Salvation Run

By Michael Weyer

As promised, getting to this one faster.

Mia was loading up an arrow when she felt a presence behind her. Sighing, she turned to see Oliver standing before her. "I guess this was inevitable."

Oliver crossed his arms as he took her in. He could see it now, the bright eyes, the facial structure, the hair. A lot of it was Laurel but enough of him in this young woman as well. "I'm guessing...I'm at least around long enough to teach you the basics."

Mia raised an eyebrow. "You seem sure."

"I recognize the form you used," Oliver said. "Exactly the way I was taught. Roy and Thea are good but not quite that good."

"They helped with pointers," Mia stated. She looked at the various arrows and smirked. "Huh. Still using the regular ones fo the most part. No boxing glove?'

"Oh for...it was one time and I still don't know how that worked!"

Mia threw a smirk at him. "Won't be the last time."

Oliver cocked his head to look her over. "I suppose asking what happens isn't worth it."

Mia sighed, her smirk fading. "Things...All I'll say is, things get nasty. They get rough. There's a lot of good stuff coming but...A lot of bad too." She shrugged. "I guess that's life, really. Even with the changes in history, it's likely you're going to see a lot of heartaches." She paused to look over to her father. "Seeing you right now is...different. And not just because of the age. You're...happier now."

Oliver had to raise an eyebrow at that as Mia continued. "I'll just say that keep working hard and you'll get us all on track. We'll owe you, me, Thea, Connor..."

"Connor?"

Mia blanched. "Spoilers." She smiled at him. "Listen...let's just get Mom back and then we can discuss some of the ins and outs of time travel until we both get headaches."

Oliver nodded. "I do think you can use a few pointers."

Mia raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"You're good but a bit raw. You have to figure the edge out like when you sharpen a knife."

"I...don't really cook."

"Should have figured."

"Just tell me not the tennis balls." The tone she used sounded so much like a whiny teenager that Oliver had to chuckle. "I mean, come on, you've got all this high-tech gear and you use tennis balls?"

"Old school can be the best school."

"You won't be saying that when William picks colleges."

They heard a chuckle and turned to see Barry there, a smile on his face. "Trust me, Oliver. You can press on a lot but she's going to be keeping details quiet. And it's probably for the best." The smile faded. "I saw one future me and...it wasn't pleasant."

Oliver nodded with a haunted look. "Sara said the Legends went to some alternate future once. Star City was in chaos, most of the team dead and gone and I had only one arm."

"And no doubt using that as an excuse to be grouchier."

"I can say it's not that bad," Mia quickly stated. "But a lot of that was the world without any Dusting or such and where you never married Felicity." She waved a hand. "Again, I can barely get a handle on it, so I'm not even sure if we rescue Mom, things turn out okay..."

"They still can," Barry stated. "Nora mentioned stuff seemed different yet a lot the same. Wells had a line that goes around: Time is like cement, take a bit to settle."

"He comes from some major future and that's the best he can do as a metaphor?"

"Better than some of the ones he later comes up with," Nora stated as he joined them. She shook her head at Mia. "Still can't believe you're here, like old times."

"I thought you hated the old times when I was helping you get your speed under control."

"I hated when you shot me with an arrow! No, not just one, five!"

"You heal fast and it was a lesson!"

"Oh, for..." Barry threw up his hands as he glared at Oliver. "Bad enough you shot me, now your daughter shoots mine!"

Oliver looked to Mia. "Did you get her anywhere vital?"

"One in the calf, two in the back, left shoulder, and right buttock."

"And I couldn't sit down for hours!" Nora yelled.

Oliver smiled. "Damn, that is good."

"Oliver!" Barry yelled.

"Listen, Barry, it gets the point across, and don't tell me if we were swapped, you wouldn't be doing it to me..."

"You really think I'm that..." At Oliver's stare, Barry swallowed. "All right, yeah, I would..."

Mia pointed at Nora. "And not like you didn't get me back the first time you ran me from Star to Central!"

"You wanted a fast ride!"

"You could have warned me not to have lunch first!"

"Oh, what are you complaining about, it was all over my suit!"

Barry smiled to Oliver. "Admit it...the fact you can see her here, grown-up, a hero...it feels pretty damn good, doesn't it?" Green Arrow had to give a smile in acceptance as Mia took up her bow.

Talos sipped once more at his cup as the SHIELD agents were prepping for the mission. Roy was still giving him odd looks before glancing at Coulson. "You really trust this guy?"

"Fury does," Coulson stated in a tone making it clear that, to him, that was all the answer needed. "He met Talos on a case back in the 1990s when a pack of Kree came to Earth. That's where Carol came into things."

"Heard about that in passing," May said. "That's where he got the eye injury?"

Coulson nodded. "Oh yeah. Sounds like they burned it out of the socket but Fury wouldn't give up anything."

Talos nearly spat out his drink. "Wait...wait...That's what he tells people?" He laughed. "Unbelievable..."

Coulson frowned. "It's not what happened?"

"Oh, he lost his eye there," Talos said. "But long term effect from a scratch from a Flerken."

"A what?"

Talos pulled out his cell phone. "One of the most dangerous, twisted, monstrous creatures in the entire galaxy. Frankly, he's lucky that's all it did to him." He pulled up a picture and held it up to allow the humans to stare at the four-legged furry creature with a tail.

The group all stared blankly before Daisy let out a sputter that turned into a giggle, then a full-fledged laugh. Mack and Yo-Yo weren't far behind and even May found herself letting out a wild laugh. "A...a cat? Nick Fury..."

"Nick...mother-frakking bad-ass superspy Fury..." Bucky blurted with a laugh.

"Lost his eye...to a CAT?!" That sparked a wave of howling laughter from the entire group with May actually leaning on a table to support herself while Mack and Daisy wiped tears from their eyes. The only one not laughing was Coulson who simply stared with the look of the kid just told there was no Santa Claus.

The laughter died as the doors opened and Diggle brought out the manacled Lyja. She appeared as composed as ever as Thea slowly walked toward her and then lashed out a fist to punch her right in the face. "That's for screwing over my brother," she hissed. She then punched her again. "And that's for what you did to the real Felicity and Laurel."

Lyja winced, rubbing at her jaw to look at Barry, the young man showing more anger than usual. "So...I guess the apology for hijacking me and Iris' wedding was fake too?'

Lyja shrugged. "I'm trained to take advantage of any opportunities and that was a good one. Beats the hell out of wedding planning, if I had to put up with her mother going on about that, I would have shot myself."

"Damn, unlucky us," Dinah growled.

Lyja chuckled. "You know, she had a bit of a crush on you too. Who knows, things went differently..." Lyja looked to Diggle. "Care to try your pound of flesh, John?'

"Never use my first name again," he snapped. "God, I can't believe I let you near my family..."

