Iris storms out of STAR Labs, furiously typing CCPN's address into her Uber app. Her feud with Cisco was getting out of hand: this is the fifth time in two weeks that she's walked out on a debate with him regarding searching for Barry.
Today's fight was particularly vicious. Cisco presented a preposition to the team that they attempt to find Barry because he and Wally could barely manage to protect the city streets on their own. Iris knew that was only part of why Cisco wanted Barry back. She can tell Barry's absence has taken an emotional toll on him too. Like her, he's had a difficult year with Dante's death and the risk of Caitlin's betrayal. If there was a possibility he could bring one of his dearest friends back, Cisco would do it in a heartbeat.
But Iris had to look out for herself before she looked out for Cisco, and looking out for herself meant refusing to explore the chance that Barry was no longer alive. She didn't divulge that to the team though when explaining her rebuttal. Instead she reminded them that Barry wanted them to move forward, and that they should honor Barry's wish, considering he sacrificed himself for their safety.
Cisco refused to back down this time however, and seemed to finally snap after weeks of Iris shutting him down.
"What is your deal?" he had shouted at her. "It's like you don't even want him back!"
He had gone too far, everyone in the room knew it too, judging by Wally's "Cisco!" and the raise of Joe's eyebrows. At first she thought it better to not even dignify that with a response, but she was too indignant not to retaliate.
"I think maybe I hold more authority over you on a decision like this," she declares coolly. "I was Barry's family long before he knew you, and I'm still Barry's family now."
She knows it's a selfish thing to say, but Cisco's accusation was such an insult she couldn't ignore it. To suggest that she didn't want the man she loved more than anything back safely in her arms? The man she was engaged to marry? The man she was ready to share all of herself with? Did he know that she couldn't even bring herself to sleep on the sheets they made love in for the last time? That she cried herself to sleep on more evenings than she didn't? That on some nights, when the pain was too insufferable, she would kneel by the window, stare up into the sky foolishly, and actually beg Barry to come back? Just last night had been one of those intolerable nights.
She's fuming all the way on the ride to CCPN and hopes no one crosses her at work, or even asks how she's doing sympathetically like they've done routinely for the last six months. She just doesn't want the reminder that she's lonely and Barry's gone right now.
The newsroom is busier than typical today, which she's grateful for. No one says anything to her as she makes her way to her desk, slowly unpacks her belongings. Her phone rings, but when she sees that it's her dad, she sends the call to voicemail. She doesn't need a lecture right now.
"West!" Scott calls out to her before pacing over to her desk.
She groans internally, but otherwise doesn't give any indication that she's less-than-thrilled to see her boss. It was common Picture News knowledge that Scott favored Iris, and his bias is completely outside of him asking her out last year. He, and everyone else for that matter, is well aware that Iris's articles receive the most hits, the best feedback, and sometimes generate the greatest controversy out of the work of all the senior reporters. While Iris is proud of that reputation, it also meant that Scott wanted to exploit her esteem as much as possible, even if it was to give her a dull assignment.
He was absurdly competitive too when it came to being the first to report something before other news outlets, no matter how minuscule it might be. Iris always felt like quality and accuracy should take precedence over how quickly a story was published, but clearly, Scott didn't prioritize the same things.
"The Gazette's on fire today, we have to catch up!" he pushes.
"Hello to you too," Iris mutters under her breath. Her phone sounds again and she silences it, turning it face-down.
"I want you to look into those protests Central City County Hospital organized," Scott instructs. "About the blow to the birth control mandate. They reached out to us for press coverage."
"Alright, I'm on it," she grumbles, not really feeling up to any work today.
After rambling about how the general pace of the newsroom has been slacking lately (a rant she had to endure so regularly, it might as well be in her job description), Scott finally leaves. Iris sighs, supposing it's better to throw herself into a task to take her mind off what happened at STAR Labs earlier. She picks up her phone again and opens her newsfeed to obtain the exact text of the new rule of the Department of Health and Human Services. She peruses through several headlines: CCU vs UM Basketball Game Goes to Nine Overtimes, Kid Flash Clashes with Gun Wielding Meta, Naked Man Found Wandering Highway Near Central City Remote Countryside, Pedestrian Struck by Metra Train in Petersburg Dies, The Reviews for the Latest iPhone Are In: Here's Our Verdict.
Her phone rings a third time: her father sure was persistent. She huffs and swipes right to answer.
"Look, I'm sorry about what I said earlier-" she starts.
"Iris," her father interrupts, a sense of urgency to his tone. "I just got off the phone with Cecile. It's Barry."
"What?" She shakes her head frustratedly even though he can't see her. She's had enough dramatics for the day. "What's Barry-what are you even talking about?"
"Two truckers reported a naked man on the the expressway…it's Barry. He's Barry."
She drops her phone and hardly registers when it hits the floor with a clatter.
There's no way…could her desperate supplication last night have been answered somehow? Was there a God listening to her out there somewhere? Or was it Barry who had heard her, deep into the pit of the Speed Force, wherever that was, wherever he was.
She snaps out of her bewilderment enough to scrape her phone off the ground and frantically scroll back up through the feed she was browsing before her dad's phone call until she locates the particular headline in question:
Naked Man Found Wandering Highway Near Central City Remote Countryside
A man was found wandering the I-53 expressway nude early Thursday morning, Central City Gazette reports.
Two out-of-state truck drivers reported nearly colliding with the man who seemed to appear out of nowhere.
"One second the road was clear and the next-this tall dude was standing right in front of us, staring us down," one driver alleged.
"I slammed on the breaks…I still can't believe I didn't hit him. Jesus Christ, he scared me."
"Once we recovered from the initial shock of it all we saw that he was totally naked. No underwear, nothin'," the second driver narrated.
The drivers contacted local police after attempting to ask the man if he required any assistance.
"He stared off into the distance, as if we didn't exist really. Refused to answer any of our questions, so we called 9-11."
"Seems like he's been through something crazy, to be acting like that. Maybe homeless. Who knows? Poor fella."
The man was turned over to police and remains in their custody. Investigators urge anyone with any relevant information to come forward.
Update, 2:43 PM Central Time: The man in question has been identified by the Central City Police Department as twenty-eight-year-old Bartholomew Henry Allen, former CCPD Employee, Forensics Department. Allen had previously been classified as a missing person as of May 2017.
Iris stares at her phone screen in disbelief, unable to process the words she had just read.
Seemed to appear our of nowhere…totally naked…just stared off into the distance…like he's been through something crazy…
It was all cause for concern, yet the final line…Bartholomew Henry Allen.
The only thing she was concerned about was confirming that her Bear was safe and sound, back home in her arms again. She needed to see it for herself before she would believe it, no matter what the Gazette printed, no matter what her father told her.
She leaves her work station as is, doesn't even bother putting away her belongings, doesn't even bother calling her dad back or telling Scott she's leaving before she's out the door, rushing toward the precinct, her heart thudding in her chest for reasons entirely besides her running pace.