49

Cause and Effect

"Is this the right place?" Maya asked. She made a face, stumbling as her stiletto heel got caught in a sidewalk crack before entering the science building of Central City University.

Tess reached out a hand and steadied her friend. She smoothed her hair back from her face and said, "Yes, this is the right place. And forgive me for saying so, but I don't think high-heels are appropriate for a science building let alone for walking across campus."

Maya looked at her with wide, disbelieving eyes. "They're Prada!"

"We can talk about your shoe preferences and their misplace in science later," Harrison interrupted. His eyes shifted behind his glasses, taking in each face that passed the group. "Right now, we need to find Ms. Brand."

"She's always working on some sort of experiment," Tess explained. "Always working on some new idea as she works to defend her She's bound to be in one of these labs." She pumped open the door of the science building and the group walked inside. HR, at the side of the group, was edged out from them as they passed through the doors. But he continued to, practically, skip along behind them, undeterred.

HR sucked in a breath, making his chest swell and said, "Ah, the soul sucking fluorescents of academia." Then he let it out and added, "Yes, it's exciting. It's like meeting Norbert before he was Einstein."

"Norbert?" Maya repeated, perfectly sculpted eyebrows crinkling together.

"Yeah, you know Einstein," HR agreed. He looked back and forth between the three friends with him. "You know, Einstein! One of the most well-known and famous scientists of our time!"

"He wasn't part of our time," Harrison explained. "He's been dead for over hundreds of years." He suddenly stopped walking, sniffing the air. Tess, Maya, and HR all turned toward him, watching as he continued to sniff the air, looking around. Alarm rang over his face when his eyes locked onto a nearby classroom door. He grabbed onto a nearby fire extinguisher and burst into the classroom, spraying a white cloud over the burning pile sitting on a Bunsen burner.

As he did so, a figure popped up from behind the counter, welder's mask on. She squealed in surprise and dismay, watching her experiment get put out. "Hey!" She cried. "What are you doing?" She lifted her welder's mask and stared at the group. "That was my work."

"I hate to break it to you," Maya remarked, looking at the smoldering pile. "But I don't think it's going to pass."

"I had it under control." The woman's finger slipped against the trigger of the blow torch, setting it off once more. At first, the flame was invisible, a shimmering mass that filled the air. Then the color filled in, reds, oranges, yellows, and a hint of blue, that sparked out like a bayonet.

The sudden sound and appearance of the flame made everyone jump. Tess moved forward and grabbed the blowtorch, quickly taking it away from the woman. "Let's just get that away from before you burn off your eyebrows," she remarked. "I don't know if you know, they take a while to grow back."

"And it's the part of the makeup routine that takes the longest to do," Maya added. Tess looked at Maya and gently rolled her eyes, smiling a little.

Harrison gazed into the bucket that the fire had been burning from. His eyes narrowed, scanning over the contents inside. Then, without lifting his chin, he lifted his eyes to land on the woman. "Did you set that fire yourself?" He asked in a low voice.

The woman nodded. ""Yes, I'm burning everything."

"What?" was the unanimous response.

The woman leaned to the side and grabbed a sheet of paper, shoving it into the bucket. Then she reached back and did the same. "My work," she explained. "I don't know why they call it work because none of it works."

Harrison cleared his throat, placing his hands on his hips. "Dr. Brand-"

"Just Tracy," The woman quickly interrupted. "I failed my dissertation, so I'm not a doctor. And I never will be." She laughed a humorless laugh. "Nothing like ten years down the drain and a pile of debt as a legacy."

Tess gave her a sympathetic look, immediately relaxed her shoulders and allowed herself to appear softer. A subtle change in the wary way she'd been holding herself before. There were many ways to make other people feel comfortable when in their presence and changing body language certainly was one of them. Tess lowered her voice to a warm murmur as she said, "We were hoping you had a moment to talk."

"No," Tracy said quickly. She continued to shove papers into the trash can. "My bus leaves in five minutes." She paused, looking into the bucket. Her upper lip curled as she poked at the smoldering pieces. "I hope I didn't burn my bus ticket."

