Tala handed her card to the sales lady as she handed her a garment bag. The assassin smiled at the bag, hoping her friend liked it.
"Can I see the ring?" The saleslady asked as she handed Tala back her card.
"The dress is for a friend of mine, I'm just the bridesmaid," Tala smiled, pocketing her card. She left the shop and ducked into the car Cody had parked out front.
"Why do you have a wedding dress?" he asked turning toward Star Labs. "I wasn't aware you and Cisco were at that point again."
"It's for Cait. Her and Ronnie have been engaged for too long," Tala explained, shaking her head and pulling out a checklist. "They're getting married by the end of the week if I have anything to do with it. Let me think, I got the rings, flowers, dress, Ronnie can go without a suit, or he can use Cisco's, it's still at the lab."
"Why not buy him one?" Cody asked.
"I don't have his measurements. I have Cait's because I work with her everyday," Tala said, leaning back into her seat.
"Boss, when was the last time you slept?" Tala didn't answer, preferring to look out the window.
Tala left the dress in the car as she walked into the building. Cisco handed her a cup of coffee as she entered the cortex.
"A rare opportunity to go back in time and right a wrong, and save your mother's life," Martin Stein said. "Quite the paradox Harrison has presented you with, Mister Allen."
"Eobard," Tala said. "His name is Eobard, not Harrison. Harrison Wells was a man we all trusted, Eobard is the bastard who betrayed all of us."
"Tala, easy," Cisco said, putting his hand on her shoulder. Only he noticed her flinch when he moved, but he decided not to mention it.
"The chance to be with someone you love?" Caitlin asked, looking between Barry and Ronnie. "Seems pretty cut and dry to me."
"At first blush, Doctor Snow, it would appear so, but this gift has unparalleled risk. Barry, the night your mother died, the night you saved yourself from being killed, that event altered the timeline you were already on, and changed the course of history," Martin explained.
"So, what you're saying is we're living in a parallel universe?" Cisco asked, frowning slightly.
"Just like when I time-traveled before," Barry said.
"But he only changed one day that time," Joe said.
"Exactly. Now imagine fifteen years of compounded experiences," Tala said, setting her coffee down on the desk in front of her. "One different decision, no matter how big or small, impacts everything that follows. Moments upon moments, choices upon choices. Like Iris and Barry's friendship. It's as strong as it is because Barry went to live with you two. If Nora never died, who is to say that they would even be friends?"
"Nothing would be as it is today, and you'd never know the difference," Martin concluded, nodding to Tala. "Because, you'd never remember any of it."
"So, if I go back and save my mom, my dad doesn't go to prison. I never live with Joe and Iris," Barry said, thinking of everything that would change.
"You might never meet me or Caitlin, or Ronnie, or Tala," Cisco said sadly.
"The truth is, there's no real way of knowing what your life will be," Martin said. Barry looked to Joe for an answer.
"There's no choice here, Barry. You have to do this," the detective said. Tala reached for her coffee but stopped when she noticed her hands were shaking. "You gotta change the past."
Joe left, and Barry chased after him, wanting an explanation. Tala sat in the chair behind her, taking a deep breath. The assassin heard conversation continue around her for a moment before it all blurred into white noise. Tala pushed her chair back and walked to her gym, not seeing or hearing the reactions her exit caused.
"Tala?" Ronnie asked, knocking on the doorframe.
"Ronnie, hey. Come on in," Tala said, gesturing to a chair. "What brings you to my little home?"
"Your exit was rather, noticeable. We were worried," Ronnie said, taking the seat offered to him.
"If Barry goes back, he won't be interested in the supernatural anymore. Which means he won't come to Starling City when Oliver and I were investigating the missing centrifuge from the Queen Consolidated's Applied Sciences division," Tala sighed, pulling herself up to sit on the bar of the salmon ladder. "If Barry doesn't come to Starling, who's to say I'd come here? I wasn't going to because I was busy dealing with Mirakuru soldiers."
