35
He Remembered
Wally took a deep breath, focused on the Speed Force within him, and stepped up onto the Cosmic Treadmill. He started off relatively slow, moved his arms and legs in the correct formation to do so. Starting off in a position like that of a sprinter. Arms pumping back and forth, hands flat and turned to the side to cut through the air, making him more aerodynamic. His feet placed up on the ground on the balls of his feet, giving himself enough of a coil to spring himself forward.
Then he shifted his body weight, leaned forward even further. Pressed the flat of his feet to the ground. It wasn't the correct runner's stance, physics would work against him. Leaning so far forward would have him, effectively, running straight into the ground. But the Speed Force was a magical thing. It coursed through his veins and pushed him to go faster and further than anyone else. Made it so that he had the reflexes others couldn't even being to imagine. Every time Wally felt himself moving forward, felt himself about to let momentum take him over and crash to the ground, he'd use his reflexes, the slowed down perception to bring himself up once more.
A grin came to his face. Faster and faster he went. His arms and legs blurred to those watching him. Iris, Joe and HR watched intently as Wally raced along on the Cosmic Treadmill. Watched as he started to blur, continuing to push the machine even faster and faster.
HR's impressively large grin, the one that seemed to never be too far from his lips, continued to widen as the seconds passed. Alternately, he looked from the stopwatch in his hand to the speedster practically flying on the treadmill. "Yes!" HR cheered, throwing his hands into the air. "Yes, Wallace! You did it, Wallace! Look! Look!" He shoved the stopwatch into Iris's face, making her blink rapidly and jerk her head back, keeping her nose from being bashed in.
Iris glanced at the numbers sitting along the face of the timing mechanism. A skeptical eyebrow rose, unsure of what she was looking at. "Okay," she said slowly. "I don't get it."
"You don't…you don't get…" HR lowered his arm, confusion rolling through his eyes. "There…how do you not get it?" He spread his arms and started to speak loudly, his voice echoing from the corner of the Speed Lab. "People! We're witnessing something amazing here!"
"And do you want to share with us what this amazement is?" Joe asked. His voice was gruff, obviously as unimpressed as Iris was. It was one thing to sit back and listen as Barry, Cisco, and Caitlin spouted off as much scientific and technical jargon that made his head spin, but an entirely other thing if HR was the one who was keeping things as mystery. He didn't peg HR to be particularly intelligent as it was, so far he hadn't done much to help Team Flash and he consistently wondered why HR was even on their Earth. "Or are you just going to keep waving that stopwatch around." He made a whistling sound and motioned for Wally to stop.
Seconds later, Wally was by Joe's side, breathing heavily while dabbing at his forehead with a towel. He looked at HR expectantly, waiting for the good news that was to come. HR lifted his hands above his head. He looked at those standing around in the Speed Lab and declare, "Wallace here has done the unthinkable."
"Break the sound barrier?" Joe suggested with a shrug.
"Barry does it every time he does his supersonic punch thing," Iris pointed out. "Or else, Cisco wouldn't have named it the supersonic punch."
Wally rolled his eyes. "Thanks for that vote of confidence, sis," he said. He put his arm around Iris's shoulders and hugged her to his side. "I really feel the love." Iris immediately pressed her hands to Wally's side and tried to push herself away from him.
"Wally, you've just been sweating. This is silk." She finally managed to get him away and carefully brushed off her blouse. Then she turned to HR and asked, "So? What's the big news?"
HR finally stopped showing his teeth and lowered the stopwatch around his neck. "Wallace, here, he's broken Barry's speed record. And by that, I mean there's always improvements to be made, but Wallace…Wallace had managed to be faster than Barry was at this stage in his training. Look at these numbers!"
Wally's smile matched HR's in energy and excitement. "Whoa, so that means I'm faster than Barry?"
"Faster than where he was in his training," Iris corrected him.
"But that means I'm progressing faster. A faster rate means I'll be faster than him, right?" Wally looked to his sister and father for confirmation. They exchanged glances before looking at Wally. Wally's shoulders slumped. "Come on, I'm working hard here! And HR's proven it. I've gotten faster than him. That means I can go out and help the city now. I don't have to sit back and continue to do speed drills and everything."
"Wally, there's always a lot of training that needs to be done," Joe said gently yet firmly. He placed his hand on Wally's shoulder, squeezing it to be sure his son understood his words of wisdom. "The same as being on the police force. Do you think that as soon as you're in, you're in? You have to make sure that you're in top shape. We have tests on our shooting skills, we have mandatory physicals, anything that'd make sure we're in the top shape we can be."
"Is that also why you guys take a doughnut break every day?" Wally teased.
Joe managed a smile. He clapped his son on the shoulder and pointe din his face to say, "We'll see who gets invited next time." Then he dropped his hand and said, "I don't know why you're so hellbent on being faster than Barry. It's not like there isn't room for two speedsters on this Earth, on this team. You don't have anything to prove."
