I thought we had a truce.
- I thought as much.
Your bravery is strengthened by the reassurance you gain
from enhanced healing.
- It doesn't mean it hurts any less.
- Pain is the debt we pay for change,
and I'm here to change the future.
Thanks to this experiment, I now know the force required
to kill you when the time comes.
- Oh.
- I've seen your destiny, Flash.
I've watched you use your power
to destroy everything and everyone.
- You still haven't told me why I would do this.
Huh?
What would cause me
to turn my back on everything
I've sworn to protect?
- Madness.
Many times in the past,
the pain you've suffered nearly crushed you.
But soon, a new despair will befall you.
And it will create an unbroken chain of sorrow
so great...
your mind will crack.
And with it, the world ends.
You see...
your power has recently accelerated.
But so too has your ability to descend into madness.
Tragedy is coming for you, Flash.
What remains to be seen isn't whether or not you'll break.
It's when.
- I have seven days.
- I'd worry more about tomorrow
if I were you.
I don't know the details
of what will happen.
But I know tomorrow is the beginning of the end.
Your end.
I've granted you a chance to defy destiny.
But I'll be staying close by.
As soon as I sense your mind turning mad,
I'll find you.
Good luck fighting fate, Flash.
I'll be watching.
- Okay, uplink to the Tower mainframe is secure.
You now have access to our alien database
including any intel we have on this "Despero."
- We appreciate you helping, Alex.
- How long will it take to download?
- Well, this new algorithm
works at light speed.
In fact, Caitlin, that guy Marcus
that I connected you with, he designed it.
- Well, if the world's still here in a week,
I'll be sure and give him a call.
- Oh, I'm sorry, guys.
I'll keep digging and see what I can find out.
But if this Despero has managed to stay off
of our grid, then he is a greater threat
than any alien we've faced.
Keep your guard up.
- Well, you heard her.
We have to protect Barry.
There's no way he would destroy the world.
- What if he's right?
I mean, look, we all saw how a massive boost of speed
affected Barry before.
- Oh, crap, you're right.
Remember the ASF?
He gained speed-thinking, but as a result...
- I turned on the people I love.
Look, I--that's not gonna happen this time.
- But Barr, what if you just leveled up too much, too fast?
- Barry isn't a threat to us.
Despero is.
And his story doesn't add up.
I mean, come on, doesn't anyone else think
it's weird that an alien cares so much about Earth?
He's not even from here.
- Wherever he's from, here's what we know.
I ran a bio-scan on Despero
the minute he entered S.T.A.R. Labs.
His anatomy is unlike anything I ever studied before.
He has strength and invulnerability
that rivals Kryptonians.
How are we gonna stop him from killing you?
- Prove him wrong.
Despero says tomorrow,
my mind starts to break.
So all we have to do is make it through the next 24 hours
without that happening, and he'll have to back down.
- I like that plan.
- Let's get some rest.
Tomorrow, we'll need to be on the lookout for anything,
and if something does happen,
then we need to be ready to stop it.
Protecting this city is still our top priority.
- Even from you?
- It won't come to that.
I promise.
- These are the bio-scans Caity did on Despero's brain.
- Study them, and let's figure out a way to stop him.
- Oh, I heard that. I was already planning
on pulling an all-nighter.
You know, I was thinking, maybe we can find a way
to restrain him or--
- I'm not talking about restraining him.
- Look, we need to level up our offense.
And I'm not talking about some containment unit
like we did with Bloodwork
or taking out his lair with an EMP.
We need to hit him.
Hard.
- You're--you're asking me to build a weapon.
Frost... I've never built something
to hurt someone before.
- Think of it this way.
You're gonna help save Barry's life.
Whatever it takes.
- Couldn't sleep either?
Something bad's supposed to happen today.
All I keep thinking about is you.
- I'll be fine.
- We can't take any chances.
- I promise, I have a very safe and boring day planned.
Cecile's working on a big case, so after some work,
I'm gonna stop by and help her with Jenna.
They both have been having a pretty hard time lately.
- Iris, if anything happens to you...
- Hey.
Baby, we're gonna be okay.
Look, how many times and how many timelines
have we found each other?
Doesn't matter what anybody says about your fate.
Our destiny is to be together.
- CCPD.
- Allen, just in time.
- How bad is it? - Just your typical
makes-no-sense bank robbery in Central City.
No one's hurt, but the on-duty security guard
is being hospitalized for some sort of breakdown.
- Wait, like a mental breakdown?
- Yeah, witnesses said the guy lost his mind
and started babbling nonsense.
Then he fired his weapon into the air,
and everyone ran out.
