Chapter 105: The Belly of the Beast

"Iris?" Joe frowned as he watched his clearly injured daughter enter the precinct. "What are you doing here? You should be heading home?"

It had been a couple of hours since the attack on Jitters and the kidnapping of the Flash. After Iris had been patched up for her injuries and had given her statement, she had been firmly instructed to head home and rest. Which is why her presence at the precinct was such a surprise.

"I left some things here that I need to pick up," Iris explained. "After that I'm heading back to my apartment, I promise."

Joe opened his mouth to say more only to flinch when the door to Singh's office slammed open and Eddie stomped out. He strode past both Wests, and when his and Iris' eyes met for a brief moment, they both quickly broke eye contact. Joe watched his partner go before glancing back at his daughter with an expectant look on his face.

Iris looked down. "We broke up."

The detective paused at that, and then sighed. "Well then, that will make things awkward between us for a while."

"I'm sorry, Dad," Iris apologized. "You were right. I should've ended things sooner, accepted that things weren't working out. And now…"

"Baby, there was no way this was going to end without someone getting hurt. Not with the amount of time you two had already invested in your relationship even before I gave you that warning," Joe pointed out, sighing again. "It is what it is. Eddie and I, we'll move past it eventually. We've been through too much together to let something like this come between us. And you two… I'm sure you'll be able to move past it too."

Iris smiled up at him weakly. "You think so?"

"Like I said, you two invested too much time in this relationship to keep out of each other's lives. It'll be hard at first, but you were friends before you were a couple, and I'm sure you can be friends again."

The other officer felt her smile brighten, just a bit, and she threw her arms around her father, much to his surprise. "Thanks, Dad."

Joe smiled down at her. "Any time, baby."

Iris let him go after a minute, and blinked for a moment at a sudden realization. "I just realized, you're the first person I've told."

Joe raised an eyebrow at that. "You mean you didn't tell Barry first? You two tell each other everything." Now that you're talking again, is what he didn't say.

But Iris didn't reply. She froze. Barry. How could she have forgotten? Barry… Barry was—

"Iris?"

"Sorry, Dad," Iris said quickly, trying to mask her reaction. "I need to go. Still on bed rest and all." She smiled again, though this time it was false, and left before he could say more.

The moment Iris got home, she curled into her couch and tried not to cry. She got out her phone and quickly dialed a number, hoping to God the recipient would pick up. The phone rang and then…

"Iris?"

"Did you guys find him yet?" Iris asked, voice breathy.

"We have, actually," Oliver admitted, though he didn't sound particularly happy about it for some reason. "Barry had the foresight to implant tracking chips in every member of the Justice League for situations like this, including himself. Thankfully, Reverb dropped him off at Zoom's hideout on this earth, so it still works."

"But?" Iris prompted him.

"The entire Justice League is currently occupied right now. Mari and Jefferson are halfway across the country anyway, Kara and J'onn are dealing with this meta-made typhoon off at the docks of Hub City, and Laurel and I are about to do a major drug bust. Even without that, she and I can hardly hope to spring Barry from Zoom's lair alone without some super-powered back up."

"So…?" Barry was Oliver's brother. There was no way he would risk him staying under that monster's thumb for a moment longer.

"We're not sending in the Justice League. We're sending in someone else."

"Who?"

Oliver paused over the line. "… Task Force X."

"Alright, let's run down the plan one last time!" Deathstroke announced to his team for this mission: Bette Sans Souci, aka Plastique; Hannibal Bates, aka Everyman; and Chien na Wei, aka China White. Floyd Lawton, aka Deadshot, was already up ahead doing reconnaissance on Zoom's hideout and to provide cover fire in case things went dicey. "Zoom has appropriated an old abandoned power station off the outskirts of Keystone City as his current hideout. Our mission is to rescue the Flash from there and return him to S.T.A.R. Labs back in Central City. We must succeed at all costs, am I understood?"

"Right, right," Chien waved her hand, smirking, "Save your son or you'll kill us yourself, is what you're saying?"

Everyman, currently transformed into Cisco Ramon (and further disguised as Reverb) blinked. "The Flash is your son?"

"Adopted son," Plastique corrected, adjusting her gloves. "And he's not the only one. You've got… what, five kids, Slade?"

"Six. And that's not important. What's important," and here he leaned forward, glaring at all of them with his one eye, "is getting him back. So can we please move on with the plan?"

Chien shrugged. "Seems simple enough. Send in Everyman, have him distract the guards, have me kill them, then go in and spring out the Flash."

"Except we're on a timetable," Slade reminded her. "Zoom or Reverb could reappear at any point. We might be able to handle the latter, but the former could kill us all instantly. We need to get in and get out as soon as possible."

"And if we don't? If Zoom arrives before we can leave?"

Slade grimaced. "Then we're dead."

Rather than be daunted by this statement, there were merely grim smiles all around. "I guess that's why they call us the Suicide Squad, then," Bette quipped.

