WRITER'S NOTE: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
I apologize again for making you wait so long for this chapter! Unforseen personal things came up, the holidays came out of nowhere, and this chapter took longer to write than I thought! I am soooooooo sorry for not getting this done sooner.
So as a late Christmas present, here is the eagerly awaited chapter:
Bullets started flying a second after Flash exited the mansion. He dodged them easily as he carried Kiera and the drone away from the place that had held them captive for who knows how long. He noticed the sun was setting over Central City's skyline in the distance and guessed they must have been down in that safe room at least thirty hours.
Seeing the dozens of armed guards starting to surround him, Flash ran behind a separated garage nearby. He carefully set Kiera down against its back wall and placed the drone on the ground beside her.
Stay here. I'll be right back. Barry said mentally to Kiera as he pulled his mask over his head and then ran off back to the guards. Flash sped around the guards in a matter of seconds before stopping several feet from them, a big grin on his face. The guards looked down at their hands and realized their guns had disappeared. They looked back up at the Flash, stunned.
"Looking for these?" Flash asked as he held up their stolen weapons against his chest with his right arm.
The guards instinctively went for their secondary handguns hidden in the back of their belts.
"Got those too!" Flash grinned and showed the handguns on top of the pile held up by his arm. Before the guards could react, Flash sped off to dispose of the guns and came back to the guards. The guards started to disappear, one by one, until the lawn was empty and they were locked in an upstairs room of the mansion. Flash then sped back to where he left Kiera. He winced as his burned left arm reacted to all activity he had done so far. He quickly turned his attention to Kiera.
She was curled up against the garage's wall, her palms were pressed against her forehead and her eyes were closed tightly, a clear message about how much pain she was in. Her breathing hitched as she tried to block the repeated mental attacks Ruby had set up in her mind during the torture, along with the continuous images of her dead and dying parents to break her.
"Make it stop!" Kiera screamed.
"Kiera's vitals are spiking! She can't take much more of this before permanent brain damage," Caitlin said in Barry's ear. "Whatever Ruby is doing it's lighting her brain up like a Christmas tree!" she said as she watched live readings of Kiera's mental activity.
"I'll try to reach her," Barry whispered as he kneeled down in front of her and gently placed his hand on Kiera's good shoulder.
Kiera? Kiera, can you hear me? He asked her mentally. When he got no response he realized the mental torture might be making it hard for Kiera to focus on anything else in her mind,
"Kiera?" he whispered, this time audible. "Focus on my voice, nothing else. I'm right here. Just focus on me. Can you do that?"
Kiera shook her head and winced as the movement made her head pound even harder. "No! It's too much! I can't stop it. I can't stop seeing them…."
"I know you can do this, Kiera. Focus on my voice. Try," he whispered. "Tune everything else out. Focus on just my voice."
Kiera balled her fists and pressed them against her eyes as she tried to do what Barry had suggested. Every time she tried to ignore the pounding and memory of that day, her mind would spin and the pain would come back even worse.
Barry frowned as he felt some of the pain and discouragement, realizing Ruby had done far worse than he'd thought. Coming up with a new idea, he smiled and leaned in. He gently pulled her hands down off her face and kissed her softly.
Kiera instantly softened and returned the kiss, distracted from the torture going on in her mind. Barry pulled away after the kiss and grinned widely when he saw her open her eyes.
"Were you trying to be Prince Charming and wake me up for a curse?" Kiera asked, chuckling.
"Yeah, something like that," Barry admitted and grinned.
Kiera laughed and shook her head, the pain and pounding starting to subside. She looked around, finally realizing she was outside of the mansion. Now that they were outside and visible to neighbors or security, she realized she should become Telegirl once more and not the 'damaged Kiera' Ruby had tortured in that safe room. She pulled out her mask, which she had managed to put in one of her suit's hip pouches during their escape attempt in the safe room.
"Come on, we need to get going before they recover and come after us," Barry whispered as he stood up and offered his good arm down to help her up.
Kiera took his hand, using her good arm and tried to stand up. A small gasp escaped her lips and she fell back toward the ground behind the separate garage. Pain radiated from her wounds, burns and overall fatigued mind and body, causing her head to spin again.
Barry quickly helped her rest back onto the ground and looked into the pouch at her hip that was designated for the syringes of his blood.
"Where are the syringes?" he asked as he looked inside to see the pouch was empty.
"I must have forgotten to grab them before we hurried out," Kiera managed as she closed her eyes shut, trying to push out the pain again.
"I'll go get them," Barry said and stood up.
"What?!" Kiera asked as her eyes shot open. "No! You can't! She's down there. She'll capture you again!"
"I agree, it's too risky," Cisco chimed in as the two scientists looked at each other, worried.
"Ruby won't even know I was there. I can be in and out in a second," Barry defended.
Kiera shook her head as much as she could, but even the small effort made her head spin again. "She'll know and will use her Telekinesis to stop you, Barry. You can't go down there."
"Just carry Kiera back here! It will be a quick trip." Caitlin added. "Then I can help Kiera recover."
"I have to go down there. Kiera's too weak and in too much pain to move," Barry explained, sensing her pain through their connection.
Kiera sighed and closed her eyes as she tried to think. "Fine. I think distract her."
"How? You can't even stand, Kiera!" Barry exclaimed.
"Don't worry about me. I think I know a way. Now get ready to go when I tell you. I'll probably only be able to distract her for a few seconds."
