Within Seconds // Barry Allen

Pawns, Kings, Queens

Parker clenched her jaw. Against her better judgement, she stayed. She held her hand over his injured shoulder, preventing the singed spot from anymore damage as she manuevered his sweater vest off. 

"I'm not healing fast anymore?" he asked. 

Parker shook her head. 

"That's unfortunate."

Caitlin rushed along the backside of the treadmill, switching the wires from the old generator to the backup. She found the time to assure, "Don't worry. When Wells has a theory, he's usually right."

"What if something happens to Joe and Iris first?" he asked.

A crackle interrupted any attempts to steer him on the situation at hand. 

Parker, Barry, and Caitlin dove underneath the window into the room. They pushed their bodies against it. Breathing between the three silenced. Fear paralyzing their bodies. 

Parker's heart was racing, horrified at the thought of seeing one of her friends burned like fried chicken.

Quickly and quietly, the three scurried across the floor and into the closet when they heard Farooq's footsteps enter into the Observatory. He pushed through the door. 

"Did you know the human body generates electricity?" he asked. "The average person gives off three hundred and forty-two watts and I can smell it."

"When did I ask for a monologue?" sighed Parker. 

Barry slapped his hand over her mouth. 

Between the slits in the door, Farooq neared. He had a hunch as to where they were. He didn't follow through with it, due to the lights flickering on once more. He sprinted from the Cortex. 

The three burst from the storage closet. 

"Turn on the treadmill," ordered Barry, jumping on top of it. 

"You're still hurt," argued Caitlin. 

"We don't have time!" yelled Parker. 

Caitlin stepped in front of the lever, blocking it from use. 

"Caitlin," groaned Barry. 

"I can't," she said. 

"We don't have a choice!"

"I can't. If I turn this on, it could kill you."

"If you don't, we could all die," said Barry simply. 

"Jesus fucking Christ, I'll do it, if you can't!" decided Parker. She turned to Barry. "I'll pull the lever, okay? Just... Just know that, if it doesn't work, I--"

"You don't have to say it," dismissed Barry, offering her a smile. "The non-scared Parker Sylas would say something like, 'It's too cliche to admit your feelings when you're gonna die.'"

Parker's face scrunched. Offended by the scared persona he pinned on her, she stomped to the lever, nudging Caitlin out of her way, and slammed it down. 

His grip on the treadmill's bar was lost within a couple seconds. He tried to hold on, through the red and yellow sparks shooting around his body, but he was unable to. He flew back and crashed into the wall. 

"Are you dead?" asked Parker. 

"Did you feel anything?" wondered Caitlin.

Barry held his hand into the air, attempting to vibrate his hand. He succeeded, for a minor second, then shook his head. "It didn't work."

"We have to find the others, then. Put our heads together, find a different way to get you your speed back," encouraged Parker. 

"Parker," muttered Barry.