Hi, Starlight here! Sorry about discontinuing my other story, but I can't really think of things that could happen. I am going to try doing a bunch of one shots (like episode long one shots), like Halfblood is doing. (Credit to him/her for the idea) If you want to see Barry's secret (whether it is his speed or love for Iris) revealed to anyone, leave a comment or pm me! IDEAS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME!
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE FLASH OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS!
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People say that the more you tell a secret, the less of a secret it becomes. If that is the case, then mine is on the border of not qualifying as one.
My name's Barry Allen. I have superspeed. How you ask? Well, long story short, when the Particle Accelerator exploded, the energy expelled made the lightning bolt that struck me. I was in a coma for nine months and woke up being able to run faster than the speed of sound.
So far, only four people (alive) know about my identity. Well, five if you count the insane meta-human in the pipeline.
I also have a major crush, who I have like for about ten years now and has a boyfriend. Iris West. She's smart, beautiful, and not afraid to punch meta-humans three times her weight. It hurts so much when she tells me that she is waiting for someone out there to find out I'm an amazing, special guy, the one that she knows. She keeps talking about herself, but I know she will never see me as more than a friend. It kills me every time I see her with Eddie.
But enough of that. This is the story of how my secret was revealed.
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36 Hours Ago
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"Barry, where are you going?"
He froze. Barry had just spent the night at the West house and got a call from Cisco. Apparently Captain Cold was back. Barry had been that close to getting out the door. He didn't dare use his powers just in case Iris couldn't sleep and caught him. He had one foot out the door and was just about to close it.
"Uh… I was going out to get some milk for breakfast." Barry stammered. Iris gave him one of her signature 'really?' looks.
"There are two things that tip me off. One. It is four in the morning." Barry looked away sheepishly with one hand rubbing behind his ear.
"Two. My dad got three cartons yesterday."
"Oh, uh, did I say milk, because I, uh meant yogurt." Barry's face turned as bright as an overripe tomato. Iris sighed. What was not to like about his adorkableness?
"Fine, go. But you better have a good excuse when you get home, okay?"
He sighed in relief. Once Iris had disappeared, he dashed to the lab to get an update on C.C.
Iris shook her head as she went up the stairs. "There is something going on with that boy."
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Barry wanted to hit something. "So he's back." Cisco nodded.
"Unfortunately, yes." Caitlin was working on analyzing Barry's blood after running 400 miles in 45 minutes. Cisco was fiddling with a model of a DNA strand. Barry was pacing, while Wells was thinking. It was kind of funny, everyone had things that kept them busy in stressful situations.
Caitlin finally asked the question that was burning on everyone's tongues. "What are we going to do about it? Last time Barry went after him, he almost got killed!"
Barry snorted. "Don't remind me. I almost got frostbite." It was only thanks to his regeneration that Barry survived the ice blasts.
All of a sudden, the power went down, then flickered on again. At the same time, the security alarm went off. The screen flickered. Guess who showed up on the moniter.
"Hello. I hope you know what I want. Revenge. I will come for you. But for now, I will wait. The cold will just get colder. You can run, but you can't hide forever."
The speech ended, and everyone was silent. The first time, they had enough trouble with C.C., but know he was threatening them at their doorstep? Even Wells looked slightly worried. Cisco broke the silence. "I don't know about you, but we really need better security."
"I'm worried about this. Joe said this guy doesn't give up until he gets what he wants. I have a bad feeling about this." Barry started to vibrate his whole body. He didn't even realize what he was doing until Caitlin spoke to him.
"Barry. I need you to focus. You can't do anything if you are sitting here shivering like that."
He stopped shaking and looked up. He sat for a minute gathering his thoughts.
"Sorry, ever since I got my powers, when I get shocked or scared, I do that."
Caitlin responded. "It's okay. It's normal."
He smiled and zipped off.
Wells looked up. "He forgot his clothes again, did-" Barry came back, got his clothes, and ran off again.
"I stand corrected." Even Caitlin managed a small smile dispite the situation at hand.
