"Clarity! Clarity I'm here!" Nate yelled as he sprinted down the halls struggling to get his shirt on, he was even only wearing one shoe, sock clad foot making him slip and slide on the metal floor. The sneaker having been abandoned somewhere down the hall. The historian oh so late for the training session he'd been hoping for since he got his powers. "I'm sorry I overslept, the tea I drank yesterday really made me drowsy just ask-" Nate froze in the cargo bag door way as he saw Clarity sitting on top of a crate, Amaya helping Clarity tape up her hands. "Amaya."
"Nathaniel your head is through your sleeve." Amaya looked up from her task.
"Yeah, well I wanted to wear it this way." Nate replied, defensively as he shifted. He looked to Clarity. "What is she doing here? I thought you said this was just going to be me and you."
"It is." Clarity confirmed. "She was just helping me get warmed up and pass the time. I almost thought you were going to stand me up. Not like I wouldn't deserve it with how many times I skipped out on you, but I'm glad you showed."
"I wouldn't miss it. What's with the tape?" Nate wondered as he fixed his shirt putting his head where it's supposed to go.
"I might be able to harness the lightning in my body and channel it to make myself stronger but that doesn't give me unbreakable skin like you when you're steeled up and I'm certainly not invulnerable like supergirl is. I bleed and my skin splits, and my knuckles bruise and all that good stuff. I haven't been adding fingerless gloves to my outfits for aesthetic reasons, I've been trying to protect my hands in case I have to punch something unexpectedly. This tape is to give my hands a little cushioning, before it hits any steeled surfaces."
"Your lightning doesn't stop that from happening?" Nate wondered. "It must be really painful."
"It is depending on what I'm punching....Does that not happen to you? Do you feel pain when you hit stuff steeled up?" Clarity pondered.
"Not really? Everything usually feels sort of muffled. A punch feels like getting hit with a pillow." Nate admitted. "But energy blasts, stuff like that...that hurts depending on how strong it is."
"Hey guys, team meeting in 15." Ray told the group popping his head in before running off to tell some other team mate.
"Everytime." Clarity sighed softly to herself. Her braided hair frizzing her her hand glided over it lightning crackling. The tape Amaya had painstakingly put on her hands burning away. It had been a trend her training sessions getting interrupted at the bureau, why would it be any different here on the ship?
"But we haven't even done any training." Nate protested. "Can't we skip it?"
"You would have, had you gotten here on time." Amaya replied placing the role of tape down. "And that would give Zari the wrong impression. We all have to go, set an example, there's no real reason for anyone not to. It won't be so bad."
"I know, I know." Nate sighed, "I was just kind of excited about this."
"Okay, I need to go shower real quick cause I'm not going to that meeting all sweaty and disgusting, but tell you what, Nate once the meetings over and everything is all cool we can come back here and I can punch you uh I mean train you." Clarity glitched away to go shower and change her clothes.
"Like I'd even really feel it." Nate laughed nervously to himself once Clarity was gone he turned to Amaya. "I won't feel it, I mean how hard can she really punch? Right? Pfft, I'm not scared."
"I don't know, though you should watch out for her right hook. Used to send your grandfather straight to his knees." Amaya replied with a smile of her own walking off.
Nate rubbed his cheek. He wasn't gonna feel it.
The legends all gathered on the bridge fifteen minutes later. Clarity was changed into a blue silk blouse with off the shoulder flowing sleeves. Her jeans had holes in them the fabric scrunched together to look like bows, from the side of her ankle to the side of her mid thigh. Her boots had a silk bow on the side, a smaller sleds floppier version of the one nestled atop her head.
"What makes a hero? Is it powers? Strength? Bravery? No. A hero is forged by his or her relationships. Our bonds of brotherhood or sisterhood. That is why I'm taking you all through the ten-step team-building process I perfected at Palmer Tech." Ray smiled as he stood before the legends. Clarity sat on top of the console heels of her boots resting against the monitors edge. Sara was right in front of her and she leant her head back Claritys knees. Her bent back arms on either side of Claritys closed legs. Everyone else was over by the parlour with the exception of Mick leaning against the monitor standing off by itself.
