Ch - 23 Date?

When Barry arrived at Stagg Industries, Danton Black quickly overpowered him. Just as Barry thought it was impossible to find the prime, Joe encouraged him, saying, "Nothing's impossible, Barry. You taught me that. You can do this."

With Joe's encouragement, Barry ran through Danton Black's hundreds of clones and managed to find the prime. After isolating the prime from his clone army, Barry knocked him unconscious with a pillar.

As Barry was informing his team, Danton Black, thanks to his meta-human abilities, regained consciousness. Seeing Barry standing near a glass window, Danton took the chance to throw himself at Barry. However, Barry, with his super speed, moved away, causing Danton Black to crash through the window.

Seeing Danton about to fall to his death, Barry extended his hand and grabbed Danton's. Barry tried to reason with him, but Danton, emotionally broken beyond repair, chose to fall to his death instead of letting Barry help him.

***

After informing Joe about Danton Black's death, Barry returned to S.T.A.R. Labs and recounted the events.

After Barry finished explaining his encounter with Danton Black, Swayam, knowing this incident should be on TV by now, turned on the television. Just as he expected, a news channel was broadcasting the Stagg Industries incident. "Central City Police Officials are now confirming former employee Danton Black..." As the news was displayed, Barry, seemingly talking to himself, mumbled, blaming himself for not saving Danton's life, "I tried to stop him."

Harrison Wells, understanding Barry's feelings, spoke, "Doesn't sound like he wanted to be saved. Some people, when they break..." He continued after a brief pause, "they can't be put together again."

Barry, being an optimist, countered Harrison Wells' statement, "Some people heal even stronger."

Only Swayam, knowing Harrison Wells' true identity, was certain that when Wells said, "some people can't be put together," he was talking about himself, though Barry didn't comprehend that.

Harrison Wells, hearing Barry's optimism, remained silent for a moment before responding, "I hope so."

Seeing their conversation end, Cisco began speaking, "Well, at least Multiplex won't be able to hurt anyone else."

Barry, impressed by Cisco's choice of name for Danton Black, smiled at him.

Cisco, seeing Barry's impressed smile, said smugly, "Told you I'd come up with a cool name."

Barry, seeing the team's mood improving, expressed his appreciation, "I may be the one in the suit doing all the running, but when I'm out there helping people, making a difference, you're all out there with me." He continued, "That's when I realized that we were all struck by that lightning." After saying this, he walked away from S.T.A.R. Labs with a smile on his face.

***

A few days after the Multiplex incident, there had been no more metahuman incidents. Although there were occasional robbery attempts, Barry stopped them every time.

Today was a rare day with no incidents. As evening approached, Swayam, seeing Caitlin overworking herself, approached her and gently grabbed her hand. "Don't you think, Cait, you are overworking yourself?"

Caitlin, initially tense, calmed down upon hearing Swayam's soothing voice. Seeing no one nearby, she leaned into Swayam.

While in his arms, Caitlin said, "Well, I don't think that's a problem. I have always worked like this."

Caitlin, who had made overworking a habit, didn't see it as an issue. But Swayam, concerned for her health, looked into her eyes with a no-nonsense expression and said, "No. You need a break, and you are getting it." He told her to change out of her lab clothes and called Cisco to take over monitoring so they could go for a stroll.

After changing her clothes, Caitlin joined Swayam, looking fabulous.

Although Swayam had seen her in normal clothes before, he was always mesmerized by her beauty.

Caitlin enjoyed seeing Swayam's mesmerized face. It made her extremely happy, as if butterflies were fluttering in her stomach.

After some time, Swayam, embarrassed by his reaction, came back to his senses. He hadn't been romantically involved with anyone in his previous world, which was evident in his interactions with Caitlin. At first, he didn't understand Caitlin's intentions, but slowly, he realized their mutual feelings, leading to him asking her on a date. Now, they were strolling the city streets, holding hands.

While strolling, they encountered some muggers. Swayam easily overpowered them and, after calling an ambulance and the police, tied the muggers to a pole with their own clothes. After informing the cops of their location, Swayam and Caitlin continued their stroll.

They ended up near a movie theater and decided to watch a movie, *The Rita Farr Story*. The movie, about a Hollywood actress exposed to mysterious volcanic gases while shooting in Africa, focused on her heroic adventures and how she helped people in need.

They enjoyed each other's company more than the movie. Upon exiting the theater, they were spotted by Barry and Iris, who were also leaving.

Iris, acquainted with them from Barry's time at S.T.A.R. Labs, approached and exchanged pleasantries. While Caitlin and Iris chatted, Barry and Swayam talked casually. During their conversation, Barry received a call from Cisco about a man with a gun in a getaway car near Waid Boulevard.

After the call, Barry asked Swayam to handle any questions from Iris about his sudden departure. With a nod from Swayam, Barry rushed to Waid Boulevard to stop the criminal.

Just after Barry left, Swayam was bumped by a hooded pedestrian. Initially thinking the person was a thief, Swayam felt a multicolored spark enter his body and return with the person's ability.

Swayam realized the person who bumped into him was a metahuman, unintentionally transferring their ability. He chose not to stop the individual to avoid creating a scene that could involve and harm passersby. Additionally, he wanted to avoid alerting the likes of Eobard Thawne to his ability to imitate metahuman powers, which would make him a target.