Alter Egos

Fury and Frost

Description: In the aftermath of the unthinkable, Caitlin finally finds her trigger.

All aboard the angst train! Woot! Woot! This is kinda Snowbarry but also kinda OTF. Not sure how well it turned out but the concept wouldn't leave me alone.

Also, thank you all for the 10k views!

...

"The Flash is down."

The entire sequence of events had started with those four words.

"The Flash is down!" Oliver had yelled through the chaos of yet another inter-dimensional invasion. Not three minutes after the vigilante had uttered those words through the coms, a similar statement was made. Except it was only two words. This time it was more final...more broken.

"H...he's gone," Caitlin's voice echoed over Cisco's earpiece.

Vibe stopped in his tracks, the gravity of the situation hitting him full force. The environment around him became dull and distant, those two little words bouncing around in his head. Cisco stumbled a bit, reaching out to grip a nearby wall for support.
As he stood there in the broken rubble that was Central City, the world seemed to shatter. He was dead, Barry Allen was dead. His best friend was dead.

"No," Cisco whispered, "no, he can't be..." he trailed off, his eyes becoming misty.

Oliver suddenly appeared in Cisco's field of vision. He was dirty and bruised, a tired look marring his features. The archer's eyes remained fixed a good 30 feet behind Cisco, on Barry no doubt. It was where he had breached Caitlin to tend to the speedster's wounds just minutes before. He didn't understand how this could have happened, he had seemed alright. A little battered, but alright. Cisco squeezed his eyes shut and hung his head.

"He's gone," Caitlin repeated solemnly.

Cisco went rigid, her voice pulling him back to reality. There was something about the tone...the edge, he had heard it before. The breacher whirled around, his eyes landing on Caitlin's distant form. She knelt above Barry, sobs shaking her shoulders. Cisco watched as she reached down and took Barry's limp, blood-stained hand. The scene sent a sharp pang through him.

That was when he saw it. Slowly, snowflakes began to fall from the overcast sky. Had it not been June, he wouldn't have thought anything of it.

It had been over 2 years since Caitlin had lost her powers, and no matter what they tried they had never been able to bring Killer Frost back. However, there was no denying it as streaks of platinum began to race across the doctor's auburn hair.

Caitlin suddenly straightened, staring down at the wispy frost emanating from her hands. A thousand emotions ghosted across her features before finally settling on one. Rage. Caitlin got up, her legs wobbling a bit at first. The frost began to swirl around her, the last bit of color fading from her hair until only white remained. Then she grit her teeth and clenched her fists, tears gleaning brightly in her eyes. She had embraced the change, welcomed the ice.

If past experience had taught Cisco anything, he knew what came next.

"Get down," Vibe yelled, diving behind a large slab of concrete. Oliver was shocked at first, but he followed suit. An instant later, everything in sight was engulfed in an explosion of ice. The sheer force of the blast was jarring, For several moments Cisco simply remained still. He listened as glass shattered and buildings creaked and groaned, the cold steadily spreading through them.

Eventually, the mist began to settle, leaving the two heroes coated in frost, but otherwise fine. Oliver got up first, helping Cisco to his feet. The snow was now falling at an alarming rate. That was when Killer Frost emerged from what remained of the white haze. She was different then Cisco remembered...scarier, if that were possible.

For starters, she was covered in a layer of ice, an armor of sorts. Her skin was as pale as the snowflakes that surrounded her, and her otherwise soft features held a kind of harshness the breacher had never seen before. Shards of ice adorned her hair, forming a wicked-looking crown atop her head.

"The ones that did this," Killer Frost questioned, her voice as cold as it was sharp, "where are they?"

"Caitlin..." Cisco began, uneasiness in his tone. "Don't do this. This isn't what Barry would've wanted."

"Barry's not here," she spoke through clenched teeth, her voice breaking ever so slightly.

It was the first time Cisco had gotten a good look at her face. Frozen tear tracks trailed down her cheeks, her eyes full of sorrow and fury. He wasn't just looking at the harshness of Killer Frost, or the brokenness of Caitlin Snow. He was looking at the both of them merged together, united in agreement.

"Where are they?" She spoke once more, resolve in her words.

"Less then a block from here," Oliver stated. "The others are holding the line for now, but they won't be able to forever. We need to get back," he informed, readying his bow.

Killer Frost nodded wordlessly, long, sword-like icicles forming in her hands. She walked past the two heroes, ice spreading beneath her with every step. A cold wind swept over the area, chilling Cisco to the bone.

He didn't need to use his abilities to know what was coming. He could see it in her eyes, feel it in the fury rolling off of her in waves. She was about to live up to her name. There was no stopping her at this point, just making sure everyone stayed out of the way.

Cisco turned, giving Barry's fallen form one last, tearful glance. They couldn't save him, but they could protect the city. They could avenge him. The Vibe drew in a deep breath and did the only thing he could at this point. He kept going. They would stop the invaders, he would have his time to mourn. They all would.

Cisco just hoped he wouldn't lose his other best friend in the process. He hoped that one day she would be able to emerge from the icy armor she had encased herself in.