A/N: A little explanation first...I've mentioned before that I'm basically trying to write the equivalent of a season of LoT with Snart and Zari 1.0 picking up where season 4 left off. I'm not sure exactly how long it'll end up being, but I'm trying to fit in about a season's worth of plot, so expect it to be LONG. Anyway, since it's kind of like an Arrowverse season, I did what a lot of Arrowverse shows do and took a pretty minor DC Comics character who hasn't been in the Arrowverse before, but adapted him SUPER loosely to fit this story. Like, really loosely, so please don't come after me for not getting him right if you know who he is in the comics. I guess that means he's technically an OC, but he's still based on something else to a degree. (As opposed to Billy from last chapter, who's 100% an OC.) Either way, you've kind of seen him before in a previous chapter, but you'll find out his name this chapter, and he's going to be pretty important from here on out.
Charlie and John stood in front of the door leading to the apartment they had been directed to. It was a simple wooden door in a building that looked ordinary enough to exist anywhere, almost to the point of being out of place in Heyworld. Charlie turned to John and asked, "Anything about this feel odd to you?"
"No more than usual," John replied dismissively, "but I trust Billy at everything but poker, so…" He raised his fist to knock at he trailed off.
Charlie interrupted him, causing him to lower his hand. "I've just been thinking it over. We didn't even get a name for this bloke, and your little hobgoblin mate said that he's a warlock studying Mallus's realm. There weren't many warlocks imprisoned there, and those who were wouldn't be in a rush to play around with it again, no matter how destabilized it might be."
"Charlie," he replied confidently, "you are standing next to a master of the dark arts and one of the most powerful magicians on this earth. Or any others that I know of."
"Humble."
"Shut up. If this man's a problem, I can handle him. As it is, we haven't anything better to try, do we?"
Charlie shrugged. "I suppose not," she admitted.
Without another word, John knocked on the door. For a few moments, they stood there silently and waited for a response. It seemed like no one was coming. Just as things were beginning to be awkward, the door was suddenly jerked open. A tall man stood in the doorway. He had long, messy brown hair and wore a tie-dyed orange and green shirt with dark pants and an unzipped brown hoodie, all of which fit relatively loosely on his frame. A necklace with three separate symbols of good luck strung on it hung around his neck. "Can I help you?" he asked, his tone very relaxed and casual.
Charlie and Constantine exchanged confused looks. "Um," Constantine began, "we're looking for a warlock, but I'm not sure if…"
"Oh! That would be me, then," the man said, opening his door a little wider. "Hey, aren't you John Constantine, master of the dark arts and one of the most powerful warlocks who ever lived?" He grabbed Constantine's hand and shook it enthusiastically. "It's an honor to meet you. Big fan."
John smirked back. "Now, there's a greeting I like to hear."
"And what's your name?" Charlie asked, still a bit uneasy but trying to mask it.
"Paul Christian," the man said. "You can just call me Paul. No need to bother with formalities. We're all friends here."
"We literally just met," Charlie pointed out.
"Exactly." Paul redirected his attention fully at John. "To what do I owe the pleasure of the great John Constantine seeking me out?"
Charlie could practically see John's ego inflating. "Well," John said, leaning his arm against the doorframe, "I heard a rumor that you're looking into the timeline and how to fix it. We might be able to help each other out, magician to magician."
A strange look flashed across Paul's face just fast enough for Charlie to be uncertain if she saw it or not. "Ah, yes," he said, still smiling and speaking calmly. "The timeline. Not in the best shape at the moment, is it?" He stepped back from the doorway. "I'd love to have a chat about it. Come on in."
John and Charlie stepped inside and found themselves in a very open apartment covered in mostly golden, green, and brown tones. There were tapestries, paintings, and decorative mystical symbols from all different sources hanging against the walls. Sunlight streamed in through an open window. In one corner sat a comically overgrown plant that seemed to be some species of beanstalk. "If I'd known you were coming," Paul said, "I'd have prepared a bit more for guests. You surprised me in the middle of my meditation. But I'd be happy to make you something if you'd…"
"Are you looking into Mallus's realm?" Charlie asked, interrupting him.
