Collateral Damage (snowbarry)

Sewer Girls

Caitlin and Iris look around to make sure no cars are coming and lift the lid off the hole. Iris starts climbing down the ladder and Caitlin follows, pulling the lid back over. Caitlin hands her a head lamp and turns it on for her, also turning on the camera. She does the same for her own. They nod to each other and start walking toward the Fifth Avenue and Tenth Street intersection.

Caitlin jumps at the sight of any rat, especially the ones at eye level on the walls. Iris laughs lightly each time she does, dropping a glow stick every few feet. She shrieks when a roach starts crawling up her leg and Caitlin raises her eyebrows at her, returning the laugh. The mood is light. That is until they hear a loud thud in the water up ahead and feel the ground vibrate.

"That was just a truck going overhead right?" Iris asks pleadingly.

"Nope." Caitlin says.

"You know that part in a movie when the camera moves away and all you hear is screaming? I feel like we're about to be in that part." Iris says.

They grab each other's arms when they hear a low growl just down the tunnel. They take a deep breath and keep moving. Caitlin looks to the walls and sees writing and drawings all over them. "We're getting close."

"How do you know?" Iris asks.

"Grodd." Caitlin points to the walls. "Drawings of faces. His name." She points to a specific word written over and over. "Father. That's what he used to call Wells." Her voice is low. "He's evolving. He's smarter than I remember."

Iris shivers at this. The ground moves with another loud splash up ahead. "Any chance he's also gotten bigger?" She asks, hoping the answers is no.

"Possibly."

"That's not what I wanted to hear."

The growls and thuds are getting closer. Their breathing picks up. They've reached an intersection. They are standing in the middle of a room with four tunnels branching off.

"Where to now?" Iris asks.

"I don't know."

They look around, then back at each other, both hoping and not hoping they hear another growl.

***

Back at Barry's lab at CCPD him, Cisco, and Joe are trying to locate Grodd. After an hour, they've had zero luck. Cisco slumps in his chair.

"How hard is it to locate a giant gorilla in the middle of a city?" Cisco complains.

"He's a smart gorilla. He's probably hiding." Barry says.

"Maybe we could set a trap? Lure him in with bananas?" Joe suggests.

"He's too smart for that. He won't be attracted to food. Besides, Grodd hates bananas." Cisco says, staring at the ceiling.

Barry chuckles.

"What?" Cisco asks, dropping his head to look at him.

"Nothing. Just saw Iris on the way here and she had a big bundle of bananas with her." Barry chuckles.

Joe narrows his eyes at him. "Iris hates bananas."

"Well she had some." Barry says, ignoring the worried tone in Joe's voice.

"For who?" Joe asks.

"Her, I assume." Barry answers. "She said she didn't have a chance to take them home before her and Caitlin went out."

"Caitlin is going out?" Cisco asks, surprised.

"Yeah." Barry is now fully confused.

Cisco and Joe both look at each other, panic on their faces. "Grodd." They say simultaneously.