- Intruder alert. All units respond.
Intruder alert. All units respond.
- And we are done.
What do you think? Think Nora's gonna like it?
- Well, you can ask her yourself in seven months.
- I know. I know. I'm jumping the gun.
I just--I can't wait to be a dad.
- Is that why there's a freezer
full of cookie dough ice cream?
- That's Nora's favorite.
- Yeah, when she's 23. - Yeah.
- Ooh, you know what I could go for right now
is some of that--
- Vanilla bean from that organic dairy farm
in Coast City?
- Yes.
Yes. - Yeah.
Actually, that reminds me... for you.
- No way.
- Iris, this is in mint condition.
How did you find this? I've been looking for a copy
ever since I lost my dad's as a kid.
- Enjoy.
- I mean, I can't believe you did this.
I mentioned it once six months ago.
- And that's how we do, boo.
- Thank you. - You're welcome.
- I gotta go. I scheduled a mold inspection
so it was safe to bring Nora to work with us.
- But is having a stranger
wandering around S.T.A.R. Labs a good idea?
- I mean, the Starchives are sealed,
and I had Chester and Khione store
all the other Team Flash stuff in the Time Vault.
- Well, just make sure you bring me
some of Cecile's leftover casserole.
- Done deal. See you in a few hours.
- All right.
- Trust me. I know Carla Tannhauser.
You have nothing to worry about.
- But I don't know her.
Don't get me wrong, I'm touched that she wants to meet me,
but I'm not her daughter.
- Well, neither was Frost, and Carla loved her
the same as she loved Caitlin.
She probably just wants to get to know you better.
- What if I say something wrong
and then things get awkward?
She might walk out...
like Mark did.
- Look, Khione, I know how much it must have hurt
having Mark walk out on you,
and I don't know how things are gonna go with Carla.
Just go and have coffee.
See what happens.
- I just got an alert that the mold inspector
checked in with security.
- Great.
- You sure you don't want us to stick around?
- No, it's your day off. Relax.
I'm the Flash.
I'm pretty sure I can handle one mold inspector.
- Mr. Allen, I take it? - Yes.
Are you all here to find mold?
- Negative, broseph. Mold's my turf.
But when you hit me up...
- It alerted Code Enforcement.
This lab's operating permits haven't been renewed
since your infamous particle accelerator exploded.
- Oh. - That's why we'll be
conducting a full DOE inspection today.
Okay.
What are you looking for besides mold?
- I'll be measuring and studying any device energy
or matter that emits ionized radiation or particles.
It looks like you have a lot of that around here.
- Yeah, well-- - And I'm here to check out
all of your electrical.
- Sure--yeah, I guess let's get started, then.
- Oh, hi...
- Hi. - Everybody.
- Ooh. That smells delicious.
- I'm sorry, and you are?
- Hungry.
And you are?
- Inspector Howard.
- Inspector Howard, this is my wife,
Iris West-Allen.
She's here. - Fantastic.
Can we start now?
- Sure.
You know what, just straight down this hall
to the Speed Lab, two lefts and a right.
I'll be with you in a minute.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
- My bad.
- I thought you were resting at home.
- Oh, um, yeah.
I just--I couldn't wait for my casserole.
- Ah. - Yeah.
So what's up with the City Hall gang?
- Apparently, a mold inspection triggers
every other city inspection too,
which is way more prying eyes than I expected.
- Let me help.
No, look, I know people like this chief guy,
and he's just itching for a reason to shut us down.
I can tell.
- You sure you don't mind? I mean--
- Handling bureaucratic jackassery is, like, my thing.
- Okay. - We got this.
- Mr. Allen.
- Inspector, sir.
Oh!
- Whoa, whoo!
Oh.
No mold up there, man.
Oh.
- Could've told him that. - Great.
- Whoo! - Is this ramp used
for declivity or purely entertainment?
- Oh...
- Both? - Both.
- So your thing with the electrical stuff in it?
- Thing with all the elec-- uh, the breaker box?
- Right, the breaker box.
- Breaker--it's in the--
- What's a Speed Lab for, anyway?
- Oh, well--
- You know, it's crazy 'cause we--
as big as this place is, we actually really don't spend
a lot of time in here, right?
- Hardly ever. - Hardly ever.
