Thank you to everyone, here's chapter 2! It's rather long, but things are turning bad for Barry now! Oh no! Anyway, thank you to all my reviewers/favorites/followers/, it means a lot to me!
Joe got the worst call of his life from Caitlin Snow while he was at the CCPD office. The words haunted him even now. He could hear the slight tremble in Caitlin's soft voice and his face turned white. Captain Singh came up to him in surprise to see if he was all right and he nodded numbly in return. The conversation played out in his head as clear as day.
"Joe?"
"Hey, Caitlin, how's it going?"
"I have some bad news," she took a deep breath, "it's about Barry."
Joe immediately sat down, "What's wrong?"
"He was found by Dr. Wells unconscious and severely injured in the halls," she breathed, "he is going to be fine, Barry heals quick but we think that if you were here it would be easier for him to explain what happened to him when he wakes up."
"C-can't Cisco play back the coms?" Joe's heart gripped with worry, he didn't want to question Bar when he just freshly woke up after an accident.
"Barry's receiver malfunctioned in the field, the signal was there one minute then gone the next, we don't know what happened yet."
"That' s a pretty inconvenient time for something like that to happen, don't you think?" Joe snapped angrily.
"Look, Joe, I know you are upset and worried about Barry but it would be best if you brought Iris and came down here with her to see him. He should wake up in a couple of hours, hopefully, and he will like it."
"Hopefully?" Joe growled, "So there's a chance he won't wake up? Is this going to be like the coma again?"
"No, of course not," Caitlin soothed, "we are trying everything we can here and his condition is getting better, albeit very slowly."
"How bad is it?" he spoke lowly.
"Joe, maybe you should come here first-"
"How bad is it, Caitlin?!"
"3 cracked vertebrae, 4 dislocated, a broken leg, 5 fractured ribs, 2 bruised, a massive concussion, a punctured lung, 3 sprains in his right hand, 2 sprains and 1 dislocation in his left, a punctured spleen, bruises up and down his body, and multiple contusions in his jaw."
"Oh, God," Joe cried and wiped his hand across his face.
"We got to work on him quickly, Joe, Barry will heal in time."
"But he's not invincible, Caitlin!"
"We'll talk when you come down here, I think it's best that way."
"Give me 15 minutes," and Joe hung up his cell.
Iris promised to meet him in the STAR Labs parking lot as soon as she could. He couldn't believe something like this could happen to Barry after all the advanced tech and gadgets that the team had been creating to ensure his stepson's safety. Joe didn't just stand around there looking like an idiot when they used big words for no reason.
Detective West jumped out of his car and sprinted down the halls and through the cortex, "Where is he? Where's Barry?" He couldn't wait for Iris.
"Detective, wait," Caitlin, who was dressed in a slim-fitting purple dress and white lab coat place her hands on his shoulder's to slow him down, "Joe, please."
"I'm sorry, Caitlin, but if you don't move right now I will arrest you," he gently shoved her away from him as Joe's eyes scanned the cortex for his Barry.
"For what crime!?" Caitlin followed him exasperatedly.
"For stopping me from seeing my stepson, now where is he?!"
"Detective," Harrison from Earth 2 emerged from one of the lab rooms in the cortex, "Barry is resting at the moment. Though I advise for you to wait until he awakens, I predict that you will ignore my advice."
"You got it right, Wells," Joe nodded, "now, I'm not going to ask again."
"Very well, follow me."
The detective walked in sync with the prestigious scientist. If someone told him a few months ago, after Eobard Thawne's death and the discovery of the murdered Harrison Wells, that he was going to be standing next to the brain behind the particle accelerator once more, he would've locked them in Iron Heights.
"What happened to him, Wells?" Joe asked once they were walking alone.
"We don't know," his voice was grim.
Detective West pulled Harry's arm back and his lean body faced Joe's bulkier one, "You know, I'm getting kind of damn tired of that excuse. You built the particle accelerator, Wells, I'm sure you can figure this one out."
Harrison took of his glasses, "Barry's monitors lost contact at 5:04 PM in the field while he was out on a practice exercise. He was just fine for one minute then dropped off the face of the Earth the next, so, when I say I don't know yet, then I don't know."
