Here's a POV I don't think y'all were expecting...
Iris's and Stein's deaths proved to be overwhelming for everyone. There was a somber air in the Waverider, as everyone processed the two losses, the clustered ship dead silent for the first time in a while. Oliver knew no one on the ship was a stranger to loss, but two so close to each other could only be shattering.
He felt horrible for Barry especially, losing his fiancé and one of his mentors. He knew the kind of anger that came with loss like that. He knew it was enough to drive a man to drastic measures. Oliver certainly knew the thirst for vengeance well enough, and it scared him to think what would happen if Barry snapped. He knew how much Iris had meant to the speedster, and to lose her… Well, Oliver could only imagine it would've been similar to how he reacted to Laurel's death.
But Barry and Iris had been closer and shared a much stronger bond that he and Laurel ever did. To have someone that important in your life yanked away would be catastrophic. Barry always had the power to bounce back, but what if losing Iris pushed him over the edge? The idea made Oliver shudder. Could this death be enough to warp Barry into something evil? Could this be the one thing to break the stubbornly hopeful Barry Allen?
Shaking away his fears for Barry, Oliver decided to face the current problem at hand. The Earth-Xers needed to be stopped before anything else was dealt with. He called for everyone to meet in the Waverider's bridge. Looking around at them all, he saw expressions of pain, some disguised by grim determination, others not so much. Barry wouldn't look up at anyone as he trudged into the bridge last. His eyes were rimmed red, from what Oliver could tell, and his fists were clenched, arms shaking and vibrating subconsciously.
Kara, on the other hand, looked worried more than anything. Oliver saw her about to reach out to him, so he met her gaze and shook his head subtly. She looked hurt—he knew she meant well—but the last thing Barry needed would be to feel more guilty after Iris's death. The best option would be to give him space.
"I know that we have lost a lot today," Oliver said, "but we need to push forward. We can't afford to mourn yet. Those Nazis are still out there. We need to avenge the dead. The Dark Arrow and Overgirl are still up in the air, so we need to confront them before they do any more damage."
"I agree," Sara said. "They would have wanted for us to stop those bastards."
"How do we find them?" Ray asked.
"I believe I know where they are," Gideon suddenly piped in. "We are receiving a transmission now." A hologram of Oliver X flickered to life on the bridge. Glancing quickly at Barry, Oliver saw a gleam in the man's eyes. It was something Oliver thought he'd never see Barry express—pure loathing. Vengefulness. Hatred. He reminded Oliver too much of himself.
"My wife and I have spoken of strategy, and we wish to propose a compromise," the Führer said. "You hand over Supergirl to us, and we leave your earth. No more, no less."
"And if we don't?" Alex asked, arms crossed.
"We will level Central City. Then Star City. Then Keystone. We'll destroy every city if we need to. But it will be easier to just hand over Supergirl. What do you say?"
"I say we'll take our chances," Oliver said, cutting off the transmission, nodding curtly to a grateful Kara.
"Gideon, track the transmission location," Sara said, taking the captain's seat. "Get ready everyone, this will take a bit." Taking a glance around the room, Oliver saw Barry leaning against the wall, his eyes still bloodshot. He looked like hell. Oliver knew what had to be said, he just didn't relish it at all.
"Barry, you mind if I talk to you personally?" Oliver asked. The speedster nodded, and the two went to corridor.
"What is it Oliver?" Barry inquired, his voice soft.
"I want you to sit this one out."
"What?" Barry questioned, his voice now stupefied. "No." Oliver figured Barry would have reacted like this—it wasn't all that surprising. Still, it was worth a shot.
"Barry, trust me when I tell you that you aren't in your right mind right now. The grief has gotten to you worse than any of us, and it's perfectly fine. I just don't want you out there when you're upset."
"Oliver, she was going to be my wife. I can't just sit here. I need to bring her killer to justice." Oliver didn't like they sound of that. When his crusade began, he had gone on about serving justice. That justice was making pincushions out of men.
"We will Barry. Believe me, please. The anger, the sorrow, it's all a lot. I just don't want you to do something you'll regret," Oliver told him truthfully. Barry was the best of any of them; if he were to cross the line, Oliver wouldn't know what to do.
"I get where you're coming from, but it's not your decision whether or not I go with you guys." Barry was now indignant, his face hard set. His arms were, once again, shaking, vibrating subconsciously. It was pretty daunting. Still Oliver stood his ground.
"Barry, you aren't in the mental state to deal with this properly," Oliver told him.
"I'm not a kid," Barry snarled. "I need to do this. I'm not going to do nothing when Iris's murderer is right there." From the way the speedster was gritting his teeth, Oliver knew that his point was only being proven correctly.
"Barry should go," a third voice spoke. Kara approached the two. "We've found their location. We'll need all the help we can get, and Barry is the only one of us fast enough to deal with Thawne. Besides it's...it's what Iris would have wanted." Oliver couldn't help but notice Kara looking down at her feet when she said Iris's name. This seemed to be lost on Barry however.
"I'm going Ollie. I'd like to see you stop me." With Barry gone, Oliver turned on Kara.
"How can you be encouraging him?" the archer asked her incredulously. "Wouldn't you of all people want him to stay here? Keep him from crossing the line?"
"I believe in him. I believe he'll do the right thing in the end. And ultimately, he'll realize that nothing will bring Iris back. It won't stop him from loving her." There was a kind of hollowness in Kara's voice as she said this.
"Do you love him?" Oliver asked her. He didn't know why he asked; maybe he just needed to know.
"It doesn't matter," she replied, evading the question. "I just want him to be happy. Seeing him broken like this… it's just tearing me up." He could hear her voice quaver, the sound of her softly sniffling. He didn't know what to say to her. He did, however, have the answer to his question.
"And you truly believe letting him out there is the best choice?"
"Yes," Kara answered. "And if he goes off the end, I'll stop him myself." Oliver couldn't help but feel like she sounded more unsure than she thought she did.
Here ya go! Chapter 7! Sorry for the semi long wait, but I've been busy since summer ended. I'm not even going to bother speculating when Chapter 8 will be up, just know that the story will be over in the next couple of chapters. Sorry this was more Westallen than Superflash, but I felt this was necessary.
Anyways, I've seen the first episode of Supergirl and Arrow, as well as the first two episodes of Flash this season, and I have to say that Arrow and Flash especially look good this year. May or may not love Nora Allen XD. Which brings me to a question. After this story, I want to know if y'all would read my own version of Flash Season 5. It will be Nora Allen centric and half of it will take place in the future, with not too much Westallen. That's all I can say without spoiling my (hopefully) good ideas. Please let me know in a review if you'd read my version of Nora's story!
Alright, until the next chapter!
