N I N E:
a poisonous enemy

A small sigh of relief escaped Bibiana's lips when she saw Barry was alive. She had to admit, she was starting to care for Barry a little more than she ever did for her friends.

"The streak lives," Cisco said.

"Never do that again," Bibiana told him. She had found out what had happened when he got to the lab. He brought them a sample but at the risk of his life. Which explained why he was laying on one of their medical beds. "I don't think my heart will be able to handle it."

"You'd be dead if your lung cells didn't regenerate quickly," Caitlin said.

"Oh, my chest feels like that one time I had a cigarette," Barry said. Bibiana sent him a look. Barry Allen the rebel? Maybe a Star War kind of rebel because it was like telling Bibiana she was a wizard or a demigod. "Yeah, teen me lived for danger."

"And probably AP Calculus or chemistry," Bibiana snorted.

"This isn't funny," Caitlin said. "You could have-"

Died? Bibiana had a feeling it would be happening a lot. The hero business isn't fun and games according to comic books.

"I didn't," Barry said.

"Now that we have his sample, we'll get to work," Dr. Wells said. "Analyzing it, figuring out the poison, maybe get a clue as to his human identity."

"Or at least a way to stop him from turning into a mist," Cisco said. "The Mist. Okay, that's his name. End of discussion. Do you hear that Bibiana?"

"I hear, I hear," Bibiana said, checking her phone. Her father had informed her that the woman was dead as if Bibiana didn't know.

"I have to get to the station," Barry said.

"You should be resting," Dr. Wells told him.

"I have to talk to Joe," Barry replied.

⇝⇝⇝

Bibiana went back and forth between computers. Barry may be the fastest man alive but she was the fastest woman to type. Her eyes scanned everything before she moved to another computer.

"Cisco, look at this," Bibiana said. Cisco looked at what Bibiana found before he called Barry and Caitlin.

When they had walked in, Bibiana pointed at the screen. The information she found was important.

"So check this out," Bibiana said.

"It's a 3D molecular model of the gas from your lungs," Cisco explained.

"We have identified the toxin," Dr. Wells said.

"Hydrogen cyanide?" Barry asked.

"What's interesting is what's mixed in with the cyanide," Dr. Wells said. Bibiana looked up for a second before she continued to type. Soon she found what she needed. "A sedative."

"Of course. The night of the explosion, find out if anyone was executed," Barry said.

"Found it and pulling it up," Bibiana announced.

"Why?" Dr. Wells asked.

"That sedative is given to criminals on death row before they go and breath in hydrogen cyanide," Barry explained.

The information finished loading. Caitlin stood behind Bibiana and read the information. The metahuman pulled the files onto the screens.

"Caitlin, take it away," Bibiana said.

"There was someone executed," Caitlin said. "Kyle Nimbus."

"That's him," Barry said.

"He was a hit man for the Darvinyan crime family," Bibiana said.

"They turned on him and testified," Caitlin continue. "Judge Theresa Howard was the judge at his trial. She sentenced him to death."

"He must have been affected by the explosion while he was being gassed," Dr. Wells said.

"Records say the execution was completed," Cisco said.

"That's why there wasn't a match," Barry said. "The DNA database only has records of the living. He said there was one more person on his list. Check the arrest record. Who caught him? This could be his next attack."

Bibiana quickly pulled those up. She wasn't sure how Barry would react since it was someone he cared for. The girl looked up at Caitlin.

"Barry, the lead detective."

"Joe West," Bibiana added.

⇝⇝⇝

"Barry, I reverse-engineered an antidote to the toxin," Caitlin said. "I hope you won't need it."

Bibiana walked into the room and handed Barry a gift card. She was giving them out to the people she considered friends. Cause if they all survived, they were gonna die.

"When you come back, you, Caitlin, Cisco, Iris, are all coming with me to dinner with my parents," Bibiana said. She gave him a hard look and was careful to say her words. "And you will come back, Barry Allen."

"Aren't you coming with me?" Barry asked. Bibiana shook her head.

