Well, this chapter was rather difficult to write but I do hope you guys enjoy it. Thank you to Bl4ckHunter and Aragorn II Elessar for their help with this chapter.
Ellie Bishop: A'Lars, when you actually stop to think about it, is Harry when we first met him. Because A'Lars is a mirror image of himself, Harry knew exactly how to reach him. Thawne yes, Thanos no. Remember, Thor chopped his head off, no coming back from that. Yep, that's a win.
Green Hal37: Yeah, it was pretty obvious. Yeah, I can hear the Magneto and Gandalf jokes now. Well, you'll see.
Guest: Glad you enjoyed it. Yep, the real fight is just beginning. Yeah, without the Mirakuru, Slade would lose although it would be very close IMO. Yep, Slade, being the honorable guy he is, would never betray someone without just cause if the Mirakuru wasn't driving him insane.
Cisco had the sensation that he was in a tornado, there was something fast running all around him. Then he saw something strange. Something was coming towards him, something that looked like a Dementor from Harry Potter. Cisco really didn't get a look at what it was before he felt like he was falling. He landed on his back and heard someone else land a few feet from him. Hearing a familiar groan, Cisco lifted his head up to see Caitlin.
"Caitlin?" Cisco called out and she lifted her head to see him.
"Cisco? What happened?" she asked confused.
"I don't know. Rhodey and I were stalling Kryptonian guards so Oliver could get the Power Stone. Then I guess Barry grabbed us, then…I'm here," Cisco trailed off. "What are you wearing?"
Caitlin looked down, taken back in surprise. She was wearing a black tank top, a dark grey skirt, and black high heels. And as she looked up, she saw Cisco was wearing a black t-shirt with a Galaga design, tan pants, and black tennis shoes.
"We're wearing the clothes we were when Barry woke up from his coma," Caitlin realized.
"Do you hear that?" Cisco asked suddenly.
At first, Caitlin didn't know what he was talking about. But, as she listened, she heard it to: voices, slightly distorted. And they were familiar as well.
"You were struck by lightning dude!"
"Lightning…gave me abs?"
"Your muscles should be atrophied but instead they're in a chronic and unexplained state of cellar regeneration."
"That's us," Caitlin realized.
"The day we met Barry," Cisco added softly.
"And it's been a wild ride since then."
Startled, the pair whirled around. Barry was standing a few feet behind them, dressed in a Star Labs sweat shirt and blue jeans. The exact clothes he was wearing when he first woke up from his coma.
"Barry? What's happened?" Caitlin asked confused.
"Time Wraiths. They attacked as I was attempting to get us all home. In order to ensure our survival, I had to separate us all by placing all of us in a different memory from my past," Barry explained.
"That's why we're here. This is Star Labs, on the day we met," Cisco realized as he looked around the room.
"There is nothing more powerful than our memories. They define us, who we are, what we were, our relationships with the people in our lives," Barry said and they looked back at him. "I'm using mine to ensure that you two, Oliver, Harry and the others don't fall out of the Speed Force."
"What would happen if we did?" Caitlin asked, not sure she wanted to know.
"You'd become lost in time, it would become impossible for me to find you, on any planet, in any time period," Barry said, to their horror. "You guys need to find the others."
"The Speed Force is an endless river, how are we supposed to find them?" Caitlin asked.
"I can guide you, get you to Jay first, but then it's up to you guys, because you'll need to find me to," Barry said as they noticed his body ripple, like he was about to fade away. "I'm out there to; this is the Speed Force allowing me to communicate with you two."
"So why didn't you go to Jay first?" Cisco asked confused.
"Because this only works with a strong emotional connection, which Jay and I don't have," Barry said as his body solidified. "We've wasted enough time. We need to go."
Before Cisco or Caitlin could say anything, Barry grabbed them and sped off.
In another part of the Speed Force, Natasha pulled herself to her feet, looking around in bewilderment. She was somewhere she didn't recognize, trying to figure what had happened when she heard voices. Turning her head, she saw a room a few feet from her. Cautiously, she approached the room, looking inside.
Barry was inside the room, arguing with a blonde woman.
"I understand; I understand why you didn't want to tell me. I understand why you've been distant. I understand everything. Just…tell me the truth now. Admit that you're the Flash and I'll stay," the blonde woman was pleading.
