Tala blinked rapidly, taking a step back from Jay Garrick, but not releasing her grip on her knife. She grabbed Cisco and pulled him behind her, trying to shield him.
"Speedster," Tala hissed, glaring at Jay, since no one reacted, she didn't think anyone heard her.
"Please, just let me explain," Jay said, holding his hands up in a placating manner. Tala growled, pulling at her powers until a barrier formed around the non-combatants on the team.
"How do you know my name?" Barry demanded. Tala took an offensive position, ready to jump at the man the moment he twitched.
"I know all of your names," Garrick said. "Caitlin Snow, Cisco Ramon. Detective Joe West."
"Enough!" Joe said, adjusting his grip on his gun threateningly. "That part about explaining needs to happen right about now."
"This world is in danger," Garrick repeated.
"What other worlds are there?" Cisco asked. Tala mentally agreed, wondering what the hell he was talking about.
"When you created the Singularity above Central City, you also created a breach between my world and yours," Garrick said.
"I'm sorry, a breach?" Iris asked.
"Yes, a portal, connecting our two Earths," Garrick explained.
"And what precisely is your concern?" Martin asked.
"A few days ago, you found a dead man named Al Rothstein at the nuclear plant. But then a different Al Rothstein tried to kill you," Garrick said. Tala lowered her knife, seeing the sense in what he was saying.
"Atom Smasher," Cisco said, starting to see the sense behind the insanity that Jay was proposing.
"That man was from my world. If he got through the breach, I suspect there'll be more to follow," Jay hypothesized.
"Okay. So, Jay, how exactly do you know all this?" Barry asked, his tone softer and less demanding.
"Where I came from, I was a speedster, like you," Jay said, and Tala felt Barry and Cisco's energy spike with anxiety. "And they called me, the Flash. Before I arrived on your earth, I was in a fight with a man named Zoom."
"Barry, that's the man who sent Atom Smasher here," Tala said, looking at her speedster.
"Atom Smasher said Zoom sent him here to kill me," Barry said. Tala turned briefly to glance at Cisco, feeling his energy change. "Who is this guy?"
"He's a speedster, like you and me. And fast, maybe the fastest of all, but evil," Garrick said. Tala groaned.
"I had to say that, didn't I? I jinxed it," Tala huffed, replacing her knife in her wrist holster, but leaving her armor on. "I hate speedsters."
"He is an unstoppable demon with the face of death," Jay said, talking like he didn't hear Tala. "We were engaged in our fiercest battle ever, racing throughout my city, but I wasn't fast enough to stop him. Zoom had me beaten. He was about to kill me, when suddenly there was a blinding light, and the sky split open. A breach, between my world and yours caused from the Singularity. It pulled me in, and I somehow ended up in your world. Powerless, unable to return home."
"What do you mean?" Caitlin asked. Tala walked over, holding her hand out toward Jay, feeling his energy. It did feel like Barry's and Eobard's, but it was jagged, and rough around the edges, like something was eating away at the outer line of a circle.
"I lost my speed," Jay said. Tala nodded, confirming his story somewhat.
"How?" Barry asked. Tala shrugged, and so did Jay.
"Not entirely sure," he responded. Joe and Tala exchanged looks, Tala nodding, before Joe turned to Barry who simply shrugged.
"So, you've been in Central City for six months. Why haven't you come to see us before?" Joe asked.
"I'm in a foreign world here, Detective, I didn't know who you all were," Jay explained away, "Took me that long to piece it all together."
"So that's how you know our names," Iris said. "You've been following us."
"Look, I know how this sounds." Jay walked forward and leaned against the chairs in front of the desk. Tala stood behind him, watching his movements and energy. "The existence of another Earth, you, another Flash? It all came as an unexpected shock to me, too. I just wish there was something I could do to convince you."
"There is," Barry said. "We're going to do some tests on you. See if you're telling us the truth, and not a speedster that's been here the whole time. Because if you're lying?"
"This Zoom you've mentioned, will be a daydream compared to what I will do to you," Tala said pleasantly with a smile on her face. She grabbed Jay and directed him toward the medbay, nodding to Caitlin to follow her. The assassin pushed the newcomer into a sitting position on the bed before jerking his shirt over his head. Tala stepped aside, standing by the doorway, glaring at Jay.
"So, Mister Garrick, how long have you been the Flash on your world?" Caitlin asked as she attached a few sensors to Jay's chest.
"Not long enough to call me Mister," He admonished slightly. Tala rolled her eyes, hoping he wasn't trying to flirt with Cait in front of her. "Please, it's Jay."
"Jay, of course," Cait corrected herself.
"On my world, I've been the Flash for about two years," Jay said. Tala tapped a button on her choker, recording the conversation.
"And how did you get your speed?" Cait asked, comparing Jay's story to Barry's.
"I'm not really sure. I was at my lab, trying to purify heavy water without any residual radiation when there was a blinding light," Jay said. Tala idly noted that he was a scientist. "Uh, I fell into a coma, when I woke up I could run almost as fast as the speed of light."
"Sorry, did you say, Lab? Are you a scientist?" Caitlin asked. Tala rolled her eyes, hoping this guy didn't hurt Caitlin. The assassin silently promised him a slow death if he did.
"Well, certainly didn't work at a place like this, but yeah," Jay said. "I had a respectable solo operation. Part time chemist. Part time physicist. Part time Superhero. I can forget that superhero part now though, huh?"
Tala walked back into the cortex, just in time to catch the beginning of Iris' rant.
"Is any of this possible? A breach to another Earth? It's not, right?" She asked, looking between Tala and Martin. Tala just shrugged, not having a clue.
"I dunno. I'm an engineer, not a physicist. I don't know everything, just most things," Tala said, turning to Martin.
"Just recently the many-different-worlds theory proposed interaction with parallel universes was plausible," Martin explained. "Now, if what Mister Garrick's saying is true, that theory's been proven true sooner than we all thought."
"It doesn't add up," Barry said. Tala walked over and put her hand on his shoulder, agreeing with him slightly.
"I'm gonna be honest here," Joe said. "I don't understand what the hell any of you are talking about."
"So, Jay saying he's from, like, a mirror world. Or a parallel universe, that's very, very similar to ours," Cisco tried to explain.
"Multi-verse would be a more apt description," Martin interjected.
"Nope, not helping," Joe said. Tala smiled at the detective.
"Bless your heart," Cisco said fondly.
"Let me see if I can simplify it, from what I understand, Martin, correct me if I'm wrong," Tala said, grabbing a board and a marker. She drew a circle.
"This is our universe, let's call it Earth One. And Jay's Earth, let's call it Earth Two," Tala said, drawing a second circle, followed by a few more. "And other Earths, three, four five, infinite earths with infinite different differences. There might be an Earth where Cisco and I are supervillains, or one where Caitlin is a Metahuman. They are all very similar to our world, and they all exist at the same time, they just vibrate at different frequencies so we can't see them."
