience they had together, but they had no idea who he truly was. He knew he couldn't just barge into the cortex asking for answers. But…he had nowhere else he could go. Grief overwhelmed him as he thought about Tess having been gone for 15 years now. He had no family to his name and no close friends. He had no one to go back to. The decision of what to do had to be made. The only medical reason for him to stay was for them to clear him as healthy after the odd condition he'd been in, so he needed to decide where he would go when he left.
It had been long enough that his imposter's estate might have been dealt with already and he probably had absolutely nothing to his name. No identification, no vehicle, no house, no job. The most logical conclusion would be to find some way to get to STAR Labs and have Team Flash help him determine what happened. He just needed to think of a way to do that without Barry throwing him against a wall with his hands wrapped around his throat. Eobard did not leave him much to work with.
After a couple days passed, his doctor and nurses had watched his vitals and determined he was in good health and ready to be released, though they did note the speed of his recovery was not typical. They asked him to stay and get more testing done to determine what exactly brought about his condition, but he declined. They gracefully provided him with clothing, shoes, and wire-rimmed glasses, since the man who brought him in had found him stark naked. That was all the information the medical staff really had to give him, and that much wasn't truly helpful except when he realized that the location where they said he was found was the same road on which he was murdered. That was absolutely no coincidence.
Back at STAR Labs, Team Flash had just imprisoned a new meta-human with the ability to scatter his cells in a way that made him camouflage. Barry left the facility earlier in the day, so that evening Cisco was in his workroom and Caitlin was in the cortex catching up on some molecular bio-engineering research. Cisco heard his laptop ping with an alert he'd created to flag any appearance of the name 'Harrison Wells'. Any credit cards, bank accounts, hospitalizations, imprisonments, everything. He hadn't expected anything to come of it and had mostly forgotten about it, but the alert said that someone was in a hospital in Star City with the name Harrison Wells. It could just be a coincidence, or a trick even. But it definitely could not go unchecked. Cisco debated with himself whether or not to tell Caitlin and Barry. He didn't think either would have a reaction he'd want to deal with. Caitlin would most likely break down in some way, and he didn't want her to suffer with that. Barry would probably storm off from wherever he was to the hospital to take on Doctor Wells without giving it any forethought. No, he had to deal with this himself. He decided the best plan of action would be to go home tonight and prepare to take tomorrow off and discreetly visit the hospital in Star City. He sent out texts to both Barry and Caitlin saying that he would be taking a personal day tomorrow to deal with a situation that popped up with his brother. Hopefully they wouldn't press him for more details.
If he wanted to drive the 600 miles to Star City and 600 miles back and be back in time for work the day after tomorrow, he needed to leave by 11pm. He packed a bag with some of his tech, just in case. He would also need a nap before the drive, so he set his alarm for 10pm and laid on the couch with the TV on for background noise. The idea that either Harrison Wells, some trickster, or even God forbid some form of Eobard was out there somewhere did not allow him much comfort. None of those possibilities seemed likely or sensible at all, but he had to investigate. Later he woke up from his unrestful nap and started the drive to Star City General Hospital where this supposed Harrison Wells was located.
When he pulled up in the parking lot 9 hours later and stepped out of his car, he realized he hadn't thought about how he would get in, or even how he would find out what room Doctor Wells occupied. Luckily, he didn't have to worry about that, because he watched as Harrison Wells stepped out from the front entrance onto the sidewalk.
After completing all the necessary paperwork when he awoke, a nurse escorted Harrison in a wheelchair to the front entrance of the hospital. He was bothered by being in a wheelchair knowing that his murderer pretended to need one for more than a year. At the entrance, he stepped out and gave the nurse an appreciative nod. He had no money to his name and no one to call. Barring theft, he hoped he'd either be able to hitch a ride from someone or that a bus driver would be kind enough to let him ride free of charge. Harrison stepped out from under the overhang and into the sunlight, feeling the warmth touch his face. He looked up at the sky and back down to the horizon, and then dragged his vision to the parking lot before him. He scanned the lot, thinking about which direction to go when he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Harrison realized something was off about the parking lot and rescanned it with a more careful eye, stopping when he saw Cisco Ramon looking at him with a little fear and a lot of shock, standing next to his car.
Harrison was glad Cisco didn't just hop back into his car and drive away, although he wouldn't have been surprised if that happened. So he inhaled a calming breath, preparing himself for what might come, and looked both directions before making the trek across the lot. When he was just a couple yards away he slowed his pace and resumed eye contact, but Cisco backed away in trepidation. Harrison figured he should speak first. "Hi, Cisco," he said slowly, anticipating a bad reaction. When none came, he spoke again. "I don't even know where to start, and I doubt you'll believe me at first- I would completely understand if you don't trust me at all," he tapered off nervously. Eobard's relationship with Cisco had been one close enough to seriously cut the man deep when he realized all the lies. He imagined Cisco was hurt even more by the realization that Eobard's feelings for him were genuine, considering how convoluted his tale had been. "I woke up here a few days ago and they told me I've been in a sort of coma for a little over a month. Someone found me on the road where Tess and I died." That was still so hard for him to talk about. Those memories had been tightly locked away when Eobard possessed his likening, so they were still raw now that they had been opened up to the man who wasn't an imposter.
