Part III: All Good Things...
~Flashback~
Waverider.
Oliver walked into the engine room of the Waverider, having been called there by the AI. He stopped at the sight of a familiar pair of legs under a console. He stood there for a moment, waiting for the other person to notice him but when they didn't, the Green Arrow barked out "BARRY!"
He smirked at the sudden dull thunk as his friend banged his head. Cursing under his breath, Barry pulled himself out from under the console. "Seriously, Ollie?!" he asked incredulously as he rubbed his head. "There is such a thing as whistling or even yodeling to make yourself known." He raised his hand for Oliver to help him up.
Oliver's eyes narrowed as he did so. "I don't whistle and I sure as hell don't yodel." he told his friend with a slight growl. The Flash smirked, completely unrepentant. "Are you sure, 'cause I can think of quite a few people who'd pay good money to hear you yodel."
The Emerald Archer could believe it. Several of which are on this ship. "Barry, is there a reason you wanted to see me before we go get Pierce?" he asked pointedly.
Barry's eyes widened as he remembered. "Ah, yes, sorry." he said before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a familiar looking page. He handed it to Oliver. "Clark and Lex found it in Luthor's pocket. It's a page from the Book of Destiny, Luthor must have ripped it out for some reason. I figured it'd be safer with you."
Oliver took the page and looked at it, but just saw the same indecipherable words that gave him a headache. He put it into his pocket and looked at his friend. "Thanks. What were you doing just now?" he asked curiously, nodding at the console when Barry gave him a puzzled look.
"Oh, just an 'Emergency program' we have on our Waverider. I was just installing it on this one." Barry told him. Oliver got the feeling he wasn't being told everything. The Flash continued "Speaking of which, Sara, are we all set?" he asked. The AI of Sara Lance of Earth-62 answered "Yes, sir. We are all ready, we merely need that gorgeous wife of yours to give her word." Barry and Oliver both smirked at this. The Scarlet Speedster put his finger to his ear. "Gideon, we linked?" he asked, contacting the Earth-1 Waverider's AI he'd created.
"Yes Creator. As Sara said, we merely need Captain Lance's word and the Protocol will activate." Gideon responded to her 'father'.
At Oliver's questioning look, the one which demanded an answer, Barry merely said "Think of it as a Break in Case of Emergency kind of thing. One that I hope wont have to be used."
Oliver nodded, knowing he wouldn't get anything more from his friend. Then he looked closer and could see Barry's hands shake slightly. "You okay?" he asked worriedly.
Barry let out a slight chuckle, he should've known Oliver would see right through him. "The day I've been having nightmares about for months is finally here, and I can't do a thing to stop it." he said, finally allowing his friend see his pain.
"You don't know that for certain." Oliver tried to convince his friend he was wrong. He had to.
But Barry let out a bitter chuckle. "Oh but I do. I went to Earth-3 and asked Jay Garrick for help." he paused as he realized that Jay was probably dead now too. Barry shook his head to clear it. "He helped me see the future and I saw billions of possibilities, and of those possibilities the only ones where all of the people I care about are okay at the end are the ones where I died." he revealed with tears in his eyes at the last part.
Oliver shook his head in refusal to believe. "Then change it." he told his brother, in a determined tone that barely hid the anguish within. "It wouldn't be the first time we defied fate, do it again!" he tried to convince Barry to save himself.
But The Flash shook his head. "I can't, not this time." he said sadly. "Every time I saw myself escape my fate, someone else would die in my place." Barry looked Oliver in the eye. "It has to be me, Ollie." He smiled sadly. "Someone else might get it wrong." he joked, but neither he nor his friend laughed.
The Green Arrow bowed his head. This wasn't fair. It wasn't right! Why did it have to be Barry? He didn't think he could lose another brother. He raised his head to say as such, but stopped at the determined look on Barry's face.
Barry smiled. "Dying's the easy part, Ollie." he began. "The dead are at peace. The Real Heroes are the ones who have to keep going." He put his hand on Oliver's shoulder in comfort, but also to tell Oliver who it was he considered the real hero.
He looked over his friends shoulder to see Kara and Sara walking towards them. They were on their way to find Jefferson Pierce and then they'd focus on the last paragon.
Oliver stared at his friends back as he walked. Barry will come back. He has to.
~Flashback Ends~
Oliver and Kara sat in the kitchen in silence. Kara's head was on Oliver's shoulder as the two held each other in comfort.
Finally Oliver broke the silence. "I can't believe he's gone." he said quietly. In his hand was Barry's Flash Ring, which he'd found on the kitchen counter. 'He must've left it here before he left, knowing I'd find it.' he thought to himself as he rubbed his thumb over the lightning bolt symbol.
