A/N: Nothing much to say, let's get going with the chapter, eh?

BARRY / COULSON

My name is Barry Allen…I am not the Flash, I'm not that fastest man alive… not anymore. That part of me is gone. Not fully gone. Not yet. But it has to be. If I'm going to survive in this world, if the people standing next to me, my friends, my new family, if they're going to survive, I have to let that part of myself go. The Barry Allen that was Nora Allen's son, the boy Joe West raised, the man who was obsessed with the idea of being with Iris, a woman who couldn't love him the way he loved her. He can't survive this, he can't get these people through this. And the Flash? He can't. He's gone, he died with his father in my childhood home the night Zoom murdered him. Ever since then, ever since I came here, I've had the same two questions endlessly run through my mind: who am I now? How do I make sure that I can get these people through this?

The people that made me the Flash, that made me the Barry Allen I once was are gone. Worlds away on my homeworld, where I might never return. I threw away the mask I wore as the Flash and the Barry I was? He's gone. He'd been deteriorating ever since Nora Allen died, any bit of him was ripped from existence the day Henry Allen joined her in the grave. Right now, if I'm going to survive, if I'm going to get the people standing beside me through this, I have to let go of who I once was. I have to let go of it all.

Unfortunately…that wasn't something I figured out in time.

Barry and the rest of the Avengers stood side to side as they were in circle formation. A mind-controlled Bucky Barnes, Wanda Maximoff, Hulk, Thor, and Vision surrounded them. Along with Thawne, Ward, and a thousand Hydra agents. They were completely surrounded and completely cut off from any direct escape. Additionally, if a fight broke out, the sounds would attract runners. Hulk's growling and roars, along with any other sound, could potentially attract runners. Barry clenched his jaw, his fingers folding as his hands turned into fists. His mind raced through whatever possibilities and strategies at speeds that were beyond immeasurable, Barry's mind went back to his very first lesson and moment of training with Oliver as he remembered the very basics. Casing his environment, not running in blindly, assessing the situation. Barry thought quickly to himself. The incoming noise would attract an unknown, but a dangerous, number of runners. Additionally, Wanda, Thor, Thawne, and Bucky couldn't be handled by everyone else. Ward, the Hydra agents, and maybe Hulk could be, but not the rest. Barry was the only heavy gun that the Avengers had, on their side, at the moment. If he could draw out Thawne, Bucky, Wanda, Thor, and the runners, everyone else could stand a chance. Barry didn't have to win, he didn't even know if he could, he simply had to hold them off long enough for the others to take down the rest of Thawne's allied forces.

"Barry…" Matt whispered. "We could really use a neat trick of yours. And fast."

"I've got an idea," Barry said. "I'll draw out Thawne, Barnes, Wanda, and Thor, along with any runners that show up. If I can do that, I'm sure the rest of you can handle these guys, right?"

"Not saying I'm against it," Clint replied. "But I don't think that's a fight you can win, kid."

"I don't have to win," Barry pointed out. "I just have to make sure you guys don't lose. I'll hold them off for as long as I can."

"Good luck, kid," Logan muttered. "You're gonna need it."

That was when Thawne's vibrated voice echoed among the entire situation. "Barry, Barry, Barry…we don't have all day. Now…now is when it begins."

"No…" Barry growled back. "Now, this ends."

In a half of an attosecond, Barry charged up his speed and with all his power and strength, ran through the fifty feet of debris-covered road between him and Thawne, his orange lightning coursing through his body and around him. In the same half of an attosecond, Barry managed to tackle Thawne, completely surpassing his reaction, appearing as a blur of orange light even in the psychotic speedster's eyes. Even with his speed, Thawne couldn't react to Barry as Barry grabbed him and crashed him through several buildings in the entire city. As Barry crashed him through the buildings, destroying more of the city as he did so, he roared in rage, punching Thawne over and over. Every hit he landed on him only increased the rage that was behind it, eventually, the two speedsters crashed through another building as they tumbled across the ground. Barry rolled across the road as he landed stomach-down on some debris while Thawne crashed against another building, the force of impact shaking the building, creating cracks that spread from the ground to the tip of the structure. The two speedsters tried to rise to their feet as Barry held his hand over his stomach, trying to shake off his injuries, while Thawne was still on his knees.

