I think it's time for a Flash/Arrow team-up. It's been all Flash and Supergirl lately. However, the team-up won't be the primary focus of the chapter, so don't expect much.
Leave a review after reading, please.
Thanks to NykBaller and Guest for reviewing the previous chapter.
Harrison Wells wakes up in the morning. He expected Jesse to come in and help him like she does every morning. However, she didn't show up. Wells gets on his wheelchair by himself and looks for Jesse. He sees her bedroom door open. He went inside and didn't see Jesse. Her did find her phone on the bed. This puzzled Wells, because Jesse never leaves without her phone.
He picks it up and found a note underneath it. It says, "Password is QUICK". Wells turns on the phone and punches in the password. He found a video that was taped seven hours ago, which was midnight. This once again confuses Wells. He plays the video.
He can see Jesse glued to the wall with what appears to be... ice? Her mouth was also taped shut, which prevented her from screaming. She squirmed, but it was no use. The camera turns to show the one handling the phone. It was a woman with snow white hair, pale skin, blue lips, and wearing a blue decorated mask. She spoke with a disguised voice.
"Hello, Harrison Wells," she greeted. "You're probably wondering who I am? Well, that doesn't really matter. What matters is how much you love your daughter. Are you willing to do anything to save her? Are you willing to sacrifice anything to save her? Probably not. You'd probably just use your pet speedster to save her. Well, trust me, Harrison. Speed isn't how you're gonna save your daughter. No, it's a confession. I think we both know what your secret is. There's a number on the card. When you're ready to confess, call me."
Harrison Wells turns the note around and sees a phone number.
"If you try to cross me..."
The woman puts her hand on Jesse's shoulder and started freezing it, causing Jesse to scream and cry in pain. This only caused Harrison Wells to be more worried.
"See you soon," she finished.
At S.T.A.R. Labs, Wells showed Barry, Cisco, and Caitlin the video.
"We're gonna get her back," promised Barry.
"So, this meta has ice powers," said Cisco.
"She grabbed Jesse by the shoulder and it started to freeze," said Wells. "There's no doubt about it."
"In that case, let's call her... Mistress Freeze," said Cisco.
"Meh," said Barry and Caitlin simultaneously.
"Whatever. I stand by it," said Cisco.
"Dr. Wells, what is she talking about?" asked Caitlin, curious. "She says you have a secret."
"We all have secrets, Caitlin," said Wells. "Whatever it is she wants me to confess, I can't."
"Why?" asked Barry.
"That doesn't matter, Barry. This is my daughter's life at risk. We have to focus on finding her," said Wells, raising his voice. "Cisco, Caitlin, you two start analyzing the phone for fingerprints. Barry, start searching the city."
"Try abandoned warehouses. That's where villains usually hang out," said Cisco.
"This is no time for talking. Move!" exclaimed Wells.
Everyone was surprised to see this new side of Wells. He's usually calm, but now, he's agitated. They can't blame him, though. His daughter is in danger. If they were in his position, they'd be freaking out as well.
"Dr. Wells, I promise you, we're gonna find Jesse and we're gonna bring her home," promised Barry.
Barry has had a busy Saturday. He's either running around Silverstone City to look for Jesse, doing his homework, spending time with Iris, or stopping criminals.
The sun sets as Barry returns to S.T.A.R. Labs. Cisco was all by himself in the cortex.
"Well, anything?" asked Barry.
"Nothing," said Cisco. "The only fingerprints on the phone are Jesse's and Dr. Wells'."
"Where is Dr. Wells? Where's Caitlin." asked Barry.
"He's been bossing us around and yelling at us to find Jesse, so Caitlin told him to go home and rest," said Cisco.
"He's just worried about Jesse, Cisco. She is his daughter," said Barry.
"And Caitlin left thirty minutes ago. She said she had an errand to run for her mother," said Cisco. "By the way, shouldn't you be looking for Jesse?"
"Hey, I've been running around for hours," said Barry. "Whoever this... Mistress Freeze is... she's good at hiding things away."
