BARRY: Whether you're the slowest kid in gym class or the fastest man alive...
...every one of us is running.
Being alive means running.
Running from something.
Running to something.
Or someone.
And no matter how fast you are, there are some things you can't outrun.
Some things always manage to catch up to you.
BARRY: Regular movie scale, that was a seven or an eight.
Zombie movie scale, it was, like, a four. Tops.
IRIS: There's a zombie movie scale?
Did you know that zombies exist in nature?
There's this species of fungi that infects ants...
...causing the ants to attack plants that can release spores...
...which in turn infect new hosts--
-I'm going full nerd again, aren't I? -Yep.
It's okay though. You are still the cutest nerd that I know.
Anyways, I am a lot more interested in the amazing as of late.
-Because of the Streak thing? -He's out there. People are talking.
How do you know he's a he? Maybe it's a she.
It's a man, okay? You know I'm really intuitive about this kind of stuff.
Someone posted a picture after being yanked from a car accident.
It's a red blur leaving the scene. Here. What do you see?
I see your boyfriend is calling.
Oh. I should probably get this.
I'm crashing at his place. He's supposed to leave a key for me.
Hey, babe. What's up?
Not much. Just hanging out with Barry. You off yet?
[CELL PHONE RINGS]
-Hello. -Code 237 on Waid Boulevard.
Public indecency?
Wait, I think I meant a 239.
Dog leash violation?
Bad man with a gun in a getaway car. Go.
You don't have a mat. Do you have a planter?
[SIREN WAILING]
He's got a gun. Look out!
PAULSON: Where'd he go?
What the...?
Key is in the mailbox. I'll see you later. Bye.
-Eddie says hi. -Nice of him.
You wanna grab a bite? I feel a little famished.
After the Mongolian barbecue we had before the movie...
...and the extra-large popcorn you had at the movie? How are you not fat?
I've been jogging.
Oh, okay.
Why so public a meeting, uncle?
We're dining out to show our enemies we're not afraid.
Relax, nephew.
I've replaced the windows with bulletproof glass.
Close it up. Come. Have a drink.
Our own drivers are ripping us off.
Someone is paying them...
...to steal from us.
None of you will sleep until we find out who.
And then those thieves....
[COUGHING]
Those thieves...
...will draw their last breath--
[COUGHING]
Uncle!
[MEN COUGHING]
[ELEVATOR BELL DINGS]
MAN: Where'd you cut him off? PAULSON: We cut him off at 8th.
The perp was in the backseat before he even knew what happened.
Congratulations, Paulson, on that arrest last night. Hell of a job.
Come by later, Joe. I'll give you a driving lesson, okay?
-It wasn't even him last night. It was me. -I figured.
I didn't realize you were helping people for the glory.
BARRY: It's not like I want a museum built to my name.
Keeping what I can do a secret from Iris and everyone, it's harder than I thought.
I know, but it is safer that way.
Besides, me and you got work to do.
The evidence from my mom's case.
-I had it brought up from storage. -I've been through this a thousand times.
Before your story about what really happened that night, the lightning storm...
...the man in the middle, I thought that was a kid trying to protect his father from prison.
Now that I know it's true, we're gonna go through every scrap of evidence...
...until we find something that helps.
It took the jury 52 minutes to come back with a verdict of guilty.
They moved too fast.
Which is why we gotta take our time.
Barry, Joe, we got multiple homicides.
Do you know the Darbinyan crime family?
JOE: Barry?
-Oh. Anything? -Signs of histotoxic hypoxia.
The cells in their bodies weren't able to utilize oxygen.
It's consistent with exposure to poison gas.
What kind of poison?
I'll need to take a lung sample, see if I can narrow it down.
The only other exit was bolted from the inside.
They were trapped.
I was thinking someone pumped gas in from the outside...
...but witnesses say the street was empty.
So it was from the inside?
That means there should be a canister or a container left behind.
The gas just didn't come in by itself.
Unless it had a mind of its own.
[CHUCKLES]
Eddie, would you mind canvassing again?
Somebody had to have seen something suspicious.
Okay, explain.
The boss collapsed by the table.
This guy made it 10 feet away. That guy had a chance to move...
...and fire shots into the window trying to break the glass.
But they all started in the same spot.
They should've been affected by the gas at the same time.
-But it's as if-- -They were attacked one by one.
My gut feeling...
...if we're gonna solve this one, you and me are gonna need backup.
