06
Out of The Speed Force
SPEED FORCE
Barry watched his life play out before him repeatedly. He felt rooted in place, tears tracking down his cheeks as he watched his parents over and over. Watched himself grow older and live out his life to fullest and happiest he'd been. All the while wondering if it was what he really wanted. Flashpoint had proved it wasn't, he'd lost his powers and had to go back…
"Was it that you didn't like the idea of life without your powers? Or was it that you knew it wasn't your life that was the problem?" Savitar asked.
Barry sighed.
He'd almost forgotten Savitar was there. Almost. The speedster had been quiet for a long time. Silently and sullenly watching the life play out for the umpteenth time. Savitar hadn't said anything since Barry'd started to feel the pain that Savitar tried his hardest to conceal.
"I don't know anymore," he murmured. He shrugged, tired of having the same conversation over and over. Tired of having to defend himself and his choices. Tired of having to explain why he decided to go back in time, why he worked to save his parents, why he tried so hard to ease the pain in his life. If anyone would understand, it'd be Savitar.
That was the hardest part he had to come to terms with. That the only person who'd truly understand was the one who hated him enough to completely ruin his whole life. And if they were going to be spending eternity in the Speed Force… "It's probably that it wasn't…"
"Wasn't your life?"
Barry nodded.
"Welcome to the club." Savitar sniffed loudly. "You get a lot of time to think about that, here." He lifted his chin. "Oh, look, here you come getting beat up again." He shook his head. "Or, here I go, coming back from being beat up again." His grasp tightened on his folded arms. "It's hard to remember who this is torturing more. At least in actual prison, you had the chance of getting out early for good behavior. You know…if they ever gave our dad that chance."
Barry closed his eyes, pain coursing through his chest.
Barry forced himself to cross the threshold and walk towards the living room. Zoom was standing behind Henry, arm wrapped around his neck and cowl pulled down. Barry glared into Zoom's—Hunter's—face, waiting for him to say something. A cold, black darkness crept through Barry's body, weighing him down. His subconscious knew what was going to happen long before the rest of him did.
"It's poetic, returning to your childhood home," Zoom rasped to Barry. The merry light in his eyes made Barry curl his fingers into fists. He was so preoccupied with Zoom, he didn't notice Cadence and Roy appear behind him, Roy with his bow drawn and pointing an arrow directly at Zoom.
No. Barry lifted a hand and stretched it towards Zoom. He stepped forward, foot pressing into a squeaky floorboard. It was the only other sound in the otherwise silent room. Even Henry stood still, watching his son. Barry's eyes shot to his father's. Don't worry, I'll save you. "Don't do this," Barry whispered. "I'm begging you. I'm begging you." He thumped a hand against his chest. "Take me. Take me instead." He licked his lips, swallowed hard. Throat as dry as a furnace. "Kill me. Kill me!"
"No!" Henry shouted.
"Barry," Cadence said from behind him. She exchanged a glance with Roy, he continued to hold the bow directly at Zoom, fingers slowly starting to tremble from the immense strain of pulling the bowstring tight.
"Look at me," Henry said to Barry. Barry shifted his gaze to his father. Shook his head. There had to be something else. Anything else. But Zoom was as fast as him, faster…Words were the only weapon now. "Look at me, son." Henry sucked in a deep breath through his nose, spoke through gritted teeth. "Don't take your eyes off me."
"Barry," Cadence repeated. This time with more force. The tension in the room immediately rose.
"You still won't believe me that you and I are the same," Zoom growled. "That there isn't anything that separates us from each other. That you think you're better than me."
"Come on." Had he said it out loud? Had he whispered it? Yelled it? Each word sounded like a bomb dropping. Shattering everything in sight. But the walls stood tall around them, waiting for the final nail removal that'd take them down. "Come on, Zoom."
Zoom continued as if he hadn't heard Barry say anything at all. "So I'm going to have to make you believe me."
"No," Barry whimpered. His lower jaw started to tremble. Eyes stung. There had to be something. Anything that could be done. Anything other than what was about to happen. His heart rammed against his throat. He knew what was about to happen. His blood went cold. Every part of him turned to ice.
