The first part of the chapter was originally part of the previous one, but it got too long and I had to cut it. As it turned out, this one is bigger, so what was the point? Anyway, I couldn't cut it short, so here it is. One huge chapter, just for you.

I really hope you enjoy it. Don't forget to comment your thought.

Love you all!

Chapter 43

"Batman is real?" Jax gasped sounding doubtful.

"Apparently!" Dinah answered in one word.

"I thought he was just an urban legend." Rene mirrored Jax's skepticism.

"Batman is very real." Kara confirmed. "My cousin has worked with him once or twice." When everyone raised their eyebrows she added. "They're an...odd team, but from what I know he helped put Lex Luthor behind bars."

"Well, if he helped with Lex he's okay in my book." Oliver said loudly.

"How come you haven't mentioned him before?" Sara asked.

"I've never actually met him." Kara admitted smoothly. "And from what Kal has told me, Batman is very mysterious, keeps to himself and doesn't work well with others."

"Does that sound like someone we know?" Felicity mumbled quietly.

Everybody heard her though.

"I'm not like that anymore." Oliver complained.

Sara eyed him with a raised eyebrow and an amused expression. "You used to."

"She's right." Barry agreed. "I remember those times very vivid."

Oliver crossed his arms and gave all three of them a pointed look. Dinah cleared her throat and turned her gaze back on Supergirl.

"So, how come he decided to be a team player now?"

However, it was Felicity who replied, not Kara. "Because of the 9th Circle. His team has been after them for years, but whenever they got close to catching them, the Circle disappeared. Oracle recognized the trail I left when I was looking into them and thought it would be best to expand their working relationships just for this case."

"So this is a one time deal?" Jax asked wanted to clarify if he understood correctly.

Felicity nodded. "Correct."

"Did they have any useful information?" Barry got them back on the topic they were really interested in.

The IT expert nodded her blonde head and pushed the flash drive into a USB socket. The team turned around and looked at the big, flat screens on the walls of the Cortex. Most were impressed. Oracle had really given Felicity plenty of information. Felicity cracked her fingers and started explaining.

"From what I gathered from the file, the 9th Circle is a very old organization –basically ancient."

"Well, that's very comforting." Rene snorted sarcastically.

Felicity continued. "And technically they are a bank for Supervillains."

"Like in the 'Despicable me'?" Cisco's splutter was both surprised and excited.

Felicity gave Vibe an unimpressed stare and then shrugged. "I guess. Oracle has gathered information that ties them to every terrorist attack there has ever been in history. And I mean EVERY! The twin towers, the Cold War, bombings, everything major that has happened they are behind it."

"That's a little terrifying." Ray stuttered looking around the room searching for someone who shared his thoughts.

"What do they want to accomplish with that?" Kara asked frowning. "It can't just be the thrill of terrorizing people."

"You are right." Felicity agreed, typing on the keyboard and then another slot appeared on the screens. "The 9th Circle consists of people who believe in the rebirth of the world."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Dinah asked with a distasteful taste in her mouth.

There was a heavy sigh from Felicity, one that no one liked to hear. "It means that when the resources become equal to every individual and humanity loses the ability to evolve above that state, then they create a disaster so huge that is capable of bringing civilization to the Stone Age so that it can be reconstructed from the beginning." She explained. "Their goal is to have few people with too much power and everyone else..." she hesitated. "You get the point. I don't want to say the word poor or slave or whatever can describe the cruelty of what they want to accomplish." Her voice trembled.

"So, no middle class." Caitlin spoke for the first time.

The woman shook her head to confirm it. "No! Just the top of the food chain and the...food."

Dinah chewed on her lip having a thoughtful look on her face. "Guys, we're talking about changing the course of evolution. To be able to do something like that you need serious resources. For this to work, the 9th Circle would have to have people in powerful positions."

