run_barry | Speed of Life

Life continues apace, isn't that the phrase? Even when it's dual-lives and that pace is superspeed.

In the normal realm of things Barry carries on the ordinary guy routine; going to work, laundry on Sunday, a movie night with Iris.

As the masked hero he keeps working to get better, faster; stopping would-be thieves, saving people from fires, ending high-speed car chases.

And then there are the parts when both lives converge.

*****

Joe keeps the promise he made and Barry and Joe start working on Barry's mother's case. As they begin to go over the box of evidence for the case from storage, a box Barry has seen the contents of more times than he can count, they're interrupted by Eddie who comes bearing news of multiple homicides.

A crime family has been wiped out by a gas attack. Investigation reveals that a metahuman may be involved and so Barry and Joe bring in S.T.A.R. Labs for backup. This new instance of yet another bad guy with powers raises a new question: just what are they supposed to do with the metas who keep popping up to raise trouble?

Since Iron Heights can't handle people with superpowers, Cisco and Dr. Wells work on plans for creating a metahuman prison within S.T.A.R. Labs. In the meantime, Barry and Caitlin handle research on the new villain who seems to be capable of controlling poison gas.

*****

Working in the CCPD crime lab, Barry takes the time spent with Caitlin to try and get to know her better. Mostly he's curious about Ronnie, her fiance who died during the Particle Accelerator explosion. Nobody talks about him, least of all Caitlin, but as Barry and Caitlin runs tests on samples taken from today's crime scene she opens up a little.

"We met when we were working on the Particle Accelerator. He was the structural engineer." As Caitlin describes Ronnie there's a wistful fondness in her voice. Hearing the sad undertones, and learning that the reason Ronnie was there the night of the explosion was for her, Barry can't help hurting for her.

Discussions end, though, when their tests wrap up and the results reveal something interesting; two separate sets of DNA in the victim's lungs.

The discovery alters the theory about their suspect being a metahuman who controls poison gas, to one who becomes it.

That hypothesis goes to an immediate test when the police radio on Barry's desk blows up with a call about another gas attack, this one at the mall.

Barry doesn't hesitate, ready to speed off and meet this new foe. Caitlin tries to hold him back.

"Barry don't, we don't know enough about what we're facing yet. It's not safe!"

He can hear her concern, and regrets brushing her off, but there's just no time.

"Caitlin, I have to go."

*****

With directions from Cisco and Dr. Wells, Barry rushes in. He's suited up and pushing top-speed, but even so he's too late.

The victim of the attack is a women, and Barry arrives to find that she's already dead. With everyone in the mall at a standstill around him thanks to his speed, Barry searches and finds the man who killed her as the meta tries to leave.

"Why did you kill that woman?" Barry demands of the wheezing man with sunken eyes.

With a cruel sneer the man answers simply, "She deserved to die."

Outraged and angry, Barry speeds forward, throwing a hard punch that whiffs through the man harmlessly. Again and again Barry swings and lashes out, and each time the metahuman he's facing shifts his form, becoming a gas cloud that Barry can't get his hands on.

The meta has no problems tagging Barry, though. Re-solidifying between each of Barry's attempts, the man lands blows and knocks Barry down.

Cruel sneer still in place, the meta sublimates once more and Barry is left choking and gasping for air as he's forced to breathe in the poison cloud.

[dialogue taken from episode 1.3]