"Mr. Cassian… you're finally awake from your very long nap," Thawne said, his voice calm, almost warm. It pulled Victor's attention immediately.
"Dr. Wells?" Victor blinked up at him, letting confusion and awe mix across his face. The act came easily. Months trapped in his own body had given him plenty of time to rehearse this moment, how to look harmless, how to sound disoriented, how to maneuver around the man standing in front of him without giving himself away.
"You… know me?" Wells asked, his brows dipping with faint curiosity.
"Of course," Victor replied, letting a small, earnest smile touch his lips. "I'm a big fan of your work."
He paused, tilting his head as if trying to piece things together. "Why am I in S.T.A.R. Labs?"
A brief silence followed. Caitlin and Cisco exchanged a look, tight, uncomfortable. Their expression said it all. It was as if they were trying hard not to recall something particularly.
Wells exhaled slowly, a heavy, practiced sigh, and his expression softened into something almost sympathetic. "Walk with me, Mr. Cassian."
Minutes later, Victor moved alongside Wells in his wheelchair as they left the cortex.
"I always thought S.T.A.R. Labs would be more lively than this," Victor said, keeping his tone mild, almost curious.
"It… was," Wells answered, the pause in his voice noticeable. His tone dipped slightly. "S.T.A.R. Labs hasn't been fully operational since FEMA labeled us a Class Four hazardous site."
They passed a metal enclosure marked GRODD, the letters faded and scratched. Victor gave it a quick glance but didn't comment.
"Twenty-five people died that night," Wells continued as they reached a railing overlooking the ruined lower level. "Many more were injured. I was one of them."
The space below was a mess of collapsed structures and scorched metal. Wells looked down at it quietly, and Victor just let the moment sit, saying nothing.
"The particle accelerator caused this?" Victor asked, letting honest curiosity show.
"Yes." Wells nodded slowly. "Eight months ago, the accelerator went online exactly as planned. For forty-five minutes, I had achieved my life's work. And then…"
He paused, choosing his words.
"Then an anomaly appeared. The electron volts spiked past anything we could measure. The ring beneath us ruptured. The energy shot upward and triggered a storm cloud, which produced the lightning bolt that struck you."
Wells kept his gaze forward as they moved.
"I was still recovering when I heard about your condition."
Victor stayed quiet, his expression thoughtful. He already knew all of this, but he had to maintain the act.
"I am truly sorry for your situation, Mr. Cassian," Wells said. His voice softened, but there was something careful behind it. "It was never my intention. I hope you will not hold a grudge."
"Of course not," Victor replied. "Like you said, it wasn't your intention. But I won't lie…"
"Eight months is… a long time to lose."
Wells nodded slowly, expression molded into the perfect shape of empathy. "A tragedy I wish I could have spared you from."
Victor forced a small, tired smile. "Well… I'm awake now,"
"I saw Barry back there. Is his situation anything like mine?" Victor asked, keeping his voice low and uncertain.
Wells hesitated for the briefest moment. "Yes. Your friend was also struck by lightning."
"Will he wake up soon?" Victor pressed gently as they moved toward the cortex.
"I certainly hope so," Wells replied, his answer clipped, his expression unreadable.
They rounded the final corner, the hum of equipment growing louder. Before they could step inside, Victor's eyes landed on someone standing just ahead, shoulders tight, hands clasped as if holding herself together.
A small breath escaped him. "Aunt Jenny?" he said, barely louder than a whisper, but she heard it instantly.
Her head snapped up, eyes widening with disbelief and relief mingled together. "Victor?" she whispered, her voice trembling. Her hands shook as she stepped toward him, tears gathering, a fragile smile breaking through.
Before he could react, she pulled him into her arms, holding him in a tight, desperate hug. The sudden warmth of it washed over him, grounding him in a way nothing else in the last months had.
"You're finally awake," she said silently, while he patted her lightly on the back. "I thought you would never wake,"
"I am now," he comforted, the embrace was cut short by Jennifers concern.
"How are you on your feets? Shouldn't you be resting?," she asked, her gaze flickering to the doctor in the room.
