Chapter 10: Chapter 10: The Bomb II
Chapter 10: The Bomb II
Myles, Caitlin, and Bette appeared in a blur, landing in a nearby alley. The two women were struggling to catch their breath and looked like they were about to vomit.
Myles winced and took a step back, holding his nose. "Hey, I said to hold your breath, not blow chunks on my shoes."
Caitlin glared at him. "You could have warned us about the landing."
Myles shrugged. "Sorry, new to this whole superhero thing."
Bette groaned. "Can we please just get out of here before we get caught?"
Caitlin nodded in agreement. "Let's take her to Star Labs."
Myles shook his head. "No way, that's the first place the military will look. We need to take her somewhere off the grid."
Bette looked nervous. "But where?"
Myles grinned. "I've got a safe house nearby. It's not fancy, but it'll do the trick."
Caitlin raised an eyebrow. "And how do we know we can trust you?"
Myles rolled his eyes. "Come on, do I look like a bad guy?"
Caitlin hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Okay, fine. But I need to go back to Star Labs and tell the team what's going on."
Myles nodded. "No problem. I'll take care of Bette."
Bette looked at Myles with apprehension. "You're not going to carry me again, are you?"
Myles chuckled. "Afraid so. Hang on tight." He scooped Bette up and disappeared in a flash of lightning, leaving Caitlin alone in the alley.
Caitlin shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe I'm trusting a thief to help us." She sighed and headed back to Star Labs, hoping her team would be able to figure out a plan before it was too late.
Myles burst into his hideout, with Bette staggering behind him, clutching her stomach. He quickly shoved a bucket and a box of tissues into her hands, telling her to "take care of business" before he had to deal with the smell.
"Here you go," he says, holding out the bucket. "Just let it out. We've all been there."
Bette takes the bucket and retches, her whole body shaking with the effort. Myles backs away, covering his nose and muttering in Spanish about the smell. "Ay, caramba! What did you eat before coming here, Bette? A raw sewage sandwich?" As Bette retched into the bucket, Myles frantically searched for something to mask the stench. He found a can of air freshener and started spraying it around, muttering in Spanish about how terrible the situation was.
"Ugh, this is going to take days to get rid of," Myles said. "I swear, if I have to burn this place down, I will."
Bette finishes throwing up and wipes her mouth with a tissue. "Thanks," she says weakly.
Myles just shook his head, "Don't mention it. And if you're gonna hurl again, at least aim for the bucket this time, okay?"
Bette glared at him, "I'm not some amateur, you know."
Myles just chuckled, "No, but you are a little green around the gills."
Myles gestures for her to sit down on a ratty old couch in the corner. "Make yourself at home," he says. "I'll grab you some water."
As he disappears into the back of the warehouse, Bette looks around at the dingy space. It's not exactly what she was expecting, but it's better than being captured by the military.
"So, am I safe here?"
Myles nods confidently. "Absolutely. Not even the Flash himself has found this place yet."
Bette looks at him curiously. "The Flash? You know him?"
Myles shrugs. "We've crossed paths a few times. But that's not important. What's important is that you're safe."
Bette nods gratefully. "Thank you, but why are you helping me?"
Myles hesitates for a moment before answering. "I have my reasons. Let's just say that I don't like the way the military is treating meta humans."
Bette nods, understanding. "I feel the same way."
Myles nods in agreement. "Good. Now, we need to lay low for a while. The military will be looking for you, and I don't want them to find you."
Bette nods, looking worried. "What about my family? I can't just disappear like this."
Myles nods sympathetically. "I know. But for now, you're safer here. I'll see what I can do about your family. But for now, let's just focus on staying hidden."
Bette nods, still looking anxious. "Okay. What should I do?"
Myles hands her a spare blanket and some pillows. "Rest for now. I'll see what I can do. And don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you."
Bette takes a deep breath before asking the question that's been on her mind. "Who are you?"
Myles chuckles, a sly grin spreading across his face. "Well, that's a loaded question. My real name is Myles, but around here, I go by a different name."
As Caitlin walks down the hallway of Star Labs, she spots General Wade Eiling speaking with Dr. Wells in a tense conversation. She pauses, trying to make herself invisible as she listens to their exchange.
The General's face twists in anger as he shakes his head and turns to leave, nearly bumping into Caitlin as he storms past her. Caitlin's heart races in her chest as she tries to compose herself, but she can't shake the feeling that something bad is happening.
