FOUR| TRUST ISSUES
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THE TEAM WERE GIVEN ORDERS by Captain Hunter to break into the Pentagon to steal a file that is known to have Savage's whereabouts. Lana was informed she had to stay behind for this mission, so she used this time to attempt to fix her time courier. At this point, she was over the past and wanted to head back home to her time. It was clear she wasn't gonna be able to make any progress with her father. He was cold and distant. He didn't like her nor did he trust her. The harder she tried to get to know him, the farther he pulled away from her. This whole trip was a waste of time.
Lana examined the broken time courier carefully. Thankfully, some of the pieces were still intact and not completely destroyed. The only problem was Lana didn't know much about the technology behind time travel or much about technology in general. Her aunt Zari would usually handle all the couriers and the Waverider itself. She should have paid more attention when she hung out with her in the lab.
The doors of the lab opened and Evelyn wandered into the room. Lana glanced over her shoulder expecting to find Rip but was surprised to find her mother. She assumed that the team must of got back from their mission. The former forensic scientist smiled at her, and Lana returned her smile shyly. She then turned her attention back to the pile of scrap on the desk.
"Any luck?" Her mother asked.
"Nope," she replied defeatedly.
Evelyn walked up to Lana. "May I?" She asked Lana for permission to take a look at the damage. Lana gestured lazily to the broken device, and Evelyn observed the time courier from beside her daughter.
Lana studied her mother. It was odd how the energy between them was so different now. This was still her mother...just a younger version of her. Her mother was like her best friend. They shared everything with each other no matter how uncomfortable it was. Well...everything besides her father. It was too painful for Evelyn to talk about Leonard, so Lana eventually stopped asking. But now that Lana is a stranger to her in this time, being around her was uncomfortable. She felt on edge around Evelyn and she didn't like it.
"Good news is it's not too bad," Evelyn told her trying to be optimistic. "You should have Raymond take a look. Technology was always his forte."
Lana nodded her head considering her mother's suggestion. "Yeah, maybe I should ask Ray."
Evelyn smiled brightly. "But right now, we're needed on the bridge."
Lana followed her out of the lab onto the bridge where the team appeared to be bickering amongst themselves. She wasn't surprised in the slightest. She wondered how they even made it as far as they did. All they seemed to do was argue.
"You have access to 60 years of knowledge and experience. Why not just take advantage of that?" Stein said to Jax who was clearly upset with him. Why? Well, Lana had no clue. So, she stood beside her mother and watched them fight with crossed arms.
"Because it's my body on the line out there, not yours!"
"Hey, it's not your fault," Said Sara before she muttered under her breath a snide remark about Kendra. "Everything would have been fine if Big Bird over here hadn't freaked out."
"Excuse me?"
"Enough," said Rip. "There is plenty of blame to go around. Now, fortunately, Gideon was able to generate a low-end EMP, which erased all the Pentagon's magnetic media."
"Like security footage?" Ray asked with a childlike glee in his eyes. Lana smiled at his innocence that hadn't seemed to be lost in the future.
"Look, you're just lucky that the Department of Defense likes to keep incidents like this under wraps," he warned the team before he spoke to the artificial intelligence. "Gideon, any luck with our purloined secret file?"
"Please, say yes," he whispered to himself.
"Yes, Captain. According to the Pentagon, Savage has deflected to the Soviet Union."
Martin huffed at the idea. "So the most powerful evil the world has ever known has just gone red at the height of the Cold War."
"And now he's gonna help them cook up something that kills the future," added Ray.
"Gideon, set a course...for the Soviet Union."
"Why would Savage want to go to the Soviet Union for global domination if he didn't rise to power until 2166? What does he have to gain?" Lana asked Rip, but before Rip could reply Snart scoffed gaining everyone's attention.
"As if you don't know," he said coldly.
Lana glared at him as she turned to face him fully. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means, you should know all about his plans given you're clearly working for him," he accused and her jaw dropped at his outlandish claim. "Admit it, you're a spy."
"I'm not working with Vandal Savage!" She quickly surveyed the team who all—apart from Jax and Rip—seemed to be on Snart's side. "I told you who I was."
"Did you?" Leonard said sarcastically as he pushed himself off the wall and walked toward the center of the room. "I know you don't work for the TVA. In fact, I asked Gideon to gather anything she could find on the organization. Turned out, the TVA only exists in a comic book."
Damn it.
Leo looked to Rip Hunter who eyed Lana with a newfound sense of suspicion. "Surprised you didn't check your sources. Sloppy, Captain."
Snart smirked at Lana who stood there dumbfounded. All eyes were on her, and she didn't know what to say. "Nothing to say? No, surprise there."
"Okay, Leo," Evelyn said as she pleaded with him to ease up just a little. She wasn't upset with him for what he did since she understood his reasoning. But he promised her he would ask Lana privately, not interrogate her in front of everyone.