"I can't do that. I'm not him," Barry said.
An expert on body language, Natasha could immediately see the wind go out of the blonde's sails. Clearly, she had been hoping for a different answer.
"That's too bad; it would have been nice to stay. Work with you during the day, fight crime with you at night but I was wrong. Take care Barry," the blond said, her voice cracking as she turned away.
However, she paused as she saw Natasha, staring at her shock. Barry followed her gaze, his own eyes widening as she saw Natasha.
"Oh my God," Barry breathed.
"Well, this is awkward," Natasha said dryly, trying to figure out what was happening.
In another part of the Speed Force, Oliver and Barry stood face to face, having a different kind of emotional discussion.
"Barry, you live in Central City, where it's sunny all the time. You're not in Central City!" Oliver snapped angrily. "I live in a city where my best friend was murdered! Where a woman I loved was shot full of arrows and sent tumbling off a rooftop! Where my mother was murdered right in front of me, so before you-"
"My mother was murdered in front of me to," Barry cut off Oliver coolly. "But I don't use my personal tragedies as an excuse to torture everyone who pisses me off."
"Well I'm sorry Barry, I'm not as emotionally healthy as you," Oliver said bitingly.
"I think that's an understatement kid."
Startled, the two whirled as Slade walked in, appearing torn between amusement and exasperation.
"Deathstroke? This would be so cool under different circumstances," Barry said as Oliver notched an arrow, aiming straight for Slade's chest.
"How did you get off Lian Yu?" Oliver demanded and Slade gave a wry grin.
"Well kid, that's a very long story," Slade said.
In another part of the Speed Force, Steve and Tony were lying on the floor. With a groan, Steve lifted his head, his eyes blinking. Seeing Tony, Steve got to his feet and made his way over to his friend.
"Tony, Tony get up," Steve shook Tony awake.
"Wha-what happened? Cap?" Tony tried to make sense of his surroundings.
"I don't know. Something must have gone wrong on the trip home," Steve said as he helped Tony to his feet.
"So what, we're stuck here now? Wherever 'here' is," Tony said as he looked around.
"I don't know," Steve admitted.
"What's that?" Tony asked as he and Steve heard a voice.
The pair exchanged a glance but nodded, following the voice. Walking into a room, they paused, taking in the scene.
Barry was in a bed, looking like he'd been in a fight, given the cut on his cheek. A black man was sitting in the chair on his bedside, looking concerned.
"For the last six months, I've given you your space, hoping you'll work things out and come back to us. But today proved that you would rather just get yourself killed," the man said and Barry laughed humorlessly.
"Better than getting my friends killed," Barry said darkly.
"You want me to tell you that it wasn't your fault? I can't, it was. But guess what? You weren't the only one making decisions that day. Eddie and Ronnie chose to help you stop Wells, just like they to help you stop that…" the man trailed of, searching for the word.
"Singularity," Barry said lowly.
"Singularity thing. It's on all of us Barry. So stop with this hogging all the blame and regret. We all live with that. Move on," the man told Barry.
Barry looked away from the man and that's when he spotted Steve and Tony. His eyes widened as his jaw dropped. Seeing Barry's reaction, the man looked over at Steve and Tony.
"My God," he said as he stared at them.
"Hi. You're probably wondering what we're doing here," Tony said awkwardly. "Well, so are we."
Elsewhere in the Speed Force, Bruce pulled himself to his feet, slightly dazed. He was using some kind of van for support as he looked around. He was in some kind of hanger, he realized. Hearing voices, he walked out from behind the van, looking at what was going on.
Barry stood facing Oliver, Cisco and several people Bruce didn't recognize. They all seemed upset, Bruce noticed.
"I turn myself over to the Dominators and they leave the rest of the world alone. It's simple," Barry said.
"No Barry, it's not simple," a blonde with glasses argued.
"Barry, it doesn't matter what you've done. You can't do this," a black man next to her argued.
"It's been an honor to know all of you and fight alongside you. Now it's up to you to keep our home safe," Barry said, turning around and beginning to walk away.
"Barry, I can't let you do this," Oliver called out.
"No offense Oliver, but you and what army?" Barry asked as he turned around.
Only to stop as he saw everyone assembled, clearly intent on using force to stop him if necessary.
"This one," a blond dressed in something that resembled a cheerleader uniform said.