Kara sniffed back her tears. "Where's Sara?" she asked, having not seen the White Canary since they got the news. Her husband ran is hand over his face in emotional exhaustion, "I don't know. I haven't seen her since Caitlin gave us the message from-" here he paused, reluctant to say his friend's name. Finally he said "-From Barry."
As the two sat in silence, the door opened but they didn't look to see who it was. "Mom, Dad." Mia spoke from the doorway. They looked up to see their daughter staring at them with concern. It was clear that she'd been crying. Kara opened her arm allowing Mia to walk over be held in her mother's arms.
After a bit of sniffling Mia spoke. "I'm sorry." she said quietly but even Oliver heard.
"What do you have to be sorry for?" Oliver asked worriedly placing his hand on his daughter's on the table in comfort. Mia sniffed. "After you disappeared, Uncle Barry practically helped Mom raise me. Nora was the closest thing I've ever had to sister. I grew up on Earth-38 and I was only on Earth-1 because she wanted my help in Star City. Until he disappeared, Uncle Barry was to closest thing I'd ever had to a father." she revealed to her stunned parents.
Oliver and Kara smiled sadly at the idea that Barry would've been involved in the raising of their daughter. "When did Barry disappear in your time?" Kara asked confusedly.
"April 25th 2024." Mia said sadly, remembering how she and Nora cried themselves to sleep for weeks after that day. "The Reverse-Flash recruited a bunch of villains and waged an all out attack on the heroes. Uncle Barry recruited you mom, Aunt Sara and the Legends, Bruce - even Uncle Roy was there as the new Green Arrow in your honor." Oliver smiled slightly with pride at his former protégé taking up his mantle. "A lot of people died on both sides as well as civilians before Barry and Thawne vanished."
Oliver growled. Of course Thawne was responsible. Honestly he was beginning to hate that man almost as much as Barry did. He was jogged from his thoughts by Mia's sobs. "So you see, the timeline was knocked off course when I came here. Maybe if I hadn't Uncle Barry might still be alive and the Crisis might not be happening." she cried.
Kara glared at Oliver over Mia's head. Damn him for passing his guilt complex on to their daughter! Knowing what his wife was thinking, Oliver focused on Mia. "Mia, when exactly did I disappear?"
Mia looked at him like it should've been obvious. "I was born in May of 2020. You disappeared just a month later in June of 2020." she told him. "By the time you disappeared, you had been living on Earth-38 with Mom for just over a year."
Oliver and Kara looked at each other in confusion. The Green Arrow did the math in his head. "That means that I moved to Earth-38 right after I beat Emiko and the Ninth Circle." he realized out loud. "But that didn't happen for me." As he spoke, Mia's eyes widened in equal parts shock and confusion.
"What?" she asked in shock. The younger girl of steel looked to her mother. "But mom should be 5 months pregnant with me at this point in time." she said looking at his mother's flat stomach.
Oliver was puzzled as well. "Mia, I was about to move to Earth-38 after I beat Emiko. But then, Novu-" here he paused as he started to realize. When her husband stopped speaking, Kara looked at him and saw his face. "I know that look. You've just realized something haven't you."
Oliver nodded. "The only reason I didn't go to Earth-38 like I planned, was because Novu said that a Crisis was imminent and that he'd seen me die." he told them. He growled in anger. "I've spent the last few months with him and Lyla drilling it into my head that I was going to die and that I should make the most of what time I had left. But I just realized that he never said I died during the Crisis." he said in his Green Arrow growl. Here he turned to Mia and said sadly "He never said that I was the Oliver Queen he saw die."
Mia's eyes widened in horrified understanding. "My Dad?" she asked tearfully. Oliver nodded and stood up and Kara joined, while Mia remained sitting between them.
"I think it's time we got some answers out of Mar Novu." he said determinedly.
"I agree." a voice said from the doorway. The Super Arrow Trio looked up to see Sara standing in the entryway, evidence of her tears clearly seen on her cheeks.
Oliver looked at her sadly. "Are you okay?" he asked, even though he knew she wasn't.
Sara shook her head. "I'll grieve fully after this is over. Right now I want to talk with Novu." She told them, the emphasis she placed on the word 'talk' revealed to them exactly what she wanted to do to the Monitor.
The Queen family walked over to the White Canary and the four heroes left the Kitchen for the Bridge. As they walked through the corridor, Oliver noticed something out of the corner of his eye. "You three go on ahead." he told the three blonds. "I'll catch up." he then walked into the other room which turned out to be the infirmary.
