CC Jitters
Third POV- Minutes Before, Clara activated Project Together
"Guess you were hungry." Iris sat down at the table where Barry was eating and spoke while holding a glass of water.
"Stress eating." Barry breathed in and out. "I came to say I'm sorry, you're right, I have been distant and kind of a jerk."
"You should apologise more often, you're really sensational at it." Iris smiled. "So what were you going to tell me the other day."
"I had to do something, something that was important, but I don't think I'm good at solving it, so I'm taking a break from it, but what I am good at is being your friend, so if you need help coming up with a new topic for your article-" Barry explained but was interputed at the end by Iris who was super excited.
"I found something that actually interests me." Iris got up from her seat and walked to the counter where her computer was, while Barry followed behind her.
"This week, there have been reports of a building fire, a bank heist, even the incident the other night when the robbers shot at the security guard, he said he was whooshed outside." Iris said this as she clicked through multiple news articles featuring a red streak. 'Something out there is saving people,' she remarked."
"I thought you were studying journalism, not science fiction?" Barry asked, still glancing between the articles and Iris.
"Ever since I have known you believed in the impossible, what if you were right, what if you were right about the night your mom died?" Iris explained that Barry might have been correct about that day.
Ring
Ring
Barry felt his phone ringing and grabbed it. He saw that the caller was S.T.A.R. Labs, so he turned around and answered.
"What happened? I'm kinda busy right now at the moment?" Barry asked as he didn't know why they were calling.
"I know, but you need to get to S.T.A.R. Labs right now!" Caitlin answered urgently on the phone.
"Okay, I'll be there quickly," Barry said before hanging up. He turned to Iris and added, "I have to go, but I'll talk to you about the article later, alright?" After grabbing his things, Barry ran out of Jitters. Once he was clear, he used his speed to head to S.T.A.R. Labs.
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Star Labs Cortex
It didn't take much more than that for Barry to come whooshing in to stand off against the clone of Danton Black.
"Barry, it's okay." Caitlin told Barry to stop him from doing anything that would destroy the clone.
"It is not okay, Black is here. And he's just...standing there. That's not him, is it?" He asked.
"I grew him." Caitlin explained, as Barry turned to look at her, his expression asking her to clarify what she had just said.
"I isolated a sample of Black's blood from your suit to see if I could trigger the in vitro cultivation process and learn how Black multiplies." Caitlin informed the monitor behind her that showed many purple bubbles replicating. "So I exposed the target cells to a protein jar and they began replicating into that."She remarked as she pointed at the clone to show the result.
Barry waves his hand in front of the clone, trying to make sense of everything Caitlin told him.
"Why isn't he...it doing anything?" he asked, not understanding why it's not moving like the clones before when he fought them once.
"We did a brain scan. Involuntary motor functions are active, little else." Dr. Wells explains the clone's weird attributes.
"We think it's acting as a receiver." Cisco answered.
"The clones are an empty shell without Black. Shut down the real Black, then you could shut them all down." Caitlin informs Barry.
But how do we know which ones the real Danton Black?" Barry asked since this doesn't help find the real one.
"That occurred to me, given your own passing out." Caitlin explained. "Black has limits, just like you. Controlling all of those clones must require a tremendous amount of physical strength. So, look for the one showing signs of weakness or fatigue. He's the prime." Caitlin finished her explanation to Barry.
"Plus, I whipped up these high-calorie protein bars for you to keep your metabolism up." Cisco hands Barry the bar just as the clone makes a noise, and Caitlin screams.
Out of sheer instinct, Barry punched the clone in the face, directing his attention to him just then, shots were fired, and the clone fell to the floor. Joe lowers his weapon as he steps into the room.
"Damn man, you have a mean right hook." Cisco goes to poke the clone, seeing if it's truly out.
"Any more of them?" Joe asks.
"Nope." Caitlin quickly answers.
"Why did it start moving?" Barry asked while turning his head toward Dr. Wells for an answer
"It's the prime. My guess is he's on the move, this one heard its summon to battle." Dr. Wells explained his answer.
"And I know where he was summoned to. Stagg Industries." Joe says matter of factly.
