[ Of course, it was the three of them. It had been the three of them from the very start.
S.T.A.R. Labs would be fine in Joe and Iris and Jay's capable hands. They were a triptych - Barry, Cisco, Caitlin - and together the three of them could do anything. Unless that thing was avoiding getting wrapped up in the problems of their doppelgangers on Earth-2. Cisco's vibes were M.I.A., and then Barry had gotten involved, and Joe had gotten killed, and everything became a lot more complicated than they'd planned on.
It is Caitlin who ends up accompanying Iris on her sting operation, armed with the device that Cisco had given her. He remains back at S.T.A.R. Labs, with Harry, attempting to get his goggles to work once more. So it is Caitlin, not Cisco, who ends up confronting Killer Frost and Deathstorm, who Reverb saunters out to, all smiles and menace. ]
Well look what we have here. It's like a family reunion.
[ He looks between Killer Frost and Caitlin, smug and smirking. ]
[ Caitlin hates second-guessing herself. But it's exactly what she finds herself doing as she stands in this alley.
Detective West (it's hard to think of the woman at her side as Iris, even if she does wear the same face) is probably the only capable person standing here on their side. Though, the worst shot award goes to West's partner, Floyd Lawton, and how this Earth's Deadshot ended up unable to hit the broadside of a barn is a wonder that science could never explain.
She has to steady herself, looking into the face of her doppelganger. With her white-blonde hair, ice blue eyes, and china white skin, it's easier to see Killer Frost as a separate person than it is when she looks at Deathstorm. It floors her, seeing Ronnie's face twisted, cruel. Enjoying the chaos he causes.
The thought of Cisco's double hadn't even crossed her mind until now, as he comes out of the shadows, his smile promising terrible things. Just the look on his face has her tightening her hands on the device she carries. ]
You're Cisco. [ She hesitates, reconsiders. ] You're his doppelganger.
[ Reverb gives an ironic, fancy little bow, never taking his eyes off her. Or at least, he probably doesn't - it's impossible to tell with those goggles on, glowing an eerie blue in the low light. ]
Reverb. I don't think we're really on first name terms yet, are we, Dr. Snow?
[ He places a slight emphasis on the doctor, glancing over at Killer Frost with a hint more smugness in his face. It's anyone's guess whether he does it just as a dig at her (and the fact that, yes, he knows about her failed medical ambitions) or to demonstrate that he knows a lot more about Caitlin than she does about him. ]
Left him back at the lab, did you? Smart. He's not cut out for fighting, that one. At least not yet. Then again... [ He pauses, draws out the silence, making her wait, looking her up and down and then sighing and shaking his head, theatrically unimpressed. ] ...neither are you.
[ There's a snappy comeback ready to spring from her lips, a comeback that dies a quick and painful death as he calls her doctor. Caitlin takes it as him demonstrating knowledge about her. Because there's no way that ... person over there wearing her face is any sort of medical professional.
She watches him look her over, and it's such a foreign look on such a familiar face that it makes her skin crawl. That it makes her distracted, and only the last few of his words click right away. ]
I may not be a metahuman, but I — [ The rest drops into place. Her eyes narrow as she regards him. ]
[ He may look like Cisco, but his laugh is nothing like Cisco's. It is smug and false, a chuckle more than anything else. It's only too clear that Caitlin's disturbance and confusion are amusing to him. ]
But you... what? Please.
[ Reverb scoffs at the idea of Caitlin as a fighter. ]
I've been watching, you see. [ Reverb taps at the goggles on his face, before pulling them off. Without them, the resemblance to Cisco is even stronger, but it also makes the differences more obvious. He's a little thinner than Cisco, there's an unhealthy pallor to his skin, and the dramatic makeup around his eyes doesn't entirely hide the dark circles under them. ] There's so much you don't know, Dr. Snow. About his potential. About him. And about... other people in your life.
[ It's clear that, for all that Deathstorm and Killer Frost helped to set this little trap, they aren't privy to whatever the hell it is Reverb is talking about. They seem restless and confused, and Reverb seems to not give a shit about them, or about Detective West or Lawton.
He tuts, condescending and slow: ]
So naïve. I don't know how any of you have managed to survive this long, honestly...
