Enough

[run_barry]

Tony has Iris.

Hearing the news causes a terrible, anxious feeling in the pit of Barry's stomach. It also brings up a dauntless resolve to get her back.

CCPD is scrambling to help find the daughter of one of their own, and STAR Labs is on the case of tracking Tony and Iris down, but it's a pulled fire alarm at their old school that leads Barry in the suit to them.

When Barry arrives at Carmichael Elementary, Tony is crowing to Iris about the pending showdown with the authorities. He isn't expecting the Streak, and his aggravation over Barry's continued survival shows.

"You just won't stay dead," Tony growls, pushing Iris down behind himself and stepping in front of her. "Come to save your little fan girl?"

Barry doesn't miss the relief that shows in Iris's expression, or the fear underneath that.

"This is between us. Let her go," Barry says to Tony, voice vibrating as a cover to conceal his identity from Iris, but also with anger. He is beyond fed up with Tony, and when Tony stalks forward to start the fight, Barry is eager to engage.

Footwork. Footwork and motion. X drilled the concept into Barry and Barry uses it now, ducking and moving around Tony, trying to use speed as his advantage, putting to use everything he's been told up until now.

"Fighting is physics. It's not about strength. It's not about size. It's about energy and power."

Holding his own while Tony swings away.

"Control the fight with movement. With momentum. Movement is where you win. Stationary is for mountains."

Using his speed to get around the big man, never standing still.

"All it takes is one punch, but you gotta make it count."

Looking for his opening.

"I've known guys like you," Barry tells Tony, ducking under a swing, landing a punch on the tin man's side. "Peaked in high school, never got over it."

Barry slides around a hammerfist and shakes his head in disappointment.

"All these powers, and look at you! Bully then, bully now."

The words drive Tony mad, but it doesn't quite turn into the advantage that Barry is hoping for. Instead of distracting Tony, Barry only manages to infuriate the man. All it takes is one of Tony's blows landing to turn the fight against Barry, and soon he ends up on the losing side of a wrestling match.

Enraged and with hands on Barry, Tony throws Barry around the hallway. After being slammed around into lockers and the walls, Barry ends up on the ground, hurt and bloodied and looking up at Tony as he advances; grinding his metal fists together, ready to finish things.

Tony doesn't say it, but Barry still hears the refrain from the past ringing in his head.

"Looks like you were born to take a beating."

Close on the heels of those echoes are the words of advice from Joe.

"If you do come up against somebody you know you can't beat, be smart. It's okay to run the other way."

Swiping blood from his nose with his gloved hand, Barry knows what he has to do.

He runs.

Leaving the school and Tony and Iris behind, Barry races down the road. Cisco and Caitlin are chattering in his ear, but Barry ignores them, running along, increasing the distance before finally coming to a skidding stop some five miles away.

Breathing hard and hurting, but fierce with determination, Barry turns back around.

Enough is enough.

Setting his feet, drawing in a deep breath, Barry steels himself then takes off; back in the direction he just ran from.

Lightning crackles over him and rips behind him as he propels himself forward. The wind rushes past him, howling, building, struggling to get out of his way fast enough until it can't anymore and its defeat rings out in a sonic boom as Barry breaks past the sound barrier.

Cars on the street rock in his wake, glass shattering in the shockwave of his passing.

Legs churning, pushing faster past the brink, Barry bursts back into the school like a charged lightning bolt, fist drawn back as he flies at the stunned Tony Woodward.

Swinging with the full force of his supersonic run behind him, Barry's blow lands on Tony like a thunderclap; knocking the man out of his metal form and down to the ground.

Barry lands on the floor beside him, the feat taking its toll, while a short distance away Tony fumbles around, trying to get his legs back underneath himself.

Tony manages to stumble to his feet for just a moment and then suddenly Iris is there, delivering her own punch that finally KO's the metahuman titan.

On the ground with his back set against a line of lockers, Barry looks up at Iris in surprise and quite a bit of relief.

"Nice cross."

Standing over Tony Iris holds her hand, teeth grit together in a grimace. "Yeah, I think I broke my hand."

Given the agony in his own fist, and envisioning another stint with Caitlin's traction device in his future, Barry nods and groans out a pained reply.

"Oh, me too."

Still, he did it. He took Tony Woodward down.

[ooc: dialogue taken from 1.6]