His hair was wet. Roy found that particularly annoying. Especially since it was so cold. He tried to move his head, tried to look around, but his cheek only seemed to scratch against the ground for a moment. His body remained frustratingly immobile. His eyes refused to open.
The floor was wet too. Maybe that was why he was so cold. Had Mardon gotten drunk and caused it to rain in the safe house again? Luckily all of Roy's paintings were now stored elsewhere or he would be…
Wait.
He hadn't been at the safe house. He had…he had been somewhere….
Roy tried to move his head again, this time trying to put a little more effort into getting his face off of the wet ground.
Nothing.
He tried to move his arms, trying to pull them in closer to his body. God, it was so cold. Maybe Snart's gun had accidentally gone off, the man was always tinkering with it. Maybe he had triggered some failsafe that had frozen everything. Were they all stuck to the ground? Frozen like statues, waiting for a little warmth to seep in and free them. Was the floor starting to melt around him?
No, that didn't seem right either. It…it had been cold recently, winter was just starting to set it. The news had said it might start snowing in the next couple weeks, probably in for a bad winter. They were predicting heavy snow…which was completely unimportant.
Where was he? Why did he ache so badly?
Why couldn't he think straight?
He felt like he was forgetting something. Something…something important. He succeeded in bringing his arms close to his chest. The closer proximity did nothing to improve the numbness of his extremities. His clothes were completely wet as well. It didn't feel like they were frozen to his skin, but he could barely feel anything so what did he know.
Where the hell was he?
He put all of his effort into opening his eyes.
There was barely any light, although…it looked like he was…in a sewer? How did he get down here?
Roy turned his head the opposite way, and finally noticed that he wasn't alone. He could make out the outline of another person lying not too far from him. Roy couldn't seem to make his eyes focus. The person was little more than a blob of shadow against the lighter darkness. Had he gotten mace in his eyes again? Did some other group attack him?
"…h…."
Roy started coughing, a hacking sound that caused his entire chest to start burning. Which was a bit unfair, as it didn't actually do anything to warm him up. After a few minutes, Roy was able to get his breathing back under control.
He…he couldn't just lay here. He had to move. He would freeze to death if he didn't do something. Maybe this other person knew where they were, knew how to get out of here. And if the other person was dead, maybe Roy could steal their clothes for warmth.
Roy used what little energy he had to pull himself closer to the human shaped shadow. Each inch felt like his skin was being dragged across a floor of needles. Finally, he grabbed their shoulder and pulled them towards him. It took Roy a minute to recognize the face.
Jesus, Digger?
Digger's face was almost unrecognizable. His left eye was completely swollen shut, blood was caked on his face and in his hair. The man had been beaten severely. Roy could barely see anything in this light. Couldn't see if the man had any other wounds.
He..he couldn't see Digger's chest moving.
Roy put a hand to Digger's neck.
He didn't feel a pulse.
His hands were too cold. That was it. Roy put his hand to his mouth and breathed on his fingers. Trying to warm them up. That was why he couldn't feel a pulse. Digger couldn't be dead. It was just Roy's fingers were too cold. He would warm them up, and then it would be fine. He tried to rub his hands together. Just warm them up a little and it would be fine.
Roy put his fingers back on the mercenary's neck.
He waited.
And waited.
Finally, he felt a small blip of a heartbeat.
Roy let out a breath. He felt something loosen in his chest.
God.
Digger was alive. The Rogues were still intact. Everything would be alright eventually. As long as the Rogues stayed intact.
Roy tried to catalogue Digger's injuries. Tried to see if there was anything he could do for the unconscious man. It had taken him several minutes to crawl the few feet over to Digger. He doubted he was going to be able to aid the mercenary in any way.
What the hell happened?
Why couldn't he…
Roy heard a sound moving towards them. A loud, lumbering sound. Roy couldn't stand, could barely move his arms. Whatever was coming, Roy didn't think he would be able to fight them off. Roy tried to pull himself protectively in front of Digger, but didn't manage to move more than an inch or two before the light from an access tunnel was suddenly blocked.
Digger had told Roy about a telepathic gorilla. The others had even confirmed it, saying they had all seen it.
But there was a part of Roy that hadn't believed them. A part that had said that a telepathic gorilla wasn't possible. Particle accelerator or no.
A man who can turn into mist? Sure.
A guy who can control the weather? Fine.
But a telepathic gorilla? That is where Roy had drawn the line.
Apparently he owed the others an apology for doubting them.
It was massive. Its frame seemed to block out all the meager light. It lumbered over towards them, noticing that Roy was conscious.
Awake?
Roy knew the gorilla hadn't spoken, didn't have the capability to speak. But Roy would have sworn he heard its voice just as clear as the sound of water dripping down around him.
