The rest of the day passed in silence. The team's spirits, shaken by Wally's words, were only partially intact. Though a glimmer of hope remained, it had dimmed significantly. Wally's reasoning was simple—he didn't want the team, especially Barry, to grow complacent.
He hoped his words would push Barry to train even harder. Even if his actions indirectly strengthened Savitar, it wasn't arrogance that drove him.
Wally simply understood that by the time Savitar emerged from the Speed Force, he himself would have mastered several abilities. When that moment came, suppressing Savitar would be far easier.
Meanwhile, Jesse had laid Harry in the med bay, where Caitlin quickly administered a small dose of healing serum—just enough to rejuvenate him and speed up his recovery. She recommended that he stay at S.T.A.R. Labs for at least two days to allow his body to rest and recover from any lingering psychological or nutritional deficiencies—issues the serum couldn't fully address.
As Jesse stepped out of the med bay, she immediately set out to find Wally. However, before she could begin her search, he found her first.
Catching sight of Wally approaching, Jesse's lips curled into a small smile. "Wally, I was just about to look for you," she said, stepping toward him, her cheeks tinged with a faint blush.
"We didn't have a lot of time to ourselves last t—"
But before Jesse could finish, Wally had already closed the distance, capturing her lips in a sudden kiss. The moment his lips met hers, Jesse froze, her eyes widening in shock. But she didn't pull away.
Instead, as Wally's arm wrapped around her waist, her hands instinctively curled around his neck. The kiss deepened, their lips moving in sync as the initial surprise melted away. For half a minute, they stayed locked in the moment before finally pulling apart.
Both gasped for breath, their breathing uneven before gradually stabilizing. Jesse's eyes, still wide with surprise, searched Wally's face as she spoke.
"That was… surprising. What was that for?" she asked, her confusion evident.
Noticing her flustered expression, Wally chuckled internally before responding with a casual shrug.
"It's nothing. I just missed you, that's all."
Hearing his words, Jesse felt something stir inside her. Her smile deepened, and her gaze lingered on Wally as if she were seriously contemplating something. Should she stay? she wondered.
Before she could dwell on it further, Wally's voice pulled her back.
"So, what was it you wanted to say?" he asked abruptly, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"Oh—" Jesse blinked, quickly refocusing. "I just wanted to say that since we haven't really had time to ourselves since we started our relationship, I thought it'd be nice to go out for dinner." Her words came out slightly minced and hesitant, but the intent was clear.
Wally's face lit up. "Oh, good! I had the same thought. We should go tonight—I'll get a reservation."
Jesse nodded enthusiastically, relieved and pleased by his response.
"Then, how would you like to see something cool?" Wally asked, a playful glint in his eyes. He was planning to show Jesse the energy shielding technology he had been working on.
Intrigued, she tilted her head. "Something cool? Like what?"
As she inquired further, Wally began revealing the details of his achievements—at least some of them. He talked about the healing serum, AI technology, and the progress he had made in energy-based advancements.
With each revelation, Jesse's curiosity grew. At some point, she couldn't help but bombard him with questions. Though Wally answered them with a bit of reluctance at first, he soon found himself enjoying the exchange. Surprisingly, he didn't grow tired of explaining; instead, he kept talking, drawn into the conversation as the hours slipped by.
Before they knew it, the sun had begun to set, snapping them both out of their trance.
Realizing it was time to part ways, Jesse prepared to check on her father while Wally planned to review Alfred's progress on the cloning project. But just as she turned to leave, something occurred to him.
She probably didn't have a dress on hand for their dinner—or maybe she did, but had forgotten. Either way, it was worth asking.
"Hey, do you have a dress?" he asked casually.
"If you don't, I already have one prepared for you," Wally replied.
Jesse blinked in surprise but quickly accepted his suggestion, a small smile playing on her lips.
With that settled, Wally wasted no time returning to his pocket dimension. The environment was as monotonous as ever, filled with the constant hum of movement and transportation.
By now, he had accumulated a considerable amount of resources—ores, minerals, and even rare substances that were scarce or nonexistent on Earth. With the aid of droids and robots, everything was progressing steadily.
As he moved through the space, he soon found himself standing before a cylindrical tube. Inside, the form of a developing fetus floated in the tank, surrounded by a network of monitoring devices. The early stages of the cloning process were proceeding well—faster than expected, but still within his calculations.
