Flash FF -Good Nights, Great Days
Ongoing, pairing undecided
AN: Hey everybody, here's something I couldn't stop writing :3 I've been having fun trying to develop Indra and her potential relationships. I've decided this takes place before Jesse is kidnapped, but after the portal opens. (Even if I can't remember if that's how it happened)
There came a time in everyone's life where things seemed to move too fast, where life felt like the gales of a hurricane, and themselves, the roof tiles hanging on by a thread. In times like these, life was hard; some fell- flying away in an uncontrolled spiral, lost to the world and those that loved them.
And some rose above it, rode the winds and waves of life like a bird in the sky, a fish in the sea. Some made it past, survived and then lived, yet forever changed. Forever falling and rising.
Indra was one such person, once risen, now fallen; or rather, falling.
Literally.
As the wind whipped by her, she relished in the feeling, and she let the strong breeze take her willingly. She had climbed an abandoned building especially for this feeling.
She had jumped from the highest point she could get to without publicly breaking the law. She had taken off her weights, her shoes, and now she was flying. Indra didn't have wings, but what she had was almost as good.
When the rope tying her to her building of choice decided to start digging into her skin, she pulled herself back and put her weighted shoes back on, effectively keeping her on the ground. No one knew this about Indra, but she was what Central City called a metahuman.
And she was light as a feather.
Without the shoes she had poorly made for herself, she would float away at the slightest of breezes, and even with the shoes, her stability was iffy. A bump of the shoulder, a trip on a crack in the sidewalk- all of that could send her flying in an odd direction. If it weren't for her shoes, she would be floating away into the sky, never to be seen again. She couldn't go out on particularly windy days, as one gust could knock her on her back side, and drag her along on the whim of nature, as she'd learned the hard way.
As the story goes in Central City, it started with the Accelerator Explosion.
Or rather, the morning after.
Indra had been thankful to live alone in that time, for she had struggled that morning to get down from her ceiling. It had taken the help of her overly tall and unstable bookcase landing on her for Indra to actually touch the floor. Coincidentally the night before, she had been dreaming of wings.
But she didn't have wings, she had weightlessness- arguably a girl's unhealthy dream come true, in a nasty sort of way. So, Indra glued weights to the bottom of her shoes; a temporary solution to her problems.
Indra, eventually, learned to love her newfound powers. She started dreaming, and turning her dreams into a reality. She could fly and she loved it, so she soared… in a limited sort of way.
So that day, as she walked home from her daily adventure into the darker parts of the city, she noticed the sky growing darker, and the wind picking up. Briefly, she wondered if she could make it back to her apartment in time before the sudden storm. The weather forecast for that day had said it was supposed to be clear, but apparently nature had other plans.
Or well, she guessed something had other plans. Quickly, she found out it was no storm, but rather a portal opening above Central City, sucking the city into its large, void-like maw. Looking up into it, she knew there was nothing she'd be able to do for herself, and almost instantly she was swept up like a leaf in the wind.
Indra didn't scream, she didn't fight it she just went. If she fought, if she struggled, it could be much worse, and the last thing she wanted was to get hurt. Especially when there was cars, buildings, glass all flying around her. She got cut, certainly, but she tries her best to avoid it.
It was dark, but the city was beautiful in a way it had never been before- this high up, it was like a toy city laid flat, breaking in a child's tantrum.
She saw the lightning below her, and Indra realized it was the Flash. Despite the hero's appearance, her hope and faith that everything would be alright plunged exactly in the opposite direction she was going. In other words, down the drain. The Flash wasn't fast enough to save her, but as she thought bitterly, at least he got to a few others.
The world was going dark, and darker still, and soon she found herself plummeting through a beautiful night sky. Feeling the lack of breeze, Indra quickly moved to drop her shoes mid air, as it would cause her to drift slowly to safety, rather that speedily to her death. As soon as she dropped her shoes, her descent slowed.
She prayed her shoes didn't hit anyone.
As Indra drifted, she looked above her, through he portal that was now closing, and saw the sunny Central City, as if it were nothing but a picture. It was beautiful.
And then it was gone.
Soon, the stars filled her vision, and her breath was taken away for the very first time that day…or rather, night.
Constellations surrounded her, slowly moving away from her, and the sky was a beautiful midnight blue- the shade it turned before it went completely black. She had never seen stars so clearly in all her life.
After a few minutes in the air, the skyscrapers below started appearing in her periphery. Indra's only thought was that it was strange- a city with stars. In her own city, the light pollution would have ruined the sky forever.
Lower and lower she drifted, and suddenly her back touched something. It was solid enough for her to grab hold of, and so she did. It was the roof of a high-rise, and her shoes thankfully sat innocently to her left. Quickly, she put them on and stood, observing her surroundings.
