Hal slowly woke up.
"Hal? Haaaaal? Wake up," Flix said.
Hal and Ryan were standing on either side of his bed.
"What… happened?," he asked groggily.
He suddenly shot up in the bed, both boys put hands on his shoulder to keep him down.
"Where's Barry?," he asked. "Actually, where are we?,"
"In my family's home. An island in the Bermuda Triangle. The dolls can't track us here," Flix answered before groaning and clenching his head in pain. Ryan quickly supported his weight before her fell and gently set him on the ground.
"Hey take it easy," Ryan told him.
"You ok?," Hal asked.
"Ya. It's just that it takes up a lot more energy to bring 5 people here than just 3 of them. I'll be ok,"
"Good, what about Barry and Iris?,"
"They're still unconscious. The best doctors are looking after them," Ryan said, looking a bit uncomfortable.
"Hey, if you're feeling better, why don't I show you around a bit while Ryan stays here and waits for Barry and Iris to wake up?,"
"I don't know kid, we need to get back and kick those dolls' butts,"
"You're gonna need a plan when Barry wakes up anyway. Soon as they wake up we'll come right back, promise,"
"The island is beautiful," Ryan chimed in.
Hal raised an eyebrow at Flix.
"I guess stretching my legs a bit would be the best," he said getting out of bed.
"Yes!" Flix cheered.
"I don't think so," an older brunette boy, around 12 said coming in.
Flix scowled.
"I don't care how much you like these guys Flix, you shouldn't have brought them here, sure Ryan's OK but we don't know the rest of them. You can forget about taking them out of here,"
"Would father have been this distrusting?," Flix tested.
The older boy growled and loomed over him.
"If you use dad like that one more time I will punch you in the face," he said.
Flix looked unfazed.
"Jake, let him do what he wants. Nothing's gonna happen," an older red headed boy said walking past the room.
Jake raised an eyebrow than sighed.
"Fine, you're funeral," Tom said and left the room.
…
Outside…
Hal got his first good look at the island. Flix was right it was breathtaking, it looked very clean and pleasant. The ground and forest was littered by flowers and other plants he's never seen and the village consisted of man, woman, and children.
"Wow," Hal said
"I know right," Flix replied.
…
Meanwhile…
Barry and Iris were just waking up.
"Iris, are you OK?," Barry asked.
"Ya fine," she said.
She then saw Ryan.
"Oh thank God you're OK," she said.
Ryan saw the the two and gulped nervously.
"Ryan," he said sitting up in the bed. "Come here for a minute,"
Ryan slowly, and nervously walked over to his bed as Barry swung his feet over the side.
"Hey," Barry said.
"...Hi,"
Barry sighed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you two. Those things never would have gotten to you if I hadn't,"
"That's OK. I know you were just worried about us. You're right, we are kids,"
Barry smiled a bit. "Actually, from what I saw you're both pretty advanced fighters for your age,"
Ryan laughed a bit.
"But anyway. You wanna tell me why that guy in the flash suit was threatening to kill you?,"
Ryan looked away for a moment.
"Oh. Ya. Him," Ryan said humorlessly.
"Ryan, Barry can help you," Iris reassured.
"It's OK. You don't have to tell me right now if you don't want to," Barry said.
"No. It- It's OK. I want to," Ryan said sitting on the bed next to him.
Her sighed, trying to find a good way to explain.
"So you know how I told you my dad was never a good father?,"
Barry nodded.
"Well…. He was created, to replace Jay if he ever turned evil. But then when you took over he went crazy. He killed all of his creators and went off killing other families until he met my mom and decided he wanted to have a kid…. But when he did and I showed my powers he only got worse. He always terrified and threatened my mom. If I did something that he didn't see as perfect, whether it be not doing something right during training or just spilling a glass of water over he would grab me, get right in my face and start screaming at me, just ever horrible insult he could come up with… He would…,"
Barry looked at him sympathetically. Iris looked horrified.
