Disclaimer: I do not own anything you may recognize
Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.
Thanks a lot to Brainstorm Sorcerer for his help on this chapter.
RIP Matthew Perry. May he Rest In Peace. We will never forget him.
TW: Thanks for the review, glad it was very interesting.
Chapter 11- Plans foiled
Earth-1, Star City
Takeo Yamashiro stood in a base of his, as some men delivered him a box, before standing away from him.
Takeo opened the box to find a katana, and upon pulling it out of its sheath, a faint green aura was briefly seen before fading away, and he could see the face within the steel of the blade.
The Soultaker, the weapon Takeo intended to use on both Oliver's loved ones, and the man himself, and make him suffer.
Then a Japanese man approached his lord from behind and informed. "The men are ready, sir."
"Good, I've been waiting for too long", Takeo said before taking the sword in both hands, and h roared as he brought it down in the table, slicing it and the box container in half with one swing.
Then he turns to the Yakuza enforcer.
"My family's deaths will be avenged."
Team Arrow Base
Oliver stood with his arms crossed, with Thea, Laurel, Felicity and Diggle standing in front of him, looking like a misbehaving quartet that had been sent to the Principal's office.
Sara was sitting next to where Oliver stood while Hunt, Parker and Hardison were a short distance away from the group, tending to Eliot who'd finally woken up, and was healing better.
"I am sick and tired of letting all of you run roughshod over me", Oliver told all four of them in a very exhausted tone of voice that made him sound many years older than he was.
"Without him, none of you would even be here", Sara added, the four having the decency to look ashamed.
"It was my crusade, and you warped it towards your own agendas", Oliver snarled, first looking at Laurel, "your ego", he turned to Diggle, "your self-righteous beliefs", and then he looked at Felicity, "and your 'do good but only how I see it' mentality", he looked between her and Diggle, "which you two seem to share."
"And you", he looked at Thea, "last year you showed more loyalty to Malcolm than you showed to me. Even when you did not know he made you kill Sara, you do remember right, that was he was a terrorist who was responsible for the deaths of 502 people, including his own son? I only worked with him because there was no other choice." He looked at Felicity and Diggle then. "You two did not seem to have a problem with doing that when you had to get me out of Nanda Parbat."
They opened and closed their mouths a few times, but no sound came, as Thea started. "Ollie-"
"And did he ever tell you he was the one who sabotaged the Queen's Gambit?" Oliver asked, Thea's eyes widening in horror as the implications sank in. "Our father, he may not have been your father by blood, but he did not let it change anything. He raised you, Thea."
Thea looked down, clearly ashamed of herself, as Oliver turned his attention back to the rest of the team. "Your perversion of my crusade to save the city affected me as well. I stopped unleashing my full potential because I was afraid it would make all of you look down on me."
"So that's the reason, eh", Eliot spoke up in between grunts, making some eyes turn to him. "Don't think I'd call this a team if the rest of the members are affecting their leader's thought process and skills in this manner."
Felicity started. "Look, you-"
"He is right, Felicity", Sara shrugged, the four looking at her. "If I'd known things would get this bad after I left for the League, I'd have tried to find another way instead", she whispered to herself, "and fight harder for us."
Hardison whispered to the other three. "I wish I had popcorn." Then he heard crunching, the hacker turning his head with Ethan and Eliot to find Parker chewing on a handful of popcorn from the bag in her hand. "Where did you get that?"
"IMF stuff", Parker said with her mouth full of food.
Eliot raised his brow at Ethan. "So, do they glow in the dark? Leave radioactive traces so you can track the eater?"
Parker dropped the bag and stopped eating. "What?"
Ethan was only confused, looking at his old friend. "It's food, Eliot, we don't make gadgets out of everything. We're not Q branch."
"I've had enough of this hypocrisy, and enough of you all berating me for doing something, while you all do the exact same things but only for your own selfish desires", Oliver sounded spent as he said the next words, but his tone was firm. "You can either get on board, or walk away. I am done putting up with all your shit. I am done apologizing for who I am."
In the entirety of the last year, and this one, the only one from the team who had talked back to him without bullying him was Roy, who'd a point in that he could not baby Thea anymore.
But he had left, and Oliver was left with these people. He still cared for them, but he wasn't going to stand being treated like crap anymore.
He'd known Eliot, Hunt, Parker and Hardison for a very little time, yet he felt like he could trust them a lot more than he could trust his actual team.
Eliot had been harsh with him, but he'd genuinely wanted him to be as good as how he used to be, and considering the results, Oliver couldn't blame the man. And he was also a reasonable ear to rely on when Oliver wanted to talk.
The other three, well, they had at least ceded the floor to him due to his experience with Waller, and respected his authority on the matter. They'd worked better with him as a team on the Waller Job than his own team had worked with him since he'd returned from fighting Ra's the previous year.
