At the dinner table, Iris, Joe, and Barry picked at their breakfast. Though it was morning, Barry and Iris were already dressed for the speech they'd attend later.
Barry stifled a yawn, his eyes heavy. He'd pulled an all-nighter finishing the equation alone.
"Rough night?" Iris tilted her head.
"Got home late." Barry shrugged, avoiding the full story. "Crime scene call."
She nodded in understanding.
"Joe, you driving us?" Barry glanced at him between bites.
A grunt of confirmation. Joe kept chewing.
"So." Joe wiped his mouth. "No girlfriend, Barry?"
"Who has the time?"
"Planning to die single, then?"
Barry smirked. "Doubt it. Pretty sure I'll outlive you both."
Joe barked a laugh. "Spoken like a man who's seen his own obituary." Iris giggled into her coffee.
'If only you knew.' Barry drink the water in the glass.
"Almost forgot—" Joe tapped the table. "Star Labs has been blowing up your phone."
"I'll drop by after the speech."
After breakfast, Joe drove them to the Stagg Industries event. On the way, Barry filled Iris in on what she needed to know.
"His biggest project right now is cell replication," Iris noted.
"Technically, he probably stole that too," Barry muttered.
"What do you mean, 'this one too'?"
"He's been sued at least twenty times for the exact same thing. And you know why he doesn't care? Because the research he stole is worth way more than the fines."
Iris clenched her fists. "How does he keep getting away with it?"
Barry sighed. "Money. The city bends to his will. Unless we find concrete proof, there's nothing we can do and that's nearly impossible."
"Barry's right," Joe cut in. "Even our mayor's corrupt. We just have to live with it." His grip tightened on the steering wheel. "That's how things are."
"Isn't there anything you can do?" Iris pressed.
In unison, Joe and Barry shook their heads, their matching resigned expressions saying more than words ever could.
. . . .
An old man stood at the podium, clutching a trophy awarded by Central City University for his breakthrough in organ transference. Simon Stagg, CEO of Stagg Industries, basked in the applause.
Iris focused intently on the speech, while beside her, Barry stood with his eyes closed, asleep on his feet.
When the speech ended, Iris turned. "Barry—"
She froze, realizing he was dozing upright. The moment her hand brushed his arm, he jolted awake, blinking at her. "What is it?"
"You fell asleep?" Iris whispered.
"Yeah, my bad. Just tired," he admitted, rubbing his neck.
"You should've told me you were exhausted."
"Made a promise, didn't I?"
Iris huffed. "You should put yourself first sometimes."
"That's terrible advice."
"You know what I mean."
Barry grinned and ruffled her hair. "Yeah, sure."
Iris stiffened, he'd never done that before. Before she could react, he stepped back.
"Gonna hit the restroom," he said.
"Okay," she replied, still staring after him as he walked away.
Iris saw that Simon Stagg was talking to another guest, so she decided to approach him to ask a question.
But before she could do that, a lone man wearing a crudely welded metal mask appeared, holding a gun.
Suddenly, his body created a clone, also holding a gun. Then, the clone and the man made another, and another, until the room was instantly packed with duplicates. Luckily, one girl started screaming so loudly that even Barry heard her.
Barry stripped off his clothes, revealing his Flash suit underneath. He folded them and left them on the sink before rushing out only to freeze in shock at the scene.
'I thought there were only supposed to be three people. Why are there so many clones now?' The Flash thought. He had to admit, 'Hmm, smart move with the metal mask. Makes it harder to ID him.'
Then it hit him. 'Wait a minute… If he's that smart, then fuck.'
Without hesitation, he ran straight through one of the clones.
It was the worst idea possible. The clone exploded, showering him in a wave of blood that coated his entire body.
He clenched his eyes shut as the metallic taste of blood hit his tongue.
But he kept running, saving people one by one, carrying them outside the building.
When he grabbed the last person, his eyes locked onto Stagg.
"I'm letting you die. I can't risk you creating more dangerous variables that could fuck me over later.'
After relocating the final survivor, he doubled back just in case, only to find Stagg already dead, a bullet through his head.
But something was off. The remaining clone stood completely still.
