"Forgotten" -- The Conclusion! *Part Two"

[jla-villains.livejournal.com]

Degaton's command ship -- a warship appropriated from the Warlords of Okaara -- hovers, like the rest of Vanishing Point, in a temporal "pocket." To do so otherwise would risk sliding into the future ... into the last remaining moments of the universe.

Consequently, the battle outside of his window is happening entirely at one precise instant ... a moment literally frozen in time. Degaton throws back his head. Sometimes temporal mechanics leave even his head hurting.

The soldiers and engineers around him are impassive, but the man himself is pensive, concerned at the raging war.

"How did Hunter raise an army so quickly?" he muses, but no one dares answer, nor does he expect them to. "No matter. Our forces are inside Vanishing Point, and when it is mine, we can execute the last chronal alterations ... stabilize the altered timelines into one coherent series of events. Rewrite history in my image."

HAIL DEGATON! the soldiers shout on cue. And at that, Degaton smiles.

"Yes," he says. "Hail Degaton. ... And if Hunter and his allies win."

He shrugs.

"There's always the backup plan."

There is no cheering at that. Indeed, the soldiers seem chilled to the bone.

Comments

[jla-forgotten.livejournal.com]

A clear, commanding voice cuts across all lines.

This is Hunter to all points says the transmission. "It is imperative that everyone get aboard either Vanishing Point or Degaton's command ship in T-minus three minutes and counting. After that time, you will no longer be safe in the vacuum.

There's a crackle ... punctuated by a strain in his voice.

"Terrific, I need you to hit Degaton's emergency evacuation protocols. The command ship's on another line. I don't care where they go, if they stay here, they'll die."

[jsaboss.livejournal.com]

"And we've ... had enough .. of that ... already," says Terrific, working the computer protocols while the others finish Degaton.

He doesn't like this plan. He sees where it's going, and no, he doesn't like it at all.

But he continues, working his way through Degaton's computer until he finds it ... the mechanism that's let Degaton's forces slip aways from them so often recently. And without another word, he activates it.

The ships in the sky are gone. The troops on the command ship are gone. It's just them, the command ship itself, and Degaton.

Them, and the end of everything, barrelling down on them.

[jla-forgotten.livejournal.com]

"Good ... good ..." says Hunter, as the ships vanish, he then sighs, watching the monitor as the heroes enter the ships.

"You all deserve to know what happens next," he says solemnly. "When everyone's in position, I've ordered Tyler to restart relative time here at Vanishing Point. At that moment, I'm sending all of you home, too."

He catches his breath.

Except you, Degaton, if you can still hear me. I know full-well I can't move you in time if you don't want to go. So you can face the JSA, or you cna die here. I don't care."

Another breath.

"I'll have time to get Waverider and Lady Quark to safety before the crash. But I have to stay. I'm not risking anymore of you."

Another moment of silence.

"Forgotten Heroes. Justice Society. It's been an honor."

[jla-forgotten.livejournal.com]

"No!" shouts the injured Dawnstar as she arrives on Vanishing Point. She'd become too injured to press forward with the siege of the command ship. "This was not part of the plan, Rip Hunter. You said you could repair the damage to the timeline!"

[jla-forgotten.livejournal.com]

"And I can. But I can only guarantee I can get Quark and Waverider out in time, and I owe it to them ... for using them like this. The rest of you ... It's better if you go. If I can get myself out, I'll be back to make right my pledges to you."

[jla-forgotten.livejournal.com]

"Like Hell!" says Moon Maiden as she, too, arrives. "I'm sorry, but no way am I abandoning you, here. Not after what we've been though together."

She blinks, and takes a deep breath.

"Besides, it's not like I have a place waiting for me out there, remember? My world ... timeline's gone."

[jla-forgotten.livejournal.com]

"You can build a new life, Laurel. Others have. Please, don't throw your life away on my account."

[jla-forgotten.livejournal.com]

"I'm staying behind too, Rip. We got Degaton cornered here, gutshot, but staying out of phase so we can't take him in. Someone has to make sure he doesn't have any last second tricks. Send the JSA'ers back, I'll handle things here... otherwise we might start all this over again."

[jla-forgotten.livejournal.com]

"It is not throwing our life away, Rip. It's standing together, as a team."

She is calm in the face of mounting pressure.

"I can sense destiny awaiting us, Rip. I can hear it calling through the stars."

[jsaboss.livejournal.com]

"Hunter, this is insane. You can't ..."

[jla-forgotten.livejournal.com]

"Go, Michael. You have much good yet to do. And don't count us out - you never know what time will bring."

[jla-forgotten.livejournal.com]

"It must be done, Mr. Terrific," says Hunter. "You people ... the JSA ... you have a destiny that needs to be fulfilled. You need to go back or all of this will have been for nothing. But the rest of us? We don't exist."

Hunter straightens his back, and looks to his teammates.

"I'll see to it Quark and Waverider are returned to you unharmed."

He nods.

"Goodbye, Mr. Terrific."