NORWAY 1975
Rip flew the Waverider from St. Roch to Norway and gently landed her. Had to admit, I prefered flying normally to time travel.
"And we've arrived," he announced and we all raised the harnesses. "Gideon, if you wouldn't mind camouflaging us as an alpine meadow, perhaps?" Mick leaned over with his hand rubbing the back of his head.
"What are you cmplaining about now?" Snart asked him. "It's not like we time-jumped."
"I hate flying, especially in... wh atever this thing is," Mick told him.
"Don't go barfing again," I told him making a face. He just growled at me.
"Where exactly are we?" Carter asked Rip.
"We're still in 1975, right?" Kendra asked.
"Indeed," Rip confirmed. "October 1975 on the fjords of northern Norway." Rip moved past us into his office.
"Sounds like a vacation," Snart commented.
"Which we can take as soon as the threat of Savage has been neutralized, Mr. Snart," Rip told him before turning back to us with a book in his hands.
"That's Aldus's notebook."
"Now he theorized that Savage might be here, and if he's right, and if we can capture Savage, then at least Professor Boardman didn't die in vain," Rip told us.
"Can't we just go back and save Aldus?" Kendra asked him.
"He was our son."
"Look, I'm sorry. We can't go back and change events in which we participated. Time would fold in on itself, creating a temporal vortex," Rip explained to us. I turned towards the sound of men shouting and growled and started going towards them when I felt a hand on my arm. I turned my head slightly to see Snart holding me back before we joined the rest of the team running towards the ship.
"Which sounds way cooler than it is," Ray told us.
"Since it didn't sound all that cool I don't think we want it to happen anytime soon," I said and he gave me a bit of a look.
"Forgetting physics for a second," Sara told them rolling her eyes. "Shouldn't we figure out what Savage is doing in Norway?"
"According to Gideon, there is a large meeting of terrorists and fringe groups looking to buy illegal arms," Rip told us.
"Now that sounds like a vacation," Mick said from his seat as we gathered around the table.
"Arms dealers and terrorists aren't exactly our kind of people," Snart told Rip. "But they're the next best thing." Snart leaned on the table looking at me.
"If terrorists are anything like what I've had to deal with for the last couple decades, then it'll be a walk in the park," I added.
"They aren't much different than Mr. Mikaelson," Rip commented.
"Well, looks like you and your lapdogs get to earn your keep," Carter told Snart giving Mick and me a look.
"I'm no one's lapdog, bird-man," Mick told him.
"Woof." He gave me a confused look and I just smirked at him. "Maybe one day you'll learn just a bit more about the world."
"So what exactly does one wear to a black market arms bazaar, anyway?" Kendra asked.
"The Waverider has a fabrication room which can fashion temporarlly-indigenous, uh, fashion," Rip told us and I shared a confused look with Sara.
"You've got a room that makes clothing?" Jefferson asked him.
"Doesn't everyone?"
"All right, first thing we need to do is work up a plan," Ray said as we walked to the clothing making room.
"Got a lot of experience infiltrating criminal gatherings?" Snart asked him but didn't bother letting him answer. "Didn't think so. I'm calling the shots."
"Actually, I'm in charge," Rip reminded them. "In case any of you have forgotten."
"No," Snart said. "I remember. I just don't care."
"Do I need to remind any of you that I'm a Time Master?" Rip nearly shouted at us. "Making discrete alterations to the timeline is what I do, so we're not just gunna charge into the past like a bull into a china shop-"
"Former," I corrected. "Former Time Master. You used to make discrete alterations. Now you have a team who doesn't trust you at your word."
"Half of what you've told us about the mission turned out to be lies," Mick added.
"None of you have ever encountered Vandal Savage before," Rip reminded us. "I have, and I'm telling you now, you are making a big mistake."
"Already did that when we trusted you," Ray scoffed as he and Snart continued down the hallway.
"Guess it's time to get acquainted with Savage," I said before Mick and I joined them.
"Back soon, Captain."
