Tala groaned as her alarm for CCPD went off. She pushed her chair away from her book and looked up at the screen, grabbing a keyboard and typing.
"Cisco! We've got a thing." She shouted, spinning her chair in a circle. She typed, trying to see what was going on. "Cisco? Fine. Don't be here." She hit a few more keys, and satellite feed of a car chase filled the screen. "What douchebag steals a yellow hummer?" She asked, watching as Joe dove to save Eddie's life, before the car thief plowed through two police cars. "Ugh, I'll start planning a fundraiser for the police. That's gonna suck."
She moved to her desk and pulled up the telemetry for Barry's suit. It was flashing everywhere - this poor kid was taking a beating. Tala glared at her ankle, wishing it was already healed. Thankfully, due to her questionable usage of Danton Black's cells, she would probably be on her feet again soon. She flinched when Barry sped into the room and collapsed in pain on the floor. She dove to his side, supporting his head by guiding him to lay it on her lap. She pushed her powers reaching them out as far as she could, but since she didn't know where to send them, she couldn't. She pulled them back to her and set them to straightening out Barry. She heard Caitlin's heels in the hallway.
"Cait! Cisco, I need some help in here, now!" She shouted, pouring urgency and panic into her voice, knowing it would make them hurry. She heard them come running, Caitlin shouting Barry's name as she noticed him lying there. Cisco pulled the bed from the medical lab and brought it into the cortex. Tala supported Barry fully with her powers and moved him to the bed. Caitlin took a few X-rays, and moved to start setting everything in place.
"Thirteen fractures. That's a new record, and that's just in your hand! You also have a concussion, three cracked ribs, and a bruised spleen," Cait scolded as she tightened the brace on his right hand.
"Sarie, what did you hit, a brick wall?" Tala asked, sitting on the foot of his bed. "Mine wasn't even that bad."
"A man. A big, bad man. His skin changed when I hit him. Like it turned to metal," Barry said, his voice still holding pain.
"Interesting, a man of steel," Harrison said.
"Isn't that a comic or something?" Tala asked, raising her eyebrows.
"So you went after a metahuman alone? Dude, why didn't you call us?" Cisco asked, annoyed, more so that he missed out on the action.
"Hey, I was here, I even shouted for you guys. Not my fault you left the cortex without telling me!" Tala defended Barry, patting him on the leg. "I had your back. And there wasn't any sign of him being a metahuman. Just a douche. Seriously, what kind of tool steals a yellow Humvee?"
"I didn't know what he was. Besides, I was off duty. I just heard the sirens and followed."
"You're lucky he didn't knock out your teeth! Those puppies won't grow back," Cisco snarked, crossing his arms.
"Funny thing is, I feel like I knew him," Barry said, causing Tala to give him a look. "He said something that was familiar. But he's gonna hurt someone, so how do I fight someone made of steel?" Barry asked. Tala shrugged, not knowing how to fight someone she couldn't bruise or break.
"We will find a way, tonight you heal," Commanded Harrison, looking at Barry. Barry nodded and fell back into the bed, resting.
"We should go Cisco, we're of no use to Barry if he needs to heal, and I want a shower," Tala yawned, reaching with a tendril to grab the book she was reading. "Barry, if you get bored, you should read this. It's really good, and surprisingly sciencey."
"Seveneves. Alright. Thanks." Barry waved them both off as they left. Cisco piggybacking Tala out to the car Cody had waiting. Cody opened the door, passing her a stack of files as she sat. She made a face at her driver, making him grin ruefully.
"What's that?" Cisco asked, eyeing the stack.
"Paperwork. Employees who have left the company, new employees who have joined since I woke up. Quarterly reports on the finances, business propositions, probably my usual 'please marry my son' from a friend's family who is desperate to see him marry me. They desperately want a merger," Tala droned on, flicking through the different folders. "This one is information on Stagg's company. He suddenly took a vacation, apparently. Huh, his daughter is thinking about selling the company and was wondering if I wanted first bid. That's nice. I've always liked Sapphire."
Cisco made a face at the papers, making Tala laugh.
"I could never be a CEO - you have too much paperwork."
"That's why there are mergers! Like my friend's family wants. One CEO, but two people doing the job. They split it between them, and legally their signature works because the CEO says their signature works. Like when I officially absorb Star Labs, Harrison will be able to sign for anything to do with the applied science division. I could allow someone else to sign for some papers, like you or Cait, but my board would question it because they don't know either of you like I do," Tala said, pulling a blue pen out and starting to sign things.
