Digger's arm was hanging at such an odd angle. Roy wanted to say something about it, comment on its jarring direction.
But he didn't. He just stared at Digger. Watching the mercenary for any sign that he might struggle. That he might try to escape.
The man was sitting on the ground, his legs frozen in front of him. He hadn't said anything when Roy first entered. Just given him this…look.
Like he knew exactly what was coming.
And he wasn't particularly upset about it.
More…resigned. Like this was how he always knew it would end for him. Roy supposed someone in Digger's line of work always knew their life would end badly.
Bloody.
Roy didn't really know what he expected Harkness to do. The man wasn't really the begging type. He'd probably just say a dumbass pun before Cold killed him. Laugh it off, like dying was just another joke to him.
Digger shifted slightly. As though he was trying to find a more comfortable position, he propped himself up onto his one still functioning forearm.
As though that were a more appropriate position to die in.
Eventually the man gave up and sort of just laid back down. He was simply lying there, just staring at the ceiling. The silence was thick. Roy didn't think he had anything to say to the mercenary. No final lingering questions. No anger or disappointment to hurl at the man. Maybe it was all the fighting and the wounds and the painkillers, but Roy just felt…tired.
He found he couldn't bring himself to even care why the man had betrayed them.
He just wanted this over with.
When Digger finally spoke, his voice was oddly calm.
"I suppose that's why they like the nicknames isn't it?"
Roy supposed he should tell Digger to shut up. That Roy didn't give a damn what the man was thinking in his final moments. That Digger didn't deserve any sort of catharsis or confession. But he didn't. He just let the man keep talking.
Maybe Mardon was right. Maybe Roy was too sentimental.
"Captain Boomerang, Rainbow Raider, Heat Wave…those are just characters ain't they? Criminals with silly names. That's all we are to them. I'm just my weapons, you're just your powers. We aren't supposed to be anything other than criminals…bad guys. The heroes go home and celebrate cause they made the world a better place. Simple as that. If they used our real names, if they had to acknowledge that maybe we weren't just these ridiculous caricatures, they'd have to see us as people. And they'd have to see that maybe, we have lives of our own. Ones that don't revolve around them or the game we play. We have motivations other than just stealing or killing because that's just what bad guys do."
"Digger…"
"It ain't that simple is it? Far as we're concerned, we're not the bad guys. We're just people who've made choices. Choices that lead us to where we are now. And we are dealing with it the best way we know how. Maybe it's a shitty way, but it's all we've got. It's the only road we got available to us now. I'm not stupid Roy. I know that the minute Cold gets back here, he's going to kill me. And I'm sure there are a thousand things I deserve to die for, but…"
"You betrayed us…"
"Suppose I did. Yea. But…I didn't have a choice. You wouldn't understand. None of you could…"
Roy looked at Digger, trying to figure out the man's game. Digger had to know there was nothing he could say. Nothing that would stop Cold from killing him. They knew he hadn't been under Grodd's influence. There was no scenario that Roy could see that would stop what was going to happen.
The man was a mercenary. A killer. A liar. He had stabbed Roy, tried to kill Hartley, and had been instrumental in getting Mardon and Mick kidnapped. Digger had signed his death warrant the moment he agreed to help the Reverse Flash.
The Rogues were a family, and you don't betray your family.
"Why should I believe you?"
"I'd gather that you don't, and nothing I say is going to change that, but…I need you to listen to me. Alright? Just do me this one favor. For old time's sake. After Cold kills me…I need you to search the sub-basement. I know you're supposed to stay up here, supposed to go after Jesse right quick. But…there's…there's this… boy. He's being held down there. He's going to be scared. He isn't going to know why he's been brought here, and…and he won't understand if you could explain it to him. His name's Owen and…"
The door behind Roy opened. Cold, Lisa, and Mick entered. Lisa was leaning slightly on Mick. The wound at her leg was no longer bleeding but it had to be paining her. Cold took a few steps toward Digger. He didn't say anything, just raised his weapon and aimed it directly at Digger's head.
A memory tugged at Roy's mind. A fleeting moment, one that had seemed so inconsequential at the time. Digger beaten half to death, laying across Roy's legs as they both almost froze to death in that damned sewer.
A pained whisper, barely audible over the sound of dripping water.
Owen.
Without even thinking, Roy stepped forward and put himself between Cold and Digger.
"Wait."
Cold looked annoyed. He didn't move his gun, just kept it pointed at where Digger's head would be behind Roy. Roy didn't think Cold would shoot him, but he could just have Mick physically move Roy.
"Now is not the time for sentimentality Roy."
"Cold..."
Mick moved forward.
"Out of the way Roy. This needs done."
Lisa was glaring at Digger. All three of them were really. They blamed Digger for most of what had happened. For all the pain and doubts. Cold was mad at himself, pissed that he had allowed a traitor into his family. That he had trusted someone who tried to kill them. He was in no mood for forgiveness.
Digger could very well be lying, there probably wasn't anyone being held in the lower levels. Harkness was stalling. Waiting for the Flash to show up and keep the rest of the Rogues from killing him. This was all a game, a way to save his sorry ass. The mercenary wasn't even defending his actions. Wasn't trying to tell them about his supposed kid.
Except…there was this nagging thought in Roy's mind. More than just what he thought he had heard in the sewer.