The Cortex got silent as the weight of the Black Canary's words hit them hard. She was right, of course. Talking about rearranging the status of civilization required power that could only come from people from powerful positions such as world leadership. The atmosphere felt heavy around them. What political scandal had they stumbled in the middle off? Each member of the League left to its thoughts. It was why everybody heard Oliver curse silently. But to them, it was loud as a siren's cry. Oliver left their eyes fell on him and for the first time he felt like he was the bulls-eye to his arrows.

"Oliver, what is it?" it was Barry's calm voice that broke the silence.

Oliver left his blue eyes travel to Sara, Rene, and Dinah next to him and slowly drifted to the others. Alex, Cisco, Ray, and Zatanna. To Caitlin, Jax and Stein sitting close together as always. And finally, to Felicity, Kara, and Barry.

"Senator Domini paid me a visit recently." He said nonchalantly.

He watched as Barry's bushing eyebrows frowned. "How recently?"

"The day we met you guys at the park with William and Bart." He explained. "I didn't think much of it. The visit was so random and he didn't stay long. I didn't know what to make of it. And he said..." he hesitated. "He said that Star City was dying and that it wasn't the only one."

"You think he is part of the 9th Circle?"

But it wasn't Oliver who answered Ray's question. "It makes sense. Domini is in a powerful position and it would explain his dedication to ruin our image." Alex said with conviction. "I mean stopping people like him is a Superhero's job description."

"I agree with Alex." Dinah said and from next to her Rene nodded in agreement with the other two.

"Okay, so if we think that Domini is part of this group, what are we going to do about it?" Jax asked.

It was a question that was echoed by most of them.

"There's not much we can do." Oliver shook his head. "We don't know who these people are or how many."

"Or what their plans are and when they're planning to...do whatever that is." Sara added.

"I say we get Domini and beat some answers out of him." Rene hit his right fist into his left palm.

"That's a terrible idea!" Dinah gasped.

"Yeah," Sara agreed. "If we do that then we become exactly what he's been saying."

"Then what do you suggest?" Rene dared them to come up with a better solution.

Both women narrowed their eyes at him, but before either could open her mouth Barry whistled stopping the argument.

"I'll tell you what we are going to do later." He said, finalizing the situation. "But Domini is not our only problem. And we can't focus all our attention on him. Kara, you said you have news from Lena."

"I do." Kara nodded her blond curls and giving Felicity the flash drive Lena gave her. "She was able to trace the alloy that matches the one of my pod and Kal-El's in a village in North Russia. And I'm not even going to attempt to pronounce the name. Also, her mother, Lillian, is behind this." She added. "Apparently, someone broke her out of prison while making it look like a riot."

"Next time we catch her we should put her somewhere no one can find her." Sara mumbled as she turned her eyes to the screen where the location of the CADMUS facility was displayed.

"I know that place." Oliver said out of the blue. "I've been there when I was part of the Bratva."

Felicity turned on her chair to look at him. "Why does that not surprise me?"

"Me too." Barry added.

"Me three." Kara agreed.

Next Cisco opened his mouth. "If you're going to say 'me four' I'd rethink that." Oliver threatened him.

The metahuman closed his mouth quickly and stayed silent.

"I should go alone." Oliver continued. "I'm familiar with the place and one person is enough for a recon mission. We can't go blazing in without proper information about what we're dealing with, how many people there are and what firepower they have at their disposal."

"I'm going with." Sara announced. "I'm not letting you go alone, Oliver. And perhaps a little back up isn't a bad thing."

Oliver sighed in defeat." Fine!"

"Then I'm coming too." Alex said strongly. "I know CADMUS better than any of you." She added when Oliver and Sara were about to protest. "And I want a little payback."

"That's good." Barry said before anyone else decided to volunteer. "Oliver, Alex and Sara are going to go to Russia, evaluate the situation and then report back."

"Maybe I should go instead." Kara said. "Cold doesn't affect me and I can use my x-ray vision and super hearing to spy on them."

"No way!" Alex disagreed, shaking her head. "This is CADMUS we're talking about. They would be expecting you to show up."

"Yes, and they'll probably have kryptonite and who knows what other weapons to kill you." Sara added.

"Besides, I need you to go somewhere else."