"Ollie." Oliver turned to Laurel. "You were right. I was going too far, and I thought I was honoring Sara, but I just wanted something to focus myself on, without thinking it through."
"I was supposed to have your back", Diggle sighed. "But now I realize, even before you took Lyla, I hadn't had your back for a while then. And I guess someone else in your place would have done worse."
"I'm….sorry", Felicity simply said, while Thea just looked at Oliver.
"I did not want to do this, but I was left with no choice", Oliver said sadly. "From now on, all of you will listen to what I have to say. If you have a problem, bring it up to me privately, and we will talk it out. Is that fine with all of you?"
After a few seconds, they all nodded one by one, before Diggle got a call.
He picked it up. "Yes Lyla…..what? How is this…are you sure about this? Damn!"
Diggle cut the call as Oliver asked. "What happened?"
"Waller is dead", Diggle revealed, making all of them share looks of shock.
"No big loss I'd say", Parker shrugged.
"Who did it?" Oliver inquired. He did not care about Waller, and would have liked to kill her himself, but still, anyone killing her would not have had good intentions themselves.
"We do not know, but she was killed by arrows." Diggle raised a hand before anyone could speak. "And no Oliver, I'm not saying you did, the arrows are completely different from what you use. Not to mention, after you got those files from her, you'd have no reason to kill her."
Oliver nodded. "Guess this is another matter to look into, even if Waller got what was coming to her."
"I guess that's one bad guy down for you, huh?" Eliot chuckled, Oliver nodding.
"Lyla said they want to make her the next Director", Diggle revealed then.
"If there is someone I'd trust in that position, its her", Oliver said, Diggle nodding with a smile of his own. "Now, we've all had a long day. So, all of you go rest. Eliot, Parker, Hardison and Hunt can stay here. I hope this is a new start for all of us."
One by one, Team Arrow exited the place, Sara giving Oliver a smile and meaningful look that he returned, before she was out as well.
He turned to the four people from other worlds. "I know all of you will be going back to your own world soon, but I have to say thank you to you all."
"Likewise", Hunt told Oliver. "We all helped each other."
"Let's make sure we can stay in contact though", Hardison added. "That'd be needed."
"I agree", Oliver nodded.
Adrian was hooked up to a machine, as he watched some students of Talia engage in battle, while Talia stood next to him.
The chip was being inserted into his brain, and any fighting styles not there already, those were being downloaded at the moment.
Watching the students fight, Adrian got an insane smirk on his face. Soon enough, he would be the threat that Oliver Queen would have to face.
Earth-21
Lex Luthor looked at his machine, that had now been fixed. It had managed to transport Clark and Bart to another world clearly, and Lex was intent on discovering what lay on the other side himself.
"Here we go", he smirked as he touched the empty space in the middle of the sphere, only for the machine to suddenly crackle, as a blue portal opened, and it started sucking him in, and other things as well, Lex realizing it was still malfunctioning.
Before he could do anything though, he was sucked in by the machine.
Earth-199999, Sokovia
The portal opened, unleashing a shockwave, as Lex was thrown out of it, knocked out.
Two soldiers with guns then stood over him, looking amongst themselves, making a decision.
Earth-1, Star City
Felicity was returning home, deciding it was time to tell Oliver about Ray now. She realized now how badly she had been treating him, due to the image of him she had in her mind, and her actions were due to the fact that she could not accept who he really was.
They were wrong either way. Now, she'd apologize, tell him about Ray, and continue to work for him, even if she did not think she could stomach everything he did.
Suddenly, she heard the click of a gun behind her. Gulping, she froze.
"I have…things, you can take-"
"You are coming with me", the man said in a Japanese accent before reaching her front, and from the kind of mask he wore, he looked to be Yakuza. "My master wants to see you."
"So, I have a friend in Central City", Oliver was telling the four. "I'm thinking he could make something to help us stay in contact."
Before any of them could reply, Oliver suddenly got a call, and took out his phone to see it was a video call from Felicity. He accepted it, and then his blood ran cold as he saw Felicity crying, Takeo holding his sword to her throat.
"This is the woman you love, is it not, Oliver Queen?" Takeo asked, as the other four walked up behind him. "Meet me at the former Bratva base of this city if you care about her. Otherwise, I will send her pieces to you as a gift."
The call was cut, Oliver shaking in rage. He did not love Felicity, but he could understand why Takeo came to that conclusion. However, he still cared about her, and she was not going to suffer over this madman's vendetta.
"Him again?" Eliot asked.
"Who is he?" Parker inquired.
"A man who blames me for the deaths of his family", Oliver said sadly. "And so he will do anything to get back at me."
"We will help you in saving her, Oliver", Hunt assured him.
In their shared apartment, Laurel saw Thea sitting on her knees, tears in her eyes, and wrapped an arm around the younger woman. "What's the matter?"
