At the hospital, Ramsey approaches Dr. Rodrigo and claims that he's meeting a colleague and that he's late. Once Rodrigo leaves, Ramsey staggers into a lab, moaning in pain. He exudes some of the black blood to boost his strength, snapping the lock on a refrigerator, and takes out the bags of blood within.
Barry tells the others that he's accepted that sacrificing his life will save millions of others. Cisco insists that they should be doing something to save Barry's life, and Barry tells him that he can't. Frost tells Cisco to get behind it because there is no option, and Cisco says that he is and walks out. Barry gets a text from the CCPD summoning him to a crime scene.
At the hospital, Joe tells Barry that someone broke into the facility and took 10 liters of blood. Barry wonders if it was some kids pulling a Halloween prank, and Joe leaves it to Barry. Before he goes, Joe asks Barry if he's alive. Barry says that Cisco isn't taking the news very well, and Joe points out that Cisco and Barry both want to save lives. As Joe goes, Barry thanks him for showing him a way to get through to Cisco.
In his lab, Ramsey makes a log noting that Mitch's black blood inhibited the HLH killing him. Now he's adding Mitch's cells to the blood he stolen, letting him rebuild his cellular structure. As Ramsey runs the blood through a centrifuge, he remembers watching his mother Rachel slowly die of HLH.
At STAR Labs, Barry calls Cisco in and says that Cisco can save a life: Ramsey. Cisco warns that curing HLH is beyond their resources, and they can't save everyone dying of cancer. Barry insists that they have to start with one man, and he asks Cisco to back him on it. Cisco says that it would require an act of God to cure HLH. Nash climbs in through the window and says that it would take an act of science, and bugged Cisco. He offers to help them with HLH in return for building him a crypto-circuit. Nash says that his work is thermic excavation, and Cisco talks to Barry privately. They both figure that Nash can't be trusted, but Barry points out that Nash shows up for a reason.
Iris goes to Ralph's office and tells him that she has a lead on the missing Sue Dearbon. A guard in Midway City claims to have seen someone like Sue, and Cecile got an eyewitness report. Ralph isn't thrilled, and a surprised Iris quickly leaves.
Ramsey produces more blood serum and confirms it's identical to Mitch's "blood". He injects himself with it and the black liquid spreads across his body as Ramsey falls to the floor, moaning in bear.
Nash takes Barry and Cisco to McCulloch Technologies and explains that he needs a bio-regenerative serum that can cure unhealthy cells. Once they inject it in Ramsey, it will cure him. He says that the company stole it from Swan Moon, the Dominator home planet. Nash admits that it could be dangerous in the wrong hands, and Barry and Cisco agree that they have to get it. Barry speeds off to disable the surveillance camera, and Cisco asks if the serum could protect someone from anti-matter. Nash confirms that it could, and Barry returns.
Nash, Barry, and Cisco break into the building, and Flash notes that there are meta-dampers scattered throughout the building negating his powers. Guards order them to surrender, and Cisco realizes that Nash has slipped away. Nash drops down a sonic emission device, stunning the guards so he can drop down and knock them out. The trio continue to the storage room where the bioregenerative serum is stored. As they go, Cisco secretly attaches a device to the wall.
Iris approaches Ralph and asks if there's a lead on the Dearbon case. Ralph is busy eating cupcakes, and says that he gave up the case as a lost cause. He admires Iris to spend time with Barry while he's still there, and walks off.
The trio enter the storage facility and begin searching. They find the container and Cisco hacks the lock on it. He uses his tablet to set off the device and says that it must be an alarm. Nash goes off to stop it and Barry goes after him. Cisco opens the containers and pockets the vial of serum. Barry comes back and Cisco claims that the container was empty all along. Nash comes back, locks the door, and says that they have company. He gives them smoke bombs and tells them to throw it, and the trio appear in the Lounge at Star Labs. Nash tells them that they had a deal: he'd lead them to something priceless and they build him the crypto-circuit.
Ramsey wonders why the blood isn't working, and angrily wonders what he's missing.
Ramsey shows Rachel his cure for anti-matter. She refuses to use dark matter to cure herself, and Ramsey says that he will and vows that the real enemy is death.
As Cisco works on the crypto-circuit, Barry points out that things don't feel right. He wonders if Nash is lying to them, and notices a container set to the same temperature as the serum container. Cisco dismisses it as belonging to Frost, and Barry points out that Cisco hasn't looked him in the eye since he came in. He opens the container and Cisco finally says that Barry will have to go through him to get the bioregenerative serum.
Cisco insists that he's saving Barry's life, and says that he made a tough call for Cisco. Barry tells Cisco that Cisco has to accept that he has to sacrifice his life to save everyone, but Cisco says that he can't accept a life without his best friend. After a moment, Barry says that he wanted them together to save one person's life so Cisco could understand the tough calls that a leader has to make. He wants Cisco to run the team and STAR Labs when he left, and then Cisco stole something meant to save another person's life. Cisco tells Barry that he'd do it again, and Barry wonders if he made the wrong choice. Going to the container, Cisco takes out the serum, gives it to Barry, and says that it's his before walking out.
