Hey, everybody. Back with another chapter. Hope you like this one.
Let's get to it.
Guest: I may very well have Spider Man show up at the end.
mmat: Tony will be coming eventually, as will Thor. Clark will not be. As for Banner, I'm undecided.
Chapter 6- History of Earth-X
Down in the depths of STAR Labs, Oliver, Barry, Wanda, Natasha, Kara, Bruce, Bucky, and Steve have gathered to interrogate Prometheus. As they watch, Prometheus pulls back his hood and removes his mask.
Oliver's breath catches as he sees the face of his best friend, Tommy Merlyn.
"OMG," Bucky says, also recognizing him.
"OMG what?" Wanda asks, confused.
"That's Tommy Merlyn. He died years ago," Barry says, also recognizing him from a news report on the Undertaking.
"Who's Tommy Merlyn?" Wanda asks.
"He's my sister Thea's half-brother…and my best friend," Oliver says. He is quiet for a few moments, then says, "We're gonna need a moment alone."
Natasha and Barry quickly motion for everyone to leave, and everyone does, except for Oliver. They all head up to the cortex, where everyone else is waiting.
"He's a crony," Mick says after they explain who Prometheus is.
"Anachronism," Stein corrects.
"That's what I said," Stein says.
"One of the things the Legends deal with is anachronisms. It's people and things displaced throughout time," Nate says.
"Well, why would HYDRA, with this Tommy person, want to crash Barry and I's wedding?" Wanda asks.
"Crab legs. They were delicious," Mick says.
"Well, Wanda has a point, though, they would've targeted the military or law enforcement," Alex says.
"What I don't get is Tommy getting plucked from the past, trained to fight, and dressed as Prometheus," Sam says.
"It does make sense if we're not dealing with an anachronism," Caitlin says.
"Visitors from another Earth," Barry concludes.
"That makes sense. From what I know, this Earth's Tommy would never work with HYDRA. But, as you guys know by now, we ran into the Earth-99 doppelganger of Tommy, and he was working with this Earth's HYDRA," Bucky says. Everyone had been told about their conflict with HYDRA, and with Taskmaster.
"Still, this Tommy isn't Taskmaster, so it can't be from this Earth. So, given how many Earths there are, it's gonna be hard to find which one," Barry says.
"I can," Harry pipes up. He looks around at everyone and says, "There's this one Earth. It's called Earth-X."
He makes his way to the computers, plugs in a USB, and types some keys to bring up some videos. The videos are shocking. They show the Nazi blitzkrieg and Hitler. Then, it shifts to video of the Red Skull, and HYDRA soldiers marching over landscape. It shows nuclear bombs detonating, and HYDRA flags flying in New York City.
"It doesn't have a designation because it's a place so awful, so horrific that no sane individual would go there. It's history is nearly identical to that of Earth-99, except…" Harry says, trailing off a bit.
"Let me guess. HYDRA broke away from the Nazis, got nukes, and took over the world," Steve surmises.
"Yes, HYDRA won the war. And New York, Moscow, and Paris among other major cities were all obliterated. HYDRA took over the world, under the rule of the Red Skull. However, a number of years ago, a super soldier under HYDRA, called Militant, grew too ambitious. He assembled a team of three others. They were called the HYDRA Four, and they deposed the Red Skull in the year 2008," Harry says.
"And now they're not content ruling just one Earth," Steve concludes.
"W-we have to find them. I mean, do you think they're using the breach to hop between worlds?" Kara asks.
"That or they're operating from a staging area in or around Central City," Rhodey says.
"Well, good thing we have a metric ton of smart people in this building, and Rory. Let's get to work on finding our new friends from Earth-X," Barry says, not noticing the glance Mick shoots at him.
(The pipeline)
"Earth-X," Oliver says back to Tommy after hearing his explanation.
"That's right. And I'm dead on this Earth," Tommy states.
"Yes," Oliver responds simply.
"I'd almost prefer that. I was born into the world of HYDRA. Almost the whole world is under HYDRA's fist. We don't have elementary schools and summer camps. We have youth groups, military training. Sometimes human experimentation. We all grow up without choice," Tommy-X says.
"You have a choice now. You can tell me where to find the others from Earth-X," Oliver says.
Tommy-X looks at him for a moment before saying, "On my Earth, you are my best friend. I would die for you."
"I would've died for you," Oliver says.
Tommy looks at him strangely and asks, "Would have?"
"You beat me to it. I lost you. It was like-it was like losing a limb. You weren't just my best friend. Tommy, you were my brother, and you sacrificed yourself for a woman that we both loved. And I was there, and I had you right here," Oliver says. He pauses, then says, "You were a good man…here. And I believe that you still can be."
"No. You don't understand. If I break, if I talk, then the Four will kill my father, my mother, and everyone that I love," Tommy-X says.
"I will not let that happen! I will stop them!" Oliver says firmly.
"Do you think you can do that?" Tommy-X asks almost in hope as he leans against the glass.
"I promise you that I can do that," Oliver responds.
