Chapter 1

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"CAITLIN!" Cisco screamed into the doorframe.

Everything around Barry froze, and the second realization hit him hard. Zoom took Caitlin. Time came back to normal, and Barry ran up to Cisco, trying to catch his breath, and said: "Cisco, ... cameras."

Realizing what Barry meant, Cisco burst into the cortex, Harry, who also understood, rushed with him, Barry, still out of breath, ran after them. Joe and Iris were a little confused, but they followed. The moment Barry stood next to Cisco, Barry saw a trail of blue lightning on the screen. A trail of lightning burst from Star Labs and disappeared a few streets down as lightning leaped into the portal. Barry slammed his fist on the table as hard as he could, scaring everyone in the room.

"Damn it!" Barry screamed, striking the table again with his fist. Then he put both hands on the table and lowered his head, trying to calm down. Everyone in the room didn't know what to do, Cisco and Barry suffered the most, their friend was kidnapped again. Silence reigned in the room for a long time, until Iris spoke.

"What are we going to do? Barry?" Iris asked worriedly.

"I- I don't know ... I need to think," Barry said and went to Caitlin's lab.

Iris was about to follow him, but Joe stopped her.

"Sometimes there are things you have to face yourself," Joe said knowingly. Cisco sits on a chair, rests his elbows on his knees and props his head with his hands, trying to process what just happened.

Caitlin's Lab

Barry locked Caitlin's lab door, sat down in her chair, and began to think.

'Why does it always have to be Caitlin? Snart and Rory, Grodd, and now Zolomon.'

Barry signed heavily.

'Why do I feel like a part of me is missing, as if my heart has been ripped out. I used to lose speed, but this time much worse than the first time. And I doubt it's because of how I lost it. What's different? This time Cait has been kidnapped, and there is nothing I can do about it.'

Barry looked at Caitlin's desk and noticed a photo of him, Caitlin and Cisco. 

Barry took it, looked closer and saw Caitlin's wide, warm smile, which always managed to encourage him to do the impossible

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Barry took it, looked closer and saw Caitlin's wide, warm smile, which always managed to encourage him to do the impossible. He feels like his heart is beating faster and his own words come to his mind: "Sometimes great possibilities are right in front of us and we don't see them because we choose not to." 

'Why didn't I notice Caitlin earlier? Maybe if I did it, she would not end up in the hands of a madman.'

Barry shook his head. Then he looked at Caitlin in the photo and said, "I'm coming, Cait, just hold on."

A moment ago

Cortex

Everyone in the cortex was so immersed in their heads that they did not notice that someone entered the lab.

"Hi guys!" Jesse said cheerfully.

Harry walked up to her and hugged her, saying: "Jesse!" 

When he pulled back slightly, he said, "As good as I am to see you, now is the worst time to come back." 

Jesse raised her eyebrows and looked at the others. She noticed that both Barry and Caitlin and Barry's suit were missing.

"Where are Barry and Caitlin?" Jesse asked but everyone where quiet. Then Jesse looked at her father and she knew from his expression that something had happened. But before she could ask, Caitlin's lab door opened and Barry, with Caitlin's white coat in hand and the most determined expression on his face, stepped out and spoke.

"We're bringing her back. We'll have a better chance of doing this if I have my speed. Cisco, Harry," Barry said, looking at both scientists, "you are the smartest people in this building, if anyone could figure out a way to get my powers back - it's you."

Putting it all together, Jesse realized that Caitlin was being kidnapped, and Barry didn't have his speed.

"I can help," Jesse said, wanting to help. Caitlin was the only woman with whom Jesse could talk about almost anything, including science, and became like the older sister she never had. Barry looked at her and smiled slightly.

"We could use any help we can get, and if you're even half as smart as your father, then you're welcome."

Then Barry walked over to Cisco and said, "Can you try to vibe her?"

"I'll try," Cisco said, and Barry handed him Caitlin's coat.

When Cisco touched his coat, he saw a vibe. He was in Zoom's lair, Cisco turned and saw Caitlin, handcuffed to the edge of the hospital bed. Caitlin sat down on the bed with a tray of Big Belly Burger food in front of her. Then Cisco's vibe ended, he sighed and spoke.

"She is alive and visually unharmed. He chained her to hospital bed in his lair," Cisco said and returned her coat. Then Cisco looked at Harry and Jesse and said, "Let's go to my lab, we have work to do."

Then Barry, Joe, Iris saw Cisco and the others leave the room.

"What should we do?" Joe asked.

"Joe, Iris, go home. Wally was kidnapped not so long ago, he needs his family," Barry said, looking at his foster family.

"And you?" Iris asked.

"We need to come up with a plan to defeat Zoom and get Cait back, with or without my speed," Barry said, looking at Caitlin's coat.

"You're part of the family too, Barry," Joe said.

"I know. But right now Cait needs me more," Barry said and waved his hand. He went into Caitlin's lab and changed into casual clothes. Then he begins to move the glass boards in the cortex and write down everything he knew about Zolomon as a person, Zoom as a villain, everything he knew about speedsters and speedforce, about all the methods of suppressing meta-abilities.

Earth-2

Zoom's Lair

Caitlin sat in a hospital bed and did not move. At that moment, she did not care that it was cold here or that she was on another Earth. She was scared, but more worried about her friends, who she knew would be worried and try to find a way to get her back. And Barry worried her the most, he lost speed again, it hit him hard the first time, and she was afraid that now it would do more damage. But at the same time, she believed in him that he would find a way to stop Zoom.

The Fastest Man Alive: The Flash by AlexWhere stories live. Discover now