[Chapter 24]

"Come on now, get up," Rip walked into the room that was currently keeping me captive. I glare at Rip but I don't move or say anything. Rip sighs, annoyed. He reaches into his pocket and grabs my ring.

"Get up," Rip says and I'm forced to stand. "You're coming with us on a mission. We might need you."

"I'll pass," I sneer.

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice. You will attend the mission and you will protect those who need your help. You will not harm or kill your teammates," Rip commands me and I glower at him.

"Whatever happened to free will?" I yell.

"Well when you threaten to kill us all, you don't really get free will," Rip said opening the cell door. "Now off you go. The mission is waiting."

"You won't be able to control me forever Rip. The moment you slip up, I'll use it to end you. All of you," I promise and walk off to the fabrication room.

***

"The future, it's..." Stein starts to say as we walked through the Kasnia Conglomerate.

"Fascinating," Jax said.

"Astonishing," Sara said at the same time and they laughed.

I heard Leonard groan softly as he trailed beside me.

"Well, it was a 50-50 chance which one he'd choose," Jax joked.

"Actually I was going to say, 'Remarkable'" Stein commented.

"Isn't it? 2147 was considered the world's zenith. All of these people have five good years to look forward to," Rip explained.

"Before what?" Leonard asks.

"Before a ruthless dictator named Per Degaton comes to power, releases the Armageddon Virus and most of them end up dead," Rip explained.

"How terrible," I mutter sarcastically before we saw a robotic version of Ray's suit flying around.

"Is that my suit? That's my suit," Ray said confused before we saw a robber running with a stolen handbag. The robot shot the thief down.

"You have been identified as violating Ordinance 12," The robot said.

"That is how Per Degaton's father, Tor maintains order in Kasnia," Rip explains.

"Doesn't look like progress to me," Leonard muttered.

"Speaking of progress, we need to get a better lay of the land," Rip stated.

"And I need to get a better look at how they made my suit autonomous," Ray added.

"Well, why don't you take Sara, Martin, and Jax with you? Isabelle, Mr. Snart, and I will work on locating Savage," Rip said. I roll my eyes angrily and huff.

"Tor Degaton holds daily meetings with his board of directors," Rip said as we arrived at the Kasnian Corporate Headquarters.

"And it's open to the public?" I asked. "Course not. Just Kasnia's shareholders" Rip explained.

"I hate to break it to you, but we're not shareholders," I said sarcastically.

"I'm more of a hard asset man, myself," Leonard joked before Rip put in fake contacts and walked over to the guard. Rip got his eyes scanned and was cleared to pass through.

"You're clear to attend. They'll have to wait outside," the guard explained.

"Oh, no, this is my accountant, and she is my personal assist... bodyguard," Rip said looking over at me.

"Stockholders only," The guard said firmly.

The air between me a Leonard was filled with tension. I did kind of abandon him on Mick's ship. But then again, he told Rip about the ring and where I was going. My anger returned and I walked off.

***

"He's a teacher?" I said in disbelief as we returned to the ship with Rip, meeting up with the rest of the team.

"Tutor, it would seem, to young Per Degaton himself," Rip explained.

"You say that like it's supposed to mean something," Leonard stated, annoyed.

"After the death of his father in five years' time, Per Degaton unleashes the Armageddon Virus, which decimates the world's population, leaving it ripe for conquest. Per Degaton primes the world for dictatorship, and then when the time is right... Savage snatches that power away from him." Rip explains

"By killing Per Degaton," I conclude flatly.

"Indeed," Rip stated.

"Okay, so we don't have what we need to take out Savage, but maybe now we can figure out a way to stop his rise to power," Kendra theorized.

"By depriving him of his springboard, Per Degaton," Rip explained.

"Okay, how do we do that?' Sara asked.

"It's quite simple, really," Rip said.

"We kill the little bastard ourselves," Leonard said smirking.

"To be clear, we're talking about murdering a child..." Stein said.

"Who hasn't done anything to anyone..." Jax added.

"Yet, so why don't we pick him off now, while the picking's easy?" Leonard argued.

"There's got to be a better way," Kendra said firmly.

