Barry
"Why would Barry want me to go into the zone?" Oliver asked in confusion, "I can do it, sure, but what good will it do? It's not like I can take Barry back out with me, not with that chip in his neck."
"I don't know," Cisco said, just as confused, "But he must have a reason. He wouldn't ask you to do this for nothing."
"You're going, right?" Iris asked Oliver tearfully, "You're going into the zone?"
"Of course," Oliver replied, "Of course, I am. I just don't know why I am."
"I guess there's only one way to find out," Felicity said seriously.
Oliver waited until it was half past three in the morning before he made his way to the roof of a tall building next to the zone. Felicity had scoped out all the security surrounding the wall for him, and Oliver picked the best spot to breech the wall. It was as far from any guard towers as he could get, and it would be near the address Barry had given them, the house that Barry was living in.
Oliver waited for the perfect time to make his move, drawing his bow and taking aim at a building on the inside of the wall. His arrow flew silently through the night before making contact with the building, a long line of rope attached to it. Oliver attached the rope to a nearby post before applying a hook to it.
After double checking once again that the coast was clear and the guard tower spotlights were pointing in different directions, Oliver leapt over the edge of the build, gliding along the line of rope until he was on the other side.
Once he was inside the zone, Oliver decided to stick to the rooftops, knowing that the streets were being patrolled by guards on foot. He could easily incapacitate any officer he came across, but his goal was to get in and out of the zone without anyone ever knowing he was there.
It was difficult to find the house when he was moving via rooftop, but Oliver was still able to follow the street signs and the directions that Felicity was giving him through his earpiece.
"I found the house," Oliver muttered through his coms, when he reached the rooftop of the house next to Barry's, "I'm going in."
Oliver climbed down from the roof and then circled around the house. It was small and very run down. He noticed immediately that all the windows were boarded up. He looked them over with approval. At least Barry was being smart. The boarded windows wouldn't keep others out indefinitely, but it was enough to deter people from trying to break into the home. Anyone looking to raid a house would simply pass over this one and move on to an easier one. It simply wasn't worth the trouble.
Oliver could have broken through the boarded up windows if he wanted to, but he didn't want to undo their hard work. Instead, he made his way to the back door, not wanting to stand in the front of the house, where a passing truck could potentially see him.
To his surprise, a voice sounded from the other side of the door almost immediately after he tried the handle.
"Who are you?!" the voice demanded harshly.
Oliver was shocked. It was four in the morning. He hadn't expected anyone to be awake. It wasn't Barry's voice coming from the other side of the door, though. It was a different man.
"What do you want?!" the man demanded, not opening the door.
"I'm here to see Barry Allen," Oliver replied immediately, "It's Oliver. He wanted me to come here."
The door suddenly opened then.
"You're Oliver?" the young man said in shock, "You're Oliver Queen?"
Oliver nodded and then forced his way into the house, closing the door behind him.
"Sorry," he muttered, "It would be kind of dumb of me to stand outside."
The kid gave him a weary look, looking him over with mistrustful eyes.
"So, his message worked then," the young man said, "I didn't think it would. I didn't think you'd actually come."
"Where's Barry?" Oliver asked, ignoring what the kid had just said.
"He's in the bedroom," another voice said suddenly, and a young woman stepped into the kitchen, "He's been in there for two days."
Oliver then followed the woman down a hallway to get to the bedroom. When she opened the door and Oliver stepped inside, it was to find Barry sleeping on the floor, propped up in a sitting position with his back against the wall, his message written in large letters next to him. It made sense now. Barry had no way of knowing if Cisco had gotten his message or not, so he had clearly stayed in this same spot for the last two days, to be sure that the message was visible the next time Cisco vibed him.
Oliver stared in shock for a moment. It was hard to believe he was actually here, in the slums with Barry. For the last two months it almost felt like Barry was completely gone, and yet here he now was, right in front of him. He had been just a couple miles away from them this entire time, but it felt as if he may as well have been on another planet.
"Barry," Oliver said quietly, crossing the room to lay a hand on the other man's shoulder.
Oliver winced when he felt how thin he was. The weight Barry had lost over the last month was only mildly visible, but he could definitely feel it when he squeezed Barry's bony shoulder.
Barry jerked awake and blinked at him a few times, as if he wasn't quite sure if Oliver was really there.
"Oliver," he gasped.
Oliver nodded and smiled at him. Barry quickly stood up and threw his arms around him, and Oliver let him this time. He wasn't much of a hugger, but there was no way he would ever deny the other man a hug right now. Judging by how tightly Barry clung to him, he really needed it, and truthfully, so did Oliver.
