So, know how this is vaguely AU? yeah. It's vaguely AU. Some stuff will correlate with episodes from here on out. This chapter takes place around episodes 13/14, but not all things that happen in the episode are things in this because nope, that's too much on me also I don't wanna write the awkward date stuff with Linda like yeah no. So, yeah. Just so you know. Also? Actual plot? Not all crack and kitten antics? but. plot? What is this?
Chapter Three
Caitlin touched the folded paper in her purse, then used one finger to scratch Scrap under the chin. " Well, it's official, Dr. Scrap." she said, laughing a little. " You are a working cat now. Which means you don't have to hide in the sock drawer when the neighbors come by for a cup of sugar."
"Meeerp." Scrap trilled from inside Caitlin's sleeve. (But socks!)
"Oh, you," Caitlin shook her head.. She wasn't sure exactly what the kitten had said, but she knew enough from the research she'd done that cats had sounds that meant things, a language. And Scrap's powers-if she had any-had yet to be revealed. It was possible she understood-Faulkner seemed to, at times.
Things had definitely improved since she'd gotten the kitten, and she was sure the others had noticed. sleeping with the kitten purring in her ear seemed to help the uneasy dreams she still had, of the warehouse where Snart and Rory had held her, of her friends-the only family she had left-hurt by metahumans, of the night her world had shattered. Of Ronnie.
She'd taken off the ring, put it in a drawer. Wearing it, when he was alive but at the same time not, when he didn't know her, when he'd become whatever it was he'd become, was too much.
Scrap seemed to sense her sadness, and mewed shrilly, pushing her head into the palm of Caitlin's hand. She was soft, and warm, and trembling with her purr. Caitlin smiled again, and made her way to work.
It was a fairly slow morning. There hadn't been many Metahuman sightings since Peekaboo, if any. Even regular disasters that would require The Flash's help- house fires, trapped construction workers, bank robberies with hostages- seemed to be at a record low. Then again, it wasn't even noon. Barry was on the Cisco'd Treadmill, jogging alongside Nyoom, as part of his agility training. He'd tripped twice, but the scraped palm and bump on his head had already started to heal, and he was getting much better at dodging the kitten's movements. For her part, Nyoom found it very fun, a small fog-colored blur sparking lighting several shades paler than Barry's own golden. They stopped for rest, Barry scarfing down two of Cisco's calorie bars, Nyoom emptying a bowl of special kitten chow.
She scrambled back onto the treadmill, batted at it with a paw twice, and then changed her mind and ran to the door. Then she changed her mind again, and leaped up to perch on the treadmill's belt, planting her butt and washing her paw.
"Nyoom, whaaaat?" Barry sighed. "You want to run? You want more food? What?"
Nyoom curled up, tail over her nose, and appeared to fall asleep..
"I believe that's the end of your in-house training for the morning, Mr. Allen," Doctor Wells commented from the observation room, Apricot draped like a scarf or neck pillow across his shoulders.
"I think so too," Barry sighed. "I wonder if she'll get faster than me, eventually? Cats can run about 30 miles an hour if they need to, but most people can only run a little under...20? Or was it 22? Usain Bolt was clocked at 27, I think. So if normal people can only run 2/3rds as fast as cats…..could a super speed metakitten run faster than a speedster?"
"I think only time will tell, Barry. But for what it is worth, I do not think either of you have reached your top speed." Doctor Wells reached up to scratch Apricot's ears, and she sighed happily.
CC Jitters technically only allowed certain service animals-guide and seizure dogs, mostly, but no one asked many questions, and Caitlin had a prepared speech about "legally, I don't have to tell anyone what service she provides" on autoplay in the back of her mind just in case. Iirs saw them come in, and waved.
"Lunch break?" she asked, grinning. " They still give me an employee discount, I'll grab some sandwiches and coffee, kay?" she spotted Scrap peeking out from Caitlin's purse, and Fuzzwhump slowed inside one of Cisco's pockets, sound asleep with only one tufted ear really visible. " And I'll see what I can get Katya to give me for those cuties."
