War of Worlds

Chapter 2

An awkward silence followed Savitar agreeing to help Dr Wells, Killer Frost and Reverb in their plot to take down Zoom. Savitar found himself enjoying Frost's sulky mood, Reverb's penetrating gaze and Wells' uncertainty over what he had just gotten himself into. The speedster made no move to break the silence, but after a while it seemed like Dr Wells could no longer bear the uncomfortable atmosphere.

"We need a base of operations." He addressed all three meta-humans in his midst.

Everyone shuffled towards him but it seemed like no one was eager to move on with their plans. The reality of the situation suddenly left Killer Frost and Reverb haunted by the implications of their actions. Going against Zoom was suicidal. Dr Wells sighed heavily at their reluctance to move forward.

"Look, if we plan on doing this, and succeeding in our endeavours, then we need to start working together, right from this very moment. Or we might as well throw in the towel right now, because we cannot defeat Zoom while divided."

Savitar smirked, Killer Frost rolled her big blue eyes and Reverb looked amused at Wells' little motivational speech. It was easy to see why he managed to commandeer thousands of employees under his reign though.

"I think the best option right now would be for us to set up here." Reverb directed his suggestion at Savitar.

Savitar moved off the wall he was leaning on and finally came closer towards the circle. "Even if that was an option – which it isn't – no one besides me can get into my workshop." He told them sternly.

There was no way in the god damn Multi-verse he was going to allow the three breachers to set up shop in his personal space. There was a good reason why he had closed off the entrances and exits of his lair from his meeting room and the outside world, and that was because he valued his privacy above everything else.

Killer Frost turned curious eyes on him. "Why not?" She asked impatiently.

"Because I've sealed off every entrance and exit leading into my lair." He told her smugly.

She snorted at this and Savitar arched a dark eyebrow at her snicker but it was Reverb who spoke up. "Your lair?" He questioned with undisguised amusement. This time Savitar felt his right eye twitch in annoyance and his lips thinned in frustration.

"So how do you get into this lair of yoursthen?" She drawled out mockingly.

Savitar felt his irritation at the pair of meta-humans disappear as his lips curved into a well worn smirk. "I phase through that wall to get back there." He pointed a thumb over his shoulder at the same ugly wall Reverb had run his fingers across upon arrival. It made sense now why the breacher could pinpoint Savitar's location.

Killer Frost raised her white eyebrows at Savitar, clearly surprised by the extent of his abilities but unwilling to admit it. Dr Wells felt a flicker of hope go through him when he heard of Savitar's ability to phase through objects. The doctor knew that Savitar was exceptionally good at his job, yet Wells had also witnessed first hand the magnificence of Zoom and he needed more to believe in than a speedster who killed people for wealth. Dr Wells and Reverb instinctively shared an impressed look.

"Due to your speed you can vibrate your molecules on an atomic level, which means you can pass through solid objects with the right calculations." Dr Wells spewed out his scientific knowledge in excitement while nodding his head eagerly. "That means you have made good progress in your skill thus far."

Reverb nodded in agreement but Savitar was not at all pleased by their reactions. He had worked himself to the bone in his attempts to refine his speed. He had pushed himself to breaking point in order to master techniques no other human being was capable of, and all they reduced his power to was "good progress". Suddenly another thought occurred to Savitar, one that left a decidedly bitter taste in his mouth. If they were so clued up on his skills, then did this mean that Zoom was capable of the same techniques as he was? Had they seen Zoom or Earth One's speedster accomplish such feats? It seemed almost impossible but the thought grated on Savitar's last nerve.

Killer Frost broke through his reverie. "I don't see why that should be a problem though." She shrugged her small shoulders and Savitar felt a frown forming on his forehead.

There proved to be no time to question her though, because Savitar just managed to move out of the way with his quick reflexes before he could be turned into an ice block. Savitar came to stand beside Frost. His right arm vibrated with speed and anger.

He could have easily stopped her destructive tendencies, he was close enough to do so, and yet he didn't. There was something truly bewitching about the way she was holding out her hands while a controlled snowstorm blasted forth from her palms and into the wall separating his meeting room from his lair.

Her legs were spread apart slightly, her upper body leaned forward a little and her eyes were completely white. For a moment Savitar thought that she would not be able to break through the intensity of concentrated steel he himself had built behind the worn bricks of his meeting room, but after a while the steel shuddered like a warped frying pan. Eventually it gave in to her icy tantrum, crumbling into tiny fragments that looked absolutely harmless in the dim lighting.