"For example, the Joe West on earth two, your doppelganger," Martin took over, nodding to Tala. "He might not be a detective, he might be a Nobel Prize-winning physicist. And you, the Barry Allen here is the Flash, but on Earth two, he could be an electrician."
"So, I'm assuming that the people on all these other Earths work to make money to pay bills and such?" Joe asked.
"I would imagine," Martin said.
"So we got that in common!" Joe cheered. "I'm heading back to the station. Call me when this makes a little bit more sense. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the whole idea of time travel."
Tala and Cisco waved to Joe as he left, confused themselves, but coping a little bit better.
"There is one problem that remains," Martin said.
"Just the one?" Tala asked, looking at him skeptically.
"If Mister Garrick is telling the truth, there is a breach somewhere in Central City that we need to find. And close for good," Martin said. Tala sighed and pulled open the satellite feed.
"How do we even find it?" Cisco asked. "We don't even know what to look for."
"Well, I suggest we put our heads together and come up with a solution," Martin said. Tala looked at him, rolling her eyes at the obvious statement. "Not literally of course, those days are over."
Tala gave Martin a sympathetic smile, missing Ronnie too. Martin turned to leave the room, and Cisco and Tala following behind him. Tala was hoping for the best. Another speedster was bad news, but the idea of two Flashes, well, the more heroes they had on their side the better, right?
"So, let's say he's right, what would this evil speedster want with Sarie?" Tala asked, catching Cisco's hand as they walked.
"Nothing good," Cisco responded.
*x*
Caitlin came out of her lab, leaving Jay there as she approached Iris and Barry.
"What'd you find?" Iris asked.
"Well, Jay's heart rate is extraordinarily low. And he does have regenerative capabilities," Caitlin said. She liked him, so far, and she wanted him to be the man he claimed to be. "Other than that, I'm not seeing any evidence of the Speed Force in his system."
Caitlin wanted to hope for the best, but after the last year, she would settle for a gentle optimism, only backed by scientific proof.
"We don't even have proof that he's a speedster, much less from another earth?" Barry asked. The idea of another speedster turned his stomach, and even he found it difficult to stay optimistic and hopeful. Barry refused to have another Reverse-Flash running around, so speedless or not, Barry wouldn't believe Jay until he absolutely had to.
"Not necessarily," Caitlin said, twisting her hands.
"What does that mean?" Barry asked.
"Well, Jay doesn't know this, but while I was testing his heart rate, blood pressure, and motor responses, I also measured his autonomic reactions while we were talking," Caitlin explained.
"You gave him a lie detector test?" Iris asked. The reporter was impressed, and proud of Caitlin.
"And he passed it," Caitlin said, shrugging slightly. It meant that Jay was either a pathological liar so good he could control responses not many - if any - could control, or that he was telling the truth. Caitlin was hoping for the latter.
Barry looked at Jay's back, biting his lower lip. He didn't want to trust Jay, the pain of Harrison Wells being Eobard Thawne was still too fresh in his mind.
"What if he's not a good guy, and he just wants to find our weaknesses?" A small part of Barry knew he was being irrational, but he didn't listen to that part. "Keep running tests. See what else you can find out."
*x*
Joe walked through the bullpen at CCPD to get to his desk. He was still dealing with paperwork from the Singularity, and the fallout of Flash Day, and now he had breaches, more speedsters, and another earth to deal with. He sighed when his phone started vibrating, alerting him to a phone call. Joe hoped it wasn't Barry or Iris telling him something else had gone wrong.
Joe pulled out his phone and looked at the name that came up. It stopped him cold. He ignored the call and kept walking, physically shaking himself out of it.
"Detective West, sir," a woman called out to him. Joe turned to see a young blonde officer standing behind him.
"Yes, Officer...?" Joe didn't know her name. He also didn't want to be dealing with this right now, no matter what it was.
"Spigot. Patty Spivot." She extended her hand and Joe shook it, reacting to habits more than anything else. "Captain Singh mentioned there may be positions available on your anti-metahuman task force."
"Yeah, everybody quit. There is no task force anymore," Joe said, turning back to the work on his desk. He didn't want to deal with Officer Spivot. The task force was more of an idea so he could explain away being ten steps behind the Flash at all times. Of course, it wasn't entirely true that everyone had quit. Technically Cisco and Tala - as Haven - were on the task force.
"Well, I know someone who's interested in being on it," Patty said. Joe looked up in surprise. "Me."
"You do realize that metahumans have super powers, right?" Joe asked, wondering why anyone would willingly go up against super powered people. He briefly wondered why he often went up against super powered people. "And even if they didn't, you wouldn't be a good fit for the team."
"Because I'm a woman?" Patty asked. Joe refused to roll his eyes. Tala was a woman and regularly handed the team their ass in many different categories.
"I didn't mean to imply that," Joe stated. And he hadn't. He was no stranger to bias based on appearances. He was a black man after all.
"Good, because I know how difficult this job would be, but I think I'm an excellent candidate," Patty said, following Joe across the bullpen. "I triple-majored at Hudson in biology, chemistry, and physics. I'm in prime physical condition. And I rated top of my class in marksmanship."
"Your class?" Joe laughed, "You don't even have your stripes yet."
"Soon. Been on the job seven months, sir," Patty said confidentially. Joe handed the signed file to the desk sergeant and started walking away.
"Are you aware of what happened to my previous partner?" Joe asked tersely. It was still a difficult thing to talk about. Iris had loved him, Barry liked him, and he was Eddie's partner. All three of them felt his death, and Barry felt responsible for it, it was a harsh reminder that super powers weren't always fun and games.
"Detective Thawne, yes," Patty said, still following Joe. "I know that he died, and the one before him, Fred Chyre, died, too, but the one before that's not dead, just transferred. I'm sure it had nothing to do with you."
"Listen, Officer..."
"Spivot. Patty Spivot."
"Yes, Spivot. The answer's no," Joe said.
"All I'm asking for is a shot, sir," Patty said, "Please, just an interview."
"You just had the interview," Joe told her. "Didn't get the job."
Joe walked away, officially done with the day. He thought the Officer was a good kid, but he didn't want her fighting metas, he didn't want to fight metas. It was just bad luck that both of his kids fought metas, and dragged him along.
*x*
Tala led Jay to a cell in the pipeline, watching him as Barry closed the cell. She pushed her powers and armor away once she heard the seal lock.
"I hope you understand why we have to do this," Barry said, walking up to stand next to Tala.
"I get it, kid," Jay said amicably. "You're doing what you think you have to. But you'll all realize soon enough that this, the tests, it's unnecessary. I want to help you, Barry. Not harm you."
