Chapter XXXV: Infinity Crisis ACT I Part 3

The Forbidden Realm.

When he was a child, Scot-Free's older siblings abducted him from his room and held him over the notorious X-pits of Apokolips. Although Darkanos had the siblings killed for this, it left Scot with a deep-seated fear of heights and falling. It was then that Scot vowed to escape from the nightmarish realm and never return. Now, the master escape artist found himself shackled to the floor of Darkanos' throne room, unable to escape due to the effects of the Reality Ring. Horrible memories of his childhood came creeping back into his mind as he drank in the familiar surroundings of his father's home planet.

It was enough to make him sick to his stomach.

Eventually, his father approached him, carrying a bowl of hellhound stew. The dark god handed the bowl to his youngest offspring, but Scot threw the broth at Darkanos' throne out of spite. "I always hated this place." He sneered. "I always hated this planet."

"So you've told me. Still, I hoped one day you'd rule it." Darkanos replied, taking a seat in front of his son; his pitch-black eyes locking with Scot's pure blue eyes. "I was very disappointed when you ran away, Scot."

"I don't care what you think!" Scot spat. "You're a tyrant! An evil madman who cares about no one but himself!"

"Is that what you think? That my actions are 'evil'?" Darkanos asked, leaning forward, slightly. "Tell me; have you visited your mother's home planet since you escaped? Before I took control, it was just as chaotic as the rest of this universe. The collective leaders were more interested in destroying one another than serving the people. But now, every child born on that planet have never known poverty, war, or starvation. It's a utopia."

"Because you enslaved the entire population!" Scot snapped. "Enforced harsh conformist laws, prohibited free thinking, and killed anyone who challenged your rule! You denied them free will!"

"A small price for salvation." Darkanos continued. "My son, it's a simple equation. Free will breeds conflict. Conflict breeds destruction. Destruction breeds chaos. Chaos spreads throughout the universe. The only way to preserve this universe is to eradicate free will entirely-"

"You don't know that!" Scot shouted, desperately.

Darkanos could only roll his eyes at his child's ignorance. "I'm the only one who knows that. Or at least, I'm the only one with the courage to acknowledge it. The Anti-Life Equation is not a weapon, it is salvation. It is knowledge. And yet, you continue to scorn its very existence."

"Well, I'm sorry that I disappointed you." Scot scoffed, spitefully.

"You did disappoint me." Darkanos stood up with a grimace. "But not because you ran away… but because you know where the Anti-Life Equation is. And you never thought to take it for yourself."

With a flash of blue light, the Reality Ring altered Scot's shackles so that Darkanos could lead him into another room. Soon enough, the master escape artist found himself in an ominous torture chamber. And much to his shock, a familiar red-skinned alien was suspended in the air. "Rom-Ulus?" He gasped, reaching out for his brother. Rom-Ulus' usually unbreakable skin was covered in bruises and dried blood.

"Before I captured you, your brother attempted to assassinate me. He very nearly succeeded." Darkanos almost sounded proud as he brushed the Daxamite's hair. "Do you know what it feels like to be trapped inside a black hole?" Darkanos clenched his fist, activating the Space Ring. "Your brother does."

Rom-Ulus' screamed in agony as the surrounding gravity field increased, slowly crushing him. His Daxamite physiology protected him from most harm, but even he had his limits. "Stop it! Please, stop it!" Scot begged. "I swear to you, on my life! I don't know where the Anti-Life Equation is!"

Darkanos unclenched his fist, ceasing his second-youngest child's torture. As if silently summoned, one of the dark god's underlings delivered a communication device to his grim master. Darkanos held the device in his palm and a holographic message appeared.

["We don't have much time. He's making his move, now. He already has three Infinity Rings! And he's just left for Zandoa!"]

["Don't worry, Rom-Ulus, my friends and I will get there before him and take the Power Ring and hide it away from Darkanos-"]

["That won't be enough, Scot! He'll just keep looking! And once he completes the gauntlet, he'll be unstoppable!"]

