***
I sat up from the bed and realized that for the first time in weeks I actually slept through the whole night. Most of the stress that had built up since I went can to Starling was gone, because those problems were gone. After I took a quick shower I sat at the edge of my bed and thought about my current situation, and I came up with two scenarios. One I could stay or two I could go back to Starling only to get dragged back here. Or I could run of to Gotham or Metropolis to be never found again.
The third option began to become extremely appealing, but I knew it was completely childish. I was about to drive to S.T.A.R Labs when I realized I didn't have a car. Because it was in Starling, I groaned in anger as I took the bus over there. As I made my way through S.T.A.R Labs I couldn't deny the fact that I was excited to see Cisco and Caitlin again.
"Diane!" Cisco yelled the second I stepped a foot into the Cortex. I was immediately ambushed by Cisco who pulled me into a tight hug. "When Barry said he was going to try to have you come back I thought he wouldn't be able to do it."
Caitlin came up a few seconds later and also gave me a tight hug. "I'm wondering which one of his plans worked." She said as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Plans?" I questioned as I looked between the two.
"Well, Plan A was that you would come back willingly." Caitlin informed me.
"And Plan B was that he was going to flat out kidnap you." Cisco said slightly excited. "So which one was it."
At that point I felt very irritated, he actually planned on forcing me to come back. "Diane you actually came. I honestly though you wouldn't." Barry said as he came into the Cortex with a huge smile on his face.
"Plan B?" I questioned as I glared at him. Barry seemed surprised before he turned towards Cisco and Caitlin.
"You told her about the plans?" He accused and Cisco and Caitlin's guilty looks were enough confirmation for him.
"So I'm guessing you went for Plan B then?" Cisco commented sheepishly.
"On our defense they weren't very well thought out plans." Caitlin defended as she put her hands up in mock surrender.
"Look Diane..."
"Nope, I don't even want to hear it." I replied wanting to avoid a fight between the two of us.
"Mr. Allen are you ready for your training." Dr. Wells asked as he came in through the hallway. "Ms. Crock." He said as he noticed me in the room. "I'm glad to see that your finally back."
"You have Barry to thank for that." I replied in annoyance. "But regardless thank you Dr. Wells."
"Well let's get going shall we?" Dr. Wells continued with a smile as he wheeled himself out of the Cortex as the rest of us followed his lead. This was my first time seeing Barry train, and although it was different to what I was used to Barry was improving.
"Very impressive, Mr. Allen." Dr. Wells congratulated Barry who was finishing his fifteenth Big Belly Burger meal. "Your reaction to stimuli at super-speed continues to improve."
"It's still not enough." Barry said as he was about to start on his next burger.
"Actually it is enough." I said as I took the burger out of his hands. "I know you have to eat a lot but you should start considering healthier choices."
"As your doctor I agree with Diane on this one." Caitlin commented.
"Back to our point." Dr. Wells said going back to their previous subject. "You keep working like you are, you stay focused like you are, and you will be ready the next time your man in the yellow suit comes around."
"I think you mean the Reverse-Flash." Cisco said with a small smile on his face and it faded as we all looked at him. "What? He said it, not me. And he's right. Yellow suit, red lightning, and evil the reverse of Barry."
"You can do better." I told Cisco as Caitlin nodded in agreement.
"Actually, I kind of like it." Dr. Wells commented and for some reason I had a bad feeling at the back of my mind, but I pushed it back knowing that I was just being paranoid.
"All right, I'm still ready for another round." Barry said clamping his hands together. "How many more drones do you have left?"
"Two. And they've got lasers." Cisco replied as he jumped up in excitement.
"No." Caitlin, Dr. Wells and I exclaimed in unison causing Cisco to sign in disappointment.
"You guys are no fun."
***
"Captain Cold is back?"
"For a non-metahuman, Leonard Snart is proving to be quite the nemesis." Caitlin noted.
"He still has the cold gun, the one he stole from us, the one I built." Cisco said regretfully.
"Well, what does he want this time?" I asked from my seat between Caitlin and Cisco.
"The Flash." Barry replied with determination. "If Snart wants a fight with the Flash, then I'll give him one." Dr. Wells looked at Barry with disagreement which clearly created doubt in Barry. "What you don't think I should?"
"I didn't say that. But, Barry, as fast as you are, you cannot be everywhere at once. And it becomes then a question of priorities." "Now, in the last month, you have made a commitment to increasing your speed, enhancing your reflexes, and it's working. You're finally getting faster."
"Okay, but what am I supposed to do, just ignore Snart?" Barry asked surprised by Dr. Wells suggestion.
"The last time you had a fight with Snart, a train derailed. You were lucky to get all those people to safety. And if you don't give him that fight he may just back off, and there'll be no casualties. Look, Barry, Cisco and I will work with Joe and the police and devise a way to catch Cold." Dr. Wells ordered before he stopped in his tracks." Yes, I said it, Cisco. As soon as it came out of my mouth, I heard it."
Cisco didn't say anything but the look on his face made it clear that he was glad his names were catching on. "Yeah, we can definitely come up with ways to neutralize Snart."
