The Flash (2014) s08e09 Episode Script

1 Almost at the goal line.
Look, I know I've been stable for a few months, and I'm not due for another treatment quite yet, but I appreciate you checking.
Hey, gotta check yourself before you wreck yourself.
All right.
Well, you're all good now.
- Really? - Yeah.
Well, it's it's just that um lately, I've been forgetting things.
For instance, there was this dinner at my dad's and I Dad? Weren't you just upstairs? Yeah, and then I went to the garage because you asked me to get the files from the old Scarpulla case.
Remember? Um.
Yeah, I-I I must've just Checked out or something for a couple of minutes, and then I have this hazy memory of Of a train station.
And for some reason, I feel like you were there.
You forget we had an appointment in the books? You're gonna start moving in and out of timelines again.
It's news to me 'cause I'd remember something like that.
Yeah, yeah, I know.
Of course.
Hey, how does someone catch a time sickness, anyway? No idea, but I intend to find out.
Whoa, hold up now.
What is it? I'm picking up mutations like ones I've never seen before.
Well, that sounds bad.
Actually, it could mean a lot of things, might even be a side effect of my treatments.
Tell you what, I'm gonna go hit up my Force sibs to see if they can help me figure this out.
- What do I tell Barry? - Nothing.
I don't know what this is yet, so for now, just chill.
Trust me, all right? As soon as I find out what's up, I'll come find you wherever you are.
This case gives dead ends a bad name.
At least no one else has been hurt.
Yet.
Barr, what's wrong? I just can't shake the feeling that there's something we missed.
Well, look, I'm gonna dig into the evidence you gave me from last week's crime scene.
All right, thanks.
Hey, where's Caitlin? We need all the help we can get.
Ever since she decided to go all in with Marcus, it's open season on spontaneous getaways.
So one minute, they're listening to showtunes, getting all weepy on the couch, and then next, they got last minute tickets to "Dear Evan Hansen" in Metropolis.
Well, good for her, but where does that leave us? One step closer to the truth, y'all.
Okay, so I stayed up all night building this cold fusion alarm module for our satellites.
Chester? - I - You all right? Yeah.
Sorry, sorry.
This all-nighter's got me zoning out.
Here's the deal.
So we know that this meta's fire powers are cryokinetic, meaning that their power output would read as extreme cold pockets.
This alarm I just finished building, it's gonna alert us as soon as there's any rapid drops in barometric anomalies anywhere in the city.
Only downside is, we won't know where our baddie actually is until "flame's on.
" Or someone else gets burned up.
No, the moment we get a hit, I'll be fast enough to get there in time, and we can end this before anyone else gets hurt.
Sue Dearbon, loving the non-catsuit look.
Why the change? I got restless, so here I am.
Iris? Hi, you good? Yeah.
Yeah, I'm great.
Yeah, so what brings you back to Central City? Oh, well, now that Black Hole's gone and my parents are in white collar prison, I am in charge of revitalizing the family business.
So I'm just here showing face at all the business holdings and reassure everyone personally that things are gonna be different.
And added bonus, I get to pop in on my favorite tenants.
Well, we are eternally grateful for your help in expanding our office.
Hey, you guys are the ones doing all the work.
All right, I have got to jet to Coast City.
We own a string of luxury hotels I have to go inspect.
- Sounds fun.
- No, no.
It's boring as hell.
Yeah, but if I'm lucky, maybe I'll catch a glimpse of the CCP while I'm there.
Oh, you guys haven't heard.
Apparently there's been multiple sightings of someone walking through walls.
It's popping up on socials as #CoastCityPhantom.
It sounds like a new meta.
I wonder how they got their powers on the West Coast.
Actually, I have run into quite a few metas around the world.
Turns out there's folks all over the place with latent meta genes.
All it takes is the right set of circumstances for their powers to manifest.
Maybe that's what happened in Coast City? Yeah, giving them their first meta.
Iris, this could be a great story.
Yeah, you should come with me.
I would love the company.
You don't mind staying in posh, five-star hotel suites, do you? I'll go.
- You will? - Yeah.
Allegra can cover things while I'm gone.
I can? Yeah, don't you have a blossoming media empire to run? Well, I can run things remotely, and besides, Allegra's right, I mean, this is a huge scoop, and if this story pops, it could lay the groundwork to a West Coast expansion.
I am sold.
Great.
That's that.
- Road trip.
- Oh.
Let's go.
Okay.
Is that a cold spot? Our fire meta just turned up at 138 South Devon Road.
What the hell? Flash, did you find them? Barry, what's happening? I'm too late.
