Everything has been building up to this chapter, so brace yourselves. It's a wild ride.
TW: Thank you.
Omega Prime: There's been a glitch going on for the last several weeks where chapters, especially new ones don't always show up. Try it now.
Quinjet, En Route to Washington DC
Mid afternoon
Storm sat at the controls, Bobby in the passenger seat. Bobby's hands were rung together as he thought.
Logan and Bobby stood further away from the others as they talked.
"I can't go with you to Washington. Me and Magneto do not mix. The X-Men need someone to lead them," Logan said with a pointed look at Bobby.
"Me? But Storm-"
"She's a good teacher, but she's no leader. I've taught you everything you need to know. Consider this your graduation exam. Everything the Professor, Scott, Storm and I have ever taught you has been preparing you for this moment," Logan said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I know you can do this, kid. You're ready."
Bobby rung his hands together before straightening up, a determined glint in his eyes as the weight of leadership settled over him.
Towards the back of the plane, Wanda sat alone, deep in thought.
"I figured you'd be going with them," Clint said as Wanda prepared to depart.
"I need to face him. Magneto, he has answers to questions that only he can give," Wanda said and Clint nodded in understanding.
"I understand. If anyone understands needing answers about your past, it's me. Just be careful out there, kid. Magneto is not someone you can mess with," Clint warned her.
"Figured you'd be trying to talk me out of it," Wanda said and Clint smiled tightly.
"Although I will deny having ever said this, Nat's right. You are a grown woman who can make your own decisions. Whatever happens…I'm proud of you for the person you've turned out to be," Clint told her before wrapping his arms around her. "I love you, kid."
"I love you too," Wanda said, returning his embrace.
Back in the present, Wanda was broken out of her thoughts when Kurt sat down next to her. He gave her a concerned look and she smiled, trying to reassure him. Without a word, the two took hands, not needing to say another word.
On the other side, Jay watched this before leaning back; letting out a breath as he anticipated what was to come.
Black Bird, en route to Starling City
Same time
"We're about twenty minutes out," Logan called out as he piloted the Black Bird.
"Okay," Oliver said, taking a deep breath. "Okay. We all know the plan. I trust each and every one of you with my life. But right now, I need to trust you with more than just my life. I need to trust you with my city, my family…my son. I always thought I had to it alone…but I can't do this by myself."
"You're not alone, Ollie," Sara said as Bobbi silently reached out, taking his hand.
"No matter what happens, we've got your back," Matt added.
"I didn't travel back in time just to let everyone in Starling City die a second time," Barry assured him.
"We have your back, Oliver, but none of it will matter if we can't disarm the bombs," Carter pointed out.
"Which is where Barry and Ray come in. They're the only people in the city that will be smart enough to know how to do it," Oliver explained.
"What your and Sara's families? If Ray is disarming the bomb, how are you getting them out of danger?" Courtney asked.
"Ray's not my only friend…and he's not the only one I called," Oliver said vaguely.
New York
Not long after
"Kid, you need to calm down and think," Fury said as Peter put on his suit.
"He has Gwen, there's no time," Peter insisted.
"He's beaten you twice now, nearly killed you once. Maybe you can beat him this time, but what if you can't? And if you can't, where does that leave Stacy?" Fury reasoned and Peter paused. "You need to think, or you are going to get her killed along with yourself."
'Alright, fine. Then what do you suggest?" Peter asked after a moment.
"You don't need to do this alone, kid. Like I said, I've had a team watching Osborn. Let me make a call," Fury told him, pulling out his phone.
Watchtower
Not long after
Caitlin sat alone, deep in thought.
Earlier
"Cait, I have to go," Ronnie said regretfully as they said goodbye.
"I know. You wouldn't be you if you didn't," Caitlin said with a tight smile.
"It's not just about me. The whole world is going to end. I have to do this Ciat," Ronnie told her.
Now
"He's gonna be fine, you know," Cisco said as he sat down next to her. "He's Firestorm."
"I just…I lost him once. I can't do it again," Caitlin said with a shuttering breathe.
"You won't. Barry didn't travel back in time just to lose us all again," Cisco said and Caitlin laughed.
"Time Travel. I knew Dr. Wells…Thawne was from the future. But still, I never thought one of my best friends would have that power," Caitlin said in disbelief.
"Even with all we've seen, that was a new one. Welcome to the new normal," Cisco quipped and Caitlin laughed again. "One good thing, Barry finally seems to have moved on from Iris."
Earlier
"I'll try to be in touch, but the planet in the sky is going to cause cell phone interference," Barry told Chloe as they stood away from everyone else.
"I'll try to keep Comms open for as long as I can. Good luck," Chloe told him.
She expected him to go away, to head out with the others. Instead, Barry reached out, putting a hand to the side of her face as he looked at her with care. Chloe froze, suddenly aware of everyone in the room. Specifically Joe and Iris, who watched the scene curiously.
"They'll see," Chloe said lowly and Barry didn't need to ask who she was talking about.
"I don't care."
Barry leaned in and Chloe closed her eyes as their lips met. Chloe's entire body seemed to come alive as they kissed before Barry pulled back.
"I'm coming back. And we're bringing everyone home," Barry promised.
Now
"Found them," Chloe said, showing Clark a picture of Godfrey entering a church. "I somehow doubt Godfrey found religion."
"If Godfrey is there, it stands to reason Darkseid is," Clark said.
"Clark, are you ready for this?" Tess asked as she and Chloe looked at him uncertainly.
"I have to be. I'm finally ready to face him," Clark said, gripping his hands into fists. "It's time to end this."
Washington DC
Same time
Magneto, flanked by Mystique and Pyro, was leading his army towards the White House when a voice spoke up behind them.
"Magneto," they all turned as a young woman stepped forward. "I sense several powerful mutants heading towards the White House. Two of them are extremely powerful; they might be as strong as you."
"The X-Men. It seems Charles has been adding to his ranks," Magneto noted.
"What do you wanna do?" Pyro asked.
"This changes nothing. If Charles would rather fight on the side of humans, he has made his choice. And I have made mine," Magneto said, a dark look crossing his face. "It is time to end our feud, once and for all."
At the White House, several security guards stood at attention, armed with guns as a Quinjet landed on the front yard. They all had their guns at the ready as the ramp lowered. Bobby and Storm walked out first, followed by Kitty, Rogue, Gambit, Wanda, Kurt and Jay.
"Hold it! What are you doing here, and who are you?" One of them demanded.
"We be the X-Men, mon ami," Gambit told him.
"Look, Magneto is coming to assassinate the president. He's already on his way, and you guys aren't able to handle him. You know it," Bobby said reasonably and every guard tensed. "Get inside, get the president somewhere safe."
"And why should we trust you?" a guard said, eying the X-Men suspiciously.
"Because right now, we're your only chance to stop Magneto," Bobby pointed out.
"So unless you feel like explaining to the President why you sidelined the only people that could save him, I'd get inside and start getting people to safety," Kitty backed up her boyfriend.
The lead guard hesitated, clearly considering his option. Then, finally he nodded, lowering his gun.
