— 𝒮 —
𝑆𝑖𝑥 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑡ℎ𝑠 𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟

"𝐅𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐇 𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐈𝐒 almost here, with a special downtown rally to honour the man who saved Central City. It's been six months since the Flash saved Central City from the freak black hole that erupted in the sky."

Sophia sighed as she turned her gaze away from the TV and to Cisco, who was rummaging through their shopping cart full of metal scraps. She had spent the last six months trying not to remember the singularity, and now it was practically being shoved in her face every day.

Cisco looked just as disgruntled as her, though the only thing he muttered was, "Let's get this to Singh."

It was perfect timing as they arrived, for when they did, the captain was asking Joe, "Speaking of which, where are your scientific advisors?"

"Ho, ho, ho!" Cisco chuckled as he pushed the cart toward them. "Fear the beard."

Sophia suppressed her giggle when the captain gave him a disapproving look, and Cisco nervously scratched his chin.

". . . It's a very distinguished look, sir."

The captain ignored his additional remark and looked down at the junk. "What is all this, Mr. Ramon?"

"Oh, this right here?" Cisco pointed towards the cart. "This is a little something we're working on—we're cooking it up for Joe and the task force to take down meta-humans. I think I'm gonna call it the Boot" —he frowned when Sophia loudly sighed and shook her head— "Soph doesn't like it."

Sophia took the small stack of papers that were sticking out of the pieces and handed it to the captain. "Here are the receipts."

Captain Singh took them from her, muttering, "Thank you, Ms. Byun." He gave Joe a sigh and then headed towards his office. Obviously, they were his favourites.

"Oh, um, Captain," called Cisco, scratching the side of his head, "one more thing—"

"You are not getting a badge, Mr. Ramon."

While Joe laughed, Cisco awkwardly turned to face them. "He's really stingy with those badges, isn't he?"

"Yeah, cops are funny that way," Joe replied with a small grin. He looked down at the cart and asked, "So, you really think you can get this to work? Don't have me caught out on the street with my pants down."

"Yes, once we finish the Boot, CCPD will have what it needs to take down a meta-human," Sophia reassured him.

"Especially now that Barry's decided to go all Lone Wolf McQuade," added Cisco sarcastically, "and fight crime by himself!"

"I know, right?" Joe replied. "Have you spoken to him?"

"Not really," Cisco sighed. "Haven't even heard from Caitlin since she started work at Mercury Labs."

"I'm sorry, Cisco," Sophia shook her head. "I keep telling him that he needs to talk to you guys. Honestly, it feels like he's starting to try to avoid me, too. He's barely talked to me in the past week."

"Hey, Cisco, Sophia," suddenly greeted Iris, who just appeared. "Hi, Dad."

"Hey, baby," Joe welcomed, giving her a kiss on the cheek and a hug.

"Hey, I was wondering if you talked to Barry about the rally."

"We were just sayin'," Joe said, gesturing to the other two.

"I'm sorry, but I can't believe they're gonna give the Flash the key to the city," Cisco scoffed in amusement before his expression dropped into a serious one. "Although, technically, as members of Team Flash, we should all be getting keys."

"Uh, you know Barry," Sophia sighed, elbowing Cisco. "The more we try to convince him to do something, the less he's gonna wanna do it."

"Yeah, but he should go," Iris implored. "Someone should try and get through to him. Sophia, can you?"

"You think I haven't?" Sophia let out a small chuckle. "No-go for me."

Joe raised his eyebrows. "Maybe his best friend."

Cisco raised his hands in defence. "Joe, believe me, I've tried."

Joe scrunched his face and nodded toward Iris. "I meant her."

— 𝐵 —

The flickering light of the CC Jitters sign gave Barry hope. And once it was permanently fixed, he moved to the next task. Then the next. Then the next.

After the mess he had made with that singularity, the least he could do was help clean up. So, for the past six months, that's how he would spend the little downtime he had. It made him feel a little better about the whole thing and gave him the perfect distraction from his otherwise all-consuming guilt.

He stopped for a moment to take a breather and dusted his hands off. His attention quickly drew to the front, however, as a voice spoke:

"You know, if you ever decided that you didn't wanna be the Flash, you have a good future at being a contractor."

Barry chuckled, tucking his hands into his back pockets. "Thanks. Yeah, I'm just trying to put it all back exactly how it was before the . . ." He looked towards Iris, whose amused smile had faded, and he sighed. "You know."

He cleared his throat and started to clean up the trash on the counter.

