Flashpoint Paradox || Barry Allen [3]

07| Unmasked

***

Iris, Jade and I were in the weapons room attempting to avoid getting mad at one another for what happened with Wally. It had been half and hour since he went after The Rival and he still wasn't back yet. The three of us were getting increasingly worried by the second and considered that I hadn't activated his tracker or communication set, we had no way of getting to him. 

"I can't believe you let him go." I muttered, deciding that I wasn't going to yell at my sister for this.

Jade was pacing around the room and stopped to face me, a look of resentment taking over her features. My sister and I rarely fought and every time we did it was something Artemis related. "Wally's stubborn. And I really couldn't stop him, maybe if you would have let him go after The Rival sooner he wouldn't have done something this stupid."

"Your right what he did was stupid."Iris stated from the other side of the room. "And this just proved why he wasn't ready. He's reckless and immature."

I felt grateful that Iris was on my side, although we've been spending plenty of time together recently it usually involved our next steps towards helping Wally reach his full potential. Never in a way that would I would classify as friendship. 

"Look Jade I started you two off with smaller criminals and meta-humans for a reason." I said beginning to just feel mentally exhausted, most of my anger draining away in an instant. "I know I always tell you this, but it's dangerous out there. I've seen some of the greatest heroes I know shatter under the pressure and I didn't want the same thing to happen to either of you."

I knew that if Roy was here he would be against be training these two, would remind me of everything that our team went through. What we had to face. Yet, a part of me knew that the world needed heroes, needed that hope. I wanted Jade and Wally to be better than we were, to do what we couldn't and actually make a difference. 

"So this is your base of operations, huh?" I heard a familiar voice question from the other room. It just wasn't the voice that I was expecting, or a voice I never thought I would here in this setting.  

"Yeah. What were you expecting?" Wally's amused voice replied, triggering the three of us to sit up and exit the room. "A fortress?" 

As Iris, Jade and I stepped into the living room, I froze taking in the scene in front of me. Wally seemed okay and was smiling at Barry who had his back turned from us. My brain was trying to come up with possible explanations as to why he was here, he simply shouldn't be here. 

"Uh, no, you know, no. Just something a little more secure." Barry replied. "I mean, you never know who's gonna come walking through that door."

"You're right Barry." I stated, the sound of my voice causing him to jump and turn towards me in what seemed like a cautious way. "Tell me, what security measures we should take in order for unwanted strangers to not find this place?"

"Diane hi." Barry said awkwardly, and was about to take a step towards me before seeming to think better about the idea. Which was a good move considering the currently I was fighting the urge to snap his neck. "How are you?"

"What are you doing here?" I asked, not in the mood for useless small talk. 

Barry seemed at a loss of words as he looked at me and the two women standing behind me. "I'm not I'm..." 

"He showed up when I was fighting the Rival, and he already knew who I was." Wally stated, not seeming concerned with the fact that a complete stranger found out who he was as on his first official job as The Flash. 

"Interesting." I commented as I crossed my arms over my chest and took a step closer to Barry. "Is that why you were trying to get close to me? Because you knew I had ties to The Flash?"