Chapter Text
Central City 2019
Just a few moments ago, a large flash of lightning stuck an empty alleyway near a popular diner in Central City. The smell of burning plastic filled the air but because it was late in the evening, it went unnoticed by the general population. A strange man then stepped out into the street, curiously staring at the local surroundings. "Look at this place... so uncivilized... so uneducated..." He muttered to himself. "They'll learn soon enough." He started walking away, paying no attention to the strange looks he received from several people.
A loud scream caused him to stop in his step, turning around to see a couple rushing up to him. "Oh my god. It's really you. You're the Flash." The woman gushed. "I can't believe it. See John, I told you it was really him." The man, John, merely smiled in return and stepped forward to shake his hand. "I can see that Susie." He chuckled before rapidly shaking it. "We just want to thank you for your service Flash. You really are a hero to this city."
The man stared at the couple, his face twisting into a look of disgust. Without any warning, his hand was on John's throat, easily picking him up off the ground. He could feel him struggling against his grip, his eyes silently pleading for mercy. "Wrong hero John."
Susie screamed as John fell to the ground, his eyes stilled open from the unspeakable horror that he witnessed. She stared at the man who she thought was the Flash, terror in her eyes. "Who-Who are you?" She whimpered, scooting backwards until she hit a brick wall.
"Your lord and savior." The man responded, his eyes glowing orange as he slowly approached her. "I believe it's time that I became acquainted my flock."
Next Day
Captain Joe West stood next to the surviving victim, the paramedic trying to stabilize the woman's condition. He scratched the back of his head, wondering what the hell was going on. According to the initial reports, the woman claimed it was the Flash who did this to them. He couldn't help but to stare at her in disbelief, secretly knowing that there was no way Barry could've done this. His son was off on his spiritual journey, trying to find his purpose after his messy divorce with Iris. He couldn't help but to wonder if this was the work of another speedster, or the very least, another meta. The questions that he wanted to ask but when the medic shook his head, he knew that his time was up. Joe nodded and watched as a sedative was given to the poor woman.
"Do we know what happened to her arms?" He asked, gesturing to the carefully wrapped limbs. "I didn't think bones could... disappear like that."
The medic shrugged his shoulders. "That's the strangest thing. I did an initial examination and I couldn't find any sort of puncture wound. It's almost like they just vanished."
Joe made a face, the very thought grossing him out. "Do you mind if I get someone to take a look at that before you take her to the hospital?" He didn't wait for the medic to answer, turning around and waving his arm in the air. "Caitlin! I think there's something over here that you'll want to see!"
Caitlin strolled over, her lips pursed tightly together. She finished examining the other victim and from what she could tell, the bones in his neck was snapped in half. A very gruesome way to die. She couldn't help but wonder what kind of killer would be able to do this and the very thought turned her stomach. As soon as she was close enough to see what Joe was looking at, her eyes immediately widened. "Oh my god Joe. Her arms."
"I know. Do you know what could've happened to them?" Joe asked and then stepped closer, lowering his voice. "Do you think a meta could've done this?"
"Quite possibly. It wouldn't be impossible from what we've seen but that doesn't make any sense. Why would our meta break her husband's neck but only remove her bones?"
Joe scratched his head, unable to come up with a suitable theory. He sighed, wishing that Barry was here. He could've used one of his crazy theories right about now. He watched as Caitlin took out Cisco's dark matter detector and started to run some initial tests.
Caitlin furrowed her brow as she read the results. It clearly showed traces of dark matter but what surprised her was that it also detected faint traces of tachyon particles. The same ones found commonly on speedsters. Her heart started to beat rapidly around her chest as she turned around, her eyes scanning the immediate area. She could feel Killer Frost's anxiety, her alter-ego warning her to be on guard.
"Caitlin? What's going on?"
She heard Joe's question but she was too preoccupied to answer him. If this was the work of another speedster, they were in grave danger. She wasn't sure if she could protect them by herself. Her eyes continued to look around, staring into the faces of anyone and everyone who could be a possible threat. After a few tense moments, she lowered her guard and leaned against the ambulance, the surge of adrenaline passing.
"You're starting to scare me Caitlin. What are you not telling me?" Joe asked once more, his voice filled with concern. "On a scale from one to end of the world, how bad is it?" He saw the surprised look on her face and he scoffed. "Don't look so surprise. With the amount of time that I spend with you kids, I'm bound to pick up a thing or two."
