59

Fire Fall

Barry gasped as he stared down at Savitar, then back to Cadence. His eyebrows furrowed as he watched her, wondered what she was doing. It wasn't part of the plan for her to break away from Breathtaker and attack Savitar, the speedsters were all supposed to deal with him. But there she was, calmly retrieving her weapon as if she didn't notice the stares around her.

Then she turned his way and looked him in the eye.

Barry gently shook his head, silently asked What are you doing? Then his eyes briefly dropped to the holsters on her thighs and wondered if he'd be able to move fast enough if she tried to shoot him, too. The thought crossed his mind quicker than he would've liked. Quicker than he would've admitted. He'd had the thought many times since having met her, it was her mission so to speak, to lure him in under a false friendship until she had him alone long enough to kill him.

He thought of the many times that they raced through the woods around Central City in their game of 'tag' that was a playful way for them to work on their powers. As a means to train. Though of the times they sparred in STAR Labs before standing back and watching the others train, giving out pointes when the time came. She'd never shown, at any time, that she was about to turn her back on him and shoot him.

But in that moment, if she could take down Savitar without so much as blinking, what did that mean for him?

He started to turn away, then stopped, noticing a flicker that caught his eye. Looked harder before Cadence shimmered out of sight, making his head jerk back in surprise before understanding. It wasn't really her. A fire mirage. She created a fire mirage to shoot down Savitar, due to how quickly they were being taken down.

Barry then cried out as he was knocked aside by a sudden streak of white lightning. He spun across the clearing, crashing into a tree and landing hard on the ground. He looked over and saw the same had happened to Wally, Jesse, and Jay, watched them hit the ground hard as Savitar came to a stop.

"You have to do better than that," Savitar declared. His gunshot wound was already starting to heal. He spread his arms, wiggling his fingers in a mocking tone.

"Then we'll do better," Barry replied. He got to his feet and ran once more. Jay, Wally, and Jesse fell in line behind him, all streamlining as they ran. They circled the clearing, creating tighter circles as they went.

Lightning crackled around them. Savitar rolled his eyes, turning his head away. He frowned when his shoulder jerked back, something suddenly striking into him. Barry's lips pulled back into a smirk, ignoring the pain of his arm as he continued to shift it back and forth, making the broken bones rub against each other. And yet, he still ran along with the rest of the speedsters. Finally, they started to space out to an even path between each other. Lightning trailed between the speedsters before crackling off and striking the ground where little pieces of Savitar's suit lay scattered along the ground.

As the seconds passed, the pieces came off the ground, attracted by the magnetic pull of the lightning, hovering in the air. Barry stopped and threw out his arm, throwing a lightning bolt to Savitar. The shrapnel closest to him followed and struck Savitar in the arms and legs. One at a tie, Jay, Wally, and Jesse stopped running and threw out their lightning, sending shrapnel flying.

Savitar screamed as the metal shards flew forward and pierced his body. Struck him over and over like a pin cushion, like a little kid with their own version of a voodoo doll. He took a step forward, struggling to keep himself up, knees threatening to take him down. Still, he moved forward. Blood dripped from his mouth, spurted between his teeth with each ragged breath.

"I'm not going down that easily!" He snarled. "God's don't die! You can do whatever you want, and I'll always come back!" He spread his arms, moving directly toward Barry. "What now, hero? I'm always going to be one step ahead of you, what trick are you going to try now?"

In response, Barry raced forward towards Savitar. Savitar laughed and ran back toward him. They ran and ran, closing the gap between each other. Moving so fast that everything blurred around them. Barry didn't know what Jay, Wally, or Jesse were doing. Didn't care. He simply needed to stop Savitar, that growing need in his heart increasing with each step he took.

It was his fault.

Everything was his fault.

His mother's death.

His father's death.

Flashpoint.

Savitar's appearance.

The re-emergence of Breathtaker.

Caitlin turning into Killer Frost.

Brady being targeted by Breathtaker.

Wally being taken into the Speed Force.