By the time anyone got back inside,
the vault was empty,
and the guard was stark raving mad.
It took four officers to restrain him.
- I'm on it.
- Allen!
I need you to stand down.
- Why, is Gibson working the case?
I'll just help him investigate.
- I need you to turn in your badge.
You've been suspended.
- What?
- I just came from the mayor's office.
You're under investigation for federal crimes.
Your badge, Allen.
Now.
- You're under investigation for federal crimes.
Your badge, Allen.
- Allen, I know this must be a shock.
- Captain, hold on.
What am I supposed to have done?
- Two years ago, Joseph Carver had a mole
manipulating evidence in CCPD.
- Yeah, Milly Rawlins, aka Sunshine.
We caught her.
- And the DA was reviewing her case
as a part of an internal audit.
Now, I don't know what exactly,
but he also found new evidence
that points to Carver having a second inside man.
You.
That's crazy.
I mean, why would I help Joseph Carver?
- That's for the DA to suss out.
I'm sorry, it's above my pay grade.
Now, please leave the scene.
- I have to find out what happened here.
- I mean, I think you'd have other concerns right now.
- I just... I mean, Korber said a guard lost his mind.
What if that happens to somebody else?
People could get hurt.
Look, Captain, I know you only have my word,
but you--you gotta believe me.
I'm innocent.
So please, just let me do my job.
- If Joe were here right now, he'd say I should learn
from last year and keep an open mind.
Which is why I promise you,
I will get to the bottom of this
and find out the truth.
But until I do, I'm sorry.
Allen, you have to leave.
- This is insane.
Your CCPD record is stellar.
Everyone knows that Rawlins was nothing but Carver's lackey.
- Can you find out what evidence they have against me?
- Oh, Barry, I'm gonna do a hell of a lot more than that.
I am about to slap CCPD
with the biggest wrongful termination lawsuit
this city has ever seen.
I am gonna bleed them dry
for doing this to you.
- Are you feeling all right?
No.
I'm sorry.
It--it's just been...
hard lately.
I mean...you know why.
- What's wrong?
- We're not alone in here.
I can feel another presence in this room.
- Why are you here?
I'm not.
This is a physic manifestation of my consciousness.
Appearing only to you
in order to assess your mental stability.
- Barry?
Who are you talking to?
- There's nothing wrong with my mind.
- It's him, isn't it?
Despero?
- Your mind is suffering
due to this tragedy.
But no...
it hasn't broken.
Yet.
His energy.
His energy, it felt like...
the whole room was flooded, and we were both drowning.
- Despero's watching me now.
Waiting for the proof he needs to kill me.
- Are you sure he's not what drives you insane?
- No, I'm not.
But I do think there's another explanation
for what's happening.
Korber said a security guard
at this morning's robbery lost his mind.
- That can't be a coincidence. Not today.
- No, it has to be connected
to what Despero said happens in the future.
I need to talk to that guard.
Xotar.
Xotar!
Xotar.
- Caitlin, hey. Good timing. I think I've got a clue
to run though the S.T.A.R. Labs' search satellites.
- Barry, we need you here right now.
The city is shutting down S.T.A.R. Labs.
- Okay, lock this place down!
I want that radiation leak found.
- Get here. Fast.
Xotar. Xotar.
Xotar.
- You can't just come in here and kick us
out of our own offices.
Public Safety Act?
- Passed four years ago
after the meta fallout nearly took out the city.
Means we can do whatever we have to do
for the greater good.
Post teams at every entrance.
No one gets in without clearance.
- Right away, sir.
- Excuse me, I'm Barry Allen.
I own this facility.
- Mr. Allen, we've detected
dangerous levels of radiation within your facility.
This lab's a day away from a meltdown.
- That's impossible.
We would've noticed if things were that bad.
- Uh, maybe not.
I just checked out the safety logs.
Our radiation scanners haven't updated in over a week.
Doesn't make...any sense.
- What happened? - This is part
of our early detection array
that monitors radiation levels inside the place,
but it's corroded.
Hasn't been functioning for a while.
Sensors in the subterranean power core
currently read over 1,000 RADS.
- Consider yourselves lucky.
Another day, you'd all be in ICU.
Seal off that power core!
And get an external containment team STAT.
- What kind of containment?
- We need to construct a concrete
and steel encasement around this entire facility
in order to contain the radioactive material.
Then we'll demolish S.T.A.R. Labs
and move the debris to a nuclear waste site.
- You're gonna demolish it?
- The safety board makes the final call.
But this looks pretty bad.
Now gather your people and say goodbye.