"I'm the judge of that," Tala growled. "I don't trust you, yet. You aren't the first person who's said that to us."
"If what you told me about Zoom is true, that he sent Rothstein here to kill you, instead of locking me up in here, you better start listening," Jay said. "Because if Zoom is involved, you are going to need a lot more than just me at your side to stay alive."
"Barry, there's a fire at the waterfront. Fire department's en route," Cisco's voice came through the PA system.
"We're on it," Tala said, pulling her armor back on. "Just like before, Sarie?"
"Be careful," Jay said. Tala glared at him, unsure of what to think about him. Barry grabbed Tala and raced them to the cortex where he changed into his suit, carrying Tala to the waterfront.
Barry dropped Tala off next to a fire truck, running into the building.
"That was the Flash!" A firefighter said in surprise. Tala pulled her powers around her, grinning as they filled her senses with awareness. "And you're Haven!"
"Yes I am, where's the chief?" The stunned firefighter pointed, and Tala ran over. "Chief, where are the structural weak points of the building? I'll steady the place so your men can get in and out safely."
Tala and the Chief turned as the fire put itself out. Tala tilted her head, rolling her eyes at Barry's enthusiasm.
"Never mind, I'll go find my partner, make sure everything is safe," Tala said, jogging into the building. She found Barry quickly, following the feel of his energy.
"That was a big fire," Barry panted, looking at Tala.
"It's out, Cisco," Tala said into her comms.
"Copy that, see you in a bit," Cisco replied. Tala turned as she felt a new energy, just as something hit her and Barry, knocking them backwards. Tala looked around, watching sand flow around them. It flowed into a man, standing in front of them, a few feet away.
"I thought it'd be harder than this," The man said. He moved to throw a punch, even from the distance and Tala pulled out her bow, notching an arrow as Barry raced forward, charging toward him. Tala watched as Barry ran through a man shaped pile of sand.
"Barry? Tala? Are you there?" Cisco's voice came through comms. "What was that?"
"I dunno, but we need to find out," Tala said as Barry grabbed her and ran them both back to Star Labs. From there, Cisco and Tala went home and Tala jumped straight in the shower.
"I feel like I have sand in my hair," Tala complained, taking a palmful of the shampoo and scrubbing it against her scalp. Cisco slid in behind her and took over, pushing her hands out of the way. Tala smiled happily and leaned against him. It had been a long and weird day, but relaxing with Cisco was a good way to end it.
*x*
Barry took a picture of the motorboat in front of him. It was covered in ash from the fire last night.
"Bear," Joe called, walking across the room. Barry turned and waved. "What are we dealing with here?"
"Well, definitely a metahuman," Barry snorted. "Got a pretty solid look at him between punches. And he was, like, made of sand."
"Sand?" Joe asked, staring at Barry. Was one normal, not metahuman case too much to ask for? Joe resisted the urge to look skyward for answers.
"Mmhmm. These walls are too porous to pull any prints," Barry said, shrugging in disappointment. I can't even get one off the boat, but check this out. There's gasoline burns everywhere. Water didn't go off; sprinklers weren't working. This was arson."
"Excuse me, Barry Allen?" Officer Spivot asked as she approached.
"Yeah?" Barry asked, turning to face the newcomer.
"Hi."
"Two days in a row, Officer. What a coincidence," Joe said, nodding in greeting.
"Or kismet, if you believe in destiny or fate," Patty turned to Barry, her arm outstretched. "I'm Patty, Patty Spivot. I'm really excited to meet you. I'm a huge fan."
"Excuse me?"
"Your forensic reports. I read them sometimes. Who am I kidding? All the time," Patty gushed, her cheeks glowing pink as Barry exchanged a look with Joe. "I've actually read them all."
"Wow, I don't think that I've read them all," Barry joked.
"They're always so detailed. You know, they really paint a picture like you were somehow actually there when someone was being brutally murdered," Patty said. Joe hid a smile, thinking that Patty rambled on like Barry did when he was excited by something.
"Thank you," Barry said.
"Uh, anyhow, I uh, I found something. Well, I think I found something. It's just a theory, but I would like to show you," Patty explained. She turned and led the way to a different room in the warehouse. "So this right here is the point of origin of the fire. And look. I don't know a sandblasted on the market that can make a cut that precise, so I think a metahuman may have done this. Here, took a sample for you. Uh, there's also some fingerprints on the back of the pipe."
Barry glanced at Joe before taking the vial from Patty. He smiled at Patty, impressed with her work.
"You should have gone into CSI work," Barry beamed.
"I love the science, but out here's where all the action is," Patty said, grinning. "Isn't that right Detective West?"
"Mh. The answer's still no Officer S..."
"Spivot."
"Spivot," Joe answered. He walked past the two and left the room.
"What was that about?" Barry asked, curious.
"I'm trying to join the anti-metahuman task force," Patty answered. "But you heard him. Hey, he's kinda like your dad, right? So, do you have any advice on how I can crack his no-code?"
"Yeah, I've been trying to pick that lock since I was eleven. So, if you figure it out, how about you let me know?" Barry asked, laughing slightly.
*x*
Tala watched over Cait's shoulder as Jay ran on the treadmill. The man was in good shape, and had good form. Speedster or not, he would've been good in sports.
"His blood pressure is low, his heart rate is low," Caitlin said. "His oxygen levels are impressive."
"Yeah, but nothing compared to Barry's," Iris said, walking over to look at the monitors.
"No, but he's certainly in the physical specimen range," Caitlin said, looking at Jay as he ran.
"In more ways than one," Tala teased, winking at Iris, who smiled. Caitlin frowned, shaking her head.
"Oh, I wasn't paying attention," Caitlin leaned over and pressed the intercom button. "That's enough for today, Jay, thank you."
Tala shook her head and walked into the cortex, feeling Barry's energy. He tossed something to Tala, who caught it, looking at it in confusion. It was a vial of sand.
"Sand? Thanks, you shouldn't have," Tala said, passing it to Cisco, who looked at it under a magnifying glass.
"I found it at the crime scene, so I think it's gotta be from the Metahuman who attacked us," Barry explained.
"It looks like sand," Cisco said, pushing the magnifier out of the way, and turning around, leaning back in his chair.
"It's not sand. It's human cells whose myosin two-protein have migrated to the cells' periphery," Jay said from the doorway.
"Jay is a fellow science nerd," Caitlin explained at Cisco's bewildered look.
"Those cells have the ability to rearrange and harden, giving them the appearance of sand," Jay continued, walking over to the group.
"And how do you know this?" Barry asked.
"They belong to a Metahuman I've fought before named Sand Demon," Jay explained.
"I know you're new here, so I'm gonna break it down for you," Cisco said, standing up from his chair. "The whole, naming the bad guys thing, that's my jam. But you know what, I'm gonna let you have that one 'cause I actually kind of like it. I'm not mad at that one. Is that Barry's sweatshirt?"
