Warnings: Past child abuse, past sexual child abuse and swearing.
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A Hidden History
It had been three hours since they had started trying to find a solution for Snart's health. Caitlin had managed to gather his medical history between doctor appointments from when he was younger and a full physical that was given to him when he was arrested and placed in Iron Heights after killing his father. There was even a complete psychological evaluation and examine due to the high intelligence behind his crimes. Caitlin couldn't help but feel horrible and depressed at reading his medical file. Snart had clearly been abused and any doctor worth their salt should have noticed it as well. He should never have been left in that house with his father. Someone should have stepped in and put a stop to it long ago. The number of broken bones, skull fractures, bullet wounds, stab wounds, lashes and stitches. No one should have ever left Snart or his sister there for another minute. What made the tears come down Caitlin's cheeks was discovering that Snart had been raped multiple times between the ages of fourteen and eighteen. To find out that he had been sexually abused for four years was painful. Caitlin could understand why Snart was the way he was now. He truly didn't stand a chance. Caitlin's thoughts were interrupted by Barry touching her shoulder.
"Hey you alright?" Barry asked with concern.
Caitlin looked up from the files and saw that everyone was looking at her now, some with concern in their eyes.
"It's his medical files. It's just, it's painful as a doctor it's painful to know that no one helped him. It was so clear what was happening to him, but no one cared to help him. He was just eight when it started. He didn't deserve for it happen to him." Caitlin said sadly.
"It's heartbreaking to read the files and know that he was unprotected. It's not surprising that he turned to a life of crime. After all of the abuse he endured it's a miracle he even survived." Henry said sadly.
Lisa went over and picked up the medical file as she spoke.
"He had Mick after he was fourteen. I remember you got us out of there." Lisa said to Mick.
"A week before he turned eighteen." Mick said.
"I didn't even know that some of this happened. Some of these injuries, I don't remember them." Lisa said more to herself than the others.
"You were young. It makes sense that you wouldn't remember everything." Cisco said.
"Oh my God. Did you know?" Lisa asked with hurt and anger as she turned to look at Mick.
Mick could tell that she had read something that Snart didn't want her to know about.
"Did you know he was raped?" Lisa asked with anger.
The shocked faces filled the room at hearing the news. They knew he was abused, but they didn't ever think he had been raped before. They figured his lack of physical contact was just who he was. Some people just didn't like touching, they never thought it had a more in depth reason.
"I knew." Mick answered.
"For how long? How long did it go on?" Lisa demanded.
"Almost four years." Mick answered.
"Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't he?" Lisa asked with betrayal.
"There's a lot you don't know about growing up. Everything he did, he did it to protect you. When that son of a bitch father of yours told him he was either going to sell you out to the highest bidder or him, Snart picked him just like he always did. He didn't want you to know and blame yourself. If you weren't there he would have left a long time ago. I found out that night I came over a week before he turned eighteen. He was alone with some guy. I killed the sick bastard and took you both out of there and when your father showed up demanding you both back I put him in the hospital and he never dared to come to the house again. I kept you both safe. He's mine to protect just like you're his to protect." Mick answered.
"All the times growing up I would bug him and tease him about not dating anyone. About not having sex with random women. I told him he needed to stop being weird and be normal." Lisa said with regret.
"He's not good with touching. He doesn't know what a safe touch is he's never had it. The only women he ever hooked up with was when he was blacked out drunk and he had nightmares from it afterwards for weeks. There's a lot you don't know. He wanted it that way. He wanted you to have the best life he could give you. That's why he dropped out of high school after being released from Juvi at fourteen. So he could work and make sure you were taken care of. He could have been anything, but he gave it up for you, because he loves you. He doesn't have self-worth Lisa you know that. His life doesn't matter to him. It's why he sacrificed himself to destroy the Oculus and not me. The only reason he didn't kill himself growing up is because he couldn't leave you there on your own. After I got you both away from your father he got so depressed I used to spend my nights watching him to make sure he didn't kill himself. The mornings I got you up and ready for school because he couldn't face the world. That's why we need to do everything we can to protect this little one, because if she dies he's done. He'll kill himself. He won't be able to handle it. There's too much pain in him. He still struggles with depression off and on. You know that. He's not the strong one right now. We have to be." Mick said with strength in his voice.
"What if we can't? What if I can't?" Lisa said sadly.
"Then we risk burying him again. We don't know what he's been through. We don't know what he saw. But I do know that he's in pain and not just physically. He's got that same dead look in his eyes that he had when he was eighteen holding the gun in his hand. He's always saved us. Now we have to save him." Mick said.
"And we will. No one is going to hurt him or L. I promise you that. I won't just accept for them to be killed. He went through it alone growing up. Well he's not alone anymore. He has all of us and we're a family. I refuse to give up on family. We will figure this out. He will recover from this, because there is no other option." Barry said with determination.
"We've almost completed a way to get Snart's cells to stop freezing and reverse. We just need a little longer for the tech." Cisco said.
"I did find in the medical files Snart's psychological evaluations and turns out the energy from the Oculus is not what is making his brain waves so high. Turns out they have always been like that. Snart has an IQ of one hundred and ninety-eight. He has an eidetic memory and LLI also known as Low Latent Inhibition. It's why his right half is so strongly lit up. He's a creative genius it's why he is able to pull the crimes that he has been able to and come up with those plans. He sees the world differently then everyone." Caitlin said.
"What is LLI?" Lance asked.
"With us when we look around a room our minds register everything within it. The desk, computers, the chairs, the white boards, etc. There is a part of our minds though that block everything else out. It's to protect ourselves from being overloaded and overwhelmed by senses. Snart doesn't have that. When he looks at that desk he would register everything, the glass, the legs, the frame, the nuts, the bolts; everything that is used to make that desk. Then his mind would break it down further, why those bolts, why that glass, why was the desk built. His mind is constantly doing this while still being able to think of something else and uphold a conversation. His mind is constantly thinking on a subconscious and conscious level. He would have trouble sleeping because of it. He would be more open to stimuli in any environment especially a new one, like a new house." Caitlin said.
