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Chapter Text

S.T.A.R Labs, Central City

"Time to wake up."

Barry shot up and his eyes opened as he started to look around in confusion. He was sure that someone had whispered something but none of the three people in the room looked like they had been speaking to him.

The oldest man with grey hair noticed that Barry was awake first. "Cisco, Caitlin! He's awake."

"Dr. St-" Caitlin began as she turned around but then she noticed that Barry was awake and rushed over to him. She started to inspect him as the old man approached the intercom and announced. "Dr. Wells, Mr. Allen is awake."

"Where am I?" Barry didn't recognise the room he was in. "And who are you three?"

"Just relax. You are at S.T.A.R Labs, I'm Cisco Ramon. That's Dr. Caitlin Snow and he is Dr. Martin Stein."

Barry starred to try and get put of the bed he was in when Caitlin held up a pot. "I need you to urinate in this."

"Not now." Stein said from where he was looking at computer screens.

"What happened? What is going on?"

"You were struck by lightning!" Cisco exclaimed but stopped talking after a glare from Stein.

Barry turned and saw that one if the screens showed him his body. He was surprised to see that his physique had completely changed. "How...is that possible?"

"Your muscles shouldn't be in a state of cellular regeneration but they are." Stein commented as he continued to not look at Barry.

Cisco pulled Barry into a chair by the shirt that he was wearing before saying. "You were in a coma."

"For how long?" Barry just hoped that it hadn't been over a year.

"Nine months." A new voice answered. Cisco, Caitlin and Barry turned to see Dr. Harrison Wells in front of them. "Welcome back to the living, Mr. Allen. We have a lot to discuss. If you would follow me."

Barry followed Wells into the corridor outside the room where he said. "I've always wanted to meet you. It's hard to believe that I'm actually...here."

"You certainly went to great lengths to accomplish that." Wells was surprised that Barry hadn't asked about his wheelchair yet.

"Where is everyone?"

Barry noticed that the building was a ghost town so he listened to what Wells answered with. "S.T.A.R Labs hasn't been operational since FEMA categorized us as a Class Four hazardous zone. There only used to be three of them until...the accident."

The two of them stopped in a part of the building which gave them a view of where the particle accelerator should have been. Barry asked as he stared at the massive hole in wonder. "What happened?"

"Nine months ago, the particle accelerator went online. For exactly forty-five minutes, I had accomplished my life's dream. Then the anomaly happened." They started back off in the direction that they aud came from. "The electron volts started to become immeasurable, the Ring under us popped. The energy that was realised from the detonation was sent flying into the air. It caused a storm cloud..."

Barry caught on immediately and finished the sentence. "Which caused the lightning bolt to strike me."

"Yes. I was recovering from my injury when I heard about you. The hospital was experiencing power outages when ever you went into cardiac arrest, which was a misdiagnosis. You weren't flatlining, Barry." Wells pointed at Barry's heart. "Your heart rate was so fast that the EKG machine couldn't even record it. Your physiology has completely changed from how it was before."

They entered the room again to see that Stein hadn't moved but Cisfo and Caitlin were now sat down. "But...I feel normal."

"A normal person would have thanked us already." Stein muttered but he knew that no one had heard it.

Cisco smiled at Barry. "It was a pleasure to watch over you. And to meet your family."

"Family? You mean the Wests and my brother?"

"Max visited a lot." Stein said which surprised everyone but Wells, who had seen the two talking to each other. "He's a bright boy."

"Iris did as well."

Caitlin nodded quickly in agreement with Wells. "She talks a lot."

Stein coughed and pointed at the calendar which hing on the wall behind him. Barry looked at it and realised what date it was before he asked the older man. "Where?"

"He's off a college. Harvard, I believe he is studying astrophysics and biochemistry. If you want I can take you to the police station.""

Stein started to pull on his jacket as Wells exclaimed. "Now that you're awake, we have to run tests. You are still going through changes that we don't know anything about and that could be dangerous."

"I'm fine, really. I am thankful that you saved my life, really I am." Barry followed Stein out of the room quickly as he was eager to see his son again.

An hour after he woke up, Barry found himself being Joe as other police officers were stood around them in a circle. Stein had disappeared after nodding at Joe as he said he had an event to attend.

"You scared the hell out of us, son. Your brother- well let's not get into that right now." Joe was going to stall the conversation about Max for as long as possible.

"What?"

"Nothing. Does Iris know yet?"

Barry shook his head as he replied. "No, she doesn't. Do you know where she works?"

"Same place she did nine months ago." Joe looked up as he listened to the dispatch announcement. "I need to go. You go visit Iris now and if you see my partner tell him that he is needed."

Barry nodded and made his way out of the police station, not noticing that Captain Singh's eyes followed him until they couldn't. He wondered what Joe meant by the partner comment but supposed that he would find out when he got to the cafe.

He stopped at the window of the cafe and looked through it to see that Iris was serving coffee to customers. She looked up and Barry could tell that she had let out a gasp. Barry entered with a bright smile as Iris stumbled towards him and wrapped him in a hug.

"You're awake? Why didn't you call me?"

"I haven't been awake for that long. And I don't have my phone."

"Should you even be walking about?"

Barry's smile turned even brighter as Iris's wonder turned to concern. "I'm okay."

"I watched you die, Barry. You kept dying and your heart kept stopping."

Barry decided to not explain to Iris what Wells had explained to him earlier so he just placed her hand on his heart. "It's beating. I'm alive just like you."

"It's really fast."

Barry's attention was drawn to a barista that had just bumped into a customer. It was like time slowed down as the falling tray hung in mid-air. He wondered if it was an effect of the lightning bolt.

Time went back to normal as Iris said. "Dad's going to be happy that you are awake."

"I-I have already been to see him. I need to go." Barry made his way out of the cafe before Iris could say anything else. He didn't even notice that he had entered an alleyway.

Barry looked down at his feet and then back at the alleyway entrance before coming to the conclusion that it was impossible for him to have made that distance in a short amount of time. He looked towards the other end and made to move that way...then he was already there.

And then he knew why time had been so slow. "Time isn't slowing down, I'm speeding up."

"There is no way that he can run that fast." Caitlin pointed out as she watched Stein and Wells get the equipment ready.

"We should at least see it for ourselves." Wells replied as he turned his head to look at Cisco. "Is he ready?"

"You ready?" Cisco called at the trailer they had used to bring the equipment to the airfield. Barry stepped put looming absolutely uncomfortably in the outfit he was wearing. "At least you will be going so fast that no one will see you."

"What happened to this place?" Barry looked at the airfield that was completely empty apart from them.

Stein answered from where he was standing. "Ferris Air sold it. Something to do with a pilot disappearing with a test plane. Now I will monitor you vitals and Dr. Snow will monitor your energy output."

Barry looked at Cisco. "What do you do?"

"I make the toys." Cisco handed Barry a small headset that had a lightning on it. "This has a camera that will let us look at this from your eyes. It is also designed to combat a potential sonic boom."

"Then you should probably cover your ears." Barry noticed that Caitlin had frowned even more. "What's wrong with her?"

"Her fiancee was killed by the accident and he was deaf." Cisco explained in a whisper so that Caitlin wouldn't hear him. "Stein designed a ear piece that made him hear out of one ear and he was meant to get another one on the night the accident happened."

Cisco walked away as Wells called from his spot. "Mr. Allen, I am eager to see your demonstration. But I have to caution that you act with restraint, we don't want you to spontaneously combust."

"Ready!"

Barry nodded before getting into the runner's position, he took a deep breath and then glanced at Wells, who smiled and nodded. He looked into the distance as a spark entered his eyes - then he was off.

Cisco was sent flying to the ground as Stein and Caitlin started typing away. Wells raised a pair of binoculars and watched Barry in awe and shock.

"His kinetic energy output is reaching 2500 joules and steadily rising." Stein called as he continued to look at the screen.

"He just passed 600 hundred miles per hour." Cisco was also using a pair of binoculars to watch Barry from their set up.

"It shouldn't be possible."

"In these days the impossible becomes the possible." Wells was excited about the prospects this discovery gave him for scientific experiments. "Cisco, did he just crash into the barrels at the end of the runway?"

"Yep!"

They would have to work on that and try to find a way to control Barry's speed.

Barry was lying on the bed that he had been in a few hours previously as Caitlin examined two X-rays. One of a broken hand and one of a newly healed one. "You had a distal radius fracture and it's healed...in three hours."

Wells wheeled up to Barry as Caitlin disappeared after a look from him. "What exactly happened out there today? You were doing so well and then something caused you to lose focus. What was it?"

"I started to remember something...from my childhood." Barry noticed that Stein had taken a deep breath after that sentence. "When I was eleven and my brother five, our mother was murdered. It was late at night. A sound from downstairs woke me up, I went downstairs and I...I saw what looked like a ball of lightning. Inside of it, I saw a man. He was the one to kill my mother but my dad was arrested for it."

Wells kindly waited for him to continue and Barry nodded in thanks before continuing. "Everyone, the cops, the shrinks I had to see, my own brother, all of them told me what I saw was impossible. But what if the man I saw was like me?"

"I say with certainty that you are one of a kind, Mr. Allen.' Wells didn't let his unease show on his face but the other three people had expressions of sadness on their faces.

Barry and Iris were walking down a street in downtown Central City with two cups of coffee. He had just seen Iris kissing a man that he didn't know and he guessed that Joe didn't know him either.

"You can't tell dad, Barry. He doesn't know Tommy at all."

"It seems that no one knew about you and him." Barry didn't like to keep secrets and he knew that Iris knew that so he didn't know why she was asking him to do this.

"I was going to tell you." Iris pleaded quickly.

"When? Were you going to tell me when you told Joe?"

"When you were in the hospital and a woman called Felicity visited you. Tommy was with her a lot and he comforted me. Then it turned into getting coffee together and then he took me out to dinner."

Barry stopped as he noticed how happy Iris looked when she talked about Tommy. "If he makes you happy then I won't say anything."

"Thank you!" Iris hugged Barry tightly which took his breath away with how tight she was squeezing.

Before he could reply a green Corvette came speeding down the road, followed by two police cruisers. The green car came towards the two so Barry used his new powers to move himself and Iris out of the way.

Barry started to running down the road, easily catching up to the Corvette that had just knocked one of the cruisers into a rail. He reached for the car door and pulled it open before slipping into the car.

