Deon, what's happening to me?
The temporal mutations I've been tracking?
It turns out every one of them leads to you.
I know I've been treating your time sickness
like it's a virus that's giving you symptoms.
The gaps in time.
And now I've been noticing that things
are there one minute and they're gone the next.
There's something about you that's causing time to fracture around you.
Iris, this isn't a virus that you have.
Whatever this time sickness is...
It's coming from me.
What is it?
What's wrong?
How do you feel right now?
Well, I mean, that's what's so weird. I feel fine.
And this is all because of what happened in the other timeline?
Yeah.
I should've never reversed your treatments.
No, it's not yourfault, Deon,
I asked you to do it, and it was the right thing to do.
There was no other way to prove Barry's innocence and to save my dad's life.
But these anomalies you're experiencing, I mean, who knows what's next?
- Well, we have to find a cure. - And we will.
Right now, we've got to get you stabilized.
I'm sorry, but you gotta stay put.
Well, I mean, there are worse places to hang out.
How long do I have to stay?
Well, considering the universe is like a zillion light years large,
I'd say staying put is a relative thing when it comes to earthly movement.
So I'm thinking that if you confine your movements
to coast city for a while, it should lessen the risk.
Or at least I hope so.
Good, because there's still someone here that needs my help.
What if she has another episode?
Well, I'll have to do something a little more radical this time
to patch you up.
Look, I won't lie to you guys.
This is gonna hurt.
- You all right? - Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine.
I'll be back as soon as I can.
Iris, if you have any blackouts
or anything weird happens, you let me know asap.
Okay, I'm gonna go grab a few of my things from home.
I'll be back in a few seconds.
No, no. Barry, you can't.
I mean, remember what you said about that black fire.
There are people that are still in danger. You have to stop it.
But I can't just leave you here alone.
I'm not. I mean, sue will be back soon,
and besides, I mean, I have work to do, too.
Your world is falling apart
and you're still worried about helping other people.
You just call me if you need anything.
- I will. - Okay.
Now that is what you call art.
Since when do I sweat?
What the hell?
Is Iris okay?
Yeah. I mean, you know, as well as she can be.
Well, Barry, are you sure you don't wanna...
I mean, team flash can hold down the fort, if you need to be with her.
No, thanks. Iris is right.
I mean, as long as she's stable,
keeping everyone safe in central city is the priority.
Joe, cecile, you guys found anything?
Uh, well, besides all suffering recent personal losses, no.
None of our fire victims had anything in common.
Yeah, barr, itriple checked the victims' files.
Stan mullens, Donna winters, that yoga instructor, Parker destefano.
At first, we thought all these freaky flames
are feeding on people who recently mourned, like mullens.
Then it attacked me and my dad died when I was a kid.
Which doesn't follow the pattern.
Maybe it's looking for people who don't face their grief.
No, I don't think so.
Destefano had completed grief counseling after her fiance died,
and she was already seeing somebody new.
Well, I've assigned Vanya and aariz
to dig into the backgrounds of our victims,
for secondary similarities.
You sound just like Iris. No wonder she put you in charge.
Speaking of similarities, Kramer pulled files
for every suspicious fire-related crimes since the particle accelerator exploded.
So, me and cecile have to go through all of it.
And there's a ton. So are you ready, babe?
Later.
What's an sr37 alert?
Someone just entered the med lab.
What? Is Caitlin back from her wine country tour with Marcus?
No, not yet.
Stay here.
Hey. Any idea where caity keeps the bandages?
It seems more like a "top shelf" kinda thing, if you ask me.
- What happened to your arm? - Oh.
Our freaking fire attacked me at the apartment.
And before you ask, no, I don't know why it didn't kill me.
- Were you... - Grieving?
Nope. I was perfectly happy working on a new piece.
Could be the best thing I've ever done.
But that does not explain
why our sentient smokey Joe would attack me,
and only leave me with this.
Frost, come here. Let me help. Ow.
