▂▂▂▂▂ act one , chapter seventeen
LET'S GO SPACE TRAVELING
The Temporal Zone ▂▂▂▂▂
❝space ranger stein? yeah, i don't see it.❞
"SYSTEM MALFUNCTION. I'M stranded, unable to jump. Controls unresponsive. This is Captain Eve Baxter of the timeship Acheron, requesting critical rescue."
The spotty video feed of the woman's message ended, the recording disappearing from the screen on the console, which the team, minus Elle, stood around. Rip had called a meeting when Gideon intercepted this message — it wasn't intended for them, per se, but Rip seemed adamant that they should find this woman and her ship.
"We care about this chick, why?" Rory questioned through a grumble, speaking aloud what everyone else was thinking.
"We don't, but the Acheron's computer will contain the current intel on Savage's whereabouts," informed Rip, spinning in his spot at the head of the console to face the team, noticing the lack of one particular eighteen-year-old. "Does anyone know where Ms. Anders is?"
In his spot between Stein and Snart, Jefferson scoffed, "Yeah, I know." Rip looked at the man, nonverbally instructing him to go on, which he did, pointing to Stein. "Ever since you gave her that device, she's been talking to Aiden nonstop for the last three days."
Everyone knew that the Professor had given Elle something to communicate through time, and no one was particularly angry at the fact, giving the teenager the benefit of the doubt that she needed to talk to someone closer to her age. Jefferson was on the ship and was friends with Elle, but it wasn't the same as talking to Aiden. They all knew that because any time Elle had left her room the last seventy-two hours, she was on call with Aiden, during breakfast, waiting in line for the bathroom — she was always talking with him. It was true the team wasn't irritated about Elle being the only one who could talk to someone in 2016, but they were irritated when she acted as though none of them existed while talking on the device.
"I only had her best interest in mind," Stein defended honestly.
"Yeah, at all our expenses," Ray mumbled, though really he wasn't that aggravated with the teenager; he couldn't be after their talk in the engine room. "This morning, she poured milk on my toast instead of her bowl of cereal because she was too distracted talking to him."
"And the only time I've seen her is when she's walking around with her head down on the phone," Snart added as he shifted in his spot, leaning against the seat he stood by.
"Technically, it's not a phone," Stein corrected, looking at the criminal. "It's a trans-temporal communicator."
"Whatever it is, it's getting annoying," grumbled Rory.
"Oh, come on, guys," Sara spoke up, waving her hand dismissively in the teenager's defense. "So what? She's talking to her boyfriend. It's not like she's brutally murdering you all."
"Yeah, and I have to admit..." Kendra began with a small smile, "they're kinda adorable."
"Oh, they definitely are," Sara seconded with a nod, glancing at Kendra. The two women were actually finding it adorable that Elle was talking to Aiden constantly for the last two days — it showed they cared about each other, something that only they caught. (Women and their intuition and all.)
"Okay, let's get back on track," Rip advised after a moment passed. "Gideon—"
Right on cue, the girl that the team had just been referring to was strolling onto the bridge, not a care in the world other than talking to the boy on the communicator in her hands. Collectively, the team — well, the men, really — all groaned and rolled their eyes at the Anders girl's entrance as she spoke loudly to Aiden.
"No way!" Elle gasped as her voice all but rang throughout the bridge. "No, she didn't!"
She had just been told that in school, Reagan had counted to a hundred for the first time. The six-year-old was very proud of her achievement, according to Aiden.
"Yes, she did," the boy insisted, his tone loud enough for the rest of the team to hear, who all just waited for Elle to realize their presence. "She's the second in her class to do so."
"Well, obviously because she's smart like you," Elle complimented with a cute smile as she saw Aiden through the communicator's screen. "It must be a..."
Her voice trailed off when she got a glance at the team all watching her encounter, some (Kendra and Sara) looking more patient than others. Elle hadn't heard there was supposed to be a meeting on the bridge, so she was surprised to see them all here. But it was apparent that they're had been some developments that she didn't know about.
So she turned her gaze back to Aiden, whispering, "Hey, I gotta go. But I'll talk to you later. Okay?"
"Yeah, sure," Aiden said before furiously waving at Elle. "Bye!"
