Rachel POV- Together Ray and Jax were working on a way to communicate with the Waverider. They'd moved from Nate's basement to Ray's basement. It was much more science geeky and had the tools they needed.
Rachel woke up with her head on Mick's shoulder. He offered her his doughnut but since it already had a bite taken out of it she just shook her head. Then he offered her a fresh cup of coffee and she nodded taking it and taking a sip. She felt like she'd been run over by a mac truck but the second swallow of coffee was helping.
"Any luck?" Sara asked Jax and Ray.
"You asked me that five minutes ago" Ray told her.
"You know it's not easy trying to get a 21rst century radio to communicate with a 22nd century time ship" Jax explained.
"Thawne never told you what he did with Rip?" Sara asked Mick.
"No we weren't close like that" Mick replied his mouth half full of doughnut.
"Rach?" Sara looked at her and Rachel saw pity.
"No I've never even been in his office sorry" Rachel said trying not to let Sara's pity get to her.
"How you holding up?" Sara asked Nate who had distanced himself emotionally from the rest.
"Better than Amaya" Nate mumbled not even looking at Sara.
"I never knew about you guys."
"It's nothing to know. We were just, you know, figuring it out."
"I figured it out!" Ray announced cheerfully.
"We've been assuming that Waverider's broadcasting using a quantum frequency but" Ray went on.
"But only if the quad band antenna array was in alignment. Ray you are a genius" Jax said.
"I guess I am. I kinda forgot what it was like" Ray laughed.
"So can you communicate with Rip or what?" Sara asked.
"Sara? Sara is that you?" Rip's voice filled the room.
"Good job guys good job" Sara grinned patting the boys on the shoulder.
"We didn't do anything yet. Rip?" Ray asked.
"Yes Dr. Palmer I've honed in on your location" Rip replied.
"Well haul ass over here and come pick us up" Jax said.
"There may be one small problem with that" Rip said.
"Guys there's the problem" Rachel chuckled pointing at the shrunken down Waverider flying in the room.
"Look it's the teeny weenie Englishman" Mick said grabbing the ship.
"Mr. Rory will you please stop?!" Rip begged.
"Ah relax" Mick told him as he released the ship.
"Why would Thawne use the Spear of Destiny to shrink you?" Sara asked.
"Uh I don't believe he did, I'm assuming that he used Dr. Palmer's exosuit" Rip explained.
"Oh. Well then he must still have it in his lab. We gotta steal it back then we can unshrink the ship" Ray said.
"And then what?" Rip asked.
"Rip we have a plan to put reality back as it was" Sara said.
"But you're not gonna like it" Jax added.
They waited for the sun to go down before Ray got them in a back door to STAR Labs again. The team followed Ray through the building. They came to a T-junction and Mick knocked out the passing guard.
"Haircut where to now?" Mick asked as Nate dragged the body out of the way.
"Uh I don't know. I never exactly saw my exosuit here. I just figured where else would Thawne hide it?" Ray said.
"All right let's split up" Sara suggested.
Sara and Nate went back the way they came. Ray and Jax took the left while Rachel and Mick went right. After knocking out two more thugs Rachel and Mick came to the room Ray and Jax were in. They were being magically incapacitated by Darhk and the tiny Waverider was firing lasers at him.
"Aw isn't that adorable? Is that the best you got?" Darhk asked as the laser had absolutely no effect on him.
"How bout this?" Mick asked smashing his gun into Darhk's temple.
"Sara reinforcements will be on their way" Jax warned her over coms.
"We're headed to you Ray. Let's blow the roof off this place" Sara replied.
"All right Rip keep the Waverider steady" Ray said once he was suited up.
Ray fired the beam to enlarge the Waverider and it quickly started to grow. Ray's eyes widened as he realized they were in a very small space in doors. He quickly shrank down to avoid being crushed.
"Run" Rachel said calmly pushing Jax and Mick out of the room.
They ran into Sara and Nate. Rachel spun them back around as the walls behind them began to crack. Once the ship stopped growing they all got on board and like Sara said they flew through the roof of the Lab. The team had to put on what they were wearing in 1916 for their plan to have even a small chance to succeed.
"We have returned to the Battle of the Somme in the year 1916" Gideon informed them as Sara landed the ship.
"And apparently we're ready to destroy time itself by interfering in events that we've already participated in" Rip announced clearly not thrilled with the plan.
"If that's what it takes to save Amaya count me in" Nate glared at Rip as he got out of his seat.
"Yeah there's no way I'm letting Grey go out as one of Thawne's lackeys" Jax agreed also getting up.
"We can't allow Doomworld to continue no matter what the risk" Sara said.
"Remember guys the Legions out there too" Rachel pointed out as the team gathered around the console.