Tala looked, wondering if it was in fact Barry's sweatshirt. She didn't think that Barry's shirts would fit on Jay, who had more muscle mass than the wiry speedster.
"Oh, uh, sorry," Iris said. "It was all we could find."
"I have a whole set of Star Labs shirts and the like in my gym, I think I have one that would fit him there," Tala said, shrugging.
"Cause I have to say, it looks a lot smaller on you, right?" Cisco said. Tala snorted, laughing slightly as Barry gave Cisco an offended look. "I gotta do this thing..."
Tala took Cisco's arm and led him out of the Cortex, laughing at his sudden discomfort. They walked to Cisco's lab, to find Martin there, writing frantically on a chalkboard.
*x*
"So, who is this Sand Demon?" Iris asked, turning to face Jay as Cisco and Tala left the cortex.
"I don't know his name, but I know how to stop him," Jay offered. Caitlin looked excited, but Barry scrunched up his face.
"You know what? I think we'll be fine on our own," Barry said, nodding like he completely agreed with himself.
"Look, Barry, I don't know what else I can do to prove to you I'm on your side," Jay said angrily. "I've been poked, prodded. I even subjected myself to a full body scan."
"I was being thorough!" Caitlin said defensively as Iris gave her a wide-eyed look. Iris wanted to give the physician a high-five, when they were away from the guys anyway.
"Sand Demon's from my world," Jay said. "Let me teach you how to stop him."
"Yeah, I don't need you to teach me anything, Jay," Barry said.
"Zoom sent Rothstein here to kill you. He must have sent Sand Demon here to do the same thing," Jay pointed out. "Don't you get it? Anyone close to the Flash, all of you, are in a lot of danger!"
"Alright. If you're so good, you would've caught him already. Let's get Jay back to his cell," Barry said, stepping forward. He turned and walked off. The new speedster was getting on his nerves, majorly. He had accepted the rest of the team back with minimal complaints, but adding another speedster, one that had failed, even, was too much.
*x*
"Woah. Hey, Beautiful Mind? I think you need to take a breather," Cisco said. Tala nodded her agreement.
"After some lengthy calculations, I believe I have discovered the key to proving the proposed breach theory," Martin said. Tala smiled happily while Cisco set up an analysis for the Sand Demon's cells. "Exotic Matter."
"You mean like, trans-dimensional energy," Cisco translated at Tala's blank look.
"Precisely. Exotic matter, trans-dimensional energy will theoretically leak from one universe into another. Now, if this breach Mister Garrick is talking about is real, if there is indeed a hole in our universe which leads to his Earth..."
"We can make some adjustments and upload an electrophotography program to the Merlyn Satellites and essentially photograph the exotic matter leak," Cisco said, looking excited.
"Thereby giving us the locale of the breach," Martin concluded. Tala smiled.
"Last time I saw the kit, it was in the fabrication room," Tala said, looking at Cisco. Martin nodded and started running toward the fabrication room.
"Oh, ho oh! Getting goosies!" Cisco cheered as Martin left. "Alright, back to the sand that isn't sand. Let's see what you're made of. That's too much on the slide."
Tala watched as Cisco brushed some of the sand off the slide. She looked at him as he took a frightened look on his face, and his energy changed, reminding her of when they were at the Flash rally, and his energy changed.
"Kitten?" Tala asked softly, turning him to face her. He looked at her with wide eyes.
"What's happening to me?" Cisco asked her, clutching his head. Tala pulled him into her arms, rubbing his back gently. "It was like the dreams I had, from Wells."
"What did you see?" Tala asked.
"You and Barry fighting Sand Demon. He said I thought it would be harder than this." Cisco sat down on the edge of the desk and rested his head on Tala's shoulder.
"That's what he said last night after he knocked Barry and I over, before he split," Tala explained. "Eobard did say that you could see through the vibrations of the universe. Or, Multiverse as it may turn out to be. Is that what happened at the Rally?"
"Yeah, it was Rothstein talking to someone, but I don't know who, or what they were saying," Cisco said softly. "Please, don't say anything to anyone."
"I won't Kitten. I promise," Tala reassured, carding her fingers through his hair.
*x*
Joe sat in his car and looked at the rap sheet and mugshot of Eddie Slick, a known arsonist. He was sitting around the corner of Slick's address, watching the man walk down the street. Joe picked up his phone and pressed Barry's speed dial.
"Hey," Barry greeted, walking down the halls of Star Labs.
"I found our meta," Joe said without preamble. "His name is Eddie Slick. We tracked those prints to his address."
"Alright, where are you?" Barry asked, tensing to run. "I'll grab Tala and meet you there."
"Too late, he made me," Joe said. He ended the call and fumbled for the car door. Joe got out of the car and started following Slick, not running, just keeping pace. When Slick turned a corner around a van, Joe pulled his gun and picked up the pace, turning around the same van.
Eddie slick was lying on the ground, holding his hands up in surrender, looking up at Patty Spivot, who was holding her gun out.
"So, can I be on your task force?" Patty asked Joe, without looking up from Slick. Joe sighed, and resolved to talk to Tala about putting Patty on the force.
Joe dropped the file containing pictures of the arson on the table in front of Slick in the CCPD interrogation room.
"That look familiar?" Joe asked. Slick shrugged as Joe paced around the table. The detective idly wondered if having Haven stand menacingly in the corner would make questionings go easier. Joe grabbed Slick by the back of the neck and forced him to look at the images. "How 'bout now? What's it look like?"
"A fire," Slick answered, groaning.
"There ya go, genius. It's the fire you started in the third ward last night," Joe said, letting go of Slick.
"Man, I didn't start no fire there last night," Slick said.
"What? Were you out of town?" Joe asked, feeling unsympathetic to the arsonist. "Your cat get sick? Well, let me guess. You don't start fires anymore. You been rehabilitated."
"Yeah, I done it before. So what?" Slick demanded, "I didn't do this one. I always start a fire with something that's hard to trace. You know, like acetone or something."
"Or maybe you don't need to use accelerants anymore," Joe suggested blithely, "Iron Heights can hold people like you now. You know that, right?"
Joe remembered the donations to send Merlyn Industries, specifically Tala and Cisco the biggest fruit baskets they could find in thanks for setting up the metahuman wing. Warden Wolfe even donated three hundred dollars to the fund.
"You think I'm one of those metahuman freaks?" Slick spat, glaring at the detective, "If I had powers, you don't think I would've used them to get away from you?"
"December eleventh, 2013. Where were you?" Joe would never forget that date. It was one of the worst days of his life.
"Why?"
"Answer the damn question," Joe snarled. "Where were you?"
"Blackgate Penitentiary!" Slick shouted. "You don't believe me, check your records."
