It's Like Thunder ⚡︎ Barry Allen

7

I didn't know what time Barry and his team were wanting me at S.T.A.R. Labs, so around nine am I woke up and started getting ready. I took about half an hour, having showered the previous night, and sent Barry a text.

Me: Going to Jitters before the lab. Want anything?

Barry: I'll just meet you there(:

I smiled to myself and set out for the walk there, the brisk air waking me up quicker than any splash of water could. Okay maybe that's not true. Still. Fifteen minutes into walking I reached Jitters, stepping inside to smell the different aromas of coffee and pastries. I rubbed my hands together to warm them up and stepped in line.

"Fancy seeing you here," a voice behind me called out and I turned around to see Barry, who had been originally talking to Iris. I rolled my eyes.

"I told you I was coming here. You even said you'd meet me," I laughed. He stepped into line next to me and we reached the counter, placing two separate orders of coffee and a pastry to go with.

"So this is exciting," Barry talked through a small bite of a cronut as we started our trek to the lab. I nodded in agreement, bringing my coffee to my lips. "Won't it be cool finding out what all you can do with your ability?"

"Definitely, it's an amazing gift and I just can't wait to control it. Especially since it's been freaking me out the past few months and I just want a handle on it," I answered him. "What about you? How long have you known, and can you do anything else?" He shrugged.

"Basically the lightning bolt primed my cells so that they're always in this constant state of regeneration- so any cuts or scrapes I get heal very quickly. Broken bones also heal quickly, but not as quickly. Immortality is not a thing though. Once I'm dead? That's it," he said shakily.

"Well then, don't die."

"Going to try," he laughed. "But yeah, anyway. Everything in my body just goes super fast basically. I have almost complete control over it and can move any part of my body as quickly as I need to.

"However, I don't believe I've reached my full potential. I know I can get faster. And who knows, maybe a couple tricks come with that also," he shrugged. We reached S.T.A.R. Labs and entered.

"Ms. Murray, Mr. Allen, how nice of you to join us," Dr. Wells sighed in an annoyed tone, heading towards us in his wheelchair. "If you could please follow me, I'd like to run a few physical tests on you." He started off down the hall and I followed, Barry, Caitlin and Cisco trailing behind.

"Oh my god- are you going to drown me?" I asked when we stepped into some sort of basement. The only thing that stood there was a seven by six foot tall tank, one Houdini might have used if he lived in our time era. Cisco laughed,

"No, man. That would suck. But you know how humans have a lot of water in them?" I nodded. "Well adult women typically are about fifty-five percent water, since fat holds less water than lean tissue and women hold more fat than men- not that you're fat, you're very non-fat. Like I mean you're skinny-"

"Cisco, please."

"Okay, yeah. Anyway, on those tests we ran, your body showed to hold about ninety percent water, higher than any human being."

"It's amazing you aren't literally drowning yourself, within your own lungs," Caitlin added on. I let out a breath.

"So what does that mean for me?" I asked. The doctors and Cisco exchanged looks and just shrugged.

"Not sure, exactly," Dr. Wells commented. "But I believe my theory of you being able to manipulate water molecules may be accurate. It seems your body has formed a psychological connection to the molecules, due to the um, bath." My cheeks grew red hot and I looked at Caitlin who shrugged and mouthed 'sorry.' Barry snickered behind me and I shot him a glare.

"So what are we testing today? My ability to breathe underwater?" I asked sarcastically and a little scared.

"Precisely." I facepalmed myself and looked down at my clothing.

"What should I wear?"

⚡︎

I stepped back into the room, now in a tightly fitted black waterproof bodysuit- a swimsuit, if you may. Barry did a double take before quickly looking away, Cisco doing the same, which caused me to stifle a small laugh.

"Alright, now step into the chamber and it will fill itself with water. We will be right here, talking to you through the waterproof speakers inside the chamber. The second you pass out- uh, if you pass out, we will be right here to save you," Caitlin informed me. I nodded and stepped in.

"Thank you, Dr. Snow."

"Of course. Your swimsuit is hooked up to our system so we can check your vitals while in there. We will be right behind that desk area, okay?" I only nodded in response this time.

"Operation Little Mermaid is a go," Cisco said and water started pouring into the chamber, distracting me from sending him a death stare.

The water immediately calmed down any anxious nerves I had. My mind raced about how I could breathe underwater, if I even could. Dr. Wells said he thought I could manipulate the water- maybe I could just repel enough from my face so that I could breathe? I shook my head, that wasn't what the test was. The water level hit my knees.

"How are you feeling?" I heard Barry's voice come through the top of the small chamber. I looked out at him and gave him a thumbs up.

"Just great," I said quietly. I looked down and sat in the water, being almost completely covered by it. The pressure of the water weighed down on my chest, making it slightly more difficult to breathe. I took a big gulp of air and my head went under the water.

I opened my eyes and looked out at the team, getting encouraging smiles from everyone but Dr. Wells. Big surprise there. I closed my eyes again and tried to focus on the water around me. I thought back to the night I woke up in the bathtub free of injury. I had felt the same way one might feel drinking a glass of cold water after being dehydrated all day long. It was like a splash of ice cold water to the face, except everywhere. I had felt the water fusing with my DNA, literally becoming one with the water. I worked it out in my head. I need oxygen, and I am mostly water. Water has oxygen in it, and if Dr. Wells believes I can do it, that means-

"Arielle?" I heard Barry's voice through the speakers perfectly. My eyes shot open and I took a deep breath in, waiting for the water to fill my lungs. But that didn't really happen. It was like there was a filter in my throat, letting the oxygen I need in, while the water itself just dissipated into my body. I could literally feel the individual molecules roam my body, the individual atoms.

I stood up, the water having reached the top of the chamber, and I laughed. I just laughed, laughing more when I saw the little bubbles it formed come from my mouth. I looked at the team and smiled, waving at them. My movement in the water didn't feel sluggish at all, nor did I feel the weight on my chest anymore. It was like I became one with the water all over again. Except this time I was more submerged.

The tank slowly emptied itself of water and I stepped out of the tank. Cisco jogged over to hand me a towel before retracting his hand, staring at me confusedly. I looked down and saw I wasn't even remotely wet, as if I hadn't even touched a drop of water. The rest of the team followed over, marveling at my ability and Dr. Wells nodded approvingly in my direction.

"Cool."