Chapter 16:
Green Eyes
Joe has always harbored an adept ability at noticing changes in people; it frequently came in handy in his line of work—he could spot a guilty suspect almost as soon as they entered the room for questioning—but when it came to the troubles of those around him his insight became a little tricky. Namely if something was bothering people, knowing how to approach others with their grievances became a lesson in trial and error.
With Barry and Eddie it was easy: all he had to do was ask and they would unload their problems. Joe would give a little bit of insight or advice and it was over and done with. When it came to Iris, the situation was a little hard to handle. They were close enough that Iris was open with her troubles, of which Joe appreciate and took to heart, but sometimes he got more information than he needed and would go two ways around the problem until, at the end, they finally got there and Joe felt exhausted; as if he had been on a long trip. But, like Barry and Eddie, he could give his two cents and know that Iris would take his stance to heart and work things out from there. Sage, on the other hand, it was like pulling teeth with her to get her to talk about anything that bothered her. The weeks following her disappearance and subsequent reappearance were tense to say the least.
He took full responsibility for that. After all it wasn't every day that a being wrapped in red lighting whisked around your home, destroying important case files only to leave as fast as it came with a threatening message left behind. Every time he closed his eyes the message reappeared—Stop or ELSE—but it was a different picture lodged beneath the kitchen knife, flashing between Iris and Barry and Sage and himself. He could defend himself, his family, and his home well but when it came to facing metahumans, it was all new territory. So he tightened his reins to ensure their safety, such as insisting on receiving a text anytime Barry, Iris, or Sage went out, when they reached their destination, when they left, and when they returned. He briefly considered posing a curfew on them as well but cut off that train of thought. It wouldn't be fair to impose one on Iris and Barry.
Then again, living beneath a cloud of worry wasn't fair either but that came with the territory of being a police detective. Those that he caught and stopped, they held vendettas so day in and day out a part of his mind sat and wondered: is today the day I get a phone call about Iris getting hurt? Is today the day I learn that Barry had to suffer for my life choice? Is today the day this all comes crashing down? Putting on his badge used to feel like he was tying a cape around his neck allowing him to swoop in and save the day but the older he got and, subsequently, the older his family got the more the cape ties started to loosen and the more he worried that he couldn't protect his family as well as he vowed to protect his city. With the emergence of metahumans, those worries were beginning to feel more concrete than they ever had before.
Joe's head still couldn't wrap around the latest news in the metahumans world. Nothing should be so farfetched anymore but it seemed every week, every new threat was even stranger than last week's. Now this new person, what was the term Barry used? Whammied people, altering their personalities. So now not only did he have concerns about the lightning intruder coming back but there was a metahuman on the loose that could turn anyone against each other. Or, worse, anger previous metahumans that they have encountered in the past. What could they possibly be facing next?
"Detective?" Joe was yanked from his thoughts at the intruding voice of one of his armed subordinates. He was a young-looking man already but beneath his helmet and his behind his guard he looked like a child playing dress up. Like Iris on Halloween, she always tended to prefer attending the festivities dressed like a cop… "What are our orders?"
Joe cleared his throat and ran his hand along the hair coating his chin and mouth. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, turning off a section of his mind. He had to be on top of his game to tackle the metahuman's threat. "The bills had a tracker in them and they still show his whereabouts here," he addressed the group standing in front of him. "We have the upper hand but we need to move quickly, before he can escape. No one fires a single bullet without signs of aggression. We just want to get in and out and make it clean. Do you understand?"
They nodded, their hands tightening on their weapons. Joe checked his Kevlar vest, making sure it was snug, and then double checked his weapon was loaded and at the ready should he need it. Locking eyes with his team, with a single nod, he led the charge into the storage building. Their movements were quick and precise; they kept their guns drawn and the flashlights attached flooded the darkness in any corner they came across. One by one, the storage spaces on each floor were combed through until they ran into the building attendant who led them right up to the metahuman's storage space.
And then they spotted him. Joe kept his finger by the trigger on his gun, waiting for any sign to raise his weapon just in case. The man held his arms up in the air and stood still beneath the beams of their bright lights. It was easy. A bit too easy. Joe could feel his muscles tense and his trigger finger twitch. He ordered one of his men to apprehend the man and then he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up as the suspect's eyes turned red, like something out of a movie.
