"So, I am so glad you are at last assembled, Legends. Any questions?" Rip Hunter asked. Rip, Merlyn, Laurel, Quentin, Roy, Thea, Oliver, John, and Felicity were on the roof of a building behind S.T.A.R. Labs.
"Yes, is it true that you can time-travel and we will be safe here?" Quentin asked.
"It is very true," Rip replied. "But timeship time-travel is completely different from speedster time-travel. Your friend Barry should know, having created two alternate timelines. But there are many, many differences between speedster and timeship time-travel. Now, tell me, Mr. Merlyn," Rip looked over at Merlyn. "Why are you in a wheelchair?"
"It's a long story. Ever since I was burned a bit by this pyromaniac in 1990, my wife Rebecca has always been worried about my health. She even went so far as to replace me as head of my company. If I ever so much as called her, Rebecca would drop what she was doing and come to help me. I'm very glad she was there, as while I was at her old clinic before she became head of my company, this man came. He was very angry, and had this whole gang. I tried to call Rebecca, but he got mad that I had somebody I cared about and began to beat me up. I was completely paralyzed, but if Rebecca hadn't been there, I would have been killed. Rebecca was devastated, and the experience made her cold. Two years later, she caught me cheating on her, which is how Thea came to be. But moving on from that, Rebecca divorced me in 1995, and I joined the League of Assassins while looking for support. At first, they wouldn't accept me due to my paralysis, but I was trained to use my arms."
"Fascinating," Rip replied.
"Seriously, that guy is on this team why? He has done some fairly criminal activities." Quentin asked.
"I think you will find that all of us are heroes in our own way, Mr. Lance," Rip said ominously.
"Will Sara be alright?" Laurel wondered.
"Of course she will," Rip said a little too quickly.
"We don't trust you," Oliver replied, aiming his bow and arrow. "That tone you have about Sara…"
"Look, Vandal Savage is an enemy of us all. He murdered my wife and child in 2166, You all have the skills I need to stop it." Rip explained.
"Oh, really?" Oliver asked. "Then why did you originally wish to recruit all the outcasts and misfits? That's what Barry said."
"They would have minimal effect on the timeline, but I was convinced otherwise. True heroes must help me. Team Arrow is one such example." Rip said. "Come on aboard."
"Oh, and do you have a ramp for my wheelchair?" Merlyn asked.
"Mr. Merlyn, this is extremely high in technology," Rip smiled, as a ramp slid down. Merlyn wheeled across it, which caused stairs to come out.
"Wheelchair-activated staircase. Some timeships like the Waverider have them, I was lucky here," Rip says.
"Waverider? Is that a reference to riding the waves of time?" Felicity asked. "Very clever."
"This is incredible," Thea remarked, as she and Roy looked around the ship. Gideon's bald holographic head emerged from the large central console near the circle of chairs.
"I am Gideon, artificial intelligence of the Waverider. Welcome aboard." Gideon said, unaware that in an erased timeline, some of them had met her before..
"This is the Bridge, where I can pilot the ship, allowing us to time-travel. There is also my office, a library, living spaces for each of you, a fabrication room, a galley and dining room, a medical bay, a cargo room, an engine room, a containment cell, a bathroom, a laundry room, a laboratory, a gym, and a storage room." Rip explained.
"How about instead of just telling, you show?" Laurel asked.
"There isn't much time," Rip said. "The change in people I recruited has also affected my personal timeline. We have to get back to 1975, to find an expert on Savage."
"But does this thing run on ionic propulsion, or what?" Felicity asked.
"Felicity, I don't think any technology that advanced can…" Oliver began.
"If you stabilize the flux, it can," Felicity replied.
"You know, there's a reason I'm not giving you this tour in full. Because Mr. Allen erased the timeline, none of you remember being here before. But I can fix that." Rip revealed.
"Oh, really? How?" Roy asked.
"22nd-century tech, of course," Rip smiled, producing a ring. "This is a memory ring, you can regain memories of the adventure if you like."
