Chapter 133: Still Dangerous
The Cortex buzzed with chaotic energy. Sparks popped from the central console as Cisco and Wells worked in unison, both too focused to even speak.
Caitlin checked the vitals of the makeshift portal. It wasn't active yet—but it pulsed faintly, like something just beneath the surface was waiting to be released.
Barry stood near the threshold, masked up, suit zipped, eyes fixed on the machine. Focused. Ready.
Dante leaned against the wall beside him, a cigarette burning slowly between his fingers. He wasn't armored. No suit. No power. Just a knife strapped to his belt and the same smirk he always wore before something violent happened.
That was when Nora walked over.
Her steps were quiet. She looked… unsure. Hesitant.
"Uncle Dante," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, "I should go. Not you."
He glanced at her with one brow raised. "Oh?"
Everyone looked at them.
Cisco paused, tools in hand. Caitlin turned. Wells slowed his work. Barry raised his head.
Because they'd all just remembered—
Dante was human now.
No Void Force. No Speed Force. No enhanced strength, reflexes, or dark gifts. Just blood, bone, and history.
Nora folded her arms, not looking at him directly. "I'm not saying you're weak, Uncle Dante. I'm just… worried."
Dante inhaled a drag from his cigarette and exhaled slowly, eyes narrowed like smoke trails.
"Are you saying," he said calmly, "that because I'm human now, I'm fragile?"
Nora shook her head quickly. "No. I just… I don't want you to get hurt in there."
He smiled.
Not sarcastic. Not mocking. Just a quiet, amused curve of his lips.
"You know," he said softly, flicking the ash off his cigarette, "I could kill everyone in this room before anyone knew what happened."
That caught everyone off-guard.
Nora blinked.
Dante stepped forward, slowly, smoothly. His feet barely made a sound on the lab floor.
"I mean, yeah," he continued casually, "I'm human now. But I spent two years of my life as a street ghost. Ruthless. Efficient. I didn't even ask questions. I just killed gang members. One by one. Thought they'd killed my brother."
He was in front of Nora now. Not fast. Not speedster-fast. But faster than normal. Almost predator-like. A shadow pretending to be a man.
His left hand touched the side of her neck. His right hand—already holding a knife—was suddenly at her chest.
"Boom," he whispered. "You're dead."
Nora didn't breathe.
She felt the cool sting of the blade through her shirt, just barely touching skin.
Sweat rolled slowly down her forehead.
Barry moved an inch. Just one.
But Dante had already stepped back.
He smiled, flicked the knife once, then sheathed it at his side. He reached out and ruffled Nora's hair.
"Don't worry, little one," he said. "Even if I don't have powers anymore… I've still got your dad by my side."
Barry grinned faintly. "You're still crazy."
"Only when I'm sober."
Nora let out the breath she'd been holding, cheeks flushed with a mix of fear and embarrassment. "You didn't have to actually scare me like that."
"I absolutely did," Dante said. "It was a teaching moment."
She frowned, arms crossed. "Teaching what?"
"That you don't need powers to be dangerous," he said, voice lower. "Never forget that."
Before she could answer, Cisco's voice cut through the silence.
"It's done!"
Wells stood beside him, both men now facing the half-completed mirror portal. It was glowing softly, the edges shimmering with refracted light.
A low hum began to build from the core.
Caitlin blinked. "You did it?"
Cisco nodded. "We finished stabilizing the frequency between our dimension and the mirrorverse. With Gideon's help, the energy output from the Time Vault acts as an anchor, creating a two-way bridge."
Barry stepped forward. "So we can get in—and get out?"
Wells answered. "In theory. The window will stay open for one hour. After that, it collapses."
"And if we're still inside?"
"Then we better find a mirror in that world and pray it still connects to ours."
Barry looked to Dante.
Dante nodded once, serious now. "Let's do this."
Before they could move, Caitlin stepped in front of them.
She looked at Barry. Then at Dante.
"You're walking into a world where everything you see might lie to you. It might use your memories, your fears, even your regrets to distract or mislead you. You can't trust reflections. Not even each other."
Barry met her eyes. "We've been through worse."
"Maybe," Caitlin said. Then looked at Dante. "But he hasn't."
Dante just smirked. "Lady, I've been through Hell. It's got nothing on me."
Nora stepped forward, this time with more confidence.
She touched Dante's hand. "Just promise me something."
"What's that?"
"Don't try to save her alone," she said. "You're not alone anymore."
For a second—just a second—Dante looked different. Like the wall he always had up flickered a bit. Then he ruffled her hair again and turned.
"Let's go before Cisco breaks the machine with his optimism."
"Hey!" Cisco said, hands on his hips. "This is top-tier tech."
Barry nodded toward the portal. "Open it."
Cisco pressed a button.
The machine roared to life.
Light spilled outward in a kaleidoscope of color. The frame of the portal bent, warped, and then split down the middle—forming a vertical rift of reflective liquid glass.
Barry looked to Dante. "Ready?"
Dante took one final puff of his cigarette, then crushed it underfoot.
"Born ready."
They stepped through together—
—into the Mirrorverse.
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