"You should call it in." Barry looks at him.
"Police can't fight this. What Black's become, like Mardon. Beyond me. Maybe way beyond them, too. The only person it's not beyond is you. You gotta do this. I get it. So, for once in your life, do what I tell you to do. Go stop him." Joe told him, and that's all Barry needed was the support from Joe to get back to defeating meta-humans and making Central City safer.
Barry walked toward his suit and paused for a moment, glancing at it before looking back at the symbol. As he reached out to touch it, he suddenly remembered that someone was missing. His eyes widened in realization, and he quickly turned around.
"Cisco, Caitlin, where's Clara at right now?" Barry asked urgently.
"She should be in the emergency first aid station, in her bed..." Cisco's eyes went wide as he remembered Joe had shot his gun, which might have woken Clara up from her sleep, he quickly ran past the others and into the room, only to then turn around to look at them in worry. "She's not in there and her bag is gone!" Cisco informed.
"What? How can she not be in there? Cisco, you were the only one in the room while I was busy making the clone! This doesn't make any sense!" Caitlin urgently walked inside the room only to see that the bed was a mess, but Clara wasn't there.
Dr. Wells looked at Joe before turning to Barry. "Barry, head to Stag Industries and stop Danton Black. We will keep you informed if we spot Clara; she couldn't have gotten far."
"But- I can't just leave if Clara is gon-" Barry was speaking when he was interrupted by Joe.
"Son, you need to trust us to find the kid, but right now, you have to stop Danton Black. Let us handle the kid," Joe said softly. Barry turned to look at Caitlin, Cisco, and Dr. Wells. He sighed and nodded before vanishing in a blur, leaving his suit behind.
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Moments later- S.T.A.R. Labs' Cortex main computers
Cisco ran a hand through his hair, pacing quickly. "Okay, okay, she didn't just disappear into thin air. She's 10 years old, so she couldn't have gotten far. Check the security feed!"
"I'm on it." Caitlin moved to the nearest console, fingers flying across the keyboard. "Accessing internal cameras now."
Dr. Wells remained unnervingly still, his gaze distant behind his glasses. Joe glanced at him, uneasy.
"You got something to say?" Joe asked, suspicion edging his tone.
"Only that Clara may be more determined than we realized," Wells answered. "If she left on her own… she had a reason. She wasn't taken."
"Found something!" Caitlin interrupted, bringing up a video feed.
A recording from a hallway camera. Clara is seen walking with her bag. She's clutching her bag tightly as she walks toward the lower floors.
"She's heading for the lower levels, but why." Caitlin said, concern rising in her voice.
"Wait, pause that and enhance the screen right there." Cisco pointed. "That's the way to the pipeline where the Particle Accelerator is."
"Why the hell would she be going down there?" Joe muttered.
A few minutes later, Svarog was seen leaving the pipeline, while Clara remained in the room the entire time.
"Wow, so that's what that AI robot looks like… Man, it doesn't even remotely look real," Joe West said, his eyes wide with disbelief. He had never encountered anything like it in his entire life.
"Ah, she's in the pipeline; she should be perfectly safe there. If she chose to go, it's undoubtedly because Svarog is nearby. You see, Svarog... is unlike anything seen before," Dr. Wells continued, his voice low and steady, but with a strange familiarity. "He's not just an artificial intelligence. He's an adaptive construct. Clara built him, and at most, Svarog is very protective of her."
"She knows what she's doing," Caitlin finished the thought, still in disbelief. "She's very smart for her age, and she has been with Svarog, who knows how long.
"She's ten." Joe shot her a look.
"She's ten," Caitlin repeated, "but she has a mind like I've never seen. She had built a camp that has so many robots that I have never seen before, and she is very innocent, she wouldn't do something without knowing it would hurt people."
"Clara's not just smart," Cisco said, while watching the monitor. "She's brilliant. But she's still a kid. What if she messes something up down there?"
"Well," Dr. Wells said thoughtfully, his gaze shifting to the monitor displaying the pipeline feed, "she certainly didn't create Svaorg by mere chance. In fact, it seems to me that she deliberately set out to create Svaorg from the very beginning. Yet, the reasoning behind it remains a mystery, even to me, but she should be fine down if Svarog left her there in the first place."
