Description: Things go awry when Team Flash encounters a new meta with the ability to switch people's DNA.

I'm just gonna say this right now, this story was written long before Run, Iris, Run ever came out. All my info on that episode was from an article that didn't quite get all the facts right. That's why the villain's name is wrong and the characterization is totally different.

That being said, this is my take on what it could have been like if the OTF had switched powers instead.

...

Barry squeezed his eyes shut, a persistent ring resonating in his ears. Faintly, he registered the feeling of the hard, abrasive pavement against his exposed cheek. At first, he wasn't sure what was happening, but he knew he needed to get up. Barry managed to prop himself on his hands and knees before a wave of nausea swept over him. He took a few deep breaths, willing it to pass. Barry opened his eyes, his fallen teammates lit by the glow of the parking lot lamps. After that, it all came rushing back.

The Flash, Killer Frost, and Vibe had been trying to apprehend a new bus-meta. They hadn't been sure what his endgame was, only that he'd been kidnapping terminally ill people. The team had managed to stop him from taking another patient and were on the verge of capturing the meta. That is, until he generated some kind of energy blast, incapacitating them.

As Caitlin and Cisco began to stir, Barry gathered his strength, forcing himself to his feet. As soon as he stood, he knew something was wrong. His feet felt like weights, at least in comparison to how they usually felt. Barry attempted to break into a run, but only accomplished a light jog. He wasn't moving at super speed, or even normal speed for that matter.

About halfway across the street, Barry had to stop and take a breather. Cisco and Caitlin were now upright, trying to recover from the blast. Caitlin caught sight of Barry's hunched form, a worried expression settling on her features.

"I think I lost my speed," Barry grimaced, hints of panic rising within him.

Caitlin moved to clear the distance between them, becoming nothing but a blur of red lightening an instant later. Somewhere along the way she tripped and overshot, crashing into the side of a nearby dumpster.

"I think I found it," Caitlin groaned, rolling onto her back.

Barry quickly ran to help her, waddling as he did.

"That was awesome," Cisco blurted, as Barry helped her to her feet.

He was met with two disapproving glares. "Or not," Cisco put his hands up in surrender.

"We need to get back to the lab and figure out how this happened," Caitlin stated, dusting herself off.

Cisco nodded, moving to open a breach. However, a swirling portal didn't form when he jerked his hand. Instead, a blast of ice shot out, slamming into one of the parked cars. He stood motionless, mouth agape in shock as the ice-coated the vehicle. A moment later the windows shattered from the sudden change in temperature, setting off the car alarm in the process. Cisco visibly cringed as the noise blared through the near-empty parking lot.

"Oh hell no," he muttered, staring down at his hands.

As the reality of the situation sunk in, Barry noticed the hospital staff beginning to pool at the building entrance. That was their cue to leave.

"Well, breach or not, we gotta get going," Barry prompted. "The police are probably already on their way."

"Okay, wait wait wait," Cisco spoke. "If she has your powers, and I have hers. Then that means..." he turned to Barry, "you have mine."

"Maybe you can open a breach," Cisco quickly took off his glasses and gloves and put them on a very unwilling Barry.

"Wha...I've had your powers for like 3 minutes," Barry blurted. "Besides, she's the speedster now," he gestured to Caitlin.

"Well, I don't exactly have my speed legs yet, now do I," Caitlin huffed.

"Well, what makes you think I have my vibe...hand," Barry countered.

Caitlin nodded, admitting agreement.

"Just give it a try," Cisco continued, "I'll guide you through it.

Barry sighed reluctantly and held up his hand.

Several minutes, a few failed attempts, and one pep talk later...they finally called an Uber.

...

Harry didn't know what he expected when he came rushing back to the lab after getting an alert, but it certainly wasn't this. As he entered the main area he was met with the sight of Barry sitting in the chair, holding his head. Cisco was next to him, wrapped in a blanket and nursing a warm mug in his hands. And Caitlin was zipping around the lab at super-human speed.

"I'm freezing," Cisco complained, curling further in on himself.

"You get used to it," Caitlin answered, stopping for only a moment. "This is the warmest I've been in months."

Cisco shot her an annoyed glare as she sped away.

