Working with the security guards, they'd managed to corral all of the transformed partygoers into one section of the hall when Carter flew back in, carrying a silver canister by a pair of straps. Kendra met him on the dais.
"Put this on," he said, holding the canister out.
She laughed a little as she took it. "What are we, the Ghostbusters?" The straps were for her shoulders. The canister also had a hose connection, ending in a spray nozzle.
Carter was wearing a similar contraption. "Plantbusters," he told her with a smirk. "Gideon made these and filled them with the cure. We'll fly over the crowd and spray them. You start on the left, I'll start on the right. We'll cross over and then go back to make sure we hit everybody."
"All right," Kendra said, slipping the canister on. "After all, who you gonna call?"
Carter chuckled and lifted off, heading to his side of the herd of plant people. Kendra winged to her side, and the two began spraying down the crowd with a fine, silvery mist.
Sara leaned against Len, both of them watching Hawkman and Hawkgirl flying over the plant people. "Do you think it will work?" she murmured to him.
"Hope so," he said, putting an arm around her. "Wouldn't want to see any of these nice people wind up in a Green Goddess salad."
Jax pointed into the crowd. "Hey, look!"
Leaves and vines were starting to brown and wither, falling off the afflicted and sliding to the floor in piles, revealing dazed-looking partygoers. Many of them started staggering toward the exits.
"I'd say it's working!" Len said. Kendra buzzed them as she turned to make another pass over the crowd, and they gave her a thumbs-up.
Mick looked at the pile of oysters and soiled linens he'd gotten the kitchen staff to dump on the concrete in front of the convention center entrance. Boss had said to get rid of the contaminated food, and Mick was going to do it in the best way he knew how. He looked at his torch, smiling in anticipation, and started to lower it to the pile.
"I don't think I can ever eat a salad again."
Mick whirled at the tired, familiar voice. "Haircut! You're all right!"
The Boy Scout was swaying a bit, but he was no longer covered in leaves and vines. Mick got him to sit down on the stairs, next to the six-pack of beer he'd filched from one of the bars. "Hey, listen, sorry about hitting you back there. Have a beer on me."
"Okay, sure." Haircut said tiredly, picking up one of the bottles and starting to twist the cap off. Then he paused with a puzzled expression. "Wait… you hit me?"
"Ahh, forget it. Watch this instead." Mick turned back to his pile of oysters and dropped the torch into it. Then he sat next to Haircut and opened a bottle of his own while the fire spread over the pile.
"Lay-zeh leh bon taw roo-lay!" he said, repeating a phrase he'd heard from the bartender as he held the bottle up in a salute.
Haircut nodded weakly as he clinked his bottle against Mick's. "Let the good times roll."
"Yeah, that too."
They sat drinking their beers and watching the flames.
"I mean it. I can't look another lettuce leaf in the face," Ray said adamantly, crossing his arms and leaning back in his jump seat. Kendra patted his shoulder comfortingly.
"Lettuce leaves don't have faces," Sara pointed out. She was sitting on one side of the window seat. Len was lounging across the rest of it, his head on her lap. Outside, the sky was beginning to lighten.
From the study entry, Jax added, "Besides, it was spinach, dude. And I thought you were the one who insisted on all of us eating healthy."
Ray shook his head. "Nope. Gideon, you can make me supplements instead, right?"
"I can, Dr. Palmer," Gideon replied primly. "The question you should be asking is whether I will."
"Don't worry, Gideon, we'll sneak his veggies in," Len said. "Just like I used to do to Lisa and Mick."
Mick started in surprise. "You did what ?"
Laughter swept the bridge. Once everyone had settled again, Carter said, "Well, everyone who got turned into plant people checked out all right, so… disaster averted."
"But so much for being unobtrusive," Sara said. "Gideon, any damage to the timeline?"
"There is a story in the Times-Picayune blaming a metahuman for the transformations. It says the metahuman has been captured and turned over to government authorities," Gideon reported. "It quotes Hawkman as the source of this information."
"Fake news?" Len asked with a slight smile.
Carter shrugged. "Let's say Kendra and I know how to get a legend started. And Lyla Diggle at ARGUS will corroborate the story if anyone tries to chase it down."
"People already know about metahumans," Kendra added. "That's an easier explanation than contaminated time-displaced artifacts."
"Which are no longer contaminated, thanks to Dr. Holland," Rip announced, coming onto the bridge from the other passageway, followed by Stein and Holland. "And which will no longer be time displaced, as soon as we determine the best time to return them to the temple of Heryshef."
