Fic: A Time For Great Things - Chapter 1
Title: A Time For Great Things
Fandom: DC’s Legends of Tomorrow
Category: Adventure, Fix-It
Summary:
“What’s Jurgen’s Ridge?”
“Pray you need never find out.”
Sometimes prayers should not be answered. This is one of those times.
---
Author’s Note: This part of “The Waiting Room” sprang into my head while re-watching a scene from “River of Time.” This story falls between “Worth The Wait” (which should be read first to set the stage) and “Kissing Lessons.” (Then feel free to read the rest of the series; yes, this is shameless self-promotion!)
“The Waiting Room” is canon compliant only through the death of Vandal Savage and the departure of the Hawks in 1x16. Rex Tyler never showed up in this version.
Thanks to Jael for the beta and for helping me sort out my theories! The characters, of course, belong to DC Entertainment.
--
There is a time for some things, and a time for all things; a time for great things, and a time for small things.
- Miguel De Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote
---
“What’s Jurgen’s Ridge?”
“Pray you need never find out.”
-- “River of Time”
--
Stuttgart, Germany
August 25, 1940
The Waverider was in the air seconds after the jump ship re-docked with Sara and Mr. Rory on board. Rip didn’t even wait for Dr. Palmer and Firestorm to get to their jump seats; he punched it the second they were through the main hatch. It took a little bit of fancy flying to avoid the Allied bombardment, but within a minute they were out of Stuttgart and back in the Temporal Zone.
“So why didn’t Future Snart tell us he was sending us into the middle of the Blitz?” Mr. Jackson demanded as he strode back onto the bridge, Martin and Dr. Palmer just a little behind him.
“Actually, it wasn’t the Blitz,” Rip answered, rising from his captain’s chair. “That was in London. We were in Stuttgart, Germany.”
“It was bombs falling and things exploding in World War II!” the younger man countered. “Close enough to the Blitz for me.”
Martin added, “It was rather a close call. I suppose our future selves never bother to share that detail with the future Mr. Snart, else he would have told us back in Central City.”
Rip strode over to the holo table. “Perhaps. But more important is that temporal anomaly Gideon detected when we arrived. Sara, Mr. Rory, you said you found the source?”
Sara’s voice came over the comms. “Found it at the Daimler factory and brought it back with us. Mick says this isn’t something the Nazis should have their hands on.”
“So what is it?” Dr. Palmer asked.
Mr. Rory answered this time. “You’d better come see for yourselves. We’re bringing it to the weapons room.”
Rip exchanged a worried glance with the other men. The weapons room was the most shielded spot on the Waverider, and if Mr. Rory was bringing their find there, it meant danger. “We’re on our way,” he said.
They left the bridge at a run.
--
When they got to the weapons room, Mr. Rory looked grim, and Gideon was already scanning the contents of the wooden crate. Rip felt his heart plummet when he saw what was there.
“Gideon, please tell me that’s not…”
“I’m afraid it is, Captain,” the A.I. answered before he could finish the question. Rip let out a heavy sigh.
“This is bad news, Rip,” Mr. Rory said, prompting a growl of frustration from Sara.
“You two are doing it again!” she said sharply. “Want to explain what this stuff is for those of us who didn’t go to Time Master School?”
Rip pinched the bridge of his nose, and then stared again at the large, dark rock in the crate. It was shot through with veins of silver. The crate also held a small pile of ingots in the same silver color. Apparently whoever had found it had tried to work the silver metal. “This, Sara, is chronium, a rare metal used in Time Master technology. It is reactive to the time stream. It’s an element of the Waverider’s time drive, and a major element of the Oculus.”
“I’ve never heard of this before,” Martin said, crouching down for a closer look.
“Of course you haven’t,” Rip said. “The technology to detect and refine chronium is more than a century in your future. Someone just stumbled across this bit of it and worked it badly. Don’t touch that!” he snapped as the scientist reached for one of the ingots. “This chronium hasn’t been processed properly. Touching it will give you a nasty burn.”
Mr. Jackson pulled his partner back to his feet and away from the crate. “Why would Future Snart have us go looking for this stuff?”
