Chapter 95: Earth-2
"Alright, alright, let's think this through before we do anything rash," Barry announced to the group an hour later, after everyone finally managed to calm down. They were all sitting around on a pile of logs they'd found, each with pensive looks on their faces. "Now, let's list what we know: we're on Zoom's Earth, which we'll call Earth-2 for now. Right now, Zoom and his henchmen are on our Earth, Earth-1, and the latter are impersonating us for some unforeseen goal."
"They have a method to transport themselves from this Earth to ours. Reverb — Cisco's doppelganger — seems to be it," Laurel continued, thinking back to their imprisonment. "He opened a breach that the others used, and since they're impersonating us, we can assume that it leads to our Earth."
"But Zoom didn't use it, did he?" Caitlin pointed out. "He just sped off. Is it possible he's still on this Earth?"
Everyone shuddered. "Maybe," Barry conceded, "But his words suggest that even if we escaped, he knew we wouldn't be able to go back. And he seemed to have been planning to go with them. Doctor Light did say he had the ability to travel between universes as well."
"We don't know what that is, though," Ronnie said, crossing his arms.
"No, but we know Reverb's method," Stein pointed out, "And if this is a parallel Earth, he presumably has the same powers as our Cisco. Is it possible that Cisco could open a breach to our Earth as well?"
Cisco panicked as all eyes turned to him. "Whoa, whoa! I don't know, alright! All I know I can do is manipulate vibrational energy!" He shot a vibration blast at a nearby tree for good measure.
Barry pursed his lips. "The crux of the Multiverse theory is that parallel earths exist in the same space but vibrate at different frequencies. If you can lock on to the frequency of our Earth, you might be able to open a breach back."
"But I don't know how to do that! And even if I did, I don't have the glasses Hartley made for me on me, so I don't know where I can find a place with the right kind and right amount of energy to let me do it in the first place!"
"Calm, Cisco," Caitlin placed a hand on her best friend's back, rubbing soothing circles, "Calm."
"I know you're stressed, Cisco," Laurel added, standing up, "But so are all of us. And like it or not, you're our best bet at getting home."
Cisco took in a deep breath at her words. "Alright. But that still doesn't change the fact that I don't have the necessary equipment."
"Perhaps not," Barry said, glancing back at the retro-fitted Central City, "But this is still Central City, and one that seems to be more technologically advanced than ours. Maybe they have something here that can help us. Either way, we still need more information, and this is a better place to start than any."
Suddenly, there was a loud grumbling sound. Despite the situation, there were giggles and chuckles as Barry glanced down at his stomach with a betrayed look.
"And food," Barry added, trying not look embarrassed. "Lots and lots of food."
This Central City was… different, to say the least. For one thing, despite the futuristic aesthetics and the obvious technological superiority to their Earth, the overall style resembled the 1950s. Clothing, cars, buildings, all of it wouldn't look out of place in those old black and white sitcoms that were occasionally aired on TV. It made the six of them, in their more modern clothing and appearances, stick out like a sore thumb.
Seeking to keep under the radar, they tried to stick to crowds and didn't look at anyone directly in the face. They also tried not to be entranced too much by the look of this Earth — while it was fascinating and all, they were strapped for time as it was. Information first, sightseeing later. Unfortunately, it was that line of thinking that led to their first snag. Spotting what looked like to be an Internet cafe, Barry and Laurel had tried to sneak in so they could use the computers.
They were barely halfway through the front doors when the alarms suddenly blared and they were surrounded by security.
Both vigilantes held up their hands as they tried to defuse the situation. "Is there an issue, officers?" Laurel asked, trying to keep her voice level.
"Black Siren," one of the men growled, ignoring her words, "You're under arrest!"
Shit. Barry and Laurel exchanged glances, and before any of the officers could react, the two were gone in a burst of wind and lightning.