"You better be right about this," the guard said.
"Sir, they're unregistered Enhanced!" One of the other guards protested.
"And if they're right, it doesn't mean shit. Magneto's coming, and we can't stop him. Maybe they can," the lead guard said, eying them uncertainly. "Good luck."
The lead guard walked back, shouting orders to his men. Within seconds, the guards had vanished, leaving them on the front lawn.
"Not bad, kid," Jay said, looking at Bobby impressed.
"The Professor would have been proud," Storm added and Bobby smiled tightly.
"Thanks. Let's just hope we survive long enough to tell him what happened," Bobby said, staring ahead at the sky, knowing Magneto wasn't far behind.
Starling City
Same time
Scott was at his vantage point, waiting for the Black Bird to appear when, suddenly, a strike to the neck at super speed knocked him unconcious. Scott fell to the ground as Barry stood behind him before tapping the Comms piece in his ear.
"He's down. I'll restrain him and then head to Queen Consolidated," Barry promised.
"Don't stay too long kid, we'll need you there," Logan told him.
At the factory, Roy had just taken out the guard when the door opened. They all looked up, only Diggle and Felicity recognizing the man who had just walked into the room.
"Anatoly, what are you doing here?" Diggle demand and Anatoly Knyazev merely smiled.
"Rescuing you, of course. Now come, I fear this place is unsafe," Anatoly warned them.
In a chopper above the city, Kane sat in the back, glancing over and smirking at the terrified William.
"Don't worry kid, you'll be safe. Your mom, on the other hand," Kane laughed as he pulled out the trigger, activating it.
At Queen Consolidated, Barry had sped into the basement and found the bomb. As he began to open it, the counter started.
"Shit," Barry swore.
At the docks, Sabretooth, China White, Icicle Jr, Dex, Snart and Mick stood gathered. White's phone vibrated and she pulled it out, seeing it was a text.
"That was Kane, he just armed the bomb. Time to get clear," White said.
"Then I guess we should get out of here," Snart said dryly.
The group began walking off, Snart lingering behind. Snart subtly pulled out his phone, arranging a text when a knife suddenly went through his phone, knocking it out of his hand.
"Sorry, Snart. You won't be warning Allen a second time," Dex said with a smirk.
Mick immediately raised his Heat Gun, trying to blast Dex but Icicle sent a blast of ice at him. Mick was thrown back as Snart raised his cold gun, tryig to shoot a blast of ice at them but Icicke managed to disarm him by sending a blast of ice at Snart's hand. Snart cried out in pain, his hand frozen as he dropped the Cold Gun.
"Did you really think Kane didn't figure out you would turn on him, warn Allen?" White asked with a smirk as she pulled out her knives.
"Boss needed a way to get Queen here. You thought you were playing him, but he's been playing you the whole time," Sabretooth said with a malicious smirk.
At that moment, a blue beam shot out of the sky, striking Sabretooth and sending him flying. Everyone looked up as Ray flew down, landing in front of Snart.
"Don't know who you are punk, but you shouldn't have come to this party alone," Sabretooth grunted as he pulled himself to his feet.
"Who said I did?" Ray shot back.
As if in response to Ray's claim, a grenade was thrown between the two groups. The villains all jumped back but it went off. However, it was only a smoke grenade, making visibility next to impossible.
Then, with a roar, Logan appeared, engaging Sabretooth as Sara and Bobbi jumped out as well, beginning to engage White. Dex whirled around as Matt jumped behind him, the lawyer slugging Dex. And Courtney tapped her staff before striking Icicle with it.
His distraction created, Ray helped Snart to his feet.
"Hey, hey. Where's the bomb?" Ray demanded.
Under Kane's helicopter, an arrow with a line exploded into cables that wrapped around one of its legs. Oliver held onto his bow for dear life, carefully beginning to climb up the line and towards the helicopter.
Military base
Same time
At a base, three guards were at their post when a figure rose out of the ground behind them. They never even knew he was there before Vision delivered a blow to each of them, knocking them out.
"The east entrance is secure," Vision said as he searched them, finding a key card. "The key card is exactly where Ms. Sullivan said it would be."
"You know what to do. Take out the security cameras and then open the back entrance. The rest of us will meet up with you then," Steve ordered over the Comms.
"Affirmative, Captain," Vision said before he phased inside the base.
White House
Same time
In front of the entrance to the White House, from left to right, Wanda, Rogue, Gambit, Kitty, Bobby, Storm, Kurt and Jay stood in front the building, guard it as Magneto and his army reached the front gate. Using his powers, Magneto opened the gate and they all stepped through it, staring down the X-Men.
Magneto paused as he saw Jay, his resemblance to Shaw uncanny. But no, it wasn't Shaw. Of that he was certain. Still, there was something familiar about him for sure.
But what drew his attention was Wanda Maximoff. Not because she was with the X-Men. But because, upon spotting him, she gave him a look of such contempt that it surprised him. What had he ever done to earn such hatred from her? But Magneto banished the thought. She was with the X-Men, and would share their fate.
"Finish them!"
At his order, his army rushed the X-Men. Magneto held out a hand, stopping Pyro and the rest of his inner circle.
"In chess, the pawns go first," Magneto said.
Wanda quickly used her powers, lifting several of the mutants into the air before slamming them roughly back onto the ground just as quickly, knocking them out. Bobby shot off two streams of ice while Storm's eyes flashed pure white, lighting coming down and striking the army.
"And that's why," Magneto told Pyro with a slight smirk.
Metropolis
Same time
From the top of the church, Adrian, Godfrey and Goodness watched as Apokolips neared the Earth with glee.
"The day of judgement is upon us. We've saved the willing souls from the coming apocalypse to serve the Dark Lord," Goodness said gleefully.
"While also dividing those who stand in his way," Adrian said with a smirk.
"Our work is done," Godfrey declared with a smirk.
"I wouldn't be too sure about that," the three of them looked up as Clint walked in, gripping his bow tightly.
"Clint Barton," Godfrey greeted.
"You cannot stop us. Lord Darkseid will rule over this world as he has done so many others, and there is nothing you can do about it," Goodness taunted him.
"You're right, I can't. But I know a few people who can. And the one thing I can do…is get you three off my planet," Clint said before reaching back into his quiver.
With a sneer, Goodness raised her hand, which glowed brightly. But before she could do anything, Clint fired off an arrow, which struck her in the chest. Clint then notched two more arrows in quick succession, firing at Godfrey and Adrian, both of which struck true. They all gasped in pain before Goodness and Godfrey seemed to evaporate in a flash of light. Adrian grasped the arrow, looking at Adrian in pained shock.
"You kill me? You? Oliver….kills me…Oliver…"
With a gasping breath, Adrian also evaporated in a flashing light.
"Sorry pal, you're not the main star here," Clint said, lowering his bow. "You're all clear, Clark. Take him down."
After hearing Clint's voice, Clark entered the church, unsurprised to find Darkseid waiting at the podium. A twisted smirk crossed Darkseid's face before he stepped down.
