Chapter 90: Chapter 92: I Want a Superpower
If someone who didn't know the inside story saw this, they might sigh at the deep bond between Mr. Watt and Dr. Wells as teacher and student.
But none of the people present knew that Hardy had never even met Harrison Wells.
The young female lecturer, Colette, even took off her glasses and wiped away tears with a handkerchief.
Everyone else also looked moved.
"All right, Mr. Watt. On behalf of the Department of Physics at Central City University, I agree to hand over all of Dr. Wells's scientific legacy, including the particle resonance RF generator, to you. It's precisely because of people like you that humanity's technology can continue to advance generation after generation, leading us to a more advanced and prosperous future!"
Professor Muller once again grasped Hardy's arms, his expression solemn.
Hardy also gripped Muller's arms in return.
"Professor Muller, I will always remember your words!"
Muller's expression became a bit strained, as Hardy's grip seemed a little too strong…
Perhaps Mr. Watt was just a little too emotional?
...
...
After more than a day's effort, with Cisco and Caitlin's help, Hardy and the others moved all the equipment from the lab that they were allowed to take to STAR Labs.
As for the necessary vacuum tubes, supercomputers, and other equipment, Hardy used his financial resources to purchase or rent them directly from Central City University.
They barely rested at all before Cisco excitedly began assembling the equipment.
Even so, by the time everything was installed, it was already the next day.
"Breakfast—jianbing guozi. I heard you all didn't sleep last night, so I also brought you coffee."
A chubby white police officer and a red-haired white woman walked in with several breakfasts.
"This is Joe, my foster father, and this is Iris, my girlfriend. Joe, Iris, this is Mr. Watt."
Barry introduced everyone to each other.
Hardy greeted Joe and Iris and accepted a cup of coffee.
As a ninja, it was normal to go several days without sleep during a mission. Even though this wasn't his main body, staying up all night was no big deal for Hardy.
Barry and the others, on the other hand, looked quite fatigued.
Cisco's eyes were bloodshot from exhaustion, but he was still energetic.
Most of the technical work was being handled by him, while Hardy just followed Cisco's instructions and assisted as needed.
With his current engineering skills, Hardy was perfectly capable of helping out.
"Vacuum tube docking test completed. High-voltage energy storage electromagnet standing by. Supercomputer ready for calculations. The chemical reagents from that night have all been prepared. The lightning rod and weather wand are ready. The dark matter energy irradiation chamber is waiting for activation. Everything is set."
Caitlin read out the data displayed on the central console.
The weather wand was a trophy Barry Allen had obtained after defeating the Weather Wizard with his Speed Force. The Weather Wizard could use his powers in conjunction with the wand to control the weather within a certain range.
Cisco, using his Vibe powers and the weather wand, could also replicate much of the Weather Wizard's abilities.
"Soon, we'll see the Flash running through Central City again."
Cisco gripped the wand, excited.
"Yes."
Barry, wearing his red Flash suit, looked at Hardy.
"Let's get started."
STAR Labs covered a large area, with its underground hollowed out into a circular plaza.
The edge of the plaza was lined with resonance acceleration chambers made of special materials, using electromagnetic fields to accelerate charged particles—mainly hadrons, subatomic particles subject to the strong interaction.
These particles would be accelerated to the speed of light in the circular chamber, becoming super-high-energy particles. When high-energy positive and negative particles collided, they produced immense energy, simulating the material activity of the early universe after the Big Bang, in hopes of creating new heavy particles.
These are particles that do not interact with ordinary matter, do not emit, absorb, or reflect electromagnetic waves, and cannot be directly detected by any means—their existence can only be inferred by energy calculations.
In other words, dark matter.
This stuff might annihilate itself the instant it's created, but according to the black technology Swann brought from the future, the existence time of dark matter can be extended—still very brief, but now calculable with mathematical tools.
Hardy and Barry stood on a small platform in the center of the circular accelerator.
When the particle accelerator exploded at the moment dark matter existed, the dark matter energy would, guided by gravity and the setup of the site, rush toward this spot.
"If you could gain a superpower, what kind of superpower would you want?"
Perhaps to ease the tension, Barry, sitting in the chair facing the energy outlet, turned to Hardy and asked.
"If it were me—"
In the past, I would have said I wanted the ability to turn invisible or see through objects, because then I could secretly peek at girls taking a bath without being discovered. But now, it seems that if I were fast enough, I could do the same thing."
Hardy joked with a perfectly serious expression.
He actually really wanted to have super speed. That power completely defied all the laws of physics—it was ridiculously strong.
However, super speed seemed to be something based on the rules of the DC universe, and outside of that world, it probably wouldn't work.
Ideally, he'd become a speedster. If not, then any superpower that fit his own system would do.
"Hey, guys, are you ready? In a moment, I'll activate the weather wand and channel hundreds of millions of volts of lightning into the energy storage box. When Caitlin detonates the particle accelerator, the current will strike you."
At the very top of S.T.A.R. Labs, Cisco held the weather wand, looking up at the sky that was just beginning to pale.
"No problem!"
Hardy and Barry replied in unison, ready for what was to come.
Joe frowned, his face full of concern.
"Hundreds of millions of volts—are you sure this is safe?"
"If the calculations Wells left behind are correct, it's bound to succeed," Caitlin said as she watched the monitoring screen.
On the screen, Cisco was wearing a high-tech suit that enhanced his vibing powers, sunglasses on his face. He raised the weather wand high in his left hand, while his right hand unleashed a shockwave, amplifying and channeling the wand's frequency into the sky, stirring the atmosphere.
In the blink of an eye, what had been a clear, moonlit night was instantly shrouded in dark clouds.
"Injecting positive and negative particles into the accelerator chamber. Power supply normal. Beginning particle trajectory calculations… Cisco!"
"Copy that!"
Hardy and Barry sat in their life-support chairs, watching as the accelerator chamber around them lit up. Beams of energy visible to the naked eye spun rapidly inside, faster and faster, until they were too quick to see...