The man looked towards Barry with a surprised expression before he started to try and push him out of the vehicle. Barry was able to stay in but the Corvette started to tumble and the landed on the ground upside down.

He pushed open the car door and crawled out before pulling himself to his feet where he saw the man staggering away. "Mardon!"

Mardon turned to look at Barry before he raised his arms and then the sky turned dark as fog started to appear. Barry watched Mardon who disappeared into the fog before he pulled himself to the side of the road to wait for the police to arrive.

The next half an hour passed in a blur, another car crashed into the Corvette before the police arrived with Joe and his partner Detective Leonard Snart.

Barry and Iris watched as the paramedics placed the body bag which had the body of the driver of the other car in it as Iris said. "I've never seen fog like that before."

"Iris!" Joe rushed up to the two and hugged Iris tight.

"I'm fine."

"What the hell were you thinking? I have told you many times before, when you see danger, you run in the opposite direction. You aren't a cop."

"That's because you wouldn't let me."

"Damn right. Why would I? It's too dangerous."

Barry tapped Joe on the arm and said quietly. "I need to speak with you now." The two of them walked a fair distance away from Iris. "I saw who did this. It was Clyde Mardon. He's the one who robbed those banks."

"Clyde Mardon is dead. So is he brother. When S.T.A.R Labs exploded their plane went down."

"Mardon walked away from that car." Barry pointed at the wrecked Corvette. "I think that he can control the weather."

Joe reacted by glaring at Barry. "Not this again."

"The crime scenes of the recent robberies, they all happened during meteorological events. Rain, high-speed winds, a hailstorm. We weren't warned about them were we. They came out of nowhere and when I confronted Mardon this fog appeared and then he disappeared. This may seem impossible-"

"Not impossible but familiar."

"This isn't about my mother."

Joe raised an eyebrow. "That's what it always is with you."

"Of course you don't believe me. You have never believed me."

"You want to do this now? Out here? Mardon is dead. There was no controlling the weather just like there was no tornado in your house that night. It was your brain helping you cope with what you saw."

"My dad didn't-"

"Yes he did! Your dad killed your mother, Barry. I knew it, the jury knew it. He is now paying for what he did."

Iris stepped forward to show that she had been listening. "Dad-"

"I have done my best to take care of you since that day. And I have never asked for anything in return. What I ask now is that you accept what is real and what is not."

Barry stormed away as Snart approached Joe with a sketch. "You aren't going to believe this. We just got the eyewitness sketch from the ban robbery." Joe looked at the sketch and immediately realised that Barry was right. "I'd say that is Clyde Mardon."

Joe looked up but Barry had already disappeared from the street.

"You lied! I wasn't the only one affected by the particle accelerator explosion, was I?" The four scientists jumped when they heard Barry shouting.

Wells tried to calm him down. "We don't know for sure. You could be the only one or there could be others."

"You said the city was safe. You said that there was no residual danger. That isn't true so what really happened?"

"The accelerator went active and we all felt like heroes. Then it all went wrong. The dimensional barrier ruptured which unleashed unknown energies into our world. Anti-matter, Dark energy, x-elements-"

Barry shook his head as he exclaimed. "Those are all theoretical!"

"Depends on how theoretical you can get." Stein pressed a few keys and a simulation appeared on one of the screens.

"That's why you kept this place open. To find them."

"And you were the first." Wells pointed at the screen which showed a large yellow circle that grew larger. "We mapped the dispersion throughout Central City, though we don't know how to locate the other meta-humans."

"Meta-humans?" Barry wondered what they ment by that.

Cisco explained. "It's what we are calling them. I voted for Enhanced."

Barry held up Mardon's mug shot. "This is one of them. He's a bank robber and he can control the weather."

"He can control meteorological changes?" Caitlin asked with interest as she and Stein shared a look.

"This keeps getting cooler!"

"It's not cool!" Barry glared at Cisco. "A man died because of him. Mardon must have got his power the same way I did. And he's still out there. We need to stop him before he hurts anyone else."

"That's a job for the police."

"I work for the police."

Wells growled as he stared at Barry. "As a forensic assistant. I built this particle accelerator to make this city, this world a better place. It cost me my company, my reputation. Then I found you. Inside your body could be the key to that new world. Vaccines, medicines, genetic therapies...all of them are buried inside your body. We can't risk losing you just because you want to play hero. You aren't a hero. You are just a young man who was struck by lightning."

Hurt filled Barry's face as he stumbled out of the room. Stein and Caitlin were both staring at Wells in shock while Cisco looked in the direction Barry went.

"That's my story. Like I said it is hard to believe. It is the truth though." Barry looked at Kara Danvers as be continued talking. "I've spent my whole life searching for what killed my mom. Searching for the impossible...I never believed that I would have become the impossible."

"Then why do you need my help? You have it all sorted out." Kara placed a hand on Barry's shoulder who didn't react at all.

"I screwed up. I was chasing a bad guy...and someone died."

"If you are going to do this then you will make mistakes. Everyone does, I do. The good we both do outweighs the bad that we do."

"How do you know? What if Wells is right? What if I am not a hero? What if I am just a guy that was struck by lightning by mistake?" Barry ran a hand through his hair as he turned to look down at National City.

"I don't think that lightning bolt struck you. It chose you."

"I'm not sure that I'm like you, Kara. I don't know If I can be some...vigilante."

Kara smiled gently as he said. "You can be better. You can give people hope in a way that I never can. Moving through your city like a guardian. Making a difference, saving people...in a flash." She couldn't believe that she had actually said that. "You have a good heart. Now you have fast lega to go with it. Just take your own advice that you gave Oliver...wear a mask."

Barry turned around but saw that Kara had already flew away. "Cool." Then he turned and sped away.

Kara turned around from another rooftop and saw Barry zooming away. "Cool."

Barry indicated the boxes of files in front of him. "I went over the NTSB evidence from the plane crash that apparently killed the Mardon brothers. Neither of their bodies were found, plotting a course from where they took off would have put them in the center of the explosion. They got a full taste of it. I've been going over unsolved cases from the past nine months. There's been a sharp increase in unexplained and unsolved deaths. Your meta-humans have been busy. You all lost something that night. But I need your help to catch Mardon. And anyone else like him out there. Can I count on your help?"

"You can count on me. Just because Dr. Wells doesn't believe in you doesn't mean that you can be a hero." Stein nodded immediately as he turned to Cisco.

"The whole city's been miserable since the accident. You might be the only good thing that has come out of that. So I'm with you, dude." Stein and Cisco turned to Cailin who looked like she was wavering.

"For the past nine months, I have come to this place. Where Ronnie died. I don't want anyone else hurt because of us. So you can count on me."

Cisco offered a few minutes of awkward silence. "I have something that might help. If you could follow me."

Stein looked like he knew what Cisco was taling about and when they arrived at his lab he was proven right. Cisco pointed at the red suit. "I've been working on this for a while. It's designed to replace what firefighters wear. It's made of a reinforced tri-polymer. It is heat and abrasive resistant, so when you are moving at high speeds it won't shred like normal clothes. The suit also has built in sensors so we can track your vitals and stay in contact with you."

"How do we find Mardon then?"

Stein looked up from his tablet. "I've been tracking meteorological abnormalities over the entirety of Central City. And I just got a ping from the S.T.A.R Labs satellite. Atmospheric pressure dropped 20 millibars in a matter of seconds."

"Where?"

Captain Singh and Detective Snart exited Singh's car which was parked outside the Mardon's farmhouse. Joe hadn't been able to come as he had a family emergency.

"If Mardon was alive, then this would be the last place he would come." Singh didn't believe that Mardon would actually come back to the place where he had supposedly died.

"Why would he come here?"

"Criminals can be a creature of habit." Singh whispered as they entered the farmhouse to see Mardon sitting in the middle of the room. "Hands on your head. Get on your knees. Do it."

"You've got me." Mardon didn't look concerned at all almost as if he had a backup plan. "I can almost hear it talking to me. The wind."

"Shut up!" Snart called before the wind started to pick up around their feet. Singh tried to cuff Mardon's hand but then the wind lifted bales of hay into the air and Snart was slammed into a wall by one, knocking him out instantly.

Singh moved backwards as Mardon said. "It's got easier to control. I used to think that a gun made me strong. But this makes me God."

"Then why does God need to rob banks?"

"You are right. I've been thinking too small." Singh hauled Snart out of the barn before he could see what Mardon meant. He leaned against the car as he looked at the barn.

The roof exploded and a tornado appeared, a section of the roof went straight for the two cops but then a red streak slammed into the roof and sent it in a different direction. Singh watched in amazement as the red streak was affected by the roof top.

Barry pulled the gas mask of as Cisco said over the ear piece. "Can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear."

Stein started to explain. "Barry, wind speeds are 200 miles per hour and increasing fast. If this keeps up then this tornado will be a EF-5 one."

Barry realised that the tornado could be strong enough to completely destroy Central City. "Then how do I stop it?" There was silence and Barry knew that they didn't know how to stop it. "What if I unravel it?"

"How the hell are you going to do that?"

"Run around it. In the opposite direction - cut off it's legs."

Cisco interjected. "You would have to clock in around 500 mph."

"The suit wouldn't be able to take it. You could die."

Barry could hear the worry in Caitlin's voice but said anyway. "I have to try."

Barry became a red blue as he started to run around the tornado, he kept becoming faster and faster. The tornado is too powerful and sends Barry flying backwards. "It's too strong."

The tornado moved towards the city and Barry felt helpless as he watched it. Then a voice came in over the ear piece. "You can do it, Barry. You were right, I created this madness. But you can stop it. You are more than your speed. You can do this!"

Barry felt encouraged by Wells'' words and wished himself harder so he started to run faster around the tornado. It started to unravel until Mardon was standing over Barry, who was to exhausted to do anything. "I didn't think there was anyone like me."

"I'm not like you-" Three bangs cut Barry off. He looked up to see Singh with his gun raised.

Stein called. "Barry? Barry?"

"I'm fine. It's over."

Singh slumped down next to Barry, he didn't even comment on his powers. Both had seen the impossible and both of them were facing a new day.

Singh crossed to stand next to Barry, who was leaning on a police cruiser. "Thank you for covering for me, Sir."

"What can you do...it was the lightning bolt." Singh raised his eyebrows as he wondered what else Barry had kept secret.

"More or less."

"I can tell now that you weren't crazy for chasing the impossible. You really did see something that night when your mother died." Singh ran a hand down his face. "Your dad is innocent."

