A/N: Time for another chapter! This one's largely going to be based on the whole Time Heist sequence from Endgame, with a few added or changed bits. Have fun!
New York
2012
On the other side of the city, on the roof of a derelict building, a bald woman in yellow robes conjured orange energy blades, throwing them towards the attacking Chitauri. The constructs hit the flying chariots, causing the machines to explode, with the aliens caught in the blast. As the woman began to wave her hands, causing sparks to form in the air, a man in a blue uniform with the American flag for a cape could be seen floating in the distance, firing crimson laser beams from his eyes and incinerating a Chitauri soldier, before flying away. The woman was about to conjure another blade, when a fireball was flung from behind her, hitting an approaching Chitauri right in the face. As the alien screamed, the bald lady turned around, seeing a blonde man wearing a trench coat, with his hand lit on fire.
"Ah, Mister Constantine." she smiled. "I didn't think I'd see you for another three years."
"What can I say, I'm full of surprises." Constantine smirked, before putting the flames out. "And how is the Ancient One doing these days?"
The woman, known as The Ancient One, smiled in amusement, before turning around and throwing a blade construct at a nearby Chitauri chariot.
"You already know the answer to that, Jonathan." The Ancient One scolded. "Protecting this reality, ensuring the barriers stay strong. But that's not why you're here."
"Unfortunately not." John agreed. Looking at the golden necklace around her neck. "I'm here for the Time Stone."
The Ancient One frowned, as Constantine took a step forward.
"You know I can't give you that."
"And you know I wasn't asking." John replied, reaching out. "Sorry luv-"
The Ancient One struck Constantine in the chest with her palm, and a see through visage of himself was pushed out of his body. John looked at his hands, realizing he was in his astral form.
"You know I can return to my own body, right luv?" the demonologist asked curiously, Constantine's physical form collapsed on the roof.
"And you know that I did this to avoid a fight." The Ancient One pointed out, almost parroting the start of John's sentence.
"Now, let's start over, shall we Jonathan?"
Music: "So Many Stairs" from Avengers Endgame OST
Dredd raised his thermal binoculars to his visor, looking up at Stark Tower to see six heat signatures surrounding a seventh that was lying on the ground. Joseph grumbled, realizing that the Avengers were about to arrest Loki and head down into the elevator. They needed to move quick.
"Castle, you near the elevator?" Joe asked. "They're wrapping up."
"In position." Frank's voice crackled through his earpiece. "What about Cass and Becca?"
"Don't worry about us, Frank. We know what to do." Becks' voice replied.
"Good." Joseph murmured, looking over his shoulder at Ant-Man. "You ready?"
"Yes." Scott grinned, forming his hand into a thumbs up and holding up a red disc.
"You look ready." Dredd nodded. Lang promptly threw the disc at Joe, causing him to shrink, before pressing his thumb down and shrinking himself. The two men began to fall, but were suddenly caught by enormous flying ants, who quickly carried them up to the top floor of the tower. Once they flew through a shattered window, the ants dropped Dredd and Lang off behind a rock column, where Scott quietly reverted Joe back to full size. Joseph looked around, seeing the original six Avengers- Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow, Hulk, and Hawkeye- standing over a captured Loki, who was laying on his back.
"If it's all the same to you… I'll be having that drink now." the god of mischief smirked nervously.
"Alright, get him on his feet." Stark ordered, as he made his way towards the bar. "We can pose up a storm later. Oh, by the way, feel free to clean up!"
"So who gets the magic wand?" Black Widow asked, holding up a sceptor with a glowing blue jewel in the center- which in turn housed the Mind Stone.
"Strike team's coming." Captain Rogers reported, before adding grimly, "Vought loaned some of their security to SHIELD and are on their way, under supervision of Rumlow and Sitwell."
As if on cue, an elevator suddenly opened, and a man with short black hair, wearing a black t-shirt, walked out with a bald man in a suit. Behind them were several guards, half wearing the eagle badge of SHIELD, while the other half wore what looked like the letter V interconnected with the number seven.
"We can take that off your hands." the bald man, Jasper Sitwell requested, as Black Widow gave him the scepter and placed it in a long briefcase.
"Vought?" Ant-man asked, having stayed small to stand on Joseph's shoulder.
"A company that breeds superheroes." Joe muttered. "The creeps are responsible for creating Homelander."
"Never heard of them." Scott shrugged, while looking right over at Stark. "But who's everyone else?"
"SHIELD- well, HYDRA." Dredd corrected, while Loki shapeshifted into Captain America as a form of mockery, before Thor placed an advanced gag on him. "But no one knew about them until a couple years later."
Ant-Man nodded, as Tony exited his armor and began to secure the Tesseract.
"Okay, flick me!"