["That's not going to happen, Rom-Ulus! Because before I escaped from the Forbidden Realm, I killed the parademon who found the map to the Anti-Life Equation, and then burned the map to ash. I burnt it."]

The hologram disappeared, and Darkanos tossed the device away and looked down on his son. "You are strong. Me. Generous. Me. But I never taught you how to lie. That's why you're so bad at it." Once again, Darkanos clenched his fist and activated the Space Ring. "I will ask you one last time… where. Is. The Anti-Life Equation?"

Scot felt his heart sink as Rom-Ulus' cries of pain echoed in his eardrums. He knew that Darkanos was not one to make empty threats, and was fully prepared to kill one of his own to get what he wanted. But if Scot told him the location of the Equation, the entire universe would be at stake. Was he really willing to sacrifice the entire universe to save his brother's life? At last, "RYUT!"

The black hole vanished, and Rom-Ulus fell to the cold floor. Scot dropped to his knees and hugged his brother tight. "The Equation is on Ryut."

"Show me." Darkanos demanded, grabbing Scot by the arm. The dark god dragged his youngest out of the room, leaving the guards to handle Rom-Ulus. As the Daxamite watched his only younger brother disappear into the blue portal, he could only sigh in disappointment.

"Scot… what have you done?"


Space Sector 2814. Earth. New York City.

Bart Allen was enjoying himself, immensely.

Growing up, he never would have imagined that he would be able to meet his real parents. Especially, when Red Zoom had revealed that they were from the far future. And yet, here he was, talking to both of them in the Justice Legion's headquarters. Shawn and Meloni had spent all day explaining what Red Zoom had done to them, and how they eventually found him. Needless to say, many tears had been shed in the past few hours.

"And I'm going to DePaul University in September." He said, proudly.

"That's wonderful. We are so happy for you, Peter." Melani said as she continued to wipe tears from her eyes.

"Peter?" Bart cocked an eyebrow, only to realize that she must have been referring to him by his real name. "Oh, uh… I actually go by Bart." He corrected, sheepishly. "Aunt Joan and Uncle Jay were kinda old fashioned."

"Oh. I understand." Melani sounded slightly disappointed, but that didn't stop her from smiling. "Well, whatever you're comfortable with. It's all crash."

Bart's eyes widened in surprise. "Did… did you just say 'crash?' As in, an alternative to 'cool?'"

"Oops." Melani cupped a hand over her mouth, blushing from embarrassment. "Spoilers."

"I knew that would catch on in the future!" Bart exclaimed, happily. "What else can you tell me?! How many doctorates do I graduate with?! When do I marry Felicity?! When do I become leader of the Justice Legion?!"

"Aheh, sorry, Bart." Shawn chuckled at his son's enthusiasm. "But we really can't give away too much information without the risk of messing up the timeline. We do that, and we're all feeling shock."

Bart's brow furrowed. "And 'shock…' would be bad?"

"Doesn't get any worse." Shawn nodded. "Always better to crash the shock."

"Uh, okay… noted." Bart shrugged.

Meanwhile, Shannon and her daughter were getting acquainted with the other members of the Flag's Justice Legion. Shannon was particularly eager to meet Wally, but sadly he had been called away to help Darkstar and Mirage. Instead, she and Jenni decided to mingle with Sharpshot and Aqua-Mariner. The teenager had studied so many stories in her history class about the Justice Legion of Avengers, the X-Patrol, the Justice Legion West Coast, the Justice Legion Midwest, and the Young Warriors. But to have an opportunity to meet her heroes in person was truly astonishing. Her mother warned her about revealing any secrets about their futures, so she remained silent for the most part.

On the other side of the room, Sharon was catching up with her friends - Black Cat and Steel Falcon. The latter of whom was surprised that his old marine buddy did not appear to be any older than her children. While it was uncertain exactly how she was back to her original age from when she was abducted by Red Zoom, Sharon believed it had something to do with the time machine.

