Star City: 2016
Waverider lands and Rip explains that due to their destruction of the Oculus, Vandal is lost to history. He's brought them all home because they have no way to kill Vandal now that Vandal is holding Kendra and Carter. Ray and the others object, but Rip says that he'll return their younger selves to the timelines and it will be like nothing ever happened. He explains that he had to bring them back to May 2016 rather than January, and they realize that "Rip" is a hologram. He's still aboard Waverider, and flies the ship away before they can do anything. The hologram apologizes that everything he asked of them came to nothing and wishes them luck before disappearing.
Sara goes to the bunker and finds Quentin there. They hug and then Quentin tells her that Damien is still causing problems... and killed Laurel. Sara breaks into tears and her father holds her.
Central City
Heatwave is working with a new partner armed with Len's cold gun. When Xxx shoots a security guard, Heatwave complains that he wasted ammo and kills him. He picks up the cold gun and gets into the getaway car, and finds Ray waiting for him. Ray says that they should talk, and Heatwave tells him to drive. They drive away as the police arrive and go to a parking garage. Mick says that he likes stealing stuff, and Ray suggests that he maybe Mick wasn't meant to do it anymore. He then apologizes for Len dying instead of him, and Mick says that it was Len's fault. Ray suggests that maybe Len wanted them to be partners and keep an eye out for each other while they finish the mission.
At home, Martin and Clarissa are playing trivia. Martin wins because of his knowledge of history, and Clarissa points out that he rarely talks about his "sabbatical." He says that he left some important work unfinished.
The next day, Martin and Jax go to the field where they left Waverider. Ray and Mick are there, and Sara arrives and asks how they get Waverider back.
Rip is watching the hologram of his family when Gideon interrupts to tell him that they've received a transmission from 2016.
Ray and Martin are working on their communication devices when Waverider lands and Rip comes out. Mick confirms that he's not a hologram, and the team says that the mission isn't over until Vandal is captured. Rip admits that he hasn't found Vandal, but hasn't gotten into trouble, and Mick warns that he's not taking off without us. After a moment, Rip leads them onto the timeship.
Saint-Lo, France: 1944
Kendra runs through the forest until she comes to an American soldier. She explains that she was being helmet, and recognizes the soldier's helmet. Kendra asks for a piece of paper, and says that she needs his helmet. She writes on the paper and puts the note in the helmet, and the soldier puts it on. Vandal arrives and kills the soldier, and Kendra attacks the immortal. Vandal soon subdues her and renders her unconscious with a choke hold.
Once the team is aboard Waverider, Sara punches Rip and then says that he knew Laurel was going to die. She tells Rip to take her back so she can save Laurel, and Rip says that he can't. Rip stuns her and has Mick take Sara to sleep it off. Jax trips over a military helmet, and Rip says that it was put away. He explains that temporal changes can physically move an object from one place to another, and finds Kendra' note inside. He then tells Gideon to plot a course for 1944, and tells the others that Kendra is there.
Aboard his jumpship, Vandal wakes up Kendra. Carter is tied up as well, still recovering from Vandal's brainwashing. He vows to kill Vandal, and vandal takes a blood sample from him and explains that it's the key to unlocking the Thangarian technology that gave them their powers. The Thanagarians sent the meteorites that gave them their powers, and he can use it to erase time, and then return to 1700 BC and gain godlike power for himself.
On Waverider, Rip visits Sara's quarters and asks her not to kill him. Sara begs him to take her back five months, and Rip says that he can't. He explains that when he recruited her, he altered the timeline. If Sara had stayed behind, then Damien would have killed Sara, Laurel, and Quentin. Sara insists that there has to be a way, but Rip warns that there isn't. Crying, Sara says that she can't do it without Laurel. Rip assures her that she's one of the strongest people he's ever met, and she can still save Kendra and Carter. Gideon interrupts to say that they're timejumping to 1944, and Sara says that they're on their way.
Waverider arrives in 1944 and Gideon locates Vandal.
Vandal is standing in the middle of the road when a Nazi convoy arrives. They're forced to truck, and Vandal says that there's something they have that he needs. They prepare to shoot Vandal, who starts killing them with the aid of his men. The team arrives and attacks the remaining Nazis, while Gideon tracks the jumpship. The AI sends Firestorm to it, and he breaks in and frees Kendra. She assures Firestorm that Carter is okay.
While the Nazis occupy the team, Vandal has his soldiers take a Nazi crate to the jumpship. Firestorm leads Kendra and Carter back to the others, but soldiers intercept them and attack. When Firestorm instinctively grabs a gun barrel, it dissolves. Carter knocks out the soldiers, while Martin tells Jax that he transmuted the molecular properties of the rifle. As they fly off, one of Vandal's soldiers shoots Kendra and she plummets back to Earth, unconscious. Rip orders the team to fall back, and says that they will rescue Kendra eventually.
Once Waverider departs into the timestream, Carter takes in the ship's controls. He doesn't remember his life as Carter Hall, and Carter describes what Vandal said about the Thanagarians. Gideon plays surveillance footage of Vandal opening the crate to reveal a meteorite, and Jax recognizes it from 1958. Carter tells them that Vandal plans to go back to 1700 BC.
As Martin leaves the bridge, Jax asks him to help him repeat the transmutation they performed earlier. Martin finally gives in and realizes that Jax has selected Ray and Kendra's lucky vase to transmute. They merge and Firestorm focuses, but the vase shatters. The two men split apart and Martin suggests that they need a Nazi to duplicate the original circumstances. He then gets an idea and realizes what Vandal is planning to do.
