I walked into Jitters, the fresh smell of brewing coffee wafting up my nose as I inhaled, searching for Barry.
But instead, I found Iris. I walked over to her as I got her attention, and for some reason, she had an annoyed look on her face.
"You alright, Iris?" I asked, raising a brow as she huffed through her nose, shrugging.
"What's wrong?" I asked again as she looked at me, and I could just tell that it had to do with either her dad and Barry.
"Please tell me your thoughts are at least legal before you speak. I can't have something bad on my conscience, doc says it's not good for my social life." I said as Iris chuckled, shaking her head.
"No. No it's not that um Barry... wasn't happy about the whole blog I have."
"He's not happy about you making a blog about your brownie obsession?" I asked, a smirk on my face as her mouth dropped.
"How do you know about that?"
"Barry tells me things." I said with a giggle as Iris frowned. "Where is he anyway?" I said, looking around.
Iris smiled, pointing up. I craned my neck to see Barry staring down at us, his eyes darting between Iris and I.
"I better get going to him." I said before Iris stopped me.
"Are you guys on a... coffee date?" She asked, a beaming smile on her face as I felt my cheeks burn.
"You um... you could say that." I said before dashing up to Barry.
"Got you some hot chocolate with extra whipped cream, seeing as I know you aren't a fan of coffee." Barry said with a smile as I sat down, picking up the cup.
"Thanks Bar. I hate coffee." I said with a chuckle as Barry laughed. I sipped on the hot chocolate, a warm sensation drifting around my body.
"So. I was thinking that for this week, you Caitlin Cisco and I could-" I was cut off by Barry and I'd phones ringing, a frown crossing my face as we answered
"Hello?" Barry and I said in unison.
"Guys, it's Joe. Darbinyan crime family has been found dead. We need you guys in the case here in 20 minutes." Joe said before he hung up, sending us the address.
"Man. I don't get to have a single minute of relaxation." I said with a frown as I shoved my phone in my pocket.
I picked up my cup, placing it to my lips. "Cora that's still really-" I ignored Barry as I started to chug the hot chocolate. No way was I going to leave it here or take it with me. I wanted to finish it here.
"Hot." Barry said as I set the cup down, holding back a cry of burning pain.
"Ooo I'm gonna regret that later." I said as Barry gave me a "yeah probably" face, slowly standing up as I hit my chest, which was on fire.
"Worth it." I breathed out, my voice slightly raspy from how low I made it. I followed Barry outside, both of us looking around before I sighed, nodding.
He swooped me up, quickly taking us to the crime scene. The first thing I noticed where three places on the bullet proof glass that had been shattered, most likely by bullets.
"Well. That glass didn't do them any justice. But at least we know it worked." I said with a faint laugh as Barry smiled at the joke.
We walked over to the table, where several people laid, dead. I grimaced at the bodies, confused as to why they weren't physically harmed.
I knelt down to the one farthest from the glass, tilting my head as I inspected him. I put on blue latex gloves, kneeling closer to his face as I looked inside his mouth.
It was green? Strange.
"Barry look." I said as he stumbled over. I pointed to the inside of the mans mouth, showing him the green thing that was in the mans mouth.
"I dismissed the mouth as I inspected the body, which showed signs of, "histotoxic hypoxia." I said as Joe gave me a weird look.
Barry looked up at him. "The cells in their bodies
were unable to utilize oxygen. It's consistent with
exposure to poison gas." He said as I nodded.
"What kind of poison?" Joe asked as we shrugged.
"We'll have to get a lung sample, see if we can narrow it down." Barry said as I once again nodded.
Eddie walked in from behind a hallway. "The only other exit was bolted from the inside." He said as we all frowned.
"They were trapped in here?" I asked as he nodded.
"I was thinking someone pumped gas in from the outside, but witnesses say the street was empty." Eddie continued as I furrowed my brows.
