-Chapter Eleven-
"In Our Line of Business, It's All Serious"
"The Mercury Labs facility is one of the largest in this area of the United States," Brent explained as he walked backwards down the carpeted hallway at Mercury Labs. "There are over 500 rooms in this building including lecture halls, laboratories, conference rooms, and offices. It is constantly inspected by regulatory agencies to ensure safety while working with the machinery, and extensive background checks are done on employees to guarantee a safe working environment."
"It's also an easy way to check if what they put on their resume is true," Gavin added, scratching the back of his head. "Fake education, fake computer skills..."
"And this was all in the past few months," Casey said with a laugh. "You'd be amazed at what people will do just to get a job here."
"I'll take your word for it," Averey asked as she followed her roommates through the halls. Mercury Labs was a lot more intimidating on the inside than it looked on the outside. The whole place felt tense, yet lively all at the same time. People were rushed both in their gait and in their tones.
"I don't think I've ever asked," Averey said, slapping herself on the forehead, "what do you guys do here?"
"Well, I'm a data analyst," Gavin replied, placing his hands to his chest. "I collect all the data that's found, look for any anomalies and outliers, keep the information about any patients we service, make sure everything's up to date, things like that."
"I'm a Lab Research and Development Technician Assistant," Casey replied. "Basically, what that means is I build and test prototype and experimental machines, maintenance, and stuff like that."
"And I'm a medical coordinator and assistant," Brent explained, his voice suddenly dropping to a monotone, "and on occasions, a tour guide."
"So what would I be doing here?" Averey asked.
"Mail runs," Brent replied and Casey elbowed him hard in the side.
Twice.
Not like she's not doing it already, he thought to himself, trying to hold back a smile.
"First we need to make sure we can get you an interview with the head of HR," Gavin explained. He put a hand to Averey's shoulder to get her attention. "I've put in a good word with Dr. McGee; however you still need to turn in an application. Once you've done that, you'll receive an e-mail or a phone call to let you know that they have received your application. It'll then be evaluated for your experience, education, and your skills and depending on the area you're applying for you'd have to take an assessment."
"In your case, you'd just be asked to turn in a writing sample," Brent explained, rubbing at the sore spot on his side.
"Easy-peasy," Casey said, clapping her hands together before punching the air with his fist much like a cheerleader. "Your writing style is great if your blog is anything to go by. It would just have to be…amped up a bit. More scientifically aligned with what we do here."
"Basically, it needs to sound smarter," Brent said, ignoring the looks Casey and Gavin shot in his direction, "bigger words and all that." He just needed to get back to work. The minute he was done with his Mercury Labs work, the minute he could get back to his other work; more important work at this moment in time.
He could easily blame his short temper on how tired he was from juggling both jobs. A third job would be added on top of that if things all worked out and Averey joined the Royal Flush Gang. She would be a lower rank than the rest of them and have to be taught everything.
"Someone will let you know whether or not you'll continue on through the process after looking over your writing sample," Casey said, removing her harsh gaze from Brent. "You should get your portfolio ready as well, they'd want to look at that. You'll be interviewed over the phone, through a conference call, or in person with a panel, which Dr. McGee will be a part of."
"I'm not sure if you'll have the chance to meet with her today," Gavin said, lifting his hand in a wave to the man who was leaning out of his office, trying to flag him down. "But, it'd be a big help if you could." He adjusted the collar of his shirt. "Sorry, but I need to talk with him; briefing for a late meeting. I can meet you back at my office when you're done."
"We'll see you then," Casey said with a nod of her head.
Gavin stepped into the office before leaning back into the hallway, fixing his gaze on Brent. "Make sure you get your findings in to me today," he said. "You've been backed up for a few days and it's pushing back my work as well."
Brent twisted his mouth to the side. "I can have it in to you by the end of the day," he promised. Gavin's eyes narrowed just slightly. He wasn't lost on the underlying topic of conversation they were having. With all his work at Mercury Labs, his part of the plan was falling behind. "Trust me." Gavin gave a brief nod of his head before disappearing into the office. If he looked back, he was sure Gavin would still be watching him. He leaned closer to Casey. "I don't need him watching so closely."