Barry watched her for a moment, knowing how much pain she was in and knowing some of what Ruby did to her. He knew he could trust her, but he wasn't sure if she could undergo any more abuse or handle using her powers again. He gave in, knowing they didn't have much of a choice and nodded slowly. "Fine. That's more than enough time."
"Are you seriously going to do this?!" Cisco asked in their ears. They didn't respond and he threw his hands in the air. "Fine, don't go crying to me, Barry, when she gets in your head and messes with it!"
Barry took a deep breath and stepped forward, positioned himself so he was prepared to run the instant Kiera told him to.
Seeing he was ready, Kiera closed her eyes and tried to focus in on Ruby's distracted mind. Finally finding what she was looking for, Kiera entered the villain's mind.
"Go! Go now!" Kiera shouted to Barry and then focused on 'Brain Blasting' Ruby like she had done earlier. As Kiera dove deeper into Ruby's mind she felt some of the intense emotions Ruby was experiencing; rage, grief, and confusion. Kiera took advantage of the situation as Ruby was distracted by her emotions and her mental attack. She pulled information, which was much more difficult than normal with her pounding head, but Kiera managed to grab onto a small amount of information.
Kiera's eyes opened wide as she found a certain piece of information.
Barry, who had successfully returned a couple seconds before with the syringes, kneeled down before her.
"Are you okay?" he asked as he uncapped the three syringes.
"Huh…?" Kiera glanced around and quickly realized where she was again. "Oh, uh yeah. I mean, I think so." She looked up at him confused, but then her face turned serious. "I know Ruby's real name."
"You found out her real name while you were in her mind?" Barry asked and Kiera nodded.
"Seriously?" Cisco asked. "What is it?"
Without saying anything, Barry motioned to the syringes in his hand, telling Kiera he was going to give them to her. She nodded and turned slightly, so he could reach her good arm.
In a blur of red and yellow, Barry dispensed the syringes' blood into Kiera's arm in only a second and then stored the now empty syringes in Kiera's hip pocket. Kiera barely felt a thing and leaned her head back against the garage's wall as she waited for his blood to help her recover.
"What's her name?" he asked as he looked up.
Kiera opened her mouth to answer, but the sound of guns firing, bullets flying and one of the garage's other walls being blown apart by bullets stopped her.
"We need to get out of here!" Barry shouted over the noise. Kiera nodded as she picked up the drone that was still sitting beside her. Flash carefully picked her up, trying not to cause too much pain for both of them and ran out into the chaotic scene. He easily dodged the flying bullets and ran past the escaped guards and their new guns. Yellow lightning crackled above the street's asphalt as Barry ran out of the gated community and headed towards Central City. Kiera clung to his neck, her eyes tightly closed as she tried to force Ruby's torture that still lingered out of her mind.
Suddenly she felt a chill down her spine and knew exactly what it meant.
Ruby was following them.
She's coming! And fast! Kiera mentally told Barry.
Good. Then we can lead her to S.T.A.R. Labs, where we can figure out a plan to capture her again. Barry replied as he ran.
"Caitlin, Cisco, we're heading your way. Caitlin can you get more Phenobarbital syringes ready? Cisco can you get a cell ready?" Barry asked the team back at the Lab.
"On it!" They replied together into their earpieces.
Kiera opened her eyes in time to see the world around them slow down. It almost looked like a ship slowing down from the speed of light in a Sci-Fi movie; the sudden movement made her head spin again.
Why are you stopping? We're not there yet. Kiera asked as she looked around at the tall warehouse buildings looming above them. She caught a glimpse of the harbor on the other end of streets they passed.
I'm not. Barry frowned and looked down at his feet. It's like I'm running in molasses.
Kiera looked over Barry shoulder and saw the outline of a slender form descend from the darkening sky about fifty yards from them. Her hand was outstretched toward them and even though the buildings cast shadows upon them as the sun set over Central City, Kiera knew it was Ruby and the villain was smirking like a cat that had just trapped a mouse and was ready to go in for the kill.
Let me down. Kiera told Barry, mentally as she let go of his neck.
But you're too weak, Kiera. You can hardly stand. You can't fight her like this!
Your blood is already starting to work. Kiera insisted. Barry sighed after watching her for a few seconds. He gently set her down on her feet beside him and they turned around to face at Ruby.
"Ruby! I didn't mean to hit him! I didn't mean to hurt Topaz! He put himself between you and the daggers I threw at you before I could even react!" Kiera shouted at Ruby, who was now standing about forty feet from them, as still as a statue.
Kiera thought her words would help Ruby understand, even just slightly, but she was gravely mistaken.
Ruby quickly extended her right arm toward them and before Kiera could counter the attack, they were both sent backwards into the building looming behind them. The large glass windows shattered around them as they flew into the warehouse's second story and then landed in piles of empty boxes.
Their groans echoed through the warehouse's open second floor. Barry was the first to move. He struggled to get up from the flattened boxes that had broken their fall. His burned arm felt like it was on fire and the fall had caused the burned skin to tear and bleed, his back was also sore from the landing and his whole body ached from the fall, but he did not give up. After a couple minutes of trying and attempting to ignore the pain, Flash finally sat up. He looked around and saw that they were not alone in the warehouse. Having stopped what they were working on, a handful of workers were staring back at him. His first thought went to his mask and he put his hand to his temple. Feeling the leather-like red material, Barry felt somewhat relieved, knowing his secret identity was still a secret. A woman's pained groan brought the Flash back to the situation at hand.
He carefully stood up on the unstable new cardboard floor as quickly as he could and glanced around the large pile of boxes he was in the middle of, scanning for any sign of Kiera.