Snart shrugged Evelyn off and continued with his means of getting answers. "You wanna tell the class who you really are?"
"Please—" Lana begged him with tears forming in her eyes. She can't tell him she's his daughter it could have consequences on the timeline.
"Well, I asked Gideon last night to do a deep dive for anything concerning you. She said it would take a little time since she had little information on you to go off of. I think it's safe to say she's got you figured out."
"Gideon?"
"I have successfully found valuable information on Lana's identity, Mr. Snart."
"Your last chance," Leo said to Lana who slowly shook her head.
"Please, I can't."
"Gideon."
"Lana is—"
"I'm your daughter," Lana blurted out with tears streaming down her face, and the room fell silent. It was obvious that she could no longer keep this a secret. They were gonna find out anyway, might as well come from her.
Leonard's face was so pale he could pass off as a ghost. The team looked back and forth between the two of them. Sara was trying to figure out how she didn't put it together sooner. Kendra, Stein, and Jax were looking for all the ways they resembled one another. Mick looked confused as always. Ray attempted to wrap his head around the fact that Snart actually had a kid. And Evelyn, well, she was just praying Lana's was hers and not some mystery woman.
"I'm sorry, what?" Rip broke the silence, and Lana roughly wiped away her tears.
"I'm his daughter. Well—" she gestured to both Leo and Evelyn who stood beside one another. "I'm their daughter."
"Gideon," Rip called out to the A.I. for confirmation on her claim.
"It's true, Captain Hunter. Lana is indeed Mr. Snart and Ms. Sutton's daughter."
"Why are you here?" Asked Stein. "Surely, there must be a reason you came back to this point in time?"
Lana knew she royally messed up. Her identity was revealed; however, she couldn't come clean about her reasoning for coming back here. If she told them the truth, the timeline could be altered drastically. And if there was anything she learned from her Uncle Barry's mistakes, it's that sometimes the timeline is better left alone no matter how painful it may be. What if she told them about his death, and by preventing it, she could lose one of the other legends. They are her family. They raised her and she couldn't repay them by getting them killed because she was selfish. It was risky, but she knew she had to lie yet again.
Lana closed her eyes momentarily and exhaled. She prayed her Uncle Mick's lessons stuck. "I stole my mom's time courier to come back here and meet you," she told Leo. She thought it was best to give them half of the truth.
"Why would you have to go back in time to do that?" Asked Ray.
"Because he's missing in my time," Lana lied but the tears she shed were real. She hoped that they help convince the team so they stopped asking her too much questions. She turned to her parents. "You vanished when I was three. We've been looking for you for years. You're lost in time. Mom, the team, we haven't stopped searching for you. I don't have much memories of you, so forgive me for wanting to know my father."
Leo took one last glance at Lana who stared at him like a wounded puppy before he stormed out of the bridge. Lana's heart broke at his reaction. She didn't know what to expect, but she didn't think he would refuse to acknowledge her or the situation.
Evelyn slowly walked over to her daughter. She gently cupped Lana's face in her hands and rubbed her tears away with her thumb's delicately. Evelyn fought back tears of her own as she pulled away from her.
"I'm sorry," Evelyn whispered. "I need some time to process this." The scientist followed after her fiancé and the team slowly dispersed after her haste exit.
"Rip," Lana approached the time traveler. "Please, understand. I mean, you're doing all of this for your family."
"What is it exactly that you are asking of me?" Rip asked her defeatedly. This went against everything he was trained for. "You being here can have major consequences."
"All I'm asking is for our deal to still be valid," she said then gave him a sad smile. "I'll help you stop Savage, and in return you let me stay, fix my time courier, and get to know my father."
"Lana—" he said with sympathy in his eyes, but Lana cut him off before he could protest.
"I swear, I'll keep any knowledge of the future—of their futures—that could affect the timeline, even in the slightest...to myself. I swear it...just please, Rip."
Rip sighed heavily. After what felt like eternity for Lana, he nodded his head. She smiled softly. "Fine, but the minute you being here starts to cause detrimental consequence, you have to go back."
"That's fair," Lana agreed before she extended her hand out for Rip to shake. He studied her hand momentarily then he shook it solidifying their agreement.
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Lana sat down on the floor of the cargo bay. Her back rested on the wall and her knees were brought up to her chest. She didn't know what to do now. How could she be around the team? She hoped the awkwardness would fade soon.
"You're wanted on the bridge, Miss Snart."
Lana glanced up at the sound of Gideon's disembodied voice. "I am? By who?"
"Captain Hunter requests your presence for a mission."
Lana sighed as she pushed herself up to her feet. "I'm on my way."
"I would like to offer you an apology, Miss Snart. It appears your father has severe trust issues. Even if I had lied for you, it was only a matter of time before he asked your mother to hack into my database and archives for what I discovered."
