neighbors | barry allen//the flash

four | credit

"Hi, I'm Clara James," Clara introduced herself to the lady sitting at the front desk in the Mercury Labs building. "I'm the new lab tech." 

"Oh," the lady responded monotonously. "The one working for Dr. Parker?" 

"Yes, that's me," Clara tried to keep her smile despite the less-than-enthusiastic response. 

"Her office on the third floor. If she's not there, check the lab on the same floor." 

"Thank you," Clara said politely, walking off in the same direction everyone else seemed to be headed. Luckily, she spotted an elevator without any problem. She quickly got in, followed by a few older men in white lab coats, and a young woman with bronzed skin and short, curly hair, dressed casually in jeans and a Mercury Labs crewneck. 

"You look new here," the lady smiled warmly at Clara.

"Yeah, I'm Dr. Parker's new lab tech," Clara smiled back.

"Oh!" the lady exclaimed, "I'm the associate scientist in that lab. Angie told me we were getting more help. This is great! I'm Alice." She offered her hand.

"Clara," Clara introduced herself and shook Alice's hand. The elevator door opened, and Alice walked out. Clara checked the floor they were on, and it was the third, so she slipped out of the elevator behind Alice before the door closed. "So where is Dr. Parker's office?" 

"Just follow me to the lab, she'll want you there," Alice replied as she walked briskly down a long, white hallway. Alice scanned her ID card and pushed open a giant metal door at the end of the hall, leading to a large lab. Clara stepped in and looked around in awe at the expensive, high tech equipment, spotless countertops, and shelves lined with chemicals. For a moment, she was no longer a lab tech, but the research scientist supervising the lab, in charge of her own project. But she snapped out of her daydream when a tall, thin, woman with creamy skin and cropped blonde hair stepped out of a supply closet. Her crisp white coat and name tag gave her identity away. She was Dr. Parker. 

"Clara James?" The women spoke, her voice clear and demanding. 

"Yes, that's me," Clara smiled, hoping her voice sounded more confident than she felt. 

"Good, I hate when unauthorized people show up unexpectedly. Swipe in next time, please," the doctor gave her a tight smile. Clara tried to think of something to say back, but felt like choking.

"I'm sorry, Angie, I let her in without even thinking," Alice gave the woman a bright smile, her voice breezy and careless, "I'll give her the rundown of our daily procedures right away." 

"Good," Dr. Parker nodded, "After that she can organize the stockroom. Its been a disaster since that last kid left." 

"Of course," Alice responded, then ushered Clara to a computer station in the corner of the room. "This one will be yours," Alice pointed to a smaller monitor crammed in the corner. "Register as a new user, and it'll guide you through making your own account and how to work the program we have. Also, make sure you swipe in and out with your ID card every time you enter and leave the lab. You have an ID card, right?" Clara nodded. "Okay, good. So, just get started on the computer stuff for now, I'll be in the stockroom organizing, so when you're done, come help me." 

"Sounds good," Clara exhaled. Alice disappeared into the stockroom. While Dr. Parker didn't seem too pleasant, at least Alice was here to provide some relief. Clara got to work, filling out a few forms and questionnaires on the computer and completing tutorials about the software. The system didn't seem that complicated, and after two tutorials, Clara wondered if all eighteen were really necessary. Then again, she didn't want to start off on Dr. Parker's bad side. 

Her mind drifted to last night. She could have managed moving her furniture without Barry, the couch wasn't actually that heavy. It had been a lot easier, however, with him there, especially easier on her eyes. Plus, the confused look on his face when he opened the door to see her there was adorable, and the way he nervously ran his fingers back through his hair made her swoon. Yes, Clara could have managed the couch on her own, but she hadn't really wanted to. 

An hour or so later, Clara wandered into the stockroom. Alice was busy checking things off a list on a tablet and didn't notice her coming in. Clara took a moment to stare at the vast variety of supplies in this room. Of course, scientists working for a company like Mercury Labs would have access to anything they would every need for their research, but Clara couldn't help but gawk. 

"Oh, hey Clara," Alice finally looked up. "Would you mind going through that cabinet and checking expiration dates, and throwing out what's gone bad?" She pointed to her left. The cabinet was huge.

"Sure," Clara said quietly. She grabbed a stepladder to reach the top shelf. She wasn't that short, in fact, she was slightly taller than average, but the cabinet was just that tall. She quickly went to work, checking each bottle carefully. After about fifty or sixty bottles, she finally found one that had expired. This was going to be a long day. 

Her thoughts once again wandered to Barry. His expression when he realized he caused the alarms to go off was priceless. Still, amid the crisis, it seemed as if he was still almost smiling at her as he left. And what was he going to say before the fire alarms went off? It was something about what she could do to make it up to him for helping. Maybe she should bring him dinner sometime. Or what if he was just really annoyed with her? What if he was going to tell her to make it up to him by leaving him alone?

"Do you mind if I put music on?" Alice asked suddenly, dragging Clara out of her thoughts. 

"No, that's fine," Clara answered uncertainly. 

"Angie has a meeting, so she won't be back for a bit, and I am so tired of this silence," Alice laughed a bit.

"Angie?" Clara questioned.

"Dr. Parker," Alice clarified, then turned on some quiet, but upbeat and catchy tune. "I guess you can say we're on a first name basis. You'll get there soon enough. Trust me, I was the first way when I started out. She seems cold now, but she'll warm up to you. Plus, she gives great bonuses." 

"That's nice to hear," Clara smiled. They settled into a comfortable quietness with the music filling the silence. At least, until Alice's stomach started to growl. 

"Oh my gosh," Alice blushed, and checked the clock. "No wonder, its one already. Do you wanna grab something to eat?" 

"Sure." Clara shrugged.

"There's a cafeteria on the main level," Alice explained as they swiped out of the lab. "It actually has really good food, another great thing about working here." They ordered sandwiches and sat down a table. 

"You're not from Central City, right?" Alice questioned. 

"No, I went to university here, but I'm originally from a small town in the middle of nowhere," Clara explained. 

"Wow, well that's a big change." 

"Its a good change." Clara smiled uncomfortably, and glanced at one of the TV screens in the cafeteria. The Flash was the star of the story once again. This time, he had saved dozens from a burning building.

"So have you encountered the Flash yet?" Alice inquired, following Clara's gaze.

"Not personally. But he seems pretty popular." 

"I saw him once, on the way to work. It was crazy, just a red streak through the street. Later on the news I saw he had stopped another one of those metahumans." 

"Does anyone know who he is?" 

"I'm sure a few people do, but I think if he wanted everyone to know, they would already." 

"I wonder why he does it. Some guy is walking around, wearing normal clothes, going to work, blending in, and no one knows how many people he's saved. No one is thanking him." 

"I guess the same reason we do our job," Alice mused. "Most people don't understand what we do for them, what we sacrifice to help them, but even if no one really gives us credit, we know we're helping, and that's what matters to us."