"That is true; if anything, Svarog wouldn't let Clara be by herself if he knew it was dangerous in the first place," Caitlin said, trusting that Svarog knew what he was doing, leaving Clara in the pipeline alone.
"We need to keep an eye on Barry's vitals; he should have arrived by now. Caitlin, Cisco, I need you both to connect with him and find out what's going on at Stagg Industries. It's critical that we assist him in locating the Prime." Dr. Wells instructed Cisco and Caitlin to establish the connections.
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Minutes after Clara activated Project Together
Stagg industries
The floor trembled under the weight of Svarog's approach. With every heavy step, the reinforced concrete creaked. The clones of Danton Black surged toward the source of the disturbance, moving as a near-unified force. But they were not prepared for what came next.
CRACK!
One clone flew back as Svarog's massive fist collided with its chest, sending it crashing into the steel wall, leaving a deep dent.
"Non-lethal force directive: active," Svarog said coldly, his eyes glowing crimson. "Clearing a path to a designated target."
Two more clones rushed him from either side. Svarog dodged to his left quickly, surprisingly agile for his size, then grabbed the two clones by the neck and slammed the two heads together with a resounding clang. He tossed the twitching bodies aside like discarded debris.
Another clone attempted to leap onto his back. Without turning around, Svarog extended his left arm backward, a small pulse emitter opening up and blasting the clone off with a compressed concussive blast. The clone flew all the way to a wall, cracking it with a loud thud, and sliding down unconscious.
Svarog scanned the environment, eyes flicking through infrared and motion sensors. "No primary detected yet. Clones exhibit erratic, disorganized behavior. Prime is not within the immediate radius."
Another group of clones rounded the corner.
"Eliminating threat," Svarog muttered.
Raising his hand, several small panels unfolded along his forearm. A flicker of yellow light sparked, and then three low-energy pulse blasts fired off in quick succession, striking the ground at the feet of the oncoming clones. The blast didn't incinerate, but it threw them violently into the air, clearing the hallway.
Svarog marched forward through the smoke, unaffected by the debris raining from the broken ceiling panels above him.
Meanwhile, Clara's voice echoed through his internal comms.
"Mr. Svarog. Status?"
Svarog didn't slow down. "Clones intercepted. No Prime identified. I am proceeding toward the second level. He should be targeting Stagg."
"Be careful. Pascal should be arriving soon with his skill in enraging his opponents, which should help you and Big Brother Barry," Clara informed.
"Clara, is [Project Together] not causing you any harm or glitches at the moment, since after all it does allow us to communicate long distances, but you are also transmitting the senses, from sight and sound, and even emotions." Svarog informed with a hint of concern in his voice
"I'm okay, so don't worry. I have the synchronization set to the lowest level because [Project together] is missing 50% of the codes. If I increase the synchronization sound any more, it could cause an information overload on the computer."Clara explained that the program is working so far.
"I see. If you had the collar ready, then the repercussions would have been more severe on your body instead of the laptop, am I correct?" Svarog asked, since this program is not safe for a human to resonate with a robot.
"...If I had the collar ready and the program was still not complete, there might be a chance that I caused an information overload in my brain." Clara finally said, her voice tinged with worry.
"Clara, in the future, ensure that you inform me whenever you have a program or building underway. I wish to observe the progress and any indications of malfunction. It is imperative that we maintain vigilance." Svarog informed her as he made it to the second level.
"Okay, Mr. Svarog. I'm sorry for not telling you," Clara said softly.
"It's alright Clara." Svarog told her.
When Svarog reached the second floor, a group of clones spotted him and charged, then abruptly froze.
A sound of beeping and gears moving could be heard
"Pascal has arrived. He has also already used Enrage Order at the moment." Svarog looked on as he saw the clones look at Pascal, who was a short distance to his right.