"Yes, I do!" Wally insisted. He stood back and ran his hands over his hair. Let out a sigh so long Iris was surprised he continued to stand upright. "You don't get it…Barry's said…in that other dimension, in Flashpoint, that I was Kid Flash. I was the Flash over there." He gestured to Iris. "And we were a brother-sister fighting team. If we could do that in Flashpoint, how come we can't do it here."
Iris started to open her mouth, but Wally continued passionately.
"Why can't that be something I can achieve here? Make a name for myself."
"You do have a name," Joe insisted.
"Yeah, Kid Flash." Wally placed his hands on his chest. "I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not a kid. I'm in college. I've got a place of my own, or, I'm thinking of getting a place of my own." He didn't notice Joe's and Iris's surprised looks. They didn't know he and Jesse were thinking of moving in together, didn't know they talked about her staying on their Earth. It hadn't been the right time to bring it up. "And I have these powers that I can't wait to use, to show what I can do. To show the city that I can be a good hero."
"The city knows you're a good hero," Iris reminded him. "You just helped save Detective Patterson."
Wally snorted. "Detective Patterson thinks Jesse and I just get in the way. All we've ever done is follow Barry around and take his orders and sit back and watch while he does everything. We can handle things, but we're treated like we're just kid son the sidelines." He motioned to HR, who suddenly appeared nervous. "HR has been helping me. We've been doing tests and trial runs and—"
"—You've been helping him?" Iris's head whipped toward HR, who took a step back, blue eyes widening as far as they could go. "What? When we weren't around? And you didn't tell us?"
Nervously, HR spun his drumsticks around his fingers. "Well, that does seem to be the point," he remarked. "Wallace was asking for someone to help him and I figured it was my given duty of this team to—"
"—And do you do on this team, HR?" Joe asked. His voice turned sarcastic. "Other than bring everyone coffee and give out some lame-ass ideas that don't help anyone."
HR wasn't offended. No, he still managed to smile despite the verbal abuse Joe was giving him. HR stopped spinning his drumsticks and tapped them against his chest. His voice remained neutral, unoffended as he spoke. "I find myself to be the kind of person that finds the best in everyone and brings it so they're even greater. I saw Wallace as someone who's been following everything that everyone's been telling him with no pushback. But he doesn't have anyone listen to him. So I'm listening to him, I'm helping him cultivate every skill set he needs to be successful."
Iris pressed her lips together. "Is that what you did? On your Earth? I thought you said you were a scientist and worked with Randolph Morgan."
HR blinked. "I, well, I was a scientist. Sort of. Not in the same semantics you'd use. I was an assistant—I was a helper—I helped Randolph keep his spirits up so that he could accomplish everything he set out to do."
"So, you really didn't have anything to do with any of the technological advances or scientific achievements that Randolph made…you were just…his cheerleader."
"Which seems to run in the family. I mean, Harrison and Tess over here, they're such a lovely couple, aren't they? Lovely couple. They cheer each other on all the time. And Cadence, well, she actually was a cheerleader. And while I don't have any children on my Earth, I can't help but feel that familial…that fatherly connection with her. Must've been that nifty mind-meld that went on with me and the other two Harrisons. That's a…that's a fun experience." HR finally stopped talking, noticing all eyes of the Wests were staring at him with varying degrees of interest. "I can see that I've lost you all. Just…" he took a breath. "Just remember that I really care about everyone this team. And I may not have the intelligence," he gestured around the Cortex, "the drive," he motioned to Wally, "the determination," he motioned to Iris, "the paternal level of protection," he motioned to Joe, "that you all have. But everyone brings their own skills to the team. And me…" he tapped his chest once more. "I bring the heart. I'll leave you to think about that while I get us some more coffee."
Iris rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath. She brought up her hand to rub her forehead, her aching temples. HR really did make things complicated since his arrival. It didn't help that he continued to push Wally into getting into even more dangerous situations. She lifted her head and exchanged a look with Joe.
"I don't want you doing any more training we're not aware of," Joe said to Wally. Wally's eyes shifted. His mouth dropped open to protest. "It's not safe, Wally. With Savitar and Breathtaker out there, they could attack at a moment's notice and none of us will know where to find you if it happens."
"I have GPS in my suit," Wally protested, voice tight.
"And do you wear your suit every time you're training?" Wally's dark cheeks darkened even further as he turned away. "Look, I understand that you like the rush from this—"
"No, actually, you don't." Wally shook his head. "You don't understand it unless you're a speedster. Unless you're a meta. And you're not. Neither of you are." He looked at Iris. "You may have a gun and you may be a reporter who gets herself in more trouble than she knows what to do with, but you will never understand what it's like to be a meta. And you'll never understand what it's like to be in Barry's shadow."
"You're not in Barry's shadow," Iris protested.
"Really?" Wally shook his head. "So 'The White Shadow' doesn't mean anything?" Iris pressed her lips together. "The fact that he may as well have been your brother your entire life means nothing. The fact that he was in lo—"
"—Wally!" Joe interrupted. "That's enough."
