Heya guys!
Another new chapter for you guys out there.
This one will be a little more romantic considering the episode.
And before you read it, gonna admit that a character is gonna be dead. Hope CW doesn't bring the guy back later on, then… Yikes.
Oh yeah, instead of making two chapters for one episode, the coming chapters will be written for the entire episode… meaning longer chapters!
So without further ado...
Enjoy!
Chapter 28: Crazy for You
"Seth! Get me two boxes of Sambuca!" JC, Seth's senior co-worker, called out to him.
"Will do, Boss." He quipped back with a brief two-finger salute as he walked into the storage and pulled out two boxes of the requested alcohol and carried them by himself.
Joan and Rooster was by the counter and cleaning glasses while conversing with their boss, Stan. Their conversation was short-lived when they saw Seth carry the boxes of alcohol by himself. "Careful son, you don't wanna end up straining your back." JC's father told him concerned.
"All due respect Chief, last time I didn't do what your hellbeast of a daughter requested, she made serve the old ladies." Seth shot a hateful look to the boss's daughter who smiled innocently. "It then got uncomfortable… they started putting money in my pants and they got handsy." He visibly shivered at the memory of the night.
Stan looked to his daughter, who was having trouble keeping up an innocent look because of the recurring giggles, "Honey, you can't keep sacrificing Seth to those vultures. They are… quite uncomfortable." The owner of the bar remembered when the same happened to him, but not looking to trade places with him.
JC threw her hands up in the air with a pout on her face, "But I thought it might get us some more money."
"What do you think you are? A pimp?" Seth inquired before he realized, "Oh God, that's me the hooker."
"We think the elderly ladies would love that." His "other" asked while referring to the vultures who kept touching him before.
Rooster laughed before saying "You might wanna keep that from Caitlin. She seems like the type of woman could freeze anything over with just one look."
"Watch it, you old coot." Seth pointed a finger at him in mock threat, "That's my girlfriend you're talking about."
The four of them laughed while Stan walked closer to the mutant from behind the counter, "I really am happy for you Seth. Seeing you move on from the past is great… well partly anyway." He added when he saw the elemental dip his head down in a moment of brief sadness.
Seth hated how the mention of his past always resulted with the last memories of his fiancée and his son being brought up to the surface of his mind. And though it briefly revealed itself on his facial expressions, he masked it again. "I know. It's just still lingering inside of me… slowly eating away at me… like a virus." He inwardly regretting talking like that.
"Hey." Seth gave Stan his attention. "The past is just our lives beginning. It's the start of our lives, the bad stuff, experiences and all, they're always going to be there, no matter how much we try or wish they weren't there. But it's about how we move forward from there, how we can step forward. One foot at a time, is all it takes Seth. Trust me I know. But you're on the right path."
The elemental always enjoyed the words his boss told him. Making sure that he was right and always in high spirits. Moreover, that his life was not weighed down by his past, it made him feel like his father was still there. "Thanks, Stan. Means a lot. And it has helped a lot with Caitlin here… but something's up now."
Stan tilted his head in confusion, "Something's wrong on that front?"
"Kinda… it's weird." Seth replied.
"Stop thinking like that Seth." Venom exclaimed in his host's mind, feeling sad thoughts grow in his mind, like it was a horrible song on repeat.
Seth shook his head before confessing in sadness, "Someone she cared for, a lot, from her past came back out of the blue. And I'm afraid she might go back to him again. It's just been on my mind for a while now, and I'm going crazy over the thought of her leaving me… for him."
"Have you talked to her about that?" JC weighed in in concern.
"Kinda yeah. But I'm still afraid." He told them.
"Don't worry, she's gonna make the right choice and stay with the one who makes her happy right now." Joan added before hugging the mutant, who returned the hug. Seth's eyes looked and saw his boss give him a suspicious look, while Rooster was laughing.
"This feels familiar." Venom commented at the similarity between now and the time when he hugged Joe's daughter.
"Yeah." The host agreed with his partner before pulling away from JC. Seth walked over to the tables to clean them. Joan followed him and pulled him to the side, out of earshot from their other co-workers. "What's going on?"
JC looked around for anyone with long ears before stating, "My Dad told me about what happened with you and your family. I just… wanted to say I'm sorry is all." She offered condolence to him.
"Thanks Joan. It means a lot, really. But something like that doesn't go away so easily, you know." He said sadly before he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Taking it out, he saw a message from Caitlin, "S.O.S." It said along with an address.
He looked to JC and said, "Gotta run. Caitlin needs me for something."
"You're gonna play Doctor with the doctor?" she quipped teasingly getting a dry look from the mutant. "Go. I'll tell my dad." He thanked her before walking out of the back entrance. Using his partner's senses, he looked around for anyone nearby and found none.
Knowing that no one was there to see him, he let his body slowly be overcome with the symbiote before latching onto a wall and leaped into the air with a tendril shoot out of his hand, and latch onto a building before swinging.
X
Both Seth and Barry have received messages of cars crashing around the city, two sides to be exact. The speedster ran to one side while the elemental swung to the other side. And both heroes had come to their individual sites and saw the same.
Venom came to his location and saw them. Cars flipped around, their engines revealed to peering eyes because of their missing hoods. Black smoke emitting from them because of the damage to them. His eyes narrowed, seeing the car was filled with a family of four. Mother and father, in their late twenties to their early thirties, with two kids in their backseats. The entire family was unconscious.
The anti-hero looked around and saw that the gasoline tank was leaking down to the ground, forming a puddle of fuel that grew with each drop of gasoline that landed in it. Eyes from both the hero and the man in the car saw sparks go off of the car's engine, they neared the flipped car.
A firetruck neared the site of the crash and the firemen came out of their vehicle. But they had to back away as the engines began sparking more violently. His eyes widened at the sight of the growing sparks, making him shoot down from the side of the building where he was placed on.
"Rip that door to shreds!" His partner told his partner with a sense of urgency, but mostly for the sake of the children.
Seth landed on the ground, taking in the car's structure. There are only two car doors on the vehicle. His claws pierced through the car door, ripping it off immediately and threw it to the side. His arm split into tendrils and shot into the car, grabbing both parents.
Lashing out his arm to the back, he placed the parents on the ground. Contact with the ground caused them to stir before waking up and saw the sight of Venom placing them on the ground. The mother immediately looked to the car with worried eyes. "My babies!" she
Seth snapped his head to the vehicle again, jumping to the side of the car again. But before he could react however, the spread of fuel came into contact with the growing sparks, igniting the line of gasoline. Flames erupting and followed the puddle of the fuel, and to the source of the fuel.
The firemen had to hold the parents back because they saw the flames, making them try to jump into action to save their children right now.
EXPLOSION
The flames caught up to the source of the fuel, causing the car explode. The parents were shielded by the firemen's bodies. But the parents pried themselves away as they saw the car with their children explode. "Emma!/Jay!" They shouted in shock and hurt, while their bodies were pulled away from the explosion.
The firemen showered the burning car with water from their hose with multiple water hoses. While both parents broke down in tears. They just lost their children…or so they thought.
Sounds of babies crying and cooing loudly emitted from behind them, making the parents look in the direction. Their eyes were wide with happiness when they saw Venom walk over to them with his arms swaying around, their babies in his arms.
"How did…" the man of the couple trailed off before happiness and relief came over him, as he and his wife jumped back to their feet.
"They are alright. They're safe." Venom told them, as he walked closer to the crying parents. "You might wanna change their diapers, though." He bent down on a knee to better hand them back to them. When their children came into their arms again, tears of pure joy and relief streamed down their cheeks.
Venom smiled warmly, even with his overly large maw he smiled warmly, at the sight of the overjoyed parents with their children again. He got back on his feet and was about to turn around, when the couple stopped them. "Thank you…." The anti-hero turned his head as they stepped forward, "Venom." the couple finished off with wide smiles. His hand raised and his thumb pushed up before shooting out tendrils, latching onto a nearby building before swinging away from the overjoyed couple.
X
(S.T.A.R. Labs)
After the two heroes handled each of their car crashes, they arrived back at the facility where everyone was present. But for some reason, Matt kept his eyes on Cisco who seemed to be hiding something inside of his mind.
Cisco began cleaning the Flash suit with a towel and commented on the two heroes' handling of the situations. "Dudes. That was insane." He commented, before looking to Barry who was having his arms over his head while seated in the chair. "I mean, even I'm having a hard time getting mad at you for dirtying up my suit."
"Okay, when are we going to start considering it my suit?" Barry wondered while his finger pointed to Seth who stood beside Caitlin. "And does the count for Seth too?"
Seth cocked an eyebrow and stated, "Unlike your suit, Bar, mine is a living creature… who's a cannibalistic chocolate addict… and my roommate." Barry nodded, happy that his suit was not in the same boat as the mutant's. He couldn't imagine sharing his body with an alien… or anyone else like that.
"You're lucky to deal with us. Who else could handle listening to your constant bickering?" the symbiote added smugly.
Cisco then stated, "I'd be comfortable calling it our suit. And I'm still not allowed to make experiments with Seth's suit."
"He's a living creature." Caitlin said sternly in defense of her boyfriend's partner, who grabbed her hand with a tendril. Giving the host a quick wink, she then looked the speedster and stated, "Tonight was the fastest you've ever run."
"Yeah, our Speed-Freak is growing up so fast." Matt said with quip, using his friend's nickname for him.
The metahuman got up from his chair as Harrison continued, "Yes, your training is paying off. That couple is alive tonight because of you."
"And a family of four is alive because of you." Caitlin said as she pecked Seth's cheek with a kiss, making a smile grace his face. She then moved over to the side beside her boss.
Barry registered their words, but he didn't find his current speed sufficient, not enough for his nemesis, the one who destroyed his life. "I can still get faster. I know I can."
Dr. Wells rolled backwards and said, "And you will one day. I'm sure. But for today, I'd say you've fulfilled your save quota. Proper rest is what you need, as do we all." He finished off before rolling out of the exit to the Cortex.
Cisco then got a better idea on how to spend the night, "Better yet, what we all need is a proper drink. Who's up for a drink?" he gestured to everyone in the room.
"Oh, dude, it's… it's movie night with Joe. I can't." Barry said before adding, "But I'll see you guys tomorrow, all right?" He walked out.
"Yeah, I'm going out on a patrol tonight, so I can't either." Matt told his lie before moving out.
"Yeah, sorry, I have to make some space in my loft tonight." Seth said before walking over to Caitlin, "Wanna come over later?"
"Sure. Bye." She kissed him briefly before walking to her bag, while Seth jumped out of the skylight.
Cisco began rubbing his hand with the towel, as he asked his co-worker. "What about you? Drinks on me?" he offered as he stepped closer.
Without making eye contact with him, she replied, "I think I'll pass."
Taking in her tone, the mechanical engineer found it weird and almost coldish, so he asked her "You okay?"
Caitlin looked up from her bag and looked into his eyes with a cold look. She inhaled before stating what was on her mind. "I was looking for my tablet at your work station, and I found this." Taking out a tablet, she flipped it around and showed to him.
The mechanical engineer saw that she showed her his search result for F.I.R.E.S.T.O.R.M., showing the same papers that she and Seth had read before. "I can explain." He started defensively with sad eyes, "I know you said we should stop looking for Ronnie, so I…" Caitlin waited patiently for his response, "didn't stop looking for Ronnie."
"Why?" she asked, worried what Seth might think if he found out that his friend had began searching for her former fiancée.
She got the unexpected answer, "Hartley. He said he knew what happened to Ronnie."
Caitlin then quipped sarcastically but hollowly, "Oh, Hartley Rathaway, who is currently locked in our super-villain basement jail for going psycho with sound waves?"
Cisco got her point, "Yeah. He's made some poor choices. There's no argument there. But I looked into what he was saying and-"
She cut him off, "Cisco. Ronnie's gone, and I have moved on with my life, with Seth." She finished off and took her bag, ready to walk out of the facility.
"Doesn't seem like that." The mechanical engineer stated.
The bio-engineer turned around to him with surprise on her face, "What's that supposed to mean?"
He was worried that he might be treading into some dangerous territory, but he said it anyway. "Look, I'm not an expert on love, but I think in order to move on from Ronnie… you actually have to move on."
Cisco only said because he knew that Ronnie was somewhere in her mind, even though she was dating Seth right now. He knew that he was still in her mind somewhere. But he only wanted it to spark so she understands why he was still looking for his friend.
Caitlin walked away, not wanting to be reminded again of her formerly dead fiancée. Ronnie was still in her mind, somewhere. But that part was always suppressed in her mind. Not wanting it to ruin anything that she had with Seth. However, when Ronnie's name was mentioned… the locked part of her mind became unlocked making his name come over her mind again…
…Making her feel horrible right now…
X
(Iron Heights Prison, Outside)
Outside of Iron Heights Prison, a detention facility located near Keystone City, a very fancy car rolled up far from the facility. Inside of the car, a dark-skinned young woman with curly hair pointing up, placed a CD disk inside of her car radio. A moment later, her radio started and her song played. The woman turned on the lights inside of her car, lighting up her face.
Pulling something out of her car's compartments, she leaned back in her seat and placed her handheld telescope. Through the telescope, she looked into a window. Seeing that, a smirk graced on her face before she disappeared in a flash.
X
(Iron Heights Prison, Inside)
The same woman from before, who was inside of her car, now appeared back inside of the prison with her telescope in hand.
