The Flash: Smoke and Mirrors
Chapter Two
"You gonna finish that burger anytime soon?" asked Flash, sitting opposite someone in a Big Belly Burger restaurant. The man had brown hair and was wearing an all-green, almost alien like outfit.
"We're not all fast eaters, Bar," replied the man, savoring the burger.
"That's quite a ton of trans fats, Hal. And your body doesn't metabolize things as fast as I do," joked Barry, taking a sip of his cola.
"Speak for yourself. Flying in space is enough of a workout for me," replied Hal, pointing at the symbol of a circular lantern on his chest.
"You have no idea how lucky you are, man. You're out there in space as Green Lantern, I'm stuck here on boring old Earth, fighting dudes with freeze rays and a guy who calls himself "The Trickster" unironically," lamented Barry, taking a french fry and circling it around.
"It's not all fun, you know? As a member of the Green Lantern Corps I need to abide by-"
"A space constitution, got it. Didn't think you were a space cop, that's somehow cooler," said Barry, finishing his cola.
"Way less cool than it sounds, trust me. Anyways, how's your stuff been?" asked Green Lantern.
"Fine, I guess? I may have stumbled onto something, but I can't follow up on it just yet," said Flash.
"I'm not talking about Flash stuff, I'm talking about Barry Allen stuff. Like you and Iris? Or is that CSI chick?" asked Hal.
"You're a comedian. And please, Patty?" scoffed Barry. "I think her idea of a date would be berating me for being 3 minutes late," he continued. Hal offered him another Big Belly Burger, which Barry began to demolish.
"And about Iris…I don't know? I'm meeting her and Joe for dinner tonight, so that should be interesting," continued Barry. Hal put his handkerchief down as he stood up.
"Good luck with that, we both know I was always the ladies' man in this friendship," he winked, walking up to the door. Barry lightly burped as he followed him out of the door.
"What's next for the Green Lantern then?" asked Flash, stretching his legs. A ring on Hal's left hand began to glow a bright green.
"Looks like there's some work on Oa. I'd better go check it out," said Hal.
"Take care, GL," said Barry.
"You too, Flash," replied Green Lantern, a green aura emanating from him as he took off into the sky, till he was a small green speck. Flash chuckled as he zoomed out of the parking lot, replaying the previous day in his head.
"I'd better find where Snart ran off to, and figure out why Heatwave was so spooked about Iron Heights. Maybe Joe might know something," thought Flash, cracking his knuckles while running. He ran into an alleyway and ripped the gun out of a mugger's hand, before tying him up.
Barry ran out of the alleyway and ran only a few lanes away, where a getaway car was speeding down the street. Barry rushed to the side of the car and gave it a small nudge, using his momentum to knock it to the ground.
"Speaking of Joe, I can't forget about dinner today," he thought, speeding towards Iris' house.
The doorbell rang 3 times, with 2 short rings and one long press of the button.
"That's Barry!" exclaimed Iris, rushing past Joe and getting to the door. Barry stood outside the door, with a paper bag in his hand.
"Did you recognize the doorbell?" asked Barry, joking.
"Obviously!" replied Iris, giving him a hug.
"What's this doorbell business? Something else I'm out of touch with?" remarked Joe sarcastically, sipping a glass of wine. Barry and Iris exchanged a look, before chuckling together.
"We used to keep a secret doorbell whenever Barry got me mint chocolate chip ice cream as kids. Seeing as how you were so actively against it," replied Iris sheepishly. Joe raised an eyebrow.
"So that's where the empty tubs of ice cream would come from?" he asked, welcoming Barry in.
"Speaking of ice cream, I brought us some dessert!" said Barry, holding up the paper bag. That's when he felt the bottom of the bag give away, and the tub of ice cream began to crash down to the ground.
Barry quickly extended his right hand and caught it before it hit the ground.
"Nice reflexes, Bar," commented Joe. Barry nervously chuckled as he regained his composure, the tub of ice cream in hand. He gave it to Iris, who walked into the kitchen.