You make a good caity-substitute.
Maybe it's like Joe says, there's got to be something more.
- It's after something we're missing. - Something I have?
I don't know.
But, I mean, this fire attacked you and me here at s.T.A.R. Labs.
And then follows you home less than 24 hours later?
That can't be a coincidence.
So if we can figure out why the flames think I'd be a tasty snack...
Maybe that could tell us how to stop it.
Frost, um, if it's okay, I'd like to search your apartment top to bottom,
see if there's any clues as to why the fire is targeting you.
Go for it.
Okay.
Frost. Been a while since we caught up. What's wrong?
It's about team flash's new case, and this one's a little creepy.
Over the last few weeks, three bodies have turned up,
all of them burnt to a crisp.
So this is an arson case?
More like a ghost story.
The fires that did the damage were black.
And so cold that they burn the victims
like frostbite, only 1,000 times more lethal.
And you need my help to figure out what's causing this phenomenon?
Not exactly.
The flames are alive and they are attacking people,
and I think they're coming after me.
My god, of course. I'll do whatever I can to help keep you safe.
Actually, I need you to do just the opposite.
I want you to help me catch this thing, using me as bait.
You want to use yourself as bait to capture the black fire?
I know how it sounds, but hear us out.
If this homicidal stuff is after me now, why not use it to our advantage?
Carla, you can't actually be considering this.
I wasn't at first.
And then frost laid out the facts in the case, how it's killing innocent people.
And now it's coming after her, too,
with flames that generate a cold so intense it burns?
That last item is almost an exact description of how cold fusion works.
But why is the fire attracted to frost?
I believe it's because her meta abilities are cryokinetic,
just like our cold fusion fire.
So you think it's hunting her for fuel?
To recharge itself?
Correct. So the key to catching it
is to wait until it comes after her again and then trap it.
Frost, we are not using you as bait.
Look, this is a perfectly good plan that could save lives.
Why won't you at least let us try?
Because this feels like a last resort.
Besides, there's still so much we don't know about this fire.
I mean, even if we tried this, we still have no way to capture it.
Cold fusion is still a fusion reaction,
one that occurs at a low molecular temperature.
If we could build some kind of fusion containment housing...
Then all we'd need to do is recalibrate the unit
to absorb and amplify frost's cryokinetic signature.
Yes. Then, as long as frost is in proximity,
the unit can amplify her cryokinetic signature,
and attract the fire, allowing us to capture and imprison it.
Of course, building a unit like that could take weeks or longer.
Well, not that I'm saying we should do this at all,
but we kind of already have what you're describing.
We do?
The fusion sphere from the asf.
It can already handle the entire output of the artificial speed force.
If Dr. Tannhauser and I recalibrate it for a cryokinetic signature,
we'd be in business.
Great. Then it's settled.
Chester, you and mom work on the nerd stuff.
- Allegra, you and I... - Wait around for you to get killed?
Barry, whatever this thing is, it's coming after me no matter what.
So I am not going to sit around and do nothing
when we have a plan to fight back.
Barry, it's your call.
Ditto that.
I'm sorry, but I can't support this.
I know we don't have another plan right now,
but putting you in harm's way?
There's got to be another option.
I still think this could work.
Get started, I'll be back.
Look, I'm not going to change my mind.
Okay, fine. Butjust hear me out.
Before this, you were telling us about Iris and her condition.
How she wants to help tinya, but Deon told her to stay put.
Do you really think that's what she's doing right now?
Because if I know Iris...
She's gonna try and help tinya find her mom.
Instead of sitting in a hotel, doing nothing and helping no one.
But she's not endangering herself either.
But she is doing what this whole team does best.
Helping people.
Despite what it could mean for themselves.
Sound familiar?
Look, my mom is the world's top specialist in cold fusion,
and she thinks this will work. Chester agrees.
So why won't you give me the chance to make a difference
that you're giving Iris?
Okay.
- But if anything goes wrong... - You'll pull the plug. Got it.