"Seems like a lot of local businesses are being rebuilt at night," Iris commented lightly before squinting her eyes. "In secret."

Barry had a small grin on his face as he took a sip of water, and he gave her a modest shrug.

"I was thinking about writing an article about it for the paper."

"Don't." Barry sighed, twisting the cap on the bottle and setting it on the counter. "Please."

"Look, people have heard the stories, they've read the articles, they've maybe even seen the red streak racing past them," Iris continued, causing Barry to sigh again. "But they have never seen the Flash, Barry."

"So that's why you're here?" he questioned, putting his hands on his hips. "You came to talk me into going to the rally? 'Cause I'm not gonna go."

"People just wanna thank the man who saved Central City."

"Well, they can't," Barry insisted, shrugging, "'cause that's not me. You should know that better than anyone."

Barry pursed his lips as Iris' expression faltered for a moment. Eddie's sacrifice had been hard on all of them, but mostly Iris, especially considering the fact that they were engaged.

She, however, stayed on track as she handed him a red-and-yellow poster for Flash Day. "Central City believes in the Flash." She pressed her lips into a smile. "So do I."

— 𝒮 —

"Hey, it's Barry. I can't make it to the phone right now—"

"Dammit," Sophia muttered, hanging up. There was no point in leaving a voicemail; there were already a few messages that were yet to be answered. She figured one more would be just as pointless as the last ones.

She sighed, leaning back as she grabbed the TV remote. She turned the TV on and was immediately greeted by the red and yellow news of Flash Day. Of course. She just couldn't escape it.

She turned the TV off and tossed the remote onto the other couch. She didn't even have the energy to get up and go to her bed.

She laid her head back and closed her heavy eyelids, though she knew she was still two hours and a chamomile tea away from sleep. As tired as she was from bossing Cisco around all day, she was still far too used to staying up until four AM working in the lab.

In the last six months, she had managed to get her bedtime down to two AM. Even though she and Cisco were still working together every day, being scientific advisors wasn't as demanding as their jobs had been during their Team Flash days. And while Captain Singh was great and all—every "No" and glare to Cisco's pleading for a badge made her a little bit happier—he couldn't compare to anyone else on the team.

But what could she do? Barry was becoming more and more distant and Caitlin was fully committed somewhere else. It was really just her and Cisco (and Joe with the occasional Iris).

She understood what was going on with Barry, she truly did. Everything that had happened with the singularity was weighing down on him, and the fact that the whole Flash Day thing was happening was definitely not helping in the least. She knew that he was spending his nights repairing the shops that had been destroyed by the singularity—that he was trying his very hardest to undo his wrongs.

But at the same time, she felt like she was losing him. He promised her that he loved her and wanted to see her, but nowadays, it was difficult to get a text back. If he wasn't working in his lab at CCPD, then he was either serving justice in the city or cleaning up wrecked stores. As selfish as it was, she wished he spared a little more time for her. He was treating her like every other person on the team.

Her phone began to ring, and hope sparked in her chest. That quickly diminished when she saw it was Cisco calling instead of the man she had been trying to reach. 

"Hey."

"Hey, Soph. You busy?"

"Nope. What's up?"

"Nothing. I'm just bored, so I figured I'd bother you."

She let out a small chuckle. "Thanks. I appreciate it."

"Anytime." There was a short silence before he asked, "You okay? You sound kinda off."

"Yeah, I . . ." She sighed and leaned her head back. "Barry's just . . ."

"C'mon, Soph. Dish it."

"You know, the first few months after . . . you-know-what had been fine. But lately, he's just been . . . so distant." She used her free hand to rub her eyes. "Honestly, it doesn't even feel like we're dating. Cisco, he works on the goddamn floor above us, and I barely see him! I don't—does he not want to talk to me?"

"I'm sure it has nothing to do with you," he said gently. "I mean, he's taking the whole thing pretty hard—understandable, obviously. Look at the Flash Day thing—he's not even coming to the day about him. Maybe give him more time."

"Yeah, that's what I figured." She frowned. "Six months ago, I thought I was losing him forever. I didn't . . . but it's not so different. I've been trying to give him space, but . . . this is too much space."

"Hang in there, Soph. It'll get better, I promise. And if it doesn't, I'll beat the shit out of him, and then it'll get better."

"Right," she scoffed in amusement. "You, Cisco Ramon, afraid of bees and spiders, are going to beat up the Flash."

He huffed. "Okay, first of all, I'm not afraid of spiders, I'm afraid of tarantulas. There's a difference."

