Flashpoint: Heroes

"Hey, if it gets too cold, I can always be your personal space heater." Barry promised laying on the schmoop.

Barry ran his fingers through her hair gently then cupped her face to gain her focus. "He'll get what's coming to him, sweetheart. I promise. We'll find out what he knows, and assuming he's not a Meta himself, he'll go to Iron Heights with all the evidence we've gathered." He kissed her forehead.

"If you're coming with me, put your mask back on. I'm only going down there to talk." He said and pulled his own cowl back over his face. "If not, I can bring up the CCTV footage for you in the Cortex.

From:

A little bit of schmoop always went a long way. Claire softened almost immediately, melting in Barry's hands. She was still angry, but it was under control.

Later, she'd have to talk to Peter. It almost felt like he didn't trust her fully, and she couldn't figure out why. Was it that stupid timeline? After all these years, she would have thought he'd let that go.

She smiled up at Barry, a flush cresting high on her cheeks as he kissed her forehead. He gave her butterflies, every time. She hoped that feeling would never go away, no matter how many bad things were happening around them.

"I get to go?" That truly surprised her, she wasn't a cop like he and Joe were, after all. She would be going as Phoenix, though, not Claire Bennet. The thought gave her such a thrill that she almost squealed. Fortunately, she held it back just in time. "I'm going. My mask is in the Cortex, I'll grab it on the way."

It wasn't until she had the mask on with her suit that she really felt the difference in her demeanor. Something about it made her feel like she was standing a little taller (quite the accomplishment, considering she was just about all of five-foot-two), and made her more confident. Not in the invincible way she was used to - it was more the feeling that she could do anything.

And just like the aggression toward anyone who wronged her, that change in her worried Peter. He couldn't shake the feeling that even with the team around her, she was getting in over her head.

From:

Don't worry, Peter, they've got her. Barry took her hand after she donned the mask and ran them down to the Pipeline...

Except, Alchemy's cell was open and he was gone. He darted to the console near by and keyed the comm, "Cisco! He's gone!"

"What?!" After a few more seconds, Cisco answered back again. "Someone iced over the cams!" Barry's gaze lifted to the security camera that was still covered in ice. He took Claire's hand again and ran them back to the Med Lab.

"Caitlin might have Julian."

From:

By the time they were back in the Med Lab, Claire was just as confused as she was angry. Peter was also confused, though above all, he was extremely concerned.

"Caitlin said she was going home to sleep," he said, brows furrowed. "Why would she have Julian?"

There was a possibility in Claire's mind, and she didn't like it one bit. Killer Frost. Is this how Cisco's Vibe comes true?, she thought, and her uncle's head turned sharply to look at her. He didn't say anything, mostly because he wasn't sure what she meant by that last part. Cisco had visions of Claire being killed by Savitar, he knew, but he wasn't aware of any visions with Killer Frost. Even seeing Caitlin transform earlier, he knew he hadn't dreamed of her looking like that - only as herself, and even then it was just a vague glimpse.

"She still had her necklace on when she left, right?" Claire said, her eyes on Peter. Hearing her voice outside of his thoughts broke him from his reverie.

"Yeah." He was absolutely confident about that. "She didn't take it off again once she put it back on after freezing Cisco's coffee."

She looked to Barry with a sinking feeling. "Maybe Savitar got to her when she was on her way home. She was alone. He could've gotten her necklace off and sent Killer Frost back here to free Julian."

"I knew I should have offered a teleport." Peter ran a hand through his hair with a frustrated sigh. "But I thought I was just being too paranoid about her falling asleep at the wheel, and I didn't want to smother her. If something happened to her, it's my fault."

From:

Cisco, not a speedster, but still came running into the Cortex as fast as he could. He hit the consoles and started a cryo search. Barry saw him and pulled out his phone, calling Cait's cell. It rang a few times then went to voicemail. "Her phone's still on!" He called to Cisco, who changed his search.

"This isn't your fault, Peter. We couldn't have known." Barry said, reaching out to touch his shoulder.

"Got her! Her GPS is pinging in a warehouse off 2nd and Main. No huge cryo spikes, so if she is Killer Frost, she's not doing much." Cisco announced.