"Listen Red, I don't like you," a gruff, burly man said. "But when you got a crew, you gotta learn to take a hint from the rest."
Barry laughed but that's when he spotted Bruce. He paused, taking a look.
"Um, is anyone else seeing Bruce Banner over there?" Barry asked as he pointed to Bruce, who squirmed as everyone else turned to him.
"Hi, nice to meet you all," Bruce said with a wave.
Elsewhere, Thor found himself in a strange place. It reminded him of a less impressive version of the Compound. Thor was trying to make sense of it all when he heard some voices. Narrowing his eyes, Thor carefully followed them. Peaking his head around the corner, he found Barry sitting in a chair as someone who appeared to be Jay stood a few feet away. They seemed to be in an intense discussion, Thor noted.
"I can't stop him Dad. I know it, he knows it, and now the whole city knows it. They don't believe in me anymore Dad," Barry said lowly.
"At my trial for your mother's death, a lot of our friends and family were in the courtroom. They heard…awful things about what I had done to your mother. It didn't matter that it wasn't true, I could see it in their eyes, the moment that I had lost them," 'Jay' said as Barry paid attention. "Everyone had stopped believing in me. Well, that was my reality, you know? From that moment forward, every time I looked someone in the eye, they were going to believe that I had murdered the woman I loved…in front of our son. So yeah, I do know what it is like being destroyed."
"How did you get passed that?" Barry asked softly.
"By embracing it. Accepting it was the only way I could move forward. But I knew if I could survive that, I could survive anything," 'Jay' said as he turned and walked behind Barry, placing his hands on Barry's shoulders. "You know what lit that belief in me Barry? You. Eleven year old you, running around, believing in me, it gave me hope."
With a dry chuckle, Barry got to his feet and turned to face 'Jay' as his father placed his hands on his shoulder.
"And now I'm going to give you that hope back. No more monsters can take that away from us," 'Jay' said emotionally before they hugged.
From the corner, Thor watched this, musing on 'Jay's' words. It was clear that he was missing something, as Barry and Jay did not act like father and son. But, whatever the case, he could relate to the words. After his failure to stop Thanos, he had stopped believing in himself as well. But, perhaps it was time to finally start again.
In another part of the Speed Force, Clint was walking around what seemed to be a park, except no people were there. He was trying to figure where he was when he saw a couple near a lake, a chessboard between. One of the people at the board was Barry and the other was-
"Wanda?" Clint gasped as he started.
Barry and Wanda didn't appear to notice him, in an animated conversation. As Clint approached, he could hear some of their conversation.
"I'm not sure what the point of this exercise is. Aren't we supposed to be learning how to harness our powers so we can be prepared for when you leave the Speed Force?" Wanda complained.
"Being prepared is about more than just knowing how to use our powers," Barry said as he moved a rook. "We have to be prepared mentally as well. Know our strengths and weaknesses as well as we know our powers. It's the only way this is going to work."
"And what if we don't know our weakness?" Wanda asked and Clint could see the uncertainty in her eyes.
"Everyone has a weakness, the trick is knowing what it is," Barry said after a moment. "Mine is easy. Love is my weakness."
"How can love be a weakness?" Wanda asked in confusion.
"It can blind you; it can cause you to do things without thinking through the consequences. Just look at Flashpoint, everything that happened because of my love for my parents. Love isn't inherently a weakness, but if you don't control it and let it control you, it can destroy you," Barry said and it was silent for a moment.
"So what's mine then?" Wanda asked and Barry leaned back in his spot.
"Well, that's a little trickier. But, if I had to hazard a guess, I'd say survivor's guilt," Barry said and Wanda looked surprised. "You blame yourself, for your parents, your brother, Ultron, Lagos. Vision used that against you to make you stay at the Compound. You need to learn to forgive yourself."
"You say that like it's easy," Wanda said bitterly and Barry smiled sadly.
"Trust me, I know it's not," Barry said, getting up and walking over next to her, sitting down as he took her hand. "But I will be there every step of the way."
Barry leaned in and, to Clint's surprise, kissed Wanda. Wanda eagerly returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around Barry's neck as she ran her hands through his hair. Clint wasn't sure how long he stood there, frozen like a statue, but, at some point, Barry spotted him and pulled back.
"We have company," Barry told Wanda breathlessly.
