#8: The Chosen Son

The Flash
#8: First Steps Part 8
”The Chosen Son”

“Hm. Tough shit,” Snart casually said, as if being hunted by the cops for the murder of your sister was as mundane as the weather.

“I didn’t kill her, Snart,” Mick growled back, anger already bubbling up inside him at the man’s apparent apathy.

“I believe you. Wouldn’t be the first time cops blamed a repeater for someone else’s crime,” Snart offered.

“Ain’t nothing repeated about me. I did my time. I’m done being a criminal,” Mick spat.

“Then why are you here?”

That stung. Snart knew it would. Mick’s gaze fell to the floor, and his whole body slackened in resignation. Snart wasn’t through just yet, however.

“You know what the other Rogues called you behind your back?” he continued before his friend could reply, “Heat Wave. I’m sure you’ve heard the term before.”

Mick sighed and nodded. This wasn’t news to him. “‘s when cops are on a whole crew’s ass for something one or two of ‘em did.”

“And the others called you that even after Walker joined. Axel Walker, the human time bomb. You brought the Heat Wave on and off the job, robbing gas stations, burning houses to the ground. It’s a miracle we were never caught. Even when we were sitting on our asses, you went out of your way to break the law. It’s in your blood, Mick. You’re a Rogue through and through.”

“That’s why the cops sent a whole squad after you. Any regular Joe and it would’ve been one, maybe two guys. But you? A team. You’re a criminal, Mick. A Rogue. I know it. The cops sure as hell know it. And deep down, I bet you do, too,” Snart finished.

Mick looked up and opened his mouth to speak. Before he could begin, someone knocked on the front door. Len glanced that way, and then silently motioned Mick over to the pantry. He complied without hesitation.

“Len, it’s me. Open up,” came Iris West’s voice from the other side of the door.

Without even bothering to check the peep hole, Len opened it.

“Hey, beautiful. How—” Len choked on his words, suddenly remembering, “Shit. Breakfast. We were gonna grab—”

“It’s…fine,” Iris said, not really meaning it. Entering his apartment, she quickly noticed the pallet on his couch, “Did you have a guest over?”

“A friend,” Snart quickly explained. “He left early this morning. That’s why I forgot about our date—not that it’s an excuse. Listen, babe, give me a few hours to get my shit together and clock in at work, and then lunch is on me.”

He began to shepherd her back toward the door, but she refused, crossing her arms as she faced him.

“Are you in a rush to get me out of here?” Iris stated as much as she asked the question.

“I’d love to spend all morning with you—you know that—but I have to get to work,” Snart said.

Iris wasn’t remotely convinced, but she agreed with a nod anyway. Len wasn’t the only one who had a job. Heading toward the door, she said, “12:15. Dot Wo. You’re paying.”

“When do I not?” Upon her look, Snart added, “Joking! I’m joking!”

“Watch yourself, Leonard,” Iris teased, leaning in for a kiss. Snart returned it in kind, and then led Iris out of his apartment. “Bye.”

“Bye, babe,” Snart replied, shutting the door after her.

In the clear, Mick felt comfortable leaving the pantry, Pop Tarts in his hands. He raised an eyebrow teasingly at Snart, and spoke through a mouthful of food.

“Gwilfwiend, mm?”

Snart grumbled back, “Shut up.”

…

“I’msosorryIsleptpastmyalarm,” Barry muttered a mile a minute as he sped into STAR Labs. He then set down a drink carrier full of coffees, saying, “Ibroughtcoffee.”

“Relax. We let you sleep in,” Max mumbled as he nabbed one of the coffees.

Gehenna offered a nod in reassurance. Barry smiled back at them, then looked over at his father, his mind already on the larger issue. The fact that he was still here was a good sign, right?

“You fine, Dad?” Barry asked.

Before he’d arrived, Henry had been locked in conversation with Gehenna. Oddly enough, the two shared a common interest in Chinese action flicks.

“I’m a-okay, Bare,” Henry replied, shooting him a smile to further his point.

“Yeah, he didn’t, like, kill us all in half a second in our sleep last night, so that was nice,” Chess admitted, “Also, can we just address the fact that we wouldn’t have been able to stop him if he’d tried. No offense, Mr. Allen.”

“None taken, because I was never a threat. I’m not fast like you, son, and I’m certainly not a murderer,” Henry said.

