Hey, everybody. Back with another chapter. Hope you like this one.
So, the last episode of this crossover was honestly my favorite. I hope I can fix the flaws I still found in it though.
Let's get to it.
Chapter 13- Rescue
In the medbay, Kara comes to again. Looking around, she sees Dark Arrow standing over a still sedated Overgirl, with Bowman standing behind him, presumably as extra security.
Glancing towards the window, she sees the HYDRA guards bringing Rhodey and Laura into view so they can watch what's about to happen.
Blitzkrieg, going through his surgical tools, selects one and turns to Kara. "One of my best friends was Caitlin Snow. She taught me her secrets, and it was from her that I learned my favorite sound. Metal through a bone," he says. He smirks then pulls up his surgical mask, saying, "You might wanna close your eyes. This will be over soon."
He then reaches down with the scalpel, ready to begin cutting into Kara. However, for some reason, he can't. He finds resistance just as the point is about to cut into Kara's skin.
Dark Arrow narrows his eyes a bit and demands, "What are you waiting for, Barry? Do it!"
"I'm trying. I'm trying, but," Blitzkrieg says.
Down on Kara's chest, as he's holding the scalpel back, Ray Palmer says, "Uh, mitts off, Mengele!" He then grows to his normal size, punching Blitzkrieg as he goes. He punches the evil speedster again before blasting him with his compressed light beams.
Dark Arrow rushes to attack Ray, but before he can, Scott Lang grows out nowhere, punching Dark Arrow in the side of the head hard enough to knock him into the wall, knocking him out. Then, Hope van Dyne grows out of nowhere, blasting Bowman with her blasters before knocking him out with a blow to the head. At the same time, outside the medbay, Loki drops his disguise, draws two daggers, and quickly kills the other two guards.
"What was that, Loki?" Laura demands, referring to Loki abandoning her and bringing in Rhodey.
"I knew the Legends could be here quickly, and so would the Avengers. But, I had to buy us some time, and I thought this was the best way to do it. I also hoped it would get me close enough to these jokers that I could kill them when they let their guard down," Loki says.
As this is going on, Ray walks over to Kara and removes her restraints. "Ray?" Kara asks in surprise.
"Hi. How are ya?" he asks. He then looks up at Laura, Rhodey, and Loki as they walk in. "We better get going," he says as he and Scott help Kara to her feet.
As they hurry down a hallway, Ray says, "Don't worry, you guys. The Legends and the rest of the Avengers are here, and we're busting everybody out."
"Wait. We need to lock the time vault," Rhodey says.
"I'll do it. You guys get Kara out of here," Laura says before hurrying off.
"I'll go with her," Hope says as she shrinks down and flies after Laura.
"Look, I know I'm late to the party, but why have HYDRA doppelgangers taken over STAR Labs?" Ray asks.
"Short story: they're from Earth-X, they want to conquer this planet and steal Kara's heart, and they have this giant robot," Rhodey says.
"Huh. I've actually fought one of those before. Little known fact, the suit doesn't just shrink," Ray says.
A HYDRA agent walks up behind them, grabbing Rhodey's attention. "Ray!" he says in warning.
Ray whips around, his arm and hand extending and growing, smashing the agent against the wall. The arm and hand return to their normal size, as Ray says, "It embiggens."
Down in the pipeline, everyone is still in their cells as a voice calls over the intercom, "Attention all prisoners. Good news. The cavalry has arrived."
"About time!" Rene calls out.
"I knew I could count you, man! Did you bring beers?" Mick calls out.
"Better yet, an army," Rene says.
The blast door into the pipeline opens, revealing Daimon Hellstrom, who smiles and says, "Who needs an army when you have Legends and Avengers?"
Elsewhere in STAR Labs, a HYDRA agent is backing up, trying to gain some distance, until a blast of air knocks him back into a wall. Zari looks down at him, then turns around to find more HYDRA agents.
A HYDRA agent marches around a corner, only for a pair of hands to reach out and slice his throat open. The agent collapses, and T'Challa steps over his body.
Another pair of HYDRA agents on an upper floor are suddenly blasted by a blue beam of cold energy. As they fall, Sara and Snart step over them, heading deeper into STAR Labs.
