EXPEDITE ▇▇▇▇ VOLUME TWO
━━ ❛ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒈𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒗𝒊𝒐𝒍𝒆𝒕 ❜
chapter no. 036!
THE SOUND OF ELEVATOR DOORS RINGING SOUNDED IN THE LOBBY OF THE CCPD AS BARRY STUMBLED OUT, SIGHING AS PEOPLE PUSHED PAST HIM. It was Tuesday, the second day of the week, which meant that Captain Singh would want Julian's report on the husks from last week and Barry's as well. A report the brown-haired man had yet to complete.
Holding onto the two cups of hot coffee in his hands tightly, he weaved in between people, mumbling apologies as he accidentally bumped into fellow officers. Making his way into the main office, his eyes roamed the room for his adoptive father. As soon as he spotted the man, his brows raised as he noticed Piper leaning against the detective's desk, the two talking in hushed tones.
Barry made his way over, the conversation pausing as he arrived. "Piper, hey, what are you doing here?" he asked, tilting his head as he handed Joe one of the coffees.
The detective smiled in gratitude, bringing the warm cup of heavenly goodness to his lips.
Turning, the redhead felt her heart flutter as her eyes landed on the speedster, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Caitlin filled me in this morning about all the cases you guys have been having on the husks, and I have some information that could help. Also, I heard about that guy who got attacked by a lamppost last night," she spoke, standing up straight.
Barry nodded. "Yeah, that's our new case. So, I'm assuming you already told Joe what you know?" Piper nodded in return, a loose piece of wavy hair falling over her face. "Okay, cool. Is it— can we talk?" he asked awkwardly, adjusting the strap on his bag.
Joe's eyebrows raised, his eyes darting between the two in slight amusement. Both of them appeared anxious as they stared at each other, their eyes shining bright.
"Uh, yeah, sure. I'll see you later, Joe." Piper announced, giving the detective a nervous smile, and he shot her a thumbs up. Rolling her eyes, she turned around to see that the brown-haired man had already begun to walk away. Picking up her pace, she followed him upstairs.
Both of them were uncharacteristically silent as they turned around a corner, the sound of their footsteps echoing in the empty hallway.
Stopping a few feet from outside the lab, Piper gave Barry a muddled expression as she turned to face him. "So, what's up? Why'd you want to talk?" she asked, her eyes sweeping up and down his body as he stepped forward, his grip on his bag tightening.
"Last night," he breathed tensely, watching as she shifted her weight from her right foot to her left.
Piper tilted her head, tucking her hair behind her ear as she became even more disconcerted. "Are you talking about Dr. Alchemy and the Rival or us?" she asked apprehensively, biting down on her lip.
Flickering his eyes down, Barry soon snapped them back up. "Us."
It was silent once more as the redhead tried to formulate a coherent response. Her brain stuttered for a moment, and she looked up at him. An uneasy expression was written across his face as he waited for a response.
"That kiss yesterday meant something to me," Barry confessed, deciding that if he ever wanted to say what he'd been repeating in his head for months, then he needed to step up.
It was now or never.
Instinctively, he reached over for her hand as his heart pounding clogged his ears. The sound of it progressively got louder and louder, which only resulted in making him even more nervous.
Looking down, Piper met him halfway, intertwining their fingers delicately. A shiver went down his spine as he felt her thumb run across his hand's backside.
"I know the kiss meant something to you too," he whispered, looking up to meet her eyes. "We've almost kissed multiple times, and the first time we ever did was the night you left. Then yesterday, we kissed again." Piper nodded, signaling for him to continue. "I'm trying to say that I want more than just this with you."
The bottom of her mouth dropped at his words, her chocolate-brown eyes growing wide as she felt her heart stop.
This is a dream... right?
"Is this actually happening?" she blurted out, watching as the boy in front of her laughed softly, nodding.
"Yeah, yeah, it is. After sleeping next to you last night and not making a move, I realized that I need to stop holding myself back from being with you because I want to. I want to be more than just friends." Barry breathed, his eyes shining hopefully as he looked down at her.
A spark was ignited in her chest, and Piper felt like she could scream. She wanted to scream.
This was it. This was the moment she'd been waiting to happen for over a year. This is what she wanted more than anything in the world— him. All of him. The good, the bad, the ugly, the beautiful, the imperfections, the mistakes, the love, the intimate moments, and the happiness. She wanted it all, but she couldn't.
The small smile that had started to rise dropped, and she felt the wave of immense happiness leave her body cold and numb. Reminding her, once again, that she wasn't herself. She wasn't the Piper he knew. She was different now, and she didn't deserve him.
