Y/N was lying down on a gurney in the lab. The group was all around him, taking in his injury and the event that just transpired. Cisco was having a furious display at seeing the gun he made and thought he lost.

Cisco: My cold gun! That SOB stole my baby!

Caitlin was taking Y/N's temperature and examining the frostbite wound on his side. His skin had turned a dark purple from where the gun hit him.

Y/N: It's still numb.

Caitlin: It's presenting itself like third degree frostbite. If your cells weren't regenerating at the rate they are, your blood vessels would have frozen solid and the nerve damage would have been permanent. You're lucky to be alive.

Y/N: It slowed me down. How is that possible?

Cisco: Speed and cold are opposites. Temperature is measured by how quickly the atoms of something are oscillating. The faster they are, the hotter it is, and when things are cold, they're slower on the atomic level. When there's no movement...

Y/N: ...absolute zero. The frost generated by the gun was enough to slow down the atoms in my body, causing me to slow down.

Y/N hung his head low. He still couldn't get the image out of his head. The picture of that innocent man who was just doing his job, frozen dead in a sheet of ice. 

Caitlin placed her hand on Y/N's knee, trying to comfort him. Harrison hung his own head for a moment before turning to Joe.

Wells: Any word on the man responsible?

Joe nodded. Barry walked over to the monitor and pulled up a file on the man with the cold gun.

Joe: His name is Leonard Snart. He shows up every six months or so. He cases a job for weeks before he makes his move. Then, he does the job and gets away.

Wells: What about the cold gun? Did he steal that?

Barry: Snart's been reported to be out of town for the past eleven months. He only just recently showed back up about a week ago. There's no way he could have gotten the cold gun in his timeframe without us knowing.

Y/N: Snart said he was working for someone. Someone who wanted the Flash. Someone with a chip on their shoulder against me.

Cisco: Great. That just about narrows it down to every meta-human in Iron Heights.

Caitlin: What about the gun? Snart may not have stolen it, but he may have acquired it from someone who did.

Wells: When was the last time the gun was used?

Cisco thought for a moment to the last time he had used the gun. His eyes went big as he came to a sudden realization.

Cisco: Holy shit.

The others looked at him, seeing the expression on his face.

Y/N: What?

Cisco: The last time we had the gun... was when we came to save you from General Eiling. 

Y/N: What?! And you didn't bother to make sure you had it afterwards?!

Cisco: We were a little preoccupied thinking you died!

Caitlin: Do you mean to tell me that you haven't once thought to look for that thing in the past six months?

Cisco: Well, I tried to track it, but the tracker's been disabled. I assumed it was still somewhere here in the lab. I was going to search for it, but we've been busy with, oh, I don't know, another meta-human attack every week!

Wells: Jesus, Ramon.

Cisco: Hey, you guys didn't think of it, either! I'm not the only one who was busy!

Y/N: Damnit, Cisco!

Barry: Wait, so if the last time you saw it was with Eiling, does that mean Snart is now working with him?

Joe: Eiling didn't show up for his trial. The CIA has been trying to find him for months. My guess is he's been hiding out somewhere.

Y/N was running his hands through his hair, panicking. If Eiling was back, this was bad news. He then remembered the last thing Snart told him.

Y/N: Snart said his boss is now reporting to someone else. Someone named "Grodd."

All three S.T.A.R. Labs employees stopped and turned to Y/N. They had wide eyes and shocked expressions.

Caitlin: What?

Y/N: I'll take it you all recognize that name.

Cisco and Wells turned to one another. Wells placed his hands behind his head and paced back and forth.

Barry: Who's Grodd? Is he someone we should be worried about?

Wells: Not someONE, someTHING. 

The West family all turned to him, confused by his statement. Wells pulled up a remote and switched the monitor to another image. It showed security footage dated back to a few months before the particle accelerator exploded. 

The group looked at the odd recording. It showed the inside of a metal cage. In front of the cage, Caitlin approached with a smile. She called out to whoever was in the cage.

Caitlin: Come on, buddy. I won't hurt you. 

The creature in the cage slowly walked forward. Y/N's eyes went wide when he saw what is was.

Y/N: A gorilla? Grodd is a gorilla?

Wells: Before I found out exactly what Eiling was up to, we were working on possible enhancement procedures for humans. In our animal trials, Grodd was used to test drugs for improving cognitive function and memory. He was smart. Very smart. But after a bit, when I pulled the project, the drugs in his system seemed to wear off.

Joe: What happened to him? I mean, I don't want to be the major critic here, but how do you lose a 500 lbs Gorilla?

Caitlin: The night the particle accelerator blew, I went to go check on him. His cage was broken open with twisted metal and a broken lock. We haven't been able to find him since. Some of us thought he was possibly killed when the accelerator blew.

