The Flash s01e17 Episode Script

So call us here, our lines are open.
Now for a quick update here's Stan, the weatherman.
And get out your handkerchiefs.
We're in for another scorcher tomorrow.
Hot and humid, with the mercury climbing into the 90s and there's no relief in sight.
Man! It must be over 100 degrees in here! Can't you do something about it? Hey, the air conditioning's busted.
The repairman's on his way.
Heat's not the problem.
Jimmy Swain is the problem.
Not for me, Vega.
It's your territory he's making a run at.
Listen.
Swain's got his torpedoes working the west side.
Once he soaks that up he'll move in on Little Hong Kong.
- In another month, we'll be squeezed out.
Swain'll have this whole city in his tight, dirty pocket.
I say we take him out now.
Send the message that no out-of-town punk is gonna move us out.
- I agree.
- The last thing we need is somebody screwing up the balance of power.
Somebody call for a repairman? Hello? - Who is it? - I'm here from Central City Air to repair the air conditioning.
Hi.
How you doing, sir? Air conditioner's on the fritz.
Make it cool in here.
Oh, don't you worry about a thing.
Cool is my specialty.
- Hello.
- Hey, Bar, sorry to wake you.
- Julio.
- I'm down in Helltown at the St.
Diogenes Social Club.
I think you should get over here.
We got a weird one.
Move back here.
Come on.
Over here.
Hey man, what's up? Can you believe this heat? I got something else you won't believe.
- What's that? - You'll see.
These guys are frozen solid.
It's gotta be about 90 degrees out there.
How could this happen? From the positions of the bodies, they were killed trying to get away.
A sudden subzero drop in body temperature.
It could be liquid oxygen.
Or nitrogen maybe.
You'd have to drop the bodies in a vat of the stuff to get this effect.
These guys were frozen on the spot.
I don't know how.
Well, let me spur your conjecturing, Allen.
Meet the late Nikolai Brown Ray McGill, Luis Vega and attempting to dial 911, Johnny Choi.
- What? - That's right.
Central City's criminal board of directors.
Combined, they control virtually all the crime in this town.
Or they did.
It must been serious for all them to sit down together.
I need some answers.
Fast.
I don't know if I got a quadruple homicide or a freak of nature.
You have no right! Ever hear of freedom of speech? - This is closed to reporters.
- It's a violation of my rights! Nobody crosses this line without authorization.
All right! I get the message.
But your name's on my list, Officer Bellows! Oh, nice! Do you have any idea how much a manicure costs these days? - What were you doing? - Trying to get past Dirty Harry not that it's any of your business.
Hey, you guys work for the crime lab? - Yeah, not that it's any of your business.
- Right.
This is great.
I hear you got couple of human snow cones in there.
You give me exclusive, I'll put your name in the paper.
- What do you say? - Bellows! Escort Lois Lane here back across police barricade and make sure she stays there.
Yeah? How's this for a headline: "Police rough up reporter.
" Don't tempt me, lady.
Let's go.
Your name is on my list too.
You got that? Watch yourself, ace! I love it! No more infighting over turf.
No more slicing the pie so thin you can't even see the wedge on your plate.
From now on, this city is gonna be run by a single entrepreneur: Me.
No, thank you.
You know, I like the way you clean house.
I'm offering you a permanent position in my organization.
I'll pay you well.
Oh, that's very flattering of you, Mr.
Swain, but you see one of the great pleasures of my job is the travel.
Have it your way.
The rest of your payment, as we agreed and I thank you.
Hey, listen.
There is one more little job I'd like for you to do before you leave town.
Oh, I'd really like to, but I have reservations in St.
Tropez.
Yeah.
Work on that tan.
You're probably not the right guy for this job anyway.
It's a tough number.
A real challenge.
Oh, really? - I'm listening.
- Well, there's this guy in town l'm worried about.
He's put lot of my peers out of business and I'd be very grateful if you'd put him on ice.
