The nightmarish white expanse was all Leonard Snart could see. How long had he been here? Hours? Days? Weeks? Time had no meaning in this emptiness.
That creature and the woman who had brought it had been gone for quite some time now. At least that's how it seemed. Exactly how long had they been gone? Minutes? Years? No way to know. God, what had he done to deserve this? Why was he still here?
Still he walked on. There was no sound, not even that of his own footsteps. Not even the sound of his own breath. Where was this place? This silence was absolutely maddening, Snart was sure he would be out of his mind by the time he got out of here. If he ever did get out of here. Even the images from before would be preferable to being alone. At least then he could pretend there was someone else there.
Why was he just left here, abandoned to the nothingness? Did anyone know that he was gone? Had they forgotten him? Did Lisa know? Did Mick? Did they even care? He had never felt so alone. Never felt so unwanted.
He stopped walking and just stood in the silence, staring into the distance. Why should he keep going if there was nowhere to go? Nowhere to be, nowhere at all. All there was was the vast expanse of white, never ending, all encompassing. So he stopped walking and just gave up on his journey. There was no reason for this anyways. No reason for anything at all.
There would be no one to save him, no one to help him. No one was coming.
Did anybody even care?
No, if they cared they would be here by now. Wherever here was. Wherever this was, nobody was coming for him. Nobody cared about him. Had they ever?
Maybe… maybe he was dead. Maybe he had finally kicked it, a heist gone wrong, misfiring the cold gun, police showing up early, pissed Mick off. He hadn't really thought about what happened after you die, but he had never imagined this. No, this can't be what lies beyond. There has to be more than this. This can't be what waits for everyone at the end.
He stood stock still and stared out into the eternal nothingness. Why keep going? He had nothing left. Nothing to look forward to. Hopelessness.
Nothing to live for.
He reached for his ever-present cold gun, only to find that it wasn't there. His parka, the goggles, his cold gun, his entire Captain Cold persona had been stripped away so easily, leaving behind… who?
Who was he without being Captain Cold? Just Leonard Snart? Just some low-level criminal, living on the edge of the law, stealing to survive?
A purposeless existence. A nobody. Just like his father.
Pathetic.
Snart felt his self-control slipping, and he sat down heavily in the white emptiness. Why even bother with standing? Why bother with it at all, with any of it? There was a weight on his shoulders that he just couldn't seem to lift up. A coldness in his chest, familiar, just like when he was a kid. Like an icy fist closing tight around his heart, cutting off all warmth and all hope. A harsh pressure in the back of his throat and a stinging heat behind his eyes. Soul crushing loneliness crashed over him, like the breakers on the rocks, unstoppable and purely destructive.
Dammit. God dammit.
He wasn't going to cry. Not here, and definitely not alone. Not going to be a failure. Even if there was nobody to see, he would still know. Would still remember how pathetic he was. But what did it matter if he was stuck here? Nothing matters. Nothing at all. Purposeless, emptiness. Negativity hung around him similar to storm clouds, dark, bleak and oppressive.
He closed his eyes to block out the white and drew his knees up to his chest. Why was he here? What did he do to deserve this? His shoulders shook with stifled sobs, and he rubbed his eyes, desperately trying to keep back the tears.
Not going to cry.
He just wanted to go home. Just wanted to see Lisa and Mick. Just wanted to feel safe. Wanted to feel as if somebody, anybody cared.
Not going to cry.
Not going to be weak. Not going to be a disappointment. Not again.
Without his permission, the first tear slid down his face followed by a half silent sob. Dammit, why couldn't he keep control of his emotions? Feelings just get you in trouble, one of the only lessons from his childhood that managed to stick with him after all this time. Feeling are for the weak, and the weak never succeed.
He let out a shaky breath, vainly trying to stop the flow of tears and quiet his sobs. He wasn't going to be weak, even if there was nobody around to see.
Why was he still out here? Did they just forget about him? Did they even care?
Sobbing, he curled into the fetal position and just let go, giving in to the torrent of tears and sorrow. Giving in to the emptiness and hopelessness.
