(The Flash) Frozen Flashpoint: Chapter 30 - City Hall

A/N: Sorry for the delay with this chapter! I was out of the house all day yesterday. I hope you still enjoy it, even if it's a little late!

Chapter 30 - City Hall

Summary: Barry considers their plan to counter DeVoe, and the floating madman makes his appearance.

Barry was sitting in the mayor's chair looking at his computer screen which displayed multiple camera feeds that covered the entire perimeter of City Hall. The sun was setting outside, and soon DeVoe would begin his attack.

All the computers and sensors in the building and close houses were hacked (with permission from the owners) to make them look like someone was using them currently. This was the team's way to fool DeVoe into thinking that everything was normal, and no one was expecting his attack.

Barry could feel his heart beating faster than usual. In the coming attack, DeVoe was the only known variable they could be certain about. Marlize had a list on her phone of about 40 metas that DeVoe could use; she didn't believe he would bring all of them with him because he would prefer to keep a few hidden for when he searched the city after them.

Fortunately, they knew that the four they fought the last time were locked in Iron Heights. DeVoe apparently didn't take kindly to repeat failure and now he allows them to rot. Barry was grateful for that because it would allow Lyra to keep a level head in the coming battle.

DeVoe's plans were becoming more and more dangerous; he was learning how to overcome the team's advantages each time, and by this point, Lyra's knowledge of the future became useless. But the worst thing was that DeVoe cared less and less about the lives of innocent people or keeping himself a secret.

His current plan proves he is willing to step out of the shadows and begin to use force to get what he wants, no matter what the cost to others, including his own wife.

Barry and his team have to stop DeVoe today. This has to be their last battle because if he manages to escape this time, the result of his next plan could be catastrophic, and they have no more leads to follow.

With him in the building were two people: Frost and Harry. Why?

Flashback

After they went through the entire list of metas Marlize gave them, Cisco began the conversation. "So we need to decide who will be inside City Hall... the best chance to counter most of the abilities on the list will be..."

But before Cisco could finish, Harry cut him off. "No. The three that should wait for him are obvious."

Cisco froze, raised his finger as if to argue, but his face was quick to turn into a confused one and he asked, "They are?"

Wally then scratched the back of his head. "And umm... only three? I mean, shouldn't at least half of the team wait for DeVoe?"

Harry shook his head. "With the numbers DeVoe could muster, facing him head on with most of our members would be extremely stupid."

Cisco nodded before asking, "So who do we have waiting for the crazy floating man?"

Harry leaned back in his chair and pointed at Barry. "He would surely expect the Flash, so there is no going about it without Allen making an appearance."

He then pointed at Frost, but before he could say anything, Jesse spoke up. "Frost? But she's our trump card against DeVoe. Shouldn't we keep her for a surprise attack?"

Harry sighed. "It would have worked if we hadn't used this tactic before. DeVoe will see it coming and will keep his guard up, which will make a successful surprise impossible. But if he sees Frost in front of him, he will drop his guard at least slightly, which will allow someone else to get a hit in."

Everyone smiled at this, until Lyra raised her hand and asked, "And with me it makes three?"

This got a few chuckles from most of the people in the room. But Harry just smirked a little and pointed at himself. "No, I will be the third one."

That made everyone freeze until Wally asked, "Umm, are you sure it's a good idea? Why not let Lyra join them?"

Harry held one finger up. "First reason, we better save the speedsters for hit-and-run tactics for as long as possible." He then raised a second finger and said, "Second reason, at this point DeVoe will question how we found out about his plan. He will look for the brain of the operation. He will dismiss Allen and Snow, so if Lyra will be with them, he will be able to figure out her origin with a small amount of time in hand."

Harry's smirk grew and he said arrogantly, "With my intelligence being common knowledge, he would wonder where I got my information but will accept me as the reasonable one, leaving Marlize as a surprise as well."

End Flashback

So that was their team. The others are spread around the surrounding buildings, hidden until the right moment.

Marlize, on the other hand, was hiding in one of the evacuated buildings with Wally as her guard.

Wally used the past two days to copy the gun Harry used and create one for himself with a small amount of lightning in it, courtesy of Jesse's Speedforce energy.

Marlize was installing a device that would allow them to disable DeVoe's teleportation device. As she was the one who built it and imported the coordinates of their dimensional pocket, she could easily counter it.

With some more time, she could have built something to destroy the pocket altogether once DeVoe was out of it, but with just two days, all she could do was create a jamming device that wouldn't allow him to just run away again.

Barry's attention was caught, and his thoughts froze when he saw on the screen that displayed the stream from the front door camera. The video showed a bright blue light blinding the camera for a moment before the lens readjusted to reveal a group of about twenty people Barry only recognized from pictures shown to him a couple of days ago.

