I don't own the CW show The Flash or any DC characters found in this story. I only own my OCs.

Central City

March 13, 2014

Awareness came gradually at first, then whacked Melody over the head with sensory input. Sirens blared four blocks away, a newborn screamed on the floor below, in the basement the mortician was screwing his assistant. Next to her, the steady beep of her heart abruptly went haywire as she jolted into an upright position and slammed her hands over her ears.

Mike lurched forward and grabbed at her hands, pulling them down. "Mels what's wrong?" She flinched as the sound of her brothers voice almost deafened her. "Shut up!" She shouted, then cried out as her own voice sent a painful throb through her skull. The heart rate monitor continued to scream and with a furious shriek, Melody swung her arm in its direction.

"Shut it off!"

Mike didn't get a chance to do as directed before the machine abruptly exploded, scattering pieces everywhere. With the high pitched sound out of the way Melody could now focus on the other, only slightly less painful noises that assaulted her ears.

Mike stared at the machine, then at his sister, a slight glimmering of understanding starting to shine in his eyes. Quickly, he rose from his seat at her bedside and first shut the window before closing the door as softly as he could. Now with some barriers in the way, Melody could almost relax as the volume lowered to a semi comfortable range.

Taking deep breaths, she lowered her hands off her ears, laying them in her lap. Mike slowly lowered himself onto the hospital bed and grabbed her left hand, squeezing it tightly. "Mels," He murmured, as quiet as he could. She still flinched but not as bad as before so he counted it as a win. "Melody, what's going on?"

"I don't know. I can hear.."

"A lot better than perfect pitch I'm guessing." Mike joked, nudging her gently.

She chuckled throatily. "Yeah, I think I'm way past that. It hurts, Mikey."

He rubbed her knuckles, smiling encouragingly. "Tell me. Tell me what you can hear."

"Well Miss Piper, while I would prefer to keep you overnight for observation the choice is, of course, yours to make. Are you sure you won't reconsider?"

"Thank you, Dr. Blake, but I just spent four months in the hospital. I've had enough for the next, oh, six years." Melody smiled tensely, fighting the urge to wince every time the man spoke.

"Very well," he sighed, handing over the release form.

Melody quickly signed it and within ten minutes, Mike was helping her into his car in the parking lot.

Pulling out onto the busy street, Mike watched his sister out of the corner of his eye as she dug through the glove box, giving a triumphant huff as she held up the package of ear plugs.

Shoving them in she sighed in relief, relaxing against the seat, head rolling back as she worked the kinks out of her neck.

"Catch me up, whats been happening?" She asked, eyes closed.

Mike cleared his throat before launching into a detailed report of the past four months. Central was still reeling from the devastation wrought by the Accelerator exploding, (Melody swore furiously and made a mental note to call her lawyers. Wells was going to be hearing from her,) but overall, its citizens were banding together in their time of hardship. Property damage was not as bad as it could be and Mike had made sure to take care of all repairs while she was in the hospital.

"How about our people, any discontent in the ranks?"

"A few people tried to cut corners once word got out you were in the hospital but the boys and I took care of it."

"Good." Melody fell silent and Mike glanced over at her, worried. She stared out the window, watching the world go by, eyes flicking from one point to the next with dizzying speed. Two blocks back a man was getting mugged but the voices were muffled. In the car behind them the radio was playing Garth Brooks and the driver was singing along at the top of his lungs. Across the street a man pointed out directions to a college student with one hand while the other slipped into their bag, jangling their dorm keys faintly. Stupid, college kids never had cash on them.

"Melody? You okay?" Mike hesitantly asked. Melody flinched, pulling her eyes away from the window to look over at him. "Of course I am, Mikey. I'm always okay."

"You know," She continued before he could argue that statement. "I can't help but notice you've yet to mention a certain someone." Mike swallowed, eyes shooting forward.

Now it was Melody's turn to peer at her sibling. "Mike, where's Leonard."

"I don't know. No one's seen him since the explosion. He hasn't called or sent a birdie. No news, not even a whisper." Mike stiffly reported, hands tight on the wheel.

Melody blinked, processing the words. "Lisa?"

"Hasn't heard from him. I called her first."

"Mick?"

"Said if I saw him before he did that I should deck him."

Melody cocked an eyebrow at that. "Really?"

Mike shrugged, smirk tugging his lips. "Those might not have been his exact words."

"Hm. So what you're saying is, my partner has vanished without a trace and not even his own sister has a clue whether or not he's even alive." She narrowed her eyes, staring out the front windshield. "That about cover it?"

"Yup, that's about it."

"Perfect."

Pulling to a stop, Melody swung the car door open, stepping out onto the pavement. Shoving her hands in her pockets she smiled up at the sign above her.

"Home sweet home." Mike said, tossing the keys to an usher who snagged them from the air.

"Good to have you back, Miss Piper." The man said before driving away.

"Good to be back." Melody muttered, flinching as a siren sounded four blocks away. Striding forward she opened the main doors with a flourish, sauntering in with the confidence befitting her position. "Now be honest." She drawled, propping her hands on her hips. "Who missed me?"

"Melly!" A short form collided with her own and Melody 'oomphed'. Looking down a couple feet she smiled at the toothy grin shining up at her.

"Hey kid. Been a while, huh?"

Angie Marcel, orphan and street rat. Melody's favorite birdie and the only one Len would tolerate when she sent someone for him. She would run errands for Melody and in return she had a warm room to sleep in and food that wasn't picked out of a dumpster. The exchange worked perfectly for both parties and though she would never admit it, Melody had a very large soft spot for the little urchin.

"I looked for Len but I couldn't find him. I'm sorry." Angie's lip quivered and Melody quickly knelt to her level.

"Chin up kid, you know how I feel about crying. Besides, if Len doesn't wanna be found, he won't be. Don't beat yourself up over it." Tapping her chin, Melody smiled as Angie let out a giggle, wiping at her eyes.

Straightening, Melody cast a cool glance across the room, noting which people didn't look entirely thrilled and which ones were tripping over themselves to come greet her. Mike had done well in her absence but there would always be those that grasped at power in moments of flux. Something Melody would not stand for, no matter the situation. If it was time to clean shop she needed to know which rats to toss overboard.

"Send out the word. Piper is back in business. If anyone decides they don't like it, they can square up with me in person. Any new grievances come straight to me, business as usual, that clear?"

There was a general mumbled consensus and with a sharp nod, most of the people in the club left, quick to let Central's underground know its chief information broker was back in the game. Now only a select few persons remained in the club. Melody met each person's eyes before lowering herself into her designated 'throne' where she sat and watched over the dance floor.

"Now then. Let's get to work."