Barry wanted nothing more than to believe his father, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something weird was going on with him. Who else could he have seen last night? Luckily, Barry didn’t have to speak his mind. Max did it for him.

“So…what? We’re supposed to believe that was your secret twin?” Max grumbled, still wary of the man after his near-death experience.

“This is straight up Luke-and-Leia insanity,” Chess interjected.

“I don’t have a twin brother,” Henry firmly stated. “Your eyes must have played tricks on you, Barry. You couldn’t have seen my face.”

Barry could tell his father was trying to convince himself as much as he was them. Henry had never been an open book emotionally, but he’d really closed himself off after Barry’s mother had died. He struggled to do much more than tell his son he was proud of him, so admitting he was terrified, potentially even of himself, wasn’t exactly the sort of thing he felt comfortable expressing. Barry knew that, and it made his own personal bias that much harder to ignore. He wanted his father to be innocent, but…

“Listen, I don’t know what happened…what I saw, but…there’s nothing we can do about it now. I have to go to work—”

“—And I’m coming,” Henry demanded.

“No. No way,” Max said.

“That’s a positively idiotic idea,” Elias said.

“No, I…I can watch after him,” Barry said. He wanted to believe his father. There was no better way to find out if he was innocent than by giving him a bit of freedom.

“He’s not the one in danger, Barry. Watch out for him,” Max urged.

Neither Barry nor Henry knew what to say in response. Both men looked to the ground, lost in thought. Elias opened his mouth to protest again, but the two Allens had already left the building, Henry in his son’s arms.

…

Barry breathed a sigh of relief as he and his father entered the police station without the slightest conflict. The walk inside had driven him mad with paranoia, as he looked this way and that, afraid a cloaked speedster with his father’s face would attack them both. Henry seemed to notice his anxiety, and offered him a gentle pat on the back in reassurance.

“It’s going to be fine, son,” Henry promised, before playfully adding, “I don’t have a secret, evil twin brother who’s stalked us to work. The Children don’t know who you are.”

Barry nodded. “No, you’re…probably right.” He then finished the thought in his head, ‘But you can’t have a secret twin you know about.’

“What was that?”

Barry forced a smile, saying, “It’s gonna be a heck of a day.”

“You can say that again,” Henry uttered as the Allen duo found themselves amidst a chaotic rush of police officers rivaled only by the previous night.

…

The Allens didn’t know what they were getting themselves into. Although Henry, upon Barry’s request, demanded he work in the bullpen, he spent much of the morning going over the case with his colleagues. Likewise, Barry processed more evidence in that morning than he had in all the (albeit few) days he’d worked for the CCPD. The grind would have continued into lunch, if not for a voice that broke Barry’s concentration after he received his latest clue—a piece of unidentified fabric—from his supervisor, Forrest.

“Barry?”

The deep blue eyes of Patty Spivot came into focus just inches from Barry, as he realized he’d almost walked right into her. Blushing, he stepped back and onto another scientist’s foot.

“Watch where you’re going!” the scientist grumbled.

“Sorry,” Barry muttered, blushing, before he looked back up at Patty. “Um, sorry, Patty. I—”

“Lunch?” Patty interrupted, before she too blushed and stammered, “I mean, do you want to get lunch with me? I know it’s a crazy day, but…”

“I…” Barry looked over past the glass wall to the bullpen where his father was hard at work. If something happened… “I can’t. I wish I could—I really do—but…like you said, it’s a crazy day.”

“You can take a lunch break,” Patty pointed out.

“Right. No, I know. I just—I promised my dad I’d eat with him,” Barry explained, only to realize the flaw in his fib.

“For the second day in a row?” Patty wondered.

“Yeah. It’s…complicated,” Barry admitted.

Patty frowned, not so much angry as disappointed. “I’m sorry if I’m not picking up on social cues, or…”

“No! No, I think you’re great. I just…I’m sorry,” Barry glanced away. “I have to get back to work.”

With that said, Barry walked past her and would have continued to his cluttered workspace if he hadn’t caught sight of two peculiar figures in his peripheral vision. In the bullpen, two red cloaked individuals had stopped before his father, the gust they created still blowing papers through the air. Barry’s instincts kicked into overdrive, but he resisted the urge to speed to his father’s aid. There was no reason to reveal his powers if he didn’t have to.

