The Flash

by Richard Knaak

  At last, he had everything where it needed to be. Growing well aware that he couldn’t hold it all together much longer, Mark forced it all to converge at one point in the center.

  The explosion that followed ripped through the room. A devastating force threw the Weather Wizard several yards back. Winds immediately formed around him, but they failed to grow strong enough to protect him fully before he hit the floor.

  Stunned, Mark fought with blurry eyes to see what had happened to his brother. At first, all he could see was blinding light. Then, as the energies continued to shoot off in every direction, the Weather Wizard made out a faint, manlike figure in their midst.

  “Clyde?” His voice cracked and ended in a prolonged cough.

  The figure moved toward him, his movements strange, almost as if he rolled…

  “Clyde?” Mardon asked again, this time managing to suppress the cough.

  The form solidified. Mark’s brother grinned. But barely had Clyde become recognizable than the Weather Wizard’s sibling disintegrated into a small dust devil. The tiny whirlwind dipped left, then right.

  “No! Clyde! No!” The Weather Wizard tried to push himself to his feet, but failed. All he could do was watch helplessly.

  To his tremendous relief, though, the whirlwind again coalesced into Clyde. The younger brother stepped forward.

  And at that moment, the Weather Wizard saw that Clyde was now translucent.

  “No…” Mark slumped back. “Damn it… No…” He put his hands over his face. “No… No… No…”

  “Failed me again, Mark,” came Clyde’s bitter voice. “How many times is it going to be, bro? Anyone would think you really don’t want to help me! Is that it? You do want to help me, don’t you? No matter what?”

  “It should’ve been enough. It should’ve…” the Weather Wizard defended. “It should’ve been.” He shut his eyes and tried to focus. “Thought it through… thought I did anyway.”

  “You’ve let me down again, Mark. We were supposed to be there for each other, just like I was always there for you. I would never have failed you …”

  “Shut up, damn you!” Extremely drained, Mark rolled onto his side. He could just barely see his brother now, but the ghostly image of a moment earlier still burned into his thoughts. “I’ll get it right…”

  His exhaustion overtook him. The Weather Wizard lay still.

  Clyde stood frozen, then slowly lost all definition. The last vestiges faded into a mass of swirling wind that hovered for a time… and then faded away.

  * * *

  Caitlin had had no strength to go to work. She had ended up sleeping twice as long as usual and had only been able to get up to feed herself. Her relative helplessness infuriated her, but she had been unable to fight it. Ironically, the storm had become such a constant that as turbulent as it had grown Caitlin barely noticed it anymore.

  But then there had come that one rumble of thunder, that one flash of lightning—and suddenly Caitlin had had a sense of claustrophobia that had shaken her so suddenly that she had dropped the plate she had been holding and not even worried about cleaning it up.

  She had rushed to the living room, the emptiest spot in the apartment. For a breath or two, that had helped, but then the sensation had returned twice as strong. Caitlin had tried deep breathing to no avail. Her heart had begun pounding, and suddenly she felt as if she had been locked in a sauna. In desperation, Caitlin had gone to the refrigerator. Opening the freezer door, she had inhaled the wonderful cold air.

  She had not noticed it: the odd, violent change in the storm that had come to a sudden conclusion. Yet, by then, what it had stirred in her had no longer needed outside stimulation. Now Caitlin pressed against the open freezer, not caring what it did to the contents. More and more she savored the cold, wanted to be a part of it. Frustrated, Caitlin stepped back and looked around for anything that might help. She spied the thermostat and rushed to it. Without hesitation, she threw the air conditioning to full blast at the lowest setting she could. Chilly air immediately filled the apartment.

  Sighing happily, Caitlin opened her arms to embrace the cold. She spun once… then stopped when she found herself facing a mirror hanging on the wall.

  A long streak of her hair had turned as white as snow… or frost.

  Gaping, Caitlin hesitantly touched it. As she did, her skin took on a pale cast. Her eyes widened. Caitlin ran a finger over her cheek.

  A light flashed on Cisco’s device.

