Second Chances: Legends - Rough Draft

Chapter 23

"Where are you taking me?" Rip Hunter demanded as two guards from the Vanishing Point dragged him behind his former friend and mentor, Time Master Druce.

"I'm sure you're wondering why we haven't killed you yet, since it's become clear that you don't know where your ship went." Gideon said.

"Yes, so why haven't you killed me yet?" Rip asked.

"Because you're much more useful to us alive. You were a highly feared time captain and you will be again. Once we've reconditioned you back to our way of thinking." Druce said as they arrived at a room that Rip recognized all too well.

"You really think that you'll be able to condition me like you do the Hunters? I'm not just some mindless brute." Rip said.

"We'll see about that." Druce said as he nodded for the guards to force Rip into the chair and he was restrained and hooked up to the machine, which Rip could immediately begin to feel burrowing into his brain the moment it was activated, trying to enforce the time master's will into his head, but he did his best to fight it by focusing on his wife and son. Miranda and Jonas, the thought of them gave him the willpower he needed to fight back. Or at least it did until he felt some new force begin pounding into his skull, but he could tell this wasn't the time masters, it was something else entirely. Like the program had been overridden and he felt his mind being overloaded by new memories. Including one that told him exactly where his ship was.

"Enough, Captain Hunter, are you back with us?" Druce asked as he signaled for the machine to stop.

"Yes, Time Master Druce, my loyalties are back where they truly belong." Rip said with a seemingly emotionless voice.

"Excellent, release him." Druce said with a grin as the guards did exactly that, not noticing Rip's grin as he was released.

"I do have one question for you though." Rip said as he got to his feet.

"Really and what might that be?" Druce asked.

"When you ordered Vandal Savage to kill my family, was it personal, or just business?" Rip asked as Druce quickly realized that Rip had fooled him.

"Restrain him." Druce said, only for Rip to quickly disable the guards and steal one of their weapons and killed them.

"How?" Druce asked.

"I know everything Druce. I know about the Oculus and how you and the Time Council are nothing more than a bunch of hypocrites. And I believe that I owe you this." Rip said as he pained the blaster he'd stolen from one of the guards at Druce.

"You don't want to do this Rip." Druce said, only to have Rip glare at him.

"Actually, I've been wanting to do this for a very long time. For all your so-called wisdom of humanity and the timeline, there's one thing you never understood." Rip said angrily as he glared at Druce.

"And what might that be?" Druce asked, trying to find a way to buy time while he looked for an escape route, but wasn't having any luck so far.

"You never mess with a man's family. That is a sacred line that should not be crossed unless you have a death wish." Rip said.

"Think about what you're doing Rip. You could end up leaving the timeline unprotected." Druce said.

"No, what I'm going to do is burn it all down and build it back up the right way. Starting with you." Rip said and before Druce could say another word, Rip pulled the trigger and shot Druce right in the head.

"That was for Miranda and Jonas. Along with Mr. Snart." Rip said as he glared down at his former mentor before making his way out of the room so he could get to the hangar and reunite with both his ship and his team. That is, if they'd take him back and he knew that was a big if.