3 Weeks Later
Dawn
Dark orange lightning sped around the planet with a white streak beside it, Naruto with a smile looked over to Linda who was keeping up with him, before he in a burst of speed he shot off causing Linda's eyes to widen, before she focused and was overtaken by white light and she shot off, trying to catch up, before her eyes widened when she saw Naruto standing on the beach and she ran into him as he caught her causing the two to fall back into the sand with Linda straddling him
"You're getting better at this." Naruto smiled which Linda returned before she leaned down and kissed his lips
It's been 3 weeks since the F.I.R.E.S.T.O.R.M incident, and life went on just like before, with Caitlin training with Talia, meditating and studying Cryonkinesis, practicing her abilities whenever she was alone, she had also learned the truth about Naruto, along with Joe. Cisco was still a good friend who Naruto taught to defend himself. Naruto had began working out with Linda, getting her stamina up to par, and toning her body, when they weren't training they were either out together, and sometimes joined by Caitlin, or Felicity, and if he wasn't with her he was hanging out with Felicity or going to visit Kara
Nightfall
Currently Naruto, and Linda were together at the Bowling Alley "I never would've pegged you as someone who likes to bowl." Linda said
"Oh, this is one of my favorite places in the world, lots of good memories. And I'm pretty sure that it's a sport that I can destroy you in." Naruto said turning to face Linda
"Oh, okay, you think so, huh?" Linda asked competitivly
"I'm pretty sure, yeah." Naruto nodded assuredly
"Okay." Linda smiled pulling him into a kiss, the two made out before Naruto pulled back
"Now I'd wished we had stayed in." Naruto said causing Linda to giggle
"Hi, guys."
With a raised eyebrow, Naruto and Linda turned around to see Eddie and Iris
"Iris, Eddie, hey." Naruto greeted looking between the two "What are you guys doing here?"
"We thought it would be fun." Eddie said as Iris nodded and stood up
"Yeah, Nate and I have been bowling here since we were kids. Why don't you guys join us?" Iris asked
"Uh, we wouldn't want to interrupt your date." Naruto said shaking his head
"No, it's it's okay." Iris said as Naruto looked to Linda who smiled and nodded
"Sure. Sounds like fun." Linda said, causing Naruto to give a fake smile
Moments Later
Iris cheered when she got a spare and smiled smugly at Naruto "Ha-ha! Do you smell that, Nate? That's defeat."
Naruto smirked, and looked to Linda "You see what happens when you let someone win a few times, they get a big head." he said taking the bowling ball as Linda smiled
'You never told me you were such a big fan of bowling." Eddie said to Iris
"Sure I have. This is one of my favorite places in the world." Iris said smiling as everyone turned to Naruto before he rolled the ball and scored a strike, causing him to clap his hands and raise his arms in victory
"Oh, ho ho! Ohh! Ha-ha!" Naruto cheered
"I am impressed, Allen." Linda said as Naruto walked over and ate one of her fries, and got another one before she slapped his hand away
"I heard the owner was thinking of selling. Maybe you could write a piece on the place?" Naruto said chewing
"Um, I'm still iffy on whether bowling is an actual sport." Linda said causing Naruto to shrug
"I've wondered the same." Eddie said
"Well, sport or hobby, I am still better than you." Iris said walking up, and wiping the corner of Naruto's mouth before he walked off to sit down as Linda, and Eddie frowned, while the lights flickered in the bowling alley
"All right, well, I'm serious, a little bit of press, the lanes could be designated as, like, a landmark or something." Naruto said as he pulled Linda down beside him and hugged her into his side, squeezing her side reassuringly
"Yeah." Linda said a bit grumpy before Naruto kissed the side of her head, causing her to smile slightly
"Oh, Eddie, you're up, man." Naruto said getting Eddie's attention
"Oh, right." Eddie said standing up and walking to get a bowling ball
"Whoo. Go get 'em, babe." Iris cheered
The game went on, with Naruto scoring strike, after strike along with Linda before she decided to cheat, and used her powers to make an invisible wall, making Naruto to get a gutter ball, causing her boyfriend to look at her with a raised eyebrow as she laughed "For real?" he asked as she walked up and kissed his lips
Iris, and Eddie watched as Naruto smiled and wrapped his arms around Linda's waist and pulled her closer before he whispered something to her only for her to laugh loudly, and slap his chest as he smiled and continued to talk before they walked over
"Alright, guys. It's been fun, but Linda, and I are going to head out." Naruto said
"Really?" Iris asked a bit jealous as the two nodded with small smiles on their faces, before Eddie's phone buzzed
"I got to go. Emergency at the morgue." Eddie said as Iris nodded and walked up to him
"Bye." Iris said trying to kiss him only for him to step back
"See you at home." Eddie said walking off, while Iris frowned while Naruto looked to Linda and kissed her lips and walked off as she smiled at him, while Iris turned around to see Linda taking off her bowling shoes
"Where did Nate go?"
