The four of them walked into the lab, tensions running high.

"Uhh, could someone please explain to me what the hell that was all about back there?" Cisco exclaimed, looking directly at Avery.

Barry and Caitlin's heads turned to her as well. Avery leaned against the wall, letting out an annoyed huff as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I don't trust him," she snarled, her nostrils flaring.

"You just met him," Barry noted. He sounded almost disappointed with her.

"First impressions are everything, right? There's something off about him, and I don't like it. Therefore, I don't trust him," Avery explained.

Barry shook his head. "Avery, Dr. Wells is the one who founded Star Labs and helped build the particle accelerator. He's done everything he can to help us catch the meta-humans in Central City and teach me how to become faster."

"I don't care what he's done," Avery snorted. "My instincts are telling me not to trust him, so I won't. Simple as that."

The three of them looked to each other with confused expressions.

"Won't you at least give him a chance?" Caitlin asked.

Avery shook her head. "Nope. I've had these powers long enough to know when to trust my instincts. That's why I'm still alive."

Nobody knew what to say, and the conversation was left hanging. Caitlin approached the medical cart, pulling together various bits of equipment. Avery leaned away, eyeing her actions warily.

"What is all that for?"

"In order to figure out how your powers work, I need to be able to monitor your body on a molecular level. These scanners will record your cells as you shapeshift, allowing us to see what exactly is going on," Caitlin explained.

Avery's brow furrowed, her gaze straying to the small electrical devices being put on her hips, collarbone, and temple. It was as if they magnetized to her skin on contact. "Do I have to wear so many?" she complained.

"Unless you want me to run the same test over and over – yes," Caitlin said pointedly.

Avery rolled her eyes. "Let's just get this over with."

Caitlin ushered her into the room with the treadmill as Barry and Cisco trailed behind.

"Uh, how exactly is this room going to help us?" Barry asked.

"The treadmill is already programmed to monitor vitals, like heart rate and blood pressure. I just need Cisco to wirelessly connect the devices to it so that we can monitor her bodily systems as well," Caitlin explained.

"I'm on it," Cisco said with a grin.

He turned heel and darted for the computer on the other side of the viewing window. It only took a few seconds before his voice sounded over the room's intercom. "Got it. We should be all set to go."

Caitlin turned to Avery, the excitement showing on her face. "Avery, you can choose what you shapeshift into, but wait until I give the word, ok?"

Avery nodded.

"Alright. Let's do this," Barry said with a grin.

He and Caitlin stepped outside the room as Avery started walking on the treadmill. It felt weird being in human form on this thing.

I should be running…I want to run.

"Alright, Avery, whenever you're ready," Caitlin's voice chimed overhead.

Don't have to tell me twice.

In the blink of an eye, Avery's human feet were replaced with pawpads as she shifted to a silver wolf. Walking would not be enough in this form, and she sped up to a steady trot. The heart of a wolf gave her this wild rush of independence and made her feel so alive. It only took a few moments before she broke out into a full speed run. Despite her metallic surroundings, she loved the wind whipping through her fur and the thundering beat of her paws through her mind.

"I am literally so jealous of her right now," Cisco commented, eliciting a snicker from Barry.

"Avery, go ahead and shift again," Caitlin's voice called out.

Snarling quietly to herself, the silver wolf jumped as if she were going over a fence, and her paws came down twice the size they were before as she shifted into that of a tiger. Her pace slowed back down to a brisk walk, her white striped tail flickering back and forth. It had been a while since she'd used this form, and her paws felt awkward on the treadmill.

"I wonder how many different animals she can shapeshift into," Barry wondered aloud.

Avery lifted her head towards the glass window, a smirk spreading across her maw. She stopped on the treadmill.

"Guys, what is she doing?" Cisco asked.

In response, Avery stamped on the treadmill, and a burst of flame erupted from her front paw. Within seconds, the flames enveloped her body, and where a tiger had once been, a silver dragon now stood in its place.

"Holy crap!" Cisco shouted as all three of them jumped back from the window. "That's a dragon!"

"Yea, Cisco, she's a dragon!" Barry exclaimed, echoing his comrade's surprise.

From inside the room, small puffs of smoke streamed from Avery's nostrils as she huffed with laughter. Extending her wings, she practically filled the entire room. Caitlin stepped back up to the computer.

"What else can you shapeshift into, Avery?" she asked over the intercom.

The dragon's head tilted thoughtfully, and after a moment, she covered her body with her wings. The reptilian wingspan changed to feathers, and when she reopened them, a gryphon had replaced the dragon.

