OUT OF TIME , barry allen✔️

36. No secret

Three weeks later.

[ Third POV]

Mania was close to destroying the small piece of metal when she suddenly collapsed as soundwaves closed in on her, making her scream out in pain. She dropped the metal piece and pressed her hands against her ears. She curled up on the floor before her eyes turned back to blue. Cisco still pressed the button and the team and I watched as she continued to let out piercing screams. Then she passed out and her head hit the floor.

Now, three weeks later, she was holed up in the pipeline, experiencing every now and then the same kind of soundwaves that caused her to pass out. Zoe was back and working harder on finishing the cube. And two days prior, Cisco, Sam and Zoe finally finished it. It was looking exactly like it should be.

☇

Nora raced into Iron Heights as she felt the electricity running through her veins. "It's finished! They did it. Mania is incarcerated in the pipeline and Mom and Sam finished the cube. It's gonna work." The woman said and Thawne turned around to her, holding onto his vest with a satisfied look on his face. "Good job, little runner." He said and smiled. Then it seemed like he was thinking about something.

Behind Thawne, a newspaper was glitching against the wall and one  could barely see the picture. "What is that?" Nora asked as she recognized it. Thawne looked back and sighed. "A new timeline struggling to break through. With Mania's death almost set in stone, a new timelime is forming." He said and Nora frowned.

"What do you mean, it's almost set in stone? What's changing? What did I do wrong?" Nora asked franctic and Thawne turned back to her. "You did everything right, little runner." Thawne said and Nora raised an eyebrow. Thawne suddenly stepped back as he realized that she was doing something to him. "What are you not telling me?" She asked slowly and stepped forward to the glass. "Where's Storm these days?" He asked and Nora almost detected a bit of concern in his voice.

"She hasn't been around for almost two months now. Mom is afraid that letting her out will give away her location to Mania." Nora explained and Thawne nodded his head. "And the faint ringing that surely isn't coming from your mother?" He continued to ask. Nora's eyes widened in realization and gasped. "It's her, isn't it?" She asked slowly and Thawne again nodded his head. "Yes, I'm afraid so..." Thawne  remarked.

Nora's breath quickened. "What do I do?" The female speedster asked. Thawne kept his answer to himself for a minutes until he answered in a calm voice. "You tell your parents everything. Tell them before she does." The man said and Nora nodded. She turned around and raced back, thinking about all the ways this could end if she fails to be the first to tell them all the truth.

☇

[ Zoe's POV ]

I smiled at myself as I held the finished cube in my hands. "You did it." Barry whispered behind me and I turned around him. We were in Cisco's workshop as I looked at the cube, then put it down on the table before turning to face my boyfriend.

"Well, I had help from the best and only mechanical engineers I know, so..." I whispered and walked towards him. I leaned up against him and pressed a kiss on his lips. Barry's hands found their ways on my cheeks and I smiled into the kiss before he deepened it. "Stop kissing and come into the cortex. There's something we have to hear." I pulled away as I heard Cisco's voice and Barry and I made our way back to the cortex.

Nora was walking around awkwardly as Barry and I entered the cortex. I gasped when I saw Echo in the cortex. Her eyes turned green and her hair turned back to brown. "Time travel surely is something, huh?" She asked and looked to Nora, questioning her. "Mom." I whispered surprised and the woman smiled before her face became serious. "Zoe, do you remember when I told you that I didn't recognize Nora when she first came here?" I nodded and frowned. "Yeah." I whispered, still frozen by what was happening.

"I lied. I knew that she was your daughter." She said and Nora had a sad look on her face. "Please, don't." The speedster whispered. "I knew because when Thawne freed me, he took me here. He told me that I needed to deliver the message." My mother said and Barry slowly stepped forward. "What message?" He asked and my eyes were glued to my mother. "That Nora worked with him. Then and now. He is instructing her on Mania and he is the one who showed her how to time travel in the first place. He showed her how to suppress her inner Storm, despite her getting stronger with each day passing." Mom said and I gasped, stepping back slowly.

"That high-tech piece that is needed to defeat Mania? It's from Savitar. Thawne instructed her to alert him whenever you were nearby and she did. She was able to kill Savitar because one, Thawne told her to and two, Savitar knew." She added and I found myself looking over to Nora.

"Tell us- tell us it isn't true. Nora, please." I said with tears in my eyes and a thick voice. It felt like my throat was thickening. Like I could barely breathe.

"Mom..." Nora whispered, her eyes also watery. "She can't." Barry whispered and I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked over to see Iris holding me. "Dad, please..." Nora said in a low voice. "I gotta go now. It's my time." Mom said and she disappered into thin air, probably travelling back for her execution.

I saw the lightning dancing around Barry's skin before he grabbed Nora and sped away with her. I knew where he was going but it took me a minute to teleport myself to the pipeline where Nora was now in.

Tears were streaming down her face. "Dad! Please. I'm sorry." Nora said and I watched them both. "I am, too." Barry said before he walked away, leaving me and her alone.

"Mom?" Nora's voice was trembling. "I loved you. I truly did. But I can't forgive you for something like this." I whispered before I, too, left.