Chapter Text
Chapter 1
Harrison Wells was the eldest senior at the High School, and a scientific genius. Even his teachers couldn't match his intellect. He had a dream of owning his own laboratory in the city, turning the run down derelict dockyard into a gleaming inspiration for the city and advance science. It was recess time but Harrison was in one of the science labs working on a project he wanted to make bigger when he could afford it, a particle accelerator. His model was a 4 foot round cyclic accelerator and he was hoping to test it today. A rumble outside and a flash of lightning made him peer up and look out with his bright blue eyes and decided he wasn't firing a rocket he'd be fine. Switching it one he watched the data stream through on his converted tablet with glee that it was working. He tried to scribble down notes when his eyes were dragged up to the shelves and saw liquid suddenly flow upwards in slow motion as if gravity had reversed. Even his own mug of tea floated up, knowing something had gone wrong somewhere all the liquid splashed down onto the floor and over him. A loud bang from the mini accelerator just before it blew and sent a surge of golden energy up into the sky, smashing the skylight above him. The school alarms were now blaring as Harrison stood there bewildered as to what might of happened as the rain from the storm poured down on him. A sharp crack from the sky made him look up as he saw the once black thunder clouds dance with golden light from the energy release before he remember he was standing in water as the golden bolt streaked down to him at speed. The immense heat and shock sent him across the room and into the shelves, knocking him out and pouring whatever was left in the beakers over him. As he lay there awaiting someone to come to lab to find out what was going on, red lightning streaks fired just under his skin all his body.
It was nine weeks before Harrison awoke from his coma and being told by his only friend, Cisco Ramon, what had happened. Cisco ran simulations over the mini accelerator and found it should have been working fine, except there were hints of sabotage. Who, Cisco hadn’t found out yet. Thankfully no one else was hurt from the blast but the lab was destroyed. It took a few hours before doctors were happy and discharged him from the hospital, thought they were still concerned about his erratic heartbeat during his coma but so far since waking it hadn’t happened again. Walking back home with Cisco, Harrison began puzzling in his mind who could have sabotaged his science project. There were loads of candidates as many people were jealous of his intellect. He knew Cisco wasn’t involved as it was their joint project, which left the rest of the school, teachers included. Cisco was so busy talking to him about what had been happening he ignored what was going on around him. Harrison looked up in time and saw everything slow down to such a slow pace he wondered if time had frozen for a second.
Down the road, a silver and blue racing striped GT Mustang was heading down the road, an unmarked police car following with one of the officers leaning out the window to take a shot at the fleeing men in the mustang who were also armed. Cisco had walked out into the road and the mustang was a mere few metres away from hitting him. Harrison raced forward and grabbed Cisco and ran out of the way of the hurtling car. It wasn’t until he stopped that time returned to normal speed and everything returned to normal. Except he wasn’t standing with his friends just beside the speeding cars, he was on the other side of the road and hallway down the alley.
“Whoa! How did we get here? I don’t remember crossing the road.” Cisco was puzzled along with Harrison.
Harrison rubbed the back of his neck as he looked between Cisco and where they were a second ago confused.
"Dude, did you slow down time?" Cisco asked getting excited.
"I think I actually moved quicker." Harrison replied before running down the alleyway and back again.
Cisco was practically bouncing off the walls.
"Man! How does it feel? You're like red lightning running! You were so fast! Oh how fast can you go? Supersonic? Cos," cisco was getting hyper as he kissed his fingertips in delight, "the sonic boom would be super awesome!"
"I have no idea, only just figured out I have powers. Must have come from the accelerator exploding." Harrison replied wondering what to do next.
"Well we have got to figure this out; you could be a real superhero now! What if we asked Caitlin to help us?" Cisco asked knowing he was more mechanical and technical minded and Harrison was more physics but biology was Caitlin's subject.
"Cisco she doesn't talk to me normally, or you, why would she talk to us now? Besides she’s always with that what's his name... Ronald?" Harrison started.
"Ronnie." Cisco corrected.
"Right. Why would she be interested in me?" Harrison muttered as he started to walk home again.
