Frozen Flashpoint

Chapter 20: Running Through the Past

Summary: A dive into a past that still didn't happen.

Barry stood in the medical wing of STAR Labs, staring at the bed in front of him where his daughter was lying—frozen, with a distant look in her once-bright blue eyes.

Everything had been chaos during their mission. Lyra was the first to break formation to fight Bran. DeVoe had included two metas whose powers were perfect for negating the advantages of speedsters.

Kevin's skin prevented Barry from punching him or even using electricity, while the red-haired man was so slow due to his hardened skin that he couldn't hope to touch Barry, locking them in a frustrating press-and-escape battle.

Jessie had fought Mike, a meta who produced some sort of glue from his skin and hair that even phasing couldn't shake off. He was immune to his own glue, and by coating the ground around Jessie, he limited her movements until he managed to trap her. The pervert had intended to molest her! Barry had wanted to run to Iron Heights and cut the man's hands off.

Lyra had actually managed to hold her ground against Bran alone, even without using her cold powers. But she was so focused on her opponent that she didn't notice Jessie was in danger, and Simon had taken advantage of the distraction to find the device they were supposed to protect.

Luckily, they had planned for something like that, and that was when Frost and Cisco intervened.

The mission was partly successful. It was a shame the device had been destroyed—it would have advanced neurological science years ahead. But it was better destroyed than in DeVoe's hands.

The fight after DeVoe canceled their powers was shocking. Lyra had clearly been trained by Oliver himself. The moves she used weren't something you learned in a day, even for a speedster, so she had been training with Oliver in the future. Why?

The problem was that in the middle of the fight, after taking care of two out of the three criminals, when she was faced with Simon's attack, she froze and hadn't recovered since.

Barry had to pick her up gently and bring her to the labs through a breach. Since then, Caitlin had been running scans and tests on the future teen.

Barry noticed that from the first moment Lyra laid eyes on Bran and Simon in the security footage Joe brought, something in her had changed.

Her eyes were sharper, her aggression was heightened, and she had lost all patience. Any semblance of the cheerful girl she had been until then was gone.

Caitlin and Cisco came to stand next to Barry. The speedster looked at his fiancée and asked, "Any idea what's going on?"

Caitlin crossed her arms and said, "She's in shock—a severe one. Something during that moment caused her mind to retreat into itself, and she's refusing to come out, so to speak."

Barry frowned. "I'm telling you, something about the entire situation with her is wrong. What are our options?"

Caitlin glanced at the uncomfortable Cisco before speaking. "That's why I brought him with me. I administered sedatives so she'll be able to at least sleep and recover some energy. But that also created an opening for us."

Barry's eyes widened as he understood Caitlin's plan. "You want Cisco to vibe us into her dreams."

Caitlin gave a firm nod, and Cisco shifted uncomfortably. "Guys, I don't feel good about this. It feels like an invasion of privacy, and she's my niece..."

Caitlin cut him off with a firm tone. "And she's my daughter. She's obviously suffering through some sort of flashback that terrifies her to death. It's my responsibility as a mother to help her in any way I can."