Chapter 5

Earth – 1; Gotham City

Barry, Thor, Oliver and Kara stood in front of the entrance to Arkham Asylum. A large portal faced them. The psychiatric institution was closed.

"So we're sure he works here?"asked Oliver.

"That's what Kate Kane told us," Thor replied. "Deegan works in this asylum."

"Well, it's probably too late for him to still be at work, but if we find his office, maybe we can find his home address or something." added Kara.

"We need to find this guy as soon as possible," Thor retorted. "Let's not waste more time than we have already lost in this city."

Barry looked at Oliver, frowning:

"Do you think you have enough of a grip on your powers to do a superspeed reconnaissance?"

Oliver hesitated. He had the powers of Barry but had not yet mastered the practice of super-speed. His powers were still new to him.

"I don't think that we should risk it if I don't." he replied.

"Okay. Well, then, we break in, do some old-fashioned snooping." suggested the Kryptonian.

"If only everything was so simple on this version of Midgard," Thor grumbled.

Before anyone else could add anything, an interdimensional portal popped out of nowhere near the heroes, and then the figures of Cisco, Caitlin and Diggle appeared towards them.

"Got new intel," Diggle announced.

"What's matter?" said Thor, intrigued.

"Those lightning strikes, they were a Flash from another dimension trying to breach to us." Caitlin explained excitedly.

"We think it was Jay Garrick… or a Jay Garrick," added Cisco. "He said to fix the situation, we have to "get the Book"."

"A Flash from another dimension and a Book?" exclaimed Thor puzzled. "In my dream, there was an aged Flash crawling on the ground. He was trying to get a Book. It cannot be coincidence, it's surely related to what I saw. This Book is probably the cause of everything. The strange lightnings, and the body swap between Barry and Oliver."

"John Deegan was reading a book in the drawing Oliver drew." added Kara. "That's certainly this same Book."

"Okay. So we find the book in there or we find Deegan, and we make him tell us where it is." Oliver concludes.

"Wait, wait hold on," said Barry, puzzled. "Another Flash from a parallel universe just lightnings in, tells us to jump, and we ask, "how high?" "

"Allen, this is our only lead," Thor retorted. "This Flash tried to take a Book which, as if by chance, corresponds to that which reads Deegan in the Cisco's vision. This Book is the key to the enigma that will allow us to understand everything that is happening."

"Thor is right," said Diggle. "If we want to sort this thing out, then yes."

"I have no idea how we're gonna break into a mental asylum." said Oliver.

"I have some ideas," Kara replied, nodding thoughtfully.

Later, Kara returned to the mental hospital pushing Caitlin on a wheelchair. The two stopped in front of the admissions reception.

"How can I help you?"asked the receptionist when she saw the two women coming in.

"New patient transfer from Gotham Central Hospital." Kara explained simply. "Dr. Danvers said Arkham was the more appropriate place to treat her... Condition."

"What's the diagnosis?"

"Persistent subthermal homeostasis with… uh… involuntary gelid substantiation."

The receptionist looked at Kara with round eyes, not having understood a word of the "pathology" of the false patient.

"She gets cold and freezes stuff." hastened to answer the Kryptonian.

The admissions lady looked at Caitlin who threw a grimace at her accompanied by her eyes which began to shine like ice crystals.

Immediately, the receptionist gave Kara a form to sign.

Thor began to wander all over the place, reeling like a drunkard. A supervisor saw him.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

Thor then began to mumble like a small child.

"I don't know… I… I think… I got lost… I don't know where I am… I need to see a doctor right now…"

Then he threw himself on the supervisor grabbing him by the collar and began to beg him with a desperate look.

"I need to see Dr. Deegan… Deegan is my doctor… I have to see him right now... I think I'm going mad… I'm in an asylum, so I'm necessarily mad... Before, I was a God, I had my kingdom… now, I went mad… (And he began to sob.) Please… I have to see Dr. Deegan… Only he can take care of me… Please…"

The supervisor then began to put both hands on Thor's shoulders, speaking to him kindly.