"He would beat me… real bad… all the time. He said that that's what I get when I disrespect him or just being a stupid worthless piece of trash. He said that he was teaching me a lesson. Guess I was a pretty bad stupid, cause the lessons never stopped,"
Barry had grabbed the sheets on the bed in anger, Iris looked ready to cry.
"But my mom got tired of putting up with it. So she decided to run away and take me with her.
Flashback
A robotic version of Superman was running from a much younger Ryan, looking only 3 years old.
"Come on Robo Superman, don't make me break out the kryptonite again," he said.
Suddenly the training session stopped. Ryan looked around confused but saw his mother with tears in her eyes at the control panel.
"Pack your things. We're leaving,"
"I stayed with her for a few months, but then my dad found us,"
Young Ryan was sleeping in his new room when he heard his mom screaming and shot up from his bed.
"Huh?,"
He heard his mom continue to scream. He got out of bed and quietly walked down the hallway to the living room.
"You're insane! He's a child!," his mom screamed.
"You think you have any right to take my kid away?! Who the hell do you think you are?!," he heard a man's voice say.
Ryan's blood went cold, he knew that voice. He heard glass break and his mom scream and ran into the living room to see his mother laying on the ground with his father standing over her.
"Ryan run!," she yelled.
Ryan went to run.
"Stay boy!," his father ordered.
Ryan stopped dead in his tracks. His father walked over.
"Scott. Don't do this," Ryan's mother said weakly.
"Shut up!,"
Ryan's dad kneeled down to his son's level and smiled.
"Hey it's ok," his dad cooed, before slapping him forcefully sending him several feet away to the floor.
Ryan's dad picked up a kitchen knife from the table and walked back over to Ryan's mouth and kneed her to the floor, sitting on top of her.
"No. Scott. I love you," Ryan's mother begged.
"Like I care," Ryan's dad said.
He stabbed her as hard as he could in her upper chest.
"Nooooooooooooo!," She screamed.
"Nooooooooooo!," Ryan screamed watching helplessly from the floor as Ryan's dad super speeded Ryan's mom out of the house followed by Ryan. Ryan coughed due to the dirt.
"MOM?!," he called out.
He suddenly saw his mother's body on the dirt.
"Mom? Mom,"
He ran over and shook his mother trying to wake her up.
"Mom! Mom! Mommy!,"
He heard his mother's last breath come out. Ryan began to cry knowing his mom wasn't waking up. His father walking over.
"Get up,"
"Mom?!,"
"Get. Up!,"
Ryan's father kicked him harshly. "On your feet!," he screamed.
He grabbed Ryan and ran back to his house. Ryan's father threw Ryan forcefully into his room.
"You ever betray me again I'll kill you. This is all your fault. You killed her," the father said and slammed the door shut.
Ryan just broke down sobbing in his room.
End of flashback
Iris had her mouth covered with tears rolling down her face. Barry looked horrified, he knew what it was like to have his mother be murdered.
"Oh God," he said under his breath.
Ryan started tearing up.
"I got out of there as soon as I could. I'm really sorry I got you and Iris into this. Please don't hate me. He knows where I am now. He'll never stop coming after me. … Barry, I'm scarred," Ryan said looking away, tears rolling down his face.
Barry put a hand on his shoulder, making him look back up at him.
"No need to be son. I won't let him hurt you ever again," Barry said reassuringly.
Ryan looked shocked but nodded. But he couldn't hold back his emotions anymore. He practically jumped into Barry's arms, wrapping his arms as tightly as he could around the man's torso and broke down sobbing. Barry quickly recovered wrapping an arm around Ryan's back and another protectively at the back of his head. He looked up at Iris, how was still in too much shock to say anything.
"You're safe," was the only thing Barry could say to Ryan.
All he could do was continue to holding Ryan as tightly and securely as he could, and with in a few minutes Ryan, seemed to calm down and smile from the feeling safety, comfort and warmth he hadn't felt in a long time.