To understand what I'm about to tell you, you need to do something first.
You need to believe in the impossible. Can you do that?
Good. You see that red blur? That's me.
That too.
There I am again.
My name is Barry Allen.
I am the fastest man alive.
My story is pretty simple. My whole life, I've been running.
Usually from bullies.
Sometimes I escaped.
Sometimes I did not.
Tell me what happened.
Those guys were picking on kids...
...just because they thought they weren't cool. It wasn't right.
- I know. - I guess I wasn't fast enough.
No. You have such a good heart, Barry.
And it's better to have a good heart than fast legs.
Hello? I'm home.
- Barry got into a fight. - Oh, yeah?
And he won.
Way to go, Slugger-
Oh, and no more fighting.
But after that night, I was running from something much scarier.
- Henry! Henry! - Something I could never explain.
Something impossible.
- Mom! Morn! - Barry, don't!
- Get back! - Mom!
- Ah!
MQfn!
- Nora! - Stay back!
Nora, hold on!
Run, Barry. Run!
Mom?
Dad?
Sorry.
Second robbery this week.
The teller lD'd Clyde Mardon as the shooter.
What? Oh, jeez, the Mardon brothers are back?
What do we got?
Perps took the bank, shot out the cameras...
...and killed the security guard there.
I got unis kicking in doors of their known associates.
- CSI been over it? - No.
Where's Allen?
Unh! Sorry, 80")'-
- You can't keep covering for him. - Coming through.
- I have to carry on without him. - Sorry I'm late, Captain Singh.
What was it this time? Forget to set your alarm clock?
Before you answer, the excuse you gave last time was car trouble.
Wanna know why that one was memorable?
- I do not own a car. - He was running an errand for me.
Barry, did you get me what I asked for?
Yeah. Yeah, I did.
I have it right...
...here.
I had a few bites of it.
Getaway car is a Mustang Shelby GT500.
Shelbys have a rear super-wide tire specific to that model.
Twelve inches with an asymmetrical tread.
And there's something else.
Thanks.
Fecal excrement. Animal, I'd guess.
My dad gave me that pen...
...before he died.
Sorry.
Okay, I am ready to see this atom smasher... Smashing.
There was a shooting today.
Your dad needs me to process some evidence.
I don't know if we're gonna make it to S.T.A.R. Labs.
Seeing this thing turn on is, like, your dream.
Your sad little, nerdy dream. Besides, I canceled a date for this.
Hands off my fries.
Unbelievable.
I'm stress eating over my dissertation.
We started selling cronuts at Jitters. I ate two today.
If I don't graduate soon, I'm gonna be more muffin top than woman.
You look amazing.
What is so important about this particle accelerator, anyway?
Harrison Wells' work in Quantum Theory is light-years ahead of anything at CERN.
You're not speaking English.
Okay.
Just imagine...
...that that dot is everything the human race has ever learned until this moment.
That include twerking?
That is everything we could learn from the particle accelerator.
It's a new way of looking at physics.
It will literally change the way that we think about everything.
You've gotta get a girlfriend.
- Hey, leave him alone. He's working. - Hi, Dad.
Your test thingy is done.
The Mardon brothers are hiding on a farm.
The fecal matter I found on the street was cow manure...
...which contained traces of Oxytetracycline. It's an antibiotic.
There are only four farms in the area that still use it in their feed.
Bet you find a really sweet Shelby parked at one of them.
Dad, seeing as how Barry solved your poop problem...
...how about letting him go to S.T.A.R. Labs?
- Fine, go. - Yes.
Thank you, Joe.
So, Barry, how was your trip? Did you find proof of the impossible in Starling City?
Or did you just make my dad mad for no reason?
Actually, while I was away, I had a chance to think about...
...you know, relationships.
How I'm not in one...
...and you're not in one, either.
- And you're my best friend, Iris. - You're mine too.
Why else would I be here?
- That's not what I meant. What... - I know what you're gonna say.
I'm not sure you do.
Even though we pretty much grew up in the same house together...
...and we're kind of like brother and sister...
...because we're not brother and sister, it can get really...
...weird to talk to me about girls.
But I just want you to know that it shouldn't be awkward.
There is nothing I want more than for you to meet the right person...
...that totally loves and adores you for the amazing guy that you are.
