Chapter 77: The Omen
"As you can see, our primary concern are the missing caches of weaponry that were used during the invasion three months ago," Amanda began her presentation with, using a laser pointer to circle the picture of a familiar gun. "While these guns were specifically designed to harm Dominators, their ammo can be harmful to humans as well. All it would take is a determined engineer to modify them to increase the lethality of their blasts. Knowing this risk, we absolutely cannot afford to allow these weapons to enter the black market — as everyone used these models during the invasion, any criminal that gets their hands on one is highly likely to already know how to operate and maintain it. In the hands of so much as a street gang with that sort of expertise could have catastrophic consequences…"
Quite boring, isn't it?
Really J'onn? Oliver thought in exasperation.
You cannot blame me, Oliver. Normally, I would be perfectly willing to listen to one of Amanda's mission brief-lectures, but when she goes into one of those diatribes about how we cannot fail this or that mission, it gets bland in very little time. I'm sure you agree.
Perhaps. But I listen anyway because she might let something slip.
Because you and your siblings are always looking for ways to get out from under her thumb, I know. Everyone knows. It's the worst-kept secret in the Justice League.
Oh, like any of you are any diff-
"Excuse me boys, am I boring you?" Amanda angrily interrupted their mental conversation. Apparently, Oliver and J'onn had unconsciously turned their heads so they were facing each other while in the midst of their silent bickering.
Oliver opened his mouth to make a snarky excuse but J'onn cut him off with a blunt, "Yes." The archer groaned and slammed his head down on the table.
"Very well then. Just for that comment, you two will be in charge of recon and research for this mission. I'll send Black Canary and Vixen into the field instead."
"I hate you." Oliver hissed to J'onn, who simply bit down a cookie in response.
"Thanks for doing this, Kara. Things with the company are really ramping up and my workload has doubled in the last few weeks." Sam babbled to her friend as she watched Ruby sit down with Kal to watch TV. Kara, who was leaning against the doorway alongside her, simply patted her on the arm.
"Think nothing of it. I'll keep an eye on her, and if something comes up I've got the Queens and the Lances on speed dial. Worse comes to worst, Barry can take a few days off to watch them." She did a half-shrug. "It's the least I can do. After all, it's my fault your workload's gotten so big."
She was speaking, of course, of A-Corps recent purchase of half of Merlyn Global's shares. Tommy Merlyn disappeared three months ago, only leaving behind an email and a photo for his assistant to assure the public that there was no foul play, and putting up his shares of the company for sale. Merlyn Global's stock plummeted immediately after losing their CEO so soon after the last one, leaving them prime pickings for the rest of the major corporations in Starling City. Queen Consolidated immediately took advantage of the situation and bought out half the company; the other half went to A-Corps.
The primary intention of both purchasing stakes was so they could sell the company back to Tommy if he ever came back. The Queens, of course, still saw him as family and desperately wanted to repair their relationship with him. Robert and Moira originally intended to just offer Tommy a job when he — hopefully — returned, until Oliver convinced them to take this course of action instead. Sam, who only knew Tommy as an acquaintance, was urged to do the same by Kara in case something happened to the Queens and left them unable to sell. Sam consented, though she did inform Kara that the longer Tommy stayed away, the likelihood of Merlyn Global shutting down and being absorbed into their respective companies would increase.
"It would've happened either way." Sam waved her tacit apology off. "Anyway, before I go, I've been thinking, and I wonder — would you consent to being Ruby's godmother?"
If Kara had been drinking something, she would've spat it right out. "A-Are you serious?" She asked, trying not to shriek. "That's kind of a big thing to just drop on someone, you know!"
"I know and I'm sorry, but I've been run ragged lately and I've been meaning to ask you for a while anyway. There's no one else I trust with Ruby more than you, and if I don't declare a godparent or some other alternate, she'll go to Patricia if something happens to me. And after the alien invasion and all, that's something I can't risk."
"Patricia? Your guardian?"
"Yes." Sam almost growled. "She treated me well at first, only to kick me out of the house when I got pregnant with Ruby. I haven't seen her in years, and I have no reason to believe she'll be any kinder to Ruby than she was to me. And with Ruby being the heir to A-Corps and all… I don't trust her, Kara. Not like I trust you."
