The Flash: Repentance

Chapter XXV

"Wha, what is going on?" Wenn mumbles in Cisco's hair.

Cisco breaks the hug and grabs Wenn's shoulders.

"what I just saw, what... what they did to you... I...I don't even know what to say. I'm just so sorry."

He drops his hands and turns. "This prodding and experimenting, you see it in movies. I never realized that it could happen in real life as well. And lemme tell ya, that... was a lot worse than I could've ever imagined. No wonder you freaked out when Eiling entered the building."

He turns back to Wenn. She walks up to him and puts a hand on his shoulder and guides him to the low wall on the parking lot. They sit down.

"I'm not gonna lie, I've come a long way but... after what happened in Barry's basement a couple of days ago and my reaction to Eiling just now? I'm not okay... I thought I was, but burying the demons isn't helping. They always have a way of creeping back up." Wenn sighs "I'm afraid what I might do in a state of panic when no one is around..."

Cisco puts an arm around her shoulders. "Didn't you tell Barry, and me quite recently that we need to face our demons?"

Wenn smiles sheepishly "I'm very good at giving advice, not so good at taking it..."

They sit in silence for a while. 

"I need to face him. I need to in order to put it all behind me." Wenn breaks the silence.

"Whoa now girl! One step at a time!" Cisco interjects. "You can't just go up to the guy like, 'hey man, how you doing. Remember me? You used me as your personal guinea pig!'"

Wenn snorts, "Cisco, you have no idea how wrong that sounds!" and she bursts in to laughter.

Cisco smiles "I tend to do that, don't I." He gets up, "Okay, first things first. He wants you back, and there has got to be a reason for that. And there is still the case of that mysterious killer speedster."

Wenn hums in agreement, "The killer is our first priority. He needs to be stopped, fast. No pun intended."

They head back up to the cortex.

"Hey, guys!" Cisco greets Barry and Caitlin.

"Hey, you okay man?" Barry asks

Cisco nods, "It was really hard to watch. To... realize that being a Meta makes you a prey to guys like Eiling."

"But, Eiling needs to go on the backburner. We still need to figure out who our mysterious killer speedster is and why he is killing seemingly innocent teens." Wenn interjects.

" I think I can help with that" Jay enters the cortex.

Cisco puts a hand over his heart, "Sjeez dude, you seriously gotta stop doing that!"

"Sorry Cisco." Jay apologizes. He then puts a stack of files on the console desk.

"I know there is digital records of it, I'm just not good with that stuff." 

Barry walks up and starts speed reading through some the files. He puts down the last one and looks at Jay.

"These are all signed by me, but I don't remember these cases." He then looks at the dates. "Future cases... But... I thought you were from the past?"

Jay smiles, "Sort of. I guess it is time to fully disclose where I am from." He walks over to a white board and puts it in the middle of the cortex. He draws a circle on it.

"This is here, this earth. It's what we call 'prime earth' or Earth 1 if you will." Jay starts to explain, "around this eart there is an infinite amount of alternate Earths. We just don't see them because they vibrate at a different frequency."

"Wow, wow, wow, hold on now, you are saying there are actually multiple worlds out there?! Alternate realities?! Like, with dopplegangers and stuff?!" Cisco asks.

Jay nods, "Again, yes and no. There are earths were different versions of you all exist, but also earths where different events happened and therefore a Barry Allen or Cisco Ramon doesn't exist."

"So... how does the different time thing work then?" Barry asks.

"Well, because The further the frequency differs from this one, the further back in time it is. So this is present, 2016. The time on Earth 2 is about 2 years removed from this one, so 2014 there. Earth 3; 2012, etc, etc. I'm from Earth 20, so timewise for you that would be the 1976." Jay explains.

Barry blinks, processing all this information.  "Lemme get this straight, every alternate universe is not just on a different frequency, but on a different point in time as well."

Jay nods.

"How did you get here then?" Caitlin asks.

"Usually, with Barry and later with Rip Hunter, time master. This time, by accident. The singularity opened temporary breaches through which a person, more specifically; a speedster could jump between Earths. Now I'm kinda stuck here." Jay laughs sheepishly.

"What do you mean 'with Barry'? You mean to tell me that besides traveling through time, I can travel between alternate worlds as well?"

"Yes," Jay answers, "You are the only speedster fast enough to do it, making you the protector of the Multiverse."

Barry snorts, "I doubt that."

"It's a fact, Barry. If you ever were to go Rogue? God help us all..." Jay retorts.

Barry shivers. Thats something he won't let happen. He's had to deal with so much already, and sure everyone has a breaking point, but going Rogue? Killing people? No. Maybe under the influence of someone.

"Or something..." Barry whispers.

He quickly lets the evidence of the recent murders pass by, then reads all of the reports Jay produced. He pauses at the last file.
The murder of one Wally West. On the last page, is a message, written in his handwriting; 'My brother, my best friend, I am so so sorry I got you in to this. In my quest for revenge for my family, I got you killed. I promise you, I will make this right...'

"Who's Wally West? And my family? Who are they? What happend to them?" Barry aks.

"Damn... I thought I let that one out." Jay replies and he quickly glances at Wenn.

"You mean her?! Something happens to her?!" Barry's mind is now working in overdrive and suddenly everything clicks. "No..." He whispers "No, no, no, no, no..." He stumbles backwards and tries to keep himself upright by leaning against a chair.
His thoughts are now at superspeed and lightning is sparking off him, left and right.

"Wenn do something!" Cisco yells.

Wenn runs up to Barry and grabs him by the shoulders to calm him down. It helps, but it also allows Barry to form somewhat coherent thoughts again.

Barry blinks up at Wenn, "I know who he is, I know who Zoom is and why he's doing this."