(Scenes from Legends of Tomorrow Season 4, Episodes 13 and 14)
Neron has been vanquished thanks to Miss Darhk and Mr. Constantine. The outcome is bittersweet at most. For one, Desmond has severed all ties with the sorcerer because he sent him to the abyss. He knows he won't be forgiven, but it doesn't hurt less. The other reason involves Miss Darhk. She is magically concussed from the conflict. Mr. Constantine promises that he'll find a way to wake her up. At the same time, Dr. Palmer visits her with a fresh bouquet of flowers. This has continued for three days and counting.
In the meantime, the Legends and the Time Bureau are at peace since their respective leaders are together again. Captain Lance and Miss Tomaz are currently retrieving a mummy from 1961 California. Mr. Rory is walking through the Galley, carrying a basket of "dirty laundry". As he exits, he declines Charlie's offer of brew. Dr. Palmer portals back from the Time Bureau in a panic. He bumps into the arsonist, which makes him drop his basket. The astrophysicist copiously apologizes and sprints to the lab. During this time, he's gripping his right hand as if it has a mind of its own. Perhaps he has alien hand syndrome. Mr. Rory angrily picks up the scattered assortment of fan mail he has secretly collected. Charlie opens one; inside is an invitation for "Rebecca Silver" to attend Romanti-Con 2019 as honorary guest and speaker. As an incentive, the committee is giving "her" $20,000. The moonlighting novelist refuses as he "doesn't do cons". The shapeshifter gets him to change his mind by saying she'll masquerade as Rebecca.
I have detected an aberration in the timeline. It is in 1933 New York. With the captain still at the Bureau, I let the alert be. Dr. Heywood pops into mind when I read the words "Adventurers Society". They are a group of voyaging archaeologists who search for historical discoveries. As I speak, he and Miss Tomaz have arrived. They are taking on the mission because Captain Lance and Director Sharpe are preoccupied. This is clearly planned. However, the director did invite her to Book Club tonight. Following the text backsliding, the hacker and the historian have been engaging in a cringe-inducing flirtation. They decide to rally the other Legends to dodge the awkwardness. Dr. Heywood fetches Dr. Palmer in the lab. The astrophysicist rejects the invitation since he is crafting a vaccine. Believing it's for Miss Darhk, his best friend tries to comfort him and receives a rather uncomfortable hug.
In the parlour, Charlie debuts her "Rebecca Silver" look to Mr. Rory. She is wearing a twist-out, a red blouse, a zebra print jacket, a black mini-skirt, and stylish slippers. He switches the beige glasses with a red cat-eye one. Other than that, he likes the guise. Miss Tomaz also admires it as she walks in. She informs them about the assignment and requests them to join. They dissentingly leave after the shapeshifter tells the computer specialist to check her closet for the "naughty little number [the captain] has left for [her] to wear". She sighs, "Gideon, plot a course to 1933 New York." Already set. The sharp yet reluctant pair disembark once I've landed the Waverider at their destination. Along with their costumes, Captain Lance has arranged their cover stories. Their aliases are Dr. Henry Jones Jr. and Marion Ravenwood. An "Indiana Jones" inspired mission / first date.
Charlie and Mr. Rory have taken the jumpship to present-day Seattle. Meanwhile, Dr. Palmer is testing his new vaccine on himself. He is alarmed that the "infection" is spreading in his body. He calls, "Gideon, where in the timeline is John Constantine?"
"His last known whereabouts were in 2019 with Gary Green," I answer. "Would you like to connect? What are you doing to me, Doctor Palm—" Before I can get a response, he deactivates my interface with his right hand. 30 minutes go by prior to my reactivation.
"All systems back online," I automatically declare. Upon inspecting the ship, I found a messy lab and a bruised Dr. Heywood stumbling out of the Galley. A portal opens in the bridge; Captain Lance, Director Sharpe, and Miss Tomaz have a golden boulder-sized egg with them. "So, Zari, those were some big moves back there," the captain extols.
"Yeah, you were really brave," the director agrees.
"Thanks," the modest hacker says.
"So, why are you scared to make a move on Nate?" As Miss Tomaz is about to respond, she sees the injured historian staggering through the west entrance. She gives the egg to Captain Lance and rushes to him while he rests against the wall.
