To understand what I'm about to tell you, you need to do something first, you need to believe in the impossible. Can you do that? Good. Iris typed away on her laptop, sitting in an empty Jitters. She was writing about The Streak on her blog, even after she's been told to stop by her father and Barry. It had gotten to the point where Barry decided he shouldn't be around her anymore. Brea thought it was the dumbest decision any man could ever make and was probably more upset about it than he was. So for those of us who believe in you and what you're doing, I just want to say thank you. Finishing up her last sentence, Iris smiled at her computer screen and posted the article. Orange lightning glowed behind her and in one swift move, she was carried to the rooftop.
"You're welcome." The vibrated voice said, referring to Iris' article that was just submitted online.
"How did you- I literally just hit send." Iris said, amazed.
"Speed reading."
"It's crazy what you can do to your voice."
Barry sped in another direction, positioning himself behind her. "You need to stop writing your blog." He tried to convince.
Everyone, except for Brea, has already tried to talk her out of it, and as always, Iris never gave up without a fight. "People need to know that you exist. What else can you do?"
"This is not an interview."
"Come on. You got to give me something. Hobbies, pet peeves, favorite color? Wait, scratch that last one. Red, duh, obviously."
"You're not hearing me."
"My hearing is fine. It's just selective." Iris joked. "What should I call you?"
"Anything but The Streak." Barry replied. Iris asked for any suggestions, but he ignored her. "You said you were writing about me to bring hope to someone you care about. How would he feel if doing that would put you in harm's way?"
"He and I aren't exactly on the same page these days. Besides, you're giving hope to a lot of people, so I'm doing this for them." Sirens blared in the distant city night, signaling that Barry would soon have to go. "Wait, just one more question. My sister would kill me if I didn't ask it. Will you be doing all of this alone or is there somebody else helping you fight crime?"
Barry made a mental note to scold Brea later, but he never answered the question. "To be continued."
~
Cisco, Caitlin, and Brea stepped out of the elevator, debating not so serious matters. "Your dispersal models don't correlate." Caitlin said to Cisco.
"They do if you factor in the seasonal fluctuations in reproduction cycles." Dr. Wells wheeled in from the side and asked what they were talking about. "The average number of bugs Barry swallows in a day of running."
Wells gave a quick nod. "I look forward to seeing you accept your Nobel."
Brea had a thought. "Barry doesn't really run with his mouth open, unless he's talking to one of us through the comms. Doesn't that change your calculations." Cisco gave a frustrated sigh and the four continued to walk into the cortex. A red figure was sprawled out on the floor in front of the computers, more red dripping down his face.
Brea gasped at the sight of her friend and carried him to the hospital bed in the next room. Caitlin began going through x-rays and tending to Barry's wounds. "13 fractures. That's a new record, and that's just in your hand. You also have a concussion, three cracked ribs, and a bruised spleen."
"What exactly did you hit?" Wells questioned.
"A man. A big, bad man. His skin changed when I hit him, like, it turned to metal."
"Interesting. A man of steel."
"So you went after a metahuman alone? Dude, why didn't you call us?" Cisco asked.
"I didn't know what he was. Besides, I was off-duty."
"Off-duty in your suit?" Brea questioned.
"You're lucky he didn't knock out your teeth. Those puppies don't grow back." Cisco said.
"Strange thing is I feel like I knew him." Caitlin asked what Barry meant by that sentence and he said that something the metahuman said sounded familiar, but put the thought away and focused on how to defeat him. Wells concluded that they'll figure it out, but Barry should be more focused on healing.
Everyone went their separate ways, except for Brea, who was currently staring Barry down. It didn't take long for the brown haired boy to notice her look, confusion etched on his face. "If you were off-duty, why did you have your suit on?"
"I don't think that's any of your business, Brea." Barry tried to end the conversation.
"You went to go see Iris, didn't you? Finally giving in to her blog?"
"Yes, I went to see Iris. No, I didn't give in. I went to go tell her to stop writing about me, about The Streak."
"If she didn't listen to you as Barry, what made you think she would listen to you as her favorite superhero? She's doing this for you, Bar. What part of that don't you understand?" Brea argued.
"The part where it keeps her safe!" Barry yelled quietly. "She became a walking target the moment she started that blog and you know it. I made a promise to Joe that I would keep her away from this metahuman stuff and you made the same promise. You're not helping by encouraging this."
"I'm only encouraging this because nobody else is." Brea hissed. "This is the reason why your friendship with Iris is in jeopardy."
"Hey, I was the one that said we shouldn't see each other, not the other way around. I'm thinking I should do the same with you."
Brea was hurt at the fact that Barry wanted to distant himself because of a news article, but she refused to show it. "If that's what you want, then fine, that's what you'll get." She finished before grabbing her things and leaving. Barry wanted to get up and plead for her to come back, ready to apologize, but he didn't. He just laid there, wondering how he became bruised physically and emotionally all in one day.
