CH. 15

Thanks to everyone that has tolerated me for as long as you have. Big shout out to FlashVibe, and ReadtoRelax for sticking with me through this story and posting such motivating reviews, but also to everyone else who has reviewed. Love ya!

Ooh boy. Okay. This section of this note was written a while after the section above. I've been trying to update this story for a while now, but it said the server was unsafe, and wouldn't let me on. Sorry for the wait. I've gotten everything sorted out now.

-ooo-

"You were lying, weren't you?"

"Hm?"

"Your story about how you got your powers. It was a lie, right?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. That's unimportant right now, Iris. What is, is finding a way out of this place." Barry paused from his tenth scanning of the structure of the iron bars, and turned to face the reporter. "I need to get you back to Joe."

"And Barry."

A slight tilt of The Flash's head had Iris elaborating.

"You gave me my faith back. Barry is okay, I believe it."

Barry smiled, a weak upturn of the corners of his lips, nodded, then turned back to the bars. "Any ide-"

"Can I ask a question?"

Barry sighed. "Yes?"

Iris gestured at the power dampening cuff around his ankle, then looked up to meet his eyes, frowning when he turned his face away from hers. He was still hell-bent on keeping his identity a secret. Frustratingly stubborn this man was.

"How are you vibrating your voice with that thing on?"

Barry went silent. Quieter than he had been in the recent hour. No, this time he was dead still, not even a shift of his body. He didn't answer, just turned around once more. His hands went back to playing with the bars, trying to find a weak spot, a rusted bar, anything. "So, any ideas?"

Iris crossed her arms. "I don't think there are any ways to get out of here without your powers. Maybe relying on your team is the only move we can play right now, Flashie."

Barry shook his head, and rested it against the bars. "Not unless Ronnie and Stein were a part of this."

"What do you mean by that?"

"This isn't the first time Eiling has taken a metahuman I know. My team and I were only able to find his location through a telepathic connection he had with another man."

"You've experienced some crazy adventures, haven't you?"

"Just another Tuesday for me."

Iris plopped down against the wall, and brought her legs to her chest. "And...how many Tuesdays would you say that's been?"

"Iris," Barry grumbled.

"What's wrong with knowing a little backstory to your powers?"

"The story I told Eiling was complete truth."

"No it wasn't."

"Just drop it, West."

"After you take a break. You need one."

"I don't."

"You've been at that for hours! You're already weak from that cuff, and how much good are you going to do if we can escape, but you collapse on me again from over-exertion?"

"I can't do any good right now, anyways."

"What's wrong with you?"

"Excuse me?"

"Where is this pessimism coming from? This isn't you, Flash. You carry light with you wherever you go—literally and metaphorically."

"I'm human, Iris. You've got this picture of me painted in your head of a perfect person!" Barry spun around, hands flying in the air. "I'm not, alright? You've got to stop. I'm just an ordinary guy who was gifted with powers."

"Flas-"

"I go to work everyday, I eat, I sleep, I have a phone, I hang with friends! And I jog, yes, at higher speeds, but I jog. I deal with stress, I'm ironically late to everything, I geek out over geeky things! I'm a person, and I can't save us this time!"

"Hey, I didn't mean it like that. I have faith in who you are."

Barry pinched the bridge of his nose with a gloved hand, and worked his jaw, like his tongue was tossing around a marble in his mouth.

"I don't know what to do, and it's terrifying me, Iris."

"I understand that, but it's time you take a step back, and let my dad and your team work to find us."

Reluctantly, The Flash nodded, and with his head down, he walked over to the back wall.

-ooo-

"Here?"

"Yes."

"Here?"

"Yes, Joe. Here."

"I don't know, Cisco. This is an empty field. There's nothing here. Maybe Barry's mass sketch thing didn't work."

Cisco rolled his eyes. "Mass spectrometer. And the best hideouts are always in the least obvious places."

Caitlin placed her hands on her hips, and came to a stop on Cisco's right. "Do you see something that Joe and I aren't? Other than that tree over there, Joe's right. It's just grass."

"Exactly. Come along, Pond." Cisco began walking, and waved a hand over his shoulder for the two to follow.

Joe nodded thoughtfully. "That's one TV reference I do get."

The three came to a stop in front of a tall oak tree, branches stretching wide, providing a shade that only made Caitlin colder than she was. Rubbing her arms to warm herself, she asked, "Now what, Cisco?"

The engineer was already knelt down on the dirt, he pulled a piece of tech from his pocket that looked to be a pen, but he pressed a button, and a purple light shone bright from it. He scanned it across the base of the tree.

"There!"

Joe and Caitlin leaned over to see the deep brown dirt fade away and turn into a steel plate, a key code on the top.

"He used some sort of cloaking device," the doctor deduced.

"A sort of transmogrifier if you will."

"Great going, Cisco. You can explain the tech about it later, let's get Barry and Iris back."

