Running Over Water

[35 - As Easy as a Bookcase from IKEA]

Barry

I walk back into the Pipeline, having made my decision. Once Thawne notices me walking towards him, he stands up and licks his dirty fingers. He had Big Belly Burger fries laid out on the floor of his prison. How he got Big Belly Burger, I have no idea. "Ah, well, if it makes you feel any better, it took you a whole hour longer to decide than I anticipated."

Ignoring that comment, I continue to say, "So how does it work? Your grand plan?"

"It's really not that grand at all, Barry," he takes a sip out of his soda. "In fact, it's rather simple. We use the Particle Accelerator."

"The Particle Accelerator?" I scoff. He can't be serious.

"That last time you used it, you caused an explosion that hurt a lot of people."

"This time, the accelerator will operate exactly the way it was designed to. Except, instead of two particles moving in opposite directions colliding at the speed of light in the inner ring, we're going to inject one particle into the accelerator."

"And I'm what it collides with," I state. And he nods.

"If you can go fast enough, if you can hit that particle with enough speed, you'll punch a hole right through the fabric of reality. And you will create a portal connecting this time to infinite times!"

I contemplate for a moment. If I do go fast enough, I'll create a wormhole allowing myself to go back in time to save my mother, but I'll also allow Thawne to go back to his time. "You said if I run fast enough. What happens if I don't?"

He thinks for a moment for replying, "If you don't achieve the desired velocity, you'll die."

——

Percy

I watched their entire conversation from the Cortex, Caitlin opened the security cameras for Wells' cell, and we were able to see everything that happened.

"How fast would Barry have to go to open the wormhole?" I ask. Caitlin and Cisco both think for a moment. It is Caitlin who answers my question, though.

"Mach 2 at a minimum. But he's never gone that fast before."

"Let me worry about how fast I go," Barry says, walking into the Cortex. We all turn to look at him. "Listen, Cisco, I need you to do something."

With his head resting on his hand, Cisco sighs, "Oh, really? What's that? Because I don't know about you guys, but I'm not at all interested in helping my best friend get killed."

Barry shakes his head, "I need you to build a Time Machine."

At that, Cisco lifts his head up, now invested in the conversation. "Go on."

——

I follow Barry and Cisco into Cisco's lab. "If Thawne is as fast as you, what's he need a Time Machine for?" Cisco asks, continuing to lead us around his lab.

"Apparently he lost his speed when he killed my mom. He gets it back sometimes but only in spurts. He can't fully control it," Barry explains to the both of us.

"So I was right about the wheelchair, he was using it to charge himself," Cisco nods, and I look at him in shock.

"Wait, what?"

"Oh, right, you weren't here. But basically, his wheelchair charges his speed, it's basically giving him his speed, making him go faster," Cisco says.

"Yep, and he's been squirreling away parts to make a time machine to travel back to the future. We just need to put it together."