15 Rescue

In Central City, a red phantom trailed by arcs of yellow electricity darted through streets and alleys.

"Barry, Barry, respond if you hear me!"

"Loud and clear, Cisco."

"OK, the earphones are holding up at high speeds. How's the suit performing?"

"There's a bit of slack around the chest and abdomen. A tighter fit would be better for running. Other than that, no issues."

"Minor adjustments, then. OK, sensors are functioning well. You can come back now."

"I'll run a bit more. Stretch my legs."

Cisco and Elon exchanged a knowing look and high-fived. The suit was a success.

As Elon was about to fetch some champagne to celebrate, a live news broadcast popped up on the screen in front of Cisco.

The camera showed a teetering building, dangerously leaning to one side, surrounded by emergency vehicles, with firefighters extending ladders and debris scattered everywhere. People were fleeing from the vicinity.

"Good morning, this is Yuri Branch with breaking news. A seven-story residential building on North Street at the intersection of Fifth is on the verge of collapse, suspected to be due to subpar construction materials. The situation is perilous; the building could continue to collapse under its own weight any moment. Firefighters are unable to enter and are attempting to calm residents trapped inside. There are about a dozen people inside. Any movement could cause further collapse."

This was a software alert set by Cisco to pop up with live news involving critical situations, designed to notify The Flash immediately.

Seeing the urgent situation, Cisco called out, "Barry, head to North Street and Fifth right now. There's a building collapse."

"On my way, Cisco," Barry replied.

"Cisco, the building's about to go down. I'm going in to rescue people."

Barry arrived at the scene to see rubble piled around. There were several red fire trucks, extended ladders, firefighters comforting the trapped residents, and a crowd of onlookers filled with anxiety.

"Barry, be careful. The building looks fragile."

Before Cisco could finish, Barry dashed into the building.

The Flash, with his trail of yellow lightning, charged in. The moment he entered, the building visibly tilted.

Barry quickly ascended, rescuing a man whose leg was pinned by a rock, and carried him out.

Then, a rumbling noise filled the air as if the building might collapse at any moment.

"NO!!!" Barry cried out in horror, not expecting the building to be so unstable that even a single step could be catastrophic.

Screams of terror and cries echoed from within.

"Oh! NO, not like this."

"God, please save them."

"Please hold on, don't collapse!"

The crowd watched in terror, some praying fervently for divine intervention.

The building, now on the brink of collapse, seemed to respond to the collective prayers, halting its descent, too fragile to withstand any further strain.

Barry could rescue a dozen people in one go on flat ground, but he hadn't yet mastered running on walls or at an angle. A misstep could bring the whole structure down, endangering lives. Just rescuing one person had nearly caused a collapse; the thought alone terrified him. He was anxious and at a loss.

"Cisco, the building can't take any more strain, and it's tilting too much. I can't get back in to save them. What do I do?"

Cisco and Elon, watching the live news, saw a blur of red moving in and out of the building, nearly causing another collapse.

Hearing Barry's call, Cisco steadied him, "Barry, don't go back in. It's too dangerous."

Looking to Elon for a solution, Cisco was at a loss.

After a moment's thought, Elon said, "Barry, circle the building without causing vibrations."

"To Cisco, he added, "Open the signal detector and create a 3D model of the building. I installed an external magnetic field detector on the sensor."

Cisco's fingers flew over the keyboard. The detector mapped the building in 3D, marking a dozen red dots representing human magnetic fields.

Elon examined the 3D model and said, "Alright, Barry, follow my instructions. Take off your chest emblem; there's a switch on the side. Turn it on and shake it like crazy. It will generate a biomagnetic field strong enough to pull a person from thirty meters away right to you."

Cisco gave Elon a big thumbs up for this ingenious feature.

Elon returned the gesture, signaling Cisco to continue directing the operation. Cisco quickly said, "OK, good. Barry, most survivors are by the windows or on balconies. Stand on the fire ladder and use the emblem to pull them towards you quickly. The building will tilt and collapse."

"And the kid inside?" Barry asked.

Silence fell. Cisco's lips moved, but he couldn't bring himself to suggest sacrificing a life.

Elon grabbed the mic and shouted, "Barry, go in and save that child. After you get the survivors from the balconies, you'll have about three or four seconds before the building fully collapses."

"The biggest danger isn't the collapse. You can run 90 meters in a second, more than enough to get inside. That child is only about 30 meters away. You have time. Just watch your footing on the tilted surface."

Barry hesitated, "Can I do it?"

Elon encouraged him, "Barry, you've got this. Channel every ounce of energy in your body and run!"

Cisco added his encouragement, "You've got this, Barry. GO, GO, GO!"

Barry took a deep breath, the yellow arcs in his eyes sparking, as he muttered, "Okay, I've got this."

Both men watched the screen intently, their hearts in their throats as Barry prepared to run, surrounded by a halo of yellow lightning, his eyes ablaze with determination.