Lyja offered a tiny smile. "For what it's worth, I did like them. They didn't strike me as terrible. For humans." She looked to Dinah and Renee and smirked. "You know, I was really convinced you two wouldn't last so long. Drake was a time bomb waiting to happen, Renee so sloppy, we figured you'd be a good distraction for Oliver, throw him off his game but him actually trying to make you competent..."

Oliver's hand was on her throat, slamming her back against a wall. Lyja grunted as he glared at her with a venom he generally reserved for the like of Malcolm Merlyn. "The only reason I am not killing you myself," he hissed. "Is because you're the only bet to get them back. But when this is over...If you think you're just walking away after all this...Think again."

Cisco leaned in toward Barry. "Um, should we do something?"

"Cisco, you really wanna press Oliver right now?" His best friend winced to nod.

Oliver let her go as Lyja rubbed her throat. Coulson raised an eyebrow at the rest of the team. "Is he always like this?"

"Actually, he's mellowed," Renee said. "Not long ago, the woman would be missing a finger or two."

"She could just grow them back," Talos noted.

"Dude, don't give him ideas!"

Bucky muttered something in Russian under his breath that Renee guessed wasn't very nice. "Huh, need to get my daughter on languages, maybe start her on Chinese."

"Go for French," Mia stated.

"Yeah but she's into Chinese..."

Mia gave him a look. "Dude, I'm from the future. Trust me, you want her to learn French." Renee had to frown at that.

Lyja coughed as she looked to Oliver. "Again, I won't apologize. But...I'll admit...There were times I worried for you. Not just for the mission but you..." A light smile came to her face. "You're a damn stubborn man yet that becomes oddly appealing..."

She winced as Oliver struck her in the face with a harsh look. "Don't try to suck back up by claiming you cared. If they hadn't shown up, you'd have kept this act going for as long as you could." He leaned into her face. "You were a lie from start to finish. We're never going back to anything else so stop trying."

She had to concede the point as Diggle put a hand to Oliver's shoulder to steady him. Oliver rubbed at his hand as he saw Roy studying him. "What?"

"Nothing."

"What is it, Roy?'

"Just...okay, two sisters, one of whom became a time-traveling assassin, the other a district attorney turned vigilante. The mob princess who became a crossbow-wielding killer. Samantha. Pretty sure at least one of Ra's daughters. And now a shape-shifting alien. You easily have the most bizarre dating history alive." His chuckle ended under Oliver's hard glare.

"Thea?"

A loud blow of flesh on flesh echoed with Roy's yell.

"Thanks, sis."

"Any time."

The car pulled into the nondescript strip mall a mile off from the center of the city. Lyja stepped out, once more looking like Felicity. She glanced about before walking toward the main building with a storefront looking like a classic travel agency. She removed a pair of keys and opened the door, stepping into the quiet office with posters of cruises and tropical locations around. Without pausing, she headed to the rear, opening a door and through a storage area. Another door led to a simple empty room with a humming platform on it. Lyja stepped onto it, allowing her natural Skrull features to be shown. She tapped a set of codes on a keypad on the wall and waited.

The platform she stood on lit up and a cone of green light surrounded Lyja. The world around her seemed to shimmer and she vanished in a beam of light. The shimmering faded as she found herself standing in the bay of a spaceship with a pair of Skrulls in uniform nodding to her. Nodding back, Lyja marched down the hallways, passing several other Skrulls going about their duties. She finally made her way to the main bridge where a raised platform showed Paibok in full command, standing before the glass windows facing outer spac.

He turned to face her, his handsome (by Skrull standards) features marked by a light scar on one cheek. His uniform was more elaborate with blue armor and added to his already strong presence. That ever-present smirk turned up as he took in Lyja. "You're late."

"It's a bit harder getting away than it used to be," she returned. "By the by, when are you going to fix the cover for the transmit? I mean...who uses a travel agency anymore?"

"It serves its purpose," he intoned. He studied her carefully. "You have been slower checking in as of late. I am concerned that perhaps you are...forgetting yourself? It is a common risk for deep cover agents."

"I've handled it for the last few years," Lyja returned. "You could have always chosen someone else, Paibok." She arched an eyebrow. "Or are you hoping I would be found out and dealt with?"

Paibok chuckled. "Now, Lyja, what we had was a long time ago. And if I recall, you're the one who broke it off."

Lyja glared. "After I found you in bed with a...Kree of all people!"

"Dear, Lyja, I explained..."

She held up a hand. "I made it clear the past was the past, Paibok. I'm doing my best handling this situation, especially in the last few months. I've had to adjust 'her' attitude a bit but the changes are altering things."

"I am aware," Paibok stated. "We are attempting to modify our plans which is why your arrival is fortuitous." He waved a hand toward a nearby monitor. "The decision has been made to accelerate our strategies and begin more replacements in key areas. Politics, business, entertainment, the ones folks will listen to."

"And just who is making those decisions?"

Paibok turned to glare at her. "Are you questioning me?"

"Merely saying what a lot of us are thinking," Lyja stated, carefully stepping forward. The buzz on the bridge had died as everyone turned their attention to her. "You've been talking about this like somehow the Throne World is still around and the Empress is giving orders. Now, we were going along with it because you promised us a return to our old ways and it's what we all desire." Her eyes narrowed. "But if there's one thing I've been learning over the years in this role, Paibok, it's when someone is hiding something. And you are." Crossing arms. "I think I've at least earned the right to know who."

Paibok's eyes narrowed as he carefully stepped forward to remind Lyja how he stood a good foot taller. "Tread...most...carefully, Lyja. It's better you don't know in case you are eventually uncovered. But more importantly, cross who is above us...And you will regret it most dearly for a very short time."

Lyja licked her suddenly dry lips. "Fine. I...do need to check in with Smoak, her mom's birthday coming up and need suggestions. And how is it with Lance?" Behind her, one Skrull frowned as he looked at a monitor. He lifted a small pad, checking the data on it as he slowly circled the bridge.

Paibok smiled. "The...treatments are doing quite well. I believe she will be prepared soon to be a good soldier."

"You really think she'll agree?"

"She has no choice," Paibok spoke. "If nothing else, we can influence her to our side and use her quite well against that Queen. That along with that...unique artifact we took when its former owner became deceased. It has been defeating our attempts at study so far but I am confident we can discover its secrets soon enough. The power levels alone as astounding and can turn into an amazing weapon."

The other Skrull was continuing to pace the bridge as Paibok went on. "But before that happens, I believe it is time to...reach your end game."

Lyja blinked "Wait...you mean..."

Paibok nodded. "Oliver Queen has served his purpose well but the threat he poses is too much should our plans go on. I believe we have to remove him from the board."

Lyja frowned uncertainty. "Killing him will be difficult."

"Kill? Who said anything about that?" Paibok smiled. "Oh, a few of his teammates may die but Queen himself...Expose his identity with no doubt...Reveal his litany of crimes...Destroy him publically with the added bonus of his beloved wife leaving him." He saw her wince and frowned. "That upsets you?'