"And you'd never have met Cisco," Ronnie said.
"No. That's not the concern. The concern is that Cisco would be better off without me screwing up his life. Betraying him, working with Eobard? Can you honestly tell me he's better with me here?"
"I think he is. Even now, that he's mad at you, he still watches over you," Ronnie said, standing. "He still loves you. Speaking of, the thing I asked?"
"All taken care of. Don't worry. Cynthia is already in town and I picked up the dress this morning," Tala said, smiling. Ronnie went back to the cortex, leaving Tala with her thoughts.
Tala glared at the security feed of Eobard, eating his food. She had Caitlin bring it to him, unable to face him.
"He said that he would need me when the time came," Tala said to Professor Stein. "He said that I would know. So why don't I know what's going on? Why don't I know anything anymore?"
"Because as good as you are at being an engineer, an assassin, and a CEO, you, my dear, are not a chess mistress," he said, taking her shaking hand. "He is very good at mind games, do not let him play with yours."
"I'm just worried that I'm always making the wrong decision, no matter what I do," Tala said, letting Martin push her into a chair. "And that I'm going to hurt those closest to me."
"Stop trying to think about the further reaching implications of your actions, and just do what your instincts tell you to do," Martin said. "Often times it is our best intentions that get us in the most trouble."
"According to Wells' calculations Barry super speeds inside the accelerator ring. Once he reaches optimum speed, we then launch a hydrogen proton into the accelerator," Martin lectured, looking at the monitors mounted on the wall. "Once the collision happens, a wormhole forms, opening a gateway into time itself. At that moment, I plan on shouting something along the lines of: 'Eureka,' or possibly 'Excelsior.' I'm uncommitted."
"What do you think?" Barry asked Cisco. Tala placed her hand on his shoulder, moving slowly.
"I mean, on the one hand, it does make a kind of sense," Cisco sighed. "On the other hand, why? Why? Why would you ever consider doing this?"
"You know why," Barry said.
"So for this to actually work, how fast would Barry have to go?" Caitlin asked.
"By mine and Martin's estimates, Mach two at a minimum," Tala said, picking up her legal pad and waving it, flashing three pages of tightly compacted equations.
"You've never gone that fast," Caitlin said, looking at Barry with worry.
"So what happens if Barry doesn't reach that speed?" Joe asked. Tala winced. "I mean, I'm imagining a bug hitting a windshield. How far off am I?"
"Not very far, I'm afraid," Martin said.
"Let me worry about how fast I have to go," Barry said, straightening his shoulders and turning toward Cisco and Tala. "We're gonna need something else too."
"Really?" Tala asked, looking pointedly at the pouting Cisco, whose body language screamed that he wanted nothing to do with this plan.
"And what's that? Because I don't know about you guys, but I'm not at all interested in helping you get yourself killed."
"I need you to build a time machine," Barry said.
"Go on," Cisco said, torn between excitement and annoyance.
"That's why he needs me. Bastard," Tala hissed. "I was looking at the specs Gideon had for a similar construct, I nearly had them memorized, and was working on improvements."
Tala stood and started walking toward Harrison's lab, Cisco and Ronnie trailing after her. She didn't notice the concerned look the boys shared behind her back.
"So if Wells is as fast as you, what's he need a time machine for?" Ronnie asked Barry, who chased after them.
"Apparently he lost his speed when he killed my mom," Barry said. "He gets it back sometimes, but only in spurts. He can't fully control it."
"He has issues keeping it up. This is his little blue pill," Tala scathed, leading the way to the blueprints she had been working on.
"So I was right. He was using the wheelchair to charge himself," Cisco said. Tala and Barry nodded.
"So after I open the wormhole, he's gonna need the ship to travel back to the future. He's been squirreling away the parts," Barry said.
"And he showed me the blueprints so that I could help with it," Tala growled, mad she let herself get played. "Now we just need to put it together."