"Patty sends her apologies, she said she won't be able to make it tonight, just some late lab work," said Barry, turning to Joe.
"Uh, Joe. I had to ask you something," said Barry, as the two of them sat opposite each other at the long, rectangular dining table. A bowl of hot mashed potatoes was already on the table.
"Is it about work?" asked Joe, scooping up a spoonful from the bowl.
"Umm…kind of?" winced Barry. Joe chuckled.
"I think I'd rather keep out work and family lives separate, Barry. Trust me, it works wonders in the long run," said Joe. Barry scratched his forehead.
"It's just…it's been bothering me, ever since Rory's arrest," said Barry. Joe contemplated, but then gave an empathetic look to Barry.
"You've been part of the force for over a year now, it's okay to still feel unnerved about stuff. Hell, I was a beat cop for years and was deathly terrified of everything happening in Central City. Sometimes I feel like that fear never left," said Joe, taking another sip of his wine.
"Yeah, yesterday was just kind of unsettling. I mean, something happened," said Barry. Joe looked at him inquisitively.
"Lay it on me," he replied.
"Yesterday, when we were collecting evidence, Rory whispered out to me. He asked me where he was going, and the second I mentioned Iron Heights, his demeanour completely changed. He started begging for his life, Joe. As if he was going to Hell itself," explained Barry.
Joe's eyebrows furrowed, as he mulled it over. "You know, criminals sometimes act desperate to get out of desperate situations. Maybe he was trying to appeal to the naivete of a rookie on the force. Uh, no offense," said Joe.
"Yeah, I know. But this was genuine, not some "get out of jail free" card he was playing," reasoned Barry.
"Iron Heights has been accused of…malpractice, of the abusive variety. But there's never been any evidence other than just stories on the street. I mean if you ask me, it's certainly better than that lunatic asylum out in Gotham," replied Joe.
"But there could still be something, right? Something worth investigating?" questioned Barry.
"Barry, can you help with the chicken?" called out Iris from the kitchen.
"On my way!" replied Barry, giving Joe a nod and heading to a kitchen. Iris was holding a pair of mittens as she took out some roasted potatoes from the oven.
"Could you get the chicken over there?" she asked, pointing to the tabletop. Barry lifted it and walked back up to her, clearing his throat.
"Hey Iris, I need to talk to you about something," said Barry, lowering his voice to just above a whisper. "It's about Joe,"
Iris' interest was piqued. "What's it about?"
"Well, Patty and I have noticed that Joe has been seeming kind of…off, lately. And we think it's got something to do with you wanting to join the police force," said Barry. Iris rolled her eyes and groaned.
"It's just an idea, in case this whole journalist shindig doesn't work out. Besides, he really shouldn't worry about it, I'd make an amazing cop," she joked, flipping her red hair above her shoulder.
"I don't disagree, but it seems to have him more unnerved. Maybe you could reassure him about your decision? Like it's not that serious, and even if it is, you'd give it enough thought?" asked Barry.
Iris raised her eyebrows. "You sure Joe didn't put you up to this?" she asked.
"No, I'm just…worried, I guess. Especially with all these super criminals showing up, I guess I'd rather not have someone else I care about in danger," replied Barry, swallowing hard. Iris gave him a reassuring smile and nudged his forearm.
"I'll be fine. After all, my father is Joseph West," she chuckled, carrying the potatoes to the table, while Barry lifted the chicken.
The aroma of the food wafted across the living room, and a wide smile crossed Joe's face when he saw the chicken.
"Been such a long time since the three of us had dinner together like that, ever since Barry's…accident," said Joe.
Barry chuckled, remembering the night he was struck by a rogue bolt of lightning, blasting him into a shelf of chemicals and sent into a coma for months. Strangely, the coma that went on for 9 months felt like 9 minutes to him.
"Yeah, that day was…life changing," said Barry. Iris raised her glass of wine.
"Well, then here's to changing lives. Pretend the wine is champagne," she joked.
"To changing lives," repeated Barry and Joe at the same time, clinking their glasses. Just then, Joe's phone began to ring.
