Year: 2017 (The Present)
'Swoosh'
The sound fills the cortex as Barry Allen speeds into the area. Hair flys up and over faces as papers scatter across the console and on the floor. The speedster looks over at his friends and glances at the mess before him. He doesn't pay much attention as he only has one thing on his mind - Devoe.
His friends look at him with slight annoyance. Heavy sighs leave lips while the women fix their appearance. A beat of silence changes the atmosphere and looks of concern take over their faces. They watch as Barry stands still, focusing on his breathing before finally saying a word.
"I found him," he breathes. Sweat forms on his brows as he looks over at all the eyes staring back at him.
"Who?" Cisco speaks out, before reaching into his bag of opened red vines. "And might I add, look at the mess you made!" he flabbergasts, his hands speaking with him - a vine in hand.
"Devoe!" Barry exhausts, running his hand through his damp hair.
He isn't one to sweat so easily but, his adrenaline is in high gear at this point. A sense of fear and panic courses through his veins. He found him. He found his next foe.
"I saw him, guys. He's here in Central City. He is a professor at the university," he puffs out. The air in his lungs getting too thin to breathe. "We got to stop him."
Caitlin is the first to react. Standing up from her seat at the console, she looks at him with confusion. "Stop him from what exactly? He hasn't done anything," she adds.
"But he will. Savitar told me himself," Barry explains as a memory of his former evil future self runs through his mind. A clear picture of him walking through the lab stating the spot the team figured out how to defeat Devoe. He walks up to the console, gripping the desk in front of his friend while looking into her eyes. "We need to stop him. Trust me," he breathes.
Caitlin looks into his eyes, reading his expression, and his mind. They always seem to have this sense of connection that she didn't have with anyone else on the team. She can read him as much as he can read her. It is comforting, to say the least. Her eyes shift to an understanding with a small smile on her lips before nodding her head in agreement.
Barry smiles back at her before looking at the rest of the team. They all seem to share the same look of concern. He rolls his eyes at their pitiful expressions and pulls back from his hold on the desk, talking with his hands. "Come on guys! Caitlin is on board."
A slight eye-roll from Iris catches his attention but, he pays her no mind. He looks to Cisco, Harry, and Wally as they remain quiet. "Barry," Iris pipes in as she stands from her seat behind the console. "It's not that we don't trust you. It's just... what if this is just another side effect from the speed force? Or your cold feet..." she adds under her breath.
"Seriously? You had to bring that up again?" Barry snaps, his voice soaked in disgust.
Iris raises her hands in the air in defense. "I'm just speaking the truth, Barry! You would rather find some random, made-up crisis than decide on a date," she snaps back, leaning on the desk.
"How about we save the mellow drama for behind closed doors," Harry quips, eyeing the couple. "Your personal life issues have no place for a work environment nor my eardrum," he huffs, crossing his arms.
Iris rolls her eyes and gives Barry a death stare which he replies with his own before looking back at the team.
"Now the real question is, how do you expect to defeat this Devoe when we have no information on what harm he will do?" Harry adds, eyeing Barry.
Cisco takes a bite of his red vine and starts tapping on his computer. "We can start by tracking his whereabouts. I can get surveillance on him from the satellites so we know every move he makes."
Barry shakes his head and starts pacing. "No, that will take too long. Besides I want to stop him before he strikes. It needs to end before it even begins."
Cisco arches his eyebrow, "How do you expect us to do that? Cause my future telling vibes are gone. I can't help you there," he adds taking another bite out of his candy.
The speedster freezes in his spot, looking over at his long-haired friend. A smile spreads across his face as his eyes lighten up with an idea. "Future..." he mumbles with a smile. "That's it! Cisco you are a genius!" he laughs.
"Tell me something I don't know," he smirks then it falters. "Why am I a genius?"
Barry chuckles. "The future. I can travel to the future to get the answers we need," like it was the most obvious answer.
Caitlin feels her breath stock as she stares at her friend in disbelief. "Barry," she softly speaks. "Time travel is not the answer. You know how dangerous it is and we do not need a sequel to Flashpoint," she reminds him.
"She has a point. Nothing good has come from traveling in time Bare," Iris adds in.
"This will be different," he snaps. "I will only go far enough to know we have defeated him and how. I will travel to this time next year. I won't be there long - an hour tops. Besides when I come back it will be like I never left."
"But last time you were traveling to the past to ask Dr. Wells -" Caitlin starts to say.
Barry shakes his head, "No the last time I did it was to see what happens after Savitor. I wasn't gone for long and I ended up changing that horrible future from happening," he speaks looking at Caitlin. A hint of sadness and heartache fills his body as the memory of a full Killer Frost Caitlin inside a cell comes to mind. "I promise I will only seek out the answer to our problem and that's it. I will not change anything. In and out - simple," he tries to reason.
