10:01 PM, 11.10.15, Channel 12, Central City News.

"Central City's greatest secret has been revealed: The Flash has been unmasked.

"Bartholomew Henry Allen, known as Barry among his colleagues, is a twenty-seven-year-old CSI, who works for the CCPD during the day – and patrols the city at night as one of the Gem Cities' most famous residents. For the better part of a year, The Flash has reportedly intervened in more than nine hundred crimes and dozens of superhuman encounters.

"Although the source of his abilities remains unconfirmed, correlation suggests Mr. Allen's speed was derived, like many others' supernatural abilities, from the particle accelerator explosion almost two years ago.Mr. Allen was strike by a bolt of lightning on the night of the particle accelerator explosion and remained comatose for nine months afterward.His eventual return to work at the CCPD corresponds with the first appearances of The Flash, then known as 'The Streak.'

"Both nicknames were coined by journalist Iris West, a writer for the CCPN.As one of the earliest documenters of The Flash's exploits on her blog, 'Saved By The Flash,' Ms. West has posted dozens of Flash-related messages since The Flash's first appearances in early October 2014. She also broadcasts hundreds of anonymous tips and proofs of sightings.The purpose of the blog, she writes, is to help Central City 'believe in the impossible.'Tonight, our belief has been cemented with fact with the unveiling of Central City's most notorious superhero.

"Since his debut, The Flash has sparked controversy. 'Vigilantism is not something we encourage or tolerate,' Captain David Singh of the CCPD stated at a press conference announcing the formation of a 'Meta-Human Task Force.'The Meta-Human Task Force was quietly dissolved after six months of service, according to CCPD records.Captain Singh declined to comment on the change of heart, but the celebration of 'Flash Day' spoke for most citizens of Central City as thousands of people openly embraced a new kind of vigilante.

"'The Flash is a hero,' attendees insisted as our team conducted interviews during the festivities. 'Whoever he is, he does great work.'

"Tonight, he has a name: Barry Henry Allen.

"Unfortunately for fans of The Flash, this shocking sighting revealed a dangerous new adversary who is responsible for the unmasking.Known only as 'Zoom,' the black speedster attacked The Flash before appearing with him at both CCPN and CCPD.Footage from the CCPN captures the reveal.Due to the graphic nature of this footage, viewer discretion is advised.

"[3…2…1] Look … at your[FLASH twists slightly in ZOOM's grip] – hero.[ZOOM unmasks THE FLASH; cameras flash sporadically around the room; inaudible background murmurs hush off-screen.]This man is no God.He is nothing.The days of The Flash protecting this city are over.[ZOOM and FLASH exeunt.]"

"Neither the CCPD nor witnesses at the CCPN have confirmed Flash's condition, but many fans have taken to the Internet to express their concern.Amateur analysis of The Flash's appearance reveal suspicions of a broken back.

"'I heard something terrible,' Adam Kieler reports, a witness walking home from his night job.He was close to STAR Labs, the infamous location of the particle accelerator explosion, when he heard a loud noise 'like a tree breaking in half.I almost intervened, but I rounded a corner and saw the lightning and man, I was out of there so fast I gave The Flash a run for his money.'

"CCPD officers have reinforced the message throughout Flash's two-year career to avoid contact and remain calm if a confrontation becomes unavoidable. 'He isn't hostile,' Detective Joe West, a senior office in the department, stated at a post-Flash Day conference. 'But we don't recommend unnecessary contact,' Officer Landon Joyce, a transfer from Coast City, advised. 'Keep your distance.Like any officer on duty, distractions and interventions, while well-meaning, can prove lethal.If you find yourself in a hostile confrontation between The Flash and another person, seek shelter immediately.Report the attack to the CCPD as soon as possible.Our records are extensive and reviewed constantly by the board for foul play, and for the most part we let Flash operate as a citizen-consultant for the CCPD, performing citizen arrests and neutralizing more dangerous targets.'