So I feel like we should just move on.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
Fine.
- Yeah? - Let's go, folks.
- Electrician's unusual.
- Yeah, if you ask me, they all seem like
characters from a sitcom.
- "Inspectors," coming this fall.
Okay, breaker box is just right over here.
- We just left this room.
What are you trying to pull?
- We...
we must have taken a wrong turn.
- In your own facility?
- Okay, this is super trippy.
- Not sure I would have phrased it that way,
but I concur.
- Allen, I hate shenanigans.
If this is some kind of a joke--
- Joke? No. No.
Barry's not even a funny guy, like, at all.
I mean, this stuff happens all the time, right?
I mean, this place is so big, we get lost in here,
what, once, twice a day?
- Yeah, or every couple of hours.
- Every couple of hours.
- It's a real labyrinth. - It's a real labyrinth.
So...
- Yeah, it's just here.
- Yes. - Sorry. Excuse me.
- I'll just squeeze right by you.
Here we go. Yeah.
- Okay, so sorry about that.
Here we go. Just--
- You've gotta be kidding me.
- No, no, no, no, no, no.
- All right, what in the H-E-double hockey sticks
is going on here?
- Honestly, no idea.
- Don't look at me.
- Don't know.
- Whoa, was that there before?
- No.
I have excellent spatial retention.
I can say with near certainty
that grandfather clock was not here before.
- Barry,
how did a grandfather clock get into the Speed Lab?
- I don't know.
And why can't we get out of this room?
- I don't know.
- This would fetch a lot at the "Antiques Roadshow."
It's from the 19th century, only...
it looks like it was built yesterday.
- I don't know why you're playing a prank,
but I know how.
Clearly there are two identical labs
in this immediate vicinity.
- You got us.
- Ha! - That's right.
- You know what, can we just have a second?
- Mm-hmm. - We'll be right back. Okay.
- Mm-hmm. - Mm.
Barry. - Hmm?
- What the hell's going on?
And what's up with the rando antique?
- I don't know. I don't know.
I'm trying to call the team. I can't get a signal.
It's like we're cut off from the rest of the world.
- Okay, first a time loop, and then Mia and I are
stuck in a dream, and now this?
- Maybe it's some kind of illusion.
I mean, there's at least a dozen metas that have
the ability to create one this powerful.
- Except, I don't know, this doesn't feel
like an attack or an illusion.
- I know. Okay, but don't worry.
We're gonna find a way out. It's what we do.
- Can we hurry,
because our future speedster needs a snack.
- That's it? - What?
- That's it. That's it. I'll run to the future.
I can find out how we escaped. - No.
- And then I can run back and fix it.
- No, Barry, I don't know. I think we should
think this through and weigh our options
before you start zooming through time.
- Iris, it's not just about us.
It's about Nora now too.
Whatever's happening has just started,
but it's gonna escalate fast.
It always does.
That's why my gut is telling me
those people in there are in real danger.
Isn't yours telling you the same thing?
- Fine.
Just make sure you bring me back a decent snack
from the future. - Okay.
- Something with pistachios.
- ♪ You got a Z ♪
- ♪ We got an A ♪
- ♪ And what else, 'cause za's not a word ♪
- Yeah, it is. Za, like pizza.
Pizza, pizza, pizza!
- Girl, you did not just echo. - I echoed.
- You are my favorite human. - Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
- But za is not a word.
Why would you say za instead of pizza?
Pizza just feels good when you say "pizza."
What's wrong?
- You know when I went all nova
at O'Shaughnessy's a couple weeks ago?
- Of course I do. You were so badass.
Thanks.
Well, now social media is buzzing
with descriptions of a new light meta,
descriptions that sound exactly like me.
Chuck, what if everyone finds out?
- I mean, well, then you'll be the new celebrity superhero.
I mean, that could be fun. Think about it.
The mayor would probably invite you to some fancy parties.
You get to hobnob with the in crowd.
- I don't wanna hobnob with anyone but you.
- I like hobnobbing with you too.
I mean, hey, look, let's be real.
You are the most incredible person I've ever met.
And I have no idea how I got so lucky as to end up
with someone who's so far out of my league,
but I'm not even gonna ask that question
'cause all I know is that I love you
and you mean the world to...me.