The computer specialist gently places her hand on his shoulder. "What happened?" The captain and Director Sharpe approach them.
He inquires, "Where is he?"
"Who?"
"Ray." A baffled Captain Lance shakes her head. He hisses in pain a few times before disclosing, "Neron's got him." No wonder his right hand was so active. Dr. Heywood divulges how the astrophysicist relinquished his soul to Neron for him. Miss Tomaz takes the historian to the medbay. Director Sharpe returns to the Time Bureau to utilize its resources. The stunned captain pours herself a glass of scotch in the parlour. She and Dr. Palmer not only are good friends, but also two of the original Legends. Captain Lance is alert to Charlie and Mr. Rory's homecoming from Seattle. They arrive with Miss Wu in tow. "Sara, hey," she cheerfully greets. "We got you a collectible RomantiCon tote bag."
As she presents her said souvenir, the arsonist quips, "Who died?"
"Yeah," the shapeshifter entreats, "what's going on?"
The captain sorrowfully replies, "I have some bad news." She relays Neron's reemergence and takeover of Dr. Palmer to them. They are all naturally unhappy about it. Likewise.
I have run a scan on Dr. Heywood. He has several rib fractures, a broken nose, and a black eye. Despite this, he dresses himself to leave. Miss Tomaz is walking by when she catches him. "Whoa, whoa, whoa." She sets the egg under the X-ray machine. "You haven't recovered yet."
"We gotta track down Ray."
The computer specialist seats him on the ergonomic chair. "You will when you're better. I promise." She inspects his facial wounds attentively.
"You don't just throw a man down with these sorts of injuries. It's mean-spirited."
"Don't be a baby." She examines the cuts with her fingertips. "Does this hurt?"
"Yes, Zari," he softly retorts. "It all hurts."
"Where does it hurt, Nate?" Miss Tomaz points at his forehead. "Here?"
"Yeah." Resting her hands on his shoulders, she leans forward and plants a small kiss on his forehead.
The hacker successively grazes his bruised eye with her thumb. "Here?" Dr. Heywood quietly nods his head. She plants another one there.
He murmurs, "I guess there's an upside to getting pummeled."
"You know how I never let anyone know what I'm..." She briefly abstains from gazing at him. "...really feeling?"
"It's kind of your thing," he confirms free of judgment. His eyes remain fixed on her.
The hacker finally kisses him on the lips. She pulls away a minute later, whispering, "That's how I feel, Nate."
"I feel the same." The two kiss again, only for the egg's rumbles to interrupt them. They go near it watchfully. "Gideon, what kind of egg is that?"
I show them the result of the scan on the monitor. "I believe, Dr. Heywood, it's a dragon egg."
"Oh."
"Of course," Miss Tomaz mumbles.
Aside from Neron wearing Dr. Palmer like a body suit, the Legends have another problem on their hands. He has abducted Mr. Constantine. The Legends deliberate what the demon's next move is. "If Neron wanted John dead," Captain Lance surmises, "he would have killed him on the spot. He must need something from him. We must find him before he can get it."
Dr. Heywood wonders aloud, "Who knows what he's doing in Ray's name or his perfectly grass-fed organic butter body?"
"If Haircut's even there," Mr. Rory comments.
"We don't know that Ray is gone," Miss Tomaz reminds him.
"Look, everyone, just breathe," the captain urges. "Gideon's already on it." I have attuned the magic-o-meter to Mr. Constantine's frequency. Once he uses his magic, I can trace its signature to his location.
"And what do we do till then," the historian complains. I'm aware of his anxiety over the missing astrophysicist, but he must be patient.
"Stress eat," the computer specialist prescribes.
"Drink," the arsonist/novelist suggests.
Charlie takes a swig out of her flask. "How'd you lot survive until now?"
"Look, until we hear an alert," Captain Lance instructs, "we wait."
"Right, wait," Dr. Heywood despondently mutters. "I gotta go clear my head." He exits the bridge. Miss Tomaz follows him to the lab. She hears instrumental music playing in the background. "Huh, I've always took you to be more Springsteen than 'The Rite of Spring'."
The historian explains, "It's not for me." He accesses some of his research from the tablet. "I read that classical music is good for babies."
"Wow, this is very... um, impressive."