"Did you know about the Gambit?" Thea inquired.
"No, but doesn't surprise me Malcolm would do that", Laurel said bitterly, remembering her feelings over having lost Sara back then.
"That degenerate has a hand in ruining most of our lives", Sara noted grimly as she sat on Thea's other end.
"You know, Ollie is right", Thea muttered to herself. "Robert may not have been my biological father, but he raised me, he loved me. And I threw it all away when I decided to go with Malcolm, all because Ollie and Roy kept a few secrets for me."
"We all make mistakes at your age, Thea", Sara assured her while patting her shoulder. "I know that better than anyone."
"No more…" Thea whispered, wiping her eyes. "No more."
That moment, Laurel got a call, and seeing it was Oliver, picked up. "Hello….Oliver…what? Okay, we're coming!"
She cut the call as Sara inquired. "What's the matter?"
"Takeo took Felicity", Laurel said, causing Thea to stand up as well. "Let's go."
Earth-199999, Sokovia
Lex Luthor's wrists were chained, his feet hovering above the ground, a bag over his head, while a man sat at a table nearby, hidden by the shadows.
A man took off the bag, Lex now seeing the figure in the shadows, as well as his wallet and phone on the table.
Lex started. "I am-"
The man who'd taken off the bag decked him, turning his head the other way.
The man in the shadows said something in Sokovian, and the soldier backed off, while the man looked at Lex. "You were saying."
"I am Lex Luthor, CEO of LexCorp."
"There is no such thing."
"Not in this world." One of the other soldiers pulled out a knife that Lex did not want to be on the receiving end of.
Lex tried to lean away but his position made it impossible.
The man said something in Sokovian again, the soldier stopped, and that was when a light turned on at the table, finally revealing the man's face as he stared at Lex.
"And what about YOUR world?"
Lex immediately explained. "A Singularity! It tore apart the borders between realities, weakening them so at certain points, someone could walk through. I wanted to try to harness that power, and that was how I ended up in his current here."
Lex started wigging out, making him gasp in pain. The man peered at him after that as the other soldiers muttered, before outright asking, "Tell me, Mr. Luthor, why should I release you?"
"The machine that created the portal must not have been as stable as I believed. It must have affected my body, I could die."
"Your death is not as motivating as you think it is."
He turned to a soldier, and nodded, the soldier gathering some pictures that he gave to the man, and he approached.
"You say that you created one of these portals. Tell me, which of these "guests" are a result of your work." Then the man revealed one of the photos, a humanoid being with icy blue skin, glowing eyes, and a sword made from ice.
Lex narrowed his eyes in confusion, and shook his head. His captor showed the next picture, and Lex did not know how to react.
"Is that a giant watermelon?"
"Yes, yes it is. As you can see, we live in interesting times."
"I always thought my personal chef was up to something", Lex joked and to his surprise, the man chuckled with him.
"Always take care with those who handle your food." Then any sign of humor left him as he moved on with another picture.
Lex was shown a creature that was definitely not human, with grey skin and horns, then one of a large four-armed, big-eared, red skinned thing, he didn't know what else to call it.
After that, a picture of a canine-like beast with no eyes and a worm-like tongue.
Then, Lex finally saw something he recognized.
"Him, he's from my world." He would recognize that shield and cape anywhere.
The man looked at the picture himself, examining the details of the dark haired man before looking back at the captive. "This man saved a 747 the moment he first arrived."
That made Lex snort. "Of course he did."
"From what we have gathered, he is on par with some of the strongest "heroes" on this planet, maybe even stronger."
"Yep, that'd be Superman."
"And you would send this disease to us?"
Lex was stunned, but collected himself. "Not intentionally." By the tone of his voice and how he emphasized "heroes", Lex picked up a certain amount of hate, the source of the hate he could not say for certain, but the Luthor believed he found an in with the man. "You hate his kind, don't you?" He hoped his captor thought the same "kind" as Lex believed.
Handing the pictures away, the man folded his hands behind his back and leaned to his prisoner. "Power invites challenges, which incites conflict. The greater the power, the more devastating the destruction. Yet, humanity's great flaw is that it always wanted more. How much do you think someone would spend to match this "Superman's" power?"
"Too much." So that was it. Lex' captor hated the superpowered.
"Too much. The man agreed. He nodded to his men, and Lex felt himself being lowered until his feet touched the ground, more men came and unlocked his cuffs, and immediately he sighed in relief.
"We will ensure someone with the proper resources will send you back to your original world." The man walked away, but Lex had another idea.
"You hate them." The man paused in his steps. "Superheroes, anyone with inhuman powers."
"From how you referred to your caped "friend", I can only assume you feel the same way." The Sokovian Colonel faced Lex again, but remained a distance away. "What is your point?"
