Chapter 17: Alchemy: Result of Change(III/III)
Huge thanks to [Joseph Bibbs, Jdotbenzo, Kenechukwu, and Samuel Harper] for supporting me on my Patreon.
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Wally's focus snapped into place the moment Savitar disappeared. Without hesitation, he sped off to the Schultz building. Upon arriving, he saw Barry carrying the Philosopher's Stone, Julian unconscious on the ground, and Jesse still unmoving.
"Get her to S.T.A.R. Labs," Barry ordered, cutting through Wally's concern. He didn't hesitate, rushing Jesse to the med bay in a blur of speed.
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Hours had passed since the confrontation with Savitar and Alchemy. Jesse remained unconscious, and Harry's piercing glare made it clear Wally wasn't welcome. He silently left the med bay, feeling the weight of the blame Harry placed on him. It was clear he had to give them space.
Meanwhile, Barry had locked Julian in the pipeline and was still contemplating what to do with him. Even after interrogation, Julian refused to admit he was Alchemy, but Wally just ignored this development.
Jay, who had been stranded in India by Savitar, finally arrived after hours of running. Exhausted, he was now resting in S.T.A.R. Labs.
Wally, on the other hand, kept a watchful eye over the city. The timeline had been shaken since his arrival. His past knowledge was unreliable now, though it might still offer insight into future villains. However, with the future constantly shifting, he couldn't fully depend on it.
Perched on the rooftops of Central City buildings, he tried activating his future sight, even attempting to recreate the feeling he had when it first activated, but all efforts bore no fruit. However, he wasn't in a rush. He was at least grateful it activated when he was in danger.
Deep in thought, Iris's voice abruptly cut into the comms, snapping him out of his reverie. "Wally, we need you at S.T.A.R. Labs now."
"Sis, what's wrong?" he asked, already making his way to S.T.A.R. Labs.
"Savitar is on the loose..."
Wally arrived at S.T.A.R. Labs in time to see Barry being thrown around like a rag doll. Coming to an abrupt halt, his arrival immediately caught Savitar's attention, causing him to switch his target from Barry to Wally, with his dagger extending from his armor.
"Did I ever do something to offend you?" Wally asked, genuinely curious but staying on high alert.
For a brief moment, it seemed like Savitar paused, deep in thought, but it didn't last long. His aggression resumed, and Wally's heart raced as his life flashed before his eyes—the sight of the dagger piercing through his heart replaying in his mind. Brought back to attention by the scene, he saw Savitar had already vanished from sight when suddenly a flash of light appeared in his peripheral vision.
A blade thrust at him without restraint, aiming to kill. Panicked, he quickly sidestepped, but the attack was faster than he had anticipated, causing the tip of the dagger to tear through his suit and a few centimeters into his skin.
"Damn, it stings," he thought, feeling the pain from the wound. Before he could fully dwell on the sensation, Savitar rammed his shoulder into Wally, knocking him into the wall of the speed lab. However, he felt no other sensation of pain.
His Speed Force aura was still at work. The only pain he felt was from Savitar ramming his shoulder into him, but the collision against the wall felt like nothing.
"Speed Force defeats Speed Force," he thought, glancing at Savitar's suit, made of unknown indestructible material. With a quick guess, he deduced it was made out of solidified Speed Force energy, probably created with the help of the Philosopher's Stone, a stone described as calcified Speed Force energy.
Standing to his feet, he prepared for Savitar's attack, but once again, Savitar was nowhere to be found when suddenly an arm grabbed him from behind, throwing him into Barry, who was ready to attack, sending both of them reeling to the floor.
"If it's not aimed to kill, future sight won't activate." He made a mental note of this, to be cautious in the future. Even if the attack wasn't meant to kill him, it could still gravely injure him.
Savitar, having cornered them, began walking toward them ominously, his two protruding daggers creating sparks as he cut into the wall.
At this moment, Cisco, who had opened the box, finally succumbed to Caitlin's persuasion, closing the box as Savitar was pulled back into the Speed Force.
"Thanks, dude," Barry said in exhaustion, having been thrown around like a rag doll, his body aching severely.
