The Cortex was lit up with data streams, screens, and tension.
August paced slowly across the floor as the team huddled around the central screen. Crime scene photos flickered to the side while JANUS cycled through encrypted documents.
"There are discrepancies between all three blast sites," August said, highlighting charred blueprints. "No fragmentation pattern. No residue. And in every case, the cabinet or safe closest to ground zero was torn open like it was targeted."
Caitlin frowned. "That doesn't sound like a bomb. More like precision damage."
August nodded. "Exactly. JANUS confirmed it—these weren't attacks. They were distractions. Each one a cover-up for a data theft."
Cisco raised a brow. "Wait, so what was stolen?"
"A VA file. High-level clearance. Unfortunately, I couldn't dig deeper because… well—" He gestured to the screen, which now showed an authorization override with a military seal. "The case has been pulled from CCPD. Authority now rests with one General Wade Eiling."
That name made Dr. Wells pause.
The hiss of his wheelchair preceded his words as he entered the Cortex, eyes fixed on the screen.
"Wade Eiling," he repeated, voice heavy. "I know that name. Ten years ago, he approached STAR Labs with a proposal."
Caitlin's eyes widened. "I remember. The soldier genome project."
Wells nodded slowly.
"He pitched it as gene therapy to help wounded soldiers heal faster. But what he really wanted was a way to unlock psychic potential—specifically, mind reading—for interrogation purposes. I was interested in its medical applications. He was only interested in weaponization."
Cisco glanced between them. "How'd that partnership end?"
"Badly," Wells said curtly. "We cut ties. Let's just say... he doesn't like being told no."
Just then, JANUS chimed in.
"Update: Breach successful. Army database accessed. Cross-referencing stolen file… Match found."
The screen shifted. A file opened—most of it redacted.
At the top, in bold white letters:
Name: Bette Sans Souci
Rank: EOD Specialist
Status: Honorably Discharged
Notes: [REDACTED]
JANUS continued:
"Last known address listed as: Cameron Scott Apartments, Inglewood. Emergency contact also listed at that location."
August was already halfway to the door, suiting up.
"I'll check it out."
He vanished in a streak of white lightning.
Seconds later, the display behind them glitched. Red warning text replaced the feed from August's suit:
ALERT: SUIT OFFLINE. SIGNAL LOST. STATUS: DESTROYED.
Caitlin gasped. Cisco swore. Dr. Wells' face darkened.
"August..."
But before panic could set in, a familiar gust of wind swept through the Cortex. The air blurred, and suddenly August was standing there—drenched in sweat, barefoot, and wearing a too-big STAR Labs T-shirt and sweatpants.
"I'm fine!" he announced, holding up his hands. "She blew up the suit, not me. I got out just in time—ran the last few miles back in my birthday suit."
Cisco blinked. "You ran here naked?"
August nodded. "Should I have got on a bus instead? I don't want to talk about it."
The team burst into laughter, tension finally breaking.
"That's gonna be hard to not imagine," Caitlin smirked.
"Next time," Cisco said, "at least grab a towel. Or a leaf. Something."
As the laughter died down, Cisco brought up the recovered file. A photograph of Bette appeared—a red-haired woman in her late 20s, striking green eyes and a fierce look that held both pain and purpose.
Cisco's rant died mid-sentence.
"She—uh—blew up your suit? Like your suit-suit?"
August arched a brow. "You're drooling, bro."
Cisco looked away. "No, I'm not!"
August turned serious again. "She didn't mean to hurt me. Said she couldn't control it. Her hands… they trigger micro-explosions just by touching things. She's scared, and she's hiding. My guess? She doesn't even know why the Army is after her."
Dr. Wells nodded grimly. "She's a living weapon—and Eiling doesn't abandon his assets. If he's after her, he won't stop."
"Then we better find her first," August said, voice sharp. "Because if Eiling gets to her… it won't be for protection."
