Chapter Text
A Legendary Story
The First of Its Kind
Part 1: Just the beginning
Chapter 1: What have we done?
Chapter 2: But how?
Chapter 3: They were right
Chapter 4: So what do we do now?
Chapter 5: A sight for sore eyes
Chapter 6: I know where to find him
Chapter 7: And bring your spider
Chapter 8: And who's that?
Chapter 9: We had to follow him
Chapter 10: It couldn't be?
Chapter 11: We will be it's kings
Chapter 12: Am I correct?
Chapter 13: I'm ready for the punch-line
Chapter 14: I've got a few leads
Chapter 15: Saved my shootin’ shoulder
Chapter 16: As best we could
Chapter 17: Where we goin’?
Chapter 18: In due time
Chapter 19: About last night
Chapter 20: Who said I was alone?
Chapter 21: You in here?
Chapter 22: This had to be it, right?
Chapter 23: Just a legend
Chapter 24: You're late, Officer
Chapter 25: A few days?
Chapter 26: Funny thing is
Chapter 27: Their side of the river
Chapter 28: Let's get moving
Chapter 1: What have we done?
There were thousands of them. Apparently, the nukes that we had used - to end the Second World War - had sent a wave of radiation across Ea. The aliens, whatever they were, had detected the wave, and traced its origin back to Arda. We came to understand that they had assumed that the radiation was from a bomb of their own making; one that they had perhaps left behind, on Arda, a long time ago...
When the aliens finally arrived, and witnessed the destruction of man's most violent weapons, they decided to eliminate man, and claim Arda as their own. They arrived with no warning. There were no signs. It was a complete annihilation.
The invasion began when a portal suddenly appeared over Japan. It opened between where the two nukes were dropped, just over seven years prior. It took mere hours for the aliens to have made their way to Europe, and within a week, they had reached both coasts of the United States. While the previous two decades had seen the rise of mutants, super soldiers, and incredible technologies, this assault would come to claim every one of Arda's most incredible defenders.
As the last of Arda's resistance forces gathered at the Gotham City Police Department in Gotham City, New York, extinction seemed inevitable. In GCPD Commissioner Jim Gordon's office, resistance leader, Strategic Scientific Reserve Director Nick Fury, addressed Special Agent Phil Coulson, and myself, Officer (blank).
“Agent Coulson,” he said. There was an agonized look on his face. “The aliens are coming from Long Island. Their ships can obviously get them across the water. If they get to Gotham...it's over.”
“... So what can we do, Director?” Coulson asked, almost rhetorically.
“Barry is the key," General Fury said. Then he added, slowly, as if musing over the idea, "He said he 'thinks' with the Speed Force that he can run fast enough to travel back in time."
Exasperated by Director Fury's suggestion, I was compelled to object. “Sir! The consequences of that action…”
“I know, Officer!” Director Fury barked back. “I've spoken to Wayne, Stark, and Richards… and they all agree with you. But what choice do we have! The Wakandans were outnumbered, even with the Amazonians! We've lost the Invaders, the X-Men, Green Lantern-”
“Enough," I cut in, "I know. I know… Then I guess like Phil said, ‘what can we do, Director?’”
...
We left the station and regrouped at Stark Tower, in Manhattan. There, we met with the last remaining group of superheroes, The Avengers: Batman, Iron Man, Mr. Fantastic, and the Flash. By then, the aliens had reached the shores of Gotham City, and the remaining SSR forces had gathered with the resistance, at the alien landing site, and had strapped in for the final stand. Time was closing quickly.
We drew straws, literally- and because I drew the short one, I would be a part of the ensuing madness, directly. The plan was simple, even if coming to the plan was not. With me in hand, Barry would use his connection to the Speed Force, and would run us both back to 1938, at the onset of the war...
Once in the past, our mission - in general - would be to try and unite the various heroes of Arda, and to prevent the nukes from ever being used to end the Second World War. Sounds simple enough, right? And yes, we had considered the various theoretical paradoxes, and universe shattering possibilities… as well as my own potential desemation from the Speed Force; but in the end, it was determined that this was our only hope. As Barry Allen, The Flash, had put it, “If your body melts from the Speed Force, I'm sorry. But, maybe fate chose you for a reason?"
