Touch of Death–Grim

If you want to read more, check out my Patreon to access up to Chapter 64.

Patreon.com/VelocityV

Check out my new fanfic:

Invincible: King of the Monsters

----

The crime scene was quickly wrapped up, and the body was discreetly transported to S.T.A.R. Labs, where Caitlin and Julian had already begun analyzing it.

Wally, already aware of the cause of death, had instructed Alfred to monitor anyone matching the description he'd been given, ensuring they didn't miss any leads.

Meanwhile, Joe had arranged a family outing with the Hortons, hoping to strengthen ties between their families. Wally agreed but remained uncertain about how Joe would handle things once he learned of Iris's impending fate. It might deviate from the original timeline, but Wally was ready to step in if anything got out of hand.

"February already," Wally muttered to himself, a grin spreading across his face. "Valentine's Day is just around the corner." The thought of spending the day with Jesse made him chuckle softly. He couldn't help but look forward to it.

After a quick snack, Wally returned to S.T.A.R. Labs. He wandered the halls calmly, enjoying the slower pace of walking. Lately, he had avoided using his speed for trivial tasks, finding some peace in experiencing the world at its normal rhythm.

Curious and eager to assist Caitlin and Julian with their investigation, Wally passed by Cisco's workshop. A faint sound stopped him in his tracks—sobbing.

He paused, stepping closer to the corridor and peeking inside. Iris stood there, her eyes brimming with tears.

"It's all coming true, Barry," she said, her voice breaking as she gestured toward the headline Cisco had vibed from the future.

"I thought things were changing," she added, her voice trembling.

Barry stepped in, his tone firm yet comforting. "Things are changing, Iris. I was supposed to stop Plunder, but Wally did instead. And we're going to stop Savitar too—I promise you." He glanced briefly at the meta-dampeners nearby, determination flickering in his eyes.

For a moment, Barry turned toward the corridor, as if sensing someone's presence. Wally froze, holding his breath until Barry looked away. "His sensitivity is higher than I thought," Wally muttered. If he hadn't retracted the Speed Force energy within him, he would have been discovered.

"What if we can't stop all of this?" Iris whispered, her fear evident. "I'm scared, Barry…"

Barry stepped closer, gently taking her hands in his. "Maybe we should tell Joe about this."

Iris immediately pulled her hands back, her uncertainty clear. Joe was just starting to focus on living his life to the fullest. The thought of burdening him with the truth made her hesitate even more.

"No, no," she said quickly, shaking her head. "We agreed that we wouldn't."

Her voice trembled slightly as she continued, "Besides, you saw him earlier—he's planning a future with Cecile. I don't want to take that away from him. If we tell him about Savitar, it'll consume him. It's all he'll think about. I can't do that to him. I won't."

"Okay, whatever you want," Barry said softly, though his eyes betrayed his unease.

Hidden in the corridor, Wally sighed quietly. From Iris's voice, her body language, and even the bioelectrical pulses running through her body, he could tell she was close to breaking.

Barry's voice cut through the silence again, filled with determination. "But I promise you, Iris, I'm doing everything in my power…"

Wally didn't wait to hear the rest. He turned and left, his mind heavy with what he'd just witnessed.

A short while later, he arrived at the med bay. Inside, Caitlin and Julian were hard at work. Caitlin looked up with a warm smile when she saw him, but Julian barely spared him a glance, his expression indifferent—though Wally noticed a flicker of something else in his demeanor. Irritation? Distrust? He couldn't quite place it, and he wasn't in the mood to jump to conclusions.

"You're not supposed to be here," Julian said flatly, his tone shifting from indifferent to irritated. "Why are you here?"

Wally frowned but kept his tone calm. "I'm here to see if I can help."

"Last time I checked, you were more involved in engineering than medicine," Julian remarked, his tone sharp as he focused on the sample in front of him. He was growing increasingly frustrated—every time he tried to analyze it, the sample eroded too quickly to provide any tangible information.

Before he could determine whether the rapid degradation was caused by bacteria, a disease, or something else, the cells broke down entirely, leaving nothing but useless remnants behind.