Digger was a trained killer. One of ARGUS' best agents until he turned on them. And yet he somehow managed to miss Hartley's heart by inches, even when he was at close range. He had walked slowly when he went to kill Roy, like he was stalling for time. He could have incapacitated Roy in seconds, thrown a boomerang from the stage and been done with it. He had tried to give the others time to interfere.
It wasn't much. Probably why Digger wasn't saying anything. It was barely evidence to prove that he didn't want to kill them. Let alone exonerate him for betraying them.
Cold might not care. He might think that there is nothing that could justify attempting to kill another Rogue. Roy could try to defend Digger's actions, and Cold might just shoot Digger anyway.
Roy sighed and rubbed his eyes.
"They kidnapped his son."
Cold looked surprised, but quickly covered it with anger.
"What?"
Cold's voice was hard. Unrelenting.
Roy continued on, thankful that Cold hadn't simply reacted by murdering them both.
"His son, Owen. The Reverse Flash kidnapped him and is holding him in the lower levels."
Mick snorted.
"Bullshit."
"Mick."
"No. This is bullshit. The asshole is lying to cover his ass."
A distinct possibility. It did sound like something Digger would do.
Cold used the side of his gun to push Roy out of the way. He bent down so that he was looking Digger in the eyes. Cold pushed the hood of his parka back and removed his shades.
"You have a son?"
Digger hesitated a moment.
"He's six."
"And you've never mentioned this…"
"Because no one was supposed to know about him. Not the cops, not ARGUS, nobody. Even managed to keep him hidden from Waller. He lives with a couple in New York. Doesn't even have the same last name as me. His adopted parents don't know anything about me, or what I do. I made damn sure no one knew about them or him. I killed everyone who knew he was mine. I…I haven't seen the boy since he was born. He was supposed to be safe. I don't know how this asshole found him…"
Cold remained crouched in front of Digger for a few moments before abruptly standing up. His eyes were still focused on Digger. Trying to read the mercenary. Trying to see if this was all some sort of elaborate hoax. Cold would be able to see the lie. He would know whether Digger was full of shit or not.
"The Reverse Flash is a time traveler. Probably has a list of all our descendants. Or Grodd read your mind when you were in the sewer. Either way…."
Cold's gun hovered at Digger's chest. Roy could feel the temperature in the room start to drop.
Cold lowered the gun slowly, then holstered it.
"Mick. Free him."
"Still say this is bullshit."
"If it is then you can burn him alive."
Mick melted the ice at Digger's feet. Digger looked up at all of them. It was clear he was still waiting for them to kill him.
"Wasn't expecting this to be honest."
"If you are lying to us about this…"
"I'm not. I couldn't say anything or that damn gorilla would have killed the boy. After what he did to those people at the apartment, I couldn't take any chances."
"All right." Cold offered a hand to Digger. The mercenary took it hesitantly. Cold pulled him to his feet and steadied him when he almost fell over. Digger looked questioningly at Cold.
"Half expected you to stab me when you pulled me up."
"If…Owen exists, then he's family. And the Rogues protect their family. But let me be clear Digger…" Roy could see Cold's grip on Digger increase, painfully so. "If this is a lie, if you are playing us…I will keep you alive for as long as possible. I will make sure that none of your senses are dulled by the cold, you will feel every single thing. Every burn, every cut, every bruise. You won't die until I am satisfied you have suffered enough to make up for what you did to Hartley."
Cold abruptly left go of Digger's arm and the mercenary stumbled backwards. Cold just raised an eyebrow.
"You said he was in the sub-basement?"
Digger took a moment to look at Cold, then the others. It was clear that Digger was still waiting for Mick or Lisa to kill him. To wait until he thought he was safe, then stab him in the back.
"I think that's where he's at. Tried to find him but the damn gorilla was always around. Couldn't even think about looking for him…"
"Lisa, you and Digger head for the exit."
"Lenny…"
"You're both injured. Your gun is out of commission, and he isn't going to be much good with his arm broken. Find out if Flash is back on his feet. Let him know there is the possibility of there being a child in the building. Be easier to search with him helping out. Make sure the cops understand that Digger is a Rogue. But he never leaves your sight, and if he tries anything, kill him."
Lisa was still eyeing Digger with distrust, but she nodded to her brother and put an arm around Digger's waist.
Roy got the distinct feeling she was going to have some choice words with Digger on their way to the exit. He might even gain a few more injuries.
"Mick, you and I will head down. Roy, get to the command center, see if you can find the kid on the monitors."
Roy nodded. He watched Lisa and Digger hobble their way towards the exit. They were all supposed to be out of the building. Cisco had come in on the coms and said they needed to get out in case Jesse had left any surprises behind. The Flash was still down, Mardon's powers were barely working. Going after the Tricksters and Grodd would be pointless until they had time to regroup. No sense in rushing out of the building. Might as well just take a quick look to see if Digger was telling the truth.
Roy walked into the security room and started scanning all of the monitors. There were dozens of rooms. And the cameras only covered the hallways leading to most of them. Roy saw Len and Mick on the cameras, making their way slowly down the winding staircase. They had to stop every so often, to step over a trip wire or duck underneath what looked like a harmless circus decoration. But knowing Jesse, probably contained something that would melt their faces off.
Jesse had really put a lot of effort into turning this place into his own personal fun house of murder.
Roy finally saw something.
"Cold, there's a door a few hallways down. Looks like it is wired up. There's…a big smiley face painted on it. And what I think is supposed to be a kangaroo."
Cold and Mick followed Roy's directions until they reached the door.
