9. Gleaning

Absent-minded, I was hanging sideways in my chair, supporting my head with my left arm. I stared lifelessly at the screen of my computer as I clicked open new, empty tabs on the internet and closed them without putting them to use. I was pondering heavily on how and if this recent turn of events would aid me in keeping my gift hidden. I know that this seems an obvious yes, I mean, with Captain Cold in the crosshairs, I would be free from suspicion, right? Wrong. Framing him was not the solution I needed. Pro, they stopped looking for a scapegoat, meaning my actions would be less sharply monitored. Con, this would only be temporary. Pro, it would buy me some time to learn more about my powers. Con, not coming clean when we were after an innocent man was not something Barry took lightly, given the fact his father had been falsely imprisoned for so long. Pro, it was possible that they wouldn't believe Snart since he is a notorious liar. Con, it was equally possible he had solid evidence of being at an entirely different place at the time. Pro, taking Snart off the streets was likely to be a good thing. Con, taking him on unnecessarily would unnecessarily endanger me and my friends. Summing up, there was an equal amount of advantages and disadvantages.

"Caitlin!"

I startled and nearly fell from my chair when Cisco called my name. My reaction spooked him almost as much as me and he apologized immediately.

"Don't worry about it." I said.

"Hey, you had any luck tracking Captain Cold?"

"No, not a thing." I sighed.

It wasn't a lie. I had indeed found nothing. Not that you can expect to find anything if you're not looking, yet he didn't know.

"Nah, me neither. It's like he vanished after he broke out of prison. I tried scanning for the emission levels of the cold gun, though there aren't any if he doesn't use the weapon outdoors. I tried picking up the vibration wavelengths, however that didn't do anything either. And in the meantime, I've been running the facial recognition software for half an hour now, only to draw another blanc."

I tried thinking of something I might have done that wouldn't be strange if it had failed, but another idea popped up in my head.

"Wait a minute... Vibration wavelengths?"

"Yea, you know. I use the STAR satellite t–"

"No-no-no, I mean vibrations. Vibe. Can't you vibe him?"

"Yehe..." Cisco's face brightened for a moment, though quickly turned into a frown. "No wait, how can I vibe him. I'd need something that belongs to him."

"Well, how about his picture?"

He looked at me curiously.

"Do we even have one?"

That made me unsure. I quickly duck behind my screen, vigorously tapping the keyboard in front of me. I noticed Cisco coming up next to me. Another note to myself. Careful with physical contact between me and Cisco. He might vibe me and visualize the very thing I've been so keen on hiding.

"There. Leonard Snart." I said proudly, having his portrait emerge on the large monitor.

Cisco slowly walked towards it. He placed his fingers against his temples. I held my breath as I waited for him to work his magic. A silent minute passed, then Cisco sighed irritated. He repeated his course of action, finishing by touching the photo. I didn't believe it was going to work. If it had, wouldn't it have done so already? I was proven correctly, when he groaned a second time.

"Why isn't this working." He cried at no-one in particular.

"Don't worry Cisco, I'm sure you'll get it in time."

"I sure hope so!" He said turning around, "Zoom's still out there, and it would be great if I could at least save us the energy by finding this petty criminal with minimal effort. It's not like we really got the time to go after him, right?"

He angrily slammed his hand on Jay's showcase. I wanted to give him a soothing reply, yet he froze up as soon as his palm hit the glass. The pallid, ghostly expression spoke volumes. He was vibing something. Hopefully he got to see images about Captain Cold and not about me. As quickly as it had begun, it ended and he plunked himself into the nearest chair. Cisco looked at me with a stunned look.

"What did you see?" I demanded askance.

"I saw Zoom."

"What? How? Where?"

"I don't know." He said disorientated, "I just saw him, standing in his lair. With that mask guy behind the glass. A-a-and…"

"And what?"

"And you."

"Me?"

"Yea. Well not you you, the other you, evil you, Frozen you."

I knitted my brows.

"That is not me!" I sparked.

"She sure looks like you do." He replied.

"Whatever. What was she doing there?"

"Nothing. She's also a captive."

I bit my lip and started pacing the room. Why would Zoom keep her alive? Deducing from what he had done so far, it didn't make sense. I was told that he had killed both Firestorm and Reverb on his earth after they had disobeyed him. Considering that and the fact that Killer Frost helped Barry and the others escape from earth two, wouldn't it be logical that he had murdered her too? It doesn't appear to be in his nature to show mercy on his enemies by taking them as prisoners. There had to be a goal to letting her live. Ransom? No. We're not friends with her. Why would he think he could blackmail us with her life? Although, Barry couldn't let anyone get hurt on his behalf. Regrettably, that also included criminals every now and then.

"Hey!"

I whirled on my heels to face Barry as he walked in. He pointed up at the picture of Snart on the screen.

"Found anything?"

"No, nothing yet."

The words had just left my mouth when Cisco's computer blared a multitude of electronic noises. He dashed towards his chair and began hitting the keyboard, substituting Snart's soul piercing expression for the scanning program that had ran on his pc. It was the same facial recognition program Felicity used and it had apparently picked up a trace of our wanted man. He lectured Barry on the location, proceeding the instructions on how to get there when he had already left for the designated area. It took only a few minutes before the familiar red suit stood in the room with us again, dropping a dazed Captain Cold on the floor beside him. The latter was clever enough to realize in an instant what had occurred and where he had ended up. He stood up unconcerned and gave us all an intrigued look before commencing the conversation.

"Missed me already… Barry?"

He added Barry's name specifically to remind us of his emergency protocol: leaking out The Flash's true identity should something bad befall him on our account. Barry didn't seem to worry about that as much as we did and he calmly pulled back his mask, letting it hang on his shoulders.

"Not really."

"Then why bring me here?"

"Well, you could've expected that to happen if you broke our deal and started killing people again with your cold gun."

For just a fraction of a second, I detected a slight falter in his scowl, indicating he had no idea what Barry spoke of. However, he was a true master in hiding what he thought and nothing else betrayed that he was unaware of the alleged act. The probable reason I had seen this tiny detail, was because I already knew he was innocent. He observed us all a second time, where his eyes stuck a little longer with me than with the others. I felt my hackles rise. That gaze… It was like he read my soul and saw I was hiding something. If he did, at least he did not share it with us.

"Supposing that I have, what is your plan?" He continued menacingly placid.

"Then I'll have to live up to my end of the bargain, Snart." Barry replied stoically.

"A man of your word, as always."

With a short yellow buzz, Barry stood next to him and had taken hold of his right arm.

"However!" He said suddenly, "You might want to recheck your data before locking me in your basement."

"How so?"

"Because…" He said, cutting in a dramatically pause in which he smirked widely, "the last time we met, you took the cold gun with you, remember?"