"This is…astonishing," Caitlin murmured.

"You're telling me," Cisco agreed, his eyes glued to the fantasy creature standing near the treadmill.

A frown crossed Caitlin's face. "I'm just not sure we have the technology to properly evaluate her powers. The scanners are analyzing at such a high rate, they might not be catching everything we're looking for."

"Are you able to tell where her powers are coming from?" Barry asked.

"Maybe…I'll have to study the data for a while longer before I'll have any definite answers," Caitlin responded. She reached out to the intercom. "Avery, I think we're good for now. You can come out."

The gryphon nodded, and Avery shifted back into human form. She joined the other three in the lab room, a smug grin on her face. Caitlin immediately stepped forward to remove the devices from her body.

"Surprise," Avery smirked.

"Ha, ha, real funny," Cisco said sarcastically, though he failed to repress the smile upon his face.

"Avery, how are you able to do that?" Barry asked in awe. "Dragons and gryphons don't even exist."

Avery shrugged. "I've always been able to shapeshift into any creature I want, real or fantasy."

Caitlin held the devices in her hand as she bounced on the balls of her feet. "Let's go find out why."

The four of them walked back to the control center. Dr. Wells was nowhere to be found, much to Avery's relief. Cisco wirelessly connected the devices to the main computer terminal while Caitlin started studying the data. Barry turned to Avery as they stood in the center of the room.

"Have you ever had to use your dragon form before?" he asked.

"Oh yea, all the time," she responded, a faint smile on her face. "Most criminals in Jump City didn't know how to respond to a dragon, so it was usually pretty easy to catch them in that form." Her expression clouded as her thoughts wandered back to her previous companions.

It was always easy to catch them with the team at my side…

Avery's eyes began to blur, and she quickly shut them to keep the tears from falling.

Don't do it. Don't let them see. They can't know what I did.

"Avery?" Barry murmured. "You alright?"

She exhaled slowly, reopening her eyes. "Yea, I'm fine," she muttered. Avery was hesitant to meet Barry's gaze, for fear of her emotions toppling over.

They're all so understanding. I want to trust them…but I can't.

Her thoughts were interrupted by an exclamation from Cisco. "Oh. My gosh." The grin on his face was so wide, Avery feared it would split in half.

"Avery, your biology is unlike anything I've ever seen," Caitlin said in awe. "Every cell within your body has a tiny nanochip inside the nucleus, which is directly communicating with your nervous system. When you decide what you want to shapeshift into, the nanochips activate the switch between the nuclear DNA in your cells and catalyze the protein-altering reactions, which is why you can transform so quickly."

Avery stared at her with a blank expression.

"Basically, you have technology in your body that allows your mind to have direct control over the form you take," Caitlin summarized. "As for your cellular regeneration, you have a mutation within your genes that allows your cells to rapidly reproduce. What amazes me is how the nanochips also regenerate and attach themselves to the newly created cells. Such technology is…far beyond anything I've seen."

"What about her wind and fire abilities?" Barry asked.

"I'd have to run more tests for those," Caitlin explained with a shrug.

Avery shook her head. "Don't worry about those, Caitlin. I don't intend to use those powers ever again," she said solemnly.

Cisco frowned. "Why not? You've got three superpowers – take advantage of it!"

"No," Avery growled, her eyes shooting daggers in his direction.

Cisco raised an unamused brow at her, which only elicited further annoyance.

A low snarl rumbled in Avery's throat. "When I say I am or am not going to do something, I mean it," she warned.

Cisco put his hands up in surrender. "Got it. My bad," he said stiffly, casting her a wary look.

Barry sighed, shaking his head as he crossed his arms across his chest. "Avery, you can't keep shutting us out like this. We're just trying to help."

"All you guys have done so far is give me pizza that I ignited in my hand and run tests to find out how my powers work," Avery snapped, her tongue lashing out.

"Because that's all we can do!" Barry shot back with equal frustration. "You won't tell us why you're here, who you know, or what happened in Jump City that made you want to leave."

Caitlin and Cisco stepped around the computer terminal towards the pair. Avery's hands balled up into fists at her side, and she was visibly shaking with anger.

"Don't you get it?" Avery hissed. "I can't tell you. I would if I could, but I can't."

"Yes, you can," Barry shot back. "You're choosing not to."

Avery shook her head, her teeth digging into her lower lip as she tried to bite back the tears. Her voice trembled as she tried to keep her composure. "You don't understand."

Caitlin took a step towards her. "Then tell us so that we can," she begged earnestly. "We want to know what happened to you."

