⊱ ──────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ──────── ⊰

𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗘

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
him again

⊱ ──────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ──────── ⊰

JULIET STOOD OUTSIDE of Jitters, her hands in the pocket of her jacket and her eyes sad as she watched Iris sit by herself inside. They still couldn't find Eddie, and everything was still rocky after her finding out their secret identities. It honestly wasn't fair. Everything was Wells' fault, and he still hadn't shown his face again.

"You gonna go in, or are you just going to stand there?" Barry asked, snapping her out of her thoughts — he had come with her, but Juliet had insisted she go in alone.

"I don't want to hear another word from you," Juliet replied.

"You would've said the same thing to me."

She sighed — curse him for knowing her so well. "Can't really argue with that."

"It'll be okay," Barry told her. He bent down and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "See you in a few."

Juliet gave him a small smile. "I love you."

(She had made it her personal mission to say it more.)

"I love you more," Barry said.

Juliet let out a deep breath and pulled open the door. She walked up to the table Iris was sitting at and grinned a little at her.

"Hi, 'Ris," Juliet greeted.

Iris looked up. "Hi."

Juliet settled herself down in the seat across from her, but her eyebrows knit in confusion at all the boxes that were on the table. "What are these?"

"They're return labels for Eddie and I. I originally ordered two-hundred, but I got two-thousand this afternoon. Must've ordered wrong." She stared down at the boxes, her face falling. "I have . . . I have so many."

"We're going to find him," Juliet reassured her, her heart sinking at how heartsick her best friend was.

"How, Jules?" Iris argued, but it sounded more broken than anything. "You and Barry have searched everywhere multiple times and haven't found anything." She went quiet for a moment, her eyes turning sad from her outburst. "I'm so sorry. I'm not mad at you, it's just—"

"You miss him," Juliet finished.

Iris nodded. "Yeah. I really do."

Juliet sighed and extended her hand out to Iris, who took it with no hesitation. "We've watched Barry's life get destroyed because Wells took his mom. My life could've been destroyed because he threatened Noelle. But trust me when I say we are not going to let him take anything from you. Especially Eddie."

Iris, her eyes glassy with tears, squeezed Juliet's hand.

Juliet's phone then buzzed, and she took it out of her pocket to see it was a text from Cisco. "It's Cisco. I've got to go, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, go," Iris urged.

Juliet let go of Iris and walked out of Jitters. She saw Barry leaning against the wall outside and extended her hand out to him. Barry pushed himself off of the wall and took it, and they ducked into the shadows before Juliet teleported them away.

They went into the cortex, where Cisco, Caitlin, and Joe already were. However, there was another thing — Wells' wheelchair. Juliet stopped in her tracks and stared down at it, disdain filling her insides. God, he had manipulated them so much.

"I kept asking myself, why would Wells pretend to need a wheelchair?" Cisco admitted, spinning it around with his one hand while his other held a soda cup from Big Belly Burger.

"Sympathy, I suppose," Caitlin guessed.

"That's what I thought at first, but he's the Man in Yellow. He's the Reverse Flash. He's much smarter than that. Sympathy can't be the only reason."

"Yeah, it was a misdirect," Joe insisted. "Just like everything else Wells has done. I mean, the last person we'd suspect to be the Man in Yellow is someone who lost the use of their legs."

"That's exactly right, Joe," Cisco responded, putting his soda cup down on the ground. "Which is why I started messing around with the wheelchair." He flipped the wheelchair over so it was on its side. "And that's when I found this."

Cisco then opened up the bottom. Juliet's eyes widened a little in shock. It was a circular device that was glowing orange and honestly looked like something that resembled a battery.

"Damn, you can't get that at Radio Shack," Joe commented.

Barry crouched down a little to get at its level, staring at it intensely. "It looks like the tech inside Gideon."

"I measured the output, and this thing is kicking off serious juice," Cisco revealed. "I mean, we're talking enough to power all of Central City."

"Seriously?" Joe asked.

"Oh, yeah."

"What do you think Wells was using it for?" Barry questioned.

"I think this thing is some kind of battery," Cisco answered.

"Battery?" Joe repeated.

"As in, Wells was using it to power himself." He picked his soda cup back up. "To gain more speed." Cisco pointed at Barry. "And that's why he's so much faster than you."

