The Line Between Living and Dying

Mark Mardon

The next morning, Dani had to get ready for work and actually go just like normal. She could do nothing as Vortex to help solve the coroner's murder until after Barry and the rest of CCPD worked the crime scene.

Fortunately, she got a call from Cheyanne in the later hours of the morning. Dani gladly dropped everything she was doing to meet the rest of Team Flashtex at S.T.A.R. Labs.

"So Clyde Mardon has a brother?" Caitlin asked, turning from the screen that displayed the Mardon brothers side by side.

"And both brothers survived the plane crash and then the dark matter released from the particle accelerator explosion affects them both in virtually the same way." Dr. Wells explained.

"Yeah, only Mark's powers seem to be a lot more precise," Barry said. "To be able to control the weather like that, indoors?"

"You'd have to be a weather wizard!" Cisco grinned. "Ooh, been waiting since week one to use that one." He took a drink from his slushie, instantly wincing from pain.

"Trigeminal headache?" Caitlin asked.

"What?" Cisco said through the pain.

"Trigeminal headache. Brain freeze." Caitlin clarified.

"Then why don't you just call it brain freeze?" Cisco snapped.

"So, I'm guessing you running around a twister in the opposite direction isn't gonna do the trick this time," Joe said, looking at Barry.

"Wait, that's what happened to that tornado a few months ago?" Zander questioned. Everybody nodded in response.

"Where have you been?" Dani raised an eyebrow at her brother.

"Under a rock apparently." Zander sassed.

Cisco perked up, a thought coming into his mind. "I just remembered. During our run-in with Mardon--Clyde Mardon-- I was tinkering with something to help attract unbound atmospheric electrons."

"Like a grounding mechanism?" Cheyanne asked.

"Yes. Cause the only way that Mardon can control the weather is if he can tap into the atmosphere's natural electrical circuit and if we take away that circuit, clear skies." Cisco explained.

While Cisco was talking, Joe's phone erupted into ringing. He checked his phone, finding a text from Captain Singh.

"Singh's checking in." Joe showed Barry his phone. "I gotta go."

"Yeah, I'll meet you at the station." Barry nodded.

"Joe," Wells stopped him. "We'll find Mardon. Don't worry." He promised.

"I'm not worried at all," Joe assured as he left the cortex.

"Well, he's taking being targeted by a revenge-seeking meta-human rather well, I must say." Dr. Wells commented. "Don't worry, Barry. Joe will be fine, I promise."

"Yeah, no, I know." Barry agreed.

"Hey." Dani walked up to Zander as Barry and Wells started their own conversation. "Do you mind going back to CCPD and keeping an eye on Joe?"

"You think he's not taking this as well as he seems?" Zander asked back.

"I think that Joe has been put in a terrifying situation and he's so used to being a dad and not speaking up when he's scared."

Zander chuckled. "Kind of sounds like another father we know."

Dani tried and failed to suppress a small laugh. "Just, look out for him. Please."