YEAR 4 BEGINS…
THE PRESENT…
Kara found Barry sitting on the roof of the bar.
"Why here?" She asked softly, sitting down beside him with her legs dangling over the street.
"When I first became the Flash," Barry told her, staring out into the distance, "I would meet Iris on the roof of Jitters, deliberately being all mysterious and spooky. I don't know, guess this just reminded me of that. When everything was simpler."
He turned to her then, tears welling in his eyes.
"Why? That's what I don't understand. Oliver built this world, he could have made it however he wanted. Why let Iris die?"
Kara swallowed, staring into those haunted eyes. She wanted to lie. Tell him it must have been an accident of some sort. But in truth, she had an idea why Oliver might have done what he did, and she found herself agreeing with it.
"Barry… you and I both know that time, wants to happen a certain way," she began hesitantly, "Maybe, you had to suffer a tragedy of some kind at Zoom's hand. If not your father, then Iris."
"So what?" He snapped, turning away from her to look back at the skyline, "The universe just hates me? Is that it? Why doesn't it hate you? Or this Hal person?"
Kara ground her teeth, "Careful Barry. I know you're hurting, but I can guarantee you I lost a hell of a lot more in a single moment than you have in your entire life. And for the record, you have no idea what Hal has been through, so don't judge until you do."
Barry took a deep, shuddering breath.
"I'm sorry. That was… mean. I know you lost everything."
Kara steadied herself, then ploughed onward.
"Barry, I think, maybe Oliver built this world without Iris in it, to give you some freedom."
Barry's head snapped back to her, confusion and anger mixing in his gaze.
"What?"
"Think about it. Everything in your life has pointed you towards being married to Iris. Quite forcefully if we're honest. You were obsessed with her for years – unhealthily. Then, just as you were getting into a better place, there was the newspaper, and Eddie died. Then, once you get involved with Patty, Zoom happens, driving the pair of you away. Earth 2, Thawne, your trips to the future, Flashpoint… The list goes on. You told me that even after you got married, you needed couples counselling. Not to mention, you constantly got in fights. Not over the basic things, but ethical things or questions of morality and power. It's almost like some narrative is forcing you back to her every time you steer towards another path. Why did Iris decide to date you anyway?"
Barry paused, and Kara could see the hurt on his face, the anguish. Rao all she wanted then was to hug him.
"After Earth 2… After she found out we were married over there."
"So, can you honestly tell me that she agreed to go out with you because she genuinely had feelings, or because she was just doing it because the Universe told her too?"
Barry didn't answer right away. Instead just sitting there, staring. But eventually, under his breath, he muttered,
"No, I can't."
Kara sighed, then, delicately, she wrapped an arm around Barry's shoulders and pulled him close.
"Maybe, just maybe, give yourself a chance to choose something, someone, for yourself. Oliver, he rebuilt this world for us. I don't plan on letting his sacrifice go to waste by just doing the same things. Are you?" Not thinking about what she was doing, she kissed Barry on the forehead, then stood up and went back into the bar. Leaving Barry to come to terms with… everything, on his own.
THE FLASH: S2EP23 – THE RACE OF HIS LIFE
May 2016
Barry threw Zoom to the ground, pulling away his mask as the Magnetar – the device that would destroy the Multiverse – exploded behind them. He looked into the face of his friend – of Jay Garrick, Hunter Zoloman – defeated on the ground. But he couldn't smile. What was a victory if his sister wasn't there to see it?
"Kill me, Barry! It's the only way! Kill me to become me!" Barry stood over his foe, and the thought did flare into his mind. Kill Zoloman, avenge Iris, all the people on Earth 2 he'd killed. But then he glanced back at Joe, Cisco, Wells, Caitlin, Jesse and Wally, standing a few hundred feet away, watching him. Could he do that? Kill Zoom. The man deserved it. But, Iris had always taught him to be the best person he could be. You didn't need to be the best, so long as you kept your heart aligned with what really matters. What was more important then? Honour? Or Vengeance?
Barry stepped away from Zoom and left him writhing on the ground.
"This isn't the end Flash! One of us dies tonight!" Zoom launched himself at Barry's back, screaming in that guttural reverberating voice.