"Bye," Elle murmured before clicking off the call and shoving the communicator in her jeans back pocket. She then walked to the console between Kendra and Rory, leaning her arms on the table, innocently asking, "What did I miss?"
The captain huffed from the opposite end of the console, deciding that he wasn't going to re-explain the situation and that someone would just have to catch her up later. "Gideon, set a course for the Acheron's position in deep space."
"Yes, Captain."
"We're going into space?" Elle wondered excitedly, glancing around at everyone, being heavily out of the loop.
"Deep space? I had no idea we had the ability to explore the unknown realms of the galaxy." The Professor sounded just as enthusiastic as Elle. "Astonishing."
"No. What's astonishing is that we're acting as roadside assistance for the people who's chasing us," Jefferson retorted.
Still, Elle had no clue what the hell her teammates were talking about, so she just decided to lay low and listen. Maybe she could put the pieces together if she listened intently. The Anders girl assumed it was best not to provoke her team given that she had been sort of ignoring them the past two days and based on the groan that was met with her entrance into the bridge.
"Doesn't it seem suspicious this distress call just happened to reach us?" Snart pondered, earning a nod of agreement from the twenty-year-old next to him.
Kendra nodded. "How do we know it's not a trap?"
"We don't," Rip admitted, throwing his hands up, "but what we do know is that Savage's trail has run cold. And unless Gideon can upload the data from the Acheron's computer—"
"I'm in," Rory interrupted, all heads turning towards him.
"You are?" Snart said quizzically.
It only reminded Elle of the partner's dispute about 2046 and how it was obvious they were still at odds — Elle had completely forgotten about it.
"The sooner we end Savage, the sooner I get back to where I belong," responded Rory.
"Prison?" Stein sassed with raised brows, but the answer he got was one neither he nor the team expected.
"Any prison on Earth's better than this one, Professor." Mick's voice was stern, almost demented in a way, sending a shockwave of tension across the room.
But it still did not stop Elle from remarking lowly, "Well, good thing we're going to space then."
Rip clapped his hands, moving to his captain's chair, while the rest of the team followed suit in finding seats and getting strapped in. "Gideon."
"Yes, sir," the computer responded.
Elle found a seat beside Snart as Rip continued, "Engines to full throttle."
"Of course, Captain."
And just like that, the Waverider was on its way to flying at top speeds through the galaxy.
( Space )
ELLE HAD TO admit... she felt like she was a part of the freakin' Guardians of the Galaxy when staring out the main window in the bridge at the vastness that was space. She couldn't decide if the temporal zone seemed to stretch further or the galaxy she was gazing adoringly at.
They were in some different Milky Way, probably a billion light years away from Earth's, and there were no planets in sight, just stars (and the stationary timeship they were here rescuing). A million different flickering stars encompassed her gaze as they shone on her face and twinkled in her eyes, all mere tiny little specks in the grand scheme of things, really. There was something about the stars that Elle found so captivating. Maybe it was the way they reminded her of the city lights back in Central City, but these didn't look artificial or man-made like the lights back home did. These strikingly beautiful little balls of fire that people dubbed as stars were genuine, which only made them seem that much more gorgeous; it's what made them so intriguing to look at.
If someone had told Elle a month ago that she would've been face to face with the beaming stars of the galaxy, she would've laughed in their face and just gone about the rest of her day. She had the power to become invisible, but space travel? That seemed way out of her repertoire, but then again, so did time travel. Now she stood in a time ship that also traveled through space, peering out at the stars, the same stars she would stare up fascinated at in Central City. She was so much closer to them than she ever could've imagined. Being an astronaut was every child's dream, and Elle was living it — she felt just as giddy as those kids.
Courtesy of Jefferson, Elle was brought into the loop on why exactly they were in the middle of space and saving a time ship that belonged to the people who were hunting the team down. As she stared out the enormous window in the bridge with crossed arms, Elle caught sight of the vessel that looked eerily similar to the Waverider called the Acheron — the one they were supposed to be helping. Though, when Elle was informed why they were helping someone who worked for the Time Masters, she couldn't really argue. They had no leads on Vandal Savage, and the Acheron's computer did. The past week spent in the temporal zone (minus that one day Elle went to see Aiden) had become extremely boring; everyone could only stare at the same walls for so long before someone became antsy. So it was high time they did something other than idly live about the ship.
