Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, and/or followed this story! I'm so sorry that it's been this long since I've posted a chapter. I've been beyond busy for the past few months. I won't abandon this story, but it will most likely be another while until the next chapter is written. Thank you to anyone who sticks with this story. It means a lot to me!
There are some medical terms and such in this chapter. I'm not a doctor, so warning: they may not be completely accurate,
DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Flash
"Maybe you should take a break," Iris suggests to a visibly exhausted Cisco as she set down a steaming mug of coffee in front of him.
"I can't. I'm so close, I can feel it." The superhero responds. He has been working nonstop all night, alternating between his keyboard and the Flash's emblem.
"How's your vibing going? Have you been able to see this… Mind Melter's face?"
Cisco sighs and rubs his bloodshot eyes. "No, I'm only able to see short bits of what happened to Barry. I'm trying to find anything that'll tell me where Barry was taken or who Mind Melter is, but there's nothing there. I can't even begin guessing what he even wanted Barry for."
Iris's eyebrows knit together in concern. "Well, Caitlin is about to run some tests on Barry. Maybe that'll give us some answers."
"Alright. I should probably help her." He begins to stand, but Iris's hand on his shoulder pushes him back down into his seat.
"Woah, you need to give yourself a break." She cautions, "You're not going to be doing much if you keep going like this. Wally's helping Cait right now."
"Okay. You're right." Cisco agrees, and grips the mug, taking a careful sip of the brown liquid.
Meanwhile, Caitlin and Wally lift the unconscious Flash onto a gurney.
"Are you sure that he's completely out?" Wally asks anxiously.
Caitlin answers with confidence, "Yes, the gas we pumped into his cell is a similar formula to the tranquilizer darts. He should stay unconscious long enough for me to finish the tests. But just to be safe…" She snaps a pair of power dampening cuffs over the speedster's wrists and secures restraints over his shoulders, torso, and legs to keep him secure to the gurney.
As soon as Barry is in the med bay, Caitlin attaches electrodes to his scalp to check his brain activity. She frowns at the results.
"What is it, Caitlin?" Iris questions, not completely sure she wants to know the answer.
"The neurons in Barry's amygdala are firing very rapidly."
"So… what does that mean?" Wally asks.
Caitlin explains further, "The amygdala is a part of the brain that helps to store memories and understand emotions. It connects emotions and memories to help us know what to avoid for survival. The fact that Barry's amygdala is so active can explain his recent behavior."
"Maybe that's how Mind Melter's powers work. By targeting Barry's amygdala and forcing him to remember certain memories." Cisco offers.
"That's definitely a possibility." Caitlin agrees.
Joe speaks up, "Why is it still happening now, though? The meta isn't hurting him anymore."
Caitlin purses her lips. "I'm not sure. We need to know more about how this meta's powers work."
"But what about treatment? Can we fix this now, Caitlin?" Joe presses.
The doctor opens her mouth to respond when Iris suddenly calls out, "Wait, guys. I think he's waking up."
Everyone's gazes immediately shift to the young man lying on the gurney. Sure enough, his head is slowly turning to the side and his eyelids are fluttering.
"Barry?" Iris whispers, taking a step towards him.
Joe puts a hand on his daughter's shoulder, stopping her from getting too close. "Careful, baby." He warns, wincing at the fact that he has to keep the two apart.
The Flash attempts to lift his hands, but the restraints securely hold him down. Barry's eyelids fly open. As his eyes look around wildly, he manages to understand where he is.
"Let me go!" He shouts, straining against the straps.
"This is for your own safety, Barr." Joe tries to calm his son.
"I'm going to get you for this! All of you!" The fury in Barry's voice doesn't manage to cover the fear hidden there.
Cisco suddenly interjects, "Okay that's enough. Barry, one way or another, you're going to tell me exactly what happened to you."
He strides forward, and with a quick prayer that this works, he grips the speedster's forearm.
Instantly, Cisco feels the familiar rush that accompanies a vibe. Yes! It worked! And Cisco sees it all.
