-Chapter Nine-
"I Know What I Saw"
Barry bit down on his thumbnail as he paced the cortex of STAR Labs. Being "whammied" had to be the only explanation. One minute Averey bumped into, whoever the metahuman was, and the next she was seeing him everywhere. Or rather, The Flash. The fact that she saw a purple light instead of red had to have something to do with it. It might not even be the same metahuman, but the similarities were too close.
Not just that, but the man in the lightning. Barry ran his fingers through his hair, locking his fingers behind his neck, letting out a sigh through his nose. How many times had he tried to convince someone that the night of his mother's death was a strange occurrence? How many times had he been told that he "was just imagining things," or that he "was just tired?"
Bzzzz. Bzzzz.
Barry reached into his pocket and retrieved his phone. He unlocked his phone and his eyes instantly landed on his e-mail where a number one, encircled by an orange and white. Tapping the icon, his e-mail opened and he saw he had a new alert email: Saved By the Flash has posted a new blog post. He tapped the link with his thumb and mobile web opened revealing the newest post; a short and simple text post asking if The Flash would be at Jitters that night.
It, like the others, would be deleted in five minutes time. Without Iris knowing his true identity, it was the easiest way for her to get in contact with him without getting in contact with him. Barry's grip tightened around his phone as he stared down at the message. After a moment of silence, he deleted the email, sliding his cell phone back into his pocket.
He could already hear Caitlin's lecture about meeting her as the Flash. He wasn't doing it for selfish purposes. Iris was working on her journalistic skills and by writing on the Flash she was able to get all the experience she needed. It was a bonus that it was for a grade as well and with his help, she'd get a good one. After all, it was kind of his fault that she was in a journalism course to begin with. Plus, it was nice to know he could still be connected with her as their paths drifted apart.
After moving into the West household, he couldn't remember a time where they hadn't been so close. It was right after that night. Barry wrapped an arm around his chest, massaging his shoulder blade. He could practically feel the metal of the police chair digging into his back like it had 15 years ago. The achiness in his bones and his eyes had burned from the lack of sleep after having been driven to the police station. He didn't know how he had gotten out of his house so quickly.
As he had sat in the police station he grew increasingly tired. His feet ached from running back to his house—he didn't even know how he had gotten so far away in the first place. He was tired of being asked questions and given commands left and right from whoever it was that "just wants to know what happened' that night. There was nowhere to sleep and he was on high alert.
"I just want to go home," he would say over and over again. "Where's my dad? Why can't I go home?" He just wanted to know where his dad was and to know what happened.
Everyone wanted to know what happened. Who killed his mom? And why?
"Did your mom and dad ever fight?" the police officer, officer number 4, asked pen tip poised over a notepad of paper. "Were they ever at odds with each other? Do you have any ideas as to why your dad would do something like this?"
"I don't know," Barry groaned, putting his head down on the table. "I don't know why you're asking me this." He watched as a thin film of condensation spread across the table top with each breath. "I don't know why I can't see my dad."
"You can see him soon," the man replied. "Now, Joe said—"
"Joe said I could go home soon," Barry muttered, interrupting the man. "I've been here for hours."
"It's just for a few more minutes, Barry, that's all. This is really important." Barry lifted his head, propping his hand up with his fist. He slowly blinked, holding back a yawn. "Joe has offered you his home for the night, and we'll soon have you tucked in safe and sound while we figure things out, but we need you to help us first. Now, what did you see after you got back to your house?"
"Police, my dad, my mom," Barry replied.
"And how did you get out of your house? Did you run? Take your bike?"
"No, I ran home." Barry shook his head. "I've already told you this."
''Ahhh, Barry." The police officer's low chuckle instantly spiked Barry's annoyance. Maybe he was just tired, but it sounded like he was being mocked. Like he wasn't being taken seriously. "Joe could tell you that while being a police officer sounds exciting, the aftermath of any crime is really just boring. Boring paperwork, boring questionings—asking the same thing over and over again. It's to see if your story holds up."
"It's not a story it's the truth," Barry insisted.