"Darkseid," Clark said and Darkseid laughed; a sound that sent chills down Clark's spine.
"The lost son of Jor-El."
"My father sent me here to protect this planet. And I will fight you to my last breath," Clark told him firmly.
"There must be a part of you that's disgusted by how easily your people fell to me," Darkseid said with a smirk.
"They may not be perfect, but I believe even in the darkest soul, there's always hope," Clark said and the smirk left Darkseid's face. "People once believed in something greater. And it may be easier to hate, but it's stronger to love."
"Is it? Eons have passed since I came face to face with a force that could possible tip the balance towards the light," Darkseid said.
Darkseid then held out his hands and Clark's hands went to his throat, feeling like Zod had suddenly wrapped his hands around there.
"You are the light! You have made your friends immune to my darkness! And you will obliterate my darkness from the rest of the world if you are not stopped!" Darkseid said as Clark found himself pulled closer to Darkseid until Darkseid had wrapped his hand around Clark's throat. "You will surrender to me. You will lose your soul. I will annihilate you!"
Darkseid then tossed Clark through a wall and outside. As he was thrown through the debris, Clark remembered his father's words.
"Clark, you're gonna have to let Jor-El guide you here on out."
Clark then inexplicably found himself standing in a dark room, metal rings whirling around him.
"You have always had the power within you, my son," Jor-El's voice suddenly said.
Clark looked around, startled as the rings faded. He then saw Crystal pillars light up around him. Looking into one, Clark was stunned as he saw Lex accidentally hitting him with his car as they both fell into the water. He then swam and rescued Lex.
He turned to see himself standing in front of a bus, letting it crash into him to protect a man sleeping at the bus stop.
He saw himself saving Eric Summers while being struck by a lightning bolt.
He then saw Lana's car trapped in a tornado as he actually flew inside the tornado to save her.
Then he turned to see him use Heat Vision to destroy a bullet his mind-controlled father shot at Lex, followed by using his own body to save Kyla from a falling rock.
He saw Virgil Swann talking to him about his origins before saw himself step behind Lana to take a bullet from Adam Knight meant for her.
Then he saw himself running from the football field during the game off to a corner to disarm Mikail of his knife, saving Chloe in the process, following by seeing himself stop a helicopter.
He then saw himself battling Zod in Lex's body as both flew in the air.
He turned as he then noticed himself speed a boy out of a meteor's way, shielding him from the flames before seeing himself shielding Shelby from the truck exploding.
He then saw him destroying Brainiac after he'd revealed Kara was in the Phantom Zone, followed by him using heat vision to evaporate a tsunami after the dam had broken following his fight with Bizarro.
Then he saw himself saving Chloe from falling at the Daily Planet and disarming a launched nuke, before seeing himself catch a falling car.
He then saw himself saving Tess upon their first meeting.
He then saw his first defeat of Bizarro, stopping a falling train, saving Lois from Zod followed by his fight with Zod on the rooftop and saving Lois during his trip to the future.
"These were my trials," Clark said after a moment, seeing so many more.
"Your final trial is upon you, my son. You are ready. Seize your destiny," Jor-El told him.
Clark then found himself in the air, floating. No, not floating, flying.
Clark looked down at himself in amazement before raising his head, looking down at Darkseid, who was staring at him in shock before a scowl crossed his face.
"It doesn't matter if you can fly or not! I have Thawne's powers! I can defeat you now!" Darkseid roared before rushing at Clark at super speed.
But Clark flew towards him far faster, sending a punch to Darkseid's face. He was thrown through a wall, landing in a small creator. Darkseid didn't even have time to pick himself up when Clark was suddenly there, his eyes flashing red as he gripped Darkseid by his neck.
"It's over, Darkseid, you're done," Clark told him.
"You will not kill me. You will never kill a man, Kal-El," Darkseid said confidently.
"You won't die. And Thawne is already dead."
Darkseid was then struck by two beams of Heat Vision so strong that his entire body was destroyed by it. The room was then filled with dark smoke and the image of a raven before it vanished. Clark then sped out of the church.
Military base
Same time
Alarms were blaring as the guards were attempting to fight off the intruders. Key word being 'attempted'.
Firestorm shot a blast of fire at the guards while Tony shot off a few Rupulsor beams, aimed at the guns. The guns were shot out of their hands as Sam and Natasha moved in, Natasha using her Widow's Bite to incapacitate them while Sam used his wings to knock them all down. Within seconds, the guards were all down, save one, who quickly dropped his head, putting hands in the air.
"Don't shoot, I give up!"
"Then tell us where Ross is keeping the mutant children," Steve demanded.
White House
Same time
A mutant breathed out a toxic gas from his mouth that would have fried the X-Men if Wanda hadn't used her powers to contain it. And, once he had stopped, Wanda redirected the gas at the Brotherhood, hitting the mutant and his allies with his own attack.
Storm rose up into the air, preparing to deliver a devastating attack. A raven was flying near her when it suddenly transformed into Mystique. Mystique grabbed onto Storm, dragging her down to the ground.
Gambit used his cards, charged with energy, to take down Magneto's mutants left and right. A man rushed Gambit, swinging a pole. Gambit pulled out his staff, using it to block the attack. The two swung at each other a few times, blocking the staff until Gambit charged his staff, knocking the other mutant's staff out of his hand before touching the end of his charged staff to the mutant's chest. The other man cried out in again as the staff burned through his hard before he fell to the ground, dead.
"Destroy them," Magneto told a muscular man (who bore an uncanny resemblance to Daniel Brickwell) wearing a metal helmet.
The man smirked before rushing onto the battlefield, drawing everyone's attention.
"Wanda!" Bobby ordered.
Wanda nodded, immediately sending a blast of energy at the man. But, to their disbelief, the man seemed to take it as though it were nothing. Rogue than charged onto the battle field, sending a punch to the man's abdomen. But the man's only response was to laugh before punching her hard enough to send her flying into the air.
"Rogue!" Bobby cried out as the X-Men all watched their teammate falling in horror.
But, to everyone's shock, Rogue seemed to stop falling, hovering in the air. Rogue looked around, in shock before her eyes narrowed as she flew straight at the muscular mutant.
"You think you scare me? I'm the Juggernaut, bitch!" he snarled, preparing to attack her.
Only for Kurt and Kitty to appear behind him in a puff of smoke. Kitty grabbed his waist, using her powers to power him from the waist down into the ground. But, with a snarl, he broke free, jumping out of the ground and attempting to strike Kitty. She was only saved by using her powers to avoid his fist.
Storm was exchanging blows with Mystique, striking the blue skinned mutant in the abdomen. This had no effect on Mystique and, ash se whirled around, she changed into a Caucasian, red haired woman wearing an X-Men uniform. The sight of Jean caused Storm to pause momentarily, but that was all Mystique needed to send a strong punch to Storm's face, hard enough to send her flying back.
Mystique moved to attack again but Storm's eyes snapped open, pure white. A bolt of lightning came out of the sky, striking Mystique and sending her flying back. She hit the ground, out cold as she returned to her normal form.
