To Weave a New Pattern - Chapter Three

Warning for strong language and some R situations. Nothing is explicit. I am using Wentworth Miller's description about who Leonard Snart would be physically attracted to.


Mick set down his bottle of beer on the metal case to his right, picked up a small welding torch, and ignited it. Once he was satisfied with the flame's color, he began to brush it over the welds he was adding to a steel box.

"So what exactly are you working on?" The drawled question didn't come from anyone in the room. The screen in the corner showed Leonard draped across his couch on the Iceberg with a tablet lying on his chest and feet propped up on the couch's armrest.

"Rip asked me to make sure this box will hold up to a great deal of force. Apparently he plans to put something valuable or explosive inside. He hasn't told me which." He turned off the torch, lifted his goggles, and grabbed the bottle for another swig. He turned to face the screen. "What have you got going on?"

"Homework. As usual." Leonard was shaking his head. He was tired of it all but knew he had to learn about the Iceberg's myriad systems and fast. "Geoffrey says he will have the next job ready for me by tonight."

"Tonight? What time is it?"

Leonard leaned up so that he could see the digital clock on the bookcase. "It's still morning here. You?"

"I'm about done in. It's after midnight; I think everyone else is asleep."

"And apparently that's what makes it difficult for the ships to sync up. Hey, you going to tell me what happened?" Leonard had been staring at his partner while he welded. From the moment their signal connected, he knew there was something different about Mick. He had finally figured it out.

"What are you talkin' about?"

"Your nose. It's not broken any more."

"Oh that. Well, we were in the 1970's and ended up in a riot. Scaffolding was pushed around and a bar fell on my head. I had a huge cut too. Freaked out Haircut. He swore my skull was cracked open. Stein and Gideon fixed me up."

"They do that a lot don't they." After discovering the presence of the chip, Leonard had new nightmares added to his collection. He had told that time bastard "There are no strings on me" right before the Oculus blew. His most recent nightmare had the chip controlling everything that he did. He knew what was happening but could do nothing to stop himself as the Elders pulled the strings to make him act and react.

Mick saw one section that needed more solder. Reigniting his torch, he played the flame over the box until he was satisfied. He slugged down the rest of the beer as the joins cooled. Talking to Snart like this was both good and bad. They had some semblance of normality but every time he looked over his shoulder expecting to see his partner, all he saw was Snart on the screen instead. He didn't have the heart to ask Snart if he felt the same way. Rip had stressed how important it was to keep Snart a part of the team with their interactions. Mick knew Sara and Snart talked a lot but he had been surprised when he learned how often Stein had interacted with Snart. This was the same Stein who only had scorn for the two thieves when they first began their journey. It surprised him how how much they'd all changed. All this thinking was giving him a headache though. Mick was exhausted but he didn't want to shut off the connection.

With the perspicacity that he was known for, Leonard spoke first. "It's late for you and I have to get through this next section before taking a break. I'll talk to you sometime. Watch out for everyone will ya?" Leonard didn't tell Mick to take care of himself. It would only irritate the man. After breaking loose from the time bastards' control, Mick had become a member of the team and it seemed, actually cared about them a little. Of course, if Leonard had asked, he'd have been brushed off. He remembered that yesterday Stein had finally told him the story of how the team had defeated Savage in three different times. He'd said that Mick had labeled Snart as his friend when trying to keep Rip from killing himself to save the world. He looked over at the screen and saw that the storage room on the Waverider was now empty; Gideon closed the link leaving Leonard alone.

He lifted the tablet off his chest and started reading. He'd prove to the AI that he could learn the normal way too. Soon he was wrapped up in the diagrams and instructions as he tested himself to see if he understood the food processing equipment. He lost track of time until Geoffrey suggested that he actually find something to eat. Getting up was hard. Looking at the clock, he saw that he'd been lying there for hours. He twisted around to loosen up his back and ambled down to the galley. A quick bite and he headed back to his office. He believed that the sooner he finished learning a certain amount of material; Geoffrey would discover that the ships were in sync.

He was wrong. Having been informed of Leonard's discovery of the chip, the Elders had not changed their commands to their AI. Geoffrey was to guide his captain through a few more missions before attempting the big one. The toll it would take on Leonard meant that they needed him balanced and for that, they needed his friends. If he learned the complete truth that Geoffrey was ordered to suppress, it might very well destroy Leonard. The Elders hoped he would survive and come out of it stronger but there were no guarantees. They had lost two more agents from their corps and had no idea what had happened to them. They believed that Leonard Snart could become their best agent. If. If he continued to help guide history even when it was bad. And it was going to become very bad.

