Back in the main room - the cortex, I suppose it's called - my palms start to sweat as I wait to hear what Dr. Snow has to say. If I was wrong and I wasn't impacted...I'm going to be so damn embarrassed.
"Well, Mika, you were right - you were affected by the explosion." Behind Dr. Snow are a few computer screens showing images of what look to be microscope slides.
"How do you know?" I ask - relieved to have been correct in my assessment but also afraid of what this might mean.
"People impacted by the explosion have dark matter in their DNA - you see here?" She points to a section of the screen showing a computer rendition of a DNA double helix and explains how my DNA has been altered.
"So, this blast, it impacted me at a cellular level?"
"Yes," Dr. Wells answered, his deep voice only somewhat calming my racing mind.
"So, what impact could this have, health wise?" An awkward silence meets my question.
"To be honest, we don't really know." Dr. Snow eventually answers. "We're working to figure that out. Some meta humans that we've run into, their DNA alteration was much more profound, and it impacted them physically."
"Yeah, there was this guy who could make a bunch of clones of himself, and a man who could turn himself into poisonous gas," Cisco stops suddenly, being cut off with a glance from Dr. Wells.
"Sounds like you all have met more than just a few of these 'meta humans'," I say.
"Arguably, yes," Dr. Wells answers.
"You're one of the first who wasn't trying to kill us though," Barry chimes in.
"That's...interesting." I didn't realize how dangerous this has been for everyone. I take a closer look at Barry. "What do you do, Barry?"
"I work for CCPD as a CSI." I nod, absorbing that information.
"But what's your power?" I ask casually, as if it was no big deal. He scoffs.
"Cisco, c'mon man, what'd you tell her?" Barry asks.
"What? Don't look at me, I didn't say anything," he answers hurriedly.
"I'm sure Cisco didn't say anything, Mr. Allen. I think we've gotten a taste of how Mika's meta human ability works." I nod once. I hope I didn't cause offense - perhaps they have rules about not using powers on others.
"Oh." Barry sizes me up. "I guess if I know your power, you can know mine. I'm fast," he answers.
"Fast like the Streak fas-" I stop myself before I even finish my question. My own brain answered it for me. Now it's my turn to size him up. "Super cool," I answer.
"Thanks. So, we're only just beginning to know how my powers work - do you have any idea how yours do?"
"Not really. I have a couple hunches, but I'd rather let you all look at the science without any preconceived notions, so I'll keep them to myself for now, if you don't mind."
"Very wise," Dr. Wells says, moving closer to me.
"What were you doing at the time of the explosion?" Dr. Snow asks, pulling up a file on her computer with my name on it to record this information. I feel myself coloring a little.
"I was undergoing hypnosis - I know it's largely pseudoscience, but I find it helpful." Thankfully they are sensitive enough to not ask any follow up questions as to why I was undergoing hypnosis.
"Caitlyn, why don't we run some more tests on Mika - get an MRI and some brain wave analysis. Assuming, Mika, that you have the time to stick around?"
"Yeah, I took today off. Y'all have an MRI machine here?" I ask.
"As you said, STAR labs is very state of the art," Wells answers with a hint of friendly teasing.
"You can come with me, Mika," Dr. Snow says while gathering a tablet. I follow her to a more complex medical laboratory where the MRI room is located and all sorts of other medical instruments.
After my battery of medical tests are done, I return to the cortex alone while Caitlyn spends time analyzing my results. Dr. Wells is no longer there, but Barry and Cisco are, and they show me some of the new Streak - or Flash - as Barry prefers - technology they invented. Seeing his suit is by far the coolest thing.
"That's bad ass," I remark as Barry zips into it in the blink of an eye. I admire it while Cisco explains some of the many features.
"So, what can you do with your powers?" he asks.
"Oh, nothing as cool as what you can do," I start."I can sense things. Like when someone is lying or if something bad is about to happen," I try to explain.
"Precog," Cisco mutters.
"Pretty sure that's copyrighted," I joke, making them both laugh.
"Okay, okay. Human lie detector?" He tries. I wrinkle my nose as Barry and I both shake our heads. An alert on the computer interrupts this painful brainstorming session.
"Let's focus on that later, Cisco. There's a robbery going down at 12th and Waterford," Barry says, zipping over to the computer and then immediately out the door. Cisco takes a seat at a computer, pulling up security camera footage in an instant.
"Whoa, how'd you do that?"
"Oh, it's really quite simple. All security cameras transmit at the same frequency, so then it's just a matter of-"
"Another time, Cisco. Right now I need you to talk Barry through how to navigate to the armed robbers," Wells interrupts. I stiffle my disappointment. Wells and Snow both take seats at computers while Cisco pulls up the building plans.