  “Oh my God!” Caitlin stumbled back. A puff of mist escaped her mouth. Steeling herself, she growled, “No… I’m in control… I’m in control! No…”

  Yes… a part of her mind insisted. Be free at last…

  “No!” She quickly reached to adjust Cisco’s machine, but as her fingers touched it, a layer of frost swiftly spread from the tips over the surface. Caitlin tried to wipe it off, but only strengthened the frost. As the layer thickened, she felt the abilities of the device lessen.

  “Cisco… He’ll be able to help.” She rushed to her purse and grabbed her cell phone. Dropping the frost-laden bag, she started to dial.

  A fresh layer of frost quickly enshrouded the phone. Caitlin tapped the touchscreen hard, but the frost had already grown too thick.

  She brought the phone up to her mouth. “Phone!”

  The screen slowly changed, revealing Caitlin’s phone and email list. Heartened, she quickly added, “Call—”

  The list faded away. The screen went black.

  Caitlin dropped the phone. She started for the air conditioning, but only made it a few steps before falling to one knee.

  Sit… Rest… Let it happen…

  “I will not,” Caitlin managed. “I control my powers now. Me!”

  Forcing herself to her feet, she struggled to the thermostat.

  “Heat. Heat.” As quickly as she could, Caitlin adjusted the controls. She put the heat on as high as it would go, then wrapped her arms tightly around herself. “Come on! Warm up!”

  The system clicked on. Impatient, Caitlin went to the nearest vent and waited for the warm air to engulf her.

  The cold gave way… for a moment. Just as Caitlin had started to believe her plan would work, the apartment got noticeably chillier. Worse, she realized that she was the source of that new cold.

  “No! I will not give in! I will not!” Gathering her strength, Caitlin tried to will the cold away. She would not permit her powers to overcome her. She was in control.

  The cold eased… and then once more returned with a vengeance.

  “No!” Caitlin insisted to herself. “No!”

  The cold receded. The cold advanced. Receded. Advanced. Receded—

  It was too much. Caitlin’s thoughts spun. She attempted to go the couch, but dropped to one knee halfway there.

  “No…” Caitlin fell face first to the floor.

  She lost consciousness.

  Frost extended from her fingertips and spread along her arms, her torso, and quickly to her legs and feet. In seconds, a layer covered her entire body. A few seconds more, and it had thickened enough to obscure her from view.

  And all the while, the apartment kept getting colder and colder.

  11

  “As peaceful as he looks, we should really wake him,” H.R. said.

  “In a minute,” Cisco answered for the tenth, eleventh or maybe twelfth time. He still hoped to make sense of the new readings he had just gotten. They had to be the results of the Weather Wizard’s unknown plans. “We may have a location on Mardon.”

  “You mean that awful ruckus we just went through? I mean, clearly it was him, but how was this incident different?”

  “Mardon just funneled a lot of work into something, so much so that the storm couldn’t mask it very well! I think—”

  A signal went off. Cisco immediately summoned up a new page.

  “Caitlin!” he breathed.

  H.R. instantly straightened. “What is it?”

  “Let me double-check
.” Cisco’s fingers moved furiously on the keyboard. His expression tightened. “Caitlin’s not doing well.”

  At that moment, a yawn escaped Barry. Cisco and H.R. looked at the speedster, now sitting up, then at one another.

  “What should we tell him?” H.R. asked.

  In answer, Cisco switched back to the readings he had been studying before. “What he wants to know.”

  Barry stiffly pushed himself up on his elbows. “I guess I was more exhausted than I thought. Did you get the readings you want—” He caught sight of a clock. “I’ve been asleep that long?” Barry’s expression tightened. “Cisco… you shouldn’t have done that. I need to be out there.”

  “It was necessary, man, but enough of that right now. I think I may have located Mardon.”

  Barry suddenly stood next to him. “Where?”

  “One second more… Yeah, I think that’s it.” He typed. “There. An exact address. Oh, that’s clever. 5515 Whispering Wind Avenue. Not too obvious a choice, is it?”