[ If the look from him had disturbed her, his laugh does doubly so. She's used to Cisco's openness and joy and yes, sometimes, sarcasm. She's used to the kindness and caring in his face. Part of her is glad he isn't here, isn't faced with this near-caricature of himself. He would be endlessly fascinated, sure, but it would also worry him, especially with what he talks about.
When he mocks her, Caitlin's face hardens, her hands tighten around the device. It's all for momentary effect, however, as he removes the goggles. She flinches hard, as if she's been struck. Idly, she wonders where the two diverged, if there was some significant turning point that made this Earth's Cisco Ramon into Reverb. Maybe it's all just Zoom's sway over him, his influence that warped him.
Somehow, that feels a little too hopeful right now. ] Your powers... they let you see into our Earth?
[ She already knows the answer to her question, knows that he'll likely mock her again for asking it. But it'll give her confirmation, that it would be something Cisco would also be capable of. (She isn't sure why they'd need to spy on Earth-2 once they have Jesse and close the last breach, but it's a thought.) ]
What other people are you talking about? [ There's the briefest pause. ] Don't. Don't say anything. You work for Zoom. I'm sure he'd love to have us fighting each other instead of him. And I'm sure you'd love that too.
My powers... [ He draws the words out, like they are delicious to him. Which they are. He can see her plotting, scheming. Thinking she is taking control of the situation, that she'll be able to use this information to her advantage. Blind to her own position. ] ...let me see everywhere. I knew you were coming before you ever stepped through the breach. I know all kinds of things that have been going on in your world. Tut tut, Dr. Snow. Stealing DNA samples to run tests. Cooking up experimental speed drugs in secret. You do have a little bit of a bad streak, don't you?
[ Reverb glances at Killer Frost then, to make it clear the comparison he is making. The examples were carefully chosen. Even Vibe doesn't know about either of those things. It is the quickest way to make it clear he knows her secrets. And, to his delight, transitions so meaningfully to his next taunt. ]
That is a lot of assumptions to make about my loyalty, considering we just met. [ He tilts his chin upwards, proud, voice growing louder and boastful as he says: ] His obsession with proving he can run quicker than all the other little speedsters in all the other little universes has grown... tedious. Amongst other... preoccupations of his. He has lost focus, and I have lost patience.
[ Killer Frost seems agitated by this: it's all obviously news to her, but as soon as she opens her mouth to voice an objection, Reverb shoots her a silencing look ]
What if I told you that underneath that mask is a face that you know well, hmm?
[ As much as she tries, Caitlin can't keep the surprise out of her expression, can't keep her eyes from flaring wide and showing mostly white. DNA samples. And he knows about the Velocity-7. The serum that she can only hope will be Jay's cure. The serum that she needs to be his cure. Not even Harry knows about her work on it. She's gotten too used to having Earth-2's Flash around to watch him slowly slip away.
Maybe he is telling the truth. And maybe he's just giving her enough truths so that she'll swallow his lies and choke on them. ] Lost his focus on what? His goal is being the fastest... is it?
[ She's letting him get her turned around. Carefully, she glances away from him to the two detectives beside her. Lawton looks positively terrified and on the verge of passing out. And Iris — Detective West — just looks angry. But she had looked that way since they met. How very different from her Earth's Iris.
When he speaks again, she looks back to him. ] I'd say you're lying and trying to mess with my head.
His focus on changing things. On running the city.
[ Zoom made promises to his lieutenants, after all - promises that he has not kept. And Reverb is done waiting for him, with his obsessions and his ego. He is moving on to bigger, better things.
Caitlin's reply makes Reverb smile, indulgent, patient. Her refusal to believe is going to make the whole thing more delicious. He takes a lazy step towards her, then another. ]
Then why don't I show you.
[ Reverb is close enough, now, that he can reach out for her hand. His own hand is cold - not as cold as Killer Frost's, maybe, but colder than it should be. But it serves its purpose: Caitlin is pulled into the vision with him, into the blue distorted version of the world that he sees when he peers through the fabric of the universe.