Kara turned to Barry surprised. "Go where?"

"Cisco said that he, Zatanna and Ray found a way to go to Orion. This could be our only chance to learn something real about Darkseid."

Cisco was grinning painfully. Zatanna lifted her hand and held out a shiny helmet.

"This is Orion's helmet. I can cast a tracking spell to return to return to its owner. All we have to do is follow it."

"How did you get this?" Kara gasped.

The three of them cringed. "We went back to Apocalypse." Ray admitted as a shiver ran through him. "It was not a pleasant experience."

"That place gave me the creeps." Zatanna agreed.

"So that's where you three disappeared to." Barry said to no one in particular. "Regardless, Zatanna and Cisco are going and I want Kara, Mon-El, and Firestorm to go with them. Professor Stein, I know it's not fair to ask this of you but..."

"If it's going to help stop Darkseid, then, by all means, I'm in." Stein interrupted the speedster. "Besides, I've never been to another planet before. It'll be quite the adventure."

"Why we specifically?" Jax asked.

"Barry's strategy is perfect." Oliver answered for the speedster. "You are going to an alien planet. Your group should be small to not be received as a threat, but also you should be powerful so that if you need to defend yourselves against them you'll have the best chances of success."

Barry nodded in agreement with the archer. This was exactly what he was thinking.

"There is, though, a small problem." Cisco chuckled. "How are we going to get there? Anyone has a spaceship lying around?" he joked.

"As a matter of fact." Alex spoke up. "The D.E.O. confiscated a spaceship from the last time we busted CADMUS. It should be big enough for all of you."

"What?" Kara widened her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me that CADMUS had a spaceship?"

The D.E.O agent just shrugged. "I didn't think it was important."

"Really?"

"Wait, why aren't you going?" Jax asked Barry. "You are just as powerful as any of us?"

"I can't. Thawne is gathering a team to kill me and Bart. So I need to stay here in case they decide to show up while I'm gone."

Barry saw the others flinch at his confession. "Maybe we should wait until we leave." Oliver suggested. "We could help you out."

But Barry was shaking his head. "No, you guys should go ahead. This is more important." He disagreed. "And this is between speedsters. I sent Wally to bring Jessie and Jay Garrick from Earth-2 and Earth-3. We'll deal with this."

"What should the rest of us do?" Dinah asked.

"And what about National City?" Rene added. "With Supergirl, Mon-El, and Alex away, who is going to protect it?"

"Well, National City still has Guardia and Martian Manhunter, but we could send Frost to assist too." Barry eyed Caitlin, who simply nodded. "As for you and Dinah, you should go back to Star City with Diggle. Domini paid Oliver a visit for a reason. Perhaps it's the 9th Circle's first target. Keep your eyes sharp." He advised. "And Ray, I want you to do what you do best." He turned his eyes to the man.

Ray widened his eyes and pointed at himself. "What do you need me to do?"

"I want you to shrink down and spy on Domini. Find what he's hiding, any plans the Circle has in store. I want to know everything. And when you do...Dinah," he then turned to the Black Canary. "You are in charge. Get the information from Ray and decide what needs to be done." He finished with a sigh. "That's it. Do we all agree?"

Everybody nodded in the Cortex.

"What about Kendra and Carter?" Caitlin asked.

"They're too new to this group." Kara said. "We should keep them for back up."

Everybody nodded again.

"When do we leave?" Alex asked.

Barry, Oliver, and Kara shared a knowing look.

"As soon as possible."

#

The crime lab at CCPD was quiet. Deadly quiet. Barry and Joe stared at the twelve pictures of people on the glass board. Twelve people who had been reported missing in the last twenty-four hours. In his other hand Detective West held a photograph of his partner, August Heart.

"You think we should add it to the list?"

Joe sighed, dread sweating on his forehead. "I don't know Barry."

"How long has he been missing?" Barry asked quietly.

"Since Wednesday."

"Four days."

"It was his days off. And then the next day he didn't come in and didn't call in sick. I went to his place and no one answered." Joe's body shook. "I just didn't want to think that he's one of the victims."