  “5515 Whispering Wind Avenue. Got it,” Barry’s voice said, the speedster himself already gone. It was an effect both Cisco and H.R. had experienced several times before and yet still one that made both men start for a moment.

  “We may not have much time left,” Cisco commented grimly. Switching back to Caitlin’s readings, he jumped up. “Get the car ready. I’ve got a couple of things here to grab!”

  “We’re heading to Caitlin’s?”

  “Yep.”

  “What about Barry?”

  “Been putting together a new portable setup, though I wasn’t planning it for this. I’ll be able to keep in touch with him and give him all the backup he needs. Sometimes I am so brilliant I impress even myself!”

  H.R. nodded. “All that means I have to get us there. Have you considered that?”

  “Considered what?” asked a feminine voice from the entrance.

  “Iris!” Cisco blurted. “What’re you doing here?”

  “I haven’t been able to locate Barry anywhere else,” she replied as she neared them, “so I figured that he had to return here eventually. Certainly before he bothers to come back to me.”

  “You just missed him,” H.R. offered.

  Cisco nodded. “Yeah, he needed to rest up here before he could go out again. He’s been asleep for hours.” He gestured at the screen. “I just finally tracked the Weather Wizard to a specific location. Barry should be there already. I was just waiting for him to contact me—”

  “Then why do you look like you’re about to leave? Is there something wrong with Barry that you’re not telling me? I came to finally hash things out between us, but if he’s in trouble…”

  Iris pushed past Cisco to peer at the screen. Cisco looked at H.R., a sudden expression of concern on his face.

  “This says it’s for Caitlin, not Barry. Why are you looking at this? Is there something wrong with—oh dear God! Cisco, is this all accurate? Am I reading it correctly? How long has it been going on?”

  “Listen, Iris—” Cisco began.

  She whirled on him. “It makes sense now. Her cold hand. Her demeanor. You think she’s falling victim to her powers! Tell me, Cisco!”

  “We were just on our way to check on her,” H.R. commented.

  “H.R.!” Cisco growled.

  Iris looked thoughtful. “What about Barry? I know you wouldn’t leave him alone, especially with Mardon!”

  “I’ve got this portable equipment. The earpiece is already in, so if he wanted to say anything, I’d already know. I would never risk his life, Iris!”

  She looked somewhat mollified. “Does he know about Caitlin?”

  “I didn’t think he needed to have that extra burden right now.”

  She gave him a reproving look, but then nodded. “And you’ll be able to keep in contact with him at all times?”

  Cisco crossed his heart. “I’d never risk Barry, Iris. How could you even think that?”

  “Then we’d better get over and see what’s happened to Caitlin.”

  Much relieved, Cisco grabbed the last of his gear. “Mind driving? It’s you or H.R.”

  Iris nodded. “I’ll drive.”

  “Thank you,” murmured H.R. “Really. Thank you.”

  A voice suddenly echoed in Cisco’s ear. “I’ve circled the area to make certain that there were no traps!”

  “Hang on,” Cisco told the others. Adjusting a portable mic, he replied, “Say that again, Barry?”

  “I said I’ve circled the area—about a hundred times—to make sure that there are no traps. Going in now to search for him.”

  “Listen, Barry—” Cisco stopped as a powerful surge of static cut him off, not to mention nearly deafened him. “Barry?”

  “What is it?” asked Iris worriedly.

  Cisco covered the mic. “The damn thing’s cutting out. I thought I’d compensated for how Mardon’s altered the storm.” He set down the portable set. “I can’t leave.”

  “But what about Caitlin?” H.R. interrupted.

  Iris watched as Cisco quickly returned to the main console, then made a decision. “H.R., you and I will go check on her. Cisco, did you hear? H.R. and I—”

  Cisco nodded, then signaled for silence. Now at the console, he muttered into another mic. “Go ahead, Barry. Try again.”

  With a hesitant sigh, Iris waved for H.R. to follow her. H.R. eyed Cisco for a moment, then trailed behind.

