The Watcher eyed the city as Peter and Mary Jane were on a date with Crystal and Bobby out on their date, and Joe was with Barry talking about Harrison Wells. Barry puts together everything in the prescient about Wells in the past years. He and Joe have been going over it for the past few nights, still trying to piece it together.
"All right, this is everything that we know about Harrison Wells, which is not a lot," Barry admits that it's only a few news reporters on him.
"Didn't you once read a whole book about him once?" Joe asks remembering him talking about it a while back.
"Yeah, 600 pages and the big takeaway is, he's enigmatic," Barry answers him.
"Your Mom was killed by a speedster. Wells' machine turned you into a speedster. That's too many coincidences for this old cop." Joe explains to Barry and he's starting to understand what he means.
"Do you think he wanted me to become the Flash?" Barry wonders and starts thinking about the possibility Wells rigged it so he would become a hero.
"Everything he's done since that night you got struck by lightning, bringing you to STAR Labs, giving you the suit, training you, it's all been to keep you safe," Joe answers him trying to figure out what his endgame could be.
"And to make me faster. Wells once said he needed more speed from me. Why?" Barry questions as he was also trying to figure out his endgame himself.
"I don't know, but he wants something from you, Barry." Joe states as a fact knowing he wants something, and he's been patient enough to wait over ten years for it. "We just need to figure out what it is."
"Joe, you had your suspicions about Wells from the very beginning. You thought he might be the Man in Yellow." Barry reminds him.
"Except the blood from your house didn't match him," Joe claims to Barry.
"All right, so maybe he's not the Reverse Flash, but you think he knows what happened that night. He may have the key to getting my dad out of prison." Barry replies wanting to get his dad free.
"Whatever Wells wants from you, it started 15 years ago. He's been patent." Joe says seeing there's something big at play here. Whatever it might be. "We have to be just as patent."
"How have things been going recently?" Mary Jane asks Peter as the two were just walking through the park.
Enjoying the weekend together with no criminals, Peter sighed and laid back. "Pretty good, all things considered. A few days without the need to run off to chase some criminal or anything was a good break for them."
Mary Jane smiled as Peter smiled back when his senses go off and he looks up to see presents come flying in from a skyscraper.
"Whoa, what's that?" Mary Jane asked as she and Peter stood up to watch them.
They get everyone's attention, and they look amazed Peter gets confused but steps forward to get a closer look. When one of them hits a tricycle, it explodes and immediately caused the tricycle to go up in flames.
Everyone starts panicking and runs for cover from them and Peter indistinguishably tries to use his web-shooters to stop as many from hitting the ground, hoping Barry can get here. He tried to get away, but Mary Jane seemed freaked out by this and was holding onto him for supposed support.
Hey, just because she knows who Peter is, it doesn't mean she's not allowed to be terrified.
"Henry?" Someone calls and Peter sees a father looking for his son and Peter sees the kid reaching for a present.
Before anyone could do anything, Barry comes speeding in and moves the child. Just seconds before the present could touch the kid, the bomb went off as soon as it touched the ground.
"Henry!" The father yells happy to see his son's okay and pulled him close.
"Henry? Nice name." Barry says and sees Peter standing close to Mary Jane.
Seeing his hands were currently full at the moment, he just speeds off to STAR Labs to see if they had any idea of what just happened.
To Peter's surprise, when things cooled down, his phone went off. Peter looked and saw it was some weirdo in a domino mask and a goofy-looking outfit with spikes on his shoulders.
"Tricked ya. Look who's back. My tricks. My treats. But I'll give you something good to eat. Today's special. A city in ashes. The Trickster proudly welcomes you all to the new disorder." He tells everyone watching menacingly.
"Talking in the third person. That's never a good sign." Cisco states watching the footage from STAR Labs.
"You're just mad because he named himself," Caitlin replies regarding his comment.
"Actually, he didn't," Joe informs them. "Twenty years ago, Central City was hit by a series of terrorist attacks. One man killed at least ten civilians, including two cops. That guy called himself the Trickster."
Cisco quickly pulls up the file on him and gets a picture of the guy and he looks crazier than the new Trickster.
"Someone was rocking the unitard back in his day," Cisco comments seeing the picture.
"James Jesse?" Caitlin questions seeing his name.
"Like Jesse James, but twisted," Joe explains to her.