They arrived back to the others, who were hiding out in a nearby alley. The other four congregated around them as Barry set Laurel down back onto her feet. "What happened?" Stein asked for all of them, "Why are you two back so soon?"
"My doppelganger is apparently a well-known criminal on this Earth," Laurel explained, rubbing her hands. "And if she's a known criminal…"
"… then so are ours," Ronnie finished, groaning. "As if this couldn't get any worse…"
"That means only Barry and Stein can go out in public," Caitlin noted. "The rest of us will be hunted down if we're seen."
"That is not good," Cisco puffed out a breath as he pinched his nose. "We can't continue searching for a way home if most of us are constantly hounded by the police."
"Then we'll have to do it the brutish way," Barry said grimly. "I'll do a run throughout the city and see if they have something like S.T.A.R. Labs or Mercury Labs."
"No need," Stein said, glancing up at something. Everyone turned to see what he was looking at, and gasped.
It was Harrison Wells. Well, not really Harrison Wells, but an image of him on one of the many massive monitors dotted throughout the city. He was speaking about some recent projects at his personal scientific facility, S.T.A.R. Labs.
"Thawne…?" Cisco breathed out.
"No. Harrison Wells," Barry corrected, gazing at the image with mixed feelings.
"How are you sure?" Caitlin asked, crossing her arms.
"I'm not, but we have to remember that this is a parallel Earth. Unless we have proof otherwise, we're going to have to assume that this is the Earth-2 counterpart of the real Harrison Wells."
"It does sound like he's been around on this Earth for a while," Laurel pointed out, "If he has, then he can't be Thawne."
"Do you think he can help us?" Ronnie wondered.
Barry shrugged. "Maybe, but would he? I'm not sure. Our story is a bit far-fetched. It doesn't matter anyway — we don't need him so much as we need the resources of S.T.A.R. Labs."
"That may be more difficult than we wish it to be," Stein said, rubbing his chin, "By the looks of it, this S.T.A.R. Labs is still an open and accredited facility. That means it's going to be crawling with scientists right now."
"Then we'll wait until later," Laurel suggested, looking up at the sky. "It won't be long until nightfall anyway. Once the place officially closes for the night, we sneak in, build Cisco's glasses, and figure out a way for him to use his powers so he can send us home."
"You make it sound so easy," Ronnie commented, grimacing.
As it would turn out, it would be that easy, at least at first. This may be a different S.T.A.R. Labs, one that was active and with more security measures, but Barry was an assassin who had broken into even worse strongholds. It helped that the actual layout of the building was almost exactly the same.
After an hour or two of disabling all the security measures without triggering the alarms, a triumphant Barry opened the front doors to allow everyone else inside. The six immediately headed for the direction of Cisco's lab, one that they were satisfied to see had a similar setup, just neater and cleaner. Once they confirmed they had the necessary materials, Barry, Cisco and Stein began trying to rebuild the goggles with Caitlin's help while Ronnie and Laurel played lookout.
Which is when they hit the second snag.
It was only thanks to the situational awareness training that Oliver and Nyssa had put her through that Laurel was able to sense the firing up of the gun, the whirling sound and the faint orange glow. Without hesitation, she threw herself at Ronnie, knocking him to the ground as an orange fireball flew over their heads.
"Oof," Ronnie grunted.
"Sorry Ronnie," Laurel quickly apologized before getting to her feet to confront their assailant.
The lights of the hallway lit up at the moment, revealing it to be Harrison Wells, armed with a large gun, aimed directly at her. Laurel held up her hands in surrender, "Don't shoot," she asked, backing away slightly as Ronnie started discreetly crawling towards Wells.
"And why would I do that, Black Siren?" Wells glared at her, lips in a vicious sneer.
"I'm not Black Siren."
"You're Dinah Laurel Lance — of course you're Black Siren."
"No," Laurel shook her head furiously, "I'm from another earth."
"Another earth?" Wells asked, slightly lowering the gun.
