Y/N nodded his head. He brought out his arms and brought in both of his loved family members.
Y/N: Thank you. I love you guys.
The three all hugged one another, all taking in the weight of the journey that has led them all to this point. In the cortex chamber, Cisco was reviewing the camera footage he had taken of Y/N and Zoom racing after one another. Caitlin got up and walked over on a crutch and a boot to where he was. Cisco saw her coming over and went wide eyed.
Cisco: Whoa, easy there, sister. You sure you should be up and about?
Caitlin: I'm fine. If we're gonna catch Zoom, I need to stay on my toes. Well, not literally, but I... You know what I mean.
Cisco grinned at her word twist.
Caitlin: What're you working on?
Cisco: I've got this readout on Zoom's lightning. But something is off about it. I'm comparing it to the footage of he and the Flash chasing each other. Look at this.
Cisco showed the footage on the screen. Caitlin squinted at the video of the two speedsters running. She shrugged, not finding anything odd about it.
Caitlin: It's just different spectrums of lightning color. I don't really see anything.
Cisco: That's what I thought so, too, until I found this.
He put a specialized filter over the footage. It highlighted the lightning of each speedster and gave a set of digital readouts. Caitlin looked at the odd data.
Cisco: Y/N's lightning is natural. It's strong. But Zoom's is... artificial. It doesn't give off the same readings as Y/N's. It's almost like a synthetic form of the lightning generated by the Speed Force.
Caitlin continued to eye the readout. He was right. Something was off about Zoom's lightning. Y/N's orange trail seemed fluid like a river, but Zoom's appeared chaotic, messy, like a short circuiting wire.
Cisco: The readings are also consistent with this.
Cisco showed another set of data, this one from the pole he had examined.
Caitlin: Where did you...?
Cisco: I found it at Barry's childhood home.
Caitlin turned. She looked at Cisco with wide eyes of caution.
Cisco: Joe and I have reopened the case. We were looking back at the crime scene.
Caitlin: Do Barry and Y/N know you're doing this?
Cisco: No. Joe says he'd like them to stay out of it, keep them focused on stopping Zoom before making it personal.
Caitlin: Cisco...
Cisco: I know, I know. But please don't tell either of them. We both know how distracted Y/N can get when things get personal.
Caitlin thought for a moment before nodding.
Caitlin: Alright.
Cisco: Cool.
Caitlin: So, what is this that you found?
Cisco: I found traces of the lightning generated that night. We can confirm Zoom was there. But what was strange were the readings I found while examining the place. They seem to confirm my suspicions.
He showed a new readout of the data, this one showing various chemical bonds and trace elements.
Caitlin: C8H10N4O2, hydroperoxyl radicals, nitric oxide, ozone, and calcium?
Cisco nodded.
Cisco: These are not the same as Y/N's lightning. His is pure. But these...
Caitlin: Are often used in synthetic lightning for lab experiments. The calcium could be used to help potentially channel it through the body while the C8H10N4O2 would offset any disturbances and provide a natural boost of energy.
Cisco: There's also some other compounds that I have yet to find the basis for yet.
He showed another screen. Caitlin paused looking at it.
Caitlin: Wait, these are the same compounds Y/N and I have been using to make the meta dampening serum, only the portions are reversed. Instead of stripping one of their abilities, they're granting super powers to others who don't have them.
At that moment, Y/N walked in. He found both of his friends talking. They had slight smiles on their faces, as if they both just as a eureka moment.
Y/N: Hey, guys. Cait, you alright? You shouldn't be up.
Caitlin: I'm fine. Listen, Y/N, Cisco and I think we may have just found something.
Cisco: We think we may have just cracked the code on Zoom.
Y/N's eyes went wide with curiosity.
Y/N: What?
Caitlin: Zoom is not a natural speedster.
Y/N was shocked by that.
Y/N: What?
Cisco: We found a few elements in his lightning, some different from yours. It's all synthetic. He's not naturally fast.
Caitlin: He's using some sort of drug similar to the one we've been working on. It gives him the energy he needs, generating super speed. My best bet is he doesn't even have a connection to the Speed Force.
Y/N snapped his fingers in realization.
Y/N: That would explain why he was getting slower during our fight. The drug was wearing off.
Cisco: And we now have the data on it.
Caitlin: And with it, we may be able to use it to our own advantage. Supe up our own way of getting faster.
Y/N: Wait, are you guys suggesting what I think you're saying?
