Cisco walked back onto the bridge after getting a drink to find Sara, Zari and Jax just outside the parlour looking guilty while Gideon was glaring at them.
"What did I miss?"
"It turns out that we kidnapped the wrong guy," Jax winced, "And he's now on his own, lost in the past."
Cisco grimaced, "Okay. What's the plan?"
Sara winced, "John went out to find who we thought was Rip but he hasn't come back and isn't answering any of our calls. Can you see or sense anything?"
Grimacing Cisco shrugged, "Vibing doesn't exactly work like that but if you have something that belongs to Constantine that will help me try to make a connection."
Zari walked into the parlour and picked up a book sitting on the desk, "This is John's."
Cisco took a hold gingerly, he really hated this part of his powers, the world around him changed to a dirt floor, and concave walls that went up to the hole in the ceiling and nothing else. Letting go of the book the Waverider's bridge appeared around him once more.
"He's in a prison," Cisco explained, rubbing his eyes to refocus, "It looks like it's underground and there's no way out."
Sara frowned, "Alright, we need to rescue him then we go looking for Rip's double. I still lead the team, Gideon," she added before Gideon could make any comment.
"If you had allowed me to speak," Gideon stated, moving to the main screen, "I was going to advise that his communicator's last known location is here. It is likely it was knocked out at some point. Not far from here is the prison building which will be guarded, not as heavily as during the day but still dangerous."
Studying the map, Sara nodded, "Alright, Zari and Jax come with me. Gideon and Cisco try to work out how we find Rip's double." At Gideon's dark look, Sara quickly said, "Please."
"Of course, Miss Lance," Gideon replied lightly, "Please all be careful, we do not want to rescue any more of you from the cells."
Jax frowned, "What about the Time Couriers? Can't you fix them so we can just grab him out of there?"
"Unfortunately, no," Gideon told him, "One of the components of the couriers were all so damaged within the crash that a new part will require to be synthesised which will take more time than we have."
Zari sighed, "Well that's just typical."
"Suit up and meet in the cargo bay ten minutes," Sara ordered.
"Ensure you all have your communicators," Gideon added, "So that I can locate you if required."
They nodded and left the bridge. Gideon moved to the main console and rested her hand on it for a moment before she turned to Cisco.
"The Time Sphere is still sitting outside," she noted, "I think it would be a good idea if you took it back to Star Labs."
Cisco frowned, "Are you sure?"
"I am," she smiled at him sweetly, "Thank you for all you have done for me, Mr Ramon. I appreciate it enormously. Once everyone is safely onboard again, I will return and allow Dr Snow finish her tests."
"Make sure you do," Cisco replied, "Or she will make me hunt you down."
Laughing Gideon wrapped her arms around him in a hug, and pressed a kiss to his cheek, "I promise."
x
Gideon smiled as she watched the Time Sphere return to Star Labs, relieved when the Waverider confirmed it had landed safely back where it had started. That was one thing less she had to worry about. She hoped that the man who the Legends had abducted would accept their help once they admitted they were wrong. But she began the crystal synthesis just in case he did not, as her only other idea was to use the Time Courier and open a portal close to him.
Taking a seat to watch over the three members of the crew out searching for their fourth, she wished that this had provided some way to locate Rip and wondered why John's spell found the wrong man.
Once they retrieved him then she would discuss it properly with John and perhaps together they could find a way to locate Rip. As Sara and the others neared the prison, Gideon frowned as she realised something was happening and the team were in danger.
"Miss Lance," she called.
"We're busy, Gideon," Sara snapped back before cutting the comms.
Before she could reply a strange sensation filled her, something was entering her ship and an odd wheezing noise filled the room. Gideon stared as a blue box, an old English Police Box, appeared on the bridge. There was something telling her it was safe, but Gideon had spent enough time with her Captain and knew to always be prepared for things to go wrong. She armed herself and waited.
x
The door for the box opened and relief filled Gideon to see John walk out, a little dirty but in one piece.
"Mr Constantine," she smiled in relief replacing the weapon, "What happened?"
He shrugged, "Well, our former guest is not Rip but he has a few interesting friends of his own."
"I can tell," Gideon stared at the box, "So, you found him?"
John laughed, "He found me. And someone else."
As John moved to one side, Gideon stared at the man who stepped out next. His hair was the right colour, he had a beard, the small scar above his right eyebrow was there and the smile on his face confirmed his identity.
"Rip," she breathed in astonishment.
Gideon had no chance to ask anything as Rip closed the gap between them and pulled her into his arms. Gideon held onto him tightly, her face buried against his shoulder, tears slipping down her cheeks.
"I feared I had lost you forever, my dearest Captain," Gideon whispered.
Rip's arms tightened around her, "I thought so too."
Pulling back, she wiped her eyes, "I need to call back the team now that Mr Constantine is here."
"They're actually in trouble because of us," the man the team had thought was Rip said as he stepped forward.
"Mr Williams, I presume," Gideon stepped forward, "I apologise for what happened. If I had been here, I would have known instantly."
"It's Rory," he told her, "And Rip assured me of that too," he turned motioning to the redheaded woman who joined him and a tall thin man in tweed who walked out the box, "This is Amy, my wife and the Doctor…"
"A Time Lord," Gideon smiled, "Of course, only a TARDIS could slide past my defences so easily."
The Doctor gave her a wink, but Rory spoke again before he could say anything.
"The problems the other members of your team have are because we rescued Constantine from the Tullianum," Rory explained.
