EXPEDITE ▇▇▇▇ VOLUME ONE
━━ ❛ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒏 𝒚𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘 ❜

chapter no. 022!

     THE PURPLE SPEEDSTER WOULDN'T CONSIDER HERSELF A COMPETITIVE PERSON. Growing up, she definitely was, but after college and becoming a meta-human, the only time she ever got competitive was when she played a round of Uno. Today, however, changed that. Expedite, and the Flash were competing at running.

     The team wanted Barry to get faster, and with the brilliant minds of Cisco Ramon, Dr. Wells, and Dr. Snow, combined with Piper Lita's speed, he had a real chance at accomplishing that.

     From a distance, the enticing waterfall had been a silent white stream cascading over the rocky edges. As they had drawn closer, the noise increased steadily until they were only a few hundred meters away. They were in the middle of the woods, or as Cisco liked to call it, "the perfect spot for somebody to plant a dead body."

     Slipping on her mask, Piper watched as Harry threw a rock over the crumbling edge. The scarlet speedster and scientist peered down to see it splash into the water soundlessly. Cisco started chuckling awkwardly from where he stood behind them. "Whoo-hoo-hoo. Uh, it didn't look this deep on the map." He noted, shivering in the cold.

     "That's because maps are flat, dumbass," Piper retorted, tossing her hair back as the wind continued to kick at their heels.

     The long-haired boy spun around and gave her a playful glare. Piper had talked to Cisco two weeks ago when she'd revealed the truth, and they were good. It only took a few hours of the two talking for the boy to forgive her. According to Cisco, he couldn't stay mad forever at his "irresistible" girlfriend.

     Gulping, Barry stepped backward. "That thing is like, a thousand feet deep," he chuckled nervously.

     "Well, you said you wanted to go faster. Maybe plummeting to your death is the motivation you need." Cisco shrugged and walked to where Caitlin was setting up their equipment underneath a blue S.T.A.R. Labs tent.

     Barry rubbed his forehead as Piper walked up to him, a notebook in her hand. "So, for you to reach escape velocity, you're gonna have to go that fast." She pointed to where she had written out the math and miles he had to reach, which was twenty-five thousand per hour.

     Harry watched as the brown-haired boy groaned, hands on his hips. "Well, that fast is impossible. I can promise you that."

     The scientist shook his head as Piper lowered the notebook. "Ah, "Nothing in life is promised except death." Harry quoted, and both speedsters gave him a questioning stare.

     "Edgar Allen Poe?"

     "Kayne West."

     Piper covered her mouth to keep from laughing as she saw Barry grow even more annoyed. The goofy smile remained on her lips as Cisco made his way back over to the trio. "If it makes you feel any better, Evil Knievel cleared a line of cars that was twice this long, and he didn't even have superpowers unless you count that sweet-ass ride."

     "Who's Evil Knievel?" Piper asked, head tilted to the side.

     At the same time, Barry asked, "Do you even hear yourself?"

     Blinking, Cisco snapped out of his faze. "What? Look, you're gonna be fine, and oh, my God, you don't know who he is?! Dude, I've got so many videos to show you later," he gasped, and Harry pinched the bridge of his nose.

     "Ramon."

     Snapping his eyes at the scientist, Cisco huffed. "Look, Barry, you're gonna be fine. I'm eighty percent sure of it. Seventy-six. Like, a strong seventy-two." Caitlin walked up to the group, stuffing her hands into her pockets. "I can't stop, Caitlin, help." Cisco pleaded, eyes wide.

     Looking between Barry and Cisco, she shrugged. "If you don't feel ready, you probably shouldn't do it."

     Cisco gave her a deadpan look. "Not helpful."

     Piper snorted.

     Barry groaned and ran his hands through his hair, stressed. "Look, Jay is still out there. And once we find a way back to Earth-Two, I have to be faster than him. I need to go almost as fast as Piper. I have to try." He stated firmly, and everyone nodded. Sighing, he walked to the spot where they would be testing from.

     "Talk to him. Please." Caitlin spoke softly to Piper, nodding towards the scarlet speedster. She nodded.

     As Piper approached, Barry steadily pulled on his mask and planted his feet on the ground. "Hey," she began softly, "please be careful. Don't push yourself if you feel like you aren't ready to do this or any of the other training exercises."