"He went to get the car." Linda lied standing up
"Oh, okay. Well, um That was fun." Iris said awkwardly
"Yeah." Linda said nodding slowly before the two stood there awkwardly before walking away from each other
With Naruto
Naruto was speeding to the morgue, when he heard a snap beside him, and turned around to see to his shock himself, as he and his duplicate looked at each other his duplicate suddenly pulled ahead and vanished before Naruto came to a stop, and looked around wildly seeing two dogs barking at each other a man spinning a street sign and a woman dressed up for a special occasion
"Taxi! Taxi! Oh, come on, I'm gonna be late!" the woman screamed before Naruto grabbed her and placed her in the back of the taxi and was on his way
Morgue
Naruto walked into the morgue to see ice on the ground on the deceased coroner "What's going on? What do you see?" Cisco asked over the coms
"A dead body." Naruto said looking around
"Nate, you're in a morgue." Cisco said "You're gonna have to be a little more specific than that."
"The coroner is dead." Naruto said before he began to speed around the morgue and found a recently installed automated dictation system
Playing the audio file he listened "Please, no more.' the coroner pleaded
"I'll stop when you tell me." an unknown voice said "Who killed Clyde Mardon? I want a name."
"It was Detective West. He shot him. Detective Joe West killed your brother." the coroner said as Naruto frowned
"He will pay for what he did." Mark Mardon said causing Naruto to narrow his eyes before he sped off
Morning
S.T.A.R. Labs
"So Clyde Mardon has a brother?" Caitlin asked looking at the mugshots of the Mardon brothers
"And both brothers survived the plane crash, and then the dark matter released from the particle accelerator explosion affects them both in virtually the same way." Wells said
"Yeah, only Mark's powers seem to be a lot more precise. To be able to control the weather like that, indoors you'd have to be a,"
"Weather Wizard." Cisco interrupted Naruto "Ooh, been waiting since week one to use that one." he said before he sipped his slushy and groaned
"Trigeminal headache?" Caitlin asked
"What?"
"Trigeminal headache. Brain freeze." Caitlin clarified
"Then why don't you just call it a brain freeze?" Cisco asked
"So I'm guessing you running around a twister in the opposite direction isn't gonna to do the trick this time." Joe asked Naruto who shook his head negatively
"I just remembered. During our run-in with Mardon, Clyde Mardon, I was tinkering with something to help attract unbound atmospheric electrons." Cisco said getting their attention
"Like a grounding mechanism?" Naruto asked
"Yes, 'cause the only way that Mardon can control the weather is if he can tap into the atmosphere's natural electrical circuit, and if we take away that circuit, clear skies." Cisco nodded causing Naruto to nod before Joe pulled out his phone
"Singh's checking in. I gotta go." Joe said walking away
"Yeah, I'll go with you." Naruto said following after him
"Joe, we'll find Mardon. Don't worry." Wells said causing Joe to pause and look at him
"I'm not worried at all." Joe said walking off
CCPD
Naruto was sitting outside Singh's office, using his enhanced hearing to listen in on the conversation as Joe, and Eddie spoke with Singh
"Where are we at with Mardon?" Singh asked
"No one at the morgue saw or heard anything. We're canvassing known associates, seeing if he reached out to anybody. Maybe can get a lead on where he's holed up." Joe reported
"All right, why don't we let Thawne do that?" Singh asked causing Joe to raise an eyebrow
"Because nobody knows the Mardon brothers better than I do. I mean, Chyre and I tracked them for years. I know how they think." Joe said
"Which is why you should coordinate the investigation from here." Singh said but the look on his face told Joe that it was an order, causing him to scoff and walk off
Naruto stood up and faced Eddie, and Joe just as they saw Iris walk up "Hey." Joe said putting an arm around Naruto's and Eddie'so shoulder "If you guys want to keep that smile on that pretty face, she doesn't hear about any of this."
Eddie, and Naruto nodded just as Iris walked up, and Joe hugged her "Hey, sweetheart." Joe greeted
"Hey, Dad." Iris smiled hugging her dad back before she looked to Eddie "Hi."
"Hey." Eddie said walking off causing the three to raise an eyebrow before Iris shook it off
"So, what are you guys working on? You got any good leads for an honest reporter?"
"Things are actually pretty quiet around here right now." Joe said as Iris looked to Naruto
"What're you doing here?"
"Well, Joe and I were about to get lunch." Naruto said
"We were?" Joe asked, only for Naruto to give him a look "Right, yeah, yeah. Duh." he nodded walking off causing Naruto to smile shaking his head
"See you later, fat head." Naruto said playfully bumping hips with Iris who smiled before she walked over to Eddie who was at his desk frowning
"Hey." Iris said sitting on his desk "Ever since last night, you've barely said a peep. What is going on?"
