Ch - 51 Confrontation?

While Swayam left to confront Farooq Gibran, Barry decided that even without his powers, he couldn't remain passive. He attempted to contact Joe, hoping Joe could bring reinforcements to S.T.A.R. Labs to help Swayam deal with Farooq. However, when Joe didn't pick up, Barry called Captain Singh to find out what was going on.

Captain Singh informed Barry that there was a hostage situation, and Joe, along with his daughter Iris, were among the hostages. Singh assured Barry that he would call once the hostages were rescued or if there were any new developments, then ended the call.

The news sent Barry into a panic. Desperate to ensure Joe and Iris's safety, he turned to Harrison Wells, hoping he had a solution to restore his powers. "Joe, Iris, and everyone at CCPD are in trouble. And I don't think Sam can hold Farooq off for long. I need my powers back now."

Seeing the urgency, Harrison Wells shared his untested theory on how Barry might regain his powers. "I have a theory. It's untested."

***

While the team inside the lab worked on a way to restore Barry's powers, Swayam, dressed in his dark super suit, silently approached Farooq Gibran. Unfortunately, his stealth didn't work—Farooq perceived Swayam as a massive source of pure, raw power. Compared to Swayam, Barry's power was like a drop in a bucket to Farooq.

Unaware that Farooq had already detected him, Swayam continued his silent approach. Just as he got within arm's reach, Farooq turned around, surprising Swayam. However, Swayam swiftly dodged the lightning projectile Farooq fired at him, narrowly avoiding the attack.

This brief encounter made it clear to Swayam that Farooq had no intention of stopping his rampage or listening to reason. As Swayam considered his next move, Farooq, whose perception of Swayam's presence was as bright as the sun in the dark environment, began hurling multiple lightning projectiles at him.

Dodging the attacks would have been difficult for Swayam if not for his accelerated perception and the use of the neutral speedforce. The exchange continued until Swayam noticed that Farooq was tiring, his lightning projectiles becoming weaker in length and density. Swayam decided to move in and attempt to knock Farooq unconscious, unaware that Farooq's exhaustion was a ruse to lure him in for a final attack.

As Swayam got within arm's reach again, Farooq didn't throw another lightning projectile. Instead, he allowed Swayam to touch him, hoping to siphon the vast energy reserves from Swayam's body. But when Swayam made contact, a spark of multicolored lightning entered Farooq's body. When the spark returned to Swayam, he had already acquired Farooq's ability. Though it was still in its infancy, it was sufficient to counter Farooq's electrical absorption power.

Farooq, expecting to absorb Swayam's energy and sate his hunger, became enraged when his plan failed. His stored electricity went haywire, and the previously silver-blue lightning began changing colors, first to pink, then to dark red, indicating that Farooq's emotions were affecting his metahuman abilities.