The Enlightenment is closing in, can it be stopped? Will DeVoe/ Gold Drive be stopped?

Med bay:

Barry woke up to find himself back in S.T.A.R Labs, he looked at his hands to see that he wasn't in Type Tridoron form. He looked to his left to see that Caitlin was sat next to him with her back to him, she was working on the computer with Krim sat on the table.

"Barry, you're awake!" Krim exclaimed, Caitlin spun around as fast as she could and smiled. "You've been out for six hours, how do you feel?" Krim asked as he was concerned about his partner.

"Like I've been hit by Tridoron, where's DeVoe?" Barry asked as he shot up then held his ribs as he was still hurting.

"Rest up, you took a lot of serious injuries. Thanks to Tridoron, you only cracked two ribs." Caitlin told him which made Barry grateful. "And while you were out, Iris got a lead on Marlize so she and Ralph have gone to get her. He and Chase came back here to find that Gypsy had brought you here, she's in the lounge with Cisco." Caitlin explained, Barry nodded then Krim shot up and wrapped his belt form around Barry's waist.

"Let's go. I want to thank Gypsy for saving my friend." Krim smiled, Barry and Caitlin nodded then they walked towards the lounge.

Oxford, England:

Meanwhile, a breach opened up in an empty apartment and out jumped Iris and Ralph who had transformed into Mach before they left. Iris looked around while Ralph kept his Zenrin Shooter pointed wherever he looked, he was cautious as he didn't know what to expect.

"Ralph," Iris whispered, he turned around and looked at Iris who was feeling a teapot. "It's still warm. It means she's still here." Iris whispered, Ralph looked around and kept his finger on the trigger. Behind them, a portal opened and out stepped Marlize holding a katana.

"It's rude to break into someone's home uninvited," Marlize shouted as she pointed the katana at them. "Especially if that person has a grudge and is holding a katana." The katana started to spark with electricity while Ralph pointed his gun at her, they looked at each other as if a fight was about to start. "Why are you here?" Marlize shouted, Ralph knew that pointing a weapon wasn't going to get them anywhere so he tossed the Shooter to the side and held up both his hands.

"We need your help to stop him," Ralph told Marlize then he took out a photo of Harry and handed it to her. "A friend of ours used a cap just like your husband and used it to try and outsmart him, but whilst it helped us; it's causing him to lose his mind. Just like what your Enlightenment will do to everyone around the world." Ralph told her, Marlize lowered her sword and looked at the two.

"What? You think I left Clifford and now I'll help you stop him?" Marlize asked as she smiled, Ralph shook his head as he removed his Signal Bike and cancelled his Mach form.

"You wanted to change the world for the better, correct?" Ralph asked and watched as Marlize nodded. "How can people change if they're being controlled by DeVoe? If you still believe that humanity can change, then stop him so that humanity can change for the better." Ralph begged, he held out his hand and hoped that Marlize would help them.

S.T.A.R Labs:

Barry had just returned from talking with Gypsy and she decided to stay behind to help out. He was in the Cortex trying to figure out what DeVoe was going to do now as he took down one of his satellites but Barry knew that there was something missing.

"You took down one of DeVoe's satellites, great one!" Cisco congratulated but Barry shook his head. "What's the matter?" Cisco asked as he could see that Barry wasn't smiling.

"DeVoe didn't seem to care, why?" Barry asked as he was puzzled. "Unless he wanted me to take it down." Barry shouted then he started typing on the keyboard but the alarm started going off.

"What's going on?" Caitlin asked as she and Gypsy ran into the room, Krim had arrived on top of Shift Formula's trailer.

"The S.T.A.R Labs satellite has been activated," Krim shouted then he took control of the screen and showed the readings from it. "It's DeVoe: he's hacking our satellite as we destroyed one of his." Krim told them then he failed off the trailer as all the screens changed to purple.

"He's here!" Barry shouted, he picked up Krim and transformed into Drive Type Technic as he headed towards the Time Vault. When Barry got there, he couldn't get in so he used Technic's knowledge of technology to try to get in but he got blasted into the wall.

"He's trying to stop us from entering!" Krim shouted as the driver screen changed to an angry face. Barry shook his head as he removed Shift Technic and inserted Shift Formula.

"Krim, is it possible for me to phase through with Formula?" Barry asked before he shifted the car up but the belt didn't answer.

"You could but it will cause damage to your body!" Krim shouted but before he could stop him, Barry had already changed into Type Formula.

"Krim, we're going for a rough ride!" Barry shouted as he shifted the Formula Shift Car ten times.

"I'll have your back no matter what happens. We'll always be friends, Barry!" Krim shouted as the Formula tires spun so fast that they were now a blur.

"For-For-For-For-For-For-For-For-For-Formula!" The driver shouted then Barry and Krim phased through the wall and they saw the room was all purple and no sign of DeVoe: the Enlightenment had begun.

City streets:

There was chaos everywhere as all electric objects were down, Barry and Chase were helping calm things down in their rider forms. They were dealing with panicking people, crying children and also helping the CCPD with anything else.

