Central City Elementary School, 1230 hours.
Lizzie was at her desk looking up at her teacher writing out some math equations on the white board; but she couldn't concentrate on the numbers being written, nor could she concentrate on what her two best friends were whispering at her from behind her, and on her left side. Instead, her mind wandered down to the small octagonal pendent on her necklace, hidden underneath her shirt, which had the STAR Labs emblem etched on it. She recalled having woken up in the lab hours earlier with her mother holding on to her while they slept on the bed, and her father fast asleep on the other side in his wheelchair.
It would be after they woke up, and after Harrison and Tess had come down and assured Lizzie that everything was going to be alright, that Lizzie asked what happened to her the previous night. She told them that she was scared of the man in Yellow, and that she didn't know why. She continued to say that the man threatened to kill her Uncle Barry. Lizzie then turned to Jay, telling him that she was scared when she felt herself falling on the table through the bed and the floor, and then she felt the intense pain on her arm from hitting the edge and crashing onto the floor.
"Lizzie," said Joan as the frightened little girl looked up at her, "we'll be explaining everything to you when you come back here from school."
"Back here?" asked Lizzie who was wondering why she needed to come back to STAR Labs, "is… is there something wrong with me?"
"No," Both Jay and Joan said together.
"It's just to make sure that you're going to be happy and healthy, Lizzie," said Joan as she stroked the back of her daughter's head, "and… well…"
"It's a surprise," said Jay thinking about what his daughter would say when he tells her the truth about who he really was, and how he got to this point in time, "but you need to promise me something."
Lizzie nodded her head before Jay told Lizzie that Harrison and Tess had something to give her. It was then that Lizzie looked behind Jay as Harrison and Tess walked up to Lizzie, with the older man holding a silver pendent in his hand and then handing it to Joan. Lizzie saw the pendent as Joan reached out, and attached the pendent to the little girl's necklace, next to her silver coloured heart shaped locket which contained a picture of both Joan and Jay. Harrison and Tess then explained that the locket would monitor her vitals such as heart beat, blood pressure, breathing, and several other things which would be wirelessly sent to STAR Labs.
"You are doing fine, Peanut," said Jay when he saw that Lizzie's eyes were widening, and her lips were trembling. Jay wanted to try and comfort Lizzie as much as he possibly could, while images running through his mind of what she must be feeling right about now, "this is just to make sure… make all of us sure that what happened last night does have any effects we missed. Now, about that promise… do you promise me that you won't run. I know you have gym today so Joan will be sending a note from Tess excusing you from doing any gym for today."
"But, Daddy," said Lizzie softly, "Kate and Brenden are going to be there and… and Kelley will be making fun of me with her friends if I don't do anything and… and…"
"Promise me, peanut," said Jay as he raised his hand and stuck out his small finger, "pinkie swear."
Lizzie nodded her head and the interlocked her small finger with Jay's, "Pinkie swear, Daddy."
Back in the present time, as Lizzie looked out her window, she knew that there was something she couldn't explain… there was a feeling in the back of her mind. She felt her body tingling, she had goosebumps on her arms and at the back of her neck. She then heard, in the distance, the teacher call out for an answer to a question he had written on the black board, and then there was a scream from the back. Lizzie turned away from the window as everything started to move in slow motion for her, including the teacher's speech… which was slurring… one word trailing after another as he turned around extremely slowly. She then, with her eyes narrowed in confusion, looked over her shoulder at two spit balls heading for the girl in the back; the spit balls were moving so slowly in the air, and then everything suddenly returned to normal. Lizzie turned her head towards her friends who were also looking back at the spit balls hitting the girl, who screamed again since she was already hit by one just a few seconds ago. Lizzie then turned to the teacher again who sent the students who blew the spit balls to the principal's office, and then turned to Lizzie and asked her to finish the equation on the board.
And she got up off her seat with the scene of what had just happened playing in her mind. She completed the answer, and then walked back with confusion and a hint of fear on her face. It was something that her friends noticed, and they had asked if she was feeling alright.
