Hey friends! I've got a Caitlin chapter for you all! Next chapter will be Barry POV, I promise. Thanks for reading, and enjoy!
Setting up the Jewel of the Dead was a lot more complicated than one might think. First, energy readings had to be taken to ensure the plan would work and not, you know, kill everyone. Second, the energy had to be placed in the speed force trap at the exact moment Barry left. And third, demigods and metahumans don't work well together. At all.
"Cisco, back off. Clarisse isn't actually going to spear you". Caitlin attempted to sooth Cisco, who was patting his hair protectively. In Cisco's defense, Caitlin actually did think that Clarisse would spear him, though she would probably limit the damage to maim instead of kill. Annabeth was next to her, trying to convince Clarisse that Cisco didn't need to be speared. "Yes, he is annoying, but he is Leo's doppleganger. What did you expect?"
Caitlin finally pushed Cisco back towards Leo, who was furiously assembling pieces of copper and steel. The teams had both moved back to Earth-1 a few days ago since Percy's camp had literally no technology. Apparently it attracted monsters. Percy, Annabeth, Leo, Piper, Jason, Frank, Hazel, and Nico had been selected to go with Team Flash. Clarisse bullied her way into coming, taking someone named Thalia's spot. She apparently lead a feminist group of archers who monster hunted around the world. Currently, they were headed to Peru to deal with some escaped gorgons. Cisco had asked if that made her Wonder Woman, and the daughter of Zeus had darkly muttered something about Hylla and her rowdy pack of Amazons getting all the glory. Another kid, Will, claimed he was needed for his medical expertise. Caitlin had assured them she could take care of any needs the teams might have, but was actually relieved when Will came along. She was a biochemist, not a medical doctor. Not that the kid was either, but apparently his dad was the god of medicine and he was the best healer at camp. Which was a daunting job to say the least. Although Camp Half Blood was free of monsters, it was by no means safe. Just in the time Team Flash was there, 13 campers came to the infirmary with injuries, including one boy who had to have his finger reattached.
They settled into Star Labs rather nicely, pulling out silver tents and sleeping bags like they went camping all the time. Iris set them up on speed track, which made Wally upset but it was that or the pipeline. Percy had glared at Julian when he made that suggestion and stated, "Didn't work so well for Team Flash last time. Want to try it again?"
"We wouldn't lock the doors" Julian muttered, but dropped the issue.
When the teams weren't fighting each other, the demigods' skills were really helpful. Leo and Annabeth helped Cisco and Julian with science and mechanics. Will helped Caitlin account for biochemical variables. Since he had been seen around Central City before, Percy joined Wally to keep the peace in the city. Piper even sweet-talked Mercury Labs into lending them some parts. The rest of the crew spent their time sparring and doing whatever manual labor needed to be done.
But there were definitely issues. This was the third argument Caitlin had meditated today. Admittedly, Team Flash treated them like children (which most of them technically were) whereas the campers were fiercely independent and suspicious of outsiders. Team Flash was a bit too curious for their own good and the demigods were downright defensive. Clarisse for example, had seen Cisco taking measurements of her electric spear and threatened to show him exactly how it worked. Caitlin wasn't sure how she ended up in the middle of all these arguments. Apparently her position as a medical professional (which she wasn't, but no one ever seemed to care) automatically labeled her as someone calm and good under pressure. And it was wearing on her. After listening to her problems with previous restraints, Cisco had made Caitlin's regulator to manage her powers, not completely repress them. Which meant that the more pissed off she got, the harder it was to keep Killer Frost asleep. And she didn't think that anyone would appreciate adding her to the their list of problems.
It didn't help that Annabeth, apparently one of the co-leaders of Camp Half Blood, was mistrustful of Team Flash. She trusted Percy's judgement enough to take them at their word, help with the science, and volunteer the jewel. But the first sign of an argument, she would always side with the demigod. Of course, since the only link between the two teams was out saving Central City, there was little other than "Operation Breakout Barry" that connected them. Any fights between teams were shorter when Percy was there. Which was funny because last time he was in Star Labs, he was picking fights. But maybe that was just with Oliver Queen. Who still wouldn't answer her calls requesting geek squad backup. Gah, Caitlin needed a two week vacation to Aruba.
