Spidey & Speedy - Starling City Storm

Chapter 12 - I Don't Wanna Swim

***BARRY***

Grayson and Thea, being strong swimmers, have less trouble fighting their way up to the surface. Peter and I, however, are really struggling. I've never been the best swimmer, especially not in deep water. Being a speedster hasn't quite stripped me of all my natural non-athleticism.

Peter, however, is worse off than I am. He's really thrashing around like a fish about to be eaten by sharks, and I have a feeling his mask is to blame, to some extent. I've wondered for a while how he's able to breathe with that thing on, even under normal circumstances. Spandex isn't known for being all that porous.

I have to wonder...can I still run underwater? I've never tried it before, not even back home - and trust me, Cisco's spent months trying to get me to attempt a run through the tank at STAR Labs. He's always thought it would be so cool to see me show the water who's boss, but I'm not so sure I can do it.

Now, though, I have no choice but to put this power to the test.

As Peter drifts dangerously close to the drain, I force myself into a running motion. Nothing happens for a long, long time, but then, after who knows how many dilated seconds, I finally streak through the water and grab Peter's arm.

Next challenge - get us up to the surface. We're so far down, but I can get us back up to the top. All I have to do is imagine myself running up through the water. It can't be harder than jumping up and down huge panes of broken glass when the black hole was tearing downtown CC apart, right?

If I could speak, I would tell Peter to hold on.

I don't quite have his strength, but I can still get him to wrap his arms and legs around my torso, piggyback-style. Turning my neck as much as possible, I make eye contact as best I can, then flash him a thumbs-up, jabbing my thumb at the nearby figures of Grayson and Thea as they tread water about five or six feet above us.

That distance is growing every second, because the current is pushing us deeper into the drain, wanting to wash us out into the Puget Sound.

Okay. Time to repay Peter for our first encounter.

I reach backwards until I find his shoulder, then I squeeze it for a second. We're gonna get through this, buddy. I swear. Kicking my feet, I launch us up a couple of inches. Then I jump into real Speed Force Mode, powering through the water even as I need so desperately to breathe.

In addition to Grayson and Thea, I see another figure above my head. Ronnie - the same creepy spirit-like one I saw while running on the turf at Kreisberg Stadium back home, the alternate version who's been lost between universes - looks down, sees me swim-running, then smiles like the fiery seraph he might as well be at this point. "Come on!" he urges me. "You've got this, Barry!"

I spread my arms, propelling myself onward and upward. My mouth is tightly closed, and it takes all my brainpower not devoted to swimming to keep myself from drowning. God only knows how close Peter is to losing this particular fight.

"So this is how I found you!" Ronnie says. "Wait till I tell you again next time! You're not gonna believe it - and you already lived through it!"

So this Ronnie's already seen my future in his quantum travels? Or is this just his way of encouraging me?

Either way, I keep on pushing up until we're both out of the water. Grayson and Thea help bring us back to level ground, outside the shattered remnants of the tank. Who knew Darhk had enlisted Plastique's help for his evil plot?

On the floor, I collapse on my back, chest heaving as I greedily suck in that much-needed air. Then I look to my right and see Peter, also on his back, but not moving.