"Oh, Jefferson, perfect timing. I'm in need of your mechanical acumen" Martin said as Jefferson walked in to find him trying to fix something in Rip's office.
"Okay, let's do it" Jefferson said before pausing and looking at Martin.
"What did you do?" He demanded.
"I don't know what you're talking about" Martin lied.
"You did something. What did you do?" Jefferson asked again.
"Nothing, nothing" Martin lied again.
"You know, this psychic connection thing, it goes both ways and the moment that I walked in here, I started feeling really anxious and guilty. You feel guilty, so what did you do?" Jefferson demanded.
"In my defence, I was only acting in your best interests. It's possible in my attempt to discern whether Dr. Palmer had competing feelings for Ms. Saunders... I may have inadvertently prompted him to think of her in ways in which... he hadn't" Martin explained sadly.
"Ugh, Grey!" Jefferson sighed.
"I'm sorry. My intentions were honourable" Martin apologised.
"Ah, it's cool. I mean, nothing's really changed apart from the fact that now I got competition I didn't have before, but I should still have confidence in myself. Right?" Jefferson asked and Martin nodded before Rip, Sara, Leonard and Vyra walked into the bridge.
"Oh, they're back. Where's Mr. Rory?" Martin asked curiously.
"Sleeping it off" Leonard replied simply glancing at Vyra but she wasn't looking at him, she was looking over the computer table in the middle of the room.
"We have the Neuromorphic Prototype. Any luck with the ship's engines?" Rip asked.
"Yeah, it's all good" Jefferson said happily but Martin noticed Sara sulking to the side.
"Is there something wrong, Ms. Lance?" Martin asked concerned.
"Well, all my friends and family are dead, except for Oliver Queen, who happens to be dead inside and missing his left arm" Sara snapped making Vyra roll her eyes.
"Sara, I have told you... That this is just a potential future and that it's all gonna go back when we return to 2016..." Rip explained again.
"if we return. But what if we don't? We all know Carter's not coming back. It's not like we have the safest line of work" Sara argued.
"I think if Sara wants to stay and help that then we should. I mean, that's what we signed up for: to be heroes" Jefferson said stepping up for his friend and team member.
"I agree with Jefferson" Martin said.
"Yes, of course you both do, because neither of you understand the pitfalls of changing the timeline" Vyra snapped sticking up for her friend and captain.
"Meddling with the future is arguably more dangerous than changing the past, because it is still in flux" Rip explained silently thankful that Vyra was still his second in command despite getting her memory back.
"Your wife and son's death are in the future. You want us to change that" Sara said angrily making Vyra step forward angrily.
"Don't play that card with me" Rip said darkly, placing a hand on Vyra's shoulder to keep her by his side.
"So what? Are you only willing to risk the timeline if it's your own family?" Sara asked angrily.
"We are not just trying to save his family and we not just trying to save one city, but the entire world! Rip is not the one being selfish, Sara" Vyra shouted angrily at her.
"Go to hell" Sara spat at Vyra.
"Already been there sweetheart, a few times" Vyra mocked back as Rip pulled Vyra back against his chest to stop her from attacking Sara.
"If you want to go and save Mr. Hawke, then be my guest. I'll keep the ship here for one hour, then we're leaving. With you on board or without" Rip said simply before walking off with Vyra following. Sara stormed off as well leaving Martin and Jefferson since Leonard had disappeared to talk to Mick, who was in the holding cell.
"Hello, Mick" Leonard said simply.
"You son of a bitch" Mick swore angrily.
"Just calm down" Leonard sighed.
"You lied to me!" Mick shouted trying to run at him but was held back by the invisible cell wall.
"Wouldn't be the first time. Remember the Del Ray Currency Exchange? The Black Hawk Armoured Car job? If I hadn't lied to you on those scores, we'd both be in prison or dead. I'm the brains. You're the muscle. That's how it's always been since we first join forces after Vyra's death. And on occasion, I've had to call some audibles. You have a habit of getting in your own way, Mick" Leonard asked calmly.
"You're right. You've lied to me about jobs before, but then again, you lied to me about this being a job. It's not about the score anymore for you. You'd rather save the world than be my partner. A real team player" Mick spat angrily.
"'Cause that's what it's gonna take to defeat Savage. I'm doing this because this is what Vyra, your sister, must do" Leonard said simply.
"Then what? More money? More power? A life of leisure and sin? A life with my sister? How's that plan going so far?" Mick mocked throwing in his face the fact that Vyra and him are hardly considered a 'couple' at the moment.
"Don't you get it, Mick? If we take out Savage, this immortal monster, can't you see what that gets us? We'd be the two baddest sons of bitches of all time" Leonard said removing the barrier and stepping into the cell.
"I don't want a ticker tape parade. You know what I want from this world" Mick said darkly.
"Yes... to see it burn" Leonard said softly.
"You lay a hand on me again, you'll burn too" Mick threatened walking past Leonard.