Yes!
I finished fine-tuning the sphere to amplify frost's cryokinetic signature.
Now make sure to calibrate the containment housing...
To compensate for the possibility
of a reconfiguration flip at the subatomic level?
Already done.
Really? Well, when this is over,
there's a job waiting for you at tannhauser labs.
Spoiler, I pay better.
For real?
I mean, nah, you know, I actually kinda like it here.
Suit yourself.
We're ready. Frost.
Okay. What next?
Chester, activate the cold fusion sphere.
Now remember, the sphere will amplify
your cryokinetic signature, drawing the fire near.
But you need to stay in the gurney
until the fire is pulled into that sphere and we've trapped it.
Okay, so now we just wait around
for some sentient fire to come get its dinner?
That could take forever.
Not if Carla is right.
The sphere will amplify frost's cryo signature exponentially.
Like an animal scent getting broadcast to a larger area
to entice a predator and draw them in.
Making frost honey on a fly trap.
Once it senses her, it'll pounce. And then we've got it.
If this spooky thing is looking for fuel instead of just grief,
it's the place to find it.
Frost, About what you're doing.
I don't know if I'd have the strength to do the same.
I mean, I'm just saying you're very brave.
Thanks.
Although right now, I kinda feel like the stupid person in the horror movie
who runs into the house instead of running away from it.
Folks, our intelligent ignition source
just popped back up on the grid and it's heading here fast.
Somebody turned up the heat.
It's here.
It's working.
Why did it stop?
Something's not right.
What are you waiting for?
Come and get me.
It knows what we're planning.
Frost!
Thank goodness you're all right.
We're lucky your boss is a superhero.
- Is she gonna be okay? - I am fine.
I thought you were on vacation.
I was and then Allegra called and said
you were using yourself as bait
to summon an uncontrollable fire to s.T.A.R. Labs.
What the hell were you thinking?
That we could end this and save folks' lives.
Also, your bedside manner is terrible.
Frost, she's right. We're worried about you.
Barry says you antagonized the flames. Was that part of your plan, too?
It didn't take the bait. What else was I supposed to do?
Okay, what happened out there after the babadook Blaze went postal?
Once we got you back to the med lab, I did a grid search of the entire city.
There's no sign of it.
We need to get back out there.
What we need to do is find another way to stop this thing.
Frost, we know how dangerous this thing is.
I mean, it's killed three people already that we know of.
It came after me, again. We can do this.
I hear the cold fusion sphere didn't even work.
More precisely, we never had a chance to see if it would work.
The fire hesitated, so it didn't get close enough.
If only there was a way to make frost more attractive to the flames.
Sounds like something Chester can help us with.
I'll have him meet us in the speed lab.
Sit down.
Can I have the room, please?
You stay.
I don't understand.
You said over the phone that you could give me the information in person.
I am sorry, Mrs. West-Allen.
You said you'd fix this.
And iwill.
Look, I've worked stories like this before, and I've never had a problem.
I know. But after your call, I checked the files in question.
It turns out there's a no-contact rule in play.
Wait. You mean someone doesn't want me to find my own birth mother?
Uh, who? I want to know right now.
Okay. Tinya, hi.
Why don't you just give us a few minutes so that we can work things out?
Right. She's my mom, all right? I have a right to know the truth.
Okay.
Look, is there anyone we could talk to about overriding a no-contact order?
No one.
I mean, I'd need approval from our board of directors for something like that.
Oh! Is that all?
I got this.
Hi, uncle Leroy.
Yes, it's sue.
Yeah, I'm in town for the day.
Yeah. I am so glad that you asked.
I just need a little favor from the r.A.A. Chairman of the board.
Yes, it's a no-contact order. It's really important.
I'm trying to help an orphan.
I know, just like you.
It's for you.
Yes, sir.
Of course, no problem.
Thank you.
- Yeah, okay. - Just a sec.
Sorry about that.
Oh, no problem. You were just doing your job.
Thanks.
