3 Chapter 3: The Lightning Bolt

My body feels refreshed. I walk out of the bathroom and head to my room, but Iris stands in front of me, not allowing me to go upstairs.

"Is there anything I can help you with, Iris?" I ask. "If there's nothing to discuss, please move away."

"Barry, can you tell me why you're so difficult to approach? It's as if you have a wall blocking me from getting closer to you," Iris inquires.

"Because I can. Besides, you're just my adopted sister. I don't want to interrupt your date with your boyfriend. He might misunderstand if he sees you with me," I explain.

"How do you know I have a boyfriend? I don't remember telling anyone about that," Iris says, looking confused.

"Oh, my assumption turned out to be correct," I reply with a smile.

Iris panics a bit. "You're making assumptions based on what?"

"Your behavior around Joe. You're hiding something from him, and I'm guessing it's about your relationship. I thought that your boyfriend might be Joe's partner or something," I explained.

"How? You're making a guess based on that?" Iris says, sounding surprised by my statement.

Even though I already know about it without guessing.

"I've read a few psychology books and I'm just applying what they suggest. I didn't expect it to work, but unfortunately, it did," I answered.

"You what?!" Iris exclaims, with a hint of anger that I used her as my experiment.

It's not like I care that much.

Barry dismisses her and strides directly to his room, seemingly unfazed.

"Wait, Barry. I'm not finished," Iris said.

Barry closed and locked his door.

Now I have peace of mind. I wish I could meditate without making Eobard suspect something.

I suppose I'll just go to sleep and test my powers tomorrow.

....

The Next Morning, 6.00 AM

"*Ring, Ring, Ring*"

Damn, my alarm is loud as fuck. I wish I could go back to sleep.

Barry rises from his bed and silences his blaring phone alarm. He stretches his arms before making his way to the bathroom to freshen up.

Following that, he grabs his athletic shoes and dons them in his room. Afterward, he departs the house for his exercise routine. He warms up his body with a steady jog.

I'm brimming with energy, and I quite like it. Let's attempt running without relying on super-speed first.

Barry started running at a regular speed, and when he felt ready, he transitioned into super speed for the first time.

Wow, this is incredible. It's cool as shit. The birds, the people, even the grass—they all appear to be moving in slow motion. I can't help but wonder if I can go even faster.

He picked up the pace, running faster than ever. However, he suddenly hit a dead end, and in his attempt to stop, he crashed into a tree.

"*Crash*"

Barry lay on the ground, defeated and coming to terms with his fate.

Damn, my body hurts like hell. Looks like I might have broken my arm and leg. Hitting a large tree at speed certainly didn't help.

I suppose I'll have to wait for three hours for my limbs to recover. That being said, I wish I had my phone on me to call Cisco.

Damn it!

Now my main concern is that someone might prey on me since I'm in this vulnerable state and there are no other people in sight.

If only there were a way to get me out of here quickly. I know! I'll tap into the Speed Force.

Barry closed his eyes and directed his focus towards his connection with the Speed Force.

He endeavored to draw additional speed from the Speed Force in order to accelerate his recovery.

While doing so, his entire body began to vibrate at a rapid pace, accompanied by faint crackling lightning.

His breathing gradually became calmer and more composed. He remained lying there until his bones finally mended.

It took approximately an hour and a half for him to make a complete recovery

I started jumping in one place because I couldn't believe the results. Let's be careful this time and walk back to my home.

It took around 1 hour and 40 minutes to return to his home. His body was drenched in sweat, and his clothes were thoroughly soaked.

I really need to have better control of my speed.

"*Sigh*"

Barry opens the door and is slightly taken aback to find himself greeted by Joe's partner, Eddie, along with Joe himself.

"Meet Barry, Eddie. He just woke up from a coma," Joe introduced me to Eddie.

"So, you're the forensic scientist. I'm Eddie Thawne," Eddie offered a handshake.

I reciprocated firmly. "I'm Barry Allen. Nice to see you."

"Did you go for a run, Barry?" Joe asked, giving my shoulder a pat.