"What if we were to get rid of them. All of them. On my world, and yours." The man's brow rose but showed no other reaction, which disappointed Lex, he thought he would be more enthused by the idea.
"You do realize the challenge of eliminating beings of such caliber?"
Lex almost chuckled. "Trust me, I've been dealing people like this for more than ten years."
"Yet you had not cleansed your problem." Lex had no answer. "If your endeavor has been so unsuccessful, why would I, or my men, help you?"
Lex thought, and thought hard, on how to convince the Sokovian. The man needed assurances, he needed to know this would succeed. No promise of certainty, then no chance. But thinking on the fact that Lex found someone who shared his beliefs on superheroes, he could have ended up anywhere, it's as if fate brought them together.
"Because we're not alone." The man's face held intrigue, and Lex knew, he had him now. "There are others like us, there has to be. With my machine, we could find more people, more resources, to end the threat of anyone wearing spandex and capes. Our worlds would be safe, our futures would be bright, and our children will live knowing they will be protected, not by freaks in masks, but by humanity."
It took a long time, Lex did not count, but the man walked back to where he stood before, with his men walking away, so it was only Lex and the Colonel, standing face to face, one bleeding, and the other smirking.
"You have my attention."
"You know my name, I'd like us to be on equal standing."
The Sokovian Colonel finally gave his name. "My name is Helmut Zemo."
New York City, Avengers Tower
Steve was in the Tower, gearing up, attaching the shield to his back as he asked JARVIS. "What am I looking at?"
"Unknown, sir. A creature of unknown origins fell through another of the portals above Times Square. Law enforcement has tried to engage the creature, but their bullets have proven ineffective."
Steve attached his helmet, then holstered a handgun to his waist. With these new creatures from other worlds, the more prepared, the better. He began making his way to the platform.
"It is approximately twenty feet in height, aggressive, and strong. Stronger than you, Captain", JARVIS warned as Steve finally made it to the flight deck, which was free of the Quinjet, already taken by Natasha and Clint for another mission.
"I appreciate your concern, JARVIS, but I'll manage", Steve assured the A.I. as he approached his new "Sky-Cycle", as Tony had dubbed it.
Taking designs from one of Howard's old projects, Tony had modified a Harley-Davidson for Steve's use during missions, and he had to say, it was a hell of an upgrade.
"Colonel Rhodes has been notified, but will be delayed in Latveria. I'll keep Dr. Banner on standby, just in case, sir."
"I appreciate it, JARVIS."
With Tony, Thor, Natasha, and Clint all gone, Steve was the only Avenger left, and Code: Green was only a last resort. Mounting the bike, Steve flipped a switch on the handlebar.
The next second, the front and back tyres retracted, replaced by a repulsor powered propulsion system. Steve hovered in place for a second before revving the bike and shooting across the sky above New York.
Earth-1
Oliver was in a building in front of the former Bratva base, now run by the Yakuza instead, as he spoke to Hardison on comms. "Can you see anything?"
"5 men on the ground", Hardison said, typing through the computers, happy that technology wasn't Takeo's strongest suite. "3 on the stairwell, 7 right above there, 5 more above there outside a room, and there are 3 with him in the room."
"I think we can handle that", Oliver noted, then called out on comms. "Guys, let's go."
And then, the door of the building burst open as Diggle started firing upon the Yakuza on the ground floor, while Laurel let out her Canary Cry, making them cover their ears, and then she struck one on the face with her baton thrice, dazing him, before punching his gut. She tried to punch again but he blocked and threw her to the other side, only for her to let out her Canary Cry again, and as he covered his ears, she flipped up and kicked his face and throat hard, finally knocking him out.
Meanwhile, Diggle flipped one of the remaining ones on the ground, and kicked him out, before shooting the other one's shoulder, getting him as well.
Then, the two of them rushed upwards, towards the stairwell, Diggle shooting two of the men down while Laurel let out her Canary Cry, and the last one covered his ears before she struck his gut with the baton, and struck him hard there, winding him, before spin kicking his face as he was out.
At the same time, an explosion rocked the wall above the stairwell, making the seven back off right as Sara leapt out of the smoke, using her staff to strike one of the men hard in the face as he was out.
She spun her staff and tripped two more as Oliver and Thea appeared while she said. "Go! I got this!"
They ran further while Sara engaged the remaining, Oliver and Thea running further as the 5 outside the room came.
Oliver shot one down and spin kicked another on the face, knocking him out, while Thea struck one with her bow, before leaping and kicking him back with both feet. Oliver spun again and struck another's feet with his bow, taking him down before kicking his face, and then flipping, trapped the last one's head between his feet and knocked him out with another flip as Thea took out the one she was fighting.
Cautiously, the two moved ahead.
"My brother, dead. My nephew, dead. Your own parents, dead." Takeo's voice was ringing out of an intercom. "How many people died because of you, Oliver Queen? And how many more will suffer the same fate?"
