Before we get started, I would just like to address something.
As some of you may know, recently, someone calling themselves DylanMorrow or, as he has gone after me in another story under, GokuT23 has been going after me because he has some vendetta against me for some reason. Some of you have taken to defending me, which I am beyond grateful for and am sorry you have gotten such hostility from him in return. But I have a request for all of you. Please, just ignore him if you see him in the comments.
Dylan/Goku has made the choice to harass and bully me because he does not like me. As my dad always tells me, you can't fix stupid. I really don't care what he thinks of me and there is so much else going on in the world that he is pretty much just an insignificant blip, not worth my time and certainly not worth the time you guys spend defending me to someone who won't change their mind. The fact that everyone sees him as the spoiled brat he is is already victory enough. Just ignore him.
Ellie Bishop: Yep, Thawne is the cockroach of the Arrowverse; you can just never get rid of him. Astra is probably Krypton's version of Amanda Waller. I'm pretty sure the sacrifice is only required in order to take the stone from Vormir.
Green Hal37: Yeah, if it would have been a parody, it would have been fine, but as it was, it was just infuriating. Barry has to split his focus between six different places in different times, along with keeping himself from accidentally falling out of the Speed Force, so that caused a slight delay. You're welcome. Yep, Thanos and his army are gone. Jay is not as young as he used to be, so his body can't handle moving at high speed the way it used too. Zod in the Phantom Zone is the equivalent of a war vet, Zod punched Steve with all the strength of a normal human.
Guest2.0: Glad you enjoyed it.
Guest: I think he could be a good Zod yeah, but he certainly wouldn't be my first choice as Zod. Michael as Zod really didn't impresses me much TBH.
Titan, 993
Harry and Frost stood outside a room with a security panel next to the door. Frost placed her hand on the panel and, after a moment, it was covered with ice. There was a strange sound before the automated door slid open.
"Barry was right, the panel got shorted out with ice," Harry noted as he and Frost entered the room.
A'Lars' lab resembled a mix of the cortex at Star Labs and Cisco's work shop. There were strange devices around the room that resembled computers. There was a desk with some items lying about and what looked like some tool boxes around the room.
"If you were A'Lars, where would you put the stone?" Frost asked as Harry frowned in thought.
"I would put it somewhere in plain sight, but somewhere no one would expect. Somewhere where only I could see it and know what it was," Harry said after a moment.
"Indeed I would."
The two whirled around at the sound of the voice. Standing In the corner, unnoticed until now, was a Titan, holding some kind of blaster that was aimed right at them.
"A'Lars I presume?" Harry asked and A'Lars nodded.
"What are you two doing here and what do you want?" A'Lars demanded as Frost and Harry looked at each other uneasily.
Krypton, 1979
Oliver silently followed Astra and her husband, Non, down the hall, knowing that he had to play this very carefully. Astra was obviously suspicious of him. She reminded him of Amanda Waller, someone who would pounce on you if given the slightest opening.
"So, here's the lab," Non said as the three of them stopped in front of a door. "Tell Jor-El to remember to tell people how to get to his lab in the future."
"I will. Thank you both for your help," Oliver said, genuinely grateful.
"What did you say your name was again?" Astra asked suddenly, eying Oliver intently.
"Mon-El," Oliver lied quickly, remembering a talk with Cisco and Barry about Kara's alien boyfriend. "I'm Jor-El's cousin from out of the city."
"Jor-El never mentioned having a cousin," Non said after a moment.
"Jor-El would forget his own head if it wasn't attached," Oliver joked.
From the look on Non's face, Oliver knew he had overstepped. Apparently, that saying wasn't universal.
"So, Mon-El, what is your meeting about? Surely you must be in a hurry to speak to Jor-El? Did he give you an access card?" Astra fired off these questions faster than Oliver could process them.
Oliver saw the glint of steel in Astra's hand and knew his cover was blown. When Astra brought the dagger up to stab him, Oliver was prepared. Grabbing her hand, he tossed her into the wall, Astra losing the dagger in the process. However, Astra quickly shot back up, attempting to strike Oliver. As Oliver blocked her strikes, Non tapped something on his robe.