"Yeah, and I'm headed to meet Dr. Wells. Catch you later, Joe. Take care, Eddie," I said as I entered the house.

Barry swiftly freshened up and informed Cisco that he would be heading to Star Labs.

Subsequently, he utilized the transportation service to reach the facility. Upon his arrival, he found Cisco, Caitlin, and Dr. Wells already present in the cortex.

"So, why do you want us to gather here?" Cisco asked.

"Look here," I raised my hand and vibrated it at a high speed.

They seemed surprised, except for Dr. Wells, who looked like he was analyzing me. This guy really needs to stop, just like the Joker.

"Woah, Barry. That means you have super speed, right?" Cisco asked.

"Yeah, but I don't want to test it out because I accidentally hit a tree due to my lack of control," I said, scratching the back of my head.

"What?! Are you okay? Are there any broken bones?" Caitlin rushed to me to see my condition.

"It already healed, thanks to my supercharged molecular cells, I guess," I said.

"No, I'm going to examine you right now!" Caitlin grabbed my wrist and brought me to the medical room.

Cisco just smiled at me while I was getting dragged by Caitlin.

You bitch! Wait, Cisco. I will make you pay for laughing at me.

Caitlin started examining Barry's body to check if anything had occurred during his ordeal. Unfortunately, he appeared to be perfectly fine, with a heartbeat faster than that of a normal human.

"See, didn't I say that I'm fine?" I said.

"I'm worried about you. I don't want to see another person get hurt because of their carelessness," Caitlin said.

"Okay," I replied as I walked over to Dr. Wells.

"Dr. Wells, can I test my speed somewhere without destroying any property?" I asked him.

"Of course, Barry. We need to see if your power has side effects or not," Dr. Wells said as he turned to his right. "Cisco, get the stuff ready. We will go a bit far away to see your speed, Barry."

"On my way, Dr. Wells," Cisco quickly left the cortex.

The group travels to the abandoned airplane site in the Star Labs truck, laden with equipment to assess Barry's speed.

The location is known as Ferris Air, abandoned due to specific incidents that transpired there.

Upon reaching the site, they establish a tent and arrange a selection of equipment to gauge Barry's abilities.

"Cisco, why do I have to wear this horrible suit?" I asked him.

This suit is the same shitty suit that Barry wears in Season 1.

"It's easy for us to monitor your stats," Cisco said.

"Very funny, Cisco," I replied as Cisco walked to the tent and did something with the tablet.

I walked to the place where I needed to run but got stopped by Caitlin. She checked the system running on this tight suit.

After she finished with that, I finally got to the place and went to the ground to get ready to run.

"You can start running, Barry. The system is good to go," Cisco said.

Barry cracked his neck and focused on the road ahead as he took a deep breath and released it...

His eyes crackled with orange lightning as he tensed his leg muscles and propelled himself forward with a burst of speed, breaking the sound barrier.

Maintaining his pace, Barry sprinted in a straight line, leaving a trail of orange lightning in his wake.

This is oddly calming, and I feel a deeper connection to the Speed Force.

So, this is how it feels to be a speedster in the DC universe.

I sense that I have a better grasp of controlling my speed now. Did the Speed Force assist me with this, urging me not to waste any more time?

A smile graced Barry's face as he continued to accelerate, surpassing his previous speed, leaving Cisco and Caitlin astonished by the sudden surge.

However, Dr. Wells observed with satisfaction, realizing that they were nearing their goal with Barry.

He contemplated the reason behind this sudden increase in speed, speculating that it might be linked to Barry's emotions, ingrained deeply despite his memory loss.

Reaching the end of the track, Barry executed a flawless turnaround, displaying impeccable control and efficiency in his movements.

Upon returning to the starting point, Barry expressed with confidence, "I think I can control my speed better now."

It felt like a moment of enlightenment.

"Is there a specific reason for that, Barry?" Dr. Wells inquired.

"I'm not entirely sure, but I feel a stronger connection to my speed than ever before," Barry explained.

"Interesting," Dr. Wells mused, stroking his chin in contemplation.