Earth 481
Rip Hunter, Kendra thought, had a problem. It was not the first occasioned on which that had occurred to her, but now it was beginning to impact on their mission here. Glancing at Carter's face, she could see it was also on his mind. Her partner, she realised, would have activated his breach device and gone to get the help they needed - if he'd known where on the other Earth he needed to go to.
Rip Hunter, the Time Master, didn't really have a problem. He'd seen countless strange things in his travels. He'd chosen his original team for their specific - in some cases unusual/frightening - skills. Rip Hunter, the writer, had unconsciously drawn on those experiences to be a success in his chosen profession. But Rip Hunter had never really got over the fear and resentment he felt towards his aunt - who had been a pretty awful person, Kendra realised.
Carter had suggested, more than once. ''We could really use Snart's help right now.''
Rip sort of grunted and said ''Perhaps later.'' Which probably meant 'Never'.
On the last occasion, Carter had ground out ''When? When they actually start shooting at each other?''
Whatever reply Rip might have made was interrupted by an actual near-fight breaking out between two of the delegates. They had been separated by their companions, but an Avianoid male was shouting.
''One of us has been murdered! Ariele Clan Peregrine! My kinswoman! Clan Peregrine demands justice!''
A ground-dweller snarled at him. ''So you'll kill some of us - whether they had something to do with it or not?''
''Order! Silence! Order!' an elderly Avianoid was roaring, in a surprisingly powerful voice. He was overseeing the discussion - apparently being the only one both sides would trust. Gradually things quietened down. '' No one'' he continued in a loud voice '' will be dealt with without proof of guilt. ''
''They cover their tracks'' the Clan Peregrine male grumbled, drawing a hard look from his companion.
Kendra looked across the assembled gathering, picking out the woman who they suspected was the real cause of this. General Laurel Lance, wearing ground-dweller style clothing, was standing with two of her soldiers. The other woman's face wore an expression of concern, but Kendra had the feeling she was se really enjoying the argument. Unfortunately, they were restrained by the rules of the Gathering from taking her on.
Morris had told them what he knew about this Earth. Greenworld had had no humanoid or other technology-developing species. This Earth had two - and they didn't get on very well. Carter, Rip and she had posed as iterant traders, members of the ground-dwelling human species, which was how they came to be present in the aftermath of this Ariele's murder and the destruction of extensive and - so she gathered - rather highly valued fruit orchards.
The other species - the Avianoids - fascinated her with their mixture of human and bird characteristics. Morris had summed them up in two words 'sophisticated' and 'dangerous'. Unfortunately he was once again proving to be right. The latter trait was coming to the fore at the moment. Murmurs in the crowd indicated a ground-swell of anger, that might well boil over. If she judged the mood of the ground-dwellers rightly, many of them would have liked to settle this physically as well. And no doubt Lance would do all she could to stir the pot. Even as that went through Kendra's mind, she saw the other woman speak quietly to her two attendants. Whatever she told them caused them to head off in different directions. As they were making their way slowly through the crowd, they spoke to various ground-dwellers. She'd sent them to provoke trouble.
Carter nudged Kendra's arm and, when she turned to look at him, it was obvious he was aware of Lance's plan too. They were going to have to do something.
The fight broke out a bare five minutes later. It was not clear what had immediately triggered it but it was spreading rapidly through the gathering. The elderly Avianoid sent Marshalls to try to get things back under control. He had come down from the dais and, to an extent, was able to use his authority to calm things down. But the fight was turning into a riot, with it's own momentum. On the other side of the gathering, Lance had joined the fray.
''Let's get out of here!'' Rip shouted, before starting to try and push his way through the struggling individuals that surrounded him. Someone punched him - a ground-dweller no less - but he turned away rather than getting into the fight.
Carter looked at Kendra, who nodded. They did what they'd privately planned to do if something like this happened. They both leapt into the air, their wings carrying them above the level of the spreading fight.
Below everyone stopped fighting. There was sudden, absolute silence. No one here had seen anything like them before.
