Chapter 15:
All Paragons were on deck for a meeting. Harry and Kara walked in to join Helena, Dinah, Sara, Diana, and Karen. Dinah decided to ask the question which they were all wondering.
"So, what's up?"
"The Anti-Monitor has been using a meta-human with precognitive powers," Harry explained to the rest of the group. "Not willingly perhaps, but her gifts have allowed the Anti-Monitor to stay a couple of steps ahead of us so far."
"Damn," Sara grumbled. "That's...that's pretty...yeah that's a problem. Do you have any idea where she is? Or who she is?"
"I wish," Harry conceded. "However, there is something else. My source seems to know you. She told me to tell you what is going on, so we can potentially put a stop to it."
"Who is she then?"
"She said her name is Zari," Harry responded. "That's about all the information I have from her."
Sara stopped for a good long moment and considered this. She could, well, she could not really recall this person. However, there was something, digging in the back of Sara's mind, in the back trying to get out. Should she know this person? Sara did not know.
"Do you know her?" Diana asked.
"I...I feel like I should, but I don't," Sara said with hesitance in her voice. "Is there something that you can do to trigger my memories? Magically speaking."
"Perhaps," Harry said. "But, whatever we do we have to find this meta, and also there's the fact that someone in here may have been corrupted by the Anti-Monitor. It can't be anyone I've slept with, because I'd know."
"So, that narrows down the list," Karen remarked. "We got to find this poor girl the Anti-Monitor is using. We're going to have to find her and bring her back. That should be our highest priority."
"But, the Anti-Monitor will know we're coming to get her?" Dinah asked. "How willing did Zari say she was in working with him?"
"I don't think very willingly," Harry replied. "So, we have to…"
Before Harry could say anything further, Nyssa popped into the room. She looked utterly frantic and Sara had turned to her.
"What's wrong?" Sara asked her.
"It's...the student I was looking for," Nyssa said. "I've learned she must be in terrible danger. She might be more intertwined in your problem than you thought."
Harry had a bad feeling about this. He decided to consult Alia.
"Any progress?"
"Yes," she said. "Based on all of the attacks, we've triangulated the most probable location. Also, I'm picking up strong psychic residue."
Sara and Harry had already been out the door with Nyssa. The rest of the Paragons followed behind them, and Mia, who had been hanging around, had decided to walk next to them.
"So, what's going on here?" Mia asked.
"We'll explain on the way," Sara told her. "But, we might be getting close. We just got to find this woman who has been forced into helping the Anti-Monitor."
Okay, fair enough. Mia decided to invite herself in on the mission. They could use any backup after all.
The entire group of Paragons plus Mia and Nyssa, made their way up the complex.
"This has to be the same woman," Harry said. "Nyssa, this woman, does she have unique abilities?"
"Yes, and they make her very hard to fight on the battlefield, although she tries not to rely on them," Nyssa said. "Strong precognitive abilities, and I have been working very hard with her, making an attempt to understand them, even if it is very difficult to do so."
"Who is she?" Diana asked.
"Her name is Rose Wilson."
This particular statement caught Sara off guard. Harry waved his hands and opened a portal, which would get them as close as possible.
"Wilson?" Sara asked. "As in…."
"Yes, his daughter. Although it was from a one night stand Slade had while on a mission, a long time ago. I'm certain Slade found out about it later on, but Rose doesn't have the highest opinion of him, let's just leave it at that. Then again, neither does her mother."
"Trouble," Harry said. "Alia, remember what we've been working on?"
Suddenly, the ladies, all of them felt a faint buzzing in their ears.
"Deegan's close," Harry informed them. "And you remember how dangerous he is."
How could Sara, Mia, and Nyssa forget their trip to the Dark Realm and their encounters with them. Had it not been for Harry, and also for Laurel, well, they might not be alive to have this conversation.
"I feel something," Diana said. "And I don't like it."
"Trust your instincts, and not your eyes," Harry warned them all. "And don't engage with Deegan. If he shows up, I'll deal with him. I know of a way to stop him."
"What, how?" Kara asked.
"The Book of Destiny told me."
Kara had certain misgivings about that book. However, if Harry trusted the information, then Kara trusted Harry. It was just as simple as that. The entire group hung around outside of a large tower, which was very foreboding.
"Wow, spooky tower," Sara said. "It would have to be the place, wouldn't it?"
Yes, it would have to be the place. The moment Harry stepped closer to the tower, he really could feel it. He knew Rose would have to be up the stairs, perhaps at the top most part of the tower.
"Everyone brace yourself," Harry said. "I'll divert his attention."
"Will he go after you?" Karen asked nervously.
She was feeling some insecurities bubble to the surface. Despite the shield which Harry appeared to protect them with, it had been very hard.
"After he could not properly get in my head last time, yes," Harry said. "I'll be back."
Harry decided to step into Deegan's world. The nightmare vision drew Harry in all the way.
"Oh, Johnny Boy, you have to be around here somewhere?"
"John Deegan is gone. There is only Doctor Destiny."
"You know, I fought one psycho who gave himself a moniker and tried to bury his real name," Harry remarked idly. "Only, he was a Lord, instead of a Doctor. And it didn't end too well for him Just like it won't for you."
Images of screaming people being destroyed by Anti-Matter had caught Harry. His own failure to save multiple earths had hit him.
"You're not showing me anything that I'm not dealing with in real time," Harry said. "I've spent years, fighting with my demons. Demons of doubt. Demons of the fact that my best cannot be good enough. But, I've survived. Because despite all that I have lost, I still will find some way to win. You can't take it away from them."
"Your Paragons will be first to die," Doctor Destiny said. "You brought them here. I will destroy them from the inside."
To be fair, this did cause a bit of anger to swell up within Harry. Anyone who threatened his girls, well they were going to be pummeled severely. But, once again, he could not let it get to him.
"You really should be worried about what will happen once this is over. What will happen when the Anti-Monitor wins?"
"When he wins, I will be rewarded for my loyal service."
Harry laughed in response at Deegan's words. It was amusing he honestly believed that. Deegan's eyes narrowed.
"What's funny?"
"Oh, you really think so. You really got played, again. Mar Novu played you and now you're letting the Anti-Monitor play you again. You're really sad. It's almost pathetic. I shouldn't laugh at someone who is mentally weak as you."
"Why...why isn't it working?" Deegan asked. "I don't understand."
"Deep down, you're just as pathetic as you've always been. A cosmic being gave you a bit of power, and you've inflated your sense of importance. You're a puppet on a string for the Anti-Monitor. And a piece of garbage who will be destroyed. Time to face the pathetic man you really are, John Deegan."
"I TOLD YOU, MY NAME IS DOCTOR DESTINY!"
Doctor Destiny turned into a large, imposing skeleton-like creature, with flaming red eyes, and sharp teeth. And Harry shot up, turning into a vicious dragon, towering over him by several times. The Dragon shot green fire at Doctor Destiny and caused his entire body to shrink before his very eyes.
Then the armor crumbled from Doctor Destiny and revealed the shell of a man. Deegan looked into the mirror and caught a glimpse of himself. Cross-eyed and drooling, in a cell in Arkham. Powerless, unable to fight back. Deegan's eyes bugged out when he caught sight of this disgusting image of himself.
"No, no, no!" Deegan yelled. "This is not me. This is me!"