Cisco could tell that last sentence was hard for him to say, and that in general, Doctor Wells was uncomfortable to be standing in front of him. He certainly didn't seem like Eobard by the way he spoke, but Cisco wasn't even close to being able to trust this man yet. Harrison continued to speak, "I'm Doctor Harrison Wells. The real one. I can remember everything Eobard did and said to everyone for the last 15 years. It's almost like I can remember his memories in the way a coma patient would describe their experience of being comatose. I can tell you more details of everything I remember outside of what I've already said, but to be honest, I'd rather not converse in this parking lot." He looked around and then back at Cisco, hoping the young man would agree.
Cisco took a moment before adjusting his stance and speaking his first words to Harrison. "If you're real, this will have been the first time I've actually met you. I have to tell you I'm really frakking scared right now of who you could be or what motives you might have, but," he paused and took a deep breath before continuing, "I'm going to take a really big risk here and give you a chance. Why don't we go somewhere to talk. Like a coffee shop or something."
Harrison looked on Cisco with a bit of admiration that he would be so willing to keep his heart open to him, even if just a fraction. "Sure." Harrison bared an almost imperceptible smile and stepped to the passenger side of the vehicle.
They rode in silence to the Grind & Jolt Cafe. The two men stepped out of the car and walked into the facility, Harrison walking to an open table and Cisco heading to the counter. He watched Doctor Wells pull a chair out from the table and wondered why he didn't head to the register, and the realization hit him that Harrison probably didn't have a wallet on him. He probably didn't have anything to his name, actually. If he was truly an anomaly, which he would have to be if he were the real Harrison Wells, then he probably appeared out of thin air with absolutely nothing. No identity, no money, and no place to go. The cashier interrupted his thoughts asking if there was anything she could do for him, and he placed an order for two black coffees. Normally he would be a little more creative with his order, but he could use the bold flavor of a black coffee right now. Within a few moments he was walking to the table Harrison had chosen. It seemed he interrupted the older man's thoughts, as he had quickly looked up from the spot on the table he had been staring at.
Harrison noticed that Cisco had gotten two coffees. "Thanks Cisco. For the coffee, but also for even giving me the chance to talk to you about this. I had no idea how I was going to restart after what's happened. I still don't."
"What did happen, Doctor Wells?" Cisco asked honestly. Harrison could tell he was sincere and open to the truth he had to offer.
"It was some technology from the future used to take my life and DNA for himself. My body looked like it was sucked dry, and at that point, my memories shift from being my own to being foggy and belonging to Eobard."
Cisco looked at him, doing his best to internalize and understand things from Harrison's perspective. "I'm sorry to hear that, Doctor Wells. I'm sure you have a memory of one of Eobard's cameras showing that Joe and I found your body. Buried on the side of the road."
"I do, yes." Anger bubbled inside him remembering what Eobard Thawne had taken from him, but it wouldn't do him any good to get upset about that right now. Instead, he closed his eyes tightly and pushed himself to continue. "That's the last memory I have as myself. And you already know what happened when I woke up. I haven't been able to formulate an explanation for this yet. Maybe somehow I am the timeline correcting itself in a way, but I really have no idea how this happened. I understand how much Thawne hurt you. But I truly hope you can accept my explanation and help me figure out what happened. I have no place else to go, really. You, Caitlin, and Barry are the only people I had in my life when Eobard had my body, and the only person close to me from my past that doesn't despise me now is dead. I'm going to need a place to sleep, a job, clothing." He stopped short to put his face in his hands and rubbed his eyes under his glasses. Cisco could tell he was overwhelmed with the whole situation, and he couldn't blame him at all. He'd probably be reacting a lot worse than Harrison if it were him.
Cisco thought for a moment and undecidedly said, "I think Caitlin might come around to the idea more quickly than Barry. But I don't want to contact her right now, cause then Barry and the others might know something was up and get suspicious. Maybe I should ask her to meet me later tonight at STAR Labs. And you could wait in another room til it was okay for you to come out, so I could have a chance to explain things to her first. I mean, I'm not completely sure I trust your story yet, but it's the most logical truth. And you do seem completely different than the Doctor Wells I knew, although I can't pinpoint why."
"I think that'll work, Cisco. I don't have many other choices, really."