Barry had hoped to hear those words since he was eleven but coming from his boss's mouth made it even better. "I could free him, Sir. I could be in and out of that prison before someone could notice."

"Then what? Your father would be a fugitive, he would be running for the rest of his life. He can't run as fast as you can. Things are different now."

"How?"

"Because I believe you. And us two, we are going to get him out together. And cath the son of a bitch who killed your mother." Singh would deny that his actual reason for doing this was so that he could spend more time with the CSI.

Barry nodded as they watched Joe arrive and move over to Snart. Singh said in a quiet murmur. "You don't tell West or Snart. They can never know about it, I want them safe. If there is more people put there like Mardon then I don't want them anywhere near it."

Joe finally reached them after checking on Snart. "Are you both, alright? I was at the hospital when I got the call. They said that there had been a shooting."

"We're fine." Singh smiled softly at Barry who nodded and then the Captain walked off leaving them standing alone.

"What happened here?"

"Just your every day bad guy shoot out."

Joe stared at Barry with disbelief but decided to not question it anymore. "What did the Captain want with you?"

"Just wanted to check on me."

"Sure." Joe hugged Barry before turning to where Iris was running towards him.

Barry was sat on one side of a glass partition as he waited for his father, who was led in a few seconds later. Henry took the phone from his side and Barry took the one from his side. "Hey, slugger."

"I've been thinking about you."

"You were the one in the coma. How are you?"

Barry smiled at his father's concern. "Don't ask me how but...I know what happened to mom now. I don't know who killed her but I know what did. I am going to find them and get you out of here."

"We've talked about this. You need to stop worrying about me and live your life."

"For the first time, I feel like I can. The truth is, since mom's death, I've been stuck in the same place. Turns out that I have missed out on a lot of things." Barry thought about Wells, Cisco, Caitlin, Stein, all of them were his friends now. "I'm different now. I met some new people. They are helping me find my way."

Barry's mind turned towards Singh and how he offered to help him without a second thought. "I'm moving on from the past now. And I have new friends helping me move on. I'm ready to start my life properly."

Henry had tears in his eyes as he listened to his son. "I love you, son."

"I love you too, dad." Barry placed his hand on the glass and Henry followed suit. Barry smiled as he realised that the future was brighter then ever now.

Chapter Text

"What on earth were you thinking?" Caitlin demanded as she looked at Barry and Cisco. "Who do you think your are?"

"I'm the eyes and ears and he is the feet." Cisco pointed out as he and Barry followed her into the control room.

"This isn't funny. You could have got yourself killed."

"Isn't this what I am meant to do with my speed?"

"We need you to help contain meta-humans and apart from Clyde Mardon we haven't any."

"People still need help and I can help them."

"We can help them." Cisco corrected which made Caitlin look towards Wells.

"I think what Caitlin is trying to say is that we gave only begun to find out what your body is capable of. Not to sound like a broken record, I do caution restraint."

Barry sighed as he looked at Wells. "Dr. Wells, I doubt that you got to be man you are today with restraint."

"In a wheelchair and a pariah. That is what a lack of restraint does." Wells started to wheel out. "Know your limits."

Caitlin glared at Barry. "Don't expect me to patch you when every time you need it."

Barry stared after her in confusion as Cisco asked. "Something happen out there? The sensors were showing that your vitals spiked toe a few seconds."

"Never been better." Cisco handed Barry his phone after it started ringing. He noticed that it was Singh calling. "Sir?"

"I have a fresh crime scene, a dead body, detectives interviewing witnesses, lots of that yellow tape spread about the building. I am only missing one thing, can you guess what that is?"

"I'll be right there." Barry zoomed away as Stein entered the lab with an amused expression.

"How long will it take him to realise he left his normal clothes behind?" He asked which made both Cisco and Caitlin laugh.

Barry stopped himself in a alleyway that was a block away from the crime scene as he realised that he was still in his outfit. He looked across from him and noticed a clothes shop so he zoomed into that and got a pair of normal clothes.

He then made his way to the crime scene where Singh and Joe were looking at the body from a distance. "Sorry, I'm late."

"Doing some fall shopping, Barry?" Joe asked Singh pulled the tag off from Barry's jacket swiftly.

"I was going a bit fast this morning and I didn't notice." Barry noticed that Singh had a twinkle in his eye as he caught on to what Barry meant. The Captain held up a pair of gloves which Barry took and ducked under the yellow tape as he put them on.

Snart appeared with an iPad and showed it to Joe and Singh. "I downloaded the surveillance footage."

"Only one guy." Singh looked towards Barry who had gotten straight to work.

"The camera may only show one guy, but it was six." Barry pointed at the footprints. "The tracks all cross each other. Six sets of footprints and there were six guns stolen. We should be looking for a crew as that is what they are." He focused on the tracks. "It looks like that all the shoes are the same size. A men's tens would be my guess."

Joe walked away with Snart to interview some of the witnesses about the new information they had just got while Singh lingered by Barry. "Mr. Allen, try to not be late again."

"Yes, Sir."

"Your ability to multitask is brilliant, Mr. Allen." Singh said as he entered Barry's lab. "Being able to be a forensic scientist, the fastest man alive and trying to not give away your secret is truly remarkable."

"Thank you, Sir."

Barry placed a vial of evidence he got from the crime scene into a machine but it seemed it didn't work. Without looking at Singh, he took the vial into his hand and started to vibrate it. He smiled when the results came back in a record time and stood up.

He started to removed his gloves as he walked to his desk but then he stumbled forward as a wave of pain crashed into him. Singh moved forward in concern. "You okay, Mr. Allen?"

"Fine." He was stopped from saying anything else by Iris entering the lab.

"This is your fault. You said to take journalism for my sociology requirement, but it turns out that journalism is fun. So this is your fault." Iria looked at Barry weirdly as he just stared at her. "Why are you staring at me?"

"You just look nice." Bary started writing in a piece of paper as he wondered how iris hadn't noticed Singh at all.

"Thanks. Why don't you? This afternoon, suit ant tie, the university is giving Simon Stagg a awward. And you agreed-"

"To explain the science stuff."

"How fast will it take you to get home and change?"

"Not long." Barry was about to turn to Singh but then Snart appeared put of nowhere.

"Joe asked me to see where you are at with the evidence." He noticed Iris. "Hey, Iris."

"Detective." Iris replied as Barry handed over the evidence that was ready.

"Thanks." Snart exited the lab after smiling at Iris.

Barry finally turned to Singh and asked. "Can I go?"

"Try to be quick, Mr. Allen." Iris jumped when she noticed Singh but she dragged Barry out of the lab quickly.

Barry and Iris clapped along with the crowd as Stagg finished his speech. Then the two started walking away with Barry saying. "First thing is that Simon Stagg's work in cellular cloning has led to massive advancements in the future of organ replacement."

Iris grabbed two glasses of wine from the waiter that passed her but Barry took the glasses from her and set them down on a table. "If you are bored already, then wait until we get to the science behind cellular regeneration."

"I have missed this, Barry." Iris sighed as she took his arm. "It's like we haven't spent any quality time together since you woke up."

"I've had a crazy few weeks." Barry could definitely say that he agreed whole-heartedly with his own statement ad the past few weeks had been absolutely crazy.

"I thought you'd been avoiding me because of Tommy. I know that you think it is wrong keeping it a secret from my dad but I really don't want Tommy to get shot by him."

"Definitely not that."

Iris turned to see Stagg walking past them and asked. "Can I get a quote from you for my article?" He walked past her without acknowledging her. "I'll just make something up. So what were you going to tell me, Barry?'

"Yeah-" Barry was cut off by gunshots and he grabbed Iris and pulled her to the ground. He barely paid attention as they were forced to stand in a line and hand over their belongings.

His attention was drawn to a security guard who had appeared from nowhere and pointed a pistol at the six. They fired as one but Barry zoomed towards the guard, grabbed him and placed him outside the building. Then he zoomed back in the direction where the group had went. Before he could start chasing the car that had just driven off, he fainted.

He wasn't sure how long he had been out when he woke up to Iris asking. "Barry? I turned around and you were gone. What happened?"

"I tried to give after them to get the plate. But I fainted." Barry stood up and followed Iris back into the building where she led him to where Singh, Joe and Snart were standing.

"Iris." Joe said when he saw the two of them. "Where were you?"

"Go easy, dad. He fainted outside."

Singh looked like he knew exactly what Barry had done to get outside. Snart asked after looking Barry over. "Do you want me to get you a paramedic?"

"I'm fine just a bruise. "

Singh's attention turned to the security guard who was saying. "I thought I was dead, the gun went off, and then I am suddenly outside."

"I need to talk to you for a second." Snigh led Barry away from the other three. "You chased the gunmen, didn't you?"

"Yeah. I think that they are the same guys that robbed the gun store."

"And what were you going to do when you caught them, exactly?" Singh looked at Barry with a small smile. "Would you ask them to pull over? You aren't bulletproof, are you?"

"No. Although it would useful." Barry had been surprised that over the past few weeks that he had began to find Singh's friendly side.

"It would probably be best if you try to not be as heroic and maybe think about it before rushing in head first. Promise me that at least as I don't want to explain to Joe how you died."

"Promise."

"And try to come up with a better excuse then you just fainted- wait did you actually faint?" Singh looked at Barry with concern.

"Yes. I did."

"Be careful then." Singh walked away leaving Barry staring after with confusion.

"You lied to us!" Caitlin exclaimed as she looked at a pad. "How could you not tell us that you have been experiencing dizzy spells? We could have figured out what is happening to you sooner. You could be experiencing cardiopulmonary failure or a transient ischemic attack."

Barry turned to Stein with a question on his face. Stein replied with a shake of his head. "Mini stroke. Probably not that."

"You of all people should know that in science we share. We don't keep secrets from each other."

"I haven't seen anyone make her that angry since Ronnie." Wells and Stein nodded in agreement with Cisco's assessment.

Barry asked Wells. "Ronnie was Caitlin's fiance?"

"Yeah. He is missed." Wells guided his wheelchair forward to one of the computer screens. "Now, let's figure out why this happening to you."

Stein indicated for Barry to follow him into a room that had a treadmill in front of a wall of cardboard boxes. "Just run."

"All set!" Cisco cried as Stein entered the room where his colleagues were sat in front of a computer.

"You sure about this?" Barry called as he climbed onto the treadmill.

