It had been about two days since Y/N took on Girder. The news was quiet, which the group didn't mind. The less attention they drew to themselves, the better. 

Y/N and Cisco were currently playing a game of UNO. Y/N had already won a few rounds and Cisco was getting irritated at his winning streak. It looked like Y/N was close to winning this round as well. He placed down a yellow 3 and looked at the man across from him with a grin.

Y/N: Your turn, brainiac.

Cisco: You are one tough player, Flash.

Y/N: "Flash"?

Cisco: Yeah. I mean, people keep referring to you as the "flash of light". Thought the name suited you. I mean, all your other superpowered foes have been given names, so I thought you deserved one as well. 

Y/N was about to protest the name when he thought about it for a moment.

Y/N: It does sound pretty cool.

Cisco: Who's the one who's best at cool names? This guy.

He pointed to himself in a dramatic gesture. Y/N chuckled and shook his head. 

Y/N: Alright, but it's still your turn, man.

Cisco groaned and placed down a yellow card. Y/N then placed down a skip card and placed down yet another yellow. 

Cisco: Dude, what the heck?! At least go easy on me.

Y/N: I am. You should see what happens when Barry and I play. We once got into a stalemate that lasted a full hour.

Cisco smirked at that and sighed as he played his next card. After placing down the card, he rested his hand on top of Y/N's helmet that was on the table with them. Suddenly, as soon as his hand touched the metal cap, everything changed.

Cisco felt the world flashing and spinning around him. He then found himself standing in a dimly lit room. It was the same room they were playing in, only the lighting was a dull shade of blue. Looking in front of him, he saw an odd image.

Sitting at a table in the room was Y/N and Cisco himself. They were still playing their game of UNO. Cisco kept putting down cards while Y/N counteracted almost all of them. The real Cisco looked at his mirror image in disbelief. He waved his hand in front of the two, but got no response. It was as if he were invisible.

The confused man then walked over to Y/N. He stood behind him and looked at his cards, noticing each play. He examined them as the image of Y/N placed down the last card and won the game. The image of Ramon threw his hands up in the air in defeat once more.

Suddenly, just as quickly as it began, everything stopped. The image faded and Cisco found himself sitting back down in his chair. His hand was still placed on the metal helmet.

Y/N: Cisco, you okay?

Cisco realized he was breathing heavily. He shook his head, trying to understand what he just saw.

Cisco: Uh... yeah. Yeah. I'm fine. I'm fine.

Y/N looked at him questioningly before shrugging and continuing the game. He placed down his next card. Cisco looked at it, realizing it was like the image he just saw. Y/N was even moving in a similar manner. 

Cisco got an idea. If things played out like he saw, then Y/N would have the same cards as in the vision. Using this, Cisco strategically placed down his next card. Y/N looked at it before looking back at his own deck, realizing he didn't have any card that matched. He pulled another card from the spare deck.

Cisco grinned, realizing what he could do. The game continued with Ramon placing down cards he knew Y/N couldn't play. Eventually, the game ended in Cisco's victory. Y/N smirked while Cisco just looked shocked.

Y/N: Dude, that was good. You made a real come back. How'd you do it?

Cisco: I... I don't know.

Ramon was lost in thought. The vision, it was so real. Could... could he be a meta-human? Did he have powers? Did he just see the future? He tried to think back to what could have caused this.

9 Months Ago... 

Ronnie: Caitlin, whatever happens-

The feed cut out. The accelerator blew. The entire cortex was filled with a surge of red and yellow energy. The entire facility shook as the roof was blown open, releasing the storm of particles into the atmosphere.

Caitlin: Ronnie!

Cisco watched in horror as the accelerator blew. He felt the concrete building shake from the explosion. Suddenly, he noticed something above him. One of the vents sitting above the door into the accelerator began to glow. Cisco remembered he had tried to vent some of the blast through the vents. It wouldn't hold.

Thinking quickly, Cisco grabbed the screaming Caitlin. He tried to drag her away from the door, but it was too late. The vent cover above them blew open, releasing a blast of particles upon them. The two coworkers were thrown back into the air. Caitlin hit the tile floor and slid across it. Cisco hit the side of the wall before toppling down to the floor himself. They both passed out from the impact.

Present Day

Cisco was lost in thought, continuing to go back to that fateful night. He was thinking about if he really did have powers or if it was some strange dream he had just experienced. While walking aimlessly, he made his way into his lab.

Inside the lab, Y/N was looking over the sprawled out jumpsuit he'd been using. He thought for a moment before grabbing a can of yellow spray paint. Shaking it, he pointed the can and began to spray on a design on the front of the jacket. Cisco saw what he was doing and walked over with his arms stretched out.

Cisco: Hey! What are you doing to my suit, man?

Y/N: Sorry. Just thought I'd add a bit of a custom flair to it.