"No, dad." Iris looked firmly at her brother. "What were you going to say?"
But Wally turned his attention away from Iris and to Joe. Directly on Joe. Wouldn't look anywhere else. "Nothing," he said. "Nothing that matters. I know Barry's constantly putting restraints on me, he's team leader after all. But I'm not going to take it much longer." And with that, he sped out of the Cortex.
Iris and Joe stepped away from the gust of wind that blew into their faces. Iris lifted her hands and slapped them to her sides, watching the door her brother had disappeared into. Shaking her head, she turned to her father and said, "I don't know what we're going to do with him."
"He's really angry, Iris," Joe pointed out.
"I get that. But things are dangerous, dad. We can't just have him run straight into everything just because he thinks he's ready." Then she sighed, folding her arms. "But I guess we can't hold him back either."
Joe watched his daughter carefully. Knew and cared for her since Francine had left. Had done the same when Francine left them once more—something he still felt guilt over—and added Wally to the fold. A stranger he still loved as much as he could if knowing him since birth. The learning curve was difficult, figuring out how to be a father to a grown man, but things had been progressing. He'd even just defended him to Detective Patterson for God's sake!
"I really don't know what to do," Joe murmured. "We've already lost Barry twice, I don't want to lose him again."
"I know." Iris rubbed her father's arm. "I'm worried about the same thing. I guess he's picking up on it."
"Well, you have to admit, baby, you're not very…subtly with the way you feel about things." Joe glanced at his phone when it started to ring. For a moment, a smile came to his face before he controlled his muscles. His smile turned to a frown that threatened to melt, corners of his mouth twitching. "Hey, I've got to get going."
"Is everything alright?" Iris asked. "You've been running off to calls like this a lot lately."
"Everything's fine, baby," Joe replied. "But, it's not something I can talk about." He pressed a kiss to Iris's forehead. "I'll see you later." With quick steps, he practically raced to the door of the Cortex, heading toward the elevators.
"Since when can't you talk to me about your cases?" Iris called after him. "Do you know how many nightmares I had when I was little because you kept telling me stories?" She folded her arms, watching her father's retreating back. "He's up to something," she murmured.
"I wasn't sure what sort of coffee you wanted, so I got one of nearly everything Jitters had to offer," HR's voice said from behind her. Iris turned and watched him come toward her with a massive tray, eyes widening in abject horror. There was enough coffee in his hands to hydrate an entire army. "I really loved this stuff from Jitters and thought it'd be nice if we had some to go and have been stashing it for a good occasion and if we're going to figure out what to do with Wallace, now's a good time to do it." He then looked up and blinked at Iris.
His eyes took a cursory sweep around the Cortex. "Where'd everyone go?"
Iris sighed.
Brady hardly looked up when Wally stormed into the practice room he'd coveted for his own. It wasn't anything official, but an empty hangar that used to sore the fleet of STAR Labs vans the company used to shuttle around. Once STAR Labs lost most of their personnel and Harrison had been sued, he'd sold numerous affects to pay off damages and lawsuits. The room used to hold most of the transportable equipment and vans, changed into the hangar that held the cardboard cutouts they used to strategize against Zoom.
Cisco had created them one long night of staking out Central City. A long night of no sleep, a digital camera, and as many photos of himself and his friends he could take and printed out to create the cutouts. They used to be pristine, no marks marring them ever. Now they were riddled with little holes that scattered from the heads of the feet of the cutouts. A gust of wind was pre-emptive to Wally's arrival.
Nevertheless, Brady didn't allow himself to be distracted. He blinked, waiting for the wind to die down before turning his attention to the targets lined up in front of him. Rapid-fire, he released ammo from his sling-shots into each of the cutouts. None of the ammo that had the special effects inspired from his team; no smoke bombs, for his mother, no bright blasts of light, for Barry, no vapors, for Caitlin, no blasts of concussive power, for Cisco. They were all duds, the perfect way for him to practice.
He followed everything Oliver told him; keep steady, don't let anything distract you, use your environment to your advantage, and one after another knocked them down. Finally, when he was finished, he faced Wally.
"What's up?" Brady asked.
"How do you do that?" Wally asked, looking at each of the cutouts. Cisco's flopped to the floor, bent in half from the continued barrage to its midsection. "How do you get a perfect hit each time."
"A lot of practice," Brady replied. He set his slingshot aside and dusted off his hands. "I could barely hit one when I first started. And Oliver's helped me a lot."
"Oliver Queen?" Wally repeated. He walked closer to Brady. "He doesn't really seem like the kind of guy who likes to play with others."
"Yeah. Mom and Barry weren't really on board with it when I first started. But Oliver and Barry are good friends. If there's anyone Barry trusts, it's Oliver."
There was a moment of silence that hung between them. Brady watched Wally. Honestly, he was unsure of what to make of Wally. They didn't hang out, didn't train together, didn't go into the field together. Barry made on his promise to train Wally and Jesse to do the best they could be to be a speedster. On Brady's end, Cadence primarily took on his training that didn't have to do with his sharpshooting skills.
