The ship shook, sending sparks flying from the wiring. Alex's knuckles were white from gripping her seat, Ray's eyes closed as Gideon maneuvered the Waverider through the fire.

They lurched forward, the metal seatbelt digging into her collarbone.

"We're gonna need to find a safe place to set down, Gideon!" Rip called to the AI, rubbing his temple.

"I don't believe there are any safe places, Captain," Gideon announced, apprehension in her voice.

Alex tightened her grip again and yelled over the commotion, "Are we over London yet?!"

"What's left of it." Rip called back, the ship shifting violently to the left.

Jax was the next to speak up, "Why's London shooting at us?"

Alex groaned in pain as the Waverider shifted again, this time to the right to avoid the bright laser fire headed their way.

"It's Savage's forces that are doing the shooting," Rip explained, "Here in 2166, they've subjugated most of the globe."

"Great," Alex muttered under her breath, turning toward Ray. She intertwined her fingers with his and closed her eyes, listening to the bickering between her teammates.

"Maybe picking up here wasn't the brightest idea." Sara's voice entered the conversation, Alex had to agree.

"Unfortunately, we no longer have the luxury of blindly searching for Savage throughout history!" Stein reported, and Alex found herself worried for the old man. What if he never made it back home? He hadn't even said a proper goodbye to his wife. Alex's eyes shot open again, sending a sympathetic smile toward the professor, which he returned with a tight-lipped one.

Rip was next to speak, "Indeed; we have to target Savage at the time and place that we're certain he will be, which is--"

"Right before he wastes your family," Mick cut the Captain off before meeting the disgusted eyes of his teammates, "What?"

"Not the time Mick," Alex scolded, the pyro rolling his eyes at her response.

Rip's shoulder's tensed, and he stared out into the artillery filled sky, "Yes, Mr.Rory, Savage will kill my wife and son in three days' time, but we can save them and the world by stopping Savage now."

More explosions rattled the hull of the ship before ceasing, a peace settling over them as Gideon's voice rang over the intercom.

"Captain, I've managed to slip beneath their artillery fire." The AI informed them. Alex leaned her head against the back of her chair, sighing in relief.

Rip removed his seatbelt, his duster swishing around his heels, "Set us down on the outskirts of the city, Gideon," He ordered, "Near the encampment of the remaining resistance forces"

Alex removed her seatbelt as well, preparing herself for Rip's next orders. Before she could ask, Stein cut her off.

"I realize your family is in jeopardy, but perhaps some deliberation--"

"We really don't have the time, Martin!" Rip raised his voice, catching the entire team off guard,
"According to Gideon, Savage is going to be out in the open tonight vulnerable. Now, in order to capture him, I require the services of--"

"A killer, klepto, pyro, and bringer of justice?" Mick smirked sarcastically, turning around to face Alex. She rolled her eyes, already knowing the answer based on the look in Rip's eyes.

"Bingo."

***

Savage's speech was all too reminiscent of another dictator Alex had encountered in her lifetime, and she didn't like it one bit.

"There's no way we can grab him here," Sara whispered in her ear, and Alex nodded.

"He's too well guarded,"

Leonard leaned in, "Especially with an army standing between us."

"Shh," Mick cut them off, his face written with annoyance, "I'm trying to listen to this guy. He gives a hell of a speech."

Alex shook her head, staring forward at the man they were supposed to apprehend, "So did Hitler."

Victory cries rallied around her, her stomach churning at the blind loyalty surrounding her. It made her sick.

"Present arms!" Savage called, ordering his army, "Quick time. Move!"

Kendra's voice rang in her ear, a shot of irritation rushing through Alex's veins as she spoke, "All set on our end. Jax is in the Jumpship, ready to extract you guys."

Alex tightened her grip on the gun.

"Especially if-" Leonard interjected, "and by--if, I mean when--this thing goes south."

A blonde woman caught her gaze, her thick lips curling upward into a familiar smirk, Leonard shifting beside her.

"Savage's lady friend just made us." Leonard drawled, sharing a worried look with Alex.

"And she doesn't look happy about it either," She announced, but Rip seemed unfazed.

"Have faith, Mr.Snart" He urged, the first group of soldiers following after Savage.