Barry thought for a moment.

Barry: When the accelerator went off, you think the particles could have jumpstarted the chemicals in Grodd's system, allowed his intelligence to reach its full potential.

Wells: It's possible. And if time is any indication, he's learning. He's gotten smarter.

Y/N sighed once more.

Y/N: Great. So now I've got King Kong roaming the city. 

Y/N went back to hanging his head low. The others could see by the look in his eyes that much more was going on in his head. He looked distressed.

Cisco: Dude, you alright?

Joe: Y/N. Y/N, are you okay?

Y/N jumped up, throwing his hands into the air and shouting.

Y/N: No, Joe! I'm not okay! I just saw a man die tonight! All because I was too slow! Snart had the cold gun because some of us were too distracted to go and check on it. And now Eiling is back and now I've got Grodd to worry about! This is why I don't take a break, Joe! This is why I can't rest! Any time that I do, I take a chance of something like this happening!

Y/N was clearly stressed out and upset. Cisco put his eyes down, feeling guilty for the cold gun and the guard's death. The others were all silent for a moment, seeing Y/N in a fit of rage. 

Bits of lightning trickled along Y/N's body in his angered state. Caitlin rested her hand on his shoulder. Y/N calmed down for a moment before brushing her off. He made his way out of the room.

Joe: Where are you going?

Y/N: To run on the treadmill. I need to get faster.

With that, Y/N left the room in an upset, raging state. The others all looked between each other, unsure of what to do. They looked back over at the screen and the image of the Gorilla they now had to worry about.

Snart was busy at the work table repairing the cold gun. Thankfully, he'd managed to memorize nearly every component and was able to make due with the tools found around the workshop. Eiling was chastising him for his failure earlier in the day.

Eiling: You had him right there, Snart! Your mission was to bring him in. Not only did you fail at that, but you also shot him! You could have killed the quick bastard!

Snart: Isn't that what you want to begin with?

Eiling: Not like this! Killing him now would make him a martyr. He needs to see failure. I want the last thing he sees be his own failure. The city needs to know that he failed them. They need to see what these meta-humans are really like.

Grodd was close by. He thought for a moment.

Grodd: We need to strike closer. Drawing Flash out isn't working.

Snart looked over at the one he deemed to be the smarter and more level headed of the two.

Snart: My sentiment exactly. What are you suggesting?

Grodd: Grodd trying to help nice lady. Nice lady refusing. Needs Grodd to aid her not just in the mind. If we bring nice lady here, Flash will follow.

Snart: Two birds with one stone. I like it.

Grodd nodded, turning around and walking off. When he was out of earshot, Eiling bent down and spoke in a hushed voice to Snart.

Eiling: That ape thinks he's clever just because he's got some steroids going around in his prefrontal cortex. I've seen his kind. He's no better than the rest of them.

Snart: I'd watch where I step if I were you. Unless you want your brain turned into a nice can of tuna. Besides, he seems to have more under control than you realize.

Eiling: Only because I'm letting him think that. Who do you think really came up with our little project here? Who do you think told Grodd the city needed to be eradicated?

Snart: So, destruction is the name of the game?

Eiling: This city is infested with meta-humans. To destroy them and keep our country safe, we need to wipe Central City off the face of the Earth. At the very least, we let them know who's in charge. It's for the betterment of our country and it's people.

Snart looked at Eiling, squinting his eyes and folding his hands.

Snart: You know, you may think you have it all figured out, even lying to yourself that you do, but you don't really strike me as the type of guy who's driven by a "patriotic duty". 

Eiling: What do you suppose drives me, then?

Snart: Revenge. Simple as that.

Eiling looked at him, sneering.

Eiling: I guess we'll see who's right.

Snart: I guess we will.

Cisco and Caitlin were in one of the side labs by themselves. They were going over more of Caitlin's vitals, trying to determine the exact nature of her powers.

Cisco: You said it's like you're not yourself. How so?

Caitlin paused, biting her lip and thinking for a moment.

Caitlin: It's like... Like there's a part of me that wants to get out. When I was in the shower, I got light headed and felt dizzy.

Cisco: Yeah, that's what happens when you have the shower on for too long.

Caitlin: No, I mean, not in a relaxed way. Like the black out kinda way.

Cisco grinned a bit, teasing her.

Cisco: I guess you know what that feeling's like recently, huh? You and Y/N's night on the town?

Caitlin blushed a little at the memory of last night.

Caitlin: Hey, you're the one who said we needed to get lives. And besides, it was just a sophisticated night out between colleagues.

Cisco: One that involved drinking and cuddles?

She looked at him with a raised brow and wide eyes.

Cisco: Y/N told me what happened when you showed up late this morning. He described it as a "night of sophistication and the lack thereof."

