WRITER'S NOTE: Today's my 22nd birthday, so I thought I'd give you guys a gift too! :D The new chapter! Enjoy!
"We're going hiking for our second date?" Barry asked as he followed Kiera up a path winding its way up a small mountain that stood about half a mile outside of Central City.
Kiera turned back to him and laughed. "Not exactly." Kiera kept her mind focused on blocking Barry from her thoughts. She didn't want him to ruin the surprise.
"What does that even mean?" Barry chuckled and picked up his pace so he could walk beside her.
"You'll just have to wait and see," Kiera smiled and turned her attention back to the inclining path.
"Or-" Suddenly Kiera's world blurred and the next thing she knew she was standing on top of the mountain's cliff, looking down at the city's skyline in the distance. The city seemed so small, seeing it from this far away.
"I could speed us up to the top and you can tell me why we're here," He finished and grinned widely.
Kiera sighed. "You're not that patient, are you?" she teased and pushed her wind blown hair behind her ear.
Barry turned to her, smiling. He saw the lowering sun sparkle off her hand and he grabbed it to look closer. "You're still wearing it," he said, grinning wide as he saw the cheap bowling alley ring he gave her several days before.
"Yeah, well, when a man gives you a ring, you wear it," she joked and smiled back.
Barry chuckled as both of their faces started to turn pink.
"So why are we up here again?" Barry asked after a minute and turned back to the skyline. "Are we having another picnic with a view?" He looked around for any signs of a picnic basket or blanket.
"Well sort of, but not up here," Kiera replied as she looked back at Central City.
"What do you mean?"
"We're going to fly to it," Kiera smiled.
"Fly? You can hold us both up at the same time? Are you sure it's safe? I mean we can stay right here. I do like my feet touching the ground-" he nervously rambled on.
Kiera laughed as she quickly wrapped her arms around his torso and closed her eyes. A few seconds later, the two Meta-humans were floating above the ground. Kiera made them fly off the cliff quickly and down towards the bottom of the cliff, only slowing when they were a few feet from the ground. Then she made land on a large rock at the bottom of cliff.
Barry, having practically screamed his head off during the whole ride, now slowly looked around, not sure if they were safely on the ground yet.
"That was fun, right?" Kiera asked as she looked up at Barry, who was clinging to her tightly that he was almost suffocating her. After he realized they were safe, he slowly loosened his grip.
"Uh, fun? I don't really know what to think," he said as he looked around, seeing hundreds of miscellaneous sized rocks all around them; some as big as cars while others were only the size of a loaf of bread. The one they had landed on was only a little bigger than their feet. "I didn't know you could fly two people at once."
"Cisco and Caitlin helped me train. I wanted it to be a surprise, so we trained at night while you were asleep. Cisco had the idea of using a crash dummy that was your weight when I trained- well after I messed up a few times," Kiera cringed and glanced over at a large rock that was split in two from one of her failed attempts. "But as you saw, I'm able to do it now," She looked back at him and smiled.
"Are you sure?" Barry asked as he looked at the rock Kiera had just looked at.
Kiera nodded and smiled, reassuringly. "I didn't get only about four hours of asleep for the past few days for nothing!"
Barry watched her for a minute, not sure if they should try it again, or not.
"So do you want to have dinner or not?" Kiera asked, looking over at the city to her right. She had come here a few times before, to mentally map their flight pattern and to practice.
Barry nodded a minute later, finally giving in after Kiera mentioned food. She smiled and took his hand. She glanced at him to make sure he was ready and after he signaled her, she closed her eyes and focused on the two of them. A few seconds later they were slowly ascending up and over a patch of pine trees.
"Now the fun part," Kiera said after opening her eyes. They floated in mid air for a brief moment before she made them fly towards the city at an accelerated speed.
Barry smiled wide as he looked down at the barren landscape below him. They were moving fast- not compared to Barry's speed- causing the wind to rustle through their hair. Kiera kept her focus on flying their bodies through the air, not daring to think of what would happen if she failed. She couldn't help but smile as they flew through the air.