- Black fire? - Yeah.
It was like nothing I've ever encountered.
And it put itself out.
How is that even possible? I don't know, but I'm telling you, man, I mean, it was there one second, the next nothing.
So what else do we know? The vic's name, Parker DeStefano.
She teaches classes here at the studio.
Hey, are you seeing this? Holy "Fahrenheit 451.
" Okay, we need a way to preserve it.
Maybe we can try using the micro-catalyzed containment unit? The what? Ray Palmer and I designed it together in collaboration with the foundation that he named after my dad.
The MCCU preserves the vaporized integrity of gases, but it's back at my workshop.
- What's it look like? - It's like an 8-inch vacuum-sealed borosilicate canister with an ionic-fused base and cap.
I'll be right back.
Yeah, yeah, okay.
That's gonna take some time to get used to.
Is this it? Yeah, yeah, that's yeah.
Okay.
Okay, try to determine its molecular properties then reprogram our satellite module.
To detect whatever meta-data I find.
Yeah, then match it to a city-wide search.
That way, if we're lucky We can catch this murderer before they kill again.
I triangulated the last few Coast City Phantom sightings posted to social media, and all of them occurred downtown.
Wow, you're really pulling out all the stops.
So how's tricks? Everything okay at work? Yeah, better than ever.
I mean, CCC Media is evolving.
How about you and Barry? You guys still the couple of the century? You say that like it's a bad thing.
- Lady, it is the best thing.
- Agreed.
Uh, yeah, no, Barry is leveling up and firing on all cylinders with Team Flash.
And hold on.
What's with all the prying? It's nothing.
I mean, I get it.
Life's grand, and you're busy as all get out.
But with all that going on, you're still really eager to help this new meta become the Streak part two.
And Allegra could've handled this story and taken some of this off your plate.
Is there anything you want to share? Oh.
Oh, look at that.
We got a hit.
Let's go.
Okay, not them.
Hmm, could be either one.
- We should probably get closer.
- Uh, uh.
Give it a minute.
Yahtzee.
Hi, I'm Iris West-Allen with "The Central City Citizen" Media.
Never heard of it.
- Fair enough, and this is - Her landlord.
Yeah, still not caring.
So if you don't mind.
Okay, well we were hoping that you could help us with a story that we're researching.
Not interested.
It's about the Coast City Phantom.
You ever heard of him? Or her.
Look, we don't want to cause you any trouble, okay? We really just want to talk to you and see if there's any way that we can help you.
- What's your name? - I'm not telling you that.
- Order for Tinya.
- Oh, Tinya.
Triple espresso, that's a lot of caffeine for a teen.
Okay, I'm gonna be honest.
When we heard that there was a possibility of a meta in Coast City - What's a meta? - People like you with powers.
And what? You think I'm your next headline? No, no, it's not like that.
It's just in Central City, we have experience working with metas.
To do what? Well, to help others.
Have you heard of the Flash? Okay, well eight years ago, I was the reporter that who helped break his story and if you let me, I can help do the same for you.
How'd you guys find me anyway? Well, metas like you are made up of dark matter, and this app helps us find just that.
Really? Well, good luck finding me now.
Yeah, that went well.
I've triple checked the who's who binder.
Nothing on a "Tales From The Crypt" meta who can conjure up black fire.
With no chemical signatures to program into our satellites, we're still flying pretty blind.
All right, keep working the science.
I'm gonna pay Kramer a visit.
Now that she's part of the team, she needs to know what we're really dealing with.
Plus, maybe she can help us find a connection between all three victims.
Just call me if you find anything.
Yeah No problem-o.
Just me and the scary black flame.
Nothing weird about that.
Okay, relax, Chester P.
Relax.
You got this.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
Hey, hey.
There's a fire! There's a fire.
Help! Help me! Someone help! Chuck, Chuck.
It's okay, it's okay.
It's just us.
You were shouting in your sleep.
Is everything okay? Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, I just just a bad dream.
Must've been a doozy.
Are you sure that's it? I can feel how frightened you still are.
Yeah, no, no, no, I'm I'm good, I'm good.
Really, I've just been working way too much lately.
Maybe I just need some coffee to power up the old mental hard drive.
Sorry.
Okay, I can feel him struggling.
Anybody else notice that he's been having - a hard time lately? - Yeah, I definitely have.
If something's bothering him, why wouldn't he say so? I mean, he's the most touchy-feely person I know.
It must be super personal then.
To keep us out, Team Flash? I mean, that's just wrong.
He'll talk to me.
Since your phone's toast, I'm downloading Chester's dark matter app.