"Sir. I have your next assignment." Geoffrey waited until Leonard came up to the screen before flashing an image on it.

"Now you're just fucking with me." He couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Why the hell is this so important?"

'While the event itself is not world shaking, the people connected to it on the periphery are of vital importance to history."

Shaking his head, Leonard muttered under his breath, "This is fucking crazy. Why the hell..." He stopped since he knew the Ai would never answer him. "Fine. What do I do?"

0-0-0-0-0

Leonard settled down in the airplane's seat near the rear. He looked down at his hands; they appeared to be several shades darker. Without looking in a mirror, he knew the rest of his exposed skin was the same shade, and his eyes and hair, which now appeared to have grown out an inch, were brown. Geoffrey had given him image inducer so he did not have to go to extremes to make himself look the part. It projected an appearance over him. It wouldn't work with video or camera but it worked for the face to face. Takeoff pushed him back against his seat and he stared out the window as the plane climbed into the late November afternoon sky. It wasn't raining for the moment.

His thoughts went back to that morning when he'd ambushed his target at his house in Portland, Oregon. When The Pilgrim had kidnapped their loved ones, Rip had given them pills so they'd forget recent events. Well, Geoffrey had something that went a step further. It helped a person be more easily persuaded too. He'd given his target the injection and had calmly ordered him to forget his plans all together. The target was placidly sitting in a chair while Leonard took his coat and briefcase. Once he bought his plane ticket, Leonard boarded with the rest. This guy's plan was so simple. Of course, in Leonard's time, such a plan would never have worked.

Once Leonard was sitting on the plane, he began following Geoffrey's directions. He was supposed to be a chain smoker; fortunately, Geoffrey fabricated cigarettes that contained no tobacco or dangerous chemicals. Leonard lit up the first of many fake Raleigh cigarettes and ordered a drink from the stewardess. He thanked her when she brought it, paid for the drink, and took a sip. He called the stewardess back and handed her a note. Showtime. Except she ignored it thinking he was hitting on her.

Leonard leaned towards her and suggested that she examine what he wrote. He could tell that she was just humoring him at first. Then she read his words and looked up at him with shock.

"Miss, why don't you have a seat." Leonard indicated the seat next to him. Afraid she sat wondering what he had in mind. Resigned to this mission, he opened his briefcase to show her the proof. Her hands started to shake.

"I need you to go tell the captain my demands."

Nodding, she stood up and headed towards the cockpit. It was rather ironic, Leonard thought, he had never blinked an eye at threatening people before. If he wanted something, he would do whatever it took to get it. But that was the old Leonard. Now, he was supposed to be the good guy. Yeah, right. He'd never wear a white hat. The terror on her face showed that he was not that good of a guy right now. He still didn't understand why he needed to ensure that this event went off without a hitch. He watched her walk away, pulled out his sunglasses, and put them on. They were not typical sunglasses. From his perspective, he could see as clearly as if he wasn't wearing them inside a plane. When he touched the left temple, a heads-up display appeared showing him altitude and a countdown timer.

For the next several hours, Leonard worked hard to charm the stewardesses. History told him no one would be hurt and that his demands would be met. Along with his fellow passengers, he heard the captain announce that the plane was having a small mechanical problem and would be delayed landing in Seattle. It circled for several hours. Leonard spent his time looking out the plane's window or talking to another stewardess. He wanted to make sure she didn't panic or let the passengers know what was going on. He ordered another drink.

"That looks like Tacoma down there," he said in response to a question from Geoffrey. He switched functions with his glasses and the radar confirmed his statement. Geoffrey was cloaked and on the ground near Mt. St. Helens. The AI was ready to take off to help finish this job.

"What was that?" Tina asked.

"Nothing. Oh, I need my note back." Leonard held out his hand and tilted his head. The image inducer replicated his facial expressions so while the smirk wasn't his she still saw one. Reaching into her pocket, she took out the crumpled piece of paper and handed it back. She disappointed as she watched TV and had hoped that they could get his fingerprints off it. She knew he'd escape somehow.

Wadding the note up, Leonard placed it in his inside coat pocket. He thought through all the elements of this heist checking off each step. They were almost done.

