Sherlock meets The Flash and Arrow

Chapter 8

John

While Sherlock explains about Cisco's PTSD, I look up. I'm surprised. I wouldn't have expected Cisco, of all people, to have PTSD. He looks... powerful when you see him fight. He gets this determined look on his face that's frightening. More so than many of the soldiers in my company. But he also has this happy-go-lucky side. That might be why.

I start on another laughing fit when Cisco asks who told Sherlock for the second time, and barely rein myself in to explain. "It's what Sherlock does. He figured it out. He can... sort of read you. From the way you talk to the way you move, everything tells him a little something about who you are. He probably knows more about each one of you than your best friends."

The Arrow smiles in a sort of disbelieving way. "Okay, what do you read from me?"

Sherlock glances at him and says, "You're a rich playboy under that mask. You lead a pampered life, but 'The Arrow' doesn't . You have...a sister, but she's inattentive. You know someone who wants a cat. You're no stranger to pain, but you've grown confident in your ability. You're not from this city. You were stranded on Lian Yu...And your name is Oliver Queen." Sherlock finishes with an image of a man in a beard that matches that of The Arrow from his phone. It must be Oliver.

I start laughing again at the expression on Oliver's face. Cisco has a similar one too. Cisco turns to Oliver and says, "I revise my position. Telepathic meta. Definitely." I laugh even harder, but manage to ask, "Sherlock. Care to explain?"

Sherlock turns to Oliver. "Your beard fashionable and recently cut. Your face is washed. Your gear is high-tech, not someone anything less than a one percenter could afford. Clearly pampered playboy. But you have grime stains around your neck, about two days old. Must've got them from being The Arrow, since your parents would never let you do manual labor. If you work on mechanics as The Arrow, you're obviously not pampered. I could smell perfume on you when we were in the containment cell. Could be a mother, but it was a girly perfume, so sister it is. Inattentive because she didn't point out the grime stains. There are six different types of cat hairs on your arms, so you've been helping someone pick out a cat. No one has six cats. Your arms are littered with scars, which must've been painful, so you can't be a stranger to pain. You didn't close the containment cell door when we were in there, which shows you're confident in your abilities. There's rain on your costume, but it hasn't been raining here so you're not from here."

Oliver interrupts, "Alright, that I can follow. But the Lian Yu stuff?"

Sherlock must be really ambitious. Exact locations are hard, and this is the sort of thing that he tends to get wrong.

"Your arrows are green with black. Must be a forest training, no other point in green in an urban setting. You also walk quietly, which is a trick you must've picked up from the forest; again, little point in that in an urban setting. You also have a distinctive tan. By the strength of the light involved, it's a simple matter to get an approximate latitude. The only things at that latitude with forests are islands. You also have a ghost of an accent. It sounds like you've heard Chinese, but not spoken it. Forested island at around 28 degrees North that speaks Chinese must be Lian Yu. Stranded, since who wants to be on Lian Yu for five years?"

"And my name?"

I've been around Sherlock a lot. I know how he got this sort of a thing. His phone, of course. I say, "He looked it up. How many rich playboys do you think have been stranded on Lian Yu?"

Oliver sighs. "I guess the secret's out." He pulls his hood off.

Cisco looks at us and asks, "Do you do this...reading thing...for good?"

I reply. "Of course!"

Cisco says, "...So. You're good."

Sherlock cuts me off and says, "I'm not." Cisco stares at him, so he continues. "On the side of the angels, never one of them."

Cisco looks at Lightning Man and says, "As far as I can tell, they're telling the truth."

Lightning Man says, "How do you know?"

"Well, I've been thinking about this for a while. Liars have these tonal inflections...verbal irregularities that give them away. I think I've got this down."

Joe says, "So we have a portable polygraph and a defibrillator."

Lightning Man laughs.

Cisco

I clear up a few points (they're not from Zoom, they aren't going to hurt us, etc.). Then I let Sherlock out. I put Reverb's goggles on just to be sure if he tries anything. Caitlin and Barry are still working on Lestrade in the Cortex.

Before I can ask Caitlin to help with Sherlock, John takes over the medical side of things. He expertly cleans and dresses Sherlock's hand, then rolls up Sherlock's pant leg and cleans and dresses that wound.

Sherlock reaches over suddenly and grabs my arm. Instinctively, I start vibrating at his frequency and phase through him.

Then Sherlock sticks his hand through my chest.