Suddenly, the computers started beeping.
"What is that?" asked Barry.
"When we couldn't find fingerprints on the phone, I decided to program S.T.A.R. Labs satellite to scan for sudden decreases in temperature," said Cisco. "Well, I got a hit. A warehouse on 4th and Rose."
"I'm on it," said Barry.
Flash arrives at the warehouse. However, it was empty.
"There's no one here," he said.
"Well, unless you're in the wrong warehouse, that's exactly where the satellite picked up the cold," said Cisco. "Keep looking."
The Flash kept looking for any signs of cold. Suddenly, he felt something coming from behind him. He turns around and saw an arrow coming towards him in slow motion. He grabs it before it hits his chest. He saw The Arrow, hiding behind a crate.
"You," said Flash, vibrating his vocal cords.
"You," replied The Arrow in his disguised voice. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm looking for a kidnapper," said Flash. "She took the kid of a friend of mine. What are you doing here?"
"Looking for a low-life named Daniel Brickwell," said The Arrow.
"Heard about him. One of the biggest crime lords in the city," said Flash. "Hey, maybe we can help each other?"
"I don't need help," said The Arrow.
"Yes, you do," said Laurel through the comm-link.
"Not now," growled The Arrow softly.
"Look, I may not be supportive of your actions, but I do see you as a hero. We both want to protect this city," said The Flash. "C'mon, one team-up won't hurt."
Laurel tells Oliver, "Working with The Flash could help The Arrow's reputation."
"Fine," said The Arrow. "Just this once."
The Flash looks at the arrow in his hand. "I believe this is yours," he said, tossing it back to The Arrow.
The Flash and The Arrow quietly check the warehouse for any signs of life. They heard someone around the corner. It was a man glued to the wall by what appears to be ice.
"Is that ice?" asked The Arrow.
"The kidnapper I'm looking for, she's an ice-powered meta," said Flash.
The Arrow asks the man, "Who are you?"
"B-B-Bob T-T-T-Tooter," said the man, shivering from the cold.
Cisco started giggling at the sound of the man's last name. "Tooter," he repeated.
"Do you work for Daniel Brickwell?" asked The Arrow.
"Y-y-y-y-yes," answered Tooter.
"What happened to you?" asked Flash.
"Me and my p-p-partner were setting this place up for the b-b-boss, but this ice w-witch was holding some little girl in here," said Tooter.
"Do you remember what she looks like?" asked Flash.
"Preteen, probably. Brown, c-c-curly hair," said Tooter.
"She was definitely here," said Flash. "And this 'ice witch', where is she?"
"I-I-I don't know," said Tooter. "She needed me and my partner out of t-t-th-th-the way, so she froze one of us to scare the other off."
"Where's Daniel Brickwell?" asked The Arrow.
"I don't know, man. I swear," said Tooter.
The Arrow fires an arrow and hits Tooter in the arm, causing him to scream in pain. Flash was horrified to see this happen in front of me.
"The only thing worse than an arrow going in is an arrow coming out!" yelled The Arrow, preparing to pull the arrow out, which is hurting Tooter even more.
"Stop! Stop! You're hurting him," pleaded Flash.
"I don't know, man. I don't know," said Tooter, whining in pain.
"He said he doesn't know," said Flash to Arrow.
"He's lying," said The Arrow. He tells Tooter, "If you wanna be able to move your arm, you'll tell me where he is!"
"A warehouse on 25th and West. But it's only a place for meetings. It's not where the boss hides. He doesn't tell his men where," said Tooter, crying in pain. "I swear. It's the truth."
The Arrow releases the arrow and walks away. Flash follows.
"You tortured that guy," said Flash.
"I interrogated him," said Arrow. "Why is this a surprise? You know who I am and what I do."
"You kill people, that I get, but torture... that's different," said Flash. "I thought we were supposed to be better than them."
"Look, you don't understand what I've went through to get this far, so you can't judge me," said The Arrow. "Look at yourself. You see the world as sunshine and rainbows, thinking this is all a game. I have suffered more than any human should be able to. Hardship. Losses..."