Joseph turned his shoulder, before flicking the tiny hero like one would to a booger, and watched as Lang shot all the way towards Stark, clinging to his beard and dropping down his shirt. Dredd continued hiding, while the Hulk grew angered at the fact neither Tony nor Thor wanted him inside the elevator, and smashed his fist into the closing door.
"Take the stairs, hate the stairs!"
The futuristic lawman waited for Hulk to start his descent, before slowly following while activating his thermal binoculars to keep track of the elevator.
"Castle, the elevator with the scepter is approaching the eightieth floor. Get there quick."
"I'm on it." Frank murmured, wearing a SHIELD uniform and hitting the elevator button. "I'll meet you, Cass, and Becca down in the lobby."
"Affirmative."
The elevator doors suddenly opened, revealing Sitwell, the man in the black shirt, and at least a dozen SHIELD and Vought guards, with the man wearing the black shirt holding onto the scepter case.
Seen this prick before. Brock Rumlow, one of HYDRA's stooges. Tried to kill Captain Rogers a couple times, before blowing himself up. It was because of him the Sokovia Accords really got kicked off.
"Who are you?" Sitwell asked in confusion. Frank opened his mouth to speak, as he tried to come up with a convincing lie.
"Uh, I'm Pete… Pete Castiglione." Frank announced, as he stepped into the elevator. "I've been tasked to run point on the scepter."
Rumlow stared at the man curiously, while Sitwell pulled out his phone.
"I'll need to call Director Fury-"
"Hey, easy." Frank interrupted, as he leaned in close.
"Hail HYDRA."
I fucking hated every second of saying that. Cap was the whole reason I joined the Marines, no way would I ever work for these Nazi fucks.
Those two words seemed to ease the agents' minds, as Rumlow nearly let the case slip through his fingers, if Frank didn't reach out and grab it. Right as he did, the elevators opened, and Castle walked off, wearing the ghost of a smirk on his face.
"Joe, I got the you downstairs…"
Frank stopped on a walkway, seeing Captain America on the other side. A glare from the First Avenger was all Frank needed to figure out what he was thinking.
"You gotta be fucking kidding me."
Back on the roof, Constantine's lifeless body laid in a chair, while his noncorporeal form continued speaking to the Ancient One.
"I cannot help you, Jonathan." the woman snapped. "If I give you the Time Stone, then the timeline will fall into chaos. You know this."
"You're right, I do." John nodded, folding his arms. "But after travelling with the Legends, I found out something interesting luv. If we pull the stone out of the timestream only for a bit, then return it from the moment it was taken, it never really left, did it?"
The Ancient One formed her mouth in a grim line, as the gears in her head turned.
"But that would require you to survive."
"And I will, luv. This is me we're talking about." the demonologist smirked. "John Constantine has faced worse and come out on top."
The master of the mystic arts scoffed, looking out towards New York.
"I cannot give you the stone based on your luck, Constantine. It is the duty of the Sorcerer Supreme to protect the Time Stone."
"Then why the bloody hell did Strange give it away?" Constantine suddenly blurted out. The Ancient One's eyes widened in shock, as she took a step back.
"What did you say?"
John cleared his throat, before speaking again.
"Strange gave Thanos the Time Stone." the exorcist repeated. "Stark told me it was to save his life, and that Strange said it was the only way."
"They only way…" The Ancient One suddenly had a look of realization, as she rotated her hand. Within seconds, John's physical form floated towards his astral projection, and the two became one.
"Coulda done it myself." John muttered, brushing dust off his trench coat. The sorceress proceeded to part her hands, her golden necklace opening up to reveal the glowing green Time Stone.
"Stephen was expecting one of the Avengers to come here, not you." she guessed, handing Constantine the stone. "But now, we are all counting on you."
John closed his fist around the orb, nodding his head at the weight of her statement.
"Don't worry, luv. I won't fuck this one up."
Down in the lobby, Becca and Cass wore SHIELD uniforms, watching Stark and Thor lead Loki and the Tesseract away, before being stopped by a blonde haired man in a suit and his own agents.
"They're down here." Becca spoke into her earpiece. "Joe, where are you?
"Still in the stairs." Dredd reported. "Lang, are you in position?"
"Bombs away." Ant-Man replied, shrinking himself even further to get inside Tony's arc reactor. "Geez, this guy smells like Axe body spray."
While Scott continued speaking, Cass noticed the blonde man approach Tony and Thor, having a perplexed look on his face.
"May I ask you where you're going?" the man in the suit asked.
"Bit of lunch, then Asgard." the god of thunder answered. "I'm sorry, you are?"
"Alexander Pierce." Tony groaned. "He's the guy above the folks behind Nick Fury."
"And my friends call me Mr. Secretary." Pierce told them, motioning to Loki. "I'll have to ask you to hand the prisoner to me."
