How's everybody doing today? Everything okay? Summer is coming to an end, so I hope you have all enjoyed yourselves. Either way, we've still got a couple weeks of this until we're finished. Special thanks to CallMeMiles for all of his wonderful reviews. You keep me believing that I'm doing a good job with my writing.

Disclaimer: I don't own The Flash.

Barry awoke to whispers. Muffled voices that flowed through one ear and out the other. It was dark, the barest of light entering his vision.

"I think he's waking up."

"About time. It's been three days."

"Maybe now we can finally get some answers."

Barry blinked the sleepiness out of his eyes and tried to assess where he was. That's when he felt the weight on his neck and wrists. Looking down, he saw they were encased in handcuffs. Dampeners, chained to the middle of the floor. The range they provided barely gave him enough leeway to lay in his bed. He touched his neck. It was a brace of some kind. Probably another dampener.

"Hey, you good?"

Barry whipped his head around to search for the source of the voice. Looking forward, he saw through a clear door into a room. On each wall of the room was another glass door. Behind each door was a person, all of them sporting the same restraints he did. They were all as close to the glass as they could with the chains, eagerly watching him with curious eyes.

Barry reached forward, but his hands couldn't touch the glass. "Where are we? What happened?"

"We woke up here too, albeit a couple days ago, we're guessing. He's got a better idea of what happened after you knocked us all out," The one Barry knew as Bashir Malik pointed towards the only one Barry didn't know. A dark-skinned man, barely out of college by the looks of him.

"Deon Owens. It's nice to finally properly meet you." The man grinned and gave a little wave.

"Where are we?" Barry asked again.

"Well, after you dozed off, a bunch of people in uniforms stormed the building. They started shooting their guns. Now I didn't know what was happening. Apparently I've been out of it for almost the past year. So they got me with a tranquilizer and I went right to sleep. Next thing I know, I'm waking up here, waiting on all of you."

"This is your world. Do you have an idea of where they took us?" Alexa asked.

Barry sighed, calming himself. He felt the itch to move around, but his restraints made it impossible to move much, leaving him feeling twitchy. He thought through the possibilities. He briefly remembered that STAR Labs was destroyed, including the particle accelerator, so the Pipeline was out. Plus these cells were much bigger than the cavities the team had retrofitted. Iron Heights was an option, but his allies, the rest of the heroes, wouldn't take the risk of having their identities revealed with such a public detainment. There might be others that Barry didn't know about but the most likely answer was…

"We're in an ARGUS holding facility." Barry declared.

"That's right, Barry. Welcome to ARGUS. I never thought I would have to see you here like this." A familiar voice rang through the room.

"Well, nice of you to finally make an appearance." Bashir looked up at the ceiling.

"Lyla?" Barry shouted. "What's going on? Why am I here?"

"Well, isn't it obvious? They see us as a threat." Bashir stated.

A sigh filled the intercom. "We're doing this for everyone's safety. Yours as well as ours."

"Your safety precautions aren't going to do anything!" Deon shouted. "If The Forces really want us, even dampened, they'll find a way to contact us."

"Keeping us locked up isn't going to do anything anyway. While we're in here, the war is still ongoing out there. We were just the vessels. A suit for them to put on. And they could discard us anytime they wanted to find a better option." Alexa said.

"But they didn't. They came to you, for one reason or another. And until we can make sure that what happened won't happen again, you all are going to be stuck here."

Barry frantically tugged at his chains. "Wait! No. You can't do this to us. You can't lock us up in here."

"Until we can determine you won't prove to be a danger Barry, you will be staying here." The intercom shut off and didn't come back on no matter how much all four of them were shouting.

Barry dejectedly sat down on the bed. Now that his mind was free, there was so much he needed to do. He needed to talk to his friends again, for real. He needed to hold his baby girl and tell her how much he adores her.

Most of all, he needed to get to Caitlin and tell her how much he loves her. And that he's sorry about all the time they spent apart. All the heartache he unintentionally caused her. He had to find some way to make it up to her. But really, he just wants to be with her again.

Barry laid down on his bed, staring to the side wishing for something that was just kept away from him.

Allegra was gone for the day. Caitlin mused about the girl. Nowadays, she was her closest companion. She was just there all the time when Caitlin was at home most of the time. She had decided it was time to get out of her mother's place and return to her own house. Caitlin couldn't escape it forever.

Allegra was a good girl and genuinely wanted to change. She'd been on the straight and narrow ever since they had decided to take responsibility for her and soon she'd be a free woman. A lot of their time together was about talking about what Allegra was going to do in the future. Caitlin thought she had so much potential to do something with her life and Allegra was making an honest effort. Caitlin was proud.