Alex followed behind Rip and Sara, keeping in perfect time with the rest of the soldiers as they followed Savage and the blonde beside him.

They followed him through the building, their steps bringing them closer to justice, Mick and Leonard a few feet ahead of her.

"If we don't move real soon, we could get ourselves killed," Mick muttered into Leonard's ear, Alex hearing every word as she trailed the two.

Leonard leaned in, "How about we play this like Chicago?"

"Could work."

Alex rushed forward, risking her cover to try to keep the two rogues from going...well, rogue.

"You two have something you wanna share with the class?" She poked, hoping to get a sense of their plan before it all went south.

Leonard sent her a smirk as he walked backward, pulling her behind a pillar, "Just let us do our thing Girl Scout."

Mick stuck his foot out, sending Rip collapsing to the floor and alerting the rest of Savage's guards to their presence, Sara joining them behind the pillars.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Sara whisper yelled, her question going unanswered as the guards began to fire at them, Rip finally firing back.

The sound of the cold gun charging as Leonard began to throw around orders.

"We'll take Savage," He announced confidently, "You tie up the guards."

Sara and Alex shared a look of exhaustion before jumping out, the brunette unleashing the retractable sword she carried around with her.

It clanged against Savage's lieutenant's swords, and she found herself barely able to block the onslaught of blows. She was grateful for Sara, together the two of them would be able to catch the other woman off guard, but when she saw the blonde sweep her foot underneath Sara, she paused.

Someone had taught her Amazonian combat.

Alex clenched her jaw, accelerating her blows as Sara recovered from the blow, Kendra's voice was an unwelcome distraction, and only served to make Alex angrier.

"Sara, the woman you're fighting you need to take her bracelet."

Alex rolled her eyes inwardly as she blocked another blow from the woman, using her strength to push the blonde back against the pillar, Sara saying what she was thinking.

"Are you seriously jewelry shopping right now?"

Savage's blonde guard swept her sword horizontally, and Alex tucked her arms in as she flipped to the side, her foot colliding with her assailant's stomach, sending the woman to the ground.

She picked herself back up and continued her assault, Sara's staff slapping the blonde's cheekbones, where Leonard was waiting with his cold gun.

"Fall back!" Rip called, and the team did as they were told.

Leonard hesitated, eventually letting the charge die and freeing the blonde woman.

Alex scoffed as the jumpship picked them up. "Never could resist a pretty face could you?"

Leonard smirked knowingly and she shook her head.

This was going to be harder than she anticipated.

***

The punching bag moved inch by inch, signaling that she was back in control of her strength, not that it helped.

She landed another kick, the synthetic material smashing against her bare skin, the sensation cooling her down from her general frustration.

First, Leonard and Mick had gone out on their own. Then, Kendra had decided to stick her nose in the fight, distracting her and Sara, and to top it all off, Savage had apparently trained the woman she was fighting in the Amazon fight style.

That had been her ace in the hole. Her surprise.

It was such a lost art form nobody knew how to defend against it. It was their best-kept secret and Savage had somehow gotten his hands on an instruction manual.

Her strikes accelerated, and when she flipped into a roundhouse kick, her foot sent the punching bag flying.

Sweat dripped down her back, the sports bra doing little to cool her down from the heat of training. The towel provided some relief, but not much, and the sound of the door opening made her sigh in frustration.

She turned around, facing Leonard's perceptive gaze. Guzzling down what was left in her water bottle, she faced the rogue.

"What do you want Leonard?" She panted, her ponytail swinging against the nape of her neck, curls bouncing around her face.

Snart pressed forward, joining her on the bench. "I came to tell you that Rip wants you to accompany him and Raymond at the refugee camp," He informed her, clutching his hands together, "And I came to see how you were doing."

Alex scoffed, downing more water and wishing it was alcohol. "I just want this to be over," She sighed, using the towel to wipe the sweat from her brow. "I'm tired of chasing after Savage over and over again only for him to be just out of reach," She stood up, biting her lip and crossing her arms, "And now he has a woman trained in my move set on his team, and that makes it--" She drew her fists together, fingernails digging into her palms in frustration, "That much harder to get to him."

