Legends of Tomorrow (2016–…): Season 1, Episode 5 - Fail-Safe - full transcript

After some of the Legends are captured and thrown into a Russian gulag during the height of the Cold War of 1986, Snart leads the team in an elaborate Prison Break to free their comrades. However, Rip gives Sara a secret side mission that could prove not only to be a liability, but fatal to the team.

In 2166, an immortal
tyrant named Vandal Savage

conquered the world and
murdered my wife and child.

I have assembled an elite team
to hunt him throughout time

and stop his rise to power.

Unfortunately, my plan is opposed

by the body I'd sworn my allegiance to...

the Time Masters.

In the future, my friends may not be heroes,

but if we succeed,

they will be remembered as legends.

Previously on "Legends of Tomorrow"...



You need to learn to
embrace your human side.

And what if that side of me is gone?

What if she doesn't exist anymore?

No, this is a dictatorship.

You get to call all the shots,

and I get to take all the shots.

The most powerful evil
the world has ever known

has just gone Red at the
height of the Cold War.

Valentina Vostok?

She's trying to build a Soviet Firestorm.

Your comrade here tells
me you know quite a bit

about this project of mine.

They're hanging us out to dry, Rip!

I need backup!



Half the team is gone.

I'm gonna remember that, comrade.

You and Dr. Vostok have much
work to do in the morning.

Incredible.

This is the exact formula

for the thermocore that's needed
to build a new Firestorm.

How did you manage to arrive at something

that took decades to produce?

But here's what I don't understand.

The Firestorm Matrix is unstable.

The thermocore reacts exponentially

to the rate of fission in the host body.

Well, fortunately, Dr. Wells
developed the Quantum Splicer

to address that very problem.

I-I'm so happy to see that you're
taking an interest in my work.

What can I say, sir?

Nuclear physics is my passion.

Sir?

The Cisco I know never dwelled on formality.

What's more, your hair is different,

your wardrobe neat, your
comportment gentlemanly.

Oh, yeah, you like?

I just subscribed to GQ?

A snide attempt at humor...

almost Cisco-like.

Almost.

What are you implying?

What I am stating unequivocally, sir...

is that you are not Cisco,

which means I am not in S.T.A.R. Labs.

Furthermore, I will never,

never give you the formula.

Bravo, Professor Stein.

What cocktail of hallucinogens
have you given me, Doctor?

Don't worry.

I would never dream of damaging
that beautiful mind of yours.

I simply want to open it.

Finish the formula, and these
little games of ours can stop.

You'll never trick me into
giving up my research.

And since you also cannot kill me

and destroy any hope of
creating a Soviet Firestorm,

I would like a hot shower

and a change of clothes.

And I thought I gave a good speech.

I'm sorry. Have we met?

11 years ago,

you bought a nuclear
warhead off me in Norway.

And then you and your time-traveling friends

tried to kill me.

Just like me, you haven't aged a day.

I have a good hairdresser.

In my long life,

I have met some of the most
skilled interrogators in history,

but since we are in the Soviet Union,

let me tell you a story
about a friend of mine...

Joseph Stalin.

He became quite skilled at breaking a man...

carefully aimed strikes to
the bridge of the nose,

along the shoulder blades,

and right underneath the chin.

Stalin gave me this as a gift.

So it's to be torture, then?

Get on with it.

No.

Nothing so prosaic for you, Professor.

There are infinite ways to break a man,

and I have an infinite amount of time.

Firestorm is my life's work.

I will never allow you to pervert it

in pursuit of global conquest.

This is going to be so much fun.

Jefferson! Jefferson!

Jax?

What are you doing in here?

Hey, are you all right?

Yeah, I, uh...

I haven't been able to
sleep the past two nights.

I prescribed Mr. Jackson
some mild medication.

Which don't seem to be doing a damn thing.

What's wrong?

Ah, it's Stein.

They started in on him again.

He's scared to death. I-I can feel it.

He's trying to be strong, but...

We're gonna get him back.

Ray and Rory too.

I'm sure Captain Hunter has a plan.

It's my fault he got captured.

If... if he wasn't trying to protect me,

he would have never gone in there alone.

It's gonna be okay, Jax, I promise.

You don't know what kind of place
they got him locked up in.

