Lightning Strikes Twice ›› Barry Allen [1]

4- Don't Let the Bedbugs Bite

"Cicada," I shout. The whitehaired man looks at me. The sparks coming out of his eyes start spewing more, and more. He grins cruelly.

"Electrical Strike, isn't it?" he asks. "I've been waiting to meet you in person."

Barry glances at me, "You know this guy?"

"Nope. Never met him in my life."

I hear the clicks of guns. I sweep my gaze around. There are hostiles everywhere. "What do you want?" Barry demands. He takes a step towards Cicada.

"For you to die," Cicada answers simply. Then the bullets rain. I teleport at the villain, and try to attack him. Trails of lightning fly everywhere as one less projectile is subtracted from the air. Barry's taking away all the bullets. I shoot bolt, after bolt of energy at Cicada.

"Fascinating," Cicada rasps, as my powers hit him. "But you can't kill me. I'm immortal."

"Yeah, I've heard that one before," I said. "Vandal Savage said he was immortal. Guess what? He's dead now. Erased from the future, his rain of terror is done. And yours is next."

I teleport right next to him. I hold up a lighting bolt. Cicada holds up a hand. His eyes glow in a scary way. "Not if I end you first," he says, as white light comes out of his hand. Its looks like an identical match to my lightning. The rest of the light envelopes me. "And now," Cicada said. "You die."

The volt of energy in my hand fizzles out. The bolt in Cicada's hand crackles, and its beam hits my chest. Electricity doesn't usually hurt me, but this did. I try to absorb the bolt's energy, but it only makes it hurt more. Its sucking the life out of me. Literally.

I start to choke, and a faint shout of pain escapes my lips. Cicada's going to kill me.

"Strike!" Barry yells. In less than a second, I'm brought out of the deadly ray. Barry loosens his grip on me, and I flop onto the ground like a ragdoll. I feel like a fish out of water, with my mouth agape trying to breathe.

The Scarlet Speedster leans over me. "Sky," he tries to get me to look at him. But I can't talk. The color, only now, starts to come back in my face.

Cicada laughs. I make an effort to glance over at him. Barry glares at him. When the villain stops his crazy cackle, and his minions line up at his sides. "Run, Flash. Run, like the coward you are. Or else you both get holes in you," he said with a satisfied look.

"This isn't over," Barry promised. The line of Cicada's minion army begin firing their guns, and Barry takes off.

My pulse rate in down to normal. I'm sitting on the hospital bed in STAR Labs. My feet hang off the cot, to a point where my black boots touch the concrete floor. My mask is off, and an IV is in my arm. "I don't need this Caitlin," I said, talking about the IV. "I'm fine. Just another day for me."