EXPEDITE ▇▇▇▇ VOLUME ONE
━━ ❛ 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒌 𝒇𝒂𝒔𝒕 ❜
chapter no. 004!
𝙏𝙒𝙊 𝙒𝙀𝙀𝙆𝙎 𝙇𝘼𝙏𝙀𝙍. . .
BRILLIANT GOLD AND ORANGE HUES BLED LIKE FIRE IN THE EAST OVER THE RIVERS AND BEYOND THE CITY. The first slither of sunlight peeked over the skyline in a radiant, white form. Gradually it rose, a vibrant circle in a monotonous backdrop. The rivers across from the apartment complex were liquid gold and silver, leaving the magnificent Central City dull in comparison. As the sun fully revealed itself, it seemed to swell, losing its focus and spreading in contrast to Piper's contracting pupils.
A gentle breeze picked up and drifted through the open window, caressing her cheeks and blowing loose strands of her hair. Her thoughts were far away, for she was lost in the awe of everything. For this reason, Piper came to this window seat each morning to lose herself in the glowing beauty.
Glancing away from the sunrise, her eyes landed on Erin, who was humming to herself, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet. Every morning the two would trade off with who was making breakfast. Today was Erin's day to cook.
Piper watched as her roommate scrunched her nose up in distaste while she stared down at the pan. Looking up, the woman sighed in defeat as she made eye contact with the girl on the window seat. "Piper... I have failed this pancake," she spoke in a low voice, imitating the Green Arrow.
The redhead burst into a fit of laughter at the awful impression, covering her mouth with her hand as Erin playfully glared at her. Piper jumped up and skipped over to the stove, peering down at the charcoal-colored pancake. Scrunching up her nose in a similar fashion, she glanced over. "Erin, you have failed to cook this breakfast," she said in a low voice, and the latter rolled her eyes.
"The universe just hates me, Pipes. No matter how often I cook a pancake, it always turns out like this. I swear, the world is truly homophobic." Erin huffed, turning off the stove.
"E, it could literally be raining outside, and you'd blame it on you being gay." Piper picked up the frying pan and walked over to the trashcan, dumping the rock-hard pancake into it.
"Hey! Mother Nature could be homophobic. You never know!"
Piper just laughed as she placed the pan and spatula in the sink, smiling over at the dark-skinned girl. "Cereal sounds good, doesn't it?" she suggested, and Erin nodded, huffing again.
After grabbing a box of Captain Crunch and almond milk, the redhead sat down at the table, crossing her legs in her chair. Taking a spoonful of cereal, she shoved it in her mouth and chewed quietly. "What'd you write in it?" Piper asked, referring to the black leather-bound journal that sat on the table.
Erin turned to the page she had written earlier that morning and slid the journal across the table. Piper's chocolate-brown eyes read over the neat printing, "You asked me to follow you into the field silently. So, I did. I chased after you in a never-ending field of flowers that grew higher over time. I chased after you, blinded by love. I chased after you because I wanted you to be mine. You asked me to stay. So, I did." Furrowing her brows, she looked up. "Talia?"
Erin nodded and reached over, grabbing her book while the speedster stared at her. "I thought you were over her?" she asked, slightly confused. Erin sighed in response.
"I am, but I had a dream about her last night," she shoved a spoonful of cereal into her mouth, talking as she chewed, "and it was weird like Marty and the Polaroid weird. As the poem states, I followed her in this field of flowers. After every twenty steps, the flowers would grow a foot higher, blocking the sunlight from view. Toward the end of the dream, she asked me to stay, so I did, or at least I think I did. I woke up right before I was about to answer."
Piper nodded in understanding and continued eating. "Maybe the dream was trying to tell you something?" she suggested.
"I guess, but I don't know what it meant. I haven't talked to Talia in seven months, and it will stay that way. Trust me, sister."
"Please don't call me that,"
"Why not?! It's cute!"
"No, it's not."
────
GROANING, PIPER SLAMMED HER HEAD AGAINST THE KITCHEN TABLE; ERIN WAS CLAPPING EXCITEDLY IN THE BACKGROUND. "I was fucking right! For once, I was right!" For someone who was rarely right about anything, Erin was ecstatic.
The redhead slammed her head against the table again. "Yeehaw," she grumbled.
Eight hours ago, Piper was informed, thank you cameras, that the Harrison Wells she encountered two weeks ago was indeed from Earth-Two. It wasn't until Erin got home from work three minutes ago that she found out and was throwing a mini party for herself.
Five hours ago, Piper figured out the real identity of Doctor Light and was stunned.
Linda Park.
It was Linda Park, not the one from this Earth but from Earth Two. The Linda she met at work.