Yeah.
Fascinating. A metahuman that can manipulate poison gas.
Is it just poison gas or can he control all aerated substances?
How is he able to formulate the connection? Is it physiological or psychological?
This individual can create a mental nexus using gaseous substances.
Connect with gases on a molecular level? That's ridiculously cool.
They get excited about this stuff.
The only thing I'm excited about is putting criminals behind bars.
Except Iron Heights isn't exactly equipped to handle metahumans.
It's fortunate the ones you've encountered so far are no longer with us.
Unless we're planning on executing every super-criminal we stop...
...you geniuses are gonna have to come up with some place to hold them.
A metahuman prison. Sweet.
Until we figure a way to remove their powers.
There is one place here that might hold them.
You can't be serious. We haven't been down there since--
-It's cordoned off. WELLS: Cisco is right.
It could be modified to act as a makeshift prison.
What could?
The particle accelerator.
WELLS: Tonight, the future begins. The work my team and I will do here...
...will change our understanding of physics. Will bring about advancements in power.
Advancements in medicine.
And trust me, that future will be here faster than you think.
Dr. Wells, we just got the latest weather report.
A big thunderstorm is rolling in.
We're not launching a space shuttle. We'll be fine.
RONNIE: Tahiti? -I know it's a long flight, Ronnie.
But we can binge watch Orange is the New Black.
Okay. But what about Italy?
Pizza and wine, and more pizza.
Yes, but Italy doesn't have mai tais.
And a honeymoon isn't a honeymoon without mai tais.
Dr. Wells, the accelerator is primed and ready for particle injection.
Well, I feel I should say something profound.
Like, one small step for man....
All I can think of to say is I feel like I waited for this day for centuries.
That's it? You'd think there'd be like a loud bang.
If there was a loud bang, we'd all be in big trouble.
-Take it from the guy who helped build it. -Ladies and gentlemen, we did it.
Mai tais it is.
[CORK POPS]
[ALARM BLARING]
[OBJECT BANGS]
Was that...?
A loud bang.
WELLS: Caitlin.
Caitlin. Did you hear me?
We're going down to the accelerator ring.
Dr. Wells, I could use Caitlin's help identifying the poison gas.
-Okay. -If that's okay with you.
Let's go.
BARRY: Welcome to the C.C.P.D. -So this is your day job?
-Mm-hm. -Wow.
I'm gonna rip out your hearts and eat them for lunch.
Delightful.
Lab rats, I need prints off this gun, pronto.
Allen! Where the hell is the fiber analysis on the Orloff case?
Upstairs. It's all finished. I can just run up and bring it down.
With you, that could be three days. I'll go with you. Who are you?
CAITLIN: Dr. Caitlin Snow. Barry's personal physician.
The fiber analysis for the Orloff case.
Like you asked for, sir.
Clean up your lab. It's a mess.
HENRY [ON RECORDING]: The lightning was in the house.
I told my son to run. He disappeared.
And that's when I saw the blood.
MAN: Your prints are on the murder weapon.
I needed to stabilize the knife. I'm a doctor.
I was trying to save her.
I didn't kill my wife. Joe!
Tell them! You know me. Our kids are friends. You tell them, Joe!
Do I even wanna know what you were looking at?
It's just work.
Some old cases weren't filed properly.
[KNOCK ON DOOR]
Detective, what are you doing here?
Joe, I thought you were at the morgue.
I decided to bring some work home.
Why are you here?
Yes, well, I've been looking for you.
I thought maybe we could go back to the crime scene, re-canvass...
-...see if, uh, we missed anything. IRIS: Hm.
Always work the case, right? That's what you taught me.
Well, you've been listening.
Okay, let's hit it.
-You mind if I use your bathroom? -First door on the right.
I'll be in the car.
-Bye, baby. -Bye, Dad.
Okay, this has got to stop. I came here to surprise my girlfriend.
Now I'm going to a crime scene with her dad.
-Not exactly the afternoon I was planning. -I know. It's not the right time to tell him.
When is, Iris?
I know my dad. He'll kill us.
Right now...
...you're killing us.
WELLS: The copper in the tube...
...is arranged to form cavities and we can use those cavities...
...as containment cells.
Of course, I have to design them to counteract metahuman abilities...
...but it might just work.
We have to decouple the injection system on the gantry level. I'll be right back.
Why don't I do that?
I need the exercise.