Their theory was fairly straight-forward (or as much as transdimensional physics could be), but it would take some time to prepare. Not to mention they were still arguing over who would retrieve Barry. Cisco and Caitlin had been working on some protective gear, so that whoever it was could enter the speedforce without disintegrating. Theoretically, Iris was going to go. But Wally argued that it should be him, since if the gear went down, he wouldn't be incinerated. Plus he had been in there before and knew what to expect. Joe didn't want either of them anywhere near danger and thought he should do it. Cisco wanted to go because he knew the gear and could fight off any possible defenses. Caitlin had rolled her eyes and glanced at Julian, who had a disgusted look on his face. He hated the senseless bickering even more than she did. The CSI finally snapped, stalking out of the room and stating if they needed him, they could call.
There were a few bright sides to all of this. Cisco and Leo were equally super annoying and super effective together. They bounced ideas off each other (or off themselves, technically) faster than Caitlin's brain could track, cutting the time needed to prep the speedforce bazooka in half. Leo was much better than Cisco at the mechanics of the machine, leaving Cisco to work out all the theoretical math. Not to mention that Cisco finally had someone who appreciated his nerdy references. Will was also a pleasant surprise. Not only did he provided medical support for the demigods, but his enthusiasm and continuous calm helped Caitlin be more effective. He had taken the task of restocking the medical wing to heart, adding some medications and equipment that Caitlin would never have thought of. He also added a small box with little yellow brownies and golden liquid. He had locked the box up and set it in a corner, Leo helpfully taping a note to the top that stated: Do Not Eat Unless You Want to Die a Horrible Death X╭╮X . That kid was weird.
A blast of air suddenly whooshed into the Star Labs cortex, causing the whole group to congregate by the computers. Wally dropped Percy to the ground (who didn't like the speedster method of travel, but couldn't walk to every crime scene) and started spitting out...feathers? Percy recovered first, shouting, "I'm done! I'm done with Central City. You have metahuman chickens. Who lay explosive eggs".
Caitlin frowned. "That is particularly unusual. Was it a human with chicken powers, or an actual chicken?"
"Actual chicken. That was eight feet tall". Wally was picking feathers out of his hair now, grimacing as soot and pieces of eggshell rained down on his face. "Argus took her, it, whatever, into custody. Lyla wasn't happy. She wants all of us to know that 'her prison isn't a damn zoo'".
Joe shrugged, "That's fair. She already has King Shark locked up in there".
"This great foe shall be known as: The Poutrotechnic! You know, poultry and pyrotechnic combined?" Cisco exclaimed dramatically, looking far too pleased with himself.
"The great citizens of Central City shall no longer live in fear of the great Chickenzilla!" Leo crowed, fistbumping Cisco.
Percy and Wally leveled scarily similar glares at the pair. Hazel and Frank took pity on Percy, laughing and whispering to themselves while helping pluck feathers from his hair. Joe did the same for Wally, muttering things about how weird this city was getting. "How are we looking on our timeline, guys?"
"Almost done. Just double checking the calculations and completing the construction of the new and modified speed force bazooka. I added some Vibe flair to it, which should help stabilize the breach enough to get Barry out". Cisco clicked around on the computer, pulling up the modifications. Caitlin nodded, noting the changes in energy flux. "None of those modifications should interfere with biomolecular regeneration".
"The biggest problem right now is navigation. I should be able to vibe my way there, but the speed force bazooka was a little...hmm...damaged in our last encounter with Savitar. And I'm smart and I have two of me basically, but even Leo and I together aren't as smart as Tracy Brand. We are going to have to guess a bit". Cisco admitted.
Annabeth piped in, "I have the Jewel of the Dead mostly figured out. Nico and Hazel have been helping fine tune its energy output. It's a lot of energy even when dormant, so Leo made a containment capsule. Everything else was detailed by our contacts. I will be ready by tomorrow. I just need to talk whoever is going in through the steps".
Caitlin sighed, jumping in before the inevitable argument could start. "I think that is the biggest issue so far. Will and I need to know who is going through to make modifications on the protective suit. And these idiot have been arguing about it for days and are no closer to a solution".
Wally crossed his arms, "We have an obvious solution. I'm going in".
"No you aren't. You've been stuck in there before, there is no way I'm letting you go back in. Or you, Iris". Joe glared at both his children, who instantly started arguing. Cisco had to chime in as well, "Oh no you don't. I designed this bad boy. I mean" he amended at Will and Caitlin's glares, "We designed this thing. I'm the one going in".
