[Deathstorm] The universe is on fire.
Heat, burning.
A perfect inferno set against cold, endless nothing.
But within some dimensions there exists an aberration...
Life.
I owe you a real ring.
I love you, Ronnie.
[Deathstorm] I have come to end that life.
I am deathstorm.
What are you?
Complete, thanks to you.
Now I'll return the favor.
[Snarling]
[Screaming]
[Growling]
Get away from her!
[Grunts]
It's still not enough.
But I'll be back, and this life of yours will end.
Caity?
- [The flash groans] - What the hell was that thing?
[The flash] I don't know. Whatever it was,
my lightning didn't affect it.
What's wrong with her?
[Gasping]
How do you feel?
Lucky to be alive. 80 fine, I guess.
[Allegra] Hold on. It burned her?
But she looks okay, and there aren't any marks or anything.
Let's just call it a win.
What was that thing anyway?
It calls itself deathstorm.
[Scoffs]
Like firestorm, only...
It wasn't Ronnie.
It never was.
How do you know that?
Because it told me.
Then what exactly is it, and where did it come from?
I don't know. But whatever we brought back from piedmont park,
that thing, it isn't human.
It said Ronnie's death gave him life.
And when Ronnie was gone, it became something more.
Something incomplete.
And that I helped make it whole again.
That's why it wanted you to modify the firestorm matrix.
So that I could bring it back from whatever hell it's been hiding in.
Barry, I'm so sorry.
You were right this whole time, and lwouldn't listen.
Hey, it's okay.
You just did what any one of us would have done.
No. Ronnie's been dead for seven years.
And now this thing is back in his place,
all because of me.
You're okay now and that's all that matters.
[Frost] Barry, if Caitlin's right,
if deathstorm wanted Caitlin for some creepy resurrection...
Why is he trying to kill her now? He got what he wanted.
That's what we need to find out.
Well, Chuck is using satellites to try and figure out where this thing went.
But if frost is right and it's coming back for caity,
we need to keep her safe.
We will.
And we're gonna send this thing back to whatever hell it came from.
How? The cold fusion sphere has been destroyed.
We'll find another way.
Until then, frost?
I'm way ahead of you.
If this matchhead thinks he's getting anywhere near my sister,
he's got to go through me first.
[Cecile] Hey, I heard what happened. How can I help?
Thank you. But we're not even sure what we're dealing with yet.
Barry...
Look, from the second iwalked into s.T.A.R. Labs,
I could feel how worried you are.
But what I'm sensing,
it's way more than just concern.
You're hurting. Badly.
Honey, what's going on?
It's Iris.
Is she okay?
That's just it. I don't know.
What's even worse is I don't even know where she is right now.
What are you talking about? I thought she was in coast city with sue.
Yeah, she was. Only now...
[Cell phone chimes]
Oh, thank...
Cecile, I... Iris is back. Lgotta go.
[Whooshes]
[Sighs]
Iris, thank god you're back. Sue said you'd vanished...
No, Barry!
What's wrong?
Renee wazzo.
Tinya's mom. I'm the last person that she touched.
And she's...
Gone, because of me, because of my time sickness.
Okay.
But then sue said that tinya attacked you,
that she made you disappear on purpose.
So how did you survive?
Your time sickness.
It must have pulled you into the still force at that exact moment.
So whatever is making her sick might have also saved her life.
Okay, that's... that's freaky.
I'm gonna give you guys some space.
I'll be back, okay?
Barry, what happened to tinya's mom, I didn't mean to...
I know that. Look, it's gonna be okay.
Hey.
I'm not afraid.
What is it?
Barry, the still force, it's supposed to be a place where
all time exists. Past, present and future.
But when I was there,
I saw moments from before, even when I was a little girl up to now.
But I didn't see my future.
What if I don't have one anymore?
You do.
With me.
[Sniffling]
[Rustling]
[Man] Hello?
Who's there?
[Growling]
[Man screaming]
[Clock ticking]
So, how does one summon a force god?
Well, I mean, they've had appointments before,
but usually all Iris has to do is concentrate and Deon knows to appear.
[Cell phone chimes]
A few weeks ago, I gave captain Kramer an emergency alert to summon the flash,
and this is the first time she's used it. Which means...
It's serious. As in, "you gotta go" serious.
Yeah, but, Iris, I can't leave you here alone.
Hey, she won't be.
Yeah. No, it's okay.
Okay. But...
Barry, with everything that's happening, and now with deathstorm,
people need you more than ever.
[Sighs]
[Sue] Yeah, I get it.
Waiting sucks.
You know what might make it suck less?
