Hey guys
Looks like the new version of this story. Which I actually thought it was going to be longer but since I had the first chapter done, I figured I'd just upload it.
The usual disclaimer of I don't own Arrow or DC comics. If I did what had happened in tonight's episode with the clear pandering would not have. I'm still in needing time to process it.
Ok they killed off Laurel which yes hardly a shocker since we kind of knew it was coming but the dialogue of Laurel telling Oliver to get back together with Felicity Smoak and all that made it even worse. Yes, despite being neutral I know there is nothing stopping the Olicty crowd from owning the show in the long run. This... is not good.
Edited on 5/12/16 to remove the Barry Allen stuff
Enjoy.
Just outside of Starling City, in The Waverider ship.
Walking out of a door is Roy Harper better known as The Arrow. He's in a green combat suit with Yao Fei's hood laying at the base of his neck.
Next to him is Thea Queen known as Artemis, garbed in dark red leather including a hood and her right arm is in a bandage.
They enter into a study room area to see Rip Hunter over by a chalk board, with his trench coat on.
"I was wondering if you guys were going to make it out" Rip said, turning to face them.
"We almost didn't. Both Laurel and Tatsu are dead along with Diggle" The Arrow said, pain in his voice.
"We're not sure if" Artemis gets cut off a by a gust of wind.
Standing there is The Flash in his red combat suit with the cowl ripped off and the bruises on his face are already starting to heal.
"There electricity devices slowed me down" The Flash said, regaining his breath.
"We've lost the war" Artemis said, gripping the desk.
"There's still a chance, we are still alive" The Flash said.
Giving him a hard look "Until we all die? I'm not going back out to fight, we can't fight anymore" The Arrow said, in a defeated tone.
"Roy's right. If we can get this ship working again, I might be able to get us to a safe place" Rip said.
"Then what? Just hide out in a different timeline while we leave the city to burn and all of the sacrifices we've made are for nothing" Artemis said, her voice hardening.
"Everything we have tried has failed" The Arrow said.
"Not everything. If there's one thing I've learned from my father if the odds are too great, you cheat" Artemis said, getting an idea.
"What are you thinking? Because we have tried almost everything" The Arrow said, giving his wife a curious look.
"Not entirely everything. We are standing in a time machine" Artemis said.
"You're not seriously thinking about changing our own past" The Flash said, remembering all of the not so memorable times he had time traveled.
"Actually, I'm thinking of a way to get around it. We send our past selves back" Artemis replied, a sly grin.
"You are insane. Even if that might work the disaster it would wreck upon the timeline would be enormous" Rip replied.
"What about forming the Legends to stop Vandal Savage?" Artemis asked, sharply.
"The entire team died and I was only able to stop Vandal Savage at a cost far too personal" Rip replied grimly. He had accidently wiped his own wife and son from existence in order to stop that monster.
"Because Sara and Ray were both dead. Where all of these events even meant to happen in your history books?" The Arrow said, suddenly seeing how this might work.
"No" Rip replied, letting out a sigh "Considering the ship damaged it will take a while but I might be able to route the energy to pull your younger selves from the past."
"That simple?" The Flash asked.
"No, going to need a few devices I borrowed from the time masters and when we do this the invisibility shield will drop" Rip said, removing his coat.
"Who do go want to bring forward?" Artemis asked.
Considering it for a moment "Oliver, Sara and me" The Arrow replied.
"I don't want my younger self brought forward" The Flash said.
"Why?" The Arrow asked.
"Because I my own personal timeline has been messed with enough and I've seen what could go wrong in doing something like this. I… just don't want it to happen" The Flash said.
"I want dad and me" Artemis said.
"Why? Malcolm Merlyn is never going to be redeemed" The Arrow replied, an edge to his tone.
"I'm not going to pass up the opportunity to give my dad a second chance" Artemis said.
"Fine but this might not work if we bring him in" The Arrow said, grumbling under his breath.
"When are we going to pull them from so I can program in the calculations early?" Rip asked, writing something on his chalk board.
"The events after my brother deals with Captain Boomerang" Artemis replied.
10 years earlier.
In the Foundry, Oliver is sitting at his work table crafting arrows on the grinder.
A few hours ago Barry and him stopping Digger Harkness's who was going to use three bombs to cover his escape. Of course first the man wanted to kill, Lyla Michaels and succeeded in putting her in the hospital.
The reason why he didn't kill Harkness for that is because of Barry being there and doesn't want his friend see how ruthless The Arrow really is.
Not even Tommy's death got him to change his methods of being a killer considering it's too much of who he is during those five years but has become a bit more restrained.
If he's in the heat of a fight of course then all bets are off since Oliver's not going to risk his own survival trying to hold back.
Glancing over to the computers, Oliver briefly remembers how Felicity used to sit at them. Last year once stopping Slade Wilson, she left Starling City from being tired of the darkness and how he would never be her "Edward Cullen." He guesses that character is from the Twilight movies Thea told him to avoid.
Diggle, has kind of became semi-retired upon the birth of his daughter but still helps out when needed.
Of course a particular problem is Malcolm Merlyn still being alive and how The League of Assassins wants both his and Thea's heads for Sara's murder. Despite the fact that neither one of them fired the arrows.
Even had Caitlin Snow run chemical tests which revealed no traces of Vitura in Thea's system and John Constantine said there was nothing mystical either.
Just then a blue light encloses Oliver who vanishes.
