A/N: Shit, it's been a long time since I've updated this. Sorry guys. I guess I had some writer's block for this specific story or something. Anyway, this chapter more or less wraps up the Endgame arc, then we'll get into the final conflict afterwards. Have fun!
Music: "The Rise Of Ma-Ma" from Dredd 2012 OST
Wasn't sure who the fuck the Time Variance Authority was. Just knew they were stopping us from bringing everyone back, claiming we were endangering the timeline. Gotta break out somehow.
Frank looked around to observe his surroundings, seeing that he, as well as Dredd, Becca, Cass, Flash, Constantine, and Ant-man were all led down a golden hallway, with matching doors up ahead. The lead guard, the woman with the pad from before, threw the doors open, and the small group was ushered into what looked like a courtroom. And sitting on the judge's podium…
"Judge Renslayer?" Dredd frowned, his eyes widening behind his visor. Sitting before them was a woman in a brown suit, wearing an orange sash over her shoulders. Pinned to the left side of her clothes was a golden badge, just like Joe's, which read "Renslayer".
"Bloody hell, you know this bitch?" Constantine raised an eyebrow. Joseph looked towards the demonologist, recognition flashing in his eyes.
"Renslayer was one of Mega City One's Chief Judges, before she took the Long Walk." Dredd explained. "We all thought she died to Angel Gang mutants in the Cursed Earth."
"And I would have, if the TVA didn't step in." Renslayer admitted. "You see, my survival needed to be ensured so that the Time Variance Authority could flourish."
"Oh yeah, why's that?" Frank snorted. "Your little club won't get off the ground without you?"
"In a matter of speaking, yes." the TVA judge nodded. "Our job is to protect the timeline. If I died to the Angel Gang, I would not be able to create the TVA. Therefore, the timeline would be thrown into chaos."
Oh Christ. This doesn't sound ego driven at all.
"That's a thick slice of bullshit, Judge." Frank muttered, catching Renslayer's attention.
"Pardon?"
Castle cleared his throat, before looking up at the Judge with a glare.
"If you were going to protect the timeline, why the hell didn't you send Dredd back to Mega City One?"
Renslayer's eyes widened, as she opened her mouth to speak.
"That… that was supposed to happen-"
"Was it?" Becca suddenly chimed in. "Joe staying in New York for over ten years?"
"He was needed to stop Homelander." Renslayer argued. "Without him, the world would be in grave danger."
"Then what about Thanos?" Constantine piped up. "You sat by and did nothing, while he snapped his fingers?"
"That was also meant to happen-" Renslayer was about to say, but the Flash interrupted her.
"Then why won't you let us fix this?" Barry suddenly shouted. "We are trying to bring everyone back!"
The courtroom, if that was indeed called that, was eerily quiet, until Cassandra spoke up.
"She doesn't want them brought back."
Frank, Dredd, and everyone else looked over to Anderson-Castle, with expressions lined with confusion, and possibly irritation.
"What?" Castle asked his wife, already guessing that she read the Judge's mind. Cass took a deep breath, as she looked over to the rest of The Boys.
"She doesn't want us to bring everyone back, because she wants the TVA to remain in control." Cass revealed. "Once everyone returns, there are people- dangerous people- that can challenge them."
Constantine snorted, rolling his eyes, while Renslayer's widened.
"What a load of bollocks." John laughed out. "I've seen these kinds of people before. So have the Legends. Time Lords. Their successors the Time Bureau. All they really want is control, and they do it by molding and dictating the timeline how they see fit-"
"ENOUGH!" Renslayer yelled, smashing her fist on the podium. "You are all being tried for crimes against the sacred timeline. How do you all plead?"
Getting tired of this witch. Already know it won't matter what we say, they won't care.
"Drokk you." Dredd suddenly spat, while Constantine flipped Renslayer off with both fingers. "The Renslayer I knew wouldn't crave power. Not like this."
"Perhaps I've changed, Joe." the Judge sneered, as the guards came forward with the Tesseract, the Time Stone, and the Scepter.
"For your crimes against the sacred timeline, you are all sentenced for execution."
Several more guards grabbed The Boys, leading them towards a doorway in a far corner. Just before they were ushered out, Frank looked back, seeing the lead guard approach the podium.
"Hunter B-15, have you acquired all of the Infinity Stones yet?"
"Negative, Judge Renslayer." the guard shook her head. "The Reality Stone is still inside Beth Kane. Any and all attempts to remove it have resulted in her body lashing out. It's almost as if the stone is protecting her."
Frank's eyes slightly widened upon hearing that, now worried for Alice.
Oh shit. What happened to her? What's happening to Billy-
One of the TVA guards shoved Castle forward, pushing him through the doors and into a hallway filled with what seemed to be prison cells, but looked more like entire rooms from the small glance he got. Even weirder was he just saw someone who looked exactly like Russo in one of those cells… wait-
"Bill?" Frank asked out loud, as Russo looked up, seeing his friend being dragged down ast his cell.