"There is an intruder on the fifteenth floor. The General and I are engaging, all units converge," Non ordered.
Oliver grabbed Astra's arm and threw her into Non. The two tumbled down as a Breach opened a few feet from them. Astra and Non looked up in astonishment as Rhodey and Cisco flew out. Cisco tossed Oliver's bow to him and he whirled it like an Escirma stick. Rhodey struck Non across the head, knocking him out as Oliver struck Astra across the face before grabbing her, lifting her into the air and slamming her onto the floor, knocking her out cold.
"Well, this could have gone better," Rhodey said, his voice muffled by his helmet.
"And it's not over yet, more are coming," Oliver reminded them. "Cisco, Breach."
Cisco nodded, understanding. He opened a Breach and Oliver quickly rushed through it. As it closed behind him, Cisco and Rhodey heard the sound of several pairs of footsteps rushing towards them. Several men and woman, armed with varying assortments of weapons, were rushing towards.
"Well, things have gone to shit," Rhodey said, pulling out his stun staff.
"Yeah, what else is new?" Cisco asked sarcastically, shooting off two Vibe Beams at the approaching soldiers.
Oliver exited the Breach, finding himself inside a lab of some sort. Standing a few feet from him was a man who appeared to be in the process of some sort of experiment. A few feet from him was a purple stone, two machines poking on it.
The Power Stone.
"Don't," Oliver warned, startling the man.
"Who are you?" the man asked in shock as he turned around, seeing Oliver. "How did you get in here?"
"Jor-El?" Oliver asked patiently and Jor-El looked even more bewildered.
"Yes, now what do you want?" Jor-El demanded.
"Well, that's a bit of a long story," Oliver admitted.
The Phantom Zone
Slade was forcibly escorted into Zod's throne room by two of Zod's men. Zod was sitting on his throne, watching silently as Slade was forced to kneel, a smirk gracing Zod's lips.
"The mighty Deathstroke, bowing to me. How you have fallen," Zod said condescendingly.
"Allow me to stand and then we'll see how far I've fallen," Slade growled and Zod's smirk widened.
"Leave us," Zod said and his men left the room.
Zod stood up, walking over to a nearby table. Slade watched, his eye not leaving Zod for a second as he poured a drink.
"When Eobard Thawne told me of The Avengers and their new allies, I must admit, I was most fascinated by you." Zod said and Slade raised an eyebrow. "The lengths you went to in order to achieve your revenge, I admit I was impressed."
"That was the Mirakuru," Slade said coolly.
"Others were injected with the Mirakuru, but they did not go to the lengths you did. The Mirakuru, it simply opened a door to your darkest self," Zod said, heading over to Slade with a with a cup in his hand. "That darkness was always there. It goes back far before you lost Shado. It goes back to when your friend, Billy Wintergreen, betrayed you. That darkness, that desire for revenge, it's still there. And you squash it down, attempting to find redemption in the eyes of Oliver Queen, the very man who you sought revenge on."
"I am not that man anymore," Slade said firmly.
"Maybe not," Zod allowed. "But do you think that matters to him? To any of them? Remember, you killed Oliver Queen's mother."
"And he understands, he forgave me," Slade said although there was a hint of uncertainty in Slade's voice as he said this.
"Perhaps, but he will never forget the moment you drove a sword through his mother's heart," Zod said pointedly and Slade looked away in shame. "You risk your lives for them, you fight alongside them. But you will never be one of them."
Slade seemed to consider this as Zod's hands went down to Slade's hands, bound by shackles. Zod removed the shackles before offering Slade the cup.
"Why fight for those who scorn and detest you when you could fight with those who would welcome you, as a brother?" Zod said and, after a moment, Slade accepted the cup from Zod.
"What do you want me to do?" Slade asked bluntly.
Titan, 993
"You expect me to believe that the stone I found is the cause of mass genocide," A'Lars said, staring at Harry and Frost incredulously.
After a moment, Frost's hair and eye color returned to normal, shocking A'Lars as her disguise added away.