"Hardison", Oliver whispered.
"He is there, Oliver, he is not moving."
"Do your team know what kind of monster you are?"
Oliver reached the room and kicked the door open to see Takeo had the Soultaker to Felicity's throat, the other 3 men moving towards him and Thea.
"You are Death's dog, Oliver Queen, and the master follows his pet wherever he goes", he smirked.
Oliver and Thea looked like they wanted to attack.
"Drop your weapons", Takeo snarled, his men close to Oliver and Thea, while he looked at Oliver. "Now I have the woman you love."
"I don't have a clear shot at him right now, Oliver."
"Oliver", Felicity said in between tears and whimpers. "I'm sorry."
Oliver was reminded of when Slade had Felicity in a similar position, but this time there was no plan.
"No", he shook his head. "I am."
Takeo looked between the two, before looking at Oliver's eyes with his own, and then his eyes seemed to widen, as if he was registering something.
"No….." he whispered, as the realization sank in, and his grip on Felicity loosened, making her stagger forward. "This can't be! THIS CAN'T BE!"
"Takeo…" Oliver tried to talk him down.
"YOU DON'T LOVE HER!" Takeo screamed in rage. "HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO HAVE MY REVENGE, HUH?"
"Felicity, get away from him!" Oliver cried out, as Takeo made to stab her, while the window burst open, and Parker swung in.
Felicity tried to move, as Takeo managed to get her side, making her gasp in pain, as the swinging Parker struck his face, making him fall, while she grabbed Felicity and swung out, shattering another window, while at the same time, gunshots rang out, the other 3 Yakuza dropping.
From his vantage point, Ethan Hunt tried to get a lock on Takeo.
Thea charged Takeo and tried to strike, but he rolled away to avoid, then swept her feet from underneath her. With a roar, he got up and grabbed her, as Oliver cried out in horror. "NO!"
Sara, Diggle and Laurel burst in, as Takeo now had his Soultaker to Thea's throat instead, while Oliver aimed his arrow, and Diggle aimed his gun.
"This sword, it is called the Soultaker, I am sure you can guess why", Takeo said with a deranged smirk now. "Even in death, the one who dies shall be trapped in this prison- Forever! And now, I have the person you truly love above all else, and I shall have my revenge!"
"Let. Her. Go."
"Bring me back Maseo and Akio. Return my brother and nephew, I return your sister."
"I can't."
Takeo smiled without humor, applying more pressure on the sword against the young woman's neck, drawing a line of blood, causing Oliver to take an aggressive step forward, as the other three tried to cautiously step forth too, while Takeo stepped a little back and to the side, still holding Thea hostage.
"So the lives of my family means less than that of your former lover?"
Oliver and Sara showed no outward reaction that Takeo knew about their former relationship. Thea looked scared.
"Oliver, I have the shot now."
"Doesn't matter anymore. I have no one left. Feel my pain."
Takeo was about to cut Thea's throat.
"NOW!" Oliver shouted.
And then, a gunshot hit Takeo's hand, making him gasp as he lost the Soultaker, and then the roof caved in, Eliot bursting down from above, striking Takeo in the head, making him fall forwards as Thea stumbled away, Oliver catching her in his arms.
"Ollie!" Thea sobbed. "I am sorry!"
"Its all right, Speedy, I'm here now", Oliver assured her while patting her back, as Takeo got up, but Eliot decked his face, making him stagger back, then blocked an attempted punch before flipping Takeo over his shoulder, only for Takeo to fall near the Soultaker as he picked it back up.
Eliot groaned, unsteady on his feet, as while he was healing, the drill wounds were going to take much longer. But he wasn't going to stay back while the others were out.
Oliver let Thea go and tried to fire at Takeo, who used his sword to cut two of the arrows, before leaping out of the window. Oliver leapt after him, as Takeo swung to another rooftop, and Oliver swung there too, aiming an arrow at Takeo. "Takeo, stop!"
Final Showdown With Diaz plays
Takeo stopped, as Oliver walked closer, only for Takeo to whirl around as he chopped off the arrowhead with his sword, making Oliver leap back as Takeo swung again, but Oliver leapt to avoid the sword swing before kicking Takeo back.
Takeo steadied himself, then tried to strike Oliver, who side-stepped to avoid, then struck his chest with his bow, making Takeo double down, while Oliver grabbed him by the back of the neck and threw him away.
He was about to fire when Takeo got back up and fired an arrow of his own that Oliver countered. Takeo fired another arrow but Oliver caught it, spun around, and fired it. Takeo tried to dodge but it struck Takeo's quiver, shattering it as his arrows spilled.
And then, with another shot, Oliver disarmed Takeo of his sword, then rushing him, wrapped his feet around Takeo's neck and flipped him to the ground.