She slowly walked down the stairs, but stopped and walked back up again, when she heard footsteps come from the other staircase. A moment later, a prison guard did indeed come up the staircase. When the guard walked out of the way, she continued back down the stairs. And around the threshold of the door.
Passing thorough another door, the woman held up her telescope and smashed into the security camera that was up in the corner. She repeated with other cameras she passed by. And she knew that this would end up with the alarm sirens being turned on.
But she didn't care about that. She was a woman on a mission, who was going to accomplish it no matter what.
With no guard near her, she pulled out her phone and looked at the structure of the prison, and more specifically the cells, finding the one she wanted to find. When she did, she rounded a corner, but it was a mistake as a guard saw her from the corner of his eye.
The guard ran after the intruder while shouting "Hold it right there" repeatedly, but to no success as the woman kept running. He rounded a corner, but she was gone. He didn't see it, but the intruder appeared behind him and ran in the opposite direction of him.
When she found the right cell, she ran to it and pressed up against the cell door. The male occupant of the cell heard the commotion from before and walked closer to the door himself, and his eyes ran over the familiar form of the woman there. "Shawna?" he asked curiously.
Shawna didn't utter a single word nor give an appropriate response. But instead she used her powers and appeared behind the man in the cell again. The man was surprised and cracked his head to the side, seeing Shawna on top of his bed and looking out the window, her hand outstretched to her. "Crazy cool, right?"
The man pointed at her and with a stuttering voice asked, "How… How did you do that?"
She didn't answer but instead instructed, "Grab my hand." The man heard guards coming from the other end of the hallway, and he didn't want to be on their receiving end of their punishment if they thought he knew something. He made his choice and grabbed Shawna's hand.
Shawna took her telescope and looked out the window, looking into her car again. She activated her powers, and she and the man disappeared without a trace in black-ish white-ish smoke.
X
(Iron Heights Prison, Outside)
Shawna and the man materialized again, this time inside of her car. The man found himself in the driver's seat of the car with his savior in the seat beside him.
The man looked around in surprise to find himself in her fancy car while his breath was ragged with even more surprise and rush from escaping the prison in mere seconds. Shawna remained her composure and turned off the light in the car.
The man turned to the woman beside him, and placed his hand on the back of her head, making Shawna smile widely. "How the hell, Shawna?"
"So, you like?" she asked him, almost worriedly, as her hands placed themselves on the back of his head.
But her worries were for naught, as he immediately said, "Oh, I love." The two of them then engaged in a passionate kiss in the middle of the road, in their car right now. They pulled away from each other both of them wearing smiles as the man shouted out happily "Whoo!" and they drove away with the pedal to the metal.
The car passed by a tree, and from within its leaves and branches, a form jumped down from it, the shadows still cloaking his form… until he walked out of them and the small street light near him illuminated his face. The crimson face of the carnage with black veins and pitch-black fangs, his eyes looking in direction of the car.
A maniacal smile formed on his face as he said.
"They're perfect."
His cackle echoed throughout the street as he returned to the shadows
X
(S.T.A.R. Labs, The next day)
After the events of last night, everyone had gathered in The Cortex of the facility again, to talk about what happened in the prison. To talk about the intruder who was able to slip in and out of the prison in a matter of seconds.
The person who was broken out of the prison was one Clay Parker. Strangest thing was that…just vanished.
The police were brought onto the scene of the crime and investigated the prison, spoke with the guards and did their rounds of questions. Barry, being the CSI scientist, examined Parker's cell. And to Joe's surprise, he was able to find something. An organic particulate residual, something he found around various places within the prison, and all the way outside the detention facility.
Now Joe and Barry brought the residual back to the facility of S.T.A.R. Labs, where now everyone examined the residual on the big monitor. The monitor displayed the illuminated state of the residual and saw the cells move around very quickly.
Caitlin and Seth shared a look as they noticed the state of the cells. The female bio-engineer then stated, "Not even Barry's cells move this fast. I've never seen anything like it."
The elemental tilted his head as he found the cells behavior familiar, but he was unsure of how. "So Clay Parker is a metahuman?" Joe wondered, while his eyes saw his friend's head tilt to the sides.
"I wouldn't count your chickens just yet, Josephine." Seth corrected him before moving closer. "The particulate residue that Mr. Allen here gathered for us at Iron Heights does indeed contain traces of Clay Parker's DNA, but also DNA of a woman." He said, Harrison nodded in agreement as he had noticed the same. He then asked the lawmen, "This isn't one of those rooms for "conjugal visits" is it?"
"No it's not. We can assure you of that." Joe eased his mind, with the mutant exhaling happily and relieving, almost exaggerating it too much and dramatically. His reaction got a couple of chuckles from everyone in the room.
The speedster then stated, "Run her DNA against the CCPD criminal database. See if you get a match."
Cisco did as told and searched for a match, with Matt standing behind him and looking at the monitor himself. The computer then found a match and displayed, "Match Found", along with a picture of the woman who intruded and her criminal record and her name. "Yahtzee." He leaned back in his chair.
Matt looked closer and stated the information, "Her name's Shawna Baez. Mostly petty crimes, and this one's a party girl to the heart, apparently." Cisco then continued for him.
"Yeah, she is. Long list of disorderly conducts at local bars."
"Sounds like my type of girl." Seth quipped with a wink towards Caitlin, making her roll her eyes playfulness.
Joe then said, "So I'm guessing we find her, we find Clay Parker. Barry?"
"Yeah." The speedster followed Joe and out of the door.
Harrison Wells then said, "In the meantime, let's track these particulates and see how they work."
"Let's give Brains a hand, Cait." Seth suggested and she nodded her cooperation immediately, before they followed the founder of the facility.
"I'll be right with you guys." Cisco said before getting up from his chair.
Matt looked to him with narrowed eyes and asked, "You need a hand, Cisco?"
"No need. Just gotta… clean up the workshop, real quick." The mechanical engineer said with an obvious lie.
"You sure, I don't mind helping you." The weapons expert said, knowing that it was a lie. Cisco said that it wasn't necessary before he walked out. Matt waited a few moments before following him. "Don't do anything stupid, Cisco."
X
Cisco stood in front of Hartley Rathaway's cell in the Pipeline of the facility, his arms were crossed over his chest as he glared at his former colleague. Hartley himself, the Pied Piper, had his back up against the wall while seated on the floor of his cell.
A chuckle escaped his mouth before Hartley said in playfulness. "I've had the biggest craving for Thai food"
The mechanical engineer had returned to see Hartley again because of what he said before. About what happened to Ronnie Raymond. And even though it might cause a wrench to appear in Seth and Caitlin's relation, he had to do it….
For his old friend… for what he was forced to do back then… that night.
"You said you knew what happened to Ronnie and how he was still alive." Cisco said, "And you said Professor Stein was at S.T.A.R. Labs the night of the explosion."
Hartley with an infuriating smug smile on his face, stated with a nodding head. "Yes. He was."
"Why?" Cisco demanded.
His former colleague leaned forward, his elbows touching his knees as he answered with a cryptic riddle. "The mystery isn't why Stein went to S.T.A.R. Labs that night. It's why he didn't leave."
Cisco wasn't going to answer that ridiculous riddle. He wanted the answer. "Tell me."
"Can't." Hartley told him, with his back returning to the wall, "I have to show you."
Scoffing as though he should be surprised by Hartley's response, Cisco said. "You are not getting out of this cell." He turned around to walk away.
Hartley saw the same and shot up to his feet in desperation, "Fair enough, but I know you, Cisco." This got him to turn back to Hartley. "I know how much you looked up to Ronnie. He was like family." His words fanned his flame and desire to search for Ronnie. "A family you built for yourself here. I know how much you want to see that family healed. Let me help you."
Cisco felt his heart smashing in his chest. He was close to finally get his friend back. But logic kept him straight, for now. "I don't believe you." He walked away again.
"Well, I'm telling you the truth, Cisco." Hartley assured him, getting the mechanical engineer to stop by the control panel to the cells. "When you are ready, you know where to find me."
Cisco gave him a lasting glare while his hand moved to the panel and twisted his fingers around, closing the door to the pipeline right now. The engineer moved away from the panel and rounded a corner and walked over to his workshop, trying to sort out his next decision.
From the other corner of the entrance to the Pipeline, Matt came out and looked between the direction of his friend and the large door where Hartley was behind it. The mutant had heard everything that was said between them, and he knew what Hartley's goal was. it was obvious.
He was preying on Cisco's feelings and emotions for his lost friend. It was a weak play. Using another person's feeling for their own schemes were very low, but from what they saw before, he wasn't surprised to see him stoop so low.
Matt clenched his fists in anger. He had a half-mind to storm in there, and cut Hartley into pieces right about now, screaming and begging for mercy, and getting none. And that's for playing with his friend's emotions like that. But he was unsure of what to do now, either stop Cisco or tell Seth. However, he couldn't involve his best friend, not yet anyway.
"Big mistake Rathaway." He muttered to himself in anger as he made his decision.
X
(Iron Heights Prison)
Seth went out for a while per Joe's request to Iron Heights Prison, Caitlin and Dr. Wells told him that it was okay for him to leave. Joe and Barry had received a call from the detention facility, where they were told by an inmate who had some information.
Now Seth, Barry and Joe had arrived in the visitation room of the facility to talk to the inmate who wanted to share his information. The mutant however was surprised to see the familiar face of a man around the detective's age, the same man who had allegedly killed his own wife in front of their own son.
Henry Allen.
While Joe and Barry spoke with the prison inmate, Seth heard his partner comment. "So this the speedster's father, huh?"
"Apparently so. Why what did you expect?" he asked of his partner curiously.
"We're not sure. Perhaps we thought he might have gotten more muscles or something. Taller maybe, like the inmates of Raft."
"You do realize this place is like the corner where naughty kids are sent to compared to the Raft, where people who can scare the living crap out of anyone with just one look. That and they're all supervillains or serial killers with a taste for blood, right?" Seth couldn't help but wonder about Carnage at that thought. "He's gotta be here, right? Carnage gotta be here."
"We hope so. He was the first one to go through that portal back in our world. If he's not here, then chances of finding Olivia have become slimmer than ever before." the symbiote added sadly, not wanting lose hope of Olivia Fury.
"We can't give up." Seth thought back adamantly, not willing to give up on his baby sister or on finding Carnage, his last and only chance to get his life back.
"What do you mean you've been asking around?" Barry's urgent remark snapped Seth out of his mind and into the conversation again.
Henry looked to the unresponsive mutant and asked, "I assume you must be Seth." He nodded. "Pleasure to meet you, heard a lot about you from Joe and Barry. You're quite a friend to them both, from what I hear."
The mutant took the phone and said, "I try. But it's a pleasure to meet you as well, Mr. Allen." He politely introduced greeted the inmate on the other side of the glass.
He nodded before going to talk to his son, "Do you know a Marcus Stockheimer?"
Barry shared a look with Joe, letting the detective take the phone to talk next. "Sure, he's some mid-level gangster. He works mainly on the south side."
"Word is, Clay Parker was a runner for Marcus." Henry started, the other three men listened in closely. "When Clay got pinched, Marcus lost a lot of money. Apparently, Marcus doesn't like losing money."
"So, what?" Barry started with an inquiry, "So Parker can't leave Central City until he's paid off his debt?"
"Not unless he wants to look over his shoulder the entire time." Seth said, "Wondering whether or not, you're gonna find yourself with a knife or a gun in your face instead."
Henry nodded in agreement with his words, "From what I'm told, if you're a member of the Stockheimer crew, you get out, first thing you do is pay him a visit or suffer the consequences."
"All right." Barry said after snatching the phone again. "No more playing cop. Promise me."
Seth found his words quite hurtful, but it was mainly for the sake of his father's safety, so it was understandable. "I hear you." Henry told his son.
"All right." The speedster said.
Henry looked to the mutant and gestured for him to take the phone, which he did, mainly out of curiosity. "Keep an eye on these two for me, would you? These two have a tendency to get into trouble, even more than normal lawmen."
His head tilted in confusion of how much before Seth asked him, "You seem to put a lot of faith into a man, you've never before, Mr. Allen. Why's that?" Barry and Joe wondered the same.
The inmate shrugged his shoulders, and answered honestly. "Something in your eyes." He nodded to his eyes. "It looks like a lot the eyes I've seen in here." The elemental awaited his elaboration. "The kind of eyes that are willing to fight for those he cares about no matter what. And protect them beyond any measures."
"Sounds about right." Seth quipped jokingly, his friends rolling their eyes.
"And… the eyes of the ones who search for redemption because of loss." Both he and Venom widened their eyes, while Henry smiled, knowing that he had hit the ballpark. "You're gonna get your chance, Seth. Just wait." The elemental nodded to him.
"We like the father over the son." Venom stated his thoughts.
"Agreed. Maybe Barry was born without the brains of the family." Seth thought back with a dark quip.
The elemental and Joe moved back slightly, leaving the father and son to talk with each other which they seemed to need. Seth looked at his friend's face and saw something bothering him, if his expression was any indication like unsureness.
Worried for his friend, the mutant asked. "What's on your mind?"
Joe knew that his friend wasn't going to let him, he said. "Remember that girl who insulted Tockman a while back? The one you've been watching over since getting here?"
"You mean Frankie Kane?" Joe nodded to his suggestion. "Yeah, I do. Is she okay? She's not in any trouble, is she?" he fired of his questions worriedly, Venom was waiting impatiently inside of his partner's body for the answer as well.