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Meanwhile, Iris and Joe were having a nice breakfast, but Joe could tell Iris was holding back. He asked, "What's wrong baby?" Iris stiffened. Then she forced a smile
"It's nothing dad." She went on to pick at her plate of pancakes.
"I know when something's wrong and there definitely is. And don't say 'it's fine' again." Iris turned to look at her father with flint in her eyes.
"It's Barry. He's been avoiding me, forgetting about stuff, acting weird and he's hiding something. In all the years we have known each other, he has told me everything, so why is he lying?" Joe sighed and rubbed his stubble. Not everything. He remembered his talk with Barry not long ago. He has liked her ever since he was old enough to date. He was the fastest man on earth and yet he was 10 years to slow to tell Iris how he felt. Poor kid.
Joe pulled himself out of his thoughts to respond. "Iris, Barry has a lot on his plate. Two months ago, he was in a coma. It has been a hard transition back into life." Iris cut in.
"Then why doesn't he ask for help?"
"Some of it is mental, and some of it is physical. He has healed from the lightning, but he still has to get used to being up and about. And I know he knows you are a great friend, but some things have to be dealt with inside your own mind. This is his fight, not yours."
Iris sighed. She had been very judgemental about everything. And she had seen Barry put on his brave face. Not the one where you are the king of the world and you are going to slay the dragon, but the one where life is hard but you still manage to have the strength to smile.
Iris said, "Thanks dad. I get it now. I better get to work. That new guy is making rush hour even longer."
Joe replied, "Okay. See you soon." She left and Joe muttered to himself, "I doubt she understands."
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Iris decided to walk to work today. She took in a breath of warm moist air and checked her bag for her phone. Yep, got it. Suddenly she crashed into something. No, someone.
"Sorry!" She gasped. The wind had been knocked out of her and she clutched her side.
"No, no, my apologies. It was my fault." A man in black addressed her. He grabbed her outstretched hand and pulled her up. She recoiled once she had steadied her feet. His hand was ice cold.
"So tell me," the man continued. "Are you the famous Iris West that has been writing about the Streak, excuse me, The Flash?"
Iris backed away. She rummage through her purse for a moment before getting a bottle of water, and a bottle of pepper spray that she kept hidden inside a coin bag.
"Yes, and I would love to stay and talk, but I need to get to work, and-" The man grabbed her. She struggled as he whistled a high note and a car came around the corner. She dropped the coin bag and bit back a curse. He shoved her into a van, and a cloth was held up to mouth and nose.
Don't breathe don't breathe she thought, but it was too late and she slipped into a fitful sleep.
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Several hours later
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OOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWW! Iris woke up with a throbbing headache and fuzzy vision. She blinked away the tears that were forming and forced herself to think. The five w's.
Who? I don't know.
What? I was kidnapped.
When? It feels like several hours.
Where? No idea.
Why? Gets me nowhere.
A loud click jolted her back to reality. The man that had taken her walked in. It took a second for her mouth to start working, but once it did, it was hard for it to stop.
"Who are you? Why did you kidnap me? My dad's a cop and so is my boyfriend, you're going to be in so much trouble when they get their hands on you. Where are we? I want some answers, and I want them now!"
The man, who we all have assumed by now is Captain Cold, or C.C., chuckled quietly.
"You want some answers? I am a dangerous man. I need you to lure The Flash to his death." Iris almost choked. "We are at an abandoned warehouse. I need you to send him a message via your blog."
"Never!"
"Oh, but you will." He smiled and took out his freeze gun. He shot it right past her face onto the wall. She could feel the cold creeping toward her. He pointed it at her face. She got the message.
"Give me my computer. But The Flash will defeat you." She glared at him while logging on. She sent some slightly encrypted messages. Hey, just because she didn't understand half of the things Barry talked about didn't mean that she didn't like puzzles and riddles.
"There. Now let me go!" C.C. shook his head. He knew his weakness. Keeping Iris here would force him to choose between his life and hers.
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"Oh no, this is bad, really bad!" Barry was holding Cailtin's tablet and had understood Iris's message.
"What is it?" Cisco asked. He got handed the tablet. He also decoded it and started typing on the computer.