-There's an anomaly in the core chamber. -Ring structural integrity is holding.
It started a chain reaction. We need to shut it down.
-We can't from here. We'll do it manually. -Go!
-I'll come with. -Ronnie, no.
-I know how to operate the shutdown. -It's not safe.
Cait, I have to go.
Stay here. We've only got a few minutes before this thing blows.
If I'm not back in time, initiate lockdown.
No way. I am not closing this door. I won't be able to open it.
If you don't seal off the blast, everyone in this building will die, including Caitlin.
Okay? Now promise me.
Yeah.
Set your watch. Two minutes.
[BEEPS]
You're coming back.
[WATCH BEEPS]
WELLS: Cisco.
Cisco, we're ready to go.
It must be hard coming back down here.
A lot happened that night.
-If you feel the need to talk-- -I was just thinking...
...we need to nail those voltage calculations.
One fault and the helium blowback could damage the mountings.
Smart.
Can I ask you something? That you don't have to answer.
My least-favorite kind of question.
Shoot.
Ronnie. What was he like?
I mean, you just never talk about him that much.
We met when we were working on the particle accelerator.
He was the structural engineer.
He liked to joke that he was basically a very high-priced plumber.
We were very different.
You might've noticed I can be a bit guarded.
Ronnie knew how to make me laugh.
He used to say we were like fire and ice.
He wasn't supposed to be there that night.
He was just there for me.
If he hadn't....
[BEEPS]
It says that there was no residue of gas in the tissue.
Poisonous or otherwise.
Must've evaporated. We'll need to get a fresh sample.
Wait, this can't be right.
This says that there are two distinct strands of DNA inside the tissue.
How did someone else's DNA get inside the victims' lungs?
Well, my docket was clear...
...so I stopped by the mall to pick up your homecoming dress.
I am a great mom.
I'll see you for dinner, sweetie.
-There's no DNA match in the database. -I don't understand.
Why would a chemical attack leave behind another person's DNA inside the victim?
What if the metahuman we're looking for doesn't control gas?
What if he becomes it?
Judge Howard?
It's nice to see you again.
You died.
You say that like it was an accident.
Remember the last thing you said to me in the courtroom?
"May God have mercy on your soul."
[GASPING]
WOMAN [OVER RADIO]: Available units, we have a report...
...of a toxic gas attack in the Central City Shopping Mall.
Barry. Don't.
We don't know enough about what we're facing yet.
It's not safe.
Caitlin, I have to go.
CISCO: I patched into the mall security system.
According to witnesses, the gas attack was in the elevator in the north wing.
BARRY: Which one is the north wing? -The one with the Big Belly Burger.
I eat.
Back up. Please. Keep back.
Why did you kill that woman?
[WHEEZING]
She deserved to die.
Now, go run away.
I still have one more name on my list.
Don't make me add you to it.
Hah!
[GRUNTING]
[GASPING]
[GROANING]
Barry.
Barry, can you hear me?
His vitals are weak, but he's alive, Dr. Wells. I'm sure he's fine.
[WHEEZING]
-I can't breathe. -He needs oxygen. Get the crash cart!
[COUGHING]
CAITLIN: Barry.
-Barry. -Cut me open. The poison is still in me.
He brought us a sample.
We need to do a pulmonary biopsy. Extract an active portion of that gas.
I can't give you anesthetic.
-Your metabolism will burn through it. -I heal quick. Remember?
-Do it. -Cisco, give me the syringe.
This is gonna hurt a lot.
-Small needle. You probably won't feel it. -You're definitely going to feel it.
[GASPS]
Mm.
The Streak lives.
You'd be dead if your lung cells didn't regenerate quickly.
Oh, my chest feels like that one time I had a cigarette.
Yeah. Teen me lived for danger.
-This isn't funny. You could have-- -I didn't.
Now that we have his sample, we'll get to work.
Analyzing it, figure out the poison, maybe get a clue as to his human identity.
Or at least a way to stop him from turning into a mist.
The Mist. Okay, that's his name. End of discussion.
I have to get to the station.
-You should be resting. -I have to talk to Joe.
[SIREN WAILS]
Joe. I had him.
The metahuman. We were wrong. He's not controlling airborne toxins.
He can literally transform himself into poison gas.
That's new.
The victim was a judge. We're checking old cases to see if there's a connection.
It's too late.
I should have been faster.
Focus on the job. Don't think about that right now.
