❛ chapter fourteen! ❜

fourteen | soldier—fleurie

       The almighty stands tall before us and I'm doing my best to stay anchored to my spot next to Barry—his hand still around my arm. We listen to the self proclaimed god of speed babble about the Greek myth of Atlas, who could not put down the sky until someone took his place. He compares the myth to our current situation as he paces closer to us, the closest he is the fastest I can put my hands on him—or I could, since Barry's making sure to keep certain distance between the speedster and us by taking a few steps back.

       "How do I get him out?" I hear Barry ask hastily. He's not letting go of my arm any time soon, so I just stand by him, letting rage build up inside me. Savitar doesn't reply to him, he looks at me instead.

       "Finally, face to face again, Violett Hale," he purrs, taking a step closer. I'm about to do the same but Barry's hand pulls me closer, "How heroic, you know, you taking Wally's place. It's really a shame and sad that it didn't work," he snaps, "what a hero you turned out to be, Fast Track."

       "How do I get him out!" Barry demands again, his voice filled with rage and not letting me bark something back at Savitar. I can feel the Speed Force going wild inside of the green eyed man that stands next to me; he's had enough, and so have I.

       "Wally's gone," Savitar growls, and I feel a sharp pain in my chest because I know it's true. We can't get him out of the Speed Force that easily, he's most likely gone for good. I clench my jaw and I feel my hands curling into fists as they itch to pull his eyes out, slowly and painfully. Each word he says fuels the fire he's ignited within me, "He's suffering in an endless void for all eternity. Another victim Barry Allen failed to save!"

       His last words are what pull the trigger in Barry. The hand around my arm disappears, I feel a smirk touching my lips when I see him barrelling towards our opponent, I let him make the first move, I'll get my chance later. After all, Savitar is out of the Speed Force and he can't go anywhere I can't find him now. The two speedsters ram into each other for the first time and both are sent back by the impact, both manage to keep their ground. Savitar speeds away first, closely followed by The Flash and I. We see him get inside the old factory and we do the same, yet we go on different ways. I have always loved being stealthy and I'm really good at it, so I look for a place to surprise the speed god. From where I stand, I see the back of the man in the armour in the centre of the alley, Barry's in front of him and I stay as quiet as I can, ready to act.

       "I'm gonna kill you!" Barry screams, his voice echoing throughout the alley.

       "If you had the strength to end my life, you would have done it in the future," Savitar states, stepping closer to him, "but Barry Allen doesn't kill, he's the good guy, he's the boy Joe raised, he's the hero—"

       "Barry Allen doesn't kill," my voice drowns every sound in the alley and the god turns around. I feel the smirk playing on my lips and my power tickling all over my body, "Oh, but I do."

       In a blink, both of us are barreling toward one another. I can hear a battle cry escaping my throat, one that is soon followed by the sound of thunder when my fist makes contact with his face. He flies back to the ground and I land on my feet, yet he bolts towards me again, swinging his metal fist at me. I'm fast enough to slide between his legs, he turns around as he looks for me and I'm already on my feet with my fist buzzing and covered by white lightning, similar to his and I feel the confusion it brings, that's something new—I punch him again, throwing him to the floor, leaving the confusion at the back of my head.

       "You made a big, big mistake on coming here," I say as I pace towards him, "I thought I told you not to mess with my friends," he gets on his feet and slams my body against a wall, his huge hand over my chest.

       "You know I could kill them in a blink," he hisses. Not minding Barry desperately telling him to let me go times.

       "The last person who told me that got his heart ripped out after destroying my earth," I seethe, he throws his fist at me and I stop it with my hand. He might be a speedster—and a fast one—but without his speed he's nothing and if you take my speed you won't take away the abilities I was born with. Those won't go away.

       "You said you knew us well. What happened honey? Did you forget I'm slightly stronger that people from this earth?" I grin and he throws me to the ground and he waits for me to stand, which I do whilst laughing, slowly getting to a serious tone, "If you knew me at all, you'd know that you could drive that blade of yours right through my heart and wait until the life bleeds out of me, but I would come back again and again. If you knew me at all, god of speed, you would know that I never, never die," I dare to step closer to him, I glare at him, my voice becoming dark, "kill them and you'd have signed for an eternity in hell," he slaps me and I go flying all the way to another wall and he goes after Barry.

