Chapter 5:
Sara and Laurel found themselves looking around, just trying to take in the fact that they were actually standing inside of an actual time ship. No one could make a prank this elaborate. Could they?
Anyway, Laurel stayed a little bit back from Sara. Being a little slower wanting to fully absorb all the details.
Rip had walked far ahead, while the rest of the team also was taking in the surroundings. Ray was the first to pipe up. "Whoa! I bet it uses ionic propulsion."
"I doubt that very much given that even advanced technology wouldn't be able to sustain an ionic reaction." Stein had suggested. Walking alongside him.
"Well it's possible if you stabilize the quantum flux. You know we actually covered this before Professor Stein when I was your student many moons ago. Perhaps, you remember my paper on sub-space field mechanics?" Ray really seemed to care if Stein remembered him for some reason, why else mention a paper you wrote and all that really?
"I don't remember you Mister Palmer." And in that one line Stein took the smile right off of Ray's face. Sara walking behind them could see it all and would be lying if she didn't admit she was happy at how that had just gone for Ray and his too happy all the time to be real attitude.
"Oh…it's actually Doctor Palmer and I was in your quantum theory class. You gave me an A-."
"I must have been feeling generous." And even from the back of the pack Laurel could only chuckle to herself at how badly Ray had just been burned.
As they rounded the corner one decided to pipe up and talk to Sara. Laurel watched from behind always ready to jump in as any protective sister would when surrounded by a group of stranger. Especially when that group contained at least a couple criminals.
"I consider myself to be a broad minded individual but this is a lot to take in." Oddly he said all that while holding his chin with his hand trying to play himself up as being a guy too cool to be rattled by anything. The look on Sara's face though made it clear just how much she cared if he was "cool" or not.
"And why are you telling me this?" Sara really was not in the mood to a meet and greet with anyone at this point, and really just kind of hoped this guy would walk away when he realized she wasn't interested.
"You're the only other person on this boat who isn't a super genius, high profile snooty lawyer, or reincarnated freak show." Now Laurel just wanted to hit him for her own reason rather than out of protectiveness at this point.
"Actually I was dead for a year." Laurel was surprised Sara had said that wasn't sure she was ready to just be sharing that with just anyone but apparently she was.
"Hey I'm just trying to make conversation." He didn't even flinch at her comment just kept on going like Sara hadn't just admitted to something that should be too impossible to even be true. Though they had all just signed up to time travel so maybe it isn't all that relatively impossible anyway.
"Yeah I could tell by the way you were staring at my ass." And with that Sara turned and walked away followed by a very proud Laurel who may have given a "that's right" look to as she passed him to catch up to Sara.
As everyone trickled into the bridge, they were met by Mick Rory who had carried the kid known as Jax onto the ship. He was still passed out but now in a seat, and Mick was very eager to find out from the Professor what exactly he had roofied the kid with, though he very quickly denied giving him anything at all.
"I have never seen anything like this before." Kendra was awe struck by how amazing the time ship was.
"Neither have I, and considering I have 4,000 years' worth of memories, that's saying something." Carter added (Oliver had given Laurel and Sara some more details about this Vandal Savage guy and Kendra and Carter as well before the agreed to do this whole thing).
"Is it just me or is this place huge? Like the bridge is bigger than the entire floor at my office." Laurel was finally starting to let it sink in what they were signing up for and where exactly they found themselves standing at the minute.
"How does a vessel of this size function without a crew?" Of course the Professor would ask such a specific question like that when everyone else is just awe struck that they are in a "vessel" at all.
"I don't need one. I have Gideon." Not a second after Rip says that the console in the middle of the bridge flashes and above it appears a blue holographic head of all things. Sara and Laurel look at each other wondering how this was their life. And then the hologram spoke.
"Welcome aboard. I am Gideon, an interactive artificial consciousness programmed to operate this vessel's critical systems and aid Captain Hunter in his mission." Well, after that Laurel picked her jaws up off the floor because that had indeed just happened, but Sara was still unsure and couldn't shake the uneasy feeling she still had. It wasn't the bloodlust though she could feel that under the surface like she always could but she was determined not to be caught off guard she was going to protect her sister on this journey no matter what so she had to be on alert at all times.
"Captain?" Snart said not quite sure he had signed up to be under someone else's thumb.
"Gideon's been working on helping me locate Vandal Savage." Rip said while making sure to communicate through his eyes to Snart that indeed he was the Captain of this vessel.
"I thought you said he's pretty active in the 22nd century." Ray said as to say it should be pretty easy to find him then.
The professor was quick to correct Ray though by pointing out that engaging Vandal Savage at the height of his power was probably not the best strategy for the team.
"Indeed." Rip confirmed. "Unfortunately, Savage has kept his movements hidden throughout history. Not even Gideon can determine where or when we can find him."
Great this was all starting to sound like a wild goose chase to Laurel she was hoping this would be able to give her sister purpose but it won't work if they are just taking shots in the dark trying to find this guy.
"But I have the next best thing…" Rip continued trying to reassure everyone. "…the man who can. Professor Aldus Boardman. Professor Boardman is the world's leading—well, only—expert on Vandal Savage."
Geez I wonder why? Sara thought to herself, wondering if this all was actually happening or still just a cruel joke being played on all of them.
"We're going to pay him a little visit." Rip didn't appear to be joking.
"Course plotted for St. Roch, New Orleans. October 17, 1975."
Carter had repeated the address inquisitively, maybe he had been there before. Didn't matter really, but Sara and Laurel both knew that if they actually traveled to 1975 then this was the real deal and they would be an amazing adventure together.
"I suggest you all strap yourselves in. Temporal navigation isn't something one wants to be standing up for." With that Sara and Laurel took their seats next to each other and pulled down the mechanism to hold them in the seats.
"It's like a rollercoaster." Laurel said.
"I remember you hating rollercoasters and making me go on them by myself." Sara pointed out.
"You always wanted to go on the ones that had like three loops in them and had the biggest drops."
"And what do you think flying through time is going to be like, a kiddy ride?"
"Oh shut up you meany, I'll be fine."
"Time travel. Cool." Some of the more profound words out of Mick Rory so far.
"Some of you may experience some slight discomfort. In very rare instances there will be some, uh, bleeding from the eyeballs." Rip kind of mumbled the last few words hoping no one would notice them.
"I'm sorry what?" Kendra was not going to let him slide on that one.
Rip pressed the button on his chair and the whole ship began to move and whir.
"The human body is used to time unfolding linearly." Rip said trying to gloss over it a bit.
Jax started to wake up as the ship was taking off.
"Jackson, I'm so glad you're awake. I didn't want you to miss this." Professor Stein said exhilaration written all over his face.
"Miss what?" Jax said still groggy and waking up. Then as he looked around he was suddenly fully awake wanting to know what in the heck was going on, and trying to get out of his seat.
"Oh, no, I wouldn't unfasten those if I were you." Rip advised Jax.
"Get me off this—whatever this thing is!" And Jax was not kidding.
"Good luck explaining this." Sara said to Stein now understanding fully the circumstances that had brought the kid onto the ship.
"I did him a favor." Stein said with no signs of regret.
"He doesn't look all that grateful." Snart chimed in.
"Just hang on and remain calm. All your worlds are about to change." And with that Rip through a lever forward and the ship lunged sending them off to 1975.