According to Deadshot's reconnaissance, Zoom kept a rotation of two guards posted around the factory. All of them were metahumans, and judging by facial recognition, not of this Earth — each of their doppelgangers were normal people, many of whom hadn't been anywhere near Central City when the Particle Accelerator exploded. However, they weren't all too bright. Deadshot quickly became aware of their metahuman powers (hydrokinesis and super strength) when they used said powers to play a game of shootout with some of the surrounding trash.

The infiltration was easy. Slade had Everyman appear as Reverb in front of the guards. While the two were questioning Everyman, Chien snuck up from behind and slit their throats. They quickly dragged the bodies and hid them behind a nearby crevice, and then broke into the factory. There were no visible signs of a security system, which was not entirely surprising. The report on Flash and Black Canary's escape from Earth-2 indicated that there had similarly been no such measures in Zoom's own hideout.

He's arrogant. Slade deduced as he guided his team up the stairs. He thinks he's so powerful that it doesn't matter what we do — we'll never be able to stop him.

The mercenary would've berated such thinking had the bastard not managed to back it up so far. So instead, he fantasized about decapitating Zoom and mounting his head on a wall. It would be a happy trophy to keep after what that man had done to his son.

"Deathstroke," Plastique hissed to him, and Slade turned to see her opening one door and gesturing him forward.

They entered the room to find Barry, sans cowl, leaning against the bars of a two-cell cage with a pair of meta-dampening cuffs around his wrists. In the other cell was a young man with a passing resemblance to Cisco Ramon — Dante Ramon, Slade quickly realized. The real Dante Ramon, of their earth.

Barry heard their entrance instantly and whipped his head towards their direction. He quickly got to his feet, grabbing the bars of his cage. Dante noticed his reaction and saw them as well, and did the same.

"Slade?"

"I'm here, son," Slade told him, and then ripped off the bars. It was a cheap cage, nothing to a Mirakuru soldier. The metal screws easily bent and broke, and soon both men were free.

Barry threw himself at his father (his guardian, his protector), taking comfort in his presence. Slade, sensing his distress, settled his son into a short embrace. "What happened?" he asked after pulling Barry away.

"I'll tell you later," Barry told him after a moment. "We need to get out of here."

"Bolt?"

Barry blinked at hearing his old hacking handle and turned to Reverb (who he quickly realized wasn't Reverb). "Bates," Barry greeted him.

Every-Reverb blinked in return. "How did you—?"

"I checked in on what would happen to all of you after you were captured," Barry answered him before he could finish the question. "I'm sorry about this, by the way. If I had known you would've ended up under Amanda's thumb, I would've helped you fake your death. Gotten you out."

"Don't bother apologizing," Every-Reverb told him, looking resigned. "She would've found me anyway."

"Yeah, yeah," Chien na Wei scoffed, interjecting herself into the conversation. "Come on. We need to get out of here before Zoom gets here."

"She's right," Plastique agreed, glancing at her team leader.

Slade in turn looked at Barry — more specifically, at the meta-dampening cuffs. "The key?"

Barry shook his head. "Not here. Doesn't matter. I've got a skeleton key stored in a secret safe in S.T.A.R. Labs for situations like this. We just need to get me back there."

"Wait, wait," Everyone glanced at Dante, who had been staying silent ever since his release, "We're leaving?"

"Yes," Barry groaned, gesturing to Slade to grab the other man, "Now come on!"

"How are we getting out?" Barry asked as they exited the factory.

Slade answered by showing him a portable communicator. "I've contacted Vibe. He'll open us a breach here that will lead back to S.T.A.R. Labs."

"A what?" Dante asked, being pushed forward by Plastique.

"A breach," Barry repeated, watching as it began to form. "A sort of portal that your brother can make. The same kind his doppelganger made."

"Cisco can make those?"

"Questions later," Chien na Wei ground out, preparing to kick Dante into the breach, "Exit now—"

WHOOSH!

"You're not going anywhere."

Everyone whirled around in horror to see Zoom had appeared, a vibrating hand already through Everyman's heart. He dropped the body, watching disparagingly as the shapeshifter turned back into his base form. He then glanced at the group of escapees. "It's time for you to go back to your cell, Flash," he stated casually.

"EVERYONE INTO THE BREACH NOW!" Slade ordered, pushing Barry in before his son's gaze could linger too much on his former captor. Barry disappeared, quickly followed by Dante. Zoom sprinted forward, breaking China White's neck along the way, before he stopped when he saw a bare hand on his chest, leaving behind a glowing imprint.

Plastique smirked, snapping the glove back onto her hand in a single movement. "You better move. That suit is going to explode in a couple of seconds."

Zoom quickly zipped away. Slade and Bette took a last look at their two deceased teammates, before fleeing into the breach.

"CLOSE IT NOW!" Slade ordered the moment he and Plastique were through. Cisco nodded and closed the breach, and only then did everyone allow themselves to relax.

"Gideon!" Everyone shifted their gaze to Barry, who was now speaking to the ceiling. "Activate lockdown! Metahuman Sub-Protocol Alpha!"

"As you wish, Creator Barry Allen," a female, British voice echoed throughout the building. Suddenly, the sound of metal shutters was heard, extending over a minute and coming from every direction.