Then he noticed the gun barrel being pointed at him. A rush of sour saliva filled his mouth and he swallowed thickly as his heart thump thump thumped against his chest. It was as if time slowed down; he could see his fellow officer's finger curl around the trigger, hugging it until the gun released a series of bullets. His brief order for everyone to get down rushed in his ears, mixing with the loud bang of the gun going off to form such a roar past his ears it was like he was trapped in a wind tunnel. Only death was the only outcome of it.
He felt a hard yank on his side as his world tilted and only when his shoulder slammed against the ground did he realize that he had been knocked off his feet and out of harm's way. One glimpse to his side and he felt his tight chest ease with a sigh of relief in knowing that Barry had rescued them all. Ever on high alert, Joe nearly jumped out of his skin at the distinct sound of an arrow slicing through the air before nestling in his fellow officer's chest. Once glance over his shoulder earned him the sight that he never thought he would ever see in Central City.
The Arrow. There he stood, backlit in pale shafts of light from the floors above, surveying the area before his eyes rested on Barry and he uttered "Nice mask" and he disappeared as fast as he came. The rush of wind next to him signaled that Barry had left as well and, as all things come in threes, it soon came to light that the two weren't the only ones who disappeared after the fray.
"He's gone, Detective," on officer relayed as Joe slowly got to his feet. His ankles creaked and his knees screamed as he rose to full height. "He somehow got away."
"What about the stolen money?" Joe asked, returning his gun to his holster.
"It's been left behind, Detective," another officer relayed, walking over with a box in his hands. "Seems he wanted to make a quick getaway."
"Huh. He went through all that trouble just to leave the money behind?" Joe mused aloud. "That doesn't sound right." He tried to think of just what it was the man wanted but his mind was cluttered with other questions to weed though, all that were related to the masked man in green.
Joe's eyes widened and his eyes darted over to where his fallen officer, Certo, lay. Two arrows poked out of the front of his chest and he lay still on the ground but he was groaning. Joe thanked anyone that could hear him for having the man make such a sound. Chyre was one thing, having another officer go down under his watch was unacceptable.
"Okay," Joe muttered, brushing a few beads of sweat off the side of his head. "Sweep the perimeter and secure it. I want to make sure he's actually gone. And then we'll put out an APB on this guy after speaking with the owner."
The officer nodded and went off to spread around the information regarding Joe's orders. Joe, still with his hands wrapped around his gun, looked around, checking to see if anyone was watching him and slipped away. He made his way back through the storage space, rushing down the set of stairs and made a beeline for the door, bursting through them. He looked to his left and to his right, scanning the grounds until he saw a flash of yellow lighting in a nearby alley.
"Everything alright, Bare?" Joe asked once he approached.
"Yeah. I tried to find him, he got away too fast," Barry replied, lowering the hood to his suit.
"The guy or the vigilante?"
"Both," Barry replied. "I need to thank him."
"Thank him?" Joe repeated, his eyebrows lifting. Barry nodded. "He shot one of my officers."
"He protected us, Joe," Barry insisted. "If it weren't for him, who knows what this metahumans could have done to you or to the others. It's not exactly easy to shed the reputation of a rogue cop."
Joe took his time to make sure his gun was on safety and put back into his holster before he replied. He placed his hands on his hips, shifted his weight from foot to foot and sighed. "Why is he here?"
Barry shrugged. "Maybe he's passing through."
"I hope he does," Joe replied, his words stern as he studied Barry. "There's already a lot going on in Central City, I don't need that vigilante being added to it."
Barry's eyebrow twitched. He brushed a gloved hand across his mouth and cleared his throat before reaching back to pull on his hood. "I'm going to go find him," he stated, his voice hoarse. Joe heard that voice many times and it always came up whenever Barry heard something he didn't like hearing or he wanted to change the subject. "Maybe you should get to S.T.A.R. labs, tell them what you saw and everything. Maybe they can figure out exactly what this meta is doing."
Joe nodded. He watched as Barry adjusted his costume but when he started to lean forward, signaling that he was about to run, Joe spoke up, "Be careful, Barry." That wasn't exactly what he wanted to say but it was close enough. He hoped Barry understood the underlying words he wanted to utter but they held firm, sticking to the roof of his mouth.
Barry nodded and when Joe blinked he was gone. Joe felt his body sag as he breathed out a long breath, the weight of the world crushing upon his shoulders. He waited for an ambulance to arrive for confirmation that Certo would pull through and then headed straight for S.T.A.R. Labs. His thumb tapped against the steering wheel the entire way there, his teeth clenching on his lower lip so much he was surprised that he didn't bite through to the other side.
