They were still pondering over the possibilities of Alien life forms when Barry trudged back into the lab, no woosh of air. Cisco was arguing for the possibilities and science possible out of Star Trek. Caitlin was trying to keep him more grounded and mentioned they should reach out to Kara, and Wells feed into theories with info from the other earths. Of course Aliens were real. They didn't need to argue that, they needed to find out who they were and what this meant. They were so caught up in their conversation that they didn't notice Barry's presence until Caitlin caught him in the corner of her eye.
"Hey, when-" she cut herself off when he crossed out Brandon Williamson's face from the board. The meaning there made her stop cold, taking a few seconds to reach for Cisco to clue him in to stop talking. Barry cut off the conversation first.
"Brandon is dead."
Silence hung over the room. Dead?
"H-how?" Caitlin asked first.
"He was aged, somehow. Out of his mind. He kept saying something about theives and don't trust, then threw himself out of a window."
"Jeez...you okay?" Cisco was coming down from geekdom.
"I'm fine. He was the guy in the park. There was ice around the window where he fell. I just...feel like I'm missing something. They're examining the body...guys we really need to figure this out and find the others."
"Before the same thing happens to them...I guess this is less Star Trek and more Aliens or Predator? Are they feeding off us?"
"Well they're not going to get to us-" the sharpness in Caitlin's voice only lasted for a second before she swallowed Frost down. No need to be scared. They could handle it. They always handled it.
"That girl in the park. I wonder if he was as out of his mind as he really seemed then. Maybe she knows something she isn't saying."
"You want backup? I can Vibe us out of trouble if we end up in the mothership."
"That might not be a bad idea."
"I can check on the lab results from the autopsy. See what we are dealing with from that end and if we can reverse it in the others once we find them?" Caitlin offered.
"If we find them." Leave it to Wells to bring the mood down. And Cisco to pick it back up.
"I've got my scanner set up to catch any more of those sightings. If another shows up this lab will know it. And so will we." He snapped a gadget to his wrist, and moved to change into his Vibe gear.
—
Out the two popped, both in gear. The moon hung high above them in a clear sky, the stars blotted out by the city's light pollution. There was a soft breeze giving a cool chill.
"Alright, look out Aliens, here we- wait how do we know she will be here?"
"We don't. But thinking back, I think I've seen her at least pass by more than the once."
"Okay. So we'll just...keep an eye out?" A couple strolling through the park came around the turn and up the hill, eyeing the two with sudden suspicion and concern. Both men gave them charming smiles.
"Lovely night." Barry tried to keep it calm.
"No problems here!" Cisco chimed in more weakly. The couple hurried past them without comment, wanting nothing to do with the masked heroes. Ouch. You'd think they were the problem.
They stood around for a few minutes. High alert. Nothing was happening. Was this a dead end? Where else could they go next? Cisco could only keep up the on edge, ready to fight, atmosphere for so long before relaxing.
"Maybe we should take shifts until she shows up?" He offered, pulling a pack of twizzlers out of his pocket and offering one to Barry.
"How can you think of your stomach at a time like this?"
"How can you not? You need how many calories a day?" Fair point, It slipped a hint of a smile back on Barry's face as he accepted one. This case was tough. But at least he didn't have to do it alone. The two leaned on the back of the closest park bench and munched, looked out at the lake and the silhouettes of ducks in the darkness. Drifting. Peaceful.
"Whit brings ye here?" They turned, the air swirling around them, to see the blonde from that morning. She was in the same attire as before, the bite of wind not even registering goosebumps on the exposed expanse of her skin around the sports bra. Pale, flawless, toned. She reflected the moonlight, and the missing starlight shined from bright green eyes.
"Beam me up Scotty..." the comment was breathless, both men taken back with the vision despite having girlfriends. Instinctual pull, the faint glimmer over her skin lead their eyes on a merry chase across the expanse of her.
"Dae ah kin ye?" the lilting roll of her accent caressed them. "Whit are ye daein'?"
"I...don't know..." a fog began to roll in around them, off the water and out of the trees. She extended a hand with a warm smile. Both men began to reach for it, but Cisco was the one to pull them back with a snap.
"Oh no! No Jedi mind tricks!" A shimmer ripples over her face, the expression waiting below venomous and twisted in grey skin. It was only a split second, but it was all the confirmation they needed.
"What happened to Brandon?" Barry was snapping out of it, though his thoughts were slower than usual.
"Who?" Somehow she made the simple question an insult.
"You can't fool us, Alien scum! Hiding behind the face of a pretty girl!" Cisco fired a pulse from his hands past her, making the blonde jump in sudden genuine shock with a small bleating noise.
"That was a warning shot! Drop the games and take us to your leader- oof!" Without warning the girl had reared up and delivered a perfectly executed kick to Cisco's gut that sent him flying back several feet. Deceptive strength, Barry ran to keep his friend from ending up in the lake, then turned to give chase.
She ran, nimble and graceful and fast through the trees. Hopping over fallen branches or rocks, and then through lush green moss that didn't belong. Somehow she was staying just ahead of him. He ran faster, and still she stayed just ahead. The forest around them grew from the few clustered trees in the park, to an expanse of towering winding bark and roots, dark with the gentle mist of precipitation among the brilliant green. The roots were as thick as his legs and torso in places, the trees so high he couldn't see the tops. He barely had time to register the change of scene. She lept into the air and across a bubbling stream, glancing over her shoulder on the other side. It was a small trickle. A child could have jumped the expanse. He moved to hop the gap, and a pair of strong hands grabbed his arm and yanked him backwards.
Barry felt the wind knock out of him as his back hit the ground. He was looking up at the city sky again, the tree tops at his feet obvious in where they ended. He had to blink a few times, his head spinning.
"Cisco? Wh-" when he looked up it wasn't Cisco he saw. A British accent chided him,
"What the Devil were you doing?" A square jaw below short blonde hair, a white button up and red tie under an old tan trench coat, all together loomed over him.
"You're lucky I was here to pull you out!"
"What? Who? Out of what?" He was dizzy, trying to stand and stumbling.
"I gotcha mate."
"Who are-" his com blarred to life.
"Barry? Barry is that you?" Iris sounded over his com.
"Iris?"
"I came home early, just to hear you were missing after chasing Aliens?"
"What? Missing? No, Cisco and I found a lead. Where is he?" He heard Cisco over the feed.
"Dude, that was five hours ago! Where did you go? Iris got back and was pissed!" The last was said with some urgency before Cisco added, "as she has every right to be...worried...about her husband..." bad save.
Barry spun, or tried to, still too wobbly.
"I'm still in the park. With...uh..."
"John Constantine. That yer team, mate? It's cool, I'm a do-gooder my own self. Just of a...different talent source. Let's get you back to them, and I'll explain what's going on." Barry leaned off, trying his own feet and finding them more stable.
"Sorry, I'm not following. You're-"
"The man who just saved your life. And you and yours are running out of time. So you gonna let me in on your super-duper team to help, or do you need to call up your buddy Oliver to double check my credentials?"
"Hey team. Guy here, John Constantine, says he knows Olly and saved my life. Knows what's going on. Should I bring him by?" Silence on the other end.
"...he's here to help?"
"That's what he says."
"Then I guess let's give him the chance to prove that."