Earth
One Laurel Lance was a hero called the Black Canary. Earth 2 Laurel
lance was a meta-human criminal called Black Siren. Her father,
sister and the love of her life Oliver all died and she went to the
wrong side of the tracks. Earth-X is the name of a nightmare world
where the Nazi's actually won World War II. the entire planet can be
considered the Fatherland. Earth-X Oliver Queen is the Fuhrer. and
Quentin Lance is second in command to him and openly hates his guts.
Now
this is all in a blog entry for two reasons. One I'm writing a one-off where our Oliver Queen is a prisoner of the Reich on Earth X.
Oliver, Barry and a few of the other heroes were taken to Earth X
during the crossover. The freedom fighters wanted to close the gate
with Dark Arrow and Overgirl on the other side, trapping these heroes
here. So imagine they succeeded in destroying the portal. But with
The Reverse Flash aka the man in the yellow suit, Aka Eaobard
Thawne's help, Overgirl and Dark Archer still managed to get back to
Earth X.
Kate
Cassidy, who plays Laurel was unable to appear during the crossover
but we do meet her Earth-X doppelganger in a Flash episode later that
season. Her name is Siren-X she is super powerful and is described as
'an elite assassin gone mad'. It
has been said of her that unlike Black Siren she does not have a
Freudian excuse for her villainy, other than having grown up in a
Nazi regime. But as Oliver points out, she does. Her father is
second-in-command of the entire Nazi regime and she would want
daddy's approval.
THE
NARRATOR TO THIS STORY WILL SURPRISE YOU
“You've
won. Alright? So take me. But spare my friends please ...I beg you.”
“Choose
one to be spared.” Overgirl ordered. Oliver looked at her, confused
and humiliated.
“I
cannot. To chose one of my friends to live while the others were
slaughtered. I cannot...”
“Well
that I can understand but you draw more horror from my offer than
needs be. Since you surrendered yourself, all of your friends will
live. What I am ordering is that you choose one of your friends to be
released. To live somewhere else on our Earth and have a chance of
finding their way home. The others will live as subjects and guests
of the Reich. In other words...Prisoners serving the Reich in
whatever capacity my husband and I see fit.”
“Felicity.
Let Felicity go free.”
“She
already hid herself away from us. We don't know where she is. Choose
again.”
“Barry
Allen.” Oliver said immediately. “Spare his life, let him go.
Once I know
he
is safe, I won't resist anymore. You can do what you want with me.”
“It
shall be done. And it is curious you should choose him.”
“Why?
Is the Barry alien you know a despicable loser, even by your
standards?”
“We
actually don't have a Barry Allen in our data-banks. Which means we
don't have a version of him on our Earth. For you to show this much
regard for him, he must be a great man by your Earth's reckoning.”
“No,
I'm a great man. Barry Allen is a Good
man. And I cannot stand to think what being around your kind will do
to him.”
“Good,
honest hatred. Very refreshing. Very well. Once we've removed his
powers, he'll be released. You
have my word on that Queen.”
“Thank
you Kara Zor'el.” Oliver said with what could only be called
embellished restraint. Already forced to his knees, he bowed his head
to the ground. “I thank you...my master.”
The
next...any number of days were hell. They kept him in a room called
the forge. Thanks to the geothermal heat that poured through floor it
was easily 130 degrees Fahrenheit in there. They hung him up from the
ceiling. A few lackeys for lack of another word brought him water and
food but no one spoke to him. Damien was the only one to approach
him. And that was just to ensure he had all of his ribs. “Nice to
see you're as much of a dick on this Earth as you were on mine.”
“Hehe,
likewise. No seriously. As I'm sure you're well aware you are an
absolute DICK here. It's nice to see you keep at least some of your
backbone across the multiverse.”
“May
I ask you a question? Besides that one I mean.”
“If
you let me punch you in the face afterward.”
“Agreed.
Is Laurel Lance...still alive on this Earth?”
“Yes
she is. We call her Siren-X.”
“She's
a Nazi? Of course, Lance is a high-ranking Nazi officer. It makes
sense that she'd want to follow in her father's footsteps.”
“I
take it she's dead on your Earth. And I'm surmising the 'me' you know
had something to do with that.” Oliver nodded, he didn't really
think it worth talking about. “Elaborate.” Oliver didn't reply.
Damien walked up to Oliver and got within 4 centimeters of his face.
