A/N - An alternate take on the night of the Accelerator explosion. Contains an OC and there will be a sequel called After Dawn. Slight hints of AU.
Sorry this first chapter is so bad, the next one will be better.
"I feel as though I should say something profound like 'one small step for man' but all I can think of to say is, I feel as though I've waited for this day for centuries," said Dr Harrison Wells. He touched the computer and it registered his fingerprints - and the Particle Accelerator was on.
"That's it? You'd think there'd be, like, a loud bang," said Cisco Ramon. There had been such a huge build up then – it was on.
Structural engineer Ronnie Raymond replied, "If there was a loud bang, we'd all be in big trouble."
His fiancée Dr Caitlin Snow smiled at him proudly. "Take it from the guy who helped build it." They had been planning their honeymoon and wedding for most of the evening, and they were adorably in love.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we did it!" announced Dr Wells. Feeling as though the rest of his life had simply been a run up to this moment, he popped open the champagne. But it fizzed out and froze mid-air, then dropped to the ground. The lights went out. And there was an almighty crash.
Gripped by fear Cisco was almost too afraid to ask, "Was that..?"
"The loud bang," confirmed Ronnie.
The lights went on but the atmosphere was different. Gone was the joy of five seconds ago and all that remained was raw, unadulterated terror.
Meanwhile...
Claudia Wells didn't want to be there, but she was there to see her uncle. She had never actually met the guy, but he was her mum's brother, so when he built some science thing apparently it was her familial duty to watch it turn on. She was surprised at how many people were protesting. Usually scientific advancements were given huge support. Maybe they just didn't like Harrison, he wasn't exactly the nicest guy to be around, or so she'd been told.
After the presentation, she wanted to find Harrison. Her mom wanted him to at least know she'd been, and that not all the Wells family hated him. She wandered up a staircase and into a narrow corridor. This can't be right, she thought. Where am I?
Then things got really ugly. The lights went off, came back on and before she knew it the corridor was far too hot. That can't be good. She could see flames licking their way towards her and thought quickly. Assessing the room, she decided her best option was the window. Not the wisest decision ever, but worth a shot, she reasoned.
Feeling slightly ill, Claudia closed her eyes and waited for the ground to punch her in the face, wincing. Today is not my day, she thought.
When Claudia woke up, the memories hit her like a ton of bricks.
"Let's gain some logical order here," she told herself sternly. "My name is Claudia Wells, I'm 15 years old, my uncle built a Particle Accelerator..."
She tried to sit up then thought better of it when the world started spinning. She cast her eyes around her surroundings. Rubble, dirt, dust, lots of dust, and sky. She slowly stood and began to explore.
"Is that..." she breathed. And it was. The ruins of what had once been S.T.A.R. labs surrounded her. One thing caught her eye - a sign for the lab. As she looked at it, Claudia could have sworn it was moving. Floating upwards like gravity didn't act on it. One by one other bits of wreckage began to rise too.
"Well, this is new."