Here we are, the end! Hope you all liked this fic, I had fun writing it too! Can't wait for Flash season 3! I don't own anything from the Flash or CW.
Wells looked on with uselessness as the threatening words of Garrison Paul reached his ears, "Any last words, Flash?"
Barry Allen didn't move, just looked ahead robotically even as Cisco screamed something inaudible at him. It all happened so fast. Barry tried to move his head, to disobey the commands as screams and cries reached his ears. It gave them all hope that there was still regular Barry inside, but he wasn't going to survive. All the strength he could muster went to tilting his skull to the side but the bullet still flew at him and blood spattered across the rooftop. His body dropped like a stone against the white rooftop, now stained red with the Flash's blood and body.
Iris cried loudly and moaned for her dead brother and Joe's eyes were frozen in shock. Garrick looked tense and strung up, like he was ready to go into action any second. But with what? He'll get himself killed too, Wells thought. Caitlin was leaning against Cisco heavily, suffering another loss, and Ramon was looking to the floor as tears fell from his cheek.
The horde of civilians were all screaming and clamoring about as they fought against their security line to try and run away now that the Flash was dead.
"Now!" Garrison raised his arms triumphantly, his hands still wet with blood and the gun in his hands, "I will be your new leader! You will all answer to me!"
The officers, SWAT, firemen, and protective officers were trying to move into action, to do something, but they still weren't allowed to touch their weapons. It was mass panic and chaos as people moved frantically and Barry's body hung from the rooftop.
"Your precious Flash is dead!" he nudged the body with his foot, "So there is no one to save you!"
"You animal!" Iris screamed in rage and grief, "You sick, sick animal!"
Harrison looked to see Joe was still staring ahead in frozen shock and lament, he wasn't making a move to stop Iris. She was blindly putting herself in danger.
Paul turned his head when he heard the screeches aimed towards him. He gave Iris a shocked and questioning look.
"You're a murderer, you killed him!" she moved closer across the grass as Paul turned his whole body to face her from high above, "You deserve to be locked away for your crimes!"
"Look around, little girl," the Mind Magician cackled, "do you see anyone who is going to stop me?"
There was a shuffle of movement from Jay, but when Harry looked over he was still standing there with a terse expression.
"How could you?!" she cried and hugged herself, "he was a good man, he was our hero!"
A curious look came across Paul's face, "What is your name?"
Iris was compelled to tell him whether she wanted to or not, "Iris West."
"Tell me, Iris West," he walked a little closer, making sure to kick Barry's motionless legs a little out of the way, "Did you know the Flash? Personally?"
"I-I" she flinched, she never should've spoken out in the first place, but she was so upset and horrified, "We met, yes."
"Ah!" he smiled wide like a cat, "Now, tell me, young Iris West, what was he like?"
"He was strong," her voice wavered, "heroic, stoic, and everything you never will be."
His eyes flashed for a moment, "But now he's dead," she winced as his voice was completely deadpan and emotionless, "and does that tear you apart on the inside? Do you feel hollow and empty?"
She wanted to stand tall and be brave like Barry, but his words made her want to break down and cry in front of him, "Yes," she sighed and new tears fell from her cheeks.
"Good," he purred, "now, you can join him," he raised the gun up and pointed it down on her.
"What?" Joe suddenly came out of his trance, "NO!" he surged forward like a tidal wave towards his daughter.
Harrison saw Jay shuffle his feet and his shoulders rolled back, Idiot still thinks he's the Flash.
"Any last words, Iris West?" he grinned evilly as he saw the girl's father come running, but he was going to be too slow.
She opened her mouth to speak.
"NO!"
The Mind Magician felt powerful hands wrap around his torso, "Ahh! What the-"
"Stay away from them!" he heard a deep roar in his ears and he looked down to see burgundy gloves clutching on to him tightly.
"Flash!" Garrison turned frantic, "How did you-?!"
There were screams and people disbanded as Paul's finger pressed down on the trigger to try and shoot Barry once again. The bullets flew wildly but didn't find their target.
"You were dead," he shouted and struggled to release himself from the hero's grip,"I killed you!"
"This is what happens when you disobey!" the speedster roared and he tackled Garrison to the ground.
Paul glanced up to see Barry Allen look like a specter. His skin was deathly pale on account of the blood loss, his cheekbones jutted out, his eyes had dark purple rings around them but his pupils screamed hatred and his strength was surprising. The gun was wrestled from the Magician's fingers and Barry had both hands on his throat and his knees pressing into the meta-human's torso painfully.
