[Everything he says is true. Barry wouldn't go down without a fight, and the circumstances of his disappearance mean something strange has happened. The fact that they couldn't pick out any details from the grainy security cam footage they could find doesn't really mean anything great.
Jay exhales.] It could also be something to do with the speed force again. Barry is tied to it a lot more closely than the rest of us.
I'm sure, wherever he is, he's trying to make it back.
I was thinking speed force too. [This is why Hal's primarily been with Jay so far. He's calming and Hal doesn't feel like he needs to protect him like he does with Wally. The younger speedster is fragile right now so being with him is hard because all Hal ends up doing is trying to make things better for him]
When Barry came back, he said he felt like he had to be careful or he'd be pulled back in. So...maybe he was. [He kind of hopes it's that, honestly] And if he was, that means we just gotta figure out how to get him back out.
[Jay gets it. He's been honestly trying to stick with Hal as much as possible, or at least be there as a buffer when Wally is with them as well. Wally's state is... not great, and Hal is in no good place to provide all the comfort and support he needs. Not when he needs it himself.
They need Barry back, is what they need.]
It's possible. Wish it wasn't, though. I don't think any of the rest of us are fast enough to enter the speed force ourselves... [Jay looks- both thoughtful, and troubled, and maybe a little guilty too, because it's hard not to feel like he should be better, for Barry. That he should be able to drag him back to his life.]
[This is hard for everyone. It's taken a truly massive amount of self-restraint on Hal's part to not totally lose it at anyone, because he recognizes that everyone trying to help find Barry is doing just that. Trying to help. This isn't anyone's fault and no one deserves to have Hal's stress taken out on them. Every day that passes without a single sign of Barry, Hal feels like he gets a little closer to snapping. And he doesn't want to do that. It won't help anything.
So when Jay says that he doesn't think any of them are fast enough to enter the speed force, Hal paces away from him. He takes a deep breath that he lets out slowly, dragging his hands through his hair. This isn't anyone's fault. And he knows that Jay probably feels a little guilty about not having an immediate solution to the problem. Speedsters love their guilt. He can relate]
That's not your fault, Jay. It's not anyone's fault. [And that sucks and he hates it. He wants a simple solution and someone to blame so badly]
So what do we do? How do we bring him back if no one can go in after him?
[Jay doesn't let it get to him, when Hal turns away from him. His sanity is skating on thin ice right now, and he gets it - Barry is like a son to him, and it's a deep, deep wound that he's missing again, possibly dead again.
He's about to try and reach out, to offer whatever reassurance he can that they'll think of something, they'll try anything to get Barry back, when Wally comes skidding up at superspeed. He must have heard at least some of the conversation, because he slips into it like he was there all along, and says almost breathlessly,]
Uncle Hal, lightning rods! [...As if that's supposed to mean anything, other than being the phrase that Barry always used when he was feeling sappy - You're my lightning rod, Hal.]
[Wally's sudden appearance is surprising. Not as much as it should be, given that all the speedsters have a habit of just showing up but still. Then he says the thing about lightning rods and...Hal's honestly never put much thought into that. He always figured it was just Barry being metaphorical and sappy]
Wally, what are you talking about? What does that have to do with anything?
He always calls you that, doesn't he? [Wally usually gags and leaves the room, but still. He knows he's heard it before.]
What does that mean, son?
We're not fast enough to go into the speedforce after him, if that's where he is, but maybe we can use the cosmic treadmill and at least- open up a window, or something, try to get Hal's voice to him. He used to say it's easy to lose yourself in there...
[Hal's never taken it seriously. And apparently, he should have. He sighs, covering his face with one hand. Part of him is annoyed that he might be about to prove Barry's sappy ass point. Most of him, though, just really wants it to work]
Okay. Okay, fine. Sure. At this point, I'll try anything. I just... [Want Barry back. That's all]
[Jay frowns thoughtfully, looking from Wally to Hal. It's so difficult to say whether or not they should try this - he doesn't want to get either of their hopes up for nothing, if it turns out to have not worked, or if it turns out that Barry isn't trapped in the speedforce.