"Where is Mr. Jesse now?" Wells asks Joe wondering where he could be.
"He's serving several life sentences at Iron Heights," Joe answers since there was nowhere else to take him. "He was just about the most dangerous thing Central City has ever seen."
"And that was before the particle accelerator exploded." Barry also stated.
"Barry and I will go to Iron Heights to see James Jesse, see if we can get something from him to get about his groupie," Joe tells them.
"I'll analyze the video and see if I can figure out the source," Cisco promises them and Peter decides to go on parole in case this Trickster ll wants to make another appearance.
"Hey, Joe," Wells calls out to the man. "Barry alright? He seems... cranky."
"Even the Flash wakes up on the wrong side of the bed some days. He's fine." Joe answers and Wells doesn't believe that.
The two of them make it to Iron Heights and are in a separate part of the prison. It was far down a long hallway of pipes that only had one cell.
"Never seen this part of the prison before," Barry states being in an exclusive part of the prison for psychopath criminals.
"Yeah, has to have this cell specially built for James Jesse five years ago." The warden explains to Barry.
"Why is that?" Joe questions seeing why not lock them in the same parts of the prison.
"A criminal psychologist set up weekly visits with multiple of these people. James and Octavius talked the shrink into committing suicide." Warden tells them and that surprises them, and the warden hands them some candy for Jesse.
They are allowed into the room and see Jesse behind a glass window. His hair looks like it hasn't been combed properly and his prison outfit is worn out from usage.
"Gentlemen. Please, be seated." Jesse asks them and they take the seats in front of him.
"I'm detective Joe West. This is Barry Allen." Joe introduces them to him already wanting to get as far away from this crazy as soon as possible getting some strange vibes off of him. "We'd like to ask you a few questions."
"I can smell them in your pocket," Jesse tells Barry about the warden's Twizzlers.
Barry walks up to the hole in the window to send things through the window to him.
"Yesterday, hundreds of these parachutes bombs were released throughout Central City," Barry informs him and sends them through. "Fun idea but not an effective delivery system," Jesse states jokingly. "How many died?" Jesse wonders with a whacky crazy smile appearing on his face.
"None, luckily," Joe states to the crazed maniac.
"You know, when I was free and at my height, a day without casualties was like...well, like the Cubs winning the pennant. It never happened." Jesse states while laughing at his own joke.
"The explosives they found in all the parachute bombs are the same explosive composition as the bombs you set off 20 years ago," Barry informs Jesse and sees the shocked expression that suddenly comes to light.
"That's impossible. I never told anyone that formula." Jesse states to Barry as he didn't understand how anyone could've made the same formula as him.
"The signatures are an exact match," Barry tells him and he gets even angrier.
"He called himself the Trickster tool, just like you." Joe continues, waiting to get some answers.
"He is nothing like me, detective," Jesse claims to Joe hating the new Trickster trying to steal his fame.
"Do you know who he is?" Joe asks Jesse while he grabs the pictures Barry sent through for him to look at.
"Oh, if I did, I would tell you, so you could find him, cut off his head, and throw it right in his face," Jesse exclaims to the police. "No, this is obviously the work of a rank amateur at best. A near pretender angling for my throne."
"I hear you." Joe agrees with the man hoping to get some more answers. "So, help us catch him. Prove there's only one Trickster"
"Trying to Rick the Trickster, Joseph?" Jesse asks him while taking a twizzle. "There's only one way that this could've possibly happened. Whoever he is, he must've found my lair. I ask only one thing when you find the schtick stealer, this pathetic wannabe fake, make sure your safety's off."
Jesse starts laughing maniacally while eating the candy.
They make it to his hideout and call in Peter to make sure nothing crazy gets to them. They get to a Prop Warehouse which is where Jesse's hideout is, and Peter is seriously creeped out by the crazy things inside the place.
"This place looks as if Joker and Jigsaw decoded into interior decorate together," Peter states, picking up a strange doll head with a dud explosive inside
"This looks like nobody's been here since the '90s." Joe agrees while Barry looks at Trickster's original outfit.
"Look at this thing." Barry couldn't believe someone would wear this.
"Psychotic people, psychotic clothing." Peter shrugged.
"So, how are things going with you and MJ?" Barry asks as he kept looking around.
