"Barry- let go of me." I pulled away from him forcefully when we came to a stop in the cortex, "That was our daughter- you locked her up without even giving her a chance to explain-"

Barry stares at me, hurt crossing his features, "She lied to us, Zee."

"Since the first day she got here, about Thawne!" He went on, "She knows what he did to us. To me. To my mother. I can't believe a word she says."

"We don't know that." I softly said, trying to calm him.

Barry raises his voice at me, "Yes, we do!"

And that's where I threw being the master of Zen out the window.

"We don't even know why she's working with him." I firmly said.

"Now the pressing question is not why Nora is working with the Reverse Flash." Sherloque crosses his arms, "Maybe I can talk to her and shed some light on the matter."

"Sherloque-" I face him, "Please- not right now."

"Why, are you upset at me?" Sherloque stares at me, "What I should do? I should just- I should not have told you?"

"No- I'm not upset-" I sigh, running a hand through my hair, "I- just- think we all need a minute."

Joe doesn't take acknowledgment of what I said, "How long has it been since you suspected her?"

"Since I arrived." Sherloque honestly told us.

This catches us all off guard, "Wow."

"I don't know where this trail leads." Sherloque stares at all of us.

"Are you kidding me?" Barry scoffs in disbelief, crossing his arms.

"If Sherloque told us before, without all the facts- would we have believed him?" I looked at Barry, "Would any of us believed that Nora was hiding something? Because I know I didn't."

Barry's eyebrows furrow, "What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

"I knew he was investigating her." I honestly told him, "I told him to stop- I didn't think he'd keep going and decide to expose her like this."

"Are you kidding me?" Barry stares at me, as I could see the anger flash in his eyes over the hurt.

"I'm not kidding you." Sherloque spoke up, "You don't come to a conclusion without facts. All the facts."

"Shirley, I think, uh, maybe you should just give us all a minute here." Ralph sighs, noticing the tension between Barry and I.

"What, you're mad at me for doing what a master detective does. Figure out something that you cannot." Sherloque spoke as he walked out, "I give you that translation. Your anger is misplaced."

"Look, whatever reason Nora didn't tell us, I don't think she did it maliciously." Cecile looks at us, "Guys, even from here, I can feel how upset she is."

"All right, babe, you've been around Nora for months." Joe said, "You never felt that she was hiding something before."

"No, never." Cecile shook her head, "Never."

"Well, Thawne lied." Cisco walks over, "He was a master at it. It stands to reason he must have taught Nora some- of his same tricks."

"Maybe- maybe not." Caitlin sighs, "There's gotta be some way to figure it out."

"There is." Ralph picks up Nora's journal, "I'm guessing this has everything from the day she arrived. Maybe before."

"Read it." Barry sat down, "From the beginning.

-

[ nora's pov , based on what they're reading ]

"Uh, excuse me-" I ran through people, "Excuse me, pardon me-"

The device on my arm speaks, "Incoming call from Mom."

"Mom, come on." I decline, running right into someone, "Ooh! I'm so sorry. I just- I'm really late. I'm- I'm really late for an important date.Not a date, date. Not that I don't date, date. I date, date. It's just, I have a meeting. I'm making myself later- sorry."

"Anyone seen CSI?" Detective Curtis' voice fills my ears as I ran towards the scene, "Where is Allen?"

"Ah, I'm so sorry, Detective Curtis-" I jerk to a stop in front of her, "I didn't mean to be late. I tried to hail a hover-taxi, but they kept passing me by and then- I had to run all the way from-"

"I really don't care what your reason is this time, Allen." She cuts me off, "I just wanna find what meta did this."

"Of course." I nod quickly, setting down my case, stepping into the truck.

"Chemical transport truck on its way to Dayton Labs." She explained, "It was attacked earlier this morning."

"But that makes two labs and another two transports this week." I stare at her.

"And like the others, no one saw anyone." My mother walks over, running a hand through her dark hair.

"Captain." Detective Curtis greets my mother.

"Detective-" She nods, looking at me, "Nora."

"Hey-" I weakly smile, then use the device on arm to scan, "God, there's residue everywhere-"

"Benzene Methanol." The device spoke.

I looked at them, "That's what they stole."

"What's that used for?" Detective Curtis questions.

"Anything from nanotech to treating lice." I answer, scanning once more.

The device on my arm spoke, "Halothane."

"Halothane?" I repeat, "Wait a second-"

"What?" Detective Curtis pushes.

"This truck has an Affinity 4,000 security camera. God, Lia's gonna be so jealous." I grab the camera, "Whenever the 4,000's tampered with, its failsafe releases a incapacitating agent- Halothane."