"YOU." A crack of blue light split the air, and the Black Racer stabbed its hand through Zoloman's chest.
Barry turned back to them, staring into Jay's face one final time.
"I'm sorry, Iris," he whispered, a tear sliding down his face.
Zoom died, and the Racer removed his vibrating arm from the speedster's chest, letting his corpse fall to the ground. Then it turned on Barry. The Racer looked to the charred ruin of the Magnetar, then back to Barry.
"WE WILL ALLOW THIS ONCE. DO NOT TRY IT AGAIN."
Barry shivered but nodded his agreement. Calling up a Time Remnant had been a significant risk, but given how much his heart ached right now, he hadn't really cared. His previous self hadn't either.
The Racer bolted away, vanishing back into the sliver of time it came from, and Barry ran back towards his friends.
But as he did so, a bolt of energy from his trail flared out, striking the husk of the Magnetar.
The device detonated with a terrifying "CRACK!", and Barry was blasted off his feet by a massive shockwave.
He soared through the air, as his friends called out his name, before slamming to the ground headfirst.
Barry rolled onto his back, groaning in pain. Then, his gaze fixed on the sky. A storm had begun forming. Spinning in on itself like a cyclone. And Barry was its centre.
The gale of wind lurched him away from the ground, and Barry tried to use his speed to counter the spin. Lightning sparked over his body, only to be warped up into the twister forming around him and get sucked up into the sky. He screamed in utter agony as the storm blasted a wave of golden light through the air.
"Barry!" Cisco yelled, and Barry tried his best to turn towards his friends as he was ripped apart. The wind was howling around him, spinning like a hurricane, and then the lightning came. A bolt flared from the cyclone above – golden in colour – falling from the sky. And as his friends clung tried to forge forward into the storm, regardless of the danger, the lightning bolt struck Jesse and Wally's conjoined hands.
They were but the first. Lightning bolts of gold, yellow, white, purple and red struck all across Central City, illuminating the night sky as the cyclone continued to spin, faster and faster and faster and…
Cisco thrust his hands forward, yelling at the top of his lungs, and a swirling silver Breach shimmered into existence directly in front of him. Then Caitlin, straining against the gale, reached into the vortex. Another breach tore itself into being at Barry's side, and Caitlin's hand emerged. Barry grabbed it, and Caitlin, screaming with effort, pulled him through.
Barry sailed clear beside Cisco and Caitlin, knocking both to the ground. The Breach snapped closed, and Cisco collapsed, unconscious, blood dripping from his nose.
Without Barry to fuel it, the twister fell apart, and the wind vanished as if it had never been. A final bolt of white lightning fell from the sky somewhere in Central City, and the storm died.
THE PRESENT…
Barry returned to the table about ten minutes later. They didn't say anything more about Iris, and Barry was grateful for that, though he could tell they wanted to ask questions. Instead, as Barry drew on Kara's warmth – sitting closer to her than was strictly necessary – Cisco continued the story. Narrating the events of the Speed Force storm that struck Central City after Zoom was defeated.
"But there was no Flashpoint?" Barry asked. Surely he had still gone back in time to save his mother? Iris's death would have haunted him more than even his father's.
Cisco pursed his lips, taking a swig from his drink.
"That's the thing. I can't find mention of it anywhere."
"Really?"
"It's weird. Because Savitar still shows up next year. But I found no reference at all to Flashpoint, Alchemy or almost any of the villains it created, in the STAR Labs database." He paused then. "My problem is, I don't know if the STAR Labs database is actually right."
Now it was Barry's turn to frown.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, Flashpoint was a mirage timeline. One that you destroyed. Theoretically, you might still have created it, maybe not at the same time, but you might still have done it, and just not recorded it. I always wondered why your Flashpoint world was so… normal. Think about it? If you don't become the Flash, how much bad stuff would have happened? The Legends… the Legion, sorry, have explained time-quakes to us, and so did Jay. They send out massive ripples. The world you went to, it should have been vastly different from the one you left."
Barry shivered. He really had fucked up that time.
"Well, if we can't confirm it, let's just ignore it for now. The Speed Force storm, what happened?"