Thawne let out a sigh as he chuckled. "Wow…impressive. You actually managed to do something to me for once with your pathetic, little Team Flash. Your mother would almost be proud of you. Maybe she-"

Thawne was cut off as the top two knuckles from Barry's right fist met his at super speed, slamming Thawne's head against the concrete building. Barry threw a series of speed punches, each one of them blitzing Thawne. He had little to no problems throwing his attacks and ensuring Thawne couldn't react to or defend against them, his training from Matt, Natasha, Steve, and Daisy had fixed those issues. In some ways, it even fixed his unknown need for a team altogether, it was as if he could do this on his own.

"Don't-" Barry swung his fist at Thawne's jaw, "-ever-" Punch, "-talk-" Punch, "-about-" Strike. "-my mother-" Punch. "-AGAIN!" Barry vibrated his fist, letting orange lightning course through it as he struck Thawne at the center of his chest, he could feel the shockwave not only destroying the building but spreading across the infinite universe, staggering its entirety. All his punching and Thawne still remained standing, harmed and injured but still alive…and it angered him, just as it always did. The man's very existence hurt for Barry to admit. Barry angrily grabbed Thawne by his collar, pulling off his mask as he growled. "Where're Coulson and Daisy? The others? What did you do to them? Answer me!"

Thawne chuckled as he spit out some blood and a broken, side tooth to the ground before looking back up at Barry. "Nothing you'd have preferred…but believe it or not, Barry, that isn't your concern right now…see, Thor, Wanda, and Barnes…they can keep up. Barnes with his speed, courtesy of me, Thor and Wanda, of course, have their own abilities. Hulk on the other hand…well, his strength would certainly pose a challenge for you if he had the speed to meet it."

Barry's eyes furrowed in horror as he heard Hulk's roar echo through the city, he turned and saw Hulk standing beside a mind-controlled Wanda, Thor, Vision, and Bucky. Hulk and Bucky particularly stood out as their bodies coursed with white lightning. Barry stared in utter horror as he kept his grip on Thawne's collar tight.

"What've you done?" Barry whispered.

Barry could practically hear Thawne's smile when the man responded. "A little experimenting of my own on our favorite raging beast. I took out all his pain receptors and amped him with every ounce Velocity X and V9 I had. All of that pissed him off…a lot…and he blames you."

Hulk roared in rage as, at the similar speeds of how Thawne and Barry could move at, he rushed towards Barry, a trail of white lightning behind him. Barry let go of Thawne as he ran towards Hulk, the two speedsters closing in on each other as Hulk clenched his right hand into a fist, swinging it at Barry, who charged up his body with his speed and power as he caught Hulk's fist with his hands and managed to resist Hulk's strength with his own. The speed force had not only given Barry speed, but at the moment, it was powering and increasing his physical strength. If Hulk were to match Barry's speed, Barry would have to be able to match his strength to stand a chance against him, much less him as well as Wanda, Thor, Thawne, and Bucky. Hulk ragefully roared as lightning coursed his and Barry's bodies, the jade giant pushing against Barry with his one fist. Barry resisted, his power and lightning coursing through his body, enhancing his physical strength as he matched Hulk's brute power. The two pushed each other back and forth as Hulk's feet pushed against the concrete road, cracking it. The green giant let out a roar of rage as he lifted his other fist and swung it at Barry, Hulk's fist moved a distance of five feet in a single picosecond. Barry reacted at the very last fraction of time as he let go of Hulk's left fist, tilting his body back as he dodged the right one. However, just as he got back on his two feet, his body met a strike from Hulk as he was sent flying in the air.

