Cisco
October 14th, 2018
"Do you really think this is over?" Cisco asked as he and Iris walked back towards the computers in the cortex.
"Hopefully, as long as nothing else comes out of that pocket dimension," Iris said, pulling up the security program. "Which is why we need to figure out why it was that dimension you connected to specifically." The live feed of the speed lab jumped on the screen, the smoke was nearly gone at this point. Iris scaled back the time to two hours ago, when Cisco first tried to open the breach. When she hit play they watched the scene playing out in front of them. Cisco was taking stance, Caitlin was steadying him, everyone else was watching from the side. Nothing seemed different. They watched Cisco's different trials and errors while listening to the audio for any irregularities. When they got to the final try they paid extra attention. They saw the breach blast open and the light that filled the room. That's where things started to seem different.
"Does that look strange to you?" Iris asked. Cisco nodded.
"That's more than a light," he said. "We didn't stumble back, we were pushed back."
"Didn't you say that could happen?" she questioned.
"Yeah, but I expected the breaches to disagree with each other and dissipate into a minor explosion," he clarified. "This light is coming from inside the pocket dimension."
"What kind of light has force?" Iris asked.
"Technically speaking it all does in minuscule amounts but nothing like that, at least not
visible light," Cisco said.
"What if it's not the light then?" Iris responded. "The light could be combined with
something else and it is just brighter."
"Nothing that I can tell," he told her. "I thought it was the force of the explosion, that's
what it felt like. At the very least it felt like some kind of wind."
"Wind wouldn't be visible though," Iris noted.
"It also wouldn't be powerful enough in that concentration," he realized.
"Well, assuming it is the light, maybe physics just works different in that pocket
dimension," Iris said.
"The other Earths could potentially have different laws of physics but that hasn't shown to be the case."Cisco said. "Even if it was, this pocket dimension is connected to Earth 1. It should follow the same properties. Even if it was more advanced than us this shouldn't be possible. It's not even theoretical. Whatever it is, it's not regular light and we clearly don't have it here. Otherwise it would react the same way in day to day life."
"Well, I don't think we are going to figure it out from looking at this video," Iris said. "Do you think it has something to do with why that dimension was opened?"
"I mean, maybe," he responded. "If there was some trace of that, whatever it is, on this Earth it could have established a connection. But I would have to be connected to it myself and like I said, it doesn't seem to exist here."
"That doesn't mean that it doesn't," Iris told him. "But why would it be connected you? Could it have to do with your powers?"
"If it's a dark matter thing then maybe," he noted. "That would be the only thing that would have a similar effect that this light does only dark matter isn't visible."
"Maybe this is just a different form of dark matter," Iris said.
"So like….light dark matter?" he asked. "Even if it was this light dark matter was very concentrated."
"And regular dark matter isn't?" Iris asked.
"Not usually," he wondered. "But also not never."
"So the black matter in your system is why this specific dimension opened for you naturally," Iris said. "That's a start. You could probably reopen it easily."
"Okay, say I do that, how do we get the bird back in?" he asked. Iris thought for a second and was about to respond but Ralph stumbled into the room.
"What is it Ralph?" Iris asked.
"I did some research on alternate dimensions," he said. "If they are basically different timelines from our own, doesn't that mean that different timelines are possible in our dimension. Like, time travel! Do you think that's possible?" Cisco just stared at him. He assumed that Iris's face matched his fairly closely.
"So...yes then," he said. "I'm out of the loop. Got it." Iris sighed and was about to say something before she was cut off by another screech.
"What?" Cisco exclaimed. Barry and Caitlin came running into the room a second later.
"How did it get out?" Iris asked.
"Ralph tripped over the cord on the way in here," Caitlin said.
"It unplugged and turned off," Barry added. "There was nothing holding it back." Cisco and Iris cast a glare at Ralph.
"Whoops," he said. Then the bird flew into the room. This time it started to dive bomb them, all they could do was dive out of the way. Black smoke began to fill the room again.
"Quick, we have to leave before the room fills completely again!" Caitlin called. "We would be held captive!"
"Don't have to tell me twice," Ralph called. He tried to run but Barry beat him to it by speeding everyone out of the room and back to the now smoke free speed lab.
"What are we going to do now?" Cisco asked.
"The zap and vacuum idea won't work again," Caitlin said. "This thing is too smart for that."
"What makes you think that?" Cisco asked. "It's literally a cloud of smoke."
"Look, I agree with Cait," Barry said, glancing at her. "We need a new plan. We have to send this thing back where it came from."
"Did you guys figure out how Cisco opened it?" Ralph asked.
"We think it has something to do with the black matter in his system," Iris said.
"I can probably just breach it open the same way as before," Cisco told them.
"I can steady you again," Caitlin offered.
"That's great but how do we get the bird in?" Ralph asked. "Let it chase us?"
"Yes," Barry said.
