Soothsayer ⚡ Barry Allen

Back in the Rhythm

How Andy wraps her hands in the second part of the chapter.

After turning my care over to Selina, Barry left with little more than his expected concern. "Working again, hm?" Selina prodded the next morning. Even on her soft matress I couldn't sleep on my back.

"Almost wish I wasn't," I groaned, making a whine of protest when she gently grabbed my hand. She left my fingers alone but started unwrapping my hand, only pausing when I took it back to sit myself up. I gasped when my back popped, taking a minute under Cat's worried stare before shifting and returning my hand to hers.

"You used to be more careful than this," she noticed, exposing the deep cuts that had scabbed over.

"Three years out of the game took away my edge," I shrugged. "Shouldn't take long to get it back." With a feather-light touch, she ran her fingers over my palm, noticing my grimace before grabbing neosporin. I frowned when I realized her intentions but let her work, making small noises of discomfort as she put the cream on each cut. I sighed in relief when she finished rewrapping my hand, tossing the old, bloody gauze away before moving to my other hand.

"How does that Barry boy play into it?" I met her eye for a moment, only breaking away when the gauze pulled painfully on my skin.

"He looks out for me," I supplied.

"I can see that much," she chuckled. "Is he in on it?"

"Kinda sorta," I mumbled, hissing and glaring at her when she rubbed more neosporin into my hand.

"You're either in or out, which is he?" she prompted as she wrapped my hand.

"It's not as simple as that," I sighed.

"Well, you'd better figure it out," Selina sighed back. "Be careful next time." She patted the back of my shoulder, earning a meaner glare as I breathed hard through grit teeth.

⚡

A week later, my hands and back had mostly healed, there were only small splotches where the bruises once were and only small scabs in my palm. So, I spent the last bit of my soreness giving myself some more. I grunted as I pulled myself up to a small ledge and rested a forearm on it, slowly moving my other hand around the rock to find a finger hold. "When you said you went after crazy adrenaline rushes, I didn't expect this."

I looked over my shoulder and grinned at the large distance between me and the matted floor, spotting a parka-ed figure standing there with his face turned up at me. "Oh, Lenny, Lenny, Lenny," I chuckled, slowly making my way back down. I wasn't wearing a harness, either. "This is only the tip of the iceburg." When I reached a distance that wouldn't break my legs, I let go of the rock wall and dropped beside him, bending my knees on impact and quickly pushing myself back up to stand. I could feel my muscles tingling as they were doused in adrenaline, a constant, involentary smile that always came with these rushes pinching back my cheeks. "How can I help ya, Lenny?"

Rolling his eyes at my repeated use of the nickname, he reached into his coat and pulled out a card, handing it to me. I read the name of the random banker inscribed and looked back to Snart with my eyebrows pulled together in confusion. "Central City National Bank. You still looking for work?" And so I was finally faced with the main problem of my new job.

In order to continue doing my vigilante job diligently, I needed to keep up my criminal reputation. In order to keep up my criminal reputation, I needed to participate in crime. It was a classic Freudian clash of the Ego and Id. "What would the job entail?"

"A distraction, your specialty." I chuckled and stared at the card for a moment.

"Nothing against you, Len, but the last time I worked a bank heist I was set up." I handed him the card and gave him a small smile. "I'll think about it." I walked around him and grabbed my bag off the ground, reaching inside to grab my ice water.

"A week ago in the bar, what happened with the Flash?" I stopped and turned, twisting the cap back onto the water bottle.

"I'm not sure. I blinked and I was in a crowd full of civilians. By the time I made it back to the bar, it was empty and people in that neck of the woods had cleared out," I shrugged. "What happened to you?"

"I nearly got him. Went for the legs." I chuckled and started walking again as he walked along side me.

"The gun works then?" I prompted. He nodded and held open the door to the little gym, his rare gentlemanly quality showing through his hard exterior.

"Better than I hoped. I just have to hit more of him." Cat had been on her way to get me, my original plan was to have her come in and get me. But, with Leonard Snart added into the equation, she pulled up in front of us not long after we had stepped outside.

"Happy hunting," I giggled as I saluted him and slid into the passenger seat. Selina took my bag and threw it into the back before driving off.

"Still popular with the locals, I see," Selina noticed. She was never necessarily easy on me, but after I got back she was noticably harder on me. She was softening up, though. Her natural, small smiled expression returned, she wasn't trying to be stern anymore.

"You know how I like my friends," I chuckled, making a fist a couple times and deciding to leave the tape on my hands.

"Plenty and as distant as possible," Selina agreed. "You act a good game but you hate people." I laughed and nodded, enjoying my natural high. I didn't get a lot this potent that didn't come with injury.

"Execpt for you." And Barry. But she didn't need to know that part. "And frankly, I'm surprised you haven't worked with Snart at least once. He's a good business partner."

"I prefer working alone. Only people I involve myself with are people who can get me closer to the goods and furthest in the game." I loved this, it felt like the old days bickering with her like this.

"Oh, so like when you kidnapped that Gotam Senator and I babysat until he was useful?" I scoffed. "You didn't even tell me who B-man is -- you still won't!"

"It's not your business to know who he is." Sure it is, he's like Barry's creepy, adoptive father-mentor thing who dresses as a bat for sport. "Besides that, it's not my place to say. Giving you any information is like giving it to a child-chatter box. You share with anyone you think can make your information useful." I wanted to be angry, but it was a completely fair and valid point. It was how I survived in such a shitty world.

"Fair enough. Take a left?" Cat raised an eyebrow but did as I asked. "I've gotta talk to Barry. Don't know when I'll be back."

"That's why I gave you keys," she reminded.

"Here is good." Selina pulled over and I leaned towards her to kiss her cheek before getting out of her car and ignoring the way she eyed the warehouse district as I walked away. Funny, how my brain works; it was only after she drove away that I realized my keys were in my bag, which was still in the back of her car.