EXPEDITE ▇▇▇▇ VOLUME TWO
━━ ❛ 𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 ❜
chapter no. 046!
𝙊𝙉𝙀 𝙒𝙀𝙀𝙆 𝙇𝘼𝙏𝙀𝙍. . .
FROM THE WINDOW, THE BOY WATCHED WITH PIERCING OCEAN-BLUE EYES AS THE STREET BECAME ENGULFED IN FLAMES. White rays of burning lightning struck the tree in the front yard, and the world became illuminated. Streaks of light cracked against the stormy blanket of navy blue that coated the sky, shrouding silver clouds with its blinding incandescence, sprouting puffs of gray smoke billowed into the atmosphere. Jagged bolts of electricity endlessly fell, filling the sky with undying flashes of radiance.
The waning moon illuminated the golden flames. Shadows danced against the tree trunk, bringing the front yard alive, and the spindly fingers of the tree reached out, grasping at the night air.
From where the kid stood in his bedroom, he could hear shrieks of terror from downstairs. An array of goosebumps traveled up and down his tiny body as he recognized the screams belonging to his mother. Bellows of footsteps raced up the stairs, headed for his room, and he could feel himself shaking. Keeping his ocean-blue eyes locked on the glowing embers frolicking in the streets, he braced himself for the worst.
He could not breathe nor hear his heart pounding as he watched everything burn to smithereens.
What was once a newly paved street in downtown Central City was now a weightless pool of flames, mirroring the darkness and misery he was enduring. The fire carried the dreams and lives of the families littered about the neighborhood. Every family had or would soon undergo the horror and wrath of the monster in silver and blue.
The fire's reflection shone against the window in a wash of red and yellow sparks. Like the beauty of running water, it is so unearthly yet dangerous in its beauty. The fire lept up, picking up speed like a river as it swam down the road, holding its head proudly as its destruction spread across many homes.
It ate everything in its path, leaving behind yellow, red, and orange streaks of domination. The streaks mimicked the colors of autumn— the season that had just passed.
He stood alone in the night, bright colors dancing across the world, tattooing its destruction in his mind.
It wasn't long until the door to the boy's room rushed open, the hinges squealing loudly as a wave of blue and purple lightning lit up the small space. In a matter of milliseconds, the ocean-blue-eyed kid was no more. All that remained was a husk of skin, resembling the outline of where the child had once been standing.
All night, the cycle repeated itself. Fire, murder, husks. The ritual had been perfected through trial and error on Earth-Four. Now, it was replicated on Earth One. The takeover had begun, and it wouldn't stop anytime soon.
No matter how much effort Team Flash would give, the fire wouldn't cease its reign of terror. There was no place, no person the Flash could run to for help.
There was no escaping the inevitable; the pain and death headed Central City's way and the dreams it would steal.
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"A REMINDER THAT A CITYWIDE CURFEW HAS BEEN ISSUED. No unauthorized person is to be out past nine pm. A recent increase in Savitar attacks has led Mayor Bellows to extend the curfew. The curfew was first issued after a series of terror attacks through the city that began last week after the break-in at Stagg Industries..." From where she stood in the middle of the Cortex, Erin Osborn wrapped her arms around Iris West from behind, placing a gentle kiss on her temple and resting her chin on her shoulder. The reporter looked on with horrific eyes as she watched the morning news being projected on all four monitors.
The halls of S.T.A.R. Labs were filled with thick layers of tension as every member was frozen to the spot, listening to the report of Savitar's latest attack.
Things had gone from bad to worst in the span of seven days. Hundreds of innocent people were being killed or captured, turned into metahumans that did Savitar's bidding. Town Hall had been officially taken over and declared as rogue meta-human territory, as well as CC Jitters, Amarasia Oasis, and Concordance Research.
Central City quickly became Savitar's playground, and people couldn't help but feel hopelessly powerless.
Anyone could be next.
"We understand that citizens of Central City are scared, but I can assure you the C.C.P.D. has been working diligently and tirelessly to catch this monster and keep your families safe. We will stop Savitar and his acolytes. That's a promise." Captain Singh stated firmly, his head nodding as he spoke.
Turning away from the monitor, Caitlin shared a look mixed with worry and fear as she made eye contact with Cisco.
"Lita was right. Savitar wants to continue whatever he began doing in Caruthers City here." Harry spoke roughly, sliding his glasses on.
"But what exactly did he do on Earth-Four? Do we know?" Iris asked, pulling out of Erin's arms and moving to face everyone else.
"No," Harry sighed, glancing at the long-haired boy who was abnormally silent. "Lita has barely opened up, and what we know about Savitar is limited. What we know is what she's told us."
