In the Star Labs workshop, Barry assembles a prototype in a matter of seconds. Once finished, he examines it and attempts to activate it, but nothing happens.
"This won't even activate," Barry mutters, closing his eyes and massaging the bridge of his nose.
With a sigh, he adds, "I have to dismantle it again."
Using his super speed, he takes it apart and checks his notebook to see if he made a mistake. He quickly spots the error, he had installed the wrong piece.
"No wonder," Barry remarks as he corrects his mistake.
He glances at his tachyon device and chuckles, accidentally making a sound like a villager.
Smiling, he decides to test the device, placing it on his chest where it sticks in place. When he activates it, sparks fly from the prototype, prompting him to immediately remove it and toss it to the floor.
"Tch, short circuit," Barry grumbles, scratching the back of his head.
Just then, someone enters the workshop. Cisco leans against the doorway, arms crossed. "What are you doing here?"
"Working on my own device, but it short-circuited," Barry admits, kneeling to retrieve the tachyon device.
Cisco steps closer, curiosity lighting his face. "Let me see." He plucks the device from Barry's hand.
"Wow, this is something else," Cisco breathes, turning the tech over in his palms. "What is this for?"
"It's a tachyon device," Barry explains. "It'll help me harness tachyon particles to make me faster."
Cisco taps the device against his palm. "Can I see your notes?"
Barry passes him the notebook. Cisco flips through the pages, eyebrows climbing. "With the way you designed this, the device would overheat the moment you activated it, causing the short circuit."
"Really?" Barry blinks.
Cisco drops the notebook onto the table, snatches a pen, and scribbles adjustments. "With these adjustments, it shouldn't short-circuit."
"Alright," Barry agrees. In seconds, his hands blur as he reassembles the device with the new calculations.
Cisco stares, lips parted. The speed of Barry's work leaves him equal parts impressed and envious, what takes normal engineers hours, Barry accomplishes between heartbeats.
Barry placed the device on his chest and activated it. A blue glow appeared in the center, surging through his entire body.
To him, it felt like a rush of adrenaline, electrifying every fiber of his being. His body crackled with lightning, reminiscent of a Super Saiyan 2.
The change altered his perception of the world, everything stood still, as if time had frozen just for him. Normally, things merely slowed down, but now, motion ceased entirely.
He registered the transformation in an instant. His lips parted as the realization struck him.
"Seems like time st—"
Before he could finish describing the impossible stillness, time snapped back to normal, forcing him to experience the world at its usual speed again.
Barry's eyes widened, darting around the room as he struggled to process what had just happened.
Cisco, watching him closely, leaned forward with a mix of curiosity and concern. "Did it work?"
Barry shook his head slowly, his voice tinged with stunned disbelief. "Yeah."
Despite the success, a creeping unease settled over him. His muscles tensed as he glanced down at his hands, half-expecting something terrible to happen.
Then, without warning, his body betrayed him. His legs gave out, sending him crashing to the floor. A jolt of shock and panic surged through him, nothing like this had ever happened before.
Cisco dropped to his knees beside him, his voice sharp with worry. "Barry, you okay?"
Acting on instinct, Barry tore the device off his chest, his breaths coming in ragged gasps as an unnatural sensation coiled inside him.
"I think so," Barry muttered between shallow breaths, his words strained. "My whole body feels out of syn—"
A violent wave of nausea hit him like a punch to the gut. He lurched forward, palms slamming against the floor as he gagged, fighting to keep the bile down. His jaw clenched as he forced himself to swallow.
Cisco reached out to steady him, but Barry weakly lifted a trembling hand to stop him, his face pale with the effort of not retching.
Then, the room tilted. His vision spun wildly, and before he could steady himself, he toppled onto his side. Cisco grabbed his shoulders, shaking him urgently.
"Barry, what's happening?" Cisco demanded, his voice tight with alarm.
Barry's eyelids fluttered as his sight dimmed, shadows creeping in at the edges. His voice was barely a whisper. "I think I'm going blind."
