Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.
CC Jitters
"God, what ice cream is that?" Barry gagged.
"I guess they put too much coffee grains in it. I need to tell them to change up the recipe." Iris said.
"Good idea." Barry nodded as they handed Iris the cups with ice cream.
"Iris, no offense but they should stick with classic chocolate, vanilla and pistachio and that kind of stuff, this creative stuff doesn't work with coffee shop." Patty said.
"I'll… let the manager know." Iris nodded.
"Thank God we didn't take the ice cream." Cisco said.
"No kidding." Caitlin nodded before Cisco had to answer a call.
"Hey, I gotta go. I gotta help out a friend." Cisco said as he left.
"Everything OK? We just got here." Barry said.
"Yeah. I'll see you later." Cisco said as he went downstairs.
"Guys." Patty pointed to the TV as they watched the news report about a physicist being attacked.
"Quale was attacked near his lab at Concordance Research last night. There were several unsubstantiated reports of the so-called Burning Man in the area following the attack." The anchor announced.
"Burning Man? Caitlin, weren't you asking about him a few weeks ago?" Iris asked.
Later, S.T.A.R. Labs
"Well, it appears letting Ronnie roam free is no longer an option." Wells said.
"He's not even Ronnie anymore." Caitlin said, disturbed. "He's Martin Stein walking around in Ronnie's body. Like a vampire."
"Is there a reason Stein's brain is in control of Ronnie's body, not the other way around?" Barry wondered.
"Simple Darwinism, I suspect." Wells mused. "A brand new organism will select the strongest parts of itself in order to survive. Survival of the fittest. In this case, Ronnie's body, Stein's mind. But any event, he badly hurt an innocent man and we have hunted meta-humans for less. Caitlin..." He turned to her. "...we need to know that you're on board with what needs to be done here."
Caitlin seemed hesitant for a moment. "How do we find him?"
"Quentin Quale, the scientist that Ronnie attacked is a former colleague of Martin Stein." Wells said. "If Martin is indeed in control of Ronnie's body..."
"…then maybe he's trying to understand what's happening to him." Patty finished as Wells nodded.
"What do we know about him? I don't even know what Stein looks like." Barry said before Wells showed Stein's photo on the screen.
"Martin Stein." Wells said.
"That's Stein?" Barry asked, recognizing him.
"It is." Wells nodded.
"You know him?" Patty asked.
"I've seen him before." Barry nodded as he took a closer look at Stein's photo.
"When?" Caitlin asked.
"On the train, the day the accelerator exploded." Barry said.
December 11th, 2013, Central City
Barry was in a train on his way to Central City, reading Wells' autobiography as he watched S.T.A.R. Labs through the window.
"Super cool, isn't it?" Barry asked as he turned to an elderly man with grey hair and wearing glasses and a brown coat. "Uh, S.T.A.R. Labs, I mean."
"Yes, it's super cool." Professor Stein said awkwardly. "Trust Harrison Wells to build a particle accelerator with a bit of style. Most scientists don't have an appreciation for the value of aesthetics."
Barry turned to S.T.A.R. Labs again. "Albert Einstein said, "Once you can accept the universe as being something expanding into an infinite nothing which is actually something..."
"…wearing stripes with plaid comes easy." Stein finished as Barry nodded, smiling. "I thought people your age didn't read actual books anymore." He said, looking at Barry with interest.
"Oh, I'm the only one." Barry stammered.
"Oh." Stein nodded. "Physics. Hobby or endeavor?"
"Both, actually." Barry said. "I'm a CSI. I work for the Central City Police Department."
"Really? You look too young for that." Stein noted, surprised.
"That is what they tell me." Barry nodded before turning to S.T.A.R. Labs again. "Are you gonna watch the accelerator turn on tonight?"
"I wouldn't miss it." Stein nodded.
"They say it's gonna change the world." Barry said.
"I hope so." Stein nodded again, smiling.
Present
Later, Barry, Caitlin, Wells and Patty came to visit Clarissa, Stein's wife.