"It's okay, calm down, buddy, calm down! I'm going to take you to a doctor who will examine you! Don't worry, we'll take care of you! Can you let go of me, please?"

Thor pretended to cry when he released the supervisor.

"Yes, I'm sorry… I don't understand what's happening to me…"

"Alright, it's okay!"

While Oliver and Diggle entered the asylum, citing an ongoing investigation by ARGUS and the GCPD. The two men walked the hallways of the hospital in search of Dr. Deegan.

They walked past the patients' cells, and realized how terrible the place looked. Finally, they arrived at Dr. Deegan's office.

They entered to find a dark room.

"John Deegan," said Oliver.

The doctor turned and faced his new arrivals. He gestured as if he were welcoming a star.

"Oliver Queen! (He pretended to shoot a bow.) Whew! It's a genuine pleasure to meet you, sir."

"He knows who you really are," Diggle said to his friend.

"Gentlemen, I was thinking, "Why did I not become the Flash?" And it seems changing reality itself, it's got a bit of a learning curve, so, yeah. This actually explains a lot."

For Oliver, it was obvious that Deegan was completely mad. He imposed himself in an authoritarian voice, showing that he wasn't kidding:

"You did this to us? You can undo it."

"That is true, but I think the question is, um… Why would I want to?"

Surreptitiously, he ran his hand under his desk and pressed an alarm that went off immediately. He ran, throwing a bottle of chemical, causing an explosion of smoke so that he could escape. Diggle tried to catch him by shooting him, but the mad doctor was already gone.

"What the hell did he just do?" he exclaimed.

"He bought himself some time." said Oliver.

Then all the doors of the rooms opened. And the patients took the opportunity to get out of their cells.

The supervisor was accompanying a Thor pretending to be mad when the alarm rang throughout the hospital.

"What the hell?"

Immediately, the God of Thunder regained his seriousness and separated from the man who was taking him away.

"It's time to get down to serious," he said.

And before the supervisor can do anything, Thor waves his hand, summoning Stormbreaker. Within seconds, his ax landed in his hand and lightning bolts crossed his body and his divine armor materialized on him.

The supervisor was speechless.

"What the hell are you?"

"Someone who's not mad, someone who comes from a less dark universe than your crazy city," Thor commented, brandishing his ax.

For their part, Kara and Caitlin were surprised by the alarm, understanding that something was going on all over the asylum. Immediately, the Kryptonian took on her identity as Supergirl.

Oliver and Diggle ran through the hospital running down the halls, realizing the extent of Deegan's actions.

"The crazy bastard let all the other crazy bastards out of their cages!" Diggle growled as he loaded his weapon.

"All right. Get the patients back in their rooms and find that book." said Oliver before disappearing in super speed.

The archer, who had become supersonic, rushed in and made Barry put on the Green Arrow suit in super-speed. Immediately, the latter fired a grapple arrow and flew to the top of the building.

Inside, from Arkham, all the patients revolted and attacked the supervisors. A patient named Roger Hayden put a gold mask on his face.

"Finally, the inmates are running the asylum."

"Not for long," said Diggle, arriving to confront the escaped patients.

As he confronted a bunch of madmen escaping from their rooms, Caitlin tried to help a young woman who seemed to be looking for something in the supply room. The young patient, in her search, accidentally released an explosion of frozen gas that struck Caitlin.

"Oh, you cold bitch!" exclaimed the latter, taking on the appearance of Killer Frost.

A few minutes later, Diggle fought several inmates of the asylum, putting all knockouts and Oliver, still barreling super-speed, grabbed patients and handed in their rooms.

Thor joined Supergirl who had just appeared before her.

"No sign of Deegan or the book." said the Kryptonian.

"Split us," said Thor, flying away in one direction.

Supergirl then flew off in a long corridor of the asylum.