There were wires going in and out of it. Mick bent down to examine the door.
"Damn, those are Valdic thermal sensors."
Cold raised an eyebrow at Mick's tone.
"They're specifically designed to notice changes in temperature. Used in some high class vaults. In case anyone tries to burn their way through. Triggers an alarm if it gets too hot. Jesse must have rigged it to detect cold temperatures too. We try to freeze the wires or burn through the door, the damn thing will go off. And I'm guessing the freak wired the door to some sort of bomb."
"I would assume that is what that large package wrapped in Christmas wrap is. We need another way in before…"
A loud alarm started blaring.
Roy checked the screens. Neither of the Rogues had even touched the door yet. They couldn't have triggered…
"Cold!" Cisco's voice came in over the coms. "You guys have to get out of there now. Jesse put some bombs throughout his magical murder house that our sensors couldn't detect until he activated them."
"We have to…"
"You don't understand, you all have less than thirty seconds to get out. If you head for the exit near…"
"Mick and I are in the sub-basement. And Roy's in the command center. There isn't enough time for any of us to escape."
Cold's voice was so calm. Roy had always admired that about Cold. How in control of his emotions he always seemed to be.
"What? Why the hell were you all so far in? Ok…Ok, no big deal. I can…"
"Cisco…"
"Just…give me a minute, I can figure out how to…
"Not your fault kid."
Cisco was silent after that. Cold was right. Cisco had done all he could. But there was no way he could delay the detonation of the bombs. Jesse had waited until he was safely away before activating his backup weapon. Had this been the plan all along? Digger tells them some sad story and they blindly head down, making any sort of escape impossible.
In the end, Roy supposed it didn't really matter.
The three of them were going to die down here.
Roy sat down heavily in one of the rolling office chairs.
Well.
He never thought he'd die in an explosion.
Always knew he'd die alone of course, but…Roy pushed a button and switched to the outside monitors.
He could see the others gathered outside. Lisa and Digger were sitting near one of the RTF trucks. Lisa was yelling at several police officers who were holding her back. Keeping her from running into the building. They must be able to hear the alarms out there as well. Digger was looking towards the building, there was…a look on his face that Roy had never seen before.
Mardon was pushing his way out of the back of an ambulance, Caitlin and Cisco were with him. Trying to convince him to sit back down, that he needed to rest.
That there was nothing he could do.
This was going to be hard on them.
Mardon was going to react badly to this. Might just kill everyone around him right then. He had trouble dealing with loss. Not that any of the others were great at dealing with their emotions. He hoped Shawna and Hartley didn't blame themselves, didn't think there was something they could have done if they had only been here. Shawna thinking she could have used her powers to get them out instantly. Hartley thinking he would have been smart enough to figure out Jesse's tricks.
Roy didn't want to think about what Lisa would do if she lost her brother and Mick at the same time.
Would the remaining Rogues stick together? Or would it be too hard? Loss could drive people apart. Too much pain, too much regret, was hard to bear in the presence of others. Especially if they all blamed each other. If only as a way to keep from blaming themselves.
It was…
"Cold, where are you exactly?"
Holy shit.
The Flash appeared suddenly beside the other Rogues on the monitor. The kid had used most of his speed earlier, he couldn't possibly have enough left to run in and grab all three of them. Roy tried to ignore the small bit of hope that flared in his chest.
Especially when a blast of sound and heat knocked him out of the chair. Cold hadn't had a chance to respond. The Flash wouldn't know where they all were. There was no time left.
Roy had a strange flashback to his childhood. Swinging on a swing set. Trying to go as high as he could. Trying to reach the fabled altitude that would allow him to swing over the top bar. The other kids said it could be done. He remembered going so high, getting so close…
And then the chain making that odd sound and him falling so quickly. Landing with a dull thud on the solid ground. Staring up at the sky, trying to remember how to breathe, trying not to cry with so many of his schoolmates around. Wanting so desperately to be able to get back on that swing.
He had broken his wrist. His parents had blamed the school, the school had blamed it on him. On him ignoring the warnings of his teachers. Telling him that he couldn't possibly clear the bar, couldn't swing over the top. That he should slow down.
He wondered what it was in him that had made him ignore them. What had made him get back on that swing two days after his cast was removed to try again. Was it an odd defiance? A strange way of saying to his teachers and his parents, that he may be odd, he may be different, but he could do things they could never imagine possible. If his parents had still been alive, would they have believed the things he could do now? The greatness he had accomplished?
Roy felt himself hit the ground, felt the heat of the flames all around him. It was suffocating. It threatened to overwhelm him. All around him was the sound of crashing, of the building falling down. Tears streamed down his face from the smoke, his breath was coming so rapidly, so full of acid. He was choking.
Then he was moving.
So fast, he could barely understand what was happening.
Had he fallen again? Had the chain snapped one more time? Tossing him to the earth, without a second thought of what he had almost accomplished?
He was on the ground again, only…only it was a different ground.
He was outside.
Roy looked over, Cold and Mick were both beside him. The Flash was bent over breathing heavily, his hands resting on his knees.
The kid had actually done it. He had found them. He had saved…
"What the hell were you guys still doing in there?"
Before they could answer, before they could say anything to try and convince the kid to run back into a burning building, another explosion went off.
The door guarding Owen had been rigged with heat sensors. Once the fire got close enough, it would have reacted. The rigged door must have caused the second explosion. There was no way anyone could still be alive in there.
