Rachel POV- Once they landed and were properly dressed for the time they were in the entire group minus Rory and Kendra followed Rip through the city. Rachel walked with a slight limp still and she wore long sleeves to hide her nearly healed burns. Thankfully being outside was speeding up her healing process. She smiled as Leonard took her hand as they walked along the river.
"The future is…" Martin started.
"Fascinating" Jax said.
"Astonishing" Sara added.
"Well it was 50-50 chance which one he'd choose" Jax told Sara.
"Actually I was going to say 'remarkable'" Martin told the two.
"Isn't it? 2147 was considered the world's zenith. All of these people have five good years to look forward to" Rip said.
"Before what?" Snart asked.
Rachel as well as Sara and Martin couldn't help but look around the city. It truly was remarkable to see how advanced yet how normal it was.
"Before a ruthless dictator named Per Degaton comes to power, releases the Armageddon Virus and most of them end up dead" Rip answered.
"Well that's depressing" Sara commented.
Suddenly 3 robots flew past them overhead.
"Whoa" Jax said looking up.
"Um Ray?" Rachel asked as the robots looked just like the Atom suit.
"Is that my suit? That's my suit" Ray said stunned.
A woman crying out turned the team's attention to the thief who'd just stolen her purse. However before any of them could do anything about it the robots shot a stunning laser at the thief and apprehended him.
"You have been identified as violating ordinance 12" the robots said to the thief.
"That is how Per Deganton's father Tor maintains order in Kasnia" Rip informed them.
"Doesn't look like progress to me" Leonard said.
"Speaking of progress we need to get a better lay of the land" Rip said.
"And I need to get a better look at how they made my suit autonomous" Ray said clearly angry now.
"Well why don't you take Martin and Jax with you? Ms. Lance, Ms. Stone, Mr. Snart and I will work on locating Savage. If you're up for that Ms. Stone?" Rip asked.
"I'm fine. Let's go find the bastard" Rachel grinned.
Snart lightly squeezed her hand and smiled at her. Rip also gave her a proud grin.
"Oh we'll find him. Let's go."
They headed to Kasnian corporate headquarters.
"Tor Degaton holds daily meetings with his board of directors" Rip told them.
"And it's open to the public?" Sara asked.
"Course not. Just Kasnia's shareholders" Rip replied.
"I hate to break it to you but we're not shareholders" Sara said.
"I'm more of a hard asset man myself" Snart added.
"You like making other people part with their hard assets you mean" Rachel smiled at Snart.
"Of course" he grinned back.
Rip turned to face them as he dug out a small case from his pocket. He opened it to reveal contacts which he quickly put in. He turned back to face a guard who held up an eye scanner.
"You're clear to attend. They'll have to wait outside" the guard said.
"Oh no this is my accountant and these two are my personal assist…bodyguards one can never be too safe" Rip said indicating Leonard then Sara and Rachel.
"Stockholders only" the guard stood strong.
Rip faced them and shrugged before heading into the meeting. The three of them looked at each other and turned to walk away. Rachel and Snart headed to their room with knowing grins while Sara went to train with Kendra. Later Rip met them back at the ship to fill them in along with Kendra.
"He's a teacher?" Sara asked shocked.
"Tutor it would seem to young Per Degaton himself" Rip corrected.
"You say that like it's supposed to mean something" Snart said.
"After the death of his father in five years' time, Per Degaton unleashes the Armageddon Virus which decimates the world's population leaving it ripe for conquest. Per Degaton primes the world for dictatorship and then when the time is right Savage snatches that power away from him" Rip informed them.
"By killing Per Degaton" Sara guessed.
"Indeed" Rip said.
"Okay so we don't have what we need to take out Savage but maybe now we can figure out a way to stop his rise to power" Kendra said.
"Okay how do we do that?" Sara asked.
Rachel looked at Rip knowing what he was going to say.
"It's quite simple really" Rip said looking uncomfortable.
"We kill the little bastard ourselves" Snart said for him.
That's exactly what they told the rest of the team when they returned.
"To be clear, we're talking about murdering a child…" Martin said as they all gathered round the center console.
"Who hasn't done anything to anyone…" Jax added.
"Yet. So why don't we pick him off now while the picking's easy?" Snart said.
"There's got to be a better way" Kendra said.
"How do we even know that this Per Degaton kid's path to becoming a world ruling dictator is inevitable?" Ray asked.
"Because in the future that I'm from children learn about Per Degaton in the same way that children in your time learn about Adolf Hitler" Rip said.
"Before you learned about time travel haven't you at least once thought if someone could go back and eliminate Hitler before he came to power they'd save so many lives?" Rachel asked crossing her arms as she leaned against Leonard's chair.
The team just stared at her. Rachel could admit to herself at least that her answer to her own question was the same as the answer to this question: yes.
"When I was a college professor one of the Ethics Professor's first question to her students was that" Rachel said shrugging.
"What about addressing the larger societal problems that would allow such a despot's rise to power?" Martin asked.
"We already know what pushes this punk to the dark side: Savage" Snart said.
"Look it's not the kid's fault he's got an immortal psychopath as his tutor" Jax argued.
"If we don't kill the kid now Savage will as soon as he's done using him to take over the world" Snart said.
He slid his arm around Rachel's leg though when she looked down it was like he didn't even know he'd done it. Rachel smiled slightly and placed her hand on his shoulder. Ray gave her a look and for a few seconds Rachel met his eye but then she looked away and down. She was ashamed that she was okay with killing a kid even to save billions but that didn't mean it didn't have to be done.
"If he doesn't build him into the greatest tyrant the world will ever know" Rip said.