He deserved better. So much better.
Breathing in deeply, she felt her heart clench as she willed herself to respond. "All I've ever wanted was to be more than friends with you, Barry, but I'm not the same person you knew five months ago. I'm not the same Piper that you care about. You deserve nothing but happiness and love. You deserve everything good and pure in this world, and I'm not a part of that. I can't give you what you deserve. At least not right now. I need to try and find a way to forgive myself and move on before I move into the next chapter of my life." Piper whispered painfully, pushing down the lump in her throat. "Especially if that next chapter includes you. I don't want to ruin what we already have with my problems."
Stepping forward, the brown-haired man nodded solemnly. As he gazed into her eyes, he could read the desperation and pain held within them.
She wasn't ready. She was broken down to the core, and it would take time for her to find herself again. He understood more than she would ever know and respected her choice. He would always respect her choice, whether good or bad. Everything she did was for a reason, and she made certain decisions because they were the right ones to make in her mind.
Letting go of the strap on his bag, Barry cupped her cheek, rubbing his thumb over it softly. The breath in Piper's throat hitched, and she felt like all the air had been sucked from her lungs.
"I'll wait," he whispered, watching as she frowned.
"Barry, I don't know how long it will take—"
"You are worth waiting for."
Those five words caused the redhead to immediately shut her mouth, a thin layer of glossy tears framing her eyes as she stared at him. Looking into his, she could tell by just the way he stared at her that he was being honest.
To him, she was worth everything, and it wasn't until that moment that she could grasp that he would do anything for her.
Not that he hadn't before, but this time was different. She knew how he truly felt about her, and he knew how she felt about him. No words or explanations were needed as Piper simply nodded, giving him a watery smile as he ran his thumb across her cheek again.
"Can I kiss you?" he whispered, his eyes darting between hers. Piper nodded again, feeling her face burn pink. It took less than a millisecond for Barry to close the distance between them, pressing his lips to hers tenderly. His lips tasted faintly of mint and caramel coffee against her own, and she stepped forward, her hand reaching up and brushing against his jaw before it settled on his neck.
Feeling his hand let go of hers and move to her waist, she pulled away. "Thank you," she murmured, finally finding the words to speak.
Her lips brushed against his as she spoke, sending a wave of happiness down his spine. Fluttering his eyes shut, Barry nodded. "Always," he murmured before reconnecting their lips.
Piper smiled into the kiss, feeling herself step back as he grew closer. Sparks were coursing throughout her body as she felt herself surrender, completely letting go and allowing Barry to feel and savor every inch of her. The tips of her fingers reached up and sprawled themselves across his chest, fiddling with the collar of his shirt.
The more time that passed, the more comfortable they became with feeling the others' hands on them.
Piper held herself back from making any sort of noise as she felt him tug on her bottom lip. Her back hit the wall, and she felt her knees growing weak as Barry stepped closer.
It wasn't until seconds later that the two pulled apart, out of breath. Leaning her head against the wall, Piper closed her eyes, unable to process what just happened.
"Did I go too far?" Barry breathed after a moment, his heart rate beginning to slow down as it got easier to breathe. Piper opened her eyes and raised a brow, giving him a questioning look. "I mean," he began quietly, "did I go too far with the kissing?"
Nearly right away, she shook her head. "No. God, no, you didn't. I just wish this happened back at the apartment, not in the building where you work," she admitted, her cheeks burning as he raised his brows.
"Oh, I see," he nodded, a smirk spreading across his face.
"Shut up, Allen," Piper grumbled, shoving his shoulder lightly. He laughed softly, smiling brightly at her as he stepped back. A smile identical to his spread across her face, and she followed after him as he turned into his lab.
Sweeping her eyes over to the room, Piper saw Julian standing at a table in the middle. He was running a cotton swab around the inside of a glass, his eyes trained and focused.
Barry placed his bag at his desk, his forehead creasing as he took notice of his coworkers' actions. "What are you doing?" Barry asked slowly.
"I assumed you'd taken a DNA sample before," Julian muttered, moving the cotton swab down to a microscope.
Just the sound of his rude response gnawed at Barry this early in the day. He rolled his eyes, crossing his arms as Piper held herself back from snorting. "Okay, yes. I know what you're doing. I mean, why are you doing it? Whose DNA is that?" he asked.
"Frankie Kane's. The girl whose father was attacked by the lamppost. Maybe if you'd shown up on time, you would have learned that there were no fingerprints on the lamppost, which means no person, or meta, could have done this. The curvature on the post suggests that equal amounts of pressure were applied to the whole thing simultaneously. Something else caused the attack. Also, Frankie blacked out when it occurred." Julian replied, cleaning the lens filter.