"It won't be so easy," she returned. "The man is a master of cheating these fates."

"He will not stop us," Paibok hissed. "Don't get soft on me now, Lyja. The fate of our people is at stake and Tundill, why are you keeping up that infernal pacing?"

The last was snarled at the Skrull who was circling Lyja. "Sorry, sir," he said. "But...I kept detecting something odd. It was small at first but then..." He waved the padd over Lyja who suddenly looked nervous. "A signal which seems to be...around...her..."

"Signal?" Paibok's eyes flashed with sheer anger at Lyja. "What kind of signal?"

"Well, sir...If I had to hazard a guess..." The man heard the pad beeping louder and reached to pluck a small button-shaped object from Lyja's belt. He held it up to study it. "It almost looks like...a beacon."

Paibok stared at Lyja who offered a small, almost apologetic shrug before she ducked with her hands over her head. Paibok's eyes widened in understanding just as a breach opened on the bridge. A trio of blurs, erupted from it, and as if by magic, Skrulls were sent sailing about in all directions. Two of them streaked past the main doors to the rest of the ship. The black-garbed one headed down one hallway, the purple one the other, and each paused only to slap a beacon onto a wall.

Paibok grunted as he felt the red and yellow form of the Flash smash into him. Barry gasped as he realized the man's armor was not just for show and actually absorbed most of the impact of his blow. He ducked Paibok's punch as he dodged. "Sorry pal, not my first alien!"

"Fool," the Skrull hissed. "You think I'm merely a soldier?" His hand suddenly glowed with energy and Barry barely dodged the blast hurled at his way. "You face Paibok the Power Skrull!"

Lyja could only marvel at how the man's ego was even worse than when they dated as she saw Oliver, Mia, Diggle and Roy emerge from the Breach as it shut behind them. Oliver was firing an arrow at Paibok, the explosive causing him to howl in pain. He looked to Lyja. "Where are they?"

"Prisoner level is two decks down!"

Oliver looked to Barry. "Can you hold him?"

"Go get them!" the Flash returned. Oliver saw Thea and Roy throwing agreeing looks and moved, grabbing Lyja's hand to run out of the bridge. Mia was behind him, pausing just to fire an arrow to cut down an attacking Skrull before following her father.

Down the hallway, another breach opened as Winter Soldier and Killer Frost stepped out. Bucky was already firing his machine gun to cut down a pair of Skrulls while Frost fired a blast of cold to freeze another pair in their tracks. On the other side of the ship, a third breach unloaded the SHIELD agents who were quickly firing off their weapons as Quake unleashed one of her waves against the attacking Skrulls.

As Oliver and Mia headed toward the detention area, a purple blur flew past them, knocking Skrulls aside like they were tenpins, then speeding back toward the bridge area. Oliver and Mia found themselves back-to-back, firing arrows in opposite directions to cut down Skrulls, instinctively gelling into a perfect unit. Before them, Lyja was at the door, inputting a code. The doors slid open as Nora sped in to knock down the guards. Oliver was soon behind her, his eyes falling on the figure inside a cell with a force field. "Felicity?"

The woman looked up with bleary eyes. The hair was now jet black and longer and the white jumpsuit showed she'd been sleeping in it far more than she should have. She just stared in disbelief before speaking in a croaked voice. "Oliver?"

Lyja was activating a code to open the cell as Oliver stepped in. Felicity stared at him with the face of someone too afraid to hope. "Is...is that really you?"

Before he could speak, Oliver heard a sound behind him. Spinning, he fired off another arrow, the shaft perfectly landing in the barrel of the rifle just as its Skrull owner pulled the trigger so it exploded in his face. Oliver had already unleashed another bolt that deflected off the broken weapon to ricochet into the eye socket of the guard behind the first.

He turned back to Felicity, who was now beaming. "Oh, God, it really is you!" She raced to embrace him tightly then pressed her lips on his. She pulled back and her face fell. "Oh, sorry, just overexcited, you have no idea how good it is to see you!"

"We need to move," Lyja said. "Taking on the entire ship is insane."

Felicity's eyes narrowed as she took in the woman. Moving forward, she hauled back to punch Lyja in the face. Felicity gasped as she held her knuckles. "Oh...oh, that hurt but it felt so good!"

Oliver had to smile as he heard the babbling he admitted he missed. Felicity looked to him with a serious expression. "Ollie, they have Laurel in some lab. They've been doing some weird experiments on her."

Oliver looked to Lyja who sighed. "Ugh, fine..." She headed off as Mia followed and smiled at Felicity. "Huh, so this is when you went back to dark hair, it looks better on you."

Felicity frowned. "Who are you?'

"Oh, his daughter."

Felicity just stared at her, then at Oliver, and then closed her eyes. "Ya know, I'm having a really bad few years so I'm going to just roll with that."

Talos had joined the group, a blaster in his hands. "I really forgot just how damn annoying some of this lot could be," he muttered.

Felicity stared. "Um..is that one on our side?"

Talos offered her a soft smile. "I do apologize for what they put you through, believe me, you didn't deserve it."

"Wow, he seems so nice..."

"I'm always nice, no idea why folks get off on the bad foot with me." Talos absently shot a nearby guard as he spoke.

Quake threw out a blast of energy that sent a Skrull sailing twenty feet down the corridor. She turned into a hallway to find Dinah standing before her. "Seen the rest of the team?" Black Canary asked.

"No doubt having some fun," Daisy replied as she walked past her. "Renee?"

"Back there, he'll catch up."

"Good, how about Zenda?"

"Busy."

"Right." Without warning, Daisy spun and fired a blast that caught Dinah, sending her slamming back hard against the wall. She slumped, her body shifting about to transform into a Skrull. Daisy turned as another Dinah came up with Renee, Caitlin and Diggle behind her. "Zenda," they said in unison.

"Zenda." Daisy grinned. "Huh, who knew your boss could be so literary with the code words?"

"Better than Cisco's suggestions," Diggle noted. He heard a sound and turned as a squad of Skrulls erupted from a hallway, firing away as the group took refuge in a side room. Diggle was firing off his gun with Renee as Dinah stepped forward, prepared to unleash a cry. Before she could, a shape fell from above, resembling a six-armed tiger with the head of a bat. Its claws lashed out to slash across Dinah's throat, the woman choking as she grabbed it. Diggle was quick to unload his pistol into the Skrull, sending him down in a transforming heap.

Renee moved to grab Dinah as Caitlin put a hand to her throat. A sheet of ice closed off the wound to stop the bleeding as Renee moved Dinah to her side to allow her to breathe better. Caitlin touched a hand to her ear. "Cisco, we need a breach!"

"Sorta busy!" On the bridge, Cisco was ducking more of the blasts from Paibok as Barry was handling the other Srulls firing at them. Nora was zipping about to punch Paibok only to grunt as she barely dodged one of his blasts.