Kara silently gulped, a little overwhelmed and touched by Sam's admission. "Alright then. If you insist."
Barry whistled as he entered Jitters, holding up a hand to greet the barista, Kendra Saunders. The line clear, he gave her his order, handing over the required payment before stepping away to wait for the other barista to complete it. To kill the time, he took out his phone, smiling when he saw a text from Iris.
Ever since the invasion three months ago, things had eased up between them. While they still weren't as close they used to be, the bridge between them was beginning to mend. He dropped by the station more often, bringing food not just for Joe but for her as well, and during those visits, they talked about how their days were going. Thankfully, he didn't have to ask her to be discreet — she was good at talking around certain sensitive topics like he was, no doubt thanks to her police training.
Unfortunately, things weren't all that peachy. Now that Iris had let him back into her life, he was able to see her troubles all the more easily. While he still didn't know what to think about Eddie Thawne (other than annoyance at his unwarranted frostiness), he did know that Iris loved him. Which is why it was so troubling to see the invisible wedge between them.
It's not that Iris didn't spend time with Eddie, but their interactions were lacking intimacy, chemistry. They were short, stilting, without the warmth they used to have. And the most frustrating thing about it is that Eddie didn't seem to notice. Barry could see the looks of guilt on Iris' face as things became increasingly awkward between her and Eddie, making it obvious, to him at least, that she was aware that her relationship was beginning to fray. Eddie, however, had no such indicators. It was almost as if he was blind to it all, and unfortunately, Barry had a good idea why.
Everyone who spent any decent amount of time in the precinct knew that Eddie had never given up his grudge on the Flash, that his obsession with tracking down and arresting dangerous metas was driven by his innate desire to show the Flash up. It was the only consolation he had now that he couldn't arrest Central City's premier vigilante. Everyone, including Iris. It was one of the reasons why their relationship was on the rocks — one of Iris' caveats for their reunion as a couple was that Eddie not let the Flash dominate his life again, and he was essentially breaking it. And Iris was letting him, even though it was tearing their relationship apart again.
Barry didn't want that again. He never wanted that, to be the person that caused Iris so much pain. He had been that person enough for one lifetime. So the only solution was to figure out how to get Eddie to give up on his grudge against the Flash, something easier said than done. Until now, Barry had cared little about the fact that his best friend's boyfriend hated his vigilante alter-ego so much. Perhaps he should have been more concerned, but, quite frankly, it was more of annoyance than anything else. Barry had far more dangerous things to worry about than some pretty boy detective with a bruised ego.
So how? How was he supposed to get Eddie Thawne to stop hating the Flash? It's not like he purposefully went out to spite the detective. As far as Eddie and most of everyone else who knew of the grudge, the Flash wasn't even aware Eddie existed until the detective trapped him about a year ago. Of course, the beating he gave Eddie wasn't exactly gentle, but a person would figure that he would've gotten over it after seeing all the good the Flash had done since then. All the other police he had taken out that night certainly had; Barry had gotten confirmation from their mouths himself. So why hadn't Eddie gone the same way?
As he continued to ponder this conundrum, absentmindedly picking up his order and making way to one of the empty tables, he felt someone tap on his shoulder. Clamping down on his reflexes, he turned to see that it was Hunter Zolomon.
"Professor Zolomon!" Barry plastered a smile on his face.
"Hello, Barry," Hunter smiled, a little too genuinely. "I see we've run into each other again."
That was putting it mildly. Since Barry had started the term, he had 'coincidentally' met Hunter no less than six times. Central City was not a small city. Barry was starting to suspect stalking.
"Fate works in mysterious ways," the speedster shrugged, sipping his coffee with a happy expression.
For all his complaints about lovestruck girls, it wasn't the real reason he was so unhappy in Zolomon's class, nor was the man's teaching aptitude the reason he stayed. The truth was, he had never been comfortable around Zolomon. There was something off about him, something that Barry had never been able to pinpoint. For all his affability, there was a barrier between him and Hunter Zolomon that Barry had yet to breach, and he had a sinking feeling there was a reason for that. Unfortunately, instinct wasn't enough to tip off the police, so he stayed, hoping that the man would slip something up.
"Or maybe we just have similar lifestyles and tastes," Zolomon suggested.