Every time Deegan tried to turn into Doctor Destiny, his armor kept crumbling. And his eyes could not pull away from the pathetic image of the man in the mirror. Several lights kicked in the room, flashes resounded through the room. The lights surrounded them on all corners, illuminating the room all over the place.
Then more mirrors, and Doctor Destiny saw it.
"Welcome to your nightmare, John Deegan!"
Another flash of light erupted and Deegan collapsed like a puppet on a string. The second they came out, Harry stood behind Sara and Kara. Both turned and opened their mouths.
"I'm fine, he's not," Harry said.
Deegan laid on the floor, a drooling mess. He shivered, looking completely mortified at what he had been forced to see and what he had been forced to experience.
"Whatever you made him see, it wasn't nearly enough compared to what he tried to do with us," Mia said.
"Will he come back?" Sara asked.
"At this point, you never can tell, but he's not the problem," Harry said. "It's his former cellmate at Arkham, upstairs."
"The Psycho Pirate," Kara said.
"Yes, my dear, the more you struggle, the more enjoyable this becomes for me. You're doing a good job, tell me what you see."
The leering form of a man dressed in red, with a yellow mask, stood over an attractive girl with platinum blonde hair and blue eyes, which widened expressively as she tried to fight this. The Psycho Pirate practically straddled her form in the chair as he fed off of her emotions.
"You're fucked!" Rose managed. "He's here."
The Psycho Pirate whipped around and came face to face with seven of the Paragons, along with a couple of guests. Each of them, with their own anger.
"Oh, Destiny, well you had a good run," Psycho Pirate said. "But, you're not going to stop me.
"We've heard that a couple of times," Kara said. "We're shutting you down."
"Let her go, or else," Nyssa said.
"Yes," Psycho Pirate said. "She's not interesting anymore. The well has run dry. The hatred she feels, the resentment she feels towards the world, towards a father who abandoned her and a mother who does not spend too much time with her thanks to her job, it's getting old. But, each and every one of you on the other hand."
Psycho Pirate giggled. Harry studied the shield he was behind.
"Alia?"
"On it," Alia said. "But, he's using Rose's powers, so this might take some doing"
"Each and every one of you is a fertile breeding ground of something new," The Psycho Pirate remarked. "Something new and something exciting. Something which I can sink my teeth into. Oh, I can feed off of each of them."
Harry reinforced the shields, and the girls all stood, ready to go.
"Don't let him in," Helena said. "Especially if you've lost something."
"Well, that's all of us," Kara said.
"Oooh, yes, it is. Focus on that loss. Focus on how that made you feel. It is not good to have all of these negative emotions bottled up."
Harry sent all of the ladies a telepathic message to drop their shields. To focus on the good times with those who they have lost, as opposed to the loss and the tragedy. Each and every one of them had been surprised, but did as Harry was told.
First, Psycho Pirate had gotten a taste of negativity, which lured him into a false sense of security. The collective positive emotions from the group bombarded him.
"Oooh, was that too spicy for you?" Harry taunted him.
"No, no, no, no, no, bad, do not want!" Psycho Pirate yelled.
"Let's see how you like being mind-raped."
Psycho Pirate's greedy attempts ended up with his mind being overwhelmed. The man had been blasted up into the air and he slammed down into the air. His mask came off and he had joined Doctor Destiny in the cross-eyed and drooling come.
"If you can hear me, and I know you can, you're next, Anti-Monitor," Harry said.
Sara blinked a couple of times, the full extent of what happened completely hitting her.
"So, did we just beat the bad guy by Care Bear staring him into a Coma?"
"It appears so," Kara said.
Karen and Dinah just shook their heads. Nyssa and Mia walked over and worked to remove Rose from her containment. The machinery holding her in place, fastened very tight around her. Harry worked his way through the equipment. The state of Rose had been very bad and her mind would need a lot of repair.
Given what Deegan and the Psycho Pirate did to her, well, Harry was not too broken up about the fact they currently laid on the ground, their minds broken.
"Hold on," Harry said. "We'll get you out of here."
"Nowhere to run anymore," Rose managed shakily. "Closer. He's coming. The end. The final crisis."
Harry saw a flash of lightning through her eyes and saw it, the big bang. The final climax of the crisis over Infinite Earths. Harry shook it off.
"We have to get her back."
Harry brought Rose back, with Mia, Sara, and Nyssa offering him assistance. The other Paragons turned up. Harry came to Barry, who had been sitting down, with Iris and Nora close to him. Both seemed relieved he was okay.
"So, prophecy isn't what it seems, is it?" Harry asked
"Apparently not," Barry said.
"We managed to take a very powerful weapon out of the Anti-Monitor's hands," Kara explained to them. "He had this precog, she was allowing him to stay one step ahead of us."
"That must have helped us," Barry said. "We destroyed the Anti-Monitor's cannon. And at a certain point, the Flash sacrificed himself. But, it was my counterpart from Earth-90. And we also picked up another survivor from a destroyed earth."
A large, broad black gentleman with a black suit, with lightning bolts etched onto it stepped into the room. Harry had to admit, whoever made that suit, was excellent in what they did.
"I'm afraid we haven't had the pleasure of meeting," Harry said.
"Jefferson Pierce," he said.
"Harry Potter."
The man blinked in surprise.
"For real?"
Harry raised an eyebrow as Jefferson took a good long look at him for a second.
"Sorry, it's just that...first Superman and then Harry Potter. Wow, I used to read your books to my daughters when I was young. My youngest daughter swore up and down she was going to marry you when she grew up."
"Wait, books?" Harry asked. "So, on your Earth, I'm a fictional character."
"Yes, and you are responsible for many children who wouldn't even pick up a book in the first place reading," Jefferson said. "That's your legacy back home...although there isn't a home to go back to."
Despite the fact that Harry had been a bit weirded out he was a very popular fictional character on another Earth, he did understand that Jefferson was experiencing a loss.
"I'm sorry for your family," Harry said. "A lot of us, we've lost a lot today."
"We keep falling. But why do we fall? So we can learn how to get back up."
Harry turned as Helena stood in the background, thoughtfully.
"My grandfather told that to my father when he was young."
"Your grandfather was very wise," Jefferson said. "Words to live by. Failure is a harsh, but efficient teacher."
Yes, Harry could attest to that. Nora decided to break herself away from the family reunion, and help Mia and Harry help Rose into bed. She could barely walk and looked completely zonked out of it.
Ever since making contact with Rose, Harry could hear voices lost in oblivion. See little flickers of light which he could not reach. Harry felt like they were getting close.
"The Anti-Monitor will pay for using her in that way," Harry said.
Mia viewed Nora's body language. Nora had something wrong with her.
"Problem?" Mia asked her.
The two moved over to get Rose into bed. Caitlin and Lena looked over to her. She looked battered.
"She has been mind-raped for a long time and used by the Anti-Monitor as a tool to stay one step ahead of us," Harry explained to them. "Alia will help you with the mind healing, but you two need to help stabilize her physically."
"We can do that," Lena said.
"She's still compromised. The end is coming, for you all if you don't unmask her."
The seconds passed as Harry could not make heads and tails of what Rose was saying. She went silent, with no more coming from her.
Mia, Nora, and Harry walked away. The sense of unease did not leave Harry. There was something haunting about what he saw when he touched Rose.
"I'm happy that Dad didn't have to die," Nora said. "But, I've been relying on what happened so far. And now, I don't know. I just don't know. History is so crashed."
