Finally another chapter! I hope you guys enjoy it. I am slightly bummed, I should have posted this before the episode yesterday, I had it written but not proofed. Oh well. It's a minor detail anyway. I swear the ideas for this chapter are ages old, not from last night, ha. Thanks to all of you for reading and reviewing! Your support is so important to me! Shout out to guest Luna, thank you for your lovely reviews! :) There will be another chapter after this one, maybe two at the very most. Thanks for reading!

Chapter 17

Barry's body had left Iris and the lake, but his mind was still there. He ran back into Central City on autopilot. He slipped in and out of traffic, dodging cars and other obstacles easily; he had it down to a science by now. That was a good thing because he was far more focused on the time he had just spent at the lake with Iris. He caught himself reliving it, smiling to himself and wishing he could just turn around and go back. Reality was suddenly far better than dreams. He was so busy replaying their conversation under the tree together that he almost missed the turnoff that would take him to S.T.A.R. Labs. His course correction sprayed loose gravel and left a swooping curve in the loose dirt next to the road.

Barry was almost to S.T.A.R. Labs when Cisco came in on his comm.

"Barry we got him! He's at the concrete company. He just moved from a sand pile to the main building and back again. Head over there now."

"I need the address." Barry shifted direction and headed toward the industrial part of the city.

Cisco gave Barry the company's address and was giving additional directions as Joe paced behind him. Caitlin was sitting at her workstation with the satellite image of the company's truck lot and sand piles pulled up. Dr. Wells was seated at the console as well, his fingers steepled together as he watched the monitor.

"For once we get to see Barry in action through the satellite feed. Nicer than listening to sound effects and guessing." Harrison remarked. Caitlin nodded in agreement as she zoomed in closer, looking for any sign of movement.

"There!" She pointed at the screen. "He moved again!" She leaned into the microphone. "Barry, he moved again, let me…" Her voice trailed off as she realized that he had moved out of the zoomed-in image. She quickly zoomed back out but couldn't find any movement. "Barry he's there but I don't have his exact location anymore! Be careful."

Cisco interrupted. "Don't worry! If you can go up against The Mist and Multiplex you can take on… ChamelaMan!" He announced the name to the room at large and waited for a reaction with a big grin.

A chorus of groans resounded. Barry's voice came in on the speakers. "That is so not one of your best, Cisco."

"Fine!" Cisco grumbled. "I'll find a better one. Are you there yet?"

Barry had just halted at the entryway to the truck lot. "I'm here." He moved cautiously forward, his gaze sweeping back and forth. "Which sand pile was he at last?"

"Third one down on the right. But I don't know where he moved to." Caitlin was still scanning, looking for anything that would help. Joe and Dr. Wells both leaned forward tense and focused.

Barry took in the layout. Eight sand piles spread out in front of him, two lines of four each. He warily moved forward, all senses on the alert. The truck yard was eerily silent, which didn't help the atmosphere at all. The sun was just setting and darkness lay over the scene. There were several street lamps used to illuminate the yard, probably to discourage thieves or vandalism, but it still left pockets of black. He shook his head in annoyance. "We couldn't have found this guy when it was still light out? It's not like he needs any more advantage."

"Sorry man, he moves when he moves. Is he moving?" Cisco was still leaning over the comm. console. Caitlin and Dr. Wells were scanning the satellite image, where they could make out Barry moving in the grainy picture. Caitlin tracked him, making sure the image showed Barry as he moved.

Barry was still walking cautiously forward straight down the middle of the path, eyes straining. His voice unconsciously slowed to match his pace as he zeroed in on the third pile. "If…he...was…moving…I think…you'd…know." He circled the sand pile, but nothing was unusual. He turned to look at the rest, dropping his guard somewhat.

Cameron Mann could be camouflaged against any one of them. Barry was pretty sure he was still on the premises. But all he had to do was stay wherever he was and Barry wouldn't be able to find him, short of feeling his way up and down each sand pile. While it was something Barry could do faster than an ordinary man, even that had too much room for error. He couldn't watch all sides of all of the piles the entire time. Cameron had had a year to perfect his hiding techniques. They could dance around each other and Barry might never even see him. Barry considered his options. He had to draw him out somehow. There was only one way he could think of to do that. He dropped his guard completely and started back up through the path toward the main building. He raised his voice slightly, just to make sure.

"I'm not seeing him, guys. Maybe I'll check out the main building, see if the jewelry is in there. If we can't get him we can at least return the jewelry to the rightf-"

A very large left hook abruptly cut off Barry's words. Unprepared and with his guard down, the power of the punch spun him around and landed him in the dirt. One thought registered in the split second after he landed.

Well, at least the plan had been a success.

Spitting blood, Barry flipped to his back in time to see Cameron Mann bearing down on him. The man's face was full of fury. As Cameron straightened up to his full height, Barry came to a frightening realization:

Cameron Mann was indeed a very big man.

He towered over Barry. Even from his position on the ground, Barry could tell he was well over six feet tall. Every inch of him was big, his form well muscled and thick. Barry was pretty sure super strength was not part of his metahuman gifts, but it didn't look like Cameron needed it. Cameron had enough natural strength to do quite a bit of damage.