Harrison's scowl matched Joe's and he looked at the death grip that the detective was giving him. Joe reluctantly let go and kept following Wells down the corridor.
"I was coming back to the complex when I turned the corner and found him," Wells opened a secure door to reveal the form of Barry Allen on the bed. Joe gasped, "Luckily, I was there just in time. I called for Snow and Ramon and now here he is. Nothing too serious."
"Nothing to serious?!" Joe exclaimed, Barry looked like he had been run over by a freight train, "You don't find this serious?!
"Barry heals, Detective, an advantage of his speed. Without it, he would've died a long time ago."
"Without it, he wouldn't be in this mess," Joe faced Harrison dead in the eye.
Harrison waited a beat before turning his gaze to the floor. Joe moved to Barry's bedside. His stepson was covered in bandages and casts. His jaw was an explosion of blue and purple bruises, a large cut was stitched together over his right eyebrow, his eyes were red-ringed and shallow, his skin was pale and clammy, both arms and hands were in casts and splints to support the multiple dislocations and fractures, his waist was covered by a blue blanket but the sight of thick gauze was peeking through from his abdomen, the skin above the ribcage was blanketed in purple bruises and bandages, his right leg was in a full cast, and the list continued. He didn't see how something so drastic could've happened to Barry on just a training exercise. Joe was about ready to have a panic and heart attack had Barry not stirred.
"Wells," he said to get his attention, "It's Barry, I think he's waking up!"
"So soon?" Harrison came from the corner of the room to stand next to the detective, "Barry? Can you hear us?"
"Wh-where?" Barry, disoriented, spoke up.
"Oh, Bar," Joe sighed with relief, "are you all right, bud?"
"Joe?" he croaked.
"It's me, yeah," he smiled solemnly.
"Barry, do you know where you are?" Harrison spoke plainly.
"I-I think-I don't know, everything is kind of fuzzy," the injured speedster grimaced.
"That's the concussion talking," he murmured to Joe, "I'm surprised he even remembered you."
"Is it that severe?" Joe asked, surprised.
"We'll find out," he spoke louder, "you are at STAR Labs, Barry."
"Can someone turn down the lights?" Joe immediately turned around and clicked the lights off upon Barry's request.
"Barry, Joe has some questions to ask you," Harrison gave the floor to Joe who hit him in the arm.
They had a conversation via glares.
Joe: It's not the time.
Harrison: The sooner we know the better off he is.
Joe: In a few hours, when he's not in pain!
Harrison: Now, Joe!
"Uh, yeah, Bar," Detective West stepped out, damn, Wells is good, "what can you remember?"
"I-I don't know if I even recall-" Barry's eyes were wide, he was anxious and nervous.
"Let me help," Wells reminded Barry of his training session with Cisco.
"Oh-oh, yeah, I think I remember," the CSI narrowed his eyes in concentration. His head still hurt from…he couldn't even remember that, "I stopped in an alley for a moment and then I just turned a corner and boom!
Barry's heart monitor spiked as he remembered the immense force and pain that hit him dead center.
"We don't have to finish now-" Joe started.
"No, Barry," Wells cut the detective off, "we need to finish."
He gave the scientist a menacing look but obeyed. Wells was right after all.
"Anything else?" Joe asked his ailing stepson.
"No, I mean I made some cast out of-I don't even know-I think it was wood and aluminum?" the brown haired young man furrowed his brows, "and then I ran here, I ran as fast as I could."
"What caused you to crash, Barry?" Harrison spoke thoughtfully, "because I know you, you wouldn't just crash like that-you couldn't. Was there another meta human that attacked you?"
There was a flash in Barry's eyes that died a moment later, "No, there weren't any other meta humans, I'm sure, but I do remember having this horribly throbbing headache and my eyes," he instinctively moved his hands up to touch them, "they burned real bad."
"Okay, well," Harry crossed his arms, "I think we've got the general gist of things, thank you."
"Yeah, and rest up," Joe gently patted Barry's leg
"Thanks, you guys," the speedster looked exhausted and rested his head back.
"You should be fully healed by tomorrow morning, Barry," Dr. Wells looked on at Barry who's eyes were closed. The heart monitor was slowing and his body was relaxed. There was a flash of some emotion in Harry's eyes, but it was gone quickly.