The sight of his lover and closest ally being flung across the battlefield seemed to finally push Magneto over the edge. His eyes narrowed before he turned to Pyro.
"It is time to end this war."
With those words, Magneto used his powers, lifting several nearby cars into the air. One by one, he threw them at the X-Men, uncaring of possibly hitting his own allies as Pyro lit them on fire.
"Get out of the way!" Bobby shouted as they all ran for cover.
New York
Same time
At the top of the Oscorp building, Peter swung down and landed a few feet from Gwen. Gwen looked up, her fearful eyes meeting his masked ones. But they weren't afraid for herself. No, Gwen was afraid for him.
"Peter, get out of here. It's a trap," Gwen tried to warn.
"I know," Peter said simply before they heard the sound of an engine.
"Well well, look who decided to join us!" the Goblin said as he flew down on his glider.
"It's over, Norman. Let her go," Peter ordered and the Goblin laughed.
"I'm afraid I can do that, Peter. You see, I went through all the trouble of getting you here. And I'm not letting you leave without a fight!"
Peter barely had a chance to process the fact that Norman knew his identity before his Spider-Sense went off. Peter jumped into the air, barely dodging a barrage of bullets before Norman flew straight at him. Peter dodged with a backflip, taking cover behind post on the other side of the building from the bullets.
From another building, three men were opening fire, attempting to hit Spider-Man when, from behind, they were all struck with the barrel of a gun, knocked out.
"That was pretty easy," a man said, standing next to Maria Hill.
"Osborn clearly didn't hire them for their skill," Hill said before tapping the Comms piece in her ear. "Fury, we've handled the hired help. Osborn and the girl are all yours."
With the gunfire stopping, Peter rushed out of his hiding spot, spotting Norman. With a roar, Norman flew towards him as Peter flung himself towards his enemy.
Starling City
Same time
Snart led Ray over to a building just outside the docks. Stepping inside, Ray saw the bomb and swore as he saw the countdown had started and they had just over 10 minutes left.
Up above the city, William was still looking out the window fearfully when he saw something. The Arrow was pulling himself up the leg of the helicopter. Seeing him watching, Oliver put a finger to his lips, telling him to be quiet. William gave a barely noticeable nod as Oliver pulled himself up the rest of the way.
Oliver gestured towards his seatbelt, hoping desperately that William understood. And William seemed to be, because, after a fearful glance at Kane (who thankfully wasn't paying attention to thee outside, watching a video feed of the factory with a frown) he unbuckled.
The sound caused Kane's attention to turn back to William but by that point, Oliver had risen to his feet (albeit on shaky legs) and yanked the door open. At lightning speed, Oliver yanked William out of the helicopter and, to the shock of both William and Kane, appeared to toss him overboard. But William fell less than a second before he was caught by Carter's waiting arms.
Seeing Carter begin to fly William to safety, Oliver turned back to Kane and jumped inside, slugging him. Kane was flung back; his head hitting the window as Oliver jumped on him, beginning to pound on Kane. Kane began trading blows with him, pushing Oliver off him slightly.
"Take them down!" Kane ordered to the pilot between blows.
Activating the helicopter's targeting system, the pilot immediately managed to find Carter in his sights. Seeing what was about to happen, Oliver pulled a flechette out from under his sleeve and threw it at the pilot. It hit the pilot in the jugular, but not before he pressed the button.
A small missile shot out from the helicopter and headed straight for Carter. Oliver could only watch horrified as it struck them, causing an explosion and Carter was sent falling to the ground, his wings on fire.
Kane's laughed insanely and Oliver almost killed him right then and there until his attention was brought to something else.
Without their pilot, they were flying wildly with no direction. And the helicopter crashed into a nearby skyscraper. The chopper blade took out several widows before the vehicle was propelled through the air, spinning wildly. Finally, miraculously, it crashed landed onto a landing pad on an unknown building, rolling over several times before stopping finally on the edge of the landing pad.
Military base
Same time
Piotr was in his cell, restrained by an arm chair that restrained all his limbs in a metal cuff. There also seemed to be some kind of power dampener, as he couldn't use his powers no matter how hard he tried. Then, the door was suddenly blasted off its hinges. Piotr looked up as Iron Man of all people walked inside.
"Hey. How'd you like to get out of here?" Tony asked as he walked over, beginning to open up the cuffs.
"The students," Piotr started.
"The others are handling that now," Tony assured him.
One by one, Steve, Natasha, Sam, Vision and Ronnie opened the cells, letting out terrified young children between the ages of 15 and 9.
"Don't worry, you're safe. It'll be alright," Steve told them kindly. "We're going to get you all home."
They looked up at him, still afraid. And yet, they also felt more at ease at his words.
Because it was Captain America. And if there was one thing everyone in the world knew about Captain America, he always meant what he promised you.
New York
Same time
Gwen watched worriedly as Peter and Norman battled on the roof. Peter shot out two streams of webbing, catching Norman and yanking him off his glider. The glider crash landed on the rooftop, skidding a few feet and Norman was thrown a few feet away. But Norman yanked on the webbing, pulling Peter towards him and grabbing him by the neck.
"You should have stayed out of my way, Peter. The Parkers do have a tendency to interfere in my plans," Norman noted as Peter glared at him from behind his mask.
"Why? Why frame my Dad?" Peter grunted against Norman's grip.
"He wouldn't cooperate, that made him a loose end. Just like you!"
Norman then struck Peter in the face so hard in sent him flying back a few feet. Peter landed on his back before Norman jumped on him, assailing him with several punches. Norman then grabbed him by the front of his suit, lifted him into the air and slammed him down onto the ground.
"Don't worry, you'll see Daddy soon enough. And after I kill you, I'll kill your little girlfriend, then your Aunt. And then anyone else you care about!"
Norman then tried to strike Peter again only for Peter to grab his fists, to Norman's surprise. Peter then lifted his head and, even with the mask on, Norman could feel the rage that radiated off Peter.
With an angry shout, Peter punched Norman hard enough to grab his mask before pushing the older man off him. Jumping up, Peter delivered a spinning kick to Norman's chest, sending the man falling back. Peter was about to attack again when his Spider-Sense went off. A split second later, Norman threw a pumpkin bomb at him, the bomb already getting ready to explode. Peter just barely had time to jump back an inch before the bomb exploded, rocking the whole building.
White House
Same time
"We can't keep dodging those things forever!" Rogue shouted after Kitty once again used her powers to save one of them from the flaming cars Magneto kept hurling at them.
"Then we won't," Bobby said as they briefly turned their attention to him. "Jay, you ready to take out your old man?"
"I've been ready for a long time," Jay said, looking up and glaring at Magneto.
"Good. The rest of you, deal with Juggernaut. I'll take care of Pyro. Move!"
At Bobby's order, they all moved towards their directed enemies. Bobby rushed out onto the battlefield and used his powers to stop a flaming car in its tracks. Magneto frowned before turning to Pyro, who was eying Bobby with a look of rage.
"Go."