"Captain Singh?" asked Joe, picking up the call. Iris and Barry exchanged a look, then looked back at Joe, whose face went from happy from bothered in a matter of seconds.
Joe gave Barry a look, and he knew instantly what was going on.
"Uh Iris, we're so sorry, but we need to go," said Barry, standing up from the dinner table and putting on his coat.
"What, why? What's happening?" asked Iris. Joe cut the call and looked back at Iris.
"There's been a murder. Really grisly one," he replied.
"Where?" asked Barry.
"Iron Heights Penitentiary."
Patty sipped on a cup of coffee as she waited at the crime scene, trying her best to not peer at what lay behind the yellow tape. The murder had happened at Level 2 of the prison, just one floor below Maximum Security.
She looked at her phone, reading the time. 2:22 am.
Barry and Joe came rushing down the long hallway from the staircase, towards the very end of the floor where the murder had taken place.
"Victim is an inmate named Patrick Jenkins, he is…well, was incarcerated here for the better half of 4 years following the murder of his mother and brother," explained Patty. Barry could tell she was unnerved.
"You okay, Patty?" asked Barry. Joe ducked under the yellow tape to see the scene.
"No, it's…oh Jesus," sighed Patty, pinching her eyebrows.
"Holy fuck," gasped Joe, his voice barely a whisper. Barry looked back at him, and noticed his petrified look. He stood frozen in place, as if Medusa herself had turned him into a statue.
Barry gulped as he ducked under the tape. Everyone on the other side looked as if they had seen a ghost.
As soon as Barry saw what was in the cell, his stomach churned. It felt as if his intestines were rolling down a hill, and he had just seen the worse horrors that humanity had to offer.
In the middle of a cell was a man. Except, his head was missing. So was his left arm, right foot, and pieces of his abdomen. From what Barry could tell, parts of his internal organs were missing too.
That's when Barry noticed something: The man's intestines were hanging off of the tube light, his dismembered foot was wedged between the bed and the wall, and his head was lying in the sink.
Barry was speechless, as he began to feel dizzy. He blinked hard and regained his footing, looking to Joe, as if he was searching for some comfort. Joe himself backed away from the scene and tightly shut his eyes, as if blinking the scene away. He looked at Barry and Patty.
"I need you guys to…do your thing," he muttered, before dialing Captain Singh. Patty nodded as she joined Barry at the crime scene. Both of them stood silent for what felt like hours.
"Animal attack?" she asked.
"I don't even think an animal could have done this," whispered Barry, stepping into the cell. The stench invaded his nostrils as he covered his mouth with a mask, kneeling down to examine the body.
"The places where his limbs are cut, they're too clean. It couldn't have been a saw, or a knife. It would've had to be a very large and a very sharp blade to pierce through his body like that," said Barry.
"Blades always leave some sort of mark, regardless. This one looks like someone cut it like it was jelly. There's no marks, no jaggedness, nothing. It's as if his body parts just…detached," shuddered Patty.
Barry walked up to the sink and put on his gloves, rolling the head on its side.
"All clean cuts, how is this possible?" he muttered to himself.
"The blood spatter is all over the place too," said Patty, pointing to the walls. Blood seemed to be spattered in random locations. Barry walked up to a droplet of blood and examined it.
"Judging by the tail of the spatter, it's definitely caused by a blade," said Barry. He looked around the room, looking at the other spatters of blood around the room.
"Think we can triangulate where Jenkins was standing using the spatter?" suggested Patty. Barry shook his head.
"Trigonometry isn't going to work here. The spatter is…random, as if Jenkins just showed up here dismembered. Sine and cosine isn't going to help us calculate his position before…whatever the hell happened here," said Barry, not realizing that he was holding his breath.
"Allen, Spivot!" called out Captain Singh from outside the crime scene. Barry snapped out of his cerebral reverie, following Patty out of the scene and back into the hallway.
Singh and Joe were standing opposite a man in a suit, about 6 feet 2 inches tall with long, brown-red hair. His hands were behind his back, and a solemn look was on his face. A slight stubble covered his face and part of his chin.