Police officers had drawn their firearms before Barry could take more than a couple steps. He knew they couldn’t stop the speedsters. The cops likely knew it, too. Barry couldn’t hear what was going on, but it was clear the cloaked figures were ignoring them as they spoke to his father.

Suddenly, one of the cloaked figures sped behind Henry and whispered something in his ear. Just an instant later, before anyone could comprehend what was happening, the cloaked figures and his father sped away, leaving behind a trail of golden energy.

Barry, speechless, stopped at the doorway and had to lean against it to keep from falling in shock. What the hell had just happened? His father had super speed. He’d lied to Barry…but Chester had run tests to prove he hadn’t. Did he have a way of circumventing the tests, or was there something else going on…?

“Barry,” Daniel noticed his shell-shocked state. “Barry!”

But the young scientist had already pushed his way to the door, almost in a trance-like state. Like in an out of body experience, Barry recognized his actions but had no control over them. He began to open the door, only for Daniel to pull him back.

“There’s nothing you can do,” Daniel said.

Barry was surprised to discover real empathy and concern in the man’s eyes, but that wouldn’t stop him. Unable to even muster an apologetic look, he pulled away from his colleague and ran out of the police station.

Daniel lost him as he ducked into an alley. Looking dazedly around, he was suddenly knocked to the ground by an enormous gust of wind. Daniel blinked twice at the golden trail that lingered for but a moment. He blinked once more as realization began to dawn on him. If one Allen could do impossible things…

…

Catching up to the speedsters took no more time than it would to dial a phone number not because their actions proved predictable, but, on the contrary, because they were looking for Barry. The instant they caught sight of his panicked golden trail, they sped down from their vantage point on a tower and encircled him. Recognizing his predicament, Barry slowed to a halt in Atlas Park in the heart of Central City.

“Dad, talk to me! What the hell is going on?” Barry yelled, managing to quell his fear for the time being.

“Father?” Henry’s voice boomed supernaturally. As his eerily gold-tinted eyes sparked with energy, he looked over at one of the hooded figures. “Time traveler, you did not speak of this man’s son. He is the Flash?”

That caught Barry off guard. First off, a time traveler? That would explain how he knew his codename even though it wasn’t exactly public knowledge, but still…

The cloaked man began to chuckle, and in one swift movement removed his hood. While he appeared middle-aged, his wild hair was completely white. As if motivated by a longtime dream come true, his ice-blue eyes twinkled ecstatically.

“Hm. It must have slipped my mind. How funny,” the white-haired man, The Ghost, didn’t even bother to hide his lie behind a poker face.

“Dad…” Barry began, although at this point he was certain his father wasn’t in charge anymore.

“Dad’s not home at the moment, Barry,” The Ghost spoke his name like they were old friends…or perhaps something else entirely. “I’m afraid he’s what people in certain circles like to call ‘mind controlled’—an avatar of Savitar. Try saying that five times five times fast.”

“What the hell did you do to him?” Barry growled.

Not-Henry began, “I awakened his true potential. Gave him a destiny greater than he could imagine. He will serve as my first host—the body of a god.” As if realizing the dramatic irony, the weight of the situation, not-Henry—Savitar—looked down at his hands and clenched them into fists, smiling madly. “And it is by his hands that you will die.”

The battle began in an instant. Savitar charged Barry, utterly unafraid. The two remaining speedsters jumped into action just behind him, drawing their knives. Some otherworldly force, a spark in his blood, forced Barry to sprint away from them.

They zigzagged down street after street. Past cars. Beside children. Through tunnels.

Suddenly, a voice broke through the golden ear pieces in Barry’s suit, “And we’re off to the races.”

“Now’s not the time, Chess,” Max demanded. “Barry, we just saw the speeds you’re clocking. What’s going on?”

“There are three speedsters chasing after me. …My dad, it was him last night. He’s—he’s being mindcontrolled. They said he’s the avatar of Savitar,” Barry explained, jerking to the right.

“Say that five times five times fa—OW! Okay, I get it. No jokes,” Chester grumbled.

“We’re pulling up a live feed of the city right now…and it looks like you’re beating them…by a lot,” Max admitted.

Barry mustered the courage to look back. Max was right. The three speedsters had fallen further behind, now close to ten or so paces away.

