Hey, everybody. Back with another chapter.
First of all, I want to take the time to wish everyone a Happy Memorial Day, and express my gratitude for all our fallen servicemen.
So, to finally confirm this: this story will not be terribly long. Definitely not more than 15 chapters. Realistically, it'll probably be between 10 and 12 chapters.
Let's get to it.
Chapter 7- Gather the Team
Barry smiles as he speeds through the front door of his house, a bag of Mexican takeout held in one hand. Patty had developed a sudden craving for Mexican food and sent Barry out for takeout.
Patty smiles from her spot on the couch as Barry enters the living room. "I am so lucky I married the fastest man alive," she says.
"Yeah, because you don't have to wait for your craving to be satisfied," Barry says a bit sarcastically with a smile.
"Exactly," Patty says with a bit of smugness in her voice, making Barry roll his eyes.
"Alright, enough, I'm hungry. Hand it over," Patty says. Barry smiles as he pulls out the burrito Patty wanted and hands it over, along with her bag of chips and guac.
Barry sits down beside her to pull out his own food. However, right as he's about to pull out his burrito, there's suddenly a whoosh, a flash of lightning, and Wally is suddenly standing in front of them.
Barry and Patty both jump, and Barry is about to attack before he realizes it's Wally. He then feels a bit annoyed and snaps, "Wally, next time, let us know you're coming! You never know what might be happening or who we might have over."
"We can have this discussion later, Barry. For now, I'm here to warn you. Thawne's back," Wally says urgently.
Barry is on his feet in a second, fear surging through him and a worried look on his face. "What?" he almost yells.
"I'm dead serious. I just stopped a robbery at a Mercury Labs site, and when I tried to head back to STAR Labs, Thawne appeared in front of me. He said he'd harnessed the Negative Speed Force to avoid death. He let me live so that I could give you his message. He said he's going to make you suffer more than you've ever suffered before," Wally says.
Barry stands there in shock for several moments before he asks, "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely positive," Wally says, a tone and look on his face that makes it absolutely clear he is not lying.
Barry stands there, feeling very afraid. He then looks at Patty, who is looking at him with extreme worry. Seeing the look on her face makes his fear intensify greatly. Barry feels certain that one of Thawne's goals will be to kill Patty, possibly after the twins have been born so he can kill the twins too.
Barry quickly makes his decision. "Patty, we need to leave. Tell me everything that you need to bring with you, and we're leaving in one minute," he says.
Patty well knows the stories of Thawne that Barry has told her time and time again. Therefore, she doesn't hesitate to give Barry a quick list of everything she's going to need. Barry speeds off upstairs, and comes back about two seconds later with a few bags packed with the stuff Patty told him to get.
"Alright. Let's go," Barry says. Wally nods and pulls out an extrapolator, opening a breach a second later. The three quickly step through.
As they step through the other side of the breach, they find themselves in the cortex. Caitlin, Cisco, Ralph, and Joe are all standing in the cortex, waiting for Wally and his two companions to come through it.
"Barry. Good to finally have you back here," Cisco says.
"It's good to be back," Barry admits.
"Wow. Patty, you've gotten huge," Ralph says.
Everyone shoots Ralph a warning look as Patty turns to look at Ralph, a fierce glare on her face.
"Ralph. Get out of here. Quickly," Caitlin says.
"What?" Ralph asks in confusion.
"Follow me, and I'll explain why you just committed a terrible mistake," Joe says, taking Ralph by the arm and forcing him out of the cortex.
There is silence for a moment before Barry says, "Thank goodness Ralph's not married. He clearly doesn't know how to handle women." This breaks the tension and brings a few laughs.
"Well. We've got you two here. What do we do now?" Caitlin asks.
"I've already got an idea. First off, Caitlin, I need you and Wally to take Patty and take her to Earth-2," Barry says. Since the end of the Crisis, they had been able to confirm the multiverse had been reborn, and that Earth-2 was among the worlds reborn, and was nearly identical. Not only that, but Harry had his mind back.
"What? Barry!" Patty starts to protest.
"Patty, I'm sorry. I don't want to let you out of my sight, but if I'm going to be fighting Thawne, I don't want you around me. Thawne is going to try and kill you and the twins in order to make me suffer. I can't take the risk of you being in danger by being close to me. If I have to send you away to protect you, then I will. Plus, you won't be unprotected. You'll have Frost and Wally, as well as Jesse and any of Jesse's super friends. Plus, Caitlin will be with you in case something happens with the twins," Barry says firmly. He pauses for a second, then takes Patty's head in his hands, looks deep into her eyes, and says, "Please, Patty. Do this for me and our babies."