He seemed neither phased nor surprised by the question. "As a matter of fact, I am."
"Were you a prisoner there?" she questioned him further. "I don't recall seeing you."
"It was a large prison," he replied, "but no, you didn't see me because I wasn't there."
Charlie frowned confusedly. "Then what are you doing in Heyworld?"
Paul chuckled. "What am I doing here? Why, what better place to be?" He waved his arms at the wide variety of charms and mystical objects surrounding him. "What better place to study magic and add to my collection? There's no rule saying newcomers can't move into the neighborhood."
"You're right about that, mate," John said before Charlie could ask any more questions. "Now, about Mallus's realm…"
"It's in danger of reopening," Paul said. "The first time, it was opened by anachronisms scattered throughout time. Now, there are anachronisms again due to holes where something is…missing." He paused, looking away in a somewhat dramatic fashion before continuing, "The thinner the timeline's fabric gets, the easier it'll be to reopen Mallus's realm."
"Wait, hold on," Charlie said, stepping forward toward him. "You're not a time traveler or a Bureau agent. How do you know all that?"
Paul raised his eyebrows in surprise. "How do I know? What an odd question." His face softened into a smile. "I know the same way I know a lot of things. I've studied it." He reached into a small urn on the bookshelf behind him, took a pinch of some powdery substance, and snapped his fingers, scattering it into the air. A glowing, white model of the timeline appeared in the space between them, like a ghostly copy of Gideon's projections. "The Legends aren't the only ones with knowledge. I've consulted every mystical source on the planet concerning the state of the timeline. As long as time continues to unravel, it'll take strong magic to keep that place closed." He snapped his fingers again and the model disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"One question, mate," John said. "Last I checked, there wasn't anybody left in that dimension. At least, none trying to leave it. Everyone wanting to come into this dimension already did, and they're your next-door neighbors. Why all the concern about a place that's practically abandoned?"
Paul put his palms together thoughtfully. "A wise question. I can see why you're one of the greats." He took a step toward John and answered seriously, "I've heard reports that there are those seeking to return to Mallus's dimension. There are still enough traces of Mallus and his power for them to try to steal some for themselves. At least, that's what they say." He turned his face so that he now faced both Constantine and Charlie. "They also say that Tabitha, Neron's old flame, is one of them."
"Tabitha?" Charlie repeated. "She's behind reopening that prison?" She gagged, disgusted. "Ugh, she would be. Bloody psycho witch."
"You'd be happy to know, then," John said, "that stopping Tabitha's our business too. She disappeared in 1606 and we're tracking her down."
"As I guessed," Paul replied. "She is your enemy." He turned back to directly face John again. "In fact, as I remember, didn't you deal the final blow to her beloved demon? She'll be hunting you down for that. I'd be very afraid if I were you." He frowned in a way that seemed almost disappointed. "Aren't you afraid, Constantine?"
John shrugged. "Eh, I don't scare easily."
Paul took a step back. "If you say so." He paced a couple of steps, then suddenly stopped and looked at his two guests with an enthusiastic grin. "Say, here's an idea. You two want to stop Tabitha. I might not know exactly where she is, but I can say that solidifying the barrier between Mallus's dimension and ours will thwart her plans significantly. At the very least, it would buy you time, and that's a very precious resource these days."
John and Charlie exchanged glances. "How would we do that?" Charlie asked.
"By helping me with a spell," Paul replied. "The artifacts I've gathered are like band-aids over a wound, but some magic words from a master like John Constantine ought to be more than enough to keep that barrier closed for a long time. It should only take a few minutes. After that, I can help you continue your search."
John turned his head to the right, then the left, surveying the apartment carefully. "Right. And, uh, where would we be working this spell, exactly? And with what materials? You've got a lot of valuable things in this place, but I don't see any that would directly tie us to…"
"Ah, of course," Paul interrupted him, again seeming completely unsurprised. "How silly of me. I should have made that clear." He walked over to the back wall of the living room, pressed his hand against it, and whispered three magic words. A green, glowing outline of a door suddenly appeared, then creaked open, revealing a hidden staircase into what seemed to be a basement. Paul grinned and stepped aside. "After you."