Roy kept his mouth shut, if the damn thing was telepathic then Roy wasn't going to risk another coughing fit on an obvious question. It could see he was awake. The gorilla moved closer. It stared down at Roy and Digger. Again Roy tried to move into a more defensive position, but his limbs were so damn unresponsive.
Could a gorilla look annoyed?
Don't move. Father wants you alive.
Roy wanted to respond with something sarcastic. Wanted to be one of those people who could be sardonic in the face of any life-threatening situation. Roy was certain that if Digger were conscious, his mouth would be getting them both in even more trouble. Roy started coughing again.
Shit.
The gorilla bent down and looked Roy in the eyes.
Would his powers even work on a gorilla?
Apparently that was the wrong thing to think.
The gorilla grabbed Roy by the shirt and pulled him up until his feet were no longer touching the ground.
Roy could barely breathe he was so terrified.
Father wants you alive. Use your powers, and I kill the other one.
The creature dropped Roy to the ground, a jarring motion that caused Roy to almost bite through his tongue. There was blood in his mouth. Roy spit it on to the ground.
Grodd.
The name was loud in Roy's mind.
Apparently it didn't like Roy referring to it as "the gorilla". Grodd stood up to his full height, its eyes boring down onto Roy as a warning. Even if he had been able to move, Roy's fear would have kept him in place.
Grodd glared at Roy for a moment longer then turned and walked back down the tunnel it had come from.
As soon as it was out of sight, Roy released a long breath. Holy shit. He had honestly believed it was going to kill him. Snap him in two and leave him twitching on the floor. The sheer power of that damn thing…
Roy tried to calm himself down. Now wasn't the time to freak out. They were in a damn sewer, being guarded by a telepathic gorilla who wanted them to meet its father. Why would he freak out? Roy took several more calming breaths. He tried to focus on Digger. Tried to remember how the two of them had ended up like this.
Roy had…he had been at the safe house. Painting…or was that yesterday? It might have been earlier, but then…
They were…they had just gone out to get…something. Roy, Digger, and…shit had Shawna been with them? Roy looked around the sewer quickly but didn't see any sign of the other meta. She…she hadn't been in the car with them. She had gotten out, was running in to meet an old mob contact she had from her ex-boyfriend. Digger and Roy were monitoring her from in the car. It was simple, just a meet and greet to see where certain things stood.
And then…
There was a blur. A lapse in Roy's memory. A moment where he knew something happened but his brain couldn't quite recall it. It had happened so quickly. There were glimpses of things, flashes of images and pain. He could hear Digger scream and then…then they were here.
Roy looked up, he could see a grate above them. Maybe, maybe if he could just yell or…
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
The voice was distorted, it sounded almost mechanical. Roy turned to see a man standing only a few feet away. It looked like the Flash, but Roy knew it wasn't him. There was something…sinister to this one. Plus the kid never disguised his voice. This must be the other one. The Reverse Flash.
The Reverse Flash took a couple of slow steps towards Roy. Roy was just glad he stopped vibrating, the constant movement had been starting to make him nauseous.
"I need your help with something Mr. Bivolo. And once you do this thing for me, I will release you and Mr. Harkness."
"Why…why are you…."
Roy's voice was little more than a whisper. Damn it. He needed to focus.
"Don't strain yourself Roy. Oh, and if you think about escaping or trying to use your powers to escape, know that I will rip Digger Harkness' heart out of his chest and feed it to you. Don't tempt me Roy, I would enjoy killing that particular insect. Honestly, I can't think of anyone who matters less to the time stream than Captain Boomerang."
The time stream?
What the hell was this lunatic talking about? Roy tried to sit up, his arms shaking with the effort.
"The…"
"No, no don't tell me. This is where you say that the other Rogues will come for you. Your ridiculous devotion to one another is…quaint. They don't even know you're missing yet. I checked. You see, while you and your little collection of fools have been running around stealing paltry sums of money, I have been concocting a plan that actually matters. I have been finding ways to truly leave my mark upon history. To get back everything I have lost. I have no intention of ending up as a ridiculous footnote in someone else's story."
God this guy liked the sound of his own voice. Roy just waited and listened, there was little else he could do at this point.
"There have been some changes…some events that even I could not have predicted. The formation of the Rogues happened much sooner in this timeline than in mine. And you my dear man, were never a part of the group. Honestly, I barely remembered you. You were just another two-bit thief with a special gimmick. Caught by the Flash and thrown in prison, where to be honest, I think you died. But now. Now Roy you have the chance to truly be great. To be remembered throughout the centuries. By helping me you will become greater than your tiny little mind could ever imagine."
"You see, I have dedicated my life to destroying the Flash. I tried to go back in time and kill him and it only lead to further…complications. So, you and I are going to have a little fun with the city, we are going to spread a wave of fear that will be unending. Unrelenting. You will help me destroy not only the Flash, but this entire cursed city."
