Chapter Text
His heart felt heavy and tight in his chest. His father, who had just been set free and cleared of all wrongdoing with a second chance, was gone. Dead. Barry would never again get to hear his laugh, see his smile, or feel the reassuring weight of his hand on his shoulder. Because of Zoom.
Zoom, who ripped a hole through his father’s chest. Zoom, who taunted Barry with a race of all things. Zoom, who was still alive when his father wasn’t. His mother’s killer never truly saw justice – not really. He was never tried for his crimes. This time would be different, and he would be damned if he let Zoom get away. All he had to do was beat him.
He couldn’t breathe. Every inhale was choked by the agony of his grief, every exhale stuttered and shaky. Hunter, Jay – whatever his name really was – had taken his only remaining parent. When Joe confronted him about the race, the tidal wave of grief and anger finally spilled from him. Barry tried to explain – he really did – that he had to do this. He had to kill him before he murdered someone else. But when he saw his foster father’s face, he knew he didn’t understand. Joe looked almost frightened; but why would he be frightened, Barry wasn’t a threat, why didn’t he understand nobody understood understandpleaseJoeplease-
A thnnk echoed through the Pipeline as Barry felt a stabbing pain in his shoulder. The room began to blur and spin as he shakily fell to his knees. Before he hit the ground, the last thing he saw was Harrison Wells’ gun and Joe’s grim face before the world went dark.
He was cold when he woke up. His vision was a blur of blue and steel. God, he felt cold and oh so slow. His mind was disorientated and fuzzy and he felt a piece of himself missing somehow, like a limb no longer there. He was a newborn kitten, freezing and vulnerable. He sluggishly sat up, recognizing his surroundings as he realized he was in a Pipeline holding cell. The call of the Speed Force was muted and he was itching to tear and claw his way to release it – both through his prison and himself.
“What’re you doing?” he asked, standing up slowly, “Why did you put me in here?”
Looking through the glass, he saw everyone – Cisco, Joe, Caitlin, Harry, Jesse, Iris – looking at him like he was a wild animal.
“Because you’re too angry like that. Without a plan, you’ll lose” Joe replied, speaking for the group.
“I’m the only one who can stop him. You know that,” Barry said, pressing his arms against the glass.
Harry spoke up, “You race him on his terms, you’ll lose.”
“This is not your decision to make!” Barry slammed against the glass, hot with anger. The sting of betrayal cut deeply into his core. He felt fire igniting in his gut. His family, his team, had locked him in a cell because he was too angry with his father’s killer?
Joe drove the knife in deeper. “It is this time. We all made it together.”
He looked wildly around at the people he loved, finding nothing but determination and guilt. His eyes stopped on Iris. “What? All of you?”
“Bro, I went back and forth. I was like a good 60/40 at first-”
“Ramon,” Harry warned.
“-yeah. Yeah, we all made the decision,” Cisco finished lamely.
They were just going to leave him here, weren’t they? Try and fight Zoom on their own? Barry knew they wouldn’t be able to stop him. Everyone he loved was willing to kill themselves because Barry couldn’t handle it? He was the only one who could!
“Guys, come on! Iris!” he begged, trying to get through to her. She didn’t even flinch.
“Cisco, come on! You have to let me – you have to let me stop him!” he roared, desperate and angry. The doors closed, silencing his pleas and shouts. Everyone, everyone, made a decision to betray him. To drug him and confine him. To treat him like an animal. But he wasn’t an animal he was a human goddammit! And he had to kill him. He had to avenge his father because now he knew nobody else would.
The team wasn’t willing to do what it takes to save the lives of every person in not just the city, but the world. They weren’t willing to make the hard call like he was. And they were willing to lock up anyone who didn’t agree with their idealistic, fantastical plan.
He remembered all of the other metas he had put into this prison. For the first time, he saw that their anger was justified. This was hell.
Something inside Barry’s chest shifted and snapped. He was going to get out of here, and he was going to avenge his father.