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𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥 𝗪𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥

CHAPTER FOUR
juliet is ready to be the main
character (even though she
literally is the main character)

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"FINALLY COME TO your senses?" Jay asked.

So, bad news. Turns out Sand Demon was Slick, and he had managed to kidnap Patty. They had to save her, and fast. There was only one person who could help them do that. So, Juliet and Barry stood in front of Jay's cell in the Particle Accelerator

"Sand Demon kidnapped a police officer," Barry revealed. "A woman that we know."

"And you need my help?" Jay urged.

Juliet rolled her eyes. "Don't make this difficult. Barry and I need you to help us save her before something bad happens."

Jay looked right at Barry. "I guess you're gonna have to trust me now, huh, kid?"

They let Jay out of his cell. Together, the three of them went back upstairs to the cortex.

"We're looking for any structures that promote humidity," Jay explained. "Greenhouses, grow rooms, anything of the sort. His body will literally start to fall apart if he becomes dehydrated."

"Like dry sand," Caitlin said.

"Exactly. Sand Demon always attacks on two fronts. He creates a diversion, then strikes when you're distracted."

"Okay, then what do we do?" Barry questioned.

"We use your speed and Juliet's powers to get him before the distraction can happen," Jay answered.

"Jay, how do I stop somebody who can slip through my fingers?"

"Juliet," Jay replied, like it was the most obvious thing on the world. "If she holds him in place, he can't turn into sand. And Barry, you stop him the way I was never able to. With lightning."

Cisco clapped once in excitement. "Yo, are you about to pull a Zeus right now?"

"What are you talking about?" Iris inquired.

"While Juliet holds Sand Demon in place, Barry's gonna hurl lightning from the energy he creates when he runs," Jay voiced.

"Because lightning plus sand equals—" Caitlin began.

"Glass," Barry finished.

"Time to learn something new, kid," Jay told him.

Barry nodded. "All right."

Cisco got a big smile on his face, making Juliet slightly laugh. However, she then noticed the worried figure of Joe pacing in the hallway while staring down at his phone. Her smile dropped and she glanced up, sharing a quick glance with Barry.

"Uh, we'll be right back," Juliet announced.

Juliet and Barry then went out into the hallway together. Joe had continued to walk past the cortex, never looking up from his phone.

"Hey," Barry called, making Joe stop and look at them. "Are you good?"

Joe lifted up his phone. "That was Singh. CCPD still hasn't found anything yet. Irony is, I didn't want Patty to have anything to do with the damn task force in the first place, and she gets taken because of me."

Juliet sighed. "Joe, this isn't your fault, okay?"

"It's hard not to think that."

"We're going to find her no matter what, I promise."

Well, training was proving to be boring.

Mind controlling was old news. Juliet had done it dozens of times to know what to do, and how to control the headache she got. Well, except for with Atom Smasher when her powers all of the sudden didn't work on him, which she still didn't understand.

They had gone into the very basement of S.T.A.R. Labs, where there was a large vacant room. Jay set up a dummy in the center for Barry to practice on. Juliet sat on the step of the platform behind it with her legs extended in front of her. While Barry ran in circles and threw his lightning, she was sitting there, holding the dummy in place.

It was repetitive. Her hand was raised, red energy traveling up and down her arm and surrounding the dummy as well. A very dull headache set in the back of her head, but she chose to ignore it. Barry ran around in a circle, nothing but a flash of yellow lightning. He then threw his lightning, but it was completely off target and sparked into the back wall. Juliet sighed and dropped her hand, releasing her concentration.

"Again," Jay ordered.

Barry pulled the hood of his suit down. "I've been doing this for an hour. It's not working."

"Yeah, and I'm bored," Juliet added.

Barry stared at her. "I'm so sorry to inconvenience you."

"That's not what I meant," Juliet insisted. "I mean, isn't my energy also enough? I'm pretty sure one of my energy balls is the same amount of joules as Barry's lightning. After last time, I'm not really wanting to be back seated."