"Talk to the board - have them accept my signature and I'll help you with your paperwork," Cisco offered, looking at the stack.
"Are you sure? You don't have to do that Koneko," Tala said turning to him. "If I do that, there's a chance it'll leak and the rumors about that will definitely set tongues wagging."
"You told my family that I was going to be your right hand. You've helped me in everything I've ever done at Star Labs since you've come here. It's time I start reciprocating," Cisco smiled at her, pulling a black pen from his pocket. Tala shrugged and handed him the files on the employees that left the company.
"These need approved. If they're transfers to another company we give them half again severance pay. If they were fired they get just the severance package, and if they retired or quit they get full severance pay, plus a bonus of an extra hundred percent if retiring after sixty-five. You need to go through the file and make sure their reasoning is documented and the pay is correct before signing it."
Cisco nodded and opened the first file, scanning it before signing it at the bottom. Tala pulled out a legal pad and wrote out a letter to the board, informing them that Cisco was allowed to sign for her, and make decisions regarding the company. She signed it at the bottom of the page with a flourish as they got to their house. Cody came around and opened their door, taking the letter and the signed files. Cisco carried her into the house, dumping her on the couch.
"You know, I'm starting to feel spoiled with you carrying me everywhere. I don't think I want to walk again," Tala said, grinning when Cisco brought her a drink.
"You're spoiled enough miss Merlyn. Do you really think you deserve me carrying you everywhere?" Cisco joked, sitting on the couch next to her.
"What if I made it worth your while?" Tala asked, sitting up.
"How would you do that?" Cisco asked, smiling when Tala moved to straddle his waist. She started kissing his neck, only breaking away when she pulled his shirt off.
Cisco woke up on the couch in his living room when the sun peered through the window. He looked at Tala, who was laying over him like a blanket. He checked his watch and mentally grumbled when he saw that it was time to get up anyway.
"So much for having a lie in. Tala, you need to wake up." The assassin didn't reply, but instead turned her head away from the intruding sunlight. She tried to burrow into Cisco like he was a pile of pillows. He chuckled at her, reaching down so he could get out from underneath her. He groaned and reached for his boxers, quickly pulling them on before padding into the kitchen to make Tala and himself some coffee. He rubbed his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair, trying to fully wake up. When he looked to where the coffee maker was he let out a startled scream. Nyssa al Ghul was standing in his kitchen. Tala heard Cisco's shout and came running into the kitchen, her bow drawn, and her armor on.
"Nyssa? What the hell are you doing here?" Tala shouted as she pushed her armor back to Star Labs. Tala huffed and ran her fingers through her short, choppy hair. She pushed Nyssa out of the way of the coffee maker, grabbing the already brewed pot and pouring three cups, flavoring each for the people in the room. She passed Cisco his cup before taking a deep drink from her own, leaving Nyssa's there for her to grab.
"I was in Starling, looking for Sara's killer. I've been called back by father but I wanted to visit you. We haven't spoken in months. Though apparently I am intruding." Nyssa sent a pointed look to Tala's naked form. Tala didn't bat an eyelash.
"It's my house, Sister. I don't know what you expected."
"Tala sit down before Caitlin kills me for letting you walk on your ankle!" Cisco shouted, snapping out of his stupor at seeing the assassin princess in his house. "I'm going upstairs to take a shower."
Tala watched him walk away with a happy gleam in her eyes. Nyssa smiled at her sister.
"Love suits you, Sister. You should wear that look more often. But you are troubled, are you not?" Nyssa asked, sitting opposite Tala at the table. Tala sighed and ran her hands over her face. Nyssa looked at the choppy haircut, waiting for an explanation.
"I lost a friend last week. She was murdered in front of me, and I can't do anything against the murderer because he is a powerful figure. Not even the League would be able to move against him unnoticed. But that isn't the reason I asked you here. I need information. I can't go digging for it, so it needs to be you and Ra's. Will you do this for me?" Tala waited until Nyssa nodded before continuing, subtly throwing a wall up so Cisco couldn't come downstairs. "I need you to look into Harrison Wells. I need to know everything there is to know about the man. There is something about him that shouldn't be."
Nyssa nodded and left. Tala sighed and ran her hands over her face again before going upstairs to join Cisco in the shower.
