EXPEDITE ▇▇▇▇ VOLUME TWO
━━ ❛ 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒐𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒐𝒓𝒚 ❜

chapter no. 049!

𝙏𝙒𝙊 𝙒𝙀𝙀𝙆𝙎 𝙇𝘼𝙏𝙀𝙍. . .

     WHAT IS WAR? For many, it's a three-lettered word that can obliterate any and everything in its path. For others, it's a word that represents the internal battles that tear people apart on the inside. Limb by limb; muscle by muscle; breath by breath.

     Wars rip people apart. Resulting in the betrayal of a friend on friends.

     The pain caused by war and bloodshed isn't simple. It's physical, emotional, and mental. It causes people to second-guess everything and everyone around them. It causes paranoia and doubt. No longer can someone depend on a loved one, for they could be taken or killed any second during war.

     Wars turn people into monsters and place barricades between the strongest of relationships. They isolate every person involved or affected.

     People either sink or swim.

     And currently, Central City was sinking.

     Central City was becoming a place of horror and death. The CCPD had never been busier and more chaotic before. Riots and robberies were a regular occurrence, and a new meta-human was introduced daily. It was the beginning of what felt like the end of Central City. An unstoppable war was wagging, and there was nothing anybody could do to stop it. Not even Team Flash.

     No one could keep up with the chaos.

     Despite all their efforts to do so, the team hadn't been able to track the cult down. Everyone was beginning to feel burned out, and it showed.

     Caitlin had been working day and night to create a cure for Piper, spending countless hours on engineered formulas and testing them on the blood sample she'd gotten from the redhead two weeks ago. Harry had been assisting with the process, trying his best to contribute, despite biology and chemistry not being his best area of expertise.

     As for Cisco, he wouldn't leave S.T.A.R. Labs unless it was at night. That was when all the attacks occurred, and he was hell-bent on finding Piper. During the day, he never left the Cortex, continuously tracking down anyone from the cult of Savitar, trying to find a thread to pull on. The long-haired boy was nowhere near giving up on searching for his best friend. He wanted her back, and there was nothing that was going to stop him.

     Both Erin and Iris were in the same boat. They'd been doing most of the footwork, investigating every lead they could get their hands on. Central City Picture News was seemingly the only business that was still booming and running at full speed. Reporters were more determined to report on what was happening and to start their own investigations on the infamous Savitar, for the CCPD could barely make it to one 911 call, let alone conduct a full investigation. However, that didn't stop the police from at least trying.

     "According to Dr. Istook, it was a Brennergade that was stolen from the ninth floor," Joe stated, placing his hand on top of the railing surrounding the computers. "Which I'd never heard of until this morning, but apparently, it's some kind of revolutionary tech."

     It was another day, and another piece of tech had been stolen by Savitar and Effcacy's acolytes.

     Little by little, the meta-humans had begun taking over different sections of the city, destroying everything in sight and smearing Savitar's name in blood on the tallest buildings. Although the followers were everywhere, no one had caught a single glimpse of the monster himself or Efficacy.

     Harry rolled his eyes, crossing his arms as he briefly glanced down at the device's schematics. "It's an invention based on relativistic quantum mechanics in conjunction with its connection to the interspacial theory to manipulate matter on a subatomic level."

     Blinking, the detective shakily looked to Cisco in complete and utter confusion. Opening his mouth, the long-haired boy was about to dumb down what Harry said when Iris and Erin marched into the Cortex.

     The four looked over at the women, brows raised. Every time the two of them entered the room together, they always had news or a lead that typically led to more unanswered questions.

     "We have a lead on Piper!" Iris blurted out, tucking a strand of hair falling from her ponytail behind her ear. Glancing over to her girlfriend, she gave her an encouraging smile as she noticed the apprehensive look clouding her face.

     Harry raised a brow. "Is this a real lead or another one of your wild goose chases?"

     Rolling her eyes, Erin flashed him her middle finger before she began talking. "It's a real lead, Harrison. The Brennergade that Piper and her acolytes stole last night needs. Wait, where's Barry?" She paused, looking at Joe in confusion.

     "He..." Joe rubbed his forehead, his eyes fluttering shut for a brief second before reopening. "He called out sick this morning."

     Caitlin frowned, glancing at the scientist next to her, who was cleaning his glasses with the sleeve of his sweater. "That's the fifth time this week," she remarked, turning back to look at Joe as she picked up her cup of coffee.

     "He's dealing with a lot right now," the detective defended, placing a hand on his hip.

