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singledarkshade · 2 years

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All That Glitters

Part Six

(Part One , Part Two, Part Three , Part Four and Part Five can be found here)

Gideon sat in the back of the jeep worried as she watched Druce, who was standing watching for Miranda. She just hoped that Miranda had a plan and wasn’t sacrificing Rip, because Gideon would never forgive her. Watching the car arrive in the alleyway, Gideon could see Rip was unconscious and her stomach turned in fear for him. Miranda got out the car and walked round to the passenger side of the car, waiting for Druce to speak.

“My dear Miranda,” Druce greeted her, “Punctual as always. And with my gift.”

Miranda frowned, “Not a gift. This is an exchange. You give me Gideon, and he’s all yours.”

A slow smile touched Druce’s face, “You make me so proud, Miranda. Do you know that?”

“How wonderful,” Miranda snapped, “Give me back Gideon.”

Druce nodded to the brute standing guard beside the jeep, who opened the door and offered his hand to her. Gideon ignored his offer of help, sliding out before frowning as Druce caught her by the shoulder.

“I’m not an idiot, Miranda,” Druce reminded her, “I want to see Detective Hunter standing here so I know this isn’t some kind of trick.”

Miranda frowned and jabbed Rip in the arm. Gideon watched him regain consciousness and realise where he was.

“Get out of the car,” Miranda ordered Rip, letting him see the gun she was holding but not aiming it at him as she opened the car door.

Rip glared at her but did as she ordered. Miranda took his arm and they stood facing Druce, Miranda pressing the gun into Rip’s ribs.

“Once she’s at the car free and clear, I bring him to you,” Miranda said coldly, “I’m not giving you the chance to double-cross us.”

Druce smiled before he pushed Gideon forward. Slowly she walked towards Miranda and Rip. Reaching them she saw fear but determination in Rip’s eyes and when she turned to Miranda saw in her eyes that there was a plan. She just hoped it worked.

Miranda caught Gideon when she was close enough and hugged her tightly before whispering, “Get in the car and don’t say a word.”

Gideon followed the order and watched as Miranda pushed Rip to walk forward, the gun still pressing into his ribs.

“One detective for you,” Miranda said as she reached Druce.

Druce turned to his muscle, “Not that I don’t trust you, Miranda but I want to make sure you don’t double cross me.”

The goon pulled out a scanner from the jeep and moved it across Rip’s entire body, “Clean,” he rumbled when finished.

Gideon watched Miranda pat Rip’s cheek, frowning as she said, “You really are too trusting, Detective.”

Miranda walked back to the car, climbing in she murmured, “Not a word until we’re away and safe.”

Gideon nodded and sat in silence as Miranda drove them several blocks from where they left Rip with Druce into a carpark beneath an apartment building.

“Miranda…”

“Hold on,” Miranda told Gideon as she parked

Gideon jumped as suddenly several police cars appeared surrounding them.

“It’s okay,” Miranda soothed, “It’s Rip’s plan. They’re helping us and I will tell you everything the moment we’re alone.”

Gideon turned as her door was opened and she recognised Detective Joe West standing there.

“Nice to finally meet you, Ms Ryder,” he greeted her.

“What’s going on?” Gideon demanded.

Rip managed not to wince when Miranda pressed the tracker into the skin behind his ear. It was designed so that unless you knew what to look for then it wouldn’t be seen. He was relieved Gideon was safe but now he had to face the man who had haunted him for years.

“Detective Hunter,” Druce stated, “Get in the car.”

“And if I don’t?”

Druce smiled, “Mr Edison will ask, but not as politely.”

Taking a slow breath, Rip got in the car hoping the tracker was working the way it was meant to. He knew the fact that he wasn’t sedated or blindfolded for the trip was not a good thing for him, but he trusted Joe.

He had to.

Rip paid attention to every street they went down, every turn they made, creating the map in his head to the SCPD, the motel and the rendezvous point. He hoped Gideon and Miranda had made it to Joe and Lance safely but knew Joe would be watching for them.

Finally, they reached a warehouse and drove inside. Rip took slow deep breaths, the way he’d been taught after he began to have panic attacks while in hospital with half his body encased in plaster, terrified the man who had done that to him would come back to finish the job.

And here he was in a car with the monster from his childhood.

“This way, Detective,” Druce told him as the door was held open.

Praying the tracker was working, Rip got out the car and followed Druce through the doors, they walked along the corridor to another set of doors, which opened up into a room with a table and two chairs.

Rip was marched to one of the chairs, pushed to sit and his hands cuffed behind the chair.

“Well, Detective,” Druce stated as he took his coat off and sat across from him, “This time I have the upper hand in our discussion and you’re going to tell me everything you know about Michael Carter.”

“So straight to the interrogation?” Rip asked, “No easing into it?”

Druce smiled amused, “I like you, Detective Hunter. Do you know how many others went after my girls? But you were the only one who came to me for answers, the only one who put that together and the only one who got close enough to see their brilliance, their beauty in person.”

“Am I supposed to feel warm and fuzzy about that?”

Druce stood and began to walk around the table behind Rip in silence, he did this three times before finally saying, “You know about Michael Carter, so you know what happened to him.” Druce stopped behind Rip and rested his hand on Rip’s shoulders making him stiffen slightly, “He was my favourite child and I loved him. You have no such tie to me. I’d think about that before you make smart remarks. Or you won’t survive our discussion.”

