Firestorm

It's been around a day since we started to search for Stein, and soon enough we had a solid lead.

After tracking down Martin Stein to his neighbourhood, Caitlin and I approached the bridge where he was sitting, looking a bit lost. His expression was puzzling when he saw us, though he seemed confused about what was happening.

"Dr. Stein?" I called out as we got closer. "We're here to help. We need to take you back to STAR Labs. Dr.Wells thinks he can help you."

He nodded slowly, still trying to make sense of his surroundings. We guided him back to STAR Labs, and Caitlin and I got him settled in the lab. As we ran tests and monitored his condition, it became clear that he was not himself entirely—he was still merged with Ronnie.

It seems as if although Dr. Stein was in Ronnie's body, while Ronnie was in Dr. Stein's mind, either asleep or just unconscious, it was honestly a puzzling situation.

Caitlin tried to communicate with Ronnie through Martin. She spoke gently, hoping to reach him, but it wasn't much help. Instead, Martin spoke up, his voice a bit strained. "I can feel that Ronnie cares deeply for you," he said, which wasn't much but was a small comfort to Caitlin as she had been worried after Ronnie had disappeared from her life for a second time, and she had thought this time it could have been for good.

While Caitlin and I were busy in the lab, a phone call was happening, a conversation between Joe and Cisco. Joe was curious about the blood he and Cisco had found at Barry's old house, and Cisco had just finished analysing it.

"Hey, Joe," Cisco's voice came through. "I've checked the blood sample. Your'e not going to believe this but It's not Dr. Wells'. blood, It's Barry's… but there is something special about it, there is a compound that can be found in the bloodstream, but the thing is the amount in his blood is suggesting that it's from an adult, yeah it's from the future."

Joe was quiet for a moment, absorbing the news. "Future Barry? That's, I don't even know. I've been a detective for a long time but I have no idea how to proceed now."

Back at STAR Labs, we were still dealing with Martin Stein's situation when suddenly Cisco came running in and said "Stein is gone! I think he is trying to get us out of the blast range!" he was missing again. Caitlin and I scrambled to track him down, using satellites to scan for his location.

Caitlin was really frantic this time, even more than before as she just had this situation happen to her once before and now it's happening again.

"I found him! Looks like he's out in the middle of nowhere," I said, checking the readings. "Thirty miles outside the city."

Dr. Wells and Cisco, meanwhile, were busy putting together the Quantum Splicer, which they handed to Barry. Caitlin, however, insisted on going with Barry. She took the device from Cisco and argued her case.

"I'm going with you," Caitlin said firmly. Barry looked at her, then nodded, acknowledging her determination.

The sprint out to the location was tense but manageable. When they arrived, they found Ronnie standing on the edge of a gravel like field, clearly on the verge of making a stupid decision. He looked at us with a mix of desperation and hope.

"Ronnie, wait!" Caitlin shouted as she and Barry approached him. "We've got a way to fix this. This. This is a Quantum Splicer. It should help"

Ronnie hesitated, his eyes darting between Barry and the device Caitlin held. After a few moments of convincing, he agreed to let us help. Barry and Caitlin carefully used the Quantum Splicer to unfuse him from Martin Stein.

However a reaction started to happen and Caitlyn and Barry quickly sped away, Caitlyn was clinging to Barry in worry, after a bit after the explosion they realised there was no abnormal radiation, so they sped back to the spot they were before.

Ronnie was separated from Stein and they seemed stable, so I arrived at the scene to check for any remaining radiation. I ran a few tests with my radiometer to make sure everything was safe. Once satisfied, we headed back to STAR Labs with Ronnie in tow.

Back at STAR Labs, we took some time to ensure everything was back to normal. With Ronnie now separated and safe, we could finally take a breath. I spent some time reviewing my notes and getting ready for whatever might come next. Because honestly I don't remember much of the small details that will come next.

Got it! Let's adjust the scene to fit with your new idea:

---

It had been about a week since we successfully separated Ronnie and Professor Stein, and I'd been doing what any ordinary person would do after dealing with a near-nuclear meltdown—relaxing. I was halfway through a random show when my phone rang. The screen lit up with Caitlin's name. I frowned and picked it up.

"Hey, Caitlin, what's up?"

"Matthew, it's Barry. He's been hurt."

I sat up immediately, the tension in her voice kicking my senses into overdrive. "What happened?"

"It's… it's the military. He's covered in needles, some kind of kinetic energy bomb. We need your help. Can you get here?"

"On my way," I said, hanging up.

Without wasting another second, I sped out of the house, practically blurring as I raced toward STAR Labs. The streets zipped past in a blur, and within moments, I was inside the lab.

As soon as I saw Barry, I stopped dead in my tracks. My first thought was, Damn, that's a porcupine. Needles were sticking out of him everywhere, and Barry didn't look like he was having a good time, to say the least.

"Holy crap," I muttered, walking closer. "What happened?"

Caitlin sighed, her eyes still on Barry. "It's the military. They used some kind of kinetic energy bomb. The needles are attracted to his speed—his kinetic energy."

"That's why they're stuck to him," I realized, shaking my head. "I think I've heard about something like this before. Military tech, right? A bomb that locks onto kinetic energy, and since Barry is basically full of it, he's like a magnet for those needles."

Barry groaned, and I winced. "Yeah, they're not coming out easily, either."

