11. Break Out

The moment Bivolo looked up, I pulled Cisco away, along with myself. The uncontrollable rage he could summon in us, was perhaps one of the most dangerous powers we had encountered. It had had us turn on ourselves, inciting unreasonable anger and hence, a desire to kill even your closest friends. Harry had gotten a full dose and as he wielded his blaster, he had been turned into a deadly menace; and he didn't take long to prove that he was.

"I told you that you couldn't handle security Ramon!" He shouted, firing at us.

We ran through the hall, the only thing keeping us from getting shot its circular shape. I thought of why it was that Harry had gone straight for us and not for Lisa, Rory or Bivolo. Old Wells had explained that Bivolo's eye colouration stimulated the brain area responsible for nuisance, hate and jealousy. I guess that since he had no emotional feelings whatsoever regarding these three new faces, it had only triggered him to go after us.

"No wonder Zoom has such an easy job killing you!" Harry called after us.

We took the first right into Cisco's experimental room. Upon entering, we both hid behind the workbench. Not long after that, Harry arrived too, his weapon held high to shoot anything that he encountered.

"Come out you third-rank science students!"

"Okay, I know he's affected and all, but that's below the belt." Cisco complained softly.

I punched him to make him shut up, but it was already too late. Harry jumped over the bench and we had barely gotten out of the way when one of the projectiles blew a hole in the floor. Unfortunately, in order to avoid getting shot, we had positioned ourselves so that Harry stood in between us and the only exit of this room. The smug on his face betrayed that he saw this as well.

"Well, you never were the brightest of people. I guess, this is only proof of what I already knew."

Cisco snatched one of the things that lay on the workbench and shielded us with it from our attacker.

"Stand back! Or so help me God, I will use this."

He lowered his gear and looked intrigued at what Cisco was holding. Then he snorted amused and shook his head.

"Nice try…" He said, raising his rifle again, "but that's just an ordinary hollow pipe."

"Dad?"

Jesse showed up in the door opening behind her father. She looked at him confused as he seemed poised to kill us, his friends. Her appearance distracted Harry long enough for Cisco to dash forward and smack the gun out of his hands.

"Told you I'd use it!" Cisco cheered victoriously.

But Harry didn't listen, he had already jumped after his weapon. As we ran for the door. I took hold of Jesse's arm and pulled her along as we headed back for the main room. She asked me what was going on. I didn't answer. We needed a plan to revert Bivolo's effect on Harry. As if on cue, Cisco shouted that he had an idea to undo it. He explained that he could use the big monitor to display the same colour pattern we had used on Barry, when he had been whammied by Bivolo. I asked him if we had that pattern still on back-up drive. He assured me that we had, although I could hear a clear hint of doubt in his voice.

"Okay, let's hope this works." Cisco said as he seated himself behind the computer.

I peeked around the corner to see how much time we had.

"Hurry up, he's coming."

"If a pipe's your idea of a weapon, Ramon, I wonder how you ever made it out of kindergarten!"

"It's difficult enough to focus without him grinding my self-esteem all the time!" Cisco groaned.

"How much longer!" I cried nervously.

"Just a minute."

"We don't have a minute!"

I felt a chill surrounding my hands. When I looked down, I noted that they had gotten paler. This stress wasn't good. Sooner or later, I'd freeze something again. The nightmare I had a few days ago came popped into my head. I had dreamt I'd hurt Wells. What if I do that now? If he threatened to shot me, I might accidently kill him, like I had done with the thief. Please, Cisco, make this stuff work! I beg you.

I glanced around the corner a second time, ducking back as a projectile flew inches past my face.

"CISCO!"

"I GOT IT!" He yelled, slamming a last key.

Just when Harry walked around the corner, the monitor started shimmering in a dazzling variety of colours. It seemed to be working. The red vanished from Harry's eyes. After a brief moment, Cisco turned off the lights again and we all looked expectantly at our former assailant. He placed his hand on his temple to process what had happened.