You got five minutes to make like a banana and split.
Fan out and search all levels for additional leaks.
Excuse me.
Okay.
This place is already swarming with city workers.
If they get to the inner levels...
- They'll find out it's Flash HQ.
- Aka our home base.
- That's why I need you to grab what you're able to,
conceal the labs' critical areas,
and get out as fast as you can.
- Hello, Barry Allen.
- Gideon, can you pull up the controls
for the holographic emitters, then set them to manual?
- Understood.
Preparing task.
- What do you need, Chester P?
Where are you?
Yes. - Instruction set received.
Holographic emitters reconfigured.
- Initiate.
- Must be old plans.
- All clear.
- Okay, let's head back.
- Sequence complete.
However, Team Flash data on internal servers
will compromise your identity if discovered.
Standing by for emergency data wipe.
- Gideon, is there any other way?
- No, Barry Allen.
All information within S.T.A.R. Labs
must be erased in order to assure your safety.
This includes myself.
This is the best option.
- I'm so sorry, Gideon.
- It has been an honor working with you, Barry Allen.
Farewell.
It has been an honor
working with you, Barry Allen.
Farewell.
- Frost ice-bridged a bunch of stuff out of here.
She's gonna bring it to Caitlin's.
- Okay, it's time to go.
I can't believe this is happening.
- This was our home.
- This--this is so unreal.
- I spent more time in that lab than anywhere I've ever lived.
- Guys, I know how much this hurts.
And I know what you're thinking.
But these setbacks aren't proof
that Despero's right about the future.
- They're not proof he isn't, either.
- I know, but hey, we gotta have faith.
Not just in me, but in each other.
- Barry, we're with you.
I think we all just wish that there was some
other explanation for all this.
- I think there is.
Something caused a security guard
to lose his mind at a bank robbery this morning.
- Uh, you mean exactly like what Despero said
would happen to you?
- This has to be related.
- I was gonna use the S.T.A.R. Labs satellites
to follow a lead.
Luckily, we have someone
on our team who is an expert
at exposing the truth.
- The Xotar story is priority one.
Okay, the word's out.
If there's anything to this "Xotar" lead,
my people will find it.
- Despero said I'm gonna destroy the world.
If that's true...
I'm the reason everyone I love is gonna die.
- Barry, do you remember the last time
that something messed with your head?
When you had speed-thinking?
- It was like I was on autopilot.
My mind just took over.
Yeah, but you snapped out of it.
'Cause you saw that your friends were in danger.
I mean, you could never really hurt us.
- Even so, if something does happen to someone I love,
because of my leveled-up speed...
I don't know how I'd react.
- It's Taylor.
She found out that Xotar is the name of a meta-criminal
in National City.
- Xotar's a meta? - A psychic meta
who controls her victim's minds and drives them...crazy.
You know what this means?
- Xotar could be the real reason
I lose my mind today.
- And catching her will prevent it.
- All I have to do is find her.
Xotar.
Flash, you found me.
- Yes. - Let me guess.
You're psychic too?
- Not psychic, just patient.
I knew if I ran around the city long enough,
eventually you'd show yourself.
- How very underwhelming and basic of you.
So what's next?
We fight?
How passé.
- Actually, what do you say
we take a quick trip to Iron Heights?
- What the hell is wrong with you?
- What's going on?
- You--you zooped in outta nowhere
and started destroying the place.
- What? No, I--
- You almost lightning-blasted Chuck.
- I--
I don't remember doing any of that.
- Okay, listen, I--
I don't know what just happened,
but I--I didn't do this.
And I'm not going insane.
- Barry, we saw you!
- No way, I-- - Dude, she's right.
You came in here all lathered up, out of control.
Allegra had to blast you, man.
- Okay.
All right, look, whatever happened,
I can prove I'm myself now.
Or at least Caitlin can.
- Cover me.
Your amygdala activity
and cortisol levels are elevated.
But... within normal parameters.
- Well, even if you're really you again,
it doesn't explain what just happened.
- No, I know who's responsible for this.
Right before it happened,
I intercepted a meta called Xotar.
She controls her victims' minds.
What are the odds a meta who commits
telepathic assaults on people shows up
the same day Despero claims I'm gonna lose my mind?
- Well, that does make a lot more sense.
- Okay, we need to find Xotar and stop this from happening.
- And keep Despero from killing you.
- Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, we could scan
for Xotar's energy signature and find her,
but without satellites, we're blind.
- I can search the city.
I found her once, I can find her again.
- Frost needs help setting up a portable med lab
at the apartment.