"Well, didn't your father say the Anti-Monitor's cannon is destroyed or something?"
"Yeah, that's..that's what he's been using to destroy the Earths," Nora said. "Earth 2 was the first, and then he started to wipe it out. He wants to save this one for last, because that's where it was built. But now...I don't know."
Neither did Harry.
"Well maybe that bought us some time," Mia said.
"If only," Harry said.
Never that easy. That was a lesson which Harry learned the hard way. Over and over again.
The entire group moved over to meet. Ace had been lying in a basket on the ground, just chilling as a dog would. However, the dog's eyes raised the moment Mar Novu and Lyla stepped into the room. Ace started to growl when they moved closer.
"What's the matter with you?" Helena asked.
"Oh, I don't blame him," Mia said with her eyes narrowed towards Mar Novu. "Dogs are good judges of character."
That statement hit Harry and then something else. Pariah stood within the shadows. Between Rose and Zari's words, Ace's reaction to Lyla and Mar Novu entering the room, and Pariah's presence, oh, Harry began to understand.
"We must…."
Harry turned around and blasted Lyla half way across the room with a powerful spell. Kara and Sara jumped up in surprise and the Flash moved in front of him.
"Why the hell did you just randomly blast Lyla?" Flash asked.
"Because, Lyla's not herself," Harry said.
Mar Novu turned his attention to Lyla, whose eyes glowed completely red and she laughed.
"It only took one moment of indecision, one minute of distraction. You might have destroyed my cannon, but it's mere child's play now. I no longer need it. It just sped up my plans."
The Anti-Monitor used Lyla's body to face Harry. The heroes all braced themselves for a fight.
Without the final Paragon, Harry didn't really think their chances were too great in stsopping this. But, the Anti-Monitor was not going to wait for Harry to pull a rabbit out of his hat and deliver the final Paragon from oblivion.
"It's time to clip your wings, Dragon!"
Harry rose up and engaged with the Anti-Monitor in battle, only to find a barrier separating himself.
"I should have taken care of this a long time ago."
Mar Novu and the Anti-Monitor locked into battle. It was obvious right now, that despite the fact the Anti-Monitor used Lyla's body as a meat puppet, he was much stronger than before. The beam of light fired through him and knocked Mar Novu through the ground.
"Watch, as I destroy him. And then, I will destroy all of you."
"I'm sorry!" Lyla broke through.
"Stick with the plan."
Those words had fallen on deaf ears, for Mar Novu had been ripped apart. The barrier which separated them had been dropped down. Black Lightning, Superman, and Flash rushed in, and the Anti-Monitor sent them flying backwards.
"No, it's not the end,' Pariah said.
"No, it's not!"
Harry still had one more trick up his sleeve. However, it seemed like Pariah did as well, as several beams crossed the room and latched onto all of the Paragons.
Waves of red anti-matter began to fill the sky outside. This was it. What Harry saw earlier when reading the book. And unfortunately, no matter how painful this was, he had to let this play out to it's logical conclusion. It was the only way success was assured.
"And now, the end."
A loud pop echoed, as everything had been erased. Some people with lesser ambitions would go for half, well the Anti-Matter would be going for all.
Harry, Sara, Kara, Helenna, Karen, Diana, and Dinah dropped to the ground first with thuds. Mia, Nora, and Lena all dropped to the ground next. And then Rose also joined them all beaten up and abused from the situation. Rose had been down on the ground on her knees.
"All is lost, hope is gone."
"No," Harry said. "If my guess is right, this is the only way to find the final Paragon and stop the Anti-Monitor for good."
"How...what do we save it from?" Dinah asked. "He destroyed everything. Where are we?"
Harry finished system-repairing Alia, who had gotten a little bit dinged during the jump. Given where they were, it was quite understandable.
"Actually, that's a damn good question," Karen said. "We're here, but if the Anti-Monitor destroyed everything, there is nowhere to go."
"And why just us?" Mia asked. "Nora, Rose, Lena, and I are not Paragons."
"Because, you three slept with Harry and have a bond with him," Kara explained. "And Rose has a life debt to him."
A good thing as well, because the last thing they all wanted was Rose to drop back into the hands of the Anti-Monitor. Of course, with everything destroyed, it was unclear how the Anti-Monitor had any use to him.
"The Vanishing Point," Sara said. "This place was destroyed, with the Time Masters destroyed. Well, this is our final salvation. The rest of our lives being lived in oblivion. At least the sex will be good."
Sara wished her attention to break the ice could lighten the mood. No one found any amusement out of this situation. Harry fished into his pocket and pulled out a black stone.
"There's still a chance."
"What chance?" Dinah asked. "There's nothing…."
Diana shook her head. She hated to focus on the negative. Dinah did have a point. They all turned to Harry who had been busy creating a construct of magical threads, while using that black stone he had to guide them.
"The Ressurection Stone?" Mia asked. "Why?"
"There's nothing, and yet there is everything. And since there is nothing, and yet there is everything, and we are outside of time, I can do this."
A lovely woman dressed in white with a totem appeared in the light. She looked completely shaken when being brought in before them.
"Sara?" she asked.
"I'm sorry, but have we met?" Sara asked.
"Right, the timeline," the woman said. "We knew each other in a timeline. We were teammates, on the Legends. The magic of the totem preserved me in your timeline, but the Dragon pulled an echo of me through the timeline. He hacked the timestream, what a guy."
She smiled fondly at him.
"Yeah, he's amazing," Sara said. "But, I don't…"
Harry whipped the floating thread out of mid-air and connected it to Sara's head. A light flashed through her and a feeling of cold water being splashed over her followed. Memories from another timeline flooded over her.
"Zari? Oh, I remember now."
Sara went in and hugged her old teammate from another timeline.
"The Paragon of Truth is here," Harry said. "But, we can have fluffy reunions later. For now, work."
"Right,' Zari said.
"Yes, you will light the spark. Although much has changed."
They all turned, coming face to face to Oliver Queen. Who had to become something else. He had to become someone else.
Oliver Queen had become the Spectre.
Chapter 16:
Now they were here, Harry figured the easy part was out of the way. The Anti-Monitor's attempted destruction would lead to him trying to rebuild everything in his own, distorted image. They had all of the puzzle pieces here.
"We need to go back to his initial release," Harry said.
"You mean to stop, Wells, right?" Nora asked.
"Actually, it goes a bit further than that," Harry said. "Because, something like the Anti-Monitor, he will have to be discovered. And slowly, I figured it out. Mar Novu knew what he was capable of, because it was Mar Novu who was individual who allowed the Anti-Monitor's chains to slip, to allow him out in the first place. The barrier he had been trapped behind had been a cage."
"We have to finish it off, before it becomes a problem," Diana said.
"And when we're here, we can find the time period with the Anti-Monitor was created and stop it, "Sara said. "Seems like a lot could go wrong, but it wouldn't be the first time."
"It's not that simple."
Harry flicked his finger and a three dimensional model of the multiverse appeared. Black spots flashed all over it from where they stood, signifying the Anti-Monitor's destruction.
"Good news, bad news," Harry remarked. "The good news is, we know about the point where he started. He's not done, because slowly, the multiverse will repair itself, although it will never be the same. The bad news, the Anti-Monitor knows that and he's heading to where it all began. Earth Prime. There's no life on it, but as life begins, new Earths splinter off, re-creating the multiverse all together."