"Don't worry she's fine." The detective assured him immediately, even getting him to release an exhale of relief. "She came to me earlier today and said she found something weird a while back. She wanted me to check it out."
"And what? What'd you find?" Seth inquired of his friend who then began explaining.
X
(Flashback)
Detective Joe West and Frankie Kane walked together into some parts of the city, no one would ever visit normally. Central City wasn't anything like Starling City, but it still held some dark parts on various streets. With that in mind, Joe made sure that his badge was visible and hanging from his neck.
Looking to his companion, Joe could see that Frankie was looking uncomfortably around. "Are you okay, Frankie?"
The young girl looked to him after a soft exhale, "Not really. What I found was really scary, and it really… stunk. Made me sick really." She added with disgust in her voice while feeling disgust in her stomach.
Joe was then reminded of what she told him before, "You didn't really say anything about what you found, Frankie. What did you find?"
Before Frankie could reply she had a brief mental conversation within herself, thinking of what to reveal him. When it ended, she replied to the detective. "Not sure how to describe it really, it looked like a body." Her answer was sheepish, not much a detective could build much on.
Seeing the way she was being secretive right now, he didn't see the need to force her to speak more, knowing that she was feeling very uncomfortable talking about it. Joe nodded to her, and let her lead them to their destination.
Frankie led the way, the two rounded a corner, and once again the young girl found herself in the same exact alleyway where she found that molten mess, that resembled a human. Making her step behind the detective in fear and disgust…
But when she stepped out from behind the detective, her eyes and Joe's own… none of them caught the sight of a human body.
The detective looked around and didn't find any signs of either a struggle or a murder. No blood there, no damaged ground or surroundings at. Walking around carefully at the alleged murder scene, his eyes inspected the scene with narrowed eyes.
But nothing could be found there.
With a heavy heart, he turned back to the young girl, who kept holding her nose in visible disgust. Joe found it curious, they were no obvious signs of there being a murder here. Instead, he tried to find a different piece of evidence, sniffing the air briefly… he slammed his hand to his nose, trying to prevent more of that loathsome smell. "Damn, that stinks."
"Yeah it still does." Frankie said in agreement with the elder man.
Joe had to agree the stench of what filled the air around them resembled that of a decaying corpse that have been left by a murderer. The very odor of rotting flesh is very unique. Not wanting to spend more time in his stinking alley, he led him and Frankie out of it. "Okay, it does smell like something's been rotting in there, trust me. But there's no body here. Where did you find the body? And how?"
"I was just walking away a bit, just to clear my head." Frankie started, "While I did, I smelled something in the air and walked towards it. Big mistake. But I did, and I found this body here, it looked rotten like it was left in the sun for days."
"Thanks for that image." Joe quipped in discomfort, getting the young girl to giggle humorously, making the detective wonder how she found any humor in this situation. "Okay, I don't wanna force you to talk more, I know you're uncomfortable talking about it. But…" he pulled out a card with his number on it and handed it to her. ".. when you're ready, give me a call, will you? I'll continue looking over the scene here."
"I will." Frankie replied with a nod, "And before we go back, you're… Seth's friend, right?"
Joe smiled warmly when he registered her hopeful voice, "I am. Still wondering why I haven't shot that guy yet."
His somewhat dark joke got the girl to laugh again, Frankie said, "He's nice. I was hoping to talk to him soon. Been a while since we last did."
"I'll get him to contact you as soon as possible, Frankie. Promise you that." Joe assured her with a smile as they continued and walked away from the alleged murder scene.
(Flashback end)
X
When Joe finished telling him of what happened, Seth and Venom looked at him curiously and with surprise. He didn't expect Frankie Kane to suddenly find a corpse when she out for a walk, it was definitely what he expected Joe to tell him.
The detective then asked him curiously, "Hey, you've known her for a while now, haven't you?" The mutant nodded, "You think she might be pulling a prank here on me?"
"Absolutely not." Seth answered immediately and adamantly. "Frankie's not that kind of girl, Joe. She's better than that. I know I've only been watching over her for a while, but I can tell you right here she's not the kind of girl who would just pull a prank on the authority. She's sweet and innocent, she's not like the other teenagers her age. She's a good kid." He said fully convinced that the young girl would never pull something so devious.
"We are talking about the same girl who insulted the Clock King, right? The girl who insulted a criminal?" Joe reminded him with a counter.
Seth gave his partner a dry look, "Okay, she's got some personality, but that doesn't mean she'd just go and pull something like this. Trust me. Frankie Kane's being honest with you."
"Okay, I'll take you at your word." Joe assured the mutant before they continued on their way, the father and son in the visitation room still talking with each other. Debriefing each other of what they've been through so far since their last meeting.
X
(S.T.A.R. Labs, Outside)
Cisco made his decision. Not because of Caitlin… but because of what he chose to do back then… the night of the particle accelerator explosion. The same decision that's been haunting him ever since he did that… ever since he pressed that button.
Even if meant he had to let Hartley Rathaway out… he had to do it.
But he wasn't going to let Hartley go free, so he handcuffed his former colleague, not trusting him for a second.
Cisco let hm lead him outside of the facility, to a place with a series of staircases. The mechanical engineer looked around and peered around with inspecting eyes. But he found nothing, making him direct at the cuffed Pied Piper. "You said you were gonna show me what happened to Ronnie. Ronnie died inside the building. What are we doing out here?"
Hartley had already seen it, so he mocked Cisco for not seeing it yet. "What do you see?"
Briefly looking to him, Cisco replied while walking down the stairs. "I don't know." He gestured around, "Buildings, walls, dirt." He reached a platform by the bottom of the stairs.
His not so friendly companion followed. "Wells would be so disappointed in your observational skills. Look again." Hartley instructed.
The mechanical engineer looked ahead again, as he stepped closer to the wall, where something peculiar was on the wall. It looked like dirt. But in the shape of a silhouette, in the form of a man. But it looked like it was burned up against the man.
Cisco ran his finger over it inspecting. "Bakudan no kage." Hartley spoke in Japanese behind him. "It's Japanese."
Turning his head slightly to look at him with one eye, Cisco remarked almost in disbelief, "How can you speak six languages and sound like a dick in every one of them?"
Without reacting to his insult, Hartley translated before explaining, "It means "bomb shadow". They found these all over Hiroshima after the first atomic bomb was dropped." Cisco still examined it while Hartley continued, "This shadow belonged to Martin Stein."
This made Cisco turn to Hartley with his finger pointed at the shadow. "The accelerator explosion did this to him?"
Hartley counted resist the urge to grow smug right now, so he remarked, "You really don't see it, do you? You're gonna kick yourself when you figure it out."
Cisco finally realized it, that his chain was yanked right now. and the revelation of who was yanking it, shouldn't have surprised him. Scoffing he said, "Oh, man. You were full of it then, and you're full of it now. This is just another one of your lame-ass tricks. Come on. We're going back into the Pipeline."
He moved closer to Hartley and turned him around. His former colleague used this chance and slammed his left elbow into Cisco's nose. Pied Piper then spun around, going for another attack, but his target dodged.
A fist connected with Hartley's face, before a grunt came out of his mouth when his body Cisco slammed him into the wall. Wrapping his arms around his stomach, the mechanical twisted him into the air before smashing him into the ground. Hartley used that momentum from the throw to spin his former co-worker into the ground himself.
Cisco got back on their feet after stepping away from the crouching Hartley. Charging at his former colleague, he went to kick him away. But it was intercepted by his target's hands, letting Hartley raise them while getting his feet. His action caused the mechanical engineer be thrown to the ground.
Seeing that he was orientated for the moment, Hartley saw his chance and ran up the staircase. But then Cisco pulled out a small device from his pocket and pressed a button on it. A incredible high-pitched sound screeched from it.
Because of his sensitive hearing after the particle accelerator explosion, the high-pitched screech caused unimaginable pain and agony to erupt in his head. "Aah!" he screamed as he got down on his knees on the steps.
Cisco got up on his feet again as he saw how sweet it was to give Hartley a taste of his own medicine. "You're not the only one who understands vibrations, Hartley." He stepped closer to him. "Those cochlear devises you're wearing? I made a few adjustments." His tone was almost cruel.
"No, please don't!" Hartley pleaded to him while pain continued its eruption in his head. "Aah!" he grunted even more with pain.
Cisco wasn't going to let him continue hurting and yanking him around. He wanted to get his friend, no matter what. And no one was going to stop him. "If you how to find Ronnie, then you better tell me. Right now." He said seriously.
"Please, make it stop." Hartley begged him again before assuring him. "Please. I'll show you. I'll show- Ah…ahh!"
For now, he took Hartley at his words, and turned his device down. "Try that again, and I won't make it stop. Ever." He threatened him.
Hartley's hearing was back to normal, so he said, somewhat surprised and impressed. "I'm impressed. Didn't think you had that in you."
The mechanical engineer then chose this moment to remind him, "I work with the Venom." In the eyes of criminals and media, the elemental anti-hero was the face of true horror, unleashing fear inside of their hearts of every villain with one glance.
Pied Piper could see the knowledge in his words and then realization came over him, and a chance to escape. "But you have to take these off me if you want to find out the truth." Displaying his handcuffed hands.
Narrowing his eyes in skepticism, he replied. "And why's that?"
To his question, Hartley responded, "It'll look a little conspicuous where we're going next." After a few moments of some talking, they moved away.
After they were out of earshot, Matt jumped down in his Iron Knight suit. He had kept his eyes on them and followed them, but made sure to keep his distance from them. He considered intervening when he saw Hartley take a shot at escape by fighting against Cisco. But like a pro, he was able to stand his own against him.
"Cisco, you should start training Barry, he might learn a thing or two for once." He said before looking at the wall again. "Martin Stein, huh? Jarvis, what do you have on him?"
After a few moments of quick searching, the AI started, "Professor Martin Stein, husband to one Clarissa Stein, is a co-writer on the papers for the F.I.R.E.S.T.O.R.M. project with one Jason Rusch. Professor Stein is also a physicist, specializing in quantum physics, a field of study that he's been awarded for in the past. And from previous video footage from security cameras, it is shown that he's developed in the concept of tim-"
"Jarvis, I know you hate it when I interrupt you, but his interests are somewhat irrelevant for me. Nor what he does in his house." Matt said before walked closer to the burn mark of the Professor's shadow. "Looks like the marks dad showed me a while back, doesn't it J?"
"It does, sir."
"What were you working on Stein?" His armored hand glided over the burn mark, taking it in slowly with each rub. Finding it still weird, he looked around a last time before he said, "Time to go." His helmet covered his face again before jumped into the air. He launched into the air, making sure that Hartley wasn't going to get a chance to get one over Cisco.
X
(S.T.A.R. Labs)
After their sit-down with Henry Allen, Joe and Barry went out for some Big Belly Burger, while Seth went back to the facility. When he walked through the entrance, he found Caitlin at the main console in the Cortex, she was sipping her coffee while working on her stuff.
"Hey you." He called out to her.
She saw Seth walking through the door and said, "Mm." the two shared a kiss before Caitlin started, "I was analyzing the particulates that Clay Parker and Shawna Baez left behind, and I found something very interesting."
"Again, if it's anything from a conjugal visits room, then I'm outta here. I do not want to test anything from a conjugal visit." Seth said steadfastly.
"Don't worry, nothing to do about conjugal visits." She assured him with a smile. "But sorry for not asking you for help."
"Don't you worry your pretty little head about that." He rubbed her back. "Besides I was helping Joe and Barry."
She smiled before showing the results on the computer, with Seth leaning over beside her to look herself. "When Clay's cells come into contact with Shawna's, they adopt her properties."
Seth widened his eyes as he realized, "Allowing her to teleport people with her. Sounds a lot like a mutant I know back in my universe." Caitlin showed her interest, the mutant continued, "Another mutant with the same powers as this Shawna, most likely. But he's got his blue devil look, which is actually pretty cool."
"What is she doing?" Venom suddenly asked as he noticed Caitlin's facial expression.
Narrowing his eyes, he looked to her. She was biting her lower lip while her eyes were at the monitor. "She only does that when something's on her mind."
Venom didn't speak for a few moments. But when he did, he said, "… you do realize we spent just as much time with her as you do." Seth couldn't disagree with that, but he hated how smug his partner was about it. "When you stop acting like an idiot, we'll stop acting smug."
Briefly shaking his head of anymore thoughts like that, he directed at Caitlin, "What's on your mind, Cait?"
She looked to him, her lower lip still bitten. "Why would you ask that?"
Gesturing to his own lip, he explained, "You're doing that biting-your-lower-lip thing that you do when something's bothering you." The elemental then added for fun, "Or when you sleep, which I found absolutely adorable."
"Stop that." She slapped his chest playfully before she cleared her throat, "I'm fine."
Seth chuckled before clearing his own throat, "Okay. But you do realize I have interrogated people before, right? Now I'm not going to do it to you, but please just know that I can."
She didn't respond but turned back to the monitors. Seth knew she was near the cracking point, right on the very ed- "Cisco says I don't have a life." She exclaimed with her back being straightened and her arms crossed over her torso, a little cute pout forming on her face.
Both Venom and Seth were surprised how quickly she cracked, but both found it kind of incredible funny. He stepped closer and rubbed her back. "You don't, do you?" he teased her, but only to hear her counter argument.
