*Claws way through six feet of earth, cackling madly* I LIVE!
SO sorry to all of you who have been waiting for the next chapter, life hit me in the face like a brick. Anyway, this chapter is nearly twice as long as the other two, so hopefully it will make up for my HUGE leap of absence. I would also like to give a shout out to everyone who has commented on this story, your words mean the world to me and gave me motivation to get this finished, so thank you. Hope you all enjoy!
Also, I am still open for constructive criticism! Feel free to point out any of my errors or things that you think I could have done better on, thanks!
The world was a sickening blur. Lights and colors mixing together and twisting in Jim's eyes, causing his headache to worsen significantly. He assumed that from the way Claire was clinging to him and digging her nails into his stone skin, that she wasn't fairing much better than him. The thought crossed his mind that there was no way this was a natural speed for a human to run at, but the thought was dispelled by the intense concentration on not throwing up on the poor guy carrying them. He felt himself thrown over the man's shoulder, his legs and lower torso tucked under the man's arm like a football. Claire was thrown on the man's back and was clinging to Jim for dear life. He would have laughed at the sight they probably made, but just couldn't find the energy to produce such a sound. That, and the fact that if he opened his mouth, his breakfast would be making a second appearance. The number of twists and turns they made in such a short amount of time was startling, and was a good reminder of why Jim hated big cities so much, they had far to many roads and it was easy to get lost for hours on end if you took one wrong turn.
"Flash to Base, I'm bringing some strange visitors with me on my return," the man in the red suit was talking, though to who, Jim didn't know, "I have no way to explain them, but one is injured and needs medical attention, so please be ready Caitlin," Jim could hear voices coming from and earpiece this time, but still could not tell what they were saying. His stomach gave another jolt, nausea making his head swim, and he realized that he wasn't going to last any longer,
"Stop," he tried weakly, the feeling of bile rising up his esophagus causing a panic to set in, he tapped the man's shoulder, "Please STOP!" suddenly the world was still again, and he was lowered to the ground, the pavement of a parking lot the only thing there to stabilize him,
"Are you alright?" the man asked, kneeling beside him. Jim didn't answer, simply turning over so he was on his hands and knees, and emptied his stomach of it's contents. The man jumped back, startled, and glaced worriedly over at Claire. The girl was looking a bit dizzy, but was nowhere near as bad as Jim. She stepped forward and gently ran her fingers throw the hair on Jim's neck and between his horns, rubbing circles on his back,
"You alright, Jim?" her voice was soft but worried, he groaned before nodding slightly,
"That was so much worse than the Gyre," he stated in a gravelly voice, the smell of his vomit burning his nose and leaving a horrible taste in his mouth, "God, what I would do for a toothbrush right now," he joked weakly, motioning for Claire to help him to his feet.
"I think you would just eat it without thinking," she teased him, letting him lean on her heavily, "That's what you did with your fork last week, remember?"
"Yeah, that was embarrassing," he said with a small grin, shuffling away slowly from the badly smelling puddle,
"It was really funny, though." Their little banter was interrupted by the man clearing his throat,
"Sorry, moving you at the speed of sound immediately after you sustained a concussion is not one of the smartest things I have ever done," he apologized, awkwardly motioning to an oddly shaped building to their left, the building was a couple stories tall and flat, with three pillars rising from the top, and it had scorch marks all over it suggesting that it had been set on fire at one point. Even with its run down appearance, it was an impressive building, and was brightly lit with cold, white lights. "This is Star Labs, um, we have a medical expert inside waiting to assist you, do you think you are up for the last little bit of the trip, or would you rather walk?"
Jim glance blearily at the building and the distance between where they were and where they wanted to be. His feet felt like they were made of lead and his knees were weak, stomach churning and head spinning. He really didn't want to walk but the high speed movement reminiscent to the Gyre sounded just as unappealing.
"A fast, short trip would probably be best, it could take me an hour to get there, and I doubt any of us want to suffer through that long and humiliating walk of shame," Jim joked weakly, giving the man a shaky smile. The man looked startled, his eyes widening, and for a moment Jim thought that he had scared him, and he became very self conscious of his large teeth, but his worry was subdued when the man chuckled. Claire snorted beside him,
"Jim, that was a terrible joke." she stated but chuckle quietly nonetheless. Jim snorted back in response, silently noting that the pounding in his head was starting to subside, along with the nausea.
