Chapter 6
Earth – 1; Star city
The red sky had returned to the city of Star City, as did the strange lightnings. No doubt due to the return of our heroes to the ARGUS headquarters. When our heroes returned to ARGUS, they were greeted there by Felicity. Diggle showed him the Book of Destiny.
"Oh, look who finally came back," said the young woman, welcoming them.
"With what looks like a fairly infamous Book." added Curtis, arriving and seeing the big book in Diggle's hands.
"A Book with a cryptographic lock on it." replied Caitlin.
"If we want to find out what's going on, we need to access this Book," Thor replied. (Speaking to Felicity.) "Could you help us open it?"
"We don't have a lot of time," added Diggle, passing the book over to the young blonde woman.
"Okay, geeks squad, form up on me," Felicity replied, going into another room.
Caitlin, Cisco and Curtis followed her.
Felicity had finally discovered the body swap between Barry and Oliver. Barry then noticed that she had barely looked at Oliver.
"She's getting used to everything." said Diggle.
Barry then turned to his friend Oliver.
"Do you want me to talk to her as, you know, you?" he asked him.
"I think I'm in enough trouble with Felicity as it is, but no offense." said Oliver, walking away.
Barry followed.
Then Thor came away from the group and settled in an empty room with a chair in front of a table. He sat down and thought about everything he had been through recently. He was aware that a threat was looming on the horizon. No doubt related to the Book they had discovered. Then he thought back to his hallucinations he had suffered at Arkham. The last time he had had such an experience, it had led him to the Mind Stone. What if these visions were signs of an impending disaster. Would it still fail? How he had failed with Asgard? How he had failed to stop Thanos before he snapped his fingers with the Infinity Stones?
Supergirl came to sit next to him.
"Thor, is everything okay? You've barely spoken since we left Gotham. I know something happened to you in this asylum…"
"I'm fine, Kara, I'm fine," replied the Asgardian simply, without looking at her.
"When you usually do that, you ruminate, you feel guilty… nothing has been done yet. You don't have to feel guilty about anything. And you're my friend, Thor. I want to be there for you."
She put her hand on Thor's. The God let her do so and gave a small friendly smile. Then he looked nervous.
"When we were in Arkham… I was exposed to a hallucinogen. I saw Heimdall who blamed me for the destruction of Asgard… that I failed to protect my people… that I hurt everyone…"
"Thor, you didn't hurt anyone," assured Supergirl gently. "And you know that"
"How can you say that after Thanos? I had this monster at my mercy… and… I did nothing. He snapped his fingers right in front of me, and I did nothing. I failed."
Supergirl gave a slight shudder at the mention of Thanos. She remembered the Mad Titan who had wiped out half of the universe and made everyone around her disappear. She had seen Cisco gone in dust, just like J'onn, Team Arrow, Barry and her sister Alex… the memory of her sister disappearing in dust haunted her mind for a moment. Then she chased the vision from her head. Today, she had found everyone, including her Earth. Thanos had been wiped out forever. Everything was fine. Until Kara is confronted with the Children of Liberty.
"Thor, what happened with Thanos… you were not the only culprit of all that… It wasn't only you who failed… we all lost… And not because of you… because that we were divided. The Avengers were divided, and we too were divided… If everyone had been united together, things would have turned out differently. But hey, what is done is done. The most important is that we were able to recover all our loved ones. We are here today, and your Asgard people are safe on your Earth under the protection of Valkyrie."
"Do you ever think of Natasha or Tony?" asked Thor in a whisper.
The Kryptonian appeared somewhat moved at the mention of the two famous Avengers who were no longer today.
"I think of them all the time," she replied. "And being Supergirl reminds me that it is thanks to them that I was able to find and be with the people I love. And to honor their memories, I wear the coat of arms of my family and I continue to do good as a Supergirl."
"You are really strong, Kara," approved the Asgardian, nodding.
"You too are, Thor. You are strong. Maybe even the strongest person I have ever met. You suffered a tragedy, just like me, I have a lot. But these terrible things that we are going through are what make us stronger. We must not give up because of our failures. No, we must continue. That's what heroes do. They continue to fight, despite the suffering. Stop blaming yourself for what happened five years ago. That won't make you better. You have to accept things as they are. We cannot change the past, what is done is done. Leave it where it is. Otherwise, you will never be at peace. And I don't think that neither your parents, your brother, nor even Heimdall would have wanted to see you mop up like that. You want to be a hero, so act like one. For the moment, we're doing pretty well, don't you think? Don't let hallucinations make you think you're less than nothing. That's wrong, because I know you, Thor. Believe me, we have a lot more in common than you think."