The computer then started to rapidly beep. Cisco immediately ran over to it, but he stared at the computer screen in disbelief.

"The Accelerator, it's been reactivated," Cisco announced.

"What?" Juliet inquired, walking up to the desk and forcing Barry to come with her because they were still holding hands.

"It can't be," Caitlin protested.

"How is that possible?" Joe asked. "It blew up."

"It had to have been rebuilt," Cisco stated.

"Wells," Barry instantly voiced.

"Even if he did rebuild it, how did Dr. Wells turn the Particle Accelerator on?" Caitlin questioned.

Juliet connected the dots, and her eyes widened even further in slight horror. "Because he's here. That's why Barry and I couldn't find him this entire time — because he's been inside S.T.A.R. Labs."

Joe immediately pulled his gun out of his suit pocket and started to walk away. Juliet and Barry immediately followed him, then Cisco, who had told Caitlin to stay here and also went back for his soda cup. The four of them went down into the bottom level of S.T.A.R. Labs and crept along the wall towards the pipeline. Joe went first with his gun, but Juliet was right behind him, her free hand itching to release energy. They walked up into the pipeline after Joe checked, which was darker than normal. Juliet's heart pounded against her chest as she went up the ramp

"Cisco, what did you bring that orange soda for?" Joe inquired.

"Whenever something happens with the Reverse Flash, liquid floats in the air," Cisco told him. "You know, Barry's fish tank, Wells' champagne, Lance's coffee, remember that? If this does the same thing, we'll know that Wells is in there."

Barry looked at Cisco. "Do it."

Cisco put his hand on the screen, and the door to the Particle Accelerator lifted open. Juliet walked in, staring around in shock. She had never really been inside. On both sides, the room seemed to stretch on for miles, and it was very tall. Juliet suddenly felt really small.

"Man, this is . . . big," Joe said, his voice echoing.

"Oh, God," Cisco let out. "Guys—"

Suddenly, a flash of red lightning appeared in the Particle Accelerator and sped right at them, forcing Barry and Juliet and Joe to jump apart from each other to make room. Juliet barely had time to think before Barry took her waist in his arms and sped them away. She wasn't used to running at super-speed like Barry was, and she became all sorts of disoriented with the wind, the noise, and the flashing lights.

Before she knew it, it was all over. Juliet stumbled forwards out of Barry's arm and looked up to see the red flash of lightning disappear in front of them. She blinked a couple of times to get the black spots out of her vision and placed her hands on her knees, trying to will herself to not be sick.

"Oh God," Juliet breathed out. She stood up straight and looked at her boyfriend. "A warning would've been nice."

Barry blinked at her. "A warning?"

Her eyebrows knit in thought. "You know, now that I'm thinking about it, we didn't really have time for that." Juliet then tucked a piece of hair behind her ear that had gone awry because of the wind. "Were you close, at least?"

"Yeah." He breathed a little heavy. "But then he was faster."

"You look winded." Juliet reached out her hands towards him as an invitation for him to take them. "Come on, let me take us back."

Barry didn't say anything. He didn't take her hands — instead, he wrapped his arms all the way around her and brought her close to his chest. Juliet rested her cheek against his chest while he rested his on top of her head. She put her arms around his waist and held him tight. She could feel his pain — and, honestly, she felt it, too.

"I want to stay here forever," Barry admitted.

Juliet felt herself get all fluttery. "I know. Me too." She pulled her head back and looked up at him. "But we have to get back. You know that."

"Yeah, I do." Barry then leaned down and kissed her quickly. "Okay, I'm ready."

She unwound herself from him and offered her hands out again. "Just needed a hug first?"

Barry took her hands. "They make everything better."

Juliet gave him a soft smile. She then concentrated on the two of them, and with the familiar tingling feeling spreading throughout her, she teleported them away. They landed in the doorway of the cortex, where everybody seemed to be gathered.

"Wells got away," Barry voiced. "Oh, he was too fast. He's always too fast."

Juliet then looked over, her eyes bulging out of her head. "Eddie, oh my God."

Eddie was sitting on a hospital bed in the cortex hooked up to an IV, looking a little dirty and beaten down, but he was alive. He lifted up his hand in a weak wave. Juliet rounded around the computers and stood in front of him, Barry trailing behind her.

"We found him under that hatch in the pipeline," Cisco explained.

