"I've no idea why I'm here," Belén admitted to her sister once they were sat face to face (with a prison safety glass wall between them of course).
Maritza had long ago stopped making comments I've surprised whenever her sister visited her. Maritza decided, long time ago, that she basically got what she deserved. If the Belén wanted to come and visit her once in a while, then Maritza would take it. But since her imprisonment, Maritza could probably count the times her sister had actually visited her on one hand. Whenever Belén actually visited her, it usually pertain to something involving Axel's custody or something of legal terms. lately a lot of things were related back to their mother, and that was no surprise.
However this time, the look on her sister's face was a mixture of heartbreak and yet... there was something different about Belén now. There was a new light on her face and Maritza was curious to know what it was for.
"Whatever you want to tell me, I'm here," Maritza calmly said, even offering Belén an encouraging smile to speak what was on her mind.
Belén looked down for a second to think about what she was doing. there was, of course, plenty of people she could talk to about her mother period think there was Caitlin, Iris, and Nina...hell, there was even her therapist she could talk to. But, the Belén knew that something about talking to her sister over their mother would give her a sense of...understanding that no one else could give. Plus, they were sisters and for a very long time Belén stopped acting like she had a sister.
"It's mom," she finally began. Her hand clutched the phone on her ear. "She had dinner with Barry and me last week."
"That's surprising," Maritza blinked.
"It's also the place she told us that she would basically not accept our relationship."
"Aaaand...that's not so surprising," Maritza sighed. "I can't believe she would do that."
"And she doesn't even have a good reason not to accept us. Do you want to hear what it is?"
Maritza knew Belén would tell her despite her answer. It looked like Belén was in urgent need of talking about it.
"She thinks Barry's not the right fit for me because of his parents' murder case."
"What?" frowned Maritza who really didn't understand what one had to do with the other.
"She thinks that people will never stop looking at Barry as the 10 year old boy who's dad murdered his mother. And, by extension, those people will brandish me into the same view as Barry," Belén seethed with anger just at the memory of the stupid dinner. "I've heard a lot of things from Mom but this one is by far the most ridiculous." Maritza remained quiet for a couple seconds while she thought about it. "What?" Belén asked once she'd caught onto her sister's silence.
"I can kind of see where Mom would get that," Maritza admitted, and as soon as she did Belén went to hang up the phone to leave. "Belén, wait!" Her exclaim stopped Belén just inches from hanging up. "I said I could see where she got it from, not that I agree with her."
Belén mildly relaxed, pulling the phone back with her. "I'm just so upset. I guess that's why I'm here."
Maritza smiled. "I'm the only one who can truly understand what our mother is like." Belén had to agree there. "I'm sorry she did that, Belén. But I think this time it'll be different. She'll come around."
Belén's loud scoff was a clear indication of her disbelief. "Sure. Why would this time be any different?"
"Because she's staying in the city and getting a job near you. I think this time Mom's serious about having a relationship with you and Axel."
"What a great way to start," Belén sourly remarked.
"Belén, you can't expect her to change in one day. It's going to take time." Maritza knew Belén was hating the fact she made sense.
"What am I supposed to do, then? Excuse all the horrible things she said?"
"Absolutely not. Wait for an apology. I really think Mom might surprise you this time," Maritza's confident smile did provide Belén with some hope that their mother would begin to change for the better.
"Maybe..." Belén gave in a few minutes later. She bit her lip nervously and spared her sister a few looks here and there. "Thanks...for...that..."
Maritza understood what Belén was trying to say. She wouldn't make a big deal out of it in fear of driving Belén away again. "Anytime, you know that. It's not like I have busy days, right?" Her attempt at being funny was met with a half smile from Belén.
"I never asked..." Belén began, already full of guilt, "...how's this place? Is it...is it decent?" Her eyes went over Maritza's chair to dim gray wall and the few security guards standing behind. In all her anger towards her sister, she never bothered to ask Maritza if the place was humanly decent. Did Maritza have access to everything a regular non-metahuman prisoner did?
Maritza was clearly not expecting that, judging by her stunned face. It meant conversation - moreover, it meant Belén wanted to talk to her. "U-um...it's fine. I mean, it's prison but...we're treated okay. I'm one of the first metahumans placed in this new part of Iron Heights so we're sort of the guinea pigs. But it's been good."
Belén nodded. "That's good to know. You know that if anything ever gets...bad, in there, you can tell me right? Despite our problems I wouldn't want you to get hurt or anything."
"Thanks, Belén," Maritza smiled in gratitude. It seemed like there was something else on her mind that she wanted to say, but it appeared her reluctance got the better of her.
"What is it?" Belén asked, knowing all too well what those faces looked like.
"Um..." Maritza bit her lower lip just like Belén to show she was nervous. "It's...it's about Axel."
"Oh, he's fine. Like, he's doing really good," Belén quickly went to say but Maritza cut her off.
"It's not that, although I'm glad he's doing okay. I just...I wanted to ask if you could bring pictures of him? You know, like...pictures of him and his new preschool class? Stuff like that."
"Oh," Belén blinked rapidly. "Oh my God, of course! Of course I can do that. I'm sorry I didn't think of it before-"
"-no, no, it's okay. And thank you. I don't want him to come into this place, but...he's my son and I want to see him grow up even if its through pictures." Maritza spoke in resignation because she'd long ago decided she would never see her son in person again.
"I'll do my best to get you some soon," Belén promised. When she left the prison, she felt somewhat different when it came to her sister. There was still resentment and some anger towards Maritza, but it wasn't the same blinded rage she felt at the beginning. It left Belén feeling a little bit more at peace.
At least something was getting better.
~ 0 ~
Barry moved through the crowd of cops in the crime scene, careful to avoid a certain someone in the process. They'd gotten a call that morning about a suspicious-looking body (or thing, the caller may have said 'a thing') in an alley.
"Morning!" Patty Spivot's cheery greeting was enough to startle Barry into a momentary stop on the sidewalk. The petite detective was even smiling that chilly morning.
"Hey, Patty," Barry continued to walk, now alongside her.
"So, this is a fair warning, but this corpse is pretty gruesome," Patty crinkled her nose just thinking at what laid ahead.
"I've seen my good share of things," Barry reminded her just as they turned for the alley.
"Yeah, but..." Patty shivered and came to a stop a decent distance from the corpse.
Barry smiled slightly and went ahead to take a look at what was so awful. He set his things down on the ground then bent down beside the corpse. He raised the drape set over the corpse and came face to face with a shriveled, black - almost charred - corpse underneath.
"Told you," Patty said from her spot. "That is not a regular homicide corpse."
