The Start of Something Wonderful
Oliver Queen stared at the young man, a look of utter confusion on his face. It seemed like a better option than absolute incredulity. He'd seen this man before...in the bunker. Officer Lance and John Diggle stared mildly as this kid who looked like he should have been in high school walked up to them, apologizing for being late to a crime scene.
“Great, who the hell are you?” Officer Lance asked the kid.
“And do your parents know you're out here?” Oliver said with a sarcastic edge.
“I'm Barry Allen I'm from the Central City Police Department I'm from the Crime Scene Investigation Unit. We're working on a case over there with a few similar qualities to this...rather unusual robbery. So my captain sent me down here to see if they might be connected. And you're wrong by the way, this wasn't a team, it was one guy.”
“You mean one man tore through the door, ripped this outta the ground like tin foil?”
“There's only one set of prints in the floor, other than the victims and the bruising on the guards neck is consistent with manual strangulation. It's like he held the guy's neck with one hand and snapped it. Which is a lot harder to do than a lot of people realize...medically speaking I mean.” Barry said in a rush.
'Who is this guy. He's not wrong; whoever did this is juicing steroids on crack. But...”
“What do you think Oliver?” John Diggle said suddenly. “Oliver?” He repeated.
“I think things are getting interesting. I'd like to hear more about what is going on here.”
“I'm sure we all would.” Felicity said casually. “And I can tell the gers are turning, I will leave you to that.” She turned away.
“Ms. Smoak, a word?” Officer Lance said in his quiet but urgent tone. She walked a few steps away with him. “Any word from our green-hooded friend?” Lance asked in a low whisper. Felicity was forced to smile. It hadn't been so long ago Detective Lance had been pursuing the vigilante as a threat the city needed to be rid of and had had no clue who she was. And now Officer Lance was helping her and the Arrow catch the bad guys. And while he didn't realize it, 'the Arrow' was already aware of the crime, solving it on scene with them.
“You're right, this is something he'd be interested in. I'll 'get word'.”
Meanwhile Oliver was having almost as interesting a conversation with Barry Allen. “Is this why you're here? And what the hell is going on?”
“I don't know what the hell is going on. And figuring that out is why I'm here, yes.”
“We have a very pointed conversation in our very near future.”
“The kind at the end of an arrow or the more colloquial kind.” Oliver started to glare at him. “I didn't mean that as a threat. I'm just a little nervous, sorry.”
“Well that's fair enough. And no, I'm not threatening you. But I am curious.”
“Understandably. I just don't thing this is a particularly good time to have this talk.”
Oliver looked around the room and realized in an instant that the guy had a point. “Alright, but soon. Maybe tonight, Verdant, 9 pm?”
“Yeah I'll...I'll be there.”
“You're going off to have a drink with that guy?” Officer Lance said casually.
“Just thought that maybe he won't be so weird in a non-crime-lab setting.”
“That guy oozes weird Oliver.” Quentin Lance said with a shake of his head.
“...Don't disagree.” Oliver replied. "But all the best people are at least a little weird." Quentin nodded his acceptance and went back to examining the crime scene. keeping a weather eye on the young scientist.
Oliver turned to leave and found John Diggle beside him. “You know that kid?”
“We've Met. Something tells me I'm going to be seeing a lot more of him too.”
“Someone we need to keep our guard up around?” Diggle guessed.
“At least until we can figure him out.”
Barry Allen had been in town for 2 days. In that time he had managed to save the Arrow's life, show up at Queen Industries with a lot of good answers for everything, and fanboy over all the cool gear at the bunker. He had also managed to introduce himself to John, Felicity, Quentin and Laurel Lance and give very different impressions to each of them. Oliver had to admit, that was probably because each of his friends would look at a person differently, and be looking at different markers. Officer Quentin Lance hadn't noticed anything particularly wrong with the guy, except that he was one weird kid. John had kept his opinions mostly to himself but agreed they needed to keep their guard up around him for now. Laurel had laughed at his cuteness of which he had plenty, and Felicity was glad to finally have someone to speak geek with. After calling Captain David Singh of the CCPD and confirming Barry Allen does in fact work for him as a part of the Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Oliver was willing to give Barry the benefit of the doubt. Especially after Barry had given him leads on where to find several of the criminals involved in various heists around town, an analysis of the DNA of the man who had left him flat on his back. Oliver had a feeling that Barry showing up at the bunker, learning who was under the hood, appearing at a crime scene where something impossible happened was simply too coincidental to be a coincidence. For him the only question was whether Barry was trying to be an actual cop and solve these crimes himself or was involved in them. 'Barry is not good at answering questions. I am good at finding answers.' He mused.
So when a call came up about a group 'lifting' an industrial complex at Polk and California, he left to find the truth as much as to stop the thieves. Except the kid wasn't anywhere around.
The Flash was. Taking down the Dragons of the South Side. Oliver couldn't hear a word come out of the young man's mouth as he literally sped around bashing guys on the top of the head or nailing them square in the back. Some of the most efficient non-lethal force he had ever seen. Then Oliver drew his bow. “Slowly turn.” Was all he said.
The Flash turned slowly around, hands up and apart. “You are unmistakably the one they call The Arrow.” The Flash said in a disguised voice. “Starling City's silent Guardian.”
“You are the hero of Central City. The speedster they call The Flash. And now that we've gotten introductions out of the way, tell me what you're doing here in my city?”
“I'm helping out a friend and he's helping me.”
Oliver relaxed his grip on his bow. “Barry Allen. That's why he's here? To help you?”
“Barry Allen.” The Flash said fondly. “He wants to do good and I trust him. When I work with the cops it's through him and Detective Joe West. When I need a cop's help, I go to him specifically.”
“You don't do a very good job of protecting your friends.”