Roy lifted his head, still choking out the smoke that had filled his lungs. He turned to see Digger sit down heavily. It looked as if his legs had simply stopped working, that they could no longer support the weight he carried. The mercenary was staring blankly at the ground, his broken arm seemingly forgotten. The normally talkative man was completely silent.
Cold stood up and stared at Harkness. Lisa was sitting beside Digger, she tentatively put her arms around his shoulders. Whatever doubt they had about the existence of Owen was gone. There was no way that Digger was faking the devastation on his face.
The agony was etched so clearly. Roy wondered if that look would ever fade.
He doubted it.
Mardon wasn't looking directly at any of them, his fingers kept twitching though, like they ached to be able to do something. Anything. His powers were still too weak, he couldn't create rain or a breeze to put the fire out. There was nothing any of them could have done.
The Flash was looking at them with concern.
"What?"
Cold kept his eyes on Digger. His voice was low, almost soft. Roy could barely hear it over the sound of the building burning behind them.
"There was a kid in the building. Being held on the lower level you found us on. We were trying to get him out when the first explosion went off."
The Flash looked horrified.
"What…no. I can…"
The kid turned like he was going to run back in. Like he could move fast enough to somehow save Owen.
Cold grabbed the Flash's arm.
"It's too late."
The building was collapsing in more and more. Entire walls were falling over.
They all simply stared at the building. Mick was focused on the flames, but Roy liked to believe that he wasn't staring at them with the same reverence he usually did. That even Mick was a little disgusted by how quickly they were consuming everything.
The flames reached higher and higher into the sky. The building would be little more than a memory soon. Roy thought about asking Mick if he thought Jesse had used an accelerant. Had purposefully made the flames move faster, burn hotter. Fire didn't normally feel this…insidious, did it?
The silence was interrupted by Cisco running towards them. He and Caitlin had been talking to Captain Singh, no doubt trying to find where the Tricksters and Grodd had run off to. Half the RTF was still down, still recovering from Jesse's poison. They were still outnumbered, still out powered.
If Cisco noticed the tension he didn't comment on it.
"Guys I retasked a few satellites and got a lock on the Tricksters. Looks like they split up for some reason. James is heading north about 35 miles out, he's got that military truck. Probably has Grodd in it. Axel is about three miles away, heading east."
The Flash was the first to turn away from the flames. The first to remember that there was more to their world then what was being burned away.
"Only a few miles?"
"Yea…looks like he is walking."
Cold dropped his parka, leaving it on the ground where the Flash had whisked them out. Roy had finally managed to get his own breathing under control, his lungs no longer burned from the effort. Mark offered Roy a hand and pulled him to his feet.
The Rogues all looked at each other. A silent communication passed between them. The heat from the fire wasn't the only reason Cold ditched his coat.
This wasn't the time for showmanship or games.
This was a time for revenge.
"I told the kid that James wasn't his father. He must have confronted him about it, or James left him behind because he was slowing them down. Saw the kid get hit by something earlier. Got any speed left Scarlet?"
"Let's finish this."
There was an anger in the Flash's voice that Roy hadn't heard before. The idea that Jesse had killed a child tonight was fueling the hero's emotions. Maybe he would be willing to look the other way, when it came to it.
Cold looked at Lisa, she nodded. Her leg was still injured. She would stay with Digger while the rest of them dealt with the remaining problems. Make sure he didn't do anything stupid. Didn't try to run back into the burning building, or just have one of the cops do the job for him.
"Flash, take whatever cops are left and head up the highway, Mick and I will meet you at the pass near the tunnel. We can trap them there, make it impossible for Grodd to escape. Roy, you and Mardon…get Walker."
Roy nodded. He was sure that Mardon had also picked up on the fact that Cold hadn't told them not to kill the young Trickster.
Captain Cold and the Flash had very different ideas about what it meant to finish a fight.
Caitlin took a step forward. No doubt about to say something about how none of them were in any condition to go after Jesse and his gang. How Mick, Cold, and Roy should be laying in stretchers with oxygen masks over their faces. Dr. Snow was a clever woman. She saw their faces, she saw the pain and anger, she knew better than to try to stop them. She put a hand on Cisco's shoulder.
"We will follow behind in the van, Flash. In case anyone needs medical attention."
The Flash nodded and headed back towards the remaining cops to tell them the plan. Cold gave Roy and Mardon one last nod then followed suit with Mick only a few steps behind.
Cisco showed them the location of Axel on his tablet. The kid was staying on the road, and he was moving very slowly. They would catch up to him in no time.
Roy and Mardon took one of the military jeeps and headed down the road. They drove in silence for several minutes before Mardon spoke.
"Didn't expect Harkness to be the type to have a kid."
"I don't think anyone was supposed to know. He thought he was protecting him."
"He's…"
Mardon's grip on the steering wheel increased. Roy could see his knuckles getting whiter.
Roy wasn't sure what Mark was going to say. Whatever it was, Mardon was no longer in the mood to share.
Roy assumed that Mardon was thinking about Clyde. About how he hadn't been able to protect the one person he had cared about. The one person who had depended on him.
Mardon could understand what Digger was going through. Not that it would help either of them.
Mardon would never open up about his brother. And Digger would most likely drink himself to death after this. The Rogues were broken, damaged.
Destroyed.
All this, because they had decided to try and help a couple cops.
Had decided to get involved.
That would teach them.
The headlights of the jeep flashed over something just up ahead. Mardon slowed the car down.