He tried to strike again but Takeo grabbed Oliver's neck with his own feet and slammed his head to the ground, before getting up and punching him back, and then he kicked Oliver's hand, making his bow fall away.
Takeo then spun to elbow Oliver, but Oliver blocked it and pushed as Takeo flipped and landed, then tried to flip and kick Oliver's face, only for Oliver to lean back while ducking before leaping up and kicking Takeo's chin, making him fly back while spitting out blood.
Takeo did a cartwheel to avoid falling, only for Oliver to deck his face, then grab it before kneeing it thrice. Takeo freed himself and grabbing Oliver, rushed forwards, pushing him back, before Oliver dug his feet on the rooftop, and elbowed Takeo's back a few times, weakening his grip, right as Oliver kneed his chest thrice, and Takeo let go as Oliver spun and kicked his throat, making him fall down, bleeding badly.
Takeo spat blood, glaring at Oliver, who moved towards him. "Its over!"
"NEVER!" He screamed, and threw down a smoke bomb, making Oliver avert his gaze. When the smoke cleared, Takeo was gone with the Soultaker.
Earth-92, Los Angeles, Hyperion Hotel
After having returned to their world, Angel and Buffy had told their teams of what had transpired during their meeting, and right now, the Scoobies and Team Angel were gathered in the Hyperion Hotel, mainly to work on the sensors that the Winchester brothers had, so they could detect people from other worlds too.
"I mean, we were joking about what could be happening when they met", Cordelia Chase whispered to Charles Gunn. "Didn't think an actual trip to another world was part of my jokes though."
"Fell short there, huh Queen C?" Xander Harris asked jokingly.
"Don't be happy, mine were still better than anything you could come up with", Cordelia scoffed, Xander putting a hand over his chest.
"I'm gonna get out with the little dignity I've left intact", Xander muttered.
"Thought it was pretty little already", Gunn joked, him and Cordelia sharing a chuckle as Xander sighed.
"I wish An was here", Xander muttered, as she was back in Sunnydale to run the Magic Box.
"So now you don't mind letting a woman fight your battles for you, eh?" Buffy joked, and Xander groaned once more.
"Okay, I had that one coming", he sighed.
"You have a lot coming", Cordelia told him.
At a distance from them, in the center of the room, at a table, Willow Rosenberg, Tara Maclay, Winifred 'Fred' Burkle, Wesley Wyndam-Pryce and Rupert Giles worked on the sensors together.
"I admit, I have not seen magic and science match in such a way in my lifetime", Giles noted while he and Wesley read from the books.
"But you're not much into science anyways", Willow reminded Giles, and he gave her a look.
"How can you not be into science?" Fred asked Giles, and now he looked at her weirdly. "I mean, evolution, advancement, that's how we have always grown from the last age. You're weird."
"I'm inclined to agree", Wesley said, then did a fake exaggerated cough on seeing Giles' look.
"So, our world, it has various magicks", Tara noted, her hand glowing a little. "It is part of everything around us. Meaning, they can sense when something not of this world is nearby."
"And everything here does have a steady frequency on this spectrum as well", Fred commented, making a note of it. "Someone from another world would have a different frequency, just like the magicks of this world will not be connected to them."
"So, we will have to find a way to infuse the detecting magicks into such a frequency detector", Tara said, Fred making a little diagram of how that'd work.
"Voila!" Fred smiled.
"Wow! There's two of them now", Cordelia quipped. "I always wondered how they'd be together. Shy and shyer!"
Buffy, Xander and Gunn chuckled, as Buffy asked. "Fred is straight, right? Otherwise Willow would have competition."
"I mean, they could just do a three-way", Cordelia shrugged jokingly.
"Buffy." Buffy turned to see Angel, and he gestured to a corner, so she followed him there.
"What's up?" She asked him.
"Have you told them yet?" Angel inquired.
"Told them what?"
"You know what I'm talking about", Angel told her.
"Right, that", Buffy sighed. "No, not yet."
"Why not?"
"I don't think they're ready yet", Buffy shook her head, turning away.
"And why do you get to decide that?" Angel asked.
"Why did they get to decide where I was after death?" Buffy snarled bitterly.
"They made a mistake, a costly one", Angel agreed. "But that's because they did not have your input on the matter, they did not have the chance to get it. Its not like a Higher Being came down from above and told them you were fine, and they still decided to bring you back. They thought you were in a Hell Dimension."
"Your point being?" Buffy asked, sounding irritated.
"They didn't know better. You do", Angel pointed out. "If you don't tell them what really happened and continue to wallow by yourself, they can't help you and even try to make up for what they did. Think about that."
Sighing, Buffy walked away. "I'll think about telling them."
Angel shook his head. He couldn't force her to tell her friends, that was her own decision, but he really hoped she saw sense and told them before it was too late.