"...I didn't like the way I felt watching you and Nate last night." Eddie said
"Eddie, Nate, he's just,"
"Like family. I know, and I know you two have a long history that pre-dates me, but Iris, we live together." Eddie said standing up and getting some papers together "You're my girlfriend, and someday, hopefully, you'll be more. I don't like feeling like the odd man out every time you and Nate are together. And I shouldn't have to."
"Eddie, Nate is always gonna be a part of my life." Iris replied
"I get that, but something's changed between you two. Whatever that is, I am not okay with it." Eddie said walking away while Iris sighed
With Joe and Naruto
Naruto and Joe were in the car, eating their Big Belly Burgers "Mm. I haven't had one of those in way too long." Joe said wiping his mouth
"Felt appropriate." Naruto nodded as he finished his burger, and began to focus on his Strawberry cheesecake shake and moaned at the taste finding his new favorite flavor, before he looked to Joe "So, you want to talk about what's been going on with you?"
"What do you think's been going on with me, Nate?"
"You just seem a bit cavalier, considering what we're up against." Naruto shrugged
"We aren't up against anything.' Joe said
"Joe, come on, I"
"Look, I'm fine." Joe interrupted Naruto who looked at him disbelievingly " Can we just change the subject, please?"
"Sure. Actually, I need to talk to you anyway." Naruto said
"About what?"
"Iris." Naruto said causing Joe to look at him "We need to tell her."
Joe raised an eyebrow only for Naruto to raise his eyebrows "Nate, we've been over this, it's to dangerous."
"Joe, think about it, she is a target for the Reverse Flash, it isn't safe for her to be unaware of the danger she is in, and what do you think is going to happen if she finds out on her own?" Naruto asked
"Nate, listen,"
"No. Joe, I've been lying to her since I came out of my coma, and I'm sick of it." Naruto said
"I just want her safe." Joe replied
"So do I, but there has been a noose around her, Cisco, Caitlin, and your own neck since my mom's and Barry's case was reopened." Naruto said shaking his head "I've lost so much already Joe, I can't lose anyone else." he said speaking for both his lives
"I know, just give me some time to think about it." Joe said getting a reluctant nod from Naruto as it began to rain "So how's everything with your unique relationship?"
'Why you got to say it like that?" Naruto asked
"Say it like what? I mean it's not everyday when a man is being shared between two very beautiful girls. That has to be every man's fantasy." Joe said chuckling
"It's actually going well, I mean I don't have to lie to either of them, and I give them both the same amount of attention, especially with my speed since I'm only a few minute run from Felicity. I kinda want her to move out here, but I don't think I'm ready to have that conversation." Naruto said as he sipped his shake and looked to Joe "So have you asked out Lucille?"
"Here we go." Joe groaned causing Naruto to smile
"Joe she's a beautiful woman, and she's interested in you, don't know why, but she is." Naruto said
"Aye, I got game." Joe defended
"I never said you didn't. Cisco told me about Sherry like the drink. What's going on there?" Naruto asked amused only for Joe to change the subject as the rain intensified
"Man it is really coming down."
Naruto smirked and looked outside and blinked in confusion remembering that rain wasn't in the forecast, changing the channel on the radio, 'And it's another beautiful day here in Central City. Not a cloud in sight'
Joe slammed on the breaks "Mardon." he said in slight fear as Naruto nodded before they both began to look around and turned back to see Mark in a station wagon pull up behind them, before they saw him clench his hand into a fist,
Naruto's eyes widened, when a lightning bolt slammed through the roof, and quickly he took off his seat belt, and saw the bolt about to touch Joe, and slashed his Lightning Blade into the bolt, and cut it in half, before he grabbed Joe and sped them out of the car just as it exploded
Joe began to look around only to see that Mardon was gone, before he looked to Naruto who had also saved his food and shake, causing him to give the speedster a look
"What?" Naruto asked eating a french fry "If I don't eat, I run the risk of passing out."
Later
CCPD
Naruto followed Joe, who was arguing with Singh "You're confined to the precinct until Mardon's caught." Singh said to his old partner and longtime friend
"David, you said it yourself. That son of a bitch killed my partner." Joe said with a frown
"And I'm not gonna lose you the way I lost Fred Chyre." Singh said before he sighed and turned to him "Look, I can't stop you being pissed, Joe, but I can keep you safe. Maybe your daughter can contact The Flash."
"I'm not getting her involved in this." Joe said upset causing David to sigh before he looked to Nate
"Nate, please make sure he doesn't go anywhere." Singh said getting a nod from Naruto before he walked off to his office
"I need to be out there." Joe grumbled walking to his desk
"Joe, you're always the first one to tell me when I'm not thinking clearly." Naruto said walking over to Joe who turned to him after tossing his jacket onto his desk
"I took down Clyde. I can take down his dirt bag brother too."