“I’m faster than them,” Barry whispered to himself, before continuing out loud. “Okay, what do I do?”

Silence on the other end of the line. After a few moments, he could hear whispering. Barry racked his mind for ideas while the others tried to come up with a plan. He needed to use his strengths to his advantage. He was obviously faster than them, but he was likely less experienced with super speed. On the other hand, he wasn’t a rookie scientist, at least in terms of his education. Maybe he could use his knowledge to his advantage, but how?

‘Think…THINK!’

An idea struck him like lightning.

“I’ve got it,” Barry said. “The Ruby River. If I run fast enough over the water, the friction between the air waves I create and the surface of the river will start a chain reaction that’ll create a tidal wave.”

“You’re going to drown the city?!” Elias exclaimed.

“We’re not talking hurricane big. Just large enough to make the speedsters scatter, maybe even take out one of them,” Barry explained.

“You’d have to evacuate the riverside,” Gehenna noted.

“Yeah…” Barry creased his brow in determination. “I have to go faster.”

He pushed himself to his limit, but it wasn’t enough. The others were still too close to him. It might take an hour to create enough space between them to allow him the time to evacuate the riverside. In the meantime, one of the speedsters could easily separate from the group and cut him off, stopping his plan before it could start.

“Stop thinking,” Max blurted.

“What?” Chess did the talking for Barry.

Max sighed and continued, “Everything that’s happening…it’s impossible. So stop trying to rationalize a plan. Just go for it. Thinking won’t make you faster. Running will. So run, Barry—run!”

What did he have to lose? Barry closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind. He focused on the feeling of electricity in his veins, the energy coursing through his body. He felt no desire to run faster. He just did it.

Opening his eyes, Barry burst forward, creating a massive gust of wind that flipped cars and shattered windows. Despite the imminent danger and fear in his heart, he smiled. He couldn’t help it. Not long ago, he couldn’t even walk. Now…? Boy, could he run!

The other speedsters were already long gone. Barry sped his way to the river and moved each and every civilian to safety. His next step: finding the others again and drawing them toward him. It took him no time at all. They chased right after him, but never came close to making contact.

Barry raced away from them when they neared the river, allowing himself the time to instigate his plan. Arcing back and forth across the river’s surface, Barry began to build up friction, eventually creating a tidal wave that soared toward the city.

He timed it perfectly. The other speedsters discovered him just seconds before the wave crashed against the river’s edge. The still-cloaked figure sprinted off, while Savitar and The Ghost began to vibrate their molecules through the wave. Barry utilized the opening they provided and sped up to Savitar, grabbing him the instant he solidified. Before anyone else could react, Barry zoomed back into the city, his father’s body in tow. He could hear Team STAR Labs—no, Team Flash cheer over the line.

“Unhand…me…Flash,” Savitar growled, his clothes catching fire.

Barry had broken speeds his father’s aura couldn’t handle. Whatever energy powered them, Savitar had less of it.

“Some god you are. All bark, no bite,” Barry quipped.

Aware he could very well kill his father, Barry elected to end this quickly. He slowed down and slammed Savitar into the ground outside of STAR Labs. Before the villain could react, he spun him around and pinned his arms together, as if he were arresting him.

“Let my father go,” Barry demanded.

“Let him go? My return is prophesied, my victory assured. Your father’s body is merely a temporary vessel, its connection to the Speed Force too weak to house my essence for more than an hour a day. Harm it. Kill it. Act as you please. I will still be reborn,” Savitar roared.

That news came as a shock to Barry. Before he could truly process it, however, the demigod beneath him began to chuckle. He instantly knew what that meant. The other speedsters had caught up to them. The Ghost took the lead, murder in his eyes.

Barry picked up Savitar and sped toward STAR Labs as quickly as possible. The hole he’d created had since been covered by a makeshift wall of boards. Barry reluctantly broke through it. Wasting no time to consider the pain that caused him, he hurried into the main lab.

“They’re coming,” Barry shouted.

Before anyone else could respond, the two cloaked speedsters entered the room. The Ghost grinned wickedly as he raised his knife, slowing to a halt, surely about to gloat. The cloaked speedster…his hood had fallen down. Revealed for the first time, he glared at Barry, who was shocked to discover the man had red eyes. His shoulder-length dark hair was oily, and his skin an eerie shade of gray. Frankly, he looked dead.