"No, you don't," Avery whispered, inhaling sharply as she held back the tears. "You don't want to carry the same burden I do."

Barry sighed quietly and took a few steps towards her, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Avery, we all have burdens. Some are heavier than others, but they're still there, and trying to carry it alone – its only going to weigh you down even more."

"We share our burdens to make them a little lighter," Caitlin chimed in, offering her a small smile.

Avery's gaze shifted between the three of them, her brow furrowed with uncertainty. "You guys are absolutely sure you want to know?" she asked. All traces of humor were gone from her tone of voice.

"Yes!" Cisco exclaimed a little too forcefully.

Avery cast him a hard glance, exhaling slowly. "Fine. If you want to know, then search the Jump City database for – "

"The truth that she is dangerous, just like I warned all of you."

Dr. Wells wheeled into the room, an angry expression upon his face. Avery snarled loudly at him, and had she been in any sort of canine form, her ears would've been pinned to her skull. Barry, Caitlin, and Cisco all looked at him with confusion.

"Dr. Wells, what are you talking about?" Caitlin asked.

Harrison directed his wheelchair into the center of the room. Avery stood off to the side while the other three gathered around the computer monitors.

"If you want the truth, look up the name 'Silverwings'," Dr. Wells stated, a hint of satisfaction in his voice.

Avery's eyes widened. "How do you know that name?" she snapped, taking a threatening step towards him.

Dr. Wells cast her and Cisco an unimpressed look. "Your story, Mrs. York, is the most exciting thing to happen in Jump City for quite some time. Its all over their news stations. Clearly, Mr. Ramon did not think to check those first."

Cisco's gaze shifted down in embarrassment, but Avery's face grew red hot.

"How dare you," she growled, her hand balling up into a fist. "I told you not to go digging up information about me."

Dr. Wells spun his chair to face her, his eyes flashing with anger. "My team deserves to know when they are in the presence of a murderer."

Barry, Cisco, and Caitlin all froze in place. They simultaneously looked over at Avery, varying expressions of shock and confusion on their faces.

"Avery, what is he talking about?" Caitlin asked, her voice trembling. Whether she believed Dr. Wells or not, she was visibly shaken by his statement.

Without taking his eyes off of her, Dr. Wells explained himself. "Avery York was known as 'Silverwings' in Jump City, and worked with a team of meta-humans called the Teen Titans."

"Shut up…" Avery snarled, her voice barely above a murmur.

Dr. Wells ignored her and continued. "For some unknown reason, she betrayed and murdered her fellow teammates – "

"I said shut up."

" – burned down their headquarters, and then ran away from the city like a coward."

"Shut up!"

A forceful whirlwind whipped through the small room, sending pieces of paper and small equipment flying across the room. Everyone had to cover their eyes to keep anything from blinding them, and when they looked up again, Avery was gone.

"Oh crap," Cisco groaned. "Where did she go?"

"Gimme a second," Barry said. He zoomed out of the room for a few moments and was back in the blink of an eye. "She's not here."

"What?" Caitlin exclaimed. She immediately stepped forward to the computer and began tapping away on the screen. "Cisco, how do we find her?"

"I-I don't know. She doesn't have any dark matter in her system, so I can't track her – unless…" Cisco quickly stepped up to the monitor and furiously inputted some information.

"What is it?" Caitlin demanded.

"Her nanochips. I can see if the computer can track the technology in her DNA," Cisco explained.

"It's worth a shot," Caitlin sighed.

While the two of them hovered over the computer, Barry turned towards Dr. Wells with an angry expression.

"Why did you do that? She was just beginning to trust us, and now that trust is shattered," he snapped.

Dr. Wells raised a brow at him. "You should be thanking me, Mr. Allen. I saved you three from making a huge mistake."

"Mistake? Avery has three different superpowers that she could use against us if she decides we are her enemies! How was befriending her a mistake?" Barry shouted.

Dr. Wells did not respond for a few moments. "You may see a fault in my actions, Barry, but I promise you, when you find out the same information about her that I did, you will see that I was right."

With that, Dr. Wells left the Star Labs hub, disappearing down the hallway. Barry sat down heavily in a nearby chair with a loud groan.

"What do we do now?" Barry asked.

"Shh!" Cisco hissed. "Its almost done."

Barry lifted his head, getting up and moving to look over Caitlin's shoulder. The computer beeped as the triangle on the screen began zooming in on a location.

"Got her. She's…" Cisco looked up, an exasperated expression on his face.

"She's where, Cisco?" Barry asked.

"She's on the roof," Cisco replied flatly.