“It must be a clue to where we can find him,” Dr. Palmer theorized, a smile of anticipation on his face.
Rip nodded. “Indeed.” At Sara’s hopeful look, he continued, “But this is not a cause for celebration, I’m afraid. Let’s continue this discussion on the bridge. If I’m going to explain this, I need some things from my study, and the holographic display table.”
“They’re also going to need some liquor once you do explain it,” Mr. Rory rumbled. “I need it already.”
---
Rip began by pulling out his archaic maps of the time stream and laying them out across the holo table. “Do you remember these, Sara? Martin?”
Sara touched the paper. “Sure. Maps of the time stream. You had me use them to navigate when Savage knocked Gideon offline.”
Rip nodded. “At the time, you asked me about Jurgen’s Ridge.”
“And you said to pray we need never find out what it is,” Martin remembered. “We’re going to find out now, aren’t we?”
Rip took in a deep breath and let it out. “I’m afraid so.” He grabbed a glass and poured himself a shot of the liquor Mr. Rory had pulled out. Just a shot of courage. He downed it, then began to speak.
“All right. You all know the Vanishing Point exists outside of time. Think of it as a geographic pole. It doesn’t move. We go to it, but it will never come to us.” He pointed to the symbol representing Jurgen’s Ridge on the map’s bottom margin, opposite the Vanishing Point’s symbol at the top margin. “Jurgen’s Ridge is more like a magnetic pole. It moves through time, emerging into our world at various points throughout history. Chronium is a byproduct of its appearance here on Earth.”
“So this Jurgen’s Ridge emerged in Stuttgart,” Dr. Palmer said. “I don’t suppose it’s a coincidence that it appeared as the city was coming under attack?”
“You’re correct, Dr. Palmer,” Rip said. “To go back to the analogy, the Earth’s magnetic north pole moves according to the planet’s magnetic field, which is affected by the Earth’s core. In the same way, this ‘pole,’ Jurgen’s Ridge, is affected by the planet’s psychic field.” He put his fingertips on the map and traced a random pattern across the time stream. “It’s drawn to places of stress and fear. The Time Masters retrieved a great deal of chronium from many of history’s most horrific sites, from Wounded Knee to the gas chambers at Auschwitz. Jurgen’s Ridge has also appeared in places known for paranormal phenomena.”
Mr. Jackson’s eyebrows went up. “You mean haunted houses.”
“What does this have to do with finding Leonard?” Sara asked.
“That is why I need the holo display,” Rip said, removing the map. “Gideon, on my order, I need you to play back the explosion of the Oculus Wellspring at half speed.” He looked at Sara and Mr. Rory. “I’m sorry if this causes you any pain, but I have a theory and an analysis of the playback is the only way for me to know if I’m right.”
Sara closed her eyes, and took in a few breaths. “He said it wouldn’t be easy, finding him again,” she said at last, opening her eyes again. Mr. Rory moved beside her and laid an arm across her shoulders. “But he also told us not to give up on him. What are we looking for?”
“Scan for raw chronium, Gideon,” Rip said. “Begin.”
“Playback begins,” Gideon said, in a tone that sounded subdued.
The recording showed the Oculus building from above. They could see Sara emerging, dragging Mr. Rory’s unconscious form until Rip came to assist her with the big man. The perspective changed as the Waverider moved away, and they could barely make out the figures moving into the building just before it exploded.
Rip gave silent thanks that the recording couldn’t show the tears in Sara’s eyes as she fled the Oculus building, or Mr. Snart in those final moments. He didn’t think he could face either of those images. Then he leaned forward as he saw what he was looking for.
Bright blue-white points, right in the middle of the Oculus building as it exploded. Right where Snart would have been standing, elbow-deep in the device.
“There!” Rip exclaimed, pointing at that section of the image. “Jurgen’s Ridge emerged right at the point of the explosion.”
“But what does that mean?” Martin asked.
Mr. Rory answered, in a grim tone. “The Ridge doesn’t just leave chronium behind. It can also take things… and people... away.”