Lizzie shook her head while retaking her seat, and then she leaned towards Kate and asked her if she had just noticed anything weird. While the teacher pointed at another student, and asked him to move up to the board to work out the answer to an equation, Kate, and then Brendan, told Lizzie that they hadn't noticed anything weird.
"Are you okay?" asked Kate while Brenden looked on.
"I… I thought I saw everything move so slow," she whispered, "or maybe I was just seeing things."
"Or maybe you were thinking about Dave?" asked Kate before sticking her tongue out at Lizzie while Brenden looked between both of his friends and asked who Dave was. Lizzie's face turned red with embarrassment at hearing the name of the boy in the next grade she had a crush on before looking away from her friends, and then out the window. The red on her face faded as the fear grew about what had just happened. It was just then that she noticed the STAR Labs van driving up onto the parking lot with Harrison driving, and Tess sitting next to him. She knew that her mother was at work, and that Jay was in the rear of the van since she caught a glimpse of him looking out the window.
Once the final bell rang a few minutes later, Lizzie quickly packed her belongings while letting Kate and Brenden know that she had to meet with her dad, and that she would come to Kate's house at another time. She said goodbye to Brenden and then rushed out of the classroom, her backpack flopping behind her as she swung it over her shoulder, with the two children looking at their friend rushing off before looking at each other in concern.
Lizzie ran through the hallway before stopping and leaning against a locker with one hand. She felt her heart racing as she started to breath hard thanks to a pain that radiated from her chest to the rest of her body. She looked around at the students who were walking past her, some looking back at her before simply walking away. Lizzie doubled over and closed her eyes, and opened her mouth before gasping out in pain; pain which permeated her entire body.
"Lizzie!" yelled a familiar voice. She looked up and saw some teachers rushing towards her, while others parted for a man in a wheelchair who was rushing towards her. He was followed by a woman in a white lab coat holding a tablet.
"Daddy," she whispered before closing her eyes and shaking her head. She heard some of the teachers asking her if she was alright, that they would take her to the school infirmary.. all of their voices were a drone in her ears. She could hear a voice cutting through all the others as a hand rested on her upper arm. And just like that, the pain that had been radiating throughout her body was gone. She opened her eyes to Jay looking at her while she was on her knees, while Tess looked down at the tablet in her hand and then back at Lizzie, telling her that she was going to be alright.
"Hey Peanut," said Jay as he leaned forward and lifted up the little girl before placing her on his lap. Lizzie placed her around Jay's neck, and placed her head on his chest while whispering that she was scared. While Hay was holding on tight to his daughter, Tessa and Harrison were telling the teachers that they were her doctors, something that Kay confirmed while cradling his daughter in his arms. HE was telling her no to worry, as he turned around while the people surrounding them parted. Tess then ran to the infirmary while Harrison, Jay, and Lizzie went off out of the school and into the STAR Labs van.
Once the door was closed behind them, Lizzie looked around at the screens in the back of the van showing an outline of her body.
"Daddy?" asked Lizzie as she stepped down onto the floor of the van while Harrison got into the driver seat.
"Lizzie," said Jay as he leaned forward while she was standing in front of him biting in her nails as she looked at the two screens, and a few metallic cases, before looking at Jay once again, "we were already on the way to pick you up when your heartbeat started to race. Did you feel anything?"
Lizzie then nodded her head before telling Jay what happened, and that she was scared. Her bottom lip quivered after she finished talking before Jay leaned forward and hugged her. He stroked the back of her head while the little girl was saying, in a broken voice, that she was very scared that she was 'going to be hurt'.
"Every thing's normal now, sweetie," said Jay as Harrison started to move the van out of the parking lot and towards the pavement when Tess walked out of the school, "there's a surprise for you, we're going on a little trip."
"And mommy?" asked Lizzie as the van stopped and Tess entered the passenger's side while telling everyone that she talked to the school nurse, and told her that she'll be sent test results on Lizzie's flu.
"But I don't have the flu," said Lizzie before Jay could answer the question of where Joan was.
"We don't want to worry the school nurse, sweetie," said Tess looking back the little girl while Harrison drove off. Lizzie smiled at Tess, who then turned and looked out the windshield, while Jay picked up Lizzie and placed her on his lap. He then told her that Joan would be meeting them since she rescheduled a meeting with a client for tomorrow.