"So it was from the inside? There has to be a canister or something." I stated as Barry looked at me, and for a moment I wondered if it was in awe.
"The gas doesn't just have a mind off it's own." Eddie said as I snapped my head to Barry and Joe, who gave me the same look I gave them.
"Eddie, would you mind canvassing again?" Joe asked as Eddie shrugged, leaving the three of us as I shot up.
"What if it's a meta that can control gas? Or anything that's like... in the air, I guess?" I questioned as Barry and Joe shrugged.
"Somebody had to have seen something suspicious." Barry said as I nodded, gesturing to the men.
"Okay, explain." Joe said, crossing his arms as Barry and I separated.
"The boss collapsed by the table." Barry started as I moved to the guy next to the boss.
"This guy made it 10 feet away, and that one made it further before firing three shots into the glass." I said as Joe gave us a puzzled look.
"But they all started in the same spot." Barry said as Joe placed a finger on his chin in thought. "But they all started in the same spot, which means they should have all been affected by the gas at the same time, but instead, it's as if-"
"They were attacked one by one." I finished as Barry looked at me, nodding.
۞
"Fascinating. A meta human that can manipulate poison gas." Dr. Wells said as Barry and I finished talking about the recent homicide.
While everyone went on about the meta, I stepped out of the cortex, trying to process everything I could in my head.
And then it hit me.
I ran back in, a smile on my face. "What if he can't control gas?" I said as everyone turned to me, confusion on their face.
"What if he becomes the poison gas?" I said as I noticed Dr. Wells smile brightly out of the corner of my eye.
"That- That could be it too." Caitlin said, not really buying the idea.
"I mean think about it. The gas hit each victim at a different time, even when they were all in the same spot. If the meta could control the gas, he'd hit them with it at the exact same time. If you are the poisonous gas, then it would be difficult to kill several people at the same time." I said as Barry and Cisco nodded.
"You know, you got a great point, Cora." Cisco said as I smiled, nodding once as I placed my hands on my hips.
"Why thank you, Cisco."
۞
Barry had ran out to get the meta, who just killed a judge in an elevator. I was outside the cortex, about to call my mom when my phone flew out of my hands do you the whoosh of Barry running in.
"Barry?!" Caitlin yelled as my eyes widened. I disregarded my fallen phone as I sprinted into the Cortex to see Barry on a crash cart.
"Holy shit! Barry!" I yelled, running over to see him gasping for air.
"C-cut me open! It's still in me!" Barry gasped as I looked at Caitlin.
"He brought us a sample." She mumbled as I rummaged through a drawer, pulling out a tube with a large needle, gulping.
"This- it's a small needle Barry! It will me lie a mosquito bite!" I said with a nervous laugh as Caitlin snatched it from my hands.
"This will be much worse than a mosquito bite." She said before stabbing it into his chest.
"Jesus! Talk about no hesitation!?" I yelled as Barry gasped before passing out. Caitlin got the sample of gas, which would hopefully make it so we could get an antidote in case anything bad happens.
After a few hours of me patching Barry up, he woke up with a loud groan, coughing.
"How do you feel?" I asked as he slowly sat up.
"Like that one time I had a cigarette." He said as I chuckled, raising a brow as everyone frowned.
"Yeah. Teenage me lived for danger."
"The Streak lives." Cisco said with a chuckle as Barry barely rolled his eyes.
"You'd be dead if your lung cells didn't regenerate so quickly." Caitlin said as I sighed, looking at her.
"He's fine, Cait. We got the sample, and now we can stop this guy... whoever he is." I said as she pressed her lips together.
"This isn't funny. He could have-"
"I didn't." Barry interrupted as Caitlin looked at him, a sad look in her eyes. I had the feeling Barry reminded Caitlin of Ronnie, and it hurt me to see her get upset about it.