"Hey, don't think that." Barry grabbed his foster father's shoulders and rubbed them soothingly. "We haven't found any bodies yet. You don't know if the kidnapper is killing his victims."

Joe sighed heavily and rubbed his forehead. "I know. I'm just worried, Barr. What if the worst happens? I can't lose another partner."

Barry's shoulders fell. He understood perfectly what Joe was feeling. Three of his previous partners had been killed on the job and the other two transferred. And Joe had started to worry that it was because of him. Neither man believed in bad luck or jinx or prejustice, but at this rate, one started to wonder if perhaps there were larger forces at play.

Barry was about to say something to reassure Joe when he felt time slowing down. The man in front of him froze and the clock on top of the wall stopped ticking. Barry felt an electric tingling on the pores of his body as a Speedforce aura approached the speedster. Then he felt a tap on his left shoulder. Channeling the Speedforce himself, Barry turned to face the other speedster, yellow lightning cracking all over his body. Barry's green eyes widened in horror and confusion as they fell on Savitar's smug smirk.

"Tag, you're it." Evil Barry smirked playfully before taking off.

Before he could even process what he was doing, Barry sped off after him. The two speedsters raced through the streets of Central City, their lightning trailing after them. Their yellow flash and the gust of wind alerted those they run by. The citizens turned towards their direction with wide eyes, feeling uncertain if it was good that they felt the Flash passing by or if the hero was running yet again towards danger. Nevertheless, they prayed he would be fine. Finally, after a few seconds of playing catch-me-if-you-can, Savitar stopped them both. At first, Barry didn't realize that they were in Iris and his loft.

"You!" Barry could only utter in surprise as they came to a stop.

He couldn't believe his eyes. In front of him was the man he thought he'd never see again. But his form was too familiar. Savitar looked exactly as he remembered. Dark clothes covered his body from top to bottom. His messed up hair fell in front of his eye –the good one – while leaving exposed the burned side of his face and the white, glassy eye that couldn't see. Barry felt a familiar bitterness in his stomach.

"It's impossible!" he gasped again. "How are you here?" he demanded.

Savitar only smirked, like Barry was supposed to know the answer. "The same way you are. The Speedforce."

"No," Barry shook his head violently. "You got erased from existence. You're not supposed to exist anymore. I beat you!" he yelled louder.

Savitar laughed. "You spend six months being part of the Speedforce and you still don't know anything."

Barry felt his blood pump in his veins as anger took over. The next moment he had Savitar pressed against the wall and his hands around his throat.

"Don't you mock me!" he growled.

But Savitar only laughed again. "As much as I'd love that, I'm actually here to warn you."

Barry narrowed his eyes on the time remnant and scoffed. "As if I'd believe whatever comes out of your mouth. Tell me how you're here!" he demanded again.

Savitar rolled his eyes dramatically. "Well," he pushed Barry off of him and fixed his jacket. "If you desperately want me to. It's going to take a while, though, care to make me a cup of coffee?" Unmoving, Barry stared at him with deadly, unamused eyes. "A cup of tea?" Still nothing. "Some hot chocolate at the least."

"I'm not in the mood for games, Savitar."

The time remnant sighed dramatically. "Fine! You're boring."

Savitar moved gracefully and sat down on the couch, laid his arms on its back and brought one leg on top of the other. Then he nodded with his head for Barry to join him. The original eyed him hesitating, but after a brief debate, he joined the time remnant.

"When the Speedforce took you that was the end of the Flash. You were never supposed to return. That was the sacrifice you had to make for defeating me." Seeing the confused look on Barry's face he added. "I am you after all." He smirked. "I am every bad thought you've ever had. But then, the merry band of three decided to merge the worlds and made a mess in reality. Darkseid." He clarified. "The others can't defeat him without the Flash, you play a key role in all this."

"How do you know all this?"