Abandoned Airfield, Ferris Air.
Instead of using one of STAR Lab's official facilities, Jay and the others headed for the abandoned Ferris airfield so that they could run their tests in secret without anyone else finding out. Lizzie sat on Jay's lap the entire ride to the airfield, which stopped near another larger van, and a tent with various laptops placed, and running, on a table. The side door of the van opened, and then a smile appeared on Lizzie's face as Joan rushed forward and reached for Lizzie while Jay placed the wheelchair on the hydraulic platform.
"Mommy!" cried out Lizzie as Joan took her into her arms while the platform moved downwards as Tess walked up to Joan and told her what happened at the school. At the same time while Tess and Jay were assuring Joan that Lizzie was doing alright, Harrison walked up to the back of the van, opened the doors, and then took out the metallic cases with the help of Caitlin and Cisco. They placed the cases on the ground and then opened them up, taking out the contents and placing them on another table while Harrison walked over to Jay and the others.
"We're ready," Harrison said.
"Mommy, daddy?" Lizzie asked as she looked at her parents, and then past Harrison at Cisco and Caitlin, who was taking out a light red and blue leotard. Lizzie then looked back confused at her parents once again, "what are Uncle Cisco and Aunt Cait doing?"
"Lizzie, peanut," said Jay as he leaned forward, "did anything funny happen to you in school?"
"I…," Lizzie was scared to tell her parents what happened, in case they thought that she was sick, and needed to be hospitalised. She had heard horror stories about hospitals, graveyards, and haunted houses… and she had no desire to visit any one of them. And the truth was that she wasn't sure why they were here in the first place. All in all she was scared as she looked at her father, and then turned to her mother who crouched down and took the little girl in her arms while telling Jay that their daughter was scared.
"Lizzie," said Jay gently before taking in a deep breath, "I wanna tell you a story. There was one day, many years ago, that I was struck by lightning. I was in a coma for nine months and… and when I woke up, I found I could do amazing things."
"Daddy?" asked Lizzie as Joan held onto her daughter.
"When I woke up, one of the first things I noticed was that things went slow sometimes," said Jay giving his daughter a little smile just as her eyes went wide. She remembered what happened in the classroom several minutes ago, and was about to open her mouth to say something, but Jay continued to speak. Jay said that he thought it was something weird, and he didn't tell anyone.
At first.
"Then thing got weirder," said Jay, "my body felt weird, like it was going out of control. I was in the police department parking lot and.. and I ran into a police car and dented it… luckily it was empty."
"Ran?" asked Lizzie while she was grasping both of her hands together, wondering what her father was telling her.
"I could run, Lizzie," said Jay, "very, very, very fast. People used to call me the Flash."
"Daddy?" asked Lizzie with her eyes wide open, she then looked up at her mother who was nodding her head, and then back at Jay. She couldn't believe her ears; she thought her own father was telling her that he was some kind of a superhero. And it was something she couldn't believe since he was unable to walk, and that she never heard of the Flash. It was something that she knew her friends would be talking about nonstop if it was true.
And before Lizzie could ask a question, she noticed sadness in her father's eyes as he continued.
"I know things would get a little confusing, but I need for you to trust me," Jay asked while Lizzie nodded her head, "I had a lot of enemies, and… and one of them killed my mother.. and another one killed my father to punish me. I was in a very bad place, so I wanted to change things… I ran so fast that I travelled through time."
"Travel through time?" asked Lizzie.
"To my past," said Jay leaning forward, clasping his hands together, "I prevented my enemy from killing my mother, and because I played around with my timeline… I lost my powers, and I was stuck in the past. But because I was stuck in the past, I met your mommy… we fell in love, we married."
"And we had you," said Joan with her hand stroking Lizzie's back while Caitlin and Cisco walked up and said that everything was ready.
"Lizzie," said Jay after nodding his head, "I had to change my name when I returned to the past since I lost my powers. My mother is Nora Allen, and my father is Henry Allen."
"But… but… that's Uncle Barry's…."
"Honey," said Joan as Lizzie turned to her, "Jay returned to the past to save his mother… back then, his name was Barry Allen. I know it's confusing… but Jay and Barry are the same person, except Jay's from the future."