But during the nights, she was left with nothing but her thoughts. Sleeping alone in such a large bed felt incredibly isolating. She was glad whenever Ramona would cry in her crib because it gave her something else to focus on aside from the crushing loneliness that plagued her.

But tonight Ramona was silent. Caitlin was just lying in her bed, staring up at the ceiling, contemplating everything that happened. Barry was finally free from The Speed Force, and even now, they were forcefully separated. It just felt like everything was working to keep them apart.

She looked to the side at the empty space where Barry would usually occupy. Her heart clenched at the feeling that Barry should be here with her, not locked up like a common criminal.

Barry has missed his wedding anniversary. He knows it. He's not sure what the date is, but there's no way it's still November. Maybe they're in the new year already. His daughter's birthday is coming up. There's no way he's going to miss that.

Barry's pulling at the chain. Still no use. Even after all this time, there's not a sign of wear and tear on it.

"Just give up already. It's annoying. It was amusing at first, but it's futile." Deon rolls his eyes at him. Although it's a weird sight considering he's currently standing on his head. They've been here for way too long.

"I've got to get out of here," Barry insisted, rattling the chains again.

"You realize they've designed these cages specifically to keep us here, right?" Bashir crosses his arms. "I mean, if Ms. Muscles over there can't break through the chains, what chance do you have?"

"Don't bring me into this." Alexa said bitterly as she was doing a set of push-ups.

"You know, I never asked for this. I just wanted a simple life, to use my powers to help people with their problems. If I knew the trouble they would bring, I would have never used them."

There was a ringing that indicated that the intercom had been turned on. "Barry. You've got a visitor. I'll be letting them in now." Lyla said.

A click resounded in the room and the three other inhabitants turned their heads toward Barry. "Who'd be visiting you?"

Their answer arrived when Caitlin walked through the door. Her walk was stiff, like she was almost forcing herself to take each individual step. Her bottom lip was raw, obviously due to biting it all the time from the stress. She had dark bags under her eyes, meaning she probably wasn't getting much sleep at night either.

Caitlin ignored the three foreigners and walked with a purpose straight to Barry's side of the room. Barry tugged and tried to get as much leeway as he could to get near the door. Even still, he couldn't reach the glass. These people were taking every precaution possible.

For a little while, the two were just staring at each other. Looking into their other's eyes, peering into their soul. Finally, they seemed to recognize something in them because all the tension was suddenly gone.

"Fleet Feet." Caitlin said breathlessly.

"Mrs. Frosty." Barry replied with a little grin.

Caitlin pressed her hands against the glass and stared hopefully at him. "You remember?"

Barry tried, against all hope, to reach forward to where her hand was but was stopped by the shackles on his wrists. Instead, he was forced to lean forward and was barely able to reach the glass with his forehead. Caitlin put her head against the glass as well. This was the closest the two had managed to get in such a long time.

"I'm so sorry." Barry softly apologized.

"What? What are you sorry for?" Caitlin asked, confused.

"I made you a promise that I would never leave you. I promised I would always come back home to you." Barry whispered.

"You're here now. That's all that matters."

"This is so sweet. I think I'm going to puke," Deon muttered loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Don't interrupt," Alexa glared at him. This was the most excitement all four of them had experienced for the past few days. She did not want to disturb any part of the reunion.

Barry sighed. "Sorry about them. I'm having a hell of a family reunion."

"Oh, so we're family now? I'm really feeling the love." Deon sarcastically clasped his hands together over his chest. Still a weird sight since he was currently upside down.

"We already call each other Force cousins. Family is so much less of a mouthful." Bashir idly commented.

"I'm just glad Ramona doesn't inherit much from your side of the family." Caitlin dubiously eyes them.

"How is the little princess?" Barry smiled sadly. He missed his daughter.

"We're doing our best." Caitlin put on a brave face. "We'll be better when you come back."

"I'm trying my hardest. These people won't let me go until they deem that I'm no longer a danger, but they haven't really done anything to try to disprove that. They've just been observing us."

"We're booooorrrreedd!" Deon shouted.

Everybody just stared at him with an eyebrow raised. "What? We're all thinking the same thing. I can't say I'm bored?"

"Moving on, we're working on getting you out of here too. We're trying to come up with a deal to get your freedom. Just hang in there."

Tears were filling Barry's eyes. The sheer longing he felt was overwhelming. "I want to go home. I miss you so much."

"You're not going to lose me. I'll always be here for you." Caitlin assured him.

"I'm just… sorry. For everything. I know you never asked to sign up for this." Barry rattled the chain again.