She homed in on his natural athletic ability from soccer, his fancy footwork, and made sure he used it to his advantage. Made sure it was something others wouldn't figure out how to stop before he could use it to his advantage. While not a speedster, he had good reflexes to change direction when running. Stopping on a dime to turn in another direction, much as when possession of a game changed. He did everything he was told to do when training; and when it came to the new elemental powers he'd gained, along with his ability to blend in and fly, she worked him harder to have a general sense of control over it.
Brady saw how much control she had over her own powers and never wanted to get to the point where he couldn't handle his own. He wasn't quite sure if Wally had much control over his powers let alone his own impulses.
"How can you stand it?" Wally asked.
"Stand what?"
"Stand being back here while everyone is on Earth-2." Wally gestured vaguely in the direction of the Cortex. "Fighting giant gorillas no less."
"It's not like stuff isn't going to happen here," Brady pointed out. He couldn't keep the note of sarcasm out of his voice. It seemed to be almost a permanent part of his personality as he grew older and matured. At least, compared to his parents' consistent bouts of enthusiasm and extroversion. "It's Central City, everything happens every minute. It's never boring here."
"Well, yeah, but that's what I mean." Wally lowered himself to the floor and crossed his legs. "There's always stuff going on and we just have to sit back and watch. Doesn't that bother you?"
Brady thought for a moment. It did bother him, at first. But a lot to things had happened since he first started to train with Barry and his mom. He'd seen a lot of different things happen. He'd seen a lot of people get hurt. He'd been hurt. He remembered the desperation he felt when going against Geomancer.
"I want my mom."
There was nothing that would ever erase the sound of his own voice when he said those words. The sheer terror, desperation, and…acceptance he felt. He'd been crushed under a slab of concrete, pinned to the ground as were Connor and Leah with no way out as their powers weren't strong enough to stop him at the time. He thought he'd die. He hadn't, but he thought he would. Then seeing all the injury and death during the Metapocalypse? It wasn't a game to him anymore. It was real. And he needed to take it seriously.
Plus, the idea of going up against a gorilla was more terrifying than fun. He'd been to the zoo, he'd watched Tarzan, he knew everything that could happen. And that was with a normal gorilla, these were sentient ones.
"It used to," he admitted. "Not anymore."
Wally sighed, leaning back on his hands. "I just wish they'd stop treating me like I was a little kid. Like I don't know what I'm doing. I can move faster than…than anything and they're keeping me from being able to use it to help the city."
"No, they haven't."
But Wally kept going. "I even helped stop the Dominators, for God's sake."
"Could you do it on your own? If Barry and Oliver and Kara and Sara and the others weren't there, do you think you would have been able to do it on your own?" Wally thought for a moment. Thought about everything they'd done to stop the Dominators. "Or Zoom? Do you think you could've stopped Zoom yourself?"
"Even Barry didn't stop Zoom himself," Wally pointed out. "The time wraith got him. And that was after your mom helped boost his powers."
"Still, until then Barry was able to hold him off, pushing himself to the limit to do it." Brady pressed his feet together, grabbing his ankles. He looked Wally in the eye. "I'm not saying you can't do it. And I'm not saying I don't think you can. I really do think you could be as good as Barry if not better. I just think you're doing it for the glory than to help people."
Wally looked away. He sighed, running a hand over his hair. "What Detective Patterson said…it just makes me want to prove him wrong. To prove everyone wrong who says that I can't do anything. Or that I'm just a copy-cat. I guess I do take it too far, sometimes."
Brady simply smiled in response. He looked up when he heard Iris's voice come over the speakers that surrounded STAR Labs. It'd taken Cisco a few tries to re-wire the communication system of STAR Labs. Enough so that Caitlin was starting to become annoyed with having to spread burn cream on his fingers after repeatedly electrocuting himself.
At the same time, Wally and Brady moved back to the Cortex. Iris immediately turned to them, telling them what she knew about the incident. "Robbery in progress," she stated, nodding toward the mapping image on the computer in front of her. "Sullivan bank."
"Oh, that's easy," Brady declared. If he could handle Metallo using an opportune moment of distraction with the MRA Act being conversed, then they could handle petty criminals who didn't have any powers. "Shouldn't take more than a few minutes."
"Let's go," Wally said. He immediately zipped into his suit while Brady slapped his palm against his suit housing device—of which he still didn't have a name for—and waited for his suit to encompass his body. Wally then grabbed his arm and raced the two to Sullivan Bank.
Just in time for the two robbers to race out the front of the bank, waving their pistols on the area. Civilians standing nearby screamed and raced out the way. Brady made a face beneath his mask. He knew nothing about guns, but that point, he didn't understand how the residents of Central City found it to be something to be afraid of. Or else, they would become too dependent on the heroes to show up. As it was, Brady knew the guns were real, but he hardly believed they would want to use them against anyone.