Harry continued to explain, best he could, although there were some things where he lost.
"Critical choices create new Earths. And there are branching paths from different results."
"So, we could go back and stop the Anti-Monitor," Sara summarized.
"And there would be another reality created, which we did not stop the Anti-Monitor," Karen commented. "But, surely, there's a reality where we can stop him for good and not be part of this loop."
"Yes," Harry said. "And that's where he comes in."
Harry motioned to Oliver who nodded.
"Take him to the source. Take him to where all life had been sparked. That spark will both destroy him and release it. But, the true power is aligned with the Dragon finishing his bonding of the seven other Paragons."
"Right," Harry said. "And I'm one short."
Harry turned his attention to Zari, who nodded. She had been observing it.
"There's still time before we have a proper chance to reignite the multiverse," Harry said. "Time runs short though."
"So, you want to see me in private then?" Zari asked knowingly.
Harry just smiled and took her by the hand. The two walked off in the other direction, with the others being left. Thankfully they was still some time.
"Hopefully, they have enough time to seal the deal," Kara said.
"Well time is all they have in this place," Sara summarized. "At least to my understanding."
So Zari now stepped alone into the hallway, with the Dragon. Given what he was capable of and some of the fine women he had already lured into bed, well Zari could be a slight bit intimidated. Hell, he topped Sara, and that was really something else all together.
"So, I've gone from oblivion to Paragon," Zari said. "That's really something. I got thrown into the deep end. Good thing I have plenty of experience with that, being a Legend and all."
"Good thing you do," Harry agreed.
"But, now, everything that I was, is gone," Zari said. "It's not perfect, but it's uncertain. I'm here, but I'm not here. I was brought back as I was for a purpose, but there's just...so much more to think about and to do. I don't...I don't know what is going to happen. There might be consequences for me being here in this different timeline."
"I'll fix them," Harry said. "I'll make sure you're not erased and there aren't any side effects."
Harry pulled Zari into a kiss, more intense than anything she had ever received. Zari found herself frozen for a minute, before she had to return the kiss. Said kiss deepened.
"Wow," Zari breathed. "You...you're certainly something. So, should we...find somewhere comfortable so we can get this done?"
"Are you trying to get this over with?"
"Well, I'd like to take my time," Zari remarked. "Although, there is a Crisis. And there will be plenty of time for you to go all in after we're done."
And boy, Zari did want Harry to go all in. She wanted the Dragon to pound her so relentlessly, that she would forget her own name. She would want to get pounded so relentlessly, that Harry would make her go cross-eyed. That would be perfect. That would be the ticket.
"Come here," Harry told her.
Zari did and closed her eyes. The moment Harry kissed her again, Zari's mind just went on autopilot and she caused it to just happen.
The deal had been sealed. All seven of them had been bonded to Harry, plus a few extras. Harry found himself at the edge of a rather long hallway now and he knew what was on the other side. It had been a long time since he had been summoned in this way.
Harry came face to face with Death herself. Who looked like he saw better days. She looked a bit shaken.
"You don't look good, Dee."
Death nodded when she reached out to take Harry's hand. The two nodded over, as one of the Endless looked on to him. The one bound to Harry thanks to his collection of the Deathly Hallows, stepped all the way next to him.
"We're all not having a good time," Death summarized for him. "My siblings are quite worried, but it's affecting me the worst. The Anti-Monitor destroying all life, and reshaping it, it affects everything. Me especially."
Harry understood. Death could not exist without the concept of life and life was being destroyed Earth after Earth. Harry sat her down and wrapped her into her.
"I'm fading, slowly," Death breathed. "You can...you can stop it."
"I will stop it," Harry said. "I won't let you slip away."
Silence followed. All Death wanted to do was sit there. The end was just a part of the necessity of how life work. People lived their lives, some lived longer lives, but the end came. They were led to their afterlife. But, Death had been forced to witness those perishing, but not reappearing on the other side.
Seeing those people die in such a cruel and untimely way had been gutwrenching. Especially when it happened so quickly. One could snap their fingers in the instant the Anti-Monitor took out their worlds.
"I'm not going to lie to you and say you're going to have an easy time," Death responded.
"I've achieved impossible feats before."
Death would not lie, he had.
"You can't fail," she said to him. "You won't."
"Yes, I won't," Harry agreed.
"The Book will give you the answers, but sometimes, the answers do not fit the question. That's one thing Destiny understood and that's what he told me. But, you have it all. The ability to take down the Anti-Monitor and restore the Multiverse into something wonderful. Bring back new life. Restore the cycle."
Death's voice dropped, and she spoke this next part, almost as an afterthought.
"Save me."
"I will," Harry said.
"Earn this happy ending, Master."
Death leaned in and with all of her strength, summoned an ability to kiss her champion. The one who could save it all. He had all of the tools and the determination. And the reason. He would finally earn the life which he had fought, scratched, and clawed for.
"Oh, and if you can defeat the Anti-Monitor, you'll need this."
Death handed Harry a wand. But, it was specially crafted and attuned to him, unlike the Elder Wand she created. One of her biggest errors because of all of the bloodshed it opened.
"I know you don't normally perform wand magic any longer," Death said. "But, this wand has special capabilities which you might find useful."
Harry sensed the power pulsing through his fingers and vibrating through the wand. Oh, he thought it would be very useful to have this wand indeed.
"And now, I have to let you go," Death said. "I will watch. And I will hope."
"And I will win."
Harry faded away. Death closed her eyes. Everything felt so cold around her. She realized now how other people felt when she crept up upon them. It was both an educational and also a very alarming experience to say the very least.
Earn that happy ending. Harry would. Death had confidence her master would.
Harry stepped out to join the rest of the Paragons. Kara, Sara, Dinah, Diana, Helena, Karen, and Zari. Along with their guests, other women Harry bonded with Mia, Nora, and Lena. The pause followed with Harry addressing each of them one by one.
"Well, I have the idea of what we need to do," Harry said. "We need to stop Mar Novu before he has a chance to discover the Anti-Matter universe and release the Anti-Monitor."
"Is this a permanent stopping?" Dinah asked. "Not that I'm complaining."
Considering that the Anti-Monitor had been released Mar Novu, many of the Anti-Monitors crimes could and perhaps should be pinned on him.
"Well, nothing that extreme, hopefully," Harry said.
"Yes," Kara said. "I understand. Will it work though?"
"It will hopefully draw the Anti-Monitor to us, so he can preserve his position," Harry said. "And then we can spark reality and wipe him out."
"So, this is beginning to sound like we're going to have an all Paragons orgy?" Sara asked.
"No, sadly not," Harry said. "At least nothing that interesting, although perhaps it's very complex."
That was a shame. Sara did kind of want an all Paragons orgy, and maybe invite their three lovely guests. They were just going to have to make due with what they have.
"So, even if we do convince him to stop, there's still a path where he succeeds," Karen said.
"Which means, we're going to have to keep jumping path after path in front of each success until the Anti-Monitor is drawn out," Helena said.
"Sounds crazy," Dinah said.
"Sounds like an average day, right Captain?" Zari asked with a cheeky grin.
"Oh, yeah, this is just normal stuff," Sara said.
"And how are we going to stop him when we draw him out?" Diana asked.
"Go straight for the head," Harry said without any pause.
