❝ Told you'd be back
in a flash. ❞

───────
SEVEN | METALIZE

I scribbled a few words on a page. Sloppy and messy handwriting being stamped on it due the tedious process of writing a report. Everything was calm and silent it was only the tick-tocking of the clock in the wall that echoed throughout the laboratory that made my attention drift a little.

Tick, tock, tick, tock.

I closed the file and placed it neatly on top of the stack of files on my desk. I still couldn't stop thinking about what had happened earlier if I'm honest, however, I had to concentrate on my job and pretend it never happened, it was the best I could do.

I had just grabbed a new report form and my pen was about to scribble the first word on it when something alerted me, it was just for a second, it was like I sensed something was coming, but before I could do something, my breath got caught in my throat at the sudden and kind of numbing and disorienting sensation running through my body, next thing I know is wind hitting my face and lights flashing in front of my eyes, when it stopped I found myself standing in the middle of a building's roof. My eyes open wide and myself slowly starting to freak out. I noticed I still had my pen in my hand, I was squeezing it as if my life depended on it, and my hair was wildly moved out of place; I stood there, comprehending—or at least trying to.

"Where am I?" I said to myself, looking at my surroundings, slightly petrified.

"Three blocks form the police department," I choked a scream when the deep voice came out from the dark, "don't worry, I'm not gonna hurt you," a small and silent gasp left my mouth as I came to the realization it was Central City's guardian.

"You're him," I said, "you're the one who's been saving people, aren't you? The Streak, right?" I saw the lightning bolt flashing as he moved to another spot in the dark, "Wow, you are real!" I exclaimed, not believing my eyes.

"I'm not here to talk about me," he stated firmly, "I'm here to talk about you," my eyes widened for a moment.

"About me?" I tried to play the fool, "I need to go back to work! This is kidnap, you know that? You brought me here, now would you mind-" I stopped mid-sentence when a blast of wind whipped me, sending my hair into havoc again, this time I combed it back into place using my fingers.

"Miss Steel, I know your secret," his voice seemed to reverberate through the soft night breeze. The man in the red suit was standing in front of me against the light so I could only see his slim frame, not his face. I frowned as I observed him, he was quite enigmatic and mysterious.

"How do you know my name?" I asked and I didn't get an answer. He dashed to another spot in the dark instead, "Why'd you bring me here anyway? And, secret? I- I don't know what are you talking about. Now, please I need to go back."

"What you did today was very brave," he knew, "don't worry, your secret is safe with me. No one will know about what we're talking up here. You can trust me," he took a few steps forward before rushing to a different spot in the dim light, "this must be confusing for you."

"Yeah, it really is. How did this happen?"

"You were exposed to the dark matter expulsed by the particle accelerator when it exploded nine months ago, that's what changed you," he said, "that explosion gave you these powers, it gave me mine too."

"The particle accelerator," I muttered under my breath, I placed my hand on my forehead, slowly pacing in a straight line, remembering the explosion, I briskly turned at his direction, "do you know what is happening to me?" I asked, hoping he did, however he kept quiet. I shook my head and shrugged in frustration, "I don't know what's going on, I just know that anything metal goes crazy when I'm around, that's not normal, not even a little bit."

"I don't. But, that's why I'm here, Harlow, to help you," he said, "but for that you need to trust me. We can help you."

"We? You and how many more? I don't want more people to know about these powers. I don't want my friends to know about this. They can't know this, no one can."

"My team won't reveal your secret to anyone, we just want to help you understand and control your powers, they've helped me learn how to use mine," I crossed my arms over my chest and bit my lower lip.

"Who exactly is your team? I need to know if I'm going to accept your help."

"I cannot tell you that just yet. You saved a man's life tonight, you can use your powers for that, saving people," he was right, however I wasn't sure about it, "you can be part of this team and also help us find more like us."

"My powers don't work all the time," I repeated, "I'm scared that I'll be there and my powers won't work or I won't be quick enough to react and save someone. I don't think I can be some kind of vigilante or part of your team because of that reason, I'm sorry," I said.

"Yes, you can," he said, making a short pause, I saw him getting close to the ledge, keeping his distance and remaining in the engulfing darkness, "everyone needs a little help at the beginning, I did. So, if you change your mind, just let me know when you see me again," those were his words. I raised a brow, comprehending.

