Golden Legend

By Michael Weyer

I know, I know, another story when so many unfinished. But this just hit me, seems so obvious and yet amazed not done yet. May seem obvious but promise a few turns as it comes so hope you enjoy.

Pilot Part I

Lisa Snart drummed her fingers on the steering wheel as she glanced at the clock on the headrest of the car. She glanced at the rearview mirror, seeing the black hair around her attractive face, clad in jeans, dark shirt and a leather jacket. Sure, she was tempted to go "uniform" as well but right now preferred being just like this. The pair of golden-tinted shades resting at her forehead did link to her persona as much as she liked and was a lot easier to get around with.

At the sound of the alarms, she rolled her eyes as she slipped the glasses on. "Just once, actually be in and out quick," she muttered as she started the car up. She glanced up to see the two men exiting the building, each holding bags packed with stolen jewels. Her brother, Leonard, dressed in his usual parka and blue shades led with Mick Rory behind in his tan outfit with his own goggles. Lisa saw a pair of guards racing up but each man raised his weapon up. A blast of ice and one of heat ripped out to knock the guards back.

Len looked over the black sedan and rolled his eyes. "What happened to the mini-van?'

"It was boring," Lisa stated as they got in.

"It was a cover!'

"A boring cover!"

"The point of a cover is to be boring!"

Lisa threw the car in drive and roared out of the office parking lot and into the street. "Come on, this baby moves!" She let out a loud whoop as she took a corner hard. Mick grunted in the back seat as he shook his head. "You call me crazy and you let her drive?"

"Not now, Mick," Len snapped. He heard a familiar wail and glanced behind him to see police cars approaching. "Company."

"Relax, big bro, I got this." Lisa was about to send the car spinning when she saw a figure in the road ahead of them. "The hell…"

"Watch it!" Mick yelled. Lisa pressed down on the pedal, intending to run this idiot down. She had a brief look at what looked like a guy with a beard and a long coat, holding something up in his hands. Then a massive flash of light and nothing.

Lisa groaned as she slowly opened her eyes and looked up. "Ouch," she grumbled. "Usually, I have a hangover, I can at least remember getting drunk." She sat up, wincing at the pain in her head as she glanced around, seeing herself on a rooftop. She looked around and became aware she wasn't alone. Besides Mick and Len, there were six other people also waking up. Right next to her was a guy in a suit of armor, peeling off his helmet to show a handsome face with dark hair. Leonard was wincing as he looked at the white-haired man next to him. "Stein? What the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm as ignorant as you are," the man answered as he sat up. "For once…"

"What happened?" groaned a blonde-haired young woman in a rumpled coat as she sat up.

"Why don't you ask the dude who kidnapped us?" snapped a black man who barely looked out of high school. He was sitting up next to a pair clad in matching dark leather outfits and large masks. "British dude, flashy thing, ring any bells?"

"Name's Rip Hunter." Everyone looked up at the man stepping forward, looking quite calm. Up close, Lisa could see he had a leather suit under a long overcoat and carried himself with a strong demeanor. "I'm from East London. Oh…and the future."

"Hi, Rip," Mick grunted as he put a hand to his gun only to find it not coming out.

"Oh, I took the liberty of tampering with your weapons while you were incapacitated," Rip intoned.

Lisa glared at him. "Usually, I at least appreciate a guy buying me a drink before fondling my stuff."

Leonard glared at her. "Please don't say that again." She just smiled at him.

"The world is in danger," Rip went on as if she hadn't spoken. "I've assembled you all here because I need your help. The future of the world is in peril due to a man named Vandal Savage."

The two leather-clad people looked at each other in confusion. "That can't be," the man said in a gruff voice. "We destroyed him."

The woman nodded. "Yeah, the Green Arrow and the Flash helped us do it."

"And therein lay the problem," Rip said as he paced before them. "Unless you or Mr. Hall deliver the death blow, Vandal can recreate himself from a single cell."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Mick demanded.

"Vandal is immortal. Kendra and I reincarnate," Hall said as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Sounds familiar," the blonde-haired woman shrugged.

"And what does this Randall guy got to do with us?" Mick snapped.