"Frank? Frank!" Billy yelled, rushing towards the cell's door. Unfortunately, he was too late, and Frank was quickly dragged out of view.
Shit. If Russo's here, so are Wayne and Alice. Which means that most likely, the rest of The Boys are captured too.
Sure enough, as Frank took a quick look of the cell's windows when he was dragged along, he could see that Batman, Michael, Billy Lenz, Riley, Millie, and Ryan were already locked up. But where was Allyson? And… why was Alice laying on a bench in her cell, apparently asleep?
Frank couldn't ponder that question for long, as he was suddenly shoved into an identical looking cell, causing him to stumble to the floor. Before he could scramble back up, the TVA agents turned around and quickly locked the door. Castle groaned in irritation, realizing that unlike in Bagalia, he didn't have an escape plan. All he could do for now was wait.
Music: "Cornered" from Dredd 2012 OST
When The Boys were being led out of the courtroom towards the cells, Dredd expected he'd be taken right with him. To say that he was surprised that didn't happen was a massive understatement, as the TVA guards instead dragged him towards a separate room, with Judge Renslayer leading them. Once the doors opened, Dredd scanned the area, seeing a metal desk with chairs on either end, what looked like a leather couch, and shelves filled with antiques and expensive artifacts. Other than that, it looked like a normal office.
"Have a seat, Joe. And remove his helmet." Renslayer practically ordered, as the guards placed Dredd in one of the desks chairs. As the leader of the TVA sat down in the chair opposite of Joseph, the agents lifted Joe's helmet off, placing it on the desk before him.
"What do you want, Ravonna?" Dredd growled in anger. Renslayer gave him a pensive look, slowly picking up the Judge helmet.
"What any Judge wants, Joe. Order." she murmured.
"I don't follow." Joseph grunted. "What do you mean?"
Renslayer took a deep breath, still looking at the helmet.
"When Thanos snapped his fingers, the timeline was thrown into chaos." the Judge revealed. "Multiple worlds colliding, the past, present, and future constantly changing. Your friend, Mister Allen, knows this."
"So what are you going to do? Reset everything?" Joe asked. "Stop Thanos from killing half of all life in the first place?"
Renslayer shook her head, standing up.
"No. What's done is done." she murmured. "Whether or not it was supposed to happen, it happened. But now, we can stabilize the timeline."
"With the Infinity Stones." Dredd guessed, seeing the TVA's leader nod.
"With the stones assembled, we can bring balance. Set the timeline on the course that it needs to be on. We will bring… order to the chaos."
Joe's eyes narrowed, as he heard those words. Order in the chaos, that's the mantra he always told himself to keep going in Mega City One. But now, hearing Renslayer say it… it's like he had a moment of clarity. Sure, Constantine said the TVA just wanted control, but they learned it from somewhere. And unfortunately, he knew exactly where.
The Judges of Mega City One. At the end of the day, they just wanted control too.
"You can join us, Joe." Renslayer offered. "Help us bring order."
Slowly, Dredd looked up, a sneer lining his face.
"Drokk you." Joseph spat. "I served Mega City One to protect its citizens, not control them."
Ravonna sighed, stood up, and nodded to the guards.
"Take him to his cell." Renslayer ordered, as Dredd was forced to his feet. "Once we extract the Reality Stone from Miss Kane, they will all be erased from the timeline."
The guards carried Joe away, one of them grabbing his helmet on the way out. Dredd didn't even fight them, as he mulled over what Renslayer had said. How the TVA was supposed to bring order to the chaos, but it was really so they would have control… just like the Judges in Mega City One.
When the TVA agents first flung that collar around his neck, Constantine quickly realized that he couldn't perform any magic spells. Whatever the collar was made of, it must be dampening his power, just like the one around the Flash's neck was negating his. Luckily for him, he was a master of escape, even without magic. That's what truly kept him alive for years, and that's what made him pick one of the guards' pockets for that golden circular device. The one that controlled his collar.
Once the guards shoved him into his cell- which looked almost like a fancy office- John smirked, reaching into his trench coat and pulling out the small device. As he looked closer, he noticed there was a smaller ring with a center button. The demonologist frowned, before deciding to rotate the inner ring. Almost immediately, John felt like he was physically reversing in time, but when his body stilled, he found his hand in his pocket, curled around the device.
So that's why the TVA didn't take their weapons. It wouldn't have mattered if they were able to reach them, the guards would just reverse time. John grumbled in annoyance, deciding to press the center button this time. An electronic click was heard, and Constantine tugged at his collar, feeling it come loose and fall away.
"Now we're talking." John grinned, holding out one hand in front of him and rotating the other. Golden sparks formed, growing into a ringed portal, revealing a cell similar to his. The demonologist stepped through the ring, finding Barry sitting in a corner, his arms folded and his cowl lifted.
"Oi, Speedy! Need a hand?"
The Flash looked up at his old friend, a grin forming.
"You bet, John."
Constantine's own smile widened, as he reached out towards the meta dampening collar on Allen's neck.
"Axis Aufero Infernum Tourquem!"
