I don't own the CW show The Flash or any DC characters found in this story. I only own my OCs.
Central City
July 4, 2014
"Still nothing?" Lisa couldn't hold back her disbelief, eyebrows raised at the older woman.
"I know, I know. I really am trying here, Lise. I even stole West's ID to get into their system. It's like he's dropped off the face of the earth." Taking a sip of her drink, Melody cut her eyes over to Mike before he could comment. He raised his hands in defense, turning back to the grill and flipping the burgers.
"Honestly, I'm more surprised he hasn't contacted you. Not even a postcard?" Melody checked.
Lisa scoffed, tossing her hair. "Not even a postcard." She muttered into her drink, face tight.
"Well you know what I think." Mike remarked under his breath.
"When I want your opinion on the matter, I will ask for it, Michael." Melody hissed back, mentally grabbing the cold slice of fear in her chest and shoving it into the molten pit of anger. "I swear, if he just saunters in one day, I will deck him myself."
July 19, 2014
"For the last time, Bruce, I am fine! I don't need your help, and I most certainly don't need your overbearing presence in my city." Melody furiously whispered into the phone, pacing a hole into her carpet and gesturing sharply as she argued with the man. "I don't care what Leslie told Alfred who told you, I'm not a child in need of guidance, I've been doing this just as long as you have."
"Should we interrupt?" Janet wondered. Mike shrugged, fiddling with a Rubik's Cube. "Nah, she usually wins. Granted, he's almost as stubborn as she is, but he also has his own city to look after so I doubt he'd visit even if he won."
"Remind me again how Melody figured out Gotham's most eligible bachelor was the Bat?" Janet leaned forward, absentmindedly cleaning her gun.
Mike smiled enigmatically. "She has her ways."
Janet groaned. "Really?"
"Nah, I'm kidding. In all honesty, I don't know. We were just sitting in his office, talking about company shares when she just looked him dead in the eye and said, 'But you wouldn't know anything about the criminal underground, would you, Mr Wayne?'" Mike chuckled at the memory, shaking his head. "You should have seen the look on his face. I wasn't sure if he was gonna call security or just leap across the desk at her."
Janet chuckled softly, hands steady as she pieced the firearm back together. " She would've laid him out flat before he could try, Batman or not."
"Probably." Mike agreed.
"And if I see so much as one Bat Brat in my city, you will be in deep shit, do you hear me Bruce?" Melody hissed before slamming her phone down on the desk and dropping back into her chair. Rubbing her forehead, she groaned. "I hate Gothamites."
"Amen to that, sister."
August 3, 2014
Shuffling the files on her desk, Melody frowned, deep in thought. Reaching over, she pressed the intercom button, waiting until a responding beep sounded before speaking. "Janet, would you please escort Mr. Bivolo in, and also remind me to call Leslie after my meeting?"
"Sure thing, boss." Janet replied, locating Bivolo in the crowded club and directing him to Melody's office. Knocking once, she opened the door and gestured the artist through. Roy G. Bivolo was not the usual type of clientele that Melody worked with, but the changing times made the woman more lenient with her stipulations.
"Roy, please, come in." Melody greeted with a smile, rising from her seat and stretching her hand across the desk for him to shake. Doing so, Roy waited until Melody had taken her seat before lowering into his own.
"Now, where were we?" Melody asked, purely rhetoric. "Ah, yes. How have you been settling in?"
Roy shifted, slightly uncomfortable. "Well enough. The apartment is more then I could have hoped for, especially after..." He trailed off, licking his lips nervously.
"After you attempted to manipulate me." Melody finished, eyes cast down at the papers in her hands. Roy shifted uncomfortably and Melody almost smirked. "Yes, speaking of, how are your abilities coming along?" She posed, still looking down, giving the impression she couldn't care less.
"Uh, better. I think the effects are lasting longer, and last week I made this guy almost piss himself he was so scared."
A dark eyebrow raised and even though she hadn't spoken, Roy rushed to explain himself. "He was harassing this girl at the bar, kept trying to get her to go home with him. I-I figured that was within the terms of our arrangement, so-"
Melody held up her hand. Roy's mouth snapped shut.
"You were correct, and well within rights to act. Well done, Roy. Your improvement is commendable. Now, how has the transferal been advancing?"
"I'm having some trouble with that." He hesitantly replied.
"Oh? In what way?"
"Well, I tried it at a party, just some light affection for the couples. But it wouldn't spread. Just stayed with the man I started with."