     He looked up to meet her comforting chocolate-brown eyes and nodded. "I've got the best speedster trainer in the multiverse. How could I not be ready?" he asked.

     Piper's cheeks flamed red, and she looked away. "Barry Allen now is not the time to be sweet-talking me. Let's get to work," she breathed as he smirked, knowing she was flustered. Turning around, she walked over to the rest of the group. "He's ready."

     Harry nodded. "Lita, would you do us the honors and show us how it's done?"

     "Sure," she turned to Barry, "do you want me to slow down my speed so you can see what I'm doing?" He nodded.

     Breathing in deeply, purple lightning crackled in her eyes before she darted forward, running over the gravel and onto thin air. Closing her eyes, she allowed her feet to slow down so they could see her. Her long scarlet hair whipped back as lightning sparked and popped off her, creating a trail of fading lilac lightning under her feet. Reaching the other end, she spun around as her feet planted solidly on the ground. Piper flashed the team a smile before speeding back over.

     Seeming to appear out of nowhere, Cisco jumped when he realized she was now standing next to him. "Holy Hannah!" he gasped dramatically, and she rolled her eyes.

     Caitlin called to the scarlet speedster, telling him he was next, and he positioned himself. Flashes of yellow lightning flickered in his eyes before he took off, jumping off the cliff's edge and speeding across the gaping space between the two sides.

     "He's going to make it!" Caitlin gasped, a smile lacing her lips as Piper followed suit. The smiles didn't last long, though, as Barry looked down at the plummeting water and lost focus. Letting out a yelp of fear, he dropped.

     Shit. There goes my mans whose not really my mans, but is.

     Piper's heart dropped, and she raced to the edge, Caitlin following behind.

     "Oh, damn," Harry muttered and joined their side, peering down into the vast white waves.

     Then, a set of four drones, similar to the ones used when the team was running Piper through all of those field tests, appeared. They were holding up a net that contained Barry inside of it. He looked thoroughly annoyed and frustrated as he slammed his head into the mesh webbing, groaning.

     "Why'd you have to bring those drones along, Cisco? Oh, I don't know. You're welcome, everyone." Cisco shouted sarcastically, using the tablet in his hands to steer the net.

     Piper chuckled, shaking her head as the net dropped to the ground and Barry rolled out.

     "You know what? Let's call it a day for training." Harry suggested before stalking off towards the van.

     Cisco rolled his eyes and walked after him. "Hey! You know you have to help pack all the stuff up, right?"

     "Yeah, nope."

────

     YELLOW AND PURPLE LIGHTNING FLOODED THE CORTEX, AND JESSE QUICK'S POPCORN FLEW EVERYWHERE. Blinking, she brushed her hair out of her face as she turned to see Barry leaning against the railing surrounding the computers, Piper beside him; both of their suits were off, and they were dressed in normal clothing.

     "Scooch," Cisco called, snapping his fingers, and Jesse turned her head in the other direction.

     "What?" Jesse asked, pulling her legs off the desk and standing up, tossing more popcorn into her mouth. The long-haired boy placed his jacket behind the computer and sat down, sighing tiredly. "So, how'd it go?" she asked, raising a curious brow.

     Harry hung up his backpack and shrugged off his coat. "Well, he's not a red splat on the side of a mountain." Her father commented, and she raised her brows again.

     Cisco scoffed. "That's our new definition of success?"

     "It's one of them." Harry shrugged, sliding off his glasses.

     Piper chuckled and jumped up, sitting on the railing beside Barry. Jesse made her way over and joined her, offering her a handful of popcorn. Widening her eyes, the redhead grabbed some immediately. She hadn't eaten anything all day and was starving.

     "So, you didn't make the canyon jump?" Jesse asked.

     Barry shook his head. "No. What else can we try?" he asked, glancing at Cisco.

     Looking up from the bowl of popcorn Jesse had left on the desk, he shrugged. "A bigger canyon?" he suggested, his mouth full of popcorn, and Piper laughed. Glancing at the redhead, Barry smiled lightly before looking away. He looked at his best friend, and Cisco held his hands up. "Okay, fine, no more canyons."