"I lost someone I loved when I was little," said Flash. "But I don't use my personal tragedies as an excuse to torture anyone who ticks me off."
"Well, I'm afraid I'm not as emotionally healthy as you, Flash," said The Arrow. "Let's find your girl and fast. Should be no problem for you."
The two kept on moving until they found a chair lying down on its side under a ceiling lamp. There was a trail of blood starting from the light and leading towards outside the warehouse.
"Now we have a way to track her," said The Arrow.
The two costumed heroes followed the blood trail to another warehouse two blocks away. What they found inside were a dozen armed men. At first sight of the duo, they started shooting. Flash grabs The Arrow and runs behind a pile of crates to protect themselves from gunfire.
"Nice job, Flash," said The Arrow sarcastically.
"Seriously?" questioned Flash.
"Yes, seriously!" yelled The Arrow. "You intervene with my mission, then you ask for my help, and then inevitably immediately we end up on the creek!"
"Okay, that's fair," replied Flash.
"On three, speedy," said The Arrow. "One... two... three..."
The two heroes came out of their hiding spot and started fighting. The Arrow fired arrows. The Flash runs around and takes any armed thug in his way. The Arrow killed four men, while the Flash knocked out the other eight.
"I think we did good," said the Flash. Seeing one man with an arrow in his throat, he says, "Well, sort of."
The two followed the blood trail until they found another chair under a spotlight. However, Jesse wasn't there. Instead, there was a phone. Flash picks it up and turns it on. There was a video. He presses "play".
On the video, "Mistress Freeze" was laughing.
"You really thinking it was that easy, Flash?" she started. "I knew that little friend of yours could track me, and I knew that Jesse cut herself to leave a blood trail when I transferring her. I'm sorry, but the only way you're getting her back is if Harrison Wells is ready to confess. See you soon, Flash."
The video ends.
"Harrison Wells?" said The Arrow. "You work for him."
"He's my friend," said The Flash.
"Jesse Wells is the hostage," guessed The Arrow.
The Flash taps into his comm-link. "Hey, uh... um..."
"Call me 'Vibe'. It's my handle on Twitter. Vibe15," said Cisco. "Oh, and yeah, I heard what Mistress Freeze said. What are we gonna do now?"
"We tell Dr. Wells to make that phone call," asked Flash.
"Are you serious? We're not supposed to do what villains tell us to do," replied Cisco.
"We have no choice. It's the only way to get Jesse back," said Flash.
"Okay, I'll call him," said Cisco.
Flash turns off his comm-link and looks at The Arrow.
"Thanks for your help," said Flash.
"I don't think I helped at all," said The Arrow.
"Still, you pressed pause on your 'Robin Hood' mission to help me rescue a kidnapped child," said Flash. "That's a hero in my book."
"I'm no hero," said The Arrow. "I'm not gonna be wearing this hood for long."
"Hey, uh, not to tell you how to do your vigilante-ing, but... have you considered a mask?" suggested Flash. "No offense, the grease paint thing. Poor identity concealer."
"You can't even tell who I am," said The Arrow.
"No, but once they take off the hood, I'm sure someone would recognize you," said Flash.
Laurel tells The Arrow, "He's got a point. A mask would help."
The Arrow says, "Then find me a mask that conforms perfectly to my face and doesn't affect my ability to aim while I'm on the run."
"You should look into compressible micro-fabric," suggested Flash. "It'll be great."
"I'll consider it," said The Arrow.
"Well, see you 'round," said Flash.
Flash runs out of the warehouse and back to S.T.A.R. Labs.
"Cool," said The Arrow.
"Definitely," said Laurel.
The Arrow turns his head and saw a security camera, which explains how Laurel saw the Flash zooming away. The Arrow fires an arrow and destroys
"Canary, make sure no one else has the recording memory of that camera," said The Arrow.
"Canary?" asked a confused Laurel.