"Now that she's gone, where were we?" Tala asked as she slipped under the hot water.
Tala shook her hair out as she stepped out of the shower. Cisco threw a towel over his shoulder as he walked into the bedroom, rummaging around for a shirt. Tala grinned at his back lazily walking to the closet. Her ankle felt better - so she assumed Danton's cells were working.
"What has gotten into you?" Cisco asked, turning around to face her.
"What do you mean, Koneko?" She asked him, confusion on her face.
"You've been acting like someone injected straight sunshine and rainbows into your blood. You've had that grin on your face since we got home last night, and it hasn't gone away since then. What has gotten into you?"
"A friend gave me some advice. I've felt adrift for a while, and as someone who's been shipwrecked, that's not a good feeling. He told me that there was nothing I could do to fight wherever the current was taking me. He told me to float and know I'll end up where I'm supposed to. I did last time, right?" Tala said, wiggling into a pair of shredded jeans. She thought for a moment before strapping a dagger to her left thigh, and a blade that could've passed for a machete to her right calf.
"And that advice made you this... this?" Cisco asked, pretending he didn't notice her weapons.
"No. The advice made me realize that if I hadn't gotten on that boat, I wouldn't have met you. I'd lost my purpose in Starling. With Speedy, the Arrow, Black Canary, and Dig - they had a veritable army. They didn't need me. Central City does. And I absolutely adore you, my Chisana Koneko. So I'm going to show you that." Tala grinned as she pushed Cisco backwards onto the bed. She leaned over him and kissed him gently and softly. "But not right now. We need to get to the Lab."
Cisco groaned as she moved off of him and started pulling on a shirt. Tala winked at him as she wandered into the bathroom to do her makeup for the day. He finished getting dressed and went down to make another cup of coffee. Tala came down on her phone.
"I fully understand what I'm asking the board to accept but here is what you need to understand. This is my company. I am the CEO and the owner of sixty percent of the shares of the company with my sister Thea holding another twenty percent. Francisco Ramón - the man you are rallying against owns another ten percent with the remaining ten percent split between you lot! So when I tell you that I want you to accept his signature as though it were mine, I fully expect you to do just that. Thea wanted nothing to do with running the company, completely happy to use her money to run her club. Francisco Ramón has helped me since I was in my coma, and will continue to be my right hand. At the rebranding ceremony in Starling, he will be there with me, Thea and Ray Palmer, as my right hand. So I expect him to be granted everything that goes along with that title. Thank you, enjoy the rest of your day!" Tala ended the call with a forced smile and murder in her eyes.
"Board members don't like me?" Cisco guessed, handing her another cup of coffee.
"They're annoyed that I'm handing CEO privileges to someone I'm not married or engaged to be married to," Tala said taking a grateful drink from her coffee. Cisco set her full thermos down next to her, rubbing her arms apologetically
"Wait, did you say I had ten percent of the shares in your company?" Cisco asked as they left the house, smiling at Cody who opened the car door and passed Tala more paperwork. Tala chuckled nervously, tugging on her hair.
"Yes. I did say that. You can actually blame my father for that. That ten percent was held in trust for my mother's old clinic in the Glades. When the Glades were destroyed, it defaulted to being held in trust by the Queen family. Ollie didn't want it, so he pushed it to Thea Queen, who doesn't exist so she gave it to me. I can't legally hold more than sixty percent, but I can gift The'eb Sagheer ten percent since she has her own separate identity. The problem is, when my grandfather started the company, he made it very clear that the only way one single person could hold more than ten percent of the company's shares was if they were family. The'eb Sagheer isn't a Merlyn; she's Warith Al Ghul. So she can only have ten percent. So I gave it to you."
"What? Wait, by law, Tala Merlyn can only own sixty percent. Your assassin alter ego was given ten percent since she technically has her own separate identity, but not as family to the Merlyn's. Thea, your half sister has ten percent already as a Merlyn. I have ten percent because she doesn't want more?" Cisco asked, thinking it all through.
"Thea doesn't really approve of Dad. She's not as comfortable with his darker side as I am. She claims the Merlyn name when it suits her, the way I only use my title as Warith Al Ghul when it suits me." Cisco shook his head, but signed the next document where Tala tapped.
Tala hopped out of the car at Star Labs and grabbed the stack of still unsigned paperwork and things she needed to read over before signing, passing the signed ones to Cody who said he'd be back with the rest at noon.