"Where are you going?" Maya asked.

"Big Belly Burger." Tracy's voice was flat, indicative of how much she did not want to go to Big Belly Burger. "I hear they're hiring."

"What about your research?" Harrison asked.

Tracy let out a bark of sarcastic laughter. "You mean my unsubstantiated and transactional inquiry into the purely suppositional nature of extradimensional energy?"

Silence stretched over the room. Not just because of the very calm nature that she explained her thesis, but also from how impressive it was, to those that understood it. Finally, Maya was the one who asked a tentative, "Yes?"

"A waste of time," Tracy said, becoming animated once more. She waved hand overhead before bringing her fingers up to do air quotes. "Or as Dr. Hirsch puts it 'a total misapplication of the university's resources'."

Harrison rolled his eyes. "Dr. Hirsch is an idiot," he remarked.

Tray seemed to concede his point, but said, "I may as well start practicing. Do you want fries with that?"

"Yes," HR said, eagerly.

"No," Harrison broke in at the same time.

HR ignored him and took a step towards Tracy. "Look, don't let the naysayers get you down. Your doubts are traitors." He gestured towards the science room they stood in. "Don't let your mind, which is too fine to waste, be used on nothing short of fast food—"

"You can't give up," Tess broke in. She waved off HR, who turned to her and started to say something about her being 'very rude' for interrupting his 'inspirational speech'. "Your work on relativistic quantum mechanics and its application to interspatial theory to manipulate matter on a subatomic level is groundbreaking."

Tracy eyed the four warily. She took a step back, slowly moving her hands up in front of her, as if to procure a barrier that'd keep them far away. Her hands shook. Eyes shifted from face to face. "I haven't shared my hypothesis with anyone other than my therapist. How'd you know that?"

Harrison grimaced and exchanged a look with HR. The easiest, and quickest, explanation was one Tracy probably wouldn't believe. That Harrison had his body taken over by an entity from the future who knew everything that was going to happen, which had been merged with Harrison's own experiences and subconscious. Of which had been shared with HR and Harry when the three mind-melded as well. That was the sort of explanation that would have Tracy call them crazy and head for the hills.

Or, Big Belly Burger as it were.

Harrison took in a breath and licked his lips. There were thousands of things he could say to convince her they were trying to help her. And most of those ways had to do with explaining that Barry was the Flash and that she was in danger and if they were going to stop Savitar, they needed her help. It was a messy situation. Things she wasn't supposed to know they'd have to tell her, her future…

But he didn't get a chance.

In seconds, the room erupted into chaos.

A cold chaos.

Unbeknownst to them, Killer Frost had inched up to the back door of the classroom and watched them through the glass on the door. Watched them long enough to know they'd be caught off-guard if she were to attack them. So she sent an icicle through the door, sending shards of glass and ice towards the five adults.

Maya immediately dropped to the ground, throwing her hands above her head. HR grabbed onto Tess and Tracy, pulling them away while Harrison rolled aside and used a nearby table to cover himself. He popped up, watching as Killer Frost stepped through the hole she'd made, feet crunching over the glass.

"Admission here is so easy," Killer Frost said. Her blue lips pulled back into a smirk, equally blue eyes moving around the room. "It's a good thing I decided not to attend." She looked towards her fingertips where icy trails swirled around them.

Tracy looked up toward Killer Frost, eyes widening to the size of dinner plates. "Who is that?" She shrieked.

"It doesn't matter," Tess said quickly. She nodded toward HR and Maya, dragging Tracy with her as she did so. "Get her out of here."

Harrison, protected behind the table in front of him, whipped his arm to the side and pulled a long rifle he had pinned to his back. He slung it forward and rested it on the table top. Closing one eye, he pointed it towards Killer Frost. His hand wavered, getting a good look at her.

Getting a good look at the white blonde hair that cascaded over her shoulders, at the bright brown eyes that'd turned an icy blue. At the horrifically pompous sneer that encompassed her face. Harrison decided then and there. It was no longer Caitlin he was looking at.

Caitlin was gone.

