"Ignore the mess," Cisco said as he led his two new…they weren't friends more like accomplices or co-conspirators into his lab, "I didn't really expect guests."

Atom laughed, "It's actually tidier than mine."

Zee rolled her eyes, grimacing when she picked up a coffee mug seeing mould in the bottom. Cisco grabbed it from her.

"I don't get many visitors," he told her as he threw it into the small sink on the other side of the room.

"I can see that," Zee replied, picking up several papers and books from a chair, dropping them in a corner and sliding onto it to sit.

Atom followed her example and they both looked at Cisco expectantly. He felt panic fill him wondering what the hell he was doing, he wasn't meant to be a leader. He didn't take charge of things, he was the ideas man or the one who made things for others to use. Taking a long deep breath Cisco knew he had no choice but to take control of the situation he had somehow found himself in.

"Okay," he said, "I didn't sleep well last night anyway so we're already into the beginning of my cycle of insanity."

Zee grimaced, "We need a new name for that."

Cisco chuckled slightly, "The way I did this the last time was a lot of coffee and video games."

"Then I'll start the coffee," Atom told them.

Zee grinned, "What do you have to play?"

x

They were several hours into the experiment and Cisco was wondering if there was a better way to do this. Zee and Atom were doing their best to keep him going, even if the fact Zee kept beating them at every video game he had was putting him off playing them.

The buzzer sounding let him know that their pizzas had arrived, Cisco bounced up passing his controller to Atom. He took the three boxes off the delivery boy and handed him the cash. As the delivery boy stepped back, a man staggering along the street caught Cisco's eye. About to head back inside Cisco was surprised when the guy, who from the smell of him was drunk or had bathed in alcohol, suddenly pushed through the door.

"Hey," Cisco cried, frowning at the way the guy headed directly to the lab.

"What the hell is going on?" Atom demanded as he and Zee jumped up in surprise at the intrusion.

The crazy guy wandered around the lab, picking up things randomly before tossing them away and moving on.

"Hey," Cisco started stalling when crazy guy turned, the green eyes boring into him.

Crazy guy turned back to the bench, Cisco saw that he'd picked up one of the projects he'd started during his last bout of insomnia but had no idea what it was for.

"Who the hell is he?" Zee asked as they moved to join Cisco watching the crazy guy.

"And what is he doing?" Atom spoke up.

Shaking his head Cisco breathed, "No idea."

"Why not stop him?" Zee demanded.

Cisco shrugged again not able to voice why he was letting crazy guy play with his stuff but there was something about him.

They stood and watched crazy guy as he picked things up, tossing some away while using others on the device he was working on. After about thirty minutes he stopped working, picking up what looked like a brooch and pushed the button in the centre.

The three of them stared in amazement at the portal that opened up before them suddenly.

"What the hell is this?" Zee breathed in astonishment, gently reaching out to check it was real.

Atom shook his head, "I think it's a breach in space and time," he shook his head in amazement, "I know the theories but I…"

Before they could say anything else crazy guy pushed them from behind and they fell through. Cisco bounced round to the portal watching crazy guy stagger through behind them before it snapped shut.

"We're in trouble."

x

"Where the hell are we?" Zee demanded as she looked around the grey corridor with several doors on either side.

Atom grimaced, "I have a guess and I don't think it's a good place for us to be."

Cisco nodded, frowning as he watched crazy guy start moving from door to door looking for something, "Let's see where he goes. Since he got us here, hopefully he'll get us out."

They followed on behind crazy guy who was muttering to himself, he seemed to be looking for something specific, but Cisco couldn't work out what it possibly could be.

"I don't think this is a good idea," Atom said, "We need to find a way back to the lab."

Cisco turned to him, "How?"

"Hello?" a woman's voice called, making them turn to the door just behind them, "I can hear you out there. If you're not meant to be here you have to leave now. If you're caught here then they will put you in a cell, if you're lucky."

Crazy guy stalled in his tracks, heading to the door he shoved Atom to one side to get to the door controls. It took him less than a minute to unlock it and he pushed the door open. Cisco followed on with Atom and Zee watching as crazy guy staggered to the woman who had been imprisoned in the cell. Dropping to his knees in front of her crazy guy wrapped his arms around her and sighed in relief.

"Gideon."

x

Gideon couldn't believe her eyes as the door to her cell opened and her Captain walked through. He staggered to her and dropped to his knees in front of her, she felt his arms wrap around her as he breathed her name.

Coaxing him to a stand Gideon rested her hand on his cheek, "Hello, Captain. I have missed you."

"Help me," he whispered desperately, "Please, Gideon I need your help. It hurts so much."

"I know," she soothed, "But now we're together again it will get better." Turning to the three people watching them in confusion she smiled in greeting as she kept one arm around Rip, "Mr Ramon, Dr Palmer, Miss Tomaz, it is a pleasure to see you all once more."

They all looked at her confused before Ray asked, "How do you know my name?"

