Only Because I Need You Too

Chapter 27: Collection

Caitlin felt her guts kneading one another. The dirty alley wall she pressed herself against dug into her back. The wail of police sirens blanketed the area. Shouts. Screams. Screeches. The darkness of the night hung limply around her. The wet and puddled concrete held traces of long, arching, swirls of frost. Caitlin poked her head round the corner of the wall. Every muscle in her body seized. Up a cold shiver ravaged her body and yanked her hairs upright. Cop cars had cordoned off a large crossroads. Their red and blue lights flickered, illuminating the contours of the dead bodies scattered around them in a colourful light. All of the cops had their guns trained into the little circle of cars. Ethan, Barry and Nora were all there making a triangle type shape. Nora's face was pale, she lurched forwards, outstretching a hand, only to be warned back with a steady stare by her father. Ethan's hands were clenched tightly by his side, his whole body haunched over. In the centre of all the chaos, there she stood. Frigid. Her body was perked upright and her head tilted slightly to the side. The bow on her back and arrows in her quiver remained entirely untouched. A wisp of white hair fluttered in the wind.

"She has hair like me..." Frost's cold voice murmured gently. Caitlin sucked on her bottom lip. Frigid was nothing like Killer Frost. One was a cold blooded murderer, the other a hero of Central City. Before she could blink, the speedsters jumped into action. All the doctor could make out was flashes of lightening. Grinding her teeth she focused hard. How was she supposed to take a shot at Frigid if she couldn't even see her? Lightening cracked and Barry was thrown into the air, out of the ring of cars. The doctor held in the urge to run to him, but even from afar she could make out his shivering and the glittering crystals of ice that formed in his suit. Staring down at her own hands, Caitlin ground her teeth. Another flash of lightning cracked and Nora too was ejected from the speed-force and into a car, leaving a speedster sized dent. Ethan was alone. Against that thing.

Placing her hands on her belly, she inhaled sharply and squeezed her eyes shut. "Dawn honey, please. Lend me all your strength and stay safe. Let me help you." With that she reached deeply into her mind. For several seconds she grasped desperately for the feeling she had at the church. Nothing. Caitlin let out a grunt of frustration.

"Now is the time to use you speed," Cisco instructed her down the comm link.

"I can't... I can't use the speed." Caitlin wheezed. Her heart raced against her lungs and she broke out into a cold sweat. Ethan collapsed out of the speed force into an untidy heap at the centre of the cars. Caitlin felt her heart drop. Frigid leaned over him, more platinum strands of hair fell out of her black hood. The exact features of the devil's mask was not apparent to the doctor, but she could clearly make out it's wicked grin.

"Look, Caitlin, calm." Irises soft voice hummed gently in her ear. "You're trying too hard." Ethan's hands twitched, but he stared up at Frigid's mask defiantly. The cold killer reached a hand out towards him. Caitlin's body began to quake. Taking in wobbly breaths, she closed her eyes and listened intently to Iris. "Focus on what it felt like. The lightning at your heels. The burning in you veins. The wind whipping behind your back. Hold it in your mind." Irises gentle tune helped soothe over the frayed edges of the meta's nerves.

"Okay," Caitlin nodded to herself, snapping her eyes open and training them on Frigid. The cold Demon had grasped Ethan's shoulder, his lips were beginning to tinge blue. "Killer Frost, get ready to take over." Killer Frost barked her acknowledgement. With that Caitlin threw herself back in time. Back to when the Observer attacked her for the first time. She could feel it. The crackle racing over her skin, her heart synchronised with the drumming of her feet. Before she knew it, she was only a few steps away from Frigid. Cold gripped at Caitlin's chest, yanking her consciousness out the way and turning her hair platinum. A blast of cold raced from her fingertips, rushing forwards and wrapping around Frigid. In the same second she grabbed Ethan, dragging him clean of the ice Demon's touch.

Killer Frost burst out of the speedforce, dropping Ethan at her heels. His disgruntled form landed in a heap with a slight yelp. The meta rocked back on her heels to admire her handiwork. Frigid was encased in a solid coating of ice, only her hand remained free. Killer Frost strode over to the human icicle, removing the glove from the ice demon's hand and pulling out a long, pointed needle from her belt and grasped Frigid's hand. Immediately she felt the meta trying to suck away her heat. The ice queen nearly rolled her eyes, she didn't have any to give. Stabbing the needle into Frigid's exposed wrist, she could only watch as she emptied the contents and Frigid's hand went limp. Chuckling to herself, she took a step back. Caitlin was a woman of many talents. Clearly one such talent was mixing a speedster and cold adapted anaesthetic together in under ten minutes. Casting an eye around herself, the number of dead bodies made her stomach churn.