Richard A. Knaak - The Flash: Climate Changeling

Contents

CLIMATE

CHANGELING

ALSO AVAILABLE FROM TITAN BOOKS:

FLASH: THE HAUNTING OF BARRY ALLEN

by Clay and Susan Griffith

ARROW: GENERATION OF VIPERS

by Clay and Susan Griffith

ARROW: VENGEANCE

by Oscar Balderrama and Lauren Certo

ARROW: FATAL LEGACIES

by Marc Guggenheim and James R. Tuck

GOTHAM: DAWN OF DARKNESS

by Jason Starr

GOTHAM: CITY OF MONSTERS

by Jason Starr

CLIMATE

CHANGELING

R ICHARD K NAAK

S ERIES DEVELOPED BY G REG B ERLANTI ,

A NDREW K REISBERG, AND G EOFF J OHNS

TITAN BOOKS

THE FLASH: CLIMATE CHANGELING

Print edition ISBN: 9781785651434

E-book edition ISBN: 9781785651441

Published by Titan Books

A division of Titan Publishing Group Ltd

144 Southwark St, London SE1 0UP

First edition: August 2018

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

Copyright 2018 DC Comics.

FLASH and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and DC Comics.

WB SHIELD TM & Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s18)

TIBO40872

Visit our website: www.titanbooks.com

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library

CLIMATE

CHANGELING

Thunder rolled, shaking S.T.A.R. Labs and making Cisco Ramon tightly grip the arms of his chair. The lights flickered and the screen he had been staring at for the better part of an hour dimmed. Cisco swore under his breath in Spanish, then relaxed when the weather settled down for the moment. Rubbing his hands through his dark, shoulder-length hair, he began looking over the system.

How are we looking, Cisco? came Barrys voice over the com link. Just give me a location and Ill force his hand!

All systems are go, Cisco replied in a much more confident voice. Got every city Wi-Fi hotspot monitored, all 4G and 5G tapped, and Ive even hooked into Photogram in case he tries to pass things through there! He leaned back, put his hands behind his head and grinned. All we need to do now is wait for you to drive Snapshot into using his phone! Riggedor not, itll run through one of those! Cisco looked back. Wheres Caitlin, H.R.? She wont want to miss this! It was her who caught on to him using his phone to pass on an imprint of his mind so he could control his victims!

She mentioned something about a headache; said shed be right back.

Good! Shell want to be here, especially after what he tried to do to her friend Darla.

As Cisco momentarily shut off communications, thunder shook the building again. Cisco let out another quiet oath.

I wasnt aware you were afraid of storms, H.R. commented companionably from the table to Ciscos left. The thin, middle-aged man grinned sympathetically then took a sip from his coffee mug before adding, You know, they say it does wonders to talk these things out. Now, Im no psychiatristat least not on this world or the one I came frombut Im definitely a good listener and could maybe still give you some suggestions

Leaning forward again, Cisco double-checked the system to make certain everything was running properly. Without glancing at H.R., he replied, Not the storm, not exactly. Usually, they dont bother me. Just when they get a little wild like this one. Cisco tapped another button. Yep. All systems perfect. Sometimes I even impress myself, which I have to tell you is getting harder and harder with all my illustrious achievements!

Sometimes? H.R. returned, with a look offalse shock. Setting the mug down, he tried to look knowledgeable, something from which his very casual shirt and jeans detracted. Despite the twenty-plus-year age difference, it was Cisco who was in charge when the pair were alone: it was Cisco who knew S.T.A.R. Labs as if he had built it himself, not H.R., who merely wore the identical faceand bodyto the man who had actually created the futuristic facility.

They were joined by a smartly dressed attractive young African-American woman with long dark hair who currently had her cell phone pressed against her ear. She nodded, then said, Great, Dad. Ill let them know. Hanging up, she told the others, Dads got the truck set up. Hes given me the coordinates. If Barry gets Snapshot, the trucks ready to secure him, thanks in part to the equipment we provided.

Cool! Great, Iris! Cisco replied. Thats the last piece. Were ready.

Hows Barry doing?

All set. Grab some popcorn and take a seat!

Let me see, H.R. murmured, still caught up in his conversation with Cisco. A storm. Lightning. Thunder. Rain. It was a dark and stormy night

Cisco gave him a look. Really?

Sorry. As a writer I couldnt pass that up. H.R.s brow furrowed. Damn it! I am dense. Now I know whats bothering you! Mark Mardon! The Weather Wizard!

As if in response, yet another round of thunder nearly deafened the pair. The power remained constantbut Ciscos brief scowl did not go unnoticed.

It is Mardon. Hes still safely locked up in Iron Heights, isnt he?

Iris suddenly looked anxious. Hes still there, right?

Of course he is I think he is Let me check Just to be sure. Cisco tapped a finger on the desk, then returned to the console. Typing in a few words, he waited. With a bit more relief in his voice than he realizedbut that H.R. noted with a frownhe replied, Yep! Still safe and secure! Guess it paid to make sure the prison got some of that marvelous tech I used to create the Wizards Wand. Right now Prisoner Mark Mardon is slumbering away the storm. Hmph! Figures he could sleep through this.

Thank goodness! Iris smiled as she relaxed.

H.R. took up his mug again. So, thats that fear dealt with! Maybe I missed my calling! I must be a psychiatrist or psychologist or maybe a talk show host on some Earth!

Or just plain nosy on most, Cisco quipped. Dismissing the prison directory, which he did not mention he had broken through top-level security in a matter of seconds to breach, Cisco returned to the task of updating the labs systems. Considering what weve faced over the last few years, we should all be basket cases. Each time I think weve seen every power a metahuman could possibly have, a new one pops up! He typed in a few brief corrections to theprogram he had been studying. Course, if not new ones, the worst ones seem to repeat. Like Mardon and his brother. Never seems to end.