The two fathers stepped out of the room. One child the fastest man alive, the other kidnapped by a psycho speedster from a parallel Earth. Life was a little unusual.
Barry's eyes shot open. He felt unfamiliar of his surroundings at first until his exchange with Dr. Wells and Joe came flooding back to him. He was in STAR Labs, he had survived his crash. Barry looked around him and the clock said 3:12 PM. There was no one in the room he was resting in, the monitors beeped normally and majority of his pain was gone. He remembered yesterday with his massive headache and stinging eyes. What had that been all about? Maybe he was attacked by a meta human after all? No, that didn't seem likely, he would've remembered coming across one. Barry wasn't one to forget.
His mind felt like it was ready to go somewhere, but he just couldn't place where. His body felt good, albeit a little sore. His head was still spinning a bit but much clearer than a few hours ago. His broken leg was almost healed, his ribs had reattached, his dislocations had filled themselves, his stitches were disappearing under his skin, and he felt in much less pain that a little while ago. That was a hopeful thought. Without this super metabolism, he would've been dead a long, long time ago.
Barry gently pulled his still tender leg from out of the sling and sat upright on the bed. He was dressed in a STAR Labs issued gown and he had his familiar navy sweatshirt and grey sweats lying ready on the chair. He smiled, Caitlin thought of everything. He slipped on the sweatshirt and winced a little as his injuries were just freshly healed, they would need time.
The clock read 3:22 PM.
Barry rushed getting ready, he felt like he needed to get out of STAR Labs quickly.
He exited his room after detaching himself from all the monitors and slipped on normal clothes. The hallways echoed with sounds like generators buzzing and the faint voices of Dr. Wells and Cisco. Barry was passing by the Cortex hallway when he heard the two arguing about some technological machine.
"No, no," Cisco shook his head, slightly frustrated, "that would never work!"
"Think about it, Ramon, the Uranium-235 goes into the rods of the fusion chamber, that's how it's always been!" Wells shouted back.
"You don't need to decrease the volume of space in the reactor if you can insert the alpha particles just as is!"
Barry heard the two battling genius' voices grow fainter as he tiptoed past the doorway. He didn't want to be bombarded with questions or tests right now if he saw them. I'll be back later. Barry looked down at his watch, the clock said 3:26 PM. He needed to hurry, he felt he had to.
The speedster, quick as a flash, ran downstairs to Cisco's Lab to see the Flash Suit in repair on his desk. There were holes in the fabric and multiple new punctures and blood stains as result of his accident. With his speed, Barry slipped his body into the suit. He felt power surge through his veins and his irises crackled with electricity. He sped down to the STAR Labs doorway and busted through like he hadn't been outside in months. The air felt amazing on his skin and the wind rushed by him. The cars honked, the buildings loomed, and the Flash ran. That's the way Central City should be.
He was passing through the main square in town where the Town Clock read 3:30 PM. Barry's eyes burned, his head ached with the force of a tornado. Not again!
There was a red haze that clouded his vision and all at once he saw a stranger in his mind with the most mesmerizing eyes. Barry remembered what this Man in Black had told him. Central City Bank was less than 2 miles from his location. So, that's where I was running to? He smiled evilly, Smart, Barry Allen. The people in Central City were too greedy anyway, it was about time they learned how to deal with some empty pockets. Barry ran into the nearest store and came out with some sizable duffle bags in his hands. The alarms beeped from the market and Barry laughed deviously before running on. He didn't want to be late to see The Stranger, Barry wasn't a punctual person but when this man said 3:30 he would do everything in his power to be damned sure he made the punchline.
Central City Bank was a large white building towards downtown guarded with high security and minimal exits. Piece of cake, he narrowed his eyes and smiled. The red haze made everything seem more acute and intense, like he could feel the blood pumping in his own body. It was an amazing feeling, he felt carefree yet his thoughts were only glued to one thing: rob the CCB. His legs carried over to the entrance at 700 mpH and the glass shattered upon his entrance through the double doors. Barry spun round and round in circles through the whole lobby as people screamed and ducked behind counters and chairs. Orange lightning crackled through the air and a small electrical storm, similar to the night his mom died, started to build up in the interior of the bank. The tellers were too busy hiding from their own shadows to guard the giant steel vault at the back of the bank. Barry remembered what Jay had taught him. As he kept going round and round, the Flash caught one of his own lightning bolts and chucked it in the direction of the electrical keypad that kept the vault closed at all times.
