Uncovered

The red blur shot up the fire ladder, and the vague red figure atop it wielded a powerful biomagnetic force, pulling a person through the air and into Barry's waiting arms. The survivor, still frozen in the terror of the balcony, blinked, and in an instant, was dozens of meters away from the perilous building.

He was stunned.

Then it felt like a gust of wind had passed, and suddenly, he was surrounded by more than a dozen others.

In just 2 or 3 seconds, the onlookers watched in awe as the people on the balcony were whisked away and reappeared far from danger.

"What was that? The red thing saved them!"

"It's a miracle, a sign from God!"

"A red blur... a streak of lightning... and they were saved."

The crowd erupted, proclaiming it a divine intervention, a miracle, a supernatural event!

"Get back, the building's collapsing!"

As the building began to lean further, a red streak darted back inside.

Inside, Barry felt the tilt of the floor beneath him, his feet slipping as the incline of the hallway challenged his balance. He couldn't stop; to stop meant he wouldn't be able to start again, and he'd be buried alive.

Barry raced along the slanted corridor, reaching the room where the child was in less than a second. But upon arrival, his mind froze. The room was chaos, debris everywhere, the ceiling burst open with protruding, oddly bent rebar, the bed tipped over in a corner, smashed by rocks, the wardrobe nearly buried. It was apocalyptic.

For a moment, his mind blanked, for there seemed to be no child.

But the sensors had detected a life signal.

In his speed force mode, everything around him was almost at a standstill. His brain kicked into overdrive.

Where?

Where?

Where?

The only survivor not at a window or on a balcony was a child, curled up somewhere in this room.

Curled up?

Barry's eyes snapped to the stone-covered wardrobe.

He rushed over, the tilt of the floor urging him on. With a punch, he shattered the wardrobe to reveal a small child, curled up inside.

Pulling the child out, Barry dashed through the collapsing building at breakneck speed.

The red phantom placed the child amidst the crowd and vanished as the building crumbled, raising a cloud of dust.

Barry stopped in a deserted alley, panting, his heart pounding wildly. He had nearly been buried in the rubble; the slanted ground had made it difficult to gain traction, especially when he stopped to break the wardrobe and rescue the child. It was his first time running on such an unstable surface, and it had nearly defeated him. But he had succeeded and saved more than a dozen lives.

When Cisco and Elon saw the red dots on the 3D model swiftly move to safety, their hearts finally settled back into place.

They slapped hands with a forceful high-five.

"The Flash is amazing," Cisco exclaimed with joy.

Before Barry or Elon could respond, Caitlin's voice echoed from behind.

"What are you doing?"

Caitlin had walked into the control room, her curiosity piqued by the commotion she had heard from afar.

Cisco's heart skipped a beat as he hastily shut down all the screens, knowing Caitlin opposed Barry's activities as The Flash.

"What are you up to? Cisco? Why did you shut the screens? Elon, why aren't you training in the basement? What was that about The Flash?"

Caitlin's suspicious tone fired off a series of questions.

Cisco fumbled for an answer, "We... we... we were discussing Elon's control over electricity, not The Flash. Just... lightning."

Elon nodded earnestly, backing up Cisco's hasty lie.

Just then, Barry's excited voice burst through the speakers, "Cisco, Elon, I did it! I saved the kid. It's incredible."

The awkward silence was palpable.

Caitlin's glare intensified as she grabbed the microphone, "Barry, this is Caitlin."

Barry's enthusiasm halted abruptly, followed by a nervous chuckle, "Hey, Caitlin, good morning. Have you had breakfast?"

Elon could only imagine Barry's helpless expression, even his voice sounding strained.

"Get back to S.T.A.R. Labs immediately," Caitlin commanded coldly.

Then she turned her stern gaze on Elon, who casually shrugged off the tension.

Cisco, feeling the heat of Caitlin's stare, could only nod incessantly, humming a tune to deflect the awkwardness.

Barry, trailing a yellow electrical aura, zipped back to S.T.A.R. Labs.

"Have you lost your minds? This suit is obviously your handiwork, Cisco," Caitlin said coolly.

Cisco, slightly embarrassed to be praised, admitted, "Elon helped too, it wasn't all me. Though, the concept and most of the work... that was my doing."

Elon wore an expression as if he'd been caught off guard; he had only contributed a couple of minor parts.

"You think you're invincible? You could get yourself killed," Caitlin scolded.

Cisco finally understood Caitlin's tone, "I'm monitoring everything. Barry's on the field saving lives, Elon's providing tech support. We've got this under control, no problem."

Elon looked like he'd been thrown to the wolves, thinking, 'I was only casually involved, don't make it sound like I'm part of the team.'

Barry joined in, "Caitlin, you don't need to worry. I'm fast; nothing can hurt me. I can save lives. Just now, Cisco, Elon, and I saved over a dozen. Without us, they would be dead. Do you want that on your conscience?"

"You'll be killed by your own powers," Caitlin countered sharply.

Dr. Wells, forced to enter in his wheelchair, regretted greeting Caitlin earlier in the hallway. He actually supported Barry as The Flash—the future depended on it, and any deviation could be disastrous.

"I think what Caitlin means is that we're only beginning to understand the extent of your abilities, Barry. We don't know the consequences of your frequent actions. It might be best to act with caution," he advised.