Labor Camp Number 54...

formerly known as the Koshmar
or "Nightmare" Gulag.

Built in the 18th century...

Can we skip past the Wikipedia crap

and get to the good stuff,
like how to break in?

Perhaps you didn't register
that as a question, Gideon.

I understood, but in its
200 years of operation,

no one has successfully escaped from...

No offense, Gideon,

but I never met a building
I couldn't break into.

Well, I hope you're right.

Savage knows that Stein created Firestorm,

but if he finds out that he is Firestorm...

Always Savage with you, isn't it?

My partner's in prison too.

- And Ray.
- Yeah, whatever.

The point is you didn't lift a finger.

You know damn well it was never my intention

to get them thrown into a gulag,

but I had no other option.

Besides, I doubt that it's
Mr. Rory's first time in prison

or second or, I imagine, tenth.

All right, arguing is not gonna
bring the team back any faster.

And Rip's right.

Criminals usually do feel
more at home in prison,

and they know it better than anyone else.

So?

So what if the key to breaking in

is asking someone who's been
in and out of Soviet prisons

their whole life?

And who might that be?

Are you familiar with the Bratva?

The Russian Mob?

In 1986, they would have ruled
the criminal underground

inside every prison.

Your tattoo.

It stands for "Menia Ispravit Rasstrel"

if I'm not mistaken.

In English, it translates to,
"Execution Will Reform Me."

What brings you to the banya, little man?

The name's Rip.

I understand that you're
familiar with the Koshmar Gulag.

We need to break into that prison.

And can you make it fast?
I despise the heat.

A man by the name of Vandal Savage

runs a secret operation out of it...

a prison within a prison, if you will.

I've heard of this Savage.

He has no respect for my country's
rich criminal traditions.

So you'll help us?

You men have no tattoos.

And a man who has no life
story cannot be trusted.

Igor! Andrei!

Don't all volunteer at once.

Igor and Andrei seem to
be a bit preoccupied.

Now, about that gulag...

No matter.

In this life, a man fights for himself.

Perhaps you'd like this one.

He's all yours.

So you like having Vandal Savage

run his evil empire from your country?

As much as a pig enjoys
being Christmas dinner.

Help us, and we will destroy
his entire operation.

I just took out six men. You
guys couldn't handle one?

You killed my men?

They're not dead yet.

And neither are you, assuming you help us.

My organization runs
black-market goods into Koshmar.

Three of our, uh, well, comrades

are being held there by Savage.

Koshmar is not a hotel for petty criminals.

If your friends are there,

they must be insane, ruthless animals.

- How you doing?
- What the hell are you doing?

Just being friendly.

This must be where they keep the VIPs.

This is prison, jackass. There are no VIPs.

Some of these guys have
been here for a while.

Hey, maybe this guy knows where Stein is.

The only thing you should
be worrying about, Pretty,

is lasting the night.

Stein needs help. He's in real trouble.

Newsflash, so are we.

Think they'll bring us blankets later?

Now, according to Yuri,

this is where his men have access.

Got it?

This isn't my first prison break.

- We got it covered.
- So how can we help?

By staying on the ship.

We don't need any more casualties.

Besides, Mr. Snart and
Sara have got it covered.

Whoa, man. Why does it feel like

we're on the JV team all of a sudden?

What you are is one half
of everything Savage needs

to change the face of the Cold War.

And you are the only
person who can kill him.

Yeah, so you can't just...

I am not going to gift-wrap the two people

in the world that Savage wants the most.

We should get going.

Oh, Ms. Lance, could I
borrow you for a moment?

I have something that might
help you out with the mission.

So what did you really
want to talk to me about?

Gideon, will you please show
Ms. Lance the projection of 2016

should our rescue mission fail?

I'd be happy to, Captain.

So this is what will happen to Russia

if we don't get Stein back?

Not Russia.

This is Star City.

The rest of world doesn't look much better.

That's impossible.

Not if Stein creates a stable
Firestorm for the Soviets.

Here in 1986, they're
already perilously close

to creating a prototype.

Listen to me, Sara. Everything...

everything we've tried to
achieve so far could be lost.

And not only will my family
die 150 years from now,

but your family, your city...

your entire 21st-century world will suffer.