"Daddy?" asked Lizzie looking at Jay, "you and Uncle Barry are the same? But…"
"That's why I changed my name, Sweetie," said Jay gently as Lizzie titled her head while pursing her lips, "and why I'm telling you all this is because… well, I think you have speed powers too, and… and if you do, I want to help you control it… if you want me to."
"Granma and Granpa are… they're my real granma and granpa?" asked Lizzie, her voice cracking as she thought the two people who were her grandmother and grandfather were just that only in name. She had no idea that they were related by blood, at least until now. Then Jay and Joan explained that they were going to tell Lizzie the truth about everything once she was older, but now that she showed symptoms of speed powers, they thought it would be best if they revealed everything so that she wouldn't be scared.
"But… But… Daddy, you can't run, and…"
"Jay saved me when you were still in my tummy," said Joan gently as Lizzie looked at her and then at Jay, and back at Joan again, "there was a bank robbery and… and I didn't know if we were going to live or die. Your daddy took a serum he developed, it returned his speed and he saved the both of us. Lizzie, the serum is…"
"The serum made me unable to walk," said Jay as tears welled up in Lizzie's eyes, "but I did it because I love your mother. I learned later that night that she was pregnant with you. My legs don't matter, Honey… I would have done the same thing again to save the both of you."
Lizzie rushed to her father, who picked her up and hugged her.
"I know it's scary, what we just told you," Jay whispered as Lizzie nodded her head on his shoulder, "but you can't tell anyone. Remember a pinkie swear lasts until the end of time, so everything we tell you… or what you do… you can't tell anyone."
"Not even Kate and Brenden?" asked Lizzie softly while her head still lay on Jay's shoulder while Joan got to her feet, walked towards them, and stroked Lizzie's back.
"Especially not them, or anyone," said Jay gently, "if you have speed powers, then there could be people out there who would want to hurt you. So everything has to be a secret."
"Will I be a superhero if I can run like you?" asked Lizzie as she pulled back and looked into Jay's eyes.
"I'll train you… but you have school and homework to do," said Jay, "there are things that you need to know, Peanut. What you should do, or shouldn't do. Your mommy, me, and all of us here will help you… but you have to promise us that you will keep all of this a secret and not do anything without telling us."
"Promise," said Lizzie.
"Pinky swear?" asked Jay.
"Pinky swear," said Lizzie with a smile on her lips before she turned to Joan, who lifted her in her arms, kissed her cheeks, and then placed her feet on the ground. She told Lizzie that Caitlin was going to help get her into a friction-proof leotard with various sensors, a reinforced helmet, goggles, earpiece, reinforced elbow and knee paddings. Lizzie nodded her head as Joan walked with her hand in hand to the larger van, where they went in with Caitlin.
"You alright?" asked Cisco to Jay as the door closed behind Caitlin.
"Joan and me are worried," said Jay softly while looking at the trailer, "if Lizzie has the speed force in her system, then we can't stop her if… if she decides to go off on her own without asking us."
"We can at least track her through a modified watch, or a piece of jewellery," said Harrison looking at Jay, and then at the trailer, and back at Jay again, "we'll know where she is… anywhere in the world. And Cisco's already started to create a new suit for her based on your own suit, Jay… so we're talking about the same sensors, earpiece… even a similar lightning emblem."
"But only after training," said Jay.
"Kid-Flash," said Cisco while rubbing his chin as he looked at the trailer while Jay and Harrison turned and looked at him. The scientist then grinned and turned back at Jay, "dibs on naming any enemies or friends that she makes and… oh, oh, I know… how about Warp.. or Impulse… oh! Oh! Inertia, or…."
"How about we just train her first?" Jay said as he remembered his own Cisco being the one who would be naming their Meta-humans; both friend and foe.
"You know she'll want a name," Cisco replied with a lopsided smile on his face.
"Warp isn't that bad," said Harrison when the trailer's door swung open.
"Daddy!" yelled Lizzie as she stepped down the stairs while being led by Joan. The little girl was in her red and blue leotard while wearing a helmet and goggles… a silly grin on her face as she waved at Jay while holding onto her mother's hand. Jay and the others moved up to them, with Jay then telling Lizzie to be careful.