"It's going good," Peter admitted with a sigh. "It's just becoming harder to keep the whole being Spider-Man from her the closer we get. I feel like I'm hiding something that she should be aware of."
"And... you think you're ready to tell her?" Barry was shocked to hear.
"I don't know." Peter sighed, this thought only coming recently. "I'm still thinking about it."
Barry then watched as Peter walked away to think about it and Barry left him to think. He decided to join Joe as he was approaching a big door.
"You really think Jesse doesn't know who this new Trickster is?" Barry asks Joe while Peter keeps searching.
"He seems pretty agitated that someone was besmirching his bad name." Joe states and they look to see a storage place inside and it's locked.
"Peter, you think spider strength can break us in?" Barry asks his friend and Peter does as he asks and breaks the lock off.
"Let's see what skeletons Trickster kept in his closet." Peter jokes and realizes it could be actual skeletons inside.
Joe opens the door and Peter senses something and Barry uses his speed to move them away from the door as it explodes off its hinges.
"You good?" Barry asks Joe as Peter is already back up and looking inside the safe.
"We've got a problem, guys," Peter tells them and they look to see it's all empty. "Looks like Trickster II took everything."
They decide to pay Jesse another visit, as they want answers to what the heck just happened.
"What, no candy fellas?" Jesse asks them, noticing the lack of sweets.
"That storage you sent these two officers to was booby-trapped," Joe informed the psycho.
"You were protecting nothing," Barry says to Jesse. "Your secret Stacy was empty."
"What do you mean?" Jesse now asks and they hear the confusion in his voice.
"No firearms, no explosives, or anything of the kind," Joe explains to him. "Whatever you had in there, it was stolen, all of it is gone."
"No. He's stealing my legacy! Mine!" Jesse exclaims seriously getting more agitated by the second of hearing all of this. "Whoever he is, you need to find him. I will not let this..."
"Trickster?" Joe asks finishing his sentence.
"That is my name! Mine!" Jesse states to Joe screaming as loud as he could.
"What was in there?" Barry asks him.
"What was it you were keeping in there?" Barry wonders.
"A bomb. A really big bomb." Jesse warns them and they start getting worried by that statement. "How big are we talking?" Barry asks Jesse.
"Bye-bye, Central City." Jesse's only responded and now they're completely scared.
Barry's phone goes off and Cisco found another video. "The Trickster uplinked another video. Sending you the link. "
"Citizens of Central City, or those of you who remain, welcome to Boom Day." Trickster exclaims while laughing.
"Show him," Joe says to Barry
"I'm very proud to report my first trick was an exploding success. But I think you all deserve something much, uh, bigger." Trickster says and Jesse is now gone full anger.
"No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No, take off my mask, you fraud." Jesse tells the new Trickster while he rants about the next trick he's going to pull pretty soon. "Pretender. Sham. Take off my mask!" He shouts and the three men see he's seriously upset now seeing it himself.
They go back to STAR Labs to review the footage for anything that could help them track him down and still find nothing. Nothing that could help them to locate the psychopath or find the bomb.
"This was posted a few hours ago," Wells informs the team. "Whoever this Trickster is, he's certainly not shy."
"Well, not every criminal likes to hide in the dark," Barry states that nobody but Joe understands what he means by that.
"Cisco, could you trace where that video came from?" Joe asks the computer group.
"We tried, but this guy is using some crazy Felicity-caliber scrambler as I've never seen," Cisco explains to Joe and Peter agrees.
"Yeah, he's even tricking our tracking systems." Peter quips and goes back on the subject. "The origin of the upload is coming from hundreds of different locations. Unless he uploads another video, it's gonna be tough to crack."
"This psychopath can destroy the city," Barry states and looks at Peter. "Can't your six senses tell us where it is?"
"My spider-sense, which is what I'm officially calling it, is an early warning system. The only way I could do that is if he sets it off, then it wouldn't do us any good." Peter explains to his speedster brother.
"I said tough, not gonna be impossible," Cisco states to the heroes.
"We'll catch him. We always do." Caitlin agrees with Cisco and Wells calls Barry out to talk with him alone.
Back with Bobby and Crystal, she led him into the forest. She said that there was something about her that he needed to see. This was something that he would be worried about if he wasn't capable of fighting her off.
Boy, how little he knew.
"So... where are we?" Bobby asks.
