~More Than A Program~/// Bart Allen x Reader

Chapter 18

Unable to help the grin that spread across your face, you eagerly exclaimed, "Bart, you scared me! I thought something had happened... Come on, we have to go!"

The boy didn't seem to share your enthusiasm though.

Only then did you notice the pout he wore, and his slightly-depressed look. At your loudness, he had let out a groan, hiding his face into his legs and rolling away from you.

You were quick to understand what was going on.

Crossing your arms in annoyance, you grumbled, "Seriously Bart? You're sulking about that at a time like this? Come on, get a grip on yourself! We have to get going!"

"I'm not going with someone who doesn't believe in what I tell them," he quietly but firmly stated, hiding away from you.

Rolling your eyes in irritation, you went over to him, shaking his shoulder gently. "Bart, come on! You're being childish!"

This time, he didn't bother replying. He straight-out ignored you, staring intently at his knees.

You let out a deep sigh, closing your eyes as you attempted to calm your nerves. This wasn't working. You needed a different approach...

Your voice softer, but still holding its urgent tone, "Look, I'm sorry about earlier, okay? I just didn't know how to react. If you're right and you really do love me, that's completely fine, you're allowed to-"

You cut yourself off with your own yelp as, suddenly, Bart hopped out of bed and picked you up in his arms in the blink of an eye. Before you even registered what had happened, you found yourself pressed safely against him as he ran fast, faster than you had ever seen him run.

Although, he was running... Toward the threat! And not away from it!

Bewildered, you clung on to Bart's neck tightly for dear life, shrieking as the intruder came in sight, "B-Bart, what are you doing?!"

He didn't show any signs of hearing you, brows furrowed as he focused on sneakily approaching the enemy from behind. It was currently lifting an arm to point it at Wally, who had stopped his dashing, clearly out of breath.

"Alteration in programmed detected. Crashed speedster must be moded."

The redhead's eyes widened in fear as he weakly backed away, only for his spine to find the cold hard wall. You could tell the Kid Flash had finally understood that this was surely how his life would end-

"Not so fast."

Bart's finger, reaching out to flick a small, unnoticeable switch on the back of the intruder's neck.

A quiet whirr sounded before, just like that, the person stiffly fell forward, a hollow 'thump' resonating through the room as it basically face-planted against the floor.

A tense silence.

Finally, "...Well that was complicated for nothing. Sheesh..." Bringing your gaze up to Bart, you softly praised, "That was awesome! How did you know about the off-switch?"

The male seemed much more bitter than happy about this victory though, which worried you, of course.

However, his next words cleared things up a bit.

"I recognized him. It's Gramps."

Said Gramps was, after a shaky Wally had been helped to his feet, brought over and settled in a chair, in the office.

You were completely confused and had no clue whatsoever as to what was going on as you helplessly watched the two young speedsters open up the computer, and plug an adapter into The Flash's forearm. Afterwards, they linked it to the device, all while not uttering a single word. They merely exchanged glances and nodded as they speedily worked. At the moment, anyone would've mistaken them for actual cousins.

"So, you're telling me the first speedster ever, The Flash, I repeat, The Flash, is in our office and you guys are plugging him to the computer to...?"

"To deactivate his virus sweep operation," Wally answered hastily, deleting the tab on which he had researching what seemed to be a circus act named 'The Flying Graysons'. He then started typing away at an impossible speed as Bart made sure Barry Allen was properly connected to the computer.

"And why are we doing this?"

" 'Cause he can't do anything else until he has completed this operation,"

"Meaning he'll do anything to reset us unless we interfere," Wally finished for the younger male, who had started to slowly make his way over to you.

You frowned at their words, still a little freaked out by the fact that, well, in a way, you were holding The Flash himself captive. Even if he was the one who got himself caught up in this situation. Kind of. "So he wasn't willingly doing this?"

"We can't really tell." Wally shrugged. "For The Flash and us Kid Flashes, an operations' an operation. Our programming automatically gets us to focus on it and tune out everything else. It's almost as if our memories and what you'd refer to as our will were pushed away entirely."

You furrowed your brows in concern. "Isn't that... Scary? Or unpleasant, at least?"

Wally shook his head. "Not necessarily. We're made for this. To follow orders. Although I don't think that's the case for Impulses." He glanced over to Bart.

The boy looked up from Barry Allen, seeming wary of the label the Kid Flash had given him. Despite this, he lowly commented, "...I guess not. Our long-term mission is kinda just to make our owner happy."

You slowly nodded in understanding. "So you'll... Deactivate the Flash's virus sweep operation? How?"

"By plugging him in and going through his data." Wally pointed at the computer screen, upon which wild combinations of 0s and 1s were showing up. "When I find the data that holds that operation, I'll delete it."

You stared, amazed. "So... That data... Is like his memories?"

"The data is his memories." Bart's voice prompted you to look over at him. "And it's everything else that he is. Every piece of info is preserved in the form of data instead of as memories or intelligence or... In a human brain."

"So, instead of you brains, you guys have... Data? ...What about nerve impulses, then?"

Bart casually shrugged. "Our system is based off yours a lot, so it's almost the same. Data containing all types of info travel through our body, projected by our heart's beating. The quicker our heart beats, the quicker the data travels."

You gasped in realization. "Which is why Impulses who are appreciated run faster! Because their heart beats more quickly, so the data containing the operation to run reaches their legs faster!"

For the first time since your heated confrontation from earlier, Bart gave off a bright grin. "Exactly! But The Flash and Kid Flashes work different. Their heart's speed depends on-"

"Ugh!" Wally's sudden frustrated growl harshly cut off Bart. He slammed a fist down on the table as he roared, "It isn't working!!"

"Woah, woah, calm down Wally!" Concerned as to what could've enraged him so much, you softly questioned, "What's wrong?"

"I can't get access to the data containing the operation from the outside," he grunted, clearly irritated. "It's locked. We'd have to infiltrate it!"

"I know how." Bart's words made you both look over to him hopefully. "...We'd have to try and get access from the inside."

You rolled your eyes. "No duh. But how do you expect us to do that?"

...Uh-oh. His serious, determined look couldn't be good...

"By sending me in as a piece of data."