"How am I supposed to do that?" I slightly chuckled and shook my head, "What, are you going to whoosh me out of the police department in the close future?"

"I'll take that as a suggestion," he said, rapidly moving closer stopping for a second in front of me. I looked down at his chest and saw the shiny lightning bolt emblem. He then grabbed my arms, making me flinch. In matter of a second if not less, wind hit my face again, I closed tightly my eyes this time and tried to grab hold of him, his skin-tight leather suit made the task more difficult, making me just press my fists against his chest. When I opened my eyes again I was standing in front of my desk with my hair swept to a side, I turned around to see the man behind me, "told you'd be back in a flash," he said, tilting his head. His face wasn't blurry anymore, so I saw him smile under the mask he wore. Then he dashed through the door, leaving me in the center of the lab, blinking and watching how pages landed gracefully on the floor thanks to the gust of wind he had provoked.

"In a flash . . ." I uttered.

────

Life is just a heartbeat. We could be living our last day right now, taking out last breath, saying our last words, showing affection to someone for the last time and we could be completely unaware of that. Tonight, I had the chance to fight back, but I froze, putting not only my life in danger but a friend's too.

I cough, tasting the blood in my mouth and feeling how it involuntarily drips, staining the flaxen coloured carpet. I am pretty sure that I broke something, however trying to determine what it is, is out of the question right now. I try to get on my feet, but my extremities give in and I hit the floor with my back, letting out a grunt. The moment is replayed in my head, slow motion like, as I lay on the floor, covered with shattered glass and pieces of what used to be a coffee table in the middle of a living room. I have to remind myself where I am and after a couple of attempts I finally recognize it's Joe's house, that somehow calms my racing heart down a bit.

I feel the burning sensation on the right side of my face, but I'm too disoriented to even understand what just happened. I just know the basic, someone slapped me, sending me across the living room and landing on the coffee table in the middle of it, but this wasn't a normal slap to the face, it was like a train had hit me. The words coming out of that man's mouth are still fresh in my mind and so is Iris's scream.

"You shouldn't have called the cops," that's what the male voice said, followed by Iris's struggle of getting herself free from the man with the slicked back undercut. I hear them leave and I can only stare at the ceiling, feeling how my mind starts to play tricks on me and makes me go over everything that happened today as I slowly lose consciousness.

This had started like a really nice day to be honest. I was sitting at a table at Jitters highkey ignoring my promise of quitting caffeine and sugar, I knew that that promise wouldn't last not even an hour. I very much preferred to drink coffee instead of alcohol—but that's another story.

Anyway, I was sitting there reading some stuff—Iris's blog to be honest. She was really obsessed with The Red Blur, her blog was dripping with short stories, pictures of his sightings here and there, everything that could relate to him and some other occurrences. I enjoyed reading it if you ask me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Iris approach and sit across from me as I finished reading one of the entries. When I looked up she gave me a smile behind her coffee. I put the iPad on a side and returned the smile.

"So, what do you think?" She asked, placing her cup of coffee onto the table and leaning forward, waiting for my answer.

"It's pretty cool and interesting," I said and Iris frowned.

"You say it like it's not what you really think, though," she took another sip of her beverage. I shrugged.

"I mean, I really like to read this, your writing is amazing and it's fun, it's just all this Burning Man thingy, The Streak and all that seems like part of a science fiction movie," I said.

"But, you think it's real?"

"Maybe, I don't know," I bit my lower lip, limiting myself only to say that, "anyway—uh, I hear you and Barry had a fight?" Iris sighed and propped her chin in her palm, looking both annoyed and somewhat sad.

"He thinks I should stop writing my blog, because it could be dangerous."

"Maybe he's right," I said, hiding my face behind my cup, "your dad says the same, so-"

"Did Barry and dad tell you to come and talk me out of this?" Iris asked, annoyance in her voice.

"Nope, this is all me," she rolled her eyes, "we don't want that something bad happens to you. Now we know The Streak isn't the only one with superpowers wandering around the city, there are others and not necessarily friendly ones. You need to accept it is dangerous to have your name out there, what if they manage to find you just like The Streak did?"

"That's ridiculous, Harlow," she said.

