On the surface, Harrison Wells — or rather, the man everyone thought was Harrison Wells — looked calm. But inside, the Reverse-Flash was boiling with panic. He had seen the body. The real Wells. Once Caitlin Snow confirmed it through testing, his cover would be blown. How could this Jack Kadere know so much? Even if Jack was some traveler from the future, it made no sense for him to know this clearly.
Is he bluffing me? Reverse-Flash wondered. But when he glanced at Jack's faint smirk and Caitlin avoiding his gaze, he realized the truth.
She had already checked the body. The secret was out.
"Damn it."
With deliberate slowness, Reverse-Flash removed his glasses. The calm veneer cracked, revealing sharp, cold eyes. Then, to the utter shock of the room, he rose from his wheelchair.
"Dr. Wells…?" Cisco Ramon's voice cracked with disbelief.
Barry Allen froze, wide-eyed. Harrison Wells had stood up — legs perfectly fine. The truth, long buried, crashed over them. Could it be true? Could their mentor really be the Reverse-Flash?
"I never regret what I do," Reverse-Flash said darkly, clapping his hands together, "but right now… I regret crossing you, Kadere. Tell me, what are you?"
"Does it matter?" Jack Kadere's smirk widened.
"It doesn't," Reverse-Flash sneered. "Because anyone who stands between me and going home… is my enemy." His gaze shifted to Barry Allen. "Do you know how many chances I had to kill you, Barry? I didn't. I saved you, pushed you, made you faster. Everything I did was to return home. But now…"
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring — not just any ring, but one etched with lightning bolts. Sliding it onto his finger, his eyes glowed with crimson Speed Force energy.
Whoosh!
A surge of red lightning erupted as the yellow suit compressed inside the ring expanded. In a blink, he was clad in the garb of the Reverse-Flash.
Barry's fists clenched, his voice breaking with fury. "Then tell me one thing — why? Why did you kill my mother?"
"I didn't come for her," Reverse-Flash said with a cold shake of his head. "I came to kill you."
The words hit Barry like a lightning strike. For a moment, he couldn't move, his breath caught in his throat.
"Our game," Reverse-Flash continued, a smug edge curling his lips, "has only just begun." He flicked his gaze back to Jack Kadere. "I don't know who you are, or why you have Speed Force of your own, but it doesn't matter. You'll help me get home."
"I don't think so," Jack chuckled. His tone was calm, mocking. "You act like you've got something else up your sleeve. Care to show us?"
"Trust me," Reverse-Flash growled, his grin twisting, "I've gone to great lengths to prepare for this."
The ground shuddered with heavy vibrations — like something massive charging closer. The air itself seemed to thicken.
And then Jack felt it. A sudden, sharp psychic force slammed against his mind — not physical, but mental. A push, a command. A form of mind control.
So this is your trump card… Jack thought as the foreign power probed at his will. But then recognition sparked. Wait. This isn't him. This feels like… Grodd.
Jack's own ability kicked in instinctively, copying the psychic power instantly — and stacking it, amplifying it fivefold — before turning it back outward.
Suddenly, Jack's perspective shifted. He wasn't in his own body anymore. His awareness slipped into another form, into another mind. It was like sliding into the driver's seat of a brand-new car. He could feel its power, its instincts, its sheer animal strength. He could control its every movement, every thought.
Jack laughed inwardly. Reverse-Flash, you're far too generous. You just handed me mind control.
The lab shook again.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The footsteps echoed like thunder, each one shaking the ground beneath their feet. Caitlin Snow, Cisco Ramon, and Barry Allen turned toward the doorway with tense expressions. A massive shadow fell across the floor, and a figure the size of a small building stepped into view.
A giant gorilla.
"Caitlin, Cisco—you remember him, don't you? Grodd!" Reverse-Flash declared triumphantly, his voice thick with pride.
"Grodd? It's really him?" Cisco asked in disbelief.
Barry blinked, stunned. "What's Grodd?"
Caitlin's eyes widened with a mix of fear and scientific awe. "Before the particle accelerator, S.T.A.R. Labs worked with General Wade Eiling on a project to develop psychic abilities for military use. Grodd was one of the gorillas they experimented on. But Harrison Wells… he thought the experiments were cruel and shut the program down. When the accelerator exploded, Grodd vanished. I never thought—" she hesitated, her breath catching in her throat, "—I never thought he'd grow to this size, or gain such power. The explosion must have altered him."
Reverse-Flash smirked as he stepped forward. "Exactly. I had the advantage of knowing the future. I planned for this. I saved Grodd and let him remain in the lab, exposed to the accelerator's energies. That gave him his mind control abilities. At first, I planned for Grodd to control Barry, to force him into helping me return home. But now…" His gaze slid toward Jack Kadere. "Now I have someone even better."
Reverse-Flash raised his voice with confidence. "Jack Kadere is my perfect option!"
Turning sharply, he barked orders. "Cisco, you're going to build me a time machine. I already have the materials and the designs. Get started immediately. Barry, take these." With a flash of red light, several crystalline devices appeared in his hand—advanced technology from the future, each one pulsing with immense energy. He tossed them to Barry. "Place them beneath the particle accelerator. I'm going to restart it."
He paused, as if remembering something crucial. "Oh, and one more thing—the tachyon particles Mercury Labs has been experimenting with. Jack, that's where you come in."
Jack didn't move. He simply stood there, smiling faintly.
Reverse-Flash frowned. "Grodd?"
The massive gorilla rumbled, its chest heaving. With a sudden movement, Grodd stepped forward and swung its enormous arm.
WHAM!
The blow connected, sending Reverse-Flash flying across the room. He smashed into the wall, debris raining down, before staggering back to his feet. His expression twisted in shock and rage. "Grodd! What are you doing?! I made you! I'm your father!"
His words rang hollow. Grodd, who had always obeyed his commands, now glared back with unflinching hostility.
Jack chuckled under his breath, his tone mocking. "I take back what I said earlier about you kneeling. I didn't realize your kink was wanting a gorilla for a son."
The crowd—Barry, Caitlin, and Cisco—stared in disbelief. Reverse-Flash's secret weapon had turned on him, and even more shocking, Jack didn't appear to be under Grodd's control at all.
Instead, the truth became clear: Jack Kadere had seized Grodd's mind for himself.
He had turned Reverse-Flash's greatest weapon against him.