Who: Cisco and Iris What: Surprise run ins at the Agency When: March 24th, a couple hours after this and this Where: The Agency Warnings: Low Status: Log | Complete
Iris was going to need to send Barry a text eventually. She had no idea how long she needed to stay at the Agency, if it would only be for a few more hours or overnight. Still, while she knew she would need to text her best friend to either come pick her up, or have a cover story to give her dad, Iris was also trying to wrap her head around what she had just been through now that there wasn’t adrenaline going through her and a need for answers.
The conversation with Natasha was going through her mind. It honestly went against everything she stood for, the fact that people deserved to know the truth. That this terrorist organization remained unknown…. Yet Iris also knew that if she were to print what she had learned? She’d lose almost, if not all, of her credibility as a writer. Plus, there were people on the network apparently who had abilities and like Iris had told Natasha, she wasn’t naive. She knew what could happen if those within the government - or any government - got wind of that.
Which meant her desire to tell the truth to help people protect themselves was in conflict because she also didn’t want to put those here in danger either. It was a complete mess and she honestly didn’t know what to make of it.
Or the fact that her digging had nearly gotten her killed and it was probably just luck that Natasha had chosen to call Thor to demonstrate the whole abilities thing and him being a doctor so that they had been able to get her there. It wasn’t the first time she’d put herself in danger for a story but it wasn’t an easy thing to deal with either. All in all, it was a lot and it was why Iris was holding off on texting her best friend until she a, had more of an idea on if she needed to be picked up or at least have a cover story, and b, was less confused and overwhelmed by what she had just gone through since she knew that Barry would have questions.
Letting out a frustrated sigh, the journalist just leaned her head back and stared at the ceiling. She didn’t like to admit that she was still feeling drained and weak, but the tests had come back clean so whatever poison had been in her was now gone, or at least dealt with. Now it was just recovering and that meant rest apparently.
--- Cisco was having an amazing weekend on the other hand. His couple of days off had turned out to be full of friends and people he wanted to be around, and now Barry was dreaming! God L.A. was a roller coaster. Flying high then extreme lows. Right then for him was one of those high marks though, thank god. Their dreams gave them more than enough low points to last a lifetime.
If Ruby had been in the lab he of course would have happily stopped to chat a bit before taking the drone off his desk. He wanted to run a few new simulations just for fun, and that drone was the best little drone. HD and everything. Why settle for less when he didn’t have to?
There was a tune in his head as he headed back toward the waiting car he’d ordered. I see this life like a swingin’ vine… but the rest of the lyrics dissolved into humming as he continued forward. It wasn’t unusual for Cisco to walk around the place with a pair of earbuds in, and some kind of music. He almost didn’t notice that the med bay wasn’t empty this time around.
However, the movement he spotted out of the corner of his eyes gave him a bit of pause. Jemma? Was she working late? Nope. Well maybe, but that’s not who he saw in the medical bay. Nope. Who he saw made him do a double take.
“Iris?” He asked as he peered cautiously through the window. He reached out to give it a tap with a finger. Maybe it wasn’t real? --- Iris eventually had managed to text Barry - it was only a matter of time, they told each other everything after all. Then he’d sent her a text about starting his own Dreams and had gone back to her staring at the ceiling thing. She had seen what he had told Cisco and that meant she was worried. Yes, despite having just been poisoned, Iris’ concern was more on Barry than anything else.
Yeah, she would probably have to come to terms with the whole poisoned thing at some point. Just not right now while the whole thing was so fresh in her mind. And with Jemma in and out of the lab (she seemed to have agreed with Barry’s assertion that she stay overnight for observation), she wasn’t really weirded out when she heard someone walking by, figuring it was the British scientist.
Though then she heard someone say her name and looked up and to the side, blinking in shock.
“Cisco?” Oh, she was definitely real. But why was… wait, “You work here as well?” Okay, that was….maybe not entirely unexpected given where he worked in the Dreams, but she had basically resigned herself to knowing no one there and not having anything to do beyond check her phone for news updates or the like. --- He got a little deer in headlights expression as she looked just as surprised as he did. Crap. AbOrT. Run.
Those were the things running through his mind, but she was already there. No point in hiding now? He hadn’t gotten to the relief yet, his brain was stuck on internally panicked as he lowered his hand and stepped into the room. “Umm. Guess you wouldn’t buy that I just got lost would you?” Lost at government facility with a drone in his hands that was very obviously his?...He gave her a awkward grin.
“Surprise?” Now you see why he couldn’t tell your father where he worked? He thumbed at himself “Um, yeah. Engineer.” With an awkward grin and raised an eyebrow. “Why are you here? I mean I wanted to show you this place eventually but..Not like this.” He motoned around them at their medical settings. --- Well, it wasn’t like Iris really had known what to expect. Nor had she gotten all the information on how Cisco had been when tethered to Barry. Just that he confused her dad because of behavior versus his gut. Beyond that? Nothing. Still, it would make sense why Cisco couldn’t exactly answer questions on what he did for a job.