"Iris, please."

"Okay," she stressed, "I understand you're worried and I appreciate it, but let's not talk about this anymore, I'm in good mood, I don't want to ruin that," I shook my head, "I'll be more careful with who I write about, okay?" I smiled at her.

"I really hope so; you will talk to Barry again?" Her lips pressed together.

"It's not that easy. You should have seen him the other night," I raised my eyebrows while my phone beeped, "he was the one who said we shouldn't see each other."

"Oh," I uttered, not really knowing what to say. I took another sip of coffee as my other hand reached for my phone, "uh, it's your dad, some lunatic stole a Humvee and Singh called a meeting."

"They caught the guy?"

"Not yet," I sighed, thrusting my stuff into my bag. I grabbed the iPad and noticed something in Iris's blog. THIRD AVENUE'S ENTHRALLING PHENOMENON, I read the words in the screen with wide eyes, "What is this?" I asked her, I showed the entry to Iris and she frowned a little.

"Oh, I haven't gotten any new reports of that," she said, "it happened in Coast City a month ago, people say someone stopped a truck with their bare hands, and that earlier, this same person created panic among people at Skyline Diner," I stared at the picture of the truck on the side of the note, "what, do you know this place?" Iris asked.

"No," I lied.

"Well, I think I'll put it back in my drafts, it's been a month and nothing else has happened with it," I nodded, absentmindedly, "hey, are you okay?" I quickly looked up at Iris and shot her a smile.

"Yeah, uh, I really need to go now, your dad is a very punctual man, and likes us to be punctual too, so," I said and she smiled, "see you around," I told her, jogging out of Jitters. I turned the corner, determined to take a taxi and raised my hand making the driver the signal when I spotted him. I felt an arm being wrapped around me and pulling my body into the opposite direction I was heading to. A second ago I was standing on the sidewalk and now I was just standing by a desk in the lab, slightly squeezing my eyes shut and with my arm still making the signal to hail a taxi.

"Thought you could use some help," a laugh scaped my lips as I stared at the man across the room, I couldn't help but smile when I saw him, I shook my head.

"What do you think you're doing here?!" I asked alarmed, heading to the door to see if someone was coming, "You just can't show up like this here, someone could see you, the door-" I saw him rushing to close the door, "is closed now," I finished, massaging my temples with my hands, "you should know that high speed travelling makes me kind of dizzy."

"I need your help," I was taken aback by his words.

"My help?"

"There's a new person with super-human abilities in town," he spoke, "he's the one who stole a Humvee last night and something tells me you're the one to defeat this guy," I chewed on my lower lip.

"Yeah, I'm not fond of that idea," I said, "first, you wear a mask, I do not. What if someone sees me? And second, do you know how scared people are of things they don't understand? I don't want to be a freak for them, and well, I'm not you, I'm not a hero," I said, shrugging one shoulder, "I'm just a forensic scientist, that's who I am," I told him. I wasn't ready for something as big as stopping criminals. The Streak simpered at me.

"You're a forensic scientist with the power to change the world," he said.

"Change the world, yeah, right," I said with a chuckle, pacing towards my desk, "I'm clearly a newbie, I just don't want to make things worse," I began, taking a deep breath, "and as much as I want to help, I feel like I'm not ready, do you understand?" He bowed his head.

"I do, no worries. I just want you to know that I really want to help you, Harlow, I only need you to let me, do you understand?" I nodded. He smiled and turned his back at me, ready to speed out of the building, so I spoke.

"Just out of curiosity, what is this guy? I mean, his powers," he looked over his shoulder.

"He can turn himself into pure metal," I could see a smile spreading on his lips, "you could stop him just by flicking a wrist," he took a step forward before speaking again, "come to S.T.A.R. Labs, you will find me there if you change your mind," he turned to see me, "and don't tell anyone. See you soon, Harlow Steel," with that, he speed out through the door—which he managed to unlock in less than a second, leaving me standing there alone.

When I went downstairs, I saw Eddie stepping out of the elevator with a somewhat lost look on his face. I followed him to Singh's office where I finally caught up with him. I stood next to him for the next couple of minutes, seeing how other people entered the office and frowned at how quiet he was.

"Mmm, everything okay?" I finally asked, that's when the Eddie I know came back.

