Chapter 19: Aye Aye, Captain

"Time's up, nerds!" Sara shouted as she entered the main deck and walked closer to the group gathered around Gideon's projection. She finished braiding the left side of her hair to her head and clapped her hands "Buckle up, we're going home"

Nate lifted his gaze from the screen and smirked at her, shaking his head and showing Lourdes and Saracon to their seats, while the blonde dragged Nyssa to hers.

"Gideon, prepare the Waverider for takeoff" Ray instructed walking to the front of the ship "Set a course: United States, Star City, present time"

"Right away, Captain"

"Captain?" Sara scoffed sitting at Ray's right while Nate sat at his left.

Amaya smiled and took the seat next to Nyssa, smiling at the woman and winking reassuringly before addressing the blonde "He has been milking this Captain thing ever since we left Star City"

"Well, Rip isn't here and someone needs to be Captain" he shrugged and turned his chair to face the control panel.

"Are you pretending to be Captain Kirk again?" the blonde asked smirking.

"I am not pretending to be any—"

"'Cause we already agreed; you're Picard" she interrupted him laughing.

"I'm not Picard!" Ray protested, almost whining "You're Picard!"

"Solid comeback, man" Nate chuckled.

The Captain groaned and glanced at Sara "Just… get ready, okay? We're taking off"

"Aye aye, Captain" she saluted and did as instructed.

"Is she a smartass with you, too?" Amaya asked, leaning closer to Nyssa as the Waverider took off.

"Even more so" the brunette chuckled, staring at the back of the blonde's head "But I do believe it is one of her most endearing features"

"Are you talking about me?"

"No" both women lied at the same time.

Sara turned her head to look at them narrowing her eyes suspiciously, then stated "You so were" she smirked and shook her head, turning to stare ahead again "Both of you are lousy liars"

"Sara, can you focus?" Ray asked, reaching over to the blonde's side of the board, typing a few commands "What's the point of having you as my right hand if you're gonna be distracted?"

"Excuse me?" she gasped incredulously "Are you forgetting who Rip's second-in-command is? If you must, think of me 'allowing' you to pilot as a courtesy. I can override your Captain status like that" the blonde stated snapping her fingers to illustrate her point "But, honestly, if you're gonna be an ass, I'm just gonna kick your sorry ass and call it a day"

He gulped and looked nervously at her "Please, don't…?"

"Then don't be a dick! You are usually very sweet and all, but I'll definitely hurt more than your ego if you don't drop the attitude"

"I'm sorry"

She pushed a series of buttons and got up, taking a step closer to Ray and smacking the back of his head "Apology accepted"

"Ow!" he looked at her with sad puppy eyes, rubbing the back of his head "I guess I deserved that"

"Yes, you did. Now we're even" the blonde turned to look at Amaya "Cover for me?"

"Sure" the other woman got up and took Sara's previous seat, then looked at Ray arching one eyebrow "If you're an ass to me, I'll throw your precious tiny suit down the toilet"

"Got it"

Sara held her hand out for her fiancée and smiled "I wanna show you something"

The brunette smiled at her and took her hand, lacing their fingers as she got up and allowed the other woman to lead her away from the group.

"So…" they heard Saracon's voice before an automatic door closed behind them "...since Sara is obviously the White Canary, I take it you are the A.T.O.M.?"

Nyssa let her fiancée walk her down a long corridor "Was it true what you told Dr. Palmer?"

Sara turned around a corner and stopped in front of a closed door "What? That I was gonna kick his ass? Pretty much, yeah" she ran her palm down the scanner and the door slid open, revealing a comfortable looking bedroom-like space.

"No, not that part, beloved" the blonde walked in and turned around, leading Nyssa inside before sliding her hand down the other side of the scanner and closing the door behind them "The part where you mentioned overriding his status"

She smirked and jumped up to sit on the edge of the high bed "Yeah" then reached out with her hand so the brunette would get closer, which she immediately did "I was totally serious, that's why he had to shut up. I'm Rip's second-in-command here" she placed her hands on Nyssa's hips and kissed her softly.

The brunette kissed her back smiling "When did you learn how to pilot a ship of this magnitude?"