"I figured that if we're going to be getting closer, you should be the first to know something important." Crystal explains as they reached a sort of campsite.
"That didn't answer my question, and I'm starting to think I fell for some sort of Siren Call," Bobby commented.
"Relax. You're perfectly safe." Crystal promises him as she approached the campsite. "This is my home."
"Here?" Bobby asked as he looked around. "Didn't you have a sister?"
"That requires a bit of an explanation." Crystal sighed and looked around. "It might be easier to show you."
She then whistled out to the forest, confusing Bobby as to what she was doing. But then a portal appeared, followed by a giant bulldog appearing around it. When it appeared, Bobby shrieked in fear at the dog. Then it took him a moment to calm down, so Crystal just waited it out, knowing that this would happen.
"You good now?" Crystal asked, seeing Bobby calm down.
"Uh...yeah." Bobby finally calmed down. "Who is this?"
"This is Lockjaw." Crystal explains and pets the giant dog. "An Inhuman, like me."
"An In-what?" Bobby asked in shock.
After a while, there was another video posted and they had to inform Barry since he seemed to have left.
"Get ready for the games to begin!" Trickster tells the watchers of his video and shows a crate with a cartoonish bomb painted on the side. "I have...a bomb. It's a big bomb, it'll make a Big Bang and then a big hole and then a big drop in the POPulation."
Peter started to moan, seeing these puns as something painful, he rubbed his head as he listened to the terrible puns. "We get it, it's a bomb! Just move on already."
"You see the irony in you hating terrible puns?" Cisco asks Peter.
"Quiet." Peter tells him.
"But never say the Trickster isn't fair. The bomb is somewhere between 52nd street and Avenue B," Trickster informs them and Peter feels something is off.
"Something doesn't seem right," Peter informs his brother.
Barry was already searching everywhere in the streets searching for the bomb.
"Guys, I can't find it. I need your help." Barry tells them.
"I re-tasked the STAR Labs satellites to scan for any extra energy," Cisco told them, concentrating on his screen. "A bomb that large should be giving off some sort of thermal or chemical signature."
"Well then, why can't I find it?!" Barry sounded frustrated, which is understandable.
"Because it's a trick," Wells muttered under his breath. "The bomb's not there."
"No, it has to be, I'm going to keep looking," Barry argued.
Peter frowned, wondering why his brother wasn't listening to Wells. Why didn't he trust Wells' judgment? He had been right nearly every time before.
"That is what he wants." Wells tries to explain to Barry. "For you and the police to be kept occupied. Guessing he's hoping it'll keep Spider-Man busy."
"Technically, he's not wrong." Peter shrugged, knowing he couldn't get changed fast enough to get out there.
"There is something else going on Barry. I can feel it, just trust me." Wells asks of him.
There was a long silence. "I'm gonna keep looking."
"Barry." Wells tried again.
"Barry!" Caitlin yelled into the com. "Barry, trust him. What if the bomb is somewhere else? We don't know that Trickster is telling the truth."
"I-" She could see his dot still zipping through the city. "Wait."
"Guys, I found the bomb," Barry tells them and walks up to the box and finds it empty with a message:
Tricked ya!
At Iron Heights, Trickster blows up the cell holding James Jesse and they run with a hostage.
"Uh oh," Cisco muttered, confirming their worst fears. "There was an explosion at Iron Heights."
"This was all a diversion," Wells muttered.
"The prison was the real target." Caitlin realized.
"James Jesse." Wells laughed bitterly. "I guess he's tricked us all."
"He wanted to break out the real Trickster." Peter saw where the bomb went off underneath the prison, like literally underneath it.
But then Peter's shock turned to fear when he watched the video footage of Jesse and Trickster II leaving, taking a hostage with them. But it was who it was that led Peter to fear.
Henry Allen.
Trickster and Jesse make it to their hideout and tied Henry to a chair, so he doesn't try escaping.
"You have to admit, that was one hell of a trick," Jesse states to Henry, happy to see that it worked to trick the police and allowed him to escape Iron Heights.
"I cannot believe we're finally in the same room, I mean, you're my hero." Trickster tells Jesse as they work on something for Flash.
"You need a better role model, kid," Henry informs him from his chair. "Can't you see? He's just using you."
"Why did we bring him along?" Trickster wonders not seeing a reason for him.
