“Can’t imagine Joe would be too crazy about being shunted off somewhere either.” Cisco got up and adjusted three electrodes still attached to Barry. “Hold still now.”
“All set,” Caitlin called from her console. “Everything ready for real-time comparison.”
Cisco leaned down and typed in some instructions, then hit a button.
After several seconds, he frowned, returned to Barry, and adjusted the electrodes again.
“Mind telling me what you’re looking for while you poke me with those things?”
“As a metahuman you know you radiate a certain level of energy. Most machines can’t read it, but naturally we’ve got ones that can at S.T.A.R Labs. Your level is far lower than it should be even taking into account all your activity. In fact, there shouldn’t be much difference at all.”
“But there is?”
“Yeah. The difference is decreasing, but it was definitely noticeable when we first started. Hang on.”
Cisco repeated the procedure. After studying the screen a moment more, he ran a hand through his hair. “You’re pretty near normal again. How do you feel?”
“Still beat, but not like I need to curl into a fetal position. I just assumed it was the coffee finally kicking in. I’ve had three cups since I got back here.”
“H.R.’s coffee is strong but not that strong.” Cisco tapped the screen. “Come here and take a look at a comparison Caitlin and I ran.”
Joining them, Barry eyed the data. “I see some numbers that look similar and some other numbers that don’t. One of you care to clarify?”
Caitlin pointed at the readings. “This is you during the flooding, the landslides… and after arriving at police headquarters. Do you notice anything?”
“Yeah, those are some of the numbers with similarities to other numbers.”
Cisco tapped the three numbers in question. “Those are your rates of depletion. In other words, when you lost the most energy tied to your speed abilities. I can understand the first two, but you lost energy at a comparable rate at headquarters when you didn’t even have half the overall activity.”
“But there was some trouble. When I tried to get to that figure on the roof, the wind picked up incredibly. Someone is obviously tied into all this.”
“Yeah, but who is he? There was some fluctuation in other readings I had, but I was able to pinpoint those as belonging to Mardon. I couldn’t pin down where he was, but he definitely had some effect on the storm… Of course, we knew that already, but still, it’s verified.”
Barry’s phone rang again. A quick glance revealed that it was Iris.
“You can’t hide from her forever,” H.R. pointed out. “And if you consider it, do you really want to?”
“Of course not.” Barry pulled the electrodes off. “We done with the experiments, Dr. Cisco?”
“Evidently. Are you going to call her?”
Barry had already started dialing. “Not yet, but I am going call someone close to her who might be better able to help us work this out.” He paused. “Oh, Cisco! Almost forgot!” Barry pulled the toothbrush out. “Here.”
Cisco made a face as he caught it. “Great. You couldn’t get me something like a comb or a cup?”
“Couldn’t find anything. Will it do?”
“It should.”
“Terrific.” Barry finished dialing, then hit send. “I hope he answers. He may be the only person who can see it both their ways.”
“Ah!” H.R. sat up. “You’re calling her brother! That could be a very smart move… Or perhaps not.”
Ignoring this last comment, Barry listened. Unfortunately, instead of hearing ringing, a busy signal greeted him.
“Busy!” He disconnected. “Of all the times he has to choose this moment to be busy with someone!”
“Not just someone,” H.R. interjected. “Maybe she wants to talk to her brother too. That was Wally you were calling, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah. I was hoping he might be able to convince her that I—”
“We,” Cisco corrected. “Joe’s our friend too.”
“The point is: Joe will be safe. She should understand that. Why won’t she?”
“Well, maybe because it is her father,” H.R. answered. “We all know what you went through to try to bring your mother back, Barry.”
“H.R.!” Cisco reprimanded.
“No, I deserved that, Cisco.” Barry looked at the phone, then tried one more time. Once again it was busy.
“They must be having a heck of a conversation,” Cisco offered.
“Yeah.” Barry put his phone away. “Poor Wally.”