"First, I wasn't trying to be that funny, that's Toby's job, and second, I'd like to see you come up with a funny joke when you have a concussion." he huffed out, standing a little straighter as his strength started to return. He was impressed that he was already feeling better, knowing that head injuries normally took longer to heal. Claire sighed quietly as her back straightened with him, glancing up at him, her eyes roaming over his face before she responded with sassy banter,
"I'm sure I could come up with something better than 'terrible walk of shame' and you would be the only one suffering, oh all mighty Trollhu-" their oncoming argument was cut off when the man in red cleared his throat loudly to gain their attention, and when they turned to him, he motioned to the building again.
"Like I said, I have people waiting inside for us, so if you could finish this conversation in there, that would be appreciated." He then nodded to Jim's face, "Also, you have blood dripping down your face." Jim blinked at him, startled, before reaching up and running his hand across his face, pulling it away to see it covered in blood. He grimaced and wiped the blood on what was left of his burnt pants.
"Yeah, sorry for wasting your time, sir, let's go." Claire stated, glaring at Jim one more time before cautiously leaving his side. He wobbled a bit but was able to remain on his feet as the man came over and wrapped his arms around Jim's waist, Claire on his back and Jim carefully holding her in place.
"There is no need to call me "sir", I go by The Flash." and then they were off again. It took less than a second before they were stopping again, both stumbling away from the man, but luckily managing to stay on their feet this time. Jim rubbed his head, groaning softy.
"Yep, worse than the Gyre." he grumbled before turning around. There was a man sitting in the chair in front of multiple computer monitors, he had his feet up on the desk and a sucker in his mouth.
"'Bout time you got back, what took so long?" he asked before spinning his chair to face them. The reaction was almost immediate, his face dropped and his eyes widened, and then he was flinging his arms out with a shout as his chair fell backwards. He popped back up a moment later and put his hands out in front of him, pointing his sucker at the newcomers. "Wh..What is that?!"
"Calm down, Cisco, they're just here for some medical attention, there is nothing to worry about," Flash said, coming to stand between them, motioning to his frightened friend. "Guys , this is Cisco, Cisco this is…" he trailed off, his face expressing that he wanted them to continue. Claire stepped forward, extending her hand for a greeting,
"Claire, and this is Jim, it is nice to meet you." she waited patiently as Cisco stepped forward and gave her had a shake.
"You too," he replied hesitantly. Jim stepped forward next and extended his five fingered hand out to the man. Cisco looked at his hand, then up at his face, then back to his hand. Jim had become a lot less self conscious about his new appearance over the last couple of months, but that doesn't mean this man's fearful reaction doesn't hurt. He shakes the feeling off and makes sure not to show it, consciously holding his ears from lowering and a small smile on his face. He waits for a moment, but when it is clear that the man isn't going to shake his hand, he snorts and shakes his head slightly,
"I don't bite, you know." Cisco nearly jumped out of his skin at Jim's voice, and Jim chuckled as the man's expression morphed from fear to awe.
"Woah, cool." Cisco laughed breathlessly, shaking Jim's hand. And suddenly, Jim's personal space was completely violated, Cisco running circles around him and inspecting him from head to toe. "Don't think we've see a Metal that has change appearance at such an extreme level before. What were you doing when the Particle Accelerator exploded to make you look like this. What is your skin made of, stone? Why ar-" he was interrupted by a woman in a lab coat, her red hair curled and sitting on her shoulders, a stethoscope hanging around her neck, and for one, heart wrenching moment, Jim thought it was his mother. The moment was gone just as fast as it had appeared and a hollowness made itself known deep in his chest. The woman looked slightly startled but managed to keep a professional expression as she approached him. She shook his hand swiftly,
"Hello, I am Doctor Caitlin Snow. I would assume by the amount of blood on your face that you are the one Flash brought back for medical attention?" her voice was smooth and sweet, but her eyes held an ocean of sorrow. It was startling, and glancing at the other's of this odd group, he realized that they all had that sorrow, a sadness only the death of a loved one could bring. They had lost someone very dear to them. Recently. A image of Draal flashed across his mind, he knew that sorrow well.
"Yeah, it's just a small concussion though, and I'm already feeling better, I'm sure that with a glass of water and some empty soda cans, I'll be fine and we can be on our way." suddenly he was yanked down by his horn, Claire's eyes staring straight into his.
"Don't you dare. You were nearly unconscious when the Flash dragged you out of the burning building and you were so dizzy, you could barely even sand in the parking lot." Claire brought his face closer to her own and growled. It was a weak imitation of his own but it got the point across. "We are not leaving until you are patched up, do you understand me?" Jim's pupils were blown wide and his hair was standing on end, a wine rising in his throat. He nodded,
"Yeah, alright." His voice came out gravely and strained, but Claire was satisfied that he had been thoroughly chastised and let go of his ear. He stood up straight, rising to his full height for the first time since arriving. He waved his hand to the woman, "lead the way, Dr. Snow." Caitlin looked slightly startled by his height, as did the rest of them, and the two men in the room were looking at Claire with awe. Caitlin quickly shook off her surprise, and her professional mask was back in place within seconds. She turned around and lead him into another room off to the side of the main area. There was medical equipment scattered around, yet oddly organized, and a clean, white hospital bed in the middle of the small room. The glass walls allowed Jim to keep and eye on Claire while he was in here, and he was extremely grateful for the small blessing.