Sara, Stein, Snart, Mick and I walked towards the black market arms deal together only to notice one important detail we forgot.
"Looks like they'r echecking credentials," Sara told the rest of our team. "And we don't have any."
"For now," I told her.
"We got this. Trust us," Mick told her. Snart ran into a man, pick pocketing his creds before pushing him away.
"Excuse you." We continued walking towards the door.
"IDs." Snart handed over the stolen ID and the man looked it over. "You don't look like an Amhad Ahmed Izz-Al-Din."
"I'm Arab," Snart insisted. "On my mother's side."
"Is there a problem?" Stein shouted at the man. "I don't like delays. Do we know who we are? My associates and I are the operational arm of "Scimitar". The Lombardo Square bombing, 1963. Murder of Henri Tyran, Canada, 1970. Konig Airport Massacre, 1971. Bottom line? You don't want to doubt me." I shared an impressed look with Sara before looking back at the scared man blocking our way in. Snart took the Id back from the man before he let us past.
"You're a special kind of crazy," Mick told Stein. "I like it."
"We're in." Snart told the others. We walked among the weapons and and terrorists.
"So why don't I get to play terorist?" Jackson asked.
"This is just a kidnapping," Snart told him. "No need fo your nuclear fireworks. Savage'll be one fo the buyers. Once we get eyes on, hang back. We'll boost him once this is all over."
"Any sign of him?" Carter asked.
"If there was, you'd know," I told him.
"He's not here, boss," Mick told Snart.
"Let's get Ginger and the Professor and move out," Snart ordered.
"If I could have your attention," a man called out.
"Too late now," I muttered as Sara and Stein joined us.
"Thank you all for coming. I promise, it will be well worth your time." A man joined him on the stage and turned to us.
"You've got to be kidding me."
"Seems we were wrong about Savage," Stein said. "He's not one of the buyers."
"He's the seller."
"This is a ceriable-yield nuclear warhead, capable of producing a blast equivalent to one megaton of TNT," Savage advertised.
"Shall we begin our bidding at $100 million?" A gunshot went off to start the bidding. "$100 million. Do I hear $105 million?" Another gunshot went off. "$110 million?" Another gunshot. "$115 million?" I noticed Savage start to look the crowd over before landing on us.
"We've been made," I alerted the team staring into his eyes.
"We need to bid," Stein told us. "Fire your gun in the air." Mick did as told.
"That's $125 million," the man on the stage stated.
"Um, what's happening?" Sara asked.
"Going once..."
"It's what's not happening that is the concern," Stein told her.
"Going twice..."
"Nobody else is bidding."
"Sold!"
"Congratulations, Professor," Mick told him. "You just bought yourself a nuclear weapon."
"Well, well." A blonde man in a grey suit approached us. "We seem to have a new player. But you seem a bit academic. How did you get in here and who are you?"
"As of a few seconds ago, I'm a nuclear power," Stein told him.
"Yet I don't know you or your organization, and I know everyone."
"Hey. Back off," Mick warned the blond pushing him away by his shoulder slightly.
"Watch your tone."
"Is there some sort of problem here?" Savage asked coming up to us and getting in Mick's face.
"Yeah, the master race here is starting to bug me," Mick told him.
"We're just gonna get our nuclear warhead and be on our way," Snart tried pushing Mick beside him.
"Not without paying first," the man on the stage reminded us.
"That goes without saying," I said with a smile.
"Once we've validated that the warhead's operational," Stein added and I took a deep breath and had to force the smile to remain on my face. "Personally, I find it highly unlikely that you were able to accumulate enough fissionable material in this era to fashion a workable nuclear device."
"This era?" Savage asked and I sighed.
"Figure of speech," Stein told him. Savage moved onto the stage.
"Change of plans," Savage called to the group. "I'll provide a 25% discount to the organization which brings me the heads of these men."
"You just had to speak up, didn't you Stein?" I asked him.
"Can I burn some stuff now?" Mick asked Snart.