"Okay well looks like time, reality needs to set. Essentially we're in a race. Not against time but from a reality wave initiating from 2017" Rip explained.
"All the more reason to get moving" Sara said.
"At the very least we need to mitigate the scope of the time paradox by avoiding contact with our former selves at all costs" Rip went on.
"So all we have to do is help us…I mean them…destroy the Spear without them knowing that we're helping. Kinda like secret Santa" Ray grinned.
"This is about to get so confusing. Them, they, us, we…my head hurts" Rachel said pinching the bridge of her nose and closing her eyes.
"We already know where the Blood of Christ is. So me, you and Ray, we go back to the Church of Amiens and we leave the Blood for our former selves to find" Sara told Rip.
"I got a question. What happens to us when our former selves destroy the Spear?" Jax asked.
"Well… we cease to exist" Rip answered.
"Because we never would have existed if the Legion hadn't gotten the Spear" Nate said.
"You're saying we're the Aberrations" Ray guessed.
"In order to save the world we have to erase ourselves" Sara said.
"Huh listen. Why don't we just go to Aruba get drunk…what? Sunshine…Mai tais…girls in…bikinis" Mick said but the team started to head out halfway through.
Sara, Rip and Ray left the ship to go retrieve the Blood. Rachel stayed at the console where Gideon was showing her everything that was happening. She saw Ray get the Blood only for 2017 Thawne to show up and steal it then he crushed it in seconds.
What happened next made Rachel scream. Thawne rushed Ray then rushed back to his original spot but something was different.
"No! Ray!" Rachel starred in horror as Thawne now held Ray's heart in his hand.
Mick, Jax and Nate ran back onto the bridge. Rachel just stared at them speechless unable to accept Ray could really be gone. When her knees gave out Nate caught her and lowered her to the ground.
"Rachel what happened?" Jax asked.
"Ray's…Ray's dead Thawne took his heart" she said softly.
Mick walked out not wanting to deal with the loss while slowly Jax and Nate went with Rachel to the lounge. Soon Sara and Rip came back and joined them. No one said a word, at least not until Mick came back beer in hand.
"So what? Haircut said it himself we're all Aberrations living on borrowed time. Besides he's alive and well in 1916" Mick pointed out looking at Rachel.
"Mick's right. The mission hasn't changed" Sara agreed.
"Except we can't destroy the Spear because we don't have the Blood of Christ" Nate said.
"So we steal the Spear and get it out of 1916" Sara said.
"And take it where? Thawne's out there he'll keep following us" Rachel mentioned feeling better knowing past Ray was still alive.
"We'll find a place" Sara said.
"Now you do realize that there's a big problem with that plan Sara?" Rip asked.
"The other us's…" Nate said.
"Past us" Rachel reworded.
"Have the Spear" Nate finished.
"Oh never stolen anything from myself before. Could be interesting" Mick said.
"Ugh need I remind you that we cannot interact with ourselves" Rip once again told them.
"Which is why the four of you are gonna sneak into the other Waverider while the other you's are at the church" Sara said.
"Now that sounds like a plan" Jax grinned.
"I suggest you hurry. Events are already in motion. Mr. Rory's earlier self is currently being contacted by Mr. Snart" Gideon informed them.
"All right if we're gonna go impersonating ourselves…" Nate said.
"You're gonna need a haircut" Rip said.
"Yeah…" Nate agreed looking up at his floppy bangs.
"And you're going to need some hair dye" Rip told Rachel.
"Oh yeah" Rachel said looking at her brown hair.
As Rachel walked toward the Fabricator she played with the ring on her finger. Not only would she need hair dye but she'd have to take the ring off. For some reason the idea of doing so made her catch her breath as a sharp pain hit her in the heart.
Once again she'd be losing the love of her life and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Still some crazy stupid part of herself refused to give up hope that one day she'd get him back.
"Gideon I need my hair to match my past self if that's possible and I need a chain for my ring please" Rachel asked.
"Of course Ms. Stone" Gideon replied using the proper last name.
With everyone in the outfits that their past selves were wearing they headed for the other Waverider. Rachel watched from their hiding spot as she, Mick, Rip, Tolkien, Nate and Ray left the ship. She was glad to see Ray but the sight of his heart in Thawne's hand was still fresh in her mind.
"You know what to do" Sara told the boys and Rachel.
"We'll hang back and make sure everybody sticks to the script" Jax said.
"I figure we got about an hour before we…" Nate explained.
"Shut up Pretty. I'm calling the shots I'm the thief. Englishman disable Gideon. We can't risk her blowing our cover. You round up everyone in the library. Platinum make sure the coast is clear then I snatch the item. You know what? This is gonna be a piece of cake" Mick gave orders as they entered the ship.