"Ronnie, I love you, but this is a time machine, not a bookcase from Ikea," Cisco said, following the half of Firestorm that started wandering around the lab.
"Cisco, you couldn't put together the bookcase from Ikea. I did," Tala laughed shakily.
"We got a problem. These tiles, they're made of tungsten," Ronnie said.
"Well, tungsten does have the highest melting point of any other element," Cisco reasoned.
"But the dust it generates is flammable," Tala said, catching Ronnie's train of thought. "With the pressure exerted from the wormhole..."
"Yeah, yeah. It could cause a hole to be melted into the exterior."
"Which would then explode," Tala continued.
"Any ideas?" Barry asked, looking between the three engineers.
"Let me ask Doctor Evil," Cisco said, walking toward the exit with a frown. "A name which used to make me laugh! Tala?"
Tala chased after him, taking his arm as they walked down to the pipeline. They walked in silence until they got there. Tala hung back while Cisco handed Eobard the blueprints.
"The tungsten tiles run the risk of exploding with the dust they generate. Any ideas to avoid that scenario?" Cisco demanded, turning his back on him and pacing in the entrance. Tala watched him, making an effort to not look at Eobard.
"Something on your mind, Cisco?" Eobard asked after a few minutes of silently looking at the blueprints.
"No. Yes. How did you fit your Reverse-Flash suit into that little ring?" Cisco asked, making Tala smile fondly at him. "Is it some sort of compressed microtech? Or, actually, forget it. I don't care. Maybe a little."
"Ronnie's right. I should've accounted for the temporal shearing," Eobard said, rifling through the papers.
"Glad we're still good for something," Cisco said. Tala moved toward him, taking his hand in her own. He nodded to her, lacing their fingers together and pulling her against him.
"I've never underestimated your contribution, Cisco," Eobard said, looking up at them. "Or Ronnie. As a matter of fact, do you know how many times I wished you were there with me as I rebuilt the accelerator? Would've been a lot more fun."
"Yeah? Well it doesn't change the fact that your nifty little Time Sphere."
"Oh, is that what you're calling it?" Eobard interrupted, causing Tala to growl softly. Cisco squeezed her hand to calm her down.
"Whatever it's called, it's gonna blow!" Cisco shouted, annoyed.
"Wait, what if we cement the tiles with a cobalt resin?" Tala whispered. "It would prevent degradation in the extreme heat."
"That was what I was going to suggest. Way to go, Tala," Eobard said.
"Okay, we'll try that," Cisco said, turning them both around and starting to leave.
"That's it? That's all?" Eobard called after them. Cisco stopped and turned in anger.
"Well, what do you want me to say?" Cisco asked, turning back to stalk toward Eobard.
"I don't know, Cisco. I thought of anyone, you'd be more understanding of my predicament," Eobard said, throwing the blueprints into the air. Cisco walked closer to the pipeline, dragging Tala with him. He didn't notice her losing more color the closer they got. "I don't belong here! These barbaric times. It's like living among the dead."
"Is that what you told yourself when you killed us?" Cisco asked.
"What?" Eobard asked, turning to face them. "What did you say?"
"It was an alternate timeline, one that Barry reset. But I never forgot it," Cisco said, tightening his hold on Tala's hand, remembering the pain of watching her die, just before he did. "It just kept coming back to me. And I can still picture the way you looked at me, when you called me a son. And you crushed my heart, with your fist as Tala laid bleeding at my feet, dying because of you."
"Cisco, I'm sorry," Eobard said.
"Yeah, it sucked," Cisco scoffed, rolling his eyes.
"Not for killing you. I'm sure I had a good reason," Eobard said. Tala snarled at him, her eyes flashing blue. "I'm sorry for the fact that you're able to retain traces of another timeline. You're able to see through the vibrations of the universe. It means... I wasn't sure until just now."
"Sure of what?" Cisco said, walking into the pipeline itself.
"The night the particle accelerator exploded, you were affected too." Tala held Cisco, feeling his hands start to shake.