Roy didn't know how he was supposed to contribute anything to this plan in his current state. All he knew was that it sounded bat shit insane.
"I can't beat the Flash, not right now. So until I have all the pieces I need to return to my full power, I am going to make that bastard suffer. I am going to make him watch as I tear this pathetic city of his apart. And you and the rest of the Rogues are going to help me do that. You are going to help me build a monument to the power of fear."
"You got the Rogues locked up…"
"Yes, originally I thought removing you from the equation was the best choice. But now that I have seen how effective your team can be against the Flash, I have changed my strategy. I'm sure…Mr. Snart will agree. Honestly, Grodd was just a little cranky, and Mr. Harkness was being particularly irritating. There's no reason that we can't all work together."
Not likely.
They may be a group of selfish thieves and assholes, but they didn't take part in full-scale slaughter like this idiot was proposing. Kill half the city, just to punish one person? That was insane.
"And if Leonard doesn't agree, well then I will just kill off each member of the Rogues one by one. Starting with that lovely sister of his."
This arrogant prick really thought he had it all figured out. Didn't he realize that the Rogues specialized in taking down speedsters? Any strategies they had for taking down the Flash could easily be applied to him. How did he not see his own weakness?
Guy was such a megalomaniac, he probably thought he didn't have any weaknesses.
"Now Roy, we have had such a lovely chat. And I would hate for this to turn unpleasant. So, I'm going to let you rest for a little bit. Think about what I've said. I'll be back in a few hours and then you and I are going to go on a little errand."
The Reverse Flash was gone just as quickly as he had come, leaving Roy alone in the sewer with Digger again. A few hours? Roy didn't think he would make it a few hours before he was too cold to do anything. That was probably the bastard's plan, make it so Roy was too weak to fight back, too weak to attempt to escape once they were out of the sewer and…and Roy would have no choice but to go along with this psycho's plan.
Roy tried to muster as much strength as he could. He had to at least get them off of the wet ground. There was an area to Roy's left that looked drier, a few cardboard boxes were laid out. Roy had no way of knowing where Grodd had wandered off to, but he had to do something.
Roy grabbed Digger's collar and tried to pull the unconscious man. Roy couldn't say how long it took to move the two of them over to the semi-dryness of the flattened boxes, but it was pure agony for every single moment of it.
By the time it was over, Roy was breathing harder than he ever had in his life. His lungs were surely going to bust out of his chest at any moment. Roy leaned against the wall, Digger was half sprawled over Roy's legs.
What the hell had they ever done to the Reverse Flash to warrant this? Sure, there were other people in Central who would have justifiable beef with the Rogues, but this guy…they had never even crossed paths with him before. And yet now they were somehow integral to his master plan. Roy didn't know where the Reverse Flash was going to take him, didn't know how he intended to use Roy for his own purposes. But he wasn't about to do nothing.
There had to be a way out. A way to get around a telepathic gorilla and a speedster with a grudge, all while dragging a completely unconscious man through a dark and freezing sewer. Roy snorted.
He was so screwed.
Roy did a quick search of his pockets, then of Diggers. No sign of their cellphones anywhere. No possible way to contact the others.
Digger moaned slightly.
"Digger? Can you hear me?"
"…en….."
Digger's voice was little more than an exhalation of air with a slight accent. Roy had no way of knowing what Digger had said. The man hadn't opened his eyes, had barely moved his mouth. It could have been anything, a name, a question, or a jumble of letters spewed from an addled mind. It had almost sounded like he had said "when" but there was no way to know for sure.
Digger didn't stir again.
Roy leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. He couldn't see any way of escape here. No way to…
A slight gust of wind and Roy was gripping Digger's shirt. Trying to protect his unconscious teammate anyway he could.
"Bivolo?"
Roy's eyes focused on the figure in front of him.
"Flash?"
The kid was by their sides in an instant.
"What the hell happened, why are you down here?"
"Not really sure, sort of woke up here. Digger…"
The kid looked down at Digger.
"What did this to him?"
"There's a gorilla…"
Flash tapped the earpiece on the side of his head. No doubt talking to his partners. They had a quick conversation, though Roy had a bit of trouble focusing on it. He felt oddly light headed. The Flash turned his attention back to Roy.
"Listen to me, we have to get out of here before they come back. I can't take both of you at the same time. Not with Harkness like this, I'm going to get him out of here and then I will be right back for you. Alright?"
Roy didn't figure he had much a choice in the matter.
"Hurry back."
The kid gave Roy an odd look, then grabbed Digger and was gone.