“He's proud of it. Of being able to help more than just official cases that come across his lab desk. And considering how he never shuts up about you. I doubt he'd mind.”
“How well does he know me? And how far.”
“He wouldn't even tell me your name. And he's pretty good at investigating and solving any problems that are as impossible as I am. Can I put my hands down now?” Oliver lowered his bow and pointed it to the ground. Flash dropped his hands and a small smile appeared on his face. “Look, I realize he can be pretty fanboy. But he's a good kid. Don't shred him okay?”
“A man in a mask and voice changer asking me to give someone else the benefit of the doubt is kind of a stretch.”
Flash's face hardened, and if possible his eyes narrowed. “Then how bout figuring him out first, passing judgment on him later.”
“...That I can do.”
“Listen whoever you are...Barry Allen is a science genius and a loyal friend. He can help. If you're worried he told me who you were...he didn't. If you're worried he's secretly a criminal, he isn't. He's as honest as they come. Otherwise I wouldn't keep him around.”
“That doesn't exactly inspire my confidence about you. But I take your point about him.”
“Why no mask?” Barry said offhand. “Not to tell you how to do the vigilante thing, but the grease paint you use is a poor identity concealer.”
“So find me a mask which conforms perfectly to my face and doesn't effect my ability to aim while I'm on the run.”
“You should look into a compressible micro-fabric. It could be great.” Barry said with his charming yet infuriating grin.
“Flash was right, you do know your stuff.”
“You're not the only one who thinks of me as a baby-face. Almost everyone at CCPD thinks I'm too young for the job. If I wasn't so good at it I wouldn't have it.”
“Who is Detective Joe West?”
Barry let his jaw go slack. “How do you even know that name?”
“The Flash told me when he needs a cops help he goes to you and Detective Joe West. So who is Detective Joe West.”
“He's the man who raised me. We are now Deep in 'too personal for comfort' territory.”
“I don't disagree.” Oliver replied. Then gave a small chuckle. “Someone telling *me I'm getting too personal for them. That's a switch.”
Oliver looked at Barry from across the bunker. There was something about him Oliver just didn't like. The Flash had vouched for him which had been more than enough to kill any thoughts he had about Barry being a criminal. But something was still off about the guy.
“Barry, can I take to you for a second?”
“Yeah sure.” The two of them walked off about 12 paces. “What's up man?”
“I'm not the most trusting person in the universe as you might have noticed.”
“Yeah, I noticed.”
“I have a hard time trusting anyone who keeps themselves so closed off. Who shs so little of themselves. I need to know...Why are you doing this?” Strangely Barry Allen showed no signs of offense or injury. He merely slumped his shoulders a little bit and said. “Wait 3/10's of a second.” And ran away. And in one-third of a second the Flash was standing in front of him. The man didn't say a word. Instead he pulled his cowl back revealing...Barry Allen. “Everything I told you before was true. Both as the Flash and as myself. Well, obviously Captain Singh did not send me here on official business that was made up. But you already knew that.”
“You saw something 'meta' happening outside your town, decided to investigate?”
“Well...yeah pretty much.”
“I don't understand, why reveal yourself?”
“You mean other than you of all people understood what it meant to live a double life?” You were right. I can't ask you to trust me if I don't trust you. And one thing you'll probably learn about me pretty fast is that I'm as trusting as you are cynical.”
“Yeah that part I already knew. But it honestly still doesn't answer my question..”
“Yes it does. There's a kind of weirdness happening here that I thought only happened in Central City. I was thinking some meta creeped there way over here. But whoever is responsible for this isn't altered in that way more - whacked out.”
“The world is a more complicated place than people are comfortable believing. So what do you say the two of us figure out the story of this whacked out nut-job...together.”
“I'm agreeable. In fact I have a science friend who could probably help with that.”
“Another adorable nerd like yourself?” Felicity Smoak said from Barry's left. The both turned to look at her. “I'm sorry you guys 'covert argue' very noticeably.”
“This has been an interesting day.” Oliver said under his breath.
“Harrison Wells.” Barry said comfortably.
Felicity smiled. “What, The Harrison Wells? I mean THE Doctor Harrison Wells?”
“He's the reason I'm any hero at all. He gave me my powers...Yes Dr. Harrison Wells.”
“He gave you your powers, how the hell did he do that?”
“Remember the Particle Accelerator?” Felicity and Oliver nodded. “Well apparently it actually did do something. It broke a barrier in reality and let exotic particles into our world. Including dark matter. People who get infected by that stuff, become meta-humans, like me. Before we do anything, I have another question to answer... who Detective West is.”
“You already answered that one Barry.”
“But I think you should hear the whole story.” Oliver gave a respectful nod and put his hands at his sides. “My parents were murdered when I was 11. Joe adopted me. I was a kid who loved math and chemistry growing up and not very physically strong. So when I went to join him at work, it was as a CSI not a 'proper' cop. I was in a coma for nine months and when I woke up I had speedster powers. Doctor Wells has been looking out for me, training me ever since. Coming here, is well, not particularly sanctioned by Captain Singh. It's something I'm doing for myself. Can you understand that?”
Oliver walked up to Barry and pulled the cowl back down over his head, symbolically making him the Flash again. “I can understand that very well. Now let's get this guy.”
“A man in a mask and voice changer asking me to give someone else the benefit of the doubt is kind of a stretch.”
Flash's face hardened, and if possible his eyes narrowed.. “Then how bout figuring him out first, passing judgment on him later.”
“...That I can do.”
“Listen whoever you are...Barry Allen is a science genius and a loyal friend. He can help. If you're worried he told me who you were...he didn't. He's as honest as they come. Otherwise I wouldn't keep him around.”
“That doesn't exactly inspire my confidence about you.” Oliver replied. “But I take your point about him.”
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