Tiger Stripes and Lightening Strikes

17: Instigation

It had been a while since the last attack on the Dennit warehouses, thus when Barry's alert on his phone pinged, it certainly took him by surprise. Still, he'd made his way to the warehouse in seconds. The huge box of a building had red lights flashing all over the building. The vast space within was predominantly taken up by a huge, glimmering force field, which also acted as the buildings only light source. Within, was crate upon crate of Metriol.

Dark shadows lingered in every corner. The wailing alarm was distant but constant. "Guys, I can't see anything out of place,"Barry spoke into his comm.

"Have you checked the perimeter?" Harry demanded.

"Three times," Barry's brows pulled in as he paced around. "The guards are missing too. Something isn't right." There was a loud creak from the rafters above. Barry's head craned up, his breath catching in his throat as he caught sight of several golden glowing eyes staring at him from the rafters.

"Maybe you should retreat to safety. This sounds like a trap." Caitlin told him urgently.

"Definitely a trap," Barry wheezed. Dark shapes dropped from the ceiling. They thumped hard in front of the force field, each different sizes and shapes. All of them were there. Scales, the lizard, stripes, the tiger, squawks, the bird, and even Snarls the wolf. At the front of them all, Stripes was the one to stand tall. "I'm going to need back up," he muttered, his eyes scanning his foes.

"On our way," Cisco promised.

"What is this, a zoo?" Barry grumbled.

"More like a circus," an inhuman voice emitted from the tiger beast. That, Barry supposed he could agree with.

"Who are you?" Barry growled.

"It doesn't matter" the voice responded hautily. The tiger began to pace, his long shadow meeting his every step and his fur outlined by the blue glow of the force field. His paws moved silently on the concrete floor.

"Why are you doing this?" Barry pressed. The hooded figure paused. "Is it revenge?"

"It's karma," the voice replied icily. Behind him, the creatures shifted. "Patience," he chuffed lowly. "Diddy is a thief who has destroyed many lives. It's time he payed his dues."

"What about my dad's body?" Barry hissed, clenching his fists so tightly that the leather squealed. "I know it was you who took him."

"Indeed we did," the hooded man purred.

"Why?" Barry cried, taking a threatening step forwards. "He's already dead. Couldn't you just let him rest in peace?"

"You'll have him back soon," Stripes assured him firmly. "Sooner than you know."

A blue breach burst into existence beside Barry, Killer Frost and Vibe jumping through, donning their hero costumes. "Ohhh, snap," Cisco's voice picked up a pitch. "They're even cooler in person." Killer frost sent him a killer glare.

"Us beasts are impressive, aren't we?" the tiger padded on all fours before the restless. "It's a good thing then, that we're going to be the last things you'll ever see." The three largest chimeras leapt into motion.

Within moments, Barry was ducking beneath the wide swipe of a tiger claw. The beast was relentlessly chasing after him. The second he burst out of super speed, the creature was upon him. He was constantly ducking beneath vicious swipes and snapping jaws. Frost and Cisco were locked in deadly battle. Barry was forced to dodge huge shards of ice and powerful blasts of energy. The warehouse descended into chaos, with the hooded man watching silently from the side.

Barry's mind ran faster than he did. He had to figure something out. If he played his cards right, he could trap the chimeras for good. This was his chance to stop another disaster in central city before it got any worse. Ducking below a swing from the tiger, he punched it square in the stomach.