So here we are. The final part of the Invasion, and as promised, this is where Caitlin and Barry are going to get together. It's been a long road. The funny thing is next week is supposed to be the week where published the first chapter of this story, so it's been almost a year since I first started this story. The first part of this chapter is going to be the Invasion and the rest we'll be talking about Savitar. As always my co-authors are Brightburn1985 and ThomasMarieAmell2.0.
Disclaimer: I don't own the Arrowverse
"How can we call them? I need to talk to them. I'm taking their deal," Barry frantically said after being informed of the bargain the Dominator's offered.
They thought it was only fair that Barry was to be informed since the decision was entirely about him. They just didn't expect the reaction they got from him.
"Are you kidding? We just got you back, and you're already scrambling to return?" Kara said.
"It's me they want. If I had known sacrificing myself to them was all they wanted, I would have gladly stayed aboard the ship. It would stop all this unnecessary bloodshed. The president would still be alive," Barry shook his head.
"We're not going to let you sacrifice yourself Barry. What's done is done. You don't know that's all that they want. We can't give into their demands," Oliver said.
"It's me or the countless people that are going to be hurt in the battle. It's not even a decision that needs to be made. If I can stop all this, it will all be worth it," Barry insisted.
"Shut up." Caitlin demanded, pointing a finger at him. "You're lying, that not what this is about at all,"
"What are you talking about?" Barry asked.
"You want to know what I'm talking about? Okay, you're not sacrificing yourself because you're a hero, you're doing this because you're scared. You are scared of what that Dominator said. That you hold the power to destroy the multiverse, and a little part of you is thinking they're right. That you can't be trusted with this power, and you're going to get rid of yourself so you never have to face the situation." Caitlin said. "That is so stupid, because I know you Barry Allen. I know the kind of person you are, so I know that you would never willingly do something that could end up destroying the world. There is nothing to worry about, because you are going to make sure there isn't. I believe in you Barry, and I'm sure everyone else in this room agrees with me,"
"Okay, I'm scared. There is going to be some crisis in the future, that all depends on me. The future newspaper we saw in the time vault? It's a constant reminder of what is in store for me. I am going to disappear and save the world. The multiverse apparently. The fate of all life as we know it depends on me making the right choice, doing the right things to make sure we all survive. Do you realize how much pressure that puts on me?" Barry asked. "Everyday I'm scared for my life, because I know that in the future, all life depends on me, and I am going to be dooming everyone to oblivion if I make the tiniest mistake. So now to be told that I could actually avoid all that just by giving up my speed and then dying, seemed like a relief. Because then I wouldn't have to deal with the weight of the multiverse on my shoulders."
"You are such a coward. Running away from your problems, taking the easy way out. You don't even know what they say is true. They kidnapped you. Experimented on you, and to others as well. And you're ready to take their claims at face value? Because of what? Because you can't handle the pressure of being important? That you're special? Deal with it, because I hate to break it to you Fleet Feet, but you were special for a long time before you ever got powers," Caitlin rolled her eyes.
"This isn't up for negotiation Ms. Frosty. I am special, and that's exactly why I have to do this. I need to give my life to stop this crisis, but if I lay down my life now, we can prevent this crisis from ever happening. All that changes is that I die little earlier, and I'm okay with that, as long as you and everybody else will be okay,"
"I won't be okay! Are you kidding? Nothing will be okay if you do this!" Caitlin shouted.
"And why is that?!" Barry shouted in response.
"Because I'm in love with you, you idiot!" Caitlin yelled her confession.
"Well I'm in love with you too!" Barry replied.
"You are?" Caitlin asked in shock.
"Of course I am. You were right, I'm an idiot because it took me so long to realize how I feel about you, how I've always felt about you." Barry said.
"I'm going to kiss you now," Caitlin leaned closer to him, grabbing the collar of his shirt.
"You better," Barry closed the gap between the two and gripped the back of Caitlin's head to bring the two as close together as physically possible.
"It's happening," Cisco excitedly whispered as he watched his two friends embrace each other as he always hoped.
"Alright, I hate to be the one to break this up, but we've got other things to talk about," Oliver said. "Like what we're going to do about the Dominators,"
"I believe we've finally constructed enough devices that should drive the Dominators off the planet Mr. Queen. If that is still the plan?" Stein mentioned.
