Barry stood outside the dilapidated MERCURY Labs Medical Sciences Division, the building having been destroyed by the shock wave from the accelerator, now the hidden base of operations for one Professor Candice Providence. He had left the team with no idea where he was going, but he knew that if there was any sort of trouble they would send the Arrow to find him. Not that there would be any trouble, the speedster had an almost idiot proof plan of action. Well, at least he hoped it was idiot proof.
"Meet me where I began." That had to mean this place, the epicenter of this convoluted disaster. This had to be it, right? Then again, it was either MERCURY Labs or her hometown's hospital, and the second one was extremely doubtful and just a little bit ridiculous. So here he was in this disaster area, the bright red of the Flash suit stood in stark contrast to the dark, crumbling concrete, like the inverse of a deep bloodstain against the bright snow.
There was a low growl, some kind of animal. Whatever it was, it had to be massive, like a bear or a wolf. Or that thing from the video. Nah, that thing couldn't be real, it had to be some sort of trickery, digital manipulation or something. Can't be real. Barry turned in a small circle, surveying his surroundings. Wherever that sound was coming from he couldn't see it, and wasn't that a worrying thought.
A clatter of falling and sliding rubble, "welcome to the party Flash! So nice that you could make it on such short notice." Professor Providence was practically dancing about with glee, her hands clasped in delight, blood red nails glinting menacingly. "You may be wondering where the others are, don't worry, they're safe." She suddenly turned serious, eyes dark and menacing behind the glasses, teeth bared in a sharp snarl. "They're safe for now. You try to bluff me, or run some sort of trick, and they're all dead." Her face brightened up with a radiant grin and she gestured cheerily towards the destroyed entrance to the building, "now follow me Flash, for things are about to get very interesting."
He followed her as she walked down the destroyed halls, down the mangled staircases, and into the virtually unharmed sublevels. The deep thrumming of machinery filled the musty air, and the soft glow of green faintly illuminated the darkness. Barry stood still, frozen by the shock of what he was seeing.
Rows upon rows of hospital beds loomed in the dark room, each filled with an immobilized occupant, dozens more than were shown in the video, over a hundred in number. Children, men, women, missing and taken people from all over the city. What were they here for? What did she want with them? What was her plan?
"Do you like my little setup Flash? It's quite impressive," Candice stalked between the filled beds, dragging her hands along the railings. "Wouldn't you agree?" Her smile was dark, the intent behind it clear. She wanted the Flash to join her collection. "Their minds were so busy at first, so full of their little fears," she sighed daintily, "but now they are almost silent, nothing but the purity of my power now."
"Why are you doing this," Barry asked softly, still mentally reeling from the weight of the atrocity before him. "What are you doing to these people?''
Professor Providence stomped angrily, eyes flashing with power. "They're not people!" She shouted, "they're just insects! So weak, and insignificant!" She grinned, showing too many teeth, and whispered, "they're just toys, just playthings for Gods." Her insane gaze fixed on the Flash, "they're nothing!"
"They're humans! You can't treat them like this!" Barry shook his head, this was so much worse than anything he could have ever imagined, how was he supposed to save them all? "You can't do this, it's insane, it's just not right."
Providence glared, her small hands curled into fists. "Right and wrong, Good and Evil, these are just illusions, Flash. Fictions fabricated by the weak to control the strong." The psychopath stepped forward, heels clicking on the cold floor. "Don't you understand? There is no greater purpose, there is only nothingness!" She angrily gritted her teeth, "these things never thought, only obeyed. They obeyed the laws, obeyed their ethics, their little laws of morality. They were just empty husks, nothing compared to me! They may have looked alive, but they never truly lived."
"Just let them go, I'll take their place." Barry was certain he could trick the madwoman, this was what she wanted, wasn't it? His speed in trade for everyone else's freedom? "I'll go whatever you want, just let them free."
"Ha! You think I'm just going to let them all go?" Providence giggled hysterically, "did you really think I would toss away perfectly good toys?" Barry stepped back, not believing what he heard. "But you said-
"I LIED!" Providence shouted, all traces of humor gone. "Did you really believe me? Are you really so feeble minded?!" She lifted her hand, one row of prisoners following in its wake, small, mangled bodies rising from the beds and shambling forward lifelessly. They shuffled out of the shadows, eyes empty, trapped within a world of Providences own design, knowing only despair and her orders. "Let's see how long it takes you to learn your lesson." She snapped her fingers and the mutilated husks of over a dozen of her guards surrounded the Flash, trapping him with a wall of bodies. "Kill the Flash."
Oh god, they were children, she was going to make him fight children!
He tried to move back, but the surrounding hoard refused to move, twisted limbs reaching for him, clawed fingers snatching in the air. Barry attempted to push past them, but they only moved in closer, mutated mouths full of fangs snapping at the suit. He really didn't want to fight them, but they just kept attacking, grabbing whatever part of him they could hold on to, clutching his legs and weighing him down. With an insatiable bloodthirst, they attacked, animalistic and brutal. Strength unbefitting their small forms came across with each blow. Snarling like wild creatures they pounced, bit and punched, swiped and kicked. Claws and fangs sank into the fabric of the suit, shredding the material and piercing the skin beneath.