     Scoffing, Cisco rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, we all are. He doesn't get special treatment just because he made out with Piper a few times."

     Harry's eyes widened, and he cleared his throat awkwardly, briefly sharing a look of mild surprise with Joe.

     The second the boy's words reached her ears, Caitlin choked on her coffee. Coughing violently, she looked up to see him glaring bitterly at the computer monitor.

     Erin snorted, trying her best not to laugh at Cisco's words. Feeling a nudge in her side, she turned her head to see Iris giving her the signature 'not-the-time' look.

     "Anyways, like I was saying," Erin spoke, turning away and breaking the silence. "The Brennergade that Piper and her acolytes stole last night needs—"

     "Barry..." Iris breathed, cutting her girlfriend off as the speedster stalked into the Cortex. Erin quickly shut her mouth and gulped, watching as the speedster made his way around the circle of computers. There were dark circles underneath his eyes, his hair was a disheveled mess, and it was evident that he hadn't shaved in the past week. He was in jeans, a sweatshirt, a set of car keys, and a phone.

     Looking over at Joe, Caitlin watched as he noticed the car keys as well, his eyes widening.

     The speedster had driven his car to S.T.A.R. Labs. Something he hadn't done since Piper had been taken by Zoom. It was one of the major tells that things weren't good. When the boy stopped using his speed for everyday tasks and responsibilities, that's how the team knew he wasn't okay and that he was in a dangerous place.

     "Cisco," Barry spoke, the sound of his voice rough and coated in a thick layer of exhaustion. Cisco looked up from his empty stare at the monitor in front of him, his face void of any emotions. "Where are we on finding Piper?"

     "We're where we were the last time you asked: nowhere," the long-haired boy grumbled bitterly, clicking the pen in his hand as he looked down. Caitlin glanced at the two other women, the three of them all feeling the obvious tension and frustration that the two felt toward one another at the moment.

     Barry ran his hand over his face exasperatedly. "Have you looked at all today?"

     "Have I looked today?" Cisco repeated, his eyes flashing back up, brows raising as he stood and walked around the desk toward the speedster. "Barry, I try to vibe where she is every chance I get. I'm using facial recognition technology. I'm using the meta-human app, the satellite. I'm doing everything I can to find my best friend, okay? If you want her back so desperately, maybe you should—"

     "Hey, hey, hey," Joe hastily butt in, stepping in between the two. He placed a hand on each of their chests and pushed them back, creating more distance. "You two aren't the only ones who are worried about Piper, okay? We all are, and we need to work as one to bring her back. Can the two of you just set aside your feelings and work together?"

     Breathing in heavily, Cisco stepped back, nodding his head. Barry followed suit, nodding and Joe lowered his hands.

     "Great! Now that you two have set aside your toxic male masculinity and testosterone-fueled egos, we can get back to what's important: the lead my beautiful girlfriend and I have on the beloved Piper Lita." Erin announced, clapping her hands together to grab everyone's attention.

     Barry raised his brows as he refused to allow himself to be filled with false hope at her words. "Is this a legit lead?"

     "Yes, it is. All of you need to quit doubting Iris and I," the short-haired girl snapped, ignoring Harry's smirk. "As I said earlier, the Brennergade that Piper and her acolytes stole last night at Mercury Labs needs at least one of the scientists that manufactured it for it to work properly."

     Iris nodded and walked over to one of the computers, typing quickly as she started to speak. "The scientist who created the Brennergade was assisted by one Tracy Brand. She attends Central City University's graduate program for theoretical physics, working to earn her doctorate." A picture of a tan woman with wavy blonde hair popped up on the monitors, and documents about her and her life appeared alongside the photo.

     "According to these documents," Erin began, gesturing to the screen, "she also assisted and came up with the schematics for the extra-dimensional radiator. The one that Piper also stole a few weeks ago."

     "Wait, why are you talking about this Tracy woman? What about the scientist who engineered the Brennergade?" Joe questioned, turning back to look at his daughter, his brows drawn in.

     Iris glanced up. "Because the scientist who engineered it was murdered last night at Mercury Labs. That Jane Doe the CCPD found this morning that they couldn't identify? Yeah, that was Dr. McLennan. One of the meta's that was with Piper, Judge Jigsaw, took control of McLennan's subconscious and got him to kill himself. After that, someone else took care of the body to make him unidentifiable."

