Hello everyone! This is my first fanfic and I just couldn't wait for Arrow Season 3 so I let my imagination run wild and this happened. I'm trying to stick to the theme of Identity that the writers are going for this season. Word of warning, I've been following casting announcements and spoilery updates for Season 3, so that's in this. I will crossover with the Flash and some Young Justice characters. I didn't want to place the fic in the Crossovers until I had planned this out properly. I aim to connect each character's storylines and add twists to story arcs from all three shows (Arrow, The Flash, Young Justice) as well as DC Comic arcs making it one big alternate universe but Arrow-centric ofc. Some elements of the first few chapters will be based on the First Look trailer if you've noticed, but I'm making it up as I go along. Tell me what you think!
Summary: The Arrow is now the hero to the citizens of Starling. Oliver Queen is basking in his success and tries to have a private life. But the moment he takes his eye of the game, old villains reappear in Starling and deadlier threats hold his city hostage.
Oliver finds himself unwillingly caught between two ancient mysterious organisations that have thrown his home into chaos. The war is far from over. The fate of his allies, family and city hangs in the balance, and he is torn between the man he is and the man he must be to save his city.
Can he still be the Arrow and Oliver Queen?
Disclaimer: I do not own Arrow, The Flash, or Young Justice, those are properties of the CW, Cartoon Network and hence Warner Bros.
Spoilers for Arrow Season 3.
September 8th
Queen Consolidated, 13: 31 AM PST
For once he wasn't late. Oliver admired the view from the window of his former CEO office at Queen Consolidated as he waited for the Board of Directors meeting to start.
From here, he had a bird's eye view of the city, you could see as far as the river and across the bridge, to West Starling and the Glades in all its gritty glory. The hum of the city was that of any large metropolitan, fast-paced, alive, a never-ending story. If he closed his eyes though, and emptied the office sounds around him. He could hear the sirens wailing, the screams, see columns of smoke glissading into a darkening sky, isolated fires smouldering on the streets, and men with a miracle drug destroying everything in their wake, monsters with black and orange masks.
His former friend's reign of terror seemed non-existent with the calm that had pervaded over the streets for the past five months. It felt like a long time since the city was at peace. While he never permitted himself to indulge or celebrate-because heroes don't need rewards-there was nevertheless, a sense of overwhelming pride.
Deep in thought, it took him a moment to realize someone was saying his name.
"Oliver?" Felicity repeated a second time. He glanced over his shoulder at her.
"You okay?"
"I'm fine," he turned back to the view, though he wasn't paying attention to it anymore.
He could see her reflection smiling because she knew he didn't mean it. "Which is Oliver code, for not fine, you're handsomely brooding out the window," she gestured to the glass, he gave her a sidelong glance whilst maintaining a blank expression as her cheeks reddened. She rambled to correct herself, "well I didn't mean it like that, I mean; you're making that face, so something must be wrong. I haven't seen you look this sullen in months."
Oliver clenched his teeth, "I'm selling my father and grandfather's life's work to the highest bidder. It feels like I'm giving away both of my kidneys." And a limb, and an eye, and my liver, he added satirically.
"You're not selling it, we're just welcoming new business partners," she said keeping her tone light.
Felicity was unemployed-which was partially his fault-and so she had no cover to explain herself when the public saw them together. Neither could afford to hire Digg as his 'black driver', but since his public appearances had become less frequent due to Lyla they didn't have to explain him. But Felicity needed another explanation all-together.
They'd settled with a bullshit excuse of Oliver expanding into computer software and cloud technology. Felicity was his consultant, software engineer, and business associate. Unlike his many other lame cover stories, this one actually worked. At the event of the Board of Directors meeting, she could revert to her position as his 'executive assistant' for a few months.
"Don't get ahead of yourself Oliver, we've been working to save your family's company, and that's what we're doing today."
Hesitantly, Felicity reached for his chest and straightened his tie while talking to him; he leaned towards her as she pulled.
"Besides, not being CEO means you'll have more free time for other activities, hopefully whoever gets the other half of Queen Consolidated isn't another villain you'll have to consider putting an arrow in."
He huffed and closed his eyes, but his lips quirked up at her comment. It felt good to keep the past in the past, as lessons and memories to revisit, instead of wallowing in guilt and what could have been, he was beginning to learn that now.
The receptionist opened the glass door, "Mr. Queen, they're ready for you."
"Good luck." Felicity nodded to him encouragingly and followed him into the conference room.
QC initially tackled bad press from the astonishing discovery of Isabel's involvement in Slade's revenge-a fact which rocked their investors for one hectic month. But Oliver eventually gained the sympathy of Starling's citizens ('Slade was a mad man obsessed with an experimental drug and the Queen family he murdered Oliver's mother and kidnapped his sister', was the summarized tale in the Starling Sentinel).
He didn't have a hand in spinning that story; ARGUS had thoroughly buried the existence of mirakuru, Deathstroke's army, and driven public attention away from their attempted drone strike.