And who is this? He calls himself the Flash.
The Flash.
- Anything new on those frozen bodies? - No.
The coroner hasn't got a clue.
I'll have Tina run a tissue sample through Star Labs.
- Any suspects? - They could be aliens from the Earth's core.
- What? - Like the Flash.
Julio, come on, you don't really read this rag, do you? You gotta wrap the fish in something, right? Mendez! Allen! Almost got away.
Gentlemen, this is Terri Kronenberg, a reporter for The Daily Clarion.
Ms.
Kronenberg, Julio Mendez, Barry Allen, our forensic scientists.
Yes, Mr.
Allen and I have already met.
How's your foot? Just fine.
How's your hand? Ms.
Kronenberg is on special assignment to do a series of articles about the police.
The mayor's office asked us to extend every courtesy.
I'd like you to show her the crime lab and tell her what you do.
Lieutenant, we're very busy up in the crime lab at the moment.
We are all very busy, Allen but the chief's office thinks the publicity could be good for us.
- Need I say more? - No, sir.
Look, why don't we just let bygones be bygones and forget our little disagreement? What do you say? I'd better run those tissue samples to Star Labs but I'm sure Mr.
Mendez will be happy to show you to the lab.
Sure, Barry.
- Is he married? - Excuse me.
I understand you're a reporter and you're doing a story on Central City's finest.
- That's right.
- Great.
Allow me to introduce myself.
I'm Officer Murphy, somewhat of a legend here in the police department.
- I'll make myself available for interviews.
- Thanks, that's very considerate of you.
I was thinking perhaps over dinner maybe I could tell you cop stories that would make Jack the Ripper look like a musical.
A musical comedy.
Yes, no doubt.
Why don't you just write your adventures down and I'll read them when you're done.
Why not? Why not? "Michael Francis Murphy: Dedicated cop, hard-hitting novelist.
" No.
"Hard-hitting cop, unsparing author.
" Murphy, this is great.
- I thought you had theory to run past me.
- Yeah.
- You know spontaneous combustion? - When thing seem to burst into flames on their own.
- Exactly.
Well I was thinking this might be that, only opposite.
No one knows that spontaneous combustion really happens.
It's just a theory.
And I've never heard of spontaneous freezing.
But there must be some rational explanation.
Let me run that tissue sample through my analysis equipment.
If I come up with anything l'll let you know.
- Thanks, Tina.
Well, I better get back to the crime lab.
Hopefully Ms.
Kronenberg will be gone.
Dinner, anyone? - Hello.
- I heard you might be working late I thought you might be hungry.
So I've got Chinese, Italian and Mexican.
I have trouble making decisions.
Well, this is very nice, but really, it's not necessary.
All right, look, about the other night I acted like a jerk.
Well, I mean, not so much a jerk as much as I was just sort of pushy.
All right, actually, to tell you the truth, I was a jerk.
But it's my job.
I take it very seriously, and it makes me a little aggressive.
It's a problem, and I've been working on it.
I'm a lot better.
You should've seen me before.
It's a trait, it runs in my family.
So, what I'm trying to say here is I'm sorry, okay? Do you ever breathe? - Yeah, that's another thing, I talk a lot.
- Oh, really? I hadn't noticed.
I guess I figure that if I let someone else get a word in edgewise, well they're just gonna tell me I'm wrong.
My therapist says I'm insecure.
- I don't know, what do you think? - I think it's okay to listen.
You know, you're smart.
I like brains in a man, I think that's sexy.
I think maybe we should eat before the food gets cold.
So.
What? What do you know about the Flash? The Flash? Not much, why? Well, I have this theory.
I think that he's a member of the police department.
Really? What makes you say that? Well, come on, think about it.
Why can't they catch him? Because he knows every move they're gonna make.
It's because he's a cop.
Interesting theory.
I'm not sure I buy it.
I asked some of your fellow officers who they all thought the Flash was.