"Uh, You know Felicity never wanted to tell you this but those Palmer tech excercises you forced the employees to do kind of just made everyone in the office hate you." Clarity winced raising her pointer finger hesitantly.
"Aha, but they united together for one common goal." Ray countered still sounding excited. "So Success! Moving on, Step one, part one: icebreakers."
"Please no. Those are so forced and awkward." Clarity objected. "and uncomfortable. Sorry Ray but pass."
"Well sometimes forming relationships is all about stepping out of your comfort zone." Ray replied. "Pass denied. For this to work we need full participation from everyone. Including you Clarity. Even Gideon."
"I don't want to be apart of this." Gideon protested.
"Urgh Sara, deny his denial. Use your Captain powers." Clarity pleaded. "Please, don't make me do this."
"Sorry Pachirisu, this is Ray's show. What he says goes." Sara replied, besides if she had to suffer through this so did she. She couldn't give Clarity an out when everyone else except for Ray wanted that too.
"Dude, we've been stuck on a ship that has one bathroom. I think we know each other well enough." Jax protested as he looked at Ray.
"And your timing couldn't be worse, given that we're being chased by a water-wielding assassin and the Time Bureau." Stein added arms crossed over his chest from where he leaned in the parlour doorway. Jax's annoyance only feeding into his own.
"We need to grow as a team. First step is two truths and a lie. It's gonna be fun." Ray grinned not yet giving up on his exercise. Even if his friends were unenthusiastic.
"Lie." Mick grunted drinking his third beer of the morning.
"I haven't started yet. Look... I know you guys probably think - this is lame..." Ray slowly began.
"Truth." Sara chimed lifting her head from where it had rested against Claritys knees with a smile. Nate twisted to look in their direction just in time to see Clarity flip Sara's hair up.
"But we have a new crew member, and it is important for Zari to bond with us, not only as team members but as individuals." Ray protested unperturbed by his resistant teammates.
"That's not going to happen in a forced setting. It's going to happen by her heroing with us, just like Nate did when he joined up late or Amaya even." Clarity countered. "You have to let these things happen naturally or they don't work."
"Yeah, well, I'm no hero, and I'm not a member of any team." Zari objected walking down the parlour stairs. "So it's not going to work either way."
"Hey...I promise I won't hug you again," Clarity bargained. "Reconsider, please?"
"No." Zari replied with a tilt of her head.
"Besides, I've already have you all figured out. The old guy wants to be anywhere but on this ship." Zari walked towards Stein who straightened uncomfortably, only to switch targets and circle back around Nate and Amaya. "These two have some will-they-won't-they thing going on." Nate nodded his head and Amaya just looked shocked as Zari made her way out between the console and the parlour. "Rory's been drunk since breakfast. Jax is wondering if I'm single, I'm not interested." She walked over to stand next to Sara and Clarity. "I'm growing cavities just standing in the same room as you two. And your ship's still mad at me for doing a teeny hack on her subsystems."
"Cavities? What do me and Sara have to do with your dental hyg-I'm sorry, you did what with Gideon's subsystems?" Clarity glared, voice raising cutting herself off as she processed Zari's full statement eyes glowing. "Gideon why didn't you tell me!?"
"I can fight my own battles creator. I know how you get. You needn't worry." Gideon told her. "I am unharmed."
"I don't care, that was rude! A-and wrong and-intrusive! How would you like it if I went poking around in your brain without permission? Huh? Never do that to her again," Clarity glitched past Sara sliding down the console to stand right in Zari's face, pointing her finger at her lightning crackling in her glowing eyes. "Ever. Or me and you, we're gonna have a problem."
"Oh wow a problem with little miss static electric." Zari flipped the bow up on claritys shirt so the ends swatted softly against face. "I'm so scared," Zari let out a soft snort and rolled her eyes turning away from Clarity resting her hands on her hips. "Now, what's this about one bathroom?"
"Oy vey." Sara complained, reaching out pulling Clarity backwards into her chest. The assassin crossing her arms over Clarity's shoulders blocking Zari from her view.