Caitlin: Well, he's right, I guess. It was nice to get out a bit.

Cisco: And sing.

Caitlin: Yes, that too.

Cisco: What about Y/N? How was his singing?

Caitlin blushed a little, the memories of what happened last night flooding back.

Caitlin: He was... good. Really good.

Cisco looked over at her. She seemed to have a dreamy face on her, staring off into the distance. The dark haired man chuckled and shook his head.

Cisco: Oh, man. You two were made for each other.

Caitlin: What's that supposed to mean?

Cisco: I haven't seen you stare off like that since Ronnie. 

Caitlin stared at him with eyes that could shoot daggers.

Caitlin: Do not mention his name.

Cisco held up his hands in defense. 

Cisco: Okay, will do. The thing is, I've also caught Y/N staring off that way as well, particularly when he sees you.

Caitlin blushed a bit more, trying to hide her expression.

Caitlin: Well, I'm sure he just finds comfort among a fellow scientist.

Cisco: Yeah, sure. I wonder if he's interested in the female anatomy.

He burst out laughing at that one. Caitlin smacked him on the arm and Cisco calmed down. After a bit, he settled down. His expression changed.

Cisco: Should we tell him about this? I mean, we now know it isn't a meta-human but rather Captain Cold that we're dealing with.

Caitlin looked over at him, raising a brow at his new title for Snart. After taking it in, she gave her response.

Caitlin: No. You saw Y/N in there. He already has enough to worry about. The last thing he needs is to learn that one of his friends has powers she can't control.

Cisco nodded, respecting her wishes. He continued to work at the monitor, taking in the readings. Caitlin thought for a bit before turning to him again.

Caitlin: Cisco, can you vibe me?

He looked at her, confused.

Cisco: What?

Caitlin: I want you to vibe me. See what happens in the future. I need to know who I become. Maybe, that way, I can prevent it.

Cisco: Cait, I don't...

The brunette placed her hand over his wrist, giving him a pleading expression.

Caitlin: Please.

Cisco looked at her. He then nodded his head. The young man pulled up a stool and sat down across from here.

Cisco: Okay, just breathe.

Caitlin held out her hands, taking deep breaths. Cisco took her hands in his and concentrated. He closed his eyes, focusing. The lights began to flash and he felt the world spin around him.

Cisco found himself standing once again in a black void with dim lighting. He looked around and was confused. In front of him, he saw Caitlin. No, not Caitlin. Maybe Caitlin? It was difficult to make out. 

There were two figures standing across from each other. One was more clearly Caitlin, looking distressed. The other looked like Caitlin, but was slightly blurry. She had white hair and wore a dark blue dress. The two seemed to be in conflict, one appearing to be trying to hold back the other while cowering in the corner. The angrier of the two looked like she wanted to escape.

Cisco was confused by the image before him. The lights flashed again and he found himself sitting back in the lab with Caitlin. She looked at him with questioning eyes.

Caitlin: Well, what did you see?

Cisco: I... I don't know. It was all... odd. It was so confusing. It was like some kind of turmoil between two sides.

Caitlin nodded, putting her head down. Cisco looked back at her.

Cisco: How did you do it the first time? Your powers, I mean. How did you summon them the first time?

Caitlin thought back to her time in the shower.

Caitlin: I just had a lot going through my head. I was reminiscing on old memories, all of them bad. Painful. It wouldn't stop.

Cisco thought for a moment.

Cisco: Have you tried a good memory?

Caitlin: What?

Cisco: Your powers manifested because of bad memories. Maybe the way to keep them at bay is with good ones. Think of a good memory. You've got to have something in there. It's Christmas. Think of Christmas.

Caitlin thought for a moment, concentrating. There was one specific memory she had. She smiled, remembering it fondly.

Caitlin: The last Christmas before my dad died, it snowed and snowed. He and I just sat inside, watching old movies while the whole world turned white. It was magical.

Cisco saw the joy the memory was bringing her. His shoulders relaxed and he leaned back.

Cisco: There. If you feel like you're losing control again, focus on that Christmas.

Caitlin smiled at him.

Caitlin: Thank you, Cisco.

The two smiled at one another, grateful for their friendship.

After work, Caitlin walked back to her car wearing a vanilla jacket. She pulled her keys out of her purse, still smiling at the memory of her father. Her expression drastically changed when a white flame shot out from behind her, freezing the door to her car.

Caitlin slowly turned around and stopped. Leonard Snart grinned at her, wearing a blue coat with a fur collar over a black shirt. He held the cold gun over his shoulder.

Snart: Car trouble?

Caitlin screamed, dropping her purse. She fiddled with her car's handle, the door refusing to open. Snart made his way over to the panicking woman, grabbing her. He pulled out a handkerchief with chloroform on it and put it over her mouth, silencing her.