"Just get on with it, Mr. Hunter," Laurel snapped. "Sorry, I mean, wouldn't bringing Carter and Kendra along be better for a trip to 1975?"
"Ms. Lance, they could only prove a casualty in this mission. We will be going to New Orleans and locating a Professor Aldus Boardman." Rip said.
"If you think I'm working with my so-called father, you must be crazy-" Thea began.
"Nonsense, Ms. Queen," Rip interrupted. "Now, sit down and strap up tight. Temporal navigation isn't something one wants to be standing up for."
Rip made his way to the captain's chair, with the others reluctantly following. Once everyone was safely seated after some moments of silence, Rip spoke again. "Some of you may experience slight discomfort. In some moments, you might bleed from your eyeballs,"
"I thought we were time-traveling, not walking into a death trap," Thea complained.
"The human body cannot function right when time unfolds linearly, Ms. Queen." Rip added, as the Waverider began to speed up. "Hang on and remain calm," Rip said, as the others looked around, marveling at the sudden spectacle of time-travel.
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Suddenly feeling extreme discomfort, Oliver threw up on the floor of the Waverider and Laurel fell over. Felicity took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes.
"I should have mentioned before, nausea, loss of balance, and temporary blindness are all side effects of time-travel. But it will wear off soon, this was just a 40-year jaunt," Rip assured everyone.
"That's a relief," Quentin grunted sarcastically. He looked over at Laurel. "Your friend, Barry kidnapped me!"
"Daddy, he had to, understand? My evil doppelganger is dangerous…" Laurel began.
"And you still think we can leave Sara alone with her still at large?"
"Sara is strong, Dad! She can easily fight…"
"Let me remind you, Laurel, that she was killed once before!" Quentin eyed Merlyn.
"In my defense, I wanted Thea to join the League of Assassins," Merlyn defended.
"I don't know what goes on in your screwed up head, but-" Quentin began.
"Enough!" Rip exclaimed. "You three should stay here, so that we succeed in the mission."
"Uh, what?" Laurel asked. "You can't just let the rest of the team out and leave me with my dad and one of our deadliest enemies."
"You're lucky I'm in a wheelchair," Merlyn said to Laurel. "Because if I wasn't, things would get ugly."
"I simply do not require an assassin, a police officer, or a mechanical screamer right now," Rip said.
"We should hurry, there's 24 hours until Professor Boardman dies." Rip explained.
"I guess seeing a person right before they die means it'll have no timeline effect," Felicity realized.
Thea frowned. "Well, this is going to be somewhat weird. I bet nobody knows the cause of death."
"Indeed," Rip replied. "Now, follow me,"
"Can I stay back?" Felicity asked. "There's too much going on." Oliver winced, as he knew the real reason.
"I guess that is a wise choice, Ms. Smoak," Rip replied. The group then headed out of the Waverider.
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"1975? This is amazing," Thea marveled. "Who would actually think...what I wouldn't give to save a life with time-travel,"
"Speedy, this is no time for sightseeing," Oliver replied."Captain Hunter, where can we find Professor Boardman?"
Rip paused for a moment. "The lecture hall. Mighty colorful time."
"I guess your future isn't too bright," John realized.
"Mr. Diggle, we have no time for chit chat," Rip said. "I have a secret. This man is Kendra and Carter's son."
"Oh, really? Then why not bring them along?" Roy asked.
"They didn't want to come, Mr. Harper. I should not go against people's morals. I take it you have some experience with that?" Rip snapped.
"Captain Hunter, the Mirakuru was not my fault!" Roy protested.
"I am dreadfully sorry, Mr. Harper," Rip replied, realizing the implications of what he had just said.
"I'm sorry, can I help you?" A bearded man with glasses inquired.
"Oh, Professor Aldus Boardman?" Rip asked, recalling Boardman's entry in the history books.
"That's me, alright. Who might you be?" Boardman asked.
"My name is Rip Hunter. Me and my team are historians who prefer the more mythical, concealed approach to history. That being said, what do you know about Khufu and Chay-ara? We're friends of their current incarnations." Rip explained.