Clarity shimmied around pivoting in place, doing a 180 to pout at the blonde. "I was just warning her."
"I know, and you were being very scary." Sara nodded solemnly.
"Don't be facetious, I can be frightening." Clarity protested.
"Mhm." Sara bit her bottom lip only for it to uncurl with a small smile as she scanned her eyes up and down. "You're cute, Clarity."
Clarity shook her head at her lips pressed together. Normally that comment sent butterflies dancing in her stomach, she'd get all flustered but now in this instance it felt backhanded. Like Sara was really saying she wasn't scary. That she couldn't be.
"Guys, guys." Ray tried holding up his hands.
"You're right, Haircut, this is gonna be fun." Mick chuckled to himself standing up straight with a small grin on his face.
"Let's just skip to step two: trust falls." Ray replied, Sara letting her arms drop to rest back against the console once more. Clarity crossing her arms. "Now, to demonstrate, Mick, who hated me when we first met, will fall trustingly into my arms." Ray faced Mick as the arsonist walked up to him adjusting his gloves.
"All right, you promised me good coin for doing this." Mick reminded.
"And you said you weren't gonna say that out loud." Ray replied, Rory groaning as he turned around, "Well, just lean back and let go 'cause I'm not going anywhere, buddy."
"What the hell?" Jax laughed slapping his leg as he stood up."Haha, Aw nice one Clarity!"
"Sparky, that's gonna cost you. You just lost your hang out time with Axel for the next two no three days." Mick held up his fingers.
"What? But Mick I-No, guys this-this wasn't me." Clarity protested, "I didn't glitch him. I can't even sense him. He's...He's gone."
"Gideon, what happened to Ray?" Sara asked, smiles and laughter ceasing from everyone.
"According to public record, Mr. Palmer died in 1988." Gideon informed and Clarity gasped covering her mouth.
"Wait, Ray's dead?" Nate demanded resting his hands on the console everyone exchanging worried looks.
"He better be. Sparky almost took the heat for him." Mick grunted standing up rubbing his head.
"How could Ray be dead?" Sara wondered walking over to the console. "He was just right here."
"Yeah, well, he owes me money." Mick held his beer to his head like an ice pack.
"Gideon, you said Ray died in 1988." Jax repeated walking up to the console Zari at his side.
"Mr. Palmer went missing on October 31, 1988. They recovered the body two days later." Gideon informed.
"He died on Halloween?" Clarity rested her hands on her chest. "I hope the candy didn't kill him."
"He was found in the woods, dead, only eight years old." Amaya frowned reading a paper.
"That's the same year the pilgrim went after him isn't it?" Clarity recalled.
"These events can't be connected. We dealt with the pilgrim already. Captain Hunter killed her." Stein protested. "It must be something else."
"If Ray disappeared on Halloween, then we'll just go back to before whatever happens happens." Sara walked over to the console in front of her captains chair tapping buttons. "Gideon, get us to October 30, 1988."
"Wait. Are we time traveling?" Zari asked with a growing smile.
"You better buckle up." Jax told her everyone else already in their chairs.
"Has anybody mentioned you run the risk of bleeding from your eyeballs?" Clarity asked sounding all too cheery.
"What?" Zari asked just as they time jumped.
"Arriving in 1988." Gideon informed the team.
"Wow that was fast, my eyes didn't even bleed." Zari checked her eyes though her voice came out in French. "Why am I speaking French?" She wondered in French.
"Temporal linguistic Displaysia." Clarity replied speaking french herself. The one language besides ancient Zorcairyn and English she knew how to speak. The language of love.
"I should have said there are some really strange side effects." Amaya told her. "It's not just eye ball bleeding, it's weird things too."
"Cool." Zari replied in French with a small smile.
Just then Ray reappeared where he'd last been standing arms stretched out in front of him.
"Buddy!" Nate exclaimed jumping "Hey, you're alive. Aw, man. Oh, wow. I love you, man."
"Me too." Ray replied clapping Nate on the back.