Earth-1, Star City
Panting, Takeo staggered back into his usual Yakuza base, putting his hand to the wall, only to feel a liquid, and he pulled it back to see it was blood. Looking up, he saw a dead Yakuza hanging from the fan.
Then he looked ahead and saw the rest had been slaughtered too, their blood all around.
"What the…" he muttered in horror.
"I told you, Oliver Queen is mine."
Prometheus theme plays
Takeo turned around to see the Throwing Star Killer walking towards him, and roared. "HOW DARE YOU?!"
He struck with his Soultaker, only for the Throwing Star Killer to dodge, before punching his face, then his throat, as Takeo staggered back while coughing.
"How dare you?" The Throwing Star Killer asked calmly, only for Takeo to flip and kick his face, sending him falling down.
He tried to bring the sword down on him but the Throwing Star Killer rolled away to avoid before flipping back up.
"You know how this ended last time", Takeo reminded with a sneer, and tried to slice his throat, but he leaned back to avoid, then grabbed Takeo's wrist, decking it thrice, before spinning and elbowing Takeo's back as he dropped the Soultaker due to the shock, as the Throwing Star Killer spun again and did a double leg takedown of Takeo.
Takeo staggered back up, and remembering last time, spun, trying to grab his opponent and flip him to the ground, but the Throwing Star Killer grabbed his hand instead, and bringing it down on his knee, twisted hard as Takeo screamed in pain.
He let go, as Takeo staggered back, only for him to kick his face hard, breaking his nose while he fell down.
Climbing upon him, the Throwing Star Killer started pounding upon Takeo's face, as Takeo spat blood with each punch, and then, he joined his fists, pounding Takeo's face even harder, breaking some teeth.
Then, he took out one of his shurikens, and pierced the side of Takeo's neck, before drawing a line of blood across his throat, Takeo coughing more blood from his mouth, while it also splattered on the Throwing Star Killer's mask.
Finally, he ran it across Takeo's throat completely, as the man stopped breathing, his face a bloodied mess.
"Only I can kill Oliver Queen."
The lair
"You were right, Ollie", Thea said to him, guilt in her voice. "I shouldn't have left with Malcolm. I turned my back on you."
"I did the same", Oliver said, making her look at him. "When I left with Felicity, I did the same to you and the rest. You'd lost the love of your life, almost been killed by Ra's and then brought back to life by a Lazarus Pit. You needed me, and I left."
"I guess both of us owe each other apologies, don't we?" Thea muttered, Oliver nodding.
"Let's start fresh", Oliver said, and the two siblings embraced, hoping this would be the fresh start they needed.
Parting, they walked to the rest, where Felicity had been bandaged up by Sara and Eliot, the former saying. "It will take a few weeks, but it'll heal."
"That guy is still in the wind though", Eliot said with a snarl.
"We'll get him", Oliver assured them all. "This time he won't escape."
"Oliver, there is something I need to tell you", Felicity said, as the team looked at her. "I was going to tell you before, but I got taken, then I was being bandag-"
"Felicity!" Everyone said at the same time.
"Right, right, sorry. So, Ray…he is alive. And he is in trouble."
Earth-199999
Steve got off the sky-cycle, seeing it was a gorilla-like and burly monster that was destroying things all around. Some people and cops had been killed by it already.
Well, no more were gonna die.
Holding his shield, Steve pulled back, and threw, the shield striking the monster's head and returning to his hand, as the monster turned to him and roared.
Well, it was unaffected, meaning Steve would be having a really hard time fighting it.
The monster charged Steve like a gorilla, trying to slam upon him, as Steve rolled away to avoid, throwing his shield and striking its head again, to no avail before catching the shield upon return.
It charged him again with a punch as Steve brought his shield in the way, managing to block that, before spinning and kicking the hand, not that it was affected much.
The monster tried to grab him but he jumped back to avoid in time, then leapt at its hand, before leaping towards it face with his shield, managing to slam the shield onto its face, but it was still barely affected as Steve dropped down and rolled between its legs, getting onto the other side before standing up as the monster turned to face him again.
It tried to swipe its wrist, but Steve did a leap and a roll to dodge that, then threw the shield on its other hand as it grunted, while he caught it, and was about to leap, when one hand came too close.
Quickly taking out his handgun, Steve shot that hand. While the monster was barely affected, it retracted its hand still.
Steve braced with his shield, but felt the temperature drop drastically, and saw the monster's limb being encased in ice, freezing its movement.
The beast stepped back and slammed the arm down, breaking the limb from the ice, but not before something leapt over Steve's head and tackled the big ugly creature, that something being a man with metal skin, pounding steel-covered fists on its head.
That was when Steve turned to see a young man with some facial scruff, wearing black jacket and hoody, pointing his hands forward, with the Avenger noticing the cold mist leaking from his palms.