Several HYDRA agents patrolling on the top floor suddenly find themselves yanked up towards the ceiling. As they disappear, Spider Man drops down to the ground. Another HYDRA agent tries to run towards Spider Man, only to be ripped apart by Logan.
Several HYDRA agents are hurrying towards the cortex, when, without warning, they are beheaded from behind. Their bodies fall to the ground, revealing Diana standing behind them.
Outside, the few HYDRA agents standing guard are in a frenzy, trying to escape as Tony and Thor fly around, taking out any HYDRA agent they can see.
Down in STAR Labs, several HYDRA agents are standing guard in the Speed Lab. Suddenly, a pair of arrows cut down two of them. The other two whip around, only to be sliced in half by Slade Wilson, with Roy and Nyssa following close behind.
A little further up in STAR Labs, the gateway opens, and the team walks out. "We need to find Kara," Alex says.
"Then we need to split up," Oliver says.
"I've got Supergirl," Ray calls over comms.
"I've got Group B," Hellstrom says down in the Speed Lab.
"You're late," Mick says to the others as they gather around Hellstrom.
"Don't mind him. He's just pissy because he came out of a steel box," Thea says.
"Actually, he's always like this," Zari says.
Right then, Metallo crashes through the glass of the track and lands on the floor of the speed lab. Everyone turns to face the robot, and Zari says, "What the ****?"
Meanwhile, Ray, Scott, Loki, and Kara are still making their way through STAR Labs. "The Waverider's up on the roof," Ray says.
Suddenly, an arrow hits him in the back, and he collapses. They whip around, and see both Dark Arrow and Bowman facing them.
"Step away from her," Dark Arrow says calmly.
"Not gonna happen," Rhodey says.
Loki steps forward. "You're gonna have to go through me," he says.
Bowman fires an arrow at Loki, but Loki catches the arrow and drops it. He then draws two daggers and rushes at Bowman, while Scott runs towards Dark Arrow.
Loki and Bowman are exchanging blows, almost equally matched. At the same time, Dark Arrow is trying to find Scott as Scott leaps around him at ant size. Scott lands several blows, but Dark Arrow finally manages to spot him coming in and throws a punch, hitting Scott and forcing him back to normal size. Dark Arrow whips out an arrow and aims it at Scott, but before he can, a loud voice shouts, "Lower your weapon!"
Dark Arrow freezes, as do Bowman and Loki, who are pretty much wrestling at this point. They all look to the entrance to the room, where Oliver is standing with Overgirl, as Oliver says, "Or I'll kill her."
Down in the Speed Lab, Metallo fires his chest beam, causing Shuri to run out of the way. As Thea and Cisco hide behind a pile of boxes, Thea says, "This guy is like the Terminator!"
Cisco starts laughing. Thea turns to him, and in exasperation, asks, "Why are you laughing?"
"I just love a good pop culture reference in a moment of crisis," Cisco says amidst laughter. Then, sobering up, he points and says, "Also that!"
At that moment, Firestorm, Brian, and Ultron fly in, sending fireballs and beams of energy at Metallo as Barry and Pietro race up onto the track and begin throwing lightning bolts.
"Let's kick some ***!" Cisco cries as the rest of the team that arrived from Earth-X enters the room.
Everyone starts attacking Metallo. Wanda throws her energy blasts. Laurel releases her scream. Cisco sends out his vibe blasts. Killer Frost sends out blasts of frost. Hellstrom releases a stream of soulfire from his trident. Mick fires his heat gun. Zari sends blasts of air from her totem. The relentless punishment is too much for Metallo, who explodes.
Further up in STAR Labs, Oliver glares at his doppelganger, saying, "Now her neck doesn't seem invulnerable right now. SO I will say again. Lower your weapon!"
"Don't listen to him! Just shoot her!" Overgirl says.
"No! No! I can save your wife's life!" Oliver says.
"There's only one way to save me!" Overgirl counters.
"We have friends at STAR Labs! There are ways to do this without hurting Kara!" Oliver says.
"He's lying! Do it for HYDRA! Just kill her!" Overgirl shouts.
