The scorching heat pressed down, yet Valentina didn't flinch. She stared at Jack Kadere, whose body was wreathed in nuclear flame, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"Impossible," she whispered, shaking her head. "The formula was correct. Firestorm requires two minds to stabilize the matrix. One person alone can't contain the energy of the reactor. You… you can't be Firestorm by yourself!"
Jack smirked, his crimson eyes glinting with dangerous amusement. "Don't understand? Then don't. There are plenty of things in this world you'll never wrap your head around."
His gaze shifted toward Kate. At his unspoken command, she stepped forward, reached out, and touched Valentina's shoulder.
In an instant, both women were engulfed in fiery light, their bodies merging as the Firestorm matrix activated again. This time, however, Kate was the dominant half of the fusion. Her voice resonated in the air, layered with Valentina's as the nuclear fire roared to life around them.
"Let's move."
Jack grinned, lowering his arms before shooting upward like a blazing comet. He blasted through the ceiling with ease, piercing floor after floor until he burst through the rooftop. Kate, burning brightly as Firestorm, followed close behind.
Laura, waiting above, nearly stumbled back at the sight of the two figures covered in flame. Before she could react, Jack shed the Firestorm state with practiced ease. Kate and Valentina separated as well, returning to their normal forms in a shimmer of nuclear sparks.
Valentina immediately gasped, her instincts screaming. "No… wait!" She spun toward the open edge of the rooftop, as if already realizing what Jack intended. She tried to run, but it was too late.
The Disciple, Jack's advanced timeship, had already lifted off the rooftop. Its engines roared as it ascended into the dark night sky.
Far below, in the wide courtyard of the Soviet gulag camp, Vandal Savage—immortal warlord and eternal thorn in history's side—stood shaking his fist at the retreating vessel. His curses echoed upward into the cold air.
"See ya," Jack said casually, his finger pressing a control on the Disciple's console.
Whoosh!
A missile streaked downward like a burning star. A heartbeat later, the entire gulag erupted in a thunderous explosion. Flames consumed everything in a fiery wave that tore across the compound.
When the smoke cleared, nothing was left. Vandal Savage—reborn from death countless times, schemer of centuries—had been obliterated once again, his body turned to ash in the inferno.
Jack didn't even look back.
The Legends were free. The looming Firestorm instability that might have fractured the timeline had been handled. And with that, Jack guided the Disciple away, vanishing into the endless veil of night.
Then came the shift.
The stars blurred, and the vessel slid into the timestream—the Flow of Time itself.
Outside the viewport stretched a vast river of dark green light, endless and eternal. The current twisted like a living thing, its waves representing every moment in history—past, present, and possible futures. The Disciple hovered above it like a ship against an ocean tide, immune yet surrounded by its infinite pull.
Jack leaned back in the pilot's chair with a satisfied exhale. "Time to take a little detour."
Beside him, Kate stood steady, her eyes bright with anticipation. She had already experienced the Disciple's power before and was prepared for the strain.
Laura, however, clutched her stomach, pale from the sudden jump through reality. She stumbled to the side, trying to keep her balance.
Valentina, no less shaken, pressed a hand to her head, feeling the dizzying aftereffects of crossing the timestream for the first time. The nuclear scientist who had once prided herself on understanding the mysteries of the atom now felt small in the face of forces beyond comprehension.
"Welcome to the river of forever," Jack said lightly, standing from his seat. His tone was casual, but his eyes were sharp, measuring each reaction carefully.
...
Before long, a shooting space was prepared in the corner of Jack Kadere's private collection room aboard the Disciple.
Kate reverted into her normal outfit, standing before a plain backdrop. She held up a card with both hands, shifting her poses—front, back, left, and right—as Jack photographed her with precision. The card carried her full details: her name, codename, identification number, and origin. It looked disturbingly similar to a prison mugshot. Finally, Jack had her do a second set of photos, these ones more detailed, capturing expressions and angles he could use later.
Nudes, that is.
Name: Katherine "Kate" Manser
Codename: Firestorm (One-Half)
Number: 4
Origin Era: 1871
Location: Salvation,Dakota.
"With these records, it'll be much easier if I need a substitute later," Jack Kadere muttered, nodding in satisfaction. He examined the developed photos as they appeared, framing the standard portrait shots and hanging them neatly on the wall. The more detailed ones were saved in his archive for further screening.
"Go bring Laura next. Oh—and there should be a uniform fabricator built into the ship's systems. Have her design and wear her own suit. If she's part of my team, she needs an identity of her own."
"Yes, Master," Kate replied softly before leaving.
She soon returned with Laura. Like Kate, Laura was photographed in the same meticulous fashion.
Name: Laurel Jane "Laurie" Juspeczyk
Codename: Silk Spectre II
Number: 5
Origin Era: 1985
Location: United States
As Laura's portrait joined the wall beside hers, Kate's eyes scanned the display. There were still several empty slots ahead of her number. The numbers weren't random—they represented order. The order of the women who had pledged themselves to Jack Kadere.
Only three came before her? Kate couldn't hide her surprise. With Jack's dangerous charisma and personality, she would have assumed there were far more. The realization both unsettled and intrigued her.
"Done."
Jack lowered the camera, brushing dust from his hands as if to signal the end of this little ritual. "Now… I can finally think about where to go next."
But before another word could leave his lips, the Disciple lurched violently.
"What was that?!"
"Did Valentina do something?" Laura cried out, bracing herself against the wall.
BOOM!
Another thunderous impact rattled the ship, nearly knocking the three women off their feet.
"They're attacking us," Jack snapped. He sprinted toward the bridge, his expression sharpened into focus.
Sure enough, Valentina was already at the console, clutching the arm of a chair as alarms blared around her. The ship's readouts showed enemy fire raking across the shields. Several smaller craft were launching precision strikes, and the Disciple's defensive barrier was failing fast.
"Damn it!" Jack cursed, his eyes darting across the controls.
BOOM!
The barrier shattered in a flare of sparks, throwing everyone against the walls.
"Tch. This is the problem with running without an AI core," Jack growled, hauling himself upright. "Looks like I'll need to install one later. Too late now—we're going down!"
The Disciple spun out of the timestream, spiraling uncontrollably.
...
Unknown time. Unknown location.
CRASH!
The ship jolted hard as it smashed into something solid. Inside, Valentina, Kate, and Laura were thrown to the floor, struggling to regain their balance.
Jack, however, laughed under his breath. "Unknown journeys always come with surprises. Let's see where we've landed."
He strode to the hatch, the women scrambling to follow. The metal doors creaked open, letting in the smell of saltwater and oil. The Disciple had smashed through the docks of what appeared to be a bustling port, its bow jutting awkwardly over the pier, plating dented and smoking.
Jack surveyed the scene carefully. "Judging by the architecture… looks like the modern era."
"Jack Kadere?!"
The voice froze him in place. It was sharp, commanding, familiar.
"That voice…" Jack muttered, narrowing his eyes. He turned toward the sound.
Two groups were gathered on the docks. Soldiers? No—heroes. Among them stood someone unmistakable: tall, radiant, wearing armor that gleamed even in the dim port light. Her tiara marked her as royalty, her bearing as a warrior.
Wonder Woman. Diana of Themyscira.
Jack exhaled sharply, a smirk curling onto his lips. "Hah. Figures it'd be you. Out of all people, it had to be you standing here waiting for me."
Behind him, Valentina, Kate, and Laura stepped out of the Disciple, their eyes locking on Diana and the gathered figures at her back.