"Will someone tell me what's going on here?" Caitlin demanded. Dr Wells was wondering the same thing. "Yes, Mr. Allen. What is going on?"
Cisco replied. "Captain Cold has kidnapped Iris and if Barry doesn't show up in one hour…" He shook his head. "It's over."
"So what's the plan to take down this guy?" Barry questioned. He was not going to let Iris die.
"I covered that my friend. I modified the suit. Now it has wires that heat up to make you go faster, whether you are fighting ice or regular bad guys. If he hits you, it will flare up and heat the suit. Problem solved."
Barry thanked him and put on the suit. He flashed over to the abandoned warehouses on the east side of the river. He ran inside and came face to face with that stupid freeze gun. Iris gasped in relief.
"Now I am going to be very clear. I kill you or I kill her." C.C. threatened.
"You're not killing anyone. I beat you like last time." Barry concealed his voice like he always did when he was around Iris. The tension grew. The two started to circle each other.
"I was not beaten. I got the diamond. I simply know when to cool down."
"And yet I am still faster than you."
"Let's put that to the test!" C.C. shot at Barry. He dodged it and picked up the chair that Iris was tied to and put it in the corner. He shot the gun over and over again, but none hit Barry. Now, C.C. hated to play dirty, but there is a time for everything. He turned and shot at Iris.
Barry's world slowed down more than usual. He could see the ice creeping toward her. He knew that there was not enough time to get her out of the way, and he could heal, but she couldn't. Barry leaped in front of the blast and took a full on shot.
It was cold. So cold. But he had to hold on. The suit was warming, but not fast enough.
"Guys." He choked out. "Guys. It hurts. Please." C.C. walked away. He knew that there was no chance of him coming back from this. Iris sobbed quietly in the corner.
"Caitlin. Cisco. Anybody! Dr. Wells. Help. Please. It hurts!" Barry started to babble from the pain. It burned him. All he wanted was for the pain to stop.
Cisco spoke from the earpiece. His voice cracked. "Ther- there's nothing we can do. I'm sorry."
Caitlin started to cry. Cisco could only stare at the floor. Dr. Wells sat in silence. They thought about all the great times they had.
All that Iris could think about was that The Flash was talking to the people at Starr Labs. He knew them. They were in touch with The Flash! But it looked like it wouldn't be for much longer.
As Barry laid shivering on the floor, he started to vibrate, just as he did when he heard that C.C. was back. Back at the lab, Cailin heard a beep from the monitor that kept track of Barry's vitals. Instead of sinking, his body temp was rising! Barry's whole body shook, and the pain slowly subsided.
"I can't believe it's working! Keep shaking, it will warm you up faster." Caitlin shouted. And he did. He vibrated as hard as he could. It was simple science. All energy transformations lost some as heat. Barry stopped shaking. The pain was gone and his mind was clear. Soon he was back on his feet. He threw the small pocket knife he kept on his suit for emergencies to Iris, and she started to cut off the ropes that held her.
Just as Dr. Wells had told him when he was unraveling that tornado, he said it again. "Run, Barry, RUN!"
He took off and ran after C.C. He grabbed him and ran off. He yelled into the earpiece, "Guys, get the pipeline ready!"
Barry dropped him off into a new cell and took the freeze gun and set it on the table.
"Let's take a look at that burn." Caitlin suggested. They were alone. Wells was somewhere doing who knows what and Cisco was dismantling the freeze gun. She lifted up his shirt and gasped. Barry feared for the worst.
"How bad is it?"
"No. It- it healed. But how? You got hit straight on. I've got to take a blood sample."
She quickly got one and analyzed it. She pointed at the tablet screen. The cells were firing so fast that everything was a blur. As Barry looked at it, they slowed down to his normal range.
"The heat you generated must have caused a high in your cells. They went faster and faster, but now they are cooling down." Barry sighed in relief. He did not want to explain why he had to miss another day of work. "I guess that means you are free to go."
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Barry was in his mini lab working on some evidence when he decided he should get a break. His phone went off, telling him that Iris had just posted another blog post. He smiled. He knew what he was going to do.
