{I get by with a little help from my friends

[myheadisaprison]

PSL with adultflash + ingeniero
{The Beginning} + {A Missed Birthday}

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[adultflash]

No matter how prepared they are for this, no matter how many nights he's dreamed of it, nothing quite prepares Barry for seeing his friend struggling in Savitar's grip.

What he didn't expect was to see at all was Savitar whispering in Cisco's ear. He can't make out what he's saying, but it seems to catch Cisco by surprise.

Barry didn't kill your brother, it was me. What better way to break him than to lose his best friend's trust?

The world seems to be moving in slow motion as he races toward him, shouting at Cisco to place the Speed Force trap on him and open the breach, like they'd planned. Barry only hopes they're both able to move fast enough.

[thisismadfreaky]

Try as they might, they couldn't prevent it. The information they'd gotten hadn't been enough, nothing they did had been enough for that. So when it all came down, the scene still played out just like he'd seen it.

Except with one added twist: Much in the way any villain in any movie he's ever seen took the chance to villain speech at the heroes before he made his move to kill them, Savitar revealed that his brother's death was never Barry's fault at all. He can't even wrap his head around it, doesn't have time to process everything that even means before Barry's voice breaks through the haze in his thoughts.

He's not dying. Not like this. Not again. Not today.

Cisco struggles, but he manages to do just like they'd planned-- he slams the Speed Force trap on the self-proclaimed Speed God and opens the breach to send him to his eternal prison.

[adultflash]

When Cisco opens the breach, Barry snatches him out of Savitar's grasp and uses the force of his speed to shove Savitar through the breach. For one incredible second it seems like everything is going to be okay.

And then he feels something sharp and pointy jamming into his side. The piece of armor breaks off as Savitar gets sucked in, and Barry collapses in pain.

"Cisco...I can't..." He can't move, he can't speak. He hurts, and he's scared.

[thisismadfreaky]

Everything happens so fast, Cisco doesn't even catch it all--life with speedsters, hey. It's only after Savitar is dragged away and the breach snaps shut that he has time to catch up. "Barry?" He's on his knees next to his best friend, a little frozen to the spot because he doesn't know what to do. "You're gonna be fine, okay? We're gonna-- it's gonna be fine."

He contacts the team back at the lab and they cart Barry off to the medbay there. Cisco refuses to be in the room until he knows what's happening. But when it's determined that there's nothing they can do, he can't accept it. "No, no!" His voice is sharp and a little tight. "We didn't just go through all of this so we lose him instead of one of us," he makes a circular motion with one hand between himself and Iris. "We're not trading our lives for his, there- there- there has to be something."

"Too bad you don't have two of you here," H.R. pipes up randomly. "Two genius minds would be better than one, right? Then you could think of something."

He spins and looks at H.R., eyes squinted and ready to tell him off until he realizes...he's not wrong. There's a whole multiverse of Cisco Ramon's out there. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right, Mr. Idea Man." Worst nickname. No time to care, though. He sets up the system they'd used before to scan the Earths for possible Harrison Wells'. Except this time, he's searching for other versions of him. A handful of them are duds-- one wasn't even a scientist but a film director, some of were from worlds that were so backdated in their technology they couldn't possibly have anything to help. But there had to be someone. He'd just keep searching and quick-interviewing until he found one.

[ingeniero]

They'd done it. They'd saved Iris' life and trapped Savitar in the Speed Force for good. They'd changed the future. Everyone thought that deserved a little celebration. Party at STAR Labs! Paca even was kind enough not to veto HR's decorations. They sang songs and drank drinks and celebrated the fact that, for once, everyone lived.

Except that's when a signal came through. Just like the signal they'd sent out across the multiverse in search of a replacement for Henrietta, back when they found HR. Except this one wasn't tailored to appeal to Henrietta Wells, it was tailored to appeal for Francisca Ramon, and Paca knew it right away. Somewhere out there, someone was looking for her. Which was how she finds herself now opening a breach to another Earth. Not knowing exactly what she'll find when she goes through, but knowing whatever it is, it's important enough to interrupt her celebrations. So she goes...

...And finds herself in STAR Labs. In front of a face she recognizes but doesn't. He looks like he could be her cousin or something. She'd expected to see Barry or Caitlin or HR, but no. It's just this guy with hair longer than hers (and wouldn't her mother get a kick out of that. "That's what your hair should look like, Francisca! Not this short mess you keep on your head!"). She blinks, pulling herself out of her thoughts. It doesn't matter what her mother would think. Her mother's on a whole other Earth.