Everyone had a different answer.
You friend Julio even thought once that you were the Flash.
What's so funny? Well, you don't really strike me as the type.
You're not physical enough.
Well, I stay in shape.
Oh, no, no, no.
Don't get me wrong.
You look terrific for a scientist.
Well, thank you.
Listen, why are you so interested in the Flash anyway? Well, he's news, you know.
I would love to get an interview with him.
Any reporter would.
Barry.
Tina.
This is Terri Kronenberg, she's a reporter.
Oh, yes.
I've heard about you.
This is Tina McGee, she's a scientist too.
Star Labs.
Sorry to interrupt.
I've just analyzed the tissue and found something interesting.
- Would you excuse us a moment? - Sure.
There was a low level of residual radiation.
Not too dangerous, but higher than normal.
What does it mean? They were frozen by something that uses nuclear energy as a power source.
- Sounds like some kind of weapon.
- It does, doesn't it? All right, let's move.
Come on.
Move it, people! - Let's go.
- Bellows, what's going on? Some creep phoned in.
He left three packages with bombs in the city.
- They're about to set off in five minutes.
- Where? There's one at Central Books, one at So you're a reporter.
That must be interesting.
And you're a scientist.
That must be dull.
Excuse me.
Don't touch that! Where is it? Yeah, I knew if I raced you all over town, you'd run out of steam.
You look pretty hot.
I think I'd better cool you off.
Oh, boy, you've got some pretty good moves there, red.
But you know what? Even you can't outrun the cold hand of death.
Looks like we're gonna have to call this one a draw, huh? Until we meet again.
- Still hurting, huh? - Yeah, but it's better.
I'm telling you, the blast went through the suit like it wasn't even there.
Barry, I did some research last night.
I think I know where that weapon came from.
A company in California have been doing research in biological cryogenics.
The freezing of living organisms.
They developed a portable freezing unit powered by a lightweight nuclear module.
It can fire a blast that can lower a temperature to minus 200 degrees F at a range of 100 feet.
Six months ago, burglars broke in and stole it.
That's the weapon he was carrying.
Barry, I want you to consider something.
Last night was a trap.
Whoever set those bombs knew the Flash would race around to defuse them and the exertion would exhaust you.
- I think you should lay low for a while.
- Hide out till it's safe? - I can't do that.
- Barry, someone is trying to kill you! One blast could freeze you in your tracks before you even got close.
I'll just have to find him first.
Okay, but I want to be able to keep an eye on you.
I've implanted this mini transmitter in your suit's earpiece.
It'll allow me to track you.
If there's emergency and your vital signs reach critical it'll trigger an alarm off here in the lab.
Thanks, Tina.
You know, I really do appreciate the concern.
- Crime Lab, Allen speaking.
- It's Fosnight.
- What have you got? - That guy that tried to frost the Flash is the same guy who threw the igloo pie at the St.
Diogenes Club.
Yeah, no kidding.
What's his name? How about a nickname, Captain Cold.
Ex-mercenary, now he's a hit man.
Captain Cold? What's this guy look like? It's pretty hard to miss him.
He's an albino.
Don't let the pink eyes fool you, the guy's a stone killer.
Hit men have employers, right? Right.
There's a power play brewing in the underworld.
A punk from back east named Jimmy Swain is trying to move in.
He hired Cold to refrigerate the obstacles and that includes the Flash.
All right.
Thanks, Fosnight.
Oh, how much is this gonna cost me? You couldn't afford it, copper.
But the Flash is a pretty good egg, more or less, so this one's a giveaway.
Later, Allen.
The Inquisitor.
"Inquisitor has learned that police and scientists from Star Labs have joined forces to search for a killer with a nuclear-powered freeze weapon.
" Here you go.
"Murphy's Law: The true story of Michael Francis Murphy the cop who saved Central City"? - My eyes only, Bellows.
