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Unspecified location
Afternoon
"No, you're not here. You can't be here." Barry said in denial and Cisco smirked darkly, a look Barry had never seen on his face.
"Oh, I'm here alright. Up here," Cisco gestured to his temple, "I'm all in your head Barry. It's what The Red Death does: Shows you your guilt."
"Your failures." Barry looked over to see Pietro walk out of the shadows on the other side of the room.
"Your rage." Barry saw Zoom speed out, sparkling blue lightning around him.
"None of you-none of you are real." Barry shook his head, trying to ride himself of the images.
It didn't work, as Cisco, Zoom, and Pietro all stood around together as they looked at him in contempt.
"We're as real as you are Barry." Cisco told him.
"We're your darkest thoughts." Zoom said in his monstrous voice, laughing unsettlingly.
"The truths you don't want to face, the people whose lives you've destroyed. Like me. You got me put into a coma I might never wake up from." Pietro said anger in his voice.
"No, I was just trying Clint and that boy, just like you were." Barry argued.
"And you weren't fast enough, so I paid the price. I'm just another person whose life has been destroyed because of you, just like your parents, Eddie, Ronnie, Caitlin, Cisco and so many others." Pietro spat.
"It's what he does best." Cisco said, glaring at Barry hatefully.
"And you call me a monster." Zoom laughed evilly.
"You're all in my head; you're all in my head." Barry closed his eyes and muttered to himself, trying to block it all out.
"Which is why we're the best people to tell you this. Because it's not us telling you this, it's yourself Barry. We're just manifestations of your own thoughts and feelings." Cisco told him.
Stark Industries
Not long after
"I know who this is Tony," Pepper said as she spoke on the phone with Tony after he sent the video to her and she had used some of the technology at Stark Industries to enhance it, "it's the woman I assigned as Barry's assistant. Her name is Cindy Ford."
"And let me guess, she didn't show up to work today. Do you have her address or maybe a phone number?" Tony inquired.
"I have a house phone and a cell phone, and her last known address. But I have a feeling she won't be at the address Tony." Pepper pointed out.
"Still, probably best to cover all our bases." Tony said in thought.
Unspecified location
Same time
"I never meant for this to happen, okay? I'm trying to serve my penance by working with The Avengers." Barry tried to explain.
"Doesn't matter what you mean to do, you destroy everything you touch Barry. Look at Flashpoint! My brother is dead; Cait has these powers along with a homicidal alter ego! Wally has powers, Joe and Iris weren't speaking to each other! And now look at you, starting over here on this new Earth!" Cisco snarled angrily.
"If I could get back home, I would have by now." Barry argued.
"You abandoned us."
Barry looked away from Cisco, Pietro, and Zoom and whipped his head towards the sound of the voice. He stared in shock as Iris walked towards him, a look of pain and betrayal on her face.
"You left us Barry. You left me!" Iris accused him.
"I can't leave here Iris! It's not like I'm here because I want to be!" Barry argued.
"But it's not just that, is it? You like it here. You like the load off your shoulders, you like sharing the burden with your new friends. Most of all, you like her." Iris spat, her eyes hurt.
"What are you talking about?" Barry asked and Iris laughed humorlessly.
"Wanda. You like her," Iris knelt down in front of him and put a hand over his heart, "every day you are here; your heart becomes less mine and more hers. Whether you know it or not, you are falling in love with her. You betray me by forgetting me."
"I would never forget you Iris. I promise." Barry said and Cisco scoffed.
"Your promises aren't worth much anymore." Cisco said scornfully.
Avengers Compound
Later in the afternoon
"You were right Tony; her apartment looks like it was cleared out a few days ago." Clint said as he and Sam walked in, "Tell me you've had better luck."
"Well, they did a decent job of hiding the signal, but not decent enough," Tony said, a hint of gleeful pride in his voice as he brought up a computer screen that showed a cell tower, "this Tower is where the phone call we made to her cell bounced off when we called. They did a decent job of trying to cloak the phone; I'll give them that, but not well enough. I was able to trace the call and it originated at some mansion at the edge of New York. It's supposed to be foreclosed, but there are reports of heavy power and water usage over the last few months."
"Thank you Tony, you've been a great help." Steve told his friend.
