Reincarnated As Clara In The Flash

Third POV

S.T.A.R Labs Cortex

Caitlin frowned as she walked into the Cortex, her fingers carefully cradling the vial in her uninjured hand. The bruising on her other hand throbbed slightly, reminding her how tightly she had gripped it earlier. The vial wasn't like anything she had used before, it was far more durable than a standard blood collection vial. Svarog had provided it, and luckily, it had held up to the tests she ran. Now, she had Clara's results, but the tension in the Cortex made her pause.

She saw Cisco sitting with his hand covering his face, shaking his head in exasperation.

Meanwhile, Barry was slouched in a chair, staring up at the ceiling like he was having an existential crisis and possibly praying for a divine intervention.

"Is there even a god of speed?" Caitlin wondered, but the thought sent a chill down her spine and she just waved it off and then spoke.

Caitlin raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"

Cisco, without looking up, muttered, "Barry, you tell her."

Barry gave a stare at Cisco before letting out a long sigh and rubbing his face. "Clara doesn't understand what stealing is."

Caitlin blinked, her brow furrowing in confusion. "Hold on... what? I don't get it. Are you saying she has no idea what stealing even is?"

Barry sat up, running a hand through his hair. "You know how she's been taking supplies from different stores for years? Blankets, medicine, food? She honestly thought it was free. It's like she has no idea what stealing even means she doesn't even recognize the word."

He let out a dry chuckle. "When I asked her why she did it, she just looked at me like I was crazy, like I had asked her why people breathe."

Caitlin's lips parted slightly in shock before she let out a quiet breath. "That... actually makes a lot of sense."

Cisco threw his hands up. "Of course, it does! The kid's been living off the grid since she was four. Who was gonna sit her down and explain the moral implications of property laws?"

Barry gave him a tired look. "I don't think she even understands the concept of ownership the way we do."

Cisco's eyes widened as he turned to Barry, horror etched on his face. "Dude, oh man… What if she never even went to school? Like, does she even know the basics like basic math or science?"

Caitlin's frown deepened. "She's incredibly smart when it comes to robotics and engineering. Svarog is proof of that. But formal education? Reading, writing, history? We don't know what she's been taught."

Cisco sighed, as he tried to remember the scans he did secretly on Svarog "Okay, you're totally right about that. My best guess? Her Meta Human power lets her whip up metal and create stuff she knows really well. But honestly, that metal on the T-800 over there? I've never seen anything like it before. I mean, not ever."

Barry turned to him. "You're saying it's not just some reinforced titanium or alloy?"

Cisco scoffed. "Pfft. Titanium wishes it was this strong. I ran scans on Svarog's blue metal that he had, and whatever it's made of? It's practically indestructible. No known Earth metals match its properties."

Caitlin was surprised. "If it's that unknown… where did it even come from?"

Cisco opened his mouth but then hesitated. "That's the million-dollar question, isn't it? This little girl is the most mysterious one we have ever seen."

Barry sat back down on the chair and let out another sigh. "One thing at a time. Right now, she's just confused. She doesn't see what she did as wrong, because in her mind, she was helping people. And that's what matters to her. Those people in her camp are the ones she wants to help."

Caitlin crossed her arms. "Well, we can't exactly sit her down with a textbook and expect her to suddenly understand ethics and the economy."

Cisco snorted. "Yeah, 'Stealing 101: Why Society Says No.' Sounds like a real page-turner."

Barry exhaled sharply. "We have to find a way to explain it to her gently. If we just tell her she's been doing something wrong without context, she's going to panic."

Caitlin nodded. Svarog will probably help with that. She listens to him."

Cisco sat up straighter. "Yeah, but is he gonna back us up on this? 'Cause, no offense, but Robot Dad is kind of programmed to care about Clara above all else. If he thinks this 'stealing' thing is in her best interest, he might not see it as a problem."

Barry frowned. "We'll have to talk to him too. But first, I need to go back in there and try to explain this to Clara in a way she understands. If we don't handle this right, she's just going to feel like she did something unforgivable. And that's the last thing I want...But right now I want her to rest since she did have a panic attack earlier."

Caitlin hesitated for a moment before stepping forward and handing Barry the vial. "Well... before you do all that, you might want to take a look at this."

Barry took the vial and glanced at the deep red liquid inside. "Is this..."

Cisco's eyes widened at the vial. "How did you manage to get Clara's blood without triggering a panic attack or PTSD?"

"Svarog provided a special vial to contain it, and I ran the tests." Caitlin explained.

Cisco leaned in, suddenly intrigued. "Damn… Robot Dad really doesn't want anything bad happening to Clara. Anything weird? Or, y'know, dangerous? Because I'd bet good money that kid's got some next-level biology."