"How do we even know that this Per Degaton kid's path to becoming a world-ruling dictator is inevitable?" Ray asked.

"Because in the future that I'm from, children learn about Per Degaton in the same way that children in your time learn about Adolf Hitler," Rip explained.

"What about addressing the larger societal problems that would allow such a despot's rise to power?" Stein asked.

"We already know what pushes this punk to the dark side: Savage," Leonard explained.

"Look, it's not the kid's fault he's got an immortal psychopath as his tutor," Jax argued.

"If we don't kill the kid now, Savage will as soon as he's done using him to take over the world," Leonard argued back.

"If he doesn't build him into the greatest tyrant the world has ever known, Savage can't become the last tyrant the world will ever know," Rip added.

"Murdering a child in cold blood just like Savage murdered your own son. What's the use in saving the world if we stoop to his methods to do so?" Stein asked.

"I'm with Professor Stein," Ray agreed.

"Okay, fine. If y'all don't have the guts to kill this kid..." Leonard started to say.

"Then removing him from the timeline might be the next best thing," Rip added.

"Great, we've gone from infanticide to child abduction. Progress," Ray muttered sarcastically.

"First, we need to devise how to abduct him from underneath the noses of his father's private guard," Rip said.

"And don't forget the army of Atom Robots," Ray added.

"We're going to need accomplished thieves," Rip said looking over at Leonard and me. I roll my eyes.

"Well, while you're kidnapping baby Hitler, Professor Stein and I will sabotage the robot army," Ray explained.

"I call Team Robot Army," Jax said.

"Isn't that a waste of time?" Sara asked.

"Not for the Kasnian citizens who are tormented by my technology," Ray stated.

"That technology does lead to Savage's rise to power. Good backup plan," Rip said excitedly.

"Go team," Rip said as we walked off.

***

"No litter. No street crime. No smog. How soon can we leave?" Leonard said through the comms unit as he got into position.

"Keep your eyes peeled," I said from my spot on top of the roof, with a sniper gun.

"According to Gideon, Per Degaton should be passing through any minute on his way to gymnastics class," I explained, looking through the sniper gun.

"Are you telling me future Hitler is enrolled in a gymnastics class?" Leonard asked but I ignored him.

"I got eyes on Little Lord Fauntleroy," Leonard said suddenly.

"I don't see him," I said confused.

"It's because he's surrounded by Daddy's goon squad. Northeast corner of the plaza," Leonard explained.

"Got him," I said, finding him through my scope.

"You sure you don't want to just shoot him? It'd be a whole lot easier," Leonard asked.

"Stick to the plan, both of you," Rip ordered.

"Not like I have much of a choice," I mutter.

"Now, Isabelle,' Rip said and I shot one of the guards, Rip quickly taking his place.

"I'm in position. It's up to you now, Mr. Snart," Rip muttered as the group of guards walked towards Leonard. He stood up and instantly started shooting the guards as Rip grabbed theboy and knocked him unconscious and took him back to the ship.

"What do genocidal maniacs dream about, I wonder?" I asked as we watched the child sleep in the med-bay.

"He's imagining himself baking cookies with his mother," Gideon replied.

"Wait, you can monitor our dreams?" I asked annoyed.

"Of course. For example, last night, you had a rollicking fantasy involving Mr... Gideon started to say but I quickly stop her.

"Okay, Gideon, enough," I snapped, interrupting her.

"Gideon, check the timeline to make sure that the kidnapping of the boy had the desired effect upon the future," Rip asked.

"Oh, dear. I'm afraid you'll be disappointed with the results," Gideon replied as Rip and I walked back to the main area to find the others.

"What do you mean, it did nothing?" Stein asked

"I mean, that kidnapping Per Degaton had a nominal effect upon the timeline," Rip explained annoyed.

"Maybe we need to dump the little brat somewhere he can't get into any trouble. Like the Stone Age," Leonard suggested.

"No matter where and when you sequester him in the timeline, Savage will still rise to power," Gideon explained.

"But Rip said this kid's like a baby Hitler," Jax explained.