"Now that we have a sample, we'll get to work analyzing it, figure out the makeup of the poison, maybe get a clue as to his human identity. Or at least a way to stop him from turning into-"
"THE MIST!" I yelled, startling everyone as I butted into Dr. Wells short speech. "Sorry. But that's his name." I said as Cisco's terrified look turned into the biggest grin as he held his fist to his mouth.
"Cora. You are literally my favorite person to exist." He said as I gave him a 'why thank you' look, bowing as he laughed.
"My work her today is done. I need to head to CCPD. Joe says I gotta help him with something." I said as I waved everyone off, heading to the department.
By the time I got there and talked to Joe, I was informed that he'd be bringing me to Iron Heights to visit Barry's dad.
I felt kind of bad, because meeting Henry was something I would have liked to do with Barry, seeing as he is his father, and it would have been a good bonding time.
From the stories Barry has told me, I got the idea that Henry was such a lovable man, so it was hard for me to see him hurting someone he loved as much as Nora, a woman I would have loved to meet.
It was getting late, and Barry had called to say that they they were still working on the antidote for the gas, and they found out that the meta's name was Kyle Nimbus. I had actually laughed at the name, seeing as he was a meta who could transform himself into a gas, and you know..
Clouds.
Joe and I signed into iron heights. I could hear my phone along with Joe's going absolutely nuts as we stepped into the phone room to see a man with thin hair that had turned grey, the nervous look on his face turning to confusion when he spotted me an Joe.
I could only assume he was the one and only Henry Allen.
"What are you doing here? And um... who is this young lady?" Henry asked with a small smile as I gave him a welcoming one, to with his small one turned into a slightly bigger one. "Is Barry okay?"
"Yes. He's fine.. this is Cora Agápi, our newest forensic scientist." Joe answered as I gave him a small hello.
"It's nice to meet you, Cora. And to what do I owe this visit?" Henry said turning to Joe.
"I know I should have come to see you sooner." Joe said apologetically.
"You just weren't up for a little chitchat with a man who murdered his wife in front of his own son?" Henry said blatantly.
Well, that was a turn of events. I said to myself as I looked back at the security guard, who didn't take his eyes off the wall.
"Except now I know you didn't kill your wife." Joe started as Henry's eyes turned curious. "And we want to help get you out of here."
"Look, the important thing is, I'm reopening the case. We're gonna find out who really killed Nora, and I promise you, Henry, we are going to get you out of here. I am so sorry." Joe said as I gave Henry a warm smile.
"It doesn't matter that you didn't believe in me... Because you always believed in my son." Henry said. I smiled once more before it completely faded.
I heard the security worker choking, turning to see green gas surrounding him.
"Oh no." I said. For an odd reason, I found myself standing in front of Joe, rather than behind him as Kyle Nimbus appeared from the gas.
"Nimbus." Joe said quietly.
"You're supposed to be dead." I added as the bald crest dude looked down at me, a crazy smile on his face.
"You look new. Won't forget long, though." He said. I frowned before my eyes widened, watching as Nimbus turned into a cloud of gas.
Before I had the chance to shut my mouth, the gas entered my lungs, causing me to choke and gasp for oxygen as Joe yelled my name.
I felt my body spasm as I collapsed to the ground, coughing for air as Nimbus simply disappeared. I could hear Henry yelling for someone to help, but no one came.
Nimbus was going to go after Joe. And I risked my life for a man I've known for a month.
"J-Joe." I gasped as Joe knelt in front of me, holding my shoulders down as he attempted to stop the spasms.
A gust of wind, and The Flash was kneeling down, terror stuck in his face as I looked I to his green eyes.
"B-" before I could finish my sentence, I felt a needle jab my neck, stopping the spasms as I finally relaxed, gasping for air.
"Thank you, Flash." Joe said as Barry nodded. He looked up to his dad, his face now a blur before he sped off.
"I need to get you back to S.T.A.R. Labs." Joe said as he swiftly picked me up. He turned his head, giving Henry a single look before carrying me to the car.
And at that point, I blacked out.