--NOW, THE PRESENT--
Central City
September 8, 2037
⚕️

          BIANCA'S EYES WIDENED as she looked up outside the elevator of the Time Bureau as the doors began to close to see her coworkers on their way, their faces etched with worry. Thiago's nose was bleeding.

Hesitantly, she reached her hand out between the closing doors, signaling the doors to stop closing and wait a few moments.

Her coworkers thanked her and went inside.

Before Bianca could ask, Kai explained.

Something to do with his powers, I think. But he's okay," he said with a calm tone, somehow making Bianca begin to wonder all the possible implications of this. 

Bianca nodded and stole a glance at Thiago who sent her a tight lipped smile. "I'm good." He said whilst holding a hand to his nose.

Leah leaned against the walls of the elevator quiet more than usual. For a moment she thought she had done something to make Thiago in pain like that. And now it seems like her parents have been hiding something like this the whole time?

She'd talk about it with her friends but she wasn't sure if they'd understand. None of their powers seemed capable of taking someone else's life.

Kai, feeling the tension without having to touch anyone, tried to clear the air. He cleared his throat and flashed a smile towards Bianca.

"Hey Bianca, how was your test?"

Bianca looked up at Kai in front of her and avoided his eyes, remembering the last time she saw him today was when she walked away from a moment that truly warmed her heart.

"It was fine. I did well I think."

There was another moment of silence as Kai thought of the next thing to say to lift the mood but Thiago couldn't help himself.

"I can't believe our parents knew each other, Leah. They lied to us. And they worked at star labs way before we were born."

Bianca's ears perked at the news. She figured something more must have happened on the way to work.

Leah sighed, "I honestly don't want to think about it right now." She shook her head and willed herself to smile. "Let's just work today and maybe have a little bit of fun."

"Leah," Kai warned with a chuckle.

"I've been waiting for the perfect day to drink those bottles I hid in the lockers and it looks like today is one of those days," Leah shrugs.

Thiago is immediately against it but the thought of numbing his mind was oddly tempting.

Bianca resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the sight of Thiago considering all for his crush. Kai seemed to agree when he crossed his arms at Thiago. "Dude, you never drink and Leah you're definitely not doing it today. We're on security duty."

Leah leaned against the elevator walls, all sense seeming to leave her mind as the light in her eyes seemed to dim. "Come on, Kai. You're like always ready to be happy. You choose now to be a stickler?"

"Thiago's still bleeding if you haven't noticed," Kai says sternly, hating how hard it was to remain calm.

Thiago lifted his head higher as if it would help the bleed and to hide his just as red cheeks. This what he gets for trying to be cool.

Suddenly the elevators opened, silencing everyone. Bianca rushes out, brushing past Thiago as she does, leaving just in time to hear him wince in pain again.

--

"I'm telling you two people are going to get badly hurt today," Thiago huffed in frustration. He adjusted the coms link in his ear as Kai replied back to him.

"What even happened? Was it because you were on the hover board. Was it too high?"

"We weren't even that high," Leah tuned in.

"Exactly," Thiago exclaimed. "We were going faster but I was about to say something to Leah and I remember messing with the hair band on my wrist—"

"—you think you pulled it back to hard or something?" Kai asked. "and it hurt you really hard, I don't know? Those new hair bands haven't exactly been the best invention of the 21st century."

"No, I didn't pull it I was just like twisting it—"

"—wait, why do you have a hair band?" Leah asked curiously. "Are you finally going to start wearing a man bun?!"

Thiago couldn't help but laugh. "No, but if you want me to, I will. I actually found it on the floor because Bianc—" he was cut off at the clearing of the throat of a man who had appeared in front of him. Thiago stood up straight and cowered in fear at the big boss in front of him. "Sir!"

Nathaniel Heywood narrowed his eyes at Thiago. "What are you doing chit chatting?"

"Uhhh I was, I wasn't..." Thiago started trying to come up with a lie. He could never come up with a good one and it's probably because his brain knew he never lied.

"Yes, you were," Nathaniel nodded mockingly as if talking to a 5 year old. In an instant, his face formed a scowl and his skin once a tad bit tan from all those times he traveled to the bahamas during his lunch break, became steel.