"It's because you're trying to rush it, Barry," Jay stated. "This is the one time you need to slow down. Let the energy pass over you, then simply direct it to where you want it to go. And Juliet . . . I had never really thought of it that way. Witch always used to tell me that she would just hold everyone in place so that I could take them down."

"Well, that's a difference between me and her." Juliet stood up and crossed her arms across her chest. "I'm not Witch, I'm Scarlet. Let me help instead of just standing in the sidelines."

"Jay, I don't know if I'm gonna get this in time," Barry admitted.

"You'll get it," Jay reassured him. "I believe in you, and I believe in Juliet."

Juliet looked down at the ground for a second. Although she believed in what Jay was saying was true, the pain that Eobard Thawne had left behind was still fresh. He had told Barry and her over and over again that he believed in them, only to stab them in the back repeatedly.

"The last person that helped us like this, mostly me, was a man that we looked up to," Barry responded. "Idolized. He taught me how to get faster, how to get stronger, how to use my powers to save people, but just left Juliet to the side to not advance as much as I did. That same man murdered my mother."

Jay took a couple of steps closer to Barry. "It's a tough break, but I'm not him."

Barry nodded. "Yeah."

"I know where they are!" Cisco suddenly exclaimed, and Juliet looked over to see him running into the room with Professor Stein. "The abandoned Woodrue grow house. That's where Slick's keeping Patty."

Barry hugged him for a second. "Dude, great job."

"And I was thinking, if I were Sand Demon and I were attacking a speedster and a crazy powerful Metahuman on two fronts, I would probably want to slow you two down, like, by using a concussive bomb or something like that."

"That's a good thought," Jay commented. "He's actually used one on me before. His body absorbs the blast so it doesn't affect him." He looked at Barry and Juliet. "Well, kids, gonna have to think of something."

Juliet sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I'll mind control the concussive bomb. Always the mind-control chick."

"No," Barry cut in.

She blinked at him. "No?"

"No. What if we give Slick a diversion?" He looked at Jay. "He knows you, right? You said you went up against him."

"Yeah, but Barry, I don't have my speed," Jay protested.

Juliet smiled at what Barry was insinuating. "Maybe we all know that, but Sand Demon doesn't. Do you have your suit?"

"Sure. Well, except my helmet."

"Helmet?" Professor Stein repeated.

"Silver kettle helmet?" Cisco asked. "Gold wings?"

Juliet's jaw dropped. "Dude, that was yours?"

"Don't tell me you guys found it," Jay said.

Well, they actually had found it. It was the same metal hat that Juliet saw fall out of the singularity before Thawne had almost used his time machine (before Barry came back and completely shattered it.) They had kept it all this time, mostly because they didn't really know what else to do with it.

They went back upstairs and gathered in the cortex. Caitlin walked out of the medbay, holding Jay's metal helmet in her hands.

Jay looked down at it fondly. "Never thought I'd see that again." He took it. "It was my father's from the War of the Americas."

"Did you just say War of the Americas?" Cisco questioned.

"I wish you would've just told us you lost your helmet," Barry revealed, and Juliet grinned a little as she watched Caitlin help Jay put on the helmet. "Would've saved us all a headache."

"Well, sure you want to do this, Flash?"

"Yeah," Jay replied. "Let's go see what you're made of . . . Flash." His eyes then flickered to Juliet. "And it's time to show me just how much you and Witch are different."

Juliet gave him a two-fingered salute. "Scarlet, reporting for duty."

Jay had gotten into his old suit, which was a red jacket designed with a lightning bolt on it and blue pants. And, of course, his helmet. Juliet had teleported right into the old plant in a dark corner, hidden in the shadows so that no one could see her. Sand Demon was circling around Patty, who was bound to a chair.

"I'm in the security feed," Cisco announced. "Go, Barry!"

Barry ran Jay in to make it seem that Jay had run. He placed Jay down and then went to hide in his own spot. Juliet peered around the corner, waiting for their signal. Sand Demon paused at the familiar sound.

"Is that you, Flash?" Sand Demon called, turning around. "Found your way here."

Jay picked his head up. "I came quite a distance."

"I thought you and Witch were dead."

"You were wrong, like usual. About me, at least."