"Big difference," she laughed, "my bad."

A sudden gust of wind blew her hair in front of her face, and Barry appeared.

She sighed. "Oh."

"What?" asked Cisco.

"Barry's here. Talk to you later."

"Let me know if any fists of fury are needed. Love ya."

"Love you too."

"'Love you too'?" Barry repeated teasingly, sitting beside her as she hung up. "You on the phone with your second boyfriend?"

She gave him a small glare. "At least my second boyfriend actually picks up the phone."

"Wait, what? Is that really—"

"Of course not, Barry, it was Cisco." She sighed. "The point of that was to tell you I'm mad because you don't pick up your goddamn phone."

He frowned, and his gaze lowered to his lap. "I've been busy."

"Right." She nodded slowly. "Too busy to tell your girlfriend that you're alive every once in a while."

"Of course I'm alive!"

"'Of course'?" she echoed incredulously. "Barry, you go out and fight dangerous people and meta-humans every day! I think I have reason to be worried!"

"I'm sorry, Snowpea." He used a finger to lift her chin and gave her a small smile. "Forgive me?"

Of course she forgave him. She was going to every single time. Still, she could stretch it out a little longer. "It's gonna take a little more than that."

"What'll it take? You name it, you got it."

"Text me more. Answer when I call. Visit me every now and then." She frowned, slowly interlacing her fingers with his. "I miss you."

"I'm sorry, babe." He laid a gentle kiss on her forehead and sighed. "I know, I've kinda been an asshole . . . It's just . . . I don't know, Flash Day is coming up and it's really . . ."

"You're really not going to go to that?"

He bit his lower lip. "I don't think so."

As much as she wanted to press, she knew it was better not to. She had already tried her best to convince him, as did Joe and Iris. There was no point by now.

"Anyway." He cleared his throat, and it was obvious that he wanted to get off that topic as soon as possible. "I was talking to Joe earlier—you and Cisco have been busy, huh? Something . . . to do with shoes?"

"Ugh, you mean the stupid Boot?" she groaned. She moved to lay on his lap, though she was still huffing. "Yeah, we're building it. It's almost done."

He chuckled. "You don't sound like you love it."

"I love it. I hate the name."

"What would you name it?"

Sophia pressed her lips and thought for a moment. And when she came up with nothing, she pouted. "I don't know, but it would be cooler than the Boot. But you know how Cisco works—he gets to name everything."

Barry shrugged. "They're usually good names. And if I'm honest . . . I kinda like the Boot."

She sat up, narrowing her eyes at him. "Seriously?"

He shrugged again and kissed her cheek. "But only 'cause you haven't come up with anything. I'm sure your name would be a million times better."

— 𝒮 —

Flash Day couldn't be any more extravagant. Center stage, a tall banner that featured the day's name and the Flash's logo, and red and yellow balloons were just about everywhere. A crowd of more than a hundred people stood before the stage, dressed in the Flash merchandise. In their hands were American flags and styrofoam lightning bolts.

Sophia was glad that she and Cisco got to stand at the side of the police, including Joe, instead of being pushed up in the tight crowd. She could only imagine how sweaty it would be.

She was watching the crowd with her hands on her hips. She wondered if Barry was among those waiting for the mayor to speak—or maybe, if he was planning to make a surprise appearance in his suit—though she doubted it.

She turned to Cisco and Joe, who were both leaning against a car, when Cisco questioned:

"Are you expecting trouble?"

"Cops always expect trouble," replied Joe. "In this city, expect super-evil flying monsters."

Sophia shrugged. "That's a solid expectation."

Cisco suddenly took out the toothpick he had stuck in his mouth and straightened up. "Well, I'll be . . ."

Sophia followed his gaze across the crowd and to the side of an ice cream truck. Caitlin was standing there, obviously a little uncomfortable.

But before Sophia could say anything, the mayor reached the podium.

"Good morning, Central City!" he greeted, and when the cheering died down, he continued: "A year ago, our world changed. Our city became ground zero for some pretty weird stuff. We got a new breed of criminal. Men and women who defied not only our laws, but physics and reason. But we got something else, too. We got the Flash."

Applause and cheers suddenly rose, and Sophia clapped with them.

"Our wounds run deep, and I know many of you are afraid of what threats tomorrow may bring. But the Flash doesn't just protect us—he restores hope where it was lost. That's why I'm honoured to present the key to the man" —the mayor lifted a gold key that was attached to a matching plaque— "who saved Central City: the Flash!"