Cisco thought about just how many things Doctor Wells would be needing and suggested, "Why don't I take you out to get a few of the things you'll need? I can drive you back to Central City after, if you want." He could see Harrison was about to interrupt and added, "And I can pay for it, don't worry. I don't have a lot, but I can at least help you get on your feet til we get everything with you sorted. We can get you a new cell phone and a couple pairs of clothes to start while we wait for tonight to come around."
Harrison appreciated, just for a moment, that Eobard made a good choice selecting Cisco to work with him. He seemed a very generous, loyal person. He smiled in gratitude. "Thank you Cisco. That would be more than helpful to me."
Caitlin received a text from Cisco earlier in the day asking to meet up with him after work and not to mention it to Barry or anyone else. The secrecy of the request worried her momentarily, but she was interested in what he might have to talk to her about. Around 6 in the evening, they had finished up in the lab. Shortly after everyone left, she texted Cisco that it was okay to come over. Cisco and Harrison got back into town after the long drive and went straight to the lab.
Harrison took a seat in the hallway just outside the cortex while Cisco popped his head in and saw Caitlin looking at a research paper on her computer. She turned around when she heard his steps. "Hey, Cisco. We missed you today. Nothing eventful happened, so it was kind of boring actually." She noticed his expression seemed more serious than she expected. "How was your day? Did something happen?"
Cisco looked away from her and gathered his thoughts. "Caitlin, what if I told you that the possibility was there for time to try correcting itself after the singularity. So…certain people who were dead or alive, might be the opposite now."
She was worried where his question might have been leading, but took the bait anyway. "I… don't know. I think it would depend on what you're actually trying to say."
Cisco pulled a chair out from the desk to sit and converse with her face to face. "Caitlin, just over a month ago, a man was found unconscious on the side of a road in Star City. He just woke up from being in a coma-like state since the day he was found, and claimed the identity of a dead man."
Her mind raced at the possibilities. "Who was it?"
"Promise me you will give me a chance to explain what I know before you freak out, okay?"
She was hesitant to promise but knew he wouldn't tell her if she didn't. "Okay. Tell me."
"They found Harrison Wells. Alive and well, the real Harrison Wells," he said in a rush.
She stood up, incredulous. "How long have you known this? How could you trust this information? Why wouldn't you tell me?" Her hands were clenched at her sides.
"Caitlin please, you promised." He stood up with her and willed her to sit back down. "Give me a minute to explain." She eventually complied and they resumed their former positions. "After everything happened with the singularity, I created an alert on my laptop to tell me if anything popped up with the name 'Harrison Wells'. I never expected anything to come of it, I just had a feeling it was something I should do. And yesterday, my computer dinged telling me that a man by the name of Harrison Wells was in the Star City General Hospital. I drove all night to go check it out this morning. I haven't been keeping anything from you, I just wanted to check it out and make sure it wasn't nothing before I told anyone about it. You can understand that, can't you?"
Caitlin knew if it were her she would have done the same, and she couldn't hold on to any negative feelings toward Cisco for this. "I can understand."
Cisco relayed everything Harrison and he had talked about to Caitlin, watching many different emotions wash over her face. When he finished, he said, "Caitlin, he's here. He needs our help to find out what happened and to get his life started again."
Caitlin's eyes were now wide open and trepidation clouded her thoughts for a moment before she regained control of herself. "Where is he, Cisco?"
Harrison had of course been listening the whole time, waiting for the cue to enter if everything had went well. "Doctor Wells," he heard Cisco call. He sighed and stood up off the floor, putting his hands together in front of his face and gathering himself to see Caitlin. He turned into the hallway leading to the cortex and walked the few yards until he was standing a few feet away from her. Cisco moved to stand next to him while Caitlin absorbed all the information and the reality that some form of Harrison Wells was standing in front of her this very moment.
"I…I really want this to be true. I want to trust you, but you must know how hard that will be if this is all true." She looked at him hoping he understood.
"I do. I expected nothing less. Since I retain all the memories from the last 15 years, I know what he did to Ronnie and all the lies he fed you for so long. But I'm not him. I'm not. And I hope that you both, and Barry as well, will be able to give me a chance to prove that to you, so I can make something out of whatever life it is that I have left." She could see the wounds he carried from what happened to his life. She couldn't even imagine 15 years of her life being stolen from her like that, but she could imagine the death of someone she loved, as she'd dealt with it herself. Caitlin sympathized with him.
She straightened her posture and resolved within herself to give this Harrison a chance. The likelihood of his tale being a lie was very small. The possibility was definitely there, but like Cisco, she was able to see small things that set him apart from the Eobard version of him that she knew. She felt inclined to trust this man and to help him. He was not the man she had gotten to know over the past few years, all three of them recognized that. But she wanted to get to know him. "Okay. I guess now we just need to figure out how to tell Barry."
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