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Chapter Twenty-Four: You'll Find Your Way

Music is "Believe In The Impossible Medley" by Blake Neely from CW's The Flash OST, remixed by Jorah the Andal.

Picture is (most of) Team Flash.

· ~ · ~ · ~ · ~ ·

"Life is locomotion. If you're not moving, you're not living. But there comes a time when you've got to stop running away from things and you've got to start running towards something. You've got to forge ahead, keep moving, even when your path isn't lit. Trust that you'll find your way."

- Nora Allen to Barry Allen, The Flash

· ~ · ~ · ~ · ~ ·

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

My jaw drops in surprise, and my eyes go wide. "Barry Allen. You're Barry Allen!" I turn to Pietro, visibly jumping up and down. "He's Barry freaking Allen!"

Both my husband and the Scarlet Speedster look at me as if I've gone mad. "You know of me?" Barry asks in a perplexed tone. "Let me guess: I have my doppleganger here, too? What am I? Evil scientist? Superhero? Nerdy CSI? Those were all fun."

I walk over to him, shaking my head as I laugh. "No! I read your comics! I've loved the Flash ever since I was a kid. I never got too much into DC besides you, Wonder Woman, Batman, and the Teen Titans."

Barry raises an eyebrow and smirks. "I have no idea who those people are, if they are even people. You say I'm in a comic?" He grins a boyish smile. "Cool."

I sigh, still freaking out on the inside. "Sit down, Barr. We have a lot to talk about."

· ~ · ~ · ~ · ~ ·

The Flash and I talk for hours as Tony makes certain that Killbane is secure. After all the security and locks put on my arch enemy, there's no way he can get out. Barry even had some advice on how to make sure he couldn't use his powers inside the glass case, mentioning something about having to deal with a similar problem. Even Tony was impressed. "You're a smart cookie, Kiddo," he'd told him. "How old're you anyways?"

Barry grins, looking sheepish. "I just turned twenty-seven."

Tony just stares at him, lack of emotion on his face, before he heads back to work. He mumbles under his breath, "Freakin' kids and their super-genius. First it's a seventeen year old Spider-Child and now it's twenty-seven year old Road Runner. Us average smart guys are getting run over."

Barry turns to me, mumbling, "Is he always like this?"

I sigh, smirking. "Unfortunately, yes. You have your Harry Wells. We have good ole Tony Stark. Moody, troublesome--"

Tony lifts a finger to add, "--Handsome as hell, brilliant, ahead of his time."

Barry chuckles, "Well, I can't comment on the handsome part, but those other four wrap up Harry pretty well."

After that, we continue talking about how he got to the Marvel world, what he was doing in the first place traveling between worlds, what might've gone wrong to get him here. I tell him about how we've been able to get to my home world several times. "That's so cool!" Barry says excitedly. "You're from another universe? And I thought moving away to college was a big step."

I shrugged, laughing with him. "I found someone I couldn't live without, and he didn't exist in my world. So... I moved! Harry and his daughter are from another universe, right?" Barry nods. "How do you keep them from..." I make an explosion sound with my mouth.

Barry laughs. "Well, we've never had the problem you keep talking about, where two of the same person can't live in the same universe. At least, not that I know of. Maybe our universe just operates on different laws than yours, or maybe you and your doppleganger were a special case. It might have something to do with the Harrison Wells from my Earth being dead, so Harry doesn't have a living doppleganger. And since Harrison Wells is dead, Jessie Wells never existed on Earth-1."

I nod my head to the side. "Could be."

He then tells me why he's here. Evidently, he and his colleagues--Cisco Ramone, Harry Wells, and Caitlin Snow--were trying to get to what he calls "Earth-2" when another portal opened up in S.T.A.R. Labs. He chose to investigate it in fear of another Reverse-Flash showing up, but it only lead him here to the Marvel world.

"I had no idea," Barry laughs, looking around at the basement of Stark Tower. "I thought it would lead me somewhere fairly similar to my Earth. Y'know, where I know some of the people, but this Earth is vastly different. I've never come to a place like this before."

"I actually just got back from another Earth myself." I jerk my thumb over towards Killbane. "He's my Reverse-Flash. Killed my best friend, around one million other New Yorkers, and not to mention all the others he might've killed in other worlds that we don't know about. He had bragged about killing me and Pietro one multiple occasions."

