The four members of Team Flash stood watching their namesake run really, really, painfully slow. Barry panted, sweaty, on the treadmill in the training room.

"Wow." Cisco remarked. "He runs slow even for a normal person." Hayley snorted.

〰️〰️〰️

"You can't just lose your powers, okay?" Caitlin said. "Your DNA was transformed by the particle accelerator blast. There's no way to... Untransform DNA."

"Yeah," Barry panted, sitting on the edge of the treadmill. "Tell that to the Uber driver who charged me 65 bucks to take me here. I had to tell her I was cosplaying." Cisco looked offended until Hayley gave him a look. Now was not the time to start defending the honor of his suit.

"So we were wrong," Wells started. "This meta human doesn't electrocute people, he siphons electricity, thereby removing your power."

Barry looked at the ground, a defeated look on his face. "Alright, do we think this is temporary or...?"

Caitlin smiled apologetically. "We have to run tests."

Barry nodded and started toward the door. "I have to warn Joe."

"Barry," Wells called, stopping Barry in his tracks. "We will find a way to restore your speed. I promise you that."

Barry just nodded and continued on his way.

〰️〰️〰️

The scene in STAR Labs reflected that of the morning, the four scientists spread out across the room. The mood, however, was far more tense.

"What if," Hayley began the tenth "Get-Barry's-Speed-Back" theory of the day, "we recreated the circumstances in which he got his speed?"

Cisco picked up on her thought train. "Yeah, cover him in chemicals and electrocute him, maybe it'll jumpstart his cells into a state of hyperactivity?"

Caitlin shook her head. "First, that's a terrible idea and I'm shocked that you think it's a good one." she said flatly, glaring at the two of them. "Second, electrocution might kill him. And if it doesn't, being doused in various chemicals will severely harm him."

Hayley rubbed her forehead. "Caitlin, it's just a theory, like the last seven that you shot down. And if electrocuting Barry is such a problem, you would have said something the first time it was mentioned."

"Caitlin does make a good point," Wells put in. "We don't know if Mr. Allen's... condition is purely physical. There may be some mental factor."

Cisco snapped his fingers and pointed. "Like the yips!" Blank looks. "Th-the yips? No?" Hayley shook her head slowly. Cisco sighed. "It's when a batter misses the ball, or a golfer tries to putt and they mess up and get embarrassed and the yips get worse, because they feel like a failure. The yips."

They all stared at him. Hayley sighed. "Do us all a favor, Cisco. Don't mention the yips to Barry." She stood, grabbing her phone from the desk. "I need to get to work. Call me if anything changes."

She walked out to Caitlin and Cisco's bickering backed by Wells' muttering. She chuckled, shaking her head in bemusement. They would never change.

〰️〰️〰️

Joe sat on the edge of Barry's desk, processing what he was just told. Experimentally, he reached out and casually pushed the red mug off the edge. It crashed to floor and shattered. Barry looked up accusingly.

"You didn't catch it," Joe observed incredulously.

"I loved that mug," Barry whined, staring mournfully at the shattered remains. "And what part of 'a metahuman stole my speed' did you not understand?"

Joe shook his head. "Barry, there is no part of anything you can do that I ever understand," he pointed out. "What did Dr. Wells say?"

"He's working on it," Barry sighed.

"Barry, you have to get your speed back," joe said. "People in this city need protecting, and Hayley's good at Avenger-I ng, I won't deny it, but she's no speedster. She can't be everywhere like you can."

"Joe, the metahuman who stole my speed, he's the one who burned up the body in the alleyway today," Barry switched topics. "You need to tell the police not to confront him. He's dangerous."

Iris chose that moment to walk in. "Who's dangerous?"

Barry looked at Joe, then sighed. "No one," he lied. "Just some thief."

"Well, criminals better watch out," Iris stated matter of factly. "Cops in Central City are the best there are, and if you can't protect this city, Dad, I know the Flash will."

Barry glanced at Joe. "What, What if he can't?" he stammered, looking back to Iris. "What if he's gone?"

Iris shot him a quizzical look. "Gone?"

"Yeah, or maybe he's just done, or maybe it's like whatever he could do before, he can't do anymore," Barry winced. Maybe he should take Hayley up on those lying lessons.

"Huh?"