I didn't mean that.
No, I definitely did mean it. I love you a lot.
And I don't know why I said it again.
What is wrong with me? I need to stop talking.
Okay, now you talk.
- I--
- Oh, hey, guys.
Look at you two lovebirds.
You are just the cutest thing ever.
Okay, don't mind me. I am not looking.
I see nothing. I'm going upstairs.
- No, no, no, no, don't. Stay. Join us.
With three of us, we can play "Settlers of Catan."
- But what about our "Scrabble" game?
- Let's be real. You were letting me win.
Za's probably not a word.
- Do the settlers come with wine,
'cause I like wine.
- Yes. - Yay.
- Wine. I'll get us wine.
- Yay.
- Are you guys okay?
- Yes. - Yeah.
- Where's Mr. Allen?
- The bathroom.
He's gonna be a while. Quite a while.
- What's that sound?
- Uh, I'm starving.
Is anybody else hungry? I'm buying.
- Dude, what was that?
- Uh, another prank!
Gotcha.
- Okay, I've had enough.
Johnson, you can come out now!
- Who's Johnson? - Your accomplice.
Johnson from division.
He called ahead, didn't he? That little...
- Yeah. - Prankster.
I'm on to you, Johnson!
Okay, this is bad.
- "Star Wars"? - Oh, I'll say.
You think you're so funny
to mock the guy who likes sci-fi, huh?
I'll tell you something that's funny, okay?
S.T.A.R. Labs is getting an F minus
for how funny you are!
- Sir, we have a larger problem.
- Why can't I just go home and feed my parakeets?
- Okay, this is seriously freaking me out.
Are we in danger?
- Um...
- Johnson isn't behind this.
Is he?
- No, he's not.
- How do you know, and why should we trust you?
- Because I'm the Flash.
And whatever's going on here, it's definitely not good.
- Okay, that makes sense.
You know what?
- Oh!
- Dude, you really are the Flash.
I've never met a superhero before.
- I know that we're in a situation here,
but if we get out of this, I would love to study
some of your quantum biochemistry sometime.
- If we get out?
No. Are we gonna die?
Oh, man. No.
- Hey, nobody is gonna die. - No.
No, we just need to figure out
why these objects keep showing up.
- I have a theory about that.
Imagine this is all space-time.
Normally, it flows and stretches like this.
We move from one room, one moment to the next,
but we can't do that.
We're stuck.
- Because space and time for us has lost elasticity.
It's like some kind of gravitational force
is creating a zone that we can't escape from
and pulling objects out of time too.
- It's called a time magnet.
I really like science fiction, so...
- When I was doing research for the map book,
I found out that 100 years from now,
a weapons vault would be right here.
- Let me guess: one of those weapons
will be a time magnet.
- Why is it here now and not in the future?
- Unknown, but in order to prevent the temporal anomaly
that we're stuck in from happening,
this future weapons vault would have paired
the time magnet with some kind of stabilizer.
- So whoever brought the magnet with them
from the past forgot to bring the stabilizer with them?
- Maybe they were in a hurry.
- Why would they be in a hurry?
- Because they were stealing it.
Think about it, it could be a thief,
a time thief trying to escape their past to get away.
- Now hold on.
We haven't seen anybody come through here
except for the people in this room.
- You're right.
So that means that somebody in this room is a...
thief.
- Let's not jump to conclusions.
- Jane, is there any way to find out
if someone is from a different time?
- Theoretically, a time traveler might
give off excess radiation,
and we have a radiation scanner.
- Okay.
Well, let's test that theory.
- Well, I guess I can't go,
which means it's your turn, Allegra,
and by the looks of it, you have
enough lumber and brick to build two roads.
Which means you have the longest road.
- Which means I win, I think.
- Mm. - Oh! Yay.
- You know, the thing about roads is,
when you go down a road, you can always come back.
You just turn around
and go back to where you started...
or where we started.
- You know, I have some legal briefs
upstairs that I need to work on,
so I'm just gonna mosey on upstairs--
- No, don't.
Best two out of three.
Right?
- It's okay, Allegra.
I'll just--I'll just go.
- Okay, now that Chester's gone,
you wanna tell me what happened?
]
- Hmm.
Clear.
- You seem to know a lot about this, Jane.