"His work relies on ours," Casey said just as quietly, "you know that. Both here and at home."
"Yeah, yeah," Brent replied with a sigh.
"So you guys have a lot of meetings then?" Averey asked. Casey gave him a warning look and Brent went back to his tour-demeanor.
"Well, we need to know just where exactly each component to our projects are at all times," he explained, "to make sure we're on track. If we need to slow down our progress, then everyone needs to be on the same page. Every scientific discovery that comes from Mercury Labs is a team effort; no one gets left behind."
"But there's one thing everyone here lives by," Casey added, "sometimes experiments fail for a reason and sometimes there's no reason at all."
"Wow," Averey said, shaking her head back and forth. She spun in a slow circle, taking everything in. "It really makes you wonder how STAR Labs would be now if the accident never occurred."
Brent felt himself smile as STAR Labs was brought up. It truly was on the up and up before the accident. Well, now that the topic was brought up… "You were over there once, weren't you?" he asked, a curious look crossing his face. He caught Casey's eye and tried not to give anything away. "Is it as bad as they say?"
"I wouldn't say so," Averey replied with a shake of her head. "Dr. Wells really wants to turn things around." She paused for a moment. "From what I saw, anyway."
"It's going to be hard for him, that's for sure," Casey said with a sigh, shaking her head back and forth. "It's only been a year after all."
"His biggest accomplishment has left him without the use of his legs and he still chooses to go to his laboratory every day," Brent pointed out. "And he only has two employees to his name. He's going to have to do something big to compete with Mercury Labs."
Not that the gang was doing much better. With their Starling Division being caught by The Hood, there wasn't much else they could do in that city. He wasn't sure where they were now, or if they could even risk committing more crimes, but it made things harder on them. The Central City Division was the last in this area of the United States. That he knew of anyway.
Whatever King, Queen, and Jack were doing was often relayed to them on a "need to know basis" and if they were given that luxury, it was always Gavin who was cleared to know. Most times, Gavin didn't seem to want to tell them that, either. Brent understood why; the less they knew the better, but for someone who could preach about teamwork at Mercury Labs, it felt more like a dictator ship at times.
"Do you think you're going to apply to work here?" Casey asked, her question breaking into Brent's thoughts. "I'm sure we can find something for you to do here." She looked at Brent out of the corner of her eye and winked.
Indeed. Brent smirked. More than you know.
Barry whistled to himself as he made his way through Central City Park. He tucked his hands into his coat pockets, shielding them against the cool, brisk air. It was getting closer and closer to Christmas time. Usually, it was a time to be jolly, but he always got a bit sad.
He wouldn't ever admit it to his dad, but it was a bit depressing to spend part of the day at Iron Heights. Gone were the days where he'd get up early and run into his mom and dad's room and jump on their bed until they woke up to start breakfast and to open gifts. His mom would make cinnamon rolls and a fruit salad while he and his dad played with some of the new toys he got that day.
To see his dad at all on Christmas, or to hear his voice over the phone, was the greatest gift he could ever receive. Just even hearing his dad still call him "Slugger" was enough to put a smile on his face. Plus, he still had Iris and Joe to spend the day with and he was grateful they gave him time to himself before joining in on their festivities. He couldn't ask for better friends, for a better family.
If mom were still alive…
Barry shook his head, letting out a harsh breath of air, watching as a cloud of white air twisted and swirled in front of him. He played the 'what if' game far too often. "What if mom never died?", "What if I never went to live with Joe and Iris?", "What if I never became the Flash?" Those questions played on a loop days at a time if he allowed himself to dwell on it long enough.
This was his life now and he had to do with it what he could. Keeping the city safe and allowing STAR Labs to get back on track with his help was the only thing he could do with his powers at this moment in time. But, he hadn't forgotten about his other goal. He'd get his dad out of jail one way or another.