"Um... Hey. You rang?"

[thisismadfreaky]

Cisco didn't expect such an immediate rush of a response, the makeshift interview process was just skipped and a breach opened right then and there. Maybe they understood the urgency of the call, maybe it was a million other things, Cisco didn't have time to think about that right now. He had to explain, he had to--

"Whoa. You're--" He blinks and stares at the mystery woman in his lab. Except she really isn't a mystery at all because who else would have known what that signal was for and responded so quickly and so easily. "A girl version of me?" He squints a little, confused. But time. He doesn't have time for this, Barry is hurt and he needs help.

"Look, I have no idea what your life is like, but you know Barry, right? You have...a Barry Allen on your Earth? Tends to fight psychotic speedsters for a living?" His words and explanations come out in a panicked rush, "So, anyway, we were fighting this douchecanoe named Savitar and he stabbed Barry with a piece of his armor and we can't do anything to remove it without--" He can't even say it, can't entertain the reality of it out loud. "Please tell me you can help me."

[ingeniero]

Wait, so that means... "You're a guy version of me?" Weird. But no weirder than meeting Reverb had been.

And any and all weirdness is drowned out by her male doppelganger's next sentence. Barry's hurt? What are they doing standing around talking, why aren't they with him right now?

"Take me to him."

[thisismadfreaky]

He's glad to see that they're on the same page and she has the same sense of urgency about this that he does. "Come on," Cisco doesn't bother wasting any more time with explanations, just waves a hand for her to follow him and leads the way to the med wing where Barry is.

[adultflash]

Barry's conscious, but drugged. The area where the piece of armor is wedged in has been numbed so at least it doesn't hurt quite as badly, but it still looks pretty awful. Iris is holding his hand, and Joe is right next to her. Caitlin is fretting over his vitals. He's really glad to have her back.

"Cisco?" Barry manages, though his speech is a little slurred. Then he blinks at the woman following in after him. "Who...?"

[ingeniero]

"I'm him," Paca interrupts him, gesturing to her male counterpart. Then, before anyone can protest, she waves a hand, adding, "It's... not important." It's so jarring to see her best friend look at her with zero recognition, but she's more concerned with the fact that a piece of Savitar's armor is lodged into his side.

"Talk to me," she says to anyone who'll answer her. "Why can't we remove the armor?"

[thisismadfreaky]

Cisco exchanges a glance with Joe--'the hell, boy?' and 'I'll explain later' they seem to say with their eyes--as Caitlin goes into all the medical jargon explanations, which boils down to 'if we remove it, he may not make it', AKA the least acceptable answer ever.

"Ideas...?" Cisco rolls his lips together and turns toward Paca hopefully.

[adultflash]

Barry vaguely gestures for a Cisco. Either of them. Both of them. Speaking is difficult, but his brain is still working. Kind of.

"Tech. Maybe...I don't...phase it out? Freeze the area... Something. I can't..."

He doesn't know if what he's saying makes any sense, but if anyone can figure it out, it's his best friend. Any version.

"Trust you." It's definitely directed at Paca and Cisco.

[ingeniero]

Paca makes her way over to the monitors displaying Barry's vitals. She puts her hands on her hips and thinks for a second, just trying to get the lay of the land here.

"If we pull it out, it'll snag on the tissue and only injure him more. Phasing's a good idea, but we need something that'll stop, or maybe just slow the bleeding until Barry's healing factor kicks in."

She glances at Caitlin, wondering if this Earth's Caitlin has the same metahuman frost powers that her Caitlin does. With the same complicated baggage to go along with it. Maybe that's not the best route to go down. Instead she turns to her doppelganger. "Any ideas?"

[thisismadfreaky]

He glances at Caitlin when Paca does and shakes his head the slightest bit at his best friend. Nope. He won't ask her to do that. But....

"Actually, I made another model of the cold gun." If anyone decides to get him dirty looks for that, he has an explanation. "Look, most of the speedsters we tend to deal with are evil, I'd rather not take any more unnecessary chances next time."

[adultflash]

"Use it," Barry murmurs, giving them full permission and ignoring any protests. He's not going to judge Cisco for what he's done, because he's right. They need a weapon like that in their arsenal. And maybe it will be too much for him, but maybe it will be the thing they need to save him. It's worth the risk, isn't it?

He tries to fight back a pained groan, but he can't help it. If they don't do something soon, he doesn't know how much longer he can hold on.