"Captain America, sir-"
"Got a name, son?"
Surprised, he quickly tried to answer. "Bobby, sir."
Nodding, the Captain replied "Steve," and turned back to the fight, where the metal man was thrown into a cop car. "What did you do just do?"
"My powers let me freeze things."
"Can you freeze something that big?" Steve gestures to the creature that beat on the ground and roared in some kind of language.
Bobby steeled himself and stood straight. "I can."
"Check the area for any civilians, guide them out, and block off the area, we don't need anyone else getting close to this thing. Once you do, immobilize it, slow it down."
"Got it, sir."
"Pleasure to meet you", Steve smiled. Iceman wasn't the first Mutant he'd met though. He remembered back in the 40s, him and the Howling Commandos had briefly worked with a man called James Howlett. Steve remembered the guy was very uncanny, and he could survive and come out intact from things no normal man could survive.
Steve had also seen him get shot sometimes, but there was not even a scratch later. James claimed he'd not actually been shot, but Steve knew better. Only, he didn't say anything as he knew it could get James in trouble.
Ever since he'd found out about Mutants in the modern day, and the Alcatraz incident that involved this X-Men team (he'd researched it but didn't know the full details) Steve had a very good feeling that James had definitely been a Mutant.
The monster charged at them again, when the man made of metal leapt and punched it, making it stagger back again while the man landed, then leapt near Steve, as Bobby formed an ice-slide after running, escorting people away.
"I am Colossus", the new man introduced himself. "Honored to meet you."
"Same here", Steve nodded.
Steve rolled away to avoid and threw his shield at its head, getting its attention, only for Colossus to get behind it and punch it in the back of the head as it staggered forwards, Steve jumping out of the way.
At that moment, Bobby had surrounded the battlefield with a thick ice wall, and then, he slid around the creature, freezing it and slowing it down as the shield impacted against its head.
It roared and struck the ice slide, making Bobby fall, only for Steve to leap and catch him before landing, as Colossus stood near them.
"Take me with you", Colossus offered.
"Sure", Bobby said, making another slide as he and Colossus now slid together, Iceman blasting the creature's face with ice, blinding it, before Colossus leapt on its head, slamming his fist down on it, before grabbing onto it.
The creature roared, trying to shake Colossus off as it broke through the ice wall, before smacking him away, and started making a run for it, climbing a building and breaking parts of it due to its strength.
"I could go up there and hit it again, maybe freeze it to death", Iceman offered.
"What do you think?" Colossus asked Steve.
"You're quite strong", Steve noted. "How far can you throw?"
Colossus' steel face smirked. "One fastball special coming right up."
Grabbing Steve, Colossus spun him around and threw him towards the climbing monster, the Captain holding out his shield straight.
The monster turned to Steve at the last second, and the shield's edge made contact with its head, cracking it open and killing it as it started falling, and Steve started falling too.
Steve was about to take out his wire-launcher, when suddenly, the monster's body disappeared into a breach, and Steve fell into it as well before he could do anything else.
"Okay, what was that?" Colossus asked in horror.
"I…..have no idea", Iceman muttered.
And with that, our chapter is over.
Takeo was never going to be a long-term villain. But since he was only showing up to get his ass kicked by Oliver or Eliot or both up until now, decided to give him a last hurrah. Thanks a lot to Brainstorm Sorcerer for the idea and his very helpful input on it.
And he was always gonna be killed by Prometheus, to show how obsessed he is with killing Oliver that he will kill anyone else repeatedly attempting to do so.
The chip he has now works similarly to the Prometheus helmet from the comics, so now Adrian Chase has become like comics Prometheus pretty much.
While Oliver has laid down the law with his team, and patched things up too.
Lex uses the machine, and reaches Earth-199999, and meets Zemo. While the deaths of his family clearly made him decide to destroy the Avengers, let's be honest, his anti-superhero feelings would have been there before, they didn't just pop out of the blue.
And we got picture cameos of many creatures in that scene- the humanoid being with icy-blue skin was a Hel-Walker from 'God of War', then the Tonberry from 'Compilation of Final Fantasy VII' that the Avengers, Clark and Bart had fought, then a Fyarl Demon from Buffyverse, then a Gundark from 'Star Wars', and finally a Null Void Vulpimancer from the 'Ben 10' franchise.
So with Lex and Zemo, the beginnings of the Injustice League are here.
While Steve fought an Ogre from 'God of War'. Let's be honest, even a held back Kratos leaves Steve in the dust strength-wise, so he couldn't beat the Ogre, but as you can see, he is Captain America because he can do this all day, and he tried his best.
Iceman and Colossus from the X-Men movies made their cameo, and they killed the Ogre by teaming up, but Steve has disappeared now.
Thanks a lot to Brainstorm Sorcerer for his help once more.
Hope all enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.