"Detective Eddie Thawne, a late member of the Meta-Human Task Force, expressed a more serious stance on The Flash's abilities during the inaugural press conference. 'Flash is dangerous,' he stated bluntly. 'No matter how good his intentions are, we are enforcers of the law, and anyone who stands outside it is a threat to our society.'Detective Thawne reportedly rescinded his stance shortly before his death in an informal announcement, stating in a CCPD meeting that, 'We live in unusual times.The law must change to accommodate them.In a way, The Flash is ahead of his time – a new breed of officer in an era when weather-controlling humans can rob banks – and we don't have a rulebook to handle it yet.But once thing we do know is that The Flash has also saved hundreds, if not thousands of lives.'

"Detective Thawne perished due to a fatal gunshot to the heart a month later.He was killed in a confrontation at STAR Labs by the late Dr. Harrison Wells, who confessed posthumously to the nearly two-decade old murder of Nora Allen.Dr. Henry Allen was convicted of her murder in April 2000 after his fingerprints were discovered on the weapon, but he was released from Iron Heights in October after the CCPD received a videotape with Dr. Wells' confession.

"In light of The Flash's identity reveal, new speculation has arisen around the psychological trauma caused by this event and Barry Allen's emotional stability. 'I don't know about you, but I felt safer before I knew who was under the mask,' tweeted one reviewer. 'We're letting a murderer's son sweep the streets at night, hoping he'll be a boy scout about it,' another reviewer commiserated. 'This is unbelievable,' a third added to a growing tag known as #FLASHUNMASKED.

"Some feel uneasy about The Flash's young age. 'We're okay with a twenty-seven-year-old running this city?' writes one astonished reader. 'The superhero formerly known as The Flash has been unmasked – and he's a kid,' headlined a tabloid.

"Several witnesses anonymously submitted their concerns to Ms. West's website. 'Is it true?' one asked, linking to an article with Detective Thawne's comments about the hostile Flash. 'Heard The Flash kicked the stuff out of somebody,' another reader submitted. 'He's the most dangerous criminal Central City has ever seen,' a third visitor argued.

"Ms. West produced a short statement about the incident, a supposed confrontation between The Flash and Detective Thawne. 'None of us know who he really is underneath the mask,' she admitted. 'Keep believing, but keep your distance.He's acting differently.'

"In response to both the informal and formal outcry sparked by rumors of the event, the CCPD launched its Meta-Human Task Force.With the appearance of 'Zoom,' it may be time to restart the program.

"Despite our efforts, we have been unable to solicit a statement from the CCPD, but the CCPN has published an article regarding The Flash's unveiling.Writer Alex Thorne had this to say: 'Many of you have seen the news by now, but we affirm it here: The Flash is Barry Allen, a 27-year-old CSI who works for the CCPD.We have not had direct contact with Mr. Allen since the initial sighting at 8:54 PM earlier this evening. Coupled with eyewitness reports of the confrontation between The Flash and Zoom in the streets moments before, we believe The Flash is in critical condition.We will keep you posted as soon as we know more.'

"Ms. West, an eyewitness at the CCPN, had no comment.

"We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as information arrives.Here to analyze the encounter, I'm joined by Sarah Caper, from the CCPN.Thank you for joining us, Sarah—"

Caitlin grabs the remote and clicks the TV off. "Why're you watching that?" she asks Cisco, exhaustion bleeding through every word. Barry still hasn't woken up. In fact, if anything, he's still deteriorating: his heart rate is in the two-hundred-beats-per-minute range, an alarmingly low value for his system; his respiration rate is virtually nonexistent; he's still categorically in a moderate state of shock; he hasn't regained consciousness. She isn't entirely sure he isn't already dead, too-far-gone-to-save.

"Gotta know what damage we're controlling," Cisco interrupts in his own world-weary voice. "Though, dio, they don't miss a beat. Did you see this?" He holds up his tablet. Caitlin doesn't want to see it, but she can't look away from the swarm of articles, all announcing the same news that has been breaking for the past two hours: THE FLASH IS BARRY ALLEN.

It doesn't escape her notice that they put The Flash first. If Barry dies, it's a forgivable loss; if The Flash dies, it's a scandal, a tragedy, a headline for thirty-six-hours. That's Big News, and she half-suspects that a small base of reporters hopes he will die because it'll give them free-rein to speculate about all the gory details, 'the final moments of The Flash.'