[ingeniero]

The cold gun could work. Maybe with some slight modifications to lessen the intensity. She nods to her other self. "Get it." Already in her head, she's running through the schematics of her cold gun, seeing what could be changed, what could be dialed back.

She moves over to stand next to Barry where he lies, reaching to take his hand. Logically, she knows this Barry has no idea who she is, but it's hard to see her best friend lying there in so much pain and do nothing.

"We're gonna get you through this. Okay? Trust me. Trust us."

[thisismadfreaky]

Cisco nods and disappears long enough to get the gun. When he returns, it's all fast-acting movement and rapid words flying from what probably sounds like every direction from Barry's point of view-- Cisco, Caitlin, and Paca all huddled around the bed, going to work to get this fixed because the alternative isn't even on the table.

[adultflash]

"I do. I know I don't know you, but I do..."

When Cisco returns, when they all get to work, he's trying not to cry out in pain. But whatever they're doing is working, and the wound is stabilizing as the bleeding is frozen, and he manages to phase it out with his own hand, slowly vibrating the armor out of his body.

He passes out shortly after, allowing them time to thaw and clean out the wound, and bandage him up. He won't be out for long, though.

[ingeniero]

As soon as Cisco returns with the gun, Paca releases Barry's hand and gets to work. It takes some doing, but they make it work and the shrapnel is removed safely. Paca passes the bloody shard of metal off to Cisco as Caitlin works to close Barry's wound.

After it's over, and Barry lies passed out on the bed, Paca sits on a stool, watching him silently. He looks exactly like her Barry. The Caitlin of this Earth looks exactly like her Caitlin. The Joe looks like her Joe. Everyone looks the same except her male doppelganger. Now that the crisis is averted, it gives her a lot to ponder, but mostly she's sitting with her hand on her chin, watching over her alternate universe best friend to make sure he'll be alright.

[thisismadfreaky]

When the procedure is done and Barry no longer has foreign objects sticking out of his body, Cisco relaxes marginally. The worst is over and the rest will be taken care of by his speedster healing, but that doesn't make the edge of panic and worry settle completely just yet.

He's posted up in a chair next to Barry's bed, listening to the faint beeps and buzzes of the room as he watches his best friend, waiting for any ounce of response from him. The pain probably knocked him out, he'll be awake any second now.

In the meantime...

He glances over at this wholly different sort of doppelganger on the other side of the bed, watching Barry just as intently and he can't help the small twitch of a smile that it brings. She really is him, in all the ways that count, there's really no denying it. "Thanks," he offers quietly, not sure what else to say.

[adultflash]

It takes Barry a few minutes to wake up, but when he does, it's with a pained groan. He blinks his eyes open reluctantly, and glances down at himself. He's okay. Relatively speaking. Still healing, but he'll get there.

"Hey," he mumbles, glancing over at Cisco and Paca. "'m okay. Thank you."

[ingeniero]

"Of course," she tells her counterpart. Because of course she would help Barry. There's no question. She would go to the ends of the Earth-- any Earth-- to help save her best friend.

But then Barry wakes up, and she's off her stool and across the room to his side in a second, pulling over the monitor displaying his vitals.

"Healing up pretty well, Mr. Allen." She looks down at him with a sympathetic smile. "You scared the shit out of us there."

[thisismadfreaky]

He smiles a little at the ease of her reply-- like this was the obvious choice, the only choice, as easy as breathing and something she wouldn't ever have to think twice about.

Before he can say anything else to her, Barry stirs awake and he turns his attention there instead. "Hey, there, Risky Business. How you feelin'?" He's glad his voice sounds more casual than he feels. Paca said it as succinctly as he could have, really.

[adultflash]

Honestly, he's glad they're trying to be casual about this, because it brings a sense of normalcy back that he needs right now. He laughs at Cisco's comment, and winces as his muscles protest. He reaches for Paca's hand, giving them both a small smile.

"Better than I was. And I wouldn't be, if it wasn't for both of you. Speaking of, I didn't get your name. I know you're him, but...are you both Ciscos?" he asks, curious.

[ingeniero]

Paca winces in sympathy when Barry does, but then he takes her and and she squeezes his, to reassure him that she's there and it's gonna be okay. When he asks for her name, she glances up at her doppelganger. They'd been in such a rush, they never really did the whole names thing, did they?

"Cisco? That's what you're going with?" And then, to Barry. "Call me Paca. Short for Francisca Ramon."