Everything, and so much more.

It was going to end.

He was finally going to end it.

They came together at the same time, punching forward, their fists striking each other so hard that the lightning charged into it forced them apart and created a sonic boom so loud that it ceased all noise around them. Barry screamed in pain, feeling every bone in his arm break from the force of the blow. Savitar's scream was similar. The only thing that made Barry smile despite his pain.

Savitar whirled around to face Barry once more, the force of their punching each other had spun him around, teeth bared in a snarl only seconds before he had a hand thrust through his chest. Jesse and Wally yelped in surprise while Jay closed his eyes, turning away from the sight. Blood splattered Black Flash's fingertips before he curled his hand against Savitar's chest, pulling him close to him. Savitar made a gasping, wheezing sound of air, and weakly reached out towards Barry and the rest of the speedsters.

"Look," Black Flash growled. He tightened his grip on Savitar, holding him so hard he started to shake. "I killed the Flash!"

With that, the Black Flash raced around the clearing, racing into the breach that opened as he did so. The two disappeared into the swirling vortex that blinked out of sight.

Earth-2 Barry ducked his head at the sound of an explosion and launched himself behind the nearest and largest source of protection he could find. A hollowed-out car, windows blown out over the street, metal twisted and mangled beyond recognition. And yet, he kept his hands over his ears waiting for the instantaneous death of something large crushing him. He squeezed his eyes shut, breathing heavily, trying to calm himself, keep his mind off wondering if he'd feel it if he actually did get crushed by falling debris.

When it didn't come, he looked up, wincing when he saw Breathtaker still beating down Cadence, Brady, Leah, Frankie, and Gypsy, no matter how many attacks they threw at him. It looked like an intricate dance from where he sat, but he couldn't focus on it too long.

"Move!"

Iris certainly wasn't going to let him. She ran by Earth-2 Barry, grabbing his arm and dragging him out from behind his hiding spot. They ran as fast as they could, moving to get away from the blast zone as soon as they could. They didn't come across many people, a few running in the opposite direction here and there, but the streets were otherwise deserted, their footsteps sounding much louder in the empty streets.

Central City was deserted, looking much like a warzone, as the two ran. Trash cans spilled in the streets, there were hollowed out cars sitting in their parked spots not he sides of the road, storefronts were broken into, and as she continued to run, she could see people in the distance zigzagging back and forth across the street, unsure where to go. Still, they themselves as hard as they could, looking for solace.

"Where are we going?" Earth-2 Barry asked. Their instructions had been unclear; get to safety. What safety was there in a city that was under attack? His incredulous look in response had made Barry give an exasperated expression despite dishing out orders.

"Somewhere safe," Iris replied, looking at her phone in determination. Earth-2 Barry looked over her shoulder, seeing a sort of beacon was being shone the faster they moved. "It's nearby."

"Where?" Earth-2 Barry gestured widely. "Hardly anything is still standing."

Iris looked at him then back to her phone. She directed the two down an alleyway, stopping at a sketchy door. "Here." She pressed her thumb into the middle of her phone, making it beep repeatedly. Earth-2 Barry looked over his shoulder as there was another explosion before looking back as the door was ripped open.

Ryder appeared in the doorway, gesturing them inside. "Hurry!" He cried. He held the door open, so they could slip inside. "Did anyone follow you?" The door closed behind them, sealing them, momentarily, in darkness. Ryder turned on a flashlight and started to lead them further inside the building.

"No, no one was following us," Iris replied.

"Good."

"Where are we?" Earth-2 Barry asked.

"A safe room," Ryder replied. He paused. He led them down a flight of stairs, the dip in temperature evident as they went.

"Huh?" Iris murmured. Ryder led them through numerous doorways before finally coming up to a room that had a solid, thick door holding it shut. He knocked hard on the door, three times, once, then twice and waited. The door opened, and Ryder, Iris, and Earth-2 Barry stepped inside. Iris gasped. "Dad?"