While several inmates had crossed the threshold from the outside and sought to leave the asylum. Barry arrived with Cisco to intercept them. But a security van stopped them, pushing them back to the ground. Hayden joined the van.

The vehicle was about to leave straight for the two heroes when a dark figure landed on the roof of the van. It was obviously a woman dressed in black with a mask covering her face. Red hair came out from behind his mask. It almost looked like a human bat. A Batwoman.

She grabbed the driver, while Hayden tried to escape. But Batwoman grabbed him with a grapple pistol and pulled him toward the windshield of the van. She saw a patient come in by the stairs. She then launched a small boomerang in the shape of a bat which reached the detainee. The gadget flew and landed in Batwoman's hand.

She jumped from the van and landed on the ground, under the amazed eyes of Barry and Cisco.

"Who's this badass?" cried Cisco.

The archer made him stand up while looking at the bat woman with amazement.

"That's not Batman!" exclaimed Barry, his eyes wide with surprise.

"Kate Kane told you to get out of Gotham. You should have listened to her." replied Batwoman.

Inside, Supergirl flew through the hallways of the asylum, scanning the whole building with X-rays.

"Guys, I've been all over this place, and I can't find anything."

Thor searched in a dark corner of the building when three inmates saw him and grunted toward him. The Asgardian looked at the inmates with disdain. Now he was fighting madmen in an asylum.

"Look, I'm dangerous," Thor told them in a loud voice. "Either you return to your rooms, or I knock you out with my ax, and believe me, that's going to end badly!"

But the inmates completely ignored the God of Thunder and continued walking towards him. Thor shook his head, sighing annoyingly.

"Gotham… Gotham…" he grumbled.

He brandished Stormbreaker, his body sparkling with lightning, preparing to hit the madmen… when a grappling hook wrapped itself around an inmate, and pulled him back. Then a little black boomerang hit another, knocking him out. Then Batwoman, rushing out, rushed at the third patient, punching him.

Impressed, Thor looked at the woman dressed as a bat as he put down his ax. This woman apparently knew how to fight. And it was obvious that she wanted to make a difference, like his former Avengers friends.

Batwoman looked at Thor with an dark look.

"Kate Kane told you to leave Gotham," she replied.

But Thor kept his seriousness, still intrigued by the woman before him.

"Obviously you're not Batman. And yet, something tells me that you are there to take over. Gotham therefore has its protector. I'm Thor, Son of Odin and God of Thunder. Who are you?"

"I'm Batwoman!" replied the woman in black. (Then she resumed her dark voice.) "Get out of my city!"

And she took out a pistol, pulled a grapple towards the ceiling and flew away at full speed, under the astonished gaze of the Asgardian.

"I like this one too," trumpeted Thor with amusement."Batwoman… So… finally I begin to appreciate this version of Midgard."

And he laughed.

Meanwhile, Killer Frost was fighting the woman named Nora Fries. The latter then found her husband's ice pistol, and began to load it straight onto the meta-human of Central City.

"Guys, I could use a little backup!" replied Killer Frost, slightly anxious.

"On it," replied Barry outside.

"On it," Oliver replied, rushing into super-speed inside.

For his part, Deegan ran to the basement of the asylum. He went to a secret compartment, and lifted a block of stone in the wall hiding something. He took out the Book of Destiny.

He hugged the Book, cuddling it, as if he was holding a baby in his arms.

"There you are!"

Then a gust of wind threw him far into the ground, causing him to lose the big work.

"Took the words right out of my mouth." replied Supergirl, who had just appeared.

She picked up the big Book in her arms. Then Deegan looked at Supergirl with lust.

"That is… (He breathed a long admiring sigh.) The Book showed me, you, the fat guy and the other guy with the bow… You were fighting at Central City… Oh… But to see one of you in person… I had it wrong… Yeah, see, I thought the Flash personified true power…"

"Supergirl…"

Supergirl turned to see Thor coming towards her, with his ax in hand.

