Across Central City—and even beyond—eyes were glued to screens.
News outlets streamed the S.T.A.R. Labs conference live. Social media buzzed in real-time, hashtags like #VIRELCore, #STARLabsReturns, and #AugustHeart trended globally. Anchors debated the implications of what was being revealed. Energy experts on panels argued with economists, environmentalists with industrialists. Scientists from MIT and Stanford were calling it "a scientific renaissance."
Outside the building, a crowd of hopeful citizens, students, journalists, and protestors pressed against the barricades, craning to glimpse inside. Children perched on shoulders, wide-eyed. Old-timers who remembered the explosion that once tore S.T.A.R. Labs apart now whispered that something new was rising from the ashes.
Inside, the conference center pulsed with excitement.
August stood just offstage, watching through the monitor as the news feeds exploded with reactions to Caitlin and Cisco's presentations. It was all leading here. The moment they'd worked toward for months.
Now, it was time.
The lights dimmed. The holographic stage went black.
And then a single spotlight appeared.
Dr. Harrison Wells rolled forward slowly, alone. The applause was quieter than before—hesitant. Thoughtful.
Wells adjusted the mic, his voice low and resonant.
"Before we move forward, I need to look back."
The silence that followed was taut, expectant.
"A year ago, this facility changed the world. And not in the way we had hoped. The Particle Accelerator explosion affected lives in ways no one could have anticipated. It gave rise to metahumans, and brought loss, fear, and irreversible damage to families, neighborhoods, and this city's trust."
He looked down, visibly pained.
"I was at the heart of that. And for months, I've carried that weight. Not publicly. But quietly. Through the work we've done since. Through those who stood by me despite it all. Through my team here at S.T.A.R. Labs."
He lifted his gaze again.
"Today, I offer no excuses. Only accountability. To every family affected. To every child whose life was changed. I am sorry. Truly. Deeply. And though I may never be able to right the past, I hope what we've built here today will light the path toward a better future."
He paused.
"I am not the face of S.T.A.R. Labs anymore. That mantle now belongs to those who built something better from our ruins. Something brighter."
And with that, he turned, gesturing toward the wings.
August Heart stepped into the light.
The applause that followed was genuine—and now, louder. Cameras flashed. Whispers rose. But August held his composure as he took his place beside Wells, who nodded once before rolling aside.
"Good morning," August began. "If you're still here, if you've made it this far through today's event, then I promise you this is the moment you've been waiting for."
The lights adjusted, revealing a massive holographic panel suspended midair. The S.T.A.R. Labs logo shimmered for a moment… then transitioned into a gleaming silver-and-blue emblem: VIREL.
"Recently, I read an interview online where an oil tycoon claimed that oil and fossil fuels would always remain the driving force of civilization. And for a time, he was right."
A hologram of Earth flickered into view, lit by the glowing web of oil pipelines, coal distribution, and carbon emissions.
"But, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Fossil fuels are not infinite. Their effects are no longer deniable. And as we've expanded our technology, we've also expanded our need for power. That's where the VIREL Core comes in."
The hologram shifted.
At the center of the stage now appeared a digital rendering of the VIREL Core itself. Twin gyroscopic rings rotated slowly around a crystalline heart. Light flowed within like a captured aurora.
"Built upon the foundations of our earlier prototype—what we called Heart's Blood—the VIREL Core isn't just a power generator. It's a power revolution. This device, when running at full capacity, can power three Central Cities and still have energy to spare."
Murmurs. Gasps.
"But that's not all. As our research evolved, we discovered something else. The muon-based energy reactions within the VIREL Core enabled us to create something new. Something we're calling…" He tapped the interface. "…Aether."
A silver chunk of metal spun slowly in the air above the podium, accompanied by data overlays.
"Yes, I know—it's not the most imaginative name. But we'll workshop that," August joked, earning a light wave of chuckles.
"At first glance, it seems ordinary. A silver metallic element with few distinguishing features. But its properties rival—perhaps even exceed—those of yttrium, a rare earth element we've depended on for decades in superconductors and electronics."