This is how he looks into other dimensions; how he knows about Zoom's dalliance with Caitlin. It is easy, finding his way to Zoom's lair. Reverb is careful, doesn't manifest anywhere that Zoom might be able to see them. Instead, he and Caitlin are behind the grimy gears of some huge, rusted, long-disused machinery. Still, they are close enough to peer around and see Zoom pacing, sans mask, no doubt impatient for Reverb and Killer Frost to capture the Flash and bring him there. Reverb holds a finger to Caitlin's lips, silencing her before she has a chance to say anything and blow their cover. He points to Zoom. Points to the unmistakable figure of "Jay Garrick', his hair rumpled, his face set in a scowl.
It is dangerous to do this for too long - even in his distraction, Zoom may sense them. So he only waits until he is sure Caitlin has seen what she needs to see before he hauls them both out, breaks the connection. ]
[ Something tells her to not let him get close. That she should step back, take two steps back to each one of his advancing ones. And that voice in her head screams that she shouldn't let him touch her. But what could he vibe that he hadn't already somehow seen? He already acts as if he knows all of her secrets.
But Caitlin has no clue about his.
Just as his cold hand wraps around hers, the world is plunged into shades of blue, like someone's been toying with the tint controls in her head. Her vision feels off, fuzzy at the edges, warped. Things go blurry a moment, like when Barry runs her somewhere, but it clears, everything thrown into sharp relief by comparison. She's about to ask what Reverb's playing at when his finger touches her lips and redirects her attention.
Her stomach lurches as she sees Jay's face. She blinks hard, shakes her head, as if either would change what's still in front of her eyes when she looks again. It isn't just Jay's face that's recognizable, that could be explained away so easily. No, she knows him too well by now to not know how he holds himself, how he walks.
It's him. But how can it be him.
She takes more notice of Reverb letting go of her hand than she does of the world shifting back to that golden tinged light, the setting around them the alley instead of... wherever Jay is holed up. Dazed, Caitlin stumbles backwards, nearly tripping over her own feet. Detective West barks something at Reverb, but she can't make it out over the roar of her own heartbeat pounding in her ears. Can't make it out over the way she keeps repeating no over and over, like it'll change what he showed her. ]
Relax, Detective. [ Reverb might be speaking to Iris, but he keeps his eyes fixed on Caitlin. On her loud little meltdown. There is smug satisfaction, and no sympathy to speak of, in his expression. He had thought that she might refuse to see the evidence that was right before her eyes - plenty of people do, in similar circumstances. But there must have been enough proof there to break through her willful blindness. Which is good. It helps all their chances, gives him more time. ]
You can say that all you want, but it won't change the truth. You saw his face. You know it isn't a trick.
[ Even if Caitlin and Flash and his doppelganger don't end up joining forces with him, it will have all been worth it for this. Reverb has seen enough to know that Caitlin's esteem is Zoom's weak spot, and so he is making his first move by striking a hard blow where it hurts the most. And Reverb knows better than to use half measures. ]
Really, Dr. Snow, I must say... you have the worst luck when it comes to men.
[ If there's one thing that will put the brakes on her denial and disbelief and meltdown spiral, it's an insult or cutting remark from someone she doesn't like. It's one thing Hartley's been good for in Caitlin's life, getting her accustomed to reacting, to doing what she can to pull herself out of this.
Her head lifts, her expression goes hard. ]
You know nothing about me.
[ This time, she's the one to approach him, her eyes sharp and her mouth pressed into a thin line. It's easier now to separate him from Cisco in her head, though she finds herself wondering what happened in this world that turned Reverb into this. What happened to Killer Frost and Deathstorm, too. ]
You can watch all you like, but it doesn't mean jack.
[ Reverb raises his eyebrows slightly, an amused curve to his mouth as she comes towards him, talks back to him. There is at least a little bit of fight in her. That's good. Useful. Of course, if she thinks she can intimidate him, she's dreaming, but it is amusing to meet her stare, unblinking, unperturbed. ]
I already told you.
[ It's a sly remark, a dig at her for being slow and not putting it together herself. Slow to realize that Jay was a liar, slow to understand why Reverb is exposing him. ]
When he recruited us, he made promises. Power. Respect. An agenda. But he's gotten sloppy. Distracted. Interested only in his own petty little ambitions and.... affairs. [ He says the word heavily, making it clear that by 'affairs' he means her. ]
I'm ending the stagnation. Moving things forward, whether Zoom likes it or not. I'm telling you... [ He is the one taking a step forward this time, coming into her personal space, voice dropping down low ] ...that we should work together. Against Zoom. Against your... "Jay Garrick".