The clones froze, some even faltering, as a new presence entered the second floor. From the far end of the hallway, the clones clutched their heads tightly as they rushed toward Pascal. He leapt into the air, his robotic feet slamming down with a force that shook the floor like a miniature quake. The impact shattered tiles and sent a concussive wave rolling down the corridor, knocking several Danton Black clones backward. Concrete dust and metal fragments rained down from the ceiling as steam hissed from Pascal's shoulder vents.
"Pascal! You joined us!" Clara spoke out in a cheer.
"Clara! Waiting, further instructions!" Pascal happily said.
Before Clara could say anything, gunshots were happening, and the sound of wind passing.
"It seems that Barry Allen has arrived. What should we do, Clara?" Svarog asked, waiting for Clara's command.
"Try to meet up with him. If there are too many clones, Pascal, use Enrage Order to assist Big Brother Barry. Your goal is to help him and Mr. Svarog capture the bad guy, if possible, and also to help defeat the clones," Clara instructed.
"Affirmative." Svarog and Pascal said simultaneously.
As Svarog and Pascal went to meet up with Barry, only to see him near the escalators, panting as his hand was near his ear, talking with someone.
"There's too many of them to find!" Barry yelled out as he couldn't tell which one was the Prime.
"There are other ways to figure this out, Barry Allen." Svarog said out loud as Barry looked ahead of him and saw Svarog and...a giant blue belly robot.
"Svarog...then that means Clara..." Barry said while panting.
Svarog raised his arm and aimed it toward the escalator that was crowded with rampaging clones coming up.
"Warning: excessive numbers detected. Non-lethal force protocol: level two," he declared.
Panels along his shoulder released a soft hiss with fog, revealing small, metal balls. A series of metal balls launched from his shoulders like a rocket, arcing through the air and releasing high-voltage electricity. The electricity didn't kill, but it cleared. Clones were falling to the floor, unconscious.
Barry watched the path open in front of him, eyes wide with a mix of relief and awe. "Now I see why Cisco called him Terminator...if anything, this makes Svarog look like one."
Then, with a mechanical growl, Pascal slammed his fists together and then put them down, releasing another Enrage Order. A beeping sound was made by Pascal that echoed down the first floor. Instantly, dozens of clones clutched their heads, reeling in confusion as rage overwhelmed their shared signal. Their coordination collapsed, and they began turning their attention to Pascal.
Svarog strode through the chaos, easily knocking aside the clones.
"Barry Allen, focus your attention on locating the clone showing signs of fatigue, use your speed to push through them and find the prime." Svarog called out.
Barry nodded as he looked at the many clones in front of him, as one fell down unconscious, and with a surge of speed, Barry ran toward the mob of clones as everything was in slow motion for him, as he kept punching the clones in his way and getting through as only yellow lightning was seen as he kept pushing through and pushed the final two clones in front of him as the prime was now in front of him.
The real Danton Black was still making more clones, but it was slow in Barry's eyes as a piece of sweat fell to finally determine for Barry it was the prime as he grabbed him and ran with him all the way around the second level and made him hit a metal pole, knocking him out.
Svaorg saw that the Prime was knocked out and headed toward Barry's location while Pascal dealt with the unconscious Danton Black copies surrounding him. As Svaorg approached, he realized he couldn't give Barry the communication comm that Clara wanted him to deliver. However, perhaps in the near future, Clara could do it herself. As Svaorg got closer to Barry, he could hear the sounds of his communication device.
"Barry! Barry! Are you alright?" Joe asked.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. It's done," Barry said, panting as he finally rested for a moment.
Behind Barry, Danton Black had gotten back up and was running towards him. However, before Danton could make a move, Svarog grabbed him from behind and slammed him to the ground, knocking him unconscious for good this time.
"Are you alright?" Svarog asked.
"I-Im fine, but how did you get here so fast?" Barry asked as he was a bit far from where the two robots were.
"I cannot say that is Clara's secret, not mine." Svarog said and left it at that.
What Barry didn't realize was that Svarog and Pascal weren't moving in slow motion; they were simply watching him approach the prime at high speed. Svarog understood why he and Pascal could move like Barry; they had both received Flash Time mechanical parts during a brief upgrade back at the camp, thanks to Clara.
