totally meta

chapter 34

Henry stood in front of the police precinct, tugging his mask a little tighter before stepping through the doors. He was greeted with the usual mix of glances—some wary, some admiring. After all, it wasn't every day the Flash showed up unannounced. He was here for a reason, though, and it wasn't one he could ignore.

Inside, Detective O'Leary waved him over with a curious look. Henry had dealt with O'Leary on several occasions since getting his powers, and while the detective had a generally skeptical attitude toward metas, he'd come to trust Henry's judgment.

"So, what's the emergency?" O'Leary asked, leaning back in his chair, his hand resting near his badge. "You don't usually swing by unless there's trouble."

Henry shook his head. "No emergency. Just some news I wanted to share. Might help if you're aware of it before things get out of hand."

O'Leary raised an eyebrow. "Sounds ominous. Let's hear it."

Henry took a deep breath. "There's someone... someone who's been working on something big. Not a meta-human, but she's created a high-tech suit—think *Iron Man* level tech. She wants to help us fight crime, and she's serious about it."

The room fell silent for a moment. O'Leary just stared at Henry, his expression unreadable. Then he rubbed his temples, sighing. "You've gotta be kidding me, right? We already have meta-humans popping up everywhere, and now you're telling me there's someone running around with a damn Iron Man suit?"

"I know how it sounds," Henry said, holding up his hands. "But hear me out. She's not a rogue. She's working with me, and Seven Labs is going to be involved. They've already been working with the police, right? We've been doing this together for a while now, so we'll have control of the situation."

O'Leary frowned, tapping his fingers against his desk. "That's a big ask, Flash. We've barely got our heads around the whole meta-human thing, and now you're throwing tech we can't control into the mix? What if she turns on us? You think we'll be able to stop her if that happens?"

Henry knew the skepticism was warranted, but he had faith in Mara and Seven Labs. "I'm not saying this is risk-free. But the same could be said about meta-humans. If we'd given up on them, we wouldn't have anyone like me or the others who've been helping out. This suit... it could do a lot of good, and she's working with us, not against us. We'll keep her in check. And, if anything happens, we have contingencies."

O'Leary leaned back in his chair, still clearly skeptical. "I don't know, Flash. It feels like we're adding more fuel to an already burning fire."

Henry sighed, realizing just how much this situation reminded him of how people reacted to meta-humans in the first place. There was always fear of the unknown. "Look, I get it. But this could be our chance to keep the streets safer. You don't have to decide right now, but just... give her a chance. Seven Labs is going to work closely with you guys on this, same as always. You know they don't take risks lightly."

O'Leary sat quietly for a moment, thinking. Then, unexpectedly, he chuckled. "You know, maybe I should just talk to my boss about starting a meta-human task force. Seems like we're heading that way with all these new 'heroes' popping up. I mean, how else are we supposed to keep things under control?"

Henry raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "That's not actually a bad idea."

O'Leary rubbed his chin, suddenly more serious. "No, seriously. We've been talking in circles about how to deal with the meta-human situation for a while. If more people like you, or like this Iron Man wannabe, start popping up, we need to be prepared. But if we're going to go that route, you'd have to help make sure we don't get burned. Can you do that?"

Henry nodded. "I can. I'll make sure the people who join the fight are serious about helping, not causing trouble. And if anyone turns... I'll be the first to stop them."

O'Leary leaned forward, his tone more businesslike now. "You better be. Because it's not just about stopping crime anymore. We've got to make sure the public trusts the people protecting them. If one meta-human goes rogue, that trust could shatter. So, if you're serious about this—about this suit and this task force idea—you'll need to keep them on a tight leash. Otherwise, it's all going to fall apart."

Henry met the detective's gaze, understanding the weight of his words. "I know. And I'll make sure it doesn't."

O'Leary sighed, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "Alright, Flash. I'll take this to the chief, see what we can do. But remember, you're walking a fine line here. Don't let it backfire."

"I won't," Henry said, standing to leave. As he turned to head out the door, he glanced back one last time. "And thanks for hearing me out."

O'Leary waved him off, already reaching for his phone. "Just keep me in the loop, kid."

Outside, Henry felt a mixture of relief and anticipation. The idea of a meta-human task force was a big one, but it wasn't entirely far-fetched. If they could keep things organized and make sure the right people were involved, it might just work.

As Henry sped off, his mind already raced with the possibilities. Mara's suit, the meta-humans he'd already helped... this could be the start of something big. But like O'Leary had said, it was a fine line to walk, and any misstep could send them all crashing down.