"Barry, Patty, this is Samuel Scudder, warden of Iron Heights. Mr Scudder, this is Patty Spivot and Barry Allen, our best forensic scientists," introduced Singh. He took a sharp, deep breath as he took a quick glance at the crime scene.
"Thank you so much for keeping this under control. Iron Heights is all about making sure our inmates are safe during their rehabilitation," said Scudder. "Detective West has spoken a lot about the two of you," he continued, smiling at the duo.
"Mr. Scudder, what was Jenkins' circle like? The people he hung out with, his general behavior?" asked Joe.
"He never spent time with anybody in general, and always stuck to himself," replied Sam. Joe pointed to the cameras in the corridor.
"Are the cameras online?" he asked. Sam nodded.
Barry thought for a second, then pulled Patty away.
"What's up?" she asked.
"What if this was a metahuman attack?" suggested Barry.
Patty tapped her foot on the ground and began to think. "I mean, I wouldn't rule it out. Judging by the scene itself, it's definitely not natural," she said. Barry nodded and looked back at Scudder and Joe.
"Mr Scudder, do you have any metahumans here in Iron Heights?" asked Barry. Sam nodded, as he shifted from foot to foot.
"Yes, but we house them in a separate section in Maximum Security, one floor above. The walls, however, are lined with titanium and top notch security, so there's no way an inmate could have escaped," reassured Scudder.
"What about an outside attack? A metahuman breaking into prison to attack Jenkins?" suggested Patty.
"That's not possible either. You see, Iron Heights is contained in a metahuman dampening field, technology courtesy of S.T.A.R Labs," said Sam, pointing outside the window in the corridor, to large poles that cornered every corner of the prison.
Barry raised his eyebrows, and hid his hand in his pocket. That's when he realized that…nothing was happening.
"My speed? Getting dampened by that field…" thought Barry, realizing he was so distracted by the crime scene that he hadn't even noticed his powers were gone.
"So it couldn't have been a metahuman attack?" asked Patty.
"Doesn't seem that way," replied Sam.
"Mr Scudder, we're going to need you to come with us to the station for general questioning," said Joe. Sam nodded and followed him down the corridor, towards the stairs.
Barry and Patty exchanged a look, realizing what the other was talking about.
"He's hiding something,"
"Oh, definitely,"
"But about what? He seemed quick about shooting down any metahuman suggestions," said Patty. "And I doubt Paul Allen over there is going to give us any evidence," she continued, gesturing to the body.
"Joe will send the body to the coroner, hopefully we'll learn more then," said Barry, the two of them walking away from the scene.
"Barry, can I tell you something?" asked Patty.
"Yeah?" replied Barry.
"This is…scary. I'm not going to lie, that's one of the most fucked things I've ever seen as a forensic scientist, and believe me I thought I'd seen it all," shivered Patty, tears forming in her eyes.
"I know, it's satanic," said Barry. Patty squeezed his arm.
"Could you…not disappear when we collect evidence later, please?" asked Patty. Barry looked at his arm and back at her.
"What do you mean?"
Patty wiped some tears. "It's just, well, I know we have like an unspoken agreement where you'll handle all the lab instruments and sometimes I'm the only one left to collect evidence since you disappear a lot. But for this one…I don't know if I can do it alone. Could you stay, please?" requested Patty.
"Of course, Patty," smiled Barry, giving her a tight hug.
"Thanks," said Patty. I'm gonna get some more coffee, get you decaf?" she asked.
"You know me so well, said Patty, smiling as she walked down the stairs. Barry turned around and looked back at the corridor, then to the stairs that led up to the Maximum Security wing.
"Heatwave was afraid of Iron Heights, and then this happens? Something's wrong with this place, and I am going to find out," he thought to himself. Just then, an idea formed in his head.
"I doubt any of the staff members will tell me about this place, and I don't know if I can trust the psycho inmates here. But maybe the Flash knows someone who could tell him more…" thought Barry, shuddering at the thought.
"Time to find Captain Cold."