The Return Of Bolt//Barry Allen(Book 2)

A Fathers Love

The cortex was now cleared of everyone except team Earth-2 meta neutraliser.

No wonder nicknames aren't my thing.

Barry had stepped away to have a private conversation with Wally (he promised to fill me in later). Iris had headed over to CCPN, Joe was at CCPD, and Henry had gone back to Joe's place for some well-deserved rest.

I rose from my desk, reaching for one of my high-calorie protein bars as a snack. As I turned, my eyes widened in shock. There, in the heart of Star Labs, stood Zoom.

My breath quickened. The last thing I wanted was to be back with him. I couldn't bear the thought of returning to Earth-2, to his lair, to be chained and at his mercy. I didn't want him near me, let alone touching me.

"No... no..." I muttered, panic coursing through me. The sound must have caught Cait and Cisco's attention. Cisco hurried towards me, saying my name, but I couldn't register it. "No, stay away from me. I love Barry!" I shouted.

Cisco's grip on me was firm, pulling me out of my nightmarish trance. It wasn't real. I had hallucinated him. I was clearly losing my grip on reality.

"You alright, Sam? He's not here," Cisco's voice was a soothing balm. He enveloped me in a comforting hug, and Caitlin joined in.

"I'm sorry, I don't even know what happened," I confessed, my voice shaky.

"I know why. You've been trying to act like you're over whatever happened when you were with him, but you're not. And that's okay. It's only been two days, Sam. None of us expect you to be okay, and you don't have to pretend," Caitlin reassured me.

"That's the thing, feeling this way about the situation... it makes me feel like I'm letting him win. And that's the last thing I want," I confessed, sinking back into my chair.

"Your emotions are what make you, Sam. They're what differentiates you from Zoom. He's a monster who wants to control your emotions so you'll love him," Caitlin spoke with a gentle conviction. "You need to let yourself feel the emotions you feel, that's how you win,"

I nodded at her, taking her words, in before releasing a major sigh.

Before I could say another word, the alarms in Star Labs began blaring.

"Fifth and Main. I think it's the meta who knocked the two other buildings down," Cait said, as she read from her monitor.

"I'll get Barry there," Cisco told me and I nodded as I dashed towards my suit and left for the location.

I arrived a few moments before Barry, my heart pounding in my chest. Before me stood a figure that should not exist.

"Laurel Lance?" The name hung heavy in the air, a cruel twist of fate.

"Why is it always so difficult to choose?" Her voice was unnervingly calm, sending shivers down my spine.

"Laurel?" Barry's voice trembled, struggling to grasp the reality of the situation. Why were our closest allies on this Earth twisted into something unrecognizable?

"Laurel Lance is dead. On this Earth, anyway. Poor Black Canary. Bye-bye, Birdie," Her words dripped with a sinister satisfaction as she circled us.

"So, what do we call you?" My voice echoed with confidence, even though every nerve was on edge.

"You can call me Black Siren. Zoom mentioned that you two might be showing up," Her words hung in the air like an omen, foretelling a dark encounter.