"Whatever happens," Henry said firmly. "You've made me the happiest father."
"Dad," Barry gasped. His jaw shook fiercely. Body equally turned hot. He felt itchy, wanting to tear off his skin, wanted to tear off Zoom's head just as badly.
"This time." Zoom showed all of his teeth as he grinned. A Cheshire grin that couldn't be contained. "You're going to watch your parent die, just like I did."
"No. NO!" Barry shouted.
"This is what's going to make you just. Like. Me."
Father and son's eyes met.
"Your mother and I love—"
One last time.
"Zoom!"
And just like that, Zoom rammed his hand through Henry's heart. Blood splattered along the walls, across Barry's Cadence's, and Roy's faces, dripped to the floor, stuck to Zoom's finger tips along with tiny shreds of Henry's heart.
"NO!" The pain of Barry's scream ripped through his throat. Tore through his body, causing more damage than a bullet could. He blacked out. He didn't see Cadence and Roy attack at the same time, a fireball straight to Zoom's face and an arrow to the shoulder. He didn't see Zoom's roar of pain as he backed away to stumble into the wall where he frantically tried to rub at his face and pull the arrow form his shoulder.
Barry fell to his knees, cradling his father in his arms. "Dad? Dad?" He frantically ran his hands from his father's head to his shoulders, trying to find the best way to hold Henry to him. "Hey, hey, hey. Look at me." Henry's eyes rolled towards Barry as he gasped for air. Frantically swallowed, Adam's apple bobbing repeatedly. Tried to speak. Blood bubbled at his lips, rolled down his chin, a stark contrast against his pale skin. "Dad, don't leave. Don't leave me. Not again, not again."
Henry's movements came weaker, his hand reaching up to brush Barry's cheek. Missed. Barely got his arm. Barry grasped Cadence's arm and pulled her down to her knees next to him. He was surprised to find tears already falling down her cheeks. "Cade. Cay, please," he said. "Please." He couldn't get the words out.
Heal him. Help him. Anything that could get him back on his feet. Anything that'd take him from being so lifeless, so pale so…
Cadence shook her head.
"Please!"
"Barry, I can't," she finally said. "His heart…"
Barry looked down and saw the truth. "DAD!" Barry shouted at him. "Come on, come on. It's alright. Dad?" Henry stopped responding, stopped moving. And Barry continued to scream the word 'dad' repeatedly before he broke, sobbing over his father's lifeless body. He was gone.
"I told you family was a weakness," Zoom murmured, standing above them. Immediately, Barry turned a murderous glare towards him. Zoom let out a surprised laugh. "You feel the anger don't you, Flash? And now, you're just like me."
"NO!" Barry screamed.
Barry opened his eyes at Savitar's grunt to see his upper lip curl into an expression of disgust. Right. They could feel the same thing. Were, essentially, the same person but with different lives that were lead.
They were connected.
"It still hurts," Barry murmured.
"It'll never stop hurting," Savitar replied. He gritted his teeth. "Time doesn't heal all wounds…because we have time at our fingertips. The nagging pain never goes away. You only learn to live with it. And It's what you do with that life that keeps you moving forward."
Barry nodded. "I know," he agreed. "And that's how we differ." He shook his head, looking straight into Savitar's eyes. "I've learned not to live in the past. That the only thing you can do is move forward and keep running."
Savitar snorted. "Do you want that stitched on a sampler?" He waved his hand. "We've got nothing but time here, and I'm sure your—our-parents have some sort of a Dummies book on that sort of thing. I bet I can whip up something in the time we have."
Barry shook his head.
Opened his mouth to say something.
Then stopped.
Barry's eyebrows furrowed. Lips pressed together in a thin line.
Savitar looked at him, his eyes roving over Barry's face, eyebrows moving into a mirroring furrowed expression. "What's wrong with you? You look like you've finally seen a ghost or something."
It hit him all at once. First a tingling sensation, the same sort he'd feel when he was about to use his powers. First starting in his feet and moving up to his arms, resting in his fingertips. Barry lifted his hand, watching as lightning crackled between his fingertips.