At the head of the group was a massive floating chair with a man on top of it. The chair itself was deep black and was the size of a standard room. Its armrests were laid out with many buttons, and all around the black metal, strips of neon blue light could be easily seen.

The man in the chair was wearing a black jumpsuit with gloves. He was bald, and his skin was unnaturally white. On top of his head was some sort of helmet with cords that went out of it and into the back of his chair.

DeVoe was smiling, and when he spoke, his voice was as deep as Barry remembered from the previous time they met in quite similar circumstances. "Mr. Mayor, I will suggest surrendering. Behind me is a large force of meta humans that will not hesitate to shed blood."

Barry looked toward the other two people in the room and asked, "Are you ready for this?"

Frost smirked back at him. She swung her feet off the table she had laid them on and jumped to her full height, saying in her usual teasing voice, "Oh, I'm always ready for a round with you, Handsome."

Barry could feel his face heating; as much as he was used to her antics by now, sometimes she just got under his skin like that. Barry cleared his throat and shook the fluster off before replying, "Well, you kick their asses, and you can have as many rounds as you want."

Frost raised an impressed eyebrow at Barry's comeback, but he could see a fire flickering in her eyes as she responded, "Careful, Flash, you better not write checks your little guy can't cash. But I will keep you to your word."

Harry broke the playful atmosphere by picking up and charging his weapon. There was a smile on his face as he said, "Let's show that floating brain who the real intelligent one around here is."

Barry pulled his cowl over his own head, and the three of them began to walk toward the entrance.

Barry and Harry kept watching DeVoe through the link on their phones. DeVoe's smile grew smug as he called out again, "Sacrificing your security will be such a shame, as will be calling law enforcement. I believe you will find the task quite useless."

Barry, Frost, and Harry reached the entrance doors. Harry looked at Barry and whispered, "His calculations will lead him to believe this is the mayor coming out to negotiate, so he won't attack straight away, but be ready for a fight a minute later."

Barry and Caitlin both nodded. The three exchanged one last look before Barry pushed the doors open.

DeVoe smirked in victory and began saying, "Wise choice, Mr. Mayor. Now we may speak of the terms of surrender..."

DeVoe's voice trailed off and his smirk turned into a frown when he noticed who stood in front of him.

Harry smirked at the floating madman and said, "We agree and are willing to hear out your surrender."

DeVoe's voice was filled with contempt as he spat out, "Flash. Once again you defy my plans."

Barry smiled at him and answered with a casual tone, "It's my job as a hero."

DeVoe tightened his fists and hissed, "How is it you not only manage to keep uncovering my plans but foil them time and time again?"

Harry's smug voice answered the question, "You are not the smartest man around like you like to think."

For a moment, a look of pure rage and madness crossed DeVoe's face before he unclenched his fists, leaned back in his chair, and said calmly, "It remains to be seen." Then he smirked smugly. "It might not have been my original plan, but we must do with what we have. You have put yourself in quite the disadvantage, Flash."

Frost snorted and asked in a mocking tone, "Oh, how did you figure that one, Baldy?"

DeVoe spread his arms. "In front of you is a force of meta humans ready to kill any in their path, and you are on quite a public street. If you won't surrender yourselves now, there is no telling how many innocents will pay the price until you will stop them." He then chuckled ominously. "I meant, if you manage to stop them and not perish in the process."

DeVoe then pointed toward one of the metas. A bald man with a large body that suggested this man was a bodybuilder type. He was wearing a tank top with jeans and heavy-duty boots. DeVoe smiled as he said, "Allow me to introduce Marcus Delgado, or otherwise known as Tecton."

The man gave the trio a toothy smile and raised his foot before stomping the ground. A moment after his boot touched the ground again, everything began to shake violently.

Buildings in the radius of 200 meters collapsed, the sound of asphalt cracking and steel hitting the ground filled the air for a long moment. And when it was finished, the silence was just as deafening as the noise.

DeVoe looked at the destruction with a smile on his face. A smile that faded away once he noticed the trio in the entrance still standing.

'Seismic manipulation.' Barry remembered his file. Each time he stomped the ground, Marcus could create localized earthquakes and control their strength. Barry wasn't the only one who noticed it in time. The moment Frost realized what was about to happen, she created an ice wall behind each of them and encased their feet, up to the ankles, in ice as well. This allowed all three of them to remain steady while the entire block around them shook.

A look of worry flashed across DeVoe's face for the shortest of moments before it gave way to anger, and he said coldly, "Very well then, let us test your resilience against overwhelming force."

All the metas took it as their signal to attack and rushed forward at the trio.

Frost melted the ice from around them, allowing her and Barry to run toward their enemies as well, with Harry staying behind to offer support with his gun.