Cameron reached for Barry's throat. Barry quickly rolled to one side, and then the other as Cameron followed. A heavy fist sunk into the ground next to Barry's head. Again on his back, Barry brought up his legs and used his speed to hammer kicks into Cameron's chest. His legs became a blur, ending with one well-aimed kick to push the other man back. Cameron's hands came up in an attempt to gain some balance, but the momentum of Barry's assault sent him straight backwards, where he spread-eagled onto his own back. He landed with a heavy thud in the dirt. Barry didn't notice the exact location; he was already scrambling to his feet.

Barry whirled around; readying himself for another attack, then realized he was looking at nothing in every direction. Breathing harshly, he quickly scanned the area and knew that Cameron had camouflaged himself again. He took a step back and then belatedly realized that his comm. was alive with chatter from both Caitlin and Cisco.

"He's there! He's right there!"

"Barry, watch out!"

"Where? 'There' is not helpful to me, guys!" Barry's exasperated tone turned to a yelp as a meaty hand gripped his calf and pulled. He fell straight forward, barely getting his hands up to avoid taking the brunt of it with his face. Cameron had neatly camouflaged himself into the dirt he'd landed on. Barry's single step backward had brought him within Cameron's reach.

This time when Barry went down he didn't have the advantage of his feet. By the time he hit the ground Cameron was ready. Barry felt the other man's hands close around his neck from behind and lift him straight into the air. His feet left the ground and dangled uselessly. He quickly realized the helplessness of his position; with Cameron behind him he wasn't even sure where to strike out with his fists in order to gain freedom. It was possible he couldn't even reach. Barry reflexively grabbed the large fingers around his throat, trying to loosen their grip. It was impossible. Cameron's hands were squeezing down on his throat, and the chatter of distressed voices in his comm. began to fade as he fought for breath. Bursts of light popped in front of his eyes. He could feel his strength leaving him.

More than ever, he just wanted to run back to the lake. And Iris.

Instinct took over. It wasn't a well thought out plan. Barry's only thought was escape and his legs obeyed, even in thin air. His last bit of oxygen was spent running in place.

Luckily, running on thin air produced the same golden electricity that running on the ground did. As it arced off of Barry's body, Cameron twitched in surprise and dropped him.

Barry hit the ground, kneeling on one knee with the other drawn up in starter position. He took a huge gulp of air and ran.

Iris had broken the speed limit in every stage of her drive to S.T.A.R. Labs. She was immensely grateful she hadn't been pulled over on the way; that would have just wasted precious time.

She was sure that by the time she made it there Barry would be in the middle of attempting to bring in another metahuman. And she was right.

She just hadn't known how serious it would be.

She rounded the corner into the main lab in time to hear Barry's voice over the microphone.

"Where? 'There' is not helpful to me, guys!"

Iris heard Barry's yelp of surprise. Then everyone began speaking at once, gathered in twos around the microphone.

"Barry!"

"Get out of there!"

"Hit him, Barry!"

But Dr. Wells' voice scared Iris most of all. Low, urgent and almost guttural. "Run Barry. Run!"

Iris moved up to see the monitor that everyone was looking at. They didn't even notice her presence; they were too focused on it. Through a crack in between two shoulders she could see what they were seeing via satellite feed.

Barry was hanging in between a huge man's hands, slowly being strangled in front of their eyes.

Everything froze. She couldn't breathe, couldn't speak. She could only stare in horror. Iris silently echoed Dr. Wells. Run. Run Barry!

As soon as she thought it, he did it. She watched as his legs began running, as golden electricity arced off him, as he breathed again and then disappeared off the satellite image.

Only when he gulped in air did she do the same.

Everyone else went limp. Sighs of relief echoed through the room. Cisco looked at the computer monitor that registered Barry's vitals, then blew out a breath. He glanced at the others as he spoke. "He's okay. His vitals are stabilizing. Oh, hey Iris." His greeting was almost casual, as if her sudden appearance was already commonplace.

The others started in surprise. Especially Joe, who had been carefully scrutinizing the satellite image. They stared at her a moment, then turned back to the comm. console to talk with Barry. Harrison's gaze lingered a few seconds longer than anyone else; his eyes narrowed slightly behind his glasses. Joe moved over to her.

"Are you all right?" His voice was low and concerned. He didn't have to ask if she'd just witnessed Barry's narrow escape. It was obvious that she had. She nodded but didn't speak. Joe put an arm around her shoulders as they both listened to the conversation play out.

"Barry? Are you okay?" Caitlin tried to make her wavering voice sound normal but didn't quite pull it off.

They heard the sound of a throat clearing, then Barry's reply. "Yeah. Yeah I'm fine." His voice was more hoarse than usual, and he was still catching his breath.

Dr. Wells spoke up. "Barry, that was a little too close for comfort, maybe you should come back. We'll formulate a better plan, we can try to trap him."

