Meena Dhawan

Dr. Meena Dhawan, also known as Fast Track, is an author and the CEO of Fast Track Labs. She is also a former speedster and was the girlfriend of an amnesiac time remnant of Eobard Thawne until he was killed by the Negative Forces in order to resurrect his other self.

Biography[]

Early life[]

At some point, Meena began working at Ivo Laboratories and designed the Newton Battery, putting her work there on the map.^[1] She also published a book titled Quantum Gravity & the Universe, which has been read and praised by other similarly-minded individuals who then became familiar with both Meena’s work and brilliance.^[2] Eventually, she also somehow became the CEO of Fast Track Labs as it is very unlikely that she founded said research company by herself from scratch.^[1]

Designing her own speed source[]

Around some time after June 2021, Meena interviewed the amnesiac Eobard Thawne for a position at Fast Track Labs and noted that his résumé was a joke either because it is with questionable validity or fails to satisfy her hiring criteria; during the interview, Eobard then notices Dhawan taking pills for a circulatory condition and a clear board in the office they were in, upon which an incomplete formula was written. While being scrutinized, Eobard then saunters over to the board and manually solved a problem that Meena had been working on for months trying to generate speedster abilities. Because of this, Meena hired Eobard and eventually fell in love with him.

During the process of designing the Biometric Lightning Oscillation Chamber, Eobard mentioned to Meena that he wanted to be a speedster and the B.L.O.C. was meant for him. However, the two then discovered that the B.L.O.C. could only work for one person. One night, Meena's heart condition caused her to go into cardiac arrest. Eobard then used the B.L.O.C. to save her life. This resulted in Meena gaining speedster abilities instead of Eobard.^[3]

Meeting the Flash[]

The speed from the Biometric Lightning Oscillation Chamber proved to be ineffective and Meena's abilities could only last a few minutes, putting her at potential risk of a heart failure again. Meena decided to briefly "borrow" and use the Newton battery she had designed as a power source to prolong the speedster abilities, as it technically wasn’t stealing, since her other option would be to create another such battery at Fast Track Labs (which she estimates would take at least four years for her to finish, even with B.L.O.C.’s benefits and they were inconsistent at best). When she arrived at Ivo Laboratories to take the battery, she accidentally caused a fire and was forced to put it out along with speeding the laboratory staff to safety. Said staff were left under the impression that it was the the Flash who saved them, despite the fact that said scarlet speedster actually appearing into Ivo only by seconds after. Later, as Meena went back there to return the battery, and was putting the innovation back into its secure polymer containment when Dhawan got confronted by the Flash himself; the two raced about at super speed and it soon becomes apparent that the latter is the superior speedster. Finally surrendering, Meena unmasked herself and told the superhero that she just wanted to help people and was sorry for the damages she caused. The Flash then offered to mentor her, which Meena accepted.^[1]

Later, Meena had a training session with the Flash in which she raced him through a forest. However, Meena accidentally threw lightning at the Flash, canceling out his speed. The Flash noted that he had never seen artificial lightning interact with organic lightning like this before, and said that they should go over her biometrics. Seeing as her speed was about to run out, Meena left to recharge herself at her lab. At Fast Track Labs, Meena received a visit from Barry Allen, who wanted to make sure her speed source was safe, informing her that he has the Flash's blessing for paying her visit. Meena took him at his word and lead Barry down to the R&D area where she proudly showed him the B.L.O.C. and introduced Barry to the man who built the machine: Eobard. Meena then received a phone call from Avery Ho and left to answer it.

Later that night, Meena and Eobard began the speed infusion process again with the intent of making her speed last longer so she could not injure the Flash again. The Flash then appeared and tried to stop the process, warning Meena and Eobard that Meena's speed is connected to the Negative Speed Force. Meena ignored the Flash's attempts to stop her and went through with the process. After the process was finished, Meena stepped out of the chamber partially controlled by the Negative Speed Force with glowing red eyes and stating that she needed more speed. She then attacked the power grid of Central City and absorbed electricity from it to gain more speed.

Meena then attacked a dam, the largest power source available, and began to absorb electricity from it. The Flash then arrived and stopped her efforts, leading her to chase him so that her speed could run out and the connection to the Negative Speed Force could be severed. Meena then summoned lightning directly from the Negative Speed Force to cancel out the Flash's power and proceeded to kill him, only to be stopped by Eobard, who pleaded with her to come back to him. Meena then came to her senses and returned back to her normal form.^[3]

As Fast Track[]

She was later seen fully suited up in a tight and silver-lined, black speedster suit with Eobard, Chester P. Runk and the Flash observing her in Meena's own lab, with Meena herself looking unsure of this development as she checked herself out in the catsuit-like get up; it only hasn't been long ago did she attain the power of speed and already she is garbed in the suit worthy of a superhero, and all for a training session to gauge her powers. She feels they're skipping a few chapters in her tutelage under the heroic speedster, although Chester couldn't help but admire Meena's dark-clad but heroic new look and yet the latter feels that she may be wearing such too soon, for its sported gaudy features (i.e. zigzagged lightning patterns and lines spanning over its surface and around the limbs as well as a jagged, belt-like accessory that surrounds the waist and, of course, a facsimile of the Flash's recognizable lightning symbol) not unlike those found on the Flash's own.

The Flash then infers her new super suit's purpose of being more than just the aesthetic - sensor arrays and comms built into their specialized attires diligently keeps track of the wearer's well-being along with providing a means of convenient communication. Which, in Meena's case, is perhaps crucial given that she may succumb to her connection to the Negative Speed Force once more. The Flash then reassures her that she has his support with every step she takes and Meena smiles, feeling her self-confidence rise though Thawne expresses mild concern sensing that something was holding back Meena, or vice-versa.

She then climbs up and soon runs full-speed over the Cosmic Treadmill, her rapid pace overseen by Eobard and Chester while the Flash monitors her heart rate as Meena's limbs rapidly moving back and forth so fast, with black and white electrical sparks arching over her back, that the naked eye could barely keep up with their progress while rushing atop of that hi-tech contraption. With her topmost speed now at least doubled, the other speedster in the room notices Meena's pulse rate spiking and advises her to take it easy. But Dhawan refuses this, believing she can reach Mach 2 speed; but her unrelenting exertions instead hurtled her backwards, off her running feet, and crashing into some equipment behind her. Eobard, worried, strides over to Meena as she straightens and righted herself - embarrassed by the incident and damage that her own bravado caused.

The incredulous Thawne reprimands his employer and girlfriend, reminding Meena that her speedster-level recuperation, while of course factored in stabilizing her heart ailment, is a far cry from legitimate invincibility causing a wincing Meena to loudly lash out before catching herself, leaving the Flash, Runk and Eobard speechless. Realizing that she may have gone too far on people who exclusively knew and only wanted to assist her in exploring her meta-abilities, without losing or endangering Dhawan herself to those powers in the process, a visibly dismayed Meena with a sniffling sob humbly takes back what she said and deeming herself disastrous, she speeds off and right out of Fast Track Labs.

Traversing across Central City at godspeed, Dhawan finally stops at a dreary alley wherein only dumpsters and broken down vehicles were present. She begins to pace back and forth, crouching then kicking some trash out of frustration, next to a postered-up wall while muttering to herself, trying to regain her confidence - but apparently too upset and disappointed to actually get anywhere from there. Just then, the Flash found her and Dhawan meekly apologizes for her behavior back at the lab, believing she is not yet ready to assume his mantle. The red-clad speedster then asks Meena why she pushes her abilities like so and the latter replies she is nowhere near the hero that the former is and that wasn't her original intent when she helped Thawne design the B.L.O.C., though she balks from voicing out the actual reason. And so the Flash graciously revealed his identity to her as Barry and Dhawan was dumbfounded to see another familiar face underneath the famed persona of the Flash, who kindly states Meena suiting up in her streamlined outfit as the first step towards a long and striving journey ahead of her in order to prove her personal worth, encouraging Meena to give herself a chance to be a hero, nicknaming her Fast Track.

As she was training again at her lab with Eobard, they were assaulted by the Negative Forces (in the form of Deon, Alexa, and Bashir) who declared their intent to eliminate Eobard, prompting the costumed Meena to fully-suit up in her boyfriend's defense; but Deon simply time-freezes them in place and was about to kill Thawne until Barry intervened and saved them from them. Due to the emergency of the situation, Meena intensified her speedster training as she got worried about her insecurities and confessed to Eobard that she's afraid of letting Eobard down, because she lives her boyfriend's own dream. But Eobard reassured her, telling her that she's sharing herself to everyone, much to Meena's joy and happiness. As Barry went to check on her training, Barry decided to teach Meena how to share her speed with Eobard, which occurred successfully. While Team Flash worked to neutralize the Negative Forces, Deon teleported Iris West-Allen in front of the Force avatars as the Flash shot a lightning. Iris's body disintegrated and was sent to Eobard, which led to the true version of Reverse-Flash killing the time remnant, in front of Meena and Barry, much to her horror as she could only scream in terror as she witnessed the death of the man she loved.^[4]

Final battle against Thawne[]

Witnessing the death of the man she loved, she could only stand in terror as Reverse-Flash taunted the Flash about Iris being the sacrifice to bring Reverse-Flash back. However, as the Flash electrocuted Reverse-Flash in retaliation for Iris's supposed death, Nora West-Allen and Bart West-Allen, as XS and Impulse respectively, sped back from 2049 to stop Barry from killing Eobard, allowing Reverse-Flash to escape in the Negative Speed Force thanks to the Negative Still Force.

Retreating back to Fast Track Labs, both Meena and Barry discussed on how to stop Eobard definitely and decided to use herself as the way to enter the Negative Speed Force, so that Barry can stop Reverse-Flash. However, since the operation at Star Labs failed, Meena felt guilty as she knew Eobard's time remnant would have known how to find a way and instead sped back to her lab, intending to destroy the BLOC, claiming "this machine ruined her life". But Barry intervened and convinced her to use it instead to recharge her speed and connect Barry to the Negative Speed Force.

Once Barry came back from the Negative Speed Force, the Flash along Fast track, XS, Impulse and Chester witnessed on a broadcast of Reverse-Flash empowered by the Negative Forces and they fought in downtown. As Fast Track threw a lightning alongside the Flash, XS and Impulse at Reverse-Flash, they thought to have taken him down, only to be revealed that they knocked out Impulse instead of Reverse-Flash. Not long after this, Reverse-Flash snapped his fingers and sent Fast Track, XS and Impulse a billion years in the past, unable to assist the Flash. However, once Reverse-Flash is erased by reversing time and canceling his own attack, the Flash brought back the three speedsters.

After the battle, Meena lost her speed and stated to Barry and Iris that the BLOC was never her idea and that the Negative Speed Force used her to find another avatar. As she prepared to depart, Iris gave her Eobard's yellow tie to her, noting that Eobard's time remnant was a "special person" to which Meena agreed and departed, but not before saying that she will help Team Flash if necessary.^[5]

Powers and abilities[]

Former powers[]

• Enhanced physiology/Limited connection to the Negative Speed Force: Through her own speed source, Meena is able to give herself speedster abilities.^[1]
  • Superhuman speed: Meena can move at the speed of sound, indeterminable to the naked eye but clearly inferior to the Flash’s own.^[1]
  • Electrokinesis: Meena can generate and throw lightning, able to do so without first charging up by running about in circles to accrue the lightning’s momentum so much to actually project it across a distance from her body.^[1] After overcharging on her speed source, Meena can also summon cumulonimbus clouds and lightning directly from the Negative Speed Force.^[3]
  • Aerokinesis: Though not seen, Meena was said able to incur wind-funnels as a speedster which she employed in putting out the fire she unwittingly caused at Ivo Laboratories.
  • Negative Speed Force sharing: Meena is able to share her speed with another speedster, akin to Barry's Speed Force Sharing. However, unlike Barry, in doing so, Meena can transform a human into a speedster, in this case Eobard Thawne, though it is unknown if this ability would still be activated as her speed is temporary.

Abilities[]

• Genius-level intellect/Master scientist: Meena is an intelligent individual who is the top scientist in her corporation. With the aid of Eobard Thawne, she was able to build her own Speed Force machine. And before that, she succeeded at manufacturing a tentative but revolutionary energy battery, the Newton Battery, during her fresh tech engineering days at Ivo Laboratories. All of these credits and achievements show that Meena nears the technical prowess of the likes of Lena Luthor, Lucius Fox, Tina McGee, Maxwell Lord, Bishop and Ray Palmer - if not intellectually on par with them, having also spearheaded technological development companies respectively under their own names, like her.
• Average hand-to-hand combatant: While not trained in any form of combat, Meena is capable of holding her own in a fight as long as she has her powers to aid her; without them she is explicitly a below-average fighter.

Weaknesses[]

• Temporary speed: Meena is only able to move at rapid speeds temporarily.^[1]
• Corruption: If Meena taps into too much energy from her speed source, the Negative Speed Force starts to corrupt her, until the traces in her system either run out, or she is able to be pulled out by positive emotions.^[3]
• Inexperience: Given Meena's still being relatively new to her artificial abilities, she was seen losing her personal equilibrium quite a number of times when she tried to run away from the Flash.

Former weaknesses[]

• Heart condition: Meena suffered from a heart condition which required her to take daily pills and put her at risk of cardiac arrest. After Eobard saved Meena's life with the B.L.O.C., the condition seems to have subsided.^[3]
• Chronokinesis: As swift and nigh-uncatchable as Dhawan is as Fast Track (except to the likes of the Flash), she is still subject to the fundamental force of time making her speed-based powers useless before or against entities or phenomena that hold control over the temporal. This was seen when Meena attempted to speed off herself and Eobard away from the Negative Forces — only for the Negative Still Force to literally stop Fast Track in her tracks with a snap that froze both her and Thawne in place, robbing Meena of her primary advantage. They were only seconds from being killed and it wasn't until the arrival and intervention of the Flash did the two of them regain mobility.

Equipment[]

• Suit: Meena wore a simple attire that included a hijab to conceal her identity as an unnamed speedster.^[1]
• Fast Track suit: Meena wears a black protective suit; while operating as Fast Track.^[4]

Appearances[]

The Flash[]

Trivia[]

• Interestingly, despite Meena having a connection to the Negative Speed Force, her lightning color is white-black rather than the regular red color associated with the Negative Speed Force. This could be down to Thawne being the Negative Speed Force avatar and therefore his lightning color more closely matches the actual color of the Negative Speed Force.
• Meena Dhawan being connected to the Negative Speed Force is a callback to her comic's counterpart who stole the Negative Speed Force that was inside Barry and self-stylized herself as "Negative Flash" afterwards.
• Meena didn't lose herself to the Negative Speed Force until becoming distraught at seeing Flash attack her lover.
• Accounting her brief and only once out in public appearance as a fully-suited speedster, it's very likely that Meena’s Fast Track persona was never acknowledged by the public beyond the fact that she is a nameless speedster who fought shoulder-to-shoulder with the Flash, alongside his two children from the future, against Negative Forces-enhanced Eobard Thawne.
  • This is perhaps supported by the fact that said Thawne apparently wasn't even familiar with either Meena or her Fast Track persona—hinting that Dhawan’s speedster identity is a temporal anomaly inherent to the current reality's timeline.

Behind the scenes[]

• In the DC comics, Meena Dhawan is a former S.T.A.R. Labs scientist who became a speedster known as Fast Track. She later became brainwashed by Gorilla Grodd, turning into an agent of Black Hole and enemy of the Flash as Negative Flash. She debuted in The Flash (Volume 5) #3 (September, 2016).
• Meena was originally supposed to be introduced in Season 7, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she was introduced in Season 8 instead.^[6]
• Kausar Mohammed also plays Nurse Patel in Black Lightning.

References[]