"He touches everything." Mick stated.
"Exactly. His mind doesn't even know he's doing it and it would become sort of like a comfort to him. Everything has a different feel to it right now to the dents and number of paint layers. If you put a pile of screws in front of him and blindfolded him, he would be able to tell you the difference between each screw even if they are all the same brand. Just from feeling them. If someone with his condition has a low IQ it always results in mental instability, but with Snart he has a high IQ and it turns him into a creative genius. It's why he is so good at planning he can see even the smallest details and break them down. It's why he can adapt so well to change his mind can instantly work itself out." Caitlin continued.
"And why when he couldn't think from the severe headaches it scares him. He's always been able to think of everything and now all of a sudden he can't form a thought." Sara said.
"Taking away the only thing he's ever been able to rely on and take comfort from." Ray said with understanding.
"So what do we do about it?" Jax asked.
"The source of his headaches could still be from the energy that went through him. Are you sure he isn't injured?" Wells asked.
"All of the scans have come back that his brain it fine. There's no reason for the headaches." Henry said.
"Could it be that his headaches are a side effect from the pain his body is in with his cells freezing?" Stein asked.
"I don't think so. It would be an extreme reaction. His heart is showing signs of stress, but if his body was in that much pain to affect his brain, his heart would show it more." Caitlin said.
"Ok one problem at a time. Cisco get that device ready so we can stop and reverse the freezing. Once we have that under control maybe the headaches will start to go away. Ray have you reached out yet to Captain Hunter?" Barry asked.
"Ya I got the time Beacon going, but it might take a bit for him to get here depending on where he is." Ray answered.
"We'll keep looking for other alternatives for the headaches." Henry said.
They were interrupted by the beeping from Snart's heart monitor. They all headed into the room and saw that Snart was moving around slightly in the bed. It was clear that he was in pain. He was on his side with his hands on his head and his face was scrunched up in pain.
"Lenny." Lisa said with fear in her voice.
"Get her out." Snart said through clenched teeth and it was clear he was in extreme pain.
Jax placed a hand on Lisa and guided her out of the room.
"No I'm not leaving him." Lisa said.
Jax still made sure he got Lisa out of the room and into the other room where she was close by in case something happened, but couldn't see Snart.
"He doesn't want you there in case he dies. He doesn't want you to have that memory. Him worrying about you is not going to help him. So please stay here." Jax said trying to get Lisa to see reason.
Lisa threw her hands up in defeat with no other choice. Jax headed back into the room only to see that Snart's pain had gotten worse.
"What is wrong with him?" Mick demanded.
"I don't know." Caitlin said confused as to what is going on. There was no reason for Snart to be in this much pain.
Snart couldn't hold back a scream from the pain and his heart monitor was beeping erratically.
"We need to sedate him his heart can't take much more." Henry said as he rushed over to the cabinet to gather what he needed.
Cisco went and placed his hand on Snart's leg as he tried to read the monitors to see if he could see anything that didn't add up. The second his hand touched Snart he instantly vibed and his world changed to images flooding his mind. He could barely keep track of them all. Once one had appeared it was replaced by another and then another. By the time he was able to get out of it Henry was back at Snart's side with the sedative. Just than another machine beeped and Caitlin swore under her breath.
"What's happening?" Sara asked with fear.
"He's having a heart attack. The stress is too much for his body to handle. If we can't get this under control and figured out he is going to die." Caitlin answered.
Just then his heart monitor flat lined and turned into a solid beep. Wells was already pushing the crash cart over to the bed. All the others could do was stand there and watch as Henry and Caitlin worked on Snart. They got him onto his back and once the crash cart was charged Henry grabbed the paddles and pressed them against Snart's chest. They watched as Snart's chest lifted off the bed, but the monitor was still flat lined. Caitlin charged the machine higher as Henry placed the paddles against Snart's chest once again as he spoke.
"Come on son you can do this. You got a little girl to raise. Come on fight."
Henry shocked him again and Snart's chest lifted off the bed once again, but this time they were awarded with a heart beep once again. Caitlin quickly sedated Snart while Henry and Wells put the crash cart away. Everyone let out a breath they didn't know they were holding.
"He's sedated, but if we can't find out why he's in so much pain he's not going to make it. His heart is still in stress and if he has another heart attack there's no guarantee that we can get him back. We need a solution." Caitlin said.
"When I touched him for like a second I vibed. I saw a bunch of images and memories all flashing in and out at a rapid pace. Could that be connected?" Cisco asked.
"I have no idea." Caitlin said sounding overwhelmed.
"Ramon, let's finish that device for his cells. Maybe it's part of the problem." Wells said.
"Do it fast." Barry said.
Wells and Cisco headed out of the room and back to their work room.
"It has to be the energy." Stein said confidently.
"But what? He's fine medically you said right? No brain tumor or internal injuries from being dead?" Ray asked Catlin.
"He's got a perfectly healthy brain. All things considering his body is healthy. Even his heart is strong he was not at risk of a heart attack. Not until the pain hit and put so much stress on his heart that it stopped. The pain would have been extreme even with his high pain tolerance. There is no physical reason for the pain. We've run every test we can think of. There is nothing in his blood, no injuries on his scans, no bruising or damage done at all to his brain." Caitlin answered.
"Could it be psychological? Maybe his brain still thinks he's blowing up?" Sara asked.
"Phantom pain doesn't cause a physical reaction on a person's heart. If this was psychological there wouldn't be any actual physical pain. The pain he is in is very much real." Henry answered.
"So then what could energy do to someone's mind without causing any physical damage?" Joe asked.
"No idea." Ray answered.
"We need Rip. He would know more about the energy in the Oculus than anyone. He better get here fast." Mick said.
It was forty minutes later when Wells and Cisco were finally finished with their device for Snart. It was a vial with red liquid in it on a silver chain necklace.
"How the hell is that going to help him?" Mick asked skeptical.