"Vandal," Rip quickly corrected. "Born in Ancient Egypt, granted immortality by a meteor strike. He has spent four thousand years shaping the course of human history, working behind the scenes. And also hunting them." He nodded to the two leather-clad people. "Carter Hall and Kendra Saunders, the current incarnations of a prince and priestess Vandal killed in Egypt who reincarnate into winged avatars. By killing them in each incarnation, Savage extends his own lifespan."

"Did I wander into a bad sci-fi show?" Lisa openly asked.

Rip continued. "In the future of 2166, Vandal will employ the evil and power he has amassed through his life to conquer the entire world. The Council of Timemasters has tasked me with assembling an elite team to stop him."

"And…this is it?" Stein asked, waving a hand around.

"Ah, yes, introductions." Rip nodded to the blonde. "Sara Lance, formerly a member of the League of Assassins, formerly the Black Canary and, oh yes, formerly dead." The blonde just gave a shrug at the looks as Lance motioned to Stein and the black youth. "Professor Martin Stein and Jefferson Jackson, who form the merged hero Firestorm." He pointed to the handsome man in armor. "Ray Palmer, former CEO of PalmerTech and the hero known as the Atom. Finally, we have Leonard and Lisa Snart and their associate Mick Rory."

"Captain Cold, Golden Glider and Heatwave." Lisa smiled at the glares of her partners. "What? I like the nicknames."

"You said stop Savage," Ray spoke up. "How?'

"By traveling through time," Rip answered, turning as he waved his hand about. "To capture and subdue Savage before he turns into the monster he becomes."

Len snorted. "Think you wasted your time, Hunter. Hero ain't in my wheelhouse."

"Or mine," Mick added as he followed his partner, Lisa falling in with them.

"Actually, in my future, none of you are heroes," Rip called out. "You're legends."

"Legends?" Ray peaked up at that with obvious interest. "Really?"

"I hate to nit-pick but doesn't a legend need to be dead?" Stein popped up.

"Yeah, see, that's a deal breaker for me," Jax threw in. "I'm gonna have to pass.

Rip moved before him. "It's dangerous to know too much of your own futures but I can tell you I am here because each of you, as individuals, is destined for greatness." Rip had removed a device from his coat and held it up. "And because if you don't follow me, this is what the world will look like exactly 150 years from now."

He hit a button and a beam of light flowed forward, creating a massive screen across the cityscape. Where it flowed, the images of the Star City skyscrapers were replaced by a war-torn landscape, buildings in flames, corpses strewn about and machines of war battling it out. It was a world torn apart and in its death throes, a sight even Lisa was rocked by. Given their reactions, the others felt the same, including Len and Mick.

After letting the hologram play for a moment, Rip turned it out. "Of all the people across time, I chose you nine. I certainly hope you won't let me or the world down." He placed a set of cards onto the ground. "If you agree, meet me at this address in 36 hours." With a final nod, he walked off, leaving the group just staring at one another.

"Crap, I need a beer," Lisa remarked.

The run-down warehouse wasn't exactly the opulent place Lisa preferred but it served as a makeshift hideout for the trio as long as they were operating in Star City. Lisa sat in a chair, sipping a beer as Len lounged on a sofa reading a comic book, his boots propped over the edge. Mick was welding some new materials for his gun, calling out over the roar of the heat. "I can't believe you're thinking of hooking up with the Englishman! We're thieves, crooks, criminals." He turned the torch off. "Not heroes."

"I gotta go with Mick here," Lisa stated, her boots on a table. "Plus, the guy is playing us."

"You think so?" Len absently asked.

Lisa snorted. "You guys are the master thieves but I'm the con artist. I know when a guy is using a line and that 'legends' thing was it." She spread out her hands. "You're gonna stop WWII, are you recruiting a young Eisenhower, JFK or Patton whose death would screw up history? No, you recruit a bunch of no-names who are expendable." Both men were looking at her as she started ticking off her fingers. "A resurrected assassin, a millionaire who's got more tech than sense, two guys who form one hero, a pair of reincarnated winged warriors and a trio of crooks? We're legends? I don't think so."