"Help me find Telegirl! Please!" He pleaded to the people around him as he tried to make his way across the damaged boxes toward where he thought he heard the groan come from. The men and women, scattered around the large room- some in forklifts that were frozen in the middle of lifting or lowering boxes, a couple were supervising and others were sorting through and inventorying items- all dropped what they were doing when they realized they were looking at their city's hero and he needed their help.
Kiera? Can you hear me?! Barry asked her mentally as he stepped over damaged piles of what were once empty boxes. I'm coming!
Yeah… A response and an audible faint groan steered Barry in her direction. I think I might have broken a rib or two.
Don't move! I'm coming! He moved boxes out of his way as he carefully stepped on the crushed and damaged boxes.
"Over here!" A man shouted from the other side of the pile. Flash saw him wave him over and then kneel down as he looked at something hidden from Flash's view.
Barry's mind raced faster than his feet as he tried to differentiate between the pain he was feeling from his own injuries and Kiera's injuries to see how badly she'd been injured from the fall.
Barry jumped down from the pile and reached the man in under a second. The others, who had just arrived at different parts of the damaged pile, soon followed to help.
At first all Barry saw was Kiera's messy blonde hair spread out over the flattened cardboard boxes. He began pulling the deformed boxes out of the way with the man helping, so they could reach her. Soon Telegirl came into view, spread out over the cardboard, not daring to move and find out just what she had broken. The deepened cuts on her arm, which were starting to heal thanks to Barry's blood, had opened again and left a small pool of blood soaking into the broken boxes below her. Her burned and cut right arm was bent as she rested her hand on her luckily not burned side, where she guessed she cracked a rib. Her torso was bare, from Ruby's cutting of her suit so she could burn her right side.
"Can you get up? I'll carry you out of here-" Barry asked aloud.
No. Get them out first before she gets here, then come get me.
Kiera… She could be here any second…. Barry insisted.
I can't allow anyone else to get hurt because she's after us… after me! Get them out of here! Please! Kiera begged as she looked at him with small tears in her eyes.
Barry tilted his head slightly, his eyes showing his conflicting thoughts and responsibilities. He felt her pain, but he also felt her emotions. Her fear of Ruby, but more so her fear that Ruby would kill or harm others just to torture her.
Do it. Please!
Barry frowned and vanished in a streak of yellow lightning, moving as fast as possible. He took out the others one by one and placed them a block away before taking others he found downstairs and returning to Kiera in only couple minutes.
Your turn. Barry told her as he knelt down in front of her. She looked up at him; relieved everyone else was safe. Kiera slowly used her uninjured left arm to try and sit up. Barry carefully tried to help her up without pulling too hard and aggravating her painful ribs. Kiera's breath hitched and she winced at the pain it caused just to move a couple inches, but continued to slowly sit up.
Come on. You can do it. He encouraged her as he felt the pain in his own ribs. We'll be safe once I get us back to S.T.A.R. Labs. He promised, even though they both knew it wasn't true.
After a couple minutes, Kiera was finally on her feet and was supported by Barry as she stepped off the pile of cardboard.
A loud click echoed through the vast room and suddenly the now deserted warehouse went dark.
What was that? Kiera asked as she tried to look around the darkened room. Only faint sunlight from the sunset outside shone through the building's back windows, barely lighting a small part of the large room in an orange glow.
I don't think we want to find out. Barry replied mentally as he gently picked Kiera up. He was about to step forward and run out of the building when his body froze again. He tried to move, but it felt like he was stuck in concrete again.
She's here. Kiera said mentally as she looked around, also frozen in Barry's arms.
That's right. Ruby's eerily calm voice said in their minds as she stepped out of the shadows into the dim light, the heroes only seeing her dark silhouette against the city's skyline that welcomed the dusk. "And you two have lived long enough!" she shouted out loud as they saw her flick her wrist down.
The floor below Flash's feet started to crumble and unable to do anything else, they started to plummeted through the floor and down towards the warehouse's first story.
They cried out as they to fall and in a matter of seconds Barry landed on his back on the carpeted floor, still holding Kiera on top of him. The impact made a low groan escape Barry's lips and Kiera gasped as even though he cushioned her fall, her cracked rib then broke in two.
Kiera was the first to open her eyes, but it didn't help any, as the room they fell into was in complete darkness. Kiera looked up and saw the hole they fell through, the dusk lighting created only a dim spotlight on them. She was expecting to see Ruby looking down at them, but she didn't see anything above the hole, expect for the second floor's dark ceiling.
Realizing she was still on Barry, Kiera carefully rolled off and groaned as she landed on hard floor beside him. Unable to move due to the intense pain radiating through her body from her various injuries, she just turned her head to look at Barry.
Barry? Are you okay? This time it was Kiera's turn to mentally check for his injuries by using the phantom connection pains in her own body.
A low groan told Kiera he was conscious at least. She tried to sit up, but her body protested with fresh pain and soreness. She winced and continued to try, knowing they needed to get up so they could get away from whatever Ruby had planned.
Barry?
I'm okay. I think I broke some ribs too and my back is sore. Barry managed as he lifted his burned left arm to see the fragile dark red skin had been torn even more and fresh blood was trailing down the second and third degree burns that still felt like they were ablaze. He groaned loudly as he lowered his injured arm and lifted his other hand to adjust his mask, which had shifted over one eye in the fall. Now able to see more clearly, he stared up at the hole they had just fallen through.
Kiera sighed. We're a sight!
