The world hadn't quite stopped buzzing since the VIREL Conference.
Central City's skyline glittered with newfound promise. News anchors replayed August's keynote on a loop, while tech forums dissected each invention S.T.A.R. Labs had unveiled. Academics were still scrambling to process the implications of Aether, while others speculated about how long it would take for the technology to reach the market.
But inside S.T.A.R. Labs, amid the whirlwind of global attention, there was tension.
August sat in the Cortex, staring at a dense wall of cascading security logs. For the past 72 hours, the lab had been the target of an unrelenting barrage of cyberattacks. Every minute brought new threats. Every ten seconds, JANUS was neutralizing another attempt.
"JANUS, status update," August said, not looking away from the screen.
"Firewall integrity remains at ninety-seven-point-two percent. All penetrative attempts nullified. No data compromised."
Cisco entered, two energy drinks in hand. He placed one beside August and sipped from the other, his eyes flicking to the monitors. "That's wave six this morning. Still trying to peel our shell."
"They're desperate," August muttered. "Either to steal what we built or to prove we're bluffing."
"They won't," Cisco said. "Not with JANUS on our side."
Caitlin joined them, brows knit in concern. "JANUS fended off five international pings in the last hour alone. Russia. Korea. Two from France. One was masked from within a U.S. energy think tank."
She placed a tablet on the central table. A topographic overlay of Godspeed's previous movement patterns appeared.
"We have a bigger problem," she said. "If someone manages to link Godspeed's activity to S.T.A.R. Labs, even by location… it's over. Someone's going to notice the consistent trajectory."
"We already made plans for this," August said, nodding. "No more meetings in the cortex. S.T.A.R. Labs is too visible now. We go underground. Any further field activity stays within the sublevels. Any information goes through JANUS. He's our citadel here."
He looked between them. "We'll also need a cybersecurity division. I want our own white-hat team. People working for S.T.A.R. Labs. No more risking our tech to the highest bidder."
Before anyone could respond, JANUS spoke.
"Alert: Glass containment breach. Location—residence of Dr. Harrison Wells."
***
Wells sat calmly in his home, the jagged remnants of his skylight glittering on the floor around him. Glass crackled softly beneath the wheels of his chair as he rolled over to speak with the responding officers.
"Just a prank," he said simply. "A political statement, maybe. A reminder from someone who thinks I haven't paid enough."
The officers filed their reports. No witness. No visible sign of forced entry. No projectile. Nothing to suggest foul play. Case closed.
But back at STAR Labs, August disagreed.
He leaned in closer to the footage JANUS had pulled. The glass wasn't blasted—it had shattered from within. A resonance pattern. The glass had rippled before collapsing, not exploded outward.
"Not a projectile," he murmured. "This was done with frequency."
"Vibration?" Caitlin asked as she peered over his shoulder.
"More like tuned resonance. A directed sonic assault."
"Sound waves?"
August nodded slowly. "Not from a speaker. From a weapon."
He leaned back. "JANUS, cross-reference any known technologies capable of frequency-based glass disruption. Focus on Central City."
"Match found," JANUS replied. "Experimental prototype gauntlets. Designer: Hartley Rathaway. Former STAR Labs engineer."
Cisco stiffened. "Hartley?"
He pulled open Hartley's archived file: disciplinary records, project contributions, notes of dismissal. Fired months before the Particle Accelerator's failure.
"Why was this buried?" August asked with surprise.
"Confidential internal handling," JANUS answered. "It is not disclosed in the file."
August said nothing, but his lips thinned. "Monitor him."
***
Three days passed.
The labs were tense. New researchers arrived by appointment. Equipment was calibrated. Data scrubbers combed through diagnostics.
Then JANUS chimed through the earpods in his ears. "Alert: Sonic disturbance detected at Rathaway Industries. Visual confirmation in progress."
August turned sharply. "Show me."
The monitors in his office activated. Hartley stood in front of his former family company's tower, clad in dark combat gear. Sonic gauntlets extended from both forearms, humming with an eerie pulse.
As he raised his hands, sound waves exploded outward, pulverizing reinforced glass. Floors shook. Office workers screamed and fled. A police cruiser turned the corner—its windshield shattered instantly.
"Hartley Rathaway," JANUS confirmed.
"I'm going," August said, already vanishing into the sublevels.
Moments later, Godspeed erupted across the skyline.
***
The attack was still ongoing when Godspeed arrived. Hartley had leveled three windows and a foyer. Officers stood back behind barricades. Nobody dared get close.
Godspeed appeared in a blur. Hartley blinked.
"Well, now. The ghost of STAR Labs," he smirked. "Took you long enough."
"Stand down," Godspeed ordered, his voice rumbling like thunder.
"You know, I've always wondered about your speed, they say you're the fastest man alive." Hartley raised his gauntlet. "Let's see how sound compares."
The first wave sent Godspeed skidding backward. Not because of power, but precision in the blast.
Hartley advanced. "You know, these gloves weren't even at half capacity. Would've been a shame to bring the whole building down."
"You won't get the chance," Godspeed said.
"Oh? You think hiding behind a mask protects you? I hear everything. Radio chatter. Pulses. Heartbeats. My ears… they've been tuned to listen beyond human limits. I can hear the radio signals humming from your suit. You're not hiding anything. I bet I could scream your secrets into every ear in this city."
He smiled. "And I can hear them. Cisco Ramon. Caitlin Snow. Harrison Wells.Am I right Dr. August Heart?"
"You're wrong."
Hartley's confidence faltered. "What?"
"You think you know everything—but you're still guessing."
Hartley roared and unleashed another wave of sound. It sent Godspeed flying backward—but he rolled through the motion, skidding to a halt. He launched back at Hartley with high-speed momentum, twisted around a sonic blast, and slammed Hartley's arms upward. In one spin, he disarmed both gauntlets and knocked him to the ground.
As Hartley hit the pavement, stunned, August whispered through clenched teeth. "You're not as good as you think."
***
But he didn't bring Hartley to STAR Labs.
Instead, he sped across the outskirts of the city—to a secure holding cell he'd constructed months ago. No electronics. No sensors. No traceable signals.
Hartley stirred awake, groaning.
"This… isn't the lab."
Godspeed didn't answer.
Hartley's breathing picked up. "You're not who I thought you were."
"Clearly."
Hartley pressed a palm to his temple. "I was trying to stop Wells. I warned him. He fired me. He buried the warnings."
Still, no response.
"Please," Hartley whispered. "Let me go."
August stepped into the shadows.
"JANUS," he said through a private channel, "scan all materials collected from Rathaway's person."
"Analyzing… Confirmed: Four auditory implants. Damage consistent with head trauma. Removal inadvisable. Additional file recovered—marked PRIVATE."
"Play it."
The holographic projector activated.
Through flickering static and distorted visuals, a face emerged, glowing eyes, cloaked in fire. Identified: Ronnie Raymond.
Caitlin's fiancé.
August took a slow breath.
Back at STAR Labs, the file uploaded.
"Cisco… Caitlin…" he said quietly. "You need to see this."