A thoughtful look passed over Leonard's face before he stood up. For a second Alex thought he was going to hug her, but she knew better. Instead, he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, his silence saying everything she needed to hear.

"Be careful," She breathed out, recalling his own mission, "That blonde bitch is a beast,"

Snart smirked at her words, "Don't worry, I've got my own way of dealing with her."

Alex chuckled softly and watched him exit the room before throwing on her shirt and following him out of the training room.

She met the rest of her teammates in full armor outside the Waverider.

Jax and Stein were apparently coming on this mission too, not that Leonard had told her.

"Thank you, gentlemen and Lady, for accompanying me on this excursion." Rip responded gratefully, the five of them moving forward toward the refugee camp.

It was feeling all too familiar to her first time experiencing the world of man as a newly trained warrior.

1944, the thousands of refugees she and her mother had encountered on the outskirts of London, no one to care for them.

"Oh, no problem," Jax began sarcastically, "I just love hiking through the woods in the middle of World War III."

Alex didn't chuckle at his words. Because this was exactly what war looked like. Only Savage was fighting with lasers and photons instead of guns and tanks.

Goosebumps erupted across her skin as she recalled the thousands of dead bodies scattered about the camps they had raided, their pale bodies shoved into ditches like they weren't even human.

To the Germans, they weren't.

She swallowed her memories and focused on the war before her. It was the last place she wanted to be, but it was where she was needed.

"What if, instead of encountering these resistance fighters," Stein began, trying to think strategically, "we meet up with more of Savage's forces?"

"That's what we're for," Alex responded, no hint of a smile or humor on her lips as she said it.

Rip nodded, his response cut off by several people yelling in their direction and surrounding them.

Knowing they were outnumbered, Alex brought her hands up behind her head.

A woman approached them, removing her mask and brandishing her gun at the newcomers, "Give me one good reason why we shouldn't blow you straight to hell." She growled.

Rip pressed forward, his face solemn as he gave their excuse, "My wife and son live in Whitechapel."

The leader dropped her gun, a sympathetic look crossing her face at the news, "It was hit hard."

"I know," Rip nodded, "The same fate will befall you if you don't accept our help."

The leader brought her gun back up to the face the group of Legends, "How do we know you're not with Savage?"

Alex had to give her credit. She was smart not to trust them.

"Because if we were, you'd be dead right now," Rip deadpanned, moving forward again, guns cocking at his steps, "Look, feel free to shoot us, but from the looks of it, you could use all the allies you can get."

The leader nodded at her fighters, signaling for them to drop their weapons and let the group in. Alex let out a sigh of relief and followed the resistance toward their camp, a lump forming in her throat as she caught sight of the refugees.

Their belongings were few, and what they did own was scattered about in small pockets, a poor attempt to claim some sense of home in the large group of people.

Trash can fires were lit every few tents, children and elderly huddled around them trying to get warm.

Most of them were covered in ash and blood, trailing down their faces, eyes rimmed with purple and red before quickly flitting their stare away from the newcomers.

The tents were made out of blankets that had been poorly sewn together and then placed over a pole before being nailed to the ground. There weren't enough for the number of people Alex had encountered, several women and men sleeping outside in the freezing weather so their kids could have the luxury of the tent.

Coughs erupted around her. Sickness seemed to be rampant in the camp, and she drew her cloak closer to her, feeling horrible as she did so.

She was here to help them not avoid them. But the sight made her want to gag, and she could already feel her stomach turning over.

"Whitechapel fell 11 days ago,"  The Leader announced solemnly, "We have a lot of refugees. You think your wife and son are among them?"

Rip's response pulled Alex out of her stupor, "Sadly, I'm confident that they're not," He swallowed his grief and pressed on, "Still, we would like to help in whatever way we can."

The Leader nodded, showing them to an unused trash can fire, "Very well, get yourselves acclimated, and I'll rejoin you shortly."

She disappeared and Alex warmed her hands by the fire, ignoring the sick feeling in her stomach or the coal sized lump forming in her throat.

She was back at war. Exactly where she didn't want to be ever again.

