Sorry I haven't updated in a while, a lot of stuff happened. Had to move houses, had unpack the new house. Lots of stuff. Very tired.
"Cisco, where's Barry now?" I ask Cisco through my com, five minutes after I take off for the mall.
"Um, Ana, please don't freak out."
I stop right on the top of Victoria Secret's, my stomach seems to drop by the way Cisco is speaking, "Why would I freak out?" Cisco is silent and I can hear faint yelling through the com, "Cisco?!"
Cisco waits about a minute to answer, "Please don't freak out, but Barry isn't at the mall."
"Then where is he?" I sigh, "I can't be standing here forever!"
"He's here in S.T.A.R. Labs."
"What?! Why?"
"I don't know!" Cisco shouts back, "The metahuman we're chasing did something to him and he can't breathe. I- whatever. Just get here and quick! Don't try and find our metahuman, just get back here. We need to regroup."
My body goes numb and I breathe in slowly, "Okay." I run forward and jump to the next roof.
"And Ana?"
"Yes?"
"...Hurry."
The sliding doors open and I storm through to our makeshift infirmary, "What happened?!"
Cisco looks over and at e and swallows, "He was infected by our metahuman. We were able to-"
"Is he okay?!" I cut Cisco off, my hands curling and uncurling at every passing moment, phasing between flesh and diamond.
"He's fine, Ana. Unconscious, but he's fine," Caitlin walks up to me and puts a hand on my shoulder, "We were also able to get a sample of our metahuman. Like we thought, he can't control gas; he becomes it."
"This could possible help us to identify our new metahuman, maybe even find a way to stop him." Doctor Wells rolls up, "We are lucky that Barry heals fast. If he didn't, we wouldn't have been able to cure him."
I walk over to where Barry is and see he has his same old, stupid, careless, slightly adorable, sleeping face on. Placing my hand over his, I brush away a few strands of his hair, "I should have gotten there quicker."
"Impossible," Wells says,"Even at your top speed, you are no match for Barry. However, if you told him that you were the Diamond, I am sure you two could-"
I cut him off, "Partner up? Yeah, I'm sure he'll want to be my partner after I've lied to him for, what? A month?"
Caitlin gives me a small smile, "You don't know what his reaction will be if you don't try to tell him."
I was about to respond, but Barry begins to stir. I stiffen and straighten myself, "I'll go change. He should be seeing Ana, not the Diamond, when he wakes up."
Sitting next to Barry, I watch him stir from his slumber and his eyes flutter open. He gives a moan of pain and wiggles around a bit.
"The streak lives." Cisco says, a plastered smile on his face.
"You'd be dead if your lung cells didn't regenerate so quickly." I give Caitlin a short glare, "Just being realistic."
Barry gives another moan and winces, "My chest feels like that one time I had a cigarette," I give Barry a look of disappointment, "Yeah, teen me lived for danger."
"You shouldn't be joking, Barry. You almost-"
Barry stops me, "I didn't."
Doctor Wells breaks through our conversation, "Now that we have a sample, we'll get to work analyzing it, figure out the makeup of the poison. Maybe get a clue as to his human identity."
"Or at least a way to stop him from turning into a mist...The Mist!" Cisco begins to smile widely as I help Barry sit up, "Okay, that's his name, end of discussion."
I give a roll of my eyes and turn to Barry, "Do you want anything? Water? Soda? Cronut?"
Barry shakes his head at my offers, "I need to get to the station."
He gets up to move, but I stop him, "You need to rest."
"I need to talk to Joe." He tries to push by me, but I am a brick wall in his path.
"No. Not happening. Sit your butt down, now," This is where a stare off begins between the two of us. Me looking up at him and him looking down on me due to our five inch height difference, "I'm not moving Barry Allen, neither are you."
"Sorry, Ana." There is a gust of wind and a streak of red before Barry is nowhere to be seen.
"Barry Allen!"
I have no clue why us humans love coffee and tea so much, but after having a minor freak out over Barry, I needed something to pick me up. So, I called my coffee delivery girl, Iris West. Well, technically she called me and I told her to bring me coffee when we meet up.
"One matcha green tea latte for a Miss Anastasia Cazares."
I smile as Iris places the warm cup in my hand before sitting down on the park bench with me, "You're golden, Iris, golden," Taking a sip of the warm liquid, I fully turn to her, "So, what'd you wanna talk about."
Leaning forward, Iris rubs her hands together, "Remember in highschool how we both dated religiously?"
At the mention of highschool, I think of two overly flirtatious girls with way too much time to kill, "Yeah. We were both such tramps, barely staying with the same guy for a week."
"We, both of us," She motions between us, "Never really dated seriously until now. I mean, the longest guy I dated was Bryan Tucker and that was for barely two months."
"Yes and?" I question, drinking more of my latte.
"Eddie wants me to tell my dad about our relationship, but-" Her voice flatters, "Eddie has been my longest relationship I've ever had. Between everything that goes on, I've never really settled, but with Eddie...I'm scared, Ana. What if I tell my dad and everything changes? What if, after I tell my dad, I lose Eddie because it really become real and I screw up."
Immediately, I understood. This is how I felt about telling Barry I was a metahuman, how I felt about living with Simon. What if I tell Barry and he's angry? What if he's not?
"Iris," I put my hand on top of hers, "I felt the same way when I told Simon I loved him. He said to me, but I wouldn't say it back. It was because I was scared. Not knowing is scary. You're right, we can both easily screw up our relationships," I give a smile, "But we don't take a leap of faith, we may end up losing the best thing we had going for us. You want my advice? Tell your dad. Talk to Eddie. Make it real."
Iris smiles back at me, before embracing me in a hug, "This is why you're my best friend."
I shrug as we break apart, "I know." My phone begins to ring more ironic music and I sinfully answer it, "Sup."