"You came," Barry sobbed, wiping his eyes when they broke apart, "You're here. Thank you so much for coming! I know the risk you took to get here."
"It's good to see you, Barry," Oliver said, giving Barry a sad smile, "I'm glad I took the risk."
"Did you…?" Barry said awkwardly, "Did you happen to bring any food with you?"
Oliver's breath caught in his throat.
"I…didn't," he said painfully, "I'm so sorry, Barry. I was so focused on getting here, I didn't even think about bringing any food or supplies for you. I was anxious to get here as soon as Cisco got your message."
Barry nodded sadly, and Oliver felt a horrible wave of guilt wash over him when he saw the disappointed look on Barry's face, especially after just hugging the man and feeling how prominent his ribs were now. Barry was clearly starving.
"It's okay," Barry said then, recovering quickly, "That's not why I called you here, anyways."
"Why did you call me here?" Oliver asked curiously, "I'm so happy to see you and talk to you, Barry, but why am I here? What can I do to help you?"
Barry shook his head.
"You're not here to help me," he said quickly, "You're here to help someone else."
Oliver gave him a confused look.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
Barry sighed.
"Come with me," he said seriously before exiting the bedroom.
Oliver silently followed Barry all the way back down the hallway. He was surprised when Barry moved towards the back door and headed outside.
"Where are we going?" Oliver asked, vigilantly looking around for any MRA trucks or officers.
"Not far," Barry said, and he meant it.
They ended up crossing the yard and moving to the back door of the neighboring house. Oliver watched curiously as Barry knocked on the door in a very specific rhythm. The door opened a moment later. Oliver was surprised, yet again, to find that people were awake inside the house. It seemed that just about everyone here got up around four in the morning for some reason.
"Barry," an older Latino man said in surprise, "What are you doing here?"
Barry didn't respond right away. Instead, he led Oliver into the house and closed the door, clearly having the same mindset as Oliver about the foolishness of lingering on doorsteps in the zone.
"I'm sorry, Miguel," Barry said once they were inside, "I know it's early. I came here to see Josie."
"Why now?" Miguel asked, looking at Oliver curiously, "Who is this?"
"He's a friend of mine," Barry said simply, "He's here to help."
With that, Barry turned and walked down the hall toward the bedroom, which seemed to be in the same place as it was in the previous house. Barry knocked lightly on the door before slowly opening it.
"Josie," he whispered as he entered the room.
A woman who had been sleeping on the floor suddenly startled awake and looked at him in confusion.
"Barry?" she said in surprise as he and Oliver entered the room, "Barry! I'm so glad you're here! I've been waiting for you to come see him again."
"I'm sorry," Barry muttered, looking down at the floor, "It's been a hard week. I'm here now, though."
Josie smiled at him and then sat up from her place on the floor. It was then that Oliver finally saw the bundle in her arms.
"Did you want to hold him?" she asked Barry happily.
Barry gave her an uneasy look.
"I'm sorry, Josie," he said sadly, "We don't have much time. The sun will be up in less than an hour, and we have to move quickly."
"What are you talking about?" Josie asked, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion.
"This is Oliver," Barry introduced, gesturing to the man next to him, "He's from outside the wall. He snuck in to help us."
Josie looked at Oliver in confusion.
"Help us what?" she asked.
Barry took a deep breath and gave her a pained look before answering.
"He's going to help us get your baby out of the zone," he answered quietly.
Oliver looked at Barry in shock. Josie's eyes widened and then quickly filled with tears.
"W-what?" she asked.
"He doesn't have a microchip," Barry whispered, "He can be smuggled out of here, unlike you or me. He can be brought to safety."
"You want to take him?" Josie sobbed brokenly, "You want to take him away?"
Barry looked at her with watery eyes.
"He'll die here, Josie," he choked, "He'll die if we don't get him out. I know how hard this is, losing your…one source of happiness here, but we need to do this. It's the only way to save him."
Josie let out a strangled sob as she clutched the baby closer to her, looking down at him with tearful eyes.
"I know," she whispered, "You're right."
She held the baby in her arms for a long moment before finally handing him over to Barry. Barry hadn't held the infant since he was born. He hadn't even seen him since then. He couldn't bear to. Until now, all he had seen in the baby was death. He had thought the baby was doomed to die, like Lucy had, like all of them might. But now he saw something different.
He saw hope in the child. He was going to live. Even if Barry and everyone else inside this wall died, this one child would live. He would be the one life that Barry will have been able to save.
"Here," Barry choked, handing the bundle over to Oliver.
Oliver cradled the infant awkwardly in his arms, gazing down at it in shock. This was the last thing he had been expecting. He had thought Barry had called him there to discuss some master plan to end this whole thing, not to have him smuggle a newborn over the wall.