But before any further explanations could be made, a portal of black energy appeared in the center of the room. Soon enough, the Flag, Darkstar, and Mirage stepped through from the other side. Tod helped Mirage take a seat while Flag held up a cell phone for everyone to see. "We got a call about twenty minutes ago." He began. In the blink of an eye, the speeding soldier picked up the remote control and turned on the news network. "New York was attacked by hostile extraterrestrials. They were seen abducting an unidentified woman, and pursued by Emerald Man, Captain Hyper, and one other being. We have reason to believe that they were after a ring the woman possessed that highly resembled the ring Mirage wears."

"Is it an invasion?" Sharpshot asked.

"Not quite. But it soon will be." Everyone gasped in shock at the sight before them. Not long after he made the call, the Flag picked up Ronnie Powell and brought him back to the Washington, D.C. headquarters, leading Captain Thunder along with them. After explaining the situation, Flag went off to find Mirage while Ronnie donned his old costume and continued to build up his strength - with both food and nuclear power. "Nice to see everyone, again." Ronnie smiled, taking a bite from a pizza slice.

"Should we be concerned about her?" Black Cat asked, pointing at the young Braalite woman. "Is she a captive, or what?"

"She's a different alien." Captain Thunder clarified. "Trust me, she's on our side."

Steel Falcon pointed his hammer at the magic-based hero. "You. You're that guy who invaded our base a couple years ago."

"Uh, I can explain." Thunder rubbed his neck, nervously. "Really, I can. You see-"

"Not now, you guys. This is serious. An ancient alien named Darkanos has declared war on the entire universe. All he needs is two more of the Infinity Rings and something called the Anti-Life Equation and he will destroy free will. By now, he's probably sending an army to-" Ronnie suddenly paused, dropping the pizza box and holding his throat, uncomfortably. Sharon got up to perform the heimlich, but he waved her off and cleared his throat. "Oh, sorry. Sorry. I had this weird condition before the accident where my throat would build up too many white blood cells. So if I eat too much bread, it feels like I'm choking, but I'm really not. And when I try to wash it down with water, it just makes it worse. I guess I have it again, but hey, considering I can even eat again-"

"RONNIE!" Everyone shouted.

"Right, right, right! Sorry! Off topic!" The nuclear hero shook his head. "The point is, Darkanos is bringing his army to Earth so that he can steal Mirage's Infinity Ring and take over the universe."

"Okay, so we need to hide it." Speedster-Man nodded.

["No, we need to destroy it."] Mirage countered. ["Logically, there is no alternative. Darkanos will continue to seek out the Ring as long as it exists."]

"So what are you suggesting?" Sharon asked.

["Darkstar's psychic power is highly similar to the Mind Ring's own energy."] They explained. ["He may be the only one who can destroy it before Darkanos can exploit its power."]

"Or it might kill you." Darkstar replied. "I am not going to put that on my conscience."

["We don't have time to argue, Darkstar."] Mirage stated, flatly. ["If my termination is the only thing that can save the universe-"]

"We don't trade lives, Mirage." Wally interrupted.

["Captain Barnes, in the second world war, you were willing to sacrifice your own life to save millions."] Mirage reasoned. ["How is this situation any different?"]

"Because you might have a choice." Ronnie spoke up. "When I merged with this device, I found out that Prof. Selvig downloaded a portion of his consciousness into it. As a result, I have access to his memories. And I know how Mirage's mind works. The Mind Ring kinda just… holds it together."

"What do you mean?" Darkstar asked.

"You see, Mirage's core consciousness is composed of a complex neural network based on the brainwaves of Tony, Martin Selvig, Ultriac, Jim Hammond, and Aya. All working - all learning - together. If we can reprogram Mirage's synapsis to function without the Ring, we can remove the RIng and then destroy it."

"So can you use Selvig's memories to do that?" Black Cat asked.

"No. Not here. Not by myself." Ronnie shook his head. "I'd need a lab. And a few extra minds and hands."

"What about the collective minds of Wakanda and Atlantis?" Wally suggested, facing his girlfriend. "Marella and King Benjamin have formed a strong alliance ever since the tension between our teams died down a little. I'm sure they could figure out a way to safely remove the Mind Ring. Right?"