He just had to.
Hearing an upbeat version of "Here Comes Santa Clause", Barry shifted his gaze upwards towards one of the small speakers mounted in the tree. Christmas music played throughout the park as it got closer and closer towards the holidays. A string of lights were wrapped around each tree, illuminating at night, in sync with the lights around the giant Christmas tree that sat in the very center of the park.
"Come on, Slugger," his dad had said with a bright smile, adjusting young Barry's hat over his ears before taking his hand, "let's go take a closer look at the Christmas tree."
His mom took his other hand and would sing it back and forth, humming happily; her eyes alight and reflecting the blues, reds, greens, and whites of the Christmas lights. "Then we can take a ride around to look at all of the decorated houses," she responded.
"Even the big one on the hill?" he had asked.
"Even the big one on the hill," Henry agreed with a chuckle.
"And we can get hot chocolate?" he had pressed.
"And we can get hot chocolate," Nora repeated.
Barry would smile happily and turn his slow walk into a run, pulling his startled parents with him as he made his way towards the center of the park.
Letting out a sigh, Barry relaxed the muscles in his jaw, his hands and anywhere else he felt them tense and tight. If it wasn't for that man, that lightning, he'd be spending another Christmas with his parents. A burning ball of anger formed in his chest, spreading heat from one side to the other.
"Hey, Barry."
Startled, Barry stopped in his tracks. Averey looked over at him from the viewfinder on the back of her camera and grinned at him. "I saw you all the way at the end of the park. You walk kind of…bandy-legged. Actually, you don't really walk it's more like a strut." She got to her feet, lowering her voice. "Being the Flash, I don't really blame you for strutting your stuff."
Barry let out an embarrassed laugh, turning his head to the side just slightly as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I—well—achem." He lifted a fist to his mouth, clearing his throat. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about."
"How you walk?" Averey asked, lifting an eyebrow. "I mean, I don't think it's anything you need to get looked at but—"
"No, the Flash," Barry said, lowering his voice as well. He angled his head towards the park bench and Averey followed him over. "Iris told me you'd be here. She also said you're doing a project with her?"
"Uhh…yeah," Averey replied with a nod of her head. "Mhm. In the theme of the Flash, her professor wanted her to branch out and find what makes a hero, interviewing people, and I said I'd take pictures for her." She carefully set her camera down onto the bench beside her. "You wanted to talk about the Flash?"
"I just wanted to check how you're doing?" Barry said as more of a question than a statement. "You know with everything you've learned about STAR Labs…and me." He tilted his head to the side. "So, are you ok?"
"Yeah," Averey replied with a nod of her head. "I mean, it all came at one time, but there isn't really a way to ease someone into this kind of thing, right?"
"You should've seen me," Barry said.
A fond smile came to his face as he thought back about the day he woke up from his coma. Having a pee cup shoved into his face, realizing he was listening to Lady Gaga, and being in a place had dreamt of visiting before in his life was a real shock to him. It was way more than he could handle at the time. Words were flying out of Cisco and Caitlin as they tried to explain to him what happened and the changes his body was going through. And at the same time, he was star struck at meeting the Dr. Wells.
"When I woke up, I felt like I was fuzzy all over, and I was shaking," Barry explained. He let out a breath of air, still not really believing what he had gone through. "I felt energized and scared all at the same time. I mean…" He sighed, dropping his hands into his lap. "It was amazing, and confusing, and exciting, and scary. Now—" he let out an odd laugh, "now it feels normal. It feels like I've always had these powers."
"Yeah, but it has to be pretty creepy," Averey pressed. "Cisco and Caitlin gave me a crash course of what it is that you do and they want me to help. You actually keep all those metahumans in the particle accelerator like a prison?"