"What are you talking about?" Cisco scoffed. "No. I wasn't."
"Don't be afraid, Cisco." Eobard said. "A great and honorable destiny awaits you now. I only hope that as you're living your great adventure, that you remember who gave you that life. And that it was given out of love."
Tala pulled Cisco backwards, shutting the vault door and collapsing against the wall in the hallway.
"I should be the one melting down, what's wrong?" Cisco asked, looking at Tala in concern.
"I feel vibrations. And the accelerator is going crazy with them," Tala said, pressing the heel of her hand to her temple.
"That's why you've been so out of it since it turned on. Because it's hurting you?" Cisco asked. Tala nodded, glaring in the direction of the thing causing her so much pain.
"Everything vibrates. It's just the matter of how much. This thing vibrates more than the energy of something about to explode," Tala complained, straightening and starting toward the lab. "I'll just be glad when this whole pile of bullshit is done with."
They entered the lab, just as Caitlin did, heading toward Ronnie. Tala sat down on a desk, trying to clear her head of the particle accelerator's vibrations.
"We have a problem," Martin said as he entered the room.
"Another one?" Tala asked, rolling her eyes.
"The calculations. There is a danger," Martin started.
"I know, I'm ready to take the risk," Barry said, thinking the professor meant to the speedster.
"No, not just to you, but to everyone. Wells didn't tell us everything," Martin said.
"Shocker," Tala scathed.
"Barry, even if you do reach the right speed, colliding with the hydrogen particle, there is a chance that explosion could create a singularity," Martin said. Tala dropped her head into her hands, groaning loudly.
"What's a singularity?" Caitlin asked, nervous.
"A black hole. We could destroy Central City," Tala said, rubbing her head.
"For starters," Martin said. "If we create a singularity here, and then cannot control it, we could be looking at a global catastrophe."
"So long, and thanks for all the fish," Cisco quoted, rubbing his hand up and down Tala's spine to offer comfort. She leaned into his side and looked across the room at her friends.
"Can anything go right today? I still say we use the tungsten and let him blow up," Tala complained, smiling slightly at having Cisco's arms around her, even if it was only temporary.
Martin turned and left the room, heading up to the cortex. Caitlin and Ronnie followed along with Barry leaving Cisco and Tala alone for a brief moment.
"Maybe I should've stayed in Starling," Tala muttered, rubbing her temple. "I feel like if I hadn't come here, none of this would be happening."
"Tala, this isn't your fault. Wells is the one that screwed us all over," Cisco said, carding his fingers through her hair. "And besides, if you'd stayed there, I never would've met you. And every bad thing that's happened aside, meeting you was an amazing part of this year."
"If you say so," Tala sniffed, blinking tears out of her eyes. "C'mon, let's go find out how to save the world. Eobard does realize that if the world ends today, he won't have a future to get back to, right?"
"I don't think so, no," Cisco said, shaking his head. They walked to the cortex, hand in hand. Cisco sat Tala down in his chair, standing behind her and leaning against the desk.
"Well sure, there's a bit of a risk," Wells said.
"I would hardly refer to possibly causing an extinction level event as a bit of a risk," Tala scathed, glaring up at the monitor on the wall.
"Yea, and your accelerator's been about as reliable as the beater I drove in high school," Joe said, making Tala smile softly. Cisco put his hands on the assassin's shoulders, squeezing slightly.
"Let me ask you a question," Eobard chuckled, looking directly at the camera in his cell. "How many Metahumans, how many dangers have we faced this year together? Or did you forget that was me fighting alongside each and every one of you? I have been planning this for almost two decades, it will work."
"And how do we make sure we don't open a black hole in the middle of Central City?" Cisco asked, glaring at the monitor. Tala reached up and placed her hand over top of his; trying to offer him the same level of comfort he was giving her.