"I wish you would." Mick did just that as Carter and Kendra made themselves known. I joined the fight just using my strength as they shot me. I tried not to use my speed, but I couldn't exactly dodge every bullet shot at me. I looked up to see Snart staring at me for a moment, before another bullet went through my shoulder. I sighed before turning towards the man shooting me and ran to him and snapped his neck.
"Professor, Jax, we need you!" I heard Sara call out as we fought. Firestorm flew through the air then out of the building. While they dealt with the bomb we finished dealing with the goon squad.
"Well, I'm really glad you were the one calling the shots," Ray said sarcastically to Snart as we made our way to the bridge of the ship.
"I had it under control until the Professor started picking fights with the PLO," Snart countered.
"Well, if he hadn't opened his big mouth it might have saved us a bit, but he'd made us before that," I told them.
"You let your ego endanger our entire mission," Carter added.
"No, Mr. Mick's temper got completely out of control-"
"I thought we were friends, Professor."
"At least there's one less nuclear bomb on the planet," Kendra tried bringing the silver lining as we could hear Rip clapping slowly and we all turned to him.
"Here, here. Now you all deserve a hearty congratulations," he told us sarcastically. "Not only did you fail to capture Savage, you exposed yourselves and your powers to him, giving away the element of surprise for now and all time. Well done team."
"We don't need the element of surprise," Carter told us. "We know he's in Norway, so let's find him-"
"Unfortunately, we now have larger problems than Savage," Rip told us. "If only you'd have listened to me about the dangers of upsetting the timeline."
"What are you talking about?" Kendra asked him.
"While you were busy saving Norway from nuclear annihilation-"
"You're welcome, Norway."
"Savage sent one of his cronies back to the site of the arms sale. Anyone care to guess what he found?" Rip asked us.
"Blood, bodies, bullets," I listed off before Ray chimed in.
"Whoops."
"I am unversed in modern American colloquialisms," Gidean told us. "Is "Whoops" slang for "Oh-""
"Yes, Dr. Ray seems to have thrown a spanner in the works for the entire timeline," Rip told us.
"Come again?"
"Armed with Dr. Ray's future technology, Savage's engineers develop a weapon far more destructive than anything here in 1975," Rip told us before changing the hologram from Gidean's head to a city. "This is Central City in 2016. At least it was." The hologram city was completely destroyed and on fire. "At least it was. I'm not so sure what the neo-fascists who took control of it are calling it these days."
"There must be a way to correct this somehow," Stein stammered.
"Fortunately, Gidean is just showing us a forecast of the future you've all created," Rip told us. "Time is like cement. It takes time to become permanent. In this case, until Savage's team have worked out the mystery of your future technology and molded it to their own ends. And when they do, what you see here is no longer just a forcast. This..." he sighed. "This is history."
"So thanks to Raymond leaving a piece of his suit in the past, the rest of us don't have a future to go back to?" Snart asked, trying to make sense and blame all in one sentence.
"Unless we do something to change this course of events, the future will become immutable," Rip told us.
"Exactly how much time do we have?" Ray asked.
"Until Savage's weapons team reverse-engineer your tech," Rip answered.
"We're talking 1970s terrorists with 21st-century weapons," Stein said. "And since we don't know where Savage went-"
"We don't hae to find Savage," Ray said quickly standing up and turning to Stein. "We just have to find the other piece of my suit. Which shrinks becuase it's made of an alloy which mimics intra-molecular compression of dwarf star, thus emitting Alpha Particles."
"So just need to be able to track them," Stein added.
"I miss when my world was all about vampires and werewolves," I sighed running my hand through my hair.
"Fortunately, Alpha Particles are highly trackable."
"Yet unheard of in the 1970s," Ray added. "It's like we're trapped in the Stone Age."
"I'll have you know that I was researching Alpha Particles when you were eating crayons."
"So to track that piece of Raymond's super-suit," Snart started saying. "We just need to talk to..."
"Me," Stein told us. "25-year-old me, rather."