Harry pulled out the new wand which Death gave him. It glowed bright in his hand and the power, well the power was almost immense. And the wand shifted into an axe in Harry's hand. And then turned into a sword and then into a scythe into his hands.
"Well, you have a few options there," Mia said. "I never thought a piece of wood could be so badass."
"Anything can be badass in the right hands," Sara reminded her. "And it's more the person holding it than anything."
True enough, that was one thing which stuck from Mia's training. She did view the wand twirling in Harry's hand and thus a portal had been opened. It would lead to a tunnel to the end of time.
"I have locked onto the coordinates of Mar Novu's lab," Alia said. "Ready to step into the great unknown?"
Harry turned his attention to the Paragons and their guests. All of them nodded. All of them were ready to do this and step into the light. Harry led the charge, with Kara following, with Sara, Dinah, Dinah, Karen, Helena, and Zari bringing up the rear from behind. Mia, Nora, and Lena followed.
Despite Oliver not being visible past their earlier meeting, Harry sensed he was still around. And the new Spectre would make his presence known.
They appeared on the other side outside of Mar Novu's lab. It stood impressively, with technology that was more high tech than anything that they discovered throughout many timelines.
"Well, I can't say much about the man's personality," Lena said. "But, it's impressive."
"Yeah, nice place," Dinah said. "Bound to have some security."
"Good thing I have a key then."
Harry's wand shifted into an overlay of a handprint, which Harry pressed onto the pad, and vibrated. The power shifted through the walls and opened the door to lead them inside.
"So, what are we waiting for? "Zari asked.
"We aren't," Sara said. "Alright let's go. Let's do this."
Despite their smooth entry into the lab, things were going to get a bit rough. Harry had a feeling that they might have done this before. Because his sense of Deja-Vu had been kicking in suddenly.
Mar Novu stepped into the lab, to prepare to conduct a very important experiment. He looked on with a smile.
"The secrets of the universe are at hand."
"And there are some secrets which are less rewarding than others."
Mar Novu turned his attention towards Harry for a long moment and had been completely surprised and almost taken back from his presence.
"No, you can't be real," Mar Novu said. "You must be…."
Harry casually levitated several spare parts into the air and spun them around over Mar Novu's head. A simple trick, first year magic, but nevertheless, more than enough to cause Mar Novu to stand up and take attention.
"Whatever you're doing, you need to stop it," Kara said. "You will release a force which will destroy the entire Multiverse as you know it."
"That's impossible," Mar Novu said. "I have taken every step I could to make sure this experiment is safe. The energies I'm going to seek will be beneficial. It will ensure that my people live lives which are longer, more fulfilled, more enlightened. You can't think that…"
"I don't think," Harry said. "I know."
"This is what you're going to do if you go forward through this experiment," Karen said.
Karen held up her hand and a three dimensional model of the multiverse popped into position. Only this time, the various Earths swirling around them all popped out of existence. Mar Novu's eyes widened when he saw it.
"Anti-Matter will have a similar signature," Mar Novu said. "But, if you're here, that means that whatever Crisis that played out, already happened. And you are having a conversation with me, where I will be less inclined to listen to your claims or see your evidence. Or where you have failed to reach me in time. And thus, the Crisis will have begun and you have entered a loop."
"But, there are also universes in which we succeeded," Harry said. "We need to draw him here, to eliminate him once and for all. Past, present and future."
"And reset the multiverse," Mar Novu said. "Yes, yes, of course, but even if I do step back from my machine, then I will…."
A loud crackle caused the equipment in the lab to become unsettled. Suddenly, Zari's totem began to flicker and wisps of wind surrounded them in the air.
"Guys, are you feeling something?" Zari asked.
"Deja-Vu feeling?" Sara asked. "Because I'm feeling we've been here before."
"You're not the only one," Helena summarized.
"Yeah, it's...we're in a loop, aren't we?" Dinah asked.
Harry had a good idea how to break it, but the Anti-Monitor seemed to be going for blood this time around. Several shadows appeared in the lab. The shadow creatures were not the problem.
"HARRY!" Kara screamed.
Harry saw it right away. The large creature came down, with an insatiable hunger for magic.
The Magivore had been brought back from the abyss by the Anti-Monitor. And went straight for Harry's wand, Zari's totem, and Diana's bracelets.
Shadows, they had been old hat by this point. Mia circled around them and sent the arrows flying. The arrows connected with each of the shadows and exploded into wisps of light which they surrounded.
"Quantity, over quality again," Dinah said. "Stand aside, kid."
The Black Canary unleashed a stunning cry. The shadows might not have had any ears to be affected to, but the backlash of the cry had caused pieces of debris to shatter and impale into the back of the creatures.
Diana moved around, but this abomination from the shadows, this Magivore, kept going after her bracelets. Harry reflected it, with energy blasts, which it consumed, but it's insatiable attitude.
"Alia, we need to find a way to contain this thing," Harry said.
"We should create a containment unit, with an endless loop of magical energy," Alia said. "Where it keeps feeding and feeding until it burns itself out."
"Would some of the components in this lab work?" Lena asked.
Harry knocked the shadows away from Lena and Karen who got to work. Zari used her wind powers to create a breeze which kept the shadows back. And it was Harry's job to ensure the Magivore did not devour Diana's bracelets, or Zari's totem. Harry sent magical lightning at the creature which bounced it off.
"Here!"
Nora channeled lightning through Harry who channeled lightning at the creature and caused it to smack against the wall. Dinah and Mia sent an arrow and a canary cry at it. The creature kept fighting through the very intense attacks, with Kara's heat vision repelling it next.
The shadows all crumbled, with the Magivore sucking them in. Which was good in the case they did not have to work about the Anti-Monitor's shadow minions.
"So, if it likes to feed off of magic, how about giving it a taste of science?"
Karen hurled a small disc-shaped object at the creature which broke open. Several yellow particles absorbed into the Magivore, and then it began to shrink in mass.
"Experminetal Palmer Particles," Karen said to Sara's roll of her eyes. "Hey, I didn't name it."
"That's so Ray," Sara murmured. "But, it's still coming for us."
"Not for long!" Lena yelled. "Just hurl it over here!"
"Hey, over here!" Zari yelled. "You still want this thing, right?"
Zari used the wind from her totem to keep striking the Magivore. It was like ringing a dinner bell and calling it for a feast. The Magivore roared, despite it shrinking in size every time it absorbed magic in the air.
"If we get it into the containment unit, it will shrink itself into nothing," Lena murmured to Kara. "Get ready."
Kara stood beside Lena, to stave off the odd shadow creature. Helena watched her back from the other side. And the Magivore continued to go through.
"NOW!"
Into the containment unit it went. The Magivore could not help and consume all of the energy it could. It kept shrinking, but it still kept devouring it.
It's own inner nature proved to be its own destruction. As now only a tiny little fleck had been sealed in the light.
Harry blasted the shadows through. He used his wand to rip open a portal.
"He's on the other side."
The entire group blasted through the portal and knew what they had to face on the other side.
Harry landed on the other side of the Anti-Monitor with a thud.
"Do you see what I will build? A world free of the flaws of the last one."
"Yeah, well if it's in your image, it's not a world which I want to live in," Harry told him.
"Don't worry. You won't."
The Anti-Monitor summoned his legions. The Paragons were ready to fight it. The sounds of battle erupted from beneath. Harry had his focus on one individual and one individual alone.