"It's okay. I know who you are. And you, Barry Allen, won't ever stop getting up when being kicked down." Caitlin smiled at her husband. "You'll overcome this."

Barry stared tenderly at her. "I promise. I won't ever stop trying."

It was silent today. Barry had finally decided to take a break before his wrists were rubbed raw. At least he still had an increased healing factor, but it was heavily slowed down. They would probably be better after a good night's sleep and he would try again the next day.

Until then, the prison was plagued with silence. All four residents were in various positions, strewn across their beds.

Deon finally couldn't take the silence anymore so he started to sing a song to reflect how he was feeling because things were really starting to look bleak.

(I thought I saw the devil this morning
Looking in the mirror, drop of rum on my tongue
With the warning to help me see myself clearer)

{I never meant to start a fire
I never meant to make you bleed
I'll be a better man today}

Barry piped in, singing the next lines.

[I'll be good, I'll be good
And I'll love the world, like I should
Yeah, I'll be good, I'll be good
For all of the times that I never could]

Alexa joined as well, enjoying a break to their imposed silence. Then all three of them turned to the last of their group with small somber grins on their faces. Bashir had his arms crossed and seemed reluctant to sing along, but the pregnant silence wore him down. He sighed and took a breath.

/My past has tasted bitter for years now
So I wield an iron fist
Grace is just weakness
Or so I've been told
I've been cold, I've been merciless\

({/But the blood on my hands scares me to death
Maybe I'm waking up today\]})

Now all four of them were swaying back and forth with the forlorn tune of the song, singing their sorrows and regrets.

({/I'll be good, I'll be good
And I'll love the world, like I should\]}) (Oh-oh-oh)
({/I'll be good, I'll be good\]}) {I'll be good, I'll be good}

In the monitor room, a pair of employees had just gotten back from their lunch break and were staring at the screens. "What's going on in there?"

"I think they're singing." The other one answered, staring more closely at the monitor and turning on the microphone. "Yep, they're singing. It's freaking weird."

"Not like they've got much else to do in there."

The duo continued to keep watch on the prisoners and listen to the impromptu performance.

"They're actually not half bad."

They both nodded and just enjoyed the show.

Barry was leaning down, trying to study the chain more closely, seeing if there was any way to get it off. The others were doing their own thing. Alexa was in a meditative stance. Deon was eating the latest slop they had left them as food. Bashir doing some stretches to keep himself limber.

"It's been so long since we've been here. How much longer are they gonna keep observing us and actually do some experiments to try to fix us?" Deon asks before taking another spoonful.

The three adults turned their heads in his direction. They didn't think their youngest member wouldn't understand the gravity of the situation, but they supposed he was still young. "You know they're going to kill us, right?" Alexa asked.

"Whoa, hold up. Nobody said anything about doing us in." Deon exclaimed.

"It should have been obvious. It's why they stuck us here in the first place." Bashir mumbled to himself.

"Can we back up first? What are you talking about?" Deon asked.

"Don't you get it? We may be prisoners now, but we were once the avatars of primordial forces. Beings with the power to wipe out entire planets with a snap of the finger." Bashir explained. "They're leaving us here to die."

"If they were going to kill us, why not just kill us? We can't stop them like this." Deon tugged at his restraints again to emphasize his point.

"Because they're a government facility. We're prisoners, but we have rights. They can't directly kill us, and starving us wouldn't be a good image. They can't murder us or kill us due to neglect. That's too much of a hassle to deal with. Nobody would look twice if we were to die of natural causes though." Alexa explained.

"What about your friend? The one who runs this joint? Lyra?" Deon directs the question to Barry.

"It's Lyla. And she wouldn't be able to do anything if she were given instructions from higher ups. She might be my friend and ally, but she's still a government employee and needs to answer to the chain of command." Barry says.

"So that's it? We're just going to die in this hellhole?"

"Not unless we can find a way out." Barry replies, staring intently at the chains around his wrists.

"You know how we can get out." Bashir looks directly at Barry. "Our safety net. It's always been there, even now."

"No, we're not doing it. If we do, we'd just be going back inside the cage we left for this one." Alexa shakes her head.

Bashir shrugs his shoulders. "It's just an option. One that is always open."

"We're talking about saying yes, aren't we? Letting the Forces back inside us to get us out of here." Deon speaks out, dejectedly.

"It's either we die here while the war ravages the omniverse, or we get out and live as immortals. Either way, we're screwed." Bashir states his own opinion.

"I wish I never made that deal. Escaping the pain was not worth being possessed. It was a terrible experience." Alexa says to herself.

"Maybe it doesn't have to be that way." Barry speaks up.

"What are you talking about?" Alexa asks.