     Barry ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "I know I can crack this. I've just been going about it wrong." Piper looked over at him and frowned. He was beginning to become obsessive over this, and everyone knew it. "I need to find my leg up. Have we factored in drag? Wells, can we rerun the simulation?"

     Everybody was staring at him with blank looks, and Harry turned around. "Let it go for now."

     "Zoom's still out there. He's terrorizing a world full of people, your people. You know, I'm not doing this for fun." Barry snapped.

     Piper hopped off the rail and narrowed her eyes. "Bar, I know you want to catch Jay and get faster. Trust me, I do too, but don't snap at any of us. Tomorrow will come, and he will still be out there. We have time. So, take a step back and breathe." Piper stated firmly. His eyes softened, and he opened his mouth to respond, but she cut him off. "Barry, we've been working on this all week. You're tired, we're tired."

     Cisco nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we need some downtime. Downtime leads to increased productivity, ergo, we have to have fun," he stood up. "And the best way to have fun is for us to go out to the club. Am I right, Team Flash? Let's get turnt!" he shouted, walking towards everyone else. Barry smiled, rolling his eyes humorlessly. "No, but seriously, we need a break."

     "You know, I think Cisco's right, and if I'm saying we need a break, then you know it's serious," Caitlin agreed, and Cisco pointed toward her, smiling widely.

     Barry glanced at Piper, who was looking at Caitlin with a smile. The idea of seeing her in a dress again was tempting, especially since they would be going to a club and not an art gallery this time. Letting his eyes roam over her for a split second, he turned to the long-haired boy, who'd been watching him with a smirk. "All right, let's go out tonight," Barry cleared his throat, ignoring his best friend's look.

     "Hell yeah!" Piper cheered, fist-bumping Jesse and Caitlin.

     "Can I go?" Jesse asked, looking at her father. Harry placed his hands on his hips and gave her a blank stare. Turning away, he simply walked out of the room, and she chased after him.

     Turning on her heel, Piper faced Cisco and Barry, who were whispering to one another in hushed tones. "Can I invite Erin and Iris too?" she proposed, and they both shut their mouths.

     Cisco was the first to nod, smiling widely. "The more, the merrier!"

────

     THE CLUB WAS A RIOT OF COLORS, AND THE MUSIC WAS AS LOUD AS THUNDER. The place was filled with unfamiliar faces and different voices, all echoing at different sound levels. Piper's grip on Erin's hand tightened as she pushed her way through the masses of faces, headed towards where everyone else sat at the bar.

     Glancing back, the short-haired woman pulled Iris closer as they shoved their way in-between a couple that was making out in the middle of the club. "Hey!" the boy yelled, but the three continued walking.

     Making their way up to the group, Piper noticed another couple making out heavily, sitting next to Cisco, who kept getting shoved by them. Biting down on her light pink-painted lips, she held herself back from bursting into laughter at the disgusted look on his face.

     Letting go of Erin's hand, she stood between Cisco and Caitlin, elbowing the boy on her left. "That's annoying, huh?" she remarked, and he turned around.

     "Piper, oh, thank God!" Cisco sighed, pulling her into a hug. After the redhead gave Caitlin a quick hug as well, Cisco looked her up and down. "Damn, my girl knows how to dress," he commented. Piper laughed, her smile widening as she turned to look over at Barry and Jesse.

     The brown-haired boy was already staring at her, his eyes wide as his eyes traced her figure. She looked breathtaking. His lips parted as she fist-bumped the girl next to him, a bright smile still on her cheeks.

     "I'm so happy Harry let you come!" Piper breathed.

     Jesse returned the smile, nodding as her hands were wrapped around her drink. "Me too. Even if it isn't..."

     Caitlin cut in. "Ideal?"

     Jesse nodded again, chuckling.

     Turning to Barry, Piper's smile glowed more. Her eyes quickly checked him out before snapping back up. "You um, you look stunning," Barry stuttered, causing her cheeks to burn red.

     "Thank you. You look pretty good as well."

     The bartender set down a line of shots in front of the group. Leaning forward, Barry grabbed two shots and handed one to Piper, who placed her purse on the island. "Hey, toast?" he asked, turning towards everyone else.

     "Fuck yeah! Cisco, hand me a shot," Erin answered, pointing to the counter. Chuckling, Cisco leaned forward and grabbed two, passing one to Iris as well.