"Yeah, I found a book about dragons in Constantine's collection." The hacker walks to where the book is. She reads that the egg "must incubate under the mother at her body temperature". Dr. Heywood turns on a heat lamp he has installed over the incubator. "We have to do everything we can to make sure nothing happens to this egg."
Miss Tomaz softens, "Hey, the egg is going to be okay. I know it."
"Wait until Ray sees that we have a dragon."
"He's gonna love it."
"Yeah."
I have good news for the Legends. "I've picked up an alert with Constantine's magical signature." They dash out of the lab. In the bridge, everyone is scrambling to their seats. "The signal is coming from 1.3 million years ago."
"That's the Ice Age," Dr. Heywood deduces.
"He's in the part of North America that would come to be known as the Donner Pass, named after a doomed group of settlers in the 1800s who resorted to cannibalism after their food supplies ran out."
"There is such a thing as too much exposition, Gideon," Captain Lance remarks. She flies the ship in full throttle. I spot two figures moving from below. It is Neron (as Dr. Palmer) and a freezing Mr. Constantine.
"Captain Lance, thanks for coming all this way," the brazen fiend asserts. "If you're looking for Ray, he's, uh, checked out." He's unfortunately on comms. "But if you like to join him, I can make arrangements."
"Sara, open fire now," the sorcerer chatters. "This may be your only chance."
"We can't fire," Dr. Heywood objects. "That's Ray."
"Ray made a deal with a demon. He's gone. We can't lose anyone else to this bastard. Do it."
"How about you," the captain queries.
"Blow us both to kingdom come. I'll be happy to go to hell for the cause."
"Gideon, ready the blasters."
"Yes, Captain."
"Whoa, whoa. Hold up," Dr. Heywood exclaims. "If we kill Neron in Ray's body, we lose Ray forever." He's correct.
"But if you let Neron walk," Mr. Constantine attests, "then things are gonna get much, much worse." Also correct. "Trust me." Captain Lance doesn't know what to do. She and the historian note something's wrong.
"Awaiting orders, Captain."
"Gideon..." Before she can finish, Mr. Rory impulsively dictates me to fire. I was waiting for any orders. In doing so, I have struck a snow barrier instead of Neron. "It's a trap!"
"We gotta move," Dr. Heywood proclaims. "They're getting away!"
"Get us out of here, Gideon!" However, I can't fire up the engine as the Waverider is submerged in an icy pile of snow.
"That's not good," Miss Tomaz confirms.
"By my calculations," I assess, "we're buried beneath 357 feet of ice and snow. Plus, our primary temporal delineator has been rendered nonfunctional with the extreme weather." The Legends are disgruntled by the news.
"Everyone, calm down," the captain lectures. "Gideon, hail the Bureau." I obey her; no one answers the call. "Ava will get the alert. In the meantime, we wait. Gideon, how long until the ice thaws?"
"The Ice Age ends in 11,121 years. Captain, we're running on reserve power. I recommend disabling all nonessential functions to conserve energy for life support."
"Do it," she relents. "We need to be responsible and conserve power. Cut off the main generator, the fabricator, and the thermostat." Yes, Captain.
"Neron is out there with Ray and Constantine all because we fell for his trap." Dr. Heywood accusingly points at Mr. Rory. "Because you fired on Ray."
"And what was your plan, pretty? Beat him to death in a snowball fight?" The arsonist maintains that Dr. Palmer is gone, adding that, when a team member turns dark, "you end them before they end you". None of the Legends has considered that when he went bad. A frustrated Dr. Heywood retreats to the lab accompanying by Miss Tomaz, who's annoyed with Mr. Rory too.
"Rory, you're with me," Captain Lance tasks. "You made the call. You're helping us get out of here." He keeps pace with her outside of the bridge. Charlie, left alone, is convinced that she'll be the first to be cannibalized. She consequentially follows them.
The captain and Mr. Rory are chiseling the ice from the cargo bay. "Ah, this is useless," he groans. "Why don't we just blast a way out?"
"Using your heat gun in here, Mr. Rory, would deplete our low supply of oxygen," I reply.
"Yeah, ease up, Mick," a prickly Captain Lance insists. "Last time you pulled a trigger, we ended up here."
"You're pissed at me for firing on Haircut."
