Thunder rolled across the sky, reverberating through the grey thick air as it caught the echo of every building, and sent it back into the heavens before the rain began to fall once more. Waving to the cab, RiverSong looked up at Palmer Industries. Circular with pillars reaching up into the foggy skies seemed to catch the torrents of rain that consistently fell, the glaring red sign Palmer Industry beaming like a beacon through the gray reflective mirrored doors beneath. She almost lost her nerve as large doors opened from the ceiling, the ocean of rain water rushing from the roof in then with a mighty noise closing again. If she ever saw Star Labs, this would be it, under a new name and guidance.
Hurrying in with a big tin container in her hand to escape the torrent she stopped as soon as she made it through the doors. A large white desk with the same glowing red logo, plants that thrived lining the windows, seemingly suspended in air against them. This plan was ingenious, using the large floor to ceiling windows to grow flowers and food, several people gathering them on ladders wearing blue added to the incredible, self sub staining building.
"Welcome to Palmer Industries." a kind voice came from behind the counter "How can I help you?"
RiverSong walked over, her hand brushing the top of plants as she put the container on the counter.
"I'm here to see Mr Palmer, please."
"Is he expecting you?" the young lady, probably no older then her own daughter asked from behind the counter, brushing her red hair back behind her ear and fixing her glasses in the aftermath.
"Yes I am from the Collection Agency." River smiled then looked up as a tall man with silvering hair walked from a door beside her.
"It's okay Amy. I was expecting her." he said extending his hand over the counter to her "I'm Ray."
"You're Ray?" River asked looking over his red sweater and crisp blue jeans. Usually people who owned such a place were a little more, formal, for lack of better word.
"Yep! Come on" he nodded as he shook her hand and lead her to double doors that slid open with a swipe of his bracelet.
"Cool huh? No badges there's this little chip..." he stopped as she trotted after him to keep up, the container in her arms once again.
She doesn't care, Ray, be quiet.
To his surprise, a huge smile appeared on the face of his guest.
"So I did come to the right place, you make amazing things," she stated politely looking at his wrist a moment. It just looked like a regular leather band around, which, in itself, was impressive. No one would ever think of it, unlike a badge that could be taken, especially with a high clearance.
"Well yes, I mean I make tech. That's what I do, even the name of the company, Palmer Industry...wait no it doesn't say a thing about tech does it. Maybe I should have called it Palmer Technology. Note to self for next time." he fumbled and looked at the woman who was now staring at him.
He took a deep breath and tried again.
"Okay yes, I make tech. What did you need? I never had anyone except for Cisco Ramon come to me, and that was a while ago to help him with a project. He's a brilliant mind you are lucky to have him as your boss."
"And a husband."
A blank look crossed his face for a moment as if forgetting before it came back to him, hitting him upside the side of his head almost visibly.
"Right, right I'm sorry you told me that in your text message. So Mrs. Ramon what can I do for you?"
"I have some business that I need help with, it's important." she walked beside him through a few more doors that swung open at a swipe of his wrist finally putting the container down on the desk that he sat behind.
"Yes, of course, anything," he said looking at it another big smile spreading over his face as she opened it, a delicious smell of sweet carrot cake filling the room almost instantly.
"I made this for you for a trade."
"A trade?" he looked from it to her his eyebrow raising at her way of business. "What do I have that's worth this deliciousness we don't get often around here?"
"I need something that can time travel," she said bluntly. "Not only that but cross earths."
The man looked at the cake she served him and eagerly took it, closing his eyes as he took in the scent, glancing at her from time to time although he nearly shoveled it in.
"We are in complete coordination with the laws and rules of Earth 19. We do not conduct experiments only see if things are theoretically possible. There is no breaching worlds unless you forgot, exceptions for people that work at the CA."
"You lost me..." she started watching him eat "But I can pay you anything, please Mr. Palmer. This is super important."
Ray put down the container and his fork wiping his mouth off with an extra napkin from his lunch earlier that day.
"Okay, but you have to do something for me."