"Barry, we found some bruises and cuts on you." Barry blinked, staring back at the man. The man lifted a hand and rubbed his palm over his large nose and heavy jowls. "I know this is hard, but did something happen? With your father? Was your mom trying to protect you from him?"
Barry felt his eyebrows lower towards each other, the muscles in his forehead tensing. "No," he said. Or maybe he shouted it. His throat burned and he swallowed repeatedly. "The man in the lightning did this. I already told you that. The lightning got me out of the house."
"Now, Barry, we both know that's not possible. If anyone had been struck by lightning, they'd be in the hospital…or worse. Let's try this again from the very beginning." The man cleared his throat. "What caused you to wake up that night?"
His throat tightened, a lump forming. His vision shook and swam as tears well up in his eyes before they started sliding down his cheeks. "Why won't anyone believe me?" he asked. He slapped his hands down onto the table. "Why won't you believe me? I don't know what you want me to say."
"I want you to tell me the truth, Barry," the man replied. "I know you're a nice little boy and I know you don't want your dad to get in trouble. You're not in trouble here, we just want the truth."
"I am telling you the truth!" Barry lept to his feet. His chair clattered to the floor. The sudden, loud movement didn't even cause the man to flinch. "I am! My dad didn't do this. It was the man in the lightning; the man in lightning killed my mom and got me out of the house. I want to go home, please."
The door burst open and Joe hurried into the room. Barry threw himself at the African American man, burying his face into the man's stomach. "It's ok, son," Joe said in a low, comforting tone. He placed a warm hand on the back of his head, ruffling his hair. His vocal tone then suddenly changed. "I told you I didn't want anyone else questioning him, especially without me being present."
"Joe—"
"This ends. Now."
"Barry!" Barry blinked, giving a sharp shake of his head. He blinked repeatedly, trying to clear his head. "Barry?"
"Sorry?" he asked, snapping back to attention. Everyone was staring at him, concern etched on their faces. "What were you saying?" Caitlin pointed a finger towards the monitors that lined the walls of the cortex. How long was I out of it? A scan, MRI or CAT scan he wasn't too sure, was projected on the screen a large swatch of red and yellow glowing like Christmas lights. "What are we looking at?"
"Detective West was able to send over the data from the scans of those affected at the hospital," Caitlin explained, keeping a concerned gaze on him for a moment. "Seems everyone at the bank only had these 'whammy' effects for a short period of time?'
"Caitlin, I can assure you that anyone with emotions can hold onto those feelings for longer than anyone could give them credit for," Dr. Wells pointed out, "Anger being one of those emotions." He stretched his arms over his head before crossing his arms over his chest. "I've met some in my field who seemed to harbor a grudge for longer than necessary."
Barry caught the pointed look he sent in Caitlin and Cisco's directions. "In my defense," Cisco spoke up, his usual laid back demeanor gone, "Hartley is a dick." He sat up straighter in his seat, jaw set. "And I'm not the only one who thinks that."
"Only I wouldn't exactly put it in those terms," Caitlin commented, shaking her hair out of her face.
"Well, if he's a dick, then he's a right dick," Averey said matter of factly. "There's no other way to put it, is there?" Cisco let out a laugh, clapping his hands together (in triumph?) a wide smile crossing his face.
"I'm going to like having you around," he declared.
Barry pressed his lips together, trying to will the corners to not move as he caught Caitlin's eye. She bowed her head for a moment, her hair swinging forward to hide her face. He was quick to catch the smile of amusement on the woman's face. Caitlin was a classy woman, holding back her true thoughts and feelings on certain subjects. He had first described her as being a bit frosty towards him, and with reason, but there were times where he was able to see her warm up a bit and be more open.
Dr. Wells even let out a short chuckle, a rarity in his case. "Be that as it may," he commented, "you can't deny that he was an asset to STAR Labs." Cisco snorted. "We wouldn't be where we are now if it wasn't for him." Dr. Wells blinked, and Barry caught his head twitching just slightly as if he had come to a realization.
"Oh yeah, a real ass-set," Cisco said with a smirk. Averey laughed and Caitlin quickly turned a laugh into a cough as she lifted her hands to brush her hair behind her ears.