* * *
“No, you listen to me, Wally!” Iris West declared over the phone. “You’ve said nothing to me that either Dad or Barry hasn’t said already, but it just won’t do!”
“Well, if they can’t say anything to calm you, what am I supposed to do?”
In truth, Iris didn’t really have an answer for Wally. Both her father and Barry had gone out of their way to avoid having to speak with her on the subject, Barry even physically dodging her.
That last had opened up a sore spot. It was bad enough that she had always had to pretend not to be worried about her father’s safety, but now she had to do the same with Barry. Part of her anger at him had actually been the realization that she could lose both of them at once. Iris liked to think she was as strong as anyone, but the thought of such a terrible thing happening even now sent shivers down her spine.
“Hey, sis? Are you all right?”
Iris kept silent as a third horror occurred to her. Wally now had abilities like Barry’s. Thus far he had only been involved in a few incidents, but even those had ended up with highly dangerous encounters with metahumans… especially Savitar.
Savitar. Horrific images of the dark speedster filled her head. Savitar had actually tricked Wally into opening a portal into the Speed Force—the essence of all swift metahumans’ abilities—but in the end it had also been Wally who had rescued her from Savitar’s murderous intentions. She was grateful to her brother for that, but the entire episode now just verified for her yet again how much danger her father was in—how much danger all three of the men closest in her life were in. She knew that Mark Mardon was as obsessed about revenge as Savitar had been and would not stop until someone stopped him.
“Sis? Is something wrong? I’m coming right over there!”
A gust of wind sent Iris’s hair fluttering. She looked up from her phone. Standing in the middle of the apartment she and Barry had moved into together was her brother. Despite some questionable choices in the past, such as becoming involved in illegal street drag racing, Iris had always thought that he had a rather innocent face. Wally had fuller features than hers and short-cropped hair. He wore a dark casual jacket and jeans and had a lithe build that made him look even more like a speedster than Barry actually did.
And that very speed he had just utilized to rush all the way over from the club he had been at to the apartment—more than two miles away.
“Are you all right?” he asked anxiously. “You look all right, but are you? Is there anyone else here?” He shimmered, then added, “No, all the rooms are empty…”
“I’m fine… I’m fine, Wally. I got to thinking about Savitar…”
“He’s gone, Iris! I swear he is!”
“I know… I know… But that emphasized to me what I’ve been trying to get through to you, Dad, and Barry! Dad has no powers—”
“No powers? Have you ever had an argument with him? He’s got this ability to—oh, wait. You’ve got it too. Never mind.”
“Don’t make fun of me,” Iris warned.
“There it is.” He grinned sheepishly. “Listen, Iris. You know him better than I do. Thanks to Mom, I didn’t even know he existed until a couple of years ago. Now we get along fine, but he’s not going to listen to me any more than he will you or Barry—”
“I know that. I do. I don’t expect you to convince him otherwise. What I
want from you—”
He put up a warning hand. “I’m also not going to try to carry him off to some safe place! He’d never stay there—”
She nodded. “I know. I want something else from you, I think. I want you to promise me something, that’s all.”
“What’s that?”
“Promise me that whenever you have a chance, you’ll keep an eye on Dad.”
“Yeah, of course, but—”
“And don’t tell him you’re doing it. In fact, don’t tell any of the others. One of them might blurt it out to him out of respect for his feelings.”
He exhaled strongly. “You really are trying to put me on the spot, aren’t you? You know what he’ll do if he finds out?”
“Please, Wally!”
He folded his arms and studied her. “All right, but you’ve got to cut Barry some slack on this. You know he’ll do everything he can. He’d give his life for—”
“I know!” Iris immediately grimaced. “I’m sorry. Just don’t… Never mind.”
“Listen, I won’t cross Dad, but I will keep an eye on him, I promise! He won’t even know I’m around. Between Barry and me, we’ll keep him safe, okay?”