Barry and Kiera laughed, but quickly stopped when it caused their broken ribs to shift and pull apart. They both groaned and rested their heads back on the carpeted floor to recover.
After a minute, they finally managed to sit up and tried to look around, but the whole room was still in almost complete darkness.
"Cisco? Caitlin? Are you guys still there? Can you hear us?" Barry whispered when he remembered their friends were getting the lab ready for Ruby's capture.
"Yeah we're here? Are you two okay?" Caitlin's voice asked in their ears.
"We could be worse," Barry replied with a frown. He was about to say more when he sensed Kiera sensed something wrong.
"What is it?" He turned his head to look at her.
"We need to get out of here,"Kiera whispered as she stared off into the darkness on the other side of Barry.
Barry… We need to go… NOW! She managed when she sensed something suddenly coming towards them. It could only be one person- Ruby. As she felt Ruby run toward them, she quickly pulled open the pocket in her suit that contained her shield. The sudden fear made adrenaline pump through Kiera's body, causing her powers to react and strengthen back to how they were before Ruby's torture.
Kiera's shield flew from the pouch at her hip and opened in mid air, stopping at Barry's left just in time to block Ruby's punch from finding its mark. Ruby screamed in frustration, which caused Barry to look over for any sign of the villain, but all he saw were pitch-black shadows surrounding them.
Telegirl smirked at her success and extended her arms out in front of her, flicking her wrists, which caused the shield to fly forward and slam into Ruby, knocking her back further into the shadows.
Do you think you can get up? Kiera asked Barry, mentally as she tried to ignore the pain from the fiery burns on her shoulder and stomach, the shallow cuts on her arms, the soreness and exhaustion that riddled her body and the broken rib on top of Barry's injuries. She struggled to stand up herself and had to use her powers to assist herself. Kiera lowered her good arm down to help Barry up and he reached up to take it.
Before Barry could get a hold of Kiera's hand, she heard Ruby grunt and Kiera quickly lowered herself in time to avoid Ruby's punch. Kiera gasped as the sudden movements made her broken rib shift. She placed her hand over her left ribs and focused on making her shield stop between them again to protect them while they got back up. Telegirl slowly stood up again and glared into the shadows where her enemy lurked on the other side of her floating shield.
"What are you waiting for, Telegirl?" Ruby's voice mocked from the darkness.
Kiera's eyes narrowed as anger started to surface again and before Barry could stop her, she outstretched her unharmed hand. Without being able to see what was around them, Kiera just focused on the closest item she could feel.
A whooshing sound made Barry look behind Kiera, who was now standing beside where he sat. Wind blew Kiera's disheveled hair forward as something large flew past her right shoulder and into the darkness ahead. A few seconds later the sound of something crashing and Ruby's startled and pained shout filled the air.
Come on! We only have a minute or two before she recovers. Kiera mentally said to Barry as she brought the shield back to Barry's side to protect them incase Ruby recovered before they could move. Kiera lowered her arm again, pushing past the pain that every movement caused. The fear of getting caught by Ruby again was far worse than her body's current condition. Barry gritted his teeth and also tried to ignore the pain as he stood up with her help.
I don't think I can run. Barry admitted as he cradled his broken ribs and his burned and bleeding arm, which had already started to heal.
I can get us out of here then.
Barry turned to Kiera even though they could hardly see each other in the diminished spotlight from the hole above their heads. Are you sure you can after what she did to your mind?
Kiera nodded, trying to convince him and herself at the same time.
Trust me. I'm feeling a lot better - mentally at least. Without waiting for a reply, Kiera closed her eyes, focusing on making her shield collapse and return to her hand. She slipped it in her suit's pocket before focusing on making them float up into the air. She had to push all of the pain out of her mind and focus solely on using her Telekinesis to get them out of the dark warehouse.
A minute later, their feet left the ground and they rose up into the pale sunbeam that shone down through the second floor's hole. Only a few seconds later they were on the second floor and gained speed as Telegirl had them float toward the broken window they had crashed into on the way into the warehouse.
"Caitlin, Cisco, we're coming back," Barry told the team waiting for them at S.T.A.R. Labs.
"You defeated her already?" Caitlin voice asked in their ears.
"Not exactly." Barry glanced back at the hole. "But hopefully enough to give us time to get out of here."
The two heroes flew out of the warehouse and Kiera had them ascend above the warehouses as they headed in the direction of the lab.
Barry watched the buildings below them fly by as they accelerated. Night had fallen across Central City and the buildings' lights, streetlights, and the many cars speeding along down below cast a warm glow that lit the city like a Christmas tree. Barry couldn't help, but smile as he watched his beloved city. He'd never get used to its beauty.
Kiera's scream of pain brought him back to moment and he turned his head quickly to see her hands pressed against the sides of her head.
Kiera? What's wrong? Barry asked mentally as he alternated between looking at her and looking down at the traffic filled streets far below them. Kiera?!
Seeing that she wasn't responded, Barry decided to try talking to her out loud. "Kiera? What's wrong?"
Kiera hissed at the pain in her head, trying to keep her focus on making their bodies float above the city. She managed two words. "Brain… Blast!"
Barry's eyes widened and he looked behind them, knowing such an attack could only come from one person. Not able to see if Ruby was behind them in the night sky he turned his head back to Kiera.
"Do you think you can get us to the building only a few feet to your left?" he asked mentally as he saw a skyscraper coming up beside them.
"I'll try…"Kiera managed mentally before another scream escaped her lips. Her mind was starting to feel like it would explode as Ruby continued to overload it. Kiera took a deep breath as she tried her best to push this new pain away and get them to the roof before she lost control or passed out.
