Note: And so Chloe's journey begins.
Formating notes:
Gideon
Thoughts
How did the council meeting go Captain Hunter?
"Exactly as expected, Gideon."
So we are proceeding?
"Indeed. Prepare the Waverider for takeoff. Set a course. United States. Star City. January, 2016."
Ah, the early second millennium A.D. The golden age of gasoline engines, online pornography, and those silly little smartphones. What are we going to retrieve, Captain.
"Oh, not what. Who. I need you to pull up some files, Gideon. The nine men and women who'll be joining us on our little crusade."
You usually prefer to work alone, Captain.
"This time, I'll need a team."
Star City
"First recruit: Dr. Raymond Palmer. Alpha. Also known as the Atom."
Tibet
"Next recruit: Sara Lance. Alpha, Former member of the League of Assassins, also formerly dead."
Pittsburgh
"Firestorm, the merged super-form of Betas Jefferson Jackson and Professor Martin Stein."
St. Roch
"Kendra Saunders Alpha and Carter Hall Beta. The latest reincarnations of Hawkman and Hawkgirl."
Central City
There seems to be an error, Captain. These candidates Beta Leonard Snart and Alpha Mick Rory, are a pair of criminals.
"There's no error, Gideon."
Gotham
"Last recruit, Chloe Kane. Omega and one of the world's most powerful magic users to date."
Blinking up at the night sky, I vaguely registered that I was no longer at the Sigma house but on some random rooftop. Registering movement on my left I turned my head to see I was one of nine people laying in a line and the only person I even vaguely recognized was Sara Lance. Coming into full awareness we all started standing up.
"Aah. What a headache!" said the scruffiest among us and if I was scenting him right an alpha.
"Stein? What the hell are you doing here?" came from the weirdo beta wearing a full winter coat in the warm weather.
"I'm as ignorant as you, for once." responded the old beta.
"Where are we?" a sensible response from resurrection girl.
"How did we get here?" another good question from yours truly.
"Why don't you ask the dude who knocked us out and kidnapped us? British dude with a flashy thing? Ring any bells?" piped in the beta who looked closest to me age wise.
"The name's Rip Hunter. I'm from East London. Oh, and the future." chimed in the brit who had apparently kidnapped us all. Did he just say he was from the future?
"Nice to meet you, Rip." came scruffy while reaching towards his side.
"I'm sorry, did he just say the future?" I voiced my thoughts aloud.
"Uh, while you were incapacitated, I may have tampered with your weapons." the brit said looking to the side a bit. "I've assembled you all because I need your help. The future of the world is in peril because of a man by the name of Vandal Savage."
"That can't be. We destroyed him." came from a weird squirrely looking beta.
"Yeah, the Green Arrow and Flash helped us do it," added the alpha woman next to him.
"And therein lay the problem. Unless you or Mr. Hall delivers the death blow, savage can be restored from but a single cell." Mr brit seemed to have a comeback to everything.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Vandal is immortal. Kendra and I reincarnate."
"Yeah, I've done that."
I shook my head, "Reincarnation and resurrection, messy business always."
"What the hell does this Randall guy got to do with us?" A very pertinent question from mcscruffy.
"Vandal. In the future, he will employ the evil he's perfected over his long life, and the power he has amassed throughout history, to finally conquer the world. I've been tasked with assembling an elite team to stop him." I could tell that was a lie.
"How?" Questioned Sara.
"To travel through time. To capture Savage before he grows into the monster he becomes."
"You got the wrong guy. 'Hero' ain't on my resume." came from the winter coat.
"Or mine." said McScruffy.
"I know it's difficult for you to fathom, but where - when I'm from, the year 2166, you and everyone on this roof aren't just considered heroes … You're legends." That bit about legends was also a lie but obviously I was the only one who picked up on it.
"Legends?"
"I, um, I hate to nitpick, but doesn't a legend have to be dead?"
"Yeah, see, uh, that's the deal breaker for me, so I'm gonna pass."
"It's dangerous for any of you to know too much about your own futures, but I am here because each of you, as individuals, is destined for greatness."
"I could get behind that."
