Meta-human Science Versus the Barrier... take one WHO: Cisco Ramon and Martin Stein WHAT: Meta-human Science versus the barrier... take one WHEN: Recently WHY?: Because sometimes, there is more valor in trying and losing than in not trying at all. WARNINGS: None STATUS: Closed and Completed GDoc
Cisco had a fitful first night in his new apartment, he didn’t feel safe. He felt like he was being watched and monitored by everything all the time, and so when he showed up to meet the Professor he still looked haggard. Everything had been so crazy for them lately, he was sure this was just another round of crazy. He’d tied his hair back since he couldn’t make it agree with anything he was doing before other than bed head and pulled on a jacket as he headed out the door. He didn’t have anything to bring with him for the simple fact that there? He didn’t own anything.
He had nothing. No computers, no tech, no lab, and he hated it. It felt like being naked in public to Cisco. If this was a permanent thing, he’d have to do something about that. Cisco without tech was like Rocky without Bullwinkle. It was just wrong. He arrived at their designated meeting place and rubbed a bit of sleep from his eyes.
“You ready for this?” He asked his friend curiously, trying to sound more optimistic about it working than he felt.
---
“I am. Are you?” he set a large box of pizza down on the box he had brought and retreated to Cisco’s side. He squeezed Cisco’s shoulder. “It will be alright, one way or the other.”
He had faith in Mister Ramon’s abilities, and in what the man might do. And he hoped, for Cisco’s and others’ sakes, that this would work.
He had a sinking feeling it would not.
*** “Ready as I’ll ever be.” Cisco slipped the dark shades he always wore on over his eyes. They helped him to see the correct electromagnetic frequencies he needed to try to manipulate the dome. Only problem was, they were bouncing all over the place. Cisco couldn’t really get a lock on anything to even start to tear open a portal. It showed by the way his hand shifted all over the place as he tried to figure out exactly where to focus his energy.
“Bingo.” He said as after a moment all the energy signatures stood still. Cisco stretched it with his gloved hand for half a second. A tiny little sliver touched the dome and half a second passed where it seemed like there was hope. “Throw it!” He shouted over the wave of energy, dark hair waving about in the wind it caused. But the second the energy hit the dome, what he saw wasn’t a sliver-it was pushback. His own power was forced back on him, and the dark-haired meta was lifted off his feet and pushed down to the asphalt. ---
Observing the other man use his powers was always fascinating. He edged closer to be ready to support him and to throw the pizza, and he was ready when the man shouted for him to throw it.
He did so, and a moment later saw the other man hurled past him. He turned to look even as the pizza bounced and slapped into martin, side-on. He winced, and then looked for Cisco. Spotting him, he called out.
“Cisco!” Martin ran toward the man, checking him for damage and wounds.
*** Cisco would be sore later, but he wasn’t in any real critical condition. He groaned a bit and began to push himself upward. “M’fine, gonna have a massive headache later but..” He supposed this was why people didn’t escape. He reached down to pick up the dark shades he wore with a disappointed look on his face.
No real damage done, except to his pride. The jacket he wore took the brunt of the damage. It was a little crispy on some edges. He stood to brush out a bit of residue from his jacket and glanced back at the spot he’d tried to launch the portal in.
“Nice to know I’m a failure now in two worlds.” He’d brought Barry back only to have him be arrested and unable to find a shred of evidence that would free him from Iron Heights, and now this set back. He was unhappy.
--
“You’re not a failure, Cisco Ramon. Just because you cannot do what hundreds of others cannot do either.”
He eyed the dome. “And you know as well as I do that science rarely works the first time right. We need to sit you down and have you write down everything you can remember from this. Then modify the attempt, and try again.” Martin grinned at the man.
“Defeat once does not mean defeat forever.”
***
Cisco gave a faint smile at that response. Science was comforting, as were fellow scientists. He was glad Martin had been the one there with him. As much as he wanted to tell Barry what they were up to, he worried. What if he told him and Barry did something ridiculous to make things work? At least this way nobody really got that injured. Time didn’t get wibbly wobbly, it was just a ripple. A flop really.
Nothing anyone ever needed to know about. They could easily do that. Modify and try again.
“...Thank you.” His mood improved easily enough with the reassurance. If there was one thing Cisco was, it was resilient. He wouldn’t stay down and out too long. “I think I need something sweet. We should go find out what kind of pie this crappy town has. What do you say?” ---
“Anytime. I’ve faced countless defeats and gone on to do better. We can do that. Whether or not we succeed in the end, we will accumulate a lot of data.”
Martin chuckled and nodded. “Now that sounds like a good idea. And maybe some pizza.” he grinned as he looked around them, then nodded. They would be back. Yes, indeed.
***
And hey, for once Barry’s life wasn’t on the line so maybe for once, Cisco could just enjoy actual science again. At his core, he was a scientist. It just sucked it was at the expense of other people getting out of the dome, but they didn’t have to advertise it. It could be shared research and give Cisco something to sink his teeth into.
“Data is worth more than oil.” It would give him a sense of purpose he badly needed. “Didn’t you just eat one?” He shook his head with a bit of a laugh wondering if Stein had eaten that pizza he’d brought or it was just a box. Either way, he shrugged. “Pie and pie then. That’d be a great idea for a restaurant you know if this whole superhero crime-fighting thing doesn’t work out for us.”
---
Martin chuckled. “There are others here who feel so. We will find them. Perhaps more data, and more oil, will fuel the answer we need to get you, and others, home.” He nodded and clapped Cisco on the shoulder.
“Maybe someday, when we are truly old.” He chuckled and led the way back toward downtown.
They would eat, and think, and plan. This was, after all, only the beginning.