As the aliens stormed the shores of Gotham City, the resistance was quickly failing. Iron Man and Batman had left Stark Tower, with General Fury and Agent Coulson, to try and slow down the alien armada. Reed Richards, Mr. Fantastic, stayed at Stark Tower with Barry and me, to detonate one final nuke; should the aliens reach the tower. Barry and I were to be humanity's last hope.
While we were going through the final preparations, an alien aircraft, with Batman onboard, came crashing into Stark Tower. Batman exited the wrecked craft, and gave me one final instruction. He yelled, “Find me! Tell me my dreams are real! Tell me we must prevent the invasion! Go now!”
Barry quickly began racing to open up the Speed Force. Once he had opened the portal for us to enter into, a surviving alien had emerged from the wrecked craft, behind Batman. As Barry and I entered the Speed Force, the alien lunged at Batman, with a spear, and impaled him through his chest. Reed detonated the final nuke at Stark Tower, just as the portal to the Speed Force closed behind Barry and me. We had to succeed... Otherwise, well, there was nothing left.
The Speed Force is a mysterious thing. I certainly don't understand it. Barry says he does, but I really don't believe he knows as much about it as he says he does. And what happened to us next, even he didn't try to explain...
... As we were traveling through the Speed Force, a bright yellow flash of light zoomed in front of Barry. The sudden flash knocked Barry off of his path, and we tumbled through the Speed Force. Out of control, and not wanting to miss our destination, Barry was able to grab hold of me and then get us out of the Speed Force immediately. Exiting the Speed Force abruptly caused us the first set back in our mission. However, this would only be a minor set back...
Although we had missed our mark of 1938, we still had time to prevent the invasion. We had arrived at Gotham City Park, in the early hours of August 25, 1941. Luckily, we arrived at just past midnight, and no one was around to see our arrival. That would have been a tricky one to explain- The mission, again, is to convince the most brilliant minds of Arda, a world, and time, in which time travel is still only fiction, that we are in fact from the future, and trying to save them from an alien annihilation... Having to explain that to the Gotham City Police Department, or anyone else, would have been difficult to say the least. Even with me being on the GCPD at the time...
Speaking of difficult explanations, to my relief, and also terrified surprise, the Speed Force hadn't melted my body! To make sure, I even asked Barry, “I'm still here, right? Like, I'm good, right?” Barry laughed at me, but he did confirm that I had, in fact, survived the Speed Force. He did note however, “You did change your uniform though. Nice. ” I looked over myself, and I had changed outfits?... From my SSR combat uniform, to some random unmarked tactical uniform... With no good and, or logical explanation, and with more pressing matters to attend to, we decided that my wardrobe change should be answered another time.
We quickly left the park, and made our way to my apartment in Hell's Kitchen; right between Gotham City and New York City. It was only a few minutes walk from the park. Once we had eventually made it to my apartment, Barry told me he wasn't going to stay in 1941, and that he was going to investigate the yellow flash from inside the Speed Force...
“But what about all of the paradoxes, and ending Ea, and all of that other quantum stuff that Reed and everyone was warning us about?” I demanded to know. “The resistance still needs you! We're a few years late,, but we can still save Arda! Our mission isn't over!”
As I was impatiently waiting for Barry to answer me, he silently raised a copy of the Daily Bugle newspaper. The front page story for today's paper was titled, “The Death of The Flash!”
... When we were on our way back to my place, Barry had sped in to a newspaper stand, and grabbed today's new issue...
Barry finally spoke, gently, “I think this is a sign. Maybe even from the Speed Force. This timeline is not the same one that we are originally from. I mean, it is...but its not. Somehow in this timeline...I'm dead.”
We both just stood in the entryway to my apartment. Looking at each other; unable to say another word. The present, future, is doomed, and now Barry's dead in 1941? What else was different? I walked over to sit down on the couch, and just buried my face into my hands. Barry started pacing in the entryway. Finally, I looked up at Barry and asked, “What have we done?”