But yeah, hiding was definitely not a thing that would go over well.
“No, I definitely would not buy that.”
Because really now. She had gotten enough information from Natasha before the whole realization that she’d been poisoned and she’d been brought to the Agency herself. As for what he actually did here?
“That’s cool. The technology seems pretty advanced so that must be fun for you,” As for why she was there? Iris just gave a shrug.
“Seems the story I was working on pissed off the wrong people.” Her arm was bandaged now where she’d been cut, the antidote at least working even if she was still tired. ---
“Should have figured.” He slipped in a little closer and sat down beside her. “My sense of direction isn’t that bad, I’ve been working here for a while now. Ironically I wanted to show this to Barry.” He pointed to the drone he’d come to collect before heading over to his place.
“It’s pretty good, but it’s always improving which makes it even better.” It wasn’t quite par with Star Labs but that was another Earth entirely, he couldn’t blame it for not having all the same functions. “I’m pretty happy here though. Now you see why I couldn’t tell Joe anything?” He’d wanted to sure, but he also couldn’t exactly blow a secret that wouldn’t pertain just to him. It could put a lot of people in jeopardy.
Not to mention it’d make them all look crazy. “Seriously? You’re kidding me.” He gave her an exasperated look and then laughed with a shake of his head in disbelief. Not in a condescending way but still amused. “Some things never change.” ---
“I mean, I’m pretty certain they have whole protocols so no one could just randomly show up because they were lost.” Yes, she had literally been flown in by a god but from what she had picked up from Natasha? This definitely wasn’t a place someone could just happen to wander into by accident.
“Always improving is definitely a benefit.” Science had never really been her thing, that was Barry - who she often had to get translate the science for her when it came to something she was reporting. She did nod as Cisco asked about why he couldn’t tell Joe anything, “I mean, I didn’t really question it and he didn’t go into all the details. But I can see why.”
And that was the crux of the issue for Iris and her story. It would put as many people at risk as it might help in regards to those affected by the shutdown shelters, plus she would lose all credibility as a journalist.
“If only. Got poisoned for my effort, but Dr. Simmons and Thor were able to make an antidote so...here I am.” The comment on how some things never changed was met with a quirk of her eyebrow. It was still a bit strange to know someone who knew her from the Dreams but...it was what it was. “I’m guessing it will be a theme later on in my Dreams then?” --- “Yeah basically, but I mean worth a shot?” He gave a lopsided grin and looked at her arm where she’d been patched up. “You okay though? I mean I guess they wouldn’t have left you alone if you weren’t now.” The fact that she’d been flown in might have impressed him when he arrived, but he’d seen Thor around. As weird as that sentence was to say, she’d seen the god of Thunder lurking about.
“I know you didn’t, I just...There are ways to explain it apparently but I’m really bad at that part.” He admitted. He’d been given a couple liners for what to say in case of emergencies, but seeing Joe had thrown the game off entirely and it was like his mind just shut off. “Seeing you and Joe in person was just..a lot.” He’d always wanted to meet them and then there they were.
“Ah yeah, Jemma. She’s pretty good with that. Been helping me too.” While the dreams were also aiding in figuring out the responses to the powers finally, he was glad she was there. It made the whole thing a lot less terrifying. “..Yeah. Basically. I wanted to show you and Barry this place when you were ready, but I didn’t think he was yet.” And Iris, he was uncertain how she’d handle it as a reporter. “You’re not planning on writing a story about all this are you?” He asked cautiously. --- “Fair enough,” The comment was said with a smile so it was clear there were no real issues with Cisco trying to get away with saying he didn’t work there. But as for her? “Yeah, I should be fine now. Pretty sure Dr. Simmons just went to get something to work on.” The woman definitely seemed like someone who would utilize the unexpected time at the Agency to get work done. And if Iris was seemingly stable? Then it was okay to leave her there for the time being.
“I imagine it was a combination of that and my dad can be well...there’s a reason he’s good at what he does.” Joe had to be able to tell if someone was lying. So you put together Cisco’s inability to really come up with something and Joe’s ability to suss out bullshit, plus the shock of it for Cisco to see Joe, well. It all made perfect sense to Iris.
“She seems to be.” And as Cisco mentioned that Jemma was helping him as well? While he didn’t really elaborate on what it was Jemma helped him with, it definitely reaffirmed her determination that Barry talk with Jemma the following morning if he was still feeling weird. She had no idea how the lightning bolt would have affected him and after watching him repeatedly die in her dreams earlier in the month? She was going to make sure he was okay.