"It's better than keeping them out on the streets," Barry replied, shifting in his seat. He already spent enough time at Iron Heights with his dad. Only in this case, their families might not have known what happened to their loved ones trapped in STAR Labs. It made him uncomfortable to think about; on the one hand, they were doing the right thing. On the other, they were wardens at a makeshift jail. "And this way Dr. Wells can learn more about the dark matter and what that means for the rest of Central City."
"I've just never done anything like this before," Averey said with a shake of her head, a frown coming to her face. "I mean, I thought coming to America would be a big adventure, but superheroes and villains are only supposed to be in the movies."
"Trust me, Central City is nothing like the movies," Barry said with a snort.
"So I've been told," Averey muttered, playing with the strap to her camera. She was silent for a moment before looking back up at him. "I want to help you, Barry. I mean, I'm new to all of this, but it's the least I could do. I don't know how much help I'll be, though."
"You did land a few hits on Farooq," Barry reminded her, tapping the side of her shoe with his hand. "And with your vision—" He wiggled his fingers by the side of his head, close to his eyes, "you were able to help us at the police department identify him and learn he was involved with the accident in the first place. You've been a big help already."
"Sure, ok," Averey said with a nod of his head.
"I'm serious," Barry insisted.
"So'm I," Averey replied. "I found Farooq on accident that night. Truth is, I was trying to avoid him but find Dr. Wells."
"I—I'm sorry, I don't understand," Barry said, shaking his head just slightly.
"I was hiding," Averey replied. "He freaked me out at Jitters, and there was just some weird electricity in the air that wasn't there after he was gone. It was the same as that night when I saw the Man in Yellow." Barry felt the burning sensation spread up towards his neck just at the mention of him. "I've been freaking scared of the dark since then." She bobbed her head from side to side. "Well, I'm more scared of what could be in it."
Barry felt his eyebrows twitch towards each other just slightly. He couldn't remember a time where he wasn't scared of the dark. Even now he had to sleep with at least one light on in the room. His fear was something he thought he could've gotten over until the night of his mom's murder. Having to walk all those streets by himself, that late at night and he didn't even know how he got out there let alone how to get back. He never wanted to experience anything like that ever again.
"Well, if it makes you feel any better," Barry said, "and as embarrassing as it is, I still have to sleep with a nightlight, my closet doors can't be open while I sleep, the whole shebang." Averey laughed good naturedly. "My mom always used to say that I was only ever scared of the dark because I always felt like I was alone in it." That night I was alone. There was no one with me, mom.
"Your mum sounds like a smart woman," Averey commented.
"She was," Barry agreed. "Somehow she always knew what to say to get me to calm down about things." He felt himself smile. "My dad on the other hand, sometimes he'd hide in the dark and jump out at me just to scare me." A laugh slipped past his lips. "I always hated it when he did that but he always found it so funny."
A moment of silence fell over the two of them. "So tell me about yourself," he prompted.
"Not much to tell," Averey said, evasively.
"Come on. I don't think I've ever met anyone who's had the guts to actually mouth off to a police detective," Barry commented. "Two police detectives for that matter. " He lifted his hands into the air, palms out. "I mean I did a couple times with Joe, but I quickly learned my lesson with that."
Averey chuckled, brushing her hair out of her face with her shoulder. "You sound like my mum," she said to him. "According to her I mouth off to everyone; adults and her especially." Barry prompted her with a slight nod of his head, silently urging her to continue. "Until recently, I haven't been on the best terms with her, let alone talked to her, since coming to the states."
"Why not?" Barry asked.
"Because I hated that she always tried to be my friend," Averey explained, "more than she tried to be my mum." She lifted her hands to make air quotes. "She always wanted to 'hang out', and go on 'girl dates', and just be buddy-buddy." She pulled the side of her mouth upwards, her eyebrows lifting just slightly. "Not that I could really blame her; she didn't really plan on getting pregnant with me when she did. It was just me and her before she got married to Daniel. He was like her, he was more the disciplinarian out of the two, but he always wanted to make sure I was happy with my life."
"That's not too bad," Barry said. "At least he was trying."