"No! He knows we're on to him now! He could leave here and we'll have no idea where to search for him again. We can't stop now, he's too dangerous!"

Dr. Wells took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "We don't need a dead hero, Mr. Allen." Iris silently agreed.

They could hear Barry's frustrated sigh over the comm.

Barry sighed in frustration and looked up at the night sky. His escape had been very lucky. He knew it, but he still couldn't bring himself to leave. He was leaning on a building two businesses down the street from the concrete company. He was safe. But chances of bringing Cameron in didn't look good. Any chance of surprise was now blown. His team probably had no idea where Cameron was camouflaging himself now. He could be anywhere. Again. Barry seriously doubted that a second attempt to draw him out would work. He ignored the pain in his throat as he stared at the stars. What he wouldn't give to be back at the lake, even in the dark. The night he'd taken Iris there as The Flash had been pretty awesome…

His head snapped down as the memory came back to him.

"Wait." He muttered. "Wait. I have an idea. Is there any chance you saw where he concealed himself after I left?"

Caitlin, Cisco and Dr. Wells all shook their heads, but Joe stepped forward to the microphone.

"Yes. Barry, he hid himself at the second sand pile on the right as soon as you left and I haven't seen him move. I think."

Cisco gave him an impressed glance. "Nice."

Joe shrugged. It wasn't easy to turn off the cop part of him.

Caitlin was frowning. "Barry, if he gets a hold of you again you might not make it out this time." Dr. Wells agreed.

Iris was silent, waiting to hear Barry's idea.

His voice sounded less hoarse already as he replied. "Don't worry, if this works he won't be able to touch me at all."

"If it works." Caitlin muttered to herself. Everyone moved to the satellite image, which still showed the second sand pile.

Barry blew out a breath, preparing to run. He was glad his hyper healing had lessened the ache in his throat. He raced back toward the company and was in the truck lot in seconds. He zeroed in on the second sand pile and began running around it, keeping his circles tight, but not too close. It took quite a few laps, but eventually the air began to form a whirlwind that stirred the sand. He increased his speed. If Cameron was in there he had no choice but to hold still, Barry's tight circles gave him no chance to leave. Barry kept a close eye on the pile as he ran. The whirlwind force increased, and the loose sand on top of the pile began to lift. It rose up in swirls and eddies, actually looking quite beautiful considering the circumstances.

Watching on the monitor, Iris saw Barry's progress create blurred rings of light. A whirlwind of sand rose into the air. She gave a quiet huff of laughter, smiling slightly. She'd seen that before, but she'd been on the other side of it.

"It'll work." She whispered. Joe heard and glanced down at her.

Barry had to squint against the shifting grit but still kept his eyes trained on the sand pile as he ran.

And finally he saw it. Through the swirling curtain of constantly moving sand, there was one thing unmoving: A human form. Cameron Mann could make himself look like sand, but he couldn't make himself look like moving sand. Barry did one more lap around the pile to gain as much speed as possible and launched himself directly at Cameron.

Barry's fist caught Cameron square on the jaw. Cameron was big, but he wasn't made of steel. The momentum carried both of them several feet away from the sand pile. They landed in the dirt. Barry staggered to his feet. Cameron didn't. He was knocked cold. Barry stood over his still form as sand softly swirled to the ground around them.

Cisco cheered. Dr. Wells and Caitlin were smiling at each other. Joe breathed a sigh of relief.

But Iris was still staring at the monitor, watching the lanky man in the red suit exhale as he finally relaxed. She could still see him in her mind's eye, standing there at the lake.

"This is part of who I am now. I can do something. So I will."

Tears brimmed as she thought back on all the years she had known Barry. Barry, taking on bullies twice his size to defend others. Barry, running after the kid who had stolen her laptop the night of the particle accelerator explosion. Barry, waking up from a coma with powers and deciding to use them for good. She watched him on the monitor, and even though the suit was a recent addition she felt like he had been The Flash his entire life. He had always given everything he had to help others.

Joe looked down at Iris, saw the tears in her eyes, and put his arm around her again.

"Honey, it's okay. Look, I know it's dangerous. But he's seen worse, believe me. He's actually pretty good at this." His voice was soft, so that only he and Iris could hear.

Iris shook her head. "It's not that. It's just…wasn't he always this? A hero?" She smiled softly.

Joe's look registered surprise, but he looked at the monitor too, where Barry was leaning down to check on Cameron Mann's condition. His smile reflected his daughter's.

"Yeah." He murmured. "Yeah, he always was." They looked at each other, basking in the memories of their years as a family.

Cisco had been talking on the comm. with Barry, discussing transport for Cameron since he was probably way too heavy for Barry to carry. Now he walked over to Joe and Iris, a proud look on his face.

"Isn't he awesome! I mean, that wasn't a sonic punch, but it was pretty great! Right Iris?"

Iris cocked her head and raised her eyebrows. "I'm sorry Cisco, which was the sonic punch? Did you mean me punching Tony or Barry punching him? You meant me, right?"

Cisco laughed out loud and offered his palm for a high five. Joe was grinning.

And just like that, Iris was part of the group.