[Chapter 6]

"Well, I'm really glad you were the one calling the shots," I heard Ray comment sarcastically to Snart as I walk back to the ship. More like dragging myself to the ship. My head is still pounding and I'm soaking wet from the water but I don't dare use my powers in case they decide to go crazy.

"I had it under control until the Professor started picking fights with the PLO," Leonard said in his defense.

"You let your ego endanger our entire mission," Carter added.

"No, Mr. Rory's temper got completely out of control," Stein retorted, trying to keep the blame off of him.

"I thought we were friends, Professor," Mick pouted fakely.

"At least there's one less nuclear bomb on the planet," Kendra said trying to keep the peace just as I reach the bridge where they were all arguing.

"What happened to you?" Carter asked pointedly to my half-drowned, burned and exhausted look.

"Let's just say, I blew up the bomb on an island and absorbed the energy so it wouldn't kill us all and in the process, destroying whatever control I have over myself. So just don't get me mad," I explain briefly.

"Now I am going to head to my room and change my clothes and dry my hair," I say tiredly as I shuffle toward my room.

"Let me help you!" Ray and Jax said simultaneously while Leonard and Mick came over to my side and helped support me.

I tried to push them off but I was too weak to succeed.

"I have legs for a reason. I can walk by myself. Plus, I don't wanna accidentally set one of you on fire or something," I say while Sara snorts.

I was going to say something but I was interrupted by Rip, who was leaning against the wall and clapping.

"Here, here. Now you all deserve a hearty congratulation. Not only did you fail to capture Savage, but you also exposed yourselves and your powers to him, giving away the element of surprise for now and all time. Well done, team," Rip said sarcastically.

"We don't need the element of surprise. We know he's in Norway, so let's find him..." Carter stated until Rip interrupted.

"Unfortunately, we now have larger problems than Savage. If only you had listened to me about the dangers of upsetting the timeline," Rip said hitting the chair annoyed.

"What are you talking about?" Kendra asked.

"While you were busy saving Norway from nuclear annihilation..." Rip started.

"You're welcome, Norway," I state, slightly annoyed.

"Savage sent one of his cronies back to the site of the arms sale. Anyone care to guess what he found?" Rip asked and Ray looked at his suit and realized a part was missing.

"Whoops," Ray simply said which makes me want to punch him.

"I am unversed in modern American colloquialisms is 'whoops' slang for 'Oh shit'?' Gideon asked.

"Yes. Dr. Palmer seemed to have thrown a spanner in the works for the entire timeline," Rip stated.

"Come again?" Leonard asked as I grow tired and use Leonard and Mick as my support. I don't think I can stand for much longer but I won't admit that. Leonard notices me leaning on him more so he brings me to a chair with Mick helping.

I sigh in relief at sitting down and I close my eyes and rest my head on my arm.

"Armed with Dr. Palmer's future technology, Savage's engineers develop a weapon far more destructive than anything here in 1975. This is Central City in 2016. At least it was. I'm not sure what the neo-fascists who took control of it are calling it these days," Rip explained as a hologram of a destroyed city appeared on the table.

"There must be a way to correct this somehow," Stein horrified.

"Fortunately, Gideon is just showing us a forecast of the future you've all created. Time is like cement. It takes time to become permanent. In this case, until Savage's team have worked out the mystery of your future technology and molded it to their own ends. And when they do, what you see here is no longer just a forecast. This... This is history," Rip explained. Time travelers and their dramatic phrases.

"So thanks to Raymond leaving a piece of his suit in the past, the rest of us don't have a future to go back to?" Snart questioned, pacing around my chair.

"Unless we do something to change this course of events, the future will become immutable." Rip affirmed leaning over the console.

"Exactly how much time do we have?" Ray questioned feeling extremely guilty.

"Until Savage's weapons team reverse-engineer your tech." Rip replied.

"We're talking 1970s terrorists with 21st-century weapons and since we don't know where Savage went..." Stein started to say but Ray interrupted him.

"We don't have to find Savage. We just have to find the other piece of my suit. Which shrinks because it's made of an alloy which mimics intra-molecular compression of a dwarf star, thus emitting Alpha Particles," Ray explained. Why I'm paying attention to this, I have no clue.

"So we just need to be able to track them. Fortunately, Alpha Particles are highly trackable," Stein smiled.

"Yet unheard of in the 1970s. It's like we're trapped in the Stone Age." Ray said.

"I'll have you know that I was researching Alpha Particles when you were eating crayons," Martin slightly bragged.

"So to track that piece of Raymond's super-suit, we just need to talk to?" Snart questioned.

"Me. 25-year-old me, rather." Martin stated.

"You two are just in time," Rip announced as Kendra and Carter walked back into the room.

"Show them, Kendra," Carter said and I opened my eyes as Kendra gave Rip a photo of a dagger.

"Aldus was carrying this when he was killed. It's a newspaper article about an Egyptian dagger," Kendra explained.

"The one Savage used to kill us," Carter added.

"In Central City, we learned that objects associated with the night of our deaths can also be used to kill Savage," Kendra continued.

"According to Aldus's notes, the dagger needs to be wielded in conjunction with an incantation inscribed on it," Carter finished.

"What does this incantation say?" Stein asked.

"I don't know. I can't read the language," Kendra admitted.

"It's okay. I'll help you remember," Carter said and they left the room together.

"Splendid. Now, as for the dagger..." Rip said.

"You need someone to steal it," Ray concluded.

"Okay, fine. Whatever. I'll do it," Leonard said snatching the article from Rip and I feel a smile crawl onto my lips.

