Only Because I Need You

Just Like A Circus

Caitlin was beyond bored. Her back ached as it leaned against the rocky and sharp outcrop that was the back of her cell. The darkness was wearing on her. She longed for the brilliant lights of her surgery table and that familiar blinding light that reflected off her tools. In all truth, she missed team Flash a heck of a lot more though. Her heart felt as though it was empty, there was nothing to distract her from the lonely hollowness that had been eating away at her since Ronnie's death. The tips of her fingers were frozen, not that it bothered her, but it was inconvenient. The man across from them had long since been moved further down the corridor, but to where exactly was unknown to her. She had long since lost track of time, but she must have been there for roughly a week. Her favourite spot was right in the corner of the cell where two jagged shards of rock stuck out from the wall and gave her a false sense of privacy. In all truth, she had no privacy, not since her next door neighbour could hear every move she made and was prone to snarky narration. She just wanted to go home, to her soft comfy bed and to her kind and supportive friends. The universe just loved to screw her over.

"Hello," a velvety voice pulled her from her thoughts and sent a cold shiver slithering down her spine. She snapped her eyes up, all she could make out was the frame of a man standing behind the bars. It was too dark too see much of him, but she could clearly make out his dark features and towering form. He radiated waves of power with his both casual and slightly formal attire. Heart throbbing and lungs heaving, she held her head high. She didn't reply, instead she stared up at him hoping he could feel her seething rage through her glare, "awe we do love feisty Metas," he chuckled, "that makes it so much more fun when they break," once more he was met with silence. The man let out a soft huff, "anyway... I'm Tate J. I run this place. It's a little late, but I thought I would tell you how to survive in here," he added, his voice was bouncy and full of cheer, "all you need to do is follow our orders and do as your are told," the silence that met him was deafening, "I am glad you understand, and one last thing before I go, here are my words of advice to you both," Caitlin glanced over in Ethan's direction but she could not make out his form in the darkness. "Ethan, all I can say to you is fight hard, and Caitlin, or Killer Frost. If you don't want to be hurt then only speak when you are spoken to," Caitlin violently clenched her teeth, biting down hard on her tongue. The corners of her vision were tinging red and her body began to quiver.

She didn't have much time to think of all the ways Killer Frost would hurt him or how he knew their names. Two armed guards marched past her cell and swung open the barred metal door to Ethan's. They gestured for him to stand, and with a complacent sigh Caitlin could see his silhouette rise from the shadows. He strolled over to them, the corners of his lips were curved downwards, "lets go," Tate barked and with that the guards led a suspiciously cooperative Ethan down the corridor and out her line of sight.

Savitar had never been one to shy away from a fight when push came to shove. He had fought countless of speedsters and countless of meta humans. He never tried to be too fancy about it, he fought dirty and that was what gave him an edge over all his previous opponents. Yet somehow he had a feeling he was not going to be able to fight dirty. He stood up tall, his shoulders back. If he hadn't know any better, he would have guessed he was in the Roman coliseum itself. He was in a massive ring for sure that stretched high up above his head for several tens of meters. But he couldn't see much past that as large and powerful lights shone mercilessly down on him. A large din of chattering voices and obnoxious shouting crashed over him from high above, yet he could see no people due to the blinding lights. He had just exited one of the large, gaping tunnels that were opposite one another in the arena. He felt like an ant in the bottom of a celebrations tin. He glanced down at the sand below him and gritted his teeth. Where the heck was he? A large metal dome of iron bars stretched high above the arena, but everything beyond that was shroud in darkness. His heart began to beat harder. He could only guess what was going to happen and he did not like it. His mind kept drifting back to a time when he was Barry and he had to fight the king of giant, super intelligent apes to save his team. He bit viciously down on his tongue. He couldn't spend time revelling in the past.

The metal gate on the far end let out a loud creak and slowly began to rise from its bed in the sand. The voices from above screamed louder and louder. He was tempted to press his hands over his ears, but he refrained from showing weakness, that could have been his downfall. A figure emerged from the pitch black of the opposite tunnel. It was slightly hunched over and seemed to be walking in no apparent direction. Savitar sucked in a breath, he could recognise that figure. She was the Jelly Lady. He scrunched up his eyebrows, had he forgotten about her? Yes, she had been the one who poisoned him with her venom. The corners of his lips tugged upwards, he wouldn't mind some revenge. He glanced back at his own tunnel, there were two guards holding small, black and boxy remotes glaring at him from behind the closed gate. Even if he wanted to, there was no escape.

The Jelly woman slowly staggered towards him with seemingly little intent for harm. He knew better. He suddenly felt a rush of energy course through his body, beginning from his right hand, making his hairs stand on end. A grin spread over his face, she didn't stand a chance. He sprang into action, lightning crackled over his skin and a familiar high filled his heart. He had been without his speed for too long. He ran around the arena once or twice in search for any weakness in its structure, but there was none. It built with almost no faults, the greyish stones seemed perfectly aligned in magnificent arches, but he was no architect. He skidded to a halt in front of the Jelly Woman, a wave of sand was kicked up from under his feet. The previously loud chatter had dimmed to a soft murmur. He felt power coursing through him. The Jelly Lady immediately lunged for him, her clear flesh rippled with the movement.

Savitar was behind her before she had even finished her pitiful swipe. Her entire back was exposed. He kicked her in the back with so much force that he was thrown back a few steps, and she was sent flying forwards, eating a face full of sand. Her back had let out a sickening crack, despite her having no visible bones. He tilted his head to the side and watched her body. Her fingers twitched occasionally, but aside from that she remained motionless. That is when the gates slowly began to rise once more and that familiar buzz of the speedforce was drained from his system. His lips tugged downwards. Despite just loosing it, he already missed his speed.

One of the guard's from his tunnel gestured emotionless for him to return to the darkness. He obliged, strolling back into he hole he came from. He knew that there was little point in resistance immediately, he could never escape. He just needed to gather intel, observe patterns and eventually make calculated risks. Breaking out of prisons had become a speciality of his over time, he had done it on numerous occasions as both Barry and Savitar.

The welcoming darkness shroud him as he entered the tunnel. One of the guards moved quickly, one walking in front of him, and the other behind. The metal clanging of the gate echoed through the tunnel. He let out a soft sigh and let his pace even with the guards. The grand tunnel led into a much smaller passageway that was lined with jagged rocks and held up with rickety wooden beams. The floor had been shabbily covered in wooden planks the obnoxiously creaked every time he stepped on them. Dust and dry air tickled his throat and nose. The passageway was dimly lit by flickering flames held by intricately designed torches. He observed every last inch of everything he could see without looking too suspicious. He kept his arms loose and by his side, but his shoulders were tensed together. They led him through maze like tunnels that looked identical to one another with their creaky floorboards and crackling torches that were alight on the walls. They led him up stair wells and past several open doors, but one room caught his interest. He could only see into it for a brief moment, but it was long enough to see a messy workshop of some kind. It's metal desk was littered with blue prints and designs, the wooden floor was barely visible. It reminded him a little of Cisco's desk. The same unnecessary clutter and lazy aura. A whoosh of heat rushed over him as he passed it.

It wasn't too long until he reached his conjoined cell. His neighbour was concealed by a layer of darkness, but even as he was locked in his cell by the guards, he could see her shadow shifting slightly. A small smile tugged at his lips. It wasn't fun being held captive, she was experiencing exactly what she had put him through. It was the perfect karma.