Within Seconds // Barry Allen

Needed Seperation

Barry wasn't able to do anything except sit with the team in silence. He was forced to watch Parker stay stationed within Cisco's arms, watch their best friend comfort her, instead of him.

Despite any jokes he whispered in her ear, Cisco couldn't change the expressionless look on her face. She was deep in shock. No one could do a thing. 

"We have to get out of the facility," said Dr. Wells suddenly. 

"We just left him on D-level," said Barry.

"We'll never make it to the main entrance from here," doubted Caitlin. 

"What about the garage? The mobile lab van?" offered Cisco. 

Dr. Wells stared pointedly at Barry. "That's my move, Mr. Allen. I say we make a run for it."

"I still don't have my speed," announced Barry, after successfully vibrating his hand, but not his legs.

"It must be mental, not physical," concluded Dr. Wells. 

"Oh!" exclaimed Cisco. "You have the yips!"

"'Yips?'" questioned Barry. 

"You know, like, when the second baseman all of a sudden can't throw to first, or a golfer tries to putt and then they get all embarrassed and upset and that makes the yips worse and then it makes everything a hot mess and they feel like even more a..." Cisco stopped when he caught the horrific look on Barry's face. Lamely, he finished, "...failure."

Parker turned her head from Cisco's chest. "Speed,  no speed, you still have the urge to help people. Your friend said you were struck by that lightning for a reason. Do you believe that?"

A tiny smile on his lips, Barry looked to her gratefully. She was able to give him a sliver of hope within himself that, previously, didn't exist. 

"Let's move," decided Dr. Wells.

At the turn of every corner, Barry continuously glanced back to ensure Parker continued to follow. His heart hurt every time he looked at her. 

Parker's heart hurt regardless. In her head, she relived the interaction with Farooq over and over. What blew Parker away was that she was going to let him kill her. She tried to scramble from the scene, but she didn't fight for her life. She panicked. Disappointment didn't begin to explain how she felt about herself. 

Parker bumped into Dr. Wells' chair. "Sorry," she muttered.

If he heard her apology, he didn't convey it. His focus was stuck on the handle of his wheelchair, shaking it, trying to get his chair to move forward. 

The engine of the van Barry was waiting in sputtered until it died. He hopped from the vehicle, only to dive to the ground when Farooq entered the garage, firing bolts of electricity at him. 

Caitlin, Cisco, and Parker ran to Barry's aid. 

"Hey!" shouted Dr. Wells. "You're here for me."

Against Barry's neck, Parker let out a terrified wheeze. His fingers laced with her own, tightly, unsure of whether or not Farooq was going to leave them be. 

"Finally, you show your face," said Farooq. 

Dr. Wells casually leaned on the armrest of his chair. "Well, I wasn't exactly eager to be killed."

"Neither were my friends."

"I know. I hurt a lot of people that night."

"People? You don't even know their names!"

"Jake Davenport. Darya Kim. Ralph Dibney. Al Rothestein. Grant Emerson. Will Everett. Bea de Costa," His eyes flickered to Caitlin, pausing briefly. "Ronnie Raymond," he finished. "I know the name of every person who died that night. They all mattered. And the fact that the world is now deprived of their potential is something I have to live with everyday. But these people, they have done nothing wrong. You want to punish me? Fine, let's do that, but let these people live."

At last, Parker understood why he rejected her idea to find a list of people who were killed that night. Dr. Wells had those names drilled into his brain. He lived with the guilt every single day. When people he had hurt returned as meta-humans, he was reminded of how the explosion, his doing, negatively affected the world.

"You died that night, too," whispered Farooq. 

"No!" shouted Barry. 

Parker clenched the fabric of his sweater. She couldn't let him jump in front of Dr. Wells, not while he was still human. 

"You just didn't know it until today."

A breeze blew her hair into her eyes. Her hands went from squeezing Barry's sweater to sitting still in her lap. In front of her sat Dr. Wells, not Barry. 

The Flash returned. 

Barry dodged electricity beams effortlessly, then Farooq shot two at the same time, which caused him to stand tall. Soon enough, his own orange energy was exerting, overloading the man. He hit the floor. 

"Iris," said Parker quietly. 

"What?" panted Barry. 

She cleared her throat. "Iris!"

Barry hesitated. She pointed to the exit. He sighed, then obeyed. 

"Parker, can I take you home?" offered Cisco softly. 

She snatched the keys from the floor. "I can do it myself."

××××

From: Barry Allen
Eddie got shot. It's kind of funny he's high on the hospital medicine

To: Barry Allen
Tell Eddie I hope he's alright.

From: Iris
Why aren't you here?

To: Iris
Tired. Sorry.

From: Iris
Barry's here with me, said he's planning to spend the night at your place. Mind if I join the party for a little bit? Could use some friends right now...

To: Iris
Not feeling it. Sorry.Tell Barry that too.

From: Iris
You okay?

Parker's fingers hovered over the keys. She deleted what she wrote. She decided to not answer. 

Into the blankets on her bed, she curled up, the quiet atmosphere of her apartment embracing her sadness. She wanted nothing to do with the outside world, nor her friends, or her life. She needed time to be careless, to let herself go.