"Perhaps." Barry nodded. Though I doubt it.
Later that night, Rathaway Industries threw its annual summer gala at the newly-rebuilt ballroom in Central City's convention center. Well, actually, it was their annual spring gala, but the Dominators had put a damper on those plans. No matter. The rest of the world had recovered enough by now to not view an event like this in distaste. Rathaway Industries would not see a drop in stocks the next morning.
While Central City did not have a particularly prominent socialite scene like, say, Starling or Gotham, it was still rather active. Fundraisers and galas dotted by men and women bedecked in designer clothes and jewels had events for every week in every month of every year. Anyone who was anyone in Central City, and often their sister city Keystone, attended these events, rubbing shoulders and trading polite words as they beheld themselves above the rest of the riff-raff of society.
At least, until the Particle Accelerator Explosion happened. Now that same riff-raff had powers beyond comprehension, and attending a socialite event like this became a perilous endeavor. Until the Flash made himself known, attendance at galas dropped dramatically as metas with ill-intentions used their gifts to rob and kill the one percent of society. After the Flash came along, however, they all went into hiding, knowing that misusing their powers would see them with a vibrating hand in their hearts.
So, it was with that knowledge that the Rathaways heartily greeted the arriving guests as servants flittered about, carrying trays of drinks and food. Months of rearranging caterers and entertainment had gone into this night, and nothing was going to ruin it!
Fittingly, that's when the lights went out.
A furious whisper blanketed the crowd as the Rathaways tried to restore order. Oh, what humiliation! To have what was touted as Central City's social gathering of the year suffer such a hiccup. As Osgood Rathaway all but shouted at his event planner to find some way to get the power back on, a flash of blue and a harsh wind suddenly zipped through the crowd. People gasped and screamed in shock at the sudden sensation, all turning towards the source, which had reached the stage.
In the darkness, they could only see a vague, darkly-clad figure — until blue lightning arced up his body, exposing his stitched face and pitch-black eyes. For one heart-stopping moment, Central's Elite could only gaze at this terrifying visage in stunned, silent horror.
Then the man — was it a man? — grabbed Osgood's event planner by the neck and shoved a vibrating hand through his chest. The victim let out a single, choked up gasp, before collapsing to the floor. Dead.
Another beat of silence. Then came the screams.
"Barry, we're detecting a sudden rise of 911 calls emanating from the convention center."
"Copy that." The Flash replied. "And Vibe, remember what I said?"
"Yeah, yeah. Only codenames on the comms. You never know who's listening."
"Good. I—" The Flash cut off whatever he was about to say, having arrived at the convention center. The sight before him was shocking, to say the least.
He had tangentially remembered that the Rathaways were throwing their annual gala here. Hartley had mentioned as much, in an understandably bitter tone, sometime earlier this week. The only reason it was worth any notice was because Barry, when he eventually unveiled himself as the new owner and head scientist of S.T.A.R. Labs, would probably be invited to this gala.
He had been to his fair share of such events, both as a member of the League and as Oliver's friend and surrogate brother. As such, the gala had been a reminder of his inevitable fate as one of Central's elite — and his quiet reluctance and displeasure at such a thing. He would rather be in the lab or training than buttering up a couple of souped up not-nobles for extra funding.
Except, now those souped up not-nobles were running for their lives from a terror he had yet to see. And he had yet to see it, because he was too entranced by their own appearances. The stately manners of Central's elite were nowhere to be found as they ran screaming away from the convention center. Many of the women had the hems of their dresses torn and were fleeing on bare feet; the men, their shirts and buttons loose.
A sound of a crash broke him from the trance, and he gazed at the windows. Flashes of blue could briefly be seen zipping around at an unnaturally fast speed. Feeling both anticipation and dread, he sped in himself, stopping at the ballroom. Keeping his steps silent, he slowly opened the door — and froze.
It was horrifying, all the bodies spread out on the ballroom floor. Even on Lian Yu, even with the League of Assassins, he had never seen so much death; only the Invasion months prior could compare, and even that was different. That was war. This? This was cold-blooded murder.
And the worst part was there was not a hint of blood. None of life's nectar was flowing on the floor, just broken bodies with wide, unseeing eyes. He followed the trail, seeing the flashes of blue, and froze when the perpetrator revealed themselves.
