Within Seconds: Sylas & Allen

Oh, My God

Waiting for Barry and Oliver to return, Parker stretched out across the hammock on the porch of the farm house. Looking across the land, she couldn't help but imagine living in such a place.

However, as much as she saw herself and Barry in the scenario, it couldn't become a reality. Barry's hero complex would force him to stay in a populated area. And Parker would follow.

From her cell phone rang a familiar beep of tones. Cringing, she hit the green icon. "Hi, little brother."

"You hit me."

"Arm spasm," she defended instantly.

"No, you specifically said you were sorry before you hit me."

"Because I felt the spasm start."

"Parker, you don't just hit somebody!"

"You do if you get an arm spasm."

Dylan growled. "What are you hiding from me?"

Playing into the part, Parker exhaled a heavy sigh. "If you must know, your Christmas present arrived."

"There's no way you knocked me out over Christmas present."

"You know how much I love to see the look on your cute little face when you see what Santa got you."

"Santa isn't real. We had this debate."

"Santa is real in the Sylas house until you're eighteen. Mom loves eating those god damn cookies at two in the morning, so you will pretend Santa is real to make her happy, or so help me God, I'll do things to you," she threatened.

"Things like what?" challenged Dylan.

"Things!"

A rhythmic tapping on the window behind her from a returned Barry told Parker she was needed for Flash business. "Dyl, I have to go."

"Parker, no--" protested Dylan. He was interrupted again, only on that particular instance, it was by Parker simply ending the call.

Inside the house, Barry flashed a smile. "Who was that?"

"Dylan," answered Parker. Judging by the tenseness brought by uttering her brother's name, Barry disregarded the following questions he planned to ask.

"Are the gauntlet's working?" he instead.

"They have to be," said Caitlin.

Parker raised her brow, sharing an uneasy glance with Barry. "That's not exactly a reassuring answer."

Caitlin shrugged. "We're out of time."

"I think it'll work," said Cisco, flexing out the gloves with his own hands. "That Staff is gonna go from 'can't touch this' to 'invisible touch.'"

Oliver clapped his hands together. Sauntering into the center of the room, a plan fell from his lips. "Savage does not know Kendra has access to her full abilities, which makes her our ace in the hole. We're going to put you up against Savage; you attack with the element of surprise. I will lay down cover fire. Barry, you--"

"--will snatch the Staff," he guessed, to which Oliver nodded.

"Where do you need us?" asked Thea, gesturing to Laurel Lance and Diggle.

"This is me, Barry, Kendra, and Carter. We got this," said Oliver.

Thea looked thoroughly surprised by the decline. "Ollie.."

"We're not risking any more lives than we have to," he defended.

"Yeah, but you're also jeopardizing more than just your lives if you don't take the extra precaution," countered Parker.

"And how would you know?" asked Oliver.

Parker narrowed her eyes. "Call it a hunch."

"I don't have time for hunches," dismissed Oliver. "Suit up."

In the disperse of the small crowd, Barry and Parker gathered at the back of the room. Eyes glued to Oliver's tense mannerisms, Parker warned Barry to keep a watchful eye on their grumpy visitor.

"I will," he insisted.

She tore her eyes from Oliver. "Barry, if anything goes wrong.."

"I'll try everything to prevent changing the timeline," he said. "I promise."

"You be careful," she mumbled before she brought his lips to her own. "I'll be waiting here when you return."

"And then I get to hear about that phone call?" he asked.

"After I hear about what went on with Savage."

"It's a deal," promised Barry. He placed another kiss on her lips, then zipped from the house to fulfill his duties as Central City's Guardian Angel.

Of the seven people left in the farm house, only two continued to sit in the living room. Cisco and Parker sat on the couch, scribbling pointless games of Tic-Tac-Toe on a sheet of paper. By the time five minutes of quick gameplay passed, both were finished with the idea of forced fun.

"I have a proposition for you, Cisco," stated Parker, leaning back in her seat.

Cisco breathed a sigh of relief. He pushed the piece of paper to the coffee table. "What's up?"

"We've spent the last months trying to find a way to stop Zoom," she continued.

"Yes," said Cisco, proving his attentiveness. His eyes widened. "Do you think you found a way?"

"I was just wondering if maybe you're our key to stopping him," she said.

Cisco's froze. "If I could vibe him.."

"But there's no way Barry would let you get close enough," said Parker doubtfully.

"You know what, maybe I'll consult Harry on it," said Cisco, content with her suggestion. "He seems hell bent on catching Zoom. I'm sure it's a chance he'd be willing to take."

"You'd have to learn control over your powers, first. On the chance we follow through with it, we can't get to the point where we need you and it fails,"
she warned.

"I'll talk with Harry when I get the chance; I like where this could go," agreed Cisco.

Parker tried to hide her proud smile. "Good.. Yeah, good."

"Hey, Park?" he continued. "I'm proud of you."

"For what?"

"I don't know," he said at first. He took a second to look at her before he found the words. "You've grown so much since you first walked through the S.T.A.R. Labs doors. I'm proud of the type of person we've been able to see develop over the past year."

"Thanks, Cock-Block," she said lovingly.

A rough shaking occurred throughout the Earth. In the seconds it took for Cisco and Parker to pinpoint the source-- a quickly approaching flickering blue wave --it reached the farm house. Reactions were not granted. The wave disintegrated everyone and everything upon touch, and there was no exception for the heroes stuck in the farm house.