"Think about it. The Forces want to possess us. They want to take over our minds and use our bodies to walk in the world, unhindered." Barry says.

"Where are you going with this?" Bashir asks.

"What if we put it in reverse? What if we let them in? But instead of sinking into the depths, we keep our heads up and assimilate them?" Barry proposed.

"You're saying we're going to possess them? That's crazy. They're gods. Is that even possible?" Deon asks.

"They possessed us. We're just returning the favor." Barry says. "We can handle it, our bodies managed to hold the Forces for months without any ill effects. We just need to maintain our mental presence."

"What you're saying, sounds impossible. We'd basically become the new Forces. Billions, maybe trillions of years of energy, and you think we can just replace them?" Alexa voices her thoughts on the plan.

"I don't see any of you coming up with other ideas." Barry beseechingly looks at them. "We have to at least try."

The other three looked at each other. This was a huge risk with a very small chance to succeed. But it was either taking this chance, or spend the rest of their days in these walls. And despite their differences, all of them were not prone to sit by and do nothing when given the opportunity to do something about a problem. They didn't want to die here.

One by one, they nodded to follow along with the plan. Standing up and closing their eyes, they reached deep inside themselves to find that connection that linked them to their respective Forces. "Yes." All four of them whispered it like it was a forbidden word.

All at once, the formerly dark room was illuminated in a combination of blue, purple, and green. But not yellow. Lightning fills their respective rooms, traveling through circuits in the walls that connect them. Four yells of pain sounded, but only one of them was human.

Barry felt like he was being assaulted, and in a way he was. The power of three Forces was mind numbing. The pain inflicted on him was terrible at the feeling of wrongness, of not belonging these Forces brought with them.

For the other three, they fought with everything they had. Not wanting to become overwhelmed with the power of their respective Forces. This was the only chance they really had, either dying in a prison cell or entrapped in their own minds. Keeping the Forces out of the driving seat would be the best for everybody. They struggled, they fought tooth and nail to maintain their presence of mind.

Barry was deeply in pain when the light died down. Not to mention confusion that his own Force had not come for him. The electricity had shorted out the lights in the room, so it was filled with darkness. Barry tried to see through the inky black soup in front of him, but there was nothing he could see. "Guys?" he tentatively called out.

A faint glow was suddenly emitted from his left. Then to his left, and then right in front of him. "Guys?" Barry whispered, suddenly not feeling very assured in his safety.

A terrible roar came out, and Barry was suddenly blinded by the quick shift from pitch black to lightning of all colors. Three glass walls that confined them were ripped from its hinges and shattered on the floor. The chains that kept Alexa, Bashir and Deon were ripped off them and they walked as free men. But their minds were still ensnared.

Their eyes were pulsing with power. Electricity ran down their forms and they casually walked closer to each other. Once all three were in the center of the room, they each turned as one to look into Barry's room. The only one that was still trapped.

"Why didn't Motion come now? The human said yes." Temporal asked.

"You know Motion. Always likes to be dramatic. They're waiting for the right moment to appear when the human is at its most vulnerable. Putting them in a position where they can't refuse ever." Psyche waved off their concern. Soon, all four of them would be back.

The three Forces snarled. Alexa was changed into her giant form. They crouched down and leapt up, crashing through the ceiling. Light poured down, so Barry could only assume she had actually managed to jump to the surface.

Deon, with a flick of the wrist, disappeared. Gone like the wind.

Bashir had transformed his prison garbs into what Barry vaguely recalled him wearing before. A black cloak and purple mask. Lifting themselves into the air, they floated through the hole Alexa had created in her escape and they left too.

It was at that moment that Barry passed out.

When Barry regained consciousness, he was being roughly shaken with someone screaming in his face. Focusing his eyesight, he saw that it was Lyla shouting at him. "Wake up!"

He groaned. "What's going on?"

"Good, you're up. You need to get out there." Lyla said to him.

Barry couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "You were going to leave us down here. Now you want my help?"

"I didn't have a choice. But things are different now. You're friends, they called for help. Do you hear that?" Lyla pointed to the hole in the ceiling. Now that Barry's senses were back, he could hear distant rumbling and shouts. The pounding of heavy feet on the ground. It sounded like a warzone.

"You stopped them before. We need you to do it again. There's just too many of them. We can't stop them. I'm sorry Barry, I really am. But you're the only one who can help us now." Lyla asked desperately.

Barry ran out of there as fast as he could. No matter how angry he was at Lyla, she was his friend, and it wasn't like he was ever not going to do everything he could.

