neighbors | barry allen//the flash

nineteen | streptococcal

"We have a murder scene to go to today," Joe greeted Barry grimly as he walked into the police station the next day. 

"Lovely, just want I wanted," Barry sighed. He stepped into his lab just long enough to grab what he thought he might need and stuff it in a bag, then joined Joe outside. As they rode in the car together, Barry asked, "So what happened?" 

"It was Weldon Foster," Joe answered grimly. 

"Isn't he the CFO of the newspaper company? Central Times?" Barry questioned.

"Yeah, he was," Joe grimaced, turning into one of the nicest neighborhoods in the city. Every house there had to have had at least eight bedrooms, an indoor pool, ten car garage, a personal movie theater, and a private chef 24/7. These were the kind of mansions built out of all brick and stone with glamorous balconies and landscaping that was more than Barry's yearly income.  As Barry tried not to be envious of the sprawling castles, Joe continued explaining, "His wife said he went up to bed, she was in the living room watching TV. About half an hour later, the electricity when out. She said she felt like about two minutes passed, she tried calling out for him. Then, when the lights came back on, she found him dead on the bedroom floor." 

"The lights went out?" Barry's eyebrows rose, the gears in his mind already spinning with possibilities. Joe pulled into the driveway of one of the larger stone mansions. Police cars filled the entire driveway, officers swarmed about the property, and yellow tape already surrounded the scene. Joe led Barry to the master bedroom upstairs. Barry quickly inspected it. Nothing was damaged, although the rug on the floor had been disturbed. He checked all the doors and windows, but there was no sign of forced entry. The house had an alarm system, but it hadn't gone off. There was also no evidence it had been tampered with. 

"Think its a meta?" Joe questioned. 

"Yeah," Barry muttered. "Body?"

"In the van," Joe tilted his head in the direction of the van. Barry walked over, gingerly lifting the plastic covering the corpse. Bruises covered the man's neck, but the bruises were nothing extraordinary. Normal patterns, normal hand size, normal colors. Barry frowned; finding out the meta didn't have some super strength was nice, but finding out this way really wasn't. He covered the body back up, then turned to Joe.

"I'm gonna head to STAR Labs, see if they can help with anything," Barry announced. Joe drove him, and the ride there was silent. Neither of them were really in the mood for talking. Barry loved being CSI, and he wouldn't trade it for any other job, but it was definitely harder now that he was the Flash. Every crime scene was something he didn't stop, and he could have. Before, as just Barry Allen, he knew he didn't have any way to save those people, to be the hero. Now he did, and every day at work he was reminded that sometimes even his speed wasn't enough. 

"Anything new?" Caitlin asked as Barry walked into STAR Labs. 

"That one meta killed someone last night." Barry stated, immediately sitting down in one of the swivel chairs and getting into a comfortable position to start thinking. 

"I think we should call him Shadow," Cisco mused. 

"Cisco," Caitlin urged.

"Sorry, bad timing," Cisco apologized. "What did you get on him?" 

"Do you think its possible he can absorb electricity like he absorbs light?" Barry questioned, not really directing it at either one of his two scientist friends. 

"Well, electricity and light are kinda similar," Cisco started. "Light is a moving photon, electricity is a moving electron." 

"He obviously absorbed all the light last night while committing the murder," Barry said. "That way no one could see him. But the alarm system also didn't go off, and there was no sign of breaking and entering."