Within Seconds: Sylas & Allen

Might Need a Bodybag

"If you don't feel ready, you probably shouldn't do it."

Parker and Cisco, behind Barry, sent her clear looks of confusion. "Not helping?" said Cisco in shame.

"Zoom's still out there. Once we find a way back to Earth-2, I have to be faster than him. And right now, I wasn't even fast enough to save Jay. So, I have to try," said Barry.

"Then what are we waiting for?" asked Parker. Again, she slapped his bottom and sent him on his way.

Barry stepped away from the team. He crouched in a runners stance. At Parker's count of three, he took off from the cliff. He ran, at the edge, he leaped, then he moved his feet across the air for the sensation of momentum.

"He's going to make it!" yelled Caitlin.

For a second, Barry thought she was right. Then, the truth came crashing down: he was nowhere near reaching the other side of the cliff. He started to drop into the depths of the dam. He moved his legs and his arms as fast as possible, trying to spark some lightning into propelling him any other direction than down. It hadn't worked. He didn't fall to his death, though, as Cisco's drones caught him in a fishnet and brought him back to the cliff.

"'Why'd you have to bring the drones along, Cisco?'" mocked Cisco. "Yeah, you're welcome, people!"

That time around, Barry and Parker helped pack up the equipment into the S.T.A.R. Labs van. As per usual when Barry failed a task, it was silent, on his unofficial terms. He was overthinking it, criticizing what he had done wrong, and mentally preparing a discussion for when they returned. The rest of the team stayed quiet in order to avoid a snap from him.

"Back to the lab?" asked Parker, opening her arms.

Barry swiftly swept her feet from the ground and returned them to the Cortex. Jesse, watching the news on Cisco's monitor, threw her popcorn in the air upon their abrupt entrance.

"You better pick that up from my floor, Missy," said Parker.

"Right away, Mom," teased Jesse.

Barry disappeared behind the wall where the Flash suit model was stationed.

"He didn't make it?" asked Jesse. Parker shook her head.

"Scoot, scoot, scoot," ordered Cisco when he arrived.

"Jeez, okay, okay," laughed Jesse, scrambling up from his seat. "How did it go?" she asked to the others.

"Well, he's not a red splat on the side of the mountain," said Harry.

"That's our new definition of success?" asked Cisco. He picked up Jesse's bowl of popcorn, examined it, then shoved his hand in to steal some.

"It's one of 'em."

Barry returned. "What else can we try?" he asked.

"A bigger canyon," said Cisco, speaking through a mouthful of popcorn. Barry tilted his head. "Okay, no more canyons."

"I know I can crack this, I've just been going about it wrong. I need to fine my leg up. Have we factored in drag? Wells, can we rerun the simulation?" asked Barry eagerly.

"Let it go for now," said Harry.

"Zoom's still out there. He's terrorizing a whole world of people, your world, you know, I'm not doing this for fun," said Barry defensively.

"Barry, we've been at this for weeks. You're tired, we're tired," said Caitlin.

"Yeah, what we need is some downtime. Downtime leads to increased productivity, ergo, we have to have fun. And the best way for us to have fun is to go to a club! Let's get turnt! Team Flash, let's go," said Cisco excitedly.