In the engine room four decks below, Mack was smashing a Skrull face-first against a wall while Winter Soldier unleashed a blast from his weapon. Yo-Yo was hissing as she held her leg where a stray blast had managed, by luck, to graze her. She may heal fast with her speed but it still hurt. May was a fury in motion, dodging a Skrull's attempts to attack as she fired off her pistol to cut down another. She grabbed his neck and gave it a savage twist. She was thrown when the Skrull merely smirked with its head turned completely around. "Fool. You can't snap a shapeshifter's neck."

"Fine." May pulled back to allow Bucky to fire several rounds into the startled Skrull's chest while she buried a knife into his right ear. Coulson had his photon shield up to take several shots as they backed up. "We're doing okay but can't get to you now!"

Diggle was firing off at the attacking Skrulls before Caitlin rose up. She threw out her hands to form a thick sheet of ice, crafting a wall to block the attackers off. She winced as she saw that it was already feeling the effects of multiple laser blasts. "That may not hold for long!"

Diggle rose to his feet, making sure his guns were loaded. "We'll hold them until the rest get here."

"And if they can't?" Diggle just set his jaw as he watched the crumbling ice wall.

The Skrull guards inside the main lab barely knew what hit them before a flurry of arrows cut through the air. The lab was a large area filled with scientific apparatus Oliver couldn't hope to understand. A glass column held an object that seemed to shimmer with a green light as the Skrulls reacted to the intruders. While the focus was on them first, his eyes fell to the woman lying on the table in the middle of the room.

The hair was lighter, the clothing a bit unkempt and she'd lost some weight. But it was still the face that Oliver remembered in all its beauty. A mask was attached over her features while various electrodes were fastened to her body. Oliver moved fast as Lyja was at his side, hitting buttons to allow the mask to slide off and the bonds over Laurels' arms to pull back.

Oliver glared at Lyja. "What have they been doing?!"

She winced at his venom. "I've been...supplying info I got from Black Siren and Dinah and they've been working on ways to...modify it with her DNA."

"Modify?" Felicity snapped. "You mean mutate her?"

"Oh, so caring now?"

Felicity slapped her face with Lyja getting quite tired of these Earthers striking her. "We spend enough time, we got over any issues we had. No matter what, we both agree how bad we're going to kick your ass."

Laurel moaned as she slowly rose up. She looked up to see Oliver and gasped. "Oh, God, not this again..."

"Laurel," Felicity cut in, taking the woman's arm. "It's him. Trust me."

Laurel looked at her, then at Oliver, staring deep in his eyes. Her own widened as she saw something that could never be copied and moved to embrace him hard. "Oh, God, Ollie..."

He hugged her back as Felicity could just smile softly. As they broke apart, Mia suddenly moved to hug Laurel too, her face marked wit more concern than she'd shown since she'd arrived. "God, Mom, so worried..."

Laurel blinked. "Wait...Mom?"

Felicity was staring too. "Hold up, she told me you had a son, now a daughter you never knew about...Who somehow isn't that much younger than me?"

"Yeah, it's..complicated," Oliver stated.

"And we can shelve it for now," Lyja snapped. "Unless you want to join in-"

The doors burst open as a squad of Skrulls entered the room, blasters firing. Felicity shrieked as she ducked, hands over her head. Oliver and Mia were turning with bows raised as Laurel felt a burst of anger at the aliens who had held her captive and stolen years of her life. She opened her mouth and from it emerged a blasting cry that Oliver had by now become used to, if not from this source. It erupted in waves to knock the Skrulls back as the humans held their ears.

The waves flowed over the entire lab, smashing apart beakers, vials, and screens. The glass canister buckled as the object within seemed to glow even brighter with a green light. It finally shattered into pieces as the object inside floated outward. It seemed to hang in the air as if somehow searching for something, then flew off in a green trail down the hallway.

Laurel gasped out, rubbing her throat. "Wha...what was that?"

"What?" Felicity called out in a loud voice with her hands over her ears.

"Canary Cry," Oliver smiled. "I guess it fits?"

"What?!"

Mia smiled. "Don't worry, Mom, you'll get used to it."

"What?!"

As the ice crumbled further, Diggle stepped forward. "I'll hold them off, you get Dinah out of here!"

"Dig..." Caitlin started.

"Just do it!" Diggle snapped, his body tense. He felt no fear at all this. Regret for his family of course but he'd always known the chance of dying in battle was there and his luck would run out someday. He set his jaw as he prepared for the ice to finally crumble and the Skrulls to attack.

A blast of green light emerged from the ice and Diggle instinctively ducked. But it wasn't the pulse of a laser blast. It was a small circular object that floated before him, allowing Diggle to see a green ring with an odd symbol on it. As he stared in disbelief, he heard a deep voice from nowhere and yet everywhere.

"John Stewart Diggle of Earth. You have the will to overcome great fear."

The ring slipped onto his finger and John felt a wash of power alongside the words flowing into his mind. The others stared in disbelief as John began to levitate a few inches off the floor.

"In brightest day, in darkest night..."

The ring erupted in a blinding green glow that had the humans wincing. It flowed over his body, shimmering over his clothing and transforming it.

"No evil shall escape my sight..."

The clothing shifted into a different configuration, a uniform of green and black that shimmered with the same power and light. Upon his chest, a symbol formed much like the ring.

"Let those who worship evil's might..."

The power flowed through his veins and his mind as somehow, someway, he knew exactly what this was and how he could use it.

"Beware my power..."

His eyes snapped open, now a solid glowing green. He raised the ring and from it emitted a beam of light creating a solid force field to block the cannon blasts of the attacking Skrulls.

"Green Lantern's Light!"

As the green light erupted around them, Renee once more found himself thinking that getting into politics sounded pretty good right now.

Oliver was helping Laurel to her feet as she was shaking from all this. She looked to a smiling Mia, frowning more. "I just...my daughter?"

"Ours," Oliver said. "I know, it's weird."

Before either could react, an explosion ripped through the wall beside them. Red and purple blurs showed Barry and Nora flying across the air before landing hard on the other wall. From the hole came Paibok, his hands glowing with fire. He fixed his eyes on Oliver and snarled. "You. All this time wasted on you...Why they cared so much about some pathetic human, I have no idea."

Talos glared at Paibok. "So someone else is pulling the strings? Can't be shocked, you never were smart enough to pull something like this on your own."

"Don't even try to mock me, Talos," Paibok snarled. "At least I am true to our ways, not a traitor like you!"

"Figuring it's better to save our people for the future and not try to take over a planet with a skeleton crew? Yep, that's me, Paibok, not wanting to fight a war we can't win."

Paibok just smirked as he spoke in their native tongue. Oliver had no idea what he was saying but the way Talos' eyes widened told him it was not something pleasant. "We would have preferred keeping it quiet longer," Paibok stated. "But I suppose my...backers...will understand my changing the plan."

"Who?" Oliver snapped. "Who was behind all this?'