"Yes, while he was focused on me, with his back turned to you." Naruto reminded causing Joe to sigh, and sit down
"You're right. How are any of these guys going to protect me? They don't know. They don't know what Mardon's capable of." Joe said worried for his police brethren
"All right, well, lucky for you, your friends at S.T.A.R. Labs do. Stay here Joe." Naruto said walking away
CCPD
Iris was at her computer writing an article on The Flash when her friend, and mentor Mason walked up behind her "The Flash: Speeding his way into our lives?" he read getting getting her attention "That's a little on the nose, don't you think?"
Iris shook her head and turned back to her computer while Mason sat on her desk "I want to show you something." he said looking in his folder and taking out a picture of a familiar man "Simon Stagg. Remember him? Hasn't been seen in, like, six months."
"I thought the rumor was he was a recluse. You know, went all Howard Hughes." Iris said taking the photo before Mason held out another of Wells leaving the building
"This was taken the night that Stagg went missing. The last person to leave Stagg Industries the night that Stagg disappeared was Harrison Wells." Mason said showing her the photo
"This doesn't prove anything, Mason." Iris said looking at the photo
"It's enough for me to develop a theory." Mason nodded before he held up his folder "Every trail in this file leads to one person, Harrison Wells, which is why I need for you to start asking your friends who know him some questions, Iris." he said handing her the folder and walking away
Moments Later
Iris walked to get some coffee, as she looked through the folder, before she looked up to see Linda and smiled "Linda. Hi."
"Hi." Linda said with a slight frown, she was upset because while Naruto hasn't hid anything from her including the nature of his and Iris' old relationship, last night she saw that while Naruto was indeed not chasing Iris, still seemed to be trying to get his attention
"Last night was fun." Iris said
"Mm-hmm." Linda nodded
"Oh, yeah. Look, I just wanted to apologize."
"Apologize?" Linda asked raising an eyebrow
"Well, for interrupting your date with Nate. I shouldn't have done that and I'm sorry." Iris nodded
"You know, Iris, when you told me that Nate had feelings and was intimate with you, I thought it was just the typical weird crap that women do to each other, but last night, I realized what you didn't tell me, and what's kind of irritating is that you still have feelings for him." Linda said causing Iris to look at her in shock
"N-No, Linda, I mean, it's not like that."
"No, it's okay. I mean what's not to love right?" Linda said smiling lightly at the thought of the amazing guy she had fallen in love with "Nate told me he let you go for you to be happy, that's the kind of person he is, someone who puts the people's he loves others happiness above his own, now I know that you both will always be apart of each others lives, but that doesn't give you the right to think that he will always be reserved for you, and think other women won't see what an amazing guy he is." Linda said before she walked off
Later
CC Jitters
Naruto and Iris were at Jitters with Naruto having been called by Iris who sounding upset "So it sounded like something was kind of bothering you on the phone. Is everything all right?" Naruto asked
"Yeah, it's fine." Iris nodded as she grabbed her coffee while Naruto had a donut "So the other night was fun, right?"
"Yeah. Did Eddie have a good time?" Naruto asked sitting down
"Yeah. Did Linda?"
"She was a bit annoyed when you wiped my cheek, but she had a good time." Naruto nodded
"Yeah, I'm sorry about that." Iris said only for Naruto to wave it off
"Relax, it's fine." Naruto said causing Iris to nod, before Naruto looked to the folder in her hands "What's that?"
"Oh right, so the reason that I called you was because my sort of advisor at the paper is always teaching me lessons, tricks of the trade, how to get a good story, and one of the things he's repeatedly telling me is to follow your hunch, see where it leads." Iris said
"Sounds like good advice." Naruto nodded
"Yeah, it is. Except in this instance, that hunch involves you." Iris said a bit nervously
"Well, you can ask me anything, Iris." Naruto said with a raised eyebrow
"It's about Harrison Wells." Iris said causing Naruto to lean forward in interest
"What about him?" Naruto asked
"Well, I mean, a lot of strange things have been happening in Central City this past year. Flash, the Burning Man, people going missing. He was there at Stagg's office the night that Stagg went missing." Iris said handing Naruto a photo of Wells leaving Stagg's office
"And you think Wells is responsible?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow looking at the photo
"I mean, I don't really know him, but you and your friends do." Iris said as Naruto handed her the photo back
"Nate, in your heart of hearts, do you think it's possible that there's more to Harrison than people have been led to believe?" Iris asked as Naruto withheld a smile at her good instincts
Naruto looked thoughtful unsure of what to say before he looked at Iris "I'll have to get back to you on that. I don't really know him all that well anyway, since I mostly interact with Caitlin, and Cisco."
Iris nodded in understanding
Later
S.T.A.R. Labs
Cisco presented a small high tech wand to Wells, Caitlin, and Naruto "I call it the Wizard's Wand." he said
"Subtle." Caitlin commented
"How does it work?" Naruto asked taking the wand and inspecting it before he began to twirl it on his palm
"Think of it like an active lightning rod." Cisco said grabbing it so that Naruto wouldn't break it "You just point it at the sky, and it'll suck up whatever energy's floating around it like a sponge."
