Trouble

Back at STAR Labs, in the surgical wing.

Barry's condition had stabilized and was good. All that was left was to clean the wound, disinfect it to prevent infection, and stitch it up.

The group was busy for over half an hour.

Barry's injuries were no longer a major problem thanks to Lin Li's control.

"Was it a terrorist attack? How did Barry get hurt like this?"

"Lin Li, are you sure you don't need to lie down? Should we deal with that X?"

"What happened with that white mist?"

"Okay, Barry is all good now, but a major problem has appeared before us."

"Who among you will stitch Barry's wound?"

Seeing that both of them were acting like statues, Caitlin got angry and shouted.

"What?"

"What?"

Lin Li and Cisco responded in unison.

Their dazed responses made Caitlin grit her teeth and scold them, "I'm a bioengineering expert, not a doctor. My studies are in genetic engineering, cell engineering, protein engineering, microbial engineering, biostatistics, bioinformatics, microbiology, cell biology... and twenty-four other subjects. None of them taught me how to stitch a wound."

Cisco gaped and said blankly, "Then what do we do? Just let Barry heal on his own? This kind of wound won't heal by itself. If we don't stitch it up, will Barry keep bleeding to death?"

Lin Li suggested, "Let's push Barry's wound edges together, and then cell division will seal the wound. That should work." His own wound had healed this way, taking half an hour and leaving a large X-shaped scar. Lin Li figured if Barry could control the Speed Force, he should be able to do the same.

"Get lost. Your wounds can regenerate and heal because you're a meta-human. Barry's wounds can't heal like that."

Hearing them say this, Caitlin really wanted to grab a hammer and hit them.

In the end, Caitlin had to stitch the wound out of helplessness, as she had supposedly read about how to do it in a book, though she had never practiced it.

Of course, she was still very uneasy about actually doing it. After all, this wasn't pork; it was a human chest. Being able to face it without flinching was a professional habit from seeing too much raw meat, but actually performing the stitching was another matter entirely.

"Maybe we should just send Barry to the hospital."

Caitlin said uneasily.

Lin Li patted Caitlin's shoulder and nodded at her earnestly, "Caitlin, you can do it. After this, Barry and Cisco will be very happy you joined their Flash organization."

Cisco chimed in, "That's right, Caitlin, we need you."

Caitlin glared at them both unhappily, but she wasn't as nervous anymore. Then, she rolled up her sleeves and got to work.

"Clean the wound."

"Administer anesthesia."

"Is the needle sterilized?"

The two men worked on either side, preparing everything. Caitlin then took the needle and inserted it into Barry's chest.

The task was completed. The process itself will not be mentioned. A novice's attempt was unlikely to be beautiful. Barry would surely regret getting injured this time.

The group was busy for over an hour. Seeing that Barry's pulse and blood pressure were normal, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay, I can't avoid helping you deal with the injured here. Now, please tell me in detail what exactly you encountered? Why do you, Lin Li, and Barry look like you were chopped by knives, and why was Barry bloody and mangled from the explosion?"

Caitlin asked. This was really bad. She realized she couldn't ignore their heroic deeds at all, because they were often injured. This time was the most serious. It would be better to understand more herself and prepare for the future.

"The situation is like this..."

Cisco rambled on, explaining everything.

"Weather Wizard. That's the name I gave him. It's so cool. You can't imagine, a meta-human who can control the weather."

Caitlin was dumbfounded.

In Cisco's description, it was like Weather Wizard fighting Thor for a hundred and eighty moves, as if they were shaking the heavens and earth, destroying the world, and then, unable to defeat the righteous Thor, ultimately losing.

Caitlin was shocked beyond words.

"Didn't the mist only cover a block on Midtown Avenue?"

Cisco, having been exposed, felt no embarrassment. He said seriously, "Caitlin, that's not the point. The point is Weather Wizard, a meta-human, a meta-human who controls the weather, an evil meta-human."

"Oh my God. It must have been the particle accelerator explosion. That unknown energy gave him this ability. As expected, it's not just Lin Li and Barry who have these peculiar abilities. It's our fault. We created him, created an evil meta-human."

Caitlin covered her head in distress, saying worriedly.

"Anyone who could potentially be harmed by them, we are indirectly accomplices. This is really too terrible."

"No, no, I have to inform Dr. Wells and see how to handle this matter. We've already caused enough trouble for Central City."

Caitlin muttered to herself and walked out of the surgical wing to inform Dr. Wells.

As Caitlin left the surgical wing, Lin Li and Cisco remained silent. Barry lay in the hospital bed, the machines beeping.

"Lin Li, I'm sorry. If it weren't for me, that meta-human wouldn't have escaped."

Cisco hesitated before saying. If he hadn't been afraid to shoot, that meta-human wouldn't have gotten away. Caitlin's reaction made him realize the seriousness of the situation. It was indeed possible that he had become an accomplice. If that meta-human hurt anyone, Cisco felt a bit panicked, worried, and hateful of his own weakness.

Lin Li could tell at a glance that Cisco had fallen into self-blame.

He shook his head and said, "Cisco, don't blame yourself. I was too extreme, too selfish, to ask you to kill. Killing isn't that easy; you have to abandon your humanity, your emotions, and live in the nightmare of guilt and crime. Fortunately, you didn't pull the trigger, or the humanity you would have lost would have dragged you down into darkness."

"Now is not the time for self-pity, Cisco. I think you should find the Weather Wizard as soon as possible and prevent him from hurting more people. That's the most important thing right now."

If Lin Li had to choose, he would have killed Madden. It wasn't that he was bloodthirsty, but he had to ensure Barry's safety and that his path home wouldn't be blocked. Barry's performance in the TV show made Lin Li feel he was foolishly kind and merciful, a common ailment in The Flash TV series, but it was also this ailment that made Lin Li willing to believe in them.

TV-show-style kindness didn't suit him, but he had no reason to force Cisco to be the same.

If you are kind, then let me be the devil.

Lin Li thought silently.

Cisco nodded at Lin Li, his eyes revealing a determined will. "I'll find that guy, I will, I will."

Just then, Caitlin, who had only just left, returned holding a ringing phone. Holding it up, she asked, "Who among you has the courage to answer Barry's call? I just noticed he's missed over ten calls. I don't think Joe will let us off the hook."

It was Barry's phone. He always left it at STAR Labs when he changed into his Flash suit.

The screen displayed a picture of Joe West.

The group exchanged glances, all sensing trouble.

Lin Li took the phone and swiped the screen. Joe's urgent roar came through.

"Barry! Where are you? Get back here..."