The Gideon Factor
Part Nine
Ava covered the stitched wound with antiseptic and wrapped the arm with a long, cloth bandage she was able to find in one of the cabinets in the medical bay. She focused on finding the emotions that were relevant and tried her best to breathe through the blind jealousy that she knew would be toxic. Images of the familiarity between the reformed assassin and the former Heir to the Demon, who is a goddamn knockout, didn't help the situation, but she focused on finishing the task and not rushing the conversation. As she secured the end of the bandage, she watched as the blonde on the table took a deep breath and raised her head to meet Ava's eyes.
Sara knew she was going to have to face her partner and have a genuine and direct conversation about both her past and emotions. Even thinking about it made her want to run, especially with the warped situation she now found herself in. As she met the deep blue eyes, she tried her best to express everything she was feeling – fear about Gideon, regret that she'd had to betray Director Sharpe again, the conflict and reappearance of Nyssa, the trust she knew she was demanding from both Nyssa and Ava, the upcoming and inevitable conflict with Mallus, the presence of a child named Eleanor. Sara found herself almost laughing as she realized that if she really could send all of those emotions with her eyes, she'd probably be shooting the poor woman with lasers.
Instead, she broke the gaze and felt the stitches tighten as she pulled Ava closer. She leaned her forehead against the taller woman's chest and loosely hooked her fingers in the beltloops of Ava's pants.
"Listen," she began softly as she tried to organize her thoughts. She sat back again and hooked her heels behind Ava's thighs, returning her eyes to the tense look on her lover's face. "Let me start by saying that I need you with me in this. I understand that I fucked you. Professionally speaking. I couldn't find another option and I have to get Gideon back." Sometimes, no response was a good response, so she took another deep breath and kept going.
"Obviously Nyssa and I have a history, but please understand that she's a necessary piece to this. I'm sure you're just going to have some recording of our conversation translated, so I'll tell you that while she's agreed to let the girl go for now, she's probably not going to let her go for good." Sara raised her hands in a defensive gesture as Ava stepped back and took a breath to argue. "I can't blame her for that, but I'd like to understand your side. I mean, you have to know that 2213 is an important timeline to protect for me too, right?" Sara tucked a renegade strand of hair behind Ava's ear and waited. She knew she couldn't let the girl die, not if Nyssa was right about who she was. But. She also knew that letting her girlfriend's timeline be zapped into the abyss wasn't an option either.
Ava took a step back and reached up to take her hair down. She rifled her fingers through the long, loose curls and used the gesture both to buy some time and to center herself. Since her clone history was still a pretty raw and unexplored concept to her, she was surprisingly torn between protecting that time and protecting the present that she'd grown incredibly fond of. It was hard to want to protect something that you hated so thoroughly. Something that had blown apart everything you thought you knew about yourself and forced you to redefine your identity from scratch. Maybe letting Nyssa, and now Sara, protect a kid that has an actual childhood is worth more than a land of clones. If only it was just the clones that suffered.
Ava dug her nails into her palm and brought herself back to the woman she was falling in love with. At least I know that's real. "Okay. Look, I understand that you two have history, and it's apparently a lot more than was in your file or that you've told me about yet. I'm willing to postpone that portion of the conversation, but I reserve the right to ask five questions about it in the future and you have to answer them truthfully." At Sara's smirk and nod of agreement, Ava swung herself through the emotional to the life and death issues at hand. I wonder if that's easier since I was made to do the latter with little consideration for the former…
Ava slowly paced through the med bay as she explained the situation. "So this girl, Eleanor, grows up to be a biomedical engineer with a specialization in nanotechnology," at the surprised look on Sara's face, and an odd flicker of…something in her eyes, she explained. "Think of it like a futuristic medical-field version of Ray. But, at some point, and for some reason, she got in with a biomedical development group that had a… less than desirable reputation." At Sara's raised hand, she paused.
"Wait. What do you mean? Who were they? And there's no information as to why it happened?" Sara asked with some edge to her voice.
