an: there's a picture in this chapter but ffn hates pictures. / I suggest opening the image in another tab and going back to it when it gets there, or just reading the image description - link to image - tinyurl[dotcom]/westscreenshot
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Part Three
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Today (8:43am)
So, there are officially a lot more people saying that Eddie did this.
(8:45)
I thought I got to text first this time
(8:48)
I've been awake for the last two hours. I waited as long as I could, but people at CCPN are emailing me, asking me why my boyfriend went off the deep end.
(8:49)
Well, that's a little personal for an email, don't you think?
(8:50)
Point is — word's getting out there about this. Any changes?
(8:51)
Not since yesterday
(8:51)
I'm sorry, Iris, but this might take some time.
(8:54)
But it doesn't have to! I talked to my dad about Eddie, and he just kept on going. Said he couldn't get away, and to trust in the department and the Flash. That's you. You can do something.
(8:55)
I am doing something. I'll msg you once I know more, ok? Once I have a plan.
(8:56)
What if I have a plan?
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(9:30a)
Just wondering, you're not into more... vigilante stuff, are you?
(9:32)
What?
(9:35)
[image: screenshot of a convo between Iris and Joe where Iris wants Joe to come back and help save Eddie, and Joe says he can't break Eddie out of holding, and Iris says but the Flash can.]
Before you say no, I know that everyone's doing their best, but Eddie's still in there while some meta-human runs free. If he's not out by tonight, could you maybe… help out?
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(11:30a)
I really should've given you something with read receipts. It's fine; I'll take your extremely long silence as a no. But I have a plan B.
Better than that, I have solid information. I've been online all day, going through CCPN archives, and this guy — this meta — has to have done it before. At least six crimes, including Eddie's and the bank robber from the other night. More importantly, from the footage of the shooting, I figured out that the killer is left-handed! That could be the key to differentiating between Everyman and their victims.
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(11:45a)
Ugh, I'm taking this intel over to STAR Labs. They might have something to do with all this weirdness, but they're also guaranteed to be there rather than wherever it is you are right now..
(11:46)
No shade, just you know facts. They're homebodies over there.
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(12:14p)
My intel rocks! I totally should've been a detective. You should've seen it. I went in there, told them everything that I'd told you, and took DOWN that meta. Everyman's in my car right now. Looks like I don't need help from anyone after all :)
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(12:36p)
Update: Meta woke up, shifted, and escaped. In retrospect, we should've stabbed them w/ the serum Caitlyn made before we tried transporting them.
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(3:45p)
Did you leave your phone somewhere? You're not responding to anything I say. Caitlyn and I almost got arrested for fake-kidnapping the meta's fake-little-girl body. Thankfully, pretty much everyone knows me at CCPD so all is well.
(3:48)
If you aren't screening my texts, could you maybe look for my friend Barry? I know this meta doesn't hurt the people that they pretend to be, but I want to be sure. He looked so much like him.
(3:54)
But it was weird, you know? Because I should've known something was up. the way fake-Barry looked at me…. Barry — that's my friend — we've known each other our whole lives, and when my Barry looks at me, it's like… coming home, like there's this well of emotion I guess. But fake-Barry looked at me like I wasn't even there. Like he had no idea why I was talking to him, and it was only a second or two of looks, of that emptiness and lack of recognition, but it was so weird.
Not having Barry be Barry. And I didn't even know
(3:56)
I'm rambling. And you're still not responding. We can chat later. After the meta's caught and everything.
(3:58)
Or not. We can pretend I didn't send a bunch of texts about basically a second of interaction w/ a metahuman.
(4:03p)
The metas, they kind of all mess with your brain though. My brain, at least. Even when they're not trying to, they bring out stuff in us. Worries, like a meta who can be anyone, or a meta who makes everyone angry, or even a meta that can go so fast that no one can stop him. Sometimes, it's as simple as wondering what you'd do if you could do what they could. Today, I would've gone in there, grabbed Eddie, and probably wouldn't have stopped running until he was way out of the reach of CCPD and the American police force. When you could be anything and do anything, how do you even know what's right?
(4:05)
How do you ever know what's right?
(4:06)
Okay, I'm just going to stash my phone now. Sorry.
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(4:30)
Holy shit, Iris, that's… a lot that you're thinking about. & We will definitely talk about all of that, but you might wanna head on over to the precinct. You're not the only one who caught Everyman today :)
(4:45)
Are you serious?
(4:46)
You caught him? Like caught him caught him, knocked him out and he's done?
(4:47)
And Eddie?
(4:48)
Why do you think I said head to the precinct? I know for a fact that Eddie can't wait to see you too.
(4:50)
You're amazing.
(4:50)
Seriously.
(4:50)
Thank you.
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(9:18p)
So, did you go home with him?
(9:21)
Yeah. Eddie's been through a lot today, and I couldn't really consider spending the night away from him after that. I definitely couldn't forgive myself if the last time I saw him, I was walking away. Or if the next time I saw him, after all this, idk he could've looked at me like…
(9:22)
Like the fake-Barry
(9:23)
Yeah…
(9:24)
It's good that you're talking to him, Iris. It can't be easy losing someone like you, for anyone.