It was a man, or at least looked like one. He was wearing a black, leather body suit that looked sewn together, patched with a reverse lightning symbol. However, his most striking picture was his face. His entire head was covered in a black mask, with the mouth stitched on. And his eyes…
"What the hell is that?" Vibe's garbled voice asked, hushed and afraid.
The Flash didn't know what that was.
Except, perhaps, a speedster.
And, more importantly, a monster.
"Who are you?" The Flash asked, glad he was able to keep his uncharacteristic fear in check.
The monster didn't reply. It just gazed at him, pondering. The two men unconsciously began to circle each other, sizing each other up. The Flash slowly fingered the knife hidden beneath the sleeve of his arm, drawing it forward inch by inch. He would need it soon, he knew.
"Zoom," the monster — Zoom — breathed, dark and husky, before speeding away, chased by wild, blue lightning. The Flash watched him before giving chase.
"You see that?" Linda Park asked her cameraman as she pointed to a window showing the front area outside their station. The cameraman, Harry Sims, popped his head up, seeing the familiar lightning trails of the Flash, and smirked. In seconds Linda was in front of a live camera, mic in hand.
"Huh, they're filming one of Barry's fights live." Oliver caught the attentions of his fellow leaguers, turning up the volume of the plasma as Laurel, Mari, and J'onn crowded around him, briefly abandoning their mission preparations. On-screen, the field reporter, Linda Park, was excitedly explaining the situation to the viewers, before opening the door, exposing the two combatants.
The camera trailed over the Flash before falling upon his opponent, stilling into place. Slowly, ever slowly, it closed in on Central City's newest supervillain, and the excitement this impromptu audience once had drained away immediately.
"Who is that?" Laurel asked, very quiet.
"What is that?" Mari corrected, her volume no different. Next to her J'onn just stared.
And Oliver? Oliver felt as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped on him. For the first time since he had joined the League of Assassins, since Lian Yu, fear entered his heart, and he felt it beseeching him to pray.
The Flash only had a moment before they clashed.
Zoom was fast — faster than even Thawne, if he was remembering correctly. It was all the more obvious when he tried to employ the same strategy he had used with Thawne during their first fight, and Zoom was still catching up to him, his blows still connecting. Flash kept a lid on his frustration, and instead dropped backwards, kicking Zoom away as he flipped. He had drawn two knives during his ascent, and he threw them with all his strength as he landed, before drawing more and more, throwing them. His super speed created a barrage of knives, so numerous and fast that not even a speedster could dodge them.
So, fittingly, Zoom caught them instead.
"Ronnie! Ronnie! Please, pick up!" Caitlin begged her phone as it rung once, twice —
"I'm already on it, Cait!"
"Kal?" A yawning Ruby stumbled into the living room of her current quarters, "What's going on? Where's Kara?"
Kal, who had been enraptured by something, suddenly rushed forward, angling his body to cover the television. "Kara had to rush to do an errand she forgot about. Don't worry about it Ruby; why don't you go back to sleep? You look really tired."
Ruby didn't fight his attempts to herd her back to her temporary room. He was right, after all. Therefore, she didn't see the channel on the TV, nor Kal's desperate gaze towards the open balcony.
Zoom dropped the pile of knives with an audible clatter, then used his forearm to block the Flash's rushing stab. Undeterred, the Flash dropped the knife, grabbing with his other hand, only for that attempt to be blocked as well. Zoom pulled his arm back, kicking out his leg, and retaliated with a punch to the face. And another, and another, and another, until the Flash was stumbling back, trying to get his wits back.
Alas, there was no reprieve. Zoom pushed forward, continuing his barrage with his own superspeed, and the Flash was barely able to put up his arms to block the furious blows. It was no use, however — he did not have the invulnerability or strength of Supergirl. His guard dropped after the first few blows, and he was forced to take most of the hits, only barely managing to dodge a scant few. Zoom finished his attack with a final punch to the gut, and the Flash felt himself cough out a glob of blood.
"By God…" Joe West whispered to the silent precinct behind him. Next to him, Eddie Thawne, the Flash's biggest detractor, could only nod, jaw low.