"So, you think she was the one who attacked her foster father?" Barry asked, raising a brow.
The blonde shrugged. "I've isolated an element consistent in all five husks we've found, including Edward Clariss's."
Walking forward slowly, Barry peered around the blonde's shoulder, trying to get a closer look at what he was doing. "What's the element?"
Julian peered through the eyepiece as he slid in a new filter and placed the evidence from the cotton swab on the lens. "I don't know. But it's not one that I've found in any other meta-human samples that I've studied," he mumbled, moving the objective lens around.
"So, you think that Frankie has the same element in her DNA?" Barry asked, raising a brow.
"Well, I wouldn't be comparing samples if it wasn't possible, would I, Allen?" Julian retorted, causing the CSI behind him to scoff, rolling his eyes.
Piper giggled, immediately covering her mouth as Barry turned his head to jokingly glare at her.
Upon hearing the sound of a feminine laugh, Julian straightened up, turning around to meet the warming gaze of Piper Lita. "Piper, I didn't realize you were here. It's lovely to see you again." he greeted, a charming smile spreading across his lips at the sight of the red-haired beauty.
"You as well." Piper returned the smile.
Looking between the two with narrowed eyes, Barry clenched his jaw, resisting the urge to knock the blonde square in the face.
"Well, it's a good thing for both of us I did. Come on." Julian said to his co-worker, walking around him and towards the open entrance of the lab.
"What?" Barry asked, looking at the redhead cluelessly. She shrugged. The two followed after him and down the hall, trying to keep up. Catching a glimpse of the firm look on the blonde's face, the speedster's eyes widened at the familiar expression. "Calm down, okay? Julian?" he questioned as the three of them walked downstairs.
"Where is she?" Piper furrowed her brows, a small frown resting on her lips. "You! You, girl! Stop!" Julian shouted, reaching the bottom of the stairs.
"Hey, ease up, Julian," Barry called, his eyes darting to a small girl with short brown hair that had pink streaks running through it. Her back was turned to them, and she headed toward the bathroom.
"Stop!" Julian shouted again.
Piper frowned, directing her attention to the girl as a sense of familiarity washed over her.
Turning around slowly, the young girl settled her gaze on the blonde CSI as he marched towards her. A very confused and startled expression quickly took over her features as worry lines made themselves known on her forehead. "Me?" she squeaked, her voice teetering.
"Julian..." Barry warned, quickly glancing at the woman beside him, who was watching with wide eyes.
"You did it, didn't you?" Julian accused, halting once he stood less than ten feet away from her. Nearby cops and custodians paused in their movements, eyes trailing over to the center of the lobby where the commotion was coming from.
Flabbergasted, Frankie opened her mouth. "What?"
"The lamppost. You did it, didn't you?" the blonde repeated, a smug smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
"What? No, no, no, stop." Frankie breathed, her hands instinctively reaching up and grasping at her hair. Her chest was rising up and down rapidly, the volume of the man's voice causing her to recoil.
"You're a liar!" Julian shouted, causing the young girl to flinch and Piper as well.
"Julian!" Joe shouted, his eyes quickly darting between the two as he walked out of the office.
The Meta-human CSI ignored the detective, his gaze never leaving Frankie Kane's presence as she reached to cover her ears. Her body was trembling with fear and anxiety, both of which were slowly clouding her mind.
"You're a meta-human," Julian declared, pointing his finger at her.
"Stop, no, stop!" Frankie wailed, turning away as she hunched over. The color of her eyes flickered between dark brown and hot pink as she tried to calm down.
"You put your foster father in the hospital, didn't you?" the blonde continued.
"No, no!"
"Didn't you?"
Barry's eyes were wide, and he looked over to Piper, who was as pale as a ghost. The tips of her fingers were itching to snap together to create a ball of lightning, every inch of her craving to shut Julian up with a single strike of purple lightning.
"Didn't you?" Julian shouted, his voice louder than any of the other times beforehand.
Instantaneously, the girl stopped shaking and stood perfectly still, her feet planted firmly on the ground as her back faced everyone.
"Oh, I wanted to do more than hurt him," Frankie's voice had dropped down a few octaves, and she was disturbingly calm. Thrusting her hands out to her sides, a brilliant magenta color covered her dark brown irises. "Now, I'm gonna do the same to you."
