I don't own the CW show The Flash or any DC characters found in this story. I only own my OCs.
Central City
April 7, 2014
Leslie Thompkins slowly lowered her glasses from her nose and rubbed at her eyes before looking again through her telescope.
"This is simply impossible." She muttered to herself, glancing over at the woman across from her.
Melody cocked an eyebrow, spinning back and forth on her swivel chair. "I've been called worse." She decided, doing a circle before coming to a halt. Pushing out of the chair she walked around the table to the doctors side, jumping up and sitting on the metal surface.
"So, what do your geneticist eyes see?" The younger woman prompted, watching the doctor through eerie gold eyes.
"Well for one, they tell me you had better stock up on wigs and sunglasses, cause those-" She pointed at Melody's eyes and then hair. "-aren't going away."
Melody huffed, leaning her head back to groan at the ceiling. "Now how did I know you were going to say that?" She asked the air and Leslie chuckled, waving her forward.
"Whatever you were exposed to that night did more than give you powers. It somehow fused the hair dye to your hair follicles. That's now your natural color, for better or worse. Even if you shaved it all off, it would still grow back purple."
"Perfect," Melody smile falsely "And the eyes?"
Leslie sighed, giving her a sad look. "You haven't needed glasses since then, have you?"
"No, they just make everything fuzzy."
"That's because your contacts also fused to your body. They somehow became part of your eye. If there's an upside, you now have perfect vision. The downside, of course, being your now very unnatural eye color."
Melody couldn't help but laugh, a short, bitter sound. "At least I didn't go red. People would be trying to stake me by now."
Leslie gave the woman a concerned frown, reaching out to place a hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure you don't want me to call Br-"
"That's alright," Melody held her hands up, leaning away from her touch. "No need to bother Mr Brooding. I can figure all of this out without his help. Besides, knowing him he already knows and is compiling a detailed list of possible actions. 'Just in case'" She used physical air quotes, smirking wryly.
Leslie couldn't help but laugh, agreeing with her prediction. "Well, if you change your mind, just call."
"I will. As for our other subject?" Melody glanced over at a nearby monitor that showed Rosa Dillon sleeping in her locked room.
"Are you asking me as a scientist or as a friend?" Leslie asked in return.
"Are the answers any different?" Melody said, already knowing her response.
"Let her go, Melody."
"If she has even the slightest idea where Len is-"
"But she doesn't. She knows nothing beyond that he was there and then he left. Melody-" Leslie stood right in front of her so she couldn't avoid her eyes. "Don't let this turn you into something you're not. You're not cruel or vengeful-" Melody cocked an eyebrow and Leslie quickly mended, "at least without very good cause. Rosa Dillon was not the catalyst of Leonard's disappearance, nor the reason of his silence. You know that, you just lack a different target and so are taking it out on her. That is not fair." She stressed the word and Melody knew she was caught.
"Then what should I do, hm? Let her loose on Central City with powers like those, free to do whatever she wants? She's a loose cannon, and you know how I feel about those."
"Perhaps she is, but as I recall, you're rather good at wrangling loose cannons, if Mr Rory is any indication. And besides, she may have powers but she's still the woman you knew." Leslie gave her a mischievous look. "Put the fear of Melody Piper in her."
Melody tilted her head to the side as she considered that, a wicked smile growing on her lips. "My dear doctor, you make a very good point."
Janet escorted Rosa in with a hand on her shoulder, guiding the blindfolded woman woman to the seat in front of Melody's desk. At the woman's nod the blindfold was removed and Rosa blinked blearily across the desk at Melody. Unlike the first time they were face to face, Rosa didn't scream and thrash. She looked tired, Melody thought, eyeing the other woman closely.
"If this is another interrogation can we just get it over with?" Rosa asked, slightly scathing. "I'd like to get back to staring at the walls of my cell."
Behind the glasses Melody's eye twitched as she held back a grimace. She always hated using the 'guest rooms', usually Len insisted on it. The thought of being in a cage made her skin itch and Melody was a firm believer of the Golden Rule. Still, there were always exceptions to every rule and Rosa Dillon was one of them. Privately, Melody was thanking any deity that may exist that it was Rosa and not Roscoe who had been given powers by the explosion. Rosa could be reasoned with, or if all else failed, threatened into obedience. Roscoe couldn't. He was wildly unpredictable as Lisa had quickly found out. They were all lucky that Len had run him out of Central after what he had done to Lisa.
"I'm going to ask one last time, and I want your honest word that it's the truth. Do you know where Leonard Snart is?" Melody tilted her head, keeping her expression bland. Rosa jutted her chin out, defiant.
"No. And even if I did I wouldn't tell you. The further you two are from each other the better off everyone else is." She spat.
Melody sighed, making a show of looking behind Rosa to where Janet stood, watching.
"See, now when you say it like that it makes me doubt your honesty." Melody nodded and Janet stepped forward, grabbing Rosa's head and keeping it still as Melody leaned in, looking deep into Rosa's eyes.
"Try anything and Janet snaps your neck. Got it?" Eyes wide, Rosa nodded as much as she could in Janet's iron grip.