Clint's brain finally started working again as Wanda turned towards him, her eyes widening in shock.
"Clint?" Wanda breathed as Clint tried to figure out what exactly was happening.
Elsewhere, Roy picked himself up, looking around. He was on a rooftop, he noted in confusion. As he looked at the other buildings, he realized with a start that he was in Star City. He was home. Roy was trying to figure out what was going on when he heard a familiar voice. Roy walked out from behind the corner and saw Barry, in regular clothes, talking to Oliver, in his old suit.
"If you do this, you're gonna make mistakes," Oliver was telling Barry. "I've made mistakes. But the good you do will far outweigh the bad."
"What if Wells is right? What if I'm not a hero? What if I'm just some guy who was struck by lightning?" Barry worried.
"I don't think that bolt of lightning struck you Barry. I think it chose you," Oliver told him.
"I'm just not sure I'm like you Oliver. I don't think I can be some…vigilante," Barry said after a moment.
"You can be better," Oliver said with certainty. "Because you can inspire people in a way that I never could. Watching over your city like a guardian angel. Making a difference, saving people...in a flash."
Oliver then turned away, putting on his mask before turning back to Barry.
"Take your own advice. Wear a mask," Oliver said with a grin before turning and jumping off the roof.
"Cool," Barry grinned before turning and speeding off.
Roy walked over to where the two had been standing moments earlier, looking thoughtful. What Oliver had said, it sounded…a lot like what Oliver had said to him once. Roy had thought Oliver had just been trying to make him feel better or try to reason with him. Maybe…maybe he had been wrong and Oliver right. Maybe he wasn't beyond redemption after all.
Elsewhere, Oliver pulled himself to his feet, wondering where on earth he was. He was in a house; it was a nice one to. Oliver couldn't say he recognized it though. Hearing a woman's voice, Oliver slowly walked around the corner, stopping short as he saw the scene in front of him.
Barry, in his Flash suit, was holding a red haired woman. She had a stab wound in her chest.
"Who are you?" she asked lowly.
"I'm the Flash," Barry said after a moment, his voice sounding choked.
"I don't understand," the woman said weakly.
After a moment of indecision, Barry removed his cowl, to Oliver's shock. Normally, Oliver would have scolded Barry but there was something off here, something he didn't understand, of that he was sure.
"You look just like my father," the woman said.
"This won't make any sense…but it's me Mom. It's Barry," Barry said emotionally.
As Nora put her hands around his face, Oliver realized what was happening. This was the first time Barry had tried to save his mother, when he had ultimately decided not to go through with it.
"I had a second chance to come back here, to tell you I'm okay. Dad and I are both okay," Barry said, his voice becoming thicker as he spoke. "And we love you...I love you."
"Honey, listen," Nora said weakly and Barry looked her. "Goodbye…goodbye."
Nora let go of Barry and she spoke no more. Barry cried into her as he held her, Oliver watching solemnly.
Jay was walking down a hallway, trying to figure out where he was. He looked to be in some kind of prison, but he wasn't sure where. He walked into what looked like a visitor section and stopped, staring.
Barry was sitting in front of the glass, talking to a man in a prison jumpsuit who looked exactly like Jay. But it wasn't Jay. It was his father, Henry Allen, Jay realized.
"I can make it so that that night will have never happened. We can be a family again," Barry was saying.
"We are a family," Henry said firmly.
"Not like this. Not without Mom," Barry argued.
"Barry, there is a natural order to things, oaky? There is a reason things happen the way they do. We may not always know why at the time they do, but there must always be a reason. I believe that, I've had to believe it," Henry said passionately.
"I can save Mom," Barry said desperately.
"At what cost? You said time changes, what if it changes you?" Henry demanded.
"I don't care," Barry said.
"I do. I am in awe of the remarkable man you are becoming. Everything you have achieved and not just as The Flash, but as you Barry. Your honesty, your heart. And so would your mom. And if she had a say In this, if she thought for one second that you going back to save her would mean you losing what makes you special, she would never want that!" Henry said with passion.
It seemed at this point that Henry spotted Jay. Looking passed Barry, Henry looked completely shocked. Seeing his father's reaction, Barry whirled around. With an expression matching his father's, Barry looked back and forth between the two.
"Hannibal Bates? You died," Barry said shocked.