"All right, what are you all playing at?" The resistance leader had left her tent, anger ablaze in her eyes, "I retina-scanned the four of you. There's no record of you anywhere," She pointed at Rip, "and you and your friends disappeared 150 years ago." She then turned to Alex, "May I just say, It's an honor Miss Prince, but I don't think any of us were expecting Wonder Woman to live an extra 150 years."

Alex shook her head, "I'm sorry, I think you may have me confused with someone else,"

Before she could get any more answers, Rip cut her off, "Believe me when I tell you it would take about that much time for us to tell the whole story. But the most important thing is that we get as close to Vandal Savage as possible."

The Leader sighed, placing her hands on her hips, "No one gets close to Savage, especially not now. Some idiots made an attempt on his life earlier tonight," Alex and Rip shared a look at that news, both regretting that decision, "He's gone to ground in the citadel's bunker and he's holed up good and tight."

Alex crossed her arms, "So we draw him out,"

Before the leader could object, her radio went off, a distress call coming in, "Delta Camp is under attack. Taking heavy fire. We need air support."

The hike to Delta camp took less time than she expected, but it didn't make the site less horrifying. Thousands of bodies lay strewn about the ground, skulls crushed into the dirt.

Impact craters littered the camp and the faint smell of gunpowder lingered in her nose.

"There were no survivors from the attack." Ray murmured, horrified by what he was seeing. Alex couldn't blame him.

"No," Rip agreed solemnly, "whatever weapon Savage used against the rebels was quite effective."

Ray turned to her, a renewed sense of hope in his gaze, "Maybe Professor Stein and I should survey the wreckage, analyze some soil samples, determine what kind of weaponry Savage is using," He announced, "Alex you should help too, you might know something we don't, Until we figure out a way to thwart his firepower, the rebels are as good as dead."

"They already are," Alex responded, unable to tear her gaze away from the scattered bodies before her.

***

The door to the brig swished open, her steps the only sound either of them heard.

"So, you finally came to see me," Cassandra Savage smirked, her face exactly like her father's.

Alex crossed her arms, tilting her head to try and see what was so special about the woman before her.

"I had to Savage's daughter," Alex shot back, "See what scum the bastard was able to reproduce."

Her smirk disappeared, jaw clenching at her words. "My father--"

"Taught you how to fight like an Amazon," Alex finished, smirking at the caged blonde, "Smart of him, teach you my move set, a way to cover all his bases,"

Cassandra's smirk reappeared, raising her chin haughtily. Silence hung between the two women before Alex moved forward.

"I know what you're going through," She finally decided to play her card, "Dead parent, the other forcing you to become a warrior in order to protect yourself, that was my whole life." Alex sighed, never letting her gaze waver, "But it doesn't have to be yours."

Something shifted behind the blonde's blue-eyed gaze, Cassandra staring down at the floor as she contemplated Alex's words.

The Amazon had planted the seed. Now Leonard would do the rest. She was almost out the door when Cassandra stopped her.

"He named me for you," She announced, bitterness staining her voice, "My father named me Cassandra because he wanted me to be the greek warrior you were, and when I wasn't..." She trailed off, gulping quietly, "My Mother's name was Alexandra, and since he couldn't name me that, he chose the next best thing."

Alex resisted the urge to smile. She already resented Savage, the pieces were all there. It was that blind loyalty that had been instilled in her that was keeping her from changing.

"I hated you for so long," Cassandra admitted, anger rumbling in her throat, "And I won't change just because we share the same sob story,"

Alex said nothing but let her stew, the door swishing shut behind her.

***

"Savage's superweapon isn't an explosive!" Ray announced excitedly, stirring Alex from her nap. She lifted her head off the book she had been examining, trying to keep herself awake as Ray and the Professor traded theories.

"The exact conclusion I've just come to after examining soil samples from the attack site" Stein agreed in a similar eureka moment, "How did you determine it?"

Ray smiled, pointing upward, "Gideon--she found a defunct spy satellite," He swiped upward on the tablet, projecting the satellite photos on the computer, "Look at the photos here. This is the camp." He swiped to the right, "And here is the camp, destroyed. Look at the impact craters. Sort of squint your eyes. What do they look like?"

Alex stood up, joining Ray and Stein in examining the craters.