"Barry?" Joe interrupted. "Don't you have someplace to be?" Barry nodded enthusiastically and stood.

"Yeah," he agreed, grabbing his coat and starting out the door. "I'm going."

As he left, he heard Iris. "Aw, Barry loved that mug."

〰️〰️〰️

Hayley met up with Barry in the bullpen of CCPD. The two of them stood watching a prisoner be brought in fighting. When the officers finally managed to subdue him, Hayley and Barry got a clear look at the man's face. Hayley felt the blood drain from her face.

"Clock King." she breathed. Barry gave her a strange look and she elaborated. "William Tockman. He's from Starling. Felicity told me about him; he tried to rob Oliver and shot Felicity." Barry looked back at Tockman with wary eyes. They watched as Tockman was dragged past them. Hayley nudged Barry. "C'mon. We've got paperwork to do."

"That's a quality timepiece, young man." Tockman's eyes were on Barry's watch. Barry subtly moved it out of his view.

"Oh, uh, thanks," Barry mumbled.

"They took mine, all of them," Tockman sneered.

"I guess you shouldn't have done whatever it is you did," Barry answered back to Tockman's glare. Barry felt Hayley tug on his hand—when had she grabbed it?—and he glanced down at her.

"Barry, let's go," she said insistently. Barry let himself be pulled along, until they were out of the precinct. Hayley dropped his hand and shuddered. "God, that man gives me the creeps."

"I thought we had paperwork to do?" Barry asked. Hayley shook her head.

"I can't work today. No motivation," she explained. "Might as well go back to STAR Labs."

"How're we gonna get there? I don't have my speed anymore," Barry pointed out. Hayley gave him a withering look.

"Taxi, Barry. We're taking a taxi."

〰️〰️〰️

Barry stood in front of the Flash suit. He felt Hayley come up behind him and lay a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Think I'll ever wear it again?" he asked her.

"I hope so," she said quietly.

Barry sighed. "I didn't have my speed for very long, but now that it's gone, it feels like part of me is gone, too."

Hayley turned to face him. "With or without your speed, you're still you, Barry."

"But I'm not," he shot back. "I'm not the best version of me." Barry faced Hayley completely. "I love being the Flash. I love everything about it: the feeling of running hundreds of miles per hour, wind and power just rushing past my face, being able to help people." His face fell and he turned back to the suit. "I'm not sure I can live without it, Hayes. I'm nothing without my speed."

Hayley sighed. "Barry, if you're nothing without it, then you don't deserve to have it."

"What?" Barry turned to her, hurt in his eyes. Hayley guided him over to a chair and sat down.

"What I mean," she started, "is not what you're thinking."

"So... you weren't telling me I didn't deserve my speed because I said I was nothing without it?"

"Okay, maybe it is what you're thinking."

"Harsh, Hayes."

"But really," Hayley tried to explain. "When I went to Ravenwood, they told us constantly that if we were nothing without a weapon in our hands, we didn't deserve to have one in the first place. If we became dependent on a crutch, we were more likely to die." Barry gave her a blank look. "All I'm trying to say is that you aren't nothing without your speed. You're Barry Allen. You're smart, and kind, and you help people all on your own. You are the Flash, with or without your speed."

"Thanks, Hayley." Barry smiled at Hayley.

"Farooq Gibran." Both CSIs turned at the sound of Cisco's voice. "Whoa," he said, pointing back and forth between them, "am I interrupting something here?" Hayley threw a pen at his face. Cisco dodged and pointed at her. "Not cool, Silver Archer."

"Guys!" Barry interrupted, glaring at his immature friends. "Who's Farooq Gibran?"

"The powers vampire who jacked your speed," Cisco replied, handing Barry a tablet. "I hacked into the security cameras at Petersburg Electrical Station. Once I got his face, it was easy to find a match."

"He climbed an electrical tower the night of the particle accelerator explosion," Barry said, reading the article.

"No surprise where his powers came from," Caitlin added from her spot beside Cisco

Hayley snorted. "Who climbs an electrical tower, at any time?"

At that moment, the security alarms started to beep. All four of them gathered round a monitor.

"You have got to be kidding me," Hayley groaned, much to Cisco's agreement. "This is not happening."

Farooq Gibran was outside STAR Labs, and he didn't look happy. "Dr. Harrison Wells! I need to see you!"