Ch - 10 Barry Allen?

The familiar beat of Poker Face echoed softly through the lab as Swayam walked toward Cisco and Caitlin, who were keeping a close eye on Barry's vitals. The moment the song reached his ears, a wave of nostalgia hit him. He recognized it immediately, not just from the show but from this specific moment—Barry Allen was about to wake up.

Approaching slowly, he overheard their playful exchange.

"What are you doing?" Caitlin asked, noticing the upbeat song playing in the background.

Cisco grinned mischievously. "He likes this song."

Caitlin, caught off guard by the answer, was about to question him when the lab door opened, and they both turned to see Swayam walking in. Cisco greeted him with a casual fist bump, a grin still plastered on his face. "Hey Sam, don't you think it's a good song?"

Swayam chuckled, playing along with the banter. "Well, I agree with you on that. It certainly is a good song." He shot them a playful look before adding, "Anyone up for wandering around the city?"

Before Caitlin or Cisco could respond, the lyrics hit the line, "No, he can't read my poker face," and a soft gasp echoed from Barry's bed. Swayam's attention snapped to Barry as the young man stirred. Barry, previously motionless, was now sitting up, wide-eyed and disoriented.

The heart monitors attached to Barry erupted into a cacophony of beeping, alerting everyone in the room to his sudden awakening. Cisco, being the first to notice, shouted in excitement, "Oh, my God!"

Barry looked utterly confused, covered in sensors and wires. His gaze shifted from face to face before finally landing on Caitlin, and he asked, "Where am I?"

"He's up," Caitlin stated the obvious, quickly grabbing a flashlight to check Barry's eyes. She wasted no time, going into full doctor mode.

Meanwhile, Cisco scrambled to alert Dr. Wells. "Dr. Wells, get down to the Cortex now!" His voice crackled over the intercom as he gave the situation an urgency that couldn't be ignored.

Caitlin continued her examination of Barry, moving with precision. "BP 170 over 110, pulse 120. Pupils reactive to light," she muttered, checking the vitals as if confirming that what she saw was real.

Seeing Barry's growing panic, Swayam felt the need to step in. He had seen Barry at his most vulnerable in the show, and now he was witnessing it in real time. "Hey, hey," he said softly, walking over to the bed and placing a steady hand on Barry's shoulder. "Whoa, whoa. Relax. Everything's okay, Barry. You're at S.T.A.R. Labs."

His touch wasn't just a gesture of comfort. As his hand made contact with Barry, a spark of energy—multicolored lightning—flowed into Barry and back into Swayam's own body. The sensation jolted through him, subtle yet unmistakable. What is this? he thought, feeling the surge of energy fuse into him.

Barry blinked, still disoriented but slowly regaining his focus. "S.T.A.R. Labs? Who… who are you?"

Cisco, never one to miss an introduction, jumped in. "The one supporting you right now? That's Swayam—or Sam for short. I'm Cisco Ramon, and she's Caitlin—Dr. Snow."

Caitlin, ever the professional, cut straight to the chase. Holding up a small tube, she interrupted, "I need you to urinate in this."

Barry blinked at the strange request, looking between her and the tube in confusion. Cisco, recognizing Barry's overwhelmed expression, gently took the tube from Caitlin's hand. "Not this second," he added with a smirk, sparing Barry the awkwardness of the moment.

Barry stood, shaky at first, but his balance improved with each step. As he wandered around the lab, taking in his surroundings, he muttered, "What is happening? What's going on?"

Cisco's eyes lit up. He had been waiting for this moment—the big reveal. "You were struck by lightning, dude."

Barry's face contorted in disbelief. "What?" he asked, incredulous. But before Cisco could elaborate, Barry caught sight of his reflection in one of the monitors. He raised his shirt, revealing the defined muscles beneath. "Lightning gave me abs?"

Caitlin approached him, her gaze sharp as she studied his form. "Your muscles should be atrophied," she explained, more curious than concerned. "But instead, they're in a state of cellular regeneration."

Cisco, ever the practical one, guided Barry back to the bed and had him sit down. "You were in a coma," he said simply.

The shock was clear on Barry's face. "For how long?" he asked, dread creeping into his voice.

As if on cue, Harrison Wells wheeled into the room. "Nine months," he answered, his tone measured and calm. "Welcome back, Mr. Allen. We have a lot to discuss."

Barry, his upper body still bare, looked bewildered. Wells, noticing his discomfort, turned to Cisco. "Cisco, please provide our guest here with some clothes."

---

Moments later, Barry, now fully clothed, walked alongside Harrison Wells as they made their way through the long, sterile corridors of S.T.A.R. Labs. Barry, still awestruck, glanced around with wonder. "It's hard to believe I'm actually here," he said, his voice tinged with admiration. "I've always wanted to meet you in person."

Wells—no, Eobard Thawne—smirked, unable to resist the irony. "Yes, well, you certainly went to great lengths to make that happen." His tone was laced with sarcasm, but he didn't linger on it. "S.T.A.R. Labs hasn't been fully operational since the Particle Accelerator explosion. FEMA categorized it as a Class 4 hazardous location."

As they passed a shattered cage with the name "Grodd" on it, Barry's eyes widened. Wells continued, unfazed by the ominous remnants. "Seventeen people died that night, many more were injured. I, myself, was left in this chair."

They stopped at an observation deck, giving Barry a full view of the destroyed Particle Accelerator below. Barry's voice was hushed as he took in the scene. "Jesus… What happened?"

Wells, his voice heavy with regret, recounted the incident. "Nine months ago, the Particle Accelerator went online as planned. For 45 minutes, I had achieved my life's dream. But then… something went wrong. An anomaly occurred, and the entire system overloaded. The energy it released seeded a storm cloud…"

Barry, catching on quickly, finished the thought. "That created the lightning bolt that struck me."

Wells nodded, impressed with Barry's quick thinking. "Exactly. I fell into a coma for a month. When I woke up, I learned about you. Every time you went into cardiac arrest, the hospital experienced unexplainable power outages. It wasn't a misdiagnosis, Barry. Your heartbeat was moving too fast for the machines to register."

Leading Barry back to the lab, Wells explained how Cisco and Caitlin had stabilized him and how Detective West his daughter Iris had brought him to S.T.A.R. Labs. Barry, hearing Iris's name, immediately perked up. "Iris? Is she okay?"

Wells reassured him. "Iris is fine. She came to visit you often."

From behind, Cisco and Caitlin chimed in with their own comments, teasing Barry about Iris. Swayam, listening quietly, agreed with a playful smirk. But Barry wasn't paying attention anymore. His mind was focused on one thing: seeing Iris again.

"I need to go," Barry suddenly announced, turning to leave.

Caitlin and Wells tried to stop him, insisting that he wasn't ready yet. But Barry was adamant. "I'm fine," he insisted. "Thank you for saving my life, but I need to see her."

And with that, Barry Allen, now wide awake, walked out of S.T.A.R. Labs, unaware of the storm his return was about to unleash.