Thiago cringed at the sight and gripped his hand in fear. Ew ew ew, he internally groaned. He found  supernatural occurrences nauseating and dizzying, hence his reaction to the elongated man earlier.

"I'm sorry sir, it won't happen again."

"It better not," the director said sternly, returning from his steel form. He straightened his suit and his tone took a shift. He leaned in to Thiago and spoke as though they were sharing a secret, "Anomalies occur every day, and we're getting predictions from Gideon that a rather large anamoly is coming. I'm talking timeline changing! I've kind of been in over my head since I took this job and restarted this whole bureau. I have no idea what i'm doing!" he laughed, slapping Thiago on the shoulder.

The teen chuckled nervously, both at his bosses' change in demeanor and the fact that something was coming. Gideon's predictions are often correct and the Legends always prevent it in time. Surely there is nothing to worry about?

Thiago reminded himself of his vision. Two bad news in one day? There's gotta be an explanation for this?

"Good chat Theo!" Heywood laughed gleefully and patted the boy before walking away.

"G-goodbye sir!"

Thiago waited till he was out of sight and pressed his com link. "Yo, you guys there?"

Kai piped up, "yup!"

"Here, what's up?" Leah also responded.

"The director was here and he just gave me major news!"

--

BIANCA

"Gideon show me timeline AB-361 location: New Orleans, Louisanna year: 1964 please," Bianca asked, while opening the records software on her desk's computer. She had a pack of files on her desk to continue her work from the previous day. Each week she was tasked with something different and this week included documenting interferences by the Bureau and the Legends. While Gideon had that information within her, physical copies were absolutely essential and what the government had required of the bureau to even continue with its duties. Tons of agents assist in this tasking duty. Usually, the paper work is filled right after a shift. But there were moments even before the Bureau that Gideon had records of. Bianca would fill in the information on their software then print out copies and organize them into the file room.

"Right away, Miss Reyes," Gideon replied from her place on the corner of Bianca's desk. Her voice echoed through the bland and partially empty office.

Bianca rolled her eyes and instinctively lowered Gideon's volume. At that moment, a 3D holographic timeline appeared before her of the exact year she asked for. She noticed the red dots on certain days, recording the times the bureau or the legends have interfered.

With swift typing and taps of her finger, the information was filled and she was on to the next task.

Suddenly she saw the reflection of her blinking com link from her computer screen. Someone from the team was trying to communicate.

Oftentimes they were silly comments from someone or a report about something minor but it usually never requires Bianca's attention. Considering how quickly the need to contact came and the situation in the elevator, Bianca decided to tune in.

Before she could report that she was also listening, Thiago continued.

"Guys! Heywood was totally freaking out just now. Apparently Gideon predicted a huge anomaly that could change our timeline."

"Thiago, that's not really news," Leah snorted.

"He was talking to me like we were buddies! He just said he has no idea what he's doing! That sounds like something bad. And he's a Legend. If a Legend thinks something is bad, then its bad."

"It's not our jobs to fix, T," Kai adds. "Just keep doing your job. I'm sure it's nothing."

"Ugh, can we ever catch a break–"

"All Junior Agents please report to Director Heywood's office. This is an emergency!" announced Gideon.

Bianca sat up quickly and took off her coms. She went to grab her phone instinctively then remembered it was in main office where its always placed before shift. Looking around the office for signs of an emergency, she walked towards its exit, finding the hallway that lead to the Heywood's office.

Could this be what Thiago was just talking about? But why would only they have to be called?

Bianca wiped the sweat from her hands on her pants. This would be it. This had to be what her anxiety has been warning her about all day. Every day. Maybe whatever this was, it is the other shoe dropping. What she's been waiting for since she awoke from her deathbed. It had to be. Either way, Biance couldn't afford to believe otherwise, because if she did and it was an emergency the disappointment in herself for having hope and the shock might kill her. So she had the believe it was the worst possible scenario. Maybe she could handle the blow a little better that way.

She finally reached his office just as the others entered in, confused.

Heywood rubbed the stubble on his chin with shaking hands. He looked up from a phone in his hand, and his eyes found Bianca's.