Only seven hours and nine minutes to go.
Okay, I really need to upgrade my service.
I can afford it.
No, Sue, we don't have that kind of time.
I mean, Tinya can walk through walls.
I mean, she could be anywhere.
Well, until this downloads, we have the rest of the day to come up with a better idea, and this looks like the perfect place to strategize.
Okay, well, we need to narrow down all the places that we think that she might be and search them.
Great, and we can talk about the real problem while we're doing it.
Come on, Iris, what are you really doing here? It's it's far out, so Try me.
Last year, I started feeling weird, and so the Still Force took a look at me and discovered that I had contracted a time sickness.
Now, what that means and how I got it is still a mystery, but I don't know.
Recently, I feel like I'm starting to lose time.
Okay, okay.
I see why you're freaking.
Yeah, and then this morning, I checked in with Deon, and he found something that he had never seen before.
And even though he told me to relax while he looks into it, I mean, I can't help but feeling that something is really wrong.
And that's why you threw yourself into this story? Yeah, I needed a distraction.
Believe me, I understand.
I did the same thing when I found out that my parents volunteered to work for Black Hole.
At first, I was so mad I just looked the other way.
I mean, seriously, I did everything to avoid facing the consequences of their actions.
But I had to stop running away and face my parents.
And Iris, you have to do the same thing about this fear around this time sickness thing.
Yeah, but I mean, what if Deon shows up tomorrow with bad news? Yeah, that could happen.
You could also be fine.
Either way, you have to stop running from the fear of the unknown.
It's it's a race you can't win.
- What? - Tinya.
What if I'm not the only one running? I think I know where to find her.
Got enough for a second cup? Yeah, yeah, definitely.
I'm not gonna lie, you look more stressed now than you did during the "Trials of Gyntarri" campaign.
Yeah.
That was a tough one.
Wow.
Even D&D talk isn't gonna perk you up? I'm sorry.
I'm a little out of it.
I know this new fire meta case is pretty intense, and as our resident science guru, you're in it pretty deep.
I mean, you have to examine victims and run tests on bodies.
That's a lot of pressure.
I guess what I'm saying is, you're not alone.
I mean, we're all in this together.
Right? So if you need to talk about something, anything - It's happening again.
- How'd it get out? It didn't trust me.
I know you're not really here.
This is just another dream.
No, it's not.
Doesn't S.
T.
A.
R.
Labs have a fire suppression system or something? The fire's cold fusion.
It doesn't produce carbon dioxide.
Our sensors wouldn't pick it up as real fire.
Please, please, not like this.
It's here.
I can't put out these flames.
All right, just stay behind me.
I don't get it.
First, Chuck has a dream about this weird fire, and then the meta who created it attacks us? And why would anyone want to hurt Chuck anyway? I don't know, but we're gonna keep you safe.
- I promise.
- Thanks.
Chester, what about your barometric detection thingy? Why didn't it go off? When I programmed the search parameters, I used the default setting that establishes a tracking grid outside of S.
T.
A.
R.
Labs.
Right.
Maybe you should fix that.
Yeah, I just did.
I also doubled checked to make sure that S.
T.
A.
R.
Labs was clear too.
It's like this black fire meta can appear and disappear at random.
Plus, their fire leaves no trace.
Like a ghost.
I gotta get some air.
He's hurting really bad inside.
Can you blame him? First, two bodies show up at O'Shaughnessy's Then the yoga instructor, DeStefano, this morning.
Yeah, and now the same person is hunting Chuck, a guy who would never hurt anyone.
It doesn't make any sense.
If this meta can get inside S.
T.
A.
R.
Labs undetected, they could be anywhere.
What if they're controlling the flames remotely? I mean, the shape that we saw in the fire, it had no face, no identifying marks.
Maybe it was some kind of projection? I mean, it could explain why you haven't been able to catch them.
The killer's never actually been at any of the crime scenes.
But that doesn't explain why our black fire meta is going after Chester.
Put S.
T.
A.
R.
Labs on lockdown.
Nobody except for me gets in or out until we figure out what's going on.
Where you going? If somebody is controlling the fire remotely, I'm gonna search the city until I find them.
Stay on comms.
On it.
She's not here.
How did you get I don't know how you found me, but I'm out of here.
How about you stay? All right, you do know that I can walk through walls, right? Well, we have friends at S.
T.
A.
R.
Labs, and when I told them that we had a ghost meta on our hands, they gave me this.
It's called a molecular destabilizing matrix.
Apparently all I have to do is turn it on, and it destabilizes any folks like you within a three-block radius.