Mick had gotten a beer out of the fridge, sipping it as he nodded. "All the more reason to stay out of this. Let them get killed. I have no interest in saving the world, especially a hundred years after I'm dead."

"He said across time, guys," Len remarked. "What about before? Before fingerprinting and surveillance cameras and DNA analysis? Why did we become criminals in the first place?"

"Because we hate working and we love money." Mick was as bluntly honest as always.

"And it's damn fun," Lisa grinned.

Leonard was on his feet, his eyes gleaming. "Think about it. We can grab the Mona Lisa right off Da Vinci's canvas, snatch the Hope Diamond before it's ever discovered…"

Lisa' own eyes lit up as she sat up straight. "Get at the Crown Jewels before they're locked up, hit California before the Gold Rush…"

Len nodded as he pointed at Mick. "This is everything we ever got into thieving for. More than everything."

Mick looked at him as he backed up, then to Lisa. "You want me in, I'm in. But I'm not going to be anyone's hero."

Len smirked. "I'm pretty sure that goes for all of us."

Lisa let out a whoop. "Road trip, boys!" She rose up, grabbing her gun.

"Where are you going?" her brother asked.

"I'm travelling through time, I'm at least getting a new outfit," she replied as she left.

Now clad in a new pair of leather pants, a lighter jacket and blouse, Lisa was all smiles as she, Leonard and Mick showed up at what turned out to be an abandoned lot. The rest of the group was assembled, Sara wearing a pair of jeans and a black shirt and the Hawks (as Lisa had come to call them) looking unsure of being there. "I think we're being punked," Ray was saying. "Do people still say 'punked?'"

"No," Lisa told him. She heard a car pulling up and glanced over to see Stein arriving in a white convertible with an unconscious Jax slumped in the passenger seat. "Did you…drug him?"

Stein was straight-faced as he got out of the car. "He may have…drank something that didn't agree with him."

"Damn," Lisa said with admiration. "Never expected you to be the sneaky type."

"Glad you all made it," Rip stated as he came up to them. "I suppose we can be on our way."

"I aint' footing it anywhere," Leonard said as he crossed his arms.

Rip smiled. "A Time Master's sacred charge is to do no harm to the timeline. Can you imagine the sight of a Time Ship in Victorian London?" He removed a device and clicked it. A shimmer of light flowed about before the shape of a large craft came into focus. It appeared the size of an airplane but a sleek design, flowing forward. "Damn," Lisa muttered.

"Holographic indigenous camouflage protection," Stein chuckled. "Amazing."

"Indeed," Rip said, waving to the ship. "Shall we?" He began to lead the way, the group falling in except for Mick, who helped Stein get the unconscious Jax out of the car. They were walking the hallways and Lisa had to admit to being impressed by the ship's layout, the hallways nice and crisp as they made their way to a large area. Windows showcased the lot before them with a center dais with several chairs set up. The middle showcased a large table while one side had a smaller room that looked like a 19th century office covered with bookshelves and various bizarre decorations.

"How does a vessel this size operate without a crew?" Stein asked, looking like a kid in the candy store.

"I don't need one," Rip said. "I have Gideon." At that, a holographic face appeared in the table, resembling a woman in clean blue lines. "Greetings," it said in a mechanical female tone.

"An A.I.?" Ray grinned. "Damn, this is awesome."

"I am Gideon, an interactive artificial consciousness programmed to maintain this vessel's capabilities and aid Captain Hunter in our mission."

"Captain?" Leonard snorted. "In what navy?"

Lisa smirked. "Ah, Len, you know you're Captain Cold?"

"That was that punk Cisco's idea. I still owe him."

"Oh for…it was one kiss!" Lisa paused. "Okay, two."

"Gideon has been helping me work on discovering Vandal's location," Rip stated as Mick tossed the limp Jax into a chair. "There are two periods where I know he is for sure: 2166, the absolute height of his power…and 1700 B.C., where he resided in Ancient Egypt."

"Quick question," Lisa said as she plopped into one of the chairs. "Why don't you just kill him back then? You know, before he becomes immortal?"