This whole thing felt like a strange dream. People coming in and out, moving constantly around him without any sense of what was really happening. If it wasn't for the numbing cold he might even believe it was a dream. Maybe if he just closed his eyes for a moment it would all go away.
Another gust of wind and…
Shit.
"Well, well Roy. Looks like you've been busy. Grodd, take Mr. Bivolo to a more secure location. I will deal with our guest."
Grodd appeared to the left of Roy. How the hell did something so big move so quietly?
Damn it, the kid would be back any second. Roy just needed to buy some time. He didn't even think about it, he just activated his powers and turned his eyes towards Grodd.
In hindsight, using rage on a 1500 pound gorilla in an enclosed space was not the smartest plan Roy had ever come up with. But seeing as he couldn't actually think of a plan without Grodd knowing about it, he had just reacted on instinct. And rage had always been the easiest emotion to access.
Roy was knocked across the room by one of Grodd's enormous arms. He felt a few ribs crack as he collided with a concrete wall. The sound of the gorilla roaring was deafening in the small area. It shook the walls, it reverberated in Roy's skull. The Reverse Flash was trying to move around Grodd, trying to contain the rampaging animal.
He was having little success.
Where the hell was the kid? Did he run Digger to a hospital in Russia or something?
Suddenly the Flash reappeared. Damn. Roy wondered if the Flash knew how strange it was for him to just suddenly be there.
"What the…"
Grodd picked up the Reverse Flash and threw him through a wall. Roy looked up at the Flash.
"We should probably go."
The Flash grabbed Roy and ran them out of there. The next thing Roy knew they were in a lab of some kind. Roy barely had time to get his bearings before the Flash was asking him questions.
"What were you doing with the Reverse Flash? And what was Grodd…"
Roy took a moment to try and figure out his surroundings. It looked oddly familiar, but he was sure he had never been here before. There was a STAR Labs insignia on a computer screen to his left. This must be the new STAR Labs, or at least what the Flash and his friends were using as their base since ARGUS took over the pipeline. Roy couldn't believe the kid had brought him here. Didn't the Flash know anything about keeping your base hidden? It wasn't like the Rogues would ever bring the Flash back to their hideout.
Roy was glancing around when he noticed his hands were shaking. What with all the fear of eminent death, he had forgotten how cold he was. He balled his hands into fists and opened them again several times, trying to get the feeling back.
"Bivolo?"
Roy looked up, he supposed he had rather been ignoring his scarlet savior.
"Sorry. I'm…very cold."
The Flash was gone and back in an instant. He handed Roy a STAR Labs sweater. Roy looked at it for a moment, his brain not quite catching up to what his hands should be doing.
"Put this on."
Roy removed the shirt he had been wearing and quickly put on the sweater. It was dry, and the sensation of being warm started to be more than just a memory.
Roy sat down in a chair nearby, the Flash handed him a blanket. Roy was so close to being warm again. So focused on his own comfort, he had completely forgotten about…
"Where's Digger?"
"I took Harkness to the hospital. He…wasn't breathing right."
"The gorilla…Grodd, did that to him I think. It's a little hard to…"
"Is Grodd still under your influence?"
Roy hesitated for a moment. The Flash gave Roy a disapproving look.
"Release him, now. If he leaves the sewers and starts attacking innocent people…"
"Alright, alright." Roy waited a few seconds then released the gorilla from his power. Maybe they would have gotten lucky and the animal had ripped the Reverse Flash in half. That would solve a few problems.
"Why did Grodd attack you?"
"I don't know. It's all a bit blurry." Roy looked up, the Flash was looking at Roy but completely avoiding looking at his eyes. Roy would have to pick his moment to use his powers. They didn't work on the Flash the same way they did with everyone else. He would have to be careful.
"What did the Reverse Flash want?"
"You, well making you suffer I suppose. He wanted me to do a job for him, something about instilling fear in the entire city. I tried to politely decline, but the man was rather dead set on it. Seemed to think we would all just go along with his plans. Not to mention the Rogues owe him for getting us locked up."
"Cold told me you weren't working with the Reverse Flash after he got locked up in the pipeline, said the Reverse Flash was playing us…I didn't believe him."
"That will teach you not to trust your closest enemies."
The Flash snorted.
"You guys are really full of yourselves, you know that?"
"Considering the ego of our opponent, we have to be." Roy leaned back a bit in the chair. He looked down at his feet, they still felt like blocks of ice.
Screw it.
Roy kicked off his shoes, and his wet socks. He was about to wrap the blanket around his feet when the Flash handed him a pair of dry socks.
Roy put them on gratefully, though kept his eyes on the hero.
"You're being awful accommodating."
"I don't want to see anyone suffer, no matter who it is."
The socks felt like heaven on his freezing toes. Roy made a mental note to take it easy on the kid the next time they fought.