She hates that they'll contrive his dying wishes for him and make up his last words. Some will treat it as a coward's descent to mortality, while others will herald him as a Shakespearean hero. THE FLASH DIES: ZOOM RISES.

She wants to throw up, or cry, or maybe both, and she doesn't know which order prevails. All she knows is that her stomach hurts, her eyes ache, and she still smells like Barry's blood, despite scrubbing her hands and swapping out her shirt. Forty-five minutes of her life were spent saving Barry's, urging unresponsive organs to keep doing their job, dammit, and pumping him full of as many fluids as she safely could to replace those he had lost, was losing, would lose before the fight was over.

It's a grocery list from pre-med school, a stack of homework problems bunched into the same incoherent whole before her. Your patient is unresponsive – your patient complains of severe chest pain – your patient has difficulty breathing – your patient's blood pressure is falling – your patient is septic – your patient's spine is severed – your patient – your patient – your patient –

"Caitlin?" Cisco asks wearily, placing a hand on her wrist, just in reach from his slump in a nearby chair.

Caitlin takes three deep breaths. Then she admits with painful disclosure, "I've done everything I can. The rest is up to him."

Cisco squeezes her wrist and even his hands, perpetually warm, are cold. "He'll pull through," he assures. "He's Barry." But there's no weight behind the statement, just a thin-ice hope that carries neither of them far.

A knock on the door startles Cisco to his feet and Caitlin's shoulders tense in anticipation, but it's just Joe, looking just as exhausted – but twice as angry – as they are. "Honestly? I hate the media," he growls, and Caitlin half-thinks he'll pitch the dormant TV out of the room, despite its present inoffensiveness. "Couldn't have put their cameras down for six seconds, could they?"

"They didn't know what was gonna happen," Cisco defends weakly.

"Hell they didn't." Joe looks over at Barry and the glaze of tears in his eyes is unmistakable. Caitlin's heart hurts. He looks away and clears his throat, re-gathering steam. "Singh's already doing damage control, insisting that the CCPD has Flash in its care. He suggested I invite a couple reporters here to dissuade suspicion– " Caitlin's heart skips a beat; she feels Cisco tense beside her – "don't worry, they were just here to nose around a little and prove that STAR Labs was still a toxic waste dump that caused cancer in people who lingered."

"Those reports aren't true," Cisco chimes in compulsively. "But it's a good cover."

Joe clears his throat. "I escorted them out. Probably camping on CCPD's stairs right now." He takes a step closer to Barry, hesitates, and then asks, "How bad is it?"

Worse than it looks. "He'll be fine," Caitlin lies.

Joe nods once, but he seems to know, and he puts a hand on Barry's leg – no response – and squeezes it. "You better wake up. I still have to yell at you for going after a supervillain with no plan," he says, but there's a slightly choked tone to his voice that makes Caitlin look away.

"He'll be resting for a while," Caitlin begins, hating the double entendre but plowing ahead regardless, "maybe you should go home, get some rest while you can."

"I'm not going anywhere until he does," Joe replies. "I'm a dad. This is what dads do."

Caitlin nods. She didn't expect any less.

Cisco scrolls down his tablet feed, shadows visibly darkening under his eyes as he keeps reading, endlessly.

Caitlin excuses herself to make coffee. If anything changes, she knows, Cisco and Joe will get her.

We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as they arrive—

4:13 AM, 11.11.2015.

Barry's phone rings.

Caitlin knows because it comes from the suit pocket itself, the bloody, mangled suit Cisco still hasn't had time to fix up. Cisco himself is snoring in his seat and Joe has stepped outside to cool off from his near knockdown fight with Harry, still agitated and anguished. After driving Linda to Coast City, Iris is back, leaning back against the wall, a woman of steel, strong in the face of the storm.

Despite what must be unbelievable fatigue, Iris walks over to the suit and fishes it out on the fourth ring, looking at the number and frowning. She answers, "Hello?" and her frown deepens. "Yeah. It's true."