Barry's eyes follow my motion to the man on the glass case. "We call people like him Breachers on my Earth, people who travel from one universe to the next."

I shake my head. "One evil son of a bitch. I was lucky enough to take his powers away long enough to shove him into a world where there are no powers and he was going to rot in prison."

Barry looks confused. "Then why'd you bring him to your home? Isn't that, oh I don't know, dangerous?"

I then take the next fifteen minutes to tell him about how I got here in the first place, who Gregory Killbane is, how he lost his powers and was imprisoned several years ago. Then I tell him about Elaine, Thanos, and why we went to get Killbane in the first place. 

"He's tracked down Infinity Stones before," I conclude. "He was the one who showed up with the Soul Gem several years back, so we know he can find them. We needed his help to find them again. Our Earth depends on it."

Barry folds his hands, looking at them, deep in thought. "Y'know, Harry once told me to not get attached to things I see in other worlds. They weren't my concern, I can't save them all." He looks back up at me. "But this world is in danger of being destroyed. Not just terrorized, but completely destroyed. Hell, your daughter's already seen it." He motions to Elaine, who's sitting beside Wanda, talking softly and laughing.

I follow his motion, looking at her as well with love and worry. "I know. We're kinda desperate, Barr. Can I call you Barr?" He shrugs, grinning. I nod and continue. "We're running out of options, at the end of our rope. Thanos is coming, we're on a time table, he already has most of the Infinity Stones--with exceptions of the Mind Gem in Vision's forehead and the Soul Gem that Doctor Strange is guarding, and Asgard has already said they're not going to help us. We need to find another set of stones that are equal in power and capability and we need to find the other right-handed Infinity Gauntlet. I have Thor and Loki on that right now."

"I want to help," he states. "My friends and I have the equipment that can scan the multiverse. With your help, and maybe a bit of Killbane's, I think we can find your Infinity Stones. It's not much, but it'll get you on your way to making a weapon that can go toe to toe with Thanos. Maybe Harry's right. I can't save everyone, but this Earth is really in danger. And I know I can actually help this time, not just try."

A huge smile covers my face as I pull him in for a hug. "Thank you, Barry Allen."

He hugs me back, like an old friend. "Don't thank me yet, Glory Maximoff. We still gotta get back to my world."

I nod my head towards Tony, Stephen Strange, and Vision. "Those are probably four of the five smartest men in our world. If anyone can do it, they can."

"Four of the five?"

I shrug. "The other guy's big, green, and mean, and we haven't seen him in almost a decade."

"Forget I even asked." He pauses, then asks, "I have to admit something."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I wasn't completely truthful when I told you I'd never seen any of you before."

I cross my arms and await for him to continue. "What do you mean?"

He points briefly to me. "I think I've seen you before in my universe, but never in person and you had red hair. You said Killbane killed your best friend." I nod. "Who was she?"

I raise an eyebrow. "I dye my hair because I'm in hiding, but how do you know she was a she? Her name was Aspen Penrose. Why?"

Barry's eyes avert mine, as if he's trying to keep a lid on a secret. "I think I know her on my Earth. I think that's where I've seen you."

My breath catches in my throat. "You do? Who is she? Is she okay?"

Before Barry can reply, Tony shouts, "Hey! I think we're onto something here! You two super-children wanna give me a hand?"

"Go help," I tell a conflicted Barry. "You can explain later."

Barry claps his hands together, excitement showing on his face. "All right! Let's get to work!"

"I do have one question, though."

"Shoot."

"What number do you categorize my universe as? You're Earth-1, Harry's is Earth-2, what are we?"

"Cisco's new tech reads every universe and organizes them in accordance to how similar or different they are to mine. Your Earth came up as Earth-616."

· ~ · ~ · ~ · ~ ·

Between the smartest men in the room, it only takes an hour or so to calibrate the equipment to get a portal reopened to Barry's world. Wanda aids in the lifting of heavy objects, so she makes herself useful, but Elaine, and I busy ourselves with pestering Barry about everything that has to do with his world. What kind of food do they eat? Are we in comics as well? What is Central City like? Is Pluto still a planet? You know, the important, life-changing, worldview-shattering stuff.