~
No form of contact was made between Barry and Brea the next day. Barry assumed she would at least come back for the team, but when she failed to show up, he knew she wasn't going to come back until he apologized. Brea, on the other hand, was being too stubborn about the whole thing. In the beginning, she thought she was overreacting, but the more she replayed the conversation in her mind, the more upset she'd get. Brea was currently at the coffee shop filling Iris in on what happened.
"And what annoys me the most is that he hasn't even apologized for what he's done, not only to me, but you as well. It's been over a week since the two of you fought." Brea said.
"I know and he's acting like it wasn't his decision to distance himself. It's like he wants to say something but just holds back. More coffee?" Iris asked, seeing Brea's coffee cup nearly empty. Brea heard a familiar to voice greet Iris.
"Iris? Long time no see." Tony Woodward said. "I got to say, Iris, you look amazing."
"Thanks, Tony. Um, you too." Iris was a bit nervous and Brea noticed it from afar. She didn't think this would be the right time to step in, but she was prepared to do so.
"Oh, yeah. I keep in shape. I got a gym at my place. Been living out in Keystone on the west side, you should, uh-- you should stop by sometime."
Brea walked over in disgust. "Offer rejected, Woodward. She's not interested."
Tony held an ugly smirk, sending chills down the spines of the West females. "Breanne West. I see you haven't changed much either."
"You're right about that, so that means I can still kick your ass the same way I did back in elementary school."
"I seriously doubt that now." Tony chuckled.
"Wanna bet?" Brea snapped, sizing up to him. Both were unaware of each other's inhumane abilities and if they were to brawl, it wouldn't end well.
Iris tried to diffuse the tense situation by offering Tony a drink, but he only inquired that his visit was strictly for Iris. "I've been reading up on The Streak, found your little blog. Why are you writing about this guy?"
"People say that he's a hero." Iris told him.
"I say he's a coward." Tony commented.
"Too bad, we're not asking for your commentary." Brea spoke.
"Shut it, West." Tony said over his shoulder, turning back to Iris. "I happen to know that he took a beating last night and ran off like a little girl. You should write about that. Do you have any idea who leather boy is?" He asked, stepping closer.
Uncomfortable didn't perfectly describe the way Iris felt in this moment, as Tony kept trying to push up on her. Brea kept trying to get in between them, but he'd only shove her out the way. Iris repeatedly mentioned how Tony's untoward behavior wouldn't be appreciated by her detective boyfriend and father. It wasn't until a fellow barista watching nearby motioned the girls to look at the television screen above the coffee counter. There was a news report with Tony's mugshot plastered in the middle.
Iris tried to play it off and call for help, but Tony snatched her phone. Brea saw how his arm transformed into steel and he crushed Iris' phone, setting it in the tip jar, along with a wad of cash for the damage. "Iris, call for help. I'm gonna keep an eye on Tony." Brea said.
"Brea, are you crazy? He's dangerous."
"It'll be fine. I'll call with updates. Get a hold of Eddie or Dad." Brea said, leaving the shop. Iris had a better idea and waited until nightfall. Jitters was officially closed for the day and Iris sat at one of the tables. She heard him enter from behind her, knocking some papers and napkins on the floor.
"I guess you got my message." Iris started.
"Are you okay?" Barry said with his vibrated voice. He stuck to staying in the shadows covering his face, as if the red mask wasn't good enough to hide his identity.
"Cop's daughter. I can handle myself."
"Not with this guy."
"I knew him when we were kids. He didn't want to hurt me, he wanted to impress me, but he is fixated on you and not in a good way."
"Do you know where he went?"
Iris nodded. "He said he had a place out in West Keystone, bragged about how big it was, but I have no idea where. My sister went after him-"
"Wait, what? Is she okay?"
"That's the thing I don't know. She said she would call with updates, but she hasn't since she left. I think he took her." Barry was angered by the news. He told Iris that he may know their whereabouts. Iris warned him about the man turning into steel, asking if he was the same as Barry.
Barry couldn't help but mention how her journalism led Tony to her, but policemen knocked on the door before the two could argue about it even further. Barry ran all the way to Keystone, blinded by rage. Caitlin and Cisco, who he's been with all day, saying he shouldn't do so since they don't know how to defeat the meta yet. Information from one Tony's former friends led Barry to Keystone Ironworks, which closed down after the particle accelerator explosion.
Barry saw tons of beer bottles lying around, indicating that he was in the right location. He felt a presence behind him and turned quickly. Tony landed a punch and began tossing Barry around. "You're trespassing, freak!" He didn't give Barry a chance to move before going to the nearby shelf. "There's nowhere left to run." He said, before tilting the shelf over.