The stewardess came back and told Leonard that his demands had been met and he said that they could now land the plane. He went to the cockpit to talk with the pilot about the route the plane would have to take once back in the air. He kept looking out at the tarmac and the tanker truck. They seemed to be taking an awfully long time. When questioned, the pilot learned that there was some problem with the hoses but Geoffrey assured him that the story about vapor lock was legitimate. Once the plane was refueled and his money and supplies were delivered, Leonard allowed all 36 passengers to leave. He kept the flight crew and one stewardess on board the plane.

Leonard found it ironic that he was committing one of the biggest heists of his career in a time before he was even born. It wasn't that the take was tremendous; it was the notoriety of the theft. He smiled but it faded. He had planned nothing for this heist and to him that was the joy. Geoffrey had literally handed him everything. He shrugged his shoulders fatalistically. Almost done. The plane took to the air again and he stood up in the aisle. Digging through the bags, he cut some cords to tie the moneybag around his waist. The plane reached a cruising altitude of 10,000 feet, which would give Geoffrey plenty of room to catch him. He hoped. He took off his tie and threw it on the seat; no need to be blinded by a piece of cheap fabric. He sent Tina to the cockpit and began working quickly as she walked away and up the aisle. Leonard dug through the bag until he found the specific bundle of cash that he needed. He put it in his outside pocket for easy access. Now it was time to see if he'd learned what he'd needed to for him to survive.

"Geoffrey. Ready to go."

"On my way."

Pulling apart the last bundle, Leonard stepped into the harness and buckled everything on. He placed a normal pair of glasses on the chair in the other row and used his special glasses to scan his body by placing them on a seat's headrest. "This look right?" He slowly turned in place.

"Everything seems to be in order, sir. I am below your position now."

Night had fallen; that was good. Leonard put his glasses back on. Heading towards the rear of the plane, he activated the controls that dropped the door. A squawk over the intercom asked if everything was all right. "It's fine. Keep going," he demanded. Now that the civilians weren't near him, he could let the bite return to his voice. He shook himself all over and stepped down the stairs and switched his glasses over to night vision.

"Here goes nothing," Leonard said as he jumped out of the plane into the dark, cloudy night. He counted to five and pulled the ripcord. A mighty jerk yanked him upwards before letting him drift down again. Rain was pouring down but he could see clearly the heat signature of the Iceberg.

"Captain Cold. If you continue your current path, we will intersect in 45 seconds. Don't forget to drop the money. And get out your knife."

"Right." Leonard was embarrassed that he had forgotten. Parachuting was a new experience for him and he was still trying to adjust to the myriad sensations. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the bundle of cash. "Banzai," he said as he tossed it away. The speed at which it plummeted sobered him up. Reaching deeper into his pocket, he pulled out the vibroknife. He looked up to see the Boeing 727 flying off into the distance. A roar told him that Geoffrey had arrived and he looked down in time to prepare for impact.

He struck hard and rolled to the side. He activated the knife and it sliced through all the parachute chords as soon as it touched them. He lay spread eagle on the hull of his ship and watched the fabric sail away without him. A small hatch popped open and he crawled towards it and went headfirst in a summersault while holding on to the inner rail. The drop to the deck wasn't too far; once on his feet, he headed towards the bridge. He grabbed a different knife from his desk to cut the cords holding the bag of money against his body. That vibroknife could do some serious damage if it even nicked him.

The next thing on his agenda was to remove the film on his fingers. Geoffrey had devised a covering for Leonard's fingertips that had false whirls and arches. Since the FBI would be involved and would search for all evidence, there was a chance that Leonard's own fingerprints could end up in a database years before they should be entered. He sighed with regret. What jobs he could have pulled with all this technology.

"So are you ever going to explain why this was so important to history?"

"The FBI was pulled in to investigate the hijacking. Many agents were pulled off other case and others shifted around to cover gaps. One of those men shifted was a friend of James McCord. It was he who recommended Alfred C. Baldwin III to him."

Still clueless, Leonard waited. When Geoffrey was silent, he prodded the AI.

"Alfred C. Baldwin III was instrumental in the Watergate wiretappings. McCord was the former CIA who set up the original listening post in the hotel."

Leonard was stunned at the implications. The realization that the Elders were working to influence so many events made him wonder if anything that happened to anyone did so by mere chance. He understood the importance of Watergate on his home country. He just hadn't realized how many little events connected to cause it. "But why have me step in at all?"

"The Elders feared that the original thief would be caught or killed and if so, there would be no reassignment of key personnel."