Caitlin took a deep breath. "Her DNA is… different."

Barry's gaze turned to her. "Different how?"

Caitlin hesitated. "It's stable. Her blood type is AB+, which is rare, but there are markers I've never seen before. It's not a normal metahuman signature, and it's definitely not a mutation we can trace back to the particle accelerator explosion. But when I was testing her blood cells to see how bad her immune system is, I found something that confused me…"

Cisco leaned in. "Okay, don't keep me in suspense."

Caitlin looked at them both seriously. "Her immune system is weak, Clara indeed does have a weak immune system. She should be more susceptible to infections, even illnesses. But the thing is, her cells… they regenerate into healthy ones."

Barry frowned. "Wait, so her body is healing itself? Like, my speed healing?"

Caitlin shook her head. "Not exactly. It's not like your speed healing. But her cells don't behave like normal human cells. When damaged, instead of decaying or weakening further, they begin to restructure themselves into a healthier state." She hesitated, trying to find the right words. "It's like…her cells are being brought back to life."

Barry looked at the vial again, his jaw tightening before giving the Vial to Caitlin. "Then we need to figure it out. Because the more we learn about Clara, the more questions we end up with."

Barry sighed, feeling overwhelmed and in need of a break. He needed to talk to someone to help gather his thoughts. "I have to leave, guys," he said. "But we really need to come up with a plan regarding Clara. We keep getting more questions instead of answers."

"I might need Felicity's help. She could probably extract more from Clara's information that she would likely receive in return." Barry thought.

As Barry exited, Cisco turned to Caitlin. He noticed her bruised hand for the first time and frowned. "Whoa, what happened to your hand?"

Caitlin flushed slightly, embarrassed. "I… might have gotten a little carried away and gripped the vial too hard many times."

Cisco's eyes widened. "And it didn't break?!"

Caitlin sighed. "Nope. If you're that curious, you can ask Svarog."

Cisco quickly shook his head. "Nope, I'm good!"

Caitlin rubbed her forehead. "We need answers soon, Cisco. Because right now, Clara is a puzzle with missing pieces."

Cisco leaned back. "Yeah… and I have a feeling we're just scratching the surface. I mean what's next, her dad's the billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne."

Caitlin stared at him "Don't even say that...That would just give me a major headache"

---------------

CC Jitters

Barry entered CC Jitters, spotting Iris and Eddie standing and looking at the TV, both focused on the ongoing news report.

The screen displayed an incident at Stagg Industries, where Eddie was seen addressing reporters. Barry watched the TV, as he started remembering his own encounter with Danton Black, the man who could create duplicates of himself. He had tried to stop him but ended up overwhelmed by the sheer number of clones.

On the screen, a news reporter directed a question at Eddie. "Detective, was the shooter apprehended?"

Eddie maintained his composure, and answered the question. "The suspect's whereabouts are currently unknown. We consider him armed and dangerous."

Just as he was about to end the questioning, another reporter jumped in. "What about the incident with the five police officers and the giant blue arm? Any answers on that?"

"Clara...." Barry thought as he really needed to figure a way to get her off CCPD's radar.

Eddie hesitated for the briefest moment before regaining his footing. "That case is still ongoing. We don't know who or what was responsible, but we do know that whoever did it is also extremely dangerous and possibly armed. Thank you, no more questions."

Iris turned off the TV as she and Eddie looked at each other with smiles while Barry spoke, making them turn to see him behind them.

"Nice work, Eddie." Barry said.

Eddie turned to him, offering a grin. "Yeah. Right place, right time."

"No you were a hero." Barry said with a small smile.

"CCPD still has a killer on the loose. I should get back to the precinct." Eddie said.

He leaned in, pressing a brief kiss to Iris's lips before standing. As he walked past Barry, the friendly expression on Barry's face faltered slightly, replaced with a frown.

Once Eddie had left, Iris crossed her arms and looked at Barry with a look. "So, did you come here for caffeine? Or are you finally going to tell me what's going on with you?"

Barry turned around as he opened his mouth but closed as he sighed.

-----------

Central City Police Department

"Mr. Stagg, I wish you would reconsider our offer for protective custody." Joe said as both he and Stagg left the Open Office Space. "Danton Black has proven he is willing to kill, and he's got...friends, and trust me, they're all dangerous."

"I increased my security, detective. I hope Black comes looking for trouble because he'll find plenty." Stagg informed having no fear of Danton Black.

Clap

Clap

Clap

Clap

The slow, deliberate applause echoed through the hallway, drawing both men's attention.

Joe and Staggs turn to see Dr. Well's clapping sarcastically.

"Spoken like a true philanthropist. Or is it humanitarian?" Dr. Well asked as he pushed a button on his wheelchair to move closer "Ugh. Sorry, I can never remember which one you're pretending to be, Simon." Dr. Wells sarcastically said with a smile.

