Author's Note

Originally written for Jax Jackson Appreciation Week 2017 and posted on tumblr.

Of the seven people passed out on a Central City rooftop, the first to wake up is Leonard Snart, also known as Captain Cold. Jax isn’t exactly surprised. He watches, from a safe distance, as the man comes back to consciousness bit by bit. He only really wakes up when he realizes that his gun is no longer at his side; at that point he scrambles up, muttering curses and threats, his hands curling into fists. His partner (Mick Rory, alias Heat Wave) follows him pretty quickly, and then the rest of the group.

“I took your weapons while you were out,” Jax says. “Don’t worry, they’re safe. I just didn’t want to get killed before we had a chance to talk.”

“So talk,” says Sara Lance (known as the Canary in Thailand, the Philippines, and Central City, U.S.A.). She doesn’t exactly snarl it, but there’s a definite threat in her voice. Jax digs his hands into the pockets of his coat.

“My name is Jax,” he says.

“That your first or your last?” Snart says. Jax does his best to stare him down, though Snart is a good couple of inches taller.

“It doesn’t matter,” Jax says. “I’m here because I need a team. And the seven of you have the potential to be a great team.”

“Are you... kidnapping us?” Linda Park asks. She doesn’t have any aliases. Not yet, anyways.

“No. I’m not gonna force any of you to do anything,” Jax says. “I just want the chance to ask you. This seemed like the best way to get you all in one place.”

“So ask us,” Sara Lance says. She doesn’t seem quite so angry anymore, but she’s still impatient. Jax takes a deep breath and starts with the words he’s been rehearsing for weeks.

“I’m from the future, and I need your help.”

There’s a moment of stunned silence. Jax can tell at a glance which of the group don’t really believe him, and which have seen enough crazy things in the past several months to almost take him at his word.

“The future? Really?” That’s Ray Palmer, a.k.a. the Atom. Jax nods at him.

“I have proof, if you need it.”

“I don’t think we do,” says Kendra Saunders, known in another life as Hawkgirl. She turns to look at her partner, Carter Hall (her partner, her Hawkman). “We’ve all seen some pretty weird stuff recently.”

“I want proof,” Leonard Snart says. Jax pulls a rolled-up sheaf of paper from the inside pocket of his coat and tosses it to Snart. Snart unrolls it. Linda Park peeks around his arm to get a look at it.

“That’s tomorrow’s newspaper,” she says, a smidge of disbelief in her voice. “That’s my article.”

Mick Rory gives Snart a significant look. “We were gonna rob that art gallery tonight,” Rory says in an undertone. Snart just stares at the newspaper, his eyes narrowed.

“Say we believe you,” Sara Lance says. “What do you need a team for?”

“Time-traveling isn’t easy,” Jax says. “And it’s not safe. It’s not something people were meant to do alone. I’ve made it this far, but—I have a new mission now, the most important thing I’ve ever done. And I need help.”

“What’s your mission?” Carter Hall says. Jax takes another deep breath.

“Stop me if you’ve heard this one,” he says. “Two time-travelers. Partners. Best friends in the world. Both of ’em have families, people they care about. They’re happy.” He pauses. No one says anything. Even Snart and Rory are paying attention now. Sara Lance has a narrow-eyed look, like she’s concentrating. Jax goes on. “Then, one day, one of the partners just disappears. Gone. Like he was never there.” Jax resists the urge to pace back and forth across the roof. “To hear the records tell it the guy didn’t die, because he was never alive. None of his family have even heard of him. It’s like he never even existed.” Jax turns a little, to face the part of the group he hadn’t been facing. “And he’s not the only one it’s happened to.”

“You’re saying people are just disappearing?” Ray Palmer says. “Being—erased from existence?”

“Yeah,” Jax says. “And no one remembers that they were ever there, because—”

“Because if they were never alive, there are no memories of them,” Kendra says, frowning at the ground. She looks up at Jax. “Is that right?”

“Yeah. Pretty much.”

“But why us?” Sara Lance says. She seems to have a thing for asking the hard questions. Jax takes a breath.

“Look,” he says. “I’m not gonna lie to you. I chose all of you guys because—well—from this point on, none of you really have much of an effect on the future.”

A much heavier moment of silence passes as everyone considers exactly what that means.

“You’re saying we’re going to die,” Sara Lance says.

“Some of you,” Jax says. “Some of you will. Or would. In the near future.” He takes a deep breath, trying to steady himself. Talking with someone about their imminent death really doesn’t ever get easier. “Some of you just… stop caring about the impact your actions will have.”

Ray Palmer looks down at he says that. Jax has a sudden feeling that the man wouldn’t be much use in a poker game.

“So you’re giving us all a new lease on life,” Snart drawls. “How generous of you. What’s the catch?”

“Depends on what you think of as a catch,” Jax says. “I’m going to go after those people. I’m just asking for a little help with it. If you can spare the time.”

“Wait,” Linda Park says. She steps out from the shadow of Leonard Snart, which Jax thinks is pretty brave of her. “I don’t understand. I’m not a superhero, or a scientist, or a—” She glances at Rory. “Or anything like that. I’m just a reporter.”

Jax has a split-second decision to make. He goes with the safest option.

“Are you?”

Linda’s eyes widen and she glances to the side, at the others. Her voice lowers. “How did you know?”

“From the future, remember?” Jax says.

Snart sort of glances sideways at Linda, and then looks back at Jax.

“Is that it?” he says.

“Pretty much,” Jax says. “I’ve made my pitch. So—” He crosses his arms and stands straight, trying to channel every ounce of authority, coolness, and badassery he has in him. “Who wants to help me save Martin Stein?”

⁂