Maybe you're the time thief.
- I am the only one in this room
with the mathematical expertise.
I suppose it is possible that time travel induces
temporary amnesia such that I could be
the time thief without remembering.
- You're clear too, Jane.
- Clear.
Wow.
- Look, I'm not some kind of time traveler.
This is a ruse,
a distraction to cover for your broken facility!
And when I get out of here, I am report--
- What is it?
Howard, what is it?
- Oh, God.
He's a statue.
We're all gonna be statues.
- He's not a statue.
He's dead. - De--
- Scattered through time and space in a collection
of free-floating subatomic particles.
- So he was erased and replaced with a statue?
- It's the law of conservation of matter.
If we don't all get out of here soon, we're next.
- Okay, I'm freaking out, man.
This is--this is way too heavy.
- Everybody stay calm.
- Flash, you gotta save us.
I don't wanna become a creepy nude dude made of stone.
- Poor Chief Howard.
What could have caused that to happen?
- She did it.
- Mrs. Flash?
Seriously? - Me?
I didn't even get a chance to scan him.
- Why should we believe you?
Maybe the scanner did something you're not aware of.
- She's right.
I need to run through some more equations.
I think better when I'm running through the variables.
- Be my guest. - Why did I come to work today?
I could have stayed home, watched some cartoons.
- Look, we both know you didn't cause
whatever happened to Howard, which means it has to be
something else, something we haven't seen yet.
- Okay, well, we need to figure out what that is and fast.
Otherwise-- - I know.
Bad taste in clothing will be the least of our concerns.
- Okay, I'm all ears.
- Chester told me he loves me.
What? I knew it!
You guys have been making the "I'm about to say it" eyes
at each other for so long, and you finally did it.
Am I confused?
Do you not feel the same way about him?
- I love him so much it hurts.
- Aww! Then what's the problem?
He loves you. You love him.
Just say it back and get to the good stuff.
- Cecile, you know what happens to people that I love.
They leave or worse, like Nash and Esperanza.
- Allegra, I can't even imagine how tough that was
for you to go through, but Chester,
if he loves you, he's not gonna leave.
- It's the same thing my dad said
right before he bailed on me and my mom,
and she said it too,
right before she kicked me out of the house.
- I'm sorry.
- I don't want to care for someone like that
and then have them leave, not again.
I don't think I could handle it.
- I understand.
- Really? - Yeah, really.
One failed marriage over here,
thank you very much.
- You never talk about it.
- Because it sucked.
But, Allegra, you are not gonna lose Chester,
and besides, God forbid you guys break up,
that's, like, way in the future.
- See? It could happen.
- It could happen. You could also get married.
Don't freak out!
My point is,
right now, in this moment,
you are falling in love.
Everything that you're worried about,
that's way off in the future.
This moment is magical,
so why don't you just be in it?
Give it everything you've got and enjoy every second of it,
because if there's one thing that I know,
it's that what you and Chester have,
it is something special.
- I don't get it.
There's no pattern to anything that's happening.
- Except for the fact that we're about to be
erased from time along with two more innocent lives.
- Oh, my God.
- I'm sorry.
I never should have tried to open the Speed Force tunnel.
- No, Barry, I'm sorry.
My thief detection plan got
Chief Inspector Howard atomized.
- Iris, running to the future, again, when it never works--
I should know that by now, but it doesn't stop me
from building a crib seven months in advance.
- Well, it's not like I'm any better.
Barry, I think I'm in denial
about how different things are becoming,
and...I don't know,
I think I'm worried that I'm not gonna be able
to do the things that I used to.
- Iris, just 'cause you might have to slow down a bit
for your pregnancy, it doesn't mean
you're never gonna get to do the things you love again.
- Yeah, I know, but, Barry, it's like
everything is changing, and I can't stop it.
Like my body.
Barry, I can feel it changing.
And I'm tired all the time now too,
and I just wanna eat everything in sight
and I have a pregnancy brain, and it's like where you just--
you talk about things that you said,
and then the next second you don't even remember
what you've said.
- I'm sorry.
I can only imagine how tough it is.
- Baby, I don't want you to think
that I regret getting pregnant.
It's just...
sometimes I wish I could go back to my old self.
- What?
- It's like I'm stuck in the past,
and you're racing to the future.
