Running Over Water

[5 - Funny Suit]

Percy

We walk in and we're immediately lost. It's such a large building that we don't even know where to go. "Now what?" I ask, looking at Annabeth who was admiring the building in awe. But that's when I realized something.

For a place that's supposed to be abandoned, it's awfully clean. The windows shined, the floor was polished, everything was in place. Since this place was abandoned after the explosion, you'd expect the place to be a mess, but it's not.

I quickly look back outside towards the parking lot. I didn't pay much attention to it before but there were a few cars parked there.

I don't think we're alone in this building.

"Annabeth?. . . I don't think we're the only ones here," I look back inside when I don't hear an answer. I scan the lobby but she's disappeared. "Annabeth?" I ask again. "Did you wander off again? I swear to all the gods-"

My sentence is cut off when I'm suddenly in a new room than I was before and I don't know how or why. I immediately press my hand against the nearest wall, which wasn't far and clutch my stomach. My body felt like it was inside-out and I felt last nights dinner come up. "I'm gonna throw up," I wheeze.

I have absolutely no idea what had happened. One moment, I was in the lobby and the next, I'm in this prison of some sort. And all I saw was a blur of red between that brief moment.

I slowly look at my surroundings, no longer seriously nauseous. I was in a very enclosed space, it started to make me feel claustrophobic. The walls were a dark blue and the door was made of glass. Something tells me the door won't open if I want it to.

I feel someone watching me, and I look up, hoping it's Annabeth but instead, it's a man in a funny suit.

There's shock to his half-covered face, but he immediately shakes it away, trying to disguise his emotions.

I assume he has someone talking to him through his earpiece because his hand flies to his ear before he can say anything to me. "I know," he whispers harshly and turns away from me. But it's not exactly a whisper since it's rather loud. I can hear his entire conversation but it wasn't interesting, so I got bored after a bit.

He turns back to me and suddenly, he looks so strangely familiar. I know, I sound like Annabeth. Why are there so many people that we seem to recognize here?

"Why are you here? Who are you?" He says the last bit a little hesitantly, as if he already knew the answer to his own question.

"I feel like I know you," I lift my head up, ignoring his question. I just can't seem to put a finger on who this guy was.

"You must've seen pictures of me. I've been pretty popular around here nowadays," he says warily.

"No, no. Not you. Not this weird freaky suit guy. I mean, you. The person under this mask of yours." I examine his height, stature, build, voice, all while trying to come up with who this man could be. All of a sudden, memories of today came back to me. "Barry?" I gasp out.

I noticed his eyes go wide and I know if he denies my accusation, it'll be a lie, because this person is Barry. How could this be?

"That explains the whole, 'it's protocol' schist," I throw my hands up in the air. "You weren't going as a CSI, you were going as, well, whatever you call yourself."

Barry's smart enough not to deny what I've said. "Flash, they call me the Flash," he sighs and looks down.

I'm about to say some snarky comment on how ridiculous that name is but my stomach rumbles, and I know what's going to happen next. "I'm gonna hurl," I gasp out loud.