Chapter 4: The Impossible Happens
The morning started like any other. The low hum of the lab, the rhythmic beeping of Barry's life support, Caitlin's quiet focus on her work, Cisco's enthusiastic ramblings about a new gadget. I was, as usual, offering "insightful" commentary while "assisting" Cisco with a particularly stubborn circuit board. Honestly, sometimes I feel less like a meta-human and more like a glorified IT guy with a secret. Still, gotta earn my keep, right?
Then, the beeping changed. It wasn't an alarm, not yet. It was a subtle shift, a quickening tempo. Caitlin's head snapped up, her eyes immediately going to Barry's monitor. Her breath hitched.
"His heart rate… it's accelerating," she whispered, her voice laced with a tremor of hope and fear.
Cisco and I exchanged a glance, our playful banter immediately forgotten. "Is that… good?" Cisco asked, his voice hushed.
"It could be a seizure," Caitlin said, rushing to Barry's side. "Or… or he's waking up."
Our eyes were glued to the monitor. The line on the screen spiked, then flattened, then spiked again, a frantic rhythm. Suddenly, Barry's fingers twitched. Then his whole arm. A low groan escaped his lips.
[MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE DETECTED. HIGH-SPEED KINETIC ENERGY SIGNATURE. NEW PARAMETERS INITIATED.]
[ADAPTABLE BODY: MINOR RESISTANCE TO ACCELERATED KINETIC FORCES ACCUMULATING.]
Oh, my God. It's happening. The Flash is born. The impossible is about to be very, very possible. Time to watch a dude accidentally run himself into a wall, probably.
Barry's eyes fluttered open. They were confused, disoriented. He looked around, saw Caitlin, saw Cisco, saw me, then Wells, who had wheeled himself in, a knowing, almost triumphant smile on his face.
"Barry?" Caitlin breathed, her voice filled with a mixture of disbelief and profound relief.
Barry tried to sit up, a flicker of red light erupting around him for a split second, making the air crackle. He moved too fast for the average human eye to follow, then slammed back down onto the bed with a surprised yelp.
"Whoa!" Cisco exclaimed, grinning. "Did you see that?!"
"I saw a flash," I deadpanned, rubbing my eyes. "Figuratively and literally. Are you okay, Barry?"
Barry blinked, looking at his hands, then at us. "What… what happened? Where am I? What was that?"
"Welcome back to the land of the living, Mr. Allen," Wells said, his voice calm and reassuring. "You've been in a coma for nine months."
The rest of the morning was a chaotic mix of scientific wonder and controlled panic. Barry, understandably disoriented, kept accidentally phasing through walls, running into things, and generally making a mess of the S.T.A.R. Labs hallways. He was a human pinball, a blur of red light and bewildered exclamations.
"He's like… a super-powered toddler!" Cisco exclaimed, struggling to keep up with Barry's erratic movements.
"More like a caffeinated hummingbird," I muttered, dodging a flying wrench that Barry had accidentally knocked off a table. This is exhausting just watching him.
Caitlin, ever the professional, was trying to conduct tests, analyze his physiology, and ensure he wasn't going to spontaneously combust. She was a whirlwind of medical charts and frantic instructions.
Wells, meanwhile, was the calm at the center of the storm, subtly guiding Barry, asking leading questions, and planting ideas. "Barry, focus on controlling your speed. Think of it as… a gift. A way to help others."
I watched Wells closely, my internal monologue a constant stream of warnings. He's playing him. He's grooming him. I need to be careful. Can't reveal my hand, but I can nudge. I can suggest. I can influence.
During a brief lull, when Barry was still trying to figure out how to walk at a normal pace, I approached him. "Hey, Barry," I said, offering him a bottle of water. "Welcome back. Quite the wake-up call, huh?"
Barry took the water, chugging it down in a blur. "Yeah, understatement of the century. I feel… like I drank fifty Red Bulls and then got hit by lightning." He paused, then looked at me, a flicker of recognition in his eyes. "You're… Adam, right? You were here before…?"
"That's me," I confirmed. "The resident 'lucky guy who survived the explosion' and 'unofficial tech assistant.' And yeah, I've been here the whole time. Keeping an eye on things. And trying not to get caught in any stray speed force waves." I winked. Too much? Maybe. But he's innocent. He'll take it at face value.
"So, what do I do?" Barry asked, his voice earnest. "I mean, this is… amazing. But also, terrifying."
"It's both," I said, my voice serious. "But you've got a good head on your shoulders, Barry. You'll figure it out. And you've got a team here. Caitlin, Cisco, Wells… and me, I guess. We'll help you." I paused, then added, "Just… don't forget why you're doing this. Why you want to do this. There are going to be others out there. People like you, affected by the explosion. Some might not be as… good-natured. Some might be dangerous."
Barry's eyes widened. "Others? You think there are other metahumans?"
"It's a huge energy burst, Barry," I shrugged, feigning a casual air. "Logic dictates there would be… ripple effects. And some of those ripples might be pretty nasty. So, yeah. The city's going to need a hero. Someone fast enough to stop them." Planting the seed. Good, Adam. Good.
Later that day, Joe West arrived, looking tired but relieved. His reunion with Barry was genuinely heartwarming, a moment of pure, unadulterated fatherly love. I kept my distance, respecting their privacy, but watching the scene unfold, I felt a pang of longing for my own family, now an entire universe away.
Iris also called, her voice filled with joy and relief. Barry's face lit up as he talked to her, a reminder of his core humanity, even with his newfound powers.
The S.T.A.R. Labs team, spurred by Wells's carefully orchestrated guidance and my "insightful" predictions about other potential metahumans, began to pivot. From scientific research to active metahuman tracking and, eventually, containment. The unofficial "Team Flash" was forming, with Barry at its super-speedy center.
As the day ended, and Barry was finally able to control his speed enough to run a few laps without tripping, I leaned against the console, watching him. Caitlin joined me, a tired but happy smile on her face.
"He's incredible," she whispered.
"He is," I agreed, a genuine smile on my face. "And he's going to do amazing things. Just hope he remembers to tie his shoes."
She chuckled softly, leaning her head against the cool metal of the console. "Thanks, Adam. For everything. You've been… really good to have around."
"Anytime, Doc," I said, a warmth spreading through me. She said I was good to have around. That's a win. A small, but significant, win.
The first piece of the puzzle was in place. Barry was awake, he had his powers, and the stage was set for the metahuman parade. And I was right there, in the thick of it, a human cheat sheet with a sarcastic internal monologue and a very tired body. Time to gear up. Or, you know, just try not to get obliterated.