"I have already calculated that destination, Captain," Gideon said. "The course is laid in, whenever you all are ready."
Silence fell on the bridge for a moment. "Well, I suppose duty calls," Stein said at last.
Carter nodded. "For us, too," he said. "I have a class to teach in a few hours."
"So do I," Holland said.
"And I have a class to take," Kendra added. She looked around at her friends. "I know this wasn't quite the Mardi Gras you all expected..."
"Kendra, it's us ," Jax laughed. "This is exactly the kind of thing we should've expected!"
"Unfortunately, all too true, Jax," Rip said. "Now, I know it's very late… or very early, depending on how you look at it… but what do you all say to a drink before we have to go our separate ways?"
"You have to ask?" Mick said.
"With this lot? Probably not," Rip admitted with a smile, stepping up into his study. The others followed, and after a moment all had glasses of bourbon.
"Here's to old friends and new," Rip said, holding up his glass and nodding to Holland.
"If not for you we'd have to turn Ray's bedroom into a terrarium," Len said, clinking his glass against the scientist's.
"And we'd need to find a flea collar for Rip," Mick added, smirking at Rip's withering look.
Holland hummed as his whiskey went down. "I'm glad I was able to help. And this is all going to help advance my research. That bacteria did amazing things."
Ray choked a little on his drink. "Amazing?"
"This is where the 'bit of an ass' part comes in," Carter murmured to Len, who snorted.
Oblivious to that interchange, Holland went on, "Yes! It made plants grow where they shouldn't."
Hotly, Ray replied, "Yeah, all over my-"
"Ray!" Kendra interrupted with a laugh.
Finally realizing he'd put his foot in his mouth all the way to the kneecap, Holland held his hands up apologetically. "I'm sorry. I realize that must have been traumatic. But just imagine what might be achieved in environments hostile to plant life!"
"Turning deserts into gardens," Rip mused.
"Exactly," Holland said. "If I can get the funding to follow up."
"I have some good news for you on that," Kendra said. "I… or rather, Hawkgirl, mentioned something about your work to an angel investor at the Bacchus party. Remember Mr. Two Left Feet, Ray? He was very interested in your work, Alec, and said he'd be calling you."
Holland's eyes bugged. "Really?" He started patting his pockets. "Damn, I left my phone in my truck. I've got to get it before I miss that call!"
He stepped out of the study and turned toward one passageway, then the other, before turning back to the others. "Uh, which way out?"
Jax chuckled, putting his glass down. "I'll show you," he said.
"Thanks," Holland said gratefully. He nodded to the rest of the team. "It's been… interesting."
He got a variety of nods, waves and salutes from the others, then followed Jax off the bridge. Once they were out of sight, Ray said, "He didn't thank you, Kendra."
She shrugged. "Doesn't matter, as long as he can keep our secret."
"About that," Rip said. "He won't have to. In a little while he won't remember anything from the past 24 hours."
"You slipped him an amnesia pill!" Sara said with a grin.
"Sneaky, Rip. I like it," Len said admiringly.
"I think you've been hanging around these two too long, Captain," Carter said, pointing to Len and Mick.
"You're not the only one around here who can teach," Len chuckled.
"The Snart and Rory School Of Petty Larceny," Stein gibed.
That got a mock glare from Len, who said, " Grand Larceny, if you please!"
"The only thing I want to learn from Mick," Kendra said, "is how to make those crème brûlées."
"Next time, Birdgirl," Mick promised.
"Mick Rory and open flames on board my ship," Rip groaned. "I don't think my heart can stand the strain!" Then he chuckled and put his glass down, extending a hand to Carter. "It was good working with both of you again."
"Same here, Rip," Carter answered, shaking Rip's hand while Kendra approached Len and Sara. She stretched her arms out to hug them both.
"Take care of each other," she told them.
"You two do the same," Sara replied, motioning between Kendra and Carter. He nodded as Kendra drew back. Then, with a challenging glance at Len, Carter pulled Sara into his arms and dipped her for a quick kiss. As he swung her back up, she laughed and told Kendra, "Not bad!"
Len mock-scowled at her. Sara smiled and wound an arm around his waist. "You're better," she reassured him, stretching up to kiss him soundly.
"Here we go with the mush again!" Mick complained good-naturedly as the kiss lingered.
"Oh, don't try to fool us, Mick. We all know you're a big marshmallow inside," Kendra said, giving him a brief hug before turning to Ray.
