Carrie Allen is the Flash

Power Outage

The blaring of the alarm dragged her out of her sleep. She blinked blearily as she rolled over and looked at the alarm clock that read 9:20.

"Oh no!"

Eyes wide in horror, she bolted out of the bed at super-speed, blurring around the room to remake her bed and strip out of her night gown, before swiftly dressing in the clothes she had laid out the night before. Rushing into the bathroom, she brushed and flossed her teeth before running a brush through her hair.

Not like it helped much.

Urgh.

At least she kept a brush in her satchel, she could fix her hair later.

And like that she was out the door and hurrying to Jitters for her coffee. And found the line backed up to the door. Her shoulders slumped in dismay as she watched the young man behind the counter fumbling with making orders.

"Why do they let the new guy train during the morning rush?" the woman ahead of her sighed in disapproval.

Carrie nibbled on her lower lip as she eyed the line and the overwhelmed young man behind the counter.

...oh what the hell.

In a blur, she was behind the counter, assisting the young man while moving too rapidly to really be seen. She'd worked with Iris during summer breaks in college, so she knew her way around behind the counter. She rushed out from behind the counter, putting drinks in everyone's hands and leaving the exact change for the coffees in the tip jar.

There was a surprised murmuring as people looked at the coffees in their hand in shock. She exchanged a wide-eyed look with the woman ahead of her.

Enough time wasted dawdling, she had to get to STAR Labs, she was already late!

Coming out the door, she was hurrying at a perfectly normal pace away from Jitters when a man came up behind her, slamming a hand on her shoulder and sticking what distinctly felt like a gun in her ribs.

"Don't try nothin'," he hissed in her ear, guiding her from the sidewalk and into the alleyway.

She was shoved into the wall, the gun he aimed at her was held up and high. What did he do, watch rap videos to learn how to handle a gun? "Gimme the bag and you can walk away."

Carrie made a disgusted noise at him while setting her coffee aside. "If there was an Olympics for bad luck and stupidity, you wouldn't just get a medal – you'd have Micheal Phelps-ed."

"What?" He blinked in surprise when she suddenly vanished in a blur.

Carrie was feeling a touch vindictive at the man who had made her even later for her time at STAR Labs, stripping him down to his undershirt and boxers before grabbing a patrol officer and dropping him off beside the man. As the cop tried to figure out what the hell just happened, she resumed her place at the wall, picking up her coffee and clutching it to her.

With the biggest wide-eyed look she could manage, she met the patrolman's eyes. "Oh thank God! I...I think this guy is high and he was trying to rob me and--"

And of course they had to go down to the department. Thankfully she had the presence of mind to text Cisco to let them know she'd be running late.

One filed police report later and her coffee was gone.

----

They were waiting for her when she arrived in the Cortex in a blur of speed. She sagged against the door frame. "I'm so sorry, you won't believe it - someone tried to mug me. Again! That police report took forever."