The shapeshifter senses the animosity between the two founding Legends. "Well, it's a good thing that this Snart bloke kept a supply of jackets, though, is it?" Yes, especially since it's 40 degrees here. "And they smell good too." She sniffs the one she's wearing. "What is that? Is it sandalwood?"
Neither of them listens to her diversion. The captain rebukes him, "Look, I'm pissed at you because that call wasn't yours to make."
"Someone had to make it. It was our only chance to take out Neron. I made the call you should have."
"All right, you guys, come on," Charlie intersects. "Just pick away, will you?"
"No, this is good." Captain Lance interrogates Mr. Rory, "Since you now care about the mission, where were you when Neron took Ray?"
He growls, "Oh, you're gonna put that on me as well!" The shapeshifter reminds them that everyone still needs to avoid freezing to death.
"Why did I even ask? Both of you were off scamming people at some book convention the whole time a demon was on our ship."
"Let me get this straight, Captain," the novelist chides. "You're saying that you're the only one who can have fun outside this rusted bucket of bolts?" I take offense to that. "All you do is spend time with the girlfriend, and nothing's ever, ever your fault!"
Her glare is more chilling. "You know what? You have answers." She drops the hatchet to the floor. "You get us out of here." She departs the cargo bay in a huff.
When I turned off the main generator, the electricity went off as well. Dr. Heywood and Miss Tomaz scramble to warm the dragon egg, which the former named "Wickstable" after the dragon he drew when he was nine. The latter recalls the book saying the egg needs skin-to-skin contact. She directly places it under her shirt. The idea works effectively, though she now seems pregnant. "Why does it feel like we skipped the fun stuff to... this?"
"We can still do fun stuff." And did they have fun.
In the parlour, Captain Lance is examining the electrical diagram. "Come on, Gideon. There's gotta be a way to boost the engines." There isn't one without risking our resources. "Ray would know how to read this," she laments. She rubs her palms together for warmth. "How much do we have left on life support?"
"Power reserves are at 34 hours, Captain," I notify.
Mr. Rory strolls in, asking her, "Hey, you got a second?"
"Not now, Rory."
"I actually came here to apologize for, uh, blowing up before." He sits down at the same time as she quizzically turns to him.
"Wow, thank you. And I should never—" Just as she's starting, Mr. Rory charges in to quarrel some more. The captain sees what's happening and rolls her eyes. "Give it up, Charlie." The shapeshifter reverts to her form.
"Why were you wearing my face," he asks her. He then looks at Captain Lance. "And were you about to apologize?"
"Only because Charlie was catfishing me."
"All right, shut up," Charlie tells them. "Do you think Ray would be fighting right now? No, he would be trying to get us out of here." Mr. Rory and the captain realize that she's right.
"He'd always have a plan," the arsonist says.
"All right," Captain Lance decides, "let's search Ray's quarters and see if we can find something helpful." As the two head out, she sincerely thanks the shapeshifter. I'm proud of you, Charlie. The captain uncovers Dr. Palmer's card game. Mr. Rory confesses he misses "hating" the astrophysicist. "You remember that night when we all met, standing on that rooftop, and Rip told us that we were gonna be legends?"
"Mm-hmm, embarrassing." He meditates over that fateful night. "You know what? We're the last of the originals."
"Weird," she comments.
"Yeah, weird."
A framed photo of the original members in 1877 Salvation rests on Dr. Palmer's desk. Captain Lance picks it up and ponders, "Legends were different back then. We were different back then." So much has changed. Rip, Mr. Leonard Snart, Mr. Carter Hall, and Professor Stein are all resting in peace. Jax is now married with a daughter named after the professor. And Miss Kendra Saunders is living quietly with Mr. Hall's latest incarnation. "Look, I know that book convention was important to you. And I'm really glad you got to go."
"I'm glad you have Ava."
"Thanks. Guess we're growing up... and hopefully not apart."
Mr. Rory rummages through a stack of books. A booklet with a yellow warning sign on the cover catches his attention. "Ray Palmer's Survival Guide." He hands it over to the captain. She browses through the pages until she finds the chapter on surviving an avalanche. All suggestions listed were already tried and failed.
She then reads, "If all else fails, remember you still have each other, so enjoy that as long as it lasts."
"So, that's it. We're dead."
