the flash and the black widow: truma

dead or alive

Anastasia pov

"H.R.?
H.R.?" Cisco asked him.

"With a blast from my trusty vortex cannon, I dispatch the miscreant..." H.R continued.

"H.R."

"Hey, yep, here we are." H.R answered, finally.

"Barry needs help," I told him.

"Yeah, Barry needs help." H.R yelled.

"Where's Kid Flash?" Caity asked.

"He's on his way. Are you on your way?
They need you at Keystone Bridge." H.R informed Wally.

"Surely all your adventures are not this disorganized?" Julian asked.

"There's a method to the madness, mate.
Watch and learn." Cisco replied.

"The Electric Gang is headed north," Caitlin informed barry and Wally.

"You gotta cut 'em off before they reach the freeway," Cisco added.

◇◇◇

"Nice save!
Could not have scripted it better myself." H.R High-fived Wally

"Thanks.
Barry did most of the heavy lifting." Wally confessed.

"B.A." H.R smiled.

"Yes, bravo, boys.
Although I did find at least six ways you could have done it more efficiently, just... just saying." Julian showed his tablet with the different ways.

"I mean, the busload of hot cheerleaders seemed like the way that we did things," Wally said.

"Oh, that's going in the book.
You know what?
I'm running low; let me buy you a cup of coffee over at CC Jitters.
Bond, are you coming?" H.R asked Julian.

"No, thank you."

"So exactly how many hot cheerleaders?" Iris asked.

"I was a good boy.
You know, he's just been looking for this for a long time; he's enjoying the moment." Barry smiled at Iris.

"Well, I'm glad you have his back," Iris replied.

"We have each other's back.
It's been nice having him out there." Barry told her.

"Hey, I meant to ask you.
When you found the Electric Gang,
did you see them meeting with anyone else?" Iris asked.

"Like who?" Barry asked back.

"Well, word on the street is, there is a new arms dealer in town with access to sophisticated weaponry like the gun that Plunder used," Iris explained.

"Don't you think that's something for the police to handle?" Barry asked.

"I'm still a journalist, Barry. I can't hide from the world because of what you saw.
See you at home." Iris kissed Barry and left.

"what did you see?" I asked.

"How about I take you out?" Caity asked as she took my hand in hers.

"I know you're hiding something, I will figure it out," I said and walked out with Caity.

◇◇◇

"."As Francisco threw back his lustrous locks and laughed, I outlined my plan for neutralizing the rampaging creature." It goes on like this for pages.
He's been broadcasting this without our knowledge or permission, all the while making himself the hero." Cisco informed us as he sat next to me.

"Yeah, every book needs a central protagonist that the audience can invest in." H.R said.

"I would have gone with Barry," Caity said.

"Barry?" H.R asked.

"Cisco, what was that back there?
First Golden Glider and now her?" Caity asked as she smirked a bit.

Cisco scuffed and said, "I can't help who I'm attracted to, even if it is the... sexy, intense, deadly ones.
So she takes you back to Earth-19, and, what, you pay a fine?"

"The punishment for an unauthorized breach travel on my Earth... it's death." H.R said.

"Death?" I asked.

"About 24, 25 years ago, a neighboring Earth invaded our planet through a breach and almost destroyed the place.
So to prevent it from happening again, they banned all inter-dimensional travel.
And then they put the collectors in place to punish those of us who violated the ban.
I didn't think that she'd track me down." H.R explained.

"So why would you risk your life by coming here?" Caity asked.

"I... I'm gonna get packing.
It's time for H.R. to face the music." H.R walked to the exit.

"Mm-hmm." Barry disagreed.

"Guys, I know H.R. can be annoying, but he doesn't deserve to die," Caity said after he left.

"Different Earth, different morality," Julian said.

"But he doesn't go back. I saw him.
In the future, with me and Iris and Savitar, he was there.
I mean, that must mean we don't let her take him back." Barry said quickly.

"Maybe we do.
Maybe by letting him go back to his Earth, it changes your future and prevents Iris' death." Julian replied.

"I gotta go see her," Barry announced.

"What are you guys hiding from me?" I asked.

"Oh, well Iris is going to die by Savitar in May," Julian answered.

"W-what?" I asked. "What do you mean?
And you never thought to tell me?" I asked them.

"You were too unstable, it was like inflating a balloon, you never know when it's gonna pop," Cisco said and walked to talk with H.R.

"And YOU never thought to tell me?" I asked Caity.

"As Cisco said, I might never know when your gonna pop.
Guys Gypsy's here." She said to the mic.

◇◇◇

"It says you're totally fine," I told Cisco after doing him a full check-up.

"So what happens now?
Go back to your Earth?
Tell all your superiors that you were bested in battle, all the charges against H.R. are dropped." Barry asked.

"No.
I tell them I killed him." gypsy answered.

"Wait, what?" H.R asked.

"If I return empty-handed, they'll know I failed.
And I never fail.
Until today." Gypsy said.

"Okay, but if you tell them that you killed me, then I..." H.R started to say.

"You will never go back to Earth-19, ever.
Do we have a deal?" She asked.

"Yeah. I guess we have a deal.
I don't have anything to go home for." H.R sighed.

"You'll always have a home here, H.R." Caity told him, and they hugged as Cisco walked to talk with Gypsy.