Stagg's lips curved into a thin, practiced smile as he extended his hand. "Harrison… don't get up."

Wells let out a humorless chuckle. "Ha, ha."

Stagg's then smiled and nodded at Joe as he left in the elevator.

"Another fan of yours doctor?" Joe gestured toward the closed doors. 

"Can we talk detective?" Dr. Wells asked.

"So you were right. Barry's not the only one who's special" Joe said as he was taking off his coat as Dr. Wells followed him back to the Open office space." This guy that tried to kill Simon Stagg today, he could..." 

"Replicate spontaneously. Yeah, we know" Dr. Wells informed.

Joe studied him. "Did you know about Barry?" Joe asked as he put his coat on his desk and sat down on top of his desk and looked at Dr. Wells. "When he was first in his coma...you came to the hospital and you asked me if you could take him to S.T.A.R Labs. Did you know what he could do." Joe asked.

Dr. Wells leaned back, placing his hands behind his head as if considering the question. "I had my suspicions that he was… affected.

"Hey Joe. I was never looking to become a senior member of a secret crime fighting unit. You and I both know, we are the only ones equipped to protect Central City." Dr. Wells informed.

"Maybe I'm only interested in protecting Barry." Joe said seriously. "But of course he's set to fly into the fire along with you." Joe said as his jaw tightened.

"No, he's not. Not anymore. He quit. He didn't tell you." Dr. Wells asked.

"I haven't seen him." Joe said.

"Well, I'm sure it's only temporary. He's dealing with a rather… unique situation right now." Dr. Wells informed.

Joe looked at him, suspicious. "What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

Wells folded his hands together, watching Joe carefully.

"Barry and Caitlin have encountered another meta-human," he said evenly. "A child, actually."

Joe's eyes narrowed. "A kid?"

"Not just any kid," Wells continued. "A girl with abilities far beyond what we've seen before. She's built a giant mechanical guardian, one that talks, possibly an AI. She also has a weak immune system so fragile that she shouldn't even be alive, severe PTSD, and, oh! She's been living on the streets since she was possibly six years old."

Joe's breath hitched slightly, his face hardening. "You're saying she's homeless?"

Wells nodded. "And she's also the same girl who disappeared nine months ago, after so many robberies from stores for the past four years." He leaned forward, his eyes sharp. "And she was the one who robbed that pharmacy that was robbed today."

Joe clenched his jaw, already feeling the weight of what this meant. A kid caught up in all this? A meta with that kind of power, running around as then Joe eyes wide.

"That girl with the giant blue metal hand incident that caught Wilson in a pink bubble..." Joe thought. She was the same girl who had nearly been caught herself until Wilson started behaving irresponsibly. As a result, Captain Singh had asked Wilson to turn in his badge and suspended him with no pay.

"I can see that you've figured it out. From what I know of Barry, when he sets his mind on something, no one can talk him out of it. However, the next time he suits up and charges headlong into danger, he will fail. Why? He doesn't believe he's capable. Doubt is his real enemy, Joe, not whatever is lurking out there. That little girl can help him with his doubts, but he will continue to doubt himself as long as you keep doubting him." Dr. Wells said as he adjusted the button on his wheelchair to leave.

Then he paused and looked at Joe. "And for the record, I care about him too… even about the little girl we found," Dr. Wells added as he exited.

---------

Clara's POV

S.T.A.R Labs

I was still resting in the bed, my legs swinging slightly as I tapped away at my laptop. Mr. Svarog had brought my backpack from the med-bay, so now I had something to do! Barry had told me about the stealing word that I didn't know about, that he would talk to me later about that. So I decided to work on a new program for Mr. Svarog.

I called it [Project Together] a program that lets me and others talk to each other from far away using an earpiece! It's still a work in progress, but so far, it's going great. Maybe I can make it work like those cool secret agent movies that Mr. Svarog had let me see once together.

Then, before I could continue adding more items to the program, I heard a notification in my head. It must have been the system!

Ding!

Quest Completed!

New Home, New Problems!

Rewards will be disturbed with the following.

-Mechinaical parts(40), A Gameboy, Ticket Lottery Battle Suit(10x), A Key??

I blinked. A Gameboy? That's so random! Do I even need one? Maybe the system is being weird again… But still, it could be special! And the mechanical parts? Super useful! I can save those for Exia or Blanc later. The tickets I can save for later but the Key was a total mystery, though. What was it for?

Before I could think too much about it, another notification popped up.

Ding!

Hidden Quest Completed!

Know Thy Blood

Info: Give Caitlin Snow or Cisco Ramon your blood.