She swallowed hard.

"Your phone got an alert. The um...the police called because you're p-parents have been involved in an accident at Meta Solutions,"

Bianca felt the feeling in her right arm leave, her knees began to wobble and hands were on her shoulders as she kneeled to the ground.

"They've been sent to the Central Med and are being taken care of," Heywood gestures towards Kai, "You're all excused for today, please take her to the hospital feel free to take our hover boards out front its the only way you'll get there fast enough, I'm sorry I don't have any heroes on standby right now that could help."

Kai takes his hands off of Bianca's shoulders and shakes his head frantically as he struggled to breathe, "Sir I-I can't touch her for that long. She's too scared..." Heywood nodded in understanding and runs a hand through his slicked back hair.

Leah wipes icy tears from her eyes, wishing she was anything but cold as her hands sat gingerly on Bianca's back.

"I'll take her!" Thiago exclaimed with urgency despite his racing heart. He knew something was going to happen. "Leah help me get her outside!" Leah and Thiago led a shaking Bianca outside, Kai following behind trying to calm down. As Thiago set up the hoverboard saying prayers under his breathe, Leah used her cold hands on Bianca's cheeks to get her to stay awake.

"B," she pleaded, "B! You have to stay alert, okay? Keep your hands tight on Thiago and don't let go!"

Bianca was blinking, trying to listen to what the girl in front of her was saying but it was all too much. Her body was moved to the hoverboard and her arms wrapped around Thiago's body.

"T! Me and Kai will follow behind you, okay!" Leah assured Thiago as he was getting ready to lift off into the air. "Go!"

Leah watched as the two flew away with godspeed and in an angry motion shot a large chunk of ice towards the window of the Bureau with a scream.

"She's not going to be able to handle this, Leah," Kai found himself whimpering, an action Leah had never seen from him before. If Kai could cry, it was worse than she thought. "She's barely holding on as it is. What do we do–"

Leah engulfed him in a hug to which he had no choice but to melt into. His tears streaming down his face and onto Leah's shoulders, turning into ice that fell with every cry.

--

Thiago landed the hoverboard almost with a crash, sending both his and Bianca's body to the stone ground outside the emergency room doors.

"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry," he rushes to pick her up, grabbing her by the shoulder and lifting her to lean on his body. "Help!" He yelled out as they neared the automatic doors together. "Please!"

A nurse ran over to the teens clad in Time Bureau uniform. "What's wrong?"

"Her parents were just taken here not too long ago. There was an accident at MetaSolutions," Thiago pants, struggling to keep Bianca up. "I-I think she's in shock or something I don't know. Her name's Bianca. Bianca Reyes."

"We'll take it from here, sir, thank you," the nurse gestures over for help and Bianca is peeled off of his arm. He reaches out instinctively though she is placed on a gurney and wheeled down the hall.

"Wait! Where are you taking her? Where are her parents?" Thiago yells. "She's the one who died..." he quiets. "Her parents can't die too..."

The nurse rubs a hand over his shoulder and gives it a squeeze, "Please wait here. You'll see your friend as soon as she's okay. Don't leave. There may be some papers to sign."

With that the nurse leaves and jogs down the hall. Thiago places a hand over his racing heart and staggers to the nearest chair to wait. He didn't have his phone on him to call his dad. Moments later, Kai and Leah burst through the doors, recognizing Thiago from afar and ran to him.

"What happened? Where is she?" Leah asked.

"They're trying to help her calm down, I think. And I don't know where her parents are."

Kai walks to the front desk and asks the man there for information. He's only able to provide papers for them to sign regarding Bianca. Kai comes back to the group with a clipboard.

"I don't even know what to put on here," Kai sighs. "We don't know anything about her. Not even her parents names."

"Does she have any other family we can contact?" Leah wonders, taking a seat next to Thiago.

"I have no idea," He mutters quietly.

"What do even do? What if something happens to her parents and they tell us before she comes back. She can't come back only to hear horrible news. We have to find out whats going on with them," the icy girl emphasizes.

"How would we even sneak in?" Kai asks looking around the crowded emergency room.