"Whoa, how did you do that?" I ask Cisco. Wells gives me a stern glance. "Sorry, some other time," I say with a depreciating smile. I hang back in amazement while the team talks Barry through the building layout, allowing him to surprise the bad guys and help the cops put them behind bars. He zips back to the cortex, an absurd amount of takeout in hand.
At my raised eyebrows, Caitlyn explains, "Barry's metabolism is sped up too, and when he runs, he burns a lot of calories." I nod, absorbing this information.
"Makes perfect sense. But I do hope you plan to share," I add after smelling the egg rolls.
"Naturally - I am the hero after all," he says with a winsome smile, making me laugh. As we eat lunch, Caitlyn talks through some preliminary results.
"Here, you can see your brain wave analysis - do you see how there are Delta, Theta, Alpha, Beta, and Gamma waves active all at once? That shouldn't be possible, not layered like this. And do you see how every so often, they all match up to crest at once?" I nod thoughtfully while she pauses to take a bite.
"That alone definitely indicates something abnormal going on, but take a look at your MRI." The screen changes, and it displays all sorts of areas of my brain lit up. "This is what your brain looks when it's resting." I notice all three areas of the brain are active to different degrees. A second image appears on the screen, and the colors are much more subdued. "Here's what the average brain looks like while resting. There's not nearly as much activity going on," she explains. "And, here's your brain when I asked you try to tap into your power."
"Whoa," I say without meaning to as the image appears on the screen. The image is so illuminated with different degrees of activity, it looks like a psychedelic painting. Beside me, Dr. Wells shifts his gaze to me.
"Fascinating," he says quietly.
"So does this mean that my...ability," I say with some hesitation, "comes from the different areas of my mind being able to work together, perhaps communicate with more clarity than others can?"
"At this point, that's my hypothesis," Caitlyn says.
"Given what you told us about what you were doing when the blast struck you, the explanation does make a lot of sense," Dr. Wells says. I nod, absorbing this information. I had suspected as much myself. "The implications of this, Mika, are amazing. If this power comes not from any external source, but is just the abilities that can be unlocked from the brain - the human brain - communicating with itself...it's remarkable." I fight to contain the smile that threatens to break across my face at his praise. I'm also rather pleased to have garnered his attention. In his mind, I may have even replaced Barry and the most interesting thing in the room, which I would imagine is quite a feat.
"But if your powers come from just your own brain, how can you predict the future?" Cisco asks. Dr. Wells answers.
"The subconscious is a powerful thing, Cisco. It's constantly picking up on patterns and predicting what will happen next. Many studies have shown the brain can accurately predict even random events up to six seconds in the future. It seems Mika's transformation has allowed her to consciously tap into this power. Who knows what else," Wells explains. I nod.
"Ever since I noticed this ability, I've read up on all of the recorded seemingly miraculous instances of someone surviving a disaster or violence based on following their instincts." Behind me, I hear a gasp and Cisco mutters, "Instinct. It's perfect." I roll my eyes and continue. "It's crazy - there are scientists that theorize it's really the subconscious that makes all the decisions, and that the conscious serves merely as a forum for the brain to explain itself to itself." Now it's Wells' turn to agree with me.
"Thus, the implications of your gift could have scientific and medical impacts far beyond Mr. Allen's," Wells says, his brilliant eyes twinkling at me. "No disrespect, Barry," he adds as an afterthought.
"Is there any way I could refine this? Make it work more on demand, work with more specificity? Or turn it off when I don't want to use it?" I add as casually as I am able.
"If that's possible, this is the place for it," Dr. Wells answers before Caitlyn is able to. "I suspect Caitlyn and I will have to spend more time reviewing your results and studying the mechanisms of your power before we are able to give you a definite answer." I nod once, understanding.
"Thank you both. I know you must have other tasks to get to today, so I'll take my leave. Let me know if you find anything noteworthy and when I should come back." I leave my contact information with each of them and get their numbers in return.
"Mika, I'll walk you out," Dr. wells says with a heart stopping wink to emphasize the pun.
"Thank you, Doctor." As we walk, he discusses some preliminary ideas for my training.
"Do you keep a dream journal?"
"No, I haven't. I don't often remember my dreams."
"I'd sincerely suggest that you start keeping a journal. The more you write down, the more your mind will remember after you wake up." I nod, absorbing this information. "If your subconscious is trying to tell you anything, I would guess that while dreaming would be the easiest way to begin tapping into this knowledge."
"I'll do that. Thank you for your help and insight, Dr. Wells."
"You're very welcome. We'll be in touch. Thank you for coming by, Mika." As I'm halfway out the door, he calls out, "Also, be careful who you confide this information in. Not everyone is so open minded about people with your abilities. Or so willing to explore your gift ethically."
"Thanks for the warning." I didn't need him to tell me that this gift puts me in a certain amount of danger, but I appreciate that I must matter enough to him to be worth providing the caution. We nod goodbye. As I leave, I'm already thrilled by the prospect of returning.