Chapter 4
Eobard awoke. Blinking, he sat up, rubbing his eyes. He turned his gaze to observe his surroundings, recognizing the medical bay in S.T.A.R Labs. His eyes continued to search until they found the stubborn silhouette of the Flash sitting just beyond the radius of the brightest light in the room, as though he were attempting to make himself less noticeable. A wry smile appeared on Eobard's face. The Flash had saved his life. Or, at the very least, had ensured he didn't die from his injury. Ever the hero... he thought. I wonder just how often that trait has backfired on him - like now. He had the chance to be rid of me, and didn't take it...too bad for him...
He shifted himself, dangling his feet off of the bed. His chest ached, and his eyes were drawn down to the bandages there on his Reverse Flash suit, both stained with dried blood. "Couldn't let me go, could you, Allen?" He commented.
"Apparently not."
"Why?" Eobard wanted to hear the other justify his reasons, regardless of his own thoughts on the matter.
"Because I'm not evil like you," the Flash replied. "By the way, you should sound more grateful."
"Yeah, sure… And exactly how did you manage to stop the bleeding? I noticed my regeneration wasn't really doing its job."
"I jumpstarted the Speed Force in your system with a bit of electricity. That thing had disrupted your connection to it somehow."
"And you escaped it...how?"
Allen shrugged. "It let me go."
"Just like that?"
"It told me to end our war, saying it was merciful so it was giving me a chance."
"Funny thing," Eobard said, "it said something similar to me." He pushed himself off the bed, feet hitting the floor. He was somewhat light-headed, but otherwise, the ache was almost gone, the wound almost healed. Annoyance made his skin prickle. "I don't like being in your debt," he shot at the Flash.
"You're not," came the annoyed reply. "You have nothing I want, anyway."
"Obviously." The Reverse Flash crossed the room, movements slow - a pathetic adjective for a speedster, he thought - putting the bright light of the med bay behind his shoulders. Barry sat on a chair, his speedster outfit replaced with a casual, gray, collared tunic with dark pants. Thawne paused, folding his arms, looking down at him. "So?" He asked.
"So what?"
"So just how do you intend to fight that...thing?" Thawne asked. "We are very outmatched, seeing as it kicked our ass not only twice, but in less than a few seconds each time."
"I don't know...yet," Barry replied. "But it...said something odd before disappearing - that is, while you were unconscious."
"What did it say?" Thawne asked, not looking forward to the answer.
"It said we had until the next nexus to end our war. I suppose that's when he'll return, but... nexus? What do you think that means?"
Eobard massaged his temples. "I think it means a time nexus."
"A what?"
"You mean to say that you don't know what a-?" He stopped, clenching his jaw. He gave Flash his best 'you're an idiot' look.
"There's a reason I stopped researching time travel," Barry defended. "After Flashpoint. I swore I'd never do it again."
Eobard exhaled. "It's hard to explain... I suppose a nexus...is a fixed point in time, a point where all decisions from the past and future intersect, meaning if it's ruptured...it will cause exponentially more changes to the timeline than a normal disruption... A good example of a nexus would be the night of your mother's death," he added salt to the wound.
Flash was an old enemy, though, and he didn't flinch at the intentional prod. In fact, he seemed unaffected, and Eobard wondered if that was just a good bit of acting on his part, or if he was unbothered. If so...he'd come a long way from who he'd once been. Well, it has been over a hundred years...so I suppose it's not that surprising, he mused.
The Reverse continued, "that is why it created Flashpoint when you saved her life, why despite the fact that we 'fixed' it, it affected so many people in such drastic ways... And it's also why I chose to try and kill you then, and not when you were...say, two or three, or in a more vulnerable situation."
"Right," Flash said. "So it could be anything. We won't know it until that creature comes for us again, this time with no intentions of taking prisoners again, and it could appear tomorrow, next week, a year, a hundred years..." he sighed.
"Not necessarily," Eobard said. "I can find the nexus, then we will know exactly how much time we have to plan."
