Chapter 9: Going Rogue
The air in S.T.A.R. Labs was buzzing with a new kind of energy, a nervous anticipation. Reports of a highly sophisticated cold gun being used in a series of daring heists had put everyone on edge. Cisco was practically vibrating with excitement.
"Okay, so this guy's using a freeze ray!" Cisco exclaimed, gesturing wildly at a blurry security photo. "A freeze ray! This is like, comic book level villainy! What do we call him? Mr. Freeze? The Ice Man? Captain Cold?"
"Bingo, Cisco. You finally got one right on your own. Good for you, buddy." My internal monologue was a mix of dread and morbid fascination. Leonard Snart. Captain Cold. The first of the Rogues. This was where things got really interesting. And dangerous.
"Captain Cold," I said, my voice surprisingly serious. "That's the one. And that gun… it's not just a freeze ray, Cisco. It can slow down molecules to absolute zero. It can stop Barry. It's dangerous. Really dangerous."
Caitlin looked at me, her brow furrowed. "How do you know that, Adam? The police report just says 'cold gun'."
"Just a hunch," I shrugged, trying to appear casual. "But if you're going to fight a guy with a gun that can hit absolute zero, you need to think beyond just 'cold.' You need to think about how to counter absolute zero. And how to stop someone who's clearly a master strategist."
Wells, ever the astute observer, leaned forward. "Mr. Stiels raises a valid point. Cisco, we need to devise a countermeasure. Something that can withstand extreme cold."
Cisco, energized by the challenge, immediately started sketching. "Okay, so, a thermal dampener? Or maybe a kinetic energy shield? Something that can… not freeze!"
I subtly nudged him. "Think… molecular disruption. Or a specific frequency that can destabilize the cold field. And maybe something that can track him, even when he's trying to go off the grid. He's smart. He'll be thinking ahead."
Barry, meanwhile, was already out in the field, a red blur chasing down leads. He was fast, but Snart was cunning, always one step ahead.
The inevitable confrontation came at a diamond exchange. Snart, cool and calculating, stood amidst a shower of shattered glass, his cold gun gleaming. Barry zipped in, but Snart was ready, firing a blast that coated the ground in ice, making Barry skid and stumble.
"You're fast, Flash," Snart drawled, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. "But you're not cold enough."
I was positioned on a nearby rooftop, acting as an extra set of eyes, feeding intel to Barry. But then, Snart, with a flick of his wrist, aimed his cold gun not at Barry, but at a support beam holding up a section of the building where a few civilians were trapped.
"He's going to collapse the building!" Caitlin screamed over the comms.
Without thinking, I moved. It was pure instinct, a desperate lunge. I had to get to that beam, had to do something. But Snart, seeing my movement, shifted his aim. The cold gun swiveled, locking onto me.
"Well, well," Snart smirked, "what do we have here? A little hero in training? Let's see how you like being an ice sculpture."
A brilliant blue beam of absolute zero energy erupted from the gun, heading straight for me. There was no time to dodge. No time to think. Just the terrifying, bone-chilling cold rushing towards me.
[IMMINENT THREAT DETECTED. EXTREME COLD. ABSOLUTE ZERO. INSUFFICIENT THERMAL RESISTANCE.]
[ADAPTATION: ENHANCED COLD RESISTANCE. DOUBLING THREAT'S TEMPERATURE OUTPUT. ACTIVE.]
The Adapt System flared to life, a sudden, internal furnace igniting within me. The cold hit me like a physical wall, an agonizing, numbing shock that stole my breath. Ice crystals immediately began to form on my skin, creeping up my clothes, turning my hair brittle. I felt like I was being plunged into a vat of liquid nitrogen. But I didn't freeze. I didn't shatter. I stood there, shivering violently, my teeth chattering uncontrollably, but standing. The cold was excruciating, but my body was fighting back, generating an impossible internal heat, doubling its resistance to the absolute zero.
"Holy. Crap. This. Hurts. So. Much. But I'm not dead! Take that, popsicle man! You can't freeze what's already a block of ice… metaphorically speaking!"
Snart's eyes widened, a flicker of genuine surprise crossing his usually impassive face. "What in the world are you?" he muttered, clearly baffled. He fired again, a longer, more sustained blast. I swayed, my vision blurring, but I held my ground, a human ice statue, still breathing.
This momentary distraction, however, was all Barry needed. Cisco, having already implemented my "molecular disruption" idea into a small device, activated it. A high-frequency pulse hit Snart's gun, causing it to sputter and temporarily malfunction. Barry, seizing the opportunity, zipped in, disarming Snart and knocking him out.
[ADAPT SYSTEM: DEACTIVATED. EXTREME STAMINA DRAIN. RECOVERY INITIATED.]
The heat drained from me as quickly as it had come, leaving me with a profound, bone-deep chill. My legs gave out, and I collapsed onto the icy rooftop, shivering uncontrollably, my body spasming.
Caitlin was there in a flash, her face pale with horror. She immediately wrapped a thermal blanket around me, her hands frantically checking my vitals. "Adam! Oh my God, Adam! You're freezing! But… you're alive! How?!"
"Stubborn," I managed to gasp out, my teeth chattering so hard I could barely form words. "Very… very stubborn. And… good at… not dying."
Wells wheeled over, his gaze intense, almost predatory. "Dr. Snow, his core temperature is dangerously low, yet his cellular integrity is intact. This is… truly anomalous. Mr. Stiels, you are a walking enigma."
"It's my superpower," I mumbled, trying to force a smile. "Being an enigma. And also, apparently, being a human ice cube."
Caitlin, however, was not amused. Her scientific curiosity was warring with her fear. She pulled out her blood sample kit again. "Adam, I need another sample. This is beyond anything I've ever seen. We need to understand this. For your own safety."
Fine. More blood for the science gods. At this rate, I'm going to be a walking blood bank. I nodded weakly, shivering.
As she drew the blood, her touch was gentle, but her eyes held a new intensity. She was fascinated, yes, but also deeply, profoundly worried. This was no longer just a colleague; this was someone she cared about, someone who was constantly putting himself in harm's way, and surviving in ways that defied all logic. And that concern, more than any cold gun, sent a shiver down my spine.
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