They started to gain speed again, but this time it was sideways toward the building's roof. Barry held his breath as he watched it approach.
"Good. You're doing great,"he encouraged and then looked behind them for any sign of Ruby Siren.
Suddenly everything happened in slow motion as Barry saw Ruby come into view behind them. The city's lights illuminated the red on her suit and lips and cast an eerily shadows on her face making her look even angrier than he remembered. The villain flicked her wrist as she hovered in the air several feet behind them.
"No!" Flash screamed as he realized what she was going to do. In mid air he tried his best to dive toward Kiera, whose face was starting to pale from the pain and beads of sweat had appeared on her face as she tried as best she could to focus.
Flash's arms wrapped around Kiera as they started to fall toward the busy street below. The skyscraper's roof rose beside them and within seconds they were starting to descend down the side of the building.
Thinking fast, Barry spun his free arm into tight circles at his side and lightning sparked in a spiral as a funnel cloud started to form; the trick Flash had done several times before made them float up towards the building's roof.
Kiera groaned as her head continued to pound and images of her parents' murders and Kiera and Barry's times in the torture chair replayed over and over in her mind. Her eyes were shut tight as she tried to fight the pain and images, making her unaware of what was going on.
They slowly rose a few feet above the roof and Barry was going to try to lower them onto it when Ruby broke through Kiera's weakening protection of his mind and was finally able to Brain Blast him also. The sudden pain caused Barry to loose focus and again they fell.
A groan left Kiera's lips as she hit the roof; the sudden physical pain distracted her from Ruby's mental torture and she opened her eyes to see a vast night sky above her. Momentarily forgetting where she was and why she was there, she turned her head and managed to weakly call out, "Barry?"
A dark scarlet form lay motionless beside Kiera; seeing it she frantically reached out for him as she called again in a hoarse voice, "Barry?! Talk to m-"
Before she could finish and attempt to reach him, a heeled black boot forced her uninjured outreaching arm against the concrete roof causing Kiera to scream in pain. She looked up to see Ruby Siren standing above her, donning her full skintight suit and mask, complete with her usual wide red smirk.
"Oh no you don't! He's-" she paused and tilted her head as she looked over at Flash as if trying find the right words. "-getting some beauty sleep at the moment." Her smirk returned and she looked back down at her nemesis.
Telegirl clenched her jaw as she looked up at the villain standing above her. She turned her head to look at Barry's still body before she moved her loose, injured arm up and outstretched her fingers toward Ruby. Kiera's mind didn't get much time to focus on what she wanted to do as anger boiled inside of her. Ruby suddenly flew backwards until she collided with one of the roof's air ventilators and fell to the concrete roof.
The attack gave Kiera time to push herself up and kneel before Barry.
"Barry?" she whispered as she pushed him onto his back. Barry?! Can you hear me?
No response.
Kiera tried to sense something, anything, through their connection that could tell her Barry was okay.
"Caitlin? Cisco?" Kiera said louder, over the wind blowing over the skyscraper's roof and the noises of the city below. "Are you guys still there? Barry's unconscious, I think. I can't reach him mentally," She paused and waited for a response, but none came. All she heard was faint static through her earpiece.
"Great! We're on our own," she muttered under her breath as she pulled out her earpiece and threw it onto the ground, frustrated. Kiera looked back at Barry, as emotions started to overwhelm her.
Barry? Don't make me do this alone! Cisco and Caitlin can't help now either. I can't fight her by myself! Kiera practically screamed mentally as she watched him remain motionless, even after she called out to him mentally. Kiera glanced over in Ruby's direction and saw she was still on the floor, struggling to collect herself and return to fight. Kiera looked back at Barry and placed two fingers on his wrist, trying to find a heartbeat. Finally she found a slow steady heartbeat and sighed in relief.
Come back to me, Barry! I need your help! She pleaded as tears started to fall down her mask and onto her cheeks. Out of the corner of her eye she saw movement and looked up in time to see Ruby getting back on her feet, now looking madder than ever.
Kiera wiped the tears away and mentally cried out to Barry one last time before she stood up slowly, careful to avoid disturbing her injuries as best she could. Kiera felt exhausted from the earlier torture, their escape, her fight with Ruby, 'Brain Blasting' Ruby, and using her powers to fly her and Barry away from her.
Telegirl tried to get in a ready position without causing more pain to her battered, burned and wounded body.
Ruby steadied herself on her feet and then ran toward her, using her Telekinesis to push herself along faster toward Telegirl. The villain's face distorted in anger and she cried out in rage as she balled her hands into fists, ready to fight her enemy.
Kiera also extended her uninjured arm, but instead of forming a fist; she stretched her hand out and tried to concentrate on pushing Ruby back like she did before.
Nothing happened. Kiera watched shocked as she saw Ruby was still fast approaching. As the distance between them quickly shrunk Kiera froze in place, unable to think straight.
"You killed him! You killed Topaz!" Ruby shouted as she flew toward Telegirl.
Kiera's eyes widened at the information. Topaz had died from his knife wounds after she and Barry left the mansion? Kiera had accidently killed him after all. "You bi-!" Before Ruby could finish a streak of yellow lightning rushed past Telegirl and Ruby Siren disappeared with it. Before Kiera had time to process what happened, the pounding in her head intensified, causing her to wince and put her palm to her forehead.