The sound of metal bending abnormally and screeching engulfed the precinct and everyone slowly looked up. All around, the metal rails and polished frames were robustly contorting and bending out of shape. The lights above the enormous, golden-slated Central City Police Department sign shattered one by one as a railing from the second floor clattered to the ground.
Barry's eyes widened as he saw the golden sign begin to pry itself off the wall. Joe had noticed this too, his adrenaline pumping as he quickly tried to think of a way to calm the girl down. "Frankie! Frankie, stop!" the detective yelled, and at that moment, the sign fell from the wall, heading straight down towards Julian.
A flash of red and yellow zipped past Piper as the infamous speedster raced to save the CSI, grabbing him before he was crushed.
"Are you okay?" The Flash asked, his voice echoing in the building. Julian nodded wearily, his hair a tousled mess as they both looked over to where Frankie once stood, their gazes finding nothing but empty space.
Immediately, the scarlet speedster raced out of the building, and Piper sighed heavily, stumbling into the wall behind her.
Joe's eyes swept around the lobby, hastily searching for the redhead. Once he found her, he made his way over. "Are you okay?" he questioned upon arrival, noticing that the woman's complexion matched that of a sheet of ice. Her breathing pattern was atypical, and her fists were balled up tightly.
"The yelling..." she managed, licking her lips as she took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"Julian's yelling triggered something, didn't it?" the detective questioned. Piper nodded, licking her lips again as the inside of her mouth felt rough and dry against her tongue.
Frowning, Joe glanced over to where everyone else stood. The blonde CSI was talking quickly to Captain Singh, who looked pissed. "Let's get to S.T.A.R. Labs, Barry will meet us there," he said, causing the redhead to nod weakly, her fingers still itching to snap together.
────
"HER NAME IS FRANKIE KANE, BUT SHE'S CALLING HERSELF MAGENTA," Barry announced, his arms crossed as he leaned against the railing around the set of computers, sliding off his gloves.
"Meh," Cisco commented; his eyes narrowed as he studied the picture of the young girl.
"That Magenta is a whole different person than the scared, kind girl I was interviewing," Joe added, his hands placed on his hips.
Sighing, Piper leaned her head against her right hand as she sat beside Caitlin at the computers. Her eyes were fixated on the picture of Frankie as she couldn't shake the feeling that something about her wasn't right. Something was missing. Something about her and her abilities felt strangely familiar, but the redhead couldn't figure out what it was.
Harry turned around from staring at the screen, sliding his glasses back on. "She's dissociative." He stated.
Caitlin nodded in agreement. "According to her medical records, it's a condition she's been dealing with her entire life. I'm sure all the yelling at CCPD is what triggered it," she spoke softly, looking back at Joe.
The detective nodded slightly, his eyes diverting to the silent girl sitting to the brunette's right. "Piper, you were also triggered by the yelling," he spoke cautiously, "do you think it could have triggered her too?"
Piper blinked, snapping out of the small bubble she was secreting herself in. "What? Oh, yeah, it more than likely did. For most foster kids and people in general, yelling is just one of those things that naturally instills a sense of panic in someone at any given time. Considering she possibly lives in an abusive household, yelling or physical touch would be the two most provocative triggers."
"You know, she could be pulling a Primal Fear," Cisco suggested suddenly, looking down at Frankie's medical records. Caitlin raised a brow.
"She's faking it," Harry further explained.
Glancing away from the redhead, Barry shook his head firmly. "No, she's not faking it," he argued, looking back to Frankie's photo on the monitors. "I saw the struggle going on inside of her. Magenta's trying to take over completely."
Iris furrowed her brows, leaving her father's side as she took the seat next to Caitlin. "You said she was raised in the foster care system," she brought up.
Joe nodded. "Yep, all her life. She went from home to home," he confirmed.
"Yeah, and maybe not good ones." Erin hinted, leaning over her girlfriend's shoulder as the reporter typed away on the keyboard in front of her.
"Her current foster father, John— the one who was hurt in the attack— yeah, he's got a few disorderly conducts. He might have some information we can use. I can follow up with him." Iris suggested, looking up from the screen.
Barry nodded, approving of her idea. "There is something else," he started apprehensively, glancing down to Piper, who had directed her gaze at him. "She mentioned Alchemy when I was talking to her. She got her powers from him."
Piper's eyes widened significantly as it all suddenly clicked.
Violet Vixen... Magenta...
"What? How?" Cisco exclaimed, his eyes wide as he glanced at Joe, who looked just as surprised.
"I don't know, I'm just telling you what she told me. I guess when she got these powers, it became easier for Magenta to be able to break through." Barry shrugged.
"Oh, shit," Piper whispered, covering her mouth with her hands.