"So- you're saying whoever did this picked the lock, disabled the camera, and stole might-be-lice medicine?" My mother pieced together, "All before this incapacitating agent could do its job?"

I nod, "And no one saw them."

"How is that possible?" Detective Curtis look between us.

-

"A speedster?" Lia repeats, walking into the Lab, "Nora, labmate, friend of mine, you didn't happen to pitch your speedster theory to Detective Curtis, did you? Or worse- your mother?"

"It is not a theory, Lia." I walked in with her, "It is the only explanation."

"You know I'm equally a fan of our fleet-footed super friends. I mean, honestly, if I could have ever met Jesse Quick, it's like, hello, new best friend." Lia laughs, then clears her throat, "No offense, um-"

"Some taken." I took off my jacket, setting it down.

"Okay, but there hasn't been a speedster in Central City since that crisis piece your aunt wrote about, like, decades ago." Lia mentions, "I mean, Flash, Kid Flash, Jay Garrick, that that weird purple speedster that just showed up one day. They're all gone. So what you're suggesting, highly unlikely."

I mock her tone, "Then we need to start believing in the highly unlikely."

"Alternatively, um, you could-" Lia clears her throat, "Dial back your obsessiveness."

"I'm not obsessive." I argue, sitting down.

"You never got to know your dad- so, you became a CSI just like him, and it's why you keep investigating the one case Barry Allen never solved." Lia pulls out the board, "Cicada."

"You call that obsessive." I point, "I call that a hobby."

"Right, your, um- your classic everyday murder hobby." Lia softly laughs, "It's like your mom says. You're, uh- you're excessive."

"Do not quote my mother." I shot her a look.

Lia types on the keyboard, looking at the footage, "God, I wish CCPD would spring for one of these Affinity cameras. I mean, trillion FPS, captures light in motion- W-T-Shrap?"

"That's lightning." I stare at the frozen footage.

"The canister's gone." Lia clicks back and forth.

"White lightning." I stood up, "A speedster."

"Okay, maybe-" Lia began.

"No, not maybe." I point at her, "It is! I knew it!"

"Okay, fine, you're right." Lia admits it, "But, what is a speedster doing stealing chemicals?"

-

"And Eobard Thawne, aka the Reverse-Flash, was finally defeated and incarcerated and will remain in Iron Heights Prison- for the rest of his days." The monitor spoke, as I look through in the Flash Museum.

"Incoming call from Mom." My device spoke, as I scoff, declining it again.

"See? I knew it." I whisper to myself, pointing at the screen, "There was never a speedster with white lightning."

The man next to me clears his throat, "All yours."

"Thanks." I barely smile, moving to the next monitor.

"Thank you for visiting the Flash Museum today." The intercom sounded the room, "The building will be closing in five minutes. All guests should make their way to the exit now. And Nora Allen, your mother called. Please, for your sake and mine, call her back."

"So embarrassing." I mutter, making my way down the hall, calling her back, "Mom, why are you calling Mr. Myles?"

"I'm sorry-" She sighs, "I just- I got really worried, okay? You weren't answering- and you weren't at your Lab- and you weren't home when I got back from Aunt Iris'-"

"Couldn't you have waited for me to call you back?" I questioned.

"Nora-" She huffs deeply, "Why isn't your holo on?"

"Uh, it doesn't work in the Flash Museum." I told her.

"I've never understood your obsession with that place." She mutters, "What are you even doing there? Are you there alone? Do I need to come pick you up?"

"It's fine, Mom." I stop her, "I'm researching a case."

"What kind of case?" She questions, "Is it the one we were looking at today?"

"This is one that I can't talk about." I try to dismiss, knowing she wouldn't be happy if I told her.

"I'm your mother, Nora." She scoffs, "I probably already know what the case is-"

"And I'm an employee of CCPD who can't talk about open cases, you're literally my boss." I told her, whining, "Mom, how many times do I have to tell you this? You were married to a CSI."

She pauses, her voice quiet, "Yes, I was."

"I'm sorry." I groan in guilt, "What were you calling about?"

"I was going to pick up some food for dinner-" She pauses for a moment, as if she was recalling something, "Does- Thai sound good?"

"Yeah- yeah. Thai's good, Mom." I answer, then my device chimes, "Uh, Mom, I gotta go. It's work. Love you."

"I love you, Nora." She sighs, as I ended the call, answering Lia, "Hey."

"Hey, meet me at Ollins Laboratory." She exclaims, "I sent the list of stolen chemicals to an old teacher of mine and I think he found something."

-

"Appreciate the help, Dr. Bonwit, especially at this hour." Lia said as we walked through the Lab with him.