Joe pulled his phone out and called another officer on the force, "Jimmy, I need you to confirm something for me."
"So, Joe told me what you did," Barry said on the other side of the two-way mirror. "I'm impressed."
"No, all I did was, you know, run the other print from the electrical pipe, then track Slick down from there," Patty pushed away the praise.
"How's it going with Joe?" Barry asked. "You any closer to cracking his no-code?"
"Are you kidding me? He's like the permission Sphinx. Or like a magic eight ball with just one answer. Or like, you know, the Bridgekeeper protecting the Holy Grail."
"What is your quest?" Barry quoted, looking over at Patty.
"Oh, to join your task force," Patty paraphrased, smiling brightly, happy that Barry had gotten the reference.
"No," Barry said blankly. Both cheered, before dissolving into laughter. "Well, maybe I can put in a good word for you."
"That would mean a lot to me, Barry."
Joe waved at Patty through the glass, not being able to see where they were.
"He means me," Barry snickered, turning to meet Joe at the door.
"Okay, so Slick wasn't in Central City the night the particle accelerator exploded," Joe told Barry, leading his son over to a quiet corner by the elevators.
"So he's lying," Barry said, shrugging, like it wasn't even a question.
"He's a dirtbag, and an arsonist, but he's not lying about this," Joe said, "He's not a meta, Barry."
"Slick is the guy who jumped me. Ask Tala, she was there, too," Barry protested.
"Do you think it's possible that the Slick in there has a..."
"Doppelgänger? I don't know," Barry sighed, not liking how this conversation was going.
*x*
"I hate it when they put a color in their name," Cisco whined, looking at the news broadcast from Star City, where Oliver had returned.
"My first Meta-name from you had a color in it," Tala said, scoffing at Cisco. "Cerulean Spellcaster, remember? Then it got shortened, then changed to Haven."
"Green Arrow though? I dunno," Cisco shrugged.
"I'm just glad he's back in Star City, it needs him," Tala commented. "Means I won't have to keep flying back there to beat people up. Also, anyone who can't tell who that is is stupid."
"Yo!" Barry said as he came into the Cortex.
"Yo!" Cisco replied. "The sample you gave us, not sand. Definitely human cells."
"Yeah, I know. It's not him. I get it," Barry said.
"I hate to say it, but I think this Earth Two theory is starting to make sense," Tala said. "I wonder what my doppelganger is like. Blonde? I hope not."
"For real?" Barry asked, looking at Cisco and Tala.
"What, you think Jay is lying about the Sand Demon?" Iris asked.
"I don't know. That's my point. But I'm not gonna just believe some guy that walks in here and says a few things that sort of check out," Barry said.
"Sort of? He was right about Zoom," Cisco said.
"We don't even know anything about Zoom!" Barry retorted. "Or what is Zoom? Is Zoom even real? Right now, that's just, you know, a story around a campfire. I mean, have you discovered a breach yet?"
"Not yet, but we know how to now," Martin said, looking up from the monitors in the center of the room.
"Have you found one thing to suggest that Jay is a speedster?" Barry asked, turning to Caitlin. "Is the speed force even in his system?"
"It doesn't appear to be, no." Caitlin shook her head.
"See? We are scientists, Iris, you're a journalist. We test, we prove, we report," Barry lectured. "That's what we do! Except, right now, nobody here wants to do any of that, except me."
"Can we have the room for a minute?" Iris asked, looking at Tala and Caitlin. They nodded and started leaving the cortex, aiming for Cisco's lab. "What has happened to you?"
"Are you... Me?" Barry asked, looking around the room.
"Yes, you. The you that I grew up with. The you that is my best friend. The you that became the Flash! I haven't seen that you in a very long time," Iris said, looking at Barry in concern. She knew him, she grew up with him. This wasn't the Barry that Iris knew.
"A lot's changed, Iris," Barry waved away.
"Yeah, it sure has. You have learned how to not trust people. What is it about Jay that you don't like?" Iris asked. She wanted it to be something simple, like he's in better shape than me or even something stupid like I'm the Flash, not him. But Iris knew that Barry was never so shallow as that.
"I don't know," Barry sighed. He knew, but Barry didn't want to admit it to himself, let alone Iris, or anyone else.
"It's because he reminds you of Harrison Wells," Iris stated, no longer asking. She knew him well enough to know exactly what was bothering her oldest friend.
"I trusted that man. For months, we all did," Barry explained, finally putting a voice to the thoughts that had plagued him since Jay breached their lives, almost literally. "And you know what? Eddie is dead. Ronnie is dead. And a whole lot of other people in this city, they are dead. Because we trusted him. I'm not gonna let us make that mistake again."
"Barry," Iris said softly, sadly, "not everyone is Harrison Wells. Besides, you defeated him because you trusted in people. Because you believed in them. This team that you have here, they will follow your lead. They'll do what you say. But if they think that you don't believe in them, it won't be long before they don't believe in you."
*x*
"Get to walkin'," Joe said, pushing Eddie Slick away from him. "I don't wanna see your ugly mug around here again."
"Sayonara," Slick waved as he walked off. Joe turned to face Patty, who was standing behind him.
"We didn't have probable cause," Joe explained unnecessarily.
"I get it," Patty said optimistically.
"One thing you should know about dealing with these metahumans, nothing is ever as it seems," Joe said. "Speaking of which, you're the only person here who wants to be on my task force. You wanna tell me why you're so hell bent on being on it?"
"You wanna tell me why you're so hell-bent I'm not?" Patty turned the conversation back on him. Joe looked at her, trying to explain his hesitancy at letting someone so green around the metahumans that terrorized this city. Joe watched Patty's brow furrow in confusion and turned, only to see Eddie Slick walking back up to them. Patty reached for her weapon as Joe stalked forward.
"Didn't I just tell you I didn't wanna see your ugly mug around here again?" Joe snarled.
"Well, you're gonna have to, Detective West. So I can get to the Flash," Eddie paused, waiting for the musical voice of his usual partner, but he remembered that he was by himself on this mission, something he hadn't done in the eighteen months since he'd joined the Rogues Gallery. Sand Demon curled his hand and sent a giant sand fist at Detective West, sending him flying. It felt good to get back at West; that whole family was a blight on Central City.
Officer Spivot shouted and drew her gun, firing it at him. Sand Demon held out his arms and shifted into sand when necessary. He thanked the Designer briefly for making it so his clothes were able to shift with him. He decided to bring her back something shiny from this earth when Zoom returned him to his own.
"I like you. You'll do the trick just fine," Sand Demon said smiling at Patty. He used the moves his boss had taught all of them, and moved the muzzle of the gun upward, so she couldn't shoot. "You're coming with me."
*x*
"David?" Tala answered the phone, leaning against Cisco, yawning slightly. "What's the matter?"
