121

"So, what do we do?" I hear Cisco ask Barry in the Time Vault seconds after getting back to Star Labs with Marlize.

Barry sighs, admitting, "I don't know."

"It's okay, Barry." I walk into the Time Vault, Marlize next to me, a sarcastic smile on my lips, "Cause I think I found someone who might."

"You found her-" Barry exhales, walking over to me, engulfing me into a hug.

"Don't underestimate me, Allen." I hug back, looking up at him.

"I never do." Barry kisses my head lightly, before we all walk into the cortex, where everyone else stood.

After Marlize explained what she had in mind, everyone was at edge with it.

"Look, I love "Inception" as much as the next guy, but sending Barry into Devoe's mind?" asked Cisco, founding the console.

"His mind is the only one fast enough to survive the linking process without any harm." Marlize crosses her arms.

"Yeah, but how would this help us to stop him?" Barry questions.

"If we can find the good left in Clifford and help it retake control of his mind, that good could overpower the bad." Marlize explained.

"You think there actually is good left inside him?" Barry asks, crossing his arms.

"I know that this is hard to imagine, but there was a time when Clifford was nothing but good, when he truly wanted to help the world." Marlize says, "It's the dark matter he infused in his brain that changed him. So yes, I do believe that there is some good in him. Someway we just need to find it."

"This is crazy." Barry exhales, "I mean, why don't we just call someone we trust? Kara, Oliver, Wally-"

"I trust her." I quickly spoke up, putting a hand on Marlize's shoulder, looking directly at Barry, "And I know if anything- she knows what she's doing. She helped him achieve this- she must know how to stop it."

Barry stares at me, before slowly nodding, "If you trust her- then I trust her."

"Nonetheless, you could bring a legion of your friends, but they would pose no challenge." Marlize spoke up, "Clifford created the bus metas and the combination of the abilities to ensure that he could defeat anyone whose assistance you might enlist."

"How long until our minds are wiped?" I look up at Marlize, quietly speaking.

"Once the permeation grid hits 100%." Marlize stares at the screen, 23% written in bold red.

"How would we get me inside his mind?" Barry asks, looking at her.

"We need to find a way to transfer your consciousness into his." Marlize says, stepping closer to them.

"No, you know what happens every time I try to vibe him." Cisco instantly denies, "I can't do it."

"I do. But I don't think it's your power we need, Mr.Ramon." Marlize says, looking at Cecile, who sat in the medical room with Joe and Caitlin, "I believe it's hers."

-

"Is everything ready?" I ask, walking into the Speed Lab with Barry, Joe and Cecile following us.

"Think so." Caitlin nods, my eyes landing on Devoe's floating chair.

"Mr. Allen, the chair." Marlize instructs, "Ms. Horton, the gurney."

Joe speaks up, "You want to put him in that thing?"

"It is the only way to establish a transcranial link between Ms. Horton and Mr. Allen." Marlize explains.

"Joe, I'll be all right." Barry nods, seating himself in the chair.

"Hey-" I grab Barry's hand, my tone low, "I love you."

"I love you." Barry brings my hand up, kissing it, as I gave him a weak smile, stepping away from him.

"Mr. Allen, put the cap on your head." Marlize instructs, placing something on Cecile's forehead, Barry obeying.

"Once Cecile has locked on to Devoe's brain waves, we'll transfer your consciousness to his amygdala." Caitlin explained, "That's the part of the brain that connects emotional significance to memories."

"Where the good memories are, we will find the good part of Clifford." Marlize smiles weakly with hope, "Here we go, Ms. Horton."

I stood by Marlize, as she pressed something on the tablet, both Cecile and Barry's eyes closing.

"Barry?" I call our, monitoring next to Marlize, "Hey, is everything okay? Everything all good in there?"

"Guys, I'm in." Barry replies to us, as we could hear him through it all, but his mouth not moving.

"Paint the picture." Cisco instructs, "What do you see? What's around you?"

"For starters, The Thinker." Barry tells us, "I'm in the 405 bus, in the middle of the street. I just came out of that same portal from before."

"This is where it all began." Marlize says, "It is the nexus of Clifford's brain. Once you find him, get him through it, and he can regain control of his mind."

"What does he need to look for?" I look up at her.

"Our house." She tells us.

"All right." Barry says, as we could all tell he was already on it.

"Barry, what do you see?" I ask him, looking down at the screen.

Barry spoke up, "Nothing."

"A little vague for the viewers at home." Cisco began, "What do you mean "nothing"?"

"I mean it's empty." Barry sighs, "It is completely empty. Where should I go-"

The sound of static crackles through the system that was our communication with Barry, my head snapping up, "Barry?"

Cecile lets out a gasp in pain, snapping out of it, her eyes wide as she held onto her stomach.

"Babe, breathe." Joe rubs her back.

"Cecile's powers are connected to her pregnancy." Caitlin says, "Her contractions must be putting a strain- on her transcranial link."

"No, no, no." Marlize points at Cecile, "We need to do something about that."

"We can't exactly stop her from having a baby, Marlize." I look at her, my eyes slightly wide.

"We have to, Mrs. Allen, or this will never work." She shot back at me, "She is the only way to get Barry in and out of Clifford's mind."

"Everyone chill, it's not like Cecile is going to lose her powers if she has this baby." Cisco puts his hands up, noticing Marlize's silence, "Cecile is going to lose her powers if she has this baby? Won't that leave Barry stranded in Devoe's mind?"

"I'm afraid so." Marlize admits.

I stare at her, "Wait, are you me?"

"Information you may have wanted to share, like, way before now." Cisco raises his voice.

"Joe, do you still have that inhaler I gave you?" Caitlin spoke up.

"Yeah, it's in our hospital bag." Joe nods.