"Uh, let me introduce you—Iris West." Barry introduced the young Black woman beside him to the siblings.
Iris was quite something. She'd grown up with Barry, yet somehow had no idea he liked her. Everyone around them knew Barry was into her, but she was so oblivious she remained completely clueless. When The Flash finally worked up the courage to confess, she hit him with the ultimate finishing move: "I've always seen you as a brother!" Poor Flash practically coughed up blood, staining his suit red.
The four of them were already acquainted, just hadn't talked much before. After some casual conversation, they headed out to grab food.
Barry tried several times to show Oliver his abilities, but with Iris right there beside him, he kept holding back.
Thea noticed his hesitant expression and found it amusing. Even more entertaining was when she deliberately glanced at Reverse-Flash back at S.T.A.R. Labs—he was as anxious as a cat on a hot tin roof.
He had good reason to be anxious. If Barry displayed his Speed Force, his entire story would fall apart. The time travel stuff was real enough, but his relationship with Barry? Complete fiction. Reverse-Flash was internally clawing at the walls in frustration, yet he still had to maintain a calm demeanor in front of Cisco and Caitlin.
Fortunately, Iris stayed with them the entire time, so Barry never got a chance to demonstrate his speed to his friends.
Just when Reverse-Flash thought he'd dodged a bullet and the day would pass without incident, something unexpected happened.
As the siblings were about to drive back, gunshots and screaming erupted from another street.
Barry was torn. Should he transform into The Flash in front of Iris, or let Thea and the others handle it? The dilemma paralyzed him.
Luckily, he didn't have to deliberate long. A sharp, piercing pain pulled him out of his predicament.
"My leg! It hurts!" Barry suddenly clutched his leg and sat down on the ground. Iris, Oliver, and Thea all froze—he'd just been running and jumping around, and now he's suddenly sick?
"Let me take a look." The medical expert wasn't just for show. Thea had the credentials to back it up. She activated her multifunctional wristwatch and began examining Barry's leg.
She initially thought he was trying to send Iris away so he could go be The Flash, but that wasn't it at all. His leg was genuinely seriously injured. The injury was strange—even with the Speed Force augmenting his healing, it wouldn't recover quickly.
No need to guess who was responsible. Reverse-Flash, the Speed Force expert, had obviously sabotaged him. Someone who could research Speed Force on his own had profound scientific knowledge.
Barry had no idea he'd been sabotaged. His only concern was the street over there. He grabbed Thea's hand. "Don't worry about me first—save the people over there."
His eyes were firm and resolute. Thea could only follow his wishes. After all, Reverse-Flash just wanted to keep him from running today, not kill him.
She exchanged a glance with Oliver. Green Arrow wasn't appropriate for this situation, but Thea had no such concerns. She flew over while Iris watched in shock.
Just one short block away, she arrived in an instant. Just as she was about to take action, a red streak of lightning came racing in. The two of them arrived almost simultaneously, and the red lightning even gave her a friendly wave.
What the hell? Thea was momentarily confused. Her mind raced through possibilities before she finally understood. Reverse-Flash was trying to maintain his hero lie. First, he took down The Flash with one move, then came out here to play superhero himself?
Coming to a conclusion that even shocked herself, Thea didn't know whether to laugh or cry. This guy was really committed. To return to his original timeline as quickly as possible, he could only use this patch-on-patch method—one lie covering another, all to avoid Thea's mention of the supposedly powerful "superhero coalition."
He really had it rough. When Thea saw who was battling the police, that sense of déjà vu grew even stronger.
Who did she see? Captain Cold, dressed in a heavy parka, currently leading the charge with sunglasses and a futuristic-looking weapon. The gun sprayed massive amounts of freezing air, scattering Central City police officers everywhere. And at this critical moment, one half of our "Justice Duo"—Reverse-Flash—charged forward!
How utterly ridiculous was this? Reverse-Flash versus Captain Cold! And this Captain Cold wasn't the one from the Waverider yet, but from the original timeline, right after he'd just obtained the cold gun.
His cold gun was still primitive. No surprises there—Cisco had developed it based on theory he got from Thea, and then Captain Cold had stolen it. The gun's power was stronger than in the original timeline but weaker than the final version.
Captain Cold fired several times, but Reverse-Flash dodged easily. His movements looked slow as a snail to a speedster. However, this guy was clever and wickedly aimed at the bystanders around them.
Reverse-Flash internally cursed up a storm! Whether these people lived or died was none of his damn business, but with Thea watching from outside, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and save them. Seeing this, Captain Cold became even more convinced that this guy was a genuine hero.
Two muffled thuds rang out. Captain Cold played a trick—first attacking a distant target, then quickly pivoting his gun to strike a nearby officer.
Reverse-Flash was thoroughly annoyed. He couldn't think of a good solution and could only react as situations arose. Unfortunately, he miscalculated his own speed. Combined with the subtle effects of the Speed Force Thea had previously absorbed from him, he managed to save two people consecutively but barely failed to dodge the freezing ray himself.
The freezing air swept past his calf. Absolute zero was no joke. Reverse-Flash's combat experience was a hundred times richer than Barry Allen's at this point. He immediately mobilized Speed Force to his leg, attempting to accelerate cellular healing.
Unfortunately, Captain Cold had anticipated this. His gun was already aimed at Reverse-Flash, finger about to pull the trigger.
At the critical moment, Thea knew she couldn't keep watching from the sidelines. She descended like a divine soldier, blocking Reverse-Flash's front. Under Captain Cold's surprised gaze, she waved her hand and sent out a wall of wind.
Captain Cold, an ordinary human, was blown away by the strong wind and plastered against the wall like a painting. He passed out directly.
"You alright?" Thea asked Reverse-Flash, barely suppressing her laughter. This guy was a real trooper, forcing himself to act like nothing was wrong.
"Thanks for the help!" Without waiting for Thea's response, he vanished in a flash. He had no choice but to run. He'd used the bathroom excuse to sneak out, and rescuing people had already eaten up several minutes. Cisco and Caitlin were both brilliant—if they discovered even a hint of inconsistency, he'd be in trouble. He had to get back immediately.
Mobilizing massive amounts of Speed Force to wrap around his wound, he raced back to S.T.A.R. Labs like the wind, quickly changed clothes, switched back to his Dr. Wells persona, and slowly wheeled himself inside in his wheelchair. The frustration in his heart was indescribable. His leg had already been injured by the cold gun, and after that frantic run, it was injury upon injury. Fortunately, he'd had the foresight to have Dr. Wells permanently in a wheelchair; otherwise, he really couldn't explain how a bathroom trip could leave him limping.