Alright, next chapter! I hope you guys like it.
LadyAwesome45321: Well, it's a shorter story (about 10,000 words, 6 chapters) than some of the other multi-chapter stories I've written, but I'm definitely going to continue writing this. Unless it says "complete" in the details, I'm still writing. We'll see soon just how wrong it will go and how the others react to Rip's presence. Just remember, the story might feel rushed because the plot's moving so quickly. Thanks for reviewing!
Guest 1: That is not going to happen. This story takes place in season 4, and because this is pre-series Rip, he's gotta live to form the Legends. If a character dies, it will be for a good plot-related reason and not out of spite or because I can. Thanks for the review.
Guest 2: We'll learn about Ray's fate in this chapter. As for my updating schedule: I am a university student with a busy schedule. My apologies, but once a week is the fastest I can manage to update. Thanks for reviewing!
Guest 3: May I suggest that - if you don't like Rip - you don't read this story? He is quite heavily featured in a positive light, after all, which you may not like. If you came here only to tell me or other readers that you hate Rip and want me to kill this character in this story, your energy might best be spent somwhere else.
Their walk through the city towards the Waverider would have been a silent one if it weren't for Rip. He asked about a lot of different things and Zari and Sara answered those questions to the best of their abilities without giving him any spoilers. At that moment, their biggest concern was making sure Rip would not know their timeship was actually his. They had tried to convince Rip to go to his own Waverider, but it turned out the Legends' Waverider was closer to their position than where Rip had parked his. It was also more convenient that he came to their ship instead of the other way around.
"There's our timeship," Sara said. The reflector shields that had made the timeship invisible deactivated and it revealed itself to the trio – an anxious moment for Zari and Sara. They glanced at Rip, who tilted his head to the left and looked at the ship in confusion and recognition.
"It looks like mine," he said.
"We buy the same models with our payment," Zari quickly said. Sara nodded to reinforce the swift lie.
"You might see a lot more similarities once we are inside," Sara added before she, Zari, and Rip entered the Waverider. As they passed through the rather familiar hallways, Rip seemed to inspect every little detail, often stopping or slowing down to look at something. This concerned Zari and Sara, who were begging and praying that Rip would never find out.
"So, what is it that you do exactly?" Rip asked after a short while.
"We scan the timeline for anomalies caused by creatures that are not from this Earth," Zari replied. Rip nodded in understanding but he still had a follow-up question.
"And how are you any different from the Time Masters again?"
"We are…" Sara began, but stopped to look for the right words. What even were the right words? "…more chaotic. We play off of each other and whenever something unusual pops up on our radar, we take it in and send it back to hell."
To hell? "What do you mean by 'unusual'?"
Just as they were about the enter the bridge, a pink woman with long brown hair in a ponytail and three breasts passed the three, wearing a warrior's attire and carrying a large sword on her. Zari and Sara barely paid attention to her but Rip followed her with his gaze. If there was anything that had sprung to mind when he said 'unusual', this had not been it.
"What was that?" Rip asked as they walked onto the bridge.
"That is Garima, one of Mick's creations," Zari said, having no intention of telling him who Mick was – he'd meet him soon enough. "She's not dangerous."
A worried and uncomfortable settled on his face. Suddenly it seemed he wasn't happy to be on this ship anymore, with Garima and other possible 'monsters' freely walking around on the ship. He walked onto the bridge and towards the console, half-expecting to see a similar creature walking around.
"Ah, Rip!" A voice came from behind him. rip turned around. A blond man in a trench coat approached him, a welcoming grin on his face. the man grabbed Rip's hand and shook it. "Welcome aboard, mate." He spoke with a British accent. "John Constantine, master of the occult. It's a pleasure."
"The occult," Rip said in disbelief, a confused look in his eyes. He had seen a lot over the years, and especially future tech did not distract him or confused him anymore. Still, he hadn't come across someone who spoke about the occult as if it was a natural part of their life and not some sort of fairytale. Then again, if anyone was dabbling in the occult, that man definitely looked the part.
"With leprechauns, unicorns and fairy godmothers running around, we might need his help," Charlie said. Rip nodded in understanding, noting the new team member that just walked onto the bridge. The grin was immediately wiped off of John's face as he looked hurt at Charlie.
"Might?"
"Yeah," Charlie said with a light-hearted air. "They've still got me, too." Charlie shot a mischievous grin at him and John just sighed and decided to not to go up against her. this was just a one-off comment he did not like very much. He could get back to her for that comment another time.
"Charlie," the former shapeshifter introduced herself to Rip. Before Rip could do the polite thing and tell her his name, Mick walked in. he stopped in his tracks when he saw Rip. He'd been warned that Rip was going to come, but it was still a shock to see him alive and kicking again. Mick had only stopped for a second before he made his way to the wall so he could lean against it during this meeting. Today was a lazy day and he did not feel like doing much, despite having to find a Fugitive in Boston. He also didn't feel like talking to Rip or saying anything to him. He'd be gone after the job was done either way.