-ooo-

"It's...it's hard to imagine that there's actually someone under that mask. A normal person like me. In my eyes, that cowl is part of you. Picturing you hitting the snooze on an alarm clock, or eating a bowl of cereal," Iris laughed softly, and started picking out the sand in a strand of her hair, "it makes me wonder if I've ever been getting coffee, and you, in your normal civilian clothes, have been in there too."

"I have."

"Seriously!?" Iris gaped, a swirling at the bottom of her stomach—pure excitement.

Barry clasped his hands together over his head, and nodded slowly, suddenly extremely irritated with his inability to keep his mouth shut. "Yes."

"Did...did we...talk? Did you talk to me!? Have I seen your face?"

"I-"

Iris suddenly gasped and shot out an arm, pointing at the red-clad speedster. "Are you the guy who payed for my coffee a couple weeks ago!?" She held up a hand, and started counting off fingers. "Tall, slender, hanso-"

"No. No, that wasn't me."

"Damn."

A loud thud from up above caused Barry to shoot to his feet.

-ooo-

Joe pulled out his gun, being the first one to climb down the ladder. He winced at the loud thud he made from hopping down. He expected there to be a narrow hallway of dirt when he reached the ground, but instead he was surrounded by an enormous room, steel walls, and large overhead lights that were almost blinding.

Cisco bumped into the back of the detective, having been intrigued by the area as well. "Sorry," he mumbled, and slowly came to a stop at the detective's side.

Caitlin stood beside Cisco, mouth agape. "This place is...huge."

"How are we going to find them, exactly?" the engineer added, scanning the area. There wasn't much to it. He wondered what these people could possible use it for. Meeting area? Conference room that had no tables and chairs?

Joe lowered his gun for a moment, and turned to look at Cisco. "Is there anyway you can narrow down their possible location?"

He chewed his bottom lip thoughtfully, then pulled out his tablet. "Okay, Mercury Labs was robbed recently, correct?"

Joe nodded, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What does this have to do with anything?"

Cisco held up a hand. "I'm getting there."

"Get there faster, Cisco," Caitlin whispered.

"Alright! A power dampening cuff was stolen. If there is any chance they are using that to keep Barry from escaping, then there is a good chance I can track it. Those things give off tons of energy."

"Okay, we'll start there."

Heavy footsteps echoed from behind a doorway on the far side of the room, and the three shared panicked glances.

Joe gestured at the door they were standing next to, and he opened it slowly, ready to shoot in case someone was behind it.

It turned out to be a surveillance room, and to their surprise, it was unoccupied at the moment.

"I'll stand guard. Cisco, see if there is anything useful."

"Guys!" Caitlin suddenly piped up. She was standing in front of one of the screens, pointing. "Look."

Cisco's eyes widened, a small smile touched the corners of his lips.

Joe didn't move from his position at the doorway, heart rate picking up as the footsteps seemed to only be getting louder. "What is it?" he murmured, trying his best to stay silent. The detective couldn't see them, Caitlin and Cisco had rounded a corner.

"The security feed," the doctor started, looking over her shoulder as though she could actually see Joe, "it's of a line of cells. And I'm hoping that's who I think it is," she looked at Cisco, he crossed his arms.

"What other prisoner is going to be wearing a red, skin-tight, leather suit!?"

"And Iris?" Joe asked, pressing his lips together in worried anticipation.

Caitlin turned back to look at the feed, it wasn't very easy to see inside the cells, just the front of the bars and part of the inside could really be seen. They could only make out Barry from the line of a body pacing in front of the bars. To their immense luck, another body slid beside Barry's, most definitely a woman's.

"She's there!"

A silence lingered in the room, both Cisco and Caitlin expecting to hear Joe whisper back with a relieved sigh. The engineer glanced at the woman standing beside him, the panic he was sporting in the lines of his face mirrored Caitlin's.

The doctor stepped forward, Cisco caught her wrist. "Careful." She nodded, and stood against the wall, getting ready to look around the corner at the door. Cisco's heart pounded hard in his chest, he worried someone unfriendly would actually be able to hear it.

"Joe?" the doctor tried, and took a few steps closer towards being able to see the exit.

Still, no response.

-ooo-

"What do you think that was?" Iris asked, coming up to stand beside Barry. He ducked his head slightly, and if Iris wasn't so adamant on studying him, she would've missed the insinuation of his movements; he was still worried about his identity. It caused a tightness to form in Iris' chest. Anger. She shouldn't be mad, but at the same time she had every right to be.

Barry shook his head slowly, beginning to pace. "I don't know," he said softly, then turned to start pacing the other way.

The reporter just stood their, observing his actions. She wondered what exactly was going through his head...besides the whole panic of being caged by someone who wanted to use his powers. There was definitely something else. An urgency in his step. Something tense about his muscles that only loosened slightly when Eiling wasn't in the room. She had to know.

"Are...you okay?"

He continued the anxious strides.

"Flash?"

Barry stilled, back facing her. He reached up to grasp the bars, leaning his head forward and arching his back, then vice versa. She thought it looked like he wanted to continue moving, like the lack of movement was eating him up. And maybe Iris wasn't too far off in those assumptions.