Tears came to her eyes as she saw her father for the first time in…she couldn't even think of it. Joe turned at the sound of his daughter's voice and nearly collapsed when he saw her. He held himself up against the table he, Tracy, Maya, Tess, and Harrison huddled around. He covered his mouth with his hand before reaching out to her.

"Hey, baby." Joe grasped his daughter in a warm hug. "You're okay."

"'I'm okay, dad," Iris replied.

"I hoped you were somewhere safe," Joe said, still holding onto her. "Somewhere far away from all this."

Iris laughed quietly. "You really don't know me, dad," she said. Joe smiled and hugged her tighter. No, he really didn't know her if he thought she would sit somewhere and hide. She was never one to sit still. It wasn't just the man she loved most in her life out there, it was he family, and she wouldn't sit back and allow her family to be in trouble without trying to help. "So," she regarded the scientists and Maya. "You've set up a new headquarters here?" With all the computers and tablets set up, it could've been a second Cortex.

Harrison nodded. "HR transmitted the information to us from STAR Labs."

Earth-2 Barry looked around. "Where is HR?"

Harrison ignored the question—or ignored Barry's doppelganger all together, things seemed to be too dire for anyone to react to another Barry being there—and focused on the screen of the tablet in front of him. "Ryder found us."

"He collected us from the streets when we were trying to get away from Breathtaker," Maya agreed.

Ryder shrugged modestly. "Can't work in construction and not know where the safe rooms in Central City are," he said. "With as many buildings as I've put back together and have been commissioned to work with, there've been many people who want to have safe rooms added to their home sand businesses." He nodded around the room. "I'm just glad y'all were able to still be connected in this one."

"What's going on, out there?" Tracy asked.

Earth-2 Barry shook his head. "A lot." Low, muffled sounding explosions punctuated his sentence. Far enough away, but close enough that the ground rumbled beneath their feet.

"By now, Savitar and Breathtaker probably know everything we're working on to stop them," Iris added.

"Well, if they're smart, they'll know not to do anything when they realize we have their ace in the hole," Tess said. Earth-2 Barry and Iris exchanged glances. Tess tilted her head aside and they followed her head tilt until they saw Julian sitting on the floor, tied up.

Iris swallowed thickly, doing her best to keep her steady gaze on the man in front of her. Julian looked defiantly back at her. Tried to. She could see the fear in his eyes. The fear of the unknown.

"We don't have time to talk about it," Joe interrupted. "We have to make sure…well, I don't know what ti is that we can do form here. I guess we can only watch now that the Speed Force Bazooka was destroyed."

"That's not true," Tracy said. She motioned to Julian. "We still have him."

"I don't know anything," Julian hissed. "I already told you all of that. I don't know why I'm here, I don't—" Julian broke off and cowered when Harrison swiftly stood up and moved towards the young man, holding his rifle close to his side. "Y-you're not going to shoot me, are you?"

"I won't unless you tell me everything I want to know," Harrison said, soundly very much like Harry in the moment.

Ryder held out his hand. "Hold on, y'all didn't say anything about torturing him."

"I won't have to if he talks."

Tess held her hand out toward her husband. "We want you to tell us everything you know about the Philosopher's Stone and the energy it brings."

Julian snorted, shaking his head. "The power is unparalleled."

"It blew up STAR Labs," Earth-2 Barry said flatly.

Julian looked at him, looked away, then did a double take. He looked Earth-2 Barry up and down suspiciously, his upper lip curling. No matter the version of Barry, it was clear he wouldn't get along with him. "Then whomever was in the path…I pity that bloody fool. I've been under the power of that stone…it's more dangerous than anyone could ever imagine."

"Wait." Maya's face screwed up. "You're aware you were under the spell of the stone?"

"After you've seen the things I've seen, you don't doubt it. But that stone is like a drug, and when it comes along with another life, with reasons to explain why you're doing what you're doing, it's hard to ignore." Julian shook his head. His voice took on an arrogant tone, the same tone that made Barry dislike him for so long. "There's so much I wish I could take back, but there's a lot I would never change."