What do you say we give it a try? Yeah, I thought you two helped people? Oh, she does.
Me, it depends on my mood.
So why don't you relax? Let's hear Iris out.
Why do you even care? We know that you're looking for your mother.
It was your backpack.
At Jitters, it looked like your whole life was jammed inside of it.
I started looking through Coast City's missing persons database, and that's when I found out that you had run away from foster care.
And that your birth mother worked at that Jitters, and that this apartment was her last known address.
Yeah, she's a damn good reporter.
Okay, well then you also know that my real mom abandoned me when I was born and hasn't tried to contact me since.
Not once.
Not to see how I'm doing or if I even survived, but I did.
And it's been hell recently, but now that I suddenly have these new powers, I have a chance to be somebody.
So you wanted to show your mom who you've become.
Yeah, because maybe she'll think that I'm something special.
And take me back.
Latent meta powers manifested by intense emotion, check.
Let us help you find her.
It's just a paperweight.
Like I said, Iris is a great reporter and if there's anyone that can help you find your mom, - it's her.
- If you'll trust me.
We're gonna find out what's behind all this And you're gonna be fine.
I'm starting to wonder if that's still possible.
We've got your back.
Trust me, you're more than just a part of this team, you are a part of my life, and I'm not letting you go anytime soon.
Got it? Allegra, I Never mind.
It's just You just a really good friend.
So are you.
The best.
Which is why I gotta tell you this.
Okay, that person in the fire.
I know who it was.
And it wasn't some new fire meta.
It was a ghost.
You seriously think you're being haunted? For real? By my father.
That's who's in the fire.
And I know that because that's how he died, but for some reason, he's he's come back.
But I was there, and whatever it was, it didn't have a face.
It was just a shape.
No, no, no, it was more than that.
I wasn't with my dad when he died.
Okay, but when that fire appeared, that thing inside of it made me feel like I was.
Right there on the road where it happened 24 years ago.
It's was like I could see the wreckage and feel the heat from the engine burning.
And I could hear my dad shouting for help.
But no one came.
Allegra, no one came.
He just no one came.
He just he died alone.
I don't know what you saw, but that wasn't your father.
It couldn't have been.
Yes, it was! It was.
Chuck, you told me what happened last year when you met.
How much he loved you, what a great dad he turned out to be all this time.
Chester, a good father would not do something like this.
It had to be.
Look, I get Allegra, I can feel it.
Okay, I can feel it.
Like I was right there at the crash site, I can You said, "Quincy P.
Runk loved his son more than anything else.
" Which means whatever you felt or thought you saw, it was a lie.
Allegra I hated him my whole life.
Okay, what if this is some kind of, like Some kind of messed up afterlife payback? No.
I don't believe in ghosts, and neither do you, which is why we have to figure out what's really going on.
He's he's back, isn't he? If so, he's gonna have to go through me first.
Let's go.
- What's going on? - We're not sure yet.
We got cold fires on multiple levels, and it's spreading.
And they're all headed our way.
If it's cold fire, how come it's getting hotter in here? These flames form in a subzero state, but they still give off high levels of kinetic energy.
Which means they can still burn the hell out of us.
That was a router junction.
They're in the walls too.
He's after me.
This is all my fault.
No, it's not.
Chuck, you need to concentrate.
Okay, we're gonna need your help to survive this.
Oh, no, no, I can't.
I can't.
The fire's already burning through our structural supports.
Once they're done Every volatile resource in S.
T.
A.
R.
Labs will meltdown and contaminate Central City.
So what do we do? Chester, look, I know this is hard right now, but we need your help to stop this.
That means we need you to initiate a search protocol.
Look for anything that could create cold catalyzed reactions.
We'll buy you as much time as we can.
Okay.
Okay, I'm on it.
Tracking muon-catalyzed heat signatures.
Barry, the flames are converging on the speed lab.
I don't know why, but maybe there's some sort of epicenter forming there or something? Let's do this.
- Frost.
- I'm on it.
Our heat index is off the charts.
Chester, I just felt a massive wave of despair.
I told you I can't do this.
He thinks he's being haunted by his dad, and that's the reason all of this is happening.
That's not the reason.
Chester The despair that I'm sensing, it's not just from you.
It's like I can feel the pain of thousands of people, maybe more.
What the hell is this? - Cecile? - All right, listen to me.
You guys need to evacuate while you still can.
No, we're not leaving you behind.
It's here.
All that pain and sadness.
All that grief.
Dad? Take my hand.
It's time to come home, Chester.
I'm so sorry I couldn't save you.
Chuck, that's not your dad.
It's true.
