Dark, empty, cold, the room stood silently at the end of the corridor. The fluorescent lights flickered and illuminated the nail scratched walls. Lifeless shadowed figures curled up in the corners of their cells, whispering their darkest secrets. Henry Allen carelessly dragged his feet across the floor, the baggy prison jumpsuit hung from his scrawny figure. The guard removed his handcuffs and his skeletal fingers rubbed his sore wrists.

"You have a visitor." The guard informed him, the usual harsh tone never relenting for even a second.

When Henry had first arrived, this particular guard had made his incarceration a living hell... but watching Henry's son visit, and after a specifically heated argument with Barry, he was starting to believe that he may have actually been Innocent. He wasn't alone in this opinion. Henry was simply too out of place within the prison; he never fought and he never argued. He was a broken man, only ever flickering to life when he saw his son.

"Barry...?" Henry asked in a dead tone, yet there was a sparkle of hope in his eyes.

"No." The guard said, attempting to swallow any sympathy that may have surfaced. He had to maintain a certain appearance to scare the other prisoners, no matter how heartless it seemed. "Not this time."

The man's shoulders slumped, and he reverted to the walking corpse of a man he had become. Any curiosity he may have once felt towards the visitor had dissipated in the first year of his confinement. The guard had to guide him to the visitation booth as the man had, once again, retreated into his own mind.

Upon arriving, Henry sat obliviously in the chair behind a thick glass window and picked up the nearby phone. It took several seconds, but he managed to return to reality for long enough to glance at who was behind the glass. It was a woman. One with shoulder-length black hair, and eyes just as dark. He had never seen her before, but the man standing behind her was very familiar.

"Wally?" He asked, and suddenly he had regained a small amount of energy. His son had brought Wally to meet him once, after they became close friends. He was grateful about how understanding the young man had been about the situation.

"Good to see you again, sir." Wally smiled, though he looked a little anxious about being there. "This is Mineko - Barry's friend. She wanted to meet you."

"Friend?" Henry teased, much less glum then he had been a moment ago.

Wally chuckled then shrugged light-heartedly. "So he says."

A small smile crept onto Henry's face and this glimmer of joy was enough to help him shift the conversation to Mineko. "I regret that we have to meet like this. I hope it doesn't make you think less of my son."

Part of Mineko wanted to remind the man that his actions had no effect on how anyone perceived his son, but instead she simply shook her head and jumped straight to the reason she was there. "This may sound inappropriate to ask on our first meeting, but it is important that I hear your answer. I want to ensure that the decision I am about to make is the correct one. Did you kill your wife?"

The man sat there, not even surprised by her question, and dominated by a profound sadness, fatigue engraved on his worn face. He warmed his shivering hands by rubbing them together. The sorrow grew more intense with each passing moment, the question reviving memories of the loss he'd encountered in a previous life. Though he was engulfed by his pain, the man didn't cry. His grief was beyond something that could be so easily defined.

Henry shook his head but didn't appear even the slightest bit angered by her speculation. "I would never..."

It didn't take long for Mineko to respond. "I believe you. Thank you for indulging such a sensitive topic."

Henry didn't respond. He simply glanced at the wooden table beneath him and gripped the phone tighter to his ear. Wally looked eagerly at Mineko and she nodded at him. "Go inform the others."

Wally flashed Henry a smile much happier than he had ever seen on the boy. He looked so excited. Henry wasn't use to seeing people with that expression when they were visiting him. Henry, unfortunately, didn't get the chance to ask about it because Wally turned to leave the building not long after.

Mineko stood up, as if she were expecting Wally to return sometime soon despite the fact that he had only just left. "It is regrettable that you have missed so much time with Barry, and that you have not had the chance to completely know him in his adulthood."

Henry averted his gaze and attempted to contain the next wave of sadness that hit him. "He's grown to be a fine young man even without me. I couldn't be prouder."

"That is not all he is. You must understand him if you are to avoid missing the next few years of his life."