Barry answers as best he can while helping Tony. "Um... mostly Big belly Burger. Not that I know of. Central City is the greatest city ever. And no, it's technically a dwarf planet."

Just before we start to get really tired, everything clicks into place. Tony stands back from his Arc Reactor with a proud look on his face. "Excelsior! We did it. Let's try her out."

"Who's coming with me?" Barry says, looking at the group of us. "We'll only be there for a few hours, just long enough to program Cisco's scanners to detect what you're looking for, and enough time to hop through another portal to the world which you need."

I look to Pietro, who nods at me. "We will go," he says for both of us.

"I will, too," Elaine pipes up.

"We had better stay here in case something goes wrong on your world and you cannot reopen the portal," Vision says, looking towards Stephen and Tony. They nod in unison.

"I will go as well," Wanda says, stepping forward. "You may need my help to keep Killbane in check."

"Field trip, those are fun," Killbane mutters from his glass cell on the opposite side of the room.

I groan. "Tony, while we're gone, can you build a mute button for that thing?"

"It'd be my pleasure."

"So six are going, three are staying?" Barry asks. "All right, Tony. Let's start this thing up!"

As Tony and Barry open the portal, I walk with Wanda and Stephen over to the glass case where Killbane is kept. "You can disable his powers with that thing again, right?" I ask Stephen, not taking my eyes off the frail man in the prison who stares at each of us in turn.

Stephen nods, lifting the Infinity Stone. "His powers have yet to return, but I believe I can take them away for a few more hours, just enough time to go with Barry and come back." He turns to me. "Please, don't take longer than absolutely necessary."

"It's be a real shame to let me loose on that world," Killbane mutters.

I resist the urge to enter the cage and knock him senseless. "Wanda, help Stephen do whatever he needs to do."

I hear Tony shout, "Ta da! One portal to Earth-1!"

When we turn around, we see an oddly familiar sight. There's the portal Barry came in just sitting in the center of the room. Tony is adjusting the power output on several machines that surround the wormhole like tripods. "Steady as she goes. You're ready to head on through."

I approach a smiling Barry. "You and Pietro are our speedsters. You can take people through this type of portal, right?"

Barry nods. "This one is different than the one you told me about that appears in your world. Portals to and from my Earth require someone traveling at high speeds. If your husband is as fast as he says he is, he'll be able to carry someone through, just like me."

Pietro overhears Barry's comment and rolls his eyes. "I am faster than you, Allen."

Barry smirks at Pietro. "Wanna bet?"

"You two can race later," I chuckle. "For now, Barry can take Wanda and Killbane. Pietro can take Elaine and I." I turn to an ecstatic Tony. "You can keep this portal open for...?"

"Several hours, I think. This type of Einstein-Rosen bridge is much more stable than the ones we've seen on our world. Those were erratic and in constant flux. This is a thing of beauty!"

"It also might help that Team Flash is on the other side helping it stay open," Barry adds, then turns to Wanda at the back of the room. She has Killbane by the arm, and he looks weaker than ever. "You two ready?"

"His powers are gone. We are ready to proceed."

I look Killbane in his observant eyes, whispering, "If you don't behave, I'll--"

"--Do what? Kill me? You already tried that, remember?"

Wanda's grip on his arm tightens. "Remember that you are here by your own volition. If you wish to be sent back to the prison from whence you came, we can arrange that very, very quickly."

When Killbane doesn't reply, only scowls at Wanda, Barry walks between them, placing a hand on their backs. "We'll be there in a flash."

Killbane groans. "Hilario--!" but before he can finish, they're gone in a streak of yellow lightning.

Pietro comes up beside me, and Elaine stays on the other. "You ready?"

With a nod, Pietro places a hand on each of our backs. "Try not to wreck the multiverse," Stephen warns.

In a blur of blue, Pietro runs Elaine, himself, and I through the wormhole. We exit the other side, out of breath and dizzy. I grab to the nearest thing for balance, which just happens to be the arm of a young man with long, dark hair and a surprised expression. "Whoa! No need to get all handsy there; we just met!"

I pull back, nearly falling over if it weren't for Pietro's firm grasp under my arms to hold me steady. "Sorry!" I pull myself together. "Thanks, Piet."