“That’s fair.” Who even knew if Barry would be let into the Agency when he came to pick her up the next morning if he didn’t need to talk with Jemma, but it was hard to know for certain how he might initially react. At least before all of this. But as the question on her writing about the place came up?
“And have my credibility completely shot, assuming that what I actually wrote was what ended up in the final product? I’ll pass.”
Understanding the secrecy or not, Iris hadn’t appreciated what Natasha had said, even if she appreciated that the woman gave her the truth on what would happen if she published the story she’d been working on thanks to the Hydra aspect of it all. Which meant the story would either be dropped entirely or heavily edited to try and bring some sort of awareness to what was going on. Neither of which Iris was thrilled about but there were reasons behind it that she at least understood. She just didn’t have to be happy about it. --- “Yeah, it’s easier to have someone else look when it’s your own problem. “ That didn’t mean he couldn’t handle the speed force, in fact he wanted to. He wanted to do more than just be vague at her, but he also knew if he said anymore he’d end up blowing Barry’s secret identity and it wasn’t his secret to do so with. “I was getting seizure responses to the dreams up until recently. Not fun. Don’t recommend.” He wasn’t one to remain down and depressed about things even if it had been scary at the time. Cisco wasn’t quite ready to reveal his own powers yet to Iris before she’d dreamt or been told of the Flash yet-but soon.
Cisco dangled his feet off the ground where they sat and watched them sway idly above the concrete. “Barry’s going to need all of us I think soon, but he’ll be okay. We just need to be there and believe in him...And I’m not going to let anything happen to him. ” If it was in his power to help Barry with this change, he would. He knew sudden powers could be scary. He’d been dealing with that fear himself lately.
“Oh good. I’m not exactly ready to be outted as a super spy.” He grinned, Cisco wasn’t exactly a super spy-but the title amused him. --- “Sometimes it helps having a more neutral person take a look at things,” It was that way in reporting. You needed an open mind and not to go in with preconceived notions. She did nod some as he mentioned the migraines. Yes, it made her worry even more about Barry’s feeling off from that night. But if Dr. Simmons had helped Cisco? “Well I’m glad to hear that she was able to help you and that you’re doing better.” And she was. It definitely sounded miserable to be dealing with.
But as Cisco mentioned needing to be there for Barry, that he’d be fine, but they needed to believe in him and how he wouldn’t let anything happen to him? He was definitely keeping something from her and Iris’ eyes narrowed some as she tried to suss it out. It wasn’t just her being tired and weak from the whole poison thing. But she would let it go. For now. File it away and all of that.
“Because I wouldn’t otherwise? Barry’s my best friend, I’m always going to believe in him, even when no one else does.” While there had been nothing about the Man in Yellow here, Iris had always stood by Barry and believed in him. That wasn’t going to change as she had believed him about the impossible in the Dreams as well. “But good. I’m not letting anything happen to him either.”
Not that she thought Cisco would.
“Well, I protect my sources, so even then your secret would have been safe.” Not that it mattered now. --- “Yeah. Not exactly recommended fun times.” He smirked as he shifted the drone on his lap a bit and glanced over at the door. “I do actually have someone waiting on me, but if you need someone to stay I can?” Not that she knew him well, but what better chance than bed bound and stuck for ridiculous getting to know you type games. “Twenty questions?” Whether or not that was torture or fun for her he wasn’t sure. But reporter so maybe fun.
“No I know you wouldn’t. Just….it’s a thing.” He shrugged and smirked a bit. “Oh good.” He teased, not that he actually thought she’d out him in the first place, he was just trying to lighten the mood a bit from making it weird. --- “Doesn’t sound that way.” Iris had no idea what it meant for her in the Dreams, but she figured it was just one of those wait and see type situations. It wasn’t like she really had much else of a choice in the matter. The Dreams would come as they did and all she could do was wait and see how they played out.
Would having company be better than sitting around and dwelling on what might be wrong with Barry? Or letting herself actually process what had just happened that day? Probably. But Cisco had somewhere to be and she wasn’t going to keep him back, even if twenty questions probably would have been fun. At least for her.
“No, go. I’ll be fine.” And she would be since she really wasn’t a fan of the alternative.
“Right. A thing.” Yep. Still suspicious but there wasn’t too much she could do about it now. She did shrug at the comment of oh good about keeping his secret safe, “I mean, I can’t promise I won’t reach out to you if I have engineering related questions for a story. But your secret here is obviously safe.” --- “Tsk, raincheck then. If you need anything, send me a message.” He gave her a wink as he slid onto the floor. “Would have been fun. I’ll check back in later tonight.” Because that’s just how he was, if Iris was there he’d check on her after whoever it was he was about to go see.
“For now, I gotta see a man about a drone.” He gave a wave as he made his way back toward the door. “You had better reach out to me with all your engineering questions.” And vanished once again down the hall. Headphone back in his ear as he made his way out to the waiting uber. --