They made their way towards the city and before they were in eyesight of anyone's wandering eyes, Kiera lowered them towards the ground.
They gradually landed on the dirt ground and Kiera let out a sigh of relief. "I told you I could do it!" she smiled. "I think you can run us the rest of the way."
Barry grinned wide and picked up Kiera before running into the city.
A few seconds later, the speedster stopped in an empty alleyway.
"Where are we going again?" Barry asked, realizing he didn't ask her where they were going to have dinner.
Kiera laughed. "You know, remember?" she said and tapped her temple. "Just think."
Barry grinned and focused on Kiera's thoughts. A second later they were off again.
Barry stopped at path that wrapped around a park in the heart of Central City. The sun was starting to set, illuminating the grassy flat land in an orange glow. The park was bustling with activity; families were having picnic dinners on the grass, playing sports, dogs ran around catching each other and flying balls and several kids played happily in the park's playground while mothers watched from the benches nearby.
"Come on!" Kiera shouted, smiling as she spotted what she was looking for. She pulled Barry down the path. She stopped at the edge of the grass where a handful of food trucks were lined up feeding hungry customers.
The couple looked around at the choices that ranged from pizzas and tacos to funnel cakes and smoothies. Barry laughed as he spotted a red truck with a large yellow lightning bolt painted on the side and words over it that said, 'Flash Frozen Yogurt'.
"You know you're the city's hero when they name a food truck after you," Barry laughed and nodded in the truck's direction. "First Jitters, now this."
"Maybe The Flash should pay them a visit! That'll get them good publicity," Kiera said as she looked at the truck and laughed.
"Maybe he will," Barry grinned.
After a few minutes they finally decided what food they wanted; Barry got a large pizza with his favorite toppings- pepperoni, olives, and jalapeños, and Kiera got two tacos with a side of chips and salsa. Kiera paid for the food with money she earned from working at the lab and they sat on a nearby bench to eat.
Over the city's tall buildings, the night sky was painted with vibrant colors; Oranges mixed with yellows and reds, circling the fleeting white sun that slowly disappeared behind the skyscrapers. Even though the sun was gone, the city was humming with activity. In the park, people shouted, laughed and talked while car horns, the hum of vehicles and sirens echoed through the streets. The sounds muddled together to form a sort of song, one that made Barry and Kiera relax. It seemed Central City was going to have a rare peaceful night after being tormented by Meta-humans for so long.
Kiera placed her empty plate on the bench beside her and leaned back to look up at the darkening sky. She smiled. She felt calm sitting there with Barry. She rested her head on his shoulder, feeling his warmth flood over her and banish night's chilly wind away. Kiera heard the faint thump of Barry's plate being placed beside him and then his arm wrapped around her back to pull her closer. She kept her eyes on the painted sky, wanting to remember every second of this perfect moment. She realized she'd never really enjoyed Central City's beautiful sunsets until tonight.
Suddenly the oranges and yellows blurred and turned into flames and a tall dark building turned into the outline of a man. The same man Telegirl saw right before she passed out in the office fire.
Kiera gasped at the sight and sat up quickly, pulling out of Barry's embrace. Her eyes were wide as she tried to catch her breath. The image seared into her mind.
"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Barry asked as he leaned forward and took Kiera's hand to comfort her.
"The man. The man in the fire," Kiera managed in between deep breaths. "I saw him." Kiera looked down at the ground, rapidly blinking as if to wipe the image from her mind. "It was like a vision, but a memory."
"If he was real, he's not here now. He can't hurt you, Kiera. He will never hurt you," Barry whispered as he gently rubbed her back. She slowly looked over at him, fear in her eyes. "I promise."
Kiera took a deep breath as she tried to pull herself together. She didn't know why this fiery man terrified her so much; she didn't even know if he had been anything more than hallucination brought on by her smoke inhalation and concussion, but deep down she had a feeling he was in fact real; a real Meta-human who could be anywhere and could appear at any moment.
Kiera slowly nodded at Barry's promise and relaxed as his long fingers rubbed lazy circles on her back. She looked in his eyes, sensing compassion and confidence in the fact that he wouldn't let anything bad happen to her.
