Warped: Running In Time (Book 4)

Episode 3: Flash vs. Arrow and Singer Girl

In STAR labs, Dr. Wells started talking to us.
    "Anger, hate, aggression," Dr. Wells listed.
    "A Jedi craves not these things," Cisco said in a Yoda voice. When nobody laughed, he said in his normal voice, "Seriously? Nobody is feeling that quote?"
    "Everyone in the bank went total savage for like five minutes," Barry explained. "And then they were fine again."
    "Anger can be a powerful emotion," I said. "I myself have experienced intense anger, and had I not been snapped out of it, I would've done some serious damage. I scared the ever-living heck out of my friends."
    "If this meta human can engender irrational feelings of anger in his victims he can do a lot of damage," Dr. Wells said.
    "Detective West helped me get a copy of the CAT scans the hospital did on everyone at the bank," Caitlin said, walking in. "Take a look."
    On the screen it showed tons of brain scans.
    "Well, look at this," Dr. Wells said, "the emotion centers of the brains are still showing signs of being overwhelmed."
    "Particularly the area that controls executive function," Caitlin said. "That's the part of the brain that stops people from doing whatever random and destructive thing pops into their heads."
    "How do you think the meta does it to them?" Barry asked.
    "In my vision, all it took was for them to look into his eyes," I said.
    That's when Barry's phone buzzed. "If you guys figure it out, just give me a call, okay?"
    "Is the Flash off to another rooftop rendezvous with Iris?" Caitlin asked.
    "No." Barry said.
    "He's lying," I pointed. "I can tell."
    "Okay, fine, but she probably just wants to ask me—I mean, you know, him about metahuman stuff for her blog." Barry said.
    "Do you want some advice?" Caitlin asked.
    "No matter what I say, I'm getting the advice, right?"
    "Don't get involved, as the Flash, or yourself. You don't want to be the one to blame for their breakup."
    Barry nodded, "Okay, I hear you."
    He sped, suited up, and sped out.
    In the meantime, I started writing a new song. With all this talk about anger, I wanted to write an upbeat happy song.

Soon, the police got a ping on the money, and were sending a SWAT team. I suited up, planning to meet Barry there. I ran over there, bringing my weapons with me.
    Barry and I got there at the same time, Barry moving the SWAT officers away from that were shot at them and Joe from an affected SWAT officer.
    As I was about to take the officer down, two arrows were shot at the officers.
    A masked hooded figure stood at the window with a bow in hand.
    "Nice mask," the figure said.
    "Man, who da f**k are you?" I asked, pointing my hand towards him.
    The figure didn't answer me, and jumped up through a hatch in the roof, while Barry kept smiling.

Barry explained to me that this was the Arrow, also known as Oliver Queen, a vigilante in Star City. Barry told me to come with him, as we followed him. Barry led me forward faster than Oliver could get on his motorcycle.
    "By the way, we gave Oliver like a half-hour head start," Barry said to the two people there. One of them was a blonde woman, with glasses, the other was a big dark-skinned man, whose head was rounder than Joe's, and didn't have a goatee.
    Barry took off his mask, but I didn't want to take off my mask. I was clinging to Barry's side.
    "Hi, Barry," the woman said.
    "Hey Felicity," Barry said. "How you doing Digg?"
    "You're fast," the man Barry called Digg said.
    "Did you guys not tell him about me?" Barry asked.
    "Well, seeing is believing, or drooling." Felicity chuckled. "And who is that you have with you?"
    "Oh, this is my little superhero partner over here, Isa," Barry said, introducing me to them, then he looked at me. "It's okay, you can take off your mask."
    I shook my head. "No."
    Barry chuckled. "I think she was just a little intimidated by Oliver."
    "He looked like he was about to start singing 'Be Prepared', from The Lion King and take over the government of an empire." I whimpered. "All he needed was minions that looked like hyenas. I don't like Scar. Scar is scary."
    "He did appear out of nowhere, so I get why she was a little startled," Barry said.
    "Well, there's no need to worry, Oliver wouldn't hurt you," Felicity said.
    I sniffed towards Felicity. "You smell like marshmallows. . . And like you just ate."
    "Um, thanks?" Felicity said awkwardly.
    "Don't worry, that just means she likes you," Barry explained. "She has an enhanced sense of smell. If she likes your natural smell, she'll learn to trust you. If she doesn't, well, she grows wary around you, like she did with Dr. Wells. She isn't very trusting of him. She however has grown very fond of marshmallows."
    I sniffed towards Digg. "You smell like a cheeseburger. I do like cheeseburgers. . ."
    "We'll just have to see how she does with Oliver," Digg said.
    Oliver drove up on his motor cycle. He looked like Stephen Amell, the actor.
    "Hey," Barry said, "Thanks for showing up back there, but Isa and I had that."
    "Uh-huh," Oliver said, sarcastically.
    "I was getting ready to make my move," Barry said. "Or Isa would've."
    "What move?" Oliver asked. "The one to the morgue?"
    "Barry," I tugged at his arm. "He smells like blood with a combination of petrichor, with a hint of. . . .Is that Creed Aventus Men's Cologne?"
    Oliver's head swiveled around with wide eyes. "Now, hold on a minute! How the hell do you know what my cologne is?"
    "That was the cologne my father used to wear, before the accident that put him in a coma," I said, nervously.
    "She has enhanced smelling ability," Barry said. "She can smell that. She's basically like a dog in that aspect."
    "Barry, I don't like him, he's getting aggressive," I clung to Barry. "Can we leave?"
    "Isa chill out," Barry told me. He pulled off my hood and mask, and ruffled my hair, which made me squeak in terror. These people now knew my face. It made me cling harder to Barry. Then he turned to everyone else. "Wait, so what are you guys all doing in Central City?"
    "Working a case," Felicity said. "Suspicious homicide in Starling where the murder weapon. . .is a boomerang."
    She pulled out the boomerang in an evidence bag, and Barry took it from her. "Cool. . ." That's when he saw Oliver glaring at him and said, "I mean, awful."
    "I found traces of iron oxide on it," Felicity said. "I know it's a long-shot, but Central City has the highest concentration of Iron Oxide in the country."
    "Did you know Australian aboriginals used to use boomerangs to hunt? Mainly on kangaroo, which is a surprisingly low-fat source of—"
    "Ahem," Oliver said. "We were following a lead when we heard the SWAT raid over the radio, and I thought that I would come by, watch you make your move."
    "I had a cousin who got hit by lightning once," Digg said. "He just developed a stutter."
    "Huh." Barry said. "Well, my team and I are after a nasty metahuman who makes people angry."
    "Cool," Felicity said.
    Oliver glared at her.
    "I mean, awful," said Felicity.
    "Since you're here, why don't we team up?" Barry asked. "I'll help you find your boomerang man you help me find my rageaholic."
    "We'd love to," Felicity immediately said.
    "No, no, we'll handle our business, and head home," Oliver said.
    "Yes, please Barry, let them go home," I mumbled.
    "The fastest way we can find everything we need to know about the boomerang is to sic S.T.A.R. Labs on it." Felicity protested.
    "Enough people know my secret identity, now Barry's partner does too," Oliver said.
    "Fine, I'll go." Felicity said. "They already know who I am. You can drop me off and I will meet up with you later."
    "She can come," I said. "I like her. She smells like marshmallows."
    "How about I give you a lift?" Barry said, picking her up off the ground and speeding off with her.
    I looked at Oliver and said, "By the way, I still don't like you."
    I sped off behind Barry, putting my hood and mask back on.