The two clashed, with the Anti-Monitor trying to push back with energy to erase Harry from existence. Harry reflected back and sent the Anti-Monitor crushing back.
"I don't know what is going to be more satisfying. Squashing you like an insect under my foot. Or, wiping them all out and making sure you are the last one standing before I slowly and utterly eliminate me."
"Well, you're not going to do either," Harry said. "My Paragons are winning. And you're finished."
"I will just summon more. And soon the numbers overwhelm them. The multiverse is mine. The power is…."
Harry's eyes started to glow with menace and then his body shifted.
"YOU TALK TOO MUCH!"
Those last words came out in a roar with fire spitting out it. For Harry shifted into a large, imposing black dragon with green scales and eyes. He began to spit fire and blasted it towards the Anti-Monitor. The magical fire caused the Anti-Monitor to scream and force him to summon all of the power.
The shadows popped away. Leaving Sara, Kara, and Diana, who had been closest to gaze upon Harry to ease.
"Hera," Diana murmured.
"Did you know...he could do that?" Kara asked in awe.
"Um, kind of?" Sara asked.
The other Paragons saw what these three saw. Harry, turned into a Dragon, at the top of the mountain, slamming his spiked tail and cracking the Anti-Monitor's armor. He threw the feared destroyer around like a chewtoy. Power had been drawn from them and sent the Anti-Monitor flying down towards them.
The Dragon slammed down onto the ground and buried the Anti-Monitor into the crater. The shadows all had been destroyed by one burst of fire.
Slowly, Harry shifted back to his human self and braced for what is going to come next.
Helena, Dinah, Sara, Karen, Zari, Diana, and Harry all stood by each other. It was not over yet. It had never been over yet. The Anti-Monitor rose up. Fractures in his body as he rose up from the abyss.
"There will always be a choice where you fail. But now, I'm here and I will destroy you all. If this is the best you can do I will…"
A flash of light summoned the Spectre in front of the Anti-Monitor.
"It's time."
"I know."
The Spectre pushed his hands against the chest of the Anti-Monitor and the two summoned for position. Harry grabbed Kara's hand and Kara clasped Diana's. Diana's joined with Dinah, Dinah grabbed Sara's, Sara grabbed Zari's, Zari grabbed Helena's, and Helena clasped Karen's.
The Paragons all stood in a line. They lifted up into the air. Their minds and souls practically become one.
"No, this is impossible."
"Impossible? I'm Harry Fucking Potter. And impossible is my game."
The beams of light shot out and began to lock onto the Anti-Monitor.
Strands wrapped around him and had been ripped into oblivion. Harry supercharged all of the girls at the end, while Oliver drove the Anti-Monitor down further and further. The flame had been sparked and Harry knew there were seconds away.
Harry remained locked onto Kara's hand. His wand turned into giant scythe. He saw multiple Anti-Monitors all the way down the line.
"See you all on the other side."
With one swipe of the scythe, Harry nailed the Anti-Monitor right on the neck. The swinging scythe chopped off all of their heads all the way down the line, through every timestream which they had failed to defeat him or at least he succeeded.
The last thing before the bright light, was Death's smiling face.
Then an explosion of light as the Anti-Monitor crumbled into dust. And with that, everything faded to black.
Kara jolted up out of bed, breathing heavily. Oh, there was no way that could be a dream. That had to be a nightmare, but it ended well. How did it end again? Through the post groggy state of sleep, Kara could hardly, hardly comprehend what was going on.
"Welcome back."
Suddenly, Kara shifted and Harry's arms wrapped around her.
"Good morning, luv," Harry said.
"So, you're still here," Kara said.
Kara leaned in and kissed Harry in gratitude. It had not been some trippy dream. Harry rejoined her and they had saved them all.
"As I always have been in this new world," Harry said. "You remember what happened? We did it. We restored everything."
Kara rose up out of bed, completely shaken, but pleased. She noticed the ring on her finger and could not help but smile.
"So, all of the Earths are back?" Kara asked. "Earth-38 has been restored."
"Yes...and no."
Kara blinked, not quite following Harry's train of thought.
"Several Earths wove together as one. But, things are changing. We stopped the Crisis and that dark feeling in the back of my mind is gone.
Harry and Kara rose up from bed.
"Perhaps it's best we have breakfast before I explain it."
Breakfast was good, especially when Harry cooked it.
Chapter 17:
Right on a bridge, an armored truck had been stopped completely cold. A lovely dark-haired woman dressed in black, wielding a staff appeared on the edge. Joslyn Jackam, better known as Weather Witch, the estranged daughter of the Weather Wizard, stopped the truck completely cold.
"Alright, off the truck!" Weather Witch called for them. "Don't make me blow you away."
Girl needed to live and this girl needed a bit of a payday. The armored truck guards scrambled off of the truck. Their guns had been blown away from a well-placed motion from the Weather Witch's staff and hit orbit very hard.
Suddenly. Weather Witch gazed up into the sky. First came Supergirl, which brought a small smile to her face. And then when Supergirl showed up, he could not be far behind. Handsome, daring, stunning, with green eyes which she could get lost in for days. Nightshade appeared and oh he did look delicious. Joss licked her lips when looking over him.
Obviously, Nightshade had been the identity of Harry Potter. Something which he got used to in this timeline, because codenames were new and foreign to him, even though in the rewritten reality, they should be something that he was used to.
"Well, finally a real man shows up," Joss said.
"That truck doesn't belong to you," Kara said.
"I know," Joss said. "Maybe, I need a hands on approach so I can learn to keep my hands to myself. Or maybe, just maybe, I should just put my hands on something else."
Joss stepped over the line towards Harry who smiled and motioned for her.
"I didn't want their truck," Joss said. "I wanted to get your attention. I'll do anything for a chance for you. Especially since Snart can't keep her mouth shut about how amazing you are. And give explicit details on how great you are at fucking her brains out."
"Mmm," Harry said. "Interesting proposal, what do you think Supergirl?"
"Well," Kara said. "She can handle that staff pretty damn well. She might have some potential."
"I do," Joss said. "Just let me please. I know I've been a bad girl. You can spank me if you want to."
Weather Witch moved closer towards him. The gap had almost been closed between them.
Then, the Flash appeared behind them, disarmed Joss, and slapped the handcuffs on her.
"Not so fast right there," Flash said. "Good work you two."
"Yeah," Kara said dryly. "Thanks a lot Flash."
"Yeah, you soy-eating killjoy!" Joss snapped. "You can be a real cockblock sometimes."
Barry looked confused, and then turned from Kara, who he knew and than to the man who he knew as Nightshade, who Barry felt he should know, but something had been blocked in his mind.
"So, you still don't have your pre-crisis memories."
"Crisis?" Barry asked.
Harry snapped his fingers and restored all of Barry's memories every step of the way. Barry took a few seconds to shake off everything and then he blinked.
"So, that's...so we won? But, now instead of multiple Earths, it's one Earth."
"For now," Harry agreed. "Although the Multiverse finds its way back around eventually. Still, this new Earth-Prime is the best hits from the old Multiverse. There have been changes."
Right, Barry nodded, that made sense.
"Can't believe his timing," Kara said.
Joss flashed Harry "come-fuck me" eyes as she was being lead off by the police. Harry figured he could arrange her release under his custody at a later time. He did have the resources and pull with the Central City DA in this world.
"Barry can be a bit of a killjoy sometimes," Kara murmured with a bit of a pout.