The crowd erupted into claps and screams again. Sophia watched the stage, half-expecting for Barry to appear.

The mayor seemed to have that same expectation as he looked around. The cheers soon died down when people realized that, perhaps, the man of the day wasn't going to show up.

But then he did.

The cheers were immediately back in effect, and Sophia clapped along. She shared a look of surprise with Cisco and Joe, but she was glad that Barry had beaten her expectations.

The crowd began to chant his name. She squinted at his face—she couldn't tell if he was nervous or excited, what with the mask covering more than half of his face.

She nudged Cisco. "I can't believe he showed up."

He chuckled. "Me too."

"The doors to Central City will forever be open to you, Flash," said the mayor, offering the key.

Barry smiled and nodded. Just as he reached for it, however, a woman's scream rang out, and that turned into hundreds.

"Look out!" shouted Joe just as the small sight of a food truck appeared in the air.

Barry managed to speed himself and the mayor out of the way as the food truck crashed onto the podium.

As the people rushed out, Sophia's eyes locked onto a man standing on the opposite side of the barricades. He wore a black leather jacket, and his hood almost hid the black, thick mask covering his entire head.

"Soph," hurried Cisco, tugging her sleeve, "we've gotta move."

Sophia nodded and followed Cisco a few steps to the side of the police barricade. The entire time, she kept her eyes on the figure.

As he walked closer and took off his hood, the man spoke, "The man who saved Central City. Hate to rain on your parade."

Barry sped toward him, but with a swift punch, was knocked back into the windshield of a police car. Sophia let out a small breath and hated that she could do nothing except watch as Barry groaned.

The officers began shooting at the man, but the bullets deflected off the bulletproof vest he wore. He slid his coat off and, unbothered by the shots toward him, walked over to the nearest police car and pushed it toward a pair of officers.

"Cisco! Sophia!" shouted Joe, whipping his head toward them. "The Boot!"

In the midst of it all, Sophia had completely forgotten that they had something prepped for a moment like this. Hurriedly, she followed Cisco to the back of the minivan and pulled open the trunk. He grabbed their finished product and rushed it over to Joe.

"Locked and loaded. Go!"

The Boot whirred as it powered up. Then, the cuff shot out and locked itself around the criminal's ankle.

"Booted," Cisco breathed out with a grin.

"Still hate it," muttered Sophia.

The man grunted in pain as the cuff sent electric shots. It was all going according to plan—until he began to grow.

"Guys, you said this thing would take him down," Joe said anxiously as the man reached triple his former size. "He's not going down."

"He went up," Cisco realized.

"Run," urged Joe as he shoved the Boot into Cisco's arms. "Run!"

— 𝒮 —

"According to the coroner's office," said Sophia, staring at the autopsy report on the computer in the bullpen of CCPD, "Al Rothstein's body was in the morgue all night."

"I guess we can scratch off zombie attack," sighed Cisco from beside her—he seemed more disappointed than anything.

"I think that's a good thing," she muttered, and she didn't miss the frown Cisco sent her way.

"Rothstein have a twin brother?" suggested Joe, who was sitting on the edge of the desk.

"Nope, only child," she answered. "And get this—the night the accelerator exploded, Rothstein was on his honeymoon in Hawaii."

"Okay." Joe sighed. "So, we're looking for a guy who's really strong, can grow twice his size, and just happens to look exactly like the guy he murdered?"

"I would think this meta was really cool if everything about him didn't just terrify me to my core," mumbled Cisco, his arms crossed.

"Is that what happened to you?" questioned Joe. "You looked really spooked there for a minute."

"Uh . . ."

But before Cisco could answer, a familiar voice made them turn to the entrance. As Iris headed toward them, they stood to meet her.

"Hey," she greeted. "So, the hospital next to the Flash Day rally? The X-ray and CT machines all failed at once. Was that because of you?"

Sophia furrowed her eyebrows, and she shared a look of confusion with Cisco. The Boot most certainly wouldn't have caused that, nor would've anything else they had anything to do with.

"We did not do anything that would cause that," Cisco said, his eyes squinted. "I'm ninety-two percent sure."

Sophia elbowed him. "We should go make that a hundred."

— 𝒮 —

Before today, the most prestigious lab Sophia had ever been inside of was STAR Labs, and she had really thought it was probably the best one out there.

But now that she and Cisco were wandering inside Mercury Labs, she figured that maybe she should've taken the job here when she had had the chance.