"You're right, it's not," Averey agreed with a slight lift of her shoulders. "I could tell he was trying to stay on my good side, but he was trying too hard. Everything was fine until I got farther into my school career. 'Averey is acting out in her classes', 'Averey talks back to her teachers', 'Averey has an inability to cooperate with her teachers'." Her lips parted just slightly in a smile. "Guess I haven't really outgrown that bad habit. Anyway, a little before I came out to the states, when I was telling her my plans, she started getting overprotective, way more than she had previously been. She didn't want me to go, but I left anyway."
"And your dad? Daniel?" Barry asked.
"Step-father," Averey automatically corrected him. He watched as her nose wrinkled, her eyebrows sliding together just slightly. "I mean, well, he's not really my step-father, since my mum had never married anyone before him." She set her arm on top of the bench, curling her fingers into a fist to prop up the side of her head. "They got married when I was ten. I wasn't too happy about it at first, but Daniel's a nice and great guy."
"And your real dad?"
Averey stayed silent for a moment, her gaze shifting past him as she looked around the park. "I don't know where he is," she replied. "Actually he's part of the reason why I came to the states; to see if I could find him. I was on my way to Nashville when I stopped here. I heard about the Festival of Lights and wanted to feature it in my blog…and then it all happened." She lifted her camera in her hands, wiggling it from side to side. She then looked up at the blue sky stretched above them before blinking rapidly tears coming to her eyes. She reached into her coat pocket and removed her sunglasses, sliding them over her eyes. "It was overcast earlier. I was hoping for some snow, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen anytime soon. I've never seen it before."
"You've never seen snow?" Barry asked, feeling his jaw drop.
"On TV and in movies, but I've never actually seen it fall or anything like that," Averey explained with a shake of her head. "I've been in Central City almost a year, but before that I was in Texas, and Nevada, and California so…"
"I used to come to the Festival of Lights all the time," Barry said, feeling a smile come to his face. "Me, my mom, and my dad, we'd look at the decorations here, leave a gift under the tree, and then go look at the lights."
"Why would you need to leave a gift?" Averey asked.
Barry got to his feet, rubbing his hands together. Averey quickly packed up her camera, throwing the strop of her back over her shoulder before falling into step beside him as he led the way along the path towards the center of the park. "All the gifts under the Christmas tree," he said, pointing ahead of him, "goes to the kids in the city who are having rough times; terminal illness, parents in trouble, things like that. I got a gift one year; year after my mom's murder. It was right after my dad's sentencing."
"What'd you get?" Averey asked, peering up at him.
"Baseball set," Barry replied. He pursed his lips before swallowing. "I remember I liked it, but it sucked because my dad was the one who taught me how to play and he always called me Slugger." He let out a laugh. "I wasn't very good, but we used to play catch a lot. I leave a gift every year. I haven't had much time to think of a gift, though."
"I'm sorry," Averey said.
"Me too," Barry said. He adjusted his coat against the cool air, pressing his arms tightly against his sides. He sniffed once as he came up to the tree. Tilting his head back, Barry looked at each ornament and trail of tinsel that wrapped around the tree before his gaze shifted downwards to the pile of gifts surrounding the base of the tree. He slowly walked around the tree, taking in its decorations when his eyes fell onto a snow cone cart. "Isn't it too cold out for snow cones?"
The man behind the counter chuckled as Barry stepped over to him. "I don't know about that," he commented, "but it's never too cold for snow." Barry gave him a confused look and the man motioned towards the row of tubs sitting by his arm. "Fake snow. Just add water."
"Really?" Barry asked. He looked over his shoulder at Averey who was crouched down by the base of the tree, reading off of a nametag on one of the gifts.
"Care for a demonstration?" the man asked. Barry gave a nod of his head and watched as the man opened the lid to a tub and scooped out some of the white powder, dumping it into a bowl. He reached under the counter for a cup of water and poured it over top of the white powder. Barry felt his eyes widen as he watched the water turn a murky gray color before it changed into snow before his very eyes. "Cool, eh? Go on, feel it."