"Gideon, pull up information on Alassad Development Corp, 2210" Ave commanded. She quickly realized her mistake at the raised eyebrow and sardonic look on Sara's face. "Oh, right. Okay, well, without the details, let's just say that the Alassad Dev Corp sucks. And with a specialist in nanotech and biomedical engineering in their midst, they didn't get any better. Also, the tie to 2213 isn't a coincidence – they specialized in clone technology."
"Well, fuck." Sara said as her mind raced to identify the implications that could have. "So what happened?"
Ava stopped pacing and moved closer to Sara. She adjusted the bandage on her partner's arm and decided just to lay it out there. "The girl, well, a woman at that time, had been developing an upgraded program, really an implant of sorts, that would allow the clones to be controlled by a single entity. Like an override chip. Or maybe an update to a pre-existing override chip, I'm not sure."
The strain in the Director's voice hurt Sara's heart. The idea that she couldn't know if she had an override chip like that in her own head somewhere. The uncertainty that she could possibly lose control of her own thought or actions without warning. Even Sara found it hard to stomach, so she couldn't fathom how hard it must be for Ava to carry that around inside. She gripped her partner's hand and brought it to her lips as she locked eyes with the powerful woman standing next to her. She kept the long fingers interlaced with her own and said, "Look, if you're worried about that, we can have Gideon do a scan on you as soon as we get her back."
Ava brushed the fear out of her eyes with the back of her free hand and nodded. She found that she couldn't quite bring herself to tell her partner the whole truth. If she knew, she'd never stick around. In that moment, she decided to stick with the pertinent facts of the story itself. She'd save the rest of the conversation for another day.
"As shitty as that is, it's not the direct cause of the catastrophe. This is where it gets unclear as to the role that the woman plays in the situation, though we know for certain that Nyssa's actions in killing the girl avoids the catastrophe. Historically, she'd been affiliated with humanitarian scientific developments. So when she was credited with releasing the chip 'upgrade'," Ava used her free hand to make air quotes, "under the Alassad Dev Corp umbrella and it malfunctioned after a full release, there was wide speculation that she either knew there was an error in the technology, maybe set on a time delay, or she planted a virus of sorts in the technology that she could trigger. Maybe as a hidden failsafe she could control."
Sara had started to slowly mimic rolling her father's coin across her knuckles, the deft fingers in a loose fist as each knuckle rubbed its neighbor. She took a moment to process the information and briefly wondered if Nyssa had any additional information. Maybe the grandfather told her something before he died. Something more than just making her swear a blood oath to protect the girl before she killed him.
Sara slowly nodded, "Okay, so since her initial affiliation with the company was suspect to begin with, it would make sense if she built something in that gave her ultimate control." Ava shrugged and nodded in return. "Alright, so what was the malfunction? If I remember correctly, 2213 Vancouver had a large number of clones, but they weren't the entire population. What went wrong with the clones that caused a catastrophic event?" Sara asked, trying to be sensitive of the emotional minefield she was operating in.
Ava took her hand back and turned away from her partner. She lowered her eyes to the ground and fought back the tears that threatened to unsteady her voice as she answered. Why in the hell do I feel responsible for them? "The clones started a war, or were made to start a war, against the citizens. The theory is that she had to wait until all of the clones were processed before the virus could be activated. Once they were, a select few of the clones destroyed the clone technology and the corporation. Then, every one of the clones killed themselves. But, it wasn't before hundreds of citizens were murdered. Also, some of the clones from the final release were armed with suitcase nuclear weapons. As if that wasn't bad enough, what Eleanor likely didn't know was that the explosives were tied in to the chip. When the chip was zapped, or triggered, or whatever by the virus, the bombs exploded. Sara…thousands of people died…I can't…I can't let any of that happen. No matter what." The implication was clear – she was going to stop the girl.
Ava looked over her shoulder with such self-loathing deep in her eyes. Sara immediately hopped off the table and went to her like a magnet to an opposing force. She put one hand on her partner's waist and gently guided the taller woman's face around to look into her eyes. Sara wanted to cry, kill, and vomit at the same time as the anguished eyes showed the crushed spirit of this strong, confident woman. "Babe, that fucking sucks. There's no other way to put it. Thankfully, we have some time to come up with a plan. It's not too late. Between you and me and the team…We can do this. That isn't your fate and that isn't the fate of those clones or that girl."