"So, once the wormhole stabilizes, Barry will have one minute and fifty two seconds to alter the past and return to this time," Eobard explained. "If and when he does that, you can close the wormhole, and we can all live happily ever after. Almost two minutes. More than enough time to save Nora."
"But not time enough to stop you from going home?" Barry asked. Eobard shrugged, a cocky smile on his face. Tala twitched, wanting to wipe the smirk off his face.
"Everything's a choice." Eobard shrugged.
"How do you know I won't just let Tala stop you?" Barry asked.
"She can't," Eobard said. "The vibrations from the pipeline are too much for her to handle. She's struggling right now, isn't she, Cisco?"
"That's why you said I'd be important, isn't it?" Tala asked. "Not for the Time Sphere like I'd assumed but because I can stop you, but only at the risk of my own life."
"The risk of your life?" Caitlin asked.
"Remember when Barry and I fought Hartley, and Hartley found the resonance to nearly kill Barry?" Tala asked. "The particle accelerator vibrates at that specific frequency that will do serious damage to me."
"It's why she's been shaking and looking sleep deprived since the accelerator turned on," Cisco added.
"But back to focus, what if Barry's late?" Tala asked, pushing the conversation away from her.
"He won't be. I believe in you, Barry. Always have," Eobard said. "So I guess the question is, do your friends and family believe in you as much as I do?"
Caitlin turned off the monitors and Tala sank back into the chair, clenching her fist to stop the tremors she felt from the accelerator. The assassin took a deep breath, trying to force her body to heal. She turned as Barry walked into a different room, a forced smile on his face. Joe followed him, holding his hand up to prevent anyone else from following them. Tala leaned back against Cisco and sighed, exhaustion in her eyes.
"Are you okay Tala?" Caitlin asked. "Doctor Wells..."
"Was right. But I'm okay," Tala said.
"You better be! I did not come all the way to this condemned building for you to look anything less than perfect," a new voice called from the doorway. The team turned and saw Cody and Kyle standing there with a dark haired woman. "Where is my bride?"
"Cynthia! Wonderful to see you again," Cisco cheered, moving to hug the woman. She grabbed his chin and turned his head in different angles, inspecting him closely. She hummed, frowning slightly.
"Kyle, give him his clothes. Cody, you have the clothing for the groom," Cynthia ordered. "Tala and the bride, you come with me."
"What's going on?" Caitlin asked.
"You're getting married, Doctor Snow," Tala said, grabbing Caitlin's hands and pulling her out of her chair. "Ronnie and I have been planning this for a few days. Come on."
Tala dragged Caitlin to her gym while Cynthia followed behind with two garment bags and a case of supplies for the girls. Cisco shook his head and accepted the clothing from Kyle, smiling.
"This is a surprise, even for me," Cisco said. "I didn't know this was happening."
"I wanted to surprise Caitlin with it, but I'm surprised Tala didn't tell you," Ronnie said, taking his clothes with a look of mild surprise. "I'm also amazed with how much detail she's pushed into this."
"Is this actually binding?" Ronnie asked Stein, who had volunteered to perform the ceremony. Tala stood a few steps away, watching for Caitlin, who Cynthia had taken longer on.
"My father made me become a rabbi before he would send me to MIT," Martin explained to his other half. "This will be legit, as the kids say."
Tala choked down a laugh at hearing the sixty four year old professor call something 'legit.'
"No kids say that," Ronnie said, shaking his head slightly.
"Let's not fight on our wedding day," Martin said. Tala lost her battle with not laughing and leaned against Cisco, until she turned and caught sight of Caitlin. The dress Tala had bought fit her perfectly, and Cynthia had done wonders with the simple makeup and hair.
"If it's alright with everyone, I'd like to skip all the Hebrew," Martin said.
"Thank you!" Tala laughed, smiling at the rabbi.
"I've learned a lot about merging one's life with another this past year," Martin started, glancing at Ronnie. "And yet, for all the incredible advancements in science we've all been party to, the mystery that brings two people together through love is still the province of magic. Mister Ramon, the rings please."