"Because his son works for the CCPD," Jesse explains to the new kid. "Should we find ourselves in a jam, a cop's dad makes for an excellent bargaining chip."
"I wouldn't worry too much about what the cops might do to you," Henry called out, not afraid as he knows he was a bargaining chip.
"Really?" Jesse asks.
"If the police aren't able to find you, trust me, the Flash or Spider-Man will," Henry promises, knowing the heroes will be able to save him.
"Here's hoping," Jesse replies with a laugh, knowing they will eventually show, and is bringing something to stop him.
"So, what's next?" Trickster ll wonders. "In your last letter, you said you had something in mind for when you got out."
"I've had 20 years to come up with the perfect trick. It's gonna be my masterpiece. My Mona Lisa. My Breaking Bad season five." Jesse tells them and is confused as to how he knows about that. "They gave me Cable in prison so I'd stop killing the guards."
"Right. There's just one thing I've been dying to ask." Trickster states that he's been wondering about this for a while. "Why did you choose me?"
"Because..." Jesse said as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "I knew you had the strength to fulfill my legacy. Besides, it was in your blood."
"What do you mean in my blood?" Trickster asked.
The real reason I tracked you down and groomed you to be the best you could possibly be, Axel...I am your father." Jesse informed the boy.
And then the newly announced father and son start laughing maniacally together. Henry was just stuck listening to the bombshell and couldn't believe these two were family.
"We were able to finally identify the other Trickster," Joe tells the team at STAR Labs. "Meet Axel Walker, age 25. Apparently, he and James have been corresponding through snail mail over the past few years."
"I should have been there." Barry's voice was low, his eyes dark and angry. His hair stuck up in all directions like he had been running his hands through it. It was reminiscent of Andrew Garfield's Peter Parker look, which normally would have made her smile.
Caitlin walked around the desk and put her hand on Barry's shoulder. "We're gonna find your dad, ok?" She murmured.
"Definitely." Cisco agreed.
"I guess I should've listened to you," Barry states to Wells.
He was regretting not trusting him and left to think about what's occurred. Peter was kinda curious about something and walked off to talk to Barry.
Barry was sitting next to the pipeline, thinking about what happened when Peter approached him. "Everything good with you?"
"You think our dad is alive?" Barry wonders.
"From what I've seen through experience, they wouldn't have bothered taking him unless he could be used as leverage," Peter said as he took a seat next to him. "Give the guy credit, he's crazy; not stupid."
"Fair." Barry shrugged.
"But that's not what I'm here to talk about," Peter stated. "What's been going on with you? Second guessing Dr. Wells, not listening to your friend or girlfriend?"
Barry sighed and knew that he should let Peter in on it. "We...me and Joe...we came across something. We think Wells had something to do with our mother's death."
Peter was left in shock, that thought never enters his head as he looked to the doorway and back to Barry. "Dr. Wells?"
"Yeah, I know, it's hard to take in." Barry understood his confusion. "But right now, it doesn't matter if we lose our dad. It doesn't make any sense, he's been helping me save so many people, and yet he's possibly responsible for us being separated."
Peter nodded, understanding what he was saying. "It doesn't make sense. But we can worry about that later." He then stood up and held his hand out to Barry. "All we need to worry about is getting our dad back because I lost one group of parents...I'm not ready to lose my real father. Or my brother."
Barry smiled and was shocked at how mature his brother was and took his hand, allowing him to help him stand.
"Hey, guys." Cisco came into the two of them. "We might've found a possible hit for James and Axel."
"Where?" They both asked.
They walked back to the cortex and Wells showed them the spot. It was the re-election campaign for Mayor Bellows.
"Sounds like the perfect spot." Barry had to admit. "But there could be a dozen other places he could be."
"You proposing we split up?" Peter asks.
"How would that work?" Joe asks.
"Simple," Peter said and told them his idea. "I go and keep an eye on the party, Barry stays here in STAR Labs in case anything goes on somewhere else."
"And how do you plan on getting in?" Joe asks. "That party is for people with deep pockets or connections."
"I can do it," Caitlin interjected.
"What?" Peter and Barry asked.
"I could go, representing a science department for a donation, Cisco could probably whip something up," Caitlin explains her plan. "If something happens, I'll have Peter outside ready to go, and if we need you," she then gestured to Barry, "you can make your way over quickly."