"Detective West!" Cisco rushed out of one of the rooms a Joe approached. "That was a close call, huh? So you got up close and personal with the metahuman?"
"A little bit too close," Joe replied, nodding. "Certo turned on us in an instant. And his eyes were red. Like something out of a bad horror movie."
"So the metahuman just looked at him and his eyes turned red?"
"Certo mentioned that he saw a flash of light before he went crazy," Joe replied. "That mean anything to you?"
"Other than we have a metahuman with flashlights for eyes? No," Cisco said. He breathed out a sigh and ran a hand through his hair. "Can't get a good name out of that one."
"High Beams?" Joe suggested offhandedly.
The corners of Cisco's mouth moved up and down as he strained not to laugh. "We'll save that for later," he finally uttered. Then he blinked. "Wait. Where's Barry?"
"The Starling City vigilante showed up," Joe replied, every trace of amusement that used to occupy his voice gone. "He went to speak with him."
"The Hood is here?" Cisco asked, his eyebrows rising. "You saw him? Like, in the flesh. For real?"
Joe nodded. "Shot one of my officers. Certo, actually. After he shot at us."
"Wow." Cisco slowly nodded his head. "The Hood is in Central City. Did you get a good look at the guy? Hear his voice? See any…distinguishing marks?" At Joe's inquisitive glance Cisco continued, "See, I have this list of people that the Hood could be. I've narrowed it down to about a hundred and…bad timing?" Cisco visibly shrank beneath Joe's steely gaze. "Okay, I'll ask later."
"Look, I need to talk to Dr. Wells. Is he around?"
"I'm right there," Harrison announced as he rolled into the room. "This is about the vigilante, I presume?" he asked, studying Joe from behind his lenses. Joe nodded. "I see. This way." He turned around and lead Joe through the series of hallways until they got to an empty room. Harrison watched Joe sit down and get comfortable before he spoke up. "I'm sure we'll find that we're on the same page when it comes to the vigilante. I don't want him here as much as you do. Or don't, rather. He's only going to cause trouble for Barry."
"Too bad he doesn't see it that way," Joe commented. He rubbed his hands together and blew out a breath. "Always believes in the best in people."
"Nevertheless, the vigilante operates on a different level than Barry. He has his own agenda and the last thing we want is for him to emulate this man. This…vengeance-seeker." Harrison pinched the bridge of his nose and then stared hard at Joe, almost as if he was trying to look through him. "That man carries something dark within him, something that Barry doesn't need to be associating with lest he take some of it back with him. He has his own goals to reach without being derailed due to our hooded visitor."
Joe merely sat back and nodded along with Harrison's evaluation of the Hood or whatever he was called. He couldn't have said it better himself. Barry didn't need that darkness; he needed support and positive influences and light in his already dark life. He needed someone who had his best interest at heart, not some stranger with a bow and arrow. He needed someone who could help keep his head on straight. He didn't need the Hood. He needed—
You. The sudden thought made Joe sit up straight. He felt as if he had been hit by a brick, his head pounded and his ears rang. It was such a simple thought and yet and weighed heavy, crushing down on any other thoughts that tried to occupy the space. He knew there would always come a day where Barry wouldn't be around, where Henry Allen would get out of jail and they could, possibly, pack up and move away and start anew but he never allowed himself to think long about it. It was an invasive thought, as honest as it was and here it was starting to come true. He could see Barry with one foot out the door. How long would it be until the other followed suit and he was gone out of their lives?
He swallowed, breaking the lump that had formed in his throat and replaced his brief worry with his "Detective Face": void of emotion, stern gaze, tightened jaw. "We need to discuss this with Barry, lay everything out so he understands in no uncertain terms," Joe stated.
"I agree," Harrison said with a nod. "He needs to focus on this new metahumans that is wreaking havoc."
Joe mirrored his nod. "And Sage?" Harrison's eyebrows lifted, almost as if he had never heard her name before. "What are you doing with her?"
"Don't you worry about her," Harrison replied, a shadow of a smile appearing on his face to match the gleam in his eye. Joe's eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly. "I get the feeling that her time is coming up soon enough."
Joe has always harbored an adept ability at noticing changes in people; it frequently came in handy in his line of work. Dr. Wells, a confident, mild-mannered man shifted before his eyes. The light in his eyes and the smile on his face didn't line up, didn't match. It was almost as if he knew something that Joe didn't.