"Yes. I know it sounds hard to believe—"
"Not entirely," the scientist cut her off, "On this Earth, breachers like you — supposedly — appear frequently. I might be able to help you get back," his eyes narrowed, "provided you and your friends actually are breachers."
Laurel swallowed. "What kind of proof do you need?"
Wells tilted his chin slightly upwards, before whirling around and aiming at Ronnie, who had been about to knock him out with a sharp blow to the head. "You're really not helping your case, Raymond."
Ronnie glared at him. Laurel sighed. "C'mon, Ronnie. Let's take him to the others."
"Laurel," Oliver asked, touching his partner's arm, "Are you okay?"
Laurel gave him a blinding smile. "I'm fine, Ollie. What makes you ask?"
After the Queens had turned in as well, they had quickly snuck out of the house and headed to the Foundry, to prepare for tonight's patrol. Laurel bit the inside of her cheek when the security took her biometrics, and let out an internal sigh of relief when they were accepted. It seems having an active metagene hadn't altered her DNA enough to not pass as the Laurel Lance of this earth.
"You just seem… different, today. Sadder than usual," Oliver frowned, "Did something happen when you were visiting Central?"
"No, Ollie. It's just… today got me thinking," Laurel shrugged, "we're getting pretty serious, aren't we? We're about to move in together. And if that works out, well. The next step is obvious. Are we ready for that?"
"Well, we need to get there first," Oliver said after a moment of thought. "And if we do — which I sincerely hope for, of course — then we'll see if we're ready or not to take the plunge. But that's for the future. As much as I would like to one day call you my wife, we're not quite at the level yet, are we?"
"Yeah," Laurel agreed, licking her lips as she thought of another Oliver and the ring he put on her finger, "We aren't."
"Really, Raymond? You can't even tell the difference between a wrench and a screwdriver?" Cisco scoffed as he started turning bolts with the tool that Caitlin handed him.
"Forgive me for not being a nerd like you, Ramon," Ronnie sneeringly replied, only calming when Caitlin began rubbing his arm again in a soothing motion.
Cisco groaned. "Just get out already you two. You're clearly not going to be any more useful with or without. Blow off some steam or something."
The two exchanged smirks. "Maybe we will," Caitlin said suggestively, trailing two fingers up her husband's arm.
"Not in the lab, please. Or anywhere else I might touch."
Ronnie scoffed. "Killjoy."
Cisco closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, counting to ten. Don't kill them don't kill them don't kill them Zoom still needs them. "Just get out and don't bother me. If I need something I'll either get it myself or call you over."
"Whatever." With that, the couple left.
"Finally," Cisco let out a breath of relief, "Some peace and quiet."
Iris frowned down at her phone. Her recent texts to Barry were still unread. She knew they had just seen each other a few hours ago, but there was a hiccup at work that she had just gotten word about it and she wanted to call him to see if he thought it was the work of a meta. But the call went unanswered, so she had opted to leave text messages instead.
Except that Barry had yet to answer those either. It could be nothing — he could be asleep or out patrolling as the Flash. That was usually the case. But for whatever reason, it just felt… wrong. Ever since the attack on her apartment, Iris had been rather jumpy lately. Paranoid. She knew Barry said that the threat was gone for the time being and she could relax and she trusted that he was telling the truth, but… she just couldn't fully believe it. Especially with this new threat with alternate earth doppelgangers and everything.
God, when did my life get so weird? And to think she spent her high school years fruitlessly searching after the impossible. If only she knew what her life would be like years later.
"Iris?" Eddie's sleepy voice penetrated her thoughts. "Why are you up?"
"Nothing, Eddie. Just wondering why Barry hasn't texted me back yet."
"He's probably asleep," Eddie immediately dismissed her concern. "Like you should be," he added.
"I know, I know," Iris sighed, flopping back down onto her bed, turning to her side as Eddie threw an arm around her and snuggled into her back. She closed her eyes, trying to will herself to sleep.
