Barry Allen

'My attack…'

On a rusty and dark railway adjacent to a road with a metal fence between the two areas, two men stood as they eyed each other.

'It did some damage.' Ray thought, his metallic arms up beside his chin as he scanned the bandana-wearing figure behind him.

He could see the figure's arms shaking, seizing ever so slightly.

'They might even be broken. His body is weak, all he has is whatever that "Thing" is.'

Ray's eyes fell on the obsidian slime wrapping around the Figure's hands like form-fitting boxing gloves.

'I just need to get one hit on him.'

-SWOOSH

At that moment, Ray shot out his lead arm, a blue glow emanating off it until…

-VUAM!!!

Though a lot smaller than the previous one's, a blue plasma blast shot out, lighting up the area as it shot like a bullet toward the figure.

However, Ray paused as he heard hushed words enter his ears.

"...I can see it…I can react…"

-WHOOSH

Ray widened his eyes, taken aback as he witnessed the figure, both fists by his cheeks, roll his right shoulder to the left, the plasma blast completely passing him as he shot forward.

'What the hell…'

Ray thought, seeing the figure approach him with a low stance.

'It wasn't speed…it was like he expected it…'

However, he didn't back down as he braced himself, throwing a cross at the first opening he saw.

-CLANG!!!

The obsidian glove around the figure's left hand separated from his body, expanding into a large wall which blocked Ray's punch with an ear-piercing CLANG.

'He can't see me. I can catch him by surprise with a plasma blast and finish this…'

-THUD!!!

Ray's heart skipped a beat as he froze, his head slowly looking back at the sudden THUD.

It wasn't until his eyes just about witnessed what was behind him that a dozen thoughts and emotions flooded Ray's mind.

'How…wait…'

Ray couldn't see it, but he vividly remembered the wall not being too tall.

'H-He jumped over it…'

And during all this, the figure waited, letting Ray catch a glimpse, almost as if he were mocking him.

-BLOP!!!

But in the next moment, both the figure's arms wrapped around Ray's waist as the slime on his remaining hand also wrapped around his body.

And with the assistance of the slime, Ray could do nothing as he felt his feet leave the ground.

-BANG!!!

-CRACK!!!

Ray's head SMASHED through the wood and metal of the railway and through the very earth, as the figure suplexed him, his back arched as he watched Ray's head bury into the ground.

A gut-wrenching CRACK rang out, unclear if it came from Ray's helmet or skull.

However…

-CLUTCH!!!

The figure watched one of his arms grabbed by the metal man as the former's other arm pressed into the side of the figure.

Without saying anything, Ray, his head bleeding and helmet cracked and practically destroyed, his eyes burning with a mix of rage and stubbornness, prepared for his final plasma blast.

"Ray, stop!"

This yell rang out through the entire neighbourhood as both the figure and Ray, though just barely, turned to see Cisco standing a small distance from them.

Behind him sat a confused Caitlin with wide eyes as she watched.

"It was the bee…"

Cisco held a destroyed piece of electronic in between his thumb and index finger.

Though it was destroyed, one could see the black and yellow colour scheme of what it once used to be.

"I'm allergic. One of them must've snuck in and on me. He was just helping."

Slowly, Ray's expression changed from one of rage to a blank one, and then finally a look of realisation dawned on him.

Simultaneously, the figure let go of Ray as the latter did the same.

The figure was the first one to make it to his feet as Ray needed a few seconds to regain his bearing after the last attack.

"Is that true?" Ray asked as he looked up at the green-eyed figure.

And for once, he wasn't met with silence.

"I didn't realise you misunderstood my intentions. I saw the bee and I was too hasty. I see how that might've looked bad. I'm sorry."

Ray was slightly taken aback by the sincerity. However, in the next second, he smiled as he removed his helmet.

"My visor was wet and cracked. I couldn't see that you were just helping my friend. I'm sorry too."

The figure looked back, his eyes landing on Cisco.

"I'm sorry for tackling you." He apologised with a small bow, to which Cisco smiled.

"Hey, you've saved me twice today. You can tackle me all you want."

The figure nodded, his eyes briefly glancing at Caitlin as she too stared at him.

Looking back at Ray, he extended his arm in assistance.

And as Ray smiled at this, prepared to take it…

-BOOM!!!

An ear-piercing sonic BOOM rang out through the city as they all looked back, seeing what looked like orange lightning speeding toward them from the distance.

'Good…'

The figure thought upon seeing this, waiting.

He didn't wait to see what was generating that lightning or where that boom came from.

