Actions

Work Header

Think Fast, Stay Cool

Chapter 12: The Law of Karma

Summary:

Mind Muse makes multiple mistakes.

Notes:

Hi everyone! I know I am coming back to this story after literal AGES, so I apologize for that. For those of you who are new (and see the new publishing date) allow me to explain.
I started writing this fic back in 2016.
That about sums up my betrayal. But if any of you would like the full explanation, you can read the end note.
Thanks so much for all of the continued support, I really only came back because people kept digging through the fics and somehow finding this one and liking it. So thank you all - to everyone that opened up this fic, to everyone that commented or left kudos - you guys are the real heroes here. Thanks.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Mind Muse was operating normally - or as normally as one could, when one was a hero patrolling the streets. Her mind and eyes were open, she felt as if she was growing more and more attuned to the city.

Which was why she could tell that something was off.

A massively strong, but archaic mind had been moving invisibly among the people. It had been three days, and she still hadn’t managed to find the source.

Perhaps that was because she’d been busy. As she’d mentioned to Cisco Ramon, she was responding to mere thoughts of desperations, silent pleas for help. And in a city this large, there were plenty to go around. The archaic mind had fallen to the wayside. While it thought dark things, it hadn’t acted on them, so far as she could tell. For now, it wasn’t a priority unless she somehow managed to locate it.

A streak of red and gold appeared three streets away, moving fast.

Mind Muse’s spirits lifted. The Flash! It was the first time she’d seen him since - well, since the other speedster.

In an instant, she was following, teleporting from rooftop to rooftop in order to keep up with him. She kept her distance though, more out of principle than anything else. If he needed help, she would be there, but it wasn’t as if they were teammates.

He’s headed straight for the angry consciousness, she realized, and her heart sank. What if he’s not up for the task? After all, Cisco had said he needed time to heal, hadn’t he? Actually, Cisco had said ‘two weeks’, but she’d taken that estimate with a grain of salt. He couldn’t be back at full power yet, could he?

For his sake, she hoped he was.

That consciousness - that angry mind - screamed of danger.

MindMuse stopped her chain of teleportations less than half a mile from the thing, and watched the red and gold streak blaze on. Then she checked the display on the arm of her suit. It was functioning perfectly, the readouts said, but she clicked through a few settings before she was satisfied with it.

Now, her cameras were on.

Normally, they were a waste of power and data, because it wasn’t as if she had a team to analyze footage or direct her based on visuals. But she wanted to be able to review whatever happened here.

Quickly, she covered the display on her arm, and then she made small jumps, closer and closer, until-

No way.

She watches as The Flash faces off with a massive sentient gorilla in absolute shock. What the hell? Since when were massive sentinet gorillas a thing?

Even more interesting, the Gorilla has a name - Grodd, and seems to know Team Flash well. She can’t pick up some of the audio, but she has to admire the woman that steps up to speak with Grodd.

And then, in a matter of minutes, The Gorilla is gone. Sucked through a portal that is clearly the work of Cisco Ramon. She shivers. Why can’t things just make sense? Why can’t things be simple, normal, easy? She can handle that. She does not want to think about portals and interdimensional gorillas.
But one important thing had been made clear - The Flash is back.

She shakes her head. Damn it. Okay, not damn it about The Flash being back - that’s the best news she’d heard in a while - but now Mardon is a problem. She’d taken a calculated risk giving him Snart’s ring. She should have just waited. Now Mardon was going to try and break Cold out of Iron Heights, and it wouldn’t be worth it.

Shit.

Well, she’d made this mess herself, maybe she could clean it up, too. The only question was - how did you convince a criminal not to convince a crime that you had inspired them to commit?

 

Mark Mardon was ready as soon as the woman appeared in the room. The temperature dropped rapidly, ice began to form on the windows. He didn’t move from the desk, where he was pouring over stacks of blueprints and spreadsheets.

Mind Muse shivered. “Cut the crap, Mardon. I’m here to give you a warning.”

“And I’m not inclined to hear it, Muse” he snapped as the temperature continued to drop.

“Too bad.” She crossed her arms and tried to look like the chill wasn’t getting to her. “You’re going to need to stay out of Central City.”

He spun to face her, grinning. He held up the ring. “Too late for that. What changed your mind, pretty thing?”

Mind Muse clenched her jaw. “I don’t need Snart out of prison, anymore, and I don’t want you in my city without good reason.”

Mardon laughed. “Your city? And what, you expect me to follow your advice? Shove it, Muse. Anyway, I have a good reason to be in your city."