A pained scream pierced the suddenly tranquil night sky around the roof and Kiera instantly knew it was Barry's. Kiera looked up and saw Ruby and Flash on the other side of the building's roof. Flash was on his knees near Ruby, his back to Telegirl and his palms pressing into the sides of his masked head as he screamed in pain. A smirking Ruby stood over him, her fist outstretched toward him, clearly enjoying every second of Barry's torture.
"Barry?!" Her mind screamed as she realized she was feeling the effects of a 'Brain Blast' he was receiving.
Telegirl rushed forward toward the scene on the roof, momentarily forgetting about her injuries; they were only beginning to heal thanks to Barry's blood.
"Stop!" Kiera shouted over the wind that was picking up around them.
Ruby's smirk didn't fade as she looked up from Flash. Before Kiera could even think of what to do next, the wind picked up drastically, causing Ruby and Telegirl's hair to fly in every direction. The sound of whirring blades filled the air before a sudden bright light shone down on them from behind Telegirl. A helicopter had found them and was likely filming them live for Central City's news.
The bright light blinded Ruby, causing her to put her hand up to try and block the light, making her forget about torturing Barry. Still able to see, Kiera used that time to try and get Barry to move away from the villain.
Barry! Move! Run! She screamed mentally, but the Flash didn't move. He was still kneeling on the roof's floor, bent over with his hands on his head. Knowing what she had to do, Kiera focused on moving Barry's body out of the way of Ruby Siren. Kiera blinked and Barry was beside her, his eyes shut tightly as she tried to recover from the intense pain from the 'Brain Blast'.
Are you okay? Kiera mentally asked him as she saw him slowly remove his hands from his head.
Barry nodded slowly as he opened his eyes. I think so. Thanks.
Telegirl turned her head back to look at Ruby just in time to see an air conditioning unit being Telekinetically ripped from its position on the roof and thrown toward Ruby's estimated location of the helicopter.
"No!" Kiera shouted as she turned and outstretched her hand toward the helicopter behind them as the unit quickly flew towards it. She focused on finding the helicopter and it suddenly unnaturally flew upward, barely escaping the propelled air conditioner.
Telegirl mentally let go of the helicopter; it was now hovering farther away and the sudden movement had made the spotlight focus on the street below them, allowing them to see it's dark outline and it's lights. It did not move back to where it was, the pilot obviously learning not to get in their way, but it's spotlight returned, the distance making it dimmer and not as blinding.
Flash and Telegirl looked back at Ruby, who was recovering from the temporary blindness.
Lets finish this! Barry mentally said to Kiera. She nodded, her anger towards Ruby growing, but also her fear from knowing Ruby was superior to her, at least in the way of fighting and using her mind powers against her.
Yellow lightning sparked across Barry's eyes under his red mask as his anger also grew. He glared at Ruby, who was still trying to see them. He was ready to get this over with.
Now! Barry mentally said to Kiera and they both leaped forward; Telegirl used her powers to fly parallel to the rooftop while Flash used his to speed across. Flash got to her first and without any mental communication, Telegirl outstretched her good arm toward their enemy as she flew. She used her powers to freeze the distracted Ruby in place, so she could not avoid Flash's punch.
Lighting sparked off Barry's good arm as he punched the villain at superspeed. His fist made contact with Ruby's stomach and caused her to fly back against the remaining air conditioning units, slamming into them hard and falling to the roof's floor with a loud groan.
Telegirl landed beside Flash just in time to see her nemesis fall and remain motionless on the rooftop. Kiera glanced at Barry, a look of relief on her face; they had finally gotten the upper hand.
I think this calls for more than just a simple dinner date! Kiera said to Barry mentally as she laughed. Barry grinned and looked back at her. Just as Barry was going to respond, his grin faded and the color faded from his face.
Barry? What's wr- Before Kiera could finish asking Barry, she got her answer. Intense pain flooded their minds, making it feel like their skulls were being torn apart. Feeling Barry's 'Brain Blast' meant Kiera was only feeling some of what Barry was feeling. Barry pressed his hands against his head, screaming as the pain continued. Kiera managed to keep her eyes open for a few seconds as she looked over in Ruby's direction. She saw the outline of the villain in the helicopter's spotlight; Ruby was still on the ground, but had repositioned herself as she tried to recover. The villainous woman was on her knees, leaning forward with her head on the ground, but with her arms extended on the ground beside her and her hands outstretched in their directions as she used her powers to give Flash an even worse 'Brain Blast' than before.
"Stop!" Telegirl shouted as she felt the pain of the attack on Barry's mind. She focused on Ruby and retaliated by extending her own arm out toward the villain and making her fly back against the air conditioning unit again.
Ruby slammed into the unit again and groaned, her already sore body taking another hit.
Kiera looked over at Barry, who had fallen to his knees in reaction to the intense pain. Barry? Barry! Can you hear me? You're okay! I stopped the attack! Kiera mentally said to him as moved toward him. Barry! She cried out when he didn't respond, but instead cringed and held his head as pain continued to plague his mind.
"No! No!" Kiera cried as she placed her hands on his good arm. "Barry, can you hear me? Focus on my voice," she repeated what he had told her just an hour or two ago. "Barry?" her voice was frantic as she watched him writhe before her. Telegirl glanced over at Ruby, who was still trying to recover. "What did you do to him?! You should have lost your concentration, but he's still suffering!"
Ruby smirked as she glared at Telegirl while pushed herself up. "Residue. Intense pain does not just go away in a flash!"
Telegirl narrowed her eyes as she stood back up and extended her arm to send the villain flying backward again. Ruby's smirk remained as mirrored her nemesis's movements.