It wasn't often that Savitar was impressed by another meta's abilities, but he found himself unwillingly mesmerized by Killer Frost's sheer power and immaculate control.

Thankfully she did not turn around to mock his stricken expression but walked away from his meeting room, hips swaying and shoulders held high, leaving a cold chill in her wake. Reverb followed her with an amused but clearly affectionate smile and Savitar felt his right eye start to twitch all over again. Damn these travellers.

Savitar turned furiously towards Dr Wells, knowing full well who was paying for this little expedition on his Earth. He narrowed his mismatched eyes with intimidation and pointed a long finger at the scientist. "This will be added to your bill."

Savitar did not wait to see Dr Wells' irritated expression, instead he stepped over the debris and into his lair. The speedster wanted to keep a close eye on the two meta-humans invading his territory. He wouldn't put it past Frost to accidently break something and he definitely did not want the psychic touching his belongings, trying to see into who he was. That felt like a breach of privacy. Pun intended.

Killer Frost was sorely disappointed by the drab décor in Savitar's lair and it was apparent that so were Wells and Reverb. The workshop was just as poorly lit as the meeting room was, except that this place had furniture scattered around it.

A workbench cluttered with a number of different tools caught Wells' attention and he walked over to examine what equipment they had to work with. Killer Frost walked around the room, eyeing every detail with disdainful eyes and a proud tilt to her nose. Reverb was at Savitar's lone shelf, looking it up and down with avid fascination. The shelf was littered with odd trinkets and it became apparent to Reverb that the items were a collection of some sort. His gaze eventually found a silver chest on the highest shelf, looking completely out of place, even amongst the mismatched items.

"Don't." Savitar was at Reverb's side in a flash, his hand placed firmly on the silver chest before Reverb could touch it.

Reverb, less than offended by Savitar's hostility, raised his hands up in a gesture of surrender. And even though Savitar could not read the expression in the breacher's eyes, because they were covered with tinted glasses, the smirk on Reverb's mouth was knowing and his half smile was mocking. Savitar's shoulders tensed as he felt Frost's and Wells' eyes boring into him, and he desperately wanted to throw all three of the intruders out from his lair but knew that his efforts would be fruitless. They clearly did not know how to take no for an answer and right now they were his only ticket to meeting Zoom and Boy Wonder. So the speedster inhaled sharply and reminded himself that this quest was worth it. This job would prove more beneficial to him in ways that money never could.

Nevertheless, he did not trust Reverb or any of the others to stay away from the one item he truly valued, especially not after they had seen his reaction to Reverb almost touching it, and so he sped up. Within the blink of an eye he hid the silver chest away from prying eyes.

It was during this time that Reverb set his sights on Savitar's prized possession hanging up in a corner on metal chains. Reverb walked slowly towards Savitar's suit, admiring it like a girl does her prom dress. Reverb circled Savitar's suit with critical and analytical eyes.

"Did you design this yourself?" The breacher questioned with a small amount of surprise, appreciation also evident in his features now.

Savitar shrugged his broad shoulders because he hadn't designed it all by himself and he had no intention of cluing the breacher in on who had helped him to do so. Taking that as a yes though, Reverb nodded at this. Dr Wells joined the breacher at the suit and Savitar suddenly felt something besides irritation take root inside of him.

Killer Frost watched as the three men ogled Savitar's suit like normal men did a sports car. Finding that she would much rather be letting of some steam than giving her opinion on something that she found terribly boring, she made to leave. Strangely, it was Savitar who noticed her retreat.

"Where are you going to?" He questioned plainly.

She was struck by the feeling that he wasn't quite sure what to make of her. It was as if he found her interesting enough to watch, but frustrating enough to keep his distance from. She ignored his question, not bothering to turn back and acknowledge him. Killer Frost could hear Wells clear his throat in that annoyingly condescending way he did whenever he wasn't happy about something. This was followed by Reverb telling them to let her go and that she would be back when she was ready. No doubt Wells was concerned about the mayhem she was going to cause on Earth Seven. However, she did not hear him voice his petty little worries and she could only assume that Reverb had given him the "we're-not-talking-about-this-look". She felt thankful for Reverb in that moment, one of the few people left who she could truly count on.