"Coffee, I just went to get coffee," Harry spoke in exasperation. "What happened?"

"We were trying to stop the meta from kidnapping another patient," Barry explained, "and he somehow...switched our powers."

"Not just our powers," Caitlin chimed in, now holding a clipboard, "he somehow managed to switch our DNA."

"So that blast was some kind of genetic..." Barry began.

"Melting Pot!" Cisco sprang to his feet, the blanket falling off as he did. "We should call him Melting Pot."

Harry only shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Okay, anyway," Caitlin continued. "If we're going to even begin to figure out how to reverse this, we need to know how he does it. And in order to do that we're probably going to need a sample of his DNA," she explained.

"Yeah, except we've got nothing on his location or the patients," Barry pointed out, "We don't even know what his motive is here."

"I might actually have something on that," Cisco snapped his fingers, using the chair to roll towards one of the computers.

"Okay, so this whole time we've been focusing on the patients, trying to figure out what connection they might have," Cisco explained, tapping the computer keys as he did. "But then I thought: what if it's not about the patients themselves, what if it's about the diseases?"

"It would make sense, all of their conditions were rooted in their genetics," Caitlin supplied. "So theoretically, given his abilities he could..."

"Give them to someone else," Barry echoed as she spoke.

"So I did a little cross-referencing," Cisco stated, "and low and behold, three different people were checked into the hospital with the exact same conditions as our missing patients," he informed, pulling up the records.

"All died within hours," Caitlin said solemnly as she scanned the files.

"What's the relation?" Harry stepped forward to get a better look at the screen, brushing against Barry in the process.

The ex-speedster visibly recoiled, nearly falling out of the chair.

"Dude, don't do that again, I just vibed your birth," he yelled, clutching his head.

A series of shutters could be heard throughout the room.

Harry only rolled his eyes. He could already tell these next few days were going to be...trying.

"They all worked at the same company. So did our boy Matthew, AKA Melting Pot," Cisco answered the previous question, leaning back in the office chair. "That is until he was fired for assaulting a coworker. He claimed that the guy had cheated him out of a job promotion."

"So he's getting even," Barry concluded.

"Sounds like."

"Any idea who might be next?" Caitlin chimed in.

"The coworker Matthew assaulted wasn't one of the victims, maybe him" Cisco spoke, glancing at the files.

"You intercepted him once, he'll try again," Harry said, crossing his arms. "If you're going to catch him you all need to get a better handle on your new abilities..."

He was cut off by Cisco's loud sneeze. A burst of frost accidentally shot out from his hand, coating the computer screen.

"I rest my case."

"Aw man," Cisco whined, "those aren't cheap."

"Oh boo hoo, just take a hairdryer to it later," Harry shrugged.

"It doesn't work like that!" Cisco snapped.

"Uh, guys," Caitlin spoke.

"Yes, Dr. Snow?" Harry turned to face her. He was met with the sight of the doctor braced against one of the chairs, a glazed over look in her eyes.

"I don't feel so good," she admitted, her tone low.

An instant later Caitlin seemed to go limp, falling forward. Barry sprung from his chair, managing to catch her before she hit the floor.

"Hypoglycemia," he and Harry both concluded simultaneously.

"Come on, get her to the med bay, we need to get her blood sugar back up," Harry ordered, quickly beginning to gather the supplies to start an IV.

Barry looped his arms behind her knees and picked her up, moving as fast as his now average legs could carry him.

...

The next few days were filled with training and each member of the team attempting to adjust to their new circumstances.

Caitlin was getting better with her newfound speed, learning to navigate and fight with it. They hadn't had another fainting incident, which she counted as a win. Barry was helping her as much as he could, even teaching her to faze.

Barry himself was improving at focusing, controlling his vibes, and opening breaches. He had even managed to vibe the missing patients. The team located and recovered them at an old warehouse by the docks, Melting Pot was nowhere to be found.

Cisco was getting better as well. He had gained enough control he was no longer accidentally freezing things. But beyond that, he hadn't wanted to do much training. Caitlin couldn't really blame him. She had been checking up on him often. He was a little unnerved by his abilities, but overall he seemed to be taking it in stride.