"I'm not him Barry," Jay said, knowing how this must look. "It's a long story, but I'm a friend."
As Barry tried to decide whether or not he believed Jay, Jay looked passed him and into Henry's shocked eyes.
"You must be Henry Allen. It's…an honor to meet you," Jay said kindly. "This won't make much sense at the moment, but I've always admired your tenacity to endure what you have endured. You're a good man Dr. Allen."
Feeling a gust of wind behind him, Jay whirled around as Barry, Cisco and Caitlin appeared.
"Jay!" Cisco said in relief before he saw the scene behind Jay. "Oh. Well, this is awkward."
"They're not really here," Barry said before turning to Jay. "You're in the Speed Force. Everyone is in a memory of mine. You need to find them and more importantly, me. I can get us all out of here then."
"Where will you be?" Jay asked as memory Barry and Henry watched, completely confused.
"I'm not sure, the memories were chosen at random. Find me and as many of our friends as you can in between," Barry said before he faded in a mist.
"We're really sorry about this," Caitlin apologized to memory Barry and Henry before Jay grabbed her and Cisco and sped off.
Back with Slade, Oliver had still not lowered his bow as he and Barry stared at Slade incredulously.
"The Speed Force," Barry said in a tone that matched his expression.
"You're the one who brought us all together," Slade pointed out.
"Right, to get these magic gems separated on different planets in different time periods by someone named Thanos. Which doesn't even sound like a real name," Oliver said, looking like he wanted to put an arrow in Slade's chest.
"You don't trust me and you shouldn't," Slade said, surprising Oliver. "I killed your mother. For that alone, you should have killed me. That I am standing here at all is more mercy than you should have given me. You always were a better man than I was kid. But none of that matters.
"I told you once we were brothers. But I failed you, I turned on you, did things that there is no forgiveness, no redemption for. I'm sorry for that. But it seems like you've found a new brother, a better one than I ever was," Slade said as he looked over at Barry. "You two don't see eye to eye, you probably don't even like each other right now. But that will change in time. You'll come to trust each other, depend on each other. The bond between you is stronger than iron. It will be the stuff of legends."
With Natasha, she stared as Patty and Barry looked at her in shock.
"From what I understand, this is a pattern with you," Natasha said as she looked over at Barry. "You never let anyone get too close, so you push them away, saying you're protecting them. But, eventually, you let people in and you protect them with your life."
"I'm sorry, but what you talking about? How do you know so much about me?" Barry asked confused.
"You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you," Natasha said with a smile. "But…I think I can learn something from you."
With Bruce, he squirmed as he everyone stared at him. Which was fair, the Hulk was a superhero after all.
"What's Big Green doing here?" the gruff man asked.
"And not so green?" a blonde woman in a white suit asked.
"That's…a long story," Bruce said with a glance over at Barry. "And you wouldn't believe me if I told you. So…about to give yourself up? Know what that's like."
"I was going to…but they talked me out of it," Barry said, to the obvious relief of his friends.
"It's good to have friends," Bruce said wistfully. "I spent years pushing all mine away, convinced I needed to protect them from me. Turns out the only one causing the danger was me."
"I'm sorry, but what does that have to do with anything?" Barry asked as Bruce seemed to come back to himself.
"Just that you and I are not dissimilar. We both act like we're alone, even when we're not. But you learned that value of teamwork far more easily than I did. I guess I could learn something from you," Bruce said with a slight smile.
With Steve and Tony, there was an awkward silence as Barry and Joe stared at them.
"What are iron Man and Captain America doing here?" Joe said once he finally found his voice.
"It would take at least an hour to explain it all," Tony said as he looked over at Barry. "You shouldn't blame yourself for things you can't control."
"Easy for you to say," Barry scoffed.
"No, it's really not," Tony said grimly.
Steve glanced at Tony for a moment before looking back at Barry. He knew this wouldn't matter but-
"We try to save as many as we can. Sometimes that's not enough; sometimes people still die, no matter what we do. But if we can't accept that we're not gods, if we can't accept that we can' save everyone…maybe next time, no one gets saved," Steve said as Barry looked at him.
"Repeatedly punishing yourself for the lives you can't save doesn't help. Trust me," Tony told him.
With Oliver, he stared silently as Barry sobbed over his mother's body before he seemed to gain control over himself. Barry wiped his eyes, pulling himself into a sitting position. That was when he finally spotted Oliver.
