CHAPTER 6: The Fastest Man Alive
The fluorescent lights of the S.T.A.R. Labs med-bay seemed almost too bright after weeks of dim, emergency lighting. Adam sat by Barry's bedside, a half-eaten bag of suspiciously cheesy-smelling chips in his lap, humming a tune that sounded vaguely like the "Imperial March" from Star Wars. " Come on, Scarlet Speedster. Time to wake up and smell the, uh, burnt electronics and impending doom. We've got a whole city of soon-to-be-mutants just waiting for you to save them. No pressure. "
He glanced at Caitlin, who was meticulously adjusting an IV drip, her brow furrowed with concern. Cisco, meanwhile, was sketching furiously in a notebook, muttering about "frictionless suits" and "aerodynamic cowl designs." Wells, as always, was a silent, watchful presence, his eyes missing nothing.
Suddenly, Barry's fingers twitched. Then his eyelids fluttered. A collective gasp went around the room. Adam, ever the opportunist, immediately leaned in. "Well, look what the lightning dragged in. Morning, sleepyhead. Had a nice nap? Because while you were catching Zs, the world went a little bit bonkers. Just a heads-up."
Barry's eyes, unfocused at first, slowly blinked open. He looked around the room, confusion clouding his features. "Where… where am I? What happened?" His voice was raspy, unused.
"You're in S.T.A.R. Labs, my friend," Adam announced, popping another chip into his mouth. "And what happened was, to put it mildly, a catastrophic scientific boo-boo. Long story short, a particle accelerator went kaboom, you got zapped by lightning while swimming in dark matter, and now you've been doing your best Sleeping Beauty impression for the past nine months. It's been… eventful. We've missed your charming banter, by the way. Mostly."
Caitlin immediately rushed forward, her professionalism taking over. "Barry? Can you hear me? Do you know who I am?" She began a rapid-fire assessment, checking his pupils, his reflexes.
"Caitlin… Cisco…" Barry mumbled, his gaze landing on each of them. Then his eyes drifted to Wells, a flicker of recognition, then back to Adam, a puzzled frown. "And… you are?"
Adam put a hand to his chest, feigning offense. "Ouch! That stings, Barry. After all the emotional support I've provided, the existential wisdom, the witty repartee… I'm Adam Stiels. Your personal sarcastic consultant, purveyor of inconvenient truths, and the guy who knows exactly what kind of pizza you secretly crave. We've been patiently waiting for you to rejoin the land of the living. It's been dull without you, honestly. Too much science, not enough superheroics."
Wells interjected smoothly, his voice calm. "Mr. Allen, I am Dr. Harrison Wells. This is Dr. Caitlin Snow, and Cisco Ramon. And as Mr. Stiels so eloquently put it, he has been… assisting us." There was an unsaid emphasis on "assisting," a hint of his ongoing suspicion.
Barry pushed himself up, wincing slightly. "Assisting with what? Why do I feel… weird?" He looked at his hands, flexing his fingers. "And why am I so… hungry?"
"Ah, the hunger," Adam said sagely, nodding. "A classic symptom. Along with the sudden urge to run a marathon in your pajamas. Don't worry, it's normal. Ish. And the 'weird' feeling? That's probably the 'super-speed' kicking in. Or the dark matter. Or both. It's a lot to process, I know. But hey, at least you didn't wake up with a craving for human brains. Small victories."
Barry stared at him, bewildered. "Super-speed? What are you talking about?"
"He's talking about the fact that you're not just awake, Barry," Cisco chimed in, practically vibrating with excitement. "You're different. When we were monitoring your vitals, your cellular regeneration was off the charts! Your metabolism is insane! We think… we think you have superpowers!"
Barry scoffed. "Superpowers? Guys, that's crazy. I'm just… Barry." He tried to swing his legs off the bed, and in a blur, he was on the floor, stumbling forward, only to be caught by Adam who, to everyone's surprise, reacted with surprising speed.
"Whoa there, Flash-in-training!" Adam steadied him, a genuine smile replacing his usual smirk. "See? Told you. You're fast. Really fast. Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single… well, maybe not yet, but give it time. And maybe some spandex."
Barry looked at Adam, then at his hands, then back at Adam, his eyes wide with disbelief. He took a hesitant step, and then another, faster, until he was practically jogging in place. "I… I'm moving really fast! How is this happening?"
"Dark matter, Barry," Wells explained, his voice gaining a touch of professional excitement. "The lightning bolt that struck you wasn't ordinary lightning. It was infused with the exotic particles released by the accelerator. It appears to have rewritten your cellular structure, granting you superhuman speed."
"And it's awesome!" Cisco cheered, already sketching a new costume design. "You're gonna be a superhero, Barry! We can call you… The Streak! Or… The Blur! Or… The Flash!"
"The Flash," Barry repeated, a thoughtful expression on his face. He tested his speed again, a small, controlled burst of movement across the room. He ran to the wall, then back, a faint blur.
Adam clapped his hands. "Alright, everyone, give him some space! He needs to process this. And also, he probably needs a sandwich. Or five. Seriously, the metabolism on speedsters is no joke. You're going to be eating us out of house and home, Barry. Start preparing your grocery budget now."
Over the next few days, Barry's control over his speed slowly grew, aided by the scientific minds of Caitlin and Cisco, and the… unique insights of Adam. Adam would drop hints about specific training exercises Barry would need, always framing them as "a vision I had" or "a particularly strong gut feeling."
" My job here is to accelerate the learning curve. Barry's a good guy, but he can be a little slow on the uptake, ironically. A little nudge here, a little sarcastic push there, and boom, instant superhero. "
He'd "predict" minor mishaps, like Barry phasing through a wall accidentally, or running through a perp too fast to catch them. This helped the team anticipate problems and devise solutions faster. Barry, while still trying to wrap his head around Adam's "psychic" abilities, found himself trusting the strange man's instincts.
One evening, as Barry was testing his speed on a treadmill, Adam leaned against the console next to Cisco. "You know, I had another one of those… insights. About our buddy, Clyde Mardon. The weather wizard. Remember him? The guy who basically tried to vacuum seal my lungs?"
Cisco looked up. "Yeah? What about him?"
"Well, my vision was a little hazy," Adam said, feigning concentration. "But I saw him again. And he's definitely got powers now. Bigger and badder. And he's probably going to try and cause some meteorological mayhem. Like, next-level storms. Maybe even a tornado. He's got a real flair for the dramatic, that guy."
Cisco's eyes widened. "A tornado? But… how would he even do that?"
"Dark matter, my friend," Adam replied with a shrug. "It does wonders for a budding supervillain's ego. And his ability to manipulate atmospheric pressure. Just a hunch, though. Could be wrong. Could be a hurricane. Either way, get ready to chase some clouds, Barry." He nudged the speedster, who was now a red blur on the treadmill.
Barry, momentarily distracted, almost stumbled. "A tornado? You think he could actually do that?"
"Wouldn't surprise me," Adam said, giving Wells a pointed look. "The world's a weird place now, Barry. And it's only going to get weirder. Welcome to the party. Now, about that superhero name… 'The Streak' is really not going to cut it."