Within Seconds: Sylas & Allen

No Control

As Parker struggled to get on her feet, an alarm on the computer rang, showing Barry that something was wrong at S.T.A.R. Labs.

Without thinking, he grabbed Parker, then sped to the location. His shoes slid to a stop in the Cortex.

Once more, Parker was bent over on her knees, gasping for breath.

"Sorry," Barry winced.

If she hadn't felt as though her lungs were shriveling up, she would have reprimanded him. Instead, she stayed quiet, focused on breathing, and glaring at the unwanted people in her space.

"What are you guys doing here?" Barry asked.

Purposely, Cisco ignored the couple. Well, he ignored Barry. For Parker, he tossed her a water bottle. To Martin, he said, "So, Caitlin was right."

"Yes, all humans contain small amounts of radiation, due to contact with cell phones, microwaves, televisions, etcetera. Our bodies are natural conductors," Martin explained.

"I think our meta's been sucking up all the radiation around him and using it to power himself," Cisco said.

"Which is why the x-ray machines at the hospital failed the day of the rally," Iris said.

"If we want to find him, we have to look for places without radiation!" Cisco discovered. He bent over the computer, fingers flying across the keyboard.

At the pause in their conversation, Barry said, "Okay, guys, I don't want you here right now."

"Tough," Joe chimed. "You need your partners, you need your friends."

"Parker and I were doing just fine," Barry insisted.

"Barry, everyone in this room cares about you, but we also care about this city. We all want to make a difference, and that means fighting meta-human's, and that means working with the Flash," Iris said.

And for the millionth time in the past months, Parker was seething. "Where the fuck was that attitude five months ago?" she yelled.

The response from the group was silence. Most avoided her eye.

"I worked my ass off to get all of you back, and now that you're here, I don't get a single apology for your attitudes towards me?" Parker asked. She looked at Joe and Iris. "Especially you, West family."

"Parker," Barry whispered, trying to calm her down.

"No, you hush," she said, hitting his hand from her shoulder. "Five months ago, I wanted the team back. Whatever you all think you have here.. This is not a team."

"Got him," Cisco mumbled. "There's a three block dead zone near a hazardous waste reclamation plant. It should be booming with rads, and now it's at zero."

"That's where you'll find your Atom Smasher," Martin said. Cisco looked at him. "Because he absorbs atomic power. And he.. Well, smashes."

Cisco opened his arms, giving the man a hug. "Come here. That's a great name. Welcome to the team."

"You don't get to decide who's on the team," Parker said. In a lighter tone she said, "Martin, you're lovely, but I'm sure you understand where I'm coming from."

"Of course," Martin agreed.

"What she means to say is thank you, you can all go now," Barry said.

"Barry, you need to let Cisco and Stein figure out a way to stop this guy," Joe said in a fatherly tone.

"No, I don't," Barry said. A second later, the suit was gone.

"Barry left his comms system behind," Cisco said, holding the earpiece in his hand.

"Wonder why, motherfuckers," Parker said. She walked behind the desk.

"Parker, stop," said Joe sternly.

Parker raised her brow, slightly amused. "I'm not your kid. You cannot tell me what to do. I will stop when I get an apology from you and your daughter."

Without another word, Joe left her to work with the computer.

"What are you doing?" Cisco asked.

Parker ignored the question. Her fingers flew across the keyboard carefully, ensuring she was hitting the correct keys to make her wish come true.

Hitting the 'enter' key, the television screens in the Cortex showed security camera footage of the building Barry and the Atom-Smasher were at.

Parker told Barry more than enough times to never run into a mission angry, because it always resulted in Barry getting beat. That time was no different than the other times Barry fought angry.

"Dad," Iris mumbled.

"Maybe I can make it there," Joe said.

"And then what?" Cisco asked.

"You two need to back off," Parker said, exasperated. "He survived for six months on his own. He doesn't need you to come running every single time he's in trouble. Let him do things on his own."

When they looked back at the security feed, the Atom-Smasher had Barry against the wall, his hand wrapped around his throat.

"However, he could use a bit of help at the moment," she said under her breath.

"Alarm!" Martin yelled.

"Yes, we're all alarmed," Cisco said.

"No, no, you've tapped into the surveillance cameras, correct?" Martin asked.

"Correct!" Cisco said. He grabbed the keyboard from Parker, changing a settings for the building. "'Cum on feel the noize..'"

The security feed hadn't allowed coverage on sound, but by the flashing red lights, and the absence of Barry, the group knew the plan had worked.

"Professor Stein, you are a genius," Cisco said.

"I believe that's already been well established."

Parker stepped out of the Cortex. She entered the open area of the floor, where Barry had ran to. He was stumbling, one hand on his chest, the other stretched to Parker.

"Make it to me, Barry," Parker said, shuffling faster to him. "Come a bit further."

Barry zipped another few feet, then collapsed, into Parker's arms. Heavier than she planned for, she squeaked as his dead weight fell to her.

"Oh my God, what do you eat?" she wheezed. Dragging him by his arms, she pulled him into the Cortex.

"What's wrong with him?" Iris gasped.

"He just got the friggin' life choked out of him, how did you think he'd come back?" Parker asked.

"How are you not freaking out?" Iris wondered.

"Because he's still breathing."

With Cisco's help, Parker laid Barry on the medical bed. The two started hooking him to the machines.

"He's not going to want an audience when he wakes up," Joe insisted.

Because he was some type of authority, the others left immediately after being asked.

Parker, on the other hand, took her time. The Cortex was a place she had made her own in their months together. With the suspicion of a group return, she had to organize her belongings to account for more open space.

It took her no more than ten minutes to shove her papers into a file cabinet, the one marked as her own, by the silver winged hat on top of it. Lifting the hat, Parker retrieved a folded piece of paper.

Unfolding the paper-- the speech she wrote for when the team would came together-- she started to slowly near the exit of the Cortex.

"Parker," Joe said. "He'll know now-- that he needs us. And he needs you to be okay with that."

"I'm sure you'll give him one hell of an inspirational speech," she said. Scoffing, she ripped her speech in half and threw it in the garbage. "It'll be better than mine."

"Parker," Joe said again.

Stopping at the doorway, annoyed, she snapped, "What, Joe?"

"I'm sorry."