"Barry…" Slade said slowly after the sound was gone. "What did you do?"

"Put S.T.A.R. Labs on lockdown," Barry answered as he quickly headed over to the small chamber where the Flash suit was stored. He pressed his right hand against one of the tiles and it opened, revealing the skeleton key for his cuffs. He grabbed it and twisted his hand to open it, letting out a sigh of relief as they dropped away.

He jumped when he felt a hand place itself on his shoulder, and turned to see it was Slade. "What?"

"Barry," Slade said again, and this time with an authoritative tone that Barry knew all too well. "Why did you put the building on lockdown?"

"To keep Zoom out," Barry replied, as if the answer were obvious. "And Reverb. The Metahuman Protocol turns on the building-wide meta-dampener, and the Sub-Protocol Alpha turns it on to its highest setting. Right now, no dark matter metahuman can use their powers within the building or in its immediate vicinity."

"So…?"

"We're safe. For now." Barry turned fully to face everyone, expression serious. "We need to contact the Justice League. I know Zoom's plan."

As the group started setting up the monitors for another group conference, Cisco brought his brother Dante to the medbay, where Caitlin was waiting for them. She had taken a break from cataloging the inventory at S.T.A.R. Labs when word reached about Barry, allowed Hartley to replace her in helping Ronnie and Professor Stein, and had gone about prepping the area in anticipation of possible injury to the persons of Barry or Task Force X. While Barry seemed to be fine, as did the surviving members of Task Force X, the same could not be said for Dante, who had spent weeks in Zoom's captivity under who knows what kind of conditions.

A check-up ensued, and while it seemed Dante didn't have any major lingering injuries or infections, he was suffering a minor case of dehydration and malnutrition. Caitlin had written up a general diet for him to follow for the next few weeks to remedy that, along with offering to make a more specific one if he needed help. Then she gave Cisco a significant look and left, leaving the two brothers alone.

Cisco rubbed his arm as he and his brother stared at each other, a guilty look on his face. Dante, however, was the first one to bite. "Mom and Dad?" he asked quietly.

"Safe," Cisco answered instantly. "After I explained to them the basics of the situation, I breached them over to A.R.G.U.S.' Central City base. They'll be going under witness protection until Zoom is defeated."

Dante frowned. "A.R.G.U.S.?"

"The secret government agency that backs the Justice League."

The elder of the Ramon brothers nodded slowly, though he still had a frown on his face. Cisco shifted his shoulders awkwardly.

"I'm sorry, Dante," Cisco finally said, stepping forward. "I should have checked in on you, Mom, and Dad after I escaped from Earth-2. Even without knowing about your Earth-2 doppelganger, mine still had access to the family. I should have made sure, in person, that he hadn't done anything to any of you."

Dante bit his lip. "Barry told me that the only reason they didn't know about my… 'doppelganger' is because his file wasn't in the metahuman database from there."

"Yeah. Barry thinks that Zoom or someone under him hacked into the database and deliberately deleted his file so he could work under the radar on our earth and so we would be blindsided by him when the time came," Cisco exhaled in exasperation and bitterness. "And it worked. And so, here we are."

"Yeah," Dante breathed in. "Yeah."

Another awkward period of silence fell between the two brothers. Eventually, Dante cleared his throat. Cisco glanced at him again.

"Cisco… what happened wasn't your fault," he claimed, much to his younger brother's surprise. "Sure, you should have checked in on us, but, well — I was there when Zoom finally told your friend why he was on our earth. Why he plans on conquering it."

Cisco stayed silent, though his expression was trying to prompt Dante to speak further.

"He's mad that he didn't get to use Barry's speed to cure himself from some terminal illness he had. That he had to use someone else's speed."

The metahuman blinked. "Wait, what?" He sounded shocked and more than a bit incensed.

"Yeah," Dante shook his head, "If I hadn't been scared out of my mind at the time, I would've reacted the same way. Apparently, Zoom had been stalking him in hopes of stealing his speed, but it took too long to discover Barry's secret identity. By the time he did, he was already in the last stages of his illness, so he had to use the speed of another speedster he already had. And, well, he decided he invested too much time in Barry and our earth to just let it go, so he decided to conquer us instead."

Cisco exhaled again, this time in disbelief. "That's insane. He's insane."

"He is," Dante agreed. "That's why I'm saying it's not your fault. It's not like you guys did anything to draw his attention. Deliberately, in any case. It could have happened to any other earth — ours just got the short end of the stick."

Cisco crossed his arms and looked down. "I still feel guilty. I still should have checked. I know we aren't close anymore, but…"

"Cisco…" Dante grimaced. "That's on both of us. And because of that… this happened. I think… maybe we should consider fixing that?" he sounded hopeful.

The superhero paused for a moment, before smiling softly. "I'd like that," he admitted.

The brothers smiled at each other.

I have plans for Dante. And if you're wondering why Dante isn't asking about Earth-2 and stuff, Barry explained the multiverse to him after Zoom left and he recovered from watching the doppelganger of his dad get tortured.

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