Star Labs, 2017
Morning
"Alright, so explain this to me again," Joe said as he messaged his temple.
The other Barry, who Cisco had decided they would call Allen, sighed before turning back to the blackboard and picked up a black marker.
"Okay, so pretend this line is the timeline," Allen said as he drew a straight line in the middle of the board before drawing a do in the center of the line. "That dot right there is the night Killer Frost took over Caitlin for the first time and kidnapped Julian. Our timelines are nearly identical, probably a few differences here and there, until that night."
"Why that night? What's so special about it?" Caitlin asked, a little uncomfortable.
"Because I went for a run to clear my head. During that run, I accidently opened a breach and landed on another earth, a year into the past. I spent that year there but for you guys, it was only a week," Allen explained as everyone stared at him in stunned disbelief. "During that year, I made some friends, a group of heroes called The Avengers. Some of them came back with me when I was able to get back home. This created an alternate timeline, separate for yours."
"How did you get here than?" Harry, the only person who didn't seem to have trouble believing Allen, asked.
"Well, Cisco, Wally and I were fighting some new bad guy that can change reality. He snapped his fingers and the next thing I knew, I was here," Allen explained as he put the marker down. "So…anyone have an idea on how I can get home?"
Flash Cave, 2019
Afternoon
"And then Barry was just gone," Wally explained to Joe and Clint.
The two looked stunned as Wanda paced back and forth, worry and fear clouding her features as Cisco was at the computer.
"I know we're all worried, but it's gonna be okay," Cisco said and Wanda looked at him sharply.
"How is it gonna be okay Cisco? We have no idea where he is?!" Wanda exploded and Cisco raised an eyebrow.
"Not for much longer," Cisco said, stunning them all. "This isn't the first time something like this has happened, remember? When Barry went through that Breach and ended up on Earth-66, we had no idea where he was. But we found him, and we're gonna find him the same way now."
"His Speed Force Signature," Wally remembered and Cisco nodded.
"I enhanced and improve the machine we used to find him last time and hooked it up with our new satellite. So now, with the click of a button, we only have to wait a few minutes and we should know where Barry is," Cisco said before he pushed the enter key.
However, it beeped after a few minutes and Cisco stared at the screen, a look of shock on his face.
"Cisco, what is it?" Clint asked as he saw the look on his face.
"Match not found," Cisco said lowly.
"What do you mean match not found?" Wanda asked beginning to panic.
"Barry's Speed Force Signature can't be located," Cisco said, his mind whirling.
"What does that mean?" Joe demanded as he worried for his son.
"I don't know," Cisco said as he looked at Joe. "I really don't know."
Star Labs, 2017
Morning
"You can time travel right? So why don't you just go back to the future?" Ralph asked, still trying to absorb all the information.
"It's not that simple. This isn't my timeline, this is yours. If I try and go to the future, I'll end up in your future, not mine. This is something I've never dealt with before, I'm hoping you have," Allen said as he looked around at them all.
"I'm sorry, no. We've never dealt with something like this either," Barry said apologetically, hating he was unable to help this other version of him.
"What about The Legends, couldn't they get me back home?" Allen asked desperately.
"They might, but they're currently going through something," Caitlin said gently as everyone exchanged uneasy glances that confused Allen.
"What's going on? What aren't you telling me?" Allen demanded.
Central City Cemetery
Afternoon
Allen walked through the graveyard, passing grave after grave until he found what he was looking for. He stopped, staring down at the headstone in a mix of shock and grief.
Martin Henry Stein
March 16, 1950-November 28, 2017
Beloved teacher, caring husband, and loving father
"Hey Professor," Allen said softly as he swallowed the lump in his throat. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I couldn't save you in this timeline. I'm sorry that you suffered. I'm sorry that you didn't get the life you wanted with your family. You were a good man Professor…you deserved better than this."
"Yeah, he did," Joe said as he walked up behind Allen, who didn't so much as glance back at him. "Sorry if I startled you."
"I knew you were there," Allen said not moving his gaze from the grave.
"You okay?" Joe asked as he looked at Allen in concern.
"It's the job Joe. Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose. Doesn't make it any easier to accept those we lost," Allen said with a deep breath. "We don't bother the Legends for now. I'll find a different way home."
"And how do you plan on doing that?" Joe asked and Allen smiled slightly.
"No idea," Allen said as he looked at Joe. "But there has to be a way home. And I'm gonna find it."
Unspecified location
Same time
"This is an interesting development, is it not?" Marlize Devoe asked as she glanced over at her husband.
"Indeed. This other Flash appearing was not anticipated," Devoe mused.
"What shall we do?" Marlize inquired.
"For the moment, do as we have. We shall watch and observe. And then we shall plan accordingly," Devoe ordered.
Flash Cave, 2019
Afternoon
"Okay, so let's not panic," Cisco said as he put ah and to his facing, thinking. "If we can't find his Speed Force Signature, that just means Barry is somewhere that we can't find it."
"So how do we find him?" Wanda asked impatiently.
"I don't think we should be trying," Cisco said and she stared at him incredulously, as did Clint, Joe, and Wally. "Not like that. I just mean it's like looking for a needle in a pile of needles; we'll never him this way. I think a better option is finding Mxyzptlk."
"And how do you plan on doing that? We've never been able to find him until he showed up," Wally pointed out.
"Because we weren't using our heads. He's some kind of wizard, so maybe we need a wizard to find him. Or, in this case, a Sorcerer," Cisco said and Wanda and Clint understood.
"Strange," Clint said and Cisco nodded.
"So who's up for a trip to Earth-66?" Cisco joked.