Mind Muse let her voice drop into the most fear-instilling pitch she possessed. “Stay out of my city, Mardon.”

While he couldn’t help feeling the fear she’d forced into him, it only made him angrier. His expression grew dangerous. With a twitch of his fingers, a gust of wind shattered the window, and an icy breeze swept through the room. “I’ve had enough, Muse.”

She let out a snort of derision. “Don’t even try it Mardon.”

Mardon’s grin turned savage. “What do I have to lose?” He spread his hands wide, ice swirling into existence at his fingertips.

Immediately, Mind Muse drew on her powers, shifting her vibration in order to teleport out of the criminal’s lair. But there was a bright flash of violet, and then she felt drained, like a rubber band that had snapped back. She didn’t - somehow she didn’t have enough energy. Sharply, she looked at Mardon. “What did you do?” she growled, balling her fists and raising them into a ready position.

“I’ve made it just cold enough that you can’t get out, sweetheart. You need to vibrate at a certain frequency, right? Well right now, you’re too cold for that. So thanks for the chat. And the warning. But you’re mine, now.”

Mind Muse clenched her fists. “I’m not that easy a catch, Mardon.” Concentrating, she focused on the reflectors hidden in her cells. In an instant, she was invisible.

Mardon looked around, confusion plain on his face. She judged the distance between herself, Mardon, and the door to the office. DAmn it. She’d make too much noise if she went for it straight off.

Using Mardon’s moment of confusion, she leapt forward, kicking him back into the desk and slamming his head down onto the stack of papers.

Mardon clawed at her, then regained his senses and thrashed wildly, throwing his arm into her side and shoving her off of him. He balled his fist, then trust his hands out at his invisible attacker.

The wind threw her back, off the desk and off her feet. She slammed into the wall and fell with an involuntary groan. Shit.

Mardon swiped the blood from his lip and made his way to where she had fallen. What with the person-sized dent in the wall, it didn’t matter whether she was invisible or not.

Quickly, Mind Muse regained her feet and reached for the hip-holsters of her suit, drawing out two short fighting sticks. As she gasped out a breath, she saw it form a small cloud in front of her. Damn him and his weather powers!

He stood back and smiled at her, a sphere of solid ice forming in each of his hands.

She held her breath and tried to inch to the right.

Without warning, one of the ice spheres leapt forward from Mardon’s hand, streaking towards her.

Even moving as fast as she could, she barely knocked it out of the air with one of the fighting sticks, and she leapt out of the way of the second blast.

Mardon scowled as he saw the ice shatter harmlessly against the floor and walls.

In his momentary pause of disappointment, Mind Muse sprinted for the door, sliding under the desk and flipping it as she emerged on the other side.

He cursed and fired the newest ice sphere wildly, clipping Mind Muse’s shoulder and sending her to her knees. Her breath heaved out in a cloud of steam.

“Got you.” He growled.

She sprang for the door, and got it halfway open before the next sphere hit her solidly in the back. She stumbled through it, the heat from the other room washing over her.

Behind her, Mardon, truly enraged, called down a bolt of lightning, drawing it into his hand before he hurled it into the seemingly empty space in front of him.

There was a brilliant flash of violet light. When it was gone, the lightning bolt had dissipated.

Mardon slammed his fist into the doorframe, his expression blackening. “Next time, Mind Muse,” he snarled “You’re dead.”

 

Back in her apartment, Mind Muse hit the floor bodily. His lightning bolt hadn’t missed, she thought dazedly. Oh God, he hadn’t missed. Quietly, everything faded to black.

Notes:

Okay, full disclosure time.
Back in 2016, I posted chapter 11. Very soon after that, one of my closest friends died. In the upheaval that followed, I completely forgot that I had started this project at all. I changed a lot that summer. Still, it was a full six months before I realized that I had abandoned this fic (and all of it's readers). And at that point I was just...too guilty about it to show my face?
I was so guilty that for years, I let this fic be this annoying little unfinished project in the back of my head - in fact, I didn't post some other fanfics here because I knew people would wonder what had happened to this project.
But now I'm finally done running away, because you incredible people have somehow still given me love after an almost two-year unplanned hiatus. And that means a lot.
Once again, thank you.

If you have any questions, comments, complaints ect. about this work, please leave it below. I actually love constructive criticism, so fire away. I'd also love feedback on if anything in this fic seems out of place, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on how involved Mind Muse and Harmony should be in this fic as I move forward.