The steel collar made a series of clicking noises, until the device broke apart, much to Barry's relief.
"Thanks." Flash mumbled, rubbing his neck.
"Don't mention." Constantine smirked, as he rotated his hands to create more portals. "Mind getting the rest of our pals?"
Barry nodded, and after putting his cowl back on, began speeding through the different portal rings, scooping up their allies and setting them all down in the cell John was waiting in.
Two TVA guards entered one of the many prison cells, finding Alice Kane laying on top of the table, her eyes closed. One of the guards, the one called Hunter B-15, held what looked like an advanced, hi-tech syringe in her hand.
"Careful." B-15 warned to her partner, approaching the sleeping prisoner. "We can't let the stone stay within her forever."
The black clad guard nodded, but just as he went to grab Alice, a dark red wave of energy pulsed out, throwing the agents across the room.
"Damn!" B-15 growled, just as a gold ringed portal opened. The guards looked in awe, as a red blur zoomed in, golden lightning trailing behind it. The humanoid blur quickly grabbed Alice, ran through the ring, and the portal closed back up, leaving the guards to stare at the empty space in realization.
"Shit!" Hunter B-15 yelled in anger.
Barry returned to his cell, having already gathered the rest of The Boys and their allies before bringing in Alice last, setting her down on the floor. With everyone now in the same room, Allen looked up, doing a quick head count. Frank Castle. Judge Dredd. Becca and Ryan Butcher. Millie Kessler. Michael Myers, now wearing his mask- no, his face. Billy Russo. Cassandra Anderson. Billy Lenz. Riley Stone. Bruce Wayne. Ant-man. Alice Kane. Himself. Constantine…
Wait… someone was missing.
"Where's Allyson?" Barry asked, causing everyone, save for Billy, to look over at Myers. The Shape didn't say a word, as he sadly shook his head. Frank looked down at the floor in pity, as a sad exhale escaped him.
God damn it. I wasn't particularly close with Nelson, but we had each other's backs. After everything we went through, what with Homelander, Payback, Silver Shamrock… not to mention the Dark Judges… she always felt like a younger sister to me. Kinda like how Joe's my brother. Can't believe what Myers is going through.
"What?" Riley asked in disbelief. "She… she can't be dead-"
"Riley." Millie said slowly. "We all saw the footage. That woman Nebula said that Thanos sacrificed her sister to get the Soul Stone."
Michael turned his gaze towards Kessler, giving a sad nod in confirmation. As everyone else's faces fell from the realization, Russo crouched down next to Alice, placing his hands on her shoulders.
"Alice. Alice." Billy repeated, taking off her cowl and lightly shaking her. "Alice, please wake up."
Music: "Dr Bumby" from Alice Madness Returns OST
"Alice, Please wake up."
Alice Kane opened her eyes, looking around to find herself in some sort of… train tunnel? But she heard Billy's voice. How did she get here?
"Billy?" Alice called out, looking up to seeing a set of stairs leading out of the tunnel. For a moment, she looked down at herself, seeing she was no longer in her Batwoman suit, instead wearing her usual white dress with the pink jacket. Still confused at her predicament, Kane slowly ascended the steps, squinting her eyes from the invading light, until she reached the top. Once she did, Alice's mouth hung open in shock, taking in a sight that was unlike any other.
The area around her was a peculiar sight indeed, having what looked like old Victorian era buildings erected in front of her, but there were also overgrown tree roots spiderwebbing around their walls. The trees themselves rose higher than the rooftops, sporting gigantic green and pink leaves, while massive mushrooms grew from the cobblestone road. To the right of her was a giant die, almost as tall as herself, with a crystal ball filled with water right next to it. At the far end was an enormous blue teapot, attached to the corner of one of the buildings, and just below it was a metal jack as big as the die.
"Curiouser and curiouser." Alice gasped, looking around in wonder. Before she took another step, a feminine voice echoed her words.
"Curiouser and curiouser indeed."
Kane looked up, seeing a woman with black hair and green eyes float down, wearing a blue and white dress. Using the lower half as a parachute, the woman, softly descended to the ground, landing in front of Alice and tilting her head in a questioning manner.
"Who are you?" Alice asked, frowning in confusion. The black haired woman scowled, crossing her arms.
"I'd expect you to know. After all, you have been using my name for years."
Kane's eyes widened, as it finally clicked in her head.
"You're… you're Alice? The real Alice from the story?"
"The same. Little Charlie did get carried away with the tales I shared with him of Wonderland." Alice Liddell gave a curt nod. "And I do not appreciate what you've done while masquerading as me, Beth Kane."
Kane's face paled, thinking back to what she'd done when she first pretended to be Alice from her favorite storybook. Creating the Wonderland Gang. Terrorizing Gotham and her sister Kate. Trying numerous times to kill her own father…
"I'm sorry." Beth murmured, feeling tears threatening to roll down her face. Liddell gazed at the blonde woman in sympathy, while Kane averted hers.
"I know what happened to you as a child." Alice revealed. "Your tale is a long and sad one, not that different from my own."