Thank you.
I need a break.
Okay.
Ready for the next step?
How about I go pull up the car?
What's wrong? I thought this is what you wanted.
What if my mom doesn't want to meet me?
She will.
Iris, she gave up on me the moment I was born.
So what if nothing's changed?
Tinya, look, when I was your age,
my mom wasn't in my life, either.
And there was so much trauma around it.
All the lies I had been told, the feelings of abandonment,
how much it hurt.
And it got so bad that when I finally had the chance
to reconcile with my mom, I almost lost the opportunity.
And then someone made me realize that reconnecting with my mom,
no matter how or why was a gift.
And let me tell you, I am really glad that I listened to them.
Because I barely
got to heal my relationship with my mother before she passed.
Hey, I'm really sorry. I didn't know that.
No, it's okay. I'm just saying that I almost made a mistake
that I would have regretted for the rest of my life.
How did you do it? I mean, where did you even start?
I told her I was scared. I told her I was angry.
And also that I loved her, even though I didn't know why.
And, tinya, whatever you do, everything is going to be okay.
Because you're not going to do it alone.
I won't let you.
Come on.
Frost. Why do you keep doing this?
You need to stop putting your personal safety in danger for nothing.
Like when you stabbed yourself just to get chillblaine arrested
- that first time. - That turned out okay. This will, too.
You don't know that.
Damn it, frost, it's like you don't even care about yourself.
I'm trying to help people.
Right. Okay, but at some point, you need to realize
that you could also get yourself killed.
And then you need to think, "hmm.
Maybe I shouldn't do this," or,
"hmm... maybe I should come up with a different plan.
One that doesn't get me killed."
And you, mom, seriously, how could you go along with this?
Frost's powers presented an opportunity to take this thing off the streets.
And that's where our focus has been ever since.
You put her life at risk. You realize that, right?
Because she asked me to.
And that makes it okay?
Hey, we made a decision today to try to protect people.
I would think that you would be fine with that.
What I am not fine with is losing frost forever,
which is what could have happened today.
You used your child as bait for a monster.
It's not how I see it.
No, you don't, because you're looking at frost
as a science experiment instead of as your daughter.
Frost, please listen to me.
You need to learn to value your own life.
Carla, you still think that fusion globe will work?
Yes, if we can find a way to make sure it gets closer next time.
Great. I'll have Chester start working on it.
Frost, wait. Uh...
Our plan will work.
You better hope it does, because right now you have two daughters.
But if something happens to frost
because of something you helped her with, you'll have none.
Barr, I ran into Carla tannhauser.
She told me about her plan to stop these devil flames.
And your objection.
Yeah.
You want to tell me your side,
because I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one that wants
to get these damn things off the street.
Look, I know why she's doing this and she's not wrong.
If there's something out there hurting people,
then we need to do everything we can to stop it.
Right. So what's the problem?
She's found a way to use frost's powers to lure the black fire here
by boosting frost's powers to trap it.
- And that's a bad plan because... - It's too dangerous.
Frost has already been hurt once.
If we try this again, something even worse could happen.
That's not all you're concerned about, is it?
I mean, my gut told me this was a bad idea.
I should have listened to it.
And now you're worried about not being able to stop it,
because these things were set in motion?
I'm team leader.
Having a plan that keeps everybody safe is my job.
Only today,
I don't know how. And now our only solution is
putting a team member's life in jeopardy.
Hmm.
Are you talking about frost or Iris?
Mm-hmm.
I'm worried about her, too.
But you're the one who also left your wife in coast city
asking the same question you're asking about frost.
Is it safe for her to continue her mission or pull the plug?
Look, I'm not the boss here. So I can't make the decision for you.
But I can tell you this.
Sometimes the hardest part about being a leader is letting go,
and trusting the ones you've trained to make the call themselves.
And then you'll be there for them
in a blink of an eye.
Took you long enough. Jeez, where is Chester?
We got a lot of work to do.
He's not coming.