"You'll die not knowing," Paibok snarled, his hands glowing. He unleashed a blast and before Oliver could move, Lyja pushed him aside to take the energy to her chest. She howled as she fell back, her chest smoking with greenish blood flowing from it. Oliver was rocked as she looked up, blood at her lips. "Guess...not as good...an actress...or spy..." She coughed out more blood. "It...wasn't all a lie..." She choked out before slumping, her eyes shutting. Oliver stared, unable to process just what he was feeling at the woman he'd been with for the last few years under this lie dying.

Paibok was about to fire another blast when a blinding green light filled the entire room. Everyone had to cover their eyes from it as the light slowly coalesced into a figure. He floated in the air, the green light flowing around him along with the solid green uniform lined with black across his waist. At his chest was a white circle with a green emblem that matched the ring on one hand.

Felicity stared in wonder. "Is...is that John?" Oliver couldn't answer while Mia just broke out in a grin. "So this is how it happens..."

John threw out his fist and the ring created a beam that formed into a huge green fist to smash Paibok back. Some of the other Skrulls were firing cannons which bounced off the green field shimmering over his body. John threw out another beam, this one turning into a battering ram to strike the Power Skrull. Oliver could only shake his head. "John...how are you doing this?"

"I have no idea," the man admitted. "But I like it!"

Paibok howled as he unleashed more blasts from his hands which John easily deflected. Laurel found herself filled with anger, remembering the gloating of the man at the pain she'd been put in the last few years. The mockery with photos of her dad at her funeral. The shots of that woman with her face killing people. The idea she'd been forgotten. Pushing Ollie back, she took a breath and unleashed another howling scream with Paibok covering his ears in pain.

Behind Laurel, Oliver and Mia both raised their bows and, in perfect unison, fired off a pair of arrows. As they did, John raised his ring and let out a blast of green. It pushed the arrows at higher speed with literal green flames erupting from them. They streaked forward, one striking Paibok in the eye, the other in his chest. He gasped out as he fell backward, shaking hard.

In the doorway, Thea and Roy had come to a sudden stop, both completely confused at the sight of a green-garbed and floating John. They pushed it aside to fire off their own arrows with Oliver and Mia joining in. Paibok gasped out in agony as one arrow after another struck him, piercing his armored chest. He tried to rise but John emitted a blast from his ring that formed a huge green arrow. It pierced Paibok through the chest and sent him sailing backward. The arrow kept going to carry Paibok off the bridge and through the glass windows overlooking space. They shattered to send him out of the ship and his arrow-pierced body soon exposed to the chilling elements of space.

John was already using the ring to form a green force field to seal the window before anyone else could be sucked out. He grunted as he looked to Oliver. "Not sure how long I can hold it..."

Oliver nodded as he tapped his communicator. "Coulson?"

"Charges are set," the agent replied. "Also, we found almost a dozen other prisoners in a lower cell area, we're getting them out too."

Oliver nodded as he looked to the recovering Barry and Nora. "Get Cisco to start opening up breaches to get us back."

"Actually," John smiled. "I think I can handle that."

Oliver frowned. "Are you sure?'

"Trust me." And Oliver Queen did.

Given it was on the dark side of the moon, no one on Earth could have seen the flash of light of the eruption of the Skrull ship. Nor would they have seen the shimmering green form whose ring formed a line to a huge green bubble with several people staring in wonder as they were taken through space. Laurel was hugging Oliver as Felicity threw her arms around Thea and Roy. "I am so glad to see you two but Thea, you really are a hero and Malcolm was your dad, that is so freaky but am glad you know about Oliver, was so hard lying to you and Roy, glad you're doing better and are you two together again, Laurel wasn't sure when she last hooked up and..."

Nora looked to her father. "Wow...And you claim I talk fast."

"So let me get this straight," Cisco was saying in a calm voice despite his huge wide eyes. "You're some sort of...space cop?"

John was examining the ring himself, his uniform still the same as he stood in the Lair. "It's like I can...hear it speaking to me. There's something called the Green Lantern Corps, it's an intergalactic unit meant to protect the universe. Seems one of them got killed and the Skrulls captured the ring before it could find a new bearer. Somehow, I make the cut."

"Oooooh, Green Lanterns are cool," Nora said. "Kyle is a cutie." She winked to Mia, who rolled her eyes. "Nora, what have we discussed..."

Oliver looked John over. "This is...a change."

"Yeah, it is," his friend agreed. He smiled. "But somehow...it just seems like something...I was meant for."

Oliver slapped a hand to his shoulder in support as Barry entered the room. "Okay, last of the Skrull imposters just got rounded up with as little fuss as possible, they're all secure in the Pipeline."

"We'll take them off your hands," Coulson stated. He glanced at Talos. "It will be...complicated handling them. And the ones who were killed on the ship..."

Talos made a sad shrug. "They made their choice. One thing we have in common with too many species is that there's plenty of division among us. Maybe without Paibok riling them up, some of them can get some sanity and join us. If not...well, guess turn them over to the Nova Corps to handle."

"How about the folks they replaced?" Thea piped up. "Anybody big?"

"One senator, a few media folks, some millionaire named Kord," Barry said. "I guess we stopped them before they could go after anyone bigger than that. Naturally, they're dealing with how nobody noticed they were suddenly changing in behavior so guess you guys don't have to feel as bad missing it with Lyja." His smile faded at the glares. "Right, still a sore subject..."

"I'm assuming this is going to fall under some super-secret thing?" Roy intoned.

"Probably best we don't go public on it," Barry agreed. "Lyla is already working up cover stories."

Diggle raised an eyebrow. "Did you tell her about me?"

"I think gaining an alien artifact that turns you into a cosmic hero is more a couples conversation."

Oliver looked up as Caitlin stepped out of the medbay, pulling off her smock. "How is Dinah?"

Caitlin nodded. "She'll be okay. The cut wasn't too deep so she'll regain talking soon enough. However, my initial scans showed it may have affected some parts of her vocal cords and throat so I'm not sure if she'll still be able to pull off her Cry."

"Dinah's tough, she'll bounce back."

"Maybe. She was writing down on a pad, indicating she'll be taking a long break and Renee might help her out there." She smiled to Oliver. "Meanwhile, Laurel and Felicity check out just fine, great health. Laurel's scans indicate her Cry may even be stronger than Black Siren's in some ways. I've got them in separate rooms."

"Thanks," Oliver said. He took a deep breath as he headed to the room on the right. Inside, Felicity had changed into a simple pair of jeans and a shirt. She had a small pad in her hands, looking over it as Oliver came in. "Hey. Sorry, just...trying to catch up a bit on things. Wow, new Star Wars movies, can't wait to check those out..."

Oliver looked her over carefully. "I want to ask how you are but..."

"Yeah, its...a lot." Felicity put the pad down to study him and rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't."

"Don't what?"