"Joe West is in my office telling me Officer Spivot was kidnapped by someone called..."
"Sand Demon. We're on it, Captain," Tala ended the call and looked at her team before running to the cortex. "Barry, Sand Demon kidnapped an Officer Spivot. He's trying to get to you. I think we need Garrick's help on this Sarie."
Barry nodded and stormed down to the pipeline, leaving Tala to roll her eyes and follow behind.
"Sand Demon kidnapped a police officer," Barry said to Garrick. "A woman that I know."
"And you need my help?" Garrick asked.
"We need you to help us save her before something happens," Barry rephrased.
"Guess you're gonna have to trust me now, huh, kid?" Garrick smirked, and Tala rolled her eyes, leaning over and pushing her powers away from her hand to let the scanner open the doors to his cell.
"You ever call me kid, Garrick, and I'll skin you. Got it?" Tala demanded, pulling her armor on and stalking to the cortex. She heard the two speedsters following behind her.
"We're looking for any structures that promote humidity," Garrick said once they got the team gathered. "Greenhouses, grow rooms, anything of the sort. His body will literally start to fall apart if he becomes dehydrated."
"Like dry sand," Caitlin added.
"Exactly," Jay nodded. "Sand Demon always attacks on two fronts. He creates a diversion, then strikes when you're distracted."
"Then we'll have the upper hand. He'll have to distract us both," Tala said, adjusting her mask.
"We can use your speed, Barry, to get to him before the distraction can happen," Jay said, nodding to Barry.
"Jay, how do I stop somebody who can slip through my fingers?" Barry asked.
"The way I never was able to. With lightning," Jay said. Tala and Cisco exchanged excited looks.
"Yo-oh!" Cisco cheered, clapping his hands together. "Are you about to pull a Zeus right now?"
"What are you talking about?" Iris asked.
"Barry's gonna hurl lightning from the energy he creates when he runs," Tala explained, grinning under her hood. "When he runs he creates enough energy to power my company. If he can channel that, he could potentially throw it at anything, including this Meta."
"And lightning plus sand equals..." Caitlin started.
"Glass," Barry finished, looking impressed.
"Time to learn something new, kid," Garrick said. Cisco and Tala imitated throwing a lightning bolt, grinning. Barry saw Joe pacing in the hallway and chased after him, clapping Cisco on the back. Tala pushed her hood down, letting her glowing blue eyes be seen.
"Caitlin, Martin, pull up satellite feed and anything else you can find around that area, I want to track his movements," Tala said, giving orders. "Garrick, any advice you can give me in order to defeat this little shit, I'd appreciate."
Tala looked at Jay, feeling his energy move. It was a speedster's energy, but it was slower than Barry's or Eobard's. It felt jagged and broken, and out of sync with the energy of the rest of the team, as though someone was grinding two pieces of sandpaper together.
"Tala!" Jay shouted, Tala blinked seeing him kneeling in front of her seat. "Are you okay?"
"Oh my head," Tala moaned, clutching her head. "Your energy is seriously whacked."
"What do you mean, my energy?" The Earth Two speedster asked.
"I feel vibrations in everything, and everyone's energy is different, your energy rubs me the wrong way, it doesn't mesh with the energies of this world. It's painful, but I'll be okay. Cait, Martin, do we have anything?"
"I've searched all the vacant buildings in Central City, and none of them fit the description that we need," Caitlin said, shaking her head.
"And I've looked at any draw upticks on the electrical grid," Martin added. "Nothing out of the norm, I'm afraid."
"We gotta do whatever it takes," Cisco said, looking at Tala. The assassin stood and walked over to him, pushing her powers away from her hand as she took his within her own. "We'll be back."
Tala and Cisco walked from the cortex to Cisco's lab, where the sand was still sitting.
"In theory, it should be just like the dream," Tala said, squeezing his hand tightly. "I'll be with you the entire time."
Cisco shook his head nervously before taking a deep breath. With his free hand he reached out and touched Sand Demon's cells on the slide. Tala's eyes turned blue again as she looked around, seeing a warehouse.
"Flash is coming for you, you know," Spivot said, tied to a chair.
"Yes, I'm sure he is," Sand Demon responded, working on a bomb behind the police officer.
"You can't beat him. I don't care what powers you have," Spivot was saying as Cisco and Tala looked around, trying to figure out where they were.
"I wouldn't be too sure about that," The Earth Two Meta said.
"Oh, no," Tala said, figuring out what the bomb was. Cisco pulled them out of the vision, and Tala let go of his hand, rubbing her forehead.
"Mister Ramon, Tala? What are you doing down here?" Martin asked, causing Tala to turn around, not having noticed him.
"I figured out where Patty is," Cisco said.
"And how, exactly, did you do that?" Martin asked, suspicious.
"Just a hunch," Cisco lied. "We gotta tell Barry!"
Cisco ran out of the room, leaving Tala and Martin behind. Martin looked at her for an answer, and Tala sighed.
"It's not my secret to tell, Martin," Tala said softly. "But, it is legitimate, and Cisco can be trusted."
Tala chased after Cisco, following him to the basement where Barry was working with Jay on throwing lightning.
"I know where they are!" Cisco shouted as they all ran into the room. The two flashes ran over, and Tala stepped away from Jay, still uncomfortable with his energy. "The abandoned Woodrue grow house. That's where Slick's keeping Patty."
"Dude, great job," Barry said, clapping Cisco on the back. Tala smiled proudly at Cisco, glad they found Patty.
"And I was thinking, if I were Sand Demon, and was attacking a Speedster on two fronts, I would probably wanna slow you down, like, by using a concussive bomb, or something like that."
"Because it wouldn't hurt him, Cisco you're brilliant," Tala said, pressing a kiss to his cheek. She knew that they saw Slick building a concussive bomb, but Cisco didn't want the team to know, so she would play along.
"That's a good thought," Jay said. "He's actually used one on me before. His body absorbs the blast so it doesn't affect him. Well, kid, you're gonna have to think of something."
"You know what, what if we give Slick a diversion?" Barry said. "He knows you, right? You said you went up against him."
"Yeah, but Barry, Garrick doesn't have his speed," Tala said. "How can he help?"
"Sand Demon doesn't know that. You still got your suit?" Barry asked. Tala shrugged, turning to Jay.
"Sure, well, except my helmet," Jay said.
"Helmet?" Martin and Tala echoed.
"Silver kettle helmet? Gold wings?" Cisco asked, looking at Tala who gave him a lopsided grin. The helmet that flew out of the original breach.
"Don't tell me you guys found it," Jay said, mildly astonished.
"It flew out of the original breach, before the singularity. It's in the cortex, let's go," Tala said, leading the way up to the cortex. Cait brought the helmet out of her office and handed it to Jay.