"Of course I've heard of S.T.A.R Labs. Martin was always vocal about the competition." Clarissa said.
"S.T.A.R. Labs is actually helping the CCPD looking into your husband's disappearance, Mrs. Stein." Barry said.
"Oh, please, call me Clarissa." Clarissa said.
"The Conway Prize for Scientific Advancement." Wells looked at the awards on the desk.
"Martin was very proud of that one." Clarissa noted.
"Well, I always hoped to win one of these myself." Wells nodded. "Oh, and look at that, he won it three times."
"Not many people can bruise Harrison Wells's ego." Patty chuckled.
"Martin had a talent for making people jealous." Clarissa nodded, smiling. "Even me. I sometimes think Martin loved his theorems and experiments more than he did me."
"I'm sure that's not true." Caitlin assured her.
"And you haven't heard from your husband since he disappeared?" Barry inquired.
"No." Clarissa shook her head.
"Mrs. Stein, I'm going to show you a photo." Patty showed Clarissa a photo of Ronnie. "Have you seen this man before?"
Clarissa took a closer look and nodded. "Yes, I have." Caitlin looked shock for a moment. "Who is he?"
Barry and Patty hesitated. "Well…"
"Um…"
"He's a person of interest in your husband's case." Wells lied.
"When did you see him?" Caitlin asked.
Clarissa took a breath. "I started getting the feeling that someone was watching me. Sometimes I still do. And about a month after Martin disappeared, that young man showed up here."
Barry, Caitlin, Wells and Patty went out from Clarissa's house as all pieces fell together.
"It appears Martin Stein and Ronnie Raymond have something in common besides sharing a body." Wells said. "They both feel the need to protect the women they love."
"Clarissa said she feels like she's being watched." Barry remembered.
"Well, then..." Wells looked around. "...this has all the makings of a stakeout."
"I guess I'll bring us some coffee for tonight." Patty said.
Later at night, Barry, Patty, Caitlin and Wells were on a stakeout.
"Barry, when we track down Ronnie or Stein or… whoever he is now—"
"We're going to find a way to help him." Barry assured Patty.
"But what if you can't?" Patty asked. "Look, I'm not saying we should… put him down or send him into the Pipeline but he's not making the best case for himself. He's been stalking Clarissa, he attacked an innocent man…"
"Patty. We'll cross that bridge, when it comes down to it." Barry held her hand before they watched the street.
"When I was a little girl and Dad had to work overnight, I'd just stare outside my window, not able to sleep. I'd watch the cars drive down the street, and prepare this speech in my mind before I'd spot his car and go to bed." Patty said. "I'd pretend to be still asleep as Dad would check in on me before I'd wake up and hug him tightly, saying how much I missed him and how much would bogeymen scare me." She smiled, reliving the memory. "You know, I just wish he'd be there for me."
"Patty…" Barry held her hand. "You're not alone. We're all here for you. And Caitlin."
Suddenly, they saw what seemed to be a man on fire fly in the sky.
"Barry, please, tell me you brought your suit." Patty said.
The Flash sped in front of Stein in Ronnie's body.
"Professor Stein!" The Flash said as Stein neared him. "Hey, I'm not here to hurt you. And I know you don't wanna hurt anyone else. So if you could just not..." Stein flamed on. "...flame on."
Stein threw a blast of fire as the Flash dodged before he saw a car explode. The Flash slammed Stein to a pillar before Stein flew up, trying to shake him off as Caitlin, Wells and Patty followed them.
Stein shook Barry off as he was falling down before Stein threw him towards Caitlin's van as he crashed against the windshield and then fell down. Stein landed down and was about to attack before Caitlin stepped up. "No!"
Stein flew up as Caitlin and Patty neared Barry.
"Barry, you OK?" Patty asked.
"Well, that was terrifying." Barry groaned.
Later, CCPD
"And now we've got several calls about sightings of the Burning Man from last night." Patty muttered as they were going over the reports. "Barry, if we don't find a way to contain Stein somehow—"
"Patty, I don't even want to think about it." Barry shook his head.
