Okay guys, Coldwave is my new recent ship and I love the idea of them raising a kid together.
This is the sequel to Follow the Advice, Not the Example ?
Enjoy! Please read and review :)
…..
"Mission almost accomplished!" Mick chuckled as he staggered into the room, a bottle of scotch clutched tightly in his hand as Rip frowned at him.
"That bottle of Scotch was given to me by Rob Roy MacGregor in 1689!"
"It's not half bad." He handed the bottle over to Sara, who sent a glare over to Sara.
"We should be toasting to Savage's death." She muttered.
Thermos nodded in agreement, "I would have drank to that… remove my mask and everything."
"You can still take it off you know…" Sara nudged him in the side, "… I bet you're gorgeous."
"Oh I am… ask Aye."
"Where is Aye?"
"On our ship…. He's not coming with us on this one, even if George insists on tagging along."
"And you don't mind that?"
Hearing the suggestive tone in her voice, Thermos shook his head and chuckled. "We're not together… don't get me wrong, we tried, and I think he still likes me, but… it was odd… and it didn't work out."
"Oh… sorry."
"Nah…. Other fish in the sea and all that. And we'll always be mates."
"Anyway!" Professor Stein interrupted, clearing his throat uncomfortably at the subject matter, "Apart from celebrating murder, Savage still has Carter brainwashed."
"I don't know if you've been paying attention, Professor, but murdering Savage was always the plan."
Thermos nodded in agreement with Len, "Yep…. Kill Savage, save the future and all that crap."
"And…" Mick spoke up, "… Carter reincarnates, which is more than I can say about us."
"As long as he's on board and breathing, Savage is a threat to everyone on this ship!"
Kendra frowned, "So what, we just kill Savage and leave Carter a brainless drone?"
"Yes." Thermos spoke up before the others could, despite the fact that they agreed.
Before Kendra could protest, Ray and Jax strode into the room, triumphant grins on their faces.
"Sorry we're late, but we found something." Ray announced.
"We've been running diagnostics on Ray's suit after his battle with Savage's Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robot." Jax continued.
"The telemetry data included a comparative scan of the robot's tech." Ray explained, as a 3-d hologram appeared over the table.
Stein and Thermos leaned closer, examining the hologram with interest.
"Amazing…." Stein whispered, "… This neuromorphic profile is astonishingly futuristic."
Kendra frowned, "Yeah, it's from 2166."
"No it's not…" Thermos muttered, "… this technology from at least the twenty-fifth century, probably further."
Ray nodded eagerly, beaming at Thermos, "Exactly! This technology's light years more advanced than anything from 2166."
"Who cares?" groaned Len.
"The Time Masters…. They refused to take action against Savage because he didn't pose a threat to the timeline."
"But if he comes into possession of future technology- "
"- It means he's been engaging in exactly the same manipulation of time that the Time Council were designed to prevent." Rip interrupted, a victorious smirk on his face.
Sara moved a little bit closer and frowned, "So now they'll finally sign off on undoing all the damage Savage has done to the world."
It sounded like a good plan in theory…. But not everyone was convinced.
"Last time I checked, the Time Council was at the edge of the timeline, and this bucket of bolts can barely hold it together as it is." Mick grunted, glaring at Rip as the man snatched the scotch away.
"Gideon, what's the status of the Time Drive?" The Captain asked.
"Stable, Captain."
"Plot a course for the Vanishing Point!" Rip grinned, "Tonight, Vandal Savage faces justice for his crimes.!"
…
"Are you sure you don't want me to be there?"
Thermos quickly shock his head, eyes darting towards the door of the room… Lucas's old room…. If either Len or Mick found him in here, he might not survive to see Savage's demise.
"No… we're on a one-way track to the Time Masters, and I have a feeling nothing is going to go well."
"Oh? What do you think's going to happen?"
"I don't know… but I don't like it."
Suddenly, the ship rocked violently from side to side, almost causing Thermos to fall off the bed. "What the fuck was that?" he growled angrily, quickly saying goodbye and hanging up on Aye, cautiously heading out of the room and running towards the control room.
"What are you doing to this poor ship?!" he growled, steadying himself against the doorframe, "It sounds like you're pushing it way past her limit!"
"We need to get to the Vanishing Point quickly…" Rip growled, clearly having been warned of these dangers before, "… The ship will make it."
"In your dreams maybe…" Before Rip could say anything in return, Thermos turned away, "… I'm going to check on Savage. Make sure your terrible decisions haven't impacted on the wiring in the cells."
"Those cells- "
"- are the strongest cells the Time Masters have ever made, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah!"
