114

"What is all this?" I question, slouched in my seat, sipping my coffee, Barry's hand on my shoulder, as we were seated at the cortex with everyone else, Harry calling us in.

"This is gonna give us the edge we finally need to be smarter than Devoe. Or me to be smarter than Devoe, actually." Harry explains, pulling up blueprints, "Take a look at this."

"What is that?" Cisco questions.

"This is an intelligence booster." Harry points, "You put this thing on Dibny here, and even he would be able to understand the point source construction. You put it on a real genius, I'll finally be able to outthink the Thinker."

"You know what, I'm not sure this thinking cap is the best idea you've ever had." Cisco admits.

"It's an intelligence booster." Harry corrects him.

"It looks like a thinking cap." Cisco rolls his eyes.

Harry huffs, "You don't like it, blame yourself. You gave me the idea. You're the one that said Devoe planned all this just like Thawne in order to stop Barry. And you said that Devoe became the Thinker the same night you became the Flash, and so I hacked into security footage of that night to see how he did it."

Harry types away, pulling up the footage, "This is why he's so smart. Devoe boosted his intelligence with neurochemical engineering powered by the dark energy from the particle accelerator explosion.And if we build our own, we can do the exact same."

"Wait, you wanna blast your brain with 10 billion joules of dark energy?" Barry repeats.

"Uhm, Harry-" I clear my throat after swallowing a sip of my coffee, "That looks very painful."

"I've harnessed energy from the particle accelerator explosion before, and I can do it again." Harry puts down, crossing his arms.

Caitlin spoke up, "Yeah, but Harry, reengineering your brain's neurochemistry, that's-"

"Devoe did it." Harry cuts her off, "So can I. How many more metas have to die before we finally stop Devoe?"

"Uh. Not me." Ralph holds his hand up, "I mean I say we go for it. Right, guys?"

"What do you think?" Barry looks down at me, wanting my opinion.

"I don't think it's safe-" I admit, "I mean, what if Harry gets hurt?"

"Since when is anything we do safe, Allen?" Harry argues with me.

"I get your point but-" I sat up, "What if this goes wrong and somehow affects your brain? We could lose one of our greatest minds- we don't even know how to fix whatever the effects could be."

"Allen." Harry places his hands on his hips, "This is the only way."

"I say we explore it." Iris shrugs lightly.

"Yeah, I agree." Caitlin nods.

"Ramon." Harry looks at Cisco.

"No, this is way too risky." Cisco sides with me.

"Of course it's risky, but if we succeed, we will save the lives of the four remaining bus metas, including a member of our team." Harry argues.

"You're talking about intense amounts of dark energy going right into your brain, right into that cap, that turned a mac and cheese loving pacifist into a homicidal maniac." Cisco fought back, "You put that cap on, what's it gonna do to you?"

"I've run the numbers dozens of times." Harry says, "The math and the chemistry check out. I can do this."

"I don't think you can." Cisco crosses his arms, admitting his fought.

"I can with your help." Harry shot back

"Not this time." Cisco shakes his head, "All right, let's keep coming up with more ways to solve this."

Cisco walks out the room, Ralph speaking up, "Just so I'm clear on this, someone finally came up with a way to stop this La-Z-Boy riding lunatic and we just might not do it? That's really cool, guys."

Ralph leaves, causing me to get up, "I got this one."

Barry weakly smiles at me, as I got up, chasing after Ralph, "Ralph, hey. We're gonna figure this out, you don't need to worry."

"Yeah, everybody keeps saying that, and each time we almost get Devoe, he gets away. Every time he gets away, he's one step closer to getting me." Ralph shot back at me, standing at the elevator.

"Hey, that is not going to happen-" I touch his arm, "You have a whole team that cares for you. We're going to make sure he doesn't take you from us."

"Well, I can't take that chance anymore, Zee." Ralph sighs, "So if anyone needs me, I will be downstairs in my tiny guest quarters until this is over."

"Ralph, when you decided to become a hero- and a part of this team- you practically signed an invisible contract where you'd help us save people. There are still three bus metas out there, and we're gonna need your help to find them and protect them." I stare R him.

"Yeah, and I'm the only one with a body that Devoe is trying to snatch." Ralph argues, "Zee, the only person I need to protect from now on is good old Ralphie boy. You don't have any concept of how dangerous it is for me out there."

"The hell I don't." I shot back at him, moving my hand away from him, "You have no idea what it's been like the past three years before you joined this team, Ralph."

"How could you? How could you have any concept of how dangerous it is for me out there?" Ralph questions.

I cross my arms, "Because I'm the leader of this team."

"Yeah, that's right, you are." Ralph exhales, "But you're always back there hiding safe and sound."

Ralph walks into the elevator, raising his voice at me, "While the rest of us are out in the field putting our lives on the line."

I sigh, placing my hands on my hips, looking at the hall, my eyes landing on Iris West, who had seen the whole thing.

-

"You know-" I shove some ice cream into my mouth, pointing at Barry with my spoon, "You're a great husband."

"Go on." Barry laughs quietly, eating some of his ice cream.

"You, Barry Allen-" I wiggle my spoon, "You asked Iris to go question that Matthew Kim guy with Joe instead of you so you could come home- change into sweats- bury ourselves in blankets- and eat ice cream with me. You have proven your loyalty. This being one of many ways."

"Well-" Barry scoots next to me, "You looked upset. And it is your day off from CCPD, so- here I am. Your comfort. At your service."

"Ralph Dibny." I scoop some ice cream, "He makes some sense sometimes."

"Uh oh, what'd he say to you?" Barry questions, his eyes watching my every move.

"Ralph- he's really scared." I looked at Barry, "And I tried to be there for him. I tried to give him a good- talk- but I'm no Barry Allen. I don't know Ralph Dibny- I don't know what to say to him. It's like everything I'm saying- or doing is wrong." I sigh, "He lashed out on me and told me that I had no concept of how dangerous it was for him to be out on the field- helping us find and keep the last three bus metas safe- because I'm Team Leader. And all I do- is sit behind the console- safe and sound- while the rest of you go out- and put your lives on the line."