Thiago's head jerks up. "I can use my powers." He looked at his friends to fully expect them to object. But they seemed to be finding ways to use his powers to make this work. "Glad to see we're on the same page."

"It's risky as hell with so many people here but if you plan this right, I believe in you, T," Kai nods. He looks to Leah who shares his enthusiasm.

Thiago takes a deep breathe to calm his nerves and asks them to come closer. "Okay, here's the plan."

—

Thiago took a deep breathe, inhaling the lavender scent of the single bathroom of the emergency room.

He checks the bracelets on his wrists, Star Labs' stylish and easier way for Thiago to control his powers instead of chunky gauntlets. There were intact as he needed them to be. He knocked gently on the door, the signal to Leah and Kai that he was about to begin. Once he was sure they heard, he opened the palm of his hands, and imagined the supply closet way down the hall where Doctors were going in an out of, a restricted area.

Suddenly a green portal appeared in front of him. Thiago smiled to himself and got inside, the other side revealing the inside of the supply closet. He bumped into a couple boxes of gloves and quickly and neatly put them back where they belong. After willing the portal to close, he looked around for something he can use to disguise himself.

Another box behind the same gloves from earlier revealed a pack of face masks. Thiago immediately grabbed one and put it on. Then from the corner of his eye, he spotted a white lab coat slightly fraying at the seams laying on top of a mop bucket.

"Perfect..." he mutters and begins putting it on, engulfed in the smell of dirty water. Before he leaves the closet, he finds a disinfectant spray and douses himself in ocean spray. After grabbing a couple of glove boxes to look busy, Thiago carefully opens the door to the closet and peeks outside, the humming of the hospital returns to his ears. He only had a couple minutes before people would notice he was taking too long in the bathroom. Leah and Kai could only claim diarrhea for so long before it would be suspicious.

Without hesitation, he picks a direction in the hallway and begins to walk with purpose, avoiding eye contact as best as possible. Thankfully, his Time Bureau academy uniform and messy locks  made him look less like a teenager and more like a busy resident who's in a need of a coffee. He blended right in.

"Shit, I don't even know what they look like," he whispered to himself. His eyes quickly scanned the efiles attached to every door, looking for the name Reyes. But it was hard to do so without standing right in front of each door suspiciously.

Footsteps approaching made Thiago flinch and he sidestepped to let a nurse walk pass. Then without thinking he called out. "Excuse me?"

The nurse turned around swiftly, eyes searching for the voice that called her. Thiago raised the hand with the glove boxes. With confidence, T.

"I'm shadowing today and I'm supposed to be bringing extra gloves to the Reyes room? The doctors rolled them in a little while ago coming from MetaSolutions? They got into a pretty bad accident?"

"Extra gloves? Seriously?"

"Yeah I know, at least me put a needle in someone jeez," Thiago laughed, flipping his hair with a toss of his head. "Hey, look if you want to argue with you know who, be my guest. I swear if I have to hear them screaming at me one more time, I think I'll give up on my dreams of being a doctor. And sadly that means never having to see you walking these halls again."

The nurse visibly paused then let out a laugh.

Oh my gosh. I did it. I just successfully flirted.

"S-so can you maybe point me in the right direction?" Thiago chuckles sheepishly. 

"Alright, follow me," she smiles and starts walking in the opposite direction, Thiago following quickly behind. She lead him to a door not too far down, with its sliding door closed but translucent enough to see to beds on the other side and a load of equipment tethered to each. "Good luck." The nurse winks then walks away.

Thiago returns it awkwardly before opening the door and quickly getting inside. He places the box of gloves on an empty chair then switches the doors mode to opaque, making the inside no longer visible to the outside.

The realness of where he was standing began to kick in once Thiago turned around and faced the couple. They were unconscious, breathing masks on each, machines beeped to reflect the life they had left. Shaking, Thiago reached closer, almost knocking off the newspaper on the nightstand, hands now on the railing of Mrs. Reyes bed. He paused as realization kicked in.

It was her. The woman from his vision. He saw her just hours ago covered in debris and now here she was. He didn't think it was related, the vision never revealed another person. Why didn't it reveal another person?

