Lies

"Derek…"

Derek stood, emotionless with a blank expression, within the Cortex, both Cisco and Caitlin turning to stare at him with wide eyes.

"Tell me he's lying," Caitlin muttered, low enough to convey the weight of her words but loud enough for Derek to hear.

They currently watched the live feed of the events occurring in the pipeline.

Though they'd been quiet while listening through Thawne and Barry's conversation, only now did they shift their attention to the youth who had been silently present.

Derek said nothing, instead turning to face Caitlin, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

Emotions ran rampant through her, unsure of what exactly to think.

Her lips curled upwards in a weak smile as a part of her thought it was a ridiculous lie while the rest of her face lay uncontrolled, her eyes dead upon realising Derek wasn't defending himself.

Meanwhile, Cisco's breathing accelerated a faint sting on his chest thumping with a past injury that was nowhere to be seen on his body.

He stepped back, unsure if he should be on guard or questioning who he thought to be a friend.

"Derek…Tell me he's lying…" Before Caitlin could repeat herself…

-CRACKLE

-WHOOSH

Barry suddenly appeared in the Cortex, his eyes glued on Derek as the latter met this gaze with his own.

"What the hell is he talking about?" Barry spat, his tone carrying hints of sorrow mixed with urgency.

However, this time, Derek turned to him, his eyes different, soft and...insightful as if he knew exactly what Barry was feeling.

So much so that it made Barry pause for a second. He was level headed enough not to outright attack his friend over the words of his sworn enemy.

Despite wanting answers, he wasn't going to be a puppet to Thawne.

-BLOP

Rather than defending himself, Derek simply summoned his Eclipse into his hand as they all watched it reveal a small opening.

"...You do not hold the upper hand here. Because if you do not help me get home, I'll have nothing to lose. You'll die."

The others completely paused upon hearing this sudden familiar voice come from Derek's Eclipse.

'That's...Wells...'

They all consecutively thought. Despite being surprised, they did not interrupt, putting the pieces together as they continued to listen. 

"You will help me, boy. You don't have a choice in the matter."

"Fine, Thawne..."

This time, another voice spoke as all their eyes turned to Derek, recognizing him speak.

"Let's make a deal."

Eclipse closed, returning to Derek's clothes as silence descended. The trio standing before him were smart enough to realize the context of what they'd just heard, but that didn't stop the questions from rising.

Seeing this, Derek was quicker to the jump.

"The first day I arrived here, Wells, or rather, Thawne, threatened me into being his...I guess, Spy."

Cisco took a seat with a starstruck expression as Caitlin and Barry continued to stare at Derek.

"What you were hearing right now was a recording from when it happened. He revealed his speed to me and I was powerless."

"I was to either help him or suddenly disappear. He thought it wouldn't be too hard to convince you all that I suddenly had a change of mind and decided to leave."

"Why didn't you tell us? We could've helped you. We..."

"I know you could have, Barry." Derek cut him off before the former spiraled into a mess of words.

"Believe it or not, in the short time I've known you all, I feel like I've known you my entire life. Not once did I not think you wouldn't help and not once did I think you all wouldn't try your best." 

Derek's tone dropped as he continued.

"However, I saw. I saw Thawne's power. I saw what he was capable of. I guess you could say I was scared. Not only for my life, but for all of yours." This part couldn't be more true, so much so that it caused Derek to chuckle a little.

Fear was something that tortured him before he bathed in the Pit.

'Maybe it's the Charm Stat that made me realise the best lies are the ones that are true.'

Sprinkled in with a little white lies too, of course. But the product was so perfect that it was hard to notice the imperfections.

"It was why I always spent so much time away from STAR Labs. Despite me practically being his slave, we both knew we were only helping each other because the other held some sort of power."

"You avoided STAR Labs because of him?" Caitlin asked, prompting Derek to nod as she ran her fingers through her hair.

"The moment I was no longer useful or I found a way to work around his threats, the opposite side would suffer a loss."

"Therefore, during the events of World War M, I broke our deal and interfered in the schemes he'd plotted for you. And when it was over, I confronted him...and you all know the rest."

It was frustrating for them to think about how much was going on under their noses without them having even the slightest idea.

However, upon hearing more and more of Derek's story, they couldn't help but experience a flurry of different thoughts and emotions.

"For a moment, we all instantly blamed you...but we didn't stop to think what he might have done to you." Cisco muttered from the side, rubbing his chest.

He was the most experienced in Thawne's psychopathic endeavors outside Barry, and it was because of this he was quick to put himself in Derek's shoes.

"But you chose to carry it all on your back..."

Caitlin added, staring as the tears forming in her eyes from before had dried, replaced with a look mixed with sympathy and slight disappointment, ashamed at herself for feeling as though she wasn't good enough for Derek to seek refuge to.

Most likely because she was the most closed minded about the notion when Barry revealed it to them, something she regretted to this day.

Perhaps it was this that made Barry calm, placing both hands on his face as he rubbed it slowly, then through his hair.

