134

"Yeah, looks like someone was really angry." Nora comments as I slowly walk over to them the next morning on the newest crime scene of the day.

My hair was straight, even through my exhaustion I had found the energy to do it this morning, as I was dressed in a slim dark green shirt, the sleeves ending right at the end of my elbows, the shirt tucked into a pair of jet black skinny jeans, ones that surprisingly had no rips with them, my black belt holding my badge and holster, my gun resting in it, black heeled ankle boots on my feet and a black leather jacket to finish off the look.

With the lack of coffee I had today, I was more exhausted than usual.

"Look at these wounds." Barry pointed out, as they were crouched down over the dead man's body, "Doesn't it look like they have the same depth and diameter as the ones on Gridlock's body?"

"Yeah, and like Block's and Raelene Sharp's." Nora nodded.

"Well, if you're not already sick of this, be prepared cause there's more." I halt next to Barry, as him and Nora stood up, looking at me, "Another meta-human was murdered in her apartment, same C.O.D."

"These aren't one offs." Nora pieced together, "Cicada's back and he's on a killing spree."

"He's targeting them." I slip my hands into my pockets, a sigh leaving my lips.

"Okay, well, there's got to be a lead in one of these attacks that can help us track him." Barry nods, "We'll get the team on it."

-

"Kira May, Dwayne Geist, Carl Bork." I read, looking up, placing my jacket onto the seat, as we all stood in the cortex, "All three metas who were killed by Cicada last night."

"So Cicada's killed almost as many people in the last 12 hours as he has in the last eight months?" Caitlin spoke.

"And it doesn't look like he's slowing down anytime soon." I exclaimed right after her.

"Well, we need to stop him before he hurts anyone else." Barry said from next to me, his hand on my lower back, his other hand on his hip.

"Sherloque, do you have any ideas on what to do about that?" Nora questioned once Sherloque comes to my other side.

"Not at the moment, but any time I run into a road block in an investigation, I do what I always do. I just pursue a different avenue." Sherloque mentions, "We'll find him. Something will bring him to us. Something like-"

The alarm blaring cuts Sherloque off, my head snapping down to look at the screen in front of me, "Satellites picking up dark matter flare. It's him."

"Something like that." Sherloque points.

"Suit up." Barry nods towards everything, already moving, "We don't have a lot of time."

"Not without precautions." Ralph grabbed an extrapolator, and a gun, reaching it out in Caitlin's direction, "For Killer Frost."

"She doesn't need a weapon." Caitlin smiles, "Killer Frost is the weapon."

"Oh yeah, gimme some-" I cheer, Caitlin giving me a high five as she walked out, I started to monitor from where I was.

-

[ ]

I throw lightning at Cicada the second we were on the field, sending him flying, hitting the ground, the meta human he had just tried to kill limping, holding her side.

Cicada forces himself back up, Ralph starts to shoot him with his gun, "Negate this!"

Killer Frost was up next, using her cold blast to ice him up against the wall by his hands and wrists.

"Help!" Nora cried out, her hands on the meta who was now on the ground.

I look at Killer Frost, "We need Caitlin."

She nods, her roots turning back into her normal hair color, as she made her way over to Nora, "We need to get her to a hospital."

"Here, come with me." Caitlin helped the meta up, as she got her to safety.

Suddenly, Cicada broke out of the ice, stabbing his dagger down to the ground, sending an energy blast, making all of us fly off our feet and hit the ground with a thud, the energy dampening our powers.

Cicada walked over to Nora, slashing at her once, a shriek leaving Nora lips.

He picked her up by her arm, holding her up.

Once I process what's happening, I start to get up, a shout coming from me, "No!"

He hits her hard, Nora letting out a loud scream, Cicada throwing her to the ground.

As Caitlin got up, turned into Killer Frost, ice blasting him, he jumped into the air, disappearing.

My first instinct was to go to Nora, her eyes shut, as she laid unconscious on the ground, "Hey, Nora, Nora? Nora-"

-

[ ]

Barry and I were seated in the Med Lab, next to the medical bed Nora laid in, her eyes closed. A neck brace was wrapped around her neck, along with a few wires hooked up to her.

A mixture of stress and worry was clouding both Barry and I's thoughts, as we held each other hand with a firm grip, awaiting for Caitlin to walk into the room and tell us what was wrong, and for Nora to wake up.

Soon enough, Caitlin quietly walks in, the look on her face leaving me at unease, Barry quickly turning and questioning, "Well?"

"Cicada caused an axial burst fracture in her L3, L4, and L5 vertebrae. He also severely displaced her fourth thoracic vertebrae." Caitlin quietly explains, showing us the MRI scan, then looking at us, sighing, "It's not good."

"But- her speed healing is going to kick in, right?" I hesitantly question, her silence scaring me, "Right?"

"Cicada's cut flooded her body with dark matter. It's affecting her powers." Caitlin told us, "Her speed healing should kick in for now."

"I'll keep monitoring her progress." She finished, leaving us alone once more.

I let out a shaky exhale, "Barry."

"It's okay, she'll heal." Barry squeezes my hand comfortingly, "It'll be all right."

The sound of a wheezed breath catches my attention, Nora staring to wake up, causing me to speak, "Nora?"

"Oh, what happened?" Nora's eyes barely open, the pain threaded in her voice, touching the neck brace, "Oh, why does it hurt to breathe?"

"It's gonna hurt for a little bit." Barry's tone is low, squeezing my hand.

"Why?" She questioned, then comes into realization, "I can't move my legs. Why can't I move my legs?"

"Mom, I can't move my legs." Her voice cracked, her breathing starting to become heavy, looking towards me for comfort, her hand reaching for mine, tears welling in her eyes.

"Honey-" My tone dropped, as I grab her hand with my free hand, "I'm right here- it's going to be okay-"

"Mom? Mom, why can't I move my legs?" Nora's voice was in tone of a sob, panic threaded within it, her eyes glued to me.