Harrison shook his head, mentally dismissing Julian. He stalked back to the table and dropped heavily into his chair. Setting his rifle aside, Harrison leaned toward the tablet in front of him, running his thumb over his fingertips, watching the footage of the heroes against Breathtaker. His blue eye shifted back and forth over their progress. As the seconds passed, he moved his thumb over his fingers faster and faster, a nervous habit that showed up once again.

"They can't take much more of this," Tess said. She looked away when Maya made a squeaking sound, clasping her hands over her mouth at a particularly hard hit. "Breathtaker's too strong. Stratos and White Hot…it's not helping."

"They don't have a choice," Tracy said. "Without the Bazooka, without the power from the Philosopher's Stone, they only have themselves to rely on."

Earth-2 Barry shook his head. He hovered behind the scientists, transfixed on the footage that played around them. Every now and then he would change the view on the screen to the five heroes that were fighting to save the city, wincing with each hard blow.

He let out a low breath.

If they were going to do something to stop Breathtaker, they had to do it now.

Gypsy fell hard to her side, curling up in a ball. She held up her hands, working up another vibrational blast, before she was kicked hard in the side by White Hot. White Hot pulled back her hands and threw a fire blast toward her. Gypsy closed her eyes and threw out a vibrational blast to shield herself, sending the fire in all directions but directly toward her.

Stratos swirled nearby, using his air powers to jet propel himself away from Frankie, who threw chunks of metal back toward him. As he went around, Leah used her gravitational powers to slingshot around the ones that missed.

"Argh!" Stratos cried out as he was hit in the face. He growled and produced a bolt of lightning that struck her in the chest, sending her backwards.

"Geo!" Frankie cried as the younger girl went tumbling head over heels. She barely got the cry out before she was struck as well. Knocked hard to the rooftop they stood upon.

Breathtaker watched, smiling as the fight took place. They were growing tired. Unable to keep in control of fighting his lackeys. If they couldn't handle that, things wouldn't bode well for them when they were working under him. "Simpletons."

The word barely escaped his mouth before—clang! He was struck on the side of the head with a long, metal pole. Breathtaker turned aside and saw Brady turn his bow staff back into a slingshot, sending multiple pellets into Breathtaker's shoulder. Breathtaker lifted his hand, deflecting it back toward him. Brady pulled his frisbee out and with a forward thrust of his arm, opened it into a shield.

He flinched at the loud sound of metal upon metal, like bullets striking his shield. Seconds before a concussive force hit him, knocking him flat to his back. Stars exploded in front of Brady's eyes seconds before he was hit again. This time, he felt it in his bones, felt his teeth rattle in his head, felt exhaustion finally start to set in.

"If you want to play a big boy's game, play by big boy rules," Breathtaker said. He turned toward Brady but was distracted by a fire kick to the side of his face curtesy of Cadence, who flipped back down, crouching on the roof.

She gasped for air, the toll of the long battle clearly working on her. Every time Breathtaker came toward Brady, she would quickly move in and deflect with some of her more powerful moves, of which Breathtaker would easily take on. This time, however, Breathtaker seemed more than bothered by her.

With that, Breathtaker put the beatdown on Cadence. With a multitude of powers, Breathtaker struck her over and over agin, moving faster than the Flash to grab her and throw her when she got too far. With extended strength that broke the bones in her leg the second he ducked one of her punches to strike her in the shin. To mindcontrolling her to freezing in place as he delivered a crushing blow to her cheek. To a fire blast that sent her into the roof top, leaving a singe mark in the shape of her body when she moved out of the way.

And then there were the attacks he was able to hit her with, without touching her. No matter how quickly she healed from the attacks that rained on her body, his powers were much more advanced. He moved closer to her as her body jerked back and forth, taking each and every hit Breathtaker put upon her, coming back from them slower and slower as the seconds passed.

And all Brady could do was sit back and watch.

Watch as his mother was attacked.

Watch as his mother was brutally and viciously beaten to protect him.