"You two are just in time," Rip told Kendra and Carter as they joined us.
"Show them, Kendra," Carter ordered and she handed over a newspaper article.
"Aldus was carrying this when he was killed." Rip took the piece of paper from her. "It's a newspaper article about an Egyptian dagger."
"The one Savage used to kill us," Carter added.
"So we're shopping for antics now?" I asked them.
"In Central City, we learned that objects associated with the night of our deaths can also be used to kill Savage," Kendra told me and I nodded in understanding.
"According to Aldus's notes, the dagger needs to be wielded in conjunction with an incantation inscribed on it," Carter told us.
"What does this incantation say?" Stein asked him. We followed Carter's gaze to Kendra.
"I don't know," she told us. "I can't read the language." Rip sighed while dropping his hand with the paper in exasperation.
"It's okay," Carter told her. "I'll help you remember."
"Splendid," Rip said looking back down at the article. "Now, as for the dagger..."
"You need someone to steal it," Ray said.
"Okay, fine." Snart snatched the paper from Rip and looked down at it. "Whatever, I'll do it."
"Such an arm twist that one," I joked taking the paper from Snart and looking it over with him looking over my shoulder.
"Article says it was purchased by some rish Russian douche bag named Sasha Mahnoyski," Snart read.
"I think it's time Sasha got a visit, boys." Snart, Mick and I moved towards the hallway.
"I'll go with you," Ray offered.
"I already got partners," Snart told him.
"Who I trust even less than you," Ray told us.
"Ouch."
"Look, you're more than welcome to go with them," Rip told Ray. "Just don't take along any of your future tech." We heard Ray follow us out.
"Why are we on babysitting duty?" I asked Snart.
"Because he's an idiot."
By the time we made it to Sasha's home we hid in the bushes while scouting the house.
"I'm seeing motion detectors on the groud floor," Snart told us. "Hardware on the doors looks standard issue."
"I can't see any smoke alarms," Mick added.
"Just stay close," Snart ordered.
"I saw at least three armed guards on the perimeter," I told Snart. Ray started moving away from us and I stared at him like he was crazy.
"Where the hell are you going?" I asked him.
"I recognize the security system," he told me. "My parents had the exact one."
"Who gets to hit him first?" I asked as we followed him. He opened the box and lifted the panel and started messing with it.
"I'll have the access code cracked and security disabled before you can say "breaking and entering"," Ray told us as he finished and turned to us with a grin on his face. "There. We're in."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Mick told him.
"Why's that?" Ray asked.
"Because you just tapped into a dummy box," Snart told him.
"Which means those guards are gunna be here-"
"Faster than you can say "rookie mistake"." Sure enough, the three armed guards appeared behind the three of us. We raised our hands and we all turned to them before punching them out. "Ha." I laughed at Mick before we went to the real box for the security and went inside.
We made our way though the house before finding a room with six display cases in it.
"Found it." Ray went straight for the case. "Is there a trick to opening the case?" Snart, Mick and I smashed the cases open and looked at all of the trinkets inside.
"Ah."
"What are you doing?" Ray asked shocked. "Let's grab the dagger and let's go."
"Raymond, you don't break into a candy store and steal just one gumball," Snart explained.
"You guys grab the goodies," Mick told us. "I'll find the safe."
"I'm going to look around a bit. Rich asshole's love to collect more than just six beauties." I seperated from the boys and started looking around. I was able to pocket a few things before I heard the alarm and something slam down. I went back to the display room and gave the two idiots in the cage a look.
"We leave you alone for 2 minutes and you can't even get six simple things?" I asked them and Snart gave Ray a look.
"What the hell happened?" Mick asked.
"It was this idiot's fault."
"Your partner's fault."
"You really think we're going to believe you over him?" I asked Ray. "Worst babysitting job ever!"
"I told you we shouldn't have brought him," Mick told Snart.
"Agreed, but we got bigger problems," Snart told him. "I need you two to find the fuse box and-"
"Trigger a system default," Mick finished for him. "This ain't over." He warned Ray before the two of us left to search the house.