"We're so sorry," Barry told him. "We — we thought we looked everywhere for you."

"Hey, it's not your guys' fault," Eddie replied. "Sometimes you just can't see the clues, even if they're right in front of you."

"Um, well, you know, all that's important is that we're all safe, and back together, right?" Iris asked, and Eddie smiled at her.

"Eddie, why'd he take you?" Joe questioned.

Eddie sighed. "I don't know. He said that we're . . . family. Said his real name is Eobard Thawne."

Juliet looked over at Cisco. That was the name he had said when he went into his mind to see what happened in that alternate reality.

Cisco stepped forwards. "Eobard Thawne? Just like in my dream."

"Did he say anything else?" Joe inquired. "I mean, anything that could help us figure out what he's really after?"

"I — he didn't say much," Eddie revealed. "He just kept working on some tube."

"A tube?" Cisco asked. "What did it look like?"

"Metallic, futuristic. He said it was the key to him getting back everything that was taken from him."

"The key?" Barry repeated. "I — I don't understand. Wha—"

"Yeah, I don't know," Eddie responded. "Look, I just want to go home. Is that okay?"

"Yes, of course," Caitlin agreed, reaching over and taking out his IV.

"I'll make sure he gets some rest," Iris promised.

"Okay," Eddie let out, reaching out his arm.

Iris helped him stand up and walk out of the cortex. They all waited until they were far enough way to discuss.

"What do you think Wells was talking about?" Barry questioned.

The computer then chimed again. Cisco ran over to it again, and just like before, he looked at the screen in disbelief.

"Oh, no, no, no," Cisco complained before turning around and sprinting out of the cortex.

"What do you mean no?" Juliet called after him. She turned back to the others. "What could possibly be going on?"

Cisco had connected his phone to the computer screens and was showing what was happening downstairs. Sure enough, there was the tube Eddie was talking about in the Particle Accelerator, glowing blue and definitely looking very futuristic.

"Um, are you seeing this?" Cisco began. "That's the tube Eddie was talking about. It's some sort of future power source. That's what's charging up the Accelerator."

"Can you shut it down?" Barry inquired.

"Do you see a power button anywhere on this thing? Dude, this thing is from the future. It's beyond me. I press, or touch, or cut the wrong thing, I could bring the whole building down."

"How long do we have until it's fully functional?" Juliet added.

"Best I can tell, thirty-six hours," Cisco responded.

"Wow. I love my life."

"That's when Wells will be back," Barry cut in.

"Why would Wells want the Particle Accelerator to work again?" Joe asked.

"Destruction?" Juliet guessed. "A psychotic fantasy? To cause us pain? There's a lot of reasons."

"I don't know," Cisco said. "It's not like it was such a big success the first time."

"It made me the Flash and made J Scarlet," Barry stated.

"That's not all it did," Caitlin insisted.

That was true. They were holding multiple Metahumans downstairs in the Particle Accelerator, all the ones that they had caught. Cisco had come back, and Caitlin had pulled up the footage of them in their cells. Juliet leaned against the computer desk, her arms crossed across her chest and her eyes narrowed in thought at the ground.

"So what happens if the Particle Accelerator turns on while the Metahumans are in their containment cells?" Caitlin questioned.

"They're toast," Cisco voiced.

"We put them down there, and now their lives are in danger because of us."

"Look, I think you all know I've never been a fan of this arrangement here," Joe interjected. "I thought the whole plan was to rehabilitate them and set them free."

"It was," Caitlin said. "We've been a little busy."

"Well, if they stay in there, they die," Cisco stated. "And if we let them go, they destroy the city."

"We're going to have to move them," Barry announced.

Joe looked at him. "Move them where? Iron Heights can't handle Metahumans."

"You're right, but Lian Yu can."

"What the hell's a Lian Yu?"

"A nearly inhospitable island in the north China Sea," Juliet answered, moving her gaze from the ground to Joe. "It's where Ollie — sorry, old habits die hard — Oliver was stranded for five years. A.R.G.U.S. built a covert military prison on the island."

"It's where we sent Captain Boomerang," Cisco said.

"Ollie told me he keeps all his worst criminals there. If we move the Metahumans to Lian Yu, they won't be able to escape or hurt anybody."

