153

Killer Frost slowly sits up, "You guys okay?"

"Yeah- I'm all good over here." I groaned, lying on my back, my hand on my head due to the pain striking in it, Cisco getting up.

Killer Frost walks over to me, helping me up.

"I don't understand." I sigh deeply and pull off my beanie, tossing it on the desk, "That wasn't Barry."

"Yeah, it was." Killer Frost said, "Ramsey turned him into one of his Blood Brothers."

Cisco ran to where Barry's suit was usually displayed and took out a tile from the wall, pulling down a lever, a feminine robotic voice filling the room, "."

I looked at him, "What's Babel Protocols?"

"Yeah-" Killer Frost was next to me, "I thought that was just some defense stuff that you added to Barry's suit."

"That was version one." Cisco types, "Version 2.0 puts up a force field around Star Labs."

"Nothing gets in, nothing goes out- not even our comms." Cisco explained, "I built them just in case just in case the Flash ever went dark."

"Barry said that Ramsey gave him a choice." I pinch the bridge of my nose, "Why would he choose this?"

Killer Frost shrugs lightly, "Maybe he decided eternal life was better than dying in Crisis."

"Ramsey's using Barry." Cisco exhales deeply, "And whatever he's having him do, he's got a plan."

-

I looked at Killer Frost, "My police scanner?"

Killer Frost switches the channels and listens to the static, "I'm hoping that since this thing transmits in analog, we can figure out what's going on outside Star Labs."

"I'm still trying to comprehend-" I sat on a desk, "Why didn't Ramsey just have Barry kill us as soon as he woke up? What was holding him back?"

"I don't know, but don't count us out yet- you know that tech I've been working on?" Cisco walked in and held up a device, "Meet the Photon Emitter."

Killer Frost walked over to the console by Cisco and I, "So- what, you built a ray gun?"

"It's not a ray gun, it's a weapon that can deliver megadoses of photon radiation-" He held it up, "The same kind of radiation typically administered to cancer patients."

I fold my hands, "What exactly does it do?"

"My theory is that these photons could be strong enough to destroy Ramsey's sentient infection." Cisco went in depth, "If I get close enough to blast him, he should revert back to his human form- he'd still have HLH, but at least he wouldn't be a gooey zombie overlord anymore."

"What about everyone else that was infected?" I asked, "Would they be cured?"

"Yes." Cisco nods, "They'd lose the goo, they'd go back to normal."

"But- since Ramsey's the only one who can create more Blood Brothers, I say we hit at him first." Cisco suggests, "Then Dark Flash."

I place my hands on my knees, "And have you tested it?"

Cisco inhales sharply, "Well, I haven't even finished building it, so no, no- I haven't tested it."

"And this is the only plan we have." I sigh deeply and cover my face, "What if something happens? If something goes wrong- what if this kills Barry?"

"?" A scared woman's voice filled the police scanner, our attention diverting to it, "."

"." The woman cried out, "-"

Then it cut out.

Killer Frost looks up, "Ramsey's spreading his infection."

"That's where he took down communication citywide." Cisco realized, "Caitlin once said Ramsey's infection sample indicate he needs his victims to be afraid before he attacks them."

-

"." The officer's voice sounded the radio as I sat alone with Cisco in the cortex, "!"

I stare at the radio, "207 is an abduction."

"There's been ten of those in the last five minutes." I got up suddenly, "I'm going out there-"

Cisco got up right away, "No, you're not-"

"Cisco, it is my job to keep those people safe." I began walking, "I'm an available unit, Frost and Joe can't handle it out there alone-"

Cisco gets in my way, "And you're Barry's wife- you don't think Ramsey will infect you too? Especially you."

"I need to help keep these people safe-" I raise my voice, holding the radio tightly in my hand, "I can't just- sit around and do nothing!"

"Zee, there is nothing you can do." Cisco shot back at me, remaining calm, "Barry would want you here- safe."

"Where is Barry?" I snipped, "Oh right- I forgot, he's Dark Flash- and he's helping terrorize the city."

Before Cisco could reply, Barry's deeply, breathy voice sounded in the radio, making us both freeze, "."

I immediately turned it up, as his voice continued to fill the line, ""

"," Barry's raspy voice followed, "."

I snatch the extrapolator from it's velvet holding almost right away, putting the radio down, moving to move past Cisco.

"Zee, that's not him." Cisco stops me, "That might sound like Barry, it might even look like him, but that is Dark Flash."

"Cisco- you don't know that." My voice fell quiet, "What if Barry is still alive in there? What if he's trying to get through to us? What if he needs help?"

"What if it's a trap, all right?" Cisco tried to convince me, "We don't even have comms- it's too risky."

"Please, Cisco- I just need to talk to him, face to face." I ran a hand through my hair, small tears brimming in my eyes, "I can get through to him."

"If the Emitter doesn't work on Ramsey, I get to come back and try something else." Cisco told me, "But- if you go out there and that's not Barry, you could get infected or worse."

Cisco walked past me and grabbed the velvet box the extrapolator was in before and held it out for me to put the extrapolator back in, "Please."

My voice came out as a whisper, "."

Cisco's eyes widen when I opened the breach, "Zee!"

I went through, my feet hitting the carpet of Barry and I's loft as I came out the other side.

My eyes landed on Barry, standing with his back to me, as I took a step closer, "Barry?"

"Yes, Zee?" Barry's voice filled the room, "It's me."

Then, he turned, Ramsey's voice following from Barry's mouth, his eyes black, his teeth stained black as well, "."

My heart dropped to the farther pit of my stomach as I slipped the extrapolator in my back pocket, "Ramsey."