"You said the Reverse Flash wanted to instill fear in the city."
"I don't know anything else. It was a little hard to pay attention, and his voice was distorted most of the time. He didn't reveal his plan to me, just said he would take me somewhere. And that is when you showed up for the rescue. Appreciate the save by the way."
"You're welcome. If he only needed you, why take Harkness?"
"Digger can be persistent…I would assume that's how he got so beaten up. They threatened to kill him if I didn't help. You have some very psychotic enemies for someone so young."
"I'm not that young. And it seems like you guys have the same problem."
"All a part of the job description."
Which it wasn't really. Thieves weren't supposed to get involved with time traveling psychopaths. Roy wondered when it was that he stopped even doubting something like that. Probably when he started being able to control peoples' emotions with a glance.
Flash was looking at Roy. Suddenly the brief calm between them changed. Roy figured it had to do with the kid realizing that he should probably be locking Roy up, not offering him hot beverages.
"You're under arrest."
"You're not a cop."
"I…I still have to say it though. I am going to take you to…"
There was a brief pause. A moment where Roy could see the kid struggling with a memory. No doubt the hero thinking back to the last time Roy had been taken into police custody.
It wasn't a memory that Roy would soon forget.
His shoulder still ached occasionally.
"…the pipeline. ARGUS will…"
Roy didn't like that option much better. No doubt Waller would be quick to pull Roy out of the prison and onto the Suicide Squad before the Rogues could free him.
The Flash seemed to be struggling with his decision to take Roy into the pipeline as well. Whether it had to do with an aversion to seeing the Rogues perform another prison break, or a distaste for Amanda Waller and her tactics, Roy couldn't be sure.
"How did you find us? Not that I'm not grateful but do you generally spend a lot of time running through the sewers?"
"I…we had been trying to track Grodd's movements for awhile. After…after what happened in the Roxalana Apartments…"
The cold in Roy's bones returned.
He kept his breathing steady, focused on moving his hands in a circular motion. On bringing back the warmth.
"Grodd did that?"
"We don't know why. Only that…"
The kid turned his head suddenly, responding to some unseen call in his head set.
Roy took the moment to look towards the door. The kid turned back towards Roy.
"Grodd's out of the sewer. He's running through downtown…"
The kid had people to save, but there wasn't anyone here to watch Roy. Roy saw his opportunity.
"How many people could Grodd kill in the time you are wasting debating about what to do with me?"
The Flash glared at Roy. For a moment, Roy thought the Flash might just scoop Roy up and take him with him to fight Grodd.
Thankfully, the kid simply disappeared in a gust of wind.
Well, that was fortuitous.
Roy looked down at his wet shoes. The idea of putting them back on made him shiver.
He could buy new shoes.
Roy kept the blanket wrapped around him. He thought about sticking around, seeing what he could find out about the new STAR Labs headquarters. But he didn't know where Cisco or Caitlin were. Didn't know if the Flash had called for someone to come and collect Roy.
So he headed towards the exit. He made it out and headed down an alleyway. There was a car parked a few feet ahead. All he had to do was hotwire the car and he was home free. He could get back to the safe house, and then Cold would know…
Shit, he didn't even know which hospital Digger was at.
Hartley would be able to figure it out.
Piper could hack into anything. They would have Digger back in no time.
Roy turned on the heat in the car as high as it would go. He drove slowly back towards the safe house. He didn't think he was being followed. He found himself turning down the wrong street a few times. Not intentionally though. He attributed it to his brain still de-thawing. It took him longer to get back than it should have.
He pulled the car in to the garage, he was barely out of the door when he saw Mardon heading towards him. The man looked angry.
"Where the hell…what the hell are you wearing?"
Roy looked down.
Right. The STAR Labs shirt.
It was incredibly warm. He was going to keep it.
"The Flash gave it to me."
"What…Roy, how…you know what? Fine. Get your ass inside now. I have to tell the others you're back. Call off the search. Where is Digger?"
"The hospital."
"Going to put a damn tracker in your neck…"
Mardon walked away quickly, Roy saw him pull out his phone and speak to someone on the other line. Most likely Cold.
Roy padded into the living room, he would have continued on to his room, except that Mardon grabbed his arm.
"Oh hell no. You can sleep after you have explained what happened. This was supposed to be an easy run. Every time you go out for an easy meet, something terrible happens."
Mardon had a tendency to not think before he spoke. He let his emotions talk for him. So Roy was certain that Mardon wasn't implying that some how Roy was responsible for what happened at the Roxalana Apts, or for being ambushed by the Reverse Flash.
Mardon responded to fear with anger. The man needed someone to blame. And Roy was the only one around.
Roy's hands weren't shaking any more. And they hadn't started shaking when he thought about the massacre. Being able to paint again had helped, more than anything else really. Although, he hadn't kept the painting he did of the bloody scene.