“You saying it took Snart?” Mr. Jackson asked in excitement. “That’s what he was trying to tell us?”
“Isn’t that a good thing?” Dr. Palmer demanded in turn. “We knew he was alive. Now we know where to find him.”
“Tell ‘em the rest of it,” Mr. Rory ordered gruffly. “Tell ‘em about Jurgen.” His grip on Sara tightened just a little, and Rip couldn’t blame him for that.
“Time Master Jurgen is the man who first tried to track the Ridge, in an effort to control it and collect the chronium directly from it, without having to chase it through history,” Rip told them. “He ended up getting trapped on the Ridge. It took the Time Masters five years to retrieve him.”
“How did he survive?” Sara asked, her eyes widening as she stepped away from Mr. Rory.
“Just as at the Vanishing Point, time does not exist on the Ridge,” Rip explained. “Physically, Jurgen was fine. And if Mr. Snart is indeed trapped on Jurgen’s Ridge, his physical body will be unharmed, because it will be as if no time has passed for him. He is just as he was when the Oculus was destroyed.”
“But?” Sara prompted sharply, moving closer to Rip and looking into his eyes with that clear blue gaze that wouldn’t accept any equivocation, much as he wanted to answer with it. As strong as he knew her to be, he didn’t want to add a new fear to her burden.
But she would never accept being coddled, either.
Rip looked down at the deck for a moment, then met her eyes again. “The Ridge travels through the time stream, Sara. All possibilities are visible to a man on the Ridge. Jurgen saw it all… what was, what is, what could be. All the things that could be, in their infinite combinations.” His voice had dropped to a whisper, and he forced himself to finish. “Jurgen’s body was fine, but his mind was broken by all he’d seen. When he was retrieved, he was quite insane.”
Horror filled Sara’s eyes, as Mr. Jackson took in a shocked breath and Dr. Palmer just shook his head in denial.
“My God,” Martin whispered hoarsely.
“There is no God,” Mr. Rory growled. “But there is a hell, and my partner is trapped in it.”
--
CLOSING AUTHOR’S NOTE: And so it begins. Comments are love and feed my muse.
Fandom: DC’s Legends of Tomorrow
Category: Adventure, Fix-It
Summary:
“What’s Jurgen’s Ridge?”
“Pray you need never find out.”
Sometimes prayers should not be answered. This is one of those times.
---
Author’s Note: This part of “The Waiting Room” sprang into my head while re-watching a scene from “River of Time.” This story falls between “Worth The Wait” (which should be read first to set the stage) and “Kissing Lessons.” (Then feel free to read the rest of the series; yes, this is shameless self-promotion!)
“The Waiting Room” is canon compliant only through the death of Vandal Savage and the departure of the Hawks in 1x16. Rex Tyler never showed up in this version.
Thanks to Jael for the beta and for helping me sort out my theories! The characters, of course, belong to DC Entertainment.
--
There is a time for some things, and a time for all things; a time for great things, and a time for small things.
- Miguel De Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote
---
“What’s Jurgen’s Ridge?”
“Pray you need never find out.”
-- “River of Time”
--
Stuttgart, Germany
August 25, 1940
The Waverider was in the air seconds after the jump ship re-docked with Sara and Mr. Rory on board. Rip didn’t even wait for Dr. Palmer and Firestorm to get to their jump seats; he punched it the second they were through the main hatch. It took a little bit of fancy flying to avoid the Allied bombardment, but within a minute they were out of Stuttgart and back in the Temporal Zone.
“So why didn’t Future Snart tell us he was sending us into the middle of the Blitz?” Mr. Jackson demanded as he strode back onto the bridge, Martin and Dr. Palmer just a little behind him.
“Actually, it wasn’t the Blitz,” Rip answered, rising from his captain’s chair. “That was in London. We were in Stuttgart, Germany.”
“It was bombs falling and things exploding in World War II!” the younger man countered. “Close enough to the Blitz for me.”
Martin added, “It was rather a close call. I suppose our future selves never bother to share that detail with the future Mr. Snart, else he would have told us back in Central City.”