"Never thought I'd see that again," Jay said, looking at it. "It was my father's, from the War of the Americas."
"Did you just say War of the Americas?" Cisco asked, tilting his head.
"I wish you would've just told us you lost your helmet," Barry said, smiling. "Would've saved us all a headache."
Caitlin placed the helmet on Jay's head, and it was a perfect fit, like Cinderella and her shoe.
"Well, you sure you want to do this, Flash?" Tala asked, pulling her hood back on, shrouding her face in shadow, leaving two glowing blue eyes just visible.
"Let's go see what you're made of, Haven, Flash," Jay responded. Tala gave both speedsters a feral grin.
Tala jumped on Barry's back and the speedster grabbed Jay, running them both to just outside the warehouse. Tala jumped down and started sneaking into the building, intent on saving Patty so the two Flashes could deal with the villain of the week.
"I'm in the security feed. Go, Barry!" Cisco said in comms. Barry and Jay ran into the room, passing Tala.
"Is that you, Flash? Found your way here?" Slick asked, not turning around. When he did, he saw Jay, instead of Barry.
"I came quite a distance," Jay said, making Tala roll her eyes. What is this, a TV show on the CW? She thought to herself.
"Thought you were dead," Sand Demon asked.
"You were wrong, like usual," Jay said. "Let the girl go."
Tala walked toward Patty once Slick had his back turned and wrapped her powers around the bomb, containing the explosion.
"Have at it. But you touch her, she goes boom!" Eddie Slick said. Tala held a finger to her lips, signaling for Patty to keep quiet. "Yeah, and I think even you aren't fast enough to save her."
Jay started throwing punches, which Slick dodged easily without the Speed Force helping Jay. Tala cut through the bindings around Patty's wrists, but motioned for her to stay seated.
"I have the bomb safely secured, but we will still experience a bit of blowback, wait until Slick is distracted," Tala whispered. Patty nodded, rubbing her wrists.
"Quite a bit slower on this Earth, aren't you, Flash?" Slick asked. Jay caught him in the jaw and Tala and Patty watched while sand flew and then reformed. Thankfully, he didn't see them. Sand Demon quickly returned the hit, plus a few more, making Jay double over. "You don't have your speed, do you?"
"Slick's distracted, Sarie, you're up!" Tala whispered in her comms. Barry ran into the room and grabbed Patty, just as Tala threw her powers out to catch them should the blast not be contained enough. Tala slid back a few feet from the blast, and watched as Barry, Jay, and Patty were all thrown back too, but with no damage.
"Jay!"
"Barry, Tala!" Caitlin called out for the Earth two Flash, while Cisco called out to the team members from Earth One. Tala stood and shook her head, groaning slightly.
"I think I got a concussion, Thalaj," Tala muttered, clutching her head. She glared at Eddie who was still standing, before turning to Barry who was just standing up.
"Patty's alive, just unconscious," Barry said into comms. Tala waved her hand and sent a group of tendrils to protect the police officer.
"Must be my lucky day! Zoom sent me here to kill you," Slick said. "Now I get to kill the Flash from two worlds before I go home."
Slick reached his arm out and started choking Jay. Tala looked expectantly at Barry while drawing her bow, notching an arrow.
"Am I not important enough to warrant death?" Tala asked, speaking into her comms, rather than to Slick. "Like seriously, I'm almost offended. Also, Koneko, I ought to look into making taser arrows. Could come in handy for situations like this."
"Barry, you gotta do something, now!" Iris demanded as Tala shot Slick, watching in annoyance as her arrows flew through them. Barry and Jay nodded at each other, and Barry started running in a circle around the three Metahumans. Slick got nervous and dropped Jay. Tala ran over and threw a barrier around them, protecting them from the lightning that Barry threw with a yell.
Sand Demon watched the lightning circling him, the blue matter from Haven keeping them all in a dome, making it so he couldn't escape. He knew it was the end for him, the lightning strike would kill him, turning him to glass. He turned his last thoughts to his partner, probably wondering where he was, maybe even absently refilling the humidifier in their apartment, humming to herself as she quizzed the empty room on her nursing books. He thought about his boss, and how they'd taken him in when the rest of the world thought to cast him out. I'm sorry I failed you, Sand Demon thought, not thinking of Zoom's mission, but his family on Earth Two.
The lightning hit Slick and threw him backwards, where he hit the ground with a crash, shattering him. Tala waved away the barrier and stood, pulling Jay to his feet.
"You okay, Sarie?" Tala asked, as they walked toward each other. Barry nodded, and asked them the same question. "I think I've got sand in my hair again. That's annoying."
"Yeah, I'm okay. Nice shot, kid," Jay said. Tala looked over as Patty started stirring, and waved away that barrier too.
"Flash?" Patty asked.
"Coming," Barry and Jay said in sync. Tala rolled her eyes and walked over with them, pulling the officer to her feet.
"You're a cop?" Patty asked, looking at the badge sewn onto the sleeve of Tala's suit, right next to the memorial.
"Captain Singh and I have an understanding. Plus I'm always helping, so I'm an honorary cop," Tala explained. "And it means that the officers at CCPD will stop trying to arrest me. Flash, take Patty back to the precinct, then come back here for me."
Barry grabbed Patty and ran her back to CCPD before coming back for Tala and Jay, running them to Star Labs. Tala pushed away her armor as soon as they crossed into the cortex.
"Cait, I'd check on Garrick, make sure Slick didn't do too much damage to him," Tala said, walking over to lean against Cisco. "Let's go home, I need a shower, again."
"Make sure you rest, Tala, that blast might have done some damage," Cait called over her shoulder. Tala waved her hand in acknowledgment as Cisco and Tala started walking out of the Cortex and toward the elevator.
*x*
Haven walked into the bullpen, her hood up, and her mask on. The police didn't bother to react, most of them had gotten used to her appearing or disappearing whenever the protector wanted a word.
"Officer Spivot," Joe greeted as Patty walked out of the elevator.
"Detective."
"You're supposed to be home resting," Haven said, approaching the pair. Joe had asked her to speak with the eager officer about the anti-metahuman task force.
"I'm okay, sir, ma'am, really," Patty said, smiling. She was telling the truth. Sand Demon hadn't hurt her, much to her surprise. He'd shaken her, and tried to kill her, but there hadn't actually been any physical violence. The worst part was shaking all the sand out of her uniform when she'd returned home.
"Look, I'm sorry you got mixed up in all this mess because of me," Joe said, leading the two women back toward his desk.
"It's not your fault," Patty reassured. She didn't blame Joe for any of it, she had guessed that the metas were from the particle accelerator explosion a year ago, and Joe demanding to know where Slick was the night of it had confirmed her suspicion. She blamed Harrison Wells, and his science.
