HUNTRESS.
023. | ❛ back to plan A. ❜

"No litter. No street crime. No smog. How soon can we leave?" Leonard spoke through his earpiece as Sara and Crystal were on the roof.

"Keep your eyes peeled. According to Gideon, Per Degaton should be passing through any minute on his way to gymnastics class." Sara replied as Crystal continued to chant the invisibility spell

"Are you telling me future Hitler is enrolled in a gymnastics class?" Leonard asked

"Yes. And Leonard don't take this the wrong way but if you don't stop talking you're going to blow this operation." Crystal said causing Leonard to shut his pie hole.

"Thank you," she said.

"I got eyes on Little Lord Fauntleroy."

"I don't see him."

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

"Got him."

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

"Stick to the plan, both of you."

"Now, Ms. Lance."

Sara took the shot at the guard, leaving Rip to take his place. Crystal stopped chanting, with a massive headache. She fell to the floor, not passing out but weary to the fact that her magic was taking up a lot of her energy.

"Crystal!" Sara rushed to pick her up, "You're bleeding."

Crystal touched her nose revealing a nose bleed, but with much darker blood.

"I'm fine," Crystal got up on her feet, "I'm fine. Just a little out of show but I'm fine."
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"What do you mean, it did nothing?" Stein shouted, not believing that they went through so much trouble for it.

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

"You're telling me that I used magic that hurt me and drained me of energy, all in the cause that the future still gets destroyed." Crystal said holding an ice pack to her head.

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

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

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

"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."

"So we're back to plan A?" Crystal said still not with the idea of killing a kid.

"Snuffing the kid out in his sleep?" Sara asked

"Let us not forget that this kid will one day be responsible for billions of deaths, including those of my family." Rip tried to get them on board with plan A, even though all of them were opposed

"Killing a child isn't the answer you seek. If we go through with this are we any better than Savage?" Crystal fought back

"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?" Stein added on to her point.

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

"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 offered

"Savage has spent years corrupting his mind."

"It's not too late for Per Degaton to change."

"Says who?"

"Says someone with two tours with the League of Assassins and a case of bloodlust under her belt." Sara says before awkwardly smiling and walking away.
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Crystal never killed a child, nor did she want to. Sure, she was a Huntress, and with that title you would assume anything but Crystal could never kill a child. She went to the last person she would expect to talk to.

The doors open with the gruff voice greeting her,"Ah, finally, someone who's willing to do a man's job."

"Not why I'm here." Crystal outlined the cell, that contained Mick.

"It's almost funny how you guys keep parading in here like it's some kind of confessional or something."

"It's also not why I'm here."

"Okay, I'll bite." Mick responded before Crystal took a seat on one of the benches.

"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. You know no one thinks you can change. That's why you're in here."

"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."

"He saved your life."

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

"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 your partnership, your friendship."

"I'm sure he was thinking of me. Are you sure he wasn't shacking up with you?"

Crystal was stumped before she found the right words to say,"I think you knew that when Leonard saw me again, that he would feel something. You saw the gleam in his eyes, yet he still stood by you even though I didn't agree most times with it."

"You think it's gonna make me weepy?"

"He's your friend, a loyal one. You should know that."

"Well, thank you. I'll work it out with him as soon as I can." Mick sarcastically replied before Crystal slapped her knees and got up

"Oh, killing a kid, not very hero-like."

"Trust me, I know" Crystal replied before heading out.

Suddenly the engine roars, leading Crystal to the main room to join the team

"What was that?" Crystal asked steeping up towards the table

"That was our jump ship taking off." Jax answered

"How could Per Degaton have escaped?"

"Gideon, who else is on the jump ship?"

"It's being piloted by Captain Hunter."

"Who just turned off his transponder." Crystal looked at the screen sighing

"Sounds like someone doesn't want us following him."

"Why?"

"Because Rip doesn't want us stopping him." Sara said, making a vague statement.

"Stopping him from doing what?"

"From killing Per Degaton."

"Okay, just think about this. Where could Rip be taking Per Degaton?" Crystal paced as she tried to think

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

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

"Rip is not a murderer." Ray tried to keep the others optimistic when it reality it wasn't working to his full extent.

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

"Saving?" Crystal asked surprised

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