Ava always had a hard time understanding the force of Sara Lance's will. Sometimes, when the compact blonde woman spoke with such conviction, it was like you could already feel the fate of the world changing around you. It was both terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. She still felt scared, of course she did, but for some reason, looking down into the set jaw and crystal blue eyes of this dynamic woman, she was able to see past the fear and start processing the problem. Sara's will was like a hard reset and suddenly you were able to function normally again. It was amazing.
The taller woman leaned down and kissed Sara. She let the raw emotion pass through her lips. Ava pulled the Captain's compact form tightly against her own. She could feel the muscles flex in her partner's lower back as Sara reached up and used the Director's neck to suspend herself on her tiptoes. Sara parted her lips and met the emotion with a passionate belief that together they could change the future. It was one of those kisses that really felt like something serious could be built on the emotion that it carried.
Not that Sara needed the reminder to know how she felt about Director Sharpe, but they spent enough time away from one another that she liked to really focus on banking the good ones. She kept the contact up until she felt her own breath shorten and started to feel the necessity to touch Ava's bare skin. She felt her fingertips crave the small of the taller woman's back, just below her tapered waist and directly between the woman's well-defined hips. Sara reluctantly pulled back with a final nip at the full bottom lip of her partner.
At Ava's sigh of frustration, Sara laughed gently. "It's important to me that you know how much I want you right now. Also, how much I believe in you." Sara held her partner's gaze and hoped the message sank in. She thought maybe it had when the corner of Ava's mouth turned up and the woman reset her broad shoulders.
The emotion Ava felt for the shorter woman really left her with little choice. She'd see how it played out and made a pact with herself to revisit her position after the Legends retrieved Gideon. "Okay, so I'm with you in this. Of course I'm with you. Even if that means I have to work with Nyssa for a time. I'll try my best not to attack her on sight again. Where do we start?"
It had taken Ava quite a lot of practice to be able to turn over mission control like that, and she was proud of herself that she felt almost comfortable with the concept of relinquishing the leadership role to the Waverider's Captain.
Sara grabbed her hand and started moving toward the door. "First, we find the team. Then, we make a plan to infiltrate Nanda Parbat. We get Gideon back. We kick Talia and Norah Darhk's asses. We find and retrieve the water totem. We figure out how they all fit together. We send Mollus back to hell. We take a nap. Then we figure out how to save both the girl and the future 2213. Should be a nice little weekend."
Ava couldn't help but laugh as the two women turned down the hallway toward the loud thumps followed by laughter they could hear on the bridge of the ship.
On the bridge, in the open space between the mission control station in the center and the semicircle of crew seating, three of which were currently occupied by Amaya, Nate, and Zari, Mick and Nyssa faced one another. Their arms were loosely hanging at their sides as Nyssa explained a finer point in Ninjutsu to her rapt audience.
"You must remember that the force of motion used by your enemy may be stolen and used against them if they are unaware. Therefore, it does not matter the size of your opponent," she indicated the brute strength obvious in Mick's much larger form, currently covered in a tank top and sweatpants, "because his strength will become my power if he does not protect himself properly." The obvious red marks on the large man's shoulder and arms indicated that he had likely not learned how to do that yet.
Zari leaned forward over her crossed legs paying rapt attention to the stance and movement of the assassin. Like all the women on the ship, she regularly faced opponents that were much larger than she was, and she was determined to learn how to defend herself better without the use of her totem. It was something she greatly admired about the Captain and she wasn't about to miss a lesson from the woman who taught Sara Lance how to kick ass.
Nyssa brought both hands up to waist height, but otherwise remained in a relaxed, almost lazy looking posture. With a gesture of her hand and a small, encouraging nod, Mick prepared himself to go after the dark-haired woman across from him once more. He feinted a punch from the left and took a quick step to the right as he threw a right hook. It was clear the man had been in any number of fights and likely had ample training as a boxer. His feet were much lighter and much faster than a man of his size had any right to be, and he'd stopped pulling his punches after the second time he was tossed on his ass. But as he threw the right hook, Nyssa smoothly shifted her weight along the same angle as the man's quickly moving arm. She slipped inside his reach, placed her foot inside his instep, her hip against his own and with the momentum of the punch, she turned, grabbed Mick's bicep, and easily flipped the large man over her shoulder and onto the ground.