And now I just want some cookie dough ice cream.
- I think you mean vanilla bean.
- Yeah. See? Pregnancy brain.
It's okay.
I'm sorry.
You're not the only one
that's been getting things mixed up.
- What does that mean?
- I know who our time thief is.
- Okay, look, we're really sorry that this is happening,
but we both promise you that we will get you out of here.
- Thanks, Mrs. Flash.
- So, look, Iris and I discussed it,
and we think we know
what might be causing all this to happen.
- Really?
- Yeah, the Speed Lab is where I carry out experiments
as the Flash, so it's possible this room is flooded
with temporal particles.
- What does that have to do with anything?
- I'm glad you asked that.
Temporal particles can become volatile
when exposed to electrical fields.
- They can? - Yes.
And since we haven't had this facility
inspected in nine years,
the wiring throughout S.T.A.R. Labs
is probably faulty, including the check valves.
- We're glad that you're here, Inspector Tao.
Could you check those for us, please?
- Yeah, those valves could be reacting
with random electrical fields, causing time anomalies.
- Makes sense to me. - Hold on a minute--
- Inspector, where do you wanna start?
- Well, first, I'll check the wires.
- Which ones?
- The...red ones.
Then I'll...
- Call a plumber,
since check valves guide water flow, not electricity.
- Which you would know if you were
a real electrical inspector.
- You're the time thief.
- Prove it.
- You didn't know what a breaker box was.
- So your thing with the electrical stuff in it?
- Uh, the breaker box?
- Right, um, the breaker box.
- No, no, wait! - Uh-uh.
We're running out of time, Flash.
Now help me get the hell out of here,
or Mrs. Flash gets it next.
- Who are you?
- Lady Chronos.
The greatest thief time has ever known.
- You know what's happening, don't you?
- We're being erased by time
because of this.
- Nice try.
This time magnet has an identity matrix,
which I reset to my biometrics.
Anyone tries to take it from me, they go boom.
- Yeah.
- Now get me out of here before we all die.
- Why don't you just get rid of the time magnet?
- Uh-uh.
This baby is my retirement score.
With it, I can just relax on the beach in the Caribbean.
Then when I decide I wanna steal the Mona Lisa,
all I have to do is activate this,
and the magnet will bring it to me instantly.
- If you just wanna leave,
why'd you kill Howard and the others?
I didn't.
The time magnet did.
When I helped Howard up earlier and he handed me his hat,
he unknowingly brushed against the magnet
while it was cloaked.
Then 20 minutes later, poof.
You see, the time magnet is attracting
temporal displacement particles--
- Causing everything to transmogrify.
- Yup.
That's why when Howard disappeared,
I knew I could use the magnet as a weapon.
So what's your plan to get me out of here?
- I already tried to use my speed.
I can't even get myself out, let alone someone else.
Why don't you just tell us how you got stuck here
in the first place, and maybe we can find
a way out of here together?
- You probably know this lab becomes
a Flash museum in the future.
It's defenses are impenetrable.
But I almost beat them
before security boxed me in.
Then I noticed the lab's last major inspection
before becoming a museum was dated today, April 5, 2023.
Fortunately, my chrono-belt allows me to jump through time
to a single location.
So I used it to travel back here to the past.
Then all I had to do was sneak in here
posing as an inspector.
- Let's go, folks.
- Then I simply traveled back to 2123,
only this time appearing inside the weapons vault.
Then I snatched the time magnet
and came back here before anyone could
notice I was gone.
After that, I just had to walk out of here,
but I couldn't.
You were right, Flash.
The magnet's so powerful, it's attracting objects
throughout time,
trapping us here in the process.
So what's the solution, speedy?
- If your chrono-belt can transport you through time,
why not just go to 2123, put the magnet back?
- I can't.
My belt lost its charge after I liberated--
- Stole. - Permanently borrowed
the time magnet.
The magnet must have affected it too.
- Then let's destroy the magnet.
- Do that and we all get reduced to subatomic sludge.
- If we can't destroy it, then we need to rejoin
the time magnet with its stabilizing agent.
- Uh-uh, like I said, parting with my retirement fund
is not an option.
- How long do we have before we all get erased?
- I don't know, but it's gotta be soon.
