I am Wally west

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"No," Wally responded sharply, cutting the conversation short before it could escalate. Without another word, they parted ways. The tension stemmed from Lyla's proposal to share research facilities. The moment those words left her mouth, Wally felt a surge of agitation.

He knew the terms were likely dictated by her superiors, an attempt to keep West Tech under surveillance. But Wally wasn't having any of it. He sighed inwardly, reflecting on humanity's universal paranoia.

After making his stance abundantly clear, Lyla quickly retreated, presumably to renegotiate the terms with her superiors. Wally was confident they were already ensnared by the allure of his advancements. He knew the technology he showcased was beyond their ability to replicate—its complexity and sophistication were simply out of their league. At best, any attempts to reverse-engineer his work would result in crude imitations.

Watching the SUV disappear into the distance, he guessed Lyla would be back within a day or two with revised terms.

Once they were out of sight, Wally began securing the building, ensuring all the security protocols were in place. Satisfied, he vanished in a flash of deep blue light.

In the blink of an eye, he reappeared in his pocket dimension. Alfred's familiar voice greeted him, and Wally responded casually, his mind already turning to the next task at hand.

"Alfred, prepare for the next stage of intellect enhancement," Wally instructed, his voice steady with anticipation. He retrieved the Intellect Enhancing Cap from storage, alongside the newly upgraded energy harvester, now brimming with an even greater concentration of Speed Force energy.

He glanced at the data from his previous enhancement attempt. Back then, he had only reached 22% of the cap's potential, and the results had been staggering. Now, with his regeneration vastly improved, he wondered what limits he might push past this time.

Wally had already run simulations, confirming that faster regeneration directly correlated to quicker and more effective intellect enhancement. He was confident this session would drastically reduce the number of stages required to reach 100%. In fact, he estimated only one more enhancement would be necessary after this. The stronger his regenerative ability, the more strain his brain could endure—and recover from.

Without further delay, Wally donned the cap, now seamlessly connected to the energy harvester. At Alfred's command, four wires snaked out and attached themselves to the cap, which began glowing with an eerie bluish light.

"Initiate the procedure," Wally commanded.

"As you wish," Alfred replied smoothly, beginning the process. A low hum filled the room as the cap's dim light quickly grew blinding.

Under its influence, Wally felt his body undergo a strange transformation. A rapid cycle of freezing and burning sensations spread through his brain, a peculiar discomfort without pain. His eyes occasionally flashed and crackled with lightning, and he could feel his mind accelerating. His already swift thought processes shattered previous barriers, and his cognitive capabilities surged to more than double their prior levels.

Even as he marveled at the advancements, his thoughts became chaotic. New ideas and possibilities flooded his mind—conventional and unconventional paths to power, innovative applications for his technology, and strategies he hadn't conceived of before. Yet, the speed of his thoughts outpaced his ability to control them, leaving his mind in disarray. He had anticipated this and knew it would take hours for his body and mind to stabilize.

"Alfred, proceed with the contingency plan," he muttered through the mental storm.

"Understood," Alfred replied. Moments later, drones entered the room, gently lifting Wally's body and transporting him to a stasis pod—a device he had built using Dominator technology and data.

As the pod sealed around him, its advanced systems began regulating his neural activity, giving his mind the time it needed to adjust to its new limits. For now, Wally surrendered himself to the process. His consciousness soon drifted apart, allowing his body to adjust to the sudden strain.

-x-X-x-

In the usual Central City apartment, a pot sizzled in the kitchen. Amanda stood in front of the stove, the rhythmic sizzle of eggs on the pan blending with her swirling thoughts. She glanced at the clock on the wall, its ticking almost in sync with the doubts racing through her mind.

Pietro had always been a whirlwind, usually carrying a timid air. But over the past few days, Amanda had noticed subtle yet undeniable shifts in his demeanor. He now showcased a unique confidence that made him seem invincible. It was clearly visible on his face.

Her hands moved automatically as she flipped the eggs, but her mind wandered back to the way Pietro's eyes seemed to linger on nothing in particular, his thoughts clearly miles away. He had always been impulsive, but now there was an edge to his actions, as though he were grappling with something much bigger than himself.