Barry kissed Claire. Once she had more training with V-9, he wouldn't hesitate to bring her with, but if Savitar was involved, he didn't want her anywhere near that warehouse. "Peter, you might be able to get through to her."

Edited (I hate that my phone, more and more lately, changes the tense of my verbs. ) Date: 2025-11-23 11:39 pm (UTC)

From:

Peter nodded, but clearly he still felt guilty. Deep down he knew that none of them could have predicted it - even with two precogs among them, but it stung, anyway.

Claire leaned into the kiss, then belatedly realized it was a parting kiss. She knew why, and she didn't like it one bit. "I'm going with you." There was no attitude, no sass. Just a simple statement of fact. With evidence and cohesive arguments to back her up and everything. Hanging around scientists is already a good influence on her.

"Savitar can't kill me yet. If he could, he would've tried it on the pier. Even going as fast as he can, whatever he needs to finish me off, he doesn't have it." None of them knew how exactly Savitar does it, there'd been no positive ID of what he stabbed her in the chest with. The only person with enough data on her now, that she knew of, to be able to create something that would dampen her ability to that extreme was... Thawne.

That's a thought she hated, one that she'd try to come to grips with later. Sure, maybe there was some secret government facility that's left over from Building 26 who could be working on an anti-regeneration serum of some kind. But could Thawne have finished such a dose? Would he? He was warning her to save her life, it wouldn't make any sense for him to be the one to create the means of her perma-death. Her point stood, though. It hadn't been that long since the pier, even with a super-speedster work rate, she was betting her life that it hasn't been long enough. From the knowledge they have, it was simply too early in the timeline.

"I can't just hang around here while he hurts you again." She was careful not to sound too desperate, but it was there in her eyes.

Peter was slow to speak up, almost reluctant. But Caitlin's words from earlier echoed in his head, about how Claire would do what she wanted anyway, without support. "Better if we can keep an eye on her," he conceded. "She'll find a way and by then there'll be too much of a risk for the situation to get way out of control." He gave her about as stern a look as he could muster. "But if you pull something crazy, I'm personally teleporting you to friggin' Madagascar and you can go tell it to the lemurs."

Only until things were taken care of. He wouldn't leave her there.

"I want answers," she said. Peter being on her side was a victory in itself, but she wasn't calling it a total win just yet. "I want to know who Savitar is and why he wants to kill me."

From:

Barry crumbled quickly under her gaze. Not just her words, but he found it so hard to tell her no. Then with Peter supporting her, he sighed and took her hands in his gloved ones. "Okay. But be careful. Or lemurs will be your only friends for a while." He teased.

He knew the argument that Savitar couldn't kill her yet wasn't exactly a valid one. He didn't know Savitar's plan, but if he really wanted to kill her now, he could. They had no idea if they'd changed things when she faced him to save Barry or not. Or if that had been what prompted the God of Speed to look for a way to kill her. They just couldn't say until they knew more.

"I'll run Claire. Are you teleporting?" He asked Peter and saw Cisco settle at the comms station, ready to do this solo from his end. Fortunately, Jesse rushed to his side and kept an eye on vitals just as Cait would usually do.

From:

"Thank you, baby. I love you so much." The relief on her face when Barry agreed was immediate, though it didn't last long. She immediately focused up. "If we need backup on comms, you can try to get ahold of my dad and he'll get here ASAP." Noah had left his contact info, she remembered.

Something about the way Savitar had talked about the Rising Phoenix coming to fall so soon had somehow convinced her that he wanted her dead. Her showing up to save Barry wasn't the spark to light that fire, she thought. There was something else, something deeper. There had to be.

"I'll 'port after you," Peter agreed with a nod. "I can just focus on either of you and pop in." Or Caitlin, really, but it'd be safer to stick with the two of them.

"I'll follow your lead," Claire told Barry. She wasn't making any promises, but she was damn well going to try. If Barry ended up in danger, though, all bets were off. She'd do whatever it took to save him. There was a small sense of security in knowing this couldn't be Cisco's vibe about Killer Frost - she'd been with him in that vision, and now he was staying here at the lab. He wasn't even suited up.

