Episode 10 - Versus Zoom

15 years ago on the night that the Reverse Flash had killed Barry's mother. "Sometimes terrible things happen to us when we're children. Things that can define who we become, whether we want them to or not." Barry said.

"Run, Barry, run!" Henry shouted to young Barry.

"Some of us become stronger." Barry continues. "The people who took me and helped me heal and move past everything that happened. They're responsible for who I've become today. But I know that I'm one of the lucky ones."

"Come on, Barry." Joe tells the young child. Joe then takes young Barry home and there he meets up with young Iris.

"Not everyone gets that kind of support. Without it, I don't know where I would have ended up or what I could've become."

On earth two, many years ago a little boy woke up when he heard a crash coming from downstairs. He then walks downstairs and sees his father yelling at his mum. "James…" She said.

"Who do you think you are? Do you know what I went through over there? Do you know the sacrifices I made for you? I come back after years of fighting for this country and this is my welcome home?" James shouted at her. The man was wearing the same outfit that Jay now wears, this meant that the little boy was Jay and this was his father and mother. "You think you can walk out on me? I'm your husband!"

"You're not my husband. I don't know what you are right now." She argued.

"I am a hero, Ashley." James grabs her by her hair.

"No. You're a monster." Ashley sees her son. "Run, Hunter, run."

"Stay, boy!" James yelled. James then shoves Ashley to the ground and walks over to Hunter. "It's okay." James moves Hunter over to his mother.

"Please. Please don't do this." Ashley begged.

"Shut up!" James ordered.

"No, please." Ashley repeated.

James faces Hunter and puts his hat on his son's head. "You're gonna want to see this, son." James tells him.

"No, James!" Ashley sobbed. "Please. No. No, James." James then walked over to the closet and picked up his shotgun. He then walks over to his wife and aims it at her before killing her.

Later, Hunter was taken to an orphanage while still having his father's helmet when the detective walked inside. "Name?" She asked.

"Hunter Zolomon. Father killed the mother. Kid saw the whole thing." The Detective answered.

"Next of kin?" She questioned.

"No relatives wanted him. He is all alone." The Detective told her.

"Follow me. And don't dawdle." She tells the boy. She then walks upstairs with Hunter right behind her. He was on his way to his new life and something tells him it won't be a good one.

Back in the present in Keystone City, Barry and Macanese were standing next to the town sign. "Okay, you guys. We're here." Barry said into his comms.

"You got our location?" Macanese questioned.

"You're good? You both don't need to, like, stretch or something?" Cisco asked.

"No, no, no, we're good, we're good." Barry answered.

"Yeah, we're good here." Macanese agrees.

"Let's take these tachyon enhancers out for a test drive." Cisco smiled.

"All right." Cisco said. Then both Barry and Macanese place the tachyon devices onto their chests and it starts working imminently.

"Wow." Macanese gasps.

"Yeah… we feel that." Barry smiles.

"Those are the tachyon devices powering up the Speed Force in your guys cells like a quick charge battery. How do you two feel?" Caitlin wondered.

"Different." They answer.

"Let's see how long it takes you both to get back here. On my count. Three, two, one. Go!" Cisco counted down. Barry and Macanese then take off running, in doing so they knock down the town sign.

At STAR Labs, Cisco, Caitlin and Iris were all watching Barry and Macanese's speed on the computer. "Dang, this thing got you cruising." Cisco noticed.

"How fast does he normally go?" Iris asked.

"Not this fast." Caitlin answered.

"Not even close. Are his vitals okay?" Cisco wondered.

"Yeah, they're perfect." Caitlin told him.

"Cool. It's like having a pit-stop attached to your chest." Iris said.

"Guys, we can go faster." Barry informed them.

"Do it. I'm back." Cisco replied.

Barry and Macanese then start running really fast through the city until they disappear through a breach and then come out of another before running back into the Cortex. "We're back. What…" Barry said.

"How long were we gone?" Atchaco asked.

"Let's put it this way, you just annihilated your old record." Cisco answered.

"Yeah, you went four times faster than you have ever been." Caitlin tells them.

"Four times? That's as…" Barry started to say.

"Fast as Zoom. Well, faster actually." Harry said, walking in with a cup of coffee as Barry and Atchaco take the devices off their chests.

"Hey, uh, do we think that, um, we can get this thing smaller? It kind of sucks." Atchaco admits.

"If it sucks, then, yeah." Harry then takes the devices and leaves.

