"Captain Lance, you are urgently needed in the library." As she heard the AI said through the speakers, Sara sighed and whispered profanities. She was just getting ready for bed and thought about nothing else but sleeping in her girlfriend's arms as soon as possible.
"Gideon, I bet this cannot wait until tomorrow?" Sara voiced her displeasure while Ava just squeezed her arm, mumbling a 'be quick' before turning her head the other side.
"Mrs Palmer has just got on board and she has fainted, her state seems alarming and if she is not taken care of, I am afraid she wouldn't be alive tomorrow," Gideon revealed which triggered the two blondes instantly. They barely covered themselves before heading straight to the library. And there she was, Nora Palmer, laying with bleeding wounds all over her body.
"Nora…" Ava whispered as her eyes filled with tears. She was eager to meet her friend again but definitely not in these circumstances.
"We need to move her to the medbay, right now!" Sara said and Ava took a deep breath before helping Sara move their friend to the medbay.
"If she's here, like this, where is Ray? Why isn't he with her?" Sara wondered. There was no way Ray would leave his wife endangered without doing anything. The more Sara looked at Nora, the more her throat constricted. She needed to know where was her friend.
"Stay with her, Ava. I'll go try and locate Ray." Sara said and dropped a kiss on Ava's forehead. Ava was sitting next to Nora, holding her hand. "Don't worry, she'll be just fine," Sara said and left. She hoped with all her heart that Ray would be fine too.
"Gideon, can you track Ray?" Sara asked. She waited for some time, letting anxiety settle in.
"I fear that I do not have good news, Captain. It appears that Dr Palmer died in 2035. Actually, I managed to track down Mrs Palmer's time of disappearance. She disappeared the night of his death. I do not have more information at the moment but I suppose Mrs Palmer can help us understand what happened to them." Gideon said and Sara could feel the ball of sadness replace her anxiety. How could Ray be dead? What was a world without Ray Palmer? Sara couldn't believe it. She let the tears run down freely.
"Gideon, you realize that Ray is dead?" Sara asked as she couldn't even understand the situation.
"I do, Captain. I feel saddened by his demise." Gideon simply said.
"How is Nora?" Sara changed the topic.
"Mrs Palmer will be fine." Sara nodded.
She didn't manage to save her sister Laurel, but there was no way she would let Ray die. She didn't care that time if she was endangering time. There was no way she would let Ray dead. Sara went to the medbay and found Ava sleeping in an uncomfortable position next to Nora. She just saw how the two of them were close. She just kissed Ava's head and sat on the floor. She lost one of her dearest friend and Nora came there for help. There was no way Sara would let Nora out of her sight. Now that Ray died, Nora was her responsibility.
Sara would have almost forgotten the events that happened the night before if she hadn't been woken up by screams at around 3 a.m.
"Ray! I have to go back! Take me back to him! Ray!" It was Nora. Obviously. Ava had her arm wrapped around the small woman. Sara quickly got up as Nora relaxed into Ava's arms.
"I took the initiative to sedate Mrs Palmer. Her level of anxiety is not good for her and her unborn child." Gideon said.
"Wait Nora's pregnant?!" Ava exclaimed.
"And she just lost her husband…" Sara trailed off. Ava gasped. Things couldn't have been worse. Sara just gave her a small smile. "We're bringing him back, just trust me. I'm not letting Raymond Palmer leave this world until the next sixty years. Moreover, he's needed over here." Sara just looked at Nora. If she felt shattered on losing her friend, what about Nora who lost the love of her life and the father of her unborn child? Was she even aware of her pregnancy?
"Stay with her, babe. I'm going to elaborate on a plan to save Ray. When the team will be up, we'll get into action." Sara said. She left and went to the hall. She needed Gideon to help her analyse what they were getting onto.
"Gideon, do you have more information about Ray's death?" Sara asked.
"It seems like Dr Palmer's death is an anachronism. He wasn't supposed to die in 2035 but five years later, killed by the Order while saving his daughter from them." Gideon explained.
"So if we go back in time and save Ray tonight, we will just fix time, right?" Sara asked.
"Yes, Captain." Sara hummed.
"All right. Thank you, Gideon."
"I will also try and find a loophole that will allow you to save Dr Palmer in 2040," Gideon said and Sara let out a small smile.
"You're reading my mind, Gideon." Sara sighed. She couldn't consider Ray's death in the near future. She needed to save him at any cost.
The morning came and everyone on the Waverider started waking up including Nora. She found Ava near her and sighed.
"Good morning, Mrs Palmer," Gideon said waking Ava in the process.
"Nora?" Ava mumbled. "How are you?" She asked. Nora left out a sob.
"He's dead, isn't he?" She mumbled.
"But we're going to save him. Sara has a plan." Ava said. She helped Nora up and they went to the galley to get something to eat. Sara was already there with the team and she was explaining the situation to them.
As soon as Nate and Mona saw Nora, they went to the woman and hugged her.
"Nora…" Nate trailed off.
"Ava told me that we're going back there to save him. So I am not sad anymore because I know that we're getting him back." She said as she rested her head on Nate's shoulder.
"We need to know exactly what happened to him," Sara said.
"All right." Nora sighed. "We were coming back from the cinema, and we had decided on a walk in the nearby park when a woman appeared in front of us. It seems like she used a time stone. And she attacked us. We both tried to defend ourselves but I'm a Fairy Godmother and Ray didn't have his Atom suit on. And as I used my remaining strength to charge at the woman after Ray had fallen, I found myself on the Waverider. I felt connected to the time stone she used and I have a strong feeling that it's my father's time stone. Moreover, she uses the same powers that I have." Nora said.
"Well, this is completely fucked up! How can it be that our villain has your father's time stone? And how does she have your powers?" Ava wondered.
"I may have the answer to that Miss Sharpe. The woman who kills Dr Palmer in 2035 is from 2060 and she is Dr Palmer and Mrs Palmer's abducted daughter, Sally." Gideon said.
"I don't understand Gideon… If Sally comes from a future where she is saved by Ray in 2040, why does she come back to kill him in 2035?" Sara asked.
"I am sorry for the confusion, Captain. In the original timeline, one of Dr Palmer's daughters, Sally, was abducted by the Order. Her twin, Victoria Palmer was the one who Dr Palmer saved." Gideon said. "In 2060, Victoria who is the new Atom ends up being killed by her twin." The AI added.
"But now in this timeline, what happens?" Nora asked.
"Revealing this future is not good, Mrs Palmer, since it is your reality now," Gideon explained.
"A reality that we will change, Gideon. Tell us what happens with Ray's death." Nate said.
"Both the twins will be kidnapped by the Order as soon as they will be born, killing Mrs Palmer in the process," Gideon said.
Nora couldn't believe that despite all her efforts to lead a normal life, her family was doomed because of the Order.
"I will not let that happen. It's time for me to come back. John, you said there was a way for me to get my powers back, right?" Nora asked the warlock, who nodded. "Sally managed to attack us because I was powerless and Ray didn't have his ATOM suit. If I get my powers before the attack, I can possibly save both Ray and I." Nora explained.
"You'll need backup though," Ava said.
" Zari and Mick will stay on board to coordinate the mission. The rest of the team will go and save Ray. Nora you'll have to be cautious and not get too close to Ray. You're from a future when he's already dead. It can hurt him. Normally, if things go right you'll disappear once the new timeline will be cemented." Sara explained and Nora nodded. It was time for the team to save the ATOM!