Watched as, once again, she was giving everything to keep him safe.

All until he couldn't watch anymore.

His entire body started to quake, tapping into something deep inside him. A rage he hadn't felt other than when he'd seen his mother's lifeless form, when he thought she was dead. When he didn't know Burnout had taken her place. Before, he was afraid of that rage, afraid of what it meant to have it within him. Afraid to release that grief that slowly mounted upon him over the years; the grief of not having a father for so long, grief of losing his grandfather, grief of losing friends close to him, grief of seeing his mother die, but come back to life, and potentially die in front of him once more. Grief of knowing how much of his lfie was decided for him and having lost so many things he couldn't change.

And he liked the feeling.

He tapped into it.

His eyes darkened, darkened into an inky black before lighting into an aspen gold, a bright yellow that contrasted to the darkness that covered his body, from his clothes to his skin. Breaths heaved forth from him like an ogre waiting under a bridge for the next poor soul that came too close to his home.

Breathtaker was attacking him home.

Brady wasn't going to let that happen.

The moment Breathtaker took his attention off Brady's mother, Brady attacked.

Snarling, Brady leapt back to Breathtaker and landed on him, swiping his hands in a wide circle, like an animal, clawing at Breathtaker's face. Breathtaker's head jerked back in surprise at seeing the phasing metahuman able to inflict so much damage upon him. Then he took in Brady's appearance, all shadowy with wide yellow eyes and sharp teeth, and claws. His appearance made a smile came to Breathtaker's lips.

"It's not our fight yet," Breathtaker said.

Lightning flashed out the corner of Brady's eye, signaling Barry's presence to the fight.

A significantly short presence.

Breathtaker grabbed Brady by the scruff of his cloak and heaved him aside, lifted his arm, and clapped his hands together. A concussive shockwave shot towards him. He phased at the last moment, closing his eyes and turning away while simultaneously opening his frisbee into a shield to protect himself, and Frankie, who caught him.

Barry and Cadence, who were right behind him, caught the blast instead. The blast, that rendered large chunks of rock, concrete, and metal to dust, struck them in a head on blast.

One moment they were there, the next they were gone, knocked far away from Breathtaker and the blast zone.

Barry and Cadence arched through the air, flew over the forest before momentum and gravity finally caught them, where they slammed hard into the ground. The combined sudden stop along with Breathtaker's attack knocked them out.

…

..

.

Cadence slowly fell through the swirling darkness around her. An empty pit that seemed to have no end. But the further she fell, the lighter the darkness seemed to become until she was able to recognize some sort of pattern below her. Something she would only recognize from picture of some of the more beautiful churches in the world. What looked like a stained glass coming toward her.

Twisting her body around, pointing her head towards the ground, straining to see through the darkness, Cadence found her movements were slow and sluggish, almost as if she were moving through water. She took in a deep breath, remembering the last time she'd been in that scenario, when Breathtaker had attacked her in her mind. The same as when he'd, personally, take over her mind to move his plan forward in killing the Flash, in trying to get to Harrison in…in wanting to get to Brady.

She should've seen it coming. She'd seen people come and go within the Assassination Bureau, had been the reason for some of their deaths; Breathtaker had no qualms about replacing her with White Hot—Hailey—the moment Cadence decided to break her hold over the group, had known that he was thinking of working with other people—had met with some of the new recruits once, she briefly remembered them going by the name the 2000 Committee, Incognito sacrificed himself and his ability to blend in. She should've known the closest thing he had to replace it, to use it with his own powers, was Brady.

Part of her even wondered if he'd been the one to ensure she had powers so that Brady would and then…but that was preposterous. About as preposterous as it was that she realized, upon closer inspection of the bright thing she drifted toward, was a platform made of stained glass.

Swirling around, Cadence dropped her feet toward the ground, wincing as she waited for the glass to crack between her feet. But it didn't move. Didn't shatter. Didn't even crack as she suddenly came to a stop on it. The stop was so sudden that Cadence nearly fell as she hit the ground. She gasped, staring at the stained glass in surprise.