"Who's Hartley?" Barry asked. He twisted his mouth to the side.
While he really felt like he was helping STAR Labs with their research, there were plenty of times, like this one where he felt left out. There were a lot of times in his life where he felt left out, but as an adult, it felt worse at times. He couldn't deny that with his fascination on his parents' case that at times he inadvertently put himself in that position. With Joe on his side, and now Caitlin, Cisco, and Dr. Wells backing him up with STAR Labs, he felt like he was finally being listened to and finally a part of a family again.
"Hartley Rathaway, the bane of my existence," Cisco said through clenched teeth, pressing a finger into his temple. "Gahhh, I don't like that guy."
"He used to work here at STAR Labs," Caitlin explained. "Before the accident. He wasn't the easiest to get along with, but no one could deny that he knew what he was doing." She planted a hand on her hip. "He was a main factor to the success—whichever way you want to look at it—of the particle accelerator. He wouldn't let anyone forget he was one of the select few who really got the chance to work on it."
"Yeah, as if the rest of our work wasn't important," Cisco added. "Right after the accident, he split."
"What's important," Dr. Wells said, "is that you two were the ones that stayed." He pulled his lips back into a smile. "And I am forever grateful. The point I was making is that, these effects may have only last for five minutes this time."
"So…you're saying everyone at the bank could go DEFCON 1 at any given time," Barry mused aloud. "And that was being whammied with the red light. But, with purple…is there a way to check to see what parts of Averey's brain was affected by being whammied? Maybe it can help us understand what you've been seeing."
"What, like, download my thoughts into the computer?" Averey asked. "And watch it up on the big screen?"
"Like a brain drain!" Cisco said, snapping his fingers together. "No, no! Dream theater." An expectant smile crossed his face. "Huh? Huh?"
"More like developing photos, what with your photographic memory," Barry replied.
"If red means anger and this metahuman used purple on Averey," Caitlin spoke up, "then there's more to this metahuman than we know. I mean, what's next? Blue? Green?" A line of worry appeared across her forehead.
"Caitlin does bring up a valid point," Dr. Wells commented. He leaned forward in his chair, resting his arms on his thighs. "Red means anger, so what does purple mean?"
"I don't know; psychosis?" Cisco asked.
"What?" Barry asked, shooting the younger man a confused look. Cisco's eyes widened, looking back and forth at everyone that stared back at him.
"Come on!" Cisco cried. "You've never watched a single anime in your life?"
"Does Howl's Moving Castle count?" Barry asked, scratching the back of his head. "I can't tell you how many times Iris made me watch that movie."
"Wow, you're missing out on a lot," Cisco said after he silently regarding everybody for a moment. "You said yourself after she ran into whoever this metahuman is that she started seeing you everywhere, Barry."
"Yeah, but I'm starting to wonder if it really was me she was seeing," Barry whispered to himself. She had said it herself, she saw someone in her room. Just like how he had seen a man in the lightning that night. It could just be coincidences, but there was no way he could ignore someone else with similar instances that occurred in their lives as it did in his. "So, is there a way to check this out?"
"Sure, we can just use the same equipment we used on you when you were in a coma," Caitlin said with a nod of her head. "We monitored your brain activity to make sure you were…well, still alive."
"Although with that lightning bolt zapping through your body, it did give us a few hiccups every now and then," Cisco said. Barry felt like apologizing, even though he didn't really know what he was apologizing for. At times, he felt like apologizing to everybody in his life for what he put them through.
He glanced sideways at Dr. Wells. The older man had a thoughtful look on his face, much like he always did. He must feel the same way, Barry thought. If it wasn't for him, I never would've gotten my powers, Averey wouldn't have to act like a vampire against the sunlight, and STAR Labs would be as great as it was destined to be. But they were still all working together to set things right. Even if it looked impossible.
Barry quietly laughed, gaining everyone's attention. "I was just wondering when all this started to be normal," he explained. "For so long I've heard that things like this was impossible."
"Right, just like it was impossible for me to see a yowie," Averey replied, hiking an eyebrow. Barry did the same, confused. "Hellooo? Bigfoot?"