Mick had been rather incredulous when Roy had asked him to burn it.
"You sure? Seems like you got real pissed when we destroyed your stuff last time."
"Those paintings were parts of myself I wanted to keep. Parts I needed. I…I don't want to carry this one around."
Mick had set it on fire without another word. Roy had never intentionally destroyed one of his paintings before. Once he had finally managed to get it out of his mind, he found he couldn't stand to look at it. Not because of the violence or the bodies, but because it didn't look right.
There was something missing. Something that his painting hadn't been able to capture. Something that still lingered in Roy's mind.
He would get it out one day, he was sure.
Roy didn't respond to Mardon's words. Just sat down gingerly on the couch, his ribs still aching.
"You said Digger was in the hospital? What happened to him? Did the mob guys take a shot at you? Shawna said she came outside and you were both gone. Car still there, but no sign of either of you."
"I…I don't think we…it's all a little fuzzy."
Mardon's hand was suddenly on the back of Roy's head. Mark's fingers brushed over a wound. Roy hissed and attempted a glare.
"Rude."
"You got a hell of a whack back there. You might have a concussion."
That would explain a few things. Like the missing time, and not being able to focus on what was happening around him.
"You hurt anywhere else?"
"I think I cracked some ribs when Grodd threw me at that wall."
"Grodd? You got attacked by Grodd?"
Had he not told Mark that part?
"I thought I mentioned that."
"Sit still. I'll grab the med kit. Wrap your ribs, they're going to be uncomfortable for a while."
"Hm."
Roy leaned a little farther back onto the couch.
"Lift up that ridiculous shirt Roy."
Roy opened his eyes. He hadn't realized he had dozed off. Roy did as he was commanded and lifted his shirt. Mardon started to wrap Roy's ribs.
"And where are your damn shoes?"
Roy looked down.
"I…left them somewhere…they were so cold."
Mardon sighed. He produced a blanket seemingly out of nowhere.
"I…had a blanket earlier."
"You left it in the car."
"Oh."
Roy wrapped the blanket around himself.
"Did Grodd get Digger too?"
"He wasn't breathing…or he was, but I couldn't tell. He looked dead…"
Roy was having trouble remembering what had happened. The events were swirling around in his mind. The sequence of events felt strangely out of order. He knew Digger was there, knew he was injured, then the Flash…
"The Flash took him to the hospital. Not the Reverse Flash. The real Flash. The Reverse Flash was a dick."
Roy could tell that Mardon was losing patience. Roy wasn't trying to be difficult. He was trying to remember what had happened, in the right order. But it just kept slipping away.
"So. The Reverse Flash and Grodd, took you and Digger, and beat you guys up? Why?"
"Wanted me…to do…something. Something with fear. They were going to kill Digger…because…." Roy rubbed his temples. There was sharp pain starting to form in his head. "Kill Digger if I didn't…do…" It was like he was trying to watch TV through static. The images were there, but they were fuzzy, distorted. And every few seconds they would jump up to the top of the screen and repeat.
"All right Roy. You just get some sleep. We'll figure this out in the morning."
That sounded like a good idea.
He could get some rest, then get his thoughts in order. Try to figure out what it all meant. Why the Reverse Flash had been so focused on Roy. Why he had ordered Grodd to kill Pete and the others.
It meant something, Roy was sure of it.
He thought back to the painting, to what had been so conspicuously absent from it. To that missing piece that still lingered within in him.
To what he had felt when Grodd had lifted him up off the ground and threatened to kill him.
To what he felt when we couldn't find Digger's pulse.
To the emotion that the Reverse Flash was so obsessed with spreading.
To fear.
"You want to do what?"
Mardon thought he had been pretty clear.
"Put a gps tracker on Roy. Just like, one of those little ones they inject in dogs. We keep losing the asshole."
Hartley was looking at Mardon with concern.
"Shawna said that Roy was fine, no lingering effects from his mild concussion."
"Oh yea? And how is Digger doing? He perfectly alright?"
That had made the young genius snap his mouth shut with an audible click.
Digger was still in the hospital. A broken rib had punctured one of his lungs. Shawna had teleported Cold and Lisa into his hospital room after visiting hours. They said that the mercenary was still hooked up to a respirator. They couldn't get him out yet. They had to wait until he could breathe on his own.
Digger could have easily died. And that could have easily been Roy.
Maybe they should all have trackers put in them. Keep shit like this from happening.
Roy had been a little clearer over the next few days. He still got some things jumbled up a bit, but he remembered most of what happened.
Why the hell this Reverse Flash jerk had it out for them, they didn't know. Far as Mark knew, none of them had ever even met the guy before. The only time had been when they went to that meeting, and that had been a set up. The guy had hated them from day one.
