Chapter 2: A Star Labs Speech & A Lightning Bolt

Elena POV

I walked in between Iris and Barry with our arms linked as we approached the area where Dr. Wells would be giving his speech.

"So Elena, did you meet any cute guys in Starling City?" Iris asked, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes.

"Uh, no." I raised an eyebrow at her, wondering where she was going with this.

"Oh, okay." she turned to Barry next, "What about you Barry, any girls that I should know about?"

"Nope." he looked over at the numerous protesters as we marched up the steps.

My eyes widened a bit when I realized what Iris was attempting to do.

"Ris!" I hissed quietly so only she could hear, and she shot me a obviously fake look of innocence as we stopped on the edge of a growing crowd in front of a platform.

I watched as Wells walked onstage where some people were already standing. The audience burst into applause as he stopped at the podium with a microphone.

"Thank you." he began, "My name is Harrison Wells. Tonight, the future begins. The work my team and I will do here will change our understanding of physics. Will bring about advancements in power, advancements in medicine, and trust me that future will be here faster than you think."

Suddenly, Iris lets out a gasp and I turn to see a man running away with her bag.

"Hey! My laptop!" she turns to Barry and I frantically, "It's got my dissertation!"

I immediately sprint after the thief, Barry close behind. The man shoves through the crowd, and the two of us barrel after him. I eventually found myelf in some sort of back alleyway, and I ran in the direction I thought the man had taken. I was about to turn the corner when suddenly he popped up from behind the wall and I felt his arm lash out at my stomach. Letting out a small noise of pain, I fell onto the ground.

"Elena!" Barry's worried voice rang out as he finally caught up and crouched next to me.

"I'm fine." I assured him, "Just stunned me for a second."

I looked up to see my attacker was looking slightly guilty and panicked, still standing a few feet away from where Barry and I were on the ground.

"Hey, you don't have have to do this, all right?" Barry said quietly, his words directed at the thief, "Just give me back my friend's bag, and we'll call it even. Okay?"

Barry stood up his hands slightly raised outward in a cautious gesture, and the man immediately socked him in the stomach.

"Barry!" I exclaimed, eyes wide with concern.

"Yeah." he said as he caught his breath, "I'm okay."

I leaned on the table next to Barry and Iris as the three of us stood in the police station, watching as the detective who had caught the thief after he had run away talked to another officer with a slightly smug expression on his face.

"Who is that guy, and what is he so proud of?" Iris crossed her arms, "So what, he caught a mugger."

"He's a transfer from Keystone." Barry informed us, "Started a few weeks ago. Eddie Thawne."

"Oh, so that's Detective Pretty Boy." Iris stated, then continued when she saw our expressions, "That's what my dad calls him. Says he actually keeps score when it comes to arrests. He is pretty though."

"Eh, not my type." I shrugged.

"Really? So what is your so-called 'type?'" Iris smirked, glancing at Barry pointedly for a second.

"Uhm..." I was saved from having to answer by my phone ringing, and I breathed a sigh of relief at having dodged the question, "Sorry Ris, I gotta take this."

"Fine." she looked me in the eye, "But we will be continuing this conversation later."

I simply nodded my affirmation, and walked away from the two, swiping my finger across the screen to accept the call.

"Hey Felicity." I smiled.

"Hey Elena!" her voice spoke from the other line, "I'm just calling to check up."

"I'm doing great." I told her, "In fact, I met up with two of my old childhood friends; Barry Allen and Iris West..."

Barry and I walked into the lab, peering up at the skylight as rain pounded on it. Barry walked over to one of the computers and turned on a news channel.

"I'm Linda Park, and we're live outside Star Labs, despite the inclement weather which is only going to get worse." I watched as a reporter stood outside of the building, umbrella in hand, "The torrential downpour has in no way affected the particle accelerator, which is up and running smoothly according to Star Labs CEO Harrison Wells..."

I let the television fade into the background as I turned my attention to Barry.

"Okay," I stated, "You said you wanted to show me something?"

"Yeah." he took a deep breath, as if he was steeling himself for something.

I watched as he lifted one of the screens covering a board, revealing a ton of newspaper articles and clippings. I moved closer so that I was standing next to him, and I read one of the headings of the Central City Tribune. It read 'DOCTOR ACCUSED OF KILLING WIFE. NORA ALLEN DIES.' across the top in big, bolded letters.

Barry turned to me, an undecipherable emotion in his eyes.

"This," he started, gesturing at the board, "Is all the evidence and information that I've collected so far on my mothers murder."

I looked up at him, wondering why he had showed me this and motioning for him to continue.

"Now, I know this is a lot to ask..." he sighed, "But I was wondering if you would help me. You see, my father didn't kill my mother. I know it. And now I'm trying to figure out who was really there that night."

"Of course." I sent him a small smile, "I'll always be there for you Barry."

He gave me a smile in return, his eyes lighting up with gratitude.

He opened his mouth to speak once more, but whatever he was about to say was interrupted by the frantic voice of the news castor.

"Wait, we are now being told to evacuate the facility. The storm may have caused a malfunction to the primary cooling system." I shared a wide eyed glance with Barry as we moved closer to the computer, "Officials are now trying to shut down the particle accelerator. But so far have been unable to regain-"

Her voice was cut off by the screen turning black and the power shutting down. We looked upwards as an explosion followed by a stream of light lit up the sky as Star Labs exploded. It sent a shockwave of orange power across the skies.

"C'mon." I stated, walking over to the chain and beginning to pull, Barry close behind.

He was about to grasp the chain as well, but he froze, twisting around to see the liquids in the glass beakers rising up as if there was no gravity. There was a sudden rumbling noise and I looked up, and time seemed to slow down as the sky lit up with light through the glass screen on the ceiling. By the time I registered what was happening it was too late.

"ELENA!" Barry's shout as he lunged forward and his hand on mine were the last things I registered as my vision was consumed by a blindingly white light before everything went black.

3rd POV

"What the hell happened to them?!" a doctor demanded as two patients were rushed in on stretchers.

"They were hit by lightening." the ambulance driver stated as she hurriedly wheeled them through the halls.

"How are they still alive?!" the doctor questioned.

The doctors and EMTs were so focused that they didn't notice the strange red light that flickered briefly on the burned part of the boys shoe, or see the crimson streak that danced across the girls hand before disappearing.

"They're SVT. Pulse ox 80%. Neither has a heartbeat. CBC, chem 24, type and cross blood." the nurse stated as the two stretchers were placed side by side a few feet away.

"Bag them." one surgeon ordered as he began to work on the girl while the other surgeon took the boy, "Coding!"

Iris suddenly rushed into the room, but a nurse held her struggling body back.

"I'm family!" she screamed, tears beginning to stream down her face.

"Charging paddles, 200." the surgeon demanded as both the heart monitors began to flatline.

"Barry!" Iris cried, "Elena!"

"Clear!" the two surgeons shouted only a split second apart, placing the defibrillator paddles on the two patients chests.