She was in a city, that much was obvious, but Indra wondered where. It was a strange city, she noticed suddenly. The buildings were steeped in a sepia tone saved for phone filters in her time, and there was modern statuses and unique looking lampposts littering the streets. It looked…strangely high tech.
Sirens blasted through the street, and she suddenly remembered that people had been hurt by the portal, that she herself was also hurt. She found the door the roof and tried the handle. It was thankfully unlocked.
Indra took the steps two at a time, too scared to try the elevator in the crisis. Eventually, she got tired and decided it was just easier to swing herself over he edge of the stairs railings. It was a tall building, and she was not fit by any means, weightless or not. In this situation, she used her shoes and lightness to her advantage, falling cautiously and with care, stabilizing herself when needed.
When Indra got to the bottom, and after she'd found the entrance through a lovely golden lobby, she found herself in the street, surrounded by the crying people and all varieties of emergency responders. Unlucky for her, a group she was standing by started beeping…and then another, and another.
Suddenly, everyone was still, and watching her with weary eyes. She looked around, wondering what was going on. Her temple itched, and when she indulged her body in that need, her hand came away covered in dark flakes. She had been cut by the glass, she recalled.
Still, everyone was staring, and suddenly Indra found herself being handcuffed, escorted away and into some kind of holding cell. It was sort of impressive, how fast and foreign everything was in comparison to Central City.
Their handcuffs glowed, and were strangely comfortable, and the cell was more like a padded room. She wondered what was going on, but she was far too tired to concentrate, and much too convinced it was all a dream.
Indra fell asleep quickly, the faint sound of an air conditioner running in the background.
Used to being alone, Indra was started when she woke up and found that she wasn't, and everything that had happened was indeed, not a dream. She felt battered and bruised, and probably looked even worse than she felt. Worst of all, she felt heavy.
It was as if, overnight, the weight of her flesh and bones had returned, and she could barely breathe. Having been so light for so long, it now felt as if someone had filled her skin with lead as she slept. She could move, but barely. Indra was so focused on trying not to panic, to focus on her breathing, that she startled badly when someone by the door cleared their throat.
The person, a woman, had been so still that after Indra had initially noticed her, she had forgotten. The woman was stunning in her own way; dark skinned, permed hair, well done makeup. This was a woman that had her life together….except for her pants.
Seriously, the woman's dress pants billowed out from her thighs to her ankles. It was like someone had made pants out of a dress, and they were not attractive.
Upon blinking a few more times, and the woman clearing her throat once more, Indra finally found the strength to speak. "Where am I?"
The woman rolled her head along with her eyes, as if it was supposed to be obvious. Indra instantly disliked her. "We detained you, don't you remember?" The woman stepped closer. "Tell me why you destroyed Central City."
Indra sputtered for a moment. Her? Destroy Central City, her home? She could never. Would never. "Uhm, what?"
The woman scoffed, her perfectly painted lips turning down in a scowl, while her eyebrows drew together. "Please, you were the only meta on the scene that night. What. Did. You. Do?"
The fact that this detective had said 'that night' instead of 'last night' threw Indra off a bit. Had she been sleeping for more than a day? Maybe she had lost more blood than she thought- and now that she noticed her, her throat was drier than a desert in that moment.
"Could I have a glass of water?" she dared to ask. It would give her a moment to think if her captor agreed. Indra didn't know her options, and especially now that she didn't know where she was. The woman had said Central City…but it couldn't be, could it?
"I'll get it for you if you tell me what you know." The woman bargained with her, and Indra sighed, part in defeat, and part out of frustration. She couldn't even sit up, she felt so heavy, and this woman thought she was a threat.
Indra internally shook herself. She agreed with a simple nod of her head, and the door clicked shut behind the beauty. What had she gotten herself into?
Trying to think back, she could only remember floating away into the black hole, the stars, falling and catching hold of the building.
The crying people, hurt and injured, staring at her in fear of what she might do, as the devices on their wrists beeped urgently.
She wanted to see those stars again.
The woman returned, and Indra struggled to sit up to accept the plastic cup offered to her. It took her a few tries, and during that time, her captor had stuck her hip to one side, waiting impatiently and awkwardly with the cup in her hand. Finally, Indra managed to lean herself against the wall. She felt as heavy and thick as molasses.
"Thank you, miss…?" Indra fished for a name.
"You can call me Detective West-Allen." What a mouthful, but at least she got something.
"My name is Indra." The water soothed her throat, and she fought not to gulp it down in one sitting. Instead, she sipped at it, trying still to gather her thoughts.
"So tell me, Indra. What did you do to our city?"