Cisco blinked rapidly a few times, before turning back to his notes.
"This year is the most radically different to the one we remember," he said, "The lightning from the Speed Force storm created almost a dozen speedsters across Central City."
"A dozen?!" Barry exclaimed, jaw-dropping open.
"Yep. I think that might be part of the reason why you didn't create Flashpoint. You were just too damn busy!" Cisco said, and everyone at the table laughed.
"You called us back to Central City," Ray explained, "To help you set up a facility and handle the normal metahumans while you dealt with the Speedsters…"
THE FLASH: S3EP01 – LIGHTNING STRIKES TWICE
September 2016
"To understand what we're about to tell you," a woman said, "You need to do something first."
"You need to believe in the impossible!" Another voice said, this time, a man with a gravelly tone.
"Can you do that? Good." A young woman's voice, perhaps a teenager.
"You see those blurs?" Wally West spoke these words, and as he did so, five trails of lightning flashed through the streets of Central City.
"That's us!" Jesse Wells exclaimed, and you could hear the glee in her voice as they zoomed past.
"My name is Meena Dhawan," the first woman, wearing a maroon costume and trailing purple lightning, announced.
"My name is August Heart," the man with the grizzled voice said. His suit looked more like a leather jacket, with goggles instead of a cowl. His lightning was white.
"My name is Avery Ho," the young woman added. Her suit was by far the most colourful, a blend of light blue and purple that matched her trail.
"My name is Wallace West," Wally said, pulling ahead of the pack in a sleek yellow suit.
"And my name is Jesse Wells," the woman beside him, Jesse, said elbowing Wally as they jumped over a truck in slow motion. Both their lightning was yellow.
Another figure, appeared, vibrating through the truck, dressed in a red suit, golden piping running from golden boots and gloves across his legs and arms to a lightning bolt emblem on his chest.
The Flash hit the ground and raced forward, easily outpacing the others and grinning the whole time.
"And he's the fastest man alive!" the five yelled in sync, running behind their mentor as they laughed.
Barry rolled his eyes.
"Where the hell did you hear that?"
"Cisco showed us a series of audio recordings from when you first started out. You were really sappy, you know that?" Jesse told him, and Barry shook his head in frustration.
"Traitor!" Cisco's voice echoed over the coms, "And I was just about to make you a new code-name! Looks like you're sticking with Jesse Quick now."
Jesse groaned as the others laughed.
"Please! I hate that name so much!"
"Then you shouldn't have been mean to me!"
"At least it's better than Kid Flash," August exclaimed, vaulting over a car.
Wally winced. "Never going to live that down, am I?"
"NOPE!"
The six speedsters skidded to a halt by the waterside. Only fifteen-year-old Avery fell flat on her face this time. Progress.
"Snart!" Barry growled, grounding his teeth in annoyance as he looked out past the police perimeter. A cargo-ship travelling down the Mississippi had been completely taken over by the Rogues. How had Barry come to this conclusion? Well, because the Mississippi was frozen. In September!
August stepped up to Joe.
"Do we know what the Rogues are after?" he asked, slipping into detective mode. August was a detective, originally from St Louis. That was before he'd been struck by lightning during the Speed Force Storm.
"Not for certain," Joe said, "But there's a high-profile scientist from Palmer Tech onboard. Max Mercury. A scientist whose specialty is dark matter."
"Great," Avery muttered.
Barry pursed his lips, then turned to Wally and held out his hand.
"Winner gets Cold?"
"Deal."
"Paper, scissors, rock."
Wally rolled paper; Barry rolled rock.
Wally thrust his fist in the air, and Jesse elbowed him again.
"Okay," Barry said, shaking his head in amusement, "Kid Flash's on Cold, Fast Track has Weather Wizard, Avery can take Heat Wave, Quick's on the Piper, August – Golden Glider is yours. Try not to get mind-controlled again. I'll take Mirror Master." They all nodded, then, together, they raced in a flurry of electricity towards the ship frozen in ice.
THE PRESENT…
"We used STAR Labs as a training and rehabilitation centre. To be honest, I don't remember ever remember feeling like I'd done so much good at once for a long time, even working with the Flash."