"Yours?" Beth repeated in confusion, quickly looking back up. "What do you mean?"
Alice sighed, closing her eyes in remembrance.
"I knew a man. A doctor, named Bumby." she recounted. "I thought he could help me forget my more painful memories, but he wanted to completely erase myself and my Wonderland in order to turn me into a prostitute that others could use."
Beth covered her mouth in horror, her eyes fixed on the woman in the blue dress.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know…"
Alice waved her hand away, opening her eyes once more.
"It happened long ago. But I must remember for my sister Lizzie…"
Beth felt her heart ache once more, feeling yet another connection with the woman before her. She had a sister too, and something must have happened to her in the past…
Kane slightly shook her head, before taking another look at their surroundings. Where were they again?
Music: "Vale Of Tears" from Alice Madness Returns OST
"Welcome to Londerland." Alice answered, as if reading Beth's thoughts. "Even though it's been so long, Doctor Bumby's work on Wonderland could never be undone. Fortunately, he didn't destroy it, but it is permanently damaged."
Beth grimly nodded, fixing her gaze on the building right behind Liddell.
"How are you here?" Kane suddenly asked. "Are you… are you real? Is this real?"
Alice tilted her head again, letting out a small chuckle.
"Does it feel real?" Liddell retorted. "Yes, it is. I am real. When you touched the Reality Stone, you invited it into you. By doing so, you granted me access to your mind."
"But… how?" Beth frowned. "Are you part of the stone?"
"I am… its keeper, if you will. I can tap into its power to protect the stone, and you, from harm. Have been for some time now." Alice explained. "Since I was a little girl, I was gifted with the ability to visit the world of Wonderland. I believed it was all in my head, until some of that reality made manifest, moments before I killed Bumby."
"So that means… Wonderland is real." Beth's eyes widened.
"And because of that, I was chosen as a successor to the previous guardian of the stone." Alice nodded. "He was a good friend, you see. Helped me navigate Wonderland a few times. Always grinning from ear to ear."
Beth chuckled, already having a good idea who she was talking about.
"But as he once told me, we can't go home again, because the ones who find their way tend to not recognize it." Liddell continued. "As your delusions die hard, only the savage regard the endurance of pain as a measure of worth. Forgetting your pain is convenient, while remembering it will be agonizing. But if you recover the truth, then the suffering is worth it."
"What does that mean?" Beth knit her eyebrows in concentration. "I've never heard that riddle before."
"It's only a riddle if you don't know the answer." Alice replied with a knowing smile, before she dispersed into dozens of butterflies and flew away. Now that she was alone again, Alice leaned against the train tunnel's entrance, thinking about what Alice had said. Can't go home… did she mean Gotham? Herself? Or the world as a whole? Of course, the world would make sense, as from what she heard from both the Flash and her own sister before she died, the collapse of several universes in what was known as the Anti-Monitor Crisis had greatly changed their reality. But her delusions dying hard… surely Alice was talking about Beth taking her name and pretending to be her, right?
Finally, the last part: recovering the truth is worth the suffering, and remembering is agonizing. As Beth pondered over that, the scenery of Londerland suddenly shifted to a backroad in Gotham, with a school bus speeding up behind a family van. The yellow vehicle collided into the car, causing it to veer off the road and dangle from a bridge. With a chill, Beth remembered what this was: this was the day of the car crash that killed her mother and separated her from her Kate. The day she was captured and held prisoner by August Cartwright.
The memory went by as a blur, with the Batman arriving on the bridge to shoot a grappling hook at the car. After shooting another line into the other side of the bridge, he took off after the school bus, having been hijacked by the Joker. Kate and Jacob Kane were able to climb out, but before they could do anything, Beth watched her younger self plunge into the river, trapped inside the falling car.
"BETH!" the memory of Kate screamed out, distraught at witnessing her sister's apparent demise. The single shout caused a light bulb to go off in adult Beth's head, as she finally realized the answer to the riddle.
She can't return to who she once was. Alice Kane, Gotham serial killer and leader of the Wonderland Gang. She had to leave that delusion behind, and remember who she was- is- no matter how painful it is. Her name isn't Alice.
Her name is Beth.
"Alice, please." Russo begged, continuing to softly shake Kane's shoulders. "Please. Wake up."
Just as he was about to give up, Beth's eyes snapped open, though her features softened when she realized it was him. Surrounding him were the rest of The Boys and their allies, all looking at her with worried expressions.
"Billy." Kane smiled, wrapping him in a hug. Russo got over his shock quickly, returning the embrace, as she whispered in his ear.
"Beth."
Billy frowned in confusion, as Kane pulled away.
"My name's Beth."
Russo lightly laughed, while Bruce, standing behind him, wore a proud smile for his cousin, just as dark red strains formed on Beth's face and neck. Before anyone could act, the strands expelled themselves from her body, floating in midair for a moment, before tangling themselves together to create a solid crimson orb. Bruce held out his hand, and the Reality Stone fell into his palm, while Beth looked around.
"Where are we?"
