Flash of Bravery (Book One)

Chapter 21: Distraction of a Blinded Mind

"Why would Andi do this?" A male voice asks.

"It's not why Cisco." Another male voice adds. "It's how can Andi do this?"

The two voices start to aline at the tone once Barry wakes up. His eyes flutter open but his vision is still blurry. He can barley see the people in front of him that are talking to each other.

Then he listens to another piece of the conversation. "I can't say that I know exactly." Barry can tell it's Dr. Wells talking. "But we need to understand why she went to save Caitlin?"

A small groan escapes from Barry's lips. Cisco turns around blurting out, "He's up." Barry leans forward and holds his head with his hand. Right now he feels the pounding head and his heart races.

"What happened?" Barry asks with his eyes still shut.

"We came back to you laying unconscious with her and a suit missing." Dr. Wells explains. "We assumed Andi was the one who did this"

"Ow." Barry groans as he stands up.

Cisco rests his hand under his chin as his other hand holds his elbow. "How hard did she hit you?" Cisco jokes.

"What?" Barry asks confused.

"It's normal for your head to hurt after...you get hit by a girl." Cisco mumbles the last part of the sentence.

"She use one of her abilities to make me fall asleep." Barry defends himself.

"Uh huh." Cisco jokes.

"Another ability we now know she has." Dr. Wells adds.

"How long ago did Andi leave?" Barry asks knowing there's no use to check his watch.

So Cisco checks his. "Almost half an hour ago."

Barry sighs. "She could be there already."

"It's not sundown quite yet." Dr. Wells "You have enough time to prepare yourself."

"Prepare?" Barry scoffs. "I can't prepare if Andi is already there to fight to the death."

"She's waiting." Dr. Wells says. "Andi is too intelligent too go out there without a plot to go against them."

After that, a sound rings from Cisco's computer. He rushes to check it and his face expressions deepens. "Guys you got to look at this." Cisco warns them. "When the heat gun was fired, it increased a surrounding temperature of the air. Dramatically sort of like an extreme heat wave."

Dr. Wells doesn't have to glare at Cisco to stop him from his thoughts of joking with the name 'Heat Wave'. Cisco rolls his eyes sad to not be able to joke about it, so he continues, "I measured the temperature output of the two old and hot guns, right? And while the cold gun achieves absolute the zero, the heat successfully reaches absolute hot of the hottest temperature an object can reach." He finishes while pointing at the pictures on the monitor.

"Planck temperature." Barry adds.

"So potentially, these two guns could cancel out each other." Dr. Wells says as a statement.

"Yeah, but to do that, your have to make hem cross streams."

"Like Ghostbusters?" Barry asks while laughing at the similarity.

"That film is surprisingly scientifically accurate." Cisco agrees.

"And hilarious." Dr. Wells says in the background.

Barry continues to stare at the visual image of the flam thrower. "What about Andi?"

"She's not the mission." Dr. Wells informs. "We have bigger problems with Snart and Rory out there. Andi can help get the job done with her doing."

"Andi would do more then get the job done." Barry denies.

"Andi will be fine."

"She would become a killer. Don't you care about that?"

"Yes, I do care, Mr. Allen. But this is her choice." Dr. Wells replies. "She's not any different from the other meta-humans we are trying to find and help-"

"She's important!" To me.

Dr. Wells raises his eyebrows at Barry's sudden outburst.

"He has a point Dr. Wells." Cisco stands up. "What If Andi looses control in the public area? She can become too dangerous and hurt innocent civilians, including herself."

"Andi would have blood on her hands after this." Barry persuades him. "She wouldn't forgive herself for becoming something she didn't want. She's not a pawn, remember." Out of anger, Barry couldn't decide to trigger the memory before he said it. But he remembered the speech he gave to Dr. Wells at the blackout when he lost his powers.

Dr. Wells straighten his back and sighs. He stares at the man closest to him as a son. "She's only blinded by hate." He pauses, "You will have to convince Andi to not kill two criminals during your mission."

Barry nodes thinking of a plan of his own in his head. He

Dr. Wells continues to talk with Cisco meanwhile Barry's phone rings in his pocket. "Um it's Joe I'm gonna take this." They nod back in response.

"Hey." Barry says.

"Okay, you're on." Joe responds. "Good luck, son."

"Thanks."

"Barry, after tonight, everyone's gonna know The Flash exists." Joe reminded Barry. "Are you ready for that?"

Barry pauses to sympathize his response. If he doesn't go then Andi alone will be exposed. They could go after her even if she tries to stop them. He can't let Andi face this alone, and he can't let Caitlin get hurt. After ignoring all the scenarios in his head, Barry exhales deeply before replying, "I'll see you soon."

**

In the warehouse they're keeping Caitlin, Heat Wave; Mick Rory, is now tying thick ropes around Caitlin's wrists. She sits on her chair feeling the hard tug as her shoulders are being pulled behind her back.

"You're a friend of there's, huh?" Rory asks Caitlin while pulling the ropes tighter. "He's fast...like fire."

Rory pulls the knot to finish. He takes out his lighter and opens it close to Caitlin's cheek. "Fire, it's undefinable. Heat, light, energy." Caitlin stares at the small fire from his lighter. Moving closer towards her face, feeling the small wave of heat it gives off. "It's an evolution when things burn."

"You're sick." Caitlin scoffs.

"Maybe you're the sick ones." Rory states. "Ever think about that."

Caitlin glares at him with a stern look. "Not really."

"Mm." He hums in amusement of her answer. "His partner, she can teleport, but not only that. Like fire, she travels fast."

Anger stirs inside Caitlin. Instead she tries to distract herself and Hear Wave. She recognizes the burns on his arm. "You've got third-degree burns." Caitlin asks, trying to change the subject. "Why didn't you get skin grafts?"

He turns to glance at his arm. "The fire revealed my true self. Showed me who I really am." Rory "I wonder what your flash and sidekick will reveal when I burn their suits and skin off."

"Do what you want to me," Caitlin takes a short pause of breathe, "but leave them alone."

"Oh, okay then." Rory replies. "You all must be really close if you're willing to die for them, hmm?"

Caitlin turns her head not knowing what to say next. Next, Caitlin feels the barrel of his flame thrower at the temple of her head. By now, Caitlin wishes for her friend to burst through the door and save her. But no, Caitlin only accepts the idea of her not getting out of this situation alive.

AN: Thank you to everyone who is reading, following, voting, and commenting!