It was too bad she didn't have her gloves, or another injection of V-9. She tried not to feel so helpless, remembering all the things she'd done just as she was right now. No speed, no fancy gadgets. At this moment, the mask and suit were nothing more than a lifeline back to the lab and a confidence boost. Barry and Peter would be there. Her heroes. She had everything she needed. "Let's do this."

From:

Barry pressed a kiss to her forehead above her mask. "I love you too. More than anything."

Cisco gave her a little salute when she mentioned getting a hold of Noah. He wasn't sure they'd need that many people at the helm right now, but if they did, he'd be ready to get on the phone right away. "I'll be ready to Breach in if you need me and Joe can take over until Noah gets here." He offered.

Lightning crackled through Barry's eyes, then around him and finally Claire before they both whooshed away. In seconds, Barry stopped in the middle of a warehouse with Claire, quietly looking around as he listened for movement. There was no sign of Savitar. But after a moment a blast of cold, like a warning shot, skimmed past Barry. It deliberately missed him and Claire.

Caitlin had Julian tied to a chair. "What are you doing here?" Cait hissed at them. She was decidedly not Killer Frost.

From:

Things were dire, but still okay enough that sharing speed with Barry remained a thrill. That was comforting, at least.

"What are you doing here?" Claire knew Caitlin could have hit them if she meant to, but she took a step in front of Barry, anyway. And it was Caitlin, her hair was brown, not white, and even at a distance her eyes didn't look blue.

"We went down to the Pipeline to ask this asshole some questions, and he was gone. The security cams were iced over. We thought something happened to you. We were--"

Before she could finish, Peter appeared out of thin air next to Claire, his hands raised as though ready to defend himself. Or attack, whatever was necessary. Except... that wasn't Killer Frost, was it? It couldn't be.

"What the--" He looked around and saw no sign of Savitar - he could still feel the Speed Force enough that he'd know, even if he couldn't access it strongly enough to run. There was a man tied to a chair, who Peter figured must have been the missing criminal from the Pipeline. "What's going on?" he asked softly, taking a few steps toward Caitlin.

From:

Caitlin looked flabbergasted for a moment then narrowed her eyes when Julian started talking behind her. "What are you lot waiting for? I've been kidnapped! Save me!"

"He's Alchemy." Caitlin ignored him and said as if that was all the reason she needed. Then elaborated, "If he can give Metas powers, maybe he can take them away, too. If he can get rid of Killer Frost, I don't have to worry about ever becoming her."

"She's psychotic! I've no idea what she's even on about!" Julian said, trying to look over his shoulder at them. "Flash, you're supposed to stop psychotic Metas like her!"

Cait gave Peter a desperate look, begging him to understand. She was scared, exhausted, and had taken the opportunity presented when sent away.

From:

Peter took another step forward, his eyes narrowed at Julian. Instantly, he understood why Barry and Claire disliked this guy so much.

"You can't-- we can't do it this way," he told Caitlin, his eyes softening as they landed back on her. "I'm sorry. I know how scared you are, believe me, I can feel it. But if there's a way to stop you from becoming her, it's not like this." Kidnapping someone was exactly something she'd do, Peter could tell just from the few seconds he'd connected with her telepathically, but there was no way he was telling Caitlin that. He knew they were here because she was afraid, and probably too tired to think straight.

Claire was ready to show Julian psychotic, if he kept insulting Cait like that. But true to her word, she didn't get any closer except when she stood in front of Barry. "Stop whining," she said to Julian, rolling her eyes. "You're not in any danger." For now, at least.

"Let me take you home," he continued, approaching Caitlin until he was close enough to take her hand in his. "You can get some rest, and after that, I promise I will do everything in my power to help you. I'll go get new powers if I have to. But I swear to you, I'll make sure you don't become Killer Frost."

Edited (a word) Date: 2025-11-24 02:58 am (UTC)

From:

"No!" Cait jerked away from Peter, her eyes going frosty with the word. She didn't have the pendant on at the moment. She'd taken it off to freeze the camera and to throw ice around, so her emotions were running on high and Frost was a swirling storm in her head. It was very true, going for Julian had been a poor decision on her part due to exhaustion and fear, but everything after was influenced further by Killer Frost fighting for control. "There's only one way I don't become her and that's if I'm normal again! I can't spend time with you if I'm worried I'll turn into a killer and have to leave." She looked pleadingly at Peter.

