At STAR Labs, the security guard Bernhardt is at his desk reading a book and dozing. The chief administrator employer, Ruth Werneke comes over, wakes him up, and says that sleeping on the job is grounds for dismissal before going to her office.
The front doors open but no one apparently opens them.
At the security station, the monitors and lights flicker briefly and then go back to normal.
In Tina's lab, Barry is talking to Tina about going horse racing with him and Julio She tells them to go on without her because she's working on a report for a Ruth. As Barry says that Ruth is tight, Ruth comes in and asks for the report before dawn. Once she leaves, Tina jokingly admits that she wants to strangle Ruth sometimes, and Barry leaves.
In the corridor, the lights flicker. An invisible intruder, Brian Gideon, sits down at a computer and accesses the administrative database, and enters a request for information on Project Pandora. Gideon inserts a disk to bypass the security protocols and downloads the file.
Bernhardt sees a cabinet open on the monitors, although no one is there to open it. He goes to investigate, and finds a Project Pandora rack on the floor. Gideon jabs him in the neck with a syringe and Bernhardt collapses, dead. The intruder then puts down a rack with a timer built in and leaves. Outside, he becomes visible and records a voice log saying that STAR Labs will be consumed by the evil it created, and then the men who created it, and then the city that stood by and did nothing will die.
In the lab, the timed rack dispenses the chemical into the air and it enters the air conditioning system.
Tina is working on her report when the toxi alarm goes off. She goes out into the hallway and finds Ruth, but they're caught in the building when the security lockdown seals the place off.
Murphy and Bellows are sitting in a car and Murphy is describing his get-rich-quick scheme to profit off of Flash t-shirts. They see a light flicker, and dispatch radios to say that they have a code 10 at STAR Labs. The car finally starts and the two cops drive to the lab.
Barry arrives at the police lab and tells Julio that Tina isn't coming. Julio says that it's a Mendez family tradition to have women pick the winning horse, and Sabrina is playing poker. Barry calls Tina and gets a recorded message about an emergency lockdown.
Tina and Ruth find Bernhardt's body and the Project Pandora rack. Ruth says that she doesn't know what the project is, and the two women leave.
Flash arrives at the front door and discovers the doors sealed. When he tries to go in anyway, a shock knocks him back. Tina's van is nearby, and Flash gets inside just as Murphy and Bellows arrive. Barry switches out of his costume and comes out, and tells the officers to stay away from the door before going back in the van and accesses the computer.
Tina accesses the security video for the lab. Barry rigs up a video hookup through the satellite computer, and Tina tells him what happened. She says that Barry can't break the seal because it will trigger an irradiation sequence that will kill both of them. Tina plays back the video despite Ruth's objections, and they watch Bernhardt's death and the release of the chemical into the air system. Tina figures that the thief used an electromagnetic stealth device, and determines that Project Pandora is a project for a government weapons research center. to develop nerve toxins. Ruth is the project coordinator, and Ruth says that it's a business. She insists that the toxins never get used, but Ruth points out that the intruder used it. Dr. Emil Velinski is the project director, and Ruth gives Barry an approximate address.
Barry speeds to Velinski's address.
Velinski walks down the street and stops at a news stand. The blind Reggie greets him and then calls to someone else who Lewinski can't see. The lights flicker, and Gideon chokes Velinski to death. Flash arrives a second later, and Reggie insists that Velinski was murder. He describe Gideon's height and breathing, and after the pedestrians leave, Reggie recognizes Barry's voice and calls him by name.
When Barry returns to the van, Tina tells him that the thief took one of the two vials of the toxin and the one vial of the antidote. Barry explains that Velinski is dead and Tina warns that the remaining vial could kill everyone in Central City. She says that according to the computer, they have less than four hours to live.
Government agents Quinn and Edwards arrive and supervise setting up a security perimeter around STAR Labs. Garfield arrives and introduces them to Barry, who says that Tina and Ruth are exposed. Quinn says that they've been monitoring Barry's conversations with Barry, and says that there is no such as a cloaking device and they'll have the vial back in 24 hours. Barry points out that the sterilization will kill the women if the agents try to go in, and Quinn makes it clear that he doesn't want Barry's interference. He says that the government is under federal jurisdiction and tells Barry to leave. Garfield reluctantly agrees with Quinn, saying that the federal government has contacted the mayor.
Tina takes the syringe from Bernhardt to analyze the toxin, and Ruth falters.
At the police lab, Julio suggests that he jams Quinn's signal and contact Tina via the police network.
Tina calls out and gets Quinn, who says that Barry is no longer involved. He advises Tina to turn over any data she has, and the signal is jammed. Barry comes in and Tina tells him that she's trying to analyze the toxin. She has the name and address of Velinski's assistant, Taylor Cartwright.
Barry brings Cartwright in and he warns that it could take days to reconstruct the antitoxin. He agrees to help, and Tina asks to talk to Tina alone.
Quinn and his men arrive at the police station.