"Ana, I need you to get back here ASAP. We were finally able to identify the gas from Barry's lungs. You need to be-"
"I will, I will. I'm just at the park. I should be there in less than five minutes. Ciao." I hang up on Cisco and stand up, "I have to go pick Barry up from S.T.A.R. Labs, he was getting some check up thing."
Iris stands up next to me, "I can go with you if-"
I cut her off, "No. You need to go to the station and talk to Eddie. Take my advice, West. Take the leap of faith and jump."
"Check this out," Cisco says as Barry and caitlin enter on way and I another, "It's a three dimensional molecular model of the gas we retrieved from your lungs."
"We have identified the toxin-"
"Hydrogen cyanide?" Barry questions.
I shook my head, studying the model, "No, it doesn't have the normal molecular make up for it."
"That is because something else is laced in with the cyanide; a sedative." Wells says, sipping from his thermos.
"But sedatives are mainly used on criminals on death row." I think aloud.
Barry does a face palm, "Of course," He turns to Caitlin "The night of the explosion, find out if anyone was executed."
"Why?" Wells asks just as I understand what Barry is thinking.
"Like Ana said, that sedative is given to criminals on death row, before they go to the gas chamber and breathe in-"
"Hydrogen cyanide." I finish.
"That's right." Wells mutters in agreement.
"There was someone executed that night," A mug shot appears on screen, "Kyle Nimbus."
"That's him." Barry states
Caitlin continues, "He was a hit man from the Darbinyan crime family - they turned on him and testified. Judge Teresa Howard was the judge at his trial, she sentenced him to death." Everyone that wronged him, that who he is going after. That is the list.
"He must have been affected by the explosion while he was being gassed." Wells says
"The records indicate that his execution was completed." Cisco says in a confused tone.
I snap my fingers in realization, "That why he didn't come up in the DNA database. He is classified as dead."
Barry sucks in a breathe, "He said there was one more person on his list. Check the arrest record. Who caught him? That could be his next attack."
Caitlin types quickly and then freezes up, "Barry...The lead detective...It's Joe."
Flipping out his phone, Barry furiously put in Joe's number, but only to have it go to voicemail. He then tries Eddie, who thankfully picks up, "Eddie!...Hey, do you know where Joe went? He's not picking up his cell," Barry paces as he speaks, "...Eddie it's really important. I need to know here he went..." Barry pulls the phone from his ear with a look of shock.
"Barry," Caitlin caught his attention with her voice, "I reverse engineered an antidote to the toxin. I hope you won't need it."
Pulling out his suit, I hold it for Barry, "Go kick ass." Barry makes a move for the suit, but I halt him, "And. Don't. Get. Killed." In a blur of red, the suit and Barry are gone, "Caitlin," I turn to the pale girl, "I'm going out, you're on my com."
"Barry is in Iron Heights, he used the antidote on Jo so be careful. The sensors put Nimbus directly outside, Barry should be there soon." Caitlin says
"Got it." I skid my bike to a stop as a bald figure emerges and a scarlet speedster appears by my side.
"Come to finish what the gas chamber couldn't?"
"You're going somewhere you can't hurt anyone ever again." The Flash says
"Wrong." Nimbus replies, before forming into his gas form.
Caitlin tells us both, "You need to stay away from him, Barry. Do not breathe him in."
I am pulled from my bike and am thrown around thanks to Barry's speed. "I'm not sure how that helps me, guys."
Nimbus materializes again and I charge at him, only to fall through him and slam into my bike, "Ouch."
"You can't fight him, just keep him coming at you. That should zap his strength," Caitlin says
Wells adds, "Gas is the least stable form of matter. This metahuman will not be able to stay in his mist form for long. His particles will need to reform."
I turn to Barry, "Split up?" I suggest "I'll go left, you go right?"
Barry nods before Nimbus turns to gas once more. I place myself back on my back before making a skidded circle and firing off the the left. With a gas trail on my tail, I push the gas harder and harder until it has disappeared. When it has, I turn around and press on till I collide with Kyle Nimbus, knocking him to the ground and to the side.
I smirk "Ouch."
We win."
Entering with Eddie and Iris, I see a tired looking Joe and a sleepy looking Barry. Iris rushes to her father and gives him a large hug, then allow me to hug him.
"I'm glad you're not dead." I tell him
Joe laughs, "Me too, Ana, me too." He then eyes Eddie and Iris together. He definitely knew.
"We should let you guys talk, c'mon Allen." The two of us back out of the room, then close the door. Just as it does, I punch Barry hard in the arm.
"Ow! Ana-" I shut him up by embracing him in a hug.
"You jerk," I mutter into his sweater, "Do you know how many heart attacks you gave me today? I thought you might die." Barry put his head on top of mine, "If you do something like that again, I'm going to be the one killing you, not the metahumans."
"Well then you may have to kill me a couple times, 'cause it's always gonna be dangerous." Barry says.
"I know…" I say softly, "But I just want you to always come home...to me."
There is no question about it; life can suck. It hurts. Bad things happen. People die, people get hurt, you lose the ones you love. It's unavoidable. But at the same time, through all the pain, you have to push through. You have to think of what you have left to love. Life can be hurtful and awful, but it can also be beautiful and wondrous. It's natural to be afraid of losing the people I love. But that can just make you want to love those people more. That's what will fuel me. I know that it's dangerous and scary, but I'd rather die than see them hurt. So, I'll do the impossible, I be strong for them, I will be the heroine.
I am literally dancing around my room because I'm so happy I finished this chapter! Tell me what you thought and please don't say "update". Also, when should Barry learn Ana is the Diamond? I'm still deciding so help me please! Name an episode or a way. Love you all so much and I will try to update when I can. Love you all! Bye!