Martin and Jax go to Rip's office and Martin explains that Vandal plans to detonate each meteor in a different time period. Destroying the Earth three times would create a temporal paradox, returning Earth to the point of the first chronothermic reaction: 1700 BC. 1958 was the year of a rare alignment with Earth and Thanagar. The 1944 meteorite is useless to Vandal without the alignment, and the planets are in sync are 1975 and 2021. Since Vandal is immortal, he can detonate all three meteorites.
Harmony Falls: 1958
Outside of town, the future Vandal meets with his counterpart of that time, while Kendra watches from the car. The future Vandal says that he's going to give his past self a use for the meteorite that will let them alter the course of destiny. He then hands his counterpart the vial of blood.
On Waverider, Martin says that they have to kill Vandal. The radiation from the meteorites makes Vandal vulnerable, and he will receive triple exposure from detonating the three meteorites. Once Vandal is mortal, they split into teams of two and kill Vandal in the three different periods.
St. Roch: 2021
Vandal has his men open the Nazi crate with the meteorite while Kendra is forced to look on. When they go back to 1700 BC, he will be the pharaoh. Rip and Hawkman hide nearby, and wait for the other teams to reach their position.
Harmony Falls: 1958
The teenagers find the meteorite and Vandal steps out of the shadow. Atom and Heatwave head for the location, and Ray reminds his partner that the meteorite will go critical when Vandal starts the ritual in all three time periods.
Norway: 1975
White Canary, Jax, and Martin watch as the team takes on Vandal at the weapon sale. Nearby, Vandal kills the man who has brought the meteorite while nearby, Firestorm absorbs the nuclear blast. Vandal then pours the blood on the meteorite and begins the ritual.
In the other two periods, the Vandals begin the ritual as well. As Atom and Heatwave prepare to attack, one of Vandal's bird creatures prepare to attack them.
Rip and Hawkman attack Vandal's men.
Firestorm and White Canary attack the 1975 Vandal.
Atom fights the bird creature while Heatwave attacks Vandal.
In 2021, a soldier shoots Hawkman. Enraged, Kendra bursts free and attacks.
In 1975, Vandal fires a missile launcher at the team and then attacks White canary. She deflects his knives and he says that she's too late, and White Canary attacks him.
In 2021, Hawkman recovers and yells a warning to Rip, just as a soldier shoots him over the edge. However, Rip lands on Waverider and it raises him up. The Hawks leap over the edge and attack Vandal together.
In their respective periods, Heatwave, White Canary, and the Hawks take down Vandal and kill him. Rip grabs his Vandal and drives Kendra's knife into his chest. Vandal says that his death won't save the lives of his family, and rip shoves him into a nearby generator. There's a burst of energy and Rip tells Vandal's corpse to never speak his family's names again.
The meteorites in all three periods start glowing, and in 1958 Atom miniaturizes the meteorite.
Firestorm concentrates, Jax and Martin working together, and they transmute the meteorite into water. Gideon takes both teams back to their teammates in 2021. The final meteorite is glowing, and Firestorm tries to transmute it. Atom's suit is out of power, and Rip warns that the meteorite won't destroy time... but it will destroy Earth. They turn to Rip, only to realize that he's aboard Waverider. He brings the meteorite aboard and flies the timeship off, and explains that he's flying Waverider into the sun. Rip says goodbye to his teammates, and refuses to let anyone else die for his choices. Heatwave says that he doesn't want to lose another friend, and Rip says that it's been an honor to serve as his captain before the radio cuts out.
Rip pilots Waverider into the sun as the timeship collapses around him. There's a burst of energy... and Rip hears his family calling to him. The ship is frozen in time, and Miranda and Jonah are on the bridge. Rip hugs his family as Waverider falls into the sun.
Rip snaps out of his momentary dream and Gideon says that it's still there. The AI says that it's not ready to die, and Rip agrees. He has Gideon transfer all available power to the time drive and get ready to eject the meteorite.
20 Minutes Ago
The team turns to Rip, only to realize that that he has disappeared and so has Waverider. They board the ruined ship and Rip explains that he ejected the meteorite into the sun and then timejumped away. The team goes to the bridge and Rip says that his journey is just beginning. With the Time Masters rendered powerless, someone needs to be responsible for the timeline. Rip asks if any of them would like to join him.
Star City: 2016
Sara and Quentin go to Laurel's grave, and Sara apologizes for not staying to help against Damien. Quentin assures her that her time travel mission is important, and Sara says that family is also important. She explains that Laurel convinced her to go the first time, and now she's going to do it for her. Quentin tells his daughter that Laurel would be proud of her, and he knows because he is.
Clarissa and Martin are playing trivia, and he says that he's declined the invitation to a new sabbatical. She says that it's important that he accepts, but Martin refuses to leave his wife. Jax comes in and says that they're meant for changing history. Clarissa agrees and hugs Martin.
Central City: 2013
Mick goes to a strip bar and joins Len at the bar. Len wonders why Mick is staring at him , and says that he came in response to Mick's message. Mick says that he just wanted to talk, and just wanted to make sure he said what he had to say. Len snaps at him and Mick says that Len is the best guy he's ever known. He tells his friend that he's a hero to him, and Len says that he's got it. Outside, Mick joins Rip and Ray, and says that he's fine. Rip says that he can bring Mick back again if he wants, and Mick tells him to let it be.
Star City: 2016
Everyone arrives to meet Rip, and Kendra and Carter say that they're going to start fresh and see what happens. Kendra thanks all of them, and Ray wishes them nothing but the best. Once they fly off, the others prepare to board the timeship. However, another Waverider crashes nearby. A man steps out of the ship and asks the team if it's May 2016. Once they confirm that it is, the man says that Rip is exactly where he said he would be. He tells them that they'll die if they get aboard Waverider, and says that Mick told him that. When Rip wonders who he is, the man says that his name is Rex Tyler: a member of the Justice Society of America.
Written by Gadfly on May 24, 2016