"Oliver? What are you doing here?" Barry asked, his voice slightly high pitched from crying. "And what are you wearing?"
"That is a very long story," Oliver said as he glanced down at the Kryptonian robes he had stolen. "One I'm not sure we have time for."
"How'd you get here?" Barry asked as he wiped his eyes.
"Again, a long story," Oliver said as he walked over, looking down at Nora. "Your mother?"
"I wanted to save her…but I realized I couldn't. My dad was right, I don't have the right to mess with the timeline that way," Barry said with a shaky breath. "I just…"
"I know," Oliver said as he placed a hand on Barry's shoulder. "I was a lot older than you when my mom died and I still miss her every day. I'm sorry Barry."
In another part of the Speed Force, Joe, Caitlin ad Cisco watched as Barry opened a cell in the Pipeline. Harry stepped out, a grim look on his face.
"Well…I guess this is goodbye," Harry said after a moment.
"No," Barry said, taking Harry back. "I told you, we're a team and you're part of it now. We're gonna help you save Jesse. We're going to Earth-2."
Harry had barely begun to process that when a gust of wind blew through. Everyone was startled as Jay, Caitlin and Cisco appeared.
"What the-more Doppelgangers!" Joe exclaimed as memory Caitlin and Cisco looked shocked.
"Not exactly," Caitlin said awkwardly.
"Dad?" Barry said confused as he saw Jay.
"No," Jay said as he looked over at Harry. "Wells, we need to leave."
"Leave?" Harry said in confusion.
"Harry," Caitlin said and he looked over at her. "Open your hand."
Harry looked down at his hand, which was clenched around something. He opened it to reveal the Time Stone, glowing brightly. As he stared at it, it all came flooding back to him.
"What happened?" Harry asked as he looked back at them.
"We'll explain on the way, time is of the essence," Jay said before, in a blur, he, Harry, Caitlin and Cisco vanished.
Elsewhere in the Speed Force, Scott and Rhodey were walking the street at night, looking around as they tried to figure out how they got there. Coming up on a police barricade, Scott walked over out of curiosity as Rhodey tried to figure out what was happening. Looking on the scene, Scott watched in awe as Barry sped away while two men fired at him, fire and a blue beam pursuing Barry.
"That is so cool," Scott breathed.
Back with Clint, Barry and Wanda were staring at him as he tried to process this.
"How…are you here?" Wanda asked confused. "Not that I'm not happy to see you. You're obviously not the Speed Force; she appears as Barry's mom."
"No, I'm not the Speed Force," Clint quickly assured her.
"He's not really here…or we're not. The plan, it must have worked. Right?" Barry asked as the realization hit him.
"Not sure yet. We're still on the mission to get the stones," Clint said as he looked at Wanda. "You okay kid?"
"I'm fine," Wanda said, not sure what else to say.
And Clint could see that she was. A knot loosened in his stomach. When he had heard that she was in the Speed Force, he had worried that she was miserable, being trapped here. And although Clint could see it hadn't been easy, it was clear to him that Wanda had been far from unhappy.
"Good, that's good. I'll see you soon. Real soon," Clint promised.
In another part of the Speed Force, Jay, Caitlin, Cisco and Harry appeared in a flash of movement.
"Where are we?" Harry asked.
"In the Speed Force. Time Wraiths attacked, so Barry placed us all in a memory to protect us. He placed himself in one to," Caitlin explained.
"He's gotta be here somewhere," Cisco said in frustration as he looked around. "Where are we anyway?"
"I think we're by the waterfront," Caitlin said after a moment as storm clouds loomed ominously.
"I think we might have a problem," Jay said as he pointed towards the water.
Caitlin, Cisco and Harry followed his gaze and watched as a large title wave began making its way towards the city.
"Okay, this never happened before!" Cisco exclaimed in alarm.
"Yes it has," Caitlin realized. "Remember, a large tsunami coming towards the city? We just don't remember it."
"Because that timeline was wiped out. This the first time Barry ever time traveled," Cisco realized.
As Cisco spoke, a red blur began running back and forth in front of the tsunami.
Barry.
"Jay-" Caitlin started but he was already on it.
Jay sped towards the Tsunami, running back and forth alongside Barry. Although surprised by this, Barry carried on, focusing on what he was doing. With two speedsters, the Tsunami lost power, becoming a harmless rain shower. As he stopped, Barry stared at Jay in shock.