It was proven as such when Killer Frost noticed the weapon pointed at her and chuckled. She tilted her head. "Do you know what to do with that thing?' She taunted. Challenge flashed through her eyes, an unspoken history between them.

"I assure you I know exactly what I'm doing," Harrison said. He slowly started to move his finger onto the trigger. "I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't," Killer Frost replied. "Not like you already have." Her voice was cold, void of any warmth that would've otherwise proven Caitlin was still in there. Her eyes flickered towards Tess. "You're your lovely wife there know what you were doing in her absence? Taking advantage of those that worked beneath you?" She tsk'd, shaking her head back and forth when Harrison's eyes flickered towards Tess. "Dr. Wells, what would the public think?"

"We were two consenting adults," Harrison replied smoothly. "Nothing wrong with that."

"But it was still an abuse of power. And now you're going to know what it feels like." Gritting her teeth, Killer Frost pulled back her hands and thrust them forward, setting out another wave of ice.

Harrison fired the gun at the same time. The sound of the bullet was an explosion in the otherwise quiet room. Tess jumped at the sound, pressing her hands tightly over her ears from where she was hunched behind the nearby counter. Harrison watched as the bullet shot through the sheet of glassy ice Killer Frost created and struck her in the shoulder.

She jerked back as if been punched, the expression on her face was nothing short of mild inconvenience. Then she lifted her head, her eyebrow slowly lifting at the same time, to lock eyes with Harrison once more. She chuckled, showing off her teeth, lifting her hand. "Well, that was fun," she remarked. The bloody mess of her skin slowly but surely healed itself over.

Harrison slowly lowered his gun. Shit. He'd made a miscalculation. Should've known something else should've been done if he were going to come up against a meta. It wasn't like there were any meta equivalent of kryptonite they could come up with on the spot. Though a shot of fire would've been the best thing they could use at the time.

And with the blow torches too far away for him to get to without the risk of getting frostbite…

He reacted too soon.

Killer Frost threw another wave of ice towards him. This time, she moved her arms in an arc, cold air blasting towards Tess then slowly moving towards Harrison. Harrison brought up his arm and turned away. The thick black sweater he wore was enough to keep out the chilly blast from an air-conditioned building, but certainly not from the icy wind Killer Frost was sending his way.

It buffeted him from all sides, seeming to entrap him in his own blizzard.

"Harrison!" He heard Tess call.

"Tess!" Harrison shouted back.

Then he heard a rattling. A rattling that started off slow, quiet, but grew in intensity as the seconds passed. Harrison looked up and saw all the metal instruments in the room started to rock back and forth, clattering loudly. Harrison looked back at Killer Frost. Her eyes narrowed, she lowered her hands, cutting off her icy flow. She tilted her head, still watching.

The metal objects continued to rattle before slowly rising. Higher and higher. Finally, they shot towards Killer Frost in a flurry of a metallic tornado. Killer Frost let out a cry and lifted her arm, using the swinging motion for her cape-like coat to block off the test tubes, beakers, and sharp instruments that became projectiles. She turned back just in time to get clocked in the face by the bottom of a fire extinguisher.

Killer Frost fell to the ground with a thud. She lifted her hand to her face, wiping away the blood that smeared down from her nose. So, Harrison thought. She isn't quite so invincible. Then he looked around to find the source of aid, watching as Frankie Kane stepped into the classroom, eyes glowing a bright purple.

A smirk that rivaled Killer Frost's splayed across her lips, gloved covered hands held, palm side up. "I don't know about you," She remarked. "But I think you're starting to get a little too smug." She lifted her hands once more. Killer Frost cried out as her body was slowly lifted off the ground.

"What?" Killer Frost gasped. She glared at Frankie. "How are you doing this?"

Frankie's lips twitched. "A piece of advice, don't put metal in your suits." She thrust her hand forward, sending Killer Frost back through the doorway she'd damaged and into the wall behind it. Killer Frost collapsed to the ground in a heap. She glared up at Frankie before getting to her feet and running away.

Frankie twisted her mouth to the side, lowering her hands back to her sides. "I thought she would've been a tougher fight," she remarked. "Considering what they say about her on the news."

