[video]

[commanderspecs]

[How does this happen. How. How. Barry moves out of the way when he sees a stampede of...vikings?! He's standing out on a sidewalk somewhere downtown, not seeing a familiar sight anywhere. At least not like how it is back home. He sends out the all video signal]

Just what the heck is going on here?! Who's Gideon? Where am I?!

[He's hyperventilating or close enough to it, not amused at what is going on, and tries to make sense of it all.]

Comments

[chosenbylightning]

"I'm from Earth-1. Another Earth, just like you." He rests a hand on the raptor, gentling it with a touch. "And I'm sorry about him. He gets a little.. wound up when we're running."

[commanderspecs]

"A little?!"

And there's a bit of a charge that passes over his skin for a second when his panic and disbelief reaches almost-shrieking level.

"Raptors are-are easily wound up!"

[chosenbylightning]

"He's still a chick. I scared some Mongols away from him and then he decided I was his new parent." A thoughtful sound as he scritches along the raptor's neck, much to it's delight. "But if Savitar's using Sam, you need a new name buster."

Savitar would never forgive him for that. (Among other things)

"Look, I keep him fed and entertained and he hasn't once taken a bite out of anyone. He's not going to hurt you. I think because we look so much alike he thought we were playing a game."

Catch the speed mirage was fast becoming the raptor's favorite chase-and-pounce game.

[commanderspecs]

Today has been officially dubbed A DAY in the life of Bartholomew H. Allen. He rubs over his face. Raptors, vikings, lookalikes, metas, and now he is a meta.

"This is so overwhelming. I don't even know where the flippin' heck I am or what I can do or who I can call or how to get home."

And he could use a raptor cuddle, okay?

[chosenbylightning]

A sympathetic smile. "Yeah. You wouldn't believe how familiar pretty much all of that sounds. Wait right here." And he levels a finger at the attentive raptor. "You too. Stay."

The raptor chirrs, playfully snapping at his finger before Barry is gone in a crackle of lightning and wind. Before the dinosaur can give chase, he's back, bags of takeout in hand.

"Come on. We can sit here, you can catch your breath and I'll tell you whatever I can."

[commanderspecs]

Barry is wary of the raptor but it looks...well, it looks friendly enough. Just a chick, from what the speedster said. He just scoots and sits down when the speedster returns.

"I've had the situation explained to me by Sam and I still can't believe all of it."

[chosenbylightning]

The raptor trills eagerly when Barry returns with food. He divides out the bags. Human food and plenty of raw fish, a little chicken and a small piece of red meat for the raptor.

Barry doesn't eat until the chick is full, half-lazing in his lap, eyes blinking slowly as it drowses.

"It's pretty weird, I'll give you that. But we've kind of seen weirder back home. Um. You were there too. Or will be there."

[commanderspecs]

He watches as the raptor eats then calms down, practically falling asleep like some kind of lap dog. Barry shakes his head a little at that. He takes off his glasses and cleans it with the edge of his cardigan.

"Will be there." He shakes his head again and puts on his glasses. "What the heck am I supposed to do in the meantime?"

[chosenbylightning]

As Barry starts cleaning his glasses, the raptor wiggles across so he's draped between them, bumping his snout under Barry's hand. Scratches are more important than glasses.

"I don't know, to be honest. It's some kind of temporal storm or fragment that keeps pulling in more people and places as it grows."

[commanderspecs]

He hesitates before reaching to scratch along the head for the raptor like a cat. Barry gives a small laugh.

"Will people at home notice that we're gone?"

[chosenbylightning]

"You're ridiculous," he mutters to the raptor, smoothing a hand down his neck. "Completely shameless."

Barry Allen. Do not name that raptor Len.

"I don't know. This is.. all pretty new territory for all of us. But I'd like to think that if we are missing, our friends back home are working to get us back."

[commanderspecs]

That gives him a sense of relief, knowing that his friends would be looking for him. He nods a little and keeps scratching the head of the raptor, as ridiculous as it is.

"Bruce and Diana ought to be able to find me."

[chosenbylightning]

The raptor trills happily at the attention and Barry can't help a fond smile. Shameless sucker.

"Bruce and Diana, those are your friends from home?"

[commanderspecs]

He nods.

"Bruce is in Gotham City, though. And Diana lives in Paris. Then there's Hal in Coast City. Though, sometimes, he needs a place to stay whenever he's in Central."

[chosenbylightning]

"Bruce in Gotham. You don't mean.. wait. You know Bruce Wayne? Gotham Industries?" Because while Barry might not know about any nighttime activities, he sure as heck knows who Bruce Wayne is.

[commanderspecs]

He looks up when he hears the recognition in the other man's voice.

"Y-yes! Ha! Bruce Wayne of Wayne Enterprises. It probably owns Gotham Industries, it owns everything. You know him? I've only done a few consulting cases for him and helped him with analysis of samples here and there."