"Ok look the liquid inside is infused cells from Barry. The vial has been charged to pulse and release the heat that the cells create and connect with Snart's cells. This will warm his cells up and stop the freezing and reverse it. The cells in this vial will last a month and then we need to replace them with fresh ones from Barry. For now this will work until I find something more permanent or there is some way Snart can control it and his cells will stop freezing." Cisco explained.
"If it works you'll start to see his body temperature rising. With his cells no longer frozen it should lessen the pain his body is in and reduce the stress on his heart some." Wells said.
Cisco went and placed the necklace around Snart's neck and it landed right on his centre chest plate. They all stood there and watched the monitor for his body temperature. After a minute it started to go back up into normal ranges.
"It's working. We'll need to give him chest x-rays to monitor the fluid in his lungs. I may need to drain it." Caitlin said.
"Based on his oxygen levels we will need to." Henry said as he went and put on an oxygen mask on Snart.
"The ice in his lungs are melting which is good, but too much fluid and he'll drown. Cisco, can you grab the X-Ray machine?" Caitlin asked.
Cisco headed out of the room and went over to the x-ray machine and rolled it in. Caitlin and Henry took a few x-rays and looked at them on the monitor.
"He needs it drained. His right lung is almost full of fluid. He also needs an anti-biotic IV started." Henry said.
"Ok so that is one problem down. Now what about his brain?" Lance asked.
"Not to mention we still don't know how the hell this is even possible." Joe said.
"We're hoping Rip can answer that." Ray said.
"You said he died in a place where time doesn't exist. Is there any way that there was a time delay or something and that is why he's back alive?" Barry asked.
"If he was going to get dropped back in this timeline he would have been alive if that is what was supposed to happen. Time Masters die in a place where time doesn't exist all the time, they don't come back from it." Mick answered.
"So this isn't explained by the simple answer." Joe said.
"What about magic? You were brought back by that Pit using magic. Couldn't this be from the same thing?" Lance asked as he looked at Sara.
"I don't think so. I mean the Pit was ancient and created with magical healing powers. It could bring someone back from the dead, but it was never done before. It was meant to heal someone with small injuries or illnesses. Me and Thea were the farthest it's ever gone." Sara answered.
"Magic would leave a trace too. Oliver was telling me about it. We would be able to pick up a magic signature on our scanners and we haven't so far. I'm with Professor Stein it has to be the energy from the Oculus." Barry said.
"What was the Oculus meant to do?" Lance asked.
"It controlled time basically. It was this device housing blue future energy in a sea of green energy to protect it. With the Oculus the Time Masters were able to see what the future held, but they could also manipulate the future and the people within that time line to play out as they wished. If they wanted someone to fail in a mission they just made it happen and watched it play out. They did it with us from the very moment Rip went against the Time Council to defeat Savage. After that our actions were just that actions in a script that we played out. By destroying the Oculus we were able to have free will again, but the time line was gone, no one would be able to see the future again. Making it difficult for Time Masters to navigate through time in the past." Ray said.
"So not only did we destroy a powerful weapon, but we also destroyed a map to the past basically." Sara added.
"And Snart was standing there when it exploded?" Lance asked.
"Right head level with the Oculus and standing right in the middle of a sea of green energy. All of which exploded and destroyed the whole ship and Vanishing Point. So it has to be the energy that is affecting his brain now." Ray answered.
"Who created the Oculus?" Cisco asked.
"The Time Council." Jax answered.
"How was it created?" Wells asked.
"We do not know that." Stein answered.
"Too bad we can't just ask Gideon." Ray complained.
"Wait Gideon the A.I?" Barry asked now very interested.
"Ya she was on the ship. How do you know about her?" Jax asked confused.
"I invented her." Barry stated.
"Wait what?" Lance asked confused.
"Back with the evil Dr. Wells who was from the future." Barry started, but Lance cut him off
"Again I say what?"
"It's a long story, I'll explain later." Joe promise.
"Evil Wells built a Time Vault with Gideon in it. We discovered it and found out that I invented Gideon at some point in the future. She still works. Wouldn't she be able to reach knowledge that she has in the future somehow?" Barry asked.
"It's worth a shot." Ray easily agreed.
"How is Snart doing?" Mick asked.
"The fluid is drained from his lungs. We have him on an anti-biotic IV and an oxygen mask to help him breathe. He'll be alright once we get to the bottom of the headaches." Henry answered.
"Let's go talk to the robot." Mick said.
"I'll stay here." Lisa said as she held Laurel in her arms. She went and sat down in a seat beside Snart's bed. She had no interest in learning about the Oculus. She just wanted her brother back to being healthy. That was all that mattered to her.
Everyone else headed out of the room and down the hallway to the Time Vault. They went inside and Barry spoke.
"Gideon."
"Hello Mr. Allen." Gideon's voice filled the room.
"Gideon, can you access knowledge with a future version of yourself?" Barry asked.
"Possibly if my future version is allowing past version access to its information."
"Do you know anything about the Oculus?" Barry asked.
"It was created by the reformed Time Council. The Oculus is constructed of energy that is used to hold time and space together. The energy was contained within the Wellspring using technology similar to that of your particle accelerator. Only this container was meant to keep the energy safe and active in order for the Time Council to see the time line. The green energy sea that surrounds the Oculus was designed as a safe guard in the case of intruders." Gideon answered.
"What was the green energy made of?" Stein asked.
"It is a manmade energy to provide added protection should the Oculus become under attack." Gideon answered.
"What would happen if someone was exposed directly to either of those energies?" Ray asked.
"That would depend on the amount of exposure to an individual. A small amount will make an individual sick, a large amount would be fatal."
"What about a large amount by both green and blue energy?" Wells asked.
"I have no data on that particular situation. Basic knowledge would have me stating it would be fatal regardless."
"What about a fatal exposure in a place where time doesn't exist?" Barry asked.
"The individual's remains will be placed back in their original time line in that time present."
"You said reformed Time Council built the Oculus. What do you mean?" Joe asked.
"The current Time Council is not the original Time Council."