"Listen, Barry. Whether or not you go after Snart, that's your choice. We here, we will do whatever we can to support you. But after this past Christmas, after the events with the Reverse-Flash I just think he poses a greater threat to all of us." Dr. Wells told Barry, and although he said it was Barry's choice he was clearly telling Barry what he should do.
Dr. Wells and Cisco left the room and I only starred blank at the spot where Dr. Wells was. "You okay?" Barry asked as he stepped in front of me.
I turned around and nodded. "Yeah fine."
"What do you think I should do?" Barry asked me with uncertainty and regardless of how I felt at the moment he had to hear my opinion.
"Definitely not what Dr. Wells wants." I replied as if it were obvious.
"Why do you say that, I mean he has a point..."
"No he really doesn't." I stopped him sounding a bit irritated. "You train to become better by going after Snart, you'll learn by going after him."
"But people will get hurt if I do." He continued, and it was starting to become clear the hold that Dr. Wells had over Barry.
"No they won't, because you'll be there to protect them." I said in a calmer tone. Barry looked at me for a second before he shook his head.
"I can't risk that." He replied and all my irritation came rushing back.
"Well if you're not even going to consider my advice, why do you even ask for it?" I told him and as he took a step forward I took a step back. "Just do what ever you think is right, not what other people influence you to do."
***
I was helping Cisco set up his presentation at the CCPD, when one of the officers approached me. "So, it looks like we're up for a show huh?"
"I would call it more of a demonstration." I replied as I continued to set up the test dummy.
"I guess you're right. So will these really work?" He asked me with his hands in his pockets.
"I guess you'll have to find out with everyone else." I said finally turning towards him. He smiled at me, but I just turned back around to continue my work.
"I'm Richard." He introduced himself.
"Nice to meet you officer."
"You seem very busy." He continued in a happy tone.
"I am." I replied in annoyance, I knew he was just being nice but I just wasn't in the mood for this.
"Diane is this guy bothering you?" Cisco asked as he walked up to us. "He's bothering you isn't he?"
"Cisco..."
"Look man I wouldn't waste your time." Cisco said turning towards the officer with an annoyed look on his face. "Because this girl right here is completely off limits. You don't even stand a chance."
I only starred at Cisco with my mouth slightly open. "Sorry I had no idea." He replied before turning towards me. "It was nice meeting you."
When he left Cisco turned back towards me with a satisfied look on his face. "What was that all about." I asked in confusion.
"It's all part of the plan. Its all part of the the plan." Cisco replied with a suspicious look on his face.
"What plan?" I exclaimed since he didn't clear up a single thing.
"Mr. Ramon will you start your presentation already." Captain Singh asked impatiently.
"Uh, excuse me. If I could have everybody's attention, please." Cisco yelled out into the crowd of police officers.
"You have our attention, Mr. Ramon." The Caption replied with an unamused expression. I walked over next to Joe to give Cisco his space.
"Okay, check it. So Dr. Wells and I, we took your ballistic shields and and we lined them with a pretty sweet compacted heating ribbon designed to repel temperature attacks especially those reaching absolute zero, like Captain Cold's gun..."
"And that's supposed to keep us from getting...turned into popsicles?" One of the officers asked in a bored tone.
"Um, yeah. Yeah, they will." Cisco replied confidently.
"How are we supposed to trust anything from S.T.A.R. Labs after you nuked the city?" Another one of the officers asked.
"You're right. You're right, you shouldn't trust us. What happened a year ago that was our fault. And we can't change the past, as much as we wish we could." Cisco said seriously as he looked around the room."But tomorrow is a different story. Tomorrow's a different thing. We just want the chance to make things better. Observe."
Cisco took a step back s he pointed his gun towards the shield and when he fires it worked exactly like it was planned to. The officers looked impressed but didn't say anything. "Dummies are one thing. My officers are another." Detective Singh told towards Cisco before he walked away. along with all the other officers who dispersed.
"You did great." I encouraged as I put a hand on his shoulder.
"Of course I did." Cisco replied with a smile as he picked up the shield. "I'll start loading the van."
I nodded as Cisco took his modified cold gun and walked towards the elevator. I picked up the box where we brought most of our things when the same officers as before blocked my way. "So it did work."
"Of course it did." I simply replied as I moved to the side. "Now if you'll excuse me."
"Is it true the whole off limits thing?" He asked blocking my way again.
I was about to reply when I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I smiled when I saw it was Joe. "Diane can I talk to you for a second?"
"Yes." I said a little to excited. "I mean yes we can talk."
"Officer." Joe greeted before he guided me to Barry's lab. "I would stay away from that guy, he's bad news."
"Trust me I'm totally not interested in him." I said looking around the extremely messy lab.
"Interested in someone else huh?" I was slightly stunned at the question as I turned back to him.
"Wait, what?" I asked although I heard him perfectly. From the look on Joe's face he found my reaction amusing.
"That isn't what I wanted to talk to about, that's a conversation for another day." Joe said with a now serious look on his face. "I wanted to talk to you about Wells."
"What about Dr. Wells?" I asked confused on what he was getting towards.