Ignoring Rip's angry splutters, Thermos left the room and headed straight for the cells, coming near the door just as Sara was coming out.
"Don't bother…" she muttered, "… I think the whole reincarnation name has driven him mad."
"He can join the club… I think we're all a little mad to be here, on this ship." Without waiting for her reply, he pushed past her and into the cells, where Savage was waiting for him.
"I was wondering if I would get to have a good look at you up close." Savage crooned, scanning Thermos from head to toe, "Such a fine specimen… such an interesting skin colour… it almost looks similar."
Thermos shrugged, "Good genes… I was just wondering if Mister Dictator would like a magazine or something?"
"You believe yourself to be… humorous?"
"I know I'm funny."
There was a brief moment of silence, before Savage stepped closer to the glass and sneered at the masked man. "I will get out of here… you know this, don't you?"
"Yeah, yeah…" Thermos headed back to the door, "… in your dreams."
As he walked through the corridors, steadying himself once again when the ship rocked violently from side to side. When he passed the kitchen, he heard an annoyed grumble, before someone spat something out in disgust.
"Why are all the snacks in the future sugar-free?"
Ah… Mick.
"So much for progress…. You remember Alexa?"
Len as well…. Great.
"Yeah…." The conversation continued, "… From the security deposit job. What about it?"
"Just had a feeling about that one, a sixth sense that things would end badly."
"And they would have, if you hadn't have pulled us out of there. So what?"
"….. I'm getting the same feeling now."
Outside the kitchen, Thermos felt like his heart had stopped…. Leonard was right. Something was wrong with this entire situation, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
…
He was right about things going wrong.
Everyone was turning against Rip because the man seemed very happy to sacrifice themselves.
Jax was aging far too fast, due to Rick making a reckless decision and practically ordering the young man to fix the time drive.
Kendra was cosying up to Carter again, which was making Ray upset.
Speaking of Ray;
"It's not the end of the world you know."
Ray didn't even glance up at him, staring down at his feet.
"Seriously, you're cute, intelligent… like a little puppy, you could find anyone!"
"But not the one that I actually want…" Ray moped, "…. I thought she was perfect for me."
"Really? A woman who is so attached to her soulmate that they resurrect every lifetime, destined to find each other every time?" Thermos shook his head, "That was your perfect soulmate?"
"Yes?"
"…. You can do better Ray." Thermos sighed, and took a seat by Ray, "I know you think that I'm not the best person to speak to about this… but I do understand what you're going through."
"Oh?"
"You think that just because I'm a criminal, I haven't gone through crushes and heartbreak?"
As Ray desperately tried to argue that he wasn't, Thermos held up a hand to silence him. "I was just teasing you… I once thought me and Aye were destined for one another. I picked him up from the cold winter of Russia, and we've been robbing people all over time, in every location ever since then."
"And you… liked him?"
"I thought I loved him… I know he has feelings for me…. But I think it was all just a moment of rebellion. So, I decided to end it before it got too far and resigned myself to the single life…." He nudged Ray in the side, "… It's not so bad. I know lots of people throughout time, I bet I can find you someone."
"You want to be my matchmaker?"
"I'm better than the one in Mulan, I can guarantee that."
Ray chuckled, before giving Thermos a small smile. "Thanks… I actually feel a little better now."
Before Thermos could say anything, Stein's voice could suddenly be heard coming from the infirmary…. And he sounded seriously annoyed.
"Are you certain these results are accurate?!" They heard the man shout, "Jefferson's blood chemistry is akin to that of a- "
"-a 63-year-old man." Finished Gideon.
That didn't sound good.
Without saying another word to Ray, Thermos pushed himself to his feet and headed towards the infirmary, just as he heard Jax mutter, "Actually, I don't feel a day over 60."
"This isn't funny." Mick grumbled, just as Thermos walked into the room.
Jax looked awful, a side-effect of the time drive explosion probably.
"Mick's right…" Thermos muttered, "…. This is so far from funny, and it's all Rip's fault."
"I'm afraid he's also suffering from early-stage osteoarthritis." Gideon spoke up again, "The exposure to the temporal radiation has led to an accelerated rate of intracellular degeneration."
"This is what happens when Rip goes with Plan B…." Len growled,
"…. Plan A being taking Savage's head in with that mace." Finished Mick
Thermos nodded in agreement…. If it weren't for that pesky rule about only Carter or Kendra being the ones to fully kill the immortal, he'd have put a whole chamber of bullets in the man's head, frozen him solid, before throwing him into a volcano.
"We're endeavouring to resolve this without bloodshed!" Stein exclaimed, only for everyone to roll their eyes and scoff at him.