She blushed and she exclaimed embarrassedly, "I do! I cook and I eat… and I read…and I help you and Barry." Seth's smirk widened as she had trouble finding items to fire off of her list. "And I spent time with you…cooking dinner with you… sometimes going out with you…"
He found it absolutely adorable how she was trying to prove him wrong. But he wouldn't let her off so easily. "So, what you're saying is, you do everything that has nothing to do with having a life. Excluding, the parts we do together."
"You don't have to be rude about it." She said in mock hurt.
The elemental wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. "Hey, I'm not doing any better than you. My social life consists of leaping around in the city looking like a hellbeast, watching over Barry like his babysitter, and Netflix. And enjoying my time with you as well. Plus looking after Frankie, when I'm around her neighborhood."
"We are quite the pair, Dr. Fury." She said with a smile.
"Yes we are, Dr. Snow." He initiated a swift kiss with the female doctor.
The computer then chimed, making both doctors look at the monitors after pulling away from eacher. "There's an armed robbery in progress." Caitlin stated. "Two suspects, male and female in their 20s."
"Sounds like our meta-human Bonnie and Clyde are at it again." Seth quipped after her.
"Wanna go and ruin their social life?" Caitlin asked.
Seth pressed a button and connected to Barry's comms. "Barry, Baez and Parker surfaced, let's go."
"Wanna bet if I can do it by myself?" Barry wagered on the other end of the comms device.
The mutant raised his eyebrow in surprise before concluding, "Game on, Mr. Allen. Loser buys the winner two triple triples at Big Belly Burger."
"Good, I'm hungry." Barry made his decision.
"You're gonna buy me extra fries with mine." Seth said back before ended the call.
Caitlin was laughing the entire time while they wagered also when Seth told him the location of the robbery, she then asked curiously, regarding their last conversation, "Hey how's Frankie doing? I saw her a while back at Jitters. She seemed fine."
"I haven't seen her for a while yet. But I am gonna go check up on her soon." Seth frowned as a series of uncomfortable thoughts entered his mind. He felt Caitlin's hand rub his, giving insurance to get things off his chest. "I don't know what it is, but I feel like she's keeping something from me, and… I don't like it, really. She's been opening up to with each visit, but she's still hiding something from me… and it's worrying me to the bone."
Caitlin saw how worried he looked and registered it, making her inquire. "You're really worried about her, aren't you?"
"I don't why, but every time I see her, she always seems so scared… it reminds me a lot like my sister." Seth said with saddened eyes and tone. "but at the same time, it doesn't… I just worry about her a lot, and I don't know why, actually."
"We'll try helping you more, Seth I promise." She said as she kissed his cheek tenderly.
WHOOSH
The female doctor pulled away from his cheek, and both of them turned to the entrance where a gust of wind originated from. They saw Barry standing by the doorframe with a dejected look on his face. "Barry? You okay?" Seth asked while his hand was placed on the back of his neck.
"Baez and Parker… they got away." The speedster sighed.
The two doctors got a gurney out and Barry got on it after getting out of his suit. Caitlin and Seth inspected the wound on the metahuman's neck. "This is a bullet wound. You're lucky it just barely broke the skin."
"So close to popping that cherry." Seth sighed, getting weird looks from them in response. "My dad said that to me when I was shot when I was… nineteen maybe."
Caitlin gave him a wide-eyed look, "Your dad shot you?"
Nodding immediately, he answered. "My dad's way of teaching either involves interrogation rooms above the China Sea or the use of weapons to state his points. Or Goose his pet… cat." He was unsure of how to explain the true origin of his dad's pet. Flerkens are weird in his mind, and to his partner, making them weirder to the natives of this universe.
"Guess I'm a lot faster than a speeding bullet." The speedster quipped to them, getting them to chuckle, while Harrison Wells rolled into the room. Barry looking at him as he said, "Shawna Baez. She can teleport."
"As in, "Beam up up, Shawna"?" Caitlin wondered.
"Or like disappear in smoke?" Seth wondered after her.
Barry nodded to them both in agreement, while Harrison got into the conversation. "Of course. Quantum entanglement." All three of them gave him blank looks, awaiting explanations. "The ability to manipulate interconnected particles over an infinite distance." The founder then found a different way of explanation, "Or, as Einstein put it, "Spooky action at a distance.""
Caitlin moved to Seth's side while Barry added, "Every time I got close, she'd disappear."
The elemental said, "Sounds like you two were playing a game of-"
"Peek-a-boo." The three males looked to Caitlin who offered her own nickname for the newest villain. She looked to them with wide eyes of expectation and hope. Seth thought she could make puppies lose their cuteness. "Come on. Can't I name one?"
Rubbing her back comfortingly, Seth said, "Of course you can, Cait. And it's a lovely name… for a thieving metahuman, but nonetheless lovely." She placed her head on his shoulder.
Barry saw their closeness and hoped for the same with Iris right now, maybe in the near future. He then looked to the paralyzed scientist, "How am I supposed to catch her if I don't know where's she's gonna be?"
Seth then reminded him, "Barry like you and I, including Matt, remember that, we all have our limits. Especially with our powers, they are physical attributes they do take a toll on the body. And I think I might have a theory on to deal with him."
The founder said with a nodding head, "Mr. Rogers is correct. Everybody has limits, Mr. Allen. Now that we know Shawna's powers, we'll focus on those limits. And with the added aid of Mr. Rogers, then we'll be able to put her in the Pipeline quickly." He finished off before wheeling away.
"All right. Let me know. I'm gonna change." The speedster then recalled a promise, "I gotta go help Iris." He walked away.
The mutant got a flash of inspiration, making him walk closer to Caitlin, who saw him. "What is it?" she wondered.
"Shawna and Clay usually frequented south side dive bars, didn't they? As well as my workplace, if I recall, right?" Caitlin nodded to his question. "Well how about we kill two birds with one stone."
"What do you mean?" she became slightly more intrigued now.
"I mean we could go look for them, see if they creatures of habit and still go to those bars." He stepped even closer to her. "And maybe we could… make this a date too."
She smiled as she registered his suggestion, "So an investigation and a date night, hmm?" she hummed. "I like it. Is that what you do with your other dates and girlfriends?"
"None of them is as interesting as you. Plus, when was the last time we went out?" he gestured between the two of them and added, "You know, like a couple."
She noticed how embarrassed he looked right now, and she adored it greatly, knowing that he was thinking of the two of them like that. "I like that idea. Let's go."
"Okay, since my workplace is closer, how about that? They are also having an open mic night tonight." He said.
"I love it." she said before capturing his lips briefly, "Go and look handsome, would you." She teased while Seth walked out of The Cortex. Caitlin couldn't hide the fact that she was admiring him while she walked away, but she blushed a great deal in hopes for their date night.
"This is gonna be great." Seth couldn't help but state in pure happiness in his mind.
"Pussy." Venom said, seeing how girly his host was acting right now.
"Get a girlfriend."
"Already do."
X
Sometime later, Seth walked into his workplace in clothes that he does not usually wear. His current clothes consisted of an open black leather biker jacket, dark-blue jeans underneath it and a white T-shirt underneath the jacket. His hair was little more spiked than usual, just enough.
He thinks he had chosen the right clothes, because he was suddenly catching the attention of several women he walked past. And he really liked how he and Caitlin was happy about the date being held in his workplace. They'd be able to get free drinks, because he also worked as a bouncer, as well as anything else they needed in the bar.
Moving closer to the bar, he saw JC cleaning the insides of a glass with a towel before placing it down. Her eyes looked to meet the mutant's, making her cock her eyebrow in surprise. "Well, well, someone's looking to impress someone tonight, isn't he?"
"Date night with Caitlin." Seth said as he ordered a drink for himself and for Caitlin, just to give her a better impression.
JC ran her eyes up and down her co-worker's form, she could see the visible traces of embarrassment and nervousness on his form. She didn't expect to see this from the guy who was willing to take on their rough costumers if they spoke badly to their female staff. "It's weird to see you so nervous right now."
"I'm sorry." Seth apologized before adding, "I feel like this is my first date with Caitlin right now. I know it's silly."
"It is, considering that you guys have a picture of you two kissing each other while you're lying next to each other in your loft." JC commented.
"I know, it's…" he trailed off as he registered her words, "You've been inside of my loft?"
"Technically, it's our loft." JC corrected almost in pride, and not all denying the fact she had invaded his privacy. "But yeah I did. I had to get some stuff from one of the other rooms above, and I may or may not have resisted the urge to peak in your room."
"You're evil itself." Seth remarked to her, while she downed a quick show of tequila. "And I don't know why I'm so nervous right now. I mean it's Caitlin."
"When was the last time you been on a date before, in public, I mean?" She asked him.
Seth had to take a moment to think for himself before answering, "Uh, that was a while back. Back when I was still dating Stef." He knew that she knew about Stefanie and Bucky.
"The prankster herself, right?" JC quipped. The mutant nodded.
As the two of them conversed, JC's eyes looked to the entrance of their workplace and her eyes widened in surprise. She then with a smile on her face looked to the mutant again, "I think you're not the only one dressed to impress tonight?" Seth cocked an eyebrow in confusion. JC nodded her head in the direction of the door, making the mutant look in the same direction.
At the sight… he was gob-smacked. His eyes popped out of his head, his mouth fell to the ground and through the floor… and his heart was out-quaking a thousand global earthquakes.
Walking through the entrance door, came Caitlin Snow through the door. But she looked… heaven-sent, enough beauty to outshine angels. She never wore a dress like that before, not before he had met her at least. It's a tight black dress that came down to her thighs, showing off her exquisite legs. Her hair was perfection and her expression made her look all the adorable, her shy facial expression.
Seth was still trying to pick up his mouth from the floor as she walked closer to him. JC saw him not being responsive, she briefly contemplated throwing water in his face. However, it was unnecessary when he shook his head to regain his composure again. "Go get her, Tiger." Joan teased him before moving away to leave the lovebirds together.
"Hey." The mutant finally got a word out, his eyes running over her form, taking in each and every inch of her form.
Caitlin saw his moving eyes and wondered, "What?"
"Nothing. Uh, well you look…really nice." Seth corrected himself, not finding his own words worthy of her beauty. "That's wrong. You look beautiful. V-Very beautiful."
She smiled and said, "I don't always dress like a high school principal. And you look very handsome yourself."
"Thanks for that, Cait. And in my eyes, you look nothing like a high school principal, you're far too beautiful for that." He complimented her while handing her a drink.
Caitlin accepted it with a pair of pink dusted cheeks, while they moved to sit at a nearby table. They took a seat on opposite of their table. "So, this is where Shawna Baez and Clay Parker used to hang out? Never would have thought that."
"Yeah same here." He breathed out with a nervous expression on his face.
Reaching over the table, she took his hand and squeezed it for comfort. "Seth… don't tell me that you're nervous."
Dropping his head in defeat, he said, "So much for that SHIELD training to keep my composure in intense situations."
"You don't have to be nervous around me." She moved her chair around the table to sit next to him, allowing her to place her hand on his leg for further comfort.
"I know it's silly, I'm sorry." He told her honestly, he was shaking with mountains of nervousness. Maybe it was because he saw her in a whole new way. She was unmistakably beautiful right now, and Seth couldn't prevent his smile from forming on his face right now.
"It's more cute than silly, actually." She admitted with a smile.
Chuckling for a while, he told her, "I'm gonna try to be less nervous and not think about messing up. I promise you."
"Well, here's to liquid courage." Caitlin took her drink as did Seth and two clicked their glasses to each other, and took a drink from their individual drinks. When he removed the glass from his lips, he was surprised to see her down her alcohol so quickly. It was very… surprising.
"That does not seem safe for a doctor." He heard his partner remark.
"That is… very fast." Seth told her with a pause in his sentence.
When she put it down, she looked to JC who passed by with a tray of empty glasses. "Excuse me?" Joan looked to the girlfriend of her co-worker. "I would like to start a tab."
JC shared a look with the elemental before a smirk graced on her face. "Sure thing, Caitlin." As she walked, she mouthed to Seth. "Careful with that one."
When she was out of the way, he looked back to Caitlin who leaned closer to him over the table. "Hey I was wondering…"
"That sounds dangerous." He quipped playfully.
She chuckled, "What kind…" she looked around for anyone with long ears eavesdropping. "…of powers did… Stefanie have?"
Seth registered the question and briefly laughed, "If you're wondering if she was a mutant, then you're wrong. She was a human."
"She was?" Caitlin asked baffled.
Taking in her expressions, he knew what was going on in her mind, so he expressed. "She was a human. No powers, aside from her trickery and pranking that she used to do. You must have thought that only mutants could be together because of Matt and my sister dating, right?"
She nodded slowly, "Kinda. I'm sorry."
"Hey." Grabbing her hand over the table, he said. "Don't worry about that, Caitlin. It's normal for humans to be curious about things from their… somewhat better half." The female doctor gave him a dry look, "I was talking about myself." He added for clarity.
"So you're my… better half?" she asked teasingly.
"Just like you're… mine." He answered without hesitation.
She blushed but she wanted to know more about him, "Hey, who was your first crush?"
Seth had to search his mind for a good answer, "Uh, that's a brain twister. I never actually started dating or even liking a woman till I was eighteen or nineteen."
"Who was she?" she pressed.
"Her name is Silver Sablinova, AKA Silver Sable, she's the owner of "Sable International", a security force. It's known for intercepting in European countries that are plagued with elevating crime and other internal social issues. Though they do have a tendency of overstepping their limits, like a lot." Seth explained sheepishly. "I don't why I liked Silver. She was always defensive and enclosed, not trusting others. But she met me and she and I hit off immediately. Whenever she and I would bump into each other, she would laugh like a hyena at my jokes. I guess, something drew me to her. Maybe it was because she and I were seen as these scary anti-social people."
