Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Arrow
Authors Note: I know, I know. My other Arrow time travel fic is still in progress and I have other stories I need to update but...I was watching legends of Tomorrow and I saw the episode with old Oliver and this just popped into my mind. It was just a thought. What if future Oliver went back and trained the younger Oliver. Helped him complete the mission their father had given them. Just a little fun what if scenario. But the more I thought about it the more was added on and now I'm here posting the Prologue to a new story.
I hope you guys like it!
XxX
"2007, three months after I wash ashore on Lian Yu."
In the badlands outside Central City, Oliver Queen stood stiff and unflinching as he faced his old friends rival, Eobard Thawne. Barry would hate him for working with the man who killed his mother but sacrifices had to be made.
"Besides, Barry is gone. And he isn't coming back." Oliver thought bitterly. He had held out hope that his friend would return one day. Coming racing in, in a flash of red lighting saving the day. But as weeks, then months and finally years passed that hoped had eroded to grief. And with that grief came guilt.
Maybe if he had trained Barry more. Worked with the Central City hero instead of always relying on his own team. But maybes, and what if's would never bring Barry back and so he pushed those thoughts from his mind.
Until.
"Oliver Queen," Eobard smirked crossing his arms over his chest hiding the red lightning bolt emblazoned on the center of his suit. "You got old."
The evil speedsters eyes fell to the limp sleeve of Oliver's shirt as it rocked in the wind. "And you're missing a few pieces. What happened?"
"Nothing that concerns you, Thawne," Oliver said and held up his only hand. In it was a small plain black box the size of a cell phone. It's only decoration being a red switch that Oliver was holding his thumb over.
"You're going to run me back in time, or the bomb in your head is going to explode. And I promise you, you won't come back from that."
Courtesy of Waller's Task Force X days.
"Oh," Reverse Flash raised an eyebrow. "Trying to change the future? A dangerous gamble Mister Queen. And I would know."
Oliver's eyes narrowed the lines around them becoming more pronounced as his forehead lowered crinkling his skin. "I'm willing to take my chances. And before you try to vibrate the bomb out of your body, you can't. ARGUS was very careful when creating it. Couldn't chance any Meta's breaking control."
"Then let's not waste more time chit-chatting." In a Flash, faster than Oliver could follow Eobard was behind him. One hand on the back of his neck and the other on the backpack strapped to his back.
"You might want to hold on."
Blinking as the world around him slowed Oliver tensed as the gray wasteland around him faded into a red tunnel of lighting. "The Speed force?"
Barry had talked about it on more than one occasion. Usually when he time traveled, either on purpose or by accident.
"We're here." Eobard's voice said and Oliver frowned his thumb pressing down slightly putting pressure on the detonator as his eyes blinked rapidly trying to shed the red haze fogging his vision.
As his eyes finally started adjusting and the speed force after image faded he looked down at his hand. Held in his palm was a gray stone half covered in dirt.
"Looking for this?" Holding up the detonator to the bomb in his hand Eobard laughed lightly shaking it like a treat for a dog. "I was just going to kill you, but then I thought, why not bring you back and kill the younger you right before your eyes. Maybe drag you around the world killing everyone you ever loved before granting you the mercy of death."
The evil speedsters eyes glowed red as he crushed the remote in his hand dropping the broken shards of Oliver's leverage against him to the ground. "I should make you suffer for trying to use me-ME! The fastest man alive! Did you really think you could beat me without Barry, Oliver? If the past years have taught you anything, anything at all. It should be that you are no hero."
"You're right." Oliver nodded only half surprising Eobard.
As someone who watched Queen closely to make sure the vigilante wouldn't disrupt his plans for Barry Eobard had seen how deep the ex-billionaires guilt ran. So it was not surprising to him that Oliver Queen didn't see himself as the hero of his own story.
"I'm not a hero. That's why I failed my city." Oliver swallowed as the countdown in his head reached single digits.
Nine seconds.
"Starling City isn't Central City."
Eight seconds.