"Not a problem." Bonwit said, "Ollins never lets me leave this place anyway."

I chuckle lightly, "So- Lia was telling me you might know how these chemicals- can be used together."

"Yes and no." He pulled it up, "Took me a bit to see it, but the only way they seem to work together is if they're built on a structure. Like an extracellular matrix."

"But- there are thousands of extracellular matrices." I looked at him.

"So- until we know all the chemicals, we won't know the end results." Lia sighs.

"Sorry- I can't help more." Bonwit apologized.

"That's okay." I inhale, "Thanks, Dr. Bonwit."

"Now what?" Lia asks as we walked out of the Lab.

I shrug, "We can't just wait for another lab to get hit."

Suddenly, whoosh of lightening moves past us, and into the Lab.

Lia and I look at each other, "Holy shrap!"

We ran back in, Dr. Bonwit on the ground, "Dr. Bonwit!"

"Oh, my God!" I breathe out when the speedster that Lia and I thought was actually here, stood in front of us.

"Yes, I am a god." His voice was vibrated, "The god of speed."

"Go, go, go, go, go!" I push Lia, making her run, the speedster forming a ball of lightning in his hands, throwing it in our direction, as I got hit, flying back into a shelf, everything going black.

-

"Nora?" Lia's voice came closer, followed by Poker Face by Lady Gaga, my eyes opening to a white light, "Oh, I knew an oldie would wake you up."

I blink, looking at her, as she clears her throat, "Okay, don't freak. Uh, we're in a hospital. Me for this burn and you for a whole lot more."

I swallow, "Dr. Bonwit?"

"Uh, ICU, but he's gonna pull through." She huffs deeply, "Um, but the speedster did get away with a crazy amount- of carbon disulfide."

"Don't worry about that right now-" She notices my sigh, "How are you feeling?"

"I- I feel fine, actually." I sat up, "My fingers are a little tingly but other than that, I- I feel really good. It's weird, right?"

"I'm just so glad you're okay." Lia sat next to me, "Your doctor said you got hit with five billion joules of electricity."

"Which means, um, I, uh, kind of called your mom." She clears her throat, "Um, and she, uh- she freaked more than normal."

"Um, I had to." She puts her hands up in surrender, "You could have died."

I looked at her, "Lia, is she here?"

"She's in the hall-" Lia admits, "She thought you wouldn't want to see her right away- or drink whatever coffee they serve here so- she brought you some food and coffee."

"I don't want her to worry." I sigh deeply, looking down.

"Neither did I- which is why she doesn't know about this." She showed me a broken chip in a small vial, "The paramedics said that you went into cardiac arrest when you got here and so they had to use the defib nodes to restart your heart, and when they did, they found this. It was buried underneath the scar under your right shoulder."

I held the vial, "What is it?"

"They say it's a metal scrap from the shelf you got thrown into, but I don't know." Lia shrugs, "It looks kind of old and and pretty fried."

"Okay, wait, but now that we both know you're okay, can we please talk about the fact that you got struck by lightning from a speedster?" Lia got up, smiling at me.

"So schway, right?" I laugh softly, "The only thing is no one's gonna believe us."

"We both saw it- they're gonna have to." Lia sets down the small vial, only for it to fall off the desk.

I got up, Lia stood frozen, as I grabbed the vial, only to unintentionally run out, ping balling threw an alley and landing right into the back of a van.

"Stay calm." The robotic voice said, "There has been an incident. System check in progress."

I breathe heavily, staring at my hand, that was move so fast that I couldn't even process it, "What the hell?"

-

"Catch this." Lia tosses up a bobble head into the air.

I ran, grabbing it, my back hitting the pillar, my eyes wide, "I'm okay!"

Lia laughs, "You sure?"

"Yeah, dude." I softly laugh, "I'm a speedster. All of my nerves are tingling and my synapses must be going crazy because my reaction times are way off the charts."

I pause, staring at a photo of my mother and father, holding me as a child, "What am I gonna do about my mom? She freaks out whenever something even the littlest bit bad happens to me-"

"Okay, well, that's understandable." Lia exhales, "I mean, her non-meta husband died because of metas."

"Yeah, my Aunt Iris told me about how when my mom used to be a detective- she helped The Flash- the meta human on many of his missions." I reason, "I mean- meta human based things made her career."

"So we can't tell her?" Lia questions.

"No, we can't tell anybody- not until we figure out how I got these powers." I shook my head, "And I don't think it's a coincidence that this happened after my little run-in with the god of speed guy."

