Warp Speed (A Flash and Arrow crossover Fanfic)

Bast and Buildings Don't Mix

Bast slumped against the wall in the corner of the newsroom, watching Iris with plain boredom etched across her face. Iris had insisted on bringing the Meta to her workplace to get her out of lab and away from Oliver. And not to mention Nova, who had caught a cold due to her altercation with a certain ice villain. Bast had taken refuge in the training room, almost tearing the room apart with knife-throwing practice. Thus, it had been decided on not-to-diplomatic terms that it was best that they kick her out of the base while they still had one.

As a result, Iris offered Bast the chance to go into town and question any journalists working on the Mindbender stories. So far Bast had drawn a blank on the whereabouts of Mindbender. So the the cat was left to remain bored in the newsroom, praying for some form of action. Unfortunately, destiny decided to blow up in her face and implement the 'be careful what you wish for' rule.

Bast's survival instincts, previously unperturbed, were suddenly on the alert as the glass of the windows shattered with tremendous force as Mindbender crashed into the room, instantly causing Bast's claws to unsheathe. She growled as he advanced on Iris, his hand encircling her neck. "I hear you've been searching for me Miss West." He snarled at her, chuckling as he shot a warning burst of pain through her head. Iris screamed, kicking wildly and clutching her head. "Where. Is. The. Flash?" He demanded.

"Getting tired of me?" Bast called out, colliding with him claws-first. He howled with pain, losing his control over Iris as he shifted his attention to Bast. The tiger didn't spare him a second, launching into an aggressive slash with her iron claws. She roared as a bolt of pain ran through her head for a brief few seconds, slipping past her mental barriers. Going full-on tiger, she threw all her weight onto Mindbender, pinning him under her massive Bengal frame. He wheezed in surprise.

Behind her, Iris had snapped out of her shock, and was helping any injured co-workers to the door as she phoned Barry. "Hello?" His light voice gave Iris a rush of happiness. "Barry? Get down here as soon as you can. Mindbender's here." She hung up before he could begin interrogating her on her well-being, knowing she would already be having that conversation with her father.

She spared a glance at Bast, gasping as she saw the condition of both adversaries. Bast was breathing raggedly, her tiger face still managing to look ashen as she strained to block Mindbender's mental onslaught. Mindbender's wounds were more physical. The man's face and torso were covered in slash and bite marks, and he grunted as he held Bast's snapping jaws from his face. He rolled out of the way as a massive paw smashed down where his head was previously, taking the opportunity to jump to his feet. Bast roared at a sudden pain in her side, throwing her head back. She staggered as Mindbender ripped the knife out. Having had lost her concentration on keeping Mindbender out, the telepath released a wave of her most terrible memories. The Bengal shook her head as the face of a boy entered her mind, trying to tell herself it wasn't real despite a sudden ache in her heart.

Through her pain, she could see Mindbender advancing on Iris again. Groaning with the effort, Bast shoved Mindbender away from her thoughts and launched herself in front of Iris to take another jab to the gut. This time, she knocked him back with a furious swipe, tail lashing.

"What do you want with the Flash?" She hissed. "To tell him to back off and get out of my way. The girl was supposed to be an example, since it worked out so fabulously with your family last time." The villain snarled, knowing it was a low blow.

"You don't get to talk about them!" Bast roared, launching herself at him. Mindbender side-stepped her, pulling out a remote of sorts.

"Time for plan B." He said, pressing the button. Making a mad dash for the window, he paused to tell Bast: "You have three minutes before this building goes up in smoke, taking you and the West girl with it." With that, he was gone, disappearing out the window.