Regretting past decisions wasn't why they were here, though—they were here to find Caitlin.

"So," said Cisco as soon as they entered her lab room, "this is what it looks like inside Mercury Labs."

"Security here is way better than it was at STAR Labs," Sophia pointed out. "What with people walking in and out of the Cortex all the time."

Caitlin smiled as she stood up from her desk. "Hi, guys."

"Sweet Sarek," he gasped, hurrying toward the device behind her, "is that a six-K proton splicer?

"Yes, it is," Caitlin confirmed, turning toward him. "Dr. McGee insists on having all the latest technology."

"Whoa," he breathed out, grinning as he looked back at her. "You deserve it."

"We saw you at the rally today," said Sophia, her smile becoming a little grimmer, "and I'm guessing you saw what happened."

"Soph," Caitlin sighed, shaking her head, "I can't come back."

"Okay, check this out," Cisco rebutted, showing her a plastic baggie with a badge in it, "we found this on a victim at the nuclear power plant. But the badge shows absolutely nothing at all, which is so weird. And what's also weird is that at the same time that meta-human grew, all the X-ray machines within a mile radius just went belly up."

"Cisco . . ."

"Just . . ." He sighed, his expression pleading. "If you could just see if the badge was tampered with, or something? I mean, if it's broken or whatever. It would really help."

— 𝐵 —

"FLASH FALTERS"

Barry stared at the photo of him, mid-knocked back, that was front and centre of the day's newspaper.

How pathetic. On the day dedicated to how he was the hero of Central City, he was helpless. He was defeated, and in front of everyone, no less. The mayor, his supporters, his friends, his family—he had let everyone down.

On one hand, he regretted going to the ceremony in the first place. He had known he shouldn't have gone, yet he let himself get sweet-talked into going. He wondered what would've happened if he hadn't gone; maybe that meta wouldn't have bothered striking. . . .

On the other hand, who knows what could've happened if he hadn't shown up? What if this meta had still attacked? A lot more people could've been hurt—killed, even. And he knew that he would've been filled to the top with guilt.

"Mr. Allen? Barry Allen?"

Barry looked over at the entrance, where a suited man he didn't recognize stood. His eyebrows furrowed, and he put the paper down as he stood.

"Yeah," he quickly said.

"I'm Greg Turk," greeted the man as he walked in, and there were no signs of friendliness on his face. "I'm an attorney at Weathersby and Stone." He shook Barry's hand. "I don't usually make house calls, but I've been trying to get in touch with you for several months."

"Yes, yeah, I'm sorry about that," Barry said. "I've just, um—I've been really busy with police work."

"We need to talk about STAR Labs. As you know, Harrison Wells left the property to you as part of his living trust."

"Yeah," Barry sighed, grabbing a molecular model and sitting back down. He began to pull it apart as he continued, "Which I did not ask him to do, but I've been keeping the place up."

"Well, it's gonna take more than cleaning the floors to retain it, I'm afraid. The facility and the real estate are scheduled to go into receivership at the end of this week. Unless" — Greg walked closer to him and held out a USB drive— "you watch this."

Barry stared at the drive for a moment before cautiously taking it—he half expected it to blow up from his touch. "What is this?"

"A video message drafted by Dr. Wells."

His eyebrows furrowed. A video message? What more could Wells—Thawne want to tell him?

"What's on it?" he questioned, looking back at Greg. "Have you seen it?"

"No," Greg replied coolly. "He was very specific. It was only to be watched by you. The device will send me a notification after you've viewed it, and at that point, I'll have everything ready to execute."

Despite what was on the line, Barry didn't think he had it in him to watch whatever was on there. Maybe it was a threat. Maybe it was some footage that would scar him forever. Maybe it was information that would completely negatively change his outlook on life.

Whatever it was, he wasn't going to be fooled. Harrison Wells wasn't going to continue his mind games on him from the afterlife.

"I'm not gonna watch that," he told Greg, who shrugged.

"Well, that's up to you, Mr. Allen. I'm only here to represent Harrison Wells' final request. Good day."

Barry nodded, and he stood as Greg walked out. He picked up the USB and played with it for a moment before tossing it back onto the desk. He sat down.

He couldn't just give STAR Labs up—literally everyone would kill him. But was he up for watching this video?

If he had to, his first thought would be to have someone watch it with him for emotional support. Joe, Sophia, Cisco—someone who understood. But, of course, Wells had to request for Barry to watch it alone.

His attention was quickly pulled to the computer as an alert popped up. Unauthorized entry at STAR Labs.