"Believe me, the temptation is there," Rip stated. "Sadly, over the course of 4000 years, Savage has been working behind the scenes to push mankind along. He has been the voice in the ear of countless leaders, generals, tyrants and more. He has been at the heart of criminal enterprises that shifted the landscape dramatically. He has, in his own way, shaped the path of history. To remove him before all that will cause massive repercussions to the timeline. Which is why striking in more modern times is the best option, where the damage will be minimal."

"So where are we going?" Ray asked.

"St. Roch," Rip answered. "October 17th, 1975. We are checking on Professor Aldus Boardman, the world's leading…well, only…expert on Savage's history." Rip made his way to the chair before the windows. "I suggest you all strap yourselves in. Temporal distortion is not something you want to be standing up for."

The group glanced at each other before sitting about the chairs taking on the harnesses that reminded Lisa of a roller coaster car. Rip began working controls as the ship lifted upward into the air and took off into the skies. He adjusted some controls as he spoke. "The human body is used to experiencing time linearly. Thus, some of you may have…side effects, some discomfort and a remote possibility of bleeding from the eyeballs."

"What?" Kendra barked.

"What's going on…?" Jax groaned as he slowly woke up.

"Oh, Jackson, I'm so glad you're not missing this," Stein said.

"Missing what?" Jax looked around. "Get me off this thing!"

"I wouldn't advise that!" Rip called back. He put a hand to a lever. "Just hang on and remain calm. All your worlds are about to change." He yanked the lever and before him, the window view moved from blue skies and clouds to what looked like a massive green tunnel. Lisa let out a loud shriek as she felt her stomach drop, rise and do flip-flops, lightning flashing amid the green tunnel as the ship shook under them.

Before she realized it, the shaking stopped as the ship flew out of the tunnel and into skies again. Lisa let out a loud gasp of air before grinning. "Holy damn, what a rush!"

She saw her brother just staring at her in disbelief. "What? You didn't agree?"

The harnesses lifted up as Mick moved to puke onto the floor. "Ah, I should have mentioned," Rip said as he turned his chair to face them. "Nausea is one of the side-effects as is…" Ray stood up, took a step and fell onto his face. "Vertigo."

Stein was removing his glasses and staring. "I can't see."

"And temporary blindness," Rip added. "Don't worry, it will only last a minute."

Jax was glaring at Stein. "I can't believe you kidnapped me!"

Rip was moving to the hatchway. "Now then. Mr. Hall, Ms. Saunders, Palmer and Stein can accompany me to meet the professor. The rest of you can stay here."

"You're benching us already?" Snart complained.

"This particular mission doesn't exactly require your particular skill set."

"Meaning you don't want anyone conned, killed, maimed or robbed," Mick intoned.

"Precisely."

Ray seemed unsure. "Are you sure it's a good idea to leave these guys alone on a time machine?"

"Hey, haircut," Mick snapped. "Deafness wasn't one of the side effects."

"Not to worry," Rip said, giving the group a steady gaze. "Gideon will only operate on my instructions. You four can waste months just trying to find out how to turn the lights on the right way." He motioned to the rest.

"I'm staying too," Jax said.

Stein frowned. "You'd rather stay with them?"

"They didn't drug and kidnap me!"

"Fair point."

Lisa grunted as the group left. "Now I remember why I never ran with the popular clique in high school."

"I thought it was more to do with you setting the head cheerleader's hair on fire," Leonard stated.

"That too."

Lisa drummed her fingers as she stared at the TV screen at the lame sitcom playing. "God, TV actually sucked more before cable came along." She felt as bored as her brother and partner looked and Sara wasn't much better. The four sat with Jax in the main bridge, checking out whatever entertainment could be offered. "I can't believe I just traveled through time and nothing to do."

"I'm with you there," Sara noted. She stood up, shaking her head. "Am I the only one bored to death in here? I need a drink and I say we get weird in the '70s."

Lisa grinned. "Oh, honey, I think you and I are gonna be friends after all."

"I've got the perfect outfit," Sara noted.

"Captain Hunter was quite clear on all of you remaining here," Gideon intoned.

"Can it, metal mouth," Mick snarled.