Harry put an arm around his wife's shoulder and smiled.
"Mmm, well he thought he was doing the right thing," Harry said. "Unfortunately, he was doing the right thing, at the wrong time."
Harry and Kara would rejoin the rest of the Paragons later, although they would have liked to tag-team a lovely rogue on the bridge. Maybe next time.
The Paragons all had been getting adjusted to the new world. Sara, Dinah, Helena, Diana, Zari, and Karen met them, with Lena, Nora, and Mia joining them.
"It's a lot to unpack," Harry said. "I'll try to explain it the best I can."
"That's good if you can because I can't wrap my head around this," Dinah said to Harry. "Especially now that I have a twin."
The original Earth-1 Dinah Laurel Lance had been restored thanks to the changes of the timeline, thanks to Harry's forceful insistence she did. Reality shifted where she and the Earth-2 Dinah Laurel Lance had been twin sisters, instead of alternate dimensional counterparts.
"Retroactively, Bruce is a little older to accommodate you existing," Harry told Helena. "Although he's still missing and Kate's taken up the mantle of Batwoman in Gotham City"
"Mmm, we'll talk about that one later," Helena said before she motioned for Harry to continue.
She was not going into the Robin costume.
"Nora, Mia, and Zari, technically you belong to a timeline where none of you exist as you are," Harry said. "However, I've fixed it so that won't cause any problems."
"So ,there are alternate versions of us then, in this new world?" Nora asked.
"Yes, although with Zari, there was already one."
"Yeah, about that other Zari," Zari murmured, looking kind of bemused.
Zari supposed that alternate Zari would grow on her in time, although they were very different people, in certain senses. Although, deep down they would have similarities.
"So, Nora and I will exist later in the future, although we exist now, in this present," Mia said. "So, we can't go back?"
"Do you want to?" Harry asked.
"Well, I have many reasons to stay, and to make sure other me doesn't grow up in a future anything like the one that I left," Mia said. "My father is gone, but Star City needs a Green Arrow. Right now and not twenty years in the future. Because, crime doesn't disappear overnight. It never does."
Harry pondered about his own predicament in life.
"So, what about...your world?" Kara asked him.
"Well, the Wizarding World still exists, although I disappeared after Voldemort. They assumed that I took him with me. The mystery of my disappearance, along with the tragic disappearances of several prominent purebloods would never be resolved. And I made sure nothing like that would ever happen again. Helps when I have a wife who has a time ship."
Voldemort would never rise again. And he would live a very miserable and troubled existence in the afterlife.
"And said wife has involved herself in a curious situation of her own, when I woke up married to both Ava and Nyssa," Sara said. "How did you arrange that?"
"I rewrote reality to suit us best," Harry said. "Of course, that comes with its own challenges. But with everything now stable and the Anti-Monitor destroyed, we hopefully have deserved time off."
"Well, it would be nice to have a breather after all of that."
Diana had visited back home and all of her sisters along with her mother were safe and unaware of what happened. It would be a hell of a tale for Diana to tell future generations of Amazons when they had more time.
The world was as it should be, although this new world would have many challenges. And the new multiverse which was born from it, even more so.
"You ready to do this?"
Harry and Mia walked up to the Queen Mansion. The first time Mia saw it, well standing completely as it should be. The home her father grew up in, during the first time. It had been very impressive and Mia had been spellbound in looking at it.
More changes occurred through the timeline, with Oliver saving Moira from Slade and history altered a couple of steps of the way. Mia had a chance to meet her grandmother and also her Aunt Thea for the first time.
"You want to do the honors?"
"Yeah," Mia said.
Mia had been certain that Moira had already met her younger self, as an infant, but that would be a different Mia. Although, the thought of helping teach her younger self everything she needed to know, had been weird, and also a bit interesting to say the least.
The door opened up, and Moira answered the door.
"You must be Mia," Moira said. "It's good to see you. Come in."
Harry called ahead and explained the strange circumstances to Moira. Who had been through so much over the last decade plus in her life that she really did not question it too much. Inside of the room, sat Thea and also Laurel, the one from Earth-1. She looked up at Harry, in recognition. Thea bounced up to her feet and rushed over to Harry and threw her arms around him with a hug.
"Oooh, finally you stopped by," Thea said. "I'm a bit upset I missed the Crisis."
"Well, you were...busy," Harry said.
"No hug for your niece?" Mia asked.
Thea smiled and moved her to hug her niece. Who was around her same age. Oh, time travel, it was so wacky. Thea pulled all the way from him.
"Hey, Laurel," Harry said.
"Harry," Laurel said. "I'm glad to see you made it out okay."
"You doing okay yourself?" Harry asked.
"Well, I was alive, then I was dead, and now I'm a twin," Laurel said. "But, then again, when are the Lance Sisters normal? Still haven't beaten Sara's record in being dead and then being resurrected."
"Hopefully, you won't," Harry said. "Thank you for your help in the Dark Realm."
"It was a pleasure," Laurel said. "And now I have meta-powers. And a very interesting story about how I sent Oliver flying out of a window when I got them."
"Mmm, I'd like to hear that," Mia said.
"Well, I have other stories about your father, but I should be careful what I tell you."
"Yes, that would be wise," Thea said with a smile.
"He was pretty durable," Laurel said. "Not perfect."
"No, no one is,' Harry said.
"I don't know," Thea said. "Some could come pretty close."
Laurel turned to Mia and bent down to look her directly in the eyes.
"I'm putting together a team with the help of an old friend of mine from Gotham City," Laurel said. "If you feel like you need a place, you can join."
"Thanks," Mia said. "But, I've got my place, in Star City. There needs to be a Green Arrow now. The mission is never over."
Harry and Thea slipped off to the kitchen where dinner was being served.
"Our charity we set up is doing well," Thea said.
"Oh, what's this, then?" Moira asked.
"It's a charity to help those with drug addictions get their life back together," Thea said. "I wish I could have had that kind of support, although you did help me through some rough times."
Thea moved a little bit closer to Harry and whispered in his ear.
"Of course, you did just replace one addiction with another."
Mia and Laurel entered the room to join them. Moira looked at Harry and then to Thea. Well, her daughter sleeping with Harry, she did not fault Thea for her good taste. Sure it was part of a polygamus relationship, but Moira had done some wild things in her day. It was the eighties.
Not she told those stories to her children. The last thing Moira wanted to do was give them ideas. Oliver and Thea got plenty on their own.
"So, I'm going to have to bury him again," Thea said. "Even though there's no body to bury. Which is kind of like the last time come to think of it."
"He'll always be a part of you," Harry said. "Close your eyes and Oliver will always be there, lingering. They never go away. Those we lost always remained alive in your memories."
Thea just snorted in spite of herself.
"Cheesy, but true, so I'll allow it."
Harry and Kara showed up at the L-Corp building, and joined Lena. The trio stood together and overlooked National City, the city which they all helped build in their own ways.
"Well, we were partners, as it should be," Lena said. "But we also remember what really happened."
"Yes," Harry said. "Your brother's gone as well. He didn't end up worming his way into this new timeline."
"He would have liked to, I bet," Kara said. "Standing up there, as some kind of great hero who helped save the multiverse. Why would people ever believe him?"
"People have memories as short as the latest news cycle," Lena said. "Lex's vanity would have pushed him back to old habits eventually. Although, I don't want to think how many people would have suffered in the meantime."