Her attention was only yanked from the stars when Rip's voice sounded through the air, her name mixing with his British accent. "Ms. Anders, Professor Stein, Mr. Jackson, would you all care to join the boarding party?"
Venturing away from the massive window she could stare out of for days, Elle wandered beside Rip, glancing between the two other people he invited on the journey as her arms fell to her sides.
"A chance for an extra-vehicular docking maneuver. what could be more exciting?" It was apparent Stein was extremely thrilled with the prospect of... whatever he just said.
While he crossed his arms and leaned against the console, Jefferson piped up, "I could think of a few things."
"I don't know," Elle hummed with excitement she was trying to suppress so she wouldn't look like an idiot — this was the most entertaining thing to happen on this ship in a week; she wouldn't miss it. "It sounds pretty interesting to me, given our other option is to stay here."
"Hmm, yeah, I guess you're right," Jefferson sighed towards Elle, him too wanting a change of pace.
"Let's get this thing started," proclaimed Rory, swiveling on his heels.
The others around her briefly discussed docking the Jumpship onto the Acheron, Elle tuning them out as she eyed the arsonist, who had only stopped when Snart approached him. They shared some undistinguishable words, but even from where she was standing, Elle could tell the dissent between the partners just based on body language. It shouldn't, but it made Elle despondent to see the once inseparable duo like this. Their conflict was an odd shift in activity the past week, and it made Elle uncomfortable that they were different. But she supposed the two were their own versions of fire and ice, and everyone knew those two clashed from time to time.
A sigh left Elle's lips as she reminded herself that Rory and Snart's squabble didn't concern her whatsoever; she couldn't be some budding teenager. She could feel sorry for them all she wanted, but she did not have the power to fix their issue. With that in mind, she turned her focus off the two and back to Rip, who approached Ray.
"Dr. Palmer, I leave the ship in your hands while we're gone." The captain then veered towards Kendra with a muttered voice, his words making a chuckle fall between Elle's lips. "And I leave him in yours."
With the billionaire now having a large grin on his face that he was left in charge, the five people set to partake in the excursion to the Acheron all made their way towards the Jumpship par from Rip, who muttered an excuse about grabbing something from his room. As the four walked through the Waverider's corridors to the Jumpship, Stein was evidently the most excited about this journey. Jefferson and the Professor walked side by side ahead of Elle and Rory.
"Do any of you know the privilege that we have being able to explore a galaxy unlike our own?" He boasted with a grin, his gaze shifting from each individual person. "It's fascinating!"
"The only thing I find fascinating is that we're finally able to get off this bucket of bolts," Rory grumbled, Elle's expression falling as she peered at the man. Anyone with eyes could detect that it was a jab about his unhappiness with Snart, not the ship.
But Elle decided to play it off as though she didn't know that. "Yeah, tell me about it. A change of scenery would be nice."
"Oh, come on, we didn't have it as bad as everyone," Jefferson said. "At least we got to go to Central City for a few hours."
And what Jax meant was that he had been Elle's pilot in the Jumpship, and while Rip had told her she couldn't tell Jefferson... she still did. Her reason was that if he was already in Central City, there was no reason why he couldn't visit his mom and tell her that he wasn't dead in a ditch. In turn, this meant he had to know that it was as though he had been gone for three weeks. Elle knew how much Jefferson cared about his mother, and it just didn't feel right for him to be in the same time and place as her and not see her and, at the very least, let her know her son didn't abandon her. That's precisely why Elle wanted to see Aiden — she couldn't deny Jefferson that same right.
But Jefferson was the only person Elle told; honestly, she was scared of how the others would react to the information.
"I just need to get out of here," Rory grumbled with a grunt, his gaze firm as he stared ahead.
The group had made it to the Jumpship, beginning to pile onto the miniaturized time machine, waiting for their captain to appear. As they sat — Elle beside Jefferson, Rory at the back, and Stein towards the front — the Anders girl's gaze went to the arsonist.
