Radioactive {Barry Allen} [1]

Sides

"Barry Allen?" Cisco asked aloud, it was only him and Barry in the cortex.

"Yes?" Barry looked up from his work

"When are you going to ask Mackenzie Carter to be your girlfriend?" He asked

"Honestly, I'd like to soon but I have no idea. Every day there's something new to argue about" He sighed

"Well why don't you just stop arguing?" Cisco asked

"Because we're both stubborn" Barry sighed

"True" Caitlin added as she walked in, "Also very bad at making thought out decisions, the both of you are quite rash. And protective. Similar in many ways"

"Caittttttt help me! What do I do?" Barry whined

"Oh honey, hell if I know" She chuckled

«««««»»»»»

The day had been uneventful and finally, they all went home. Barry and Mack were the only ones left in the cortex.

"Barry?" Mack asked

"Yes'm?" He spun on his heel to face her

"Have you talked to Iris lately?" She asked. Barry let out a sigh.

"Why would you even ask me that?" He groaned

"Curiosity" She replied, slightly defensively.

"Mackenzie Elizabeth Carter?"

"Yes Bartholomew Henry Allen?" Mack rolled her eyes

"God your making this so hard today" He sighed

"I'm making what hard?" She knit her eyebrows together

"Mack?"

"Yes?" She replied, lifting an eyebrow. He was acting strangely.

Silence filled the air as the two stared at each other.

"Are you going to say something?" She asked impatiently.

Barry stared at her, then started laughing.

"Barry Allen, I'll punch you" She threatened, "What's so funny?"

"You" He smiled before leaning in to kiss her. Mack stopped Barry by putting her hands on his shoulders.

"I'm sorry" She winced quietly 

"What's wrong?" Barry frowned

"I just... I don't want to hurt you Barry" Mack said

"What does that mean?" He sounded hurt and it made Mackenzie's stomach tie up.

"No one who's sane has ever date me Barry" Mack chuckled slightly, "Besides, I don't really know if I'm in a great place right now with everything that I have going on with Endocryptus and... other stuff" Mack frowned

Silence. Mack looked directly at Barry. Basically begging him to say something.

"Why are you so afraid of letting people care about you? I really don't get it. You're not the terrible, dangerous person you make yourself out to be Mackenzie Carter. I see through all that" Barry said suddenly. Mack was surprised. Then angry at his words.

"Do you? You don't know what your talking about Barry. You don't know me" Mack turned defensive

"Stop it! Stop with the whole self-pity act! You're not helpless Mackenzie! You're so goddamn stubborn!" Barry yelled frustratedly

Silence.

Mack felt her vision blur, her eyes glow slightly, she couldn't control herself.

"Oh Barry, there's no need to yell" Her calmness made him uneasy, her stare was enough to make anyone drop dead.

"Mack?" Barry frowned. The air in the room suddenly felt heavier. She didn't seem right. She didn't seem like herself.

"You should probably leave now" Mackenzie blinked

"Why?" Barry asked hesitantly      

"I'm very capable of killing you Allen. So don't push it" She said through gritted teeth

Barry backed up against a wall as Mackenzie approached him. He felt the same thing he did when Mack had attacked him that night at her house. Fear. The fear he had forgotten the girl he loved so much could instill in him. Suddenly though, the blue glow in her eyes faded to gray, she stumbled backwards, took one last look at Barry, and was gone.

Mackenzie stumbled into her house and collapsed onto the floor, sputtering blood. She already knew who was waiting for her.

"W-What are you doing to me?!" She coughed

"Oh you don't get it? I thought the 'punch in the gut' analogy was quite clear. Oh well" The girl with glowing blue eyes and electricity running through her veins said as she looked down at her inferior. "Mackenzie I must ask us, why are you pushing me away? You're making me so weak!" She shouted

"Good!" Mackenzie yelled back "I don't need you and I don't want you so if you could just get out of my goddamn head!"

"Be careful what you wish for" She said softly as she leaned down to be face-to-face with Mack, who was coughing and sputtering on the floor. "You failed Mack. It's time you stopped playing hero darling, you aren't fit for such a role. A little bird told me you told your friends you were under some kind of government control when you killed all those people! You didn't tell them that you never worked for the government, you hacked it, then got caught, and tortured. Truly a failure. You were never out to avenge Even, you were just going crazy because you lost him. Because you were powerless, and damn do you love power. I think it's time you join the side you belong to, don't you? Aren't you tired of fighting me? Of fighting us? Come on Mackenzie. We have everything we need to jus-"

"You're not real" Mackenzie whispered as she squinted at the image

Mackenzie hated to admit it, but most of what the image was saying was true. The guilt of her brother's death, the powerlessness, hacking the government, running to StarCity, and the madness. Mackenzie had been dealing with herself for a long time. The other part of her, the one she lost on the bloodstained alleyway. The one that turned and took control when things escalated. The part of her that took over when she killed, simply to try and justify herself.

"Go away" She whispered, closing her eyes.

The image of her in full power was gone when she opened her eyes. Mackenzie was on her livingroom floor when she came to.

She simply stood, went into her bedroom and collapsed into sleep.