"Hey. What are you guys doing? You just left for the church" past Sara said as they turned the corner.
"So we did… and now we're back" Nate said slowly.
"The church was a dead end I'm afraid" Rip added slightly nervous.
"Where's Ray?" past Sara asked.
"He is returning Lieutenant Tolkien to the field hospital" Rip stumbled to cover.
"You guys all right?" past Sara asked as they stared at her.
"Yeah! I'm just seeing double" Mick said with a tad too much cheer in his voice.
"Yeah we're… we're fine. We're fine. I just…need to get to the library so I can…you know locate Christ's Blood" Nate said walking away as he talked.
"I need to run some repairs on Gideon" Rip nodded to past Sara and rushed off.
"Yeah and I need to get the Spear…a beer" Mick said also walking off.
Rachel would have rolled her eyes or put her head in her hands due to the horrible cover stories they'd come up with except past Sara was watching her still.
"Don't look at me they're idiots. I should get Mick to MedBay before he drinks himself into seeing triple" Rachel sighed following after Mick.
Mick relieved Martin from watching the Spear and when Rachel gave the all clear he grabbed it. Quickly they made their way to the cargo bay to meet up with Nate and Rip. Only Rip was the only one there waiting for them Nate wasn't.
"I got it! Where's Pretty?" Mick asked.
"Away team what's your status?" future Sara asked them.
"Uh we have the Spear but Dr. Heywood is running behind" Rip answered her.
"Where the hell have you been?" Mick asked Nate as he ran into the room.
"Um I'm uh I'm sorry. I just got distracted" Nate replied.
The first time you see a love one die is unbearable but seeing them after they've died is just as hard of a blow. For her Leonard just kept popping up every time she felt even a little close to moving past her pain. So Rachel understood how Nate must have reacted seeing Amaya alive again.
"We gotta get out of here" Mick said heading for the cargo door.
"Negative. We got a new problem" Sara said.
"Your old selves are back" Jax explained.
"Hang on. You mean that we've returned from the church?" Rip asked.
"Yes, and if you come out of the ship now they'll see you and wreak time itself. You're trapped in there" future Sara said.
"Good one!" Mick glared at Nate.
They sat down on some crates to wait for Sara to handle the situation outside. Mick paced like a caged beast. He never liked feeling as if he were trapped. Rachel hated waiting like this. Soon the past versions of themselves would see the Spear was gone and come looking for it.
"Enough waiting we gotta get out of here" Mick growled.
"We can't. Our prior selves are out there right now. If we leave they'll see us" Rip explained.
"Then don't go" Firestorm said entering the room.
"Whoa" Mick said backing up.
"Mr. Jackson I can explain" Rip tried.
"That you're the Legion in disguise? Yeah I know" Firestorm said before he flamed up and attacked.
One blast was all it took for Firestorm to daze them and get the Spear back. Unfortunately it was a good hit that left Rachel, at least, seeing stars and feeling stiff and sore. Firestorm separated and Martin held the Spear while Jax got behind them.
They had no choice, other than to hurt them, but to follow Martin back to the bridge where the rest of their past versions were waiting along with the future version of Sara and Jax who must have been caught outside.
"They almost made it off the ship with this" Martin announced.
"All right who's wearing whose faces?" past Sara asked as Martin handed her the Spear.
"We are not the Legion. Believe it or not we are actually future iterations of yourselves who've travelled back in time to prevent some form of calamity" future Rip tried to explain.
"I don't believe it. Why would Rip Hunter break the first rule of time travel?" past Sara asked.
"I'm asking myself the very same question" future Rip assured her just before his past self walked in.
"Oh bollocks" they both said rolling their eyes after seeing each other.
"What the hell was that?" past Jax asked after the ship was blasted by an explosion.
"It's a time quake" future Rip said.
"A result of us interacting with ourselves" past Rip finished.
"Well that wasn't so bad" future Nate said.
"Yeah, well give it time" future Rip said assuredly.
"Whose bright idea was it to do the one thing that could jeopardize all of time?" past Sara asked.
"Yours" future Sara said stepping forward.
"What the hell you staring at?" future Mick asked getting in past Mick's face.
"Just imagining what you'd look like without teeth" past Mick replied.
"Knock it off Rory" both Sara's said.
"I can't believe that even we would do anything so foolish unless something went terribly wrong the first time you were here" Martin said making the future team look down in shame.
"Uh I can't help but notice…" past Ray said.
"Not all of us came back with you" Amaya said.
"What happens to us in the future?" past Nate asked.
"Well… dead, dead, good as dead" future Mick said pointing at past Ray, Amaya, and Martin.