"You mean when Godspeed hit you with his lightning." Lia points at me, "Which, according to the Flash Museum, is exactly what happened to-"

"The Flash." We both say in unison.

Our devices chime, "10-90 in progress."

"Bank heist." I stare, then look up, a thought coming to my mind, "Huh."

"No, no. You can't do that." Lia already knew what I was thinking, "That is a bad idea. That is like cut your own bangs bad."

"I'm just gonna do a little run-by." I grab my jacket.

"You are a CSI, not a superhero." Lia crosses her arms.

"Our jobs are the same as the cops." I reason, "We get the bad guys."

"All right." Lia gives in, laughing, "Go get 'em, Flash Woman. Lady Flash. Hot Flash- not that one."

"Okay, we're gonna workshop that later." I point, "Until then, I have to guard Central City."

-

"You fried your gauntlet and half the fleet." Lia tried to fix it after I had gotten back from screwing everything up.

"It was only three cruisers." I nervously said.

"Your mom is going to go insane when she hears word back." Lia sighs, "I'm sorry, Nora. I know today didn't exactly go so great."

"Both robbers got away because of me." Guilt filled within me, "Cut yourself a slice of slack pie."

"It was your first day." Lia reasoned, "No one got hurt. And plus they found Bug and Byte hunched over with runner's cramps, like, ten minutes later."

"But- I still feel so bad." I admit, sitting down.

"You're looking at this all wrong." Lia got up, holding my gauntlet, "Today was not Nora's big failure. Today was the Femme-Flash's big debut."

Lia pauses, "Naming superheroes is not easy."

"Lia, you are the best friend a shrappy speedster could ever ask for." I chuckle, "But- I think we both know that CCPD isn't equipped to stop this guy. The only way we're gonna catch him before anyone else gets hurt is if I start thinking like a villainous speedster."

Lia trails off, "And how are you gonna do that?"

I sigh, "I'm gonna go see one."

-

"Reverse-Flash, huh?" The guard lead me through the prison, "Well, officer, you're, like, the second person in 15 years who's come to visit this psychopath. Not even a call. Are you sure you want to interview him by yourself?"

"I've been alone with criminals before." I nod slowly.

He uses his hand against the screen, the door opening, "You have five minutes."

I slowly stepped into the room, Eobard's cell in front of me, the door clanging shut, my head snapping towards the door I just came through, as it was now shut.

"Eobard Thawne?" I call out, fear filling my chest.

Eobard Thawne stood up from his bed, revealing himself, staring at me.

"My name is Nora Allen, and- I'm a CSI tech with the CCPD." I shakily said, "I wanted to ask you a few questions, if I could."

"Come closer. Nora Allen." He gestures, staring at me.

I stay put, afraid.

"Don't be afraid." He stepped closer, "The dampening capabilities of this cell can negate the powers of 1,000 meta-humans. The glass, the walls, the ceiling, the floors are all connected to a power energizer that will zap this place with 400 kilojoules instantly should the dampeners fail. Making the cell phase-proof."

"I couldn't hurt you, Nora Allen." His voice was low, "Even if I wanted to."

"What are your questions?" He stares at me.

I walk up to the glass, "How did you end up in here?"

"Was there nobody at CCPD that could answer that question for you?" He scoffs, his hands behind his back.

"All the files pertaining to the Reverse-Flash have been cyber locked." I told him, "And there's almost nothing about you in the Flash Museum. Except for the date of your imprisonment."

"Really? That's all there is in the Flash Museum?" Eobard questions, "That's interesting."

"Will you tell me how you were defeated?" I quickly ask.

"Why do you want to know that?" He stares at me in suspicion.

"It'll help us with an investigation." I lie straight through my teeth.

"You need to work on your lying. Nora." He eyes me, "Your shoes are new. But your soles are worn. You have singe marks on your sleeves and singe marks on your pant legs, but most of all, your cheeks are flushed with windburn."

"Oh, I know that windburn. I can still feel it." Eobard closes his eyes for a second, then opens them, "You're a speedster."

The door opens, the same guard coming over but this time with a friends, "Time's up."

"Please, I need your help." I told Eobard, being lead out by a guard.

"Come on." I was pulled out of the room, shut out, my eyes wide as I watched as the guard electrocuted Eobard over and over, my eyes wide.

-

"Thawne figured out I had powers, but he wouldn't tell me anything about them." I slowly walked into the Lab, noticing Lia staring at the vial, staying silent, "What? And don't tell me it's nothing 'cause your whole face says it's something."

"You know this metal fragment they found underneath your shoulder?" Lia held it up, "Well, something about it was bugging me, so I did some digging."