Without realizing it, they leaned toward each other until only two inches separated them. Barry slowly raised his hand to her cheek and brushed his thumb across her cheekbone, feeling her soft skin. Kiera's breath caught in her chest and she kept her gaze locked on his hypnotizing bluish green eyes. Their breathing increased, hot air escaping through their slightly parted lips and causing their faces to redden. Kiera's arms locked around his neck and her fingers buried themselves in his messy brown hair. His free arm wrapped around her lower back and pulled her closer as they closed their eyes. Their heads tilted to the side and leaned in until their lips met. Kiera felt like her heart was going to beat out of her chest as the kiss continued. She needed more. She needed [him]. She couldn't lose him. Her arms tightened behind his neck, pulling him even closer and their kiss deepened. She felt his hand slide from her cheek to the back of her neck to support her as they kissed, their lips squishing together.
It seemed like the passionate kiss lasted forever, but at the same time it seemed like it only lasted a second. They didn't want it end, but they had to come up for air. Slowly they parted and inhaled deeply, trying to catch their breath. Wide smiles formed on their faces and Barry gently took her hand.
"I believe you," She whispered after her heart and breathing slowed, referring to his earlier promise.
Barry leaned forward and stole another kiss, this one short, but sweet. He couldn't seem to keep his lips from hers. She giggled and ran her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck as they pulled back slightly to look into each other's eyes.
"I love you," Barry whispered, causing Kiera's heart to skip a beat. At first she couldn't think, she couldn't breath, she couldn't even see. She blinked and focused on his eyes, reminding herself to breath as she stared at the handsome man that just confessed his love to her.
"I love you too, Barry," she managed a moment later after collecting her thoughts. His grin made her heart flutter and her breath caught in her chest once more. He made her feel weak and she knew if she were standing she would have fallen to the ground.
Their gaze didn't leave each other's loving eyes for several minutes. No words were spoken, not even mentally, because they didn't need words to communicate.
"Should we see if the Flash Frozen Yogurt truck is worthy of its title?" Barry asked, breaking the silence several minutes later.
Barry's mind turning to food after their passionate kiss made Kiera laugh. She nodded her head and they stood up. They held hands and threw their plastic plates in a trashcan nearby as they walked back to the food trucks.
They approached the red and yellow truck and were greeted by the friendly owners. Kiera glanced at the white board's menu lining the inside of the truck's open window covers.
It listed all of their many flavors and toppings and above the lists another panel displayed their special creations. Kiera smiled and nudged Barry; bring his attention to colorful panel.
The sign displayed four special creations, all named after the famous Meta-humans of Central City.
The Flash
Savory Vanilla Frozen Yogurt with Strawberry Syrup and Decorated with Lemon Slices and a Single Cherry on Top
Or Sweet Red Velvet Frozen Yogurt with White Chocolate Chips and Our Specially Made Lightning Bolt Sugar Cookies
Reverse Flash
Refreshing Lemon Frozen Yogurt with Fresh Strawberries, Lemon Slices and Blackberries
Captain Cold
Frosty Blue Mint Frozen Yogurt with Chunks of Peppermint and Coconut Shavings
The Trickster
Delicious Bubble Gum Frozen Yogurt with a Fun Combination of Gummy Bears, Jelly Beans and Rainbow Sprinkles
Barry tried to hold in a laugh as he read the creations based on his alter ego and his enemies, making them all sound delicious.
Is it bad that I want a Captain Cold? Kiera teased mentally as she read the descriptions over and over again.
Barry chuckled and stepped toward the glass counter that displayed the large tubs of ice cream. "I'll take the second Flash creation and she'll take-" he paused and looked back at Kiera. She nodded and grinned. "-a Captain Cold." He took out his wallet and paid for their dessert.
The women behind the elevated counter beamed, excited that their unique creations were chosen. They rang up their order and set to work creating their orders.
I think it's safe to say the city's faith in you is restored. Kiera said mentally as she turned around to see a line developing behind them.
Barry chuckled as he also glanced back. I guess this is my proof. Unless they're just here for a refreshing dessert. He teased.