Iris suddenly lunged forward and hugged her brother. Wally hesitated for a moment, then returned the hug.
“Just be careful.”
“Like I said, he won’t even know I’m around. I swear!”
Iris started to correct his misconception, but her cell rang. Turning from Wally, she glanced at the caller ID. “It’s Caitlin. I wonder what she wants.”
“This looks like a good time for me to leave,” her brother suggested. “I’ll let you know how things go, all right?”
“All—” was as far as Iris got before finding herself standing alone. She took one quick look at the door—seemingly shut the entire time—then answered the phone. “Caitlin?”
“Iris… Hi.” Caitlin’s voice was quiet, even hard to hear. “I was wondering… I was hoping you’d have lunch with me… if you don’t mind this never-ending storm.”
Iris looked at the phone’s clock. “Sure! Noon?”
“That would be nice.”
“Where do you want to meet?” A selfish thought occurred to Iris. “Never mind! How about I just meet you back at the lab and we take it from there?”
“All right. Thank you.”
“No prob—”
The call disconnected.
Brow furrowed, Iris peered at the phone. Frowning deeply, she started to call back, then thought better of it. Her attention immediately shifted back to her father and Barry. Wally had assuaged some of her concerns, but there were still others. Only a direct confrontation with Barry would solve them, even if it threatened to put a wedge between them.
Iris sighed. This was not going to be easy, but with Mardon loose, she had to face Barry as soon as possible.
* * *
The storm continued unabated. For Cisco and H.R., that was not so much of a problem. They both pretty much lived at the lab. For Barry, while it was certainly a second home, it was not his principal home. That was the apartment he and Iris had finally gotten nerve enough to lease together.
Just may end up being very short term, Barry thought with regret. He knew that he had to do something to appease Iris or he risked losing her, which he considered unthinkable.
Thunder chose that moment to shake the building. Barry almost felt as if Mardon were somehow laughing at him. He wondered what the Weather Wizard was plotting and how it involved the indistinct figure on the roof.
Cisco swore.
“What’s wrong?” Barry asked in concern.
Cisco held up the toothbrush. “I’ve been trying to vibe this thing on and off since you gave it to me, but all I keep getting is a vague image of the storm itself! I don’t know if it’s due to the strange energy fluctuations in the weather or something to do with Mardon himself.” He put the toothbrush down. “Maybe later.”
“Sorry, Cisco. You tried—”
The lab door opened. Caitlin, still bundled up from the weather, slipped inside. She didn’t look very happy: not a terrible surprise considering the journey.
Barry darted over to the coffee, poured her a fresh cup, and stopped in front of her, all before she managed her next step. Unlike most people, Caitlin was undaunted by his action. She looked from him to the cup.
“Thanks. I could really use this.”
“When you didn’t come in first thing this morning we assumed you were going to stay home.”
“I just couldn’t. It felt so claustrophobic.” She took a sip, then peered beyond him. “This has pretty much become home for all of us, it looks like… Well, except for you. You and Iris.”
The building shook harder, the quaking punctuated by bright flashes of lightning. Cisco swore, making both Barry and Caitlin turn to him.
“Well, you don’t have to be a genius like me to know this isn’t natural,” Cisco commented wryly. “I’d have to say the Weather Wizard is up to something right now!”
“Track it, Cisco,” Barry ordered. “I’m already heading out.”
“Care for an umbrella? It’s gotten just a little stormier out there, I think.”
“Yeah, good thing I had those swimming lessons as a kid. See if the system’s picking up anything and contact me.”
“I’ll be on it right—”
Barry didn’t wait for Cisco to finish. Already fully clad as the Flash, he raced out of S.T.A.R. Labs and back into the maelstrom.
* * *
Arms outstretched, the Weather Wizard hovered high over the storm-wracked city. Mark Mardon kept his eyes shut as he summoned the forces inherent in the system and bent them to his control. Never before had he felt so much a part of the elements around him. Never before had he felt as if there was nothing he could not potentially achieve, if only he concentrated enough.