The darkness swallowed his vision completely, plunging him into nothingness.
Cisco's grip on his shoulders tightened, his shout ringing through the room. "Barry, are you okay? Caitlin, Barry needs your help!"
Barry's fingers weakly closed around Cisco's forearm, his strength fading fast. His words slurred slightly as he fought to stay conscious. "Cisco, I'm blanking out."
"Hold on, Barry!" Cisco's voice was raw with desperation. "Caitlin, hurry!"
Barry's fingers slipped away, his arm going limp as the last of his strength drained from him.
The sound of rapid footsteps echoed from a distance as Caitlin finally arrived. Her eyes widened in shock at the sight of Barry lying unconscious on the floor.
Kneeling beside him, Caitlin quickly rolled Barry onto his back and began checking his vitals. Her fingers pressed against his wrist, then moved to his neck as she monitored his pulse. The results alarmed her - his heart was beating far too slowly for a speedster.
'This isn't his normal heart rate,' Caitlin thought, her medical training kicking into high gear.
"Cisco, help me carry him to the med bay," she ordered, her voice tense with urgency.
Cisco gave a quick nod and moved to support Barry's shoulders while Caitlin took his legs. Together, they carefully transported their unconscious friend to the medical facility.
Once they had Barry secured on the examination bed, Caitlin immediately began working to stabilize him. Her hands moved with practiced precision as she administered treatment, determined to restore his heart rate to its usual rhythm.
The tense minutes stretched on as Caitlin monitored the equipment. After thirty-five minutes. The steady beeping of the heart monitor finally indicated Barry's pulse had returned to normal.
Caitlin wiped the sweat from her brow, her voice tense as she asked, "What happen?"
Cisco hesitated before answering, "He try his tachyon device."
Her eyes narrowed. "Tachyon device?"
"He want to get even faster, so he want to harness the Tachyon Particles to make him moves even faster," Cisco explained.
Caitlin clenched her fists. "Why you didn't stop him?"
"Because I thought he can handle it since he is a speedster," Cisco said defensively.
She shot him a sharp look. "Next time, tell me first before he done anything stupid."
"Alright," Cisco muttered. Then, after a pause, he added, "So, what happen to him?"
Caitlin let out a frustrated sigh. "Based on what I see, he goes too fast that his mind and body can't handle the whiplash of it." Her voice softened with concern. "I'm worried about his wellbeing."
A small, reluctant smirk tugged at Cisco's lips. "So, it does work."
Before he could react, Caitlin smacked his shoulder. "Don't you ever tell him that."
Rubbing his arm, Cisco nodded. "Got it."
About three hours later, Barry jolted awake with a grunt like sound as he sat up. He looked around and close his eyes knows what happen to himself.
Seeing that Barry has awake, Caitlin quickly enter the med bay.
"How are you feeling, Barry?" Caitlin asked, checking the monitors.
"Dr. Snow—" Barry began hoarsely.
"Call me Caitlin," she interrupted softly.
Barry smile as he said, his voice gaining strength, "Caitlin, I feel like normal. My bad making you work. Does your boss still pays you."
"Y-yeah...but that's not the point," Caitlin replied, moving closer. "Do you feels anything wrong with your body?"
"No, I'm feeling fine," Barry assured her, then added with a grin, "But I do am hungry."
"Alright, I'm glad," Caitlin said, crossing her arms. Then she lecture sternly, "Next time don't do something foolish."
"I know, usually I make sure the calculation was right," Barry admitted, rubbing his neck. "My bad, since I was too excited to test my prototype out."
"If you understand that is okay," Caitlin conceded with a small sigh.
As they stay silent for second, Caitlin asked curiously, "Why are you trying to get faster? Isn't your speed is enough moving faster than sound."
"Did Cisco calculate that?" Barry smile knowingly. "And to answer your question, I have far faster enemy that I have to fought in the future."
"You act like you know something," Caitlin observed, studying his face.
"I saw the future, can't you blame me," Barry said gravely. "I saw someone moving faster than light. What you expect me to do that."