"Don't apologize for not knowing it wasn't me. I saw her, Oliver, I talked with her scores of times, she had me down cold. Hell, my own mother couldn't tell the difference. As much as I hate to admit it, a lot of her arrogance and attitude? Not that different from how I would have reacted to things like your secret son or such." She brushed at her black hair. "I guess this whole thing was an eye-opener for me. How I wasn't that nice at times with you, let my ego get the best of me. If anything, I should be apologizing for the times I undercut you."

He was quiet as she went on. "I guess I am a bit jealous she got you when I didn't but again, there's no way you could have known. I never blamed you for that, trust me. So don't add this to the long litany of stuff you think is your fault when it isn't."

"Thanks." Oliver was quiet for a moment. "About...us..."

Felicity smiled softly. "Relax, Oliver. It wasn't me you married, I'm not going to hold you to it." She sighed. "I don't know if it's divorce or an annulment or what and I have no idea how I'm going to explain this to my mom..." She looked to him with a serious expression. "Besides...it's not fair to try to get you when I know I'm not the one you want."

Oliver licked his lips. "Felicity..."

She held up a hand. "I knew, Ollie. Even before she grabbed me, I knew. Even with Sara, I could tell, it was always Laurel you loved."

"And...you weren't mad?"

She scoffed. "Are you kidding? I was jealous as hell." Felicity shrugged. "But, hey, it's your heart." She smiled. "Besides, after all I've been through in the last few years...it seems so petty to be mad about this now. In a weird way, we had a shot but I know it would have never really worked out in the end. Frankly, I'm shocked Lyja kept it up as long as she did."

"Thinking back, so am I..."

Felicity cocked her head. "It's weird but...I think in a way...she did love you." She chuckled. "I mean, it's pretty easy for a lot of women to get wooed by your charm, that's something me and Laurel agreed on. Maybe she ended up falling you like I would have. That she gave her life to save you says a lot."

"Maybe," he allowed. "It doesn't mean I'm going to forgive all she did."

"Me either," Felicity made clear. "But...I think holding a grudge right now is just a waste of time. For once, don't get tied up on the past and what could have been, focus on the future." She reached forward to put her hand on his. "Seriously, Oliver. You've got a second chance, do not blow it. Tell her."

"You really think we can make it work?"

"I think you've got a woman standing in the Lair who's absolute proof you do. I can't figure this time travel stuff out anyway but clearly, that's your daughter and she accepts Laurel as her mom." She met his gaze with a warmth Lyja could never match. "Tell her, Ollie. Forget your fears and that 'I'm not good enough' bullshit because you are. You're not a knight in shining armor like I wanted but you're a damn great hero, one not afraid to do what it takes. She'll understand that, I know it."

He smiled. "Thanks, Felicity." He rose up. "What about you?'

She took a breath. "I need some time...to get back to my life, unwind, catch back up with the world..." She rolled her eyes. "And deal with how my father is some sort of super-hacking criminal and reconnect with my mom." She looked up. "But I'm coming back." Off his surprise, she continued. "She did a lot of things in my name. With my face. Palmer Tech, Monument Point, a lot more. I need to make up for that." The soft smile continued. "Let's face it, Oliver, I was always much better as the tech support than taking a lead in the field or such. No more trying to second-guess, you're the boss of me and did not mean for it to sound that way but you get it. So, I need a break but I will be back."

"Take as much time as you need." Oliver paused to give her a warm and friendly hug which she returned. He slowly headed out as Felicity took the pad back in her hands. Oliver walked to the other room, taking a deep breath before entering it. Laurel was standing and slowly turned to face him. She had cleaned up and looked more beautiful than he could remember in a long time. "Hey," she softly said.

"Hey," he replied.

Laurel offered a soft smile. "Felicity already give you the 'don't blame yourself' speech? Then let me add to it. You could never, ever have guessed what happened to me, you thought I was dead. Don't start apologizing for what happened, ok?"

"Okay." Oliver was quiet before speaking. "Before she...or whoever it was...'died'...She said something that sounded so much like you. How I was...always the love of your life." Laurel straightened at that. "It always got me even when I was with...Lyja. And I guess it took this to make me realize...it was the same with me."

Laurel was quiet before replying. "The Skulls liked to...play some games on us. Psychological tests, they called it but really torture without actually hurting us physically. That included making themselves look like my mom, my dad...you. The mockery on my drinking, the failures, Tommy and you moving on fast." She rubbed her shoulders. "It...got to me a lot."

"Felicity didn't mention that."

"They didn't do it to her as much but she talked to me about in the cell. We bonded a bit, she admitted she had a crush on you which, let's face it, was barely obvious but was letting it go. We talked about how it felt with that pain and she told me not to ignore it but use it. I guess it was good advice because when I let out that scream on those guys, it felt so damn good." She gazed at Oliver. "One of them looking like you openly talked about how you cheated on me with Sara and Samantha and proof you never loved me...And somehow, I just knew that was bullshit."

"I did cheat, that was for real."

"That was the old you. The frat boy, the selfish jerk, not the man I know. You changed, Ollie. And as much as you may not want to admit it, it was always for the better. You learned how to be a real man, a hero." She gazed at him. "A man I could fall in love with."

Oliver rubbed his face. "A while after your...death...We got caught in another alien invasion. They put a bunch of us into some fantasy world where I never got on the yacht. My parents were alive, so was Tommy, Malcolm actually a good guy." He saw her snort at that. "I know. You and me...We were together, engaged. I wanted to stay there, I so did, just to be with you again..."

"Were you a good man there?"

"My dad was ready to let me take the company."

Laurel came up to him, rubbing her face. "See? Even without the island trip, I know you could have smartened up, grown up, became a good man. You screwed up, fine. So did I, so many times. We both got broken, Oliver." She smiled. "Maybe it's time we finally got around to fixing it."

She leaned in to kiss him and he returned it and for the first time in the last three years, Oliver Queen felt more alive than he'd ever been.

They entered the Lair to see the entire group with knowing smiles, Felicity having joined them. Thea moved to hug Laurel tightly. "So happy to have you back."

"You too, Speedy."

Thea smirked at her brother to hug him and whisper in his ear. "Do not screw it up this time."

Laurel moved to hug John, who returned it warmly. She stepped back, waving at her throat, then his suit. "I guess we've both been through some changes."

"Remember when we thought just simple training was a rough ride?"

"Good times, should have relished it when we could."

Coulson coughed. "I suppose we do have to get going. We'll collect the Skrulls on our way out."

Oliver shook his hand. "It was...Well, I can't say really good to work with you here but...If not for you..."

Coulson offered a warm smile. "We get what you mean."

Talos offered a hand to Laurel, who carefully shook it. "I do apologize for what my people put you both through. Believe me, I hate the reminders of the kind of folks we were. But I think you two can handle it well."

"Um, thanks," Felicity said. "Just...no offense but we're really hoping not to see another one like you anytime soon. Or, really, ever again in our entire lives because wow, the therapy we are both in for..."