"Murdering a child in cold blood just like Savage murdered your own son. What's the use in saving the world it we stoop to his methods to do so?" Martin suggested.
"I'm with Professor Stein" Ray said still looking at Rachel.
"Okay fine. If ya'll don't have the guts to kill this kid…" Snart said but Rachel covered his mouth with her hand when Rip also started talking.
"Then removing him from the timeline might be the next best thing."
"Great we've gone from infanticide to child abduction. Progress" Ray said sarcastically.
"First we need to devise how to abduct him from underneath the noses of his father's private guard" Rip said.
"And don't forget the army of Atom robots" Ray added.
"We're going to need an accomplished thief" Rip said smiling at Snart who grinned up at him.
"Well while you're kidnapping baby Hitler, Professor Stein and I will sabotage the robot army" Ray said.
"I call Team Robot Army" Jax said.
"Isn't that a waste of time?" Sara asked.
"Not for the Kasnian citizens who are tormented by my technology" Ray told her.
"That technology does lead to Savage's rise to power. Good backup plan" Rip said.
"Fine Team Kidnapping" Sara said.
"Ms. Stone your Team?" Rip asked.
Rachel looked at him then down where her arm was around Leonard's shoulders resting on the far one and where his arm was wrapped around her leg. Then she simply looked back up at Rip and raised her eyebrows.
"Right, understood. Go Team" Rip said holding up his fist.
They split off into their separate teams to go plot their plans of attack. Team Kidnapping left the ship and got into position and waited for the right moment to act.
Leonard POV- "No litter. No street crime. No smog. How soon can we leave?" Snart asked from where he waited on the street.
He saw Rachel smile from where she was positioned against a lamp post. At the top of the post had a camera that was pointed down at the area where they planned to grab the kid.
"Keep your eyes peeled. According to Gideon, Per Degaton should be passing through any minute on his way to gymnastics class" Sara said. She was positioned on top of the building across the street with a tranquilizer rifle.
"Are you telling me future Hitler is enrolled in a gymnastics class?" Snart asked rolling his eyes as he did.
Then Snart put on the glasses Rip had given him. They showed him certain identities of people walking by as well as date, time, temperature along with if he had any messages and types of buildings he was near.
"Yes" Snart grinned loving these glasses.
"I got eyes on Little Lord Fauntleroy" Snart announced when the security detail rounded the corner and the glasses told him that Per Degaton was in the middle of the squad.
"I don't see him" Sara said.
"It's because he's surrounded by Daddy's goon squad. North East corner of the Plaza" Snart informed her.
"Got him" Sara replied.
"Remember once I kill the camera feed Atom robots will be here in exactly 3 minutes" Rachel reminded them.
"You sure you don't want to just shoot him? It'd be a whole lot easier" Snart suggested as he sat down on a bench and pulled out his cold gun.
"Stick to the plan, all of you. Now Ms. Lance" Rip said signaling Sara.
Sara shot one of the rear guards just before they rounded the corner to head toward Rachel and Snart. Rip took the place of the fallen guard seamlessly.
"I'm in position. Ms. Stone kill the camera…now" Rip instructed Rachel.
Snart saw Rachel casually brace her hand against the post and a small electrical current raced up to the camera and shut it down.
"3 minutes started" Rachel said.
"It's up to you now Mr. Snart" Rip said.
As the squad got closer Snart stood up and quickly took out the front guards. Two of the side guards ran for cover and Rip and the rear guard took Per Degaton to safety. Snart finished off the last two guards and headed towards Rachel tucking his gun away as he did.
Then the two of them strolled back to the ship acting like nothing more than a couple out for a walk. Back on the ship they passed by the MedBay where Rip and Sara were placing an unconscious Per Degaton.
"I can't believe I just helped kidnap a kid" Rachel said softly.
"It had to be done. He does grow up to take over the world before Savage does" Snart said stopping her with a hand on her arm.
"No, I know and I agree he should be stopped. I… I'm just surprised how okay with it I am I guess" she explained.
"Maybe I'm rubbing off on you" Snart grinned.
"Perhaps. Maybe I'm also rubbing off on you, Team player" Rachel grinned back.
Slowly Snart pulled her in close his arm around her waist. "Maybe you are" he whispered just before he kissed her.
The moment was ruined when Rip stormed passed them, steam practically coming out of his ears. Sara trailed after him but with much less steam. With a roll of his eyes Snart took Rachel's hand and followed the two to the main deck of the ship.
"It did nothing" Rip announced to Jax and Stein.
"What do you mean it did nothing?" Stein asked.
"I mean that kidnapping Per Degaton had a nominal effect upon the timeline" Rip explained.
"Maybe we need to dump the little brat somewhere he can't get into any trouble. Like the Stone Age" Snart suggested.
"Wait let me guess, wouldn't work?" Rachel said when Rip opened his mouth again.
"No matter where and when you sequester him in the timeline Savage will still rise to power" Gideon said for Rip.
"But Rip said this kid's like a baby Hitler" Jax argued.
"Yes I also said that time wants to happen and such a world-changing event like Savage's rise to power can't be stopped merely by kidnapping his young pawn" Rip said.
"So we're back to plan A?" Snart grinned.
"We don't even know that would work though do we?" Rachel asked.
"Snuffing the kid out in his sleep really?" Sara asked looking at Rachel with a slightly shocked expression.
"Let us not forget that this kid will one day be responsible for billions of deaths including those of my family" Rip reminded them.
"Say you do stop Savage and save the lives of your family. Will you be able to look your own son in the eye knowing what you did so he could live?" Stein asked.
"When the alternative is that I shall never see him again" Rip nodded and shrugged clearly okay with plan A.