"What happened to the original one?" Lance asked.
"I am not authorized to say."
"Gideon, have you ever heard of someone coming back from the dead?" Sara asked.
"You were brought back from the dead Ms. Lance."
"I know, I meant besides me."
"Mr. Snart was. He is in your sick bay now."
"Any idea how that is possible?" Ray asked.
"He was brought here by Mr. Rory, Ms. Snart and Ms. Lance."
"I meant from the dead." Ray said.
"I do not possess that information Dr. Palmer."
"Do you know who would?" Joe asked.
"Perhaps Captain Hunter will be able to elaborate when he arrives."
"He's on his way?" Ray asked.
"Yes, he received the call and will be arriving momentarily."
"Is there any way we can detect the energy from the Oculus within someone?" Wells asked.
"Not to my knowledge."
"I don't suppose you know what is causing Snart's headaches by any chance?" Caitlin asked just for the hell of it.
"Not to my knowledge Dr. Snow. Perhaps my future version would be better suited for that question."
"It was worth a shot." Caitlin said.
"How did the Time Council develop the Oculus? I know you said they contained the energy, but where did they find this energy to be able to harness it?" Wells asked.
"The energy was originally from a human being. She was born with the energy inside of her. The energy was initially supposed to have a different use than seeing the timeline in past, present, future and alternative timelines."
"Wait it was a girl?" Barry asked shocked.
"Yes Mr. Allen."
"What happened to the girl?" Sara asked.
"I do not have that information or what she was originally supposed to do. I am only allowed access to a limited among of information from a future time point. Again perhaps Captain Hunter would have that information."
"Ok, is it possible that someone from an alternative timeline could be dropped into this timeline?" Joe asked.
"Mr. Allen has travelled through time to reach alternative timelines, Earth, and realities. Manipulating time is possible."
"But is it possible for someone who isn't a time traveller or a speedster to do it?" Barry asked.
"Not to my knowledge Mr. Allen."
"So basically we need to ask Rip." Mick said.
"You are correct Mr. Rory." Gideon stated.
"Thank-you Gideon." Barry said.
"You are welcome Mr. Allen."
"So I guess now we just have to wait." Joe said.
"Rip will be here soon and he should have more answers." Sara said.
They headed out of the Time Vault and back to the main lab.
"At least we know more about the energy in the Oculus." Cisco said.
"But it opens more questions. Like how the energy used to be in a girl." Joe said.
"Look, I'm not just going to say it. What if Laurel is that girl? I mean the Universe brought Snart back with you guy's daughter. Snart said it was a war in the timeline he was in. Are we really thinking it's unrelated?" Ray asked.
"I don't know maybe. It would depend on when the Time Council was even created and how. I mean we don't know anything about them." Sara said.
"They weren't ones for sharing their story." Mick said as they walked back into the room. They were surprised to see Iris and Wally standing there in the lab. Both looking very confused.
"Um someone care to explain?" Iris asked.
"Ya." Barry said slowly before he went into the explanation that they had so far to both Wally and Iris. It was a lot of information to give out and to understand, especially when he had to go further back and explain how Snart was a part of a team that went through time to kill Savage. After ten minutes Barry had explained everything finally and he could see that it was a lot to wrap their minds around.
"You know amazingly enough that is not the weirdest thing I have heard." Iris said.
"So now there's a baby and a guy that woke up in a coffin after being dead and you guys don't know why." Wally said.
"L was never dead she is just from a different timeline where I gave birth to her. But basically ya." Sara said.
"Rip should be here soon to hopefully explain further." Jax said.
There was a beeping sound from the consult and Cisco went to look at the security cameras.
"Um is that Captain guy a futuristic wild west guy?" Cisco asked.
"Ya he is." Ray answered.
"Then he's here." Cisco answered. He hit the com button and spoke. "Welcome Captain Hunter. Take the elevator up to the fourth floor and take the first right you'll find us."
Cisco looked back up at the others and noticed that they were all anxious to talk to Rip and see if he could shed some light on their situation.
"So what do you think the chances of me being able to see that time ship are?" Cisco asked trying to lighten the mood.
"Oh man it is awesome." Ray instantly said with a goofy smile.
"It is really cool. Sara and me learnt how to fly it. Well I learnt how to fly the jumpship, which is smaller and Sara got to fly the Waverider. It was like being in Star Wars." Jax said.
"I am seriously jealous right now. Like physically green with jealousy." Cisco said.
"Is it fast?" Wally asked.
"Oh ya. Like a race car times a hundred." Jax answered.
"Damn now I'm jealous." Wally said.
Rip walked around the corner and walked into the room. He was shocked to see so many people within the lab.
"Right well I did not expect to see so many of you." Rip said.
"We're all family here. Barry Allen." Barry said calmly as he held his hand out.
"Yes Barry Allen, you were one for family. Unity of the good fighters in the world. A pleasure to meet you. Captain Rip Hunter." Rip said as he shock Barry's hand.
"A quick rundown, this is my dad Henry, my foster father Joe West, his daughter Iris and his son Wally. This is Cisco our resident tech God. Caitlin our doctor. Captain Quentin Lance and Lisa is Snart's sister." Barry explained.
"And the baby?" Rip asked.
"That is what we need your help on. Snart is alive and brought this little one with him." Sara said.
"I beg your pardon." Rip said confused.
"Quick version is Snart died and was dropped back in this timeline. He was buried then three weeks later he is waking up in his coffin with this little one on his chest. He punched his way out of the coffin went back to his old house where Lisa was living. They moved to a new area, we found out this morning, Snart was in pain and sick he became unconscious and we brought him here. From what we got out of Snart he was in some alternative timeline where our daughter was killed and as a result the world was at war and a bunch of us died. She was brought back with him and he's to protect her or something." Sara said.
"He came back to life. People don't just come back to life. Injuries?" Rip asked as he walked over to Snart and pulled out a pocket size Gideon device.
