[center][img]http://typophile.com/files/the-flash-2014-53786eca2610e_3456.png[/img][/center]

[center][color=gold][h2][i]Rise of the Rogues, Part II[/i][/h2][/color][/center]

[color=red][b][i][u]Gold City Bank:[/u][/i][/b][/color]

Barry couldn't move. The ice was cold. So cold that it felt like it was searing through his suit. Something told him that that wasn't good. That wasn't good at all. He frantically hit the ice in an attempt to break it, but to no avail. He had super speed, not super strength. Unless...

[color=#ee8606]"You heard him. Who the hell are you?"[/color] asked Snart's partner, the man with the green goggles.

Barry didn't answer as his arms began vibrating. If he could just get them going at the right speed, then maybe he could break free of the ice. 

[color=#00b5ff]"I asked you who you are, kid. What's your name?"[/color] said Snart, his gun trained on Barry. 

Barry stared the man in the eye, his gaze never shifting as he brought his hands down onto the ice. It cracked a little. Then a bit more. Then it broke, the frozen water flying in tiny shards, freeing Barry. He smirked.

[color=#ba1026]"The Flash."[/color]

Snart pulled the trigger. A beam of white spouted from the gun's barrel, coming straight towards Barry, fast. But Barry was faster, and he side-stepped the beam, moving close to Snart. His fist collided with the his cheek, sending Snart stumbling away. Behind Barry, Snart's partner pulled his own gun's trigger, and orange fire nearly burned Barry if not for a last-second dodge. Even as he moved away from the flame, the heat was near-unbearable. 

[color=#db953e]"Barry? What's going on in there?"[/color] asked Cisco, worried.

[color=#ba1026]"Not now, Cisco,"[/color] said Barry through gritted teeth. A white beam narrowly missed his shoulder.

Manoeuvring through the simultaneous bombardment of Snart and his partner's weapons, Barry was forced into defence, weaving his way towards them between twin streams of orange and white flame; hot and cold. Just as he reached Snart's partner, a familiar voice stopped him and the robbers in their tracks.

[color=#9f3419]"Everyone, FREEZE!"[/color] yelled Joe West, handgun drawn and aimed Barry's chest. Backing him up with guns of their own were about a dozen police officers.

Snart smiled. [i][color=#ba1026]What is he-- [/color][/i]

[color=#00b5ff]"With pleasure,"[/color] he said, taking aim at Barry's adoptive father. At his [i]adoptive father[/i].

[color=#ba1026]"NO!"[/color]
[center][b]*[/b][/center]
It all happened so fast, so fast that it should be impossible. Snart pulled the trigger. Ice streamed from the gun. The man in red yelled, turned into a blur. A split-second later, Snart was sprawled across the ground, the man in red standing over him. Mick Rory reacted, opened fire at the officers. Joe scrambled for cover. A red streak barged into the pyromaniac. Joe swore he saw blurred fists connecting with Rory's ribs before Snart hit the red man with his ice gun. A grunt of pain. The man in red turned to face Snart, started running at him. Rory's flames licked his shoulders, his arms. This time, a yelp of pain. Another beam of ice and the man in red was out of commission.

[color=#00b5ff]"Come on, Mick. Let's get out of here,"[/color] said Snart. Joe got out from cover, only to jump back behind it when Snart let loose a stream of ice. He was still on high alert.

The two burglars walked right past the police, bags full of money hanging over Rory's shoulder, Snart keeping his gun trained at Joe and his men. Today wasn't the day they'd get caught. 

[color=#9f3419]"Let them go,"[/color] ordered Joe, seeing one of his officers move to intercept. 

He turned to the man in the red suit. He was struggling to get up, but eventually he succeeded, standing with his back turned to the officers. He was breathing heavily, slightly hunched over, his fists clenched. He seemed to be in pain. Good. An opportunity. Joe pointed his gun at him and his men followed suit.