"Mick, buddy, it's a computer, you can't punch her," Lisa said as they began to walk off. Jax was moving to join them but Leonard held up a hand. "Sorry, kid, you're not old enough to run with this crew just yet."

Jax looked put out as the trio exited.

It didn't take long to find an empty car to hotwire and a local bar, not far from the college but catering to an adult crowd as well. "Dollar beers," Lisa grinned. "Oh, I want to stay here." She set the drinks down at the table with Sara now wearing a white leather costume that fit her quite well. "Nice outfit. Where'd you get it?"

"My sister gave it to me," Sara answered. "Designed by a friend called Cisco."

"Oh, really?" Lisa brightened. "We know him! He designed our guns." She hefted hers up. "Course, we had to threaten his brother to do it but it's the thought that counts."

Sara stared at her. "You're a little…off, aren't you? And that's coming from me."

Leonard was glancing through a newspaper. "Huh…stay a few more days, we can catch Game Six of the World Series." He smirked. "Put a nice bet on Fisk's homer…"

Lisa looked to the somber Sara. "So…you were dead?"

"Are you always this blunt?"

"No. But I'm so used to conning folks, giving honest conversation a try for a change." Lisa sipped her beer. "You're back alive now. Must be nice."

"I've had…issues," Sara intoned, clearly not wanting to talk about it. "My sister suggested this can be a good way to get myself back on track."

"Sounds cool," Lisa noted. "Me, I just want a chance at some excitement and someone has to keep big brother from getting busted. Again."

"I can handle myself."

"Who had to break you two out after the run-in with the Flash?"

"I've broken prisons before."

"Oh, jeez, here we go again…"

Sara stood up as "Love Will Keep Us Together" started playing on the jukebox. She sauntered to the middle of the floor and started to dance, getting obvious attention with her outfit and moves. Lisa saw Leonard looking at her with admiration and rolled her eyes. "First rule, Len. Don't get close to anyone on your crew. You taught me that."

"I can admire."

They watched as a large man in a biker jacket came up to Sara. "Hey, girl. Care to dance?"

"I'm good." She saw him coming closer and held up a hand. "Sorry, not my type." She looked to the woman at the table the biker had come from. "Now her…she's more my speed."

Even Mick raised an eyebrow at that. The biker snarled as he grabbed Sara's wrist. "You didn't hear me, bitch!" With a fantastic speed, Sara grabbed the arm and yanked it back with a loud crack. Leonard and Mick were rising up but she held up a hand. "I got this." She grabbed the guy to slam him head-first into a table and then kick his legs out from under him, finishing with a punch to the jaw.

"Okay, this is my new BFF," Lisa declared.

Sara rose up to see a group of bikers rising up, their faces tight with anger, obviously the man's friends. "Okay," she called to the group. "Now you can jump in."

Leonard threw the glasses down on the floor as he, Mick and Lisa moved in. Lisa snap-kicked a guy in the gut and then threw a punch at another. Leonard and Mick were moving in, Mick using his brawn while Leonard was quicker with his punches. Lisa tossed one biker at Sara who flipped him onto a table as Mick tossed one guy over the bar counter. "I love the '70s!"

"Now, that got you in the spirit!" Lisa was laughing as the quartet made their way back to the Waverider. "Just a bit of random violence to get you in the mood." She threw an arm around Sara's shoulder. "Just imagine the bars we can hop in the Renaissance!"

"I just...had to blow off steam," Sara said, looking a bit embarrassed.

"Nothing wrong with that," Lisa intoned. "Now have to get you laid. Not with me, though. No offense, all about the guys."

"None taken," Sara dryly stated. She was about to speak more when the sound of an explosion echoed before them. In the driver's seat, Leonard pressed on the accelerator to push the car onward, coming to the field the ship was waiting. There, an armored figure in a large helmet was hefting giant gun, firing off laser blasts at Firestorm, the Atom and the Hawks. "Well, that's new," Lisa intoned.

Leonard hit the pedal down to smash the car right into the figure, sending him flying back. "We go out for one lousy drink and you guys pick a fight with Boba Fett?" he yelled as he yanked his goggles down and stepped out. He lifted his gun to let out a blast of icy energy at the figure rising to his feet. Mick stepped in with his own flamethrower spewing out at the armored man. He seemed to stand up to both as he hefted his cannon to fire a blast of laser the group barely ducked.

