Nuclear fission.
It was by no means an unoriginal idea. The method that went into separating an atom to create two different atoms accompanied by a large exothermic reaction had been used worldwide for several decades. Unfortunately, the simple technique had created a devastating effect on the human race that still plagued them to the present day. It was how the atomic bomb had come about, and as odd as it was to think about, the act of splitting an atom had changed the face of the world forever in a single day.
The thing was, nuclear fission had never been tested before on human beings, and with good reason, mostly because nobody had ever believed it could be done. And while nuclear fusion itself had partially integrated the two men into the body now sitting in the adjacent room, using fission to separate them was going to be an entirely different matter.
"Professor Stein's hypothesis about using F.I.R.E.S.T.O.R.M. to fuse objects was correct – could we use his research to defuse them?"
"Stein never got that far, as far as we know. Separating them is theoretically possible, but there is a vast difference between splitting an atom and splitting a man."
As Caitlin opened her mouth to speak again, however, the sound of footsteps brought their attention to the newly clean-shaven Martin Stein entering the room. The first thing he asked for once they'd come back was a shower and a clean change of clothes; lucky for him, the showers in the basement of the building were still operational. As was the incinerator. Barry had even flashed off to the drug store for a shaving kit and a pair of scissors when they saw the state of his hair and face. The unfortunate thing was, while the professor seemed all the more comfortable, it was rather unnerving for them to look at Stein and see Ronnie Raymond instead.
"I don't suppose it's necessary to point out that you're all staring?"
The bluntness of Ronnie's – Stein's – voice shook them from their thoughts with all the gentleness of a rollercoaster, and everyone averted their eyes as they realized their misstep. It wasn't as if they meant to stare; seeing Ronnie's body up and walking about after a year of thinking he was dead was not a usual occurrence, even by their own unusual standards.
"Our apologies." Dr. Wells conceded. "How are you feeling, Professor?"
"Surprisingly, quite lucid. What was it exactly that you gave me?"
"Antipsychotics. Antidepressants. Mood stabilizers."
"Ah," Laura could have sworn she saw Stein's lips quirk up into a faint smile as he turned to Caitlin, "the same formula used to treat dissociative identity disorder. I suppose that this was your idea. Very clever, Cait."
The way her friend stood tense beside her told Laura that Caitlin was faring the worst out of all of them. Looking into the eyes of the man she'd loved and knowing that he wasn't alive anymore – that he wasn't there – it couldn't be pleasant at all. It was even harder to watch the way Caitlin stiffened at Stein's use of her nickname, the one Ronnie had ever been able to call her before, the one he'd used often to break through her walls. Even Stein seemed a bit surprised at his own mistake, hastily apologizing. However, as the two of them spoke, something about the way Stein had used the nickname bothered Laura.
If Stein's mind was the one who had been selected to pilot Ronnie's body, per the theory of survival of the fittest, then that would mean that Ronnie's consciousness would have been completely suppressed in order to give the professor full control. And yet, just seconds earlier, Stein had said something that he never could have known if he was fully in control, if he was the only mind inhabiting that body.
Which could only mean one thing.
He wasn't.
"Are you aware you are staring?"
Ronnie's – Stein's – voice broke Laura from her thoughts, and she pushed herself away from the doorframe with a sheepish look before she made her way into the examination room. Stein was sitting by a machine Caitlin had used to monitor his vitals, though it seemed as if he had not found the need to move since. The look on his face made Laura feel all the more like she was been scrutinized by a teacher who had just caught her talking in class.
"Sorry, Professor…it's just a bit odd. I'm sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable, but it's a bit hard to get used to." She admitted sheepishly, gesturing to his entire body, and she was pleasantly surprised to see his lips quirk up into a ghost of a smile.
Stein had been rather quiet since he'd agreed to part ways with Clarissa, and everyone else had been subdued to an extent as well. Seeing Ronnie's body, even if it were being controlled by another person, was a sensitive subject for all of them. His silence was also contributed to by the drugs, something he seemed to be well aware of as he rubbed the injection mark in his arm absentmindedly. To top it all off, every movement Stein made in Ronnie's body seemed to belong to another person, and while Laura had done her best to keep her morbid curiosity under control, the good professor appeared to have noticed.