"Thor, I found Deegan and the Book," she said, showing him the big Book in her arms.

But the Asgardian frowned.

"Kara, where's Deegan?"

The Kryptonian looked confused and turned around… to see that the mad doctor had magically vanished.

"Slippering," said Supergirl, stunned.

Killer Frost tried to reason with the young patient by raising her hands in the air.

"Listen to me!"

But Nora blew up a jet of ice with the freezing pistol, pushing the young woman away.

At that point, Barry and Oliver arrived to see Killer Frost gone, and Caitlin Snow unconscious on the ground. Barry rushed towards her, while Oliver walked to fight the mad woman. Barry wanted to stop him from advancing.

"Wait. No, Oliver. Hey. Remember what happened in Central… "

But Oliver had already flashed on Nora Fries, who hit a shelf at the same time, knocking over several bottles of gas on the floor, releasing a gas which spread throughout the room.

"Oliver! Oliver!" yelled Barry, coughing.

Oliver's not here.

Malcolm Merlyn got out of the gas and looked at Barry with a sly grin on his lips.

"In fact, no one's coming to save you!" he continued.

Barry looked at the dark archer in terror.

Through the gas Oliver saw Eobard Thawne in front of him.

"No one's coming to save you!" declared the Reverse Flash with a sinister grin.

Barry and Oliver stood opposite each other, but Barry saw only Merlyn, while Oliver saw only Thawne in place of Barry.

"You should have killed me when you had the chance." Thawne sneered at Oliver with the same grin.

"You left me to die on Lian Yu. Unfortunately for you… Heh heh… I didn't." sneered Merlyn to Barry.

Caitlin awoke and then saw in amazement, Barry and Oliver fighting violently.

"Does anybody copy? Because... I think we have a new problem." she said, communicating with her headset.

Barry and Oliver, meanwhile, imagined each fighting their respective enemies who snickered at them.

"Come on. You can do better than that. You're a killer, a depraved monster who found a way to channel his darkness and pat himself on the back for it!" yelled Merlyn's illusion at Barry.

Oliver had just received a blow to the face, and saw Thawne taunt him with a sly look:

"You'll never beat me! Too slow! Big heart! Mama raised you right, so right, you couldn't stop me from killing her!"

Barry was beaten up, and heard Merlyn yelling at him in disgust:

"Your father took the coward's way out, and all these years, you told yourself it was brave, but he was a coward just like you!"

"A failure" Thawne yelled at Oliver.

"Selfish!" yelled the black archer to Barry.

"Slow!" said the Reverse Flash.

"Pathetic!"

Thor arrived at that time. With surprise, he saw Barry and Oliver fighting like crazy.

"Hey guys, stop this! What's wrong with you? What are you doing? Barry? Oliver?"

He approached them by crossing the gas that surrounded the two heroes. Thor felt something strange and looked around.

"Guys, where are you?"

Then he saw the silhouette of Heimdal, the late Asgard guardian, watching him with a look of anger. Thor looked shocked and moved.

"Heimdal!"

"You have failed! You abandoned us! Asgard is lost forever by your fault! Just like this universe you are trying so hard to save! You are so pathetic! You are nothing! You allowed Thanos to find us and kill us!"

Thor, tears in his eyes, looked at Heimdal without reacting.

"I… I'm sorry… I couldn't save you…"

"Low! Pathetic!"

Crying, Thor looked away… to see Thanos' massive figure. The Mad Titan looked at the God of Thunder with a sneer.

Thor saw Thanos in terror.

"You told me that I'd die for that, and yet… you were unable to stop me from accomplishing my work! You should have gone for the head, and you didn't! I won! I won for a long time!" called out the Titan.

He brandishes the Golden Gauntlet which contained the Six Infinity Stones.

"No!" cried Thor, horrified.

He wanted to react, but no longer saw his ax in his hand.

"No, where's my ax? Where's Stormbreaker?"