"No it is not..." agreed Barry with a thought hum in the end. The way the corpse was not only shriveled but...it almost looked like if the insides had been sucked up. "Oh damn." He mumbled after his realization.
"What do we got today?" Veronica's voice actually made Barry spring up to his feet as if he'd been caught in a bad moment. Veronica was making her way down the alley with Joe at her side.
"Definitely not something you want to see after eating breakfast," Patty answered casually and the smile she'd had on since Barry saw her disappeared once Veronica gave her a sharp look. Patty cleared her throat and tried to sound more professional for Veronica. "Barry and I were just thinking this can't possibly be a regular human-on-human homicide."
"Clearly," Veronica judged after catching a glimpse of the charred ankle peeking out from the drape. "It's those metahumans you have crawling in the city."
"Alright, so it's a metahuman we're looking after. But it wouldn't hurt to first identify this corpse and do some digging on them," Joe suggested since they had no other lead than the corpse.
"We should let the CSI get to it, then," Veronica barely made a look in Barry's way when she left.
"Why do you look like a kid who just got in trouble?" Patty tilted her head at Barry, noticing the way he was shifting and rubbing the back of his neck.
"Because he's overreacting," Joe answered before Barry could. The speedster dropped his arm to his side and momentarily glared at Joe. All Joe did in return was smirk, because if anything this was amusing.
"Did I miss something?" Patty looked between the two men, fairly confused.
"Not a lot," Joe actually chuckled as he too left.
"Sounds like I did," Patty laid her eyes on Barry who'd tried to seem more casual about things, though he was horribly failing. "Is there something I can help you with, Barry?"
"No, not really," Barry sighed.
"You sure?"
Barry sighed again and brought a hand to his forehead. "It's not the place to talk about it."
"You look like you want to, though..." Patty rocked on her feet and put her hands together in front of her. "And though this is a crime scene, it's also the only place where no one will be interesting in eavesdropping a CSI and detective near a charred corpse."
Barry couldn't help smile at the petite detective. "It's...I mean, it's...it's kind of awkward, to be honest. You know Veronica is Belén's mother, right?"
"Yeah," Patty nodded. "Can't really see the resemblance to be honest..."
Barry smiled for a few seconds before continuing. "She doesn't agree with our relationship so now it's..."
"Awkward as hell?"
"Yeah."
"I'm sorry," Patty said the first thing that popped into her head. "It can't be easy working with her right now, then..."
"She's not rude or anything," Barry said as a means of comfort for himself. Veronica hadn't been rude towards him while at work, but it was just the fact she disagreed with his relationship with Belén that made things bad. "She has her opinions about me and...I can't say that I really blame her for it, but..."
"You don't have to let her get into your relationship," Patty crossed her arms over her chest. "I had a boyfriend in high school that my parents absolutely hated. And they had no reason to, really. They just didn't like that he had piercings."
"So what did you do, then?"
"I was a teenager, I didn't care what my parents said," Patty shrugged. "But the point is that my parents were not the ones in the relationship, I was. The situation here is much easier: you and Belén are adults now, and Veronica's got no say in who Belén dates."
"Thanks Patty," Barry drew in a breath then turned to the corpse. "You mind telling that to Veronica for me?"
"God no!" Patty blurted. "She kind of scares me, to be honest."
"Now you see what I'm up against," Barry bent down in front of the corpse again. "I'd rather take this corpse."
He and Patty shared a not so quiet laugh after that.
~ 0 ~
The entire STAR Labs team shuddered after getting the pictures from Barry.
"That cannot be real," Belén was, frankly, disgusted with the M.E's pictures.
"But it is," Barry looled at the rest of the group and saw similar reactions. "Obviously, this is a meta's work but I've no idea what to go on. On the one hand, the body looks burnt...but on the other hand..."
"It looks unnaturally shriveled," Caitlin deduced with her medical experience backing her up. "The linings of the skin...it almost looks like the corpse has no insides anymore."
"It had its guts sucked out," Cisco said with widened eyes. "That's alien-movie worthy."
"You're not dealing with aliens, Ramon," Harry strode in and immediately looked at the screens holding the awful sights. "You are dealing with Datura's work now."
"This is her work?" Belén's eyes widened in alarm. She once again look at the pictures as if it were the first time she was seeing them again. Now not only was she disgusted, she was also starting to get a little more scared of the famous Datura.
Harry got closer to the screens to examine the corpse. "Back on Earth 2, these corpses are found every time Datura is sighted in the city."
"What...does she do to them?" Barry, apart from angry, was just confused.
"I've no idea." And it was easy to tell that it killed Harry that he didn't know what Datura did to these corpses. "Datura is a siphoner, meaning one of her powers could've done this."
"What kind of power would that be?" Belén started to think what could happen to her body if Datura got to her.
"A power that takes out all of your insides, obviously," Cisco's answer did not help her at all.
"It doesn't matter," Harry turned away from the screens to face the group. "Datura is as intelligent as she is formidable - she wanted you to find that," he pointed back at the pictures.
"Let us know that she's here," Caitlin concluded in a quiet voice.
"Mission accomplished," Cisco straightened up on his chair. "Psycho is here. What do we do?"
"We gotta figure out who the corpse was," Harry replied and moved back to the desk. "She didn't pick at random. The corpses back at home were almost always metahumans whose powers were siphoned. She could be doing the same here."
"I'll pick at the record to see if we can get some DNA to match with," Barry offered with the intention of going back to the precinct at that moment.
"I think we need a profile of Datura," Belén's request stopped everyone for a moment. She was looking directly at Harry while making her case. "It's clear that we're going to be dealing with her games and the best way to counteract is having her record to know what we're dealing with."
"You mean like her background?" Harry was a bit reluctant on that side, but fortunately Belén was on another plan.
"Her M.O. The way she fights, what powers she has. All that stuff." Belén moved towards the screens, her eyes flickering from one angle of the corpse to the other. She gulped and kept her fear hidden well from behind. "I need it."
Harry's jaw tightened for a second, but feeling that rejecting Belén's request would put him in a bad situation - possibly suspicious - he gave a small nod and exited the cortex.
"The rest of you..." Belén's eyes flickered to Cisco first, "...try to find out what power she used to make that body look like that-" she jerked her thumb over her shoulder, "-because if we figure that out, I'll know which blow to specifically avoid. Caitlin, maybe you can make something to counteract said unidentified power? And Barry, for the love of God, please figure out who that corpse was and what power Datura stole from him." Barry, like the others, looked like he wanted to open his mouth to question her, so she beat them to it. "And yes, I'm taking command for the moment because we all know why Datura's here."
