The Decision to Stay

Speed Force.

The incredible Speed Force.

At that moment, Elon couldn't help but envy Barry. With such speed, he was practically invincible. Elon couldn't imagine anything that could defeat him. Of course, in the TV series, The Flash lost in ways that baffled Elon, especially by guns and flying needles. Elon didn't buy it; with that speed, was it all just a joke?

Licking the ice cream cone, Elon listened intently as Dr. Wells explained the real-life Flash, his excitement palpable.

"That night, when the particle accelerator exploded, it wasn't just a storm that formed. A barrier in space was breached, releasing unknown energies into our world — antimatter, dark energy, X-elements... Things we can't even define."

"Antimatter? Dark energy? X-elements? That's impossible, those are just theoretical," Barry protested.

"And how 'theoretical' is your own existence?" Dr. Wells countered. "The unknown energies spread out. We've mapped the scatter across Central City and its surroundings, but we can't pinpoint exactly what or who was affected. For eight months, we've been searching for other meta-humans like you."

"Meta-humans!" Barry echoed.

"Yes, transformed by these unknown energies."

"Have you found others like me?"

Barry was concerned. Such powers could be devastating if used for evil, just like when he was 11 and his mother was murdered. His mind drifted to that fateful night.

"Yes, Elon, a visitor from another world with the power to control lightning," Dr. Wells revealed.

Elon, who had been savoring his ice cream, devoured the rest in a couple of bites.

"Hello, Barry, I hope it's alright to call you that. I believe we'll become good friends. I'm Elon."

Barry looked at Elon with suspicion.

"You... You're the one who appeared that night? Who are you?"

With a helpless shrug and a somber tone, Elon explained, "That night, when the particle accelerator exploded, I don't know how, but in my world, lightning struck a black energy sphere, turning it into a vortex that sucked me in. Then I appeared near you, and next thing we were both struck by lightning, becoming meta-humans."

Elon finished his explanation as silver arcs of electricity crackled between his hands.

Barry's eyes widened in shock.

"Oh my god! My heavens! This is insane, insane."

"You're a meta-human from another world?"

"The reality of parallel universes... This will change humanity's understanding of the entire cosmos."

Barry paced back and forth, unable to contain his excitement. If landing on the moon was humanity's first step into space, then the confirmation of parallel universes would be a leap beyond measure.

"I don't care about parallel universes or changing human knowledge. I just want to go back to my love, to laugh and argue with her, to live with her, to continue the marriage proposal I never got to finish."

Elon spoke with a heavy heart, wishing he could return to his own world rather than gain any powers here.

The room fell silent.

Barry, with a look of remorse, apologized, "I'm sorry, I didn't know..."

"I'll help you, we all will. You can definitely get back to your world."

Barry embraced Elon, signaling he meant no harm.

The moment was touching, warming the hearts of all present.

"What are you doing?"

Joe walked in to see Barry and Elon hugging, his face full of questions.

"I was just thanking Barry, Detective West."

Elon spoke with a smile, his super-speed mind granting him exceptional thinking abilities and strong emotional control, quickly steadying his earlier sadness.

He knew why Joe had come.

"You speak English?"

"Yes, I woke up last night forgetting many things, but slowly it's all coming back."

Joe's suspicion deepened. "Why were you at the police lab the night of the accelerator explosion?"

"To thank Barry for saving my life, I was bringing him a gift."

"You know Barry?"

"Yes, a month before the incident, Barry saved my life. I was a fisherman from an eastern fishing village. A storm sank my boat, and I clung to driftwood, barely alive at sea until Barry rescued me. I've been living on the outskirts since then. If not for Barry, I wouldn't have survived."

Joe didn't buy it.

As for Dr. Wells, Cisco, and Caitlin, they just stared at Elon with disbelief, as if to say, 'Really? Who would believe such a tale?'

With Joe's years of police experience, he could sense the absurdity. He didn't bother to pick apart the story's flaws; instead, he pulled Barry aside for a private word.

"What gift did he give you that night?"

The wisdom of an old cop didn't need to challenge inconsistencies; if their stories about the gift didn't match, it would be clear.

Barry, caught off guard, stammered, "It was... It was S.T.A.R. Labs clothing. I'd wanted it for a long time, but the lightning strike that night destroyed it."

Barry cleverly chose clothing as the gift, explaining why it was no longer present. The rest was up to fate and Elon's own resourcefulness to avoid being deported by Joe as a stowaway.

Joe looked at Barry with a father's knowing gaze, the kind that says, 'You've done something wrong, I know, but I won't call you out on it.'

Back in the control room, Joe pressed Elon, "What gift did you give Barry that night?"

"Clothing from S.T.A.R. Labs. I knew Barry liked it and wanted to give it to him."

Elon's smile was confident, everything under control.

Could it be true? Joe wondered, but the stranger was too suspicious. In the end, with no other choice, Joe played his trump card.

"I've applied for a deportation notice. You'll be sent home soon."

Joe spoke earnestly, sensing Elon was unfazed by threats.

The others flinched inwardly, their faces unnatural. If an interdimensional traveler were deported right before their eyes, it would be a farce.

They were about to speak, but Elon interrupted.

"No need, Detective West. Barry has recommended me for a talent visa to stay in this country. Once it's approved, I can stay here longer."

"What kind of talent do you possess?"

"I speak eight languages."

"What! Weren't you a fisherman?"

"That was a hobby."

"Why don't you have any identification?"

"The place is too remote for government reach."

"How did you learn eight languages?"

"I learned them here in a month. I'm a genius."

The rapid-fire exchange left Barry sensing things were getting out of hand.

He quickly intervened, "Let me talk to Joe. It's okay, Elon."

With a nod, Elon stepped back, indifferent to the tension rising around him.

"Joe, let's talk..."

Barry led Joe away, leaving the rest to contemplate the curious case of Elon, the visitor from another world.