At the order, Pyro walked forward to meet Bobby. The two former best friends eyed each other with mutual anger, Bobby removing his gloves. Then, they used their powers to attack, Pyro using the lighter he had attached to his sleeve to unleash a wave of fire whereas Bobby shot out two beams of ice, attempting desperately to block the attack.
Jay sped up to Magneto, delivering a series of punches all around his father, too fast for him to see. Magneto called a flaming car door, attempting to hit Jay with it but Jay was too fast, running out of the way just in time. The hit the ground and two stared at each other, Magneto tilting his head to the side as he examined this stranger.
"You bear an uncanny resemblance to Sebastian Shaw. Yet I know you're not him. Who are you?" Magneto asked and Jay smiled unpleasantly.
"Don't recognize me, father?" Jay asked mockingly and Magneto stiffened, examining him for a moment.
"Peter," Magneto said softly, seeing his eyes, the same eyes that had stared at him back then with the same contempt his son was looking at him with now.
"It's Jay now. I had to change my name when I went into hiding from you," Jay said with scorn in his voice.
"I do not wish to fight you, my son. But I will if you continue to stand in my way. What I do today, I do for all mutants," Magneto told him firmly.
"No, you're doing it for a being known as Darkseid. He's controlling you, and you don't even see it. Think about it, father. How does assassinating the president help mutants?" Jay pointed out logically and Magneto paused.
But only for a moment as his face grew dark.
"You will not stop me son, I'm sorry. If you stand against me, you declare yourself an enemy!"
With those words, Magneto lifted all the flaming cards he had flung previously and sent them all hurling towards Jay.
Juggernaut roared as he rushed the remaining X-Men, Wanda using her powers to lift him into the air while Storm conjured a storm that produced a powerful lightning bolt. It struck Juggernaut in the chest and he was sent flying back, landing on the ground with a loud thud. But, to the disbelief of the X-Men, he then got back to his feet.
"That the best you got? This'll be easier than I thought!" Juggernaut laughed mockingly before rushing them once more.
"You're in over your head, Bobby. Maybe you should go back to school," Pyro mocked as he neared his former friend, the flames on the verge of consuming Bobby.
But this was what Bobby had been waiting for. Closing his eyes, Bobby directed his powers not at Pyro, but at himself. Within seconds, Bobby's entire body was encased in living ice. Surging forward, Bobby grabbed Pyro's hands, stopping his attack. Pyro had only a moment to try and process what had just happened before Bobby head-butted him, hard and Pyro fell to the ground, out cold.
"You never should have left," Bobby told his former best friend, voice as cold as his body before walking off.
Kurt teleported on top of Juggernaut, blinding him before Gambit rushed forward, charging his staff. But, just before it hit him, Juggernaut flung Kurt off him and reached out, grabbing Gambit by the throat. Gambit gasped for breath before Kitty rushed forward, grabbing his legs and fazing him out of Juggernaut's grasp. Juggernaut attempted to strike them again only to get hit from the side by two blasts of ice.
"Stay away from my team!" Bobby snarled as he continued his attack.
"You think that can stop me! I'm raw power!" Juggernaut roared as he began walking through the ice, towards Bobby.
"That's the idea. Wanda!"
At Bobby's order, Wanda let out a yell as she joined Bobby in his efforts, pulling everything she had into two blasts of energy that she sent at Juggernaut.
Magneto continued trying to strike Jay with the cars before Jay tackled him at high speed, punching him hard enough to send his helmet flying as Magneto landed on his back.
"It's over, father," Jay told him.
"It will be over, my son…when our people are safe," Magneto snarled and Jay scoffed.
"Safe. You've been using that same excuse since the day we met. And yet all you've ever really done is try to kill people. Nothing you've done has ever made us safer; it's just made us targets by giving humans even more reasons to fear us. At what point do you actually try to help mutants?" Jay demanded.
"All I have ever done is try to help our kind," Magneto defended himself as he got to his feet.
"I remember exactly what your help looks. As I recall it, I ended up locked in a metal sphere when I didn't buy into your 'mutant supremacy' narrative," Jay reminded him. "And I'm not your only child to suffer because of your ego. What about Lorna?"
"Lorna left of her own accord, just as you did," Magneto said although Jay could see that he had touched a nerve.
"I wonder why. You locked up her brother for not agreeing with your methods, is it any wonder that she turned on you? That she was afraid she might be next?" Jay shot back.
"I would never have hurt Lorna," Magneto tried to defend himself.
"I'm sure you said the same thing about me when you found out I was your son. Didn't take much to have you lock me up. There are Prisoners of War who got treated better than how you treated me," Jay shot back and Magneto had a hint of shame on his face. "But I don't want to talk about me. I want to talk about Lorna. Rather, Wanda. Look at her."
Confused, Magneto followed his son's finger, seeing Wanda helping Bobby try to stop Juggernaut. Juggernaut slammed his fist onto the ground, sent a shock wave so powerful it knocked both Bobby and Wanda off her feet.
"Does she remind you of someone?" Jay asked softly.
Magneto didn't understand it until Wanda pulled herself to her feet, a defiant look on her face. A look that Magneto had seen many years ago, on Lorna's face just before she had left him.
"Lorna," Magneto said in realization.
"Wanda is her daughter. Your granddaughter. She grew up without a mother because Lorna was killed in an accident. Both your grandchildren grew up without their family. They should have been here with us, safe…but they weren't. Because you made Lorna so afraid, she ran all the way to Sokovia to get away from you," Jay said angrily and Magneto looked as though Jay had physically struck him. "You say you're protecting us. Well, seems to me that you are the one causing those closest to you the greatest harm. The Professor. Me. Lorna. When does it stop, father? When will it ever be enough before you decide to break the cycle of anger and hatred?"
Magneto fell to his knees, overwhelmed with the knowledge that he had, however inadvertently, caused his daughter's death and his granddaughter's suffering. Seeing Juggernaut approach Wanda, something in Magneto seemed to snap.
"No….NO!"
Rising to his feet, a look of resolve on his face, Magneto used his powers, lifting Juggernaut's helmet off his head. They all stopped, staring as the Omega symbol flashed on Magneto's head before vanishing in a bright light. Using his powers, Magneto then hurled the helmet back at Juggernaut, striking him on the head hard enough to knock the other mutant out.
Fortress of Solitude
Same time
Clark sped into the Fortress, stopping at the center when Jor-El's voice spoke up.
"Your journey has come to an end, Kal-El. A father's pride cannot be measured in words, but know that I am proud of you, son," Jor-El said and Clark smiled.
"You have no idea how long I've waited to hear you say that," Clark said.
"We have been a long road together Kal-El, one paved with difficult trials. But those trials are behind you now. Any father can only hope that he is one day humbled by the feats of his son, but it is your soul of which I am most proud. You and you alone possess the courage, the determination and the compassion that will be required to lift the darkness from the earth," Jor-El explained.
Clark frowned as the fortress was suddenly filled with darkness before there was a tremor followed by a loud crack. Clark whirled around, seeing something breaking through the ice. Clark approached, seeing the suit Martha had made for him, encased in a crystal case, emerge from the ground. Clark approached it, mesmerized.
