Barry Allen woke up. After Dr. Wells briefly explained the situation, including why he was there and other minor details, Barry refused further examination and left S.T.A.R. Labs immediately.
Right now, his only thought was to see Iris, his childhood crush.
Ethan didn't stop him or try to build a relationship. After all, Barry would soon realize something was wrong with his body and would return for help.
After Barry left, Dr. Wells finally had the time to turn his attention to Ethan.
"So... Ethan, are you here today because..."
"I've been walking around Central City lately, and I have to say, the environment here is much better than Star City."
Wells took off his glasses and casually wiped them.
"The environment here is indeed quite good. That was one of the reasons I chose to establish the lab here in Central City."
"So I plan to stay in Central City for a while."
Wells's hand paused slightly while wiping his glasses. The pause was very brief, so subtle that even an attentive normal person might not catch it.
Unfortunately, Ethan wasn't a normal person. Not only did he notice the pause, but he also picked up on a very subtle change in Wells's expression.
It was obvious that Wells didn't want this outsider staying here, as it could potentially disrupt his plans.
With Reverse-Flash's personality, he would certainly eliminate such an unexpected factor directly. Ethan wondered when he would make his move.
In a few days? Tonight? Or would he act as soon as Ethan stepped out of S.T.A.R. Labs?
"He should make a move immediately... Reverse-Flash isn't in the best condition right now. Resolving a potential threat while he still has the upper hand is the safest approach."
Unfortunately, Ethan wasn't planning to leave anytime soon. He was waiting for Barry to come back for help, and to witness the Flash's first run.
"Caitlin, I'd like to continue touring S.T.A.R. Labs. Would you mind showing me around?"
"Ah." Caitlin turned to look at Wells. Seeing him nod, she also nodded. "But many areas are still off-limits right now, so there aren't many places you can visit."
"Then can I see the particle accelerator?"
"..."
Caitlin fell silent. Cisco suddenly stepped forward from the side and took over the task.
"How about I take you there?"
"Of course."
Only then did Ethan remember that Caitlin's fiancé, Ronnie Raymond, had died in the particle accelerator incident. Though he hadn't actually died, he had fused with Martin Stein to become Firestorm—something nobody knew at this point.
On the way there, Cisco briefly mentioned this, explaining Caitlin's reaction.
"Ah, I see. I'm really sorry."
Ethan said nothing. Thea, still a young girl, felt great sympathy for Caitlin. She thought that if she lost her own fiancé, she wouldn't be willing to take people to see the place where he died either.
Afterward, they deliberately avoided the topic. Ethan steered the conversation toward scientific subjects and chatted with Cisco.
Ethan wasn't a scientist, but in order to study the power of 'reality', he had learned quite a bit of scientific knowledge from Tony. Most of it was stored in his mind. While it wouldn't shock Cisco, it at least proved he wasn't just some rich young master who knew nothing.
Moreover, Ethan's mind also held a lot of mystical knowledge. When mysticism and science are both explored deeply enough, they begin to intersect. As a result, Ethan and Cisco managed to have a good conversation.
Additionally, Cisco was a young man who liked all the things young people tended to enjoy, which Thea understood very well. More importantly, Thea was very pretty. Normal guys would subconsciously show off a bit in front of a beautiful girl. It was instinctive, and many didn't even realize they were doing it.
By the time Cisco came to his senses, he had already given Ethan and Thea a detailed explanation of the particle accelerator, the most important facility in S.T.A.R. Labs, and had even opened the internal area for them to see.
However, for safety reasons, he didn't let them go inside. They were only allowed to look in from the passage.
Ethan sensed it. There were still some traces of energy here, but they were just remnants. The explosion Wells had orchestrated had been very precise, distributing just the right amount of dark matter energy throughout Central City, leaving almost nothing behind.
However, adhering to the belief that "even a small mosquito is still meat," Ethan collected a bit of the residual energy. His goal was to increase the diversity of energy signatures within his body.
Cisco didn't notice this action, but Thea did. She was very curious about why Ethan would collect such a tiny amount of energy.
"I make a habit of collecting samples of any energy I haven't encountered before."