"Figured someone had to" Sara shrugged "If something happened and Rip was incapacitated, or even killed, we would be seriously screwed. We learned that lesson after we got boarded by time pirates. So Ray and I learned first. Mick learned as Chronos, and the rest of the team did outta boredom in between missions over the years"

"You keep surprising me every day, beloved"

"Apparently, I'm a natural and don't hesitate to do what needs to be done, so Rip decided I should be his second, and that was it" she remembered that moment and laughed "Ray was pouting for like a week, mumbling about him being 'more suitable' to be Captain"

The brunette smiled and tilted her head to the side "One would think, considering his background"

"Meh, he's a softie. It takes more than that kinda knowledge to be Captain of this ship"

Nyssa chuckled "Of course, and who better suited for the task than the great and infamous White Canary?"

"Damn right!"

"I'm proud of you" the brunette said smiling "I have always been, but everything I witnessed ever since you came back it is quite remarkable" she reached up to run her fingers along the braid adorning the left side of her fiancée's head "And I do particularly love the look"

Sara grinned cheekily and leaned forward to kiss her softly "Yeah? I'll make sure to wear it like this more often then"

"I wouldn't be opposed to it" Nyssa smiled when the blonde kissed her again "Did you intend to show me something, or was that an excuse to bring me here to make out?"

The other woman chuckled and shook her head "A little bit of both"

The brunette laughed and looked around "Was this your bedroom?"

"Yes"

"Still is, I assume…" Nyssa said, walking around the room "...by the way you unlocked the door and the amount of random… um, 'stuff' you have scattered around"

"Rip said we're always welcome, that's why he insisted on keeping it this way"

"We?" the brunette asked leaning back against the wall.

Sara smiled and jerked her head to the door "Slide you palm down the reader"

Nyssa carefully did as instructed and her eyebrows shot up in surprise when the door slid open. She repeated the movement and it closed again.

"That door unlocks only for you and me" the blonde explained proudly.

"I have never been here before, how did you manage to get my palm print?" she asked, pointing at the scanner.

"You haven't been here before, true" Sara smirked "But, based on the fact that the door is still working, I can guarantee you will again in the future"

Nyssa frowned, deep in thought for a few seconds, before shrugging "I guess that is as good explanation as any, considering everything"

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it" the blonde chuckled.

"So…" she started walking around the room again, picking up and examining a discarded and torn leather jacket "...was this your bedroom during those ten years?" she smiled to herself and closed an open, empty drawer.

"Yes" her fiancée said smiling "I wanted you to see it" she explained "Well, that and…" the blonde paused and bit her lip nervously "...Gideon?"

"Yes, Ms. Lance?"

"Do you still have my files stored?"

"Of course"

Sara looked at her fiancée and smiled. Not her usual confident, charming smile; this was an almost shy one. Then said in a low voice "This is what kept me going for ten years" the blonde jumped off the bed, took a deep breath and added "Gideon, play my regular sequence"

The screen by the bed came to life, and the blonde reached out with her hand to pull Nyssa closer to her. The other woman moved to stand next to her fiancée and stared at the screen as the lights around them dimmed slightly.

The brunette gasped when a strangely familiar video sequence started playing before their eyes. She saw herself, obviously a couple of years younger, walking peacefully toward an impossibly clear ocean. The white sand beneath her bare feet giving slightly as she kept walking. She was wearing a white sundress that flowed in the light summer breeze along with her hair.

She saw her younger self turn around and keep walking backwards with a soft smile on her face "Come here with me, leave that phone, beloved" she heard herself say in Arabic between soft, happy giggles, her own voice sounding foreign in her ears.

And then she heard that amazing sound that invaded her thoughts, day and night, for the past eight years: Sara's laughter. Nyssa smiled involuntarily, as the sound warmed her whole body, as it always did, and she felt herself falling in love all over again.

The image shook and soft wind could be heard as the woman holding the phone ran to catch up with the other one. After some rustling they both came into focus as the brunette wrapped her arms around the young blonde's neck and kissed her cheek softly, before whispering a barely audible "I love you" that made Sara grin and nod softly before whispering "Love you, too"

The video sequence ended after that, but was replaced by a series of pictures. Some of both of them, some portraying only Nyssa. In some they looked as young as they did in the video, but there were more recent ones, where the changes in their bodies and souls were more noticeable.

Another video started, featuring a very peaceful and silent Nyssa sitting on the floor of their balcony in Nanda Parbat, meditating. The only visible movement was the soft rise and fall of her chest with her calm breathing "We need to work on your stealth, Ta-er al-Asfer" she said all of a sudden, startling the other woman.

"Shit, Nyssa! Don't do that, you know it freaks me out!"