Savitar looked at Barry like he was stupid. "When a speedster dies or gets erased from existence he returns to the Speedforce and becomes a part of it." He explained. "So," he cleared his throat. "After the mess those three created, it had to let you out. Now, don't get things twisted, the Speedforce didn't do it out of the good of its heart because it took pity on you." He snorted. "No, the Speedforce is selfish, it only does what is necessary for the survival of reality. And that meant giving Barry Allen a second chance in life. All of Barry Allen." Savitar's mismatched eyes boarded into him.

Barry felt like he was being stabbed from the look the time remnant was giving him. He swallowed hard and nodded slightly. "What does that mean?"

"It's the reason why I'm here." Savitar answered abruptly. "The Speedforce couldn't release just the good, fluffy version of Barry Allen, but also the other one who knows nothing but pain. Who has embraced the darkness you are fighting every day. Me. You and I make a whole Barry Allen. Do you understand now?"

Dread. That's what Barry was consumed with as soon as Savitar's words made sense to him.

"If you've been here all this time, why show yourself now?"

That was a good question. Savitar shrugged. "I came to warn you about Thawne."

"I know what Thawne is planning." Barry nearly cursed at him.

Savitar smirked. "Not everything."

Rage fuelled inside Barry and the speedster shot up in speed mode. Breathing heavily and trying to control himself from attacking his time remnant, Barry turned and glared at Savitar.

"And why should I trust you?" he yelled with rage. "Even before I knew that you existed the only thing you wanted was to cause me pain. How do I know that this isn't some kind of trap?" he accused. "It wouldn't be the first time."

Savitar got up as furious now as his other self. "You think this is easy for me?" he demanded loudly. "That any of this has ever been easy for me?" he pocked Barry with his index finger. "You don't know what I've been through. The pain I felt and the betrayal that drove me insane."

"No, I don't." Barry said back passionately. "But whatever happened to you, I can't believe that I would ever become a heartless monster like you." He spat with hatred.

The look on Savitar's face would be comical if it wasn't so deadly. "You and your Flash-family made me into this monster."

"I never did anything to you."

That stopped Savitar. A more sly expression took over his features as he tilted his head to the right. "That..is technically true." He admitted. "But that doesn't mean I didn't have a good reason for what I did."

Barry felt like exploding. "How could you possibly justify wh-"

"You don't understand."

"You never explained."

"You couldn't understand. You weren't there." Savitar shook his head. "You didn't live my life. So you don't know how I felt after our last fight with Savitar."

For the first time, Barry saw emotion show on the time remnant's face. True, raw emotion. The man in front of him looked like he was about to crumble, ready to shed a tear.

"There were eight of us. Against him. But the fight didn't last long and it was painful."

The time remnant lay on the ground, pain exploding from all parts of his body. He didn't know how many broken bones he had but might as well be all of them. He had passed out after he had taken one of Savitar's lightning bolts straight to the face. Iris! He was here to save Iris. That thought gave him the strength to push past his pain and stumble to his knees. But the horror that waited for him as he lifted his face rivaled the one caused by his own wounds. The other time remnants lay dead around him like broken rag dolls. Seven familiar red suits torn apart and covered in blood. The blood that came out of the other Barry Allens' mouth and open wounds. Some were so badly beaten that he could see the bones showing from inside the flesh. The last time remnant felt like fading just by the mere sight of his fellow selves.

He fell again, unable to support his own height. His eyes felt heavy and the dream-state welcomed him to close his eyes and fell into the calming forever-sleep. How sweet and welcoming it felt at that moment. But then he heard a horrified cry. It was his own voice. Iris! He thought again and gained consciousness once again. But he was unable to move. The only thing he could do was tilt his head. But the angle he was showed clearly his original self on his knees and from his red suit, the dead arm of Iris West hung weightless in the air. The time remnant wanted to scream, only to find that he had no voice. Tears filled his vision and he was only aware of his heavy breathing because of the pain that became even more unbearable. The last thought before blackness consumed his vision was that he wanted to die.

