Hello everyone, how's it going ? The reason I've been away for so long was because, in addition to laziness, I lost my Word Processor when updating my computer. Thankfully, my dad was able to install a new version onto it. Today's Assassin Canarrow fic will be time travel themed and partially inspired by Phillipe363's fic entitled "Sins Of The Past", which is really good and a fic I recommend to anyone looking for an enjoyable story. This is my first time doing something like this and hope you will all like it.
Disclaimer: I don't own "Arrow" or its characters. They're the property of DC, Warner Brothers, the CW, and its writers.
Oliver stood, bloodied and tied to a pole, gazing upon the horrible damage surrounding him with tears, anguish, and despair shining through his eyes. All around him there was fire and smoke billowing in the air, representing the death and destruction which had been unleashed upon the city. What was once a symbol of greatness and beauty was now completely overrun by criminals and controlled by the Russian Bratva and their allies, consisting of the Triad and the remnants of the Bertinelli crime family. Below him, on the ground, lay the bodies of all those most important to him, including his team. They were Nyssa, Thea, Roy, Diggle, Lyla, Quentin, Evelyn Sharp, Rene Ramirez, Curtis Holt, Derek Zaba, and Felicity, each of them with a stab wound to their heart.
All of this had started months ago, following the death of Damien Darhk at Oliver's hands and his ascension into the mayor's office, being chosen due to having inspired the people of his city to stand and not give up hope when Darhk had launched a nuclear warhead upon them, though it was dismantled thanks to the ingenuity of Curtis Holt and Felicity Smoak. However, despite Darhk and HIVE having been defeated, their numerous attacks upon the city and its infrastructure had caused it to go into a decline, a decline which was exploited by mobsters and gangsters, namely the Bratva, resulting in a massive crime wave which brought the city to its knees and caused its state to be much worse than it was when Oliver first began his crusade.
Things later went from bad to worse when a powerful gangster named Tobias Church united all of the major criminal networks into a unified coalition and,under his leadership, they launched a wave of attacks throughout the city while mainly targeting Oliver on two fronts, both as mayor and as the Green Arrow, along with his newly formed team which consisted of Evelyn, going by the name of Artemis, Rene, known as Wild Dog, Curtis, who chose the name Mr. Terrific, and Zaba, who was known as Ragman. The attacks were so relentless and devastating that they, combined with the chaos the Bratva was causing, began to dismantle everything Oliver had worked so hard to accomplish since he first became the Arrow almost five years ago while pushing his team to their breaking point, causing them to wonder if the city was truly worth saving.
Eventually, Oliver and his team would come to learn that everything which was unfolding, including the Underworld's rise to power over the city and Tobias's reign of terror, while partly orchestrated by Anatoli, the Bratva head, as punishment for Oliver's betrayal which in turn led to the death of Alexi Lenov, one of Anatoli's most trusted associates, was ultimately being orchestrated by a new, imposing, and deadly adversary who called himself Prometheus, his uniform slightly similar to that of the Dark Archer. They further learned that Prometheus was a loved one of one of the bodyguards for the Bertinellis four years ago, but the aforementioned bodyguard was unceremoniously dispatched by Oliver when the latter went to stop the brewing Bertinelli/Triad gang war caused by Helena Bertinelli's mission of vengeance against her father, making Prometheus collateral damage of Oliver's actions as the Hood, and this whole mess was about punishing Oliver for violently ripping his loved one away from him and his family that night.
Prometheus would also go on to kill Helena herself after she had been released once more by Diggle's wife Lyla in order to help Team Arrow against the mob onslaught, also holding her accountable since it was her actions and hatred which resulted in the series of events leading to his tragic loss. Before she died, Helena had tried to warn Prometheus to think about his actions and what he had planned and to learn from her mistakes and not let the rage and lust for vengeance consume him, lest he fall into darkness. He however refused to listen to reason and killed her anyway, not allowing anyone or anything to dissuade him from his current path.
Following a long, bitter struggle, and despite the extra help given to Oliver by Nyssa and Roy, along with Thea and Diggle, who'd rejoined him, he, his team, and his allies were overwhelmed and defeated by the combined forces of Prometheus, Anatoli, and Tobias, the three villains then going on to storm Iron Heights and releasing all of the prisoners who willingly swore loyalty to them, many of whom having been put there by Oliver, including China White. Afterwards, the released criminals, with backup from their new benefactors, launched an uprising and overwhelmed the city with chaos and anarchy, leading to their takeover of its streets while also attacking police and emergency stations and setting them on fire, declaring that the city was under their control.