The robbers weren't smart enough to cover their faces before being stopped on the sidewalk. They gaped at Wally and Brady as soon as they spotted the two heroes. "Didn't hear the news, huh?" He taunted.
The criminals looked at each other in apprehension. Then the first one lifted his gun, pointing it directly towards Wally. "What news?"
The other trained his gun onto Brady. Brady quickly moved to grab his slingshot, knowing he could get the quick draw on the man, hitting him where he didn't anticipate being hit; the balls. Otherwise, a good shot in the food was a good way to get him up close and personal. There was no need to show off his other abilities. Then he remembered leaving it in STAR Labs, in the practice room, and opted for his yo-yo instead.
He started to bring it out.
"That you don't mess with Kid Flash," Wally continued. There was a tone of arrogance that came to his voice. One that Brady wasn't sure was of Wally or of Kid Flash. .It was easy to realize they were the same person, but harder, he thought, for others to notice how much of a double life, of two personalities they truly had.
"We gotta get back to our friends," the first criminal said. His voice quivered. Wally and Brady exchanged a look, thinking the same thing. It had to have been their first robbery. Or else they never expected to be put on Team Flash's radar. "They're expecting us."
"Yeah, they picked some real winners," Brady said. His hand enclosed over his yo-yo. He started to take it out, then stopped. Huh. His eyebrows furrowed together, and he strained every muscle, watched as his arm tensed up, but couldn't move his hand any further. His eyes shifted, struggling to find the source of what was happening to him.
The ground slowly started to tilt, the face of the bank building melted before his eyes. And yet, Wally continued to stand next to him, talking to the robbers as if nothing were happening.
"It's more than I can say for you two," the criminal shot back.
Then Wally moved; shot around at warp speed, incapacitating the robbers and throwing them aside to the arriving CCPD squad car. The officers inside jumped when the tied up suspects suddenly appeared in the backseat.
Wally came to a stop and grinned at a job well done. He turned to see a crowd forming, clapping and cheering for him. He was unable to stop the smile that came to his face, reveling in the appreciation coming his way. Finally, some of the recognition he deserved. Wally lifted his hand and waved back.
"'Nothing to see here, guys," he called. He nodded toward the police cars. "Just a couple of fools getting their asses handed to them." It was then, finally, that Wally noticed Brady holding stock still. Despite the hood of the cloak that covered most of Brady's face, Wally could see the absolute confusion and fear in the young boy's eyes. "Hey, is everything okay?"
Brady tried to respond, but found his mouth wasn't working. Couldn't move the muscles around his mouth. Couldn't move the muscles of his hand. Couldn't move anything. He was frozen to the ground, nausea rolling through his stomach as he watched the ground continue to slant back and forth and the the buildings around him continue to melt.
Then the edges of his vision started to darken. Two oval dots that elongated and merging together. Growing bigger and bigger until they became one mass, blotting out every source of light around him. Brady's heartrate started to increase. Louder and louder until the sounds of his thumping heart filled the void. His breathing became labored. Something squeezed his chest, his lungs, making drawing in the simplest piece of air difficult. Ripped away all comfort.
Then, finally, he saw a white glow in front of him. It became brighter and brighter until the light became absent as well. Brady blinked, watching the figure form in front of him. Watched as Breathtaker hovered in front of him. Watched as Breathtaker came to a stop in front of him and slowly reached up, pulling down his hood.
For the first time, Breathtaker revealed himself.
He reached out and pressed his fingertips to Brady's forehead.
A jolt of lightning, a red wave of pure agony shot through his head. Fired up every nerve in his brain.
Before Flashpoint, Brady remembered everything that happened to him. Knew from the very beginning what had gone on while he was gone and his mother was searching for him. After Flashpoint, things changed. Brady's memory changed. He knew nothing about what'd happened to him when he was in the clutches of the Assassination Bureau and his mother was desperately searching for him.
Until then.
Horrified, Brady remembered everything.
When Barry's eyes finally opened, he found himself stuck in a cell. A damp, dark cell. Almost darker than the one Zoom held him in the year before. This time, however, Zoom wasn't waiting for him on the other side with taunting words and cruelties that'd make Barry consistently wonder if he should've gone ahead and killed him when he had the chance. No, this time there was nothing but silence outside his cell.
From where he lay on the ground, Barry was able to see he was underground somewhere. A cool breeze floated in from a crack in the concrete walls around him. Yet, he could tell he wasn't too far underground; the air around him wasn't heavy, he didn't feel an ungodly amount of pressure being put on his body. He was close to the surface, but not so close that any sunlight could stream through where the sun was positioned in the sky.
Murky sunlight streamed over him from a larger hole in the top of his cell. It streaked over his eyes, making him squint and roll away from the rude wakeup call. The movement made his entire body protest in pain. Barry brought a hand to his forehead and winced. It wasn't until he heard a loud growl that he was forced completely awake. Barry shot up, ignoring the agonizing wave of pain that rolled through him, undulating through every nerve. He got to his knees, slowly rising himself up.