"Time Variance Authority, luv." Constantine told her. "Bunch of wankers who just want to control everyone and everything using time travel."
"And now, we can!"
Everyone looked up, seeing Hunter B-15 barge into the cell with several guards. The guard quickly activated her stun stick, rushing forward and hitting Batman in the chest, causing him to stumble back in slow motion. While the other guards kept The Boys at bay, B-15 swiftly took the Reality Stone from the vulnerable Wayne, while her partner placed new collars on Constantine and Flash, in addition to taking away John's disc shaped device.
"Bollocks." the demonologist muttered, just as B-15 grabbed Bruce by the arm and led him out of the cell. The rest of the guards took everyone else, two guards per prisoner. Some of them tried to resist, like Frank or Michael, but a quick rotate of the disc's ring would rewind their movements, forcing them to stay still, as they were led back into Renslayer's courtroom.
Once they all arrived at the entrance, Hunter B-15 opened the familiar golden doors, leading the prisoners into the now empty courtroom, save for Judge Renslayer and two guards. B-15 strolled forward, presenting the Reality Stone, while another guard approached with a large golden colored gauntlet, with the other five Infinity Stones already outfitted.
"Excellent work, Hunter B-15." Renslayer grinned, as the guard placed the final stone into an empty groove.
"Thanos' gauntlet." Dredd frowned. "How did you-"
"Retrieve it? Simple." Ravonna smirked. "After Homelander killed the Mad Titan and the Avengers, he left the bodies to rot. The empty gauntlet was among Thanos' corpse. And now, it will be used to wipe you and your allies from reality."
The Boys all glared at Renslayer, as the guard holding the gauntlet began to walk towards Renslayer. Just before he reached her, Flash heard a familiar running noise, accompanied by a crackling sound.
Music: "Called Some Friends To Help" from The Flash 2014 OST
"Get down!" Barry shouted, ducking to the floor. Frank, Dredd, and The Boys only had a few seconds to react, as a stream of scarlet lightning burst into the courtroom, zooming around Renslayer and each and every guard. Once the lightning went around the final guard, it sped towards the center of the courtroom, slowing down to reveal a man in a yellow suit and cowl with his back turned, similar to Barry's. A second later, everyone from the TVA collapsed to the ground, their necks twisted in painful angles, while Renslayer's face showcased her surprise and horror. Upon realizing who was standing before them, Frank quickly dove towards the now dead Hunter B-15, rummaging through her uniform.
"Well, well… looks like you did all the work for me." the man in the yellow suit murmured in a distorted voice, turning around to reveal a red and black lightning bolt emblem on his chest.
"Thawne." Barry growled, as he and the rest of The Boys stood back up. "Which one are you this time?"
The Reverse Flash smirked, reaching up and removing his cowl to reveal an older looking face, with gray stubble and jet black hair. As his glowing red eyes faded to reveal natural blue ones, his voice reverted to normal. Most people didn't know whose face he was wearing, but Barry did.
It was Harrison Wells'.
"Does this answer your question, Flash?" Thawne grinned. "I told you I'd see you in the next crisis. Did you really think I meant with the Anti-Monitor?"
"Would've been my first guess." Barry groaned, while Frank continued patting down B-15's body. "Why are you here, Thawne? Are you after the stones too?"
"Precisely, Barry." Eobard grinned. "With the Infinity Stones under my control, I can erase you from existence without erasing myself!"
Just as Thawne finished speaking, multiple clicking noises could be heard, followed by everyone's collars unlocking and falling to the floor. Reverse Flash frowned in confusion, before looking down to see Frank Castle, holding up his arm. In his hand was the golden circular device Constantine had, which was used to activate and deactivate their collars.
"Well… fair fight it is then, Flash." Eobard smirked, as he reached up and pulled his cowl back over his head. At the same time, his eyes glowed red, and the exposed part of his face began vibrating.
"I'm going to kill all your friends, and make you watch-"
Thawne suddenly felt a pain in his leg, causing him to look down and see a syringe poking out of his calf, held onto by Frank. Before everyone's stunned expressions, Eobard's eyes reverted to normal, and his face stopped vibrating.
Thank God I still had some of those nanites left. He won't be going anywhere for a while.
"You still have Mr. Palmer's nanites. Impressive." Reverse Flash commented, before swiftly kicking Castle in the face and running towards the Infinity Gauntlet.
"Frank!" Cass shouted, preparing to check on her husband. She was stopped, however, when Castle quickly got back up, tackling Thawne to the ground and pummeling him.
"Go!" Frank shouted, as he continued smashing his fists into the depowered speedster. "Grab the stones, and get the fuck outta here! Before they wear off!"
Realizing what he meant, Dredd was the first to spring into action, breaking into a dead sprint towards the gauntlet. Eobard desperately tried to reach out and trip him, but Frank didn't let up in the beating, even as Joe dove to the floor and grabbed the gauntlet like a football.