In the upper loft area of the coffee shop, a few patrons watched the local news channel and chatted, and they grabbed a pair of tables.
"I really hope she hasn't noticed about her cats's super powers," Barry whispered as she left sitting down. " Because I had a hard enough time explaining to Eddie."
"I'm sure it's fine," Caitlin said, a little too brightly. "Now, what's this I hear about you and Linda?"
The discussion of the date ( "Dude, don't drink water after you eat something spicy, that's dumb. Don't you know anything about peppers?" Cisco wanted to know) was interrupted by the arrival of Iris and Katya bearing lunch. As the Barista/Waitress left, Iris settled onto her seat.
"Barry, I wanted to ask you about Goldie-" she started. Thankfully, Barry didn't have to answer, as Cisco's phone rang and he had to dig it out of the same pocket that housed the rather more awake kitten. Cupping the tabby in one hand, he answered, frowned and hung up.
"I gotta go, a-friend-I'm sorry, I'll see you." Settling Fuzzwhump, he left a couple crumpled dollars on the table and took his sandwich with him.
"He has other friends?" Iris asked, though not unkindly. "I never see him not glued to you guys. Ohh, is it the pet shop girl?"
"I have no idea," Caitlin said, watching him leave. Barry shrugged.
The news report changed, depicting a crime scene from the night before. Iris caught the words "Burning man" and turned to the others. Caitlin was as white as a sheet, and Scrap had abandoned the slice of ham she'd been gnawing on in favor of licking the doctor's fingers.
"I need to go." She said in a rush, gathering her purse and kitten.
"I should, too. I'm sorry. Another time?" Barry winced, then followed.
The cortex was abuzz with chatter, and Scrap sat, switching her tail back and forth, or attempting too. She was still kitten-small and kitten young, and her tail was a pointed triangle.
Falkner came over, followed by Georgia.
(What is it?) The tom cat blinked, turning to wash his much longer tail as Georgia, the self appointed Momcat, licked Scrap's ears.
(Where are Fuzz and her human, the one with the long fur?) she purred.
(Gone. The box he has made noise and they went somewhere. And I think my human is upset.) Scrap edged away from Georgia's tongue.
(Yes) Faulkner agreed. (Very. I can understand most of it, the stuff on the big box. Someone got hurt. Maybe a littermate? Or her Tom?)
(She doesn't have one. I think she did. She has a shirt that doesn't smell like her and she cries holding it.) Scrap batted Georgia away as the russet kitten-the oldest of them all with her littermate Frieda at six and a half months- put a paw on Scrap's back and started to wash her again. (And I can do that!)
(No, you miss spots. Faulkner, see what you can find on the screens?)
(On it) he yowled once, causing heads to turn, and leaped up onto the desk.
"No, down! Falkner, down," Scrap's human said, the Soft One. She looked like she was about to cry again. Falkner signed and leaped down, twitching his whiskers.
(I think we need Ginger) he mewed at last. (The screen said something about Firestorms and a burning man.)
It was a good thing they called in Ginger, as it turned out, because a day or so later, they had a guest who needed Kitten therapy more than the people in the boxes. Well, it might have been longer. Really, time is fluid for a cat, the sun's up and it's nap time or the sun's down and it's play time, or everyone's locked inside so it really doesn't matter. They had been locked inside, though with Schrodi and Peanut Butter's help that hadn't mattered as much. Still.
Now there was a new person, who had been going toward the the back room, the one that had medical smells and no one but the Nyoom-human and the Soft One ever really went, because the Nyoom-human kept getting hurt and the Soft One fixed it.
(He smells better now) Ginger commented rubbing against the new person's legs.
(He smells like Soft One's Tom.) Scrap added.
(Shhhh. I'm listening. People talk is hard) Georgia hissed.
(That's why I'm waiting for them to learn cat.) Apricot unwound herself from the Wheel-man and trotted over.