"If I have to address you by name in front of others, I thought that would fit nicely," said The Arrow.
"Canary, huh? I like it," said Laurel.
Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Wells arrives as soon as Cisco called. When Barry explained his plan to get Jesse back, Wells wasn't happy about it.
"Absolutely not!" yelled Wells.
"But, Dr. Wells, there's no other way," said Flash. "This Mistress Freeze is clever. Very clever. She can hide Jesse underneath this lab and we wouldn't even know about it."
"Look, whatever secret you have to tell, you don't have to tell us," said Cisco. "We'll just cover our ears."
"Is this secret bad?" asked Barry. "You seem like you want to keep it badly."
"Barry, this is Jesse we're talking about," said Wells. "When I lost my wife, I lost it. I isolated myself from others, including my own daughter. When she came back home from school with an injured knee, I realized that I still had a piece of Tess. It's Jesse. She's the light of my world. I don't want to lose her. Who's to say this Mistress Freeze won't kill her anyway, whether I tell her or not?"
"I know this is risky, Dr. Wells, but we have no choice," said Barry. "This is our best shot at getting Jesse back. Remember, you got me."
Wells avoids eye contact for a while as he thinks. He looks up at Barry and says, "Fine. I'll make the call."
Wells dials the number and waits for an answer.
"Hello, Dr. Wells?"
"I'm ready to confess," said Wells. "Just give us a time and place."
"A warehouse at 18th and Prudence. Tomorrow night," said the meta.
"Will you promise to release my daughter if I tell you?" asked Wells.
"A confession is all I need," said the meta. "Don't disappoint."
The meta hangs up.
"So, what did she say?" asked Barry.
"We'll be meeting at a warehouse at 18th and Prudence tomorrow night," said Wells.
"I'll come with you," said Barry.
"No, seeing you will make her think I'm planning something elaborate to free Jesse without giving a confession," said Wells. "I have to go alone."
"Alone to where?"
Everyone turns their heads and saw Caitlin entering the cortex.
"Wells made the call," said Cisco.
"What?!" exclaimed Caitlin.
"It was Mr. Allen's idea," said Wells.
"But that's risky," said Caitlin.
"Don't worry. Whatever this Mistress Freeze wants with Wells, she's not getting it," said Barry.
The next evening, at an abandoned warehouse, Harrison Wells shows up in the dark, waiting for something to happen. Cisco was gonna be listening to the whole thing through Wells' earpiece. Caitlin, however, couldn't join Cisco because she said she had to meet up with a "friend".
A spotlight opens and shines on Jesse, who is tied up on a chair. She was bruised, bleeding, and crying.
"Dad, you came," said Jesse happily.
"Yes, I did, Jesse," said Wells with a smile.
"Well, well, well."
The ice-cold voice echoed through the shadows as "Mistress Freeze" comes out of the open. She was wearing her mask, as well as street clothes with different shades of blue.
"Harrison Wells. In the flesh," she started.
"Let my daughter go," demanded Wells.
Mistress Freeze forms a shard of ice in her hand and holds it against Jesse's throat.
"I'll release her after you confess," said Mistress Freeze, putting emphasis on "after".
"What do you want?" asked Wells.
Mistress Freeze slashes Jesse's arm, leaving a bleeding cut, causing Jesse was shout in pain.
"Don't hurt her," begged Wells.
"Confess," demanded Mistress Freeze.
"I don't know what you want," said Wells.
Mistress Freeze walks towards Wells and looks at him closely in the eye.
"No, you don't," said Mistress Freeze. "Fine. Let me shed some light. Years ago, you lived in Star City with your wife, Tess Morgan. You two had a child, who just happens to be sitting right in this very room with us. Sweet, smart, little Jesse 'Quick' Wells. Then Tess died in a car crash five years ago, and you moved to Central City. You started the particle accelerator, and, for some reason, you ignored protests and turned it on. I think we all know how that turned out."
"Your point?" asked Wells.