"I hear you were quite the hero last night," Ray told her. "Sorry I missed it."
"Thanks for being my hero on the dance floor," she said, hugging him as Jax jogged back onto the bridge.
"Dr. Holland is on his way," he reported.
"We should be too," Carter said. "It'll be daylight soon."
They finished their farewells and headed out of the ship. "Do you miss it?" Carter asked quietly as they walked down the ramp.
"I miss them ," Kendra said, waving one last time to Len and Sara before the ramp closed.
Carter hummed thoughtfully. "Listen, Kendra, I know you came here because you didn't want me to try to figure this life out on my own."
She turned to him and slid her arms up around his neck. "Carter, that's why I came here. But it's not why I stayed."
He smiled and pulled her close for a kiss as the Waverider lifted off and soared into the predawn sky. As it disappeared back into the time stream, Kendra suddenly started smiling and then giggling against his lips.
He pulled back with a raised eyebrow. "I kiss you and you laugh ?"
"I just remembered what Mick was talking about before," she said. "Steve Martin and King Tut?"
Carter blinked, then started laughing himself. "Well, I guess that proves they got the artifacts back!"
Still chuckling, they unfurled their wings and flew home.
"I never did get my selfie at Louis Armstrong Park," Raymond said as the ship entered the Temporal Zone.
"Maybe you can get Rip to bring you back after we drop the artifacts off," Len told him.
"Actually, I think I can do better than that," Rip said, pressing some buttons on his console. "Gideon, you have the coordinates I want."
"Yes, Captain. We're on our way."
The Waverider flew out of the time stream into a nighttime sky, with many electric lights twinkling below. "That doesn't look like ancient Egypt to me," Jax observed.
"No, it isn't," Rip confirmed. "Gideon, we'll need period-appropriate evening wear, please."
"Another monkey suit?" Mick complained as they walked off the ship, pulling at his collar. Gideon had once again produced tuxedos for the men, and a fringed blue flapper dress for Sara.
"Still won't kill you, Mick," Len told him.
"Where are we, anyway?" Sara asked, adjusting her feathered headband. "I'm guessing the 'when' is the 20s."
"Correct, Sara. May 8, 1927, to be more precise," Rip replied, adjusting his bow tie. "As to where... this is the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago. Let's just head around this corner and… ah! Here we are!"
Ray's mouth dropped open as he stared at the marquee before them. Stein read aloud, "The Sunset Cafe presents…"
"Louis Armstrong and His Stompers," Jax finished.
"I don't believe it," Ray finally squeaked.
"I thought you might like hearing Satchmo in person," Rip said smugly. "Unless you'd rather I take you back to the park for that selfie?"
Ray's head whipped to the side and he stared at Rip, mouth open. Finally he managed to say, " Hell , no!"
He hugged the captain enthusiastically, then motioned for the others to follow him into the club. Sara looked at Len and winked. "Wanna dance, Leonard?"
"With you, pretty bird? Always." He offered his arm to her, and they followed the others, smirking at each other when they heard Ray say, " Totally worth getting turned into spinach for a night!"
Alec Holland blew out a sigh as he parked in his space at St. Roch University. For the life of him, he couldn't remember why he'd wanted to get such an early start today.
In fact, he couldn't remember much about the last day. When he'd looked at his phone, he'd been startled to see it was Monday morning already.
And it was drizzling.
Typical Monday.
With another sigh, he slid out of the truck and grabbed the torn tarp sitting on the passenger seat. He also didn't remember bringing it in from the lagoon, but at least he'd remembered to bring it with him to school. He might have lost some rainwater samples, but even the dried algae on the tarp might be useful. He needed something, anything, to get more funding for his research. Things were getting perilous indeed when even red beans and rice were getting too expensive.
He was so lost in thought and worry that he didn't pay attention to where he was walking, and caught his foot on a curb. He fell, dropping the tarp as he put his hands out to catch himself. He hissed as the wet asphalt tore into his palms.
Gingerly, he pushed himself up to his knees, then back to his feet, looking at his hands. The heels of them were bleeding slightly. "Typical Monday," he sighed, using his fingertips to pick the tarp up again before heading into his teaching lab.
Not noticing the shimmer of moisture-activated bacteria sliding over the cloth to his fingers, then zeroing in on his wounded palms.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
And here we are, at the end of this particular adventure. I was going for an episodic feel, and I hope it worked.
Comments are, as always, greatly appreciated!