'''How many times are going to have to do this?'' Kendra Saunders queried. ''Kill Vandal Savage or be killed by him?''

Carter Hall had to admit that she had a point. His old memories featured a lot of deaths at the hands of their immortal enemy. The new memories including dispatching Savage with the help of Barry, Oliver et al, then doing so again as part of the Legends team. He had the nightmarish feeling that they were living in a time loop, a kind of malign Groundhog Day. Would Savage keep re-appearing and re-appearing after each death?

He tried to be rational about the situation, which was not easy given the aftereffects of being given a second set of memories, then being briefed on renegade Time Masters, timeline alterations, an Earth on which humanity had never evolved, interdimensional travel - shut up, he told his inner voice.

Kendra was still looking at him, waiting for an answer. For once she seemed to have no ideas of her own.

''Let's start'' he began to say slowly ''that we go along with this for a while. If it starts going badly - or looks like it might, we can have another think about our commitment. ''

''Um'' Kendra was non-committal, recalling that Hunter had threatened to abandon the unwilling participant Jax in the 1960s early on in the original mission.

''I promise'' his own uncertainty was making him more than usually tolerant of her hesitation ''that we both leave if and when you want to.''

She thought about it for a moment longer. ''Agreed.''

X

The three women looked at the two men, with expressions that ranged from dismay to uncertainty to interest.

Lily would plainly have liked to come along, if only to have the chance to study the Time Master science and technology. Clarissa was aware that this was something that her husband really wanted to do and didn't know whether to tell him that there was a good reason for him to stay at home. Lily hadn't broken the news to them yet, but Clarissa was a mother and knew the first signs of early pregnancy. Mrs Jackson was dismayed. Having more or less accepted her son's role as a joint superhero, she was now faced with this bizarre version of a boy's own adventure. She might be mentally and physically independent, but she relied increasingly on her son emotionally sine her husband's death.

Clarissa - who knew what was going through her friend's mind - reached out and took the other woman's hand.

''You're welcome here whenever you feel the need, you know that. We have a bedroom here you can use. The two of us -''

''Three'' Lily declared, abandoning the question she was about to put to her father.

''And'' Clarissa continued ''I'm going to get both these heroes to make a solemn promise. Jax, you are the more sensible of the two of you. I want you to promise to overrule Martin's wilder ideas. '' She ignored the look her spouse was giving her. ''Martin, I want you to promise to take Jax's word as final when he vetoes something that you have suggested you do.''

She waited, at first in silence. Jax shot a slightly guilty look at Martin, then said ''Yes, I promise.''

Martin waited for another few seconds, then came out with ''Yes, I do too.''