There was also the matter of ensuring the company stayed afloat while trying to find someone to buy out the remains of Isabel's shares once her company Stellmoor Int. went bust. Most of Queen Assets were being held, while Walter kept his shares, but the stock market was not confident with QC yet. It was anyone's game, and anyone could swoop in and takeover.
Felicity took a seat at the back and swivelled her chair to face him. The investors-who were only present because they had too many shares in QC to leave—patiently waited for him to begin, wary of what the Queen scion had to say since his absentness as CEO was what threw the company into chaos in the first place. Oliver Queen stood at the head of the conference room and began his opening remarks.
"Two years ago the people of Starling City thought I was dead and I came back. I am confident that this company will do the same. It has fallen, endured, fought and survived to see a new beginning, starting today. Let's begin."
They clapped, and he seated himself across from Felicity as the first bidder was ushered in. His speech gave him the boost of determination and positivity he needed.
Isabel Rochev came out of nowhere when she annexed QC. He was on the island mourning the loss of Tommy, never moving forward, never moving back. He had opted for Purgatory, leaving the city and his family in shambles, running from responsibility. He was fortunate enough to have friends to bring him back to the reality, despite the pain it brought.
It wasn't going to be easy to commit to the company, but he wasn't going to allow himself to be side-lined again. He would never be able to do it whole-heartedly while being the Arrow. But it was worth the effort to keep his family legacy from crumbling.
They emerged from the conference room three exhausting hours later having made no progress of any kind. His positivity was waning slightly, and his mind was overwhelmed with stock figures and jagged line charts.
All the bidders were capable of withstanding the financial rut QC was in, but they weren't able to rebuild the company to its former glory, if not, they wanted to replace major key executives that Robert Queen and Walter had groomed for decades. That was only a miniscule fraction of the problems the bidders brought with them.
Whatever it was, he hated being a businessman, was frustrated with all dollar signs and politics that went with it, yet ironically he needed QC to fund his Arrow activities. He'd simply wanted to find a bidder and get the company running properly immediately, be done with it,but his search was going to take longer than he'd like.
He exited the conference room with Felicity by his side. "That played out waaaay worse in my head", the look he gave was almost sarcastic, she waved her hands to correct the misguided comment, "not that I thought you'd fail, it's just a lot of people in there don't really like you".
Oliver shrugged, "I can't blame them. What do you think of the last bidder?" He asked serious now, she didn't take a second to consider it; she was already on the same page as him. Many people did not see it when they saw Felicity, and read her title 'executive assistant' but she was very instinctual and knowledgeable when it came to Business and Economics, probably more than he was.
"I think we can do better," she nodded with steely determination. Then Garett Newman the CFO stepped in front of them.
"Excuse me, Mr. Queen, apparently there's another bidder for the company."
Both Oliver and Felicity frowned, they'd scoured through dozens of bidders that afternoon, who else could possibly have interest in the company that he hadn't already seen? Then the sound of footsteps echoed on the marble floors, Garett pointed behind them.
"Ray Palmer," said the newcomer, with a clear, confident voice, wearing a sharp, charcoal suit. Palmer was slightly taller than him with neatly coiffed dark hair and dark eyes. The entrepreneur latched onto his extended hand with a firm handshake.
"Nice to meet you, love your company," Ray flashed him a million dollar smile. Oliver was a little taken aback by Mr. Palmer's sudden, unscheduled entrance, whether it was rude or ballsy he had yet to determine.
"Oliver Queen," he countered, returning with his own hundred-watt smile, "but you already knew that," he went to introduce Felicity.
"Felicity Smoak, my executive assistant," but did not finish when Ray bulldozed over him.
"I know that too," the entrepreneur gave Felicity an intrigued fascinated glance, his eyes even sparkled. She blushed, which in turn made Oliver go from surprised, to royally pissed off with Ray Palmer.
"Sorry for the tardiness, but I like to make an entrance, and I wanted to ensure I would receive your undivided attention, because I believe I'm what you're looking for." He said, talking animatedly with his hands. "As they say 'save the best for last'."
Oliver was strongly inclined to make an excuse to leave, but the CFO was listening right behind them and they'd drained their roster of bidders, another-albeit unexpected one- couldn't hurt. He mustered a welcoming smile. "By all means," he said, holding the conference door open for Mr. Palmer as a show of politeness.
Thirty minutes later, Oliver determined that Palmer's entrance was ballsy, because the guy had a lot to say about his future investment in QC in a short space of time. He had the ability to fill the room with his presence as if it wasn't just Oliver and him in the room. Ray's assistant came and left after setting up a presentation for his boss.
Oliver was expressionless and silent as Palmer stood and presented, cracking jokes here and there. But Oliver was no less guarded with the enigmatic entrepreneur despite his bright easy-going attitude. He may not be the most learned person when it came to the corporate world, but he knew how to ask the gruelling matter-of-fact, hard questions, otherwise how could he be the Arrow?
When he finally commented it was to say, "You have a profound interest in our Applied Sciences Division." Out of all of Ray's various ideas for QC, the ASD was what he spent the most time on and the one he obviously had a very deep passion for. It sent Oliver's radar off instantly.