Last night, he'd come home late again, his footsteps heavier than usual. She had waited in the living room, hoping to catch him before he disappeared into his room. When he finally arrived, she'd asked where he'd been, but his reply had been vague—too vague.

"Just… handling some things," he had muttered, avoiding her gaze before retreating upstairs.

Amanda frowned, her grip on the spatula tightening. What things, Pietro? What are you not telling me?

The eggs were done. She slid them onto a plate and started preparing coffee, her movements brisk and efficient. As she worked, her thoughts shifted to the way he seemed to avoid her questions lately. Pietro had never been one to keep secrets, at least not from her.

But this? This felt different. It wasn't just secrecy—it was transformation.

Amanda placed the plate and mug on the table, staring at the empty seat across from her. He's hiding something.

Her chest tightened at the thought. She didn't want to believe Pietro could be involved in anything dangerous, but his behavior was becoming harder to ignore. The late nights, the distracted stares, the moments when he seemed to be somewhere else entirely—it all painted a picture she wasn't ready to confront.

Still, a part of her clung to hope. Pietro was her brother. Whatever he was caught up in, she was determined to help him find a way out.

Taking a deep breath, Amanda sat at the table, resolve hardening. She needed to talk to him—really talk—before things spiraled further out of control. For now, all she could do was wait and hope he'd let her in.

Her gaze drifted to her hands, which flickered faintly with a crimson hue. The thought struck her almost dismissively: could Pietro have powers too? Recently, she had discovered her own—telekinesis, the ability to influence minds, and other strange, minor abilities. The idea gnawed at her, but she pushed it aside for the moment. First, she needed answers.

She almost dismissed the thought of Pietro possessing powers like hers. How could they be Metas when they weren't even in Central City when the particle accelerator exploded? The idea seemed impossible, yet it lingered in her mind.

As Pietro walked past her to clean the plates he had used, Amanda absentmindedly shifted her hand, accidentally knocking her coffee cup off the table. The mug tumbled toward the floor, but before it could shatter, Pietro caught it mid-air in a blur of motion.

"Be careful. You don't want to break your favorite mug," he said with a chuckle, setting it safely back on the table.

"Thanks, Pietro," Amanda muttered, her voice barely above a whisper as her mind raced.

What she had just witnessed wasn't normal. His reflexes, his speed—it was almost inhuman. If she'd been 20% sure he had powers before, she was now 80% certain.

The revelation made her smile faintly. So that's what had been bothering him. It wasn't something sinister; it was his powers. The changes in his behavior, the secrecy—it all made sense now. He was likely grappling with abilities he didn't understand.

Relief washed over her. For days, she'd feared the worst, but now she felt a sense of clarity. Whatever Pietro was going through, it wasn't inherently bad. He wasn't alone in this—she had powers too, after all.

After confirming her suspicions, a smirk crept onto Amanda's face. She turned to Pietro, who was about to head out to only God knew where. This time, she wasn't going to keep her discovery to herself—she'd confront him here and now.

"Pietro," she called out firmly.

Pietro paused mid-step, turning his head with a raised brow. "Yeah?" he replied, his tone casual but his gaze meeting Amanda's with mild curiosity.

She didn't bother with subtlety. "When were you planning to tell me you had powers?"

The question landed like a thunderclap. Pietro's face went grim in an instant, his expression shifting so fast it gave him away. Any observant person would see the truth written all over him.

"Wh–what are you talking about? I don't have powers. Of course I don't have powers. Are you suggesting I'm one of those Metahumans? Because I'm not—"

Before he could ramble further, Amanda raised her hand, crimson energy radiating faintly from her fingertips. A flower vase from the corner of the room suddenly shot toward Pietro at an impressive speed—far too fast for any normal person to react.

Without thinking, Pietro sidestepped, his movements impossibly quick as the vase sailed past him harmlessly.

He sighed, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Argh, fine. You caught me." His lips twitched into a lopsided grin. "But was the vase really necessary?"