"Yes, I also said that time wants to happen, and such a world-changing event like Savage's rise to power can't be stopped merely by kidnapping his young pawn," Rip explained.

"So we're back to plan A?" Leonard asks.

"Snuffing the kid out in his sleep?" I asked annoyed.

"Let us not forget that this kid will one day be responsible for billions of deaths, including those of my family," Rip explains.

"Say that you do stop Savage and save the lives of your family. Will you be able to look your own son in the eye knowing what you did so he could live?" Sara asks.

"When the alternative is that I shall never see him again," Rip explains.

"I got a better idea. Instead of us arguing about whether we should kill him, or where and when to dump him off, why don't we just talk to him?" Jax asks.

"Savage has spent years corrupting his mind," Rip snaps.

"It's not too late for Per Degaton to change," I say

"Says who?" Rip asked confused.

"People are born evil. They're made evil. If they can be made evil, they can be made good again," I said simply before walking off.

"Ah, finally, someone who's willing to do a man's job," Mick said as I walked into the room with his cell.

"Not why I'm here," I said simply.

"It's almost funny how you guys keep parading in here like it's some kind of confessional or something," Mick added'A few hours ago, I was stuck in a cell too. I honestly wouldn't mind everyone dying here. But it's also not why I'm here," I said again, walking around his cell.

"Okay, I'll bite," Mick said.

"Everybody's out there arguing about whether or not we should kill this kid, cause no one thinks he can change, which made me think of you and me. You know no one thinks you can change.That's why you're in here. The only reason I'm not in a cell is because Rip is controlling my ass and there's nothing I can do about it," I said sitting down next to him, outside the cell.

"The only reason I'm in here is if I get out, I'm gonna give Snart some payback he's not walking away from," Mick threatens.

"Didn't he save your life?" I ask.

"He wussed out on killing me, not the same thing. He marooned me," Mick argues.

"It's not like he had many choices. You know, while you were busy selling us out to a homicidal time pirate, Leonard and I almost died. He was thinking about you, told me about yourpartnership, your friendship during juvie," I explain.

"Did it make you weepy?" Mick mocks and I glare at him. "You think it's gonna make me weepy?"

"He's your friend, a loyal one. You should know that. I may be super pissed at him but he still a good friend," I said simply.

"Well, thank you. I'll work it out with him as soon as I can," Mick joked as I rolled my eyes and stood up.

"Oh, and Isabelle... the only reason he was talking about me was because he is too afraid to tell you how he feels," Mick said amused before I left.

I walked back into the main area, looking over at Leonard as he watched me before we heard a loud noise.

"What was that?" I ask.

"That was our jump ship taking off," Jax explains.

"How could Per Degaton have escaped?" Stein asks.

"Gideon, who else is on the jump ship?" Ray said.

"It's being piloted by Captain Hunter," Gideon explains.

"Who just turned off his transponder," Jax adds.

"Sounds like someone doesn't want us following him," Sara said annoyed.

"Why?" Stein asks.

"Because Rip doesn't want us stopping him," I reply.

"Stopping him from doing what?" Jax asked.

"From killing Per Degaton," I say simply.

"Okay, just think about this. Where could Rip be taking Per Degaton?" Ray asked.

"Jump ship's got a range of 8,000 miles, so... anywhere," Jax replies.

"It doesn't matter where he's taking him. All that matters is what he's gonna do to him when he gets there," I explained.

"Rip is not a murderer," Ray stated firmly.

"To Captain Hunter, this isn't about killing. It's about saving," Stein explained.

"Saving?" Jax asked.

"His son's life for Per Degaton's. Rather simple if cold-blooded calculus for a father to undertake," Stein explained.

"We can't be sure that Rip is going to do this," Ray continued to defend Rip.

"Even if all of the clues pointing to Rip isn't enough clarification to you, I know for a fact that Rip is going to kill Per Degaton,"

"How could you possibly know that?" Sara asks.

"Rip told me I had to protect anyone who needs my help while holding my ring and apparently, the baby Hitler counts. I can literally feel Rips intention," I explain.

"Well go and teleport and stop him," Leonard tells me.

"Way ahead of you," I say and focus on Rip.