"I would have liked to meet her." She said, though she did feel a bit jealous of his first girlfriend being someone who's dangerous and strong, like him.
Seth could see and judge from her behavior that she was slightly feeling jealous of his words. "Yeah. But she's no you." He leaned closer over the table.
Caitlin leaned over the table as well, "Then I must be the lucky one."
They shared a kiss over the table. Seth could smell the alcohol in her mouth, and taste it on her tongue. But he didn't mind it. It was Caitlin after all. Nothing about her could drive him away… unless that happened.
When they pulled away from each other, they looked to the stage again and saw that the mic. Seth saw it and smirked before turning his smirking face to Caitlin. "Wanna make this date even more crazy?"
She knew what he meant and gestured to the stage. "Go. I haven't heard you sing in a while now. It's gonna be nice." Seth walked over to the stage and up to the stage with jump. He chose a song, one that he liked very much, and made eye contact with Caitlin.
He saw Caitlin order more drinks all of a sudden. "Hiya folks! Now let's get going!"
(Song: Start of Something Good by Daughtry)
Seth steeled himself right now. Not because he was singing in front of a crowd, he's done that several times. But because he's singing to Caitlin, this time. The drum began beating before the guitars joined in.
You never know when you're gonna meet someone
And your whole wide world in a moment comes undone
You're just walking around and suddenly
Everything that you thought that you knew about love is gone
You find out it's all been wrong
And all my scars don't seem to matter anymore
Cause they led me here to you
I know that its gonna take some time
I've got to admit that the thought has crossed my mind
This might end up like it should
And I'm gonna say what I need to say
And hope to god that it don't scare you away
Don't wanna be misunderstood
But I'm starting to believe that this could be the start of something good
Seth sang the song, and Caitlin began enthralled by his voice, every other sound in the background faded because she was instantly drawn in by his voice.
This felt like the first time she heard his voice singing a phenomenal song. A wide smile formed on her face, it mimicked on the mutant's face when the two of them looked at each other.
Everyone knows life has its Ups and downs
One day you're on top of the world and one day you're the clown
Well I've been both enough to know
That you don't wanna get in the way when its working out
The way that it is right now
You see my heart i wear it on my sleeve
Cause I just can't hide it anymore
I know that it's gonna take some time
I've got to admit that the thought has crossed my mind
This might end up like it should
And I'm gonna say what I need to say
And hope to god that it don't scare you away
Don't wanna be misunderstood
But I'm starting to believe that this could be the start
As Caitlin heard his words, it was like the entire song was designed for the two for them, they reached her. Both of them had scars from their individual pasts, their own losses. His song went right to her.
And once again, the key to their own little world twisted, opening the world to them. It was like the two of them were alone in the world.
Cause I don't know where it's going
There's a part of me that loves not knowing
Just don't let it end before we begin
You never know when you're gonna meet someone
And your whole wide world in a moment comes undone
Caitlin felt her heart skip a series of beats as she heard his words repeat themselves in her mind. As if his words just went to her heart, and only her heart. She couldn't stop herself from muttering her next words, "He's the man I love…"
She didn't regret her words from being uttered. It felt right to her, it made her feel complete. Even though the future was unsure of what will happen since Ronnie's return, but she didn't care about that right now…
She didn't want to think about that right now, and worse than that, the consequences afterwards… and what and who she'd lose.
I know that its gonna take some time
I've got to admit that the thought has crossed my mind
This might end up like it should
And I'm gonna say what I need to say
And hope to god that it don't scare you away
Don't wanna be misunderstood
But I'm starting to believe
Oh I'm starting to believe that this could be the start of something good
Seth finished his song and bowed for the crowd, who cheered and applauded to him for his outstanding singing. Jumping down from the stage, he made his way over to his girlfriend, who was giggling uncontrollably for some reason. "Seth!" she literally threw herself on him, showering him with his pecks and kisses.
Several women saw the interaction between Seth and Caitlin, making them drop their hopefulness for a chance with the mutant. The female doctor hugged her boyfriend who hugged her back immediately tightly. "I could get used to this." He told her after receiving more pecks on his face.
"Don't get any ideas, Mr. Fury." She purred in his ear out of the blue, making Seth's cheek blush up a storm. He had a feeling that it was due to the extra glasses of alcohol she consumed before. And when his eyes looked to their table he got his answer in the form of several empty glasses.
"She can drink." He thought to himself, though he had to admit the first time he saw her drink was quite fun. Because she could hold her alcohol unlike Cisco and she wasn't a metahuman who could not feel alcohol.
Suddenly while Seth was in his thoughts, Caitlin shot up to the stage. His eyes looked to her, seeing her take her place on the stage and taking hold of the microphone stand. Her amber eyes met his, a quick and flirtatious wink was sent his way. And one thing that he could clearly see, was that she more than just a little drunk.
"Mr. Seth Fury!" Caitlin shouted from the stage with her finger pointing at him. "Come on down! Or up." She giggled out, with Seth looking at her with an open mouth, he downed his drink, readying himself right now. "Come up here with me. Oh, come show 'em what you got." She repeatedly waved him over. "Come on."
"Seth! Seth!" Caitlin started, then the crowd joined them.
JC from the bar counter saw it all and laughed heavily at the scene her friend and his girlfriend was making right now. And when they began chanting Seth's name, she couldn't help but join them.
"Seth! Seth! Seth! Seth! Seth! Seth! Seth!"
Knowing full well that neither she or the crowd themselves were not going to stop chanting his name, he rushed to the stage. "Ooh, look at him go. It's like he leaped over here." She blurted out, and when Seth came up to the stage, she put her finger to her lips. "Ooh, shh!"
"Caitlin, you are a special kind of crazy." He whispered in her ear as he hugged her with one arm.
"You know I'm not much of a singer." She told him sheepishly.
With a mock smug facial expression, Seth countered, "And you're not much of a drinker."
She didn't seem to care and raised her arms, lashing them out to gesture to the bar. "We are going to bring this place down."
Seth couldn't help but chuckle, and rubbed her back, "Okay…good girl." He placed a kiss of encouragement on her forehead. As he pulled away from her forehead, "Summer Loving" came over the stereos.
"Another common movie in our universes, Grease."
"Shit." Venom stated his thoughts.
As the melody of the song began playing, several of the other costumers began nodding their heads to the rhythm and stamped on the floor in tune with the song.
Caitlin who was looking like an excited child spoke. "Get ready." She then began singing, off-key. " Summer lovin' Had me a blast Summer lovin' Happened so fast "
Suffice it to say, Caitlin was not the best singer in their couple. Whether it was because of the alcohol or if she was not a good singer in general, was unknown to them. But even though it was off-key, it was adorable to see and hear right now.
Seth shook his head, before singing, on-key, " I met a girl Crazy for me "
Caitlin looked to him, and she saw pure enjoyment and happiness on his face, and it reflected on her own face. She always felt good when Seth was feeling down and she got him back up to happiness.
She saw on the monitor before them, she was the one to sing next. " I met a boy Cute as can be "
" Summer days driftin' away " Seth spun his hand around, gesturing for her to join in next.
"" To uh-oh Those summer nights Uh well-a well-a well-a uh ""
The two of them continued the song, and both of them enjoyed it. Even though Caitlin was quite drunk and Seth's alcohol was burned off, they both had an amazing time together. And the mutant was very happy to see Caitlin like this.
So relaxed, like she didn't have a care in the world and just… enjoyed herself right now.
The song ended, Caitlin and Seth got off the stage and walked over to the bar.
"What can't you do?" Caitlin commented when they reached the bar, behind the counter was JC laughing and smiling like a hyena.
Chuckling he responded, "Stop you from drinking, apparently." He saw her take the first drink before her and took a sip from it. "You did have some nice moves up there, Mick Jagger." He teased her, but unsure if she actually heard him.
She grimaced when the taste settled in and she placed the drink back on the bar, "I'm not even sure that was mine." The mutant smiled again while he took his own drink and drank from it. "I have to go to the bathroom."
Placing his drink, he asked, "Need me to go with you?"
"No. No." she responded, not wanting him to see her in bathroom like that. Without saying anymore words, she walked away, the need to relieve and refresh herself was too big right now.
Seth chuckled again, and when he looked ahead again, he saw JC walk over to him with a smile. "Hey, mind closing my tab?"
"What tab?" She quipped knowingly.
Catching the meaning of her words, Seth saw that she was looking deeply in his eyes. "What is it?"
She placed her towel on the table and stated, "Are you kidding me? I can see that you're still worried about this other guy from Caitlin's past, that he might swoop in and take Caitlin away from you."
His hand placed itself over his ears and rubbed them while he said, "Is it that obvious?"
"Like a giant neon sign over your head, spelling out all your thoughts in gigantic shining letters." Joan said. "Stop worrying about him, alright? She's going to stay with the one she cares about, and I'm pretty sure he's the one who works here."
"Maybe. But right now, her… that someone from her past," Seth said unsure of how to talk about Ronnie, "he's not in his right mind right now. And if or when he comes back to his senses, I'm just worried she's gonna go to that one that made her happier before, longer than I have."
Seth was unable to open his heart to anyone back at the facility of S.T.A.R. Labs unless it was Joe. But JC, Stan and Rooster, they were the ones who offered him a home when he didn't have any back then. It was because of that, that he was able to talk to the two of them.
"Depends on what she wants." JC started, "Does she want to move backwards to the past with a blast from the past or… maybe move forward with a guy who's the good kind of unpredictable, just like the future." She poured two shots of vodka for them, and they were downed the next second. "Food for thoughts, Mr…. Is your last name really Fury?" he nodded with a smirk. "Bastard. But see you then, Mr. Fury."
His co-worker moved away, leaving him with his thoughts to deal with. As he waited there, Caitlin came over his way. She looked like was limping for some reason. "Seth?"
"Yeah?" he asked concerned, making him stand up.
"I don't feel good." She said, her body shaking.
This worried him into action. "Okay. Come on." He picked her up in bridal carry and ran off with her in his arms. And Caitlin was trying her hardest to not to vomit in his arms. But the second he got out of the bar, he bent her body over the sidewalk outside, she let out. While Seth rubbed her back and pulled her hair back.
X
(CCPD, CSI lab)
Meanwhile that happened, Cisco and Hartley walked into CSI laboratory of the Central City Police Department. In there, Pied Piper got into the computer's hard disc and checked the data within to show the data with Cisco's help. Hartley was without handcuffs now and his head covered with a cap.
While Cisco searched in front of the computer, Hartley stood behind him and spoke, "CCPD confiscated everything from S.T.A.R. Labs after the explosion. Video, audio, traffic cam footage." He listed off.
Cisco then asked, "Okay, so?"
"I saw Martin Stein the night S.T.A.R. Labs went boom. He walked right past me." The mechanical engineer looked to Hartley, telling him to continue. "You see, Stein specialized in transmutation. Molecular transmography. Quantum splicing." Cisco drew a blank expression. "Taking two things and making them one." Hartley's simplification didn't help Cisco one bit. "Let's go to the videotape, shall we?"
Cisco found the security camera footage for the night of the and watched the video footage. It showed the staircase of that night, the one which the two of them inspected before. Banners on sticks around the stairs and people running around.
On the bottom of the stairs, in the further end, was a man picking up a glowing object from the ground.
At the sight of it, Hartley instructed, "Okay, stop." Cisco obliged, "Now zoom in a few clicks." He obliged again. After zooming in closer, they saw an elderly man with gray hair and glasses picking up a metallic container from the ground with what looked like an… energy sphere in the middle.
Hartley then said, "Now advance it, frame-by-frame." The mechanical engineer did so and advanced it frame by frame. With each frame advanced, they saw Stein's body arch back backwards, the metallic container still in hand.
The wave of energy unleashed from the explosion came swarming over from the side. Cisco saw something on Stein's face. "His eyes. They turned white, just like Ronnie's."
The mechanical engineer continued advancing the footage a few more frames. Hartley looked over his shoulder with narrowed eyes, looking deeply into the unleashed mass of energy. When it was right there, he stopped Cisco. "Now, stop there. In the mass of energy. Looks like…"
Hartley purposely trailed off as Cisco pieced it together, and saw the same. "Ronnie." In the mass of energy, was a face, the face of his friend… the same one who died in the explosion.
"And Professor Stein." Hartley added.
Cisco un-paused the footage, and saw the energy mass and Ronnie collide with Martin Stein. "The dark matter merged them together." Cisco concluded.
Hartley stated, "Explains why Ronnie hasn't seemed quite himself lately." He saw that Cisco was still focused on the monitor, which meant that he has a chance. He put a finger in his ear and pulled out a thin metal device. "It's because he's not. He's Martin Stein."
He broke the thin metal device, unleashing a high-pitched screeching from the broken device. Cisco heard it and dropped down to the ground in pain, he screamed in agony at the sudden surge of pain.
Hartley walked over to his downed companion, "You can't say I didn't keep up my end of the bargain." He pulled out the device that Cisco used on him before and placed it on the ground. The mechanical engineer slammed his booted heel into the device.
Pied Piper was about to sent a foot into Cisco's guts, but suddenly something halted him. The feeling caused him to back away as waves of amplified sound waves from all around him, surged into his head through his ears.