"Pierce." he got Black Lightning's attention from where he was standing next to his youngest daughters bed, with his wife, his eldest daughter and Gambi were standing with him. Jefferson looked over to him. "Meeting on the Bridge." Oliver told him.
The former Principal nodded. "I'll be right there." he said. The Green Arrow nodded to the still unconscious Jen. "How is she?" he asked, the father in him coming out. "Better than she was on our Earth." Jeff told him. Oliver nodded, happy for the man. Jeff then turned to look at the hero in green in sorrow. "I'm sorry about your friend." he said apologetically, having seen the obvious grief on the faces of those who knew Barry Allen.
Oliver nodded, accepting the condolence. Lynn then asked "How long did the two of you know each other?" she asked softly. Oliver smiled slightly in remembrance. "Six - going on seven - years. We met during my second year." he then chuckled softly. "You know, it's funny. When I first started, I was far from a hero." he admitted. "I killed people who were corrupt and were using their wealth to harm the innocent. It wasn't until my best friend died, that I stopped killing in order to honor his memory. Barry was the first person I'd met who honestly saw that I could be a hero. I never really believed it. Still not sure I do."
He smiled sadly. "When he first got his powers, I trained him as much as I could. Even shot him a couple of times." Unnoticed by Oliver, Sara, Kara and Mia were listening at the door with tears in their eyes. "One of the few things I can honestly say I'm proud of doing in my life, is that I played a part in helping Barry become the hero he was always meant to be."
Everyone listening smiled at Oliver's words. Jefferson then spoke softly. "My father, uh, Alvin Pierce he was a good man." he said in a soft voice filled with fond memory. "Reporter. Spent his life giving a voice to the voiceless." Here Jeff got sad. "He was murdered when I was 12." he revealed to his audience's shock. "But I still carry the lessons he taught me to this day. I passed them along to my girls." Jeff turned to look at his eldest and Anissa smiled at him. He turned a soft look to his youngest and brushed a hair from her forehead tenderly. "And to my students." he continued with his head slightly bowed as he thought of all of his students who he tried to teach and pull away from gangs like the 100.
Black Lightning turned back to the Green Arrow. "Now Alvin did not raise a quitter." he said in a firm voice. "And I'm certain that Barry was not trained by one, so we should honor their memory and rage against the dying of the light."
Oliver smirked at his words with confidence. "I can get behind that." he said. He then offered his hand to the elder hero. "Oliver Queen. My friends call me Oliver." he properly introduced himself, those watching smiled at the sight.
Jefferson smirked back and placed his hand in Oliver's. "Jefferson Pierce. Call me Jeff." And the two heroes shook hands in the birth of a new friendship.
Oliver then turned back to the door to see his wife, his daughter and his friend looking at him proudly. He swore he could see Barry over their shoulder nodding at him with pride. "We were on our way to the bridge to finally get some answers from Novu. Care to join us?" he asked.
Here, Jeff grinned almost evilly. "Oliver, it would be my genuine pleasure." he told him as lightning crackled around him.
Back on the bridge, the gathered heroes were silent. Many of them grieving for the friend they'd lost.
From Team Flash, there were Cisco Ramone aka Vibe comforting Caitlin Snow aka Frost. Ralph Dibney aka the Elongated Man still sat on the steps almost in shock while Wally West aka Mercury stood to the side in grieving silence for his brother.
Team Super-Arrow consisted of Thea Queen aka Artemis, Slade Wilson aka Deathstroke, Roy Harper aka Arsenal, John Diggle aka Spartan, Laurel Lance the Last survivor of Earth-2 and the second Black Canary, Alex Danvers, Winn Shott Jr. aka Toyman II, Mon-El aka Valor, J'onn J'onzz, Querl Dox aka Brainiac-5 aka the Martian Manhunter and Lena Luthor.
Also there were Bruce Wayne aka Batman, Selina Kyle aka Catwoman, Clark Kent aka Superman and Lois Lane-Kent and Lex Luthor aka Power Man of Earth-67 and Barry Allen aka The Flash of Earth-90.
The Monitor merely stood at the front watching them in a blank silence.
The silence was broken by an angry growl, so familiar to many in the room. "Novu, we want answers!" Everyone jumped as an angry Oliver Queen stormed in followed by an equally angry Kara Queen, Mia Queen, Sara Allen and Jefferson Pierce.
Mar Novu was unperturbed by the Green Arrow's rage. "And what answers do you want, Mr. Queen?" he asked calmly. This seemed to only piss them off more.
"Many!" Oliver growled. "But we'll start with what happened to the other Oliver Queen you recruited!" At this the other in the room looked confused.