As a result, they could enter Flash Time just like Barry Allen, but only for five minutes at most if a speedster is nearby. If Clara were to design more advanced robots in the future, they will likely receive the same upgrade as the two of them, or perhaps even more advanced features.
"Barry! What happened?" Caitlin asked, wanting to know why there was the sound of fighting again.
"Well, let's just say I got help from the Terminator," Barry said in his earpiece, smiling a bit.
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S.T.A.R. Labs Cortex
A TV mounted in the corner of the Cortex flickered on, displaying the CCN (Central City News) logo as a breaking news report. Everyone in the room, Caitlin, Dr. Wells, Clara, Barry, and Cisco, was watching.
"Central City police have confirmed that former employee Danton Black." Wells turned off the television. "He tried to... I almost didn't save him," Barry said guiltily.
"Doesn't sound like he wanted to be saved. Some people, when they break...they can't be put back together." Dr. Wells stressed out.
"Some people heal even stronger." Barry said as he walked to the door to exit the cortex.
"Well, at least Multiplex won't be able to hurt anyone else. Told you I come up with a cool name." Cisco grinned.
"Yeah, I may be the one in the suit doing all the running...but when I'm out there helping people, making a difference, you're all out there with me. I finally realized something: we were all struck by that lightning." Barry said with a smile as he was happy they helped him out when fighting Danton Black.
Tapping a few keys and bringing up a video feed of the pipeline. Danton Black, unconscious but breathing, lay secured in one of the meta-human holding cells.
"Luckily, Svarog intercepted the final blow before it could turn horrible. He neutralized Black without lethal force. Well done for Svarog." Caitlin said as she was pleased that nothing bad went wrong in the end.
"Figures the big guy can take down an entire army and still show restraint," Cisco muttered in amazement. "That's one serious robo-dad."
Barry gave a faint smile. "Actually, I agree with you before with the Terminator stuff you said before, Cisco." Barry then looked at Clara, who was sitting on a chair, looking at her knees…"Clara, he got there just in time. You really saved the day… but don't ever disappear like that again without telling us."
Clara peeked up at Barry, her red eyes uncertain. "I didn't want anyone to get hurt. Project Together wasn't ready… but I had to try something…"
Before Barry could respond, Caitlin stormed over to Clara, her tone sharp but layered with concern.
"You could have been hurt," Caitlin said, kneeling in front of Clara and placing both hands on the girl's shoulders. "You weren't supposed to leave the emergency first aid station. You were recovering, Clara. You're ten. Do you know how serious this could've been? What if something had gone wrong?"
"I-I just wanted to help. Mr. Svarog wouldn't have left me if it weren't safe. I made sure of it. I-I just really wanted to help…" Clara spoke softly as her voice began to crack from trying not to cry.
Caitlin sighed deeply, brushing some hair from Clara's face. "You're brilliant, Clara. No one's denying that. But being smart doesn't mean you should take risks like that without telling someone. We were worried when you disappeared like that."
"I'm sorry," Clara whispered.
Caitlin paused… then nodded and softened her tone. "But… thank you. For sending Svarog. You bought Barry the time he needed, and you stopped Danton Black from hurting anyone else."
Clara's shoulders loosened slightly. "I-It's not a problem...I just wanted to help Big Brother Barry and you, too, Big Sister."
Caitlin and Barry were both stunned when Clara called them Big Brother and Big Sister. This made them smile, and Caitlin felt a bit shy since Clara looked so cute right now, even when she said that.
Cisco leaned in with his trademark grin, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Hey, check it out, guys! Looks like you've got yourselves a brand-new little sister!"
Caitlin rolled her eyes, but smiled, not denying it. "Next time, Clara, we run everything by someone. Even if you're ninety-nine percent sure it's safe."
Clara nodded. "Okay."
"I'm going to head back to the station now, guys, I got work to do." Barry started to head toward the Cortex exit, but Clara suddenly stood up from the chair, her red eyes bright with determination.
"Wait, Big Brother Barry," she called out softly.
Barry paused and turned back to her. "Yeah, Clara? What's up?"