That's why we're gonna get Stein back

before Vostok can break him.

Well, I-I hope so, but we
need a contingency plan.

What are you saying?

I'm saying that if at any point
throughout the operation

it becomes clear that Martin is...

beyond our reach...

You want me to kill Stein?

Impressive how many weapons
you can fit in that outfit...

And how much stupidity Raymond
can squeeze into this one.

The plan is to save him too,

not just Stein and your partner.

Oh, I'm gonna save Raymond, all right,

so I can beat some sense into him.

- And what about you?
- What about me?

Clearly I'm not the only
one with a side mission.

What did Rip keep you after
class to talk about?

He just wanted to go over a
few details of the plan.

He wants you to take out
the old man, doesn't he?

It's the obvious play.

It's also heartless.

The plan is to save Stein.

And if, for whatever reason, we can't,

Rip showed me what will
happen to my home in 2016,

to our families.

If Stein breaks, the damage is irreversible.

Been on a lot of heists, and
even when things got rough,

I never took out one of my own.

Well, this isn't a bank heist.

First, he left my partner
twisting in the wind.

Now he's gonna have you ice old silver-top.

We're all just pawns, Sara.

Come on, I'm the crook,
you're the assassin...

He's not just asking me to kill.

He's asking me to save the future.

And if, for whatever reason,
we can't save Stein,

then I'm gonna do what needs to be done.

It's just like scout camp.

Man, the food was terrible.

There was one time they
gave us Salisbury steak...

You ever stop talking?

What I wouldn't give for a
little Salisbury steak now.

Hey. Ray Palmer.

Put your hand down.

He might know where Vostok
is keeping the Professor.

Shut up and eat.

Do you know if there's any other place

where they keep prisoners here?

We're looking for a friend.

There is a place.

They send you there, you never come back.

You can hear the screams all night.

This place, where is it?

Who said you could eat?

Hey, he's not hurting anybody.

Who is this American with the pretty teeth?

Must be a comedian, da?

I'm sure we can handle this like adults.

Sooka!

I brought you something to eat, Professor.

If this is a bribe, I politely decline.

So stubborn, so proud...

so American.

You've already built a thermocore,

so just build another one.

It'll only take you eight to ten years.

You thought that, what,
your friends stealing

the thermocore would save the West?

As if I would only build one.

We're so close, Professor.

All I need to learn now is how
to stabilize the thermocore,

and my dream of creating a
nuclear man will be achieved.

To what end?

If you launch a Soviet Firestorm,

the United States will have
no choice but to retaliate.

Both countries will be annihilated.

And out of the ashes, we
will rise stronger...

just as we did when the Nazis invaded.

But America is weak

with your Big Mac, MTV,
movie-star president.

Do you really think Vandal
Savage cares about the Cold War?

He's just using you, Doctor.

Do not think of insulting
Mr. Savage in front of me.

Hey, what's wrong?

Something's changed.

Grey thinks we've abandoned him.

He's starting to lose it in there.

I can't take this.

We've got to tell Rip.

The guy who benched us?

He'll just tell us to sit tight.

No, I hate feeling so helpless.

This is exactly what it was
like when I blew out my knee.

I could barely walk,
recruiters stopped calling,

my mom always crying.

I just wish there was something I could do.

Wait.

Your connection with Stein,
it goes both ways, right?

Yeah.

So maybe we can send him a signal.

Grey did tell me about this
one time he and Ronnie...

Get a knife. You need to cut me.

Tell me how to stabilize Firestorm.

If Einstein had the opportunity,

he would have traveled back in time

to prevent the creation of the atomic bomb.

How can I in good conscience lead the world

to the invention of something
far more destructive?

You don't really have a choice.

This toxin, it's not lethal,

but it will make you wish that it were.

Are you sure about this?

So, Professor...

would you like to talk, or
would you prefer to scream?

Do your worst, Doctor.

Hey, Pyro, what was that
there back in the yard?

Just your typical prison alpha.

He didn't like you
threatening his reputation.

Not that. I mean you sitting there

while I was getting my ass kicked.

None of my business.

None of your business?
None of your business?

We're... supposed to be a team.

The only team I'm on is mine and Snart's.

Besides, you had that beatdown coming.