[ She doesn't want to be the one that blinks, who backs down even an inch. He'll take a mile for each one she gives up, and she's tired of losing ground. Of being behind all the time. Just once, Caitlin wants them to be the one in the lead, the one that's one step ahead. Being proactive instead of reactive.
But today isn't that day, not with the way he stares back and takes a dig at her. Her gaze shifts away before she blinks. To her credit, she doesn't move away as he advances. Maybe she shouldn't let him this close again, but she's determined to somehow show he doesn't scare her.
Even if he does scare her. A small bit. ]
You have to be crazy if you think we'd ever work with you. The enemy of my enemy? Still my enemy.
[ He likes that she stands her ground. It's more backbone than he would have expected. She does look fragile, but maybe there's a bit of steel hidden under all that. Reverb shrugs, lifting his hands into the air. ]
Never say never. You might find that you're a much worse judge of character than you thought.
[ After all, she had trusted Jay, hadn't she? Right from the moment he told her he was a scientist. She'd bought into his boy scout act, and look where it had landed her. Appearances. They could be so deceptive. Reverb takes a step back, pulls a business card from a pocket, and scrawls some numbers on the back. GPS coordinates to Zoom's lair. Even if things ended up going poorly for Caitlin and her little friends, it's a win-win scenario. Any sort of development at least breaks him out of this lull he's found themselves in, wasting his talents while Zoom dithers. ]
I'll be in touch.
[ At which point he turns to leave, without a backward glance for Caitlin, or KIller Frost, or Detective West, or even Barry Allen hiding just out of sight (and yes, of course he'd known he was there).
He certainly is going to have fun seeing how this all unfolds. ]
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no subject
S.T.A.R. Labs would be fine in Joe and Iris and Jay's capable hands. They were a triptych - Barry, Cisco, Caitlin - and together the three of them could do anything. Unless that thing was avoiding getting wrapped up in the problems of their doppelgangers on Earth-2. Cisco's vibes were M.I.A., and then Barry had gotten involved, and Joe had gotten killed, and everything became a lot more complicated than they'd planned on.
It is Caitlin who ends up accompanying Iris on her sting operation, armed with the device that Cisco had given her. He remains back at S.T.A.R. Labs, with Harry, attempting to get his goggles to work once more. So it is Caitlin, not Cisco, who ends up confronting Killer Frost and Deathstorm, who Reverb saunters out to, all smiles and menace. ]
Well look what we have here. It's like a family reunion.
[ He looks between Killer Frost and Caitlin, smug and smirking. ]
no subject
Detective West (it's hard to think of the woman at her side as Iris, even if she does wear the same face) is probably the only capable person standing here on their side. Though, the worst shot award goes to West's partner, Floyd Lawton, and how this Earth's Deadshot ended up unable to hit the broadside of a barn is a wonder that science could never explain.
She has to steady herself, looking into the face of her doppelganger. With her white-blonde hair, ice blue eyes, and china white skin, it's easier to see Killer Frost as a separate person than it is when she looks at Deathstorm. It floors her, seeing Ronnie's face twisted, cruel. Enjoying the chaos he causes.
The thought of Cisco's double hadn't even crossed her mind until now, as he comes out of the shadows, his smile promising terrible things. Just the look on his face has her tightening her hands on the device she carries. ]
You're Cisco. [ She hesitates, reconsiders. ] You're his doppelganger.
no subject
Reverb. I don't think we're really on first name terms yet, are we, Dr. Snow?
[ He places a slight emphasis on the doctor, glancing over at Killer Frost with a hint more smugness in his face. It's anyone's guess whether he does it just as a dig at her (and the fact that, yes, he knows about her failed medical ambitions) or to demonstrate that he knows a lot more about Caitlin than she does about him. ]
Left him back at the lab, did you? Smart. He's not cut out for fighting, that one. At least not yet. Then again... [ He pauses, draws out the silence, making her wait, looking her up and down and then sighing and shaking his head, theatrically unimpressed. ] ...neither are you.
no subject
She watches him look her over, and it's such a foreign look on such a familiar face that it makes her skin crawl. That it makes her distracted, and only the last few of his words click right away. ]
I may not be a metahuman, but I — [ The rest drops into place. Her eyes narrow as she regards him. ]
What do you mean not yet?
no subject
But you... what? Please.