Indra studied the woman for a brief moment, observing her facial features, how West-Allen was trying to pierce her soul with her gaze, and failed. Indra continued trying to figure out how to reply. She decided on honesty.
"I got caught in the wind and was sucked into the portal. I did nothing." The woman narrowed her eyes.
"What's your power?"
Indra hesitated, briefly. "I'm…light."
"Light? Explain." West-Allen crossed her arms.
Lifting an arm, trying to ignore the feeling of the weight dragging her down, Indra tried to explain. "I'm light as a feather. I can do no harm." She went on, "but… its not working right now. What did you do to me?"
The look of distrust on the detectives face was noticeable. "You were detained. This is a metahuman holding cell, you can't use your powers."
"Yeah, well it feels like I'm dying." Indra hadn't meant to sound so sharp, but she couldn't help it. She finished her water and slumped against the wall, her body giving out.
Something in the detective softened slightly, and Indra was glad for it. "If you agree to a lie detection test, we may be allowed to let you leave."
"Fine, whatever it takes to prove I didn't do anything." And for this torture to end, but that was left unsaid. "But, you might have to bring it here… I don't think I can walk anymore without my powers."
The realization that she was so dependant on her powers left Indra filled with dread. If this new world was so set on putting metahumans away, what was going to happen to her? Her muscles were nothing, she was small and thin for her age, and could be blown over by a strong gust. What were her options here? She would have to go along with West-Allen.
"We'll bring it in a half hour." And that was that. The detective was done talking to her, and left with a confident swagger. With her presence gone, Indra lay flat on her back, and stared at the ceiling. It was pristine, not a chip in sight, and a plain off white colour. Once again, Indra asked herself about her future.
What should she do?
By the time the tests were over and they'd decided to let her free, it was night again. As Indra walked the streets, wondering what she should do, she noticed familiar street signs and landmarks. Iris, or rather, Detective West-Allen, had said something about this being Central City, but so many things were proof that it was not.
One of those such things was the STAR Labs of this world. It was surrounded by tech hers had not been. It looked to be in working order, and open to the public too. Both of those things were much different than she was used to. There was even a fountain that glowed in the night, setting off high jet streams towards the sky every few minutes. She decided to take a break.
Thankfully the money was the same here, for the first thing Indra had done, was buy a heavy sweater to keep her more grounded. As she leaned back on the bench, she looked up into the stars. The beautiful, stunning night sky. She would never get used to it.
It was so vast and endless and sparkling with trillions upon quadrillions of different coloured stars, all different sizes, different intensities. For a moment, Indra felt infinitesimal.
So lost in the stars, she didn't hear the guard approach until he was barking at her to leave. He must've thought she was a homeless woman loitering on their bench, high as a kite.
But she was not. She shrugged her shoulders and walked off, not brave enough to face a confrontation so soon.
Eventually, she found herself back at the station. Detective West-Allen still hard at work at her desk, a dorky looking tall guy hovering over her as they chatted. They appeared to be very close, if Indra had to say.
She entered the precinct and coughed awkwardly. Both of them turned to look at her simultaneously, and Iris spared her a small smile. Indra shuffled nervously. "So…I know I just left…but."
She fidgeted a bit more with her oversized sweater. "I realized I don't have a place to stay." She felt more lonely than she ever had in her life, and she thrived on being alone. However, here she had no back up links to rely on. It was literally just her, in a strange and hostile world.
The man with Iris smiled widely, unknowing of identity and the trouble she had found herself in at this very station not long ago. "Just stay with us! That's cool, right Iris? You love guests."
Iris blinked awkwardly at the man, her husband, Indra now assumed. They were close, and if they lived together…well, it spoke for itself, really.
However, Indra couldn't let the man invite her in so easily, and she had to open her big mouth. "You know, just a few hours ago, I was a criminal."
The man, bless his kind soul, paled, and Iris snickered behind her hand. "You know, I try not to bring my work home with me."
Indra deflated just a bit, but Iris continued her line of thought. "But, as you're no longer considered as my 'work', maybe we can work something out."
At this point, Iris had both her hands entwined together on her desk, looking innocently between her male counterpart and Indra. For the first time since arriving, Indra felt a little bit of hope.
"I'm Barry, by the way. Iris's husband. It's a pleasure to meet you!" Barry looked as excited as a kid in a candy store. She could tell her was the hyperactive kind of guy. "You know, this is the perfect set up for a sleepover!"
Iris and Indra shared a look, one that was a universal code between girls, and they both smiled. "Sure Barry, that sounds like fun."
Indra hadn't had friends in quite a while. She had abandoned her last friend after the accelerator explosion, fearing her powers and what it meant for her. Now though, it looked like when was about to gain two friends, and re-enter the friendship game.
It was going to be a good night.