When it comes to New Year’s resolutions, my track record isn’t the greatest. Last year, I resolved to get to work on time, but it’s hard not to hit snooze when you’ve been binge-watching Jane the Virgin until 3 a.m. The year before that was supposed to be the year of healthy eating, but then Big Belly Burger added deep-fried-mac-and-cheese-stuffed cheeseburgers to their lineup and you know I couldn’t say no to that! So when the ball dropped on 2016, I didn’t let the champagne bubbles go to my head. I kept my goal for this year a little more grounded. They say that charity is good for the soul, so I signed up to help out at an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Kids love me. How hard could it be?
Turns out, very. Now, I’m new at the whole “superhero” thing, but I think Vibe has already found his nemesis: a particularly malicious fifth-grader we’ll call “Joffrey 2.0.” From the moment I set foot in the building, this kid had it in for me – basketballs were thrown at my head, glue was left on my chair, and gum was stuck in my hair. This kid would give the Trickster a run for his money! At chow time, I decided to whip up a batch of Abuela Ramon’s Slap Yo Mama chili (patent pending). I threw the top secret ingredients into a vat and set it on the stove to simmer. My downfall was stepping away to help a girl with her homework. In the five minutes it took to explain how to solve for x, Joffrey 2.0 snuck into the kitchen and plugged in every electrical appliance there was, which overloaded the system and plunged the building into darkness.
I was not going to let my tactical error destroy dinner! The chili was out – it still needed to cook but without power it was getting chilly (no pun intended). I sent out an SOS to my boy Barry and he arrived within seconds with a towering stack of Coast City pies. The kids went wild – both because they were getting a pizza party and because it was hand-delivered by The Flash! While Barry kept them preoccupied, I ventured to the basement to try and reboot the power. Little did I know that Joffrey 2.0 was shadowing me. I think he intended to lock me in, but when I opened the breaker and begin working my Cisco magic, his intellectual curiosity got the better of him. He was fascinated by the concept of protons, electrons, and currents – there was a definite spark that went off in him (pun intended!) and it was all I could do to keep up with his onslaught of questions. Joffrey 2.0 (who, come to think of it, looked more like a Stark) was thrilled when I let him flip the switch and the power surged back to life. Back upstairs, he was hardly impressed by the Flash’s speed – he even told me, somewhat embarrassed, that he thought I was the real hero of the night!
Hartley stared at Cisco, looking quite confused and still in a lot of pain. Why was Cisco talking in Sign Language. And why was he asking if he was okay? Hartley couldn’t think with the squeal of his earpieces which were probably shattered. He dug his fingers into his ear canals, pinching the small wires on each sides and pulling them out, letting out some obscenities as the devices were removed, some blood dripping out as well. Hartley gritted his teeth as he looked at his lifelines that lay imploded in his hands and growled, angrily throwing them both on the ground and stalking away, punching a nearby tree and hissing as he shook his hand out. Hartley was not at all the outdoorsy or ‘punchy’ type nor was he built for it and it was quickly apparent that the nerd that Hartley was took back control. He could barely face Cisco, the pain of not having the earpieces only slightly less than having them in and broken. Finally, he sighed and set his jaw, turning to face Cisco again. “When did you learn ASL?” his hands asked, the fingers flying. “Have you known it since the beginning and just kept it to yourself so that you could know what I was thinking when I talked to myself? Harrison already used that information against me, don’t think you’re special.” The embarrassment of his entire situation; from the outburst to being back to being able to hear so much that he couldn’t filter anything useful; too much to not go back to being nasty. And here he was; in the middle of God knows where with Cisco.
Hartley’s chest was heaving as he backed up, running into the very tree that had probably at least bruised his knuckles and let out a grunt of frustration. “Don’t listen to what I just said. I can’t think. Don’t hate me.”
Cisco took a step back from the man as he released his frustration and anger. He winced when Hartley punched the tree, knowing that was definitely going to swell up, if not worse. “I learned when I first saw you use it. I recognized some of the words. But wanted to learn more about you, what you had to go through. We got off to a rocky start at the lab, and I just wanted to know you as you. I didn’t want our work to put a rock between us. It didn’t work though, you were gone before I could really show you. I can’t imagine not being able to hear. I don’t manipulate people like Harrison did.” It was like Cisco was speaking in broken english, but ASL. To him, it felt like he was making coherent sentences, but he wasn’t really sure.
“Fuck, Cisco. Where do you think you’re going? You’re going to be eaten by a bear,” he shouted after the man. “And I really can’t hear for shit right now so I don’t know what you just said to me.” He stumbled after the distressed man, tripping over the broken branches on the ground while still cradling his head.
Cisco had run off, not really caring if anyone would ever find him again. He wasn’t planning to go back to Central anytime soon or talk to anyone, for that matter. He was suprised when he heard Hartley’s voice get closer, and he could feel the anger bubbling inside him. No. He would not let these powers take control over him. HE was in control, at least for the time being. His beef was not with Hartley, therefore he would not take it out on him. Cisco stood from where he stood and walked up behind Hartley and tapped him on the shoulder. Once he turned around, Cisco balled his fist gently and rubbed it on his chest as he spoke. “Sorry. Are you okay?” He said as he pointed to the man and spelled OK with his fingers.
“Holy Shit!” Hartley let out, ducking automatically. “Jesus Christ, you’re a freak.” His eardrums actually still vibrating at such a high frequency that he wasn’t sure how loud he actually was speaking and the splitting pain was almost unbearable. Despite the pain, Hartley could help but be in awe of this new Cisco.
Cisco heard ‘freak’ and turned on his heels, running in the opposite direction from Hartley and into the woods. “I am not A FREAK!” Cisco yelled as he ran, memories flashing through his mind of his brother tossing names at him when he would tinker with things in his room. He wouldn’t be spoken to like that anymore.
“Yeah, it tends to do that.” Roy muttered under his breath. “You need help kicking back at it, you know where to find me.” He offered with a small shrug and smile. He was poor with words most times, and he had no place to preach to Cisco when he was wallowing himself. But channeling anger into something worthwhile was something Roy was familiar with.
“Yeah, totally. I might take you up on that later. I just wish things didn’t suck so much.” He shrugged, taking a long drink. Cisco was beginning to feel the affects of the alcohol in his system.
Something in Pamela’s heart foolishly ached at the too-brief smile on the man’s face. She was used to feeling pity for humans, for their futility, but not sympathy. “Isn’t that always the case? A knife in the back stings, but it is the betrayal that cripples us.”
“A hand through the chest is even worse.” Cisco laughed coldly. “I don’t recommend it.” He watched the woman, trying to remember where he saw her before. Was it in Jitters? At the lab? He had no idea.
Violet raised an eyebrow, sighing. “Fine, whatever, Cisco. I just want you to be happy.”
“And I want you to be happy.” He replied with a smile, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. “I’ll take off the jammer for your number, so text me if you need anything okay? I’ll be there in a heartbeat.”
“Oh, come on and just kiss me already. There’s only so much I can take with all of your teasing.”
Cisco took a few steps forward before turning to face Hartley. He ignored the comment, of course. Pushing it to the back of his mind, where all of the other feelings were repressed. His hands hovered at his sides, and he felt a surge of energy seconds before he stuck his hands out to his sides, and his head fell backwards as his back arched. A scream escaped his lips as vibrations were sent out, causing branches to fall off nearby trees and woodland creatures to scurry away.
Cisco backup 