The boy's heart started to race, he grabbed for his chest as his breathing quickened. The last time he had a dream about someone, she died. Now having just had another dream and two people are relying on a machine to breathe.

"I have to see..." Thiago panted, frantically looking through the computer to Mrs. Reyes'  right to find their official condition. His now sweaty fingers delayed him until he found the right page. He sucked in his breathe at the words "comatose" "unresponsive".

Quickly, Thiago exited the file and walked over to the Reyes. Even with the equipment he could see their resemblance with Bianca. These were the people who raised her, loved her, knew her way more than her coworkers did. They were they ones who helped her come back to life again. He didn't know if Bianca would be able to do that for them.

"If I can see the future, maybe I can see what happens to you guys," Thiago whispers. He looks around him one more time then places his hands on their bodies carefully. Please work.

—

Bianca's eyes fluttered open and the familiar sound of beeping machines startled her upright. She instinctively reached for her chest and arms, attempting to remove any tubes from her body. She was surprised to find nothing.

"Miss?"

Bianca looked up to find a young doctor and a nurse with their hands clasped in front of them.

The tears of despair returned . "No!"

"The accident made a lot of damage to your parents. Unfortunately because of the extent of their injuries, they are currently in a comatose state—"

"—for how long? Why can't they bring them back like with me?" Bianca wailed.

"There condition is different from yours. There are in a state in which using what brought you back would bring more harm than good. I'm afraid it's not possible."

"Well then when are they going to wake up?"

"It is still to soon to tell, miss. There is a chance they could be awoken, we will have to continue monitoring, but it is most likely a while from now. Like I said, it's still too soon."

"It's too soon?" Bianca laughed in disbelief. "You guys raised me up from the dead and some how two comatose patients can't be woken up? Does that make sense?"

The doctor flinched and gestured outside, "I'm very sorry—"

"Are they going to die?" Bianca asks, clenching her fists, preparing herself for his next words. She was going to be alone, she knew it.

"I-If we were to take them off the machines, they will not survive. For now that have to remain this way in order to keep them alive as long as possible and find a solution, unless somehow they can wake up before then."

Bianca pretends as though she understands, as though it's enough to satisfy her confusion and questions before demanding to be taken to her parents.

–

Bianca scrambled to stop the tears rolling down her face, trying to get her vision to clear so she could see her parents as clearly as she did when she walked into the room a minute ago. Even if it was a difficult image to bear, their scratched up faces and bodies, half of their face breathing through a mask, Bianca needed to see them. Her hands wet with tears reached for their bodies. She needed to touch them.

"I'm so sorry," she cries, gripping an arm from each. "I-I should have been happier."

She remembers the moments of this morning when her anxiety put her in their embrace despite rejecting their comfort at first. If only she could go back to feel their arms around her again, the cologne of her father's, the caressing of her mother. If she wasn't depressed she would have spent more time making them smile. She could have forced herself to laugh when her dad bumped his toe into the fridge, or when her mom told a joke that definitely wasn't funny.

They have stuck through every painful moment of her recovery and it looked like they weren't going to even get a chance to recover the way she did.

Bianca's heart began beating more rapidly and she quickly reached for her chest. A complication from her own surgery?—a thought she always had whenever her body did something out of the ordinary.

I need to calm down, she tells herself, trying to soothe her shuddering breaths.

At that moment, a knock from the sliding doors of the room startled her. Before turning around, she quickly wiped her tears with her sleeve. Once she faced the three people she least expected to appear, she gestured for them to come in with a half-hearted wave.

They were stricken to see Bianca in such a state of despair. Her eyes were puffy, lined with red. Her cheeks were glistening with tears still. Her lip quivered and almost bled when she bit it to stop. She avoided their looks and stayed in her spot between her parents beds, hunched over in her chair.

Leah looks at her friends, unsure of what to do as they approached.

Bianca caught a glance of Leah's hands on the railing of her mother's bed. Her eyes stayed on her hands, imagining them getting cooler and cooler if they were to touch her mother. With little strength, Bianca looks up further to see Thiago besides Leah with a solemn look, his hands also on the railing. Bianca looks at his wrists where her hairband and his power bracelets met. What would happen if he were to get to close to her mother? Accidentally blast her to oblivion like he did the Weather Witch?