"I woke up three days later in the med bay." Savitar continued his story. "I was alone. I panicked for a moment. Half my face was covered in bandages, but most of my injuries had healed. I got up and started searching for you. It took me a while to realize that the lab was empty except for me. The first person I went to see was you." Savitar looked Barry right in the eyes and the other could see unshed tears in the time remnant's mirroring eyes. "You were like a dead person walking."

"She's dead." Barry told him his voice as dead as his deceased fiancée. "We didn't save her. I want to be alone."

And then he shoved some of his clothes to the other Barry and closed his door. And it would stay closed for a very long time. The wounded time remnant held the clothes close to his body and returned back to STAR Labs. After countless failed attempts to put the fresh clothes on, he abandoned the task and crumbled his way to Joe's house. The man there wasn't in any better condition than his original self. It was actually worse. Because neither Joe nor Wally could look at him. At first, Barry felt guilty, he had failed to save his only daughter after all. But as time passed and the words they said to him became less and less, this Barry started feeling like they blamed him for his failure. And why wouldn't they?

Barry still didn't talk to him. He didn't talk to anyone. He had closed himself in his apartment –if he even was there – and lived like a monk away from any human contact.

Times with Cisco were a little better, but the time remnant had a gut feeling that he wasn't really the person Cisco wanted to spend time with. It had become painfully clear to him that neither Joe nor Wally, not even Cisco could recognize him as Barry Allen. He constantly told them that he was the man they had made so many memories with, but their thick heads couldn't comprehend that he was something more than a copy of the man they wanted to get close to again.

Barry was still AWOL. And as much as they run after the version of Barry that pushed them away, that much this one craved their affection. Until one day it became apparent to him that he would never get it.

It was the very same day the time remnant barged into Barry's apartment and demanded to talk. And the rage his original self unleashed towards him might as well had killed him that moment. Because Barry Allen was swimming in so much guilt that it was easier to take it out on someone with his face. Much easier when that same face was another version of himself.

The time remnant was done at this point. He had lost Iris, he had lost his family and he had lost his friends. Add that to the physical pain he was in every single day it became unbearable. With nothing to live for, the time remnant crawled to Iris' grave where he finally let it all out. His tears burned as they fell on the damaged skin of his face. But he took comfort that he wouldn't have to bear it for much longer. He would join Iris soon enough.

Because what else did he have? He was in a wrong timeline, unable to return to his own because it didn't exist anymore. This timeline already had a Barry Allen. He was just a ghost. He lost his family and his friends. He lost his job, his house, his belongings. He even lost his identity.

"I'll see you soon, Iris." He whispered. "I love you!"

And that was when he blacked out. He woke up screaming his lungs out from the pain. His face was burning like it always did, but this time it was so much worse. His vision was black and he couldn't see the damp, cold, underground lair he was in. The only thing that mattered was to make the pain stop. He brought his hand to his face determined to tear the flesh out, not caring that it would only make matters worse. But a cold hand stopped him. A sigh of relief escaped his lips as the flames retreated. A few moments later the hand was gone. The time remnant raised his tired eyes and spot Killer Frost looking down on him.

"Welcome home, Lord Savitar." Her cold voice said. "I'll be in the next room if you need me."

She was gone before she could hear him say breathlessly: "I'm not him."

"The only thing that made the pain go away for a while was Killer Frost's frozen touch. She kept calling me Savitar and I kept refusing her."

"Here. That'll fix your pain." Killer Frost said one night as she cupped his scarred cheek.

The time remnant looked tired at her. "Can you mend my broken soul too?" he asked doubtfully.

"Only you can do that." She said. "By finally accepting who you're supposed to be."

"I'll never be what you want me to."

"We'll see."