One of the timelines which Harry looked into was one where he did not end Lex. Needless to say, things did not end up too well in the process, so it justified Harry's ending of Lex.
"So far, it's been quiet,' Kara said.
'That won't last," Harry said.
"I know," Kara said.
"You two are supposed to be the pillars of optimism, and I'm supposed to be the pragmatic planner here," Lena said. "Then again, it was Harry's idea to film a PSA to tell people not to jump off of buildings so they could meet Supergirl."
'Yes," Kara said, remembering from her old timeline.
They had a bright new future, but their new memories gave them some perspective. And thus, they had a lot of ideas.
And speaking of ideas, Harry might not have agreed with Barry Allen on every single thing, but, he did agree with him on the need for one consolidated group of heroes.
At a conference hall, Supergirl and Nightshade showed up, and they were not the only ones. Three former Paragons, in the form of Wonder Woman, Black Canary, and White Canary joined them. Along with Black Lightning, Batwoman, Superman, and Flash. And then, last but certainly not least, Mia joined them, clad in the hood of the Green Arrow.
"Thank you all for coming," Flash said. "And even though she had to fly out for a meeting earlier, we should all thank Lena Luthor for helping bankroll this."
"So, what's this about?" Superman asked.
"Yeah, why are we here?" Black Lightning asked.
He had been just happy to have his family back, stronger than ever. Although Jennifer and Anissa could not believe that he met both Harry Potter and Superman, and they had both been real. Perhaps, Jefferson could arrange a meeting between his daughters and the two very real cultural icons.
"Well, every year, it seems the threats escalate."
"Every December," White Canary said.
"Yes, true," Flash agreed. "And we have an informal team up every year. But, why should we wait for it to happen? We should make sure we organized and coordinated."
"It could work," Harry mused.
"Yes, it would be a good idea to have people we can trust," Wonder Woman said.
"We're not going to step on your toes, any of you, if that's what you're worried about," Barry said. "But, if you ever need help and any of us aren't dealing with something else in our own city's, we will be there."
"It would be useful," Black Lightning agreed. "I admit, I want to take care of Freeland's problems on my own, but things are getting worse over there."
"Same thing with Gotham City," Batwoman said.
"Every now and then, I could use a hand in Metropolis," Superman mused.
"And while Harry and I have National City well covered, it's appreciated," Supergirl said.
"Well, we should keep in touch, and not get together for just the big things once a year," Harry told them. "Because, the little things can become big problems, if we try and shoulder the burden of the world."
"Speak from experience, do you?" Batwoman asked.
"I believe we all have had that experience at one point," Supergirl suggested.
All of them nodded around the table.
"So, we got this little group of capes who will avenge and defend against anyone," Black Canary said. "Our motley little group of Superfriends."
"More like a Justice League really," Harry said.
"Exactly what I was thinking," Superman agreed.
They all had chairs around the table. Mia paused and hesitated when she looked at the chair with the arrow symbol on the back of it.
"It should be his," Mia said.
"And now it's yours," White Canary told him. "Oliver would be proud of everything you did. And even more so if you can be even better than he can."
"No pressure though, right?"
"None whatsoever."
At Oliver's funeral, several people showed up and paid their respects. Harry and Kara stood around. While Harry did not know the man too well, it was only proper to pay his respects.
"He's lived the life he wanted," Harry said. "But, for Mia's sake, I had to put my foot down on his little request for the afterlife. He'll understand that I'm doing him a favor, in time."
"It sounds like someone's twisted manipulation of a fairy tale ending," Kara said.
Felicity showed up to stare down at the grave. Forever empty and Oliver having ascended to another plane. She did not say anything, did not even interact with anyone. She just calmly sighed and stepped away from the distance. Mia moved back to follow her off into the distance.
"We had our ups and our downs," Felicity told the older version of her daughter. "I guess this opens up a new chapter of my life."
"If you need me, I'll be here for you," Mia said. "And you should stay here for her."
"I know," Felicity said. "And I have to find your brother as well."
Mia answered with a nod, oh she knew exactly where William was. Perhaps there could be a better future for them all.
Sara stepped over, and had been joined with Nyssa and also with Ava. And then, another woman popped up. She looked at Harry, with a shocked expression in her eyes.
"You know him?" the woman asked. "The Dragon?"
"Yes, Talia, I do," Nyssa said.
"He would have been worthy of being our father's heir."
"No, he would have been much better and you know it," Nyssa said.
"Hello," Harry said. "You must be Nyssa's sister."
"I am," Talia said. "It appears that Nyssa was keeping certain details of her union discreet to me. But, now I'm much more at ease with it, now that you will be taking care of her. And I hope that we can make an arrangement to consolidate further power and restore the League to what it should be before madness overtook my father."
"Thea and I have been talking about it," Harry said. "When this all settles down, we'll talk."
Talia pulled back, with a nod. Oh, they would. They really would.
"Slade," Sara murmured.
Slade Wilson appeared to pay his respects to Oliver.
"I hope you're at peace wherever you are, kid," Slade murmured.
Slade walked a couple of steps back and came face to face with Rose. Rose looked rather recovered and stared down her father for a few seconds. Slade stared back at her.
"You doing well?" Slade asked.
"Yes," Rose curtly replied.
A funeral was not a place to hash out family disagreements. The two walked away with each other.
Harry turned aside and noticed Thea talking to a woman who was Oliver's other half-sister, Emiko. Another person who had been restored by the timeline, as was Sara's father who had been standing with his twin daughters, Dinah and Laurel, along with their mother. And several other individuals appeared.
Emiko had been trying to catch Harry's eye.
"You been staying out of trouble?" Harry asked her.
"Well, the wrong kind of trouble," Emiko told him. "It's good to see you again. Thea's been telling me about what you two have been up to."
"Oh and what has she been telling you?" Harry asked.
"Business, although I can tell it's more than that," Emiko said. "Although, I suppose I should play nice, because your wife can break me in half."
"Oh, she could," Thea agreed. "Thankfully she's a very generous woman. If we play by her rules."
Harry cleared his throat to divert the subject away, at least for now and Moira stepped in to join Thea and Emiko. Things had been a bit tense between Emiko and Moira, although this had been a perfect time to left old ghosts die.
Several other people joined over. All of the Paragons linked together and they could feel Oliver overlooking his own funeral.
Tomorrow is another day.
Mia stood at the edge and Harry turned to her. She looked down at the grave.
"You didn't fail this city," Mia murmured. "And you wouldn't fail me."
Harry wrapped his arms around Mia to comfort her. Mia smiled, and leaned towards her husband. So what if she just had to share him with many? It just meant Mia would have to step up her game.
The funeral began.
"Today, we stand together, in solemn silence for Oliver Queen. Beloved brother, husband, father, and friend...and protector to many."
Downtime had been rare, so Harry and Kara enjoyed it. They had become the power couple of National City, whether it be as Supergirl and Nightshade, or as Kara Danvers and Harry Potter. Harry relaxed and threaded his arms around Kara to pull her into a nice little embrace.
Well earned, and life was great. For real this time.
A buzzing in their ear went off.
"Alex, what is it?" Kara asked.
"A situation has come up. We could really use your help."
"We'll be on it, Director Danvers," Harry told her.
No rest for the wicked and no rest for heroes. They zoomed off, ready to head off. There would always be a new situation to deal with, big or small.