In truth she was reluctant to draw on Caitlin's memories and knowledge now that it meant her medical expertise would be required to monitor Savitar's physical well being. Frost had worked so hard to drown out the voice of Caitlin, disinterested in helping others medically, that she found the idea of hearing Caitlin in her head again frustrating. She was in control and yet she would have to follow Caitlin's advice, go on Caitlin's instincts. It was disturbing.

Reverb was fortunate. He did not seem to have the same problem as she did, or if he did, he definitely hid it better than she could. Killer Frost had often wondered if maybe an innate part of Cisco had been so tainted and corrupted that he had willingly given in to Reverb's control. Unlike Caitlin who had been so disgustingly good and selfless that she still fought to take control during Killer Frost's weaker moments. She felt it, every time she had to dig in to Caitlin's thoughts, she would always be overwhelmed by disapproval and disgust at her actions.

Her frustration rose at the thought of having to delve into Caitlin's memories on a continuous basis now, so it was with relief that Killer Frost stepped into a dingy pub on Earth Seven's Central City. Her bright eyes narrowed at the many meta-human's scattered around the shabby room as she looked out for someone to take her mind off of her current situation. She was pleased that this Earth was so consumed by her kind, without the hindrance of pesky human's and heroes trying to fight for what they thought was right.

She was unaware of the interested gaze she had attracted upon her entrance as her full lips curved into a deadly smile. Killer Frost's mind was overflowing with how best to distract herself from the task she, Reverb and Dr Wells had set out to do. All the compromises they had to make, all the differences they had to set aside, all the hate they had to pretend did not exist between them … Well, they were all stepping out of their comfort zones this time and she would have to find a way to do the same. Her life wasn't the only one riding on the success of their plans.

. . .

Savitar projected an air of absolute disinterest while Wells and Reverb examined his suit. In reality though, he was more than curious to hear their opinions. Truthfully, he rarely allowed people close to him. And while he didn't have much of a choice this time around, he knew that the opportunity of having arguably one of the best scientists and mechanical engineers in the Multi-verse give their views on his suit was even rarer.

"Its structure is pretty solid." Reverb declared as he ran his gloved hands down the side of Savitar's suit.

His dark eyebrows rose over the tops of his shades. Without asking he found the little power box at the nape of the suit and pried it open with a screwdriver Wells had handed him. Savitar felt dread starting to creep up his spine.

"Mmm." Reverb hummed. "Not bad." His dark head lifted up to meet Savitar's plain gaze and relief washed over the speedster because Reverb hadn't questioned if there had been anyone else involved in the making of the suit. "Although it does have room for improvement." Reverb said bluntly and Wells nodded.

Savitar waited for the irritation or annoyance to creep in at the constructive criticism but it did not come. Instead he felt himself step closer towards the two men. The speedster looked from one man to the other, waiting for them to say more about his suit but they both just stared at him as if he should have understood exactly what they had meant with that one lousy comment.

"Right." Wells began with a look that almost resembled pity at Savitar's ignorance. The speedster gritted his teeth but bit his tongue because he did know that his suit needed upgrading. "We need proper tools and a new programming chip first though. Also, a better monitor and laptop is required if we plan on using my programmes."

This was the first time Savitar saw arrogance in this version of Dr Wells and he found that he much preferred it to the reluctant man he had seen earlier on. This trait showed that Wells had confidence in his abilities and had faith in his plan working.

Savitar raised an eyebrow at him. "Your programmes?" He questioned and Wells gave him a smug smile.

The doctor pulled out a device from his back pocket. At first glance the square object he held resembled a mobile phone, but on closer inspection Savitar could see that it looked thicker and heavier than any phone he had ever seen. Dr Wells waved it in Savitar's face but the speedster just gave him a blank look, not willing to show that he was truly excited to get a closer look at Dr Wells' programme.

"I know just the place then." Savitar told Wells simply and he waited while Reverb and Dr Wells had a silent conversation by sharing a long look.

"I'll stay here and set up what little equipment we do have for time being." Dr Wells said and Reverb nodded as he motioned for Savitar to lead the way.

. . .

"You people really are a literal bunch aren't you?" Reverb commented with a frown as he walked besides Savitar.

The speedster looked at Reverb with his dark eyebrows drawn together but he would never voice his confusion. Reverb gave him a half smile, reading Savitar's silence for exactly what it was – pride. "On our Earth, a black market is a medium in which illegal or stolen items can be sold or purchased." Reverb explained. "Over here you literally have a black market."

Savitar looked up at the familiar market place of his home town. The cobbled street was lined with black tents on either side, where bright, hanging bulbs illuminated every stall with enough clarity to attract the shoppers' attention in the pale moonlight.