It slid open invitingly. The speedster smiled delightfully, his eyes holding a certain venom to them as he stood in the steel doorway admiring the piles of cash that awaited him. Utilizing his speed, Barry filled up three duffle bags full of stacked bills and gold bars. The bags were swung around his shoulders and he winked at a nearby cowering teller before zipping out of the doorway once again. The clock read 3:31 PM. A little tardiness wouldn't be uncalled for.
As Barry flew through the streets, he felt something inside him say it was necessary to run by a few cameras so they'd catch a glimpse. He saw bright white flashes as police cameras snapped his photo. He was excited to see it in the front page tomorrow.
He remembered the Stranger telling him to meet at a warehouse on 42nd Street. With the duffle bags chalk full of cash, Barry skidded to a stop on dirty concrete. The warehouse was abandoned and old, the walls were stripped and hanging together by nails, mysterious splatters stained the floor, and there was a dark dusty feel to it.
"Hello?" Barry called, "Are you here?"
"I was beginning to think you weren't going to show up, Mr. Allen," the man revealed himself from the shadows. His black outfit blended in with the dark so it looked as if only his white hands and smiling pale face were visible.
"I don't disappoint," Barry smiled smugly and threw the three bags down, "I've got what you asked for."
The Stranger's brown eyes suddenly powered up and they became that gradient of color Barry couldn't look away from. His body felt relaxed and free to command at will to whatever this Man in Black wanted him to do. The unknown man cautiously walked forward and unzipped the duffle bags; loads of green bills made his smile sparkle.
"Very good, I'm impressed, but you are two minutes late, Flash," the man smiled like the Cheshire Cat, "that is an unusual flaw for a man of your capabilities."
Barry didn't say a word, he just looked into the eyes of The Stranger.
"Tell me, Mr. Allen, about yourself," Garrison wanted a little back story on the Flash, "tell me about your family, friends, your life outside of the Flash suit."
Barry found himself compelled to tell this stranger about his life, "My mother was killed in front my eyes by another speedster, The Man in Yellow; we ended up killing him but not without the sacrifice of Eddy Thawne." There was not emotion in Barry's voice, no voice cracks, no feeling. He was completely and utterly entrance; rather like he was telling a story to someone than his own horrible past, "My father was wrongfully locked away in Iron Heights Prison because he was accused for her murder. My step-father Joe took me in and I've grown up with them as a CSI intended to find my mother's killer."
"And you found him, this Man in Yellow," Garrison purred as Barry Allen's eyes reflected complete submission, "did you enjoy it when he died."
"Very," Barry's fists clenched and his eyebrows were a straight line.
"Good, Mr. Allen, that's what I want you to feel, it's not wrong. A death is another casualty, people die in war. It's a natural thing."
"It's a natural thing," Barry repeated quietly, sounding convinced of this himself.
"I believe I can bring out the true speedster in you, Mr. Barry Allen, the Flash doesn't need to be cooped up in there under morality," Paul was talking as if he was having a casual conversation with a friend, "and in giving me this information, you have put yourself at a large disadvantage."
"In what way?"
"Now where would the fun be if I told you that," Garrison smiled evilly. Barry didn't realize that in sharing your personal life, fears, delights, and worries it would be easier for Paul to command Barry's mind now that he knew the soft spots to press. Mr. Allen wasn't going anywhere soon, he was going to be with him for a long time, until he found it right to kill him. The true therapist was coming out of Dr. Garrison Paul once more.
"Are you ready for your next assignment?" the pupils glowed, Barry nodded.
While putting the duffle bags on a small cart, the man commanded the speedster, "Tomorrow I want you to go to the CCPD impound lot and steal three armored cars for me, bring them to the edge of town on the South side. Along the way I want you to take out 5 cops, for the newspapers."
"Take out?" something inside Barry stirred, "As in…kill?"
"What else do you expect, Flash?" the stranger's lip curled, he dropped the bags with hard force and Barry flinched, "if you ever question my orders again you will run once more and purposely stand in front of a bus rather than a car this time to understand my full message."