"Because you've had a crush on her since you started school and she's top of biology, higher than you, and you know you wouldn't mind her hands on you trying to figure this out." Cisco continued grinning at his friend’s expense.
"Cisco!" Harrison exclaimed feeling his cheeks go a bit red.
Cisco just laughed, before noticing smoke coming from his friend.
"Dude your on fire!" Cisco panicked.
Harrison quickly noticed it was his jacket and removed it and stamped it out before chucking it into the dumpster.
"I liked that jacket. Nice blue denim jacket." Harrison muttered.
"You have another two at home." Cisco showed no sympathy.
"Yeah but this one was worn in." Harrison continued to sulk the loss of his jacket.
"So wear another one in." Cisco offered and laughed at his friends grimace.
Cisco clamped an arm round his tall friend’s shoulders.
"Now what the hell caused that fire because that will get people noticing you if you set fire to all your clothes. Wait can you start fires too?" Cisco asked wondering if it was another power.
"Oh sure with a lighter. No I think it was friction caused by high speeds. Clothing is going to be a problem now." Harrison commented wondering how long his wardrobe was going to last.
Cisco patted his shoulder before stepping in front of him, walking backwards.
"Leave that to me, think I have an idea but I’m going to need a bit of time to prep it." Cisco told him before racing off with a new invention in mind.
Harrison tried to stop him for answers but he knew Cisco well enough that he wouldn’t get any until he was done. Harrison consciously had to think about what he was doing in case he set off this new found power. On the way home he walked into Jitters for a drink. Iris said hi the moment he walked in and he politely replied. Jitters hired some of the older students to work for them so they could raise extra money for university but also it was a good start on getting jobs. Not many people spoke to Harrison and he put it down to the fact he was smart, but he always came to Jitters for the other girl who worked here, someone who he considered equally as smart as him but in biology, Caitlin Snow.
A wave of nerves washed over him making him worry that he was going to suddenly disappear in a flash of lightning as he approached the counter. Caitlin smiled at him as he approached.
“Hey Harry.” Caitlin greeted him.
Caitlin was the only person to call him that since both his parents had passed away a couple of years back but he was old enough to live on his own. He nervously waved back at her only just able to get his order out. Caitlin was also a very pretty girl, pale skin and long dark hair. Harrison never picked up the courage to ask her out because he would always turn into a dorkish puddle around her. Instead the school’s football captain, Ronnie Raymond had asked her out and where Harrison was lean, Ronnie was broad. Caitlin finished his order of green tea and as she handed it to him she leaned a little closer to him and Harrison could feel the nervous drop of sweat run down the back of his neck too slowly and he worried his glasses would magnify to her his deer in headlights look.
“Look I know it wasn’t your fault, but I’m glad you’re alive.” Caitlin muttered to him and that was the longest she had ever spoken to him.
Harrison just nodded at her and smiled just as he noticed someone approaching them and Caitlin leaned back from him.
“Leave him alone Ronnie.” Caitlin warned.
“I’m not doing anything.” Ronnie looked mock offended at that.
“Thanks.” Harrison muttered lifting his cup before leaving the café.
“You’re such a jerk at times.” Caitlin told Ronnie as she went to clean the coffee machine.
“Yeah but you love me for it. He’s just such a geek and he caused that huge explosion.” Ronnie replied leaning on the counter.
“I’m a ‘geek’ too you know.” Caitlin replied coldly at him ignoring the rest.
Ronnie’s smug grin dropped before he flashed a warm smile at her.
“Pizza tonight?” Ronnie asked.
Caitlin kept her back to him as she rolled her eyes at how predictable he was but she looked sideways without moving her head and saw Harrison trying to breathe to calm himself down before disappearing. She wasn’t a fool, she could tell he liked her just that Ronnie asked her first and Ronnie was a popular kid which for smarter students like her meant escaping the usual torment.
Harrison managed to get out of the busier part of the city before his powers kicked in again. He guessed speed walking had a new meaning now as he made it into his house and closed the door. Today had been a strange day and he had a feeling it was only going to get stranger as the days wore on. The feeling that he had superpowers and the responsibility of doing good made him wonder what he could do with these new powers