The Flash: Broken Bonds: A West-Allen Family Story

Chapter Twenty-Two: Barry West-Allen

Chapter Twenty-Two: Barry West-Allen

Barry was still having trouble processing what was in front of him.

She was working with Thawne? Again?

" Nora, step away from him," Barry ordered, getting ready for a fight.

" Dad, you're back already? Where are the..."

" Nora!" he shouted, causing her to jump back a little. " Step away from him."

The sooner that he could get his daughter away from this murder the better.

" No, dad, you have it all wrong. Thawne is trying to help us." Nora protested.

" Thawne never looks out for anyone but himself Nora," Barry said, still glaring at him.

" Did you forget about all the terrible things that he did? All the people that he's hurt?"

" You put your hand through your mentee's chest one time..." Thawne muttered.

" But he's changed! Dad, back when you couldn't stop phasing, when I was having problems believing that people could change, you told me that anyone could change! Even Thawne! You were the one who convinced me to give him a second chance."

He had said that, but this Thawne certainly hadn't changed, he was sure of it. Between what Savitar had said, the convenient timing of when he had arrived, and the same old evil glint in his eye, Barry had no doubt that Thawne was still every bit of the man who killed his mother all those years ago.

" Nora, you promised us that if we said not to work with Thawne, that you would let it go. I'm telling you, please, let it go." he pleaded.

" And you promised me that you'd give him a chance!" she cried. " You haven't even let him explain what he's doing here!"

" I don't need to."

He didn't like having to raise his voice like this at his daughter, but he needed to get through to her before Thawne sank his hands too deep into her.

Silence filled the air, Nora with a hurt expression on her face, Thawne continuing to play his game, keeping a calm and neutral demeanor as he watched the conflict.

" Now step aside, I need to take him to the Pipeline before anything gets out of hand." Barry stated.

Suddenly, Nora's hurt expression turned to one of determination.

" I can't let you do that."

" What?" he stuttered.

" You don't know what you're doing dad, Thawne is the only one who knows how to save us." she stated, handing the satellite shard in her hand over to Thawne, before standing firmly between the two of them, dropping her crutches to the ground.

What was she talking about?

" Don't make the same mistake twice." he warned.

Please.

" If you want to get to him, you'll have to go through me." she said, a look of finality in her eyes as they welled up with tears.

Barry couldn't believe his eyes.

What is she doing!?!

" Nora, I'm not going to fight you."

" Then we won't have any problems."

Thawne, standing behind her, had a large, sinister grin on his face as he began to tinker with whatever piece of tech he had made. He was enjoying this.

Barry didn't know what to do. If he didn't stop Thawne, then things could get bad really quickly. Nora could get herself hurt again or worse, along with who knows how many others. He could stop him here and now, but that would mean fighting his own daughter. Was she really willing to hurt him for Thawne?

Nora seemed to become more alert with his every step.

" Don't make me do this," she pleaded.

"Then don't Nora," he responded. " You don't have to do anything that he tells you to do."

I don't believe that she'd actually hurt me.

Barry took another step forward, now only a few feet away from Thawne.

" Dad," she warned.

" I can't let him do this, Nora," he stated, straining to say every word as he looked into her hurt eyes.

He was now right next to her, almost face to face with his worst enemy.

" I'm sorry dad," Nora whispered, her eyes shut tight as a tear fell down her cheek.

And then before he could react, he was sped into the Pipeline, Nora across from him, clutching her hurt leg with one hand as she stared back at him. They really were about to do this. He couldn't believe that Sherloque had been right about her, again.

His own daughter was willing to fight him to protect his worst enemy.