Meanwhile:

Back at S.T.A.R Labs, Cisco was trying to find a way to restore power to the building while Caitlin was trying to contact Joe and Cecile to see if they were okay until the lights came back up. Barry ran back in to see that the lights were back which surprised him.

"I got the Tridoron to connect with the generators; it has the same power source that Chase has so we'll be fine." Krim told everyone, they turned around to see Chase walk in with Cecile and Joe.

"I had to bring them here, Cecile is close." Chase told everyone, Joe nodded then looked at Barry. "Joe, the hospital's equipment would've been affected by the Enlightenment. Caitlin, can Cecile deliver the baby here?" Chase asked bluntly again, Caitlin smiled and nodded.

"I've got all the equipment we need, let's see how the little one doing quickly." Caitlin told the couple then they walked into the medical bay while Barry, Cisco, Krim and Chase stayed in the Cortex.

"I've more tests and it seems like when Harry tested that cap on himself, DeVoe was using him as a test subject." Krim told them as the Fire Braver Shift Car carried in an empty vial on its back.

"That way we could find out if his Enlightenment would work. That cruel jerk will pay for what he has done." Chase spoke then punched the wall behind which left a skull mark thanks to his ring.

"Well, we may have a way to stop him," The team looked behind them to see Ralph and Iris with Marlize behind them. "Marlize wants to stop DeVoe for everything he has done." Ralph explained then Marlize stepped forward.

"My husband doesn't have a body anymore. Thawne created the Dark Driver so that Clifford could survive and there's no way to stop him." Marlize told them then she took out a flash drive. "But in case it went too far, I copied all the plans and studied them to find a way to destroy him." Marlize then down at the ground as a tear fell out of her eye. "I wanted to save Clifford but now that he's beyond saving, I have to do the one thing that will break my heart." Barry walked over to Marlize then had a yellow portal opened up and sucked Barry and Ralph inside it.

"What happened?" Cisco shouted then he looked at Marlize who was shocked. "You didn't do this, did you?" Cisco asked and Marlize shook her head: someone else had did it.

Somewhere:

A portal opened and out flew Barry and Ralph: they were on the same street that Barry ran out of and the created the Bus Metas. They stood up and dusted themselves down then looked around to see that everything had a light shade of grey to it.

"Scans show we're inside DeVoe's mind; someone sent us here." Krim told them, they looked around to see a dark figure in the distance then it ran off so they followed close behind. Barry and Ralph outside the DeVoe house but with no sign of the unknown figure.

"Why did that figure lead us here?" Ralph asked as he put on his driver, Barry flew Krim around his wrist as they got ready for the unexpected. They looked around to the house and were surprised to see that it was completely empty.

"Barry, catch!" Krim shouted then a small earpiece flew out of the driver and Barry caught it. "It's an extra-dimensional earpiece; the team can hear you from anywhere."Krim told his partner, Barry smiled then put in the earpiece.

"Barry, can you hear us?" Barry was greeted by the sound of Caitlin's voice which made him smile.

"Caitlin, it feels great to hear your voice." Barry exclaimed, he could hear her sigh over the commlink. "Look, we know where we are: Inside DeVoe's mind so we're going to try something for Marlize." Barry paused and looked at Ralph and Krim, they both smiled and nodded.

"What are you going to try, Mister Allen?" Marlize asked as she was curious, Barry smiled then looked at the ceiling.

"We're going to restore your smile by bringing back your husband." Barry told her, he could hear that Marlize was crying. "We're at your house but there's nothing here: no furniture, no photographs, nothing." Barry told the team, he waited for someone to talk.

"Barry, first time in love." Caitlin told him which confused Barry as he didn't know what that meant. "Go to the place where he first fell in love with Marlize." Barry nodded then he and Ralph headed to the front door then transformed into Drive Type Speed and Mach, he raced towards where Marlize and Clifford fell in love.

Oxford:

Drive and Mach had arrived at a park called Boars Hill, they looked around to see a picnic blanket with wine and music playing from a car radio. Mach walked over to the car to check it out while Drive checked out the surroundings.

"Guys, there's a car here and it's playing music from the radio." Barry told the team through the commlink, he could hear a sniffle then Marlize spoke.

"Our first dance together." Marlize told him, Mach nodded then walked over to Drive. "Any sign of Clifford?" Marlize asked, Mach looked around and shook his head.

"He's not here. What now?" Ralph asked as he continued to search the area, the team didn't know what to do so they were silent.

"Excuse me?" Barry and Ralph turned around to see someone they knew: it was Clifford DeVoe but he was different as he was in his body, not as Gold Drive. "What are you doing here?" DeVoe asked, Drive walked towards DeVoe while Mach activated his comms.

"Guys, we've found DeVoe but before he was Thinker." Ralph told them then a energy blast flew past and missed them: it was Gold Drive.