"Most home treadmills have a maximum speed of about 12 miles per hour but this one has been improved. It can handle your speed, Cisco made sure of it." Stein hoped that Cisco hadn't made a mistake that would kill Barry.

Cisco pressed a button and the treadmill turned on. Barry started speeding up as the treadmill went faster and soon enough lightning was coming out of him as he ran.

"Heart rate, blood pressure, nerve conduction, all of them are normal."

Stein pointed at another screen. "The opposite has to be said for the glucose levels."

"Of course. It was so obvious."

Wells shouted so Barry could hear him. "Barry! We think we know why you keep-" Barry was sent flying into the wall of boxes with force. "fainting."

Cisco and Caitlin moved fast and moved Barry back to the bed in the control room while Wells and Stein got everything they needed for when he woke up.

A few hours later, Barry pushed himself up and groaned. "I fainted again?"

"Total metabolic failure brought on by acute hypoglycemia." Caitlin explained as she and Stein helped Barry stand.

"I'm not eating enough. So I needa IV bag and I am good to go?"

Cisco chuckled as he turned Barry around to show a pile of around forty IV bags. "More like forty."

"Or 18 dark chocolate bars."

Caitlin continued explaining after glaring at Wells and Cisco. "We need to fashion you annew diet that will work for you."

"You need to consume 10,000 calories every day." Stein started looking at a crossword that was in front of him. Barry guessed that he did one every day either here or at home.

"I would recommend pizza and steak. Those two put together can be marvellous." Wells sighed as Barry turned to see Singh standing there.

"Captain Singh, what brings you to S.T.A.R Labs?"

Singh pointed at Barry as he looked around. "When I couldn't find you at your lab, I did a little digging. Seems that there have been reports of a red streak coming in and out of this building. And also sightings of the same streak around the city. Stopping muggers, saving people from burning buildings."

"You didn't tell him we were working together?" Stein looked up from his crossword.

Barry shook his head as he turned to the Captain. "Sir, I can explain."

"You already work for law enforcement, mate." A voice that wasn't Singh's said. Barry tried to not groan as John Constantine entered the room with a cigarette lit. "It would be much better if you get back to it."

Caitlin nodded which made Constantine turn to her with a fierce glare. "What? I'm on your side."

"Mr. Constantine, we all want what is best for Barry." Wells recognised the man and wasn't sure what the Englishman wanted.

"If you wanted what was best for Barry then you'd try to talk him out of this lunacy. Instead of encouraging him to do it."

"You can make fire come out from nowhere! I saw a man control the weather." Barry thought it was hypocritical for Constantine to not want Barry to use his power while Constantine did. "What are the police going to do about that? Since the explosion, we have thought that there are more like me out there."

"That means you are going to do what?" Constantine crossed his arms as the rest watched the argument in silence. "Catch them? You must be insane. You think that because you can real fast that you're invincible? You're not! You are just a kid!"

Wells looked at Constantine and wondered how he knew Barry. "I'm not a kid that needs protecting, John. You don't need to protect me anymore. I already have enough protection now. You didn't believe me when I told you about my father and you don't believe in me now! I can help people out there that could die if I didn't. You can't stop me this time."

"You think you're so smart." Constantine growled as he let the cigarette fall from his mouth. "All of you do. But you don't know what you don't know, you never know. And I hope that you are all clever enough to figure it out before somebody dies."

Constantine stormed out before Barry could reply. Barry leaned back on the front of the bed as everyone but Wells looked uncomfortable.

Barry was working in his lab when Singh entered looking concerned. "Come to yell at me as well?"

"No. Simon Stagg's head of security was murdered last night. The coroner took some skin samples. They should belong to the killer." Singh knew that Barry needed to put his mind to something else so he decided that he should stick around. "See if you can find a match."

"It can't be a coincidence that Stagg's benefit was attacked last night."

"Exactly what I was thinking. Joe and Snart are going to interview Stagg now. Get to it then."

Barry nodded and prepared the evidence to test it, he didn't comment on how Singh was leaning against the wa watching him. He kind of liked how Singh seemed to be concerned about him.

Iris walked in and demanded. "What were you supposed to do?"

"Meet you Jitters to give you some scientific background for your article." Barry removed his plastic gloves as Singh stepped towards them. 'And I didn't show."

"I now have 24 hours to come up with a new topic for my article."

"I'm-"

"Don't say you are sorry. I know that you are." Iris stared at hard at Barry and ignored the Captain. "What I want to know is why you have been acting so weird these past few days. We gre up one bedroom down from each other so I am certain that I know when something is wrong with you. I will ask you one last time, Barry Allen, what is wrong?"

Time slowed down again as Barry started speeding around with suggestions to do with what he could say. Then he went back to where he was standing before and when time started again the machine beeped to show it was done.

Barry and Singh both approached the computer while Iris stayed standing in front of Barry's desk. "That's impossible. These skin cells belong to the murderer, but these cells are naive. Stem cells that they can replicate and become any cell that the body needs. They only come from babies."

"So is our murderer is a blood-thirtsy toddler, who can wield a gun?" Singh asked with clear amusement which made Iris look at him weirdly. He then looked down at his phone which had buzzed. "There is a shootout at Stagg Industries. I think I need to go there so this can be sorted out in a...flash."

Barry understood what he meant immediately.

Stein pulled the cloth away from Barry's nose which made him flinch. "Sorry. Good news is that the abrasions are already rapidly healing."

"I got my ass handed to me." Barry winced as Stein pressed down on one of his other wounds.

"You got blood on my suit." Caitlin and Wells both turned to glare at Cisco after he said that.

"I think some of it belonged to him while the rest of it belongs to me. He is another not so friendly meta-human."

Wells pressed the screen on his wheelchair and a photo of Danton Black appeared on the screen in front of him. "Danton Black. He is a bio-geneticist, who specialized in therapeutic cloning. Basically growing new organs to replace the failing ones."

"Apparently Stagg stole his research and then fired him." Caitlin explained as she looked at a computer that had more information on it.

Barry stood up as Stein wheeled away on the chair he was sitting on. "I saw him create duplicates of his own body. From his own body."

"Ironic." Stein threw the cloth he was using in the bin as he pulled of a pair of gloves off. "He specialized in cloning and can now clone himself."

Wells brought attention back to his screen. "If he was experimenting on himself when he was exposed to the dark matter wave then it would make sense that would be his power."

"Captain Clone!" Cisco exclaimed excitedly which made Stein raise his eyebrows. "I'll think of something better."

Barry started walking away after deciding something, that prompted Caitlin to ask. "Where are you going?"

"John was right. I'm in way over my head. I am no worry even if I am fast. I can barely fight one meta-human, let alone six."

"Barry." Wells watched as Barry turned around just as he reached the door. "I understand. Today was a setback, everyone has a setback. We can learn to do better tomorrow. "

"This wasn't some sort of grand enterprise, Dr. Wells. It was a mistake." Barry walked away, leaving the scientists shocked at his decision.

Wells made his way into the hallway where Constantine was speaking to Simon Stagg about security. Stagg was saying. "I hope Black comes looking for trouble as he will have a hard time getting to me."

Wells clapped as he made his way down the hotel corridor. "Spoken like a true philanthropist. Or would it be better to say humanitarian? I can never remember which one you aren't, Simon."

"Harrison. Don't get up." Stagg nodded at Constantine before entering the elevator.

Constantine turned to Wells with a glare. "A fan of yours, Doctor?"

"We need to talk, Mr. Constantine."

"We talk here. No one will disturb us." Constantine looked down at Wells. "You were right. Barry is not the only one who is special. I seen a man who could-"

"Replicate spontaneously." Wells finished to a look from the other man. "We know already."

"Did you know about Barry? When you took him from the hospital. Did you know?"

"I had my suspicions that he was...affected." Wells removed his glasses. "I was never looking to become a senior member of a secret crime fighting unit. Both of us know that we are the only ones equipped to protect Central City."

"I am more interested in protecting Barry. But he is all set to fly into the fire beside you."

"No anymore. He quit." Wells stared straight at Constantine. "He didn't tell you?"

"I haven't seen him."

"I am sure that it is temporary. When Barry sets his mind to something...no one will talk him out of it. Howvever, the next time he suits up and runs headlong into danger...he will fail. Why? Because he doesn't think he is capable. Doubt is his real enemy, not whatever is lurking out there. And as long as you continue to doubt him then he'll keep doubting himself." Wells started to wheel away. "For the record, I care about him as well."

Barry zoomed into the control room to see Danton Black standing in the door way, not moving. "It isn't him."

"It is one of his replicates." Stein explained.

"How did you get it?"

Caitlin looked proud as she answered quickly. "I grew him." Barry looked at her confused. "I isolated a sample of blood from your suit to see if I could trigger the in vitro cultivation process. To learn how Black multiples so I exposed the target to a protein gel, which made the replicate. Into that."

Barry waved his hand in front of the replicate's face. "Why isn't he-it doing anything?"

Wells turned his head slightly. "We did a brain scan. Involuntary motor functions are active, little else is."

"We think it is acting as some sort of receiver."

"The clones are an empty shell without Black. Shut down the real Black and it renders the clones useless." Stein smiled at Barry.

"How do I find the real one?"

"Black has limits like you. Controlling all of these clones will make him tired quickly. Look for the one showing signs of weakness or fatigue.'

"Just a theory. But want you might want to test, Mr. Allen."

Cisco held out a bar wrapped in tinfoil. "I whipped up these high-calorie protein bars. To help with your metabolism. "

Barry laughed as he took it but then the replicate moved and Caitlin screamed. Several gunshots fired off as Singh stepped into the room. The replicate fell to the ground as the Captain asked Caitlin. "Any more?"

"Nope."

Barry turned to Wells. "Why did it start moving?"

"The Prime. Black is on the move and this one heard the summons to battle."

Singh reholstered his pistol. "And I know where he is going. Stagg Industries."

"Then you should call it in."

"Police cannot fight this. What Black has become like Mardon...is something I can't fight. The only person that can fight them is you. You have got to do this. Don't listen to what anyone says this is what you should do. Go stop him."

Barry smiled which Singh returned instantly and then he walked away to find his outfit.

Barry grabbed Stagg and zoomed him back to his office before returning to the place where Black was. He called. "I know that Stagg stole your research but that doesn't mean you should kill him."

One of the replicates shot at him but Barry zoomed a few metres away. Then he zoomed up the stairs knocking into a few of the replicates. Then he found the real Black who replied. "You think this is about my job." Barry slammed him into one of the pillars. "This is about Elizabeth."