Harrison and Tess slowly straightened themselves from their hiding places. Harrison noticed Frankie's eyes move towards the gun Harrison held and he moved it behind his back. When the weapon was out of sight, she relaxed and said, "I'm looking for Cadence. Has anyone seen her?"

Cadence launched herself at Savitar, flaming fists and feet that propelled her from the bed to the other side of the room. Her hands grasped his neck as she slammed him in the wall. Savitar merely chuckled, his fringe falling against his forehead.

"Get your laughs out now," she growled. "Because I'm going to snap your neck in a second."

"I don't doubt you would," Savitar agreed. "But I'd think you'd like to know how I was able to trick you for so long." He paused, lifting his hands to wrap around her wrists. "Actually, I wonder what kept you from figuring out it was me sooner." He titled his head aside. "I guess it was how believable this face is. So trustworthy." He coughed when Cadence tightened her grasp around his neck. Then he smiled. "Wow, you really have gotten stronger."

Fire flashed through Cadence's eyes. She sucked back and blew out a breath of smoke. Savitar choked and turned his head away, trying to keep his face from the smoke. He phased out form her hands and moved across the room.

"God, and I thought morning breath was bad," he taunted. He zipped out of the way when Cadenec threw another fireball at him. "Now, Cay, didn't anyone ever tell you that it's a bad idea to throw a fireball at a speedster."

"Don't call me that," Cadence growled. She threw another one his way before following it by teleporting after him. She landed next to Savitar, kicking him in the side. He bent over in pain and Cadence grabbed his arm, throwing him overhead where he landed flat on his back. She conjured a fireball with her other hand and moved it closer to his face. "Don't fucking call me that."

Savitar merely smirked back at her. "Go ahead," he remarked. "You can't hurt me more than I already have been." He reached up and smoothed his palm over the right side of his face. Cadence watched as his face seemed to melt away, revealing his blind eye and the scarred skin beneath. "Look at that." He turned his palm up to face her, wiggling his fingers. "The wonders of modern makeup."

Cadence stared in horror. Stared at the face of the man she loved—thought she loved—staring back at her. Stared in the face of the man that'd haunted her and her friends, that'd turned Caitlin against them, that taunted them with their destruction and of the future that was coming. At the face of the man who was working alongside Breathtaker to help take over the world, to eliminate humans and let metahumans take over.

"You see, there's nothing you can do to me that hasn't happened already, and, Cay,"—Savitar zipped to his feet. Once again, he moved behind Cadence. She whipped around and sent a blast of fire toward him. Savitar held up his hand, catching the fireball as it crackled with electricity. "You really should stop throwing fire at me. By now I'd think you'd know about that whole boost thing we've got going on."

"I'm going to kill you," Cadence hissed.

Savitar lifted his finger and shook it back and forth. Then he stepped forward and framed Cadence's face in his hands. His eyes softened, sifting over her face. "Not yet," he murmured. He gently brushed his thumbs over her cheeks. "Besides," Savitar righted himself, dropping his hands from her face. "We've got company." He looked over as there was a flash of light and Barry appeared, throwing his arms out to keep himself from falling over, holding Jay's metal hat in his hands. "It's about time."

Barry stared at Savitar for a moment. His face etched into the angriest look Cadence had ever seen on him. A mixture of betrayal, heartbreak, and confusion. Then it clouded with something dark that seemed to fill his every being. He raced forward and grabbed onto Savitar at the same second that Savitar grabbed Cadence, dragging the three as far away from STAR Labs as Barry could go.

The three came to a stop in the middle of the forest. Like Barry, Savitar flung out his hands to keep himself from falling over. He glanced around the clearing and laughed to himself. "How fitting," remarked and pointed back and forth between Barry and Cadence. "Isn't this where you were first plotting to kill him?"

"You'd know, wouldn't you?" Barry hissed.

Savitar shrugged carelessly. He turned and kicked at the dead branches by his feet, noticing the scorch marks that still resided on them. "There's a lot of things I know," he said. "What about you?" He looked at Barry out the corner of his eye. "What do you know?"