Took the words right out of my mouth.
Aren't you glad I know you so well?
Thank you.
My name is Harrison Wells.
Tonight, the future begins.
The work my team and I will do here...
...will change our understanding of physics...
...will bring about advancements in power...
...advancements in medicine.
And trust me, that future will be here faster than you think.
No! Hey, my laptop. It's got my dissertation.
I'm sorry.
All right, kid, you don't have to do this, all right?
Just give me back my friend's bag, and we'll call it even.
Okay?
Barry.
- Are you okay? - Yeah.
Freeze! Police!
Or do you want to find out the hard way you're not faster than a bullet?
Who is that guy, and what is he so proud of?
- So he caught a mugger. - He's a transfer from Keystone.
Started a few weeks ago. Eddie Thawne.
Oh, that's Detective Pretty Boy.
That's what my dad calls him.
Says he actually keeps score when it comes to arrests.
He is pretty, though.
This is the last farm on Barry's list.
Look, I know the kid's smart, but you said it yourself...
...sometimes he's chasing flying pigs.
Well, let's check it out anyway.
I'm Linda Park, and we're live outside S.T.A.R. Labs...
...despite the weather, which will only get worse.
The torrential downpour has in no way affected the particle accelerator...
...which is running smoothly according to S. T.A.R. Lab CEO Harrison Wells.
- Whoa. - Mardon.
I've got a plane to catch.
What the hell?
- Unh. - Chyre, hang in there.
Wait, we are now being told to evacuate the facility.
The storm caused a malfunction to the primary cooling system.
Officials are now trying to shut down the particle accelerator...
...but so far have been unable to regain control of the...
- What happened to him? - Hit by lightning.
How's he still alive?
Go.
No heartbeat. CBC Chem 24, type and cross four.
- Bag him. - You can't be in here.
- I'm family. - Charge paddles.
- Barry! - Clear.
What are you doing?
- He likes this song. - How could you possibly know that?
I checked his Facebook page. I mean, he can hear everything, right?
Auditory functions are the last sensory faculties to degenerate.
Can't read my No, he can't read my poker face
- Oh, my God. - Where am I?
- He's up. - Dr. Wells, get down to the Cortex now.
BP 170 over 110, pulse 120. Pupils equally reactive to light.
Look at me. Look at me Whoa, whoa. Relax.
Everything's okay, man. You're at S.T.A.R. Labs.
S.T.A.R. Labs? Who are you?
I'm Cisco Ramon. She's Caitlin... Dr. Snow.
- I need you to urinate in this. - Not this second.
- What is happening? What is going on? - You were struck by lightning, dude.
What?
- Lightning gave me abs? - Your muscles should be atrophied...
...but instead they're in a chronic state of cellular regeneration.
Come here. Have a seat.
You were in a coma.
- For how long? - Nine months.
Welcome back, Mr. Allen.
We have a lot to discuss.
It's hard to believe I'm here. I've always wanted to meet you face-to-face.
Yeah? Well, you certainly went to great lengths to do it.
S.T.A.R. Labs has not been operational...
...since FEMA categorized us as a Class 4 hazardous location.
Seventeen people died that night, many more injured...
...myself amongst them.
Jesus.
What happened?
Nine months ago, the particle accelerator went online exactly as planned.
For 45 minutes, I had achieved my life's dream. And then...
Then there was an anomaly.
The electron volts became unmeasurable, the ring under us popped.
Energy from that detonation was thrown into the sky...
...and that, in turn, seeded a storm cloud...
That created a lightning bolt that struck me.
That's right.
I was recovering myself...
...when I heard about you.
The hospital was undergoing unexplainable power outages...
...every time you were going into cardiac arrest...
...which was actually a misdiagnosis...
...because, you see, you weren't flatlining, Barry.
Your heartbeat was moving too fast for the EKG to register it.
Now, I'm not the most popular person in town these days...
...but Detective West and his daughter gave me permission to bring you here...
...where we were able to stabilize you.
- Iris? - lris, yes.
She came to see you quite often.
- She talks a lot. - Also, she's hot.
- I need to go. - No. You can't.
Caitlin's right. Now that you're awake, we need to do tests.
You're still going through changes. There's so much we don't know.
I'm fine, really. I feel normal. Thank you for saving my life.