While that was true, none of them wanted to agree out loud because it would mean Belén would start freaking out even more once reality hit her.
"Belén, why don't you come back to the precinct with me?" Barry's question was sudden, but he figured it was better to have Belén near someone in case Datura got smart. "You can help me investigate?"
"I see right through your little plan, Barry Allen," Belén narrowed her eyes on him. "And I'll have you know the only reason I'm saying 'yes' is because I really need to know who that metahuman was. Let's go." She nodded for the exit and took off first, only calling back to say, "Have Harry send Datura's profile to us when he gets it!"
"Please help," Barry told the remaining two before rushing to catch up with Belén.
~ 0 ~
Bright green vines crept through a doorknob until something within the knob clicked open. Heeled boots clicked down the apartment the intruders immediately deemed a mess.
"Pathetic that this is actually the home of Central City's best." Datura brought a gloved hand to the side of her head, feigning to be disgusted. Her dark eyes flickered to the living room that only had one couch so far and a bunch of boxes stacked around it.
"Give her a break, she hasn't had time to move in," Poison Ivy moved past her partner and gave the apartment a similar disgusted face as Datura. "What are we doing here again?"
"Well, by now I'm sure my little corpse victim is all the STAR Labs team can think of," Datura stopped by a portrait hanging on the wall already. It was of Belén and Barry at the city's park. Datura picked it up and grazed a gloved finger over the glass. "Poor Belén must be going crazy trying to figure out more things about me." She turned around with a smirk on her face. "It's only fair I learn more about her too." The portrait in her hand spontaneously combusted, but the flames didn't faze her. If anything, it made her smile widen.
~ 0 ~
Belén was ashamed to say she was bored waiting for Barry to come up with their corpse's identity. In her defense, there wasn't a lot she could do to help him. The kind of meant that it was grounds for her to be bored, right?
"I didn't know you were a nail biter," Barry's remark pulled her attention from the wall to the speedster sitting in front of a computer.
Belén only then realized she'd been hopelessly biting her index finger nail. She immediately dropped her hand to her side. "I don't do it often."
"Just when you're really nervous," Barry concluded with a small nod.
Belén only smiled out of bitter sarcasm. "Wouldn't you be if you had a psychotic siphoner after you?"
"Well, we don't know if she's psychotic. She's a murderer, but-"
"-she's still a murderer then. I just don't get what's so special about me that she had to cross a world to fight me," Belén crossed her arms. It was the only thing that ran through her mind ever since she learned she was being hunted. It just didn't make sense.
"If she's anything like Zoom, she's just looking to be the best," Barry then got to thinking. "Which, I guess...would mean she is psychotic."
"Great, I win," Belén said with an almost pout on her face.
"It's okay to be scared," Barry spoke from an honest position. He knew firsthand what it was like having this mysterious enemy on your shoulders and knowing nothing about them.
"I don't want to be scared. I want to win." Belén wasn't sure if this attitude was better than being outright scared, but for now it felt better at least. "She's taunting us."
Barry's eyes shifted to the screen in front of him and agreed. "Yeah. Got that. And you know what else we got? The DNA match."
"You're lying!" Belén practically jumped off the desk she'd been sitting at and rushed to his desk.
"So our DNA matched up with someone named...Fallon Pipes." Barry skimmed the profile of the woman who turned out to be quite familiar with justice system.
"How many crimes does she have under her list?" Belén blinked.
"Umm...not the point here. We need to figure out if this was a random hit-"
"-Datura never acts on a random note," Jay's voice startled the two metas. They looked away from the screen to see the man coming into the lab.
"Jay, what are you doing here?" Barry got up from his chair and started to wonder if the man had come alone. As far as they knew, Jay had chosen to leave the team.
"Don't start getting ideas," Jay warned once he'd concluded the metas' silence meant they were beginning to think about his intentions. "I'm still out but Datura is a dangerous criminal that you know nothing about."
"Which is why we asked Harry to give us a profile on her," Belén crossed her arms and gave Jay a long look. "Unless you have something to add..."
"I fought Datura and I lost. You cannot go up against her, Belén."
Belén dropped her hands in offence. Yes, he made sense but it wasn't like she was going to stand there and allow Datura to wreck havoc in her city. "Thank you for your kind words but it's not like we have a choice."
"If anything, you can give us tips on what not to do while we're fighting her," Barry added.
"It doesn't matter what you do," Jay purposely spoke slow as if he were speaking to two children, "If Datura gets even one finger on you, she can and she will siphon your powers. One finger is all it takes."
"No matter how powerful she is, she has to have a weakness." Belén felt her phone buzz in her back pocket and when she pulled it out she saw it was from Caitlin. "And maybe we're going to find out what it is soon," she waved her phone at Jay. "Harry's got the profile and I'm going to go learn about her."
"Belén-"
"-you chose to leave, Jay," Belén cut him off. "You don't get to come back and tell us what to do if you're not going to play with the rest of us."
Jay seemed out of words. He pursed his lips together and looked between the metas for a full minute - in which Belén did not back down - then turned to leave.
"Jay," Barry went to follow but Belén grabbed onto his arm to stop him. "Belén, we can't-"
"-we're not going to chase after him when he's the one being unhelpful," she pulled Barry back towards the computer. "When he's ready to come back, then we can talk. Now this Fallon woman, what do we know about her?"
With a sigh, Barry took his seat again and continued going through Fallon's profile. As it turned out, Fallon was a wanted metahuman criminal who favored robberies.
"She was a metahuman with the power of sonic screams," Barry leaned back on his chair and side-glanced Belén.
"So we have a Black Canary on our hands," Belén let her head hang low. "Only this one's about to be a real bitch."
"You wanna go back to STAR Labs?" Barry started getting up. He thought they'd have more time before Harry compiled a profile for Datura, in which he would use the time to ease Belén's nerves.
"Not like we have much of a choice," Belén answered on her way towards the exit. Barry shut his computer down and went to catch up with her.
Downstairs, the CCPD was going on as usual with its cases. The Fallon Pipes case was about to be left for cold while STAR Labs would take it head-on. Detective Veronica Green was settling some things with the receptionist when she caught sight of her daughter coming downstairs with Barry. Straightaway, Veronica could tell Belén was upset. The two headed for the elevators and waited by them for one to open up.
"Detective?" Joe came up behind her and left some papers with the receptionist.
Veronica looked away from Belén to see Joe pretty much figuring out what she was doing. "Sue me if I still care about my daughter."
"I get it, but you're doing it all wrong," Joe said with no intention of filtering.
