A/N: Yeah, it's been awhile since I've had a chapter, and the last one didn't exactly end on a good note. The thing is, things aren't exactly going to be picking up. In case you haven't figured it out, this is a sad story, and it's only going to get worse. If you're ready for that, and I hope you are, please enjoy this chapter.
Star Labs was supposed to be a refuge. It was the one place in the world where Wally felt completely safe and secure. He had started to think that nothing could go wrong here. That, somehow, Star Labs was immune to the pains of the world, that it was some magical safe haven. A sort of sanctuary of science or something.
Even with all of the trials and sufferings Wally had had to deal with in his life, he still felt a very rude awakening when Mick, Barry, and Hartley stumbled their way back to the labs. All three of them looked traumatized, and when Wally didn't see Len or Axel come in right behind them, he suddenly knew why.
Wally had no idea what Len or Axel had been doing out in town, or Mick, for that matter. Len was an observant person, he had probably known that something big was about to happen and he would take the necessary precautions. Len didn't think this was his fight, so Wally hadn't thought that he would involve himself, let alone any of the others. What had he been thinking?
...No, Wally knew what Len had been thinking. He had just been trying to protect what he cared about. It was the same thing he had been doing his whole life. Len had practically raised Wally, and if there was one thing the teenager had learned about his friend/guardian, it was that while he cared about himself (a lot) he cared about his close friends even more.
Wally understood that, but he still hated it. From what he had heard, Len had saved Barry's life. That was great and all, but where did that leave them now? Barry had barely moved for two days, too overcome with guilt to do anything. Hartley was acting like even more of a dick than usual and probably wouldn't stop until he learned about the fate of his best friend. Mick hadn't stopped drinking and he had nearly set fire to the labs five times already.
As for Wally, well, he was feeling anxious. He needed to get out and do something, because nobody else was. And if Wally didn't do something to distract him from the pain, it would probably end up overwhelming him like it had done with Barry. There were too many people that were incapacitated as it was, whether it be from injury or emotional/mental instability. Wally couldn't let himself be useless like the others. He had to do something to help.
Even though Wally was smarter than most other kids his age, he was still just thirteen. He wasn't a genius and he knew that there wasn't a lot that he could do to help out around the actual labs themselves, so he did what he could to help the others out in any way that he could.
Wally spent a good amount of time with Hartley, because even though he wasn't his best friend like Axel was they were still fairly close. Wally was definitely closer to Hartley than anybody else at Star Labs. Wally would just hang around Hartley, and even though the young man seemed annoyed by his presence Wally knew that he appreciated it.
He didn't just spend his time around Hartley though, because he wasn't the only one who needed to be distracted. Wally also checked up on Mick a couple of ties every day. Even though Len had been the one to mostly raise Wally, Mick had still done a fair amount of taking care of him, and now he was just returning the favor. The only thing Wally could think of doing for Mick was to drag him away from his alcohol for at least a few minutes. Wally accomplished this by convincing Mick to show him some more mechanical techniques. Mick wasn't an inventor like Hartley was, but he knew his way around an engine and had been the one to get Wally interested in engineering in the first place.
Unfortunately, both Hartley and Mick were antisocial by nature. Even when they were in the company of people that they liked, like Wally, they could only take companionship for so long. Thus, Wally found himself with plenty of time to himself, and since he still wanted to feel useful he ended up helping out Shawna.
Mark and Shawna had arrived the day before, and even though Mark didn't have much to do at Star Labs, Shawna immediately made herself busy. She was interested in becoming a doctor, and even though she hadn't gone to any medical school yet she still new a lot about first aid. She had been putting that knowledge to good since the second she had arrived at Star Labs. A lot of guys from Oliver's team had gotten injured in the fight. Shawna and Caitlin had been doing everything they could to help them, and Wally was doing whatever he could to help the girls.
Even though Wally was kept busy with splitting his time between helping Shawna and keeping Mick and Hartley from spiraling out of control, he still found some time to visit with Barry. The young man was...well, he really wasn't doing very well. Even though Barry hadn't known Len for as long as Wally and the Rogues had, he seemed to be the one most affected by his death. Barry was taking it really hard, and even though his friends at Star Labs wanted to help him, they didn't understand how deep the pain was.
They didn't know that Barry's guilt wasn't just over the fact that Len had died.