Groaning in minor motion sickness Oliver, on a round platform, gets to his feet alert. Looking around the circler metal room which all the light seems to be coming from the massive window behind.
Turning around to look, Oliver sees out in the far distance is a city and what appears to be smoke rising in the distance. Hearing the machine start up again, Oliver turns to look as Malcolm, Roy, Thea and Sara appear out of a blue light.
"Where are we?" Roy asked, glancing around.
"I'm not sure" Oliver said, his mind still on that familiar looking city.
"Sara?" Thea said, taking a step backwards.
"What's wrong?" Sara asked, confused.
"You died" Roy said, a little shaken by seeing a friend alive but brushes it off.
"Right" Sara replied, not entirely having any response for that.
"What's the last thing you remember?" Roy asked.
"I was on a roof top waiting for Laurel" Sara replied.
"Strange" was the only comment Malcolm had while thinking.
Moving up to the window "Where are we?" Roy asked.
Glancing at him "What do you think?" Oliver replied.
Taking a moment "It's Starling City" Roy say, in realization.
"Yes" Oliver replied, grimly.
The metal doors at the end of the room open as Artemis wearing a simple green hoodie and brown pants walks in.
"Who are you?" Malcolm asked, facing their newest visitor.
"This should answer your questions. Although you can just call me Artemis" the woman replied, pulling the hood back.
All of them have varying degrees of surprise on their faces.
"How about you give us some answers" Thea said.
"We brought you forward because the events of Oliver's first two years home and the few following years cause serious damage to the city and all our lives" Artemis said.
"Try details" Oliver said, a light growl because his future sister or not he's had enough of the games.
"We are going to send you back to the day before you got rescued so you can all fix the past, hopefully" Artemis replied.
"The future? So when are we?" Thea wondered.
"2024. Inside of a ship" Artemis said "In one week's time Oliver is going to face Ras A Gul in a trial by combat."
"Why?" Sara asked.
"Maseo Yamashiro killed you on Ras A Gul's orders because of your relationship with Nyssa" Artemis replied.
"He joined the League of Assassins?" Oliver asked, hiding his surprise.
"You know him?" Sara asked.
"Yes. His family left Japan because they were members of the Crescent Order and I learned about Ras A Gul's League from Tatsu" Oliver replied.
"Ras A Gul won that duel didn't he" Malcolm said, it was a statement not a question.
"Yes and Oliver died" Artemis said, her voice briefly containing old pain and grief.
"How did that change things?" Oliver asked.
"The team was barely able to beat Danny Brickwell but then Grant Wilson took up his father's mantel and wanted to control the city." Artemis said. "We've been fighting a war with him and his army for the past ten years."
"You've lost" Roy said, in understanding.
"How could you lose the city? All because I wasn't there?" Oliver asked, in almost disbelief.
"You're the heart of team, and it's because of multiple reasons but you never give up. That inspires the rest of us to keep going" Artemis replied.
"I'm not always going to be around either" Oliver said.
"No, but you will always be needed" Artemis said.
"If we are going to get a second chance then why is he here?" Sara asked, grimly towards Malcolm.
"Because my sister wants him to have one. Now if you do make us become enemies again, I will personally kill you" Oliver said, pining the man with look from across the room.
"One more thing, the man you killed outside of King's Club was not who killed Rebecca" Artemis said.
Making the connection almost instantly "You son of a bitch" Roy growls going to move.
Oliver swiftly grabs his arm in a vice grip "Just breath. Who was he?"
"The man was my father. Colton Harper, I got titled with junior over the years as an insult and a court judge who disliked me" Roy replied, getting his emotions under control.
"Who really killed my wife?" Malcolm asked, keeping his voice emotionless.
"Are you going to at least try and listen without plotting how to make your Undertaking successful?" Artemis asked.
"Yes" Malcolm replied.
"Danny Brickwell" Artemis said.
Malcolm just nods.
"Get ready, we will be sending you back in a few minutes" Artemis said.
In the study area The Flash is near the desk that has a dome shaped device on it which is camera into the transport room. Turning the scarlet speedster sees Rip emerging from a side door then walks over to his chair where the small device to control the ship's time navigations are.
"Are we all set?" Rip asked.
"Yes, we are" The Flash replied.
"Good. Let's do this" Rip said then pushes the lever forward.
The Flash watches as all the people on the platform disappear in a flash of blue light.
Did you guys enjoy that? Hope you did.
The major stuff, of namely the season 3 and a bit of the season 2 events I changed. Ok on Sara being killed by Maseo is fixing the stupid Malcolm brainwashes his daughter plot and also Malcolm's reasoning. Ras would say it was Malcolm's fault since he wants an a chance to test Oliver and see if he's a worthy heir.
Felicity leaving once season 2 ends, well not like it's the first time she's left the city. Also I couldn't resist throwing a dig in their about the Twilight films and Olicty is far worse.
With Oliver still killing despite Tommy's death, is me fixing that. Sure I'm still keeping him a killer but the bigger problem I have is from a story perspective is I can't buy a guy who spends five years killing people quits overnight. They should have done a gradual change if they where so focused on not making him kill anymore.
For Oliver dying on that cliff is well in a way the death of Arrow itself because after that episode things where never the same again.
With Oliver learning of the League of Assassins from Tatsu is due to his reactions in 2x05 he knew about them from somewhere and it wasn't Sara.
Until next time.