"Thanks." Veronica looked back at Belén in time to see the latter rambling on in distress - judging by the redness in Belén's face anyways - until Barry acted. He set his hands on her arms and seemed to talk her down enough for her to breathe again.
"I'm just saying it how it is," Joe raised his hands in defense.
Belén seemed to cling at Barry when he offered her a hug. It definitely seemed to calm her down.
On some level, Veronica wished she could offer that type of support for her daughter, but it seemed like every time she tried to do good she just screwed things over. She finally tore her gaze from Belén and returned to the somewhat conversation with Joe. "Thanks, West, but I'm well aware that I'm doing everything wrong."
Joe paused for a second to process her words then turned and walked into the bullpen after her. "Well, if you are, then why don't you try fixing things?"
"Because if I do that, I'll probably make things worse," Veronica said so matter-of-factly that it sounded like she'd given up already.
"So that's it?" Joe's question stopped her walking. "You transferred to a new city, bought a house and took custody of your grandson to never speak to Belén again? Seems like a waste to me." Veronica pursed her lips in what Joe swore was a movement to restrain herself from hurting him. "Think about it," Joe called and allowed the woman to keep going.
~ 0 ~
"She's, in conclusion, dangerous as they come," Cisco sarcastically said before Harry finished his long, long lecture on Datura with her profile. "I think I'm going to save us 20 minutes, just saying."
Harry shot the man a glare before deciding to ignore would be the better option right now. He was doing what he could - what he had to - and he wasn't going to further his pain with ridiculous sarcasm.
Fortunately for him, Belén seemed more grateful he'd taken the time to explain more about this meta. "Harry, please, go ahead."
Harry wasn't going to give Cisco the satisfaction of being right and taking 20 minutes to explain who Datura was. He'd cut it short and just give the important things. "Like the other metas, Datura surfaced some time after the Particle Accelerator. She started leaving corpses - like the one the CCPD found - around my city after making robberies or whatever she felt like that day."
"Sounds lovely," Cisco still gave a sarcastic remark that earned himself an elbow on the side from Caitlin.
"I don't know how she ever met Poison Ivy, but ever since Datura proclaimed herself as Datura she was already working as Poison Ivy's partner," Harry continued on, choosing to just forget Cisco for the rest of his life.
"Well, the two are plant-based metas," Belén folded her arms over her chest. "I'd like to find another meta to share tips with."
"Great, go find yourself another Poison Ivy then," Harry said dismissively before continuing. "There's not a lot known about Datura's backstory except that she used to work as a scientist somewhere in city."
"If she was working as a scientist and even on an experiment then that's probably how she garnered the ability to siphon," Caitlin's theory was agreed upon by the rest as soon as she said it.
"It's like me when I was in the lab," Barry nodded.
"Do we know anything about her family? Friends? Something we can use against her?" Belén asked with little faith but she just had to do herself the favor and ask.
Harry's jaw tightened for a minute before answering, "No. All anyone knows is that she made herself known by leaving her trademark corpses behind for the police to find. Eventually, she became part of Zoom's crew. She's the weapon he uses when he wants to keep the rest of the metahumans in place."
"Okay, so the powers...what the hell are those?" Belén asked.
"It's un-calculated how many powers Datura actually has," Harry's honesty made Belén squeak a little.
"So...so she could have like a thousand?"
Even as Harry nodded, Barry shook his head in disagreement. "No. Everyone has a limit, even she does. We just gotta find it."
"We've been trying to do that but please-" Harry gestured at the small team, "-go right ahead."
"A little faith, Harry," Cisco nodded with squinted eyes.
Harry could almost laugh out of frustration. "You don't get it! You don't defeat Datura by fighting. You want to defeat her? You kill her and end her siphoning reign for good."
Each member of the team had gone wide-eyed, stunned, at Harry's blatant idea. Of course they didn't know that he was getting more and more frustrated as each day passed and he still didn't have his daughter with him. They didn't know that Datura and Zoom were on him to get the team's trust and eventually hand both Belén and Barry to them. They didn't know that.
"I...would like to exhaust all other options first," Belén eventually spoke up. She cleared her throat and looked at the others for some help. "Maybe we can continue on that search for something to neutralize Datura's siphoning for a couple minutes? Even one minute would suffice."
"Datura has multiple - and I mean multiple - powers at her fingertips. Literally," Harry rubbed his temples. "I-I mean...she's siphoned powers from other famous metas like-"
"-Harry, just stop," Belén instructed rather calmly despite the situation. "Just...walk me through this last bit: why does Datura specifically want me? What makes me so special that she would need to cross a world?"
Harry considered how best to answer this without saying all of the truth. "There was a rumor going on...back in my world...that...Datura was slipping."
"Slipping?" Belén repeated, eyes flickering to the others to see what they were beginning to think.
"Just odd disappearances for weeks. And then there was a period where there were corpses of metahumans possessing similar plantlike abilities to Datura that were being left behind."
"Could it be that she was looking for something within those plant-like metahumans?" Caitlin asked the most logical thing.
Cisco snorted in his chair. "Or she could've just been in the 'I'm the only plant metahuman in this city' phase."
"Then she would've killed Poison Ivy," Barry said.
"Unless they were in on it together."
"Okay!" Belén exclaimed to get the group back on track. "Thanks, Harry. I think...I'm just going...to take some air. Just...process." She offered the group one smile before she turned herself around and walked out.
She would need a lot of time to process what was coming.
~ 0 ~
Barry found Belén in Cisco's workshop just as she was purposely putting her ringing phone underneath a pile of papers.
"You're not going to answer that?" he asked, wondering who she was trying to avoid.
"It's my Mom, and if I turn the phone off it'll just give her more fuel for when she inevitably comes to argue with me," Belén sighed. It didn't sound like she was fueled herself for another argument. Time was Belén always had something to bicker about with her mother. Barry suspected it was because Belén had finally opened herself up for an actual relationship with her mother...
It just made Barry feel worse about the mother-daughter relationship dwindling into nothing. The fact it was all his fault could be another factor of his feelings right now. Belén didn't see it that way, of course, but he did. Veronica probably did too.
"She keeps calling," Belén said after a moment of silence. She was staring at her ringing phone on the desk, hands in her back pockets as if she were restraining herself from picking up the phone.
"Maybe she wants to talk," Barry offered an alternative he was sure she hadn't considered.
She snorted. "My Mom doesn't talk. She gives orders. She gives her opinions and then expects us not to say anything back. That's how she would treat us when we were kids, you know. And I mean, I get it, if I'm 6 years old I probably won't have a good opinion but...I'm not 6 anymore. I'm an adult. You'd think she know that."