"All right, so now all we have to do is figure out how to get back to Zoom." Barry reminds them.

"Yes, uh, just a minor issue. We closed all the breaches and have no idea how to reopen them." Cisco said.

"We don't... Um, Wells?" Barry replied.

"Yeah, I have an idea, Allen. Let's keep the breaches closed forever. Forget about the breaches. Forget about Zoom." Harry tells them.

"Wait, I'm sorry, I thought that you were on board with this." Barry was confused.

"No. No. I said I would help you get faster. I did not say I would help you two give the man who kidnapped my daughter and tortured her a chance to do it again." Harry argued.

"Hey, we are not gonna let that happen." Atchaco tries to reassure him.

"Oh, you're not gonna let that happen. Gosh, I wish I'd known that the first time. You don't understand Zoom is different than us. Zoom is not tied to anything. Zoom does not care for anyone. I do. My daughter's out here on this Earth somewhere. I have to find her. We all have people that we care about. Zoom will use that against us. Believe me." Harry warns.

"Maybe we should just leave it be." Caitlin suggested.

"No, no. Look, no. Look, we're... We're not turning our backs on another Earth. We're not gonna let Zoom get away with everything that he's done." Barry tells them.

"Right now, there is no way to another Earth, Allen. Let's keep it that way." Harry then walks away.

"We're getting back to Earth-2. With or without his help." Barry said.

"Let's go to work." Caitlin and Cisco walk into another room as Iris starts to walk out of the Cortex.

"Hey, where are you going? We could use your help." Atchaco tells her.

"Uh, yeah, I would. It's just that I have a date with Scott." Iris admits.

"That's the editor?" Barry wondered.

"Yeah, yeah." Iris answered.

"That's good. No, I'm glad that you're finding a way to move on without anything holding you back. You deserve that." Atchaco tells her.

"Yeah, and well, I would have been able to do it without both of your support. It means a lot to me, so…" Iris said.

"Of course." Atchaco replies.

"Thanks." Iris smiles.

"Yes, for sure." Barry agrees.

"Well hey, I mean, if you don't get this breach problem fixed by tonight, pencil me in for tomorrow?" Iris tells them.

"We can do that." Atchaco said.

"Okay." Iris then turns and walks out.

Atchaco then leans over to Barry. "Do you think that we should tell everybody about the other earth that we visited. Tell them about Supergirl?" Atchaco asks.

"I think that we should keep it a secret. They all have too much on their plate right now." Barry answers.

"But we will tell them later." Atchaco whispers and Barry nods.

Later at night, Barry was having pizza with Joe at the house. "Man, I love it when you and Atchaco train in Keystone City." Joe smiles as he grabs a slice of pizza.

"Mm-hmm." Barry hums.

"Hey, you sticking around after dinner? Me and Wally are gonna watch Formula 1." Joe wondered.

"Mm. No, I can't. I got to get back to the lab. I'm still trying to find a way back to Earth-2." Barry admits.

"Can't you just stick Wells on it?" Joe asked.

"No, he refused. Doesn't want me or anybody opening the breaches again." Barry explains.

"Well, I can't believe I'm saying this about a man I shoot at... And punched in the face, but I think you should listen to him." Joe tells him.

"Why?" Barry questioned.

"Barry, it worries the hell out of me the thought that you want to go back to Earth-2." Joe answers.

"I'm faster now. Atchaco's faster too. We're faster than we've ever been. I'm faster than Zoom. I can take him down." Barry argues.

"All I'm saying is, you already escaped the hornet's nest once. Why go back and kick it again?" Joe wonders. The door then and Wally walks in.

"Hey." Wally greets them.

"Wally! We got some pizza here all the way from Keystone City." Joe tells him.

"Hope it's cool I brought my laundry over." Wally walked over to them.

"Of course. Barry used to do his laundry here all the time when he was in college." Joe admits.

"That's cause those machines in the dorm always eat your quarters, right?" Barry faces Wally.

"Actually, I'm not, uh, living on campus anymore." Wally said.

"What? Since when?" Joe asked.

"Since room and board became way more expensive than I thought." Wally answered.

"Man, I can help you out with that. I mean, I figured your money must be tight after paying all your mother's medical bills. How much more is it?" Joe wondered.

"No, it's, uh, it's cool." Wally replied.

"Come on, Wally, let me help you out. Plus I got that mini-fridge in the garage. You can use that, too, if you want." Joe offered.