Max, too, seemed shocked by the man’s appearance, because he gasped.

“Jamie…?” he muttered.

The corpse-like speedster didn’t so much as glance at Max, instead keeping his cold gaze on Barry and Savitar.

The Ghost looked over at the others with wide eyes, as if he’d—pardon the phrase—seen a ghost. “Who the hell are you? Where’s Cisco Ramon? And Caitlin Snow?”

Max didn’t hear The Ghost, his mind focused elsewhere. He couldn’t tear his eyes off his brother. Barry looked between the two, piecing the whole situation together as best he could. At this point, nothing made sense. He just had to roll with the punches. Chess opened his mouth to respond to The Ghost, but Savitar spoke first.

“Silence! Take that man,” Savitar ordered. Because he was caught in Barry's grip, he could do no more than nod at Max. “He is the Chosen Son.”

“What?!” Barry exclaimed, realizing what that meant. Savitar had said his father was his temporary host. That made Max the real deal. And last night...he hadn't been trying to kill Max. He'd attempted to kidnap him. 

Everything happened in an instant.

No one reacted as quickly as Jamie, The Fallen. Like a dog, he obeyed his master, kidnapping Max in the blink of an eye. The two were gone before the others knew what had happened.

The Ghost, meanwhile, did his best to recover from his apparent revelation. Something about the rest of the STAR Labs crew had profoundly disturbed him. Although he turned his focus back to Barry, he was still unbalanced, his mind a thousand miles away.

Barry tried to use this to his advantage. At super speed, he threw Savitar to the ground and charged The Ghost, ready to slug him. However, the speedster was more focused than he realized. The Ghost sidestepped his attack, pushed him away, and grinned.

“Maaa—“ the start of Gehenna’s cry reached the speedsters' ears.

As Barry regained his balance, The Ghost said, “We found the Chosen Son. Do you know what makes your father? Expendable.”

He raised his knife, then zoomed over to Savitar, who had begun to rise to his feet. Fearing the worst, the costumed hero kicked himself into overdrive and sped to the aid of his father. Before Barry could strike him, The Ghost swiveled around and extended his knife, causing him to run right into it. The blade pierced him in the gut—breaking right through his spine! Suddenly, a bolt of lightning crashed through the glass ceiling and straight into Barry. As if drawn like a magnet, the lightning oozed from his body to the knife in The Ghost’s hand.

“—aax!” Gehenna finished, as the cloaked villain slowed down.

“So predictable. You’re too scared of losing another parent to expect the obvious,” The Ghost gloated, as Barry lingered on the knife, eyes wide in shock. He tore the blade from his body, leaned in, and whispered, “You’re not a hero, Barry Allen. You’re just a sad little boy who never got over his mother’s death.”

Powerless, Barry tumbled to the ground as the others finally registered what had happened. Savitar sped to his servant’s side and grinned as he looked down at his fallen enemy. After taking a moment to bask in his victory, he faced The Ghost.

“You slayed The Demon. For this service, you will be granted Eternity,” Savitar boomed.

Unable to tear his eyes off Barry, The Ghost feigned humility, saying, “Thank you, my lord.”

Motioning to the severely injured hero, Savitar ordered, “Stay, and finish him. We shall reconvene in my church.”

“NO!” Gehenna cried, but Savitar silenced her with a look.

“As you wish,” The Ghost agreed.

With nothing left to say, Savitar sped away. Kneeling beside Barry, The Ghost was pleasantly surprised to discover fear in his eyes. Smirking, he finally allowed himself the opportunity to address his enemy again.

“Don’t worry, Barry. I’m not finished with you yet. Your punishment’s only just begun.”

The Ghost ruffled Barry’s hair, and, in an instant, zoomed away. Realizing they were in the clear, the others rushed over to their friend’s side. Showing surprising compassion, Elias rested Barry’s head on his lap.

He looked up at his two employees and demanded, “Gehenna, call an ambulance! Chester, bring me something to stop the bleeding!”

“I can’t…I can’t…” Barry’s eyes swelled with tears.

“Barry, look at me, son. Talk to me,” Elias said, holding his head so that he had to look him in the eyes.

“I can’t feel my legs,” Barry sobbed.

“What?”

”I can’t feel my legs.”