"And I'm not done. Barry only got captured because he was helping me. I'm gonna make sure we get him back." Tony said as he got to his feet and Steve nodded.
"Then let's go get Barry." Steve ordered.
Mansion
Late afternoon
Barry woke again, although he didn't remember passing out, some hours later. Cisco, Zoom, Pietro, and Iris were all gone, leaving him alone. Although he thought he sensed someone in the room with him. The clicking of heels in the room confirmed this.
"Who's there?" Barry asked, his voice trembling as he felt pain surging through his body, probably a side effect of The Red Death.
"Oh come on, has it really been that long Barry?" Barry stiffened as he saw Caitlin step into view, her eyes glowing and a malicious smirk on her face. "I'm hurt."
"Caitlin." Barry breathed as he stared at her.
"No, not Caitlin. Killer Frost." She chuckled, her voice distorted as her hair turned snow white.
"Caitlin." Barry said as guilt filled him.
"Caitlin Snow is dead. And it's all thanks to you. Thank you Flash, I'm glad you did this to me." She chuckled cruelly, enjoying the look of shame on his face.
"Caitlin wasn't." Barry said.
"But she's gone now. And it's all your fault. You just had to go save mommy and daddy, everyone else be damned." Killer Frost laughed mockingly.
"I'm sorry Caitlin." Barry said as he looked at her.
"Don't be. Like I said, I'm glad you did this to me Flash." Killer Frost said as she leaned down, giving him a kiss on the mouth.
Barry gasped, feeling like he was freezing from the inside as he felt all the heat leaving his body.
At the front door, three armed men waiting, guns in their hands as they stood guard over the front entrance. Suddenly, the doors burst opened and the three men instantly turned their guns at the entrance, opening fire. However, they quickly realized their bullets simply bounced off the iron armor of their opponent.
"Hello boys," Iron Man said as he walked through the door, "You wouldn't happen to know where our friend is, would you?"
Suddenly, a shield with American colors and a star in the center flew in, spinning. It knocked the rifle out of one of the men's hands, bounced of the wall, knocked one of the other men's rifle out of his hand on the rebound, and was caught by Captain America as he entered. This left only one of the men with his rifle, but he did not have time to react as Iron Man blasted him with a yellow beam. He slammed into the wall, falling down as the other two defenseless men staring at them.
"We don't have to do this. Surrender and we can cut you a deal." Captain America offered.
"Hail Hydra." The two men said as they pulled something out, something that could easily fit into their hand.
"No!" Steve cried out as he realized what it was but it was too late.
The two put the pills in their mouths and, within seconds, white foam bubbled out of their mouths as they fell to the ground, dead.
"Can't save them all Cap." Iron Man said, placing a hand on his teammates' shoulder.
"It's not right…something isn't right," Steve's eyes narrowed as he looked around, "why are their only three guards down here? There should be a lot more."
"Could ask the same question," Natasha said over the comms as she, Sam, and Rhodey stared down the hall, the five guards easily beaten, "I was expecting…more."
"Something isn't right here Cap." Sam said.
"It's like they're not interested in what's here." Rhodey noted, his voice having a metallic muffle to it but the puzzlement in his voice clear.
"Wanda, Vison, have you encountered any resistance down below?" Steve asked over the comms.
"No we have not Captain," Vision said as he and Wanda made their way down a hall, "the lower levels are completely deserted. It is most strange and illogical."
"Be quiet," Wanda suddenly said and Vision looked at her in confusion, "did you hear something?"
"I'm sorry." A voice said.
They looked around, trying to find the source of the vice. They saw a door and Wanda flicked her wrist. The door opened and the pair of them walked over. As they walked inside, they saw Barry, his feet trapped by metal surrounding them and his arms suspended at the endo f tow metal pipes attached to the ceiling.
"Barry!" Wanda exclaimed as she walked over, taking is face in her hands and making him look at her.
"I'm sorry Caitlin. I'm sorry." Barry said completely disoriented, not even seeing Wanda.
"We found him Captain, but I suggest we leave with haste. Barry's condition does not appear to be…good." Vision said appearing concerned.
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If you enjoy please support me on my patreon Future 50+ chapters at patreon.com/Darkphoenix11