"And what about your sister?" Leonard asked over his shoulder making Mick pause.
"Vyra is the only thing in this world that I care about and she isn't the one who knocked me unconscious. She said she was happy for me to stay in the city" Mick said simply before walking off.
…..
"Thank you for having my back" Rip said to Vyra once they were in his office, Vyra lent against the wall and waved off his thanks as if it was nothing.
"Don't mention it. You are who I am loyal too. Not those people who hate me because of my past" Vyra explained simply as she pulled out her dagger and cleaned it.
"So, what happened between Mick and Leonard?" Rip asked leaning against the table in front of Vyra.
"Mick wanted to stay in this year, Leonard disagreed" Vyra said with a shrug.
"And what was your position?" Rip asked curiously making Vyra stop cleaning her dagger and look up at Rip with a smirk.
"I had my 'old Vyra' fun out there. Drinking, partying and not giving a crap. It was nice but it is not who I am anymore. I belong here. I belong with you. But, there are parts of my old personality that now exist again" Vyra explained honestly.
"Like what?" Rip asked not worried just merely curious.
"Slightly more taunting and mocking people. Slightly more 'I don't give a fuck' attitude about anyone I don't care about which is just about everyone in the world besides you, Mick and Leonard" Vyra explained shrugging as Rip chuckled.
"So basically, you are still you just in a bad mood" Rip teased, letting Vyra know he had no problems which the 'new, old' Vyra. Vyra chuckled before looking at him seriously. She put down the dagger and stepped forward pulling Rip into a hug.
"Thank you. You've been the best friend I've ever had. In fact, you are the only true friend I've had in my entire life. Mick is my brother and Leonard was never really a 'friend'" Vyra whispered sincerely choking up slightly. Rip blinked away a few tears of shock before pulling away.
"And I need you to know something Rip… I will never tell Mick and Leonard this unless I'm forced too but if it ever came down to you or them… I'd pick you… any day" Vyra said shocking Rip. He opened his mouth to say something but found he was speechless. Martin walked into the room ending their emotional conversation.
"Is the ship ready for departure?" Rip asked walking over to the centre table in the bridge.
"No, Ms. Lance is not yet onboard" Martin said simply.
"I gave her an hour" Rip replied as Vyra sat down in her usual seat and watched the conversation silently.
"Hardly enough time for..." Martin started to say but Rip ignored him.
"And she's been 90 minutes. How much longer are we supposed to wait?" Rip demanded.
"It doesn't matter that this is a potential future. It doesn't matter that this may never come to pass... may never be real. For Sara, this is very real" Martin explained trying to get through to Rip.
"I know, which is why I gave her an extra 30 minutes" Rip replied simply.
"Gideon, what's our status?" Vyra asked breaking the tense conversation.
"The Waverider is operational, Vyra, but I can't guarantee for how long" Gideon replied making Rip and Vyra look at each other.
"Explain" Vyra ordered quickly.
"We are cloaked, but positioned dangerously close to where the city's criminal element is gathering to witness the execution of Connor Hawke. The longer we wait, the greater the risk of detection and further damage to the ship" Gideon explained.
"Do you really want to risk being marooned in this version of 2046 forever?" Vyra asked Martin.
"Certainly, more than I want to maroon Sara here. She's our friend. Our teammate. What's the point of stopping Savage if we only become as immoral as he is in the process?" Martin asked making Rip look over at Vyra.
"Vyra? I want your honest opinion" Rip asked and Vyra smirked.
"When do I give you anything else?" Vyra teased and Rip nodded.
"What do you think I should do?" Rip asked softly making Martin look at them curiously. Vyra looked between Martin and Rip before sighing.
"I told you a moment ago that I don't care about anyone other you, Mick and Leonard and I meant it. I wouldn't even blink about leaving Sara or anyone else here if that's what you decided" Vyra said making Martin look at her shocked.
"But… I know you Rip... you do care about these people. You do care about your team and Sara is your friend. You would never be able to live with yourself if you left her here" Vyra explained honestly and Rip sighed knowing she was right.
"Gideon, tell the others to meet me at the loading bay" Rip said before walking out leaving Martin and Vyra in the room.
"Thank you" He said honestly and Vyra scoffed.
"Don't thank me. If I thought Rip could handle leaving Sara behind I would have told him that in heartbeat" Vyra explained emotionlessly.
"Why do you hate us?" Martin asked softly and Vyra laughed darkly.
"I don't hate you. I don't like you but I don't hate you" Vyra explained making Martin look at her silently requesting more information.
"I'm not the one who has a problem with all of you. It's all of you that have a problem with me" Vyra spat at him stepping closer to him which caused Martin to step involuntary. Vyra grinned amused.
"Do you think I don't notice all the side glances, snide comments and hateful looks you and the others give me? Even before I got my full memory back I knew that you guys didn't like me and didn't trust me. It hurt me, a lot… more than I care to admit… but now that I have my full memory back, I have the luxury of retaining enough of my old personality that I don't care about that… but you better believe that I still care about Rip and I won't hesitate to end any of you, including Leonard and Mick if it means saving Rip" Vyra explained before disappearing in a puff of black smoke, leaving a very confused Martin. He didn't know what to make of Vyra because everything she had said was true.