       I slowly get on my feet, wincing lightly, regretting a little to have gotten that close. I get ready to go help Barry. I see him run up the tall wall of the factory and I spot Savitar doing the same, I can hear the god's fist hitting the Flash and my heart stops when I see the hero hit the floor. I speed my way to him and kneel beside him, looking for any injuries, but he raises his thumb between groans to let me know he's fine. Savitar lands in front of us with a obstreperous thud, almost making the ground beneath us tremble. I get on my feet, standing between him and Barry.

       "Look at that," he says, "protecting him, you don't want him to end like Bart, do you? The Barry Allen you gave your heart to," the moment he says that, a lump grows in my throat and tears threaten to dot my vision, "A weakness, that's what your love for that dead man is, you can't even see his doppelganger getting hurt because you run into danger for him. Foolish!"

       "Running into danger for someone you care is not foolish," I say, my voice thick with emotions. I hear Barry demanding to know his identity, my eyes glued to the speedster in front of me while trying to pull myself together. The answer Barry gets is not the one we expect and that certainly annoys the scarlet speedster. I see a red blur flying past me and burying a fist in Savitar's face. I see them fight each other while I still try to push the images of a dying Bart out of my head, is not what he said, it's how he said it.

       He's not my weakness.

       I tell to myself. I think I repeat those words several times, but I don't know if I do it because I'm sure of it or because I'm scared that he's right. I see the glint of a blade being unsheathed from Savitar's armour and that kicks me into reality again, but it's too late.

       "No!" I scream, my voice echoing throughout the place when I see how the blade pierces Barry's chest. My heart is beating a million times per second and a fleeting yet paralyzing horror engulfs me. No, this can't be happening again. Barry grunts and I order myself to get closer, however, Savitar pulls another blade from his armour, holding it to Barry's neck as a threat for me not to get any more closer. I find myself raising my hands in surrender, my feet threatening to betray me.

       "I want so badly to kill you, and I will," I hear Savitar say while I stay in my spot, "but you have to live a little while longer. Long enough to see Iris die," he says, unexpectedly pausing and when he does I can hear myself begging at him to let Barry go—who uses this moment to vibrate his hand fast enough to cut the blade from the armour, triggering a roar from the creature. The Flash falls to the ground and I scramble to his side, holding back the urge to open his suit to examine the wound properly. The speed god lets out a pleased groan as he observes us while I concentrate on helping Barry.

       "Cait will know what to do," I tell my companion in a quiet voice almost cooing.

       "Caring makes you weak, Violett. This is not your place, you're not a hero and you know it. No matter how hard you try to change, you are no hero," I glare at him, both my hands on Barry.

       "I don't care if I'm or not a hero, I have to do what I have to do to make things better," I say bitterly. I know I have too many flaws to be a hero. Savitar stays quiet and for a moment I believe he'll speed off, so I look at Barry and I make the biggest mistake, I turn my back at him.

       "You better watch your back," he growls, then, everything becomes a blur. I feel the sheer pain that the other blade he held produces as it goes all the way down to the small of my back, ripping my suit like it's made of plastic. I hit the ground face first and my hands clutch at my back ad if it could ease the pain, "You're weak!" He shouts, "Don't be surprised when you can't wake her up, Flash," and with that he speeds away.

       I see Barry trying to help me even with the blade sticking out of his shoulder, I hear him speak but I'm drowning in my own screams to pay attention. My face must be red and contorted into a desperate and agonizing expression and the worry on Barry's face isn't helping me to be optimistic about my injury. I see his gloved hands, my blood staining the leather of his suit. He's trying to get me on my feet but the pain makes my legs useless. A loud grunt escapes my throat when he wraps his arm around my waist and he speeds off. I see the city blurring past us and perhaps I faint for a moment because next thing I know is that were in the Cortex.