"I'm not sure yet." She hesitantly answered. She then sighed when she saw the concerned expression. "It could potentially be something." She explained. "I found faint traces of tachyon particles around her but it's not conclusive. Do you think I can get a piece of her clothing to run some more tests back at S.T.A.R Labs?"
Having been around to deal with several evil speedsters, the phrase tachyon particles developed into an alarm for him. His body automatically reacting and before he realized what happened, his phone was already unlocked and had Barry's name on display. "We need to tell Barry about this. Even if there is a remote possibility of another Thawne or Zoom, we need him on this."
"Maybe we should wait until we know more Joe. Let Cisco and I have some time to analyze the results before we call Barry to come back."
As much as she wanted to let Joe call Barry, she knew that he needed time for himself; to rediscover who he was as a person. It was the same self-reflection journey that she went on after Ronnie died but instead of traveling the world, she stayed right here in Central City with Cisco and Barry who helped her through it. It pained her heart knowing that she couldn't help her best friend the same way he did for her but she understood that he needed the space.
"You're right." Joe muttered, "You're right Caitlin."
She gave him a small smile, reassuring him that everything would be fine. Even with Barry off in Nepal, he promised her that if the city needed him, he would be back in a flash. It was an unnecessary pun which she groaned when he made it but she knew how to reach him. At first, it started off with a late-night phone call from Barry who was calling to check in to see how everyone was doing but when they ended the call a few hours later, it was the first time she slept peacefully since he left. When the next night came and he didn't call, she told herself that as a friend, she should call him to check up on him.
Needlessly to say, it eventually evolved into a nightly ritual for her. Right when the clock struck ten, her phone would start vibrating with Barry's name on it. Even though she told herself it didn't mean anything, there was still a part of her that hoped for more.
"Maybe we should give him an update..."
Caitlin saw the look in his eyes and she understood his feelings but before she could say anything, an officer frantically ran towards them. "Captain! There's been several reports of a metahuman fighting the stretchy guy. Command is requesting for you to be on the scene."
"Elongated Man." Caitlin and Joe both corrected. They didn't notice the surprised look on the officer's face as Caitlin pulled out her phone and started calling Cisco while Joe started gathering whatever manpower he could. He caught Caitlin's attention and they wordlessly ran towards Joe's police cruiser. "Talk to me Caitlin, what kind of metahuman are we dealing with?" Joe asked, turning on the sirens as they sped away from the crime scene.
"I'm not sure." Caitlin answered, her hand tightly gripping the door handle. "Cisco's out there on the field with Ralph but from what he's telling me... They're not able to control the situation..."
"...You mean he needs backup?"
"I'm not sure." She repeated. "Cisco just said to come as soon as I can. There was some weirdness in his voice but I figure since we're going, we might as well see with our own eyes." Joe didn't need to be told twice as he stepped on the gas, the siren blaring as they sped down the main streets of Central City.
Downtown Central City
When they arrived on the scene, Cisco was leaning against the wall, one arm nursing the right side of his body. He saw Caitlin running over and he just shook his head. "You need to be careful with this guy Caitlin. Whoever he is, he's strong. He took everything that I threw and just brushed it off. It was almost like I was throwing sticks at him and believe me, I threw everything including the kitchen sink." He gestured towards an actual kitchen sink that was lodged into the wall.
She frowned and decided not to comment. Her doctor instincts kicked in and she started examining Cisco's injuries. Her fingers gently touched and she could feel him flinching. "It's not broken as far as I can tell but we need to get you back to the lab for a better look."
"If you think this is bad, you should see the other guy." Cisco grunted, pointing to the individual who was currently occupying Ralph's attention. "I think it's time you introduce Frost to him Caitlin. Perhaps he'll play nice with her."
Caitlin rolled her eyes but she could feel Frost itching to come out. There was a sense of excitement bubbling from inside so she closed her eyes, mentally telling Frost to be careful. They do share a body after all.
Cisco happily whistled as he watched in amazement as Caitlin's brunette hair color changed to silver-white, along with a significant drop in temperature. It always left him giddy to see her transform like that. "Alright!" He said with glee. "Time for the big guns to come out."
Frost snorted and started walking away. "Hey tincan!" She shouted, getting the attention of the metahuman. "Why don't you come pick on someone your size!"