The end finally came when Prometheus captured Oliver and his team while also exposing his identity to the city, revealing that the Green Arrow and the Hood were the same person while causing his legacy as the Green Arrow to crumble. Afterwards, he had tied him to the pole on which he was currently bound to, spent hours severely torturing him while spewing out threats, and things finally culminated in Prometheus's murder of all of his loved ones and teammates right in front of him, starting with Nyssa. As much as each of their deaths caused him great pain and an overwhelming sense of loss, it was Nyssa's death which hurt the most. Months after his and Felicity's breakup and a few months after Nyssa joined his team, they had gradually begun developing feelings for each other, he because of her beauty and strength and her because of his bravery and nobility. But now she was dead, and it was too late for them to confess their feelings to one another.
The sound of footsteps approaching interrupted Oliver from his thoughts and caused him to look upon the face of his terrifying new enemy.
"Do you see all of this death, your entire city on fire and in the hands of those who care nothing for it except for its ruin ? Do you see the lifeless bodies of everyone you loved lying here on the ground at your feet ? All of this is your doing. I may have killed all of these people, but all of this blood and loss is on your hands and all because you were so trigger happy all those years ago that you didn't stop to consider that those you killed had families and loved ones who wouldn't take to kindly with YOU VIOLENTLY RIPPING THEIR LOVED ONES AWAY FROM THEM, MY OWN INCLUDED !", Prometheus screamed at him, his eyes blazing with hatred and disdain.
Oliver looked into Prometheus's eyes with his own pain filled ones, feeling pity for the man in front of him and wishing that he could've done things differently, if only to prevent both of their suffering.
"I understand what you are feeling, and if I could change the past and do things differently that night, I would. I do want you to know that I really am sorry for the loss you suffered and for the pain I caused you and your family."
"Maybe you are sorry, and maybe you truly mean those words, but that doesn't change the fact that he's dead and isn't coming back, or that none of us can change the past. But the way I see it, if you can't save those you love, the least you can do is avenge them."
Having said those words, Prometheus stepped back, took an arrow from his quiver, and attached it to his bow.
"I'm sorry it has to end this way Oliver, but actions must have consequences, and now, it is time for you to join your friends." Prometheus then raised his bow and drew it back while Oliver stared at him unflinchingly, prepared to meet his death and ready to be with those he loved, especially Nyssa and Sara, him having been informed of the latter's death and the deaths of her fellow Legends by an acquaintance of theirs named Rex Tyler.
"Oliver Queen, Green Arrow, the Hood, or whatever name you go by, you have failed yourself, you have failed your friends, you have failed my family, and, as you used to say, YOU HAVE FAILED THIS CITY!", Prometheus finished with a scream and then released the arrow, straight to Oliver's heart. As he felt the arrow pierce him, his mind flashed back to everything in his life, his triumphs and tragedies, the faces of his family and friends, and finally, the beautiful faces of Sara, who he realized was the true love of his life and not Felicity, and Nyssa, a woman who he could've potentially been happy with if it hadn't been for Prometheus. Afterwards, everything went black.
To be continued
A/N And that was the first chapter, which could also be considered the prologue. What did everyone think so far ?
In regards to Ragman/ Zaba, he'll be a new vigilante in season 5 and Oliver will take him under his wing, along with Artemis, Wild Dog, and Mr. Terrific. Because of that, I assume he'll be part of the new Team Arrow. That's why I made him a member within this fic.
As for the choice of words I used, such as Tobias and the Bratva pushing the team to their breaking point, Prometheus dismantling Oliver's legacy, Tobias uniting the criminal groups, and the city being overrun by crime and mainly because of the mob, all of this was revealed to happen in season 5 by the writers, who also used these exact same words. They said that villains connected to Oliver's past would push his team to its breaking point and threaten his legacy as the Green Arrow and everything he's worked for. They also revealed that there would be a crime wave and it would be a consequence of Darhk's actions, along with the info that the crime wave would be caused by the mafia and that the mobsters would rule over the city. Tobias will also work to unite all the criminals under his leadership and use them to defeat the Green Arrow.
I made Anatoli an enemy because, as I wrote above, the Bratva will be one of the main antagonists in the present and I believe will be the main source of the crime wave. Since Anatoli is their leader, that makes him responsible for their takeover of the city. That leaves the question as to why he'd allow the them to wreck Oliver's home despite their friendship. However, as one online article pointed out, there's going to have to be some fallout from Oliver's actions towards the Bratva in season 2 during his war with Slade, especially since they lead to Alexi's death, and I doubt Anatoli was happy about that. The Bratva overwhelming the city could be punishment from Anatoli for what Oliver did back then. Plus, Oliver in season five will be fighting the Bratva as the Green Arrow and probably also as mayor. That is a major betrayal and especially after Anatoli made him a captain.