"Joe, I'm good. Really." Wally argues.

"All right." Joe sighs.

"Uh, let me just put these in real quick." Wally then takes his laundry and walks away.

"Man, I can't figure that kid out sometimes. I wonder if his doppelganger's that complicated." Joe admits. When Joe mentioned the word 'doppelganger', Barry realised something.

Later, Barry met up with Cisco, Atchaco and Caitlin at STAR Labs. "Hey." Barry shows all the equations on the board. "Wow. Um, any ideas?"

"Well, the best plan we've come up with so far is to set off a nuclear warhead next to the city's electrical grid, so…" Cisco trails off.

"We're not gonna do that." Atchaco pointed out.

"Um... I think I thought of something though." Barry tells them.

Minutes later, they go and see Harry. "Tell me everything that you know about Cisco's doppelganger." Barry said.

"Reverb." Harry replies.

"What were Reverb's powers on your Earth?" Atchaco asked.

"He could tap into the multi-dimensional energies between Earths. He could see through dimensions. Find breachers, like Ramon." Harry tells them.

"I mean, we... we saw Reverb do more than that though, right? I mean, we saw him shoot vibrational bursts out of his hands. Really painful ones." Barry reminds them.

"What do you mean?" Caitlin questioned.

"I... I mean, Reverb had the ability to somehow manipulate that multi-dimensional energy." Barry explained.

"What's your point, Allen?" Harry wonders.

"My point is... if his powers are linked to the energy that ties together the multiverse... if he can manipulate it…" Barry starts as Atchaco's eyes grow wide.

"Then he can open a breach to any Earth he wants." Caitlin realises.

"Exactly. And if Reverb could do it…" Barry says.

"I could do it too." Cisco finished.

"Cisco, I think the way back to Earth-2 is you." Barry tells him.

Minutes later, they were all down in the basement in front of the speed cannon. Cisco was holding his hand out but after he then put it back down again. "I got nothing." Cisco said.

"Try again, okay?" Barry replied.

"Barry, what if he can't do it because he thinks he can't do it?" Atchaco suggested.

"He can do it though." Barry faces Cisco. "You can do it." Cisco then tries again and again but nothing ever happens and Cisco scoffs. "You... it's gonna work, okay. Maybe we're just not in the right place."

"Or maybe I'm just not the right man for the job. Right? Let's go." Cisco said.

"Cisco." Barry tries to say.

"I'm sorry, Barry." Caitlin apologises before she, Cisco and Atchaco walk out of the room.

"It's gonna work." Barry sighs before walking out.

Later at Joe's house, there was a knock on the door and when he opens it he sees Harry standing there. "Detective, um, I need to ask you…" Harry notices that Wally was sitting in the living room. "Oh, you've got company. Um…"

"No, it's, uh, cool. I should be studying anyway." Wally then starts walking towards the door. "Do you know you kind of look like that guy…"

"I'm not him." Harry interrupts.

"Okay. Later, Joe." Wally then walks out the house.

Joe then motions for Harry to come in before he hands him a drink. "Ah. Thank you. Look, um, I apologize for dropping by unannounced. I just... have you had any luck locating my daughter?" Harry wonders.

"Not yet, but I circulated her picture through every department in the region. And I reached out to some friends in Keystone." Joe answered.

"She's smart. She's gonna know how to stay hidden. She's…" Harry started to say.

"We'll find her." Joe reassured him.

"Right. There's another thing also, Detective. A favor. I would ask you to talk Barry out of reopening the breaches to my Earth." Harry tells him.

"Ah, I can't do that." Joe laughs softly.

"No. You can't find a way to change his mind for both our children's sakes?" Harry wonders.

"Look, I think it's just as dumb as you do." Joe admits. "But I learned a long time ago that I can't talk Barry out of anything once he sets his mind to it. Zoom is terrorizing this other world... your world. He can't let it go. But look, why don't you do me a favor? Go with Barry. Help him."

"Help him? Why would I do that?" Harry asked.

"'Cause he's got a much better chance of defeating Zoom if you're involved." Joe reminds him.

The next day, Barry, Atchaco and Cisco visit an abandoned hospital. "This area has the highest levels of residual trans-dimensional energy. Should be able to open the breach that used to be here." Barry said as the detector on the tablet he had emitted a steady beep. "It's right here. This is it."

"For real? In this Patch Adams nightmare right here?" Cisco asked.

"Looks like it." Atchaco replied, the word sadly being left unsaid.