"So what now? Do we go to Washington?"

"No. That is progressing, as it ought to. I suggest sir that you eat something and get some rest. You need to learn about the ship's weaponry tomorrow."

It irked Leonard that an AI was dismissing him but he was tired and hungry so he did what Geoffrey recommended. Sleep was a long time coming. He could not stop wondering what other kinds of missions the Elders would send him on. This was so different from his time with Rip. Then, they had been hunting a single person. Now, he was trying to be the history police. He rolled over and thumped his pillow. Police. Gah. How could he even think of himself as that? His father had been a crooked cop. There was no way he'd even follow in Lewis' footsteps. He was one hell of a thief. And now a cop. But it wasn't anything like his father. He flipped over in bed. He wished he could talk to Stein. The professor had an interesting way of looking at things of this nature. Leonard was just wondering when the Elders'd cut him loose. Exile him away from everyone. How many mistakes would they allow him? Well, his track record before Rip was pretty good. It was hours before he finally fell asleep.

0-0-0-0-0

Leonard held out the poster that Geoffrey had reproduced at arm's length. "You know, this doesn't look like me at all." He'd kept one wall clear in the office thinking he'd find a painting or two to hang at some point. Until then, his wanted poster as D.B. Cooper would have to do. He placed a stack of bills on a bookcase shelf and dumped the rest into the recycler. For history to be accurate, this money had to disappear. The only bills ever found were the ones he'd dropped as he jumped.

"This was a very successful job sir."

"What do you mean? It was just impersonating someone."

"Yes, but this was your first time jumping out of an airplane was it not?" At Leonard's affirmative, the AI continued, "You impersonated the thief and kept the myth intact."

"Yeah, about that. What happened to the guy I drugged?"

"He forgot his plans entirely. We need to set the ship down so you can examine the launch tubes to better understand the weaponry. You cannot do that while the ship is in the air."

Once the Iceberg was on the ground, Geoffrey directed Leonard all over the outside of the ship.

"How much munitions do we actually carry?" Leonard was curious. He didn't think this was a fighting ship.

"We carry ten missiles. Most of our weaponry consists of energy beams. However, those arrays need to be kept in working order as well. We will have to review the solar arrays next since they power many parts of the ship."

Hours later, Leonard reentered his ship. His clothes had marks of char and grease on them from the exterior of the Iceberg. He wanted nothing more than a hot shower. Although entirely alone, he refused to be a slob. He was a fastidious man and placed the filthy clothes in the recycler. Mick had been the slob at the warehouse.

Clean once more, he was heading towards the bridge when his musings were interrupted.

"Sir?"

Leonard looked up. "What is it?"

"We have a guest."

Narrowing his eyes, he asked, "Who?"

"Ms. Lance. Both current missions have ended, and we have several days with no assignments."

Sara was leaning against his desk when he arrived at his office. A bag was on the floor at her feet.

He nodded to it, "You moving in?"

Smiling, Sara sauntered up to him. "Nope. But I brought a few things."

Suspicious, he had to ask. "What kind of things?"

"Have you ever had fun during sex?"

He was confused. "Fun?" Sex had always been a release but fun?

"Yeah, goofing around silly fun." Sara had realized that she'd never heard Leonard laugh the entire time she'd known him. Snicker yes. Sneer definitely. But laugh? Never. She decided that she was going to do something about that. With a bit of introspection, she had come to the realization that she was drawn to the brooding type but that didn't mean she couldn't lighten the load at times.

"Um. No." He was trying to figure out where she was going with this. And he was trying to figure out what he'd gotten himself into.

Sara switched gears. "One thing I've been wondering."

"What's that?" His mind was still on fun and what she might mean.

"Why me? Was it only the fact that the only other woman in our team was dating Ray?"

Focusing on the here and now, Leonard responded. "Gender doesn't matter to me." He knew that Sara felt the same way.

"Then what?"

"I'm drawn to a person's soul if you will. The person they are when no one is watching. Their brains. Being a badass. You are that and so much more." He paused and crossed both arms. "Turnabout is fair play. Why me?"

Sara had spent many nights wondering the same thing before she finally understood her decision. "You accept me. All of me. The killer and the woman. You are a thinker and never do anything on impulse unlike me. I think we balance each other." Slowly, she approached Leonard and wrapped her arms around his waist. Looking up at him, she grinned. "I warned you to get some sleep before we saw each other again." She slid her hands up inside his shirt so that she could pull it off.