"W-What do you mean, Ollie?" Thea asked of her brother. "What other Oliver Queen?"
But Oliver continued without responding to his sister. "I was supposed to move to Earth-38 after I stopped Emiko and the Ninth Circle. Kara is supposed to be 5 months pregnant at this point in time. Mia is supposed to be born in May of 2020." he revealed to the room. "And yet because you recruited me before I could leave Earth-1, none of that has happened."
Mia explained with anger very similar to that of her father. Even her growl was similar. "My dad disappeared just a month after I was born. Uncle Barry and Aunt Sara and their teams helped Mom in searching everywhere for him but couldn't find dad anywhere. I grew up on Earth-38 and regularly saw Uncle Kal and Grandma Alura. None of this ever happened. The first I ever heard of any Crisis was when Uncle Barry fought Thawne in 2024." she revealed to them all. The heroes were all stunned before they all turned to glare at Novu as the pieces began to come together.
"So what the hell did you do to Mia's dad?!" Kara asked in anger.
Mar Novu was silent for a moment. Then he spoke, still in that calm tone. "You are correct. I did recruit you after the birth of your daughter, however you failed in your mission so I recruited you at an earlier point in your timeline." he told Oliver, completely unconcerned by the glares in his direction.
"What do you mean I failed?" Oliver asked him with a growl.
Novu sighed, as though it was a chore to explain himself. "When I began to sense the approaching Crisis, I tried to recruit you a month after Miss Queen's birth, however you refused to aid me. So, undeterred, I instead waited for you to lower your guard and left you on Lian Yu on Earth-2, where I told you that if you want to return to your family then you would have to complete the missions I was going to give you." The glares intensified as the heroes heard how Novu had essentially kidnapped Oliver and threatened him to get he wanted.
Novu continued. "However I underestimated how angry you were and so when he fought the Dark Archer on Earth-2 to save the Glades, you killed Tommy Merlyn. Without Merlyn to give you the code to disarm the device, it blew up - destroying Starling City. To rectify this I went back in time and recruited you earlier so that you wouldn't be unnecessarily distracted for your mission." he revealed.
Oliver's eyes widened as he understood. "Unnecass-?!" he began before his rage took over. "UNNECESSARY?! YOU PREVENTED MY DAUGHTER FROM EVEN EXISTING! YOU AND LYLA HAVE SPENT THE LAST FEW MONTHS PRACTICALLY DRILLING IT INTO MY HEAD THAT I WAS GOING TO DIE IN THIS FUCKING CRISIS OF YOURS! AND NOW I FIND OUT THAT I'M NOT THE FIRST OLIVER QUEEN YOU'VE SCREWED OVER!" he screamed, absolutely apocalyptic with rage and he was far from the only one in the room feeling such a way. As the Green Arrow, Oliver had come to hate several individuals. Malcolm Merlyn. Amanda Waller. Damien Darhk. Adrian Chase.
None of them even came close to the level hatred he felt for Mar Novu at this moment.
"Then why did you bring me here?" Mia asked with her own quiet anger, tears rolling down her cheeks as she cried from learning the fate of her father. Kara comforted her daughter even as she glared at Novu, looking like she'd like nothing more than to incinerate the bastard. Mia continued with a glare frighteningly similar to her father's own. "If I'm such an 'unnecessary distraction' then why did you bring me back in time to meet my dad?" she asked.
"I did not." Novu revealed. Everyone looked disbelieving. "In the events I foresaw for this Crisis, you were not supposed to play any such role. Your presence, as well as the following actions of Earth-1's Barry Allen have drastically altered the outcome to the point I can no longer see what comes next." he told them, and this time the heroes could detect a hint of frustration in the Monitor's voice.
"What do you mean?" Sara asked with anger and confusion. She felt a jolt of pain in her heart at the mention of her husbands name. "What did Barry do to alter events?" she demanded.
Novu stared at her for a moment before turning to Oliver. "You were supposed to die on Earth-38." He said bluntly shocking the heroes. "You were meant to be the last hero standing, holding off the enemy while the civilians were evacuated. However you allowed your friend, Mr. Allen to convince you to leave that Universe. And because Mr. Allen was standing so close to you I was unable to remove him without taking you with him, and so I took a risk and took you both just as Earth-38 was destroyed." he revealed, causing the groups anger to spike at hearing that he'd only saved Oliver because Barry was standing too close.
The Monitor continued. "Mr and Mrs Allen were supposed to recruit John Constantine in a quest for a Lazarus Pit to resurrect you." Sara, Thea, Bruce and Oliver all grimaced at the mention of a Pit. "Mr. Allen was supposed to be the Paragon of Love, and the only reason for Mr Pierce's recruitment was for him to aid in the destruction of the Anti-Matter Cannon. Pariah would've taken him from Earth-77 just before its destruction."
