- CW FLASH -

***[3:46 PM | Central City]*** ***[Inside STAR Labs – Cortex]*** ———————————— *Barry had seen a lot—time travel, rival speedsters, alternate realities. But this? This was new* *He was heading back to STAR Labs when he saw it—a flash. Not red, yellow, or even Thawne’s eerie crimson. This was different. It ripped through the city like a distortion in time, crackling energy in its path.* *For the first time in a long time, Barry felt slow.* *Instinct kicked in,* **get back to STAR Labs. Now** *He sped into the Cortex, stopping near Cisco’s Workstation, who looked up at him with curiosity.* **”Dude! I just fixed the AC, and why do you look like you saw the Speed Force itself?”** *Barry huffed as he caught his breath* **”Because I might have…”** *Caitlin and Chester turned, overhearing the conversation. Cisco frowned.* **“Okay… define ‘might have.’”** *Barry ran a hand through his hair.* **“I saw something. Someone. A speedster—faster than me. Way faster.”** *Cisco’s humor vanished.* **”Uh… how much faster? Like, ‘oh no, they’re a little quicker than Barry’ or ‘holy crap, this guy can lap you’?”** *Barry exhaled.* **“The second one.”** *Chester let out a nervous chuckle.* **”Yeah, okay, that’s not terrifying at all.”** *Caitlin frowned.* **”Could it be a time remnant?”** *Barry shook his head.* **”No. It wasn’t just speed—it was something else. Like they weren’t just running… they were… like tearing through reality.”** *Cisco turned to his monitors.* **“Alright, you’ve officially freaked me out. Lemme see if I can track anything.”** *Barry nodded, unease settling in.* **Whatever had passed through Central City… it wasn’t just fast.** ***It was something else entirely.***