"Yeah. Love it." Cisco said sarcastically.

"All right. Look, dude, if this doesn't work, I'll stop asking you to do this, all right?" Barry tells him.

"Okay." Cisco exhales deeply. Cisco then tries again but still nothing works.

"What?" Atchaco questioned.

"I can't do it." Cisco complained.

"That's right. You can't." Harry walks in.

"What are you doing here? You said…" Barry started to say.

"I know what I said. But you're not gonna stop, are you?" Harry wonders.

"No." Barry shakes his head.

"Okay, Barry Allen, then I'm gonna do what I can to make sure you don't get k*lled. I recalibrated these to the electromagnetic frequency of this Earth. It should help you access enough of the trans-dimensional energy to manipulate it." Harry holds up the goggles.

"Just like Reverb. All I'm missing is the guyliner and the transformation's complete." Cisco jokes.

"Take 'em out for a spin." Harry said.

Cisco sighs before putting them on. He then lifts his arm up and makes a fist, after a couple of seconds Cisco's fist starts glowing and a breach opens up. "It's working." Atchaco smiles.

On earth two, Zoom senses the breach and runs over to earth two's abandoned hospital and sees the breach opening. "Keep coming, Cisco. Keep coming." Zoom whispered.

Back on earth one, Cisco continues to open the breach. "It's working." Barry said. Cisco then quickly puts his arm down and takes off the goggles as the breach closes on both sides. "Hey, what... what happened? You were doing it."

"No, no, no, no. I-I can't do this." Cisco said.

"What?" Barry wondered.

"Don't. Please, don't ask me to do this. Please." Cisco told him as he turned and walked away.

Later, they are all back at STAR Labs. "Hey. What do we got?" Atchaco asked.

"It's your tachyon absorption enhancer upgrade. Retrofitted from when it was used to steal Barry's speed, to now give you more of it. Almost done." Harry answered.

"That's amazing. Thank you." Barry said.

"You're welcome." Harry replied.

"Is Cisco back yet? Have we seen him?" Atchaco questioned.

"I haven't seen him." Caitlin told her.

"Check his workshop." Harry suggested.

Just as the three of them were about to walk out of the Cortex, Joe and Iris walk in. "Hey." Atchaco greeted them.

"Hey. We just came by to see if you guys needed some help." Iris said.

"Oh." Barry replied.

"Uh, sure." Atchaco told them.

"Yeah." Barry agreed.

"We can always use an extra set of hands. Do you want to help me in the med bay?" Caitlin asked.

"Yeah." Iris answered and they both walked in.

"Some advice." Joe said.

"Huh?" Barry wonders.

"This whole Wally thing…" Joe started to say.

"Uh-huh." Barry nods.

"He won't let me help him." Joe complains.

"It's probably 'cause you're not offering the right kind of help." Atchaco chuckles.

"Yeah. Wally doesn't want your help paying for a place to live. He wants you to offer him a place to live." Barry tells him.

"Why didn't he just say that?" Joe asked.

"We don't know." Atchaco shrugged.

"So he does want to live in our house?" Joe questioned.

"Yeah, man. Look, Wally's never lived with his father before. And trust me, that is a big deal." Barry answers.

"Huh. And you're good with it?" Joe wondered.

"Mm-hmm. I mean, you know, it's been you and me for so long, and I love that, but having Wally around would be cool too. Just we won't get to have as much pizza from Keystone." Barry replies and Joe nods. "Yeah, it kind of sucks. I'm sorry.:

"You're gonna have to get used to that one." Atchaco chuckles.

Over in the med bay, Caitlin was talking to Iris. "They really have a special bond, don't they?" Caitlin pondered.

"Yeah, they sure do." Iris agreed.

"Are you okay?" Caitlin asked.

"I don't know what I am. Last night, I was supposed to go on a date. My first real date since Eddie died, but at the last second, I just... I couldn't do it." Iris answers.

"Is it because of Eddie or because of Barry? I've noticed the way you've been looking at him recently." Caitlin told her.

"Am I a terrible person for having feelings towards my best friend's boyfriend?" Iris wonders.

"No, it just means you're human. It's okay to have feelings." Caitlin reassures her.

"Yeah." Iris sighs. "But, I know that nothing can happen between us two. I mean, yeah, on earth two were married but in the future Barry marries Atchaco, not me. I just don't want to ruin their friendship because of some feelings I have for him."