     "To friendship," Iris smiled, clinking her shot glass with Erin's.

     "To love!" Cisco added, winking indiscreetly at Barry.

     Rolling his eyes, the speedster ignored him as he downed his glass, everyone following in-suit. Noticing how Jesse was about to drink hers, he shook his head, reaching forward and taking her glass. "Eh-eh, I'm sorry, Miss Underage. None of us plan on getting murdered by your father tonight."

     Jesse shook her head. "Oh, whatever, he's all talk."

     Barry just hummed in response as Cisco snorted.

     A new set of footsteps approached, and Piper turned around. "Interesting choice of venue. Sorry for showing up a little late. I took a wrong turn at the light and ended up at some rundown building instead of this place." Wally West greeted, shoving his hands into his pockets.

     Everyone else turned around, and Iris smiled. "Hey," she greeted, pulling him into a hug. "I'm so glad you made it."

     "Me too. The tic-tac-toe theme is cool," he replied, looking around.

     "Barry picked it."

     "Cisco picked it."

     The two looked at the other, and the long-haired boy raised a brow. "For real?" he asked, giving the speedster a blank expression.

     "Yeah... I picked it. I don't go out much. It had four stars on Yelp, so..." Barry admitted awkwardly.

     Piper glanced over at him. "Yelp? Really?" she repeated, and he rolled his eyes. "You really do need to go out more."

     He shrugged. "I would go out more if I had someone to go out with." Piper's brows raised exceedingly high.

     "Hey, we're gonna go dance. Wanna join?" Iris asked the two, her hand holding onto Erin's tightly while Cisco, Caitlin, Wally, and Jesse made their way to the dance floor. Both speedsters shook their heads.

     "All right. Well, don't shove people when you two start making out, got it?" Erin checked before Iris pulled her way.

     Piper's face was bright red, as was Barry's.

     Clearing his throat, the brown-haired boy drew her focus back to him. "Are you free this Saturday?" he asked, shuffling his feet anxiously.

     Blinking, Piper's eyes grew wide, and her heart began to race. "I uh, yeah. Yeah, I am. Why?"

     "Well, everyone keeps saying we need downtime, and you said I need to go out more, so would you want to go out to dinner?"

     Hold up— is Barry Allen asking me out?

     "Like a date?" Piper squeaked, the sound of her heart growing louder. Barry didn't respond for a moment, and she instinctively brought her hand to her forehead, groaning. "Shit. I just made things awkward, didn't I? It doesn't have to be a date at all. That's just where my mind defaulted to when you asked. I'm—"

     "Piper," Barry laughed, grabbing her hands, which were moving as she spoke quickly. Shutting her mouth, she gulped. He lifted her chin up, letting go of her left hand so they were at eye level. Chills rushed down her spine as he cupped her cheek, lightly running his thumb over it.

     It was moments like these with the brown-haired boy that caused Piper to fall a little harder. Her heart was warm, and her face was flushed pink. A sense of peace resonated in her chest, and she leaned into his touch. The way he treated her was very distinct from how others had. Especially when she thought back to previous relationships and crushes that she had over the years.

     He respected her and had so much faith in her. When they were together, he made her feel safe; a feeling she didn't experience for long periods of time. He treated her with kindness and was gentle with her. He cared and listened. Most of all, he understood her.

     Maybe it's because they had similar backstories, maybe not, but he understood her emotions and how her brain worked. Most of the time, at least. Piper had never met someone before who understood nearly everything she did or thought. So, the fact that Barry did make everything he did that much more important to her.

     "It's a date... If that's okay with you," Barry breathed, breaking her out of the bubble she'd fleetingly floated into.

     A bright and contagious smile lit up her face, and she nodded. "I am more than okay with that," Piper replied, resulting in an even brighter smile on his lips.

     "I would have asked you earlier, but each time I tried, the moment got ruined. I wanted to wait for a time when we couldn't be interrupted." Barry admitted sheepishly.

     "Like at a club you found on Yelp?" she giggled, gesturing to everyone in the room.

     He laughed, shrugging. "Sure, yeah. It's not the most romantic place to ask, but the third time's the charm, they say." He let go of her hand and curled his arm around her waist, bringing them closer.