"Yep... maybe." While the astrophysicist's words seem simplistic, they cause the wheels in Captain Lance's head to turn. She requested me to call everyone to the parlour. As they reconvene, they anticipate that she has bad news. The captain inversely affirms, "Oh, no bad news and no more fighting. Gideon, fire up the ship."
"If I do that, life support capacity will be reduced by half," I warn her.
"You heard me, Gideon. Turn on the fabricators and the heat." As you command. "I'm thinking s'mores, maybe some hot cocoa."
"The captain's gone mad," Dr. Heywood suspects.
"She's not mad. She's right," Mr. Rory says while drinking a bottle of hooch.
"I could go for a s'more," Miss Tomaz admits.
"Look, Ray would want us to have faith that we will escape," Captain Lance reflects. "He wouldn't want us to be cold and miserable. So, right now, we are going to enjoy our time together. Let's go."
"Finally," Charlie animatedly expresses. "Let's get some music going." The Legends play "Cards to Save the Timeline" in the Galley. Miss Tomaz and Dr. Heywood disclose that they've slept together.
The captain picks up a card. "'A teammate turns on you, lost to the dark side. What do you do?'" That hits too close to home. She reads the answer cards one by one. "'Escape via musical number.' Not this time. 'Fabricate eveningwear and infiltrate a party.' You guys know I love a good party sneak." Captain Lance reads another card. "'Don't give up on each other. Work together. You're more than a team. You are a family.'" Dr. Palmer's words deeply resonate with everyone.
"Well, I guess that card's the winner, then." Charlie slaps her hand on the table. "Point to Charlie. I'm on the board." Suddenly, the Waverider starts quaking.
"The hell was that," Mr. Rory questions.
"Due to your reckless use of our rapidly depleting energy," I expound, "the ship's internal temperature has melted the surrounding ice enough to shake the ship loose."
Miss Tomaz inquires, "What do we do?"
The captain remembers the words on the winning card. "We work as a team. Zari, engine room. Get those thrusters back online. Rory, seal the cargo bay. Nate and Charlie, you're with me." As they travel in separate directions, the engineer carries Wickstable with her. Once they've done what's expected, the Legends strap themselves in the bridge.
"We're running on very low reserve power," I inform. "The odds of us successfully pushing through the avalanche above us are 3,720 to 1."
"Never tell me the odds, Gideon," Captain Lance replies. "Everyone, hold on." She activates the thrusters and the engines. "Come on. Come on." Much to their delight, the ship emerges out of the avalanche intact.
"All systems are back online, Captain."
"Fantastic, Gideon. Now, let's go find Constantine and Ray." We locate them to a Celtic village in 55 B.C.E. The sorcerer is about to end Neron. "Don't do it, John. Don't kill him."
"Don't give up on Haircut," Mr. Rory says.
We watch as Mr. Constantine stands on the threshold. "I'll see you lovely lot at the end," he declares. "I'm gonna save Ray." With that, he freely falls into the abyss. Shortly afterwards, the magic-o-meter detects heightened activity from below. Neron has retrieved the Fairy Godmother before he closes the doorway. The next thing they see is quite unbelievable.
The captain questions, "Wait, is he kissing..."
Miss Tomaz moans in disgust, "The Fairy Godmother."
"Is that tongue," Dr. Heywood points out.
"More singing," Mr. Rory grumbles.
"We're so screwed," Charlie asserts. The Legends are reeling from the ordeal. At that instant, Director Sharpe portals from the Time Bureau. She looks rather winded. "Ava, are you okay," Captain Lance asks.
"It's a long story, but Gary took over the Time Bureau." Impossible. He's the least domineering person there. "He nip-notized everyone." Nip-notized?
"Yeah, you gotta have to explain that," a confused Dr. Heywood states.
"The germ turned," Mr. Rory clarifies.
"Well, it's not just him," the director imparts. "It's Neron and..."
"The Fairy Godmother, Tabitha," the computer specialist finishes.
"She's Tabitha?"
"Yeah, you've missed a lot," the shapeshifter comments.
"And Ray is still in hell." The captain resolves, "I know he hasn't given up, so we're not gonna give up on him. Let's do this for Ray." They begin devising ideas to overthrow Neron, Tabitha, and Agent Green. Oh, bollocks.