"Don't mention it," Wally replied as they both lay on the ground for a few seconds before returning to the Cortex.
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The silence was palpable as every member of Team Flash was present. Jay and Wells were similarly present. They were currently contemplating what to do with the Philosopher's Stone.
Wally, unwilling to suggest anything, simply watched this development, his gaze shifting to Jay with a hurried expression that spoke volumes.
"Come on, hurry up and spill it already," he muttered, feeling impatient.
"What if we just bury it?" Joe suggested, not giving it much thought.
"Jumanji," Cisco replied immediately. He explained that doing so would only cause the incident to repeat itself.
Sighing, Wally exhaled in frustration. Just when he thought Jay wouldn't bring up the idea due to his influence on the timeline, he finally spoke.
"What if we throw it into the Speed Force?" Jay asked, drawing everyone's attention.
"The Speed Force?" Barry questioned, not understanding the reasoning behind it.
"Yeah, the Speed Force... it's an endless void of space and time. Throwing the stone into it would ensure it could never be recovered."
After taking a moment to agree, everyone finally decided it was the best and only option.
"Okay, prepare for that, but first, I'd like to try something with it," Cisco said, once again gaining everyone's attention. Their gazes questioned whether Savitar was still influencing him.
"What do you want to do with it?" Iris asked, speaking for everyone.
"Well, Caitlin and I have been thinking that since the stone can mess with brainwaves, we could use it somehow. So we need to figure that out before we get rid of it."
"Okay, figure it out. We'll be ready." After Barry said this, he headed to the pipeline to talk to Julian once more.
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Wally, being the only one remaining in the Cortex, watched from the monitor as Barry revealed his identity to Julian. Julian talked about how he had lost his sister Emma, gone to India on an expedition, and discovered the stone. However, upon discovery, everyone in the team was dead, causing him to flee from London in fear.
After some thought, Barry released Julian and brought him to the speed lab on Harry and Cisco's instructions.
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Most of the members were present, including Wally, who watched from the sidelines as Cisco carefully placed the device on Julian's head. Not long after the headgear was placed, a hurling scream immediately gained everyone's attention.
The scream subsided as quickly as it came, and Julian's focused eyes locked on the group.
From the hardened, bloodlusted gaze they received, it was clear this was no longer Julian—it was an entity they all feared: Savitar.
"Hello, Barry, it's been a while," Savitar spoke through Julian, startling the group. If not for their experience with the supernatural, many would have succumbed to fear.
"Savitar..." Barry muttered, his gaze intensifying.
"None of you are on your knees. It's a smart move to bow before a deity," Savitar's voice echoed malevolently, reverberating through the room. The voice had become thicker, more eerie, and everyone present couldn't help but shiver slightly.
"You're not a god," Barry replied after a brief silence.
"To be a god, you just have to make people believe you are," Savitar replied with a small grin.
Iris, glaring at Savitar, took a step forward. "No one believes in you," she said, trying to ignore the intimidation.
"You should, Iris," Savitar replied with a bit of flair. "I hold the power of life and death over all of you."
Caitlin, curious and hesitant, managed to muster up the courage. "How do you know so much about us?"
"I know you, Caitlin, Cisco, Joe, Harry, Garrick, Iris, Barry... the fake Wells. I know your fears, I know your weaknesses, I know you better than you know yourselves... I know your destinies. One shall betray you. One shall fall. One will suffer a fate far worse than death. This is the knowledge I have for you about your everlasting damnation."
"Who are you?" Barry asked, stepping closer.
"I am the future... Flash."
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After the eerie incident, those who had previously disagreed with the idea of throwing the stone into the Speed Force finally let go of their hesitation. One thing was now certain: they needed to get rid of the stone. It wasn't as if they had another plan in mind, but now it seemed they were in overdrive, planning to discard the stone as soon as possible.
Of course, Wally was one of the first individuals to agree to this idea since he needed Savitar out of the Speed Force before he could actually defeat him.
But one thing stumped him: who, and which speedster, would take Savitar's place in the Speed Force?
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