"I understand. I've tried my best to avoid my own reflection this past year to avoid…well, let's just say the first few times weren't exactly pleasant."
"Gee, I can't imagine why."
The chuckle that accompanied the smile on his face was most definitely not expected, and Laura found herself smiling in response. Something in the way his eyes crinkled as he laughed, as dry as it was, told her that Stein had not found the occasion to laugh in a long time.
"Good to see someone in this building has some sense of humour – Professor Martin Stein." He held out his hand, and Laura shook it, a bit put off by how warm it felt. It almost reminded her of the heat she'd felt when he'd attacked her the previous night, the memory making her shudder, only now muted to the point where one could almost mistake it as a high fever. Still, she was relieved when they finally let go, the heat lingering in her hand a few seconds too long before it returned to its normal temperature.
"Dr. Laura Sanders. Well, Professor, if your theory is correct, then you'll be back in your own body in no time."
Truth be told, Laura wasn't quite sure if Stein was thinking clearly, and even if he was, splitting apart two men fused together by an untested matrix in a freak accident didn't exactly seem like a theory that should go untested. He had spent the past year underneath a bridge, foraging for sustenance and shelter, and while Stein was an exceptionally smart man, Laura was certain that living in another man's body for such a prolonged amount of time was in no way healthy for one's mental state. Unfortunately, there was no telling whether the science behind Stein's hypothesis was sound without testing it first, and without the F.I.R.E.S.T.O.R.M. matrix itself, it was starting to look like they would just have to wait and hope for the best.
"Did you know Mr. Raymond well, Dr. Sanders? I have memories of you, I believe. Although, to be precise, it's more of an emotional response, but you do elicit quite a few positive emotions."
Laura paused, weighing her options for a moment before she let out a sigh, and took up a chair on the other end of the examination room. Her theory that Ronnie's mind was at least partially still residing within his body was correct; she just wasn't sure what to do with the information. "You could say that. Ronnie was one of the first people at S.T.A.R. Labs to open up to me. Or rather, get me to open up."
"So, Ronald was a friend?"
"More like a mother hen. And we usually called him Ronnie."
"I see. I seem to remember one instance…Chinese food?"
"Actually," Laura felt herself smile as she remembered exactly what Stein was talking about, "that was the first time I ever ate with the other scientists here. I was overworked and I hadn't eaten for about a day and a half, and he invited me to have dinner with Caitlin and Cisco in the lounge. I'm pretty sure he was terrified I was going to pass out."
"Do you mind if I ask if it went well?"
"More or less. In hindsight, it was one of the better parts of that year. I've always been grateful to him for doing that. It – it was nice to know that someone was looking out for me."
"…I see."
"Anyway," Laura cleared her throat abruptly, averting her eyes from the professor's as she realized that he was the one now staring, "I really should be getting back to the others. If you need anything, just give a shout."
"Of course."
The moment she stepped into the observation room, however, Laura could tell that all was not well. It appeared that both Dr. Wells and Caitlin had been arguing, and it looked as if they had just taken a break from it the moment Laura opened the door. It also appeared that it had not been a productive argument, as Caitlin's cheeks were flushed a rather nasty shade of red and Dr. Wells' mouth was set in a hard line. Barry was leaning against the adjacent wall, apparently trying to distance himself as far from the conversation as possible, but there was a look in her partner's eyes that made Laura stop in her tracks.
"What is it?" None of them answered her immediately, and Laura left out a huff of frustration at the prospect of playing mind games with her teammates. With a look from Caitlin that she couldn't quite decipher, she stepped in behind Dr. Wells and scanned the computer screens he had opened before him. It only took her a few seconds to realize what exactly she was looking at.
"Oh."
"Exactly."
"106.8 degrees? Are you sure?" A temperature of that magnitude would be dangerous for any human being, which Laura knew was somewhat ironic coming from her, but it was still shocking nonetheless.
"Yes, and it is rising with every passing minute. The flames Professor Stein is producing are caused by the exothermic reaction of Ronnie's body rejecting Stein's atoms, like a parasite and a host. However, as the temperature rises, so too does the magnitude of the reaction. I worry…if this phenomena continues, that the rising temperature may spark a chain reaction and…"
"What?"