"Please take a seat while I quickly gather my equipment," Caitlin was rummaging round and gathering the general tools for a medical checkup. "Oh, and please remove your jacket and shirt."
"Alright," Jim pulled off his hoodie, leaving him bare chest, and sat down slowly onto the medical bed, it's frame groaning in protest to supporting his weight. He grimaced, and lowered himself the rest of the way, sighing in relief when the bed held him. He rolled his hoodie up and set it on the bed beside him, looking up to see Dr. Snow giving him a curious look,
"Did that hurt to sit down?" she asked as she set the tools on the metal table beside the bed, never taking her eyes off him. Jim's ears perked, eyes widened and he looked down at the bed in confusion, realizing what she meant, he chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. He looked back up at her and smiled,
"No, it didn't hurt, I just didn't know if the bed would hold me," his arm dropped back into his lap, and he notice absently that it had flakes of dried blood sprinkled across his blue skin. "I'm heavier than I look." Caitlin hummed thoughtfully, then proceed to lift the stethoscope from her neck.
"Alright, now none of this should be very invasive, I just want to do a routine checkup such as in checking you lungs and heart before checking your head injury. If you feel uncomfortable or any pain, please let me know." Jim nodded his consent and she brought the stethoscope to his chest. He could feel the slight coldness of the metal, but it didn't bother him at all. He watched Caitlin's face carefully, but she kept a blank expression the whole time. They continued through the examination, only speaking when Caitlin asked him about how something felt of instructing him in movements. She examined his skull, running her fingers along the base of his horn and around his scalp. He had the intense urge to pull away, but knew that it would be more beneficial to everyone if he just held still.
"Alright," Caitlin stated as she dropped her hands from his head, "We're finished." she started putting things away, setting anything that had been used into a bin to be washed and sterilized later. Jim waited patiently for her to finish, hoping that she would tell him what she found without him having to ask. After several awkward seconds of silence, it was apparent that she was too lost in thought to say anything. He cleared his throat,
"Am I gonna live, Doc?" The joke was poorly made, but it got a reaction out of her. She was jolted out of her thoughts by his voice, and snorted, rolling her eyes when the words registered.
"Yeah, you'll be fine. You have a mild traumatic brain injury, along with a small incision on the left Frontal Parietal section of your skull, at the base of your, uh, horn." she gestured vaguely at his head before returning to her professional stance and holding her clipboard to her chest. "You also have a large laceration along your abdomen that looks like a reopened wound." Jim was really glad that his mom was a doctor, otherwise he might not have understood half of that,
"Okay, so small concussion, a cut at the base of my horn, and the wound on my side has reopened, otherwise there was nothing out of the normal?" He summarized. Caitlin seemed pleased that he understood her, but it only lasted for a moment before she became awkward again.
"Well, we have never see a Meta like you before, so I wouldn't be able to tell you what is normal and what isn't." She glanced down at her clipboard, reading over her notes before continuing. "Your lungs seem fine compared to how much smoke you breathed in, though they seem stronger than the average human's, your heart is the same, beating a little stronger and faster but at a steady pace. Your reflexes are faster, too, so I would say you are healthy, but 'normal' wouldn't really apply." He nodded his head at this, all of it expected, but stopped when something registered in his mind.
"You people keep calling me a meta, but I have never heard of such a thing, what is it?" She gave him a quizzical expression and opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off by the sound of an explosion and Claire's startled yelp. All Jim's thoughts flew out the window as he shot up from the bed and leaped out the open door, Caitlin quickly making her way out behind him.
So I am not necessarily happy with this chapter...
It just didn't want to end, so I had to cut it into two parts, which means that the ending feels a little rushed, in my opinion. I would also like to clarify that I am not a doctor, so my use of big fancy medical words is shitty. Anyway, I would like to mention that it will probably be a while before I update again. Now that school has started again and my work is taking up my afternoons, I don't have very much free time to work on this. So I apologize in advance, but I will assure you that I am not abandoning this story, the updates are just spread far apart. Thank you to all the people who are following my story and those who are leaving comments, you mean a lot to me and I am grateful for your thoughts and input on the story. You are all amazing. Till next time!