That night, Barry visits Ramsey at his lab and offers him the serum. He tells Ramsey that he has to use it quickly, and Ramsey admits that he'd given up hope. Ramsey wonders why Barry did it for him, and Barry says that he wanted to offer Ramsey a lifeline. He says that if Ramsey had enough time, he could cure HLH so he's giving him time to save those who save themselves. Barry tells Ramsey to test the serum, and as he goes, Ramsey thanks him.
Joe visits Ralph at his office and says that Iris told him Ralph was having trouble on the Dearbon case. Ralph says that there's no point in trying to help Sue if he can't save Ralph. Joe talks about how his old partner taught him that they can't save everyone, but they can save someone. Ralph admits that he'll miss Barry, and Joe nods in agreement.
Cisco gives Nash the crypto-circuit, and Nash complains that it's subpar. When Cisco tells him to take it, Nash smiles and leaves. Frost is there and asks Cisco if he's ready for life post-Crisis. Cisco tells her that it's impossible to save Barry but he still doesn't think he should stop trying. Frost says that they can't save someone who doesn't want to be saved, and Barry has already made up his min. If Cisco obsesses over it, he might make a mistake he can't fix.
Ramsey uses the serum on the black blood, but it doesn't stabilize it. The doctor realizes that Mitch was afraid for his life and adrenaline acted to bond the substance. Ramsey figures that to create the substance he needs to live, he has to make someone afraid and then kill them.
Later, Ramsey goes to the hospital, his eyes black with the blood.
Alarms go off at STAR Labs and Cisco confirms they're all at the hospital. Flash and Frost go there and find one floor filled with corpses. They hear Ramsey screaming and Flash speeds into the cancer ward where Ramsey is killing a patient. Flash knocks Ramsey away and asks what he's doing, and Ramsey says that he'll do whatever it takes to stay alive. He says that the disease in his human blood was too far gone, and he figures that he can live forever as long as he feed. Flash points out that he's a doctor, and Ramsey says that he's saving his life and Flash is in his way. The patient Ramsey was feeding on grabs Flash and throws him across the room.
The dead patient Frost is examining comes back to life. She frees herself with a blast of ice and the two of them charge at each other.
Flash recovers as two more "zombies" arrive. Ramsey sends them at Flash, who blasts them with a lightning bolt. When Rodrigo doctor tries to run, Ramsey grabs him and says that his "blood brothers" are making him stronger. Frost blasts her opponent into the room and enters, and all four zombies arrive. While Frost traps them behind a wall of ice, Ramsey tells Flash that if he can't feed he'll still kill the doctor. Frost tells Ramsey that what he's doing inhuman, and Ramsey says that his humanity is what held him back. The zombies claw at the ice wall, and Ramsey says that he found a way to defeat death himself. Flash tells him that the only thing that makes life bearable is finding some meaning in it. Ramsey figures that what he's becoming is the cure.
Ramsey kills Rodrigo at the moment of his greatest fear and leaps out the window. He scurries across the rooftops, while Flash watches the doctor die. The zombies try to follow Ramsey, and the doctor comes back to "life" as a zombie. He staggers after Ramsey but then melts into a pile of black blood. The other zombies dissolve the same way.
Later, Barry tells the others that they lost Ramsey and the five people he turned into zombies. He says that they have to capture Ramsey, and vows that he's going to stop him. Cisco figures that Ramsey is using people as incubators to create what he needs to stay alive, and when he gets hungry he'll do it again. Ralph leaves and Iris goes after him. She tells him that the Crisis news hasn't been easy on anyone, and Ralph apologizes for being a jerk to her earlier. Ralph says that he's going to continue the search for Sue.
Cecile suggests to Joe that he head home, and Joe says that he'll catch up to her for a couple of minutes. She picks up on his emotions and agree, and then tells Barry to go after Joe. As Barry leaves, Cisco tells him that he's sorry about what happened at McCulloch. Barry says that they tried to do the right thing, and Cisco wonders how Barry always pushes forward. His friend says that he's just trying to teach Cisco what it took him years to learn, and that Barry is a hero. Barry admits that he picked the right guy and goes after Joe.
Joe is on the balcony, and Barry talks about how he tried to save Ramsey and wonders if he's doing any good. His foster father tells him that he's done plenty of good, and talks about how he gets a life but Barry gets nothing. Joe insists that Barry deserves better, and Barry says that he's grateful for everything he has and the world owes him nothing. He tells Joe that Joe is who he's most grateful for, and Joe is the one who showed him to be a good person. Barry notes that Joe was one of the biggest reasons that he could become Flash. Joe breaks into tears and says that he's not ready, and Barry assures him that it's all right. He says that he's never going to leave Joe even when he's gone, and they hug.
Nash enters the sewers and puts the crypto-circuit in his wrist unit. He uses it to play back the past, and the past-image of the Monitor passes through a wall. Nash goes to work with a pickaxe and starts breaking down the wall.
Written by Gadfly on Oct 30, 2019