Rewards will be disturbed with the following:

Mechanical Parts(300), Skill: Regeneration of The Pit, Memory core(Shadow??) Genetic Stabilizer Serum (Rank C)

My eyes widen in surprise. A hidden quest?! That's so cool! But… wait a second. I never gave them my blood. Did the system mess up? Or… did Mr. Svarog do something without telling me? Hmmm. Oh well! Rewards are rewards! And I got a new skill!

 I completed a hidden quest! But the weird part is I never gave them my blood at all...Could the system have messed up and said I did...hmmm oh well I'll take the rewards. But I am happy I got a new skill I remember skills are important!

I quickly opened my status screen and scrolled down to read the new skill. The description made my chest feel… weird. Like my heart hurt a little, but I didn't know why.

Regeneration of The Pit: A passive skill that allows for the restoration of damaged cells over time. Wounds heal at an accelerated rate, and prolonged injuries fade as if they were never there. However, excessive reliance on this ability may cause unforeseen side effects like anger.

I frowned. Anger? That's kinda scary… but healing is good, right? If I get hurt, I won't have to worry! But still, something about it made me feel… uneasy. Like something was missing from the explanation.

I shook my head. No time to worry about that! I still had a ton of rewards to look through!

I checked the Memory Core (Shadow??) next. The system didn't give me much info, but it sounded super important! Maybe it's a core for Mr. Svarog or Pascal. It had Shadow in the name I wonder why.

I then clicked the item and scrolled down to read the description.

Memory Core(Shadow??): A mysterious, black crystal infused with encrypted information. Its outer shell is composed of an unknown black glass with faint glowing circuits running along its surface. The core seems to pulse with a low hum, as if it's alive.

"If you're hearing this… it means you've made it this far. You are me and I am you." -???

I stared at the screen for a long time, my fingers hovering over the system's blue display. My heart felt funny again, but not in a good way. Who left this in the description? Was it for me?

I shook my head again. I'll figure it out later!

The last reward was the Genetic Stabilizer Serum (Rank C) as I started reading the item's description.

Genetic Stabilizer Serum (Rank C):

A specialized serum designed to reinforce and stabilize the genetic structure of the user. This serum works by repairing the user's body and immune system for over 8 minutes, allowing the user to freely use their potential without worry.

That one confused me too. Was this like a health potion or something? I mean, I did get sick sometimes, but was it that bad? Maybe I should ask Mr. Svarog later. He knows a lot about this kind of stuff.

My system is weird… but I trust it. It's never given me something bad before, right? I opened my Status and looked over it

Name: Clara

Age: 10

Parents: ??, ??

Powers: Unknown

Faction: Not Yet Made

Companions: Svarog, Pascal, Automaton

Spider (3), Automaton Grizzly (7)

Mechanical Parts: Kryptonite Mechanical

Parts, Mechanical Parts (740)

Energy: 100/100

Hunger: 70/100

Stamina: 100/100

Debuff: PTSD (Active when Triggered), Immune Weak System

Skills: Regeneration of The Pit

I frowned a little at the Weak Immune System part. Was that why I got the serum? It seems a little bit of my fault for having that.

Ding!

New Main Quest!

What it Means To Be a Hero

Info: Help the Streak defeat Danton Black in your way however you see fit.

Rewards: Battle Suit Lottery Ticket(10x), Mechanical Parts (500x), Resilience Cube(NIKKE), A hand puppet of Svarog(Useable for the outfit [The Hermit]), Heat Resistance Mechinal Parts

I perked up. A new quest! And I get to help the Streak! That's so cool!

I didn't know who Danton Black was, but if the system wanted me to do something, it meant something big was coming.

I shut my laptop and hopped off the bed. My stomach was grumbling a little, but my brain was way too excited to think about food. I had so many questions. About the core, my blood, my healing, and who even left me that message?!

But first… I needed to talk to Mr. Svarog. Because if anyone had answers, it was him

Before I could go over and talk with Mr. Svarog, I heard the system's notification again.

Ding!

[Player], since you acquired [The Key??], this item will allow you to transport to another world with your [Companion] of your choosing. However, there will be times when taking a [Companion] will not be possible due to the world's corruption risk or if a companion is still traveling in another world due to a mission given by the system.

My breath caught in my throat. Another world?!

I stared at the notification, heart pounding. I can go to other worlds?!

[Journey Across the Multiverse] Missons will become available after completing [What it Means to Be a Hero]. You will then be given a selection of worlds to choose from.

I grinned.

"This is gonna be so awesome!" I thought to myself as I imagined the happy adventures and having fun seeing cute things.

"I better go see Mr. Svarog and talk with him about this." I mumbled to myself as I ran out of the room to go find Mr. Svarog.

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What I didn't notice was that Caitlin was growing her own duplicate of Danton Black, which I will miss out on.