Dark Arrow is torn, unsure what to do. Then, a flash of red lightning, he, Overgirl, and Bowman are whisked out of the room.
Loki glances around the room, then says, "Well, that was anti-climactic."
(Short time later)
With everyone aboard, the Waverider now takes off and climbs into the skies of Central City.
Inside the Waverider, Firestorm flies straight towards the medbay. Landing beside on of the chairs, he separates into Jax and Stein.
"Gideon! Fix him!" Jax cries.
Caitlin races in. "His pressure's dropping. We have to staunch the bleeding!" she says urgently.
"Right away, Doctor Snow," Gideon says, already getting to work.
Mick walks in and looks at Jax. "Jax, relax. The professor's gonna be fine. He's a tough bastard," Mick says.
Jax takes a step away, then suddenly coughs up blood. Loki, who was also walked in, calls out, "He's hit!" Loki helps Jax into the other seat before looking up at Caitlin and says, "I can't find the wound."
"Look at their vitals. It must be because of their connection," Caitlin says.
"What the h*** does that mean?" Mick asks.
"Even though Jax isn't injured, their life functions must still be linked somehow," Caitlin says.
"How do we unlink them?" Loki asks.
"We can't. Their connection is the only thing that's kept the professor alive," Caitlin says seriously.
As this is happening, Barry walks onto the bridge. Seeing Wanda over by the main console, he says, "Hey."
Wanda turns towards him, then hurries over and they embrace.
"I'm so glad we're both okay," Barry says.
"We got lucky. Some people didn't," she mutters. Then, she lets out a single chuckle and says, "We should've been on our honeymoon by now."
Barry chuckles as he pulls back a bit. "We still will. I promise," he says before kissing her.
"Thanks for coming, Slade," Oliver says as he walks up to Slade, Nyssa, Thea, Rene, and Roy, Natasha right by his side.
"No problem, kid. Though honestly, this may be the craziest thing I've ever dealt with," Slade says.
"No kidding," Oliver replies.
"How did you know to come?" Natasha asks.
"We were close by, tracking down HYDRA. Our HYDRA. Roy receive the SOS, and he called us," Nyssa explains.
"Well, we're glad to have you on board. We're gonna need everyone we can get," Oliver says.
Wanda hurries into the lab, where Tony is working on something.
"Tony," she says to get his attention.
"Wanda. What's up?" he asks.
"How are Nora and Stephen? Are they okay?" she asks, very nervous for her children's safety.
"They're fine. Pepper told me she could watch them alone for a little while. Plus, those two adore her, and they're getting along great with Morgan," Tony says.
"Thank goodness," Wanda says in relief. Then, she asks, "What are you working on?"
"Shuri's new suit she made for Barry. I'm making a few special modifications, as Captain Solo would say," Tony says, a grin on his face.
Back in the medbay, Caitlin looks down at Jax as he comes to. "How are you feeling, Jax?" she asks.
"Don't worry about me. How's Grey?" Jax asks.
"I've got him sedated right now. It's gonna take him a little while, but he's gonna be just fine," Caitlin says with a smile.
"Good," Jax says, closing his eyes to rest again.
Caitlin looks between her two patients. Then, she hears someone walk in, and turns to see Steve walking in, his shield on his back.
"You got it back?" she asks.
"Yeah. Seems like they wanted to keep it as a trophy. I found it lying in the cortex," Steve responds. He then looks between Jax and Stein and asks, "How are they?"
"Jax is fine, just feeling some of the Professor's pain. The Professor is gonna be down for a little while, but he'll be okay," Caitlin says.
Steve nods as he walks up beside her, looking down at Stein. "He was a real hero on Earth-X," he says.
"Yes. He was," Caitlin says.
Steve keeps looking down at him, then down at Caitlin. "How are you?" he asks.
"Well, aside from being knocked out by Oliver's doppelganger and thrown in a cell, I'm doing pretty well," she says with an air of humor. However, Steve can still tell something is bothering her.
"What's wrong? There's something in your eyes that tells me something is up," Steve says.