However, Paul's efforts didn't go amiss. Blood dripped onto his face as the wound in Barry's head was still bleeding profusely. The speedster was panting heavily and his body seemed exhausted, but he was still clutching onto the Magician with all his remaining strength.
"Barry Allen," Paul laughed but was choked as the hands wrapped tighter around his throat, "I took everything from you."
Barry growled and pressed down harder.
"Now, this is the ultimate test," the meta-human choked, his face was red, "you kill me now, in front of these people and succumb to the nature I have planted into you."
There was no seducing tone in Paul's voice, he wanted Barry to make this decision from his own volition-then his work would truly be complete.
"You tried to kill me," Barry said in between heavy breaths, "you murdered so many people."
"And I pass my torch onto you, Mr. Allen," Paul felt his throat becoming constricted.
"Why?" Barry looked deep into those once mesmerizing eyes with hatred, "Why did you make me do those things?"
"Because you never cared about us other meta-humans," Paul spat blood at Barry's face, "you always ran around and locked us up, it was time you paid the price for your mistakes. But it's okay, Flash, I was there to guide you back to the correct course."
"You're a psychopath, Paul," this was the first time the speedster ever said his name, "and I'm not going to kill you."
Garrison's eyes furrowed in anger, "What?"
"I'm going to make sure you never did to anyone what you did to me," Barry released one hand from Paul's throat, raised it high, and brought it down on the hinges of his jaw.
The Mind Magician screamed in agony as a shooting pain traveled straight from his jaw bone to his entire body. He felt his mouth go slack and lock into a closed position as Barry raised his fist again to target the other side.
Paul couldn't move his body and his face was red with anger and pain, but his eyes screamed for the Flash to stop, No! No!
Allen brought his other clenched fist down on the other side of his jaw and the same shooting pain blossomed from his dislocated jaw bone.
But Paul was planning a counter attack. He waited for Barry's fist to go high and his grip to slacken before he pulled a small knife from his boot. The Flash's eyes went wide to dodge but he was too blade cut through his fabric like melted butter and it sliced his chest in a long and deep stroke.
Barry shouted in pain and he fell back as the Mind Magician struggled to stand up, his jaw closed against his own will. He gripped the hilt of the knife in his sweaty hands and circled the speedster who was scrambling to his own feet. There was movement coming from down below but he didn't care, as long as the Flash died.
Barry knew his was the end. The end of what, he didn't know as long as Garrison Paul never threatened anyone in Central City again. His legs felt like they were burning and the cut across his chest was radiating pain. He couldn't run, his legs weren't allowing it, but blood still poured from his head like water and his vision was doubling. His body was about to collapse with exhaustion and it was swaying. I need to finish this now.
His weak eyes caught onto the glare of the silver knife and the battered and bruised face of Garrison Paul who's jaw he successfully managed to damage. All his strength went into that, and now he was going to collapse. There was only one more thing he could think to do before the world fell away from him and Garrison had the chance to escape or kill him.
The meta wasn't expecting it, but Barry charged him. Like a wild bull in a stampeded he ran head on, as fast as he could without his super speed, his arms spread out and he tackled the Mind Magician off the roof and down to the ground below.
Barry saw the look of fear and surprise on the man's face as he felt the rooftop disappear at his feet and air come whooshing around from all sides. Barry's eyes closed as he held onto that trench coat to make sure that he hit the ground first, and he saw the ground come dizzyingly closer.
There were shouts and screams from familiar and unknown faces that blurred around him and people evacuated as the two began to fall towards the ground. He heard Garrison Paul tried to scream but they were held back from his damaged jaw.
Barry felt light as a feather as his body cracked against the ground.
Through the smoke and the dust, Joe ran straight to where his son Barry had taken a dive off the roof. He tackled Iris not a minute before as Garrison Paul aimed his gun at her, but it wasn't her father that saved her, but Barry. One minute, he thought he was dead, then he was alive, and now for sure he had to be gone.
"Barry!" Joe raced forward like a speeding horse as people screamed past him and officers tried to navigate them safely away from the scene. Behind him, he knew the whole Flash Team was following. It was a miracle that Barry had survived with the hullet in the head, and they still didn't know how that was possible. He saw a brief exchange between the two on the rooftop and he tried to scream to get his son's attention. There was a knife and a slash and then Bar was taking this meta-human down with him.
He ran through the choking dust that stung his eyes and saw two bodies in a small crater in the floor. One was wearing all black and the other red. Joe ran to his son's motionless body as the rest of the team caught up and saw the horrifying image before them.
"Barry-oh my gosh!" Joe lifted his upper body in his arms, "Bar, please say something!"