"I know you don't. And me neither, trust me. But look at the damage that has been done already." Patty pointed out before Barry's phone went off with Caitlin calling.
Later, Central City
Barry, Patty, Caitlin and Clarissa went down the street as they found Stein under the roads.
"There he is. Looks like the tracker Barry placed on him worked." Caitlin said. "Professor Stein?"
"I told you to stay away from me." Stein sighed, turning around.
"And I will but there's someone else who wants to talk to you." Caitlin said.
"Martin?" Clarissa called out as Stein stopped and turned around to face her. "Do you know who I am?"
"Clarissa?" Stein asked.
"Is it really you?" Clarissa asked, still in shock.
"I don't know." Stein breathed out. "I hear the other inside of me, and he wants to go home to her." He turned to Caitlin, all of them apparently still in shock at the sight. "But we can't. I just want to be me again." He panted out, his situation apparently disturbing him.
"Martin. What's my favorite color?" Clarissa asked.
"You could... You could never decide." Stein remembered. "So you chose stripes." Clarissa breathed out, realizing it was her husband. "You shouldn't see me like this."
Clarissa sobbed, caressing his cheek. "I see you. I see you, Martin. These people can help you. They say they can. Please, let them."
Stein turned to Barry, Patty and Caitlin with pleading eyes. "Please, help us."
Later, S.T.A.R. Labs
"Well, we got him. Them. Now what?" Barry asked.
"Stein clearly thinks he can separate himself from Ronnie's body using nuclear fission." Wells said.
"What do you think?" Caitlin asked.
"What do I think?" Wells sighed. "Is it possible? Theoretically. Splitting an atom and splitting a man are two very different things."
They turned to Stein, who apparently was in control of Ronnie's body, with new clothes, cut hair, shaved and cleaned up, none of them help themselves but stare, still not used to the sight, especially Caitlin.
"I don't suppose it's necessary to point out you're all staring." Stein said. Barry, Patty, Caitlin and Wells share awkward looks before turning to Stein again.
"Our apologies." Wells said.
"It is remarkable. I feel clearer than I have since the accident." Stein said. "What did you give me?"
"A cocktail of antipsychotics. Depressants, mood stabilizers." Wells explained.
"The same formula used to treat dissociative identity disorder." Stein realized as he turned to Caitlin. "I assume this was your idea?" She nodded. "Very clever, Cait."
"Don't call me that, please." Caitlin said, clearly uncomfortable.
"I apologize." Stein said.
"We'd like to run some tests on you, if you don't mind." Caitlin said.
"Of course, Dr. Snow." Stein nodded.
Later, Caitlin was running tests on Stein before Wells summoned her into the Cortex.
"You OK?" Barry asked her.
"Yeah, it's just confusing." Caitlin admitted.
"What isn't confusing is what's happening to him now." Wells said, looking at the readings on the computer. "Ronnie's body is rejecting Stein's atoms like a host rejecting a parasite. The resulting instability is causing an exothermic reaction. I worry, if his temperature continues to rise, it'll set off a chain reaction."
"And then what happens?" Barry asked as Wells turned to him, Caitlin and Patty with grim look.
"He could go nuclear." Wells said.
Later, Cisco entered the treadmill chamber as he saw Ronnie, hoping it would be his old friend. "Ronnie." Stein turned to him and then it hit Cisco, who immediately felt awkward. "Not Ronnie."
"Martin Stein." He offered his hand as Cisco shook it.
"Cisco Ramon."
"Your colleagues are in the next room, not so subtly discussing my condition." Stein said.
Cisco went out and approached Wells, Barry, Patty and Caitlin, clearly freaked out. "That's not freaky at all."
"It seems Ronnie's fight with the Flash has exacerbated the Firestorm matrix. It's unstable." Wells explained. "It's exponentially increasing the rate of fission inside his body."
"How long does he have?" Caitlin asked.
"If his temperature keeps rising at the current pace, no more than a couple of hours." Wells said.