Besides, Wikia said that the villains would be sinister players with a connection to Oliver's past, and they're obviously going to be the Bratva and Prometheus.
Regarding the background I gave for Prometheus, I chose it because he's been described as collateral damage of Oliver's actions as the Hood and is out to avenge a violent, tragic loss. That shows he's somehow connected to or very close to someone Oliver killed in season one. I've speculated that it may have been one of Oliver's enemies who he killed as the Hood and there have probably been others who've speculated as to who Oliver killed that made Prometheus so angry. One YouTuber guessed that his parents were on the List from season 1, so maybe Oliver killed his parents, finding them too dangerous to be kept alive.
However, I've currently come to the possibility that Prometheus's loved one might not have been an enemy from season 1 or even someone from the List. Since he's described as collateral damage of the Hood, suffered a tragic loss, and I think Mericle added this, but we'd also feel a bit sorry for him, what if he was actually a relative or loved one of a bodyguard who worked for one of the villains in season 1, and Oliver killed the bodyguard in the heat of battle or more likely took him out without full provocation, seeing him as an obstacle to his mission ? I've been watching a collection of Oliver's season 1 fights lately on YouTube, and I've noticed that when he went on a mission, he started by killing the bodyguards before infiltrating the villain's compound. In fact, he used lethal force as a first result against any potential opponents instead of as a last result.
Its clear from season 1 that Oliver's mentality, which was given to him by Slade, Waller, and Anatoli, was not just to kill the target but also anyone who stood between him and the target, even if the obstacles didn't attack first. That is probably how operatives are trained, such as James Bond, Jason Bourne, and agents of both S.H.I.E.L.D and especially HYDRA. Therefore, when he entered a building, his thinking, which stemmed from his training, was probably to just go ahead and eliminate anyone who could possibly be a hindrance to his killing or arresting the target, except for honest policemen or unarmed civilians.
I've also had this idea which might sound crazy to others, but what if some of the bodyguards were actually innocent and unaware of their employers crimes, thinking that their legitimate front businesses were their only businesses, and were just doing their jobs but were at the wrong place at the wrong time ?
As for making the bodyguard who was killed by Oliver, the one Prometheus in my version wanted to avenge, someone who worked for the Bertinellis, I borrowed it from a scene during the second episode of the Helena arc in season 1. In it, a bodyguard is shown running up the stairs in the Bertinelli mansion when, out of nowhere, he's hit with an arrow and sent tumbling back down the stairs while the Hood stands over him from the top stairway. If you guys are interested, perhaps you can try and find that scene on YouTube by typing in "Bertinelli/Triad war" or "Oliver rescues Frank from the Triad".
Again, what if that bodyguard was innocent and just doing his job, or if
he was guilty, he was only looking to see where the gunfire was coming from and accidentally ran into the Hood, who either way, saw him as an obstacle to stopping a gang war, so down the stairs he went ? As a matter of fact, I've imagined a scenario in which the bodyguard heard the commotion and made it his first priority to protect his own family, which included Prometheus, and brought them to a safe place while tasking him (son, nephew, younger brother ?) to protect them while he went to investigate. However, Prometheus, being concerned for the guy, followed after him after insuring that the women (mother and sister or aunt and cousin ?) were safe. But when he caught up to him at the bottom of the stairway, there came his loved one, falling down the stairs with an arrow in his chest while the Hood stood at the top of the stairs. Then Prometheus had to report the tragic news to their family after it was safe and they all cried over his body while swearing vengeance upon the Hood.
If my above scenario turns out to be Prometheus's origin story on canon, then I can see him killing Helena. It was ultimately her fault Oliver was even at the mansion that particular night. She might try to use that to take the heat off of Oliver, but Prometheus, like any villain, won't listen.
The final possibility is that Prometheus's relative was somehow caught in the crossfire between the Hood and the villains, and Oliver accidentally killed him when trying to kill a legitimate target. That would be similar to what some drone strikes have done. They target our nation's enemies, but there have been reports of civilians caught in the strikes. Horrible accidents. Something similar could've happened to Oliver during one of his season 1 missions.
Rex Tyler is the guy on the "Legends" finale who stoppped the team from getting back on the Waverider,or they would die. That's also where I borrowed Sara's death from.
Finally, the time travelers within my fic will be Oliver, Sara, Nyssa, Roy, and Thea, and this will be Assassin Canarrow with Thea/Roy as the side pairing.
Have a wonderful day.