Nate plopped the amulet down as he said, "What's with bad guys and ancient amulets?"
"Any idea why Darhk wants this," Ray asked, looking at Sara.
"He told me that he was a collector of ancient relics," I added from where I was perched on the arm of Mick's chair.
I frowned as Sara rolled her eyes at me, "All I know is, it's never a good idea when your nemesis starts accessorizing," she said as she stopped pacing.
"And he's teamed up with a Speedster."
Amaya looked up confused, "What's a Speedster?"
Ray answered her and explained the relevance, "Someone with super speed. That's how Darhk escaped."
"The energy of the Speed Force grants the Speedster Chronokinesis, temporal manipulation," Stein science.
Mick grunted, "English, Professor."
Sara broke it down for the less scientifically inclined, "It means that his running real fast lets him time travel."
"I'll be in my room," Mick responded, nearly knocking me off my perch as he got up.
Sara spoke as Mick left, handing out orders, "Martin, I need you to gather everything you can on Speedsters. And Nate's right... This amulet looks a lot like the one we recovered off the Nazis. There's got to be a connection."
I spoke up linking the two together, "I think it's probably safe to assume that it's this speedster that wants the amulets and not Darhk."
"Let me guess, I'm on library duty," Nate sighed as he backed out of the study.
"What's with the face?" I asked Nate as I joined him, Ray, Sara, and Amaya in the library.
Nate sighed, "I-I just thought, becoming a superhero, I would spend less time in the library than my old job. That's all."
"Well, research skills are a kind of superpower. And you can turn to steel. So you got two," Ray said sardonically to Nate's incredulous face.
"Saved by the Aberration," Nate cried joyfully as the aberration tracker started beeping.
"Oh, what's the Trouble Alert say," Ray cheered.
"Look, I told you, don't call it that," Sara reprimanded Ray as she sat down.
Nate read off the tracker's report, "The timequake's epicenter is Liberty, Colorado, 1874."
I leaned over the back of Sara's chair as Ray cheered, "Hah! Back to the Wild West."
Nate leaned against the table as he asked, "You guys were in the Old West?"
"Yeah, town made me a Sheriff."
"That's cool," Nate said offhandedly.
"Not really, considering the old sheriff decided to go awol," I snorted at Ray.
Sara leaned forward to stand as she started speaking, "All right, well, Chloe and I will go tell Jax and Stein. Who wants to tell Rory?"
"Not it." Ray and Nate chimed in unison before quickly walking out.
Amaya looked between where they had been standing, "What," she asked. She looked at Sara and I just before we moved past her to leave. "Okay. I'll do it." I heard her say peevishly.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Guys, I think my, uh, horse is broken," Nate yelled as he managed to get his horse to stop.
"Where's the Professor," Mick asked Jax.
"Uh, he's feeling a little off," Jax explained.
"More whiskey for me," Mick cheered.
We heard yelling in the distance, "Sounds like a commotion of some kind," Amaya said looking at Sara.
"Hold back, let's get a better look," Sara said before she got off her horse. We all dismounted and followed behind her into the brush.
Looking out of the bushes we saw three men jeering at a man on a horse with a noose around his neck. "Ah, it's a hanging," Mick said enthusiastically.
"Is that Hex," Sara said as she peered through a telescope.
Amaya spoke confused, "You know that man?"
"We got to help him," Sara said, ignoring Amaya's question.
Jax nodded his head, "Well, we got to take his crew out first."
"They look armed," Ray said, stating the obvious.
"Don't worry, guys. I got this," Nate said before he moved to go intervene.
Ray looked after him surprised, "What?"
"Well, I guess we're not going for subtlety anymore," I said leaning in between Sara and Amaya.
Sara cocked her shotgun, muttering, "Hold still, Hex." She fired the gun hitting the rope holding Hex.
"Nice shot," Mick said appreciatively. We all moved forwards to join Nate and Hex as Nate drove off the rest of the bandits.
"Where is everybody," Jax asked as we walked through the near deserted town.