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try." Marella stood up from her seat; trident in hand and ready for action. "I'll contact Benjamin and make the necessary arrangements."

"If you're going to war, it wouldn't hurt to bring in some extra muscle for protection." Shawn added.

"I think I know some people who'd be willing to help." Sharpshot offered, taking out his phone. "Hill can send 'em over, tout de suite."

"And I think Ororo and Ed can arrange a field trip." Tod added.

"Alright, then." Wally smiled, giving Mirage a reassuring pat on the back. "Let's go save the universe."


Space Sector 2799.

As the reconnaissance ship soared through the silent void of space, Donna had gotten down on her knees in prayer. "Diana, if you can hear me, I beseech thee…" She whispered, sadly. "Lead the soul of my brother through the gates of Valhalla... so that he may enjoy the fruits of the afterlife, worthy of a warrior's spirit."

Violet, having overheard what the young Corbinite had said, shared an uneasy look with her partner. Krinn was the first to get up, going over to pray with her. Violet had never been the best at emotional support, but she knew that if Donna was going to be anywhere near prepared to face Darkanos, she'd have to be emotionally stable. "Okay. Time to be the captain." She told herself. Setting the controls to auto-pilot for a minute, the small woman walked over to their pod's temperature control panel, pretending to make adjustments. "So, dead brother, huh? Yeah, that could be annoying."

"Yes." Donna finished her prayer and sat with her legs crossed as she spoke with her new friends. "I mean, I've seen people die in front of me, before, but… this time it felt personal."

"And, uh, you said your other brothers and sisters-?"

"Also dead, yes." Donna nodded, sadly. "My family has had a long history of serving in battle. We saw it as an honor."

"But you still got a dad, right?"

"He's slowly dying of an incurable disease. He may be dead now, or any day in the near future."

"What about a mom?"

"She died of the same disease years ago."

"A… best friend?"

"Killed in battle against Olympian gods…"

Violet grew too uncomfortable to carry on. The miniscule engineer coughed into her fist, signaling for her partner to intervene. Krinn, who had lost his own family to Darkanos, was more than sympathetic enough as he sat next to the Thunder Woman. In many ways, she even reminded him of his own daughter.

"Are you... certain that you are prepared for this quest?" He asked.

Donna wiped a stray tear from her eye, forcing a smile across her face. "Yes. O-of course." Her voice cracked as she spoke. "Uh, rage, grief, despair. They're all great motivators. They really… really clear the mind."

"Yeah, but, this Darkanos guy; he's the toughest in the universe." Violet reasoned.

"Well, he's never fought me."

"Yeah, he has."

"He's never fought me twice. And remember; we're off to get a new weapon. One that will kill Darkanos." Donna could see the visible doubt on her companion's faces, but she tried to remain confident. "Look, I'm only nineteen years old, and I've witnessed more death than I dare to describe. I, myself, have nearly succumbed to death's grip, but I always survive. For years, I wondered why I was cursed to witness so much death while I was spared. But now, I understand; I was destined to see this day. Destiny kept me alive. Destiny wants me to kill Darkanos."

"But what if you're wrong?" Violet asked.

"Well, if I'm wrong… what more could I lose?" Donna wiped her eyes once more before standing up and heading towards the front of the ship.

"I could lose a lot." Violet muttered to herself, quietly. "Me, personally, I could lose a lot."

Krinn soon followed his new friend to the front of the ship, taking a seat right next to her. Reaching into his boot, the Braalite offered the Thunder Woman one of his knives. "Here, friend Donna. While I am certain that this will pale in comparison to the weapon you will use to slay Darkanos, it always makes me feel more comfortable to carry an emergency knife in my left boot. Just in case I lose the knife in my right boot."

Donna's lips trembled at the kind gesture. "Thank you, Sir Krinn. I appreciate this gift."

