Hey!
This is an early fic attempt; I'm hoping my writing will get better as I go on. Bear with me, the characters might not stay exactly in-character occasionally.
In addition, any medical advice from Doctor Snow is probably very wrong. I don't know anything about the medical profession, I can only use the internet and make educated guesses.
Thank you for reading, please review and let me know what you think!


Thank goodness for Iris West.

As soon as the government came into the press office and demanded that this article be released on the front page, and as soon as Iris knew what it was about, she slipped into the bathroom with a muttered excuse and called Barry.

He came into the office as soon as the feds were gone.

Iris pulled him outside and got into her car. Barry got into the car as well, although he smirked, looking at the steering wheel. "I haven't used one of these in months."

Iris hit him. Barry pulled back his arm. "Ouch?"

"Barry!" She hissed; this was serious. "They're pulling a Hitler."

Barry's smile dropped immediately; his body tensed and he looked worried. "What do you mean? They're killing everyone?"

"No- they're making people rat. You know, like kids had to do to their parents if they were harboring Jews? If you know a metahuman or you are a metahuman, you have to tell them. They're making it mandatory for anyone over 16 to fill out a survey. And, Barry, they're going to test everyone at CCPD."

Barry's eyebrows furrowed. "Test? What do you mean, test?"

"I mean, they're going to use a metahuman alert app and point it at everyone in the station! Barry, you're going to be-"

She was at S.T.A.R. Labs before she could finish the sentence.

Barry set her down and looked at Caitlin, who had turned around expectantly. Cisco, having heard the familiar whoosh and rustle of papers, had peeked out of his workroom curiously. He emerged fully when he saw Iris.

The look on Barry's face was quickly reflected on Caitlin's. "Barry, what's wrong?"

Barry nudged Iris. "Tell them what you told me."

Iris shook her head. "We have a problem. They're instituting some sort of metahuman census- and it's mandatory. If you're a metahuman or you know someone who's a metahuman, you have to tell them. If you're caught lying, you get arrested. And, Barry, they're sweeping law enforcement with the metahuman detection app that STAR Labs made!"

Cisco coughed. "You mean my totally awesome metahuman app that I may or may not have stolen from Harry?"

Iris nodded. "Yeah, that one."

Cisco laughed. "Don't worry, sister, I put an extra little piece of code in there- for Barry and Barry only, when it detects his metahuman genetic adaptation, it'll also see his bioschematics. It sees everyone's, actually. But it'll recognize his, and he'll show up as a regular human."

Iris shook her head. "I know, Barry told me. But I overheard my boss talking to the feds- they'll be using an adapted version of your app, without any extra code. I think that means that whatever failsafe you put in for Barry, it won't be there."

Cisco had started choking when she said the word "adapted." Barry speed-pounded him on the back and helped him up. Caitlin gave them both a reproachful look.

"They changed my tech?" Cisco was wheezing, but the incredulity in his voice was obvious. "Who does that?"

"The government," said Caitlin dryly.

After a moment of silence, in which everyone watched Cisco try not to choke to death, Caitlin spoke up. "Does that mean Cisco will have to talk about his powers, too?"

Iris' eyes turned to Cisco. "I guess so. Are you going to lie about it? You work often enough with the police station that I bet they'll sweep you, too."

Cisco coughed, stood up, then promptly collapsed and started heaving. "Dude, I think my lollipop fell into my lung," he wheezed. "Can we not talk about my freaky powers while I'm dying?"

Caitlin stood and helped Cisco walk feebly out of the cortex. "Come on, let's get you to the X-ray room."

"I don't need an X-ray, I can feel the lollipop in my lung."

"I doubt it, it's probably stuck in your windpipe."

"Whatever you say, Doctor Disco."

Their arguing continued as they went down the hall. Barry could have sworn he heard a faint "Ow!" as Caitlin hit Cisco.

Iris turned back to Barry. "So anyway, what are you going to do?"

Barry shrugged. "I'll say I'm a meta, I guess."

"But you can't tell them you're the Flash, so what are you going to tell them your powers are?"

Barry looked troubled for a second, and then his face lit up. "What if I tell them I don't know? Like I'd known for a while that I was a meta, but I'd never shown any signs of any superpowers?"