"Great," Joe commented. "So we ship them from one illegal black site to another?"

She gave him an innocent smile and raised her hands in an I don't know gesture. "Completely fool-proof."

"And how do we move them to Oliver's own private Alcatraz?"

"I'll talk to him."

Barry looked at her, his face getting a little red. "You'll talk to him?"

Juliet gave him a look. "Yes, forever lover, I'll talk to him. Maybe he can help us with transport."

He got a cute little smile on his face at forever lover before he stood up from the chair. "And Cisco . . . if we do this, nobody can get loose."

Cisco nodded. "I might have a way of getting them out of here safely."

"All right, get on it."

"Barr, Jules, this is insane," Joe protested.

"Joe, we have to do this," Barry argued.

"You don't think that if we start bussing super-villains through downtown, nobody's going to notice?"

"Oh, they'll notice. That's where you'll come in."

They gave Joe the responsibility of talking to Cecile Horton, the District Attorney for Central City, about getting an escort for the whole thing. Meanwhile, Juliet started to make her phone calls. Oliver hadn't answered her, which she found kind of strange, so she called Lyla and made the arrangements — and also found out why Oliver hadn't answered her.

(The League of Assassins was apparently a very real thing.)

Juliet walked into the precinct with Barry. Cecile was walking towards them, and Juliet gave her a small smile before looking at Joe, who was standing in the doorway of Captain Singh's office. Honestly, Joe looked a little stressed. The three of them went upstairs into a more secluded to talk. 

"A.R.G.U.S. has a transport plane to get the Metahumans to Lian Yu," Juliet explained. "All we have to do is get them to Ferris Airfield."

Joe crossed his arms, looking down at her. "So Ollie came through then?"

Juliet rolled her eyes. "Actually, this wasn't Ollie. He's apparently in Nanda Parbat."

Joe blinked at her. "What?"

"Yeah, I don't know either. He's weird. Anyways, I talked to Lyla — Diggle's wife — and she's going to help us. So, what's up? Is CCPD giving us an escort?"

"Jules, it ain't happening."

She sighed. "Fuck."

"You two saw me talking to the D.A.," Joe continued: "She was very clear. I could lose my badge. I could go to jail. We could go to jail."

Juliet let her forehead fall on Barry's shoulder. "I don't want to go to jail."

"We — we are protecting people," Barry said, putting a hand on Juliet's back and rubbing it softly.

"We are, Barry, but . . . I'm a cop," Joe reminded him. "There's a certain set of rules I need to follow, and this year, I broke all of them. Lying to my boss . . ."

"I know."

"Ignoring the law. I mean, at what point do we become no different than the people we're fighting?"

"We are way different," Barry insisted.

"How?" Joe countered.

"We only break the rules to help people." He wrapped his arm all the way around Juliet's waist. "Come on."

Juliet picked her head up and looked at him as they started to walk away. "What're you thinking?"

Barry let out a deep breath. "You're not going to like it."

He was right. Juliet fucking hated it. But, if they needed help doing something illegal . . . the only person who knew how to do it right was a criminal.

They went to the place where only he could be — a sketchy dive bar called Saints and Sinners. Juliet tucked herself into Barry's side more as they entered. The whole bar was completely deserted with the exception of a bartender and . . . him. Juliet's gaze burned into the back of his head until he turned around.

"Well, well, well," Leonard Snart, aka Captain Cold, stated. "If it isn't the Scarlet Speedster . . . and Scarlet."

"We need to talk," Barry told him.

"Unfortunately," Juliet muttered.

"You want anything?" Snart offered, walking with them further into the bar. "Beer, food? Pickled eggs here are fantastic."

"Give me a shot of vodka for strength."

Barry elbowed her side gently. "No, we're good. We need your help with a problem."

"Must be pretty desperate to come asking for my assistance, but I'll bite," Snart replied. "What do you need?"

"Help transporting some people out of the city."

"How many?"

"Five," Barry answered. "Five very bad, very angry people who have powers."

"Powers, hmm?" Snart responded. "So you want me to what? Freeze the problem? Protect you two from them if anything goes wrong? First rule of business: always protect yourself. I'm not gonna help usher your enemies out of town."

Juliet held her hand out by her side, but her eyes narrowed in concentration. Instantly, Snart stopped in his tracks, and red energy started to travel between her fingers. Juliet rounded around to the front of him.