“Elaborate.”
Oliver
sighed. “On our Earth Quentin Lance is was police captain. He
was...You leveraged Laurel over him to keep him quiet. But he joined
my team in working to save the city and most especially to try to
take you down. We'd been working together for almost a year when
you...made good on your threat...and stabbed Laurel through the
heart. In front of my team.”
“Well
that is good news.” Oliver's eyes shot harpoons. “Not, I expect,
for you. But the only version of myself I ever met was a sniveling
coward. The phrase 'soft-hearted fool' is the kindest way I have to
describe him. I'm glad to know he's the exception not the rule.”
“You're
lying Damien.”
“Ex-cuse
me,
Oli-ver.”
“I
spent a year chasing you down before I stabbed you through with an
arrow. We got pretty good at reading each-other. If you were glad you
would have spoken casually like you normally do. You would have said
simply 'good to know'. But you made a point of your feelings of your
reactions. Which means you were being insincere about them. You
were
glad to hear a doppelganger of yourself had a backbone. But you are
not Glad to learn the cowardly version you met was the exception
rather than the rule.”
“Never
really had a nemesis before. I kind of like it. Adrian was the
closest thing I had to a workplace nemesis. But he was a petulant,
man-child and well...a rival more than an equal.”
“God
it seems like that guy rattles pretty much everyone's rankles.”
“Not
without reason either.” Damien said agreeably. He walked a couple
steps away, but still within reach. “Now just so you know, I'm
about to punch you in the face.”
“Then
do so.” Oliver said with a mixture of defiance and acceptance.
Damien
delivered a vicious backhand to Oliver's jaw. Then, apparently
thinking their business concluded he turned to leave. “rajul
sharaf. takhayal dhalika.” He muttered under his breath.
“What
what did you just say?” Oliver yelled after him. “What was
that..Ara...”
Damien
did not turn around. “If you know what is good for you, you'll keep
your mouth shut!” He urged in a deep, deliberate voice that people
hardly ever disobeyed. Then he turned around. “People will miss you
when you are gone. But there are parts of you only you will miss.”
Oliver
hung his head in a non-verbal 'I understand' gesture. And to hide a
small smile on his face. He never knew the man had such a crass but
effective way with words. “This is...something new.” Oliver
breathed. Damien left without replying.
Several
days later Damien returned. “I have one question for you. Well
somewhere between an insistence and a demand really.”
“Something
you're curious about and you want to know if I understand it any
better?”
“Oliver,
you are seriously creeping me out. But yes, that's about the size of
it.”
“Then
pose your query.”
“alhikayat
alati yajib riwayitiha – tabda alan.”
“That
is not a technically a question but a challenge. You
want to know if I
know
what you just said?” Damien Darhk nodded. “ 'The tale to be told,
begins now'.”
“Okay...I
guess that answers my other questions.”
“That's
why you sound the way you do, like you don't know native-speaker
English. You are a native speaker. But you speak a language that
requires far more deliberate diction.”
“Okay....NOW
you are creeping me out.”
“Would
you believe me that for all of 5 minutes the League called me Rashe
al Ghul?”
“There's
not a lot ELSE that could explain that.”
“Were...were
you Rashe, on this world?”
“The
League has no Demon's Head, no leader. We were...'disbanded' almost
20 years ago. Rashe, as he was then, chose survival over identity. I
continue the Leagues ways... yes.”
“Which
is why you were so glad__ I should
say 'relieved' to
hear that another version of you had a back-bone. Proof that you
don't need to be Nazi-strong to be Strong.”
“It
is unsettling how well you seem to understand me.”
“Yeah,
I can't say I find it particularly comfortable either.”
“I've
been wondering why you asked about Laurel Lance. Were you close on
your Earth?”
“We
weren't together. But we were the closest of friends and soldiers in
arms. At least near the end. The only
good to come out of the year you tried to destroy Star City was that
Quentin and I came to an understanding. We became friends...and I
found my son.”
The Arabic
phrase Damien said to himself on the way out the door translates as
'a man of honor; imagine that'. And was a Damien's sincere opinion of
this 'softer' doppelganger of the Fuhrer. Damien Darhk of Oliver's
Earth was a former member of the League of Assassins who 'continues
the Leagues ways but through his own organization'. It is noted
by several characters that the League of Assassins, however twisted
their aims or extreme their methods, believes very deeply in a code
of honor. To say the least, Damien making a comment about Oliver
having a sense of honor in Arabic got his attention.
