Burn
By: Riley
Full Summary - SEQUEL TO FRICTION. Barry's six month absence within the SpeedForce has ended and he needs to come to grips to what's changed since he's been gone. The team that used to have his back has fallen apart and are struggling to get back to where they used to be. Add in a villain who is always one step ahead of him, and Barry has a lot on his mind and can hardly keep up. Since Breathaker's fall and Savitar's destruction Cadence is the new leader of Team Flash and is struggling with her own demons in Barry's absence and his subsequent return. After an encounter with new anti-meta tech, she truly understands what it means to be powerless. Then they find their names at the top of a hit list of metas that have slowly been disappearing. –S4- Barry/OC
Prologue
My name is Cadence Nash and I'm a fire metahuman.
Cadence took a deep breath, steadying her muscles the best she could. Turned them to steel, strong enough to hold her up. She tightened her grasp on the bar in her hand, pulled herself up in a pull up, then exploded her arms upwards, away from her chest. The bar in her hands shot up and backward by the pull of her hand, before slamming forward once more, landing on the next peg of the salmon ladder she hung from.
Years ago, I did some terrible things, things that I was brainwashed into doing and things I did all on my own. To help me and my son survive. I did it while putting on the front that I was an ordinary teen mother, working her way through school, working to become a doctor so I could give my son a better life. But day after day, I'd find myself sucked back in with the same people that made me hate life.
She released all the tension in her muscles, allowing herself to dangle from the bar. Her body gently swayed back and forth, readying her body the next explosion of power. She made sure not to use her powers so much, or else it would've been a simple trek up and down the salmon ladder. She didn't want things to be easy. Not when it was hard work that produced results.
Cadence let out her deep breath at the same time she exploded the bar upwards once more, bringing her knees to her chest, crunching her core, and extended her body once more, moving the bar one rung higher. And did it once more, this time crossing her feet at the ankles to pull herself into a pull up.
The Assassination Bureau controlled me until I was able to break free. Until, with the help of the Flash, I broke free from the strings that Breathtaker kept on me. To release myself from everything they held over my head. Since then, I've tried to atone for everything that I've done with them. Starting as a Medical Examiner with the CCPD, I now work at the CCPD with Child Protective Services to keep the children of Central City, those that are powerless to get themselves out of their situations safe. I, especially, look for kids who are metas, to help them in ways I haven't been helped.
Flames started to flicker from Cadence's hands as she gripped the bar even harder. Any other bar would've melted beneath her hands, sinking her fingertips into the metal like butter. She gripped it even tighter, feeling the pain shoot through her palms. Up through her fingers, making her hands quake with effort to hold herself upright.
I've been working with The Flash to right the wrongs in Central City and protect those that are powerless to protect themselves. And I won't stop until everyone is safe. I do it with our team at STAR Labs. Our numbers may have dwindled, we lost the heart of our team, Caitlin, but we're still doing what we can. Wally, Cisco, and me. But we hope that Caitlin comes back to us, just like we hope Barry does.
Rung after rung after rung, she moved herself upwards. Giving herself a few seconds to collect herself before shooting it once more. Making it to the top, she swung herself up so that her body was in a straight line above the bar, creating the shape of a 'T' as she held onto it. Her arms quivered but didn't buckle as she held herself upright before slowly moving herself up and down, doing upside-down pushups.
I was supposed to marry the fastest man alive. The best man I've ever known. The beacon of hope that continues to inflate Central City, even in his absence. His memory keeps us going. Because six months ago…he left.
When she finished her pushups, she allowed her body to drop and swung her legs up between her arms, circling her knees around the bar. Slowly, very slowly she let go of the bar and extended her body, holding her weight by her knees before doing a series of sit-ups, twisting back and forth when her upper body reached her knees. Then she leaned back and did it all over again.
One her last sit up, she swung her body forward, releasing her legs from the bar so that she flipped to the ground, landing on the balls of her feet. She sank back to her heels, wiping sweat off her palms on the sides of her legs.
He made me promise not to wait for him. That promised I'd run and keep running. And that's what I've been doing these last six months.
Cadence grabbed her towel and flung it over her shoulder. She walked out of the training room, the door slamming shut behind her with a resounding thud.
Running, as fast as I can.
A/N: And for once, I started out with a prologue rather than an actual chapter! I hope it got you guys interested in what will happen with the story, especially with the hints as to how Cade has changed since the last story.
Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. I hope you all enjoy Burn as you have with the rest of the Flash and the Flame series. If there's anything in particular you'd like to see more of in this story, let me know. Also, depending on how some things go, this story may move up to an 'M' rating. Be sure to favorite and alert the story (or my profile) to make sure you always see when it's updated.
I hope to update again soon.
Cheers,
-Riles