"Bigfoot isn't real." Caitlin said with a sigh that indicated she's had the discussion more than once. Given just how often she and Cisco had been working together, Barry wouldn't be too surprised if she had. "It's been scientifically proven."
"Science has room for error," Cisco replied, his voice jumping up to a higher octave. Caitlin's eyes widened just slightly, her lips forming a tight line. "You said it, not me."
"Are you mocking me?" she asked, her eyebrows lifting as she straightened, crossing her arms over her chest.
"No, of course not," Cisco instantly replied, his eyes widening as well. His lips parted, pulling down on one side in a cringe.
Averey put her hands in the air. "I'm telling you the truth," she insisted. "What else would you call a fur animal with arms that touch the ground?"
"A gorilla," Caitlin replied.
"Bigfoot," Averey replied, ignoring her. "It wasn't the bunyip, I know that for sure."
"Before I have to listen to another round of this," Dr. Wells said with a sigh, "I've got to study this data, maybe find something that could help. We only saw what happened in five minutes; imagine if the effects become more intense?" He wheeled his chair around, making his way out of the room. "By the way, regarding the impossible, Mr. Allen, seeing is believing."
Barry blinked. It was that easy. It wasn't a matter of whether or not people believed what he was saying; it was that it was hard for them to believe him without seeing it with their own two eyes. Whether or not that was the case, it was still his word that was the difference between his dad's innocence and incarceration. Seeing is believing all right; they saw the broken glass, the blood, the dead body, and the man inside with blood on his hands.
"I'll go get the machines ready," Caitlin announced. She reached for the gray flash drive plugged into the computers and unplugged it. All of the screens turned blank. "Averey, if you'd come with me?"
"Actually…d'you mind if I talked to her first?" Barry asked, taking a step forward. "I just wanted to ask a few questions."
"Sure, Barry," Averey replied.
"Well, I'll just leave you two alone," Cisco said, clapping his hands together. He then pointed a finger at Averey. "Could I borrow those?"
"My sunnies?" Averey asked, reaching up a hand to touch her sunglasses. Despite the confused look on her face she handed them over to him. "What for?"
"When you were telling us about being whammied, you said you think it all stopped when you put your sunglasses on," Carlos explained, examining the glasses. "And you wear them all the time for your, uh, condition anyway. I think I have an idea for these bad boys if you don't mind me tinkering with them."
"Guess not," Averey replied, looking uncertain.
"I can vouch for him," Barry replied. He angled his head to the side, nodding in the direction of the steel mannequin that housed his red suit. "He made my suit; originally intended for firefighters."
"I've got some good ideas already, just think of Cyclops from X-Men," Cisco said with an excited smile as he headed out of the room, speed walking. "Oh, and I'm going to need to make mold of your ears." Averey's hands went flying up to slap over her ears, a look of horror on her face.
"That's not the worst things Cisco or Caitlin will ask you for, trust me," Barry said with a small laugh.
"You wanted to ask me something?" Averey asked.
"Yeah, kind of," Barry agreed. He let out a sigh through his nose. "I believe you actually saw someone that night when you were a kid." He watched as Averey's eyebrows slowly lifted. "And I believe you because I don't think you saw me, I think you saw someone else. I think you saw the guy who murdered my mom 15 years ago."
"Nora Allen," Averey said, giving a nod of her head. She gave a sheepish grin, lifting her shoulders in a shrug in response to his double take. "When I did research on the accident, there were some news articles about you being in a coma and from there it went into…what happened."
"Oh." Barry bowed his head for a moment before looking at her again. "So then you also know that my dad was arrested for it. But, I know he didn't do it; he couldn't have."
"I'm sorry that happened to you." Averey crossed her arms over her chest. She tilted her head to the side. She opened and closed her mouth, silently regarding him. "When was the last time you saw your dad?"
"Uhh, not for a little while," Barry replied. "Why?"
"Just wondered," Averey muttered. "You were saying your dad wasn't responsible?"
"That night, I saw something. Something that I could never convince anyone actually happened." He took in a deep breath of air, his cheeks puffing up as he expelled it. "I saw a man in the lightning that night; a man in yellow. I think that's who you saw, not me."
