Inside the hotel room, Jack Kadere buttoned his shirt with unhurried precision, then sat casually at the edge of the bed. His gaze settled on Sara Lance, who had just entered alongside Diana and Donna Troy.
"Let's get the facts straight," Jack began, his tone calm but edged with mockery. "The first time we crossed paths, you dragged me to Themyscira—Paradise Island—and threw the timeline into chaos. For instance, Wonder Girl—Donna Troy here—shouldn't even exist at this point in history.
"The second time, you lost Hawkman and ended up in my custody. I got the Disciple, then let you go out of sheer generosity." He smirked faintly. "And now, third time's the charm: you show up telling me that Ray Palmer—the Atom—Mick Rory—Heat Wave—and half of Firestorm, meaning Professor Martin Stein, have all been captured by the Soviets during the 1986 Cold War."
Jack leaned forward slightly, voice dipping into sarcasm. "So tell me, Sara… are you really the Legends of Tomorrow, or just the 'Legends of Screwing Up Time'?"
Sara's eyes narrowed, her voice steady. "You can call us whatever you want. But if you help us get them back, you can mock us all you like afterwards."
Jack tilted his head. "Why should I?"
"If Stein isn't rescued," Sara said, her tone hardening, "the Soviets will have the formula for creating Firestorm. That means they'll win the Cold War—and the future you know will collapse."
Truth was, Sara wouldn't have come to Jack if there had been any other option. The prisoners were being held in the Gulag, a brutal Soviet prison camp dating back to the 18th century. No one had ever successfully escaped.
The situation had roots in their very first mission. After the Legends first assembled, they traveled to 1975 to stop Vandal Savage from selling a nuclear weapon. But in doing so, they inadvertently let Savage witness the power of Firestorm firsthand. That encounter set him on a long-term obsession with replicating the Firestorm Matrix.
After parting ways with Jack in Salvation, the Legends had considered repairing the timeline disruption on Themyscira. But reality had already solidified around the new events—trying to change it again risked catastrophic temporal backlash. So, they stuck with their primary objective: hunting Vandal Savage.
In 1986, their search led to the discovery that Savage was secretly funding Soviet scientist Dr. Valentina Vostok. Her pet project? Operation Svarog—a direct attempt to create a Soviet Firestorm. The name came from Slavic myth, the god of fire—a fitting title for a weaponized nuclear meta-human.
The Legends' brilliant plan? Tell Vostok that her mysterious benefactor was an ancient warlord and mass murderer.
The result? A total disaster. Not only did they fail to sway her, but the mission ended with Palmer, Rory, and Stein in Soviet custody—Stein's knowledge making the success of Operation Svarog far more likely.
Now the remaining team members were in no position to mount a rescue. Rip Hunter, despite being captain, was no more than an above-average shot with a sidearm. Hawkgirl—Kendra Saunders—was still deeply shaken by Hawkman's death, her fear of Savage leaving her nearly useless in battle. Firestorm couldn't even form without Stein, rendering Jefferson Jackson powerless.
That left Captain Cold—Leonard Snart—and Sara Lance herself. A thief and an assassin—skilled, yes, but woefully outmatched against an entire Soviet stronghold.
With no options left, Sara had turned to Jack Kadere. He was dangerous, unpredictable, and had once hijacked their timeship, the Waverider—but he had also proved capable of impossible feats. And right now, impossible was what they needed.
Jack chuckled after hearing her full explanation. "You know," he said, "part of me wants to see it happen. Soviet Firestorms flying around? Could be entertaining."
Sara's expression hardened. "You know the saying—'with great power comes great responsibility'? You have the ability to stop this from happening. You could save the world, save Star City from whatever chaos Firestorm might cause in the future. If not for yourself, what about for my sister? What about Felicity?" She was appealing both to his reason and whatever emotion she thought she could reach.
Jack tilted his head, unimpressed. "You actually believe that line? Do you know how miserable one guy's life turned out because he believed it? His adoptive father died, his girlfriend almost ran off with someone else, he worked himself into the ground every single day, and in the end… he died. Whether he'll ever be brought back is still up in the air. So no—just because I can save the world doesn't mean I have to. By that logic, since I can also destroy the world, should I go ahead and do that too?"
Sara stepped closer. "If this Soviet Firestorm really does emerge in the future and takes control, a lot of people you care about might not survive. Are you willing to risk that?"
Jack's lips curled into a knowing smile. "That's why I said I'd like to see it. I never said I wouldn't help."
Sara let out a slow breath, her tension easing. "Then let's not waste any more time. We should leave now."
"Just tell me when and where," Jack replied.
Sara quickly gave him the coordinates and timeframe before turning back toward the Waverider.
Jack glanced over to Diana and Donna Troy. "Either of you coming along?"
Diana hesitated before shaking her head. "No. I just received word from Athena—it wasn't Ares who caused the fall of the gods. It was the Firstborn."
Jack's brow arched. "The Firstborn? Zeus and Hera's first son? If I remember right, there was a prophecy that he'd step over the corpses of the gods to claim his father's throne. Zeus tried to prevent that by casting him into the wilderness to die, but he survived, returned to Olympus, and then Zeus had him thrown into the depths of the earth. That about right?"
"You remember?" Diana asked, surprised.
Jack smirked. "Not the important part. What matters is, you're about to meet the other gods again. Since you've got business to handle, I won't take you with me this time. We'll cross paths later." He gave a last glance toward Donna, then walked out of the hotel with her in tow.
Diana watched him go, wanting to call after him, but the words never came.
"He'll come back for you," Donna said suddenly.
Diana turned, puzzled, only to see Donna smirk knowingly. "Maybe when he's in love with you. Or maybe after he stops being in love with you."
Diana frowned slightly.
"If he loves you," Donna continued, "he won't be able to stop himself from coming back. If he doesn't, he'll still return—just for the thrill of it. Love or no love, he'll come back. It's only a matter of when."
Diana didn't know why Donna would say such a thing, but right now, she had no time to dwell on it.