[ Reverb scoffs at the idea of Caitlin as a fighter. ]
I've been watching, you see. [ Reverb taps at the goggles on his face, before pulling them off. Without them, the resemblance to Cisco is even stronger, but it also makes the differences more obvious. He's a little thinner than Cisco, there's an unhealthy pallor to his skin, and the dramatic makeup around his eyes doesn't entirely hide the dark circles under them. ] There's so much you don't know, Dr. Snow. About his potential. About him. And about... other people in your life.
[ It's clear that, for all that Deathstorm and Killer Frost helped to set this little trap, they aren't privy to whatever the hell it is Reverb is talking about. They seem restless and confused, and Reverb seems to not give a shit about them, or about Detective West or Lawton.
He tuts, condescending and slow: ]
So naïve. I don't know how any of you have managed to survive this long, honestly...
no subject
When he mocks her, Caitlin's face hardens, her hands tighten around the device. It's all for momentary effect, however, as he removes the goggles. She flinches hard, as if she's been struck. Idly, she wonders where the two diverged, if there was some significant turning point that made this Earth's Cisco Ramon into Reverb. Maybe it's all just Zoom's sway over him, his influence that warped him.
Somehow, that feels a little too hopeful right now. ] Your powers... they let you see into our Earth?
[ She already knows the answer to her question, knows that he'll likely mock her again for asking it. But it'll give her confirmation, that it would be something Cisco would also be capable of. (She isn't sure why they'd need to spy on Earth-2 once they have Jesse and close the last breach, but it's a thought.) ]
What other people are you talking about? [ There's the briefest pause. ] Don't. Don't say anything. You work for Zoom. I'm sure he'd love to have us fighting each other instead of him. And I'm sure you'd love that too.
no subject
[ Reverb glances at Killer Frost then, to make it clear the comparison he is making. The examples were carefully chosen. Even Vibe doesn't know about either of those things. It is the quickest way to make it clear he knows her secrets. And, to his delight, transitions so meaningfully to his next taunt. ]
That is a lot of assumptions to make about my loyalty, considering we just met. [ He tilts his chin upwards, proud, voice growing louder and boastful as he says: ] His obsession with proving he can run quicker than all the other little speedsters in all the other little universes has grown... tedious. Amongst other... preoccupations of his. He has lost focus, and I have lost patience.
[ Killer Frost seems agitated by this: it's all obviously news to her, but as soon as she opens her mouth to voice an objection, Reverb shoots her a silencing look ]
What if I told you that underneath that mask is a face that you know well, hmm?
no subject
Maybe he is telling the truth. And maybe he's just giving her enough truths so that she'll swallow his lies and choke on them. ] Lost his focus on what? His goal is being the fastest... is it?
[ She's letting him get her turned around. Carefully, she glances away from him to the two detectives beside her. Lawton looks positively terrified and on the verge of passing out. And Iris — Detective West — just looks angry. But she had looked that way since they met. How very different from her Earth's Iris.
When he speaks again, she looks back to him. ] I'd say you're lying and trying to mess with my head.
no subject
[ Zoom made promises to his lieutenants, after all - promises that he has not kept. And Reverb is done waiting for him, with his obsessions and his ego. He is moving on to bigger, better things.
Caitlin's reply makes Reverb smile, indulgent, patient. Her refusal to believe is going to make the whole thing more delicious. He takes a lazy step towards her, then another. ]
Then why don't I show you.
[ Reverb is close enough, now, that he can reach out for her hand. His own hand is cold - not as cold as Killer Frost's, maybe, but colder than it should be. But it serves its purpose: Caitlin is pulled into the vision with him, into the blue distorted version of the world that he sees when he peers through the fabric of the universe.
This is how he looks into other dimensions; how he knows about Zoom's dalliance with Caitlin. It is easy, finding his way to Zoom's lair. Reverb is careful, doesn't manifest anywhere that Zoom might be able to see them. Instead, he and Caitlin are behind the grimy gears of some huge, rusted, long-disused machinery. Still, they are close enough to peer around and see Zoom pacing, sans mask, no doubt impatient for Reverb and Killer Frost to capture the Flash and bring him there. Reverb holds a finger to Caitlin's lips, silencing her before she has a chance to say anything and blow their cover. He points to Zoom. Points to the unmistakable figure of "Jay Garrick', his hair rumpled, his face set in a scowl.