Oh, well, I can't sit back

and watch an old man get pushed around.

Then you're a bigger fool than I thought.

These are the ones I want.

Remember me?

Identification papers.

Yuri the Bear sent me.

Remember, we get Stein first.

And if the plan fails, you'll kill him.

- You want my advice?
- No.

Don't use your gun. Do it with your hands.

Do it while you're looking
right into Stein's eyes.

You're talking about a member of our team.

I just don't want you to forget
who we're talking about.

Thank you.

Valentina has failed to make you talk.

Now it's my turn.

Colonel, let's begin.

So are you still planning...
what did you threaten before?

To go all Rocky IV on my ass?

I've changed my mind.

Ivan Drago lives at the end of the movie.

Isn't he supposed to ask us some questions?

They don't care what we got to say.

We're just part of the show.

Stein.

Professor, we're okay.

Don't tell these bastards anything!

If you think I have a
sentimental attachment to them,

you are as foolish as you are mad.

You held up longer than expected.

But if 4,000 years of life
has taught me one thing,

it is patience.

When I get out of here...

That is your mistake...

thinking that you'll get out of here.

Can I get some water in here?

Something to drink? I'm a little thirsty.

A sandwich would be nice...
a little turkey and mayo.

They have mayo in Russia?

No?

At least in America, you get a last meal.

This Communism really sucks.

What are you doing, Boy Scout?

Yes, Boy Scout, what are you doing?

Nothing compared to what I did
to your mother last night.

You have quite a mouth on you.

So does she.

Enough! You're killing him!

That's it?

Oh, but the Colonel will think
that we are cheating him.

I'll tell you how to stabilize Firestorm.

Just let them live, please!

So how does it feel to be dead again?

Take the next left.

You can't be down here, comrade.

I was ordered to take this
corpse to the incinerator.

I wouldn't do that if I were you.

Dr. Vostok used him for one of
her smallpox weapons trials.

Highly contagious.

All right, this duct should
take us to solitary.

- We get to Stein...
- Yeah, I'm not going.

- That's the plan.
- That's Rip's plan.

My priority is Mick.

Fine. Forget it.

So much for your code, crook.

Anytime, assassin.

Of all the dumb things I've seen in my life,

you getting that guy to
beat on you takes the cake.

You're welcome.

You think you proved something back there?

Proved I wasn't scared.

Proved you make a great pinata.

He could have beaten you to death.

There are some things that are
more important than survival,

like standing up for what you believe in,

your principles, your team.

There must be something
you're willing to die for.

The perfect score.

Only difference between us
is how we define score.?

I'm sorry to inform you, Captain.

The probability of the United States

losing the Cold War has risen to 99%.

Star City, the seat of the resistance,

is predicted to fall in 2003.

Come on, Sara.

You mentioned

the Quantum Splicer earlier, Professor.

Your friends are counting on you
to make the right decision.

I have eyes on Stein.

The future is cementing.

You must extract Stein
before he enters the lab!

Move!

Kill her!

What's happening, Ms. Lance?

I couldn't rescue Stein.

Have they moved him into the lab?

Yeah, where Savage has every guard

in the gulag watching him.

Well, if that's the case...

I know what I have to do.

The formula for stabilizing
Firestorm, Professor.

This may surprise you, but in my youth,

I longed to visit Russia.

I was obsessed by your culture...

Rachmaninoff, Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy.

Stop stalling.

It's a shame I-I never got to
see it before the collapse.

What sort of nonsense are you talking about?

In 1991, your economy fails,

and your empire crumbles.

But the truth is the world is better off.

In my time, crooks and
thieves rule your country,

desperate to hang on to power and the riches

they divide amongst their cronies.

My country is by no means perfect,

but at least we are free to
criticize our government,

vote in fair elections,
and love whom we choose.

I, uh, hate to break this to you, Dr.
Vostok.

You are on the wrong side of history.

For now.

But you will help us change history.

Proceed.

Gideon, are you able to detect

the Professor's life functions remotely?

Yes, Captain. His pulse is still strong.

Yeah, not for much longer.

Rip, Jax and I need to talk to you.

Now is really not a good time.

Yeah, this will only take a minute.

I know you think you can't risk losing us,

but that's assuming we'd fail.

And we won't.