Lisa rolled about, rising up to slide her glasses on. She lifted her own gun and pulled the trigger, spraying a thick molten bit of gold at the figure's feet. It seemed to grunt as he tried to free himself from it, allowing Firestorm to fly forward, throwing a blast of energy to knock him backward. Ray flew in with his suit to let out some blasts that drove him away as Rip was seen dragging an elderly black man, his beard white and nursing a wound to the ship.

"Mick, Lisa!" Snart yelled. "Molten!"

Nodding, the two aimed their guns and fired together. The gold of Lisa's gun met the heat of Mick's blast, causing it to spray out in shards of hot liquid. They struck the armored figure who gasped out in actual pain and stumbled back. "Everyone on board!" Rip was yelling from the ship as the group soon backed up to join him. "Gideon, prepare the med bay and then get us out of here!'

"Course heading?"

"Anywhere but here!"

Lisa had to start as the flaming figure landed and then separated into Stein and Jax. "Damn, Leonard really wasn't making that up…" She fell in behind the Hawks. "So, what'd we miss?"

"He's our son," Carter flatly said. "From one of our past incarnations, before we were killed by Savage."

Mick was shaking his head. "Sons older than their parents. I miss just knocking off a bank."

It took a bit to get the professor settled into the med bay and the group soon assembled to the bridge as Rip paced angrily. "Do you have any idea what you've done?"

"I wasn't thinking," Kendra said. "Except to keep him safe. I didn't expect this."

"Oh, something you didn't know about time travel? Well, that's no surprise given how none of you have ever time traveled before!" Rip grunted as he looked at a smoking panel on the wall. "Bringing a family member on board?" He waved at Sara and the Snarts. "Carousing around the 1970s? We've barely begun and this is the worst, most unmitigated disaster of my career…" He was cut off as Kendra belted him in the face, then grabbed Rip by the coat and smashed him against the wall.

"My son is hurt because of you," she snarled. "Because something you were holding back. Who was that?"

"I see why you got the hots for her," Mick noted to Carter.

Rip sighed. "Something of a long story."

"Better tell it fast, Rip," Leonard spoke up. "The lady doesn't look like she's in a patient mood."

"And neither am I," Carter added as he stepped forward, glaring as hard at Rip.

Rip looked at them both and sighed. "His name is Chronos. He's a temporal bounty hunter working for the Council of Time Masters. My…former employers."

"Former?" Lisa spoke up as Kendra let Rip go. "Sorry, didn't you make being a Time Master part of your entire damn sales pitch?"

"As I have expressed," Rip said in a calm voice. "Time is not a linear thing. At some point, I was, in fact, a Time Master so I wasn't-" He was cut off by Sara punching him in the jaw. "Will you people stop hitting me?!"

"Start talking!" she snapped. "The truth!"

Rip looked at them all and let out a long sigh of resignation. "I relinquished my position with the Time Masters when I commandeered the Waverider. This was after they refused my request to stop Savage."

Stein summed up the shock from everyone. "You lied to us!"

"Of course I lied to you," Rip said as if it had been obvious all along. "I needed your help. You all barely said yes as it was."

"What about the legends thing?" Jax pressed.

As Rip looked down, Lisa snorted. "I knew it. I called it, you made that up, you son of a bitch."

Rip slowly nodded. "I chose you all because a hundred years from now, your lives have minimal effect on the recorded timeline." He let it sink in before continuing. "I needed your help without disturbing the overall history of 2166."

"Cannon fodder," Lisa mused, the only one not as stunned at this revelation. "You picked us because we're a bunch of no-name expendables."

Rip at least had the grace to look apologetic as he nodded again. Lisa looked about and saw Ray especially taking this rather hard. She had to admit to being a bit bothered too. She may have suspected this but having it confirm her entire life meant nothing in the grand scheme of things was a bit jarring.

"Give me one good reason why we shouldn't kill you," Mick growled with a tiny smile.