"Ah, yes, my parents. Vandal Savage was always in love with Mom in Ancient Egypt, and when he found out that Dad loved her too, he killed them during a meteor strike. The meteor strike thus rendered him immortal and my parents reincarnating over and over." Boardman explained. "Savage has caused so many disasters. But only the knife of either Kendra or Carter can kill him."
"Mr. Boardman, thank you for this information." Rip replied. "The knife is currently in our possession, but if it is needed to be wielded by them, it will be."
Oliver's phone rang. "Laurel? Hold on, I'll be right there."
"What was that about?" John asked.
"Laurel needs help. Merlyn kidnapped Lance and knocked her out." Oliver explained.
"How did a guy in a wheelchair…" Roy started.
"Best not to question it, Roy," Thea replied.
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"You know, I hate that woman's guts so much for leaving me paralyzed, catching me cheating, and divorcing me, which led me to join a top-secret organization of assassins to reclaim my strength," Merlyn began. "But the tech Rebecca added to my wheelchair is frankly quite powerful."
"So you have a "sad" past," Quentin smirked. "I'm a detective. How do you expect me to believe anything you say?"
"You're an ally of Oliver Queen, otherwise known as the Hood, the Arrow, or Green Arrow. You worked with my fellow assassin Damien Dahrk. Your job was revoked thanks to our friend Flash. You and I, we're the same. Bad relationships with our children and both through horrible divorces."
"Damien Dahrk isn't an assassin. And we are not the same. Where are we?"
"A nice bar, here in the '80s,"
"Hey, Wheelchair. What business have you got coming in here?" A criminal looking man asked Merlyn.
"You are talking to the wrong person," Merlyn replied, reaching for his sack of arrows.
Quentin grabbed the sack."Detective instinct, Mr. Merlyn. You don't go killing people for no reason,"
Laurel and Oliver then burst through the doors of the bar.
"Daddy, are you alright?" Laurel asked, running to Quentin. "Did he do anything to you? I doubt you'd want to be his friend."
"Laurel, I'm fine," Quentin assured her, putting his hand on Laurel's shoulder.
"Merlyn, tell me why you did this right now," Oliver said in his Green Arrow voice.
"I wanted to go to a secluded location to see if Lance was League of Assassins material. He is working with Damien, after all." Merlyn said.
"How can you do this to us?" Oliver asked Quentin angrily.
"It...he threatened me, Oliver. Threatened to kill Laurel and Sara if I didn't comply with his orders," Quentin protested.
"I can hear you guys loud and clear," The criminal laughed. "You all sound completely crazy. What's a Green Arrow? We don't like chit chatters in our bars."
"Oh, yeah? How would you like this?" Laurel asked, punching the man out.
"Laurel, that was impressive," Oliver commented. "Would you like to dance?"
"You better not be flirting, Oliver," Quentin scolded, though there seemed to be some humor in his voice.
"No, just like as friends," Oliver was quick to tell him. "Just didn't know she had it in her."
"You'd be surprised what Dinah Laurel Lance is capable of," Laurel beamed.
"Hey, you did not just do that, lady!" Another man shouted at Laurel, throwing a knife at her. Laurel ducked, accidentally bumping Merlyn.
"Watch it!" Merlyn yelled, not realizing the source of the bump. He took out his own arrows and shot the man. The man crashed into another, and both collapsed.
"That was so immoral!" Quentin yelled.
"I am not a supervillain, Lance," Merlyn said. "I simply have the honor of being a trained League of Assassins member. And as much as your little girl here tries, she can never…"
Oliver shot Merlyn with a tranquilizer arrow.
"Now isn't the time, Oliver," Quentin said.
"I know," Oliver said. "This was just a non-lethal trick arrow that will keep him at bay. Good thing he doesn't have his legs." The panic button on Oliver's phone went off.
"What was that?" Laurel asked.
"Well, it would have been a new technique Felicity and I were trying out for Team Arrow. Panic buttons on our phones in case we're in danger." Oliver explained.