All eyes once more swept over to her in confusion, everyone noticing the fearful expression clouding her face.
"What, Lita?" Harry asked, narrowing his eyes as he turned towards her.
"Dr. Alchemy... he... no, no, no, no," Piper muttered, shaking her head as her anxiety shot up by ten notches.
"Lita, speak." Harry snapped, causing her to look up quickly.
"This has already happened before, back on my Earth with Violet Vixen. It's his powers..." she trailed off, feeling a tingle of fear run down her spine as she knew what this meant.
If Dr. Alchemy was there and giving people powers, that meant that Savitar was also there. He was going to try to restart his cult again.
Erin and Iris exchanged perplexed glances, looking back over to the redhead. "What kind of powers does he have?" Erin asked, feeling as if she were about to regret asking.
Piper breathed in deeply, running her hand through her hair. "Dr. Alchemy is uh, basically a magic man in a cloak who can give meta-human powers to anyone he chooses. Not only that, but he can also take away anyone's powers just with a single touch. He's telepathic and has the ability to harness energy from the Speed Force and use it to slow down speedsters. He's the reason why CCPD has had so many cases involving these husks of skin that keep appearing. When he gives someone powers, they naturally shed their own skin and grow it back. It's kind of like metamorphosis, but faster.
"The husk you found of Edward Clariss— he's the doppelgänger of the Edward Clariss from my Earth, who is also known as the Rival. Savitar's third-hand man after Alchemy. I think Alchemy took your Edward just in case something happens to Rival. Anyway, a few months ago, when Savitar started becoming a bigger threat to Caruthers city, he ordered Dr. Alchemy to give Violet Neilson, a high school student, the powers of magnetokinesis and the ability to adapt to nearly any attack or power, even if it destroys her.
"She wasn't dissociative, but she did have multiple personality disorder. The powers enhanced that, and out of her different personalities, Violet Vixen was the most dangerous out of all of them, and so that's who she became." Piper explained, placing her trembling hands in her lap.
That was the first time she'd been able to talk about at least one of the many things that happened during the past five months. She hadn't even been able to talk about them with Damon and Miles, both of whom she worked with daily.
"What's magnetokinesis?" Iris asked, furrowing her brows in confusion.
Piper glanced up. "The ability to manipulate metal of any size, which is exactly what Frankie Kane can do."
Frowning, Barry crossed his arms as he looked over to Joe, the two of them thinking the same thing. "So, if those husks are from Alchemy, that means he's been here weeks before you came back," the detective established, an unsettling feeling residing in his gut.
The redhead nodded. "Yeah, which also means I wasn't killed for the hell of it. Savitar wanted me here. He wants to continue what he began in Caruthers City."
The Cortex was eerily quiet as Piper's words settled in.
Looking down at her hands, she gulped as she noticed the oval-shaped imprints left on the palms of her hands from her nails. It was starting back up, what happened with Savitar. She would be put through the tsunami of hell and hatred again. The only difference was that the people she cared about more than anything else would see her reach her final breaking point. She already knew that there was no way that she would be able to survive round two.
The blue and silver speedster showed no mercy. When he targeted someone, he put his all into it. His job was never complete until that someone was shattered from the inside out — something he'd done to her numerous times.
"How did your team stop Violet Vixen back on your Earth?" Caitlin finally asked, looking over to one of her closest friends.
Raising her head, Piper turned to meet her somber gaze. "We didn't. Savitar did. Violet was nothing more than a test-run to see how far Alchemy could push his powers. Once he was satisfied with her, he got Alchemy to take them back. However, when Violet was human again, she didn't return to who she was. Violet Vixen had permanently taken over her consciousness. I-I wasn't strong or fast enough to stop them from ruining her life. Now, my team is transferring her to a prison where A.R.G.U.S. can't use her as a weapon, and she can't hurt anyone."
Cisco frowned, noticing the guilty look in her eyes that was eating her up. She blamed herself.
Sucking in a deep breath, Joe sighed. "If Magenta has the same powers as Violet Vixen, and is still angry as hell, then we need to find her. Fast."
Pushing herself up from the chair, Piper silently walked out of the room.
"I've got it," Cisco whispered, causing both Barry and Erin to stop walking after the redhead.
"Are you sure?" Erin asked, raising a brow. Cisco nodded, giving them a small, forced smile as he walked out of the Cortex.
The two looked at one another, apprehensive and concerned expressions mirroring themselves. Something was up with their Piper; everyone knew it. It was more than apparent that talking about anything that happened back on Earth-Four brought on a sense of discomfort and trauma. The fact that she could today, with all of them, was a major step forward and a major step back.