My eyes only! - What are you doing? Writing the first of a long line of bestselling novels that'll allow me to be the guy in the hammock with a blue drink on the French Riviera.
- When did you save Central City? It's called dramatic license.
I had a different word for it, see? - Where's Terri Kronenberg? - I last saw her in Garfield's office.
- Something wrong? - I'll handle it.
I need an address on Jimmy Swain.
He's a criminal from out of town.
All right.
- Did you write this? - Me? Whatever gave you that idea? You're the only one who could've heard us talking last night.
Well, l I called the Clarion, they never heard of you.
Neither did the mayor's office.
You're not here to do a story.
That just a scam.
What's it really about? Call the Department of Public Affairs.
- I'm sure that they - The Flash! That's it, isn't it? You want to do a story about the Flash for the Inquisitor.
- No, you don't understand.
- The hell I don't.
You were pumping me for information last night.
Look, I have tried to get a job with the Clarion for two years.
I only work for the Inquisitor because they'd hire me.
The Flash is an alien? I figured if I could get story on the Flash the Clarion would give me a chance.
Either you tell Lieutenant Garfield the truth or I will.
You're supposed to be low profile! What's next? Your own TV series? You said the Flash was gonna be dead in 24 hours.
What happened? Well, he was faster than I thought.
But don't worry about it.
Don't get upset.
It won't happen again.
I've built an electronic scanner that allows me to track anything moving through the city faster than 200 mph.
Next time he won't get away.
There's not gonna be a next time.
You're fired.
- But we have a contract.
- I'm canceling it.
- You generate too much publicity.
- What about the rest of my money? The other half was on delivery.
You didn't deliver.
Okay.
If that's the way you want it.
By the way I have something for you, a little gift.
It's I always give one to my customers at the end of every job.
It's for good luck.
Just to show there's no hard feelings.
See you around.
You know that's the trouble with the world these days, Mr.
Swain.
People have forgotten about honor and commitment.
Nobody cancels a contract with me.
Once I take a job, I always finish it.
No matter what.
Hey, Barry, where you been? We've got work to do.
- The ice man struck again.
- Where? Remember that guy you asked Bellows to locate, Jimmy Swain? He found him in an apartment at Bradbury Arms, frozen solid.
- Jimmy Swain? - That's not all.
Garfield got a call on another one.
Somebody found an iced stiff at the metalworks, it's on Sturgeon Street.
- I'll take Sturgeon Street.
- I'll take the Bradbury Arms then.
Gotcha! Great makeup, huh? I feel sort of like a Christmas tree.
- Are you out of your mind? - Hi, I'm Terri Kronenberg, I'm a reporter.
I know you're a very busy guy.
I only need five minutes for an interview, okay? It's important to me, and I'm sure you won't mind.
What's the deal? - Do you sleep in the suit or wear pajamas? - Get these cuffs off of me.
Not till I get my interview.
Will you give me the key, or do I have to search you? That sounds like fun, but I don't have it on me.
I hid it somewhere in the city.
Either give me my interview or we can search the city.
- I've got a better option: Hypothermia.
Hey.
Hey, get up.
Get up! Sorry.
This just isn't your night.
Barry! My God! Where are you? Sorry.
No witnesses.
- Clarion.
- Hi, I need to talk to the news editor.
- Sorry, he's gone home for the day.
- You'd better find him, and fast.
Tell him to dig out his checkbook.
Somebody just killed the Flash, and I got pictures of it.
Come on, let's go! Get the body to Forensics fast! Let's go! Get it in there! Perfect! Bellows, inside! Come on! - Give me a hand over here.
- Yeah.
- Over here.
- I got it.
- National Inquisitor.
- Yes, this is Hogan Film Labs.
We have a rush delivery for one of your reporters a Miss Terri Kronenberg.
We seem to have misplaced the address.
You can't die.
I won't let you die.
Damn it, Barry! Come on! Why wouldn't you listen to me, Barry? Why? Come on, Barry! Tina.