Curiosity was getting the better of her — she knew it was dangerous. She just wanted to know more about Snart and Rory's squabble. It affected both men drastically, even if they would never admit it aloud. A week had gone by, and no common ground had been found. Elle was worried about them because, as she had noted, she was slowly but surely becoming more friendly with the entire team, including the two criminals. Deep down, Elle believed she saw herself in them more than anyone else on this ship; in her own way, like them, she was a criminal.
Even though she knew that it was probably a bad idea to bring up his and Snart's current friendship status, Elle still decided to ask the hot-headed man, "So what's with you and Snart?"
Rory glanced up at Elle with a glare, "What are you talking about, Andy?"
"I'm not blind, Rory," Elle rolled her eyes. "I know you guys had a fight."
The other two in the Jumpship awkwardly glanced away from the ensuing encounter, both thinking that they were not going to be a part of Elle poking the bear, especially if the bear decided to fight back. But Elle didn't think he would, so she decided to talk to Rory like a human being, not the meathead everyone on this ship saw him as.
When no response from Rory came, Elle went on. "He also told me what happened."
"Did he now?" Rory wondered, tilting his head back against the seat, slight amusement pricking his tone.
"Yeah," Elle nodded confidently. "He knocked you out because you wanted to stay in 2046. I also know that he made the decision for you, which, quite frankly, I don't agree with."
"Ah," muttered Rory. "Did he also tell you that he's more interested in saving the world than being a thief with me?" Now, any aspects of that portion of the argument Elle wasn't aware of, and it was clear in her body language. "He didn't, did he?"
"Well, uh—"
Whatever bullshit answer Elle was going to come up with got interrupted when Rip appeared at the open entrance of the Jumpship. Truthfully, Elle really didn't know what to continue with. She hadn't known how she would've started the conversation until she spoke, but at the moment, there was just nothing more for her to say. Her mind was utterly void of words. The Anders girl's mouth closed as it pursed into a tight line, keeping her sights on Rory for a second longer until Rip spoke, causing Elle's head to turn to him. The Englishman was back in his brown trench coat, which suited him far better than the gray t-shirts he had been wearing out of dismay.
"Alright, everyone, let's prepare for the ascent," announced Rip before finding his place in the pilot seat, diminishing Jefferson's hopes that he would get to pilot again. Stein found his seat opposite Jefferson and Elle, though she wouldn't be surprised if he were to stand up again within the next five minutes.
Nevertheless, when the Jumpship exited its hangar in the Waverider, gliding through space towards the still Acheron, Stein was back on his feet, right behind Rip's seat, staring out the window with amazement. Despite the looming rage in the man to her left dwindling her usual brightness, Elle still couldn't help but smile at Stein's antics. The man was a scientist, so it did make sense that he was so fascinated with the stars — they always wanted to learn and know more.
"I'm having the strangest sensation. It's like I'm ten years old again," murmured Stein in awe.
"You do a lot of space travel as a kid, Professor?" Rory mused, sarcasm lacing his words.
However, it seemed Stein didn't pick up on the man's tone. "Only in my dreams, after I read my first issue of Rick Starr: Space Ranger."
"Space Ranger Stein? Yeah, I don't see it," Jax remarked with a shake of his head.
"Well, I think you would've made a great astronaut, Martin," Elle smiled, receiving one in return from the Professor. Using his first name felt foreign on her tongue, but it wasn't a bad feeling.
"I wanted to travel through space, surviving only by my wits and laser guns. I even built a rocket out of cardboard boxes," Stein shared his dream of traveling through the stars as an astronaut. It seemed that goal was attainable for the older man, given his intelligence. Elle wondered what caused the change in profession for Stein.
"What stopped you?" Rip asked the query plaguing the eighteen-year-old's mind.
She was given her answer when Stein responded downheartedly, "NASA has rather strict guidelines regarding nearsightedness."
"And smoking weed," Jefferson grumbled, earning a glare from his other half that had Elle snickering.
"Gideon, have you been able to link up with the Acheron's computer?" Rip questioned the AI.
"It appears a self-destruct code has disabled the ship's temporal navigation system."
"Well, what does that mean?" Jefferson asked with furrowed brows.
"It's possible the result of a malfunction," said Rip. "Just in case, Martin, I'm going to ask you to remain behind here in the Jumpship."