"Well, maybe the reason you have these feelings isn't because you like Barry. Maybe it's because you like the relationship they have, like the one you had with Eddie." Caitlin told her.

"I hope you're right." Iris admits.

Later at the West house, Wally walks through the front door. "Hello? Joe?" Wally calls.

"Wally, I'm up here." Joe shouts from upstairs.

Wally walks upstairs to find Joe in Barry's old room. "Hey. What are you doing?" Wally questioned.

"It's not done yet. I mean, you can decorate it how you like. Make it your own." Joe tells him.

"Whoa, wait, Joe. What is this?" Wally wonders.

"Wally, forgive me." Joe apologises. "When Barry and Iris went to college, they couldn't get away fast enough. They wanted nothing to do with their old man. It didn't even occur to me that you might feel differently. It's embarrassing, but it took Barry and Atchaco to help me see that. So, if you still haven't found a place to live, live here. I mean, it's yours if you want to."

"You're serious?" Wally asks.

"I'm not gonna do your laundry. And I'm not washing dishes after you. And this bed is going to be made every morning before you leave. And there will be no beer in that fridge, but yeah, it's yours." Joe tells him.

"When can I move in?" Wally questions.

"Whenever you want." Joe answered.

"All right. Thanks, Dad." Wally smiles and Joe chuckles softly. They both then give each other a hug and a high five.

Back at STAR Labs, Barry and Atchaco found Cisco working in his workshop. "Hey, man." Barry sighs. "Look, um... I know what it's like... Zoom, getting in your head, how scary that can be."

"It's not Zoom. It's me." Cisco said.

"What do you mean it's you?" Atchaco asked.

"It's like right now I'm Anakin Skywalker. I got the midi-chlorians. I've got the goods. The force is strong with me. That is something I can feel. But if I start opening breaches into other worlds, doing all this other crazy stuff Reverb was doing, then... what if this is how I become Vader?" Cisco wondered.

"Dude, you're never going to become Vader." Barry reassures him.

"You don't know that. That is what happened to Reverb. He learned how to use his abilities, and when he felt that, when he felt that power, he succumbed... to the dark side." Cisco said.

"Look, we get it." Atchaco chuckles. "Especially me. We... we really do. Every time we've learned a new ability,weI've been terrified about what it might mean for us. What it could do to us, you know?"

"But you were there with me when I learned how to run on water." Barry chuckles. "When Atchaco and I ran up a building, or when I travelled through time."

"Just like we're gonna be there every step of the way with you." Atchaco reassures him.

"You got something that Reverb never had, and that's Caitlin and Joe and Iris and Wells and me and Atchaco. Friends who are gonna look out for you." Barry reminds him.

"And we're more than just friends. We're your family." Atchaco finished.

"So what do you say? Ready to put those things on again, and go another round?" Barry asked.

"Let's do it." Cisco answered.

"All right." Barry said.

Later, Harry had finished putting the devices onto the emblem of Barry and Atchaco's suits. "You're all set. They won't even know it's there." Harry exhales sharply.

"'Cause whoever said aesthetics aren't important." Cisco replied.

"Not me. Let's go." Harry told him.

They then walked over to the computer screens as Barry and Atchaco walked towards Caitlin because they knew something was up with her. "Hey, Cait, I know how hard this is gonna be for you, but we have to stop him." Barry reminds her.

"I know, and I want to be supportive. I just... I can't face Jay. Or whatever his real name is." Caitlin admitted.

"What does that mean?" Atchaco asked.

"Well, you both remember when I was looking for his doppelganger, right?" Caitlin answered.

"Yeah. And you couldn't find him." Barry said.

"Because there is no Jay Garrick on this Earth. His doppelganger's name is Hunter Zolomon." Caitlin informs them.

"Hunter Zolomon? Are you sure?" Harry turns to face them.

"Yeah, why?" Caitlin questions.

"Well, because on my Earth, Hunter Zolomon was a convicted serial killer." Harry tells them as he puts up a mugshot of Hunter on the computer screen. Hunter looked like Jay, he just had long hair and a moustache.

"That's Jay?" Caitlin asked.

"No, that is Hunter." Harry answered. "Last public photo of Hunter Zolomon. Instantly recognizable. And people from my Earth... on my Earth, serial killers are an anomaly, so a lot of media attention to this. There was a podcast. When Hunter was 11, his father killed his mother right in front of him. Father sent to prison, Hunter grew up in the foster care system."

"Years later he was convicted on 23 counts of murder." Atchaco noticed.