On one hand, she was opening up to them. On the other, she was also putting herself through mental turmoil. She was re-living what they depicted as one of the hardest times of her life. No matter how many steps she took forward, there would always be at least one step back.
Cisco bounded down the hallway, his eyes darting in search of the redhead. Peeking into his workshop, he saw the woman he was looking for sitting on one of his stools. Her head was resting in her hands, which were balanced on her legs.
Walking into the room, he could hear quiet sniffles as she faced the floor, her hair falling over her shoulders.
"Dante died last month while you were gone," Cisco boy stated roughly, breaking the silence. The heartbreaking words caused the woman to look up, her eyes glassy and bloodshot. "It was a drunk driver on the road. He was dead seconds after the impact. I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye."
The two best friends made eye contact, and Piper held out her arms. Cisco smiled lightly before he made his way over, wrapping his arms around her as she did the same to him. Pressing a kiss to the top of her head, he squeezed his eyes shut, willing himself not to cry.
Piper brought her hand up and traced various patterns on his back, leaning her head against his chest. "I'm so sorry about Dante, Cisco," she whispered.
"Everyone has said they're sorry, but I don't believe them. With you, I do. You're the only person who truly knows how losing a sibling feels. Especially one that was older than you." Cisco choked out, biting down on his bottom lip. The redhead in his arms nodded. "I don't know exactly how you're feeling right now, but please know that you are not alone. All of us are struggling with something that is tearing us apart. You don't have to fight this war on your own."
Feeling the lump in her throat return, she nodded weakly again.
"None of us will leave you. I will never leave you." Cisco added, holding onto her tighter as her body began to shake, sobs wracking their way up her spine. Covering her mouth with her hand, she let out a sob, tears descending down her cheeks.
Cisco's hold tightened as she pressed her face into his chest, crying softly. Blinking back tears, he tried to keep himself together even though it felt like he was splitting into two separate halves as he listened to his best friend cry.
────
"DON'T GET ME WRONG, I LOVE BARRY AND PIPER TOGETHER, BUT I WOULDN'T MIND SEEING CISCO AND PIPER DATE. They'd be pretty cute." Erin confessed, chewing on a pretzel as she sat next to Caitlin, the two of them playing Operation. Looking up from placing a piece down, the brunette raised her brows. "I mean, come on! Look at them!" the short-haired girl exclaimed, pointing across the room to where the two were cuddled together in the same chair.
Piper's head was buried into the crook of Cisco's neck while his head rested on top of hers. The two slept soundlessly, their chests moving up and down in sync. The redhead had her arms wrapped around the boy's waist and her legs resting on top of him while he held her close.
"You might be onto something... They're actually pretty cute," Caitlin admitted, her heart melting at the sight of the two. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips, and she quickly pulled her phone out of her back pocket, snapping a picture right as an alarm went off in the Cortex.
Harry looked up from his laptop, watching as both Piper and Cisco woke up with a jump. Snorting, he shook his head as he stood up, making his way to the center of the Cortex.
"What the hell is going on?" Cisco mumbled, sitting up before pulling Piper back into his arms, not wanting her warmth to leave him just yet.
The sound of panicked footsteps entered the room, and Barry appeared. "What kind of alarm is that?" he asked, looking around hastily. The moment his eyes landed on Cisco and Piper, his stare went from one of concern to jealousy. He knew he shouldn't be jealous. The relationship between the two was strictly platonic, and everyone knew that. Yet, the brown-haired man couldn't help but glare slightly at the sight of another person wrapping their arms around the woman he was in love with.
Joe appeared when bursting in from one of the doors leading into the room. "That's Iris's panic button," he breathed. Erin immediately dropped her bag of pretzels on the floor and ran over to the row of computers, Caitlin right behind her.
"Her what?" Piper asked, now fully awake after hearing the words Iris and panic.
"Her panic button," Joe repeated, causing the redhead to only grow more confused.
"We installed them on everyone's phones months ago. This is the first time anyone has used it," Cisco explained, noticing the killer glare Barry was sending his way. Gulping, he removed his arms from around Piper.
Standing up, the redhead ran her hands through her hair as she watched Cisco rush to the set of computers. "Why did you install panic buttons?" she questioned, tilting her head slightly as he sat down.
"'Cause we kept getting kidnapped," the long-haired boy sighed, rubbing his temple as he shut off the alarm. From beside him, Caitlin clicked on a few keys, zeroing in on the location where the alarm went off.
