Chapter 146
Barry stood in the Cortex, silent.
His eyes were fixed on the containment cell that held August Heart. The man had no memory—no knowledge of what he had done, what he would become. And yet, the truth lingered like smoke in Barry's lungs.
August Heart needed true, organic Speed Force energy to survive. Barry could give it to him. He was the Flash. He could open a conduit—let the Speed Force flow into August and stabilize his body.
But should he?
Would giving him that gift rewrite a future his children already lived through? Would he be saving an innocent man—or creating a monster?
Conflicted, Barry stepped out of the Cortex. He needed to breathe, to clear his thoughts. Just outside, in the hall, he found Bart and Nora sitting on the edge of a workbench. Bart hadn't moved much, his hands clenched tight, eyes cold and distant. Rage still burned in his gaze like blue lightning waiting to explode.
Barry approached slowly.
"Bart," he said, voice gentle. "What's wrong, son?"
Bart didn't answer right away. He turned his head slightly, met his father's eyes—and without a word, walked back into the Cortex.
Barry frowned and followed.
Inside, the others had already gathered. Cisco. Wells. Caitlin. Patty. Dante. Nora stood to one side, quiet. Bart walked to the center of the room and stopped. All eyes turned to him. The tension was thick enough to slow even the fastest speedster.
Bart sighed heavily, staring at the floor, then lifted his gaze and spoke.
"August Heart—Godspeed—he's not just some villain. Not just another evil speedster…"
His voice cracked slightly. "He killed Uncle Dante. In the future."
The room went still.
No one spoke for a long moment—until Dante, ever the wildcard, scoffed and puffed smoke from the corner of his mouth.
"You're telling me that messed-up White Power Ranger is the guy who kills me?"
Bart nodded silently.
Dante chuckled grimly. "And that's why you're standing there with murder in your eyes, huh?"
Bart looked away. Still didn't speak.
Dante shrugged, dragging long on his cigarette. "Kid… you know how many times I've died? Literally. Like, a lot. Some not even these guys know about." He nodded to Barry and Cisco. "Hell, I've been shot, stabbed, blown up, erased from timelines—I mean, really creative ways to die. But look at me. Still here. Still smoking like a chimney, just like Cisco always complains."
Cisco raised an eyebrow. "You do have a problem."
Dante grinned but then narrowed his eyes at Bart. "But you're hiding something."
Barry turned. "What?"
Dante didn't look away. "He's hiding something from me. I can feel it. It's not just about me dying. There's more."
Nora bit her lip, shifting nervously. Then she sighed and stepped forward.
"We told you before—you trained us. You taught us everything. That's true. But Godspeed… he didn't just kill you, Uncle Dante."
Her voice trembled. "He tortured you. For years. We didn't know what happened to you. You disappeared—and we didn't hear anything. Not a word for five years."
Bart looked down.
Nora continued, voice thick with emotion. "When we finally saw you again… Godspeed showed up. And he was holding your head."
The silence that followed was thunderous.
Caitlin looked horrified.
Cisco stared in disbelief.
Barry's breath caught in his throat.
Patty gasped softly.
Wells' eyes narrowed, calculating, trying to understand the implications.
Dante?
Dante smirked.
He flicked ash onto the ground and said, "Now that's something I can appreciate. Torture. Execution. Damn, I'm starting to like this Godspeed punk."
Everyone stared at him.
"What?" Dante asked. "You think I'm scared? Kid, I've made more enemies than I can count. I've got more scars than most people have bones. And yeah, so what if that psycho got me in the future? That's the future. I'm still alive right now."
He gestured to himself. "You see me, right? Breathing. Talking. Smoking. If future-me gets caught slipping, that's on him. But today? Today I'm still the baddest bastard in Central City."
Bart's hands curled into fists at his sides. "It's not just about you dying. It's the way you died. It broke us."
Nora nodded slowly, eyes glistening. "You were the one person who always had our back. Who never treated us like kids. You taught us how to fight, how to survive. You were family. And he… he tore you away from us."
Dante looked between them. The smirk faded just a bit. There was a flicker of understanding behind his eyes.
"I get it," he said softly. "I do."
He walked up to Bart, looking the kid in the eye.
"But let me tell you something—you don't let pain turn you into something you're not. You think I'd want you to become like Godspeed to get revenge for me? That ain't justice. That's just adding more blood to the ground."
Bart swallowed hard.
Dante kept speaking " i mean sure i kill people left and right all the time but i don't want that life for you two"
Dante looked at both nora and bart
"I'm not scared of dying," Dante said. "But I am scared of losing you to that rage. You hear me?"
Bart nodded, voice hoarse. "I hear you…"
Dante placed a hand on his shoulder. "Good. Now let's figure out what we're gonna do with the psycho while he still doesn't remember who he is. Before he becomes the man that takes my head."
Barry finally stepped forward. "I have an idea. But it's dangerous. If I give him true Speed Force energy, he might stabilize. Might get his memory back."
"And if he does?" Dante asked.
"Then we lock him down again," Barry said. "But this time, we'll be ready."
The room was quiet again, this time united by shared purpose—and the fear that the future was inching ever closer to becoming the present.
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