Rip strode over to the holo table. “Perhaps. But more important is that temporal anomaly Gideon detected when we arrived. Sara, Mr. Rory, you said you found the source?”
Sara’s voice came over the comms. “Found it at the Daimler factory and brought it back with us. Mick says this isn’t something the Nazis should have their hands on.”
“So what is it?” Dr. Palmer asked.
Mr. Rory answered this time. “You’d better come see for yourselves. We’re bringing it to the weapons room.”
Rip exchanged a worried glance with the other men. The weapons room was the most shielded spot on the Waverider, and if Mr. Rory was bringing their find there, it meant danger. “We’re on our way,” he said.
They left the bridge at a run.
--
When they got to the weapons room, Mr. Rory looked grim, and Gideon was already scanning the contents of the wooden crate. Rip felt his heart plummet when he saw what was there.
“Gideon, please tell me that’s not…”
“I’m afraid it is, Captain,” the A.I. answered before he could finish the question. Rip let out a heavy sigh.
“This is bad news, Rip,” Mr. Rory said, prompting a growl of frustration from Sara.
“You two are doing it again!” she said sharply. “Want to explain what this stuff is for those of us who didn’t go to Time Master School?”
Rip pinched the bridge of his nose, and then stared again at the large, dark rock in the crate. It was shot through with veins of silver. The crate also held a small pile of ingots in the same silver color. Apparently whoever had found it had tried to work the silver metal. “This, Sara, is chronium, a rare metal used in Time Master technology. It is reactive to the time stream. It’s an element of the Waverider’s time drive, and a major element of the Oculus.”
“I’ve never heard of this before,” Martin said, crouching down for a closer look.
“Of course you haven’t,” Rip said. “The technology to detect and refine chronium is more than a century in your future. Someone just stumbled across this bit of it and worked it badly. Don’t touch that!” he snapped as the scientist reached for one of the ingots. “This chronium hasn’t been processed properly. Touching it will give you a nasty burn.”
Mr. Jackson pulled his partner back to his feet and away from the crate. “Why would Future Snart have us go looking for this stuff?”
“It must be a clue to where we can find him,” Dr. Palmer theorized, a smile of anticipation on his face.
Rip nodded. “Indeed.” At Sara’s hopeful look, he continued, “But this is not a cause for celebration, I’m afraid. Let’s continue this discussion on the bridge. If I’m going to explain this, I need some things from my study, and the holographic display table.”
“They’re also going to need some liquor once you do explain it,” Mr. Rory rumbled. “I need it already.”
---
Rip began by pulling out his archaic maps of the time stream and laying them out across the holo table. “Do you remember these, Sara? Martin?”
Sara touched the paper. “Sure. Maps of the time stream. You had me use them to navigate when Savage knocked Gideon offline.”
Rip nodded. “At the time, you asked me about Jurgen’s Ridge.”
“And you said to pray we need never find out what it is,” Martin remembered. “We’re going to find out now, aren’t we?”
Rip took in a deep breath and let it out. “I’m afraid so.” He grabbed a glass and poured himself a shot of the liquor Mr. Rory had pulled out. Just a shot of courage. He downed it, then began to speak.
“All right. You all know the Vanishing Point exists outside of time. Think of it as a geographic pole. It doesn’t move. We go to it, but it will never come to us.” He pointed to the symbol representing Jurgen’s Ridge on the map’s bottom margin, opposite the Vanishing Point’s symbol at the top margin. “Jurgen’s Ridge is more like a magnetic pole. It moves through time, emerging into our world at various points throughout history. Chronium is a byproduct of its appearance here on Earth.”
“So this Jurgen’s Ridge emerged in Stuttgart,” Dr. Palmer said. “I don’t suppose it’s a coincidence that it appeared as the city was coming under attack?”
“You’re correct, Dr. Palmer,” Rip said. “To go back to the analogy, the Earth’s magnetic north pole moves according to the planet’s magnetic field, which is affected by the Earth’s core. In the same way, this ‘pole,’ Jurgen’s Ridge, is affected by the planet’s psychic field.” He put his fingertips on the map and traced a random pattern across the time stream. “It’s drawn to places of stress and fear. The Time Masters retrieved a great deal of chronium from many of history’s most horrific sites, from Wounded Knee to the gas chambers at Auschwitz. Jurgen’s Ridge has also appeared in places known for paranormal phenomena.”