"It turns out it's not from that shelf you got thrown into." Lia trails off, "It's, uh- it's tech. A chip made by Star Labs 25 years ago."

"Like a chip you would use to find a lost animal?" I took the vial from her.

"It's to dampen your speed." Lia sighs, "You didn't get your powers when Godspeed hit you with his lightning. It looks like you always had them."

"I- I've always had powers?" I breathe heavily, "Who would put a power dampening chip inside of-"

I stop.

I knew who did.

-

"Your mom lied to you your whole life." Lia sighs as we were sat at Jitters, "I mean, that's next-level aggro."

"How could she keep something like that from me?" I said in disbelief, "I mean, what else has she lied to me about?"

"I think you're gonna have to ask her." Lia told me.

I pinch the bridge of my nose, "Oh, just the idea of that makes my blood boil."

"That could be the macchiato." Lia points, "It's possible I might have made that a triple."

I laugh softly, "At least I have one person in my life I can still trust."

I look at her in thought, "A triple."

"That's been established." Lia shot me a look.

"No, no, no, not the coffee." I shook my head, "I mean, yes, the coffee- but the chemicals that Godspeed stole. Benzene Methanol is unstable, and if you add the carbon disulfide that he stole from Ollins Lab-"

"Kablooey." Lia blurts out, "I remember that from 9th grade Analytical Chem."

"And the only way to combine all those chemicals together is if you add some kind of binding property." I began.

She continued, "Right, you'd need a plus-one oxidation state, like a a dioxygen difluoride."

I nod, "Yes, and somewhere that's able to store that and the only place in Central City that can is- Stagg Industries."

-

"I cannot believe my first time at Stagg Industries is as a burglar." Lia looked through the shelves, "Or are we vigilantes?"

"Lia, I found it-" I gesture for her to come over, trying to lift up the huge container.

Lia helps me set it onto the ground, "Unless your super speed came with super biceps, we are not getting this out of here."

As if on cue, Godspeed ran in, "That's mine."

I looked at him, then at Lia, "Uh, okay- try and get this open. It'll evaporate in seconds."

I ran, standing a few feet away from Godspeed, "If you want it, you're gonna have to come through me to get it."

"Ah, you're a speedster like me- so you need it too." Godspeed stares at me, "Sorry."

I ran, Godspeed right after me, as he chased me around the building, knocking me off my feet right when we reach the room we left, punching me, as I flew back, landing onto the ground with a groan.

Godspeed grabbed Lia, having her against the pillar, vibrating his hand, his lightening turning blue along with the white.

My eyes were wide, "No!"

Godspeed kills her, grabbing what he needed, running out.

I ran to Lia once she fell, grabbing onto her, crying, "Lia- Lia!"

-

[ zee's pov ]

"The one person in the world she thought she could trust died in her arms." Cecile stared at the journal entry, sighing deeply.

"Nora must have felt completely alone." Caitlin quietly said, looking at us.

Barry leans his head against his fist, speaking from next to me, "But she wasn't."

"Yes, she was." I looked at him, my voice shaky, as I felt nothing but shame and guilt, "I wasn't honest with her. I took her abilities away from her and lied to her- her entire life."

Barry sighs, "Zee-"

"No, Barry." I stop him from talking, "After I did to her- she gave me another chance. It's the least we can do for her."

I turn, leaving the cortex, walking right down to the pipeline.

"Mom?" Nora forces herself up to her feet, tears streaming down her cheeks, breathing heavily.

I open the cell, letting her out, "Come on."

Nora runs to me, engulfing me in a hug, clinging onto me, as I stumbled back lightly, "Mom- I'm so sorry- I-"

"Hey-" I wipe her tears, grabbing her shoulders, pulling her away from me, looking her right in the eye, "It's okay- don't cry."

Nora stares at me, regret, guilt and hurt flashing in her eyes, "I didn't mean to hurt you guys- I- just-"

"You're going to explain it all now." I kiss her forehead, "It'll be okay."

Nora sniffles, nodding, as I paced a hand on her back, walking upstairs to the cortex with her.

Barry looks at me, "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" I shot back, standing by my decision, "I'm letting her explain. Something we should've let her done instead of locking her up."

-

[ nora's pov , 2049 ]

"Nora-" My mother walked into the loft, putting down her purse, "I heard about Lia- honey, I'm so sorry."

I stay silent, staring into nothingness.

"I know how it is to lose someone you love." She deeply sighs, "If you don't wanna talk about it right now- or if you don't want to talk about it with me- it's okay. I'll give you time- you need it."

I got up, starting to walk away.

"Nora, please, just-" Her voice stops me, "I just wanna make sure that you're okay. I'll- go and get you some food- or if you want we could go get ice cream- whatever you want."