The resounding thud was matched by Nate's outcry of "Oh, Snap! Bro!" and Zari's loud laughter as she pulled her knees into her chest and covered her mouth. Even Amaya couldn't help but laugh. For some reason, watching Mick get tossed just didn't get old.
As Nyssa reversed the grip on the man's arm to help him up, both Sara and Ava made their way across the bridge hand-in-hand. "Ha! A little Ninja 101, huh? Don't feel bad, Mick, she tossed me on my ass with that exact throw dozens of times before we got to the 'how to defend against losing momentum' portion of training," Sara sympathized.
"Captain, this shit is awesome!" Nate exclaimed. "It's like she's not even trying. So effing cool." Ava restrained a scoff and Sara gently squeezed her partner's hand in reassurance.
Sara released Ava's hand and moved closer to her team, patting Mick on the shoulder as she passed. Ava leaned back against the central console, arms crossed, and waited for her partner to get on with it - though it was nice to see the group's interactions. It reminded her that she could be a part of something outside of the Time Bureau. Especially now that some of the Legends seemed to have accepted her presence in their Captain's life. It had taken her awhile to understand that her drive to focus solely on work was likely part of her clone programming, and she was slowly making progress in diversifying her interests. Something about a work-life balance that she'd spent many nights researching and trying to comprehend. Coming up with new hobbies for the Time Bureau Director to try was one of Sara's favorite new activities.
"Ta'er al-Sahfer, it is unfortunate that you yourself have not yet taught your team these lessons," Nyssa gently scolded the blonde now standing across the open space from her.
Sara's eyes narrowed slightly, but she couldn't help but acknowledge the truth of the statement. "I tend to focus on honing my team's skills with their totems and running group drills instead of one-on-one, hand-to-hand combat. But you're right. Some of these lessons would be valuable." She looked around at her teammates and tilted her head in challenge, "though it means you all would have to be willing to actually work on combat skills outside of missions."
"Oh! Combat training, fun!" Ray said as he made his way across the floor carrying a tray of sandwiches he'd made. "It's not Gideon food, but I figure we all should eat something and I know you like sandwiches, Mick," he said as he placed the tray on the center console.
Mick grunted and said, "I'm in for the sandwiches, but I'm out for the extra work."
Both Amaya and Zari met her gaze and smiled. Maybe I have been doing them a disservice by not passing on my knowledge. Despite the fact that Sara had come to terms with most of her experiences as an assassin, she still had a deep-seated fear that the darkness she'd felt after being resurrected and after being possessed by Mollus and the Death Totem wasn't as far from the surface as she'd like. If it's in a controlled environment though, surely I'll be fine keeping a handle on things. Maybe Nyssa will supervise a couple rounds just in case – at lease she'd be able to stop me from hurting my team again.
"Yeah, okay. I'll start doing hand-to-hand combat stuff with you guys if you want. I'm down." The Captain walked slowly back toward the center console and joined the group to grab her own sandwich. As she ate, she slowly wandered around the empty floor of the bridge. "First, we need a plan to get Gideon back. Nyssa, it's been a bit since I've spent a lot of time on Nanda Parbat. What can we expect to find?"
The assassin, now clad in loose, black cotton pants and a deep red, v-neck t-shirt, all clearly from Zari's closet, stood confident and still as the team looked to her for information. "First, Raymond, thank you." The man gently blushed and raised his sandwich triangle in response. "Ta'er al-Sahfer, I assume you have retained the map that is required?" At the blonde woman's nod, she continued. "Good. There are five pieces to the key that will unlock a device that contains an ever-shifting hologram of the location and time continuum by which we can locate Nanda Parbat. A tattoo that was placed on a girl who once lived there; a stone-carved key; the spoken words that answer an ancient riddle; the petals of a fresh Dahlia; and, of course, the device itself."