"Cody, tell the board I'm going to want a meeting at some point soon so I can introduce them all to Cisco, who has, unfortunately for him, agreed to work with me. A little like Isabel and Oliver, except less, grr." Cody laughed and nodded, saying he'd schedule it. Tala and Cisco went to the Cortex, laughing about the stack of papers that needed signing. Barry had left Tala's book sitting on her desk, with a note saying he enjoyed it.
"He finished it? It took me a week to finish that stupid brick!" Tala grumbled, pouting slightly. Cisco laughed at her.
"He read it twice actually. He can speed read," Caitlin said, patting Tala on the back.
Barry walked in, looking like someone kicked his puppy.
"Bear, what's wrong?" Tala asked, looking at him concerned. She stood and walked over to him, draping an arm around his shoulders.
"I found out who our Meta is. His name is Tony Woodward," Barry said bitterly. "My old school bully."
"Your childhood nemesis is now an unstoppable metahuman. That is seriously messed up!" Cisco said, looking both excited and sympathetic.
"I had a childhood nemesis. Lexi La Roche. She used to put gum in my hair," Cait said, making a face at the memory.
"Jake Puckett. If I didn't let him copy my homework, he'd give me a swirly," Cisco said. Cait and Cisco looked to Tala, expecting her to share next.
"James Black. He liked to steal my Pokémon cards. When I didn't give them to him he pushed me down two flights of stairs." Cisco looked at her alarmed.
"Now that we've established we're all uber-nerds. What are we going to do about Tony?" Tala and Cisco grinned.
"I'm glad you asked. We're going to train you man, Karate Kid style," Cisco said, leading the way. Tala moved to follow but felt her ankle twinge. She pushed and made herself some crutches again, hobbling along. Even with the regenerative powers of Danton's cells, she apparently still needed some time. "Behold!" Cisco revealed the fighting robot he had created that morning. "I call him Girder."
"For the record, not my idea. I suggested putting you up against Tala," Caitlin said.
"Fighting is physics." Cisco stated. "It's not about strength, it's not about size, it's about energy and power. Channel your speed in the right way; you can totally take this bad boy down. Now, obviously your Girder is a moving target. So!" Cisco grabbed the control box and moved Girder around.
"I have ice and bandages standing by," Caitlin said.
"Can't I just fight Tala?" Barry asked, side eyeing Girder. Tala laughed lightly.
"No, one you might accidentally hurt her, and two Girder hits harder." Cisco said, looking at Barry. Tala had an offended look on her face.
"I'm not sure which of those statements were more offensive. That he thinks Barry could land a hit on me, or that I don't hit hard." Tala whispered to Caitlin, sipping her coffee. Cait shrugged. Barry made a face and went to hit Girder. Tala started taking mental notes on how he fought, and how to best help him. Cisco went into video game mode, eventually hitting Barry twice, knocking him to the ground.
"I think I dislocated my shoulder." He groaned from the floor. Tala shook her head.
"You're fighting me next, Sarie," Tala said, tossing Cisco her coffee thermos and hobbling back into the cortex. "I'll go easy on you."
Barry just groaned and let Cisco and Caitlin help him to his feet. Caitlin started looking him over, confirming that he did dislocate his shoulder.
"Okay, not going to lie, this is going to be quick, but extremely painful," Cait said as Barry's phone rang.
"Oh, speaking of pain, it's Eddie." Tala laughed and went over to Cisco, who held out a tablet for her. She pulled up a file and started on Tony's metafile.
"We're calling him Girder, right?" Tala asked, nudging Cisco, who nodded. Tala looked over as Barry screamed when he shoulder was reset. She shook her head. "Get back to your day job Sarie, I'll train you more later. You'll have to work on dodging."
Tala finished up the profile and saved it to her cyber vault. She smiled, quickly titling it The Pipeline. It was triple encrypted, by Cisco and Felicity. No one but her and the team could get in. She stood when someone behind her cleared their throat.
"Cody, hey. Is that the rest of the paperwork?" She asked, leaning back against the desk. He nodded and handed her a box. She looked at it apprehensively.
"Sorry, but you know how the board is. There's a file in there specifically for Cisco, from the Board." Tala groaned and set the box on her chair. "Also, is there legal trouble with Wells?" Cody asked, lowering his voice.
