2166 - The Second Blitz
In London, ships rain down
fire on the people. Soldiers move in killing anyone in their paths.
Vandal Savage strides forward with his forces, having conquered the
entire planet. A woman is protecting her son and Vandal's soldiers gun
her down. Vandal asks her son what his name is, and the boy introduces
himself as Jonas. The villain says that Jonas' mother was brave but his
father was foolish, and asks which the boy is. The boy spits on him, and
Vandal smiles and kills him.
Time Master Council
Rip Hunter addresses the Council and says that Vandal is the greatest
tyrant in human history. He wants the Council to stop him, warning that
if they don't then the blood is on their hands. The Council Spokesman
warns that their responsibility is to protect the timeline, not humans.
The other councilors warn that they could very well unleash a far more
terrible despot and that they're not warriors. Rip asks for a single
timeship and permission to change history to stop Vandal.
After the Council refuses their permission, Rip walks out and tells his
AI Gideon that the decision went as planned. He goes to his timeship, Waverider,
and has Gideon set course for Star City in the year 2016. When the AI
wonders what they're going to retrieve, Rip has it pull up files on the
eight men and women who will be joining them because this time he'll
need a team.
First Recruit: Ray Palmer – the Atom
Atom shrinks down and and flies into HIVE's secret computer lab, and
the guards move in. Oliver Queen, monitoring the situation, tells Atom
that he can handle them. The hero enlarges to normal and blasts the
guards unconscious with his suit weaponry, and Rip applauds his efforts.
He then blasts Atom unconscious.
Second Recruit: Sara Lance
In Tibet, Sara Lance is drinking in a tavern. A man attacks a waitress,
and Sara tells them to let the woman go. When the man objects, Sara
throws her glass, stunning him, and comes over to take him out. Another
man joins the fate and Sara easily subdues him as well. Rip comes in and
stuns her.
Third and Fourth Recruits: Martin Stein and Jax Jackson
In their merged former as Firestorm, Martin and Jax fly over the city
of Pittsburgh and take on terrorists at a chemical plant. Martin offers
advice to Jax's controlling conscious. They land and they argue until
rip stuns them unconscious.
Fifth and Sixth Recruits: Kendra Saunders and Carter Hall
In St. Roch, Hawkgirl lands and Hawkman complains that her flying
almost got them killed. She points out that two months ago she was a
barista. Rip walks up and stuns them.
Seventh and Eighth Recruits: Len Snart and Mick Rory
Captain Cold and heatwave run out of a building and take out the
guards. They drive off in a minivan with the police in hot pursuit, and
Rip appears on the road ahead of them and fires his energy gun.
The eight recruits wake up on a rooftop and Rip introduces himself. He
says that he disabled their weapons and explains that he needs their
help to defeat Vandal. Carter points out that they destroyed him several
weeks ago, and Rip explains that Vandal can be restored from a single
cell because of his immortality. Using the power he has amassed over his
long life. Vandal conquers the world in 2166. Rip claims he has been
assigned to assemble a team to travel through time and capture Vandal
before he grows into the monsters he becomes. Len and Mick point out
that they're not heroes, and Rip says that all eight of them aren't just
heroes... they're legends. He can't reveal too much about their own
futures, but he is there because each of them is destined for greatness.
Rip plays a hologram of Earth in 2166, devastated by Vandal's attack,
and hopes that they won't let him and the world down. He gives them a
card and tells them to meet him at the address in 36 hours if they
agree.
Atom finds Green Arrow battling the HIVE Ghosts and
lends a hand. Afterward, he explains about Rip's offer and Oliver warns
that Rip is recruiting villains as well as heroes. Ray admits that he
trusts Rip and says that the world thought he died. Nothing happened and
the world didn't care, and now he has the chance to save the world.
Oliver agrees and warns him to be careful.
Kendra is packing to
leave and Carter reminds her that Vandal has killed them 206 times. He
warns that she's tried running away before and it didn't work, and it
hurt every time he lost her in the past. Carter figures that they can
defeat Vandal with the help of the others, and says that the woman he's
loved over the millennia would be afraid. He suggests that they settle
matters like warriors, and Kendra agrees. Carter is sure that she can't
beat him, and they fight.
At the Arrow bunker, Sara and Laurel
are sparring after Sara explains about Rip's offer. Laurel agrees that
she should go, and Sara reminds her sister that she's still recovering
from her "death" and resurrection. She says that after Sara died, she
found a channel for her grief by taking on her sister's legacy as Black
Canady. Laurel tells Sara to be a hero in the light: the White Canary.
She reveals the costume that Cisco made, and tells Sara that she doesn't
need a mask because she's lived in the shadows long enough.
At
their hidden lair, Mick argues with Len about accepting Rip's offer.
Mick has no desire to save the world, and Len points out that they can
use time travel to steal the most valuable treasure in history. The
hot-tempered villain agrees but warns that he won't be anyone's hero.
In his office, Martin points out to Jax that they have to be together
for their powers to work. Jax isn't interested in Vandal killing them,
and Victor says that he respects his decision. He hopes to persuade Rip
that he take his services as a physicist and offers a toast to saving
the world. Once Jax drinks it, he realizes the drink is drugged just as
he collapses.
Martin drives to the empty lot at the address,
and the others arrive. Rip arrives and says that they can be on their
way and removes the holographic cloaking device on Waverider. As they board the timeship, Martin has Mick carry Jax on.
Aboard the timeship, Ray and Martin discuss the technology and Ray
reminds Martin that he was once his student. Martin doesn't remember him
at all. Rip introduces Gideon, which explains that it pilots the ship.
