Now, it's time we check on Barry Allen. This chapter may include parts from episode 1x01, but again, I'm just introducing Flash, Arrow, and Supergirl before I get to the good stuff. Italics in this chapter means narration by Barry Allen.
Leave a review after reading, please (but please don't say "update please" because I need time to write).
Special thanks to Unnamed and Tinyitkin for the first two reviews.
One month ago
"To understand what I'm about to say, you need to do something first. You need to believe in the impossible. Can you do that? I'm just an ordinary student attending Silverstone High. I'm someone you may want to consider a science geek, or a geek in general, but I don't let that bother me. All my life, I've been running, mostly from bullies. Sometimes, I escape. Sometimes, I don't. But then something unexpected happened, and I became the impossible."
S.T.A.R. Labs used to be one of the most successful scientific businesses in Silverstone City. The founder Harrsion Wells was about to change the field of science forever with the particle accelerator. However, on the day it was going to be activated, a malfunction occurs. The particle accelerator explodes, unleashing an energy storm that injured/killed many people in Silverstone City. One of the victims is Barry Allen, a teenage science enthusiast, who was struck by lightning that came from the storm.
Barry ends up in a coma. His heart keep stopping and restarting over and over again. Harrison Wells offered Joe West his help in reviving Barry Allen, provided he is moved to S.T.A.R. Labs. Joe accepted. Helping Wells are his two teenage interns, Cisco Ramon and Caitlin Snow.
After six months, Barry finally wakes up.
"Oh, god, he's awake." Cisco freaked out. He taps into the P.A. system and says, "Dr. Wells, we need you at the cortex ASAP."
"Wha-where am I?" asked Barry, freaking out as well.
"Easy, easy, relax. You're in S.T.A.R. Labs," explained Cisco. "I'm Cisco Ramon. That's Caitlin Snow."
"What happened to me?" asked Barry.
"You were struck by lightning," answered Caitlin.
"Wha..." Barry was confused until he saw himself in the monitor. "Lightning gave me abs?"
"You were in a coma for six months, dude," said Cisco.
"Six months?" Barry's tone tells the two scientist that he's panicking. "But that means I missed the last four months of school..."
"No need to worry, Mr. Allen."
The three teenagers turned their heads to the hallways. Harrison Wells, who is now sitting in a wheelchair, arrived at the cortex.
"Your father and I can arrange a meeting with Silverstone High about helping you finish your freshman year education," said Wells.
"Harrison Wells?" Barry was surprised and excited to be standing in the same room as the man whom he idolized for years.
"In the flesh," replied Wells.
"Where are my clothes?" asked Barry, noticing that he's shirtless.
"You can borrow one of ours," said Wells, pointing at a pile of S.T.A.R. Labs sweatshirts.
Barry puts on a sweatshirt.
"Can someone tell me what the hell is going on?" asked Barry, still confused.
"Your muscles should be atrophied, but instead, they're in a chronic and unexplained state of cellular regeneration," explained Caitlin, feeling his muscles.
"I can see that, but what about the lightning?" asked Barry.
"Come with me," said Harrison Wells.
Wells showed Barry the damage left behind by the particle accelerator explosion.
"When the particle accelerator exploded, electron volts and dark matter were thrown into the sky, creating a storm cloud," explained Harry.
"That created the lightning that struck me," finished Barry.
Wells explains to Barry about the power outages in the hospital every time Barry went into cardiac arrest, but he wasn't flat-lining, his heart beat was pumping fast. He explained how he persuaded Joe to let him help. When he mentioned Iris' name, Barry's mind immediately shifted to the raven-haired beauty.
"I have to go," said Barry, heading for the exit.
"But you can't," said Caitlin.
"Caitlin's right. Now that you're awake, we need to run more tests," said Wells. "You're still going through changes..."
"I'm fine, really. I feel normal," said Barry. "Thank you for saving my life."
Barry leaves the cortex, only to come back a few seconds later.