His friends all started to groan, slowly waking as well. Barry ran a hand over his face, thoughts racing a marathon. Whatever it was that had knocked him out, had to be strong enough for a speedster but also strong enough for the others if they were awakening at the same time.
Barry licked his dry lips, wincing at the sting as his saliva hit the open cracks. "Are you guys alright?"
"Yeah," Cisco murmured. He sucked in a deep breath, as if simply waking up from a deep sleep. He ran his palms over his eyes. "I'm okay."
"I'm okay, too," Caitlin said. Barry turned to Jesse, who was in the furthest cell, who nodded back.
Cadence continued to lay on the ground, arms wrapped around her stomach. A heavy line of sweat covered her forehead, breathing labored. Nevertheless, she nodded that she was okay, then muttered, "I've lost my guns."
"Okay." Jesse swallowed hard. She grasped pressed herself against the front of her cell. "We'll just phase out of here and get Cade some help." She looked to Barry for any further instruction. Barry simply nodded back to her and the two curled their fingers around the bars of their cells. For a moment, they concentrated hard, tapped into the Speed Force, expected their bodies to rapidly vibrate and push them through the metal. Expected to experience the indescribable feeling of something solid passing through them.
Nothing.
They found themselves unable to move through the bars. Gasping, Jesse's hands slipped away from the bars. "I can't…I can't phase."
Barry immediately rounded on Cisco. "Can you open a breach?" The desperation in his voice was evident, bordering on becoming hysterical. Trapped in a cage with no way out. Nothing of his powers working and no idea who or what had taken them.
Cisco punched his fist forward, tried a few times, straining harder and harder each time he did. His face turned a beet red on his last attempt before he, finally, gave up, gasping from exertion. "No dice," he replied.
While the others tried to use their powers, Cadence slowly but surely gathered strength and stood up. She leaned against the walls of her cell, which were between Caitlin's and Barry's. 'I can't teleport either," she said.
Barry quickly moved to her side. He ripped off their gloves and grabbed her hand, forced his fingers between hers. He swallowed hard, waiting for the sign of their powers mixing powers, waited for his abilities to give her an extra boost. Anything that'd give her the chance to heal herself. Nothing happened.
Barry gasped, squeezing her hand tighter. "Come on," he murmured. Finally, Cadence pulled her hand away, the sweat that flooded her palms making her easily slip from his grasp. She shook her head, keeping her eyes away from him. Barry lowered his forehead, resting it against the cool metal.
"I don't think it's the cell," he murmured, his voice barely going over a croak. "Grodd must be doing it somehow." He was a sentient gorilla, had more powers and abilities than they could ever imagine. From the last two times they'd come up against the meta, Barry's barely managed to beat him. Grodd had more time on this Earth to plan his way to stop Barry and his team, so far it was working.
Barry's head jerked upward. What was that? His movement caught Caitlin's attention. She tilted her head, caught his eye. Barry's eyes shifted to just behind her, he nodded subtly. Caitlin turned, her eyes landing on a set of stairs she hadn't noticed was just outside her cell. Stairs that led to the outside or…to another level of their prison. Stairs that someone was currently walking down.
There were human footsteps, much lighter and melodic than those of a gorilla's. They would've heard Grodd coming long before he'd arrived. His heavy, grunts filled the air, showing his displeasure with everything around him. No, the breathing from whomever was approaching was calm. Much to calm.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Barry's muscles tensed, waiting to see who or what was coming toward them. Step by step, the figure revealed itself. Barry felt all his anxiety and trepidation flush away when Harry's face finally passed by the concrete slab that kept his identity hidden. Harry's lips pressed in a thin line as his blue eyes roved over the group.
Barry looked back to Jesse, who's face immediately lit up at the sight of her father. Alive. He was still alive. Jesse looked back at Barry, tears bobbing on her eyelashes, threatening to fall. Her hands shook on the bars to her cell. Her body shook.
Harry was alive.
Even Cisco, who had an antagonistic relationship with the man couldn't keep the relieved smile from his face.
"Harry!" Caitlin cried, breathlessly. A beaming smile came to her face, revealing the relief she held inside. She was closest to him, able to watch him as he continued to silently descend the staircase to the group. "You're alright."
Jesse pressed herself against the side of her cell and reached her arms out to her father. Harry walked to the front of the cells, behind him a darkened hallway, an abyss to nowhere. Jesse strained to reach even further. Her fingers fluttered toward him. "Dad," she cried. "Dad! I'm so glad to see you!" Harry looked back at her, eyes blank. Jesse frowned when he didn't reach back to her. Didn't express the almost obsessive—as Cisco called it—protection he felt towards his younger daughter. "Dad?"