"Uh, no." Thor shook his head. "Loki will be answering to Odin himself."
"No, he'll answer to us." Alexander argued. "Odin can have what's left. And I'll need that case, it's been SHIELD property for over seventy years."
One of the agents made a move for the case, but Stark quickly pulled back, making Becca and Cass tense worriedly.
"All right, move it, Scott." Becca ordered in her earpiece. "Things are heating up here."
"On it. You sure he won't die?"
"Positive." Becca said reassuringly. "It's only a minor cardiac dsyrhythmia."
"Doesn't sound mild."
"Just do it." Becca told him, seeing Tony get into a tug of war with several agents. "Do it now!"
Inside the arc reactor, Ant-Man pulled out a pin on the device, causing an electrical spark. A moment later, Stark gasped in shock and pain, collapsing onto the floor.
"Stark?" Thor asked in concern, as the SHIELD agents gave them a wide berth.
"We need a medic here!" Pierce called out. "Give the man some room!"
"Medic!" Becca shouted around, trying to play her part. "Someone get these guys help!"
Meanwhile, Ant-Man emerged from Stark's shirt sleeve, silently pushing the Tesseract case over towards Becca and Cass. Butcher quickly picked up the briefcase, and began walking out of the tower.
"Got it." Rebecca grinned, speaking into her comms. "Joe, meet us in the alley-"
The door suddenly burst open, and a sea of green skin emerged, clearly enraged. Had Cass not grabbed Becca by her shoulders and yanked her back, she would have gone flying across the room. Unfortunately, the movement was so sudden, she lost her grip on the case anyway, with the top opening up and the Tesseract skidding out.
"NO MORE STAIRS!" the Hulk roared, causing the SHIELD agents to turn their attention towards him.
"Drokk!" Anderson shouted, noticing Loki make a move to grab the Infinity Stone. Just before his fingers touched, Cass felt a gust of wind behind her, followed by a flash of yellow lightning surge forward. A second later, the Tesseract was gone, much to the god's annoyance and confusion.
"Joe, where are you-"
Becca suddenly felt a strong hand help her up, and she turned around to see Dredd.
"Sorry, he exploded on the last step." Joseph told her, as he, Becca, and Cass discreetly made it outside, leaving SHIELD and Thor to contend with Hulk and Tony. "Allen, Constantine, meet us in the alley."
"Wait!" Cass shouted, looking around. "Where's Frank?"
"I have eyes on the scepter." Captain America declared into his earpiece, staring Frank down. "A rogue agent is trying to steal it on the fourteenth floor."
Dammit. This complicates things. I gotta get the stone out of here, but Rogers isn't looking to let me go.
Frank took a deep breath, as he slowly set the scepter's case on the ground.
"Captain Rogers." Frank said respectfully. "Listen, I'm not with SHIELD, and I don't want to hurt you."
"Then who are you?" the Captain asked. "Are you with Loki?"
"That asshole?" Castle snorted. "Shit no."
"Then hand over the scepter." Rogers demanded. The Punisher looked down at the case, then back to the superhero, and shook his head.
"Sorry, Captain. I can't do that."
Steve formed his mouth into a frown, before charging forward, reaching for the scepter's case. Frank quickly whipped his hand out, grasping Rogers' own, but the Captain hit him in the face with his shield, followed by kicking him in the chest. Castle flying down to the end of the walkway, tasting blood in his mouth, while Captain America went to pick up the case. Seeing this, Frank quickly got up and bolted toward the star spangled boyscout, lightly pushing him out of the way and kicking the case to the side. Unfortunately, that kick also shattered the glass on the walkway, causing the scepter to plummet all the way down.
Castle and Rogers continued struggling, until they accidentally pushed each other over the edge, smashing through glass ceilings and flights of stairs until they landed on the bottom floor, right next to the scepter, which was now out of the case. Frank scrambled for the weapon, but was intercepted by Cap, who smashed his fist into his jaw. The Punisher fell to the ground, but Steve didn't let up, towering over the other man, as he began to repeatedly punch him.
"Come on!" Rogers yelled, clearly angered. "Fight back, you coward!"
Frank coughed up blood, looking over to the scepter to see the blue jewel glowing brightly.
"Not against you…" Frank murmured. "Never against you, Cap."
Steve raised his fist once more, but suddenly stopped, as if Castle's words resonated with him. He took a slow gulp, looking over his shoulder to see the scepter's glowing orb begin to fade.
"I'm… I'm sorry." Rogers muttered, stepping away from Castle. Frank groaned, spitting out another wad of blood, as he slowly stood back up.
"It's the stone. I get that." the Punisher murmured, staring at the scepter. Steve stared at the man in curiosity, almost in recognition.