August stuck around to help Cisco and Caitlin analyze the information JANUS was pulling as he tracked down Bette. They scoured the minimal non-redacted content in her file, but it wasn't much to go on—until JANUS managed to backtrace a military radio frequency.
"Got it!" Cisco shouted, spinning his chair around. "The Army just pinged Eiling. Our girl, Ms. Sans Souci, was spotted in Anglewood."
Caitlin's eyes narrowed. "Same neighborhood as Dr. Harold Hadley. He was the military surgeon who performed multiple procedures on her. That's why she was looking for her file."
"She's trying to figure out what they did to her," August said grimly. "I'm going."
He dashed to the suit Cisco had thrown together in his spare time—a red prototype with only a partial mask, leaving most of his face exposed. August frowned at his reflection for half a second, then pulled it on. No time to worry about appearances. He sped off into the night, a crimson blur carving through Central City, until he stopped outside the Centre for Inflicted Wounds, where Dr. Hadley worked.
Inside, Bette stood in tense conversation with Hadley. August burst in with a gust of air that knocked over a tray of surgical tools. Both turned, startled, just as green laser sights painted the windows. Time slowed.
A bullet screamed toward Bette's arm. August surged forward and caught it mid-air, sparks flaring from his glove.
He turned, saw Hadley reaching for something in his drawer.
"Nope." August decked him in one clean motion, dropping the doctor to the floor.
"You okay?" he asked, kneeling beside Bette. Footsteps thundered outside.
"Look, I can get you out of here. I can help you figure out what they did to you."
Bette's eyes narrowed. "How?"
"Because it happened to me." August locked eyes with her. "Please."
Before she could respond, a flashbang shattered the window.
August grabbed it, threw it back out just before it detonated. The explosion disoriented Eiling's soldiers long enough for him to scoop Bette into his arms and vanish in a streak of lightning.
Back at STAR Labs, Bette stood silently as Wells began the explanation. On the screen behind them, a simulation displayed the events of the Particle Accelerator Explosion, spreading across the city like a ripple through reality.
"As the detonation dispersed throughout Central City," Wells narrated, "a number of individuals were exposed to a wave of unquantifiable energy. Dr. Heart—" he gestured toward August, who stood by the door "—was among the first we know of. And so were you."
Caitlin handed Bette a pair of custom-built wrist bands. When she took them, nothing exploded.
"I'd just returned from Afghanistan," Bette said quietly. "I defused bombs. One tore through me. They flew me back stateside. I spent months recovering. And then…I became the thing that nearly killed me. Eiling couldn't wait to start poking around."
"The dark matter must have fused with bomb particulate embedded in your body," Caitlin hypothesized.
"I thought Eiling did this to me," Bette said.
"He's not smart enough to create someone like you," Wells replied, "but clever enough to exploit you."
"And if we don't stop him," August said, now standing beside her, "he'll turn people like you into walking weapons. And if you've seen enough movies, you know how that ends—badly."
"Do you know of any others?" Bette asked.
"There've been a few," Caitlin said gently.
"But none that look like you," Cisco added, then immediately regretted it. "Wait—I didn't mean—"
"I know how to perform a lobotomy," Caitlin warned, deadpan.
"Disregarding that," August chuckled, "we want to help you. STAR Labs is the best chance you've got."
Wells nodded. "And with your help, perhaps we can ensure others like you don't become victims again."
A short while later, Bette lay on one of the med-bay gurneys, while the team ran scans on her.
"Her nitrogen levels are spiking," Caitlin noted.
"Her cellular structure is unlike anything I've ever seen," Wells added.
"You think that's the source of her powers?" August asked.
"It's a possibility," Wells replied. "But to help her, we must understand how her powers manifest… which means seeing them in action."
"Oh, you want her to blow stuff up?" Cisco said with a grin. "Now we're talking."
"Not in here," Wells replied sharply.
"I know," Cisco said.
"I know you know," Wells countered.