     Furrowing his brows, Barry looked to Harry and Caitlin, confused about how this was a lead. Both doctors shared the same puzzled expression as no one had any idea about how this was relevant to their friend's location.

     "And this is relevant... how?" Harry questioned, raising a brow.

     Joe stepped forward, holding his hand up. "Hold up, how do you even know that? CCPD hasn't released any information to the public or press. No one even knows there was a break-in."

     "We have connections," Iris answered nonchalantly, shrugging.

     Erin rolled her eyes. "This is relevant because the Brennergade was manufactured by two people and needs at least one to work properly. So, now that McLennan is dead, Piper and Savitar will need Tracy Brand to use it. Also, we believe that Tracy somehow plays a part in whatever it is that they're planning because how do you coincidentally steal two weapons made by the same person?"

     Caitlin nodded slowly, her eyes trained on the coffee in front of her as her mind raced with anxiety. She hated this. All of it. Not having Piper with the team or there with her. It didn't feel right.

     "We gotta get to Tracy before Piper does. There's no way Savitar will seek her out himself. He'll send the person he trusts the most." Cisco spoke, pushing up and out of his chair.

     Nodding in agreement, Barry uncrossed his arms. This was the first time in days that he'd felt motivated to do anything, especially since there was a high chance that he'd run into the redhead.

     He needed to see her.

     He was losing his mind without her there by his side. He'd just gotten used to her being back home with him. If he lost her for a third time, he didn't know if there was anything anyone could do to save him from the fall.

     "Make sure you can get your hands on whatever documents she has of the Brennergade and extra-dimensional radiator. She's the only person who could know what Savitar is trying to do." Iris added, nodding to everyone.

     Harry sighed heavily, rubbing his forehead. "Wait. So, you're telling me that our hopes of defeating Savitar hinge on a grad student?"

     Iris nodded.

     "Could be worse," Erin commented, ignoring the deadpanned look the scientist shot her way.

     Cisco rolled his eyes. "All right. Harry, Barry, let's go."

────

     TOSSING THE BLACK-AND-RED HAIR BEHIND HER SHOULDERS, PIPER LITA WATCHED AS SAVITAR TALKED TO THE RECENT GROUP OF RECRUITED META-HUMANS. Their army was growing bigger by the day, and she'd never had so many people loyal to her in her entire life. It was an interesting dynamic: having people worshipping her, on their hands and knees, praying to her.

     Not to mention, it was also quite amusing.

     "Pour préparer le monde, nous travaillons avec Celui qui l'a fabriqué. Notre seigneur, notre sauveur, Savitar. Á notre reine Efficacité, nous serons toujours fidèles." Everyone chanted in perfect unison, their voices echoing off the cave-like ceiling. Slowly, each of them made their way to the fire pit, circling around it as the raging fire flickered in the dark.

     Turning away from the acolytes, Barry swept his eyes around the room before they landed on Piper. A small smile crept onto his lips, but it quickly disappeared as he made his way toward her.

     Shifting her feet, she looked up to find the brown-haired man extremely close. "See something you like?"

     "Mhm," he hummed, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her close. Piper smiled lightly at the touch, placing her hand on his chest as she looked up at him.

     "What do you need me to do?" She whispered, her eyes darting between his as she could tell that the man needed something from her.

     Tucking a strand of black hair behind her ear, he ran his thumb over her cheek as he cupped it. "Tracy Brand," Barry mumbled before leaning forward and pressing a tender kiss to her lips.

     Pulling away, Piper nodded. "Consider it done."

     Only thirty minutes had passed when Piper walked into the lab, Illusion following behind her as their heels clicked against the marble-tiled floors. A scorching fire was enveloping the inside of a black trash can, swallowing a stack of papers as the two women approached. A blonde woman was standing behind the trash can, a blow torch in one hand and the other continuously grabbing sheets of white paper covered in notes and scribbles. Her face was shielded with a thin protectant sheet.

     Glancing at the woman beside her, Piper smirked slightly. "Tracy Brand?" She questioned, turning her focus back to the woman who was still adding stacks of paper to the bin.

     The woman jumped, turning around with the blow torch still in hand as she lifted the shield. "Who are you? What do you want?" Tracy questioned, her wide eyes darting between the two, taking in their appearance and confident stances.

     "What're you doing there?" Illusion asked, gesturing to the burning fire with raised brows.

     Looking back, Tracy sighed at the sight. "Burning all of my work," she grumbled unhappily, momentarily forgetting that she was talking to complete strangers.

     "How come?" Piper asked, keeping her expression blank.