….
"You should be honoured. This is hallowed ground. I took Oliver Queen's arm in this very spot" Grant said to Connor as he walked him up on top of a small hill with a table.
"Well, then let me go, and we'll see which one of us is tougher: me or Queen" Connor said struggling against two of Grant's men.
"I already know the answer to that. Ready the prisoner" Grant laughed as they pushed Connor onto the table so they could cut of his head.
"Sir. We saw her trying to sneak past the perimeter" A man called out as they brought Sara through the crowd.
"Sloppy. The League of Assassins would be embarrassed. What was your strategy here? You really think you could just turn up tonight... kill me?" Grant mocked amused while the crowd laughed.
"No. It was just my job to distract you" Sara replied smugly before looking back at Oliver Queen wearing his Green Arrow suit. Then the fighting begun. Sara brought out of her hold and started taking down men while Oliver freed Connor and they joined the fight.
"You're not Green Arrow. You're just a punk in a Halloween costume" Grant mocked to Connor.
"Funny, I was gonna say the same thing about you" Connor retorted before fighting with Grant. Oliver fought his way over to Grant and Connor and stopped him from killing Connor.
"You want to fight the Green Arrow? I'm right here" Oliver said as Grant and he started fighting before Hawkgirl and The Atom flew down.
"How did you convinced Rip to stay?" Sara shouted at them as they landed near her.
"Actually, sending in the cavalry was his idea" Raymond explained as the rest of the team appeared and quickly took out all of Grant's men.
"Where's Mr. Queen?" Rip asked as they saw him fighting with Grant and finally Connor shot him in the throat, killing him. The rest of the men quickly retreated.
"Cowards!" Mick shouted as they walked over to Oliver.
"It's good to see you again, Ray. Kendra… Vyra? I thought you were dead" Oliver asked looking at her. Vyra smirked up at him.
"I was. Long story" Vyra explained dismissively.
"Thanks for the assist" Oliver said to them.
"So, who's that?" Kendra asked looking at Grant.
"His name is Grant Wilson. Once upon a time, his father, Slade, tried to ruin my life" Oliver explained
"That's not a nice family" Connor stated.
"That's good shooting, John" Oliver said proudly.
"It's Connor" Connor corrected.
"Either way, it's Green Arrow. We have a lot of work to do. Grant Wilson did a good job of keeping the criminal element in the city together. Now, there will be plenty of people to fill the vacuum" Oliver explained.
"I feel like I should stay" Sara said honestly making Vyra look at Rip.
"Before Ray left, he told me why Rip brought all of you together. It's important, Sara" Oliver replied much to Rip's approval.
"I just hate the idea of leaving you here to fix it alone" Sara said looking up at her friend.
"I'm not alone" Oliver said looking at Connor.
"Just... just be careful, all right?" Sara said sighed.
"Well, you should know better than most I rarely ever am" Oliver said before Sara hugged him tightly and then walked over to Connor.
"You watch his back" Sara said before following Rip, Vyra and the team back to the Waverider. Vyra and Rip were in the office working when Sara walked over to them. Vyra looked at her and nodded before disappearing in a puff of smoke leaving them alone.
"I'm just working on determining our next destination. I've considered your suggestion of hell, but I think I'll give it a miss for the time being. I've seen what it's done to Vyra" Rip said simply as he worked on his maps.
"I just wanted to say thank you for sending the team to back me up" Sara replied.
"As it turns out, you were right" Rip said softly.
"That must've been hard to say" Sara joked.
"Of late I've discovered that I still have a lot to learn, I admit. Including the fact that every future is worth fighting for. That said... this mission is going to continue to present us with difficult choices, and I need to know that you are a member of this team" Rip said seriously looking at Sara.
"I guess so" Sara said simply.
"All right, Gideon, let's see if these repairs that Martin, Ray, and Jax made are up to scratch" Vyra said as she saw Rip and Sara walk out of the office and into the bridge where the team was waiting.
"As far as I can tell, Ms. Saunders did most of the work, while the two gentlemen competed for..." Gideon started to say before being cut off.
"Just get us out of here. Please, Gideon" Martin said making Vyra chuckle before seeing Mick standing by the window. She walked over to him.
"I'm gonna miss this place" Mick said softly to her.
"Yeah, they really seemed like your kind of people" Vyra agreed, wishing she could help her brother.
"I don't know who my people are anymore" Mick admitted because even though Vyra was his sister… she wasn't like him anymore. Vyra sighed and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry. I am" Vyra said before walking over to her seat next to Rip.
"So where to next, Captain?" Martin asked.
"Well, the beauty of this mission is that the real question is not where, but when. In which case, I suggest that we next hit Savage when he least expects it" Rip said before taking off.
…..