You don't wanna know what I'm thinking about.
My dad has spent 14 years in a 6-by-8-foot cell for a crime he didn't commit.
I couldn't save my mom, but I can save him.
Didn't I promise you that we would get your father out of prison together?
I don't need your help, Joe.
I could be in and out of there with him before anyone even sees me.
Okay.
You break him out of there.
Then what?
He's on the run for the rest of his life.
-But he's not as fast as you are. -You don't know what it's like.
You think I don't understand what you're feeling?
I have been a cop for almost as long as you've been alive.
So you should know, putting on that suit does not make everybody safe.
For every person you save, there's gonna be somebody you can't.
And the hardest thing you're gonna have to face is not some monster.
It's gonna be that feeling of uselessness when you can't do anything.
Or the guilt that weighs on you...
...when you make a mistake.
Some things, Barry, you can't fight.
Some things...
...you just have to live with.
EDDIE: Yes, I'm writing this down.
Red Streak at the mall during the gas attack.
Thank you for calling.
Never fails. Tip lines bring out the potheads and the crazies.
-Did they get a look at the Streak's face? -Not you too.
What are you doing here, anyway?
We need to talk.
-I thought about what you said, and-- -I know what you're gonna say.
-I understand. I'm your dad's partner. -No, no, no, you don't understand.
I have never really had a serious boyfriend.
Between Dad and Barry and work, my life has been full.
And I really like you...
...but I thought if I told my dad about us, then it would make this real...
...and suddenly, it's something that I could lose or screw up.
I wanted it to be real.
Eddie.
I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, leaving like that.
It's okay. I get it.
You had to go.
It's just....
That's the last thing that Ronnie said to me that night.
My mother died 14 years ago.
I used to think that the further away I got from it, the less it would hurt.
But some days, the pain...
...it's worse than the day that it happened.
Some things you can't fight.
For so long...
...I've been terrified of going into that hole.
What if I went with you?
Where's Ronnie? Cisco, where is he?
-He's still inside. -What? Open the door.
I can't. We're in lockdown mode.
Cisco, we have to get him out or he'll die.
RONNIE: Cisco, can you hear me? -Ronnie, it's me.
[PANTING]
[RUMBLING]
Caitlin.
-Is Cisco there? -Yeah, Ronnie, I'm here. I'm listening.
I adjusted the magnets to redirect the beam.
To try and vent the systems so the blast goes up and not out.
I'll need to reset the particle parameters to compensate.
Cisco's doing it.
There has to be another way out of there. You have to find it.
Cait...
...the chain reaction, I can't reverse it.
The doors need to stay shut to protect you.
-Are you still there? -I'm here.
-Caitlin, whatever happens.... -Ronnie!
Ronnie!
He saved so many lives that day...
...and no one will ever know what he did.
I do.
He was a hero.
I didn't want him to be a hero.
I wanted him to be my husband.
CISCO: Barry, Caitlin, you down there? You gotta come look at this.
Hey, check this out.
It's a 3D molecular model of the gas from your lungs.
-We have identified the toxin. -Hydrogen cyanide?
What's interesting is what's mixed in with the cyanide.
A sedative.
Of course. The night of the explosion, find out if anyone was executed.
WELLS: Why? -That sedative is given...
...to criminals on death row before they go and breathe in hydrogen cyanide.
WELLS: That's right. -There was someone executed.
-Kyle Nimbus. BARRY: That's him.
CAITLIN: He was a hit man for the Darbinyan crime family.
They turned on him and testified.
Judge Theresa Howard was the judge at his trial. She sentenced him to death.
He must have been affected by the explosion while he was being gassed.
-Records say the execution was completed. -That's why there wasn't a match.
-The database only has records of the living. -Right.
There was one more person on his list. Check the arrest record.
Who caught him? That could be his next attack.
Barry, the lead detective.
-I'm here to see Henry Allen. -Sign here, personal effects here.
[PHONE RINGS]
BARRY [OVER PHONE]: Eddie. -Barry, what's up?
Do you know where Joe went? He's not picking up.
I'm not sure.
It's important I speak to him. I need to know where he went.
He went to Iron Heights to see your dad.
Barry, I reverse-engineered an antidote to the toxin.
I hope you won't need it.
[BUZZER SOUNDS]
[DOOR CLOSES]
-What are you doing here? Is Barry all right? -He's fine.
Then to what do I owe this visit?