Eddie's right. It's probably nothing.
"So, we've got Black Siren, Killer Frost, Deathstorm — split, for once — and Reverb," Wells then glanced at Barry, "And some guy I don't know."
"As cool as those names are," Cisco said, holding up a finger, "they aren't ours."
"So you say," Wells spoke slowly, crossing his arms. "How do I know if you're telling the truth?"
Barry frowned. "Well, Laurel and Caitlin aren't metas like their doppelgangers."
Wells raised an eyebrow, then lifted his wrist to reveal a watch. He clicked the button on the side, and then placed it in front of Caitlin, and then Laurel. "Huh," Wells muttered, tapping his chin. "You don't read as metas. I guess you are telling the truth."
"Thank you," Ronnie threw his hands in the air in relief, while Stein shook his head at his partner's antics.
"So why are you here, then?" Wells asked, ignoring Ronnie. "How did you get onto my Earth?"
"Our doppelgangers kidnapped us so they could take our places for some grand plan they have. We need to get back soon before they cause too much damage."
Wells hummed. "And what makes you so special on your earth?" His voice was suspicious.
Everyone began exchanging looks, and then Barry sighed, figuring it wouldn't hurt in the long run. Oliver wouldn't see it that way, of course, but Oliver wasn't here and they were out of options. "On our earth, we're superheroes. Ronnie and Stein are Firestorm, Cisco is Vibe, and Laurel is Black Canary."
"But you don't have powers," Wells pointed out to Laurel.
"I'm a vigilante," Laurel clarified, "With a lot of martial arts training. Not as much as him, though." She gestured to Barry.
Wells raised an eyebrow and then turned back to Barry. "And you? Are you a vigilante like her as well?"
"Sort of. I'm a speedster," Barry said, narrowing his eyes at how Wells widened his. "On my earth, I'm called the Flash."
"We used to have a Flash on our earth too," Wells mentioned, eying Barry with a lot more interest.
"Until he was murdered by Zoom."
Wells flinched. "You know about Zoom?"
"He's been terrorizing our earth for the past month or so," Barry admitted. "He just showed up out of nowhere, killed a shit ton of people and beat the crap out of me. We had no idea who he was or where to find him until we managed to capture another metahuman from your earth that was trying to replace her doppelganger: Linda Park, though you might know her as Doctor—"
"—Light," Wells sighed. "And I assume she told you about how he murdered our Flash. I thought that was why he hadn't been showing up more often lately, that he didn't need to now that Garrick was dead, but I guess I was wrong. He just turned his attentions to your earth instead."
"Which is why we need to get back soon. I don't care about how powerful he is, leaving our earth at his non-existent mercy is not an option. Not to mention the others he took with him."
Wells stared at him and the others critically, and then nodded once. "Fine. I'll help you."
Looks of joy and relief passed over everyone's faces. Laurel and Caitlin clasped hands while the others started patting each other on the shoulders. Even Barry couldn't help but smile genuinely. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet," Wells warned him, putting a damper on the mood, "You need to actually get home first. And besides, I'm not doing this out of the goodness of my heart. I'm doing this to screw over Zoom. When you get back to your earth, you better stop him."
"Of course," Barry stated, as if he couldn't believe Wells would ever think otherwise. Then, a suspicion entered his mind, one that refused to leave.
"Good," Wells said, and began turning to Cisco.
"Wait! What did Zoom do to you?"
Wells stilled. "What makes you think he did anything to me?"
"The look on your face," Barry explained, "I've seen it before on others. People who… people who haven't had the best of lives."
Wells turned back to him, his eyes far away.
"My daughter," he finally said. "Zoom murdered my daughter."
Yup. Jesse is dead, which is why Harry is even colder than he was at the start of Season 2. More will be explained in the next chapter, including what exactly has been happening on Earth-2 that differs from show canon. Let's just say the time travel ripples weren't limited to Earth-1, and leave it at that.
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