And as far as Mark knew, they didn't even deserve it.
Course, Cold was saying the guy was a time traveler.
So maybe they did something to him in the future that the guy hated them for.
Good.
Mark hoped whatever it was, it had hurt the son of a bitch.
He was sitting at the table with Lisa. They were going over some data that she had managed to steal from the STAR Labs kids. Information on Grodd, on how to block his powers, anything they had on the Reverse Flash.
They were going over it all with a fine-toothed comb. Mark wasn't the biggest fan of sorting through stacks of data and security feeds but they needed to find these assholes. Needed to strike back before the Reverse Flash came after any of them again.
"Look at this."
Lisa turned her laptop around. It was a security feed from an ATM downtown. A flash of something sped past the camera.
"So?"
She rolled her eyes.
"It's not the Flash, he's on the other end of town helping save people from a burning building. It's gotta be the Reverse Flash. And…look."
Mardon looked at the time stamp. It was around the same date and time that Digger and Roy had been taken.
"Roy said the guy left him and Digger alone for a little bit."
"Exactly. And that he was planning to take him somewhere. I think we can figure out where." Lisa pulled up a map of the surrounding area.
"What's around there?"
Her eyes focused on one spot.
"You remember KXAN?"
"The old news channel that went bankrupt?"
"Exactly, the station is still out there, as is all the equipment old RF would need. I think, he wanted to use the station to broadcast a signal out to everyone in Central. Have Roy's powers beamed directly into their homes."
"Roy's powers don't work like that."
"Don't they? Shawna didn't know she could teleport by looking at a live feed until our lives were on the line. I think RF was going to use the threat of killing Digger and torturing Roy to force Roy's powers to work in the way he wanted them to."
"And what if that hadn't worked? What if Roy's powers only work when he's looking someone in the eyes?"
Lisa didn't respond.
Not that she had to. Mark knew exactly what the Reverse Flash would have done if his plan hadn't worked.
Which brought him back to the GPS tracker idea. Or they should at least have to check in every ten minutes by….
"What have you got sis?"
Cold entered the room. Lisa flipped her laptop around and explained what they had found.
"Think we should check it out?"
"We have to assume that the Reverse Flash has already removed anything we could use to find him, but it's all we have at the moment. Lisa, take Mardon and Shawna. I've got Hartley trying to track Grodd and the Reverse Flash through other means, and Mick is still keeping an eye on the cops and Digger at the hospital. Check in every ten minutes. We clear?"
"Of course." There wasn't any sarcasm in Lisa's voice, no hint of mocking. She, like the rest of them, wasn't taking the abduction of their friends lightly. Someone was going to pay a heavy price for what happened to Roy and Digger.
Nobody goes after the Rogues and gets away with it.
It was almost midnight by the time they reached the old TV station. KXAN was a piece of shit back in the day and it was even worse now. Missing most of its windows, roof half caved in. Place should be condemned.
Mardon blew open the locked doors. Lisa and Shawna headed in first. They each had a flashlight, illuminating the dilapidated walls and dirty floors.
"What the hell are we even looking for? It all looks like junk."
Shawna nodded in agreement.
"Mardon's right. Aside from the dust and mouse turds, there doesn't appear to be anything here. Just a bunch of old wires and broken tables."
Lisa picked up a pamphlet off a nearby magazine rack. She stared at it for a moment.
"What was that old show they used to have on Saturday mornings? The crappy thing with the guy dressed as an elephant. Used to steal kids from their rooms or something?"
Shawna shrugged.
"Never heard of it."
Mark answered without even thinking about it.
"The Mr. Melick Magic Hour."
Mark turned his head to realize that both of the women were staring at him.
"What?"
He turned and walked away from their curious looks.
It had been Clyde's favorite show growing up. Damn thing aired at 5 o'clock in the morning. Clyde used to wake him up and make him watch it every Saturday. He always wanted them to watch it together.
Mark couldn't remember how many times he had tried to explain to Clyde that Elephant wasn't real. He didn't have magic powers that would take them wherever they wanted to go.
Clyde never listened. Kept thinking that one day, Elephant would come busting out of their closet. Bright colorful lights shooting out of his trunk, and he would take them away on an adventure.
Together.
It was always together.
That's what brothers did. What families did. They stuck together.
Mark looked down to see small electrical charges forming around his hands. He closed his eyes and tried to take a deep breath. He needed to focus. This wasn't the time for this. Just push all that old shit down.
Just push it all down.
Down where it can't touch you.
The electricity dissipated.
"Soooooo, looks like a whole lot of nothing." Shawna was opening filing cabinets which wasn't doing much besides pushing dust around.
"Spread out, see if there is any equipment here from the last decade."