"I know you've been waiting a long time for this," Barry said. Savitar smirked and nodded. Barry stepped towards him. "But everything with you is about time isn't it? The past, the present, the future, you know all of it."

Savitar spread his arms, just short of doing a bow. As if he was doing the final curtain call at the end of a play. The play he'd been starring in for as long as they could remember, maybe even longer.

"And you know everything about me," Barry continued, as if Savitar hadn't said anything. "And about Joe, about Wally, and Iris, and Cade…you know our strengths and our fears, you know how much we love each other. And you know how to use that love against us. All this time we thought we couldn't stop you because you were one step ahead. But that's not it, it was never it. It's because you lived it, you remembered when you were me—"

"—when I was you—" Savitar said at the same time. He shrugged once more. Ran a hand through his hair and looked away, almost as if posing for a phot to be taken of him. A model's shot if it were time for a freeze frame of sorts. "It's like I told you from the beginning…I am the Future Flash." He pointed to Barry then back at himself. "It's like looking in a mirror." He dragged his hand down the side of his scarred face. "Well, not quite."

"You're not so scary without your armor," Barry taunted.

Savitar grinned. Pleased at Barry's dark tone. "What can I say? I outgrew red."

"So…you're a time remnant," Cadence murmured, trying to wrap her head around what she was seeing in front of her. Trying to wrap her had around the truth. "You remembered what it was like to be Barry."

"Yeah, no. That's where you're wrong," Savitar said. He tapped his finger against his temple. "You think you're so smart, you thought you had it all figured out. But you haven't. You never will, so I'll be sure to explain it to you. But we'll have to take a trip to the past…to the night your mother night. Well, our mother died."

Cadence looked to Barry, watched him falter at Savitar's news. Could see the emotion that shot around his face. Any mention of his mother was bound to do so, especially when he'd already gone back twice to save her; not doing it once, then doing it the second time. The time that set off everything.

She could see the guilt washing over him. Another reminder of the decisions he'd made and how it affected other people.

"What?" Barry whispered.

"I saved you that night, from the Reverse-Flash. I was the one that kept your life from ending that night. And in payment, I got stuck in the Speed Force. I've been in that hell hole while you continued to live out your life. I was stuck for years, watching my mom and my wife repeatedly die in front of me. But I managed to break out and I got a firsthand look at the new timeline I was in; my own timeline and my world was gone."

"I had nothing to do with that," Barry protested.

"You were the one who went there and saved him," Cadence pointed out.

"Clearly you don't understand how past and future self works," Savitar pointed out. He rolled his head to the side and leveled his gaze at her. "It gets harder for you in the future, too. To remember what has and hadn't happened. But you always liked to hear about it. You and Brady couldn't wait until I got back to hear of my latest adventure. At least, you did."

Barry moved to stand in front of Cadence. "You're talking to me," he growled. "So talk. To me."

"Fine. I needed to learn more about this world and about you; I lost everything I loved. And you had it all." Savitar started to pace, continuously kicking at the ground. "I couldn't have that. I couldn't stand watching it, knowing it should've been mine. Y'see I needed a life. I needed yours. But here's the thing, you decided to play God and created Flashpoint and now here we are." He spread his arms. "Where everything Barry Allen touches turns to shit."

Barry sucked in a deep breath but continued to stay silent, allowing Savitar to continue. As the seconds passed, his chest heaved rapidly. Faster and shallower with each breath. Seconds away from exploding.

"But here's the funny thing, no one else seemed to notice the difference if they saw me. Well, except Julian anyway. He just seems to hate you on principle." Savitar took calculated steps towards Barry, keeping his eyes on him. "How many times do you think I interacted with your friends and family? How many times do you think I was there for Brady when he needed me? I mean, you. How many times do you think I was with Cade; holding her, and comforting her, and kissing her?"

"Shut up!" Barry shouted.

A cold wave washed over Cadence. Everything went numb. A roaring filled her ears. Had the ground given way beneath her feet? She couldn't feel it anymore. Felt as if the ground gave way, as if she were in a free fall.

