Time After Time ϟ Barry Allen [2]

16- Among Thieves

    Cicada, David Hersch, is out there still, and we have a cure for the Metahuman gene, well, not yet. The parts we need to create the cure were stolen, and that means we're heading to the 'underworld', a place for crooks. With some of my time spent in Gotham helping out a certain caped crusader and his birdy sidekicks, I know the ropes of thieves. 
Black fishnets, heeled boots, ripped denim shorts, a dark leather jacket and a choker are not my usual attire, but are perfect for fitting in. I pull my brown hair back into a ponytail and muster up as much of a menacing attitude as possible. Barry and Ralph got their information a different way than I did, but my way was an easy window of opportunity. It turns out that if you know Jason Todd, he knows some former thieves that know just the place to find the right items. 
   I knock on a metal door and a guy that's built like an ox opens it. I cross my arms, trying to not let his grimace get the best of me, "a buddy of mine said I can find some dude named Goldface here. I'm looking to make a deal." 
The guy opens the door widen and yanks me inside. I fight the instinct to electrocute him as another guy with a gun points it at me. I hold up my hands and he clasps on a wristband. 
   "What sort of deal?" the thug asks. 
   "Gotham's Underworld is a top buyer for anything he's got. Whatever deal Goldface is willing to make," I respond calmly. "Do you mind leading me to him?" 
The two crooks bring me into a lavish barroom where I see Barry and Ralph right away. The man in front of them is who I'm guessing is Goldface, just like who Jason's old friend said I'd find. 

   Goldface has a thug put a gun to Barry's head. "I'm not going to ask you once more. Who. Are. You?" 
My eye flick back and forth nervously. In my palms, electricity is on the verge of crackling. 
   Barry looks up at him, "I'm nobody. No arrests. No conviction. Not for the Star City Museum Heist, that blew open that vault." 
   "That was you?" 
   "Not to the police it wasn't. I'm a red herring, you can call me the Chemist." Barry stands up, "but I don't really care who you call me, all that matters is that we get business done." 
   "You should let him do the talking," the man remarks to Ralph. 
   My jaw is dropped open, but I quickly force it closed before anyone notices. "Well, boys," I remark. "Looks like we've got a damn good villain on our hands." 
   "And who might you be?" Goldface notices me, but his expression is not quite as hostile. "Let me guess, a chick like you has got to come from Gotham." 
   "As a matter of fact, I am. What's it to you?"  
Barry casts me a worried glance. Goldface just looks me up and down, "you have that Gothamite type of attitude. Name?" 
   "They call me, Shotgun," I reply smoothly. "I've done work with the infamous Harley Quinn. I'm not afraid to crack a few skulls and take what's mine." Barry looks at me in a surprised manner. My eyes dart to him momentarily and give him a wink. 
   "Excellent," Goldface comments with a grin. 
   "So, we're back in business?" Ralph questions. 
   "With a twist," Goldface replies. "There's a 3D printer that sells artificial organs. It should be an easy task for the Chemist and Shotgun." 
   "You want us to rob a hospital?" Barry asks. 
   "I'm not a monster. I just want you to rob the lab before it gets to the hospital." 

   Adjusting the armor supplied to us from the thugs, I strap on the supposedly bulletproof vest. I look at Barry and smile faintly. His green eyes look almost blank but he manages a smirk. The men in the truck jump out and start their search for the 3D printer for biomaterial, guns in hand. I go to follow them, but Goldface's second-in-command, Carver, blocks my path. 
   "I don't trust you, being an associate with Harley Quinn," he says. 
   "Relax," I respond. "Goldface thinks I'm great for the job, so suck it." 
   "You betta watch that mouth of yours." 
   "I don't take orders from--" 
He knocks me over and I aim my foot for his knee. Then before I know it, I have another cuff on my other wrist that is now bound to the opposite one. "--Where the hell did you get handcuffs? Your boss is gonna be mad when he finds out his next best buyer is out of thievery. Hey! Where are you going?" I watch Carver leave me behind, and scowl. I glance to right and see Ralph jogging away from the van. "Where's Barry? I need him to shoot the cuffs off." I pause as Ralph won't meet my eye, "did you lock him in the truck? Ralph? Ralph, answer me! Dammit!" Yep. This heist could not get anymore crappy. Or so I thought. 