---

After helping Caitlin and Cisco pull the last needle out of Barry, I let out a relieved sigh. Speed healing was doing its thing, and Barry already looked better than he did when I first arrived. Sure, it was pretty crazy seeing him looking like a human pincushion, but when you're dealing with someone who can heal at super-speed, worrying too much felt unnecessary.

"Alright, I think he's going to be fine," Caitlin said, her tone much calmer now.

"Yeah, speed healing and all that," I added, giving Barry a quick glance. "I'll stick around, just in case."

Barry nodded, still looking tired but definitely more comfortable now.

After lingering around for a bit, watching Caitlin and Cisco get Barry back to normal, I found myself spinning in a chair, staring at the ceiling. It was nice to relax after all the chaos, but the boredom was creeping in fast. There's only so much you can do when the team's focused on one person, and you're not the one with super-speed or a fancy lab coat.

I must've spun around a hundred times before the night finally ended.

---

Two days later…

I was at home again, just about to make myself some breakfast when my phone rang. It was Caitlin again. I groaned, half-joking, as I picked up the call.

"Let me guess, Barry needs help brushing his teeth this time?"

Caitlin didn't laugh. "Matthew, it's Professor Stein. He's been kidnapped."

That woke me up real quick. "Wait, what?"

"I don't know all the details, but someone took him. And we think…" She hesitated. "We think Ronnie might be able to help us find him."

I blinked, processing that. "Ronnie? What does he have to do with this?"

"They're still connected somehow, Stein and Ronnie. It's like… a mental link. We think Ronnie can tell us where Stein is if we let him."

I sighed, shaking my head as I grabbed my jacket. "I'm on my way."

---

When I arrived at STAR Labs, the place was buzzing with tension. Barry was standing nearby, looking much better after the needle incident, thanks to his speed healing. But Ronnie was still on edge, pacing slightly as if he knew something wasn't right.

After lying down for a while and bot feeling much besides the cold, suddenly he starts to rive in pain, and scream.

"What happened to ronnie!?" Caitlyn asked.

"Not Ronnie, but Stein!" Wells says

Suddenly, without warning, Ronnie grabbed a shard of glass from a table. Caitlin immediately noticed and moved toward him. "Ronnie, what are you doing?"

Before anyone else could react, Barry stopped her. "No, let him."

Ronnie brought the shard to his arm and began to scratch something into his skin. We all watched in silence as he wrote out a single word: WHERE?

Cisco broke the silence. "Anything?"

Ronnie shook his head, his voice tight. "No... just... tap." He paused, then continued. "Tap, tap, tap. Tap. Tap, tap."

Caitlin, still worried but curious now, asked, "What does that mean?"

Wells looked up, understanding dawning on him. "It's Morse code."

Cisco quickly started writing down the taps. "Got it. 27."

Feeling like I should contribute something, I chimed in. "You know, sometimes army bases go by numbers. Like Area 51."

Everyone turned to me for a second, then back to the information Cisco had pulled up. "Area 27…" he muttered, scanning the data. "There's an old military base called that. It's abandoned, but it's about 300 miles away."

Wells nodded. "That's got to be it."

Barry was ready to go in an instant. "I'll head over there and bring him back."

Ronnie, looking determined, stood up. "I'm coming too."

Caitlin immediately intervened. "No, you can't! You're still hurt."

But Ronnie shook his head. "We're still connected. I have to go. I'll know if something's wrong."

The next thing I heard was an emotional speech about how the world changed and all that jazz, I wasn't listening to closely, but yeah.

But just before they leave, they kiss and I cringe cause well, I like caitlyn but I understand, doesn't mean I like it though, she isn't mine, fuck it now I'm kinda pissed and I think Cisco noticed.

And after some time I hear the signature line from Wells, "Run Barry run!"

And not too long after Ronnie and Stein merged once again.

And not long after a fight we couldn't see, they made it back to the lab.

…

Back at STAR Labs, the atmosphere was tense but relieved. Theyd managed to save Stein, but Barry had suffered some pretty nasty burns. Caitlin was busy checking him over, her brow furrowed as she examined the damage.

"Damn, that looks painful," I muttered, seeing the red, raw skin where the acid had burned him. Not that Barry was the type to complain, but I could tell he was feeling it.

He winced a little as Caitlin dabbed at the burn. "Yeah, just a bit," Barry replied with a half-smile.

I stood up, figuring there wasn't much I could do in the medical department, so I decided to grab him a drink instead. "You could use this," I said, handing him a cool bottle of water. "I know you can't get drunk, but at least this will help cool you down."

"Thanks," he replied, accepting it with a nod.

I turned my attention to Ronnie, standing off to the side. He seemed lost in thought, probably still processing everything that had happened. I gave him a look, holding his gaze for a few seconds, but didn't say anything. There wasn't much to say, really.

After that, I went back to sitting down, spinning idly in a chair, trying to find something to do as the others stayed busy. There wasn't much left for me to contribute, so I just settled into my usual state of doing nothing.

After some time I came to watch the spectacle of Ronnie and Stein trying to separate and succeeding, it was pretty cool to see, and it honestly looked mystical, it was basically splitting the atom but with people, fascinating.

And then for the love of God there was another sappy moment where Caitlyn realised that Ronnie had to go, not too long afterwards, we come to the scene where we are saying goodbye to the new firestorm. Not long afterwards I made my way home as I decided to go look for something that I feel could come in handy.