"It's not Earth-38."
Seven seconds.
"It's not Earth-2."
Six seconds.
"It's Starling city, a corrupt and dark place built on top of the suffering of others."
Three seconds.
"It doesn't need a Green Arrow."
Two seconds.
"It needs someone else."
One second.
"It needs something else."
Closing his eyes Oliver felt liquid splatter against his face and reached into the pocket of his jacket pulling a dark red handkerchief out. Wiping it over his face taking extra swipes over his eyes and mouth he only opened his eyes once he believed the blood was gone.
Staring at the headless body at his feet he sighed and crouched down and slung the corpse over his shoulder shuddering as the back of his clothes were soaked in seconds as blood drained down his back.
Eobard didn't deserve to be buried here. Not on the same resting ground as his father. But he couldn't risk building a large enough fire to burn the body so he had no choice. The only thing he could do was keep the speedster far away from his fathers grave.
Then it was on to Yao-Fei's cave where is apprentice was waiting.
XxX
"I can't dad. I'm going to die anyway. I...I just want it to be quick, like yours." Bringing his fathers gun up to his head Oliver pressed the barrel to his temple. He didn't want to die. But he also wasn't lying when he said he was going to. Yao-Fei wasn't coming back, Fyers and that maniac in the orange mask probably killed him already.
"I'm so tired dad."
Robert shook his head. "You can survive this."
"No, I can't." Lian Yu was going to be the grave of two Queens, now or later. And Oliver didn't want to die of starvation. To drag his suffering out any longer. "I just want to rest."
Pulling the trigger Oliver gasped as the hammer clicked uselessly. Growling he glared at his father throwing the gun to the floor. "Of course. Of course, it's empty. You're not real, the gun isn't real. I'm dreaming or hallucinating."
"But if you weren't. You betrayed me, Oliver."
Lowering his eyes to the ground in shame Oliver shoulders slumped as his father continue his assault.
"I died so you could live. And you threw that gift away. You made my sacrifice empty."
"I'm not you. I'm not strong like you. I never was."
"I told you I'm not the man you think I am. The things I've done." Robert turned away from his son. "What I was about to do."
"D..dad. Dad! I don't know what that means." Oliver pleaded. "Just...just tell me it means."
"I told you, I begged you. Right my wrongs!" Robert sighed. "This is your responsibility now."
"How? How do I do this? I can't even get off this island."
Robert stepped forward setting his hands on his son's shoulders. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth about me. But I hope...I hope you know that I love you."
"Wake up."
Gasping Oliver shot upright as his foot was kicked to the side. Swiveling his head around his wild eyes searched the cave until they landed on the one responsible for waking him.
"Who are you?" He demanded climbing to his feet as the intruder sat down next to the fire picking up his father's notebook. "Give me that!"
Grabbing his younger self's hand as he lunged forward future Oliver twisted it forcing the weak man he once was to the ground.
"You shouldn't try to snatch things from people. It's rude."
Glaring at the strange man who was flipping through the pages of his father's book Oliver sat up cradling his wrist. He had seen that move before. Yao-Fei had used it on him when he tried to take the Asian mans dinner.
"Who are you? You're not one of Fyers men." Oliver knew that. He didn't know how but he just did. The strange man in the cave with him wasn't wearing a balaclava or any of the gear Fyers soldiers wore. No black pants or vest holding bullets for their guns. And he was old. Older than his father, with short gray hair and a scruffy beard the same color. Dressed in a gray long sleeve shirt and green pants tucked into brown boots.
"No, I'm not." Future Oliver said shaking his head and standing up. Snapping the 'list' closed he tossed it to young him. "
"My name, is Oliver Queen."
Hello, everyone! I'm back with another new story!
As you know I love Time travel stories, the best kind of fanfics in my opinion. I've read quite a few Arrow Time travel fics and I haven't seen one with this premise yet and I can't get it out of my head so here it is!
Hope you guys enjoy it, and leave a review with what you think and pairing choice for Oliver.
See ya next chapter!