"Name it" she replied without one breath for hesitation.
"I am working on a computer program, one that can make food from supplies we stock for um... long distance travel, let's say. Can you put this recipe into her data banks? I might have something to help you, but its a one chance shot."
"You will have to show me how, but deal. My cake and its recipe for your technology." she held out her hand, not even realizing how cheap that trade-off was, used to doing her business her way and usually getting it to work somehow.
Ray shook it then ran his hand through his hair.
"Also..." he began.
Uh oh... maybe it wasn't as cheap as her homemade cake but it did seem like an unfair trade.
"I am going to show you something super awesomely amazing so I want your promise that you won't tell anyone, not even the C.A. Your husband, however, is aware of the programs we have going on here so private discussion with him if you desire, is allowed."
River smiled and nodded her agreement watching him eat the rest of her cake.
"Deal."
"Good," he said getting up once again, throwing the container and plastic fork away before leading her down the hallway to the inner cortex stopping in front of a large hanger in the center. Tubes of flowing water coming down from the ceiling as it opened again like it did when she got there, powering machines that were working as auto robotics all over the big circular room. In the center, a large half build machine was covered in draping cloth, bustling workers and massive amounts of wires sticking out in neat little bundles.
"What is this?" she whispered in more of awe than anything "It's huge!"
"Just a project. That recipe database is going into it."
"Why do you need a recipe...wait. This looks like something out of the movies my husband loves."
Ray gave a small cough. Might as well tell her.
"We are going to see if not one person can time jump, a whole group. Wouldn't that be cool to see history as it was outside of a book? They are usually wrong, you know."
"So you are making a ship to ride the waves of time as if they were the sea?" she looked up at him again, her face filled with the same childlike curiosity that he often found himself having.
"Yes." he nodded as they continued down the hall "To ride the waves of time...a Wave-Rider" he beamed as he opened a door letting her go through it first that lead to rows and rows of shelves, like a library with no books, just boxes. All the same size and color besides notes left on the front of them, perfectly arranged with the same amount of space between them.
"Okay," he said getting the container he wanted and putting it on the long table at the end of the room. "I had two of these but a break in last week one went missing, unfortunately, that means you have one chance. I hope someday you guys can catch that whole Cold Frost team up- ever since they got married nothing is safe."
RiverSong watched as he pulled out a disk like a foot across metallic Frisbee.
"Is that it?" she asked touching it only to have him take her hand away sharply.
"Whoa! Okay, don't touch it just in case."
"How do I use it?"
"You?" Ray asked, wondering what she was going to do with it having spent months calculating the risks behind such a device. "Oh, I thought the Collection A..."
"Please Mr. Palmer." she interrupted. "How does it work."
He looked at her long and hard but only for a moment. This was serious, the trouble broadcasting loud and long in her brown eyes, her smile that was natural couldn't help play with her bottom lip, causing it to tremble. She was nervous about something, maybe even scared.
"You put in the date you want to go to, the earth underneath it. So like you want to see our signing of the Declaration of Independence you type in 04041779 then 19." He turned it over and pointed to a red button. "You have to activate this first, this is a beacon, you return home. If you don't activate it there's no way to get you back. It will follow this device only."
He reached back into the box and in taking out a smaller plate with no number-pad on it he held it up to her.
"This is your return. Small enough to keep in your pocket. To activate either you have to step on it, the center bubble here must crack and release into the device itself. Simple explanation. Set time, set homing device, put this one in your pocket for return, step and break the bubble. Then science and a rip in the space-time conundrum."
"Continuum?" she corrected inquisitively.
"No, Conundrum. The whole thing is one messy marked red page of Scientist no no."
He gave her the box rambling on about the dangers and warnings although he was sure she already know enough about them as he took her for dinner as promised to the café in the building so they could eat and she could give him the recipe as promised.
Meanwhile, back on Earth 1: Present Day
The ominous smell of medical supplies filled the air. Disgusting. Medication, latex, rubber, and plastic; it was enough to make her aching stomach hurt worse. She felt her body twitch, just once but enough to make every single muscle hurt as it contracted tightly.