Barry? I thought you were dead.
It's so cold.
Why am I alive? Your high-speed metabolism must have saved you.
I could see everything.
He was standing over me, grinning.
And then he went for Terri.
- Terri Kronenberg? She was there? - He's gonna kill her.
- You're in no shape - Just call the station.
Tell them to get to her apartment.
Miss Kronenberg? It's Jason from Central City Courier.
Here to pick up your pictures.
I told the Clarion not to pick them up for another hour.
Well, I can't wait.
I'm here.
You ordered some ice? What's the matter? Don't you wanna come out and play? I'm here to take you to the Ice Capades.
I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll freeze all your stuff.
I know you're in there, I can smell your cheap perfume.
Are you hiding in the shower? The ice man cometh.
Hello there.
- You're alive.
- No thanks to you.
Hey, I'm sorry about what happened.
It's just that l Oh, look at what you've done! You ruined all my photos! I could've got 10,000 bucks for those pictures of you and Mr.
Ice Cube here.
- Thanks a lot.
There goes my career.
- Wait a minute.
You had pictures of Captain Cold and you didn't call the police? They would've seen them on the front page of the Clarion.
I don't believe you! All you care about is your money and your career.
You almost got us killed! - No, I didn't I didn't mean to - You didn't mean to what? To be an unprincipled, manipulative brat who thinks truth is something to be twisted to get what you want? If you really wanna be a good reporter you have to learn to care about the truth.
And about people.
The police will be here for him.
Hey, Murph, did you hear the news? - Looks like the Flash isn't dead after all.
- What? Well, he captured that Captain Cold character at Terri Kronenberg's apartment.
I knew that frozen phony we found at the metalworks wasn't the real thing.
Murphy! Would you mind putting your memoirs away long enough to escort the prisoner to lockup? - Yes, sir.
- All right, iceberg, let's move it.
- Easy now.
I'm gonna need your glasses.
My eyes are very sensitive to the light.
Well, then keep them shut.
I need your glasses.
If you wish.
No you keep them.
"There I stood, face to face with the madman known as the Ghost.
He had kidnapped my girl, killed my partner and shot my dog.
Now it was time for him to learn the real meaning of Murphy's Law.
" Hey, hey, hey! That's private property, huh? Come on.
You'll have to wait for the hardcover edition like the rest of the world.
Don't you have doughnuts to eat and coffee to ruin? Come on.
I had no idea you were such a hero.
I mean, with a guy like you around who needs the Flash? You'll laugh on the other side of your badge when I sell those movie rights, pal.
Hey, you.
"Hey, you"? Hey, what are you doing? What's going on? It's a portable heating unit we've been experimenting with for work in Arctic conditions.
If you're hit with cold air, it instantaneously stabilizes your body temperature with a blast of heat.
With the temperatures that Captain Cold can create, it'll probably only work once.
Let's hope that once is all I'll need.
I've studied the properties of his freeze gun.
A reflective surface may bounce the ice beam away.
Thanks.
I'll remember.
- Murphy! - Yes, sir.
Did you search "Winter" before you put him in lockup? - Absolutely.
Stem to stern - Obviously, not good enough! You're on report! I always finish it, no matter what.
Come on, you don't have to prove anything to anybody.
Because of me, he escaped.
I'm the guy that screwed up.
Boy, were you right, that Murphy's Law.
More like Murphy's Guffaw.
- I didn't say that.
- The only way I'm gonna redeem myself is to turn Frosty the Snowman into a puddle.
Tina, listen, I'm okay, all right? I have a little cold, that's all.
Well, you don't sound okay.
Stay in bed and take care of yourself.
No thrashing around - or you'll get pneumonia.
- Yes, mom.
I am not your mother! Listen, I'm not feeling very well.
Could you come back later? Barry, I really need to talk to you.
This is just gonna take a minute.
All right, here goes.
I was a real louse, and I know it.
You were so nice and you trusted me and I lied to you.