     Piper bit down on her lip, feeling a burning heat rise to her cheeks. "Cisco's gonna be pretty upset that you stole his girl," she murmured, the corners of her mouth tugging upward. Peering up, she saw his lips curl into a flirtatious smirk.

     "Were you ever really his, though?"

     Did Barry just snap? I think he did... Why was that hot as fuck, though?

     Barry watched with an amused smirk as the redhead took a moment to gather herself. "I uh, that was—"

      "Smooth?"

     Piper shook her head. "I was going to say hot as fuck, but smooth works just as well, I suppose." Noticing a blur of cobalt yellow, mixed with light hues of orange streaks, race by in the distance, Piper swept her eyes to behind Barry and through the opened doors of the building. Across the street, she could faintly make out the outline of someone in a yellow suit with two red dots glaring directly at her.

     At that moment, she felt like all the oxygen had been sucked out of the room. Her eyes widened, and the smile on her face dropped. Feeling her hands begin to shake, she stepped back.

     Barry noticed the change in her demeanor and felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Something wasn't right. Glancing down, he saw that her hands were balled up into fists. "P, what's wrong?"

     "I'll-I'll be right back," she mumbled, walking around him and towards the entrance.

     Barry grabbed her arm softly, spinning her around. "Hey, are you okay? Did I do or say something?" he asked quietly.

     Pulling away, she let out a shaky breath. "You didn't do anything, Barry. I promise. I'll-I'll be right back." Turning away, she pushed past people, her eyes never once leaving the yellow figure. Making her way out of the front doors, she watched as the figure dashed down the street, red lightning crackling off as they ran.

     It was him. The man in yellow... but how?

     Piper quickly took her shoes off and tossed them into an empty alleyway. Checking to ensure the coast was clear, she pressed down on the silver heart charm on her necklace. A bundle of black and purple popped out, and she jumped into her suit, bolting down the street. The lenses in her mask zoomed in on the speedster, and she ran faster.

     Once she'd caught up, she took in a deep breath and allowed electricity to flow from her fingers effortlessly. Outreaching her hand, she curled her index finger, causing a string of purple lightning to wrap around the man in yellow. Curling her hand into a fist, she tightened the hold on him and looked forward, seeing that they were headed towards Central City Beach. Coming to a sharp stop, sand flew everywhere, and she threw him across the beach, the lightning disappearing.

     "It's lovely to see you too, Expedite," he sneered, his voice projecting loudly.

     Her chest heaved up and down as she scowled at him. "How are you here?" She yelled, her hair blowing violently in the wind.

     Pushing off the ground, the sand fell from his body. Giving her a wink, he vanished and reappeared behind her. Sending a kick to her back, he chuckled as she stumbled. Turning around, she threw a left hook, hitting him square in the jaw. Narrowing his eyes, he punched her in the chest before grabbing her by the neck and bringing her down to the ground.

     What is it with evil speedsters constantly pinning me to the ground?

     Grunting, she quickly phased through his hand before he had a chance to throw a blow. Piper stood up and pulled her foot back to kick him. He grabbed her ankle, yanking at it harshly. Falling back to the ground, she groaned as her head hit the ground.

     The cobalt-yellow speedster smirked before throwing two punches, both of which she blocked with her arms. Her blocks caught him off guard, and she noticed, using this to grip his wrists tightly and pull both of them back onto their feet. She threw a blow to his head, wincing as she felt some of her knuckles crack. He stumbled back, and she kicked his torso, knocking the air out of him.

     That's for destroying my home.

     Hitting him square in the face, she watched as blood trickled down through the mask.

     That's for my parents.

     Throwing up her leg one more time, the man in yellow caught it and threw it to the ground. Grabbing a fistful of her hair, he held her head in place as he threw a punch.

     Spitting out a mouthful of blood, she glowered at him. As she attempted to stand, he mimicked her actions from moments before and sent a blow to her torso. Gasping at the immense pain, she bit down on her lip to keep from crying out as she heard something crack.

     "Zoom isn't the only one with a two-way ticket to this Earth." He grumbled, picking her up and throwing her across the beach.

     Her body rolled in the sand before she landed on her chest. Piper could feel every muscle in her body aching. Pressing a hand to the ground, her arm began shaking as she tried to sit up. Coming up to her, he kicked her arm. Letting out a cry of pain, she collapsed to the ground. Bending down, his haunting red eyes stared at her maliciously.