"I feel like speed will help you better than electricity. I'll just be in the way," Bibiana said. "Plus, I like the comforts of my computer and tablet."

"I promise, I will come back," Barry said.

He quickly kissed Bibiana on the forehead before he took off to change and save Joe. Bibiana touched her forehead before she turned and looked at Caitlin in surprise.

"Spur of the moment?" Bibiana questioned. Caitlin had a smile on her face.

"We will talk about it after this mission," Caitlin said. The two girls went over to their spots at the computers to work.

"Barry, I pulled up the specs on Iron Heights Prison," Cisco said. "It's maximum security, but I think I can talk you through breaking in there."

"Don't bother. I've been figuring out how to break into that place since I was 11," Barry said. Bibiana bit her lip as she hacked her way into Iron Heights.

"I just unlocked some doors for you Barry," Bibiana informed him. She made sure it was non-traceable to S.T.A.R. Labs, but instead to a public library that's been shut down.

"He used the antidote on Joe," Caitlin told them. Bibiana stopped typing. She couldn't do anything from the lab, even as Electric Storm.

"You need to stay away from him, Barry," Caitlin said into the microphone. "Do not breath him in."

"The Mist now sounds like a drug," Bibiana commented. Her humor was how she protected herself. Everyone shook their head at the girl.

"You can't fight him, Barry," Caitlin said. "Just keep him coming at you. That should zap his strength."

"Gas is the least stable form of matter," Harrison Wells informed him. "This metahuman won't be able to stay in his mist form for long. His particles will need to reform."

"Huh, I was thinking of making Barry run in circles like a vacuum," Bibiana said. "That can be plan B."

"Always have a backup plan as they say," Dr. Wells replied. They heard punches and groans then silence and panting. "Barry... Barry."

"We win and we didn't need plan B," Barry announced.

"Maybe some other time," Bibiana suggested.

⇝⇝⇝

"When this young soldier was six, she could throw a solid punch," Captain Solace said, patting Bibiana on the back. She looked down with a small blush on her face. These were the only moments she made her parents proud  "She could throw a better punch than any of my solider."

"Thank you, sir," Bibiana replied. Cisco and Caitlin were staring at a different Bibiana. Not the same one from work, home, or on the field. They were seeing one that was crafted by her parents.

"Where are your other two friends?" Mrs. Solace asked.

"Iris West's father was attacked at Iron Heights on personal business, ma'am," Bibiana answered. "He is currently at the hospital where she went to visit him."

"The other one?" Mr. Solace asked.

"Barry is actually on his way here," Cisco answered. Only a second past before Barry ran towards their table. He was late.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Solace. It is a pleasure of meeting Bibiana's parents," Barry said, holding out a hand. Bibiana's father shook his hand and Barry gave her mother a kiss on the knuckles.

"So this must be your boyfriend." Bibiana almost choked on her wine. Barry was not her boyfriend. He was just her friend.

"No, ma'am," Bibiana denied. "He is a close friend of mine like Cisco and Caitlin."

"Stop embarrassing Bibiana, Lydia," Chang said. "Now let's tell the time Bibiana and her siblings made their own army."

"Wait, you have siblings?" Barry asked, surprised. He seemed not to know much about Bibiana. There was a small purple spark under the table before Bibiana clenched her hands.

"Yes, sir," Bibiana replied. Barry was able to figure out that she had to show respect. She wasn't doing it willingly. He also noticed that she spoke softly at the last name she said. "Ross Solace, Chang Solace Jr, and Kai Solace."

"You see, Barry," Lydia said. "Bibiana is our only female daughter. We train our sons to be warriors, but we train our daughters to be leaders."

"And have we seen that yet?" Chang asked. "It runs in the Solace blood. Every Solace joined some type of army or force."

Bibiana let out a slow breath. This was sometimes why she moved 600 miles away from her parents. Another reason why she almost kidnapped when she was younger.

"I'm sorry, sir," Bibiana answered. "I was only following the scientist and hacking path to the army. That was before I went a different path to helping the country."

•○•

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jmc