(Uh oh. This isn't good.) Falkner meowed, and was shushed by all of the people.
(Wait, if that's her Tom, why's she sad?) Peanut Butter came out of one of the desk drawers she'd commandeered. (My girl in the box downstairs misses her Tom, she'd be happy if he was here.)
(People do silly things like be sad over metal circles and stare at screens or paper all day.) Scrap mewed over her shoulder, padding over to her human and crying to be picked up.
(They want to do tests. Tests are not good things. Ginger?) Faulkner chirped.
(He's really hot. Maybe more than me.) The orange tabby allowed the New Person to rub his ears and mutter " Good kitty" before rejoining the cluster of cats watching.
He was going to blow up. They figured that much out. Human speech took concentration to understand, but "explosion " and " level the city" and the way the Soft One yelled at Wheel-man to fix things made it pretty clear. Some time in all that chaos, and not the good kind of catnip fueled kitten chaos, Fuzz and her human returned, reeking of worried and nervous. Fuzz didn't have much to say other than (lots of lights, something about blood, and a mirror. that's what the shiny things that look like there's a trapped cat are, mirrors. I tried to play with it but the people took it away.)
Wheel-man went somewhere and Soft One almost cried and New Person left. Nyoom-human and Soft one went after them, leaving Scrap behind even as she yowled, (dangerous take me with you!) Fuzz's person scooped her up, whispering soothingly. Scrap and the other cats thought he was saying things would be ok, but Scrap wasn't too sure they would be. Not with tension filling the room.
But it was. Nyoom-human and the soft one came back with two others, Soft One's Tom, apparently called " Ronnie" and an old one, a little ragged. He seemed to like Ginger, almost purring himself when Ginger sat in his lap.
Scrap, satisfied that her person was crying from good things, settled herself in her person's sleeve once more, a tiny ball of fluff and beating heart.
" We could leave town." Ronnie was saying, his voice low. Caitlin blinked, putting down her coffee cup.
"Leave? But- our lives are here. My job is here." In her sleeve, Scrap twitched unhappily at the word 'leave.'
"Yes, hunting metahumans." he frowned. "It's not-"
"It's not that. I help people. I help a lot of people."
"You could get hurt."
"I could get hurt anywhere. Besides, I feel partly responsible for all this. I want to do all I can to figure it out. At least where the metakittens came from."
"I'm not mad or anything, but-I've just missed you so much. And I'm worried. We lost a year, and I don't want to lose any more time with you. Cait." Ronnie took her hand. Scrap scrabbled free, and Caitlin shook her head, opening her purse for the kitten.
Scrap leaped in, blinking up at both of them with wide blue eyes.
"We won't," Caitlin promised. " But I can't leave, not now. You're home, and you can't make fire-balls anymore. It's safe."
It was not "safe." Scrap suddenly felt the purse tip sideways and people were screaming, including Soft One and the Warm One.
Caitlin grabbed up the purse and they were crawling, trying to get out as some kind of gas filled the room, and people collapsed. Ducking behind a table, Ronnie coughed.
"Cait, go, get out of here."
"Not without you," she answered, clutching her bag. Inside it, Scrap shrieked.
"I'm right behind you, GO."
She went. Ronnie took a heartbeat to toss one of the canisters leaking knockout gas away from the exit and ran, using the mist as a cover.
"Hands in the air." Someone had been waiting outside the service exit. Ronnie heard the sound of guns being cocked and raised his hands. Even without the extra presence in his head, he could tell he was surrounded. From the shadows of the alleyway, a half dozen armed soldiers emerged, five of them holding guns pointed at him.
One held a gun to Caitlin's head instead.
"Let her go," Ronnie tried to snarl it, but he was out-numbered and out-matched and they knew it.
"Ronald Raymond," an older man in a fancier uniform walked through the knot of people, standing just out of reach. " The Burning Man himself. Or half of him." He smirked.