"The first time I put on the Savitar suit was to get a reaction out of you." Savitar continued. "It was the first sightings of the Flash Central City had seen in years. When I saw that you were back I don't know –I...I felt this rage inside me. Everything I lost, you had it all. So, I put on the suit just to taunt you for a little while." He said looking at Barry right in the eyes. "But after that...after that, I loved it so much." He admitted. "The pleasure I got from the look on your face every time you saw me. It was like I got high on that look. And I kept telling myself: One more time. One last time and I'll stop. But the last time never came because you managed to trap me into the Speedforce. And there...? That's where the real torture started. I told you once that being in that hell hole made me lose my mind several times over. I didn't put it lightly. And after the millionth time I drove myself crazy, only one thing remained. Anger. Rage. The only thing I wanted was revenge." Savitar licked his lips as a single tear run down his face. "But before I could go on and torture you for the rest of your miserable life I had to make sure that I would be created. And that's when the idea hit me. Killing Iris. It was what drove my original self to create all the time remnants – me. It was also the only thing I could take from you and would torture all of you the same and at the same time. Kill all the birds with one stone. And you know the rest." He ended with a loud sigh.

At this point, Barry was crying too. Really, he didn't have words. He didn't know what to feel –how he was supposed to feel. And that was way worse.

Instead, he found himself asking: "So why are you here now? To finish what you started?" his voice was filled with emotion.

Savitar shook his head. "I'm past that now. Being trapped inside the Speedforce the first time drove me insane. Being stuck in there for a second time fixed me. Besides, we're not connected anymore. I don't need you to stay alive."

"So what? You're going to kill me, take my place?"

"No," he shook his head again. "I want to make a deal with you. I want to get the life that was stolen from me back, to be Barry Allen again."

"And how are you going to accomplish that without taking my place?" Barry demanded.

Savitar sighed and then smirked. "I'll tell you everything Thawne is planning and you are going to create a new identity for me. And when it's all over you'll convince Cisco to breach me to another earth where Barry Allen doesn't exist. There I can start over." He explained. "So, do we have a deal?"

#

After his conversation with Savitar, Barry headed back to the precinct. He didn't make it through the doors of CCPD, however, as Cisco notified him through the coms that there was a shooting at the Central City Library. But when the speedster got there, there was no shooter and no hostages. There was no one in general. The library was closed. Huh? Barry tensed up. It was rare that they would get a false alarm. Was he being set up? Most likely.

"Flash! Thank you for coming." a voice said from behind him.

Barry turned around and came face to face with Captain Singh. He was confused, seeing the man here and he barely had the mind to vibrate his face to hide his features despite the darkness surrounding them.

"Captain!" He greeted. "What is going on?"

Singh, for his part, actually looked sheepish at the hero. "I'm sorry for dragging you here under false pretenses, but I didn't know how to contact you when the only times I see you are when there's a crime or something equally awful going on." He explained.

Flash couldn't do anything else but the out a breathed chuckled. Singh was right after all.

"You might want to consider creating a front desk or something so people who might need your help can come talk to you."

Flash frowned his eyebrows underneath the cowl of his suit, though it wasn't visible. Singh searched with calculating eyes for any signs that the hero in front of him was, in fact, Barry Allen. Ever since his unexpected epiphany at the police lab, the Captain had not been able to get the thought out of his mind until he proved it right. He couldn't help but notice Flash's body shape matched his CIS's. And the features, despite the darkness and the boy's attempt to hide them even more... It was so clear now that he knew what he knew. How did he not see this sooner? He knew Barry's face ever since he was just a little kid.

"You mean like an office?" Flash's –no, Barry's – disoriented voice brought Singh out of his thoughts.

He could see that the other man was confused. As to why, Singh had no idea, but he nodded his head quickly. "Exactly!" he confirmed.

Barry frowned again and his body language changed. And oh! Oh, how was it possible that David had not put two and two together for five years? If there was any doubt in his mind, the Captain was one hundred percent sure now that this was Barry Allen in front of him.

"Isn't that a little narcissistic?"

Well, wasn't he a humble one? Singh shook his head.

"No one can deny how valuable you are to the city, Flash. And now that you have broadened your borders with the League of Superheroes, I'd insist that is essential to have a place where at least the police can find you." He told him. "Besides, I heard that the Mayor has plans to build a museum in your name."

"A WHAT?!" Flash croaked taken by surprise.

And David could see it as the clear sky how undoubtedly shocked he was. From the way his eyes opened wide to the high pitched of his voice and the stunned expression on his face.