"Dad?"
"No," Jay said, getting tired of correcting people. "It's me, Jay. We're not here right now, none of this is real. We're-"
"In the Speed Force. Yeah, I remember," Barry said as it came back to him. "Who all did you find?"
"Just Wells, unfortunately," Jay said regretfully and Barry nodded.
"That's alright. I think I can find the others," Barry said.
Barry sped off, grabbing Jay before speeding over to Caitlin, Cisco and Harry, all of them vanishing in a red blur.
In another part of the Speed Force, Nyssa wondered into what looked like the Pipeline, stopping and staring at the scene before her in shock.
Barry was standing in front of Caitlin, her eyes glowing blue as she held an ice dagger at his heart.
"Come on, live up to your name Killer Frost, I want o see some killing," Barry was saying. "You wanna be the villain? This is what they do; they kill their friends because nothing matters to them anymore, right?"
Barry suddenly lunged forward, bringing the dagger mere centimeters from his chest, to Nyssa's surprise. Perhaps he was insane, she wondered.
"Come on, kill me Caitlin," Barry egged her on but she didn't move. "You can't do it. Because underneath all that cold, you're still you."
After a moment, Caitlin's eyes returned to normal and she dropped the ice dagger.
"Barry," she said tearfully as he grabbed her in a hug.
"It's okay. I got you," Barry said soothingly as he comforted her.
Nyssa watched this for a moment, not sure what to think before she was grabbed by a red blur.
All across the Speed Force, Oliver, Slade, Roy, Steve, Tony, Thor, Natasha, Clint, Bruce, Scott, and Rhodey were grabbed by the red blur and dragged out of the Speed Force.
Avengers Compound
In a gust of wind, The Avengers and their new allies appeared in the training room, seconds after they had left. As he stopped running, Barry was flown back and hit the floor several feet away, groaning in pain.
"Barry!" Oliver exclaimed as he, Caitlin, Cisco, Jay and Harry rushed to Barry's side.
"Do you still have the stones?" Barry asked gruffly.
"Are you okay?" Scott asked as the others made their way over.
"I'll be fine, just tell me you still have the stones. That is the only thing that matters," Barry said gruffly.
"We've got them Barry," Oliver said, holding up the sphere containing the Power Stone as Harry, Jay, Steve, Scott and Nyssa each held up the stone they .had retrieved.
"Good…that's good," Barry muttered before passing out.
The Phantom Zone
Same time
Zod was in his throne room, seething when a voice spoke up.
"You failed."
Zod looked up, unsurprised to see the ghostly form of Thawne in his throne room. He had expected this.
"I underestimated Slade Wilson, he fooled me," Zod said in a growl.
"You were a fool. Despite his checkered past, Slade Wilson is a man of honor. He would not betray Steve Rogers unless provoked," Thawne said as he circled him. "This forces me to take drastic measures."
"What are you talking about?" Zod demanded as Thawne stopped in front of him.
"You and your army are trapped here. But what if this was not the case?" Thawne asked and Zod got to his feet.
"Do not toy with me," Zod growled.
"I'm not. There is a way for you to get out of here. And I will tell you what it is if you promise me one thing," Thawne said.
"Anything," Zod vowed.
"Make Barry Allen suffer," Thawne said.
"With pleasure," Zod agreed with a sadistic smile.
This chapter was inspired by part four of Crisis on Infinite Earths where *spoils ahead* Oliver as Spectre spread Barry, J'onn and Kate throughout the Speed Force when the Anti-Monitor attacked. *End spoilers*
Outside the Barry/Wanda scene, the memories were taken from Flash 1x01, 1x10, 1x15, 1x23, 2x01, 2x07, 2x11, 2x12, 3x07, Arrow 3x08, and Legends 2x07. Once again, thank you to Bl4ckHunter and Aragorn II Elessar with their help with this chapter.
For the Barry/Wanda scene, I wanted to show part of their time in the Speed Force during this chapter and I couldn't imagine a better person to see that than Clint.
Yes, Zod will be the final villain of this story. In addition to having another Thanos/Thawne teamup feeling too much like ripping off my story Crisis on two earths, I couldn't find a way to make the final villain Thanos without it being convoluted.