"I was kidding," Ralph said.
"I'm not," Barry countered. "If I anger it is will chase me and I can run into the breach."
"Wait, so you want to run head first into an unknown pocket dimension with no idea what is on the other side or how to get back?" Iris asked. Barry nodded. "No. Not happening."
"Well, I can do it," Cisco said. "I can open a breach to get back at least, plus, the breach clearly stays open without me for some reason."
"No, it's too dangerous," Barry said.
"And it's not for you?" he responded.
"That's different," Barry said, glancing at Caitlin.
"Why?" Cisco asked confused.
"No one is running into the pocket dimension!" Iris yelled before Barry could respond.
"We need to do something!" Cisco fired back.
"Not this," Iris told him. "Maybe we can get it to chase something else and then throw it in."
"You mean like make it chase a dummy?" Caitlin asked.
"Or a robot," Ralph added.
"Do we have anything like that on hand?" Barry asked.
"I'm sure I can whip something up," Caitlin said.
"Really, that quickly?" Barry asked.
"If you think you can then do it," Iris said. Caitlin nodded and then tore out of the room.
"What about the rest of us?" Ralph asked.
"Be prepared to fight it off, we have to make it look like whatever dummy Caitlin finds is the one doing the attacking," Iris told them.
"What if I disguise myself as whatever it is and do the attacking and then we swap it out when the bird can't see and throw it in?" Ralph asked.
"That could work," Iris told him.
"I'm all for it," Cisco said. They looked towards Barry. He nodded.
"Okay," Iris said. "So when Caitlin gets back-"
"I found something," Caitlin said, rushing back into the room, cutting Iris off. She was dragging the suit display mannequins that was wearing the early version of Ralph's costume. It had been colored to match Ralph's skin tone.
"How did you color it that fast?" Iris asked.
"I've been working on something," she responded but Cisco noticed the pause between been and working. "This should work well enough, they don't have great eyesight."
"They?" Iris noted.
"What about eyesight?" Ralph asked.
"Where are you getting your information?" Cisco asked.
"Do we really have time for this?" Barry asked. "That thing could come back at any moment? We can grill Caitlin after, believe me." Barry's comment was punctuated by yet another screech.
"Okay, move, now," Iris said, dragging the mannequin into the speed lab. Barry quickly helped her and they stored it off to the side. Hopefully hidden away. Then Caitlin handed Ralph his old suit, well, one version of it. Ralph quickly slipped it on over his clothes.
"Places!" Iris called. Cisco ran to the center of the room, Caitlin ready to steady him once again. Barry and Iris stood closer to the mannequin to obscure it and Ralph stood slightly off to the side to draw the bird's smoke. Cisco immediately tried to open the breach again but realized that he would have to do a double breach again. He became more determined and began rapid firing just as the bird flew into the room.
"Now Cisco!" Caitlin called behind him. With one last blast his vibes collided and the breach blew open once again. Like last time, the team was pushed backwards and stumbled to the ground. They were disoriented when the bird flew into the room but not incapacitated.
"Here birdie birdie birdie!" Ralph called, getting up quickly and waving his arms. Cisco and Caitlin tried to roll out of eyesight. The bird was stunned for a moment upon entering the room but clearly not by Ralph. It was however, Ralph's yelling that brought it back to reality because it began to chase the metahuman.
"Guys!" Ralph yelled. "Can we switch now?"
"Hurry!" Iris called. Ralph dove behind her and Barry. Iris was armed with a blaster just in case and blew off a shot to deter the bird. Then Barry and Ralph heaved the mannequin and threw it past Iris.
"Come and get me!" Ralph called as it flew. The bird turned and dove towards the mannequin but it stopped short of the closing breach.
"They didn't throw it hard enough," Cisco said under his breath. His mind was moving a mile a minute.
"Cisco, don't!" Caitlin whispered harshly, like she knew what he was thinking.
"I have to," he said back and launched forwards. He vaguely registered Caitlin scrambling up behind him.
"Hey bird!" he called. "Come and get me!" Then he sent a blast at the thing as it sat upon the fake Ralph. It had no effect though and flew through the bird. He heard Iris scream and then a crash. He didn't have time to register that fact because the bird screeched again and ran towards Cisco. He took off running towards the portal.
"Don't!" he heard someone call. He half expected Barry to speed him out of the way so he wasn't surprised when someone grabbed his arm and threw him back. What did surprise him was the fact that the person who pulled him back was Caitlin. The same Caitlin who was now standing directly in between the portal and the bird.
"I'm sorry," he swore he heard her say, then she reached back and grabbed something from the back of her pants and thrust it forwards. "Obgeen!" She yelled. Then there was another bright light and Caitlin spun back towards the breach with her arm still outstretched. She was holding a wooden stick of some sort with sparkles shooting from of it. Then, like it was pulled by a rope, the bird was thrust into the breach just as it closed. It was gone.