"And always ready for a bro-hug." Ray pulled back only to get pulled in for an embrace from Clarity. "Oh, and a Clarity hug, but wait that was your comfort hug." Ray looked down at her. "Why do I need consoling? Is something wrong?" Clarity pulled back and pointed to the console with a tiny frown.
"I'm in the paper." Ray observed smile faltering looking confused. "And I'm dead?"
"Don't worry you aren't a time ghost." Clarity assured him. "Your still alive and kicking. It's the younger you that died. Your not dead."
"Not yet." Sara amended. "We're in 1988, the day before you disappeared."
"Okay." Ray absorbed the info taking it all in. "Well, I guess the fact that I'm still here means temporal permanence hasn't set in. Which means we can still save my life... And enjoy 1988 while we're at it."
"Trust Ray to find the bright side of dying." Jax grinned.
"Mhm." Clarity hummed rushing to Zari. "Oh! Okay, speaking of bright sides you are going to love this Zari. Here's my favorite part of any and every Legends mission. If this doesn't get you to want to be apart of this team I don't know what will." Clarity grabbed onto Zari's arm pulling towards the fabricator. "Costume changes!"
"You've got to be kidding me. Can't I just go in what I'm wearing?" Zari wondered pulling her arm out of Claritys grip.
"Not if you want to stick out and draw attention." Clarity chimed spinning around skipping backwards, sideways even as she magnetized herself to the wall, and then upside down. "We're all doing it, even Mick."
"I don't even know what the hell people wore this far back," Zari complained as Clarity bent down on the ceiling grabbing onto the doorway and flung herself inside, flipping to stand right in the room.
"Don't worry. I have contingencies for basically every era. Designing outfits is a bit of a passion of mine. I've got you covered." Clarity promised, skipping up to the fabricator. She scrolled through some options before finally deciding on Zari's outfit. Then she picked out her own going to change behind the changing curtain she'd added in the room just for her dramatic unveiling's.
"Uh, are you sure this is right?" Zari asked once she was all changed sweater wrapped around her shoulders tied there by Clarity. As Zari had had no idea what to do with it.
"That sweater's totally awesome. Clarity you did an awesome job with her." Ray called to the changing curtain which Clarity was still hidden behind.
"How do I look?" Zari turned to Jax adjusting the sweater.
"Honestly? Like you're being strangled by a Muppet." Jax replied and Zari pulled the ever so girly hot pink sweater off her shoulders in disgust leaving her in her overalls and army green shirt.
"Can't believe people used to wear this stuff." Zari complained.
"Hey, speak for yourself. I look good in any era." Jax showed off his sporty 80's look.
"Don't forget about me. So do I." Clarity folded up the changing panel revealing her outfit to the three. She wore a tank top with red lace ruffle straps, the fabric of the top was white with a cherry pattern. The fabric was ruffled at the top out lined in red near her cleavage and at the bottom by belly button. Right between her boobs was sat tiny red bow red ribbon making an x pattern that wrapped across towards the sides of her shirt near her upper arms. She wore a short denim skirt with a cherry on it. Her heels was off the same pattern of her tank top. Her hair was down apart from the braid atop her head, a bow with a set of cherries nestling it closed. A cherry bracelet on her right wrist.
"Woah you look poppin'" Ray's grinned as he saw her.
"Thanks, I couldn't stop thinking about Pac-Man so I thought what better fruit than cherries?" Clarity beamed smoothing down her denim skirt, hand gliding over the cherry patch. "It just felt 80's you know?"
"It's a great choice." Ray smiled. "I can't wait to show you guys my home. First we have to go to Pizza Master, best slice in town. And there's a Pac-Man machine in the back we can play while the pizza's cooking. Then we have to go to Video Village. I can't tell you how much of my allowance I spent there." Ray grinned.
"So you're always this positive, even when you're dead?" Zari asked him.
"Pretty much, yeah." Ray replied with a shrug of his shoulder.
"This isn't the first time an iteration of one of our younger selves has been threatened." Clarity replied. "I think we might have gotten a little desensitized to it. Don't worry, Zari. Everything's completely under control."