John didn't follow him right away. Charlie noted his tiny moment of hesitation and grabbed his arm. "Lovely offer," she said as she pulled him to the far side of the room, "but I think we need a team huddle first, if you don't mind."
"Take your time," Paul said understandingly.
Once the two Legends were decently far away from their host, Charlie whispered, "John, we don't know anything about this bloke except that he knows magic and a bit too much about Mallus's dimension. He's also obviously trying to flatter you into helping him. Are you sure this is a good idea?"
"No," John whispered back, "but it's the only lead we've got. If we follow him down there, we can find out exactly who he is and what he's trying to do."
"And if we find something off?"
"We leave and alert the Legends." He glanced over his shoulder at Paul, still waiting patiently at the doorway. "Look, love, I'm got my suspicions too. But if something is wrong with his story, it's our business to know. And if nothing's wrong, then helping him thwart Tabitha is also our business. Clear?"
Charlie gave in. "Crystal." She turned around and smiled back at Paul. "Looks like we're joining you."
"Excellent," Paul replied with a nod. "I had a feeling you would." He extended his arm out toward the door in a dramatic gesture. "Please, step right in. I guarantee it will be worth your while." John and Charlie walked to the door and descended the stairs with him.
Nate snuck back into the reading room and immediately located Zari and Mona. "Psst," he whispered, sticking his head around the corner of the stacks. "Z! We have a problem."
Zari stopped looking at book spines and turned to him. "What?"
"Ray and I found a possible location for the book," Nate explained, "but he stayed behind in the records room to double check."
"Okay?"
"But that security guard from earlier and a couple of FBI agents found him and saw his A.T.O.M. suit, so now they're suspicious and questioning him about it."
"Oh crap," Zari said. "How do you think he's handling it? Does he have a good cover story?"
"I don't know," Nate replied. "I had to leave to find you."
Mona shook her head. "Ray didn't even know how to handle getting pulled over until last year," she pointed out. "This isn't good."
"You've got that right," Zari agreed. She asked Nate, "Why didn't you stay with him and call us on comms?"
"Because comms aren't working," Nate answered. "And that means…"
"The rift!" both Mona and Zari said, slightly above a whisper.
"Exactly."
"Shoot. Okay." Zari closed her eyes for a moment, fabricating a plan. "This just got a little more complicated." She opened her eyes and looked between her two teammates. "I've got an idea. Follow me." She led them across the large room until they found Mick and Leonard. "Hey," she said quietly, catching their attention. "We've got a situation."
Mick grunted an acknowledgement, but otherwise made no move to stop what he was doing. Leonard looked up and spun around to face Zari. "Let me guess," he deadpanned. "Did Raymond get in trouble?"
"How did you know?" Mona asked.
Leonard shrugged. "He's the only one not here. And some things never change. So, what did he do this time?"
"He got caught carrying futuristic technology and breaking into federal records," Nate replied. "Now, he's being questioned about it. We're in the early stages of the Cold War and the middle of the Second Red Scare, so I'm willing to bet they think he's a spy or something."
Leonard smirked amusedly. "They think that Boy Scout's a spy?" He shook his head. "That is hilarious."
"Not if it changes the timeline, it isn't," Zari corrected him.
"Hey, relax," Leonard said calmly. "This is the Library of Congress. It's not like he got caught breaking into the Pentagon. He's probably fine."
Zari rolled her eyes, then took the paper out of Nate's hands and passed it to Leonard. "This is where we think the diary is," she said.
Mick straightened up and peered over Leonard's shoulder at the paper. "Nice," he said.
"The rift is somewhere in the building too," she continued, still speaking to Leonard. "You and Mick need to find the book, then the rift. Ray still has the temporal energy gun, but if you can just locate it, that'll still save us time. Meanwhile, the three of us will rescue Ray. We all need to work quickly if we want to get out of here without changing the timeline. Got it?"
"We've got it," Leonard replied.
"Good." Zari turned to Nate and Mona. "Then let's go find Ray. Come on!" They hurried away in search of their friend.
Leonard turned to Mick. "Special collections," he said. "Someone must have figured out that it's not a normal book."