"I don't like this plan." Barry didn't like the idea of sending Caitlin into danger.
"It could work." Peter shrugged, feeling it was a good idea. "And I'll be right outside to protect her."
Barry sighed and knew that he wasn't going to ever be okay with it, but then decided that he knew to trust both of them.
Bobby was walking around the lit campfire while Lockjaw was laying around and taking the scraps of food from Crystal's dinner. He had just been informed of Crystal's heritage and where she came from and why she was here.
Literally the story of a Disney Princess.
Like...literally.
Seems that her sister is the Queen of Attilan and Crystal was only known as the Princess. Wanting to at least experience a normal life on Earth, Medusa sent her to Earth to see how well she could do on her own. The only request was she didn't use her powers unless in defense.
"So... what are your powers?" Bobby asked her.
"Basically, the same as that boy from the Avatar show." Crystal recapped it as simply as she could.
"And you can't use it because...?" Bobby wonders, feeling her powers could be completely useful.
"Because there are a lot of people out there in the galaxy that can track our Inhuman signature. We live in a dome that blocks that signal, but as long as I don't use my power, they won't be able to find me. Lockjaw can only really teleport, but his signature can hide itself, so he's able to transport me anywhere without detection." Crystal explains to her friend. "And trust me when I say that you don't want to go against them."
"I'll take your word for it." Bobby shrugged and looked around. "Well...if we're gonna be honest with one another, then I suppose that I should be honest."
Bobby then closed his eyes and allowed his ice form to cover his skin, surprising Crystal as she looked over his form.
"Yeah, my last girlfriend broke up with me right after seeing this," Bobby admitted.
Crystal shrugged and walked up to him with a smile. "Not the worst trait. I dated a guy who could run faster than light."
"Dated a guy?" Bobby was shocked to hear. "Does that mean...?"
"Steady there, buddy." Crystal quickly stopped him with a smile. "Not yet. But...we can start with a lunch date."
"Done." Bobby immediately agreed to her terms.
"Uh, hi." Caitlin smiled at the two doormen at city hall. "Caitlin Snow. I'm with, uh, the science department."
She flashed them her fake badge, made by Cisco, and they nodded, letting her pass.
"It worked." Caitlin breathed into the com.
"Told you it would!" Cisco chirped.
"Be careful, Caitlin." Barry cautioned. "If you see either of the Tricksters, tell us as soon as you can."
Caitlin nodded, then remembered nobody could see her, and verbally confirmed her answer. "Ok. I promise."
"And I'm right outside," Peter said as he swung over and landed right on the roof of City Hall. "Just say the word..."
As she looked up and saw Spider-Man crawling around, an attendant walked up to her with a tray. "Champagne, miss?"
Caitlin sighed and decided to take the drink. "Oh, thank you." She took a sip, and it steadied her nerves some.
Enough, anyway, that she could look around without attracting any unneeded attention. She scanned the crowd quickly, searching for any sign of greying blond hair, or Axel's insane grin. Nothing turned up.
"I'm not seeing them." She hissed into her com.
"Keep looking." Wells insisted. "I'm sure they'll be there."
Back in STAR Labs, Barry crossed his arms. "I don't like this. She's putting herself in danger. We're putting her in danger."
"I'll be fine." Caitlin's voice could be heard over the com. "Anyway, if anything happens, I'm sure that you'll rescue me."
A flicker of a smile zoomed over his face, almost as if it was his superspeed causing it. Then the worry lines returned. "Yeah, but still. Just be really careful."
"Barry," Caitlin warned. "I swear, I will turn off my comm."
Cisco snickered into his fist as Barry turned red. He shut up, however when the speedster sent him a Dr. Snow-esc glare. "Sorry, dude."
At the party, Caitlin was making zero progress. But then to her surprise, she sees a familiar face across the room.
"Oh, hey, it's Caitlin Snow, right?" Mary Jane Watson asked as she approached him.
"Oh, yeah, hi, Mary Jane, what are you doing here?" Caitlin wonders.
"MJ is there?!" Peter asked in worry, wondering why she was there.
"Oh, I'm here with Iris," MJ said as she gestured to Iris West across the room. "Thought it'd be a nice change of pace. Not to mention I'm starting to get into this whole reporter stuff."
