Tiger Stripes and Lightening Strikes

33: Double Helix

The morning of Boxing Day, and the core of team Flash had collected in the Cortex. Barry was slumped in a chair with Caitlin and Cisco. His eyes were only half open, and the world around him was blurred with early morning haze. Caitlin's nails clicked on her keyboard, her face bright and her stare sharp. Cisco was more like Barry. He was blinking slowly, tenderly sipping from a hot coffee he was keeping cradled against his chest.

It was earlier for them than normal, but they had to prepare for the incoming chimeras. S.T.A.R. Labs would have to be ready to house three, extraordinarily powerful and uncontrollable meta humans. No easy task.

"Alright, sleepy heads," Caitlin sat back in her chair and swivelled around towards them. "How long is it going to take to set up the Chimera Chambers."

"Barry and I can probably have it set up by midday," Cisco yawned, dragging a hand back through his tangled locks of hair. Barry lifted a fist limply into the air, which Cisco bumped with his own without even needing to look at it.

"I think I've finished planning the biometric scanners," she sat back in her seat and cleared her throat. "We'll be able to track baseline vitals whilst they are in the cells and hopefully we should be able to figure out the warning signs that might occurs before a transformation."

"And even if we have a lycan meltdown," Cisco's expression brightened. "I'll install a meta dampening field all around the chamber so that the MRR cells will be neutralised and the chimeras will not be able to change shape."

"Speaking of," Barry sucked in a deep breath and stretched his arms above his head. All of his joints crackled and popped. "Nothing happened in the night?"

"Let's check chimera cam," Cisco chirped, clicking a few buttons. A live feed popped up on his screen. It was Sebastian in a small room. He was lying back on a small bed, watching something on his phone screen. His hood was pulled up over his head. A pebble displayed more emotion than his expression.

"I can't believe how well he's taken the news," Barry mumbled, rubbing at his forehead. Caitlin and Cisco flicked their eyes to him. "He barely batted an eyelid when I told him what he was. The most I got was a slight scowl and a shrug." Part of Barry couldn't help but wonder if his brother felt much of anything. Yet that's was untrue. He'd spent a long time feeling overlooked by his brother. Perhaps what Barry should be asking, was how could he make sure he wasn't so flippant.

"Barry," Caitlin's soft voice called for his attention. His eyes flicked up to her. "Your brother hasn't even come to terms with his Dad attacking him." She was speaking slowly and softly. "I think it's safe to assume he also has not dealt with the news of his father's death, because he was at work the next day." Barry's eyes closed over, his shoulders slouching. "I think it's safe to say that he is still in denial." She bit down on her bottom lip and gave him a sympathetic look. "I highly doubt any of this feels real to him."

"What can I do to help him?" Barry asked softly.

"Your going to have to be there for him when reality hits, because it will hit hard," she murmured softly. Barry began chewing on his nail.

*

The quiet of S.T.A.R. Labs was perhaps the most soothing aspect of its spacey corridors and laminate flooring. Sebastian was striding through the corridors, his eyes wandering farther than his legs. It was an absurd idea, that Sebastian was the tiger chimera they'd seen robbing the morgue. The same beast that, Barry had confirmed, killed his dad. It was a fact that drifted through his mind, not quite grounded to anything.

Sebastian was doing his best to block it from his mind. He had no intention of lingering on thoughts like that. Not when he'd come so close to crumbling just the night before.