"Castle, meet us back in the Flatiron Building!" the Judge instructed. Castle momentarily looked up to nod, as Dredd tapped his time displacement belt and vanished in a blue light. Unfortunately, that was just enough time for Eobard to smash his fist into Frank's jaw, forcing him to the floor. The rest of The Boys followed suit, teleporting away in seconds, until it was just Barry and Frank facing Thawne.
"Red, get out of here!" The Punisher called out, grappling the evil speedster. "I got this!"
"Not gonna happen, Frank!" Barry shouted back, golden lightning beginning to dance in his eyes. Seeing this, Thawne quickly grabbed one of the TVA collars and threw it at Allen, wrapping around his neck within seconds.
Dammit. Guess it really is gonna be a fair fight.
Frank grumbled in annoyance, kicking the Reverse Flash's legs out from under him and punching him across the face, sending him back to the floor. Both men quickly got back up, with Thawne throwing a haymaker at Castle, narrowly missing when the Punisher ducked. With Eobard distracted, Barry ran forward, winding his arm back, but the evil speedster lashed out with a backwards kick, catching him in the chest. Allen groaned in annoyance, falling to the floor, while Frank ducked low and punched Reverse Flash in the stomach, then proceeded to throw a jab to his face. The fist connected, and Castle could hear a satisfying crunch, as blood poured from his nostrils. A broken nose, most likely.
The Reverse Flash stumbled back, and Frank kicked him in the chest, sending him off his feet and tumbling back down onto the floor. Meanwhile, Barry had crawled over to the discarded control disc, quickly tapping it to unlock his collar. As he did this, Castle began to slowly walk over to Thawne, who suddenly vibrated his entire body, and the tiny nanites dissipated into the air.
Ah, shit.
Frank pulled out his pistols, but Thawne got back up, using his speed to knock Castle off the ground. Before he could get up, Eobard grabbed him by the neck and sped him around the room, eventually slamming him against the courtroom's walls.
"I did not expect Barry to befriend someone like you, Mister Castle." Thawne spoke in his deepened voice. "The Crisis changed more than I thought."
Reverse Flash began vibrating his hand, preparing to stab Frank through his heart. Just as he was about to thrust, Castle twisted his body to the side, catching the offending appendage in his gut.
The prick's hand didn't hurt like Judge Death's… but it didn't tickle either.
Frank growled in pain, pulling. His head back and bucking forward, smashing into Thawne's crown. The evil speedster stumbled back, dropping Frank to the ground, while Barry zoomed in and tackled him. The two meta humans proceeded to speed around the room and trade blows, brilliant trails of red and golden lightning trailing behind them, while Frank simply watched.
Dammit, he was able to get the nanites out of him quicker than anticipated. Couldn't do anything now but hope Red could take him.
Unfortunately, as if Castle was given the middle finger, the two blurs stopped when Thawne finally delivered an uppercut to Barry, causing them both to stop in the middle of the courtroom. Allen collapsed to the ground, and before he could get up, Reverse Flash grabbed one of the TVA's stun sticks, jamming the pointed end into his leg. Barry screamed in pain, but Thawne didn't let up, continuing to pummel and kick the Flash while he was down. Allen lashed out with a punch to Eobard's sternum, sending him stumbling back, while he pulled the sharp weapon out of his limb, but that was all the breathing room he received. As soon as he pulled the stun stick out, Thawne returned with a kick to his jaw, sending him back down to the floor. Before he could get up, Eobard planted his foot on his chest, looking down and grinning wildly.
"You could never beat me, Barry." Thawne gloated, while Frank moved silently around the room. "And this time, it's all your fault."
"What?" Barry's eyes widened in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
Reverse Flash laughed, his voice sounding like a terrifying rumble, as he continued looking down at his rival.
"You never considered that the Speedforce could be revived after Crisis?" Thawne grinned knowingly. "No, you had Tony Stark settle on just stabilizing what little speed was left. You didn't even bother to bring it new life, and now that I am siphoning what remains, you will never be faster. Too bad there just isn't enough to go around-"
Bang!
Reverse Flash's mouth hung open, as a large bullet hole suddenly burst through his forehead, coating the floor and Barry with blood and brains. Thawne's eyes twitched, blood running all the way down his face, as he stumbled back, taking his foot off Allen. The Flash quickly got up, wiping the viscera off him, as the body of his nemesis finally collapsed, revealing Frank Castle behind him. In his hands was his pistol, still smoking from the fired shot.
"There is now, asshole." Castle sneered. Barry stared down at Thawne's body in shock, realizing that unlike all the other times he's "died", his body didn't disintegrate into pure energy. Guess he was truly dead this time.
"You killed him." Allen murmured.
"God damned right." the Punisher nodded, holstering his pistol and checking the interdimensional jump belt. Why didn't the TVA bother with taking them again?
Oh. Right. Those collars that could rewind you in place.
Frank finished tapping the correct coordinates, looking up at Barry and giving a slight nod.
"See you in New York, Red."
Castle was suddenly engulfed in a bluish light, blinding Barry for a moment. When his eyes readjusted, the Punisher was gone, leaving Allen alone with the bodies of the TVA agents, Judge Renslayer, and Eobard Thawne. Flash let out a heavy sigh, before speeding around the room to create a hole in the space time continuum. Once the tear was created, Barry ran through, travelling back to the present day.