"You, Harrison Wells, are one of the most brilliant scientists in the country, maybe the world, but also one of the most stubborn," said Mistress Freeze. "Why would you turn on the particle accelerator despite the possibility of a malfunction?"
"And what do you think is the answer to that?" asked Wells.
"You wanted the particle accelerator to go wrong," said Mistress Freeze.
"Why would I want to do that?" asked Wells.
"I don't know," said Mistress Freeze. "You tell me."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," said Wells.
"You're lying," said Mistress Freeze. "But your intentions with the particle accelerator isn't what I want you to confess. It's about who you really are."
"Dad, what is she saying?" asked Jesse, confused and curious.
Mistress Freeze smacks Jesse across the face. "Shut up!" she shouted.
"Don't you dare touch my daughter," said Wells.
"Or what? You'll get off that wheelchair and make me?" retorted Mistress Freeze. "Oh, wait, you can't. You're paralyzed and stuck on a wheelchair for the rest of your life."
"I'll get off this wheelchair if I have to," said Wells. His face and tone tell that he's being serious.
"Maybe you need further motivation to confess," said Mistress Freeze. "You love your daughter, don't you?"
"I love her with all my heart," said Wells sincerely.
Mistress Freeze puts her hand on Jesse's left shoulder and started freezing it. Jesse cries and screams due to the pain.
"No! Let her go!" yelled Wells.
"Confess, Wells," insisted Mistress Freeze.
Mistress Freeze was about to stick the shard into Jesse's shoulder, but the Flash shows up, unties Jesse, and takes her away before the shard made impact.
"Flash," growled Mistress Freeze.
"Mistress Freeze," greeted Flash formally.
"Mistress Freeze? Really? That's a terrible nickname," said Mistress Freeze.
Back at S.T.A.R. Labs...
"Hey, it is not terrible," said Cisco, emphasizing "not".
Mistress Freeze fires icicles at the Flash, but he uses his speed to dodge them. With correct timing, Freeze was able to hit the Flash in the shoulder with an icicle. The speedster grunts in pain as he pulls the shard out of his shoulder. Mistress Freeze fires an ice beam and knocks him towards a wall, freezing him towards it.
Jesse picks up a lead pipe and runs towards the Flash. She keeps whacking the ice until it cracks, freeing the Flash.
"Thanks, kid," said Flash.
Flash zooms towards Mistress Freeze and knocks her towards a metal column, knocking her out. He immediately takes Harrison and Jesse out of the warehouse. Mistress Freeze wakes up and sees that everyone has left.
"You've made an enemy of me today, Flash," she muttered. "We'll see each other again pretty soon."
Flash returns to S.T.A.R. Labs. Jesse had a tearful reunion with her father as they hugged like there's no tomorrow.
"I'm so glad you came," said Jesse.
"You're my daughter. If you're ever in trouble, I will always be there for you," said Wells.
Caitlin arrives at the cortex and sees Jesse.
"Jesse, hey," greeted Caitlin.
"Hey, Caitlin," greeted Jesse.
Jesse gave Caitlin a big hug. The latter returned it.
"Hey, c'mon, don't I get a hug?" complained Cisco, feeling left out.
Jesse gestures Cisco to come closer. She pulls him in so it would be a group hug between her, Caitlin, and Cisco.
After the hug, Jesse looks at the Flash. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," said Flash.
"How do you do that thing with your voice?" asked Jesse.
"I vibrate my vocal cords," answered Flash.
"Interesting," said Jesse.
"Well, take care," said Flash.
Flash leaves the cortex.
"He's amazing," said Jesse. "I wish Wally was here. He's a big fan of the Flash."
"Well, I'm sure he'll get his chance to meet his hero," said Wells.
Ten seconds later, Barry arrived.
"I just saw yellow lightning zoom past me on the way here," he said, pretending to be confused.
"That was the Flash," said Jesse, still happy to meet her hero.
"Guess I'm late again," joked Barry.
Jesse looks at her father. "Dad, is what that woman said true? Did you intend for the particle accelerator to blow up?"
"Jesse, that woman is delusional and psychotic. You can't believe a word she says," said Wells.