I'm not afraid anymore.

I can do this.

And I don't got to be Firestorm
to be a part of this team.

Look, I am not prepared to risk anyone else.

- Ever since...
- Carter?

- His death wasn't your fault.
- I know.

But Stein's will be.

All I got to do is touch him,

and we can fly out of there.

Yeah, once you've scaled a 50-foot fence

topped with razor wire, gotten
past eight sharpshooters,

and entered a gulag full of
the most dangerous criminals

in the U.S.S.R.

Okay, so you create a distraction,

and I'll fly Jax in, and no one will see us.

Listen...

you're playing chess without
all your pieces on the board.

Maybe you're right.

So that's a yes?

You call that a flame?

Nice costume.

Got one for you too.

Wakey, wakey.

Time to shrink... or not.

- Let's go.
- What about him?

We can't ditch him. He won't survive.

Two guards walking out
of here... not suspicious.

Two guards carrying him out... suspicious.

He took a beating for me.

Raymond would take a beating
for a total stranger.

Mick, if our time in the
can taught us anything,

it's we look after each other.

It's you and me, right?

So, if we enter here, we can
cut the circuit breaker.

Shutting off all the power.

Distracting the guards and
giving us time to save our team.

The probability of this
plan being successful...

There is a 15-second window where
the sharpshooters on the tower

aren't covering the breaker.

Which means that somebody
would have to run 120 yards

in less than 12 seconds.

Given Mr. Jackson tore his
anterior cruciate ligament...

Have a little faith, Gideon.

You can do this.

I know you can.

It's done.

You know, I've never seen
a theorem so simple,

so poetic before.

With this, I can decelerate
the subject's rate of fission

and decrease core body temperature.

Yet something's missing.

I'm telling you, that is the equation...

everything you need to
build a Quantum Splicer.

We're coming?

Explain.

- I cut myself.
- Impossible.

You've been monitored ever
since your arrival here.

So, unless some...

So, unless someone else was cut,

yet it appears on your body...

- That's preposterous.
- No, no, no.

You are somehow connected
to the Burning Man.

That's how you were able to absorb

the nuclear energy at Luskavic.

You are mistaken.

No, You didn't only create Firestorm.

You are one half of Firestorm.

That's ridiculous!

Bring the core online.

And to think, all this time..,

- you were the missing link.
- Listen to me.

It is extremely rare to find
two people who are compatible,

and without the Splicer...

Have you ever merged

with a woman before, Professor?

I think you and I are gonna
make a wonderful Firestorm.

What the hell are they doing?

What I should have done from the start...

helping rescue Stein.

What about the time line?

I have a plan.

Forget about the fail-safe.

Isn't it a little late for plan C?

Not if Jax can reach that circuit breaker.

I can't believe you're risking
your life for this idiot.

Okay, okay.

You got this.

12 seconds, open field...
done it a million times.

Barry Allen who?

Electromagnetic locks.

We're dressed as guards.

Run.

Everyone back in your cells!

Enjoy your new cellmate!

That door leads to the loading bay.

From there, you can get to the jump ship.

Hey, Mick, this is a strange kind of hug.

- Where are you going?
- I got something to do.

Mr. Savage, I need to get
you to the helicopter.

Make sure the Professor enters the reactor.

His nuclear-mate is waiting for him.

Take the core to full power.

There seems to be a riot going on.

You might want to reconsider your orders.

Vostok knows Stein is the
other half of Firestorm.

She's trying to merge with him.

Rip, once Stein is inside the reactor,

he will become Soviet Firestorm.

Do you copy?

I have the shot.

- Sara, don't do it.
- I don't have a choice.

It's the only way to save Star City,

the future.

That's how a killer thinks.

And that's not you anymore.

Our energy...

It yearns to be whole, Professor.

Uh, without the Splicer...

Without the Splicer, you'll
never be able to control

our nuclear reaction.

You have to listen to me, Dr. Vostok.

Unless we un-fuse, you'll
end up killing us both!

Rip Hunter must be a fool

to send you into my arms.

Come with me, Chay-Ara,

and I will find a way to prolong your life.

We will live together in eternity.

No.

No?

My answer will always be no.

Go.

You want to kill me again?

Doesn't this game ever get
too old for you, Gareeb?