     "How do you know about Zoom?" Piper managed to breathe, staring up at him with glossy eyes.

     "Let's just say he and I are mutual friends."

     Bringing his leg up, he stomped down on her chest. Her body jerked upward, and she groaned, eyes fluttering shut. She felt his glove-covered hand hit her face, and the impact of his blow caused her eyepiece to fly off.

     "Ah, it's been a while since I've seen that face. Hello, Piper," he growled, leaning more of his weight on his right foot. Her breaths became hollow and raspy as she felt the bottom of her spine crack. "Tell anyone about this, and I'll kill Barry."

     Piper's eyes widened, and she grabbed his leg, trying to shove it off her. "Don't you dare touch him. If you even get near him, I'll kill you."

     Grinning wickedly, he chuckled. "Not if I kill you first." Then, in the blink of an eye, he was gone.

     The sound of beach waves crashing against the grimy sand echoed in Piper's ears as she lay on the ground, breathing heavily. Reaching her hand up towards her cheek, she winced, the muscles in her body screaming for her to stop. Brushing her fingers against her cheek, she grimaced as she pulled her hand away. Her eyes landed on a puddle of blood that covered her fingers and trailed down her palm.

     Closing her eyes, she lay on the beach in silence. Everybody was still at the club, and Piper left Barry just standing there, thinking he did something that scared her off.

     God, I should have never left him.

     What was she going to say when he asked where she went and why she looked like she'd just escaped from the lowest circle of Hell?

     After everything that happened with Zoom and then telling the team the truth, Piper couldn't lie to them again. She didn't have it in her. There was no way she could lie to Barry about where she went off to and why she looked like she was the latest victim of a WWE match.

     The man in yellow threatened Barry's life, yes, but the redhead knew that he was more than capable of protecting himself, and she would rot in Hell before the yellow speedster ever laid a hand on him.

     Reopening her eyes, she met the calming stare of the milky black sky, twinkling stars glittering back at her. Using her remaining strength, she pushed herself up and onto her feet. Her legs shook, and she staggered as she tried to take a step forward. Black dots clouded her vision, and she moaned.

     Scarlet-red waves fell around her face as she pressed the palm of her hand to her forehead, squeezing her eyes shut. The speedster knew she had a concussion without a doctor telling her. Piper clenched her teeth together as she took a step forward, blinking away the increasing dots.

     Making a risky and quite stupid decision, she bolted toward S.T.A.R. Labs. She knew that if she could make it there, she would be safe, and Harry could help her, even if he didn't like her all that much.

     Her feet felt like they were moving sluggishly slow as she ran down streets, her vision blurring. Entering through the front doors of the lab, she darted up the stairs, speeding straight to the Cortex. Upon entering, her vision blacked out, and she faltered, toppling to the ground. Her body collapsed against a desk, sending papers flying.

     Jumping at the sound of a crash, Harry ran out of the right-side room, bazooka in hand as he looked around. As his eyes moved to the front of the room, he saw Piper lying on the ground, her backside against the wall. The desk she had flown into had fallen to the ground, as well as the chair.

     "Lita," the scientist gasped, running towards her and sliding onto the ground. Placing his gun to the side, he checked her pulse, sighing when he felt it against his hand. It was slow and steady, but there.

     The purple speedster groaned as her eyes fluttered open, blood dripping down her forehead. "What happened? Where's everyone else? Where's Jesse?" Harry asked; his eyes wandered over the bruises and gashes that adorned her exposed skin.

     "Back... at the club. I... the man in yellow..." Piper managed to breathe in-between sharp intakes of air.

     Harry's eyes widened, and he quickly pulled out his phone, dialing Joe's number. After the third ring, he picked up. "Detective West."

     "We have a problem. I need you to go to Ricky's Club and pick everyone up. Bring them back to S.T.A.R. Labs." Harry rushed, glancing down at the woman whose eyes kept fluttering shut.

     "Why? What's going on?" Joe asked on the other end.

     "We don't have time for questions. Get them back here. Immediately." Harry snapped, hanging up and tossing his phone to the ground. Turning his attention to Piper, he reached forward and slowly picked her up, ensuring he had a good hold on her before taking her to one of the side rooms and placing her on a hospital bed.