Mick and I split up and searched for the fuse box when I heard something from outside. I went to a window trying to see what was going on until I heard the door open.
"Shit!" I started searching for Mick when I saw him with a familiar face behind him.
"Hello," Savage "Sasha" greeted. "How wonderful it is to see a pair of familiar faces."
"I would say the same but your face is awful." He just laughed before pushing the gun into the back of Mick's neck and motioned me forward.
"We got a slight problem," Mick told Snart and Ray as we walked in to the room. "The owner just came home. You're not gonna believe who it is." We rounded the corner to see the boys staring at us confused.
"We meet again," Savage told them. "Oh, I'm grateful for another opportunity to kill you."
"If I had a penny everytime I heard that," I mumbled before Savage shot me in the stomach. I screamed and dropped to my knees with my hands over the still bleeding wound.
"Stop struggling," Savage yelled at Mick. "I've had 4,000 years of training in every hold and pressure point known."
"Well at least you had a hobby to pass the time," I laughed as I stood up. "Damn I hate getting shot." The next thing he hit me with was a knife went through my chest.
When I woke up, I took a deep breathe and did my best to take it as quietly as I could. I pulled the knife out of my chest I looked up at Savage as he picked up an unconcious Mick, who groaned in pain.
"They're taking too long," Savage told them as he cocked his gun and pointed it at Mick's head. "They need an incentive-" There was a blast of fire which pushed him away from the unconsious criminal. We all looked up to see Firestorm standing on the banister staring down at us.
"Oh," Savage sighed staring up at him. "The burning man."
"I don't just burn, pal." Jefferson threw another blast at him and shot him through the wall outside. "I blast things to." Jefferson looked down at me and Mick. "Hey, you okay?"
"I'm pissed," Mick informed him.
"Get in line," I told him the three who saw me die stared at me. "I'll explain on the ship."
"Stand back." Jefferson aimed his next blast at the bars holding Snart and Ray. We walked outside to see the rest of the team walking up to join us. "It's okay, Savage is down."
"Savage is not defeated by earthly means," Carter told him.
"Well, I hit him with a nuclear blast," Jefferson told him. "So, you know, not that earthly." Snart handed the knife to Carter who took it.
"Go get that son of a bitch."
"Are you ready to end this?" Carter asked Kendra.
"We've only been waiting 4,000 years," she told him before they both took off.
"We got company." We looked behind Sara and Rip to see men running up to us. Rip dug in his pockets and held out Ray's suit to him.
"You'll be needing this." Rip told him. Ray went to grab it, but Rip took it back. "Don't leave any pieces of it behind this time." Ray gave him a look before taking the suit back. We went and started fighting the men who decided to help Savage. We handled them quickly enough, and I got my fill of killing them before we went back to Kendra and Carter to see Savage standing over Kendra next to a dead Carter. Ray shot him back away from her as Rip checked Carter's pulse.
"He's dead," I told him softly.
"He's lost," Rip repeated. "Get Kendra before Savage recovers."
"I say let him recover," I told him. "I owe him a death and a bullet."
"Come on, we can still kill this bastard," Snart told him.
"Kendra is the only one who can," Rip reminded us.
"We gotta go," Ray told us. "Kendra needs medical attention." The rest of the team began to leave as men started running towards us shouting. I turned to them and growled and started going towards them when I felt an hand on my arm. I turned my head towards Snart to see him staring at me. I couldn't see his eyes through his goggles, but I could see my reflection in them. Golden eyes with with black veins going towards them. I followed him and ran towards the ship right behind Mick.
"Gideon, get us underway," Rip ordered as soon as he was close enough for her to hear him. "As soon as Firestorm and the Atom are onboard." Rip turned to Mick who was holding Kendra. "Get her to the MedBay now." The door closed as soon we were all onboard and we ran for the bridge except for Ray and Rip who ran for the MedBay. Gideon had gotton us away from the shooting and to a safer area before landing and camouflaging us.