Unless you have a rapid rate kinetic generator
hiding somewhere in here, I can't recharge my belt.
- We've got me.
If you wanna survive, I'm your only choice.
Working with the Flash.
I can't believe this.
- Wait.
How do we know that we can trust you?
- I've had the most direct contact with the magnet,
so my mask can't protect me much longer.
If I don't restabilize this thing,
I'll be the first to go.
The second I return this, I'll be arrested.
- At least you'll be alive.
- How will we know putting the time magnet back worked?
- She did it.
Time's reset itself.
- What about Howard and the others?
- We're right behind you.
- Inspector Howard.
You're okay?
- No.
- Ah, he will be once the inspection's done.
- Exactly.
So first thing, why do you call this room the Speed Lab?
- Why do we call this room the Speed Lab?
- We just really love the Flash.
- Yes.
Yup, he is a really...
- Handsome. - Nice, handsome guy.
- Wouldn't know.
Never met him.
- Well...
- Okay, people, you know the drill.
- All right, people.
- Let's get started.
- Handsome? - I mean, yeah.
- And so you guys have been stuck in the Speed Lab all day?
- Yeah, until the timeline reset itself
and Howard and all the other inspectors walked in
like nothing had happened.
- And they didn't remember a thing?
- No, they just went back to their jobs.
So now S.T.A.R. Labs is officially mold-free.
- And one of the safest nuclear facilities in the world.
- Although I could have told you
you don't have a mold problem.
- How?
- I don't know. I just can.
- Well, we're just glad we passed the inspection
after everything that's happened here
in the last nine years.
- Let's just say we were a little concerned.
- Yeah. - And what about Lady Chronos?
Any chance she got away?
- Guess we'll find out in 100 years.
Hey, how did it go with you and Carla?
- Turns out she does not want me
to replace her daughters Caitlin or Frost.
She just wanted to get to know me as a friend,
and she seems very wise.
You know, as someone who's only about eight weeks old,
I really could use a strong female mentor...
and dinner.
Iris, I know you're starving.
- How do you-- actually, you know what?
It's already super freaky. Never mind.
- How about we get dinner for three at Helena's?
- Cheese fries? - Yeah.
- Yes, please.
- Sounds amazing.
Do I like cheese fries?
- I don't know. We'll find out.
- Hey, Chuck.
Oh, you can't even look at me.
I guess I deserve that.
But I have something I have to tell you.
- Just don't.
I know I messed up, okay? Big time.
What I said to you earlier, I was way out of line,
and it was so not fair to you.
- Chuck--
- I moved way too fast,
and I get why you freaked out.
Anybody would. - Chuck--
- So now you wanna call the whole thing off, which I--
- Chuck, you didn't mess this up.
I did.
I've been in a lot of bad relationships,
so it's hard
for me to accept a good one when it comes along.
Well, not good. Great.
- "Great relationship" as in us?
- When you said "I love you," the first thing I thought was,
"What if this doesn't work out or what if I screw it up
and I lose him," but that's my baggage,
not yours.
- You were worried about losing me?
- Chuck, you're one of the best things
that's ever happened to me,
and I don't wanna push you away.
So I guess what I'm trying to say is...
I love you too.
- You do?
- Yeah, I just-- I hope I'm not too late.
- No.
No, no, definitely not.
- Do you wanna go back to my place?
- I do.
I--I definitely do, but you should know
that I was very sad, and so I drank,
like, seven Vibe-accinos, you know,
which means I'll probably be wide awake for the next,
you know, 10 to 12 hours, give or take.
- Well, good thing we know how to work off all that energy.
- Sorry about that. Yeah, sounds great.
- How could I still be hungry for dessert?
- Do you need help? I could help you out.
- Get your own, pal.
- I will.
Just so you know, you now have
a freezer full of your favorite ice cream.
- Best husband ever. - Yeah.
- Thanks, boo.
So when do you think Nora develops
her cookie dough craving?
- No idea. But I think I'll wait.
Let her tell us when she gets here.
Till then, let's just spend each day
doing what we want to do in the moment.
To vanilla bean.
- And our little bean, 'cause when she gets here,
we're gonna be on her timetable for...
- Ever.
- Forever.
- Sounds good to me.
- Me too.
- Greg, move your head.