Staring at the figure, Wally's thoughts drifted back to the events of the day. In the end, it had been a complete loss on his side. Before the battle even began, he had already lost. And now, he fully realized just how much he was lacking.
The Sage Force had warned him of something unsettling—it wasn't just one cosmic being that could be targeting him. There were likely several. Though the Speed Force was actively protecting him, that protection wouldn't last forever. Sooner or later, something would slip through, and when that happened, who knew what the consequences would be?
One thing was clear: he might not be able to handle everything alone.
A simple conclusion formed in his mind—he needed subordinates. Not just any, but ones who wouldn't be burdens. Allies who could stand alongside him and play active roles in what was to come.
Without hesitation, he gave his next order.
"Alfred, halt further development of the clone. Last-minute changes need to be made."
A moment later, Alfred materialized beside him, his holographic form flickering slightly as he regarded Wally with curiosity.
"Sir, do you mind explaining?" Alfred inquired.
Wally's gaze didn't waver from the cloning tank.
"Instead of just creating him to study his abilities in depth… why not make him a loyal subordinate? Naturally, his strength must not be weak."
Alfred fell silent for a moment, considering Wally's words carefully.
Though he had barely spoked on Earth 2 it didn't mean it hadn't experienced it's masters encounter with a cosmic force. That encounter must have given his master an higher sense of urgency.
The encounter could barely be put into words. Alfred knew that if the Sage Force hadn't allowed him to witness it, he would have remained completely oblivious to what had transpired today.
But what truly surprised him wasn't the overwhelming scale of the threat—it was the fact that his master hadn't despaired. Instead, Wally had already begun creating countermeasures, ensuring he would grow stronger.
"How do you plan on proceeding?" Alfred asked, though he already had a prediction.
"Infuse some of Charna's cells into his," Wally said simply.
Alfred immediately saw the flaws. "But—"
Before he could voice his concerns, Wally cut in. "Yeah, I know. The cells are invasive and could kill the clone. That's why we'll introduce them in small amounts, little by little. At this stage of development, integration will be easiest."
Alfred nodded, already formulating the optimal levels of infusion.
"Also, begin adding cosmic energy into the nutritional solution," Wally continued. "That way, his body will attune to cosmic-level energy from the start. It'll also help cultivate the infusion process and reduce resistance to the cosmic cells."
Alfred ran the necessary simulations and recalculations. Double-checking the parameters, he confirmed Wally's approach. It was indeed possible—but it would significantly extend the cloning process.
"Authenticity confirmed. Proceeding with instructions."
With that, Alfred initiated the procedure. But results wouldn't come quickly; there was no point in watching the process unfold.
Instead, Wally shifted his focus to something else—Earth-512.
It wasn't the Earth itself that intrigued him but the abundance of metahumans and superpowered individuals. What truly caught his attention, however, was the presence of multiple Kryptonians.
As for how he knew it was Earth-512, the answer was simple. During his travels through Cisco's breaches, he had glimpsed several worlds—each filled with extraordinary beings. And for some reason, everything seemed to click all at once.
"The Speed Force?" Wally muttered to himself. It wasn't a stretch to say that the Speed Force had high authority over time and space. So was it showing him these worlds? Was it nudging him toward this path, pushing him to grow stronger?
At the thought, a small smile formed on his lips. But then, a problem arose.
Reaching Earth-512.
He knew that if he attempted to open a breach to Earth-2 right here and now, he could succeed with some effort. But there was a vast difference between traveling to a nearby parallel Earth and one so far removed.
It wasn't about literal distance—not in the conventional sense. The separation between Earths was dictated by dimensional frequency. The greater the difference in frequency, the farther apart the Earths were, and the more chaotic it became to break through the dimensional barriers between them.
In short, the greater the frequency gap, the harder it was to cross.
Even if he tried seeking guidance from the Speed Force—perhaps by attempting to travel there through sheer intent—he knew it wouldn't work. Though he had never tried before, he was certain.
It was the same instinct he'd felt when he realized that a cosmic force had been responsible for Harry's abduction. Maybe it was Speed Force intuition—a feeling that transcended conscious thought. Something to trust in the future, he noted.
Still, there was a way. With the Tachyon Prism and some modifications using Speed Force energy, he should be able to eventually traverse that frequency gap.