Barry sat back in shock.
"Me? A teacher?"
Cisco laughed.
"You weren't exactly doing it on your own," he said. "You had Harry, Caitlin, me, a couple of others."
"A teacher?" Barry repeated, and Kara couldn't help laughing at him.
"Maybe that's a story for another time?" She suggested. Barry just nodded dumbly.
"What's next on the list?" J'onn asked, scanning Cisco's sheet.
"Well, when Barry collided with Caitlin when they came out of the portal, she got hit with a burst of Dark Matter, activating her meta-gene. Batman disappears from Gotham City around the same time as the Speed Force Storm, Mon-El crashes to Earth and Kara and Superman team up to save the Venture and fight Metallo, which is also where she meets Lena Luthor for the first time. Also, President Marsden signs the Alien Amnesty Act."
"Oliver meets Evelyn Sharpe's younger self in Starling City," Dig continued, "and she inspires him to recruit some of the vigilantes that have sprung up following Damien Dhark's defeat to form a new team. His training methods…" Dig trailed off, searching for the right word.
"Suck?" Sara supplied, and Dig snapped his fingers.
"That's it. They seriously suck, but eventually, he gets the recruits into fighting shape. Just in time for serial killer Prometheus to appear in Starling."
"What about us?" Sara asked, directing the question to Ray. "Was everything we did just bumped forward a year?"
"Um…" Ray looked down at Cisco's timeline, brow furrowed.
"I think so? This was the year we went hunting those Totems and recruited Zari, oh, and Beebo. Gotta love Beebo." The group laughed, and Sara grabbed her glass, raising it into the air.
"To God Emperor Beebo! May he reign eternally!"
"TO BEEBO!" They all shouted.
They downed their drinks, and Kara hiccupped, eliciting even more laughter as she shook her head as if to clear it.
"Maybe we should call it a night?" Alex suggested, snapping her fingers in front of Kara's face. Kara poked her tongue out and swatted the fingers away.
"No! We keep going! I'm fine. What's next? Ooo! The Dominator Invasion!"
SUPERGIRL: S2EP08 – MEDUSA
November 2016
Kara closed the door to her apartment feeling better today than she had for weeks. J'onn was back to normal, Alex had finally agreed to give Lena the benefit of the doubt, Cadmus had been pulverised, and Jeremiah was alive!
She closed the door, humming to herself, then froze. A figure in a leather bombers jacket and jeans was sitting on her couch holding a beer in his hand and watching her TV.
"Um? Who the hell are you?" she demanded.
He turned in his seat, nodding his head in greeting. He was older than her, perhaps in his late twenties or early thirties, but he had a mischievous grin that made him appear far younger. His short brown hair was spiked up at the front, and the tag above his breast pocket said 'Jordan'.
"Supergirl! So glad to finally meet you!" he said. He waved his hand, and a glowing green hand appeared from thin air. It flew over to the fridge, opened the door and grabbed the bottle of Okaran Rum she kept inside for rainy days. The hand flew over to her, and she hesitantly took the bottle, a look of complete confusion on her face. The hand vanished as if it had never been.
"Hal Jordan. Green Lantern," she realised, trying to blink away her surprise.
"That would be me!" He exclaimed, taking a drink from his bottle. "Sorry to show up unannounced. I went to Superman first – he and I have a history after all – but he was MIA. So, next stop was you."
Kara felt an odd sinking in her stomach.
"What's happened?"
"Oh, nothing much," he said casually, "Just that there's an invasion fleet on its way to Earth. Should arrive in…" He held up his right hand, revealing a shining green ring. A tiny screen appeared above it, displaying a star-chart and a countdown.
"Fifteen hours."
Kara swallowed.
"I think I'm gonna need to make a few calls…"
THE LEGION OF SUPERHEROES: S2EP08 – INVASION! PART 3
November 2016
Three days, some mind control, kidnapping, time-travel, and a lot of punching later; Kara led Barry and Oliver into Al's Alien Dive Bar. Her friends looked around, slightly awed by all the different people they could spot, but for once, Oliver didn't instantly tense up. Maybe it was just how supremely tired he was, but she liked to think it was the trust he had in her that did it.