"In this place, I like to have something to keep me busy!" Gold Drive chuckled as his hand glowed yellow, he threw an orb but Mach shot it back at Gold Drive. "To think that I didn't suspect my older version was… surprising but now, I'll wipe the three of you from here." Gold Drive then started glowing red and threw several lightning bolts but when the dust clouds cleared, the three had disappeared.

Meanwhile:

Back in reality, the team was getting ready to leave as Gold Drive was coming. Chase quickly transformed into his Rider form and got ready to leave but a huge glass like portal appeared and Gold Drive walked out.

"Today, we are gathered here today to worship in song. May I suggest Kumbaya?" Gold Drive suggested as he walked down the ramp of the Speed Ring, he held out his hand but was shocked by a forcefield. "Ah. A forcefield. I should've never let you build that chair without my oversight. It was my first ever mistake and my last." Gold Drive told Marlize, she looked at her husband's armoured form.

"You've made many miscalculations against us." Cisco told the armoured figure, Gold Drive stepped back and started laughing.

"Really? Did your simple minds never think why I never targeted Mister Allen?" Gold Drive asked as he pointed at the team. "Answer: his connection to the Speedforce. Access to all of time: past, present and future. True knowledge…" Before Gold Drive could finish his speech, Marlize had pressed a button on her tablet which caused the whole team to disappear.

DeVoe's Mind:

Drive and Mach had the good DeVoe and were running towards the portal at the end of the street. They were so close to the portal when a thin yellow blast hit DeVoe in the chest and killed him, the two checked for a pulse but they were too late. Gold Drive was walking towards them and there was a huge army of Drive's behind him: they were in Type Speed but the colours were reversed.

"Seems like bringing back the good DeVoe is out, what now?" Mach asked as he pointed his Zenrin Shooter at the army. Drive stood up and held his Handle Sword, he stepped alongside Mach and nodded, they then charged towards the army and started fighting their way to the portal.

"I got an idea but it's risky," Barry shouted as he kicked a Reverse Drive into a wall, Ralph nodded then back flipped whilst shooting several Reverse Drives. "I'll cause a diversion, you make a run to the portal." Barry told his friend, Ralph was horrified to hear that idea.

"No way, I'm staying here with you." Ralph shouted but he didn't know that Barry had taken something from Ralph. "Let's do this together!" Ralph was about to change into Deadheat but couldn't find it, he looked to his left to see that Barry had Deadheat in his hand.

"Please, trust me. You are stronger than me; protect my family!" Barry shouted, Ralph didn't want to but he ran as fast Mach could go while Barry the Shift Speed car. "Krim, you ready to go wild?" Barry asked as he took a deep breath, the driver honked as Barry inserted Deadheat.

"Drive: Type Deadheat!" Barry's body was overflowing with red electricity which hit several Negative Drive's, his body then changed to look exactly like Ralph's Deadheat form apart from the helmet which was repaint of his Type Speed helmet.

"Now, think about something you love to counter DeVoe attacks!" Krim shouted and Barry nodded, his visors lit up like car headlights as he started thinking about what he loved the most: Caitlin.

"Let's see if you can fight me when I'm fueled with love!" Barry shouted as he ran and started fighting all the Negative Drive's. They couldn't counter Deadheat Drive's attacks as he was attacking too fast to keep up with.

Pocket Dimension:

Ralph jumped out to see Chaser fighting Gold Drive, he joined in the fight but was struggling as he didn't have Deadheat. The fight wasn't going well as Gold Drive picked Ralph up by his neck then smashed into the ground which made Ralph scream in pain

"Ralph!" The team shouted as they could see that Ralph was in serious pain while Chase was feeling so weak. Gold Drive picked up Chase's fallen Shingou Axe, he then walked over to the weaken Ralph and held the axe high above him.

"Ralph!" Chase shouted, he got up as fast as he could and kicked Gold Drive in the chest. "I'll stop you right here and now!" Chase shouted but Gold Drive laughed as he kicked Chase into a pillar then slashed him with the axe.

"I'll finish you first, machine!" Gold Drive shouted, he transferred a lot of his power into the axe then slashed Chase; shattering his driver and cancelling Chase's Rider form. "You are as important as that dumb idiot Mister Allen and his friends care about: which is not important at all!" Gold Drive bellowed, he was about his Chase again but he had quickly transformed into Machine Chaser.

"Chase, fall back!" Joe shouted but Chase shook his head as he charged towards Gold Drive and continued to fight. Ralph tried to get up but he was too badly wounded.

"Let this be your final moment, being a pointless hero." Gold Drive shouted as he blasted Chase through his chest with a red beam from his hand. Chase collapsed onto the ground and his core blew up which caused his cybernetic body to shatter. "Now, where was I? Dealing with you." Gold Drive turned around but was punched in the face by Mach; Ralph was back on his feet and he was furious.

Chapter 9 has ended with a tragic ending: Chase dying whilst protecting his friends. How will the fight end? Can Ralph beat Gold Drive while Barry is trying to escape DeVoe's mind?

Looks like you'll have to wait to find out.