"Hey, Harlow. Yeah, how are you?" He asked.

"I'm okay, but you look like something is bothering you," the blond sighed and rubbed his forehead with a hand.

"I saw something last night and I don't understand, there's something off with this guy, you know?" I frowned.

"What do you mean?" I asked, tilting my head.

"I fired a dozen rounds at this car thief and it was like they sparked off of him, I've never seen something like that before," he said, his blue eyes wandered lost as he was probably remembering what happened.

"It was dark, maybe the bullets ricocheted and-"

"That's not possible, I shot at his face, and each time they sparked off of him, I'm sure of that," he stared at me, something was off and he knew, he was right, but I didn't know whether to tell him that his car thief wasn't an ordinary guy.

"Good morning people," Singh said as he walked into the office and picked up a group of folders and gave one to each of us, "this is what we're working on today, he stole the Humvee and evaded capture," Singh said. I saw Barry walking into the office, giving me a small smile, "So pleased you could join us, Mr. Allen. Rough night?"

"Uh, just a little beat, sir," Singh raised his eyebrows and continued after giving Barry a folder too.

"As I was saying, our perp yanked three ATMs after he boosted the vehicle. ATM security cameras caught him on video," I paged through the file as he spoke, "we got a hit in the database. Tony Woodward, he's got a history of violence, petty theft, assault, going way back to juvie. Dropped off the radar ten months ago. Looks like he's back," he said.

"Why would he wait for so long to show up like this?" I heard Eddie ask, "Do you think he's been planning all this?"

"Perhaps, or maybe something bigger," Singh said, "I want you to go to the scene and please, make a thorough examination of it," I nodded, closing the file and taking a deep breath.

"So we're working together today," Eddie stated with a smile.
"Aren't we always?" I asked.

"Yeah, but today Joe isn't coming, he's got something to do, so it's just us three, partners," I smiled as he wrapped his arm on my shoulders, then doing the same with Barry. We both turned to see Barry, for he looked pretty lost in thought, "Allen. Hey, Allen?"

"Bar?" I said.

"Hey. You okay?"

"Hey, yeah," he finally gushed out, "sorry, Eddie," we began to walk. Eddie gave me a curious look and I shrugged.

"Listen, Barry, I saw something last night I just can't get my head around," Eddie told him and Barry turned at him, "I was telling Harlow that, I fired a dozen rounds at our car thief, and it was like they sparked off of him."

"And I told him that maybe the bullets ricocheted," I said, trying to hide the fact that he had seen the impossible.

"Which did not happen, I know that," Eddie stressed.

"Huh, well, I mean," Barry began, "he must have been wearing some kind of body armor," Barry's eyes landed on me and averted them immediately, which I found weird.

"On his face?" Eddie questioned.

"Well, that could be a possibility, right?" I shrugged, Eddie observed me and so did Barry, "uh, forget it. I'll get my stuff," I said, making my way to the lab. Once there I gathered everything I'd need and left with Eddie, as for Barry, he told us he'd meet us there.

The evidence we found in the Humvee headed us to Rusty Iron Ale, in Keystone. However, I was sent back to the lab to process the evidence we had collected to have a head start, I finished sooner than I had thought I would and I even got time to go for a milkshake at Big Belly Burger.

"I should get my own car," I said to myself while driving a borrowed SUV. Even if we forensics only carried plastic bags and didn't get to carry a gun, we could grab a car whenever we wanted. I was messing around with the buttons on the dash when I accidentally touched the police radio. I didn't mind it being on so I listened to the reports for a while as I drove. The signal was pretty bad when I got into a tunnel but improved when I got to the suburbs. I decided to check on Iris, she had a night shift at Jitters that day and thought she'd like me to give her a ride instead of the detail Eddie had insisted on. Apparently, the guy of steel had showed up at Jitters earlier that day and certainly scared her.

I drove on the quiet street and parked the SUV across the Wests house, I grabbed my phone and took a sip of my milkshake before leaving. I looked up and my eyes widened while my heart constricted inside my chest as I saw the detail completely destroyed, the patrol was turned over and the officers were thrown on the street. I quickly unbuckled myself and rushed into the house; my breathing became laboured and I could feel my heart thumping against my chest, everything was dead quiet inside; I pulled out my phone and called the precinct as I made my way through the corridor to the kitchen.