"Aaaaahhhh!" Hartley dropped down to the ground with his hands holding his ears, trying to prevent more sounds from entering his head, but to no success. It was every movement he made caused more sound to be erupt and surge into his mind.
Cisco felt the painful high-pitched screech from the broken device dissipate. Letting him look at Hartley who was withering in pain from the sound bursts in kept entering his head like tidal waves. "What the…"
"Please make it stop! I'm begging you, please!" Hartley pleaded to him.
The mechanical engineer looked to his destroyed device, the one that he used to keep Hartley in check. "It's not me." He told him, while Harley was still in agony.
"That's because it's me." Cisco looked to back of the lab and saw Iron Knight step out of the shadows. An armored gauntlet was held up with a small device with four small antennas, each one a different length. It looked similar to the one that he made.
"What are you doing here?" Cisco demanded to know, wondering if he had been following him and Hartley for a while now.
"Please make it stop! Please!" Hartley got their attention again.
Matt stepped closer to the agonizing metahuman and stated, "Do you like it? The sound of every single sound around you being amplified tenfold. The sound of your heart beating, the sound of your each and every movement of your muscles, the sound of each step in the room here, even the sound of your own breathing. Plus the real beauty of sound waves, they bounce around… each of them blasting into your… little head." He said cruelly.
With ranted breathing and moving around in pain, Hartley tried to take the device from his hand. The mutant slapped his hand away. "Naughty boy. And I wouldn't try and destroy it. Cause unlike Cisco's, this one has a dead man's switch. You think tenfold is painful? Try an uncontrollable amount of sound waves amplified… over and over, till your mind can't handle the pressure. And your brain will go… BOOM!"
Hartley reared back in agony from the pain and from the very thought of his current pain being even more amplified again and again until nothing more can be received in his head. And his head would explode, blood running out of his eyes and his nose.
"Night night." Matt slammed his fist into his face, knocking out Hartley immediately. Both the mutant and cisco looked to each other. The latter wearing a somewhat sheepish expression. "Francisco Ramon, you got some explaining to do."
Cisco sweat bullets as the almost evil school teacher-like tone Matt used.
X
(Caitlin's apartment)
After their date ended, Seth took Caitlin back home with a couple of well-timed jumps over the roofs of various buildings. He thought about bringing her upstairs in his loft, but it was quite loud this evening, so he chose to leap over to Caitlin's apartment instead.
Thankfully she listened to him and left at least one window open before she left her apartment. Which made it very easy to get in, for him at least. He still carried her in a bridal carry when he got into the apartment, his jacket draped over her shoulders. When she felt themselves stop, she asked worriedly, "Are we still jumping?" she slurred her words when Seth placed her feet on the ground.
He nuzzled his head into her neck before assuring her, "No, we are here."
The two of them walked into Caitlin's bedroom when she said after a churning feeling in her stomach, "Ugh. Vodka and super leaping with elements charging the jumps… not a good combination." Seth laughed in response, then his eyes met Caitlin's. "But the night was amazing Seth. It really was. Thanks."
Rubbing her shoulders comforting, he walked her into the room and turned on the light. "Yeah, it was." He ran his fingers over her face, making her melt in his hand with blushed cheeks. "I don't know if I said it enough, but you're really beautiful Caitlin."
"Same goes for you, handsome." She said and pulled her heels off her feet. She almost fell but Seth caught her quickly. "Thank you." While clinging to her drunkenly, she blew him a kiss. Her head then hung down in sadness. "What did you talk about with Joan before?"
"Nothing important." He told her sweetly. He didn't want to tell her about what he and Joan talked about. It was too sensitive.
"Something about Ronnie?" she blurted out to his surprise.
Seth inhaled and exhaled before readying himself to talk, "I'm sorry, but yeah I was. Don't worry, she doesn't know about us. You know, mutants and metahumans and such." Her head was still ridden with sadness, "Hey." He placed his fingers on her chin, directing her head to him. "You don't have to worry about a single thing, Caitlin. I'm here for you, alright? I'm not going anywhere."
"Thank you." She kissed his chin, before showering him with more kisses all over his face. He was worried that her lips might end slightly burned, because he felt his head burn up from her continued actions of affections right now. Then she stopped kissing and smiled again before rubbing her nose against his own.
"I could get used to these new actions you do." He chuckled. She pulled away from him and pulled down the back zipper of her black dress. When he saw her dress slip off her shoulders he snapped around, protecting her modesty.
Caitlin was having her trouble with the sleeves of her dress, and in her current state of mind, AKA drunk, she didn't want to bother anymore with it. Her teeth bit down her lower lip as she remembered Seth being right in front of her. Though she was quite surprised to see him look away.
Feeling a bit playful from the consumed alcohol, she stepped closer to his back. The elemental stiffened his back when her hot breath touched the back of his neck. And he couldn't help but moan and groan in pleasure when he felt her teeth slightly bite down on his shoulder. "Ohh Caitlin…" Her name came out in another moan when her teeth bit his neck again.
"Mind turning around?" Seth was still feeling a bit nervous right now, but it was Caitlin. No one else. So he turned around.
And once again, he was gob-smacked at the sight of her like that.
Even with the dress hanging off her arms like that she still looked amazing. Her torso exposed with a bra on and her disheveled hair. It was a vision from heaven itself. And Caitlin could see that he was feeling nervous and she enjoyed it deeply, if the teasing smirk on her face was any indication. "Little help, please." She pleaded flirtatiously and tease in her voice.
"Um…okay." His hands nor the rest of him could move right now. With his body immobilized, he chose the second option. "Venom? You're up!"
"What do we know we know about human clothes?" Venom inquired, "Most of them look the same to us."
"Just do it!" Seth thought to his partner hastily, mostly because he was basically gawking at her exposed form right now. Venom sent a mental eye roll while he sent out black tendrils out of its host's body. The mutant turned his head to the side while the tendrils whipped around her body, picking up her pajamas and took off her dress, replacing the two of them.
"Done!" The elemental took his partner at his word and turned to her, glad to see her in her green pajamas with white dots again. He liked that one, she looked good in it. "Humans and their preferences, a complexity that we will never understand."
Caitlin looked down her clothed body again, this time in her PJs. "There you go again. Saving me from that evil dress." She waved her hand at black dress on the ground.
"All in a day's job, my dear." Seth said as he hugged her body to his own. "Let's get you to bed right now." He led her to the bed.
"Did you sneak a peek? At my goods?" she asked flirtatiously as she took a seat on the bed, the mutant did the same, right beside her.
"Sorry but no. You deserve better than that." Seth told her while they both laid down on the bed.
"I wouldn't have minded it you did." The elemental widened his eyes in surprise. "It's okay if you peeked a little. You deserve a peek for all the good stuff you do." She chuckled before she added, "I've seen a lot of you before."
"I know that." He quipped knowingly to her, while both of them were laid beside each other, close enough to each other. Their hands travelling up each other's bodies and cupping each and other's cheek, and caressing them.
"Thank you for tonight… I sang." She let out the cutest whisper she has ever spoken when she said those words. The way her face lit up at the memory was brighter than any sparkling Christmas tree. "And we sang together."
"Yeah we did. And it was amazing Caitlin." He leaned closer to her and placed a kiss on her nose, dusting up her cheeks in response. "For a human date, it was quite fun."
"Human date, huh? How about a mutant date next time?" She suggested intrigued, her head placed itself on his shoulder.
"Sure thing." Seth said without any hesitation with a smile on his face, liking the sound of him giving Caitlin a taste of a mutant date.
"I hope you're here always, Seth." She muttered into his chest. "With me." She confessed wholeheartedly. Even if the possibility of Ronnie coming to his senses again and returning into her life. But with how much her life changed so drastically, she couldn't fathom the very thought of Seth leaving her.
It hurt her a lot.
"Me too." He muttered into her head after placing a kiss on top of it. He didn't want to leave Caitlin himself. Even the prospect of her leaving him was too much for his mind to handle actually. Even if Ronnie came back again after getting his senses back, he wanted to be selfish and tell her to stay with him.
But it was ultimately her choice.
If he had to choose between her happiness or his own, then it'd be no brainer. But his heart… would say differently though.
X
(S.T.A.R. Labs, the next day)
Seth held the widest smile on his face as he looked at Caitlin who was overclothed right now. A thick green scarf around her neck, a pair of dark tinted sunglasses covering her eyes, and a thick coat around her body, covering her clothes underneath it. Her hand clutched around the water bottle. The female doctor was trying to refrain from making any sound or showing any expressions on her face, trying to hide her hangover right now from all.
At first glance, it was undoubtably clear that she was hiding something. And it was unbelievable on how she was obvious about hiding something. He found it hilarious, even though he had made sure to give her quite a greasy breakfast for her this morning. A greasy breakfast consisting of fries with fried eggs, bacon stripes and sausages. And it certainly helped a lot, since she felt better after eating it along with her coffee.
Now for the first time since getting in the elevator, she looked at Seth and said, "You don't look so bad…" Unlike her, he didn't show any signs of being hungover right now.
"You're the reason why, dear." He started with a smirk-
Inhaling sharply, she said, "So loud."
Lightly chuckling, feeling the volume of his words intensifying, he continued, "You did make my fire hot enough to burn through all the alcohol actually. So you're the reason" His words made her cheeks blush. "What do you remember from last night?"
"I envy your inability to get drunk." She inhaled sharply again as she processed her night from yesterday, "And I don't remember much from last night…I remember the two of us drinking, you singing and… not much else."
Seth noticed that she left out a crucial part, so he teasingly reminded her, with a song. " Summer lovin' "
Caitlin blushed and slapped his chest in mock hurt, "Oh, God. That I do remember."
The elevator made a sound as they had reached the right floor. It opened up and they stepped out together, their hands connected with each other. "It was amazing Caitlin. Last night was really great." Seth said as he kissed her head.
"Yeah, it was." Caitlin said as she kissed his cheek, she noticed a few marks on his neck. Her eyes widened with curiosity so she asked, "Is that hickeys on your neck?"
"Yeah that's your fault. Got a couple on my shoulder too." He gestured to the marked shoulder, where she pressed her teeth into. "You owe me, young lady." A kiss placed on ear lobe, mimicking a series of tingles that shot up through her spine.
"I might hold you to that, mister." She nuzzled her face into his neck with a few pecks on it.
They rounded a corner and walked into the Cortex of the facility. When they did, they felt the air thicken with tension that surged out of everyone's bodies. Barry stood beside the founder of the building with his arms crossed over his chest, while both pairs of eyes looked at Cisco. Matt looked at Cisco himself while he leaned against the wall.
The couple at the entrance shared a look before Seth asked the room of people. "What's wrong?"
Harrison directed their attention to the mechanical engineer with his next words, "Cisco… has something he needs to tell you."
Cisco looked to them and stated, "Hartley… he almost escaped from here."
Barry then got into the conversation, he hadn't been told anything before now, "He escaped from the Pipeline? How is that even possible?"
Seth looked between them all before his eyes met the nanite mutant's eyes. His eyes told him that Barry asked the wrong question and reached the wrong conclusion. The elemental lowered his eyes briefly before he realized while he looked to Cisco again. "He never escaped, did he?"
The mechanical engineer shook his head before saying, "I let him out. But Matt stopped him before he got the chance to get away." His finger pointed to the nanite mutant. "Are you mad?" Cisco directed at Caitlin while also directing at Seth.
He remembered that he asked the mutant himself to not hurt Caitlin after the death of Ronnie Raymond. And Seth swore on his own life that he'd never hurt Caitlin and protect her against anything. And he's been keeping his word, making her feel loved and protected again, and making her feel again. Making Caitlin Snow her again. Cisco felt as though he had broken everything good between them right now.
He continued his questions, "I can't tell with those glasses on."
Caitlin then replied, "I'd like to yell and wave my arms, but I'm afraid I'd throw up."
Seth wanted to ask the birthing questions in his head but parts of him told that he'd regret asking. The speedster then asked again, "Why? What were you thinking? You know how dangerous he is."
Cisco hesitated and before he could speak, Matt spoke. "Hartley said he knew what happened to that guy. Um… Ronnie." At the mention of his name, Seth's head dropped slightly in sadness, his hand unlatched from Caitlin's own hand.
The mechanical engineer looked to him in surprise. "You heard that too?"
"I heard everything." Matt replied bluntly. "I had a sneaking suspicion that bloody bastard would play on your emotions like that, pal. And I don't take lightly to people who play my friends."
"And you didn't off him? Wimp." Seth inquired of his friend while his "other" sent feelings of various calming emotions to him.
"Nope. Considered it, but killing a wanted weirdo in a CSI lab would probably end up badly, for Barry at least." He answered. The speedster internally glad for his decision, not wanting to be caught in a bloodied lab with a dead body in there.
Caitlin then reminded her co-worker, "I told you to let it go. I didn't want you looking into that for me." She stepped forward and dropped her sunglasses on the table. Her eyes snapped to Seth who looked conflicted by the mention of Ronnie again.
"I wasn't doing it for you." Cisco clarified to her. Surprising everyone in the Cortex. "I… sigh…" He couldn't hold it in more. He had to come clean. "…I sealed Ronnie into the accelerator before it blew." Mouths gaped slightly all over their faces with even more surprise. "He told me to wait two minutes and I waited, but he didn't come back. And I can't stop thinking, 10, 20 seconds and… Ronnie wouldn't be like he is right now." His heartbroken eyes looked to Caitlin, "I've wanted to tell you so many times." Tears began to form in his eyes. "I'm so sorry."