After two days or so, Harry had said they needed some actual field experience. So the trio suited up and went on patrol. Caitlin wore a prototype suit Cisco had been developing for Jesse. It didn't exactly fit perfectly, but it was manageable. Barry wore the vibe glasses and gloves, plus a suit they had managed to piece together for him. And Cisco...he just wore a parka and glasses. Mostly because he came to the realization that Killer Frost didn't really have a super suit. (That and her old one absolutely would not fit him.)

Things went pretty well until
they had tried to stop a bank robbery. Caitlin had slipped on Cisco's ice and Barry accidentally broke a window with his vibes. But in the end, they had caught the robber and nobody got hurt.

Needless to say, it was a work in progress. But as Harry had said: neither the Flash, nor Vibe, nor Killer Frost was built in a day. They just had to keep at it.

Caitlin pondered all this as she stared up at her bedroom ceiling. Turns out becoming a speedster might not have been the best thing for her. She wouldn't exactly call herself a workaholic, but she liked to keep busy. Usually, when insomnia struck, she would go over lab results or the like. Most days there was no shortage of things she needed to do. However, she had no such solace tonight.

Any work at the lab had long been finished, and she had run all the errands she needed to do. In fact, she had run all her errands for the next several days. She had even thoroughly tidied and cleaned her house from top to bottom. And when chores ran out, she resorted to various home renovations she hadn't quite gotten around to in the past.

As a result, Caitlin found herself wide awake at 2:00 AM with nothing to help reel in her rampant mind. The speedster let out a frustrated huff, rolling over in attempts to get more comfortable. She repeated the process a few more times, before finally throwing off the covers and getting up. Caitlin threw on her clothes in a flash, before speeding to the lab. There had to be something she could do. Anything.

She flashed out the door and through the streets, the wind whipping against her face. It was moments like those that made Caitlin understand why Barry loved it so much. Truthfully, it wasn't exactly her forte, but it was insightful to see life from a speedster's point of view. It helped her better understand Barry and the various others she encountered in this line of work.

She stopped once she got to the lab, beginning to collect paperwork. The doctor had lab results she could double-check and a few tests she had wanted to run. Caitlin was about to head for her office when she was caught off guard by a breach opening across the room.

For an instant, Caitlin thought to run. But then it occurred to her, it was pointless, Barry would still feel the gust and see the lightning. Besides, she was a grown woman and there was absolutely no reason to hide the fact she was working late.

Barry stepped through the portal, dressed head to toe in his Vibe suit. He closed the breach behind him, jumping about a foot off the ground when he realized she was there.

"Hey Cait," he greeted, the pitch of his voice unusually high. "Wh..what are you doing here."

"Just had some paperwork I wanted to go over," she replied calmly. "Besides, I could ask you the same thing," Caitlin spoke teasingly, eyes gesturing to his suit.

"Oh, uh...I was just..." he looked down as if he had just become aware he was wearing it, "at a Comic-Con." He stated with an awkward clear of his throat.

Caitlin turned around, regarding him with an amused smile. Judging by the look on his face, she could tell even he wasn't buying it.

"That was pretty bad, wasn't it," Barry asked with a grimace.

"Yeah, it was," she laughed quietly.

"You've gotten better at breaching, but you haven't gotten any better at lying." Caitlin turned back to collect her papers.

"I uh, I couldn't sleep," Barry admitted, moving to lean against the desk she was working at.

"So you went on patrol," Caitlin replied quietly.

Barry nodded. "I guess without my speed, I'm...I'm just worried something will happen."

Caitlin nodded in understanding. Barry eyes her suspiciously for a moment

"You couldn't sleep either could you?" Barry spoke softly. "So you came to work," he added, a knowing glint in his eyes.

"Is it that obvious," Caitlin sighed.

"Yeah kinda," Barry cracked a slight smile.

"Well, I guess that pretty much sums us up," she spoke with a slight chuckle.

"We're quite something," he agreed.

An instant later, a series of clatters echoed through what should've been the otherwise empty lab. Caitlin set down her papers, the two heading towards the source of the noise. As they moved through the halls and into the main room, it soon became apparent it was Cisco. That is if the repeated use of the word 'frack' was anything to go by.