Julian glared at Claire as best he could. "Not in any danger? Have you seen what she can do? She threw ice! She threatened me with an ice knife!"

Barry was about five seconds from acting out of annoyance and shutting Julian up.

From:

"I know you're not going to hurt me," Peter said earnestly. "And neither is Killer Frost. I can get through to her. I just need time, and I need your trust. Can you give me a chance?" He held out his hand to her again, but this time he waited for her to take it. "I'm not losing you."

"A little ice is nothing compared to what I'll do if you don't shut the hell up!" Claire let the statement hang so he wonder about it. He didn't know her, and therefore he had no idea what kind of powers she might have. She shot Barry a quick smile, cheeky and yet innocent. Let Julian think she had something worse than ice, it would be fun.

From:

"You can't know that." She said fearfully. But Caitlin wasn't the only one afraid. Killer Frost didn't want to die either. She didn't want to find out if Alchemy could get rid of her or not. So Peter might feel both of their fear. "I trust you." Even with the frosty undertone to her voice, she reached out and took his hand, cold as ice, somewhere between Caitlin and Frost. It wasn't even clear which of them had given in and reached for him.

"Bloody Metas! All of you! I thought you were better than this, Flash. You're supposed to be a hero of the people."

Barry ignored him and grabbed him by the arm to take him back to the cell. "You have her Peter?"

From:

It was such a relief that she (whether it was Caitlin or Frost in control), and he didn't bother to hide how happy he was. He took her hand in both of his, enveloping hee in his warmth. "Thank you." Her fear was so intense that he knew it very well could be Frost's on top of Caitlin's, but he wasn't going speculate or investigate yet. She needed to test, that was the priority.

"I got her," he told Barry, never taking his eyes off Cait. And then he said to her, "Think of where you want to go and I'll take us there." That way, she didn't have to say her address out loud with Julian in the room.

Claire too was relieved that Caitlin had given in and decided to let Peter help. There was something else in the midst of all this that was telling, too. Julian didn't know that The Flash was Barry. Either that, or he was doing a damn good job of pretending not to know. It was hard to tell what his connection to Savitar might be.

She was so perplexed by the situation that she didn't even bother correcting the bastard when he called them all Metas. He didn't need to know what she was. Let him think she was just like Barry.

With Peter split off to go to Caitlin, Claire stuck close to Barry. In the process, she got a better look at Julian. What a weasel, with a punchable face.

"The Flash is a hero of the people," she said proudly. Evidently Julian qualified, but just barely. He was going right back to the Pipeline, unharmed. Caitlin hadn't even hurt him, and he was acting like it was some kind of assassination attempt. "He's better than... whatever you think you are. You can tell us all about that when you're in a cell again."

From:

Caitlin almost fell into him, holding his hand like a lifeline, eyes closing tight. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she lost her control. "Thank you Peter." Her voice was hoarse with just how raw she felt. He'd stopped her from pushing a boundary that might've made her lose who she was forever. She'd been losing her patience with Julian and he'd been antagonising her enough that Killer Frost had wanted blood. Especially if having Julian dead meant she didn't have to worry about finding out whether he could get rid of her.

Now that she was safe with him, she lost most of the fight to her exhaustion. She thought of her apartment and of her bedroom. "My pendant is still in my car." She admitted.

Barry could feel his heart breaking hearing Caitlin like that. But he tried to focus on Julian and Claire. When she defended him, he put a hand on her shoulder and gave it a loving squeeze.

Julian baulked at her. "I beg your pardon! I'm a Crime Scene Investigator! At least my know-how didn't come out of some glorified science experiment gone wrong! I fight crime the proper way! Not behind masks, lording your power over innocent folk with no choice but to hope you're the better of two evils! The Flash is the only one among you who has earned my respect! I still don't trust the rest of you lot."