Everybody looked to Barry, who had an arm wrapped around Caitlin. If he still wanted to give himself up, that was something they would need to talk him out of.
"Let's do this. I'm not leaving any time soon," Barry said.
"Come home to me," Caitlin said.
"I always will," Barry gently whispered to her.
The heroes arrived at the highest point in Central City where a few Dominators were waiting for them.
"Last chance. If The Flash is returned to us, we will leave your planet peacefully, and without conflict." They said.
"He was never yours to begin with. He's not leaving," Oliver said in defence.
"So be it," The two sides launched into action.
Kara and Barry disappeared. While they would like to stay and fight, they were both tasked with the duty of tagging as many Dominators as they could with the devices Prof. Stein had fashioned. The rest of the heroes were to keep the Dominators occupied and distracted.
While the Dominators were powerful, they weren't combat oriented. Their frail bodies were a testament to that. No, their powers lay in their mind. Weaving illusions in their victims, controlling their enemies before they had a chance to strike. That wasn't to say they were weak. They could pack a punch, but it wasn't what they were designed for.
That was why the small group of heroes were able to easily overpower them with skill and advanced weaponry that was made for warfare. Not to mention the helmets Stein and Cisco had recreated from Barry's first fight with Grodd to protect their minds from a mental attack having been downsized and implanted into their headpieces.
The Dominator's strength lied in their numbers, mental abilities, and advanced knowledge. They weren't fighters. They were thinkers that had decided this was a necessary fight. Their bodies were not built to take a hit. They were meant to manipulate a fight from the background. Turn enemies against each other. In close quarters, they were near helpless. That was why their bodies were covered in a layer of skin that was malleable enough to prevent the penetration of projectiles such as bullets or arrows, which was how they were so difficult to ward off when they first came to Earth.
Their skin was basically a thick hide and deadened nerves that would be able to resist most forms of physical attacks. While it gave them some protection from injuries on their bodies, it wasn't enough to prevent the shock of the force the heroes were exerting to nullify. Their bodies were still suffering from the brute force of the heroes, and in this case, their thick hides would prove to be their downfall.
The devices Barry and Kara were placing on their bodies would be completely unnoticeable due to the speed of which they were attached, and the fact their bodies would not feel the device as they were so light with minimal hooks to latch onto their bodies.
To penetrate through their hide, Stein had created a device that would emit a pulse of vibrations into the Dominator's body. The vibrations had been fine tuned thanks to the information on the hard drive Lyla left them. Apparently the government managed to capture one of the Dominators and conducted experiments, which had been recorded and a copy of those records stored in the memory stick.
The information proved critical when finding the vibrations that would be able to disrupt the Dominator's physiology. The disruption should cause enough damage to their nervous system that would cause them to flee from the planet.
Hopefully, with their bodies wracked with pain, and the lack of sensation on their outer bodies, they wouldn't notice the tiny device attached to themselves until they'd left Earth's orbit. The signal to the devices would be out of range and would then shut off. Until they would approach Earth once more, unless they'd managed to rid themselves of the emitters by then. But that would be a problem for another day.
Barry and Kara traveled all over the country, tagging each and every Dominator they saw. Any that they missed, they hoped they would follow the ones that would be retreating.
"Okay Felicity, I'm all out of tags." Barry reported.
"So am I. Tagged as many as I could. Just hope it was enough," Kara added in.
"It's going to have to be. Alright, I'm activating the devices right now." Felicity said, typing in the command that would release the signal.
The effect was immediate. All the Dominators crumpled to their knees as an unknown pain wracked their bodies. A weapon they couldn't see.
The Dominators fled, beaming up to the ships hovering in the sky in hope they would escape the pain.
All over the country, there were reports of Dominators having fled as well.
"We won. All the Dominators have left." Felicity said in disbelief.
The heroes regrouped back in the hangar where they were all celebrating their victory over the alien invasion.
At some time, Cisco had cornered Barry and Caitlin together to get some answers from them.
"So first off, I need to know. This, you two, it's happening right? Because if it's not…" Cisco asked.
"Well what do you think Caitlin? Think we should give us a shot?" Barry asked with a smirk.
"Actually I think… nah, let's do this." Caitlin cheekily replied and leaned forward to initiate another kiss which Barry eagerly responded.
"Yes! You don't know how long I, and literally everybody else, has been waiting for this." Cisco shouted. "Okay, Caitlin has already heard this, but I'm going to say it again. I am going to be the best man for the wedding. Plus godfather for all your children. And your first child is named after me."
"Wait, this is what you were talking about before? I thought you were talking about my relationship with Jay," Caitlin raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Of course I wasn't talking about Jay, but you were so thick headed that it completely flew over your head that I was talking about you and Barry. And then you left before I had a chance to correct you."
"So wait, when did this conversation happen?" Barry asked.
"Like a year ago?" Cisco shrugged his shoulders. "That doesn't matter now. What matters is that you do all these things. Are you keeping note?"
"Relax Cisco. You don't need to jump into this. We just started going out," Barry said.
"Officially, but you two have practically been married for years. Everybody thinks that," Cisco said.
"Come on, I'm sure not everybody thinks that." Caitlin dismissed him.
"You're right, those that don't are the people you've yet to meet." Cisco replied sarcastically.
"Look, regardless, all that is still a long ways away from now. Let's relax. We defeated the Dominators, now is a time for celebration, not to worry ourselves with the future." Barry said in a calming tone and led the three of them to the rest of the heroes to enjoy the celebrations along with the vice president, who was obviously filling in for the president until they began a new election.
"We may not be able to acknowledge what happened or your parts in the prevention of a serious dilemma, but I want you to know that myself and my team know what you did today. So on behalf of everyone, thank you," The vice president addressed the heroes who were all standing before him.
They all dipped their heads in thanks to the man. The world may never know what really happened, but they knew. And that was all that mattered.
Christmas was fast approaching, and Caitlin and Barry's 'new' relationship prospered. It really hadn't differed too much from their previous behaviour, but it did involve much more flirting and kisses.
And as the weeks passed, Wally's cocoon was changing as well. Just like a caterpillar's chrysalis, the cocoon was becoming translucent, so they were able to vaguely see Wally within. Both Caitlin and Julian theorized that Wally would soon break out within the coming days. And with powers to boot. Leaving behind the husk, just like the others.
"I can't wait for Wally to come out. Then we've got ourselves our own little Kid Flash." Cisco said excitedly.
Caitlin and Barry turned to look at him at the same time with raised eyebrows. "Is that what we're naming him? Because to be honest, it's not your best work," Caitlin said.
"They're not all going to be winners," Cisco helplessly shrugged.
"Although that does bring up a good question. What are we going to do about Wally when he finally comes out?" Barry asked.
"Well, he'll likely have speed considering that's what he had in Flashpoint, according to you, but it's not set in stone. Wally could just as likely have any other powers." Caitlin said. "Either way, he'll need to be taught how to use them."
"So we'll just have to wait for him to come out before we can determine anything," Cisco said dejectedly, as he was very much hoping for a new speedster to train. He even already made designs for a new suit that Wally could wear. Even though that was the most likely scenario, there is still a chance that all that planning would go to waste.
An alert on Barry's phone pulled Barry's attention away from the current problem.
"I need to go to my office, there's some data I need to read through," Barry said distractedly.
"STAR or CCPD?" Caitlin asked.
"STAR," Barry replied. "It's the reports from a robotics division that is making prosthetics,"
"Robotics? Prosthetics?" Cisco asked, a look of excitement on his face. "Please tell me we are making robot arms,"
"Among other things," Barry nodded his head. "But arms are the first thing we're experimenting with. Apparently there's a problem with the weight. It's too heavy, but we don't have anything lighter that would be able to support the frame,"
"So how would it work?" Cisco asked, extremely interested in the invention.
"It's made so it connects to the motor cortex of the brain so the user can control them, and it's completely noninvasive so there's no surgery required." Barry informed him. "Yeah, it's meant to be able to sync with the nervous system so it would be able to detect neural signals from the brain, as well as pressure pads sending their own signal so the user would actually be able to feel things."
"Think I could get in on this?" Cisco asked.
"Do you like your arms?" Barry asked sarcastically.
Cisco looked down at his limbs. "Yes,"
"Then probably not. We've got lots of people looking into this project. As soon as the weight problem is fixed, we'll be looking for volunteers to test them on. Besides, I need you here." Barry cheekily replied. And with that, he left for the room he'd claimed as his office where he would be doing private work.
As soon as he was gone, Cisco turned to look at Caitlin. "Do you think Barry's okay?"
Caitlin raised an eyebrow at him. "Is this what we've turned into? Co-workers gossiping about their boss?"
"Well you're the one sleeping with the boss," Cisco retorted, which caused Caitlin's cheek to inflame. "So tell me, is Barry okay?"
"As good as can be. I mean come on Cisco, with being a CSI, CEO, and The Flash, I'm surprised we have any time to be a couple, but he makes it work. I'm just glad the holidays are right around the corner so he'll have some time to relax."
"Well, he also has Killer Frost and Vibe to help with the hero side of business," Cisco looked very smug at the mention of his alter ego.
"But as you can imagine, it can be very annoying to be called away to save somebody when we're right in the middle of having… a date," Caitlin ended awkwardly.
Luckily Cisco didn't catch that little slip of the tongue. Instead, his attention was the cocoon in the middle of the Cortex that was beginning to shake, and getting progressively more frantic.
"Oh my god, Wally is breaking out, call Joe. And if you can, get Julian on the line as well," Caitlin said, rushing over to the cocoon to make sure everything would be okay.
"I knew it! See, we will have a little protege on our hands." Cisco said excitedly the minute the cocoon broke and Wally ran away.
"You're a little too excited for this," Caitlin commented.
"A little?" Joe asked, looking over the two. "My son is gone. What are you two going to do about it?"
"Well, the best I can guess is that when a butterfly emerges from its chrysalis, it takes some time before its wings will be ready enough to fly. Wally may have his speed, but it's going to take awhile for his body to adjust to having it." Caitlin said.
"So Wally is fine, he's just stretching his… powers." Joe tried to go along with the analogy. "How long is that going to take?"
"Well it usually takes a butterfly 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours before they're ready to fly for the first time. But for having super speed, I can't be too sure." Caitlin shrugged helplessly.
"Don't worry Joe, we can track Wally with our satellite, so we know where he is at all times." Cisco assured the father.
"Why can't we just send Barry after him? Barry should be able to catch him easily enough." Joe pointedly asked.
"Barry's in his office. You know what that means," Caitlin declared. And that one sentence cleared up everything. Lately, Barry had taken to keeping himself in his office whenever things were getting a bit too stressful so he would be able to go through all the things he needed to work through without any disturbance. It was disheartening to know that this was something that they couldn't help Barry with. Maybe Caitlin since they were dating, but she didn't exactly have a mind for business.
They would just have to wait for Wally's body and mind to adjust to his new powers and return to STAR Labs safely. Until then, they could always keep track of him.
As they were tracking Wally, they saw another signal, which indicated there was another speedster in Central, but Barry was still in his office, so could that be…?
It was catching up to Wally fast, but it seemed Wally still had a bit of his mind in him as he was heading in the direction of STAR Labs with the other speedster following close behind.
But just as soon as it appeared, the other speedster vanished from their sensors.
Wally sped into the Cortex out of breath from his run looking frightened. "What was that thing?"
"What did you see?" Cisco asked. "Are you okay?"
Caitlin led Wally to take a seat on the bed where she could do a full analysis.
"He just came out of nowhere. Like a tear in space and he was there. He almost got me, but then he was gone." Wally rambled.
"Son, what happened? Are you okay? Who was after you?" Joe asked. His concern for his son's wellbeing and safety showing.
"A giant man made of metal. That's all I saw. What was that?" Wally asked with wide eyes.
The description sounded perfectly like what Barry had described with his encounter of Savitar.
"He's back." Cisco whispered. "How is that possible? The Philosopher's Stone is still locked in the box,"
"He said he'd break out of wherever he is. Guess he's not as tied to the stone as we'd hoped," Caitlin said.
"You know who was chasing me? Tell me," Wally demanded.
"Someone you better pray you never see again. The fastest speedster that's ever been recorded. Visible only by the eyes of other speedsters. That's how fast he is." Cisco said.