Kiera punched his arm lightly and laughed. Do I have to read their minds to prove to you they trust The Flash again?
Maybe… He grinned.
"Here you go," a woman's voice said, bringing them out of their mental conversation. Barry looked up and saw they women leaning down to hand them their orders. They took the cups from their hands and thanked them before walking away from the truck so the next person in line could order.
Kiera looked down at her order and smiled as she picked up the red spoon that had The Flash's yellow lightning bolt carved into the end of the handle.
They made their way back to the nearby bench and sat down to enjoy their cold desserts. They each took a bite, enjoying the different flavors that danced on their tongues.
Barry loaded his spoon with Red Velvet yogurt and white chocolate chips and brought it up to Kiera's lips before she could pick her spoon up again. She smiled and looked between him and the spoon a couple times before opening her mouth to allow him to place the spoon in her mouth.
After swallowing the savory ball of frozen yogurt that practically melted in her mouth, she smiled wide and leaned forward, snatching a sugary lightning bolt from his bowl. Kiera quickly took a bite out of the slightly soggy cookie before Barry could even try to take it back.
"Hey!" He shouted, pretending to be upset at her for stealing one of his special treats. She laughed and took another bite.
"Should have been faster!" she teased, knowing he couldn't use his powers out in the open.
Barry laughed and watched as Kiera loaded her own spoon with a large portion of her frozen yogurt. She held it up to his lips and smiled at him. He opened his mouth and took the minty treat from her spoon with his lips.
"It's almost as cold as his gun," Barry laughed after swallowing.
Noticing a few crumbs clinging to her lips, he leaned forward and kissed her softly, their desserts' sweetness mixing together to make the short kiss very sweeter.
They pulled back a few seconds later and smiled happily at each other before returning to their frozen yogurt.
Early the next day, the team walked into S.T.A.R. Lab's underground warehouse that was mainly used as a secret training area for The Flash and now Telegirl. Cisco, Caitlin and Iris stepped onto the small platform in the center of the warehouse while Kiera and Barry, dressed in their alter egos' suits, climbed up a nearby metal scaffolding and readied themselves.
"Do just like we trained, except instead of rocks or dummies, you lift Barry," Caitlin told Kiera as she sat down in front of a computer that would monitor Kiera's vitals.
"It worked yesterday," Kiera said and smiled as she looked down at the trio below her. "I just have to do it again," she told herself.
"Whenever you're ready," Cisco shouted up to Kiera.
She turned to Barry. "Ready?" she whispered, sensing he was still a bit nervous, even after the successful flying adventure they had yesterday. He nodded after taking a deep breath and looked back at her.
They walked to the edge of the scaffolding's platform and Kiera closed her eyes, focusing on their bodies. A minute later, they were floating a foot above the platform before moving forward and slowly flying down toward the warehouse's floor. Kiera opened her eyes and continued to concentrate on making them descend.
Barry grinned as his feet touched the ground and Kiera sighed in relief.
"Great job, Kiera! You're getting better. You're brain activity stayed within your normal range," Caitlin said as she stood up.
"Now let's try something harder!" Cisco grinned.
Caitlin glared at him, silently telling him he was rushing. She turned back to the two Meta-humans. "I think we should try that again a couple more times."
They agreed and returned to the scaffolding. Kiera tried it twice more, each time going a bit farther away from the scaffolding before touching the ground and each time it went smoothly.
"Should we see if Kiera can mentally move Barry again?" Cisco asked after the group took a ten-minute break.
"I could try, but I'm not sure how I did it last time, or if it really was me," Kiera answered after drinking a bottle of water. She looked over at Barry, who was standing against the railing, deep in thought.
Barry? You okay? She mentally asked him, not wanting to read his private thoughts.
He looked up quickly and shifted his weight onto his left foot. "Hm?" he asked.
"We were thinking of seeing if Kiera can move you with her mind again. Do you want to try?"
"Yeah, sure," he nodded and pushed himself away from the railing.
Kiera took a deep breath and stood up as she tried to convince herself it was possible.