Barry narrowed his eyes, suspicion glinting there. "And just how do you intend to do that?"
"Time travel." Eobard returned.
"No," Allen said. "You'll draw attention to us. We've already pissed off the Speed Force enough for one day. Not to mention that messing with time is a bad idea." He stood, purpose filling his eyes.
"You have a better idea, oh, Intellectual One?"
"Yes," Bartholomew replied. "There's someone who can look through time, without using the Speed Force. I'll just contact him."
"Aw," Eobard said, a grin filling his face. A genuine one, this time. "If you're referring to who I think you're referring to... I admit, I have somewhat missed having him around."
"Yeah, well," replied the Flash, grinning back in a hostile way that was rather out of character, in the Reverse Flash's mind. "That feeling couldn't be further from mutual. He hasn't missed you much, that's for sure."
Eobard felt a strange thrill at the other's expression, but the feeling soon dissolved into annoyance. The Flash stood and walked away. He wished the other speedster was adorned in his red suit. He wanted to throw a few punches to work of his sudden frustration, and it was easier to imagine doing it when his nemesis was nothing more than the Flash.
"Uh, nuh-uh," came the first words out of the man's mouth when his eyes landed on Reverse Flash. It was easy to see that he was glaring, even with his dark eyewear. "Tell me, Barry - what's that doing here, exactly?"
"Missed you too, Cisco," Eobard said.
Barry shot him a sideways glance.
Eobard straightened himself, squaring his shoulders.
"You can't call me that," Cisco replied. "In fact, if you could refrain from speaking to me at all, that'd be one hundred percent fantastic with me."
"Vibe," Eobard corrected. He noted to himself how much Vibe's suit had changed over the years, seeming to be crammed with millions of dollars worth of technology, and yet still retained a sense of fashion and style.
"He's not here by my choice," Barry told their guest.
"Nor mine," Thawne assured.
"Well," Cisco said, lowering the dark headgear from his face. He tapped some tech on his arms. "This explains why you were so terribly cryptic. If you told me Thawne was here, you would have gotten a capital N and a capital O."
"Sorry," Barry said. "I didn't know how you would react."
"Though I'm sure you had a good guess..." He shrugged and turned his gaze around the laboratory. "Not much has changed… Never does..." Cisco walked to one of the desks, leaning down to examine the lab consoles there. "It's been some time since I've been here. Looks like your systems could use an update. This tech is old enough to be my grandmother."
"An exaggeration," Barry noted.
"So, tell me, Vibe-" Thawne started.
Cisco narrowed his eyes, looking up. "Sorry," he mocked. "I can't hear you over the sound of your own awfulness... So listen up. One, Dr. Evil, I have nothing to say to you. Two, I have nothing to say to you." He turned away, making for one of the side rooms. "And the same goes for infinity."
"You know," Reverse Flash said, nonchalant. "All we need now is dear Caitlin, and it would be like old times."
Vibe froze.
Barry started, but if he intended any words or action, Cisco beat him to it. The metahuman spun around, raising a hand.
Thawne felt a shift in the air around him.
"Say one more word, you malignant asshole," Cisco said, "And I will shatter your entire nervous system, speedster or no. Do you want to know how that feels? To be rendered a drooling vegetable all your life? Or what six feet under is like? Yeah, I can do that too..."
"Oh, Cisco, I'd be worried," Eobard replied, "except I know, without a doubt in my mind, that you're neither a killer, nor a man cruel enough to cripple me."
The hand twisted.
A wave of agony crashed into the Reverse Flash. He doubled over, shuddering.
"Cisco!" Barry exclaimed.
"Don't get your panties in a wad," Cisco replied. "He is right that I'm not a killer...or cruel enough to destroy him, probably... I am, however, cruel enough to give him a taste of all the agony he's caused...by simply messing with the pain-center in his brain. He'll make a full recovery when all's said and done..."