He felt himself getting pulled backwards, as if someone had grabbed his shoulders and yanked hard. The Speed Force whirled by him in a swirl of colors and images, whizzing by much faster than the five seconds he'd watched his life play through. Something spherical whizzed by his head as he was pulled back, hovering in the place where he'd just been standing.
A harder pull. Barry's hands scrambled through the air, grasping Savitar's shoulder. Savitar looked at Barry, looked at the hand on his shoulder, then back at Barry with a look of utter disgust. He shook his head, once before, the two were ripped backwards with the strongest of tugs. Next thing Barry knew, he was racing at the speed of light, fast, fast, faster than he'd ever gone before. His legs churned, clothes burning away against the incredible friction that raced against him before bright light encompassed him.
Lightning trailed off him.
No.
Became part of him.
He was a lightning bolt that shot through the opening of the Speed Force before him and kept going. Going, going, going until he had no choice but to stop, seeing an obstacle he couldn't keep himself from running right into. Slamming his heels into the ground, Barry leaned forward and rested his palms on the hood of a truck, using everything in his power to keep from his forward momentum to slam his face into the hood of the truck.
His eyes shifted over the shocked faces of those that sat inside before his vision slanted. A low groan escaped his lips as he stumbled back, brought a hand up to his forehead, and dropped backwards, pitching to the ground.
Everything went black.
He had no idea how long he'd been out.
Didn't understand what'd happened, where he was. Didn't know how he managed to get dressed into CCPD shirt and sweats. All that mattered was…getting the words out that filled his head. That swirled around in a storm, pushing and pulling him in all directions. He picked up a marker and started to write, his writings coming out in small, intricate shapes. He wrote and wrote and wrote.
Ignored the real voice behind him.
"Unbelievable!" Savitar seethed, pacing back and forth behind Barry. His chest heaved, hands clenching into fists. "I didn't think things could get worse, but…I should've known you'd manage to make things worse." He moved to Barry's side and stood above him, glaring at him. "You brought me back out here to this hell hole! At least in the Speed Force I was able to…I could've at least been able to pretend that…" his voice broke with emotion. "I don't know what's worse, watching the life I could've lived, or being back here and watching your life."
Barry glanced at him but didn't response. Moved about the room as if he didn't see Savitar. And, as far as Barry was concerned, Savitar wasn't there. He continued to write, shifted around the room, got out everything that he needed to say.
"Barry?"
Immediately, Barry turned at the sound of his name. He leveled his eyes on Joe, a smile making its way to his face. Then to Iris, and Cisco, and Caitlin. His heart swelled with excitement. He really was home…his friends…his family were there in front of him. How long had he been gone?
"Great," Savitar mumbled. "The rest of these idiots are here." He leaned against the wall behind him, crossing his arms and legs. He waved a hand toward Barry. "Go on, go have your happy reunion." He watched as Barry's lips twitched, he ran a hand over his mouth, then back through his hair. Shook his head. "Nora shouldn't be here," he murmured, voice gravelly and low, as if he'd just woken up from a deep sleep.
Savitar's eyebrows rose.
Barry frowned.
He hadn't said that. "Nora shouldn't be here?" That didn't make sense. He'd tried to greet his friends. Tried to say 'hi', tried to explain what'd happened to him. He saw the confused expression flash over everyone's faces before Iris stepped forward to say, "Your mom isn't here, Barry," Iris said. Her voice was soft, eyes wide with disbelief and…shame. "It's us…your friends." Barry looked at her. "You're home."
Barry shook his head. He knew he was home. He'd recognize his home anywhere. He needed to say what was going on. What happened. Needed to warn them about Savitar. Barry opened his mouth to speak again, frowned when different words dropped from his lips. "Your honor, I'm innocent. I didn't do this, I didn't kill anyone."
Savitar tilted his head, still watching Barry. His lips curled up in the corner. A slight smirk of understanding. Frustrated, Barry tired once more. "Can you hear the stars? Singing? Rhyming? Chiming? Timing?" No. No. Barry squeezed his hands to his hair, grasping at the fringe that fell over his face, threatened to pull out each and every strand in the pain of what was swirling through his head. The confusion. "Every hour, every minute." He then whirled to Joe, pointing directly at him. Desperately tried to get him to understand. "You said the city was safe! That there was no residual danger. But that's not true!"