Barry and Caitlin rounded the corner, finding the cryokinetic at one of the workbenches. He was tinkering with the many devices strewn throughout the lab.

"Cisco?" Barry spoke, startling him.

"Son of a breach," he muttered as he whirled around.

"Sorry," Caitlin apologized they stepped through the door.

"Hey, guys," Cisco greeted, leaning awkwardly on the bench.

"Can't sleep either?" Caitlin inquired.

"I uh...I actually haven't left yet," he admitted tensely.

Caitlin frowned a little at that.

"But uh...you know what, it is getting late and I think gonna," Cisco paused to force a yawn, "turn in for the night."

"I'll see you guys tomorrow," he added, attempting to take his leave.

As he did, he reached to swipe something off the workbench, succeeding only in knocking it off. Several pieces of tech clattered into the floor, Cisco rushing to pick them up. As Barry and Caitlin knelt down to help him, it became obvious what he had been working on. It was a smaller, more functional version of the power dampening cuff.

"Oh Cisco," Caitlin whispered, worry evident in her tone.

"Is it really that bad?" Barry asked quietly, his brows knit together.

Cisco remained silent for a few moments before letting out a sigh. He shifted to a sitting position, leaning his head back against the bench.

"No...yes...I don't know," Cisco answered, an edge to his voice. "I just, I don't feel like myself."

Barry and Caitlin mimicked his previous action, moving to sit beside him.

"I'm angry, and I'm cold...and I'm scared," he breathed out, exhaustion in his voice. "Every night when I go to bed there's this pressure in the back of mind. Like it's trying to claw it's way to the surface."

"I'm terrified I'm gonna wake up..." He added, his eyes begging to get misty.

"And be somebody else," Caitlin finished, a look of sadness and understanding on her features. "I know, believe me, I  do."

"How do you live with that every day," Cisco whispered, not netting her gaze

"It's hard sometimes," she admitted, "but it gets easier, I promise it does."

"But you know what? You already have better control then I did." She stated, "I was still accidentally freezing my shower weeks after I found out I had powers.

"I froze my toilet yesterday," he admitted with teary eyes laughter.

Barry and Caitlin couldn't help but laugh a little along with him.

"The point is," she added, leveling her gaze with his, "everything is going to be okay. You don't have to hide anything, I know what it's like. I'm here for you, we're here for you," she assured.

"Yeah man, we were all hit by that blast," Barry supplied.

Cisco took a deep breathe, wiping away the tears. "Thank you," he said, sincerity in his tone.

"Hey, we're in this together." Caitlin only shrugged.

Cisco cracked a smile. A comfortable silence settled over them as they sat on the floor of the dimly lit lab.

After a while, Barry spoke up. "We should watch a movie."

The idea seemed to lift Cisco spirits near instantly. "Well," he grinned, "I do have the most extensive movie collection out of all of us. Not to toot my own horn."

Caitlin only laughed and shook her head, moving to stand up. Barry followed suit, the pair helping Cisco to his feet.

"Care to do the honors," Caitlin glanced at Barry.

He obliged, putting his hand up and opening a breach.

"You gotta do it with more style than that," Cisco critiqued, "it's all in the wrists."

"Hey, no backseat breaching. They're my powers now." Barry complained.

"Well, technically they're still my powers, you're just borrowing them," Cisco countered.

Barry rolled his eyes as they headed for the breach.

"We should wake Harry up too," Caitlin suggested, wryly.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure if we woke him up at 2:00 o'clock in the morning he might actually murder us," Cisco said with a laugh.

The trio settled into a comfortable banter as they stepped through the breach, the power dampening cuffs all but forgotten.

...

Harry had been right. Days later, Melting Pot made another kidnapping attempt. This time they did it right. They worked as a team, and in the end, had been successful at capturing the meta. They kept him in the cortex for a while before turning him over to the police, having gotten the DNA sample they needed.

As a result, the trio found themselves standing around a small circular device. According to Cisco and Harry, it should recreate the blast and reverse the effects. 'Should' being the operative word. After all, it was still a prototype. Harry stepped back and began to power it up.

Barry took a breath, glancing at the others. He smiled, knowing that no matter what happened next, it would be alright. So long as he had his teammates.