I've Got Soul but I'm Not a Soldier

Knowing

Len has to leave STAR Labs for a bit early the next morning.

He doesn't want to, but as Captain Cold he has certain obligations, and Barry is sleeping soundly. The chair is uncomfortable, anyway, and he has many kinks in his neck from staying in it for so long. He doesn't plan to stay gone long; no more than an hour, and it's early, the sun barely up. When allowed to do so, Barry likes to sleep in; so Len should be safe to disappear for an hour.

That doesn't make leaving any easier, though. He doesn't want to leave – feels so guilty for leaving, like he's betraying Barry, but he needs to let Lisa know how things are going, and he needs to meet with the Rogues to plan their next heist. Personally, the heist can take a backseat for now, but everyone's a little on edge and Lisa practically begged him to 'come out and play', or Mardon might cause another catastrophe or something.

Len told her that if Mardon messes up again, that's it – he's out of the Rogues. Captain Cold does not give third chances.

But as it is, he leaves Barry at STAR Labs; Cisco is there, and he told him to contact him should anything happen, and to keep Barry there if he wakes before Len returns. Cisco gave him a tentative thumbs up before offering a quick, 'say hi to Lisa for me'.

After leaving STAR Labs, Len meets up with the Rogues in an abandoned building which has basically become their headquarters. Lisa has even started decorating it a little – there's actual furniture here now, even if it is just simple wooden chairs. There's also a long wooden table with building layouts resting on it.

Around it stand the others, all waiting for him. He's thankful he made it back to the safe house first to get his parka and cold gun – all the trademarks of the Captain Cold persona.

"Well, well," he says coolly, "what have we here?"

Lisa grins at him. "Something big, dear brother. Something fun."

Len's heart might not all be in planning the heist, but Captain Cold enjoys it.

xXx

After the meeting is over, Lisa pulls him aside as the others leave.

"So how's Barry?" she asks. "Iris has been busy and hasn't given me an update."

Iris wasn't there during the procedure, Len remembers. She might not know much at all. "He's fine," Len replies. He's not sure how much he should tell Lisa – he's already told Joe, which means Iris knows, which means Lisa probably already knows, too. So if he mentions it to her, Barry can't be angry with him.

"Iris said something about his lungs?" Lisa asks, confirming Len's suspicions.

Len sighs. "Yeah – kid's got spots on his lungs they're worried about. They got a sample last night."

He doesn't mention the fact the kid's body eats through painkillers and sedatives. He doesn't mention the open biopsy, or how Barry was awake for it, or how it felt watching him squirm in pain.

He doesn't mention it, but Lisa seems to know anyway.

"Oh, Lenny..." she sighs, shaking her head. "That was hard, huh?"

Len shrugs. "It's over now. He was sleeping when I left."

"Sorry to pull you away," Lisa says. "Everyone was just getting antsy. Regular meetings might make things go more smoothly."

Len can understand her reasoning. "How's Mardon and Hartley working out?"

He knows his own take on them, but her input is important, too.