A five-course meal from angelino's delivered straight to your door.
We could eat our problems away.
Food as a distraction?
- You're a bad influence. - I'll take that as a yes.
[Phone dialing and line ringing]
Thank you.
You're welcome.
[Officer] A skull-faced thing flew down from the sky and took your wife?
- [Phones ringing] - Ma'am, please, try to remain calm.
And nothing else was burned?
Just the body?
Can you describe the figure?
A living skeleton?
[Urgent radio chatter]
This is the tenth burn victim in half as many months,
and now you're saying it's going to get even worse?
It already has.
Sorry to interrupt, captain. Joe, flash.
But we've got three more confirmed burn vics downtown, another two uptown,
and at least four reported on the lower east side.
And the phones are ringing off the hook about a skull-faced demon.
He calls himself deathstorm.
Have matlin call in every unit for backup.
We need all hands on deck for this.
Copy.
Glad to have you with us, flash.
So, why is this thing burning people alive?
We're not sure. But the current theory is...
To feed off their grief.
How do we fight him?
We don't know yet.
One thing I do know about team flash is they'll find a way.
I don't know what's more terrifying,
that this deathstorm can turn up anywhere
or that not even the flash is powerful enough to stop him.
Look, Kristen, I know this seems hopeless, but...
[Kramer] It's not just that.
Joe, how the hell did you use to deal with this?
For the past 17 years, I've been either a soldier or a cop,
and nothing I've done prepared me for this.
Look, I hear you. When I was captain,
I fought evils in this town I didn't know existed.
So I know exactly where you are.
Looking out into the unknown at something that you cannot stop.
But I always had a friend to watch my back.
Just like you do now.
[The flash] Joe's right.
Everyone has a weakness. Deathstorm does, too.
We just have to find it.
Until then, what's the plan?
I'll use my speed to keep searching the city.
I can help you coordinate protocols,
so all of our officers are safe and they can actually do their job.
What, are you my adviser now, Joe?
That would be up to you, captain.
Remember, if you or any of your officers see this thing...
Don't worry.
You'll be the first to know.
I'll let you know what I find on my end.
[Documents clatter]
[Joe exhales] Have faith.
He'll find a way.
Until he does, you and I have to lock down the city.
Let's get to work.
[Kramer] Listen up, everyone.
[Indistinct chatter]
Our city is under attack.
[Officer] Captain, is it true?
There's some kind of fire ghost?
Yes, and I suppose that's as good a description as any.
To be honest, we don't know much about our enemy.
But I can confirm that the streets aren't safe
for anyone who is currently grieving.
So if you've had any upsetting news recently
about a family member, friend or loved one,
please see myself or Joe immediately.
You're not safe on the streets.
The rest of us will be working with the flash and his team
to take this threat down together.
So, your orders are as follows.
Do not engage this monster.
We need to protect this city by keeping civilians out of harm's way.
The flash and his team will do the heavy lifting.
Now, Martinez, howe,
send out a city-wide lockdown alert.
We need everyone off the streets.
Korber, matlin, gather teams to set up a perimeter grid.
I want eyes and ears on every street corner we can manage.
Anyone sees this thing,
call it in, then get yourselves to safety.
I have looked through all the evidence on deathstorm's past attacks
and still no clues as to where he went.
So far, every grid has turned up nothing.
And satellites are still a dead end.
Hey, what about the ccc media tip line?
Nothing yet. And I have the bullpen on alert.
It's like he shows up just to feed and then disappears into thin air.
[Scoffs] It's like a ghost.
It's not a ghost, so he's got to be hiding somewhere.
Hey. How you guys doing?
Never mind. I already know.
I can feel your frustration from the med lab. Chester,
I thought that we had a way to track these black fires.
We did.
But ever since our new big bad turned from black flames
into a fiery walking-and-talking corpse,
he's become untraceable.
How's Caitlin?
She and frost are moving into the speed lab.
Physically, Caitlin is fine.
But she's still pretty shaken up.
Yeah, because even though you can hide emotions,
you can't get rid of them.
Guys, we don't need the satellites to search for deathstorm.
Cecile, you're going to help us find him.
So, wait. You want to use cecile as, like, a deathstorm compass?
Think about it. Deathstorm absorbs grief.
Grief is an emotion.
My powers.
My powers feel other people's emotions, even from a distance.
If we could figure out a way to interface cecile's empath powers
with s.T.A.R.'S search systems,
it would be like using a wireless neurogenic array,
synced with the med lab's synaptic monitoring relay.
[Chuckles] Holy paschal Beverly Randolph.
Barry, this could work.
[Allegra] Yeah, but...