Mr. Jackson’s eyebrows went up. “You mean haunted houses.”
“What does this have to do with finding Leonard?” Sara asked.
“That is why I need the holo display,” Rip said, removing the map. “Gideon, on my order, I need you to play back the explosion of the Oculus Wellspring at half speed.” He looked at Sara and Mr. Rory. “I’m sorry if this causes you any pain, but I have a theory and an analysis of the playback is the only way for me to know if I’m right.”
Sara closed her eyes, and took in a few breaths. “He said it wouldn’t be easy, finding him again,” she said at last, opening her eyes again. Mr. Rory moved beside her and laid an arm across her shoulders. “But he also told us not to give up on him. What are we looking for?”
“Scan for raw chronium, Gideon,” Rip said. “Begin.”
“Playback begins,” Gideon said, in a tone that sounded subdued.
The recording showed the Oculus building from above. They could see Sara emerging, dragging Mr. Rory’s unconscious form until Rip came to assist her with the big man. The perspective changed as the Waverider moved away, and they could barely make out the figures moving into the building just before it exploded.
Rip gave silent thanks that the recording couldn’t show the tears in Sara’s eyes as she fled the Oculus building, or Mr. Snart in those final moments. He didn’t think he could face either of those images. Then he leaned forward as he saw what he was looking for.
Bright blue-white points, right in the middle of the Oculus building as it exploded. Right where Snart would have been standing, elbow-deep in the device.
“There!” Rip exclaimed, pointing at that section of the image. “Jurgen’s Ridge emerged right at the point of the explosion.”
“But what does that mean?” Martin asked.
Mr. Rory answered, in a grim tone. “The Ridge doesn’t just leave chronium behind. It can also take things… and people... away.”
“You saying it took Snart?” Mr. Jackson asked in excitement. “That’s what he was trying to tell us?”
“Isn’t that a good thing?” Dr. Palmer demanded in turn. “We knew he was alive. Now we know where to find him.”
“Tell ‘em the rest of it,” Mr. Rory ordered gruffly. “Tell ‘em about Jurgen.” His grip on Sara tightened just a little, and Rip couldn’t blame him for that.
“Time Master Jurgen is the man who first tried to track the Ridge, in an effort to control it and collect the chronium directly from it, without having to chase it through history,” Rip told them. “He ended up getting trapped on the Ridge. It took the Time Masters five years to retrieve him.”
“How did he survive?” Sara asked, her eyes widening as she stepped away from Mr. Rory.
“Just as at the Vanishing Point, time does not exist on the Ridge,” Rip explained. “Physically, Jurgen was fine. And if Mr. Snart is indeed trapped on Jurgen’s Ridge, his physical body will be unharmed, because it will be as if no time has passed for him. He is just as he was when the Oculus was destroyed.”
“But?” Sara prompted sharply, moving closer to Rip and looking into his eyes with that clear blue gaze that wouldn’t accept any equivocation, much as he wanted to answer with it. As strong as he knew her to be, he didn’t want to add a new fear to her burden.
But she would never accept being coddled, either.
Rip looked down at the deck for a moment, then met her eyes again. “The Ridge travels through the time stream, Sara. All possibilities are visible to a man on the Ridge. Jurgen saw it all… what was, what is, what could be. All the things that could be, in their infinite combinations.” His voice had dropped to a whisper, and he forced himself to finish. “Jurgen’s body was fine, but his mind was broken by all he’d seen. When he was retrieved, he was quite insane.”
Horror filled Sara’s eyes, as Mr. Jackson took in a shocked breath and Dr. Palmer just shook his head in denial.
“My God,” Martin whispered hoarsely.
“There is no God,” Mr. Rory growled. “But there is a hell, and my partner is trapped in it.”
--
CLOSING AUTHOR’S NOTE: And so it begins. Comments are love and feed my muse.