Hex explained in his growly voice, "Ever since Turnbull set up shop 'bout six months ago, everyone's been run out of town or made to work in the mine."
Mick perked up, "Mine? What kind of mine? Gold?"
"Hell if I know."
Nate geeked out still excited by his first trip to the Old West, "Nobody's been mining for gold through these parts for half a century. Listen to me, 'these parts'... I sound like I'm a cowboy."
"Well, he's pulling something out of the ground that's making him rich…" Ray said, pointing out, "Turnbull also owns the saloon."
Hex went on, "The hotel, the laundry... and the whorehouse. Turnbull's got an office above the saloon. It's also got about a dozen men making sure nobody gets close to him," he detailed the set up in town.
"I think I know how we can. Mick. Why don't you mosey on in there? Have yourself a good time," Sara said, tossing Mick a wad of cash.
"If you insist," Mick said as he palmed the cash. He wrapped his arm around me to tow me in with him, "We've got some drinking to do."
Mick pulled me with him to the bar, "Two shots," Mick told the bartender as he slammed down some money. He made eye contact with Amaya and corrected himself, "Make it three."
The bartender looked at Amaya's exasperated expression and asked, "You're with him?"
I laughed as she sighed, "Unfortunately."
I turned to look at Mick as I grabbed my shot, "are you trying to find out how many people we can meet that can drink you under a table? Cause if you are I think she could," I said, shooting a smile at Amaya. She just looked back at me with the most put upon look ever.
Mick cheered after he flipped the card he had just been dealt revealing an ace, "Oh!"
I sipped my beer and leaned back against the piano as the dealer deadpanned, "Another blackjack." I wondered how much longer Mick would be able to get away with cheating the dealer.
"Must be my lucky day," Mick smirked.
I heard Amaya rebuke Mick as she leaned forwards, "You're cheating."
"I'm winning," Mick told her before taking a shot. He picked up his winnings giving a note to the saloon girl over his shoulder, "Sweetheart, that's for you. I'll see you around." He got up moving towards the bar, he slammed a note down on the piano next to me, "Piano man. Play something else. I've had more fun at a funeral. Bartender! And who might you be," he asked the guy next to him at the bar after he had another shot.
"Name's Turnbull," the guy said.
I slipped into the seat Mick had abandoned, "looks like the plans working," I told Amaya before I sipped my beer. We watched as they had a tense conversation. Amaya looked away when Mick took out his lighter and burned one of the bills he had won waving it in Turnbull's face before letting it float to the ground.
"Chloe, Amaya, what's going on in there," Sara asked over the comm line.
Amaya answered mournfully, "You wanted Rory to start a fight. I'd say your plan's working."
We watched eventually moving over to the bar as Mick and Turnbull started to get along, "Well, I don't think anyone saw that coming," I said to Amaya jokingly, to her consternation.
"Amaya, Chloe, it's been forever, what the hell is going on in there," Sara called frustrated.
"Your plan's caught something of a snag," Amaya said as she poured herself another shot.
"Explain," Sara demanded.
"Mick's having fun," I laughed.
I reached for the bottle as Amaya answered Sara seriously, "Well, it's hard to... but Mr. Rory and Mr. Turnbull... Like each other," I pouted as Amaya pulled the bottle from my reach as she looked at me reproachfully.
"What? What happened to Rory starting a fight," Sara said confused.
"I think it's more likely that him and Turnbull get matching tattoos," Amaya told Sara before she downed her shot. "Sara, what do you want us to do," she asked for the both of us as she surrendered the bottle.
Sara called vexed, "Brace yourself."
I downed my shot, "brace ourselves for what," I said as I turned to look towards Mick and Turnbull. "Nevermind," I said seeing Hex walk in, I nudged Amaya to look.
"Turnbull," Hex shouted once he stepped fully into the saloon.
"Well, if it ain't the great Jonah Hex, himself," Turnbull laughed at Hex's entrance, "Whoo, you got quite a pair to walk into my establishment like this. You're like a cockroach. Hard to kill."