"She was my wife." Another Black said which made Barry zoom into him and grabe him. Barry finally found the real Black and zoomed towards him but dozens of replicates cane running towards him.

They started pushing him to the ground, kicking and punching him. When he thought that he was about to be defeated, a wave of fire cane flying into the replicates. Which allowed Barry to zoom away and Caitlin said quickly. "Find the Prime."

"There's to many of them."

Wells' voice came over the ear piece. "Barry, isolate the Prime."

"I can't. It is impossible."

"Nothing's impossible with a little bit of help, Barry. You taught me that two years ago." Barry almost sighed in relief when Constantine walked out of the shadows. "We can do this together."

Hundreds of replicates came running up the stairs as fire started blazing out of Constantine's hands. Barry nodded at him and stared zooming towards them as Constantine unleashed hell.

Barry was able to find the real Black and slammed his fist into his face, which sent him fying into a pillar. He looked at the replicates and they were all knocked out. Singh asked over the ear piece. "You alright?"

"I'm fine. We did it."

Before Barry could stop him Black went running into a window and he wasn't able to stop him from jumping.

Barry was sat at his desk when Singh entered his lab with three pizza boxes. "Hungry? Pepperoni, olives, macaroni. Just how you like it."

Barry didn't know how Singh knew what his favourite pizza was but he wasn't complaining. "Thanks."

Singh walked to the board that held a map on it. "You were wrong."

"About what? You have to be a bit more specific."

"You said that one of the things driving you to run around was that you couldn't help your dad." Singh pulled the map up to show the work that Barry had already been doing on his dad's case. "You can help him. We can. We are going to figure out who killed your mother and get your father out of prison. Together."

"Thank you." Barry never thought that someone would help him try to find out if his father was innocent but the fact that it was the Captain made it even better. For some reason he really wanted to spend more time with the man.

Stagg stood from his desk as a figure enshrined by shadows walked into his office. "Who are you?"

"You know who I am."

"You!" Stagg shouted as terror filled his face.

The figure stepped forward but the shadows kept their face covered. "You had a party out there?"

"A former employee of mine tried to kill me."

"A former employee with the ability to replicate faced off against a man who could move at super speed."

"You've seen him too?"

"That I have."

"Extraordinary." Stagg's terror had disappeared. "Imagine if you could control that power, you could change what it means to be human. The man in the red mask is the key and I' going to get him."

"He's called the Flash or he will be one day." The silver of a knife reflected the moonlight as the figure stabbed it into Stagg. "Sorry, Simon. The Flash's future must be changed and I have to ensure that. To do that he must be..." The figure removed the knife. "Safe."

Stagg's body fell to the ground with a thump.

Chapter Text

Barry was surprised when Singh had asked him to got to a theatre with him but he supposed that it was so they could get to know each other better. Barry said as they exited the theatre. "I have to say that one the regular movie scale it was like a seven or eight. On the zonbie movie scale it was a five tops."

"There's a zombie movie scale?" Singh was amused on how cute Barry could be without noticing but he didn't voice that thought.

"Yeah. Did you know that zombies exist in real life? There is a species of fungi that infects ants, causing the ants to attack plants that can release spores which in turn infects new hosts. I'm going full nerd, aren't I?" Barry really didn't want to embarrass himself in front of his new friend.

Singh had to stop himself from laughing but was able to reply. "It's okay. I find it quite endearing though." Barry's phone started ringing. "Get it then."

Barry answered his phone to hear Iris' voice. "I just heard the most interesting rumour."

"What?"

"That you went to see a movie with Captain Singh. Is someone lying to me or is it true?"

"It's true. But he invited me as a friend."

"Sure. Just wanted to check in, enjoy the rest of your night!" Iris sounded like she wanted to say but hung up before Barry could ask her what it was.

"Everything alright?" Singh asked once Barry had put his phone away.

"Yeah. Do you want to get a bite to eat?"

Singh wasn't surprised that Barry was still hungry and he was sure that there was a Italian restaurant near them somewhere. "Sure. There is an Italian around here somewhere."

"Let's go then." Barry was happy that he made a new friend and he was sure that Constantine would be happy for him as well.

Barry entered the police station to hear an officer that was boasting about a criminal that had just appeared in the back of his cruiser. Singh shook his head as he walked towards Barry. "Wasn't him at all, I did that."

"I figured." They started walking up the stairs to Barry's lab. "I didn't realise you did it for glory though."

"I don't want a museum built in my name. It is hard enough keeping a secret from Joe, Iris and everyone else."

"I know. It is safer that way besides we have work to do." Singh led the way into the lab where he picked up a box and placed it on Barry's desk.

"The evidence from my mom's case." Barry shrugged off his jacket before going to stand next to the Captain.

"I had it brought it from storage."

"I've been through that evidence hundreds of times."

"Before your story about what really happened that night. The lightning storm, the man in the middle of it - I thought you were a kid who was trying to stop his father from going to prison. But now that I know it is true." Singh placed his hands in his pocket as he turned to the board that had Barry's work on the case on it. "We are going to go through every shred of evidence. Until we find something that can help us."

"It took the jury 52 minutes to come back with a verdict." Barry wondered what Singh hoped to find in the evidence.

"They moved too fast. That means we have to take put time." Singh walked over to the evidence as Joe entered the lab.

"Captain, Barry, we have multiple homicides. Do either of you know the Darbinyan Crime Family?" Joe then saw the board and then the box of evidence. "Barry! You have got to stop this. Your dad is guilty-"

"Detective West, leave this until after work." Singh turned to Barry and smiled softly. "Come on, Barry."

Joe was left standing there confused. Since when had the Captain been so smitten with the CSI.

Barry was looking at one of the bodies with his pair of black leather gloves on when Singh approached him. "Barry, anything?"

"Signs of histotoxic hypoxia. The cells in their bodies were unable to utilise oxygen. It is consistent with exposure to poison gas."

"What kind of poison?" Singh still couldn't believe that he and Barry had walked past this restaurant yet hadn't seen anything.

"I'll need to take a lung sample. To see if I can narrow it down a bit." Barry placed his gloves in his case as Detective Ralph Dibny approached them.

"The only other exit was bolted from the inside. They were trapped. I was thinking that someone could have pumped the gas in from the outside. The street was empty."

"So it was from the inside?" Singh looked at Ralph, who had a notepad in his hand. "That means there should be a canister or something left behind."

Barry stood up as he realised something. "Sir, can I speak to you in...private."

Singh was about to scold him when he realised why Barry wanted to speak with him. "Dibny, search the perimeter again." Ralph walked away without questioning the order. "Explain."

"The boss collapsed at the table. He made it ten feet away and that one was able to fire three shots into a bulletproof window." Barry explained as he showed Singh the evidence. "They all started in the same spot. And they should have all been affected by the gas at the same time. But they weren't and it's as if-"

"They were attacked one by one." Singh suddenly realised that they would need backup on this one. "If we're going to solve this then you and I are going to need...backup."

"Yeah."

"Fascinating. A meta-human that can control poison gas." Stein murmured when Barry had finished speaking.

Cisco walked towards the two. "Is it just poison gas or can he manipulate all aerated substances?"

"And how is he able to formulate the connection?" Caitlin wanted to ask Barry about his not date but knew it wasn't the right time. "Is it physiological or psychological?"

"This individual can create a mental nexus using gaseous substances." Wells looked at Constantine who was dosing on a chair. Singh was staring at the group in shock while Barry was smiling widely.

"You mean connect with gases on a molecular level?"

"Yes."

"That is awesome!"

Barry turned to Singh. "They get excited about this stuff."

"The only thing that some people would be excited about is putting criminals behind bars. But I am not some people. Iron Heights isn't exactly equipped to deal to handle meta-humans."

"Then it is fortunate that the ones that we have encountered so far are no longer with us." Stein continued with his crossword that was on the desk in front of him.

"Unless we plan on executing every super criminal we stop, then you four geniuses are going to have to come up with something to hold them."

"A meta-human prison. Sweet!"

Wells started typing on the keyboard. "Until we figure out a way to remove their powers."

"There is a place here that can hold them." Every head in the room turned to Cisco.

Caitlin exclaimed with a glare. "You can't be serious. No one has been down there since the night of the explosion."

Barry could already guess what room they were talking about as Wells agreed with Cisco. "He's right. We could modify it so it can act as a makeshift prison of sorts."

"What could?" Singh didn't really understand where they were going with the explanation.

"The particle accelerator." Singh turned to Barry, who shrugged as Wells tried to get Caitlin's attention. "Caitlin. Caitlin. Did you hear? We're going down to the accelerator ring."

Barry noticed how Caitlin looked upset so decided to say. "I could use Caitlin's help to identify the poison gas, if that's okay with her."

Caitlin nodded with a silent thank you written on her face. Singh didn't even bother to try to stop them as he knew that it wouldn't matter.

Barry and Caitlin stepped out of the elevator as Barry said in a quiet voice. "Welcome to the CCPD."

"So this is your day job." Barry hummed in agreement as he smiled brightly.

The smile vanished as a female detective walked up to him and pressed a bag into his hand. "Allen, I need prints of this gun now."

Caitlin was shocked at how the detective acted, she knew that it was Barry's job but she was sure that there were other people who could do it as well.

"Allen!" Snart walked up to them the moment he saw them. "I need the fiber analysis on the Orloff Case. The Captain is hounding me about it."

"It's finished and upstairs. I can run up and bring it down now."

"That could be three days from now." Snart and Cailtin started to follow Barry, who had quickly made his way up the stairs. "Who are you?"

"Dr. Caitlin Snow. Barry's personal physician." The two of them arrived to see the paper Snart need in Barry's hand.Snart took it and left the lab without a second glance while Caitlin stepped in to take a look around.

Wells and Stein entered the particle accelerator before they looked at the massive tube. "The copper in the tube is used to form cavities and we can use those cavities as containment cells. We'll have to design them to counteract meta-human but it might just work."

Stein continued as he started to type into the pad he was holding. "First, we have to decode the main injection system on the gantry level."

"I'll do it. I need some exercise."

Wells was gone before Stein could say anything else and as he stared at the chamber. All he could see was the night of the particle accelerator explosion. He and Ronnie had been the two to come down from the control room.

Stein had been given two minutes until he had to seal the door to stop the explosion from engulfing the building. And he had to and that was probably the reason why Ronnie was killed that night.