The Time Master explains that Vandal has hidden his movements throughout
history, but he knows the location of Professor Aldus Boardman, who is
the world's only expert on Vandal. Gideon lies in a course for St. Roch
in October 1975 and Rip tells everyone to strap themselves in. They take
off as Jax wakes up, and tries to unfasten his harness as they blast
off into the time stream.
In the lot behind them, a temporal
bounty hunter, Chronos, arrives and informs its superiors that it is
closing in on Rip's position. There are two witnesses and he kills them
once he determines they aren't integral to the timeline.
Waverider
arrives in 1975 and cloaks, and the recruits deal with the side effects
of time travel. Jax demands to go home, and Rip tells Sara, Mick, and
Len to stay behind while the rest of them help him find Boardman. Ray
suggests that it might not be a good idea to leave the criminals on the
timeship, but Rip ignores him. He warns that Boardman will die in less
than 24 hours, and they're cutting it close so they don't disrupt the
timeline. Boardman is found dead of unknown causes. Jax prefers to stay
aboard the ship.
The team goes to the college and Boardman's
lecture hall Boardman is dozing at his typewriter, and recognizes Carter
and Kendra from his researches. Rip says that he's a fellow historian
there to discuss Vandal.
Aboard Waverider, Mick is
watching TV and Sara suggests that they go get a drink. Len agrees and
heads out, but tells Jax that he's not ready to run with them.
Boardman explains that Vandal was secretly in love with Kendra in her
first life. She was in love with Carter--Prince Khufu--and Vandal was
consumed with jealous rage. He murdered Kendra and Carter, and Kendra
prayed that Horus would protect them. Vandal's life was bound to them by
the same radiation from the meteorites, and every time he kills them
the radiation passes to him and maintains his immortality. Carter
realizes that they met Boardman in their past lives, and he explains
that he first knew them after World War I. Kendra was Edith Boardman:
his mother. Kendra doesn't remember him, and Boardman shows her a photo
of them at the World's Fair.
The professor says that he was 10
when Carter and Kendra were murdered. Vandal found them in a motel in
North Carolina, and the couple hid Boardman in a closet just before
Vandal arrived. Boardman explains that Vandal hides in the shadows near
the seat of power, and he has an educated guess to where Vandal is.
Len, Mick, and Sara go to a bar and Mick puts on a song. Sara dances
and a man comes over and tries to take her out to the parking lot. When
she refuses , the man grabs her and Sara breaks his wrist. He comes back
at her and Sara takes him and several other men out as they join in.
When a few more arrive, Sara asks Mick and Len for help.
On Waverider, Jax tells Gideon to take him back to 2016. Gideon refuses just as Chronos opens fire on the ship, trying to get in.
Boardman gives Carter a journal and says it will help him find Vandal.
Martin clutches at his head and says that Jefferson is in trouble. Rip
quickly leads the team out and says that they have to get back. Kendra
and Carter refuse to leave unless their son comes with them.
On
the timeship, Jax tries to get Gideon to fire back. The AI warns that
only Rip can authorize the use of weapons. The Hawks arrive and attack
Chronos, and Rip fires on the bounty hunter. Martin runs back to the
ship to bond with Jax and Rip provides cover fire. When Martin is grazed
by a shot, Ray runs over and helps him to the timeship. Inside, Jax and
Martin merge into Firestorm while Ray dons his exo-suit. Meanwhile,
Chronos prepares to finish off Rip but Len and the others arrive and
knock him over with their car.
The team opens fire on Chronos,
and a stray shot hits Boardman. The Hawks get him aboard and Gideon
warns that Boardman has received extensive injuries. Rip has the
timeship take off and it departs into the time stream. They hide out in
limbo to make repairs and Rip complains that they're already messing up
the timeline. Kendra punches him and says that Boardman is hurt because
of Rip, and Rip says that Chronos works for the Time Masters: his former
employers. When he says that he has resigned as a Time Master anymore,
Sara punches him. The team realizes that Rip lied to them about being
legends, and Rip says that he recruited them because their lives have
minimal effect on the timeline. He points out that they can't operate
the ship if they kill him, but insists that he told the truth about the
mission. Ray wonders what Vandal did to Rip, and he explains that the
Time Masters forbid marriage. He fell in love with a woman in 2166 and
they had a boy, Jonas. Vandal killed his wife and child, and thousands
of other families. The Time Masters turned a blind eye, and Rip refuses
to do the same. Rip offers to take them home if they wish once the
repairs are completed. Martin suggests that they all take time to
consider their options.
Carter and Kendra go to the medbay to
check on Boardman. He gives Kendra a locket that belonged to her, and
Kendra says that she remembers it. In the hallway, Kendra thanks Carter
for supporting her decision to bring Boardman aboard.
Martin
apologies to Jax for drugging him, and admits that at his age he didn't
know how many grand adventures he has left. Jax says that he saw him run
for the ship and figures that he has plenty of adventures left. He
suggests that he'd like to stay on because his greatest moments as a
football player was when his teammates made sure he was protected. Jax
likes being part of the time, and Martin agrees.
Ray tells
Sara, Mick, and Len that there's nothing to think about because Rip
knows they don't make any difference. He refuses to be insignificant,
and Sara points out that Rip said in his future, they're nobodies.
However, their mission is changing the future... and their own fates.
Ray and Len agree.
As Rip makes repairs, Carter and Kendra
arrive and say that Boardman is dead. Kendra says that it was her fault
for bringing him back, and Rip says that many things can't be changed.
The others come in and Ray says that they're going to earn their
rightful places in history. His teammates agree that they will decide
their own fates, and Len says that he and Mick are in... for now. Rip
has had Gideon lay in a course based on Boardman's journal.
In
Norway, Vandal and his men kill a group of soldiers. Vandal goes to a
crate and opens it, revealing a missile that he plans to use to start a
new war.
Written by Gadfly on Jun 23, 2019