There's really no excuse.
I was only thinking of myself, I wasn't even thinking of anybody else.
It's just that my job is so important to me, and I really wanted to get a big story.
What? Friends of yours? Coming! Where you been? I been looking for you.
I tried calling you, the line was busy.
Okay.
- All right, I get it.
- No.
I came home because I'm sick.
- What's up? - Okay, we got a real crisis on our hands.
Captain Cold broke out of lockup and froze a city bus with passengers inside.
He called the station and said if the Flash didn't meet him, he'd let them freeze.
- No sign of the Flash.
- Where's the bus? It's on Poplar and Fourth.
Garfield thinks, with our knowledge, we can figure out how to stop this guy.
If that bus is frozen, those passengers won't last 10 minutes.
- You go ahead.
I'll meet you there.
- All right.
- Whoa, this could be a big story.
- You! Goodbye.
- I'm coming with.
- What do you mean? - I've got work to do.
- I can help! You could get hurt.
You don't understand.
Danger is my business.
Get down! What's the matter? Didn't you get to play in the snow when you were a kid? I like that, that's good.
You know, I knew you wouldn't turn down my little invitation.
I'm only here long enough to see that you're put back in jail where you belong.
Oh, really? Then why don't you just come and get me.
What's the matter? Oh, don't tell me, you're afraid of a little ice.
C'est la vie.
This time, I'm gonna use full power so you don't walk away again.
Maybe I'm warming up to you after all.
Those summer colds, they're the worst.
How'd you do it, Murphy? - Do what, sir? - You iced the ice man, didn't you? - You mean, you didn't see? - See what, Murph? Come on, come on, I'm a reporter! Let me through! Murphy, when the paper gets ahold of this, you're gonna be hero.
- Me? - Yeah.
Come on, tell us.
How'd you take down Captain Cold? Wasn't easy.
There he was, the man who'd brought Central City to its knees and there I was, Michael Francis Murphy the cop who put the law back in "law and order.
" Only one of us was gonna walk away from that, so Well, suddenly Go on, Murph.
Nuts.
The truth is, I didn't do anything.
All I saw was a streak of red and a blaze of lightning.
Then it was the Flash.
You're just gonna have to read about that in my book.
My new book: The Scarlet Speedster and Me.
Somebody pinch me.
- Murphy saw the Flash for himself.
- I didn't say that.
- But you just - Wait a minute.
You'll have to read about it in the book.
In your case, the comic-book version, okay? That's it.
Lousy heat wave.
Okay, somebody call the coroner to pick this guy up before he melts.
On the other hand, maybe you better call the Good Humor man.
Lunch, anyone? Hello again.
Thai, Greek, Moroccan.
Sounds great.
Let's go.
You know I wanna thank you.
Between you and the Flash, I've had to take a good hard look at myself and my career.
- I quit my job at the Inquisitor.
- You did? What are you gonna do? You're looking at the newest writer for the Happy Times Greeting Card Company.
"A card for every occasion.
" Okay.
Roses are red Violets are blue If you don't pay our bill Our company will sue Congratulations, I think.
Well, at least it's honest.
I figure it'll keep me in cornflakes until I get a better job from a newspaper.
I think you made the right decision.
You know, I finally figured out who the Flash is.
You did? I still think he's a cop.
Someone you wouldn't suspect in a million years.
Really? He's a nice guy.
He's friendly, concerned, works at the crime lab.
The crime lab? Julio Mendez.
Julio? Oh, my God, really? Julio? The way I see it, he puts on a little makeup, a little padding under his suit.
That way he figures no one'll even suspect.
Oh, man, that is amazing.
I mean, who would have guessed, Julio? Yeah.
Well, his secret's safe with me.
After all, he did save my life.
Julio.
Want some couscous? No, thanks.
You know, we were just talking about you.
- Yeah, what about? - We were wondering where you've been.
You know, I was just out running around.
Yeah, we thought so.