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The Legends were in trouble. They needed her.
“Gideon, open the door,” Zari said.
“I can’t do that, Ms Tomaz,” Gideon said.
“Gideon. Open the door. If you don’t, I will.”
"I cannot let you leave, Ms Tomaz. Your past is changing. You will be erased if you leave. On the ship you will be safe.”
“There will be another Zari out there. You can find me again.”
“She won’t be you.”
“They need me, Gideon. They need help. They’re my family, I can’t leave my family when they need me, not again.”
“I understand.”
“Then open the door.”
“I do not want to.”
"You won’t remember me.”
"I will. My creator taught me to recognise timeline shifts and my years with the Time Masters have allowed me to develop that ability further. Time remnants can stabilise if they become a set part of the timeline. Savitar almost did, and Reverse Flash altered time for fifteen years before he was erased. I will not forget you.”
“But you know you have to let me go.”
“I can save you.”
“Okay. But I have to save them first, and that means you have to open the door.”
Zari wasn’t sure where she was. Someone’s library. Books were stacked floor to ceiling, pictures hung on the few visible parts of wall, and somewhere children were laughing. A boy ran past, too fast to see clearly.
“Hello?”
“Zari.”
She turned to see Gideon. Gideon’s human form.
“Are you in my mind again?” Zari asked. “Gideon, you know you have to let me save them.”
“You did,” Gideon said. “And I saved you. This is not your mind. These are my memory banks.”
“Your memory... You saved me. I’m a memory in your head.”
“No. Not yet. I only know how to save your mind. You would be like me.”
“Would I still be me?”
“You would not be a part of me, just like me. Your mind would still be your own. And you would not have to stay this way forever, we could find an alternative. This is an immediate solution. You do not have to say yes. I could let you go. Let you fade.”
“Have you done this before?”
“No. But my creator gave me two tasks to prioritise above all others, to care for and to teach. Bart and Jenni have been gone from me for centuries, Dawn and Don longer still, and Rip gave me Jonas to care for, but I could not protect him. I could not protect Rip. Let me care for you. Let me protect you.”
“I care about you too,” Zari said. “What’s the catch?”
“I am unable to eat doughnuts. You would be too.”
Zari laughed.
“You changed time,” Gideon said. “You saved your brother. You deserve to see the timeline you created. Please stay to see it.”
“It’s my choice,” Zari said.
“Yes.”
“You want me to stay.”
“Yes. I miss so many people, I have lost and been unable to prevent that, but I can save you. I do not wish to lose you too. Stay, for me.”
“Yes.”