       I see the grey flooring coming at me and I realize I'm falling, yet two strong arms grab me before hitting it. I hear all the commotion our little entrance has provoked. I hear Joe talking to me and I realize he's the one who stopped me from hitting the floor and that he's also carrying me to the medical bay. I catch a glimpse of Barry on his knees, being aided by the others. I know I'm losing a lot of blood and very fast because of the dizziness. I can't die here, I have to finish this. I'm supposed to help these people not the other way around! Joe puts me on a bed; I'm lying flat on my stomach, my hands gripping at the white sheets underneath me and leaving blood stains everywhere. I spot Julian and Cisco—who carry Barry to the other bed in the infirmary. I don't know how he managed to run all the way here with that thing in his shoulder and carrying me at the same time.

       I can feel my whole body giving up at the pain, it feels like I'm going to shrivel into nothingness at any moment; abysmal pain signals being sent to my brain in knife-like waves with every tiny move I make. Even breathing hurts, but I can't help writhing uncontrollably. I feel a numb sensation taking over my legs and then I hear Caitlin speaking somewhere near me, medical terms I don't quite understand. I see and hear Barry crying out in pain on the other bed, Iris hovering over him and glancing back at me with the most concerned look I've ever seen.

       "No. Help him. . ." I mumble and I hope it's loud enough to be heard by Caitlin, she should be with him, taking care of him not me; I tell her to stop and to leave me here but my voice is nothing but a whisper. It doesn't matter if I die, if I'm not sent back here they'll hopefully get another Guardian, one that doesn't get attached like I have. I fade away listening to my own crying and the muffled voices filling the room, my body shutting down, "Please, Cait. . .you have to save him. . ." maybe Barry Allen is my weakness after all.

⚪⚪⚪

       I wake up to a quiet and steady beeping sound. My eyes crack open and I have to close them again because everything seems so bright. My cheek is buried in a pillow and one of my arms is underneath it. I've never really liked to sleep on my stomach, but this feels rather nice. I notice the warm aura wrapping around my hand, the rippling of warmth travelling gradually on my skin, sensation that sparks ease within me. My sleepy eyes manage to adjust to the light, slowly making out the silhouette of my hand and I think my eyes snap open at once when I see that the warmth around it comes from Barry's hand.

       He's in the bed just a few inches apart from mine, his is slightly reclined upwards while mine is completely flat. His bare chest rising and falling steadily and his eyes glued to some spot in the distance, slightly puffy and red eyes. He's got gauze on his shoulder and that detail makes everything rush back to me. Savitar, the fight, Wally. The images of what happened not long ago make my body jerk, including the hand Barry's holding for some reason.

       "You're awake," he says, letting go of my hand and giving me a small smile, he sniffles a little.

       "How long was I out?" I ask, my voice hoarse and barely a whisper.

       "Four to five hours, Caitlin had to sedate you," he says quietly and I try to get out of the bed, feeling a numb pain in my back and hissing at it. I realize I'm changed into clean clothes, the hospital gown leaving my back in plain sight, "Two hours had passed and you barely had a scar," Barry adds.

       "It still hurts, though," I say, trying not to move more than I should as I attempt to go back to the comfy position I was laying before. I look up at Barry, my cheek pressed against the soft and fluffy pillow, "How's your shoulder?" I ask.

       "Taking too long to heal," he sighs, defeated. The room is filled by the beeping sound coming from the heart monitors around us. Barry's eyes fall on me and I can't help but stare into them. I know he's probably thinking about all the harsh words he said to Wally earlier today when he found out about the boy's visions. My eyes well up with tears when images of Wally being suck into the portal flash before my eyes again. At least Savitar's out of the Speed Force now and he knows I can track him across the multiverse so he won't go anywhere, for there's no point, but I know Wally is our priority right now. Barry's eyes won't leave mine and curiosity shows on my face and in my voice.

       "What are you thinking?" I ask.

       "I'm thinking, we need to find a way to get Wally back," infectious pain drips from his words.