Might as well just give up, he thought. Might as well accept it, I'm never getting out of here. Never going to see anyone I care about ever again.
*Providence Waits*
Professor Candice Providence had a plan. A plan which would bring her the Flash, and give her the power she desired. She adjusted the video camera, aiming the lens at the captive bait. She stepped in front of the filming camera, followed by her most loyal creature, and began her prepared speech.
"Hello Flash, I'm sure by now you've noticed the disappearance of your very own Captain Cold." She gestured dramatically behind her to the unconscious form of Leonard Snart. "Don't worry, he's in quite safe hands, tehehe! He is quite nice looking isn't he? I may just keep him...so pretty." She narrowed her eyes behind the horn-rimmed glasses, and ran blood red nails across the unconscious victim's cheek.
"Now, I'm sure you're wondering what this is all about Flash, and I'll get to that, oh yes I will." The hulking beast at her side rumbled out a growl. "Calm down Mr. Fussy!" she snapped, stomping her high heeled foot. "You're always interrupting me!" Her eyes were wild behind horn-rimmed glasses, and she hastily smoothed her hair down. "Now where was I?" She tapped her foot impatiently. "Ah yes, you see, I require your surrender Flash," she stated, staring directly into the camera. "I need you to join me, to join my followers Flash." She gestured to the creature at her side. "Your speed, hehe, will be quite the addition to my little collection!" Candice walked closer to the camera, leaning into the lens, "now, why should you join me?" She grabbed the camera and panned over her darkened lab, gestured to the dozens of immobile bodies hooked into humming machinery. Dozens of people, snatched away from their families, and for what reason? "I'm sure that no worthy hero can leave so many people trapped within their own minds?!" The madwoman giggled psychotically, "now you see what you must do? Join me and my creations, bow down to the new God! Begin the new religious era!"
"Meet me where I began, and I will trade you Cold's life, and the others... for your own." Candice turned the camera around, aiming it again at the trapped Captain Cold and the massive creature lurking in front of him, and spoke in a mocking, singsong voice. "Now then Flash, you can run away all you wish, but remember, Providence Waits!"
She shut off the camera, and uploaded the video to the site for Central City News. As a kidnapping case, the network would probably have it on the air in about fifteen minutes, just in time for the six o'clock news. Optimum viewing time. Perfect.
Candice walked over to the creature she had nicknamed 'Mr. Fussy' and began speaking in that high pitched voice reserved for children and small animals. "That went well, didn't it Mr. Fussy? Oh yes it did, yes it did!" she said excitedly, running her hand over the creature's massive skull, ruffling the short, stiff, fur. The creature huffed out a derisive sounding bark, flattening its heavy ears at her condescending tone. Just because it looked like an animal doesn't mean it is one. Then again, boss might be completely crazy, but at least she gave it and the rest of the pack free run of the night.
"Now then Mr. Fussy, we just have to wait for the Flash to come running right into our little trap!"
*Providence Waits*
Lisa Snart sat in the Cortex, eyeliner and mascara smudged down her cheeks. She had been crying since she had seen the video of the woman who taken her brother on the local news. She hadn't wanted to cry, but knowing that he actually had been taken, and only to send a message to the Flash, was just too much for her to handle. The members of Team Flash had been working nonstop trying to trace the location of the villain the media had dubbed 'Professor Providence'. Barry had said that he would do everything in his power that he could to find and save Lenny, but she didn't know if she could take him at his word.
He's a cop, she thought. Why would he do anything to help? Caitlin had shown up almost as soon as she had been called, and Barry's family had rushed over almost as soon as the news had ended. Everyone was just being so nice and sincere, and she wasn't sure she could take much more of this. They all seemed to actually care about what happened to Lenny. Seemed to genuinely want to help out.
There were detectives searching for Lenny and the others from the video, Lisa just hoped that everyone was safe, just hoped that her brother would be rescued. The police said that they were doing everything they could, but they only had the one video as evidence. She wiped at her eyes in a desperate attempt to dry them, smudging the makeup even further. Had to stay strong, not show any weakness. God dammit, why wouldn't they let her help? She knew her brother better than anyone, she had to be able to help.