All work had stopped. Every cop in CCPD's 1st Precinct had their eyes to the set of screens hanging in the center of the station. So stuck on the terrifying footage, none of them spotted Iris West watching with a hand on her mouth and a horrified look on her face, almost on the verge of tears.
Barry…
The glint of the knife, shining in the moonlight, is what saved his life.
He may have been outmatched in speed by a near insurmountable amount, but he was not outmatched in skill. Far from it. So, when Zoom took one of his knives and slashed downwards for that final, finishing blow, the Flash was able to counter it. He grabbed Zoom's wrist with what little strength he had left, twisted it sharply, forcing the other man to drop the knife. It was, perhaps, his most successful move in this entire fight.
However, it would only save him once. The Flash was spent. And thus, he could do nothing but watch as Zoom's vibrating finger pierced his chest. The vigilante let out a strangled gasp, his mind repeating a mantra — pain is inevitable, suffering is optional, pain is inevitable, suffering is optional — and then he collapsed, unable to fight any longer.
Zoom observed the fruits of his labor for a long moment, then turned to the camera that had been filming the entire confrontation. He grinned, his torn, stitched mouth stretching into a wide crescent.
"This is your hero, Central City? Your protector?" He stepped onto the Flash's chest, pressing downwards, and was rewarded by the slightest of groans. "He is nothing. Not to me."
He pointed towards the camera, then spread his arms out, his grin deepening. "My name is Zoom, Central City, and I shall be your reckoning. And when that day comes, no one, not even your Justice League, will be able to stop me."
He picked the Flash up by the neck, and started vibrating his hand for the final blow. But before he could, a blast of fire knocked him away. The camera awkwardly shifted views to reveal Firestorm landing onto the street, arms ready to fire another blast. Zoom looked ready to fight him as well, but before he could, another unexpected presence stopped him.
Supergirl slammed into the street, next to her teammate. She knelt forward, taking in his form worriedly, before glaring up at the man responsible for his state. Zoom gave her a mocking tilt of the head, before fleeing. He had no designs on facing off with the Kryptonian today. Supergirl watched him go, perhaps contemplating on chasing after him, before deciding otherwise.
The Flash's life was far more important.
"I want at least two squads over at the convention center now. The rest of you, find out where Zoom went." David Singh laid out his orders to the precinct.
"But sir…" One brave cop piped up. "The Flash…"
"I know." Singh said shortly, sighing. "But we still need to know where he is. Or at least, where he could possibly be."
As the crowd broke, Iris collapsed back to her chair, breathing heavily. The sight of Zoom beating down the Flash's body kept repeating in her mind's eye, and it was taking all her self-control not break down and weep.
"Iris?" She looked up to see Ralph peering at her in worry. "Are you okay?"
"I—I—"
"I take that as a no." Ralph smiled sadly, before turning around. "Captain!"
"Yeah, Dibny?" Singh turned to him, only to stop when he saw Iris' distraught state.
"I think she needs to go home." Ralph stated.
Iris shook her head unconvincingly. "N—No. I can help. I should—"
"—go home, Iris." Singh said sympathetically. "It's fine. That was a little hard to watch for all of us, and if it's really that bad for you, then we won't miss you for a day or two."
Iris stared at him, then nodded her thanks and rushed to gather her things.
The moment she turned on the ignition, Iris had only one destination in mind: S.T.A.R. Labs. While there were other places Barry could go for treatment, that was the nearest and by far the most anonymous. Chances are that Kara had flown him there as quickly as his injuries would've permitted.
Iris wanted to speed there as fast as she could. But she couldn't. A car driven by a cop, breaking speed limits just to reach the abandoned S.T.A.R. Labs? People would ask too many questions. And even without that, Caitlin would still be treating Barry right now.
So, reluctantly, she first stopped home instead. Knowing the likelihood of her staying the night, she packed a bag of toiletries along with a pillow and some sheets and a change of clothes. She knew there were probable some at S.T.A.R. Labs, seeing as Barry slept overnight there frequently, but with Kara and many others also present, it was better safe than sorry.
Once she was done, Iris left her apartment with the new cargo in tow and all but ran back to her car. This time, she took an entirely different route, using the rarely-driven back streets. It took longer, but she passed only a few cars on the way, severely reducing the risk of suspicion. It felt like forever, but when she finally arrived at S.T.A.R. Labs, she could finally breathe.