Dazed from the hit while he was mid-air, Mjolnir struck as the hammer crashed him against a building. Just as Barry struck the window of the fiftieth floor of the building, Thawne and Bucky ran up the building in trails of white and red lightning. Bucky came in from Barry's left, Thawne from Barry's right as the two swung their fists and simultaneously struck Barry, sending him even higher up the side of the building as he skidded through glass. Just as Barry was about to free fall, Thawne and Bucky ran further up as they grabbed him before sprinting back down the building, slamming Barry to the ground as a crater formed where he landed, the entire planet being cracked as he did so. He could feel it, along with the severe injuries. Dazed from the pain, Barry couldn't anticipate Wanda, creating a wave of red energy that would send him flying to a wall as he crashed into it before falling to the ground on his side, being hit by an energy beam from Vision as he did so. Barry groaned in pain as he heard the sounds of lightning coursing. He didn't have to look up to know that Thor, Wanda, Hulk, Vision, Bucky, and Thawne circled around him. Barry laid face-down on the ground, bruising, broken bones, and bleeding all over his body as he groaned, blood pouring from his mouth. Barry's left arm and body remained relatively motionless as he leaned on his right hand as he tried to get up, trying to push through his pain.

That was when Barry heard Thawne's laughter. "All those years…having your team to guide you, to stand behind you for every little threat you went up against. Look around, Barry, you're alone. No one is coming to save you. This time, if you want to survive. You fight, you be your own hero. You're the one who's on his own, Barry. And I'm the one with the team."

Barry groaned in pain as Thawne's foot was slammed against his stomach, the pain was increasing as Barry's odds were dwindling, along with his strength. Thawne's words taunted him as they echoed in his head, every fight Barry ever won was because he had his entire team and the people he loved to stand behind him. He could never have done any of it alone or without them. He couldn't win alone then, and he couldn't win alone now…but Barry never had to win, he simply had to hold them off as he had planned. Unable to get up, Barry felt himself being dragged as Thor grabbed him by his right ankle, lifting him in the air as the young speedster hung upside down. Wanda, Thawne, Bucky, and Vision simultaneously struck him with beams of red energy, yellow energy, red lightning, and white lightning as Barry flew out of Thor's grip. While in mid-air, Hulk rushed Barry as he punched him with all his strength and enhanced speed.

Barry crashed against a building as he quickly stumbled back to his feet before he charged his body with orange lightning, enduring through his pain, his limitless, infinite stamina kicking in as he ran throughout New York City before arriving at a building as he ran up the side of the building. He reached the roof as he fell to the ground, his arms and legs outwards as he sighed, looking up at the sky. He felt himself lapsing in and out of the realm of consciousness as he stared up at the sky, unable to think of anything beside the pain.

Coulson, Daisy, Bobbi, Hunter, Mack, May, and Fitz were inside the hangar room of the base. The entire area had been cleared as several rows of chairs were spread throughout the entire room. All of them being for Daisy, Mack, May, Fitz, and the rest of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. A wedding for Bobbi and Hunter was something that not many had expected, but after months of an apocalyptic world, the couple didn't want to wait anymore, and no one could have blamed them. Coulson and Daisy watched as everyone took their seats.

"Did you know about Bobbi?" Daisy asked. "About the baby?"

"She's two months along," Coulson replied. "Don't worry, we'll figure it out. Right now, let's just worry about getting our friends married."

That was how the entire conversation between Coulson and Barry went as everyone else found themselves in their seats, Coulson and Hunter stood at the altar as Bobbi walked down the aisle. No one was particularly dressed with much fashion due to the limited resources. Nevertheless, it was clear to Coulson and to everyone else that Bobbi and Hunter didn't need a wedding dress or a tux to prove their love for each other. Just the wedding and their old rings were enough. Bobbi and Hunter stood a couple feet across from each other on the altar as Coulson stood in front of them while everyone remained seated and silent. Coulson said his words as he couldn't help but feel prideful, the wedding of his two friends being a symbol, an indication that the new world could be built. That a world full of life and beyond survival could happen, one where those who loved each other could live a normal life, have children, and grow old together. And now, at this very moment, Coulson had the honor of granting such a life to two of his closest friends. If only Simmons were alive to see this. Coulson briefly thought to himself as he continued saying his words.

"If anyone objects to this couple's happiness, to their love, their marriage," Coulson announced. "Speak now or forever hold your-"

"Coulson, Coulson, Coulson," a voice echoed throughout the entire room as a cold, threatening chill ran down Coulson's spine, his mind recognizing the voice instantly. "Sorry I'm late, folks."

Grant Ward stood not far away, his hands in his pockets as he grinned.

"What're you doing here, Ward?" Coulson growled.

"How'd you even get in here?" Daisy demanded as she stood up.