"And it'll stop Mardon?" Caitlin asked
"It'll certainly slow him down." Cisco nodded "If there's no atmospheric electrons available to him, there's no way for him to control the weather."
"Good work, Cisco, as always. If you excuse me, I'm gonna go stretch my legs." Wells said rolling away
Making sure the man was gone, Naruto looked to Caitlin, and Cisco "Hey. I need to talk to you guys."
"Yeah?"
"What's up?"
"Somebody at Picture News got it into Iris's head that something suspicious is going on with Dr. Wells." Naruto revealed
"Like what?" Caitlin asked
"That he knows what happened to Simon Stagg. Apparently, nobody's heard from him or seen him since the night I stopped Danton Black." Naruto said
"What'd you tell her?" Cisco asked
"Nothing, but it is suspicious don't you think, Stagg has been missing and Wells is the last person seen leaving his office. Eiling has been missing as well, with witnesses saying red lightning was all they saw when his SUV was attacked. You both have known him longer then me, we all know he's capable of murder from when he offered up the idea concerning Ronnie, but what do we know about him as a person?" Naruto asked causing the two to look thoughtful
Later
CCPD
Cisco placed the Weather wand on the table in front of Joe out in the lobby "Keep this handy. it'll protect you from Mardon's powers." Cisco said
"Yeah, Cisco, I got it." Joe said nodding in thanks before he began to head back to his desk
"Hey, Joe," Cisco called causing Joe to stop and look at him "I know you got a lot going on right now, but you mentioned Doctor Wells might have had something to do with Nate's mom, and brother's murder. Why did you think that?"
"Oh, it doesn't matter. I was wrong." Joe said shaking his head
"But you seemed really sure of it." Cisco replied with a raised eyebrow
"Look, Cisco, I can't talk about this right now, okay?" Joe asked causing Cisco to nod reluctantly and head to the elevator as people began to get off of it, and his eyes widened when he saw Mark was the last one to leave, and boarded the elevator and immediately called Nate
Precinct
Joe was overlooking some papers, still in the lobby when he heard "I heard you were looking for me." Looking up Joe frowned as he saw Mark Mardon "Here I am.
"Mardon." Joe said walking forward slowly and glancing down at the weather wand between him and Mark on the table
"Hey, Joe. I can call you Joe, can't I? Figured we don't got to be too formal seeing as you put two bullets in my brother's chest." Mark said
"Your brother killed my partner and a whole lot of innocent people, and threatened to kill even more." Joe spat glaring at the man
"Yeah, Clyde was no saint, but he was family." Mark said nodding "If you can't protect your family, the least you can do is avenge 'em."
"This is between us. Nobody else needs to get hurt." Joe said only for Mark to glare at him and walk forward
"But they are gonna get hurt." Mark threatened before he saw Joe lunge forward and held up a hand and wind to push Joe through the closed doors of the precinct causing the cops to jump and see a respected member of the force on the ground
"Joe!" they yelled all stepping forward as Joe sat up
" No!" Joe said causing them to stop and look up to see Mark walk in
"I'm not gonna be so easy to put down, Joe." Mark smirked
"Take him down!" Eddie yelled as they all reached for their weapons only for Mardon to call upon a wall of wind
"No, run!" Joe yelled only for a extreme burst of wind to shatter the glass, and knock everyone back, before Mark raised a hand and lightning struck his hand before he aimed his other hand at Joe causing the bolt of lightning lightning to speed toward him,
"Joe!" Singh yelled pushing Joe out of the way, and taking the bolt causing him to go flying into a metal filing cabinet and going unconscious as Naruto arrived with the wando which he used to soak up all the wind, causing Mark to look at him in shock before he ran off
"Captain!" Joe yelled getting up and running to Singh as everyone crowded around him, as Joe checked for a pulse "David." he whispered in horror before everyone looked to the Flash who sped over to Singh, and sped off with their unconscious captain to the hospital
Later
S.T.A.R. Labs
Cisco was checking the data for the force field from christmad, when Caitlin walked in behind him ready to leave "All right, Cisco, I'm heading home." she said only for Cisco to remain focus on what he was doing "Cisco? All right, fine, I will watch every episode of The Walking Dead with you." Cisco remained silent and jumped when she placed a hand on his shoulder "Hey, you couldn't have stopped Mardon from attacking the police station. It's not your fault."
Cisco sighed and ran a hand through his hair "No, that's not it. What do you think of Dr. Wells?"
"What do you mean?" Caitlin asked
"I mean, do you think he's capable of doing something bad?"