From:

Peter's free hand lifted to brush her tears away, and he gave her a quick warning before blinking then into her apartment. Her... bedroom, to be specific. He looked up in surprise, blushing faintly.

"Sorry. It's where you were thinking the hardest." He didn't let go of her just yet. "If you'd like, I can pop back and get your pendant and bring it to you. You don't have to come with me unless you want to. I just thought it best to get you out of there." His hand cradled her cheek tenderly. As much as he hadn't wanted to smother her before, now he was too worried about her to let her go!

Claire did her best not to react too much to Barry's touch. Internally, she was soaring. She was so damn proud of him, and any chance she could let it show, she would take it. Instead her expression gave way to something more mischievous. Was this something Peter would've sent her to Madagascar for? Guess she'd have to make friends with the lemurs another day.

"Yeah, it's gotta be scary, not knowing what I can do, huh? Fire, maybe?" She wiggled her fingers in Julian's general direction, a mockery of something threatening. "As long as you talk when we get your ass back in the Pipeline, you won't have to find out what I'm capable of."

Funny enough, that was completely true. His information could help to keep her from being hurt by Savitar, and ultimately save her life. He didn't need to know the why or how of it, though. The unknown was the scariest part.

From:

Cait shook her head. "It's okay. This is where I need to be." She sounded so drained. "I can stay put while you grab it." She pulled her keys out of her pocket and handed them over. "Hold onto them until the morning for me?" Like she didn't trust herself or like she thought they wouldn't trust her after this stunt.

Killer Frost was surprisingly quiet right now in Caitlin's head. "After you get my pendant... will you sit with me until I fall asleep?" She knew it was probably a strange ask, and she'd only ever asked it of Barry in the past, but she needed the comfort right now.

"Talk? What's there to talk about? I don't know what this bloody Pipeline is or why you're treating me like a criminal here! That crazy bird had me locked up, brought me out here, then started threatening me to fix her! I've not the foggiest what she was on about! Or you for that matter!" Julian sounded increasingly distressed. "Flash, do something, mate!"

Barry sighed. "Alright..." Barry untied Julian from the chair but didn't let him go. Then ran both Claire and Julian back to STAR Labs, locking Julian in the Pipeline, leaving himself and Claire just outside the door.

"Wait, what? Why are we back here? What's going on?!" He sounded genuinely confused.

Edited (Why do I and O have to be so close on the keyboard. I hate touch screens) Date: 2025-11-24 06:30 pm (UTC)

From:

Peter took Caitlin's keys with a nod. "I'll be right back. I'm not as fast as Barry, but it'll still be quick." He smiled at her, hoping to lighten her mood at least a little. "Give me... twenty seconds. Maybe fifteeb." So he didn't startle her when he popped back in.

It was easy enough to 'port outside of the warehouse and find Caitlin's car. He unlocked it and found her pendant, then locked it up again. After she got some sleep, he could bring her back so she could drive it home. As promised, he returned, pendant in hand, and he held it out to her.

"All things considered," he began, "I have to say, you did well. Kidnapping Julian was the wrong call, obviously. But look at it this way - you didn't hurt him. Back at the lab, I heard how angry Killer Frost is. She was out for blood, but neither of you harmed so much as a hair on that asshole's head." Things didn't get nearly as dire as they could have. "You stayed in control, and you weren't wearing the pendant. You did that, Caitlin."

Claire put her hands on her hips once they were outside of Julian's cell and he continued his whining. But, annoyingly, he sounded like he was telling the truth. Unfortunately, she wasn't willing to make that call with her own intuition, though. She'd been burned before.

"We need Peter," she murmured to Barry, frustrated. "Telepathy. Read his mind and find the truth." She was reluctant to call her uncle, knowing that Caitlin needed him now. Sylar had the ability to detect lies, but she didn't know that, and even if she did, she wasn't ready to face him. Not yet.

"We're holding you because you turned all those people into Metas, duh. The Flash literally caught you doing it." Her voice was louder when she said that, directed at Julian, eyes narrowing as she stared into the cell. "Tell us how and why, and tell us your connection to Savitar."

From:

Cait nodded and waited for him to 'port away before moving to the master bathroom to get changed into her pyjamas as quickly as she could so she wasn't caught awkwardly between states of undress when he came back.