"What do you mean?" Tala asked, surprised.
"There's a detective in there, asking him about the night Mister Allen's mother died." Cody said, gesturing toward Harrison's office.
"I'm not the only one who suspects something isn't as it appears then. Hmm. Thanks Cody, but no, nothing solid yet, just a really bad feeling. Thanks for informing me though. Listen, do me a favor and don't mention this to Cisco - he idolizes Harrison and I don't want him to freak."
"Don't want who to freak about what?" Cisco asked as he walked back into the room.
"She doesn't want you to freak about the fact that I brought burritos from Tito's but forgot the guac," Cody covered, smoothly revealing the bag from Tito's.
"That's okay, Caitlin likes it more than me anyway," Tala sighed and grinned at Cody, thanking him.
Barry returned, tossing a small bag of gravel on Cisco's desk.
"I need to know what this stuff is. Tala, can you help me? I need to be able to beat this guy. I took another punch today."
Tala nodded and gestured for him to follow her to her gym.
"First you need to find your center. Stand like this, close your eyes, and feel," Tala showed him a stance where his feet were slightly apart and his arms were at his waist, relaxed but ready to move. "I'm going to push you in a few directions, let yourself move around, but feel for where your balance is., Tala circled him, pushing his shoulders, knees, arms and hips. "That ball of tenseness you feel, that's your center, that's where your power comes from. Now you need to breathe."
"I'm always breathing Tala." Barry sassed, earning him a smack on the back of his hand.
"Hush Sarie. You're too fast. Breathe in, as you count to four. Wait two seconds and breathe out and count to six. It slows the world down around you, calms your heartbeat and your blood flow. When you don't breathe, you fight using emotion. You can't do that. You can't see Girder as your childhood bully, just a jackass with a mean punch. Come at me," Tala said, relaxing into a fighting stance. Barry could see her breathing the way she told him to. She was in the same stance, but had her knees bent more, bringing her center lower to the ground. He shrugged and breathed, before racing over to her, aiming for her shoulder. Tala moved out of the way and sent him flying with a trip.
"Again!" She barked, turning to face him. Barry straightened and raced over, aiming for her shoulder again, but shifting at the last second to hit her in the stomach. She caught his punch, flipping him over her shoulder.
"Your wind up leaves you vulnerable to counterattacks and easier blocking. I can watch you aiming for where you want to go. Tony might not see it because he hasn't had my training, but Sarie, you go up against a skilled opponent, you won't land on your back, you'll land in a grave. Now, I want you to defend against me. No weapons, no magic - I promise."
Tala hauled Barry to his feet and waited until he was mostly ready before sweeping his legs out from under him. He jumped, but missed Tala's arm reaching out and catching his foot. She jerked him to the ground, and held him down with her knee on his thigh and her hand gently tapping his throat.
"You anticipated well. But I got you. Fighting isn't turn based like a sword duel. It isn't action, reaction, action. Fighting, especially fist fighting is action, action, action, result. Try again."
Tala pulled him to his feet with a gentle smile on her face. She jumped forward, aiming for his throat. Barry ducked, and stood just as quickly, catching Tala in her solar plexus, shunting her to the side with a grunt. She recovered quickly and swiped at his feet before following with a grab for his ankle again. Barry leapt backwards instead of just upward like the last time she tried that move. He threw a right-handed punch, quickly following it up with a left-handed jab. Tala caught the first punch, twisting to avoid the second. It just clipped her arm, making her wince.
"Barry!" Cisco's voice came from the doorway, causing him to look. Tala took that to her advantage and flipped him, pulling his arm up and resting her boot on his throat.
"Never get distracted. But that was good. You'll get better with more practice. What's up, Koneko?" Tala said as she pulled Barry upright. He glared at her.
"Check it out, the gravel you pulled from Tony's ride? It contains seventy six point eight percent hematite, consistent with the mines at Keystone Ironworks."
"Which closed down ten months ago, it's the perfect hideout," Barry said, thinking about something.
"Barry, do you mind telling me about this?" Caitlin asked, showing him and Tala her tablet where Iris had just posted a blog post.
"In case you're reading this; I have info about someone you're looking for. He was here, you know where to find me." Tala read out loud, before turning and looking at Barry. "Now who could she be talking to, because I know it isn't me." Barry made a distinctly uncomfortable face.
"Go, before I regret saying this. Go get her information - she's hopefully got something new," Tala sighed, rubbing her hand across her face. As Barry left, Tala walked over to the table in the corner and grabbed a water bottle.
"How was training?" Cisco asked. "It looked decent, until I walked in."
"He has good instincts, he just doesn't know how to listen to them. He landed a good hit on me. There are some moves only a speedster can pull off, that was one of them. If he can keep it up, I could have him fighting as well as Thea in a few months. Let's go back to the cortex. I feel like Barry is going to do something stupid."
"Tala, what do you call him? Sarie?" Caitlin asked as they walked out of the room.
"In the League, everyone gets a new name, a new identity. During the initiation, we get a mantra. 'Tala Merlyn is dead. She lives only in the past, I am The'eb Sagheer.' We have to say that every time someone refers to us by our given name, until we no longer react to our name. I call you Thalaj, it means snow. Sarie means fast. I'm essentially calling him speedy. Because I'm unoriginal." Tala laughed as she pulled up the information from the suit. His GPS tracker left Jitters, but didn't head toward them.
"Barry, talk to us, what are you doing?" Caitlin asked, looking nervous. Tala shook her head exasperatedly.
"Going after Girder, obviously," Tala groaned.
"Dude, don't run angry, we don't know how to defeat him yet." Cisco said to Barry. Tala pulled out her phone.
Me: Cody, prep the car. We're probably going to have to rescue an injured Flash soon.
Cody: Understood.
"This is definitely the place." Barry said into his comms. Tala dropped a pinpoint on the map, sending the location to Cody so he would know where to take them. She also put the location in his Metafile.
"Keep your wrist straight!" Tala barked, rolling her eyes. The telemetry on Barry's suit alerted the team that he was injured. Tala sighed, "I knew that was going to happen. Let's go, the car's ready."
The three of them ran down to the garage and piled into the car. Cody sped off and drove them to Keystone. Cisco and Tala monitored him over a tablet, making sure his vitals didn't drop. When they got there, Tala ran ahead, using her powers to feel for his vibrational energy.
"Barry?" She yelled when she found him, buried under a shelf. She pushed the shelf off him with her powers.
"Barry, say something so we know you're okay!" Caitlin worried, standing behind Tala, watching over her shoulder.
"Ouch," Barry said as Tala hauled him to his feet, letting him lean against her. She shook her head and half carried him; half led him back to the car. Cody passed Caitlin the first aid kit and drove them back to the lab, where Harrison met them in the cortex.
"What were you thinking? What were you thinking?!" Harrison lectured, looking at Barry. "I told you that we would figure out a way to deal with him!"
"I'll heal," Barry said tiredly.
"You can't heal when you're dead!" Harrison growled. His energy spiked again, making Tala frown.
"I told you to breathe, you can't fight with your emotions like that. You saw him as a danger to Iris and ran in blind, didn't you?" Tala asked him softly, rubbing his shoulder. He nodded.
"I didn't think," He whispered, his head down.
"You're an idiot," She said fondly, ruffling his hair. "Try and think next time Sarie, or bring me for backup."
"Don't encourage him! He could've died!" Harrison yelled at Tala, causing her to look at him with an arched eyebrow.
"I know, alright, I know! In the past thirty-six hours, I've had my ass handed to me twice by the guy that tortured me as a kid. I couldn't stop him then, and I can't stop him now. Even with my powers, I'm powerless against him!" Barry ranted, pacing the length of the cortex agitatedly.
"Not necessarily. Cisco." Harrison motioned the mechanical engineer over. "Any material, if struck with a high enough velocity can be compromised."
"Tala and I ran an analysis on the metal in Tony's footprint. Based on its density and atomic structure, if you impact it at just the right angle, at just the right speed, you could do serious damage."
"How fast would I have to go?" Barry asked. Tala pulled over a piece of paper and ran some quick numbers.
"If I remember the equation correctly, factoring in the metal's tensile strength, estimated dermal thickness, atmospheric pressure, air temp, you'd have to deck Tony at about, oh shit, Mach one point one." Tala said, looking at the paper. She flashed it to Cisco who nodded. Tala gave Barry an apologetic smile.
"You want Barry to hit something at eight hundred miles an hour?" Caitlin yelped, looking between Tala, Harrison, and Cisco with disbelief.
"Eight hundred thirty seven actually," Cisco said, glancing at Tala's math.
"That's faster than the speed of sound!" Caitlin shrieked. Tala and Cisco grinned.
"I know! He would create a sonic boom, which as I said before," Cisco high fived Tala, "Would be awesome!" They said together.
"I've never gone that fast." Barry said.
"Yet," Harrison chipped in.
"I can't believe we're actually entertaining this idea," Caitlin said, staring at them all. Tala gave her a 'what can we do' shrug. "I mean, he'd need a straight shot from miles away!" Tala pulled her paper back to her, running a different equation.
"Yeah, five point three miles, theoretically. Preferably five point four to combat potential cross winds, and for my safety of mind," She said, looking up from her paper.
"Do it right, and you'll take him down," Harrison said, nodding. Caitlin walked over to Barry.
"Do it wrong, and you'll shatter every bone in your body," Caitlin said, lowering the mood.
"Get back to CCPD, do your day job. I'll run numbers with Cisco, and try and figure out anything different we can do to get this jackhat the pipeline." Tala said, clapping Barry on the back and ushering him out of the building. She went over to a computer, grabbing the keyboard and kicking her feet up on the desk. She updated Tony's profile with a few thoughts she had, as well as the equations her and Cisco had run for Barry to hit him. Her phone rang - a number that wasn't a number was calling. She answered in Arabic.
"You aren't the only one who doesn't trust him. Sarab is trailing him for me. Detective West has started showing slight suspicion towards the target. We can see what he knows?"
"No. Have someone else tail the detective - find out why. He doesn't have my instincts. I need to know everything that the two of them do. Have Sarab stake out the Doctor's house. Something is fishy here," Tala ended the call as Cisco came back into the room holding snacks.
"Everything alright, you look troubled," Cisco commented, kissing the top of her head. Tala smiled at him.
"Worried about Sarie. This bully from his past is messing with his head, and he's been fighting with Iris. He needs a hug," She said opening the bag of chips.
"How are the numbers coming?" Caitlin asked, entering the room. Both engineers groaned loudly. Tala sent her work to a bigger monitor.
"Let's adjust the impact angle by point two degrees, and bring his speed up to eight thirty eight," Cisco said, nicking the keyboard from Tala's lap and running the simulation. "Bam." The computer Barry exploded.
"Ouch," Tala and Cisco said.
"Ouch?" Cait asked, looking at them with surprise on her face.
"Guys, you there?" Barry's voice came from the speakers.
"Yeah, what's up kiddo?" Tala asked, pushing her chair over to the desk.
"Tony took Iris. I need you to do whatever you can to help me find her, alright? Satellites, security cameras, hack them all."
"We're on it!" Tala and Cisco said, Tala leapt over the desk and started typing, Cisco running around to take the other monitor. Tala looked up when she saw Barry's suit telemetry turn on.
"He knows where she is. Alright Sarie," Tala said into the comms. "Remember what I taught you. Breathe, anticipate. Don't let your emotions get ahead of you." She watched, subtly sending a prayer up for him. His suit sent off pain receptors.
"He's hurt," Cisco said, looking at the monitors.
"He's going to end up with bruised ribs at best," Tala commented, looking at the area where the suit lit up. Suddenly his GPS tracker ran away from the elementary school. Tala tilted her head before getting a bad feeling in her gut.
"Oh, no. Sarie..." She trailed off, watching his tracker move.
"He made it out. Barely." Cisco said, not having heard Tala's comment.
"Why did he stop? He's miles away." Caitlin asked, looking at the computer screen.
"Five point four miles away," Cisco said, looking at Tala. She groaned and covered her face with her hands. Barry took off running.
"Barry wait!" Caitlin tried.
"No way, he's gonna do it!" Cisco said, standing up. Tala stood and started running numbers in her head, trying to figure out what to do in the event of their worst-case scenario. She stopped when she saw his speed start going where they needed it to go.
"Go, man go!" She cheered with Cisco, knowing that Barry was actually going to be able to do it. She heard the sonic boom, and watched as the suit told them he landed the punch.
"Supersonic punch baby, woo!" Her and Cisco cheered, probably way too excited. She grabbed Caitlin, picking her up and spinning her in a circle, before grabbing Cisco and kissing him. She dipped him, holding him and grinning at him. She laughed before kissing him again, bending down to meet him. She stood him up as Cait started laughing at them.
"Sarie, nice job. Get Girder back here and chuck his metal ass in the pipeline. Cait will patch you up," Tala said to Barry before turning to Cait with a thought. "We really need to figure out a painkiller that Barry can take that won't metabolize through as fast as he does."
The other two nodded their approval, before moving down to the pipeline and summoning up the cell designed for Girder. Barry met them down there, dragging an unconscious Tony with him.
"Iris actually delivered the final punch that knocked him out." Tala made an approving face. Barry pulled his cowl down, standing in the shadows as Tony woke up.
"What is this? Where the hell am I?" Tony raged, banging on the door.
"Somewhere you'll never hurt anyone ever again," Barry said, glaring at him. Tala stood behind him, wearing her mask as the vigilante from Starling City.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" Tony asked, glaring at them both. Tala smirked as Barry stepped into the light. She followed, hovering just behind him.
"You know who I am," Barry said. Tala watched Tony's face and had to force herself to keep hers straight.
"Allen?" Tony asked, genuinely surprised. Tala placed a hand on his shoulder in support.
"The thing that happened to you, Tony, happened to us too. But it didn't just give us abilities; it made us more of who we are. You got strong, I got fast."
"Fast enough to beat you," Tala said, her voice haunting.
"You used your gift to hurt people. Not anymore," Barry said.
"Allen," Tony started, his rage building. "Allen! Allen, don't walk away from me, Allen. Hey! Come back here!" He shouted. Tala reached over and closed the door to the pipeline. Barry punched the air in celebration.
"Dude, that had to feel great," Cisco said, clapping Barry on the back.
"You have no idea," Barry replied, still grinning like a lunatic.
"Almost as good as proving me wrong about the supersonic punch?" Caitlin asked, smiling at the speedster.
"Actually that part hurt, like, a lot. But I couldn't have done it without you guys." Barry said, smiling at the three in thanks.
"All I wanna know is which childhood bully are we gonna take down next? Mine, Caitlin's or Tala's?" Cisco asked, looking at Barry.
"Oh yeah?" Barry asked, smiling.
"I vote mine. What, guys this is not a joke!" Cisco said, following his laughing friends back to the cortex. Tala glanced back at the pipeline door and nodded. She knew it would hold against Girder.
She jogged to catch up to Cisco and Caitlin; the three of them were going to go back to her place for dinner and drinks. She smiled at them both, throwing her arms around their shoulders.
"You know what I think I'm going to make for dinner? Nasi. I haven't had it in ages. It's this rice dish with ham and leeks, and you cover it in soy sauce and it is the best fifteen minute dish I've ever had," She said, looking at them both.
"Well then let's go!" Cisco cheered, turning the group toward the elevator.
Cisco was reading over Iris's blog on a tablet while Tala was looking over the information Sarab had sent her.
"Iris changed Barry's nickname," Cisco commented.
"Hmm?" Tala hummed, looking up distractedly.
"Instead of the Streak, which is a horrible name, he's now the Flash." Tala smiled.
"The Flash. I like it," Tala said, grinning. She pushed the update on her target away and closed up her tablet, standing up off the couch. She reached down and grabbed Cisco by the front of his jacket and started dragging him upstairs.
"Come on. No Nyssa to bother us tomorrow morning." Tala giggled, leading the way up to their bedroom. Cisco followed, kicking the bedroom door closed behind him.
Sarab stood in the darkened living room of The'eb Sagheer. He didn't flinch, but instead caught the arrow that was aimed at his chest.
"Why are you in my house?" The'eb Sagheer hissed in furious Japanese.
"I have news, something you need to know." The'eb Sagheer dropped her arrow back in her quiver, catching the one Sarab tossed back to her. "I was watching the detective. He was at his house going over the case file of Nora Allen's murder. He thought Wells was connected to it. A man in yellow appeared in a storm of red lightning, taking the case files and threatening Iris West. The detective has dropped his investigation."
"Who all knew of the investigation?"
"You, me, my people, Barry Allen, Detective West, and Harrison Wells." Sarab answered.
"He's a speedster, Harrison Wells is a speedster. That explains the energy, but not how he killed Nora." The'eb Sagheer rubbed her forehead, trying to think. "Go, keep watching them, especially Harrison - he is the priority. Thank you, Sarab."
Tala curled up next to Cisco, letting him wrap his arms around her in his sleep. She fell into a fitful sleep, trying to puzzle out the man her beloved looked up to.