"How can you pretend like everything's okay?" Zari wondered as she looked at Clarity. "Do you ever drop the damned front? Don't tell me not to worry. Lose the little miss starshine act already. If there's a problem, I want to know about it. Stop looking at me like the older you does to the little kids back at Jannah."
"Front?" Clarity asked in confusion. "You think I'm being fake?"
"Faker than whatever fur that sweater's made out of." Zari gestured to the hot pink sweater she'd placed on some clear glass table. "I might be new here, but you don't need to flash a smile like this is some magical adventure to some far off candy land to try to get me to agree to be a part of your team. Your friends dying, his younger self is dead, and your acting like your excited about playing dress up, when this stuff," Zari took the barrette Clarity had put in her hair and tossed it to the floor. "Doesn't even matter."
"It matters to me a great deal actually. Saying it out loud, it does sound pretty frivolous I guess. But I am excited about my clothes, and seeing another era. Potentially having a fun time in the 80's. That's all true, and Yes, okay your right, I am also worried about Ray. I'm just not dwelling on it and letting it ruin our time. I haven't been on a legends mission to the past in ages, I've missed it, so best enjoy it. Something tells me you might too. There's no reason we can't save Ray and have fun doing it."
"I'm not pretending either. I believe it." Ray spoke up adding in his own two cents. Clarity looked at him in thanks. "I found that if I can trust in myself, I can believe everything's okay, and it usually is."
"Besides what good would worrying even really do right now? Nothing. There's already so much hate and darkness and negativity in the world. What's the harm with trying to spread some good in it instead?" Clarity asked her thumbs in her jean skirt pockets.
"It's called positive thinking." Ray smiled. "Give it a shot."
"It's easy," Clarity agreed with a smile of her own.
"Are they for real?" Zari looked to Jax, and Jax could only nod. Eyebrows raised lips pressed together in a thin smile that could only mean Yup. Pretty much.
"School's almost out." Amaya swung in to the changing room wearing a darker pair of overall, a white shirt with pink sleeves and a hot pink scrunchie. "You ready, kids?"
"Yeah, let's motor." Ray agreed with a nod the legends all splitting up. While everyone else went to the school, and Nate set up shop at the house across Ray's, Amaya, Sara and Clarity decided to drive around in a fancy red car. There were only two seats so Amaya sat in the passenger seat, Sara drove, and Clarity sat in the back on the cars frame magnetizing herself to the metal there.
"Clarity sense anything out of the ordinary? Any time ships or future tech?" Sara asked her.
"No," Clarity denied hair blowing behind her in the breeze. "Just the waverider."
"I don't smell or see anything strange either." Amaya denied sniffing the air using her totem to heighten her senses.
"Alright," Sara parked the car in front of Ray's house. "Wait here, I'm gonna check the backyard."
"You sure you don't want back up?" Clarity asked.
"Positive, I'll be right back, Pachirisu." Sara replied getting out. "No taking her for a joyride while I'm gone."
Clarity sighed as she watched Sara go.
"You okay?" Amaya asked as she looked at her.
"Yeah, I'm fine. A joy ride actually sounded kind of nice. I just...I don't know. I don't think things with Zari are going as good as I hoped they would."
"What were you hoping for? Another girl on the ship you could braid hair with and have a sleepover?" Amaya asked giving Clarity a knowing look.
"Kind of? Maybe? Is that so wrong? I mean Nate showed up and Ray kind of got a best friend out of it. I barely see Felicity or Caitlin when we're time traveling around. Kara and I have a really weird time difference on our phones, Cisco doesn't know how to fix it. I know you and Sara aren't that into fashion and shopping and nail painting and all that stuff and I respect that, I do. It's who you are and I wouldn't change either of you for the world. I was just hoping that Zari might be more like me in that regard but it looks like she really isn't. Which is fine, she's fine. I guess, I can't believe she tried hacking into Gideon's sub systems though."