"What do you-"

"It may make no sense now, but it is imperative that you listen. Your son is the strangest man I have ever met. He is childish, excitable, and easily anxious. He watches cartoons that I am informed are meant for kids, and he never stops eating... ever. He somehow manages to be late to everything, and he is constantly disappearing with his friends at inopportune times. Not to do anything a father should not be proud of, but it is still something you should avoid asking him about. There are some things you may never know about him, and you may feel a slight disconnect as a result, but know that if he decides not to confide in you that it is for your own benefit."

Mineko passed something to the officer on her side of the glass and he took it over to Henry. He grasped it in his hands and looked down. It was a wooden figure, hand carved, and with incredible detail. He instantly recognised it as Captain Kirk from a television show he loved as a child. One that he had introduced to Barry on his 5th birthday. Star Trek.

"Do me a favour and give that to Barry the next time you see him." Mineko said with a warm smile that didn't suit her at all. 

"Why don't you give it to him yourself?"

"You will likely see him before I do." Mineko answered simply just as Wally walked back through the door. "It was nice meeting you, Ser Allen."

Wally gave the man a wave and left with Mineko following closely behind. Henry was escorted back to his cell but permitted to keep the small figurine with him. It brought him a certain comfort that he hadn't felt since he was young. One that can only be brought by the joy of nostalgia, and his favourite memory - watching the episodes with his son and wife.

Meanwhile Wally had taken Mineko to the meeting place she had set up with Superman and Wonder Woman. They both stood tall, waiting for her arrival and gave welcoming smiles when she finally became visible.

"How did it go?" Wally immediately asked them.

"Well, typically it would take months to approve a retrial especially in the case of new evidence arising in a case this old." Superman answered, crossing his arms over his chest. "But I've helped out here on occasion, saved the building a couple times... and apparently I rescued a judges' grandson on a field trip gone astray. She's the one that agreed to move the case forward."

"Stop showing off." Wally pouted and Superman smirked. "When is it on?"

"Tomorrow morning." Superman finally said. "Apparently she agrees with my sentiment that a potentially innocent man shouldn't be stuck behind bars any longer. I've also informed her of the method we'll be using. She seemed excited to see the Lasso of Truth in action."

"I regret that I will not know the outcome of this trial..." Mineko sighed. "But I will trust that you secure Ser Allen's freedom."

"Doctor Fate said he would give you until tomorrow, did he not?" Wonder Woman said quizzically. "You may have time to attend the hearing."

"I do not think that would be appropriate..." Mineko replied, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "It is not my place."

"Are you kidding? This was your idea!" Wally said with slight outrage. "Is this because Barry's gonna be there? Because that's exactly why you should go. He'll want to thank you."

"His thanks is not necessary. I already know that he will be grateful, words will not make me more aware of it." Mineko sighed. "And it would only complicate the situation... He should be focused on his father, not on saying farewell."

"But where will you stay tonight? He-"

"Doctor Fate wishes that I stay close by to ensure that I make no more irreparable changes to this timeline." Mineko bowed lowly. A gesture she was certain Wally wouldn't understand, but that Clark and Diana certainly did. "I appreciate everything you are all doing for him, and for me. It has been an honour."

Diana placed a closed fist to her chest and lowered her head respectively. Clark, on the other hand, placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and spoke. "Meiyo wa wareware no mono."

Mineko's back suddenly straightened in surprise, then her features softened. She gave him a small yet sincere smile and replied. "Thank you."

"You speak Japanese?!" Wally exclaimed, ruining the comfortable silence that had followed .

Clark stepped away from Mineko and shrugged his large shoulders. "I'm a reporter. I have to."

"...Something tells me that's not the reason you know it."

From behind them a magical gateway appeared into being and Doctor Fate floated out of it. He gestured for Mineko to go to him and the woman didn't hesitate. She had almost made it to the helm-wearer before she felt something engulf her.

"I'll... uh..." Wally's voice murmured, sadness apparent as he hugged her tighter. "You've... been a good friend. I'm glad Barry dragged you out of the Middle Ages."

Before Mineko could respond, Wally had let go of her and shuffled back towards Superman. She wasn't sure if she knew what to say to him anyway. He had become important to her, perhaps not in the same way as Barry, but still enough to ensure that she'd miss him.

Instead of speaking another word to the speedster, she simply stepped through the barrier Fate had created. Not looking back. Not even once. It would be more difficult if she did.

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