They searched a few more minutes, checking old offices, opening any door they found. Eventually they made it to the soundstage. There was one camera still there, still pointing at where some old set used to stand. Lisa walked around and looked at the camera.
"I could have made it as an actress you know. Still could."
Mark rolled his eyes.
"Reality star maybe."
"I'd watch that show."
"Thank you Shawna." Lisa examined the camera. "No power cords, and it looks like most of the wiring inside is frayed. I don't think the Reverse Flash was going to use the cameras. Must have wanted to use the old satellite dishes that are still hooked up. Or he was never here…this is a dead end."
Shawna kept moving her flashlight towards every corner. Towards every sound. The light bounced off of every reflective surface, creating even more shadows. Even more places for monsters to hide.
"This place is creepy. I say we bail before Grodd shows up."
"All right, I'm calling it. Let's head out."
They headed back through the building. The cobwebs and dust covered everything. There was water damage on the ceiling tiles, most of which had collapsed to the ground. They should just tear this place down already. What was the point of keeping a tomb like this standing?
They were almost back to the main entrance when Mark saw it. It was barely visible through the cracked closet door. But there was no mistaking it. He didn't know why, but he walked towards the door. He wanted to see it. Wanted to be sure.
Mark opened the closet door the rest of the way. The small room was full of a bunch of old props from old local shows the station had made. Everything he remembered from Mr. Melick's Magic Hour. The magic bag of tricks, the magic carpet, even a puppet of what was supposed to be a dog named Gruff. Had always looked more like a rat to Mark. But Clyde had loved that stupid dog.
And there, resting against the wall, was Elephant himself. Completely covered in mold and dust. One of its ears had disintegrated, the other had been chewed almost completely away by mice. Its purple face was now black from the mold. One of its plastic eyes was missing. The other stared straight at Mark.
It still had that ridiculous smile on its face. Those stupid fake tusks.
Together Mark. When Elephant comes, and takes us away. We can go wherever we want. No one can hurt us, cause we will always be together. Right Mark?
Mark couldn't remember who had given Clyde the black eye that time or why the words had sounded so desperate but they taunted him now. They lingered in his mind. Clyde had believed the words. Had believed that they would make it out.
They were always supposed to escape together.
Or else what was the point?
Mark threw a bolt of lightening at the costume.
The closet erupted in flames. Mark watched as Elephant burned away. His brother's voice silenced by the crackling of the flames.
"Jesus! Mark!" Lisa grabbed his arm. Pulling him away from the spreading fire. "What the hell was that?"
"You said there was nothing else to find. Who cares if the place burns?"
"Damn it." The fire started to move beyond the closet. Lisa's fingernails were digging into his arm. He could put the fire out. A little rain and it would stop.
But he didn't. He just kept letting it spread. Kept letting it take that destroyed building.
He was going to get an earful from Cold about this he was sure. He turned, just in time for Lisa to slap him across the face.
"Are you out of your mind? This was supposed to be a quick mission. See if there…"
"We didn't find anything. You said it yourself this was a dead end."
"You idiot. If this was a place the Reverse Flash was going to use, then the last thing we would want is for him to know we were here. That we were able to figure out his patterns. Hartley could have put up sensors that would have detected if he ever came back or we could have set a trap…."
Shawna pointed towards the collapsing building.
"Little late for that now."
Lisa glared at Mark.
"I get that you're frustrated about the Reverse Flash. But you can't just set buildings, buildings that your teammates are still inside of by the way, on fire."
"Seriously Mardon. We already have one pyro on this team."
"All right, I get it. Let's just head back."
Lisa still had a crushing grip on his arm.
"Get your shit together Mardon. Our enemies are too clever for us to be making bullshit emotional mistakes now. Shawna, get us out of here."
Mark took one last look at the building burning behind him. He couldn't hear his brother's voice anymore. But the tightness that had been building in his chest for the last few days was still there.
It still had its claws wrapped around his ribs. Burning the building hadn't done anything to relieve it. Watching that ridiculous costume melt into nothing, hadn't helped.
He didn't know why. He didn't know how to make it go away.
This tightness that had started when Roy and Digger disappeared. When Roy had said that Digger might be dead. When Mark realized that Grodd and the Reverse Flash were targeting the Rogues specifically.
This felt different than last time. Even when they had been locked up in the pipeline, he hadn't felt this…
Shawna teleported them back to the safe house. Lisa stormed away, no doubt off to tell her brother about what Mark had done.
"You sure you're alright?"
Mark turned towards Shawna.
They all felt it.
They all knew something bad was coming their way. That this…crew of theirs was one day going to take a hit they wouldn't be able to bounce back from.
Electricity started to gather around his fingertips.
Push it down Mark.
Push it all down.
"Yea. Fine."