A few
months later, this happens.
“Ich
sah dich dort, ich sah dich, dann die traurigsten Worte, was hätte
sein können.” Darhk said in an almost gloating tone as he stood
just inside Oliver's cell. “Or if you prefer. 'In dieser
verkorksten Welt istdas was hätte passieren können“, das,
tatsächlich passiert ist.”
“Damien
in case you haven't figured it out yet, I don't speak German!”
“How
does the League describe 'true strength' other than 'to cull
weakness'?”
“Mastery
over oneself.” Oliver replied almost instantly. “Forging your own
path, creating yourself. Standing apart as the word 'assassin'
originally meant.”
“And
that's what I'm doing now.” Oliver could barely believe his eyes as
Damien undid the chains that held his arms above his head and handed
him a wine-skin. After looking at the man's face a few seconds he
came to believe it, but wasn't sure what to make of the overture.
Damien smile wryly. “Lets' go.”
“Excuse
me?!”
“I
would say 'you can
either trust me or you can wait here to be executed'
except obviously no one around here is going to straight up execute
you. The one thing you can be sure of is that I'm not deliberating
taking you to your death. Trusting me really is your only option
here.”
“Well
or calling the guards and insisting they hang you as a traitor.”
“Oh,
seriously, I thought you were a little smarter than that. Listen
Oliver...damn it feels weird calling you that. You are a man of
honor...and in my own way so am I.”
“Say
it as Sarab would have.” Oliver insisted. Damien looked at him
blankly. “The question about true strength – ask it as Sarab
would and I'll go with you.”
“Proof
that I do understand the strength of the League itself.” Damien
muttered under his breath. He leaned down and and whispered in
Oliver's left ear. “kayf yasif aldawriu "alquat alhaqiqiati"
bikhilaf "'iiedam alduefi" ma hu almiqyas alakhar?”
“Okay,
let's get the hell out of here.”
“You
work with Leo?” Oliver asked as they ran across the field.
“You
know the freedom fighters?” Damien replied. “And no, they're too
uncoordinated. Besides they don't like my sort much better than they
like the Nazi's. Thankfully, they're not the only group fighting the
Nazi's.”
“I'm
starting to pick up on that. Just tell me we're not meeting up with
the Magician because then we might have a problem.”
“That
would be damn near impossible. Here.” the ducked behind some
crates.
“Is
he 'dead for years'?”
“No...That's
what Rashe called ME.”
'Of
course if Tommy can be Prometheus, Damien can be the Magician' Oliver
thought to himself. . Malcolm Merlyn. 'The Magician' was his original
League name back home.”
“Before
he became Rashe Al Ghul, I assume. Our Malcolm was our last 'demon's
head'.”
((
“Death
is the cowards way out. You deserve to live with your failure and I
will make sure you never delude yourself with visions of freedom
again.” She motioned to a pair of Oberleutnant “Take him to the
Aberdeen camp. He is the plaything of the Aufseher there until
further notice. Oh I'm sorry do you need me to translate that
for you?”
“I
have a pretty good idea. And who exactly do I belong to now?”
“Well,
I will tell you this, Adrian will take great interest in your
humiliation Oliver. In fact, he might even play a hand in it
himself.”
“Adrian...Adrian
CHASE What did I do to him on this Earth?”
“You
did nothing to him. But he has, as you would say a desire to prove
himself since he was sent to the purgatory of all detention centers
instead of becoming Prometheus.”
“What's
the German for 'the more things change'?”
“'Desto
mehr ändern sich die Dinge'. The point is he'll take this assignment
as his chance at redemption, a way to prove he can break even the
hardest of obstinate enemies. Being a military governor of a
population of sheep provides little room for advancement. Survive a
few weeks under his
care and I might reconsider whether you deserve a shot
at redemption.”
“Thank
you, mistress. I will endeavor to learn the proper attitudes. It is
my intent that in time I will make you see me. Even if it is only as
a servant and a...pleasing companion”
“If
you endure your time with Adrian without too much ill effect, then
eventually I will find another use for you. And I may come to trust
you. I can see myself trusting you. The next time you stand ib my
presence
I will ask you for details on who everyone was on your world. It is
an intriguing, concept unto itself. Multiverse, parallel universes,
different lives...endless possibilities. If nothing else you can
entertain me with stories. And inspire the children of the Fatherland
with stories of your Earth...told in the proper light of course.”