"What's your name, soldier?"
"It's, uh…"
Didn't want to lie to Captain America. Hell, what difference did it make now?
"It's Castle, sir. Frank Castle." Frank told him, taking off his SHIELD helmet.
"Castle. I think I knew your father." Rogers sucked in a breath, testing the man in front of him.
"Yeah, that's right." Frank nodded. "David. Sergeant. Part of the Howling Commandoes after you rescued him from one of HYDRA's compounds."
Upon hearing Castle tell the truth, Steve looked back at the scepter, before walking over and picking it up.
"What do you need Loki's scepter for?" the super soldier asked. Frank sighed, as the Captain handed the weapon to him.
"I can't tell you that." Castle mumbled, as he pointed the scepter's tip right at Rogers' chest. "Sorry."
Knowing what he was going to do, Steve simply nodded, as the Punisher pressed the scepter to his chest. A bluish glow lit up at the tip, and Rogers suddenly fell to the floor like a stack of bricks.
Only knocked him out for a bit. Erased his memory too for good measure. It was nice to finally meet him though.
Frank gave the fallen Captain one last respectful nod, before turning towards the exit and bolting, grateful that there weren't any agents, SHIELD or Vought, that were paying attention in the area.
Knowhere
2014
Batman, Batwoman, and Russo entered the Museum Of The Collector, where a pink skinned woman with pigtails walked up to them, her hands folded together.
"Ah, new visitors!" the woman smiled. "I am here to fetch you for my master!"
Bruce raised an eyebrow behind his cowl, as the trio followed the pink woman down the corridors, seeing dozens of glass containers. Some where of flora or fauna, from different worlds, while others showed exotic species. In a tall container to their left was a towering yellow skinned alien with a red forehead, which they all quickly recognized was a Dominator. To their right was a dog that looked like he was wearing an astronaut's costume, while next to him was a duck in a red coat, standing up on two legs and sipping what looked like a martini. Upon noticing them, the duck simply raised his fist, extending his middle finger. As they rounded a corner, towards the main chamber, a case that housed a man with buzzed white hair and wearing a red bomber jacket was placed in the middle, with the person inside folding his arms in annoyance.
"Who's he?" Russo asked, pointing to the older man. Before the pink woman could answer, a man with wild white hair and wearing a large coat with a fur collar stepped away from another case, wearing a shit-eating grin.
"James Bolivar diGriz. The Stainless Steel Rat." the man smirked. "He is the jewel of my collection thus far. Wanted by the Special Corps, as well as countless worlds for breaking and entering, and robbery."
"What the hell?" Batman asked out loud. "You're keeping people prisoners here?!"
"Only the rare ones." the white haired man said casually, while the pink woman beamed.
"I present to you Taneleer Tivan, The Collector!"
The Collector ceremoniously bowed, while staring right at the black clad heroes.
"Ah, the Batman." Taneleer grinned, making Bruce stare at him in curiosity. "Kal-El spoke very highly of you. Your reputation is legendary throughout the galaxy."
"You knew Superman?" Wayne raised his eyebrows in surprise. Before Tivan could answer, Russo stepped forward, inching his hand toward his gun.
"We're here for the Reality Stone." Billy announced, ignoring the stunned look Alice was giving him.
"So I see." The Collector chuckled, as walked over to a nearby electronic compartment. After tapping in a few numbers, the compartment opened up, and Tivan pulled out a small golden box, with a red glow from a thin window.
"As of now, the Reality Stone is still in its liquid form, but it can easily revert into its ingot appearance." Taneleer announced. "However, that is not my concern. What are you willing to trade for me to give up this stone?"
For a moment, the trio simply stared at each other in confusion, until Batwoman stepped forward.
"I'll fight you for it."
The Collector looked at Alice in disbelief, before letting out a joyous laugh.
"You? You're just a regular human." Taneleer mocked. "You can't fly, or shoot lasers out of your eyes! But him…"
Tivan glanced over to Batman, grinning madly.
"Him, I will gladly fight. The great Batman, one of the best fighters of your world."
Bruce scowled, as he looked over towards Alice and Russo.
"I'm not one to fight for sport." the Dark Knight growled.
"Not even for the Reality Stone?" Taneleer gloated, holding out the case before setting it next to the case that housed James. "Beat me, it's yours. But if I defeat you, there's a case with your name on it, right next Mister diGriz."
Wayne glared at The Collector, before slowly nodding.
"Fine. Let's do this."
Tivan smirked, as he pressed a button on his wrist, previously obscured by his coat. In an instant, all the display cases shifted to form a wide arena, as a smaller glass box floated towards the alien, containing an oversized arm made of stone.
"Do you like it?" Taneleer asked, noticing Billy and Alice's watch him slip his arm in like a glove. "I hacked it off the corpse of a very chatty Kronan."
