ubeta-ed
"What's this?" Rhodey asked, peering at the transparent glass box under brighter lighting. "A microchip?"
"It's uh, a little project of mine, aside from fixing my gloves, that I started when the extrapolator was done. To kill the time." Cisco shifted on his feet unsurely. "It's for you, actually."
"Huh?"
Cisco seemed hesitant to gesture at Rhodey's legs. "I've read about your spinal injury two years ago, and I noticed that you're already managing just well with what Stark gave you, but I thought I could, um, help you walk again without you needing the harness." He hastily added, "If you don't mind, that is."
Rhodey was silent, not sparing Cisco a look and handling the microchip container like a matchbox. "This could help me walk?"
"You'll regain the feeling on your legs once you have it surgically attached to your spinal cord. But I suggest not now—have it run by Stark first, I mean. It's all experimental, tested by two people so far, and I know Stark could help improve it much better. Besides, I think you'll be more comfortable to use it if Stark approved of it. I know it isn't much, but—"
"Isn't much? Are you hearing yourself?" Rhodey interrupted. "This—look, we have flying metal suits and all that, but this is a helpful breakthrough. You could be rich and help others with this, and you're just giving it to me."
"I don't want to take all the credit for it. The idea is from two of my friends, one of them paralyzed before from waist down. I think that was what drove her to create this. The two of them shared it with me, and I think it's safe to share it to another universe who doesn't have it yet. And as I said, it's all experimental, so…"
"You're really something else, are you?" Rhodey shook his head amusedly. "Honestly, I was even suspicious when I heard about you from Tony, and I'm basically here for the sake of gauging you for myself. Then you go gave me a gift. I—Thank you. I don't know what I did to earn it."
"I think being a buffer to Stark's motor-mouth is enough to warrant you that," Cisco said with a grin.
"Any reason in particular why it has to be tonight?" Stark asked with a tone of disinterest, but Cisco wasn't blind to the hidden intrigue.
"Barry suggested it. He said something about the school's field trip to MOMA. They left an hour ago, I think."
Stark made a show of checking his watch. "More time for me and Pepper then." He turned to Cisco with a raised eyebrow. "How about you?"
"Tweak some things I have, I guess."
He didn't know if Stark's silence at seeing his vibe gloves was a sign of neutrality or distaste at the design. Stark thankfully didn't comment. "Right." He observed Cisco's temporary workspace at his own mini lab, before saying, "Rhodey told me about the trinket you gave him."
Expect Stark to call a microchip a trinket. Cisco sighed. Here we go again. "Yeah, I know it's not on par with any of your—"
"Shush. Let me finish," Stark butted in. "I've never seen him that excited since I released the first Iron Man suit, but it's more than that. I don't even care if it doesn't work, because I'll make it work for him. I'm just kinda hurt I didn't think of it soon."
Sometimes… sometimes Cisco didn't know whether to laugh or be annoyed at Stark. It was one of those days, so he opted to rolling his eyes, chuckling. "A microchip has nothing on a full-bodied metal suit, so I doubt you'd pay attention to something that small."
"Correction, I was into nanites recently." Another rolling of the eyes as if saying that wasn't the point. "Fine. I know what you mean. There's some truth in that," he admitted, albeit begrudgingly.
"Yeah yeah. Thanks, though, for letting me in here, I guess. The lab is a sacred place for people like us."
"More or less."
"And thanks to FRIDAY too. Really appreciate your inputs."
"Always a pleasure, Mr. Ramon."
"Ah, you and Gideon would have been good friends," Cisco said, wistful. "And you would surely be popular in our earth."
Stark smirked. "No surprises there."
"Not in a good way, really."
"Same difference."
A sigh escaped Cisco. "Just—just shake my hand."
Stark stared at the proffered hand as if it was a thing of wonder before agreeing to the gesture, frowning. Cisco wondered if it meant that Stark wasn't used with this. That would be impossible.
For a talkative person, it was interesting to find out that Stark's sincerity was shown more in his actions. He never uttered any word of gratitude about taking Rhodey's partial disability into consideration, but Cisco knew that Stark already thanked him in his own way even as the man immediately turned to leave afterwards to meet with his fiancé, giving a casual wave over the shoulder.