'I could sense him…even before seeing and hearing him…'

He thought in surprise but continued to wait. He could see the lightning approaching slower than the others could.

Because of this, he had the luxury of waiting for the perfect moment until slightly moving to the side and taking a closer step toward Ray, towering over him with his hand extended toward him.

'Finally…show me what you got, Flash.'

***

"That road is the last place their GPS located them before disappearing."

Flash, the world around him almost seeming frozen, shot over a road as a female spoke in his ear.

Without responding, he failed to find anything. 

However, at the speed he was going, it wasn't long until he came across something.

"What the hell?"

He spoke, seeing a familiar van beaten and damaged on a nearby railroad, the fence separating two destroyed.

Quickening his movement, Flash sped toward them, quick to see all his friends outside the van and alive.

But as he witnessed their eyes glued on something else, he turned to notice Ray on his buttocks, bleeding from the head as he stared in the distance, most likely because of the commotion he caused as he ran.

However, that was only half of the reason for Flash's previous anxiety that had returned.

The rest was increased tenfold as he witnessed the mysterious figure ominously towering over the downed and injured Ray.

Without wasting a second, Flash's expression tightened as he sped up, pulling back his arm as he whipped it at the figure, grabbing Ray as he ran to safety.

-CRACKLE!!!

-WHOOSH!!!

-BANG!!!

Everything around the Flash returned to normal as everyone present watched the figure flip through the air, reaching terrifying heights as he spun out of control after a loud BANG.

"Ray, are you alright?" Flash spoke, turning to his friend.

"Barry…" Ray spoke in disbelief at what he just saw, looking back to see the figure hit the floor with a hard THUD!

Cisco and Caitlin shared in this moment of shock as their eyes stayed glued on the figure who lay on the ground, lifeless.

And during all this, the figure, or rather Derek, had a single thought as his world faded to black.

'Holy shit…the one time Flash doesn't stop to talk…it comes at my expense. But this is what I wanted.'

And with that, he finally shut his eyes.

***

"...He knows how to fight, he's definitely trained."

"Caitlin, you should get some rest. You had the worst of us in that crash."

"It's weird. I can't if he's a meta or not. It isn't his body that's giving off dark matter energy, but rather…his clothes."

Though he was unconscious, as time passed, more voices entered Derek's ears.

If he was conscious, he would easily be able to differentiate them by sound alone.

However, as his eyes slowly started to open, Derek was immediately met by bright lights as he squinted.

He slowly starts to come to as the memories return to him and finally, the realisation of everything.

-CREAK

Derek shot up from where he lay, so fast the old hospital bed creaked in agony.

He was quick to assess the room he was in, seeing the simplistic design. The room was small, simply an extra to a large main room before him.

At his feet lay his hoodie as he sat shirtless, bandages wrapped around his torso and head.

But most notably, he still wore his bandana and cap.

With a desk by his side with a few vials, a microscope and a few other medical tools, it was clear this room was a medical one.

However, before he could do anything else, he was immediately met with a searing pain shot through his body that made him wince, sending him back to a more appropriate seated position.

"He's awake!"

Derek paused at the familiar voice as a few individuals flooded into the room upon hearing him wake.

And as they did, Derek froze as he stared with wide eyes and his jaw practically dropped.

The first to arrive was Caitlin with a few plasters over her face. 

Behind her was Cisco who fashioned bandages around his skull and beside him was Ray without far thicker bandages around similar areas, most prominently his head.

However, three more individuals walked in, making Derek stare.

"Easy, Son. You were pretty badly hurt." A large dark-skinned male with a goatee and trench coat spoke as he looked at Derek with a warm fatherly look.

'Joe West…'

"You're up! Just so you know, we didn't sneak a peek at your secret identity, so there's no need to…you know…kill us." 

A female with blonde hair styled in a ponytail spoke awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck as Ray slyly nudged her.

'Felicity Smoak…'

"How are you feeling?" 

Caitlin asked, pulling a pen with a light on its end from her pocket. 

However, Derek didn't reply. Or rather, didn't hear the question as he stared at a single figure standing before him.

"Where am I?" 

He asked. Not that he didn't know, but more like he wanted to confirm his achievement.

And like he wanted, the figure before him was the one to answer.

"You're in STAR Labs. You're safe here."

The male with styled brown hair and sharp features answered with a sincere tone and expression, his arms crossed.

'And finally, the main character of this entire story…'

They couldn't see it, but if they could see his large smile, they'd think some damage had gotten to his brain.

'Barry Allen.'