"Before I would've said no, but truthfully I don't think we know Dr. Wells as much as we thought we did." Caitlin said
"Joe said that maybe was somehow involved in of Nate's mom, and brother's death and their murder, and while we proved that that wasn't the case, but some things aren't adding up." Cisco said walking to his computer in the cortex
"Like what?" Caitlin asked
"Look at this." Cisco said pulling up the file on the force-field "The night we trapped the Reverse-Flash in the force-field, he escaped because the containment system failed, but I checked that data three times, and the super-capacitors were still fully charged when he got out. The numbers don't add up, Caitlin. There's no reason that the containment system should have failed."
"What you think Wells did something something to the trap?"
"Yeah, and don't you find it odd, how the Reverse Flash killed Eddie's task force, and but only nearly killed Wells?" Cisco asked causing Caitlin to nod slowly "Can you keep Wells out of S.T.A.R. Labs tomorrow morning?"
Caitlin nodded to his request
Next Day
CC Picture News
Naruto walked into Picture News normally he would've told Linda to look out for Iris with Mark Mardon around looking for revenge but she was with the Danvers family, so it was his responsibility to look after Iris till Mardon was locked up, unfortunately he couldn't stop thinking about what he saw on his way to the morgue, and now he had to worry about Singh who may never walk again, snapping out of his thoughts Naruto looked to a woman
"Hey, have you seen Iris West?" Naruto asked only to look up when Mason walked down
"She went to see her dad. You're Nathan Allen, right?" Mason asked shaking Naruto's hand
"Yeah." Naruto nodded
"Her friend/brother? Or is that brother/friend" Mason asked
"Friend is fine." Naruto said
"Oh. I'm Mason Bridge." Mason said walking forward with Naruto following behind him
"Oh, you're the guy who thinks Harrison Wells is some mad genius?" Naruto asked
"Oh, no, no, no, I never said he was crazy. He's a sociopath and a liar, for sure." Mason said stopping to get a bear claw and looking to Naruto and smirked when he saw his face "You see it too don't you. Well I'm not surprised with all the time you two spend together."
"I'm sorry?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow
"Sometimes when I'm bored, I follow him around." Mason said
'Stalker." Naruto thought
"And for the most part, he keeps to himself, except when he's meeting up with you, which he seems to do quite a bit. And then one time, he met up with Simon Stagg, And then poof, no more Simon Stagg." Mason said
"So you're saying Wells did something to Stagg?" Naruto asked
"I'm saying Wells killed him." Mason said confidently
"Ah. All right, well, how do you think he did that, he's in a wheelchair."
"I have evidence in a secure digital file that will explain everything."
"Evidence, you say. Show me." Naruto said
"Not a chance. You'll just have to read about it in the Sunday paper, like everybody else." Mason replied walking off, as Naruto watched him and glanced around he could beat it out of him but this douche knew Iris, anything happens to him, she'll start snooping around, so with a sigh he left
S.T.A.R. Labs
Cisco was in the basement alone, hooking up the force field hole Caitlin kept Wells busy, "Let's see if you can tell me what really went wrong that night." he said to himself
Abandoned Apartment Complex
Joe sat in his truck, outside of the old Mardon hangout, and got out, before he drew his gun and began to look around before he saw a man in the shadows "Hey!" he yelled aiming his gun at the figure only for him to step forward and reveal himself to be Eddie
"Joe." Eddie greeted as Joe 0ut down his gun
"Eddie. You shouldn't be here." Joe said frowning
"And you shouldn't be chasing after Mardon alone, partner." Eddie reminded as he began to look around "You find anything?"
"Not yet, but this was an old Mardon brothers' hideout about six years ago, so it's a long shot." Joe answered walking up to Eddie "But listen, Eddie,"
"Save it. I'm not leaving." Eddie said before he walked forward to investigate with Joe following him
S.T.A.R. Labs
Cisco was frustrated as the data kept coming back as everything was fine "What? I don't understand. This doesn't make any sense." he said walking to yank out the cords when the force fields began to spark and he looked to the force field and saw to his shock an hologram of the Reverse Flash
Abandoned Apartment Complex
Joe and Eddie entered a room to see a bed was in the corner, along with a bowl of food "Somebody was here very recently." Eddie said as Joe saw something on the bed, and walked over to see a newspaper with Clyde Mardon's photo on it
"He left this here for me." Joe said causing Eddie to walk over and look over his shoulder
"Where to next?" Eddie asked before the building began to shake and Joe who was looking around was suddenly yanked backwards out of the window by an invisible force "Joe!" Eddie yelled in shock
Hour Later
Unknown Location
Joe groaned, and tried to move only to hiss in pain as his leg was broken, looking up he also found he was handcuffed to a pipe "Small miracle you only broke the one leg, Joe." Mark said walking over with a roll of duct tape "The night I got sucked out of my plane, I broke almost every bone in my body. It was excruciating. At least you got a small taste of what that felt like. Still...Guess you'll never know what it really feels like to be God."
