Onboard the Disciple, Jack Kadere had already set the coordinates and time but wasn't in a rush to depart.
Across from him, Kate had been more careful this time—she strapped herself into her seat the moment they boarded. Yet after waiting for several minutes, the ship remained still.
"Jack…?" Kate asked cautiously.
Jack turned his chair toward her, wearing that faintly amused smile of his. "Helping the Legends rescue a few people isn't exactly hard work. Besides, it gives me a chance to look at Vandal Savage up close. He doesn't have flashy powers like some others, but his immortality is troublesome. The man can only be killed under very specific conditions. Otherwise, even if a single cell of his body remains, he'll regenerate."
Kate's eyes widened. "That sounds… impossible to fight. How do you stop someone like that?"
"Immortality isn't as terrifying as it sounds," Jack said lightly. "Sara Lance's captain, Rip Hunter, was a Time Master. He gathered the Legends and led them through history, all with the goal of defeating Savage. What Hunter didn't realize, at least at first, was that the Time Masters themselves were secretly aiding Savage. Even with that betrayal hanging over them, the Legends still managed to take him down. Which is probably why they call themselves 'Legends'—even if half the time they stumble around like amateurs."
A chuckle escaped him. "Still, other than watching Savage revive just to satisfy my curiosity, and maybe checking out that Soviet Firestorm experiment, there's not much to entertain me. Unless, of course… I stir the pot myself."
Kate blinked. "Stir… the pot? Do what?"
Jack leaned back in his chair, an impish grin spreading across his face. "Think about it. If the Soviets are bold enough to attempt creating their own Firestorm, the U.S. government isn't going to just sit back and let them. Maybe it's time to see how far this particular Cold War can be pushed."
With that, he adjusted the Disciple's controls, moving the timeline forward by a year.
...
1985, United States.
The Disciple descended onto the rooftop of a tall building, its metallic frame shimmering before cloaking itself in invisibility. Jack stepped out first, Kate following close behind.
"This is America, 1985. More than sixty years after the era we just left behind," Jack explained casually, scooping Kate into his arms before leaping off the rooftop.
Boom!
They landed hard, concrete cracking beneath their feet as startled civilians screamed and stumbled back. Jack nonchalantly set Kate down and strolled through the crowd as if nothing unusual had happened.
The world around them was bustling, yet Jack seemed unimpressed. To him, the architecture and culture of the decade were dull. But for Kate, a girl displaced from nearly a century earlier, everything was new and dazzling. Neon signs, bulky cars, the chatter of radios and TVs, the very texture of the street—all of it felt like stepping into the future.
On a street corner, Jack paused at a newsstand. Headlines screamed of international tension, Cold War brinkmanship, and political posturing. Kate lingered close, trying to catch bits of conversation from the locals as they gossiped about the Soviet Union.
Jack flipped through several papers. Frowning, he tossed them aside, ignoring the vendor's annoyed protests. Nothing. No mention of what—or rather, who—he was searching for.
"Jack… what are we looking for?" Kate asked softly, tilting her head.
"Someone," he muttered, eyes narrowing. "A man so famous that his existence should dominate every front page. And yet, nothing. Either this world deviated from what I know… or he doesn't exist here at all."
Kate hesitated. "…Are we looking for… a pillow?"
Jack froze, then snapped his head toward her with a sharp glare. "A pillow? Are you insane? Why the hell would I waste time chasing after a pillow?" He shook his head, muttering. "Look for a pillow, she says… tch."
Kate winced, shrinking under his tone but relieved at least that she'd been wrong.
Jack exhaled slowly, then smirked. "No, what I'm after is far stranger. Dr. Manhattan—Jon Osterman. The one and only genuine superhuman of his age."
His lips curved with amusement. "A brilliant physicist torn apart by accident, reassembled as something beyond human. To most people, he's a god. But in truth? A god who parades around naked with glowing blue skin, wielding powers that can unmake armies with a thought. Let's be honest, Kate—any man who struts around like that, showing off every inch of himself, has to be at least a little bit of a pervert."
Kate's face flushed red at the blunt description, but Jack only laughed.
"After he appeared, the U.S. wasted no time turning him into a living deterrent against the Soviet Union. Manhattan practically became the face of American power. And later, he even left Earth—supposedly for some noble idea of peace. But even if he's gone, his presence should still echo through history, through newspapers, through whispers. Yet here? Nothing. It's as if Dr. Manhattan never existed."
Even if the trail seemed cold, Jack Kadere wasn't about to give up. "Maybe he isn't in this world at all… maybe he's in another parallel Earth," Jack muttered with a frown. The disappointment tugged at him, but his mind quickly shifted to a solution. If Dr. Manhattan wasn't within reach here, then he'd set his course elsewhere.
Disappointed, he turned back toward the cloaked Disciple. "No matter. If Manhattan isn't here, there's still the Soviet program. Even if I've arrived early, I can deal with Valentina Vostok, dismantle the Gulag Camp, and cut the problem off at the source. Without the Firestorm experiment, the Legends never have a reason to intervene. Which means… no capture."
He was about to call Kate back when something caught his eye.
At the far end of the street stood a lone figure in a trench coat and hat, walking steadily in their direction.
Jack's grin returned instantly. "Forget leaving. Surprises are everywhere, if you know how to spot them."
"Surprises?" Kate asked, following his gaze.
"See her?" Jack said, pointing toward the mysterious woman in the trench coat. "Tell me, Kate… doesn't she look interesting?"
Kate swallowed, her nerves tightening as the woman approached. "…Is she the one you've been searching for?"
"Maybe not the one I've been searching for," Jack replied, eyes narrowing with curiosity, "but she might help me find him."
Without hesitation, Jack crossed the street. In a few long strides, he was directly in her path.
The woman slowed, then tried to step around him. Jack matched her movement, blocking her smoothly.
"Excuse me," she said coldly, irritation flickering in her eyes. "Move aside."
Jack only smiled.
"What do you want?" Her frown deepened, her hand flexing as though ready for a fight.
"I want to talk," Jack said casually.
Those words—direct and deceptively simple—were enough to make her suspicious. Her eyes narrowed. Was this man just another street thug? How long had it been since anyone dared stand in her way like this?
"Get out of the way," she warned sharply. "Or you'll regret it."
Jack leaned in slightly, his tone calm but deliberate. "I want to see Dr. Manhattan."
Her breath hitched. For the first time, her composure cracked. She grabbed Jack's collar, her voice rising in urgency. "Who are you? How do you know about him?"
Jack's grin widened. "So you do know him." His voice dropped to a near-whisper. "Good. Then we can talk more… privately."
Before she could react further, Jack's fist shot forward.
"Bang!"
His punch landed square in her abdomen. Her eyes widened, then rolled back as the breath was driven out of her body. She crumpled with a muffled groan, collapsing limply into his arms.
Jack caught her effortlessly, his expression unbothered, almost amused.
With the stunned stares of onlookers burning into him, he straightened up, hefted her over his shoulder, and broke into a run.
Murmurs turned to shouts.
"Did he just—kidnap someone?!"
"In broad daylight?!"
"Stop him!"
People around the street leapt into motion, fury and outrage propelling them into pursuit.
Meanwhile, Kate stood frozen in shock.
Master… you really just snatched her up like that? And left me standing here?!