"You're telling us that if something goes wrong, egghead's in charge?" Rory pondered skeptically.
Elle would've thought the captain's order would decrease Stein's excitement, though she was apparently wrong as he proudly proclaimed, "Break out the emergency gear. Space Ranger has a job to do."
The rest of the journey went smoothly, the Jumpship docking safely inside the Acheron. Rip had said something about how all-time ships were created to be compatible with others, which was why the Jumpship could be inside another ship that wasn't the Waverider.
Exiting the Jumpship, Elle, Rory, Jefferson, and Rip were all met with a setting that would give horror movies a run for their money. The entire ship was dark apart from the minimal working lights that barely allowed for the four to see a foot ahead of them as they traveled slowly down the Acheron's corridors. In the spaces where there was a bit of light, Elle could see the lingering particles in the air, only adding to the suspension she felt.
Green light from Elle's revolver encompassed her hands, the girl having taken it out immediately upon seeing the darkness upon the Acheron. Rip had done the same, and Rory always had his gun ready. Elle was walking a step in front of Jefferson because the twenty-year-old did not have a weapon, and his other half was back on the Jumpship.
When Elle brought up the point that they wouldn't be able to find what they were looking for since they couldn't see, Rip pulled out a flashlight from his trench coat pocket. Its light shone on the path ahead when the captain pressed the button to turn it on. He then pulled out another and handed it to Jefferson, Elle now allowing him to be beside her instead of behind her, seeing as he was the one with the light.
"Oh, look who came all prepared," Elle muttered mockingly.
A short laugh came from beside Elle, and she didn't have to look up to know it was Jefferson, though any amusement in the two youngsters' faces dissipated when Rip spoke, not having any idea of Elle's comment.
"Stay close and stay alert," he ordered lowly, his flashlight and gun in hand; Elle would assume by how he held both he was taught how to case an environment like this.
Jefferson pointed his flashlight forward, spotlighting a panel on the wall as they approached it. The spot was slightly dented, force evidently having been applied to the area — it didn't just get there on its own, Elle knew. Signs of a struggle, which meant a struggle were sure to come to the four team members.
"To quote every Star Wars ever made, 'I've got a bad feeling about this,' said Jefferson, looking warily to his companions.
Nonetheless, with more apprehension than they had before — if that was even possible for Elle — the four kept stalking through the ship. Eventually, they found their way to what appeared to be the Acheron's version of the bridge. They hadn't made it through the doorway yet, but from where she was standing, Elle could see the console and the lone captain's chair at the front.
Instantly, the moment they passed through the bridge, the lights came to life, and a leg attacked the back of Elle's knees. The girl lost her balance, falling to the floor and dropping her revolver as Jefferson, Rip, and Rory were all getting attacked by people. Someone was yanking her off the ground, their arms around her shoulders as they forcefully pulled her back, and then her hands were being restrained behind her back.
Unlike Elle, Jefferson, and Rip, Rory was harder to apprehend. The teenager's eyes caught on the arsonist as he forcefully fought someone, punches being thrown hastily until Mick had his guy on the ground, his fists balling the man's collar as he looked heatedly down at him. Though as quickly as a spark of hope came to Elle, it vanished when a gun was being raised on Rory's head.
"Valiant effort," the man holding the weapon complimented flatly. Elle's eyes heatedly looked at the gray-haired man, wishing she could do something other than stand back and watch. "Let the man go."
Rory glanced up at his threatener. "Or else what?"
His question wasn't answered with words but rather the man apprehending Jefferson pulling out a knife and placing it at his throat.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Elle exclaimed, squirming against her restrained movements because of the person holding her tightly.
"Do as the man says," Rip urged, stuck in his own captor's hold.
Knowing that he couldn't let whoever these people were hurt Jefferson, Rory grunted as he pushed himself off the man, coming to his full height. The knife was taken away from Jefferson, and when his life wasn't vividly being threatened, he asked, "Who the hell are these guys?"
"These, Mr. Jackson," Rip began dauntingly, only adding to the horridness of the situation, "are time pirates."
Elle rolled her eyes, a groan escaping her lips because, of course, they couldn't do this without any hiccups. She should've known better than to assume everything would go fine, and with a clenched jaw, she gritted, "Oh, just great."