The brunette opened only one eye and arched an eyebrow "Do not attempt to sneak up on me" after saying that, she closed her eye again "You are lucky I was aware it was you"

Again, the sound of Sara's laughter filled the room and Nyssa wrapped her arm around her fiancée's waist, smiling and kissing her temple. The blonde smiled, too, and rested her head on the other woman's shoulder as another series of pictures started passing on the screen.

"Thank you, Gideon, that would be enough" the screen went to a peaceful sunset over a mountain range after Sara's request, and she turned shily to look at her fiancée.

"Now you know what I meant when I said you were the one that kept me going for over ten years, Nyssa" that was the moment she noticed Nyssa's eyes were full of tears "You have no idea how many times I was so injured, tired, pissed or frustrated that I just wanted to give up. On this, fighting, even life once or twice..." she admitted ashamed "...but I always came here, looked at you, and realized that, no matter what, I had to keep fighting; 'cause you are worth fighting for"

Feeling at a loss of words, the brunette wrapped her arms around her fiancée's neck and kissed her cheek, much like she saw herself do in the video, and said a soft "I love you"

Sara, smiling as she recognized the meaning of the gesture, wrapped her arms tightly around Nyssa's waist, nodded and whispered "Love you, too"

"I had no idea, beloved" she ran her fingers through the blonde's hair and kissed her forehead "I honestly forgot about those"

"Well, I didn't"

Nyssa chuckled and kissed her lips softly, letting it linger for a few moments.

"Ms. Lance, if you'd like, I have your other compilations ready to play for you and Ms. Raatko"

"No!" the blonde shouted alarmed, then tried to cover it with exaggerated calm "Um, no, no… thank you, Gideon. That won't be necessary"

Nyssa arched one eyebrow and folded her arms "Sara?"

"Mm?" she asked nonchalantly.

"Other compilations?"

Before she could come up with an excuse, Gideon added "I also have the dream logs you asked me to store for you, Ms. Lance. All of them involving Ms. Raatko"

The blonde panicked again and shouted "What the fuck, Gideon?! No! Don't play anything else! Just be quiet!"

Nyssa bit her lip trying not to laugh "Dreams?"

Running her fingers through her hair, the blonde huffed exasperatedly "Fucking Gideon"

"Care to explain?" the brunette asked leaning back against the bed, her arms still folded across her chest.

"Do I have to?" Sara winced and gulped.

"Yes, you definitely do"

The blonde pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath. She looked up into the other woman's eyes, and scoffed when she saw a smirk playing on her lips "It's been ten years, Nyssa. You know me; how do you think I survived?"

Her fiancée grinned arching one eyebrow "I am not following" she lied.

Sara groaned and rolled her eyes "You're gonna make me say it, aren't you?"

"Absolutely, yes"

"Okay, you wanna go there? Let's go there..." she smirked biting the side of her lip "...remember those pics and videos I said I would delete but never did?" she waited for the brunette to nod and continued "Well, I made a different kind of compilation outta those. Worked like a charm, babe, popped in like two minutes every time"

Despite feeling extremely proud and surprisingly aroused at the thought, Nyssa couldn't help the blush that crept slowly up her neck, making her fiancée laugh "And what about the dreams?" she asked before Sara could say anything about her reaction.

"Oh. Well, um, you see…" she cleared her throat "...turns out, and I didn't find out about this after a couple of months here, that Gideon can actually monitor our dreams. Even keep logs and live footage of them"

"Is that so?"

"Uh-huh" Sara half smiled and nervously rubbed the back of her neck "One night I kinda had a very vivid dream about… us. So, well... I got curious"

"Of course"

"So I asked if it could be stored just for me to access so I could check it out later that night. Gideon encrypted it and gave me the option to delete it, in case I found it irrelevant"

"Did you find it irrelevant?"

"Fuck, no!" Sara said laughing "I saved every single one of them after! You can check my iPad, they're all there!"

They started laughing again, but the sudden movement of the ship interrupted their moment. It shook violently for a short while before stabilizing again, but they could still feel the erratic movement.

"That's definitely not a good sign" the blonde said frowning.

Before she could even make it to the door, Amaya's voice rang inside the bedroom, her tone bordering on desperate "Sara, Nyssa, we need you here!"

Both women ran out the door and down the corridor in a heartbeat, reacting just in time to move aside as the door slid open and Nate came flying past them, hitting the opposite wall with a weird metal-on-metal sound.

"The fuck is going on?!" the blonde asked alarmed.

They quickly scanned the scene before them and exchanged a silent look. Without saying a word, Nyssa rushed to her mother's side, trying to help her pull Saracon away from Ray.