"Six broken ribs, massive internal bruising, pneumonia. His cells were freezing Cisco was able to build a device using the energy in Barry's cells to warm Snart up on a cellular level. That is working currently; however he is getting extreme, unbearable pain in his head from unknown causes. Henry and I have run every test we can think of and we've come up with nothing. His brain is perfectly fine there is no reason for the pain. It was so bad not even thirty minutes ago that he had a heart attack from the stress on his heart. We had to shock him multiple times to get it started again before we sedated him to try and help with the pain." Caitlin explained while Rip scanned Snart's body.
"Do you know what's wrong with him?" Lisa asked.
"I can pick up his physical injuries. And you are correct there doesn't appear to be anything physically wrong with his brain. Is there anything besides the pain?" Rip asked.
"Not that we know of." Caitlin answered.
"I'll have Gideon run a diagnostic on him while we discuss." Rip said as he program the hand held device to run a diagnostic and placed it down on Snart's chest. "It will take roughly twenty minutes and check Mr. Snart on every level."
Rip headed back out into the main room as he continued to speak. "Now tell me more about this one." Rip said as he nodded to Laurel in Lisa's arms.
"Leonard woke up with her on his chest. She's a week old, that's how long Leonard's been back alive. Henry checked her over and she's healthy and even ran the DNA test. She's mine and Leonard's. What we don't know is how or why." Sara answered.
"And we have a list of questions so you better be in sharing mood there Captain." Lance said not holding back the authority in his voice.
"Why isn't easy to answer. How, that is something I can answer." Rip said.
"We'll take it." Mick said.
Rip looked around and he grabbed one of the whiteboard markers and turned to the whiteboard as he spoke he drew straight lines.
"As you know there are many different timelines. Every decision creates a new timeline and within those timelines different versions of yourselves go through that life. There are unlimited amounts of timelines, because every decision creates a new timeline. If you went to College as appose to not going to College that right there is two timelines. If you go to one College instead of another, again two more timelines. There are only two possibilities for Mr. Snart's alternative timeline. Either Mr. Rory died at the Oculus or Dr. Palmer died. After the Oculus is destroyed Ms. Lance you and Mr. Snart either had a one-night stand, got married or something in between to produce this little one."
"Ok, but why would some voice show him the timeline where his daughter is killed and the world is at war? Why bring him back with her?" Lisa asked.
"Again why I don't know. I can only speculate at this point. However, I do know how or more specifically who that voice was. In the beginning the Time Council was not what it is today or when I started. Originally there was thirty-six Time Masters and a human woman was the Oculus. They worked together to make slight changes to the timeline. For example with Hitler, they couldn't go and kill him when he was a child that would cause too much of a disruption within Time itself. However, they could save families by getting cities or neighborhoods to evacuate, saving them from being in the Concentration Camps."
"Who was the woman?" Sara asked.
"Her origin is unknown. From what is known about her she was born with the energy within her that allowed her to see past, present, future and alternative timelines. Though she didn't use her power, you could call it, for that. She had a strong psychic ability, able to control objects around her, had a sixth sense when something was off, flashes of victims in danger, and communicating with the dead. It was only when the Time Council spoke with her did she learn that she could use her power in other ways. The ability to access any timeline and be able to manipulate people within those timelines was not something she ever thought possible. The original Time Council was created in twenty-sixty-eight. She was sixty at the time, but due to the energy she never aged passed the age of twenty-five. The energy kept her young and immortal basically. Who her parents were or what timeline she came from is unknown. At least to the new Time Council anyways." Rip answered.
"What happened to the old Time Council?" Lance asked.
"What always happens, a difference of beliefs. The Council was split right down the middle. Half of them wanted to eliminate the clutter, if you will, in the Universe with so many timelines. They wanted to go to a timeline and completely destroy it. Kill everyone within that timeline and essentially destroying that world. Not the actual Earth, but the world within that timeline. The other half believed that each timeline is precious and should be protected. That when a timeline was at war they should intervene and help save that timeline. The half that wanted to destroy everything kidnapped the Oculus. They took her energy and placed it within the container that Mr. Snart destroyed. Taking her energy killed the woman and the Time Council war started. Those sixteen Time Masters that wanted to save the timelines became Time Guardians. They travelled to different timelines to try and save them while fighting against their former members. The ones that turned against the Time Council's mission were called Time Reapers. They had one purpose and one purpose only to destroy the timelines. To this day they both exist and are still at war. When the Time Council was reformed they used the Oculus and discovered they could manipulate people within the timeline."
"But how does that relate to what happened with Snart?" Iris asked.
"The only ones with the power and ability to bring someone back from the dead are the Time Guardians. They worked with the Oculus who also had the power to bring a powerful warrior back from the dead within them being dead for no more than six months. The Oculus in human form could simply bring someone back from the dead just by thinking of it. However, she had to have pure intentions and the individual had to be a warrior for the side of good. To my knowledge she only did so once, but granted the power to those Time Guardians should the fate of the world come into play."
"What was the person like after being brought back?" Caitlin asked.
"They were disorientated, had various degrees of muscle weakness due to the lack of movement from being dead. If it had been a short period of time since death some experienced pain in the area of where it killed them, such as a stab wound. Like I said I have only known one person to be brought back from the dead. There were rumors of others, but nothing ever confirmed." Rip answered.
"So one of those Time Guardians brought Snart back to life? He's not a warrior for the good side, why would they do that?" Joe asked.
"Oh I disagree. Mr. Snart is very much the anti-hero, but he is a hero. He died to destroy the Oculus. To ensure that everyone was able to have free will. He did so without second thought of himself dying. He agreed to come on the mission to begin with, even if his intentions were not pure initially. He still fought alongside the team and protected them. He sacrificed his partnership with Mr. Rory for the sake of the team. Whatever he was before he got on my ship he died a different person. Mr. Snart is a good man and very much on the side of good in this world." Rip answered.
"Still brings us to why him? Why would a Time Guardian interfere with Snart and give him a child?" Ray asked.
There was a beeping sound in the other room. Rip spoke as he went to retrieve his device.
"What do you know of the alternative timeline that Mr. Snart saw?"