“Yes…” he murmured. “Yes…”
“Do it!” came Clyde’s voice. “Let’s see what you can do, bro! Let’s see it!”
“All right…” Mardon concentrated.
Below him, the clouds no longer rippled, but rather swirled. They spun faster and faster.
“Come on, Mark! Come on!”
A gap opened in the center of the swirling clouds. With each breath the Weather Wizard took, the hole increased in size. In less than a minute it had expanded to a size several times that of a football field.
The turbulent clouds thundered ominously.
The Weather Wizard grinned…
* * *
Back in S.T.A.R. Labs, Caitlin slipped off her coat. She took another long sip of the coffee, then leaned over Cisco to see what he had recorded.
“It’s building up,” Cisco informed her. Behind them, H.R. quietly seated himself and watched. “Seems to intensify each time the thunder comes.” Yet another roll shook the lab even as Cisco spoke.
Caitlin watched as what her colleague said was verified on the screen—
A sharp pain struck her in the temple. Cisco, his attention on the readings, failed to notice. Caitlin took a deep breath. The pain subsided.
“You’re not coming in very clearly!” Cisco said into his mic. “Let me make an adjustment.”
Caitlin grabbed another headset.
“I said give me something!” Barry called. “I’m circling the area where the storm’s hitting hardest… more or less!”
“Working on it!” Cisco replied. Off mic, he said to Caitlin, “Keep an eye on his readings! If he starts to burn out like he did last time, let me know immediately.”
“Be just a second.” Caitlin sat down in front of the next screen and called up Barry’s vitals. She already saw differences in what they should have read. Cutting off her mic, Caitlin turned to Cisco. “He’s already started. It’s not as sharp as the last time but still noticeable.”
“Keep an eye on him in case there’s a radical shift.” Into his mic: “He’s got to be nearby! Tell me what you see that looks different from any normal storm
.”
“What doesn’t?” the Flash responded. “There’s lightning shooting down at unnatural angles, places where hail is dropping out of nowhere, and man-sized whirlwinds wherever I look!”
Caitlin tapped quietly on the desk. When she had Cisco’s attention, she cut off her mic and said, “There’s been a change in his readings. If they keep up like that, he’s going to start wearing out soon. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Uh oh.”
“What’s that? Did you say something?” the Flash called.
Caitlin glared at Cisco and tapped her mic to remind him to cut it off next time. He nodded, then replied to Barry, “There’s something happening with—with the storm! Pace yourself! You don’t want to burn out!”
“Why aren’t you telling him?” H.R., out of mic range, asked.
Caitlin looked at Cisco. After a moment, he cut his mic and muttered, “For now he’s well within safe range. If that changes, yeah, we’ll warn him immediately. Right now it’s an added thought he doesn’t need. I’ve already warned him to pace himself. He couldn’t do more, anyway!”
H.R. looked to Caitlin for confirmation. She nodded reluctantly. “It’s also very possible we’re wrong about it even being anything Mardon is involved with. We need to know more before making Barry too concerned about it.”
“Hey, guys!” the Flash shouted. “Remember me? Out here enjoying the weather? Are you getting any new and very weird readings from the storm?”
Cisco focused on his screen again. “Why?”
“Because there’s a hole developing in the sky above me.”
Caitlin immediately looked at her screen to see what effect this potential new menace might be having on Barry himself, but just before she could focus on his readings, the pain in her temple returned several times stronger. Managing to keep from gasping, Caitlin tried to read the numbers.
“Are you serious?” Cisco was asking the Flash. “A hole?”
“Yeah! All the clouds and lightning are spreading away from it and I’d swear that the sky is darker inside that area…”
Caitlin could hear the Flash saying something more, but the pain in her temple was increasing heavily. Gripping the chair tightly with one hand, she instinctively twisted away from the others.
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