She thought back to the last time she thought she had lost Lenny, back when they were kids and their father.. when their father was still around. It had been one of the bad days, and Lenny had stepped between their dads fists and herself. He took the hits meant for her, and there was just so much blood... Lisa had thought he was going to die. He was fine though, just a few bruises, a busted lip, a few bruised ribs some internal bleeding, nothing that they hadn't seen before. She knew that Lenny would do anything to protect her, and she just wanted her brother back safe.
"Lisa?" The Fla- Barry, gotta remember that. Barry was holding out a steaming cup of tea, "Hey Lisa, are you doing alright?" He passed her the hot tea and sat in the chair next to her. "I just want you to know that the police are doing everything that they can, and I have some outside people working on this, trying to track that psycho down." Barry stood and placed a hand on Lisa's shoulder. "If you need anything, anything at all, I'll be here."
Lisa nodded, staring into her cup of tea and breathing in the steam. "I just want him to come home safe," she whispered, knowing that no one around could hear her. "I just want my brother back." Her shoulders shook with silent sobs, and she shed no more tears. I'll save my tears for when Lenny comes home, she thought, desperately clinging to the idea that he was coming home. She needed to believe that he was out there, and that they would find him. She needed that.
*Providence Waits*
It had been almost eight hours since the video had been posted, and almost thirty-two since Leonard Snart had been taken. Barry sat in his laboratory in the CCPD, speeding through every available police report on one Professor Candice Providence. Apparently, she had been quite active before the Flash had come onto the scene. Kidnappings and missing persons reports had almost halved in numbers after he had started his hero gig. Barry again thought about that creature from the video. It had been massive, almost the size of a large bear. But its eyes had been so expressive. Almost human. No, it couldn't be human, that would be impossible. Genetic splicing was nowhere near advanced enough to create something so complex. There had to be a different explanation. Again he read through the report on Counselor Mark Jean, gone missing in the explosion.
Just missing, or perhaps reintegrated elsewhere?
Barry leapt to his feet and sped to STAR Labs in record time, where he threw the report onto the desk in front of Caitlin, Lisa, and Cisco. "I think I know how she's controlling people!" He exclaimed, pulling up the drawing board. "When the accelerator exploded, she was in a hypnosis session with Counselor Mark Jean, a specialist in a new form of hypnotherapy. Apparently, she had been experimenting on her coworkers. Lovely."
He drew a giant oval labeled 'mind', and inside wrote 'controlled environment', 'people', and 'interactive'.
"See, his theory was to create an interactive scenario inside the patient's mind, then observe and document their interactions with the people, objects, animals, etcetera, in the hope to identify abnormal behaviors. Fascinating really." He turned back to the three people in the Cortex. "Get it," he watched as they blankly stared. "Well, when the accelerator blew, it forced both of them to inhabit the same body! She has all of his ideas, memories, and learnings, and is able to completely control the abilities it gives her!"
Cisco scrunched up his forehead in concentration, "wait, sort of a FIRESTORM situation?"
"Exactly!" Barry pointed wildly with the marker. "Only instead of flames and flying it's psychotic mental manipulation." He sped over to the main computer. "If we can track her down, I believe I know how we can stop her."
Lisa shook her head sadly. "If you can track her down. Nobody has any idea how to do that, though. Not you, not the police, nobody!" She stood suddenly, her fists shaking in rage, "everybody is just giving excuses and nobody is actually helping!"
Barry looked ashamed, staring at the ground. "I'm sorry Lisa, but the way she put up the video... no one can track it." He looked up, eyes filled with sadness. "Wait... there's something she said..." Barry squared his shoulders, and turned towards the others. "I think I know where to go. If I'm not back in four hours get in touch with the Arrow. Please don't try to follow me." He spun on his heel and flashed out of the building, leaving behind only a strong gust of wind and streaks of yellow lightning.