"Martin, Martin. We are ready to go." Wells murmured as he wheeled himself back to where Stein was standing. "Must be hard coming back down here. A lot happened that night. If you need to talk-"

"I was just thinking, we need to nail those voltage calculations. We have one fault and the helium blowback could damage the mountings."

Wells watched as Stein walked away. He knew that it was just a mask to hide the pain from the accident. But he also knew that Stein would have to come to terms with it one day.

Caitlin watched as Barry fiddled around with a model of particles. She waited a few more minutes before asking. "How much do you like the Captain?"

Barry jumped out of his seat like he had completely forgotten about her being in his office. "What?"

"How much do you like the Captain?" She repeated quickly. Caitlin had several theories in mind ever since Barry had told her that Singh had asked him to a theatre.

"We are friends - I think we are at least. Friends do go out together don't they?"

Caitlin had to stop herself from sighing. Her suspicions were confirmed. Singh was trying to date Barry but the CSI was oblivious and believed they were just friends. She was about to say something but decided against it as Barry asked. "Ronnie, what was he like? You never talk about him."

"We met when we were working on the particle accelerator. He was the structural engineer and he liked to joke that he was a very high-priced plumber. We were very different and that was what caused us to start arguing. He used to say we were fire and ice, like how we were different was what brought us together. Then we argued a few nights before the explosion, he was there that night because we were trying to work out of we would work together or not."

A piece of paper came out of the printer and Cailtin took it so she could change the subject. "There was no residue of gas in the tissue, poisonous or otherwise."

Barry sat up as his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Must have evaporated. We'll need a fresh sample then."

"This can't be right." Caitlin placed the paper on the desk in front of her and Barry. "It says that there are two distinct strands of DNA inside the tissue."

Barry looked at his computer screen as he asked. "How did someone else's DNA get inside the victim's lungs?" They both looked at each other in confusion before he started trying to find who the DNA belonged to. "There isn't a match in the database."

"I don't understand. How does that work? Or why would a chemical attack leave behind another person's DNA inside the victim?"

"What if the meta-human we were looking for doesn't control gas? What if they become it?"

Barry and Caitlin turned to the dispatch radio as it said. "All available units, we have a report of a toxic gas attack at the Central City Shopping Mall."

"Barry, don't." Caitlin pleaded as Barry stood up from his chair and walked towards his locker. "We don't know enough about the meta-human to face them yet. It's not safe."

"Caitlin, I have to go." Barry zoomed away before she could say anything else.

"I patched into the mall's security system. According to witnesses the gas attack was in the main elevator in the north wing." Cisco said as he and Wells looked at the computer screens.

"Which one is the north wing?" Barry called back.

Constantine and Wells answered at the same time. "The one with the Big Belly Burger." Cisco turned towards them in shock and they said in unison. "We eat."

Constantine could feel that something bad had just happened as he could feel Barry was weakening. Then Barry appeared in the middle of Cisco and Wells as he coughed. "I can breathe."

"He needs oxygen. Get the crash cart! Now!" Wells ordered Cisco who went running to find it while Stein, who had just appeared helped move Barry to the bed. Caitlin ran in as Cisco started scan his chest.

Barry gasped as he looked at Wells. "Cut me open. The poison's still inside me."

"He brought us a sample." Stein breathed as he turned to Caitlin. "We need to fo a pulmonary biopsy. Extract an active portion of that gas."

"I can't give you any anesthetic." Caitlin said to Barry, who was still gasping and wheezing as he tried to keep the poison alive. "Your metabolism will burn right through it."

"I heal quick."

"Do it." Wells ordered as he glanced at Caitlon before turning back to Barry.

"Cisco, give me the syringe. This is going to hurt a lot."

Cisco lied as he stared to prepare the syringe. "It's a small needle. You won't even feel it."

"You're definitely going to feel it." Caitlin the jabbed the needle into Barry's chest which elicited a loud, wheezing gasp from him. She was able to remove a sample which Stein took to test it.

Thirty minutes later, Barry opened his eyes to see Cisco and Caitlin standing over him. "The Streak lives."

"Youbare lucky that your lungs cells regenerate otherwise you'd be dead."

Barry groaned as he tried to not focus on the pain. "It feels like that one time I had a cigarette. Absolutely terrible."

"This isn't funny, you could've-" Cailtin was interrupted before she could finish.

"I didn't."

Wells called from where he was sitting behind as desk with a cup of coffee. "Now that we have a sample, we'll get to work analysing it. To figure out the makeup of the poison. Maybe we can get a clue as to his human identity."

"Or at least a way to stop him from turning into that mist." Stein walked out from the lab where he was doing the testing with his glasses in his hands.

"The Mist, that's his name." Cisco snapped his fingers as Barry started to stand.

"I have to get back to the station."

"You should be resting."

"I have to talk to the Captain." Wells didn't try to stop Barry from leaving as he found the relationship between Barry and Singh very interesting.

Barry walked into his lab with his normal clothes on to see Singh sitting with a file in his hands. "Sir, I had him. The meta-human, we were wrong. He isn't controlling the toxins but he turns into the poison."

"That's new. Very new and surprising." Singh stood up and held out the file in his hand as he approached Barry. "The victim was a judge. We are going through some of her old cases to see if there's a connection."

"It's too late. I should have been faster."

"Focus on the job. Then when we are done then you can think about it." Singh advised with his tone of concern.

"You don't want to know what I'm thinking about now." Barry sighed as he leaned on the windowsill. "My father has spent 14 years in a 6x8 foot cell for a crime he never committed. I couldn't save my mom but what is stopping me from saving him."

"I promised you that we would get your dad put of prison...together."

"I don't need your help." Singh gestured for Barry to continue. "I could be in and out of there in a flash with him. No one would even have to see me."

"Say that you do, then what? He'll be running for the rest of his life. And I can guess that he isn't as fast as you."

"You don't know what's it's like there."

"You think I don't understand what you are feeling?" Barry's eyes widened when Singh asked him that. "I have been a cop for twenty years, Captain for ten of those. You should know that putting on that suit doesn't make everyone safe. For every person you save, there will be one you can't. The hardest thing you're going to face is not some meta-human with powers, but it's going to be that feeling of uselessness when you can't do anything. Or the guilt that weighs on you when you make a mistake. Some things, you can't fight. Some things you have to live with. "

Barry whispered as Singh exited the lab. "Thank you." He was certain that the Captain didn't hear him.

Barry and Caitlin walked into the tunnel that led to the particle accelerator. She remembered how she had run into the tunnel two see Stein looking at the door with dread.

Ronnie had given an order to Stein which he had disappeared to follow then Caitlin had been given the radio which had given her a chance to say goodbye even though she didn't want to.

She could remember how he had always wanted to be a hero and Caitlin could safely say that Ronnie had died a hero as he had saved the city from destruction that night. Stein had looked at her with regret the moment the radio cut out.

"He saved so many lives that day but nobody will know what he did."

Barry stepped forward to stand next to her. "I do." Caitlin turned to him with tears in her eyes. "He was a hero."

"I didn't want him to be a hero. I wanted to marry him." Barry hugged which she returned as she tried to no cry.

Cisco's voice came in over the intercom. "Barry, Caitlin, you need to come look at this."

Barry led Caitlin back up to the kab where the other three were waiting for them. Cisco gestured for them to come over. "Come loom at this. It's a 3-D molecular model of the gas we retrieved from you lungs."

"We have identified the toxin." Wells said with a nod to Steinz who smiled.

Barry asked as he looked at the model on the computer screen. "Hydrogen cyanide?"

"What's interesting is what's mixed in with the cyanide - a sedative."

Barry slapped a hand to his forehead as he groaned. "Of course. The night when the explosion happened, find out if anyone was executed."

Stein sighed as he realised what Barry had. "That sedative is given to inmates on death row before they go to the gas chamber. Where they breath in hydrogen cyanide."

Cailtin looked up from the computer. "There was someone executed. Kyle Nimbus." Barry nodded when he saw the photo. "He was a hit man for the Darbinyan Crime Family. They turned on him and testified."

Constantine said his piece. "I remember it. The judge who was killed was the one who oversaw his case."

"He must have been effected by the explosion while being executed."

Cisco pointed out with a confused frown. "Records say that the execution was completed."

"That's why there wasn't a match. The database only has records of living people, not dead ones." Barry felt stupid that he hadn't realised earlier. "He said there was one more person on his list. Who arrested him?"

"Barry, the arresting detective..." Barry looked down at the screen with a feeling of dread in his stomach.

Singh waited for Henry to be escorted into the visitor's room. He was escorted in a few seconds later and Henrybwas surprised to see the Captain sitting there. He took the phone and demanded. "What are you doi g here? Is Barry okay?"

"Barry's fine."

Henry leaned back in his chair. "Then what do you want?"

"To inform you about the one thing Joe wouldn't do." Singh didn't tell Barry he was coming here as the CSI would try to talk him out of it. "Some new evidence came in about your case and because of that, I am reopening your case. Barry and I are working on it together."

"Really?" Henry felt hopeful after listening to Singh who smiling slightly.

"Yes. I can promise that I'll try damn best to get you out of here. I am sorry that you had to sit here for years."

Henry had to stop himself from smiling when he looked into Singh's eyes. "It doesn't matter that you didn't believe me then, it matters that you believe my son now."

Singh turned around when he heard coughing and saw that the guard had dropped to the ground. As he stood up the green mist reformed to reveal a bald man in a prison jumpsuit. "Nimbus. You're supposed to be dead."

"So are you."

Singh moved quicker and covered his mouth before the poison could enter his body. Then Barry zoomed in, fully dressed in his outfit. The most disappeared as Barry approached Singh. "Go get him. Now!"

Barry zoomed away and out of the prison, down the main road to where he saw Nimbus walking away. "Come to finish what the chamber couldn't"?

"You are going somewhere where you won't hurt anyone ever again."

"Wrong." Nimbus transformed into a massive green mist.

Stein's voice appeared in Barry's ear. "Stay away from him, lad. Don't breath him in. Constantine is on his way."

Barry starting running away so he could draw Nimbus away from the prison. "I'm sure how that helps."

"You can't fight, Barry. Just keep coming at you and that should sap his strength."

Wells explained. "Gas is the least stable form of matter. This meta-human will not be able to stay in his form for long."

Barry was about to start running when some sort of electric dome surrounded the most and trapped it where it was. Constantine appeared with electricity pouring out of his hand.