Assessing the situation, Barry realized his comparison to a warzone was incorrect. The only word Barry felt he could use to associate this was 'doom'. The streets were filled with beings. Not all of them were human, not even humanoid. There were things here that Barry had never seen before. But the one thing they all had in common was the lightning covering their bodies. Mixtures of yellow, blue, purple and green. But Barry noticed a distinct difference between colors. There was clearly more yellow and blue than green and purple. Not that the smaller numbers made them easier to diminish.

Up above, he could hear the Forces duking it out. Each thunderclap rocked the ground Barry stood on. Barry wasn't even sure where to begin with all this. There were just so many. Barry probably wasn't even on most of their radar, being just another speedster in the fray. The only thing significant about Barry was that for a moment, he held The Speed Force in his body. But that moment had passed. He'd even absorbed the kinetic energy from his friends to give himself a small boost, but that wasn't an option anymore. The Speed Force was gone, and with it, the power needed to stop this.

Buildings were crumbling as the fight ensued. People were being trampled on. Bodies. Blood splattered, covering everything. And based on past experience, that meant these people weren't part of any Force, as they would just disappear entirely, being absorbed. These were just regular people who got caught in the crossfire. These were his people, Barry's people. The ones he swore to protect. And they were being stepped on like they were grass. Blood spilling from them, from the people fighting around him. Barry was even somehow covered in blood, though he didn't know how. All he knew was that it wasn't his.

The Forces were high above him, probably existing across the omniverse, both here and there. They were inaccessible to him. He couldn't stop them. And this army they brought was too much for one man. He didn't even have his fellow speedsters to help him. They were part of the armies that he needed to stop.

His call had gone unanswered before. But he had to try again.

The sky was dark with clouds. Lightning flashed across the sky of various colors. Thunder was rumbling constantly as though the Earth was shaking. It was chaos on the ground too, with multiple breaches opening and closing, beings with different colors of electricity covering their bodies moving through the tears in the universe as they fought others off.

Bodies were littering the ground before disappearing. Barry was staring up at the sky with tears falling from his eyes as his face was covered in a smear of blood. He was breathing heavily, a sense of hopelessness overcoming him.

"Please! Yes!" He shouted to the sky.

A strike of yellow lightning flashed across the sky, and Barry knew he had been heard. It streaked across the sky and was crashing down. But it didn't touch him.

Out of the lightning a body appeared. One that looked exactly like Barry. Just with a few more injuries.

It had to be said that Barry had never encountered The Speed Force with a physical form. He had met them in a metaphysical state. Talked to them, even been possessed by them for a time. But he had never actually encountered them in the physical world, and when he did, Barry understood why his fellow speedsters and Force cousins were so willing to plunge themselves into a war that had nothing to do with them.

Their presence was intoxicating. It was the ultimate high and Barry knew that if he gave in, he'd be chasing that dragon forever. It was addicting, the rush of power just being near them gave him.

This was his master and he'd follow any orders they gave him.

Then Barry told himself to snap out of it. He literally shook his head to get rid of any intrusive thoughts.

The glowing yellow eyes swept across the battlefield within a second and Barry could feel their gaze linger on him in particular. But with a scowl, they turned their back to him and flew into the sky to join the fight against their brethren, and it was at that moment that Barry knew he'd been replaced. And he didn't know why he was feeling like he'd been crushed.

Then he was literally crushed when it felt like the weight of the world was being imposed on him. His arms felt like mountains and he fell to his knees. His head felt too heavy, but he was able to move his eyes a little. There was some kind of creature, an alien probably. They looked like a violet lobster, with one claw bigger than the other. Its small pincer was outstretched, purple lightning flickering across it. Barry was trapped in some kind of psychic hold. But there were others close by just like him suffering from the same thing. Probably a psychic force then that was pushing down on them, or increasing gravity.

Either way, Barry was out of it and he fell unconscious for the second time that day.

This was supposed to be a little longer, but I felt like this was a good cut off point. The rest of it will be in the next chapter.

They were detained and left for dead in an ARGUS facility. By the way, it may not seem like it, but this chapter spanned a couple months. They got here in November. It is now February. But there were a few moments of 'family' bonding between them. Plus the Snowbarry reunion behind bars. And then they got desperate enough after months of captivity that they all willingly said yes with the hope of being able to control The Forces. I don't think so.

And in case you couldn't tell, the all out brawl is the exact moment from the first chapter of the season. There was also a small song quartet between them just to show a little hopelessness. The song is 'I'll Be Good' by Jaymes Young. I went through two other songs before finally landing on this one.

Please tell me what you think. I don't want to resort to begging but I do want to see some appreciation from my audience rather than one person, no matter how kind they are (Thanks again CallMeMiles!). I'll see you all next week.