Melody looked up at that, lips pursed. Lacing her fingers together, she studied Roy for a long moment, making the other Meta nervous as her eyes stayed hidden behind mirrored lenses. "I think," She began, "that the problem is not entirely with you, but more with the emotion you're trying to convey."
Frowning, Roy straightened. "What do you mean?"
"Human nature, Roy. People like to hog love and affection, they're not inclined to share it with others. But other emotions, say, fear and anger? Those spread like cancer."
September 15, 2014
"I heard an interesting rumor, recently." Vincent Santini mused, admiring his tumbler of whiskey.
"Oh?" Melody returned, looking over the written agreement that had brought the man to her office. While not the most savory of business associates, she would rather a Santini over a Darbinyan any day, and so while Araz Darbinyan was not allowed foot in the club, Vincent was free to come and go as he pleased. Especially when they were in the midst of a renegotiation and Vincent was known for being very particular.
"A person matching Leonard Snart's description was seen in Coast City."
Melody stilled, looking up at the man who was smirking down at his glass. She was about to reply when her head tilted to the side, something catching her attention.
"Is that a fact?" She hummed, looking back down at the paper.
Disappointed at not getting the reaction he wanted, Vincent let a hint of venom lace his words. "He seemed to be living it up, almost flaunting. Perhaps he grew tired of your partnership and sought an out whilst you were comatose?"
Melody laughed, soft and quiet. It was a sound that commonly preludes danger.
"Why are you lying to me, Vincent?"
Vincent froze, glass half raised to his lips. Slowly, he lowered it, carefully controlling his expression.
"I'm afraid I'm not sure what you mean, my dear Melody."
Pursing her lips, Melody set the paper down on her desk and sank into her chair, studying the man intently.
"First of all, refer to me as your dear anything again and I will make certain that the next drugs bust the CCPD performs will be at your sons college dorm."
Vincent's jaw clenched at the threat and he carefully set the tumbler down.
"Secondly, you never heard any such rumor, you are creating a calumnious lie in the hopes it will cause me to look upon Leonard in a pejorative manner. I do not appreciate such attempts."
The barest hint of confusion crossed Vincent's face before it smoothed but Melody had already caught the expression. Smirking, she leaned forward, whispering conspiratorially "Calumnious means false and defamatory. It can also mean slanderous." Her smirk fell into a frigid expression. "I don't appreciate slander of any kind."
Crossing her legs she held back another smile as Vincent's face started to pink. "Pejorative means to express contempt or disapproval." She continued, voice apathetic, like a professor giving the same lecture for the fifth time that day. "I personally find your attempts to manipulate me loathsome and boring. I think it's time for you to take your leave while I think over whether or not I wish to continue business with you. Janet!" She called, not giving the now sputtering man a chance to respond.
"Yes boss?" Janet poked her head in, sharp eyes immediately noting Vincent's red face and Melody's tightly pursed lips.
"Would you escort Mr Santini from the premise, and make sure everyone knows he's only allowed back by my personal invitation?"
Janet grinned like a shark tasting blood. "I would love to."
Vincent almost protested, knuckles white around his glass. Melody just looked at him, body so still it could have been carved from stone, giving off an air of anticipation. She could ruin him in ten minutes and they both knew it. So, carefully, Vincent drained the rest of his whiskey and set the glass back on its coaster. Rising, he brushed off his suit jacket, straightened his tie, and smoothed his lapel.
"I eagerly await your invitation, Miss Piper." He gritted out, teetering on impertinence. Melody decided to let it go just this once as Janet led the man from the room, shutting the door gently behind them.
"Nice." Mike complimented, swinging the bookshelf door that led to their personal quarters open and leaning against the frame. "How'd you know he was lying?"
Spinning around to face him, Melody outright grinned at the man. "I could hear his heartbeat."
"No shit." Mike breathed.
"Yes shit!" Melody laughed, bounding to her feet and clasping both hands onto her brother's shoulders. "No one can ever lie to me again!"
Mike paled. "Oh, shit. I'm never getting away with anything."
October 3, 2014
"Clyde Mardon just walked into Central City." Janet didn't even knock, only waiting long enough to make sure no one else was in the room before blurting out the words. Behind her was Angie who promptly ran behind the desk and launched herself at Mike.