"I'd love to stay and chat," Ward said as he shrugged. "But I'm on a bit of a timetable. Agents, execute Operation Knightfall."

Suddenly, a trail of red lightning blurred throughout the entire room as Coulson and Hunter were knocked off their feet and sent flying. Coulson looked up in horror as he saw a certain man in a yellow suit and red glowing eyes.

"Oh, I've waited for this," Thawne said with a sigh, his voice and body vibrating.

Half of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, including Daisy, instantly rose to their feet as they all charged towards Thawne. The other half, however, didn't. Instead, they all pulled out hoods and wore pieces of cloth as masks before pulling out their own guns and weaponry. The masked men all targeted the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, targeting and slaughtering them. Coulson stared in utter horror, half of his S.H.I.E.L.D. agents dawned on their own masks and weapons before killing the other half, Thawne was free, and Ward was here. He couldn't think, he couldn't act, he couldn't speak.

"The hell's going on!" May yelled as she fought off two masked men.

May came into counter with over ten masked men as she fought as best she could, she managed to take down three before one of them managed to shoot her kneecap. May screamed in pain before being cut-off as one masked man threw a turning kick to her jaw. Another masked agent held May in a chokehold before shoving a knife into her chest over and over twenty times, throwing her to the ground, letting her bleed. Fitz was already on the ground beside May, his eyes still as glass, the life drawn out of them by the gunshots to his chest. May crawled towards Fitz in desperation, holding him in her arms as she desperately looked for signs of life in him. Signs that were non-existent. Coulson and Hunter rose to their feet as they, along with five of the twenty remaining S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, attempted to run towards Bobbi, who found herself handling three different masked agents.

Suddenly, bullets rained down on them from above, multiple snipers hanging from climbing equipment attached to the ceiling. Coulson and the agents were shot, each of them dropping and going down like flies. He fell face-flat to the ground as he groaned in pain, three bullets in his back, two to his leg. On his left, Hunter fell to the ground, staring at him aimlessly, a blood-covered bullet-hole in his head. Coulson roared in pain as he looked around him, the other five agents he was with dying and lifeless on the floor. He even caught sight of Bobbi temporarily stopping as she turned, looking for Hunter. Tears streamed down her eyes as she saw Hunter's body and Coulson shaking his head in apology. That was before she screamed in pain as two bullets entered her stomach, Bobbi fell to her knees as two masked agents stood behind her, tying her arms behind her back with rope as they kept Bobbi to her knees.

A blur of red lightning appeared as Daisy Johnson's lifeless body fell to the ground, a blood-covered Eobard Thawne standing over her as he pulled off his mask and let out a sigh. Coulson looked around in horror, any of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents that were left were dead. Only the masked agents, Ward, Thawne, himself, May, and a bleeding Bobbi remained. Hunter and Mack laid dead and lifeless next to Coulson, an injured and bleeding May kneeled over Fitz' dead body, Bobbi was on her knees, shot and restrained by two masked agents. None of the masked agents were ever S.H.I.E.L.D., just Hydra agents undercover, who'd infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Coulson leaned on his knees and his right hand, his left hand over his stomach, where he'd been shot as he tearfully looked at Daisy's body.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Ward muttered as he sighed. "Oh Coulson, still as naive and gullible as ever. I mean…come on, did you really think you and your little family here were going to have 'happy ever after'?"

Thawne chuckled as he circled around the remaining agents. "And I thought Barry Allen was the idiot…then again, if you'd never have met him, this might not have happened."

"How?" May growled as Coulson saw her glare at Ward. "How could you do this…you monster? On a couple's wedding? You bastard!"

May angrily got onto her feet as she charged at Ward, only for him to raise his gun as he pulled the trigger instantly. May's head recoiled backwards as a loud sound boomed through the entire base, cutting through the silence. Blood splattered everywhere as Coulson and Bobbi screamed in denial, May's body falling next to Fitz' as the two remaining agents shed tears over the death of their family.

"No more happy endings this time," Ward said as he and Thawne glanced at each other. "We finish this up, then we move on to phase two."

"Exactly," Thawne agreed. "And then…I finally get to destroy Barry Allen."

