Interdimensional Energy Detector
Two days later, Cisco held a gadget resembling a tennis racket radiating a soft blue glow, the handle twice as thick as a normal racket's.
"Folks, this is going to revolutionize our understanding of the world, breaking old perceptions and leading us toward human, cosmic, and worldly advancement. This tennis racket shall be named—"
Before Cisco could christen the device, Elon interjected, "Radiation Detector."
Cisco, visibly annoyed, retorted, "Hey, I worked with you for two days to design this racket, and you just snatched my right to name it? That's unethical, man."
Elon, with a shrug, replied, "I just think any name you'd come up with wouldn't be as good as mine."
"What? How can you be sure your 'Interdimensional Energy Detector' is better than my 'Radiation Detector'?" Cisco protested, continuing the debate.
"That's it, we need an impartial opinion to decide the name," Cisco declared.
Just then, Barry appeared in the lab, his arrival marked by a burst of yellow lightning that ruffled Cisco's hair.
"Good morning, guys. Hope I'm not late?" Barry said with a casual smile.
"Nope, you're just in time. We're about to settle the final issue before we head out," Cisco informed him.
Elon, impatient, gestured towards the door, "Let's go; we can discuss it on the way. I can't wait any longer."
Barry, puzzled by the exchange between Elon and Cisco, followed them out of S.T.A.R. Labs.
Cisco kept grumbling, "Just so you know, I put fifty percent of the effort into that 'racket,' and if we're not using my name, we're not using yours either. I don't think yours is that great."
Barry, still clueless, asked, "What are you guys talking about? What name?"
Holding the 'racket,' Cisco consulted Barry, "What do you think sounds better: 'Interdimensional Energy Detector' or 'Radiation Detector'?"
Barry examined the device and said, "So this is for detecting energy reactions in my lab? Looks like a tennis racket, why not call it the 'Tennis Racket Detector'?"
Cisco sighed, "Okay, it seems we can't decide on a name, so we'll have to combine them. From now on, this is the 'Interdimensional Energy Radiation Detector.'"
"Why not 'Interdimensional Energy Radiation Tennis Racket Detector'?" Barry protested, feeling his contribution to the name had been overlooked.
"NO," Elon and Cisco simultaneously dismissed the suggestion.
Cisco teased, "Ouch, Elon seems to have a strong aversion to your name."
Elon, rubbing his forehead, explained to Barry, "Your name is awful. People will think it's a detector for inspecting tennis rackets."
Cisco shook his head, "I can already hear the ridicule: 'Who's the idiot who designed this thing?' Elon and I don't want to be those idiots, so your suggestion is vetoed. Elon won't let the handsome Cisco be spoken of that way."
The trio bickered all the way to the garage, where they boarded a S.T.A.R. Labs research vehicle. Cisco drove, Elon took shotgun, and Barry sat in the back.
Elon, curious, asked Barry, "Don't you usually find cars too slow?"
Barry awkwardly replied, "Yeah... sometimes I like to slow down and enjoy the world."
Elon nodded, deep in thought.
Cisco glanced at Elon and defended his charm, "You know, I've had a hundred percent success rate with getting phone numbers when I hit on someone."
Elon observed the world rushing by outside the window – the houses, trees, and the bustling crowd of diverse people. It had been days since he'd left S.T.A.R. Labs, and the outside world felt foreign, as if from another lifetime.
Leaning against the car window, Elon softly thanked his companions, "Cisco, Barry, thank you."
"Are you trying to distract me from my anxiety and disappointment with your endless chatter?"
The car fell silent for a moment. This tactic was something Cisco and Barry had concocted, unable to bear seeing Elon swing between hope and despair. They hoped their constant conversation might lessen Elon's negative emotions.
Cisco confessed, "Actually, we've been detecting unknown energies since a month after the particle accelerator explosion: X-rays, dark energy, antimatter. We were searching for these theoretical energies."
"Unfortunately, we found nothing. It seemed theoretical until you and Barry woke up, proving 'it' existed, at least on the night of the explosion, before disappearing, vanishing. Maybe our technology isn't advanced enough to detect 'them.'"
Patting Elon's shoulder from behind, Barry offered some comfort, "Elon, I'm sorry we didn't tell you. I know the pain of disappointment. It was my idea to keep this from you... I didn't know how to bring it up."
Barry's voice faded, empathizing with Elon's rollercoaster of hope and despair in his quest for home. Barry felt his own plight was less tragic; at least he could occasionally visit his father and continue seeking the truth about his mother's murder. Elon, on the other hand, was separated from his loved ones by an entire universe, with no means of communication.
Most believed Elon's chances of returning were slim, the likelihood of such an event recurring unpredictable. Even another particle accelerator explosion offered no guarantee.