"Do you really think you have what it takes to be part of my task force?" Haven asked, feeling for the officer's energy. Haven could feel a lot of mixed signals. Excitement, anxiety. A steady heartbeat, even in the face of a metahuman. A blinding optimism that felt like a beam of sunlight. Lots of potential to be great.
"I know it, ma'am," Patty said, looking at the back of Haven's hood as she walked ahead of her with Joe.
"Well, I always check the jacket of anyone I'm considering for it," Joe said, pulling out her file. It was thicker than just her police file, as Haven had done some additional digging. "In my research on you, I found out we got a mutual acquaintance. Mark Mardon. I need you to be honest with me here. Why do you want to do this?"
"Mark Mardon killed my dad," Patty said. Her energy changed, the warmth of her optimism turning cold, bitter, inward as much as outward. Patty's energy was shaking, tiny little tremors, like those caused by frigid temperatures or furious anger. "He had a little shoe shop down on Chesterfield. It was a cash business. One night he went to Fairfield bank to make his weekly deposit, and the Mardon brothers showed up. While he was waiting in line, Mark shot my dad in the face for a few hundred dollars. Then, a few months later, Mark and his brother got powers. Two murderers got superpowers. So that's why I'm here, Sir, Ma'am. That's why I'm so hell-bent on being on your task force. 'Cause there's some bad people out there and they can do anything. And I may not have powers, but I want to stop them. You're the only person I know who wants to do that, too."
Haven and Joe shared a look, one of partners, and trust, speaking paragraphs before they both nodded.
"Monday, eight a.m. Don't be late," Joe said as he turned and walked away. Haven turned and went the other way, heading for the stairs to the alley, where her bike was parked.
"Uh, late for what?" Patty asked, turning to Joe.
"The task force, Detective," Haven called, smiling to herself under her hood. She knew Patty was holding something back, but she didn't know what, only that it was why her bitterness was turned inward.
Joe turned and started jogging up the stairs toward Barry's lab as the elevator dinged behind him.
"Joseph," a female voice called out, so startlingly familiar, and yet so completely new. "Hi. Been a long time."
"Yeah, it has. Why are you here?" Joe asked, walking down the few stairs he'd taken. She wore a nice dress, the way she had when they were younger, first starting out.
"Because you didn't return my calls. And I wanted to see you," she replied, her eyes sad, still looking the way they had all those years ago, but clear, not foggy or muddled. "And our daughter."
*x*
"Could this thing render any slower?" Tala asked, sending a new line of code up to the satellites before turning to face Cisco's monitor.
"Any progress with the electrophotography?" Martin asked as he walked in. Tala and Cisco turned to look at him.
"The satellite picture of the city is still rendering," Cisco said, checking the progress now that it started to work
"While we wait, care to tell me what's going on with you?" Martin asked. Cisco turned to Tala accusingly, and she shook her head.
"Nothing, Professor, nothing, I'm fine," Cisco said.
"Two hunches in one day," Martin said. "Slick's locale and that he'd be using a concussive bomb to thwart Barry. Do I need to inform you of the odds of such a prediction?"
"Something's happening to me. I'm starting to... Perceive things horrible things," Cisco said, taking Tala's hand. "It started after Wells killed me in the other timeline. It came back when Atom Smasher attacked on Flash Day, and then again when Sand Demon showed up. I get a vibe, and then a vision of something that's already happened. And then it's gone."
"I can feel the energy change when Cisco sees the visions, and if we have direct skin contact, I can see the vision too," Tala said, holding up her hand and pulling her powers away from it, showing Martin the difference. "It's how we knew where Slick was, and about the bomb."
"Cisco, this is amazing. We have to study this, figure out what to do," Martin said excitedly.
"No, no, no, we are not doing any of that!" Cisco said forcefully, standing. "And we're certainly not telling anybody either!"
"Cisco, I would think you'd be the one most intrigued with knowing exactly what this is and how it works!" Martin said in disbelief.
"I'm seeing things I don't want to see, and knowing things I don't want to know," Cisco said. "I just want it to stop! Professor, I don't want anyone to know about this. Not yet."
Cisco turned his back to Martin, pushing his hair out of his face and looking things over on his tablet. Tala placed her hand on his back, trying to comfort him slightly.
"It's okay to be afraid, you know," Martin said.
"Wells told me this was in my future, that he gave me this power," Cisco said slowly. "But everything he did was evil. That's what scares me, Professor. You have to promise me that you won't tell anyone about this."
"I promise," Martin said, looking at Cisco, then at Tala, giving them both his word. Tala spun in her chair to face the monitor as the computer started beeping.
"Oh, shit," Tala said, looking at the screen. She leapt out of her chair and ran to the cortex, where she pulled up the same feed and summoned the team.
"It appears that while we were indeed successful in closing the Singularity, there was an unfortunate side effect," Martin said once everyone had arrived.
"What are you talking about?" Barry demanded.
"Using electrophotography, Cisco, Tala and I were able to search Central City for energy entering our Earth from another dimension. From any breaches, as Mister Garrick described them," Martin explained.
"But, of course, there isn't just one breach," Tala said, smiling pleasantly while her eyes promised murder.
"There's fifty two of them, scattered throughout the city," Cisco said, putting his hand on Tala's shoulder.
"These breaches are pockets of time and space, folded into and upon itself. But the most significant breach of all, appears to be this one," Martin pointed to the biggest spot on the satellite image. Cisco hit a button on his remote and zoomed in on it.
"And where exactly is that located?" Caitlin asked.
"The basement," Tala whined, pouting.
"And just beyond that breach is an entirely-" Martin started stuttering and Tala felt his energy react violently against itself. She dove to the ground, pulling her powers around her as she caught Martin just before he hit the ground in a dead faint. Tala looked around at the team, wondering what the hell had happened.
*x*
"I'm so sorry," the woman in black whispered, running her fingers through curly hair. A man, built of solid muscle with brown angel's wings, stood stoically behind them. Another man, dark hair and a furious anger stood nearby, clutching a pair of glasses. "We will find a way to mourn them. They will never be forgotten, and their killer will pay."
"He took our partners!" The angel raged, his eyes flashing with hellfire. Dark wisps seemed to curl around him, wrapping around his arm in comfort. "He will burn. I want his head."
"And we will have it. He is far too powerful for us to go against actively, and my wife cannot protect all of us at once, or have you forgotten?" The angel nodded, showing respect to his bosses. The crying girl seemed to shake herself before she bounced around the room, collecting seemingly random objects before she placed them on the dining room table. The woman in black stared at her in worry, losing her partner had struck the nurse hard.
"We need to plan. And we will need help. Call your gang, I will call my oath-bound. This speedster will understand why it is a bad idea to touch my Rogues. Call a meeting, summon everyone back here, make sure the entire Gallery knows what is at stake. We will not lose another."