Each panel of the stained glass was a single color, coming together to create a rainbow of flames that encircled the platform she stood upon. Each way she turned, the colors would change though continue to hold what appeared to be a fire within each piece of glass itself. A fire that burned alive beneath it. As if the stained glass was alive itself.

"Do you remember this place?"

The voice made Cadence whip her head around, moving her arms out to her sides to create flames, her power pose. Then stopped, looking down at her hands when she realized no flames were coming. She felt…ordinary. Powerless. But not afraid.

"It's been a long time since you've been here," the voice continued.

Cadence lifted her chin when she saw a bright light seem to stretch upwards into the distance of the darkness. She paused for a moment, eyes shifting around for any trap she may be walking herself into and followed the steps of light up a winding staircase to another platform.

This time, the shards within the stained glass created a picture of herself, when she was young. Like the last platform, each piece was its own color, with an alive flame within that created the picture. Cadence stared at the picture, recognizing her eight-year-old self.

"Do you remember now?"

Mutely, she nodded.

She remembered it, remembered how she'd grown sick one day, didn't understand what was happening while her parents were white as ghosts, rushing her off to the hospital. Didn't understand why the kind nurse was being so gentle to her and continuously saying, "I know this isn't comfortable, sweetie, but we've got to get your temperature down," while helping her put on the hospital gown that left her feeling exposed. Didn't understand why doctors were running back and forth as she slowly became sleepy, lying in the big bed, with white sheets bundled up by pillows around her. Didn't understand why her parents were crying as they patted her hand before leaving her alone for the doctors to handle.

Then she remembered nothing but darkness, a warm darkness that swirled around her in a comforting embrace. Much more comforting than the itchy sheets of the hospital bed. It was so warm and inviting, she didn't want to leave. She didn't remember hearing any voice or seeing any platforms while she was there.

Wherever 'there' is, Cadence thought.

"This is the Fire Fall," the voice said, answering her question. "The Fire Fall is where it is determined whether or not the person that retrieves their fire powers has the true heart to wield the power and not fall into temptation."

"Temptation?" Cadence repeated.

"Just as there is light, there is darkness. Just as there are brighter flames, there are darker flames. Light and dark, one cannot live without the other. Just as it is within people." A rush of flames appeared in front of Cadence, revealing her eight-year-old self in front of her.

Cadence's eyebrows twitched together. Eight-year-old-Cadence's eyebrows twitched together as well. When Cadence lifted her hand, her younger self lifted her hand. Every move, every facial expression was mimicked between old and young. Finally, young Cadence dropped her hand, eyes appearing sad as she dropped it to her chest. She lifted her chin and looked up at Cadence, her eyes brimming with sadness and fear.

"There will be times you have to fight. Keep your light burning strong."

Young Cadence nodded, and the light came back to her eyes, a determined expression coming to her face. She clenched her hand into a fist with flames appearing around it. Young Cadence looked at the flames in awe. Cadence did the same motions, finding, all at once, her powers come back to her. A power boost she could feel from the tip of her toes to her head.

"What are you afraid of?" The voice continued.

Cadence pressed her lips together. She walked towards young Cadence, who shook her hair out of her eyes and looked up at her. Cadence knelt to her and smoothed her hair back from her younger self's face. Young Cadence smiled widely, closing her eyes against the touch. Cadence smiled back, feeling the familiar warmth, almost like a rolling wave, of her powers moving through her.

"I died," she said. "When I was in the hospital. When I had my fever. I died. I was supposed to die."

Young Cadence nodded.

"But it was the meta powers that kept me alive."

Young Cadence nodded again.

"What's most important to you?"

Young Cadence tilted her head and looked at Cadence earnestly. A smile came to her face, dimples appearing her cheeks, her lips pulled back to show her winning smile that was plastered all over her parents' house with the photos they put up. She excitedly reached out and grasped Cadence's hands, practically bouncing on her feet with that unbridled energy she'd channeled into cheerleading and gymnastics at a young age.

