The Future of Us

(1) Moving Forward

Year: 2017 (The Present)

'Swoosh'

The sound fills the cortex as Barry Allen speeds into the area. Hair flys up and all over faces as papers scatter across the console and on the floor. The speedster looks over at his friends and glances at the mess before him. He doesn't pay much attention as he only has one thing on his mind - Devoe.

His friends look at him with slight annoyance. Heavy sighs leave lips while the women fix their appearance. A beat of silence changes the atmosphere and looks of concern take over their faces. They watch as Barry stands still, focusing on his breathing before finally saying a word.

"I found him," he breathes. Sweat forms on his brows as he looks over at all the eyes staring back at him.

"Who?" Cisco speaks out, before reaching into his bag of opened red vines. "And might I add, look at the mess you made!" he flabbergasts, his hands speaking with him - a vine in hand.

"Devoe!" Barry exhausts, running his hand through his damp hair.

He isn't one to sweat so easily but, his adrenaline is in high gear at this point. A sense of fear and panic courses through his veins. He found him. He found his next foe.

"I saw him, guys. He's here in Central City. He is a professor at the university," he puffs out. The air in his lungs getting too thin to breathe. "We got to stop him."

Caitlin is the first to react. Standing up from her seat at the console, she looks at him with confusion. "Stop him from what exactly? He hasn't done anything," she adds.

"But he will. Savitar told me himself," Barry explains as a memory of his former evil future self runs through his mind. A clear picture of him walking through the lab stating the spot the team figured out how to defeat Devoe. He walks up to the console, gripping the desk in front of his friend while looking into her eyes. "We need to stop him. Trust me," he breathes.

Caitlin looks into his eyes, reading his expression, and his mind. They always seem to have this sense of connection that she didn't have with anyone else on the team. She can read him as much as he can read her. It is comforting, to say the least. Her eyes shift to an understanding with a small smile on her lips before nodding her head in agreement.

Barry smiles back at her before looking at the rest of the team. They all seem to share the same look of concern. He rolls his eyes at their pitiful expressions and pulls back from his hold on the desk, talking with his hands. "Come on guys! Caitlin is on board."

A slight eye-roll from Iris catches his attention but, he pays her no mind. He looks to Cisco, Harry, and Wally as they remain quiet. "Barry," Iris pipes in as she stands from her seat behind the console. "It's not that we don't trust you. It's just... what if this is just another side effect from the speed force? Or your cold feet..." she adds under her breath.

"Seriously? You had to bring that up again?" Barry snaps, his voice soaked in disgust.

Iris raises her hands in the air in defense. "I'm just speaking the truth, Barry! You would rather find some random, made-up crisis than decide on a date," she snaps back, leaning on the desk.

"How about we save the mellow drama for behind closed doors," Harry quips, eyeing the couple. "Your personal life issues have no place for a work environment nor my eardrum," he huffs, crossing his arms.

Iris rolls her eyes and gives Barry a death stare which he replies with his own before looking back at the team.

"Now the real question is, how do you expect to defeat this Devoe when we have no information on what harm he will do?" Harry adds, eyeing Barry.