"I'm sorry," He exhaled, his thought process unclear to even Derek.

Well, not completely.

[Barry Allen is conflicted, unsure on how to feel. His mind tells him one thing while his heart tells him another]

'Not good enough. The slightest hesitation can make him switch at any moment, especially with matters as delicate as Thawne and betrayal.'

Derek thought, remembering the future of the show where Barry practically disowned his own child for a similar act to this.

"We all are." Caitlin added, her head slightly tilted, something Derek noted to be a tendency of hers when she was being friendly and affectionate, Cisco nodding behind her.

"So what exactly did you tell him?" After a moment of silence and everyone taking a seat, Barry was the first to speak in a flat tone.

"You've all heard what his plan is. He simply needed me to make sure everything went flawlessly. I'd inform him about unexpected bumps in the road that may affect his goals, like Cisco's vibes."

This was false. In the show, Cisco's vibes were not something Thawne found out and in this timeline Derek was in, it was completely meaningless since Thawne decided to create World War M.

But they didn't know this.

The others simply nodded. Just one of these revelations was hard enough to swallow, but Derek explaining it so well made it seem like they couldn't be too mad.

His story added up and was well told, so much so that it made them think he prepared for it. 

While Cisco and Caitlin were satisfied that he at least planned to explain this all, Barry simply remained in his own world, silent.

"I'm sorry."

The others turned to Derek.

Cisco and Caitlin had already made it clear what their view on this was, which was why all their eyes turned to Barry who stared at the ground with an emotionless demeanor.

"Is that all? Is there anything else? I understand. I understand the position you were put in, Derek, I do. But...I'm still so angry."

For once in this entire confrontation, Barry's eyebrows scrunched as words intensified.

"I'm not angry at you, but at…him. I know what he is yet knowing he can almost ruin us like this with just a few words...it pisses me off. Please, just tell me if there's anything more."

'Hm, this isn't good.'

Derek didn't show it, but if he could, he'd scratch his head and groan in dissatisfaction.

He was now put in a position where he could only give a yes or no answer.

Sure, he could work around it, playing with his words so that he didn't give a definitive answer, but that wouldn't give a conflicted Barry the closure he needed, forever scarring any relationship they'd make.

Knowing answering yes wasn't a choice, answering no could be even worse in the event that something new was revealed about Derek. 

After all, there were still very many things he was hiding.

'This'll be troublesome, but I can work around it later.'

It was clear to Derek what Thawne was planning.

'He wants a blank slate without me where he can finally enact the final stage of his plan unencumbered. He won't stop till he does because I am now the biggest threat to his plan in its most delicate stage.'

What he needed to do was give him this blank slate. After all, Derek also needed Barry to go back in the past to the night of his mothers death. 

But unlike Thawne, he needed Barry to return. 

Therefore, everything he'd do will be for this result. He'd change none of the events leading up to it.

"No, Barry. There's nothing else. Trust me."

'I need Thawne to forget about me. I need him to think I'm no longer a threat. But first, I need Barry fully on my side, then I can let him in on what I know. We'll form a plan and...'

As Barry nodded in a mix of relief and anxiousness, and before Derek could even finish his thoughts, they all paused as they heard what sounded like yelling in the distance.

They all looked at each other, confused.

However, Barry raised his eyebrows upon realizing where the sound was coming from.

And simultaneously, the others did too as Cisco pressed a few buttons on his computer, pulling up a screen to the camera of Thawne's cell.

"...Hello, once again."

'What the hell?'

Derek thought upon seeing Thawne turn to the hidden camera in the cell the moment Cisco turned it on.

He could understand Thawne knowing the cell was rigged with microphones and cameras, but how did he know when to greet them?

This was a question they all shared as the others felt a shiver run down their spine.

"I told you I had a peace offering to give you. But you ran off before I could finish."

"Should I shut it off?" Cisco asked, knowing what any more of Thawne's words could cause.

However, Barry said nothing, instead staring, his silence being an answer enough, prompting Derek to seethe inwardly.

'Shit. I didn't plan on having Thawne add anything else this early. But if I say anything, I'll just look guilty as hell. Damnit, how did he know the perfect time to interfere?! Think!'

"I know you're still listening, so do it carefully. Barry Allen, I'm indifferent to inform you that Henry Allen...is dead."

'Huh...'

Barry's heart dropped as the colour faded from his eyes. Had it been anyone else, he wouldn't be so quick to feel this way, but because it was Thawne, he immediately felt a stab in his organs.

As for Derek, he saw this as a possibility, but he highly doubted it would be a card Thawne played.

'What's he doing? This'll do nothing more than sully his chances at getting Barry to go back for him.'

Thawne needed a tragedy, but both of them knew there was more harm than good in outright drawing the death of Henry Allen to himself.

He'd already done that enough, already jeopardizing his chances...

'Unless...he's trying to do the opposite...draw the blame away from him.' 