"Cool." Mick started to walk away. Once he was a few feet in front of Leonard, he froze, then turned around. "I mean…uh…I'll follow you," he said awkwardly. "That's what we do. That's what I meant."
Leonard stared at his partner for a second, a little confused by his behavior. "Yeah," he finally said. "It is." He checked the location on the paper one more time before taking the lead in the direction of the library's special collections.
"Guys, really," Ray protested as he looked around at the faces of the FBI agents and security guard surrounding him. They were still in the Library of Congress, but they had moved him from the records room to the security office. Ray sat in a chair behind a table while his accusers stood on the opposite side looking down at him. He knew he still had his shrink ray hidden under his sleeves and the temporarily shrunken-down temporal energy gun in his pocket, but he figured that using either of those to get out of the situation would only further antagonize his questioners. He also didn't think he could bring himself to shoot any authority figure. He could barely even lie to one. "This is unnecessary. It's all a misunderstanding."
One of the agents opened the small green box in his hand and held it up so that the tiny suit inside faced Ray. "Care to explain this?"
"It's a…model," Ray tried to explain. "I make models. Like action figures. He's like a space…hero…person."
"It's not a model," the other agent countered. "We took a look at it under a magnifying glass. This thing's got working parts capable of all kinds of damage."
"Yeah," Ray said, "It's…um…really realistic. I always like to make them realistic."
"Who did you make it for, then?" the first agent asked, placing his hands on the table and leaning forward toward Ray's face.
"Myself," Ray said, forcing himself to sound confident in what was genuinely a truthful answer. "I made it for myself. Who else would I make it for?"
"We've got some ideas," the second agent answered. "What's your name?"
Ray tried to think of an alias and said the first one that popped into his head. "Harry Potter."
The agent crossed his arms. "Harry Potter?" he repeated skeptically.
"It's, um, short for Harold."
"Okay, Mr. Potter." The agent paced a few steps, apparently no longer concerned with the name Ray had given him. "Have you traveled out of the country recently?"
"No."
"Really?" He stopped pacing and stood still directly in front of Ray. "How about less recently? Ever been to Moscow, Mr. Potter?"
Ray hesitated for a second. Technically, he told himself, it's only 1950 and I went there in 1986, so I haven't actually been there yet. "Moscow? No," he said. "Never been. Why would I go there?"
"We'll ask the questions, Mr. Potter."
"Okay." Ray smiled cheerfully, hoping to look as innocent as possible. "You got it."
"Where did you get this technology?" the first agent asked.
"I already told you. I made it."
"You made the tiny suit. Where did you get the parts?"
"Oh, I made those too."
The two agents exchanged looks. "You sure about that?" the second one asked.
Ray knew he was telling the truth, so he wasn't sure why he felt so nervous. "Y-yeah. Yeah, I did. That's all me."
"Did anyone help you? An assistant? A friend? Anybody?"
"No."
"You really expect us to believe that, huh?"
"Well…yeah. I'm an inventor. I invent things. It's what I do."
"And you just happened to invent a miniature suit of armor that contains destructive capabilities beyond most military equipment and uses technology never before seen by the U.S. government…for fun?"
Ray offered a sheepish smile. "I…uh…well, I've got to do something with my free time, right?"
The security guard decided to speak up. "What about your friends who came in with you?" he asked. "You tried to get past me without any ID. There was a man with you who had one, and then a woman who faked an emergency to let you in. Who are they?"
"Oh. Yeah." Ray shrugged and gave the guard an innocent look. "Like you said, they're my friends."
"What are they doing here?" the guard asked. "And why did they try to sneak in instead of getting IDs from the desk?"
"Um…they just…really like reading?"
"And helping you break into the records of a federal government institution," the first FBI agent suggested.
Ray smiled at them, trying to seem as nonthreatening as possible. "Come on, guys. What's this all about? I forgot my ID, then got lost and ended up in the wrong room. I'm very sorry. If you want to kick me out, that's fine with me. There's no reason to escalate this beyond that."
"We'll be the judge of that, Mr. Potter," the second agent said.
"Why?" Ray asked. "I told you what happened. I just don't see a cause for concern."