Sara ran to the front of the main deck, where Amaya was trying to do her best to pilot amidst the chaos around her "Gideon, this is Captain Sara Lance. Dr. Palmer has been compromised. Override his Captain status, I'll be in charge from now on" she instructed sternly.

"Right away, Captain"

"Thanks" the blonde said looking at Amaya when the woman got up from the center seat "Stay, help me fix this shit"

"No problem" she took a seat on Sara's right and both women focused on trying to steady the ship with almost half the control panel broken.

"Gideon, how compromised is the navigation system?"

"Quite, Captain. The autopilot function isn't entirely functional and the ship will require constant assistance to fully operate until repairments are made"

"Can you maintain its position once I get it stabilized?"

"Certainly"

"Thank you, Gideon. Nate!" the blonde shouted while flipping some switches "Dude, you realize you literally have superpowers, right? Now would be a good time to use them! Get your hippie shit together and break whatever that is!"

"Nyssa, Lourdes, step away" the man instructed clenching his fists, startling Nyssa when his hands suddenly looked as if made of steel for a second. Once both women moved aside, he placed his hands on Saracon's shoulders, easily picking him up and shoving him away from Ray.

With a feral growl, Saracon charged at him, but he literally bounced off Nate's body.

Ray moved away from the struggle, still trying to regain his breath after being choked by the other man "What is going on?!" he asked alarmed looking at Lourdes.

The woman furrowed her brow and shook her head, looking at her daughter "I don't know, something triggered this"

Her daughter looked at Nate "Keep him away from my mother" when the man nodded, she rushed to her fiancée's side, reaching behind the blonde's back for her collapsible bō "I need to borrow this, beloved"

Sara smirked and nodded "Go ahead"

"You can step aside, Dr. Heywood" the brunette stated, twirling Sara's bō staff in her hand.

"Nyssa, he's dangerously strong" the man protested, still struggling with Saracon "He's gonna hurt you"

"Step aside"

"But—"

"Nate, do what she says!" Sara shouted angrily "That's the woman who trained me. She can kick your tin ass nine ways to sunday; her orders are my orders, we clear?"

"Yes, ma'am" he finally stepped aside and helped Lourdes away from her children to keep her safe.

"Saracon, I do not wish to harm you" Nyssa stated calmly "Control those instincts, brother, this is not you"

His only response was a loud growl before he started circling her. She followed his every move, always standing between the man and the rest of the team.

"Gideon, suspend our course until further instruction" the blonde said calmly and got up from her seat. She motioned for Ray to get closer and whispered something, getting a nod from the man before he disappeared down a corridor.

"Course suspended, Captain"

Saracon roared and lunged at his sister, trying to get his hands around her neck, but the woman quickly blocked him with the bō staff and front kicked him away "Regain control, Saracon!" she insisted advancing on him.

He tried to connect a punch to her jaw, but Nyssa easily dodged it and shoved her palm hard on his chest, forcing him to stumble back. Angry and frustrated, the man's attacks started to come at her faster, but leaving him more open. Eventually she managed to pin him against a wall, holding the staff tightly against his throat "Calm down!"

Saracon struggled against her hold, but was unable to break free.

Ray came back and handed Sara a small syringe, which the blonde immediately stuck into Saracon's neck, eliciting one last feral growl before he went limp between the wall and the staff Nyssa was still holding.

"Gotta say…" the blonde shrugged "...super fucked up déjà vu right now. I'm just glad Talia is not here to say 'I told you so', we would never hear the end of it"

"What are we gonna do?" Sara asked looking at the group "He can't stay with Lourdes like they planned, we don't know when he might snap again"

"Sara, I can handle my son"

"That was not your son, mother" Nyssa stated seriously "He should stay with us, beloved, we are his best option"

The blonde agreed nodding "We are, but there's the not-so-tiny issue of our sleeping arrangements. We only have one bedroom, babe, remember?"

Nyssa nodded and looked down, frowning and biting her lip, deep in thought. Sara leaned back against the wall and rubbed her temple, trying to come up with a solution, too.

Suddenly, both women looked up into each other's eyes at the same time. Nyssa gasped and Sara smirked "You cool with that?" she asked, realizing they both had the same idea.

"Not only that, but I honestly believe it might even help him"

"Yeah, me too"

"Can you arrange it?"

The blonde smiled and nodded "Gideon, change our course, we're heading to the Caribbean, present time. I'll manually log the coordinates and pilot the ship"