But in the next second, Barry bashed his finger onto the keyboard, activating the microphone.

"You're lying! That's what you do! You're a conniving bastard! I won't..."

"Really, Barry? Am I? You're a forensic scientist, you search for details and clues for a living. We've just spent close to an hour discussing nothing but the truth, the full truth."

Thawne stepped closer to the camera despite it recording from a higher angle of the cell. As he did, Cisco instinctively stepped back.

"Tell me, have my eyes, tone or anything about me changed since then? Is there anything to suggest even the slightest bit of dishonesty?"

It was true.

From the arrogant smirk to the dangerous and prepared stance despite being powerless, nothing had changed.

"I hardly call that evidence. After all, you've spent years imitating a completely different person and lying to us." Caitlin was quick to mention, garnering a satisfied look of appreciation from Derek.

"You're absolutely right, Caitlin. Which is why I decided to provide you with hard proof. Look into the file cabinet beside the casing holding the Flash costume. The last one to be exact."

Their heads consecutively turned to the file cabinet he mentioned, their eyes lingering on it for a few seconds.

'What...'

Derek caught note of multiple small things that bugged him.

From replying to Caitlin's qualms instantly and even the fact Thawne was so sure they'd be in this exact room to all look at the file cabinet, Derek grew uneasy.

He knew it was nothing major, yet he couldn't help but look back and forth between Thawne and the file cabinet.

'No no no no, something isn't right. How...what does he have planned? I can't just let him do as he pleases.'

However, Derek knew when things came to Barry's closest family, everything could get out of hand.

And just as he suspected...

-CRACKLE

-WHOOSH

In an instant, Barry disappeared, reappearing with a small disc in his hand, while the file cabinet was left open.

He didn't know exactly what it was, and just as Derek interfered with a small, "Wait," light escaped from the disc, prompting Barry to set it right side up, allowing for the light to project in the air, playing what looked to be footage caught from a CCTV camera.

And not just any CCTV camera...

"That's Iron Heights." Cisco pointed out. But Barry was the first to notice this. Not for the reasons one may think, but because he recognized the cell the camera was facing.

A corner cell with cracked titles before it. 

And it was made far more obvious with the man with slight wrinkles and what seemed to be messy brunette hair on his head, the poor quality of the footage made it hard to see.

But Barry could tell.

"Dad..."

Derek narrowed his eyes. Upon seeing this, for once, he wasn't completely clueless.

The footage was quick.

Henry Allen sat in his cell, quiet and unmoving, clear that it was during the events of World War M.

None questioned why, the others simply coming to the conclusion he was avoiding the chaos.

However, things changed when an unknown figure approached the cell, staring straight at Henry and faced away from the camera.

However, they witnessed the unknown man finally move, flicking his arm and throwing out an obsidian construct which clung and wrapped around Henry, growing tentacle-like limbs that clung onto the stone walls of the cell to further restrain him.

"Run, dad…please…" Barry muttered under his breath.

And Derek...he slowly widened his eyes as a realization dawned on him.

Finally, the figure pulled out what appeared to be a pistol from his back pocket, raising it at Henry as Barry's voice increased significantly.

"No...no...no no no no..."

However, despite the video being silent, they could all hear the BANG as Henry's head flicked backward.

"No!"

Barry let out a gut wrenching scream, watching his father's lifeless body lay within the restraints, and as the figure left, soon the building came crumbling down as Henry Allen was buried under Weather Wizards Hailstone.

But that wasn't what everybody was focused on.

No, their pale expression and dead eyes were a result of something else.

Upon the figure turning to leave, there was a split second where he turned. A split second, that to a speedster, was like hours.

A split second where one could see the unknown figure wearing a black bandana with white highlights and a baseball cap, green piercing eyes peeking from under it.

As the figure pulled down the mask for a second, it revealed a familiar face.

And it seemed as though it was long enough for even a regular person to see since even Cisco and Caitlin stared in disbelief.

'This was his plan all along.'

Derek turned to the forgotten screen depicting Thawne in his cell, only this time, the speedster's smirk was all the more wider.

'Probably the main reason he travelled to another Earth. Lemme guess, that's a doppelganger of Hannibal Bates. This is what he originally planned to use him for before I killed him...'

If there was anyone in this world who rivalled Derek's understanding of Barry Allen, it was Thawne.

It was because of this that Thawne knew of the perfect way to provoke Barry. With another parent's death.

Despite knowing this was only a disadvantage to him, he charged Barry like a bullet.

Only now, he'd somehow managed to turn the gun to Derek, unleashing everything onto him while staying in the clear.

'Bastard...everything, his plan was perfect.'

"You..."

Derek was snapped out of his trance, turning only to see Barry, his expression dark, turning to the youth.

But in the next second, it became clear as one could see his teeth gritted so hard they almost cracked, wide eyed as tears formed on his eyelids, veins bulging on his neck.

"You...You killed my father?!"

'This isn't good.'

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Powerstones

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