Two months ago
Barry was barely conscious and most definitely not coherent. Even though the young man wasn't able to physically stand on his own, he was still constrained to the metal chair.
A heavy door opened. A man, who Barry had come to know as the one who brought pain with him, stepped through the doorway and into the dimly lit room.
The weak superhero grunted as the man silently approached him.
Cold fingers touched Barry's temples, and a memory surfaced.
Barry was in an alley that was lit with streetlamps. He was walking toward a man laying on the ground. The man was wearing a green hood, a loaded bow in his hands.
The arrow flew towards Barry, who dodged it.
Barry turned back to the hooded man. "You missed." He smirked.
"No." the man responded with a slight shake of his head.
Suddenly there was an explosion behind Barry. The blast shot him forward onto the pavement with a yell. The arrow. It must have caused it.
But he didn't stay down for long. When Barry looked up, the hooded man was gone. Barry swiftly stood and was met with a sudden pain in his shoulder blade.
As a pained shout escaped his lips, Barry heard the hooded man behind him.
"2,000 milligrams of horse tranquilizer. Should be hitting you anytime now." He boomed.
Barry could feel his muscles going slack. He fell to his knee, trying to fight off the exhaustion filling his body with deep breaths.
Barry ripped the arrow from this shoulder and stood, still breathing deeply. He began vibrating his body, and the exhaustion cleared almost instantly.
He turned to face the man, who seemed to be filled with shock. Then Barry ran at him and began to circle him.
The hooded man then fired an arrow at a building, grappling himself out of Barry's way.
"Where are you going?" Barry demanded. He raced to the top of the building that the hooded man was heading towards. "We're not done yet!" Barry shouted, pulling the arrow out of the concrete, causing the man to plummet downward.
Just before the hooded man hit the ground, he fired another grappling arrow at the building, catching himself and landing nimbly on his feet.
Barry was already there, waiting for the man. "Is that all you got?" Barry challenged.
Barry ran at the hooded man again, and they began fighting. The man would swing, and Barry would dodge. When the hooded man managed to hit Barry in the face, the speedster decided it was time to throw some punches himself. The man was too slow to do anything about it.
The hooded man was thrown to the ground. He pulled a small device and pressed it. Two arrows were sent flying at Barry, who turned around and caught them before they could hit their marks. "Fool me once," Barry warned.
Then pain exploded in his leg. The man had thrown an arrow into it. Barry shouted out in agony.
The memory began to fade out.
Barry was back in the room, soaked in sweat and the all too familiar taste of blood in his mouth.
The ominous man dressed in black circled the drained young man slowly, with hands resting behind his back.
"Progress is being made. But not fast enough. I will have to speed up this process." The man asserted. He stood behind Barry, and once again, placed his fingers on the sides of Barry's head, exposing another memory.
Barry shuffled down the stairs, slightly out of breath. "Hey… hey you guys. Everybody okay?" he asks the three people who seem to be cleaning up a damaged living room.
"Yeah, yeah, we're fine." A young woman answers.
Then the younger guy speaks up, "What'd you go hide under your bed?" His tone was mocking, and anything but playful.
Barry sighed and prepared himself for the backlash that was about to come.
The memory suddenly distorted. The older man in the memory said something, but it sounded like he was underwater.
Then the memory clears.
"You know, Joe and Iris told me a lot about you." the younger guy continued, his tone condescending, "Made it out like you could walk on water or something. But they never mentioned anything about you being a coward."
The young man seemed to be getting in Barry's face, challenging him.
The memory fades.
When Cisco comes back from the vibe, he takes a few involuntary steps backward. Shock is all over his face.
"What happened? What did you see?" Wally questions.
Cisco looks down at the now silent Barry. The speedster stares back at him with a similar shocked expression, yet anger is still hidden in his features.
"He… he made you relive your worst memories… I think he wanted you to be mad at us." Cisco utters softly.
The color drains from Iris's face. "What?" she whispers.
"How much did you see?" the speedster demands. There is no strength behind his words anymore.
Cisco looks directly into Barry's eyes. "I saw everything."