Really?
Can I keep the sweatshirt?
- Yeah, keep the sweatshirt. - Okay.
- Right? - Sure.
- Fill her up? - Thanks.
Oh, my God.
You're awake. Why didn't S.T.A.R. Labs call us?
I just woke up.
- Should you even be on your feet? - lris...
...I'm okay.
I watched you die, Barry.
You kept dying. Your heart kept stopping.
It's still beating.
It feels really fast.
Oops.
- Are you okay, Tracy? - Yeah, I got it.
My dad is gonna be so happy to see you.
Let me get my stuff, okay? I'll be right back.
Thank you. Thank you so much. How can I help you today?
"This is a robbery."
- Is this supposed to be a joke? - You tell me.
Oh, you scared the hell out of us, kid.
That was quite the nap you took there, baby face.
And you still look 12. Heh-heh-heh.
You look okay. Are you really?
- Yeah. - Detective West...
...we got a 550 in progress at Gold City Bank.
Two dead. Storm's picking up on the south side.
- I'd grab rain gear. - Sorry, I gotta run.
- Do you need my help...? - No, you take it easy.
There'll be plenty for you to do once you settle in. Let's go.
Hey, Allen...
...glad to see you.
- Thanks, Eddie. - Hey, Iris.
Detective, you should go. My dad doesn't like to be kept waiting.
Glad you're back.
The night of the explosion, Clyde Mardon shot Chyre.
Mardon and his brother died escaping. Their plane crashed.
- Iris. Got a minute? - Hey, Barry. Good to see you.
Screw you!
You okay?
I'm fine. I just need some air.
But I'll call you tonight, all right?
What's happening to me?
Awesome.
You don't believe he can run that fast, do you?
Well, I believe anything is possible, and in a few minutes maybe you will too.
How does it fit?
It's a little snug.
At least you'll be moving so fast, no one will see you.
See, you thought the world was slowing down. It wasn't.
You were moving so fast, it only looked like everyone else was standing still.
Dr. Wells will be monitoring your energy output and Caitlin your vitals.
What do you do?
I make the toys, man.
Check it. This is a two-way headset with a camera I modified...
...designed to combat battlefield impulse noise.
Or in your case, potential sonic booms.
Which would be awesome.
What?
Nothing.
I just notice you don't smile too much.
My once promising career in bioengineering is over.
My boss is in a wheelchair for life.
The explosion that put you in a coma also killed my fiancé.
So this blank expression kind of feels like the way to go.
Mr. Allen, while I am extremely eager to determine your full range of abilities...
...I do caution restraint.
Yeah.
Whoo-hoo!
He passed 200 knots per hour.
It's not possible.
MQfn!
- No, Barry! - Mom!
Don't! Don't let him touch you!
Ah!
What is all this?
Witnesses from the robbery at Gold City Bank.
Perp made off with 200 grand.
- Catch these guys. - The windows blew in.
It was like a hurricane.
Everyone ran for cover.
We're gonna have a sketch artist work with you, if you feel up to it.
Third robbery in a month where a freak storm proceeds it.
Sounds like one of those Wide World of Weird cases Barry's obsessed with.
- He's not obsessed. - Guess you haven't read his blog.
- Security cameras at the bank? - Apparently all shorted out.
Well, we got a bunch of witnesses here.
They all have cell phones.
The sky went black and then, boom, outside was inside.
It was like there was a thunderstorm in the bank.
Vukuvich, suspect is driving a black Mustang...
...partial plate six-kilo-Charlie-three.
- Put out an APB. - Copy that.
It looks like you had a distal radius fracture.
Had?
It's healed. In three hours.
How is that even possible?
We don't know. Yet.
You really need to learn how to stop.
What happened out there today?
You were moving pretty well and then something caused you to lose focus.
I started remembering something.
When I was 11, my mother was murdered.
It was late.
The sound woke me up.
I came downstairs...
...and I saw what looked like a ball of lightning.
Inside the lightning...
...there was a man.
He killed my mom.
They arrested my dad.
He's still sitting in Iron Heights for her murder.
Everyone, the cops, the shrinks, they all told me what I saw was impossible.
But what if the man who killed my mom was like me?
Well, I think I can say unequivocally, you are one of a kind.
Can I help you, detective?