"Not much, just that our daughter was killed and a war broke out. Star City was destroyed and a bunch of us were killed." Sara answered.
"We need to know more about the timeline, specifically which timeline it was." Rip said as he looked at the device in his hand as he walked back.
"How would we do that?" Wally asked.
"By gathering information on that timeline. We need more information on it. Oh." Rip said slightly shocked as he looked at the device.
"Oh what?" Sara asked.
"I know why. We need information on this little girl and we need it now." Rip said with urgency.
"Why don't you explain what the hell is going on with Snart first." Mick said with an edge to his voice.
"Of course. The energy from the Oculus is inside his brain. The reading is very clear."
"We already figured that." Wells said.
"No you misunderstand it's in his brain. Mr. Snart is the Oculus. That is why he was brought back. He has the power and energy from the Oculus." Rip said.
"How is that possible? Can he do what the Oculus woman could do?" Stein asked shocked.
"I do not know what he can do. Theoretically yes he could do all of that. Assuming the energy does not kill him. That is what is causing his extreme pain and it will kill him unless you are able to build some form of a device that is either surgically implanted into his brain or functions off his brain waves. You must build a container that will attract the energy and keep it from attacking his brain." Rip said.
"How is the energy affecting his brain without any physical signs?" Caitlin asked.
"The energy that was originally from the woman was born naturally within her. It bonded with her body while her mother was pregnant with her. It was natural to her just like the blood in her veins. Mr. Snart's body is trying to protect itself from this foreign entity. It is causing an extreme pain to his brain that will eventually kill him." Rip explained.
"Like Barry after he became a Metahuman. He was having serious problems with his heart afterwards and spent nine months in a coma. His body had to adjust to the new energy." Iris said.
"Exactly Ms. West. Mr. Snart's body needs to adjust to the energy within his body. First the energy needs to be contained in order for his body to be able to have the time to adjust to the energy." Rip said.
"Say we can somehow manage to contain the energy. What will Leonard's body be like afterwards?" Henry asked.
"He won't have the extreme pain in his head. He will have a headache, but it won't be anything like he has now. His body will be sick as he adjusts to the energy. Containing the energy is to ensure that it does not kill him. The containment will allow him the time to adjust to the energy, but still have the ability to use it and train himself with it. Until his body adjusts he will be sick and feeling weak for roughly two to three weeks. Think of it as a very bad case of the flu that will make him feel like he's dying." Rip answered.
"Is it even possible to make something that could contain this energy?" Lisa asked skeptically.
"Inserting a foreign object into his brain wouldn't work long term. It would cause too much problems as the human brain is not designed to have any foreign object within it for longer than a few months at most." Caitlin said.
"What about some kind of band around his head?" Ray suggested.
"Would be awkward if he had to fight, shower, or sleep. It needs to be something that couldn't fall off." Stein said.
"Through his eyes." Cisco said as he began to think.
"What?" Lisa asked confused.
"The ocular nerve is directly connected to the brain. If we can build a device that would connect through his eyes it would pull the energy, but still allow him to have access to it." Wells said as he caught on to what Cisco was getting at.
"Contact lenses. One that he could leave it without any problems and no risk too them falling out." Cisco said.
"That would require some serious tech though." Barry said.
"Felicity was working on micro-tech with a contact lens that was a camera. She could pass on the information to you that might help." Ray said.
"Awesome. Harry and me can figure this out. How long do you think we have before the energy kills him?" Cisco asked.
"Three days at most would be my best assumption." Rip answered.
"No pressure there." Cisco said.
"We'll figure it out." Wells said.
"I'm sorry, but you said Snart is the Oculus and has the power of it. So he can control time and manipulate people's actions?" Joe said with worry.
"He would have to learn how to use that ability, but yes. Though I wouldn't worry about it too much. Mr. Snart is not the type to interfere with someone's free will." Rip said.
"Captain Cold wouldn't want to manipulate people." Joe said skeptically.
"He wouldn't he hates the idea of being controlled himself. He would never do that to someone else. He's manipulated people before, but that was for the job, the heist. In hindsight Mr. Snart is the best out of the three possible men to receive this ability. Mr. Rory would have used it in a negative way. Dr. Palmer would have used it with good intentions, but still use it to control people. Mr. Snart would only ever use it in an extreme situation and having no other option. I would not be concerned about the ability that Mr. Snart now has. What is more concerning is this little girl." Rip said.
"Why?" Sara asked guarded.
"Because she was brought back with Mr. Snart. Why is her death so important in an alternative timeline? Ms. Snart would you mind holding this on her chest until it beeps?" Rip said as he held the device to Lisa.
Lisa took it as she spoke.
"Why?"
"To gather a reading from her genetic makeup. It may hold the answers we seek."
"Snart can see timelines you said right?" Cisco asked.
"Correct." Rip answered.
"That would explain what happened when I touched him." Cisco said.
"I'm sorry?" Rip asked confused.
"I can vibe, I see images from someone or something when I touch it. Normally it is pretty straight forwards, but with Snart it was different. It was like these flashes all over the place. Memories of his, someone else's, people I didn't know. They were fast and were all over the place." Cisco said.
"Are you able to see specific details of someone if you touch them?" Rip asked.
"If I can focus."
"I need you to touch Mr. Snart and focus on the alternative timeline he experienced. I need to know who died at the Oculus in that timeline as well as the year this little one was born. That will narrow down the timelines and we can then learn more about that timeline." Rip said.
"Ya alright."
Cisco grabbed his glasses and went into the room with Snart. The others followed, but didn't go into the room just moved closer. Cisco put on his glasses and touched Snart's leg once again and instantly was placed back in the time mosaic. He focused on the memory of Snart being in the alternative timeline as best as he could. He was able to pick up a few images. Sara comforting a grief stricken Snart on the Waverider. Then it bounced around until there was an image of Snart holding a baby. Cisco focused on anything around him that would indicate what year it was. He was able to see a newspaper with twenty-eighteen on it. He tried to get more images, but it was too much of a jumbled mess. Cisco ended the contact and removed his glasses. He walked back as he spoke.