Without warning, Tivan surged forward, swinging his arm at Batman in an attempt to knock him off balance. Thinking quickly, Bruce sidestepped, kicking The Collector in the gut. The blow did little against the powerful alien, as he quickly swung the Kronan's arm around, just barely missing Wayne by inches. Just as the edge of the weapon went past Batman's face, the Dark Knight reached out, grabbing the sleeve and began to pull with all his might. Seeing this, The Collector smirked, kicking Batman in the chest and sending him flying into the opposite side of the room.
"Bru- Batman!" Alice suddenly yelled, preparing to rush at the alien, until Billy placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Wait." Russo whispered. "He's not out yet."
Meanwhile, Taneleer completely shed his coat, revealing bits of metal grafted to his skin.
"Perhaps that's not your taste." The Collector shrugged, as he pressed another button on his gauntlet. The Kronan's arm returned to the case, but the wall suddenly slid up, revealing a rack full of weapons. Tivan grinned, as he pulled off a bulky pistol, one that made Russo frown in recognition.
"You recognize this?" The Collector smirked, as the gun lit up from a display on the side.
DNA Check… ID Okay.
"I got this one off someone calling himself Judge Malloy." Taneleer explained, before murmuring, "Hi Ex."
The Lawgiver weapon made an electronic hum, and Tivan fired, causing a miniature explosion to catch Batman in the chest and knock him back several feet. As The Collector was about to fire again, Bruce pulled out a batarang from his utility belt and threw it across the room, lodging the projectile into the weapon's barrel and causing it to explode. Tivan growled in annoyance, before taking another weapon off the rack; a medium sized knife that glowed a bright green.
"How about a Kryptonite sword, taken from one of your world's law enforcement organizations?" The Collector sneered, dashing towards Batman. The Caped Crusader performed a back flip, kicking Tivan in the chin, before pulling out his grapnel gun and fired a line into the opposite wall. The nylon cord reeled back into the gun, rocketing Bruce forward, as he slammed his fist into Taneleer's face in a brutal uppercut that sent them both to the floor.
"Enough." Batman commanded, stepping on Tivan's arm and ripping off his gauntlet. "Give us the stone."
The Collector sulked in defeat, but nevertheless nodded. Alice smirked, walking over to the golden case, quicklly opening the top and reaching in. Before anyone could do anything, the red mass inside the case suddenly flowed upward, latching onto her hand and crawling up towards her face, before seemingly melting into her skin. Kane gasped in fear, as she collapsed to the ground.
"Alice!" Billy yelled, running over and cradling Batwoman's unconscious body. He pressed two fingers to her neck, seeing she was still breathing, thank God.
"What the fuck happened?" Russo yelled, glaring at The Collector.
"The Reality Stone took a liquid form, called the Aether, instead of the others." Taneleer explained, as he pulled out a small, tubular device. "It has infected her, but this should be able to extract the Aether from her body."
"How sure are you?" Batman asked, taking the device from the white haired alien.
"Not much." The Collector shrugged. "This hasn't happened in my museum before."
Bruce glared at Tivan's casual attitude, before turning back towards Alice's prone form. Before he could make a decision on whether to use the device, three orange glowing rectangles opened up, and four individuals wearing black and orange armor and helmets appeared, wielding futuristic looking stun sticks.
"Breach in the timeline found." the leader announced while looking down at some type of electronic pad. "Perpetrators are identified as Bruce Wayne, Beth Kane, and William Russo."
"Sorry, who the Hell are you guys?" Billy asked, holding onto Alice protectively.
"On behalf of the Time Variance Authority, you three are coming with us." the woman ordered, brandishing her stun stick, while began to spark. In the background, Taneleer Tivan slowly backed away, slinking back into the shadows. "You're hereby arrested for trying to alter the timeline."
Bruce frowned at the so called authority, as he stepped forward.
"We are not endangering the timeline. We're trying to fix-"
The woman slammed her stick against Bruce's head at an alarming speed, causing him to stumble back- but in slow motion. Another of the armoured guards proceeded to wrap some type of collar around his neck, while the other two forcibly grabbed Russo and did the same to him.
"All clear. Let's bring them back." the lead guard announced, as she and the other black clad individuals carried Billy, Bruce, and Alice into the orange frames, vanishing from The Collector's museum.
Music: "The Tool Of A Thief" from Avengers Endgame OST
Morag
Millie, Riley, Ryan, and Billy watched at the edge of the temple, watching Peter Quill dancing around the overgrowth, kicking the small wildlife across the floor, and… was that a Walkman over his ears?
"Hey, hey!" Peter sang, while spinning around. "Come and get your love, yeah!"
Millie shook her head, while Ryan crouched next to her.