The two Meta-humans stepped down off the platform and walked to a large clearing in the warehouse. Kiera stood to the side and turned to face Barry, who was facing one end of the clearing. He leaned forward slightly and planted his feet firmly on the ground, in a runner's start position. He glanced over at Kiera, who stood about ten feet to his right and nodded his head, silently telling her he was ready. She nodded back and took another deep breath. She focused her mind, thinking only about moving him across the large room. She tried to imagine him running a few feet, but nothing happened. The small crowd on the platform held their breath as they watched, anxiously waiting for Barry to move.
Kiera tried several more times, but failed to make him even move an inch. She sighed and shook her head.
"I can't. Nothing's happening."
"You can, Kiera," Barry whispered, trying to encourage her.
"Maybe it wasn't even me. Maybe it was Barry. Maybe he just moved after seeing the gun. It makes more sense than me having the ability to steer another person's body," Kiera rambled on.
Seeing Kiera's increasing frustration, Barry turned to walk towards her, but Caitlin put her hand up to stop him and tell him she had this. She stepped off the platform and walked to Kiera.
"Kiera, Barry said it wasn't him, so it must have been you somehow," the young doctor said softly as she placed her hands on the woman's shoulders. "You moved him. [You] did it. You can do it again. You just need to believe in yourself. You've done amazing things in the last month, Kiera. You saved a bank full of people by creating a wall with your mind! You opened a hurricane so you two could walk in! You've moved objects with your mind! You've flown through the air! You've saved people from two fires! You took down a mind-controlling villain! And lifted a car! You can do this too." Caitlin looked in her eyes, trying to encourage her friend.
Kiera took a deep breath and nodded her head after Caitlin's speech. "I can do this," she repeated and turned back to Barry. He turned back toward the clearing's center and signaled he was ready. Caitlin stayed by her side, as moral support as she held out her hand towards him and focused on moving him a few feet.
"5…4…3…2…1…" Kiera muttered to give her time to convince herself she could do it. After the countdown ended she flicked her hand in the way she wanted him to go, but nothing happened.
She repeated it several times, focusing on only him and giving herself pep talks in order to convince herself, but still Barry didn't move. She lowered her arm twenty minutes later and shook her head in defeat.
Caitlin got another idea and turned back to Kiera. "The last time it happened, Barry was in grave danger, so maybe it only works when you feel fear. When he's in mortal danger," she said. "Do you remember what happened?"
Kiera nodded in response.
"Picture that moment in your mind. Picture Barry in danger. Focus on that and imagine moving him to safety."
Kiera glanced at Caitlin, unsure. She'd been trying to move him for over half an hour with no success and she was starting to grow tired.
Finally she gave in and closed her eyes. Kiera took a deep breath to relax herself and pictured the terrifying moment in her mind.
The blurry outline of the man with a gun materialized in her mind. Her adrenaline started to spike as the gun moved to point at Barry.
Her words replayed in her mind as she focused on the gun. Barry? Barry! Move! The pain flooded her body. Move! Run! Get out of there! She felt the dreaded helpless that surfaced as she watched the scene play out through Barry's eyes.
No! Barry! Listen to my voice! You can do this! You have to do this! You need to move! NOW! Barry!
Kiera shuddered as her body suddenly felt weak and her head started to pound. Her legs gave out and and felt herself fall to her knees.
She felt a warm hand land on her shoulder and then a soft feminine voice calling her name.
"Kiera? Kiera? Are you okay?"
After a minute, she managed to open her eyes and look up from the warehouse's concrete floor. Her body was shaking uncontrollably as if she was out in a blizzard. She looked up as a hand lowered to her level and offered to help her up. Kiera followed the arm up until she saw it's owner.
Barry. He was safe. He hadn't been shot.
Suddenly she remembered what happened. She slowly lifted her arm and placed her shivering hand on top of Barry's warm one. He pulled her up and supported her as she struggled to stand.
"What happened?" she asked, her voice coming out weak.
"You did it," Barry grinned. "You succeeded in moving me across the room!"
"I did?" Kiera asked and looked up at him stunned. He nodded and grinned.