Frost, I talked to Caitlin.
Let me guess.
She changed your mind.
So what, now you're here to give me some sort of mom talk?
- Seriously? - Yes, I am.
Because I am your mom.
And it's time I start acting like it.
Frost, I think it's wonderful that you have such a strong instinct
to protect people.
But from what Caitlin shared and what I saw
with my own eyes today, I think your sister's right.
You need to stop being so reckless.
You don't get it. This is team flash. Protecting people,
kinda in the job description.
No, you don't get it.
You can't help anyone if you're dead.
I swear, sometimes you remind me of your father.
Oh. A murderous psychopath. Gee, thanks.
No, not icicle. Thomas.
Your father would do whatever it took to protect his family, too.
Including creating you to save Caitlin.
But he took it too far and it cost him a future
with the people who loved him the most.
And I don't want to see you go down that road.
Neither do I.
Look, you people think I have some sort of death wish or something,
but it's not that.
I was literally born to be caity's bodyguard.
Asking me not to jump in the line of fire,
it's like asking the sky not to be freaking blue.
Frost, you're more than a bodyguard.
You're an incredible young woman and a vital part of team flash.
And of the snow family, too.
Because you're my daughter.
And as your mother, it's my job to protect you.
Which is why I'm telling you there's a time for protecting others,
and there's a time for protecting yourself.
And now is the time to do the latter.
I should have seen it before, and I hope you do now.
Yeah, I do.
But what about the phantom flicker?
I still think your plan would work.
We just need to keep you safe.
So the way to do that is to trap the fire quickly.
I think if we add a secondary cryokinetic signature,
it would make the meal more appetizing.
- Like frosting on a cake. - Mm.
But I'm unique. No one has cryo powers like me.
I do.
After your... after icicle put me in his cryo-chamber,
Caitlin and I did a test
for any residual meta-genome signatures in my body.
Yeah, I remember.
It came back negative.
Mm. It was wrong.
According to my research, my exposure in icicle's chamber
activated a latent cryo-gene.
I don't have ice powers yet, but I have the potential for them.
Frost, if we combine your cryokinetic signature with mine...
It would be impossible for it to resist us.
Yes, and there'll be less risk because the fire won't hesitate
and we'll be able to trap it quickly.
What do you say?
I'm in. Just one more person we need to get on board.
Not anymore.
I'm still not thrilled with how dangerous this plan is.
But mom's right.
If the two of you work together,
the fire won't hesitate, and then we can trap it.
And that will keep everyone safe.
Guys, the black fire's back. It just landed downtown.
Yeah. So whatever you guys are gonna do, it's now or never.
Okay, let's take this thing out.
Once and for all.
How long have you known?
That I have my own cryokinetic signature? For a while now.
Turns out it runs in the family.
I can't believe you didn't tell us
there's two ice queens in the snow family.
And if you ever need to learn more about
how to control your powers, we're here for you.
Thanks. It means a lot.
- Now let's get to work. - Yes.
Okay, we are ready.
And, mom, just so you know, the tests I ran confirm your findings.
Your latent genome plus frost's meta signature
should amplify the sphere's cryokinetic output exponentially.
Giving our bonfire from hell an offer it can't refuse.
And then some.
Listen, Barry, I know you've never been on board with this plan, so,
- if anything goes wrong... - I know. You'll pull the plug.
I trust you. All of you.
Don't worry.
If it comes to that, I'll still be ready to get us all out of here in a second.
Do you do this kind of thing all the time?
Do what?
Be a hero.
What can I say, it's a living.
Yeah. They just don't tell you how intense it can be.
You're gonna do great, and remember, what you're doing will save lives.
- I know. - And after this, we can get dinner.
Okay. But only if you let me buy.
- Absolutely. - Okay.
Okay.
Their vitals look good.
Activating the sphere.
Okay. Focus on your powers, like this.
I feel strange.
- Means you're doing it right. - Okay.
Caitlin, how are they doing?