"Making sure people I love are safe," Cadence said. Young Cadence nodded and continued bouncing. "I'd do anything to make sure they're safe. Even without my powers."

"And it's because of that, that you've been entrusted within the Fire Fall. Those that can't be trusted…Hell Fire. There have been many moments where you could've gone that way, but your brightness continues to shine, your passion continues to burn. The Fire Fall embraces you."

Young Cadence giggled as she stopped bouncing. She squeezed Cadence's hand once more and backed away, clasping her hands behind her. She twisted back and forth before waving to Cadence, disappearing in a rush of flame.

"You're on the verge of good things, Firestarter. Don't let the power sway you."

Craa-ack!

The stained glass beneath Cadence's feet shattered and she fell through the darkness once more. This time, instead of being confused, concerned, she felt more powerful than ever. The darkness continued to swirl around her, until she couldn't tell which way was up. Her lids fell heavier and heavier until her eyes were closed.

When she opened them again, she found herself back on the ground, staring up at the starry sky. Carefully, she pulled herself from the hole that was created from her body hitting the ground. Beside her, she saw Barry struggling to pull himself up as well. She looked to him, taking stock of his body, of the wounds that were starting to heal. He looked around himself, taking in the trees and everything around him.

He pushed back his cowl, tilted his head back, and started to laugh.

Cadence lifted an eyebrow. "What?" She asked, noticing the amused smile on his face.

Barry shook his head incredulously. He gestured feebly then weakly dropped his hand to his lap. "This is where we first met."

Cadence looked at him for a moment, about to call him out, about to call him a dummy because, no, it wasn't where they first met. They'd first met in the doctor's office when she was aiding in the preliminary notes taken before the doctor would come in.

Then she understood what he meant. It was where they truly met, showcasing their metahuman abilities to each other. It didn't matter, at that moment, that it was a manufactured meeting. That Cadence was watching him to get an idea of his power set at that point in time, waiting to take him down when she felt he was the most vulnerable. What mattered was that they were two metahumans who had to keep their identities hidden and were able to let it all out in the open. A true meeting of metas.

Cadence smiled back and shook her head the same way she would've had he said one of his numerous puns that rolled off his tongue. She held out her hand; fire trailed off her fingertips, sparking at the end.

Barry held out his, lightning trailed down his arms and connected with the sparks of flame. They lifted their gaze, locking eyes as they tried to work out what was happening. As the lightnign and fire connected, the light they created continued to increase in brightness before it enveloped the two. Continued to stretch around their bodies, morphing together until Barry and Cadence could no longer be seen inside. Until a being made entirely of fire and lightning stood in their place.

The fire-lightning being lifted off the ground, looked at itself, then put its hands at its sides. As quick as a flash it shot forward, streaking across the sky and back toward the city, where Breathtaker stood, looking down upon the destruction below him.

"You'll bow to me!" He called, voice echoing over the otherwise silent city. "There's no one here to save you. Your so-called heroes were defeated! You all will fall, and the sooner you turn yourselves to me, the better!"

Breathtaker lifted his hands, bringing himself higher into the air, to look over Central City. He smiled. Just as quickly as it came, it was gone, noticing a light streaking toward him. His frown deepened. He moved back. "No," he murmured, realizing what was happening. He gritted his teeth and clenched his hand into a fist. "No!"

The light, the being made of fire and electricity, rose high into the air.

"NO!"

The being plunged down, racing through Breathtaker's body, cutting off his last, enraged cry.

A/N: Well, did I fake you out with the beginning of the chapter? Honestly…that was supposed to be at the end of the last chapter, where Black Flash 'killed' Savitar, but I didn't realize until too late that I hadn't copied that part over to the chapter so I had to put it here. So, no the end was not the same to the episode, but better in my opinion.

Ooh, what's going to happen next?

Cheers,

-Riley

Review Replies

Ethan: Yes! It was where they first met! I'm glad you picked up on it.

DarkHelm142: I get inspiration from a lot of places, haha.