Melody relaxed and her voice went velvet soft. Oddly, to Rosa's ears, it seemed to echo in the room where no other sound had. It really was a nice voice the other woman had, low, soothing and, ironically, melodic. Rosa felt like she was underwater, every other sound in the world dulled out but the beautiful music of Melody Piper's voice. The voice was asking something, something it said was important. It paused and Rosa knew she would say anything the voice wanted if only to hear it speak for longer.
"Where is Leonard Snart, Rosa. Can you tell me where he is?" Melody asked, keeping her eyes fixed on Rosa's now glazed over ones. Behind her, Janet gaped, awestruck. 'I guess now I know why she's called Piper.' She thought, oblivious as to how right she really was.
Rosa stared at Melody, entranced. "No, I don't know where he is. He left after the building started to shake. There was this light and wave that knocked me into the air. When I woke up, Sam was gone, same as everyone else."
Melody sat back, frowning in disappointment. "Well, I guess that's that then." She sighed.
"She could be lying." Janet pointed out.
Mike laughed, lifting his head from the armrest of the couch to grin at Janet. "Yeah, and hell could also be frozen over. Trust me Janet, no one lies to Mels when she's got them like that."
Melody hummed in agreement, studying Rosa closely. "Although, she does seem a bit deeper in than usual, don't you think Mike?"
Mike shifted up to get a better view, frowning as he looked at Rosa. "You're right. Usually they're at least a little aware. Unless Rosa is especially weak willed, which we know she's not, she shouldn't be in this deep."
Rosa, for her part, continued to gaze at Melody like she was the evening star, hanging on to every word that left the woman's lips.
Janet frowned, thinking it through. "Maybe," She started, then hesitated as both siblings looked at her.
"Maybe?" Melody prompted. "Share your ideas Janet, I'm not a mind reader."
"Yet." Mike muttered and Melody winked at her brother.
"Maybe the Accelerator, sort of, amplified it?" Janet suggested. This was all way above her pay-grade, and to be honest, she wasn't even close to understanding it all. But Melody was her boss, and more than that, her friend. If she asked for ideas, Janet would share hers.
Melody blinked, an theory sliding into place in her mind.
"Amplified." She mused, looking back at Rosa. "Spinning."
"What are you thinking?" Mike asked.
"Well, think about it Mikey. What was I doing when the wave hit."
Mike shrugged. "Checking the...Amps." He slowly replied, eyes lighting with understanding.
"And Rosa was thrown into the air, spinning." Melody added, turning to Janet as she explained. "That's probably why she can give people vertigo. It's a side effect from too much spinning. And if you're right, then alongside giving me sound manipulation," Melody twirled a finger in the air, tiny ripples following the movement, "Then the Accelerator also 'amplified' my sirens song."
"God, please stop calling it that. You know that's not what it's called." Mike groaned, dragging a hand down his face.
"I've heard it both ways." Melody dismissed.
"Liar." Mike shot back.
"Can I let go of her now?" Janet interrupted, raising an eyebrow at the siblings.
"Yeah, it's probably best. This next bit needs to be all me." Melody stood and walked around the desk as Janet let go of Rosa and stepped back.
Standing in front of Rosa, Melody instructed her to look up, glazed over hazel eyes meeting shaded gold.
"Wake up Rosa." Melody ordered and in an instant her eyes snapped into focus, quickly going wide in fear.
"What- what'd you do to me?" Rosa shook, backing away from the other woman.
Melody leaned back against her desk, lifting an eyebrow at her distress.
"Call it my own little gift from Dr Wells. Handy isn't it? I can make anyone do whatever I wish, whenever I wish it." There was a thinly veiled threat in the words and Rosa swallowed at the implications.
"Now, I prize myself on being a woman of fair business, so lets talk shop. For obvious reasons, I can't have you going around shooting your mouth off about my new talent. Likewise, I'm sure you would rather the less people know about your little dizzying spells the better. So, how do we come to a mutually beneficial agreement?"
Melody stared at Rosa expectantly.
"Please, just let me go. I'll leave Central, I won't tell anyone-" Rosa babbled.
Melody raised her hand and though Rosa's mouth continued to move, no sound escaped it. After a moment she noticed the lack of noise and her shaking got worse.
"That's not how this works, dear. I hold the cards here, so I'm going to need a little more of an assurance then that. So here's what's going to happen. You are going to stay right here in this city, and you're going to keep your head as far down as you can get it. If you try to leave, if I hear the slightest whisper of intent, and trust me I'll hear it, I'll have Janet drag you back by your hair."
'Please' Rosa's lips formed the word. Melody ignored the plea.
"You will find a nice, normal job. You won't case a job, you won't join a new crew, you will be just like everyone else. And if you ever use your powers on another human being for personal gain, or any reason other than self defense or defense of another, I will make you wish the explosion had killed you like it killed dear Sam. Do you understand me, Rosalind?"
Rosa nodded frantically, tears starting to drip down her cheeks.
Melody relaxed, nodding in satisfaction. "You're free to go."
Rosa was running for the door before the last word was out of her mouth, yanking the heavy wood door open and bolting toward the stairs.
"Bless." Melody smiled, clapping her hands together. "Tea anyone?"