"So he's a dumbass." Butcher murmured, while Lenz snuck up behind Quill. For a split second, he looked back at Riley, who shook her head.
He needs to stay alive.
Billy nodded, just as the dancing man turned around. The yellow man's arm shot out, slamming him right in the face and knocking him out cold.
"Good work." Ryan nodded, as he used his x-ray vision to scan the man's unconscious body.
"Mill, there's something in his satchel. It looks like one of those scomp links from Star Wars."
Kessler frowned, but reached into Quill's satchel bag, pulling out a long, tubular metal case, with a shorter rod on the end.
"Think it's important?" Millie asked.
"Probably." Butcher shrugged. "We're on an alien world with tiny creatures we've never seen before. Anything's possible."
"Fair enough." Millie nodded, as she, Ryan, Riley, and Billy continued on towards the temple, stopping at a set of chiselled stone doors. In the center was a circular hole, which Millie stuck the device inside. After rotating the tube for a bit, the outside circles shifted, causing the doors to unlock.
"Huh. How about that." Millie raised an eyebrow, watching the doors open to reveal a circular pillar, with an energy forcefield and a silver orb inside. "Ryan, are there any traps?"
"What?" The Traveller asked in confusion.
"Traps. Like Indiana Jones?" Millie elaborated. Ryan rolled his eyes, but activated his x-ray vision again, seeing the room was empty.
"All clear."
Millie nodded, leading the four of them inside the temple, where they approached the pillar of the orb.
"So… what now?" Riley asked. "I doubt we can just stick our hand in there-"
That's exactly what Billy did, as he lunged forward. The moment his fingers pushed past the force field, everyone noticed the yellow skin begin to burn and scorch, but he pushed on, swiftly grabbing the orb and painfully ripping it free of its containment.
"Billy!" Riley cried out, as Lenz collapsed on the ground, the orb rolling away from his hand. Ryan quickly scooped the ball up, while the girls helped Billy back up.
"Well, that was easier than I thought." Ryan quipped. "Come on, let's get back to our time-"
A rectangular orange portal suddenly opened up, with four individuals wearing black and orange armor and helmets stepping out, whipping out what appeared to be stun sticks that glowed on the ends.
"Oh, great." Kessler groaned. "Who the fuck are you guys?"
The lead guard took a step forward, brandishing her weapon at them all menacingly.
"On behalf of the Time Variance Authority, you are all under arrest for endangering the timeline."
"Endangering?" Millie frowned, looking down at the orb in Ryan's hand. "All we're going to do is borrow this, then we'll bring it right back-"
One of the guards suddenly grew impatient, pulling out some type of collar and throwing it at Butcher. Having been distracted, Ryan was too slow to respond to the collar wrapping around his neck, while the guard pressed a button on his gauntlet, and the light in the middle glowed a bright green. Millie's eyes widened, realizing that this Time Variance whatever the fuck they're called had somehow gotten their hands on Anti-V. But where the hell did they get it?
Before she could contemplate on that thought, the guards quickly subdued Riley and Millie, placing collars on them, while another guard bashed Billy in the face with his stun stick before putting a collar over him as well. The armored people proceeded to drag all four of them away, ignoring their elbows to their armored chestplates. Once the three other guards and prisoners were pulled through the orange frame, their leader pulled out an electronic pad, which showed the four faces.
"Millie Kessler, Riley Stone, Ryan Butcher, and Billy Lenz are secured, as is the Power Stone."
Music: "Whatever It Takes" from Avengers Endgame OST
Vormir
Allyson and Michael continued trudging up the mountain, noticing it began to snow the higher they got. Nelson wrapped her arms around herself to preserve heat, while Michael continued onward, but looked over at her in concern. At least, Allyson knew it was in concern, being able to look past his face and into his black eyes.
"I'm okay." the supe smiled, despite her breath coming out as a blue vapor. "But fuck, I'll bet none of the other guys had to climb a mountain."
Myers tilted his head in amusement, before a ghostly voice suddenly reverberated around the area.
"Welcome."
Allyson and Michael snapped their heads forward, seeing some kind of wraith float towards them, cloaked in a black robe and hood. Nelson frowned, mentally comparing his image to a dementor from Harry Potter… or the Ring Wraiths from Lord Of the Rings.
"Allyson, daughter of Ray and Karen." the wraith spoke, floating closer. "Michael, son of Peter and Edith."
"Who the fuck are you?" Allyson snarled, as she and Michael pulled out their knives.
"Consider me a guide… to you." the wraith spoke, inching closer. "And to all who seek the Soul Stone."
"Oh, good." Allyson muttered sarcastically. "You tell us where it is, and we'll be on our way."
