Chasing Snowflakes

by pebble/scifipony

Frost took a deep breath as she ran. The chill wind rushed past her face, stinging her skin with tiny pinpricks of ice. This was, by far, the best part of being a speedster. Feeling the energy sparking over her nerves, the blur of buildings and cars shooting past in her periphery, the pure freedom of running while the world stands still around her… there was no better feeling in the world.

“Frost,” Cisco’s voice in her ear abruptly dragged her back to the task at hand. “You’re coming up on the warehouse now, but I’m still not getting any anomalous energy readings off that location.”

“Are we sure this is where Weather Wizard is holed up?” she asked, pulling to a stop in front of a long-abandoned warehouse.

“It has to be.” He sounded almost offended by the suggestion he could have read the data wrong.

Shrugging, she walked cautiously up to the main door. “Okay, then. Stay on comms. I’m going in.”

“Don’t do anything stupid, Frost,” Caitlin’s voice jumped into the conversation. “Remember, you’re still recovering from your last fight with this guy. And super-healing or not, you need to be careful.”

Frost rolled her eyes. “Relax, Caity,” she assured her sister, “I’ve got this.”

The front door was left partially open, so she easily breezed into the building, stopping in the main area. Apart from the door, the only light in the building filtered in from several dirty windows high on the walls. Everything in sight was coated in a thick layer of dirt and rust. The building looked like no one had stepped foot in it for at least a few years.

“Uh oh,” Cisco came back on the comms. “I’m picking up a huge surge in cryokinetic energy. You’ve got a cryo meta on site.”

A trap.

Frost spun around as the door slammed shut.

A chilled wind blasted through the room, before settling in a thin layer of frost over every object. She could see her breath fogging in the threateningly still air.

Forcing her tone to remain calm, she taunted, “Are you going to keep hiding in the dark, or come out here so we can get this over with?”

Over the comms, Caitlin sounded on the verge of panic, “Frost what’s going on? Who are you talking to?”

She ignored her sister for the moment, not wanting to take her attention off her enemy.

“I’m almost disappointed you fell for such an obvious trap.”

A chill crept up her spine at the familiar voice.

He finally stepped out of the darkness. His gait was annoyingly casual as he strolled out into the main warehouse floor. A thin crystalized layer spread over the ground around him, marking each footstep as he approached.

He turned to face her, a knowing smirk on the half of his face that was still mobile. His blind eye reflected the dim light from the windows, casting it in an eerie blue shimmer. The nonchalance in his posture set Frost’s nerves on edge.

“Savitar,” she growled out, feeling a surge of Speed Force through her veins in response to her anxiety. Caitlin was right — she wasn’t ready for a fight yet, especially not one with this enemy. “I don’t know what you’re playing at, but you might want to stand down before you end up taking on more than you can handle.” If nothing else, bluffing might buy her some time.

His smile was a little too knowing, though. Somehow, he must have already known she wasn’t running at full power. That wasn’t too surprising; they never had figured out how he always knew their moves before they did.

“I appreciate the bravado,” he said, crossing his arms and leaning back almost leisurely. His lack of concern made her want to punch the smug expression off his face. “However, I think we both know who has the upper hand here. You’re still injured, and your friends are quite a drive away from us. So, feel free to make yourself comfortable. We have a lot to discuss, Frost.”

She tensed, eyes widening slightly at the use of her real name. Judging by the smirk on his face, he’d been trying to illicit exactly that sort of reaction.

“Yes, I know your secret identity,” he told her. “Imagine how surprised the city will be when they find out the mysterious speedster that’s been zipping around town saving them these last few months is really an ex-con. And one who’s sister is partially responsible for the machine that caused this meta-human crisis.”

Injured or not, Frost took a threatening step forward at the mention of Caitlin. “My sister had nothing to do with the particle accelerator explosion,” she snapped. “It was an accident.”

“It actually wasn’t.” The matter of fact way in which he stated it took her off guard, but he shrugged it off before she could question it. “Well, you’ll find out the truth about all of that soon enough. Right now, I only need one thing from you, Frost. There’s a tachyon particle device hidden in STAR Labs. I’ll give you the directions to find it, and I need you to steal it for me.”

“Oh really,” she laughed. “Anything else, as long as we’re at it?”

He smiled back, but there was no warmth in the expression. “Soon, yes. For today, though, the device is all I need.”

“Keep him talking,” Cisco’s voice cut over the comm line, almost startling her. “We’re in the van and heading toward your location.”

Hoping they were willing to break a few traffic laws to get here, Frost focused on her nemesis again. “And what makes you think I’d do that for you?”

A flicker of something… almost sad?… flashed across his face before disappearing beneath his cold mask. “Because I know you, Frost. I know your whole team, your plans, everything that’s going to happen in this little war of ours. And I know you’ll do anything to keep your sister safe.”

Electricity sparked through her veins. Her hands tightened into fists as she took another step forward. “You aren’t going to touch Caity. Understand?”

He smiled again, and this time she knew she wasn’t imagining the sorrow in his eyes. “Ever wonder how I’ve always been able to predict everything your little team has tried to do? I already know how all of this turns out, Frost, and it isn’t an outcome you’re going to be able to live with.”

The air noticeably dropped in temperature. A faint breeze, icy and foreboding, swirled around their feet.

“But, if you insist on repeating the cycle…” He opened his hands, ice daggers forming in each. “Then let’s not waste time, shall we?”

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