"What about my family?" Jefferson asked fearfully. "The only reason they're here is because Oliver, Kara and Sara came to my Earth because I was a Paragon and they took them when I was taken by Pariah. What would've happened to my family if I wasn't a Paragon?" he demanded, even though he had a feeling he already knew.
"They were not needed for the coming conflict and thus were a necessary sacrifice." Novu said bluntly, ignoring Jefferson's growl and the sparks of electricity he gave off at his family being called a necessary sacrifice. He continued unconcerned "Mr Allen was then supposed to allow the Earth-90 Flash to sacrifice himself, and escape with Team Flash yet this did not happen." Barry of Earth-90 glared at the Monitor, knowing that if he could've he'd have tried to take the place of younger self.
Bruce snorted in derision. "So what? Because Allen was a hero and wanted to make sure people actually lived through this Crisis, instead of willingly sacrificing them like chess pawns you don't know what happens next like the rest of us." The Batman asked almost mockingly.
Mar Novu actually growled. "Indeed."
Oliver snorted now. "Good job, Barry." he said to his late friend. Still angry but determined to continue protecting what Barry sacrificed himself to save, Oliver focused. "Okay, as much as I want nothing more than to shove an arrow through your eye for what you've been playing," he glared at Novu with hate in his eyes. "I will admit that we need to focus on what we do next. Ray," Oliver turned to the Atom who looked back with equal anger and pain "have we found the eighth Paragon yet?"
But Ray shook his head. "No." he said with a sigh. "I think we should just accept that the eighth is most likely dead." the normally extremely optimistic man said dejectedly. Oliver nodded in acceptance "Okay, in that case our next priority should be finding the Anti-Monitor and stopping him for good, and hopefully reversing what's been done." He looked around at the assembled heroes, all of whom had looks of resolve on their faces. "Where's Harbinger?" he asked, noticing that the former Lyla Michaels-Diggle was still missing.
Clark was the one to respond. "We still haven't seen her."
"And Harbinger, unlike me, can travel anywhere she wants." Pariah revealed. "So how do we find her?"
John Diggle answered. "By whatever means necessary." he said. He and Black Lightning gave each other nods of respect.
Sara gathered herself and walked to the front of the ship, deliberately walking around the Monitor. "Well, we can start by trying to re-task the Waverider's satellite search grid." she told the heroes, and she began to do just that when there was a flash of light and suddenly Harbinger was there.
John was the first to react. "Lyla." he exclaimed and walked over to his wife.
"Johnny." she responded, seemingly happy to see her husband. John held his wife close. "You okay?" he asked her worriedly.
"I'm sorry." she apologized. "I tried to get word to you that I was doing recon on Earth-1, but the deaths of the other Earths is affecting my abilities." she told him.
"Where were you on Earth-1?" Bruce asked her suspiciously.
"I-" she began to say but then stopped. Oliver and Bruce shared a look, both thinking the same thing. Something wasn't right. "I can't remember." Lyla admitted.
"It's okay." John consoled her. "I thought I lost you, Lyla." he told her fearfully.
"Not that easy." she responded almost coyly. She then got serious. "I just wish I could remember what happened."
"We'll figure this out." John held his wife close as he whispered to her.
Oliver whispered to Bruce. "What if the Anti-Monitor wanted Harbinger back on the ship?" he asked suspiciously. The Dark Knight nodded in response. "He's been controlling her the entire Crisis." Batman agreed.
"And controlling you," Clark joined in looking over to Pariah "only allowing you to appear when he wants you to see-"
"A great tragedy." Sara whispered in horror.
The heroes turned to Lyla, ready to fight as she looked back with an evil grin. "Lyla?" John questioned his wife, just as her eyes glowed white.
Immediately she attacked John, punching his shoulder to stun him and then wrapped her legs around his head and threw him to the floor. The heroes prepared to fight just as Harbinger spoke in a voice that was not Lyla's own. "It is time to end the Age of Heroes. And everything you hold close." the Anti-Monitor spoke.
"Lyla." John called to his wife from the floor.
But Novu told him solemnly. "That is no longer your wife, John Diggle. She has been taken by-"
"The Anti-Monitor." Pariah said fearfully.
"Murderer!" Clark growled as he thought of the family and friends he'd lost. But the being simply threw the Man of Steel into the wall like he was made of paper. The heroes prepared for the fight of their lives, but the Anti-Monitor merely clenched its fist and seemingly increased the gravity pushing all but itself, the Monitor and Pariah to the floor.