Cisco ducked forward, kneeling, holding out two rings that Ronnie made in the lab. Tala placed her hand on his shoulder and grabbed the handmade rings out of his hands, and placed the two engraved wedding bands in their place.
"I went ahead and got these made too. I hope you don't mind," Tala said, smiling at the couple. Caitlin handed Tala her bouquet, beaming at her. They slid the rings on each other's fingers, smiling at each other.
"I have everything and everyone that I could ever need right here," Caitlin said, looking around. "And if all the events of the past year have led us to this moment, it was worth it. I love you, Ronnie."
Cody and Kyle started taking pictures, to document the beautiful and simple ceremony.
"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride," Martin said.
"Stop telling me what to do," Ronnie said, grabbing Caitlin and kissing her gently. Tala started the applause, and everyone picked it up. Tala reached into Cody's bag, pulling out a bottle of champagne. With a wave of her hand, she pushed a dozen champagne flutes into existence and poured the bubbly into them.
"To Caitlin and Ronnie, may their happily ever after last forever more," Tala said, raising her glass.
"Cheers," Cisco said, tapping his glass against hers.
"Thank you, Tala, for all this," Caitlin said after taking a sip of the champagne. "Especially the dress and the rings, Fire and Ice? How did you know?"
"Your energy reminds me of ice. Slow and steady. Ronnie is literally half of Firestorm and his energy is fast and hot and wild. Therefore the engraving, Fire and Ice," Tala explained, wrapping her arm around Cisco's waist.
Tala leaned against Cisco and Joe for support as the team stood around the entrance to the pipeline to send Barry off. Caitlin hugged him before stepping back to take Cisco's place in supporting the assassin.
"Okay, there are gonna be three yous back there," Cisco said. "The you from the future, who saved younger you from the Reverse-Flash, and now 'you' you. Remember, wait until future you gets younger you out of there and then you can go and save your mom."
"Piece of cake," Barry said.
"May the speed force be with you," Cisco said, grabbing Barry's arms. Tala took a shaky step forward, losing the remaining color in her cheeks.
"If this changes things, I want you to try and remember this. If you need anything from me, find me and simply tell me that I'm not a lone wolf," Tala said, leaning against the scarlet speedster. "I'll know what that means and I'll help you, no questions asked. About what you need anyway, I'll ask a thousand questions about how you know that phrase."
Barry nodded helping her back to Cisco, before turning to face Joe.
"Goodbye, Dad," he said. Tala smiled gently, grinding her teeth together against the vibrations from the accelerator. Joe pulled Barry into a tight hug.
"Goodbye, son." Barry turned to Iris next.
"Iris..."
"You don't have to say anything, I already know." Tala watched as Iris pressed a kiss to Barry's forehead. "I hope whatever life you get it's enough for you, that it makes you happy."
"You too," Barry said, nodding. He nodded to Eddie before Cisco opened the vault door. Tala groaned as she was hit with a new wave of vibrations. Barry looked back at them before Cisco closed the vault door. Tala reached into her pocket and pulled out a syringe of Lazarus waters, injecting them into her thigh. She hissed as the needle pierced her skin, but gained some more color to her cheeks.
Tala lead the way back to the cortex, placing her hand on Martin's shoulder.
"Remember Mister Allen, assuming you achieve the proper velocity and open the wormhole, you will only have one minute and fifty two seconds to save your mother and return," Martin said into the comms. "Or else..."
"I know," Barry replied.
Tala felt another set of vibrations as Barry started running around the accelerator ring. It set her teeth on edge, leaving her feeling like she had just dove into a pool of ice water.
"The accelerator's structural integrity is holding," Ronnie said, looking over his wife's shoulder at a monitor. The building shook.
"What was that? Is Barry okay?" Joe asked.
"Yeah, that'll be the sonic boom. He just passed Mach two," Tala said. She pulled for her armor and whispered a protection spell around herself, trying to alleviate the pain. She looked down as Martin's coffee started floating.