"That's what your brother said to me, right before I killed him." Joe replied only for Mark to punch him in the jaw,
"I don't need these powers to end your life." Mark said glaring at Joe
"Then do it. That's what you came here for, isn't it? An eye for an eye?" Joe asked only for Mark to kneel down in front of him
"Oh, Joe. I want so much more than an eye." Mark said before he duct taped Joe's mouth
Jitters
Caitlin, and Wells were at Jitters, waiting for their order "I often forget how important it is to step away from my ever present routine." Wells said smiling at the woman "Thank you, Caitlin. This morning has been a refreshing change of pace."
"You can have more than two hard-boiled eggs for breakfast, ." Caitlin said with a fake smile
"What can I say? I guess I'm a creature of habit." Wells shrugged before a waitress arrived and placed their mugs on the table "Oh, I'm sorry, I believe these were to-go."
"Actually, I thought we could sit here and enjoy them." Caitlin said causing Wells to look at her and nod slowly
"Why not?"
CCPD
Naruto was clenching the metal rail tightly as orange lightning flashed across his eyes and small flickers flickered around his body unnoticed by anyone, he, and Iris had been informed that Joe was taken by Mark, taking a deep breath, his attention went to Iris "I can't believe this is happening." she said as Eddie gave the other officers a pep talk
"We'll find him." Naruto said looking at her, only for Iris to look down, and Naruto to wrap her in a hug, which she returned tightly as she began to sniffle "Hey, look at me, all right? I promise I will bring him back to you."
"Okay." Iris said nodding into Naruto's chest before her phone rung, as the cops dispersed to do anything they can to find Joe before her phone rung and she pulled away, as Naruto sent a text to Cisco to track Joe's phone "Hello" Iris asked on the phone
"I have your father." Mark said on the phone causing Iris' eyes to widen "He's a little broken, but still alive. If you want him to stay that way, come to the waterfront, south side. Oh, and Iris, you tell the police, your father's dead." he threatened before he tossed the phone into the ocean and looked to Joe "She's on her way."
Iris turned to Naruto who looked at her in confusion "He has my dad. He says if I tell anyone, he'll kill him. He wants me to meet him at the waterfront." Iris said her voice shaking
"All right, I'm coming with you." Naruto said grabbing his backpack
"Okay." Iris nodded
"Let's go." Naruto said before the two left
Jitters
"You know, Dr. Wells, I just I want to thank you again for all that you've done for Ronnie." Caitlin said trying to by more time
"One thank you will suffice, I'm sure." Wells nodded as Caitlin sipped her coffee "You know, Caitlin, if Cisco were to adjust the radial velocity parameters on the S.T.A.R Labs satellite, we might be able to better detect the vortex of a forming storm, and if we could detect those air updrafts, no matter where they originate, no matter how small, we might be able to locate Mark Mardon."
"That's a great idea." Caitlin nodded
"So why don't we go to S.T.A.R. Labs and alert Cisco?" Wells asked
"Let me just get these to-go." Caitlin said taking the cups and walking over to the counter as Wells watched her with a frown "Hi, could I get these in to-go cups?"
"Sure, just a second." the woman said as Caitlin turned around to see Wells was gone minus his wheelchair causing her eyes to widen in shock, which turned to horror
"Cisco." Caitlin said running outside, before she burst into mist and sped toward S.T.A.R. Labs
S.T.A.R. Labs
Cisco was watching the hologram in horror, "My goals are beyond your understanding...Dr. Wells, we meet at last. My goals are beyond your understanding."
"I can't believe this." Cisco said to himself
"Oh, I'm not like The Flash at all."
"Some would say, I'm the Reverse." Eobard said behind Cisco, causing Cisco to turn to see him standing up as the hologram vanished
Elsewhere
Mark was miles out of the city, with Joe handcuffed behind him as he looked through binoculars at Naruto, and Iris who were looking around "Congratulations, Joe. You're my plus-one today. Front row seats to watch everyone and everything you ever loved, destroyed." Mark said tossing the binoculars to Joe who looked through them, before he looked to Mark and pleaded but it was muffled causing Mark to rake the tape from his mouth
"Please, she's my daughter." Joe pleaded only for Mark to grab his collar and glare at him
"Clyde was my brother." Mark growled
"He's a thief and a murderer. She's an innocent girl." Joe retorted
"She'll pay for the sins of the father then." Mark said placing the tape back on Joe's mouth "They'll all pay." he said raising his hands as storm clouds formed while thunder cackled
S.T.A.R. Labs
Cisco looked at Eobard in apprehension as the man clapped "You're incredibly clever, Cisco. I've always said so."
"You're him. The Reverse-Flash." Cisco said
"You and I have never been truly, properly introduced. I am Eobard Thawne." Eobard introduced
"Thawne? Like Eddie. That's why Nate went after him when he was whammied." Cisco realized
"Yes, that's right." Eobard nodded
"The night that we trapped the Reverse-Flash, you almost died." Cisco said, causing Eobard to nod smugly "There were two of you."