"Who are you?" Ronnie's chest heaved, he locked eyes with Caitlin, pale in the dim lighting, here eyes wide. She had been forced to drop her purse. The man only smirked again.
"General Wade Eiling, US Army."
"What do you want?" he'd give it to them, anything they wanted, if it would save Cait.
"F.I.R.E.S.T.O.R.M." Eiling said. "Now, are you going to come quietly, or-"
he was cut off as the man holding Caitlin screeched. Scrap had worked her way free of the purse, and the tennis ball sized kitten had managed to climb to the man's leg and latch on with all four sets of claws and her teeth. He kicked out hard, keeping the gun on Caitlin and sending Scrap flying into a shadowy patch beside a dumpster.
"Leave her alone," Caitlin shrieked. "And let us go, this is illegal, you can't do this."
"Shut up." Eiling snapped, eyes still on Ronnie. If the young man had possessed his abilities, he would have barbequed the general where he stood.
It happened in a flash. One moment, the soldiers were leveling guns with laser sights at them, in the next, something large and tawny and roughly the size of a full grown grizzly bear had charged from the shadows. One of the soldiers got off a shot, but whatever the thing was, it barreled into him like a train and the shot went wide. The man holding Caitlin pointed his gun at it, and Caitlin took the opportunity to slam her foot, heel and all, back until his other arm went limp and he crumpled. she threw herself at Ronnie, shaking.
The shadowy beast turned on Eiling, and he drew something out of a pocket too late. As it came into the light and swiped a massive paw across the general's torso, leaving gouges that welled up with blood, Caitlin and Ronnie saw what it was. Or rather, who it was. The tail was still a brightling triangle, the dark markings like tigerstripes against a brindled brown coat and a face with tufted ears, foot long whiskers, and large blue eyes.
"Scrap?" Caitlin managed, before Ronnie regained the ability to both breath and move.
" Come on, we need to get out of here." he pulled at her hand and she followed, looking back. Eiling twitched. The soldiers twitched. Scrap abandoned them, chasing after and easily catching her human and the Warm One.
They ran down the street, for anyone watching to see, and half dove into the Star Labs van they'd borrowed for the evening. At the doors, Scrap paused, blinked, and seemingly melted, shivering like a heat mirage, until she was the size of a tennis ball once again. She leaped into the van after them, pressing her face against Caitlin's shaking hands and purring comfort.
"Oh, god. What was-Scrap, you-crap. This is Not good. Ronnie, drive, I'm calling Barry." Caitlin instructed. Ronnie nodded.
"Where? STAR?"
"No, um-not my place either, they have my wallet, I think, it was in my purse." Caitlin pulled her phone from her pocket, selecting the speed dial option she'd set for Barry.
As Ronnie drove, keeping an eye open for any vehicle following, Caitlin spoke.
"Barry, where are you? Never mind. General Eiling came after Ronnie, he's after F.I.R.E.S.T.O.R.M. Get the Steins someplace safe, in case, and we'll meet you at-Joe's. What? No, we're-we're ok. Scrap...Scrap is very much a Metakitty, and deserves at least a pound of the best salmon we can find. Ok, we'll see you." Caitlin hung up, sighing deeply, still shaking.
"Joe's house, um, Detective West- it's on Magnolia." she said.
"Fine." Ronnie made a turn.
From her perch on Caitlin's knee, Scrap mewled her triumph, her claws a little bloody, her whiskers turned up in a cat smile.
"Did you know she could do that?" Ronnie asked.
"No. But thank goodness, right?"
"I think I need some pizza. And a drink. And an explanation."
(I heard Salmon do I get salmon I want salmon is the nasty man going to come back he wasn't dead I wasn't sure you'd like that can I have the salmon?) Scrap mewed again, more urgently. As if she understood, Caitlin rubbed the kitten's ears.
"You get all the kitty treats and salmon you can eat, Scrap."
(Good I'm hungry being big is hungry and sleeeeeeep.)
She was asleep and snoring in seconds.