He'd never really trusted any of his lovers but Sara was different. Having read voraciously, he had a wealth of ideas to draw upon. Leonard was nothing if not quick on the uptake. She wanted fun? He wasn't sure what she'd consider as fun. A bit uncomfortable with the concept, Leonard decided to start slow. He reached down and swept her off her feet. She shrieked and started giggling as they headed towards the bedroom.

Some time later, Sara ended up draped over him with her legs tangled up with his. Propping her chin on his chest, she sighed with satisfaction. He ran his fingers of one hand through her hair while the other played up and down her spine. He was not a man to cuddle and found it very odd that he was so comfortable with her. For her part, Sara reveled in the feeling of his caresses. His hands with their long fingers had fascinated her for some time now.

He watched her eyelids droop and spoke up. "I've had two kinds of lovers. The ones who didn't know about me being a thief didn't last long. They wanted to meet me for lunch or come by the office. They never stayed the night. That didn't work for the obvious reasons. Then there were the ones who did know...well I didn't trust any of them enough to fall asleep in the same bed."

"But I know you're a thief and I've slept next to you."

He tried to stop a smile. "Not the same thing and you know it." He knew she was alluding to when he first returned to the team. "You're drifting off now."

She pushed herself upright. "You want me to leave?"

Grabbing her shoulders with both hands, he pulled her back down and settled her head under his chin. "No." He was surprised at his choice but Sara's nearness was warmth and life and he needed that more than he ever would have believed.

"Good. Because mornings are interesting too." With that promise left hanging in the air, Sara closed her eyes and soon slept.

Leonard slowly woke to the sensation of a drifting hand. He opened his eyes. The grin on Sara's face could only be described as devilish. He could not stop a gasp as she explored further. "Good morning."

Those were the last words spoken by either for some time.

Leonard looked down into Sara's eyes. He waited until his breathing returned to normal and then eased back down beside her on the bed. They were both startled when his stomach rumbled. "I guess we should get something to eat." She slithered to the edge of the bed and stood. Looking back over her shoulder, she flirted. "Interested in a shower?" She walked into the bathroom and was surprised that there was a tub. She wondered why the Waverider didn't have one. An idea came to mind. For now, the shower would suffice. Fiddling with the controls until the water was at a comfortable temperature, she stepped in and was joined. She leaned her head back to wash her hair. Fascinated with her total trust in him, Leonard helped her rinse it. He wondered if this was what she meant by fun.

As if she was reading his mind, Sara spoke up. "I hope you have bubble bath. Next time, we're using that tub."

Later, they sat down at his office table to eat breakfast. Geoffrey had freeze dried eggs so Sara had scrambled some up while Leonard took care of the bacon. A large mug of coffee doctored with sugar and cream to taste rested on the table next to their plates. Both were wrapped in fuzzy robes that Sara had packed in her bag. Hers, a deep ruby, made her skin glow while his was a sapphire blue. She'd chosen the color thinking he'd like it; he did. Once she finished eating, she left her chair with mug in hand and came over to sit down on Leonard's lap. She stared around his office curious about what he felt to be important to him. She noticed the old books but then the D.B. Cooper poster caught her attention. "What's with that?"

He had no choice but to tell her the tale. The two lovers shared stories about their latest exploits for a while. Then the words became interspersed with kisses and caresses and all conversation ceased once again.

Both knew the interlude had to end. The morning of their second day together saw them dressed and eating brunch. Leonard had to admit; he'd never felt so relaxed in another's presence. He was a realist; it wasn't love. But it was something unique for him.

"Coming back to the Waverider?"

"I'll walk with you." Leonard knew if he'd been this close and not come to see Mick, his partner would be hurt and angry. They'd finally found a good balance, and he didn't want to jeopardize it. He went to the galley to get something first.

Neither Sara nor Leonard was into hand holding or other overt signs of closeness so it was as comrades that they entered the Waverider. Sara left him to his own devices knowing he'd be looking for Mick. She ran into Jax in the corridor.

"Uh, you're back?" It was a question rather than a statement.

Looking like the cat that had swallowed the canary, Sara just smiled. "Furlough is over. I'm going to get some sleep." She sauntered off.

Sleep? What had she...he stopped that thought before it went any further. He so did not want to think about what she'd been doing for two days. He remembered his conversation with Rip.

It had been almost a day before the young mechanic had realized that their assassin was missing. Concerned, he went to Rip.