"Is that so?" Caitlin was surprised to hear as they walked around together. "From what Peter has let on, it sounded like you wanted to be in the entertainment business."
"I thought so too, but I started to fall for this pressing business." Mary Jane admitted. "It's kinda nice. And this whole unraveling Green Goblin has been fun."
"Oh yeah. Peter mentioned that." Caitlin replied. "Why are you looking into something that dangerous?"
"Nobody stops Peter from running into the flames." Mary Jane replied, causing Caitlin to stop in shock.
"Wha-what?" Caitlin asks.
"Those photos." Mary Jane explains, causing Caitlin to sigh in relief. "He takes those photos of dangerous people fighting, that might've helped lead me to the idea of reporting."
"So... where are you on the idea of who the Green Goblin is?" Caitlin wonders.
"Me and Iris have a possible theory." Mary Jane admitted, and Peter got interested pretty quickly. "Norman Osborn."
Peter was confused, and it seemed Caitlin was just as confused. "Norman Osborn?"
"Yeah, I wasn't sure at first, but then we looked deeper into it." Mary Jane started to explain to her. "He wasn't around when the Green Goblin attacked the CCPD, even though he was scheduled to show up. Then later he attacked a competitor to OsCorp, STARK Industries, and everywhere that the Goblin has attacked since then has gotten contracts to fix."
Peter had to admit that those are some sound arguments that could pinpoint Norman being the Green Goblin. He would need to have another talk with Norman, or at least need to keep an eye on the man.
But as he was thinking about it, his mask started to glitch out, leaving him blind for a moment. "What the hell?"
"I know where Henry Allen is." A mechanical voice said in his mask, confusing Peter.
"Whoa, who the hell is this? What are you doing?" Peter asks them.
"Call me a friend." The disembodied voice tells him. Then an address appears on the screen, showing a mark point saying: Henry Allen. "Go to this address, now. He doesn't have much time."
"Why should I trust you?" Peter asks the voice.
"Because I care about you, and by extension your family. Now, go."
Peter looked down and knew if anything happened, Barry would be there. He needed to hope that he was right to put his faith in this voice and ran off, not being able to contact the others with the glitch.
Praying that he was making the right choice, Peter swung off and hoped that he would make it in time to save his father.
Back inside, Mary Jane and Caitlin were talking when someone came up to the microphone that Caitlin feels like she recognizes.
"Good day, Central City's finest," Jesse states at the microphone on the stage. "How about a toast to mayor Anthony Bellows? He doesn't just yell at his staff, he bellows!" He jokes, causing everyone to laugh. "You see what I did there with the wordplay and the...tough crowd."
"Excuse me. Who are you?" One of the security men asks Jesse.
"How quickly they forget. James Jesse, your honor, aka the Trickster!" He reveals and everyone looks either confused as they've never heard of him before or scared knowing who he is. "And I'm here to relieve you fine people, from all your money."
Jesse continues as Axel takes out a machine gun. "Because we know if you're in this room, you've got loads of it."
"What makes you think anyone in this room would give you a cent?" One of the guests asks the Tricksters.
"Because that champagne they just slurp down like so much fruit punch. I added a little something special to it. Trimethyl mercury 32. Poison." Jesse informs the guests, and they start getting scared. "Without the antidote, you'll begin feeling the effects in about an hour."
Just as he proclaimed that one of the guests starts foaming from the mouth near the girls and caused them to back away.
"I remember you. You got to the party about an hour early." Jesse realizes as he falls to the floor dead. "I offered you the first glass of champagne. An hour is plenty of time for all of you to call your bankers and transfer everything to the account on the bottom of your glass. Once my young friend and I are rich, you'll get the antidote. And if anyone were to call 911 instead, we switch to lead poisoning."
Caitlin stared in horror at her cup.
Cisco whispered in her ear. "Caitlin... please tell me you didn't have any of that champagne."
"I had some of that champagne." Caitlin breathed, heart rate ratcheting up. "Oh, god..."
Mary Jane figured she was telling her the news, unable to see the comm in her ear.
As everyone panicked, Trickster pushed toward Caitlin and Mary Jane as he started to ruffle up his hair. Almost like he was trying to impress her.
"Well, hello!" Jesse crooned as he swayed around her. "You know, I've been in prison for 20 years."