Juliet was kind of itching to know more about Earth-Two Juliet. Had she been taken by Zoom? Was she dead? There were so many lingering questions.

"Let the girl go," Jay demanded.

"Have at it," Sand Demon responded. "But you touch her, she goes boom. And I think even you aren't fast enough to save her."

Maybe Jay wasn't. But Juliet was. Juliet had promised Joe that they would get Patty back, and she had also told Barry that she would be the one to get Patty once Sand Demon was taken down. After all, she could teleport them far away from the bomb so they weren't affected by the blast so much.

Jay swung, but Sand Demon ducked under his punch. He punched and punched again, but Sand Demon always managed to not get hit.

"Quite a bit slower on this Earth, aren't you, Flash?" Sand Demon taunted.

Finally, Jay punched him across the face. Juliet's eyes widened as she watched Sand Demon's head get knocked into sand for a moment before it reformed. He turned back around and punched Jay over and over, making him cough and double over.

Sand Demon pulled him up by his jacket. "You don't have your speed, do you? Or your partner in crime?"

"Slick's distracted," Cisco voiced. "Go, Barry. Now, JJ."

Barry sped into the room, making Sand Demon turn towards him. Juliet then teleported right in front of Patty.

She held out her hands to her. "Hold on. It'll feel weird for a sec."

Patty let out a deep breath and took her hands. Juliet then immediately teleported her and Patty away to a different part of the room. The bomb exploded, knocking both Barry and Jay away, but Sand Demon absorbed the blast, just like Jay said he would.

Juliet looked over at Patty, making sure to blur her face and vibrate her vocal cords. "Stay here, okay? Stay hidden. Don't move, I mean it."

Patty nodded in understanding. She teleported back next to Barry.

"Must be my lucky day," Sand Demon stated. "Zoom sent me here to kill you. Now I get to kill the Flash from two worlds, and potentially Witch from this Earth, before I go home."

"That's where you're wrong," Juliet interrupted. "You're not killing anyone."

"Oh really?"

Sand Demon then turned his entire arm into sand. He moved it all the way back and wrapped his hand around Jay's neck, making him start to choke from the lack of oxygen.

"He's choking Jay," Joe noticed.

"Barry, Jules, you gotta do something now," Iris urged.

Barry looked down at his girlfriend. "You ready?"

She nodded to him. "Ready."

Barry then took off, running in circles around Sand Demon. Juliet felt her hair fly in her face, but she ignored it. Sand Demon instantly let Jay go, and he fell to his knees. He was evidently getting annoyed.

"Come on!" Sand Demon yelled. He then focused on Juliet. "You too. Come on, Witch."

"And you're wrong again," Juliet told him, knowing Barry was just about at that point where he was ready to throw lightning. She summoned a red ball of energy. "The name's Scarlet, and don't you forget it."

The circle of lightning suddenly stopped, telling Juliet it was time. She wound her arm back and threw her ball of energy at the same time Barry threw his bolt of lightning. Together, their combined forces were right on target, and it blew Sand Demon backwards into the air. His entire body turned into glass from all the electricity, and he fell to the ground, shattering into a million tiny pieces.

Juliet blew a piece of hair out of her face. "Good riddance." She then started to walk towards Jay, who struggled to stand up. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay," Jay answered. "Nice shot, kids."

Patty then peered around the corner. "Scarlet? Flash?"

"Coming," Juliet, Barry, and Jay chorused.

Patty was thankfully uninjured. They brought her back to the CCPD before heading back to S.T.A.R. Labs. Caitlin was in the medbay, wrapping Jay's waist from where Sand Demon had punched him. Juliet got back into her regular clothes before turning to Barry, who had sped in next to her.

"Well, would you look at that," Juliet began. "We did it."

Barry slung an arm around her shoulder and kissed the top of her head. "Hell yeah we did. By the way, I'm never letting anyone backseat you ever again. Those days are over."

She let out a quiet laugh and reached up, holding onto the hand by her shoulder. "Thanks."

The two walked up to the medbay. Caitlin had just finished wrapping Jay's torso, and him and Barry were due for a conversation. Juliet was just there. Why? Probably moral support.