"I should have known." Barry said desperately for the tenth time when Wally came to check up on him again. "How could I be so blind for five years? It was so obvious."
"Of course it's obvious now." Wally sat next to him. "You know about it, so of course any clues from before seem super obvious now."
Barry frowned and Wally knew he was thinking of the numerous times in the past when he had done something, commented on how good a friend Len was or talked about his latest romantic interest, and had completely missed or not understood the flash of pain in Len's eyes.
"I wish he had just told me." Barry said. "I'm not saying I could have returned his feelings, but at least I could have, I don't know, not hurt him so much with my carelessness."
"Len didn't tell you because he knew you." Wally looked at the ground and frowned. "He knew that you would probably get all upset and feel guilty about not feeling the same way about him, because that's the kind of person that you are. He didn't want to hurt you." And he also didn't want to risk hurting himself even more, but Wally really didn't think that Barry needed to know that part.
"I hate this." Barry said, and that was something that Wally could relate strongly to. "I feel like I keep on losing everybody that I care about. I haven't seen my dad since I was a kid, my mom died, and Len…"
"I know the feeling." Wally said quietly. He had never known his own parents, and had seen a couple of close friends, basically family members, die. He knew the feeling of overwhelming hopelessness and despair and the knowledge that nobody was safe from death. The thing was, Wally had gotten through those times because he had so much support from his friends. They were suffering just as much as he had been, and they had all helped each other through it. That was what friends were for.
That was why Wally was trying to get Barry to open up to him, because even though the young man said he just needed space Wally knew that that was the last thing he actually needed. He couldn't keep his feelings all cooped up inside, he would just drive himself crazy. Barry needed to let his friends help him.
"You know, you haven't lost everyone." Wally said.
"Yeah." Barry's frown turned thoughtful. "I know." He seemed to be thinking about something, and even though Wally had no idea what was on his mind he was pretty sure he wouldn't like it. "Hey, do you think you can sneak out of here unnoticed?"
"Probably." Wally frowned, unsure of where Barry was going with this, or even what he actually meant. Did he mean sneak out without getting noticed by the people at Star Labs, or sneak out and roam the streets without being caught by the Metas? Either way, Wally was fairly confident that he could do it. People typically overlooked thirteen year olds. "Why?"
"I have something I need you to do." Barry reached into his pocket and took out what looked like a letter. Wally winced slightly when he saw the name on the envelope.
"Iris?" Wally looked at Barry in disbelief. "You're still thinking about her?"
"Not exactly." Barry's eyes flashed with pain. "Look, I just...I'm going to stay here and help fight the Meta humans. After Len...well, I'm starting to see that I may not make it out of this alive." Wally felt a cold chill come over him. Did Barry think he was going to die? "I know I don't know Iris that well, but she told me that she's never had many friends. If something happens to me she deserves to know why I stopped talking to her."
"Why can't you tell her yourself?" It would probably mean much more to hear this kind of news in person. Besides, Wally really didn't want to leave everybody at Star Labs. He wanted to be here to help in case something else happened.
"I can't leave." Barry said desperately. "If something happens…"
So Barry was feeling the same way that Wally was. "Yeah, I get it." Even though he still didn't want to do it, Wally took the letter from Barry and pocketed it. As much as he hated to admit it, he probably would be the best bet to do this. Barry may had superspeed, but he wasn't nearly as good at sneaking around as Wally was. Besides, though Wally would never admit this out loud, Barry could do more to help out at Star Labs if something were to happen than Wally would.
"Thank you." Barry's voice was filled with so much relief, and Wally began to think that the delivery of the letter was only part of it. Knowing Barry, he had probably just asked Wally because he wanted the younger boy out of Star Labs and away from danger, at least for a bit. As much as Wally hated being treated like a kid who couldn't take care of himself, he couldn't get bring himself to get mad at Barry for this. Besides, it wasn't as though Wally had to stay away. As soon as he had given Iris her letter, Wally was going to come straight back here, whether Barry liked it or not.
As Wally was getting up to leave he saw Barry fiddle with something in his hands. He didn't even have to look to see what it was. Barry had a tendency to fiddle with a bronze ring with a lightning insignia on it when he was anxious. Wally had asked him about it once and apparently it had belonged to his family. Barry's mom had given it to him before she died, she said it had once belonged to his father. Now, it was the only thing that Barry had to remember them by.