Once he was back and she was fully changed, she took the pendant and sighed in relief when she felt its power push back the ice completely. "Thank you." She said softly. "I... nearly hurt him. I could have hurt him. I don't know what I was thinking..." While Peter saw promise in her self control, she only saw weakness that it even got to that point in the first place. "Thawne's warning to Claire... Killer Frost is my future. I'm going to kill my friends, Peter."

A telepath would be lovely right now, but he felt the same way. Cait needed Peter. Because Julian sounded honest. Barry believed him. He was confused and even a little scared despite covering it up with bluster and ego. Not the maniacal maniac he'd fought before Savitar appeared. He also hadn't found any tech in the mask to augment his voice like it had sounded. He'd... sounded just like Savitar. Barry stepped back from the cell just a bit losing some of his conviction.

"I did no such thing! Why would I...? How could I turn people into Metas?!" Julian argued, sounding desperate.

"You're Alchemy, Julian!" Barry shot back, his voice vibrating to alter it so Julian didn't recognise him.

Julian looked like someone had splashed him with ice water. "What?" He shook his head. "You're both mad! I'm not Alchemy! I've been trying to catch him! This... is a set-up! The Flash? Really? Trying to frame me? Because you can't catch the real baddie, you're pulling in innocent people now and accusing them to maintain your image?"

Barry shook his head and walked away from the cell in a huff. He was going to get nowhere with Julian.

"I want my phone call! Surely even you have to obey the judicial system!"

Edited Date: 2025-11-24 07:46 pm (UTC)

From:

"Could have, but you didn't. You held back. You held her back." He understood why she didn't necessarily want to give herself credit, but he thought it was important. There was the potential that Killer Frost could be reasoned with. "I don't think you're going to kill anyone, Caitlin."

Peter stroked a hand through her hair, tucking a few strands behind her ear. "We can talk about it more after you get some sleep. Go on and get comfortable, I'll sit with you."

Claire might have been willing to hear out a real defense. Unfortunately, accusing The Flash just pissed her off all over again. Julian may have been the one in a cell, but she felt like a caged lion pacing back and forth now, her mane of blonde hair tossed back over her shoulders. He should be grateful Barry was there, otherwise she wouldn't be holding back now.

"What were you doing when The Flash caught you, then? Cosplaying as Alchemy for fun? 'Cause that sounds like bullshit." It might be a while before her uncle showed up. Getting some answers now would give them something to compare when Peter read his mind.

From:

Caitlin nodded. She was too tired to argue and without the adrenaline or the added strength Frost gave her, she felt even more exhausted. She crawled onto the bed after turning the covers back and curled up on her side. She left room for him to sit on the edge.

"Thank you for stopping me from doing something I'd regret. And thank you for being here for me." She let her eyes flutter closed.

"I don't know what you're on about! I was at home! I woke up here! Then the crazy ice queen dragged me to that warehouse and you lot saved me from her! I was never cosplaying anyone!" Julian insisted. Barry looked him over carefully from the shadows and frowned.

"Phoenix, I think he's telling the truth." He said deliberately. There was zero recognition in Julian's eyes to the hero moniker. Where Savitar had known her, so surely his acolyte would too, right?

From:

"Anytime. You have my number now. If you wake up and need me to come back, I'm just a text away." Peter settled on the edge of Caitlin's bed, close enough to reach out and stroke her hair. There he'd stay, until he was certain she was sleeping soundly.

In his opinion, she did just as much to stop herself. As angry as Killer Frost had sounded in those few seconds earlier that day... he couldn't imagine living with that all the time. Caitlin was far stronger than she gave herself credit for.

She understood Barry's choice, there, and saw that Julian seemed to have no idea who Phoenix was. Shit. They were back at square one, weren't they?

"Maybe he is," Claire conceded. Or maybe Savitar didn't think he was important enough to mention his plans to kill her. But surely someone who had been described as Alchemy had would be more... maniacal. Unless he was a manipulator to the level of Eobard Thawne, which in her (admittedly biased) opinion seemed unlikely. "So, what do we do? We can't just let him go, can we?"

From: