GoldenVibeWeek2016 Day 2: Earth… and/ or Space AU
A/N: This is a follow on from my ColdAtom Earth 2 AU but can be read as a stand alone piece
Previously on Earth 2:
"People of Central City, my name is Leonard Snart, son of Mayor Lewis Snart. Until 12 years ago I was his only child. My father cheated on my mother and a little girl, my little sister was the product of their affair. My sister is now missing. I am asking anyone with information about Lisa Snart, the girl in the picture on your screens, to please contact Detective Iris West-Allen of the CCPD. My sister is only 12 years old, I told my father I was going to tell you all about her and he made her disappear, just like both our mothers. In the upcoming elections I encourage you to vote to forcibly abdicate from his seat of power, upon which I will willingly replace him as your Mayor and legalise many overdue ballets on the agenda, gay marriage for one. Finally, I would like to formally and officially introduce my partner of four years, Ray Palmer. We will answer any questions you may have but please, I beg you, help me find my sister Lisa. Thank you everyone, questions will be accepted shortly."
Hundreds of miles away…
"Where am I?" Lisa asked frightened. It was dark and the room was lit by candles mounted on the wall, a tall dark figure dropped from above and stood over her. "Who're you?" The figure pulled back the hood revealing her face.
"My name is Black Canary. Welcome to the League of Assassins."
Lisa trembled before the hooded figure who knelt down, removing her hood. Under the hood the woman had long brown hair and kind eyes. "I know it's you're scared right now but you are safe."
"I wanna go home." Lisa said shaking.
"I can't let you, I'm really sorry, look let me show you around I promise-"
"You kidnapped me, how can I be safe? I want my brother."
"Lisa-"
"How do you know my name?"
"I can explain but wouldn't you rather sit somewhere more comfortable and have something to eat?"
"So you can poison me?"
The woman chuckled, "I'm not going to poison you, come on, you'll like it here, I promise." She held out a hand and Lisa stared at it for a while, unsure. After a few minutes she nodded but pushed herself from the ground to her feet where she immediately stumbled into the woman's arms. "Sorry about that, side-effect from the knock-out serum, our chemist makes it pretty strong. Come on, it'll wear off," with an arm around Lisa the woman lead her through either corridors or tunnels, Lisa couldn't tell, until they came to a door. Through the door was a small room with more corridors/ tunnels leading off it different directions. They took one and came out into a large room with other rooms going off of it. "These are the trainee quarters; you'll be staying here."
"But I wanna go home," Lisa repeated.
"I'm sorry sweetie, but that isn't an option right now."
"Can you at least tell me what's going on?"
"I suppose I can tell you that, first let's go to your room, this one, over here," the woman pushed open the door, it looked very basic, but there was a nice looking bed, a desk, set of draws and a closet. She sat Lisa on the bed and sat on the chair, across from her. "You're at the League of Assassins, sometimes people order hits on people under 18 and we don't think that's right, so we take them in and train them, then after their 18th birthday they have the option to leave or join us. My name's Laurel."
"My dad called you didn't he," Lisa said sadly.
"He did," Laurel confirmed softly.
"I can't believe he wanted me dead, I didn't think he hated me that much," Lisa was close to tears, Laurel sat beside her putting an arm around the 12-year-old's shoulders.
"I'm sorry honey, if it helps, my mom called the hit on me and my sister, I was just nine and she was little, but I promise you're going to enjoy your time here, and it's only six years," she said immediately regretting it as Lisa burst into tears.
Once Lisa was calm Laurel took showed her around the facility, which was built into caves. "Where am I?"
"I've already told you."
"No I mean geographically."
"Sorry sweetie, I can't tell you that, besides even if I did, we don't show up on any map so there's no way to escape." Lisa growled internally. "Here is the main room, training is down those three tunnels, classrooms through those and adult sleeping quarters are down there. Kitchen is through here, you can eat whenever and whatever you like, currently we have 7 other young people here, a couple are your age, if there's anything you want just write it on the board by the fridge and we'll get it in. OK it's almost dinner and new arrivals mean pizza, so I hope you're hungry."
"What if I don't like pizza?"
"You had it the other night."
"What if I'm allergic to something?"
"You don't have allergies," Laurel told her.
"How do you know?"
"We confiscated your medical records, easier than we expected actually. Are you always like this?"
"My brother told me if someone ever took me then to be awkward, how do you know I had it the other night?"
"Honey we've been watching you for weeks."
"PIZZA!"
Lisa turned and let out a squeal, surprised by the booming voice as a man exited the tunnels arms full of pizza boxes. This was followed by shouting the word 'pizza' from various directions and tunnels, Lisa backed into Laurel who placed hands on her shoulders to reassure her. There was one person who looked under 18 but older than here, two who looked a similar age, a boy and a girl and four younger at various ages under 10. Who the heck was taking hits out on little kids? Lisa thought. "Guys, this is Lisa, she just arrived please be nice. Alex could you help her settle in, I have a patrol?" The older girl nodded and waved Lisa over, patting the seat beside her on a couch in the common area they were in. Laurel encouraged her to join Alex and kissed the man with the pizza on the cheek before leaving the room, stealing a slice from his box.
Lisa sat beside the older girl. "Hey, I'm Alex Danvers, nice to meet you."
"Lisa Snart" she said taking her brother's name and not her foster parents'.
"Don't look so worried, you'll like it here, I can tell, you have a look about you that tells me you will," Alex told her, "how old are you?"
"12."
"Well that's Caitlin, she's almost 14 and that's Cisco, he's also 12. And the man is Tommy, he's Laurel's fiancé, the woman just coming in, the blonde is Felicity, and the brunette is Nyssa, she's one of the combat trainers, the other two will be here soon, they're called Sara, she's Laurel's sister and a man, Oliver." Lisa nodded and Alex pulled a pizza box towards her.
"I'm not really hungry," she said.
"I know you won't feel it from the knock out drug but you'll need it or you'll feel sick later." Begrudgingly Lisa picked up a slice, it was her favourite flavour, and took a bite. It was good.
Lisa ate and observed her new surroundings and people. They seemed OK, it was too soon to tell really. They invited her to a movie after pizza but she told them she was tired and sked if they could take her back to the bedrooms. Once in hers she locked her door, laid on her bed and cried herself to sleep.
A knock sounded on her door, she wasn't sure how much time had passed. Opening it she found the boy that was about her age. "Cisco, right?"
"Yeah," he smiled.
"What'd you want?" She asked sniffing.
"I came to offer you a red vine," she gave him a look, "and check you were OK," he stammered.
"I'm fine, I just wanna go to bed."
"I said that my first night here so-"
"Please just go away."
"I could-" The door closed and locked in his face. "Smooth Cisco," he berated himself.
Every day Lisa refused to talk to anyone, she would just walk around the facility, getting to know the layout. She wasn't due to start classes for another few weeks of adjustment so she walked and wandered until she could find her way blindfolded. She found a door that lead to the roof, the rood happened to be looking over a cliff, but at least there she was out and away from all of everything.
Sara, the blonde who wore white a lot, helped Lisa keep up to date on Central City and its' news, which recently just seemed to be about her. "Can't we just let him know I'm OK?"
"Sorry kid, no can do." Lisa sighed and looked at her brother, he looked heartbroken. She knew she had to get away from this place, even just to let him know she was OK.
She waited until the dead of night and silently pulled open her bedroom door. A chill crept around her ankles as she skulked across the room and down several corridors, narrowly escaping Nyssa on her patrols. Lisa went to the roof and leaned over the wall over the side. There was water at the bottom, she could hear it and she knew the others went there sometimes to swim, she hadn't been awarded the privilege yet though. She prepared to climb up onto the wall.
"Is being here really that bad you wanna kill yourself?" She froze and turned, Oliver had caught her.
"I can swim," she told him.
"Maybe, but that height, streamlined little thing like you? You'd hit the water and be dead, unless you get the right angle on it of course," he challenged her. She leaned over the wall to look down at the abyss of mist and fog before backing away. She sighed when his hand touched her shoulder.
"I just want to let my brother know I'm OK." She repeated for what felt like the millionth time.
"Lisa I know you do, but we have a contract with your father, your 18th birthday, and you're free, until then, try and enjoy your time here," he said softly, "you're gonna learn things kids your age can only dream of, and you will-"
"Enjoy myself, I know." She said tiredly.
"Alright, now go on back to bed." She headed back inside pulling her hoodie back around her. "And Lisa?" She turned back to him, "good sneaking skills, I saw you on the cameras but good work avoiding the patrols." He smiled at her and she blushed turning away and headed back to her room.
"Got caught huh?"
"Cisco what're you doing in my room?"
"Waiting to see if you made it."
"Why do you even care?"
"Well we're friends right? Friends look out for one another." He shrugged, "Twizzler?"
"I'll pass." She said pushing the bag away gently, was he ever not eating candy? "You should go back to your room, I'm gonna sleep and think of a new way to get outta here."
"Why do you wanna leave so badly?"
"My brother," she told him pulling off and folding her hoodie, "he needs to know I'm safe."
"I got a brother."
"Yeah?"
"He's an ass. He's the reason I'm in here actually. He called up saying he wanted rid of his annoying little brother. I was five."
"He is an ass." Lisa said drying, "he was right though."
"About what?"
"You are annoying," she told him.
"You wound me." He said stabbing his heart with a Twizzler.
"Get out of my room Cisco."
"Going now." Lisa rolled her eyes as her door closed, but a smile crept onto her face. Cisco was good to her and it was sweet he cared. He was still annoying though.
That wasn't Lisa's last attempt at escape, she tried numerous times over the next two years, in the end she kept it up for the fun of it, there was no real attempt, but it did put her new skills she learned in combat to good use. Alex left the League after she turned 18, she originally went there in her sister's place but now she needed to return to her family. Lisa knew it was four years away but she was counting down the days until she could go back to her brother.
She was almost 15, Cisco already was. The pair and the other girl her age, Caitlin were very close and would go to the lake together on weekends when it was warm. When he turned 15 Cisco started an internship in the tech department for the team building and designing things for them. The first thing he did was get rid of Oliver's 'grease paint' and designed a mask that didn't impair his vision. Then his thoughts turned to Lisa, he wanted to make her something special, so he started designing and ran some of his ideas past Winn, another member of the tech support they had, he did a lot of the weapon design for the team.
He designed what he called the 'Gold Gun,' a weapon that shot liquid gold which covered its' victims solid. The first prototype didn't go well, but Winn kept encouraging him to keep going.
Shortly after she turned 15 Lisa got called to see Felicity, or Overwatch. Laurel and Sara were also there. "Is something wrong?"
"We felt you should know your father died, he pissed off the wrong guy in prison and got stabbed in his sleep." Laurel told her.
"Oh," Lisa said looking down. "If he's dead can I?"
"Sorry Lise, you still have to stay here," Sara told her. "Sorry."
"It's OK, can I go?" The three women nodded and she went straight to her spot on the roof where she cried over the wall until she got dizzy and had to sit down.
Cisco brought her up pizza since she missed dinner.
"Sorry you're so upset," he said softly.
"I'm not upset," she told hi wiping her tears on her sleeve. "I'm only pissed I wasn't the one to finish off the old bastard. Thanks Cisco." She said as he put an arm around her shoulder. "He's the reason I'm here," she told him, she had never told him how she got there before, "he did it to torment my brother and now he can never tell him where I am."
"You'll be OK Lisa and so will your brother, if he's anything like you are, he's tough."
"He has a kid now. A little girl," she told him, "Annalise."
"That's a nice name."
"I was always partial to the name Sofia myself, but yeah, she's adorable too," Lisa smiled thinking of the recent article she saw of her brother and his daughter. "Thank you Cisco," she says softly.
"For what?"
"For always being here, even when I didn't think I needed you," she smiled and leans towards him, pressing their lips together briefly before wrapping her arms around his middle.
They began seeing each other, going on dates to the lake and the roof and even in the forest when they were allowed. Some nights they would sneak into each other's rooms and just lay in each other's arms. She tried to teach him knife throwing once, he got pretty good until he got cocky and tried flipping one in his hand and sliced his palm open. He did well with the blood though, according to Lisa, although he passed out he didn't throw up. Which was good apparently.
One after the other they turned 16. For her birthday Cisco took her to the lab he shared with Winn, saying he had a surprise. "Close your eyes," he told her, she could hear the excitement in his voice. She closed her eyes and listened as he rummaged around, he learned skills telling her exactly where he was in the room at all times. "OK, open," he told her. He stood in front of her with a box.
"Cisco you didn't have to get me anything," she said softly.
"I didn't, I made it, just for you. Open it," he gave her the box, "now it isn't finished but the tests have been positive so I think you can practice with it," he told her as she lifted the weapon out of the box and stroked it caringly with her fingers.
"It's beautiful," she said softly. "Thank you," she smiled and kissed him. "What does it do?"
"I call it the Gold Gun, it shoots liquid gold that encases the subject inside with an hour or so of oxygen so they can come out alive, just have to work quick."
"Can I try it out?" She asked, also excited.
"Sure, I set up a shooting range, it's fully charged so it should be good to go, let me just, there we go, it's on."
For the next two hours Cisco taught Lisa how to use the various settings on the gun until it started to run low on power. "Like I said it isn't finished, I wanna extend the battery life and protect the casing properly but-" Lisa kissed him.
"I love it." She said softly.
Just three and a half short months later Caitlin turned 18 and was faced with a difficult decision. She could either stay and join the team or she can leave, where the League would set her up until she found her feet. She was conflicted, most people here couldn't wait to go see their family, but not Caitlin. Caitlin's mother had called in the hit on her so she could start over with a new family after Caitlin's father passed away. She had no desire to see the woman ever again. But on the other hand, she had been doing her internship in the labs, she had a passion and a talent for medicine and bio chemistry. Laurel told her she could always do a degree in the subject and come back if she wanted to.
Felicity had ties to the science world outside and had shown some of her work to a scientist, Dr Harrison Wells who was impressed enough to offer her a scholarship on behalf of Star Labs in Central City, it was a tempting offer, but Caitlin knew she needed to think it through before anything happened.
After deep consideration Caitlin accepted to the scholarship, though she promised to come back if the League ever needed her. She had perfected a way to make the knock out serum they used tailored to each individual, so if they had any more hits, she insisted they bring her a DNA sample and she would make it for them. She hugged Cisco and Lisa tightly before she left, she would miss them so much, but knew she would see them soon. She wished she could tell their families back in Central City they were OK, but she would risk exposing the League and couldn't do that to the people who had raised her since she was seven.
Cisco turned 18 next, a year and a month down the line. He refused to leave until Lisa did though, he promised to stay with her as long as she still wanted him to. He worked in the tech lab full time now and took on teaching duties of the younger kids in actual schoolwork.
One day he was working with Overwatch in the control room, Laurel was field testing a Canary Cry device he'd made for her, it was designed to stop people when in pursuit or who were being difficult. "I am loving this tech Cisco, good job," she told him over the comms.
He sat with Overwatch often, she taught him how to work her impressive computer system and to hack into places.
Laurel had finished for the night in the field but Oliver was still out there, Cisco had designed him a new arrow, which he was finally taking into the field. Overwatch had the CCTV up but Cisco couldn't watch it. But he listened for good measure. That was the night he heard his first death. The one he helped make happen with his tech. He was really shaken when Oliver returned. The man put his hand on his shoulder. "Take a few days, it's not an easy part of the job."
"No, I, I need to get used to it, I'll be fine." Felicity had summoned Lisa who arrived and wrapped her arms around him, he pressed his face into her shoulder. She stayed with him in his room but he didn't sleep very well. She left him to sleep in before going to training. Thinking of her upcoming birthday. She really wanted to go back to her brother, but had been second guessing it recently. She still followed the news, her brother was married and had two kids now. The City was thriving under his reign.
Her birthday arrived and she said she was staying, for now. She told them she wanted in and they agreed she was up to the standards to go out into the field. Cisco was in the control room with Felicity but his mic was turned off, just in case he got too worried. Oliver said Lisa didn't need distracting her first mission with them. A kill mission, someone ordered a hit out on the next in line for a throne somewhere. Lisa wasn't sure where, she was mainly there to watch and as back up. Sara put a hand on her arm before they started. "You're gonna do fine OK, just relax, alright?" Lisa nodded and Oliver lead the team in.
Things got out of hand pretty quickly, their target was pretty good at fighting back, but it was still three on one. He turned his attention to Lisa, who pulled the gold gun Cisco had said was finished and working out of her pocket, aiming it at him. He hesitated but still went towards her and she fired.
Cisco watched on the monitor as he was covered in the substance. Oliver and Sara moved in for a closer look. They were impressed. "Nice tech," Sara told her. "He still alive in there?"
"About an hour's worth of oxygen." Lisa told her.
Oliver pushed it into line with the other statues hoping it would blend in. Even if it was discovered though they would have no idea how to get him out.
On the way back it really dawned on Lisa that she had just killed someone. "What have I done?" She said softly. Sara heard her and put an arm around her shoulder.
"I know it doesn't help a great deal, but that guy, not a good person, he kidnapped and tortured women, he only got away with it because of his royalty. The monarchy couldn't let someone like that become King."
"His parents ordered that kill?"
"For the good of the country." Lisa nodded, understanding he had been a bad person. Arriving back Cisco held her tightly in his arms and kissed her cheek.
"I wanna go see my brother," she said softly and he nodded, still holding her to him.
Felicity organised everything and gave them phones specifically programmed with panic buttons for immediate rescue and numbers for the team if they wanted to come back. They had a small apartment for the two of them, it was nice and just what they needed. First they visited Caitlin, to see how she was getting on. She was thriving in her scholarship. They were even letting her help with the particle accelerator they were working on. It was being turned on shortly and Caitlin was very excited about it.
Lisa and Cisco entered the town hall. Lying about an appointment they were shown to a waiting area where Lisa saw posters, 'Find this girl' posters with aged up photos of her on.
"Can I help you?"
"Lenny?" She turned, tears in her eyes.
"Lisa? Is it really you?" Lisa nodded, walking towards him and hugging him tightly. "Where have you been? We've searched for years."
"I've been OK, safe. Lewis called in a hit on me, but the people he called refuse to kill children, so they took me and they trained me and I have an education and I found someone," she looked at Cisco who stood there awkwardly, "he's kept me sane and he makes me happy and I love him."
"I'm just so glad you're home," Len whispered hugging her. The door behind them opened and a man walked in with two children.
"Lisa is that really you?"
"Lisa this is Ray, my husband, and your niece and nephew, Annalise and Leo."
"Hi," she said shocked.
"Would you like to join us for lunch?"
"Actually we need a favour, Cisco is from round here too, but his mother has moved, we were hoping we could get an address for her." Lisa said and Len nodded but gave them his and Ray's address for later.
"You're taking this well," Ray told his husband after they left.
"She's an adult, I can't force her to stay." He said, "I'm just glad she's back."
Cisco and Lisa sat in their rental car outside of the address Len had given them. "Do you want me to wait in the car?" She asked him.
"No, come with me, she'll love you, I know it." He told her and they got out and walked up to the door and knocked. After a minute the door opened to show a woman who looked older than her years. "Mom?" He asked tearing up already.
"Cisco? Is, is it really you?" She asked, instantly knowing it was him. "Oh my son," she whispered to him in Spanish stroking his face and shoulders, "please come inside," she said moving aside and inviting both of them in to her home.
"Where is everyone?" He asked, "Danté?"
"Your brother was in a car accident a few years back," she said sadly, "though I knew, I knew he was the one to have you sent away, after it happened, he confessed to me, he was so scared."
"Please tell me you forgave him?"
"Eventually I did, but Cisco you were my baby and he had you taken from me. It wasn't easy." She told him and he nodded, "who is your friend?"
"Mom, this is Lisa, Lisa, my mother."
"It's nice to meet you," Lisa said in perfect Spanish like Cisco had taught her.
"Lisa helped me a lot and I love her." Cisco told his mother, who reached out to take Lisa's hand.
"Thank you," she told her smiling.
"He's exaggerating," Lisa said, "he helped me too."
"Are you back to stay?"
"For now," he told her, "I don't know how long but for now."
"Then you must stay for dinner," she insisted.
Cisco and Lisa stayed in Central City in their apartment though struggled to adjust to civilian life. They found it difficult to relax, but promised Caitlin they would be there for the turning on of the particle accelerator, just a few more days.
When the night came they gathered in the crowds outside of Star Labs and smiled at Caitlin who stood with the other scientists. It was turned on and they joined her briefly. "We're going back, tomorrow," they told her, "I don't know how you do it Caitlin," Lisa said.
"Well I had a little help," she said looking over at a man who smiled catching her eye. "He's called Ronnie, he's really sweet. I never told you, the university fast tracked my scholarship, I graduated last year, I guess all that work back then paid off," she smiled.
"We're really happy for you Caitlin."
Lisa told her brother she was leaving. "I promise we'll visit Lenny, we do, but we can't stay, we're needed elsewhere."
"So long as you visit," he said finally, "I guess I can live with that." They shared a hug and Lisa went back to Star Labs where Cisco was with Caitlin and Ronnie.
Suddenly alarms began blaring, "go, get out," Caitlin told them rushing off in the other direction after Ronnie.
They didn't get far from the building before being hit by a wave of something which knocked them clean out.
Lisa woke back at the League's medical room, she could tell, having spent plenty of time in there before. "Lisa," Cisco's voice sounded.
"Cisco, what happened, how long was I out?"
"Three months."
"Three months," she said shocked. Caitlin entered the room, two technical looking bracelets on her arms.
"You're awake," she said, there was something missing since the last time Lisa saw her, she couldn't tell what it was.
Caitlin checked her over, everything was fine except everything she touched had a gold substance left on it, like the Gold Gun used.
"Cisco, what happened?" She asked.
"The particle accelerator exploded, we were hit by dark matter, it changed us, you do that thing with the gold, I, I don't even know but there's visions and I can control sound and vibrations, and Caitlin-"
"What?"
"She lost Ronnie, and she has powers, that's what her bracelets are for, they keep her powers at bay while she learns to control them, I made them, I made some for you too, if you want them." Lisa nodded.
"Until I get the hang of them."
Lisa no longer needed her Gold Gun which didn't matter so much since it was destroyed in the explosion. Caitlin re-joined the science team at the League and learned to use her powers. Ice powers. The kids loved her, she could make it snow but not cold. They nicknamed her Elsa after some movie. It made her smile, even if she missed Ronnie, she was home and loved.
Cisco was back in the labs and making tech and helping Felicity, they nicknamed him Reverb for his powers, he liked it and so let it stick.
Lisa was back out on missions, getting her powers under control was difficult at first she was still learning, meaning she had to use the bracelets on missions so she didn't leave trails of gold everywhere. But she was getting there. Cisco called her Golden Glider, she smiled, she could get into that.
…
"Where am I?" The kid before her trembled.
"I'm Golden Glider, welcome to the League of Assassins."