"Barry—" Joe said.
"What really happened that night?" Barry continued.
"The city is safe," Cadence insisted. He looked at her, felt his heart swell. Listened carefully to her words, focused on his own so they'd come out correctly when he spoke again. "You saved us, you saved us all." He frowned, his heart sinking as fast as it swelled, watching as she shook her head, taking a step back when he spoke, starting to pace out of frustration. He looked to Bray, who was turned away, looking at Barry out the corner of his eye, almost as if he didn't want to be there.
Frustrated, Barry paced in a large circle, went back to the walls and started to write again.
"I mean, I know you made some dumb decisions before, but this just takes the cake," Savitar said. Barry turned a hard stare toward him. "They can't understand you. You're still running in Speed Force time. Still experiencing everything from your life in ways you can't imagine." He tapped at his temple. "It's going to take time before that thing's all unscrambled."
"Why is this happening?" Barry murmured. His eyes grew wide, hearing himself say the right words. "How come I can say things right to you but…" he trailed off, quickly understanding it. Savitar nodded in agreement. "Because you're a speedster."
"Because I've spent time in the Speed Force," Savitar corrected. He pointed directly toward Barry's heart. "'Because of you. Because of that prison you stuck me in."
"You're not in that prison anymore," Barry reminded him. "You're out here, with me."
"I've noticed," Savitar replied. Then his lips pulled back into a shark-like smile. "I should've still been in the Speed Force, I should've been dead. Something about your presence, despite the Black Flash's hand going through my chest…" he brought up his hand to press flat against the front of his jumpsuit. "We're still connected."
Barry glanced towards his friends, knowing they were talking about him, probably going to take him to STAR Labs to get things figured out. The first reaction to everything they didn't know the answer to. That was okay, STAR Labs was his home, a comforting place. If there was anyone who could figure things out, it was them. They were some of the smartest people in the city and had enough information on the Speed Force to work things out through their database.
Barry looked back to Savitar, his hands clenching into fists. Sensing the danger within Savitar's words. Savitar took a step toward Barry. "And I'm going to make sure that connection is severed. Permanently."
Everything happened at once.
A hand landed on his shoulder. All at once, Barry felt the familiar sparks shoot through him that was his and Cadence's powers working together. Felt it through his body like a recharge through a battery. He looked to Savitar and saw his eyes crackle with lightning at the same time, having taken on her power as well.
They moved at the same time. Savitar shot towards Barry, grabbing him around the neck and squeezing hard. Barry pried Savitar's hands off his neck and grasped his arm, throwing him to the side. Savitar crashed into the wall then was back to his feet, racing toward Barry. Barry threw a punch that Savitar caught in his palm, twisted his arm aside, and punched Barry straight in the stomach with enough power that sent Barry up into the ceiling. Barry fell to the ground and turned, racing after Savitar as he shot from the CCPD.
They raced back and forth through the city, Savitar arching just out of Barry's grasp as they ran. Every now and then he'd shoot around a corner and circle back toward Barry, the two immediately becoming entangled in a fight, working to gain the upper hand. Barry raced to a rooftop after throwing Savitar through an office window.
Savitar raced up and stood across from him, chest heaving as he glared at Barry with so much malice Barry was surprised he hadn't burst into flames. "I can't wait to kill you," Savitar hissed.
"But you can't, can you?" Barry shot back. Savitar's glare increased. "You're not as strong as you used to be. You don't have the power of the Speed Force behind you." Another thought came to mind. Something that Savitar had consistently reminded him. "We're connected. If you get rid of me…" he trailed off, letting the words hang between them.
"Shut up," Savitar snarled.
"Then what'll you do?"
"I'll take my chances."
Barry and Savitar raced toward each other once more. Fists flew, punches connected, the speedsters slammed each other to the rocky gravel on the roof top before racing back down to the streets of Central City. Barry pumped his arms, running as hard as he could, forcing himself to go faster, faster, faster…
Wham!
Something connected with the side of his head, sending him crashing to the ground. Blood splattered to the asphalt below him, dripping from his nose and rolling down his chin. He shook his head and pushed himself from his knees, looking up.