     As she sat up, Piper groaned and reached up to rub her forehead, but Harry stopped her. "If you touch your forehead with dirty hands, it could get infected. Also, there could be DNA or traces of fabric or residue on you from your attacker. We can run tests later. I will start patching you up while we wait for everyone."

     Piper nodded and coughed, groaning again as she could slowly feel her rib cage tearing apart.

     Pouring a little bit of rubbing alcohol on a rag, Harry walked back to her and pressed it to the top of her head. She hissed, clenching her teeth as he began wiping down the gash.

     The two remained silent as he bandaged up the gash, moving onto one underneath her right eye. Feeling the sting of alcohol, she winced, her body jerking backward.

     "Sorry," Harry mumbled.

     Normally, she'd be surprised that the scientist even knew the word 'sorry', but she was in too much pain to even produce a reaction.

     "Barry, did you try calling Piper again?" The voice of Jesse Quick could be heard from the hallway, and Piper tensed. Noticing this, Harry raised a brow.

     "I already told you, she left her purse behind with me. She doesn't have her phone on her. So, no. I did not call her again." Barry grumbled as the team entered the Cortex.

     The first thing Caitlin and Joe noticed when walking in was the collapsed desk and chair, along with the scattered papers everywhere. Erin's eyes widened as she saw a trail of blood leading to where the mess was.

     Pausing in his steps, Barry's eyes widened as a gut-wrenching filled his chest. "Harry?" His eyes followed the blood line that ended at the wall in a small puddle.

     "Harry, none of us even had time to get drunk yet! This better be a life or death situation!" Cisco shouted, eyes darting around the room for the grumpy man. He hadn't noticed the condition of the Cortex yet.

     Harry rolled his eyes and placed the rag down, stalking out of the side room. "If you consider Lita being on the verge of death a life or death situation, then, yes, it is."

     Everyone froze.

     "What are you talking about? Is Piper here?" Barry asked quickly. Harry nodded, walking back. The brown-haired boy glanced at everyone before running after.

     Upon entering, the speedster's gaze settled on Piper, who was covered in blood and bruises galore. The top of her forehead was patched up, but there was an open gash underneath her right eye, and purple, blue, and black bruises were scattered across her face. The knuckles of her hands were also bruised, and her hair was a mess; grains of sand stuck to the bottom of her boots.

     Feeling his heart drop, Barry rushed over to her. "Oh, my God." As he reached out to touch her, Harry stopped him.

     "You can't touch her. Her body is evidence."

     "What do you mean "evidence"?" Barry asked incredulously.

     Cisco and Caitlin filed in, everyone else— minus Wally, who went back to the West household— following behind. Erin gasped, and a hand flew to her mouth. Joe's eyes widened, as did Jesse and Iris's as Caitlin and Cisco walked towards her, stunned.

     "Piper, are you okay? What happened?" Caitlin asked, but the woman was zoned out.

     "Nobody can touch her. Everything on her body is evidence; we can't contaminate it." Harry stated firmly.

     Cisco raised a brow. "Then how come it looks like you've been playing doctor with her?" he retorted, placing his hands on his hips.

     "I started cleaning up one of the gashes, but all of their blood is on the rag. We can still run it for tests." Harry explained.

     Piper sighed inaudibly, wincing as a sharp edge continued to stab at her chest.

     "Their?" Barry asked, looking at the redhead who was staring mindlessly at the glass wall. His lips curled downwards as his eyes rested on the bruise in the shape of a hand on her neck. Taking in a sharp breath, he clenched his jaw.

     Harry looked to the other speedster, noticing how she was starting to disassociate her mind from her body to not feel the pain. "Lita," he called, snapping her out of her trance. Grimacing, she turned her head.

     "What happened?" Erin asked before anyone had a chance to.

     Slowly moving her eyes to her best friend, Piper blinked.

     It felt as if she looked in through a glass darkly, watching herself from a blurry distance. Her body was there, but her mind was back on Central City Beach. Salty air and sand filled her lungs as the events of the night played on a never-ending loop. Each replay nicked off another piece of her heart, leaving uneven edges that curled up in discomfort.