"Okay," Ava stepped up, "we can take the Time Bureau ship and easily get the petals of a Dahlia. I'm assuming it has to be from a Dahlia actually located in Nepal and not fabricated for it to work?" The assassin raised her eyebrows and smirked in the Captain's direction as she nodded in reply.
Sara smiled, "What can I say? I have a type. Smart, beautiful, and deadly," as she glanced between the two women. Her mind casually included John Constantine and Alex Danvers in that category. "Okay, what about the main device, the key, and the riddle?" The Captain asked as she noted the slightly confused look on Ray's face.
"Don't forget the tattoo. Where do we find some random girl with a tattoo who's…" he slowly trailed off as understanding dawned on him, "lived in Nanda Parbat…" Nate reached over and comfortingly patted him on the back. "Ah, right."
"Good one, Ray," Zari commented below her breath as they all watched the awkward eye contact between their Captain and the Time Bureau Director. Even in the brief tank top from earlier, a tattoo was nowhere to be found on the assassins relatively exposed form. After a brief moment, Sara simply shrugged. Not like there's anything she can do to avoid that fiasco, Zari thought to herself.
Nyssa finally broke the moment and took the Captain's question, "Over the years, I have acquired the device and the stone key. They are both in a safe location at my hideout in Star City. I also believe I have solved the riddle, though perhaps your team's input will help determine if I am correct."
Nate jumped in, "I'm the bomb at ancient riddles!" and received a high five from Ray as Amaya and the rest of the team grinned at his enthusiasm.
"Okay, so it sounds like we have everything we need to unlock the map," Amaya said. "Sara mentioned something about possible secret passageways, traps, and guard positions. Are those unlocked with the map's key as well?" Nate couldn't help but wonder if the question was fueled by the Marauders Map from Harry Potter and rubbed his fingertips across Amaya's back in encouragement.
Nyssa shook her head, "Unfortunately, no. I don't know what changes Talia may have made, but I spent quite a bit of my childhood exploring the secret passageways of Nanda Parbat. There are a few that I believe no one will know but me – though I must warn you that they were likely forgotten because of the traps that were set. They are traps implanted by an ancient, evil mind and will be challenging to bypass."
Nyssa still had three vicious looking scars along the back of her left thigh from one of the traps. She could clearly remember having to drag an almost useless leg that dripped with blood out of the catacombs. She made her way back to her instructor and vividly recalled being made to stitch and bandage her own flesh. Perhaps if she'd had a steadier hand at the time, the scars would have faded. But what can you expect from a nine-year-old child?
His interest triggered, Mick chimed in between bites of his fifth or sixth sandwich triangle from his standard kicked-back position on the steps leading to the library, "Huh, old evil guy traps. Count me in."
"Boss, why can't we just jump into Nanda Parbat itself?" asked Nate. He figured it hadn't been the go-to for a reason, but was unable to put together why.
Nyssa fielded the question instead. "The reason is two-fold. First, because the shifting city is constantly moving through time and space. A ship such as this would be unable to identify the proper time-space alignment before the city shifted once more. Secondly, there is a cloaking or protection spell on the city that dispels technology. There is not a direct translation for this feat," she looked to Sara to confirm the verbiage and continued at the Captain's shrug and nod, "but your ship would become inoperational within five kilometers of Nanda Parbat. It is how the League has been able to hide from agencies that wish to locate us."
The intent of the comment was clear and Ava felt her hackles rise. "I guess it's a good thing you dip shits keep leaving then, yeah? If you'd all just stay in your hole, it would save everyone a lot of trouble."
Sara was intent on heading the impending argument off at the pass, and stepped in with a stern glance toward her partner, "Okay, so, we need to go and get the other pieces of the key. Nyssa, I imagine you have the ancient riddle memorized, yes? How about you write that down and let these brainiacs take a crack at it to verify your answer while we go to your hideout in Star City." Sara noted the look of disapproval on Ava's face at this, but rounded out the temporary plan. "I want everyone packed and ready when we get back – only bring essentials. We'll be rucking for over three miles and then facing possibly our biggest challenge yet – Talia's League guys won't be like the usual assholes we face. This crew is legit and they don't take prisoners. Nyssa, we'll head out in 15 minutes. Zari and Mick, meet us at the docking station in 10."