Hex spoke decisively, "I'm taking you in. Alive or dead. Your choice."
"I choose... dead!" Turnbull's word worked as a codeword making all his men pull their weapons, "Actually, Jonah... I'm glad you decided to pay me this little visit. You see, I've been working on a little something. It seems that ore that I discovered... Well, it's got special qualities," he said before he loaded his gun and pointed it. As he shot Sara stormed in throwing off his aim when she struck him with a whip.
The explosion from his bullet spurred everyone into motion, the saloon descended into chaos. "Let's party," Mick cheered as he whipped out his gun and threw himself into the fight.
We fought our way out of the saloon retreating to duck behind a stack of barrels. Jax, Nate, and Ray ran up to us ducking down with us, Jax asked, "Why do you guys get to have all the fun?"
Nate explained where they had been, "We just got back from Turnbull's mine."
Ray added to Nate's statement, quickly filling in their findings, "The reason for the Aberration? He's digging up dwarf star."
"Get back to the ship," Sara yelled as Turnbull walked out reloading his gun.
He fired, hitting the stack of barrels just as we moved away from them. He yelled as the barrels exploded, "That's right, run, you yellow-bellied cowards!"
We kept moving as he fired again hitting another stack of barrels we ran behind, "Finally! Some excitement" Mick said excitedly as he ran out to fire at Turnbulls men.
Sara yanked me behind her as we heard, Amaya yell, "Mick, no."
Nate, Jax, Ray, and I sat astride our horses looking at the train moving down the rails. "There's our train," Nate said.
"Loaded with enough dwarf star to punch a hole in a mountain and cut off the pass to the East," Ray said, reminding us of the problem.
"How do we stop a moving locomotive," Jax asked seriously.
"We don't. I do. I think. Yah," Nate said before he spurred his horse into motion racing to meet the train.
"So what do you think," Jax asked Ray and I.
"I think I liked him," Ray said.
I scoffed, "I think he's going to get himself killed without some help." I sighed before urging my horse on quickly followed by Jax and Ray.
"Nate, what are you doing, man? Hold on," Jax said as we raced forwards trying to catch up to Nate. I quickly gave up on catching up to Nate deciding to change course. I launched myself off my horse and rocketed into the air, racing towards the train I landed on the roof steadying myself I reached for my power, shaping it I pushed it into the train. I pulled hard trying to slow the train down, I could feel the train's speed start to give way under my power.
I vaguely heard Nate over the comms, "Okay. I'm in position."
"And out of your mind!" Jax yelled at him over the line, "You couldn't even stop a bullet made with that stuff. That train is loaded with dwarf star, man!" I ignored them as I refocused on the train, I poured more power into it, I could tell I wouldn't be able to stop it completely but I could slow it down enough so it hopefully wouldn't kill Nate on impact. I felt the moment the train hit Nate, I felt as Nate's strength added to the resistance my power was creating forcing the train to slow faster.
When the train finally stopped I lifted off a little unsteadily and flew towards the front. I surveyed the damage to the rail as I landed by Nate at the front of the train. Nate whooped as Ray and Jax rode up to us, "Did you see that? Did you see that? Tell me you saw that."
I walked over to Ray and let him help me up behind him on his horse. "Yo, that was badass, dude," Jax told Nate as he leaned forwards over the front of his saddle.
"Totally badass," Ray cheered him on before asking, "You all right?"
"No. But I stopped a train," Nate shouted as he laughed hysterically.
"I think he's good," Jax laughed. Looking at me then Ray, he asked, "should we tell him…"
"Nah," I said, "we can let him have it," I laughed, happy that Nate was starting to build a place for himself in the team. Maybe just maybe he'll make a nice addition to the pack. Then there's Amaya, she's stubbornly trying to keep her distance, I wonder how hard it will be to break her walls down.
We all laughed as Nate kept cheering, "Whoo! I stopped a train!"