"I ask you to remember one thing. I ask you to remember your time in Smallville. Your abilities may be of my blood, but it is your time there with Jonathan and Martha Kent and all the people there that made you a hero, Kal-El," Jor-El told him.
Clark turned around, looking over at the console when he heard a familiar voice speak up behind him.
"Always hold onto Smallville."
Clark whirled around, seeing Jonathan standing there with a proud smile, holding the suit in his arms. Clark and Jonathan exchanged a smile before he approached, taking it from Jonathan. Clark looked down at the suit for a moment before looking up; realizing Jonathan was gone once more.
Clark stood there for a moment, wishing there had been more time before looking back down at the suit. It was time.
Readying himself, Clark crouched down on his legs before taking off into air. As he neared the top of the Fortress, Clark quickly changed into the suit. Feeling the cap behind him, Clark crashed through the top of the Fortress before flying off, knowing what he had to do.
Starling City
Same time
Courtney tried to strike Icicle with her staff but, with a laugh, he sent a blast of ice at her. She dodged the blast before managing a hit to his side, her staff glowing. He stumbled back before, with a roar, he sent blast of ice at her so powerful that it sent her flying back.
"I'm done playing games with you, Star Girl or whatever you want to call yourself. You've gotten in my way for the last time. I'm gonna-"
Whatever Icicle was saying was cut off when an orange beam hit him from behind. Icicle cried out in pain, falling to his knees as he burst into flames.
"Shut up and fry, you freak!" Mick shouted as he continued firing his Heat Gun.
A few feet away, Logan and Sabretooth traded blows while Sara and Bobbi double-teamed White. Whirling her knives, White attempted to strike both of them but Sara block with her baton while Bobbi used her Battle Staves. They jumped back and, when White moved to strike them again, Sara pulled her Baton apart, using both ends to block White's strikes.
Bobbi quickly twisted the ends of her Staves and moved in, striking White in the abdomen with them. White cried out in pain as she electrocuted before Sara struck her in the head with one hard half of her baton, hard. Bobbi pulled her Staves back as White fell to the ground, out cold.
Sabretooth grabbed Logan by his neck before slamming him roughly down onto the ground, hard enough to crack the ground.
"Sorry, Jimmy. This is where our paths diverge for good!"
Sabretooth raised his clawed hand to deliver the final strike. Bobbi looked up and saw the scene as though it was happening it slow motion. She opened her mouth, whether to scream or to shout a warning, she didn't know.
But no words came out. Instead, some kind of sonic wave emerged from her mouth, striking Sabretooth in the back and sending him flying a few feet away. For a moment, nothing happened as Sara stared at Bobbi in disbelief, the other woman looking stunned by what had just happened.
Then, Sabretooth jumped back to his feet, snarling as rushed over to Bobbi, his claws out. Bobbi and Sara snapped out of their daze. They barely dodged his initial attack by jumping out of the way. Bobbi activated her Staves again, placing them at Sabretooth's abdomen. But he only laughed before striking her with enough force to send Bobbi falling on her back, dropping her Staves in the process.
Sara attempted to reach for her sonic device only for Sabretooth to grab her by the hair and Sara thrown her several feet back. Sara landed in a shed, crashing through the wall, dazed.
Sabretooth then stalked over to Bobbi before attempting to deliver the killing blow. However, just before his claws could reach Bobbi's face, a hand reached out and grabbed his wrist, stopping his attack. Sabretooth looked over, staring into the rage filled eyes of his brother.
"Don't. Touch. My daughter," Logan snarled.
Logan then sent a punch to Sabretooth's face hard enough to send him flying. Sabretooth could taste blood in his mouth as he landed several feet away, on his back. Sabretooth spat out a mouth full of blood along with a few teeth before looking up as Logan approached, summoning the claws in both hands.
"It's over, Victor. Time to end this," Logan told him.
"You think you can? We're brothers, Jimmy. We'll never be done," Sabretooth taunted as he got to his feet.
"We were never brothers. You used me. I didn't see that back then, but I do now. Stryker took my daughter from me. You knew where she was, and you wouldn't tell me. My daughter grew up without her father because of you. Someone who would do that to me is no brother of mine," Logan said and Sabretooth snarled in anger.
"Fine. Then you're right, it is time to end this," Sabretooth said before the two rushed each other.
Metropolis
Same time
The people of Metropolis watched in fear as Apokolips neared the sky. For a moment, all hope seemed lost.
Then, Clark, dressed in his new suit, flew through the air and up to Apokolips. Clark placed his hands on the planet and, with all his strength, pushed. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, slowly, the planet began moving away from the earth.
Down on the ground, the people of Metropolis stared up at the moving planet, hope filling them. Those that had been marked by Darkseid had their marks appear on their temples, glowing brightly before vanishing. All of them cheered, breaking into applause and hugging one another.
Now in space, Clark pushed Apokolips away from the earth, sending it back where it had come from.
Watchtower
Same time
"He did it," Tess said in relief as she and Chloe watched this from Watchtower, seeing the sun shining.
"And now that the interference is gone, I can check back in with our friends in Starling City," Chloe said as she moved back over to the computer.
Military base
Same time
The Avengers, Firestorm and the mutant children exited the base, looking up into the sky to see that the sun was shining once more, no sign of Apokolips in the sky.
"Clark did it," Sam said in relief.
"Let's just hope the rest of our friends were as successful in their missions," Steve said, his thoughts troubled about what might be happening in Washington and Starling City.
New York
Same time
The sun was shining when Peter came to, surrounded by a crumbling roof. He looked up, seeing Gwen was gone. Peter feared briefly for her safety before his Spider-Sense went off. He looked up just in time for Norman to tackle him to the ground. The roof wasn't able to handle their combined weight and a hole opened up, causing the two of them to fall to the floor below.
"You're weak, Spider-Man," Norman said, pining Peter to the floor with his foot on Peter's chest. "You are your father's son. He possessed that same weakness. But I will remove this stain from my sight!"
Norman prepared to attack when the sound of thunder was heard before a bullet stuck his mask, causing the crack Peter had made to widen and the front of his mask fell, revealing one half of his face. Norman turned, seeing Fury aiming a gun at him. Fury attempted to fire again but Norman was quicker, jumping and grabbing the gun Fury was holding as they wrestled for it.
"I don't know who you are, but you should have minded your own business," Norman snarled.
Peter was struggling to his feet when Gwen was suddenly there, helping him to his feet.
"Peter, we have to get out of here. He's buying us time," Gwen tried to reason as Peter realized Fury had saved Gwen.
There was the sound of thunder again as the gun went off in the struggle, not appearing to strike anything. But Peter watched in horror as Norman began moving the gun, pointing it towards Fury's face. Peter then jumped forward, tackling Norman away from Fury.
Tackling Norman against the wall, Peter delivered a few strong punches to Norman's face before kneeing him in the abdomen. The wall behind Norman cracked before Peter punched Norman again, hard. But it was evidently too hard, as the wall gave way and Norman began falling. Peter reached for him but Norman fell to fast. Peter instead shot out two streams of webbing, catching Norman. Peter began pulling him up when Norman laughed.