Barry walked up to her and hugged her from behind. "I think we just have to talk to her again."
Belén shook her head again. "There's no point! Trust me! I know my mother and there's no getting through to her."
Barry quietly thought that Belén was going through the same thing. Like her mother, Belén was refusing to sway from her opinion about her mother. If the two weren't so stubborn, they could sit together and talk things through.
"I need to go train," Belén said quietly. She'd come in for some peace but it was clear she wouldn't be getting it until at least one of her problems was resolved. "Wanna come with me?"
Normally, Barry would have agreed in a heartbeat...but he felt like there was something he needed to do first. "I can't right now, but I'll meet you later okay?"
Belén didn't have the energy to question him so she just nodded. "Okay." She received his kiss on her cheek with a smile then headed out of the room.
As soon as she was gone, Barry took off too.
~ 0 ~
"What the hell are we doing here?" Poison Ivy eyed CC Picture News with disgust. She brought her foot off the roof-edge she and Datura were overlooking from and turned away from the street.
"Waiting for the bait of course," Datura was patiently waiting with an eerie smile on her face.
"Why? It'd be easier to just go straight for the target!"
"Except, if I know Belén - which I do - she might let her team talk her out of fighting and I don't want that. I literally cannot have that," Datura leaned closer as she spotted a dark-haired woman coming down the street. "So I have to take something she'll want to keep safe but at the same time something that won't be a lot of trouble to acquire."
"You got a bait in mind, then?"
Datura smirked as she straightened her body up. "Oh yeah." She brought her two feet over the roof ledge and waited for the right moment. Two seconds passed when she finally acted. She drew in deep breath and exhaled it in the form of a loud sonic scream that caused just the chaos she was looking for.
~ 0 ~
Barry sprinted into the precinct as soon as the elevators opened up. He went through the bullpen searching for the one detective he needed, but of course - with his luck - he didn't find her there.
"Hey, where's Veronica?" he stopped Joe as soon as he'd spotted the latter coming out of Singh's office.
Joe looked particularly confused with the question. "Why?"
"Because I need to talk to her."
"Bare, isn't this the same woman who hates you? I mean, that's all you've been saying right?"
Barry rolled his eyes at him. "Yeah, I know, I've been dramatic - I get it now. Now I want to make things right, for my sake and most importantly Belén's."
Barry seemed to say the right thing because Joe was suddenly smiling. "She was leaving papers in your lab. That Fallon Pipes case is cold as they come."
"For those who don't know who did it," Barry mumbled so that only Joe would hear. "Thanks." He made a quick go for his lab, hoping to catch Veronica in a solitary place to talk with ease.
This time, luck was on his side because Veronica was just setting papers on his desk when he came into the lab. As soon as she saw him, she cleared her throat and stepped away from the desk.
"I was just leaving things for you to look at."
"We need to talk, Ms. Green," Barry said directly. He would not waste time.
"What about?" Veronica pressed her blazer as if it was crumpled. She was nervous, that much Barry could already tell.
"You know exactly what and you know exactly why," Barry walked towards her and was prepared to block her way if she decided to make a getaway. "You hurt Belén and what's worse is you're letting her wallow in that pain. You know she was finally ready to have her mother back in her life and then you do her dirty-"
"-excuse you?" Veronica was quick to frown but this time Barry wasn't going to get nervous, he wasn't going to let her get the best of him again.
"She is your daughter, and she needs you."
Veronica paused for a second. She eyed him as if she were deciding whether or not to believe his words. "She...does?"
"Yes!"
"Belén's never needed me. I made sure of that when I practically abandoned her and my other kids after the divorce," Veronica's words were laced with guilt. She crossed her arms over her chest and sighed. "She's only ever needed her father."
"But he's gone now. And trust me, Ms. Green, when I say that a child always needs their mother." Barry knew exactly what he was talking about and Veronica knew it.
"...you needed her too?" she asked quietly.
"Always," Barry answered in the same tone. "I'm sorry that I'm the source of your disagreement with Belén, I am, but please don't let that drive you away from her again."
Veronica once again looked at him for a good minute - admittedly making Barry just a little nervous - until she decided to speak to make an admission she'd yet to say out loud. "It's not your fault, Barry. I am just incredibly talented at screwing things up with Belén."
Barry could honestly say he wasn't expecting that. "...what?" he blinked.
For the first time since Veronica met Barry, she smiled at him. It was a small smile, but Barry would take it. "Ever since I moved to this city, I've tried getting close to Belén but always end up making things worse. It's as if I don't know how to be a mother anymore...and it serves me right for leaving them when they were still kids."
This, Barry could work with. It wasn't a Veronica who wanted to rule things and give orders. This was a Veronica who was just trying in her own way. It meant there was a solution somewhere. "Ms. Green, I do understand why you wouldn't want Belén to be with someone like me but...you gotta believe that I would never let anyone hurt her because of me. I love her."
"Yeah..." Veronica could openly agree, even if it was in a whisper. "I love her too."
"So...can we please find a way for us to be in each other's lives? Can you talk with Belén?" Barry almost put his hands together to plead, but now that he had Veronica's full attention he didn't want to risk it by looking childish.
Veronica drew in a deep breath, a breath that seemed to last forever for Barry, and ultimately nodded her head. "I'll try."
Barry beamed, but his happiness was short-lived when he got an alert from STAR Labs.
~ 0 ~
"Where is she!?" Barry demanded as soon as he got to STAR Labs. He turned to find Belén's Azalea suit missing from its stand. "What the hell happened!?"
Caitlin and Cisco were both rapidly working at the computers trying to locate Belén. Harry, on the other hand, was standing to the side looking tranquil as ever.
"Datura acted, that's what happened," Harry was the one to answer.
"There was an incident on a street with a sonic scream," Caitlin reported whilst conducting her locator search. "It had to be Datura."
"That scream took out three stores in one go, put down several people now in the ER, and she took one civlian," Cisco paused his work to meet Barry's eyes. The speedster dreaded what Cisco was going to say next. "Linda."
"Oh c'mon - not her again!" Barry knew their friend Linda was still trying to figure out the whole Dr. Light event; this would certainly not make it easy for her to forget things.
"I think it's kind of weird she targeted Linda," Caitlin admitted. None of the trio noticed Harry's stiffening on the side. "She didn't need the bait, and even if she did...why take Linda of all people?"
"You think she knows Linda is Dr. Light's doppelganger here?" asked Barry.