Violet hopped back into the pilot's seat just in time to watch Donna slide the blade into her own boot. "Ooh, I would've washed that first." She cringed. "Last week we were fighting a horde of slime monsters and Krinn shoved that particular knife up one's-"

"Oh, we're here!" Donna exclaimed, happily. She recognized the star system from when Diana first took her to Nidavellir, and smiled with anticipation. But her smile quickly faded as the planet finally came into view. The star the powered Nidavellir's forge had gone cold; leaving the world of builders dark.

Once the ship touched down, Donna immediately called out to any who would listen. But the entire facility was devoid of all life. "I don't understand. This doesn't make any sense." She whispered to herself. "This star has been burning for millennia. The forge has never stopped before."

"Uh, you said Darkanos had a gauntlet, right?" Violet asked, pointing towards one of the massive workbenches. "Did it look anything like that?"

Donna gasped as she spotted the object of interest; a prototype gauntlet, nearly identical to the one Darkanos had worn. "We need to get out of here." She insisted before a mighty fist collided with her face.

"WHOA!" Violet instinctively reached for her blaster, but she didn't even get a chance to fire off a round. The fifteen-foot behemoth with literal iron fists kicked the miniscule Legend into the arms of her Braalite companion, sending both of them back into a wall.

"Eitri, stop!" Donna held up Mjolnir for the King of the Dwarves to see. As she hoped, Eitri recognized his greatest creation. "It is I, Delta-Ray Donna! I was the protege of Diana Odinsdotter! You forged Stormbreaker as well as Mjolnir!"

"Donna?" Eitri's voice rumbled. "Where is Diana? She was supposed to protect us! Asgard was supposed to protect us!"

Krinn and Violet watched as the hulking blacksmith stomped over to his workbench, and with a deafening thud, he sat down in his chair. Donna pushed herself back onto her feet and stumbled towards her friend. "Eitri, the gauntlet… what did you do?"

The mighty dwarf sighed as he gazed at the prototype. "Three hundred dwarves lived on this planet." He explained. "I thought if I did want Darkanos told me to, he'd let them live. I made what he wanted; a device capable of harnessing the power of the Infinity Rings. And then he… then he killed them all, anyway. All except me. 'Your life is yours' he said. 'But your hands are mine.'"

The Corbinite warrior once again felt her heart sink. However, she knew that the task at hand was too important to set aside. "Eitri, listen to me… this has nothing to do with your hands." She spoke softly yet confidently. "Diana told me many tales of your craftsmanship. Every sword, every hammer, every mace, axe, and shield ever forged here all came from your mind. Now, I know that all hope seems lost, but together we can kill Darkanos."

The Dwarf King looked back at his forge with a determined gleam in his eyes.


Space Sector 2814. Wakanda, Brazil.

The Justice Legion of Avengers had made contact with S.H.I.E.L.D. and the X-Patrol, explaining the current situation. Soon enough, the quinjet led the X-Patrol's X-jet and a wing of S.H.I.E.L.D. jets past the barriers of Wakanda. The invisible barrier that protected the sovereign country faded away to reveal a thriving technological utopia. As the only country in the world with natural deposits of Vibranium, the Bronze Panther's kingdom was well protected and self-sustaining. Because of this, the South American country spent most of its time secluded from the world around it, stepping into the fray only during great crises.

And thankfully, for the Flag and his Legion, this was definitely a great crisis.

As the Legions ship landed, the ships following them circled around the air before finding their own places to set down. Flag and his team exited the craft and walked up to greet the Bronze Panther, himself. Ronnie felt slightly uncomfortable, having never met the king before.

As they walked, the nuclear hero turned to one of his friends. "Uh, are we supposed to bow, or…?"

"Yeah, of course." Bart nodded. "He's the king."

"Right. Yeah." Once they came face-to-face with the Wakandan Royal family, Ronnie was embarrassed to see he was the only one bowing.

"Uh, we don't do that, here." King Benjamin replied, prompting Ronnie to elbow Bart in the ribs. Then, he turned his attention to the Flag. "My sister and her team have been consulting with the Atlantean scientists for the past few hours. We are ready for the patient."

"Thank you, again, King T'Challa." Flag smiled as he shook the man's hand. "And I hate to have to tell you this, but Wakanda could be facing an invasion for this."