Barry groaned in pain as he crawled on his knees before leaning against the ledge on the roof as he stumbled to his feet.

"Oh Barry," a familiar voice echoed on the roof as Barry tilted his head in the direction of it. "To think you've changed."

Barry saw the red-haired woman standing in front of him as he looked down, trying to ignore his current hallucination. "Mom…"

"Hello, my beautiful boy," Nora Allen said, a kind smile on her face. "It's almost poetic seeing you now. You've grown on the outside but deep down…you're still the same. The same eleven-year-old boy running from his problems, raging at the rest of the world, seeking some sort of reprieve from it all."

Barry nodded his head as he let out a sigh, his right hand over his stomach, where an injury was only getting worse. "I do…but right now, that's not something I can think about. Right now, everything…is about this-" Barry pointed to the city full of debris and destruction as he spoke to his imagination of his mother. "-I can't stop this, I can't stop Thawne, I couldn't stop…whatever it was he did to Coulson, Daisy, and the others. Not without…"

Nora maintained a calm and normal amount of composure. "Without what, Barry? Say it…not for me, for yourself."

"Without the others," Barry confessed. "Without Caitlin, Cisco, Harry, Joe, my friends. Everyone. I can't do this without them, I never could."

"Yes, you can, my beautiful boy," Nora said. "Barry, those people, your team, your loved ones, they were never meant to help you fight. They were there to be the reason you fought. To guide you. But, Barry, that time…it's over. These people you know now…they may be your friends; they might even be your new family but they're also what you fight for now. The Flash was just a mask, Barry, only one person can wear it."

Barry shook his head. "I'm not the Flash, anymore."

Nora nodded. "You're right, you're not. But if there's one thing you are, it is someone who always comes back. Someone who always gets up. So come back now. If you fail, get back up…Thawne was right, Barry. No one is coming to save you. Not this time. No last-minute rescue, nothing. You have to get up."

Barry blinked for a good two seconds as when he opened his eyes, the sight of his mother vanished from him, his hallucination sequence finally ending. He limped towards the edge of the roof as he stood tall on it, looking down at the ground. He sighed and took a quick, deep breath as he heard the sounds of landing and lightning behind him. Barry turned as he saw Thawne, Bucky, and the other four stood a few feet away from him as Thawne and Barry glared at each other.

"Face it, Barry," Thawne said, his voice modulated and distorted. "Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. This isn't a fight you can win."

Barry nodded his head. "No…but I don't have to."

Barry took off at as much speed as he could generate as he ran, orange lightning trailing him and coursing through his body. He didn't even bother to see just how many of them were trailing behind him, all he knew was that at the bare minimum, Thawne and a mind-controlled Bucky were following him. The three speedsters ran as Barry suddenly noticed the world around him fading away into nothingness before waves of energy surrounded him, the energy was arranged in a vastness of colors: orange, red, blue, purple, even bits of yellow and green here and there. Suddenly, a large wave of energy from an explosion collided with Barry, Thawne, and Bucky as the three speedsters found themselves falling through the vastness of the void of energy before they eventually gained their balance and continued running, Barry kept running, remaining ahead as he overheard Thawne speaking.

"You realize what you're doing, Barry?" Thawne asked. "The three of us…we're running across the Multiverse. That explosion you just saw? It was the Big Bang, which created the entirety of the Multiverse and existence itself. The energy of that explosion could have killed us if we didn't survive it. The three of us? We may be able to run forever and endlessly without exhaustion, but your injuries are working their way to you, Barry, I can see it. You can't run forever."

Just then, the three speedsters struck another wave of energy as they all lost their balance before they found themselves tumbling across the surface of a moon-sized planet with no atmosphere. Barry groaned in pain as he stumbled to his feet, seeing Thawne and Bucky look around where they were, he did the same. Barry could only see a vastness of purple, as it was a complete recreation of the multiverse.

"Where are we?" Barry demanded.

Thawne scoffed as he and Bucky stood side to side. "Welcome to the Dark Dimension, Barry."

"What is this place?" Barry continued to ask as he and Thawne walked in circles.

"An entire dimension of its own," Thawne explained. "Created by Dormammu, who consumed and combined countless other dimensions. It's a dimension beyond space, beyond life and death…beyond time itself. And you…just broke us through the barrier, bringing us here. All of us here."