Tina tells Barry to find the other vial of toxin and forget about them, and says that if anything happens to her then he should take care of him. Quinn and his people barge in and shut down the jammer, and take Cartwright with them. When Barry grabs Quinn, he tells Edwards to arrest Barry for interfering in a government investigation. Bellows and Murphy see Barry being taken away and go to find Garfield, and Gideon uses his cloaking device to turn invisible and steals a police car.
Quinn questions Cartwright and demands to know who is sabotaging the project. He says that he doesn't know and Quinn has him taken away. Quinn tells Edwards that they'll have to force the doors whether they neutralize the sterilization system or not,
Gideon drives to STAR Labs.
Barry sees Quinn comes out and tells him that the killer will bring the vials to Quinn when he tries to kill Cartwright like he killed Velinski. Quinn figures that if Gideon does so then he'll get the invisibility device and be a big man in DC. As he walks away, the lights flicker.
An agent buts Cartwright in a car. Gideon knocks him out, gets into the car, and chokes Cartwright to death. Meanwhile, Barry vibrates the handcuffs off.
Gideon stabs Cartwright, and Flash arrives to find the dying assistant. Cartwright mutters about Gideon, and Gideon grabs Flash and chokes him. Flash vibrates him off and throws him onto the windshield, and the cloaking device shorts out. Gideon turns it back on and disappears.
Edwards tells Quinn that Barry has disappeared as well. Quinn says that he doesn't care about Barry and wants Gideon and his stealth device. He recognized Gideon from when he was visible.
At the police lab, Barry uses the computer to check Gideon's connection to STAR Labs. Gideon is a biochemist and physicist who worked briefly for STAR Labs six months ago. Before that he worked for the government. He lost his security clearance and was fired, and Barry goes to talk to him as Flash
At his home, Gideon is repairing his stealth device and making a voice log promising to make Central City pay for hosting STAR Labs. A proximity alarm goes off as Flash enters the lab. Gideon dons the device and fades away, and Flash says that there are two innocent women trapped in STAR Labs. The scientist says that 2,000 people died in Costa Luca and no one remembers them except him. Quinn was in charge and there was an accident, and Quinn claimed that it was a factory leak. Gideon went to STAR Labs to start over, but found out they were working for Quinn. He insists that there are no innocents and they are all responsible, and convulses briefly. Gideon takes some pills and explains that he has a brain tumor from his time in Costa Luca. Flash asks for the antidote to save his friend, and Gideon says that they'll all be dead. If people die in Central City, then maybe it will bring Quinn's efforts to the world.
Quinn and his people pull up outside and move in, planning to take Gideon alive.
Flash tells Gideon that he'll help him get to the press. Quinn calls on Gideon to surrender and says that he just wants to talk. Gideon figures that Flash set him up, turns invisible, knocks him back, and leaps out the window. Flash grabs Gideon's voice log and goes after him as the government agents break in.
Tina continues working to try and develop an antitoxin. Ruth says that her legs have become numb from the toxin and warns that in half an hour they'll be death. Tina insists that Barry will find the antidote, and Ruth suggests that Tina come up with a way to detect Gideon's heat signature.
Barry returns to the police lab, and Tina sends a fax about the heat signature. He faxes back saying that he'll pursue the idea and for Tina not to give up hope. Barry then calls Search & Rescue to get their heat-signature equipment. Julio plays back the voice log and Gideon mentions poisoning the well. The two men realize that Gideon is going to put the toxin in the reservoir.
The invisible Gideon goes to the reservoir. Flash arrives with the heat-detection device and infrared contact lenses, and searches for Gideon. Gideon injects him with the toxin and Flash collapses, and then smashes the vial with the antidote. As he goes to the water supply, Flash accelerates his metabolism to burn the toxin out of his body. The lights flicker, and Flash realizes that the stealth device causes a power surge. He wraps wiring around a pipe to create an electromagnet, and burns out Gideon's belt as he prepares to put the toxin into the water. Dying, Gideon says that someone has to do something and they're all responsible. He warns that the vial is destroyed, and after Gideon dies Flash takes the stealth belt.
At STAR Labs, Edwards tells Quinn that there's a 50/50 chance that if they crack the door, it will irradiate the lab anyway. Quinn tells her to do it.
As Tina and Ruth lie dying, Ruth tells Tina that she'll miss chocolate the most. Tina says that she's trying not to be afraid but it's not working, and Ruth gently touches her arm.
The government agents blow open the front doors and the computer announces that the sterilization procedure will begin in ten seconds. Flash speeds in and gets Tina and Ruth out just in time. He figures that the blood is the antidote, and prepares to inject her with it. Quinn and his people come over and discover that Tina and Ruth have recovered. He orders his people to have the two women transferred to the government facility. Barry and Garfield arrive and tell Quinn that they've reported Quinn's activities to the mayor. Edwards confirms that she has orders to detain Quinn pending full investigation of his actions. Ruth says that she'll call a press conference to expose his activities.
After the others leave, Barry suggests to Tina that they use her computer to place bets on horse racing. She says that the only horse that she'd bet on is Flash. Barry goes over to Quinn and offers him the dismantled stealth belt, and says that Flash delivered it to him.
Written by Gadfly on Dec 16, 2018