"I've always been prepared for disappointment. My determination to return home is unchangeable, fueling my will to survive. Just like you can't give up seeking the truth about your mother's murder, Barry. Even at the cost of life, it's a must," Elon said with a faint smile.
"Don't worry. I'm not as fragile as you think. My obsession to return only makes me stronger, more resilient. Whether it's hope or disappointment, my research to find a way back won't waver."
"And Cisco, your hundred percent success rate with getting phone numbers is definitely because you've never actually tried," Elon teased.
Cisco was startled, jerking the steering wheel.
"How did you know?"
Laughter filled the car as Barry and Elon reveled in the moment.
Chapter 21: Beyond the Veil
If a breach truly existed, then all it would take to return home was to open it—a simple and convenient solution. Why hadn't Elon thought of this before? He had been caught in the belief that only Wells' 25th-century scientific knowledge could send him back, struggling within that confining circle.
The truth was straightforward: find a breach where he arrived, and step through it, just like opening and walking through a door. Everything was that simple.
Elon, invigorated as if injected with adrenaline, was brimming with excitement. He grasped Wells' arm, his voice filled with fervor, "It must have been the lightning striking that black energy sphere, activating some unknown, extraordinary interdimensional power source. Perhaps that black energy sphere itself was the interdimensional energy, activated to create a passage to this world."
"In theory, interdimensional energy could leak from one universe to another. With enough leakage, it might form an interdimensional black hole leading to another world."
Elon's eyes sparkled with enthusiasm, and he unintentionally gripped Wells' arm a bit too tightly.
Wells winced in pain, feeling as if his arm were trapped in a vise. "Ah..."
Realizing his excessive excitement, Elon quickly released Wells' arm. His strength, especially when agitated, was not something ordinary people could withstand. He had felt Wells' bones give under his grip, leaving a deep red imprint on Wells' arm.
Watching Wells sweat and gasp in pain, Elon felt a mix of guilt and secret elation, although the grip had been an unintentional result of his excitement.
"Dr. Wells, I'm so sorry, I got carried away," Elon apologized genuinely.
Wells, trembling, replied weakly, "Elon, your priority now is to create a detector to find interdimensional energy, while I... I need to find Caitlin for some treatment..."
Wells looked almost comical, shaking in his wheelchair like a person with epilepsy, a stark contrast to his usual composed and erudite demeanor. Elon nearly laughed but managed to restrain himself and hurriedly wheeled Wells to Caitlin for medical attention.
"My God, it's almost a fracture," Caitlin exclaimed upon seeing the deep purple bruise forming on Wells' arm.
"It was an accident, pure and simple. I'll get the blood activators, painkillers, and anticoagulants. Caitlin, please start massaging around Dr. Wells' wound to promote circulation and apply a cold compress."
Elon rushed to the medicine cabinet, well-acquainted with the lab from his frequent examinations alongside Barry. Caitlin massaged Wells' arm, easing the pain as Elon returned with the medicines.
After their care, Wells was out of danger, though he needed to avoid straining his arm for a few days. The combination of medication and exhaustion lulled him into a restful sleep on the hospital bed.
Caitlin pulled Elon aside in the hallway, her eyes wide with a ferocity akin to a tigress, "Elon, if you dare hurt Dr. Wells again, I'll slap you silly!"
She raised a file above her head, threatening to bring it down. The sight of Wells in such agony had frightened her; she had never seen him like this, sweating and gritting his teeth in pain.
During her darkest days, when she had lost her reputation, her fiancé, and everything that mattered, Wells had been there for her, consoling and guiding her, assuring her that things would get better. To her, Wells was more than a boss; he was a respected, trustworthy, kind, and grateful mentor. She wouldn't allow anyone to harm him.
Elon, apologetic, assured her, "No, Caitlin, I didn't mean to hurt Dr. Wells. Why would I harm him? We were discussing a potential way for me to return home, and I got too excited, that's all."
Caitlin relaxed, accepting Elon's explanation. She asked, eagerly intrigued by the sci-fi reality, "So, you and Dr. Wells found a way home?"
Elon's excitement reignited, "Yes, possibly, no, I'm certain I can return home. There's no reason it wouldn't be possible."
"Come on, let's find Cisco. I'll explain everything to you, and we need to build a device to detect interdimensional energy."
On the hospital bed, Wells opened his eyes, a cold light glinting within. Elon's strength had both shocked and pained him. For a moment in the basement, he'd thought Elon had discovered his identity as Reverse-Flash and was about to kill him. At such close range, Wells would have had to sever his arm and flee using his speed force to survive.
With his eyes narrowed and his arm throbbing, Wells made a firm decision: Elon must leave soon. This variable was becoming too uncontrollable, especially since Elon was such an intelligent individual. Wells couldn't be certain how long he could keep his Reverse-Flash identity hidden from him.
The information leak that night had been too much, and there were few people Wells could suspect. An investigation could easily trace back to him, a worrisome prospect indeed.