Y/N's two friends looked at one another with grins.
Cisco: We can make you faster.
Y/N paused for a moment. He ran his hands through his hair, thinking.
Caitlin: It wouldn't be permanent, obviously. But it may be just the juice you need to overcome Zoom.
Y/N: Are you saying there's a chance I could become faster than Zoom.
Cisco: By our current calculations, yes. At the very least, even when both of you run out of the drug, you'd still have your natural speed, giving you a leg up.
Y/N thought for a moment. This was tricky. He would essentially be taking a performance enhancing drug. But it may allow him to be faster than Zoom, give him a chance at beating him. After a moment of deep thinking, he looked up at his friends with a grin.
Y/N: What are we waiting for? Let's get to work.
The trio all clapped hands and set to work. Y/N and Caitlin worked on adding the chemicals necessary to their base formula while Cisco worked on calculating what the other compounds may be. Y/N helped Cait move around the lab, handing her items and mixing things with his speed while she worked at one of the lab tables. The three all worked together as a unit to make what they needed.
In his own laboratory, Harrison Wells continued to work on Hunter's interdimensional extrapolator. He paused, fiddling with a rubber band while waiting for the data to process. His eyes drifted around his lab and landed on a small portrait sitting on his desk. It was of him and his fiancé.
Wells sighed. She would know what to do during a time like this. She had always been so trusting and caring of others, helping to keep him open minded. She would be helpful with these situations. If it hadn't been for that accident...
The processor dinged. Wells looked at it. Finally, he'd be able to see where Hunter was really from. He looked at the data to see what it said. It gave an official designation: Earth-X.
Wells leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. Zolomon had been telling the truth. Harrison looked back at the photo of Tess. Maybe he needed to take a page out of her book. He had always found it hard to fully trust others, but his teammates, his friends, had helped him get around that. Maybe he just needed to trust the process. Start thinking about the best in people rather than the worst.
Harrison nodded to himself and got up out of his chair. He walked out of the lab, deciding to help work on the other projects needed to take down Zoom. As he left, the processor dinged again. More designations started to pop up on the screen.
It took a bit of work, but the trio of scientists were able to synthesize a new speed drug. It was a small blue liquid encased in a syringe. Y/N looked at their accomplishment and took a deep breath. This was it. If he was going to get faster than Zoom and catch him, this could be their chance.
Caitlin: Are you sure about this?
Y/N: Yes.
Caitlin: Okay.
Y/N sat down on the medical table and rolled up his sleeve. Caitlin dotted his arm with disinfectant and prepared the needle. Just as she was about to puncture his arm, Hunter entered the room. He saw what they were doing and recognized the formula in the vile.
Hunter: Stop!
Everyone froze. Hunter stepped forward and motioned towards the vile.
Hunter: What is that stuff?
Caitlin: We found that Zoom is using some sort of drug to make himself faster. We made our own version of it and were going to give it to Y/N. It could make him faster.
Hunter: It could also kill him.
They all stood there, shocked. They were confused by what he meant.
Hunter: That formula is called Velocity-9. Zoom uses it to enhance his speed, yes, but at a cost. It has a heavy side effect, one with a cost too great. It causes one's cells to rapidly degenerate. It kills them. Too much and...
He stopped. The others knew what he meant. Hunter took the vile out of Caitlin's hand and placed it down on the table.
Hunter: You need to destroy it.
Y/N: But I need to get faster if there's any chance in stopping Zoom.
Hunter: Y/N, you need to do that yourself. This is not the way. You can't use cheat codes on something such as this. No shortcuts. Zoom will do anything to get you. What you need to do is practice.
Y/N shook his head. He looked at the vial before nodding in agreement. What was he doing? Then another thought popped into his head.
Y/N: What if you trained me?
Hunter: What?
Y/N: You're a soldier. I may know how to fight, but you have had more experience with Zoom than anyone else. Your wife was a speedster. She fought Zoom. She must have told you a few of the things she did. You can teach me how to beat Zoom because you know what to expect.
Hunter: I don't know, Y/N. My wife and I made many mistakes, some of them costly.
Y/N: Then teach me. We can learn from those mistakes and make sure that we don't repeat them here.
Hunter lowered his head, biting his lip.
Y/N: Come on, Hunter. Please. What would your wife want?
Hunter thought for a moment. He took everything in, all that had happened to him and where it may potentially lead him. After a bit, he nodded.
Hunter: Alright. I will train you. Together, we will take down Zoom.
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