# # #
It felt strange staring up at the C. C. Jitters sign, like wearing someone else's sweater that was a size too small. It constricted her, squeezed her so tight it was difficult to breathe. It was a fate she suffered as of late, particularly around Barry and Iris. Her chest tightened, her head pounded, and her thoughts raced when she was in a room with either of them until she couldn't take it and came up with some sort of excuse to get away. She needed some time to herself, to decompress and think and work her way through the haze of memories that haunted every waking and sleeping moment of the past two weeks.
The questions were a constant barrage: where did she go? What happened to her? How did she wind up on the streets? Was she hurt? Did she need help? What she okay? and on and on until she felt as if a broken record had been lodged into their mouths. She had one simple answer to it all: she didn't know. She didn't know where she went, she didn't know what happened, she didn't know how she got out, she didn't know if she was hurt, she didn't know if she needed help, and she didn't know if she was okay. She just didn't know. But that answer went over like a lead balloon and every day she had to brace for brief conversations segueing into her disappearance. As if they had nothing else going on in their lives.
Barry and Iris had made up at some point but they were still hesitant around one another, a fact that Sage took with great interest. The Dynamic Duo falling apart? It was unheard of and yet she felt a strange sense of, dare she admit, joy at watching it all unfold. But she stuffed it down and sat as an ear for both if they needed it. Of course, that was when she was too tired from avoiding them. It was the perfect time to catch her, at the end of a long day when her guard was down.
It felt nice to let her guard down at the end of the day. She didn't have to walk with her shoulders to her ears, she didn't have to increase her walking pace as if she were late to an event, and she didn't have to keep glancing over her shoulder to be sure she wasn't being watched. There was no way they knew she was there at the West house. Her briefly missing ID still held her home address in Canada. So they didn't know where she lived. And if they didn't know where she lived that meant Iris and Joe were still safe but she took extra precaution in distancing herself, just to be safe.
Though it also wasn't hard to make that decision with Joe all but breathing down her neck and demanding to know where she was, where she was going, when she would get there, when she would be back, and who she was spending time with. On one hand she understood the concerns but on the other it made her feel as if she were attached to a leash.
Since she returned she kept her head down and her mouth shut, only speaking when directly spoken to and kept her focus on her classes, her workstudy, dancing, and whatever they needed of her at S.T.A.R. Labs. She did everything was asked at S.T.A.R. Labs, providing support for Barry and helping Cisco tend to Kyle Nimbus's needs as she waited for some sort of normalcy to return to her. But as time went on she slowly accepted that it was hard for anything to return to normal when, with a single sneeze, she had frozen the toaster oven or in an attempt to stop someone from falling down the stairs she pulled their arm out of their socket, and every time she attempted to go to sleep she saw the man lying on the ground, his skin decaying and falling off in chunks or other horrifying sights her mind could come up with.
It was a new normal to navigate but she was going at it alone. She refused to divulge of her nightmares when she managed to sleep, her insomnia when she didn't, her loss of time when she blinked and found herself somewhere else, the headaches so crippling she couldn't see and thought her skull was going to crack open, and the shivers so strong that she couldn't tell if she had actually been suffering from seizures instead of her body making up for the lack of a proper core body temp.
She didn't want anyone to worry any more than they already were and she didn't want help. Moreauxs didn't ask for help; no matter how many times she found herself wanting to scream the word, it became lodged behind her teeth and her thick pride. And besides, she handled it for nine months before they knew anything about her abilities, she could handle it now.
She didn't want to go to Jitters but she'd been having trouble differentiating her trembles due to the side-effects of her powers for caffeine withdrawal. It couldn't hurt to get a boost of heat while she was there, she reasoned with herself. It was enough to get her to push in through the front door where she was greeted by Iris in an instant.
"Hey, how'd it go at the mechanic?" Iris asked, cutting to the chase. Sage appreciated it, she didn't want to go through the unnecessary small talk.
"It's…going," Sage replied slowly. "The mechanic—some kid named Jax—and I kinda got into a tiff but we're working something out." Iris nodded and Sage rocked back and forth on her heels. "I was just…coming in for a drink. I need to head out so…"
"Oh, can't you wait a little longer?" Iris begged. "We hardly spend time with each other anymore."