"Then let me spell it out for you," the second agent replied. "We've got a Cold War on our hands and rumors of Soviets infiltrating the government. Then, some 'inventor' shows up in DC with no identification, carrying weapons that shouldn't exist, and poking around in restricted areas he shouldn't have access to. Still think we're the ones escalating it?"
Ray's jaw dropped. "Wait…what? That's what this is about? You think I'm a Soviet spy?"
"You said it," the agent replied, "not me."
Ray shook his head emphatically. "That's ridiculous! I'm not Russian. I don't even speak Russian. I'm totally American. I mean, I grew up in Ivy Town. Quiet, normal Ivy Town."
"Soviet agents can come from anywhere," the first agent countered. "Even Ivy Town."
"Maybe," Ray conceded, "but that's not me. I'm not a spy for anybody." He held up three fingers. "Scout's honor."
"Okay," he replied, though is expression seemed unconvinced. "In that case, tell us what you were looking for in the records."
Ray hesitated. "Nothing."
"Nothing?"
"Nothing. It was…it was an accident."
"You don't accidentally break into a locked room with restricted access. What were you looking for?"
Ray could feel himself starting to falter. He knew he had to come up with a better explanation. He decided to be as vague as possible. "Fine. I was looking for something, but it was a totally normal thing to look for. I couldn't find the book I wanted, so I was trying to figure out where it was. I guess I should've just asked, but hindsight is twenty-twenty, right?"
"What was the book?" the second agent asked.
Ray tried to avoid answering. "Oh, it was nothing special."
"If it wasn't special, you wouldn't have gone to those lengths to find it. What was the title of the book?"
"Uh…you know what?" Ray replied with a self-deprecating smile. "I am totally blanking on the name. It's that funny? Man, irony is great." He chuckled, then held up his finger as if making a point. "And if I was a spy looking for something important, I wouldn't forget it. I think. Not that I'd know. That's just my guess. So, as you can see, I'm not a spy." He glanced at the door, then back at the agents and guard. "Can I, uh…can I go now?"
The first agent turned to the security guard. "You saw his friends, right?"
"Right," the guard confirmed.
"Go see if any records are missing," the agent ordered. "If they are, his friends have them. See if they're still in the building."
"Oh, that's really not necessary," Ray insisted.
"Why?" the agent asked skeptically. "Afraid we'll find something out about your friends?"
"N-no. No. It's just…you'd be wasting your time. I'm sure you guys have more important things to do. I'd hate to take up your whole day over a trivial misunderstanding."
"Uh-huh. Sure." The agent turned to the guard again. "Go." The guard nodded and left the room. "And as for you," he said, turning back to Ray. "We've got a few more questions…"
The Library of Congress's special collections wing contained various rare and highly valuable books, manuscripts, and historical documents. Access to that section of the library was restricted, for the most part, to researchers with the necessary qualifications. Of course, for Leonard Snart, finding a way to get himself and Mick in unnoticed without the proper credentials was almost too easy. It therefore wasn't long before the two thieves found themselves in the middle of the special collections wing, surrounded by hundreds of incredibly valuable literary and historical items.
"Not that libraries are usually my kind of target," Leonard whispered, "but with stuff like this around, I've got to say, I'm tempted." He carefully examined an illuminated manuscript that was encased in glass along the wall. "How much do you think this one's worth?"
Mick joined him and stared at it. "A lot," he answered. He turned around and started to walk slowly down the wall, analyzing each text displayed in the locked glass containers. "If you find something smaller, the boss might actually let you keep it. Not that that's ever stopped me from grabbing something bigger."
Leonard raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, Mick?"
"I mean Sara lets us steal now," he answered without looking back. "It's called…uh…souvenirs. But only little things. If you steal something big, you've got to hide it from her."
Leonard smirked and crossed his arms. "Small-scale theft is allowed these days, huh? Now that's going to make things a little more interesting." He walked a few paces in Mick's direction, then stopped and leaned sideways against the wall. Mick continued to walk forward, examining the books. "And were you always planning on letting me in on that, or were you going to keep it to yourself for a while longer?"