Cisco and Caitlin drove to the facility as quickly as possible in search for Barry. They called out his name, not receiving an instant answer. Cisco saw Barry's hand peeking out from under the shelf and ran to him. "Barry. Please say something." Caitlin said. Cisco pulled Barry out a little, and Barry groaned. He was in pain, but they all knew he'd eventually be fine.
"Get him out of there." Caitlin told Cisco.
Suddenly, the shelf was slightly lifted up, making it easier for Cisco to get Barry out. Once, the shelf had been placed back on the floor, everyone saw Brea, bloody and bruised, standing. "Hey guys," She panted.
~
"What were you thinking? What were you thinking?" Dr. Wells yelled at the team, mostly Barry. "I told you that we would figure out a way to deal with him."
"I'll heal." Barry simply replied.
"You can't heal when you're dead. He could have killed you." Dr. Wells replied. He then whirled around to face Brea, who looked like hell even after being stitched up. "And what about you? You haven't been around all day and suddenly you thought it was the best idea to go after a metahuman all by yourself."
Brea scoffed. "At least something was done."
"And look where it got you. The both of you. Somebody could have died tonight."
"I know, alright? I know!" Barry yelled, getting up from his seat. "In the past 36 hours. I've had my ass handed to me twice by the guy that tortured me as a kid. I couldn't stop him then, and I can't stop him now! Even with my powers, I'm still powerless against him."
"Not necessarily. Cisco?" The engineer walked over to the computers as Dr. Wells continued talking. "Any material if struck at a high enough velocity can be compromised."
"We ran an analysis on the metal in Tony's footprint. Based on its density and atomic structure, if you impact it at just the right angle at just the right speed, you could do some serious damage." informed Cisco.
"How fast would I have to go?" Barry asked.
"Factoring in the metal's tensile strength, estimated dermal thickness, atmospheric pressure, air temp, you'd have to hit him at approximately... Mach 1.1."
"You want Barry to hit something at 800 miles an hour?" Caitlin asked.
"837, actually."
"That's faster than the speed of sound."
"I know. He would create a sonic boom." Cisco said, excitedly. "Which, as I said before, would be awesome."
"I've never gone that fast." Barry underestimated himself.
"Are you seriously entertaining this idea?" Brea spoke.
"Yeah, I mean, he'd need a straight shot from miles away." Caitlin agreed.
"5.3 miles, theoretically." Cisco said.
"Do it right, you'll take him down." Dr. Wells said.
Caitlin stepped up to Barry. "Do it wrong, you'll shatter every bone in your body."
~
The next day was slow. Brea stayed at the lab overnight to get some rest. As much as she wanted to do that in the comfort of her own bed, Caitlin refused to let it happen, only wanting to keep an eye on her and wanting to talk about the tension between her and Barry. "So do you want to tell me what's going on?" Caitlin asked Brea.
"You tell me. You're the doctor." Brea sarcastically answered.
Caitlin gave her a serious look. "I mean between you and Barry. I know the reason you haven't been around is because you're trying to avoid him. Why?"
"Avoid him? I'd much rather call it distancing myself. Besides, it's his fault not mine."
Caitlin was about to say something else, but Cisco called for her to help him figure out how to defeat Tony. It wasn't long before they received a call from Barry saying Iris was taken. Brea tried to get up to go save her, but Cisco pushed her down. "You're not going anywhere. Barry can handle this on his own."
"But Cisco, that's my sister! I need to go." She tried to explain, but Cisco still refused to let her go. She did her best to listen to what was happening. Brea heard that Tony took Iris to their elementary school and Barry was getting his ass kicked once again. "Why did he stop?" Caitlin asked in the other room.
"He's miles away. 5.3 miles away." informed Cisco. Brea heard the punch through the comms and knew that Tony was finally taken down, and Iris was okay. Barry entered the room where Brea was lying and knocked on the door to get her attention.
"Iris is gonna be okay. She might have a broken hand, but she'll be fine." He told her.
"Great." Brea answered bluntly.
Barry sighed and walked closer to her. "Look, I'm sorry about everything. I was refusing to see where you were coming from and now I understand. I know it's only been a couple of days, but I miss you. I should've never said that I shouldn't be around you anymore."
Brea took awhile to take in his words, making Barry nervous. 'Alright, all is forgiven. Shouldn't you be telling this to Iris though?"
"Yes and that is exactly where I was heading to next. Will I see you tomorrow?" Barry asked getting up.
"Maybe." Brea joked, earning a sad look from Barry. "You'll see me tomorrow, Bar."
Barry planted a soft kiss on her forehead, telling her goodnight. Those sparks that he once felt before danced across his lips and this time Brea felt it as well. They didn't react to the gesture in front of each other, only waiting until the other couldn't see their face. It's a harmless kiss. A friendly one. They both thought. She just wished it only meant more.