"So, Astrid, when are you and Cisco going to announce to the rest of Central City the secret identity of Mind Marvel and Vibe?" Iris asked as she sat in the cortex with the CEO of STAR Labs interviewing her for the Picture News.
"I love how you just managed to slide that one in there, Iris… but no… it ain't happening."
"Seriously? But all of Central City know who the Flash is." Iris argued.
"Yeah, but I'm not him. Nor, should I have to reveal my own identity. I have enough trouble with the current target on my head being a female CEO of a large corporation... which has franchised all over the world. I'm just too tired and too stressed to deal with the added drama." Astrid argued.
"Okay… I get it, but try having twins, they take a lot of out you." Iris joked.
"I'll take your word on that. At least you have the fastest man alive to help you out with that, though."
"True... Which reminds me, you and Cisco have been married for a few years now… when are you going to start trying?"
"Kids? It's bad enough that we're working our asses off to oversee all the facilities succeed, interviewing new doctors regularly and helping Barry save the city each day and night. We don't have the time for kids. It's bad enough Cisco dared me to go a month without any alcohol. I could really use a drink right now. I blame my own determination to prove him wrong." Astrid groaned.
"I hear that. So how is that doctor search coming along? Find anyone who compares to…?"
"Caitlin? Nope. Even Harry would be great right now." She said remembering DR Wells who had been reinstated as a World Walker and had left years ago.
"Harry? Do you and he still keep in contact?"
"Every once in a while. He can't risk his identity, so he goes MIA a whole lot."
Barry and Cisco breached into the cortex to find Astrid and Iris deep in conversation.
"Are the two of you still doing your interview?" Barry asked them as he came up and kissed Iris.
"Oh, the interview is done. Now it's just girl talk." Iris replied.
"Oh, it's good that the two of you are finally getting along, again." Barry said.
Astrid got to her feet nervously, she had been mad at Iris for such a long time for being the reason that Caitlin had left. But she knew that she couldn't be mad forever and had made it a personal goal to make amends. She was glad that it was working.
"Well, I need to get back to work I have a board meet…" she began.
"I already sat the board meeting for you." Cisco said with a smile.
"Really? How'd that go?"
"Actually quite well… I'm proud to say that I have come a long way… I was inspiring. The Padawan has become…"
"Finish that reference and I'll slap you, Cisco. But if you sat that board meeting then I guess I have some charts to…"
"Barry already wrote them up, they're right there on the table." Cisco pointed to the table close by.
"Well, there has to be some sort of work that I should be doing." Astrid said puzzled.
"Nope, Barry and I carried out your schedule. You're free for the entire day. So, go and relax." He said with a smile as he held onto her shoulders.
He was wearing his neuro blocker gear, so that she couldn't read his mind. She was eyeing him suspiciously. "What are you up to, Ramon? If this is another surprise… I will get it out of you, one way or another."
Suddenly, Barry, Astrid and Cisco all received emergency alerts on their phones, coming straight from CCPD. "There goes that day of relaxation." Astrid said with a smirk.
"No, Astrid… you can stay here and mind the computers… We'll go, Cisco!" Barry said. The two of them breached out of the cortex and over to CCPD.
"That was weird." Iris said.
"Weird pretty much explains this entire gig." Astrid replied as she huffed over to the computer and slumped in the seat.
"Right, Flash, Vibe! This could be nothing… but my instincts never lie, take the time that Central City was blanketed in darkness, for instance…" Captain Singh said the moment that the two had arrived at the precinct and were standing in his office.
"What's going on, Captain?" Barry asked him in a hurry.
"A few of my men arrested a couple of minor meta-humans who seemed to be…there's no other word for it… but possessed. They kept on mumbling something about stars falling, but the rest of their words were incoherent." David Singh said in a hurry.
"Possessed?" Cisco asked him, adjusting his goggles, "Are we talkin' full blown exorcist, peeing by the piano possessed? or just mumbling? Because I draw the line at heads spinning 360 twists…"
Captain Singh showed them some video footage from his tablet of the two male meta-humans being arrested. Their voices sounded very demonic, as if someone else were speaking through them.
One men preformed what looked like a mind scream on the officers, but they managed to taser him to the floor and apply the power dampening cuffs.
But as he did so, the criminals said, "Stars will fall. Central City will fall!"
"Yeah… that sounds pretty possessed to me." Cisco said, with his eyes open wide.
"Constantine." Barry mumbled under his breath.
"Constantine?" Singh asked, "Is that some kind of cure?"
"Er… somewhat," Barry replied, "He's a man that enjoys dealing with this type of stuff on a regular basis. If you can get those guys into a cell where they can't injure themselves or anybody else. I can summon him."
"Alright. Consider it a deal, Barry." David Singh replied. He stared over their shoulder to the door behind them. "The two of you might want to breach out of here… You have fans waiting out the door for autographs."
Barry grinned. "What's the point of being a hero if no one knows who you are?" he went to walk out the door to meet his fans.
"I'd like to avoid the target on my head…" Cisco said, "it's bad enough my own wife has one over me right now… She is one difficult woman to keep a secret from."
Barry stepped through the door, closing it behind him, as Cisco went to breach out. But Singh held him back, "Hey, Cisco… how is Astrid doing?"
"Yeah, she's good… one might say she's glowing…" he said with an excited smirk, "but don't tell her that. She doesn't know, yet." He breached out of the office and back to STAR labs.