The kid didn't turn as they pulled up behind him. They could only see the boy from behind, his long coat obscuring most of his body. No way of knowing what Walker was hiding up his sleeves. He was walking funny, dragging his left leg slightly. The boy's pant leg was singed. Must have caught on fire at some point. He had his arms wrapped oddly in front of himself.
Mardon stopped the car. Both of them sat there for a moment, watching the kid shuffle along.
"Kid's determined, I'll give him that."
Walker was clearly fighting a losing battle. In addition to the leg wound, Cold had said Walker had been hit by flying debris earlier. Kid was leaving a blood trail so clear, they didn't need satellite imagery to follow.
Roy and Mardon opened their doors at the same time. They climbed out of the jeep and walked slowly towards Axel. Leery that the kid might turn at any moment and throw a bomb at them.
Roy wasn't an assassin. Didn't have the same taste for killing as some of the others. But Axel had been a part of the crew that had gotten Digger's son killed. Didn't matter if the Rogues hadn't known about the boy until tonight. Or that none of them had ever met Owen.
Nobody kills a member of their family and gets away with it.
No one would miss Axel Walker anyway.
They were only a few steps away now. Axel still hadn't turned, still moving at his slow awkward shuffle as though there was no one on the road but him.
Finally, Mark sighed and reached forward. He grabbed the kid by the collar and spun him around. The Trickster's injured leg gave out, causing him to fall to the ground.
Roy found it odd that the kid didn't put his hands back to break his fall. In fact…
"I'll be damned."
Axel was lying on his back. His arms, that Roy had assumed were wrapped around his body due to injuries, were actually holding on to something.
A small boy. No more than six years old.
The Trickster's jacket had blocked their view. They hadn't seen the boy cradled against Walker's chest. Hadn't seen Owen holding on to the Trickster for dear life.
Mardon was the first to shake off the shock.
"Owen?"
Mardon leaned down, his voice softer than Roy had ever heard it before. Roy didn't know why he was surprised by the gentleness he heard. Mardon had almost raised Clyde, the age difference between them enough that Mark had probably changed a few diapers in his time.
Had soothed many nightmares.
The child opened one eye cautiously.
"You're Owen right? My name's Mark and this is Roy. We're here to take you home."
Axel was staring at them with a dazed look. It wasn't just the leg wound from earlier. Now Roy could see a deep cut on the boy's forehead. Axel looked like he wasn't entirely sure how he got there, or who any of them were.
Owen continued to cling to Axel's shirt.
"Hey, I know you're scared buddy. And Axel here is taking good care of you, but he's hurt. You want to let us make sure Axel is ok?"
Owen looked between Axel and Mark a few times. Owen stared at Roy for a moment. Roy tried to make himself look less intimidating, but he wasn't sure how to do that. So he just tried not to make any sudden movements.
It worked on animals, surely it worked on kids too.
Owen had tears in his eyes, but he hesitantly let go of Axel.
"That's great buddy why don't…"
Owen flung himself into Mark's arms. The man hesitated a moment before picking the kid up. An odd look passing over the temperamental criminal's face. Roy was glad Mark was dealing with this, Roy had never been particularly good with children. Owen buried his face in Mark's shoulder, his words were muffled slightly.
"I wanna go home."
"Don't worry kid. We are going to get you home just as soon as we can. Why don't we go lay down in the car for a minute? I think there is some water in there. Are you thirsty?"
"Yes."
Mark stood up and started carrying Owen back to the jeep. Roy bent down and looked Axel in the eyes.
"Why did you save the kid?"
Axel looked down at his chest, seemingly only now noticing that Owen wasn't still attached to him.
"….wanted to ruin his trick…he…tricked me…I wanted…."
Axel drifted off. His eyes slid closed. Roy was certain you weren't supposed to let a person with a head injury fall asleep. Or maybe that was just something he had heard once on television. He didn't actually know if it was true or not.
Well.
This was unexpected.
Roy knew that Jesse had convinced Walker he was his son. But Cold had said he found proof that wasn't the case. Clearly the younger man had not taken the abandonment by his false father very well.
So he had struck back by trying to ruin one of Jesse's tricks. Getting the kid out of the building would have spoiled a part of the plan.
Owen wasn't just there to get Digger on their side. He was part of the main event. Owen dying in the fire would have been a blow to the Rogues and the Flash. It would have destroyed the dynamic of the Rogues. And not being able to save a child would have destroyed the confidence of the scarlet hero.
Roy was really regretting that they hadn't killed the Reverse Flash when they had the chance.
Roy stood up as Mardon returned. The man wasn't wearing his jacket.
"Kid's asleep on the back seat. What about him?"
"Needs some medical attention, but he should live. It would seem that he saved Owen to ruin his ex-father's plans."
Mark snorted in amusement.
"Is there a single criminal in this city that doesn't have family issues?"
Roy smiled slightly.
"Did you contact Digger?"
"No. Figured he has been keeping this kid secret for years. Last thing he would want is for the world to know Owen's still alive by announcing it over the coms. Kid'll be safer if everyone thinks he's dead."
Roy nodded. That was the smart play. Hopefully Digger didn't do anything stupid before they got a chance to tell him the truth…
They should probably get back as soon as possible.
Axel was laying on the ground completely unaware of the two men towering above him. Unaware of what they were supposed to do.