"Many have tried to invade Wakanda before today." Benjamin scoffed as he donned his family's mask. "I have no intentions of being the first to let that happen. You will have my kingdom's army to help your own soldiers."

"As well as Atlantis' Crab Soldiers and the Black Manta Tribe." Aqua-Mariner added. "Nothing will enter this kingdom without first going through us."

Half an hour later, Dr. Shuri T'Challa and Tula led the scientific team in researching Mirage's Infinity Ring. After a complete scan of the Ring's connection to Mirage's circuitry, she faced Firehawk with her analysis. "So, the structure is indeed polymorphic."

"Right, Professor Selvig and Emerald Man had to attach each neuron non-sequentially." He explained.

"Why didn't they just reprogram the synapsis to work collectively?" Tula suggested.

"Uh… because they didn't think of it… at the time?"

"Can you do it?" Marella asked.

"Yes, my queen." Tula bowed. "But it will take time."

While the scientists were busy with their project, Wally finally approached Shawn and Shannon. Admittedly, when they first arrived, the patriotic speedster was reluctant to speak with them due to how much they reminded him of Steve. But he knew his mentor would want him to be on good terms with his children. "Hey, uh… Shawn and Shannon, was it?"

"Y-yeah!" Shannon beamed. "And you're Wally Barnes! The famous 'Kid-Flag!' That makes you, like, our honorary big brother! Uh, can… can I hug you?"

"Uh… sure." Wally embraced Shannon in a brief hug before Shawn tapped his shoulder.

"Did he like checkers?" He asked, sheepishly.

"What?"

"My dad. Did he like to play checkers? Mom always told me that I'd be the only one who could have beaten him. I liked to think that meant something."

"Yeah." Wally smiled. "Yeah, he loved checkers."

Meanwhile, Sharpshot and Darkstar went off to greet their respective cohorts. Tod was immediately brought into a strong group hug by Ororo and Edward before he could explain the situation. Unfortunately, Sharpshot was less than pleased by the grotesque menagerie of super-criminals that exited one of the S.H.I.E.L.D. air-crafts.

"I thought Hill was joking when he said he was using people like you to do our jobs."

"Ugh, you sound like a Republican complaining about immigrants, Katniss." Harley Sin rolled her eyes.

"So, where is he?"

"Director Hill's busy with a few other projects. Sorry to disappoint." The magenta archer looked to see a certain blonde-haired, black-clad secret agent adjusting her domino mask. "Looks like you're stuck with me."

Oliver Barton met Dinah Morse shortly after his first mission with S.H.I.E.L.D. Inspired by the reputation of her mother, Dinah trained from an early age to follow in her footsteps. After graduating high school, she inlisted in the military and quickly drew the attention of Amanda Fury. At last, she joined S.H.I.E.L.D. - taking her mother's famous moniker - as the Blonde Canary.

"Hey, Dinah." Oliver smiled as he removed his hood. "You're looking good, as always."

"Thanks, Ollie." She nodded. "You look good, too."

"Although, I kinda miss the fishnets." He smirked, coyly.

Dinah rolled her eyes and propped a hand on her waist. "You didn't miss them at that Best Western last January."

"No, no, that's not what I…" Oliver chuckled. "Alright, yeah. Touche. You do look good, though."

"Oh, my god!" Harley Sin squealed, having been listening to the whole conversation. "They did it! Good. I ship canarrow so hard. Although, the CW almost ruined it."

"Seriously, what the fuck are you talking about?" Snowblind asked, clearly annoyed.

Suddenly, a deafening shockwave shook the ground. Everyone's gaze turned skyward as another warship similar to the one that invaded New York appeared in the sky. Sharpshot reached for his commlink. "Hey, Flag? How long is it gonna take to get rid of that Ring?"

["Uh, the two smart girls said about thirty minutes. Why?"]

"Because I seriously doubt that we have thirty minutes."

To Be Continued!

Dinah Morse aka The Blonde Canary(Mockingbird/Black Canary)