"Poor guy." Seth thought to himself.
"To carry that weight around on your shoulders like that… to carry that secret around this entire time. It takes a toll on people." Venom said in agreement with his host, while also hoping that they needed to confess their own secret soon enough. But it would be no use giving them false hope.
"So you carried that around this whole time?" Caitlin requested of her friend, who couldn't form any words nor make an audible sound, fearing that both Seth and Caitlin would not forgive him right now. Caitlin walked around the main console to speak with him face to face, "Do you know what Ronnie would say if he was here? He would say that you did the right thing. It wasn't your fault. What happened that night wasn't anybody's fault." She assured him softly.
"Cisco." The mechanical engineer looked to the elemental. "You gotta stop blaming yourself for things that were out of your control. Neither what happened that night nor what happened with the Cold and Heat guns were your fault. You're an amazing person, Cisco Ramon. It really shows, you have a really big heart my man." He told his friend with a warm smile. "And just like what Caitlin said, what happened that night wasn't anyone's fault."
Hearing that both of them were trying to make him feel better right now, even though he thought he had been fearing the possibility of them hating him. Cisco felt very good right now.
"Come on." Caitlin started, "Don't we have a teleporter to catch?" Everyone smiled in agreement.
Harrison then added, "We do have a teleporter to catch. And fortunately, with the help of both Mr. Almond and Mr. Rogers, we do have a promising theory." The paralyzed scientist led them to the monitors on the main console. "Take a look at this." Barry looked to the screen, Seth or Matt didn't see the need as they already had experience with a teleporter. "Now, this is the normal behavior of the particulate that Shawna left behind."
Seth then stated, "We had a bit of an experience with a teleporter back in our universe whenever he would try to sneak out of the mansion."
"Oh yeah, Nightcrawler." Matt smiled as he recalled the mutant from his memories. "Fucking bastard always tried and hope that he would get away from us. But he was wrong. Multiple times." He added with a cocky smile while Seth did same.
Harrison nodded in agreement, hearing the stories of their universe's teleporter. "Watch what happened when we remove light." He pressed a button on the keyboard, removing the light as desired. The three heroes looked to each other with inspiration. "Shawna can only become entangled with something she can see."
Seth then carried on, "Take away her ability to do that…"
"And Ms. Baez is unable to play Peek-a-boo again." Matt continued for his friend.
The elemental frowned as he said, "I feel stupid for not realizing that right now."
The nanites mutant added, "Remember that we are dealing with metahumans, not mutants. Two very different species of powered beings. We got our powers from a natural cause, they are not. They're the freaks of nature." Barry glared at him in mock. Matt saw the glare and waved his hand in apology.
Caitlin got them on the track again, "So, we just need to get her into a dark space. How do we do that?" while she asked her question, the speedster heard his phone ringing, walking off to take care of it.
"Seth." The elemental looked to Cisco who gestured for him to follow him into Caitlin's private lab, which he did. "Are you… mad at me?"
"For what?" Seth asked, his face avoid of any emotions.
Seeing the emotionless face on his face, he feared the worst. His voice coming out in stutters, "I mean, about me… trying to find Ronnie." Cisco elaborated for him. "I don't how to feel right now… I mean I asked you before you and Caitlin got together to always keep her safe. You did that, you swore on your life to me that you'd keep her safe and you did that too. And, I feel like I'm putting a wench in your relationship right now. You helped her move on-"
"Cisco." The elemental interrupted him before continuing. "You told us right before, that you only did it for what you thought was your fault, costing you your friend, you tried to rectify that. And I… can respect that wholeheartedly. Hell, I've been doing that since I got to this universe for my little sister. Looking for her, each and every single moment of the days and the nights when I'm not with you guys, Caitlin, or on mission. It's the same. So, don't worry about that, man." He assured him immediately, relieving Cisco of his bad thoughts and fears. "Plus, the sooner we can get to Ronnie, the sooner we can figure out why he's trying to grill me like I'm teriyaki."
A chuckle escaped Cisco's mouth before he said, "Thanks man. It means a lot." He stepped closer to his friend and hugged him. Seth reciprocating himself and hugged him back.
But Seth still feared what this might mean in his and Caitlin's relationship, with Ronnie coming back perhaps.
X
Barry had informed the team that his father Henry Allen have been attacked back in prison for helping police by getting inside knowledge.
The speedster had made sure that his father's attacker was properly punished for attacking his incarcerated father, adding ten years to the attacker's sentence. And while Barry punished him, he got the information that he needed, learning the location of Stockheimer's next heist with Baez and Parker.
With that information passed on to Seth and Matt, all three heroes conversed on the getaway car that the speedster got to drive into a tunnel, where both Venom and Iron Knight hid in wait for the ambush on Bonnie and Clyde while the Flash drew them in with his speed.
The internal of the tunnel was under construction right now. Meaning a lot of construction machines were there right now. These machines in the environment were able to provide more opportunities for a battle. Everything around either opponent was able to be used for either of their advantages
WHOOSH
The Flash appeared in the front of Shawna and Clay's car. The male part of the couple tightened his grip on the steering wheel while his eyes grew with anger and determination, he didn't want to be stopped right now. So close to get away from trouble and with loads of money in his disposal.
His criminal girlfriend feeling and seeing his anger spike, placed a hand on his shoulder and told him, "I got this." She looked to the speedster in front of them, teleporting out of the vehicle and reappearing in front of Barry. Addressing the hero, she asked, "Why the hell do we care what we do? Are you a cop of something?"
As she inquired of the speedster, her eyes looked all around the internal area of the tunnel. Searching for any sign of either a hulking beast with booming pitch-black muscles or lines of illuminating energy coursing through the suit of a white knight. Those two are worse than the hero in front of her, because they are willing to kill.
"Something." Barry countered in confidence.
The same confidence reflected in Shawna's eyes while her hands pulled out a metal baton before teleporting out of the way when Barry went to move. She appeared behind him and whacked him in the back of his body, causing him to groan in pain.
Barry snapped around to strike her, but she had already vanished again. Reappearing behind the speedster again, she slammed her metal baton into the back of his right thigh. His eyes peered in the new direction, but it she was gone again.
Shawna appeared again and hit him again with her metallic weapon with a series of strikes, not letting the hero get a moment of rest. Clay saw the series of painful strikes that his girlfriend unleashed on the red hero, it was quite impressive in his eyes, seeing her able deliver such amounts of agony was quite… enticing.
From the other end of the tunnel, was Seth using his camouflage capabilities to conceal himself and Matt hiding behind an excavator in his Iron Knight suit, they watched their fellow hero getting the beating of his life right now. And both Seth and his "other" found it quite funny that the speedster was being overwhelmed right now.
The symbiote laughed darkly, finding the speedster's agony humoring. "Wonder how the chicken's going to look after its pounding."
"Gotta make sure it's nice and tender, and thin and flat." Seth added with his own thoughts humorously.
Matt heard dark demonic snickering coming from his best friend, he knew full well that both Seth and Venom was finding Barry's beating hilarious. "Why haven't that guy learnt how to fight yet?" He thought to himself in absolute wonder. Why the red speedster would never even learn how to raise a clenched fist was an unsolvable mystery that not even science could prove.
Their eyes turned to the beaten Barry who were able to dodge an incoming strike from Shawna. And with her back turned to him, he was able to wrap his arms around the enemy metahuman in a hold.
Her eyes turned to a platform, and a chance was seen there in the form a construction worker. Using her metahuman powers, Shawna teleported and appeared behind the worker along with the Flash. With her torso still bound by the speedster's arms, she jumped up and her legs slammed into the worker's back, sending him flying over the edge.
Barry saw the falling worker and his arms let go of the enemy metahuman. Speeding down from the platform, he caught the worker in his arms before impacting on the ground. The hero's eyes looked back up, seeing Shawna standing on another platform.
The speedster was about to move when a blue shine shone behind them, making them turn around and Shawna teleported out of the way when an energy blast came her way. The blast hit the ceiling, and the two metahumans looked in the direction of the blast and found no one there. However, both of them knew that it was the Iron Knight's repulsors.
Smoke emitted from his gauntlet's repulsor as Matt returned to his hiding spot and turned his eyes back to the fighting metahumans. "Nicely timed." He heard Seth said in his Venom form.
Looking into his demonic white eyes, the Iron Knight spoke, "You do realize I'm a weapons expert, right?" he countered with a quip and a reminder.
Shawna became shocked from the blast of blue energy, allowing the red speedster to take the teleporter and slam her into a nearby truck. The knock from the slam shook her mind, making her focus again with a quick escape with her powers. Reappearing from the air and she slammed onto The Flash again, sending her and him along to the ground.
She went to strike him again with her baton, but Barry dodged it and blocked her other incoming attacks. Since neither of their attacks were able to connect, the metahumans got back on their feet. When they did, Shawna went to strike with her metallic weapon with a series of strikes. All of them were dodged by the speedster, thanks to his own metahuman powers.
Clay saw that the fight between the two were taking too long so he slammed his foot on the accelerator, and went straight for the speedster. Shawna saw and heard the engine rev loudly so she turned to it and teleported into it.
Barry went to move, but it was unnecessary as a black tendril pulled him up and into the air, just before the car could collide with him on the receiving end.
Venom dropped down from the ceiling where he was latched onto and placed the speedster back on the ground. The elemental placed himself on the right side of Barry. Iron Knight placed himself on the ground as well, the left side of Barry, and both mutants turned to the metahuman. "You okay?" the nanite mutant inquired of him. A nod came his way.
"Barry, remember: She can't teleport if she can't see anything before her." Venom told him. "We have to limit her field of vision."
"How?" Barry asked of them, hoping that either of the mutants have a plan formulating in their heads.
But they already had a plan in their minds, letting the speedster know with a single. "Leave it to us." Matt told him before hovering into the air and formed two energy blades. Venom twisted his neck to the sides and his flexed fists caused cracking sounds to emit from them. Black tendrils shot out of his back, turning to adamantium the next instant.
The two mutants then shot off, their paths crossed over each other, letting Venom latch onto the left side wall of the tunnel before crawling on it violently and quickly, and letting Matt fly near the right side wall close to the ceiling above him.
They followed the path before them, following the getaway car by the walls. When they within eye sight of the vehicle, they began their plan.
Seth began crawling along the walls with vicious moves and very quickly as well, like a true predator of the wild running berserk. His adamantium tendrils flailing around his body, from all sides, shattering any and all tunnel lights that met the elemental's path. His plan reducing the shining light the way from the left.
Matt turned both of his energy bladed arms to the left and used his back thrusters to boost him ahead. Now that his momentum has increased, he spun around violently. His spiraling energy blades shattering any and all tunnel lights that met his path. His plan reducing the shining light the way from the right.
Shawna from within the getaway car, heard the sound of glass shattering repeatedly, making her look up from the car. Her eyes filled with horror when she saw that both mutants were destroying the tunnel lights from both sides, one flying and the other clawing up the wall. "No." she let out in paining horror.
Clay saw the same and within the next moments, the entire tunnel was plunged into pure darkness aside from their car's headlights. But that changed when a pair of tendrils shot out from the left slammed into the headlights, shattering them and another glass shattered nearer to Shawna.
Even the insides of the car were darkened, Shawna looked around in the vehicle and saw no other than her making her saddened by the only viable prospect. Her car door opened, and she knew that it was red speedster and two other mutants. She didn't even turn to them as she said, "He left me."
Barry didn't respond with any words, letting the poor girl accept her feelings. Matt looked around with his HUD screen scanning the entire tunnel, trying to find the male companion of the crime couple.
Seth however looked around the getaway car. His eyes scanned over the vehicle, seeing the smashed headlights he wondered how and why they were smashed. He didn't destroy them before, only the tunnel lights. Eyes drifting up to the front of the car and saw the windshield. And like the headlights, it was destroyed too.
"What the…" Venom trailed off as he took in the vehicle's damaged glass. Something about this felt wrong, but he couldn't place his finger on it. It was neither him or Matt who done this.
So who else?
X
(S.T.A.R. Labs, The Pipeline)
After a while, the heroes had apprehended Shawna Baez and took her out of her car. Matt made a overlarge visor with tinted glass and placed it over her eyes, making sure that the metahuman was unable to use her powers again.
She was then brought to the Pipeline, where now the S.T.A.R. Labs natives and Barry saw Shawna Baez look around while teleporting in vain. The mutants were in Cisco's workshop, talking about the weird and strange damage on the getaway vehicle.
Barry, without any form of identity concealment, asked Cisco. "Is there any way she can teleport out of this?"
Cisco who saw the metahuman try in vain to teleport out of her cell answered, "It's impossible. It's one-way glass, me and Matt installed it before. it's mirrored on the inside." His eyes drifted between Barry and Caitlin and stated determinedly, "No one dangerous is ever gonna get out of this thing again."
The speedster smiled in agreement with him and walked closer to speak with Shawna directly. "Shawna." He got her attention. "Clay left you. He's out there, and you're in here."
"You what the crazy thing is?" she wondered out loud to them. "I still love him."
Caitlin looked at her with saddened eyes, feeling the emotional weight in her words, the heartbreak in her words that resonated with her own heart, with her feelings of…Seth.
Barry accepted her words and was about to turn to Cisco, when Shawna said, "Clay's gone. You're not going to find him again." The speedster turned to her again and countered, "Not for long. Shawna."