Technically, Cold hadn't told them to kill the kid. Just take care of the situation. The boy wasn't going to be answering any questions with that head wound. If they patched him up a bit, maybe Walker would be willing to talk. Willing to tell them anything he had heard from the Reverse Flash or Jesse. Any other plans or surprises.
Roy looked at Mardon.
Mardon sighed and rolled his eyes.
They reached down and pulled Axel up. Slinging his arms over their shoulders, they carried him back to the jeep. They laid him down in the back on the floor near Owen. Owen was fast asleep, curled up inside of Mardon's jacket.
Mardon started the jeep and they head back towards the base.
"I'll drop you off at just before the rendezvous. You can tell Digger there. I'll take these two back to the safe house. See if I can't treat some of Axel's wounds."
"I'll tell them you went back because you couldn't stand being around the cops any longer."
"Believable. And true. I'll be damn glad when we can just go back to robbing banks, and the cops go back to trying to catch us. This working together thing was bullshit."
Roy smiled at that.
"Agreed."
Roy got out of the jeep a quarter mile from the base. He watched the lights of the vehicle fade into the distance before he started walking. Lisa greeted Roy as he entered the compound.
"Lenny just checked in. Said they got Grodd and the Trickster locked up. Too many cops around for him to make it a more permanent solution though. Can't believe we haven't gotten to kill any of these bastards yet. So…" Lisa's eyes trailed over to where Digger was still sitting. It didn't look like the man had moved at all since Roy left. His broken arm still dangling uselessly at his side. He hadn't made any attempts to have anyone treat it.
Roy held Lisa's arm and whispered in her ear.
"Owen's alive. Mardon's taking him and Axel back to the safe house. We need to get out of here before any cops start asking questions."
Roy was always envious of how well Lisa could conceal her emotions. If she was surprised that both Owen and Axel were still alive, there was no indication of it.
There were several armed guards standing around. Word had started to spread that the threat had been neutralized. Now the cops were starting to turn their distrustful gazes back towards the Rogues.
Lisa nodded and they walked towards the motionless Digger.
"Come on Boomer. We need to get you to a hospital. Hey, you! We need to head out to a hospital now."
The cops looked nervously from one to another.
"You're supposed to stay here until Captain Singh or the Flash gets back."
Lisa rolled her eyes.
"He needs a doctor and we don't need babysitters. We're all on the same side here…"
Roy caught the eye of the cops standing near the cars. He instantly used his powers to keep them calm. Lisa distracted the cops near her until Roy was able to come up behind them. They were wearing shades, so the minute they turned around to look at Roy, Lisa knocked both of them out with the butt of her gun.
Lisa reached down and pulled Digger up.
"Come on baby, we need to get out of here."
Roy snagged the keys from one of the cops and they quickly stole a car.
Once they were safely away, Roy told Digger that Owen was alive.
Digger stared at Roy for a moment. Then continued to sit in silence, his gaze focused on the landscape outside the window. Roy had never heard Digger go this long without talking.
They were several miles out when Lisa tapped on her com a few times. It almost sounded like she tapped out some kind of pattern.
"Lenny, you boys ever coming back? I'm starting to get bored."
There was a moment of silence, Snart's voice sounded hesitant when he spoke.
"Sorry sis, thought you would have plenty to keep you occupied."
"Oh you know how I fickle I can be. Try not to dawdle big brother."
She clicked off her com and pulled it out of her ear.
"Throw out your earpieces. Cisco might be clever enough to be able to track them." Roy quickly pulled out his. Lisa reached over and removed Digger's then threw them all out the window.
"Digger, honey, did you hear what Roy said about Owen?"
"I heard him."
Roy and Lisa shared a look. There was none of the bravado, none of the brashness that Roy normally associated with the mercenary.
He just seemed tired.
The rest of the trip was made in silence.
Mardon was waiting for them in the garage at the safe house when they pulled in.
"Both of the kids are asleep. Owen is…"
Digger brushed past Mardon without a word.
They watched him go for a moment, then Mardon continued.
"Shawna said that Hartley is starting to come around. Soon as she is cleared to leave, she is going to bail and head here. Told her we had Walker here with us. She wasn't too thrilled. We can go back and get Hartley once he is a bit more out of the woods. Going to be hard to explain to Hartley how Digger is still with us."
Roy nodded. That was going to be a tricky conversation.
Lisa started walking inside. Roy and Mardon followed.
"What about Walker?"
"Still out, was up for a second, but was completely out of it. Kid took a hard hit to the head."
They reached the main living area, Digger was crouched over the couch. His hand was hovering inches above the sleeping child's head. It was clear he wanted to touch the boy, wanted to comfort him…but had no idea how.
Digger stood up and clenched his fist. The man seemed to be completely ignoring the fact that he had a broken arm. They really needed to fix that as soon as possible. Shawna would be back soon. She could set it. Or maybe Mick, he was the one who broke it in the first place. Let him deal with it.
"I need to get him back to his family. Make sure they understand they need to find somewhere new to live. Assuming they are still alive…shit. I hadn't thought about what to do with him if they are dead."
"We should wait until Lenny gets back. He'll know what to do. We will get all of this sorted out."
Digger ran a hand over his face.
"Yea…Yea, Cold'll know what to do." Digger sat down on the chair near the couch. His eyes never leaving the face of the little boy in front of him.
It was almost an hour later before Mick and Cold made an appearance. Lisa and Mardon were with Axel, the young man had woken up and tried to escape. Lisa said Walker still didn't know where he was or who he was with. Roy had decided to stay with Digger and watch over Owen.