"Inject the hydrogen particle now," the professor said, turning to Cisco. Tala watched as the particle and Barry collided, sending a shockwave through the building that even Iris felt.
"What was that, what happened?" Iris asked, looking to Caitlin and Tala for answers.
"Barry, he's gone," Caitlin said, not finding a GPS or telemetry from the suit on any of the screens.
"Look, the wormhole," Martin said, pointing to a monitor. "And it's stable, start the clock."
Caitlin reached over and started a countdown. Tala leaned against Cisco and hoped. She hoped for the sake of her friend that everything worked out for him. She hoped that this would have a happy ending for everyone in the room.
"I believe it's time to say goodbye to Harrison Wells," Martin said. Tala stood up straight; a sudden sense of foreboding filling her senses, like it did the night the accelerator went off.
"I'm going down too," Tala said, pulling out her bow.
"Tala you can't!" Caitlin said. "The vibrations..."
"Cait, I'm getting the same bad feeling now that I got the night this building exploded," Tala thundered "I am not letting them go down there without me for back up. Now let's go."
Tala followed Joe down to the pipeline, gritting her teeth against the vibrations. They saw Eobard in his reverse flash suit walking toward the time sphere.
"It's beautiful," Eobard said, looking at it. "Rip Hunter would be impressed."
"Rip Hunter is a bastard," Tala said, glaring at Eobard. "And so are you."
"I'm surprised to see you down here, Little Wolf," Eobard said, looking at her. They all turned as a winged helmet flew out of the wormhole, skidding to a halt a few feet away from them.
"Now what the hell is that?" Joe asked. Tala shrugged.
"That's my cue to leave," Eobard said. He walked toward Cisco, and Tala pulled him behind her protectively, glaring at the man in the yellow suit. "Thank you, Cisco."
"Don't ever come back," Cisco said, putting a reassuring hand on Tala's back.
Eobard walked over and got in the Time Sphere. Joe holstered his gun, but Tala kept her bow out, not trusting Eobard to not double cross them, again.
"Thirty seconds," Martin said over the PA system. Tala notched an arrow and aimed it at Eobard's back, encouraging him to leave faster. She took a step back, pushing Cisco, Eddie and Joe backwards as the wormhole lit up and Barry came running out, punching Eobard, and shattering the Time Sphere. Tala, Cisco and Joe went flying backward from the force of the explosion. Eddie slid back in the opposite direction.
"Cisco, Cisco!" Tala said, kneeling down next to him. She reached out and felt for a pulse, breathing a sigh of relief when he started stirring.
"You didn't save her?" Eobard hissed at Barry. "Why? Why? You could have had the life you wanted. You could have had everything you ever wanted!"
"I already do," Barry said, standing. Eobard pulled his cowl up.
"Not for long," he threatened. Tala grabbed her bow and fired an arrow into his calf, trying to hamstring him. She watched as red and yellow lightning chased after each other, fighting. The girl sighed as the accelerator stopped vibrating, allowing her to concentrate on what was going on around her. Tala grabbed Joe and pulled him against the wall, before moving Cisco next to him, pushing a barrier around them to protect them from the speedsters.
"Just so we're clear, after I kill you, I'm going to kill them," Eobard said, holding his vibrating hand above Barry.
"Eobard, no! Please, don't do this!" Tala begged, running to stand next to the two speedsters. Eobard smacked her backwards, causing Tala to cry out in pain as her back hit the ledge. She could feel the Graphene around her shattered vertebrae give, causing her to fall to her knees, unable to support herself.
"And then I'm going to kill your father. I always win, Flash." There was a gunshot, and Eobard stumbled backward. Tala caught Barry as he slumped to the ground, pulling him to lean against her as she turned, looking to see who fired. Eddie was kneeling there, blood on his chest and his sidearm in his hand.