I stay silent, looking at my feet.

"Nora, you left the hospital." My mom's voice was filled with hesitance, as it fell quiet, "You know about your speed, don't you?"

"I guess lightning doesn't hurt as much when you already have it coursing through your veins." I finally face her, hatred and anger burning through me.

"I should've know it was you." She quietly said, meeting my eyes, "I saw you run out. The purple and yellow lightening- I should've known."

"Does this look familiar?" I held up the vial, then used my speed to appear right in front of her, "How about now?"

"Nora-" She stared at me, "I'm sorry."

"Lia found it before she died." I ignored her words, "You put this inside of me, Mom. To dampen my powers? You lied to me my whole life."

"I know." She whispers, taking responsibility for her actions, "It was all me- my fault. But- it was for a greater reason then what I know you're thinking right now."

"Who else knows?" I question, "Who else?"

"Everyone." She swallows hard.

"Everybody?" My voice broke, "Everyone that I love has been keeping this from me? Why?"

"Because I told them to." She quietly admits.

Hurt flashes in my eyes, "Why would you do that?"

"Nora," She exhales, "I was trying to protect you."

"From what?" I ask her, tears glistening in my eyes.

"From everything." Tears brimmed in her eyes quickly, "Are you really going to tell me that if you already knew you had speed, you wouldn't want to go on and try to fight off meta humans overnight?"

I stay silent, not knowing what to tell her because that is exactly what I had done.

"I did what I did to keep you safe." Tears fell from her eyes, "Nora, you don't understand, I-"

"No, I don't understand." I cut her off, "How did I get my powers? What do you have against speedsters?"

"I don't have anything against speedsters." She stared at me dead in the eye, "I lost someone- someone I cared so much about. He was the kindest- most selfless person I knew. He was a speedster. He's gone now."

I stare at her, only hurt and regret in her eyes.

"Nora, I have already lost so much." It was as if a wound of hers had opened back up, her hand going to her hair, tears streaming down her cheeks, "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you too."

"Well, you just did." I ran off, and to CCPD, stopping at the Lab, staring at the bobble head.

I started to cry, the thought of her breaking me.

"I'm gonna miss Lia too." Detective Curtis slowly walked in, "Allen, we all know how close you two were. If you need some time off, I'm sure Captain Allen-

"We need to get the guy who did this." I stop her, "Whatever it takes."

"We ran the evidence from the crime scene. Turns out there was foreign DNA in Lia's exit wound." She handed me something, "But- we've used it to positively ID this guy."

I scan it, then pull it up on the screen, "August Hart. Bio-hacker. Mercury Labs intern, and then grad school-"

I zoomed in on the photo, my eyes widening at who it was. It was the man I had seen at the Flash Museum.

"Says he was kicked out for testing tachyon stimulants on coma patients." Detective Curtis spoke, "What the hell's a tachyon?"

"A particle that moves faster than light." I whisper, staring at the photo.

"Well, an arrest warrant's on its way now." Detective Curtis said, before leaving, "I promise you this guy's gonna get what he deserves."

"Yes, he will." I whisper to myself.

-

"Did you know not all villains had meta-human powers?" The monitor spoke as I skimmed through the Hall of Villians in the Flash Museum, "Some-"

I move to another slide, playing the video, "Make sure you get this."

"Everybody move!" Papa Joe's voice filled my ears, Zoom running around, killing most of the officers.

I pause the video, staring at the video, "Godspeed's lightning- it turned blue, just like Zoom's. Hey, wait a sec-"

I move to Trajectory, "Although her body disintegrated, authorities uncovered evidence at Mercury Labs of the illegal speed-enhancement drug, Velocity-9. This volatile stimulant gave Trajectory incredible speed, but at a deadly price."

"That's it." I put it together, thinking out loud, "Benzene methanol, carbon disulfide, dioxygen difluoride. The base for the extracellular matrix for Velocity-9. Only he's trying to make one that will last forever."

-

I ran to Eobard Thawne's cell, getting straight to the point, "How do I stop a speedster?"

"You can't." Eobard breathes, getting up.

"Not alone." I stared at him, "But with you, I can.

Eobard coughs, "No."

"That plinth, it takes incoming calls and from what I hear, you have a few left." I point, "You could walk me through it via comms."

He spits into the sink, "No."

"He has stolen enough chemicals to make an extracellular matrix that replicates speed powers." I continued to push.

"I told you to leave." Eobard faces me.

"The only thing that is stopping him from becoming a speedster permanently is a stabilizing agent." I try to persuade, "Once he gets that, he will be unstoppable."