"That won't work this time!" the red and black clad villain shouted as she focused on counteracting Telegirl's power. Telegirl narrowed her eyes at Ruby; Kiera knew she was right. Ruby wasn't distracted anymore and so could now focus on cancelling out Kiera's attacks with her own powers.
Come on, Barry. Fight it. Come back to me! I need your help! Kiera pleaded to Barry mentally as she glanced down at him still writhing in pain. She quickly looked back at Ruby, fierce rage starting to grow inside of her once more.
Telegirl glared at the villain, turning from a moral hero to a fuming nemesis, ready to do whatever it would take to bring down her enemy. With her arm still extended, Kiera focused on the woman before her. She honed in on her powers and focused them on attacking Ruby.
Kiera tried with everything she had, to overpower Ruby's mental powers and send her flying from the roof.
After a few minutes of pushing herself to her absolute limits, she cried out in frustration and agony as she lunged forward. Telegirl quickly flew through the air, directing herself at her nemesis.
Telegirl came at Ruby Siren like a bullet, quickly and deadly. Before Telegirl could stop, Ruby pulled something small from the back of her belt that shone in the helicopter's spotlight. Kiera tried to slow herself, but she didn't have time. The next thing she knew, a wave of searing pain spread through her side as she stopped before Ruby. Kiera looked down to see Ruby's gloved hand wrapped around something sticking out of her side. She gasped as Ruby pulled out a small knife covered in bright red blood from her side.
Telegirl stepped back and instinctively put her hand to the growing red spot on her silver and blue suit. She quickly looked back up at Ruby, who was smirking as she held up the dripping knife. That's when Kiera realized Ruby must have grabbed it from the tray of knives and torture tools used on her in the safe room back at the mansion.
Kiera clenched her jaw and formed her bloody hands into fists as she tried to push the fresh pain from her mind. Using her Telekinesis, she lunged forward again, ready to retaliate.
Ruby, having much more training and experience in fighting, easily moved out of the way before Telegirl could hit her. Telegirl grunted in frustration and turned to face her nemesis once more.
"Do you really think you can defeat me in a fist fight?" Ruby taunted and laughed.
Kiera narrowed her eyes behind her mask and tightened her fists, causing her knuckles to turn white. "I don't just have my fists!"
Telegirl lunged again, using her powers once more to quicken and reinforce her punch. The sudden increase in speed caught the villain off-guard. Kiera's fist made contact with Ruby's cheek, causing drops of blood to spew from the villain's mouth.
Telegirl stepped back and kept her left arm up to defend herself and her right arm up as best she could with her injuries.
"And I think I can, Abigail!" Telegirl taunted back and this time it was her turn to smirk.
Ruby's eyes widened under red and black mask, not expecting to hear her real name; the name she had worked so hard to erase from any and every database, book, record and picture out in the world when he recreated herself as Ruby several years ago.
"How could you possibly know that!?" she asked, her voice weaker than normal as she looked at Telegirl, stunned.
"You were distracted, Abigail! I entered your mind and found it," Telegirl answered.
Ruby, or Abigail, glared at her nemesis. "Don't ever call me that again! My name is Ruby! Or as you and your team call me, Ruby Siren!" she screamed and lunged forward, easily making it to Telegirl in a blink of an eye.
The punch to the burns on Kiera's bare mid section came out of nowhere, and when it did, pain radiated through her whole body like a ripple spreading across a lake. The impact made Telegirl scream in pain and clench her now bleeding burns, which suddenly felt like they were lit on fire again. Telegirl took several steps backwards as she tried to recover.
She looked up, glaring at Ruby as she straightened. "You won't win, Abigail!" she shouted as she put her hands up again to fight. Pure adrenaline surged through Kiera's body, keeping her going and keeping her mind off the pain throughout her body.
Ruby Siren glared at Telegirl, hatred building. "I told you to stop calling me by that hideous name! I am Ruby!" she shouted and once again lunged at her. This time Kiera learned and quickly opened one of her fists, focusing on an object behind her enemy.
A metal pipe broke free from its place on the roof and soared through the air before making contact with Ruby's back. The villain let out a pained cry as she fell to the roof's concrete floor.
Ruby Siren quickly recovered and flew up into the air, creating distance between the two of them. Telegirl followed, aiming herself at the villain, ready to hit her.
Ruby saw and veered out of the way.
As Telegirl flew past, Ruby reached out and grabbed her leg, yanking Kiera down and causing her to lose her concentration. Telegirl tried to wiggle and kick herself lose, but Ruby's grip was too tight and her reflexes too fast.
Ruby suddenly let go of Telegirl's boot and at first Kiera was relieved, but then she realized she was falling, falling toward the building below.
Kiera tried to focus on making herself float again, but nothing happened. Everything was happening too fast and she wasn't able to focus.
Telegirl closed her eyes, anticipating the impact, but it never came. She slowly opened one eye and then the other as she tried to determine whether she was dead or alive.
Kiera saw the building's roof laid out before her, lit by the helicopter far above and Central City beyond the edge. She looked down and realized she wasn't on the ground. She turned her head and saw Barry had recovered and was holding her up in his arms.
Kiera couldn't help but laugh a little. Another Prince Charming move? You are turning into the cliché Prince Charming, aren't you? She smiled at him.
I couldn't help myself. He chuckled also.
Kiera then remembered his own injuries and immediately jumped down from his arms. Sensing through the pain in her own body, she suddenly discerned that his injuries weren't as bad as before. Kiera looked at his burned arm and saw it was healing; the burns weren't bright red or crimson anymore and they had stopped bleeding.