"23? That's, like, some real Hannibal Lecter type level." Cisco said.

"After the trial, Hunter was sent to the Saint Perez Mental Asylum for the Criminally Insane... given daily electroshock therapy. Cure him of his urges and then faded from view." Harry said.

"Until the night your particle accelerator exploded." Caitlin realised.

"That's right." Harry agreed. "The dark matter crept into the mental asylum. I had thought... piping the explosion underground would limit exposure. I was wrong. All it did was create an unstoppable monster."

Years ago on earth two, Hunter was getting his scheduled electroshock therapy but during the middle of it the accelerator explosion hit everyone in the asylum. This included Hunter and it caused him to gain his speed.

"He's not unstoppable. Jay doesn't know that we know who he really is. He thinks that his past is a secret." Barry reminds them.

"So?" Cisco wonders.

"I think I have an idea of how we can stop him." Barry admits.

Later at night, Caitlin, Harry, Joe and Iris were all walking into the time vault. "Are you sure Jay can't get in here?" Iris asked.

"Pretty sure, but just in case." He handed Joe his gun.

"How do you use this?" Joe questioned.

"All right, so you aim it, and then you pull the trigger." Harry answered sarcastically.

"Smart ass." Joe said and Harry smirks.

"Barry, Atchaco and Cisco are in position." Iris said.

"Let's hope this thing works." Caitlin replied.

Moments later at the abandoned hospital, Barry and Atchaco were suited up as Cisco stood in front of them. "You ready, buddy?" Barry wondered.

"Yeah. You both have always believed in me. Thank you." Cisco replied.

"You got this." Macanese reassures him. Cisco sighs before putting on his goggles. In seconds, the breaches opened up and as soon as it did Zoom jumped out of it. To this, Barry and Macanese stood in front of Cisco protectively before the engineer ran away.

"Reverb's doppelganger has increased his powers." Zoom noticed.

"Hatred is a strong motivator." Macanese tells him.

"You both were unwise to reopen the breach." Zoom informs them.

"I'm not gonna let you terrorize another world anymore." Barry replied.

"Without your speed, you won't be able to stop me." Zoom turns to face the taller speedster. "And nor will you."

"Let's see." Macanese grins.

Barry and Macanese then super speed out of there as Zoom stays on their tail. They were both running around the city as the others watched it unfold in the time vault inside STAR Labs. "Zoom's gaining on Barry and Atchaco." Iris told them.

"He can't catch them." Joe reassures them.

"He better not." Harry reples.

Barry and Macanese were still being chased by Zoom but when he almost got to them they managed to get away. "That was close." Joe noticed.

"Too close." Iris complained.

"The tachyon device is working." Caitlin told them.

"Here they come." Harry said as he and Joe got in position with their guns.

Moments later, Barry and Macanese make it to STAR Labs with Zoom right behind them. "They're here." Iris said.

Barry and Macanese then stop in front of the doorway as Zoom stops in front of them. "Ah, you've gotten faster. Good. There'll be more for me to take." Zoom grunts.

"You want our speed? Catch us." Barry replies. He and Macanese then take off running into the training room with Zoom right behind them. As they were running, Macanese pushes a button on the control panel and out pops a cardboard cut out of Hunter's dad and Zoom stops dead in his tracks in front of it.

"You're gonna want to see this, son." James's voice echoes. Zoom starts backing away and that's when Barry super speeds up to him and punches Zoom repeatedly.

"Get him, Barry." Joe said.

"It's working." Iris notices.

Barry then runs away and Zoom starts to chase after him. He then stops when Macanese releases another cardboard cut out, but this time it was of Hunter's mum. Zoom just stares at the picture and stumbles back. "No!" Ashley sobs in his mind.

Macanese then shoots Zoom with the boot. This electrocutes him and he falls to his knees. Zoom, now exposed as Hunter, groans on his knees before Barry walks up to him and rips his mask off. Macanese then kicks him onto the ground as she and Barry take their masks off. "How did you figure out who I was?" Hunter asked.

"You made a mistake. You told Caitlin who your doppelganger was." Atchaco answered.

"I had to do something to get her to stop trying to fix me. She's a smart girl." Hunter admits and Barry chuckles softly. "And that I was Zoom?"

"The Velocity-9. When you run fast enough, it turns a speedster's lightning blue." Barry explained.

"We would have helped you. We would have done anything we could to save your life." Atchaco tells him.