"I told you to leave!" He hits the wall, "Guard!"

"Please. He killed my best friend in front of me." I pleaded, "She's gone because of him, and you are the only person that can stop it."

"What the hell?" The guard walks in and grabs my arm, "You need to leave now."

I huff, sniffling, turning, starting to leave.

Eobard sighs, calling out after me, "Nora."

-

"Okay, I'm at the innovation lab at CCU." I spoke, "Are you there?"

"Yes, I'm here." Eobard confirms.

I walk over to the screen, "Okay, are you sure this is gonna short out-"

"-the scanner circuits?" He cuts me off, "Yes, I'm sure. Vibrate your hands together. Build an electric shock."

"Okay." I did exactly as he told me, the doors opening, "Schway. It worked."

"Now look for the brightest room." He instructs, "The converter needs constant fluorescent light."

"Now locate the biometric converter." He continued, "It will be a kidney-shaped object-"

I ran into the room and opened up the case.

"I think I found it-" I grabbed it, "No way for Godspeed to stabilize his Velocity-9 now."

"You don't learn, do you?" Godspeed ran in, "That's mine."

"Come and get it." I held it out, shooting him a look.

He rans toward me, as I pulled the biometric converter back last minute, smacking a power dampener on his wrist, as he crashed into the shelves.

"It worked!" I breathe out, only for Godspeed to get back up, injecting himself with more V-9, the dampener falling, "No- he's got more V-9."

"Nora, you need to get out of there now." Eobard said, "Right now!"

I rush out, Godspeed right on my tail, lI can't lose him! Thawne! Did you hear me? I said I can't lose him!l

"All right, Nora, do you see any walls near where you are, preferably concrete?" Eobard questions.

"Why?" I question.

"Because I want you to run into one." He told me, "Or rather, through one."

"I can't run through a concrete wall!" I shot right back.

"Yes, you can." He explains, "If you vibrate at the natural frequency of air, your body- your cells will be in such a state that they will phase right through that wall."

"I can't do this!" I blurt out, being too afraid.

"Nora, listen to me." He softly spoke, "Listen to my voice. Breathe- breathe. Feel the wind on your face. The ground beneath your feet. And the lightning. Its electricity surging through your veins. To your nerve endings from the crown of your head to the tips of your toes like an electric shock you never want to end. You're part of something greater now, Nora. You are part of the Speed Force and its power, its power is yours to use. Now do it."

I back out last night, hiding behind a wall, "I can't. I can't do it."

He deeply sighs, "Then good-bye, Little Runner-"

"No, no- I'm sorry." I blurt out, "I trust you. Uh, what now?"

"Nora, you can't run forever." He exhales, "You're gonna have to stop him. Tell me what you see around you."

"Um, uh, I'm on 5th and Park." I stammer, "I see Choi Enterprises, Peercoin Bank, and CC Citizen Media."

"Media, the satellites." Eobard exclaims, "Nora, we're gonna use the satellites' electromagnetic radiation to break the V-9 bonds. Flood Godspeed with anti-endorphins."

I piece it together, "Neutralizing the V-9 instantly."

"Exactly, but here's the thing." He spoke, "Those satellites recalibrate on the hour emitting very short bursts of microwave energy. You're only gonna have a few seconds to get Godspeed in front of those bursts. Do you understand?"

I breathe out, "So I just need him to follow me into the building."

"Not into the building." He corrects me, "Up the building."

"Uh, okay- I can do that." I hesitantly said, "Um, how fast do I have to go to run up a building?"

"As fast as you can." Eobard's voice filled my ears through the comms.

I look out, "Here he comes."

"Then run, Nora." Eobard instructs, "Run."

I caught Godspeed's attention and ran, running up the building and leading him around it.

"Wait for it, Nora-" Eobard trials off, "Wait."

I lead Godspeed right towards the satellites, waiting for Eobard's signal.

"And now!" Eobard told me right away, as I jumped, Godspeed following right after me, getting hit with the burst of energy, as we both flew back, Godspeed hitting the glass as I landed on my feet, running back down, Godspeed landing with a hard thud.

"Nora." Eobard calls out, "Nora!"

"We did it!" I blurt out, "We did it."

"Yes, we did." His voice was low, satisfaction in his voice.

-

"Well, we don't have to worry about Godspeed anymore." I smiled, "August Hart is in the custody of CCPD."

"Bravo, Little Runner." Eobard said, sipping on his soda.

"I still have a lot to learn, you know." I trail off, "You could train me."

"I can't train you, Nora." He stops me, "There's just not enough time."

"What- what are you talking about?" I questioned.