Cadence frowned. She didn't have her powers to use a thermal vision on him, wasn't able to get a reading on his body temperature. But she could still read him. Could still watch him closely for any tell-tale signs that something was wrong. His body was much too stiff; back oddly straight compared to the nearly constant slouched posture he held. It wasn't too strange; Harry had a background in the military. He stood ramrod straight, arms folded as his natural stance, she'd noticed. When working in his lab, he consistently slouched over, bringing himself closer to his work.
This time, however, he stood straight, arms at his sides. Not a natural stance for Harry Wells. As if proving her point, Harry's gaze shifted to Barry, who gaped back at him. "Hello Flash," he murmured.
A chill went through the cells. Jesse's grasp tightened around the cells. Cisco sucked in as harp breath between his teeth. Caitlin's eyes closed in dismay, she lowered her head. Barry's eyes narrowed. He sucked in a breath through his nose, nostrils flaring. He looked directly into Harry's eyes. Recognized his voice. "Grodd. Let him go," he growled, voice deepening with a rare anger. Jesse watched her mentor in surprise. She'd never seen him look so angry. "This is between you and me."
"Not yet," Harry replied. His voice remained stilted. Low, grumbling, using very little words to create more complex sentences a human would. Grodd didn't get that chance to learn. His days were filled with torture from General Eiling and a master that sat back and watched it happen. "I need him."
Barry's lips pulled back in a snarl. He lost all composure that hung on by a thread. "For what? Why did you lure him here?"
"For you." Harry tilted his head. His eyes continued to bore into Barry's unblinking. "Need…your help."
Cadence let out a wheezing laugh. A sarcastic laugh that continued to show her true strength despite her quaking knees, wanting nothing more than to collapse to the ground and sleep. She shook her head, continuing her mirthless chuckle. A laugh as dry as the walls around hem. "You've got a funny way of asking for it," she remarked.
Harry opened his mouth and Grodd's roar poured out. A roar that equally escaped the human and originating from somewhere they couldn't see. He roared so loudly, it bounced off the walls, repeatedly thrashing the eardrums of the team. They slapped their hands over their ears, turning away. Tried to escape the battering ram of explosive sound.
Cadence dropped to her knees.
Barry turned away. His weakness made Grodd speak once more through Harry. "You sent me here! Remember? To live in this hell where I am forced to serve under the rule of Solovar!" Images flashed through Barry's mind. Projected from Grodd. Memories of being tortured within STAR Labs, memories of being experimented on, memories of being attacked before sent through a breach to Earth-2. Barry's knees quaked, forcing him to hold tighter on the bars to keep himself up.
"Who's Solovar?" Jesse asked. Harry's gaze turned to her. She gasped and looked away, not seeing her father behind in his eyes. Seeing nothing but bleak pools of emptiness. A dark ocean.
"Leader of gorilla kind," Harry explained. He started to pace, watching each member of Team Flash in turn. "Ruler of Gorilla City. Now, he wants to rule the humans. He will bring war to your Earth."
"Why?"
"He's seen many conflicts between gorillas and humans, he's afraid the humans will attack. But now that you're here…he will bring the fight to you."
Barry let go of the bars. Backed away from Harry. He stared to pace. First moving in small circles, then large ones. He placed his hands atop his head, chest heaving as he fought to catch his breath, trying to quell his anger.
"So, you lured us here to stop him?" Cisco asked.
Harry slowly, deliberately, shook his head. "As trespassers, you'll be sent to the arena and executed."
Cisco's face became an amusing expression of horror and surprise. He brought a shaking hand to cover his mouth. He tapped his fingers against his chin. Hummed. "You know, having a sign at the front of your city saying, 'trespassers will be executed' wouldn't be such a bad idea."
"It will be Solovar's great honor to kill you himself," Harry continued, ignoring Cisco. Barry snorted. Of course, it would. Get in line, he thought. There's a lot of people who want that, too. "But, Flash, if you were to defeat him…the other gorillas would see his weakness and would no longer follow him."
Barry shook his head. "I'm not going to kill anyone…" he promised. "Not even a gorilla." What if it's your only choice? The thought entered his head before he could stop it. Ashamed, he looked away. There was only so many choices that could be made when stuck in a difficult situation. He faced those moments daily, when danger was too great for him to overcome with fast feet. In those moments he found any means to defeat whatever he came up against without getting to that level.
Last time, they'd hardly been able to defeat Grodd. If Grodd feared Solovar…maybe he didn't have that choice.
"Barry," Cadence started. She gasped, convulsing. Sweat dripped off her forehead. Caitlin glanced at Harry. He still focused on the speedster in front of him. She motioned to Cadence, held out her hand. Cadence nodded and dragged herself to her best friend without a sound. When she was close enough, Cadence held her hand out of view of Harry, but close enough for Caitlin to touch. Close enough for her powers to be used, to cool her down.
"Kill or be killed!" Harry hissed. He got into Barry's face, his spittle landing on Barry's cheeks and forehead. Barry continued to hold strong, watching his friend's face. Looking for any sign of Harry still within Grodd's control. "That's the only law gorilla-kind understands."