The wraith floated closer, where the two supes finally got a good look at his face. His visage was crimson red, with no nose, and his skin looked withered. It only took a moment for Allyson's mind to click, remembering her classes in history, and how they spoke of Captain America fighting a man called Johann Schmidt, but who also went by the name…
"Red Skull?" Nelson gasped. "But… you're dead."
The Red Skull smirked, seemingly ignoring her shock.
"Oh… if only it were that easy."
The wraith turned around, and began floating back up to the top of the mountain. Michael stared at Allyson in confusion, who quickly got over her shock, and began following the Skull, coming to two pillars, with a circular dais in the middle. The ghostly Red Skull floated to the edge, looking down, and proceeded to turn back to Nelson and Myers.
"What you seek lies in front of you."
Allyson and Michael looked down, seeing a drop that must have been hundreds of stories down.
"The stone is down there." Allyson realized, feeling sick to her stomach.
"For one of you." Red Skull agreed. "For the other…"
Michael grimly nodded, turning away from the edge.
"In order to take the stone, you must lose that which you love." The wraith told them. "An everlasting exchange. A soul for a soul."
Allyson looked over to Michael sadly, realizing that the Skull wasn't lying. Thanos left here with the Soul Stone, but not his daughter, Gamora. They all saw the footage back in the Flatiron Building. That wasn't a coincidence-
Michael suddenly grabbed her arm, dragging her away from the edge.
"Michael, stop." Allyson said sternly, planting her feet at the other side of the mountain, watching as Myers turned to stare at her.
"Stop. If we don't get that stone, billions of people will stay dead. We have to do whatever it takes."
Michael numbly nodded, turning back towards the edge of the cliff, where Red Skull was waiting.
"Michael, no." Allyson gasped realizing what he was thinking. "You can't do this-"
"Allyson." The Shape mumbled through his face. Nelson was taken aback, as he gingerly reached up, taking off his pale, emotionless face, to reveal his mask of flesh and blood. Old, wrinkled skin, with white stubble. Staring back at her were the blackest eyes… the Devil's eyes. At least, that's what everyone else called them, but not her. Never her.
"I've done things." Michael spoke in a low growl, as he repeated what he told her when they burned his uniform when he was Black Noir. "I've done… terrible, horrible things-"
"I don't care!" Allyson suddenly yelled. "For the past seven years, I've been given a second family, after Vought took away my first! Please, let me save them- let me save you!"
Michael looked down at Allyson, as she began to choke up, but didn't quit her tirade.
"I don't judge people on the worst they've done." Nelson continued. "You, Frank, Billy, Dredd… you've all changed. For the better. I'm not going to let you throw all that away because of what you've done, as Black Noir, and as the Boogeyman."
Allyson whispered the last words, as she leaned her head against Myers' chest. Michael felt his blackened heart ache, as he spoke his next, and planned final, words.
"Maybe you should."
The Shape suddenly pushed Nelson to the ground roughly, before walking right towards the edge of the cliff. He got about halfway there, when Allyson suddenly jumped back up, grabbing his shoulders and pulling him backwards. Michael growled in frustration, swiftly turning around with fast reflexes and grabbing Allyson by her neck.
"I'm sorry." The Boogeyman murmured, before delivering a brutal headbutt that made her body collapse onto the stone. Michael proceeded back towards the edge of the cliff, just about to jump, when Allyson tripped him and grabbed his right ankle, quickly pulling him back so he wouldn't fall. Myers groaned, while Nelson ran full speed towards the edge, jumping off. She would've fallen, had Michael not suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist before it fell, leaving her hanging off the edge. Unfortunately, the act caused Michael to tumble over the edge as well, and he was forced to grip the stony wall with his other hand.
The Shape breathed heavily, feeling his three fingered hand being strained by holding onto Allyson's arm. Not even his Compound V enhanced strength was doing him favors, having to hold onto the side of the cliff as well.
"Allyson… wait…" Michael pleaded, but Allyson simply stared at him, begging in her own way.
"Let me go." she murmured. "It's okay."
Michael shook his head, staring at her grimly. Once she realized he wasn't going to loosen his grip, Allyson kicked at the cliffside, breaking free from Myers' grasp, and plummeted down to the bottom.
"No!" Michael yelled, for the first time in decades. Allyson's body reached the bottom of the cliff, where the back of her head collided with the stone and splattered blood everywhere. Myers' mouth hung ajar, as he tried to deny what he had seen. She had Compound V in her veins, and healed, just like him. So she could survive that, right? Right?
As Michael continued silently pleading with Allyson to get back up, the clouds above him began to light up, causing him to look up and see a tunnel in the sky become illuminated. Before he could ponder any further, the light suddenly blinded him, and then… darkness.