Directing her gaze to the monitors, Piper's eyes widened with worry as she saw where the reporter was. "That's the hospital." Caitlin breathed, glancing at Erin, whose lips were pulled together into a tight line.
"Frankie's foster father's there," Joe murmured, also glancing over to his daughter's girlfriend, who was on the verge of flipping a chair.
"Yeah, and Iris went to see him," Caitlin added softly.
"Looks like she's not the only one." Harry pointed out, gesturing to the screens where Frankie Kane's name had popped up, sharing her exact location with them.
Piper's eyes widened as Cisco pulled up the data of the object that Frankie was standing under at the hospital. "Is that a tanker?" she asked incredulously, looking back at everyone.
Cisco slowly rose from his chair, his eyes fixed on the diagram that had appeared. "Th-th-that's a tanker, yeah," he stuttered, an uneasy feeling sinking in his chest as he gulped.
Barry appeared by Piper's side, his face ghostly pale as his body drenched in worry. His best friend in the entire world— his family— was alone with an abusive asshole. "She's gonna kill him and everyone else in there," Joe spoke slowly, his eyes wide as he and Harry stared at the monitors.
"I got to go," the scarlet speedster muttered, walking towards the mannequin. His fingers were tempted to curl into a balled-up fist as he breathed in deeply.
"What are you gonna do? You don't have super-strength." Joe pointed out, looking at his son with shaky eyes.
Barry thrust his hands into the air, shrugging. "Start thinking." He suggested, grabbing onto his suit and racing out of the room.
Piper's hair flew back as papers swirled around the room, and she turned around, meeting the stares of everyone else.
"Lita, what do we do?" Harry asked, nodding to the powerless speedster.
Blinking, her eyes widened. "Me? Why are you asking me?" she asked, pointing to herself.
The scientist rolled his eyes, crossing his arms as he gave her a pointed look. "You're the only one here who has experienced this before and is a specialist in being a speedster. What does Barry need to do?" he asked, raising a brow as everyone waited for an answer.
"Guys..." Barry spoke through the comms system, his voice flooding the room. "There's not enough time to get everybody out of the hospital. This thing's coming down."
Erin looked at her best friend, tears in her eyes as she gave her a pleading look. "Barry, Iris is still in there," Joe called, his arms crossed as he stared anxiously at the screens.
The redhead felt frozen to the spot, unable to respond. Violet Neilson's screaming flashed before her eyes, and she gulped, taking a step back from everyone. If she couldn't save Violet, how would she be able to help Barry save Frankie? Save everyone? She wasn't a superhero anymore; she didn't have the powers she once had. There was no more speeding to the top of buildings and kicking ass. There was no more saving a child from falling out of a tree. There was no more anything.
She was powerless.
"Piper, please," Erin whispered weakly, her lips trembling as she stared at her desperately.
I at least have to try.
Walking up to the ring of computers, Piper placed her hands on the metal bar. "Barry, you're going to need to create a wind funnel. Not with your arms but by running. If you run in a figure-eight fashion, you'll act like a propeller for the tanker. The wind will build upon itself. It'll create the supersonic resistance you need." She announced, noticing the mildly impressed look residing on Harry's face.
"All right."
Using the computers to monitor what was happening, Caitlin sighed in relief as she saw what Piper suggested was working. "Okay, well, that worked, but what now?" Cisco questioned from beside the doctor. "He can't stop her if he's up there."
In unison, both Harry and Joe glanced at one another, the same idea crossing their minds. Turning around, the scientist looked at the redhead. "Lita, you can stop her," he said. His words caused the powerless woman to turn around, her eyes wide.
"No, I can't. I don't have my powers anymore," she argued.
"The people of Central City don't know that. Cisco can create a breach and send you there. You can talk Magenta down, get her to dispose of the tanker." Harry responded.
Joe nodded in agreement. "Powers or no powers, you're still a hero. You can do this."
Piper's eyes darted between the two men, sighing as she knew that there was no other way. "Okay, let me change into my suit," she said, to which Joe responded with a small smile.
In less than thirty seconds, the redhead had managed to jump into her suit and change in the hallway. Placing the smooth, black eyepiece on, she walked back into the Cortex, nodding to Cisco, who was waiting for her.
The long-haired boy held out his fist, allowing the feeling of water running down his skin to take over. Unlike all the times before when it'd taken longer for him to open a breach, this time, it was instantaneous. Looking at him, the purple speedster gave him a small smile before walking through it.