Cisco looked at what Y/N had just painted. On the front of the suit was now a large, yellow lightning bolt. He pointed to the design in a bit of confusion.

Cisco: A lightning bolt?

Y/N: Yeah. I thought it'd serve as a reminder of how this all started. 

Cisco: That's... actually not a bad design. I've got to give that to you. I'll let you have this one, but no changing my suits without me knowing.

Y/N shrugged while Cisco looked at the suit, thinking. He then walked away to work at his computer. 

Later, the four friends were all sitting in the main area of the warehouse. They each were going over their own activities when another breaking news story showed up on the TV. The four looked at it to see if it could possibly be another meta-human attack. 

Reporter: This just in. I am standing in front of the Rusch Apartment Complex where a large fire has broken out. Witnesses say it was started not by any technical issues, but by a man who was reportedly shooting "flames from his hands". Police are already on the scene, but there are still people trapped inside the blazing inferno. 

The crew saw what was happening, listening intently when a man on fire had been mentioned.

Wells: Y/N, you may want to-

Before he could even finish, Y/N rushed out of the lab with his suit. A gust of wind blew back several papers and pushed Cisco back in his chair.

Wells: ...use caution.

Y/N ran across town and reached the blazing inferno. He stopped in front of the building. People outside noticed him. Some started to cheer him on, remembering the flash of light who had rescued people from the fire and stopped the metal man.

Y/N rushed up into the building. He stopped when he entered a meeting room. Fire was everywhere with people cowering in the corner, trying to escape the rising flames. This wouldn't be like last time. He couldn't just run in and grab people.

Y/N: Guys, the sprinklers aren't working. The fire is rising!

The three scientists all looked at each other, thinking.

Wells: Alright, listen Y/N. You're going to need to create a vacuum. 

Y/N: How do I do that?

Wells: Try rotating your arms at super speed. That will create a wind funnel that will suck the air right out of the room.

Y/N: And thus decrease the air supply needed for the fire to spread.

Y/N focused, looking at all the scared people around him. He then brought up his arms and began to spin them at super high speeds. It didn't work. Instead, the fire seemed to grow.

Y/N: It's not working!

Wells: Y/N, listen to me. You need to move your arms faster.

Y/N: I don't know if I...

Caitlin: Y/N, we believe in you. We believe that you can. 

Y/N took a deep breath. He had to do this or everyone inside would suffer. Bringing up his arms again, Y/N began to spin them in the opposite direction. He spun his arms as fast as he could. It was painful, moving just those body parts at such high speeds. The young man could feel his shoulder blades burn from the momentum as his arms moved in cylindrical blurs.

After a bit, the fire was extinguished. Y/N panted, catching his breath before getting to work. He grabbed everyone inside and rushed them out one by one. Y/N then got the last person out, placing them down by a firetruck.

Y/N: Are you alright?

The citizen coughed, but held up their hand to signal they were okay. Y/N stood up tall, proud of himself. Just then, the citizens outside began to clap. Even the police and firefighters joined in, cheering on the fast man. Y/N grinned, happy that he got everyone out and that people now accepted him as a hero.

Suddenly, a woman screamed. A car then burst into flames. Scared citizens ran away while Y/N stood there in shock. Looking at the the burning car, he soon saw a man step out from behind it.

Y/N took in the ragged man. He had long hair and wore a dirty jacket. His eyes were milk white and glowing. His hands and head were engulfed in flames. 

Inside the warehouse, the three colleagues watched the scene unfold through the camera in Y/N's goggles. They all froze in shock. It wasn't the flames that shocked them, but rather the man's face. They recognized him. The three stood their with gaping jaws.

Wells: Is that...?

Cisco: It can't be. That's not possible.

Y/N could hear them over his headset.

Y/N: Guys, who is it?

They were silent for a moment. Cisco then answered. 

Cisco: It's Ronnie. 

Caitlin looked at the screen in shock. She was completely speechless. Her eyes were glued to the monitor as she looked at the new state of her fiancé. 

Y/N steadily approached the man. He noticed something about his face. He didn't look angry. Actually, he looked scared.

Y/N: Ronnie? Ronnie Raymond? Is that you?

Ronnie looked at Y/N, his face showing concern as he breathed heavily.

Y/N: I know about you. I can help you. You just need to come with me.

Ronnie looked at Y/N before giving his response.

Ronnie: I didn't mean to do this. I can't... I can't control it. I...

Y/N: Come with me. I can help you. Your friends can help you. Ronnie, you need to trust me.

Ronnie continued to stare at Y/N. As they were talking, military trucks and officials began to roll onto the scene. Both meta-humans looked around at the soldiers surrounding them. Ronnie then looked back at Y/N.

Ronnie: I am no longer Ronnie Raymond. We are Firestorm.