"Lyla!" John tried to reach his wife "You have to fight him, Lyla!" but it was no use.
Novu glared at his counterpart. "The fate of all humanity lies with you now, Pariah." he told the former Nash Wells.
But he was confused. "What can I do?" he asked almost desperately.
"You will know when the moment arrives." The Monitor said cryptically. Then, without further explanation, he fired a beam of orange light from his hands. However this did nothing as the vastly more powerful being merely shrugged it off with a flash of blue light before firing back its own beam of blue, which began to quickly overpower Novu.
"Pathetic." The Anti-Monitor mocked as the beam began to consume the Monitor. "It was foolish to try to stop me, Novu." It told him.
"No, Mobius." Novu said, using his enemies real name as he died. "It was foolish to allow your creation in the first place."
"Goodbye." It said as Novu died before the shocked heroes. Then before their eyes, the Anti-Monitor seemed to absorb Mar Norvu's power. Its eyes glowed brighter with more power.
Outside the window, the heroes watched in horror as the Anti-Matter returned and immediately destroyed the Earth.
"Alert, Earth-1 is gone." the Sara AI stated the obvious to their shock.
The heroes stood up and looked at the approaching wave. "We're all that's left." Kara said in horror.
"It is done." The Anti-Monitor intoned. "The infinite Earths are gone. Soon only the anti-matter universe will remain." It bragged.
"Warning. The anti-matter wave will hit the ship in 28 seconds." Sara AI warned. Then the real Sara shouted out, "ACTIVATE NORA PROTOCOL, NOW!"
"Activating Nora Protocol in 10 seconds." the AI said as a countdown appeared on the screen. "10."
Pariah looked determined. "I know what I must do." He revealed as he thrust out energy from his hands. The energy sought out the Paragons who vanished as it reached them.. First Jefferson.
"9."
Then Clark. "Lois." he said reaching for his wife as he disappeared.
"8."
Then Bruce, who stared at Selina in horror.
"7."
Then J'onn.
"6."
Then Sara.
"5."
Then Kara as she vanished from beside her daughter. "Mom?" Mia asked in horror.
"4."
And then finally Oliver who glared at the Anti-Monitor. "This isn't over." he growled in his Hood voice before he vanished.
"3."
The Anti-Monitor glared at Pariah, even as the countdown continued.
"2."
"Where did you send them?" it growled.
"1."
Pariah smirked. "Somewhere you can't touch 'em." he said confidently as the countdown ended.
"0. Nora Protocol Activated." the AI finished. Then it said mockingly "Suck it, Bitch!"
Outside before the wave could hit the Waverider, the ship's Drive Core overloaded and exploded with the force of an Atomic Bomb.
Unknown Space.
The Paragons suddenly appeared in room of rubble.
"What the hell just happened?" Bruce growled.
"Where are we?" Kara asked rhetorically, not that she expected any of the others to know the answer. She and Oliver held each other as they grieved for their daughter and friends.
Sara however knew the answer to Kara's question. "This is the Vanishing Point." She said, as she recognized the former headquarters of the Time Masters from her first year with the Legends.
"What does that mean?" Oliver asked her.
"It's a point outside of time and space." she revealed.
Things were silent for a moment before Clark spoke. "What about the Waverider?" he asked, worried for his wife and daughter and his best friend. "How do we get back?" he asked desperately.
But Sara had to put him down. "We can't." she said bluntly. "Before Pariah sent us here, I activated Nora Protocol." Before anyone could ask, the White Canary explained "It's an emergency protocol that Barry created after Nora was born. In the event that the Waverider is irreversibly compromised then any and all allied forces are immediately transported to the safest place or places in time and space. The Drive Core then immediately goes critical and explodes with enough force to obliterate a large city." she told them.
The others all looked horrified before Bruce asked the question they all wanted to know the answer to. "So where did it send everyone?"
But Sara shrugged and said sadly "I don't know."
Everyone was silent before Jefferson asked "So what do we do now?"
But no one answered. Oliver merely stood and glared at the cosmos outside the window.
Moments before the Waverider exploded.
Lex Luthor of Earth-38 glared at the wall as he sat in his cell. How dare those freaks treat him - him! Lex Luthor! The Greatest Mind in any Universe! - like a common criminal.
"Lex Luthor of Earth-38." he heard a deep, echoing voice speak. He turned in the direction to see a twisted version of the Monitor standing before him.
"The Anti-Monitor, I presume." he asked as he stood. He was supremely confidant that he could convince the being before him to aid him.
The Anti-Monitor nodded. "You made a deal with my counterpart. How would you like to make one with me?" the being propositioned.