"No. Ms. Lance is fine. It's just that the Iceberg is here too." Rip watched realization dawn on Jax's face and turned to hide a grin. He knew most of the crew was bemused at the relationship between Mr. Snart and Ms. Lance. With a wealth of life experiences behind him, Rip thought he understood the attraction the two had for each other. He was glad that somebody in his crew found a modicum of happiness. As for Rip, he had finally stopped brooding as much. Choosing to live rather than die seemed to have released him from his obsession. While he still had the video record of Miranda and Jonas, he no longer played it every night for hours. He believed that Mr. Snart's choice to die at the Oculus rather than live had given him some perspective as well.

Shaking his head to dispel the images that kept wanting to pop in, Jax went to find Ray. Maybe if he worked on the ship he could scrub his mind of what kept intruding. It was not his business.

In Rip's office, Stein could feel how confused Jefferson was. He put his finger in the book he was reading and debated finding his the young man.

Rip noticed when Professor Stein stopped reading. "What is it?"

"I'm not sure. It's just that Jefferson is in a dither."

"Mr. Jackson just ran into Ms. Lance in the corridor." Gideon enlightened them.

The two older men exchanged a look that spoke volumes. "So is Mr. Snart on board as well?" Rip wanted to speak with Mr. Snart to see how he was getting along. He alone understood how the isolation in a time ship weighed on a person.

"Yes, I told him where Mr. Rory was when he asked."

Leonard found Mick in the hold working out with the punching bag. Bracing against the door with one hand, he watched as his partner finished his workout. Picking up a towel, he tossed it. "Ready for a break?" He held up a chilled six-pack. The two friends picked up where they'd left off talking about nothing and everything just as they had always done for most of their lifelong partnership.

The entire team sat down to dinner in Rip's office. Leonard made a mental note to get enough chairs so they could all sit down on the Iceberg. Jax and Mick were arguing the merits of football versus soccer. The rest declined to get involved but were highly entertained as each came up with anecdotes to support their sport's superiority of skill and strength. Stein was sitting with Captain Hunter and Mr. Snart discussing how chess strategies worked in the field. Leonard drew from his many heists while Rip used his infiltrations into various events. Stein moderated the conversation. He was pleased to see how much Mr. Snart had internalized the lessons of chess. That he could then connect them to his own actions showed how much he'd understood the stratagems. Hopefully, he'd internalize the workings of his ship soon so they could once again be in more regular contact. Clarissa had been Stein's touchstone keeping him in touch with the real world; they were Mr. Snart's.

Unaware of Stein's observations, Leonard continued to debate with Rip about the relative merits of certain actions. For his part, Rip couldn't help feeling proud of Mr. Snart's transformation. While the decisions about the Oculus and the Elders had been his, Mr. Snart could not have made them if he'd never been recruited for Rip's team.

The evening drew to a close and it would be business as usual tomorrow. The group broke up as each went their own way after saying farewell to Leonard. They'd said their goodbyes that morning so Sara gave him a quick kiss and left him to walk out with Mick.

Outside it was pitch black. The ships had settled down in a remote area away from human settlements. Standing in the doorway, Mick struggled to find something to say. "You're doing okay on that ship?"

"I don't have much time to think. If it's not planning something it's learning something about the Iceberg." Leonard cocked his head to one side. "Thanks for trying to keep me a part of the group. At home, I could talk to Lisa or you or just go to Sinners and Saints for a beer and watch people. I thought I didn't need anyone." He shook his head. "Anyways, thanks."

"Be seeing ya then," said Mick and he watched Snart head off into the darkness.

0-0-0-0-0

It was less than two weeks later when Geoffrey contacted the Waverider. Rip was looking for something in one of his books while Mr. Rory poked around his collection of maps looking for a specific one.

Rip was seated at his desk when the call came through. He placed a worn bookmark between the pages and set the tome down.

"Captain Hunter. I need your assistance. Captain Cold has...well, it's hard to explain."

Fearing the worst, Rip asked, "Is he dead?" He felt Mr. Rory move up to stand beside him.

"No. But he is unresponsive."

"What happened to him? He get shot?" Mick had been afraid that without him to watch his partner's back that he'd get hurt.

"No. He is catatonic.


I'm leaving you with a teaser for the next chapter. I tried to be as accurate as I could with regards to history. Apologies for any inaccuracies. As always, I would love to hear what you thought about this chapter. Thank you for reading.