Barry hesitated but stuck his fingers into the bowl surprised to find that it actually felt like snow. A little cold, even a little wet, but it felt like snow. "Wow," he whispered. "It really feels like snow." The man lifted his eyebrows. "Can you make snowballs out of this?"
"Sure," the man replied. He grasped the top of a compartment and flipped it open. Barry leaned forward and peered down into a tub piled with snowballs. "You just have to freeze the fake snow for a while. So can I make you an offer?"
"How much for ten snowballs?" Barry asked reached for his wallet. The man smiled. Moments later, Barry was walking towards Averey, arms full with snowballs. Carefully holding them to his chest, he called Averey's name and when she turned towards him, lobbed a snowball at her, hitting her between the side of her head and her shoulder.
"Whaa!" She gaped at him, brushing the snow from her shoulders. "What was that?"
Barry laughed at her bewildered expression. He walked over to her and pressed the five snowballs into her empty arms. She looked down at the snowballs in her arms before shifting her gaze back up at him. Her confused, and annoyed, look slowly cleared into a challenging smile.
"So should I be lucky that you're terrible at baseball?" she asked as she shuffled away from him, gripping a snowball tightly in her hand. "Or should I be happy you're one snowball down?"
"We'll see," Barry replied. He jumped to the side, barely avoiding the snowball Averey threw at him before throwing one back at her. The snowball fight was short, but filled with laughter. He got a few hits in, but she was able to land more on him than he was expecting. If he could use his speed, he knew he'd out match her no problem.
Droplets of cold water slid down the side of his neck and back warming against his skin and soaking into his shirt. "You have good aim." He shook the excess snow off his hands before turning towards the man, lifting his hand in a wave of thanks.
"Thanks." Averey brushed the palms of her hands off on her jeans. Her face was flushed and she gasped for air. "You ran into a couple of them, though. I could tell which direction you were going to go in; you kind of tap your foot on the ground before moving in that direction."
"You could see something like that?" Barry asked, reaching for his pants pocket as he felt his phone start to vibrate against his thigh. "Something that small?"
"Yeah," Averey replied with a nod of her head. "Why?"
"Just wondering," he replied, glancing at the caller ID before answering the call. "What's up, Cisco? Yeah, I'm with her right now. Ok." He pressed his thumb into the red square on his phone, ending the call. "We need to get to STAR Labs right now."
"Is it serious?" Averey asked, a look of worry spearing on her face.
"In our line of business, it's all serious," Barry replied with a nod of his head, reaching for the strap to her camera. He handed it to her, gently positioning her behind the tree. "If I may…" He carefully wrapped his hand around the back of her neck.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Stabilizing your neck so you don't get whiplash," Barry replied.
He bent his knees and slid his other arm around Averey's legs, lifting her into his arms. Before she could say another word, he felt a surge of energy course through his body, making the hair on his arms and the back of his neck stand on end. Then he was speeding through the streets of Central City. The wind tugged at his skin, face, and clothes as he hurried into Star Labs, skidding to a stop in the center of the cortex.
"You're faster than I remember, Barry," Felicity commented, brushing her loose hairs back from her face. "I mean, not that kind of fast. I mean, of course you're fast." She got to her feet, extending her hand to Averey who was swaying on the spot, windswept. "Hi, I'm Felicity."
"Non-fat latte with extra sugar," Averey said as Caitlin hurried to put a chair behind her. Caitlin gently pressed her hands down on Averey's shoulders and the Australian bent her knees, sitting down. "I remember you. I'm Averey and I think I'm going to throw up."
"It'll just take a few moments for your organs to settle back into place after moving so quickly," Caitlin said with a gentle smile. She brushed her hair back behind her ears. "Barry has gotten faster, Felicity. Everything's fine." She twisted her mouth to the side as she looked over at Barry. "If we could work on his tardiness."
"I'm working on it, I'm working on it," Barry replied with an easy going smile. He looked around the room. "So where's Ol—uh…" He scratched the back of his head. "Arrre we allll here?"