Wally frowned thoughtfully and left the room. Barry really had lost so much. He probably blamed himself for his own suffering. Len used to do the same thing, and it wasn't right. Wally hoped that him delivering this letter would give Barry at least a little peace of mind. If not, then Wally really wasn't sure what else he could do.
Sneaking out of Star Labs was easy enough. Everybody else was so focused on their own things that anybody he did pass didn't even spare him a second glance. It was a little unnerving just how much everybody seemed to be in their own heads.
Wally left through the back door of Star Labs, glanced at the address that Barry had scrawled on the envelope, and went off. Making his way through the streets was slightly more difficult, what with the meta humans walking around, but Wally got the hang of it. Within a few minutes he realized that he didn't necessarily have to sneak around because the meta's weren't giving him any of their attention. It made sense though. In their eyes, he was just some kid walking down the street, absolutely no threat and not worth their time or effort. Their focus was solely on the rebellion, and why would anybody believe that a young teenager was a part of the rebellion?
Wally made it to his destination without encountering any trouble. He double checked the address on the envelope to confirm that he was actually in the right place before knocking on the door. For a minute there was no answer and Wally would have thought that there was nobody home if it weren't for the fact that he could he somebody shuffling around inside. Someone was home, Wally knew there was, so he knocked on the door again and waited.
Finally the door was opened by somebody who was definitely not Iris. Wally wasn't worried though, because he thought he recognized the older man. He had been with Iris that day in town. The middle aged man was tense when he opened the door, but he relaxed and looked shocked when he saw Wally there, which made sense. After all, it wasn't very often that a stranger, let alone a teenager, knocked on your door unexpectedly. Especially not on this side of town.
"Do you need something?" The man sounded cautious, but also sincere. It was as though he was wary of strangers, as everybody should be, but he also was willing to help a person who needed it. Wally decided that he liked this man.
"I have a letter here for Iris." Wally held it up. "My friend told me to give it to her."
"Your friend?" The man's eyes darkened slightly in suspicion.
"Yeah, from Star Labs." Wally said. Maybe it was a little risky to say that, because everybody knew that Star Labs was the main base for the Resistance, and some people wanted absolutely nothing to do with them. Still, in general people were much more willing to trust a stranger who was likely with the Resistance. The people may not openly join them, but for the most part they did support them.
The man's brow furrowed slightly in concern and confusion. "I'm Iris' father. I'll take the letter." Wally only hesitated slightly before giving the letter to the man. Barry may have told him to give it to Iris, but he really didn't want to be here for any longer than he had to. Wally wanted to get back to Star Labs as soon as possible.
Almost as if the man had read his thoughts he grabbed Wally gently but firmly by the arm. "Be careful out there, son." The man said. "Stay away from the fight." He actually sounded genuinely concerned for Wally's safety. The boy appreciated his concern, but he couldn't take it to heart. He had his own family to worry about.
Wally pulled out of the man's grip and ran off. He had walked on his way there because he wanted to make sure to get the address right and not draw attention to himself. Right now though Wally's goal was just to get back to Star Labs as soon as possible.
Still, Wally wasn't reckless enough to go dashing out through the middle of the city. That was like a plea for attention. Instead he stuck to the alleyways and less used paths to get back to Star Labs. It was a longer route, but because he was running it Wally still made it back in a shorter amount of time than it had taken him to get to Iris' house in the first place.
Wally entered back into Star Labs the same way he had left and he couldn't immediately tell that something was wrong. The air felt tense and things were way too quiet. Even though he was tired and slightly out of breath Wally ran to the main room where he found everybody gathered, and just by looking at their faces he could tell that something was up, but they didn't know what.
"Did something happen?" Wally asked. He approached the main computer, which everybody was gathered in front of, and peered over their shoulders. They seemed to be looking at the security cameras.
"Someone's coming." Cisco tapped away at the keys to enlarge one camera's feed, and than another's. "We don't know what they want."
Wally realized why everybody seemed so nervous. "Is it a meta-human?"
"We don't think so." Hartley shoved Cisco out of the way and took over. He focused on a different camera which showed a man in the distance, coming their way. Wally frowned and squinted at the screen. The man was just barely too far to properly tell, but he thought that his shape seemed wrong.