Savitar laughed a loud cruel laugh. "It must be weird to be telling yourself to be quiet. To know that I'm getting under my own skin. But here's the thing, Barry, you've always been like that. So weak, so insecure. So pathetic. Well, at least your version of me, of us, has been. A few deaths, a few decisions you've made, and you crumble like a wet piece of paper."

Barry swallowed hard. He took in a deep, painful breath. He reached out toward Cadence, but she stepped away from him, breathing as painfully, as deeply as he was. "How did you become Savitar?"

Savitar grinned. Almost like a kid in a candy shop. He practically bounced with glee, eager to spill everything he knew when he got the chance. "I was hoping you'd ask. What feels like thousands of years in the speed force can do that to you." Savitar gritted his teeth, emotion coming to his voice.

Anger.

Pain.

"Thousands of years watching my mom's death, watching my wife's death, watching my life move on without me…it's enough to drive any sane man completely crazy. I was broken. And alone. I wanted the pain to end. And that's when I realized the truth; God feels no pain. All I had to do was become one. And I only need two more things." He pointed directly at Barry's heart, jabbing his index finger against his front. "For Cadence to die so you're driven so far into the dark that I know I've taken away everything that's ever kept you going."

Barry speed-slapped Savitar's hand away. The smack created a loud crack within the otherwise quiet forest. "And the other?"

"It may sound ironic, giving who I'm talking to, but I'll keep that one to myself."

Barry raised a vibrating hand. Savitar's smile faded, just slightly, as he looked at the hand inching closer and closer to Barry's chest. "What happens if I kill myself?" Barry demanded. "What happens to you?"

"Cause and effect's a tricky thing, didn't work for Eddie did it? Shot himself in the chest, Thawne's still kicking around. You see that's the thing about time travel, Barry, the more you do it, the less the rules apply to you."

"But you're not supposed to be here," Cadence pointed out. "You weren't supposed to go back and save Barry. Us having this conversation, right now, is changing the future."

"is it?" Savitar scrunched his face up in an expression of faux-worry. Of faux-concern. Even the slightest twitch of his eyebrow made him was maddening. "My ascendency is nearing, when I have control of all of time, it will be you who is abandoned and forgotten."

With Savitar's last word, Barry streaked around and punched Savitar under the jaw. Savitar fell back to the ground, Barry was immediately on him. He wrapped his arm around Savitar's throat, squeezing as tightly as he could. Savitar choked, bringing up his hands to claw against Barry's forearms.

"You're going to die right here," Barry groaned, struggling with the effort.

Savitar's eyes glowed. Cadence took a step back. "I forgot to tell you," he wheezed, face turning red. "My suit's cooler than yours."

A bright streaking light shot through the woods. First encircling them before shooting through the clearing. Cadence was struck in the side so hard that she was knocked straight to the ground. Savitar's suit zoomed up behind Barry and grabbed his arm, throwing the speedster across the clearing. Barry fell hard to the ground and rolled back to his feet as Savitar's suit loomed over him. The suit lifted its foot and stomped down toward Barry's face.

Barry cried out and pushed the suit's foot away from him then leaned up, punching the suit directly in the chest. Barry rocketed forward and punched it again, sending it back even further. As it did so, Savitar jumped up and raced into the suit. He landed seamlessly, the back closed, sealing tight. Then he was running in large circles around the clearing, creating white lightning.

"No!" Barry got to his feet and did the same, running as fast as he could.

The lightning they created started to fill the air. Crackling so far that twigs started to snap off the branches, littering the forest floor. At the same time, Savitar and Barry stopped running. At the same time, they threw lightning they created, screaming with effort.

At the same time, the lightning bolts collided, sending a shockwave so large through the clearing that nearby trees and branches smoldered in its wake. Savitar was gone.

"No," Barry whispered, pushing himself up. He stood and looked around the clearing. There was no sign of Savitar, and if he didn't want to be found, he wouldn't be found. "No, no! Damn it!" He punched a nearby tree, sending splinters in the air. Then he turned and, seeing Cadence still kneeling on the ground, hurried to her side. "Cade. Hey, you're okay."

Cadence shook her head.

"It's just me. You're okay."

He grasped her hand, Cadence immediately pulled it back. "Don't touch me," she whispered.