"Or maybe even that Linda is Belén's friend..." Caitlin hated to say because if that was true, it would mean Datura knew a lot more about Belén - just like Zoom knew more about Barry than they'd like.
"Okay, so where's Belén?"
"She turned off the GPS of her suit," Cisco replied. "But it can't stop us from doing a faical recognition of Linda. Wherever Linda is, chances are Belén will be too."
"And Datura, and Poison Ivy," Harry reminded them.
"Yeah, thanks for that reminder," Barry shook his head and zipped for his suit.
~0~
Linda had truly seen better days. But these last few days had not been her best. There she was tied by the hands and ankles with rope while the entire park was deserted by the command of two metas. She was left to sit on a wooden bench.
"I don't get why you need me," Linda found the courage to speak. Poison Ivy was the one to stand in front of her at the moment. When she looked back at Linda, it appeared as if she were offended Linda was straight up speaking to her.
"You should consider yourself honored right now," the ginger meta said. "Your doppelganger failed to complete Zoom's task, but you will be able to help another of ours."
"What...honor..." Linda raised her binded wrists. "But you do know we have heroes who will come to help me."
Poison Ivy smiled into the view. "We're counting on it."
The first blow came from behind. Linda saw a decently-thick vine shoot from above and slam Poison Ivy face-first into the cemented ground. Linda actually winced when she heard the smack. When Linda opened her eyes again, she saw none other than the Azalea appearing in front of her.
"It's you-"
"You just need to get out of here," Belén put her hands over Linda's wrists to dissolve the ropes binding her.
"But you're alive!" Linda gawked in shock. "The article my friends and I wrote - we were right!"
"Yes, and now you need to leave-"
"-oh no, look around you. No one's leaving," Linda made Belén realize that while the immediate area was scarce of people, the was a crowd with flashing cellphone cameras watching them from a distance. "The Azalea is alive!"
"Not for long." An unfamiliar voice filled the air, making Belén's blood go cold once she realized that it hadn't been Poison Ivy who spoke. Because if it wasn't Poison Ivy...then it had to be...
"Scram, Linda Park," a dark-brunette commanded. Though her black mask covered everything but her lips and chin, Belén could practically see the evil radiating off Datura. "You played your part just right." Her voice dangerously darkened. "Now go!"
It was safe to say Linda was terrified. Belén pulled the reporter off the bench and ushered her away from the scene. Linda had no problem with that, but she definitely wasn't going to leave completely. Plus, she may have found someone familiar amongst the crowd.
Belén breathed in to calm her nerves on the inside. She turned completely to face the woman - women since Poison Ivy had gotten up on her feet - and felt a chill go down her spine.
Datura was tall. Dark curls fell down to her chest. It was loose except for the one red datura sitting on the side of her head. Behind the mask Belén could see dark chocolate eyes and a vibrant red lipstick covering the woman's lips. Datura wore a black and red suit that honestly...looked like her personality. It was a long, black body suits with exposed sides and halter neck. A bright red, elastic waist corset covered her exposed sides and a black fishnet band over it. Her squared cutout sleeves went down to her wrists, tucked underneath black gloves. There was a red, circular chain belt draped around her hips. Red heeled boots were her choice of footwear, and when she walked they made the right menacing noise.
"You're her..." Belén said, unintentionally quiet.
A small smirk came to Datura's face. "All you need to do is quake in your shoes."
Belén detected a slight voice modulator in Datura's suit. Everything about the woman was a secret by the looks of it. It was a stark difference from her partner. Poison Ivy was a free as a bird. Her face - albeit slightly green - was out in plain sight for anyone to see.
"Are you just frozen or what?" Datura took a step forwards, and so Belén immediately took one back. Datura snickered and glanced at her partner with a triumphant smile. "She's at least decently smart." She then whipped her attention back to Belén, letting her curls bounce with the movement. "I was afraid you were a clear idiot."
My God she's smug, Belén came to the conclusion a second later.
"Well, here we are, then," Datura made a gesture as if this were to be a grand show. And since there were plenty civilians out in the area, it could almost be. She purposely raised her voice to address the crowd watching them. "It took a lot but I finally forced your little Azalea to slither out of her hiding spot. Because I may be from another world but even I heard how your 'hero' cowardly hid for months."
"I did not hide from anyone," snapped Belén. She, too, turned to the watching crowd if only to clarify the reasons for her absence in the city. "I was hurt. My powers needed to be properly controlled before I could help anyone else. I did it thinking about the safety of others."
"Aww," Datura clapped her hands together, even feigning a pout, "That is so sweet." She turned back to Belén, dropping her hands to her sides. "But you and I both know that you are a coward. You are the lesser one - the weak one."
Poison Ivy cleared her throat and threw Datura an odd look that Belén caught. It made Datura pause in her streak of insults indefinitely. Before she could gather new words, a breeze picked up and suddenly Belén was no longer alone. She too had her partner at her side.
Barry now faced Datura and Poison Ivy with no intention of backing down. It did make Datura retract a step back to where her partner stood. It was almost strange, really.
"You shouldn't have gone off by yourself," Barry mumbled to Belén, not that she would care. He knew she did it on purpose - it was something he would do as well.
"I had to," Belén said matter-of-factly, eyes glued on Datura. "Because I needed to talk first."
Datura snorted loudly. "Talk? That's your move?" Her playfulness finished once she got started on her business. "You don't get it? You still want to be sweet and caring like I know your civilian self is? Honey that's not going to work with me."
Poison Ivy sensed her partner going off the fence. And it frankly startled her because it was taking so little...and yet she knew what sent Datura off.
Datura's eyes glimmered red as the same shade of red energy fired around her hands. "I am going to hunt you down like an animal!" She drew her arms back in preparation for a fire.
"Datura, wait-" Poison Ivy tried to shout but it was too late. Datura fired first and sent a wild streak of energy directly at the metas across them.
The targets jumped out of the way in time, but Barry saw the energy making way for some civilians and raced to get them to safety.
Datura, however, made no pause in her attacks. Even as Poison Ivy called out for her to stop, Datura raged in yellow-shimmering eyes. Electricity now crackled around her fingertips as she threw lightning bolts in Belén's way. Belén had to dodge multiple blows and if it weren't for her quick jumps with her vines she probably would've been ash by now.
Barry came back in a swirling circle until he too created his lightning bolt. Seeing what was coming her way, Datura raised her hands, forcing a chunk of the cement to rise with it and create the perfect barrier. Barry's lightning bolt shattered the cement to pieces, but Datura was otherwise left unharmed.
Until Belén made her own comeback.
