Bang! Bang! Bang!
Chronos's laser pistol spat rapid fire at Sara Lance. Wonder Woman stepped in front of her, arms sweeping in fluid arcs as the Bracelets of Submission deflected each beam—bolts ricocheting wildly into the walls, the ceiling, the dirt.
"Exciting, isn't it?" Jack Kadere asked Lilah with a faint smile.
Lilah's lips parted, but no sound came out. She nodded dumbly. Jack punching through a wall like it was cardboard, the armored figure radiating killing intent, Wonder Woman looking like a goddess of war as she batted lasers aside—all of it had shattered whatever sense of reality she'd been clinging to.
"Who—who are you people?" The question tumbled out before she could stop it.
"Who are we?" Jack considered. "They're irrelevant. As for me—Jack Kadere. And I suppose that makes me your... Master?"
"Are you going to help, or just stand there flirting?" Sara snapped.
"I'm more interested in that."
Jack pointed toward a black spacecraft resting nearby. Chronos's ship. A Time Master's vessel—which meant it could travel through time. Smaller and less elegant than the Waverider, almost certainly lacking an AI like Gideon. In other words: a time-capable ship that could be stolen and used immediately.
Assuming one knew how to fly it.
When Chronos saw Jack walking toward his ship with Lilah in tow, he swung his weapon around. Sara finally stopped hiding behind Diana. Her dagger flashed through the air, striking the laser pistol and sending it clattering to the ground. In the same breath, she launched herself forward.
She leaped, locked her thighs around Chronos's neck, and wrenched her body sideways. The armored figure slammed into the dirt with a heavy grunt. Before he could rise, Sara drove her knee into his chest and pressed her blade against his throat.
"Talk. What happened to the Waverider?"
Inside the black spacecraft, Jack gave Lilah the tour. Her eyes darted everywhere, her brain clearly struggling to process any of it. The ship was compact but complete—weapons systems, temporal navigation, life support. Everything except an AI.
"From now on," Jack announced, "this ship is called the Aerie."
He glanced at Lilah. "Watch the ship. I'll be right back."
Outside, Chronos's helmet lay discarded on the ground, revealing Mick Rory's scarred, weathered face. Sara and Diana stood nearby, visibly stunned. Sara most of all—Chronos, the bounty hunter who'd been hunting them since the beginning, was Mick Rory. Her teammate.
"How is this possible?" she demanded as Jack approached.
"He's from another timeline." Jack's tone was casual, dismissive. He looked down at Mick. "Is there an operation manual?"
"This ship was given to me by the Time Masters. You can't just—"
Crack.
Jack's foot came down on Mick's leg. The bone snapped cleanly. Mick jerked upright with a strangled scream, sweat instantly beading across his face.
"Yes or no?"
"N-No—there's no—"
"Ah."
Lightning crackled across Jack's hand. He brought it down.
BOOM.
Azure light flared. When it faded, Mick Rory's body was a charred husk.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Sara's voice cracked.
"What would you have done? Let him meet the current Mick for a touching reunion? Let him go so he can keep hunting you?" Jack's lip curled. "Mick Rory isn't really dead. He'll have plenty of chances to become Chronos in the future and come after you again. Sounds like a fun little time paradox." He waved a hand. "Tell Rip Hunter I've got a new toy. You can go back to saving the world."
"Do you even know how to fly it?"
"If I don't, I'll learn."
He turned and walked back up the ramp.
Diana glanced at Sara, then followed.
Inside the Aerie, Jack studied the controls with genuine interest. Not quite like driving a car, but not incomprehensible either. While Diana and Lilah explored the ship's interior, he experimented with the interface until the engines hummed to life. The Aerie shuddered, lifted off unsteadily, then shot forward like a launched missile.
Sara stared at the receding vessel. A strange sense of absurdity washed over her. He'd seized the Waverider, used her as a hostage, made himself at home—and now he'd simply... moved on. Discarded them the moment something shinier came along.
Typical.
She turned and began the walk back to the Waverider.
---
Jack flew the Aerie with reckless enthusiasm, weaving through clouds and open sky. It reminded him of the Batmobile—that same visceral thrill of speed and stolen power. Most of the ship's functions remained mysteries, but basic flight was simple enough.
Eventually, the Aerie descended and settled onto golden sand.
The hatch opened.
Jack stepped out first, followed by Lilah and Diana. An endless expanse of desert stretched before them, dunes rolling toward the horizon like frozen waves. Both women stared in wonder—neither had seen anything like it.
"What are we doing here?" Diana asked.
"Watching the sunset."
Jack sat on the edge of the open hatch, legs dangling. The dying sun painted the sand in shades of amber and rose, the sky bleeding crimson at the horizon. A rare, quiet beauty.
Lilah settled on his left. After a moment's hesitation, Diana sat on his right.
They watched in silence as the sun sank lower, the desert cooling around them, shadows stretching long across the dunes.
Finally, Jack draped his arms over both their shoulders. "Sunset's over. Let's head inside."
Diana pulled away immediately. "I didn't challenge you today."
"You're on my ship now. Shouldn't you pay for passage?"
"You stole this ship."
"Stole it with my own abilities, which makes it mine. You're welcome to steal your own."
"I'm not as shameless as you."
She jumped down from the hatch and strode off into the cooling sand.
Jack watched her go, then shrugged and pulled Lilah closer. Together, they walked back inside.