Author's Note: Haven't been on in a while. Been having a really bad few weeks but I'm getting better. I finally broke down and got a Tumblr, I mostly post headcannons there but there's quite a few for this story in particular. emrysthemerlin is the blog name, check me out. So here's another chapter. I own nothing.
29. Chosen
Barry couldn't hold in the scream as a bolt of lightning struck her in the shoulder sending her crashing into the wall. Her world spun as Dr. Wells slammed a hand into the panel and closed the door in the meta's face. Caitlin rushed forward carefully pulling Barry to her feet. She was bleeding through her shirt and her arm was tingling. Moving her fingers hurt like hell.
"Are you done playing hero now Miss Allen?" Dr. Wells asked raising an eyebrow. Barry nodded hissing in pain.
"I don't know how long that door's gonna hold." Cisco said glancing at the door and flinching as a fist pounded against it. Dr. Wells nodded and turned to Caitlin who was supporting Barry.
"Get her to the treadmill. Cisco get that generator back online, I'll go with you to assist." Cisco nodded and raced off down the hall followed by Dr. Wells. Caitlin grumbled but helped Barry limp towards the Cortex.
Barry and Caitlin held their breaths as Farooq inched closer to the side room where they kept the treadmill. Barry tapped Caitlin on the shoulder and pointed to a closet nearby. Caitlin nodded and the two women crawled forward and carefully slipped into the closet. Barry stayed in front of Caitlin as the door opened and slow footsteps came into the room.
"Did you know the human body generates electricity? The average person gives off three hundred and forty two Watts. And I can smell it on you." Barry pushed Caitlin further behind her as through the vent in the door Barry saw Farooq raised his hands. But before he could strike the lights in the Cortex flickered back to life. Farooq turned and left. As soon as he was out of earshot Barry slipped out of the closet cradling her arm which was still bleeding. Her fingers were going numb but that wasn't important right now. She stepped up onto the treadmill as Caitlin rushed over to the override switch on the wall. She hesitated.
"Caitlin we don't have time. I need my speed back now if any of us are going to get out of this." Caitlin turned back to Barry tears in her eyes.
"I cant! I've already lost someone I care about in this building, don't make me do it again." Barry stepped off the treadmill and hugged her friend.
"A friend of mine once said that that lightning bolt didn't strike me, that it chose me. Whether or not I believe that doesn't matter right now. You are what matters right now. You and Cisco and Dr. Wells. Besides from my dad, Iris and Joe you guys are the closest thing I have to family and I'll be damned if I have to watch another member of my family die when I could have stopped it. So what do you believe Dr. Snow?" Barry wrapped her hands around the front bar of the treadmill as she watched tears slip down Caitlin's face. But despite that the doctor turned back to the switch and with little difficulty pulled it down. Barry's scream was louder than last time as she convulsed. Her hands snapped open out of reflex and before she knew what was happening she was flying across the room. Her back slammed into the wall and she almost blacked out. She blinked. Caitlin was in front of her, looking worried. Barry glanced down at her hand and tried to vibrate it. It seemed to work for a moment but then she was back to normal human speeds. She swore as Caitlin looked relieved.
"It didn't work!" There was a crash from just outside the Cortex. "What was that?" Barry asked as Caitlin pulled her to her feet and they stumbled together out of the Cortex. There was a crash ahead of them and Barry shoved Caitlin into one of the unused offices before ducking in after her. She slapped a hand over the doctor's mouth as something crashed into the wall opposite the door they were hiding behind. Barry risked a peek out of the door and gasped before rushing out of the disused office. Caitlin found her cradling Tony Woodwards head in her lap.
"Tony? What are you doing here?" He laughed and coughed, blood spilling out from between his lips.
"You know me Allen. Never could resist a fight." Caitlin knelt to check on his vitals but he shook her off looking up at Barry instead.
"Barry, you need to run. It's not safeā¦" He coughed again, this time blood splattered out of his mouth onto Barry's blouse. A few drops hit her in the face but she didn't seem to notice.
"You're gonna be ok Tony. We're gonna get you help." He shook his head.
"Run." He coughed one last time before he went limp. Barry shook her head as Caitlin checked his pulse. She shook her head at Barry and they both jumped as footsteps rounded the corner. Caitlin grabbed Barry who looked about ready to take Farooq on without her powers as he came around the corner, hands glowing and sparking with electricity. There were tears streaking down Barry's face as they raced down the hall making it to the main control switches. Cisco was there, he caught one look at Barry and frowned looking scared.
"You're not healing. That's not good." Caitlin set about getting a sample from Barry to see what was going on. Barry buried her head in her hands.
"I cant believe he's dead." Cisco stiffened.
"Dr. Wells!?" Barry shook her head.
"No Tony, Woodward. He must have escaped when the power went out." Cisco's frown deepened and he shook his head.
"That's not possible. There are about twenty redundancies built into the Pipeline to keep them from escaping, even if the power goes out." Dr. Wells wheeled into the room.
"I let him out." Barry stared.
"Why?" Dr. Wells wheeled closer to the group.
"To divert our intruders attention while we work to restore your speed." Barry stared at the older man's words.
"You used him as a distraction?" Dr. Wells nodded.
"An unnecessary one as it turns out, it seems the plan has failed." Barry stared at him in disbelief, she couldn't comprehend this. She shook her head and caught sight of the large splatter of blood that painted the front of her once blue blouse.
"I have his blood on me. How could you do that?" Dr. Wells leaned his head to the side almost curiously.
"You're showing a lot of sentiment for a man who tormented you as a child." Barry shook her head.
"Tony might have been a bully then and now but he didn't deserve to die!" Dr. Wells leaned forwards in his chair.
"Does Caitlin, or Cisco? Or me? Or you? I had a choice to make, him or us, and I made it without a second thought." Barry shook her head again looking disgusted.
"All your talk about mirical cures and scientific breakthroughs, you don't care about people at all." Dr. Wells shook his head.
"Maybe you care too much Barry. I know being a hero is important to you and I respect your ideals, I just don't have the luxury of sharing them." Barry glared at him.
"That's right, I forgot, your game's chess. We're all just pawns to you. Well tell me Dr. which one of us gets sacrificed next?" It was in that moment that Wells spotted a shadow of what Barry would become in her eyes. That fierce speedster with lightning in her veins and the wind at her heels was in there after all, he'd begun to doubt it when he first got to know her. She was more of a puppy dog than the tigress he'd known on the battle field. But there in her eyes crackled the lightning every threat to Earth would someday fear. It took almost all of his self-control not to smile. There was a tense silence before the crackle of distant lightning reached their ears.
"We have to get out of the facility." Barry shook her head.
"We just left him on D level, we'd never make it to the entrance." Caitlin nodded still working franticly on Cisco's tablet, the only piece of equipment they'd had on them when Farooq invaded Star Labs. Barry's phone rang out like a shot in the sudden silence. She and Cisco jumped and Barry glanced down at the number. She didn't recognize it. Hell of a time for a wrong number. She tapped ignore as Cisco piped up.
"What about the garage, the mobile lab van?" Dr. Wells nodded.
"It's my move Miss Allen, I say we run." Barry glared but then jumped again as Caitlin made a triumphant noise from behind the tablet.
"Oh my god! Barry look, your cells are rapidly regenerating! It's working." Barry shook her head and looked down at her hand and tried again to vibrate it, still nothing.
"But I still don't have my speed." Dr. Wells shook his head.
"It's not physical, it must be psychological." Cisco nodded.
"Dude you've got the yips!" Barry scrunched up her face in confusion at the scientist's words.
"The what?"