"I-I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me."

"It's okay." Cisco appeased. "We're all still alive so…"

"That man, he's –"

Harry stopped mid-sentence. His eyes rolled backwards into his skull and he passed out on the floor. Behind him, Mick Rory stood with a big grin, the butt of his pistol raised from hitting Harry on the head.

"Hey look, Snart. Maybe I am a hero after all?" He uttered cynically.

"You do realize he was no longer shooting anyone, do you?" Snart replied, emerging next to him.

Behind him, Lisa and Bivolo appeared as well. The latter had put on his glasses again. Leonard placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you Roy. I consider your debt paid."

The meta made a small bow and left via the elevator. Then Leonard turned to us. He gave us a big, arrogant smile and spread his arms. I clenched my fists, feeling my hands drop in temperature as I did. If I'd by accident murder him, I wondered if anyone would mind.

"You can run, but you won't get far. Barry will catch you, no matter where you go." Cisco remarked.

"Maybe... But before I go, I plan to take a little parting gift. Now, if you'd be so kind as to show us to the storage room?"

"This way."

"Not you... Her." Snart said, nodding at me.

Without further questioning, I proceeded him towards our armoury. I felt a chill riding down my spine. He knew I had tried to frame him. I could see it in his eyes. The silent walk downstairs felt like an age. Every step closer to it seemed like a step towards my execution. Snart wasn't a very forgiving soul, especially not to those that wronged him. That's why he wanted me to escort them. So he could avenge himself.

We halted at the door of the STAR Labs weapon storage. The name might imply that we had a complete arsenal of destructive weaponry, this was not the case. In here we mostly stacked our anti-metahuman equipment, such as the weather wizard staff to stop Mark Mardon and the prototype of the freeze-proof riot shield against the absolute zero ray. After Barry's most recent encounter with Snart and his Rogues, this room also held their heat, cold and gold gun. My hand quivered as I tried to gain access the storage with my card. It failed to read my identity because of my tremor. Snart saw this and grabbed hold of my hand.

"Let me help you with that."

As he held it still, the door unlocked with a kind jingle and a green blinking light. I was pushed aside by Mick who almost ran inside to get what he came for. Walking in his shadow was Lisa, less eager yet not unwilling to get her item sooner rather than later. Her brother kept holding my hand, gripping it uncomfortably tight.

"You can let go now."

"I could, but you and I both know what the price is for that."

I looked at him petrified, strengthening the determination I read in his gaze. By acting so afraid, I proved that he was right about suspecting me.

"You know who killed the man, however you're prepared to let me take the fall. Why?"

Interesting. Although he knew I was hiding details regarding the case, he did not know that I was the actual murderer. This offered me a snippet of hope.

"Why wait for them to be inside?"

"Because Mick would have want me to kill you, and I intend to prove Barry wrong. He claimed I violated our treaty, which I haven't. If I put you on ice, I lose my credibility."

"You broke it last time. When you said you'd help us move the metas."

He grinned.

"Breaking that promise was just business. Being a dishonest thug means you occasionally break agreements if doing so gains you better agreements. Turning the transportation job around as I have, gave me a debt with not one, but four metahumans."

What he said was, strangely, not even that far-fetched. He did become a criminal to put himself on first place, so it had only been natural behaviour. No! Why was I thinking this. How came I tried to explain away his crimes. I realized that he saw my internal conflict. Snart was dangerously good at mind reading. Luckily, his companions emerged from the armoury.

"Aw! I missed this baby." Mick said, kissing the heat gun.

Lisa held out the cold gun to her brother.

"I think you wanted me to bring this?" She asked rhetorically.

"You always seem to read my mind."

Funny that he was the one to say that. He let go of my hand to take over the freeze ray. As they headed for the exit, Leonard glanced back at me one last time.

"You'd better have your answer ready the next time we meet."

Then, he and his rogues had vanished as quickly as they had shown up, leaving my nailed to the ground. What did he mean by that?