New York
2028
Frank blinked the blinding light out of his eyes, finding himself back in The Boys' office in the Flatiron Building, with everyone else waiting for him. A few seconds later, Barry sped into the room, pulling off his cowl and breathing heavily.
"Thawne?" Dredd asked.
"Dead." Castle answered. "He just crossed the finish line."
Joe calmly nodded, before looking down. Frank followed his gaze, seeing the Infinity Gauntlet laying on the coffee table, untouched.
"What are we waiting for?" the Punisher asked. "We just got gotta put that on and snap our fingers, yeah?"
Frank began to walk towards the gauntlet, when Millie placed her hand on his shoulder, giving him a grim look.
"Wait. Remember when you guys showed the world that Homelander killed Thanos and the Avengers?" Kessler reminded him. "The final shot of Thanos showed burns on his body, stemming from his arm- the one that was wearing the gauntlet."
Shit. I can't believe I forgot about that. Guess it wasn't important at the time, but now…
"If that could happen to Thanos, then what will happen to any of us?" Millie continued. Castle looked back at the gauntlet, releasing a tired sigh. He knew what had to be done.
"You're scared. Scared that any one of us could die. I get that." Frank murmured. "But if we don't do this, then everything we just did will have been for nothing. Half of everyone in the universe will stay dead, yeah?"
Millie blinked away tears, but reluctantly nodded, conceding in his point. The rest of The Boys stayed silent, as they all pondered what to do next. Only after several minutes of waiting, did Riley finally speak.
"So… who's going to snap their fingers?"
Everyone looked around at each other, keeping silent, until Ryan stepped forward.
"I'll do it."
Becca's eyes suddenly bulged, as she turned to glance at her son.
"Ryan, no! You can't-"
"Mom, I have all of Homelander's powers!" Ryan interrupted. "I can do this!"
"It's too dangerous Ryan." Dredd interjected. "Everything Homelander was came from the Compound V- man-made. If wielding all the stones could hurt Thanos like that, even nearly kill him, then you won't survive."
Ryan's face fell, as he looked at his father figure.
"Please, Uncle Joe. Let me do this."
Joseph opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly stopped, when he saw Michael move forward and slowly pick up the gauntlet.
"Myers? You?" Frank asked, having watched the Shape movements. Without looking at him, Michael slowly nodded, inching the golden glove towards his outstretched hand.
"Michael, wait." Riley called out. "If you do this, you could die. For good, this time."
Myers stared blankly at the gauntlet, while Cass bit her lip, reading his mind.
"He knows, Riley. But he wants to make sure Allyson's sacrifice wasn't in vain."
Again, Michael numbly nodded, his hand getting closer to the gauntlet. Just before he placed his fingers inside, Frank stepped forward, placing a hand up.
"Wait." Castle told him, while Constantine conjured a magical shield around everyone. "Just bring back everybody who died, yeah? Don't change anything else from the last ten years."
Michael nodded for a final time, before putting his hand completely inside the Infinity Gauntlet. Even though the gauntlet was made for the left hand, and his had only three fingers now, snapping shouldn't be a problem. Thank God Homelander only blasted off the ring and pinky fingers with his laser vision, instead of all five digits.
The moment the glove was secured, streams of different colored lightning arced across his body, radiating from his right hand. As the bolts danced, his jumpsuit and face became quickly singed and burning away, while he gripped his arm.
For the first time in his life, Michael screamed, making everyone shudder.
"Get it off!" Riley shouted, prompting Millie to rush forward. She was stopped, however, when Cass placed her hand on Kessler's shoulder.
"Mill, don't! He says he's okay!"
Myers looked up at Anderson-Castle, throwing an appreciative glance her way, before he held his gauntleted hand up. Through a great deal of effort, he placed his thumb and middle finger together, ignoring the agonizing pain lancing through all his limbs, and snapped. The resulting action sounded like a sonic boom, making everyone hold up the hands in worry. The moment after he snapped, Michael fell backwards, collapsing to the floor, his hand slipping out of the gauntlet. At the same time, Joe pressed a hand to the side of his helmet, as a memory he never knew he had rushed to the forefront. The memory depicted himself, back when he was Billy Butcher, talking to a man and a woman. The man, having a trimmed beard and black trench coat, was glaring at him, while the woman, wearing a black hood that partially obscured her blonde hair, was looking at them curiously.
"You don't look very happy to see me, Redfield." he apparently said.
"Perceptive, Butcher." the other man, named Redfield, muttered out in response.
Joseph shook the memory out of his head, deciding to revisit it at a later time, and looked back down at Michael and the gauntlet. He didn't notice that Frank had a similar reaction to the snap.
"Drokk!" Dredd yelled, kicking the glove away, while everyone looked down and inspected Myers' body. While staring, Millie suddenly felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, causing her to quickly pull out her device and answer the call.
"Millie? Millie, where are you?"