"Even here, at the end, your weakness shines through. But I'm going to give you a choice. Save me, or save yourself," Norman said and Peter was horrified as Norman revealed a pumpkin bomb in hand. "Because if you save me, I will use this to kill you, your little girlfriend and your new best friend up there. But you can stop me. By letting me fall."
"Norman, don't do this," Peter pleaded.
"Don't you know, Peter? Heroes are the new criminals. They treat people like the Avengers and The Blur worse than serial killers or war criminals. You wanna be a hero, here's your reward. Choose," Norman mocked.
"Norman, please," Peter pleaded.
"We are who we choose to be!" Norman shouted, activating the bomb.
Norman threw it the bomb right at Peter and Peter let go of the webbing, shooting out another strand. Norman laughed as he fell while the webbing attached to the bomb. Peter threw it up into the air and it went, causing an explosion but it was far enough away that it didn't affect the building.
Hearing a loud crash, Peter looked down, seeing Norman had landed on the hood of a police cruiser outside the building. He didn't move as the police surrounded him.
White House
Same time
Magneto used his powers to create a metal strait jacket for Juggernaut, restraining him.
"I recommend a sedative, a powerful one. No prison will be able to hold him," Magneto informed the X-Men.
None of them really said a word, eying him wearily before looking at the sky, seeing the sun shining.
"You think it's over then?" Rogue asked.
"Gambit hopes so, Chère. But Gambit thinks Darkseid no longer a threat, at least," Gambit said and it was silent for a moment.
"And what about him?" Wanda asked, glaring angrily at Magneto.
Magneto stared at her silently, the hatred in her eyes – in Lorna's eyes – paining him deeply. Yet, Jay was right. It was his fault. His daughter, his grandchildren would have been here, safe if he hadn't driven them away.
It seemed to be his greatest ability, to hurt his loved ones and drive them away. He had allowed his anger to blind him for so long, and it had cost him so much. Cost his family so much.
Magneto took a look around, seeing Mystique and Pyro's unmoving forms along with all the dead mutants. So much wasted potential that he had willingly sacrificed. No more.
"No more," Magneto spoke aloud, looking at Jay, who eyed his father curiously. "No more. I choose…to break the cycle."
To the disbelief of the X-Men and Wanda, Magneto got down on his knees, putting his hands down on the ground.
"No more. I surrender myself to the humans and their government," Magneto said quietly.
Starling City
Same time
The sun was shining as Matt and Dex continued trading blows. Matt struck Dex across the face with one of his Billy Clubs. This dazed him for a moment, allowing Matt to deliver a series of punches to Dex's face before Dex tossed a knife at him. Matt grunted as hit his shoulder but, thankfully the suit prevented it from getting too deep into it. Matt jumped into the air, performing a spinning kick and striking Dex in the face.
Dex stumbled back before pulling out another knife, throwing it at Matt. Matt dropped to the ground, avoiding it before pulling out the knife from his suit, throwing it at Dex. The knife hit Dex in the shoulder and he grunted as it went in. But Dex quickly pulled it out, throwing it back at Matt. Matt used his Billy Club to deflect it before rushing over, delivering a powerful kick to Dex's abdomen.
Sabretooth roared before attempting to rush Logan. Rogan rolled out of the way before getting behind Sabretooth, jumping on his back and placing his claws in front of Sabretooth's neck.
"I told you…I was gonna cut your damn head off. Let's see if that'll work," Logan snarled before bringing the claws down on Sabretooth's neck.
Dex was attempting to flee, realizing he was outnumbered when a Billy Club struck him in the neck. Dex grunted in pain before Matt jumped, sending a strong kick to his back. Dex went down to the ground, beginning to get up when Matt rushed over, delivering a series of punches to his face. Dex elbowed him in the face, attempting to flee but Matt didn't let go, kneeing Dex in the face before he whirled around, tossing Dex into a nearby shed. Dex's head went through a window and he paused, dazed before Matt pulled him out, roughly slamming his face to the ground, finally knocking Dex out.
Ray was working on defusing the bomb when a voice speaks up.
"Mr. Palmer, I can help you," Ray looked around wildly at the female voice.
"Who said that?" Ray asked and Snart looked at him oddly.
"You feeling okay?" Snart asked after a moment.
"You can call me Watchtower; I'm a friend of Oliver's. Give me a sec, I'm gonna hook you up with the rest of our team."
Barry was trying to defuse the bomb when Chloe's voice came over the Comms.
"Barry, Comms are working again. How far are you on defusing the bomb?"
"I think I'm about halfway through, maybe less," Barry said.
"Okay, I'm with you and Ray both. I can talk you both through it."
On a rooftop, Oliver came to in the back of the helicopter, at first having trouble remembering where he was. But once he saw Kane, still unconscious, it all came back.
Oliver wanted to kill Kane right then and there, for what had happened to his son. But, after a moment of indecision, mercy won out. Oliver, aching all over, crawled over and grabbed Kane, helping him.
Oliver heard a tearing sound behind him and looked over his should. The hood had gotten caught on some metal and had torn with his movement. But this allowed him to look out the window and see where exactly they were.
They had crashed landed on a landing pad on top a building. The sun was out again, so Clark had clearly figured out a way to stop Darkseid. But what had Oliver's attention was the fact that the helicopter was on the edge. One wrong move would send it toppling over the side of the building.
With great care, Oliver managed to open the door and, with Kane's unconscious form draped over his shoulder, Oliver dragged the other man out of the Helicopter. Barely had their feet touched the ground when the helicopter finally fell, tipping over and going over the side. It hit the ground with a loud bang before it exploded, taking the pilot and Oliver's hood with it.
Oliver stared for a moment, trying to come to terms with the loss before he walked/limped a few feet away and carefully set Kane on the ground. Searching him, Oliver pulled the trigger from his body. However, before he could begin to disarm it, Kane's hand shot out, grabbing Oliver's hand with the trigger.
"That's mine," Kane sneered before punching Oliver.
Oliver took the blow, attempting to wrestle the trigger from Kane. They wrestled on the ground for a moment before the trigger ended up slipping from the gasps, landing a few feet away. Oliver and Kane got to their feet, neither needing to say a word as they stared each other down. This would only end in a fight between them.
"You really think you can beat me?" Kane asked as he pulled his sword from the sheath on his back. "You remember I have a chip in my head that lets me copy any move you use, right?"
"I know. That's what makes this fair," Oliver said calmly.
Kane smiled mockingly at him before rushing Oliver, attempting to strike him with his sword. But Oliver clapped both his palms on the front of the blade, stopping it inches from his face. After a brief struggle, Oliver disarmed Kane, flinging the sword a few feet away before delivering a kick to Kane's chest. Kane was sent stumbling back as Oliver ran as fast as he could towards the trigger.
But Kane recovered quickly, jumping up and tackling Oliver away. They neared the edge as they continued trading blows.