"Cay—"

"Don't touch me." She shoved Barry as hard as she could, put her added strength into it. Barry flew back against a nearby tree trunk where it cracked under his weight and the inertia behind his hit. He cried out in pain, slumping. "Get away from me!"

Cadence teleported from the clearing. Couldn't think straight. Went back to STAR Labs. Needed to be sure everyone was okay. The second she landed, she turned her back to the building, grabbing her hair with both hands. She sucked in ragged breath after ragged breath, tears coming to her eyes, a think lump forming at her throat.

"Cadence?"

She turned at her mother calling for her. Saw, through her tears, as Maya rushed to her side, Tess, Harrison, HR, and Frankie further behind her, seeming to freeze in place when they saw the breakind down metahuman.

"Mom," Cadence warbled.

"Cadey," Maya grabbed onto her sobbing daughter. Rubbing her back, holding her tightly. Trying to comfort her. "Cadey, what's wrong?"

"Everything!" Cadence gasped. She hiccuped. Tried to speak through her breathing. Through her racing thoughts. Through the revelations she had to deal with. Through the harsh truths. "Everything is wrong. It's all my fault."

"I don't understand. What's going on?" Maya clutched her daughter to her chest. "You need to talk to me, Cadey-Cat."

Cadence grasped her mother's arms, holding tightly as her body racked with sobs. Held onto her tightly, so tightly that it cut off the circulation to Maya's arms. Nevertheless, Maya did nothing more but continue to smooth her daughter's hair back from her face.

"What is it, baby?"

"I should've known. I should've known everything that was going on. I should've known Savitar was Barry. I should've known Caitlin was Killer Frost. I should've known Killer Frost was working with him. I should've known Breathtaker wasn't gone. I should've known he was going after Brady to get to me. I should've known what he was doing and what he wanted form me from the very beginning. He's turned the city against me, he's trying…Barry wants to kill me, Brady's in danger. I'm going to die, mom! I'm going to die, and my friends are going to die and…and I can't leave Brady alone. I can't leave him without a mom. I can't, I just, I, I c—I can't…"

Finally, Cadence completely broke down. Mourning over everything she'd kept bottled up for. Mourning her father's death, mourning her future, mourning Brady's future, mourning Caitlin, mourning Barry and his future, mourning the end of the world…mourning a life of normalcy she'd never had.

Cadence cried long and hard screaming sobs, desperately holding onto her mother, desperate for the comfort that only a mother could bring but knew, ultimately, her mother wouldn't be able to give her.

A/N: The way things are going now, it looks like this story will end at 60 chapters or so. So…I hope you guys are ready for what I've got in store for you all. And, get this, I've already got the first chapter to Burn marked up, so I plan on having that uploaded the same time I finish the last chapter to this one, as I've done with my last few stories.

Buuut, I also have multiple other Flash stories in the works that will be coming soon as well. Some of which will be uploaded soon as well. Though I do have other stories in other fandoms I'm working on to finish as well, I've, finally, gotten past the point of feeling I can't upload new things before finishing others so it gives me inspiration/motivation to bounce around when I need to. (She says while knowing she ahs to update her McFly stories, lol).

Anyway, let me know what you think, I become a better writer with feedback. I always respond to reviews, even if they're anonymous, and I respond to PMs as well.

Cheers,

-Riley

Review Replies

XxGeekyxX: I'm glad you liked that SaviCade moment, I hope you enjoyed the one in this chapter as well. You're not a bad person for loving it, lol. I love it as well. It's an interesting take to play.

DarkHelm145: Nope, you're correct. They're references. X-Men have always been some of my favorite superhero movies/entities and it's always fun to gain inspiration from them as well as to reference it occasionally. Plus, some plots I have coming up are inspired by the movies as well.

Ethan: Yes, Mindboggler was controlling both. No, Cadence just doesn't like Felicity and Felicity just doesn't like Cadence. They don't have big reasons for it other than there's just something about each other that they don't like. No, not since the beginning of her life, Breathtaker's only been watching her since she became a meta. Still creepy as she was a child, but not as much.