Ronnie then put down his hands. Jets of fire poured out of them. Y/N stepped back and shielded his face, glad the goggles protected his eyes from the glare. Ronnie then began to take flight. He flew off into the air and away from the scene. Y/N watched him go, panting in disbelief. The fast man then ran off quickly before the military could catch him.

Back at the warehouse hideout, Y/N and the team were all going over what they just watched. Caitlin had been quiet ever since Y/N's return. Cisco and Wells were scratching their heads and Y/N was pacing back and forth.

Cisco: How is this possible?

Wells: Raymond was obviously affected by the particle accelerator as well. It must have made him into that and he's been in hiding ever since. Similar to Mr. L/N, Eiling is most likely very interested in using him as an asset.

Y/N: He said his name wasn't "Ronnie" anymore. He said he was "Firestorm." Or rather they were.

Wells: "They"?

Y/N: Yeah. He described himself as "we", as if he were more than one person.

Cisco: We may need to check on what this "Firestorm" means. I'm normally the one who gets to make the names. So if he's calling himself this, then I want to know the significance behind it.

Wells: Right. What's your input on this, Dr. Snow? 

They all looked over at Caitlin. She was staring off into space, lost in thought. Her eyes were wide and she appeared to be mumbling to herself.

Cisco: Caitlin?

Caitlin: He can't... It's just... He can't have... He...

Y/N noticed she was fiddling with the ring on her finger while mumbling. He walked over to her and gently placed his own hand over hers. That seemed to get Caitlin's attention. She brought her head up and was now staring at Y/N.

Y/N: Caitlin, it's okay. I know this is a lot for you to take in.

Caitlin: I just... I can't believe it. All this time I thought he was dead, but he's been on the run and I never even bothered to look for him.

Y/N: It's not your fault. You couldn't have known.

Cisco walked over, placing his hand on Caitlin's shoulder.

Cisco: If anything, it's my fault he's like this. I shut the doors on him. If I had just waited maybe 20 more seconds...

Caitlin: Cisco, no. No one is blaming you for this. 

Cisco: I am.

Wells: Don't. If anyone's to blame, it's me. I let my hubris get in the way of the necessary precautions, thinking I could control something beyond my reach. Ronnie paid the price.

Even though he said Ronnie, Wells was looking over at Y/N. The two shared a look of understanding. It wasn't just Ronnie Wells blamed himself for. It was all the meta-humans, Y/N included. Y/N turned back to Caitlin, offering her a light smile and gently squeezing her hand.

Y/N: None  of that matters right now. What matters is that Ronnie is alive. He's in pain and he needs help. And something tells me he desperately wants to get back to you. 

Caitlin looked at Y/N, sniffing and wiping away a tear. She took a deep breath and composed herself.

Y/N: You don't need to be 100% right now. Take all the time you need to process this. I simply need you to look up a few things so we can bring him home.

Caitlin: You're right. Thank you.

Y/N gave her a nod as the brunette woman sat down in her chair and typed into her computer. 

Caitlin: I can't find anything on Firestorm. It's just a bunch of generic searches, nothing of relevance.

Cisco: Maybe try expanding our search?

Caitlin: It's already expanded wide enough when we don't even know what we're specifically looking for. 

Wells thought for a moment. There was something in the back of his mind that he was trying to remember. Part of it came to him.

Wells: Try typing it as an acronym.

Caitlin typed the search into the computer and came up with an interesting result. She stumbled upon a research article.

Caitlin: Fusion Ignition Research Experiment and Science of Transmutation Originating RNA and Molecular Structures. 

Cisco: F.I.R.E.S.T.O.R.M.

Y/N: That's a bit of a mouthful. I love science, but it really needs to get more creative.

Caitlin looked at the article before biting her lip and looking up at Y/N. 

Caitlin: It's 800 pages.

Y/N knew what she was implying. Sighing, he walked over to the computer and began to read. Using his speed, he scrolled through the pages quickly, his eyes darting and his finger constantly taping on the scroll wheel. When he was done, Y/N stood back up and exhaled, folding his hands behind his head.

Y/N: Yikes, that was a pain.

Cisco: Dude, you just read that whole thing in, like, ten seconds.

Y/N: Maybe to you guys, but to me it was all in "Flash-time." It felt like I was standing there for hours.

Cisco looked at Y/N with a raised brow and smug look at the mention of "Flash-time" as he called it.

Y/N: What? I can name things, too. 

Caitlin: What's it say?

Y/N: There's a lot of interesting stuff in there, but it mostly focuses on transmutation, which is the process of altering the structure of an element by unzipping the atoms-

Caitlin: -and rebuilding it to create an entirely new element.

Y/N and Caitlin looked at one another, shrugging and grinning in their shared knowledge. 

Cisco: Who's the author?

Caitlin: It says it's by a Professor Martin Stein. 

Y/N: Martin Stein?

Y/N recognized the name and showed excitement. Wells also recognized it, putting his hands over his face and