Lex raised an eyebrow. "And what would be in it for me?" he asked.
"Revenge and Glory." Mobius offered.
Luthor grinned. "I believe we can negotiate."
The Phantom Zone of Universe-67.
Sitting on his throne in the Kryptonian prison known as the Phantom Zone, General Dru-Zod glared at nothing, swearing his revenge on Kal-El.
"Perhaps, I can aid you in that." a deep echoing voice spoke. Zod looked to see a strange purple being standing before him. He didn't recognize this creature as an inmate of the Zone.
"Who are you, and what do you mean aid me?" The General asked.
"I am the Anti-Monitor, and I offer you freedom from this place in exchange for a favor." He offered.
Zod sneered at the being before him, but was intrigued. "And you possess the power to free me from the Zone?" he asked skeptically. "And what exactly do you desire in return?"
The Anti-Monitor grinned evilly. "I want you to get your revenge on Kal-El so that I might complete my own mission."
Zod's eyes widened before his desire for revenge overtook him. "Very well. I will aid you should you be telling the truth of your abilities. Should you lie, you will live only long enough to regret it." he threatened.
He then declared "And before I make him beg me for death, the Son of Jor-El will KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!"
Earth-77. Freeland.
In his office, Tobias Whale glared at nothing as he fumed over the memory of his defeat by Black Lightning.
"Tobias Whale." a voice spoke. Whale looked up to see a strange being standing before him.
"Who the fuck are you?" he demanded as he touched his gun.
"I am the Anti-Monitor, and I offer you revenge on Black Lightning." the being said.
Tobias grinned evilly. "Well, why didn't you say so? Let's talk business."
Earth-38. A Cadmus Base.
The former Hank Henshaw - now known as Cyborg Superman - fumed as he thought of the alien who stole his face.
"Hank Henshaw, the Cyborg Superman." Henshaw looked to the owner of the voice to seen a being standing before him.
"What are you?!" he growled as he glared at the obviously inhuman being, prepared to kill it simply because it dared to exist.
"I am the Anti-Monitor, and I offer you revenge on J'onn J'onzz." the being said.
The human eye of the Cyborg narrowed. "I'm listening."
Earth-1. Star City. 2016.
Malcolm Merlyn smirked as he watched Oliver kill Damien Darhk on the news. God he hated that brat. Hated him for saving Tommy. Hated him for turning Thea against him. Hated him for making him live in this crappy apartment. Hating him for so much more.
"What if I offered my aid?" a voice suddenly spoke, making Malcolm jump in his seat and instinctively throw a dagger at the individual who merely, deflected it.
Malcolm prepared to fight the being that was unlike any he had seen before. "What do you mean, your aid? And what the hell are you?" he demanded.
"I am the Anti-Monitor, and I offer you revenge on Oliver Queen." the being said.
Malcolm narrowed his eyes. "Keep talking."
Washington, DC. 1975.
Damian Darhk was terrified. For the first time in years he was actually scared. That woman claimed she'd watched him die and that he'd killed the woman's sister.
Loathe as he was to admit it, Time Travel was his only hope so now he was on his way to meet with Thawne, when a voice spoke. "What if I was to offer you a way out?"
Damian looked at the being who, in all his years was unlike any he had seen. "And you are?" he asked, prepared to fight if need be.
"I am the Anti-Monitor, and I offer you a chance to ensure that your death in 2016 never comes to pass. In fact, if you aid me well then your death will never come at all." the creature offered him.
Darhk looked intrigued but skeptical. "Okay you've peeked my interest, but what's in it for you." he asked.
The Anti-Monitor grinned. "A better world."
Earth-1. Gotham City.
Jerome Valeska, better known as the Joker was pouting. He didn't care that it was undignified, he was doing it. He had a whole party set up for the Bat when he'd show up, knowing that one of his thugs would tell the Bat where Joker was. He'd shot the idiot who'd told the bat, after he said that the bat had disappeared after getting his location.
Not even the thugs dying groans cheered him up, as he'd waited more than an hour for Bats to show up but nothing! 'He'd better not be ignoring me to play with his kitty, or else I'd be most annoyed.'
"Perhaps I can help you." a voice said. Joker looked up to see a strange being standing before him.
He grinned. "Ooh! Someone new to play with. Hee, Hee!" he giggled. His eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Did the Bat send you in his place so he can play with his Cat Bitch?!" he demanded.
The being shook its head. "Far from it. I am the Anti-Monitor and I am offering you a chance to kill the Batman and spread as much chaos as you possibly can." the Anti-Monitor.
