London
1895
Rip Hunter hid amongst the crowd of occultists, gathered for a ritual that would bring back a powerful foe. As Rip remained hidden, he saw a cloaked figure, standing next to a glass coffin, as well as an ancestor of Martin Stein, one of Rip's former teammates on the ship called the Waverider. The figure removed her hood, revealing herself to be Eleanor Darhk, Damien Darhk's daughter, apparently set on resurrecting her dead father after the Green Arrow killed him in 2016.
"When you welcomed me to the order, you were seeking proof. Evidence, that life does not have to end with death." While Eleanor was talking, Rip noticed that one of the Waverider's newest members, a woman named Zari Tomaz, was being held captive, and with a wink, silently promised to free her. "But the power that courses through my veins is not my own. It is a gift… from Mallus." Eleanor finished speaking, and motioned to a man with a mustache and beard to throw a lever, starting up a machine that would resurrect Damien.
"Stop this abomination!" Rip yelled, coming forward and drawing his gun. At the same time, a portal opened, and members of Rip's Time Bureau emerged, surrounding Eleanor and her cult. One of the members freed Zari, releasing her from the cuffs she had worn.
"You're so called master." Rip said, tauntingly. "Where is he?"
"Mallus is everywhere and nowhere." Eleanor replied, unflinching. "Reflected in every moment of time. He is dead, he is risen, and he will come again."
"Right, well that's very cryptic, but I demand to speak to him." Rip ordered, mentally rolling his eyes.
"Oh, very well." Eleanor mocked, before she started convulsing, the wind picking up, causing Rip to step back. As he gained a hold of himself, Eleanor turned back to Hunter, her eyes now blood red, and wearing a sinister grin.
"DIRECTOR HUNTER." Mallus' voice said. "A PLEASURE TO MEET YOU."
"I'm not here to speak to your puppet." Rip growled. "I think it's about time we met face to face." Instead, the being just laughed.
"YOU COULD NOT LOOK UPON MY TRUE FORM AND LIVE." Mallus taunted. "WHILE YOU ARE HOPELESSLY MORTAL, I AM A GOD!" Just then, a white energy came down and struck the coffin, entering the corpse of Damien Darhk. Eleanor was released of the possession, and after kneeling on the ground, grinned towards Rip and the Time Bureau.
"You're too late." Eleanor announced, as Damien's body levitated out of the coffin. Standing upright, Damien's eyes snapped open.
"Ahh." Damien gasped, before smiling. "It's good to be back." Darhk looked at the woman right below him, wondering who she was. The woman simply smiled at him and gave a small nod. Damien had seen that smile before. Then it hit him. The woman standing before Damien was none other than his own daughter, all grown up. The last time he saw little Nora was when she was only ten years old, right before he was killed by Oliver Queen, better known as the Green Arrow. Smiling at his now-adult daughter, Darhk turned back towards the Time Bureau, waving his hands in a parting motion, and all the agents' weapons were torn from their hands. At this moment, Damien noticed a familiar face leading the Bureau. Rip Hunter. Damien remembered him from when Eobard Thawne, known as the Reverse Flash, had convinced him to help find the Spear of Destiny, back when he had been pulled out of the 1980s. When Thawne was defeated, the Waverider's team, the Legends, had dropped him back off to the 80s, seemingly wiping his mind. Now, it seemed that the resurrection not only granted him his magic without the Khushu idol, but it also restored his lost memories. As Eleanor laughed darkly, Damien felt something was off, and looked at his wrist.
"OK, who stole my watch?" Damien asked, looking at everyone. What came next could only be described as chaos, as cultists and members of the Time Bureau ran in all directions, trading punches, kicks, and gunshots. Throughout the pandemonium, Darhk had gotten himself a glass of wine, and began drinking while telekinetically choking a Bureau agent similar to how Darth Vader would. Another agent ran towards Damien, but was also quickly restrained. Bored, Damien threw both men to the ground, snapping their necks, and without turning, strangled another man who tried to hit him from behind. Another agent tried fighting him, but Darhk simply waved his hand, sending her flying, then raised his hand to stop another man from attacking him. While the agent was restrained, Darhk wagged his finger at him, before backing up and kicking him in the groin, his supernatural strength causing him to fly all the way across the room. Damien smirked and drank his wine, watching his daughter use the power of the air totem to repel an attacker. Suddenly, an agent accidentally bumped into Damien, causing him to drop his glass of wine, the cup shattering on the floor. Annoyed, Darhk used his magic to choke the man and force him on his knees, until for some reason, it felt time had frozen. Damien was unsure what had happened, until he realized Rip Hunter must have used a device to stop time momentarily. Sensing someone approaching him, Damien snapped out of the trance, just in time to catch Rip's arm from stabbing him. Using his right hand, Damien laid his palm on Rip's chest and kept it there, while his left took the knife from Hunter.
"Any last words, Rip?" Damien asked, beginning to absorb Hunter's life force. "Yes, I remember you. In fact, I remember everything." Just as Damien was almost finished killing the former Time Master, he was hit with a blue energy, causing him to fall to the ground.
"Remember us?" A woman in a white suit asked, swinging down from a rope. Damien recognized her. She was Sara Lance, sister of Laurel, whom he had killed in 2016. Sara mentioned sparing his life to preserve the timeline, but now that his body had been deposited to Victorian London, she was ready for revenge.
"Oh goody." Darhk laughed, getting up. "More Legends. Here to kill me, I assume."
"Well, this time, it'll stick." Sara retorted, throwing two of her knives at him. Damien easily dodged the blades, and when Sara ran at him, Damien used his magic to stop her in her tracks, before forcing Sara to the ground. Rip and Sara got back up again, only to be restrained by Darhk once more.
"Let's go." Eleanor said, producing a mystical stone. Somehow, she had lost the air totem.
"Till we meet again." Darhk promised, before casting them aside. Damien then took his daughter's hand, and using the power of the stone, they vanished.
Sara and Rip got back up, surveying the grotesque scene. Bodies of Time Bureau agents were everywhere, and Darhk had escaped. As Sara looked at Rip, she noticed that he was purposefully avoiding her gaze. With a glare, Sara realized that Rip had called this mission alone, and it resulted in failure and death.
"Well, now what?" Rip asked.
"You tell me." Sara said sarcastically. "You're the one who called the Bureau here. And now, your agents are dead."
"They knew the risks." Hunter defended. "They knew the consequences. And Mallus is getting stronger. We have to stop him."
"Fine." Sara said, before getting an idea. "I know a guy who specializes in the supernatural. Maybe he can get some of his friends to join in too…"
"No, the more people who know about this, the more Mallus can turn on us." Rip said bluntly.
"Fine, 'Director' Hunter." Sara said coldly. "But in case you don't remember, you're no longer captain. Eventually, we'll have to bring someone in."