Struggling not to collapse under the weight of the attack, Thawne shuddered and staggered to the nearest wall. He leaned against it, his nerves on fire and all of his veins and arteries seeming ready to burst. He groaned, needles under his skin, sweat running down his forehead.
After a few seconds, the discomfort faded.
Thawne slumped. "You," he gasped. "Have...become quite powerful, indeed, Vibe."
"He never shuts up!" Cisco said.
"Good thing you're on my side," Barry joked, punching his shoulder in friendship.
"Yeah, well, if Evilbard is sticking around, it might not last," the other responded. "So, what did the mighty Flash need help with?" he changed the topic, tone becoming light and easy. He put his hands on his hips, tilting his head.
"I need you to vibe for me."
"I figured. We never hang out anymore unless there's a crisis."
"Well, maybe you should move back to Central City. Then, we'd have lots of time to hang out."
"Maybe I should. But I'd miss Wustread...and Gypsy..."
"You should bring her, sometime," Barry said. "It's been awhile."
"I would," Cisco replied, "if I could get her to stay in one place for more than a day. I swear, I think our relationship is more complicated than in that one movie... The New Cotillion? I think..." He shrugged his coat off, revealing even more tech hidden underneath. He placed it on a the back of a chair, before plopping into it with all the ease of somehow who lived here. He pointed at Barry. "Anyway, after I vibe, we are going for dinner - without mouth-off over there."
"Sure thing," Allen replied. "It'd be nice, after everything. I'm actually starving..."
Eobard had to agree with that sentiment. It'd been a week or more since he'd had a meal. He straightened himself and found his voice. "I should come, too, in case you are attacked. Safety in numbers."
Cisco shot Barry a questioning look.
"I think Vibe and the Flash can handle any potential threats," Bartholomew responded.
"While Vibe is very powerful," Thawne agreed, stepping from the wall. "We don't know if he is equipped to take on that Speed Force creature."
"Speed Force creature?" Cisco asked. "And stop talking about me like I'm not here, Reverse."
"I'll explain later what he meant about the Speed Force creature," Barry muttered.
"And," Eobard added, tone becoming more persuasive. "What if I'm attacked? You saw how quickly it incapacitated me before."
Barry sighed. "Let's just find the nexus, then we'll figure all that out."
"Nexus?" Cisco asked, bewildered. "Speed Force Creature? Which is a terrible name, by the way - and safety in numbers? Look, I have to have details."
"Like I said, I'll explain it all later," Barry replied, "...but I need you to vibe the next nexus in time. The next fixed point."
Cisco chuckled. "Dude, you should've just said so. Being cryptic is so not as cool as you think." He raised his visor. "Now, this may take a minute. Time is very fluid, and finding a fixed point...well, try finding a dime in a swimming pool. Luckily, these lovelies can help me hone in on it, specifically."
Assuming a solemn look, he raised the dark tech to his eyes. He fitted it to his face, tapping it. It glowed. He tensed.
Eobard watched, witnessing this power for the first time. He was fascinated by Cisco's abilities. He always had been, from the first moment he'd learned of them. In fact, on that day, in that cell, after hearing it, his first feeling had been regret. Regret, that he would not be able to help Cisco cultivate this new, raw, powerful ability. Cisco, who was brilliant, a prodigy, the son he'd never had. And he'd once felt regret that he would not be there to watch him grow into the powerful metahuman he would become. So powerful, in fact, he'd managed to survive the last century and more.
At least the regret was gone. Those days were over. Those days were ones of being Harrison Wells, the guiding, loving mentor. He wanted to roll his eyes at the very thought. How did I ever get so weak?
Cisco loosened up, sighing, pulling Eobard from his thoughts. He lowered the visor, blinking a few times.
"Well?" Barry asked. "Did you see the nexus?"
"I did," Cisco replied. "It's one month from now - thirty one days."
"You should thank me," Eobard announced to them.
"What?" Vibe asked.
"I did give you that ability, after all."
"Shut up."