He reaches out to clasp a hand on Hal's shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze.]
It may or may not work, but we'll give it a shot. No stone unturned, right boys? [There isn't much they wouldn't do to bring Barry back from wherever he might be, even this crazy idea.]
Meet me at the Watchtower. At the cosmic treadmill. [And just like that, Wally is gone in a blur. Jay just exhales a quiet sigh.]
[Jay really does hate the catch-22 here. The only way they don't all lose is if this actually brings Barry back somehow. If it doesn't... He's going to have to pick up the pieces of the both of them.
But they're running out of things to even try, places to look.]
Yeah, I guess so. [He agrees, and they make their way to the nearest zeta point. Up at the Watchtower, Wally is already hooking up the cosmic treadmill, getting things ready to give this crazy last-ditch thing a shot.]
Just stand by for now. Jay and I are going to try and open a small pathway to the speedforce, hopefully enough to get through to him if he's in there. If he is... He should hear your voice, and maybe it'll give him the boost he needs to fight his way out himself.
[Wally doesn't sound totally sure about any of it, but it's not like they've ever tried to do something like this before.]
It's... If Barry's stuck in the speedforce... This has to work, right?
[Jay steps forward to give him a quick, tight hug.] It's something to try, at least. We're not giving up on him, son.
[Still feeling rather doubtful but...he wants it to work. He needs it to work]
It's a good plan, Wally. Barry would be proud of you for coming up with it. I'm proud of you for coming up with it. [It has to work. He doesn't think either he or Wally will be able to handle it if it doesn't work]
[Wally manages a smile, albeit a small and nervous one, at the praise. It always helps to hear Hal agree with him that something is a good idea - and he wants this to be a good idea. He wants it to work. They all need Barry back.] I- Save the praise for if it works, right?
[As Wally steps up onto the treadmill, Jay moves in to hug Hal too, tight.] We're going to do our damndest. [And hopefully... That'll be enough.
He joins Wally, and both turn to red blurs as they start to run, threads of lightning sparking and dying around them as they try to open up the speed force.]
[It has to work. There's no other choice. If it doesn't...Hal doesn't want to think about that. He needs Barry back. They all do. He's also not a terribly physically affectionate person but he's learned over the years that the speedsters all thrive on it and there's really no denying them. So he doesn't bother. Besides, maybe he appreciates it just the tiniest bit right now]
Just let me know what you need me to do and when you need me to do it.
[He knows very little about the speed force. Just what bits and pieces he's been told by Barry over the course of their friendship. He's pretty much letting Jay and Wally take the lead on this]
If this works, you'll know. Just- if you hear him, or see him, talk to him. If Uncle Barry is lost in the speedforce, he needs to hear you. [Wally says, voice sounding slightly distorted from the speed they move at while still remaining in one place.
Flecks of lightning keep flying off them as they move, the air taking on a weird sheen. It takes a few minutes, but...
Then there is a sound, distant and distorted. A sob, or a pant, or something, in a very familiar voice.
[At first, Hal doesn't hear anything. Just noise. He almost starts to worry that maybe Wally was wrong but he definitely hears that. It's distant and doesn't sound quite right but he'd recognize that voice anywhere]
Barry! [Wally was right] Barry, you need to come back now. Whatever you gotta do to get out of there, do it. Just...come back.
[Unfortunately it's not going to be that easy. The opened connection to the speed force is tenuous, and Barry's voice sounds distorted and almost staticky when he says, full of pain and desperation,]
...Hal? [Was what he heard real? Or is it a trick of his mind that so desperately wants to hear Hal's voice right then?]
[It's hard to hear but that almost sounded like a response. It almost sounded like his name. Hal can't tell for certain but he's going to take that as encouragement]
Barry, I know you can hear me! [At least, he hopes Barry can] Focus on that and come back. You've been gone for long enough. I don't know how the speed force works and I don't know how getting out of it works, but you're you so I know you can do it. Come back.