Iris grabbed her night bag and ran towards elevator, tapping erratically as she waited for it to take her to the Cortex. She all but burst into the hallway as the doors finally slid open, running down the hallway, having to grab the side of the open entrance to stop herself from sliding away. Taking a moment to catch her breath, she looked up to see Kara, Cisco, Ronnie, and the professor all gazing at her with solemn eyes.
Slowly, she stood up and walked towards the infirmary, the group parting to make a path for her. When she finally entered the room, she saw that Caitlin was leaning over a shirtless Barry, taking note of his vitals and finishing the dressing of his wounds. Iris watched her, and found herself dragged back into a memory.
The worst memory of her life.
Iris let out a sad sigh as she finished up the last of her stitches, frowning at how uneven they looked. It seemed this feminine art was lost to her. Oh well, she still had baking.
But I can't send brownies to Barry. Not while he's in China, Iris thought in exasperation.
It had been three days since her best friend had departed for China, and Iris was already missing him. Things had been a little frosty between her and her dad since then, and so Iris occupied her time by trying to make something for her first care package to Barry. She had decided (rashly, in hindsight) to try making him a scarf at first, but found that her knitting skills were… lacking.
Maybe a brownie mix? His host family could make it…
"Iris, baby? Could you come here?" Her father's voice, unusually gentle, called out to her.
Iris frowned, setting down her needles. She walked down the stairs, opening her mouth, ready with a question, only for her steps to slow. Joe stood with a solemn look on his face, and next to him were two official-looking men in suits.
"Dad? What's going on?" Iris asked, suddenly scared. "Did something happen?"
"It's Barry, Iris." Joe replied, his voice hoarse. He paused, looking hesitant to say more, before steeling himself, taking a deep breath.
"His connecting flight was cancelled, so he tried to take a boat. But the boat… it sunk."
"What are you trying to say, Dad?" Iris spoke, refusing to believe it. All the dots were there, and she refused to connect them.
"I'm sorry, baby." Joe said, pulling her forward into a hug. "He's gone."
Iris had never seen Barry so vulnerable.
Not when she had first found out his identity. Not when he'd first come home. Not when the bullies at school had been roughhousing with him at school. Not even when his mother had died. Even at his weakest moments, there was a strength to him, just beneath the surface, willing him forward.
There was no such strength here.
Barry laid on a cot, bruises coloring his unnaturally pale skin. There were some bandages around him, centered on the spot where Zoom had pierced him with his finger. Most of all, he was completely unconscious, only the slightest rise and fall of his stomach indicating he was alive.
She couldn't hold herself back any longer. She collapsed into the chair Caitlin once occupied, daintily grabbing one of Barry's hands with both of hers. Clasping it hard, she pressed it against her forehead, as if in prayer.
Sobbing hard, Iris West felt her world fall apart once again, and desperately hoped this would be the last time.
Please. Don't leave me again.
This took forever. But I finally got this chapter out, and I am seriously happy about that. I've been waiting for this moment forever, and now that we're finally here.
Now, if you've read this story, you'll know how much I love Zoom. He's so freaking menacing and evil, and I hope to God that I got him right here. Please tell me, because Zoom is super important for this arc, and I'll be investing a lot into his and Barry's adversarial relationship. If I can't get him right, then this arc goes to the dogs.
And some WestAllen! I know there's a lot of you who don't like WestAllen, but I'm sorry, it's the only Barry ship I'm considering. The next two arcs are going to be heavy on WestAllen, because it will play an important part in forwarding the narrative. It doesn't make sense now, but you'll see as the story further unfolds. I'm just warning you now, in case you want to turn back.
Particularly, Barry's insistence on trying to fix Eddie and Iris' relationship. Here, he wants to help because he knows Iris loves Eddie and he partially blames himself for driving a wedge between them. What he's failing to realize is that they need to work that out on their own, and if they can't, then that just proves they aren't good together.
This is the final chapter of Arc I. I will be taking a break to write out Act II (which, I have previously noted, will be particularly plotty, so don't be surprised if it takes a while). In the meantime, don't be afraid to review or edit the TV Tropes page or whatever. And the contest is still on (not that I've gotten any entries), so there's that as well.
Until next time!