Still numb, Bivolo's sight returned. Air filled his lungs as he took in his surroundings. He was in a gold-plated cell. Beside him was John Fox, the man who ruined Bivolo's already loathsome night. Bivolo thought he saw Argus, but the agent was gone the second after Roy spotted him. Which, as far as Roy was concerned, confirmed the agent's presence.
The cell was empty save for its prisoners and a wall of energy on one side. The energy appeared with a translucent shade of red. Beyond it was a hallway with nothing visible save for more walls. Roy Bivolo understood that he had been abducted. He cursed his luck.
He then noticed that John Fox was awake. Not only that, he was clothed. The watchman from the 27th century was in fact wearing the most bizarre outfit Bivolo had ever seen. Skintight blue interlaced into black boots and gloves, the suit itself stood out quite largely. The black mask covering John's eyes enhanced the strangeness of the outfit. What perplexed Bivolo, however, was what appeared to be a lightning bolt hovering over an orange circle on Fox's chest.
"How the...? No," Bivolo stopped himself, "I'm not sinking to this. Robots, sure. The invisible bastard. The invisible bastard's invisible bastard. Hell, this is a Star Trek set! And I can't feel my legs. All of that's fine. Been through worse. But please, don't tell me how that thing's floating. I can live without knowing that."
"It's the circle," Fox explained. "It has a concentration of tritoch thantium fiber. Simple, really. Even I could do something like this with it."
"I don't care," Bivolo reiterated. "For once in my life, I really don't care."
"Oh?" Fox asked. "The other one looked like he lost his sanity matrix. I know this is the middle ages, but... how did your people survive without thantium fiber? Why, the hydro-vampires alone should've de-"
"Stop talking," Bivolo pleaded. He hit his legs until he could feel the impact. Meaning to kill a certain invisible man, he started pacing the area.
As Bivolo circled the room, the wall of the cell decapitated. A black-haired young man with jeans and a white tee entered from the outside hallway.
"Wha-" Bivolo started.
"Why?" Fox cut him off.
"Who?" Argus' voice echoed mockingly.
Roy reached out to punch the voice's source. It was no use; the invisible man had moved.
The boy in the tee smirked.
"Ship's called the Clock King. You lot're a threat to human history. If I need a name, take the one I gave Kelly. I'm sorry, Kovak. It's Rip. Rip Van Hunter. An’ yeah, that was funnier when I thought of it."
The boy extended his leg. A thud came from behind it. Argus had apparently fallen to the ground.
"We're in a spaceship," the boy explained. "Well. It's more than that. But that's not the point. We're hiding behind a wormhole. So don't get any daft ideas like jumping ship. And you'll be electrocuted if you try an' tamper with anything. The ship's picky about who flies 'im. Not like the last one..."
Bivolo moved to threaten the boy, but Fox shoved him aside and pulled Rip up by his shirt.
"I may be a slacker, but I'm not a number 10! I've had hours to think, I know what happened! Back there I felt it... that power that the world just couldn't let go of. They've been telling it to five-year-olds for centuries. What started with a whirlwind came back as lightning, right? And somehow I felt that. I grabbed it! But I'm not a part of that... I don't want to be a part of that! Just send me back, give me some real clothes, and I'll forget this ever happened!"
"Kcab eht lleh ffo," Rip uttered in a monotone voice.
An invisible force pushed Fox to the back of the cell. Looking surprised, the young Rip Hunter cocked his head.
"That backward rubbish worked! It never works... damnit. I wasn't even thinking. Guess I
am turning into Zatarra."
"You tricked me," the unseen Argus complained.
Rip shrugged. "Maybe. I said I'd use John to save history. Didn't say anything about what I'd do with him. So yeah. I tricked you. That was what, a year ago? Feels like yesterday. Oh, wait. It was two days back. Relatively speaking, of course."
A man of action, Roy walked past the condescending young Hunter. Expecting to find another part of the ship, Roy was surprised when he turned the corner and found himself in the exact position he started from.
Hunter shrugged once more. "Time and space, right? Make sense of it and you'll just end up daffy. Just humor me and stay put. It's easier this way. Marco."
"Polo!" Argus shouted from the place he had fallen.
"Still here, then," Rip said with a widening grin.
Argus' head became visible. His mouth tightened, suggesting he was putting his hand over it.
"What the hell'd you just do to make me talk?"
"Afraid names don't do it justice," Rip answered. "Not any ones you could say. Or comprehend. But yer average Thom, Dick, or Waverider'd call it magic."
-to be continued