"But she knows the nickname you and mom gave me. Jesse Quick," said Jesse. "She has to know you well if she knows something that personal."
Wells seemed hesitant to speak.
"So, you're just gonna keep secrets from me?" questioned Jesse.
"Jesse, you're seriously hurt. I think you should let Caitlin look up on you," said Wells, ignoring his daughter's question.
"Fine. I'll be in the medical bay, but I don't want you there," said Jesse.
Jesse heads to the medical bay. Caitlin looks at Wells, who tells her to go after Jesse.
Later that night, at the Snow household, Dr. Carla Tannhauser has just returned home from work. Suddenly, she heard screaming and glass shattering in her daughter's room.
"Caitlin! Are you okay up there?" she asked.
Caitlin didn't respond. Carla heads upstairs and knocks on her daughter's bedroom door. When she didn't answer, Carla tried twisting the door knob. The door was open. What Carla found inside shocked her. There was ice all over the ceiling and floor. There was a shard of ice that appears to be thrown at the make-up table mirror. It was shattered. There was also a magazine with Harrison Wells on the cover on the floor, ripped in half.
Caitlin was standing in the middle of her room. There was something different about her. Her skin was pale and half her hair is white.
"Caitlin, what is going on here?" asked Carla. "Is that hair dye?"
"Leave me alone, mother!" shouted Caitlin, speaking with a different voice.
"Is something wrong with your throat?" asked Carla.
Caitlin turns around and looks at her mother, allowing the doctor to see what else is different about her daughter. Her eyes were glowing and her lips were blue.
"Caitlin, if this is some sort of adolescence phase you're going through, maybe we should talk about this," said Carla.
"My entire life is a lie!" shouted Caitlin, looking at the shattered mirror.
"What are you talking about, snowflake?" asked Carla.
"Oh, now you call me 'snowflake'? Haven't heard that since dad died," said Caitlin sarcastically and angrily. "You know, you got some nerve calling me 'snowflake'. Ever since dad died, you've been distant. You think you're the only one who's grieving? I was. I loved dad as much as you did. But after his funeral, you ignored me. When I come home to tell you that I won the science fair, you ignored me. When I was crying when Ronnie died, you ignored me. What kind of mother does that?"
"I don't like this attitude," said Carla.
"For these past nine months, I have been hiding who I really am," continued Caitlin. "I thought it was just a disease or some sort of psychological problem, but no, it's more than that. It's power."
"Caitlin, what is this nonsense you're speaking of?" asked a scared and confused Carla.
"The frost inside me, just waiting for the killer to rise," continued Caitlin. "Well, now it's come."
Carla approaches her daughter and grabs her by the arm.
"We are going to have a talk, Caitlin," she said.
Caitlin smacks her mother's arm off her. "Don't touch me."
"I wish I wouldn't. You're cold," said Carla, looking at her hand. "Are you sick?"
"Just get out, mother," demanded Caitlin, speaking calmly.
Carla, however, refused. "I'm not leaving until we..."
"I said get out!" yelled Caitlin.
In her rage, Caitlin fires icicles at her mother just to warn her. However, one icicle hit Carla in her heart. As she struggled to breathe and stand, she puts her hand on her daughter's cheek in a comforting matter. A few seconds later, Carla falls down and her eyes closed. Caitlin kneels down and puts her fingers on her mother's neck. There was no pulse.
Caitlin stepped away from her mother and looked at her own hands in fear. She had just murdered her own mother in "cold" blood.
"Is this what I'm destined to be? A monster?" she asked herself.
Caitlin looks at the shattered mirror again. More of her hair has turned white.
"If it's a monster I have to be, it's a monster I will be," she muttered. "Mistress Freeze, huh? Real amateur, Cisco." Caitlin looks at the cold smoke coming out of her hands. "As from this day forward, my name... is Killer Frost."
Uh oh! Killer Frost is coming. I hope this chapter was good. Leave a review and let me know.
Up next: Arrow V Flash, Part 1