"And because if you don't follow me, this is what is in store for your world 150 years from now." Mr Brit flicked to life a holograph that showed a world filled with devastation. "I could have chosen any time and any place. Of all the people who ever lived, I choose you nine. I certainly hope that you won't let me, and the world down. If your answer is yes meet me at this address in 36 hours."
"How do we know you aren't a liar?"
"I guess you just have to trust me." Trust I don't think so but maybe.
I slipped off the elevator hoping that everyone was already asleep, I turned to head straight for my room. "Ahem," came from the couch looking over, I saw my sister staring at me with an intense look in her eyes. "Where have you been? Mom and dad have been calling you for hours."
"My phone died." I responded.
"Your phone died, is that the best you can do? Chloe we're all worried. When you came back to Gotham we thought you were doing better. Instead you're rarely home, you practically live at the Sigma house down at Hudson, and when you do come home you're practically falling through the door."
I deflated, "I know, I came back to Gotham because I wanted to try, but I can barely stand to be anywhere in the city."
"Maybe you should move somewhere else, somewhere not Gotham at least until living in Gotham isn't unbearable. I mean the constant partying isn't sustainable and it isn't healthy."
"I got an invite to travel with a group for a while. The only thing is I'd have to leave tomorrow."
"Travel where?"
"Everywhere." I paused "I think I'm going to go." I needed to get away from Gotham and I needed to stop avoiding my problems.
I rode into the lot where whoever decided to come was supposed to meet noticing most everyone was already here. I got off my bike and gravitated towards Sara, the most familiar face, "Hey, Sara," I nodded at her.
"So you decided to do this too?" She chuckled.
"Yeah I guess so. I mean I haven't really got anything else to do." We all briefly and awkwardly introduced ourselves.
Noticing a convertible pulling into the lot the seven of us moved towards the old guy getting out.
"Professor! This is the place," called winter coat I mean Snart.
"I think we're being punked. Do people still say 'punked'?" Ray the boyscout alpha said.
Sara quickly shot him down, "No"
"I see your buddy threw himself a going-away party." Carter noted, pointing towards the Beta passed out in the car.
"Yes, I believe he drank something that didn't quite agree with him." The professor responded a little questionably, something was definitely off there.
"You don't look too happy to be here." Snart comments looking at Kendra.
"Perceptive." came her sarcastic reply.
"Well, I see you've all decided to come. Well then, we can be on our way." Brit sorry Rip said unceremoniously.
"I ain't footing it anywhere." Snart said.
"A Time Master's sacred charge is to do no harm to the timeline. Can you imagine what a timeship would look like in say Victorian England?"
"Holographic indigenous camouflage projection." the professor said with awe in his voice as a huge ship appeared from nowhere.
I rolled my eyes, "You could have just said it was cloaked."
"Indeed. It's called the Waverider. It's been my ship for over a decade. Shall we." Rip headed towards the ship and we all followed, the professor asked Mick to carry the sleeping kid from his car. We all filtered into the ship and wandered off in different directions to explore the ship a little.
"How does a vessel of this size function without a crew?"
"I don't need one. I have Gideon."
Welcome aboard. I am Gideon, an interactive artificial consciousness programmed to operate this vessel's critical systems and aid Captain Hunter in his mission.
After the computer introduced itself Rip talked a little about some professor in the seventies that could help us find this Savage guy. We all took seats on the ship's bridge and strapped in before the ship started moving and off through time we went, that has to be the weirdest thing anyone can ever do. "All your worlds are about to change." Yeah no kidding.
We came out in October of 1975, and my head was spinning, I could barely keep myself from puking. I felt like I was on the bad side of the worst hangover ever, I tried standing up and stumbled over thin air. The boyscout, Ray, caught me before I could fall on my ass, he sniffed lightly over my head scenting my omega scent unique in this crew.
"Oh, I should have mentioned it before. Nausea is one of the side effects of time travel, along with... Aah! Vertigo." Rip said the asshole could've warned us.
The professor interjected worriedly, "I can't see."
"And temporary blindness. Oh, it should only last a minute. After all, that was a mere jaunt. The further back in time you go, the worse the side effects. Better?" A mere jaunt he says I can't believe the side effects could get much worse.
"It's all relative."
"Good."