"I'm asking you because you don't owe Wells anything, and you don't have the same attachment to him as everyone else." He continued as he leaned against one of the desks.
"Okay." I said slowly waiting for him to continue.
"I have this hunch about Wells, like he might be up to something." Joe continued, and my own suspicions about Wells came to mind. "More specifically with the man in yellow."
"You think Wells has something to do with the Reverse Flash?" I simply clarified and Joe nodded his head in response. "I...it doesn't make sense I mean Wells is helping Barry become faster, if he was involved with the other speedster...it just doesn't add up."
"I know it doesn't, but a part of you has to know something is wrong." Joe insisted and thats when I knew that Joe was the right person to tell my own suspicions too.
"Lately there have been things about Dr. Wells that don't seem right." I confessed, and Joe straightened up giving me his full attention. "The night I left the Reverse Flash told me that I couldn't leave because I was an important asset to his plan and a couple weeks before that Dr. Wells basically told me the same thing. But I mean it could be just a coincidence."
"Not to me, I know that Wells is hiding something." Joe confirmed sternly. "And I need to know that you'll be on my side for this, and that this will stay between you and me."
"Of course." I said slowly, trusting Joe's judgment. "I understand why we can't tell Barry, but how about Cisco and Caitlin?"
"Wells has been their boss for years." Joe explained, but I just couldn't believe that they would have anything to do with the Reserve Flash. "For now it's better they don't know, at least not until we know more about this new speedster."
"Okay. You have my word I won't say a thing about any of this." I told him now confident that this was the right thing to do. Suddenly my phone began to ring and Joe gave me a small nod before he left the room. "Caitlin?"
"Diane, I need you to come help be do something. I thought I could do it on my own but I can't." Caitlin explained quickly.
"What do you want me to help you with?" I asked her as I made my way out of the CCPD.
"I've been trying to find Ronnie, and I'm finally going somewhere with this." She said sounding nervous, and all I could think about was helping Caitlin get back what she lost. "It's just you know how it feels and I won't you to help me. I just want to know."
"Just tell me where." I told her as I walked out into the street.
"Jitters."
"Actually can you come pick me up." I asked realizing I didn't have my car. "I was kind of kidnapped so my cars still in Starling."
***
"Thank you for being here." Caitlin said before we entered Jitters.
"Of course, anything to help you find Ronnie." I encouraged as I opened the door to the coffee shop and Caitlin took a deep breath as she stepped inside. I followed her as she walked towards a man waiting patiently with a coffee in hand.
"Jason Rusch?" Caitlin asked, and the man stood up with a smile as he shook both of our hands.
"Yes. Dr. Snow?" He asked as a confirmation.
"Please, call me Caitlin. This is my colleague Dr. Crock. Thank you for meeting us." Caitlin said as we took a seat next to the man.
"Oh, happy to. Although, to be totally up front, if this is about the resume I mailed in to S.T.A.R. Labs, I've already accepted a position at Mercury Labs." He said politely .
"No, actually, I wanted to talk to you about F.I.R.E.S.T.O.R.M." Caitlin clarified and Jason's face immediately changed as he got up from his chair.
"I'm sorry. This was a mistake. I have to go." He said quickly before he headed towards the door, Caitlin immediately got up to block his way.
"No, look, someone I care about is in trouble, and you're the only clue I have to help him. Please.
"I never got paranoid till they started plotting against me." Rosch admitted looking down at his hands.
"Why would they be plotting against you?" Caitlin asked quickly.
"Because of our work, because of F.I.R.E.S.T.O.R.M." Rosch said in a shaky voice. "Transmutation, the ability to alter matter on a molecular level. We had some rudimentary success with our stage one testing, working with sand grains. But Professor Stein said that we should..."
"Sorry, Professor Martin Stein? He was the co-author of the paper?" She interrupted wanting to get as much answers as possible.
"Yeah, he was our team leader. He didn't believe in baby steps, so we skipped to stage three." He continued to explain with uncertainty. "We melted a concrete wall. But the university threatened to shut us down. So Professor Stein published his paper without them giving permission, and they went nuts. So he went to talk to a friend of his...to secure private backing."
"And who was that?" I finally spoke up.
"He didn't say. He just said he'd call me later. And no one has seen or heard from Professor Stein since." He replied thoughtfully.
"What do you think happened to him?"
"All I know is that the army showed up the next day and confiscated all of our research." Jason continued clearly still nervous as he would occasionally look around. "So tell me, do you think I'm being too paranoid, or not paranoid enough?"
After Rusch left, Caitlin looked over at me with concern. "Don't worry we'll find him, it's going to be okay." I tried to comfort her as I got up from my chair. "But for now we should get going it's almost closing time."
"Okay." Caitlin nodded slowly as we made our way through the parking lot. As Caitlin was about to open the car when there was a blue light as her car froze over. We both jumped back and turned around to find Snart with a satisfied look on his face.
"Car trouble?" Snart said as he put his cold gun down. Suddenly another man came from behind us as he got a hold of Caitlin, I punched the guy so he let go of her, but a second later Snart pointed his cold gun towards the both of us. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."
***