"I know it seems hard to believe, but it's true," Caitlin said and A'Lars stared at the human as Harry, reluctantly, deactivated his own disguise.
"What are you?" A'Lars asked wearily, not lowering his blaster.
"It doesn't matter what we are or where we come from. Trillions of lives hang in the balance. And the only way we can get them back is if you give us that stone," Harry said firmly and A'Lars scoffed.
"You expect me to sacrifice my life's work on the whims of two creatures who believe a stone can wipe out trillions of lives," A'Lars said, torn between scorn and amusement.
"I know that arrogance, that hubris," Harry said and A'Lars looked at him perplexed. "You believe you are smarter, cleverer, better than others. Your goals are for the betterment of your people, so what if you have to sacrifice a few meaningless things in the process. Only it turns out those things aren't so meaningless and, one day, they will come back to haunt you. And when that happens, you won't like the person you see looking back at you in the mirror.
"I know because that's what happened me. I let my hubris guide my actions; I let innocent people bear the consequences of what I had done. It wasn't until my daughter was put in danger that I realized the consequences of my actions. Think about someone other than yourself, help us save these people. Trillions of innocent people who have done you no wrong."
"Please, if there's even a small chance we're right…would you be able to rest if you didn't help us?" Caitlin asked as A'Lars looked at her, conflicted.
For several long moments, Caitlin and Harry were sure they would have to fight their way out and get the stone. Then, A'Lars lowered the blaster to his side. A'Lars walked over to a cube that resembled a pure black Rubik's Cube and put his thumb on the top. There was a brief light and then, the top of the cube opened up. A'Lars reached inside and pulled out a glowing green stone the size of a large pebble.
The Time Stone.
"I have spent years attempting to determine the secrets of this stone," A'Lars muttered, looking at the stone with regret before looking back a Harry and Caitlin. "But what you say…it makes sense, as much sense as there is to be made of this. I will trust you, hoping that this decision will not lead me wrong."
"Thank you A'Lars," Harry said gratefully as A'Lars handed the stone to him.
"Thank me by proving me right," A'Lars said darkly.
Before Harry or Caitlin could respond, a red blur sped in, engulfing the pair before vanishing with them, leaving A'Lars staring at the spot where they had vanished, trying to process what he had just seen.
Krypton, 1979
Jor-El stared at Oliver incredulously, trying to wrap his head around what he had just heard.
"So, you claim that this," Jor-El glanced back at the Power Stone. "Is one of the legendary Infinity Stones. That in thirty eight years, it will be used to wipe out half of all life and the man responsible sent it here so that no one would find it."
"I know, it sounds…insane, but it's true," Oliver said, knowing how hard this was to believe. "There are things in this universe that defy explanation, defy science. Please, I need that stone."
Oliver could see that Jor-El was still unmoved, so he did the only other thing he could think of. He knew he had to appeal to Jor-El's humanity.
"You have a son, don't you?" Oliver asked and Jor-El stiffened.
"How do you know about Kal-El?" Jor-El demanded, his voice dipping lower slightly.
"So do I," Oliver said, ignoring Jor-El. "And, if you don't give me that stone, he will never see his mother again. You have a brother, I have a sister. And I will never see her again if you don't give me that stone. I am standing before you as a man, a brother, and a father, begging you to help me make my family whole again. Please Jor-El, help me."
Jor-El stared silently at Oliver for a moment, seeing the desperation, the raw emotion on Oliver's face and hearing it in his voice. He had been surrounded by liars, by people who tried to manipulate him. And he knew that you couldn't fake this kind of emotion. Any doubts he had about Oliver's story were gone.
Silently, Jor-El turned away from Oliver and pressed a button. The two machines that had been poking at the Power Stone moved away, grabbing two hales of a metal sphere. Slowly, the two halves were inched towards the Power Stone before snapping together around the stone. Protecting it from being taken out while also protecting everyone else from the destructive capabilities of the Power Stone.
Jor-El directed the machine to give him the sphere before turning around, offering it to Oliver.
"Thank you," Oliver said gratefully as he walked forward.
