Chapter 13: Heading Back to Central City

In a secluded location, several individuals lay unconscious on the ground, their fate unknown.

Standing amidst the scene is Arrow, who surveys the area with a critical eye. His gaze falls upon numerous illegal weapons cases, among them one from Star Labs.

"They should exercise caution with these dangerous weapon," Oliver remarks to himself, noting the potential risks posed by these weapons falling into the wrong hands.

Determined to prevent further harm, Arrow confiscates the illegal weapons, ensuring they won't pose a threat to the public. However, he makes an exception for the ice gun from Star Labs, intending to return it to its rightful owners.

...

Around 2 pm, Barry finds himself dining alone in a bustling restaurant, surrounded by a crowd of people filling up the space—except for his solitary seat.

Suddenly, a trio approaches, and a black-haired woman politely inquires, "Excuse me, is it possible for us to sit here?"

Barry glances up at them, observing the pair of women and a man, and nods in agreement. "Sure."

"I apologize if we're intruding. I'm Lois Lane, and this is Jimmy Olsen," the woman introduces herself, extending a hand for a handshake.

"Barry Allen," Barry responds, reciprocating the gesture with handshakes all around.

As Lois and Jimmy engage in conversation about work, Barry swiftly finishes his meal and excuses himself from the table, leaving them to their discussion.

Strolling through the town, Barry catches sight of a news report on a nearby television screen.

"Multiple bombings have rocked Central City, resulting in casualties among the army personnel. The perpetrator remains at large, and their identity is still unknown," the news anchor reports.

"Fuck," Barry mutters under his breath, his phone ringing just then.

"Barry, it's Cisco," Cisco's voice comes through the line. "Have you seen the news?"

"Yeah, I'm heading back. Did you recover the ice gun?" Barry inquires.

"Yep, it's back in the Star Labs tech storage room," Cisco confirms. "Did you manage to retrieve it?"

"No. But I might have an idea about who helped return it," Barry hints cryptically.

"Who?" Cisco presses for more information.

"You don't need to know about it. See you at Star Labs," Barry replies before ending the call, leaving Cisco curious but with no further answers.

Barry swiftly retrieves his belongings from the hotel room, ensuring he remains out of sight from both human eyes and digital surveillance. With his task completed, he dashes back to Central City, making a brief stop at his home to drop off his things before heading to Star Labs.

Upon his arrival, Barry wastes no time in getting down to business. "Do we have any leads?" he inquires, addressing Cisco.

"I managed to recover some footage, although many of the files were deleted. It seems like someone was trying to cover their tracks," Cisco explains, his fingers flying over the keyboard as he pulls up the footage on the monitor.

"We have a woman wearing a cap and a mask," Cisco points out.

"Hmm," Barry muses, studying the footage intently.

"We don't know her identity or anything about her, but she poses a significant threat. If she continues bombing the city, it could plunge us into chaos," Cisco warns, concern evident in his voice. "And in the days since you've been gone, crime rates have surged by 50%."

Barry sighs heavily, a sense of responsibility weighing on his shoulders. Without further delay, he suits up and heads out from Star Labs.

He dashes through every alleyway until he comes across a scene where one man is dragging another. The Flash quickly conceals himself behind a nearby wall.

"How dare you touch my sister? She's only twelve, you motherfucker!" Brian, the man dragging the other guy, grabbed his collar with an angry expression.

"It's not true," James, the guy being dragged, tried to defend himself.

Brian punched James in the face. "Don't lie to me, you fucker. I know you did it."

"If I did, so what? I've already had a taste of your sister. She was delicious, her screams—" But before James could finish, Brian punched him in the face repeatedly until his fists bled, leaving James's face also bleeding.

"Is that all you've got, Brian? Your sister can take more hits—" Brian pulled his punch, and James dodged, causing Brian to hit the ground in pain.

Seizing the opportunity, James kicked Brian away, grabbed a pipe from the ground, and prepared to strike. Exhausted, Brian struggled to get up.

Before anything else could happen, The Flash appeared and intervened, patting Brian's body. Brian looked at The Flash with relief.