I was in the MedBay getting the bullet out of my stomach wearing only my bra when I heard someone walk in and took a deep breathe as I removed the bullet.
"I hate getting shot," I told Snart turning to him with the bullet in my bloody hand. "It requires some maintence if they don't go all the way through."
"You were dead."
"I've been dead a couple times over the last year," I told him dropping the bullet in the tray next to me and wiping off my hand. "You'll have to be more specific." He just gave me the classic Leonard Snart stare. "When I killed that guy, you remember the security guy who was trying to stop us on that last job."
"Your first kill." I nodded.
"That's how the curse works," I told him. "The werewolf curse that runs in the family. When we take human life it activates and once a month we turn into wolves." His eyes gave nothing away. "It's not just me. I have a whole pack to take care of back home. Parents even arranged a marriage when I was born to Jackson, the son of the alphas of another pack. Or the same pack, I never understood that completely. Four months after my first transition into a wolf, I met a guy who was a a wolf with a curse of his own. He helped me control my famous anger issues," Snart snorted in laughter, I hope, remembering all the screaming matches I got into with his dad, him, and Lisa over the years. "Last year, he got a girl pregnant, which was a shock to all of us considering he'd been dead for 1,000 years, but hey, first time for everything. Much longer story slightly shorter: I died with his blood in my system and I came back. The only way to really kill me is to remove my heart or my head."
"So you're some sort of werewolf hybrid," he stated and I nodded. I still couldn't tell what he was thinking and I was starting to get antsy. "What's the other half?"
"Vampire." He walked up to me and looked down at my fully healed stomach. Or the non-stab wound my chest should have. "As fun as it is being on half display like this, can I put my shirt back on now?" He looked back into my eyes and backed up. I grabbed my shirt from the chair I'd placed it on and put it back on.
"So you can't die."
"I can, but it's not for too long. Like you saw tonight."
"And you're the only one of your kind."
"The man who found me is like me. So if the mother of his child, my cousin, as I learned," I told him. "Their's at least one other, but he's not important so."
"Your heart and head."
"If you really wanted to kill me, yes. That gun would probaly do the trick," I nodded to the ice gun on his thigh. "So, you gunna kill me?" He just shrugged his shoulders and turned to leave.
"How's Kendra?" Stein asked as he and Rip joined us on the bridge after their little road trip to who knows where.
"The same," Sara told him.
"So what now?" Jefferson asked Rip for all of us.
"Now?" Rip asked. "Now it's up to you."
"To do what, Rip?" Snart asked him sharply. "Last I checked, every time we try to do anything, it all goes to crap."
"Oh, once again I must disagree with you," Rip told him. "Thanks to Miss Lance, Dr. Palmer's future technology is no longer in the hands of Vandal Savage's black market weapons designers."
"But it didn't do anything to change the fate of your world," Stein reminded him.
"No," Rip sighed. "Vandal Savage will still rise to power in the year 2166."
"And your family will still die?" Jefferson asked him and he nodded.
"So what you're really asking is, do we want to fish or cut bait?" Snart asked him. "Return to 2016 and live out the rest of our lives as insignificant losers or-"
"Make another play at becoming legends," Ray finished for him. "Figure out how to end Savage and save the world."
"Preferable, without causing any more nuclear explosions," Stein added and I snorted lightly in laughter.
"Savage has my attention," Mick told Rip.
"Look, we didn't know Carter from Adam," Snart said rising from his seat. "But if you take out one of my crew, you better pay the price."
"We're pack," I added gaining everyone's attention. "Savage killed a member of this pack. He's made it personal."
"Surely Captain Hunter has a sound plan," Stein said and we all looked at Rip who nodded. "What about you?" Stein asked Jefferson.
"You're asking me?"
"I didn't give you much of a coice the first time, did I?"
"Well, I say we kick Savage's ass," Jefferson him. "For Carter."
"For Carter." We all said.
"So, Captain, where are we going next?" Rip smirked and looked us all over before nodding.