There was no response.
"Barry!"
They heard a gasp of breath.
But it wasn't from their speedster Barry Allen.
Paul was still unconscious, but even between his damaged jaw bones he took a rattling breath.
Is this some kind of sick joke?! Joe thought to himself, Bring Barry back too!
All eyes turned to the barely breathing body of the criminal Garrison Paul in anger, but Caitlin stepped forward. She went down towards Barry's body and the rest crowded around.
"Quick!" Caitlin demanded, "Cisco, power up the defibrillator in his suit, now!"
"Charging!" he fumbled with his tablet that had the entire STAR Labs console in one small device, "Step back!"
Joe reluctantly let go of his son's unmoving body as his entire form convulsed with the electricity from the machine in the fabric.
"Come on, Barry, please!" Iris cried.
"Charging again!" Cisco announced, but his voice seemed deflated, "Step back!"
One more powerful surge went through his body. A few suspenseful seconds ticked by before finally he took one large lungful of air and fell back.
"Barry!" Joe went forward along with Iris, Cisco, and Caitlin, "He's alive!"
"Caitlin, is he going to be okay?" Cisco looked at her with worry.
"He's not out of the woods yet," she pursed her lips and her expression was grim, "I need him back at STAR Labs this instant! Let's go!"
Iris ran forward and got a gurney as Jay, Harrison, Joe, and Cisco carefully picked up his tattered body and lay him down. They ran and wheeled the gurney towards the idling company van, except for Jay.
Harrison turned around, "Garrick, are you coming?"
"You all go without me," Hunter stood tall, "let me know if he's going to be okay, I've got some unfinished business to take care of."
Harrison's gaze traveled down to the beat up body of Garrison Paul lying at the former speedster's feet and Jay's clenched fists.
Wells nodded once and turned away.
The drive towards STAR Labs was one of the fastest ones Caitlin had ever seen. It was bumpy and the whole car jostled as Joe and Harrison, a bad combination to be driving at the moment, wrestled the wheel left and right to dodge abandoned cars and obstacles in the road. Meanwhile, Barry was barely hanging by a thread in the back. Iris had a hand pressed against his temple that was so covered in blood, she couldn't find an entry wound yet. But now she was focused on the deep gash in his stomach. She had to pour half a bottle of hydrogen peroxide on it and Barry thrashed even in his unconscious state. She ordered Cisco to get some gloves on and keep his body steady as she pulled out some needle and thread for stitches.
"This is going to hurt him, watch out," she warned them as the car jumped and hitched across the road.
She inserted the tip of the needle through his flesh and he flinched. It didn't matter, she needed to get her work done. Carefully, even as Barry moved at time, she wove in and out of his skin, tightly closing the gash in his abdomen to keep it from bleeding out again. By the time she was done, Barry groaned in his unconscious state and her hands were all bloody.
"Is it clotting?" Cisco asked, "He usually heals a lot quicker, it's taking longer."
"I noticed that too," she whispered as to not to alert his family, "I need to take samples at the lab."
"How far are we?" Cisco asked nervously to Wells.
"Close, get ready to take him out."
Cisco got at the edge of the gurney and waited as the truck came to a teetering stop and he busted open the doors. Joe came running around from the side and they wheeled him out and through the doors. Wells helped Caitlin and Cisco out of the van but Iris looked at him questioningly, "Where's Jay?"
"He's on his way, had to take care of something."
She nodded and both women ran after Barry, Joe and Cisco.
The cortex was a bloody mess by the time they got in-literally. Cisco was pressing the wet towel and against Barry's temple but the minute he let go, blood started to spill.
"Caitlin!"
"Hurry, someone get me some new rags, keep applying pressure!"
"What do we do!?" Iris yelled as she did what she was told.
"Joe and Wells, stay outside, it's too crowded," she ordered, "Cisco, keep applying pressure, Iris I need you to get the first aid kit!"
Iris came running back as Barry's head lolled to the side and Cisco's panicked eyes were filled with fear.
"I need gauze and a hemostatic bandage, now!" she ran and replaced Cisco as she pressed down. Joe and Harrison looked on from behind the glass.
Iris just threw any sort of bandage in her direction and Caitlin got the one she needed. She packed the wound as blood oozed from beneath her fingers, "This is going to be a long night!"
Barry felt his eyes try to open. It was difficult, as much as he wanted them to, they wouldn't until finally he opened them forcefully. He was in a hospital bed that was unfortunately familiar to him. It was STAR Labs. He could feel pain jolt through him from his head to his abdomen to his legs and back again, like an excruciating cycle.
