Chapter 11: The Magnificent Eight – Part 1

'Aah! It's been quite a while since I time-jumped far enough to experience side effects. Fond memories' Rip said, jumping up from his seat.

'I can't feel my face' Jax said

'Fine feel I' Leonard said before looking confused

'Linguistic dysplasia, that should pass shortly' Rip explained

'Better it now' Leonard muttered

'Am I the only one who can't feel their face?' Jax asked worried

'I can't feel my... I better not say' Ray said, grabbing in-between his legs.

'Mr. Rory appears unaffected' Stein muttered

'What's going on? We time-jump?' Mick asked confused

'Yeah, we time-jumped. But "where to?" is the better question' I said, standing up from my seat, next to Mick.

'The town of Salvation, the Dakota territory, 1871' Rip explained

'I can't believe it... the Old West' Ray said excitedly

'This isn't going to work' Mick stated

'It'll buy us time. We can hide out here while the Hunters search the other Fragmentations' Rip explained

'What if they decide to check this place first?' Mick asked

'You know, feel free to loop us in whenever it's convenient' Kendra replied

'As you've seen, time doesn't operate as is generally thought. It wants to happen. It takes time to harden. The... the timeline is unclear on occasion, constantly in flux' Rip explained

'Hence the difficulty in locating Savage throughout history' Stein stated

'Indeed. And one of the other interesting notions of time travel is the existence of Fragmentations' Rip added

'Temporal blind spots, specific places and times the Time Masters can't see' Mick explained

'The town of Salvation and its surrounding environs are located within one of these Fragmentations' Rip added

'So, basically, we're hiding out in the Old West and hoping your boogeymen don't find us here' Leonard concluded

'The Hunters are not boogeymen. And you better hope they don't find us' Mick said firmly

'Well, at least not until I get a chance to "punch a few doggies" or "bust a bronco" or two. Not that I condone animal cruelty. It's just that I watched a lot of Westerns as a kid' Ray said excitedly

'Alas, you'll have to enjoy the Old West from in here, I'm afraid' Rip stated

'Oh, come on. What's the harm in us just taking a look around?' I asked

'With this group? Clearly, you haven't been paying attention' Stein said

'Ugh, if I'm in the Old West and I don't get to look around, I'm going to kick myself' Ray explained

'I could help with that' Leonard added smirking

'I'll keep an eye on them. Don't worry. I'll be a good boy' Mick said to Rip as we walked off to the fabrication room.

'I look just like Wyatt Earp' Ray said getting changed

'Now, the fabricator can make clothing, but you're also going to need era-appropriate protection. This era can get a little, uh, rough' Rip explained, handing us guns.

'Oh, six shooters?' Jax said excited

'Actually, most guns of that time period had hammer blocks, thus reducing the number of shots to five' Ray explained

'Now, this should go without saying, but considering this group, I am going to say it... only use these weapons in the case of extreme emergencies' Rip said as I smirked

'You make it sound like you're not coming with' Kendra stated

'From your duster and revolver, I'd imagined you as much an Old West aficionado as Dr. Palmer' Stein said confused

'Indeed I am. But my time is best spent back here on the ship, plotting our next move against Vandal Savage. Besides, as Mr. Rory says, it's only a matter of time before the Hunters find us here' Rip explained

'Don't worry. We're not going to put down roots' Leonard said, putting on a cowboy hat.

'Yeah, we'll stay out of trouble' I added, holstering my guns.

'Mm, how I hope and pray that to be true' Rip muttered

…

We walked through the town, as the townsfolk stared at us.

'Remember, we're just here to get the lay of the land. No trouble' Stein warned as we walked into the local pub.

'Sure that'll happen' I muttered sarcastically

'I need a drink' Mick muttered and walked off.

'Wow. It's a real old-timey saloon' Ray said excitedly

I walked over to the bar with Mick and Kendra as we took a shot.

'That tastes like gasoline' Kendra said wincing.

'Pretty much. Hit me again' Mick said to the bartender.

'Time doesn't pass normally in the Vanishing Point. It's been years since I've seen the bottom of a glass' Mick said to me as we took another shot.

'Years? How long were you...' I asked curiously

'Chronos? Never counted. Doesn't matter. Turns out it was just another gig anyway' Mick muttered, taking another shot.

'Doesn't seem like it. You're different now' I explained

'Better or worse?' Mick asked amused

'Don't know yet' I said and took a shot

'You could always handle your liquor. I like that' Mick said smirking

'I've been on more than a few dates with guys who thought we'd get wasted and they'd get lucky, but somehow they always ended up the ones under the table' I said grinning

'Mm. You haven't drunk with me' Mick commented

'Is that a challenge, Mick?' I asked grinning

'Line them up' Mick said to the bartender.

'So, have you made up with Leonard yet?' Mick asked, taking a shot.

'It's complicated' I muttered, matching his shot.

'I get it. He used his alpha power over you' Mick said shrugging and taking another shot.

'Since when do you care about my affairs with Leonard?' I asked, matching his shot and then taking another one.

'I've just never seen you and him not talk for this long' Mick muttered, slurring his words. I was about to reply when suddenly a gun shot went off. I spun around to see Stein standing there shocked.

'You killed him' Stein said shocked

'You're welcome' Leonard replied as the rest of the men stood up angrily.

'Clearly, the deceased was a friend of yours, but my friend here...' Stein said

'Your friend drew first, got put down. It was a clean shot' Leonard explained, standing up.

'Do we look like we care about clean?' A man asked

'He has a point' Stein said before a man tried to hit Leonard but he ducked and punched the guy first. Which started a giant brawl in the room. I punched away at a guy as Mick was passed out on the bar.

Suddenly gun shots went off and a man stood up, with a large scar across his face.

'All right! Playtime's over. Anybody's got a problem with that, they answer to me' A stranger said stepping forward. The rest of the room, went silent and left us alone.

'Thank you, Mister...' Stein said, stepping forward.

'Hex. Jonah Hex' Hex introduced

'You're not from around here, are you?' Hex asked

'No. My friends and I are, uh... from out of town' Stein explained vaguely.

'Way out of town' Hex added as we left the saloon.

'All right. Why don't you folks tell me where you're really from?' Hex asked

'I'm not sure that's any of your business, sir' Ray stated

'Let me rephrase that. Tell me when y'all from. You seven stick out like a dog in a manger' Hex explained as we shared a concerned look.

'Like he said, we're not from around here' Jax said

'You think you're the first time travellers I've ever come across?' Hex asked

'Uh, yes' Stein replied confused

'Where is he? I got some words that need saying' Hex demanded

'Where is who?' I asked

'Rip Hunter' Hex stated

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