Sara made sure she received a response of understanding from each of her teammates and the assassin. No one deemed it necessary to point out that no actual plan of action was developed for when they reached Nanda Parbat. Between trusting their Captain to scrounge something up and being used to winging it in the most dangerous of circumstances, only Ava registered concern at the absence of a functional plan. What in the hell is going on? And I'm supposed to just trust her to trot off to Star City with Nyssa al Ghul? Shit. Though it gave the Director comfort to know that at least the Time Bureau had the location of Nyssa's safe house. She made a note to contact Gary to set up surveillance of the small, downtown loft.
Mick headed back toward the Kitchen, probably to see if any sandwiches were left, while Nate, Ray, Zari, Amaya, and Nyssa all headed off to the Parlour to discuss the riddle needed to unlock the key. Sara knew Ava had some doubts about the way things were going so far, and though she wished she was a little better at hiding those doubts in front of the team, she recognized that the woman likely wasn't wrong to have them. Sara prepared herself to answer the kinds of questions her partner's detail-oriented mind produced, and to calm any emotional issues that may arise during this next little step in the process.
It had taken the Captain a few missed opportunities before she'd realized that having the discussions with Ava before Sara was in a position that made her partner uncomfortable was much easier and more efficient than dealing with the fallout of those situations. For example, the John Constantine thing could have been handled better, but it was difficult for Sara to make herself voluntarily talk about delicate emotional issues. Really, she could only do it now without fleeing based on sheer necessity and the fact that she'd grown to genuinely care about Ava's day-to-day happiness. With the baggage she brought along as a reformed assassin, it was hard not to feel like she
Plus, so far Ava hadn't ever grossly overreacted, and that was the kind of encouragement Sara needed to face emotional discussions. Especially ones that involve me and my ex-lover pretty much going to her place. Yeah, her body posture is not radiating confidence, she thought as she took in the form of the Time Bureau Director, still leaned back against the central console, arms crossed, and a grim look across her face.
"Sara, you know this is a half-assed plan, right? I don't need to point out the holes? And you know there are going to be League members watching her place. Is going with just the two of you really the best idea? Why not take some of your team? Or even some Time Bureau guys? I have some that would know how to keep their mouths shut about Nyssa. Hell, at this point Gary talks and acts like he's an honorary Legend anyway."
Offering some of her agents to assist, knowing it would expose the Director to the temporary cover-up she was surely going to orchestrate to hide the disappearance of Nyssa, touched Sara in a deep place. Ava had spent literally her whole memorable life building her reputation and career at the Time Bureau. For her to risk that for me so casually… Sara moved to her partner and leaned on the console next to her. As both women took in the swirling green of the Temporal Zone outside the large windows of the Waverider, Ava reached down to take Sara's hand. Sara squeezed the fingers now intertwined with her own and looked over to take in the high cheekbones and bunched muscles of her partner's jaw.
"Hey," Sara started and waited for Ava to look at her, the restraint, frustration, and stress evident in the dark-blue eyes. "I know it's going to drive you crazy, but we're not going to be able to plan this mission with the level of detail you'd like. A lot of it depends on Nyssa. Even that will be limited by what Talia has changed since her return and the influence of Nora Darhk. This is what my team does, and even I'm a little nervous because I know how lethal the League of Assassins are even without the influence of a Mollus-possessed Darhk. My guys will come thru, but they don't have the same darkness and edge that Nyssa and I have."
Every argument Ava could have made immediately died on her lips as she knew the truth of the statement. She knew that disagreeing with the former assassin would only make her seem disillusioned to her partner, and accepting her lover's dark history was something she'd been working toward being more honest with herself about. Sara had been a killer. That kind of a past leaves a mark.
Sara saw the hesitation, but continued on without giving Ava a chance to delve into the regular disagreement the two women had about the status of Sara's soul. "I mean, maybe Mick does and I catch glimpses of it in Zari, but overall, my team is a bunch of thru-and-thru good guys. The entire Time Bureau is made up of good guys. I can't in good conscience put those kinds of intrinsically good people up against the League until it's absolutely necessary. So, yeah, I'm going to go with Nyssa in the jump ship and have Zari and Mick quarterback us from the Time Bureau ship. I get that it doesn't look great from your perspective, and I'm sorry about that, but I trust Nyssa, and I need you to trust me." Sara held her breath while she waited for the taller woman to respond.