You can stop acting like you can't stand me when your dad's around.
Aw. I like having a boyfriend who isn't shot to death.
You can't tell my dad. He doesn't know about me and Eddie.
Doesn't seem like anyone's in on the secret.
I was gonna tell you.
When you were in the hospital...
...Eddie covered my father's shifts so we could both be with you.
I thanked him with a cup of coffee, and things just kind of happened.
And it's good.
Dating your partner's daughter. Isn't that against department regulations?
- Why are you so upset? - I just don't like having to lie to your dad.
Barry?
Hey! Mardon!
That poor man.
The way that fog came in, I have never seen anything like it.
Barry! Iris.
I'm all right, Dad.
What were you thinking, having her out here?
I told you, when you see danger, you run the other way.
- You're not a cop. - You wouldn't let me.
- Damn right! - We need to talk.
- It can wait. - No, now.
I know who did this.
It's Clyde Mardon. I know, everybody thinks he died...
...in a plane crash after the S.T.A.R. Labs explosion, but he's alive.
Something happened to him that night. I...
I think he can control the weather.
The recent robberies, they all happened during freak meteorological events.
And when I just confronted Mardon, the street was instantly enveloped in fog.
Of course you don't believe me.
- You never believe me. - Okay.
You want to do this now? Out here? Fine. Mardon is dead.
There is no controlling the weather.
Just like there was no lightning storm in your house that night.
It was your brain helping a scared little boy accept what he saw.
- My dad did not... - Yes, he did!
Your dad killed your mother, Barry. I am sorry, son.
I knew it, the jury knew it. He's paying for what he did.
- Dad, enough. - Iris.
I've done my best to take care of you since that night.
I've never asked for anything in return. Not even a thank-you.
But what I do ask now is that you for once in your life see things as they are.
You're not gonna believe this.
We got the eyewitness sketch of the robber from the bank job.
If I didn't know better, I'd say that's Clyde Mardon.
But that's impossible. He's dead, right?
I wasn't the only one affected by the particle accelerator explosion, was I?
We don't know for sure.
You said the city was safe, that there was no residual danger.
But that's not true. What really happened that night?
Well, the accelerator went active.
We all felt like heroes, and then...
...it all went wrong. The dimensional barrier ruptured...
...unleashing unknown energies into our world.
Antimatter, dark energy, X-elements...
- Those are all theoretical. - And how theoretical are you?
We mapped the dispersion throughout and around Central City...
...though we have no way of knowing exactly what or who was exposed.
We've been searching for other meta-humans like yourself.
- "Meta-humans"? - That's what we're calling them.
I saw one today. He's a bank robber.
He can control the weather.
- This just keeps getting cooler. - This is not cool.
All right? A man died.
Mardon must have gotten his powers the same way I did...
...from the storm cloud. He's still out there.
We have to stop him before he hurts anyone else.
Barry. That's a job for the police.
- I work for the police. - As a forensic assistant.
You're responsible for this. For him.
What's important is you.
Not me. I lost everything.
I lost my company. I lost my reputation. I lost my freedom.
And then you broke your arm, and it healed in three hours.
Inside your body could be a map to a whole new world.
Genetic therapies, vaccines, medicines, treasures buried deep within your cells.
And we cannot risk losing everything because you want to go out and play hero.
You're not a hero.
You're just a young man who was struck by lightning.
I didn't do it. I swear to God, I didn't do this.
- Dad, why are they taking you? - Don't go in the house.
- Where's Mom? - What will happen to my son?
'Dad! “Barry!
- Dad! - Stay out of the house.
Barf)'-
Joe, you know these people?
- My daughter's best friends with their kid. - I'm sorry.
Mom.
- Barry. - Mom!
So that's my story. I've spent my whole life searching for the impossible.
Never imagining that I would become the impossible.
So why come to me?
Something tells me you didn't just run 600 miles to say hi to a friend.
All my life I've wanted...
...to just do more.
Be more.
And now I am.
And the first chance I get to help someone, I screw up.
What if Wells is right? What if I'm not a hero?
What if I'm just some guy who was struck by lightning?
I don't think that bolt of lightning struck you, Barry.
I think it chose you.
I'm just not sure I'm like you, Oliver.
I don't know if I can be some vigilante.
You can be better.
Because you can inspire people...