"That's not what I'm here to discuss, though." He changed the subject.

Flash sighted his weight from one foot to the other and collected himself. "What is?"

"I couldn't help but notice that Killer Frost is roaming the streets again." David cut to the point. "Only this time it appears that she's working with you. I want to know what is going on."

Barry sighed. Of course! How could he have forgotten? Killer Frost had done her share in terrorizing Central City when she had aligned herself with Savitar. And with everything happening so fast, Barry didn't even think that there would be demanded questions and raised eyebrows about her sudden appearance again. Not to say that she was on their side now.

"Captain," Barry hesitated. "It's complicated to explain. But we have it under control. Frost won't be a problem."

"From what I remember," from the tone of his voice, Barry could tell that David wasn't just going to let it go. "She is a criminal."

Barry closed his eyes briefly and sighed again. "I'm very aware of what she has done in the past, Captain."

"So tell me why you haven't thought to bring her in?"

"Like I said, it's complicated. Frost appeared out of not the best circumstances and she was manipulated by a very evil villain. She was confused and didn't know how to trust." He explained. "I know that doesn't make up for the things that she did, but we have convinced her to join our side and do good instead. We have her under control, she won't hurt anyone ever again."

"That may be –and I'm very glad to hear that you have turned her, Flash. But that still doesn't mean that she doesn't have to be held accountable for her actions." David insisted.

Barry bit his lip. That wasn't going well. But then he got an idea. "So let her do her time with us." He suggested.

The Captain frowned. "You?"

"Yeah," Barry shrugged. "The League. It'll be like community service, but instead, she'll be working with us. She's very valuable to us with what she can do. And right now Captain...now we need all the powerful people that can help. I can't get into detail with what we're dealing with, but take me on my word that we do need Frost. Trust me, Captain. Have I ever done anything to make you doubt me or my intentions?"

Damn kid was good! That's what Singh thought as Barry laid out the final card. He couldn't argue there. The Flash had always put the safety of Central City above all. It was hard to disagree on that. And Barry Allen was the Flash, and Flash was Barry Allen. The Captain could not see any reason for either to want to protect a villain from going to prison. So, there was only one thing that remained. He was telling the truth. As short and lacking as it was, it still was true. That meant that Killer –that Frost – had changed alliances and that the League really needed her for something. And David wasn't sure he wanted to know what they had gotten into. Finally, Captain Singh sighed and looked the hero in the eyes.

"Fine! But keep a close watch on her and I want to be informed of her progress."

The Flash didn't hesitate. "Deal!"

#

Savitar's lair was more crowded than he liked when he got back. The Reverse Flash, Inertia, Godspeed –as was the new name of August heart- and Cicada were waiting patiently for his arrival.

"Do you have the stone, my Lord?" Cicada asked respectfully dropping into a bow.

The former God of Speed rolled his eyes behind his new suit. It wasn't as big as the one he had before. That one was destroyed by the Flash. Now he had created another, more practical one. He had still gotten rid of the red, though. In its place, a vibrant blue blinded the rest of the speedsters.

"Here's the Philosopher's stone." He gave the stone full of Speedforce energy to his follower.

"I'm confused." Thawne said loudly. "How is this rock going to bring someone back from the dead?" he demanded arrogantly.

"And why do we need all those hostages?" Godspeed added.

"These aren't just hostages. They are people who have been saved by the Flash." Cicada explained. "In order to bring back to life someone who sacrificed himself to save the Flash's life, we have to sacrifice those the Flash has saved."

"All of them?" Inertia raised an amused eyebrow.

"As many as it takes." Cicada replied. "Though, I should warn you. There are complications. When someone is back from the dead, they're not in their right set of mind."

Inertia's laughter echoed in the dark lair. "We have that covered, old man. It's not like we were planning on keeping his memories as they were anyway."

Cicada looked at the younger speedster unimpressed. Then he turned to look at Savitar. The God of Speed nodded.

"Let's begin then."

Next: I'd give you a hint but it'll be too spoilery, Sorry!