"Who is he?" Wally asked once again, but the quiver in his voice told of his weariness.
"He calls himself Savitar. The God of Speed." Caitlin took over.
"So how are we going to take him down?" Wally asked.
"We don't know."
"You saw Savitar?" Barry asked when the team informed him of what happened when Wally emerged from his cocoon. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. He didn't touch me, just spooked me. It was like wherever I ran, he was already there waiting for me. He was fast. Like on another level." Wally admitted.
"This is becoming a problem. If Savitar can appear while the stone is still contained, we can't rely on that to keep Savitar at bay forever." Julian stated.
"What are we going to do?" HR asked.
"You guys make sure Wally is taken care of. I want him in peak condition when I come back." Barry said.
"Sure, but where are you going?" Caitlin asked.
"I'm going to talk to someone who may have a better idea of what we're dealing with." Barry said.
Barry ran and with nary a thought, broke the barrier between worlds and arrived on Earth-3. Looking through this new Central City, he came upon Jay Garrick, who was in the middle of taking down his Trickster.
Just to get it over with, Barry disarmed the bomb, wrapped up Jesse with some rope he'd found, and retrieved the stolen money from the bank.
"What happened? I'm seeing double." Jesse stuttered. "The Flash hit me too hard. I'm calling a foul!" he shouted as he was carted off by the police.
"Flash," Garrick addressed him. "What are you doing here? I'm assuming you're not here just to take out my Trickster,"
"I need your help. I'm dealing with a new speedster. Calls himself Savitar." Barry informed him.
A look of horror crossed Jay's face at the name. Taking a look around to make sure they weren't being listened, Jay leaned in. "We need to talk."
They breached back to Earth-1, dropping themselves in the basement of STAR Labs. "So, Savitar huh? I'd hoped this day would never come."
"What do you know about him?" Barry asked, eager to learn anything he could about his foe.
"Not much, but every story I've heard of Savitar is basically the same." Jay said. "Savitar is said to be the oldest speedster to ever live. Having survived in The Speed Force for eons, he's said to have absorbed so much power, he became the fastest of us all."
"Why is he in The Speed Force?" Barry asked.
"Why were you in The Speed Force?" Jay retorted. "Savitar is said to have lived such a gruesome life, that when he developed his speed, The Speed Force couldn't trust him, and trapped him within The Speed Force, hoping he would never escape and unleash his awful power upon the multiverse."
"I've been in The Speed Force. Why haven't I heard of anything like this?" Barry asked.
"You were in there for what? A day? You were one of the lucky ones. Speedsters have been known to be trapped for decades. Those that return tell the tales of Savitar. The god of speed who swears to one day return." Jay explained. "Looks like that time is now."
"But why here? Why not go back to his own Earth?" Barry asked.
"Savitar has been trapped in The Speed Force for so long, nobody knows where he came from. I'd be surprised if he did."
"But the times I've met him, he's said that he has plans for us. That he knows what happens to us. Why would he say that?"
"The Speed Force sees all Barry. It exists outside of space and time. After so long, Savitar probably learned some tricks."
Barry loudly sighed. His hopes dashed. If there was any hope of learning something useful in this encounter, it was all for naught. If there was anything to learn, it probably had been forgotten centuries ago.
"What does he want? Once he's out, how can I stop him?" Barry finally asked.
"That's a hard question to answer. The best I can say is, he's coming to lay siege. To conquer what The Speed Force has taken from him. The fact is, if… when Savitar escapes, none of us are safe."
So, what did you think? I was pretty satisfied with that. I kept most of the Savitar legend intact, but with a few changes to help make sense of it. Wally has returned. And he's got powers that Barry will be taking an active role in training him. There's not going to be much Kid Flash action, but there will be. Since Barry is already the hero for Central City, Kid Flash isn't going to be needed as greatly. They can take Wally's training at their own pace and not rushing. They're more knowledgeable in how to train a speedster as well, so they're going to take their time.
You'll see what I mean in the future. Hope you all enjoy.
Guest reviewer: The only times where I skip weeks is in between seasons when I need a break. So I haven't skipped a week since season 3 started. If you think I did, you must have skipped a chapter.