"Can I keep the sweatshirt?" asked Barry.
"Yeah, keep the sweatshirt," replied Wells.
Barry was heading for the elevator. Before he could push the button, the door already opened. Inside the elevator was a brunette teenage girl.
"Um, hello," greeted Barry.
"Hi," greeted the girl. "You must be Barry. Nice to see you're awake."
"And you're Jesse Wells, right? Harrison Wells' daughter?" asked Barry.
"That's me," confirmed Jesse.
"Well, nice meeting you," said Barry, quickly walking into the elevator.
...
Barry heads to SC Jitters, best known as "Silverstone's #1 coffee shop". He's there because his adoptive sister, Iris, works there. She wanted a summer job so she signed up as a waitress at Jitters. Barry enters the door and stares at her. She was just as beautiful as he remembered her. When Iris saw the face of her adoptive brother, she was shocked and happy at the same time. She ran towards him and gave him a big hug.
"You're awake," she said happily. "Why hasn't S.T.A.R. Labs called?"
"I just woke up," said Barry.
"And you're already on your feet?" questioned Iris, worried.
"Iris, I'm okay," assured Barry.
"I watched you die, Barry," said Iris, still looking scared and worried. "You kept dying. Your heart kept stopping."
To assure her that he's okay, Barry grabs her hand and places on his chest, allowing her to feel his heartbeat.
"Still beating," said Barry.
"And really fast," mentioned Iris.
A waitress accidentally drops her tray when she bumped into another waitress. All of a sudden, Barry saw everything around him in slow motion. When the tray crashed and shattered to pieces, everything just went back to normal speed.
Iris turns back to Barry and says, "My dad's gonna be happy to see you. Let me get my things."
While Iris grabs her stuff, Barry was thinking about what just happened.
...
At the SCPD, Joe gives Barry a big hug as soon as he saw him, showing how happy he was to see him awake.
"You scared the hell out of me, kid," said Joe.
"Yeah, that was one heck of a nap you took there, baby face, and you still look 12," joked a cop.
Joe looks at Barry. "You look okay. Are you okay?"
"Yeah," assured Barry.
Joe was immediately called in for duty. After he left, Barry's eyes turns to two cops who are bringing in a new prisoner. One cop's back was turned and the prisoner was planning on grabbing his gun. Reacting quickly, Barry runs over and cuffs him. However, he did this by running so fast that no one saw him do anything. Barry was once again shocked and confused. Iris noticed.
"Are you okay?" asked Iris.
"I-I'm fine. I just need some air," said Barry, still feeling strange. "I'll call you tonight, alright?"
...
Barry heads outside. He looks at his hand. It was vibrating out of control. He was scared and confused. He started running, but for some reason, he was moving from one place to another at an abnormally rapid pace. He even ended up mindlessly running into the back of a police car, banging his head on the glass, shattering it.
Finally catching up, he decided to test how far he can go. He started running at high speed. He felt a thrill running very fast, until he catches himself aimlessly wondering towards a brick wall. Barry puts one foot on the wall, but when he did, he was still running. He found himself running up the building. He runs back down and hides in an alley, trying to make sure no one saw him.
"Awesome," he said with a smile.
...
After a test run at S.T.A.R. Labs, Barry returns home to see Iris and Joe having dinner with someone new. He was young, about his age, and sported a short buzz haircut.
"Hey, Bar," greeted Joe. "Where were you?"
"I was, uh, at S.T.A.R. Labs," said Barry. "They needed to run more tests to see if I'm okay."
"Good to know. You scared me for a minute back at the precinct," said Iris.
"So, uh, who's our guest?" asked Barry, gesturing to the teenage boy.
"Barry, sit down," said Joe.
Barry sits down on the table. He and the boy exchanged looks.
Joe started. "While you were in a coma, Iris' mother returned."
"But I thought she was dead," said Barry.
"I lied," confessed Joe.