"I was able to get what you wanted, but it's too much of a mess to get anything more. He has images from memories coming at him all over the place. I did see that L was born in twenty-eighteen and Sara was comforting Snart back on the ship. And he was a mess, even crying."
"Which rules out my death." Ray said.
"So I must have said something to make him leave in that timeline." Mick said.
"Or in that timeline I lied to get him back on the ship." Rip added.
"Either way now we know which timeline to look into." Stein said.
"Ya, but now what? Leonard said that voice told him to protect L. Protect her from who? That's what I care about." Sara said.
"It's gotta be the Time Reapers right?" Wally said.
"Yes with you I agree on that one. The Time Reapers want this little one dead. Why is the question. Whatever it is has to be significant enough that a Time Guardian brought Mr. Snart back to life and transferred a younger version of his daughter to go with him." Rip answered.
"The Time Reapers lose possession of the Oculus at some point after their split from the Time Council to the new reformed Time Council." Barry started.
"Correct. It was stolen and kept hidden by a powerful spell that the Time Reapers could not break through. A spell like that does not exist yet and will not work on a human being either." Rip said.
"Did anyone know the origin of the human Oculus?" Barry asked.
"No, not even the original Time Council knew. She kept it hidden for her own safety measures I would assume." Rip answered.
"But a Time Guardian could go back in time to try and locate her right?" Barry asked.
"They would have to search every timeline to try and locate her. It was be very difficult. They would need to check each timeline for her energy signature with a built device. It is possible, but would take a great deal of time and effort." Rip said.
"All they have is time Captain." Mick said with a condescending tone.
"If the Time Guardians located her, they would want to protect her right? Maybe even try to get her to understand her power before she original did." Barry pressed.
"Yes that would be their goal. If she was aware at a younger age just what power was within her she would be better aware of the future situation. She could even access the future in which she was kidnapped and killed by the Time Reapers. On the other side of things if the Time Reapers located her, they could kidnap and manipulate her into their biddings. Or they could simply appear as a friend, offer to train her and help her grow only to get her stronger and then take her power and kill her earlier." Rip said.
"I'm getting a bad feeling about this." Lance said with worry as he looked at Laurel.
"What if the Time Guardians did find out who she was? What if L is that woman?" Barry suggested.
"It would explain why they would send her here with Snart. And why they brought Snart back to life. Snart is a lot of things, but he will always protect his own. He would die to protect his daughter." Stein said.
"If she is the human form of the Oculus, then Gideon will be able to tell us. She will have a similar reading like Mr. Snart." Rip said.
"It would make sense. Time Reapers want her power, what better way to do it then to take her when she is young." Joe said.
"But she died in Snart's timeline." Lisa said.
"She could have been killed by one of the Reapers by mistake. Someone else on the side of good could have killed her out of fear of what would happen with her." Sara said.
"Either of those are possible along with many others." Rip said.
The device beeped in Lisa's hand and she handed it back over to Rip. He studied it for a moment before he spoke.
"Your daughter Ms. Lance is the original Oculus."
"But now there are two." Cisco said.
"Yes and with two Oculus in one timeline and in the same place will create a time anomaly. If the Time Reapers are looking for Laurel they will eventually see this time anomaly and know something happened here outside of the normal timeline. Both Laurel and Mr. Snart are in danger. If the Time Reapers find out that Mr. Snart possesses the same energy within him, but that of the strength of the Oculus before it exploded, the could destroy multiple timelines and Earths in a single moment." Rip said.
"How can we stop them from finding that out?" Joe asked.
"Nothing from this time zone will work. I can have Gideon try and block this time anomaly, but it will only work temporarily." Rip said.
"What about our Gideon?" Barry asked.
"I'm sorry?" Rip asked confused.
"I have a Gideon in a Time Vault. Long story, but she's there. Can she do something?" Barry asked.
"I could upload my Gideon's mainframe and connect it to your Gideon's mainframe. Your Gideon will be able to continue to uphold the block. It won't be perfect and the Time Reapers could already know it exist and work their way this way. You would be able to have access to all of my Gideon's knowledge as well as be able to keep in contract with me." Rip said.
"Do that. We'll need all the information we can get." Barry said.
"The Time Reapers will have followers. The Time Guardians have them as well, but they are stationed in each timeline. To Gideon's knowledge there are none here I already checked. You will have to rely on your own allies to keep them both safe. Time Reapers' followers are able to bounce around through timelines and dimensions. They search all timelines and work to locate the Time Guardians and anyone who possess a potential threat to the Time Reapers. You may start to see them and you will come across them before the Time Reapers." Rip said.
"How will we know who a Time Reaper is?" Lance asked.
"They wear black Cloaks and appear spooky you could say. When you see one you'll know. They also have future technology like myself. You will need a way to protect yourself from a laser blast. Gideon can help with that as well. You have her in one room correct?" Rip asked Barry.
"Ya just the Time Vault." Barry answered.
"I would suggest you start to figure out how to get her in more than one room. It would be beneficial to have her more conveniently around." Rip said.
"But how will we know if someone from a future or different timeline is around us? If the Time Reapers have followers they won't want to standout." Lance said.
"They would have traces of the temporal zone on them. Even a short trip would leave signatures on them." Stein said.
"I might be able to reprogram my Metahuman detector to work for a time jumper." Wells said.
"Do that, see if you can. It would be nice to have the heads up." Barry said.
"So we just wait for someone to try and kill one of them?" Sara said with anger in her voice.
"No Ms. Lance. We take them out first. I am going to that timeline to try and locate a Time Guardian and gather more information on them. I will also have Gideon begin to locate the Time Reapers. There are at most sixteen of them. If we take them out first they won't be any threat to either Laurel or Mr. Snart. I shall need a team though." Rip said.
"I'm in." Ray automatically said.
"I'm down." Jax said.