Their bio-signatures are in sync.
Yeah, well, the containment system's active. Chester?
Great Otis boykin, it just changed direction.
And heading straight for us.
Contact in five...
Four... three... two... one.
It's working.
The sphere is losing its integrity, it's trying to break free.
- We have to abort. - No! No. I can do this.
Barry, we can't do this. She's going into cardiac arrest.
Carla, we have to let it go.
No, it's worth it to sacrifice me.
What happened?
It's gone again.
We still have no idea why.
Did we get it?
No. And that's okay.
So you just let that hellfire go?
It's on me. I made the call.
And it was the right thing to do.
You put Carla and your own safety first.
And you saved mom's life.
But Joe's right.
We had a chance to stop it and we didn't.
No, that was before I knew you made a judgment call, frost, and a good one.
Look, don't worry, we will stop that thing. That's what we do.
Yeah, your mom sounds like she's a fighter.
She is.
She's going to make a great meta.
Just one thing, though. We're back to square one.
Joe, cecile, have you found anything that can help us
in captain Kramer's files?
I wish. We are almost through them all, and still nothing.
So, we failed?
No, we didn't fail. Thanks to frost.
Now we know the cold fusion sphere can contain that thing.
And that's a win.
Barry's right. That means we can try again to capture it.
And this time it will work.
If we could create a strong enough signal, the sphere could work
without someone's cryokinetic rna in close proximity.
Good. So no bait.
Yeah, which'll keep frost and Carla safe.
And then we can catch the fire again.
Take the fight to it this time.
I'm telling you, I'm okay, really.
Caity says you need to rest.
Fine, I'll stay the night.
But then I promise, I'll be out of your hair in the morning.
It's really no problem.
Also, I'm sorry I yelled at you two.
Don't be. I needed to hear it.
Both of us did.
Thank you for keeping us safe, like you always do.
Good thing, too, 'cause I couldn't lose you... either one of you.
Oh, shoot. It's Marcus.
He has no idea what happened today.
What happened to going all in?
Yeah. I really do need to tell him everything.
Just, um... not tonight.
Hey! No, I'm fine. Just a crazy day at work.
How are you?
So about that dinner we were supposed to have...
How about we make it brunch in the morning?
Absolutely.
And, frost, I need to apologize, too.
I should have told you about my condition sooner.
I just... I guess I was just worried about what it could mean for me.
Maybe if we talked more,
you would have felt more comfortable sharing it with me.
Yeah.
It's okay.
- Something to work on. - Yeah.
I've missed so much of your life,
and that's my fault.
There is so much about you that I don't know
and so much that I want to know.
Really?
Yes, of course. It's like I said before, you're my daughter.
And I love you, frost.
You do?
More than you could ever know.
You're okay.
Can I help you?
Are you Renee wazzo?
Who's asking?
Your daughter.
All the adoption websites warn you about days like this.
That's not what...
I mean, it's just...
I guess I knew this might happen eventually.
Maybe even wanted it.
Yeah, me, too.
Look, I'm sure you have so many questions.
Just one, actually.
Why didn't you want me?
I always wanted you, tinya.
I want you to know that.
The truth is, I wanted to be your mom more than anything,
but I was so young.
I was 16 and confused, and my parents were furious.
They convinced me that the best thing for both of us was to sign that clause,
then give you away.
They were wrong.
I swear to you, I've never regretted anything more than letting you go.
The only way I could get through
this crap life of mine that came after was the hope
that you were living a good life.
A better life without me.
No, I'm not.
I needed you.
I needed my mother.
Tinya, I...
Iris?
Whoa. What is wrong with her?
I don't know.
Are you okay?
What the hell?
Mom?
Mom? Mom?
What did you do to my mom?
Frost?
Frost, that isn't funny.
Caitlin.
The world is different now.
There is no normal life for us.
Oh, my god.
Cait, the world's different now.
Look, I thought we could get away.
Start a normal life together, but there is no normal life for us.
Ronnie?