"Are you sure those are craters?" She asked, squinting her eyes, "They look like--"

"Oh, my God," Stein cut her theory off, eyes growing big, "Those are not impact craters,"

Ray zoomed in on the picture, his smile never leaving his face as he turned toward his research partners, "They're footprints,"

At the sound of that, a rumbling stirred the ground beneath them, shaking the bottle of whiskey one of the end tables.

It hit her in the chest, shaking her body as her pulse began to race. Wasting no time, she grabbed her jacket and ran.

The refugees wouldn't know what was coming. They needed a safe haven. And the only safe haven nearby was the Waverider.

Silently, she sent a prayer up to the gods that she would get there in time.

***

Alex was helping the final refugees board the ship when the ground shook a little bit harder, the door closing behind the last family boarding.

She rushed to the bridge, the ship taking off as she ran down the hallway, colliding with Ray as he was headed the same direction.

"What's going on?" She asked, holding onto his arms for safety. Ray's grip tightened around her shoulders and he shook his head.

"Savage sent his giant robot after us,"

They entered the bridge just in time to see a bright glowing ATOM suit five times the size of the Empire State building enter the Waverider's vision.

"Holy shit," Alex murmured.

Sara's mouth fell open, "That's--"

"Incredible." Ray finished, a wide smile on his face. The ship turned to the side, evading the robot's grasp, and Alex held onto the table for support.

"Fire!" Rip ordered, "Now!"

The ship's weapons did little against the giant before them, and the sound of metal clanking against metal rang through the ship.

The hull was groaning in pain as more sparks flew from the wiring.

"Hold on to something!"

Alex's grip switched to one of the support beams of Rip's office, Sara grasping the other one.

More metal clanking was heard, and a boom came from the hallway.

"Now might be a good time to start praying." Rip spoke ominously, gripping his Captain's seat.

With terrifying force, the ship was hurled through the air like a discus, a scream leaving Alex's mouth as they entered free fall, part of the beam coming loose as they crashed, her head slamming the metal ground.

"Alex!" Ray's voice was like thick cotton in her ears, breaking through the ringing. She pushed herself upward, her body feeling like it was moving through a bowl of molasses. Her vision cleared enough to catch sight of Ray helping her up. She shook her head, hoping the ringing would go away soon.

She stumbled slightly, leaning on Ray for support before regaining her balance again.

"Gideon, what's our status?" Rip asked defeated.

"I'm gonna go with "lousy." Sara piped up and Alex had to agree.

When she tried to talk, the only thing that filled her mouth was bile, and she choked it back down.

"Hey, hey," Ray soothed, slipping his arms underneath hers to support her, "We have to get you to the med bay,"

Rip nodded, and the two headed out, slowly trotting down the hallway. Alex leaned into Ray's arms, relishing in the warmth they provided. Her vision was finally beginning to clear up and she could see the med bay in its entirety when he placed her in one of the chairs.

"Gideon, run a full body scan please," Ray almost sounded worried, his foot tapping against the floor.

Alex wanted to chuckle. How many times had they done this? Been in the med bay when one of them had been injured? It was beginning to seem like a routine.

"Miss Prince seems to have a grade one concussion, her symptoms should disappear in five to ten minutes," Gideon informed them, and Alex grasped her head in pain, the ache starting to settle in.

"You okay?" Ray asked, creasing his brows in concern. Alex nodded.

"I will be once I have some aspirin," She joked, trying to diffuse the tension. Ray chuckled along with her, pulling out a Ziploc bag from his bag, handing her a couple of the white tablets.

Alex lifted her brows in surprise, "So what? You just carry pain killers with you?"

Ray's small laugh made her heart flutter, "After the Pilgrim, I decided not to take any chances, besides my back still hurts."

Alex popped the pills, swallowing them dry, the ache subsiding. "My hero," She joked. Their moment was interrupted by a wounded Stein being carried into the med bay, a piece of shrapnel stuck in his abdomen.

"What happened?" Alex's tone turned frantic, jumping up from her position on the seat. Rip turned to the two of them, "Professor Stein was injured during the crash, I need you two to go check on the civilians,"

Alex and Ray nodded, leaving the med bay to check on the refugees they had brought aboard, Jax following close behind them.

Making sure all of the refugees were comfortable took less time than they thought, and both she and Ray had the same idea.