Eobard held up a hand, and begin to speed from side to side before he formed an after image "It's an after-image, A speed mirage, if you will." he said smirking before he walked to the computer as his after image vanished
"Joe was right. You were there that night, You killed Nora, and Barry Allen." Cisco said in horror
"Yes, I originally went with the intention to only kill Barry, but I decided to finished the entire Allen family, although it had always been my assumption that Barry was an only child, so I was caught of guard by the presence of Nathan."
"Why? You're his friend. You've been helping him to,"
"Go faster, I know." Eobard said walking around Cisco with his hands in his pocket "A means to an end. And I'll tell you why. Because I have been stuck here, marooned here in this place for 15 long years. And The Flash and The Flash's speed is the key to my returning to my world. To my time. And no one is going to prevent that from happening." he said glaring at Cisco who had tears streaming down his face as Eobard raised an hand and began to vibrate it at high speed
"I can help you." Cisco said not wanting to die
"You're smart, Cisco. But you're not that smart." Eobard smirked before he saw Cisco's face and frowned putting his arm down "Do you know how hard it has been to keep all of this from you, especially from you? Because the truth is, I've grown quite fond of you. And in many ways, you have shown me what it's like to have a son."
Cisco looked at Eobard with a frown before he eyes widened when Eobard's vibrating hand crushed his heart "Forgive me, but to me, you've been dead for centuries." Eobard said removing his arm, watching as Cisco fell to the ground, dead,
SQUELCH!
Eobard, blinked, as his vision became blurry, as blood leaked from his mouth, felling himself grow weak, and cold suddenly he stumbled as he turned around only to find himself looking into the glowing pale blue eyes of Caitlin, as a shard of ice was lodged into his back
"Cait-ugh!" Eobard was rendered mute when Caitlin stabbed him in the heart with another shard of ice
"Rot in hell." Caitlin said coldly shoving the sharp ice shard deeper into Eobard's chest, and watching as he fell to the ground dead before her attention went to Cisco and she ran over and cradled his head, tears falling from her eyes
Waterfront
Naruto unaware of what just happened, was with Iris looking around "What do we do?" Iris asked
"He'll find us." Naruto said remaining vigilant while Iris saw something from the corner of her eye and looked out into the ocean
"Oh, my God." Iris said in horror getting Naruto's attention and his eyes widened when he saw a tsunami headed for the city
"Mardon." Naruto glared before he looked to Iris "Iris, you need to get out of here, okay? You need to get as far away from here as possible."
"I am not leaving you." Iris said stubbornly
"Iris, we don't have time for this!" Naruto said looking out into the ocean
"No, listen to me, okay." Iris said as Naruto looked at her "I tried to give Eddie and I a chance, but I have not been able to stop thinking about you. I don't care what happens I want to be with you. I love you Nate."
Naruto nodded his head with a small smile before he kissed Iris passionately, before he took a step back, and called Caitlin
S.T.A.R. Labs
Caitlin was still holding onto Cisco sobbing as the entire lab was frozen over when her phone began to ring, and seeing it was Naruto she quickly answered "Nate, Cisco he,"
'Caitlin thank god, listen there is a tsunami heading for the city, in case I can't stop it get to safety, now!" Naruto ordered causing Caitlin to nod and wipe the tears from her face
"Okay, but we really need to talk when you stop it, come to S.T.A.R. Labs immediately after."
"I will, please be careful." Naruto said hanging up before he looked to Iris "I am so sorry. I didn't want you to find out this way." Iris made to asked what he was talking about but looked on in shock as Naruto began spinning at high speeds before he was in his suit "Go!" he ordered before he sped off, and Iris looked around before she ran off
Mark with his arms raised pushed the tsunami toward the city shouting in exertion "Aah!"
Naruto was running back and forth along the coast line, causing a wall of wind to rise up, as he continued to speed up
Joe was watching in horror as Mark, continued to push the tsunami
Citizens were running to safety, while Iris was on a hill watching as Naruto ran back and forward with the wall of wind reaching higher into the sky, going so fast that the streak of lightning was stretching across the coastline, along with flames, and after images of Naruto appearing, as the tsunami stopped at the wall of wind
Naruto continued to push himself to his limit, as he gave a shout of exertion before a large boom was heard and he stumbled forward while continuing his run, before he noticed his surroundings had changed, it was dark now and he was running through the city, before he looked to his side to see himself who faded out of existence, before he skidded to a stop, and panted slightly, before he looked around and once again saw the two dogs barking at each other, the same man spinning a street sign and the same woman dressed up for a special occasion
"Taxi! Taxi! Oh, come on, I'm gonna be late!" the woman screamed as Naruto looked around wide eyed
"Oh shit."
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AN: Naruto has time traveled, finally.
Next chapter, Naruto shows how far he's willing to go to protect his friends