"Oh hell no. How many times have I gotta tell you people this, I don't do bees!" Cisco shouted, throwing his empty slushie cup down into the trash. Iris gave him a look, the one that non-verbally said 'cut the sass', also known as the 'west expression'.
"Cisco. You gotta do this, man. You can deal with a couple honeybees to save a life." Barry wasn't very reassuring.
As much as everyone understood Cisco's fear of bees, they didn't have time for it right now.
On the outskirts of central city lived a beekeeper. This beekeeper was the leader of the local honeybee advocacy group, and she had been kidnapped. The primary suspect was a pesticide manufacturer, but so far the case had run dry.
Three days had gone by, and the central city police department had decided to reach out to team flash for help on the otherwise dead case.
"We just have to go to her house and find something you can vibe off of, ok? No bees involved." Cisco was silent for nearly a full minute.
"...ok. Fine. Let's go save the bee lady."
Barry flashed Cisco to the house. It was a tiny farm house on two acres of land, with a huge flower garden in front. Plots of vegetables and fruit trees could be seen in the back, and in the tiny orchard sat three hexagonal hive boxes.
Cisco froze up at the mouth of the path to the house's door. Honeybees buzzed lazily in the fall air, sipping from the flowers that still bloomed in the garden or clustering around the bird bath for a drink. Barry rolled his eyes and flashed Cisco to the door instead. Joe was waiting on the front porch.
He greeted them professionally before opening the front door.
"Woah. Talk about eco-friendly living." Cisco murmured as he entered the house.
Most of the furniture looked reclaimed, and potted plants were tucked into every corner.
It was more like a cabin than a house, with a little spiral staircase leading up to the 'second floor'. A big orange cat slept in a patch of sun on the couch. Cisco wandered around for a little bit.
"Who would ever kidnap someone who lives like this? She probably couldn't hurt a fly even if you paid her for it." Joe mused, running his hand along the antique dining table.
"I don't know, but whoever it is, we better find them fast." Barry pet the cat, who purred in appreciation. Joe looked through the books and magazines in her living room. Cisco sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets.
"Guys, I've touched nearly everything in the house. I'm not getting anything." Joe held up the stack of magazines.
"They're all about metahumans." Barry groaned in realization and pressed a palm to his face, rubbing slightly.
"She's the most successful beekeeper in central city. Gee, I wonder why."
"So what are saying here? That this lady can talk to bees?" Cisco picked up a framed picture from the t.v. stand, trying to ignore the cold lump of anxiety settling in his stomach. He noticed that this woman was, in fact, very pretty, but it didn't make him feel better about the bees.
Barry and Joe looked at eachother, uneasy looks on their faces.
"If she can, then she probably spends all her time-"
"Out by the hives." Barry finished Joe's sentence, as he often did.
"Oh HELL to the no!"
"Cisco, dude, come on. Who knows what's happening to her right now." Cisco gave Barry a disapproving look, an almost comical frown on his face. He crossed his arms like a pouty child.
"Are we forgetting that a bee almost killed me, here? Because that happened! It most definitely happened!"
"Cisco. Calm down. We can smoke the bees to make them calmer and you only need a few seconds." Joe tried to place a comforting hand on Cisco's shoulder, but it was smacked away.
"Joe, man, I appreciate the sentiment, but no way." He started to walk out, as if he was going to walk home. Barry spoke up.
"Cisco, she could die." Cisco stopped dead in his tracks. Barry wasn't lying. Earth's Best Pest Solutions was currently in the thick of a massive legal battle over the suspicious death of a whistleblower from their company. They were notorious for calling out anti-pesticide protesters as being against fixing world hunger, and other ridiculous notions as such. Often, Earth's Best was accused of paying off politicians and city officials in order to keep operating at sub-legal standards. They were also the number one suspect in the beekeeper kidnapping.
"Honeybees don't sting. All you need to do is put your hands on the hive for a few seconds. That's it. You can do this." Joe put both hands on Cisco's shoulders, using the reassuring dad cop voice.
Cisco took a couple of deep breaths. He looked over at the picture of the smiling, happy girl with her cat, and sighed.
"I'll do it." His voice shook, but he stood firm.
"I'll touch the beehive. But you both owe me one." Joe and Barry shared a sigh of relief.
"You're the bravest guy I know, Cisco." Barry smiled and gave his best friend a hug.
"Yeah. I know. Now let's get this over with."