Mick stopped walking and looked back at Leonard over his shoulder. "Huh?"
"Well, you haven't exactly been an open book lately."
Mick huffed and stomped back to stand in front of Leonard. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked with a scowl.
Leonard remained as calm and collected as usual. "You've been hiding things from me, Mick. You know that never ends well."
"I haven't been hiding anything." He hesitated a moment under Leonard's piercing gaze, then clarified, "I mean…maybe I haven't told you everything, but I told you everything that was important."
"Of course you did," Leonard said sarcastically. "You just happened to forget about Rebecca Silver, Garima, and the fact that minor theft is acceptable now. Because none of those are things I'd need to know."
Mick narrowed his eyes and growled, "Since when are you all about sharing?"
"I'm not. I'm about planning." He moved away from the wall but continued to maintain eye contact with Mick. "When we pull jobs together, I make the plans for both of us. That's how it's always been. I have to have a plan for every possibility so that, if and when things go wrong, we're both prepared. Now, partner, you tell me how exactly I'm supposed to plan for everything if I don't have all the information."
"Hmph," Mick grunted. "You're one to talk."
Leonard's brow furrowed. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying I've been trying to get you to talk to me about Sara for a while now, and all you do is pretend nothing's going on."
Leonard's expression grew colder. "This is different," he said, his voice slightly lower than usual.
"Oh yeah? How?"
"I'm trying to make sure I know everything I need to know so that I can plan accordingly. That's something that helps both of us. You're poking around in stuff that isn't your business for no practical reason. That helps nobody."
"Why do you have to know everything, but I don't?" Mick demanded. "You're not the boss of me."
A stunned silence followed. Leonard felt an instinct to contradict him, but after a moment of consideration, he shut his mouth. This time, Mick had a point. Leonard technically hadn't been Mick's boss in a long time. "Mick…" he started to say.
Mick took a breath and relaxed a little. "I…uh…I didn't mean it like that," he said sheepishly.
"No, you did," Leonard replied, "but I get it."
Mick raised his eyebrows. "Really?"
Leonard shrugged. "I haven't been your boss in three years. Stuff's different now. I get it." He started walking away, perusing another section of the special collections. "That's why I need to know what's going on with you. I've never liked being left in the dark, and I like it from my partner even less."
Mick followed Leonard, keeping his eyes peeled for Brigid's Diary as he said, "Well, maybe you should get used to it."
Leonard spun around and looked at him sharply. "Get used to what?"
"Not knowing everything."
"Then how do you expect me to plan for everything, Mick?"
"I don't know. You figure that part out. That's your job, isn't it?"
Leonard rolled his eyes. "Seriously? You're being ridiculous."
"No," Mick said, pointing his finger accusingly at Leonard's chest, "you're the ridiculous one. I told you to stop asking me stuff, but you still won't shut up. All I want to do is act like everything's back to normal with us."
"Same here," Leonard agreed.
"Good. Then quit trying to know everything, or I'll tell you something you really don't want to know."
Leonard smirked amusedly. "Wow," he drawled. "Now there's a scary threat."
"I mean it." Mick straightened up his posture and looked Leonard right in the eyes. "Ask me any more questions and you'll be sorry."
"Mm…I doubt it."
"I'm warning you, Snart."
"Whatever." Leonard spun around and strolled along the length of the bookshelf beside him, admiring each ornately decorated text inside its locked case. He didn't seem too worried about Mick's threat.
Leonard's lack of concern annoyed Mick enough for him to blurt out, "You know what? Here's something you don't know: I watched the 'Lord of the Rings' movies without you. All three. Extended Edition. Back to back."
Leonard turned around, though he stayed several feet in front of Mick. "I've been trying to talk you into watching those with me for years," he said.
"Yeah," Mick replied. "But I watched them without you. And Haircut even went to the set and met Denethor."
"John Noble?"
"Yup."
Leonard remained completely calm. The news didn't seem to bother him. "So you watched some movies while I was dead. Big deal."
Mick crossed his arms and frowned, disappoint in the lack of reaction. He thought for a moment, then tried again. "Oh yeah? Well…I also let Haircut mess around with your gun."