A shuffling came from the doorway and everyone turned to see Quinten Lance standing there, staring in awe at Laurel. "Daddy?" she whispered, breaking from Oliver.

Quinten slowly paced inside, his eyes never leaving her. "It...it's really you, this time?"

"It's me, Daddy." She raced into his arms to hug him tightly, Quinten returning it. Mack saw Daisy wipe at her eyes. "Are you crying?"

"Oh shut up."

Mia was looking Quinten over with interest. "Wow...Grandpa looks so young..."

That got his attention as he looked up at the young woman. "Wait...Grandpa?"

"Um, yeah," Laurel said. "This is Mia, she's..." She clearly struggled with the words. "Me and Oliver's daughter from the future."

Quinten slowly took that in and nodded. "Okay...Okay...I've had two daughters who have both returned from the dead, hell, I've returned from the dead, I've met aliens, I can handle this."

Thea just chuckled. "Yeah, it's a weird one, no idea how to deal with it." She smiled at Mia. "I can't wait to find out more about what Ollie is like."

"And us," Roy smirked. "What, we finally tie the knot or still wanting to live in sin?"

Mia bit her lip. "Yeah...about that..." She looked to Nora with the younger woman frowning. "Wait...do we have to?"

"Nora..."

"I mean, we know..."

"Nora." The tone was much harder and not unlike what Oliver sounded like as the Hood.

Nora let out a tired sigh. "Fine, fine." She suddenly moved to hug Barry tightly. "This was...so great, being here. I mean it, to see you all like this." She backed up as Barry saw the tears in her eyes. "I love you, Dad."

Barry frowned. "Nora, what are..."

That was all he got out before Nora held something in her hands. Oliver had just enough time to see Mia cover her eyes before a blinding white flash echoed...

He blinked, shaking his head as he glanced around. "Sorry, Barry, were you saying something?"

Barry was blinking himself. "Um, was I? Huh, weird."

"It has been a day."

Yo-Yo looked around and frowned. "Damn, that XS left already? I was hoping to get a race out of her."

"That's how she is," Barry told her. "She pops up, helps us out, and then leaves. No idea who she is or why she's doing this other than 'I'm from the future.'"

"And you just accept that?" Lance shook his head. "Your world is way too weird for me, Allen."

John smirked. "A few hours ago I would have agreed but now..." He held up the ring as Lance sighed and once more wished to hell he had never moved to this city.

Coulson nodded as the SHIELD agents began to back up. May frowned as she looked around, unable to shake the weird feeling that the team had one extra person when they showed up. As soon as the thought brushed her mind, it vanished again just as with the two women who had previously been there.

Lyla Michaels Diggle had told herself she could handle almost anything in this life of hers. But her husband flying through the window of their apartment wearing a green ring from outer space was never in any relationship books.

"It's...this is incredible," she whispered, staring at John using the ring to form a pair of pliers to lift their table in the air.

"Tell me about it," Diggle returned, lowering it and shaking his head. "Damn, the power in this thing is...a rush. Yet I can still handle it, it's amazing!"

Lyla smiled. "So after all your complaining about Barry and his kind being so weird, you're joining the costumed power sect after all."

Diggle rolled his eyes. "I know, Cisco is already cooking up code names but told him just plain Green Lantern is fine as my title."

"Ahem." The two spun as a green glow shimmered in the air before them. It formed into a figure clad in a uniform just like Diggle's. He crossed his arms, his purple skin highlighted by a large head and sharp black mustache. "John Diggle," he intoned in a voice laced with arrogance and clear condescension. He looked the man over, pursing his lips. "A human. Worse than that, an Earthling." He sighed and shook his head. "Then again, Abin Sur might well have enjoyed that, he always had the oddest sense of humor."

Lyla was reaching for her gun but Diggle held up a hand. "Let me guess," he spoke up. "You're my training officer."

"As much as I hate to admit it," the alien stated in what seemed like actual pain. "The ring has chosen a...Terran...for a bearer. And the Guardians hold the rings are never wrong in their judgment." It was obvious he didn't share the sentiment. "Very well, if someone must train you properly, it might as well be one who is the best at it."

Diggle smirked. "I've had drill officers before. And a guy whose idea of training is not holding back in a fight. Bring on whatever you want, I'm ready for it."

The alien's lips twitched upward. "Hmmm...Such pride, we'll have to work on that. Come along then, we'd best get started." He began to move to phase through the wall of the apartment. Giving his wife a quick kiss, Diggle followed as the two green-suited figures floated into the skies over the city. "By the way," Diggle called out. "You got a name?"

"Oh, yes, I suppose you should know," the purple alien replied as he led Diggle off toward the upper atmosphere. "My name is Sinestro."

Mia tapped her foot on the ground, the impatience she'd inherited from both her parents clear. She heard the whoosh of wind and looked over as Nora ran into the small alleyway. "You get it done?'

The woman nodded, her face sour behind her mask. "As far as Mom and Grandpa Joe are concerned, XS returned to the future as mysteriously as she came."

Mia put a hand to her shoulder. "I get it. I do. But we've heard enough from your dad and Aunt Sara to know the dangers of too much information on the future. Letting them even know about us would have been way too complex."

"I get it intellectually," Nora snapped. She wiped her eyes. "It's just...seeeing them..."

Mia offered a sympathetic look. "You never told them? What happens with Iris?"

Nora shook her head. "I couldn't. I wanted to but...just couldn't bring myself to do it. Seeing her and Dad so happy...to tell them how it ends..."

"Trust me, I know," Mia sighed. "So much I want to warn Dad about. But time got screwed up enough without adding more to it. Right now, hopefully, we get back and our world is pretty much as when we left it."

"Hope so," Nora said. She looked around the alley. "What are we doing here anyway?"

"Waiting for our ride."

"You didn't take a Time Bubble?"

Mia scoffed. "It took me four tries to pass my driver's test, you think I can work one of those things?"

"Then, wait, how did you..." Nora was cut off by a loud grinding sound coming over the air. From out of nowhere, a shape materialized before slowly solidifying into what appeared to be a large blue box resembling a phone booth. After a pause, the door opened to reveal an attractive woman with short blonde hair, wearing jeans with suspenders and a long grey coat. She saw the pair and her face broke into a huge grin. "Oh, hello there! Guess you got it all sorted out then!"

Mia waved. "Nora, this is the Doctor."

"Doctor Who?"

"Funny, everyone keeps asking that..." the Doctor muttered. She smiled to Mia. "Welp, seems you got it all settled, your future is back on track!"

"Really?" Mia said as she moved to the box. She paused to face Nora. "Oh, you...might want to brace yourself." She stepped inside, Nora frowning before following. Her jaw opened as she saw that the interior of the box was a massive alien control room easily ten times larger than what should have been able to fit inside. "Holy...this is...so...SHWAY!"