Syncing cecile's mind up with that thing,
it sounds pretty dangerous.
Allegra's right.
Tapping into a pool of emotion that large,
it could overload your neural synapses.
You sure you're okay with this?
This murderous bastard has already killed more than a dozen people.
So, yeah, try and stop me.
[Caitlin] I can't believe I was so blind.
Frost, this all my fault. I let that thing out.
No, I'm not going to let you go there.
I mean, come on, we're on lockdown because I went rogue.
All because I was so obsessed with...
Reconnecting with the past.
Ronnie wasn't just your past. He was your husband.
And deathstorm knew that.
Which is why he knew he could use it to manipulate you into bringing him back
from whatever hellscape he comes from.
This isn't your fault, okay?
Isn't it? I mean, the whole city's paying for my mistakes.
And as stupid as it sounds,
I... I just feel like I lost Ronnie all over again.
Why does this hurt so much?
Because you loved him.
Hmm. [Sighs]
And even though it's been a long time,
he'll always be a part of you,
and that's okay.
[Whooshing]
- Oh, thank god. - [Sue] Oh.
Let me guess. The still force?
Call me Deon.
My headaches. They're getting worse.
Okay. I... I'll see what I can do.
You also said to tell you if something happened.
Well, it did.
Ah. Tinya's mom. I already know.
Oh. Right.
'Cause you can see past, present and future.
Not in this case.
I actually only saw what happened to tinya's mom
once it became part of the past,
which ain't how things are supposed to work.
My time sickness, it's spreading into the still force.
That's why it took me so long to get to you.
I've infected you, too, haven't I?
It's probably why I didn't see this coming.
Somehow I...
Somehow I'm getting sick, too.
What about tinya's mom?
Once I get my strength back, I'll look for her. But, Iris...
I can see everyone's future except for yours.
We've got to slow down whatever's happening,
because if we don't...
Iris is going to disappear again.
Maybe for good this time.
[Sue] Okay.
Okay, okay.
We just... We got to find a way to bring her back,
because if she gets lost in space, we need a way to find her.
[Speaks indistinctly]
Yeah. You remember that tracking app that you guys used to find tinya?
- Yeah. - Maybe I could do the same.
Okay, it's pretty far out, but, I mean, if it works...
Do it.
I should be able to track your movements now.
And in the meantime, you know,
fight as hard as you can to stay here.
And do whatever you can to just anchor yourself to the present.
Yo, something's wrong.
[Screams]
Okay, so, I've linked up a wireless neurogenic monitoring system
to your cerebral cortex.
You can do that?
I'm pretty sure given enough time, Chester can do anything.
Aw. Thanks, barr. [Chuckles]
So, yeah, all you need to do is
concentrate on any large pockets of grief.
If we're right,
then that will lead us right to where deathstorm's been hiding.
Once you get a hit, I'll triangulate real time coordinates,
find the location...
Then the flash will take over.
Works for me.
- Are you ready? - [Cecile exhales]
Yeah.
Okay.
[Machine whirring]
[Beeping]
Oh, it's working. Keep going, cecile.
[Beeping continues]
[Beeping rapidly]
Wait. There must be a glitch or something. It says that...
It's coming from s.T.A.R. Labs.
[Electricity crackling]
[Indistinct voice whispering]
[Deathstorm] You're wasting your time.
You won't find me until I'm ready.
- Shut it down now. Shut it down. - [Deathstorm] It won't work!
The empath and I are one.
Deathstorm.
If you hurt her...
[Deathstorm laughing]
Don't bother with hollow threats.
You can't stop me.
The truth is, there is only one way all of you survive...
We're never going to give you Caitlin.
Then I'll take her from you!
[Deathstorm laughing]
I can taste the tiniest bits of sorrow coming from you both.
They are so delicious.
And exactly what I need.
You don't scare us.
And you can't control us anymore.
We've already faced our grief.
And yet, there's always the smallest morsel left behind,
long after the loved one has passed.
Which is why you can't stop me.
[Electricity crackling]
- [Gasping] - Cecile?
Deathstorm!
He overwhelmed my emotions. It... it was...
[Sighs] It was horrible.
All that matters right now is you're back with us.
Okay?
[Breathing heavily] Yeah.
[Cecile] Barry,
I could feel his determination.
His sheer force of will.
Barry, he's never, ever gonna give up on trying to get Caitlin.
Esperanza.
[Speaking Spanish]
[In English] Which would make you his bitch.
[In English] Be careful, prima. The juvie in you is starting to show.
Yeah, we're done.
[Rumbling]
What was that?
A localized explosion of some kind.
Oh, if pyro pazuzu is back, we could be under attack.
