Hi everyone, I had to abandon this fic for various reasons, but I always wanted to come back and I have been working on it. I can't promise the speed in which I can deliver the chapters but I will try my best to do them as soon as possible. I am thankful to all the Readers who kept on reading this fic, commented on it.
Disclaimer -I am not against any of the characters because of Actors/actresses who played their respective roles In the show
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CHAPTER 47- REBIRTH
"What's going on?" Cisco asked, striding into the Cortex as alarms blared through STAR Labs.
"Meta-human alert downtown," Felicity replied, her eyes fixed on the flickering screen.
"Again?" Cisco groaned, exasperation dripping from his voice. "It's not even Tuesday, and these metas are already wreaking havoc!"
"Be careful, Cisco," Felicity warned, her tone sharp with concern. "Gideon's tagged this one as a Level 5 meta."
"Since when does Gideon do that?" Cisco asked, rummaging through his gear with a puzzled frown.
"Ray upgraded her a couple of days ago," Felicity said, barely glancing up from her monitor.
"And no one thought to tell me?" Cisco shot back, his disappointment palpable as he slung his bag over his shoulder.
"Not now, Cisco," Felicity snapped, her patience thinning.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm going," Cisco muttered. He raised his hands, conjuring a swirling breach, and leaped through it with a dramatic flourish.
"Felicity… tell Ray his upgrade sucks," Cisco's voice crackled through the comms moments later.
"What?" Felicity replied, her brow furrowing.
"You haven't checked the street cams yet, have you? I see nothing wrong here," Cisco said, spinning in place to survey the eerily calm downtown streets.
"Are you sure about that?" a new voice rasped behind him. Cisco whirled around, eyes narrowing at the shadowy figure.
"You?" Cisco asked, disbelief coloring his tone.
"Yeah… me," the stranger replied with a smirk. The comms abruptly cut off with a sharp burst of static.
"Cisco? Overwatch to Cisco, do you copy?" Felicity shouted, her voice rising as she pounded the console. The screens stayed silent. She pulled up the street cams, her fingers flying over the keys, only to freeze in shock. Everything looked normal—no chaos, no Cisco. "What the…?"
"Hello, Mrs. Queen," a voice boomed through every speaker in STAR Labs. "I'm a big admirer of your work, but this time, it's out of your hands." Felicity's anger flared—someone had hacked their mainframe again. She attacked the system with furious keystrokes, determined to wrest back control. "As I said, Mrs. Queen, you're no match for me."
"Who are you? What do you want? Where's Cisco?" Felicity demanded, her voice echoing in the Cortex. Caitlin burst in, bleary-eyed from being woken by the chaos.
"Easy, easy," the voice taunted. "What's the fun in answering everything now? But I'll give you one answer."
"And what's that?" Caitlin asked, stepping closer to Felicity.
"Hello, Dr. Snow. Glad you could join us—I was worried this would all fall apart without an audience," the voice said with a chuckle.
"Argh!" Felicity growled, slamming her fist on the desk as her attempts to regain control faltered.
"Now that you've seen my capabilities, here's a little gift," the voice continued. A portal shimmered open across the room, and Cisco's suit tumbled out, landing in a heap.
"Where's Cisco? What have you done to him?" Felicity shouted, her voice raw with fury.
"He's alright," the voice said coolly. Caitlin and Felicity exchanged a fleeting, relieved glance. "…For now."
"Who are you? What do you want?" Caitlin pressed, her tone icy.
"I'll give you one hour to save everyone," the voice replied. The screens flared to life, showing the same downtown Cisco had breached into. As they watched, explosions erupted, buildings crumbling in fiery plumes.
"Oh my God," Felicity whispered, her hand flying to her mouth.
"Yes, Mrs. Queen. If you don't defeat me in an hour, the next round of explosions will level the city," the voice declared.
"Why are you doing this?" Caitlin demanded.
"One hour, Dr. Snow. Until then, downtown is mine." A sharp beep signaled the end of the transmission, and Felicity's controls blinked back online.
.
Barry sat in his cabin, lost in thought. The television droned in the background until a news anchor's urgent voice cut through his haze—explosions in Central City. His instincts screamed to race back and help, but memories of Kara and the others he'd lost anchored him in place. He stood, pacing to the window for air, when a knock startled him.
"Mary? What are you doing here?" Barry asked, blinking at the diner owner he'd come to know so well.
"Just checking in. Haven't seen you in a week," Mary said, stepping inside as Barry gestured to a chair.
"Yeah, I went on a short trek… trying to find some—"
"Peace?" Mary finished for him.
"Something like that," Barry admitted, his gaze drifting back to the news.
"So, did you find it?" she asked gently.
"I… I don't know," Barry murmured, his mind clearly elsewhere.
"It's time, Barry," Mary said, her voice firm.
"For what?"
"The people need you now more than ever."
"I don't understand what you're saying, Mary," Barry said, frowning.
"I know you're the Flash, Barry," she replied, raising a hand to stop his protest. "That's not the issue right now. People need you."
Barry's jaw tightened. "That was my past, Mary. The Flash died five months ago. Now I'm just… a guy."
"The Flash didn't die," Mary countered, her eyes piercing. "Barry Allen did." She nodded toward the TV, where people chanted for the Flash. "Do you know when a person's truly dead, Barry? Not when they stop breathing, but when people stop saying their name."