Caitlin looks back at him, trying to hide the war going on in her head right now. After a moment, she finally says, "When I found out what had happened to the rest of you…I was so worried. But, I wasn't worried for Barry, or Wanda, or anyone else at first. The first thing that came to my mind…was that I was going to lose you…and…"
Then, from out of nowhere, the doubts holding her back seem to vanish. Caitlin reaches up, places her hands on the side of Steve's face, and pulls his face towards hers.
Their lips meet. Steve just stands there for a split second, shocked, as Caitlin kisses him. Then, he wraps his arms around her and kisses her back.
It takes a few more moments before they separate. Caitlin looks into Steve's eyes, then says, "I love you, Steve. I didn't want to admit it for the longest time, because I was too scared. But, after I talk I had with Wanda, and everything that's happened since HYDRA showed up, I realized how much you meant to me."
Steve is quiet for a moment, then smiles. "I feel the same way, Cait. I feel something for you I've never felt for anyone else. I don't know what it is, but I know I want you by my side," he says. Caitlin smiles, and the two share another kiss.
In the mess hall, Thor and Loki are catching up.
"Wow, brother. It sounds like you've had the quite adventures since I last saw you," Thor says.
"You could say that," Loki responds.
The two are quiet for a moment before Loki says, "I'm glad you're here, brother."
"Really?" Thor asks.
"Of course. This is the fight of a lifetime. I know you would kill me if I didn't invite you," Loki says with a smirk.
Thor grins in response. "You are right about that, brother," he says. The two then clink the beer bottles they're holding and take a swig from the bottles.
Snart and Sara walk into Sara's old quarters. "Wow. It's been a while since we were last in here," Snart says.
"Yes, it has. As a matter of fact, I think the last time we were in here together was when you got me pregnant," Sara says with a smirk.
Snart smirks as well. He then pulls Sara around and gives her a kiss. Sara smiles as she kisses him back.
"Snart?"
The two turn around, and see Barry standing in the doorway, staring in shock at Snart. "Snart. I thought you were dead," Barry says.
"So did everyone else. But, the explosion they thought killed me actually transported me through time. The new lineup of the team found me, told me about Sara and Robert, and brought me to this time," Snart explains.
Barry stands there for a few moments, then smiles a bit. "Well, it's good to have you back, Snart," he says before walking off.
Bucky and Laurel sigh as they sit together in one of the compartments on the Waverider, just sitting in silence, with Laurel leaning her head against his shoulder.
Finally, Laurel says, "Are you okay? After everything that happened on Earth-X?"
Bucky sighs as he says, "It definitely brought up a lot of bad memories. But, so long as I have you by my side, I'll be okay."
Bucky then turns to Laurel. After looking at her for a moment, he decides there will never be a better time.
"Laurel. You are my everything. I love you more than I can say, and you've made me a better person. I've been so lucky to have you by my side, and I never want that to change," Bucky says. He then shuffles around so he's in front of her, and gets on one knee as he pulls out a diamond ring that he's been carrying around for a few weeks.
Laurel's eyes widen, and her hand flies up to her mouth, which is wide open in shock. Bucky looks right at her and says, "I had something more special planned. But after everything we've been through the last day or two, I don't want to wait any longer." He pauses for a moment, then says, "Laurel Lance, will you marry me?"
Laurel just sits there, stunned. Finally, after a few moments, she lowers her hand, and, with a few tears in her eyes, says, "Yes!"
Bucky beams at Laurel. He reaches out with his free hand, taking her hand, and sliding the ring onto her ring finger. As soon as it's on her hand, Laurel lunges forward and tackles Bucky, crying and kissing him from happiness.
And, that's it for this chapter. Hope you liked it.
I hope you liked the rescue scene. I hope I didn't forget anybody. I was a little tempted to bring in Captain Marvel, but I decided she would make it too easy.
So, real quick. Even though he wasn't mentioned, Banner came with them, and will appear in the next chapter.
So, Steve and Caitlin have finally admitted their feelings! I thought this was a good time to have them finally get together. Their romance will develop over the rest of Phase 2 and through Phase 3. I may eventually include their wedding in a story, but not sure when.
And yes, Bucky and Laurel are now engaged. I thought after everything that happened on Earth-X, Bucky wouldn't want to wait.
Next chapter will finish the lead up to the final battle, and it will be up soon. Until then, leave a review, and stay tuned!