The siblings had been bent over Melody's laptop and Mike's tablet, comparing screens as they did their weekly books check. While the CCPD acknowledged the Piper's usefulness, that didn't mean they wouldn't take any opportunity to bring them down. So at the end of every week the duo would double check the numbers to make sure there were no discrepancies.
Now, they were gaping at Janet, Mike hoisting Angie into his arms and swiftly collapsing into the closest armchair. Melody quickly spun into action.
"I want the birdies out now, send one over to Sarah, tell her girls to be on the lookout for him and if they see him to not approach. He was unstable before the accelerator, he's most likely worse now. Mark isn't with him?" She checked, closing her current window and opening her email, typing furiously.
"Negative, just Clyde, Angie saw him at the warehouse district, watched for a few hours to make sure they weren't meeting up."
"Damn it. At least Mark and I were on good enough terms and in a pinch he could keep his brother in line. Drop a line to Joe, just mention someone matching his description was seen in the area, remind him that bodies weren't found. If he asks for anything more, hang up. Then call Jace, get him caught up."
"There's something else." Angie piped up from Mike's lap, expression grave.
"There always is. What is it?" Melody asked, slightly distracted as she sent out an ambiguous email to Singh.
"He can control the weather."
Angie's voice was deadly calm, her tone sure. She didn't flinch under the combined weight of the Piper siblings gaze, looking straight back at concealed eyes. "I saw him. He made it rain indoors, and the wind made things fly around the room, but nothing touched him. He was laughing the whole time, but it wasn't right. He wasn't right."
Melody was still for a long moment, listening, hoping for the lying skip of Angie's heart. It never came, and Melody rested her head in her hands, giving a tired groan.
"I really hate Harrison Wells. Why haven't I sued yet?"
"Never got around to it. Too busy cleaning up the mess he made of the city." Mike answered, wrapping his arms around Angie and tucking her head under his chin. "You're absolutely sure, Angie?" He had to check.
"He was making it rain inside. There were little lightning bolts. I've never been so sure in my life." Was the girl's tart reply.
"Great. Perfect. Shit all over my life why don't you. Not like I was enjoying the relative peace and quiet. Not like I was doing anything with that." Melody grumbled under her breath, pulling off her glasses to rub at her eyes. Angie watched the motion with avid interest.
"You're different." She remarked, out of the blue. Melody paused, pulling her hand away from her face and taking a deep breath before turning to look at the girl. To her eternal credit, Angie didn't flinch, didn't make a sound of surprise or fear or disgust. Instead, she grinned, hopping down from Mike's lap and scurrying over to clamber up onto Melody's. Reaching out, she gently patted the woman's cheeks, turning her face in different directions as she studied the golden orbs.
Finally, she offered her findings. "You look like Heimdall!"
There was a tangible release of tension as the adults let out matching huffs of laughter. Melody pulled Angie's hands away from her face, holding them as she smiled at the girl. "I'd never thought of it like that before. I suppose you're right, although I'm not nearly dark enough." Angie gave a tooth smile, leaning back on Melody's legs. "You look way cooler than Clyde does."
Mike snorted. "That was always a given, not like it's hard."
Melody flicked her fingers and Mike yelped as an A sharp smacked the back of his head. "Are you implying I'm not cool looking, little brother?" She arched an eyebrow, somehow managing to look down at him despite their even seating.
Rubbing his head, Mike gave a sardonic smile. "I wouldn't dare to presume, sister dear."
"Good. Now, Janet, I want the birdies to alternate between looking for Clyde and keeping an eye on every bank or gold refinery we have in the city. Clyde won't go for a museum," she explained when Janet started to speak up. "He doesn't have the patience to look for a buyer, or the subtlety to pull of a successful heist. Besides, banks were always the brother's style."
Janet nodded and swiftly left the room, pulling her phone from her pocket and dialing West's number as she went.
"I don't know about this one Mels." Mike twisted in his seat, throwing his legs over the armrest and stretching out. "Clyde's always had a superiority complex, always thought he was a gift to the world. And now, with powers? There might not be any saving this one."
Melody sighed, mirroring her brother's earlier position and resting her chin on Angie's head, the girl quickly leaning into the embrace.
"You may be right. But if Mark isn't dead, if he too survived, I'm not going to be the one to tell him his brother died because I couldn't be bothered to try."
Sorry about the late update, my muse kinda ditched me mid chapter and it took a while to chase her down. But, the good news is, next chapter will finally be the Pilot of 'The Flash'! Things should really start to pick up now.
-ThawneEnthusiast