"Eddie! What did you do?" Joe yelled, running over to his partner. Cisco rolled over and looked, before seeing Tala and Barry sitting against the wall. "What did you do? What did you do?"
"No such thing as a coincidence," Eddie gasped, looking at Joe. He turned and locked eyes with Tala, she nodded, tears in her eyes.
"What's happening?" Barry asked, looking at Eobard, who appeared to be stuttering in and out of existence.
"Cisco, help me," Eobard said.
"Eddie's his ancestor," Cisco said. "If Eddie dies, he'll never be born. He's being erased from existence."
Tala and everyone else watched as Eobard shifted from looking like Harrison Wells to looking like himself again.
"No! No, Eddie!" Iris screamed as she ran into the pipeline. "Eddie? No, don't. Eddie, stay with me okay? Stay..."
"He was wrong," Eddie said. "Turns out I'm a hero after all."
"You are, Eddie. You are my hero," Iris cried.
"That's all I ever wanted to be. Your hero," Eddie gasped. Tala turned, letting tears roll down her cheeks as he took his last breath. She reached over with her left hand and pressed two fingers to the memorial on her right bicep. Tala concentrated until Eddie's name appeared under Bette and Sara's names. Barry and Tala turned back to Eobard, who started breaking apart.
"I've controlled your life for so long, Barry," he said. "How will you get along without me?"
"Go to hell Eobard. You've messed with our lives for long enough," Tala growled. She pushed her powers around her neck, bracing it enough for her to stand and pull Barry to his feet. A wormhole reappeared, seeming to float upwards while shaking the building. Tala waved her hand and shoved a wall of her powers up, shielding everyone from falling debris.
"Guys, that's not good!" Cisco shouted. Barry sped over to Iris, pulling her off Eddie.
"Iris, we have to go," Barry said.
"I'm not leaving him!" Iris shouted. Tala grabbed Cisco and started shoving him toward the exit while Barry tried to talk sense into Iris.
"We need to get outside, I need to know what's happening," Tala said, running for the exit. Every step she took jarred her spine, putting more strain on the already upset Graphene wrap. They walked outside, and looked to the sky.
"So that's what we didn't want to happen," Cisco said, looking up at the mass in the sky.
"All hail the mighty glow cloud," Tala quoted, laughing slightly hysterically.
"What's it doing?" Caitlin asked, yelling to be heard over the wind.
"Feeding," Martin guessed. "The singularity won't stop, not even after the Earth is gone. I'm afraid the accretion disc has already assembled."
"Can you please speak English, Martin?" Tala shouted, not having a single clue as to what he said.
"Diffused material that's in orbital motion around the singularity."
"What does that mean?" Caitlin and Tala asked.
"We have to disrupt the motion," Barry said. "Basically, it's just like the tornado, except upside down and bigger. And scarier..."
"And having the ability to eat you and send you Allah knows where!" Tala shouted. She turned and pulled her powers to her, feeling a calm steal over her. She opened her eyes and looked at Cisco, before turning to face the city. Tala's nails sharpened and turned silver as she raised her hands and pushed.
A blue film started creeping over the city, covering and stabilizing buildings that threatened to collapse. Tala gasped as she forced her powers out farther than she had before.
"Barry, if you're going to do something, do it now! I don't know how long I can hold down the city!" Tala shouted, turning to face the speedster. Her eyes were glowing, and her hair still, despite the wind around her. "Cisco, keep an eye on everything down here, I need to get higher up to get a better vantage point."
Barry Allen, the fastest man alive took off running, while Tala Merlyn, Warith al Sahir, pushed her powers under her, creating a platform for her to stand on, taller than Star Labs, and the surrounding towers.
Tala looked around and flung her arms out, sending blue tendrils flying visibly in every direction, trying to pin the city to the earth while Barry tried to diffuse the singularity. She panted with exertion and pain as her shattered vertebrae protested every movement. Tala looked out over the city, before glancing at Barry's trail of lightning, speeding toward near certain death.