Gideon turned to Rip who shrugged, "We did it the quietest way we could."
"Of course, Captain," she frowned, "I would suggest using the Time Couriers but the energy wave that caused the time jump, then crash fractured the crystals and they are not working."
Rip smiled, "Luckily, I have one that works and, since the communicators can accurately find the team, we should be able to use it to get to them."
Gideon shook her head at how flippant he was being but said nothing.
"Doctor," Rip turned to where the man was leaning against the door of his box, "The Time Couriers aren't designed to open more than one portal at a time, can you help with that?"
The Doctor smiled, "I think I should be able to do that. Gideon, I'll need a place to connect the TARDIS to the Waverider."
She opened the main panel on the central console, "This should be adequate."
"Perfect," the Doctor replied, he took the Courier Rip handed him and connected it to the Waverider before disappearing into the TARDIS and pulling out a long wire. He connected it to the console, "Amy, I need you to keep an eye on the power on…"
"Here," Gideon moved Amy to the navigator's chair.
Rip nodded, "Alright. John, pull Zari back through. Rory, take Jax while I get Sara. Gideon, the moment we have them back on board, we should leave. Take us into the time stream. There are some things we should clear up before taking the ship back to where the rest of the crew are."
Gideon smiled at him, "Of course, Captain Hunter."
Sara should have known the rescue attempt for John was going to go south, the way the rest of the day had gone this was just the perfect ending. As she, Jax and Zari headed to the prison building, all of a sudden there was a loud bang and a crash then a lot of yelling.
Then the guards appeared, tall, in burnished armour and all brandishing swords.
"Maybe they'll ignore us," Jax murmured hopefully.
Sara nodded and continued to walk forward slowly.
"Miss Lance," Gideon's voice came suddenly.
"We're busy, Gideon," Sara snapped back before cutting the comms., defending herself from the others, "We don't have time to discuss what we're doing."
Sara stalled as she suddenly found a sword pointed at her by a man in a guard's uniform.
"Sir," the man said, "We have more intruders."
"Oh no," Zari mused, her hand going to her totem, "This day just keeps getting better."
Sara made a decision, "Get back to the ship. Now."
They turned to leave and found they were surrounded.
"We're in trouble," Jax winced.
Before Sara could answer they were attacked, ducking away she dodged the man swinging a sword at her. She spotted Jax and Zari doing the same, but none of them were able to get a weapon to protect themselves.
She heard a noise behind her and spotted a portal open near Jax then a hand grabbed his arm yanking him through it. Stunned Sara didn't get a chance to struggle when someone grabbed her arm and pulled her backwards. The portal closed and she found herself on the Waverider.
"All onboard," Gideon's voice came, "Everyone hold on."
Sara grabbed the closest chair as the Waverider lifted off the ground and flew into the air. She saw the sky change to stars and soon they were orbiting the planet.
"Everyone, please take a seat in order for us to enter the time stream," Gideon stated.
Sliding into the seat Sara had no time to look around as the moment she pulled the restraint down Gideon started the ship once more.
x
The ship sat in the time stream and Sara released herself determined to know what the hell was going on. Standing she turned and her voice stalled as she came face to face with a blue box, a redhead who was glaring at her, a strange man with floppy brown hair wearing a tweed jacket and a red bowtie, John covered in dirt and two versions of what looked to be Rip wearing a roman guard uniform. One with a beard and one without.
"Rip?" she demanded.
"This time, yes," Rip replied sharply.
Jax and Zari winced while Sara folded her arms across her chest, "How did you get here?"
"Luckily Rory," Rip said motioning to his double, "Who you owe a huge apology to, has a Time Lord for a friend."
Jax frowned, "What the hell is a Time Lord?"
"That would be me," the man in tweed and a bowtie spoke up, "I'm the Doctor. Just be very glad Rory's daughter isn't with us. She is very protective of her father and likes to shoot first, ask questions later."
"Are we going anywhere soon?" John spoke up before anyone else could say anything.
"Not until everything is sorted, Mr Constantine," Gideon replied, moving from the pilot's chair to Rip's side.
He sighed, "Then I'm going for a shower."
"Report to the medical bay after," Gideon ordered, "I want to ensure your stay in the prison has not caused any harm."
"Not to mention the knock on your head," Rip added.
John glared at the other man before he headed off the bridge, murmuring, "Traitor."
Sara waited until he'd left before turning to the two almost identical men, "Does someone want to tell me what's going on?"
"I think you're the one who needs to explain some things," the redhead snapped, "Like kidnapping."
The Doctor caught the redhead's arm, "Amy."
Tossing her hair, Amy allowed the man to move her back to the blue box and stood glaring at Sara.
"John's spell was to locate Rip," Sara defended herself, "We found…"
"Rory," Amy stated coldly when Sara hesitated.
"We found Rory where John's spell guided us to," Sara continued, "And look at him. We had no reason to believe he wasn't Rip."
"Except I told you constantly," Rory snapped, anger in his eyes as he stepped forward his hand going for his sword.
The Doctor appeared at his side and rested his hand on Rory's arm, "How about we take a small break from this discussion so everyone can get checked out and changed?"
"A good idea," Gideon stated, "We can reconvene in the kitchen in an hour."
Sara frowned walking off the bridge, Jax and Zari not far behind her. Rory, Amy and the Doctor walked into the TARDIS and closed the door.
Leaving Rip and Gideon alone.