And the argument commenced once again. Percy's friends varied from amused (Clarisse and Leo) to extremely annoyed (Nico and Jason). Finally, as expected, Percy got in the middle. Thank goodness someone else was here to break up the fights. Caitlin was honestly willing to throw everyone in the pipeline and let them fight it out.
"Alright, break it up! This isn't helping Barry". Percy glared at all of them. "No more waffling. We need to make a decision right now. Otherwise we won't be ready. And there is an obvious choice". He paused, then said the last thing Caitlin ever expected, "I'm going in after Barry".
A moment of silence. Then, the eruption of protests from everyone in the room. Percy's friends weren't huge fans of the idea and Team Flash wasn't either. Joe, Wally, Iris, and Cisco argued their cases while Annabeth strode up and shook Percy a little, as if she could get him to change his mind. The rest of his friends jumped to their feet except Clarisse, who sat on the side and sharpened her sword with a wicked grin. Caitlin merley raised one eyebrow at Percy, who looked awfully determined.
The noise grew louder, the grinding dissonance of an orchestra tuning in different keys. Caitlin suddenly doubled over, feeling the icy-cold-pin-pricks that meant she was starting to lose control. Will steadied her with concern, ready to aid should she need it. The boy had nothing but good intentions, but he was not familiar with meta-humans or Killer Frost. Contact only made things worse. Caitlin gently shrugged him off and regained control, relieving her power's buildup by sending a blast of freezing air towards the whole group. Everyone stopped talking, the ends of their hair frosted like rooftops in winter. Caitlin took a moment to shove her powers away again, breathe slowly until she regained her balance, then accept a blanket from Will. "Arguing isn't helping. I thought that was clear before?" She turned to Percy, hand on her hip and her no nonsense face on. Time to end this. "I'm assuming you have a good reason for this. You want to share with the class?"
Percy nodded, "I'm familiar with Barry, but I'm not a speedster, so I'm not going to get trapped in there if the jewel doesn't work. I'm a demigod, so I have the greatest chance of using the mythological relic correctly. I can fight pretty much any threat that presents itself. But most importantly, this is my job. You guys have specifically been looking for me to help get Barry back. Cisco said that he 'just knew' that I was the solution. He thought that meant Hestia, but what if that meant me? Because I think I have a solution to your navigation problem". He paused, everyone's attention on him. "When I went through the breaches between our earths, something was...off. At first I thought it was the surprise of being pulled through a breach abruptly; maybe I wasn't focusing enough? But no one else has been having problems, not even my friends who have never been through a breach before. It's like the multiverse was trying to...redirect me. I kept feeling energy pulling at me, trying to take me somewhere else. I think it was drawing me to Barry. If you can get me through the multiverse at the right frequency and with the jewel to replace Barry's cosmic energy, I can get him out". Caitlin could tell Percy was confident in his plan. From her point of view, it made a lot of sense.
"That's a big leap, from something feeling off to the multiverse is pushing you towards Barry". Annabeth gently scolded.
"I had a dream last night. From Hestia. I'm not looking for hope where there is none. This isn't my fatal flaw. Trust me Annabeth, I've got this". The daughter of Athena nodded slowly, eyes fixed on her boyfriend's. He met her gaze without hesitation. She must have found what she was looking for, because she nodded again and went to sit by Piper.
"What does a dream have to do with any of this?" Iris asked. "And what's a fatal flaw?"
"All demigods have a fatal flaw, a weakness that could be the death of you if you let it". Nico spoke suddenly from the corner of the cortex, everyone but Will jumping at his sudden comment. "And demigods, well, our dreams usually aren't just dreams. They might be premonitions, communication from the Olympians, or a glimpse of something happening elsewhere. Demigod dreams are not something to be taken lightly".
Team Flash still looked unconvinced, but thankfully for Caitlin's headache, they decided to let it go. Caitlin herself wasn't sure what to think of the whole thing. She really wanted to test the demigods' neurological functions during REM cycle. And she wasn't sure what Percy's fatal flaw had to do with anything, but she could tell it was a subject none of the demigods were eager to share. It didn't matter. Both questions would have to wait until they got Barry back. Beside her, Will backed into the medical wing. "I'll start prepping the safety suit to Percy's biological specifications".