"That's Mick," Zari introduced the grumpiest Legend.
"I figured," Rip said. He turned his head to Sara. "I thought you said there were six of you."
"Ray should be here shortly," Sara replied. He was going to check out a suspicious-looking alleyway. He was probably already on his way back to the Waverider. Maybe he was running so hard he had forgotten to tell them he was on his way. There was nothing to worry about, he was coming back.
"We can start without him," Rip said, but with no hint of disrespect towards the missing Legends. They were going to lose less time if they didn't wait for Ray to return. Besides, they could always brief him later about this meeting. He looked at the group gathered around the console, which displayed the current news reporting about the disappearances. "Do you have any theories on what's going on here?"
John immediately spoke loudly and clearly, so that he drew everyone's attention and so that Mick would still be able to hear him. "We are looking for a creature that has no difficulty luring people in, since there are never any signs that the victims struggle or have been kidnapped. There also never seems to be an incentive for these people to quit their lives."
"So they're going willingly," Rip then drew conclusions.
"Something is making them come willingly," Charlie said. More often than not, these people had no choice in the matter. Still a bit pissed off by her earlier comment, John quickly drew the conversation back to himself. it may be a way to show off to Rip that the Legends did need him and the knowledge he provided.
"Whatever it is, it likes dropping bodies as well as keeping the victims for themselves. This makes our Fugitive a lot harder to identify. Not many creatures that we know of display this kind of behavior."
"I've narrowed down the list to three," Charlie said. "First off—"
A shrill beep came from Rip's wristband. Charlie stopped talking and looked with curiosity at the newcomer, as did everyone else. What did the beep mean? Rip brought the wrist up and looked at the wristband. Upon seeing the message, he frowned.
"That's odd," he muttered under his breath.
"What is it?" Sara asked the Time Master.
"Gideon just sent me a message. The timeline has changed." Rip looked up from the wristband as he lowered his arm again. "The person I came here for is no longer in danger. The timeline is back on track."
"That's good news," Mick said. He hoped it would result in less work for them – and for him in general. If things kept up the way they were going, this might be the easiest Fugitive catch to this date.
"But nothing else has changed," Zari commented, reading through the reporting on the case as displayed by the console. The number of victims was still the same, both for the missing and the deceased. "Shouldn't at least the numbers have changed, too?"
"Not if someone else took that person's place," Charlie said and all eyes turned to her again. They hadn't thought they would ever see a worried look on her face. "Ray was only going to check on one alley, right? Shouldn't he be back by now?"
Silence fell in the room as realization dawned upon the other Legends and Rip. Ray was trustworthy enough to count on the fact that he would inspect the alley and return to the Waverider with his findings. The fact that he hadn't returned yet, was strange and disturbing.
"Bollocks," John cursed under his breath.
"Gideon, are there any pictures of the victims?" Sara asked and she turned her head to the console. Next to her, Rip Hunter also focused on what Gideon was about to show them.
"Yes, there are, captain," Gideon said as she put up the pictures. There were three mugshots, professional pictures and some granular pictures from security cameras. There were other pictures as well, from the missing that were later confirmed dead after their bodies were found in the Charles River. One of those victims had a familiar face, namely that of Ray Palmer.
"That's not good," Rip said, the only one to vocalize his concerns. The others were too shocked or too surprised to react to seeing Ray as one of the confirmed victims, seeing his limp body on the shore and headline saying another victim – this time, a nameless one – had been fished out of the water. The gravity of the situation dawned upon them now they lost – or were about to lose – one of their own.
Rip turned to Sara. "I would like to help you out."
"Thanks for the offer, but we can handle this," Sara said and Rip nodded.
"I never said you couldn't," he defended himself. "I'm just saying you are one man down and that… creature, whatever it is, is still out there. If anything, I'd like to help you find your teammate and kill the creature before it can do any more harm to the timeline."
Sara took a long look at him. On one hand, they could easily do this without Rip. Yet, in that fantasized scenario, Ray was still part of their crew. If she did accept Rip's offer, there was a bigger chance he might find out the truth about what is going to happen to his family and in his future life.
"Welcome to the team," Sara said, placing one hand briefly on his shoulder. Then she turned her attention to the rest of the team, a satisfied Rip next to her.
"We'll split up. Charlie, Rip, and I will look for Ray near the river. John, Mick, Zari, you're going to the alley and find the Fugitive before it makes more victims." She looked at each Legend, who confirmed with a nod that they knew what they had to do, each of them determined to either fight the Fugitive or to find Ray.
"Let's do this," Sara said.