"Yeah, yeah, he did," said Iris with scorn. Clearly, she felt anger towards her father.
Joe continued. "Turns out that Francine was pregnant when she left us."
Barry looks back at the boy.
"So, he's..." Barry comes to a conclusion.
"This is my son, Iris' brother. His name is Wallace West," said Joe.
"You can call me Wally," said Wallace. "Nice to meet you, man. They talk great things about you."
"L-like what?" asked Barry.
"You're smart, you get good grades, you're a gentleman, and you have a knack of running, just not a good runner, though," said Wally.
Barry laughed a little, embarrassed.
"So, uh, where's Francine?" asked Barry.
"She's gone," said Joe sadly. "She was a drug abuser. That resulted in cancer. She passed away a few weeks ago."
"So, now I'm staying here with you," said Wally.
"Well, then welcome to the family," said Barry, extending his hand.
Wally shakes hands with Barry.
Present Day
After passing the big test, Barry completes his freshman education and was allowed to move to sophomore level for the coming school year. Occasionally, he would go to S.T.A.R. Labs to further learn more about his speed and the changes to his body. So far, he's learned that he heals fast, he can run on water, and he has to consume 10,000 calories a day due to his hyper-metabolism. He, however, decided to keep this a secret from Iris and Joe until he's ready to tell them.
During his first few days back to school, Barry has used his speed on a few occasions, such as secretly helping someone deal with a bully or preventing an accident before it happens. So far, no one suspects that he is no longer normal.
During a Friday morning, Barry was at hallway, checking on articles on the internet about a hooded vigilante who is dubbed by the police as "The Hood". He has read about his runnings with Adam Hunt and Martin Somers. He was fascinated. Iris found him and sat next to him, looking at what he's searching.
"Look like you have an idol," started Iris.
"Can you blame me? The stuff he does, running around rooftops, turning an arrow into an explosive, it's amazing," said Barry, acting like a fanboy. "And he's put away two corrupt businessmen that the police have been keeping an eye on for years."
"Barry, he kills people," argued Iris.
"I know," said Barry. "But you can't deny that he's doing some good for this city."
"Maybe, but I still think he needs to be brought in," said Iris.
"You know what you sound like?" questioned Barry. "A cop."
Iris rolled her eyes, but smiled afterwards.
"Hey, Allen!"
Barry and Iris turn their heads to see the Snart twins, Leonard and Lisa, approach them along with their friend, Mick Rory.
"Mick here wants his daily pay," said Leonard.
"Don't you guys pick pockets for a living? I'm sure Mick has enough money to buy lunch," replied Barry.
Mick grabs Barry by the shirt and holds him against the lockers.
"Just because you were in a coma for six months doesn't mean I won't put you in it again," said Mick.
"I believe you," said a scared Barry.
"Hey, let him go!" yelled Iris.
"Stay out of this, West," said Leonard.
"Just run along, baby girl," said Lisa, ushering her to leave.
Mick throws his fist towards Barry's face, but thanks to his speed, he moves his head to dodge the punch. Mick ends up hitting the locker behind him.
"Nice reflexes," said Leonard.
Barry, however, didn't bother dodging the second punch, which hit him in the nose. It started to bleed.
"Hey, leave him alone!" yelled Iris.
"You don't want to get tangled in this, sweetheart," threatened Lisa.
"I've taken self-defense classes last summer, so I'm not afraid to throw down with you three," said Iris bravely.
Leonard whistles. "My, my, looks like Iris West is learning."
"Leave her alone," pleaded Barry.
"If she won't leave us alone, then we won't," said Lisa.
Lisa grabs Iris' hair and pulls it, hurting her. Barry, not bearing to watch any more, punches Mick in the face, knocking him down to the ground. Everyone in the hallway who saw this was shocked and surprised. Barry pulls Iris away from Lisa.
"Wow," said Leonard, surprised. "You knocked big old Mick to the ground with one punch. Did that lightning give you super strength by any chance?"
