143

I stood in the cortex, dressed in a burgundy blouse, one that was tucked into black jeans, black boots on my feet, my hair straight as per usual.

I was deprived of sleep, and needed caffeine to jolt me up.

More caffeine.

Barry ran in, "Tachyon scanners set up at every half-mile interval across the city."

Caitlin walks in, "And the seismometer is searching for sonic booms in the hundred-megahertz range."

"As for the satellites, I've got Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda, and Samantha scanning for her yellow-purple lightning signatures." Cisco walks over and points out.

I yawn lightly, running a hand through my hair.

"Hey- you look tired-" Cisco notices, sipping his slurpee, "Do you want me to go get you a coffee or something-"

"No thank you-" Barry wraps his arm around me, replying for me, "She's already had three."

"That doesn't mean I don't need more-" I began, hopeful that I would get more coffee.

Barry shook his head, "She doesn't need more."

"Okay- well, what about a slurpee?" I try to persuade.

Barry shot me a look, "That still has caffeine."

"Well, honey-" I trail off, gesturing with my hands as I spoke, "There's a lot of benefits in getting me a slurpee."

"Oh yeah?" Barry rubs my arm, "Name one."

I began to smile very innocently, "It'll make me very, very happy."

Barry playfully rolls his eyes, "Fine-"

Barry runs off, appearing to my side within seconds, handing me a blue slurpee.

"I love you-" I kiss his cheek, taking a sip of the slurpee.

Barry kisses my head, "I love you."

"Aye- we're twinning-" Cisco hits his cup against mine in a cheers motion, sipping his also, "I am clearly the Samantha of this group, right?"

I scoff, "Yeah, okay, Miranda-"

He looked at me, his jaw dropping.

I wink at him playfully, looking at the monitor, "So, technically, if Nora uses the Speed Force-"

"We'll find her." Barry nods, staring at the screen, "Kinda thought she'd pop right up."

"If she's even here." Cisco spoke, "How can you guys be so sure that she even came back from the future in the first place?"

"Because Thawne sent her." I told him, "He showed her a new way to time-travel, something that can't be detected."

Barry nods, "But as soon as she starts running again, we're gonna be able to bring her home."

"Well, Team Flash, Nora Allen is not the only time traveler who's absent." Sherloque walked in, Ralph by his side.

"We've been running down abandoned buildings, foreclosed condos-" Ralph continued.

Sherloque nods, "Anywhere that Grace Gibbons may have hidden her younger self, but-"

"We got bupkis." Ralph sighed.

"And we have no idea why she stole the Cryo- Atomizer, except that it was worth killing my dad for." Caitlin looked down at her feet.

"Cait-" I quietly spoke up, "If you need more time-"

"Yeah, we're more than capable of chasing a wild goose or two on our own." Cisco finishes my sentence.

"Thank you, I'm fine." Caitlin weakly smiles, "I'd rather be working."

Ralph nods, "On that note, I'm happy to help you follow that lead on the atomizer."

"Really?" Caitlin questions, "What about Sherluck?"

"Sherloque." He corrected her, "Do you think any of you will get this right at any point at any time in your life? Sherloque-"

Sherloque sighs, "No, I'm going to continue the quest for Nora Allen. I feel somewhat responsible."

As Caitlin, Sherloque, and Ralph leave Cisco, Barry and I alone, Barry and I's phone start to vibrate in unison, as I set my drink down and look at the screen, "CCPD-"

"There was a break-in at an architecture firm on 34th and Williamson." Barry read off his phone, "Meta-suspect. Citizens reporting an explosion there."

"Sounds like you guys might need an extra set of hands." Cisco points at us, spinning before walking out of the room, "I'll grab my gear-"

-

"I just talked to one of the architects here, and G. Simone & Associates used to do all of this high-profile design work- like casinos, banks, military bases-" I explain to Joe, stood at the scene, "But apparently, last year, they had been working with an anonymous client."

"So because our thief covered his tracks, we have no idea who that client might be." Joe nods slowly.

"Hey." Barry called for us, "Look at this."

Joe and I walked over, looking at what he was showing us, "Look at these hard drives. Fried from the inside, like in a massive power surge."

Joe's eyebrows furrow, "A server like this would have a surge protector, right?"

"A typical metal-oxide varistor protects against a thousand joules." Barry stood up, looking between us.

I thought to myself, staring at the hard drives.

Shamefully, I begged the question, "How many joules does a lightning bolt have?"

Barry looks at me confused, "A billion."

Joe picked up quickly. "What, you think this was Nora?"

"No, this couldn't have been." Barry shook his head instantly, "I mean, our scanners would've picked her up."

Cisco walks over, "Yeah, about that I just picked up a frak-ton of background particle radiation."

"Particles?" Barry repeats, "Tachyons?"

"Negative tachyons." Cisco corrects him.

I looked at him, "That's a thing?"

"I mean, negative tachyons can't generate lightning, right?" Barry questions.

"Unless negative tachyons don't just offset positive ones like we thought." Cisco thought out loud, "Maybe they actually siphon positive tachyons."

Joe puts it together, "Stealing speed from the Speed Force like a parasite?"

I looked at my husband, "Barry-"

"That's what Thawne taught her how to do." Barry knew what I was thinking, "She's using negative tachyons to run and avoid our scanners."

"Yeah, but why would Nora be trying to avoid us?" I quietly question, "We're her family."

Joe sighs, "I don't know, but if she's stealing blueprints, this ain't gonna be her last stop."