"Well there you go. Your both hackers aren't you?" Amaya prodded her. "That's common ground. Just like her and I are both totem bearers. Give her time to warm up, Clarity. She lived in a military state. It might take her a while to really relax and let her guard down. You just have a habit of coming on a little strong when you get excited."
"I do, don't I?" Clarity smiled. "You ever miss me being Amy? She was more reserved."
"Sometimes I do." Amaya admitted. "But after getting to know the true you, I can't say I'd go back to Amy. You've got more personality."
"At least she was scary." Clarity shrugged.
"Scary? Are you thinking about that comment Zari made to you earlier?" Amaya asked.
"Zari said it so mockingly and Sara she was teasing, but she wasn't nice teasing about it. I could be plenty scary."
"I believe you. Why don't you prove it to Sara right now?" Amaya suggested.
"What did you have in mind?" Clarity asked with a mischevious smile.
"It's Halloween, let's give her a trick." Amaya grinned.
When Sara returned from the back Clarity was nowhere to be seen.
"Where's Clarity?" Sara wondered.
"Oh, she went to go tell Nate to Wax on Wax off properly. Not that I know what that means." Amaya replied.
"It's a karate kid reference." Sara adjusted her rear view mirror. "She can catch up with us."
Just as Sara was going to pull the car out she got the jump scare of her life.
"Boo!" Clarity leapt out of the radio, and Sara screamed jumping in her seat. Her first reaction was to punch Clarity in the face. Though luckily the Assassin's hand went straight through her as Clarity was Glitching.
Amaya and Clarity were laughing their asses off at her reaction.
"Haha very funny you two." Sara glowered readjusting her sunglasses.
"Scared you." Clarity chimed with a smile. "You can't say I'm not scary because I scared you. The fearless Sara Lance. Scared of a Glitch like me. Ha."
"I wasn't scared." Sara protested, as Clarity crawled out of the radio back to her previous spot. "I was just a little startled."
"You were scared." Amaya chuckled.
"See? Amaya's my witness." Clarity smiled.
"Either of you two tell anyone about this I'll cut out your tongues and feed you each other's."
Amaya and Clarity shared a high five. Clarity using her powers to turn the radio up to full blast not caring who she disturbed. Though that was the most exciting thing to happen. Other than that there was nothing suspicious around. It was just a boring suburban neighborhood.
"We circled the neighborhood, checked the yard. It seems normal." Amaya told the trio standing opposite Ray's place. Zari, Ray, and Nate having just watched Ray.
"Well besides a little frightening.-" Sara hit Clarity in the stomach the glitch letting out a giggle.
"-holiday decor. Scary normal." Sara frowned. "It's scary normal. Maybe young Ray died of boredom."
"No, something's up. Something's wrong." Ray denied. "Look, maybe it was the candy. Maybe I overdosed on high-fructose corn syrup and food coloring."
"Or maybe your killer aborted when we showed up." Sara countered. "Let's get back to the ship and check the historical record."
"No, Clarity you really haven't sensed anything? No one's in there with me?"
"No one. I don't sense anyone but your brother." Clarity denied.
"What? My brother? No, no it's October. My parents split up a few months ago. Our parents they, they made us choose. I picked my mom, I couldn't leave her alone. My brother Sydney, he went with my dad. I don't remember him coming home." Ray shook his head struggling to remember his youth. But this had been a particularly hard time for him. "Give me a minute."
"Ray, wait! You shouldn't go alone." Clarity leapt out of the car running after him. The two crept into the backyard together. Clarity was glad she'd chosen blocky heels as a thinner one would have been sinking into the the grass.
"Dinnertime. Got you gummy bears, licorice, Nougat Nummies." Little Ray's voice sounded from inside the room Clarity and Ray eaves dropping.
"Wait till we go trick-or-treating tomorrow. There's a whole lot more where that came from." Little Ray grinned.
"Huh. I'm talking to someone in my room." Ray peered into the window.
"We're trying to see who it is. I think they're under the bed." Clarity squinted.
"A monster under the bed did me in?" Ray sounded oh so confused.
"Knew you were hungry." Little Ray grinned as the wrapper was burped out onto the floor. "Coast is clear, Gumball. You can come on out."