"Believe it or not, they're actually your enemies, too," Juliet told him.

"I doubt it," Snart argued.

Juliet raised her eyebrows. "Really? Because these people will destroy Central City."

"It's not my problem. Now let me go."

She only increased her concentration. "Are you forgetting what you said that night in the woods? That you love it here? That it's your home?"

"I do and it is," Snart protested.

"There won't be a city to love if these people get loose, Snart. If everybody's dead, how will you rob them?" Juliet then let all of her concentration drop and lowered her hand. "Your choice."

"It's a compelling argument. But if I'm gonna help you out . . ." He started to write on a piece of paper. "I'll need something in return."

"Like what?" Barry inquired.

Snart slid the paper towards them. "This."

Juliet immediately laughed at what he wrote down. "Oh, you have got to be joking."

"No," Barry said. "This — this is impossible. We can't do that."

"Then I can't help you," Snart countered.

"There has to — Snart, there has to be something you want that we can get."

"Let me think about it."

Juliet slowly looked over at Barry. "This is the worst. I hate it here. And you're explaining to Joe what just happened. Good luck, babe."

Barry definitely needed it. When they went back to S.T.A.R. Labs — where Cisco and Caitlin were working on the device in Wells' wheelchair — Joe had immediately became angry at what Barry told him, like Juliet knew he would.

"Are you out of your mind?" Joe demanded. "What do you mean you two talked to Leonard Snart?"

"We asked him for help," Barry replied.

"Barry, Juliet, why would you do something so stupid?"

"I'm asking myself the same question," Juliet mumbled. Her eyes narrowed at Barry. "The things I do for you."

Barry shook his head. "Because, Joe, we have already tried everyone else. Look, you tried the CCPD. J tried Oliver. I even tried Ronnie and Dr. Stein. And the Particle Accelerator goes online in . . ."

"Sixteen hours," Cisco finished.

"Sixteen hours, Joe. I'm not willing to let the Metas die, and we can't let them escape either. So, like it or not, Snart, with his cold gun, is the only one that can stop them if Cisco's transportation does not hold."

"Then lucky for you I figured out what it is you can get me," Snart's voice cut in, and Juliet turned around to see him walking into the cortex. He looked at Joe. "Hello, Detective. Nice to see you again. Caitlin, Cisco. I thought about your proposal. You want my help, this is what I want. My fingerprints, dental records, DNA, criminal records, family tree, everything there is in this world concerning Leonard Snart. I want it destroyed. All of it. At CCPD, online, everywhere."

"The brass on this dude," Joe commented. "You really think we'd do that for you?"

"I'll do it," Barry stated. "If it's the only way, fine." He looked down at his girlfriend. "J?"

"Don't really have a choice, do I?" Juliet gently argued. She glared at Snart. "Whatever. Fine."

Joe stared at them. "You two and I need to talk right now."

Juliet glared at Snart as she walked past him. She went into the treadmill room, and Barry trailed behind her, letting the door shut.

"What is wrong with you two?" Joe complained. "You can't just erase Snart's criminal record."

"Yeah, I can," Barry voiced. "And I'll do whatever I have to do."

"Barry, Juliet, there's gotta be a different way to do this."

"But what?" Juliet asked. "Joe, I hate this, I really do. But we're running out of options, and we're running out of time."

"What is going on with the both of you?" Joe questioned. "You working with that killer. This isn't who you are."

Barry walked up to him. "Who I am is the guy who's not fast enough to stop Wells."

"And I'm the girl who isn't powerful enough," Juliet added. "Yet."

"He — he hasn't been one step ahead of us, Joe. He's been a thousand. I can't catch him. I can't beat him."

"And I can't either. I wish I could, but I haven't been trained as much because now he know he's scared of my true potential. But what Barry and I can do right now is save those five people downstairs. Wells turned them into Metahumans, and I guarantee you he doesn't give a fuck if they live or die, but we do."

Remember when Juliet said she loved her life? Well, she loved her job, she loved being a superhero, she loved her family, she loved her friends, and she loved Barry. But being stuck in a situation like this is not something she loved.

〖 ϟ 〗

I love juliet she's so funny that's my girl fr

sometimes I feel famous on this app and I need someone to humble me please bring down my ego

gif by zcndayas!