They had to seek out Rip.

They found him in the captain's cabin, slowly drinking himself to death.

Alex leaned against the pillar she had grabbed for support earlier, crossing her arms disapprovingly.

"How are repairs coming?" Ray asked, a hopeful gaze on his face. Even in the darkest times, Ray Palmer was always the optimist.

"They're not," Alex interjected, "Are they?"

Rip shook his head, "Not in 30 minutes, which is about as much time as we have." He stood up, swaying as he brought the bottle of scotch down on the table, "We brought all those people on board, and all we've bought them is an extra few minutes to live in fear."

"Well, I guess the question is," Ray continued, "What do we do with those minutes?

"The ship is crippled!" Rip yelled, his voice growing hoarse, "Everyone aboard is as dead as my--"

"Family," Alex cut him off, catching the sorrowful look in his eye. She bit the inside of her cheek, trying to keep her own tears from pouring forth. She was probably never going to see her family again, never going to see her friends again, but that wouldn't stop her from trying.

"I overheard your guys' conversation," She admitted, recalling how Rip was adamant that the universe didn't want his family to live. "Fate isn't a straight line Rip, it's bullshit my ancestors made with a loom because they didn't like that the gods were in control." She tore into him, "Fate is a construct we've built because it's easier to give up than to keep fighting, you say the universe wants your family dead, but I don't think that's true."

"I don't believe in fate." Ray announced from her side, trying to comfort their broken captain, "I believe in choices. And we can choose--we can choose to fight, even if the fight may be futile." He met Alex's eyes as he said that, a soft smile tugging on his lips, "We can save your family, Rip," He turned back around to face their Captain, "It's not impossible. All we have to do--"

"Is kill Vandal Savage," Rip spoke, defeat still lacing his voice, "the chances of which appear to be fading."

"Not anymore," Kendra announced, causing Alex and Ray to straighten up at the sight of her. Awkwardness filled the cavernous space between the couple and the demi-goddess, letting her explain her plan, "I figured out how to do it."

Leonard leaned against the other pillar, "And my new bestie and I can get us in."

Alex rolled her eyes at the idea of Leonard Snart and Cassandra Savage actually being so-called 'besties'.

A smile crept across Ray's face, his eyes lighting up, "And I think I've got a way to stop the giant robot that's coming to kill us."

***

She ran into him on her way to the exit of the Waverider, the two caught each other off guard as they bumped into each other.

"Oh my god," She responded involuntarily, the same time Ray went to apologize.

Alex chuckled softly, "You don't have to be sorry, I wasn't--I wasn't looking where I was going."

Ray laughed with her, the two settling into a gradual silence before Alex broke it.

Her breath hitched, moving closer to the scientist, staring at her hands. She couldn't look at him as she said this. She would cry if she did.

"Ray--"

He pulled her in for an embrace, hand cradling her head as she tightened her arms around his torso.

"Don't--" he whispered into her hair, his breath tickling her ear, the heat turning her skin red, "Don't you dare say goodbye, not now."

Alex squeezed her eyes shut, letting a few tears slide down her scrunched cheeks, "I won't," She whispered back. They pulled away, both wearing the same glassy expression.

"I just--" Her voice caught in her throat, unable to say anything more. "Promise you'll come back to me."

"Alex--"

"Promise me please," She grasped his hand in hers, Ray's gaze dropping at the gesture, fixated on their intertwined hands, "I can't--I can't lose anyone else," Her voice broke, the high pitch sounding like a scared child, "Please Ray, promise you'll come back."

His other hand reached up, brushing a stray curl behind her ear, thumb pressed against her cheek, brushing the skin back and forth, his eyes fixed on hers.

"I promise."

She let out a sigh of relief, pressing her lips against his cheek and pulling him in for one final embrace before they left for their respective missions.

Alex looked over her shoulder one last time, watching Ray disappear down the hallway, never looking back. Her throat constricted, heart pounding as she prayed to the gods that he survived.

***

Alex was practically hugging the wall as they waited for Cassandra's cue one when to reveal themselves. Sara was beside her, clearly not that happy about this plan either and that was the only reassurance Alex needed to get through this.