"I don't know, Barry," Averey replied with a shake of her head, "he looked like—"
"Me, I know," Barry said. "I think he can do what I can do, but I know what I saw and I know you believe what you saw." He pressed his lips together. "…Did he have glowing red eyes?"
Averey's eyes widened. "Yes," she replied, "he did!" She started to pace, running her fingers through her hair. "That was the creepiest part. And…and it kind of sounded like the air around him was vibrating, but he was moving so fast I could only see a blur." Her pacing slowed and she turned to face him. "The man in yellow."
"The man in yellow," Barry repeated with a solemn nod of his head.
"Can I ask you another question?" Averey requested.
"Sure."
"How long has it been since you saw your mom? Er, her grave, I mean."
How long has it been? He lifted a hand to his chin as he thought. Barry jumped, a loud siren blaring, stopping him from answering. He hurried over to the computers and brought up a map of the city, locating a red pulsing dot.
"What is it, what is it?" Cisco asked, hurrying into the room, his hair flying behind him. He slid across the floor before joining Barry at the computer. "Looks like a metahuman sighting; it might be the bank robber we've been looking for. If you catch him, we could figure out just how this whole thing works."
"I could ID him for you, too," Averey offered. Her upper lip curled just slightly. "Can't forget a face like that. Wrinkles and acne scarring; it's no wonder he was trying to hide his face."
"I'm on it," Barry replied before zooming into his suit and out of STAR Labs in a rush of air. With Cisco's directions being played out in his ears, he quickly made his way to the location the metahuman was spotted in. He hurried into an old abandoned building, sliding on the dirt that lined the floor. "Ok, metahuman, where are you?"
He carefully and quietly stepped through the hallway, keeping his head on a swivel. He breathed as quietly as he could as he looked for movement in the dark halls. The rubber of his boots creaked as he stepped one foot in front of the other. Come on, where are you? "Argh!"
Barry suddenly found himself slammed up against the wall by a head force crashing into his back. He turned his head just slightly and caught a glimpse of a tan lapel before he felt hot breath on the side of his head. "For someone so fast," a gruff voice said in his ear, "you're really slow."
Throwing his elbow backwards, Barry felt it connect with a patch of skin. There was a clicking sound followed by a loud scream from his assailant. "Funny," Barry breathed, spinning around to sink a punch into the man's stomach, "I could say the same about you." He slammed his elbow into the chest of the man, running him backwards through one wall and into another. "You're going to return that money you stole."
"Really?" the man asked, blood dripping down his nose. He locked eyes with Barry. A dull red glow appeared in his eyes, starting out as small orbs before growing brighter and brighter. Everything turned red; the wall, the man's hair and his skin before it disappeared. "And you're going to make me?"
"No, he won't." Barry froze, feeling something hard and round ram into the back of his skull. His heart raced when he heard the click of a gun being cocked. "Let the man go or I swear I'll shoot. Not everybody thinks you're a hero, Flash." Gritting his teeth, Barry slowly released the metahuman before lifting his hands in the air. With a devilish grin, the metahuman hurried off, his footsteps disappearing down the hall. "Turn around. I'd like to see who it is behind the mask."
"You don't have to do this," Barry said as he spun on the spot, turning to face the Central City police officer pointing the gun in his face. "Detective West wouldn't want you to do this."
"Detective West doesn't matter," the police officer replied. "Say goodnight, Flash." Barry squeezed his eyes shut, but the pain never came. He heard something cut through the air before a gurgling sound reached his ears. Snapping his eyes open, Barry watched as the police officer hit the ground, grasping at the arrow that stuck out of his neck.
"What the…?" Barry gaped down at the man writhing on the ground. Anger and annoyance bubbled up in his chest. Damn. I had him.
"You ok?" Barry turned his head in the direction of the gruff voice and locked eyes with the hooded archer at the end of the hall. He gave a nod of his head when Barry nodded, swallowing thickly. "Good."