"Except that you and I aren't the same weight," pointed out Thor with amusement, showing him her big belly.
"Sure," replied Supergirl, a little embarrassed.
"Meeting you was one of the great moments of my life. I assure you, you're really someone of good, Kara Zor-El. This is what the people of your Earth will soon see."
"I hope you're right."
Thor put his hand on his friend's shoulder.
"If you think that I am capable of being a hero, there is no reason why you cannot inspire good to others."
It was then that an interdimensional breach appeared out of nowhere in another room, just in front of Oliver and Felicity (who had just come to terms). A Flash had just appeared before them. He looked quite old.
Supergirl, Thor, Barry and Diggle joined him. All were amazed.
"Kara, he's the Flash I saw in my dream," declared the Asgardian stunned at the sight of the new red superhero.
"Jay?" Asked Barry, shocked, thinking he would meet Jay Garrick or some other version of him.
"No," replied the new Flash.
"Oh my God, Dad?" cried the shocked young man.
The new Flash appeared:
"My name is Barry Allen. (He caught sight of Diggle, and greeted him.) Hello John."
"Do… do I know you?" Dig replied, confused.
"You're not wearing your ring," said old Barry Allen. "Things must be different here."
"Barry, where's there?" asked Oliver, confused.
"My Earth, Earth – 90."
"Barry, why are you here?" asked Thor.
The New Flash continued:
"I've traveled from there to warn you."
"Warn us about what?" added Supergirl, amazed.
"Surely you mean the man who gave this Book to Deegan," Thor supposed.
"Exactly. His name is Mar Novu, but he calls himself the Monitor now." explained Barry Allen of Earth – 90. "He's been unleashing the Book of Destiny across the multiverse to test different Earths."
"Test them for what?"
"A Crisis that he believes is coming. Novu thinks the Elseworlds created by the Book of Destiny approximates the collision of realities that we're facing."
At that moment, Cisco appeared, who ran into the room.
"Guys, we got a situation! (He stopped when he saw Barry Allen from Terre – 90.)
"Cisco," Oliver said.
Then the Latino regained his seriousness by turning on a television screen in front of him.
"That's him from the vibe."
Television then unveiled a media report showing a strange black man wearing a heavy gray jumpsuit.
Thor looked stunned again.
"The man of my dream, and who held the Book of Destiny."
"It's Mar Novu, the Monitor," added Earth Flash – 90.
As a team of SWAT made their way over the strange individual who had just landed on the streets of Star City, the five heroes made up of the two Barry Allen, Oliver, Supergirl and Thor, made their advance towards him. The police immediately withdrew.
"Mar Novu, you're gonna stand down." declared Barry of the Earth – 1.
"You're gonna use that book to help us set reality right." added Oliver.
Thor brandished his ax and looked at the Monitor with a threatening look. But the strange individual was in no way afraid of the others. He watched them with curiosity.
"Well, I certainly wouldn't have placed it in Deegan's hands if that were my intent."
"So you are Mar Novu?" Thor intervened, brandishing Stormbreaker and staring at Novu with a black look. "I'm Thor, son of Odin."
"I know who you are, Thor son of Odin," replied Novu, looking curious. "You are not here by chance, but because I wanted to."
The God of Thunder seemed stunned.
"What? You mean… my dream came… from you?"
"Exactly, I needed to test you…"
"Enough!" carried away Barry Allen of Earth – 90. "You will not do to this Earth what you did to mine."
"I admire your persistence, Barry!"
The old Flash started charging at super speed, but before it could run, Novu made it disappear in a cloud of smoke with a simple gesture of the finger.
The other four heroes looked at him in shock. Then Oliver resumed his seriousness:
"He said you were testing us!"
"Indeed, and thus far, I am unimpressed. A crisis is imminent. Someone is coming, someone far, far more powerful than myself. I mean to prepare."
"By giving a nut bar an all-powerful reality-rewriting book?" exclaimed Barry.
"I am testing universes to find one, I hope, strong enough to stand against him."
"You're just causing chaos and disorder in the universe," retorted angered Thor. "What are you testing us for? Who is this someone more powerful than you? What is this Crisis? What are you talking about?"
"I'm looking for champions who will save the entire Multiverse," said Novu. "You are the first of those I've placed under fire who have managed to retrieve the Book of Destiny…"
He gestured with his finger.
Immediately, in the ARGUS headquarters, the mysterious Book disappeared under the astonished eyes of Felicity, Caitlin and Curtis.
"For all the good it did you."declared the Monitor.
"Enough of this, Kara," said Oliver to the Kryptonian.