"I am inevitable!" sneered the Mad Titan, snapping his fingers with the gauntlet.

While Thor was lost in his illusions, Batwoman arrived in turn, under the dumbfounded gaze of Caitlin.

"Who the hell are you?" she asked the woman dressed as a bat.

Batwoman leapt into the air, pushed Barry and Oliver away with the force of her feet, pulling them apart and landing on the ground. Then she used her foot to hit Thor in the face.

The God of Thunder looked around, rubbing his face. He no longer saw Heimdall or Thanos. Instead, it was the figures of Barry and Oliver who seemed to regain their senses.

"What happened?" exclaimed Thor still shocked by what he had just suffered.

Batwoman picked up a flask.

"No. Seriously, who are you?" Caitlin exclaimed, getting up.

"What was that gas?"added the Asgardian, looking in turn at the woman in black.

"You have been exposed to a powerful hallucinogen," said Batwoman.

"I'm an Asgardian, how did this thing make me lose my mind?" cried Thor, stunned.

"Are you guys, all right?" Caitlin asked his hero friends.

"Define "all right"!"asked Oliver and Thor in chorus.

"So how does a book make people change bodies?" Caitlin asked, as all the heroes made their way to Arkham's exit to the great portal.

"Deegan said he was using the book to change reality." Oliver explained.

"How does a book change reality?" Cisco said, puzzled.

"We'll figure that out when we back to Star City," said Barry.

"Guys, we're gonna need some help with this lock." said Diggle, who was holding the book, pointing to a large lock that kept the huge book from opening.

"Doesn't matter, we have this Book in our possession, that's the most important," replied Thor, who was still recovering from his emotions in the asylum.

"Good. Then you'll be leaving Gotham." retorted Batwoman, who stood in front of them. "You guys have caused enough problems for one night."

"Hey. Would hitching a ride in the Batmobile be out of the question?…" asked Barry nicely in the Green Arrow outfit.

But Batwoman resumed her frosty air and replied in a voice full of threats:

"Get… out!"

A warning which clearly meant that she would use force to make them leave.

The heroes set out from Arkham. Supergirl whispered in Barry's ear:

"She really is like Batman."

Only Thor and Kara had not moved. The Asgardian walked towards Batwoman with admiration.

"Don't worry, I get it, I'm leaving Gotham. I wanted to tell you… thank you for your help there. And you have the soul of a real warrior. I knew a team of superheroes who would have been delighted to meet you. I regret that they are no longer there to meet you. You would have appreciated them. In any case, even for someone like me, you impressed me. You have a lot of courage."

And he reached out to her. Then Batwoman hugged her without a word, while Thor gave her a friendly smile.

"Goodbye Batwoman. Thanks again for your help. I am convinced that our paths will cross again. And whatever your destiny, keep fight. You are a fighter and I am convinced that Gotham is safe with you. One day, I hope to meet this Batman. Good luck… (And he finished his sentence in a whisper that only the bat woman heard.) Kate Kane. Until our next meeting. "

Batwoman showed no signs of surprise, contenting herself with nodding gratefully. Thor smiled at her and walked away, leaving Supergirl alone with her.

The two women came closer.

"I don't do tearful good-byes." said Batwoman.

"No. I… I just wanted to wish you luck." Supergirl said quietly. "Wherever your cousin is, I'm sure he's really proud of you."

Batwoman looked slightly confused, then the Kryptonian continued again:

"X-ray vision. You really do have a lot of tattoos."

She burst out laughing, and curiously, the woman in bat was amused in her turn.

"Somehow, I feel like Kara Danvers doesn't have a single one."

"You know," added Supergirl. "It's such a shame I have to go because I feel like we would make a good team."

"World's finest." Batwoman said, shaking her hand.

The two women shook hands, before walking away.

"I think Thor was starting to like you."

"Well, you will tell your friend that I only like women," replied Batwoman always with an amused smile. "Thor isn't my type anyway. Even with pounds less."