Suddenly, the clones dissolved, including the blood, erasing all evidence of the man who had caused the chaos.
The Flash watched as the blood on his suit vanished into thin air.
'I don't like this. They're getting smarter now,' he thought.
With the threat gone, he hurried back to the restroom and changed into his normal clothes. Stepping out like nothing had happened, he played the part of a confused bystander, glancing around at the empty room.
Then, spotting Stagg's lifeless body on the ground, he walked over and checked for a pulse.
Nothing.
Acting the part of a concerned civilian, he pulled out his phone and called the CCPD to report a dead body.
. . . .
The CCPD swarmed Stagg Industries, officers pulling statements from every witness. All their stories matched.
"We saw a person duplicate into more people." The witness's hands trembled as he spoke.
"It was like that one anime, the yellow-haired kid." A younger attendee rubbed his arms like he was still seeing it.
"It was very terrifying. In seconds there were multiple men with the metal mask." The woman's voice cracked mid-sentence.
Barry and Iris had just finished giving their statements when Joe and Eddie approached, their expressions unreadable.
Barry didn't waste time. "Have you seen the camera footage?"
Eddie dragged a hand down his face before answering. "We have. Our reality is changing by the second. I kinda hate it."
Joe crossed his arms, his mouth a hard line. "In the past, tornados were only created by nature. Now a person can just create one."
Barry shifted his weight toward the exit. "I'm good to go right? I still have other things to do."
Eddie just shrugged, exhaustion in his eyes. "Yeah, there's barely anything to do. All of the evidence evaporated."
"Good." Barry was already turning away. "I'm gonna go meet up with the people from Star Labs. See you guys later."
Iris offered a small wave. "Bye Barry."
A quick nod, a practiced smile, and Barry strode out of Stagg Industries. He flagged down a taxi and slid into the backseat. "Star Labs."
Only one thought burned in his mind:
'Whoever has that duplication power, wait for me. I need to finish my tachyon harness first. Then finding you will take less than a second.'
Twenty-seven minutes later, he stood motionless outside S.T.A.R. Labs' gate, waiting for Cisco or Caitlin to buzz him in.
A crackle of static preceded the voice through the speaker: "Come in."
Barry strode through the doors and made straight for the Cortex.
"Got your message. I'm here," he announced, the words clipped.
Caitlin's fingers tightened around her tablet. "We need to talk."
"About what?"
"Start with how you really know Dr. Wells," she demanded.
Cisco stepped forward, arms folded. "And why the hell Dr. Harrison Wells had superspeed."
A slow smile spread across Barry's face as he leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms.
"He's from the future. He came back to the past to kill me as a child, but he failed, so he killed my mom instead." A flicker of anger darkened Barry's expression.
Cisco and Caitlin stared at him, minds reeling from the impossible claim.
"But that doesn't make sense. If he failed to kill you as a child, why didn't he try again when you were in a coma or before you got your powers?" Caitlin's voice was sharp with skepticism.
Barry hesitated, avoiding their eyes. "That's... I don't know." The words came out hollow, like he was holding something back.
Cisco leaned forward, eyes narrowing. "But how do you know any of this?"
"I got fragments of memories from my future self." Barry's tone was flat, leaving no room for doubt.
Silence stretched between them. Caitlin's fingers tightened around her tablet, while Cisco ran a hand through his hair, struggling to reconcile logic with what they'd just heard. Deep down, neither wanted to believe it.
"It's fine if you don't believe me. I'm just a coma patient you treated. Thanks, by the way, for taking care of me." Barry straightened, weariness giving way to resolve. "This fight is mine alone either way."
He turned to leave.
"Was the particle accelerator explosion deliberate?" Caitlin's question stopped him cold.
"Yes." Without another word, he walked out, his footsteps echoing down the hall toward the workshop.
Cisco let out a strained breath. "You actually buying any of that?"
"I don't know. None of it adds up."Caitlin's voice was quiet, uneasy.
"Wells, a time-traveling murderer? Seriously?" Cisco forced a laugh, but it rang false, Barry's words had planted a seed of doubt, and now it was taking root.