"And how's that working out for you, Gandhi?"
"Savage is a threat Stein…" Thermos sighed, "… and Rip might be even worse. He will happily let everyone on this ship die, if it means he gets to save his precious family."
"Look, there's nothing we can do about it now." Jax whispered, the strain on his body clearly showing.
"We can talk to Hunter."
"Even if Kendra was to kill Savage, my situation's still the same!"
Mick shook his head, "We're talking about our situation, Pops."
"We're not waiting around for the other shoe to drop…." Len nodded in agreement, turning to Jax and giving him a sympathetic smile. The young man had been on their side with everything that happened with Mick and Lucas, "You deserve better."
As they walked out of the room, they heard Mick mutter, "Alexa?"
"You bet your ass."
"Where are they going?" Jax whispered, wincing in pain as the aches and pains of his body started to take a hold of him.
"They're being smart…" Thermos muttered, "… getting out of here before the shit hits the fan."
"And you… what are you going to do?"
"…. I don't know. But I'm not dying here."
Leaving Stein alone with Jax, Thermos headed quickly out of the room, automatically heading towards Rip's office, where he knew that Len and Mick had gone.
"We need to talk…." He heard Mick state to Rip.
"…We saw what you did to Jax." Len this time.
"And we're worried it's just the beginning."
As he and Sara made their way into the office as well, Rip was glaring at the criminal pair. "The beginning of what?" he asked.
"It's like I said, Rip…." Len sneered, "… As long as Savage is alive and on this ship, he is dangerous!"
"The Time Drive is rebooting. We will soon be on our way…. I'm asking for a little faith, gentlemen!"
No-one was swayed by Rips pleas, not even Thermos as he shook his head.
"Sorry, fresh out." Len growled.
There was a brief moment of silence, before Rip glanced at Mick, "I take it you and Mr. Snart are of the same mind?"
"Yes."
He then glanced at Sara, "And what of you, Miss Lance?"
She was silent for a brief moment, before shaking her head, "You're the one who said you'd sell us out for your family."
"… Well, if that's how you all feel, none of you is obliged to continue on this voyage with me. As I told Martin, the Jumpship can make a one-time voyage back to 2016."
"Are you saying it's ours?" Mick asked.
"I'm saying that this mission has always been a voluntary enterprise!"
Len smirked, "And the mission was to kill Savage…."
"…. Which doesn't seem to be on the table anymore." Finished Mick.
Rip glared at the group, before throwing his hands up into the air in exasperation. "Very well. Leave, if that's what you- "
"- It's been a blast, Rip." Len interrupted before the man could even finish, "Good luck getting to the Vanishing Point."
"Tell your pals Chronos says, 'Kiss my ass'" Mick followed Len out of the room.
Knowing that Rip was curious about his own decisions, Thermos gestured his head at the leaving pair. "You brought all this on yourself Rip…. You always said you'd pick your family over this team, and now look at you… soon you're not going to have a team left."
"So… you're leaving as well."
"Putting the call into Aye as we speak."
And with that, he stormed out of the way, hand already reaching for his communicator to call Aye.
…
Of course, things never went entirely to plan…. The Jumpship was gone not long after the conversation between the small group and Rip, with Stein standing not far away.
"What'd you do, Poindexter?!" Mick asked, already getting angry when he realised that the Jump-Ship was gone.
"What do you mean?" Stein tried to act innocent.
"The Jumpship!" Len snarled, "Where is it?"
"Well, it's really more a question of when…. But, oh, yes. You both wanted to return to 2016."
Mick growled, grabbing Stein by the collar and pinning him up against the wall, as Len leaned in, a threatening glare on his face. "Got it in one!"
"I did what I had to do to save Jefferson's life! Now we must do whatever's necessary to repair the Waverider and deliver Savage to the Vanishing Point!" Stein then caught sight of Thermos standing in the main corridor, "Maybe Thermos can help if you're that desperate! He has a ship of his own."
"Aye can't pinpoint where we are in the Time Stream…" Thermos answered, shrugging slightly, "… and because my ship is technically Time Master property, then I'm not having him come to the Vanishing Point. Too risky."
"So now what do we do?!" Mick turned his anger and frustrations on Thermos instead.
"Survive long enough to get back to our original times."
…
Needless to say, the sulking was expected as the criminal trio all sat on the main deck, watching Rip and Sara tinker with the controls… with Thermos pointing out what the so-called Captain was doing wrong.
Suddenly, something whirred to life as Gideon's voice came over the speakers.