"Wait!" Barry shouted at the archer as he turned on his heels and disappeared around the corner. Barry hurried after him, stopping short as he came face to face with an empty hall. He zoomed through the building, looking for the man before hurrying outside, spotting a waiting motorcycle. The hooded archer took even strong steps towards it.
The cool night air hit his face as he came to a stop on the soft ground. "Hey, Oliver," Barry called, in between gasps for breath. The man in the green hood turned around, a dark shadow falling over his face. His lips parted just slightly into a hint of a smile before he lifted his hands, removing his hood.
"Barry." Oliver Queen gave a nod in greeting.
Harrison removed his glasses from his nose as he faced Gideon, mouth set into a tight line. Sitting by the computer's face was a square picture showing Cisco, Averey, and Caitlin in the cortex as they corresponded with Barry.
"Gideon, start playing the video back?" Harrison said, clasping his hands behind his back.
"Of course, Dr. Wells," Gideon replied in its light tone. "Where shall I start?"
"Rewind the video and I'll let you know," Harrison replied, rocking forward slightly on his feet. He watched as Cisco, Caitlin, and Averey interacted with each other, moving backwards, faster as the video rewound. "Right here." The video slowed to normal speed, showing Averey talking to Barry.
He watched their conversation and then replayed it over a second and third time, all the while his lips slowly lifting into a smile. Things were moving faster than he had ever planned and he didn't even have to do anything. Perfect. "It's been a while," he said to himself, slowly pacing back and forth in front of Gideon. He let out a snort, his fingers curing into fists at his sides. "A long while; 15 years waiting, working, and planning."
A low chuckle rumbled in his throat. "Seems I'm not the only one stuck in the past," he commented. His lips twitched at the joke. "Don't you worry, Mr. Allen, I haven't forgotten the events of that night, either." Harrison stopped at the wall of the room and slapped his hands on the bumpy walls. He pushed his weight against the wall, his palms stinging and itching. "I haven't forgotten how you just couldn't leave well enough alone. Gideon?"
"Yes?"
"Not that I am questioning your abilities to store what I ask of you," Harrison commented, talking to the wall, "but even the smartest computers can have a glitch or a power surge of sorts." He turned around and pressed his back against the wall. He was silent for a long moment, just staring at the wall, listening to the low hum as the computer stayed powered on. "Make sure a copy of this video is stored in my secondary logs."
"As you wish. Is there anything else you needed?"
"Search for Averey Moore," Harrison Wells commanded. Just like his last search, a headline of the newspaper immediately appeared in front of him with the words Former Gang Member to Receive City's Recognition of Heroism across the top. "Is there anything else?" A second headline appeared. "Mercury Labs Hack Worst in Central City History; Royal Flush Gang Graduates from Bank Robbery."
Harrison clicked his tongue shaking his head back and forth. His eyebrows lifted and he pulled his lips down into a mocking sympathetic smile. "That is quite upsetting," he declared, a sarcastic undertone to his words. He turned on his heels and headed towards the exit of the secret room, skimming his fingers along the wall. He pressed his palm flat against the wall and a concealed door slid open revealing a yellow suit that greatly resembled the Flash suit. "It's been a while but I think it's time to stretch my legs."
A/N: I went back and forth trying to decide if I could make the first scene shorter, but I really think I need it all there. Longest chapter so far, I believe and the introduction of Oliver (and soon to be Team Arrow).
Also, for those of you who haven't noticed, I have shown the characters Cadence and Brady Nash from the Flash story, also on this profile, Flash Fire and Sage Moreaux from Crystal Manning's flash story, The Mark of Sage in this story. The reason for that is that we're all doing a crossover story together that will bring all three of our stories together. This won't happen for a while as we all need to get to a certain point in our respective stories. The title is (for now) Flashpoint and will be up on Crystal Manning's account at a later time.
Kellie: Belle Reve grows to be more and more important as the story goes on. Hope you stick around to find out how and thanks for reading.
babyj: Once again, thanks for the suggestion of showing a chapter from the point of view of one of Averey's roommates. I hope this chapter cleared up a bit more about what the purple whammy light does.
Guests: Glad you're enjoying the story. Thanks for reading.