Cisco was left to check on his phone, finding a short text from Barry that said they were halfway there. Cisco was debating whether to take the Stark phone as a souvenir tech of sorts; Stark probably wouldn't mind, though he would still ask, regardless.
It wasn't even ten minutes past when he was assaulted with an onslaught of different sensations. It might have been a while since he last did it, but he could never forget what vibing felt like.
He was instantaneously on a strange land that was desolated and surrounded by wreckage, and it could have been the first thing that Cisco noticed, because he knew then that it wasn't a place that he had seen before—nor was it any other earth for that matter; a planet of this universe then? There was a woman—or at least who seemed humanoid enough despite her blue skin.
Though what grabbed Cisco's attention was Stark, dirtied, bloodied, and on his knees like he was fresh out of battle, and on the ground was Peter who appeared to be pleading for something that Cisco couldn't hear with their voices sounding so distant.
And then Peter vanished.
It was a slow process of turning akin to a fine grain of sand before dissolving into thin air, until there was nothing.
Peter died in Cisco's vision.
Peter died right in front of Stark's eyes.
Cisco was pulled back into reality, panting heavily. Disoriented, he barely heard FRIDAY's concerned inquiry and her placing of a call for 911. He stopped her quickly.
"Are you sure, Mr. Ramon? I detect a palpitation and signs linked to panic attacks."
"No, it's—I think it's my powers. I was vibing," Cisco explained, somehow managing to be coherent with the millions of questions running on his mind. "Can you reach Stark? Please, it's important."
How so would be where the lines get blurry. Cisco's vibe was usually limited to an event currently happening in another parallel dimension. The most distant future he could see was an hour at most, and he has no means of placing the exact time frame of what he saw. How relevant would that scenario be on this dimension plane? Would that be happening in the future of this world and its current time stream?
What Cisco was sure of, though, was that he couldn't afford to take any chances.
"Hello? Cisco?"
"Barry, I don't know how and when, but I need you to keep an eye on Peter. I've been trying to reach Stark, but FRIDAY said that he isn't answering. FRIDAY gave me a location, and I'm on my way there now. This is important I—"
"Wait, Cisco, slow down," Barry said. His concerned tone wasn't missed by Peter who looked at him. Barry mouthed Cisco's name. "What do you mean I keep an eye on Peter?" Peter's interest suddenly was piqued at the mention of his name. Nobody else seemed to heard it. Even Peter's friend, Ned.
"Listen, Barry. I got my powers back a while ago, and I accidentally vibed on Stark, but only after he left did it happen." Barry didn't know if what caused the shaky voice was Cisco's running or recounting what he had seen in his vibing. Dread settled in Barry's stomach. "I saw Peter die."
The cold swept all over Barry as quickly as it was replaced by his confusion regarding a giant donut-shaped spaceship descending on a nearby city that could be seen from his position. His eyes snapped to Peter in a silent agreement, and it wasn't long when a distraction was made, courtesy of Ned, and Peter was off the bus through an open window.
Barry hastened to the bus driver who was grumbling about the kids not seeing a spaceship before. Barry gave a flimsy excuse of leaving an open stove, saying that he would be after them right away. Mr. Stan looked like he didn't buy it, though in the end stopping the bus and letting Barry out.
"Did—Did something happen there?"
Barry almost forgot about the open line. "We saw the spaceship," he said calmly. "What you said, is there a connection?"
"I don't know beyond what I told you. There's a high chance that it is. It seemed like it wouldn't happen here on earth." There was loud groan of machinery coming from Cisco's end.
"Please tell me you're not on the site of the spaceship."
"I am, and I'm fine. I will be as long as I have my abilities. About Peter—"
"You don't have to repeat it, Cisco. It affected you greatly, and it's a big deal. I'll catch after Peter," Barry said, preparing for a run to suit up and follow Spider-Man.
"I'll save everybody as fast as I can," was Barry's way of saying goodbye.
TBC