The Azalea came with a vine striking down across Datura's face. Datura's body actually made turnover as she landed with a tumble on the ground. Belén then captured Datura's ankles with two more vines she would use to slide the woman's body like a ragdoll.
Seeing that, Poison Ivy had to act. She raised her own hand to intervene but Barry started running back and forth in front of her, forcing her to back away and fight him instead.
Datura growled almost like an animal would. "I'm not that easy to beat!" she shouted and threw a gooey orange at the vines around her then at Belén herself.
In just a second Belén started feeling the burning sensation on her neck. It was acid. She remembered that type of pain from her ex-boyfriend's kidnapping where he too possessed those powers. Belén screamed at the same time the vines she had on Datura sizzled into nothing.
"It's hot isn't it?" Datura smiled maniacally with orange eyes. Her voice was now overlapped with another, making it sound like two people were speaking. "Courtesy of Acidton. He wasn't very clever with names but his powers were wondrous. Here: have another taste!"
Belén had somewhat lowered the burning on her skin and covered herself when Datura attacked again. Her vines were quick to go dissolve but she was just as fast to rebuild them.
Barry passed by with his own target but his pass did allow for a quick punch on the face, forcing Datura back on the ground. Poison Ivy became even more infuriated with him and threw a vine like a lasso to catch him.
Belén smirked and ran straight for Datura. If the woman was so keen on using powers then she would do the opposite. Oliver Queen's words of wisdom came back to her for a moment: never rely on your powers to get you through a fight. That seemed to be exactly what Datura was doing.
Because she's so smug, Belén thought.
Datura was just getting back on her feet when Belén arrived with a roundhouse kick where she felt a particular satisfaction hearing a bone in Datura's neck make a crack. Datura growled as soon as she could then raised her head.
"You're dead!" Datura unleashed the newest power she'd garnered on Earth 1. Her sonic scream proved to be deadly as Belén was thrown backwards. "Now that I know what you can do, I'll tell you right now you're the perfect candidate for what I need!"
"And what...would that be?" Belén started picking herself up.
"Dying!"
"But why me? Why cross to another world just to look for me?" It was the one question Belén wished she could have answered. Why her? Of all people, why did it have to be her the one who was going to be hunted?
Datura smirked for a moment when she knew the fear that creeping over Belén. Good. She wanted Belén to sink in it, to let it consume her. "Because fate wanted it like that. Now you can rise up all you want but the truth is it won't matter. I will hunt you. I will kill you, and while Zoom kills off your partner...I'll make sure to kill your friends."
"No you won't!" Belén exclaimed and gathered new energy to fight again.
"I promise you I will." Datura did the same and threw her sonic scream again, this time nonstop.
Belén crashed against a park bench and as much as tried getting up she just couldn't with the sonic waves forcing her down.
"Azalea!" Barry stopped fighting with Poison Ivy, allowing himself to be thrown into the park fountain at the same time.
But even Poison Ivy stopped once she realized the duration of Datura's sonic scream. She turned away from Barry, seeming to forget the speedster as he climbed out of the fountain. "Datura, stop!"
Datura's body shook as she forced herself to scream and scream.
"Datura!" Poison Ivy took a few quick steps towards her relentless partner. "I said STOP!"
But Datura ignored her. Her body hunched over as its air seemed to decrease by the second. The ferocity of her sonic scream was deadly, allowing no room for interference.
Belén had to cover her ears in hopes of keeping them from falling off. If Datura kept it up, she would die or at the very least go deaf. She raised her head as much as she could to face her attacker and was quite surprised to see blood dripping from Datura's nose. It didn't make a difference for Datura as she kept going, but it was a clear struggle that no one could deny.
"DATURA, STOP!" Poison Ivy was about to use a vine when...it stopped.
The sonic scream stopped out of nowhere. The only noise was the one Datura made as if she'd finally ran out of air and was about to choke. Poison Ivy ran towards her partner, catching Datura before she would fall on her knees.
"I told you not to!" Poison Ivy scolded her, but even when Datura tried to respond...she had no voice. "You idiot!" Poison Ivy reached for something in Datura's side pocket. It was a small silver device that...opened up a breach. It engulfed the two women and disappeared with them.
"You're kidding me..." Belén released a heavy sigh once she was able to stand without the fear of dying.
But she knew that even though they'd won it was far from being over.
"Hey," Barry finally joined her side again. His body ached but he was sure it was nothing compared to hers.
"I need Caitlin," even Belén admitted, hoping that the doctor herself was listening in on the comms. so that she would get things started.
"I know," Barry slipped an arm around her waist, about to take them away when he remembered something. "But hey, they know you're back. And I think that's something good."
Belén glanced over her shoulder and did see the crowd of civilians still watching them. They didn't look angry, if anything they looked concerned for her but...she smiled at them.
And everything seemed okay.
~ 0 ~
Veronica knocked on Belén's apartment door a couple times before someone opened up. Of course when Belén opened up, she hadn't been expecting her mother's surprise visit.
"Mom..."
"Oh my God what happened to you!?" Veronica panicked at the sight of the heavy gauze patches around Belén's neck. Datura's acid proved to be a menace.
"I-I'm fine, just work trouble..." Belén quickly turned away and made a way for the living room.
"What kind of work trouble causes that!?" Veronica went after her.
"Mom, it's fine. I promise. Is there something you needed?" Belén was not, to be honest, in the mood to argue with her mother. She was still a little sore from her fight the previous day, and the last thing she wanted was to emotionally exhaust herself too.
"I..." Veronica remembered her plan and she had to force herself not to ruin it with Belén's new injuries. "I came to talk."
"About what?"
"Myself...and you...starting with an apology."
Now that piqued Belén's interest. Her eyes widened for a moment, and though there was some doubt...she ultimately allowed Veronica to go on. "What are you apologizing for?"
"My behavior at our dinner. What I said about Barry was...out of place. I understand it was hard to hear-"
"-mom, what you said was just plain awful."
"I know, and I still worry about it being true and you getting harrassed or something-"
"-with all due respect, mom...if anyone were to tell me something about Barry's parents I would kindly punch them in the face." Belén's seriousness was a bit startling for Veronica, but she supposed it was only logical given Belén's feelings for Barry. "Cussing them out too is the only thing I'd think about. Do I do that first or afterwards?"
Instead of being scandalized, Veronica smiled. It made Belén wonder for a second. She hardly saw her mother smile.
"I guess you do love him," Veronica finally realized. "Once upon a time I nearly told your Nona Enger off too."
Hearing about her favorite grandmother always made Belén smile a little. In this case, she was surprised to hear her mother ever considering cussing someone out. "Really?"