[If he replies, if he can hear more than every other word, there isn't much indication. The next sign of Barry's voice is minutes later, and still sounds staticky, garbled like a bad connection, or like he's trying hard to pull himself together inside the speedforce that tries to break him down, absorb him.]
...Hal-! [He's definitely saying his name, but it's hard to hear anything else.
[The minutes that pass without any indication that Barry is still there or can hear him feel like hours. The next thing he hears is definitely his name. Barry can hear him. Or at least some of what he's saying. Hal decides to attach to that little bit of encouragement. He needs it]
Yeah, Bar, I'm here! I was always gonna figure out where you were. I just wish it hadn't taken me so long. [He hates to think of what the last three weeks have been like for Barry. He sounds like he's been suffering] You can get out of there. You can do it, I know you can.
[Bar, I'm here, always gonna, so long, get out of there. He can't do it, though, he can't. It's too hard, like swimming in syrup at the slowest speed imaginable, like drowning, like losing himself to the speedforce.]
Can't, Hal- [The rest of the words come out garbled, unintelligible.] -I can't-
[And then, in the small torn-open look into the blinding lights of the speedforce, red-clad fingertips.]
You can! Because you know what? If you don't, I'm gonna have to figure out a way to get you out! And it'll probably be stupid and dangerous and not all that moral! So don't make me do that!
[He'd do anything for Barry, no matter how stupid. And he knows Barry knows that. For example, how stupid an idea would reaching out be? Hal decides he doesn't care if it's stupid, reaching out just enough so Barry can feel his hand and know that he's there. Assuming Barry can feel anything at all right now]
You can do it. Or I'll drag your ass out if I have to. Whatever works.
[He can feel it, when Hal's fingers brush his in the gap, and the physical touch after weeks of nothing in the speedforce is- he needs more contact. The touch sparks red lightning between them, but Barry is clearly reaching out desperately even as he vibrates all over, in and out of a solid state.]
Please-! [It feels like no matter how fast he runs in the speedforce, he can't quite make it, can't escape this nightmare. He sounds closer, though. Clearer.]
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Jay exhales.] It could also be something to do with the speed force again. Barry is tied to it a lot more closely than the rest of us.
I'm sure, wherever he is, he's trying to make it back.
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When Barry came back, he said he felt like he had to be careful or he'd be pulled back in. So...maybe he was. [He kind of hopes it's that, honestly] And if he was, that means we just gotta figure out how to get him back out.
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They need Barry back, is what they need.]
It's possible. Wish it wasn't, though. I don't think any of the rest of us are fast enough to enter the speed force ourselves... [Jay looks- both thoughtful, and troubled, and maybe a little guilty too, because it's hard not to feel like he should be better, for Barry. That he should be able to drag him back to his life.]
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So when Jay says that he doesn't think any of them are fast enough to enter the speed force, Hal paces away from him. He takes a deep breath that he lets out slowly, dragging his hands through his hair. This isn't anyone's fault. And he knows that Jay probably feels a little guilty about not having an immediate solution to the problem. Speedsters love their guilt. He can relate]
That's not your fault, Jay. It's not anyone's fault. [And that sucks and he hates it. He wants a simple solution and someone to blame so badly]
So what do we do? How do we bring him back if no one can go in after him?
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He's about to try and reach out, to offer whatever reassurance he can that they'll think of something, they'll try anything to get Barry back, when Wally comes skidding up at superspeed. He must have heard at least some of the conversation, because he slips into it like he was there all along, and says almost breathlessly,]
Uncle Hal, lightning rods! [...As if that's supposed to mean anything, other than being the phrase that Barry always used when he was feeling sappy - You're my lightning rod, Hal.]
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Wally, what are you talking about? What does that have to do with anything?
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What does that mean, son?
We're not fast enough to go into the speedforce after him, if that's where he is, but maybe we can use the cosmic treadmill and at least- open up a window, or something, try to get Hal's voice to him. He used to say it's easy to lose yourself in there...