Clara shuffled her feet, then looked up with a hint of loneliness in her eyes. ""Can you... can you maybe come by later? Just for a little bit?" Just for a little bit? I know you're busy, but… it gets kinda quiet here when everyone's working, and I have to repair Mr. Svarog and Pascal just in case they have any damage, so that's why Mr. Svarog is not here right now, while you just met Pascal, but at a bad time."
Barry's expression softened. He walked back over to her, kneeling so they were at eye level. "Of course I can. I'll swing by after work. We'll hang out for a bit, maybe get ice cream tomorrow if Caitlin says it's okay."
Clara's eyes lit up just a little. "Really?"
Barry nodded. "Really. You saved the day today, Clara. The least I can do is say thanks with a triple scoop."
Clara gave a small, teary-eyed smile. "I've never had a triple scoop before…"
After all, the only time she remembers having Ice cream was before her medication and needles in the hospital with Mama and Papa.
"Then it's long overdue," Barry said, ruffling her hair gently.
Caitlin folded her arms, watching the exchange with a mix of fondness and motherly concern. "But only after she finishes resting and recovering."
"Deal," Barry agreed, glancing at Clara. "That means no laptop on the bed."
Cisco piped up as he was now cleaning the suit. "What about chocolate fudge? That counts as medicine, right?"
Caitlin gave him a look. "You're not helping, Cisco."
Clara giggled quietly, her earlier sadness fading. She looked at all of them, Caitlin, Barry, Cisco, even Dr. Wells in the corner, who was smiling, and for the first time since coming to S.T.A.R. Labs… she didn't feel like just a lonely or even scared anymore
She felt like she belonged.
And for Clara, that meant everything...It's been so long since she felt that feeling.
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Stagg industries
Stagg was in his office, looking at the window as he turned around in his chair to see that Dr. Wells was right there looking at him.
"Wells? Who the hell let you in?" Stagg asks as he wasn't informed of Wells' coming in at all.
"You been having a party out there?" Dr. Wells gave a thin smile.
"I'm sure you saw on TV, a former employee of mine tried to kill me." Stagg answered as he drank his glass of alcohol.
"Former employee with the ability to replicate faced off against a man who could move at super speed and two heavily advanced robots that may be sentient." Dr. Wells informed.
"I haven't seen the robots myself... but you have, haven't you?" Stagg asked, knowing what Dr. Wells' answer would be.
"Indeed, I have." Dr. Wells answered as he nodded.
"Extraordinary." Stagg said with a smile as he stood up and set his glass of alcohol down on his desk. "The power he possesses and the two robots, you said it's like the gods of old, it's like Mercury on earth. Can you imagine if you could control his power, if-if you could harness it, you could change what it means to be human. The man in the red mask is the answer, and those robots? If they're truly self-aware, then someone out there just leapfrogged a hundred years of AI development. Imagine what that power could do… if it could be controlled." Stagg said, explaining his idea since he wanted those people for the answer.
"The man in the red mask and the person who built two robots...The first one is called the Flash, while the second one...I have no idea, but that robot is what I want, as for the Flash, he or at least he will be the Flash one day." Dr. Wells said as he got up from his wheelchair slowly.
"What the hell..." Stagg said in shock as he looked up at Dr. Wells' face.
Without hesitation, Wells lunged forward, driving a hidden blade deep into Stagg's abdomen.
"Forgive me, Simon. I worry you might think this is personal,...but it's not." Wells said evenly, his tone devoid of emotion. "I just think that the man in the red mask, the fastest man alive, and the builder of the first robotic sentient AI must be kept...Safe," Dr. Wells said as he twisted the blade once, then withdrew it. Stagg collapsed to the floor, gasping for air as life slipped from his body.
Wells turned to the desk and noticed a file left open. He flipped it open with interest, scanning the contents. His brow arched, then turned into a creepy smile.
"Well, now… so that's why those assassins were sniffing around before the particle accelerator went online. You really were desperate, weren't you, Simon? I never thought you would work with the League of Assassins to help you climb the ranks and pay money to...and the person you pay your money and your resources to, of all people, it happened to be...
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Lady Shiva.