"Your father's mother hated me when we were dating. The only reason I held my tongue was because of your father."
"Well...as much as I loved my Nona..." Belén crossed her arms, "...I wouldn't keep my feelings bottled in. If it concerns someone I love, I will say something."
"And that's what you did with me," Veronica nodded. She drew in a deep breath that she exhaled a minute later. "In retrospect, I think you and Barry are much braver than your father and I ever were. Barry came to talk to me, almost begging me to talk with you again."
"Course he'd do that," Belén mumbled, biting her lip while she decided whether or not she'd smack Barry or kiss him for his endeavor.
"I owe you an apology, Belén. I can't come back to your life after so many years expecting things to be the same as when you were a kid. If you'd let me, I would still very much like to be in your life again," Veronica hoped that her honesty, and her daughter's heart, would be enough to give her another opportunity.
"Mom, I would love to have you around. I've told you that...but if this is going to work, you can't treat me like a child," Belén warned, though she smiled as she said it. "I'm not a kid. I'm an adult. If you remember that, we'll be golden."
Veronica actually laughed a true laugh. "Belén, please be serious!"
"I am!"
Veronica only stopped laughing when they heard a knocking on the door. "I guess I should go, then. But...are we good?"
Belén nodded her head. "Yeah, Mom." She walked up to her mother and gave her an honest hug. Veronica smiled and hugged her daughter back until the knocking started again.
Waiting on the other side was Barry and Iris, the two looking all smiley until they saw Veronica.
"Did we-" the two began looking quite guilty but Veronica raised a hand to stop them.
"I was just leaving." She moved around them and headed down the hallway.
"Are you guys okay?" Iris asked once she and Barry moved into the apartment.
"All good," Belén closed the door behind them. She walked directly up to Barry and kissed him.
"Okay," Iris made a face and went to the couch to put down her purse and the folder she'd been carrying.
"What was that for?" asked Barry once Belén pulled away. "Not that I'm complaining, though."
Belén smiled at him. "I know you talked to my Mom."
"Oh...listen, Bells, I was only trying to help-"
"-and you did, clearly. So thanks for that," Belén gave him another kiss then brought him to the living room. "And to what do I owe this visit?"
"Just checking up on you," Iris said, though something about her tone implied there was something else they were there for. "Everyone at CC Pictures thinks you've got the flu, but I have to admit we're gonna have to talk to Linda. Poor girl's still traumatized from the Dr. Light incident and now she has the story of being kidnapped by Datura."
"But don't worry," Barry eyed Iris, warning her not to give too much of that negativity. "We're going to figure it out. Right now you just gotta take it easy."
"I'm fine, guys. These acid marks-" Belén motioned to her neck, "-are healing. Caitlin says I'll only have to wear them for a few more days. Whatever properties were in Datura's acid were just a little stronger than what my body can heal."
"Well for now, there's no sightings of Datura or Poison Ivy so please just rest." Iris knew that would be impossible. Now that they'd met Datura, they were even more worried with her plans.
"She's crazy not stupid," Belén sighed. "She knows not to show up for a few days. She'll be back, though. She made that clear."
"Don't worry," Barry slipped an arm around her waist. "We'll be ready for her."
"We better be because she nearly kicked my ass in round 1. She's a lot stronger than what I thought," Belén admitted. "She only used a handful of powers on me and that was enough to bring me down. If she unleashes all the powers she's siphoned...God help us."
"She's not God," Barry reminded. He'd already been thinking of the situation, the fight they had, and everything they'd learned about Datura firsthand. "She switches her powers around. And that last bit with the sonic scream? She over exerted herself. She has weaknesses. We just need to find them."
"And while you do that, I do come bearing some good news," Iris was happy to report. She picked up the folder she left on the couch and pulled out a few papers for Belén to see. "I wrote this last night."
Belén took the papers and looked at the front cover. An immediate smile came to her face when she saw a picture of the Azalea at her recent appearance. "How'd you...?"
"I was at the park guys," Iris ignored their stunned looks. "I wasn't going to miss out on the biggest scoop. I want the honor of writing about the Azalea's return. If you want...I'd like to have an interview with you so that you can clarify why you were gone. I think the people are curious."
"I'd love to do that!" Belén didn't think twice in saying.
"Bells, are you sure you want to do that right now, though?" Barry asked, concerned she'd over exert herself too.
"Barry, I'm fine! If anything, doing this would really raise my spirits," Belén pulled Iris to the couch and sat down with her. "We can do it right now! And you-" she looked at Barry, "-can bring me some Fettuccine Alfredo for lunch?"
"Are you serious?" Barry raised an eyebrow, partially amused with her sudden request.
"What? I'm Italian. I need my pasta!"
"I'll take one too," Iris raised a finger, offering Barry a cheeky smile knowing he'd have to go get it anyways.
"Fine!" the speedster huffed and sped off to find the dang pasta.
~ 0 ~
Earth 2: Central City.
"Idiot." Poison Ivy would continue to repeat that word until she would get tired of it and come up with something new for Datura's actions.
Datura, however, seemed at ease with herself. She carelessly sat on a wooden table, looking pretty comfy in their greenhouse. "So I lost the sonic scream, big deal. I can get it off the Siren bitch any day I want."
"That's not the point," growled Poison Ivy. "You shouldn't have lost it! You shouldn't have fought like that with Belén! We were only there for measuring and we could've done it without so much chaos."
Datura's eyes flashed a wicked red. "Maybe I just realized that I hate her more than I thought," she spoke in an overlapped voice. "I despise her."
"That's not hatred. That's anger," Poison Ivy snapped. "Two different things for two different reasons and you know it."
Datura's eyes returned to normal, as did her voice. She looked away as if she were a child being chastised. "So what? I can hate and be angry at the same time. Besides, all this gave me a new idea."
Poison Ivy raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? What is it?"
"Belén lives a perfect life with her friends, and Barry, and her family...let's ruin it," Datura hopped off the table with a fresh new smirk on her face. "Let's make her live the perfect dream and then break it with a nightmare."
Poison Ivy started smiling once she got more into the idea. "Alright...you got my attention. Where do we start?"
"Mercury Labs. They have the tech we need," Datura led the way out of the greenhouse again.
Poison Ivy quietly exhaled and followed her partner out. Well, if there was one thing she could say about Datura was that she did not give up easily.
Author's Note:
Well this chapter was a doozy to write! I cannot tell you how long I spent staring at this fight scene. I wasn't sure if it was good enough because...c'mon, it's the first meet between Belén and Datura. I hoped I nailed it! But if not then there's still more fights to come!