...in a way that I never could.
Watching over your city like a guardian angel.
Making a difference...
...saving people...
...in a flash.
Take your own advice.
Wear a mask.
Cool.
I've been going over unsolved cases from the past nine months.
And there's been a sharp increase in unexplained deaths and missing people.
Your meta-humans have been busy.
I'm not blaming you. I know you didn't mean for any of this to happen.
I know you all lost something.
But I need your help to catch Mardon and anyone else out there like him.
I can't do it without you.
If we're gonna do this...
...I have something that might help.
Something I've been playing with.
It's designed to replace the turnouts firefighters traditionally wear.
I thought if S.T.A.R. Labs did something nice...
...maybe people wouldn't be so angry at Dr. Wells.
How is it going to help me?
It's made of a reinforced tri-polymer.
It's heat and abrasive resistant to withstand your moving at high-velocity speeds.
The aerodynamic design should help you maintain control.
Plus, it has built-in sensors so we can track your vitals...
...and stay in contact with you from here. Thanks.
How do we find Mardon?
I retasked S.T.A.R. Labs' satellite to track meteorological abnormalities.
We just got a ping.
Atmospheric pressure dropped 20 millibars in a matter of seconds.
I've tracked it to a farm just west of the city.
I'm not saying Mardon is alive...
...but if he was, this is the last place him and his brother hid out. Let's go.
Mardon.
On your feet, hands on your head.
You got me. Heh.
The night of the storm, after S.T.A.R. Labs blew...
...after our plane went down, and I woke up on the ground alive...
...when I saw what I could do, I understood.
- I am God. - Shut the hell up.
Turn around.
Unh!
Do you think your guns can stop God?
Why in the hell would God need to rob banks?
You're right. I've been thinking too small.
Whoa!
Barry. Barry, this thing's getting closer.
Wind speeds are 200 miles per hour and increasing.
- Barry, can you hear me? - Yeah. Loud and clear.
If it keeps up, this could become an F-5 tornado.
And it's headed towards the city. How do I stop it?
Guys?
- What if I unravel it? - How are you gonna do that?
I'll run around it in the opposite direction. Cut off its legs.
He'd have to clock 700 miles per hour to do that.
You may not be able to handle those speeds. You'll die.
I have to try.
- Ha, ha. Suit's holding up. - But he's not.
He can do it. I know he can do it.
It's too strong.
It's time to think big.
You can do this, Barry.
You were right. I am responsible for all of this.
So many people have been hurt because of me.
When I looked at you, all I saw was another potential victim of my hubris.
And yes, I created this madness. But you, Barry, you can stop it.
You can do this.
Now run, Barry. Run!
Barry?
Hey.
I didn't think there was anyone else like me.
I'm not like you. You're a murderer.
Barry? It's over.
I'm okay.
What you can do...
...it was the lightning bolt?
More or less.
I'm sorry, Barry.
I'm sorry I didn't believe you.
And I called you crazy for chasing the impossible.
But you really did see something that night your mom died.
And your dad is innocent.
I need you to promise me something.
I don't want you telling Iris about anything you can do.
Any of it. I want her safe.
Promise me.
Yeah.
Hey. Slugger.
You've been calling me that since I was 11.
Funny thing is I finally got into a fight today.
You just got out of a coma, I'm not sure you should be picking fights.
H9)'-
Did you win?
Yeah, I did.
You didn't kill Mom.
You know I know that, right?
You believing me is all I need.
You won't be in here much longer.
Whoever killed Mom...
...whatever killed her...
...I think I finally have a way to find them, to stop them.
Barry, we've talked about this.
It's time to let it go. You've got to stop worrying about me...
...and live your life.
For the first time, I feel like I finally can.
The truth is, since the night Mom died, I've been stuck in one place...
...missed out on a lot of things.
But I'm different now.
I made some new friends.
They're helping me find my way.
- Why is it shaped like a lightning bolt? - So it's not boring.
To finally move forward.
You remember when you wanted me to change my name...
...so I wouldn't have to deal with people knowing you're my dad?
I'm glad they know.
I'm so proud to be your son.
I love you, son.
I love you too, Dad.
My name is Barry Allen...
...and I am the fastest man alive.
A friend recently gave me the idea for a new name.
And something tells me it's gonna catch on.