"I-I don't...I can't…I...I just need…" he pushed back from the bars and started moving again, this time his steps looked more frantic.

"Whoa, Flash!" Iris stepped in front of him, stalling his motions for a moment before he moved around her, almost immediately having to turn once more because of the wall.

Barry's hands reached up to grasp his head, his breathing becoming sharp and quick. As he made his way past her, Iris grabbed his arm.

"You're scaring me."

He turned around, slowly, and even that looked agonizing. His jaw worked to one side, the other. And now suddenly he didn't seem to care about the reporter being able to see bits of his face. Didn't matter anyways, Iris wasn't paying attention to that. Her gaze was focused on his rapidly tapping foot, and his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides.

"I…," Barry started, but just as quickly shut his mouth, pressing a fist to it. Iris stepped closer, releasing her grip on his forearm.

"You need your speed...don't you?" she started, the thought striking her suddenly. "It's not even a want...it's...it's a part of you."

Barry pulled his bottom lip between his teeth, biting down hard to suppress the urge to bolt across the small space. He clenched his eyes shut, then nodded his head.

Iris pursed her lips, and took another step towards the distressed man. "We're gonna get that off you." That's the only thing she could really think to say.

"MICHAELS! WE'VE GOT A BREACH IN SECURITY!" One of the guards shouting caused Iris' attention to snap to the outside hallway, two of the three security guards monitoring the doorway were now bolting out. An alarm sounded, and a smile stretched wide across her face.

"They're here."

-ooo-

Cisco and Caitlin both nodded at each other, then turned the corner, ready to face anything they were about to come across. It was then, as the engineer stood in the open, that he realized they were defenseless, stupidly standing in the middle of the hall. Fortunately, no one seemed to be there. Unfortunately, neither did Joe. They stepped cautiously towards the door. The short hallway towards the exit was relatively narrow, putting Cisco in front, Caitlin closely behind. "Joe?"

The door knob turned. The doctor was the first to notice it, she frantically pointed to it, then grabbed Cisco's arm and turned to run, right as it swung open, and in stepped Joe, breathing heavy. He braced his hands on his knees, then leaned against the door. "I just took care of a guy out there, but I tripped the alarm in doing so. Cisco, what's your progress?"

Cisco stared at the door, obviously panicking from the sound of guards yelling. Caitlin snapped her fingers in front of his face, and gave a reassuring smile and a small nod to get his ass in gear.

He glanced down at his tablet, thumbing a few buttons, before looking up at the detective and nodding. "It says we're close, most likely down one of those far doors."

"Alright, how are we supposed to get passed the security guards?" Caitlin asked, and flinched when she heard someone shout to start searching rooms. They were getting close. "We only have one gun, and two out of three people who don't know self-defense."

Joe looked puzzled for a moment, then gestured for them to head back into the main section of the room. "They're searching rooms, right? We'll be waiting."

The three hid behind one of the desks. Cisco scooted his leg from view just as they heard the door swing open. At least four voices filled the room.

The detective gave the two a small nod, then stood up, firing his gun. They traded shots, Joe going from standing to crouching, to standing. He took down three of the guards almost immediately, shooting their legs. The last guy managed to take cover behind one of the desks on the other side of the room. Joe walked steadily towards the man when he stopped to reload, and planned to shoot the second he stood.

One of the guards that hadn't been completely incapacitated when shot down, tripped the detective, causing the guard behind the desk to stand from the noise, and then shoot.

Joe let out a painful groan, clutching his shoulder when the bullet ripped through it.

The guard, Michaels, walked over to Joe, ready to finish the job, when Cisco stood. "STOP!" His mouth went dry realizing he had no idea what he was doing. Michaels glared, and aimed his gun at him. Cisco held up his tablet, and pointed to it. "See this? Yeah, this, my friend, can take down your entire server...with just a press of a button. So...so just...don't shoot him, an-and I won't...press it."

Michaels chuckled, and cocked his head to the side. "You're patheti-"

And the distraction gave Joe just enough time to sweep the man's leg and knock him to the ground. Caitlin grabbed the tablet from Cisco's hand, and slammed it into Michael's head, successfully knocking him unconscious. Joe cuffed all four of them, then ripped a piece of his jacket to tie off his arm and slow the bleeding.

"We'll fix that up when we get out of here, Joe," Caitlin assured.

Cisco knelt down and took the guns from the guards' holsters, passing one to Caitlin and Joe. "Might I make it known that the last time I shot one of these, my foot paid for it."

"That's reassuring."

"Come on," the detective said, "follow my lead, and keep a clear head."

-ooo-

"They're here, Flash! We're gonna get out of here!"

Barry nodded briefly, and braced his hands against the wall. The urge to move, to connect with the speedforce again was as strong as his need to breathe. It echoed the feeling of bottled up anger, how it would cause his chest to tighten and his teeth to ache, only this was bottled up energy, not anger. And he was so focused on that, that he didn't realize Iris was standing there, staring.

"It'll be over soon."

"I know."