Iris sat in Jitters drinking a cup of coffee. Who cares that it was eight oclock? She needed something to keep her going.
The bell rang and she turned to tell the person at the door that Jitters was closed. When she saw the red suit with the yellow lightning bolt, her heart stopped. He pointed up and she ran up the stairs to the roof. As always, The Flash had beaten her. He stood in the dark, with his face half shadowed. She took a breath.
"Thanks. For saving me and taking the ice."
Barry changed his voice and replied, "No problem. But I'm going to need your number if you keep getting in sticky situations." He grinned.
Iris knew that he knew the people at Starr Labs and she was going to know why, so she cut to the chase.
"So you know Caitlin, Cisco, and Dr. Wells. When did you meet them?" she inquired.
"After I got my powers."
"When was…?"
"After the Particle Accelerator explosion."
"So they helped you with them?"
"More or less." This wasn't going where Barry wanted it to go, so he simply said, "Meet me at Starr Labs tomorrow at ten." He didn't wait for a reply and sped away, but not before putting her back downstairs.
"Woah." Iris said. She suddenly did a fangirl squeal and ran to close up shop.
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Joe picked up his phone to keep it from falling off his desk. Barry had texted him.
Hey Joe, I need to talk to you.
Now?
Yes, now. Meet me at my lab.
Does this have to do with you know what?
Yes. Hurry.
Be there in ten
Joe was worried. Had Barry gotten injured, or worse? Did he lose his powers again? Joe didn't wait to find out. He climbed in his car and sped off.
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Joe walked into Barry's lab and saw him with his hands on his temples, clearly stressed about something.
"Hey, what's up?" Joe dropped his voice to an almost whisper. "Did you lose your powers again?"
Barry looked up quickly. He shook his head and looked away.
"What is it son?" Joe pryed.
Barry sighed. Why was it so easy for him to flirt with Iris on the rooftop, with his fleeting answers to her questions? They were caught in a precarious dance, with him in more danger than her. He was so confident then, but he was afraid to open his mouth now. Joe waited. Clearly the kid was having a hard time. Finally he spoke.
"Listen closely, because I'm not going to say it again. I got a call from Cisco this morning saying that Leonard Snart was seen in the area. Then he showed up at Starr Labs saying he was going to get revenge. About an hour later, Iris updated her blog with a coded message. It said that she had been kidnapped and was at the abandoned warehouse on the east side. It also said that- that if The Flash didn't come in less than an hour, that she would be killed."
Joe gasped. He knew blogging would put her in danger and that it almost got her killed.
"So I ran off. After talking, he shot at me. I was too fast, so he went for Iris. I jumped in front of her because there wasn't enough time. I was the one who got shot."
Barry paused. He felt like he was close to having another episode. But he kept talking. He needed this off of his chest.
"I thought I was going to die, Joe. It burned. Cisco installed heated wires to counteract the cold, but they weren't strong enough. I called for help, but Cisco said that there was nothing they could do about it. I was ready to give up. But then I started shaking, like shivering but really fast. It was like a panic attack. But it saved my life. It heated me enough to heal and I put Snart in the pipeline. We can get police to arrest him in the morning."
Joe wordlessly reached over and hugged his daughter's best friend. His son. Barry embraced it and relaxed. The fear was gone. But they weren't done yet.
"There's one other thing. I met Iris on the roof of Jitter's to see if she could stop blogging, but apparently, when I was hit, I asked the team if they could help. I was losing it from the pain. She heard their names. She knows that I know them. So, when I met her on the rooftop and she told me what she knew, I said for her to meet me at Starr Labs tomorrow at ten. I'm going to tell her the truth."
Barry looked as if he expected Joe to punch him or something. His face was turned slightly with his eyes downcast. But he wasn't mad. He knew that, someday, Iris would have to learn the truth.
"I am not mad Barry. I knew that she would have to know. I'll come with you to explain. You wanted to tell her, but I forbid you from it. I should explain, at least partly."
Barry could only stare at Joe. He nodded, and reached out for one more hug. Even though his father was the best in the world, right now Joe was every bit as wonderful.
