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. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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. ]