“'I'm
a defeated idiot. These are the fairy tales I used to fight for'.”
Oliver guessed. “I would be all for such a thing. Because as
long as someone hears the stories and learns what my Earth was like,
that things like this do exist somewhere. That people like Quentin,
Diggle, Barry and Sasha as I knew them truly exist...It'll be worth
it.”
“You've
won, alright Adrian? I am your pet and your slave, as Overgirl
decreed. You have me, I'm fairly certain I'm the one you want. Please
I will do anything, I will bow myself to you, confess my faults and
your greatness before The Assembly itself if you want. Just please,
leave my friend out of this. Keep her in the work-camp. That's where
she's from isn't it? She serves quietly and calmly, quite content to
be ignored by literally anyone. So send her back there, let her work
the fields or in the kitchens. You'll get no trouble from her. Please don't
do this.”
“How
do you know this Sasha Scott is anything like your...whatever she was
to you?”
“Sasha
has the same open-face across the multiverse. She's the antithesis of
polluted. She sucked at lying and abhorred obfuscation. I know this
from the four plus years she spent dropping in on my team and my
friends. It's not sentiment.
At least, it's not projection. I know this is not her,
the woman I knew. For one, this woman, this bait you have in front of
me has lived her life down-trodden and put upon. She sees the Fuhrer
when she looks at me, so I know it is not her.
Also,
Sasha is gone from my life. I have not been able to find her for more than two years and
stopped looking. So I seriously doubt you would've known anything
about her until now. You're doing this because you know us hero
types. That we will attempt to save any innocent life. And how much
it tears us up if we can't.”
“And
I wanted to show you the power we wield over the degenerate races.
And the inferior humans we rule.” Adrian said with almost clinical
detachment. But there was still a veneer of perverse satisfaction. He
was saying these things just to hurt me...whether he even believed it
didn't matter. “You, sit down in my lap.” He commanded. Sasha
walked over to him and obediently sat down. She looked at her feet
the entire time.
“You
mean like this?” Adrian grabbed Sasha by her hair and pulled her
down. He kissed her, passionately, forcefully and repeatedly. And
in what seemed like an eternity he ran his hand down her side and
undid the strings of her...undergarments...without even looking. And
the worst part is, she must have been as accoutered to this treatment
as Adrian was accustomed to taking advantage of his prisoners. She
didn't struggle at all. Sasha, my friend Sasha never met
Prometheus..never met Adrian. But seeing her at Adrian's mercy,
seeing Prometheus of all people victimizing her. And she just sat
there at let herself be...” His words failed him. “Sasha as I
knew her was an incredibly strong-willed woman. She wasn't a fighter.
she was probably almost incompetent as far as combat. But she had
convictions that could give her fire. And she had a reservoir of
strength that not only sustained her but guided her. She burned
inside when she saw suffering, and would never let it pass if she
could help it. She and I agreed on everything but if I had ever told
her to do something she didn't agree with, she'd have given me
hell.” ((_))
“And
you saw her being such a victim, so familiar with abuse that it would
never occur to her to fight back.” Leo observed. “That sounds
like a whole lot of suck even by our standards.”
Oliver
smiled. “Felicity said that to me once. I had just described a part
of my exile I hadn't told her about before. She said 'that sounds
like a whole lot of suck'.”
“Well
if the concise but descriptive shoe fits.” Damien said mildly.
The
Arabic phrase Damien said to himself on the way out the door
translates as 'a man of honor; imagine that'. And was Damien's
sincere, personal opinion of this 'sentimental doppelganger of the
fuhrer'. Damien Darhk of our Earth, of Oliver's Earth was a former
member of the League of Assassins who quote 'continues the Leagues
ways but through his own organization'. It is noted by several
characters over the course of the show that however twisted their
aims or extreme their methods, the League of Assassins believes very
deeply in a code of honor. To hear Darhk say something about him
being a man of honor, in
Arabic
got Oliver's attention, to say the least. And
a nuance for those of us who don't speak German. The two phrases
Damien spoke in his sardonic tone were "I saw you there I saw
you then, the saddest words what might have been” and “In this
messed up world, what could have happened is what actually happened.”