He raised his other hand and summoned a wave if water towards the most, which reformed into Nimbus. The water hit the criminal and knocked him straight out.

"Done it again."

Barry asked in wonder. "How did you do that?"

"By learning." Constantine answered cryptically as he lit a cigarette.

Barry didn't know why he was summoned over to Joe's house but when he saw Iris and Tommy both sitting in the living room. He sat down as Iris said. "Dad, I have something to tell you."

"You are dating this man." Joe answered as he looked at Barry with curiosity.

"How did you know?"

"I am a detective and it also helps that my partner is dating your friend from your classes."

Barry had to stop himself from grinning, he had forgotten about Eddie and how he was absolutely terrified of Joe. Tommy held out a hand. "Tommy Merlyn, Sir."

"I'll try my best not to shoot him." Joe said the moment he and Tommy let go of each other's hand. "Now, you are here for dinner. And Barry, why didn't you tell me?"

Barry paled as Joe turned to him with a glare.

Barry took the phone from his side of the glass. "I've been thinking about mom, a lot lately. I miss her."

"Did I ever tell you about the time when you learned to walk?"

"Couple of times."

"Everyone was walking before you. Your mother was never worried, she was sure that you would walk when you had someplace to go. And the first time you walked you moved so fast that you were-"

"I was running."

"And you ran to mom, right into her arms. You had somewhere to go." Barry smiled and nodded before he ran a hand down his face.

The figure moved out of the shadows as they pulled a device from their pocket. They said into it. "Show me the article." A 3-D model of a news article appeared in front of him.

The headline read: FLASH MISSING, VANISHES IN CRISIS

The byline read: Iris Merlyn and Eddie Thawne-Snart.

The figure growled as he stared down at it. "Damn it! This should have changed by now!"

The figure started stalking away as a burning piece of paper fell to the ground as they walked away.

Chapter Text

Singh stred at the van in front of him as Snart walked up to him with his notebook out. "Tow truck was stolen. The driver of the armoured car is in a stable condition at the hospital but no one knows how he got there."

"Did you check the surveillance footage?"

"The camera storage drive was destroyed. It's like the guys are pros."

"Everything is still here though. Including what they should have been after." Singh pointed at the van with his pen. "The Kahndaq Dyansty Diamond was on it's way to Central City Museum for exhibition."

"Right. Eddie is trying to talk me into going. I am not that much of a museum guy, but when he wants to do something I can say that he doesn't give up at all."

Singh looked as Barry came running towards him. "Sorry, Captain. I was at the hospital visiting."

"There's nothing missing. It is almost as if someone interrupted the robbery." Singh said with an eye roll which made Barry have to try to not smile. "The guard says there was three of them."

"I thought they did it crews of four." Snart murmured.

Barry said at the same time. "There were four." At a look from Singh he corrected himself. "That's how many they normally bring. And somebody used liquid nitrogen to crack open this door, which would take four bad guys."

"Thank you, Barry, for your brilliant insight." Snart walked away after a look from Singh.

Singh looked at Barry and sighed. "For someone so fast, you are a little slow on improvising. Did you see something that might help us catch these guys?"

"One of them lost his mask. I saw his face." Singh smiled before walking away.

Barry took the binder that Singh had handed to him and started to look through it as he slid into a chair. "Those are the mug shots of Central City's Most Wanted."

Barry used his speed to look through them and his finger landed on one of the photos before he handed it to Singh. "Him."

"Chyre's son." Singh growled as he looked at the photo. "He was always misbehaving and getting into trouble by the time he finished high school. Never went to college but cut ties with his family and friends. Everyone thought that he was dead."

"What's his first name?"

"Chesterfield."

"That's almost as bad as Bartholomew."

Singh raised an eyebrow. "Chyre isn't that sexy either. His father died the night the explosion happened. He shows up around every seven months, cases a job for weeks and then makes his move. Then he does the job and gets away."

"That's before the Streak was around." Barry smirked at Singh, who just chuckled in reply.

"Did you just refer to yourself in the third person?"

"No, I referred to the Streak. And I am sure that I can top that." Barry was referring to the name which Iris had given him in her articles. "I've been thinking about a new name. What do you think about the Flash?"

"It would work. And it suits you much better then the Streak." Singh was about to continue when there was a knock on his office door. "Come in!"

Iris stepped in with two cups of coffee. "Can I take Barry?"

"We were just finishing anyway." Barry nodded as he stood up and followed Iris into the atrium where she handed over his cup of coffee.

"I have some news."

"What?" They started walking up the stairs towards his lab.

"Since I started taking these journalism classes, I have gotten an idea. I started a blog."

"What's it about? Your brownie obsession? That doesn't need broadcast to the whole world."

"Not that. Something important, something that Central City needs to know about. The Streak. He's out there Barry and I am sure that he stopped an armoured car robbery earlier. I want to see the file."

Barry felt his heart start pounding his chest as he rushed to reply. "Not at liberty to discuss ongoing police investigations with you."

They turned a corner as Iris looked at him shocked. "Since when?"

"Take it from someone who's been investigating the impossible since they were eleven. A blog is only going to bring crazies to your doorstep."

"My blog is anonymous."

"It isn't safe even if it is anonymous. You never know who is out there trolling on the internet."

"I can vouch for that." A male voice said as Barry and Iris entered the lab. "The internet is full of weirdos and nerd rage. Lots and lots of nerd rage."

Barry laughed when he saw Dr. Ray Palmer standing in front of hin with his arms crossed. He held out a hand to Iris, who took it cautiously. "Hello. Ray Palmer."

"Iris West."

"Ray is the man that I met in-"

"Starling City. The Biochemist right? You two worked on one of Barry's cases.""

"The Biochemist...I like it. And the case was definitely explainable, quite easily when I think back." Ray looked up at the celling where the windows were. "This is where the lightning came through?"

"Yeah." Barry ignored the look that Iris sent him and finished his coffee.

Ray and Barry were walking through the park as soon as Barry was able to escape the precinct. "Iris seems very nice. Just like you described her."

"Not pretty?" Barry was sure that Ray would have said something like that.

"Not my type." Ray stared at Barry with hidden lust. "You, however..."

"What?"

"You know what."

Barry sighed as he realised what Ray meant. "You do this every time we see each other and my answer is always the same. No."

"Worth a try."

"What are you doing here? It is good to see you but do you need something or-"

"No. I came because I wanted to see you." Barry smiled softly as Ray continued. "I heard from Oliver that you were out of the coma. Apparently, someone called 'Kara' told him that. And you didn't call, didn't write like you said you would. Or race over."

Barry knew at once who had told Oliver that he was out of the coma. Kara had probably also been the one to tell Constantine as well. "Kara told Oliver? Who told you?"

"No. I heard Oliver talking to someone called Constantine." Ray explained as he knew that Barry would keep persisting. "Can you show me? And I mean your speed - nothing else."

Barry had to fight a smile as he heard Constantine's name pronounced in the way that the man himself hated. "See that rooftop?" Ray nodded as he looked at the one Barry was pointing at. "Watch it."

Barry then zoomed away and was back in a second with his phone in his hand. Ray took it and said in breathless tone. "You took a photo of me? From the top of that building?"

"Yeah. Don't put that on Instagram though."

"Astonishing!" Ray stared at the photo with wide eyes. Then he noticed that smoke was coming from Barry's shoes. "Your shoes are smoking."

Barry was able to stop the smoke quickly and then flushed as he replied. "That-that's fine. It happens sometimes when I run. That's why I have a friction-proof suit that I normally run in."

"Where did you get that?"

"I'll show you." Barry smiled mysteriously as he stepped back. "Do you happen to know who Martin Stein is?"

"I do."

"Then you are going to be impressed."

Barry and Ray entered the control room as Barry said. "This is where my team monitors the police bands for criminal activity. We can track anything that happens in the city. Check this out, we have our own satellite."

"I know. Felicity has hacked it before."

"Rude." Cisco turned around in his chair as Caitlin stood up.

"Who are you?"

"Dr. Ray Palmer." Ray shook Caitlin's hand who turned to Barry.

"And why exactly does he need to know about our operations?"

"I am really good at keeping secrets." Ray assured her quickly as he wanted to know why Barry asked him about Stein.

"Ray works with the Arrow."

"Sweet!"

"And you are not."

Cisco stood up with a large grin. "It all makes sense now. You know who the Arrow is." He turned to Barry. "Do you know who the Arrow is?"

"Maybe."

Ray changed the subject quickly as he saw that Barry looked uncomfortable talking about that. "My team has a similar set up. With more pointy objects."

"Welcome, Dr. Palmer." Wells entered with Stein and Constantine behind him.

Ray stared in shock at the man. "Dr. Wells? The Dr. Wells? And Dr. Stein?"

"Please, call me Harrison, Raymond."

Stein placed his pad down on a desk as he smiled gently at Ray. "And call me Martin."

"You know who I am?"

"Ranked first in the National Quantum Theory Competition, at age 18." Stein recited as he remembered Ray. "And one of my best students when you were at university. Four PhDs and working on a fifth in Biophysics as well as a sixth in Biochemistry. All before you are thirty-five. I know who you are and I am absolutely honoured that I taught you Quantum Physics when you were in university."

Wells interrupted before Stein could start rambling. "I keep an eye out for promising people in fields of science. That is what brought me Cisco, Caitlin, Martin and I foresaw great things from you."

Ray was shocked that his favourite professor and idol remembered him and that Dr. Harrison Wells had complimented him.

"Thank you." Barry said when Ray held the door open to Jitters for him. They walked in as Iris appeared holding a tray.

"He you two."

"We aren't a two."

Ray expanded on what Barry meant. "Nope. We are a one and a one."

"Has Barry been showing you around the city?"

"Yes. I have seen some pretty amazing things and met some amazing people." Ray couldn't believe that Stein had given him his phone number so that they could talk when Ray went back to Starling City.

"Really?" Iris looked between the two suspiciously. "If you have some time, maybe we could show you some of the city's night life."

"Not for me. I get plenty of the night life in Starling City."

"This is something that you don't want to miss." Iris pulled a leaflet and held it out to the two. "Trivia night at Jitters. Eddie and Len will be there as well but they aren't that excited about it. But it could be our night."

"Our night to win $75 worth of cappuccinos." Barry deadpaned as he looked at the leaflet. He wondered if Stein would want to join in with it.