Kessler's mouth completely dried up, as she heard a voice she'd never thought she'd hear again- her father's.
"D… Dad?" Millie whispered, feeling tears beginning to pool in her eyes.
"Millie, what's wrong? Where'd you go?" her father continued asking. "One minute you were here, and the next thing I knew, you were gone. What happened?"
The young woman began to cry to herself, not caring that everyone was staring at her. Well, everyone except Riley, who was on her own phone. Most likely, her mother called her, just like Millie's father did.
"I'll… I'll call you back. It's a long story." Millie told her father, before ending the call and looking down at Michael's body.
"Thank you, Michael." Kessler whispered, kneeling down and resting her hand on his chest. He wasn't breathing. It seemed the Infinity Stones had finally killed the Shape. "Thank you."
Music: "Through The Woods" from Halloween 2018 OST
Michael opened his eyes, staring out at an orange sky, like a sunset. With a groan, Myers looked around, finding himself in a pool of water- no, standing on the water. Was he back on that planet, Vormir? And if so, how did he get there?
The Shape frowned, looking down to find that the special belt that Dredd had given to him was no longer on him. Nor was his knife. Not even the Infinity Gauntlet was on his hand when it should have been. What kind of trick was this-
"Michael."
The Boogeyman snapped his head up, seeing Allyson standing just a few feet away from him. Her face, once marred by deep scars, was now pristine and porcelaine. Her eyes were no longer black, instead favoring their original brown color. And instead of a blank, expressionless mask, there was a warm smile tugging on her lips.
"Did you do it?" she asked innocently. Michael paused for a moment, before reaching up and taking off his face… no. His mask. It had to be Michael Myers that said this, not the Shape. Not the Boogeyman.
"Yes." Myers mumbled, allowing the white mask to slip through his fingers, falling into the water below. Allyson's smile faltered, as a touch of sadness glinted in her eyes.
"I'm proud of you, Michael. Laurie would be too." Nelson murmured. Michael hung his head low, staring at his reflection in the water. It seemed now, with his death, his eyes no longer carried their black color, returning to a light blue. He hadn't seen those eyes since he was a boy… before Judith…
Michael shook his head, forcing himself to look up into Allyson's eyes.
"But it cost me everything." Myers told her. "Allyson… it cost me you."
Allyson's eyes shimmered with unshed tears, as she crossed the distance within seconds. Once she was within arm's length, she reached out, wrapping Michael in a hug.
"Michael, no." Nelson whispered. "You didn't lose me. I knew what I was doing on Vormir. We had to bring everyone back, whatever it took. And we did. You did."
Allyson paused to look up at Myers, and he could see tears running down her cheeks.
"You brought everyone back. Millie's father. Riley's mom. Everyone's friends, family." she continued. "You saved everyone… just like you saved me."
"You?" Michael questioned, tilting his head. Allyson nodded, grinning wider.
"That night, in the back of that squad car." she recounted. "You broke us out, brought me to my parents, to my grandmother. You saved me."
Michael shook his head, numbly staring at the girl.
"No. You saved me."
Nelson's smile began to fade, as she turned her head, looking out to the horizon. Michael followed her gaze, seeing… his childhood home, standing on the water, just like them. How did that get there.
"Will you… will you stay with me?" Allyson asked, turning back to look up at Myers. The older man looked down, gazing into her eyes.
"Yes."
Allyson's grin returned, as she tightened her arms around him.
"Thank you." she whispered, before slowly leading the both of them towards the house. The distance was closer than Michael realized, and before he knew it, they were already walking up the steps, with Allyson timidly opening the door. Myers looked back one last time, at the vast emptiness of water and orange sky, still wondering where exactly they were.
"Michael… are you alright?"
Myers looked back towards Allyson, slowly nodding his head. Nelson chuckled slightly, as she slowly pushed the door closed, and began walking down the hallway. The entire time, Michael stared up at the stairs, where Judith's room was supposed to be.
He didn't deserve Heaven. Not after everything he'd done. And honestly, he wasn't sure Hell would take him either. But here… with Allyson…
If this… purgatory, was where they would stay, then Michael would accept it. For the first time in his whole life, before and after he killed Judith, he felt a new emotion within him. One he thought he'd never experience.
He felt at peace.
A/N: And that's it for the Endgame storyline! Everyone was finally brought back after ten years, but at the cost of both Michael Myers and Allyson. I'll be honest, I went into this knowing I was going to kill them both off, but I was on the fence on who was going to jump off the cliff and who would snap their fingers. Obviously, I decided Michael would bring everyone back, but that was more so that he would get the ultimate redemption, sacrificing himself to save the entire universe.
Before I get to the third arc, there will be a bit of an interlude, as well as a time jump. I'm trying not to spoil too much, but remember when all the universes got mashed together because of the first snap? That will happen again now, but not as huge, because it didn't coincide with the Anti-Monitor Crisis. But that memory that Dredd experienced will play a big role. If you've read some of my previous stories, you probably know exactly what will happen.
That's all for now! Look out for the next chapter!