They're healing already. Kiera let out a breath, relieved.
Barry nodded, looking down at his arm. Yours are beginning to heal also. He looked at her injuries that were healing a little faster than normal. Barry placed his hand on his head. And whatever she did to my mind, it finally stopped.
At the mention of their enemy, Kiera glanced up in Ruby's direction in time to see the villain descending toward them, fury written all over her partially masked face.
Now you can help me end this. Kiera said to Barry mentally and he nodded before getting into a ready stance.
Telegirl's shield rose out of her pocket and expanded above their heads, shielding them from the villainous red and black woman descending toward them. Kiera had the clear shield follow Ruby as she lowered to the ground, keeping it between them and their enemy. Ruby landed roughly twenty feet from the two heroes and glared at them.
"Look who's back on their feet!" Ruby shouted. "Need some more beauty rest?" she extended her arm toward Flash and focused on his mind.
"That won't work this time!" Telegirl shouted back, repeating the villain's earlier line. She closed her eyes and focused on blocking Ruby from entering Barry's mind. Kiera clenched the hand at her side as she withstood Ruby's attempts.
A few minutes later, Ruby cried out in frustration and lowered her hand. Telegirl smirked as she opened her eyes again.
"That's how you want to play it? Fine!" Ruby Siren screamed and rushed at the two heroes as focused her power on moving the shield between them. Kiera tried to keep the shield in place, but blocking Barry's mind again Ruby's powerful attack had exhausted her, making her powers weaker. Telegirl lost the battle and the shield went flying, disappearing over the edge of the building's roof.
Ruby smirked at the win and sped up with the help of her powers.
Flash thought fast as he watched the villain approach and Kiera trying to recover beside him. He picked Telegirl up and ran around Ruby to the other side of the roof. Ruby grunted in frustration as she blinked and the two heroes were gone. She turned and sprung forward, trying again.
"I could do this all day!" Flash shouted as he watched the villain and then glanced at Kiera to see if she had recovered yet.
Ruby Siren narrowed her eyes at his taunting. Flash and Telegirl vanished again, the Scarlet Speedster playing a game of 'Tag' with their nemesis.
Telegirl recovered just before another air conditioning unit flew quickly toward their backs. She lifted her hand and managed to stop it before it could reach them. Flash turned as the unit crashed behind them; his eyes wide as he realized what had almost happened.
Suddenly Kiera heard Barry scream and turned toward where he was standing to see he wasn't there; instead he was flying sideways and then crashing into one of the remaining units.
"No!" Kiera shouted and turned to Ruby, who was smirking at her success of provoking Telegirl. Telegirl jumped forward, carrying herself across the roof at Ruby faster than she thought possible.
Rage consumed Kiera as she focused on Ruby's mind, using her suddenly heightened abilities to try and break into Ruby's mind.
Unable to resist the unexpected and overpowering attack, Ruby Siren screamed as she tried to block Telegirl's attempts, "Get out!"
Not listening, Telegirl breached the villain's mind and sent a powerful 'Brain Blast'. The assault overpowered Ruby's mind, causing overwhelming pain. Ruby closed her eyes tight and screamed as pressed her palms against her head and tried to make the blast stop.
Seeing her nemesis was not able to fight back, Kiera acted without thinking as fury took over. Telegirl landed several feet from the woman and used all of her remaining strength as she outstretched her hand.
Ruby Siren went flying backwards toward the edge of the roof, still unable to do anything due to the overwhelming attack to her mind.
Flash stood up in time to see the scene. No! Kiera, stop! Don't do this! He mentally pleaded with Kiera, but she didn't hear him.
Ruby Siren flew over the edge of the building, disappearing from sight. Flash rushed to Telegirl as she stopped at the ledge, his eyes wide at what just happened.
They watched as Ruby fell toward the street below, unable to focus on making herself float or fly due to the powerful 'Brain Blast' still overwhelming her mind.
You didn't have to do that. We could've put her back in the Pipeline.
I had no choice. I had to end it… after all that she did. We couldn't take a chance of her escaping again and doing something worse. Kiera replied.
A loud crash echoed below and they both knew what had caused it.
She- Suddenly a wave of exhaustion flooded Kiera's body as everything she had done and endured finally caught up with her. Telegirl's knees buckled and she collapsed.
Seeing her starting to fall, Barry immediately moved to catch her.
Kiera? Kiera!? Barry's voice faded as Kiera lost consciousness.
WRITER'S NOTE:
And so now you know why it took me so long to write this! I wanted her death to be perfect! Let me know what you think of the way it ended?
So now there will only be TWO more chapters next! I hopefully chapter 30 will be done quicker than this one, but I already know I'll need to spend a lot of time on it, so please be patient with me. I can't make promises, but I hope to have it up sooner than 2 months. Trust me, I'll be working hard to get this next one to you as soon as I can.
Also, Ruby hating her real name( Abigail) does NOT mean I personally hate it. I just wanted her to have a name you'd never think she'd have- that's why she wanted to erase it from history. You'd like her real name would be something like Veronica or Amber or Jennifer or Tiffany, but no, it's Abigail (That does not mean I think those names are bad or anything either! They are also beautiful names).
One last thing- Barry promises Kiera they'd go on a dinner date or something more. I'd love to hear your ideas! Where do you think they should go? Please give me your ideas in your review or in a PM! Thanks!
Thank you again for being so unbelievably patient! Your reviews, thoughts and questions mean so much to me! I hope you all have a wonderful year! (:
