Blinking a few times, Tessa's eyes were met with a blindingly bright light. Everything that happened on that night came back to her at once. That black cat that she called Lune, the strange purple substance, and... the wave that killed her.
"So... this is what being dead feels like?" Tessa thought to herself.
However, as her eyes adjusted to the light, she realized that she was very much alive.
She saw that she was hooked up to a bunch of different IVs. She saw the white-coloured interior of the room, and figured it out at last. She was in a hospital. But... how?
Now nervously sweating, she looked down at herself. Her skin wasn't burnt at all. It showed no signs of being exposed to a corrosive material of any kind.
Furrowing her eyebrows, Tessa now thought about possible conclusions.
Maybe, she was just having a lucid dream that entire time.
Maybe, she was just hallucinating.
Maybe, childcare workers came and found her while she was unconscious and saved her from Mrs. Snyder.
Tessa looked at the wall beside her, and spotted a calendar. Good. She needed to know how long she was unconscious for.
Scanning her eyes for the date circled, Tessa finally spotted it.
November 1st, 2014
In disbelief, Tessa reread it. No. She wasn't just imagining the date. It was actually there.
If it was November 1st...
That would mean that Tessa had been unconscious for approximately ten months. That's almost an entire year.
Which, Tessa realized, would mean that she was in a coma.
Tessa was extraordinarily confused right now.
What had caused her to enter the coma? What was that wave that hit her?
"It was a Dark Matter Wave." Said a female voice.
Tessa looked around frantically. Who the heck just talked to her?
"Relax. I'm a part of you now. Nobody can hear me but you." The voice assured.
"Who are you, though? Can you explain a bit more?" Tessa asked in her head.
"Lune." The voice replied.
Tessa was shook. That cat... what?!
"I seemed to have become a part of you, when the Particle Accelerator exploded. That was my original intention, so good. My plan worked." Lune said proudly.
"What plan? Plus, the Particle Accelerator wasn't supposed to be set off for another day..." Tessa said in a confused tone.
"My plan to turn you into a metahuman. It was December 11th, 2013 when you awoke in that back alley. Someone drugged you to make you forget the previous morning." Replied Lune.
"Okay... so... what the actual heck is a metahuman?!" Tessa asked.
"A metahuman is a person that possesses... well... abnormal abilities. Since you're about to ask who drugged you, I already know the answer, by the way. It was the man in yellow. The same yellow blur that claimed the lives of your dear parents."
"I..."
"I don't know his real identity at the moment, and neither do you by the looks of it. That's why we're gonna find out."
"We're not just gonna find out. We're gonna kill him. You do want to avenge your parents, right? Then you'll listen to me. You'll let me take control." Said a different, deeper female voice.
"Who was that?! Lune?" Tessa couldn't help but ask out loud.
"I like to call her... Solis. But don't listen to her. Listen to me." Lune said.
"Don't listen to Lune. Listen to me! You'll never stop the man in yellow if you don't." Solis growled.
"Tess, listen to me! You can't listen to Solis. She will kill anyone and everyone that stands in her way. Please. Listen to me." Lune begged.
"Screw this. I don't need your permission, Tess. I will take control whether you like it or not." Solis hissed.
Tessa saw black fur beginning to grow on her arms now.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME?!" Tessa screamed.
"Making us stronger." Solis responded in a crazed tone.
A sudden sense of aggravation came over Tessa, as she could feel her mind getting pushed out of her own body. She struggled to keep control over herself, but it was no use. Her mind wasn't strong enough to fight off Solis.
Now shaking uncontrollably, Tessa's heart rate increased dramatically as she could see on the monitor. It felt like she was having a heart attack, but at the same time it felt normal.
Sharp whiskers poked out of the girl's face, as strands of dark fur began poking out of every inch of her skin.
Her eyes became slitted, and the calming amber turned a bright, startling shade of orange.
Her nose morphed into a smaller, pinker one.
Large, pointed ears grew atop her head, as her old ones disappeared.
A long, fluffy tail protruded from her tailbone.
Sharp fangs grew in the place of her canine teeth.
Bones cracked, and reformed.
Growing, Tessa's IVs got ripped out of her once small arms.
She continued to grow, until her head almost hit the roof. She was now six-feet-tall.
But, it wasn't Tessa in control of the body anymore. No. It was Solis.
Solis grunted slightly, and walked over to the hospital door. Unsheathing her claws, Solis tore the door down, splinters flying everywhere.
Thinking quickly, Solis came up with a plan. People would have to get hurt in order for it to work... but it'd be worth it, if she succeeded.
Solis bashed through the hole that was once a door, tearing off the sides of the wall in order for her to fit through.
A nurse that was standing outside the door shrieked, and ran down the corridors.
Everyone else in the lengthy hallways, including doctors, more nurses, and even patients, all perked up and noticed the giant cat immediately.
Roaring to make the people afraid, the big cat squeezed through the hole in the wall and tromped right out into the open.
"We have a Code Green! Evacuate the facility immediately!" The speakers boomed.
Humans. So easily startled. Taking a deep breath, Solis knew what she was going to do next. She had to create as much destruction as possible, and once everyone was evacuated, they would probably be in one spot. Then, she could pounce.
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Barry Allen walked casually into the police station, like he would any other day. Although he was the Flash, he still had to work to make money. It's not like he minded, though; Forensic Science wasn't that bad. It allowed him to gather evidence to bring back to S.T.A.R. Labs, so it was a pretty decent cover job.
Barry expected it to be a normal day today. He expected to walk into the building, and get scolded by Captain Singh for being late like every other day.
However, when his eyes caught sight of the chaos ensuing inside the police station, he knew that it was going to be a long, long day today.
Police were in full gear, and looked as if they were going to walk right into a battleground.
Confusedly, Barry scanned the room for Joe.
Barry spotted him, and ran up to him. Not with his super-speed, of course. He had a secret identity to keep. But even without his super-speed, Barry was always quite fast.
Joe was in full uniform, and just finished loaded a pistol.
"Joe? What's going on?" Barry asked in a worried tone.
Joe continued preparing himself, and sighed.
"We received a bunch of 911 calls from the Central City Hospital. They say that they were being assaulted by a six-foot-tall werecat." Joe replied.
"What do you mean, they were being assaulted? Barry asked.
"They managed to evacuate everyone, but the meta is still in the building. If you're planning on taking it to S.T.A.R. Labs, I'd suggest you do it quickly. We don't know what the meta is capable of. All we know is that it's dangerous."
Barry nodded, and speeded off like he always does, using his super-speed this time. Barry momentarily forgot about all the people in the police station that could've seen him, as he had more important things to deal with at the moment.
Barry ran until he caught sight of S.T.A.R. Labs. He ran inside the building, up the stairs, and to the place where Cisco, Caitlin, Dr. Wells, and him usually discuss how to stop a meta. The Cortex.
Barry stopped, sending papers flying everywhere.
"We really need to get a paperweight one of these days." Cisco stated.
"Barry? What's going on? I thought you were supposed to be at work." Caitlin said, glancing at him.
"I am. But there's a metahuman inside the Central City Hospital, and I sort of need to get it out." Replied Barry.
"What type of metahuman?" Wells asked from behind.
Wells wheeled up to face Barry, with the usual blank facial expression on his face.
"Joe said that it's a six-foot-tall were-"
"Werewolf?!" Cisco finished, with childlike excitement.
"...Not exactly. It's actually a werecat." Barry responded.
"And, how do you plan on stopping this werecat?" Wells asked.
"Uh..."
"It's simple! Just bring something made of silver! They do it in Supernatural, and I'm pretty sure that werecats are basically the same thing as werewolves... actually, no! Werecats are like the opposite of werewolves, right? Because they're felines, and not canines? That would mean that the weakness of a werecat should be gold!" Cisco exclaimed.
"And where exactly are we supposed to find gold, Ramon?" Wells asked in a plain tone. "These are metahumans, not actual were-people. I highly doubt that the physics of a werewolf-"
"Werecat." Cisco interrupted.
"Werecat would apply to a metahuman." Wells finished.
"Do any of you have any better ideas?" Cisco asked.
Everyone went silent after that.
"We don't have time for this, guys. I'm leaving." Barry said.
"W-" Caitlin began, but didn't even bother to finish as Barry already took his suit off the mannequin and left the facility.
"Welp, at least he didn't turn the comms off this time." Cisco stated, tuning in to Barry's comms.
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Barry sped down the busy street, whizzing past the cars as if they were motionless. He finally made it to Central City Hospital. His eyes now scanned the proximity for any signs of a giant aggressive cat.
He suddenly picked up on people screaming from the distance, and bolted in that direction.
"Barry, I'd hurry if I were you! I highly doubt that our werecat will wait any longer for you to arrive!" Cisco exclaimed through the comms in an urgent tone.
"What do you think I'm doing? I'm almost there, give me half a second-" Barry said into his earpiece, but stopping in his tracks as soon as he saw it.
"Barry?" Said Cisco in a worried voice.
Barry gasped at the destruction in front of him. There was an eight-foot tall werewolf type thing, except it's features resembled a cat. But, the werecat was six-feet-tall before. Had the werecat grown?
Currently, it was pouncing on people and throwing them up in the air, as if they were prey that this cat just decided to play with.
"Hey, furry! Put those people down." Barry ordered.
The voice took the werecat's attention off of the people. She stopped playing with them, and turned towards the speedster.
A low, but terrifying growl formed in her throat.
"Cisco..." Barry trailed off in a panicked tone.
"Barry, what's happening?" Cisco asked.
Before Barry could answer, the giant cat leaped for him. Barry speeded behind it, but he had no clue what he was gonna do. He had never faced an opponent like this before.