"Not everything." Hunter replied.

"Caitlin found you a cure." Barry said angrily.

"A temporary one! I'm dying, Barry! There's only one thing that can get me what I need." Hunter spat.

"And you just don't care how many lives you destroy trying to get it? How many people you kill?" Atchaco wonders.

"No, I don't! That feeling was taken from me a long time ago." Hunter tells them. Barry and Atchaco turn away from them. "We're not so different, you know. What happened to all of us when we were kids. You both could have just as easily become me."

"No. We'd never become like you." Barry said as Atchaco had a look of regret on her face.

"I got to say…" Hunter grunts as he slowly stands up. "That was smart. Using, uh, my parents against me. Oh, family. Such a weakness."

"Not for all of us." Atchaco said.

"Well, that's where you're wrong. It's time I get what I came for." Hunter told them.

"You're not getting anything from me. You're not getting anything from anybody ever again. On any Earth." Barry chuckles softly.

"You can't lock up the darkness." Hunter said.

"What did you just say?" Atchaco questioned.

"You can't lock up the darkness." Hunter repeats as his voice goes more like Zooms as his eyes turn black. Then he vibrates his hand and breaks off the boot from his leg before he takes off.

"No!" Barry yelled.

Later at the West house with Joe, Iris, Atchaco and Barry. "He was right there." Barry said.

"I know." Joe replied.

"I mean, we had him. We had him. I can't believe it." Barry admitted. Their faces widened when they saw that the house was trashed, someone had been inside. Joe faces Barry and Atchaco and they super speed upstairs as Joe pulls out his gun.

"Wally?" Joe calls.

"Up here!" Atchaco shouted.

Then Iris and Joe quickly rush upstairs to Wally's room. Atchaco and Barry were looking at the wall and there was a message that was burned into the wall. "Your Speed. For Wally." It read.

Later, Wally wakes up chained up in Zoom's lair on earth two. Wally looks around when he hears knocking. He turns around and sees the man in the iron mask knocking at the glass of his cell. "Hey, hey, hey. Where are we? Where are we?" Wally asked but the man continued to knock on the glass. "Help! Somebody please help!"

"There's only one person who can help you now. The Flash." Zoom appears in front of him.

"The Flash? Why would he help me? He doesn't even know who I am." Wally said.

"Someone he cares about... cares about you." Zoom replies.

Later, back at the house, Joe was leaning against the stairs when Iris walked up to him with a cup of coffee. "Dad? Dad. Coffee? We're gonna get him back." Iris reassured him.

Meanwhile, the others were in the living room. "What if we could stop Zoom through a vibe somehow? We could weaponize the goggles…" Cisco starts to say.

"Not enough time to weaponize, Ramon." Harry sighs.

"Okay, what if we modify the pulse rifle to emit a low-level EMF?" Caitlin suggests.

"We don't have the equipment to modify the pulse rifles now." Harry said.

"Then we do another snatch and grab mission." Cisco replied.

"By the time we scale those cliffs, Zoom could already…" Harry doesn't finish that sentence.

"I need a minute." Joe interrupts him. He hands his coffee back to Iris and walks upstairs.

Minutes later, Barry goes up to find Joe and sees him sitting on the bed in Wally's room. "Barry, I know you... can't give up your speed to that monster, or even Atchaco for that matter, but... I also know that I want to get my son back, and I don't know what to do." Joe admits.

"I do. Wally, he's... he's part of the family. He's... he's a part of... our family. And we do whatever we have to to keep the ones we care about safe." Barry replies.

"No, you... you can't give up your speed." Joe argues.

"That's not your decision. This is the only way, Joe." Barry reminds him.

Later at STAR Labs, everyone was in the Cortex and Barry was suited up and holding Hunter's helmet. "Barry, are you sure?" Cisco asked.

"I'm sure." Barry answered.

"I mean, we don't even know if he'll be able to hear me." Cisco tells him.

"He'll hear you." Barry replies holding out the helmet. Cisco puts on his goggles and then takes the helmet. He vibes and sees Wally in a cage.

"I see him. Wally's alive." Cisco tells them.

"Thank God." Joe exhales deeply.

"Do you see Jay?" Barry asked.

"I see him. He can sense me. Jay?" Cisco wondered and the evil speedster turned around.

"Vibe." Zoom replies.

"He'll do it. Barry will give you his speed." Cisco informs him.

Minutes later, they were all getting ready for Zoom. Joe had even given Iris a gun. And then Zoom runs in with Wally. "Dad?" Wally said.