"That sounds like something from a comic book, Snart," replied Barry, trying to keep his secret a secret. He takes out his wallet and throws it at Mick. "Now, leave us alone."
"This isn't over, runt," growled Mick, picking up the wallet.
Mick and the Snart twins leave. The other students just stared at Barry.
"That was one heck of a right hook," complimented Iris. "Have you been working out?"
"You can say that," replied Barry.
"Thanks for standing up for me," said Iris. "Honestly, I kinda doubt you'd ever do that."
"There's a first time for everything," said Barry.
"Hey, guys."
The voice belonged to Iris' new boyfriend, Edward "Eddie" Thawne.
"Hey, baby," greeted Iris, kissing her boyfriend.
Barry looked away for a second, feeling jealous.
"Hey, I saw the punch. Nice," said Eddie to Barry.
"I just wanted to protect Iris," said Barry.
"Well, thank you for that," said Eddie.
"Have you guys, uh, talked to Joe about this?" asked Barry.
"No, not yet," said Iris.
"But we will. Soon, I hope," said Eddie. "Hey, Barry, we're going to the skating rink tonight. You wanna come with us?"
"I'd love to, but I have to go to S.T.A.R. Labs after school," said Barry.
"Why?" asked Eddie.
"I was struck by lightning and I didn't die," reminded Barry. "They're trying to figure out why."
"Okay," said Iris. "Maybe next time."
"And maybe next time, you can bring a date," said Eddie to Barry.
"I, uh, I'm not really... good with girls and dates and stuff" said Barry.
"What about that blonde that works at CatCo? She seems hot," said Iris.
"I'm... not really comfortable choosing a girl based on her looks," said Barry.
Eddie looks at Iris. "He's the gentleman type, I'm guessing."
"Barry may be too shy to talk to girls, but he surely knows how treat one," said Iris. She tells Barry, "Well, you'll know who right girl is if you listen to you heart."
Iris and Eddie hold hands and walk away. Barry just stared at them, still feeling jealous.
"Hey, dude."
Cisco approached Barry.
"Just wanted to ask two things. You coming to S.T.A.R. Labs after school?" he asked.
"Yeah, I am," said Barry, still staring at Iris and Eddie.
"Okay, and second, have you seen Caitlin?" asked Cisco.
"No," answered Barry. "Why? Is anything wrong?"
"She's always been a loner ever since Ronnie died, but now, she's just disappearing in between periods," said Cisco.
"She's grieving. I think it's best to give her some space," said Barry.
After school, Barry and Caitlin returned to S.T.A.R. Labs to continue doing tests on Barry's speed. Cisco was gonna be late because he had to buy some food for Barry. Barry started running on Cisco's special treadmill. Wells and Snow tracked his speed.
"He's getting faster," said Caitlin. "He's closing in on 1000 miles per hour."
"I'm here."
Caitlin and Harrison turn around to see Cisco holding three boxes of donuts.
"So, how is he?" asked Cisco.
"Almost at 1000," answered Caitlin.
"Awesome," replied Cisco.
A few minutes later, Barry stopped running and stared eating the donuts.
Barry turns to Cisco and asks, "So, how's the progress on the suit?"
"It's just about ready," said Cisco.
"What suit?" asked Caitlin.
...
Cisco showed Caitlin and Wells the friction-proof suit he's been making for Barry.
He started explaining. "Made completely out of reinforced tri-polymer, and it has sensors so we can track his vitals, his location, and his speed. The cowl also has built-in communications so he can contact us from the outside."
"Does it have to look like a superhero costume?" questioned Caitlin.
"Yeah, about that..." Barry scratched his head.
"You're not actually planning on using your speed to do heroics, are you?" asked Caitlin.
"Caitlin, three days ago, armed robbers were in a getaway car and the police couldn't catch them because their tires were shot flat. And I have the power to stop them, so I did," said Barry.
"That was you?" asked Caitlin.
