Hello everybody! This is my very first fanfic, and I think that I'm absolutely terrible at writing. So, I apologize in advance if it's horrendous. I promise that it'll get better, but I don't know to what extent. A huge disclaimer for the entirety of the story is that it focuses mainly on Jesse Wells/Quick in an AU. Barry Allen won't show up until later, so if that's not your thing, then you might not like this story. Here's the first chapter. It's a little crude, but I think it's a decent starting point for what I want the story to be, so enjoy!
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Chapter 1: An Accidental Beginning
Central City. A city booming with pride & so many opportunities. The people were nice, but it's best not to get involved in those criminal gangs that could turn on you in an instant. They were popping up more frequently now, but the police did their best to handle the situations. Many knew not to wander around at night in fear of getting picked up, and most likely killed by these gangs.
Jesse Wells knew this very well. Her parents, Harrison Wells and Tess Morgan, had explained this very well to her, and she tended to avoid the streets at night and would not leave her house when the sun fell and the stars brightened the night. Being a smart, competent, young woman, Jesse strived to be the best she could in academics & sports whenever she could. She excelled in Track(more specifically 100m sprint and pole vaulting) and was naturally incredible at science. Graduating high school with straight A's & majoring in biochemistry in college, Jesse's life was one filled with nothing too out of the ordinary.
Her love life, on the other hand, was one full of ups and downs. She'd originally enjoyed dating the smart men in her class, but they all turned out the same: boring, monotonous, egotistical. It never changed. But, it all changed when she met Grace. They both hit it off immediately and dated for several months, but Jesse's parents had been kept in the dark about their relationship. She didn't know how her parents would've taken the news, which is what led them to break up. Grace couldn't date someone who wasn't brave enough to let others know their true selves. Their break-up devasted Jesse, and like her sexuality, she kept all the drama in the dark.
When it came time to look for a job, Jesse had wanted to work at Mercury Labs(since working at her parents' lab sounded kind of awkward). So she applied for a job at Mercury. Unfortunately, the opportunity fell through as someone else who'd applied beforehand got it before her. Without any other good opportunities available, she reluctantly took the job opportunity given to her by her parents and prepared herself for the possible cringiness of working there as a full-time employee.
It had been Jesse's parents' dream to build the first-ever functioning particle accelerator, and that's what Star Labs was constructed for. And they were so close to being finished. In a couple more months, they would boot up the accelerator & present to the world their crowning achievement. Her parents, while still wildly in love, were pretty much obsessed with this project, and Jesse could see the appeal. It was going to change the lives of the people inside & outside the city forever. Providing a powerfully consistent energy output could only benefit the people and nothing else.
It was a typical morning for Jesse. Wake up, take a quick shower, eat some breakfast, then rush over to Star Labs to get her work done ASAP. That's how she earned her nickname: Jesse Quick. Her father had first used that nickname to annoy her, which it did, but she learned to appreciate its meaning. It just meant that she was fast at whatever she did, and all in great quality.
What a stupid nickname, Jesse thought.
However, on this particular morning, she ended up oversleeping and was in an even bigger rush to get to work. As she hastily exited her car & sped across the massive parking lot, she didn't notice the brunette speedwalking right next to her and accidentally bumped into her, knocking the lady's belongings out of her hands and onto the pavement.
"Oh! I'm so sorry! I have a bad habit of not paying attention while I walk…" Jesse said.
"It's alright. I'm late anyway, so it doesn't really matter," the other woman replied.
Jesse looked at the brunette with intrigue. The stranger had deep blue eyes & slight dimples in her cheeks. Her voice piercing through the ambiance of everyday traffic, yet soothing all at once. There was no doubt that this stranger was beautiful, but Jesse didn't say/show that in case the stranger didn't feel the same way. Getting back to her senses, Jesse finally spoke to the charming stranger.
"I don't think we've met. I'm Jesse. Jesse Wells." She tried not to sound nervous in front of her, as to not make a bad first impression. The stranger didn't seem to notice too much.
"Nice to meet you, Jesse. I'm Lexi. Lexi Takahashi. I love your eyes. They remind me of nature." Lexi replied.