"Indeed we are, Mr. Allen," Dr. Wells replied.
"You wouldn't believe what Felicity brought that she and the Arrow needs our help with," Cisco said with a wide grin. He took a bite of the Twizzler in his hand and ripped off the bottom portion. "Dude, it's sick."
"So what's the emergency?" Barry asked.
"The bank robber, Roy G. Bivolo, has been spotted in town," Cisco explained, his excited smile disappearing just slightly as he hurried over to the computers. Barry gave him a confused look.
"Oh, I can field this one," Felicity said before holding her hands together as if she was holding a baseball bat. "I was able to hack into the security cameras from the bank and look at the security tape. I matched up the face with your lovely database here, and installed some facial recognition software. Wherever he shows up, we can ping." She mimed swinging the bat before punching the air with her fists. "Score! His name matches that of which the Arrow relayed to myself."
"Anyway," Cisco said, chuckling, "A tip came in over the police scanner. He was last seen near the Central City Foundry. We dropped a line to the police to let them know." He then turned towards Felicity. "You have to tell me who the Arrow is. I have this list of guesses, I might be in the ballpark. Huh? Huh?" He raised and lowered his eyebrows and Felicity smiled in amusement.
Caitlin let out a huff of impatience. "The bank we understand," Caitlin explained, chewing on her bottom lip. "But, what would he need at the Foundry?"
"Maybe whatever Felicity's boomerang was made out of came from there," Cisco suggested.
"Boomerang?" Averey asked, looking back and forth between Cisco and Felicity. "What boomerang?"
"Wait until you see it," Cisco said, practically bouncing on the spot. "The metal feels like it's actually vibrating in your hands."
"Mr. Allen, I asked Cisco to call you here because I have found something of interest in your latest test results," Dr. Wells said in his authoritative tone. "Not just yours, but everyone else who was whammied by Bivolo. I've been monitoring the activity in the area of the brain affected by Bivolo and for a while it looked like the affects only lasted a short amount of time."
"But, it hasn't?" Barry asked.
"No," Dr. Wells replied with a shake of his head. "Caitlin and I have been monitoring your brain activity, Barry, to see if anything appeared in times of stressful situations."
Barry had to stop himself from laughing. Everything about STAR Labs was a stressful situation when he had to worry about his work with the police force as well. "What'd you find out?" he asked.
"Every time this individual section of your brain is used in this manner, it seems as if the affects of being whammied increases," Caitlin explained. "It builds and builds and builds until it's all depleted."
"I don't like the sound of that," Barry said. He crossed his hands over his chest. "What does this mean?"
"That everyone in Central City is a ticking time bomb," Felicity said. She rubbed her hands together before setting her elbows on the edge of the computer in front of her, lacing her fingers together. "If everyone in that bank has that one thing that makes them want to blow up," she snapped her fingers, "there's no telling what could happen."
"So, what does that mean for me? A mental breakdown?" Averey asked.
"It could," Caitlin replied. "For either of you. I mean, the mind is more fragile than people realize."
Barry pressed his lips together. He did feel himself get worked up at each thought of the Man in Yellow, and maybe even more so since being whammied, but it wasn't anything to worry about. But, there was one person he knew that could put his personal feelings aside when it mattered.
He needed to talk to Oliver Queen.
A/N: I haven't forget about Eddie and Joe. They'll be brought in again in the next chapter and have bigger roles from there.
Guest: Thanks for the kind words. We'll definitely be seeing more of Averey and Barry together. I especially liked writing this part with the two of them and can't wait to show everyone more.
BabyJ: At first, I wasn't going to have Dr. McGee be a part of it, but then I had found a way I think will be exciting to read about. Thank you for letting me know about keeping them all in character. I really enjoy writing Cisco and Caitlin's friendship and hope to see more of it in the show. Also, I'm excited for everyone to see where I'm going with Iris's storyline as well so I'm glad you're looking forward to it.