It all flooded back to him. The spill on the rooftop, Iris about the get shot, him getting stabbed. His heart monitor spiked and it wasn't a moment later when Caitlin came running in.
"Barry!" she called in relief. When she called his name, multiple other footsteps came towards him, "You're awake."
"Barry?" Cisco came followed by Iris and Joe, but Dr. Wells lagged behind.
"How do you feel?" Joe asked cautiously.
"Horrible," he sighed, "I can tell something bad happened to me the last few days."
"You don't remember?" Iris asked, confused. Maybe it was for the better.
"Bits and pieces," he rubbed his head and flinched as the left side flared up in pain.
"Careful," Caitlin moved his hand away, "just stitched you up, it'll heal slowly."
"Why can't he remember, Wells?" Joe turned to the scientist who came walking up. He was like a tall dark shadow.
"The meta-bullet," he held a black bullet with an orange ring around it, "this is how you survived. Welcome back, Barry."
"Wait, what?" his head was spinning but he wanted to hear how this happened.
"At the last moment, you turned your head, Barry," Wells explained, "it must've been the part of you that was dormant under Paul's power, but when you did, the bullet only grazed your skull. It didn't go straight through, like he planned, and since it made contact with your head, it still released some of its power-dimming effects. The bullet canceled out the Magician's power and your were able to be freed of his telepathic connection, but at the cost of your speed and accelerated healing as well."
"Wait, are you saying getting shot saved his life?" Cisco said, mouth agape.
"Correct."
"Awesome, dude!" he clapped Barry's leg who flinched, "Sorry, sorry!"
"But he was shot before too by the meta-bullets," Iris' journalist side was showing, "why didn't that cure him before."
Barry didn't like the word "cure".
"Because that wasn't a direct shot to the head, it was his limbs or shoulder. The connection was so strong, you needed a point black shot at his skull to free the central nervous system," Wells tossed the bag with the bullet onto the bed, "his plan to assassinate you was actually to your favor."
"Wow," Barry rubbed his eyes, "got it."
"Maybe we should leave you for a little, Bar?" Joe looked at Caitlin with concern who nodded.
They all shuffled out of the room except Dr. Harrison Wells.
"I'll be out in a moment," he said without turning around, just staring at Barry from the foot of the bed.
"Dr. Wells?" Barry looked at him.
"Barry," he breathed, "you can't remember what happened?"
"There are these flashes," he sighed, "but I can't make any sense of them."
"Did Paul tell you to forget?" Harrison thought this was likely.
"I can't remember," he said despondently. After a moment he looked to the side and asked, "Was it bad?"
Wells exhaled deeply before pulling a chair to sit down, "Yes, Barry, it was."
No sugarcoat when it came to Wells.
"What did I do-"
"Don't ask, Barry, it'll eat you up," Harry shook his head, "you try to bear the world's burden on your shoulders, all this guilt just by yourself. Perhaps it was better that he told you to forget, that you can't remember, because you wouldn't have been able to recover easily."
"Did I," he trailed off for a moment, "kill anyone?"
"No, that you didn't," Wells looked him dead in the eye, "you were going to, but we stopped you."
Barry nodded and sighed shakily, he didn't know how to react or respond.
"All in good time, Mr. Allen, maybe you will learn the extent of your actions, but I think it's best you rest for now and focus on redeeming your reputation rather than dwelling on the past."
Barry nodded, a sense of purpose in him now, "Where's Jay?"
"He's finishing something up," Wells moved to exit the room, "won't be long now."
He slid the door open and stepped out quietly as Barry leaned his head back and exhaustion took him away.
Jay came running in a few minutes later, but only Wells was in the cortex. Caitlin had gone to rest, Cisco was downstairs working on the suit, and Iris and Joe went back home as well.
"Wells," Garrick's deep voice echoed through the room, "How's Barry?"
"Recovering," Harrison nodded.
"Has he..said anything about the incidents?" Hunter thought of him revealing himself to dark Barry as Zoom.
"No, he can't remember," Harry noted the relaxation of Garrick's shoulders as he said it, "but did you take care of it?"
His gaze darkened, "Yes, it's done."
Hunter thought to Paul's body in the crater. As everyone cleared out, Jay leaned in and stopped the metahuman's heart with a vibrating hand.
"Good," Wells nodded, "we don't mention this ever."
"It was only to protect Barry, Wells," Garrick approached him, "that's all I want."
"Me too," the scientist stood up to meet him, "and I will do anything to have that."
"At least we see eye to eye on one thing," Hunter Zolomon smiled.
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