Caitlin shuddered and spat back. "Then I think you'll know the routine when you go back."
That's when Barry came speeding in and slamming Jesse against the wall. "Where's Henry Allen!?"
"He's where you'll be soon. Heaven!" Jesse cried as Axel placed a device on his wrist. "You ever seen Speed? Well, that's the bomb and you're the bus. A kinetic bomb, and if you go below 600 miles per hour, it'll explode. The same thing happens if you were to try removing it. Now, run, run, run."
Barry sped off and waited for the guys at STAR Labs to help him get it off.
Henry was still tied to a chair and looked up to the box of knives above his head. Seems he was just a temporary hostage for them to worry about. They either returned in time to save him or their plan failed, and this would be their revenge.
But to his shock, instead of someone coming in through the door, which would set off the knives, someone came in through the window. Peter came swinging in and tackled his father to the ground. A failsafe then went off and sent knives flying in the location where the chair was.
Peter looked down at the location and sighed in relief. He was right to trust the weird voice in his head. Looking down at his father, he quickly undid the rope and let him up.
"Nice save there, kid." Henry thanked the boy in tights.
"Are you okay?" Peter asked as he looked his father over. "Did they hurt you?"
"Nah, I'm okay," Henry assured him.
Peter sighed in relief and pulled his father in for a hug for the first time.
"Whoa. A little close there, kid." Henry commented.
Peter sighed and knew that he should trust his father with this secret. After everything he's gone through, he needed to come clean. Reaching up to his mask, in one swift motion, he removed it for Henry to see who he is.
Henry looked the hero up and down in shock that his son was the hero Spider-Man. He then placed a hand on his shoulder with a smile. "Still wearing a onesie, I see."
Peter couldn't help but laugh at the dad joke and pulled his father in for a second hug.
A little while later, Barry comes speeding back in and everyone feels a pinch on their neck or shoulder when Barry joins the Tricksters on the stage holding a syringe.
"It's okay! You've all been given an antidote." Barry informs the guests who are relieved they'll be okay.
"That wasn't very sanitary," Jesse commented on Barry's action and that was sadly the most logical thing he's ever said so far.
"Now where's Henry Allen?" Barry asks him again seeing Jesse is trapped. "You're going to prison, either way, James."
Since Peter couldn't contact them (thanks to his friend), he had to wait for Barry before they could be brought to STAR Labs, and when they arrived, Henry was amazed to see everything.
While he was there, Barry also decides his father was trustworthy enough to let him know about his identity also.
"Half of this stuff didn't even exist when I was practicing," Henry states seeing everything around.
"Yeah, Well, I'd be happy to give you a crash course on all of it if you get out," Cisco says and gets mixed responses from everyone about that comment. "I'm gonna shut up now."
Henry laughs as he patted Cisco on the shoulder. "It's alright."
"Dr. Allen?" Caitlin calls out to him. "I'm feeling the need to give you a hug."
"I will always accept a hug." Henry states to her and they break apart and Henry approaches Barry.
"You gotta tell me. What does it feel like when you're running down the streets like a bat out of hell?" He wonders and Barry thinks of an answer.
"There's no feeling like it," Barry tells him, and Henry could live with that answer.
"Well, you're a hero. Actually, you're all heroes in my book, especially you, Dr. Wells. Thank you for everything that you've done for my sons."
"Well, your sons are two of the most extraordinary men I've met, Dr. Allen. And I will do everything in my power to ensure their future." Wells promises.
Henry turned back around and gave Barry a tight hug, dragging Peter in for the family of three to embrace. Caitlin bit her lip to keep from crying, hating that they had to say goodbye to their father.
With a bit of a goofy smile, Henry held out his hands for Joe to handcuff. "It's time, Joe."
Joe only shook his head. "No." He led him instead by the shoulder as they walked out of the Cortex.
Wells was sitting in his chair, but honestly, Caitlin didn't care. She walked up to Barry and hugged him. He pressed his face briefly into her shoulder and breathed her in. She smelled like pine and spices, and it calmed him down.
When she pulled away, Caitlin whispered, "Seemed like you could use a hug, too."
"Family." The Watcher smiled at the little family get-together. "The most important thing that drives every hero. Avenging the family. Protecting their family. Defending the family. It's all about family." But then he looked away in consideration. "Did I just quote Fast and the Furious?"