Sage avoided Iris's pointed look, knowing that the accusation was mainly directed at her. That truth didn't stop her from replying with a click of her tongue, "That's because you're either in class, working, or with Eddie. So…"
"Yeah, well, you're with Lennox a lot too."
"Because you're with Eddie."
Iris's eyebrows crinkled. "Don't you like him?"
Sage shrugged. "Yeah. I mean, he makes you happy and he's easy on the eyes. And Uncle Joe hasn't killed him yet so there's that."
"Thank god," Iris said with a little laugh. Sage barely cracked a smile. "Okay, how about we have a girl's night soon? We can paint each other's nails and try new makeup techniques and swap clothes. Like old times."
"We'll see," Sage said in a noncommittal tone. "We're, er, adding in extra dance classes to start preparing for the competition in March. Have to keep some of my nights open." Her stomach twisted painfully at her story. It wasn't a complete lie but seeing that look on Iris's face was enough to feel like a knife had been stabbed into her gut. This is all for her safety, remember that, she told herself. "We'll find some time to do something," she hastily added.
"Yeah," Iris said, her voice quiet. "Well, um, I have to get back to work but Barry's over there with Felicity if you want to say 'hi'."
"Great, great. I'll just…go and do that. Mind getting me my usual?"
"Of course."
The two girls parted ways and Sage made a beeline for Barry. As she approached he locked eyes with her and she gave a little wave in return. The past two weeks were a bit of a challenge for them, going through his past punching him in the face with Girder and then that followed with him briefly losing his abilities due to Farooq. She'd never seen him so…so unBarry-like, she couldn't even look at him it was almost as if his shell had broken and she was staring at his purest vulnerable form. That wasn't her Barry and she didn't react well. She pushed and shoved him to get back to where he was, to be better, and to be Barry again. Their frustrations mounted until they reached a point that they weren't speaking. They were still easing back out of it.
"Hey," Barry greeted her once she was within earshot, "you, uh, doin' alright?"
"I'm up, willingly, before nine," Sage commented, "and right now everybody is a coffee cup with legs. I don't know how I'm going to get though this day."
"Iris said something about you not sleeping well lately."
"Yeah, it's no big deal. Just some bad dreams." The more she said they were dreams the more she could believe herself rather than accept that they were actually memories. Horrible, horrible memories. At an attempt to lighten the swiftly thickening air she added, "They were close-ups of your face."
"Oooh, burn!" Felicity broke in, earning a small smile from Sage and an eyeroll from Barry.
"Don't encourage her," Barry groaned.
"Oh you're just mad you're too slow to come up with a retort."
"What? What'd you say?" He held his hand up to his ear. "Sorry, can't hear you all the way from Munchkinland."
A second later Iris appeared at her side, holding two steaming mugs of coffee in her hands. Sage, on instinct, took one from her. "Sweet, thanks. Though I don't usually need a mug," she noted. As she raised the mug to her mouth she finally looked over at the person who sat closest to her. "By the way. Felicity, not that I'm not happy to see you, but what brings you here?" she asked and then took a sip. The coffee was bitter and wasn't Iris's best but she didn't comment on it.
"Well, he does, actually," she replied, pointing across the table. Sage, lifting the mug to her mouth again, turned and then felt as if she had been given a strong jolt of electricity as her eyes rested on Oliver Queen. The Oliver Queen. Staring at her, as if she had sprouted a second head. Why was he…? She blinked, swallowed, looked down at the mug in her hand, and looked back up at him.
"Er…this is yours isn't it?" she asked as she slowly lowered it from her mouth.
"Yeah," Oliver replied with a quirked eyebrow.
She looked between him and the mug a few more times and then held it out to him. "…Do you want it back?"
"That's not necessary, I can make a new one," Iris cut in, turning her large smile in Oliver's direction. "It's just black."
"Oh. No wonder it tastes gross," Sage muttered dismissively, setting it down. Her cheeks bloomed red at Felicity's and Oliver's stares and she tried to explain, "Sorry. I have, like, tunnel vision when it comes to coffee."
"That's putting it lightly," Barry quipped earning a glare from her which only made him smile innocently in return.
"So!" She turned back to Oliver, placing her hands on the table and leaning forward. "What brings you to good ol' Central City?" She fluttered her eyelashes as a smile split across her face.
His eyes flickered over to her and she nearly melted into a puddle of goo on the spot. "I have some…news I need to share with Barry," Oliver stated.
