Only Because I Need You Too

Chapter 23: I Will Always Find You

Medusa clutched handfuls of her hair on either side of her head, pressing her knuckles deeply into her skull. The empty warehouse around her reeked of rust and gasoline. Droplets of rainwater splashed down onto the cracked concrete floor from the rafters above. Legs crossed and haunched over, she sat in the centre of the vacant building. There was nothing left to its dim interior than a shabby, rusted cat walk that was suspended from the leaky rafters above. In Medusa's eyes she saw armouries, weapons, gambling rooms, bars, storage, offices. All of it was whisked away in a Flash, leaving a gaping hole in her heart. Pressing harder on her temples, she let out a long hiss of air.

The clatter of footsteps rattled her mind. Medusa pinched the bridge of her nose and slumped over herself. "Medusa, Tate is in Argas now." Pickles voice thundered throughout the vast emptiness of the warehouse.

"I'm aware of that," she growled through clenched teeth. Pickle may have been one useful man, but he had a habit of pushing his luck. That was one of the things that annoyed her the most. People that didn't know when to stop.

"Good. Then you'll know you have no chance of getting him out." A twist of happiness flickered in Christopher's voice.

Medusa pushed herself to her feet and turned to face him. Pickle was well put together as always, his hair elegantly gelled back, his trousers wrinkle free and classy. Medusa jutted her jaw to one side and crossed her arms firmly over her chest. "Getting him out isn't the issue. Keeping him out is. Especially with the Flash and his cronies dominating Central City." She rocked on her feet and pursed her lips.

Pickle rolled his eyes and straightened his suspenders. His shirt sleeves were rolled up to the top of his elbow, revealing long lanky arms. "So what, you want to get rid of team Flash?" Pickle snorted narrowing his eyes.

Medusa sent him a sly smile. "Exactly." Then. Then there was time. Time for revenge.

"How could you possibly do that if you couldn't do it whilst Tate was a free man?" Pickle began to stroll, hooking his thumbs into his trousers. "What makes you think you can best the Scarlet Speedster?" He sniffed slightly and stared at her with a smug smile.

Medusa inhaled deeply and plastered on a grin, "I don't think I can. I know I can." She assured him forcefully. Pickle cocked a brow and leaned closer to her. The dark stubble on his face was prominent in the dim lighting and made his already gaunt cheeks look hollow. "With your help of course." She added.

"My help?" Pickle placed a hand on his heart and let out a bark of laughter. "No, I'm not helping you anymore, you two faced snake!" he roared, going red in the face. A few moments passed, his shout echoed around the empty room, thundering in Medusa's ears.

Medusa puckered her lips. "Our offer still stands," she hummed softly. "I will tell you who is going to kill you and how to stop them if you help me defeat the Flash. By the time I have freed Tate you will be long gone." Pickle observed her from the corner of his eye and ran a hand down his face. "Did I ever tell you, that your murderer will slowly chip away at you, chunk by chunk until there is nothing left?" Pickle's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to interject, "they won't let you die quickly and it was something you never saw coming. They will make you suffer for a long time until you finally die. It was the kind of death that makes me want to give up this life." She gestured to the empty warehouse around her.

Pickle stuck out a hand which Medusa clasped in her own, giving it a firm shake.

*

Nora sat with her head in her hands as she flicked through images on the screen in front of her. The cortex was abnormally deserted. Stretching her arms far above her head, Nora let out a loud yawn. The images in front of her were all the pixelated, hastily gathered information she could fine on the Observer but she had gotten nowhere. There was nothing. Nora was from the future, she should have known more about the archer. The images of Caitlin in a coffin flickered across her mind. Clenching her fists, Nora squeezed her eyes shut. The faces of her parents as they stared at the breach baby Nora had disappeared into were seared into her mind. Not only was Nora too late to help her father, she was too late to do anything about the Observer. Gritting her teeth, Nora straightened her back. When would the archer just give up?

"Nora!" The sharpness of Barry's voice dragged the speedster back into her body. Blinking hard and staring round with glazed eyes, she found the two forms of her parents staring at her with creased brows. Barry had an arm looped over Iris's shoulders. In Iris's hands was a coffee cup holder with three jitter's coffees standing perked upright in them. Nora felt a shiver run down her spine, she hadn't even noticed them entering the cortex.

"You alright?" Iris asked, cocking a dark eyebrow.

Nora waved her off with the back of her hand, "Sorry, just daydreaming."

"Do you want an Excesso?" Iris plucked a coffee from the coffee carrier and offered it with an outstretched arm. Nora dipped her head and took the coffee with a wide grin. "I don't think the shock of having a coffee named after me will ever fade."

Barry snorted, "just wait until they make a museum about you."

"A museum that is entirely incorrect," Nora added, quirking a brow upwards. Iris rolled her eyes and leaned onto the desk the speedster was sitting at. The ex-reporter took a swig from one of the coffee and Barry claimed the other. Staring closely at her parents, Nora noticed the youthful excitement and happy glow that radiated off their faces. She'd seen the same thing in Caitlin and Ethan also. Nora supposed that they were different people from the ones she knew in the future. The whips and scorns of time had a wicked way of changing everything it's thorned fingers touched.

"You'll never guess what happened this morning," Iris let out a happy squeak as she stared directly at her daughter and clutched Barry's forearm. The speedster chuckled and ran a hand down the back of his neck. The corners of his lips twitched upwards. Nora cocked her head to the side. "It was little Nora, every time Barry tried to leave for work she would just burst into tears and throw herself into his arms."

"At top speed." Barry added as a smile warmed his features.

Nora felt their happiness infect her and spread onto her face. "Yeah, I remember you telling me that story when I was ten," she replied, leaning back into her seat. Iris paused and traded a look with her husband. "I think it is still one of your favourites in my time."

Iris's smile widened. Barry pulled her in a little closer and rested his chin upon her head. "Well then, it sounds like you get the best of all our stories."

"Oh just you wait until you experience some of the stories I have heard." Nora snorted back a laugh. Memories and voices drifted through her mind bringing a happy skip into her tone. "You have good times ahead."