On the other side, she stepped onto the cold concrete outside the hospital. Turning her head, she saw dozens of people trapped inside the hospital, all of them yelling and pounding against the door. Her eyes landed on Iris, who was pushing a beaten-up man in a wheelchair. Sighing at the sight of her unharmed, the redhead turned her attention to the girl in front of her.
"Magenta..." she called out, walking closer.
The teenager looked over in her direction at the sound of her name. Glowing, magenta-painted irises stared back at the speedster, her hands shaking from holding up the tanker. "You're Expedite, the purple speedster," Frankie choked out, her eye color wavering from dark brown to magenta.
The mention of her alias caused the redhead to wince, not liking how it sounded coming from someone else's tongue. "I am, and you're Frankie Kane. I've heard a lot about you and your foster father." Piper breathed, holding out her hand in a non-threatening way as she neared closer.
"John." Magenta hissed, and the lights around them flickered in the darkness of the early night.
"Yeah, John," the speedster repeated softly. "Look, killing your foster father and everyone else inside that hospital isn't gonna give you what you need."
The small girl narrowed her eyes, her hands lowering as she was filled with immense rage. "You have no idea what I need!" she spat. "It's not just John that I want to get rid of. I want them both gone." Behind Piper, all the lights in the hospital began to flicker, and she could hear people calling for help. Looking up, she watched as the tanker dropped a few feet closer to the building.
"Piper, you got to stop her now. That tanker's coming down!" Harry shouted into the comms, and the purple speedster looked back to Magenta.
"I know you're still in there, Frankie. So, please, listen to me when I say that this isn't the way. This won't cure all of your problems and rid you of your demons. Don't let John be the reason why you destroy the good that's still inside you." Piper pleaded, taking a step forward.
"He said I was weak, that I was pathetic! He said I was a horrible person." Magenta screamed, her eyes switching between brown and pink at a dangerous pace.
The purple speedster frowned and felt her breath hitch in her throat for the second time that day. "Someone I once knew told me those same things, and for a long time, I believed her. I believed every bad, horrible, and nasty thing she said to me because I felt I had let her down in some way, shape, or form. That it really was my fault when she went and did terrible things. But it wasn't. It was never my fault, and it's not yours either. John is just blaming you because it's easier to have someone else take the fall for all the bad he has caused in his life than it is for him to own up to it. None of this is because of you. I promise." Piper reassured, the sound of her heartbeat echoing louder as she heard the sound of metal scrapping.
"I just want him to stop hurting me." Magenta choked out, tears free-falling down her cheeks as her hands began to shake more.
Pointing up towards the sky, the purple speedster shook her head. "This isn't the way. Your foster father never forgave himself for his mistakes, and he may never. If you do this, you'll never forgive yourself. I promise you, it's not worth it. It really isn't." Piper said earnestly, taking another step forward.
"How would you know?" the small girl whispered, her bottom lip trembling.
"Because I did the same thing that you're about to do. I hurt someone, and that choice will follow me to my grave. I let the anger, resentment, hatred, and fear take over so much of me that I made the biggest mistake of my life, and now I'm paying for it every day. Don't do what I did. Be better than me. Be better than John." Piper pleaded, reaching forward and tucking a piece of brown hair behind the girl's ear.
Looking up, Frankie raised her hands, pushing the tanker away from the hospital and back to where it originated from. The bright yellow and red lightning at the top of the building disappeared, and the doors to the hospital opened. Groups of people ran out and towards their cars, desperate to leave.
Moving her gaze back to the purple speedster, the magenta glow in her eyes disappeared, and she collapsed into her arms, hugging her tightly. "I'm so sorry," Frankie sobbed into Piper's chest, her body shaking as her grip tightened.
Sighing, the redhead wrapped her arms around the young girl, resting her chin on top of her head. "It's gonna be okay, okay?" she whispered, looking back over to the doors to see Iris standing there with John, with a small smile on her face as she stared at Piper.
"It's going to be okay."
𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄!
(some scenes and dialogue are from episode three of season three.)
what's up? how is everyone?
i wanted to make it clear that yes, i did indeed change alchemy's powers. i'm (obviously) not sticking to the shitty and all-over-the-place storyline of season 3 because it's a mess, i'm going to be honest. i'm changing a lot of characters' powers and using them in ways that the show missed out on doing.
just to let everyone know, since this was basically what season 3 was all about, SAVITAR WILL NOT BE KILLING IRIS WEST-OSBORN! I REPEAT: SAVITAR WILL NOT BE KILLING IRIS WEST-OSBORN!
savitar is solely from earth 4 and has no personal ties to team flash other than that of piper lita.
i hope you all enjoyed this chapter!
thank-you so much for reading!
please vote and comment!