The Doctor blinked. "All right, that is a new one..." She headed to the control console at the center of the room to hit some switches and the huge rotor in the middle began to move up and down with a grinding note. "This is the TARDIS by the by."

Nora was still staring about in wonder as Mia leaned toward the Doctor. "So...I mean, my world is just as it was?"

"Well...I'll say a good 99 percent." At Mia's glare, the Doctor shrugged. "Maybe 97...Listen, anything done in the past has ripple effects, that can't be changed. Now, the original issue of your mother gone was sending too much effect out there and could have broken this timeline. But, right now, rest assured, you got it on track." The Doctor smiled. "In fact, you being there ensured a few things like what occurred with Mr. Diggle could happen as they should. Ditto for how Ms. Smoak turns into a different figure, not as vital as your parents but still a role to play. And how, with all respect to her, Ms. Drake was much better with her rising career in the Star City PD, not the Black Canary role of your mother."

Nora scratcher her head. "Now, wait...there was no Dusting in the history we know but somehow it's become fact? And you're saying me going back into a different past now fixes our present? Or the future?"

"My head hurts," Mia groaned.

"As a Doctor, I have plenty for that," the alien stated. "Timey-wimey can be tricky to handle but trust me, I am an expert." She paused and waved a hand. "Right, expert may be pushing it but I am experienced! True, not all of it very good but I know far more about it than most and it's probably best we leave it off there."

"Just as long as we don't wink out of existence."

"No worries there," the Doctor said. "As I said, maybe not perfect, timey-wimey issues but the important things are fixed." The Doctor sighed. "Now to find out who broke them."

That got the heroines' attention. "Wait...someone was behind this?" Nora pressed.

"Not the first time someone has tried altering the past for a grab in the future," the Doctor mused. "Problem being, an awful lot of suspects and it's not like I don't have enough on my plate as is." She waved a hand. "But that's my business. Let me get you two back home and to your families and I can get to checking as it is."

The two simply nodded to accept this ride, neither realizing how the Time Lady was putting a far more jovial face on her worries than she let on. However, seeing these two heroines who had their pasts and presents restored reminded the Doctor why she'd started on all this in the first place. And it always felt good.

The Hub

As the shift from one reality to the next took place, Coulson stepped into the small room Talos had made his own. The Skrull sat at a table, absently staring off into space. "Prisoners are settled in," Coulson stated. "Tricky getting those dampeners set but Cisco and Allen worked fast."

Talos didn't respond but tapped his fingers on the table. Coulson was quiet for a long moment before speaking. "So...what did he say?" At Talos' glance, Coulson went on. "Queen said Paibok uttered something that shook you. What was it?"

The Skrull didn't answer for a moment before finally speaking "'You're too late. You think this is the only reality we're in?'"

Coulson set his jaw as Talos continued. "Now, doesn't mean anything. It was actually standard procedure if a single scout was caught, let his last words be some 'we are everywhere' thing. Maybe even toss in naming a few political or social leaders being Skrull agents. It was a great method, spread paranoia, let folks tear each other apart while we just sit back and wait. You'd be amazed how many worlds we conquered without even having a single agent on the ground and just claiming what was left after a civil war."

Coulson studied him. "Is that what you think this is? Or what you hope?"

Talos stroked his chin. "When we started...I thought we were just going after a few renegades we could handle. But something I never considered is that there are realities out there where the Empire still exists. And that they may be open to an offer to expand elsewhere."

Coulson pursed his lips. "So what you're saying...is that it's possible...Skrulls have infiltrated Earths in other realities."

"I don't want to say it's possible. But we can't ignore that it is."

The Skrull and the human sat there for a long time with only the hum of the ship to keep the company of their thoughts.

Somewhere Beyond Time And Space

The pack of figures made their way through the complex lab. It was an area far more advanced than most civilizations as even the most brilliant minds alive would be hard-pressed to understand what they were witnessing from crystalline structures to monitors featuring scores of planets to what looked like a city inside of a bottle. Their leader spoke as they walked past the various apparatus. "So it's a setback but one we planned for. We just need to adjust plans for the future."

"I still say we move further expansion," one of their number stated. "Strike on multiple Earths."

"Maybe we should wait until we see them take over one Earth first?" The sole woman in the group uttered in a sardonic tone. "So far, their track record is rather pathetic."

"She's right," another stated. "For a pack of master shapechangers, these Skrulls can be so sloppy and impatient. Let's not forget the ones who thought they had it all set for a secret takeover then decide to just go ahead for a public invasion to ruin it."

"True," the leader allowed. "Plus, we know some realities are more resistant to a...breach than others. Slipping a few agents is tough enough, let alone how overeager they are for instant conquest."

"And let's not forget the elephant in the room," another stated. "The one in that damned police box."

"The Doctor can be an issue," the leader of the group stated as they came to a pair of large tubes. "But one we can handle in time. For now, we can work on these two." He nodded to the large tubes filled with liquid, one holding Paibok and the other Lyja. Each showed their bodies slowly stitching together the wounds of the former and the frozen body of the latter as they floated amid the healing factors. "Restore them fully...empower them...and I'm sure they'll be more than eager to aid us, out of revenge if nothing else."

"I still say, we should have just let them die," snorted one of the figures.

"Because you never could see the potential around," the leader snapped. "I do thanks to my experience."

"We need to be careful," the woman stated. "We all know the dangers of reacting too quickly."

"Yes but time is on our side," the leader stated. "The Wars and Crisises to come will create more chaos, in time and space." The man the Legends would have recognized as Rip Hunter smiled. "And when it's all said and done...the Multiverse will belong...to the Timemasters."

A chorus of dark laughter echoed in the chamber at Vanishing Point as the plot to seize the future took shape.

Now let me make this clear: I've always loved Felicity. I know, an unpopular opinion in some areas of fandom but I do. At the same time, I recognize that elevating her so much as Oliver's true love and co-team leader did hurt the show a bit and that Oliver clearly loved Laurel the most and vice versa.

Like many, my assumption with Captain Marvel was it would end with the Skrulls plotting a "Secret Invasion" and the idea of Felicity and Laurel replaced came from that. Then the movie shows the Skrulls more the good guys but remember, just Talos' faction shown that way and logical others wouldn't feel the same so this evolved from there.

Yes, Mia still looks like Katherine McNamara and hardly the only one to note she's more a union of Oliver and Laurel (or even Sara) then Felicity. She and Nora erasing everyone's memories was rough but logical to prevent too much knowledge of the future. And Diggle becoming Green Lantern just fit perfectly.

BTW, the "Zenda" bit comes from an old comic I read as a reference to the classic story The Prisoner of Zenda.

So some shifts and set-ups for the future. And no, I'm not saying that you can expect Skrulls to be popping up on various Earths as that would soon be overkill and predictable.

But then...I'm not saying you won't, either. After all, when you have a race of master shapeshifters secretly backed by a force that can easily manipulate time...Then just one question comes up:

Who Can You Trust?