"Which isn't much," Caitlin added softly, tucking her hair behind her ear.
Darting her eyes in between the three most brilliant people she knew, the reporter sighed. They were left in the dark, with no beacon of light to help guide them. The former speedster had left them clueless and unprepared for what Savitar had planned and was capable of. Central City was in danger, people were dying, and they didn't know how to protect everyone.
Just as Harry was about to open his mouth again, Joe and Barry stalked into the room with grave expressions on their faces.
"Dad, what's wrong?" Iris immediately asked, walking around the line of computers and towards her father. Without hesitation, the detective pulled her into his arms, pressing a quick kiss to the top of her head.
"Four neighborhoods were attacked last night," Joe breathed, pulling away from his daughter and keeping his arm wrapped around her as he faced the team.
"Houses were burned down to the ground. Over twenty families were killed, and Savitar took forty-six people. Remains of husks of their skin were found on the scene." Barry continued, the words tumbling out of his mouth rapidly.
The words hit Erin like a brick wall, and she gulped, pushing down the lump in her throat. Over twenty families were killed.
Caitlin's eyes widened, and she glanced at Harry, noticing that he was wearing the same troubled expression that she was.
"So, you're telling us... that last night... Savitar created forty-six new metahumans that are likely being groomed to help him terrorize the city further?" Cisco asked slowly, his brows rising upwards. Barry nodded. "Oh. Great."
The room was silent as Iris covered her mouth, looking at her girlfriend, who was staring at nothing, her eyes glossed over.
"Were there any survivors?" Caitlin breathed, brushing her hair away from her face.
Joe nodded. "Yes. A little boy and a young woman, eleven and twenty years old."
"And get this: They both told Joe and me that it wasn't just Savitar who was there, burning the houses and killing people. Dr. Alchemy and the same woman who led the break-in group at Stagg Industries were there too." Barry added, pulling up a screenshot of the mysterious woman on the monitor, and everyone turned to look at the screen.
"How do you know it was her?" Erin questioned, furrowing her brows in confusion as she looked back at the brown-haired man.
Barry reached into his back pocket and pulled out a sheet of folded-up paper. Smoothing it out, he held it up. There, sketched on the sheet, was an image of a woman with a hood over her head and curly hair framing a blank face with no facial features. "This is what both survivors described the woman looking as. I showed them a picture from the break-in footage, and they confirmed it was her." Barry stated, pointing to the monitors.
Erin's eyes widened, and she stepped toward the monitor on the wall, jaw-dropping slightly. On the woman's left wrist, there was a tiny tattoo. It was barely in focus and too far from the camera for anyone to depict what it was, but the short-haired girl knew.
It was a butterfly.
During her first six months on Earth One, Piper got a tiny outline of a butterfly on her wrist. Erin was with her the night she got it; she would recognize it anywhere.
Wait, Piper... No.
Piper loved the team. They were her family. There was no way she would betray them— work with the monster that murdered her in front of the entirety of Caruthers City. She wouldn't hurt them like that.
The only logical answer that made any sense to Erin was the most obvious, yet unbelievable and painful, one.
It was Piper— the hooded woman. It was her. It had to be.
That was the only answer that made sense in her mind. Other than the tattoo, recent events and evidence were slowly piecing themselves together—supporting the theory that was slowly looking more and more like an actuality in her mind.
"Where's Piper? We need her to tell us what she knows about Savitar now." Joe demanded, stepping forward and crossing his arms. Iris joined Erin where she was standing, noticing the spaced-out look that consumed her eyes as her gaze was still on the monitor. Blinking, the short-haired girl nearly gasped as her focus briefly flickered to Cisco, who was staring at the floor with his brows drawn in.
Piper Lita had become Efficacy, and Erin had been blind to it the whole time. They all had.
The detective and Barry looked expectantly at the group, waiting for somebody to answer them, yet nobody did. Avoiding their stares, Erin looked to the floor, pressing her lips together. It was taking everything in her not to lose it.
"We don't know," Iris answered, clearing her throat.
"What do you mean you don't know?" Barry asked, his eyes narrowing as an uneasy feeling settled in his stomach.
"She's probably still asleep at the apartment, dude," Cisco said, forcing himself to give the brown-haired boy a reassuring smile. Erin wasn't the only one who knew something was up. Cisco could feel it too. Something was wrong with his best friend.
"Hey, I never ate breakfast this morning, so I'll go out and get food and let you guys talk about this meta-human shit. While I'm out, I'll swing by the apartment and grab Piper," Erin offered, trying her best not to sound nervous or angry even though every part of her was on the verge of screaming. Joe nodded, and she turned to Iris, giving her a quick kiss before grabbing her coat and keys.
It was time for her to get answers.