Caitlin wants to ask, Who but Iris, sensing her curiosity, wordlessly takes her arm and draws her into the hallway, out of immediate hearing of the resting among them. She puts the phone on speaker. Oliver Queen's voice is gruff and heavy.

"I guess it's hard to fake live-feed evidence," Oliver admits. "Even for a speedster, that's one hell of a job.How is he?"

Iris looks at Caitlin and lifts an eyebrow. "Stable," Caitlin replies. No longer going downhill.

"I'm glad to hear that." He sounds more dangerous than glad, like a panther caged behind a loosening door, ready to break free and shred. "I was hoping to talk to him, but I take it he's not up yet."

"It's late," Iris agrees.

"Mm.I saw that – I also saw that the man-under-the-hood is no longer a secret."

"'Central City's greatest secret,'" Caitlin echoes bitterly.

"A – similar thing happened to me.Then a friend of mine intervened."

Caitlin frowns. Iris asks, "What do you mean?"

"How much do you know about the death of Roy Harper?"

5:10 AM, 11.11.15.

"We need you to do something stupid," are the first words out of Caitlin's mouth.

Jay frowns over the phone. "Cait," he hedges. "What do you need?"

Caitlin bites her lip and looks at Barry through the window between the side room and the cortex. "Have you seen the news?"

She hears him click on a TV in the background, a long pause. "Well," he says at last, succinctly, "shit."

"We have a plan," Caitlin says.

"Cait."

"We need you," she pleads.

She can almost hear him pinch the bridge of his nose. "What do you need?"

She exhales from her toes.

8:55 AM, 11.11.15, Channel 12, Central City News.

"'I regret that Barry Allen was involved,' The Flash reported earlier this morning, standing atop the steps to City Hall in a public address to a fleet of cameras, 'it was a misunderstanding.I needed a way to lure Zoom out into the open and as a willing volunteer, he agreed to put on my suit and draw him out.It was a mistake.'

"Reaching up, The Flash unmasked. 'I can't say my name,' he admits, 'but you're welcome to try and find it.My identity is an incredibly closely guarded secret, but when innocent lives are nearly taken and subsequently targeted – I can't stand by.'

"Insofar, efforts to ID The Flash have been unsuccessful, while no fewer than twenty interviewers have confirmed Barry Allen's non-involvement. 'It's dangerous to be mistaken for superhuman,' Captain David Singh stated after Flash's announcement, 'and we wouldn't want anyone to be unnecessarily at risk due to false information.'

"When asked where Barry Allen was now, Singh affirmed, 'At home, resting, as he should be.Though gruesome, his injuries were mostly superficial.'

"An outpouring of mixed sentiment has greeted the news, a mixture of relief and ongoing criticism, as well as curiosity at the true scarlet speedster's identity.

"'Look,' Flash insisted with a smile, tugging his cowl back on, 'if you figure out who I really am, feel free to let me know.'Then The Flash disappeared in a burst of yellow lightning, scattering journalists' notes in his wake.

"'I can't believe he unmasked,' one witness reported, while another stated, 'Wow, his shoulders are like, twice the size I thought they'd be.'

"Mystery unsolved?Stay tuned for more here at CCN."

9:03 AM, 11.11.15.

"Oof," Jay exhales, skidding to a graceless halt. "That was painful." He grimaces as he stretches a little in the suit, adding, "Sorry, Cisco, might've popped a seam."

"Forgiven," Cisco says at once, clasping him on the shoulder.

"I can't believe it worked," Iris muses, sitting on a chair next to Barry. Vitals improving but still resolutely unconscious, Barry doesn't even know what he's created. Caitlin half-hopes she won't have to tell him, even though she knows it's inevitable. "What did you give him, anyway?" Iris asks, turning to her.

"I call it Velocity-5. It's just a prototype," Caitlin admits, "but it did the job?"

Jay lets out a slight huff, amused and tired. "Yeah, but it might've also given me the second worst hangover of my life."

"I'll get you some aspirin," Caitlin says. She's happy to see that the next news segment is all eyes for Jay, starting with an speculative query: WHO IS THE FLASH?

11:45 AM, 11.11.15.

"Hey. I think he's waking up."