"Article says it was purchased by some rich Russian douche bag named Sasha Mahnovski," Leonard read.

"I'll go with you," Ray said instantly.

"I already have a partner,' Leonard said, gesturing to Mick.

"Who I trust even less than you," Ray commented.

"Look, you're more than welcome to go with them. Just don't take along any of your future tech," Rip said to him and the boys left the room.

"Oy! Where do you think you're going?" Rip questioned Stein, who was about to leave.

"To break into my old lab and bring us back the particle tracker." Stein logically stated.

"Fine, but perhaps, you should take Jefferson and Sara with you to act as your intermediaries. Look, interacting with yourself in the past can have catastrophic effects upon the future," Rip warned.

"Fascinating. Let's go." Martin said.

"Setting a course for the United States, Captain," Gideon informed.

"And I'm going to take a nice hot shower," I say to no one. I lazily do a soldier's salute to Rip and walk to my down the hall to the room.

I hear footsteps following me down the hall.

"Are you trying to be loud?" I ask Jax who I'm guessing was trying to quietly walk toward me.

"Sorry, I thought I was quiet." Jax apologized.

"Super-sensitive hearing," I say pointing to my ears. We reach the door of my room.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Jax asked me.

"Fit as a fiddle. Don't worry about me. I've been around a long time," I say as we stop.

"Right. Umm... how long before... you know?" Jax trailed off.

"Forget and return to a 15-year old girl?" I finish for him and he nods. "Four months."

"That's close. Does it hurt?" Jax continues with the questions.

"I don't know. I never remember it," I answer tiredly. I lean against the door so I don't topple over.

"Why not? How do you keep your memo-" Jax started but I cut him off.

"As much as I would love answering all your questions, I really want to get out of these wet clothes and gain a little more control myself before someone manages to get themselves in trouble and we have to go save their ass," I say quickly, hoping Jax would get the hint that I don't really want to talk right now.

"Okay umm... yeah. See you later," Jax said and I open my door, get inside and shut it on Jax. I take a deep breath. That was awkward.

I hear Jax's footsteps echoing down the hall as I ran my hands into my hair and go into the bathroom to shower.

***

I changed into my black ripped jeans and the same black G by Guess shoes I had on earlier. I had on a black tank top underneath a Nike jacket that is unzipped. I keep my ring on at all times. I throw my hair into a high ponytail and step out of the bathroom.

I noticed instantly that on my bed was my old journal. I always wrote in it the memories that I want to remember after my reformation. The only memory I retain is my brother and sister being killed. It was a black soft leather journal that was tied closed.

I walk over to it cautiously, not knowing how it got here. I could have sworn that I left it in the old house Jayden, Emily, and I lived in before they died. I didn't want to remember anything from those times, but occasionally I would sneak back to read a few passages here and there, the location of the journal engraved in my brain.

I only wrote about the happy times and I never wrote in it after they died since I didn't have happy moments anymore.

I shakily pick up my journal and open up to one of the bookmarked pages.

July 8th, 1954

Today, Jay Jay tried to make a new food on the stove. Emmy and I went out in the village to buy eggs, flour, sugar, and other ingredients that we normally buy to make cakes. The villagers were cowering in fear and used rushed movements to keep themselves away from us.

When we returned home, Jay Jay rushed us into the kitchen and said he wanted to try something. Cakes in a pan. Emmy and I looked at him as if he was crazy but he reassured us and started giving us things to do.

I helped Emmy pour the flour in a wooden bowl and it all blew up in my face, covering my entire face in flour. Jay Jay and Emmy started snickering so I grabbed two hands of flour and throw one hand at Emmy and the other at Jay Jay, showering them both in flour.

I burst out laughing as Emmy and Jay Jay gave each other a look. Jay Jay grabbed an egg while Emmy got the milk and Emmy went to go pour it on my head just as Jay Jay leaned forward to smash the egg on my face. I moved out of the way quickly with super-human speed and Jay Jay falls on the counter while Emmy dumped milk all over his head.

I fell to the ground cracking up and even crying because of how hard I was laughing. Jay Jay and Emmy used my vulnerability to attack me with all of the ingredients, leaving us all covered in a sticky dough.

"Well so much for pancakes," Jay Jay said, smiling.

"Pan-cakes?" Emmy said testing out the word.

"Cakes made in a pan. We could do it some other day. How about some bacon and eggs if we have any left?" asked Jay Jay and we all cheered.

I hope Jay Jay never forgets to cook after his reformation, even if he rarely has any trouble remembering.

Never forget this moment,

Isabelle

(E-sa-belle, in case you forget)

I sniffle as the memory comes back to me while others follow. Jay Jay teaching me how to cook, the three of us singing and dancing together, exploring the forest behind our house, and so many more.

The thing that made me the saddest was the mention of my name. It's a different pronunciation than the typical I-sa-belle. It's E-Sa-Belle but I haven't been called that since my siblings died.

And I won't let anyone call me that again.

As I close the book, a small black bag falls out onto the floor. I pick it up and open it. Inside was my necklace with Jay Jay and Emmy's rings on the chain. I let out a little laugh. I thought I lost these a few years back and I was completely devastated, tearing up the world to find it.

How is it here?

I push the thought from my mind as I pull out the necklace, completely overjoyed.

I look at each ring and memorize every detail. Jay Jay's ring was a silver feather and Emmy's ring was a silver leaf.

I put the necklace on and smile, truly happier than I've ever been. I grab the journal and a pen because I've decided that I'm going to write about this time-traveling adventure. I think these people are worth remembering.

Maybe, they're even worth forgiving.