Leonard's expression shifted a tiny bit, but not enough to be considered anything close to an emotional reaction. "Raymond? What did he do?"
"Everything," Mick answered. "Carried it around, took it apart, put it back together, used the core to stop a bomb…"
Leonard waved his hand dismissively. "Listen, Mick, I gave you my gun to hang onto. What you did with it while I was gone was up to you." He smirked. "And I still haven't learned anything I regret knowing. Give up yet?"
Mick clenched his fists. At this point, he just wanted Leonard to drop his cool, collected, snarky attitude. He'd forgotten how frustrating it could be. "You know what?" he said, a little too loud for being in a library. "I've got one that'll really get under your skin."
"Sure you do."
A mischievous gleam came into Mick's eyes as he grinned wickedly, then blurted out, "Sara slept with Constantine."
That one got a reaction. Leonard froze up for a second, then blinked several times, and finally stared at Mick in disbelief. "Sara…and…Constantine?"
"Yup."
Leonard was struggling to make sense of this information. As the wheels turned in his head, he said, "But I thought Ava…"
"Before Ava." Mick took a step closer, looking very smug. "But the thing is, you don't live on a spaceship with Ava. You live on a spaceship with that magic English weasel. And now you're not going to be able to see him around the ship without thinking about it."
Leonard was already thinking about it. More accurately, he was remembering how close Constantine and Sara had seemed during the battle against the time pirates. He glared at Mick. "Shut up," he growled.
"Ha!" Mick exclaimed proudly. "See what I mean? That's what you get for asking questions when it's none of your business."
"Well, if that's how you really feel," Leonard drawled as he turned his back to Mick, "you can finish looking for your girlfriend by yourself." He started to walk away.
Mick waited a moment, expecting Leonard to stop. When he didn't, Mick chased after him a few paces. "Hey! Snart! Where are you going?"
"To find the rift," he answered coldly without looking back, "and let you cool off."
"I don't need to cool off," Mick insisted. "I'm fine. You started it." Leonard kept walking without acknowledging him. "Hey! Snart! Come back!" Still no reply. Before long, he was out of view. Mick groaned, then grumbled, "Cool off. I don't need to cool off. He needs to cool off." He stood in silence for a moment and his expression softened as began to feel a sense of regret. "He…he'll be back, right?" He looked around the now empty room. "Yeah," he assured himself. "He'll be back."
Nora dodged Tabitha's attacks nimbly until she found herself backed up against the curved, transparent edge of the crystal ball. She conjured a glowing circular shield and held it in front of herself. "Why are you doing this?" she demanded as Tabitha's next blast bounced off her shield. "Even if you kill me, you're still trapped in here. Don't think the other Legends won't find you."
Tabitha paused her fighting and smirked. "Oh, I'm counting on it."
The unexpected response shook Nora's concentration, making her shield vanish. "Wait, what?"
Tabitha took the opportunity to throw a direct blast at Nora, knocking her to the ground. She took a step closer, towering over her. "Oh, deary," she said. "You really have no idea, do you? Your friends are the ones who are going to get me out of here."
Nora pushed herself upright and glared at Tabitha. "Like they'd ever do that."
Tabitha walked back a few paces and waved her arm at the other side of the crystal ball. "See for yourself." The surface cleared up so that Nora could see a clearer, if still a bit warped, image of the outside. It was a dark room cluttered with boxes and magical objects. She stood up and took a step closer, then saw three figures standing nearby. She recognized two of them.
"John and Charlie?" she said with surprise. "What are they doing here?"
"You'll see," Tabitha replied smugly. She reached out and grabbed Nora's arm, then tried to shove her down. Nora twisted herself out of her grip and ran to the other side of the crystal ball. She knocked her fist against the glass.
"Hey!" she shouted. "Guys! Stop! Whatever you're doing, don't do it! Ah!"
An invisible force jerked her backward and pinned her against the opposite side of the glass. Tabitha kept her hand outstretched toward Nora, holding her still so that she was unable to struggle. "They can't hear you, deary," she taunted. "But don't worry, you'll still get to watch the show."