She couldn't stop thinking of Ray. If he was okay. If he had survived the Leviathan attack.

He promised he'd come back she told herself, you can't do anything else but wait.

"Call them" She heard Savage growl, "Call the ones that you no doubt helped gain access to my bunker."

Rip and Leonard were the first ones to reveal themselves, "No need to trouble yourself, Miss Savage. We're already here."

Alex and Sara knew this was their moment to join in as well, and they did so in full armor, Mick prepping his heat gun as he met Rip in the middle.

"Oh, I admire your command of irony, Gareeb." Savage smiled slyly, "Using my own child against me."

Leonard cut off Rip's response, "Sorry to say it didn't take much."

"None at all, you ass." Mick quipped.

Cassandra clenched her jaw, anger ablaze in her eyes, as she moved to join the Legends, "They showed me the truth of what you've done. The innocent--"

"Do not speak as if you know anything about ruling a people!" Vandal yelled, cutting her off like a true father, chastising her with every word, "Do you really want to align your fate with these...pretenders? They're nothing but grains of sand in the desert of time."

Alex drew her sword and shield, godkiller feeling perfectly balanced in her hands as she twirled her wrist, ready to fight off whatever forces Savage brought.

Cassandra pressed forward, words dripping with hatred, "You are a monster."

Vandal's eyes were wet, face creased in pain as he stared at his only daughter, now the person who had betrayed him. The expression melted away and he stood up, like he was hearing some call that no one else could hear, "She's here," He murmured, his sneer taking up all the space on his face, "I can sense her. You do realize that she can do me no harm?"

Mick charged his gun, "Clearly, you didn't get the memo."

The glass of the bunker broke, Kendra swooping down and grabbing Savage by the collar, throwing him into another room.

Alex pushed forward, slicing the legs of one of the soldiers and sending a sweeping kick under the other. She spun around, shield colliding with another guard's face.

Her bracelets bounced the blaster fire back at them, putting several of them out of commission as she moved to cut through another man's gun.

"Alex!" She heard Rip call. She ceased her movements, her shield blocking the blows as she caught the Time Master's gaze. He gestured toward the room Kendra had thrown Savage into. She nodded and used her strength to push the soldier back, her shield sending the man flying into the wall as she slid underneath the firing lasers, sword slicing the arm of the man closest to the room, his wails ringing in her ears as she joined Rip.

They arrived just in time, Kendra was towering over Savage, one hand threatening to choke him, the other wielding the coated mace.

"Kendra, what are you waiting for?" Rip asked what Alex was thinking, "Finish him!"

Savage said something that she couldn't make out, but was clearly gesturing to the unconscious body on the floor. Alex drew her attention to where he was pointing and froze, leaning down to inspect the face of the soldier.

"It's Carter," Alex murmured, and Rip turned at the news.

Alex caught sight of a red beeping on his belt, and scrambled up, checking to see if the silent alarm had been heard.

It had.

She moved back into the room, eyes wide, "reinforcements are coming." She urged, sending a look at Kendra.

Did she have what it takes? Was Kendra a killer?

The woman was torn, anguish creasing her face, but for Alex the choice was clear.

"If I kill Savage, his mind will be lost." Kendra sobbed, her voice cracking at the thought of losing Carter again.

"And if you don't," Rip began, his tone urgent, "I will lose my wife and son."

Alex moved forward, placing her hand on Kendra's shoulder, hoping her words would help, "Kendra, one more blow and this is all over," She promised, hoping the woman would understand, "We can take Carter back with us, rehabilitate him ourselves,"

Something crossed Kendra's eyes, and Alex's chest constricted. It wasn't looking good.

"This is what we came here to do!" Alex urged, her tone turning frantic, "You can end this and still save Carter, I promise."

"She lies," Savage choked out, "I am--the only one-- who can save him."

Kendra's breathing grew heavier, clearly torn between her teammate and the man who was manipulating her.

"Well, my love, what's it gonna be, huh?" Savage taunted, a sly smile on his face, "Come on!"

Kendra screamed in anguish and backed away, dropping the mace to the floor, "I can't," She sobbed, looking past Alex toward their Captain, "I'm so sorry, Rip. I can't."

That was it then. They had finally lost.