His eyes widened in surprise, seeing Brady—Shadowhunter—standing in front of him, holding onto a large hammer. The young boy twisted his hands along the handle of the hammer, watching him closely.
"Barry?" He asked.
"Brady?" Barry repeated. He pressed his hand to his face, pulled it away to look at the blood that stained his fingertips. His eyes shot towards Brady once more. Did he just hit me in the face with a hammer? His head exploded with pain, the realization hitting him. "Oh, my head. What happened?"
Brady shook his head. "We don't have time for that now. Mom needs your help."
Barry immediately clocked onto the seriousness of Brady's tone and pushed himself to his feet. His eyes shifted to Savitar before he recoiled, seeing the mess of Savitar's face. The scarred part seemed to have caved in, blood pooling into the cracks of his scars. Bruising swelled around his sightless eye. Despite the pain he should've felt, his enhanced healing would've at least made the pain reside faster, Savitar continued to look at Barry, gently shaking his head.
"Go ahead," Savitar said, sarcasm tinging his words. He gestured towards Central City. "Save the day like you always do." Barry hesitated, continuing to look at his doppelganger. Could he really leave him to wreak havoc on the city? Savitar chuckled, seeming to read Barry's mind. He probably could. "You don't have to worry about me. Because the thing is Barry…" Savitar said. Before Barry's eyes, he slowly fractured apart in blue light, fading away. "As far as you're concerned…I was never really here."
Savitar faded from sight.
Without a second thought, Barry turned on his heel and raced to STAR Labs. He ripped his suit off the mannequin, looked at the computer screens to where Cadence's location as locked, and ran as fast as he could. He weaved in and out of the obstacles placed in front of him in the city until he spotted her fire trial chasing after something in the sky.
"Do you see how fast he's running?" Caitlin asked, voice amplified from their communication link.
"I've never gone that fast," Wally murmured.
"Seems to me that time in the Speed Force has amplified his powers," Harrison said. Barry could practically see him in his mind's eye, crossing his arms, bringing one hand up to his chin. "That being in the Speed Force so long…he may have taken everything in like a sponge."
"Wouldn't that have also advanced any of the skills that Cadence would have, if their powers work together?" Tess questioned. "Especially after what we've discovered the Fire Fall."
"We've already seen how the Fire Fall has affected her, it's to be seen if this truly has done anything for Barry," Joe said. "But right now, we've got to stop this Samuroid."
Barry sped up, continuing to watch Cadence as she fought off whatever it was she was chasing. Every now and then she'd leap up and engage…whatever it was, in a fight, and be knocked back, then keep going, showing impressive feats of her fire throwing skills Barry hadn't seen before. They continued running, through Danville, to the farming areas until, eventually, they made it to the windmill farm. Barry remembered reading about it in the paper, around the same time that the Particle Accelerator was about to go online. The clean energy was to help reduce the carbon footprint of nearby cities and the use the power from said farm to power Keystone.
Barry craned his neck as he followed the Samuroid into the fields, watching as he waved back and forth through the metallic windmills. Cadence teleported above the Samuroid, dropping down to attack him once more. He whirled around, using the thrusters on his back to angle him around, pulling out a sword. He stabbed her in the stomach before Samuroid threw Cadence hard toward the ground. She bounced off the first windmill and struck another before regaining her balance and teleporting to the ground. Barry raced after them. He skidded to a stop when a windmill was struck.
"Of course," he mumbled.
Looking up, Barry watched as the Samuroid continued to swing his sword back and forth, sending waves of energy out into the poles of the windmills he flew by. A loud, groaning filled the air seconds before the windmills started to tilt. Barry blinked hard, standing still. On a good day, the passing clouds behind anything tall would give the appearance something was about to fall over. This time around, the windmills were, in fact, careening toward him.
Barry gritted his teeth and took off once more, weaving between the falling windmills towards Cadence as she continued to fall. Barry raced up a windmill and, at the same time that he leapt towards the Samuroid, he threw a bolt of lightning forward.
The Samuroid watched as the lightning bolt harmlessly shot by him. Then he turned back to Barry and said, "You missed," in a robotic-deadpan voice.