I know I should have come to see you sooner.
You just weren't up for chitchat with a man who murdered his wife in front of his son?
Except now I know you didn't kill your wife.
Barry, I pulled up the specs on Iron Heights Prison.
It's maximum security, but I think I can talk you through breaking in there.
BARRY: Don't bother. I've been figuring out how to break into that place since I was 11.
Some new evidence has come to light.
I can't go into detail. It's just....
Look, the important thing is...
...I'm re-opening the case.
I'm gonna find out who really killed Nora...
...and I promise you, Henry, I'm going to get you out of here.
I am so sorry.
It doesn't matter that you didn't believe in me...
...because you always believed in my son.
[GUARD WHEEZING]
Nimbus?
-You're supposed to be dead. -Same to you.
[JOE COUGHING]
HENRY: Joe?
Joe!
Help! Guards!
Somebody, help!
Go get him.
[SIGHS]
So you come to finish what the gas chamber couldn't?
You're going somewhere you can't hurt anyone ever again.
Wrong.
He used the antidote on Joe.
You need to stay away from him, Barry. Do not breathe him in.
I'm not sure how that helps me, guys.
CAITLIN: You can't fight him, Barry.
Just keep him coming at you. That should zap his strength.
Gas is the least stable form of matter.
He will not be able to stay in his mist form for long.
His particles will need to reform.
[GRUNTS]
[WHEEZING]
[GRUNTS]
WELLS: Barry.
We win.
It's been a while since I watched you sleep.
[CHUCKLES]
Rescuing you is exhausting.
I really miss the ability to be able to ground you.
Sorry I went and grew up.
-I could have got dad out of Iron Heights. -I know.
But you were right. That's not the way.
IRIS: Daddy. -Oh, baby. I'm fine, don't worry.
I'll let you guys talk.
Partner.
You two arrive at the same time?
Dad, we have something that we need to tell you.
-Dad, the thing is-- -You two are dating.
-I know. -You do?
I'm a detective, remember?
And both of you are lousy liars.
-So you're not mad? -Oh, I'm mad.
If the doctor hadn't confiscated my gun...
...we'd be having an entirely different conversation.
Well, I should let you two talk, and I'll just be outside...
...looking into the Witness Protection Program.
-I'm sorry. -Iris, this is going to be complicated.
You know I don't like complicated.
Do you like him?
Yeah, I do.
-Then I will try hard not to shoot him. -That is all I ask.
[YELLING]
Will it hold?
The barrier's powered by an 8.3 tesla super-conducting electromagnet...
...which is about 100,000 times the strength of Earth's magnetic field.
In other words, yes.
[NIMBUS POUNDING ON DOOR AND YELLING]
He's mad.
Well, good night.
So we're just supposed to get used to working above a makeshift prison...
...housing evil people with superpowers?
You'd be surprised what you can get used to, Caitlin.
Caitlin.
-Can I talk to you for a second? -Sure. What's up?
It's about the night that Ronnie died.
-I-- -Look.
Cisco, I'm okay.
I thought coming down here would undo me...
...but thinking about what Ronnie did to protect us...
...it just made me love him more.
Come on. I need ice cream or a drink.
Let's see which one we hit first.
Joe's gonna be okay.
You know, lately I've been thinking about mom.
A lot.
I miss her.
Did I ever tell you about the time you learned to walk?
A couple of times.
Everyone was walking before you.
All the little babies running around the neighborhood. Not you.
But your mom was never worried. She just said, "He'll walk...
...when he has someplace to go."
And sure enough...
...the first time you took a few steps, you moved so quick, you didn't just walk.
-You started-- -To run.
And you ran to your mom, Barry.
Right into her arms.
You had someplace to go.
BARRY: I thought being the fastest man alive would make my life easier.
That I could outrun anything.
Turns out no one can outrun pain.
WOMAN: Somebody, help! Please!
Life is tragic.
[GASPS]
But it's also precious...
[INAUDIBLE DIALOGUE]
...and sweet...
...and extraordinary.
And the only way I know to honor my mom's life...
...is to keep running.
CISCO [OVER SPEAKERS]: Dr. Wells.
Dr. Wells, Ronnie did it. He vented the system.
S.T.A.R. Labs should hold.
Good man.
I'm on my way down.
[ALARM BLARING]
[ALARM STOPS]
[THUNDER CRASHING]
See you soon, Barry. hold.