Suddenly, Barry was struck by a bolt of white lightning as he fell face-flat to the rocky ground, Wanda, Vision, Hulk, Thawne, Thor, and Bucky circled around Barry, who failed to endure through his pain. Barry could see Thor tighten his grip on Mjolnir before he swung it directly onto Barry's left hand. Barry yelled in pain as he felt his left-hand crush under the weight of Mjolnir, the entire moon-size planet cracking under the power of it, a shockwave spread through the Dark Dimension from the hit. Barry let out huffs and groans of pain, his left hand crushed as Wanda's scarlet, reddish-colored energy glowed around. The pain was like none other as not even Barry's screams could express what it felt for Wanda to rip his crushed, left hand from his wrist. Barry glanced in pain as he looked at his left wrist, from there, where his left hand once was, a stump full of blood replaced it. He shuddered in pain, seeing his crushed, left hand smeared on the ground a few feet away from him.

"Ward," Coulson begged as he groaned in pain from his injuries. "Please…you can take me, kill me instead. Let Bobbi go."

Coulson looked desperately at Ward, who stared back at him with a cold glare. Bobbi remained with her knees on the ground, her arms tied behind as two Hydra agents kept her restrained. Thawne leaned against a wall; his arms crossed as he analyzed the entire situation with a sadistic grin on his face. Coulson looked down in defeat, relying on his knees and his right hand to keep himself from falling. Was this how it would end? S.H.I.E.L.D.? Everything he stood for. The promise of building the new world? Of everything he promised to build for Nick Fury. Maybe…perhaps, but even then, there still had to be something he could do.

"Dammit, Ward, she's pregnant!" Coulson yelled. "Just let her go. Bobbi, get up. Get out of here!"

All she had to do was move, get up and move. And then she'd be free, she could leave and build her own new world, for her and her child. It might've been a lonely and empty one, especially without the child's father but there would have been a chance, a slightest fraction of a chance. Nevertheless, she didn't move an inch, tears streaming down her face as she kept staring at Hunter's body, the Hydra agents kept her restrained, Ward didn't move a finger.

"FOR GODSAKES WARD, JUST LET HER GO!" Coulson yelled at the top of his lungs, clinging and hanging to the tiniest faint of a hope that his enemy would have mercy. "JUST-"

BANG!

The sound of gunshot interrupted Coulson, cutting him off as he paused in shock and horror. Bobbi's eyes overtook a glassy look as her face went still, her body going limp as she slumped to the ground, the life leaving her eyes and body. Coulson found himself frozen in shock as he lost the ability to do anything that required basic functioning. Ward stood over Bobbi's body, a pistol in his hand as he lowered it and moved towards Coulson dragging his pistol as he did so. Coulson stared at the ground, his back hunched, his head down as he felt the barrel of Ward's gun touching it. It didn't bother him, he knew what was coming, he knew what was going to happen, and in the end…he accepted it. There was nothing else for him to do. Before it happened, Coulson managed to hear a few last words from Ward.

"Consider this…a parting gift." Ward muttered as the last thing Coulson heard…was the pulling of a trigger.

As Barry tried to rise to his knees, he suddenly felt two vibrating hands being shoved into his stomach as blood filled his mouth. He looked up to see Bucky and Thawne standing as he struggled to remain conscious, Bucky removed his hand as he backed away, standing beside Thor, Wanda, Hulk, and Vision. Thawne continued to vibrate his hand as Barry could feel it in his stomach, the blood pouring from his mouth as he remained on his knees.

"Consider this…" Thawne said, revealing the face of Harrison Wells, the man who gave Barry his speed, the man who started it all, to Barry. "…a parting gift."

Barry felt Thawne pull out his hand before he was kicked square in the chest, the force of impact sent him flying into the vastness of the dark dimension. The last thing Barry remembered was the pain of his cut-off hand, his injuries, and the falling. The falling. It was the last thing he saw before he closed eyes, letting everything around him sink into darkness.

A/N: I know that chapter was long, more than 5000 words to be exact, and I was planning on making a separate chapter for killing off Coulson and S.H.I.E.L.D. but I decided against it as I thought it would be too short and underwhelming.