Just as she's about to continue on her way, Harrison Wells appears beside her, his voice calm and reassuring. "Caitlin, is everything okay?" he asks, his eyes scanning her face for any sign of distress.
Caitlin forces a smile and nods, but her eyes betray her unease. "I'm fine," she says, but her voice is unconvincing.
Harrison puts a hand on her shoulder, his expression serious. "What's wrong? You can tell me."
Caitlin hesitates for a moment before answering. "I'm not sure. I just saw General Eiling talking with you, Dr. Wells, and he didn't look too happy."
Harrison's expression turns serious "Ah, I see," he says, his tone indicating that he knows more than he's letting on.
Caitlin raises an eyebrow, sensing that there's something Harrison isn't telling her. "Dr. Wells, What's going on?" she asks.
Harrison looks around the hallway before leaning in closer to Caitlin. "I suspect that Eiling is trying to capture a meta-human. We need to be careful, and we can't trust anyone outside of our team."
Caitlin nods in understanding before asking, "Do you know where Barry and Cisco are?"
Harrison nods. "Yes, they're in the lab. Let's go join them." With that, the two of them head toward the lab to regroup with the rest of the team.
Caitlin began to retell the events that happened to her with Myles. The young woman took a deep breath before continuing her account of what had happened earlier. "Myles carried us both with his super speed, and I swear, I almost lost my lunch."
Barry's concern was evident in his voice. "Is she okay?"
Caitlin nodded. "Yeah, she's fine. Just a bit nauseous from the ride."
Cisco chimed in. "So, what's the plan here? How are we going to deal with General Wade and the military?"
Barry turned to Harrison. "Any suggestions?"
Harrison leaned back in his chair, deep in thought. "We need to find out why they want Bette so badly."
Caitlin furrowed her brow. "But how? How are we going to get that information?"
Eobard glances at Cisco, "Cisco, can you run a background check on Bette? See if anything comes up."
Cisco nods, "On it."
Caitlin furrows her brow, "But what about Myles?"
Barry shrugs, "If he's helping Bette then he's on our side for now."
Harrison adds, "Barry's right. We need to focus on the bigger picture here."
Cisco heads to the computer lab to run a background check on Bette.
As the team begins to disperse, Caitlin lingers behind and catches Barry's attention. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asks her, sensing her unease.
Caitlin nods, but her expression is troubled. "I just can't shake the feeling that something's not right about all of this. Why would the military want Bette so badly?"
Barry puts a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We'll figure it out, Caitlin. That's what we do, right?" Caitlin manages a small smile before hurrying to catch up with Cisco.
Barry and Harrison, meanwhile, head to the crime scene where Bette was last seen. As they search for any clues, Barry uses his super speed to scan the area.
Suddenly, he stops in his tracks. "Professor, I found something!" he calls out to the others.
"This doesn't belong to any of the soldiers," Barry notes as picks up a piece of metal.
Harrison examines the fragment closely. "This is interesting. There's some sort of energy residue on it."
Barry frowns, feeling a sense of unease wash over him. "Energy signature? What do you think it is?"
"I'm not entirely sure," Wells admits. "But whatever it is, it seems to be connected to the military's interest in Bette."
Barry's mind races as he tries to make sense of the situation. "So they're using her to power some kind of energy weapon?"
"It's certainly a possibility," Wells says, his eyes narrowing in thought. "But we need more information. We need to find out exactly what kind of energy signature this is and what it's capable of."
As they were talking, the metal fragment suddenly began to glow brighter and brighter. Barry quickly snatched it back from Wells and threw it away just in time, as a small explosion occurred where the fragment landed.
Barry stumbled back, shielding his face with his arm. When the smoke cleared, he saw that the pavement was now pitted and scorched, and Wells was lying on the ground, his coat smoldering.
"Wells!" Barry cried, running over to him. "Are you okay?"
Wells groaned and rolled over, coughing. "I'll be fine," he said, his voice weak. "Just a little singed. looks like we know why they're after her." He then gestures to a huge hole in the wall the metal fragment had left.
AN:
So I messed up and uploaded a draft version of a chapter in my story. My bad, guys. I know that's not what you were expecting, and I'm sorry for any confusion or disappointment it caused.
I'm working on improving my editing process to prevent any similar mistakes in the future, and I really appreciate your patience and understanding as I learn and grow as a writer.
Thanks for being awesome and sticking with me through the ups and downs of this creative journey. You guys rock, and I'll do my best to make it up to you in the next chapter!
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