     "Because," the blonde sighed, grabbing onto another stack of paper and tossing it in the bin, "my research and ideas got a colleague of mine killed. Whoever was after him is going to come after me next. I'm the only one who remembers everything about the projects and weapons. Wait, why am I telling you two about any of this? You probably think I'm insane, just like Dr. Hersh. His favorite way to describe my work is, "A total misapplication of the university's resources.""

     Blinking, Illusion looked to the black and red-haired woman beside her, giving her a look of impatience.

     Piper rolled her eyes as she turned to look back at Tracy. "Well, in that case, keep burning all your work. When you're done, you can just come with us," she suggested, watching as Tracy barely looked at her as she nodded in agreement, her mind elsewhere.

     Down the hall, three members of Team Flash made their way to the lab where Tracy was supposedly working for the day. The halls were nearly empty, and most of the students were already gone for the Thanksgiving holiday. Only a scarce few remained, briefly glancing at the three men as they passed them in the halls.

     "Ah, the soul-sucking fluorescence of academia," Cisco mumbled, moving around a small group of students. Harry rolled his eyes behind the matte black sunglasses he wore, keeping his head down as they continued walking.

     "Do you guys smell that?" Barry suddenly asked, halting in his movement. The other two turned around at the sound of his voice, noticing that the speedster was a few feet behind.

     Cisco frowned slightly as he sniffed the air, his nose crinkling.

     "Toast?" Harry suggested, shrugging.

     Letting his eyes wander, the long-haired boy briefly glanced down at the floor. Blinking rapidly, he narrowed his eyes and noticed a steady flow of smoke crawling out from underneath the door on Barry's right. "What the hell..." Cisco mumbled before quickly darting forward, rushing past Barry, and throwing the door to the room open.

     Grabbing the fire extinguisher that was next to the door, the speedster followed after Cisco into the room, Harry right behind him.

     They first saw a bundle of flames on top of a lab desk, scorching and burning everything in its path. "Give me that," Harry grumbled, snatching the extinguisher from the brown-haired boy's hands and quickly putting out the fire.

     "Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!" A woman shouted, a protective shield covering her face as she held a blow torch in one hand and a stack of papers in another. "What are you doing?" Tracy lifted the shield and raised her eyebrows as she stared questioningly at the three strangers.

     From behind her, Piper stood next to Illusion, leaning against a desk as she watched on in amusement.

     Cisco's mouth dropped. "You mean to save you from a painful, fiery death?"

     "What're you talking about? I had everything under control," Tracy said exasperatedly, placing the blow torch on the desk. Grumbling unhappily to herself, the blonde grabbed onto more stacks of her research, dumping it into the blackened trash can carelessly.

     Barry glanced at Harry, brows furrowed as he watched the woman continue to throw away her future. "Did you set the fire on purpose?"

     "Yes, she did." Piper pipped up, pushing herself off the desk and making her way next to Tracy. Her perfectly satin-red lips spread into a sinister smirk as she made eye contact with each of them. "And she was nearly done until you three showed up, so, if you don't mind, remove yourselves before I have to."

     All three of them were frozen at the sound of her voice. It sounded so foreign yet familiar all at once and set Harry on edge. She smiled sweetly at all of them, enjoying every second of uneasiness she was giving them.

     Just the sight of her was enough to take Barry's breath away. She was dressed head-to-toe in exactly what her dopplegänger from Earth-Two wore. A smooth, red button-up trench coat adorned her frame perfectly, and the hood of it covered her head. The infamous long scarlet-red curly hair that suited her skin tone so well was brought to the left side of her head, black streaks running through it. She held tightly onto a polished red bow in her right hand while a sack of arrows rested on her back.

     Moving her mischievous gaze to the brown-haired man, she winked before glancing at Tracy. Giving the blonde a sweet smile, she sighed, looking back to her old team. "Get out," she snapped.

     "Tracy, you need to come with us," Harry announced, stepping forward, knowing that neither Cisco nor Barry would be able to fight against the woman they loved.

     Looking between the brown-haired man and the cloaked woman, Tracy gulped. "Uh," she stuttered, reaching for her belongings, ready to leave with the two girls who first entered the room. "I'm not going anywhere with you. I'm leaving with them."

     "It looks like she's made up her mind. Bye boys," Illusion pipped up, and she grabbed the blonde's arm, dragging her towards the door she and Piper had come through.