  * * *

  The Flash circled the address yet again, keeping just far enough away to hopefully evade any detection by the Weather Wizard. To Cisco, he said, “That’s it. I’ve definitely cleared the vicinity of any traps and such. I’m going inside now. Yes, that’s what I said. Any noticeable shift in the storm?”

  “Negative! Listen, let me call in Wally on this. He could be very—”

  “No! He almost got killed last time! Mardon is too savvy for him. I’ll handle this.”

  “All right… Just be careful! Mardon may just be sitting in there, waiting to strike as you enter.”

  Barry chuckled. “You’re starting to sound just like Iris. You know I’ll be careful.”

  With that, the Flash veered toward the address. He picked up speed as he neared the structure, well aware that he had to catch his adversary completely by surprise. The Weather Wizard had already proven that he knew just how to compensate for Barry’s speed. So long as Mardon believed that he was safely hidden, the Flash had a chance to catch him without danger to anyone in the vicinity, let alone the speedster himself.

  He zipped toward the side of the building, then reached for the first door handle. The speedster pulled open the door, and immediately raced to the second entrance where he did the same. He then raced to the third and opened that too.

  To the normal eye, all three doors opened simultaneously. The Flash peered inside each doorway, checking for any visible traps. To his surprise, there were none. The Flash retreated for a moment and contacted Cisco. “Just tried three entrances and nothing happened. From what I saw looking in, it’s likely he’s not in there anymore.”

  “Hard to tell from the readings,” Cisco returned. “And I’ve still not been able to get a vibe off of the toothbrush. It’s all the storm again, but there’s no hint of him anywhere else in the city at the moment. Your call on going inside.”

  “Oh, I’m going inside. We can’t afford not to look… which hopefully isn’t what the Weather Wizard was thinking too.”

  No sooner had Barry said it than he returned once more to all three entrances. Again, he saw no hint of a trap. With no other choice, Barry randomly chose the third door.

  He entered a vast room that looked as if it had been through a terrible war. Although the building itself had shown no visible signs of damage on the outside, the walls, ceiling, and floor were all marked by burns and cracks and areas tattered by other unidentifiable forces.

  “Cisco, now that I’m inside, can you get any readings of this place through the suit?”

  “Hang
on.” After a pause, Cisco answered, “Yeah, getting readings all right. Don’t know what Mardon was doing here, but he poured a lot of that energy I picked up right in this place. Funny, though…”

  The Flash peered at the burned walls, the scorched floor. “What could possibly be funny? This place looks like a wreck.”

  “It shouldn’t even be standing. That’s what’s funny… strange. Amazing, actually. He kept it all focused in here on something.”

  “But what?”

  “No idea. Whatever it is, though, it has to be the reason for everything odd he’s done since he escaped.”

  “Yeah.” The Flash rubbed his chin. There were traces of food wrappers and even ruined food. Mardon had not worried about any of the niceties of civilization while here. Barry had seen the lairs of animals that had been kept much neater. “It looks like once he finished what he was doing here, he left. Maybe not right away, but soon after.”

  “So we’ve lost him again. Figures.”

  “Looks like it. Give me a moment, though. I’m going to see if there’s any clue to where he is or what he might be planning next.”

  The moment he finished talking, the Flash raced around every corner of the interior, studying the walls, searching the floor, turning over and checking every bit of trash. The speedster even ran up the walls so that he could better inspect the damage done to the ceiling. When he was done, he returned to his original location.

  “Sure. Go ahead,” Cisco was still answering.

  “Done. Not too much out of the ordinary. Did find one thing of interest though.” The Flash held up one of a small bundle of papers and inspected it again. “A picture of Clyde Mardon from the newspaper. Actually, four of them. It’s like he gathered clippings somewhere along the way.”

  “A little obsessive, but certainly understandable except for the fact that someone’s actually reading a newspaper these days instead of just calling it up online. Anyway, like I said, the obsession makes sense. He and his brother did everything together and we already know how bad it hit Mardon when he found out Clyde was dead.”