Cold nodded to Roy then walked over to Digger.
"Mick come over here and help me set Digger's arm. Roy could you get a brace from one of the med kits?"
Roy went into the back room where they stored their loot. They also kept most of their alcohol and medical supplies in there. They had robbed a medical supply store a couple months back and kept their medicine supply well stocked. In their line of work, they always seemed to need it.
Roy grabbed a brace and some pain pills.
He returned just in time to see Digger biting on a leather belt while Mick pulled on Digger's arm and Cold held him steady.
Roy was certain he would scream in agony and then promptly pass out if it were him.
He wondered how much of Digger's silence was pain tolerance and how much was not wanting to wake up the sleeping child.
Roy handed the supplies to Cold and watched as Digger dry swallowed a few pain pills.
Mick stood up and walked to the kitchen. The pyromaniac offered no apologies for breaking Digger's arm. In the moment, Mick had been incapacitating an enemy. Stopping a threat. He had believed Digger was a traitor who was going to kill a member of his family.
Mick had nothing to apologize for.
Cold's hand was still on Digger's shoulder. Len looked at Mick and Roy.
"Why don't you two head on to bed? Digger and I need to have a little chat."
Roy was certain Cold was past the point of wanting to kill Digger, but there was still so much they didn't know. So much that needed to be figured out.
Roy and Mick walked out, leaving the leader alone to talk to their black sheep.
Roy snorted. How the hell did a group composed entirely of criminals and murderers still manage to have a black sheep?
"The punk kid still alive?"
Roy nodded at Mick's question.
"Last time I checked. Mardon didn't think his injuries were too severe. Just a head wound to watch out for."
"This place is getting too crowded."
"Most of our enemies have been neutralized. The ones that would murder us in our sleep anyway. I'm sure Cold won't have a problem with us leaving for our own places soon. As long as we stay in contact."
Mick gave Roy a long look.
"Hm. Maybe."
Mick turned and headed towards his room.
Roy could never tell if he had just had a good or a bad interaction with the taciturn pyromaniac.
Roy sighed and headed to his room as well. He was glad this day was over. Glad that soon everything would go back to normal.
Snart was staring at Digger, trying to see how he had missed something so obvious about the mercenary's personality.
The man was a father.
Digger Harkness had a son.
No matter how many times he played it over in his mind, it still didn't seem true. Cold had run extensive background checks on each member of the team when they first started working together.
There was nothing in Digger's past. Nothing that would point to the man having a child. Nothing to indicate that he loved that kid to the point of killing anyone who knew about him.
"Who is the mother?"
"What's it matter?"
"I need to know if she is going to be a problem. If someone else might use her to get to…"
"She's dead."
"Did you kill her?"
"No."
Most people would be offended if they were asked if they murdered the mother of their child. Digger answered it as simply as if he was asked about the weather. Cold knew enough about Digger's past to know that it had been a fair question.
Or at least he had thought he had known.
What else didn't he know about these people?
Cold sighed. Obviously the child had to go.
"Where are his parents?"
"Upstate New York. Adopted him right proper. Got all the papers and everything. I covered all my tracks, got all the documents forged right. No one should have been able to find him."
"Is there any way you can contact them?"
"No. I put Owen in the system, once he got adopted I checked up on the family. They were a good sort, give him a right life. Not snobs or anything. Then I cut 'em loose. Never checked in, never 'just happened to be passing through'. No accidental run ins. I stayed clear. He's…his hair's gotten darker since he was a baby."
Cold could almost see the resemblance between Digger and the kid. The same nose, the same facial features. The kid was going to be the spitting image of his father one day.
Digger had yet to look at anything other than the boy.
"So bloody big."
"We need to get him out of the city as soon as possible. Eventually someone might realize there wasn't a body in the debris. I might know someone, someone we can trust, who could falsify those documents for us. But getting Owen back to his parents, and getting them safely away needs to be the priority. Take as much cash as you need to get them out of the country, get them new identities…"
"What if they're dead? What do I do with him then?"
Cold hesitated for a moment. It would be problematic if the Reverse Flash had killed Owen's parents. Although, if he hadn't…
"What are their names?"
"John and Carolyn Mercer."
Cold walked over to Hartley's laptop. He did a quick search.
"John and Carolyn Mercer, upstate New York. Reported their son Owen missing. They're still alive and well. The hard part now will be convincing them that you weren't the one that kidnapped him."
Cold had expected Digger to be relieved at the news that the Mercers were still alive. Instead he looked…disappointed.
"Right…yea. I'll figure it out."
"Your interpersonal skills are not one of the reasons I keep you on the crew. Lisa can go with you and…"
"No. I'll take care of it. Alone."
"The Rogues don't work alone."
"They do on this. Can't…can't risk anyone else knowing about where he is."
Len thought about it for a moment then nodded. Digger would kill to protect his son, rightfully so. He didn't want to put any of the Rogues in the position where Digger might have to kill one of them to keep his son's location a secret.
"You'll need to leave in the morning. Get some sleep Digger."
Digger hesitated for a moment. His next question spoken in a tone so hesitant, it seemed out of place on the normally abrasive man.
"What…what if they don't want him anymore? What if I take him back and his parents don't want the hassle? Don't want to take in a kid that…"
Digger stopped speaking. Len didn't know what to say to that. His own experiences with parents weren't exactly ideal. Len's father would have left him on the side of the road to die if he thought he could have gotten away with it.
