"You look chipper than usual," Joe says as he sees Barry walk in with a smile on his face.
"Really? I don't feel any different," Barry says, avoiding mentioning anything about being on a date with a pretty girl.
Joe gives him the side eye as he joins him in Captain Singh's office.
"So any update on the 'Vampire' situation?" Barry asks.
"Nothing, it's as if no one wants to talk about it. I reported the incident to Captain Singh and still haven't heard from him," Joe says. "What about you? Has team Flash figured out anything yet?" He asks, whispering.
"Nothing other than the DNA not being human, nor Meta," Barry says.
"I already know that... I have a very bad feeling about this. Something's not right..." Joe says, looking around.
"Why?" Barry asks.
"I don't know... something feels off about this," Joe says. His gut feeling has always been very accurate. "Don't worry, we will figure this out," Barry says and heads up to his lab to start working.
The day goes by with nothing major happening, he spends it on his desk, filing reports and analysing some evidence, but he didn't get a field call.
Done with work, he headed to S.T.A.R. Labs.
Now with one more person added to the mix, it feels like Team Flash has a new member, but of course, her stay might just be temporary. The team is helping Betty understand her powers better so she can control them.
Caitlin also found a friend in her, as her situation is no different; she feels frustrated that she can't control her cryogenic powers, which can lead to her hurting the people she cares for most.
They shared their struggles and became fast friends, which also helped them stabilize mentally.
At the end of the day, every Meta can control their powers if they try hard enough and practice a lot; until then, Cisco is up for the task.
He is making something to help both Caitlin and Betty, power-damping bracelets. Because right now, they would rather not have their powers at all than use them.
Barry enters the cortex and finds Cisco working on a bench, soldering something on a clunky-looking bracelet.
"Is that the power-damping bracelet?" Barry asks, scaring Cisco. He was so focused on his work that he never noticed Barry entering. His voice surprised Cisco. "Dude!" He says, frustrated. "Sorry..." Barry says as Cisco goes back to working on the bracelet.
"Doesn't it look a little crude?" Barry asks, to which Cisco gives him a side eye. "This is just a prototype," Cisco says. Barry nods.
"So how's the Quantum Splicer coming through?" Barry asks, as it's the only hope they have to save Dr. Martin.
"I don't know. I haven't seen Dr. Wells the entire day," Cisco says. Barry frowns but doesn't question him further. Wells is definitely up to something.
"Where's Caitlin and Betty?" Barry asks.
"Training," Cisco answers in one word. Seeing that Cisco is in no mood for chit chat, Barry leaves him alone and heads to the training room. Inside, he sees both Caitlin and Betty, trying to use their powers.
Betty's trying to control her powers by grabbing very small stones and tossing them away. She is trying to slow down the process of turning the stones into mini bombs. If she can slow them down, then maybe someday, she can gain complete control over her abilities and not turn anything or anyone into bombs with just a touch of her hand.
As for Caitlin, she is trying to create icicles, but every time she does, her eyes glow white and her hair starts turning white, and she immediately cancels it out, as if she is afraid of something.
Barry notices that Caitlin is having a much harder time. He wonders if he can help her in any way.
He walks in and greets the girls. "So how's the training progressing?" Barry asks. The girls turn to look at him as they hear his voice.
"Actually good... I managed to slow down the explosions by half a second," Betty says, excitedly.
Barry nods and smiles. As for Caitlin, she stays silent, disappointed by her failure to progress further. She hasn't seen any improvement in her ability to control her powers, even though it's been days now.
Barry notices this.
While Betty's power seems much more destructive in nature, she has managed to show great progress, but Barry knows that when it comes to real destructive power, Caitlin has her beat.
If Caitlin manages to get complete control over her cryogenic powers, she can do so much more, but seeing how she is struggling to improve even a little, Barry knows she needs something more.
"How about you guys take a break? Rest is as important as well," Barry suggests. The girls nod and get ready to leave the training room, but Barry stops Caitlin.
"Let's talk," he says, looking at her. Caitlin nods.
A few minutes later, Barry and Caitlin are underground, away from prying eyes. This is where they came to fool around, but with how Caitlin is behaving, it doesn't look like they are going to get busy.
"Still having a hard time?" Barry asks as he sits next to her.
"I don't understand it at all. I know it's there. I can feel it. I know I can control it, but every time I try, I feel like I am going to disappear," Caitlin says, her voice shaking.
Barry thinks he has an idea about what Caitlin is going through. Her powers have basically made her dormant personality come alive, and every time she tries to use her power, her other personality tries to take over.
Of course, Barry can't tell her what she is thinking. She has to figure it out herself. Maybe he can help her do that.
"Don't stress over it. I am sure you will get the hang of it, sooner or later," Barry says to her, smiling.
Caitlin smiles in return. "Enough about me. Now tell me how your date went," She asks. Barry notices there's curiosity in her eyes.