Rocky Raymond //Book One\\ COMPLETED

Chapter 8- Things You Can't Outrun

MacKenzie's POV

"Fascinating." Dr. Wells says at the computer. Mr. West, Barry, and I were standing in front of the desk and Mr.West looked as confused as I was when everyone was talking. "A metahumans that can manipulate poison gas."

"Is it just poisonous gas, or can he control all aerated substances?" Cisco asks, walking in from the next room.

"And how is he able to formulate the connection?" Caitlin asks, coming from the back of the room. "Is it physiological of psychological?" She asks, sitting down at the computers.

"I'm gonna feel really stupid if the 12 year old understands what they're saying." Mr. West mutters to Barry.

"This individual can create a mental nexus using gaseous substances." Dr. Wells says.

"You mean connect with gases on a molecular level?" Cisco asks.

"Yes." Dr. Wells tells him.

"That is ridiculously cool." Cisco says.

"They get really excited about this kind of stuff." Barry says.

"The only thing I'm excited about is putting criminals behind bars. Except Irons Heights isn't exactly equipped to handle metahumans." Mr. West says.

"Then I guess it's fortunate the ones you've encountered are no longer with us." Dr. Wells says.

"Well, unless we're planning on executing every super criminal we stop, you geniuses are gonna have to come up with someplace else to hold them." Mr. West tells the 'geniuses'.

"A metahumans prison. Sweet." Cisco excitedly says.

"Until we figure a way to remove their powers." Dr. Wells puts in.

"There is one place here that might hold them." Cisco says and looks at Caitlin, Dr. Wells and I.

"You can't be serious." Caitlin says. "I mean, we haven't been down there since---it's cordoned off." Caitlin says, her voice fragile and I know where they mean now.

"Cisco is right." Dr. Wells says. "It could be modified to act as a makeshift prison."

"What could?" Barry asks.

"The particle accelerator." Dr. Wells says.

"No." I whisper as I think back to the night that Ronnie died, gripping onto his necklace and remembering his last words to me. 'I love you. I'm coming back. I promise.'. My eyes water as the ground lightly shakes in the slightest bit, still enough to stay in my weak control, and cause everyone to look over at me, except for Caitlin who was lost in space.

The shaking stops as I continue to look down at the ground.

"Caitlin. Mack." I hear Dr. Wells say, snapping us out of our dazes. "Did you hear me?" He asks when I finally look at him. "We're going down to the accelerator ring."

"Actually, Dr. Wells. I could use Caitlin's help identifying the poison gas." Barry says.

"Okay." Dr. Wells says.

"If that's okay with you?" Barry asks Caitlin.

"Let's go." Caitlin says.

"Come on, Mack." Barry says, holding out his hand for me to grab onto. I take it and we walk out with Caitlin next to us.

***

"Welcome to the CCPD." Barry says as we walk through the department.

"So this is your day job." Caitlin says.

"Mm-hmm." Barry replies.

"I'm gonna rip out your hearts and eat them for lunch." A weird looking guy in cuffs says as he passes with cops behind him.

"Delightful." Caitlin says at the same time I say.

"Gross."

"Lab rat, I need prints off this gun, pronto." A lady says, hanging Barry something.

"Allen!" A guy yells as Barry and Caitlin look over. Barry's eyes widen and he pushes me behind him, out of sight. "Where the hell is the fiber analysis on the Orloff case?" The man asks.

"Upstairs." Barry quickly says. "It's all finished. I can just run up and bring it down." Barry says, pushing me in front of him and hurrying up the stairs.

"With you that could be days from now, I'll come with." The man says. Barry superspeeds with me up the stairs and runs around his lab.

"The fiber analysis for the Orloff case, like you asked for, sir." Barry says.

"Clean up your lab. It's a mess." The man says before eyeing me behind a little further away, behind Barry. "And you know how I feel about children in CCPD." The man says, before leaving.

***

I was dancing around the lab to the music in my head, finally carefree and not worrying about my powers as I did backhandsprings and tucks as we waited for the samples to load.

"Can I ask you guys something?" Barry says, breaking the silence and I walk over to him. "That you don't have to answer."

"My least favorite kind of question." Caitlin says.

"Shoot." I tell him and he asks.

"Ronnie." Barry says and I freeze at the name. "What was he like. You just never talk about him that much."

"We met when we were working on the particle accelerator." Caitlin starts. "Obviously you got that Mack and Ronnie were brother and sister. But you don't need someone to tell you that, they're practically look alikes. Ronnie was the structural engineer. He like to joke that he was basically a very high-priced plumber." Caitlin says and I let out a small laugh. "We were very different." Caitlin continues. "You might have noticed I can be a bit...guarded. Ronnie knew how to make me laugh. He used to say we were like fire and ice." Caitlin says.

"He was the best brother anyone could ask for." I tell Barry, gripping onto his necklace. "He used to say I was...the sunshine to his whole day." I say as a tear drops from my eye. "He said the the reason he smiled was because...he had me as a sister." I say. "He wasn't supposed to be there that night."

"He was just there for me." Caitlin says. "If he hadn't--" Caitlin says, but is cut off by a beeping sound. "This says that there was no residue of gas in the tissue, poisonous or otherwise." Caitlin says, holding up the paper.

"It must have evaporated." Barry says. "We'll need to get a fresh sample."

"Wait, this can't be right." Caitlin says, studying the paper more and walking over to show Barry. "This says that there are two distinct strands of DNA inside the tissue."

"How did someone else's DNA get inside the victim's lungs?" Barry asks. A vivid then comes over the radio.

"All available units, we have a report of a toxic gas attack in the central city shopping mall." The voice says.

"Barry, don't." I say as Barry gets up.

"We don't know enough about what we're facing yet." Caitlin says.

"It's not safe." Caitlin and I say.

"Caitlin, Mack, I have to go. I'll be back, I promise." Barry says and then speeds off and I can hear Ronnie's voice tell me the same thing. 

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That chapter was longer and better (I hope). Hope you liked it and remember to vote and comment. Next chapter will be up soon. 

-MC