"Is he carrying something on his back?" Wally asked. Cisco and Hartley looked at each other and then back to the screen.
"It's possible." Hartley admitted, though he didn't sound sure. "We need a closer look." Hartley pressed a few keys and the camera began to zoom in on the man. The quality got worse the closer in they zoomed (Wally found it kind of weird that with all the high tech they had at Star Labs they had a crappy video security system), but Wally thought he could distinguish the shape of another person draped over the man's shoulders.
"I think he's carrying somebody." Wally leaned in closer. His eyes widened when he saw the very distinct color of yellow that the second person's jacket was. Wally had only ever seen one person where a leather jacket of that color. "Guys, I think it's Axel." It was just a guess, but it was more than enough for Hartley. The second the words had left Wally's mouth Hartley was gone, probably to see for himself in person.
"Hartley, wait!" Cisco got to his feet. "We don't even know if-" But he was gone. Cisco groaned in annoyance. "I swear, that guy's gonna get himself killed. What if this dude's dangerous?"
"And what if he's not?" Wally asked. Really, Hartley had the right idea. There was no way of knowing who their guest (guests?) was until he was either right on top of them or they went out to see for themselves. Wally wasn't really in a very patient mood, so he was all for checking out the situation himself. Even though he could hear the others protesting he also heard them follow right behind him, which meant that they were as curious as he and Hartley were.
Hartley was already outside when Wally and the others got out there. They could see the man was even closer now, but it looked like he was moving kind of slowly, as if he was burdened with extra weight. Wally watched as Hartley slipped on his sonic gloves, just in case, and approached the man cautiously.
"Who are you?" Hartley called out, with just the slightest edge of a threat in his voice. Wally wished it wasn't already dark outside, because then they would probably already know who they were dealing with, or at least have a general idea.
"I'm a friend." Wally frowned when he heard the voice. It sounded familiar to him. The man was close enough now that he was lit up by the lights of Star Labs, and Wally could swear that he recognized him. He didn't think about it too much though because he also recognized the person that he was carrying on his back.
"Axel!" Hartley lowered his gloved hands and ran forward. The dark skinned man who was carrying Axel lowered him so that Hartley could grab him. It bothered Wally how pale Axel looked, and that he was unconscious, if not worse. Whatever the case, they needed to get him inside so that Shawna could look over him.
Hartley took Axel inside. Wally would have gone with him, but he wanted to stay out here. Something about this man's presence bugged him. How had he found Axel when Barry, Hartley and Mick had left him in the middle of a battle zone. And how had he known to bring Axel to Star Labs? Something was going on here.
"Who are you?" Cisco repeated Hartley's question from before.
"I'm here to help." Was all the man said. Everybody else seemed wary still, but not overly so. It looked like they were considering accepting his offer, because they didn't actually need all the help that they could get. Wally narrowed his eyes. Something didn't seem right. He could swear that he recognized the man. All of a sudden it came to him.
"Don't trust him." Wally said sharply before anybody could decide to do anything. "I know this man. He's Detective Joe West with the CCPD." Wally remembered seeing him on that day that they had first seen Iris.
"A cop, huh?" In a second Mick had taken out his flame thrower gun that he had blackmailed Cisco into making for him a few years back. He had his weapon trained on Detective West, who froze. Even if he didn't know what the weapon was, he was smart enough to know that he didn't want to find out. "Inside. Now."
Detective West glared at all of them. "You kids think you're doing what's right? You're going to cause a war in this city. Innocent people will die."
"Innocent people already have." Barry said quietly. Wally knew that he was thinking about Len, as well as all of the civilians he must have seen get caught up in the fight. "But we didn't start this battle."
"But we will finish it." Wally said. They had to. This was their city, and these were their people getting hurt. Maybe them rebelling against Zoom would get innocent people hurt, maybe Detective West was right about that, but it was still necessary. Things weren't okay as they were, and unless they stood up for what was right things probably wouldn't get better any time soon.
Detective West was a Central City cop. He couldn't understand, but they had to fight. It was the only way to make things right.
A/N: I feel like I'm squeezing a lot into these chapters, and yet not enough. Is that weird? Honestly, I'm not sure. These next few chapters may move a bit slower than previous ones, because a lot of stuff is going to happen in such a short period of time in this story, it has to move slowly. So, uh, yeah, I'll see you next chapter.