"Time Drive reinitialization complete, Captain. The primary systems are back online and stable."
Rip grinned in success, "Begin ignition sequence and resume our route to the Vanishing Point!"
As Gideon set about obeying the order, Mick was still glaring at Stein, "You're a fool, Professor."
"I'm trying to save Jefferson's life!"
Before the fight could fully kick off, Ray came limping into the room, a black eye already forming… to match the guilty look on his face. "S-Savage has escaped!" he gasped.
"What?"
"I- I'm sorry!"
Thermos went rushing over, grabbing Ray by the collar and pinning him against the wall, "Tell me you didn't!" he growled, "Tell me you didn't let thoughts of Kendra and Carter fill that tiny head of yours! Tell me you didn't go in there and try to fight the immortal dictator!"
Ray was silent, only confirming Thermos' worst fears.
Savage was loose… and so was Carter.
….
"Come to join the party?" Mick smirked as Thermos rushed into the air, hands already up and on fire/covered in ice.
"Yeah, kinda wishing I'd 'misplaced' my invitation now!"
At the other end of the corridor, Savage was snarling at them, "You should've left me back in 2166!"
Mick rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah, we know that, mullet-head!"
"Who are you to stand up against me, Vandal Savage, DESTROYER OF EMPIRES?!"
"Leonard Snart, robber of ATMs!"
Thermos turned to Len and smirked, "Beautifully done."
…..
When Ray got involved, it should all have been easier… except for the fact, that it wasn't.
"Haircut!" Mick bellowed, "Move your fat head so I can get a clean shot!"
"Ray, I swear to God if you don't move, I'll freeze you into that suit, don't think that I won't!" Thermos joined in with the scolding, firing a warning shot at the man's head in order to force him to move away.
Ray didn't listen.
As Savage continued to attack, and Thermos started to fall unconscious, the darkness encroaching in, his final thoughts were 'I'm going to murder Ray for this.'
….
When he next woke up, he was in the Waveriders' medical bay… and both Len and Sara were standing over him.
"That's… really creepy, I hope you both know this."
They both had identical smirks on their faces, which indicated that they did know how creepy it was…. And then he remembered something very important.
His hand flew up to his face.
The mask and the goggles were still there… but the hood was down.
"You had a head wound…." George spoke up, already knowing what Thermos was thinking, "… the hood needed to come off so that they could see the damage. They didn't remove anything else, I promise."
"Oh…" Thermos tried to act as though he wasn't bothered, "… good. What happened with Savage?"
"They managed to subdue him again…" Sara reported, "… I got the ship to the Vanishing Point, and Rip has just taken Savage to the Time Masters."
"So… we won?"
Len didn't look sure, but Sara seemed convinced.
To be honest, Thermos was more likely to agree with Len…. But Aye did say he needed to be more positive.
"Alright…" he clapped his hands together and pushed himself into a seated position, "… anyone up for a game of poker?" He then glanced down, "Len…. Are you wearing a skirt?"
"Got a problem with that?"
"No! No! No! No problem whatsoever!"
Len smirked, "That's what I thought…. Come on, I have a pack of cards in my room."
"Of course you do."
…..
"I know you two are cheating…" Sara muttered almost an hour later, a fond smile on her face, "… I'll catch you, you know."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Thermos smirked, "You're just lucky we're not playing strip poker."
As the cards were dealt out for another round, Len's head suddenly darted towards the door as he frowned, "Did you hear that?"
Sara glared at him, "Don't try to distract me."
But Thermos was also tense, already putting the cards down and moving to the door, "We need to find somewhere to hide."
"What?" Sara frowned, following the pair out of the room slowly, "Why do we need to find somewhere to hide?"
They were silent for a time, before Len sighed, "Alexa."
As they snuck down the corridor, they could hear the sound of their team-mates protesting, and Mick loudly putting up a fight.
"I knew it…" Thermos growled under his breath, "… this entire thing is one big set-up. The Time Masters are rounding us up one by one, and I can bet Savage is gonna get away with it scot-free."
The other two didn't say anything… not when the evidence was so clear.
Thermos led them down another corridor, before stopping near a vent. "Get in." he ordered.
"… Are you joking?"
"No. These vents lead all over the ship, so even if they do think to look in them, which is unlikely, they won't be able to find us…. So, get in."
Sara and Len glanced at one another, before Sara made her way inside… but Len hesitated.
"What about Mick?"
"It's late for him, the kitchen is one of the first rooms they would have checked."
"But- "
"- If you really want to help him… Get. In. The. Vent!"
With a scowl, Len crawled inside, closely followed by Thermos.
Everything had gone to shit.