Chester, all of the sadness that I'm feeling, it's it's coming from that thing.
Allegra's right.
That's not your father.
Chester, we belong together.
No, no.
Chester, everything that's inside of you, it's moving from you into it.
Becoming a part of it.
Oh, my God, oh, my God, it's feeding on your grief.
Chester, you have to let it go.
I love you, son.
It's lying.
No, no, that thing is lying.
It's lying to you, honey, it wants you to stay trapped inside of your sadness because it's Hungry.
Chester, honey, you have to let it go.
I cant.
I can't.
Chuck, listen to me.
Think about the last time you saw your dad and what you remember most about him.
That's what you have to hold on to.
Okay? Yeah 'cause if your real dad was here, he would be the first to say, "Remember how much I love you.
" Hold on to that, Chuck.
That's what matters.
Take my hand.
My dad He never asked me to turn my back on my life here.
Oh, no, he would love the life that I've built here.
He'd freak If he saw my workshop.
And he'd love that I'm working with an actual superhero.
Helping him save the world every day.
No, my dad He'd be proud of his son.
And the man that I've become.
I said take my hand.
No.
No, I'm gonna stay here with my friends because they They're my real family, and you're not my dad.
So why don't you just go to hell! Chester, the cold flames are gone.
What happened? I sent them packing.
With a little help from my friends.
Chester, seems like you had a pretty close call, huh? You too, Barr.
Yeah, well thankfully, I was able to phase myself and Frost long enough for Chester to do the rest.
Oh, it wasn't all me.
If it wasn't for Allegra and Cecile, I'd be just another burnt corpse right about now.
Hey, what about the other three victims? Joe, did you find anything? I did some digging, and I called in a few favors.
Turns out our first victim, Stan Mullen, recently lost all his belongings to foreclosure.
Then Donna Winters, her sister died last week.
Let me guess, our yoga vic was suffering some loss too? Fiancé and childhood sweetheart to cancer.
That's a grief pattern.
Which fits with where I've been at lately.
So this new meta, whoever he is, eats grief and sorrow to survive.
Yeah, that's not terrifying.
It gets scarier.
We thought we were looking for a meta serial killer, someone that was controlling the black flames like the figure I saw in the fire.
But the fire created that.
And when I spoke to it, it heard me like it could understand or something.
Chester's right.
With all of that sorrow that I felt coming out of that thing, I also felt other emotions: determination, passion, desire.
It's almost like whatever that thing is, it's got a mind of its own.
So we're not looking for a separate fire meta? No.
The will to seek out victims to kill, need to satisfy its hunger at all costs The flames have a survival instinct.
Which means the flames aren't being used by the killer.
They are the killer.
Because they're alive.
We're not interrupting, are we? No, no, no, it's good.
Just trying wrap my head around all this.
You know, every member of this team has dealt with grief.
Me with my own mom back in Houston.
Nash and Esperanza.
And Barry, all that he's dealt with, and with both of his parents.
It's weird, but I guess dealing with loss is just another thing that makes us human.
When we help each other deal with it It's what makes us family.
Yeah.
So I have some filing I need to do back at my office.
- Right now? - Yup.
You guys stay.
I'll see you tomorrow.
Hey, I know we have, like, D&D plans for tonight, but honestly, I just I I can't.
Yeah, I'll text Marco and the gang.
Maybe we can pull an all-nighter this Saturday? I'd like that a lot.
Me too.
And Chuck You know I'll always be there for you.
Right? Yeah.
Yeah, I do.
And for the record, you're a very big part of my life too.
- How's Sue? - A life saver as always, and it turns out that the Dearbon Corporation owns an entire city block in downtown Coast City.
Oh, she rich-rich.
Yeah, you forget about it until she puts all three of us in a place like this and you're like, yeah, billionaire.
- So Tinya's there too.
- Uh, yeah.
She's sleeping in the suite next door.
She has no place else to go, Barry.
I I really want to help her.
That's what I love about you.
You make a real difference in people's lives with everything you do.
Yeah, you too.
Speaking of, I was thinking that with powers like hers She could be a hero too.
Like the Streak? I mean, why not? That worked out.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Babe, what is it? No, I'm I'm just I'm glad you decided to stay in Coast City a little longer.
The black fires? Yeah, it's just not safe here right now.
Um okay.
I mean, is there anything that we can do? No, it's okay.
I mean, we don't even know how to locate it, let alone stop it.
If anything happened to you Yeah, no, I get it.
- Okay, well, I love you.
- I love you too.
- Get some rest, okay? - Yeah, you too.
You found out what's wrong with me.
And it ain't good news.