The room in which we entered is a large one made of mostly metals and concrete. It's dark with no windows. A staircase leads up to another hallway that leads out of the room. Overhead is a strange type of futuristic lighting, and in front of us is a large computer station with several monitors. Equipment surrounds us and the portal to the Marvel Earth.

Now I had watched CW's The Flash before I left my home world in May of 2015. It was just a TV show then, but when I got to the Marvel Earth, for some reason I couldn't find it anywhere. There were comics, but no sign of a TV show. It was like it didn't exist. As far as I know, Barry and Team Flash had just defeated Eobard Thawne and Barry had entered a black hole in the sky above Central City. Eddie Thawne was dead, Ronnie Raymond was dead, and where the hell Barry was, I have no idea. I only ever was able to watch Season 1.

There are definitely some differences between the show's universe and the one I stand in right now. For one, I'm staring directly at Eddie Thawne. Barry said that they had defeated Eorbard Thawne, the Reverse-Flash, a few years ago. Why the Odin he's still here is a mystery. There's also two other new faces: one is a dark skinned boy who looks about Elaine's age and the other is a lighter-haired man standing beside Caitlin. The dark skinned boy looks like he could be Iris West's brother, and the lighter-haired man looks a lot like Draco Malfoy from Harry Potter.

The others in the room I remember well. Iris West stands at the computer behind Caitlin Snow. Joe West is beside his partner, Eddie Thawne. Cisco stands beside Pietro, Elaine, and I. Barry has Killbane tightly in his grasp, Wanda by his side. The two Earth-2 travelers Barry told me about, Harry and Jessie Wells, are beside Joe. And oddly, Barry's dad, Henry Allen, is leaning up against a wall with a huge smile aimed towards his son.

"Greetings, Earthlings," Cisco says in a Yoda-like voice. "Pleased to meet you, we are."

Before anyone else can say anything, I hear a door open and shut with a crash. A woman shouts, "Persephone!"

Footsteps trail into the portal room. A young girl, maybe eight or nine, rushes into the room. She has shoulder-length light brown hair and brown eyes. She heads straight for Barry with a huge grin on her face. "Barry!"

Barry stoops down and swoops the young girl into his arms, giving her a tight hug with an equally enormous grin on his face. "Seph!"

"Mom told me you were gone for hours!"

Barry settles the small girl on his hip, looking to Caitlin. "I was gone how long?"

Caitlin bites her lip. "Four hours. We were getting worried."

Barry looks to the group he came through with in surprise. "Were we really that long? Jeez, sorry guys. We were trying to get the portal to open. Their world isn't as familiar with inter-spacial anomalies."

Joe pats Barry on the back, clearly relieved, and Henry hugs his son. "We're glad your home," Joe says. "All of us."

Barry nods, then turns to the girl. "Where's your mother?"

She points to the hallway, replying, "She had to lock the Cortex up after we entered, but I came straight here." The girl looks towards me with a perplexed expression. "You look familiar..."

Barry sets the girl down, and we hear another set of steps hurry down the hallway. The next person to enter nearly takes the breath from my lungs. Pietro looks down at me as soon as he realizes who stands before us; Wanda reads my loud and screaming thoughts as well, recognizing the woman from my nightmares. Killbane grins.

Barry told me he knew her, and yet I find myself unable to speak, to move, to think. I can only gaze at her as if I've seen a ghost.

The young woman has straight, mahogany-colored hair in Elvish braids, similarly colored almond-shaped eyes, and a worried expression. She wears brown leggings with Elvish-looking boots that match, a green poncho with leafy patterns, and brown fingerless gloves. She freezes in the doorway, eyes glued to Barry and no one else. "Barry!"

Barry runs over to her with lightning trailing behind him. He embraces her, holding her close to him. "I'm sorry I took so long. Lost track of time."

"You always seem to do that," she chuckles, pulling back to kiss him briefly. "Don't do that again if you don't mind."

Barry nods with a smile. "Okay."

After reuniting with her sweetheart, the woman beside Barry looks over to the other side of the room and freezes instantly. Her grip on Barry's arm tightens and her eyes grow wide. "Oh my goddess. Glory."

Her name comes off my lips in a choked whisper. "A-Aspen."

END CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR.

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