"Yeah," replied Barry. "Didn't you read about a 'mysterious streak stopping two armed robbers'?"
"What's your inspiration, Mr. Allen?" asked Wells. "A man doesn't put himself in such extreme situations without inspiration or motivation."
Barry hesitated.
"It's The Hood, isn't it?" guessed Wells. "Mr. Allen, he is no hero. He's a vigilante."
"You sound just like Iris," scoffed Barry.
"Well, she's right. Is that what you wanna do with you life, Barry? Killing people to save the day?" questioned Caitlin.
"I don't want to kill anyone," said Barry. "I just wanna do something more with my powers. Plus, we all know that a speedster was the one who killed my mother that night. Maybe with these powers, I can find him and bring him to justice."
"Hey, if you're gonna go out there and fight crime, you're gonna need a name," said Cisco.
"What do you suggest?" asked Barry.
Cisco looked like he got something, but all he said was, "I'm still thinking."
"Barry, this is childish," argued Caitlin. "We're not living in a comic book. We live in the real world. Power or no powers, you're still a man. You could die."
"I heal fast," said Barry.
"That doesn't change the fact that you're still a man," said Caitlin. "Don't do this."
"Caitlin, my dad is serving a life sentence for a murder he didn't even commit. I have to prove that he's innocent. I want him back," said Barry.
Suddenly, the alarms go off.
"What's that?" asked Caitlin.
"I may or may not have hacked into every security system in the city," admitted Cisco.
...
The four head back to the cortex. Cisco checks the computers to see where the alarm came from.
"Robbery at Gold City Bank," said Cisco.
Wells looks at Barry. "Are you ready, Mr. Allen?'
"I'm ready," said Barry.
Barry puts on the suit and races towards the Bank. Inside the bank, a man wearing a balaclava stole a sack-load of cash and started shooting people left and right to make a getaway. Before he can exit the door, a yellow streak zooms in and hits him. The robber gets knocked back and slides across the floor, lying on his back.
Everyone looked at what appears to be a man wearing a red leather suit with a cowl covering his face. He picks up the sack of cash and tosses it to an employee.
Vibrating his vocal cords to disguise his voice, Barry says to the robber, "Hey, buddy. Don't you have anything better to do in your life? Try working at Big Belly Burger. They pay their staff well."
"Is that supposed to be a joke?" questioned the masked robber.
"Kind of, but I was also being serious," said Barry.
The robber gets back up. He started doing something with hands. Out of nowhere, he creates a ball of ice. He throws it at the speedster and hits him in the chest, knocking him down.
"What the hell?" Barry was surprised.
...
Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Cisco, Caitlin, and Wells were watching through the security footage inside the bank.
"Yeah, what the heck?" repeated Cisco. "That guy just made a ball of ice out of nothing."
"This must be one of the metahumans affected by the particle accelerator," guessed Caitlin.
...
The robber started creating a windy storm inside the bank. He unleashes a gust of wind at Barry, but he dodges it with his speed. He runs towards the robber and speed-punches him all over his upper body. He finishes with an uppercut, knocking him down again.
"I believe this is the part where you surrender," said Barry.
"This is the part where I make my escape," said the robber.
He quickly zaps the speedster with lightning before leaving the bank by creating a tornado around himself, destroying the front entrance in the process.
Barry gets up, trying to recover from the lightning strike. Some of the people in the bank started applauding and taking pictures.
...
"Why are they congratulating him? The robber got away," questioned Caitlin?
"True, but at least, thanks to him, not a single penny was stolen," said Cisco. "I'm sure he'll get him next time."
"It appears that our robber has the power to manipulate the weather," said Wells. "Interesting."
"I know just what to call this guy. Weather Wizard," said Cisco. Speaking like a narrator, he says, "Look out, criminals of Silverstone City, Barry Allen is comin' for all of you."
Back at the West household, Joe and Iris were watching the news when Barry walked into the door.
"Hey, Barry, come look at this," said Iris.