"More like an Alien under the bed." Clarity's mouth dropped as she clutched at the windowsill forehead pressed directly against the glass as she silently aaww'd. "They're so small and squishy."
"Guys." Ray spoke into his com. "I think I know what kills me. It's a Dominator."
"An itty bitty baby dominator." Clarity added tapping her com. "Oh my god, do-do I glitch it out of there?"
"No, no we don't want to spook it. It looks docile for now. It seems content with me. We need to head back to the ship, figure a way to get it away without pissing it off and it killing me."
"So... aliens are real." Zari said, the team now all back on the ship in the parlour. Everyone had changed out of their 80's garb into new clothes. Some preferring to put back on what they'd been wearing before others such as Clarity changing into a whole different outfit. The glitch's current ensemble consisting off a short sleeves off the shoulder white blouse under a denim corset with brown string tying it together in the front. Her jeans were ripped but patterns were sewn were holes should be in the denim. Claritys hair was in two pigtail braids a hat with a sparkly bow on her head. Knee high lace up boots that matched her hat on her feet, as well as fingerless knit gloves with sparkles of the same navy color.
"Yep, and those ones are called Dominators." Jax pointed at the screen which showed old dominator footage.
"They're nasty too. Capable of telepathy, advanced technology, and, the fun one, tearing people limb from limb." Nate told Zari as he crossed his arms.
"Great." Zari complained.
"The last time we faced them," Sara began one hand resting on her hip. "They abducted some of us and sent me and my friends into this creepy dreamworld too good to be true," She looked at Clarity then looked away. "They almost wiped out meta-humans, and made us fight each other."
"And worse, fight together." Mick nodded.
"Mhm, Teams Arrow, Flash, and Legends. Even an alien from another earth. Her name's Kara though she goes by supergirl in the field. We're friends now. Though you know I actually didn't get a chance to fight the dominators when they attacked." Clarity shoved her hands into her pockets. "I was busy holding up a giant bomb, then I got kidnapped by-Uh too much happened. You don't want to know actually, and I'd rather not Uh tell someone else please start talking. Last year was, you know how last year was." Mick placed a steadying hand on her shoulder. Pulling her into a hug. Clarity curled into his side thankful for the comfort.
"And now little me kidnapped one and is treating it like a house pet, which would be cool if it wasn't deadly." Ray spoke up with an angle of his head.
"Maybe the baby Dominator hasn't developed all of its abilities yet." Amaya suggested from where she leant on the circular parlour table.
"The infant of the species has the strength of the adult with none of its discretion. It can also mind-control subjects at will." Gideon informed the group.
"Oh no, no, no," Clarity glitched away from mick hands clutched just under her chin. "Am I going to have to take down the baby alien? It's so itsy bitsy, I don't want to hurt it-it's just a baby. It won't understand. No. I'm out, I'm sorry Ray I love you but I draw the line. No hurting baby's. Even in self defense. It's- fuck no."
"Clarity calm down," Sara protested, "The worst thing your gonna have to do it is carry it. We aren't hurting a baby, even if it is a deadly alien."
"I mean, I could carry it. If she doesn't want to be involved anymore." Nate raised a hand. "I've got super strength too."
"No, I'm good as long as we're clear the baby's not to be harmed under any circumstances. I don't care if it attacks us, defensive moves only." Clarity crossed her arms over her chest. "Poor things probably feeling so alone and confused. It was lucky it found you, Ray."
"I guess it kind of is, not so lucky for little me though. I hope I didn't hurt him when he grows up." Ray frowned.
"How can you not remember befriending an alien?" Zari wondered.
"Because I didn't. It never happened to me." Ray frowned.
"The Dominator is an anachronism." Nate explained. "It's time-displaced."
"And time's still cementing so Ray doesn't have his younger self's memories yet." Clarity explained.
"Right." Zari nodded shutting her eyes for a second.
"So we have to get the baby Dominator out of Ray's bedroom and back to where it belongs." Sara pointed out, hand resting on her hip.