"Indeed I do," Ray's shoulders sagged and his countenance went from smiling to a mix of anger and mild disappointment the first negative emotions he'd seen from the entrepreneur. "I was extremely upset that the authorities could not apprehend the terrorists who bombed the facility. Those criminals decelerated decades of research and investment in various bio-medical and technological fields across manifold spectrums."
Yes, those criminals would me and my team,he thought wryly.How Ray would react if he knew Oliver's executive assistant was the mastermind behind the bombings? He reminded himself why he had to bomb the facility in the first place.
"While your interest is merited, QC has always been an active philanthropic member of the society, including numerous restoration projects in the Glades. I am sure you are aware of the other catastrophes that have hit this city, we—"
"Such as that maniac Slade Wilson?" Ray cut in, sending a knife of hurtful emotions into Oliver's chest. He had made peace with his demons and grieved his losses but it appeared as though he was going to be reminded of them.
"I am sorry about your mother, she would've have been a fantastic mayor." Ray said, with genuine condolences. "The city has suffered in the last two years, and with the company's deep roots in it, it's not a surprise this company has suffered with it. I considered renaming the building, but Queen Consolidated seemed fitting."
Am I supposed to thank him for it?Oliver reverted to his default poker face, before his irritation showed.
"I believe the city is due for rejuvenation," Palmer went on with zeal as if he was describing the first sunrise ever, "a re-birth, literally from the ashes. The time is ripe for change, a new era. I also have numerous plans for Starling City, even to go as far as to rename it."
Bafflement crossed Oliver's face. "Rename it?"
The PowerPoint slide changed to an image of Starling's business district at sunset as it was seen from across the bay. Ray's hand followed the path of the shooting star that trailed above the skyscrapers.
"Star City," he proclaimed. Even from across the room Oliver could see the intensity in Palmer's dark eyes.
"It has the potential to become its new namesake, with QC at the forefront of its development."
Oliver Queen opened his mouth to say something, what exactly he had no conceivable idea whatsoever, what couldhe tell Ray Palmer after learning the man wanted to wipe the existence of Starling City from the face of the Earth—when there was a knock on the door and Felicity popped her head in and saved him.
"Sorry to interrupt, but Mr. Queen your 5 o clock is here."
He cleared his throat and stood, buttoning his suit jacket. "Pardon me, Mr. Palmer I have to take my leave."
"Of course, of course, I was the one who barged in on you," Ray chuckled, back to his amiable, cool, demeanour. In a few quick strides he came over for a handshake. "But this meeting is far from over. Nevertheless, I look forward to working with you. I hope you will take my bid into further consideration".
Ray offered his hand to Felicity, his face and voice softening. "Ms. Smoak, I hope to see you again in the near future."
Oliver narrowed his eyes at Palmer; because he was a hundred percent sure the entrepreneur was flirting with her. It felt like a year until Ray finally let go of her hand and left. Glancing at her sideways he saw a small smile playing on her lips.
Once he was gone, Felicity went straight to the point, "So?"
"No."
If he presumed that was the end of the discussion it was not, as they got into the elevator and made their way out of QC, Felicity began advocating Ray's bid. "Before you make up your mind I did some digging on Ray Palmer and Palmer Industries. He graduated from Ivy University, double major in astrophysics and electrical engineering, first class honours, has a decent background with no previous connections to your family. He's been described as a tech-genius, has multiple patents to his name. Is a leading figure in nanotechnology and oh!"—she held up her index to indicate she'd remembered a particularly exciting piece of information, "—he's also an animal rights activist, he donated a chuck of money to save this elephant sanctuary in—"
Oliver stuffed his hands into his pockets, and interrupted her concurrent offload of unimportant information -which sounded a lot like how Thea used to talk about crushes over the phone to her GF's.
"He was arrogant and presumptuous; acted like he already owned the place."
She shook her head, incredulous, "But he's exactly what you need—look, let's ignore his personality. Palmer Industries is a tech conglomerate based in Seattle, it isn't that established but it's successful. I hacked into their databases—what?" She demanded when he froze on the sidewalk and raised a questioning brow at the IT girl.
"I wanted to be extra thorough this time Oliver, after… you know." Felicity shrugged it off as if it was the most obvious thing she could have done, and it was, he wouldn't have expected anything less from her, you're an idiot Ollie, she checked his backstory to make sure he wasn't another Isabel, not for some crush.
"Anyway, their projected quarterly income for the next year and a half would be enough to buy QC twice."
He sighed in undisguised exasperation. "Of course it would be its open season. The investors are desperate for stability. Besides, any of the dozens of bidders we saw had similar financial profiles. And I can't shake the feeling he has an ulterior motive. The last time someone showed interest in our applied sciences division-" he lowered his volume to a whisper "-we had to bomb the place. And it's not just that, he has this bizarre idea to rename Starling City."
Stunned, Felicity took his elbow to stop him after keeping up with his long strides, "Seriously?"
He waved off her question, there was other business to attend too, "It's not important now, I don't hav clock meeting so what's up?"