"…he could go nuclear."
Well, fuck.
This couldn't be happening.
According to the most recent test results, within a few hours Ronnie Raymond's body would completely reject the cells of Martin of Stein, resulting in a nuclear blast that could level Central City. Laura stared pensively at the screens that monitored Stein's vitals, the pit of dread in her stomach growing larger every time his temperature rose another few degrees. Based on Dr. Wells' calculations, the resulting nuclear blast would most certainly encompass a significant part of Central City, if not all of it. The city was not even remotely equipped to deal with a nuclear explosion of that magnitude, much less a regular one, and there was no telling how it would affect any other surrounding cities.
Laura knew cells inside and out, but it was like trying to put two magnets together the wrong way – the harder you pushed them together, the more they wanted to get away from each other. Forcing the fused cells to remain together would only increase the magnitude of the explosion and endanger more civilians, which made it all the more difficult to come up with a possible solution.
The unfortunate thing was, it appeared that the only way to stop the explosion was to put Ronnie Raymond and Martin Stein to rest. Even with Dr. Wells and Cisco brainstorming like mad and Caitlin remaining painfully optimistic, it seemed that the deck was stacked against them.
"Professor?"
The examination room was empty, which was a bit odd, but not unexpected. With a quick glance in every corner, Laura continued her journey towards the control room. Logically, she knew that Stein had to be somewhere in the building, but the little cloud of doubt that every scientist experienced at least once in their lifetime was beginning to grow in her head. Barry had disappeared after going to talk to Stein to deal with a problem she had been able to tell wasn't work related, but there had been no sign of either of them since.
There was no one in the control room as Laura entered, but as she made her way towards the consoles, she could see something that appeared to be a notification. With a growing sense of curiosity, Laura sat down at the computer, minimizing a few windows until she found what she was looking for. At first glance, it looked like the DNA comparison software that she and Barry used on a daily basis at the lab. In fact, it was the exact same software. It looked like someone – she couldn't quite wrap her head around the thought of who it was just yet – had linked one of their accounts from the lab to the computers at S.T.A.R., and was currently running two samples of DNA against the rest of the police database. The thing was, Laura was almost entirely certain that there were no active cases that could involve metahumans in any way, which made it all the more obvious that this case was off the books. Both samples were labelled as unknown, but Laura had a feeling that the person would had run the samples in the first place would be able to tell her who they were.
And boy, would he have some explaining to do.
Minimizing the screen, Laura went back to her original task. If Stein had left the building of his own volition, then it was highly likely that he would have left a significant heat signature, but only if he had activated his powers. She wasn't as good around computers as Cisco, but Laura was eventually able to find the software linked to the satellite above the city. The most recent image, taken just a few minutes ago, that appeared on the screen was a bit difficult to navigate, but Laura eventually managed to zoom in on what she assumed was S.T.A.R. Labs. As she peered closer, Laura could see a thin trail of bright red weaving in and out between the heat signatures of the city's skyscrapers. The trail continued east out of the city, and Laura felt the pit of dread in her stomach grow larger when it finally came to a stop in the badlands – 30 miles from the city.
The minimum distance one should be from a nuclear blast if they wanted to survive.
Laura didn't even bother grabbing her gear as she bolted for the parking lot, the coordinates already set on her phone. The van was still parked outside, and she thanked whatever nonsensical deity lived up above that Caitlin had left the keys in the glove compartment. She sent the rest of the team a text each, but she was already out of the parking lot by the time her phone buzzed in reply. By the time she finally got on the highway, Laura was certain that if there wasn't so much at stake, she would have had a nervous breakdown, her heart racing and her hands trembling on the wheel. Even as the traffic began to thin out on the edge of the city, her foot remained on the accelerator; if the professor was planning on doing the deed himself, then she didn't have the luxury of slowing down by even a fraction.