Barry looks at the TV. The news were reporting about a "man in red" that stopped a super-powered robber from stealing money at the Gold City Bank.
"First, The Hood. Now, this guy," commented Joe.
"But unlike The Hood, this guy just wanted to bring him in, not kill him," said Iris. "Maybe Silverstone finally has a true hero."
"Even if he has good intentions, he's committing vigilantism," said Joe. "The SCPD will be hunting him down, too."
"But what if the people don't want you to?" said Iris. "I mean Silverstone City is like a playground for criminals. We've been looking for a beacon of hope for decades. But now, it looks like we have one. Someone who can save the day... in a flash."
Barry laughed a little. He then remembered that Cisco wanted him to have a codename. After listening to Iris, he thinks he just found it.
"Hey, Joe," called Barry. "Think you can take me to Iron Heights? I... want to talk to dad."
Later, at Iron Heights, Barry visits his father, Henry Allen. Sitting on the opposite sides of the glass window, they picked up their phones and started speaking.
"Hey, slugger," greeted Henry.
Barry laughed a little. "Slugger" was a nickname his father gave him because even though he had a knack for running, he was not very fast.
"Hi," greeted Barry.
"Nice to see you're awake," said Henry. "You had me worried."
"Sorry, I didn't visit sooner," apologized Barry.
"That's okay," said Henry. He takes a closer look at his son. "What happened to your eye?"
"Oh, I, uh, got into a fight," said Barry.
"You just got out of a coma. I'm not sure you should be starting fights," said Henry. "Did you win?"
"Yeah," replied Barry.
Henry smiled.
"You didn't kill mom. You know I know that, right?" said Barry.
"You believing me is all I need," said Henry.
"You're not gonna be here long. I think I finally found a way to find him," said Barry.
"Barry, we've talked about this. It's time to let it go. You've got to stop worrying about me," said Henry. "Live your life. Graduate. Go to college. Find someone special."
"That's what everyone keeps telling me," said Barry. "And I will, but that doesn't mean I'm not gonna stop trying to look for mom's killer."
"Don't you have school to worry about, kid?" said Henry.
"You know me. I always make it," said Barry optimistically.
Barry started to tear up, but kept his smile on his face.
"I love you, son," said Henry.
"I love you, too, dad," said Barry.
Barry puts his hand on the window. Henry puts his hand over his son's hand (window and all). They do this every time Barry visits just to show each other how much they miss each other.
Back in S.T.A.R. Labs, Caitlin saw Cisco putting an emblem on the suit. There was a symbol on it.
"Why does it shaped like a lightning bolt?" she asked.
"So it's not boring," said Cisco.
During the weekend, Barry can hear everyone talking about the "man in red". He couldn't help at smile. He didn't care about the praise. What he cared about is that he's giving the people of Silverstone City hope.
"My name is Barry Allen, and I am the fastest man alive. When I was a child, I saw my mom murdered by something impossible. My father went to prison for her murder. Then an accident made me the impossible. To the outside world, I'm an ordinary high school student, but secretly I use my speed to fight crime and find others like me. One day, I'll find who killed my mother and get justice for my father. A friend just gave me an idea for a name. And I think it's gonna catch on. Who am I? I am... The Flash."
Meanwhile, in the Snow household, Caitlin had just returned from her morning shift at S.T.A.R. Labs. She was currently breathing in and out as if she was panicking and holding her forehead as if she was having a headache. She rushes to her room and looks at the mirror on her make-up table. Her eyes were glowing with the color of ice. She looks down at her hands and saw that they were freezing the table on touch.
She looks at the cold smoke coming out of her hands and panicked.
"What's happening to me?"
And that's it for The Flash, for now, at least. By the way, do you know who was the robber in the mask? I'm pretty sure his powers are a dead giveaway if you're a die-hard Flash fan.
Leave a review and share your opinion.
As for the next chapter, it's going to focus on Kara Danvers/Supergirl.