At the mention of Barry's name, Sage whipped her head around and stared at him. He merely stared back at her with a bewildered expression upon his face. "How do you know Oliver?"
"We met back in Starling City when I, uh, visited," Barry replied, lifting his chin in Felicity and Oliver's direction for confirmation.
"Well, now that you two are here you should see all that Central City has to offer," Sage suggested, clasping her hands together. "Bowling, nightclubs, ice skating, karaoke. We love karaoke around here. It's also the last week of bonfires before it gets too cold and—"
"We're not exactly staying long," Oliver interrupted her with a patient smile, "it's just a get in, get out sort of thing."
Her eyebrows furrowed. "You'd come all the way to Central City just for that?"
"Oliver has a very strict schedule we need to keep," Felicity stated, her words a little tight.
"Maybe next time," Oliver added.
He looked over her head and at Barry as he then spoke but it didn't ruffle Sage's feathers in the slightest. She reeled from having a conversation with him. An actual conversation. She'd pinch herself to check if she was dreaming but even she couldn't come up with something this spectacular. She almost didn't notice when Iris came back over with coffee, she stared at him for so long.
"Hey, Oliver," Sage all but cooed, "has Staling City eve asked you to be on some sort of Men of Staling City calendar? Because I really think—whoa!" Her question remained unanswered as Barry, despite her protests, pinched the back of her jacket and began to pull her away. She managed to utter her name to Oliver and obediently followed him, falling into step with Iris as they walked away. Once out of earshot, Iris and Sage shared a look and then slapped Barry on his arms, chastising him for not sharing the news that he knew Starling City's resident playboy. Typical.
"God, I don't think I've ever met anyone more perfect in my life," Sage groaned, looking at him from across the room.
"I know, he's on my Three List," Iris informed.
"What's a Three List?" Barry asked, looking between the two star struck girls.
"My list of three guys I'm allowed to cheat on Eddie with," she replied. "You usually don't meet people on your list but…now here he is and I just cannot stop staring at him."
"Hey, back off!" Sage cut in, "you already got yourself a pretty boy, don't be greedy." She glanced at the clock on the wall again. "I gotta get to class, Len is waiting." Turing to Barry she added, "See if Oliver has a girlfriend for me."
"I'm not asking him that."
"Barry, just check! God!" Sage bristled. 'Come on, hurt him. You know you want to', the voice returned, louder than before. The harshness wrapped around the voice's words made her recoiled a second later. Beneath Barry's shocked gaze she gave her head a shake and brushed past them. Lennox had been waiting long enough or her anyway. She put all her weight behind pushing open the door to C.C. Jitters only to internally curse when it hit someone. "Sorry, man, I didn't…" she started to apologize. A flash of green filled her vision. She blinked hard, squeezing her eyes shut and once she opened them the green haze disappeared.
And so did the man she ran into.
# # #
Roy G. Bivolo was the metahuman's name, an artist by the looks of his hideout as Barry reported before he, too, was whammied. The peculiar part about his paintings was that in every one that featured a person, the eyes had been cut out. Every single one. Cisco said that it sounded like a scene of a horror movie; Caitlin said that he watched too much TV.
Harrison ordered that the two get their eyes and minds examined to see if there was any sort of damage to them. The last thing they wanted was for Barry to be irreparably harmed (of which statement made Sage roll her eyes.) With Felicity joining them the next day, they sat around S.T.A.R. Labs talking about the past few days, their experiences with the metahumans in question—Prism as Cisco dubbed him—and just what it was that he wanted.
"So you saw flashes of red," Cisco mused aloud, removing the lollipop from his mouth to speak.
"Like Joe's partner and the people at the bank, yeah," Barry said.
"And you saw flashes of green." Cisco pointed his lollipop in Sage's direction. She nodded her confirmation. "Red induces rage but what does green do?"
"The better question is, what other colors is he capable of producing and why was red the only ones we've been experiencing now?" Caitlin question, tapping her pen against the table top as she thought.
"I think this allows us to conclude that he has the entire color spectrum at his disposal," Harrison commented, steepling his fingers and tapping them against one another. "Perhaps the usual seven, with his namesake, but then, emotions come in varying degrees. Joy and sadness becoming melancholy, fear and anger as hatred, sadness and fear anxiety…" his words trailed off. "Too many variables, too much time. Barry, we can't allow this metahumans to wreak havoc on this city."
"Yeah, I got that," Barry replied, running a hand through his hair.