Blood coated their mouths, their hands, blood covered the floor, splattered across the wall and the filled beds. Some of them stopped their assault, crouching by the puddles of blood and drinking from the red mess. Barry vainly attempted to shake them off, only succeeding in driving their fangs and claws deeper into his skin. Even with his accelerated healing, he would be weak from blood loss soon, then after that... There was only one viable option now, other than being killed by a bunch of mutated children.
Lightning.
If he could throw lightning he could escape, but at what cost? No time to waste.
Barry tapped into his speed, swiftly punching his attackers and loosening their hold. He scrambled away from the ravenous hoard, circling them at speeds impossible for anyone other than the Flash, collecting the energy necessary for his next action. Electricity rippled through him, and he hurled the bolt into the group, striking them down in one blast. The pile of small bodies smoked lightly, and the scent of seared flesh filled the air.
Dead. They were dead.
His eyes wide with shocked horror, Barry slumped to his knees, staring at the tragedy before him. The cost of his actions was so apparent now, there was no justification for what he had done. And what had he done? They were only children... they weren't monsters, they were kids!
They may have acted like animals, but that didn't mean that they were. They were being controlled, manipulated. Oh, god... Bright laughter flooded his hearing, and Professor Providence stepped into view from behind one of the beds.
"What a show! I really didn't think you had it in you Flash." She stared down at him, humor in her eyes. "But now it's time to give up and let me win." A bright light, and a whisper, "Providence waits."
*Providence Waits*
"Caitlin, it's been over an hour since he left and there's no trace of him anywhere! We should call the Arrow, just in case." Cisco was frantically exhausting all possible methods of searching for Barry; he hadn't told them where he was going and then vanished without a trace. They couldn't trace him on cameras, satellites, or the police scanner, his phone was still in his street clothes, and his comm had been switched off before he ran away. Caitlin paced nervously around the Cortex, "you're right, you're right, we need to find Barry." She pulled up the contact list on the main computer and dialed the number of Oliver Queen.
*Ring-ring, Ring-ring*
*Hello?*
"Oliver, we need your help."
*What happened, what's wrong?*
"Barry went after a rogue Meta over an hour ago and hasn't come back yet."
*Fuck, do you know what her power is?*
"Mind control, it's something like mind control and hypnosis."
*Dammit, I'm on my way, be there within the hour, keep me updated.*
*dial tone*
Cisco sat staring at the main screen in the Cortex. This entire case was insane, first the kidnapping and now this? Just ridiculous. At least Lisa had gone home to sleep, she hadn't been looking to well. She had been stressing herself out with worry about her brother. He had been gone for over thirty-three hours, she had a right to be worried. Cisco hated to admit it, but he was worried about her. Hell, he worried about everyone on this team. He worried about Jesse, worried about Harry, even worried about that jerk, Hartley. Thankfully he wasn't really on the team or he might have punched him. He rested his head on the table, just trying to relieve some of the stress from the day. Humming machinery and the dull buzz of florescent lighting lulled him into a light sleep-like state, and he felt the tingle of nerves at the back of his skull that came before each Vibe-
*** Darkness.
Cold.
Fear.
Where are they?
Reaching hands.
Not safe here.
Pain.
Blood.
Whispers, and a hysterical laugh.
"Time to give up Flash!"
"Join us, join us, join us join us Join us" ***
"-isco, Cisco!" He jolted upright, mind still filled with whatever he had seen. Caitlin was standing over him, concern was written plainly across her face. "Cisco, are you alright?" She had shaken him awake, how long had he been out?
He shook his head, "I just had a strange Vibe, don't know what it meant, but I think it was about Barry and Snart." He glanced at the time on his computer, Dammit, he was really worried, he'd been asleep for almost half an hour and there was still no news from Barry. He said to wait three hours, but he had never gone so off the grid before. Never tried to track down a psychopath without any help. Oliver should be there soon, at least he would be able to help them. They had no new news about the video, and the police said they had nothing to go on. Joe had put himself out on the streets trying to track him down with no luck, and Iris had been trying her best to help him. "We'll find him," he said, trying to convince himself as well as Caitlin. "We'll get him back. We have to."
"I know Cisco, I just wish we could do more to help." Caitlin patted his shoulder and moved off to her station. "Um, did you recognize anything in the Vibe?"
"No, wherever it was is too dark, I couldn't see anything." He frowned, worried about what he had seen. "I wish I could do more, but I don't know where they are." He stood abruptly, pacing the room, "they're not safe where they are, someone else was there with them. There were voices." Cisco continued his pacing, trying to make himself remember more. "Whatever was with them wasn't human, Caitlin. It was some kind of monster."