Ava brought the hand she had firmly clasped in her own up to her lips and kissed Sara's scarred knuckles. She forced the mistrust she held for Nyssa al Ghul into a compartment in her mind and put her faith in her partner. "I said I was with you and I meant it. I trust you. But don't hesitate for a second to call if you need backup in Star City. You know better than anyone and said so yourself, the League is nothing to take lightly. I'll come myself if I have to."
Sara turned to face her partner, relieved that Ava continued to support her. "Thank you. Seriously. If it helps you feel better, I have the logistics into Nanda Parbat planned out, but my team tends to glaze over if I give them too much information at once. We'll do a briefing session when I get back. Then, depending on what time it is in the where of Nanda Parbat, we'll hopefully have a few hours before we set out."
Sara leaned into the taller form of her partner. Ava threaded her fingers into the Captain's blonde hair and leaned down to meet Sara's waiting lips. She took her time kissing her partner, knowing that the trip to the assassin's hideout wasn't going to be as simple as it sounded in Sara's description. Nothing about the next couple days was going to be simple or easy, and Ava refused to take any moment she had with the Waverider's Captain for granted.
Ava gently tightened her grip in the shorter woman's hair and could feel her partner press her compact form tighter along the length of her body. As a soft moan escaped Sara's lips, it took them both a minute to remember that they were still against the central console of the Waverider. Ava let Sara's hands wander along the skin of her back, but regretfully pulled back when her fingertips started to slip under the waistband of her pants.
"Babe, uhm, we're in the middle of your ship," Ava said as she removed her hand from the back of Sara's neck and rubbed her uninjured arm. Good God, she has nice arms. Ava was momentarily pulled back into the constant contact by the almost gray hue of her partner's eyes and the nails that she could feel along her lower back.
"Exactly," Sara said as she nipped the taller woman's shoulder, " ." Ava softly laughed as Sara regretfully stepped back and loosely entwined the fingers of each hand with Ava's. "Shit. Fine. Okay. Look, I know we don't have the time to… get to the bottom of things right now," she said with a small smirk. "But, when Nyssa and I get back, I need you here to help assess the map and in case we have some time before we have to leave…I'd like to take a break from reality with you before my team heads out."
Ava's mind was already working to identify how she could best backstop Sara's team on their mission to retrieve Gideon. She'd have the location once the map was activated and knew there was an actual plan to be had in there somewhere. If there was a single aspect in her life that she was confident about, it was her ability to develop and execute even the most difficult of missions. It was literally what she was made to do. She smiled and nodded at her partner.
"Of course I'll be here. Right now, I'm going to head back to the office and conduct an 'investigation' into Nyssa's disappearance. Ping me when you get back?" She asked as she reluctantly released Sara's hands.
"Absolutely," Sara responded as she quickly leaned forward to steal a final kiss. Sara was horrible at vocalizing her feelings, but she hoped she was able to express her emotions for the woman in that brief moment.
Ava lightly brushed Sara's cheek with the back of her knuckles. She tried to memorize that look in the crystal blue eyes and the twitch of her partner's expressive face. Ava quickly smiled and winked in return. Ava moved toward the center of the room, keyed the watch-style device on her wrist, and walked through the portal that would take her back to her office at the Time Bureau.
After the portal closed, Sara ran her fingers through her hair and mentally prepared herself to relive a segment of her past. She closed her eyes as she could feel the darkness inside her awaken at the notion. The familiar feel of the life and death challenge stirred and the anticipation worked itself down the back of her neck where her partner's touch had been only moments before. Sara knew no one on her team or her partner would be able to understand what she was going through, and she had to take a deep breath before she admitted the truth to herself. She liked the feeling. And she liked that by going with Nyssa alone, she wouldn't have to hide that fact.
With that, Sara turned toward the hallway that would take her to the docking station, and simply hoped she wouldn't let herself slip too far.