     In a flash, Tracy was grabbed and brought to the opposite end of the room where the boys stood. Quickly, Piper drew back an arrow and aimed it toward the speedster who'd taken her. "Illusion, go," she ordered, never once breaking the eye contact she held with the speedster.

     Illusion looked in between her leader and Team Flash before she ran out of the room.

     "What're you going to do, Piper? Shoot us?" Barry asked, tilting his head as he blocked Tracy from view. Without hesitation, Piper fired an arrow, watching as he caught it. "Really?" She'd grabbed two arrows in under two seconds and drew them back, turning the bow to the side. Letting go of the serving string, she watched in satisfaction as one arrow struck the speedster in his right arm and the other in his right leg.

    Barry released a yelp of pain and hunched over as she fired three more arrows, two at the main ceiling lights and one at Harry, hitting him square in the shoulder.

     Suddenly, the lights went out, and that was when Cisco snapped out of his frozen daze. Quickly pulling out his phone, he turned on the flashlight, shining it around to find that they were alone.

     "She's gone."

────

     POURING ANOTHER GLASS OF WINE, IRIS PLACED THE BOTTLE ON THE COFFEE TABLE AND HANDED CAITLIN A GLASS. The brunette smiled appreciatively as she brought the wine to her lips, taking a sip as Erin sighed heavily, curling up into her girlfriend's side.

     "I miss her," the short-haired woman mumbled, taking a large swing of wine. As she swallowed, she pushed the lump in her throat down. After her major breakdown last week, she promised herself that she wouldn't cry over the situation again. It was what it was, and she had to accept it until the team successfully brought her best friend home.

     Frowning, Iris pressed a kiss to the top of her head as she willed herself not to cry as well. She had to stay strong for both of them.

     Despite Erin's hard exterior, bluntness, and jokes, she was hurting just as much as everyone else. Even more at times. Piper's betrayal and absence had affected everyone differently, but it seemed to stab Erin directly in the heart.

     Iris was hurting too. Everyone she loved and cared about was in pain, and there wasn't anything she could do to help or make them feel better. It sucked.

     "I know, babe. I do, too," Iris murmured, running her hands through Erin's hair.

     Looking up as she placed her glass on the table, Caitlin relaxed against the couch. "I'm still working on a cure for the drug," she mentioned, brushing a loose strand of hair out of her face.

     "How's it coming so far?" Iris asked, taking another sip.

     Sitting up straight, Erin looked at the brunette expectantly. A part of her was hoping for good news, but she also knew that there was a large chance that the doctor hadn't made much progress. They were dealing with a drug from another world. Something completely foreign to them.

     How were they supposed to cure something that technically didn't exist?

     "Well," Caitlin cleared her throat, "I've made a little progress, but not as—" A knock echoed from the front door, and the three froze. Raising a brow, Caitlin glanced at Iris as she stood up.

     Leaving the snuggling couple behind her, she made her way to the front door, pulling down the sleeves of her sweater over her hands. The brunette reached for the doorknob, forgetting to check through the peephole before she opened the door.

     The moment a blast of the cold, wintry air hit her face, the brunette could feel her heart drop, and her eyes widen. Gulping, she stepped back. "Pi—"

     From the living room, Erin and Iris could hear nothing but absolute silence from the front of the house. They waited for a minute as an uneasy weight grew in the pit of their stomachs.

     Something felt off.

     "Cait?" Erin finally called, pulling out of her girlfriend's arms as she placed her empty glass on the coffee table, standing up slowly. A wallowing sense of dread blossomed within her as she crept toward the foyer. "Cait? Who is it?"

     Nothing but a daunting stillness answered her as the overhead light flickered above. A muscle twitched involuntarily at the corner of her right eye as her lips formed into a thin line. Each step felt slower than the next, and the house's temperature seemed to drop every second. Time seemed to freeze as the short-haired girl suddenly stopped, her eyes widening at the sight before her.

     The front door was wide open, and there and standing at the threshold was the woman the team had been searching for day in and day out. The person they all cherished more than anything was Piper Lita.

     A blade was pressed against Caitlin's neck as the cloaked woman held her against her chest, an arm wrapped around her tightly. Cold tears were shining in the brunette's eyes as she tried her best not to move.

     Gasping, Iris's hand flew to her mouth as she joined her girlfriend's side. "Cait..."

     "In an hour," Piper hissed, her voice rough and low as she cut off the reporter, "you're going to get a message with an address. Bring me Tracy Brand, or you'll never see everyone's favorite doctor ever again."