ϟ barry allen | the flash

[supertardiness]

	✔ Cʀᴏssᴏᴠᴇʀs/AU ✔ Aᴄᴛɪᴏɴsᴘᴀᴍ ✔ Pʀᴏsᴇ	✔ Pɪᴄᴛᴜʀᴇ ᴘʀᴏᴍᴘᴛs ✔ Oᴛʜᴇʀᴡᴏʀᴅʟʏ ✔ Sᴛᴀʀᴛᴇʀs	♥ F/M ⏰ Uᴘ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴀᴛᴇ

Comments

[supertardiness]

Well, if there's anyone who can do it, it's you and me.

[Teamwork makes the dream work.]

But first things first, we have to figure out how this happened in the first place.

[lowerlipthing]

You said it had something to do with the lab, right? If there's any way to figure it out, the evidence might still be there. If something was stolen, we might be able to figure out what's missing.

[supertardiness]

That's true. Are you sure you're feeling up to heading back in there?

[She was a little shaky earlier, and if the lab is still as cold as it was, it might not be ideal working conditions for her.]

[lowerlipthing]

I'm going to have to be. Or... At least, we'll need to look into whatever HVAC issue affected the temperature like that.

[She's still a little unsteady on her feet, but that isn't going to stop her from trying to solve this issue. This Barry's already explained that he'll need her to interpret the medical data. She fidgets with the edge of her sleeve, and then freezes, looking back to him.]

Barry? New evidence suggests this might have been more than a burglary.

[She extends her wrist for him and pushes the cloth away from her skin long enough for him to see a neat row of still-healing injection sites traveling along the line of her artery.]

[supertardiness]

[He blinks for a moment, before he gently takes her arm to get a better look at the injection marks.]

They injected you with something?

[lowerlipthing]

Looks like several somethings.

[She tilts her head up to search his eyes for the answer of questions she hasn't thought to ask.]

Do you and I have any of enemies who might want me to forget something?

[supertardiness]

I don't think we have an enemies who know who you are who would use science to make you forget it.

[That much Barry does know. If this were a meta, it'd be a meta with memory abilities that wouldn't use a needle.]

Let's just go check out your lab and see what we find.

[lowerlipthing]

Right. You're right.

[She straightens herself and stays a half-step behind him, fully unwilling to admit that she can't quite remember the right direction to take.]

I'm sure there's a rational explanation for all of this. Nothing happens without reason.

[supertardiness]

[And Barry will lead the way slowly, and it's not like they have far to go. Caitlin's lab has always been close to the Cortex itself just in case there was a medical emergency.]

Agreed. And once we have an explanation, we can try and figure out how to reverse it.

[lowerlipthing]

[ when they return to the lab, it's every bit as cold and ominous as they left it. Caitlin shivers immediately, and rubs a phantom ache along her arm. ]

The frost accumulation doesn't seem to be centered a-around the ventilation shafts. It most likely didn't originate there. And you said it couldn't have been someone with abilities like yours?

On Tuesday, October 24, 2017, supertardiness - DW Comment < dw_null@dreamwidth.org <javascript:_e(%7b%7d,'cvml','dw_null@dreamwidth.org');>> wrote:

[supertardiness]

[Yeah, and that frost is making him Wonder because Caitlin's Earth-2 counterpart did have frosty talents. But last he checked, Caitlin wasn't a meta.

Right? Did he miss something?]

Yeah, I mean - I've seen a meta do something like that before. But last I checked she was on a whole other Earth.

[lowerlipthing]

Well, at least superpowers are gender-inclusive.

[ She purses her lips and returns to her station, fussing over the notes. ]

Oh -- oh...

[ And then she's pulling the top sheet,away from the stack and sliding it into the middle where it'll be less likely to be seen. ]

[supertardiness]

[Yeah, Barry notices that, because he's observant like that, but he'll try not to push her and just go look over her shoulder curiously.]

Did you find something?

[lowerlipthing]

[But how could he possibly see through her stealthy ruse? She is being the most discreet.]

What? Find something? N-no, of course not.

[Such is the behavior of completely unsuspicious people.]

[supertardiness]

[Yep, and there will just be a look. A totally not suspicious look.]

Caitlin.

[And there's the tone. The "tell me what's happening right now" tone.]

[lowerlipthing]

Yes that's my name. Of course I recognize my name why wouldn't I do that? It's certainly got nothing to do with an invoice for psychopharmacology if that's what you're thinking of!

And frankly, I find it a little outrageous that you might even suggest such a thing.

[supertardiness]

[Barry's quiet for a moment, just watching as she rambles through all that.

Then holds out his hand for the clipboard. He's not going to be able to help you if you're keeping secrets from him, Cailtin.]

[lowerlipthing]

[But she was so convincing! She lets the silence linger in the air for a long moment after. And then she snatches the paperwork and deposits it in his hand, thoroughly sulking.

The invoice in question details a list of chemicals, mostly. It's all medications, hallucinogens, antidepressants and others. The quantities are small enough for single use, processed dutifully with Caitlin's own signature at the bottom. Subsequent attached pages quickly deconstruct into genetic jargon, but the end goal seems to be to suppress or inhibit something.]

[supertardiness]

[His head tips to the side as he studies it for a moment and then he looks back up at her again.]

It looks like you were trying to suppress something.

[lowerlipthing]

Sure does look that way.

[She chews on her bottom lip and shifts her weight from one foot to the other.]

We're supposed to be friends, right? Is this the kind of thing I'd tell you about?

[She suspects it isn't. Otherwise, he would've already mentioned it. Right?]

[supertardiness]

[Yeah, you would think it would be. But he also knows that Caitlin liked to play things close to the vest.]

I would hope so, but you also were pretty secretive when it came to problems. You liked to see if you could handle it on your own first.

[lowerlipthing]

So... This might just be an example of me handling something. Somehow.

[She rubs her inner arm gingerly.]

I guess I must've handled whatever it was. [Did she know too much about something? What if Barry's some kind of mafia contact?? ]

[supertardiness]

Yeah, maybe.

[He sighs a bit, before looking down at the paperwork again.]

Why don't we table this until Cisco gets back? I could run out and get us some pizza or something?

[lowerlipthing]

[She's not hungry. It feels like she might never be hungry again, the way everything still feels off. Could it have been appetite-related? This seems extreme for a new diet pill.]

That's the second time you've brought up Cisco. Is he a friend of yo--ours?

[supertardiness]

[He nods a bit, because man this was going to break Cisco's heart.]

Yeah. He's your best friend, actually. You guys have been through a lot together.