The slide now showed yttrium alongside geopolitical maps, mining zones marked across parts of Africa and China.
"Yttrium is one of the unsung heroes of modern technology. But the mining process is dangerous. The politics around its supply are complicated. And frankly, it's not sustainable. Aether, however, can be synthesized right here in Central City. No mining. No geopolitical entanglements. Just science."
He gestured again.
"By introducing VIREL muon energy into silicon-carbide base elements, and superheating them past 1000 kelvin, we synthesized a stable, superconductive material with all of yttrium's strengths and none of its weaknesses."
The crowd was stunned.
"And that's just one by-product of VIREL. We're already prototyping energy cells, portable generators, and long-lasting batteries using this technology. Our applications range from personal tech to aerospace development."
Behind him, Cisco joined the stage again.
"I'd like to add a few bonus items to the menu," Cisco said, smiling. "First—our Redshift Blanket. It's a modular radiation containment layer designed around the VIREL Core's interaction field. Normally, you'd expect residual energy and ionized waste, but the Redshift Blanket neutralizes it. It decays harmful radiation into inert energy and bleeds it back into the system's magnetic return loop. Total containment. Zero leak. And the good news is, its not exclusive to the VIREL core, anywhere there's harmful radiation; nuclear or otherwise, our Redshift Blanket can take care of it. So in at least half a decade, our planet should be radiation free."
This time there was a standing ovation. Everyone got on their feet, applauding for this historic moment.
Cisco swiped the projection in the air.
"Next up, our Starline Emergency Grid. It's an adaptive smart-response framework for disaster zones. It links med-tech scanners, defense fields, predictive analysis, and Ghostlight diagnostics to coordinate responders. A city-wide AI safety net."
He swiped again, and a virtual overlay of a disaster site appeared—fires raging, civilians injured. As responders moved, their positions were tracked, their vitals monitored, and potential risks mapped live.
"The Starline Emergency Grid doesn't just help you react—it helps you predict. And it's deployable in hospitals, combat zones, rescue operations, and more."
He shifted slides again.
"And for our architects, designers, educators—we've developed Ghostlight Applications. Our hard-light holographic system isn't just for presentations. We've created modules that allow architects to construct buildings in full scale before a single beam is lifted. Engineers can simulate traffic, airflow, stress tests in real time. Teachers can render planetary orbits in their classrooms. Historians can walk through holographic ruins. Artists can paint on light."
The screen split into use-case videos, from skyscrapers forming in midair to surgeons practicing techniques in zero-risk environments.
"We've also launched the Ghostlight App Store. A fully integrated platform with open documentation and manuals for developing new applications within the Ghostlight ecosystem. Think holographic engineering toolkits, smart notepads, design simulators—all programmable, all collaborative."
"This is the future of S.T.A.R. Labs," Cisco said. "And it's the future of everything."
August stepped forward again.
"Some of you might be asking… with our track record, how can you trust us? How do you know it's safe?"
He held up his watch.
"We've already been using it. S.T.A.R. Labs has been off Central City's electrical grid for three months, two weeks, three days, one hour and seventeen seconds."
The room gasped.
"The VIREL Core has been running at just 3% of its operational capacity, and it's powered every lab, server, workshop, and security system in this building without a single failure."
He let that settle.
"And with the blessing of the mayor and city council, we're ready to take the next step. Pending final approvals, S.T.A.R. Labs will begin transitioning Central City to a clean, renewable, VIREL-powered energy system—no emissions, no waste. Just stability and progress."
The entire auditorium erupted in applause.
"Today is about walking out from the shadows of the past," August said quietly, lowering the volume on the sound systems. "It's about possibility. It's about taking the pieces of something broken… and building something stronger. Smarter. Kinder."
He looked across the crowd.
"And this… is only the beginning."
The lights faded to a soft gold.
The VIREL Core, spinning slowly behind them, cast a steady, silent glow.