The trio sat down at the bar, and Mon-El stepped up to them, towel over his shoulder.
"Who are these guys?" He asked her quietly. Kara glanced to Barry and Oliver, who were talking in hushed tones. That was an excellent question. Friends? No, it didn't sound impactful enough. They were more than just friends – their shared adventures, shared natures, shared responsibilities, created a sort of bond beyond that of simple friendship. Oliver was a mentor to her in a way, but she wasn't his apprentice either. Ever since they'd visited the 25th Century, they'd been closer than ever, going for drinks every week or so. They both knew they liked one another, but life always seemed to be getting in their way. Zoom, Myriad, Cadmus, training the new speedsters, now an alien invasion.
"They're my partners," she said eventually. "I'll get some Sakarian Ale, a glass of Scadrian White and double proof Vodka." Mon-El raised an eyebrow, but nodded and moved away to get the drinks.
"We should do this more often," Oliver said, looking to the two of them.
"I don't think the world could take it," Barry noted, and Kara laughed.
"No," Oliver said, rolling his eyes, "I mean without the world being threatened."
"If the world wasn't being threatened," Kara said, smirking, "What would we do?"
"Prepare," Oliver said. Mon-El returned with the drinks, hand one out to each of them. "Things like this, they're just going to keep happening. We work well on our own, and we have a good understanding of how to fight together, but we aren't seamless."
"What are you saying, Oliver?" Barry asked, leaning back as his curiosity got the better of him.
"I think we need to start training together. Learn how each other thinks. Our moves, our abilities. And we need to do it regularly, keep up to date with things. Look at last year, for example. Astra, Dhark's nukes, or Zoom's army. We each needed help to put down the threat. What if we'd actually helped one another from the start? Instead of only showing up when the situation was most dire." He took a sip of his drink, then stared into the clear depths of the glass.
"I learned a lot last year. If I had just sucked up my courage and called Constantine earlier, instead of waiting till the last minute, maybe Havenrock would never have happened. Or I could have called either of you. Against all three of us, Dhark wouldn't have stood a chance before he was powered up by all those deaths. But I'm trying to be better now. I'm building a team. A team that can outlive me if I fall. Back-up I can rely on. But they're all human." He looked up, staring at each of them in turn.
"I want to be a better man. A better hero. I have a role to play in all this. One bigger than just saving Starling City. I think I have to start putting together a team. A line of defence that utilises all our talents and abilities. The time for standing alone is over. The Dominators proved one thing. The world needs us."
Barry and Kara sat there in shock for a few moments until finally, Kara picked up her glass and raised it.
"People here on Earth. They think the S is simply a symbol of hope. And it is. The House of El's crest is the word Hope in Kryptonese. But my family also had a creed. A motto if you will. El Mayara. Stronger Together. I think you're right, Oliver. If you want to train, we'll train. The next time an alien invasion comes around the corner, we'll be ready for it."
They looked at Barry, who hadn't yet taken a drink from his own glass.
"If there is one thing I've learned from training the Speedsters this year, it's the value of teamwork. Cisco… he's getting better and better with his powers, and he and Harry want to start exploring the Multiverse. Seeing what other threats like these Rogues are out there. But to do that, I need to know that there are people I can trust still here to protect my home." He raised his glass, and Oliver did the same.
"So we train. And if I need help, I promise I'll call instead of hiding it and thinking I have to solve every problem myself."
"Agreed," Oliver said.
"To Earth's Mightiest Heroes," Kara said, as they clinked their glasses, "may we stand together against any foe."
They each drank, Kara watching Barry intently as the alien liquid slid down his throat. His eyes went wide, and he lowered the drink, blinking rapidly.
"Holy crap. That's good stuff," he whispered, cheeks flushing. He blinked once more, then groaned.
"Nope. Gone again. I'm destined to be sober for the rest of my life." Kara and Oliver both laughed, patting their destitute friend on the back.
Two hours later, Kara and Barry bade goodbye to Oliver, who hopped on his motorcycle and began the drive up the highway back to Starling.
"I should get going too," Barry said, giving her that goofy smile she loved so much. The time for standing alone is over. Oliver's voice seemed to whisper in her mind. Maybe he was right in more ways than one.