"An explanation will be much better done once we leave this place," Gideon told them, "And we need to leave now."

She frowned at the grimaces on the faces in front of her.

"He brought us here," Cisco explained pointing to Rip, "And the way here closed not long after."

Gideon grimaced, "And you are not able to open a breach?"

"A what?" he asked confused.

Frowning Gideon looked at her Captain who was still holding onto her, "Rip, you need to return Mr Ramon's memories to him."

Cisco looked at her worried, "What?"

"Captain, now," Gideon ordered sharply before Cisco could move away.

Before Cisco could protest anymore Rip's hand shot out and wrapped around Cisco's wrist tightly. Cisco began to shake, his eyes widening while Ray and Zari tried to pull him free. After a few minutes Rip released his grip and Cisco doubled over gasping for breath.

"Are you okay?" Zari and Ray demanded.

Cisco straightened and sighed, "Okay, that was intense. Gideon, how are you here like this? What is going on?"

"Again, we need to leave here before we discuss anything," she told him, "Can you open a breach now?"

He nodded, "But I'm guessing we've been caught on camera which means they'll know who we are so we can't go back to my lab."

"The Waverider is the safest place for us," she noted.

Cisco nodded again, "True, but I have no idea where that is."

"I do," Gideon offered her free hand. Cisco took it, closing his eyes before opening a breach.

"What is that?" Zari asked worriedly.

"Somewhere safe," Cisco told her, "Trust me."

Although they both looked worried Zari and Ray walked through the breach, Gideon turned to Rip and moved him through before Cisco followed them.

x

Gideon let out a sigh of relief to be home once more. Her connection to the Waverider re-established the moment she stepped onboard. Thankfully Cisco had brought them to the infirmary and she moved her Captain to the medical couch gently stroking his cheek to soothe him.

"Mr Ramon," Gideon turned to him noticing the looks of amazement on the faces of the other two as they stared around, "Please escort Dr Palmer and Miss Tomaz to the kitchen. Have something to eat and drink while I ensure Captain Hunter is healthy. I will join you to answer all questions as soon as I can."

Cisco nodded and started the other two moving, dodging questions from them. The doors closed allowing Gideon to focus on her Captain.

She slid the cuff on his wrist and quickly activating the scan, frowning at what she could see.

"Captain, you have not been taking care of yourself," Gideon said sternly, "Why have you drank so much?"

"It hurts, Gideon," Rip sighed softly, "It won't stop hurting. Drinking made it hurt less for a while."

Pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead, Gideon smiled, "Now we're together it will be better. I promise."

"Gideon…"

"Just rest for now, Captain," she injected a sedative into him before she started the detox, "Relax and we can talk once you're feeling better."

As he drifted off to sleep Gideon sighed in relief to be back with him and safe on their ship where the Queen could not find her. Sure that her Captain was comfortable, Gideon left the medical bay and started through the corridors to join her three guests.

x

Cisco leaned back in the chair drinking his hot chocolate watching Zari and Ray as they nervously looked around. With his memory back, he at least had an idea where he was while they were both completely confused.

"Good, you managed to get something," Gideon stated as she walked into the room.

Which was another thing confusing Cisco since he was sure that she was meant to an AI and not human.

"I should introduce myself," she said, "I am Gideon, I was the Artificial Intelligence that runs the Waverider. Dr Palmer, Miss Tomaz, I am sure that you are both confused."

"That's a bit of an understatement," Zari noted.

"But I shall do my best to answer all your questions," Gideon continued, she fetched herself some tea and took a seat.

"I've got one," Cisco said, "How did this happen because I know for a fact you weren't always human and then there's Sara. What the hell happened to her?"

Gideon took a deep breath, "A time aberration allowed Vandal Savage to escape and he used his knowledge to track down Miss Lance. He found her before Captain Hunter recruited her to the team. Somehow, he persuaded her to embrace her bloodlust and planned with her help to take over the Vanishing Point."

Cisco could see the other two still looked total bemused but ignored them for the moment while he got the answers he needed. He'd explain it to them later.

"I'm guessing that didn't happen," he mused.

"The younger Time Masters discovered that the council were working with Vandal Savage," Gideon continued, "By this point of course Miss Lance had betrayed Savage, assuming his plan to use the Occulus to take over the universe and rule everyone."

"Which happened," Cisco sighed,

"Actually no," Gideon told him, "Although it may look like that to you, the Time Master Captains managed to hide the Occulus but in doing this created the world that you know now."

Cisco mused this over for several minutes before noting, "Still doesn't explain why you're suddenly human."

Gideon smiled sadly, "Hiding the Occulus was not an easy thing to do. The only way to do so was for one of the Captains to absorb it. Captain Hunter, as one of the more experienced Captains, volunteered. When he absorbed the energy, it also brought me here."

"So, what do we do?" Cisco demanded.

Gideon sighed, "I'm afraid I don't know."