Within Seconds: Sylas & Allen

A Speech From A Queen

Parker hadn't expected anything to be wrong with Barry. The boy had gotten everything in his life back-- his father, his friends, his job. She thought he was happy.

On the car ride to her apartment, he stayed quiet, staring out the window mysteriously.

The silence stayed throughout the night and to the following morning, until Parker was too curious to leave it alone.

"What's your deal, mopey?" she asked.

"My dad," Barry mumbled.

"He left prison. Hallelujah!" Parker cheered. Seeing his straight face, she pouted. "No? Why aren't you happy about that?"

"I am. I am, but he's leaving."

"I mean, he's got no obligation to stay. You don't need him, he doesn't have a house, he's getting old--" Parker stopped listing reasons as she realized she was being completely insensitive. "I am sorry."

"No, you're right. I just didn't understand that," Barry said. He kissed the top of her head. "I'll meet you at S.T.A.R. Labs. I'm going to drop him off at the train station."

"Tell him I can always be reached on my cell," Parker said.

Barry nodded, then he left the apartment in normal speed, his sad emotions too high for him to run.

After breakfast, Parker drove the van back to S.T.A.R. Labs. Entering the Cortex, she grabbed the silver hat from the cabinet and set it on her head.

"What is your obsession with that thing?" Caitlin asked.

Parker flinched, forgetting the team had returned. They were all scattered around the Cortex, except for the one spot in the middle of the desk, which was Parker's. She took her seat.

"I'm not sure that's even safe to be wearing. It did come from the wormhole," Cisco cautioned.

"It's not like it's going to give me mind powers, or something. It's just a plain old hat," Parker said.

Caitlin pursed her lips, flipping through the contact book on the table. "Has anyone heard from Felicity and Oliver lately?"

"Felicity called me a week ago to make Oliver a new suit. Other than that, no," Cisco said.

"New suit?" Parker repeated. "I need to see it."

"Already on top of that. I'm waiting for Felicity to send me a picture of him in it," Cisco laughed.

"Weren't they supposed to be busy being normal?" Parker asked. "Felicity said they got a house in a neighborhood."

"That's weird," Caitlin said.

"It's not a surprise they quit the quiet life. Felicity probably missed the keyboard a day after they left Starling City," Parker predicted.

"Star City," Cisco corrected.

"It's Starling City to me, as it will forever be," Parker sassed. "Why did they change it, anyway?"

"In honor of Ray Palmer dying."

Parker's eyes widened significantly. "Oh, jeez. Okay. In that case, it's Star City."

The Cortex doors slid open, revealing Barry and Joe.

Eager to get away from her falter, Parker yelled, "Hey, Barry!"

"That was the happiest hey I've gotten in six months," he said. He set his elbows on the back of her seat, his face upside down above her.

"It's because I've realized how much work I don't have to do with them here," Parker whispered.

Barry laughed, giving her a kiss. Following his sigh of bliss, he said, "You know what I haven't said in a while?"

"Okay, I'm interrupting because I'm excited," Cisco said. "Barry, Parker, guess what?"

"What?" Barry asked.

"Last night I made some adjustments to your suit."

"Oh, he called it your suit," Parker said, thoroughly surprised.

Cisco rolled his eyes. Pressing a button, the suit cabinet opened, revealing the new white emblem.

"Finally, someone listened to me!" Parker said, standing from her chair to get a closer look. "Doesn't the white just make it pop? Beautiful."

"It's just like the one from the newspaper Gideon showed us," Cisco said.

Under her breath, Parker made a noise of discomfort. She backed away from the group, who were circling around the suit.

"I was thinking, ya know, we shouldn't fear the future anymore," Cisco encouraged.

"No," Barry agreed. "And it'll be here faster than we think."

Parker pretended to look busy at the desk, trying to avoid a conversation about their future. Personally, she thought the future should take it's time.

"S.T.A.R. Labs is now safer than ever. We have increased security and surveillance," Caitlin said happily.

"Re-coded, double firewalled, electronic lock sets.. Nothing is getting through here without us knowing!" Cisco added.

"Now people can't just waltz in and out of here," Iris said, remembering how she had done exactly that only a few months ago. 

"Good that," Parker said. She pointed at the hat on her head. "Listen up, team! This thing right here, makes me the Queen of Team Flash, which means it's time for a speech--"

"For real?" Cisco whined.

Drawing his gun, Joe pointed it at Parker, his tone hard as he asked, "Who are you?"

"Turn around," Barry said to Parker, who was looking utterly confused.

Turning her head, then her body, she realized a man had walked through the building and to the Cortex, without any notice or warning.

He was tall, muscular. There was no detail to his face, since he purposely stood in the darkness of the Cortex door.

"You don't know me, but I know you, Barry Allen," he said.

Ruining the tense mood, Parker asked, "Should I move? I feel like I should move."

The stranger took a step forward. Alarmed, Parker let out a squeak, trying to take a step back, but ramming into the table. Startled by the jolt of the table, Barry zipped to Parker, standing in front of her protectively.

If the suit hadn't already been on display, Parker would have scolded Barry for using his powers. Little did she know, the stranger was already well aware of Barry's secret.

"Take one more step, and it'll be the last step you take," Joe threatened, cocking his gun. "The man asked you a question."

"My name is Jay Garrick," he said as he stepped into the light. He looked at Parker's hat, his eyebrow raised. "And your world is in danger."