". . . and, speed or no speed, in my book you were still a hero today," Caitlin was saying. "I'm just sorry we didn't all realize it a little bit sooner."

Barry raised his hand. "Especially me."

Juliet scoffed. "Understatement." He then nudged her side a bit, making her giggle. "Kidding. Or am I?"

"I'll leave you two speedsters and . . . Scarlet alone," Caitlin voiced. "Sorry, Jules."

"Don't worry about it. I don't even know if there is a term for me like them. They're fast, I'm just weird."

Caitlin shook her head and walked off.

"So, Barry, I hear they call you the Scarlet Speedster," Jay announced.

"Yeah," Barry replied. "What about you?"

"The Crimson Comet."

Juliet pointed at him. "Hey, I kind of like that one."

"What is it with alliteration and nicknames?" Jay inquired.

Barry chuckled for a moment before bringing Juliet along with him, sitting them both down on the bed. "Hey, look, Jay, um . . . so, thank you for all your help. And for being so patient with me."

"Nah, anytime, kid. You're a quick study. Took me a lot longer to learn how to toss lightning, believe me."

"Then I suppose I had the right teacher."

"It's going to be a lot harder to take down Zoom," Jay admitted.

"You've mentioned him, but you haven't talked a lot about him," Juliet responded. "Who is he?"

"No one knows. He showed up around the same time as when I got my powers. Killed a lot of people in my world. Witch and I spent about two years tracking him down. But he was too smart, too quick. He's always one step ahead."

"You really think he's just bringing these guys here to kill me?" Barry asked.

"Zoom is obsessed with destroying me. Now he wants to destroy you."

"Yeah."

"He needs to be the best," Jay continued. "And he will do whatever it takes to ensure he's the only speedster. In any world. And after that, he'll probably try and find a way to get Juliet's powers. If that happens, he'll be unstoppable."

Juliet felt a shiver go up her spine. Just like the Reverse Flash. Well, that wasn't comforting. Two speedsters after her powers, even if the Reverse Flash wasn't around anymore.

The next day, Professor Stein and and Cisco had called them all into the cortex to talk about something they had found. There was a screen in the middle of the row, showcasing a map of Central City with a bunch of bright lights scattered across it. Juliet leaned into Barry's side comfortably as he rested a hand on her back, listening to

"It appears that while we were indeed successful in closing the singularity, there was an unfortunate side effect," Professor Stein explained.

"What are you talking about?" Barry questioned.

"Using electrophotography, Cisco and I were able to search Central City for any signs of energy entering out Earth from another dimension. From any breaches, as Mr. Garrick described them."

"But, of course, there isn't just one breach," Cisco added. "There's fifty-two of them scattered throughout the city."

Juliet's eyes widened. Fifty-two?

"Oh, you've got to be fucking kidding me," Juliet complained.

"These breaches are pockets of time and space folded into and upon itself," Professor Stein continued. "But the most significant breach of all appears to be this one."

Cisco pressed a button. Instantly, the screen zoomed into a very big patch of light on the map, which Juliet now knew represented the breaches. It was way bigger than all of the other ones.

"And where exactly is that located?" Caitlin inquired.

"It's here, inside S.T.A.R. Labs," Professor Stein answered.

Juliet sighed. "You know, of course it is."

"And just beyond that breach is an entirely diff—fferent—"

Juliet straightened up in concern at the stutter. She then watched as his figure started to teeter over, like he was about to fall. And, well, then he did start to fall, his eyes closing. Juliet, in a panic, thrust out her hand in the air and concentrated on him. Red energy traveled up her arm from her finger, and it surrounded his figure as well. Professor Stein stopped in midair, slightly sideways, but at least he wasn't on the ground.

"Barry, Jay," Juliet stated.

They got her message. The two of them ran up to Professor Stein and took him in their arms. Juliet kept her concentration on him and followed after the two as they brought him into the medbay.

Juliet honestly didn't know what happened. He seemed perfectly fine, and now he wasn't. All Juliet knew is that whatever this was, it probably wasn't good.

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is this chapter a mess? yeah. am I posting it anyway? . . . yeah <3