"Ditto the arsonist," Stein chimed in.

Rip shrugged. "For a start, Gideon won't listen to any of you and you'll be stuck in limbo forever."

"Great," Ray flatly stated. "We're not an elite team of heroes on a sanctioned mission to rid the future of its most horrible bad guy. We're a bunch of nobodies time really doesn't give a damn about being led by a renegade."

"I didn't lie about Savage," Rip insisted. "Not his brutality or the danger he presents to the world."

"No, just about, you know, everything else," Lisa remarked as she sat onto a chair. "What happened, you just got bored one day, figured 'hey, stealing a time machine and going against an immortal dictator' was just the thing to break the mid-life crisis?"

Rip turned away, his bearing suddenly somber. "The Time Masters…discourage marriage. They urge against procreation more. He should be free of anything that might tie him down and distract him. But…I broke that rule. I fell in love. We had a son, Jonas."

The tone of his voice made it clear what happened but Ray still had to say it. "Savage killed your family."

"He slaughtered them," Rip corrected. "And thousands…millions…of others. I found them in the wreckage of London, still warm and realized something had to be done. I don't give a damn what history may say, letting a monster like Savage rule the world is not what should be. And the body I swore my lifelong oath to decided to turn a blind eye." He looked back up, his face strong. "I won't. I swore on the bodies of my wife and son I would avenge them. The last thing they saw was Savage's face and I will make sure the last thing he sees is mine."

Silence reigned as the anger faded to everyone taking in his speech. Rip brushed at his face. "I understand, given the circumstances…if you wish to return home. We can make the jump once repairs are done. And if Professor Boardman stabilizes." He seemed ready to speak more but then closed his mouth before turning on his heel to walk off, leaving a very quiet group behind. He was halfway there when Lisa moved in and punched him in the face. "What was that for?!" he gasped.

She shrugged. "Didn't want to be left out."

The hanger bay made for a good makeshift lab and workshop. Ray was sitting nearby, working on his armor. Mick was fiddling with his weapon as Lisa twirled hers in one hand. Leonard was between them as Sara leaned on a wall, staring off.

Lisa glanced at Ray's armor. "That stuff really work?"

"Has so far," he noted. "I thought I'd be using it for some great heroic stuff." He shrugged. "Foolish me."

"Take it you're not staying then?"

"Why?" Ray asked. "What's the point? Rip has seen the future. He knows exactly what is in store for each of us." He adjusted a servo. "Might as well have stayed dead because the world doesn't need any of us." He nodded to Sara. "You're a formerly dead assassin." He looked to the others. "You're just a trio of low-rate crooks."

"I can live with that," Mick grunted.

"Well, I can't," Ray returned. "I can't live with somebody putting a cap on my destiny. I spent my life working for something greater by being something smaller. Now this guy comes along and tells me being the Atom means nothing. As insignificant as a real atom."

"Oh, God, will you stop already?!" Lisa stood up. Ray was startled as she put her hands on her hips to glare at him. "Why do you care so much? Honestly, live for the now, doesn't matter what folks think of you later. I had a dad who didn't give a damn about me, hell, he put a bomb in my head once and you don't hear me whining about it!"

"Puts my family problems in perspective," Sara muttered.

Lisa went on. "Just suck it up, accept the world doesn't revolve around you and can move right on if you're dead or not. Stop freaking out about your future, live for the moment, works for me!"

"Then you're staying?" Leonard asked.

Lisa winked. "Still a shot at pulling jobs in history, Len. I think it's worth putting up with."

"She's right," Sara said as she stepped forward. "Rip may know our history but he just said, time can change. That's what this trip is about, changing history itself. If we can do that with Savage, why can't we change our own fates?"

Lisa pointed at her. "See? She gets it. At the least, stop complaining, a guy as good-looking as you shouldn't be such a party-pooper."

Ray frowned, not sure whether or not this attractive woman was altogether sane. Lisa just smiled at her brother and partner as she kicked her feet up. "I don't know about the rest of you…but I'm ready for a wild ride."

That's the first part, the next half of the "pilot" will have Lisa's presence effecting more of things and hope all enjoy.