"Have you tried using the serum to stabilize the cellular degradation?" Wally asked, his suggestion cutting through the tension in the room. Caitlin's face lit up with sudden realization, while Julian simply stared at Wally, his expression a mix of confusion and skepticism.

"What serum?" Julian asked, turning to Caitlin, who was already moving toward the cold storage unit.

Retrieving a vial, Caitlin held it up triumphantly. "This serum was designed to temporarily but rapidly accelerate cellular regeneration. It might just give us enough time to analyze the cells before they degrade completely. Even better, we could use it to make a cure."

Julian raised an eyebrow but gestured for her to proceed. "Well, don't just stand there. Let's see if it works."

Caitlin quickly prepared a small dose and applied it to the next sample, the room growing silent as they waited to see the results.

Under Julian's astonished gaze, he leaned closer to the microscope. The cells that had been on the verge of dying suddenly regained vitality.

"Good grief, it's working," Julian muttered, carefully scrutinizing the revived cells. Suppressing his initial surprise, he began a detailed examination for any possible anomalies. Yet, no matter how thoroughly he checked, he couldn't detect anything unusual. The cells appeared perfectly normal, indistinguishable from those of any healthy human.

With no clear cause of death, Julian considered whether to take another sample from the corpse. However, his train of thought was interrupted by Caitlin's urgent voice.

"Guys, you might want to see this."

Julian and Wally turned toward her as she opened the body bag on the operating table.

The sight that greeted them was chilling. The corpse had turned ash-like, the skin and tissue reduced to a fragile, powdery consistency. Even though the cells had already been declared dead, this phenomenon was far beyond the capabilities of any disease or flesh-eating bacteria.

"This… isn't natural," Caitlin whispered, her brow furrowing as she examined the remains.

Julian, still processing what he saw, added, "This suggests something far more… insidious. We're not dealing with a simple pathogen."

-x-X-x-

The next day, the long-awaited meeting between the West and Horton families was finalized. They chose Jitters as the venue, reserving a large seating area on the upper platform to accommodate everyone.

The West family, along with Barry, were the first to arrive. Joe's tense expression made his unease evident, while Barry and Iris appeared lost in thought.

In contrast, Wally was surprisingly calm. He observed Joe, his mind piecing together the history of Cecile Horton. Cecile, the mother of Joanie Horton, had once been a mental hospital patient, her psyche fractured after the death of her own mother. She had been divorced for several years now, even before Barry gained his powers—back when Barry was still in his nine-month coma.

Joe had shown interest in Cecile back then, but still reeling from her divorce, she had refused him outright. Recently, however, Cecile had begun showing interest in Joe, rekindling his feelings for her. And now, here they were—Cecile and Joanie walking through the entrance, waving at them.

Wally's eyes briefly shifted to Joanie, his soon-to-be stepsister. He couldn't help but push away the fleeting unpleasant thoughts that crept in. He refocused himself, thinking instead about the pressing matter of Clive Yorkin, the meta-human responsible for killing two innocent men over a grudge that didn't even exist in this timeline.

The thought infuriated him. How could someone be so reckless and senseless? In the Flashpoint timeline, the people who apprehended Yorkin weren't even cops in this one. It was a ridiculous justification for his bloodlust.

Wally knew he could have already captured Yorkin, but for some reason, he hadn't. Why? Even he didn't fully understand. Since enhancing his intellect, he had been avoiding extravagant actions, preferring to handle situations in ways that aligned with a bigger plan for eventual success.

Like now—he was aware that Yorkin had been tailing Joe but hadn't made a move yet. Yorkin didn't know he was already under someone else's radar. Wally shook his head slightly, mulling over his thoughts. Was this how enhanced intelligence influenced one's decisions?

If so, it might not be entirely positive. It felt as if he were instinctively trying to prove his intellectual superiority, using strategy as a means to outsmart his enemies.

He frowned at the realization. He couldn't let his intelligence dictate his actions without caution. It could even be a side effect of artificially enhancing his intellect.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Wally brought his focus back to the present as Cecile and Joanie approached the table, smiles on their faces.