"You can let me handle this," The Flash said.

"Thank you, please stop him," Brian replied.

Seeing The Flash, James became afraid, realizing he was trapped with no way out.

"So, what are you gonna do now?" The Flash asked.

James surrendered, putting his hands up.

Approaching James, The Flash grabbed his hair. "I know you'll likely face consequences in jail, but I want to inflict some pain on you first."

The Flash proceeded to kick James in the stomach multiple times until he vomited, then ended the fight with a punch to the face, knocking James out.

"You can handle this, right?" The Flash asked Brian.

"Yeah, I can. Thank you," Brian replied.

"No worries. I still have to clean up the streets," The Flash sighed. "I've only been away from the city for a few days, and already so many crimes are popping up."

The Flash headed to the next alleyway, and the next, continuing his mission to maintain peace in the city.

After a few hours of running around, Barry, now in normal clothes, lay exhausted on the ground in the cortex. Many criminals had been apprehended during his exhausting spree.

"That was the most exhausting experience I've ever had," Barry said.

Dr. Wells entered the cortex and noticed Barry on the ground. "Mr. Allen, what are you doing on the floor?"

"Just resting. I'm too tired to even move. My legs are in pain, too sore to even lift," Barry replied.

"Go lie on the bed. Let me perform a check-up," Dr. Wells instructed.

"Okay," Barry said, wincing in pain as he got up and made his way to the medical room, where he lay on the bed.

Dr. Wells began examining Barry's body, pondering the changes he observed.

'His healing speed seems to be increasing. I'm certain his overall speed has also improved. He is growing rapidly," Dr. Wells thought to himself.

"Now, get some rest. Is there anything specific you need, Barry?" Dr. Wells asked.

"Hmm, a lot of Korean spicy chicken," Barry replied.

"Okay," Dr. Wells said before leaving the cortex.

'I really can't relax when he's around. It feels like he can see right through me. One wrong move, and I could be done for. I don't think I could even beat him in my current state. He's incredibly smart. I need patience, just like when I play Souls-like games,' Barry thought to himself, exhaling and closing his eyes to rest.

After a few minutes, Caitlin arrived in the medical room to check on Barry after receiving a message from Dr. Wells.

As she conducted the check-up, she muttered, "Reckless," with a sigh of relief, though she remained worried about Barry, who seemed unfazed.

Upon entering the cortex, Cisco noticed Caitlin leaving the medical room and asked, "Has Barry arrived yet?"

"He's resting," Caitlin replied, placing a finger to her lips.

"He pulled some crazy stunts today. Let me show you," Cisco said, displaying the news to Caitlin.

"The Flash emerged again after a few days of absence, cleaning up the city once more. Many criminals were apprehended. Will he extend this to other cities? Will he save Gotham City or the entire world?" the report read.

Caitlin was astonished.

"He accomplished all this in just a few hours. If he's sleeping now, it means he went all out," Cisco remarked. "Meta-humans might go into hiding."

"But shouldn't some of them surface because they're not afraid of Barry?" Caitlin questioned.

"We'll just have to wait and see," Cisco responded.

About 30 minutes later, Barry woke up to the smell of food and dashed over to Dr. Wells.

"Here's your food," Dr. Wells said, handing it to him.

"Thanks," Barry replied, eating eagerly. "So, Cisco, any leads?"

"I haven't found anything yet, but you were all over the city. Did you happen to see a woman in a mask, hat, and jacket?" Cisco inquired.

Barry racked his brain, recalling glimpses of the bomber, Bette San Souci, but his focus had been on cleaning up the city. "Damn," he muttered.

"Did you see her?" Cisco pressed.

"I might have, but I forgot. Plus, there were multiple people dressed like that," Barry lied, concealing the truth.

"You should have stayed in the city instead of going to Metropolis," Dr. Wells admonished.

"I'm sorry, I'm just human, that needing rest," Barry sarcastically replied.

"Regardless, if we're not careful, this could endanger many people, considering she's a meta-human," Caitlin interjected.

"The footage isn't helping us identify her. If we knew who she was, Barry could track her down," Cisco added.