"So what's the game plan? Run around until we find this guy?" Sage asked. "Oops, sorry, I mean until Barry finds this guy? 'Cause Barry's faster than all of us, after all." She leaned back in her chair, her hands resting on her stomach as she stared at the boy in question. "He has to handle everything."
"Are you okay?" Felicity asked her, speaking up from the corner of the room. "You're really…bitey."
"Oh, I'm dandy," Sage replied. "I'll just sit here, watching and waiting. Like always. Go ahead Barry, go and save the day. You're overdue."
"What is your problem?" Barry demanded. "Ever since…" he paused to choose his words carefully, "ever since that night you've been on my back. It'd be nice if you could get off it for once."
"Oh, I'm surprised you've noticed with your head being shoved so far up Iris's ass."
Barry's nostrils flared. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"You're a smart guy, you tell me." Sage gave her head a toss and scratched behind her ear. "Always running around meeting up with her at night. Secret rendez-vous. Being with her during the day just isn't enough is it? Have to fill every waking moment with her. You know she has a boyfriend."
"Guys, come on, let's get back to the task at hand here," Cisco said, stepping in between them. Sage and Barry glared at one another and then turned away. "Finding and capturing this guy. So I was thinking, reflective glasses. You know, the mirror ones?" he turned to appeal to the room. "Only put the mirrors on the other side so that he can get a taste of his own medicine."
"Don't you think if he could be affected by his own abilities he would be by now?" Caitlin asked.
"Well, from what I've found out Bivolo was a painter, a pretty good one at that," Felicity spoke up. "Maybe when the particle accelerator exploded, something in the paints affected his eyesight. Gave him this ability. Maybe that's why the eyes are cut out of his paintings, to reflect how his own eyes aren't like they used to be. That could be why he induces anger."
"See? Horror movie levels, right there," Cisco pointed out.
Caitlin scoffed at his comment. "Be that as it may, Barry you shouldn't have gone after him by yourself. You should have waited for help."
"Whose? Hers?" Barry asked, pointing at Sage. He laughed a little. "She can't even keep from turning a pencil into a popsicle. That's not exactly the help I want."
"Hey!" Sage jumped to her feet, bristling all the way. "It's not my fault everyone around here lick's your asshole like it's made of gold!" she shouted, jabbing him in the chest with her finger. "I've wanted to help you since day one! You just won't let me! None of you will!"
"Haven't you gotten your fill of attention yet?" Barry scolded, knocking her hand out of the way. "Always dancing through hoops, keeping all eyes on you. It's almost like you can't function without some sort of attention. Grow up! Why does everything have to be about you?"
"No! Why does everything have to be about you?"
In the blink of an eye Sage felt her feet leaving the ground and, in the next instant, her back collided with one of the walls of the lab. She heard gasps of surprise around the room but they were soon drowned out by the blood rushing in her ears. Grabbing onto Barry's wrists, she pushed him with all her might and he was sent flying to the other side of the lab, causing Felicity and Caitlin to scurry to get out of the way. Teeth clenched, she had started for him again only to stop when she felt Cisco grabbing at her.
"That's enough you two," Harrison shouted. His voice stopped them all cold. Judging by the expressions on Caitlin's and Cisco's faces, this was the first time they'd ever heard him raise his voice above a menacing hiss. "This bickering is doing nothing but wasting time, time we do not have and that should be used to get this metahumans. Whatever issues you have with one another can be settled at another time, but right now you need to focus."
"Yeah? Want something to focus on? Focus on my ass leaving," Sage spat in Barry's direction, her vision flashing green. She wrenched herself out of Cisco's grasp and stomped out of the room.
She blocked out Cisco calling for her to come back and Caitlin's mumbled comment to Felicity and Harrison's world-weary sigh as she stalked down a hall. She brought a couple of fingers to press up against her throbbing temple, hoping that a large headache wasn't soon to follow.
"You blew it. You had your chance to teach him a lesson, teach them all a lesson, and you blew it." Sage stopped walking as if her feet were glued to the spot. The voice was loud and clear this time. Too loud, too clear. Sage's breath caught in her throat and her body began to tremble. Pivoting, she slowly turned around and her eyes widened at the sight of her companion. "Who knows when you'll get another," Bette continued, stepping towards her.
"B-Bette?" Sage asked, her word hesitant. "H-how…?" her unasked question hung in the air.