Patty is quiet for a few moment, then sighs. "Okay. I'll go," she says in a low voice.
Barry looks at her for a second, then gives her a kiss. She returns it with more passion than she has in a long time. The two hold their embrace for a long time before finally pulling apart. They remain close to each other for several seconds before Barry says, "You two had better get going."
Patty just nods, and finally steps away from Barry. Caitlin walks over and she and Wally gather the bags Barry had brought. She looks at her friend and says, "I'll protect her as best I can."
"I know you will. And if anything happens, or if she goes into labor, call me," Barry says.
"I will," Caitlin says.
Cisco then opens a breach for the two. Patty looks at Barry once more before stepping through the breach with Caitlin. The breach then closes behind them.
Barry and Cisco stand there for several moment before turning to each other. "What are you gonna do? There's just you, me, and Ralph," he says.
"Well, I need you here, running comms and running the systems. I need you working on the technical side," Barry says.
"Okay, but that just leaves you and Ralph. How are you going to beat Thawne?" Cisco asks.
A firm look comes over Barry's face. "Don't worry. I know exactly who I need," he says.
(DEO)
"Why are we here?" Kara asks as she and J'onn walk into the main command room in the DEO.
"There's someone who wants to talk to you both," Alex says. She then reaches down to a console and presses a button.
A second later, Barry comes up on the computer screen ahead of them.
"Barry. Hi. Why are you calling?" Kara asks happily.
"Because I need your help. My old enemy, Eobard Thawne, is back. And he's threatening to kill Patty and our children, among other things. I'm gathering the team," Barry says.
Both Kara and J'onn grow serious, and it only takes a second before Kara says, "Count me in."
(Kent farm)
"Clark, the phone is for you, honey!"
Clark smiles a bit as he sets down the tools he was working with and speed flies into the house, where Lois is waiting with the phone. "Thanks, honey," Clark says as he takes the phone.
"Hello, Kent family, Clark speaking," Clark says.
"Clark, it's Barry," Barry says over the phone.
"Hey, Barry. How's it going? How's Patty?" Clark asks.
"She's okay. For now," he says.
Clark gets a concerned expression on his face. "What do you mean, 'for now'?" he asks.
"I have a new problem. My greatest enemy, a sadistic speedster named Eobard Thawne who wants nothing more than to make me suffer, just appeared. I sent Patty to Earth-1 with Caitlin and Wally. I need as much help as I can," Barry says.
Clark is quiet for only a second before he says, "You can count on my help, Barry."
(Gotham)
Kate puts a paper aside as she pulls up another one, looking forward to getting the paperwork done.
Suddenly, the phone rings. Kate picks it up and says, "Kate Kane speaking."
"Kate, it's Barry Allen. I need your help," Barry's voice comes over the phone.
"Allen. What's the problem?" Kate asks.
"A speedster I've been dealing with for years just showed up again. He's threatening to kill my wife and kids and everyone I care about. I need to end him for good. So I'm calling the team together," Barry says.
Kate is quiet for a just a few moments before responding, "Count me in."
(Freeland)
"Dad, someone on the phone for you named Barry Allen."
Jefferson takes the phone from his daughter and says quickly, "Allen. What's up?"
"I need your help, Jefferson. A sadistic Speedster named Eobard Thawne has come to this time period to kill everyone I love and make me suffer. I've fought him many times, and I want to make sure this is the last time. I need the team," Barry says.
Jefferson is quiet for just a few seconds before he says, "You got it, bro. I'll meet you at the base."
(The Waverider)
"Captain Lance, you have a message from STAR Labs," Gideon suddenly says.
Sara, who is standing at the main terminal along with Nate, feels a bit surprised before she says, "Okay. Play it."
A second later, a hologram of Barry appears. "Sara. I've got a major problem, and I need your help. Eobard Thawne has returned, and he's determined to make me suffer. He wants to kill everyone I care about. I need as much help as I can, so I'm calling the team together. I hope the Legends can manage without you for a few days," Barry says.
Sara is quiet as the message disappears. Then, she says, "Gideon, plot a course for the base."
(Unknown location)
Slade sets his mask down as he enters his hideout. Turning towards where he keeps his food and drinks, he is surprised to see Barry standing feet away.
"Allen. What brings you here?" Slade asks.
"You said if I ever needed help, I could call you. Well, I'm here to collect on that offer," Barry says.
Slade is quiet for a few moments before asking, "What are we up against?"
And, I'll end there.
Hope you liked this chapter. So, the team we saw assembled at the end of Crisis, plus Slade, will be helping Barry against Thawne.
Next chapter should be up soon. Until then, leave a review, and stay tuned!