Barry made to leave, but she grabbed his hand before he could. Then, using a bit of her superstrength, she pulled him to her, leaned up, and kissed him.
He froze for a split second, then melted into it, his arms snaking around her waist, pulling her tight against his chest.
They kissed until they ran out of air, but when they finally broke apart, Kara's entire body was so flushed with excitement, adrenaline and heat that she might have started floating without noticing it. She rested her forehead on his, eyes heavy as she took several slow, deep breaths.
"You could always stay at my place tonight?" She whispered, voice low and breathy. Barry's heartbeat jumped, and the next thing she knew, she was engulfed in golden lightning, racing through the city faster than the speed of sound.
Neither of them saw Mon-El exit the bar, his shift over, and see them kiss like their very lives depended on it, then flash away.
THE PRESENT…
"So, the Dominator Invasion happens the same way?" Sara asked.
"Mostly," Cisco confirmed, "Instead it's Hal that recruits Kara, not us, and she's the one that calls everyone together to the DEO. Most of the fighting happens in National City, and it's the DEO that heads the government response, rather than ARGUS."
"J'onn gets kidnapped by the Dominators," Alex continued, "and they use him to Mind Control all the heroes, myself included, except Barry and Oliver."
"Once that's over, the Dominators abduct Sara, Oliver, Thea, Ray and I and put us into that simulation. The Legion rescues us, and with Hal's help, we manage to kick their buts off the Earth and back into space," Dig finished, taking another drink.
"After that comes the fun part," Cisco said, rubbing his hands together, "Once we finally defeat Earth 12 Captain Cold and his Rogues, we complete the Speed Canon, and start using it to travel the Multiverse. That's when we meet Wally West for the first time."
"I thought you already knew him?" Alex asked, leaning forward.
"Wrong Wally," Cisco said, waving off her question.
THE FLASH: S3EP09 – ROGUE NIGHTS
December 2016
Barry watched with a determined grin, Meena, August and Jesse flanking him, as Cisco stepped back from the Speed-Canon. The shimmering portal floating inside it was more round now, and if he stared right at the centre, the mist seemed to part, revealing a sea of red out beyond.
"That's it," Cisco said, dusting his hands off. "Now we can send Captain Cold and his cronies back where they belong…" he trailed off as a burst of mist burst out from the portal. Then, in a spark of white lightning, a man in a Flash suit of red and silver, with bright ginger hair, jumped clear of the Breach landing on his feet with ease.
"Flash," he exclaimed, nodding to Barry.
Barry, who had long since stopped being surprised by people randomly appearing in STAR Labs, stepped down onto the debarkation area.
"Flash. Welcome to Earth One."
"Um? Does this happen a lot?" August whispered to Jesse.
"Yep. All the time."
AUTHORS NOTE: MUST READ!
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Harry Potter and the Shards of Heaven
By Ghost-and-Miracle42
Years ago, two gods crashed on Earth after a brutal war in the heavens. Trapped in eternal slumber by Merlin, these gods' presence on Earth has been shaping the evolution of Wizard kind for generations. What can run-away wizard Harry Potter possibly do against a power that can kill a god?
It's a third and fourth-year AU fusion story, staring Harry and Ginny, and featuring an indepth magic system and cosmic magic. It's also heavily character driven and deep dives into some dark themes like trauma and depression. If you've read or are a fan of Brandon Sanderson's books, you'll love this story.
Harry Potter and the Gemini Curse
By Ghost-and-Miracle42
When Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley wake in the aftermath of the Chamber of Secrets with a mysterious tattoo burned into their necks, they are understandably scared for their lives. But when the true nature of the mark is revealed, they are forced on an epic journey to discover just who placed the Gemini Curse upon them, and why.
It's a 380,000-word epic that is Complete and has heaps of fun concepts in it like an Australian/New Zealander Magical School, an in depth analysis of Magic in America done properly, Wakanda (because Wakanda!), exploration of the origins of magic as a power and wizardkind as a species, SPACE MAGIC, and the Multiverse. It also serves as the starting point for the series of interconnected stories we're working on called the 'Enigmaverse'.