"Wally, hold on. Let him go." Joe orders.

"We had a deal." Zoom reminds Barry.

"My speed for Wally's life. Hand him over, and it's yours." Barry vibrates his vocal chords.

Zoom lets go of Wally and he runs over to Joe and Iris. "You okay?" Joe asked.

"Yeah." Wally nods.

"You need to get out of here now." Joe gives Wally his car keys.

"I can't." Wally replied.

"Go fast." Iris tells him.

"Cisco!" Joe said.

"Let's go." Cisco takes Wally out of the Cortex.

"Let's get this over with." Barry said. Zoom then takes off his mask and it is Hunter. Caitlin gasps upon seeing his face.

Minutes later, they were all in the room and standing in front of the treadmill as Harry held up a device. "This thing is how I stole The Flash's speed the first time. Now all he needs to do is run, and his Speed Force will transfer into this vial. but only as long as I calibrate it." Harry explained.

"Get to work." Hunter ordered. Harry then holds up his gun and walks towards Hunter but Barry stops him.

"Wells." Barry hissed.

"One day... I'm gonna knock that smug expression clean off your face." Harry warned him as he put his gun down. Hunter smirks as Harry walks away from him.

"So this was your plan all along, huh?" Atchaco asked.

"Ever since the skies parted and showed me another world... with another speedster. With two speedsters. Once I saw the two of you, I came here, figured out what I had to do." Hunter answered.

"How are you still alive? We saw you die." Iris reminded him.

"You did." Hunter agreed.

"So what was that? A speed mirage?" Cisco wonders.

"Speed mirage?" Hunter laughs. "Uh, no. Even I'm not that fast. I knew that I couldn't be on two Earths at the same time, so I went back in time and, uh, met another version of myself."

"Your time remnant. Like the Reverse-Flash." Cisco realised.

"I also knew that the only way to make Barry become faster was if you all witnessed your old pal Jay die." Hunter admitted.

"When did you decide to do that?" Atchaco asked.

"Oh, once you closed all the breaches, went to Earth-2. Believe me, getting my time remnant to agree to me murdering him took a bit of convincing. But once he saw the... well, the genius in my plan, he was all for it." Hunter chuckles.

"Who's the man in the iron mask?" Barry questioned.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Hunter replied.

"Why the charade? Running around dressed like The Flash?" Joe wondered.

"To give people hope, Detective." Hunter answered.

"Hope?" Joe scoffs.

"So I could rip it away from them. It's so fun pretending to be a hero." Hunter smirks.

"You are no hero. You're nothing but a monster." Caitlin tells him and Hunter reminds his mother saying that to his father but he snaps out of it when Harry walks in.

Minutes later, Harry had gotten everything ready and Barry stepped on the treadmill. "Barry." Joe calls out.

"It's all right, Joe." Barry reassures him.

Barry then turns the treadmill on and starts running at flash speed. Harry then turns on the device and Barry's speed starts decreasing as it takes his speed. "He's slowing down." Caitlin noticed.

"The Speed Force is leaving his body." Harry tells them.

"He's becoming human again." Cisco reaslies.

When the device was at 100% this meant that Barry's speed was gone. It all showed and Barry started sweating as he collapsed and fell off the treadmill. Atchaco rushes over to him and bends down. "Barry, are you okay?" She asks him.

"I'm okay. I'm okay." Barry answered.

Harry loads up Barry's speed into a syringe and Hunter yanks it from him. He doesn't hesitate before injecting it into his system. As soon as he had Barry's speed he started laughing like a maniac. He then super speeds over to Barry and holds him against the wall by his neck. "Thank you, Flash." Hunter said.

"Jay, stop. Please." Caitlin runs over to him. Harry then points his gun at Hunter as Caitlin tries to talk to him. "If anything you ever said to me was true, or anything we ever shared was real, then please just let him go. Please. I know some piece of you did care for me, so if you have any humanity left, then please, let him go."

Hunter looks at Caitlin before looking back at Barry. He lets Barry fall onto the ground. Barry starts panting as he tries to catch his breath and Atchaco why his side in a moment and helps him stand up. Then in seconds, Hunter super speeds out of there but not before he grabbed Caitlin and took her with him. "Caitlin!" Cisco yelled. Barry continued to pant while he had a horrified look on his face. One of his closest friends was just taken by a monster and he no longer had his speed. Now he had no idea how to save her.