Capítulo 18: Progress
The clock ticked ominously. Wally was deep in thought as he wondered who would be sacrificed, who would take Savitar's place. Obviously, it would... It couldn't be him. Yet, when Savitar spoke, he still recalled the words of someone suffering a fate far worse than death.
Was it going to be Jesse, Jay, Barry? No, it couldn't be Barry. Savitar wouldn't be careless enough to stop his own birth. Barry had to witness Iris's death for Savitar to be born.
But who? Just who could it be? "Maybe... another speedster?" The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. A speedster obviously had to take Savitar's place. The Speed Force wouldn't settle for less.
Then again, Savitar had successfully brought the metahumans from Flashpoint, another timeline, into this one. There had to be another speedster out there, and perhaps they would encounter them soon.
Clicking his tongue, he shrugged off the thought for the time being. He couldn't provide a solution to every problem. He might be a transmigrator, but he wasn't a god.
At this moment, Cisco and Harry were preparing Barry and Jay for their attempt to throw the stone into the Speed Force.
It was at this time that Caitlin decided to sneak—no, she was charged with bringing the stone to the pipeline—and that was when she decided to cut a piece of it.
Wally carefully observed her, remaining invisible to the naked eye, vibrating faster than a human could perceive. His original plan had been to stop Caitlin from taking a piece of the stone.
But on second thought, he realized it was a bad idea. What was about to happen could be considered a fixed point. If he were to change it, then he could throw all the knowledge he had out the window.
"Ms. Snow, what's taking so long?" Harry's voice echoed from the speakers, prompting Caitlin to speed up her separation. Another detail was Caitlin turning off the surveillance camera.
Afterward, she hurriedly carried the rest of the stone, safely stored in its box, to the pipeline where Harry, Cisco, Barry, and Jay were waiting for her.
Wally arrived shortly after, watching from behind as Barry and Jay took a running stance. Jay once again explained the plan to Barry for confirmation, and with a nod, they took off, parting the wind.
Sighting this, his initial excitement quelled. His thoughts shifted as he headed to the Med Bay. Preferring to walk, it took him a while to get there. By the time he arrived, Barry and Jay had disappeared, causing the team to worry.
"Glad to know some of the future is still intact," he muttered to himself. Reaching the Med Bay, he began to think his worry about the timeline was too heavy. Then he remembered the fact that, as long as a fixed point wasn't changed or disrupted, the future would still be somewhat intact. Still, the timeline shouldn't be underestimated. It was too complex to understand or predict, he thought, sighing slightly as he opened the doors to the Med Bay.
"Wally?" Jesse's voice rang out as he closed the door, jolting him back to attention.
"Hey... are you feeling alright?" he asked, honestly feeling tongue-tied. He could feel his heart rate increasing for reasons he didn't know.
"Yeah, I'm alright. Speed healing's already kicked in," she said, smiling as she sat up slightly, adjusting the pillow.
"Yeah," he echoed as the conversation came to a halt. Wally took a seat next to Jesse, running his hand through his hair as the silence settled between them. The sound of the machines beeping softly in the background only added to the tension he felt building inside. His mind raced, trying to find the right words, but nothing seemed adequate.
"I..." he started, then paused, glancing down at his hands. "I'm... really sorry, Jesse. It's my fault you got hurt. If I hadn't been so careless, maybe things wouldn't have ended up like this."
Jesse frowned, confusion mixed with concern on her face as she tilted her head slightly. "What are you talking about, Wally?" she asked, her voice gentle but firm.
For a second, he thought about how he had initially tried to ignore the blame, but the more he kept at it, the harder it came back.
He had tried to disarm Alchemy before Savitar could appear, but he didn't expect Savitar to suddenly show up and deflect the attack. Though Wally had dodged it, he ended up hitting her.
Wally sighed, his shoulders slumping. "Back there... when everything was going down, I thought I had things under control. I rushed in, thought I could handle it, but I couldn't, and you—" His voice wavered, and he looked away, unable to finish the sentence.
Jesse shook her head, her expression softening. "Wally, no. You can't put this on yourself. What happened wasn't your fault," she insisted, leaning forward slightly. "No one knew Savitar was going to show up, and... I made my own choices. We all did. You didn't force me into anything."
"But if—"
"Stop." Jesse's tone was gentle but resolute. She reached out, taking his palm in hers. "You did everything you could. We all did. What happened... it's not something we could've controlled."
Wally clenched his fists, the guilt still swirling inside him. "I just... I hate that you're the one who got hurt."
"And I hate that you're beating yourself up over it," Jesse replied, her voice softening as she met his gaze. "We've been through a lot, Wally. You don't have to shoulder every mistake or failure. That's not how this works. We're a team, remember?"
He looked at her, seeing the determination in her eyes, the sincerity in her words. "But what if next time it's worse? What if I can't—"
Jesse squeezed his arm, cutting him off. "Then we deal with it. Together. We've always known the risks. Being speedsters doesn't come with guarantees. But I trust you. I trust us."
Wally felt the weight of her words settle over him, slowly pushing away the doubt he'd been carrying. He took a deep breath, nodding slightly. "I guess I just... I don't want to lose anyone."
"You won't," Jesse said, her voice soft but steady.
For a moment, the silence between them was more comforting than before, a shared understanding passing between them. Wally glanced at her, managing a small smile.
"Thanks, Jess. I needed to hear that."
She smiled back, her eyes warm. "Anytime." Then, with a playful glint, she added, "Just don't make me knock some sense into you next time."
Wally chuckled, the tension finally easing from his shoulders. "Deal."
They sat quietly for a few moments, the silence no longer awkward but comfortable.
"Jess..." he began, his voice quieter now, thoughtful. "When I saw you lying there, I realized how much you mean to me. I don't know what I'd do if something worse happened."
Jesse's eyes softened, and she shifted a little closer, her hand resting on his arm. "I care about you too, Wally. More than you probably know."
Their eyes locked, and for a moment, the world around them seemed to fade. Wally's heart skipped a beat. "Jesse..." he whispered, leaning in without thinking.
Jesse didn't pull away. She met him halfway, her breath catching, and their faces drew closer. Time seemed to slow, and then—
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Three knocks sounded distinctly before Harry walked in.
Wally, annoyed, glanced at Harry.
Wally: -_-
Harry: "..."
It seemed Wally wasn't the only one annoyed by the interruption. Jesse sighed slightly in disappointment before her expression shifted into a smile.
"I'll give you guys some space," Wally said, his gaze trailing over Jesse for a few seconds before vacating the seat. And for some reason, Wally noticed that Harry's gaze was slightly more lenient than it used to be.
"Well, I guess he heard what I said, so his heart must have softened," he mused to himself, stepping outside the Med Bay. He had vaguely felt bioelectricity at the entrance not long after he had entered but ignored it.
Walking down the hallway, Barry and Jay exited at that time. Barry's expression was grim, and as he saw Wally, he quickly tried to cover it up.
"What's wrong?" he asked. "It looks like you've seen a ghost." Barry shook his head at the inquiry, quickly feigning tiredness and exhaustion, but Wally was wiser—he had clearly seen Iris's demise.
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