"You won't stop me from my revenge!" Kane snarled as he slugged Oliver.
"I stopped your father, I'll stop you," Oliver said before delivering a punch to Kane's abdomen.
Kane nearly doubled over and Oliver took advantage of that, grabbing Kane's arm and lifting him into the air before throwing him on the ground. Oliver attempted to head towards the trigger, but Kane sensed what he was doing, getting back to his feet and tackling Oliver.
Unfortunately, this put them too close to the ledge and they ended up tripping, nearly falling to their deaths. At the last second, Oliver reached out, grapping the edge and holding on for dear life with one hand while grabbing Kane's hand, preventing him for falling to his death with the other.
For a moment, they simply dangled there before Oliver began lifting Kane up, straining with the effort, Kane's weight, and his own injuries.
"Why are you helping me?!" Kane demanded, seeming perplexed by Oliver's actions.
"Because it's what your father would have wanted," Oliver grunted.
Kane didn't say another word as Oliver lifted him high enough for him to grab onto the ledge. Oliver released his hand and they pulled themselves back onto the rooftop.
For a moment, it was silent save for the sounds of them catching their breath. Then, Oliver punched Kane, hard. Kane rolled over, out cold. Oliver took another moment to catch his breath before pulling himself to his feet. Locating the trigger, Oliver began making his way towards it.
"Okay, now rotate it counter clockwise," Chloe instructed and Ray and Barry did just that. "You'll see a panel. Open it and you'll see the wires connected to the fuse. When you're ready, cut the green wire. Do not cut it yet."
"Chloe, have you heard from Oliver?" Barry asked.
"I've tried contacting him but all I get is static. The Comms system in his suit must be damaged," Chloe explained.
"So wait, we have no idea if Oliver's disarmed the trigger? What happens if we ended up setting off the bombs?" Ray asked in a bit of panic.
"I'd appreciate not doing that," Snart snarked, wincing as he held his frozen hand.
"You can't think like that, Ray. We've done all we can. We just have to hope that Oliver's done his part," Barry assured the other man. "On 1, we both cut the wire, okay?"
"You sure about this?" Ray asked uncertainly.
"As sure as I am that Oliver disarmed the trigger. You ready?" Barry asked.
"As much as I'll ever be," Ray muttered as he stared at the countdown, which was on less than seconds. "Okay, here goes nothing."
Once the countdown reached 1 second, Barry and Ray both cut the wire.
On top of the building, Oliver stared up at the sun, holding the disarmed trigger in his hands before throwing the trigger to the ground.
Ray almost cried out in relief as the bomb opened up, dropping out the core.
"Well, I guess that's a happy ending," Snart said, looking relieved.
"I knew he could do it," Barry said with a laugh as the bomb spat out the core.
Oliver was still staring up at the sun when he heard the sound of a helicopter. Turning his head, he saw one nearing the building. Before it could reach him, Oliver slumped forward, finally passing out.
New York
Same time
Fury was staring out the hole Peter had made, at the sun when Peter walked back over to him and Gwen silently. Gwen pulled him into a hug and Peter returned it, still silent. It was quiet for a moment.
"Don't feel guilty, Parker," Fury said and Peter looked over at him. "Some people can't be saved, no matter how hard you try."
Fury opened his mouth to say more but suddenly swayed on his feet. Peter and Gwen caught him, confused until Gwen felt something wet on her hands. Looking down, she saw blood on Fury's side.
"Shit, he was shot," Gwen swore.
"We need to get you to the hospital," Peter said, ready to take him.
"No point. Feels like I opened up an old wound from my days as a SHIELD agent. Doctor told me when I got it if that ever happened, no one could save my life," Fury said with a grim chuckle. "Something about blood clots and internal bleeding. Just…get me to the window. Let me see the sun."
Slowly, Peter and Gwen walked him a little further, so they could see could the window. They set him down, and he leaned against the wall, letting out a breath as he looked out at the sun. Whatever happened, he knew the Avengers had won.
"Hill, Hill you hear me?" Fury asked as he tapped the Comms piece in his ear.
"Loud and clear, Nick. Things just about wrapped up?" Hill asked.
"Yeah…you have no idea," Fury said with a grim chuckle. "Remind me…what was the purpose of the Avenger's Initiative?"
"What, you don't remember, old man?" Hill asked, half joking.
"Just remind me."
"Okay, fine. It was to bring together a task force, a group of remarkable people. So that when we needed them, they could fight the battles we never could," Hill recited and Fury was silent for a moment, staring up at the sun.
"Exactly. Make sure they don't screw it up."
Fury heard Hill start to ask a question but he removed the Comms piece from his ear, holding it out to Peter.
"You're a lone wolf, kid. I respect that. But a lesson an old man like me took way too long to learn: you can't do everything yourself. You're gonna have to trust someone eventually," Fury said as Peter took it hesitantly. "For what it's worth…your father would have been very proud."
Peter wanted to say something, anything. But he just didn't know what. Fury looked back at the sun, his eye growing heavier as memories flashed before his eyes.
Recruiting Clint Barton when the man was still in the army.
Meeting Natasha after Clint recruited her.
Handing Oliver his SHIELD badge for the first time.
Meeting Steve at his grave.
Handing Coulson the Toolbbox when he named him Director.
Promising Dinah he would protect Bobbi when he recruited Bobbi.
Meeting Charles for the first time.
Graduating from his class of SHIELD cadets.
Being named Director.
All these memories and more flashed before Fury's eye as he lowered his head, feeling weaker. His hand fell to the side as he closed his eye for the last time.
He didn't move or speak again.
Peter took of his mask, kneeling down in front of Fury, feeling tears spring to his eye.
"Thank you…thank you."
Well, that was a long one, the longest chapter of the entire series so far, but it's finally done.
Yes, Magneto was talked down. And honestly, I don't think anyone other than Jay could have done it. If it were anyone else, Magneto would still keep believing he was justified and that he was championing the Mutants rather than just looking for an excuse to lash out at humans. But Jay's experiences with Magneto and what happened to Lorna are things that Magneto can't really attempt to justify to himself, as much as he'd like to. And it's those things that forced Magneto to admit that this was never about helping mutants, but about getting revenge.
The scenes of Clark's trails and the Fortress never get old, no matter how many times I see it.
Those of you who have seen Smallville, you already know what's happened with Carter.
Did anyone ever expect Snart to be completely on Kane's side? Made more sense to have him be a sort of double agent who was trying to tip off Barry and the gang about Kane's plan.
Yes, Bobbi has a Canary Cry. Been waiting a long time to bring that in, could never find the right moment until now.
Yes, I just killed Nick Fury. I went back and forth leading up to this chapter, but ultimately, I'm satisfied with this ending for Nick Fury. He was never going to have a big role in my take on INW/Endgame, and this is better than him just getting dusted and calling in a character who never should have been part of that story. This way, he gets to see his life's work accomplished, knowing the Avengers will and can work out their differences without him there. He gets to be a hero one last time by saving Gwen and then Peter. It's a very Nick Fury ending.