Almost half an hour later, Laura was as close to her destination as she could get. The badlands weren't exactly known for their road maintenance, and her phone told her that she still had a mile or so left to go before she reached the professor. Even in early spring, the ground was still mostly frozen and littered with patches of snow, making it hard to travel through the sparse forest, the trees looking half-dead against the grey sky. The rough terrain made her knees and thighs ache as she tried her best to hurry, and Laura wondered just how much time she'd save if she could fly like Stein. Their powers were fairly similar – maybe, if he survived the inevitable nuclear explosion, she could ask him for some tips.
Finally, Laura reached her destination, and even as the branches on the trees caught under her jacket, she pushed herself out from the brush into the clearing. Down below, she could just make out Stein, facing away from her, an easily recognizable pistol clutched in his right hand. He didn't appear to have heard the breaking of a hundred twigs that had announced her arrival, so Laura took the opportunity to make herself known.
"Professor!" The reaction was almost instant, Stein whirling around with wide eyes until they finally landed on her.
"What are you doing here? You shouldn't be here!"
Great, now he sounded angry. It wasn't like she'd encountered him at all when he was angry, and it wasn't like that time had ended with a fireball thrown at her face.
"Professor, I know what you're planning to do," Laura kept her voice level as she started to make her way down the hill, grateful that he was now somewhat distracted, "but this isn't the way to do things."
"You don't understand. I-I can't let anything happen to the city, to Clarissa. To Caitlin…" The anger suddenly seemed to seep away, and as she met his eyes, Laura could see that there was little left of Martin Stein but desperation and despair. By sacrificing himself, the city would be safe from the impending nuclear blast, but in some way, it was also a reprieve from the past nightmare of a year he'd experienced. Knowing that he was slipping farther and farther towards the edge, Laura rushed down the rest of the way to him, ignoring the way her heart raced. When she reached Stein, he was staring at the ground, and the hand holding the gun was shaking violently; gently, she put her hand over his, using the other to pull it from his grasp.
"Then don't do this. Let us help you, Martin. This doesn't have to be how it ends."
With one final tug, the gun fell from Stein's hands into Laura's, though he didn't appear to have noticed. The problem was, even if Stein couldn't sacrifice himself now, there was no way to stop the explosion from taking place. However, as they stood there against the barren landscape, Laura's phone buzzed, and with a quick glance at Stein, she dug it out of her jacket in record time.
Brry's on hs wy.
Somehow, the lack of vowels in the text was less reassuring that Cisco had probably intended it to be, but the familiar crack of lightning in the distance did the job. A second later, both Barry and Caitlin were standing in front of them, Caitlin's arms full of a device that Laura hoped to the high heavens was the solution to their problem. Laura could feel the tension in the air as Caitlin applied the device to Stein, the two of them exchanging words she couldn't quite hear. The kiss between them was nothing if not a surprise, but she didn't have time to process it as Caitlin activated the device, and took a step back. For a long moment, it seemed as if it had worked. The air stilled around them, and the tight knot in Laura's chest began to unravel.
Then, they could see nothing but fire.
"It didn't work! We have to get out of here!" Barry yelled above the roar of flame that seemed to grow larger with every passing second, engulfing Stein as he screamed in agony. As time seemed to slow down, Laura turned to her friends, glancing between the both of them. Almost instantly, the solution became clear to her, but it was with a low voice, trembling with the knowledge of what she was about to do, that Laura spoke to them.
"Go."
"What? Laura, no!"
"Take her, Barry. I'll be fine."
"Laura, no! We have to-"
"You can't carry both of us, Red."
"Laura-"
"I said go!"
The horror in their expressions made her heart ache as she made her decision clear, but Laura couldn't stop the tears as Barry scooped up a protesting Caitlin in his arms, a torn look on his face. She barely had a second to comprehend it before they were both gone, but as she turned back to Stein, the only thing that Laura could do was pray that they would be able to make it away in time. The pillar of flame that now towered above her was almost blinding, the heat searing her skin, and as Laura opened the floodgates to allow the cold to sweep through her body, she almost regretted her decision.
And in a flash of light, Laura knew no more.
Hey guys! Thanks for being so patient with me this summer! I just wanted to let you all know that I'm heading back to school on Sunday, but I'll do my best to keep updating as often as I can.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this latest chapter - reviews are always welcome!