"And at five hundred and eighty miles per hour!" Cisco said and she turned her head to see he and Iris had left the platform to stand beside Caitlin.
"I think you should rest a while, Kiera," Caitlin said, concerned. "It seemed to have taken a lot out of you this time."
"I'll take her to Med Bay," Barry agreed, feeling the weakness in his own body as a result of their connection, and in a streak of yellow he was placing her on the hospital bed inside the Cortex.
Later that afternoon, Barry, Caitlin, Cisco and Kiera stood in a dusty junkyard on the outskirts of Central City. All around them were stacks of old cars and piles of miscellaneous parts and tools with dirt trails weaving in between them to form a maze. The place looked like it had been abandoned for years, save for the small shack at one end that required a few dollars to enter.
"What are we doing here again?" a disgusted Caitlin asked from where they stood beneath a S.T.A.R. Labs E-Z up that was set up at the very back of the junkyard, so no one would interrupt them.
"Training," Cisco beamed as he took a trip from the S.T.A.R. Lab's van parked close by to where they waited.
"Out here? Why?" Barry asked as he scanned the mountains of cars surrounding them.
"So Kiera can practice lifting cars again and not have to worry about damaging them," Cisco explained as he set a cooler of sodas on a table.
"Smart!" Barry grinned and caught a can that Cisco threw in his direction.
"Don't act so surprised!" Cisco teased and opened his own can of soda.
Kiera glanced around and tugged at her Telegirl suit, glad that Cisco convinced her and Barry to wear them before they arrived; just in case any picker happened to come by and saw her floating a car, they'd see Telegirl and not Kiera.
"Are you sure you should try this today? You almost passed out a few hours ago, Kiera," Caitlin asked.
"I'm fine now. It passed quickly and Barry's blood helped me recover. I don't feel weak or shaky anymore," she said and nodded. "I'm fine, really,"
"Okay, but if you feel any of it come back. [Any] of it, you'll tell us and we'll stop. Deal?"
"Deal," Kiera smiled and placed the earpiece in her ear as she stepped out from under the E-Z Up. She walked out to the center of the large dusty clearing and looked around.
"Let's try something small first. Try that tire on your left," Cisco said in her earpiece. She nodded at the tent a couple hundred feet away and then looked for the tire Cisco mentioned. She saw it leaned up against the side of an almost flattened car and slowly raised her arm toward it.
Kiera focused and raised her hand higher in the air; the tire obeyed and rose into the air before stopping about ten feet from the ground.
"Good. Now add another."
Kiera slowly lifted her other hand, causing a nearby tire to float up and join the first. She made them fly through the air for a minute before setting them back down in the dirt.
She spotted an engine resting on the hood of a flattened car. She outstretched her hands again and focused on lifting it off the ground. Her mind protested against the three hundred and fifty pound engine for a minute, but with more concentration it rose above the pile of cars and floated overhead. Kiera smiled and spun it several times before it landed back on the rusty old car, causing it to creak and groan.
Ready to try a car? Barry asked her mentally as she turned to the tent. She nodded and glanced around.
"Which one should I lift?"
The team scanned the nearby piles of cars for a small lightweight car to start with.
"How about that Bug?" Caitlin asked and pointed to a faded old Volkswagen Bug that's seats, steering wheel and tires were missing.
"That could work," Kiera agreed and readied herself. She closed her eyes and focused on sensing the shape of the car before she mentally tried to lift it. The old car groaned as it slowly started to rise from its place on the ground. Kiera ignored the slight headache opened her eyes once it started to ascend, focusing on making continue to fly up toward the blue sky.
A rat, disturbed from its nap under the car, shrieked and it rang through the clearing, startling Kiera. She gasped and started to lose her focus causing the rusted car started to freefell toward dirt floor. She struggled to regain her focus. She quickly extended her hand, palm parallel to her body, and tried to catch the car.
Right before it could crash, the car stopped and floated a couple feet off the ground. Kiera let out a sigh and made it slowly start to ascend again.
"Can you make it fly horizontal to the ground?" Barry asked in her ear.
Kiera moved her hand and the car started to move forward, floating over the cars framing the clearing. She kept turning as she made it fly around and around in a circle.
