A/N: Thanks for the comments 1 Fan & KDesai! Hope I didn't put the rest of you to sleep last chapter with all the talking.

''Well." started Cisco, ''After everything that happened in the last couple of weeks, with these Earth 2 Metas and Stein almost dying, Barry and I just felt like clearing our thoughts for one night and have some fun. We went out at that local bar near the highway….''

***FLASHFLASHFLASH***

2 and a half days ago:

''You remember alcohol doesn't affect me, right?'' Barry said, looking at the shot his friend just pushed in front of him.

''Come on man! Don't be such a buzz kill, just drink'' Answered Cisco, holding his glass.

Barry just smiled and drank it with his friend. After all these stressful couple of weeks, nothing like having a night where the world doesn't depend on you. He smiled, watching his friend asked for more shots.

''Dude, take it easy with yourself, you don't want to drop halfway through the night don't you?''

''Hey old man! Let me have my fun a little would you?''

Barry laughed again, it felt good. He stretches his muscles, stretching his arms behind his back, almost hitting in the process a young man who was walking behind. Barry turned around to apologise, but that other man came to sit next to the Team Flash having a good time. That young man was in his mid-twenties, short blond hair, very tall, wearing a black t-shirt and had very muscular arms.

''Hey guys, my name's Sean'', he said. ''My friend Nick over there and I were wondering if you wanted to join us for a dart game''

Sure, why not? They had no reason to refuse a good dart challenge. It was a fun game. Competitive game, with a couple of more drinks for those who could actually enjoy it. It was a fun night, at least for the time it lasted. The Star Lab team only did one game, which at least they won by a long shot, before Cisco started to feel really tired and voiced his desire to go home.

''Who's the old man now?''Teased Barry.

''Yeah yeah, laugh all you want. Just feeling exhausted right now, not to mention that killer headache starting''.

''You sure you're ok man? Want me to get you home?''

''No, it's fine, I'll handle it. Make sure to kick their asses and tell me how it went in the morning."

***FLASHFLASHFLASH***

Present time:

''And that's the last I heard or seen of Barry'', completed Cisco. ''I went home on my own and didn't get any news 'til we received that streaming 2 days ago.''

Joe has been playing with his beard for the biggest part of the story, taking in every piece of information he received. Pushing aside the thoughts that it was his son who was missing and keeping his head clear. Cisco said he left around midnight. 2 hours later, Joe was waking up on the sofa after falling asleep on it and Barry wasn't back. Eight hours later he was dead. Unless he wasn't… There was still a couple of hours for which Barry wasn't accounted for.

''Might be nothing, but something is bothering me in your story. You said you weren't feeling well and left... Were you drinking too much?''

Cisco's first thought was to defend himself, say he knew how to drink, but he closed his mouth before any word could come out. Joe might be on to something. Sure he's been drinking, but not nearly enough to get him in an instant from party mode to dead tired mode.

''I don't think so, Joe. I've had harder nights than this. But this time I felt bad, so quickly. It didn't feel like a hangover, you know? But anyway what are you telling me is that maybe someone tried to drug me? Not impossible as far as we know, but unlikely. I mean, all I had to do to get it out of my system was sleep it off. That's kind of too easy, don't you think?''

''Yeah, but you did leave Barry alone. Before he disappeared. It can't be a coincidence'', added Iris.

''Call it a hunch, but can you tell us more about that guy Sean? Anything distinctive about him? Any tattoo?''

''He did have a snake tattoo on…''

''On his left arm? A snake eating his tail?'', said Joe, completing Cisco's sentence.

''How did you….?''

''The body that was found in the lake yesterday! His description fit perfectly your story. He was definitely working with the woman who took Barry. Let me check with Patty where she is in that case.''

He walked away to make his call. The atmosphere in the lab somehow felt less heavy. No more crying, no more depressing thought of the future without Flash, no more funeral planning. Barry was still alive. They had no proof, other than Cisco's vibe, but they all knew it. They were going to find Barry and bring him home. Barry just needed to hang in there just a little longer. Everything was going to be fine. They heard footsteps and Joe reappeared in the lab a couple of minutes later.

''Alright, I told Patty to join me at the bar. We'll found every evidence there is to find. I'll have the department know Barry is missing. We'll find him. We'll found my son and we'll bring him back, I promise.''

The rest of the team looked at Joe rushing away at jogging speed. Nobody could blame him for being in such a hurry to start the missing case for Barry. They already wasted enough time. First thing first, who had enough energy to get to work? They didn't need anyone to fall over, which is something Iris was clearly about to do. She obviously barely slept in the last days, if at all. Despite being desperate to find Barry, she was quick to yield, at the condition to not stay alone. Which is why Caitlin decided to go home with her and let the boys work on the problem.

They let Cisco and Jay work on the video and see if they could find anything that could help them locate their friend.

'We will found you, hang in there Barry, hang in there'', whispered Cisco. ''Where are you man?''

***FLASHFLASHFLASH***

Barry was all alone in his dark room, working hard on calming his body, calming the shakings and the uncontrolled vibrations. His captor had just left the room, or had she? How long has it been since she left him alone? It was easy to lose all notion of time in this room, without windows to see daylight. Has he been there for one day? One week? Two weeks?

His mind was getting more and more foggy. He couldn't even remember how many times his captor, this metahuman, injected him with drugs. Maybe that was what was making him so disoriented. Unless it was the hunger and dehydration. Or was it all of these above? The only thought he was trying to hang on to was his friends, his family. Where were they? He couldn't get out of his head what she said about them not even searching for them. Were they dead? Or also captive in another room? He needed to make a move and make it fast while he still had the strength to think and still had any strength left….but his remaining strengths weren't enough to escape. He struggled, in vain, once again against his restraints.

He had to resign himself, he was never going to escape on his own and if nobody was coming, he was gonna die there, alone. And probably sooner than later.

***FLASHFLASHFLASH***

2 days ago:

Barry slowly woke up with one of the worst headache he had in a while. First thing he noticed was that he was tied to a metal chair with metals bounds around each of his wrists and ankles. Second thing he noticed was that his shirt was gone. And the third thing was the thing that woke him up. It was a familiar scream coming from the other room.

He tried to break free, tried to vibrate his way out, with no success. Before he had time to make a second attempt, the door in his room opened. There she was, the last vision he had before his world turned all black and he lost consciousness. That imposing woman with short hair that still had some very feminine and beautiful features under her cruel smile.

''You! What do you want from me!''

''Finally decided to wake up, speedster'', she replied slowly, ignoring the question. Her voice, her words were said in a hypnotizing tone that could've easily make most men fall for it. At least men she didn't kidnap.

''Don't worry, I'll give you all the attention you deserve as soon as I'm done with our other guest here.''

She made the last steps separating her from her captive's chair, extending her arm to touch Barry's right hand in an almost gentle way.

''For now, you just worry about resting and healing.''

''Healing?''

Sure, his head was hurting. But other than that, he wasn't feeling like he was injured. The only answer he got was a cruel smile just before she tightened her hand around two of his fingers and snapped them with one quick, loud, crack. She didn't wait for Barry to finish screaming before swiftly taking a knife out and cutting deep into Barry's left shoulder.

''That.'', she simply stated in her still, calm, voice before walking out of the room.

A/N: Here we go! The search for Barry is starting. Let me now what you thought!