"What's his name?" Oliver whispered to the mother.
She gave him a watery smile.
"Barry."
Oliver's lips twitched, and he gave her a questioning look.
"Barry helped me deliver him," Josie said, tears in her eyes as she smiled at Barry, "He would have died if it weren't for him, and now…now he'll live because of both of you."
Oliver gave her a sad smile.
"I'll get him out safely," he assured her.
Josie nodded and wiped her eyes, and Oliver and Barry then exited the house. They quickly crossed the yard and paused outside the back door to Barry's house.
"You should go," Barry said sadly, looking at the baby in Oliver's arms, "The sun will be up soon."
"I still have forty minutes," Oliver said, looking at his watch, "It'll take me less than twenty to get out of here. We have time."
With that, Oliver opened the door to Barry's house and stepped inside, where they wouldn't be seen.
"I can't tell you how grateful I am that you came," Barry said again, as soon as the door was closed.
"We're saving an innocent life," Oliver said simply, "It's worth the risk."
Barry nodded and sniffed, his eyes filling with tears.
"At least I was able to save one child," he whispered.
Oliver looked down at the small bracelet Barry had on his wrist. He was rolling the small, plastic beads between his fingers.
"That little girl didn't die for nothing, Barry," Oliver said quietly, "Her death has outraged a lot of people. Her story helped spark the Resistance. So did yours."
"Did her parents see it?" Barry whispered, a few tears escaping his eyes, "Did they see the vibe?"
Oliver shook his head.
"I don't know, Barry," he said softly, "It was broadcasted to the entire country, but I don't know if they watched it."
"Can you please tell them…" Barry choked, "Tell them I'm so s-sorry."
"They know," Oliver whispered, "They don't blame you, Barry. And even with their daughter gone, they're still helping the Resistance. They want to free the rest of the metahumans, especially you. They're so grateful to you, Barry. They know you did everything you could."
Barry shook his head and wiped his eyes, taking a deep breath.
"The Resistance," he said then, "What are you all planning to do?"
"We're recruiting right now," Oliver told him, "We're gaining in numbers. People from all over the country are now coming to protest. It's made Price's first few days as mayor very difficult for him. We're planning to go to the senator soon. We're hoping he'll be able to step in and overrule Price."
Barry nodded and looked at the floor.
"Thank you for not giving up," he said quietly, "For fighting for me and the rest of us in here. I wish I could fight with you."
"You're fighting your own war in here, Barry," Oliver said firmly.
Barry shook his head.
"I'm not doing anything," he said bitterly, "I missed my chance to fight back. Now, it's all on you guys to be the heroes, while I'm stuck in here, just another useless victim."
"Barry, you are far from useless," Oliver said incredulously, "You really don't realize how much you've done?! How many people you've helped in here?! You've done so much for so many people here, not as the Flash, but as Barry Allen. Even without your powers, you're still a hero. You always were. Your powers weren't what made you a hero, Barry. It's your heart, your ability to inspire people, to inspire hope. Don't lose that hope now, Barry. Don't ever let them take that light away from you. It's the one thing they can't take."
Barry nodded and gave Oliver a small, watery smile.
"I'm not going to ask you to stop what you're doing," he said quietly, "If it were only to help me, I would, but what you're doing is helping a lot of other people. I can't ask you to stop, not when so many other lives are at stake."
Oliver nodded sadly.
"I need you to promise me something, though," Barry whispered.
"What?" Oliver asked.
"Don't come back."
"What?"
"Don't come back into the zone," Barry said seriously, "It's not worth the risk. I need you to promise me that this will be the only time you cross the wall."
"Barry," Oliver said painfully, "I can't promise you that. You're starving. I have to come back and—"
"No," Barry said firmly, his dead serious eyes boring into Oliver's, "It's not worth it. If you get caught crossing the wall, not only will I never be able to forgive myself, but it will also compromise the Resistance. The Resistance is more important than me. You have to promise me that you won't do it, Oliver."
"Barry…"
"Promise me," Barry gritted.
Oliver sighed and nodded slowly.
"I promise," he whispered.
"Thank you," Barry said quietly.
He then looked at the baby in Oliver's arms.
"You should go," he said sadly, "Get him out of here."
To his own surprise, Oliver's eyes filled with tears.
"I wish I could take you with me," he choked, "I don't want to just leave you here."
"I'll be fine," Barry assured him.
Barry sighed heavily then and moved to detach the strap on his watch, taking it off.
"Could you give this back to Joe for me?" he whispered.
Oliver looked sadly at the watch as Barry placed it in his hand.
