As Charlotte slowly regained consciousness, she found herself lying in a sterile med bed with the bright lights of S.T.A.R. Labs overhead. The sound of hushed voices and the steady beeping of machines filled the room. Confusion washed over her as she tried to piece together how she had ended up here.

"Hey, she's waking up," Cisco announced, leaning over her. He wore a concerned expression, his brown eyes filled with worry. "You with us, kid?"

Charlotte blinked a few times, her memories of the past few hours rushing back to her. "I... I think so," she mumbled, her voice groggy. "Where am I?"

"You're at S.T.A.R. Labs," Caitlin answered, offering her a reassuring smile. "You passed out in our hallway, and we brought you here to make sure you're okay."

While the scientists were keenly surrounding the new arrival, Barry stood with his face turned to the door, jaw clenched. With having recently been betrayed by people he trusted, Barry wasn't too open towards welcoming new speedsters.

Cisco continued, "Can you tell us your name?"

Charlotte hesitated, glancing at the man standing by the door. "Uh, my name is... Charlie Lotte."

Cisco exchanged a quick glance with Caitlin, then continued with a warm smile, "Alright, Charlie Lotte, we'll get you checked out, make sure you're okay. Do you remember what happened before you passed out?"

Charlotte frowned, trying to recall. "I... I was running... from something. It was all a blur."

Caitlin nodded sympathetically. "Don't worry; we'll help you figure things out. In the meantime, rest up and recover. You're safe here."

Charlie closed her eyes and rested back as Caitlin went away to do some tests, taking Barry with her.

"'Charlie Lotte'? Is that really the best you can do?"

Charlie opened her eyes to see Cisco still beside her.

"Well, I can't really give you my real name. I don't wanna mess up the timeline or something," she admitted.

Cisco nodded understandingly and continued, "Alright, Charlie. Do you think you can try to remember what you were doing before you got here?"

Charlotte took a deep breath and began recounting the events. "My father and I were running a speedtest when suddenly, we were ambushed by a villain I had never seen before. He had this weird power that... it drained my father's speed force."

Cisco's eyes widened in surprise. "Stole his speed force? That's incredibly dangerous. What about you? Did he try to steal yours?"

Charlotte shook her head, her expression troubled. "I'm not sure. I think he hit me," she reached across to her other shoulder, "but it wasn't enough to completely take away my powers. Something felt different after the encounter, though."

Cisco furrowed his brow, his mind racing. "We've seen a few villains who can manipulate speedsters and steal their powers. Caitlin, Dr. Snow, took your samples. She could probably tell you. You should try to get some rest now."

"Thank you, for not thinking the worst of me," Charlie said as Cisco was leaving.

"Don't thank me just yet," Cisco warned.

"I understand," Charlie sighed, and took a nap.

Meanwhile, as Caitlin set the girl's samples into her machines, she glanced over at Barry, her keen observation skills not missing the tension in his posture. She could practically see the gears turning in his mind, haunted by past encounters with speedsters from the future like Hunter and Thawne.

"My brother's name was Charles," she said aloud.

"What?" Barry asked, shaken out of his thoughts.

Walking over to him, Caitlin spoke in a low, reassuring tone, "Barry, I know you've been through a lot, especially with speedsters. But I don't feel like Charlie is trouble. People deserve a chance, and not everyone is out to hurt us."

Barry sighed, his gaze distant. "It's just hard, Cait. The trust issues run deep, you know?"

Caitlin nodded, empathy in her eyes. "I get it. But don't let the past dictate your present. You've always told me not to give up on people, no matter how difficult it gets."

A faint smirk tugged at the corners of Barry's lips as he remembered his own advice.

Caitlin smiled, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Give Charlie a chance. We don't know her story yet, and she might need our help. Besides, shutting people out won't make things better."

Barry nodded in agreement, grateful for Caitlin's wise words. "Why do you always know the right thing to say?"

"I guess it just gets better with time," Caitlin smiled.

"Well, thanks," Barry patted her back in gratitude. "I'm gonna go down to the station, not much I can do here."

"Yeah. I'll keep you up to date on our new friend," Caitlin said, and Barry sped off to work, leaving her to get back to Charlie's data.

After some hours, Charlie woke up. She was feeling better than when she came in, and helped herself out. The S.T.A.R labs she knew was much more lively than this one, and she couldn't help feel mellow. Something must be wrong.

She had found her way to the gadgets room, finding Cisco working quietly on some invention.

"Is it... always this quiet in here?" She asked as she approached him.

"No... just recently. No one feels like throwing a party right now," Cisco explained as he continued working.

"Something bad happen?"

"Yeah. We lost one of our team. Hit pretty hard. Guess we're all still reeling."

That was new. None of the original team was gone in her time.

"Did they work here?"

"No, he worked at the CCPD. He was a detective, Eddie Thawne."

Charlie's heart jumped. Not uncle Eddie. He was such a cool guy.

"Poor Iris," she said quietly.

"What?" Cisco caught her.

"Um, Iris West. They were together, right?"

"Yeah. How did you know that?"

"They were together when I'm from," Charlie revealed.

"How... far out are you from, exactly?" Cisco asked.

"Let's say... less than a hundred years."

"So... your father is...."

"Part of the family, down the generation," she said ambiguously.

"Uhuh...." Cisco sucked his lip.

"I'm gonna go see mo, I mean, my results. If Dr. Snow has them," Charlie quickly walked away.

As she made her way back to the lab, she spotted Caitlin deeply engrossed in her work. Clearing her throat, Charlie approached cautiously.

"So... is that me in there?" she eyed the vials Caitlin was working on.

"Yeah. I took your blood and tissue samples to run some tests. You said you were hit too?"

"Sort of. My dad deflected most of it, but I still got hit with something," Charlie shrugged.

"Explains why you still have your speed," Caitlin explained as she moved around the room.

"Still?" Charlie asked, rubbing the back of her neck in anxiety.

Caitlin stared at the girl, noticing the ticks similar to someone else she knew.

"I'm still running tests, to be thorough. It's not uncommon to have a few hiccups when it comes to speedster abilities. But don't worry, you're in good hands."

"Thanks. I trust you," Charlie smiled.

"Thanks. Sorry we can't return the gesture just yet," Caitlin shrugged.

"No, it's okay. I'm a stranger. You should be vary of me. But I promise, I'm not here to hurt you guys."

Hopefully, I can make it better.