The mechanical engineer closed the door to the Pipeline, and while he did that Caitlin and Barry walked down the ramp leading up to the Pipeline.
"Crazy is right." Caitlin stated.
"Some people are worth being crazy for." Barry admitted. "Like you and Seth, right?" he said while wishing he could have the same.
She sheepishly scratched her cheek as she said, "Yeah. I was a bit of a drunken mess the other night, gotta apologize to him."
Barry commented with a chuckle, "Sounds like Seth and you had fun."
"Yeah, it was." She said, while her heart was beating impatiently as she thought about going to find Seth right now. She then added wholeheartedly and determinedly, knowing of what Cisco told them before. "If what Cisco says is true, that Ronnie merged with Martin Stein, then he's not alive anymore. Find someone new to be crazy about… and I gotta go to him, now."
With a wide smile on her face, she sprinted down the corridors, aiming to find the elemental who stole her heart and gave it back better than ever before, but this time opened and unfrozen to accept her ever-growing feelings for him.
X
(S.T.A.R. Labs, Cisco's workshop)
Inside of Cisco's workshop was Seth and Matt, both of them looking over the schematics of Shawna and Clay's getaway car from last evening. They both found it incredibly strange that neither of them had damaged the headlights or the windshield. Because of that, they chose to examine the damage instead back at the facility.
"Neither of us or Barry destroyed the headlights." Matt stated.
Seth nodded, "Yeah, it's weird. But the only solution is that there was a third party in that tunnel, someone taking out the headlights and getting Clay out of there. But who?"
"My best guess, is someone who made a deal with Clay got in the tunnel to pull him out when things go south." Seth added his own thoughts while thinking to himself, "But how come neither of us could feel any other presence in there, aside from our own."
That was a question that have been on his mind the entire time, feeling and hoping to get the reason behind the missing presence that was able to get their drop on them like that. But it also gave birth to another mind-bugging question.
Who saved Clay Parker?
"Seth!" the two mutants turned around to the entrance to the workshop and saw Caitlin standing there with her breathing coming out in a series of ragged pants from running.
Matt saw Seth's eyes taking in her form clothed in the blue dress with black and white stripes before his own eyes looking between them and said, "Oh yeah, I forgot. Cisco owes me a beer and some whiskey for saving his ass. So I'll go."
"Subtle." Venom commented on the nanite mutant's not at all subtle way of leaving the two of them alone
"Why Liv loves him is still a mystery to me." Seth said in his mind before he looked to Caitlin again who held one of the widest smiles on her face, he had ever seen. "What's with that beautiful goofy smile on your face? Did someone finally give Barry a good advice about keeping a secret?"
She didn't answer to his joke. Instead she moved closer to him and her arms wrapped around his neck. "I'm really… sorry about being a drunken mess last night, pretty much ruined the night, didn't it?"
Seth shook his head, denying her thoughts. "Trust me it was very fun, even when you were throwing up." She blushed at the memory, but then her face turned tomato red when his face nuzzled against her neck. "I'm never getting tired of that."
"Me neither." She agreed with him while her hand lightly and gently pushed him away, letting both of them make eye contact again. "And I'm really glad that I met you here. I know I've said it before, but it's never going to be enough."
The elemental smiled in happiness as he felt his heart beat rapidly, something his "other" did not like in the slightest. Seth laughed lightly before he recalled the events of last night, of their little date. "You don't remember last night, do you?" She shook her head, intrigued by his tone and embarrassed by what little she remembered from the night. A smile formed on his mouth as he said, "How about a mutant date, then? You wanted one last night. Right now?"
"Right now? You sure?" she asked him for clarity. Her response was a nod, "Let's go."
X
The next moment the two of them found themselves on top of the roof of the facility. Caitlin clung to Seth out of fear of plummeting down to her death from a fall up here. "W-What a-are we doing here?" she asked with a stammering voice of fear.
"You wanted a mutant date…" he walked over to edge of the roof and said, "… then a mutant date is what you're going to get." He motioned for Caitlin to join him on the edge of the roof.
The native of this universe walked closer to him with shaking legs. When she was close enough, Seth wrapped an arm securely around her waist and pulled her closer to him. "Do you trust me?"
"Always." She said with a nodding head with her eyes peering over the edge of the tall building of her workplace. Her arms shot up, going around his neck. A little shaky about what Seth had planned for them, but at the same time feeling comfort and safety at the feeling of his arms around her. And she knew that Seth was not going to let anything happen to her.
The elemental smiled before he tightened his grip around her waist, the next moment he pushed his feet and her off the ledge and into the air, falling downwards to the ground. As they did, Caitlin took a deep breath with the wind rushing past them before Seth covered his entire left arm with his partner, lashing it out in the direction of a building.
A black tendril shot out of his out lashed arm and stuck to a building. The elemental used his wind element to send them further away from the building and his tendril pulled them, swinging them away. Caitlin felt a whole new sensation of a rush surged over her form as Seth carried them both high and above the buildings and right in front of them.
Seth covered his frame with his suit during the fall from S.T.A.R. Labs fall, letting it be covered by a skin-tight black suit with white veins over his form. They passed a building with glasses on every side, their forms reflecting in the glasses. Caitlin wished she had a camera with her now, so she could commemorate this brief moment as they passed another building.
A blushing smile formed behind Seth's mask when he felt Caitlin press up against him as he swung with a tendril and tendril, her arms tightly around his neck, her face shining brightly with a wide smile and placed on his chest with happiness coursing through her form.
"Keep it in your pants." Venom chided, although the symbiote was quite happy with how comfortable and at ease his partner was with the young woman close to him, and in the air with him now.
"Shut it." Seth said back to him, as he swung himself and Caitlin out of the city limits and over to a lake. She saw the place and recognized it as the riverfront where Bette Sans Souci was temporarily bonded to the symbiote. Incidentally, it's also the place where she attacked and stroke down soldiers with ease, from what she could recall back then.
He brought himself and Caitlin down to the ground, right by the waters, his arms letting go of Caitlin and the symbiote retracting into his form. Moving to her front, Seth asked her, "Having fun?"
Caitlin was still smiling widely as she replied, "it was… amazing!" she shouted like an overly excited teenage girl. She even jumped up and down like one as well. "Is that how you feel every time you swing?"
"Yeah, it's amazing. Better than a jetpack." He added with a quip.
Still smiling, her eyes peering over the area and looked to the waters. She didn't want to be rude but wondered of him, "How is this a mutant date?"
With a charming smirk on his face he grasped her hand, and led her over to the edge, this time near the waters. "Our little mutant date is not done yet, my dear."
Surprise came over her when she saw him place a raised foot on top of the waters. She expected it to go through the waters because of its weight… but it didn't. Instead she saw him place both feet on the water surface.
Her eyes widened when she saw him now stand on the water surface right before her. "How?" she inquired of him still baffled by the sight.
"Water element. I'm concentrating the water to form a large mass of water under my feet, it's solid enough so it always gives people the impression that I'm standing or walking on water." He explained.
"Puts you in interesting company." She stated with a joke.
A chuckle came from his mouth as he was compared to God right now. "Thanks for that." He added with a bow, "Problem, is that I can only do it to myself because I can control the water inside of my body and not others."
"So what? You're going to show off now? Sounds like a great second date." Caitlin said in mock hurt.
Holding up a finger to her lips, Seth said with assurance, "Don't you worry Cait. But since you can't stand here… how about…" he swiped his left foot around in a half-circular motion, sending a wave of coldness over the surface of the water. Freezing it within a certain radius.
Seeing it, Caitlin had to place her hands over her mouth in shock. Absolutely baffled was the best way to describe her current status as she drank in the frozen water surface that her boyfriend created within a second. "Seth, this is amazing!"
He didn't respond other than with his hand stretched out for her to take, which she did with small steps. Leading her to the edge, leading up to the make-shift skating rink. She didn't want to waste a single moment, so she took her first step on the ice rink. It was amazing that it was able to hold the two of them now, but he probably froze more than the water surface.
Seth gently swung her around with one hand on the frozen surface while he directed them to the middle of the ice rink with gentle moves. Before Caitlin could get away from him, the elemental wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close again.
Her arms went around his neck as her amber brown eyes looked into his azure blue eyes. Both pairs are filling with warmth and comfort as they held each other close and swayed as though there was a gentle song playing just for them. They moved in sync with one another as their eyes never lost contact and they just lost themselves in each other.
Caitlin felt unlike anything she had ever felt before, she felt like she was completed again. Her missing piece had been rediscovered again, by Seth who now stood in front of her and held her like she was the most precious thing in the entire multiverse. His eyes spoke volumes that no mere words could utter, making her heart speed up thousand-fold and warmth spreading across her chest, across her heart.
And she wasn't the only one.
Even though Seth's heart and soul still have cracks on them, they were slowly piecing back together again. And a part of him wondered if he would able to move on from his past, his losses and finally stay with Caitlin from now on, in this universe. To be able dance again and over and over with the most beautiful woman who looked at him with the very same emotions that reflected in his own eyes, his own core being.
Venom remained silent as they danced. Making sure that his partner and Caitlin were left alone together to enjoy this moment. But a sense of joy was present in his mental eyes that looked at them. Both of them deserved this happiness after everything that they had been through. And if the alien clone had anything to say about it… It would be that the couple would continue on being happy for a very long time.
But that was not within his hands… that job was assigned to fate.
Seth lowered his lips and latched onto Caitlin's lips which raised themselves to meet his incoming ones, and then the two of them connected. An all-powerful surge of emotions flowed between them as once again they were led into their own little world again.
The two of them left alone in their own little world with soothing blue ice around them as their floor while they danced and swayed to their hearts' contents.
And no one was there to break their trance.
X
"AAAAAARGGGHHHH!"
Clay Parker unleashed a blood-curdling scream as he was thrown into the air and into the back of the alley, cracking the wall that he crashed against. And if his crushed kneecap and broken shoulder wasn't putting him through enough agony, his back hurt with the traveling shockwave from the impact spreading around his back.
When he was suddenly dragged out of his getaway car in the middle of his getaway with Shawna Baez, the last thing he expected was for a pair of tendrils to drag him out by the windshield and away before either of the three heroes could see that.
And, because the tunnel was laced with pure darkness, Parker expected the tendrils to belong to the elemental who's been putting the fear of God into each and every criminal of the city. But it was anyone but Venom.
Instead of the black tendrils belonging to the anti-hero, he was dragged out by red tendrils with black veins. And when Clay saw the face and the body of the crimson tendrils' origin, his entire body became petrified with pure terror.
A pair of white demonic eyes looking at the terrified criminal escapee from Iron Heights Prison with visible sadistic traits residing in them of murder and bloodlust. Red and black claws scratching against the wall as the deranged killer walked slowly with his clawed feet ever so closer to the agonizing Clay Parker. His long serpent-like tongue licked over the surface of his pitch-black teeth like he was eyeing his prey with a sense of hunger. As he now stood in front of the injured man, Carnage coated both of his clawed hands with his very unique poison. The liquid poison even dripping down on the ground itself and melting the surface upon contact.
Parker tried to back away, fearing that he might meet the same fate as the ground and melt after contact with the venomous liquid. But it was to no success…
PIERCE
"AAAAGGGHH!"
… as Cletus Kasady slammed his foot into Clay's guts, his clawed toes piercing his skin and digging deeper into his flesh. A message of his design, telling that there wasn't any hope of him escaping the dangerous serial killer from a far universe. And the message was loud and clear as Parker let out another scream, the black claws digging deeper and drawing a large amount of blood, which reddened his clothes and lowered his life force with each drop.
Carnage looked over his injured prey and laughed as he took in his pitiful form. "You're WEAK!" He lowered his head down to look into Clay's eyes. "I know a Parker myself… and you're NOTHING like him! You're just a little joke who left his girlfriend to save his own ass."
Clay felt enraged by his words and shouted, "Shu-AAAAGGH!"
But his words were caught off when the clawed toes digging into his guts twisted around, forcing Clay to unleash another scream before he could even finish his sentence.
A tongue licked the side of his face, making Clay flinch in disgust because of the slithering feeling of the sadistic killer's tongue. "You …shut… up." He forced his prey to look into his evil eyes with his clawed hand holding him in place.
The hand around his face forced Clay to withhold his scream as he felt the poisonous red liquid sear the sides of his face. Carnage smiled happily as he saw the flesh erode around Parker's face, even more when he saw him struggle with the growing pain in his core. It shook his core with delight.
Cletus' free hand swung and swiped across Clay's clothed torso, ripping the shirt off his body in an instant. As he took in the sight of the undamaged flesh, he smiled again happily with hints of sadistic traits clear in his teeth. "Time to get down to business."
He raised a single finger and sharpened it, a malicious smile formed on his face as the red liquid substance coated his sharp finger. Lowering the finger, the sharp tip of it touched Parker's chest and then dug deeper into it and through the surface of his skin.
Carnage smiled again in triumph, knowing full well that his dear uncle would be more than happy to hear from him again…
… especially with his well-written message…
To be continued…
Hope you enjoyed this one as well people. The next one will be like I mentioned before, longer as well.
And now things will be difficult for Seth next time, as he still struggles with his inability to strike Ronnie Raymond down because of his feelings for the woman who reopened his heart again.
And with the prospect of Ronnie returning into Caitlin's life and his baby sister still missing, Seth will have to make a decision that not even his best friend from his home universe will like.
And the situation of Olivia Fury's condition is still a mystery to all.
Stay tuned and found out!