"I'm in." Ray agreed immediately. "Now, I need to call work and check in. I'll be back." Ray walked away as Barry and Iris walked to a different part of the cafe.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"Trivia night with Eddie and Detective Snart. Why are you forcing a double date?"

"Because that man is great. And I can guarantee that he comes from your very rare species of adorable nerds. Why didn't you tell me about him?"

"There's nothing to tell. He's just a friend." Barry protested. Ray wasn't serious when he propositioned him it was just a bit of fun.

"Barry, people don't just hop on trains and a few hundred miles to see someone that they don't like. This is why you need my help." Iris didn't mention that this was a test to try something out to do with Barry. If she was right then Ray wasn't the person that Barry wanted to be with. "Bring him. We'll have fun."

Barry nodded before asking. "Can I bring along another friend?"

"Who?"

"He's a professor who taught Ray when he was at university. And he is very good with classic movies."

"Sure. Bring him along, more the merrier."

Barry know had to wonder how to explain this to Stein and ask him politely if he wanted to come to Trivia Night.

Barry had found Eddie and Iris's reactions when he introduced Stein to then absolutely hilarious. They hadn't expected that he would bring one of the foremost experts on quantum physics to Trivia Night.

The host called the moment Snart appeared with drinks. "Party people, who's ready to get their trivia on?'

Stein turned to Barry and whispered. "When you said Trivia Night, I believed that Raymond would be here?"

Barry replied in the same quiet voice as the host introduced the teams including their's. "He is meant to be here."

"E=MC²?" Snart asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It's Einstein's formula for kinetic energy."

"No it isn't." Stein corrected gently as he stirred his tea. "Barry, that is the formula for mass energy equivalence. The formula for kinetic energy is KE= 1/2 MV². Doesn't matter though and I won't mention this to Raymond."

The other three looked confused as they didn't understand what the two scientists were talking about. Barry turned around as Ray entered the cafe in a grey suit with a red tie. He was absolutely sure that Snart whispered to Eddie. "Feel free to buy that suit."

Ray hurried over and when he saw that only him and Stein were wearing suits, groaned. "I overdressed, didn't I?"

"No. You look amazing." Iria complimented the scientist. As soon as she had gotten off work, she had looked Ray Palmer up and was surprised to see that he had four PhDs. She was absolutely certain that they were going to win this Trivia Night.

"You do." Barry smiled nervously as Ray looked at where the team name was.

"E=MC Hammer. Funny."

"See." Barry's smile turned into a grin as Ray sat down next to him. Eddie shared a look with Iris who shrugged in reply.

Before anyone could say anything else, the ghost announced. "The questions will appear on your I-pads. Answer them at your own pace."

Barry read out the first question. "In what year were the first Air Jordons released?"

"1984." Stein murmured which made everyone look at him in shock. "I took up jogging that year. I had to buy a pair."

"According to Greek mythology who was the first woman on Earth?"

"Pandora." Iris wasn't surprised that Stein knew that one as mythology seemed like something he would read up on.

"Which African country was formerly know as Abyssinia?"

Ray answered as he took a sip of his drink. "Ethiopia."

"How are they so good?" Eddie whispered to Iris who didn't look as shocked as he and Snart did.

"Dr. Stein is a foremost expert on quantum physics, making him one of the smartest men it the world, he taught Ray who has four PhDs. He was taught quantum physics by Dr. Stein. And Barry has read a lot of books on criminology, science and history."

They went through the next few questions and after the last question was answered it turned out they were in a tie with another team. Stein looked at the last question in confusion. "What is the name of the ship that Han Solo captains in Star Wars?"

"That's easy." Ray took the pad and put in the answer he thought were correct. He grinned when the host announced that their team was the winner.

Iris smiled calmly. "I knew that you three would make a good team."

"Ray, what do you do?" Eddie asked.

"I am the CEO of Queen Consolidated. Was kind of forced to take the job."

"Really?" Snart sounded impressed.

Stein looked at Barry. "Why don't you and I get another round of drinks?" Iris wondered what the older professor was doing.

The moment the two were stood at the bar Stein asked. "You went to the theatre with Captain Singh?" Barry nodded. "And did you go to dinner before or after?"

"Both."

"Did he complain?"

"No."

"Oh, Barry." Stein decided to not carry on, leaving Barry stand there confused.

Wells stared at the cage where Cisco kept his ice gun with a fierce glare. "How long has it been missing?"

"I don't know."

"I will ask you again, Cisco. How long has it been missing? And don't say I don't know."

"A day or two." Cisco hesitated before continuing. "A janitor didn't show up for work this morning. He was probably the one who took it. I didn't think-"

Wells slammed the cage door closed. "You didn't think. If you had then you would have discussed first you desire to build something that could in theory, hurt anyone and in particular, Barry Allen!"

"I'm sorry. If I can explain-"

"You know how I feel about weapons, Cisco. They do not belong here or in any property that is owned by me. Now you have to figure out a way to locate this gun and you are gonna do it now." Wells pressed a button on his wheelchair and started to exit the room.

Caitlin asked before Wells could leave. "This thing you built, what can it do?"

"Bad stuff. A lot of bad stuff."

Caitlin finished examining Barry's woud. "It's presenting itself like third degree frostbite."

"I thought he had hyper healing." Ray leaned on one of the computer desks as he watched Singh try to not move.

"It's been slowed. If your cells didn't regenerate at the rate they are then your blood vessels would have frozen solid. Which means that the nerve damage could have been permanent. You are damn lucky to be alive."

Barry stood up as Stein rubbed his forehead. "Chyre isn't another meta-human. He had some kind of gun. It froze things and slowed me down. It stopped me from saving someone."

"According to his record, Chyre had very low grades. He couldn't have created it." Ray tried to not let his concern show on his face as Constantine entered the room with a wine bottle in hand.

"S.T.A.R Labs built the cold gun." Wells sighed which made Stein sit up straight.

"Dr. Wells, Dr. Stein and Caitlin had nothing to do with this." Cisoc noticed that Stein, Constantine, Singh, Ray, Barry and Wells all looked furious. "I created the gun."

"For what purpose?" Constantine was trying to not let fire blaze out of his fingers.

"Speed and cold are opposites. Temperature is measured by how quickly the atoms of something are oscillating. The faster they are, the hotter it is. When things are cold then they are slower on the atomic level. When there's no movement at all it's called-"

"Absolute zero." Singh had heard that before when he was at a crime scene a few years ago.

Cisco nodded. "Yeah. I designed a compact cryo engine to achieve absolute zero. I built it to stop you. We didn't know who you were then, Barry. We didn't know if you were going to be some psycho, like Mardon or Nimbus."

"He didn't." The fire switched to electricity as Constantine tried to control his magic. "Did he?"

Cailtin pleaded with him. "We built this entire structure to do good, and it blew up. Because of that, you can understand why Cisco had to be prepared for the worst."

"I can understand that." Everyone apart from Wells, Singh and Constantine looked uncomfortable as Barry spoke. "What I don't understand is why you didn't tell me. After all, we've been through, I thought you trusted me! I thought we were friends."

"We are, Barry."

"If you had just told me then I could have been prepared. But because you didn't someone died tonight."

"And I have to live with that." Cisco stepped forward and raised his hands.

"No, we all do." Stein murmured.

Barry stormed out with Singh following him. Constantine had to leave the room before his powers boiled over and a second explosion destroyed the building, completely. He knew that his powers could destroy half of Central City if they had the chance and he really didn't want that to happen.

Singh found Barry running on the treadmill. "Barry? Barry!"

Barry stopped running and looked at the Captain with sweat pouring down his face. "What are you doing? You should go back to your house."

"So should you. And you should get some sleep."

"I can't." Barry sat down on the treadmill and Singh sat down next to him. "When I close my eye's, I see the man's face. I watched him die. I have to go faster."

"Barry, it isn't your fault. And it isn't Cisco's either. I know that you are upset but you should look at this from his point of view."

"I get it. He didn't trust me."

"Barry, when you met me. I had the CCPD running like a well-oiled machine, but it didn't start out that way. And unlike your team, I didn't have to do it over night. I had months to do it, not like how you had days. It took quite a lot for me to start trusting my employees." Singh didn't mention how since the day Barry had been hired, Singh had been attracted to him.

Singh stood up and started to leave the room. "I have seen what this life can do to people. It's a lonely path, don't make it any lonelier."

Barry stared after him pondering what he meant.

Singh called to Joe as they entered the train station. "Take Snart and go down the opposite direction. I'll go this way."

Joe was about to protest when Singh ran down the stairs. He started looking around the platform until he noticed Chyre walking towards a train. He raised his pistol and fired. Snart and Joe arrived as Chyre climbed on to a train.

Barry zoomed past then and crashed into the train compartment. "Nowhere to run now."

"I didn't see you before." Chyre raised the cold gun. "Your parents know that you're out past your bedtime?"

"To get away you should have taken something faster than a train."

"Only if I wanted to get away." Chyre grinned. "I've seen your weakness at the armoured car, then the theatre, while you're saving everybody, I'll be saving myself."

Chyre fired the cold gun at the floor of the compartment which soon spread to the wheels. He jumped out before the train was about to crash. Barry felt the train being stopped like it was in thin air and he knew who had done it.

Barry climbed out of the train to see Constantine stood in front of the train with his arms outstretched as he tried to stop the train. He wasn't able to stop a wheel from flying towards Barry and hitting him to the ground.

Chyre walked towards Barry and fired the cold gun at him. "Pretty fast, kid. Thank you by the way."

"For what?"

"You forced me to up my game. Not only with the gun, but with how I think about the job. It's been educational."

"Drop it!' Stein was standing there was a sort of big canon in his arms. "This is a prototype flamethrower and as I recall fire beats ice."

"I wondered who you talked to."

"Back off unless you want to be burn to a crisp."

"You wouldn't."

"I will, Corporal Cold." Stein raised the canon higher.

"You win, kid. I'll see you around." Chyre walked away without anyone stopping him.

Stein dropped the canon and turned to Barry. "Couldn't have shot him. It's just a vacuum cleaner with a lot of LEDs, Cisco made it."

"I forgive him." Barry gasped out as Constantine approached them.

"Good."

"I've been trying to track Chyre but he seems to have disconnected the signal." Cisco explained to Wells who was watching him.

"We'll find him Cisco." Barry had left to show Ray back to the train station. Which just left him and Cisco in the lab.

He grabbed Cisco's arm in an iron tight grip. "Don't you ever do something like that again. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Good." Wells exited the lab with Cisco looking at him in shock.