That spark of retaliation was quickly snuffed out by the power in this man's eyes. Barry would willingly stand in front of a train if this man ordered it.
"You will run Barry Allen, you will go back to STAR Labs with your friends," Garrison pulled up on his laptop the lab cameras he had hacked to see the workers there buzzing around in panic. They realized the Flash suit had been taken, "Dr. Wells is coming to your room right now, Barry, you will run back and the second you make it into your bed I want you to fall asleep immediately, but drop the Flash suit in your step-father's office at CCPD. We don't want them to get suspicious of you now, do we?" Garrison laughed cynically, this felt like a drama tv show he was organizing, "When you wake up, you will not remember a thing, you were in your bed the whole time. I will take care of the footage for the cameras."
Barry Allen nodded, he liked that idea, "Whatever you want, sir."
"Sir?" the stranger's eyebrows raised, "I like it, now off you go."
Electricity burst in the Flash as he turned his body and ran out of the warehouse. He passed by cop cars surrounding the Central City Bank. Flash tossed his head back and laughed in bitter satisfaction.
Remember, Barry Allen, you have no recollection of me or your whereabouts. You never robbed the bank, you don't know about the plans for tomorrow, you will act as if nothing has ever happened, that silky voice echoed in his ears.
Barry swept through the doors of CCPD, no one knew he was there. He deposited the Flash suit on Joe's desk and smiled smugly. He was dressed back in his STAR Labs sweater, grey sweat pants, and white converse. Barry ran back to STAR Labs and burst through the front doors and through the cortex. Papers flew past him but he jumped into bed. He could hear the footsteps of Dr. Wells coming towards the room. The minute his head hit the pillow, a sudden surge of exhaustion pumped through him and he fell fast asleep.
20 MINUTES EARLIER
Cisco had it up to here with Harry. He was an obnoxious, cocky, egotistical, annoying son of a-
"What. The. Heck," Ramon stopped dead in his tracks as he came into his lab.
Everything was in order. No tools misplaced, no wires cut, but one Flash suit was missing.
Dread filled Cisco's body, where could it have gone? He knew for sure that he left it there on his desk so he would come and repair since Barry was resting and healing.
"Um," Cisco shouted, "Harry, can you come down here, please?"
"Not now, Ramon!" he heard the muffled reply.
Cisco rolled his eyes, "Dr. Wells, I really think you need to see this!"
"I'm in the middle of an equation!" the tart response came back.
"Harry, would you get down here!"
He heard heavy stomps from the cortex come all the way down to his lab, "Cisco, what is it! I've already told you not to bother me with your questions while I'm working," the tall scientist folded his arms crossly.
Jeez, he is intimidating, Cisco thought to himself.
"Well," he laughed nervously, "Harry, um, have you by any chance seen the Flash suit around-anywhere-at all?"
"You lost it?" the words were sharp and curt, like a dagger cutting through the air.
"No-no! Of course not-pshh-why would you think-" He saw Harrison's mighty glare behind those trendy glasses, "okay, I didn't lose it, it's disappeared."
"So, the Flash suit magically grew legs and ran out of here in the middle of Central City, is that it?" Harrison said bitterly.
"No, that's not what I'm saying," Cisco shook his head, "someone must've taken it."
"Who?" Harrison raised his arms, "No one in this compound would just take the Flash suit."
"Unless," a new thought came to the young engineer's mind and he ran out of the lab. Harrison saw that Ramon was on to something and he followed him.
Cisco took them down to the pipeline. All the evil meta-humans were holed up here. It was very possible one of them had escaped.
"Check the status of all the cells," Cisco ordered Harrison as he went over to open the pipeline doors, "make sure that none of them opened in the last 24 hours."
After a moment, a reply came from Harrison, "I don't know, Ramon, it doesn't seem likely. None of the cells have been opened."
"Well, then who took the thing?" Cisco grew frustrated, he loved that suit more than his own brother. That thing was precious-an embodiment of beautiful and innovative technology.
"That's what we'll find out, meanwhile, go and put the facility under lockdown. I'm going to go check on Barry," The doctor had a grim thought, he hoped it wasn't true.
Chapter 3 will be coming out soon!