Jesse blushed at the compliment. "Thank you, but I think your eyes are prettier. The ocean is definitely more relaxing than nature," Jesse acknowledged.
Now it was Lexi's turn to blush slightly, and Jesse took notice but didn't mention it. It was at this moment that both ubiquitously decided to change the subject to avoid any weird and/or awkward flirting.
"So...," Jesse finally blurted. "What do you do around here?"
"Well, I'm a mechanical engineer, but I also lead a team of other mechanical engineers. We might only work on one section of the entire accelerator, but we still try to do the best we can." Lexi answered, relieved that the tension was dying down.
Jesse smiled at that. Even though she majored in biochemistry, mechanical engineering was a subject that had intrigued her for a while. It'd be nice to have someone who looked beautiful & could teach her more about that particular field. "I'd like to see some of your work, actually," Jesse sincerely responded. "I haven't really seen much of Star Labs, ironically, so it'd be nice to see what goes on everywhere else around here."
"Really? I'd be happy to! It's not every day someone comes by to say 'hello.'"
At this moment, both of them smiled.
"It was nice meeting you, Lexi. Maybe we could grab a coffee afterward?" Jesse asked.
"That sounds good. Jitters at noon?
"You bet."
A couple of months passed, and Jesse and Lexi's friendship blossomed. Beginning with that accidental run-in with each other in the parking lot, they eventually began hanging out together after work to grab coffees, watch movies, teaching each other their favorite areas of science, etc…. Harrison & Tess were happy that Jesse had finally made a friend at the lab, but Jesse had secretly hoped that there was something more, but the signs never showed(or she was just bad at reading them). Plus, the accelerator's launch kept them quite preoccupied so the times they spent together became less and less often.
The day(or the night, to be more specific) had finally arrived. The particle accelerator had been primed & ready to launch. The time had come for the Wells' to present their crowning achievement, as well as the opportunities that would present both Central City & Star Labs. The only bad thing that could stand in their way was a lightning storm that had been forecasted the other day, but they weren't going to let that stop them. It'd been a while since they'd had time to hang out, so Jesse & Lexi decided that they'd have their own private celebration in Jesse's private lab. Jesse's parents had wanted her up on the stage when they announced to the world their achievement, but she declined. Presenting things wasn't one of her strong suits, and she knew she'd probably mess it up.
"We'll be fine," Jesse said. "We're just going to stay in my lab to celebrate. Plus, there are still some things that I can tidy up in there, and if she wants to, Lexi can help. Right, Lexi?" That was a lie, but she needed all the reasons she could think of not to be up there.
"You know it," Lexi replied, happily.
"Are you sure?" Tess asked. "You don't even have to say anything; just stand and smile."
"Yeah. We'll do the talking and you'll just stand. Simple as that," Harrison added.
Jesse continued to refuse the offer. She reasoned that it'd been a while since she and Lexi had hung out, and apparently was enough for them to change their minds. Before the concerned parents could change their minds, the two friends sped towards Jesse's personal lab, bringing along a couple bottles of champagne "just in case." They made it to the lab and locked the doors in case anybody wanted to intrude on their celebration.
"Ladies & Gentlemen," Harrison started. "For years my wife and I have spent dreaming of this moment, wondering when the crowd would turn on us & take out the accelerator." The crowd chuckled at the joke. "However, it seems that everyone here, like us, is excited to see this incredible feat of human achievement activate. So, without further ado, behold: The world's first Particle Accelerator!"
Jesse & Lexi watched the ceremony on a monitor from the comfort of the lab. As if it were a New Year's Eve party, the two drank happily without a care in the world. For the next couple of hours, they remained locked in that lab, drinking away their cares & ignoring any and all messages that Jesse's parents sent.
Two hours in, Jesse lay on the floor, knocked out from all the drinking. Lexi, on the other hand, was slumped over a table with her phone in hand. The storm had gotten worse, and their headaches were getting worse because of it. Stirred awake by the pitter-patter of rain, Lexi slogged over to Jesse to try & get her awake. Slightly successful, Jesse woke up in a trance, only being able to process some things. Trying to reorient themselves, they looked up through the lab's skylight, examining the storm as it raged on.