"Hey, it's me, Harlow; Iris's detail has been attacked, tell everyone. I don't see Iris anywhere, please tell Eddie that-" those were the last words I could utter before someone yanked my phone from my hand and shattered it against the wooden floor. I turned around, gulping hard when my eyes met the huge man who dragged Iris by the arm, he had this annoyingly smug smile on his lips; I slowly made my way back through the corridor, "You must be Tony, huh?" He gave me a puzzled look, "Let's just say you're kinda popular here," he grinned and turned to see Iris.

"Braver than your hero, leather boy, Iris," the huge man said to her, making me think he was ignoring me, "he runs like a little girl every time something scares him and she doesn't."

"Even if he does," I said, "he's done a lot for this city," he turned to see me again.

"Harlow, what are you doing? Run!" Iris shouted.

"Trying to save a friend," I said and Tony chuckled, I turned my attention to him, "please, let my friend go and turn yourself in, that could reduce your sentence a little," he stepped closer.

"Why would you put yourself in danger? You know leather boy is not coming to save you tonight girls. I had a quick meeting with him today and, well, he won't mess around with me again."

"I don't know if he's coming or not, but this is the right thing. And why do you care? As far as I now, he's the example of what you'll never be, Tony. I've been told you're just a spoiled kid, trying to make others feel down so you can feel powerful," his face contorted into anger and stepped even closer.

"You don't know anything about me," he said; I saw his arm turn into metal. I knew this was my opportunity to do something, I lifted my hand but he slapped it away, I pulled my hand close to my chest, wincing at the acute pain, my eyes glued on him, reflecting the fear overtaking my body. He kept walking towards me, I didn't know what to do and that's when I froze. I only stared at how he moved closer and how Iris struggled to get herself free from his grip. Everything happened in a second, the half of his face was metal now and his arm moved swiftly, impacting the back of his hand against my face, sending me across the living room and making me land on the coffee table in the middle of it. I heard Iris screaming.

"You shouldn't have called the cops," he said and I slowly lost consciousness.

The sound of people talking is what brought me back. I didn't understand what they were saying at first, I didn't know where I was either, I only knew they sounded worried. It felt like I had been out for quite a while. Everything was hazy in my head, and a part of me had the urge to put my thoughts in order, yet another part of me didn't care about it. I tried to focus on the voices that fluttered through my ears but instead I jolted and sat up straight, gasping loudly.

"Hey, it's us!" Barry said, placing his hands on my shoulders, I scanned the place and saw Joe standing at the bottom of the bed, Iris was holding my hand as she tried to calm me down.

"Oh, my God, Harley, are you okay?" I heard Iris ask, "I'll get some ice," I looked at all of them again, nodding absentmindedly. I turned my attention at the continuous sound of my heartbeat being reproduced by the heart monitor in the room and I came to the obvious conclusion that I was in a hospital. I started pulling all the cords and needles out of my skin and saw Barry and Joe frantically trying to stop me.

"Just leave them on, Harley," Joe spoke, placing his hand over my shoulder.

"Hey, why don't you just lie back, okay?" Barry said, pushing me gently. Iris came back and put a pack of ice on my cheek, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm good," I said, "wait, stop it, what are you doing?" I said stopping Iris from putting ice on my face again, then I  tried to get on my feet, Barry grabbed hold of my arm, stopping me again.

"Are you kidding me?" Iris stressed, "you're not okay. Dad, you should have seen they way he hit her! She literally flew across the room, there must be broken bones!" She exclaimed as everyone stared at me.

"Doctors said there were no broken bones, not even cracked ones," Joe said with a shrug, "and those bruises will be gone in a few days," my hand went to my face and Barry's hand grabbed hold of my wrist.

"Don't touch it," he said softly as Iris frantically tried to explain Joe how events took place.

"I'm okay," I said, calmly, "it wasn't that hard, I guess," I half shrugged and she stared at me, frowning.

"If she says she's feeling good, then we should believe her," Barry said.

"Are you for real?"

"Iris, I'm fine, it hurts a little but, I'll live," I told her with a smile, which quickly faded when I saw the bandages in her hand, "did Tony hurt you?"