When thinking back to two weeks ago, the speedster concluded that she did not trust Jay Garrick. He had always given her an odd feeling. Like there was more to him than he led on, and little did she know how right she was. Jay knew Doctor Light was in town and had dinner with her. He called Linda Light right in front of Piper. Yet, upon "learning" that she was here, he acted surprised when Caitlin called and told him.
Why would Jay lie about knowing Doctor Light was here? Especially since Zoom was the one who had brought her here?
Wait, just a frickity frack...
"Holy shit," Piper whispered, looking up from the table horrifiedly. Erin stopped cheering and blanched, for she had never seen Piper look scared before. Let alone horrified. "Jay— he just— I can't believe I didn't see it before—"
"Hey, crazy, what's going on?"
"I think I know who Zoom is."
The apartment was filled with a silence that layered upon Piper's skin like poison. It seeped into her veins and paralyzed her brain, causing her pupils to contract as her hands grew cold. She didn't know why she hadn't suspected it earlier. The identity of the man behind it all was walking around in plain daylight, at her job, fooling everyone with his charismatic smile.
"Harry's starting to get on my nerves," Cisco said, and both girls turned their gazes to the opened laptop on the table.
Barry chuckled, and while having one of the most ground-breaking realizations of all time, the corners of Piper's lips curled upwards. "The silent alarm just went off at the Bank of Central City," Caitlin announced, pointing to the screen in front of her in the Cortex.
Piper's chocolate brown eyes glowered at Jay as he leaned against the railing around the set of computers, his gaze on the brunette.
"That's gotta be Doctor Light," Barry stated.
Erin peered over at her roommate. "We can talk later. You need to get to the bank."
"Could be a trap," Cisco mentioned, and Piper's eyes remained narrow, nodding at her best friend's words.
"Barry, trust me, Doctor Light is not a killer," Jay followed Barry to where his suit was on the mannequin. "You can talk to her."
Standing from the kitchen table, the redhead pressed the silver heart charm on her necklace and jumped into the purple suit that shot from it. Without hesitation, she sped off to the bank.
Fazing into the wall of one of the safes, she watched as Doctor Light used the starlight emitting from her gloves to burn the outline of a circle into the wall. The grey concrete fell to the floor, and Doctor Light stepped into the room, her eyes landing on the purple speedster who was standing in front of a stack of money. "Who are you?" she asked as the orbs on her gloves brightened, slightly blinding Piper.
"Expedite."
"I thought the only speedster I needed to worry about was The Flash." The lights ceased as Linda's guard lowered.
"Sorry to disappoint." Piper shrugged and took a step forward, "You don't have to do this— work for Zoom. Kill the Flash. I can help you."
The woman laughed humorously. "Nobody can protect me from him. The only way to be safe is to take that cash and get out of town. Away from where Zoom can reach me."
A flash of red appeared from behind Doctor Light, and Piper's stomach churned.
"As of right now, you have no way to get home and are holding yourself back from helping people and making friends. It's time the world and Barry Allen meets Expedite." Erin's words echoed in her mind as the two speedsters made eye contact for the first time. She was right. It was time.
Piper avoided getting caught up in the moment and forced her attention back on the Earth-Two döppleganger. "Zoom will be able to reach you anywhere you go. You know that. I know that. There's nowhere you can run where you won't be found."
The scarlet speedster stepped forward, eyes still glancing at the girl he saw weeks ago. "Let us help you," Barry spoke up, causing Doctor Light to swivel around. "We can keep you safe."
Man, I wish there was a 'we.'
"No." The circular orbs from the gloves glowed, nearly blinding both speedsters in the vault.
While her back was turned, Piper ran forward and snatched the gloves off Linda's hands. Her movement was so lightning quick that Barry hadn't even noticed that she moved, only that she was now holding Light's gloves.
The Flash stood clueless for a few seconds before Expedite rolled her eyes, running and grabbing the meta-dampening cuffs out of his back pocket and clasping them onto Linda. "What the hell are you doing?!" Doctor Light protested as the purple speedster seized her by her upper arm, looking at the speedster staring at her in awe.
"Looks like my job here is done. Here you go," Piper handed a pissed Linda over to Barry. "Sorry for taking the cuffs, but you took too long."
Seriously? "Here you go"? That's one of the first things you say to the cutest guy you've ever seen?
The redhead went to leave before she felt something pull her arm. Turning back around, she looked down at the scarlet leather-covered hand on her. "Wait—" Barry began, "who are you?"
Raising her brows, Piper decided to say something impulsive and potentially stupid in the long run. "I'll see you at S.T.A.R. Labs, Flash."