I leaned against the side of my seat as the now conscious kid, I suppose his name is Jefferson, was pissed whisper yelling at the professor, "I can't believe you kidnapped me. Hey, I want to go home." He directed towards Rip. Kidnapping, Oh so the professor has balls.
"Good news, then. 2016 will be around in, uh, 41 years." I chuckled under my breath at Rip's reply, still a little dizzy but no less amused by Jefferson's conundrum.
"Now, you four, feel free to make yourselves comfortable back here on the ship, while the rest of you are coming with me to find Professor Boardman." Rip said pointing towards Sara, Snart, Mick, and I. We all looked at each other in disbelief.
Mick was the first to speak, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. You're benching us?"
"I thought we were a team." Sara added.
"And already this so-called team is off to a fantastic start," I snarkily added my thoughts to the mix.
"This mission doesn't require your particular skill sets. Yet." Rip replied.
"Meaning you don't need anyone killed, maimed, or robbed." Snart said, boiling down four people's skills in three words.
"Precisely."
Ray tried to whisper to Rip, "Sure it's a good idea to leave these two unsupervised on a time machine?" Shocking the boyscout sees things in black and white.
"What are Sara and I minced meat?" I said, as my nausea finally settled, vaguely affronted at being disregarded so easily.
"Hey, haircut! Deafness wasn't one of the side effects." Mick said obviously insulted by Ray's preconception.
Rip ignored Ray's question, "We better hurry up. Professor Boardman will die in less than 24 hours." Obviously he has his priorities.
"What's the point in cutting it so close?" Ray asked, full of questions isn't he? I mean the choice in timing is deliberate for a reason, considering time masters are all about maintaining the timeline.
The professor explained haughtily, "Because if he's destined to die, then he doesn't have a timeline for us to disrupt, and his impact on the future will be minimal. How brilliant." Not brilliant, just common sense.
"And depressing." Kendra said almost laughing in disbelief. That it most certainly is. "How does he die?" She asked, does it really matter?
"Uh, he's found dead in his university from unknown causes. Come on." Rip said brusquely, he definitely doesn't care.
The professor looked over at Jefferson, "Are you coming?"
"I'll stay put."
"You'd rather stay with them?" The professor responded incredulously looking over at the four of us.
"They didn't drug me." Jefferson responded firmly.
"Point taken," the professor said looking vaguely embarrassed. I couldn't help but to laugh.
With half the so-called team gone the five of us that remained migrated to the console behind Rip's seat switching it on to find something to watch. I was trying to focus inwards to calm my longing, then "Why does this stupid station play nothing but reruns?" Mick said, annoyed. My god, the 70s only has old episodes of shows who would have thought.
"Don't even bother trying to explain." Jefferson told Sara when she stopped in her pacing as if to answer.
"Am I the only one on this ship who could really use a drink?" Sara said instead of addressing Mick.
I interrupted her before she could go on, "Nope, I could certainly go for one about now."
Sara continued "I say we go get weird in the '70s."
"Excellent idea." Snart said spinning around from his perch to look at Sara.
"I got the perfect outfit." Sara said, smiling as she turned to walk away. We all rose from our various perches to follow.
Perhaps Captain Hunter was unclear with his instructions to remain onboard.
"Shut it, metal mouth." Mick said grumpily to Gideon as we walked towards the door Sara and I in the lead.
Snart paused on his way to the door turning to Jefferson, "Oh, you're not quite ready to run with this crew," he said. I looked back, he's probably about my age, I thought then shrugged my shoulders and kept walking, not my problem.
"Ah. Dollar beers. You got to love the '70s," Mick said as he brought over a beer for each of us. "Who wants to listen to some Captain and Tennille? My mother played it. A lot." He said before walking over to the jukebox.
"Wow, you guys are really far out." some random chick commented on our outfits.
"I am going to need something stronger," I said to Sara and Snart's amusement. I turned to walk over to the bar, signaling the bartender, I said "Gin tonic." I leaned against the bar sipping at my drink. I watched Sara hand Snart her beer before starting to dance as Snart watched her walk away with this look in his eyes.
Before long some biker guy walked up to Sara and tapped her shoulder. She turned, "Can I help you?"
The meat head responded, "Mm. How about you join me in the parking lot?"