"That's not his name!" Cisco shouted at her retreating back. He then turned towards the meta and continued shouting. "Don't listen to her unnamed meta! Uncle Cisco will give you a cool enough nickname soon enough!"
The metallic man growled in responded as he stopped swinging his fists. "Walk away woman before I put you into the ground."
"Promises promises." Frost coyly replied, smiling as she slowly approached the scene. "Why don't you quietly turn yourself in before I turn you into a giant Popsicle? I'm sure it'll be a much better story to tell the boys at Iron Heights that you came quietly than getting your ass handed to you by a mere woman." Her hands started glowing, a bright light radiating from her fingertips. "Last chance big boy. Even with skin as thick as yours, I'm sure you heard of me." She paused and then grinned. "No, I'm confident that you heard of me."
She fired off a warning shot. One that barely grazed his feet and in that moment, she could tell that he felt it. The cold ice on his thick metallic skin. Her eyes watched for his movement, her fingers tingling and brimming with power. She could hear Ralph continuing with the tirade but the meta wasn't paying any more attention to him. In what feels like an eternity, the man turns his skin back to normal and he raises his hands to surrender. "Smart." She commented and gestured for everyone else to finish the job.
"Seriously?" Cisco exclaimed, walking up to her. "We threw everything at him and he surrenders after seeing you? What the scrap! Are you some kind of secret supporter of woman rights?!"
"I guess Killer Frost has more to her name than stretchy over there but before you decide to run off, Caity told me that you better head back to the lab or I have carte blanche to bring you in." Frost said as she stared at the engineer. "By any means possible."
S.T.A.R Labs
After being given a clean bill of health by Caitlin, Cisco slumped into his chair at his station. His fingers continued to work their magic on the keyboard as he was accessing most of the security cameras in Central City. Ever since Joe dropped off the police report, he was scourging hours of video footage trying to locate and identity this perp. Caitlin was in the lab redoing the results while Ralph was sitting behind him making animal sounds.
The idea that they might have a possible speedster situation left him feeling uneasy and a part of him hoped that Caitlin and Joe were mistaken. His eyes continued to watch the monitor as his algorithm scanned for any anomalies. He picked up his cup of coffee, his body relaxing from the initial taste of caffeine. A peaceful sigh escaped his lips and just when he was about to take another sip, the video feed on his computer slowed down to a crawl and his eyes widened, instantly spitting out his coffee.
"Caitlin!" He yelled as he jumped up from his seat at the same time. "Get over here. Get over here now!"
The urgency of his voice caused Ralph to momentary stop and scoot his chair over while Caitlin rushed over, holding a pair of goggles in one hand. "What is it Cisco?" She asked. He didn't say anything, instead gesturing towards the monitor. Her eyes widened and she took a step back, letting the goggles fall harmlessly to the ground. Neither one of them said anything while Ralph stretched his neck to get a better picture. There was a man on the screen, one that was very familiar to him but he couldn't quite put a finger on it.
The private investigator racked his brain for a second before his mouth opened. "Is it me or does that look like our recently divorced speedster?" He turned his head and chuckled. "I guess all that running buffed him out." He then paused before scratching his chin. "Wait. Isn't Barry supposed to be in China or something? What is he doing back without telling us first?"
What happened next left them all shocked as the man in the video suddenly turned his head, almost if he knew there were cameras watching him. His eyes seemed to glared into the lens before glowing orange and then disappearing from the screen. To what seemed like an eternity, Ralph was the first one to clear his throat, the silence becoming rather unsettling for him.
"Guys?" He turned his head. "Why do the both of you look like someone ran over your pet raccoons?"
"We need to call Barry." Cisco finally answered, muttering as his fingers started moving once more. "Do you think it's another time remnant?"
"Time rem-what-now?"
His question fell on deaf ears as Caitlin took the seat next to Cisco. "We need to lock the lab down Cisco." Her voice was eerily calm but her face quickly turned pale. "And then we have to call Joe to bring Cecile here..."
"Guys! Okay, I might be the newest member of the team but can someone please, for the love of god, tell me what is going on here!?"
Cisco sighed and then picked up the phone, everyone in the room already knowing who he was calling. "I just wanted a year without the world ending. Was that too much to ask for?" It rang for a few more seconds before hitting voicemail but he couldn't delay it any longer. Barry needed to come home. "Hey Barry... We kind of have a situation..."