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Iris could barely contain her excitement. She was going to find out who The Flash was! She raced over to Starr Labs five before ten. She opened the doors and took a deep breathe in.
Okay Iris. Don't go fangirl, don't freak out, and don't be rude. Okay. Breathe. Whoo. I'm ready!
She walked in. As she rounded the corner into the room where Barry was taken care of while in his coma, he was there. The Flash. Cisco, Caitlin and Wells were there too. Barry had taken the liberty of warning them of what he planned to do the night before. Nobody had been particularly happy about it, but they agreed it was necessary.
Cisco looked nervous, and Caitlin even more so, but Wells looked calm and collected, as usual.
The Flash nodded his head toward the door, and the others left. Iris gave him a look over. Having only seen him moving and in the shadows, she finally got a good look at him. He was tall, not really broad, but well muscled.
"Iris West. So you've come to find out who I am." The Flash disguised his voice again.
"Apparently getting almost killed was worth the effort." His gaze hardened. Why did she have to do that?
"Not to me."
"Let's finish the formalities and cut to the chase. Who are you?"
Barry thought. How did he want to do this? He finally decided on one plan.
"I need you to turn around and close your eyes."
"Okay." Iris was slightly confused, but agreed to his instructions and turned around with her eyes closed.
Barry quickly went to the hidden panel where he kept his suit, took it off and put on his normal clothes. He zipped back to his previous position and took a breath. It was now or never.
This time, he didn't disguise his voice. "Turn around."
Iris slowly turned around, and when she did, she saw her best friend with one of his goofy, awkward grins plastered on his face. Needless to say, Iris was shocked.
"Barry! It was you all along?" She didn't know whether to slap him or hug him, so she did both.
"I can't believe you never told me! I am not some princess that has to be protected!"
Joe stepped out from behind a beam and addressed his daughter. "Iris, don't be mad at him. I'm the one who told him not to tell you."
"You knew too! What!?" Iris sat down on a chair with a huff. They sat in silence for about thirty seconds until Barry spoke.
"I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you soo bad. I just didn't know how."
"Okay, I forgive you. "She looked at Joe pointedly. "But you, mister, are not off the hook yet."
The rest of the team came back in.
"Ms. West. I trust that you will keep our secret safe?" She nodded. She still had so many questions bubbling up.
"Can I actually have a good interview this time?" Barry looked at Joe. "Only if you don't post it online." he responded.
"Deal. So how did you get your speed?" Dr. Wells answered this one.
"That is something I am very well aquainted with. We have a model, it will help explain." He set up the screen and they all watched it.
"You see, when the particle accelerator exploded, it released unknown energies into our world. Dark matter, dark energy, etc. That, let's say, fused and caused the lightning bolt that struck Barry to form. Then he got hit."
"What about the hospital? His heart kept stopping." Barry explained the rest.
"My heart didn't stop, Iris. It was beating too fast for the monitor to register. Dr. Wells suspected what had happened and got me in here and got me stable."
"A few final questions. What can you actually do?" Barry smiled. He was close to becoming back to his old self. He suggested, "I think this calls for a demonstration."
Cisco raised his hands in victory. "I just installed a new belt. It will measure the force of your sonic booms!" He ran off to get the treadmill ready. Iris looked at Barry in shock. Sonic booms? What happened to her normal, average life?
Five minutes later, Barry stepped onto the treadmill. He started off at a normal person's pace, but quickly accelerated to about 700 miles an hour. Iris was astounded.
"How fast is his top speed?" she asked. Caitlin said, "Moch 1.1."
"Which is how fast?"
Cisco answered. "About 840 miles an hour. You saw his super sonic punch when he was battling Tony."
Tony reminded her of another thing. "Barry broke his hand during the fight, but it was healed the next day. How is that possible?"
Caitlin didn't seem to mind Iris's never ending questions. "He has cellular regeneration at a speed no one's ever seen before. He broke his hand really bad when he first showed us his speed and it healed in three hours. It's handy because he tends to-"
Barry flew off the treadmill and into the padding that Cisco had put up.
"-trip a lot."