Guys, I'm picking up a category three
spectrum discharge four levels beneath us.
What could cause that?
A light-based detonation on the electromagnetic spectrum.
Allegra.
What happened?
Barry. Watch out, that thing...
It looks like my cousin, but it isn't.
[Electricity crackling]
It was right there. One of those grief freaks, like Chuck's dad.
But this time it looked like Esperanza.
I knew it wasn't my cousin as soon as I saw it.
But when I fired, it fired back.
The blast knocked both of us out.
Now it's gone.
[Sighs]
Well, I'm just glad you're safe.
Yeah. Yeah, me, too.
Only why is deathstorm trying to haunt me all of a sudden?
[Iris west] We have no idea what happened to Deon.
Whatever's going on with me,
it's not just my problem anymore.
It's time fracturing itself.
Okay.
There's not much we can do about that right now.
But obsessing over it, it's only gonna make things worse.
Say, did I ever tell you about the time that I crashed a royal wedding?
Spoiler alert,
they don't arrest you if you buy the castle.
Right. Not the time.
More like not enough time.
Do you know that being married to a speedster
affords you the ability to live an entire day in a second?
Makes you think that you have all the time in the world.
We don't.
And every moment is precious.
Agreed.
You know, I used to think that Barry and I and our children,
that we had so much ahead of us. But...
Now it feels like I have no future.
Look, you are Iris west-Allen.
You are your own force of nature.
I promise, whatever time this world has left,
it's not done with you yet, not by a long shot.
[Sighs]
[Groans]
Okay, Iris, stay with me.
[Breathing heavily]
This time stream, it's too strong.
Just remember what Deon said.
Concentrate on being right here, right now with me.
I can't. I can't fight it.
[Sue] Hell yes, you can.
You know why?
Because you have way too much to live for.
[Breathing heavily]
[Screams]
Barry, Nora and Bart.
They need you, Iris.
You're their future and they're yours.
Are you gonna give up on that?
So fight this.
You say that you can't see a future?
Fine, anchor yourself to them.
Write yourself a new future.
Starting right now. You got that?
[Breathing heavily]
[Panting]
Better?
I'm still here.
Yeah.
[Panting]
[Computer beeping]
[Joe] I know that look.
Kramer had it earlier.
You're wondering what to do now, too, huh?
Using grief to track deathstorm was our best shot.
A long time ago,
I met someone who was as unprepared as it gets.
Young, inexperienced, thrust into this whole new world
that was sink or swim. You know what happened?
That he didn't see coming next?
Devoe, zoom,
cicada, bloodwork.
And you're still standing, ain't you?
What's happening now?
Deathstorm's going after Caitlin. I mean, how do we stop this thing
if we don't even know why she's the target?
Barr,
all the resources, weapons and planning in the world
ain't going to help you prepare for a monster like this.
All that you can do is be who you already are.
Somebody willing to fight, no matter what the odds are.
So believe me when I say, don't worry.
In due time, you will find a way to get the advantage over deathstorm.
- And until that happens? - You do what you do best.
Run... into the unknown, and trust yourself.
Believe me, you're better prepared than you think.
[Pencil scratching]
[Indistinct voice whispering]
[Softly] Cait...
[Indistinct voice continues]
[93595]
[Grunts]
Now your life ends.
[Screaming]
[Barry] What happened?
Deathstorm, he... he got in somehow.
- Caitlin? - He took her.
What about frost?
Well, I scanned her vitals.
She's still in the speed lab. Alive, but not responding.
Hey, Barry, I'm tracking the GPS on Caitlin's phone.
Deathstorm's moving with her fast, headed to who knows where.
If we don't catch him before he disappears...
Check on frost. I'm gonna go after Caitlin.
Chester, stay on comms.
- [Whooshing] - Yeah.
Found 'em.
He's too high, I can't reach him.
Chester, my boots can redirect most energy sources.
Does that include currents equal to the kinetic output created when I run?
Uh, it should, and the force of those two equal energies
would probably cancel each other out.
It'd be like running into a brick wall.
I'm counting on it.
Hold up. Hold on.
Are you about to do what I think you're about to do?
[The flash] Yeah. Time to ride the lightning.
["Ride the lightning" playing]
Chester, I've lost Caitlin. Where'd they go?
Uh, I don't know.
One second you almost had them, then they completely disappeared.
We have to find them.
[Fairground music playing]
[People chattering indistinctly]
[People screaming]
[Growls]
[93595]
[Deathstorm snarls]
If you're going to kill me, just get it over with.
Why would I do that?
I traveled across the stars to transform you,
so you could end my loneliness.