Bette's eyes hardened as she brushed a waterlogged strand of hair out of her face. "Had some help. No thanks to this bunch," she replied. "They did nothing for me. All those promises for nothing. Why are you sticking around? It's clear they're not going to help you."
"There's…there's no one else," Sage muttered, her eyes darting around the hall. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be real. Bette…Bette was dead. How was she standing here? How was she in S.T.A.R. Labs? "There's no one else…"
"You don't need them," Bette hissed. "They said they would help me and look what happened. They don't care. They don't care about anyone but Barry. They don't care about you. They won't help you. So you need to help yourself."
Sage gulped. "How?"
"Get rid of the competition. Get rid of Barry." Bette closed the distance between them. Sage could smell the pungent scent of river water clinging to Bette's damp skin. "You're the only one who can. You can slow him down. You can hurt him." She brushed a droplet of water off her nose. "And when you're done with him, you can take down Wells too."
A/N - Hey all, I hope you're doing well! We're finally onto (the unofficial) Part Two of The Mark of Sage! From here on out, even though this story is based around show canon, there will be deviations so it doesn't follow it exactly. Thus the added note to the story's summary. Also, originally this was going to be one long chapter but I decided to split it up into two parts. This chapter takes place two weeks after Sage's abduction, thus deciding to skip the episodes with Blackout and Girder because, well, I don't really need them for this story. Thanks for being patient with me as always. I greatly appreciate it.
So there's some friction with Joe regarding the Arrow, on a detective and personal level. I always wish his thoughts on the Arrow being around was expanded a little bit so I brought in what I think could have also caused his disdain. And Barry and Sage have both been whammied! They both said some hurtful things, but truthful nonetheless. Whether they both realize that is the question. And Bette's alive! Or is she? You'll have to stay tuned to figure it out. And what happened to Sage and the effects of it will be revealed within the next few chapters so there's that to look fowrard to.
Also, a big round of applause goes to Guest for guessing Sage's codename right! He codename is officially Shiver! Being the only one who got it right, you get a special prize, Guest. Now whoever is behind that particular anon Guest name (be honest here people) you get a one-shot of your choice! Whatever you want, I'll make a one-shot for you. A scene of Barry and Iris as kids? Eddie and Joe on patrol? Sage and Eddie spending time together? A childhood scene of Snart and Lisa? Whatever you'd like!
Thanks all to those who have fav'd and alerted lately and thanks to all who have reviewed! I appreciate your support and enjoy writing this story so much, knowing others are receptive to my work is amazing. Thanks again.
Now review replies! (Because I've skimped on 'em for the past few chapters and I feel bad.)
babyj - I'd go with puppy. In fact, I see Eddie almost as a golden retriever puppy. Eddie, along with some other characters in the show, I felt could have been fleshed out more and felt a bit frustrated when they weren't. In this story I like taking that chance and making them a little more solid, which is also why I brought a scene in from Joe's POV in this chapter. Eddie will have more challenges and scenes thrown his way to help bring him to life a little more in my mind. Which is also why I brought in more with Iris. Iris could be given a lot more to deal with in the show but I feel almost as if she's more of a background character now that Barry's not so into her, having taken a step back to wait for her to come to him. She deserves to have her own story and goals outside of him and, like Eddie, I want to bring that forward in this story as well. As for Snart being chosen as a main character, I really enjoy his character. Over the course of the Flash and Legends we get more background on what makes him tick, what makes him the way he is, and how he approaches life as time goes on and I enjoy that. When it comes to designated "villains" of a show, if they're charismatic enough in one way or another I want to know more about them. And at the time of me coming up with the idea of this story, back around November 2014, we knew next to nothing about him and I wanted to see if I could write to answer those questions I had about him. He's one of the better characters in the show, imo. And while I am using him more than the Reverse Flash at the moment, the reason as to why will start to be revealed soon, in the next chapter even! Thanks for the review!
Guest - Thanks! Sage being used as a pawn is the least of her worries, at least they will be soon... ;) Congrats! You guessed her codename right! It's Shiver! As I mentioned above, you now get a one-shot from me as a prize!
Ethan - Yeah, they both have less than ideal men for fathers, something that Snart is not oblivious towards. Hmmmm ;) To be fair, Eddie can come across as bland in the show sometimes but I am trying to add some meat to his bones, so to speak. All I'm saying is that Dr. Wells not being in a rush to help her will come to a head soon. Thanks for the review!
~C.M.