After a few rounds, Kiera's mind started to pound. She winced at the pain, but quickly regained her concentration. Barry felt the pounding in his own head and stepped forward, ready to run and save her if she fell and dropped the car.
"I can't hold it much longer," she muttered as her extended arm started to shake.
"Set it down… carefully," Cisco said in her ear and Kiera nodded. She slowly lowered her arm and the car followed.
Once the Bug's tires were touching the ground she let go and bent forward as her head pounded.
"I think that's enough for one day," Barry said and grabbed a cold water bottle from the cooler before walking out to Kiera. She gladly took it and quickly downed the refreshing water. The headache started to fade away and Kiera relaxed.
After Kiera rested for a few minutes, the team packed up and piled into the van.
The next morning, Barry was busy in his lab at the precinct, Cisco and Caitlin were working in S.T.A.R. Labs and Kiera was training in converted warehouse below ground.
In her Telegirl suit and mask, Kiera closed her eyes and focused on the scaffolding before her. She raised a hand and started to lift it towards the ceiling. Before it could make it more than four feet off the ground, an alarm rang through the large room.
Kiera gasped at the sudden noise and opened her eyes to see flashing red lights light up the room.
The distraction caused her to let go of the scaffolding and it crashed a few feet in front of her. Kiera jumped back as one of its metal railings broke off and flew towards her. She quickly raised her hand to shield herself and the flying shrapnel stopped in mid air. Relieved, Kiera made it float down to the ground slowly.
"Kiera? There's a fire outside the lab! Come to the Cortex!" Caitlin's voice boomed over the room's speakers.
"Coming!" Kiera shouted and ran towards the warehouse's elevator door.
A few moments later, she ran through the Cortex's doorway to see the two scientists scrambling to pull up the security camera's feed outside.
The monitors on the wall showed a live feed of a large fire spreading from a line of trees lining the sidewalk towards the lab's side entrance.
"What happened?" Kiera asked as she caught her breath.
"Not sure," Cisco muttered as his fingers feverishly typed on his keyboard. "No electrical problems in that area," he said as he read his screen.
"There's a fire hydrant nearby, right?" Kiera asked and Caitlin nodded. "I'll go put it out!"
"Be careful!" Caitlin shouted after her as she ran down the lab's hallway.
Kiera pushed open the door and stepped outside. The sound of crackling fire to her right made her turn towards the noise.
A large tree near the sidewalk was ablaze making it look like a lit torch. Smoke bellowed above the tree, causing a large black cloud to form overhead. The fire had spread from the tree, across the grass and was making it's way toward the lab's exterior.
Kiera scanned the sidewalk until she found the nearest fire hydrant- the same one Tidal Wave had once used to obtain more water for his hurricane. She ran toward it and pushed her hands outward quickly, making the fire hydrant's top to fly off. A strong stream of water gushed up out of the hydrant and Kiera moved her hands, making the water float over to the fire. She moved the stream of water to soak the grass between the fire and the building's walls first and then started to put the fire out.
Distracted by the task at hand, Kiera didn't notice something move behind her and the fire hydrant. Suddenly she heard a loud crackling noise as she was pushed forward onto the dry grass only a few feet from the flames. She screamed in pain as she felt her back heat up quickly, as if her back was pressing up against a hot stove. Even though Cisco had made Kiera's suit fire resist, she still felt her back heat up. She fell forward on the grass and quickly moved to look behind her.
Her eyes widened and she froze. "Uh guys?" she said into her Telegirl suit. "We've got a problem. A big problem!"
WRITER'S NOTE: I know I promised this chapter would be intense, but while writing I realized the chapter would have been way too long, so I split it in half and left you with a cliffhanger. :D I PROMISE that the next chapter will be intense! I swear!
Also I was reading some of the older chapters and realized I made Kiera's and Barry's relationship develop too fast. I didn't think I'd write this long of a story when I first started! But your reviews, favorites and follows really encouraged me to continue writing. (: If I could go back and rewrite some of the scenes involving them, I would make their relationship grow slower, but oh well.