"Nora." Eobard glances at the timer by his cell, "My time on this earth is coming to an end."

"There's so much I wanted to ask you." I exhale, "So much that I still don't know. So much that my mom has lied to me about."

"You have no idea." Eobard steps back.

"What do you know?" I question, "Thawne, please, you may be the only person left in my life who won't lie to me."

Eobard looks at me, "Nora, how much do you really know about the Flash?"

-

"Five, six, seven-" I count, stopping in front of what Thawne had told me was his Time Vault.

I put on the ring, putting my fist against the wall, the door opening, "Holy shrap."

I walk in, looking around in excitement and amusement.

I open up a case, grabbing a version of the Flash's suit, holding the ring in my hands.

I looked around, then pulled off the sheet, the lights turning on, some sort of hologram appearing in front of me, "Good evening, Nora Allen."

I jump, "Um, hi- you know who I am?"

"Of course." The feminine voice spoke, "Nora Allen. Daughter of Zee Young and Barry Allen, also known as the Flash."

My heart plummets, "Did you- did you just say my father, Barry Allen, was the Flash?"

"Would you like me to play your video message, Nora Allen?" She asked.

"My- My message?" I stammer.

"Yes, from your father, Barry Allen." She confirmed.

"Uh, y- yes." I stammer.

"Nora, I don't have much time." My father came into the screen, a booming in the back filling the audio, "If you're watching this, it means you're like me. You have powers. It also means I wasn't there to help you learn how to use them. I wasn't there for a lot of things. Remember, my sweet Nora, always remember, I love you. I always will."

The cut out, the hologram appearing once more, "Would you like to see your mother's video?"

-

[ barry's pov ]

"I just wanted to see you, Dad." Nora sighs, "Thawne showed me how."

"And Cicada?" Zee questions.

"The one case we both couldn't solve." Nora admits, "It was my idea to come here and make it right."

"Can I have a minute alone with Nora?" I spoke up, staring right at my wife.

Zee clears her throat, "Yeah-"

With that, everyone leaves one by one, leaving me alone with Nora.

I leaned against the desk, staring at her, "How many times did you go back to Thawne?"

"How many times?" She repeats in question.

"After the night of the Enlightenment." I add in, crossing my arms.

"Five, uh, maybe six." Nora quietly answered.

I sigh, "Even knowing he killed my mother?"

"Dad-" Nora began.

I stop her, "I understand coming back to meet me and the team. I do. I even understand going to Thawne to learn how to do it, but you kept going back. Even after you knew what he did. Even after he wasn't your only option anymore. And the worst part is, you lied to us every time."

"D-Dad, I-" Nora stutters, not knowing what to say.

"I don't trust you, Nora." I stop her, "I can't have anybody here with us that I don't trust anymore."

Tears filled her eyes, "W-what are you saying?"

I decided, inhaling sharply, "It's time for you to go home."

-

I let go of Nora after running her back to her time, Nora begging, "Dad, please don't do this! I promise I will never see Thawne again!"

I stay silent, as she begged louder, "Dad, don't do this!"

"Nora, if you try to run back in time again, I will feel it in the Speed Force." I stare at her, "I'll know. Good-bye, Nora."

I ran off, and right to where Thawne was being held, my fists clenched.

"So she finally came clean." Thawne already knew it was me, facing me, "Or did you figure it out all by yourself?"

"One wasn't enough?" Pure hatred and anger was threaded in my tone.

"You had to try to take my daughter from me too?" I stepped closer to the glass, shouting, "My daughter!"

"I knew you'd react like this." Eobard came closer, "You're always so emotional, which is why I had her keep all of this from you."

I clench my jaw, staring at him.

"You can't blame the Little Runner, Barry. She just wanted to spend some time with her dad." Eobard lowly spoke, "Don't hold that against her. Consider it a condemned man's last request."

"You always thought you were so much smarter than us, Thawne." I stared right at him, "But you lost."

I stepped back, "And now you're finally gonna get what you deserve."

And with that, I ran out.

authors note:

DO NOT SKIP THIS AUTHORS NOTE PLS

omg ik i spent forever to update, i'm sorrryyy

also nora and zee moments js

i'm stalling because i love writing this book and there's only four chapters left :(

although, i am writing a jace herondale and an alec lightwood book, and they are actually both up.

about 15 chapters for the jace herondale book, and the first chapter of the alec lightwood one, which, both I'm updating very soon, I promise !

so if you like shadowhunters, plsss go read them because i really enjoy writing those two books

the alec lightwood book is called forelsket, you can find that on my profile

the jace herondale book is called predestined, you can also find this on my profile

anyway, vote and comment loooads