Then Barry clocked onto the most important part of it all. Grodd was asking him to defeat Solovar so.. "How do you benefit from this Grodd?"
Harry slowly smiled. "Solovar falls, I take his place, I rule the gorillas..." His eyes remained unblinking. Barry saw a flicker of life within them. Grodd knew with his next words, that Barry would agree. "And I promise to keep them in Gorilla City."
If they stay in Gorilla City, there's no attack on Central City. The headline won't come true and nothing will happen to Caitlin, Iris, or Cadence. The idea flashed through Barry's mind faster than he could stop it. Excitement started to rock his stomach. Exactly the reason he didn't want to entertain the thought. Since seeing the future, since seeing certain headlines, he thought of nothing more than how to stop a future that may or may not come.
"It's a possible future," Jay had told him. "It's not set in stone.
Nevertheless, Barry sucked in a breath that pushed out his chest. Gave him the sense of strength that only came as being The Flash. He was no longer Barry Allen. He had to be the leader. Had to decide.
Caitlin voice his thoughts for him. Her voice soft and sweet, appeasing to Grodd. Or was it Harry? Barry wasn't quite sure. "How do we know we can trust you?"
"Because…even though you sent me away, your Earth is still my home." Harry looked to Caitlin. Her lips trembled as he spoke his next words. "And there are those among you…I will never forget."
Harry collapsed. It was sudden. One moment, he was on his feet, the next he was on his knees, grasping at the bars to Barry's cell. "Dad!" Jesse gasped. Barry grabbed onto Harry. He pulled him up, still leaning against the bars, and dragged him across the front of the cell. Passed him to Cisco who brought him to Jesse. "Dad!" Her hands trembled, holding him to her. She stroked his hair, pressing her face against his. "Dad, are you okay?"
"Jesse?" Harry replied. He didn't get more than the word out before holding Jesse tightly to him. "Jesse. Oh, Jesse." The two didn't react as heavy footsteps filled the air.
Barry's body quaked with every step until Grodd stood before him, towering in the room. His head nearly scraped the ceiling, sharp white teeth dripping with saliva. His powerful chest heaved with every rumbling breath he took. /Kill Solovar and Central City will be spared. Fail and see your home turn to ash./
Once more, Barry turned away. He mulled over his options. An ultimatum that didn't have any positive outcomes. Caitlin's voice broke through his thoughts. "Barry, do you really think you could kill this Solovar? Do you think you could take a life?"
Barry ignored her. "Grodd, let me and my friends go, and I promise we'll never come back here. I'll face Solovar once I'm sure my friends are free and safe."
Grodd threw his body backwards, standing on two feet to beat his chest. He roared once more, this time one of pure rage. This time, Barry didn't back down while his friends cowered. He simply watched Grodd. Grodd lowered himself to the ground with a blow so heavy it cracked the concrete beneath his hands and feet.
/Solovar knows you are here!/ Grodd roared. /Your fate is sealed! You will die by his hand…in the arena. You…will lose. Everyone will die./ He moved closer. Barry, no longer wanting to smell Grodd's sour breath, held his. /What do you choose, Flash?/
Barry sighed. Lowered his head. Resignation filled his gut. So much so that his words were heavy, falling to the floor. "Alright," he croaked. "I'll make you a deal. I'll fight Solovar in the arena, just me. But if I beat him, you let my friends go and you leave us alone for good."
Grodd gave a monstrous smile.
"No." Barry gaped at Cadence. She stepped forward, suddenly appearing better than ever, though she still leant her weight on the wall of the cell. who stepped forward. "I will!"
/As you wish./
A/N: So, what'd you think? Unfortunately, I had to cut out a scene with Harry, Jesse, and Cadence to be moved in the next chapter. It makes more sense there, but it also would've dragged this one down. Not to mention, I took out part of the scene with Wally and Brady, and changed the one from Wally, Iris, and Joe. Harrison and Tess were originally to be there but that needed to be shifted for what's coming next.
I hope you all enjoyed it. There's plenty more coming in the next parts that will continue to tie everything together. Also, a re-appearance of some characters I haven't shown in a bit. Also, check out my one-shot Photographs, which is a deleted scene from this story, about Jesse and Cadence's relationship while living on different Earths.
Cheers,
-Riley
Review Replies
Ethan: Flashpoint: Her parents new before Flashpoint, after they don't. And she doesn't have any means to tell them by this point. She keeps it a secret from them as much as she does from Alicia. Though there it does certainly bring up the question of how much they know about metas if they 'aren't metas'. I'm just honing in on what we haven't seen in The Flash (or any Arrowverse show) in a while; people close to them not knowing their secret and having to have things be kept a secret. It's more fun, if you ask me, to see those moments.
DarkHelm145: A lot more of Brady's plot for the rest of this story will come together with the main plot. I hope it's as much of a reveal to everyone as I hope it is. We're actually really close to it.
yummers: As you can see, Cade's doing a bit better. Or worse, depending on how you view the situation. Lol.