Cisco nodded, "And removing the navigational element will save Leo and I some time". Leo spastically nodded in agreement, "Yeah, without all the Interstellar-esque physics, we should have the speed force bazooka ready in no time".
"What's Interstellar?" Cisco and Leo started back down the hall towards their workshop.
"You don't have that on this earth? Well, it's good but there is so much science in that. Like, I had no idea what was happening half the time..."
The group split up again, retreating to complete whatever project was next.
A day and a half later, the speed force bazooka and breach suit were ready to go. Annabeth had run through the instructions for the Jewel of the Dead about a hundred times with Percy, who dutifully nodded and repeated her instructions every time. Jason stood next to Annabeth, making Percy recite the overall plan almost as much as Annabeth was, prompting the son of the sea to roll his eyes and grumble, "Yes mom".
Caitlin and Will got him fitted in the safety suit, which was basically a filmy covering that locked in the necessary environmental specifications, monitored his vitals, and would (hopefully) protect against the speed force. Wally was on backup, ready to step in if something happened to the suit.
"Alright, final checks are green. Houston, we are ready to launch". Leo quipped, making note of the gauge readings from the control panel. Vibe was holding the speed force bazooka steady in the pipeline, right where they had returned Barry to the night of his mother's murder a couple years ago. "Ready to rumble".
Will gave Percy the thumbs up as he double checked his vitals. Percy planted a kiss on Annabeth's cheek and stepped up to Cisco. "Ready to get Barry back?"
"You betcha. May the speedforce be with you". Cisco flipped a switch on the speedforce bazooka, creating a super powered breach in the middle of the pipeline. Percy took a deep breath, then jumped through. Caitlin waited anxiously, reverting to the nervous habit of biting her nails as they waited. And waited.
"How long should it take?" Joe finally asked Cisco, who shrugged. "Could be 10 minutes. Could be an hour. Any longer than that and we have problems". So they waited some more, the demigods finding literally everything to fidget with while Team Flash stood silently, all closely watching the breach. Julian looked at the vitals and the gauges by Leo, nodded once, then went to sit against the wall. Leaving Will with the tablet, Caitlin sat by Julian. He turned to her with questioning eyes, but didn't say anything. Ten minutes passed with no changes. A moment later, Will walked over. "Spikes" he said quietly, gesturing to Percy's vitals. He was right, heart rate was spiking. Nothing out of control, but something was definitely happening over there. She nodded, and Will returned to his perch by Cisco and Leo. Another ten minutes passed.
Suddenly, a loud alarm broke the silence. Caitlin jumped up and joined Will and Cisco by the breach. Leo rushed to the control panel and started adjusting the speedforce bazooka. The monitor was flashing red as Percy's vitals grew out of control. High heart rate, blood pressure dropping, brain activity extremely high. Will fidgeted around with the tablet while the rest of the group moved forward to look at the screens. Caitlin sent out a controlled blast of frigid air, warning them away from the controls. The teams backed off and the four ignored everyone again, focusing on the problem at hand.
"Nothing life threatening, but spikes match with adrenalin". Caitlin muttered, showing Will. He nodded, but said, "I'm concerned about the level of brain activity. That's not normal".
"Especially given Percy's regular low levels of brain function". Leo joked, then grew serious again. "We have something approaching the breach. High energy. So either Percy is coming back with Barry or he's coming back with the jewel".
"Vitals dropping". Will listed off. The heart rate monitor suddenly flat-lined. "We have loss of pulse. No respiration detected. Activating defibrillator in the suit". Will pressed a button and the vitals spiked once, then flat lined again. "Increasing charge. Charging. Three, two, one, clear". The vitals spiked again, then returned to the flatline. Will swallowed nervously, glancing at Caitlin. "Picking up on minimal respiration, but I can't tell if he's actually breathing or something in his environment is causing it. Still no pulse. Can we risk another shock? Or should we try adrenalin? "
"Let me see". Something about this bothered Caitlin. She looked at the vitals, her mind whirring as she matched them to something she had seen many times before. "Hold off on the defibrillator and the adrenalin. I don't want to try either without physically seeing the situation. For all we know, we could have some weird temporal disruption in our technology".