It is dangerous to do this for too long - even in his distraction, Zoom may sense them. So he only waits until he is sure Caitlin has seen what she needs to see before he hauls them both out, breaks the connection. ]
no subject
But Caitlin has no clue about his.
Just as his cold hand wraps around hers, the world is plunged into shades of blue, like someone's been toying with the tint controls in her head. Her vision feels off, fuzzy at the edges, warped. Things go blurry a moment, like when Barry runs her somewhere, but it clears, everything thrown into sharp relief by comparison. She's about to ask what Reverb's playing at when his finger touches her lips and redirects her attention.
Her stomach lurches as she sees Jay's face. She blinks hard, shakes her head, as if either would change what's still in front of her eyes when she looks again. It isn't just Jay's face that's recognizable, that could be explained away so easily. No, she knows him too well by now to not know how he holds himself, how he walks.
It's him. But how can it be him.
She takes more notice of Reverb letting go of her hand than she does of the world shifting back to that golden tinged light, the setting around them the alley instead of... wherever Jay is holed up. Dazed, Caitlin stumbles backwards, nearly tripping over her own feet. Detective West barks something at Reverb, but she can't make it out over the roar of her own heartbeat pounding in her ears. Can't make it out over the way she keeps repeating no over and over, like it'll change what he showed her. ]
no subject
You can say that all you want, but it won't change the truth. You saw his face. You know it isn't a trick.
[ Even if Caitlin and Flash and his doppelganger don't end up joining forces with him, it will have all been worth it for this. Reverb has seen enough to know that Caitlin's esteem is Zoom's weak spot, and so he is making his first move by striking a hard blow where it hurts the most. And Reverb knows better than to use half measures. ]
Really, Dr. Snow, I must say... you have the worst luck when it comes to men.
no subject
Her head lifts, her expression goes hard. ]
You know nothing about me.
[ This time, she's the one to approach him, her eyes sharp and her mouth pressed into a thin line. It's easier now to separate him from Cisco in her head, though she finds herself wondering what happened in this world that turned Reverb into this. What happened to Killer Frost and Deathstorm, too. ]
You can watch all you like, but it doesn't mean jack.
[ She tries to stare him down. ]
What's your game, here? What are you after?
no subject
I already told you.
[ It's a sly remark, a dig at her for being slow and not putting it together herself. Slow to realize that Jay was a liar, slow to understand why Reverb is exposing him. ]
When he recruited us, he made promises. Power. Respect. An agenda. But he's gotten sloppy. Distracted. Interested only in his own petty little ambitions and.... affairs. [ He says the word heavily, making it clear that by 'affairs' he means her. ]
I'm ending the stagnation. Moving things forward, whether Zoom likes it or not. I'm telling you... [ He is the one taking a step forward this time, coming into her personal space, voice dropping down low ] ...that we should work together. Against Zoom. Against your... "Jay Garrick".
no subject
But today isn't that day, not with the way he stares back and takes a dig at her. Her gaze shifts away before she blinks. To her credit, she doesn't move away as he advances. Maybe she shouldn't let him this close again, but she's determined to somehow show he doesn't scare her.
Even if he does scare her. A small bit. ]
You have to be crazy if you think we'd ever work with you. The enemy of my enemy? Still my enemy.
no subject
Never say never. You might find that you're a much worse judge of character than you thought.
[ After all, she had trusted Jay, hadn't she? Right from the moment he told her he was a scientist. She'd bought into his boy scout act, and look where it had landed her. Appearances. They could be so deceptive. Reverb takes a step back, pulls a business card from a pocket, and scrawls some numbers on the back. GPS coordinates to Zoom's lair. Even if things ended up going poorly for Caitlin and her little friends, it's a win-win scenario. Any sort of development at least breaks him out of this lull he's found themselves in, wasting his talents while Zoom dithers. ]
I'll be in touch.
[ At which point he turns to leave, without a backward glance for Caitlin, or KIller Frost, or Detective West, or even Barry Allen hiding just out of sight (and yes, of course he'd known he was there).
He certainly is going to have fun seeing how this all unfolds. ]