- Oh, me and Allegra can set up
- a comms/ - Cortex-type sitch
in my garage.
- All right, do it.
And, look, guys, I--I know today...
started with a loss, but we can end it with a win.
We got this.
- Sorry. It's all right. It's all right.
- Search for Xotar all you want.
But the answer you're looking for
has been with you all along.
- Enough!
No more cryptic prophecies, no more games.
Why do you care so much?
You said yourself, this isn't your world.
You're hiding something from me.
What do you have to gain?
- A home.
I saw my planet, Kalanor, overrun by evil.
I was forced to see the people I love suffer and die
under the fist of a despot.
Then I was chosen to lead a band of rebels,
attempting a coup.
Both sides suffered heavy losses.
But we were triumphant.
However, when the time came
to cut the head off the snake...
I chose to spare the oppressor's life.
But my mercy was misguided.
Because it allowed that madman to rise again
and rain down horrors a thousand times worse.
I was spared.
Because he knew for me, the only fate worse than death
would be losing my home world.
So he banished me here.
That's how I came to adopt Earth as my new home.
Only to watch you destroy it.
- I've been through a crisis before.
Whatever's coming, I can handle it.
- Crisis and tragedy are like fires, Flash.
Some are strong enough to endure them.
But others are destined to be consumed by them.
Soon we'll find out who you are.
- Okay.
This is the last of your...
whatever this stuff is.
What's this thing?
- Uh, nothing.
Yeah, no, it's just a--a project...for Frost.
That's all.
- Uh-huh.
Chuck, you know how we've been
spending more time together lately?
- Oh, yeah, our weekend D&D sessions are,
like, my new favorite thing.
Why?
- Well...and I can't believe I'm saying this,
but the way you just said "nothing"...
is exactly how you sounded right before the raid
on Shavak's Tomb.
- And we all knew
you were bluffing then too.
- Yeah, okay.
Uh...
Frost asked me to build...
a weapon.
To hurt Despero.
- But you're...
- A pacifist.
Yeah, I know.
- How do you feel about doing this?
- Allegra...
you know I still remember the exact moment
that I decided to be a pacifist?
I was ten.
And I had just seen Marvin the Martian's ray gun
on Saturday morning cartoons.
So I decided to make one of my own.
When I demoed it for my best friend,
it malfunctioned.
And, well...
I burned his parents' house down.
Him and his family barely made it out alive.
After that...
I made a vow.
No more weapons.
No matter what.
So by going back on that vow now...
I feel like by building this,
I'm not just gonna hurt Despero.
I'm gonna hurt myself too.
- Look, I...
I know you wanna do right
by Barry and by the team.
But you can't do that if you don't do right by yourself.
It's not your job to make weapons.
It's to...
find a way to protect Barry
and stay true to yourself.
- Yeah, yeah.
- What's that?
- Uh...
okay, I built a temporary comms system
by piggybacking off of cell towers.
And I'm also using it to scan for CCPD chatter
about criminal activity, right?
- Right.
- Okay, okay.
Flash?
We got trouble.
- Chester?
What's happening?
- Miss, step aside.
- But if I did that,
then how would I grab all the priceless art
you're transporting?
Officer, you sound insane.
Xotar. Xotar. Xotar.
- Central City Museum, you shouldn't have.
It's like you read my mind.
- You're done messing with other people's minds, Xotar.
Including mine.
- If it makes you feel like less of a failure,
I dug my claws into your mind long before you even arrived.
- Apologies for not mentioning the telekinesis.
Didn't take a crystal ball to know I'd eventually have
to catch you by surprise.
You know, back in the day,
my specialty was bending spoons.
- Okay, guys, now CCPD is reporting
that Flash is getting his butt kicked downtown
by some meta-magician
that's got him suspended in midair.
- It's gotta be Xotar.
- Barry, Frost is on her way.
- But she's all the way across town.
She'll never make it in time.
- I can stop Xotar!
I just need to generate enough lightning.
- But Barry, you need friction to build up
that kind of kinetic energy.
If you can't run...
you can't throw lightning.
Barry?
- Sounds like Barry is generating lightning.
How is that possible?
Holy Granville T. Woods.
Okay, if he's vibrating his cells
on a microscopic level...
that might be enough movement
to build up an electrical charge.
- How would he throw lightning, then?
- I don't think he's going to.
My guess...
is, he's letting it build up inside of him
on purpose.
- Caitlin, what happens
if his body can't hold in his lightning anymore?
- I think we're about to find out.
- That was the hospital.
The guard that Xotar attacked
recovered as soon as she was meta-cuffed.
So did everyone else she attacked.