"Yeah, I'd love to." she replied, looking Novu with a dark look.
Supergirl wanted to attack him, but in not even a second, the Monitor made her teleport and materialize to the very place where she was, as if he was able to anticipate any attack at super-speed.
"Let me try!" growled the Asgardian, raising his ax.
Thor spurted lightning from his body, shook his ax with all his might and threw it like a spear at the Monitor. But Novu gestured with his finger again, and immediately Stormbreaker disappeared in a cloud of smoke before it hit its target.
The God of Thunder looked at Novu in amazement and disbelief. It was obvious that Mar Novu was very different from anything he had ever faced in his thousand years of existence. He was dealing with something new.
"What the hell are you?" he exclaimed, stunned.
"I am many things. And many others. The Multiverse is more complex than you could fathom,Thor son of Odin,"replied Novu. (Then he addressed the four heroes.) "You show potential. Let us see if it's anything more."
"What is he talking about, Thor, Barry?" exclaimed Oliver.
"I've no idea! It's the first time I meet someone like this guy!" replied Thor, stunned.
And the Monitor disappeared, again in a cloud of smoke.
He reappeared in Deegan's laboratory in Arkham with the Book of Destiny in his hands. Deegan looked at the cosmic being in amazement.
"I offered you godhood, and you squandered it on a petty dream."retorted the Monitor to the Mad Doctor. "Do better. Think bigger."
Deegan nodded, as if hypnotized, then came to take the Book again in his hands. He opened it, then a new reality formed and completely transformed the world.
Thor, Barry and Oliver had found themselves on the streets of Central City, in dark outfits. All three wore black leather jackets with black scarves around their necks. All three were stunned by these sudden changes.
"Where's Novu?" exclaimed Thor before noticing that these clothes had changed. "What the hell is that?"
Even Barry looked at his own clothes in amazement.
"What the hell?"
Oliver seemed to gradually regain consciousness:
"He went to give Deegan the book… back."
Thor then understood where the archer was meant.
"And he'd to use the Book again to rewrite reality and create a new one."
"How do you know?" said Barry, taken aback.
At the feet of our heroes was a paper newspaper. Oliver picked it up and saw his face, that of Thor and Barry. The first page presented them as the robber triplets.
The heroes were even more stunned when they saw their faces on the newspaper.
"Obviously, we are not heroes in this new reality!" commented the Asgardian. "And I imagine that this isn't the only change! Where's Kara? What did he do with her?"
Oliver and Barry shrugged, as a Central City police car stopped a few yards from them. And the three cops who came out turned out to be Malcolm Merlyn, Ricardo Diaz, and Slade Wilson's son, Kane. All three aimed their revolvers at the three heroes.
"Freeze, on the ground!" Diaz yelled.
"Now," added Merlyn.
Thor, Barry and Oliver raised their arms in the air and knelt on the ground. The Asgardian tried to flash his lightning, but nothing happened, much to his surprise. He waved his hand in the hope that Stormbreaker would appear. But nothing came into his hands. Apparently, he no longer had any powers.
"It's impossible! Deegan…" he grumbled in a low voice.
"What's going on, Thor?" asked Oliver, hands up.
"I cannot invoke lightning or my ax! Deegan made me helpless and useless! I have no powers! Do you two have something?"
"Oliver, speed us out of here?" asked Barry.
"I can't," replied Oliver helplessly. "Can you?"
"Nope."
"So none of us have power! Reality has changed and we have nothing to defend ourselves! And what did Deegan do with Kara?" growled Thor angrily to be so helpless and worried about the fate of his Kryptonian friend.
Diaz the policeman approached our three heroes with a pair of handcuffs in his hand, his eyes delighted.
"Oliver Queen. I've been waiting to do this for a long time."
"We're not criminals, we did nothing!" intervened Thor, furious to feel vulnerable.
But Diaz just laughed at him:
"Yeah, that's what they all say in this city. You're under arrest and you will stay in jail for a very long time…"
With a roar, Oliver grabbed the policeman by the body, grabbed his weapon and shot the other two policemen, who hid in their car. Then the archer knocked Diaz out and left with his weapon. Thor immediately followed, then Barry followed suit.
"Well done, Queen!" congratulated Thor.
Then, the three heroes crossed a construction site, when a shadow hovered above and landed just a few meters in front of them. That was Superman. But a Superman very different from the one they knew. He was wearing an all-black outfit with the capital S. His eyes were grim.
"There's no place you can run where I can't find you. It's over." declared the black Superman.
Thor, Barry and Oliver looked at him in surprise.
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