"And how are we supposed to do that?" Jax wondered having no clue how they were going to handle a baby dominator.
"I can't just glitch in the bedroom. I don't want to scare the little guy with my powers. And I can't glitch him out I don't want him to freak out and disorient him. He probably feels safe with Ray."
"Uh, your right. Then I should go get him. I probably smell the same as my younger self. He'll trust me. It'll be easy. Well, it should be easy. All we have to do is sneak into my house tomorrow when my mom's at work and I'm at school and kidnap the Dominator. Zari and Clarity can come with me as backup. I even know where the spare key is."
"Like stealing candy from a baby." Jax grinned arms crossed as he twisted in place.
"But not as fun." Mick complained arms crossed.
"Gideon make me some nougat nummies. Please? I saw mini Ray give a bunch to Gumball and I want candy now." Clarity requested.
"Right away Creator." Gideon answered. "Anything for you. Halloween is tomorrow don't snack too much."
"If your having some." Zari made to follow having no idea what a nougat nummie even was but she wanted some. "Make some for me too."
"No. Rude nosey hackers get no candy." Gideon denied still salty about that subsystem hack.
"What? You can't starve me." Zari protested. "It was one tiny hack."
"Candy is not a necessary food. It is a treat and there is nothing in my program that prevents me from denying goodies." Gideon replied.
"I'll share mine with you." Clarity whispered to Zari. "If you promise not to hack giddy anymore..." She held her right hand out.
"Deal." Zari agreed, shaking her hand though for Zari that promise had been emptier than the nougat wrapper gumball had coughed up earlier.
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Aaaand this was chapter 6!! I hope you enjoyed it!! At first I wasn't going to split this up but I think I do like my five thousand word chapters better than 10 thousand? And this one was about to go way, way, way, over. So much happens haha. But anyways good news is this story is pressing forwards!!! Which really makes me so so so happy. I really can't believe I'm on book 3 already. I have roughly 5 weeks of college left, and I'm likely about to get slammed with exams and papers and things. So we'll see how many updates I can do in the next couple weeks but I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to make it to crisis in a few days like I planned. 🤣 Ah well, Quality over quantity that's what I always say. Speaking of quality here are some quality questions for you to answer!!
1. How did this chapter make you feel? What are your thoughts on it?
2. What did you think of Zari and Clarity's interactions this chapter?
3. Who would win in a positivity contest? Ray or Clarity? And why?
4. Out of Claritys outfits this chapter which one was your fave?
5. Poor Nate didn't get to train with Clarity again. Any thoughts? Will he get punched in the face and hurt his face? Or will Clarity just end up hurting her hand? Place your bets! Glitch or Steel! Support yourself!
6. What did you think of Clarity and Amaya's interaction this chapter?
7. How would your Clarity ship spend Halloween together? What would they do? Would they dress up? What as?
8. How would your Clarity brotp/sistp spend Halloween together? I personally imagine Mick and Clarity dressing up as Ralph and Vanellope, and then it turns into this whole team thing where Ray is Fix it Felix, Sara's Calhoun, Nate, Amaya and Zari are cybugs. Gideon even joins in with sound effects.
9. How are you enjoying book 3 so far? Is my writing okay? Were books 1 and 2 better? Is everyone in character? If not who? I'd like to fix it or improve on my writing so be honest. Do you agree with my character motivations so far for Clarity and the rest of the legends or not really? I've had book 3 rattling around in my head for so long I guess I just want to make sure I'm transitioning it all into words all right. I genuinely wish I had telepathy powers of some kind so I could project my imagination because like the glitch series is all in there. It's just the fact that I have to you know...WRITE IT.
10. Do you think Clarity's scary or that she could be scary? Or is she just adorable?
11. Tyler vs Eobard? Which one is worse? The one who wants her too much? Or the one that should have wanted her but didn't any longer? I've really given Clarity a shitty love life haven't I? What do you think Clarity needs in a relationship after dealing with all the trauma these two ass clowns put her through?
12. What do you think would happen if the legends all went to group therapy?
13. Anything else you'd like to ask, rant, and or tell me!