Not long after waiting for my chance to join in on the theft, the door to the truck falls off its hinges. Barry hops out and spots my bound hands. 
   "Who did that to you?" he asks rushing over. 
   "That jackass that worships Goldface with his life," I grumble. "Do you think you have good enough aim to break it open with your gun?" 
   "Seriously?" 
   "Yes," I respond, looking him directly in the eye. 
   "Okay," Barry utters. He takes the gun in his hand and meets my gaze again. "Are you sure?" 
   "Barry," I hold up my wrists, "shoot." 
Barry takes a deep breath and places his finger on the trigger. I feel my breath get stuck in my throat as the gun goes off. To my relief, I still have my hands attached. I beam and run over to him. I kiss him, wrapping my arms around his neck. I pull myself away, "I love you so much, Chemist." 
   "I kind of like you as a villain, Shotgun," Barry admits with a grin. 
   The sound of a door coming open puts me on edge. "Get behind the truck." 
We duck against the hood and Barry picks up a brick. I give him a questioning look, until he chucks the brick into one of the thugs that has Ralph held at gunpoint. I charge forward and wipe the legs out from under the crook, then serve an upper cut to his jaw. I pivot back around to see Ralph get pinned down. 
   "Brick," he yells. Barry tosses him one and ends up hitting the man grappling Ralph in the head. "Thanks, but I really meant 'throw the brick to me'." 
   "I was trying to throw the brick to you," Barry replies. "So, you couldn't go through with the robbery either?" 
   "Not after I saw that the printer was for little kids. Carver's in there with it. There's a lot of guns and we don't have any powers." 
   "Who needs powers when I got these babies?" I show Ralph my fists. 
   "These guns have a stun setting," Barry hands me one. "Lets go." 

This is either like a game of extreme laser-tag or a version of criminal Star Wars Battlefront. I managed to get three hits so far, and Carver is next on my list. 
   I catch sight of Goldface's second-in-command, "hey, I'm gonna show you how to fight like a girl." I smash the barrel of my gun into one of his guys' faces, then block and parry his barrel to shoot down another. I smirk and continue down and around the corner. Barry, Ralph and I go back-to-back and fire laser bullets at the thugs all around. Then we go after Carver, he gets hit and flies down a stairwell. "That's what you get," I say. 
Beeping from our wristbands mean our hands might get blown off. We head back towards the exit to meet Goldface. 
   "I'm gonna kill you all in a traditional way," Goldface tells us. He takes his eyes off us too soon and we all stun him with the pistols on our belts. 
   "He really should frisked us first," Ralph comments. 
   "I rather he not to me," I frown. "He'd get my boot." 
We then watch Goldface get back up, a golden layer sprouts over his fist. He definitely lives up to his name. Angrily the thug tries to fight us off. Ralph and Barry don't have the training I do, and I attempt to make short work of the criminal. Goldface kicks me, and I forward-roll to avoid any serious damage. I turn to see him choking out Ralph, "put the whip down. I know a girl who's whipping skills will give you a run for your money, and you don't want to meet her." 
   "Hey! It shows what you know, believing a fake backstory," Barry shouts. 
Goldface snarls, going to whip him next. Little does he know, his gold whip is about to hit a generator and gold is terrific conductor of electricity. The three of us observe Goldface's collapse, which he survived, but ended up defeated. 





Author's Note: 
And that's all we got for today, guys. Hope you enjoyed this part, it was kind of a task to write with all my other projects. If you liked this part, give it a vote! Byeeeeee! 
   ~ SHIELD-Avenger