"Yes I will go as well. I think between Cisco and Dr. Wells they will be able to handle the technical aspects here. And if you can get Gideon connected to herself on the ship they can contact us with any questions." Stein said.
"I need to stay here." Sara said.
"Same." Mick said.
"Well four is better than none." Ray said.
"I'll go." Wally said.
"No you won't." Joe automatically said.
"Dad I can help them figure this out. I'm either involved here or I am with them. I'm done school so there's nothing holding me back here. You got a lot of people here who can help keep them safe. They need more people with them. I'm sorry, but I'm going. It's my decision." Wally said with strength in his voice.
"You can't always keep them." Lance said with understanding in his voice to Joe.
"No you can't. You better come back alive." Joe said with a stern voice.
"We'll keep him safe." Jax promised.
"What about Roy? He's dead technically anyways. You could have Gideon locate him. He'll go with you." Sara said.
"Yes Mr. Roy Harper. He would be a valuable asset to the team. With his fighting skills and street smarts. A good idea Ms. Lance. I will go and connect both Gideon together. That way we can keep in contact and if any followers arrive here she may be able to inform you before you come across any." Rip said.
"I'll get started on those contacts. Ray before you go have Felicity send me everything she has." Cisco said.
"I'll do it right now." Ray said as he pulled out his phone and headed off slightly away from the others so he could talk to Felicity.
"I'll help you with the contact lenses before I work on my detector." Wells said.
"The energy that is affecting Leonard, will it affect Laurel in the same way?" Henry asked.
"No it won't. She is born with it. As she gets older you will notice that she is aware of her abilities, but finds them normal. You'll have to keep a close eye on it. She will also stop aging around the age of twenty-five. Both Laurel and Mr. Snart are immortal. Mr. Snart will no longer age and will not die from a fatal wound. At least he won't when the energy can be contained and stabilized. They will both be spending the rest of time together assuming they both do not get the energy removed from them. That is the only way to kill either of them." Rip said.
"That's why the Time Guardians did this now. They knew that Snart had the Oculus energy within him. They knew he would be able to protect her in this timeline better than anyone else in a different timeline. She has her own guardian to protect her now." Lance said.
"It makes sense. This is the only timeline where Snart died at the Oculus. They had to take this advantage." Joe said.
"Ya but my brother saw his daughter die. He woke up in his coffin. He's going to hate having the energy in him and being a puppet for someone. Despite the good intentions. He's going to be pissed." Lisa said.
"Rightfully so, but he will adapt and get over it because he has L. He'll accept it and move on and he will master this energy. He won't stop until he does you know that." Sara said.
"The Time Reapers messed with the wrong family." Mick said with a deadly tone in his voice.
"Yes they did. Mr. Allen, if you would please show me where this Time Vault is I will have your Gideon connected to mine." Rip said.
"Ya of course. Right this way." Barry said as he headed and left the room with Rip behind him.
Barry led Rip down the hallway to the Time Vault. Once he had Gideon updated they headed back to the room to gather everyone else.
"Gideon is now connected to itself. We need to get going. We still have to locate and pick up Mr. Harper before we can travel to the timeline." Rip said.
"Cisco, Felicity is sending you all of her data on that camera contact lens and anything that might be helpful to you. She said if you needed parts or software for it just let her know. She knows you're on a deadline." Ray said.
"Awesome. I appreciate it man." Cisco said.
"This Gideon now has the makeup of the energy in the Oculus?" Wells asked.
"Yes she does. She will also be able to keep you informed of our progress and you can use her to keep in contact with us. So you will be able to check in with your son Detective West." Rip said.
"Thank-you." Joe said appreciatively.
"Here we go again I guess." Jax said.
"Hopefully it won't take as long this time." Stein said.
"We have sixteen Time Reapers to locate and kill so it may actually take a while. However, when the mission is complete I will bring you as close to this moment as I can." Rip said.
"Close?" Wally said.
"When we left the last time we got dropped back off five months later." Sara said.
"That was due to the Oculus being destroyed. Now Mr. Snart is alive and once the energy is contained Gideon should be able to bring you all back relatively close to the time we leave." Rip added.
"How are we going to track these Time Reapers?" Ray asked.
"The same way we did with Savage. We first must go to the alternative timeline that Mr. Snart viewed to try and locate one of the Time Guardians. They may have more information on the Time Reapers and where they are located." Rip said.
"How do you kill a Time Reaper anyways?" Sara asked.
"The same way you kill any man. They just have the ability to travel through time and have futuristic weapons. Some that could be more advanced than mine as they can go further into the future than my time." Rip said.
"So a walk in the park then." Ray said sarcastically.
"Quite right." Rip agreed.
"Well I guess this is goodbye." Wally said slightly awkwardly as he went over to Joe, Barry and Iris.
"You be safe. Come back to us no matter what I mean it." Joe said.
"I'll be careful I promise." Wally said.
"I love you Son." Joe said as he hugged Wally.
"I love you too Dad." Wally said as he hugged back.
"I'll see you when you get back. I love you." Iris said as she pulled Wally into a hug.
"I love you too." Wally said as he hugged back.
"Be safe. We'll share stories when you get back." Barry said as he hugged Wally.
"You're on, but mine are gonna be cooler." Wally said as he hugged back.
"Looks like we're heading back into the timeline." Jax said.
"Let's get going. The sooner we take out these Time Reapers the sooner both Leonard and this little one will be safe again." Ray said.
"Which won't be any good unless we can make some kind of contact lenses to keep Snart alive." Wells said.
"Ya we need to get to work on that. The clock's ticking." Cisco said.
Cisco and Wells made their way to their workshop room while Ray, Rip, Jax, Stein and Wally headed out to the Waverider. They all had a mission they needed to do and hopefully they would be able to make sure that Snart and Laurel are safe once again. The first step was ensuring that Snart would live through the energy now surging through his brain. He was counting on them and they weren't going to let him down, not after everything he had done for them. He had sacrificed himself to give them freedom and free will. He had sacrificed himself so they could live. They weren't going to let him down. They owed him a lot and they were going to make sure that debt was paid.