"Then we will deal with that problem."
Digger didn't respond just leaned back in the chair, his eyes closing slightly.
Cold walked out of the room and headed towards where Axel Walker was being watched over by Mardon.
"He regain consciousness yet?"
"Once, tried to escape. Been mumbling a bit in his sleep though. Jesse did a number on the kid."
Len knew a thing or two about the sort of things a father's influence could do to you. Could twist you into.
"I'll take over. Get some sleep."
Mardon nodded.
"What about Digger and the boy?"
"It's being taken care of. I have a plan."
And he did. It had a few more uncertainties than his normal plans, but it still had an 87% chance of success.
Len woke the next morning earlier than the others. By the time he reached his destination, the sun was just beginning to rise.
Len had thought about holding off on this. Waiting until things had settled down a bit. But Digger needed to get out of the city as soon as possible. And he didn't need to be worrying about whether or not someone would find out about Owen being alive.
He rang the doorbell.
Len had forgone his usual parka in favor of a long jacket and suit. To anyone who noticed, he might just look like a normal upstanding citizen. He hadn't even brought his gun with him.
A show of good faith.
He rang the doorbell again.
His hand was still on the button when the door opened.
"Seriously?"
Barry Allen had clearly just woken up. He was still wearing his pjs. Not the type of thing you want to be wearing when an enemy shows up at your door unannounced.
"Relax kid, I'm not here to fight. We need to talk…perhaps you should let me in before people start to recognize me. Wouldn't want them wondering why someone who works for the police department is letting super villains into his home."
The kid practically grabbed Len and pulled him into the house.
"What the hell do you want Snart? I am really not in the mood for any games right…"
"The boy in the warehouse that Jesse was holding hostage was Digger's son."
"What?" The kid ran a hand through is hair. Allen came to a sudden conclusion. "That's why Harkness turned on you? He was being blackmailed?"
"Yes. Unfortunately we didn't know about the situation until..."
"Until it was too late." The kid looked devastated. Like he was to blame for what had happened. That was the problem with hero types, always trying to take the blame. Cold knew exactly who was to blame for everything that had happened, knew exactly what he was going to do when he finally got his hands on the Reverse Flash.
"Until it was almost too late."
Allen turned his head towards Len. If he was being completely honest with himself, Len would have to admit that his motivations for telling Barry about Owen were two fold. One, so that Allen could forge the necessary documents to make it appear that Owen had died in the fire. And two…so that the damn kid wouldn't think he had been to blame for a child's death.
Len wouldn't wish that on anyone. Not even Scarlet.
"Axel Walker had a bit of a change of heart. Managed to get Owen out before the bombs went off. That's why he wasn't with Jesse and Grodd when we captured them."
Close enough to the truth that Allen wouldn't question it. At least not right now.
"Owen…"
"Yes, the kid is safe. And…."
"You want him to stay that way. By making everyone think he is dead."
Kid would have made a good criminal. Len didn't say it out loud though. Allen wouldn't have taken it as the compliment it was meant to be. Would have just been offended.
"We just need a few documents. You don't have to identify the body. Just make sure that everything shows that a body was found in the wreckage."
"What about Owen?"
This was the trickier part. The part where he had to convince the Flash that a six year old was safer with a bunch of criminals than he would be with the cops.
"His adoptive parents are still alive. They reported him missing. Digger is going to take Owen back to his real parents and make sure they understand that they have to find a new place to live. Maybe change their names. The less you know about it the better."
The kid was struggling with it. Len maintained as neutral a face as he could. He needed the Flash to think he had some sort of say in the matter.
He didn't of course. The Rogues were always going to do what was best for the Rogues. Everyone else be damned. But the heroes liked to believe they had influenced decisions in some way. Made things easier in the long run.
Len didn't want Digger to have to kill Allen for knowing too much.
"Fine."
Cold blinked slowly at Allen's response.
"I was expecting more of a fight than that to be honest."
"…You know my history. You know what my father was accused of. No one, besides me, ever thought he was a good father after he was sent away. Harkness may be a criminal, that doesn't mean he isn't a good father."
Len sometimes forgot how much of an optimist Allen could be. Always seeing the good in people. Or the potential for good. No doubt he believed that Harkness would someday become a better person for his son.
That optimism was going to get Barry killed one day.
"No one can ever know about Owen."
"You have my word."
The Flash stuck out his hand. It wasn't often in his life that Len believed in a promise made over a handshake.
Len took Allen's hand. He shook it briefly, then let go.
"Well I should probably go before Detective West gets home."
Allen's face turned from sincere to annoyed quickly. Len wondered if changing emotions rapidly was a side effect of the kid's speed.
"You did freeze the cop car he was inside of."
"Our alliance was at its end. It was his own fault for not being better prepared. See you around Scarlet."
Len turned and headed for the door. Allen's voice halted his movements.
"You know, we worked well together. Not just with you and Lisa, but all the Rogues. It was…it was almost like that was the way it should have always been."
Len turned his head slightly, but kept his back turned.
"It was a one time thing kid."
"We'll see."
The damn kid was smiling. Len turned and walked out without another word.
That optimism was definitely going to get him killed one day.
The Rogues didn't save people. They were thieves. Murderers. Liars. The Rogues only watched out for themselves and each other.
They only watched out for family.
A/N: The original idea I had for this sequel was "Digger betrays them" and it just completely spiraled from there. This chapter was one of the first things I wrote for the whole story.