Rocky Raymond//Book Three\\ COMPLETED

Chapter 25- Attack on Gorilla City

MacKenzie's POV

"It's been two weeks since he disappeared." Jesse frantically paces around the cortex, upset. I walk into the room, taking my backpack from my shoulder and putting it on the floor. "I mean, no one's seen or heard from him since."

"Slow down. Just start from the beginning. Okay, why did your dad go to Gorilla City?" Barry asks.

"Wait, can we slow down even further? What the hell is a Gorilla City?" Joe asks.

"Okay, so there are sentient, highly intelligent evolved gorillas in Earth-2." Jesse explains. "And they all live in a city deep in the heart of Africa."

"We sent Grodd there when he went after Fay Wray here." Cisco says.

"Grodd's there?" Joe asks.

"Mm." Barry nods.

"Why on Earth, any Earth, would your father want to go there?" Joe asks.

"I mean, we received a mathematical cryptogram at our S.T.A.R. Labs." Jesse says. "It was highly complex. It took a week to decode it, but my dad and I did."

"What did it say?" Iris asks.

"It was an invitation... from the gorillas to my dad." Jesse says.

"Why Harry?" Barry asks,

"They wanted to meet him." Jesse says. "So he mounted an expedition with ten other people, and they went into the jungle. But they failed multiple check-ins, and a search party went in after them. But all they found were the bodies... all of them beaten to death." She's got tears in her eyes. "But no one's seen my dad. I mean, is he--"

"No." Barry cuts her off. "No, he's alive. They... they went to a lot of trouble to get him there. They need him for something. We're gonna figure out what that is."

"Oh! There you guys are. I've been looking all over for you. Are we going for coffee or what?" HR asks, walking into the cortex.

"Dad!" Jesse exclaims, running over and hugging HR.

"Yes, that's how you say good morning, people... with hugs. Hi!" HR exclaims.

"Jesse, that's not who you think it is. This is H.R. You met him briefly before you left last time." Caitlin says.

"At your service, madame." HR says, bowing.

"He's Harry's replacement." Wally says.

"Some would say improvement." HR jokes.

"Um, this is Harry's daughter." Cisco says.

"Yeah." HR says.

"He's been kidnapped." Cisco says.

"He... I didn't know. I'm so s... I thought..." HR stutters over his words.

"Sorry about that." Jesse says, backing up.

"I'm sorry, too. I'm sorry I took the smile from your face." HR tells her.

"What are you thinking about?" Iris asks Barry.

"The future." Barry says.

***

"This headline from the future: the city's still recovering from a gorilla attack." Barry tells us in the speedlab.

"So you're thinking this headline and Harry being taken are tied together." Joe says.

"I mean, it can't be a coincidence, right? Harry getting lured to Gorilla City? Grodd must be planning something." Barry says.