"Hmm, tempting, but you're not my type." Sara looked over to the girl he was with, "But your lady, on the other hand, well, she looks just my speed." I chuckled into my drink.
Of course like meat heads do, he got pushy "Maybe you didn't understand my request, bitch." He said as he grabbed her hand, Sara quickly flipped his hold twisting his wrist painfully before releasing him. He stumbled back towards the bar turning and grabbed an empty beer bottle with his good hand, "Son of a…"
"I got this." Sara turned to Sart and said. Meaty smashed the beer bottle and approached Sara. She met him with a block and backhand punch to the face that made him spin. Turning to meaty's friend she kicked him in the face sending him straight to the floor. A third guy lunged at her, she easily dodged and grabbing him by the head she slammed him to the floor. Two more guys approached her individually; she quickly and efficiently knocked them both to the floor. The five of them got up and circled her. "Now I could stand for a little help."
Mick and Snart immediately moved to help her. I rolled my eyes and finished my drink before moving towards the idiots throwing a swift uppercut to the guy closest to me. More of meaty's friends moved towards us joining the chaos surrounding us. Mick dragged someguy down the bar and threw him to the ground.
"I love the '70s."
We drove up to the field where the ship was parked and seeing the guy attacking the rest of the team Mick rammed the car into him full speed. "We go out for one lousy drink, and you guys somehow manage to pick a fight with Boba Fett. Aah." Snart immediately commented as we got out of the car.
Everyone that had a long range attack started firing towards the Boba Fett wannabe, we forced him away from the ship so we could all board. The door to the ship closed for some reason Professor Boardman was brought along.
Professor Boardman has sustained severe internal injuries.
"Prepare the MedBay to receive Professor Boardman and get us out of here!" Rip quickly said to Gideon.
Course heading?
"Anywhere but here!"
The ship took off and we all unstrapped and stood from our seats on the bridge.
Our cloaking shield and aft entrance have been significantly compromised, Captain.
"Yes, I can see that, Gideon. Station us in the temporal zone while I work on repairs."
"Temporal zone?" Ray questioned.
"Yeah, it's essentially a time limbo. We can hide out there for a bit. Another temporal jump would risk revealing our position." Rip explained as he grabbed a bag from one of the tables.
The professor looked amazed, "A time limbo? Astonishing."
Rip moved swiftly over to an open panel in the wall, "Oh, there's something you people don't know about time travel? That's surprising, isn't it? Considering none of you have ever time traveled before. Bringing a family member from the past onto a timeship? Breaking out and carousing around the 1970s? We've barely begun, and already this is the worst, unmitigated disaster of my career." He was obviously angry. Kendra moved towards him and as he turned around she punched him in the face.
Mick laughed out loud standing up and moving towards Carter, "I see why you got the hots for that one," he said, Carter just smirked a little in response.
Kendra pushed Rip against the wall pinning him, she said, "My son is hurt because of you. Who attacked us?"
"Something of a long story." Rip practically whispered.
Snart spoke up, "Better tell it fast, Rip, 'cause it doesn't look like the lady's in a patient mood." Understatement of the century whatever century.
Carter moved towards where Kendra still had Rip pinned. "Neither am I," he said.
"His name is Chronos. He works for the Council of Time Masters." Rip said loudly. Kendra released him before he continued, "My former employers."
"I thought you were a Time Master." Sara said moving towards Rip.
"As I've expressed, time's not a linear thing. At some point I was, in fact, a Time Master." Rip said, trying to circumvent the question. Didn't stop Sara from punching him in the face when she got close enough. "Will you people please stop hitting me?"
"Start telling the truth!" Sara yelled angrily.
Rip threw up his hands saying quickly, "I relinquished my position as a Time Master when I commandeered the Waverider." He slowed down and lowered his voice, "Chronos was clearly sent to bring me in. "
"You lied to us." the professor said shocked, obviously having never considered it to be a possibility. For someone so smart he really is dumb.
"Of course I lied to you. I needed your help... you all barely said yes as it was." Sara moved away from Rip to stand by Jefferson.
"What about the legends part?" Jefferson spoke up quietly.
