Felicity and Barry walked out of the theater.
"How was the movie?" Felicity asked.
"I don't know," Barry admitted.
"What do you mean, you don't know?" she pressed.
"It's one of those movies where, even though it's good, it's like eating a delicious meal without really thinking about it."
Felicity frowned. "What are you saying?"
"I mean, it's like picking fried chicken just because it tastes good, no matter what."
"So, you watched it but didn't understand it. Is that what you're saying?"
"No," Barry said quickly, though internally, he cringed. 'What the hell did I just say?' Even he wasn't sure.
Before Felicity could respond, his phone buzzed.
"Hold on," Barry said, stopping in his tracks.
He checked the message from Eddie;
*We may need your help down here.*
"I've got work to do," Barry said apologetically.
Felicity sighed, disappointed their date couldn't continue. "It's okay. Just take me back."
At least they'd gotten to spend some time together.
The tires crunched over gravel as Barry pulled up to the Orangewood Inn. Felicity unbuckled her seatbelt but paused before opening the door, her fingers lingering on the handle.
"You know," she started, eyes fixed on the dashboard, "that thing you said once... about someone being out of reach, no matter how hard you tried?"
Barry's grip tightened slightly on the wheel. "Yeah, I remember."
She turned to study his profile. "Do you still feel that way?"
A muscle jumped in his jaw. "Not really. Doesn't exactly fit with..." He trailed off, gesturing vaguely at the windshield.
Felicity tilted her head. "With what?"
The car's interior lights cast shadows across Barry's face as he exhaled. "Found my mom's killer. Turns out ruining my life is his favorite hobby." His laugh came out hollow. "Kind of puts other things in perspective."
Felicity's hand shot out to grip his forearm. "Barry—"
"Don't." He gently pulled away, fingers tapping an uneven rhythm against the gearshift. "This isn't a Team Arrow situation."
"How bad is it?" Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"Bad enough that if you step in it, people die." The AC vent hissed between them.
She searched his face, but he kept staring straight ahead. "At least tell me who we're dealing with."
"You've got enough ghosts chasing you." His eyes flicked to hers. "Sara's killer still out there?"
Felicity's shoulders slumped. "You know we do."
"Then let me handle my demons," he said softly, "while you handle yours."
The silence stretched until Felicity huffed and grabbed her purse. "I'm telling Oliver about this."
Barry just nodded.
She hesitated with the door half-open, the dome light washing out her face. "Take care of yourself, Barry."
"You too." The door thunked shut, leaving him alone with the hum of the engine.
With that, Felicity stepped out of the car and watched as it drove away. Barry had sent the vehicle back to the company and used his speed to arrive at the crime scene empty-handed.
He flashed his ID to the officers guarding the area and accepted a pair of gloves from a nearby forensic scientist.
Moving deeper into the scene, he spotted a charred body burned as if struck by lightning.
"Oh, Barry," Eddie greeted.
Barry nodded and approached the corpse, turning to the forensic team collecting evidence.
"What have you found so far?" he asked.
"Not much," the forensic scientist replied. "But I'd say this was the work of a Meta-Human. See that outlet? It looks like the electricity was siphoned before being discharged into this man."
"Good observation, you're absolutely right," Barry said, giving the scientist an encouraging pat on the back. "Keep up the good work."
The forensic scientist smiled before returning to his task.
Barry straightened up and scanned the area, checking for anything they might have missed. Satisfied, he turned back to the scientist. "Once you identify the victim, track down everyone he's ever interacted with alive or dead."
"Why?" Eddie asked.
"Most of these Meta-Humans were supposed to be dead, like Clyde Mardon," Barry explained.
"You're right. I'll get started right away," the forensic scientist said, gathering the evidence and hurrying off.
Barry peeled off his gloves and ducked under the crime scene tape.
"Anything else?" he asked Eddie.
"Not yet. The surveillance team hasn't reported anything."
"Let me know if they find something," Barry said, tossing his gloves into the trash.
"Will do," Eddie replied.
Barry left the crime scene and sped straight home to grab his prototype before heading back to S.T.A.R. Labs to continue working on it.
When he arrived, mere minutes later, Cisco was already there, tinkering with his own project. Barry smirked as he watched him work, unnoticed.
The moment Cisco turned around, he let out a startled yelp at Barry's sudden appearance.
"Barry, please announce yourself next time!" Cisco said, clutching his chest.
"Nah, where's the fun in that?" Barry grinned. "Watching you scream like a little kid never gets old."
Cisco gave him a deadpan look, unimpressed that Barry had used his powers just to scare him.
"So, what's new with you?" Barry asked, leaning against the workbench.
"Nothing much," Cisco said. "You?"
"Oh, you know, running around the city, making a name for myself, training. Oh, and I went on a date today."
"Nice," Cisco said, raising an eyebrow. "So, are you two officially a thing now?"
"No. Are you trying to get someone killed?" Barry shot back.
"Huh?" Cisco blinked.
"You know if I get too excited, I might lose control," Barry said pointedly.
"Oh. Right." Cisco nodded in understanding. "So… no relationships, then?"
"Probably not. Unless I meet someone with powers," Barry mused. "Anyway, what's that you're working on?"
"Power-dampening cuffs. Makes hunting Metas easier for you," Cisco said, holding up the prototype.
"You should patent that. You could make serious money," Barry said.
"Already did," Cisco replied smugly.
"Nice. Thanks for making my job easier."
"No problem."
The room fell into comfortable silence as they both returned to their work. Hours later, Cisco packed up and headed home, leaving Barry alone with his prototype.
Barry sighed, fighting off boredom. As much as he wanted to call it a night, he still had work to do, whether he liked it or not.
. . . .
The Next Day,
Barry finally had a day off, which meant he could focus entirely on his prototype. He was still hunched over his workbench when Cisco walked in.
Cisco raised an eyebrow at the sight, Barry was still there, but now wearing fresh clothes and eating while working.
"Barry, did you even go home?" Cisco asked.
"Just for a quick shower," Barry said between bites. "Since I don't have work today, I came right back."
"You're something else," Cisco shook his head.
"Yeah, I am," Barry replied with a smile Cisco couldn't see.
Cisco sighed as he watched Barry's determined work on the tachyon device. Walking further into the room, he asked, "Have you named it yet?"
"The device?" Barry glanced up.
"Yeah."
"Tachyon Compressor Core, TCC for short," Barry said. "Best name I could come up with."
"Not bad," Cisco admitted. "How much longer until it's fully operational?"
"About four more days if everything goes smoothly," Barry said, returning to his work. "But if I hit any setbacks, maybe ten more days."