The Joker laughed in glee. "Ooh, a new game! Tell me more. HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!"
Anyone within hearing range of the Clown Prince of Crime's laughter shivered with fear.
Iron Heights Maximum Security Prison. 2050.
Sitting in his cell powerless was merely an minor irritant. Despite his repeat defeats, he still felt content in the fact that his nemesis was gone.
"Still proud of your accomplishments, Professor?" a familiar voice asked.
The prisoner looked at the being through the thick glass with a grin. "Well after so long fighting him, I feel that I'm allowed to be a bit smug, Mobius."
The Anti-Monitor smirked. "Indeed. I am in need of your aid once more." he said promptly.
The Professor grinned. "Let me guess, Novu's Paragons are attempting to bring back their universe and you want me to help you stop them." he hypothesized.
Mobius shook his head. "No, I already have what I need for the fight." he denied the individuals aid in such a way. "No, I have another job for you, Eobard."
Eobard Thawne, The Reverse-Flash, grinned evilly. "What do you need of me, old friend?"
Mar Novu had his Paragons.
Mobius had his Renegades.
Bloody hell! Really sorry this one took so long. I just had so many ideas for both this story as well as future fics that it was difficult to keep them all straight.
To give you an idea of who is playing the Renegades:
Jerome Valeska aka The Joker of Earth-1 - Cameron Monaghan. Think of how he looked in the Season 5 finale of Gotham, but with a full head of green hair since i think that was the only issue people had.
General Dru-Zod of Universe-67 - Calum Blue. This Zod is the one from Season 9-10 of Smallville. The clone body of Major Zod and the spirit of the original General Zod from the Phantom Zone.
Eobard Thawne aka The Reverse-Flash - Matt Letscher. I love Tom Cavenagh as Thawne but it never makes sense for him to always be wearing the same disguise.
Tobias Whale of Earth-77 - Marvin Jones III. Haven't really watched BL so this more from what I have seen.
Malcolm Merlyn aka the Dark Archer - John Barrowman. The first big bad of the Arrowverse. how could he not be in the Crisis. plus i love John Barrowman.
Damian Darhk - Neal McDonough. honestly i couldn't think of anyone but him for Sara. plus he was probably the only good bit from Arrow season 4.
Lex Luthor of Earth-38 - Jon Cryer. Might as well as give him some more screen time. plus this way he can't kill CK.
Hank Henshaw aka Cyborg Superman - David Harewood. couldn't really think of a better villain for J'onn.
now before i end this ridiculously long chapter, here's a post credit scene.
When he woke up it was in a place he never expected to see again.
Barry Allen was in his childhood bedroom. He rubbed his head. The last he remembered was destroying the Anti-Matter cannon and dying in the process. And now he was in his childhood bedroom.
That only meant one thing. He was in...
"Hey, there's my Beautiful Boy." an achingly familiar voice spoke from the door. Barry looked and saw the face of his long dead mother, Nora Allen looking at him with a proud smile on her face. "About time you woke up, Lazybones."
"Mom?" he asked softly with tear in his eyes. He sniffled. "I'm in the Speed Force, aren't I?" he questioned. Nora sat on the bed. "Yes, you are." she responded and then placed her hand on his cheek. "We're so proud of you, Barry."
Barry smiled sadly. Then he asked "Did it work?" he asked in a hopeful tone.
Nora's smile faded. "Temporarily." she revealed softly. "The Anti-Monitor destroyed the Infinite Earths and Killed Novu. The Paragons were saved and are now in the Vanishing Point, outside of Time and Space."
At this, Barry tried to get up but Nora stopped him. "I need to get there. They need help. I can't stay here." he told her determinedly.
"You can and you will, Young Man." The Speed Force told him in her mom voice. "The Anti-Monitor is now at his most powerful, in your current state you will be of no help to your friends. You need to s-" suddenly Nora shuddered a placed a hand to her head. To Barry's shock, his mother suddenly seemed to age 20 years in an instant before his eyes.
"Mom, what's wrong?" Barry asked worriedly as he held the Speed force in his arms. "The Speed Force is powered by life, by joy, by people being people. With the destruction of the Multiverse my connection to my children is fading." she told him sadly as she seemed to get weaker before his eyes.
"What do you need me to do?" he asked her. He couldn't lose her again.
Nora smiled at her son. "Oh, my Beautiful Boy. You need to listen to your mother, and learn what you need to know. I believe that the Flash of Earth-1 has one last run in him before he reaches the Finish Line, right."
Still worried but determined, Barry nodded. Nora smiled. "Good. Then sit back and let me tell you a story about the First Speedster. A man who will be known as... Savitar."