"This is just a test, peanut," said Jay gently while Caitlin was examining Lizzie's elbow and knee pads while Cisco and Harrison went to the table under the tent to link the sensors on Lizzie's 'suit' to the computers. Once that was done, Cisco walked up to them with a speed gun.
In the meantime, Jay told Lizzie that there was a marker at the end of the four-mile-long runway, and that she was going to run all the way there, and then run back, "I don't know if you'll be able to run fast, and… and if you can't then there's nothing wrong with that. Harry and Tess will be looking at the sensor output from your suit, and they'll contact you through the radio in your earpiece. If there's nothing happening, we'll stop, and then go home.. and then we'll go to mom and dad's house."
"I can call them grandpa and grandma for real," said Lizzie with a grin on her face.
"And if you can run fast," said Joan, "then we'll do this for some time before you get to eat a ton of ice-cream and burgers."
A ton of ice-cream?" asked an excited Lizzie. Jay then explained that if she did run super-fast, her body would be using a lot of energy.
"So ice-cream and burgers," said Joan as Lizzie grinned.
"Ready, Lizzie?" asked Jay before he and Joan escorted Lizzie to the starting blocks a few meters away. Tess and the others saw Jay and Joan speaking to Lizzie after reaching the block, and then kissed her cheeks before heading back to the tent. Once close enough, Jay told the STAR Labs personnel that he explained to Lizzie how to skid to a stop.
"Lizzie, can you hear me?" asked Harrison into a microphone.
"Yes," she replied.
While Tess and Caitlin were watching the computers as Lizzie's vitals were displayed, Joan pressed on the microphone and told her daughter that they were all there for her.
"Honey," said Jay as Cisco aimed the speed gun at Lizzie, "get ready, get set."
Jay and the others watched Lizzie crouch down, her knees bent as she placed her fingers on the ground. Lizzie's heart was racing as she looked out into the distance, and a smile appeared on her face as she recalled what her mother had told her in the trailer.. that the first time she had seen Jay was in his suit. She eagerly listened to Joan telling her about how they weren't in love the first time they met, but over time they did fall in love, and that later how he saved both of their lives.
"Does daddy still have his suit?" she had asked Joan.
"It's in your grandparents' house," Joan had said in the trailer, "when we go there tonight, your daddy will show it to you. I know it's a bit hard to believe, but maybe once you see it… you'll know that everything we told you is true. But Lizzie, if you can run superfast, then you have to be trained first… and you need to keep up with your studies. Understand?"
"Yes!" cried Lizzie excitedly as she put the incident in the school behind her in her mind.
Back in the present day, Lizzie suddenly felt a calmness permeate her when she heard the word 'go' from her father. She took in a deep breath, and then she felt an electrical charge going through her body as she got up and started to run. Everything had slowed down as Lizzie watched yellow coloured electrical charges travelling up and down her arms as she ran. She screamed in joy as she approached the marker indicating the four mile mark.
In the meantime, Jay, Joan, the Wells, Caitlin, and Cisco were all pushed back… with the latter falling onto the ground when Lizzie took off running with yellow lighting trailing behind her. Cisco quickly got up and looked at the screen on the speed gun.
"Three hundred, four hundred," screamed Cisco.
"Oh God," said Tess as she and Caitlin looked at the computers, "output's normal!"
Jay held onto Joan's hand as they watched the lighting turn around at the marker and then head towards them.
"Four-fifty!" yelled Cisco just before lizzie's speed started to decrease, and she skidded in an attempt to stop. However, the little girl misjudged the distance, and skidded past Jay, Joan, and the others before hitting the side of the van at twenty miles an hour before falling onto the ground, her feet smoking all the way.
"Lizzie!" yelled Joan as she ran towards her daughter who was groaning and rolling on the ground with a mixture of laughter and groans coming from her mouth.
"I did it, mommy, daddy," she laughed as Tess rushed over to Lizzie, who was still lying on the ground while Joan kneeled down and placed her hand on the little girl's cheeks, "I did it."
TBC.