"I'll run more tests, but he should be fine," Caitlyn responded.
"How's Chloe and Matt," Victor asked, missing the two munchkins.
...
Victor spent the entire day at S.T.A.R. Labs, letting Caitlyn run a series of tests, both physiological and psychological. It wasn't until the sun began to dip below the horizon that he was finally allowed to leave.
Before stepping out, he walked over to where Barry lay, his expression carefully measured, solemn, concerned, but convincingly authentic. Making sure his actions seemed natural, he gently took Barry's hands in his own.
The moment their palms met, Victor's perception shifted. He saw it instantly, through his biokinesis, he could feel the very essence of Barry's metabiology unravel before him.
The first thing he sensed was Barry's heart, pounding, rapid, yet astonishingly efficient, operating far beyond anything Victor had imagined possible. His lungs were adapted to draw in massive amounts of oxygen.
Neurons fired at lightning speed, muscles and tendons thrummed with contained power, and every cell seemed subtly reinforced by a latent electric energy coursing through him, the Speed Force itself.
The living concept of motion coursed through Barry's veins, and Victor could see it all. It was like watching a blueprint of life itself in motion.
Replicating the process that granted Barry access to the Speed Force wasn't impossible, it would take time. But the Speed Force was no ordinary power. It had a will, a consciousness of its own. It had chosen Barry, and not him. To connect with it recklessly would be dangerous, a risk Victor wasn't willing to take, not anytime soon.
But in any case, this brief contact had given him insight into what superspeed truly was and what it took to achieve it. The Speed Force wasn't essential, at least, not yet.
The calculation took him no more than ten seconds. He released Barry's hand, letting it fall lightly back onto the bed. "Wake up soon, buddy," he murmured, exhaling softly.
Then he made his way out of S.T.A.R. Labs, Jennifer following close behind. Once outside, Victor paused, staring into the distance, taking in the view, savoring it. He had missed this, missed seeing the world from this perspective.
They got into the car, Victor in the passenger seat, Jennifer beside him. The streets glowed orange in the setting sun, quiet and familiar. Cars passed, leaves rustled, and the faint smell of evening air drifted in.
When they pulled into the driveway, the first thing Victor saw was his two cousins running towards him.
"Victor!" they shouted, leaping into his arms. Chloe hugged his chest tightly, Matt clung to his shoulders.
"I missed you!" Chloe giggled.
"Me too!" Matt added, grinning.
Victor laughed, wrapping his arms around them. "I missed you both," he said, lifting Chloe on his right and Matt on his left effortlessly. With their giggles filling the air, he carried them inside, their laughter echoing through the house like music.
From the car, Jennifer watched quietly, a small smile tugging at her lips. Victor planned to stay with her for the time being, but for now, he was fully immersed in these long-missed, simple moments. The evening passed in a blur of games and laughter, shared stories, and the warmth of being together again.
Hours passed, and when everyone was finally asleep, Victor stirred from his slumber. A quick check with his life sense confirmed that all were indeed resting.
"What exactly is this strange energy?" he wondered. His initial analysis had been only partially correct. The energy was definitely vital, but a deeper examination revealed something far more complex: it carried the potential for constant, unpredictable mutations, shifting in ways he hadn't anticipated.
He could only attribute the energy to one thing. Dark Matter, the very energy that gave birth to metahumans, unpredictable and volatile. It aligned with his observations, and from what he knew of metahumans, most produced dark matter in extremely small quantities within the pituitary gland.
His situation, however, was different. His entire body, every cell, was generating the energy. His biokinesis constantly suppressed any forming mutations. "What if I don't suppress it?" he wondered.
"Could he constantly manifest new abilities? It's possible, he thought, but something at the back of his mind warned otherwise. Perhaps he would explore that prospect only once his proficiency reached its absolute peak.
In the meantime, ever since he had made contact with Barry, he had been carefully observing his body, making minute, almost imperceptible adjustments.
He was experimenting with different avenues to achieve superspeed, without suffering the catastrophic consequences of lacking an anti-physics force field like the Speed Force aura.
It was then that he truly realized, achieving non-Speed Force speed would be an immense and arduous task.