"He lied about that too," I stated
Not looking at anybody and looking vaguely ashamed, "I chose you all because, a hundred years from now, your lives have minimal effect on the recorded timeline. I needed your help without disturbing the history of 2166," Rip explained.
"So, we're like the opposite of legends." Jefferson said a little downcast.
"Give me one good reason why we shouldn't kill you."
"Ditto the arsonist."
Rip said in response to Mick and the professor's question, "Because Gideon wouldn't listen to your commands and you'd be stuck here forever." I think not forever just until we could manage to reprogram Gideon.
Ray summed up the whole conversation in two sentences, "Great, so we're not an elite team of heroes on a sanctioned mission, sent to rid the future of its most horrific bad guy. Just a collection of nobodies who time really doesn't give a damn about."
"I didn't lie about the mission itself. Or the brutality and ruthlessness of Savage. Or my need for your help."
"I don't imagine you're the kind of guy who quits his job and takes on this kind of threat for altruistic reasons, so Rip, why don't you tell us: what did Vandal Savage do to you?" Ray asks with a level of perception I hadn't thought he was capable of.
"The Time Masters discourage marriage. They urge against procreation even more. Hence why all Time Masters are betas. A Time Master should be free of any personal entanglements that might compromise him. But... I fell in love, and we had a child. A boy. Jonas." Rip said getting lost in a memory.
Ray connected two and two, "Savage killed your family."
"He slaughtered my family. And thousands of other families. And that body that I swore an oath to serve turned a blind eye. They continue to turn a blind eye. I won't. The last thing that my child saw in this world was that monster's face. You can be damn well sure that when Savage dies, the last face he sees will be mine. I understand, given the circumstances, if you wish to return home. We can make the jump once the repairs are done, if and when Professor Boardman stabilizes."
"I think we all need a little time to consider our options." the professor said as we all started to think about whether we wanted to stay. I had known Rip had lied so wasn't as shocked as everyone else but I had still decided to come because I needed a distraction. The question was did I want this to be it?
We all split off to think about what we were going to do. I ended up in some cargo bay with Ray, Mick, Sara, and Snart. We were sitting in silence until "What's the point of us even giving this a second thought? Rip has already seen the future. He knows exactly what's in store for each of us. Might as well have stayed dead, 'cause the world doesn't need any of us. You're just a lost assassin. You're just a pair of good-for-nothing criminals. And you I don't even know what you are." Ray said honestly, though I am pretty sure honest is his only setting.
"Don't worry about it." I said closing my eyes and leaning my head back against the wall, letting their mixed scents wash over me grounding me to the here and now.
"I can live with that." Mick responded.
"Well, I can't. Can't live with somebody putting a cap on my destiny. Spent my whole life working to be something greater by becoming something smaller. Then some guy comes along and tells me that being the Atom is as insignificant as an actual Atom."
"That's not what he said." Sara said. I opened my eyes watching her stand up as she continued, "Rip said that in his future we're nobodies, but this mission is about changing the future. I mean, if we have the power to change the world, don't you think we have the power to change our own fate?"
"She makes a good point. We could do anything we want."
"For better or for worse." Snart says
Ray agreeing with me said with a smile, "That's a very good point."
We all made our way onto the bridge where Rip, Kendra, and Carter were talking, "Time wants to happen. Chronos, even Vandal, won't be the only enemy we face. Very often, it will be time itself." Rip said, explaining the biggest challenge we would have to face in this endeavour.
Ray spoke up as we moved into the deck towards the center console, "Whether it wants to happen or not, we're gonna change time, erase Savage's future, and earn our rightful place in history."
"Dr. Palmer is correct. We may not be legends in your time, Captain, but we are going to decide our own fates." Professor concurs with Ray's statement.
"I don't give a damn about being a legend, as long as we end Savage once and for all." Carter is the first to speak his decision.
"I can get down with that."
"I don't have anything better to do so…" I say to the unspoken question.
"And our malcontents?" Stein says, turning to look at Mick and Snart.
"I like killing people." Mick chimed in with a non answer.
"We're in. For now." Snart answered for both of them.
"So how do we find this guy?" Sara asked, making her answer obvious.
"Professor Boardman had a theory about that. I've already had Gideon plot a course."