Running Back To You » Barry Allen

2.

*One month later*

"How do I look?" I ask everyone, walking into the main reception where my Dad, Cisco, Ronnie and Caitlin are standing.

"You look beautiful," my Dad says, walking over and hugging me gently. "Your Mother would be so proud of who you have become."

I raise an eyebrow. "A very opinionated person?"

Cisco laughs and I smile cheekily at him. "You look great, Ev."

"Why thank you, Mr Ramon. May I ask why you aren't dressed up?"

Caitlin answers instead. "Oh, Cisco, Ronnie and I aren't going to actually be visible at the launch. We're going to be behind the scenes, getting everything ready and once it is, your Dad will help us out." I nod and look over at my Dad, dressed in a suit and tie.

"Well go on, get out there!" I push him towards the door, following him out and onto the small stage built for the launch.

My Dad grabs the small microphone and clears his throat to begin his speech. "Years ago, my wife, Tess, and I had a dream to launch a Particle Accelerator. Something to power the city with clean energy. She passed away years ago but I wanted to keep that dream alive. For me, for my daughter Evelina, and for Tess. This machine will change the way Central City is powered. It is the future. A better future for our children," he glances over at me and smiles fondly. "And for you. I want to thank you all for coming today. It means the world, thank you. Let's turn this thing on shall we?"

My Dad turns towards me and I smile, proud to be his daughter. He presses the button and nothing happens.

The crowd is silent.

"Dad?" I whisper and he presses it again. This time there's a loud noise and my Dad tries to figure out what's wrong. I run to Cisco and Caitlin whilst my Father stays where he is, reassuring people that everything is going to be okay.

"It's gonna explode, it's gonna blast people out of the building. People could be killed!" Cisco shouts, clicking away on a computer, clearly trying to find a way to fix it.

"We have to put it on lock down. We can't let anyone get hurt!" I reply, Cisco nodding furiously. "Ronnie, you need to go and vent the system. Can you do that?" I ask and he nods, running down to the pipeline.

"What's going to happen if this doesn't work out?" I ask Cisco.

Cisco holds my shoulders and looks me in the eyes. "It'll be fine, Ev. Trust me." I nod and Cisco runs down to find Ronnie.

The warning alarms are sounded and Caitlin runs down to find Ronnie and Cisco, me following closely behind.

When Caitlin and I reach Cisco, Ronnie is nowhere in sight. "Where's Ronnie?" Caitlin panics. "Cisco where is he?"

He stops pressing buttons on the control pad by the entrance to the pipeline and turns around. "He's still inside..."

"What?" Caitlin and I say at the same time.

"Open the door!" Caitlin demands.

Cisco sighs. "I cant, we're in lock down mode."

"Cisco, we have to get him out of there or he'll die!" I shout.

The walkie-talkie sounds. "CISCO!" Ronnie's voice booms through the device. "Can you hear me?"

Caitlin grabs the walkie-talkie. "Ronnie! It's me..."

I hear a bang come from the other side of the door and Ronnie takes a deep breath. "Caitlin... Is, is Cisco there?"

"Yeah," the dark-haired boy replies. "Ronnie, I'm here, I'm listen-"

"I adjusted the magnets to re-direct the beam, to try and vent the system so the blast goes up and not out."

"I'll need to reset the particle perimeter too," Cisco replies and runs off. Caitlin grabs the device out of his hands and holds it close.

"Cisco's doing it," I say, placing my hand on Caitlin's arm to comfort her the best I can.

"There has to be another way out of there, you have to find it!" Caitlin says, determination laced in her voice.

"Cait," Ronnie says softly. "The chain reaction... I can't reverse it. The doors need to stay shut to protect yo-" He's cut off by a loud bang. "You still there?"

Caitlin's eyes brim with tears and her voice cracks. "I'm here."

"Caitlin, whatever happens -" Ronnie say,s but he's cut off by a strange noise that sounds like waves at the beach.

"RONNIE! RONNIE?" She looks at me, tears streaming down her cheeks and I hold her close.

Suddenly Cisco runs over to us. "I need to get Wells down here. NOW!" He shouts, grabbing the walkie-talkie off of Caitlin. "Dr Wells, we need you down here. Please hurry. It's safe. Please!" Cisco calls and my Dad answers, saying he'll be there in a minute.

We wait for his arrival just as we hear a huge boom. My Dad comes running down the corridor but is blocked off by something falling from the roof. I hear a cry.

"DAD!" I scream.

A.N: Thank you for reading and commenting and voting. It means a lot. Guess whats going to happen in the next chapter??? I apologise if you feel that the launch was rushed but its so hard to write when you have to add another person into it and only write it fro their POV. I hope you enjoyed though!