"Barry…"
"We need to be realistic," Barry said softly, tears welling in his eyes, "I might not make it out of here, Oliver, and if I don't, I want to make sure Joe gets it back."
Oliver closed his fingers around the watch and nodded. He pocketed the watch and then removed his own.
"At least take mine then," he insisted, "It might help you."
Barry gave him a watery smile and took the watch from him.
"Thank you," he whispered, securing the watch on his wrist.
Oliver nodded sadly.
"Be smart, Barry," he whispered, "Stay alive."
Barry nodded and wiped the tears from his eyes.
"Tell everyone I love them," he said, "And I'm going to do everything I can to stay alive for them. I promise. I'll be smart."
Oliver gave him a watery smile and nodded before moving to give Barry a one-armed hug, holding the baby in his other arm. Barry sniffed and wiped his eyes when they broke apart. Oliver didn't want to leave. It felt so wrong, just walking away and leaving Barry here, leaving him to what could be his death. This might be the last time he sees Barry alive.
"Go," Barry whispered.
Oliver had a lump in his throat as he turned and walked towards the door. He never felt more helpless in his life.
Of all the lives he had saved before, he couldn't save Barry.
"Are you okay?!" Felicity asked when Oliver walked into the headquarters, "Is Barry okay?!"
"He's alright," Oliver said simply, walking over to the desk they had set up there.
"What did he want?" Joe asked urgently, "What did he want from you?"
Oliver sighed and then showed them the bundle in his arms.
"Is that a baby?!" Wally asked in shock.
Oliver nodded. Iris rushed forward for a closer look, and Oliver was quick to deposit the baby in her arms. She seemed a lot more comfortable with holding him than Oliver was.
"Where did it come from?" Iris asked quietly.
Oliver took a deep breath.
"He was born in the zone," he said, and the others' eyes all widened, "Barry helped deliver him."
They all stared at him in surprise as they took in this news.
"That's why he wanted you to sneak in," Henry said, understanding now, "He wanted you to get the baby out."
Oliver nodded.
"He wanted to save at least one person," he said quietly.
The others all nodded sadly at his words, knowing that Barry would do anything and everything to save as many lives as he possibly could.
"What's his name?" Iris asked after a moment.
Oliver's lips twitched.
"It's Barry," he said, "The mother named him after him."
This brought tears to all their eyes. Iris shook her head.
"Even without his powers," she said quietly, "Barry still finds ways to be a hero."
They all smiled sadly at the thought. Barry always managed to touch the lives of everyone around him, not as a superhero, not as the Flash, but as Barry Allen.
"So what now?" Joe asked, gesturing to the tiny baby in Iris's arms, "What do we do with him?"
"We bring him to his father," Oliver answered, "Daniel Anderson, the mother's husband. He's human, and he lives in Central City. Josie wanted us to take him to him."
The others nodded, happy that they at least had a good place for the baby to go. At least baby Barry would be reunited with his father.
"What about our Barry?" Iris asked tearfully, "Was he okay? What did he say to you?"
"We didn't have much time to talk," Oliver said painfully, "He's hanging in there, though. He's being strong. I wish I had thought to bring food and supplies into the zone with me, though. Barry's out of food now, and he's…clearly starving. I was going to go back in to bring him supplies, but Barry made me promise not to. He didn't want me to risk my life trying to sneak in again."
"Are you going to anyways?" Felicity asked hopefully.
Oliver gave her a pained look.
"Barry was serious," he whispered, "He made me promise. He didn't want me to compromise the Resistance for him. He said the Resistance is more important."
They all looked down at the floor with these words. The fact that they couldn't help Barry made all their stomachs churn.
"Barry's on his own," Cisco said sadly.
"He's not alone," Oliver assured them, "If I learned anything from my visit to the zone, it's that Barry has people there who care about him, and he clearly cares a great deal for them. It wasn't just Lucy who he was looking out for. Barry has a…a family there."
The others smiled sadly upon hearing this. It was good to know that Barry wasn't alone, that he had people there who he had grown to love, but it was also saddening at the same time.
"He hasn't forgotten about us," Oliver said, as if reading their minds, "He wanted me to tell you all that he loves you, and he's going to make it through all of this so he can see you again, when this is all over. He's going to do whatever it takes to survive."
"I know he will," Joe said proudly, wiping his eyes, "I just wish we could talk to him."
Oliver gave Joe a sad smile and then walked up to him, pulling something out of his pocket.
"Barry wanted me to give this to you," he whispered, handing Joe the old watch.
Joe put a hand over his mouth and his eyes swam with tears as he looked at the cracked watch face. He closed his hand around it, and the tears fell from his eyes. It all suddenly became so much more real now.
It felt like Barry was already gone.