"There's gotta be a way to fix it. Is there?" Patty asked.
"Can you separate them before it's too late?" Barry inquired.
"Any attempt we make to separate the two of them could be catastrophic. A nuclear explosion." Wells explained. "And a nuclear explosion of this magnitude would level this entire city. Unless..."
"Unless what?" Barry asked.
"Unless the host body were no longer functional." Wells said as Caitlin stared at him in shock and disbelief.
"You wanna kill Ronnie?" Caitlin demanded.
"No, I don't wanna kill Ronnie." Wells shook his head. "But in this scenario, Ronnie is the host body."
"If you kill Ronnie, you kill Stein. That's two people." Cisco protested.
"I don't know how else to stop it." Wells said. "And my guess is that if Ronnie and Professor Stein knew the consequences that we were all facing, they would make the same decision." Barry wiped his face as Patty sighed. "It's two lives for millions."
Caitlin turned to Barry, Patty and Cisco. "Can you give us a minute?"
Barry, Cisco and Patty left, leaving Caitlin alone with Wells.
"Caitlin—"
"I've already lost Ronnie once. I'm not gonna do it again." Caitlin interrupted Wells. "You said we have a couple of hours. Use them."
"Hey." Barry called out, entering the Speed Lab as Stein turned to him. "Sorry. Can I get you anything, or—"
"A glass of Chateau Haut-Brion Pessac-Leognan 1982 might be nice." Stein mused. "Or maybe it wouldn't. This body's taste buds would obviously be different from my own. Perhaps I'm now a light beer man."
"Could be worse." Patty shrugged.
"You mean like a living nuclear bomb?" Stein asked as Barry and Patty had sympathetic looks.
"You know." Barry realized.
"Unstable nuclear fission was always a danger in the transmutation process." Plus, you all argue very loudly." Stein said as he went out, while Barry and Patty were following him.
"I'm sorry. But my friends are gonna figure out how to fix this, I promise." Barry said.
"I remember meeting you, Mr. Allen, on the train." Stein said as they entered the Cortex. "You were headed to S.T.A.R. Labs with a girl, but not your girlfriend."
Patty flushed as Barry sighed, leaning onto the computer desk. "Yeah."
"I've seen how you two look at each other. Just as Clarissa looks at me, Detective Spivot." Stein said. "You know, Einstein was not only brilliant, he had a great sense of humor." He paced, trying to remember. "How did it go? 'Any man who drives safely while kissing a pretty girl, is not giving the pretty girl the attention she deserves.'"
Patty smiled. "We're trying to work things out but… it's not easy. Things are…"
"…complicated, as you have seen." Barry said. "You saved mine and Patty's lives during the Christmas. I think you can understand that, Professor."
"So, what do you think?" Barry asked as they went out.
"I think he may have a point but it's not that simple." Patty said.
"It rarely is. But I'm willing to try. What about you?" Barry said.
"I am, too. I don't know where we'll end up but I'm willing to see it through." Patty held his hand.
They went back into the Cortex as Barry turned to Wells. "Hey, anything?"
"I have an idea. It's a bit of a Hail Mary, but Cisco and I are gonna give it a try." Wells said.
"Thank you." Caitlin smiled.
"I'll get Professor Stein." Barry was about to leave before Cisco entered.
"Looking for the professor? Yeah, he's gone." Cisco said, much to their horror.
"You guys almost done?" Barry asked, while suiting up and Cisco and Wells were finishing some device.
"Hang on, hang on." Cisco said.
"I found Stein. He's in the badlands. The middle of nowhere, 30 miles outside of Central City." Caitlin said.
"Minimum safe distance." Cisco said.
"He's sacrificing himself." Wells realized.
"To make sure no one gets caught in the explosion." Patty added.
"How much time does he have left?" Barry inquired.
"12 minutes." Cisco said as he and Wells finished the device.
"And we're done." Wells said.
"What is it?" Barry asked.
"This is a quantum splicer." Wells said.