(9:27)
Yeah, well, if he wants to keep me, he still has to talk to me 'cause I don't have any more answers than I did before. He told me about working with you, but I feel like there's more.
(9:28)
You sure that's not just the fear talking? You said a lot earlier about being afraid of what's right and what you would do. You don't seem very sure of even yourself right now. Could you, I don't know, be projecting some of that onto Eddie?
(9:31)
I /know/ that there's more that he's not telling me. That's not paranoia. That's instinct.
(9:34)
I said that stuff earlier because I was terrified of what was happening and of losing people I cared about, so please don't turn that stuff against me.
(9:36)
I'm not trying to turn anything against you. You have every right to be terrified, Iris. There's so much going on that you can't explain and for someone who thrives on clarity and answers, it's gotta be hard.
(9:37)
But you've got to trust someone sometime.
(9:37)
And I don't just mean me. You don't even know me.
(9:40)
I know your favorite color's red.
(9:41)
I'm serious
(9:43)
You definitely grew up here. You're too comfortable and too indebted to CC's safety. Plus, you didn't even hesitate in CCHS, so I'm guessing you probably went there.
(9:44)
This isn't a gaame
(9:47)
I've definitely served you coffee before.
You were bullied at some point.
You're at least 6' tall, and you might try to act like this all in a day's work but helping people is more than a job for you. You love this.
(9:48)
I do love this, and so do you. Kid who grows up seeing a lot of the bad in the world, you start to get really in to all the good out there. The smiles, the heroes, the love
(9:50)
Touché
(9:52)
I asked Eddie about leaving btw. He chose to stay in holding. Do the right thing.
(9:53)
That's my guy.
(9:54)
Yeah, that is.
(9:56)
I should probably go back to him actually. I wandered away, told him I needed to update my dad.
(9:57)
Lying to him might not be the best thing. Pot, kettle, etc.
(9:59)
He doesn't do too well with me talking to other guys. Not in the bad possessive kind of way, just….
Before I go, can I tell you one more thing, in confidence?
(10:01p)
I don't know, Iris, you maybe shouldn't tell me everything, you know. Really, you might regret it eventually. If I'm not the person you expect me to be
(10:05)
When I caught the meta, Everyman looked /just like/ Barry, and then Barry wasn't responding to any of my messages. Neither were you, or my dad, or Eddie obviously. For the first time, in a long time, I had absolutely no one to talk to, and…
(10:06)
And…?
(10:10)
So I kept thinking. I thought about the right and wrong thing, and the way that meta made me feel, how I couldn't even tell that he wasn't my Barry, and I knew where everyone else was, you know. Where my dad was (in Starling), where Eddie was (in holding), where you were (somewhere saving people, doing things), but I had no idea where Barry was. Or what was happening with him
(10:12)
Everyman took over Barry's life, and I had no idea. Just like I didn't know what was happening w/ him when he woke up. I've totally lost touch of the most important guy in my life and that's completely on me.
(10:15)
I stopped paying as much attention to him bc he did these tight smiles all the time and he had this weird moment a few weeks back where he was convinced that I felt the same way about him and I stopped paying as much attention to him.
(10:17)
And now I'm losing him. But if I let myself see everything, what if I see too much? What if…
(10:25)
What if what?
(10:27)
You know what, I'm sorry. You're right. I shouldn't be saying all this.
(10:28)
If you need to let it out, you can do that, Iris. I'm here for you.
(10:30)
I'm really sorry. It's just a lot, and I have no one to talk to about it. My dad raised me and Barry, so I can't talk to him. I definitely can't tell Eddie that sometimes I wonder what it'd be like to just… give in
(10:31)
To what?
(10:32)
Idk, the inevitable?
(10:33)
Iris, if you think whatever this is — whatever you think you might have or not have is inevitable, maybe… maybe you should talk to Eddie.
(10:36)
And say what? "A meta-human framed you for murder and I spent hours thinking about how I couldn't tell something was off about Barry."
(10:37)
Your girlfriend came up to you with that, what would you do? Hear her out or walk out?
(10:39)
Better question, what do you want him to do?
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(11:14p)
I don't know
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(2:36a)
You know the show "How I Met Your Mother"? They have this dumb porch test, like can you imagine sitting on the porch with this person when you're super old and just like playing games and talking about the good old days.
Since I saw it, I've seen me and Barry, and a picture of my dad visible through the window. & sometimes, I think I could see Eddie there too. But other times….
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(9:47a)
Go outside.
(9:48)
Why?
(9:48)
Go outside of your place, right now
(9:49)
Are you kidnapping me?
(9:50)
You wish. Really, Iris, go outside
(9:50)
Fine. I'm coming.
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(9:53)
:D
(9:53)
My brownies
(9:54)
The robbery was meta-related, so I owed you. + You look like you need them
(9:56)
I just woke up, you jerk
(9:58)
Thought you were always up early
(9:59)
Well someone kept me up late
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(10:04a)
I meant you, Flash
(10:05)
Oh
(10:06)
Thanks for the brownies