Open your eyes Sonoa.
One slowly opened, followed by the other. It was dark, and despite what she last remembered, hot. She thought she was frozen solid, fearful she would be watching her fathers younger self, Barry, Caitlin, and anyone else be beaten once again by Killer Cold, the name her mother gave them. Instead...darkness. Her muscled once again contracted then released, this time not once, but several times in a row. Slowly as they started waking up from their deep freeze pain coursed through her body with every breath, her body out of her control. After what to her seemed like hours it subsided enough for her to try to sit up.
Sitting up slowly took three attempts. Sweat poured down her face as her fingers gripped her palms so hard she could feel the pain from her own nails in her skin. Layers of blankets over her explained why she was so warm, water bottles falling out from her bed and hospital gown showed the attempt to warm her up. As her mind tried to catch up with events it was missing, memories frozen as algid as Captain Colds freeze ray she got slowly untangled. She had to slowly peel the blankets off her, having to stop as her body contorted again. The details might be a bit frosty, but one thing she knew was certain; She messed with this timeline too much and she had to get home. Her heart sank as she thought of how she couldn't come back and see her father again even if her powers worked she needed to leave well enough alone. Most people have a problem with living in the past but when you have the power over it, to control it, to relive it and taste it for yourself, its even harder to have to make due with the fact that she could see him as he was, every day, happy and healthy with the family he loved that extended out into many other lives.
Peering into the darkness, illuminated only by the machine beside her that gave her a study drip of warm liquid into her veins she quickly started taking off sensors and removing water bottles and blankets. Once or twice she paused, stopping to rub her sore muscles once in a while before removing the IV itself a small noise of discomfort coming from her lips. A band-aid later she swung herself sideways on the bed, slowly putting her bare toes to what she thought was the ground. One foot hit smooth cold metal while the other something hard and leathery and upon further inspection of her dark toes in the ebony black of the room she was in she figured it out. Pausing again as her body had another fit of being up and moving, she followed the mysterious metal upwards,t bringing a smile to her still tinted blue lips.
Cisco was sleeping soundly beside her, not even moving when her foot fell on top of hers, or the wheelchair shifting when her foot landed on the foothold of his missing leg. He wasn't going to leave her side, and he didn't unless he absolutely had to, then wheeled himself back as fast as he could to her side.
Hearing the small soft snore come from his lips she took the pillow she was just resting on and tried to put his head on it quietly, without waking her up. One thing she knew is her father was a heavy sleeper, very heavy.
She watched him sleep for a minute, whispering how much she loved him and had to get home, she spent too much time in the past. Hopefully, everyone was okay at home, and everyone here in the past was okay. She got the brunt of the last attack which meant they should have been, she remembers Barry being okay, her father... oh! he saved her life! He actually pulled himself up and used Dr. Snow's chair to get to her in time, the thought touching her heart deeply. He didn't have to, he... he read the notes that's right, she remembered now.
As she changed her clothes in the half-open bathroom door she kept glancing out of the crack to watch him sound asleep. The whole process took hours, her body unable to stop its tremors but she made it, slowly made it back to her father, her legs giving out a few times but managed to kiss her father's forehead without falling. her arm ached as she lifted a hand, her portal home straining through her muscles, with every heartbeat. she had to take a break from even trying as her body convulsed once more and using all of her strength she held onto the wall, tears slipping down her cheeks from the agonizing pain.
This was going to take some work.
Finally, after many attempts it flickered back to her hand and shot out rapidly, pulling itself bigger and bigger until she could actually walk through. She looked at her father once again as she stooped down, taking her mothers bow from his side.
The red light of her swirling portal lit up the room, turning the med-bay into an odd looking medical center set from some creepy horror movie. After one last look around she stepped forward, only to have a hand grab hers and tug her back.
"Come back here Sonoa." the still sleepy voice came from beside her "We don't just breach away without a goodbye around here."