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[Hal's never taken it seriously. And apparently, he should have. He sighs, covering his face with one hand. Part of him is annoyed that he might be about to prove Barry's sappy ass point. Most of him, though, just really wants it to work]
Okay. Okay, fine. Sure. At this point, I'll try anything. I just... [Want Barry back. That's all]
If you think it might work, we'll do it.
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He reaches out to clasp a hand on Hal's shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze.]
It may or may not work, but we'll give it a shot. No stone unturned, right boys? [There isn't much they wouldn't do to bring Barry back from wherever he might be, even this crazy idea.]
Meet me at the Watchtower. At the cosmic treadmill. [And just like that, Wally is gone in a blur. Jay just exhales a quiet sigh.]
It's worth a try.
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At this point? Anything is worth a try. [But if it doesn't work, it's gonna break Wally. And Hal, actually. So it better work]
So, to the Watchtower we go, I guess.
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But they're running out of things to even try, places to look.]
Yeah, I guess so. [He agrees, and they make their way to the nearest zeta point. Up at the Watchtower, Wally is already hooking up the cosmic treadmill, getting things ready to give this crazy last-ditch thing a shot.]
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So tell me exactly what you want me to do here, Wally. [Because he'll do it. No questions asked]
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[Wally doesn't sound totally sure about any of it, but it's not like they've ever tried to do something like this before.]
It's... If Barry's stuck in the speedforce... This has to work, right?
[Jay steps forward to give him a quick, tight hug.] It's something to try, at least. We're not giving up on him, son.
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[Still feeling rather doubtful but...he wants it to work. He needs it to work]
It's a good plan, Wally. Barry would be proud of you for coming up with it. I'm proud of you for coming up with it. [It has to work. He doesn't think either he or Wally will be able to handle it if it doesn't work]
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[As Wally steps up onto the treadmill, Jay moves in to hug Hal too, tight.] We're going to do our damndest. [And hopefully... That'll be enough.
He joins Wally, and both turn to red blurs as they start to run, threads of lightning sparking and dying around them as they try to open up the speed force.]
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Just let me know what you need me to do and when you need me to do it.
[He knows very little about the speed force. Just what bits and pieces he's been told by Barry over the course of their friendship. He's pretty much letting Jay and Wally take the lead on this]
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Flecks of lightning keep flying off them as they move, the air taking on a weird sheen. It takes a few minutes, but...
Then there is a sound, distant and distorted. A sob, or a pant, or something, in a very familiar voice.
Barry.]
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Barry! [Wally was right] Barry, you need to come back now. Whatever you gotta do to get out of there, do it. Just...come back.
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...Hal? [Was what he heard real? Or is it a trick of his mind that so desperately wants to hear Hal's voice right then?]
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Barry, I know you can hear me! [At least, he hopes Barry can] Focus on that and come back. You've been gone for long enough. I don't know how the speed force works and I don't know how getting out of it works, but you're you so I know you can do it. Come back.
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...Hal-! [He's definitely saying his name, but it's hard to hear anything else.
And then it stops again, silent.]
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Yeah, Bar, I'm here! I was always gonna figure out where you were. I just wish it hadn't taken me so long. [He hates to think of what the last three weeks have been like for Barry. He sounds like he's been suffering] You can get out of there. You can do it, I know you can.
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Can't, Hal- [The rest of the words come out garbled, unintelligible.] -I can't-
[And then, in the small torn-open look into the blinding lights of the speedforce, red-clad fingertips.]
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[He'd do anything for Barry, no matter how stupid. And he knows Barry knows that. For example, how stupid an idea would reaching out be? Hal decides he doesn't care if it's stupid, reaching out just enough so Barry can feel his hand and know that he's there. Assuming Barry can feel anything at all right now]
You can do it. Or I'll drag your ass out if I have to. Whatever works.
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Please-! [It feels like no matter how fast he runs in the speedforce, he can't quite make it, can't escape this nightmare. He sounds closer, though. Clearer.]
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