Outside the crystal ball, John and Charlie took in their surroundings. "You've sure got a lot of stuff down here," Charlie commented. "Is it all magic?"
"Almost all," Paul replied. "Be very careful. Some of these artifacts are very delicate, and they're all incredibly rare." He took off his hoodie and switched it out for a long, dark coat that was hanging by the staircase. He rubbed his hands together, then turned to John. "I've been studying the barrier between dimensions a lot lately and I think I have just the right spell to shut it down. I just don't have the power to pull it off alone."
John crossed his arms, still looking around at the eclectic combination of magical objects in Paul's basement. "What's the spell?"
Paul reached deep into a wooden crate and pulled out an ancient-looking scroll. "This." He unrolled it and handed it to John. Charlie took a step closer to him and they looked at it together. Paul leaned in and asked, "Ever seen it before?"
John examined every detail of the scroll carefully. The instructions were very clear and specific, but he didn't recognize the spell itself. "No," he answered. "I thought I knew them all." He looked curiously at Paul. "Where did you get this from?"
"Oh, it's very ancient," Paul replied. "I found it while exploring some underground catacombs in Turkey. The city they once belonged to has been abandoned for so long, there's barely enough left for archaeologists to dig up."
"Then how did you get a hold of it?" Charlie asked, eyeing him skeptically.
"Magic, of course," he said. "It took an effort, but there are ways to recover many things that are lost." He continued to speak directly to John. "I can understand a level of concern. I had suspicions too when I first found it. However, I have been able to verify the authenticity of the scroll, and the language and symbols on it are consistent with thousands of scrolls from the same era and region." He paused, took a few paces forward, the turned around and faced him again. "Ordinarily, I'd be happy to go through all the proof I have first, but this is not an ordinary situation. The fragility of the timeline is making the barrier quite unstable. If my calculations are correct, then we're currently within a very small window of time. The barrier is only a few anachronisms away from becoming fully open. And that would mean Tabitha wins."
"I know perfectly well what it means, mate," John replied, looking up from the scroll. "I just don't like working on spells I don't know. I'm willing to dabble in almost anything, but there are still a few forces out there I'd prefer to leave alone."
"I understand," Paul said with a nod. He sighed and looked away before adding, "I just wish I could make it clearer to you how important this is. Do you have any idea how dangerous Tabitha could become if she gained access to extradimensional power? I've studied the topic intensely and believe me, it's not good." For the first time in a while, he looked directly at Charlie. "You remember what Tabitha did to you, don't you?"
Charlie stiffened. Reliving the memory of being under Tabitha's control made her feel sick. "Yes," she replied curtly.
"She framed you and humiliated you," Paul elaborated. "She forced you to hurt people against your will and made the world see you as a monster. And not just you, either. All of your fellow Legends suffered in some way because of Tabitha and Neron. You've been to Mallus's dimension. Surely you can guess what Tabitha could do if set loose there."
Charlie hesitated. "I…I can." She turned to John. "He's right," she said reluctantly. "If Tabitha's trying to break open that barrier, we can't let her in."
John raised his eyebrows. "Are you sure, love?"
"No," Charlie replied, "but it's not a chance I want to take."
John nodded solemnly. "Charlie, I know why this is personal to you…"
"It might be personal," Charlie quickly said, cutting him off, "but that doesn't mean it's just about me. She's dangerous."
He gave her a sympathetic look. "I know." He handed the scroll to Paul and rolled up the sleeves of his trench coat. "Right then. We can give it a shot. But the moment things start looking off, I'm out. Got that, mate?"
"Of course," Paul said with a smile. "You're a smart man, Constantine. I would expect nothing else."
Nora, still pinned against the glass, watched the scene unfold in horror. "No!" she shouted, finally breaking herself out of Tabitha's invisible grip and dropping to the ground. "Stop! Don't trust him!"
Tabitha jumped in surprise. "I suppose you're stronger than I anticipated. Good for you, deary. Unfortunately, that means it's time to go." She recited a spell and waved her hands in a circle. A symbol appeared under Nora's feet.
"No, wait!" Nora exclaimed. "John!"
She felt a jolt and, before she knew what was happening, she was back on the Waverider.