Savitar gave the breacher a lazy shrug. "With us, there are no two meanings about what we say."

"Touché." Reverb acknowledged with an agreeing nod.

Many meta-human's roamed freely down the black market. Stall owners dressed in black cloaks called out bargains to passing patrons or stood imposingly at the front of their tents, people watching. Upon reaching a tent that held AC adapters, platters and storage disks, the pair of meta-human's stepped into the stall in wordless agreement. Savitar and Reverb made their way towards a pile of programming chips.

Savitar could feel Reverb's gaze on him, even though the breacher's glasses shielded his eyes and his hands were focused on finding a chip that they needed. Savitar continued to sift through the pile at human speed.

"You could save us the time and go through the pile with your speed you know." Reverb commented without any frustration or intimidation, making it seem like an open suggestion instead of a demand. The speedster hid his smirk.

"I could." He agreed while lazily throwing a useless chip to the side of the table. "But then you wouldn't have enough time to try and figure me out." This time he looked directly up at Reverb with a patronising stare.

The breacher stared at Savitar for a while before a small, sly smile made its appearance. "I think we might have underestimated you, Savitar."

"You have." Savitar agreed without modesty before giving Reverb another intense stare. "Don't dig too deep. You may not like what you find."

Reverb's frown was prominent. "Is that supposed to scare me?"

Savitar shrugged before his hand did a speedy sweep over the pile of chips. His eyeballs roved back and forth at such a speed that Reverb only caught the whites of his eyes. Savitar held up an unbroken chip with a victorious smirk.

"I doubt there's much that could scare you, but sometimes ignorance really is bliss." The speedster replied cryptically. He didn't stay to see the breacher's reaction to his statement but chose to walk over to the stall owner instead. Reverb made to reach into the pocket of his trench coat but Savitar placed a hand out in front of him. The speedster shook his dark head.

"That won't work here." He told Reverb. "All foreign money has to be changed into our bank before it can be used." Reverb looked over at Savitar.

"That way they can track who comes in and out of this Earth." Reverb figured out astutely but Savitar neither agreed nor disagreed with him and Reverb knew he was right.

"I'll add it onto your bill." Savitar told him instead but the speedster knew that the cogs in Reverb's mind were spinning at an alarming rate.

As they walked away from the tent and back onto the street, Reverb eyed him from the corner of his eye. "Without the police or humans in control and heroes shot down immediately, how is this place kept without chaos?"

"You mean, in whose control is it?" Savitar questioned cleverly and Reverb once again took note of how much they had underestimated Savitar.

Reverb gave Savitar an appraising look. He wondered if maybe this version of Barry Allen was a closer reflection of Earth One's Barry Allen, rather than the useless copy of the man with the same name from Reverb's home world. Savitar was proving to be smarter and faster than they gave him credit for. And even though he clearly had ulterior motives for all his actions, Reverb didn't think they were anything that Wells, Frost and he couldn't handle.

Savitar met Reverb's look with a smug expression deciding that enough information would need to be given out to satisfy the breacher's curiosity, but not so much that it could be used against him in the future.

"There are only a few who know of his true identity, but everyone has heard of his ruthlessness. Those who have gone against his rules do not live long enough to expose his identity."

Reverb's mind conjured up dark images of a cloaked figure with his back facing a window in a tower that overlooked the entire city. He couldn't help it, he had an overactive imagination and Savitar's descriptions sounded like something a narrator would say at the beginning of a horror movie.

"How is it that you've managed to lead such an independent life then?" Reverb questioned curiously.

Savitar stopped walking and Reverb did so too. The two meta-human's faced each other. Savitar gave Reverb a cryptic smirk. "I'm fast." The speedster said dryly before he walked off.

Reverb frowned at this. He knew that there was another reason as to why Savitar followed a different set of rules from the rest of Earth Seven's inhabitants, and it definitely wasn't just because he was fast. If that was the case then he wouldn't be walking around undisguised through the black market, completely at ease in his surroundings. He did have a suit though, which meant it could also be his mask and not just a covering that wouldn't burn off as he ran. However, he had met them in his civilian attire upon their arrival and people knew where to find him if they needed a job done. Reverb's frown intensified. There were many questions left unanswered and unfortunately Savitar was more apt at being ambiguous and evading the truth than Reverb had expected.

One thing was certain though, by the end of this trip, Reverb would have all the answers.