Only Because I Need You Too

Chapter 33: Talkie Walkies

Ethan gingerly pushed open the rusted door. Orange rays of light assaulted his vision. Stepping out into the nippy air, he cast his eye around his surroundings. The whole city could be seen as dark shadows on the verge of a warm sunset. The star Lab's roof was small, roughly the size of a modern balcony. A familiar silhouette was leaning against the half wall that divided the roof from the staggering drop below. Taking in a breath of fresh air, Ethan made his way over to her and placed his hands against the wall. Dawn turned to him, the red of the dying sun reflected in her eyes. Sending him a meek smile, she returned her sights to the city below. A car honked a few streets away and the feint sound of someone letting out a long string of cusses whispered in the wind. "So you were trained to fight by Oliver?" Ethan's tone was flat and low.

Dawn placed her head in a hand, "Yes. He had the one thing I needed." Breathing in deeply, she flicked her eyes over to him. "Self control," she chuckled. Ethan ran a hand down his face. The people on the streets below looked like ants. All of them followed the same path. They all traveled in the same direction. They were all working towards death.

"Was he a strict teacher?" Ethan kept his voice even and inscrutable.

"No, he was just. He did demand a lot, but he was forgiving and patient. Never harsh." She hummed, mournful eyes followed a small child skipping along the pavement with her father's hand grasped tightly to her chest. Ethan followed her gaze. The man was hardly a dot, yet somehow Ethan knew he was smiling.

"Then why are you harsh?" Ethan cocked a brow at her. "It almost looked like you were mocking Barry and Dawn. You didn't even try to fight me." Dawn turned to him. Her featured were unsmiling and unapologetic. Cold even. Blinking, she returned a much harder gaze to the city below. Gripping the wall tighter, he leaned onto his arms. "It's funny, because I could have sworn you were trying to prove a point." He murmured, a slight sardonic tone laced around his voice. Dawn remained silent, but the muscles around her jaw tightened. "It seemed a lot like you were trying to show we had no chance of beating you, even if you were at an extreme disadvantage. So how could we possibly hope to contain Frigid? It felt an awful lot like you were trying to convince us to kill you before you are even born." Ethan's tone sharpened and his grip around the wall tightened.

Dawn looked up at him again. His temper subsided. Everything about her screamed Caitlin, down to the very way she scowled. "It seems to me, that you are putting motive in my actions." Her stones eyes held his own intense stare. Ethan jutted his jaw to one side but said nothing. "But that would be good advice to follow." She shrugged, once again staring out at the city below her.

"No." Ethan shook his head. "We would never kill you." An emotion flickered past Dawn's features so fast that Ethan couldn't even tell which one it was. "If we stopped Frigid once we can do it again."

"What about when you are dead." She spoke with surprising clarity and no hesitation. "Who will be there to stop me then?" She began to trace small circles on the half wall with her free hand.

Ethan paused. "There will always be someone." He assured her.

Dawn huffed, and stood up straight, stretching her arms in front of her. "You're different." She paused, turning to face him. Her Caitlin-like eyes pierced into his very soul. Pursing her lips, she narrowed her eyes. "You're more optimistic." She hummed, cocking her head to the side, "but so much more self conscious." Ethan raised his eyebrows, his mouth split open but no words would form on his tongue. "You've lived through hell and back. Take pride that you are still kicking for the right team."

*

Bubbles of giddy excitement rose in Medusa's stomach. She stared down intently from above. she could make it all out clearly. A dark room with pale, blue tinged bodies scattered across the concrete floor. Occasionally a finger would twitch and Medusa's heart would skip a beat. Casting a wary eye around herself, she sucked on her bottom lip. Rusted metal protruded from below her, the catwalk swayed with every breath she took. The zombies were far below. It had only been a day or so earlier when she had been so close to revenge. Tasting the bitterness on her tongue she spat out into the open air. Moments later, a splat echoed through the warehouse. The three speedster's had been staring up at her. The way their eyes were so filled with terror sent giddy shivers racing down her spine.

Medusa had not been expecting team Flash to send all of its speedsters, but they were gullible than she thought. So close. Then that rat, that conniving little rat had betrayed her and saved them. Saved the very speedsters she was trying to hurt. Letting her breath out in hisses between her teeth, she clenched tightly onto the bars of the catwalk. Flakes of rust broke off and littered her hands. Counting backwards from a thousand, she inhaled deeply and exhaled. Focusing on the cool feeling of air rushing into her lungs before being quickly dispelled, she soon found her heart rate slowing.

Medusa was overcome by a sudden glumness. Tate was the one who had taught her to rein in her anger and store it for when needed. He was the one who proved to her that anger would only make her reckless and recklessness got people killed. A weak smile pulled up the corners of her lips like a puppeteer gently pulling their puppet from rest. Running a hand down her arm, she felt heat prickle in her eyes. The blonde still had the scars. He was right. He was so right. If only Medusa hadn't stopped to tease them. If only she had put them out of their misery before the snake could jump in and save them. Tate's voice drifted through her mind, 'saying if only won't change a thing, but taking action will." Nodding her head, she puffed out her chest. Oh boy was she taking action. Team Flash would never know what hit them.