Lana smiled sadly. "It's okay, Gideon. It's not your fault."
"Give him time," said Gideon softly, and Lana was shocked out human she sounded.
Lana joined Rip and the rest of the boys on the bridge. It appeared as though Evelyn was helping Sara teach Kendra how balance out her powers and emotions. It made sense to Lana, Evelyn was a metahuman with empathic abilities. A gift she passed down to her, although, she hasn't mastered them yet. Lana still struggled with her powers.
"You called for me," Lana said to Rip announcing herself to the boys. She took notice of how her father refused to meet her glance. The rest of them actually smiled at her, which eased her nerves. Hopefully, they'll keep any of their questions to themselves for the time being.
"Yes, do you know anything about Ms. Valentina Vostok?" He asked her as he slid the file of the mystery woman in her direction.
Lana placed a hand on the file to keep it from slipping off the table. For once, Leo actually looked at her as he awaited her answer like the rest of them. Unfortunately, she had no clue who this woman was or about her affect on the timeline. "No, I have no idea who she is. Sorry."
Rip placed a gentle hand on her shoulder briefly. "It's fine."
Ray took the file and began reading from it aloud. "Valentina Vostok. Graduated top of her physics program and then just dropped out of academia."
Lana's nose scrunched. "That's odd. Why would she just give up after clearly being so accomplished within her field."
"To help develop Savage's new weapon, no doubt," replied Stein.
"The Cold War's up for grabs, and Miss Vostok is a linchpin," said Ray as Rip took the file from his grasp.
Snart stood up from his seat and walked over to stand beside Martin. "I say we put two in the back of her head and call it a day."
Ray's eyes practically bugged out of his head as he glanced from Snart to Lana. "You can't just say that. Your daughter's right there," he scolded Snart as he gestured to Lana who smirked.
"Don't worry, Ray, I've heard worse," she reassured him as she patted his back. She quickly retracted her hand when she realized how far more comfortable she was around him than the rest of the men. This behavior may be normal to her, but she had to remind herself that this Ray doesn't know her. This wasn't the Ray she would run to for help with her homework or for her science projects. Thankfully, Ray smiled at her gesture, and she knew that a part of him understood that she knew him in another time.
"Either way, we have no idea who this woman is or what her effect may be on history," he said bringing the attention off Lana and back to the mission. She was beyond grateful for that. "She could be the next Madame Curie for all we know."
Leo rolled his eyes. "She's working for Savage. That's all we need to know."
"She probably has no idea who's backing her research. Just let me approach her as scientist," suggested Ray, "and we'll see what she knows about Savage's weapon program."
"Sounds...risky," Lana told Ray.
"How is it Risky?"
"Because it's 1986, you're American, and you don't speak Russian," Snart reminded him. "She'll have you pegged as a spy in a second."
"Perhaps I can help with that," said Rip as he placed a container filled with something that looked like green pills to Lana. "Ingestible translators."
Lana looked up at Rip with an arched brow. "You just have these on you?"
"I'm always prepared," Rip replied.
"Debatable," Lana countered with a smirk.
"So how do they work?" She asked.
"They attach to your larynx via neural interface. Swallow them you can speak and understand any language spoken to you."
Lana watched both her father and Ray blindly eat one without asking any further questions about the technology. "Uh, not to be one of those people, but how are you supposed to get it out? Does it just stay there forever?"
Rip looked at her blankly and she shook her head. "You know what, no, don't tell me. It'll probably make it harder to swallow this," Lana replied before she quickly swallowed the translator.
"How...how do you turn it on?" Asked Ray.
"Gideon, switch him into Russian."
Rip turned back to Ray. "Go on. Say something."
"Wait, I'm still speaking English," Ray said disappointedly but saw the look of astonishment on Martin's face and Lana's eyes widened. "I'm speaking Russian now, aren't I?"
Leo rolled his eyes with his arms crossed over his chest. "Now you're annoying in multiple languages."
"Gideon, switch him back to English," he ordered then peered down at Valentina's file. "Now, according to Vostok's file, she's a big fan of the ballet. She had box seats at the Bolshoi and attends every performance."
"It seems the final performance of 'Le Roi Candaule' is today."
"Dr. Palmer, you will engage Vostok at the ballet," Rip stated before he turned to Leonard. "Whilst you, Mr. Snart...you're going to be his wingman."
"Oy."
"Better go bone up on Vostok's CV," said Ray excitedly before he headed to his living quarters to prepare for the mission.
"Now, as for you, Lana," Rip said with smirk. "Are you familiar with the ballet?"
"Uh, no. I was more of a musical theater kid," she admitted.
"Excellent," Rip said as he clasped his hands together. "You'll be accompanying your father."
Lana peered over at Leo to find him already staring at her. She couldn't decipher what he was thinking or feeling. And for the first time since he discovered her true identity, he spoke to her.
"Try and stay out of trouble."