[color=#9f3419]"Don't move, or I'll shoot,"[/color] he warned. When the man staid still, Joe continued. [color=#9f3419]"Now turn around, slowly. Hands where I can see them."[/color]

The man turned his head over his shoulder, ever so slowly, and Joe tried to get a glimpse of his face, but to no avail. It was silhouetted by the shadows in the vault. Then, the man sped out of the vault in a trail of red and lightning, the air sizzling all around him. Joe reactively fired off shots at him. But he was already gone.

[center][b]*[/b][/center]
[color=red][b][u][i]STAR Labs[/i][/u][/b][/color]

[color=#ba1026]"Ow."[/color]

[color=#db953e]"I'm almost done, man. Just have to wrap it around and - there. Done."[/color]

Barry glanced at the dressing that now covered the burn on his arm. It was well done, and he once again found himself thankful that Cisco had agreed to help him with business as the Flash. He was invaluable. The two were currently inside STAR Labs' janitor's closet. Cisco was in the middle of work, and he was sure that his co-workers would raise an eyebrow if they saw him patching up a nineteen year-old in a friction resistant suit, so they agreed that doing so in the janitor's closet would be the best course of action. Although, now that Barry thought about it, Cisco's co-workers would raise even more eyebrows if they discovered him patching Barry up in the closet, but that was the least of their worries at the moment.

[color=#db953e]"You have a bunch of other burns from ice and fire, but there's nothing much else I can do. We just have to let your healing factor do the rest."[/color]

[color=#ba1026]"Okay."[/color]

[color=#db953e]"So who were those guys? Are they metahumans, too?"[/color]

[color=#ba1026]"No, no... Not metahumans. But I [i]still[/i] got my ass kicked. It was some guy called Leonard Snart, and his partner, Mick. They had these weird guns... Snart shot ice out of his, and Mick's was like a flamethrower."[/color]

[color=#db953e]"Woah... that is [i]so cool![/i] I wonder how they work... I mean, a flamethrower's simple enough, but the ice gun... man, do you think Snart built it? He has [i]got[/i] to give me the blueprints!"[/color]

Barry didn't speak. He just stared at Cisco in disbelief. 

[color=#db953e]"Or... he could just destroy the gun and the blueprints along with it. That's cool too."[/color]

[color=#ba1026]"Don't get ahead of yourself, Cisco. I need to catch these guys first. They're still out there, probably planning their next heist. I'm going to ask Joe what he knows about them. He should be able to help."[/color]

Cisco's eyebrows turned upwards in doubt. [color=#db953e]"No offence, man, but I don't think that that's a very good idea. Didn't you say he shot at you? [i]After[/i] you saved him?"[/color]

[color=#ba1026]"No. He shot at the Flash. He might not like that guy, but he'll help Barry Allen out."[/color]

A brief, awkward silence followed as Cisco tried to wrap his head around what Barry just said.

[color=#db953e]"Please don't make this third-person thing a habit."[/color]

[color=#ba1026]"I'll try."[/color]
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[b][u][i][color=red]Somewhere in Central City...[/color][/i][/u][/b]

Leonard Snart stood in front of the round wooden table, facing Mick Rory, his arms folded. They were in their hideout; nothing flashy, nothing obvious, just an apartment in a shady part of town. Mick had a smug smirk on his face. He was still going on about that fast kid they had encountered and beaten earlier in the bank, much to Leonard's chagrin.

[color=#ee8606]"He was pretty freaky, eh, Snart?"[/color]

Leonard sighed. [color=00b5ff]"Not especially, no. He was obviously a rookie, Mick. He had no knowledge of what he was doing,"[/color] he said, [color=#00b5ff]"Next time, he'll be ready for us and for our guns, but I highly doubt that he'll handle the situation any better than before."[/color]

Mick's smirk widened into a smile. At Leonard's guess, it was probably because he heard him say "next time".

[color=#ee8606]"And where will our next heist be, exactly?"[/color]

Leonard reached into his jacket pocket and took out a series of building plans, laying them out on the table. [color=#00b5ff]"Central City National Bank."[/color]

Mick's smile grew even larger, from ear to ear.

[color=#ee8606]"Finally,"[/color] he said, [color=#ee8606]"A challenge."[/color]