2014,
Central City.
Central City, home to STAR Labs, one of the most advanced scientific research centers in the world. STAR Labs attracted only the most intelligent and advanced people in the fields of engineering, physics and biology. The lab was a fortress for the scientific elite, led by the brilliant and enigmatic Dr. Harrison Wells. Dr. Wells was a well-known genius in the scientific field who had the dream to build a research laboratory unconnected to the government, business interests or the like but to become the heart of the nation and change the way the nation thinks about sciences. And today would be his crowning achievement.
The city was busy with excitement as the STAR Labs Particle Accelerator was going to be turned on tonight. It was a big deal in the science community as it would be a new source of renewable, clean energy and would help further the advancement of science and medicine. News cameras from all over the country were here for this historic event including a large crowd of people to watch the event along with protestors who felt the Particle Accelerator was a bomb waiting to go off.
In the crowd was an MIT genius who was here on a special trip to see the Particle person was August Heart. An MIT genius that enrolled at the age of 15 to study engineering and later received his Masters degree in Engineering and Physics. He was born and raised in Central City all his life with his brother, Jorge who was murdered many years ago. August was a smart kid at an early age with an affinity for building things. After his brother died, he was sent to a foster home and fortunately his foster father was a retired physicist so they helped nurture his mind at an early age and he was easily smarter than any kid his age although it did leave him a target of bullying and jealousy, he wouldn't have it any other way because he wasn't like the other children. He had to grow up fast, if her ever wanted to find that man someday. So because of his excellence in high school and with a placement test, August got into an advance Physics class that was reserved for the seniors and then a full scholarship to MIT.
August was standing with the crowd to watch the event. He carried his briefcase which had his latest experiment. Tachyons. He believed that he had discovered the elusive tachyon particles. Most physicists don't even believe they exist because they are not consistent with the known laws of physics but he was aware that the laws of physics weren't as concrete as everyone believed, they could be broken, after all, he had seen it that night and so he had brought the results of his experiment to STAR Labs, the current leading Institution in Science to get a job that will get him more resources to further his research. He had the camera on his phone ready to go off as soon as the ceremony started. He fixed the glasses on his face as he watched with anticipation to the start of the event.
The crowd began cheering as Dr. Harrison Wells took his place at the podium to address the crowd. "Thank you. My name is Harrison Wells and tonight…the future begins. The work my team and I will do here will change our understanding of Physics, bring about advancements in Power, advancements in Medicine, it will bring about advancements…period. This is the future. And trust me, it'll be here faster than you think."
Suddenly, someone running through the crowd bumped into August and knocked him to the ground. He got up and found out that his glasses had been knocked off and was now sporting a crack through the lens.
"Aw man. If I had a dollar for every time these things got broken, I'd be able to afford laser eye surgery." Someone helped him up to his feet. He had his spare but it was back in his apartment so he would have to stick with blurry vision for now. He put them in his pocket and refocused on the Particle Accelerator.
"What's the first thing you'll do one the Particle accelerator goes online?" One of the reporters asked.
"Well, that'll be crack open an expensive bottle of Don Perigon with my staff because I ride them too hard and they've earned it." Dr. Wells joked as everyone laughed. "Next?"
"Those protesting the Accelerator believe that it could open a black hole in Central City but is it not more likely to cause a benevolent phenomenon, like a Higgs Boson bridge?" A woman asked as August looked in her direction but his vison was blurry that he couldn't make out her features clearly.
"The only phenomenon that will occur this evening is one that's been calculated to the tiniest detail to the tiniest decimal point." Dr. Wells told her.
"So you've foreseen every possible outcome?" She asked.
"Yes, I have Miss?" Dr. Wells asked her name.
"Mrs. Marliese Devoe." She replied as Dr. Wells nodded as he recognized that name.
"Devoe…Devoe. I would expect that would make the gentleman to your right your husband?" Dr. Wells asked as Clifford Devoe nodded his head. "Clifford Devoe. I'm a big fan of your work. Sir, I believe it'll have an enormous impact on our future. Good luck. Thank you everyone for being here." Dr. Wells said as the crowd applauded and he and his team went inside. The crowd dispersed a bit as they waited for the Accelerator to turn on while the protestors kept shouting for Wells to stop doing this. August took out his glasses, looked at the crack and put them on, having some kind of vison was better than seeing shapes and sizes.
He put them on and saw a couple walk by, talking about the Accelerator and how it wasn't going to work and would explode. August recognized the woman as Marliese Devoe. They said something about a plan and a cap. The weather started to turn as it began to rain, August looked up at the sky to see the lightning flash and thunder roar. The water splashed on his glasses and suddenly he heard a hum of a machine starting and the rain stopped right in front of him just like that night so many years ago. August reached his hand out and saw some of the rain float up into the air before another loud thunder sound went off followed by an explosion causing people to run. The rain came back in full force as everyone ran for safety. Two people knocked August to the ground again hitting his briefcase and causing it to unlatch as it hit the ground. As he gathered his tube, he looked up and saw Clifforrd Devoe pull out some kind of metallic cap with sensors and readers that most likely measured brain activity. He ran over to him, still clutching his tube of tachyon particles to get him to move.
"Sir, we need to go! It's too dangerous!" August shouted as Clifford pushed him away.
"All for the cause of science." Clifford said as he put on the cap. A huge orange energy explosion erupted from STAR Labs and washed past August and Clifford and then all over Central City. It affected their bodies and even affected the Tachyon particles in his hand causing it to glow. Once the energy wave rushed past Devoe, several bolts of electricity hit his helmet and began shocking him, energizing whatever kind of helmet he made. One of the bolts of electricity ricocheted off the helmet and sparked past August further exciting the Tachyon particles in his hand causing it to break the tube and splash on his hand.
"Ah!" August shouted as the particles entered his skin pores as he fell to the ground. Trying to stagger to safety, another huge bolt of lightning blasted from the sky, landing on his head and blasting him into unconsciousness unaware of the changes that would happen when he woke up.