"You don't know what happened," Barry said quietly, his voice thick.
"No, I don't know what went down that day. But whatever it was, it doesn't mean you stop fighting."
"Supergirl is dead because of me!" Barry exploded, tears streaming down his face. "I was supposed to die, not her!"
"And what have you done since? You're letting her sacrifice mean nothing," Mary said, unflinching.
Barry stared at her, shaken. "I don't know if I can be the hero they want."
"Then don't be the hero they want," Mary said, stepping closer. "Be the hero they need." Barry's gaze flickered to the screen, resolve hardening in his chest.
.
"Felicity! Any luck finding who's behind this?" Caitlin called, hovering over her shoulder.
"No, but this hack has the same digital signature as the Charles Napier breach," Felicity replied, her fingers a blur on the keyboard. "Here goes nothing…" She slammed a key, and her program surged to life. "We're back online, people!" she cheered. Ray and Nia, rescuing civilians downtown, grinned through their comms.
.
"Sir, Mrs. Queen cracked our takeover," Fairchild reported, glancing at her boss shrouded in shadow.
"Well played, Mrs. Queen. Impressive skills," the figure replied, a wicked smile curling his lips.
"Sir, can I ask something?" Fairchild ventured hesitantly.
"I know what's on your mind—why am I so invested in bringing back Mr. Allen?" her boss said. Fairchild nodded. "Someone's coming, and Central City needs him."
.
Nia and Ray, having cleared the debris, reached downtown's center as the hacker's deadline expired. "Now what?" Ray asked.
"Guys, turn around," Felicity's voice crackled through the comms. They spun to see a massive figure looming.
"Monkey?" Nia blurted.
"Bad monkey," Ray corrected as Grodd roared, slamming the pavement and sending them sprawling.
"Grodd? How the hell did Grodd hack our systems? This is way beyond him!" Caitlin exclaimed, staring at the screen.
"You're right. He had help," Felicity said grimly.
On the streets, Grodd flung Ray and Nia aside. A crowd gathered, police led by Joe firing futilely at the beast. "Your time's up, Team Flash! This city falls!" Grodd bellowed, raising a detonator. Before he could press it, a stone struck his head. He turned, snarling, to see a small girl in a Flash costume standing defiantly.
"Look, Central City—the Flash is back," Grodd mocked. The girl's mother sobbed as police restrained her. The child donned her mask, unflinching as Grodd advanced. Joe edged closer to pull her away, but a familiar sonic boom froze everyone
"Hey, Flash," Barry's voice rang out. The girl turned, beaming, to see the Scarlet Speedster behind her.
"I knew you'd come back!" she cried, yanking off her mask.
"Bess?" Barry crouched, recognizing the girl he'd saved during the Steppenwolf attack. "Thank you for stepping up. You're the bravest kid I know. I'll handle this ape—you go take care of your mom." He high-fived her as Joe approached, clapping Barry's shoulder proudly. The crowd erupted in cheers as Joe led Bess away.
"Let's end this, Grodd. For good!" Barry shouted. Grodd charged, but Barry blurred into motion, circling the ape with lightning-fast strikes. A final thunderous punch sent Grodd crashing to the ground, unconscious.
.
Cisco breached back into STAR Labs, hauling a pile of disarmed bombs. He dropped them with a groan, brushing his hands off. "I got nabbed the second I stepped through that breach. Grodd was waiting for me downtown, and before I could even vibe what was up, he clocked me good. Next thing I know, I'm waking up surrounded by these bombs. Managed to disarm them and breach back, but that's all I've got. No clue who's behind this."
Joe strode in. "ARGUS has Grodd in custody. They'll let us know if they dig up anything on who might've been pulling his strings."
Caitlin was patching up Ray and Nia when Joe knocked. She glanced up, spotting a figure entering the lab. Smiling at Joe, she slipped away to the lounge balcony. Her pulse quickened as footsteps approached.
"Cait…" Barry's voice trembled behind her. Tears welled as she turned to see him, bearded and weary.
"You look good with a beard," she teased, brushing it with her fingers.
"I've missed you," Barry said, clasping her hand, his eyes glistening. "I'm sorry for leaving—" Caitlin silenced him with a kiss, emotions pouring out between them.
"I love you, Cait," Barry whispered through tears.
"I love you too, Barry," she replied, beaming, and they kissed again.
Joe, Cisco, and Felicity watched from the doorway, smiling, until Jessie's voice broke in. "Guys, you need to see this…"
"What's going on?" Felicity asked, hurrying back to the Cortex.
"There's a breach opening in the pipleline" Jessie said, pointing at the screen. Alarms blared as something burst through.
Barry and Caitlin snapped out of their embrace, startled by the sirens. A speedster streaked toward them. Barry instinctively shielded Caitlin, hand raised. The figure stopped, lightning dissipating to reveal a young woman.
"Dad…" she said, voice quaking.
"Alexandra?" Caitlin gasped, stepping forward.
"Alexandra? Is that…" Barry trailed off, glancing at Caitlin. She nodded, confirming this was his and Kara's daughter. They approached as she swayed, injured and exhausted.
"Dad…" Alexandra murmured, then looked at Caitlin. "Mom…" She collapsed, caught by Barry and Caitlin's arms.
"Mom?" Caitlin echoed, staring at Barry in shock.