"Then Felicity must be in danger!" Laurel gasped. "We have to get him back to the Waverider!"
"But should we bring Merlyn?" Quentin asked."When we get back to 2016, I'm definitely going to call up the police."
"We definitely need to keep an eye on him," Oliver said. "We don't know what kind of damage he could do in the '80s. Hopefully he doesn't do anything to interfere with my history as Green Arrow."
"I guess you're right," Quentin sighed, as they wheeled Merlyn out of the bar.
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Roy, Thea, Laurel, Oliver, and John ran towards the Waverider, with Quentin still pushing the unconscious Merlyn.
"Guys, did you learn any information?" Laurel asked Roy, Thea, and John.
"Unfortunately, Mr. Boardman was stabbed," Roy replied. "But luckily, he told us where Savage is, and we need one of the Hawks to kill him. I kept asking Rip why he wouldn't just drag them along. I mean, it's clear Merlyn doesn't want to be here."
"Excuse me, Mr. Harper?" Merlyn moaned. He opened his eyes, removing the tranquilizer arrow. "Why am I back at this ship?"
"Guys, stop chatting! Super crazy-looking hunter in a silver mask on the ship!" Felicity called from inside.
"We're coming, Felicity!" John yelled, knocking the door down. It was then that he saw the figure Felicity was referring too.
"I don't recognize him as any known Star City villain," John explained. "We need to combine." John and Felicity touched hands, turning into Firestorm.
"Are you used to this yet, Felicity?" John asked.
"I never will be, John," Felicity replied.
"I wish I'd brought my suit, but at least Merlyn had his arrows," Oliver laughed, shooting more of the black arrows at the individual, who finally fell to the ground.
"Please give those back, Oliver," Merlyn replied. "They help me to walk."
"Merlyn, if you're not going to behave yourself as part of this team, you're not going to keep your precious arrows," Laurel said.
"As the resident meta-humans, this is the best we can do," John said, as the two of them used their pyrokinesis to blast the villain off of the Waverider. After helping the others on board, John and Felicity closed the doors.
"Well, what do we do now?" Laurel asked.
"We confront Captain Hunter. Surely he knows who this villain is," Merlyn said.
"Just a minute," Oliver said, grabbing his Green Arrow suit and looking for the Captain's Quarters. Shooting an arrow into the door, he saw Rip sitting at a computer doing some kind of calculations.
"Mr. Queen, please do not shoot those arrows into parts of this complex machinery," Gideon told him.
"Well, that's a smart AI you have there," Oliver said. Rip turned around.
"How was the mission, Mr. Queen?" Rip wondered.
"You have failed this timeship, Mr. Hunter."
"Mr. Queen, I have done no such thing."
"Oh, really? Then who's that weirdo in the silver mask with the eye holes kind of like Slade Wilson's?"
"Fine, you caught me. That's Chronos. He's a temporal bounty hunter attempting to stop me from changing the timeline. The Council of Time Masters is a big thing in 2166, where I come from, and they sent him. But also a big thing is Savage, he did indeed take over the world and murder my wife and son. I do want help, I want to avenge the deaths of so many that he killed, so many he wronged. I can send you guys back to 2016, if you wish. You, Mr. Queen, with your terrible secret of a son nobody knew about. Ms. Lance, with her evil doppelganger running around. Mr. Merlyn, with his being a known assassin confined to a wheelchair. Detective Lance, who is working with an evil-"
"Enough!" Oliver exclaimed, loud enough that the others ran over.
"Was any of it true?" Laurel asked.
"Most of it," Rip admitted. "You guys are iconic, remembered in the Age of Heroes. Black Canary, Green Arrow, Firestorm...though I admit, Firestorm had very different people in my timeline. This will be your legacies, and how you decide your fates."
"You know what, I think we should stay," Felicity said. "You guys in?" The others nodded their heads in agreement.
"What were the coordinates Boardman provided you with?" Rip asked. "That is, if he provided you with them before his death?"
"Noway, 1975," Roy replied.
"Plotting a course, Mr. Harper," Gideon said.