Barry smirked. He landed atop the Samuroid and, with a wrench of its flying mechanism, ripped it of fhis back. Then he leapt off and sped towards the ground, just as the lightning bolt shot back towards the Samuroid—the lightning that struck the blades of a nearby windmill and directed back towards the Samuroid—following the metallic conduction of the blades. The Samuroid almost immediately blew up, black smoke billowing out of its back as it spiraled toward the ground.
Barry pushed himself to run even faster and gathered Cadence in his arms before she hit the ground. He ran a safe distance away before setting her on the ground. The Samuroid hit the ground and exploded, sending metallic bits and pieces into the air.
Silence stretched between them, Barry stepped back and looked at Cadence, chest heaving from the effort he put into his running, watched as she looked torn between wanting to give him a hug and throttling him. Of which he wasn't what she would do.
Finally, she pulled her goggles down from her face and said, "I had that."
A laugh escaped Barry's lips. He reached up and pulled down his hood. "No, you didn't," he corrected her.
Cadence smiled back. She chuckled. Shook her head. Lowered her gaze. Still shook her head. Barry watched, waiting for her response. Willed himself not to reach out and grab her, unsure of how she'd react and what it'd do. Would it be real that time? Or would it be another face off against Savitar?
"As far as you're concerned…I was never here."
Cadence lifted her chin and looked Barry in the eye. She sucked in a deep breath, tears falling down her cheeks, dripping to the front of her suit. They beaded up and rolled off, not even leaving a stain. A new upgrade to her suit, Barry supposed. Cadence sucked in a deep breath, her lips trembling into a smile.
She lifted an eyebrow, stepped toward him, and called, "You're late."
Barry smiled, he shook his head and walked towards her, her smile growing wider with each step. He grasped her face, using his thumbs to brush away her tears despite how much more of them came. Happy tears, he noted, looking into her eyes. "I'm just in time."
Cadence threw her arms around Barry's neck at the same time Barry gathered her in his arms, the two coming together in a passionate kiss.
SCARLETT SPEEDSTER RETURNS AFTER SIX MONTH ABSENCE
Tommy Monaghan grinned to himself as he read headline. Not quite newspaper standard; Central City Picture News would have an even better title, more news, comments from the CCPD, and the city residents, and blah blah blah. Nothing he really needed to know.
What he did need to know, was when he was going to make his next hit. And which one was he going to go for? Tommy switched to a new tab on his computer screen and brought up a list, a long list of names and numbers. Many were crossed off, but others were added to it on almost a daily basis. He grinned to himself, typing slowly as he added: THE FLASH to the top of the list.
Then he sat back, watching as the column next to it started to whir with numbers, calculating his worth. Finally, it finished.
Tommy grinned.
REVERSE-FLASH…XXX
THE FLASH…500,000,000
FLARE….450,000,000
?
?
?
KILLER FROST…..10,000,000
VIBE…..5,000,000
SHADOWHUNTER….50,000
JESSE QUICK…25,000
KID FLASH…..25,000
GEO….10,000
"Buckle up, boys," he called to the grinning faces around him, hidden by the shadows of the darkened room. "Looks like we've got a new bounty to go after!"
A/N: I know part of this may be confusing, so if there's anything that needs to be explained, please let me know and I'll do my best with it. I'll mark spoilers accordingly if needed. Otherwise, I'm glad you all finally get a glimpse of what plans I have with Barry's time in the Speed Force as the story goes on. Annnd, we've started the other subplot of the story as well.
I'm really excited for this story to move forward and I hope you all are as well!
Cheers,
-Riles
Review Replies
DarkHelm145: There's going to be a lot of moments where we see DeVoe's POV. It's something the show definitely could have given us more of, but didn't, and I want to capitalize on that. Plus, it ties in Harrison and Tess in more than I'd had them in the last story.
Ethan: You're actually on the very right track of what's going on with Iris. It's something that'll be brought up with Joe as well. With a character dynamic I don't think many people will see coming much, but I'm excited to write. Yes, Brady low-key did enjoy smacking Barry in the face with a hammer, lol.
Yummers: Glad you enjoyed it. I can't wait to for you to see what else happens.