It's Captain Hunter, if you don't mind.

I'm here to make sure you
never build a Firestorm...

and for my watch, actually.

You stole it from me during
a pagan blood ritual

back in 1975.

Ring any bells?

Slowly.

I have no desire to kill you.

I want you alive.

I want you to see the world burn.

I have looked so often at your wife and son

these last 11 years...

Miranda and Jonas,

their faces etched into my mind.

And when I finally get to meet them,

I will let them know that
you and your friends

are responsible for their suffering.

Not if I see you first.

How's it going up there?

Sara? Sara, are you there?

Now you're on the comm?

We need to get out of here.

Whoa! Don't shoot! Grey's in there!

Lot of good it would do anyhow.

Man, screw this!

What are you doing?

I'm getting Stein back.

We'll cover you.

I know you're in there, Grey!

And he's begging for you to save yourself.

I wasn't talking to you.

I was talking to Professor Stein.

Your mind is stronger than hers, Grey.

I get it. I know why
you've been so hard on me.

You're trying to protect me.

You don't want to lose
me like you lost Ronnie.

And that's why I know you're
not gonna let her kill me.

'Cause I've had you inside of my head,

and I know what a tough, old
son of a bitch you can be.

So you got to fight her, because you and me,

we're Firestorm, Grey.

You and me!

Jefferson!

- You okay?
- Yeah, you?

Yeah.

Not for long.

I tried to warn her. Without
the Splicer and myself,

her nuclear powers are dangerously unstable.

It appears Dr. Vostok is
having a bit of a meltdown.

It's... it's fascinating.

I think what he means to say is run.

I'll have the jump ship

waiting just beyond the main gate.

Courtesy of Yuri the Bear.

How did you even have time to steal this?

There's always time to steal.

Thank you.

And just so you know,

I know you're more than just a thief.

You took a beating for me.

We're even. End of story.

Well, thank you.

More drinking, less feeling.

A toast to the first time

we haven't completely ruined the time line.

Please tell me that's true, Gideon.

The projections of the
future are back to normal.

- I'll drink to that.
- To Rip.

To things not going according to his plan.

- To the Captain.
- To the Captain.

- All right.
- Hold on, Jefferson.

You're not quite 21.

In 1986, the drinking age
in Russia was 12, so...

Well, perhaps we can let
it slide this one time.

After all, you were the hero today.

- You saved my life.
- Oh, that?

That was no biggie.

Having merged with an
insane Russian scientist,

I now know how lucky I am
to have you as my partner.

Partners.

Stein doesn't know, does he?

That I almost killed him?

That I advised you to kill him.

It's funny.

When I was in the League of Assassins,

failure to follow through
on a hit was unforgivable,

a thousand times worse than death.

Maybe I'm losing my edge.

Or gaining a new one.

The fact that you didn't pull
the trigger speaks volumes.

You know, the safe move was to kill Martin

with the Cold War hanging in the balance.

I would like to think it was your humanity

that stayed your hand.

I'd like to think that
too, but I had some help.

What was that?

We have been struck with
an explosive projectile.

- No kidding.
- Everyone get strapped in now!

We're in the Temporal Zone.
I don't understand.

No one should be able to...

You were saying?

A scan of the vessel

suggests that it is the
bounty hunter Chronos.

Oh, man, this guy has impeccable timing.

He appears to be following us.

Firing countermeasures.

Countermeasures effective.

Have we lost him?

Yes, but not his missile.

Our aft shield is gravely compromised.

Initiating evasive maneuvers.

The vodka was a bad choice.

Impact in three, two, one.

Sir, we've just been knocked
out of the timestream.

What does that mean?

It means we're crash-landing

in place and time.

Gideon, camouflage the ship.

This doesn't look like the type of place

we want to linger out in the open.

That looks a lot like a
Palmer Tech building,

but why does it have a Smoak logo on it?

Wait. This is Star City.

I thought you said the time line was safe.

Yeah, Star City was intact in 2016.

This...

this is 2046.

Don't move!

Oh, thank God.

I said don't move.

It's me.

It's Sara.

Hey, Oliver, look,

I-I know it's been a long
time, but don't you remember

that Rip Hunter recruited
us to become legends?

I never heard of any legends.