"The stars look really pretty tonight," Lexi said, slightly mumbled.
"Okay, I think you've had too much. You're confusing the stars with the raindrops. Are you sure you're not drunk yet?" Jesse slurred.
The two women giggled as the storm raged on. The giggling eventually subsided as the two ladies just looked back towards the skylight. Their gazes remained there until the alarm blared. That's weird, Jesse thought. Never heard of that one before. Curious, Jesse stumbled towards the intercom & microphone to tune in to what was happening.
"Hello? Is anyone there?" Jesse said, trying her damn best to stay focused & awake.
"Jesse? Is that you? Where are you? Are you okay?" answered Tess, quite frantic.
"Mom? What's going on? Lexi and I are in my lab right now. Do you need us to do anything?" Jesse asked.
"No! Stay where you are. The accelerator is going haywire, and we're trying to get the situation under control. Stay where you are, and you'll be safe. Lexi too. Just stay where you are, and we'll tell you when the problem's over."
"Okay. Understood, Mrs. Morgan," Lexi jumped in. "Good luck."
That's when the comms cut. And when the rumbling happened.
Both of them stumbled over each other trying to regain their footing. Neither of them had been in an earthquake, but they automatically knew what to do(all those school drills and all). Except, their walking, eyesight, and senses were all impaired from drinking too much, and they ended up just tripping over themselves, not really sure of where they were going.
Unable to get to a safe spot, they both continued to stumble about. Then, the power cut out, and the two were left in the lab's darkness. Immediately, they tried to open the doors but only managed to crack them open a tad bit.
"Lexi," Jesse said slurred. "Wake up. We gotta open the doors more & help solve-"
It was then that everything changed. A wave of orange burst through the crack in the door, enveloping the lab and throwing Lexi into the table & Jesse under the skylight. The wave blew the doors open and managed to topple a couple of shelves over & spill countless chemicals onto the two of them, as well as shattering the remaining champagne bottle across the floor. Thankfully, none of the chemicals were too acidic but would need to be washed off soon to prevent any unintended side-effects. Lexi, who was no longer drunk or hungover, ran to the door & attempted to pull it open.
"Jesse, come on! We gotta get out of here!" Lexi yelled over the alarms. Jesse didn't move at first as she was dumbfounded as to what she just got pushed back by. A wave of orange? What the hell is going on right now? Jesse thought.
Acknowledging her friend's request, she pulled herself up and advanced towards the lab's doors. But, she slipped because of all the drinking & chemicals, preventing her from making any real distance from the skylight. And then, her life changed in a flash. Suddenly, a lightning bolt struck through the skylight & hit Jesse. She tried to scream but didn't get it out in time before she was hit. So, Lexi screamed for her. Once the lightning disappeared, Lexi saw her friend lying on the ground, motionless and breathing shallowly.
"Jesse! Come on! Wake up! We gotta get- ah!"
She reached over to pick Jesse up but ended up getting shocked for some odd reason. Ignoring it considering the circumstances, she went to pick her up again & rushed her out of the lab, paying little attention to her surroundings.
Exiting Star Labs, she found an abundance of panicking people & several open gurneys. Quickly, she found one available & explained the situation to a nearby emergency responder.
"What happened?" the emergency responder asked.
"We got hit by an, an-uh-orange wave of some sorts, but then she got struck by a lightning bolt, and then she wouldn't wake up, and-" Lexi responded, frantic & breathing erratically.
"Okay, we'll take care of her from here. Thank you for the info."
Lexi watched as the ambulance sped off towards the hospital. She was scared. Really scared. She couldn't bear to lose another person she cared about. She ran off to her own car to meet up at the hospital, hoping to find the Wells' and hopefully tell them before the hospital did.
And thus ends the very first chapter. I can't promise consistent uploads because I'm terrible at planning ahead, but I'll do my best to not completely abandon the story altogether. I must ask you(or any who reads this) to review this first chapter. Feedback is welcome(especially constructive criticism) and I'll try to fix them as I go along. So please, review the story, and I'll see you next chapter.