- How you feeling, Barr?
- Like it's barely past lunchtime, already feels
like the longest day of my life.
- But it also feels like it's gonna be a good one.
Now that we got Xotar, we don't have to worry
about the rest of the day or you losing your sanity.
- Well, in that case, I don't know about you guys,
but I'm starving.
- Oh, yeah.
- Why don't we meet up with Iris at Joe and Cecile's?
See if we can talk Joe into whipping us up
a pot of his famous jambalaya.
- That's...not funny, Barry.
- Okay, I'll ask him to grill some burgers instead.
- Why are you doing that?
- Doing what?
- Acting like Joe's still alive, man.
- What are you talking about?
You don't remember?
Barry, Joe died six months ago.
You know that.
- What?
No.
I don't believe you.
Barry, look.
Maybe you're still processing this or something,
I don't know.
But we'll--we'll figure it out.
Okay?
Why don't you just sit down
and let Caitlin take a look at the ol' noggin?
- Where is he? - Barry, you're scaring me.
- Where is he? - Who?
- Joe!
- You gave the eulogy at his funeral.
- No way.
No, no, this is wrong.
Iris, this is wrong. We have to investigate this.
We have to find out what really happened to him.
He's not dead!
He can't be!
- Damn it, Barry.
Joe is gone.
Why can't you just accept that?
- Cecile. - Barry, why are you saying
all these things all of a sudden?
It's like the last six months, this...
living nightmare never even happened.
- Six months.
- What are you doing?
I can't do this with you.
Barry, I can't do it.
- Cecile, listen to me.
Joe's not dead. - Yes!
Yes, he is.
He's dead.
And I am trying to move on.
Why won't you let me do that?
- Cecile, please. - Barry.
You're all over the news.
- What?
- What did you do?
- Nothing. I...
- After apprehending a criminal earlier today,
the Flash, for reasons unknown,
committed a crime of his own.
Warning: this footage may be disturbing
to some viewers.
- Our camerawoman was barely able to escape with her life.
And luckily, there were no deaths today,
despite what city officials estimate
are millions of dollars in damage.
But other members of our crew,
along with dozens of innocent civilians,
were injured in the Flash's brazen attack.
Once again, our top story:
the hero who has saved our city countless times
has turned against us.
More on this unprecedented breaking development
as we head to our reporter on the ground.
- I don't remember doing that.
- Caitlin said you didn't remember
destroying the loft.
Or almost killing her and Chester either.
- Barry, we can blame Xotar for the loft.
But she was in meta-cuffs when you destroyed City Hall.
- Do you see?
It's been you all along, Flash.
Now do you believe me?
- No.
This is one of your illusions.
That's it.
Iris, Cecile, you have to believe me.
- Enough!
This ends now.
- Barry!
- It's fitting that I end your life
with the undying fire of my home world,
the Flame of Py'tar.
- Get out of my house.
The empath.
Your power's no match for me.
So for now...
Sleep.
- Stop!
If it's me you want,
get it over with!
- Gladly.
- That's--that's all I got.
Barry, run!
- Good move, Chuck.
- What's wrong with you people?
You saw the destruction he'll bring to the world
with your own eyes.
Why am I fighting this threat alone?
Stand in my way again,
any of you, and suffer the consequences.
I will find the Flash
and end him
before he brings about Armageddon.
- So is Barry gonna be all right?
- Honestly, we don't know.
- Can you tell us anything else about Despero's planet
or his freaky flame?
- Well, actually, the pieces are starting to come together.
For years, we had heard rumors and whispers
from the dark corners of the galaxy
about the Flame of Py'tar,
which is an energy source that was supposedly
the sentient heart of the planet Kalanor.
But just when we started to think that this was
a pan-galactic urban legend,
you guys are the first to meet an actual Kalanorian.
Lucky us.
- Yeah, but thanks to you guys,
we've opened an official file on Despero.
Kara and J'onn, they're off-world,
but we'll keep investigating,
and I'll call if we find anything
that can help take him down.
You guys stay safe, okay?
- Yeah, thanks. You too, Alex.
- Well, we may not be the Tower
or have access to S.T.A.R. Labs,
but Chester P can still roll up his sleeves
and see what I can come up with to help track down Barry.
- Assuming he wants to be found.
- If you and Allegra hadn't shown up when you did--
- Hey, hey, it's all good.
Okay? We'll figure this out.
We always do.
We'll get Barry back.
- Yeah, but what will he be like when we do?
- You look like death warmed over.
- I need your help.
- Barry, what the hell is going on?
- Injustice.
- Greg, move your head.