The team looks over at each other, fumbling with words as each voice talks over another. Pros and cons echoing the room. Barry watches the chaos unravel but keeps a close eye on his personal physician. She grunts in frustration as Harry and Cisco start arguing with each other with Iris butting in every now and again. She slumps into her chair, rubbing her temples.
"Cait," he whispers trying to grab her attention. He opens his mouth to repeat but, her head looks over at him. He smiles and gestures with his head to her lab. She smiles back with a nod and the pair walk over.
Iris watches from the corner of her eye. A sense of jealously starts to spread but, she puts it to rest. Reflecting back, she cannot recall a time that Barry ever looked at her the way he looks at Caitlin. She looks back at the lab to try and catch a glimpse of the duo - to no avail. It was no secret that she and Barry are starting to fall out and maybe she has found a way out. Maybe this can be their undoing, and they can be truly happy again - living separate lives. Just maybe this is the sign that they are not meant to be.
The duo hides away from the arguing as Barry takes a seat on the medical bay as Caitlin stands before him, chewing on her bottom lip. He sighs heavily, knowing he is the one causing her to enact her bad habit.
"I didn't mean to cause this. I just... I want to make sure everything is good and we won't have any bumps in the night per se. Most especially for the wedding," he sighs looking down at his hands. "I don't want any issues with Devoe to ruin a special day for me - for us," he adds before looking up at Caitlin.
She half-smiles at him as the reminder of his engagement rings in her mind. "I understand Barry but, please understand and consider the concern for your safety."
"Cait, I promise I will be careful. I need to do this but, I can't do it without your support. Please," he begs.
His eyes shining into hers almost makes her go weak in the knees. It was like an enchantment of some kind. His loving, puppy dog eyes boring into her soul, tugging at her heart as it pumps faster and louder. She wouldn't dare look away and that is her downfall.
She licks her lips, "What do you need me to do?"
Barry stands in the middle of the Cortex in his suit. He adjusts the cowl over his face as Cisco adds some adjustments to enhance his speed to time travel.
"Alright, that should do it," Cisco smiles with pride.
"Remember you go there and come right back. No funny business," Harry marks with a frown. He still didn't like nor care for this plan but, he was outnumbered.
"Yes, I know Harry," Barry smiles with a nod. He looks at his team like it's his last. He knows he will be alright but, a part of him still has this feeling of doubt or dread that he couldn't shake off.
Cisco gives him a high five that turns into a bro hug. "Be careful and don't trip over your own feet. We don't need you stumbling twenty years into the future."
"Haha, thanks for the pep talk Cisco," Barry laughs with a playful eye roll.
"Oh and see if you can bring back some winning lottery numbers, huh?" Cisco adds with a wink as Barry shakes his head.
Caitlin steps forward and wraps her arms around his neck. His arms automatically cling to her waist as he pulls her into his chest. He breathes in her sweet smell as her hair tickles his face. He feels so warm and content that he doesn't want to pull away and instead tightens his grip more.
"Be careful, okay?" she whispers into his ear.
He nods his head and feels her start to pull away. His hands glide down her arms and his fingers linger with hers - still wanting some kind of touch. "I promise. I'll be back before you know it," he adds with a reassuring smile.
He watches as she steps back then heads to her place behind the console. His eyes turn to Iris, who stands with her arms loosely holding onto the other. Her face is solemn. His eyes fill with guilt as he thinks about his affectionate hug with Caitlin. She gives him a reassuring smile with a nod.
"When I get back, I promise we will look into an official date for the wedding," he pushes with a forced smile.
Iris cocks her head and sighs before slowly nodding. "We will talk when you get back," a small smile on her lips.
He leans forward pecking her lips goodbye and looks back at the team. With a single nod, he flashes out of the room and into the speed lab. Running as fast as he can, he circles laps over and over again until he sees the small portal opening up. He smirks at the floating hole. "I'm coming for you, Devoe," he tells himself and pushes towards the entrance.
He tries to keep his mind clear and set on the date for August 2018. It all seems to be going fine but sharp pain courses through his body. He winces at the feeling as red streaks blind his eyes. When the pain starts to become unbearable he feels himself slipping. He stumbles and trips over himself before landing on solid ground.
He groans in pain, having landed on his stomach. He rolls himself on his back as he tries to breathe. "What was that," he groans, slowly sitting up to assess himself. No broken bones - a good sign. He stands to his feet and doesn't feel any pain - no sprain ankles. He sighs with relief with his hands on his hips.
"Where the hell am I?" Barry asks himself as he looks around the chill alley area. A newspaper flies by landing by his feet. He kneels down, picking up the material, scanning the front page. An article by Iris West catches his eye at first. He half-smiles, happy to see his fiancée finally doing what she loves - journalism. It is then the date that catches him by surprise - September 25th, 2025.
"Or better yet... when am I?"