Iris blinked. "Why would they believe that?"

Barry shrugged. "Joe will vouch for me. And besides, it's not like I ever got into any weird situations except for the coma, in which I slept for nine months. I could even brush it off as one of my 'always late' situations- maybe my superpower is sleeping in." He laughed. "I think even Captain Singh would vouch for that."

Iris laughed. "He wouldn't be the only one."

"Hey!" Barry looked hurt, and Iris laughed harder. "Don't tell me it isn't true."

"Well-" He was cut short by the sound of footsteps and loud arguing coming up the hall. Cisco and Harry, apparently, were arguing about whether the metahuman detection app should be credited to Cisco or Harry.

"I developed the technology, and without your help, Ramon. It belongs to me."

"Yeah, but I got it off a watch and turned it into a piece of code. Now anyone's phone can light up if they have the app. That code is mine, man, and you know it. And anyway, you're dead on this Earth; it's not like anyone's going to care."

"That's besides the point."

Cisco started coughing again. Harry turned around and walked away, while Caitlin gave him a disgusted look and helped him back into the medical room.

A worried-looking Detective West came into the cortex. "Did you see-" He cut off when he saw Iris. "You heard?"

"Dad, I work in the newspaper."

"Right." Joe turned to Barry. "What are you going to do?"

He shrugged. "I'll tell them I don't know what my power is, or if I even have one. Everyone knows my superpower is super-lateness, so I make a joke out of that and the feds go away."

Joe laughed. "Even Singh would agree with that."

Barry nodded. "That's what I said."

Iris settled down into a chair, looking troubled. Joe and Barry turned to look at her. "What?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, it's just- Barry, you're not exactly the best liar."

Barry opened his mouth to argue, but was interrupted by the return of Cisco and Caitlin. Cisco was no longer wheezing, but they were still arguing.

"I'm a doctor, Cisco, I know what food poisoning is-"

"I'm not allergic to my lollipops!"

"Well, it's not food poisoning and you know it!"

"I've had thousands of lollipops, how come this one messed me up?"

"It's your sugar regimen. You eat way too much sugar and it's messing you up."

"Barry eats a ton of sugar and you don't get on his case!"

"Barry's the Flash!"

They both suddenly seemed to realize the person they'd been talking about was in the room. Barry raised an eyebrow and smirked. Caitlin flushed, flustered. Cisco suddenly became very interested in a wireless mouse.

Joe cleared his throat. "Cisco, you're a metahuman too. You visit the department often enough that the feds'll be interested. What are you going to tell them?"

"What?" Cisco looked up, confused. "Oh. Uh, I don't know. The truth, I guess."

Caitlin looked at him, then at Barry, then at the ceiling, exasperation obvious in her expression. "Cisco, you can't tell them the truth."

"Why not?" He stopped fiddling with the mouse.

"Because they'll want to use you. Cisco, if you tell the feds you can see the future, they'll want you to use it to see future attacks or lottery winners or whatever. And then they'll want to stop those attacks, or win the lottery for themselves- and the last time we messed with time and you and seeing the future, it did not end well. You remember being a ghost, right?" Her voice was sarcastic, but a smile tugged at her lips. Her concern for Cisco was genuine.

Cisco shuddered, obviously remembering. "So what do I tell them?"

Caitlin shrugged. "Tell them you're good at figuring things out, that since the particle accelerator exploded you've gotten better at building tech, that it's just easier to understand. We know that's true."

Cisco frowned. "Hey!"

She sighed. "You know what I mean. And people at the department will back you up-they've used your tech, they know you're good at this."

Joe nodded. "Everyone's commented on how useful the Boot is."

"What if the feds want me to build for them? Like...weapons?"

Caitlin straightened up. "Then you tell them you work for STAR Labs and the future of this city. Nothing else. You built a cold gun once and Barry almost died, or don't you remember?" Her voice was stern.

Barry turned away uncomfortably. Cisco looked at the ground and muttered something about an "Evil Barry." Iris heard this and glared.

Then, thankfully, an alert about a convenience store mugging came in over Joe's police radio, Cisco took his seat at the cortex desk, and Barry flashed away.