Tommy-X looks down, as if considering his options. But, when he looks up, his expression has changed completely, and he says, in a tone of iron, "Then you really are a special kind of idiot. Your naivete would be charming if your weakness wasn't so pathetic. Is this how it is on your planet? Everyone swayed by sentiment? Is everyone really so weak?!"
Tommy-X pauses and chuckles before continuing, "HYDRA will change that. The weak will be eliminated. Your entire world will be enslaved, but you, you… You won't be around to witness it. Lord Militant is going to feel your skull crack under the weight of his boot. Everyone you care about, everyone you love, they are going to die badly, in ways that would give even monsters nightmares," smiling sadistically as he says this.
He chuckles and steps back from the glass, dropping his mask. Then, he says, "I wish I could be around to see it." He then reaches into his mouth, and Oliver knows what he's doing.
"Tommy, no!" he cries, and hurries to open the cell. But it's too late, as Tommy-X has already pulled out and swallowed the cyanide pill. He falls to the ground, choking. As he does, he manages to say, "Hail HYDRA," before collapsing, dead.
(HYDRA hideout)
In a hideout on the edge of the city, Dark Arrow, Overgirl, Blitzkrieg, and the HYDRA Four have all gathered. Dark Arrow is looking down at a device that until now has been beeping, but now stops.
Dark Arrow looks up and says, "He's gone."
"Who, Merlyn?" Blitzkrieg asks.
"The biosensor in his suit indicates his heart stopped," Dark Arrow says.
"He always seemed kind of soft to me," Blitzkrieg says.
Overgirl steps up and asks, "Oliver?"
"He died for you. And we will make his death worthwhile," Dark Arrow.
"Well, that doesn't change the fact that now we're down a man," Blitzkrieg says.
"Keep your focus where it belongs and get to work on locating that Prism!" Dark Arrow says, trying not to lose it on his friend, who he feels is intentionally pushing his buttons.
"Chill the **** out, Oliver," Blitzkrieg responds.
Dark Arrow turns around to face Blitzkrieg, then grabs him, pushes him up against a pillar and sticks an arrow right in front of his throat.
"Oliver!" Overgirl says firmly, trying to get him to stop.
"This should be fun," Tactical Force says with a smirk.
Dark Arrow glares at Blitzkrieg and asks, "Did you just tell me to chill out, Barry?"
"Wow. Seems like you woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," Blitzkrieg says with a smirk.
"Don't you mock me!" Dark Arrow shouts.
"Don't threaten me, old friend. Or have you forgotten that I can end your life before you birth your next thought?" Blitzkrieg responds as he lifts his hand up, vibrating it.
Overgirl steps up, grabs hold of Blitzkrieg's wrist, and says in a venomous tone, "Try it once I break every bone in your body."
"Enough!" Militant says, and the three look over at him.
"Here's what you three are going to do. Allen, you will stop vibrating your wrist. Kara, will stop breaking Barry's wrist. And Queen, you will be ten percent less brooding. I will not tolerate fighting amongst ourselves. Do I make myself clear?" Militant demands.
"Yes, sir!" the three respond.
"Good," Militant says.
Dark Arrow lowers his arrow, and Kara lets go of Blitzkrieg, who stops vibrating his hand.
"There is nothing to be accomplished by fighting amongst ourselves," Thor-X says.
"It's the accomplishing nothing that I'm worried about. We came here to conquer this Earth, or have you forgotten?" Blitzkrieg demands.
"Enough! Allen, you will find the Prism, and then I will devise a plan of attack," Militant says firmly. Blitzkrieg just nods and walks off.
Overgirl looks at Dark Arrow and says, "I'm sorry about Merlyn."
"He should've died in the church before allowing himself to be captured," Dark Arrow says. He sighs, then says, "Kara, we need that prism. We are running out of time."
"You have to trust in the plan, Oliver. You should. It's yours," Overgirl responds.
"And do you trust me?" Dark Arrow asks.
Overgirl lifts a hand to his cheek. In a loving tone, she says, "Yes, with all of my heart." She and Dark Arrow then lean in and share a passionate kiss.
And, I'll end there. I hope I did this chapter well.
So, yeah. I chose the name Blitzkrieg for Barry-X. I thought it fit nicely.
So, one things that always bothered me about this episode of the crossover was, after Sara explained what anachronisms are, Iris asked, "Why would Nazis from 1945 want to crash my wedding?" She called it her wedding, not hers and Barry's. Maybe that's me taking it too seriously, but Iris seemed more concerned in the whole episode with how her day had been interrupted. That just seemed selfish, so I changed it so that Wanda referred to it as her and Barry's weddings, not just her wedding.
So, you've got a bit of backstory about HYDRA and the HYDRA Four. You'll get more background info when they met the resistance movement on Earth-X.
So, I got a question about introducing more people in this crossover. I do have some characters in mind, and I promise that one of them, who I will be introducing on Earth-X, is someone who none of you will see coming.
Well, that's it for this chapter. Next one will be up tomorrow or Saturday. Until then, leave a review, and stay tuned!