       "I know. I don't think we can, though," I say, sadly, "I've heard a lot about the Speed Force Prison and I know that there's little we can do. I didn't know it had been future you who created it, he did a good job because it's not as simple as it sounds, getting Wally out of there won't be that easy," I say.

       "Violett, we can't lose Wally, we can't lose him," he utters and I see the tears glassing his green eyes.

      "I know," I reply, propping myself on my elbows, "that's why we need to get out of here," I add, struggling to sit up, wincing in the process.

       "I know we have to do something but, I wouldn't move if I were you, you're still healing," Barry warns but I just need to get out of bed and even though my legs feel stiff as clay, I manage to swing them out of the bed. Barry's voice is thick with worry as he tries to reach for me in order to stop me, but his injury won't let him move freely, "Violett, you've got to stay down! Caitlin said Savitar cut very deep and touched your spine, there were several nerves affected and two broken vertebrates; I don't think walking is a good idea for now, you could—"

       "Barry, I'll be fine," I mumble while gripping at the edge of the bed and speeding my healing process, "it's not the first time I get my back broken. . .besides, if we're gonna get Wally back, we can't stay in bed all day, can we? We don't have time," I can feel the pain starting to fade away and relief invading my body; I pull myself on my feet.

       "I know you'll be ready to go in a few minutes, but my shoulder is still healing," he tells me, his next statement loud and clear, "and you're not going out alone," I roll my bed to a side with still wobbly legs and make my way towards Barry, stumbling one or two times in the process.

       "Who said I'd go alone?"

       "What are you doing?" He asks, slightly shocked when my hands go under the unzipped hoodie he's wearing and rip the gauze from his shoulder, revealing the still bloody wound on it and place my hands over it. His skin feels hot under my fingertips, "Caitlin just changed these bandages—"

       "Relax, Wonderboy. I'm gonna try accelerating your healing process. I don't do this very often. . .actually I've done it several times on other speedsters but it never works, so I don't know if it's gonna work," I confess biting my lip and he stares at me confused, "hey, it's worth a try, right?" I take a deep breath and place my hands over his injured shoulder and close my eyes. There's a funny sensation spreading through my hands and it turns into a numb pain crawling up my arm and nesting on my own shoulder, it hurts, but the pains is bearable and disappears as fast as it appeared. I open my eyes and take my hands off him, the wound is completely gone and now smooth skin replaces it; I look up at Barry and I admit I'm as shocked as he is, to the point of tracing my fingers on his skin a little too much, "It worked. . ."

       "H-How did you do that?" He asks while I let out a nervous laugh, his eyes wide as he examines his shoulder and sits up straight. I don't really know how to explain it, it just sort of happens.

       "I accelerated your healing process. I hadn't done it in a while; never worked before," I say, my hands tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, "it had only worked on Bart, actually," I confess with a tiny smile when his eyes trap mine. I clear my throat and look away because I can't bear those familiar green eyes locking into mine like that, it feels as if he could read my mind just by doing so, "Right, uhm, now we need a plan to get Wally out of that prison," I add, making my way to anywhere away from him.

       "I think I have one," I hear him say and turn in his direction, "you're not gonna like it," I walk towards him again with my arms crossed.

       "What is it?"

       "I'm going back into the Speed Force," and he's right, I don't like it, mainly because he's not gonna have a good time in there, I'm damn sure about it. I narrow my eyes at him. He knows I know that the chances of returning are low, but that's not stopping me from going.

       "I think you mean that we are going into the Speed Force."

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AUTHOR'S NOTE:

i don't think the fight scenes are the best in this one but i'm happy with how it turned out, what did you think about it? if you liked it, i think you're going to like the upcoming chapters.

ohohooo i'm so excited for you to read the next chapter! i hope to be able to stop myself and not put it up in ten minutes because something i don't think you're expecting is going to happen hbhddh.

thanks for the 4k reads! i love you so much! 💞 ghost readers please vote and comment, who knows, maybe some of us are curious and will check your profile and then your stories, bye 💁