"No, this was me punching his face," she told me, "luckily, he was there to save me."

"He?" I questioned and Iris's face lit up.

"The Streak, I mean, The Flash," she said smiling, "that's a better name."

"Well, he better make up his mind about names, he's got many names," Joe said.

"I think The Flash is gonna catch on," Barry told him. I frowned.

"But, what was all this about anyway?" I questioned, "Why would Tony attack Iris, I don't get it."

"That doesn't matter right now, what matters is that you and Iris are okay and that you rest," Joe said, "you'll stay here the night. Doctors want to keep an eye on you," I nodded, "we'll talk about this when you get discharged. Okay, everyone, leave her alone," he said as he wrapped his arm around Iris, subsequently heading to the door, "Barry," Joe called and gestured at him to leave.

"Uh, I'll stay tonight," Barry said, "just in case she needs something," Joe nodded and then he and Iris left, leaving us alone and Barry standing there awkwardly, he gave me a smile, then he ran his fingers through his brown hair, inhaling deeply as his hands found a home at the back of his neck, "you gave us a huge scare, don't you ever do that again, Harl," I couldn't help but smile.

"I'll try my best," I told him, "thanks for staying."

"That's alright, I owe you that," I shook my head.

"You don't owe me anything, Barry," the brunette pulled a chair closer to my bed and sat down.

"I was in a coma for nine months and you stayed with me more than once, Joe said you called it . . ." he faded out as he tried to remember.

"Barry-sitting," I said, smiling and he laughed under his breath.

"Barry-sitting," he smiled so widely that the corner of his eyes wrinkled, "I'll always be thankful for that," he said, making a pause and sighing. The smile on my lips slowly disappeared. I was thinking of how I had failed, it was ridiculous how I got stuck in my shoes. I led my hands to my forehead and closed my eyes for a moment just to stop myself from crying. I took a deep breath and opened my eyes again, I looked at my hands; they were bruised and trembling, I saw Barry's being placed on top of them, making me look up at him, "It's okay if you're still scared," he said. Yes, I was scared, but I also was angry with myself.

"I've been dealing with a lot recently, that's all," he lowered his green eyes and nodded, "I feel like I'm on the verge of a mental breakdown, I feel so stupid right now," I whispered the last part.

"Why's that?" He asked and I scratched the back of my neck before speaking.

"Because I got my ass handed to me when I should have done something useful," I said. Barry rubbed his face with a hand while nodding. I sat up straight again and folded my legs on bed.

"Harlow," he began, pausing as if he tried hard to find the words, "I know we haven't spent a lot of time together lately, not like we used to and I'm so sorry for that," he told me, making another pause, "and, well, the reason is that, I really need to go to S.T.A.R. Labs because-"

"Your tests, I know," I said, "that's okay, I'm just glad they still keep an eye on you," he smiled, "I imagine they run tons of tests on you," he let out a chuckle and his eyes looked at his hands. Barry licked his lips before speaking.

"Yeah, about that-"

"No, it's fine, you don't have to apologize for that," I said. I saw him fiddle with the bed cover and the idea of telling him about what I could do crossed my mind, "Barry, can I ask you something?" He nodded and I inhaled deeply, gathering the courage to tell him the truth, but then I thought it would be better not to tell him, even if I really wanted to. He was staring right into my eyes, and I got scared, scared of losing him because I was different. I bit my tongue and came up with something different, "How fast are you with paperwork?" I asked, pressing both my lips together while his curled up into a smile, "I might need a little help."

"Pretty fast, actually. I'll do yours but then you'll have to buy me dinner or something in return, I get hungry," I dedicated him a smile. Deep down I knew I had to tell, not only him but Joe too, I was getting to a point where keeping the secret to myself was consuming me, I only needed to find the right moment and the guts to do it.

───────
AUTHOR'S NOTE :

hi, it's liz here. yep, the one who pretty much sucks at updating. i was gonna update a couple of days ago but wattpad deleted the whole chapter and i had to start all over again. anyway, here it is. i hope you liked it, please don't forget to vote and comment, thank you!

p.d. go vote for me here dcawards2k17 under the categories of best flash and best barry allen fic. also thanks to everyone who already did, i love you guys!