Michael suddenly gasped awake, looking up at the sky and feeling… wet. And cold. The Shape looked around in confusion, realizing he was a few inches deep in water, with his mask- no, his face- floating right next to him. Was it all a dream? He lifted his arms, finally noticing that there was some type of object in his right hand, but was partially exposed and glowing orange from having only three fingers. Curious, Myers opened his hand fully, seeing the object was a glowing orb- the Soul Stone.
No. It wasn't a dream. Allyson did jump off that cliff and died- for good, it seemed. And it didn't look like she was coming back. Michael felt wetness near his eyes, but before he could begin crying from his loss, an orange see through frame suddenly appeared, and three black armored individuals walked out, brandishing long sticks. In his sadness, Michael didn't even fight back, when one of them hauled him to his feet and placed some type of collar on him, before leading him through the frame. He was too grief stricken to even comprehend what was going on, he even let the guard take the stone, then his mask.
"Michael Myers has been apprehended." one of the guards reported, speaking into the same electronic pad as before. "He didn't even give as much fight as the others."
The guard took one last look around Vormir, before heading through the orange frame as well, and the portal closed up, leaving the area undisturbed.
New York
2012
Surprised I didn't meet any resistance on the way out. Just walking around New York with Loki's scepter was surely gonna turn some heads. Guess they were too busy worrying about its owner and the disappearance of the Tesseract.
Frank ran back towards the alley, where Dredd, Becca, Cass, Barry, and Constantine were already waiting for them.
"You made it." Cass smiled, while her husband nodded. The exchange was short lived, as he turned to look at Joseph.
"Where's Lang?" Castle asked, just as a tiny being hopped off of Joe's shoulder and enlarged back to full size.
"So what kept you, Allen?" Dredd asked, looking at the Flash.
"Ran into an old friend." Barry muttered, looking at the ground.
"Thawne." Frank guessed, having heard of the evil speedster before. Barry looked up and grimly nodded, before Ant-Man retracted his helmet.
"So, we got all the stones?" Scott asked excitedly.
"God damn right." Frank nodded, showing the scepter, while Barry held up the Tesseract, and Constantine made the Time Stone appear via magic.
"All fine and dandy." John smirked, making the stone disappear once more. "Now let's get the bloody hell out of here-"
An orange, rectangular portal suddenly opened up, and a single guard in black armor walked up, holding onto what looked like a heavy duty rifle. The guard pulled the trigger, and a metal collar rocketed out, wrapping around the Flash's neck and painfully electorcuting him.
"Red!" Frank yelled, pulling out his pistol while the Tesseract fell from Allen's fingers. Before he could get off a shot, several more guards appeared, throwing different collars into the air and watching them wrap around the rest of their necks like snakes. The lead guard stepped forward, holding out an electronic pad, and looked across the slew of new prisoners.
"On behalf of the Time Variance Authority, you are all under arrest for violating the timeline." the woman spoke, as the rest of guards began dragging them away.
"Oh for fuck's sake…" Constantine muttered. "Not this shite again…"
All he received was a backhand from one of the guards holding him, as they were all carried through the orange frame, vanishing from the alley. The lead guard followed soon after, not noticing that a man in a yellow suit was watching them from afar. Just as the portal closed up, the man's red eyes narrowed behind his cowl, as he coldly smirked, and sped off in a flash of scarlet lightning.
A/N: So, a couple things. I more or less wrote Flash out because honestly, he could probably take all the Infinity Stones by himself. So instead, I wrote in that part where he got distracted by Thawne in the previous chapter, then arrives at the last minute. Constantine, being a sorcerer in his own right, would most likely have at least heard of the Ancient One, being that on Arrow, he knew about Damien Darhk long before they actually met in person. The whole bit where Batman, Batwoman, and Billy Russo go to see the Collector makes more sense than if they went to Asgard, because not only do they not have any ties to the place, neither does Nebula or Thanos, whose memory banks they were watching from. Speaking of, that fight scene with the Collector was inspired by the second episode of the recent What If series. Adding in the Stainless Steel Rat was more last minute too. He will appear in another cameo, but I don't have any long term plans for him. It's been a while since I've read the books, so I don't really know how to write his character at the moment.
Alice (Batwoman) will eventually get the Aether out of her, but first, she'll have a bit of a reality warping dream, where she meets a familiar character for the first time.
I'm running out of ideas for Riley Stone and Billy Lenz, aside from just tagging along with the rest of the characters.
I went into this story knowing I was going to kill off either Michael Myers or Allyson Nelson, especially when they went to Vormir. I decided at the last minute to kill off Nelson, because I do have one more trick up my sleeve for The Shape.
Next chapter is going to veer away quite a bit from Endgame, even though their will be some matching scenes. But mostly, I'll have to figure out how to handle the TVA, and Eobard Thawne returning.
Until next time, stay safe out there!