"If what you say is true, this stone is too much power for a single person. Make sure it never falls into the wrong hands," Jor-El warned him.
"I won't," Oliver promised as he took the stone.
No sooner had he take it than a red blur rushed over, grabbed him and speeding out into the hall.
In the hall, Cisco was firing Vibe Blast after Vibe Blast at the guards as Rhodey fended them off with his Stun Staff before the red blur grabbed the pair, vanishing as the guards paused, not sure what had happened.
The Phantom Zone
Steve stood near Zod's throne, holding his shield. He had been surprised when it had been returned to him, only told that he would be fighting once more. He turned away from Zod as he heard someone approaching. Steve's eyes widened, appearing surprised as Slade emerged, fully decked out in the Deathstroke suit, wielding his sword.
Across the arena, Slade turned his head slightly so that he was looking directly at Zod. Zod nodded at him, which Slade returned. This was noticed by Steve, who looked at Zod. Zod only smirked at him as Steve seemed to realize that he had been betrayed.
Slade rushed at Steve and it was only years of experience and instinct that allowed Steve to raise his shield in time to block Slade's sword. Angrily, Steve pushed back against Slade's sword and Slade was sent stumbling back. Steve attempted to strike Slade with his shield but Slade manage to dodge Steve's strike. Slade tried to strike Steve but Steve brought up his shield, blocking Slade's sword.
Slade attempted another strike but Steve blocked with his shield before giving a powerful shove. This sent Slade flying back, landing on the ground. Zod sat forward in his seat, his interest peaked as Slade got back to his feet. Slade rushed Steve once more but Steve blocked with his shield before kneeing Slade. Slade lost his sword from the move before Steve attempted to strike Slade with his shield. Slade, however, stopped the shield by grabbing onto it. Slade then yanked the shield forward and the unexpected move caused Steve to lose his grip on the shield. Steve flew a few feet, landing on the ground as Slade picked up his sword.
Steve was still in the process of picking himself up when Slade stalked over. Slade struck him in the face with the front end of the shield, causing Steve to go down. Slade raised his sword when-
"Stop," Zod commanded.
Immediately, the crowd, which had been chanting, stopped, the arena going silent. Slade looked over his shoulder as Zod stood up from his throne. Zod descended the stairs, drawing his sword as Slade back away from Steve. Steve pulled himself into a sitting position as Zod approached. Zod smirked at Steve, thinking he had won before looking over at Slade.
"Congratulations. At last, I have found a brother in arms worth joining me," Zod smirked before turning back to Steve. "But I made a deal with Eobard Thawne that I would kill Steve Rogers. And I intend to deliver."
"Sorry, can't let you do that."
Everyone heard the roar of rockets and looked over as Iron Man landed a few feet from them.
"Sorry, but Cap and I just made up. Would hate to let you kill him," Tony said, his voice muffled by his helmet as he took aim at Zod.
"Tony Stark I presume. I am glad you are here…so you can join your friend in death," Zod said with a sadistic smirk.
"Yeah, sorry, promised the wife I'd make it home in time for dinner. Trust me, you do not want to make her angry," Tony snarked.
Slade suddenly lunged forward, trying to slash Zod with his sword. Zod, taken by surprise, was barely able to block with his own sword. This allowed Steve to lung forward, grabbing the Soul Stone and yanking it from Zod's neck, the thread holding it snapping. Slade then used Steve's shield and struck Zod across the face. Zod was sent flying, hitting the bottom step to his throne. Zod looked up as a red blur sped in, surrounding Steve, Slade and Tony before all three of them vanished. Zod pulled himself to his feet, his entire body trembling before he let out a roar of rage.
And that concludes the Time Heist portion of the story, but don't think this story is ending any time soon. The heroes still have some obstacles to overcome.
A'Lars and Jor-El would be played by Ian McKellen and Julian Sands respectively. Thank you to Aragorn II Elessar for his help with the castings.
The reason that Slade 'won' the fight with Steve is because it was pretty much for show. It was real enough to convince Zod only so he would let his guard down and they could get the stone. In a real fight, I think it would be close but ultimately, Steve would emerge the victor.