Warning: This story contains very graphic depictions of violence and graphic medical situations, not to mention torture, dehumanization, and non-consensual assault of a human being. Needless to say, it's a dark story and should be read with caution.

No One is Coming

Cold.

Frigid, mind-numbing cold.

That was all Barry could feel. He felt a violent shudder run through his body.

Where was he? What was happening?

He tried to open his eyes, but they didn't obey the signals his sluggish brain was sending. All he could think about was the coldness that was crushing in on him.

Think, he told himself, even though thinking hurt right now. He tried to process something other than the cold that was overwhelming his senses and consuming his every thought.

I'm lying on something, he thought to himself, something hard and very cold. The ground maybe?

Barry tried to move, but his limbs weren't responding. His mind instantly jumped to Zoom. To waking up and being unable to move his legs. Panic welled inside his chest.

No, he thought to himself. No, if you were paralyzed you wouldn't be able to feel how cold it is. You need to move. You need to open your eyes.

Barry finally willed his protesting eyes to open. His retinas were instantly flooded with blinding light, causing him to squeeze them shut again.

Suddenly, Barry could hear voices as if they were coming from far away. At first, all he could make out were garbled voices. It took him several moments before he could distinguish any words from them.

"…think he's waking up," a woman's voice said.

Barry froze. He was instantly confused and terrified. That wasn't Caitlin's voice. It wasn't Iris's either. He tried opening his eyes again, slower this time, blinking repeatedly to allow them to adjust to the harsh lighting in the room.

He was able to make out a blurred figure in front of him. Even though she was only a few feet away, Barry couldn't make out the woman's face. All he could see when looking at her was a white lab coat.

That's definitely not Caitlin, he thought, after he blinked a few times and her face slowly swam into view. She was young, in her late twenties, early thirties maybe. She had a stern face, and her blonde hair was pulled tightly back into a severe bun. She looked down on him with hard, cold eyes, which then flickered up to look at the person to whom she had been speaking.

"…want me…sedate him, sir?" Barry was able to make out.

"No," a deep voice said in reply.

Barry felt a weight drop down into a pit of his stomach. He recognized this voice.

"No, let him stay awake for this," General Eiling said, a hint of cruel amusement in his voice

Through his blurry vision, Barry saw the woman nod and set down the syringe she had been holding. Barry tried to move. He forced his sluggish limbs to respond to his brain's commands. When they finally obeyed, his limbs moved only to meet resistance. He was tied down. Each of his limbs were restrained to the cold, metal table that he had originally mistaken for the ground. With a jolt, Barry realized that he was completely naked on the table, his uncovered body vulnerable and exposed.

Barry tried not to let fear and panic overwhelm him as he tugged futilely against the metal bands that were holding down his wrists and ankles. He vibrated slightly, trying to phase through the cold metal.

"Ah, ah, ah," he heard Eiling tease.

The man stepped closer so that Barry could now make out his amused smirk.

"I had those designed specifically for you, Mr. Allen. You won't be phasing your way out of here any time soon."

"I'm g-going to get out of h-here, Eiling," Barry stuttered, his teeth chattering from the cold, "And I'm going to l-lock you up. For good this t-time."

"Maybe you shouldn't have let me go the first time, Allen," he smirked, "Now it's you who's my prisoner, and trust me."

He leaned in closer to whisper in Barry's ear.

"I have no intentions of letting you leave."

Barry shuddered, but his face remained hard and set as he responded.

"My friends will be looking for me. They'll find you."

Eiling laughed darkly.

"You mean them?" he asked, grinning as he gestured to the far wall of the room.

Barry turned his head the best he could to see where the general was pointing. The wall to the right of him was one giant window, allowing him to see into the neighboring room.

On the other side of the glass stood his friends and family. Joe, Iris, Caitlin, and Cisco all stood looking at him from the other side. They all looked exhausted, both physically and emotionally. Iris had her hand to the glass, and she was clearly trying to call out to him, shouting words that Barry couldn't hear. The glass was sound proof.

With a lump forming in his throat, Barry looked back to Eiling.

"Please," he begged, "Please let them go. You can do what you want to me. Just let them go."

"Can't do that, kid," Eiling said smugly, amused by Barry's pleading, "They're here as a precaution. Let's just say they're here to motivate you, just in case you decide not to cooperate."

"I will," Barry insisted, "I'll cooperate. Please, I'll do anything you say. Just please, let them go."

Eiling's grin deepened.

"Please," Barry said softly, closing his eyes, willing this all to be just a nightmare, "Don't do this."

Eiling looked over to the woman in the lab coat.

"Begin," his cold voice ordered with a hint of excitement.

The woman and another man who was also in a white lab coat stepped forward to begin their experiments. Barry tugged uselessly at the restraints, but it was futile. He was trapped, and no one would be coming to save him.