The city lights flickered back to life in uneven patches as Barry and Kara touched down near CatCo Tower. Smoke curled from a shattered window on one of the upper floors. Sirens wailed in the distance. Barry could already hear the chaos inside—crackling electricity and a high-pitched wail that rattled glass.
Kara's jaw tightened. "That's them. Livewire and Silver Banshee. They're after Cat. Again."
Barry nodded, cowl up, lightning flickering faintly around his shoulders. He didn't need to say he'd seen versions of this fight before. He just fell in step beside her as they blurred toward the building. "Then let's not keep them waiting."
They burst through the lobby doors. Livewire floated near the elevators, blue-white arcs of electricity dancing across her skin, while Silver Banshee hovered beside her, silver hair whipping like it had a mind of its own. Cat Grant stood behind a flipped desk with a few terrified employees, refusing to run.
"Supergirl," Livewire snarled, voice distorted with static. "Brought a little speedster pet this time?"
Silver Banshee's eyes glowed. "Doesn't matter. You both die tonight."
The fight exploded.
Livewire unleashed a bolt of lightning straight at Kara. Barry was already moving. He flashed in front of her, caught the bolt on his palm, and spun, redirecting it harmlessly into the ceiling with a crack of thunder. The power felt different this time—stronger, steadier. Being near Kara, under the same sun that fed her, made the energy hum deeper in his veins. He didn't question it. He used it.
"Nice try," he called out. "But I've danced with worse."
Kara launched upward, smashing through a desk Livewire hurled at her. She drove a fist into the electrical villain's side, sending her crashing through a glass partition. Silver Banshee screamed in response—a focused sonic wave that shattered windows and sent Kara tumbling back.
Barry blurred. He scooped Kara mid-fall, set her down gently, then turned on Banshee. "Hey, loudmouth. Try that on someone who can actually hear you coming."
He dashed in a wide circle, creating a vortex of air that disrupted the scream's path. Silver Banshee staggered, but Livewire recovered fast, blasting electricity across the floor. The blast caught a group of trapped employees near the stairwell.
Barry didn't hesitate. Time slowed in his perception. He zipped through the room in a streak of red and yellow, grabbing each person one by one—six in total—and depositing them safely on the street outside in under three seconds. A woman gasped as he set her down. "What the—"
"Stay back," he said quickly, already gone again.
Back inside, Kara was trading blows with Livewire while Silver Banshee targeted Cat directly. The banshee's scream lifted the desk like a toy and hurled it toward the media mogul. Kara intercepted it, shattering the wood with her shoulder, but the effort left her open. Livewire hit her with a sustained electrical blast that sent sparks flying across her suit.
Barry reappeared in a flash. He grabbed Livewire's arm, phasing her slightly out of sync so the electricity arced harmlessly into the floor instead of Kara. "You know, for someone made of pure power, you hit like you're still mad about your old radio gig."
Livewire snarled and tried to shock him at point-blank range. Barry just grinned under the cowl and absorbed the hit, the solar-fed energy in his system turning the electricity into fuel. He felt it surge through him—stronger than usual, like Kara's presence was amplifying everything. He channeled it back in a controlled burst that knocked Livewire across the room.
Silver Banshee shrieked again, this time a wide-area wave meant to bring the whole floor down. Kara shielded Cat while Barry created a Still Force wall that absorbed most of the impact. Cracks spiderwebbed across the barrier, but it held.
"Nice scream," Barry quipped, shaking out his arm. "Ever think about taking it to a concert instead? Less property damage."
The villains regrouped. Livewire and Silver Banshee combined their powers—electricity wrapped around sonic waves, turning the air into a deadly storm. Kara powered through it, flying straight at them, while Barry circled behind. He evacuated two more civilians who'd been hiding behind a pillar, moving them to safety in blinks.
Kara slammed into Livewire, driving her through a wall. Barry took Silver Banshee head-on, dodging screams with precise speed bursts and landing rapid strikes that disrupted her balance. He wasn't playing around. He'd faced armies. This was just Tuesday.
The fight spilled onto the street. Livewire blasted transformers, plunging blocks into darkness. Silver Banshee shattered car windows and sent shards flying like knives. Barry and Kara moved in sync now—him handling crowd control and precision hits, her delivering raw power.
At one point, a bus full of people stalled in the crossfire. Barry was there in an instant, lifting the entire vehicle and carrying it two blocks away before the villains could react. He set it down gently. "Everybody out. Nice and calm."
Back at the fight, Kara was holding Livewire in a grapple while Silver Banshee prepared another scream. Barry flashed between them, delivered a Strength Force-enhanced punch to Banshee that sent her crashing into a parked car, then helped Kara pin Livewire.
"Enough," Kara said firmly.
With the villains momentarily stunned, Barry and Kara worked together to bind them—Barry phasing restraints into place, Kara holding them down. The DEO arrived moments later to take them into custody.
As the dust settled, Cat Grant walked out, brushing glass from her jacket like it was lint. "Not bad, you two. Try not to destroy my building next time."
Barry chuckled. "We'll work on that."
Kara looked at him, a small smile breaking through the exhaustion. "You didn't have to stay and help. But I'm glad you did."
He shrugged, lightning still flickering faintly around his shoulders. "Seemed like the right thing to do."
They stood together as emergency crews moved in, the city slowly returning to order. Barry felt the weight of the day, but also something lighter. A connection. For the first time in a while, fighting side by side didn't feel lonely.
The night wasn't over yet, but for now, National City was safe.