Three months after the Queen's Gambit sank, Barry received an invitation that changed everything.
It arrived via email to his business account. Professional design. Central City Tech Innovation Conference logo at the top.
*Dear Mr. Allen,*
*Your recent patent applications in neural interface technology have attracted significant attention in the Central City tech community. We would like to invite you to present your work at the upcoming Central City Tech Innovation Conference on November 15th.*
*The conference brings together leading innovators, researchers, and industry professionals. STAR Labs will be the primary sponsor this year, and Dr. Harrison Wells has specifically requested the opportunity to meet with promising young inventors like yourself.*
*Please confirm your attendance at your earliest convenience.*
Barry stared at that email for a long time.
Harrison Wells wanted to meet him. STAR Labs was involved. This was the connection point. The moment where the future could diverge even further from what he remembered.
His analyzed the situation rapidly. Attending the conference meant exposure. People would see his face. Know his name. Connect him to his research. That created vulnerabilities.
But it also created opportunities. Meeting Wells, Caitlin Snow, Cisco Ramon years before they were supposed to meet. Establishing relationships with the people who would eventually become Team Flash.
Positioning himself perfectly for when the particle accelerator eventually exploded.
The risk was enormous though. If Harrison Wells was somehow Eobard Thawne in disguise, despite this timeline supposedly being clean, then Barry would be walking directly into the speedster's awareness.
But how would he know unless he went?
Barry made the decision. He'd attend. He'd meet Wells. He'd assess whether this timeline was truly free of Reverse-Flash interference or if something darker was lurking.
He confirmed his attendance and spent the next two weeks preparing.
November 15th arrived cold and clear.
The Central City Tech Innovation Conference was held at the Marquis Hotel downtown. A massive venue with multiple conference halls and hundreds of attendees.
Barry arrived at 9:00 AM, dressed in a charcoal gray suit he'd bought specifically for this event. Professional. Polished. The kind of appearance that said "serious innovator" rather than "twenty-three-year-old kid playing at business."
The main conference hall buzzed with activity. Booths displaying various technologies. Presentations happening on multiple stages. Networking groups clustered around coffee stations.
Barry navigated through it all, his enhanced social intelligence reading the room perfectly. Who was important. Who was just trying to sell products. Who actually mattered in the Central City tech scene.
He spotted STAR Labs personnel easily. They wore matching lanyards with the distinctive STAR Labs logo. Three of them stood near a booth showcasing some kind of advanced materials research.
Two men and one woman. Barry recognized them immediately even though they looked younger than in his memories of the TV show.
Cisco Ramon. Mid-twenties, enthusiastic energy, wearing a t-shirt under a blazer. Exactly the kind of thing TV Cisco would have done.
Caitlin Snow. Late twenties, professional attire, reserved expression. Beautiful in a subtle way that became more apparent the longer you looked at her.
And Harrison Wells. Standing between them in a perfectly tailored suit, no wheelchair, walking normally, gesturing animatedly while explaining something technical.
Not the Wells from the show. Not the one confined to a wheelchair after the "accident" that had supposedly crippled him. This Wells was physically fit. Active. Completely able-bodied.
Because this timeline was different. No time travel accident. No Eobard Thawne stealing his body. Just the real Harrison Wells building STAR Labs and pursuing his dreams of advancing human knowledge.
Probably.
Barry approached slowly, giving himself time to observe. Wells moved naturally. No hint of super-speed. No trace of the manic energy that Thawne had carried. His body language was open. Friendly. Genuinely excited about the technology they were discussing.
He seemed real. Seemed like exactly what he was supposed to be. A brilliant physicist who wanted to change the world through science.
But Barry couldn't be certain. Not yet. He needed to interact. Test. See if anything felt off.
"Excuse me," Barry said, stepping up to the booth. "Dr. Wells? I'm Barry Allen. We corresponded about the conference."
Wells turned and his face lit up with genuine enthusiasm. "Mr. Allen! Excellent timing. I was just telling my team about your neural interface work." He extended his hand.
"Please, call me Harrison. Dr. Wells makes me feel old."
Barry shook his hand, analyzing everything. The grip was firm but not crushing. Normal human strength. The skin was warm. Normal temperature. The eye contact was direct but not intimidating.
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