"Will it work to separate them?" Caitlin asked.
"We'll know in 12 minutes." Wells said, handing Barry the quantum splicer. "Now, Barry, even you can't outrun a nuclear blast, so you get this device to Professor Stein and you get out of there as fast as you can."
Then they noticed Caitlin walking off too.
"Wait, Caitlin, what are you doing?" Patty asked.
"I'm going with Barry." Caitlin said.
"No, you're not." Barry protested.
"It's too dangerous." Wells protested.
"Barry doesn't know how to operate the splicer." Caitlin said, putting on her coat.
"Cisco's gonna talk me through it." Barry argued.
"There's not enough time." Caitlin countered as Barry sighed. "Let's go."
"Go." Wells insisted before Barry sped off with Patty and they heard the computer ping. "What was that?" Wells asked as Cisco turned to the computer.
"Uh, comm system's on the fritz. I'll be right back." Cisco said before he went into a corridor and then a few moments later, Patty's phone rang as she looked at it, noticing the results of the blood samples that Cisco and Joe had found in Barry's old home, noticing that the blood sample was of an adult Barry.
"Oh, my God…" Patty whispered.
"What is it, Patty?" Wells asked.
"A perp that we've been chasing for a while now, I think we finally got him. I gotta go." Patty ran off.
Badlands outside Central City
Stein was in the middle of badlands, readying his gun before the Flash sped to the scene with Caitlin.
"Professor Stein!" Barry called out as Stein turned around.
"What are you doing here? You can't be here! Get her out of here, now!" Stein ordered.
"Please, look, Ronnie's still in there somewhere." Caitlin begged, nearing Stein.
"All those people, Clarissa, I won't let them die. It's better I end this now." Stein said.
"We can separate you! We can stop the explosion." Barry pleaded as Stein was about to shoot himself.
"How?" Stein demanded.
"A quantum splicer." Caitlin showed him the device in her hand. "It's a fission device designed to bombard your atoms with as much energy as they experienced in the particle accelerator explosion. It should be enough to separate you. Please, professor, you have nothing left to lose." She put the device on Stein's chest as she looked into the eyes of her fiancé. "Ronnie, if you're in there, I love you."
Stein kissed Caitlin before pulling away. "That was from him."
"I look forward to meeting you in person, Professor." Caitlin said as she attached the splicer to Stein, who started to go up in flames. "It's not working!"
S.T.A.R. Labs
"Oh, my God…" Patty whispered.
"He's not gonna make it. He's gonna blow." Cisco realized.
"Get out of there. Barry, get out of there, now!" Wells ordered.
Badlands outside Central City
Stein was being consumed by flames as Caitlin was trying to reach out in despair, while Barry was holding her back.
"Oh, no. No, no!" Caitlin cried out.
"Caitlin, we have to go." Barry ordered.
"Run!" Stein yelled before screaming in agony.
"No!" Caitlin exclaimed as Barry picked her off and sped off and Stein exploded, while Barry was trying to outrun the blast with Caitlin in his arms.
Elsewhere
In a U.S. military base, the soldiers were observing the readings on a map on the screen one of the soldiers approached the man in general's outfit.
"Sir, we have a thermonuclear detonation, approximately 30 miles northeast of Central City."
"Deploy the Rapid Response Team, sergeant. Bring me Firestorm." General Eiling ordered.
Don't get me started on how not cool it was from Iris how she sabotaged Barry/Linda by implying that he had feelings for "someone else" but Barry never told Iris about how he felt and I'm trying to make Barry's and Iris's relationship more on friendly basis and make her more tolerable. But I'm not involving Iris in here much since unless there's a big issue I have with her that needs fixing or addressing, don't expect her to appear in here unless I deem it necessary. Some people argue that Iris sabotaged the relationship on accident but I don't buy it, considering how hurt she was after she saw Barry return to Linda and ate the ghost chili pepper in front of dozens of people to convince Linda to go out with him.
So, what do you guys think?
Please review and let me know if you have been enjoying this and want for me to continue.