Will raised an eyebrow at her, but trusted her call. Leo and Cisco worked furiously at the controls to stabilize the breach as two figures came through at high speeds. The two men fell to the floor about 100 meters from the breach, tangled together and gasping for air. Caitlin and Will rushed over, getting there before anyone else could investigate. Jason and Nico kept everyone away while the two medical professionals took stock of the situation. Will gently rolled Percy over, who was wet and struggling to breathe. But he was definitely alive. Confused, Caitlin turned to Barry, who sat on the ground with a dazed look. She went for a hug, but was stopped inches from his skin. Looking closer, she cursed crazy demigods. She patted the air by Barry's shoulder briefly, then left him to his fiance and adopted dad. Caitlin then turned back to Percy and slapped him in the face.
"What the hell were you thinking?!". Caitlin practically roared, the air around them turning very cold. "Barry's a speedster. He can survive the transition. You shouldn't be alive right now! And Will and I used the defibrillator in the suit because we thought you were dead! We thought you were both dead. Not that you had passed off the suit to a speedster while traveling through a breach in time and space!"
Percy rubbed the bright red handprint on his face. Caitlin felt bad for a second, though her fury quickly returned when she remembered the cause of her anger. Percy swallowed thickly and quietly replied, "Sorry, Caitlin. Barry was having troubles adjusting to his body again. He couldn't run like he usually does. I thought the suit would help. I had some water on hand, so I covered myself in that like it was the breach suit and hoped for the best". The demigod hesitated, having the grace to look embarrassed. "It sounded like a good idea at the time. And it worked. I just didn't think it through all the way".
"You never do, Seaweed Brain". Annabeth sounded just angry as Caitlin. Satisfied that the demigod would be thoroughly dressed-down, she turned back to Barry. The man was sitting in a puddle of water, shaking and staring into space. His hair was long and hung in his eyes. A scraggly beard was prominent on his chin and he looked a bit emaciated. She started making a mental list of what medical tests he needed. But there was only one thing that mattered right now. He was responsive. Barely, but he rested his head on his fiance's shoulder, eyes lighting up when he saw his ring still on her finger. Joe was quietly asking him yes or no questions, to which he responded with a head nod or shake. Caitlin jumped in, testing his pupils and asking a few questions of her own.
"Do you know where you are, Barry?".
A head nod.
"What Earth are we on?"
One finger held up. A questioning gaze, then a head nod. Good. He was confident in his answer now.
"Hey Flash! Glad to have you back. You could say it's Barry good to see you". Cisco chuckled at his own joke, while Leo threw a twizzler at the back of his head. Apparently, even Leo had limits to the amount of stupid a joke could be. Barry rolled his eyes, the right corner of his lip curling up into a small smile. Caitlin sat back, the rest of her questions unimportant at the moment. Barry, while clearly not normal, at least was aware and functioning. That's really all she could ask for right now.
"In a few minutes, I want to run some tests". Caitlin gently removed the breach suit with Will's help, careful to watch for signs of distress. Barry nodded once, then looked over at Percy with one eyebrow raised. Cisco gave the speedster a quick summary as Wally and Joe helped him to his feet.
"Yeah, I got a little desperate for help. Some dude named Baron Katana came and caused all sorts of mayhem. Finally got through to Earth-12 and brought Percy and his friends here to help get you out of the speedforce". Barry gave a brief nod, then blinked at Iris a couple times.
"He's tired. Could we do your tests while he's sleeping?" Iris asked, walking with her family as they hobbled towards the elevator.
"Of course. Barry, if you don't mind, I'm going to give you a mild sedative to help your brain catch up". The speedster nodded his consent, then looked back at Percy's team, who were packing up the machines and taking turns berating Percy. Clarisse in particular seemed to be having fun, poking the demigod with the butt of her spear. Percy shoved her away and gave Barry a little wave as the group left the pipeline. They were silent in the lift, exhaustion and relief radiating from everyone.
" 'illan?" Barry finally croaked out, looking at Joe questioningly.
"No, we put Barron Katana away with Annabeth and Percy's help. So take a breather, Bar. We've got this". Joe gently set his adopted son down on a medical cot as Caitlin loaded the sedative into a syringe. She gently administered it, making sure to broadcast her actions before she followed through. In seconds, the scarlet speedster was fast asleep, and IV directing thousands of calories into his system and medical machinery gently humming in the background.
Elsewhere, the Thinker breathed in deeply. Finally. The Flash was home. "The prodigal son returns" he breathed to himself, murmuring so the others wouldn't overhear. "Welcome home, Barry Allen. Let's begin".