Episode 5 The Flash Fanfic

Chapter 8

Caitlin watched with anticipation. The whole team was tired. It was 4am but they had all made progress on Martin Stein's separation theory. They were seven hours out of town, surrounded by nothing but vacant scrubland. It was a very cold night. Some of the team members were huddled, trying to keep warm.

But Caitlin was not cold in the slightest. She assumed it had to do with her powers. It wouldn't matter anyway. The whole night would be lit up in warmth at any moment.

Martin, in the body of Caitlin's love Ronnie, stood 3 kilometers away from the entire team, keeping contact by two-way radio. He spoke tiredly in to his end. "final attempt at separation, beginning in five..." he began the countdown, the rest of the team joined him.

"... three... two... one..."

The skies lit up with flashes of yellow and red flame and a deafening bang sounded the early morning. As the flames disappeared, the team used their binoculars to scan for Martin Stein and Ronnie Raymond. They could see nothing but smoke.

Caitlin clicked her two-way radio. "Ronnie? Dr Martin?" she called out. But there was no response. She began running towards the smoke. Continuing to try and communicate by the radio.

"Dr Snow. I would advise against..." one of the scientist began.

She pushed them away. "I need to know if he is ok!" She said ignoring them, talking about Ronnie. She couldn't lose him again. She kept running until she saw the smoke close up. She continued to run until she was engulfed in the thick black smoke.

"Ronnie?" She called out, coughing as the smoke sunk into her lungs. She was barely able to see a thing. "Ronnie? Dr Stein?" she called into the smoke. A few of the scientists had followed her, carrying spare lab coats.

"Caitlin?" She heard the voice call out, as clear as day. She knew who it belonged to. She saw Ronnie emerge from the smoke. "Caitlin!" Ronnie exclaimed. His clothes were torn beyond repair. Another an older man emerged from the smoke behind him, who she figured was the real Dr Martin Stein.

The scientists wrapped the coats over Ronnie and Dr Stein to keep them warm. Caitlin knew instantly that the separation experiment had worked. Caitlin was overjoyed. She had her Ronnie back. He embraced her and kissed her.

It was just after nine in the morning, as Caitlin drove Ronnie back to Central City, in the Sutherland Labs van. Most of the team, including Dr Stein, had gone home so she had offered to return the equipment back to the facility. It provided her with some quality time with Ronnie. Although, she was still speechless to have him to herself. Where would they pick up their relationship? Would they still get married?

"Caitlin. I love you and I don't want to waste another moment. Let's leave Central City, as soon as we can. Let's start a new life somewhere." Ronnie told her.

She had barely realized what he had said as she had been lost in her own thoughts. Her own fantasy of having him back.

"I'm sorry. What did you just say?" she asked, unbelievingly.
"I want us to leave Central City. You could get another job. Maybe we could go to Sterling City, Metropolis... Right now I would even go to Gotham City. It doesn't matter where we go, just as long as we are together." He declared.

Caitlin clutched the steering wheel tightly, surprised that he had asked her this. She was even delighted to hear him ask her. But she had a life here. She had her friends. She had a place here.

"Ronnie... I don't know what to say..." she began.
Ronnie's face fell. "You want to, but you can't."
Caitlin nodded softly, but kept her eyes on the road.
"We have just reunited with each other. Barry... he needs me! Astrid and Cisco too..."

"Caitlin, Astrid can hire any doctor to help Barry..."

While this might have been true, the group were a team. They were more than a team. They were a family. Neither one of them spoke again. Ronnie turned on the radio, in time for a news broadcast.

"... CCPD is still trying to locate Astrid Sutherland after an arsonist set Sutherland Labs alight last night..."
Ronnie and Caitlin gasped, as Ronnie turned the volume up to hear the report clearer.

"... Sources claim that the heiress was seen entering Mercury Labs, soon after with a man who resembled the escaped convict Leonard Snart. The witness claims that she referred to him as her assistant, to gain access to the facility's resources. It is unknown whether she was being held against her will. For more information, please stay tuned..." Ronnie turned the radio off and the two were in shock.

"Jeez! See what happens when I go away for one night, Ronnie?" Caitlin said in disbelief as she pulled off to the side of the road to use her phone.

She saw the numerous phone calls from Barry. But before calling him, she tried her friend Astrid's phone. The phone rang through so she called back Barry.

"Barry!" she said as he answered the phone.
"Caitlin! Where are you? I need your help! Both Astrid and Cisco are gone. When I heard about the lead on Astrid and Snart at Mercury Labs, I looked everywhere. I even searched Leonard Snart's old family home. They were held there at some point. I found traces of their DNA, but they must have been moved. There is just no trace of them anywhere!" There was defeat in Barry's tone.

"Barry. They can't have just disappeared! Where are you? Ronnie and I are four hours out, just off route 72..." before Caitlin could finish her sentence, Barry swept past the van and brought she and Ronnie to their floor at Sutherland Labs. Caitlin was relieved to see that their floor was entirely unscathed by the fire.

Barry began typing and speaking even for Barry's usual self, which told Caitlin that he was in a real panic state... "I was able to get the power back on, but I requested that all the employees go home until Astrid is found. Unfortunately, the media heard that she is missing and now CCPD..."

Caitlin put her hand on Barry's shoulder to comfort him. "Barry, you need to slow down. We will find them. I promise you." She told him.

"But what if we don't? I have done everything to look for them. What if Astrid and Cisco..."
"Don't think like that..." Caitlin told him. "if anyone can get themselves out of this sort of thing, those two can... And we will help them."

"I'm in for a little Scooby-Doo mystery." Ronnie chimed in, "and even though Martin and I are separated, I can sense that he is willing to help too... Don't ask me how I know..."

Barry looked down at his phone which was ringing in his hand, it was Felicity Smoak. He put her on speaker so that the others could hear her.

"Barry, what is going on?" Felicity asked, "why is the news saying that Astrid has been kidnapped? Oliver is going to freak when... Oh wait! He has just heard... Oliver? Hold on Barry, I'm putting you on speaker..."

Barry spoke into the phone as he continued to use Cisco's computer. "Felicity! Oliver! We need to know if Leonard Snart has any associates that would know where he would go, and why he would need to break into Mercury Labs. What was he looking for?"

"I'm on it, Barry!" Oliver told him.
"Barry, what do you need me to do?" Felicity asked him.
"Felicity, are you able to hack into..." Barry began.

"...Hack into Central City's security footage? I'm already done!"

"Wow, that computer nerd works fast." Ronnie whispered to Caitlin.
"I heard that, Mr Raymond." Felicity said, but they could hear through the phone that she was still typing.

"I am going to find out if Jane has heard anything from Cisco," Caitlin told Barry. She tried to call Jane's number, but it rang through with no answer. She waited a moment and then tried again, but this time Jane answered.