She swallows hard.

"B, do you need anything?" Leah asks softly.

Bianca's eyes dart up to her pulling her back to reality. Leah wasn't like that and neither was Thiago.

"We're here for you, B," Kai adds, coming in from behind Bianca, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

She does her best not resist it, uncomfortable with him knowing exactly how she felt.

Leah and Thiago looked cautiously at Kai who closed his eyes as he took in what Bianca was feeling. Kai shuts his eyes tighter as he imagined things that made him happy, things that made him smile, hoping it would go unnoticed by his friends.

Leah's brows furrowed when Bianca seemed to calm much faster.

"I..." Bianca starts, feeling slight relief enough to talk. "I don't think there's anything you guys can do." Her eyes scan over every inch of her parents' bodies again. Her eyes stop when she realizes her mother's wedding ring wasn't on her finger as usual. "M-my mom's ring."

Thiago swallows.

Kai lets go of Bianca to lean over her mother's body.

"What's wrong?" He asks.

"It's missing..." she whispers, all her fears rushing back into her. She looks over to her dad to find his missing too. "My dad's too..."

"I can ask the nurses and see if it fell at the scene," Leah offered, immediately slipping past Thiago to the doors. Bianca barely hears her but doesn't question when the girl leaves the room and searches for a nurse.

Kai offers the same, "I'll go help. We'll be right back, B." He jumps at the chance to leave for a moment, maybe call Lilith to help him manage his emotions or rather Bianca's. It was so potent, touching her to make her feel better was harder than it ever was. He looks at Thiago and mouths, "Stay here."

Thiago doesn't need to be told twice. But now he had another reason to feel guilt. The reasons were practically burning two holes in the pocket of his pants. His powers didn't work earlier when he touched Mr. and Mrs. Reyes but maybe if he had something that belonged to them, like he did with Bianca, he could see their future when his powers were working better. He didn't realize she would notice and now he's caused her to panic even more. He needed to fix this.

Bianca barely noticed Thiago walk up to her, scooting the nurse's stool so it would be right next to her own seat between her parents. Nervous, she held on to her elbows in a self-soothing hug. All she could think about was his powers. Powers. Metas. That's what caused this in the first place.

"I'm so sorry this happened, B," Thiago's voice shakes.

Maybe I should tell her?

She's still silent.

"A-and I'm sorry I teased you about smiling today. I didn't mean for those guys to be assholes. I just wanted you to feel better."

Bianca scoffs quietly to herself. "Thiago, I don't think I'm ever going to feel better." She shut her eyes again as the tears returned. She cursed herself for her demonstration of vulnerability, of weakness.

Thiago has no words. He couldn't promise that it wasn't true. So instead, his hand reaches for hers that were limply laying on her lap but the sliding doors behind them opened abruptly. A nurse stuck her head inside.

"Sorry, hon, visiting hours are over, family only," she said, directing her gaze to Thiago. He nods and slowly gets up, rolling the stool gently across the room with his foot. Before he leaves Bianca's side, he places his hand on her shoulder. It's stuck in its place as his pounding headache suddenly returns. Images flashed into his mind again. He sees Bianca, this time smiling at nothing in particular. Then another of the same thing but a different moment. 

One last image brings Thiago back to the present. He removes his hand and clears his throat. "We'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

Bianca doesn't respond.

Thiago is led out the door and back to the lobby by the nurse where he finds his friends waiting for him. Leah approaches him first.

"We couldn't even ask anyone about the rings," Leah scoffs. "They kicked us out because of visiting hours."

"Our parents are waiting outside too," Kai adds.

Thiago sucks his teeth, "Damn."

Kai steps closer. "What's wrong?"

"I have something to tell you guys," Thiago confesses, huddling up with the two. "I took the rings."

"What?!" Leah's eyes widened. "What the hell?"

"Dude," Kai says with disappointment.

"It's important. I'll call you guys when I get home," Thiago simply says. "It's late. We gotta go."

Leah and Kai shared a confused look as Thiago went ahead, leaving out the emergency room doors.

--