Because tonight, you become my bride.
[93595]
[Screaming]
Uh, flash, Caitlin just popped back up.
She's at the Ripley's wild world, just outside the city.
[Panting]
Caitlin, what happened?
Where's deathstorm?
Caitlin?
He said I'm not ready yet.
[Beeping]
[Caitlin] It's incredible.
All my vitals are elevated. My blood pressure is lower
and so is my body temperature.
But that's not the strangest thing.
My cells are in a constant state of regenesis.
It's like I'm not aging at all, at least not the way I'm supposed to be.
Why? Why would deathstorm try to make you stronger?
[Cecile] Uh, Caitlin.
I'm sensing a massive amount of grief inside of you.
It's...
It's enough for an entire family.
When I found you at the park, there were four more charred bodies.
Deathstorm's calling card.
Okay, here's what I don't get. The black flames that he emits,
how come they don't hurt you?
I don't think that they're supposed to. I think that that's what's changing me.
When deathstorm attacked me again,
he said "I traveled across the stars to be with you."
But that my transformation wasn't complete, that I wasn't ready yet.
Ready for what?
To be his bride?
I think he wants us to be together in wherever it is that he's from.
And that what's happening to me now is something that he has to do
to make sure I'm prepared.
He was never trying to kill you.
Barr, I know it sounds crazy, but if deathstorm is using the grief
he consumes to change me and he's saying he needs more...
He's gonna feed again.
And as soon as he's full, he's gonna come back for you.
[Frost] Okay, that's it.
I am done waiting around for the bachelor from hell
to come give caity a Rose.
We need to find this sicko and end him
before he does anything worse to my sister.
[Winces] Argh!
- Ah. - [Cecile] Hey.
You okay?
It's fine. I'm gonna be okay. I just, uh... I gotta rest.
Frost, cecile, stay with her.
What are you gonna do?
I'm going to find a way to end this. We're more than just team flash.
We're a family.
And if anyone tries to hurt a member of this family,
we do whatever we can to stop them.
[Chester] Okay, barr. So what now?
Yeah, we might not have a plan,
but now we know something we didn't before.
Something I'm hoping can help us.
What's that?
Where deathstorm goes when he disappears.
So, when I was chasing deathstorm, he opened a portal.
And even though I couldn't get to Caitlin, I saw inside of it.
Just for a moment.
And guys, I've seen space like that before.
Inside your singularity, right before you joined the team.
[Chuckles nervously]
Oh, no.
So what this means is when deathstorm disappears,
he's not just teleporting around town.
No, he isjumping back and forth between points in dimensional space.
I think I know what happened now.
When Ronnie's grief traveled through that singularity,
it created deathstorm.
Only he's been trapped there,
trying to get back across the stars to Caitlin ever since.
And now that he's complete, he can move back and forth between
that hell dimension and here, at will.
All this time, we've been wondering why deathstorm would come after Caitlin
seven years after Ronnie died.
He's been searching for his plus-one this whole time.
It took him this long because of how far he had to travel.
So, a death monster from another dimension,
traveling through outer space
to find his death bride. Yeah, it's official.
I've heard everything now.
Great Benjamin banneker.
Trans-dimensional particles.
Okay, now you're just making stuff up.
No, no, no, look, now that I know
that his powers are literally from out of this world,
it makes me think that we need something cosmic.
And folks, I know just the gadget that we can augment
and use to defend ourselves against this thing.
[Monitor beeping]
The mental augmentation chamber.
The Mac saved my ass by absorbing the entire mass
of black hole energy that I accidentally unleashed a couple years ago.
I'm sorry about that again.
And black holes are composed of trans-dimensional particles.
Exactly. Now, this is going to sound a little nuts.
But what if we adjust the Mac so that instead of absorbing
trans-dimensional energy, it emits cosmic craziness instead.
We'd finally be able to fight fire with fire.
[Claps] Yeah.
Yeah, but it's not like we can just turn the Mac
into a portable Cannon or shield.
What we would really need is...
A person to contain all the energy.
Done and donner.
Look, I don't speak geek, but I understand enough to realize
that you guys need an anti-deathstorm in order to take down the real thing.
Frost and deathstorm's powers are both based on cold fusion.
That could be the key to pull this whole thing off.
Yeah, but frost, this is right up there
with some of the most dangerous stuff we've ever attempted as a team.
We can't ask you to do this.
You don't have to. It's like I told mom.
Dad created me for one reason, to keep caity safe.
I was literally born for this.
So, let's extinguish the son of a bitch.
[Rustling]
[Whooshing]
Iris.
Thank god.
It's so good to see you.