Although Thea didn't quite understand the purpose, she was smart enough to know Ethan wouldn't do something pointless.
"Should I do this too?"
"It's too early for you."
Although she knew Ethan didn't mean anything else by it and was just being honest, Thea still found his words a little irritating. She wanted to complain but didn't know where to start.
Just as Ethan was considering where to go next, Dr. Wells contacted Cisco via the lab's internal system, asking him to come to the control room.
"Barry's back. He might need some help."
Ethan knew that Barry must have discovered the changes in his body and had come back to find answers.
When they returned to the control room, Dr. Wells had originally planned to send Ethan away, but unexpectedly, Barry and Thea had some prior acquaintance. (In the original story, they hadn't met yet, but due to Ethan's involvement, Thea was already aware of many of Oliver's activities and had naturally come across Barry earlier.) Since they expressed concern for Barry, it would be inappropriate to drive them away now.
Moreover, strictly speaking, Ethan was also an investor in S.T.A.R. Labs, so even if internal experiments were being conducted, he had the right to be informed.
"Although I know you're concerned about me, why do I feel like I've become a lab rat?"
"That's just your imagination!"
Cisco and Caitlin were extremely excited. They completed a series of tests in a very short time, then immediately prepared for a field test to see just how fast Barry really was.
After loading the equipment into the vehicle and heading to a wide open area, they began another round of preparations.
Just as Thea was starting to feel bored, Barry finally appeared in a strange outfit consisting of a red bodysuit and a helmet.
He was also wearing several monitoring devices so Dr. Wells and Caitlin could track his vitals and performance data.
Cisco held a speed measurement device, ready to record Barry's speed.
"What do we do?"
"We'll just quietly observe."
Ethan gently pulled Thea aside, and the two of them took a few steps back to stand in a less noticeable spot and wait for this historic moment.
The historic moment wasn't all that dramatic. Barry displayed impressive speed, but unfortunately, he could only reach about 370 kilometers per hour.
For Caitlin and Cisco, this was an astonishing feat, practically a miracle. But to Ethan, it wasn't much to get excited about yet.
"Is this the Speed Force?"
Standing behind him, Thea looked shocked as she watched Barry speeding past. The visual impact of that speed was breathtaking.
"This doesn't count as the true Speed Force."
Barry's speed came from the Speed Force, but this state didn't qualify as truly entering the Speed Force.
The most obvious sign: when Barry ran, he didn't have the iconic yellow lightning yet.
"This doesn't count?"
"No."
That meant Ethan still had to wait. Right now, Barry was just in the prototype stage. He at least needed to reach the point where lightning appeared before Ethan could attempt to connect to the Speed Force through him or obtain the Speed Force directly.
Between the two, the latter was clearly simpler. Ethan only worried that the Speed Force within Barry wouldn't be enough to meet his needs.
In just the time it took to exchange a few lines of dialogue, Barry had already crashed into a pile of water barrels and broken his arm.
The test ended. By the time everyone returned to S.T.A.R. Labs and checked on Barry, his fracture had already healed.
"..."
Everyone had gotten used to Barry's bizarre recovery ability. Caitlin no longer saw him as a test subject, but as a precious miracle. Her big, curious eyes stared at Barry so intently that someone unfamiliar with the situation might think she wanted to eat him alive.
"How amazing."
Ethan remained low-key, like a decorative background character, expressing just the right amount of awe.
"Yes, it really is amazing."
Dr. Wells was quiet for a moment, then suddenly suggested showing Ethan around some more. "It seems Caitlin has quite a few tests to run on Barry, and it doesn't look like they'll finish anytime soon."
"That would be great. Of course!"
Ethan agreed without hesitation. Looking at the seemingly friendly Harrison Wells, he knew this man couldn't wait to make a move.
Wells controlled his motorized wheelchair, leading the way while speaking casually. "Actually, there are some special areas in S.T.A.R. Labs that weren't damaged in the explosion. They store the lab's highest-level secrets... like here."
Stopping in the middle of a corridor, Wells lightly pressed on the wall. A hidden door appeared on the previously smooth surface.
Then he made a polite gesture toward Ethan.
(To be continued.)
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