     With every sliver of strength she had remaining, she was forcing herself not to break in front of everyone. The last thing she wanted was for all of them to see her cry. It was taking everything not to lose it. Piper had no idea how she hadn't cracked yet, but she was thankful that she was still in one piece, to some extent.

     Moving her eyes from Erin, she stared at the floor. The team waited patiently for her to speak, watching as she unconsciously winced every time she breathed in.

     Wanting more than anything to comfort her and remove the obvious pain she was experiencing, Barry sat down on the edge of the hospital bed, ignoring Harry's glare.

     "Ah, it's been a while since I've seen that face. Hello, Piper."

     "Piper..." Barry murmured hesitantly, moving his head to the side so she could see that he was there. They all were.

     Piper flinched at the sound of her name, and he cringed, wishing he hadn't spoken. The last thing he wanted was to say anything that could trigger more anguish.

     Harry narrowed his eyes, watching closely as she squeezed her eyes shut. Reopening them, Piper stared at the glass wall. "He's here." Her voice was raspy and low.

     "Who? Zoom?" Barry asked, and she merely shook her head. Everybody was silent, ears peeled as they let the brown-haired boy handle the situation.

     "My parent's killer," Piper spoke, refusing to move her gaze toward him. "The man in yellow. He has a way to get from Earth-Four to here, and vice versa."

     "How?" Harry asked.

     "If I knew, I wouldn't be here." Piper snapped, her head turning towards him. He simply raised his brows, and she shook her head, wincing. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap," she whispered, staring down at her blood and bruise-covered hands.

     Barry's face had slackened, and his shoulders were sagging; sad and understanding eyes gazing at her. "You saw him, didn't you? At the club? That's why you left," he muttered.

     Feeling her bottom lip tremble, Piper bit down on it harshly, drawing blood. Nodding ever so slightly, she watched as the sand fell from the bottoms of her boots.

     "He said that if I told anyone about our encounter... or him being here... that he would kill you," Piper replied quietly, glancing over at the boy beside her. Barry furrowed his brows, a visible frown etching its way onto his face. "After everything with Zoloman, I couldn't lie to you again. I don't want to," she choked out, and he interlaced their fingers, rubbing his thumb up and down the backside of her hand.

     Harry sighed. "Allen—"

     "I'm holding her hand, Wells. I don't give a damn if I contaminate evidence. Besides, she has two hands in case you haven't noticed, holding one won't ruin everything." Barry cut the scientist off, giving him a firm glare.

     Feeling Piper squeeze his hand as tightly as she could, he turned his eyes back to her, squeezing in return. "He won't kill me, all right? I don't want you to worry about me, I'll be fine." Barry reassured her, but Piper frowned.

     "He's not like your Reverse-Flash. There isn't an endgame in sight. He doesn't keep the people I care about alive. He kills them without hesitation. Eobard kept all of you alive because a small part of him cared. Yes, he killed Cisco in an alternate timeline and wanted to kill you, but he didn't. He had a conscience. This man doesn't even know what humanity is; he has no trace of it. If he wants someone dead, they're dead. If he threatens to kill somebody, he carries through."

     It was difficult to explain the severity of his being here to the team. This monster wasn't dangerous. He was careless and reckless. He didn't care about anything, which made him so hard to outsmart or defeat. He never had anything to lose, but Piper did. She always had something to lose.

     "How do you know that he carries through?" Caitlin asked, furrowing her brows.

     Piper turned her head, wincing. "He threatened to kill my sister, and he did. He killed my best friend. He killed off everybody in my team back on Earth-Four except for two people just to make a point. He killed my boss. He killed my ex-boyfriend. This speedster is relentless and merciless. He has nothing to lose, which means he can do whatever he wants and kill whomever he pleases."

     It was silent as the redhead breathed deeply, closing her eyes and looking away.

     Barry noticed and continued to rub his thumb up and down her hand. In the grand scheme of things, Piper Lita had lost more loved ones than anyone Barry had ever known. With everything that happened with his parents, Reverse-Flash, and Ronnie's death, he still couldn't process or move past it. So, he couldn't even begin to wonder how hard it'd been for her to deal with all the grief and tragedy.

     "You won't lose me. You won't lose any of us, okay? I promise." Barry whispered, tugging at her hand gently.

     "I know I won't because I'll die and take him with me if he ever gets near you or anyone else in this room. Including Wally."