What the hell? Who was there?

Instantly, he got to his feet and sped to the lab. He came to a stop at the Cortex, half-ready for a fight, though that instinct quickly died when he realized who was there: Sophia, Cisco, Iris, and Stein at the front desk, with Joe standing at the Med Lab.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"Working," answered Iris irritatedly, as if it were his fault that he was there.

"So," Sophia said, clearly continuing the conversation Barry had interrupted, "Caitlin was right."

"Yes," confirmed Stein, "all humans contain small amounts of radiation due to contact with cell phones, microwaves, televisions, et cetera. Our bodies are natural conductors."

Cisco nodded. "I think our meta's been sucking up all the radiation around him and using it to power himself."

"Which is why the X-ray machines at the hospital failed the day of the rally," Iris realized.

"So if we wanna find him," added Sophia, "we gotta look for places without radiation."

Barry didn't really know what they were talking about, but there was one thing that he was sure of. "All right, guys, I don't want any of you here right now."

"Tough," interjected Joe as Cisco began typing something into the computer. "You need your partners. You need your friends."

"Barry," said Iris as he gave a sheepish nod, "everyone in this room cares about you. But we also care about this city. We all wanna make a difference, and that means fighting meta-humans—and that means working with the Flash. You can't deny us that. Not anymore."

"Got him!" declared Cisco, drawing everyone's attention back to the matter. "There's a three-block dead zone near a hazardous waste reclamation plant. It should be blooming with rads, and right now, it's at zero."

"That's where you'll find your . . . Atom Smasher," exclaimed Stein, who then looked very proud of himself for the name. When the rest of them were silent (and Cisco had an unreadable look on his face), he mumbled, "Because he absorbs atomic power and he . . . well, smashes."

"Come here," muttered Cisco, and he pulled Stein into a tight hug. So, obviously, he liked it. "That's a great name. Welcome to the team."

"Great. Guys, thank you," Barry sighed, clapping his hands together. "You can go now, all right?"

"Barry," warned Sophia, "you need to let us figure out a way to stop this guy."

Barry looked at her and shook his head. "No, I don't."

Before anyone else could argue with him, he turned and changed into his suit. There was one thing he needed to do before he left—he pulled out his comm system and left it on the desk as he sped out. He didn't need their help, and he really didn't need to hear all their pleading in his ear.

The dead zone was dimly lit and filled with barrels that, judging by the toxic stickers, had contents that Barry would prefer not to mess with.

Atom Smasher, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying the toxic waste. Empty barrels were laid by his feet, though Barry didn't have much time to enjoy the view as the bigger man turned his head toward him.

"Well, this is a curveball." Atom Smasher began stepping toward him. "I thought I was going to have to come looking for you."

"I'm not gonna let you hurt anyone else," Barry said firmly.

"I'm only here to hurt you, buddy."

"Yeah?" Barry questioned. "Then why did you kill Albert Rothstein? And why do you look like him?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Barry chuckled. He was long past not believing outrageous ideas. "Try me."

He tilted his head down. "I'm about to."

Barry lifted his arms and began to move them in a circular motion, and the wind he was generating attacked the other man. While this would usually be enough to knock the victim far back, Atom Smasher remained in his spot, though he had to fight for it. His entire body was leaned forward, his boots scraping against the ground as he yelled.

Barry gave up on the wind angle and sped toward him. He was able to land a few punches before he received one in the gut, forcing him to cough and take a few steps back.

As Barry panted, Atom Smasher grinned. "My turn."

He grew four sizes bigger, and before Barry could even react, he was being lifted up by the neck. His grip was tight, and Barry clawed at his hand, trying to get some air.

There was no escaping the huge hand. And there was nothing he could do as Atom Smasher repeatedly thrust him into the wall. The pain in his head was becoming unbearable with each hit on the bricks, and not being able to breathe really wasn't helping.

"He said you were some kind of big hero!" he growled, pressing Barry against the wall. "But you don't seem worthy of him or this city."

Suddenly, there was a flash of red lights as the alarm began to blare. Seeing that Atom Smasher was distracted, Barry took advantage of his loosened grip and sped out.

He knew it would only be a matter of seconds before he made it back to STAR Labs, but even so, he wasn't sure he could make it. His head was feeling lighter by the moment, and he worried he'd pass out in the middle of the street.

Miraculously, he made it inside. He only had the strength to stumble down the hall before succumbing to the pain in his head, and he let himself fall to the ground.