Rip chuckled humourlessly, “I’ve seen you, your muscle, and Miss Coburn,” he said as Druce walked back round to face him, “You made no effort to hide where I am from me so I can come back here at any time. I have no illusions that I’m surviving this encounter.”

“You are as smart as I was told,” Druce nodded.

“It also means,” Rip continued, “That my best way to stay alive is to tell you nothing.”

Rip knew he had to keep talking until Joe and Lance found him and, despite what some people thought, Rip knew how to talk.

Druce took the seat across from Rip, “You think that now, Detective, but that is until the pain starts.”

“Well, pain is an old friend of mine,” Rip threw at him.

“I know ways to hurt you that you’ve never imagined,” Druce replied darkly before he shrugged, “But I don’t want to, Detective. All I want is to know about my son.”

Rip felt his jaw clench slightly at that and forced himself to retort, “I doubt he would agree to being called your son, considering what you did.”

“Everything I did was for him.”

Forcing himself not to lose his temper, Rip wondered if Druce had recognised him now, because this felt a bit like the chess games they’d played when he was a child.

“Pity he died that day,” Rip finally said, “Or you could ask him.”

“How long do you think we can play this game?” Druce asked with a shake of his head, “I know Michael survived and that you know where he is now. Why else would you invoke his name?”

Rip leaned forward, “For this. Your need to know something about him was what meant you gave up your ‘girls’ to me. He’s your weakness.”

Druce glared at Rip before leaving the room and Rip let out a long sigh of relief. He just needed to keep Druce off balance until cavalry arrived.

“Tell me you’re not serious about this?” Gideon demanded harshly after Miranda explained Rip’s plan, after she’d been released by the doctor Lance had insisted check her.

They were sitting in one corner of the room that was being used as a base by the police above the car park Miranda has brought her to.

Miranda shrugged, “Which part?”

“All of it,” Gideon told her, “We both know what Druce is like when he wants to know something.”

“Which is why I put the tracker on Rip,” Miranda replied.

Gideon frowned, “Then why haven’t they gone after him yet?”

Miranda nodded, “Good question. Detective West?”

“Miss Coburn,” West said as he turned to them, “You do realise we’re busy.”

“Have you found Detective Hunter?” Miranda demanded.

West grimaced, “We’re having trouble locating the tracker.”

Before Miranda could snap, Gideon spoke up, “Then let me look.”

“I don’t…”

“Detective West,” Gideon cut him off, “I am a genius. And my genius relates to electronics. Miranda said the tracker is a standard one, but she helped modify it based on my designs. I can find it. I can find Detective Hunter for you.”

West turned and motioned to Captain Lance, after talking quickly Lance turned to Gideon, “Why should I trust you?”

“Because Detective Hunter just gave himself to Druce to save me,” Gideon reminded the two men, “Despite his past and,” she lowered her voice, “His real identity.”

“How do you know…”

“Miranda told me,” Gideon cut Lance off, “I owe Hunter, so let me find him so we can stop Druce once and for all.”

Lance nodded, “Come with me.”

Druce looked at the man he had tied to the chair annoyed, there was something about Detective Rip Hunter that he hadn’t noticed at the prison. Something that he couldn’t put into words, but it was beginning to frustrate him, and he needed to know what it was.

Taking a drink of water, Druce opened the drawer and drew out the wooden jewellery box sitting in there. Returning to the room, he took a seat across from Hunter once more.

“Nice,” the other man said, “I have a friend who would like that. Did you get it in a shop or online?”

Druce said nothing, simply opening the box he placed the photo of his boy to one side and then took out the dagger. He noticed a slight worried reaction at the weapon from his captive, but it wasn’t surprising as even to the untrained eye the blade was sharp.

“Do you know what this is?” Druce asked as he showed the dagger to Hunter.

“Is that a trick question?”

“This was the first thing my boy stole,” Druce said, turning the weapon so the other man could see every angle of it, “Stole it from me actually. Then he used it to protect himself as he thought he would be hurt.”

“I wonder why?” sarcasm filled Hunter’s voice.

Druce smiled, “I let him keep it and taught him how to use it.”

“You know,” Hunter said, “As much fun as watching you walk down memory lane is, I’m not going to tell you anything about someone who died, when you killed him.”

Pressing the blade to the other man’s chin and touching his neck with the tip, Druce smiled, “We’ll see how long you continue to lie to me.”

Stiffening Hunter tried to pull away but couldn’t.

Druce grinned, “Anything to say, Detective?”

“You can’t kill me,” Hunter ground out, “Because your ego won’t accept the fact that I might know something you don’t.”

Druce pulled the dagger back and smiled, “A small chink in the armour there, Detective. A little bit of fear which tells me you will break.”

“Go to hell,” Hunter spat at him.

Druce continued to laugh, returning the dagger to the box he accidentally pushed the photograph off the table. Picking it up, Druce looked at the boy in it and frowned. Sitting up Druce held up the picture so he could see the face of the man across from him at the same time.

“My boy,” he breathed in amazement.

Hunter frowned at him, “What now?”

Placing the picture down on the table, Druce shook his head in amazement staring at the man sitting across from him.

“I thought I would never see you again, Michael.”

#fic #legends of tomorrow #rip hunter #miranda coburn #gideon #zaman druce #joe west #quentin lance #alternate universe

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