Chapter 6

Barry's jeep barely made it passed into Star City limits when it finally broke down, with smoke filing away from the hood, to which Barry correctly guessed was originating from the engine.

'Damn it', Barry thought as he got out of the car seat and went to check the engine. All that work and for what. Nothing. A certain unease suffocated Barry's spine as he turned away from the engine to the looming dark neon city that glowed hauntingly at Barry. He was still a few miles away from his destination.

He could walk it he thought but...Star City was not a safe city, not during Barry's time and probably wasn't safe even before Oliver was born. He doubts seven years had changed the city for the better.

He looked up and down the empty road he had been traveling on realizing he was still in the outskirts of the city where only trees, wildlife, and others lived.

He decided to wait and hope there be another car passing by and offer him assistance. but as an hour went and the sun lowered dangerously behind the city skyline, Barry thought it be better to try it by foot first. Who knows what might come out at night.


Ray sat alone in his cell. It was nicer one then the other Metas he and his team caught were held in. First, he had space to move around in, four feet by four-feet space, but space nonetheless. Second, he could get visitors, as his walls were trans-formative, turning from their natural grey stone walls into a glass cage. Third and probably most importantly he wasn't being drugged into a comatose state.

Though what he was being blamed for doing, no; what he accepted blame for doing, and if Linda got her way he'd be doing time in a capsule.

It been a couple of hours. No one had visited not even Felicity. He was wondering what she was doing, what she thought of his actions.

He was interrupted from his thoughts as his cube was lit up and a figure stepped in front of the now transparent walls.

Thea stepped forward pressing a hand on the wall.

"Why did you lie, Ray?"

he didn't say anything.

"We both know you didn't release Deadshot."

Still he didn't say anything.

"What the hell are you doing?" Thea yelled her anger almost transparent, "You got Felicity to worry about and you're throwing it all away and for what?"

Ray looked up and smiled that damn, stupid, boy scout smile, "I thought I try playing rebel for once."


Five and a half years ago

Ray was on his back, his suit barely clinging onto his body. He tries to get up, but his left side feels like its churning sand and he falls back to the ground. Blood pooling in his mouth. He turns to the side and spits it out.

"You done, Ray?" asked his assailant who leaned against the alley wall and holding a broken arrow in his right hand.

Ray manages to pull himself up a bit resting on a black trash bag.

There's broken men in black Kevlar armor scattered across the alleyway, hanging off fire-escapes, in the streets behind them. The government gave Ray Palmer four dozen highly trained Argus agents and yet Oliver still won.

"You can't do this Oliver, the world..."

"Save your damn speech for someone who'd give a shit" Oliver spat out a glob of blood. He was badly hurt yet he stood tall. Bullets had punctured his upper lung maybe even grazed his spine.

"I actually believe in the meta human law." Ray said getting up slowly using the wall for support.

"It's going to help save lives, help protect innocent people from us." Ray continued finally on his feet. His visor alerted him his suit had just enough energy to blast Oliver and maybe finally end this stupid flight or retreat to the makeshift Argus base that was on the outskirts of Star City.

"Do you really think a bow and arrow can stand up against the Thanagarians if they decided to attack again, or even against the dark flash."

Oliver didn't say anything instead turning his back on Ray.

"I lost so much for this city, I'm not going to stop fighting for it..."

Ray was about to speak tell him the meta human law wouldn't prevent that in fact it would help him, resources information, everything.

But, Oliver continued, "And I won't be at the beck and call like a dog to do the government's dirty work." Ray closed his mouth his eyes darkening.

"We're not the fucking Suicide Squad!" Ray yelled focusing his blaster on Oliver's back. He would shoot him and end this. He already failed with Sarah and her new league of assassins in Central City, he won't fail here.

"Open your eyes, Ray and stop being a boy scout and be a rebel." Oliver walked away and Ray even through his fury could still see he couldn't shoot Oliver even with his back toward him.


Now

Back in Ray's holding cell

Thea's eyes narrowed, "you're an idiot Ray Palmer, if you had any doubts about what we're doing here it's too little too late." Thea walked away her words ringing in his ears. too little too late.

too little too late

too little too late

Ray prayed the first time since he was eight years old that Thea was wrong and that there was time to save.


Barry wondered if his speed was really gone. If it wasn't he could really use it about now. Barry almost tripped as he finally made it to the other side of the bridge. Maybe crossing running water would keep those monsters from continuing to chase him.

Like everything in this future, Barry was wrong and thus proven more so, as the four monster bikers who were chasing him not only crossed over running water they drove right through it.

"Oh, come on!" yelled Barry as he turned around and kept running. The bikers were toying with him, as they sped up next to him then slowed down to make it seem like Barry was getting away, but he knew better. They swung their chains real close to Barry's face that he would flinch and almost stumbled.

I think that's what they want Barry thought as his fingers grazed the asphalt as he almost fell because a chain came an inch from his eye making him flinch and stumble.

Their laughing made it worse for Barry. A maniac riding a very loud motorcycle wearing very dark and obscene masks whipping chains near you was scary and built up anxiety inside, but the laughter was the nail in the coffin of terror.

I can't die here thought Barry again as he tripped due to a foot shaped pothole. He felt something tear into the skin of his left leg. Barry made a scream that would make Black Canary jealous. He collapsed to the ground hard, but his mind was focused on the horrible beeping pain that was vibrating from his left leg.

When he looked down cold hot sweat dripping from his brow he realized he was going to die in pain. His left leg wasn't punctured from an outside force but from the inside. His tibia was sticking out a white flag of his surrender to the bikers.

The bikers whooped and hollered as they rode around him. Still their chains never touching him but, yet he could feel every throw as if it did make contact.

The pain was too much.

"Just kill me" he whispered the sound barely making it to his ears, but the lead biker must have heard him as he stopped his bike in front of Barry and leaned down toward Barry's face and sneered, "NO."

"We're going to have some more fun right boys!" he rallied the other three bikers who hooped and hollered in agreement lassoing their chains up in the air.

Before the leader could say/do anything else there was the unmistakable sound of a thwip and an arrow protruding from the leader's mask.

"Huh" the leader said in wonder before collapsing to the ground.

Barry wasn't sure what was going on except for loud yelling, soft grunts of pain, and something loud being broken like his tibia was just a minute or two ago.

His savior came into Barry's view.

"Don't worry the police will be here." Barry recognized that green hood and that domino mask. It was the one he made Oliver.

"Oliver... don't leave me...I'm…. it's me...sorry...Barry" he could barely make words or sense before his brain shut down.


"Did you bring him." demanded Oliver Queen as he turned away from the large monitor that he used to monitor the actions of the new Green Arrow, Grant Slade.

"You saw me pick him up." grunted Grant as he brought the still body of Barry. Grant placed Barry on the bunker's medical table. Oliver grabbed his cane and began to wobble over to Barry.

"My god, its him...It's the Flash!"


Deadshot had been casing the leagues of assassin's tower for going on twenty hours. He double checked his suitcase which housed many guns. He would give himself another day to watch and better prepare for his mission.

He was scared at first when he learned what Thea wanted him to do but after watching these assassins for the past hours he realized they were good but nevertheless novices, the only real threat would be Sarah lance and she fucked up big sister Laurel lance or as the assassin community like to call her, Red Eyes.


"So, how'd it go?" asked Sarah as she sat at the head of a table as girls and boys milled about the room placing dishes in front of her, laurel, and a few other high-ranking members of the league.

Laurel was playing with her spaghetti stabbing it repeatedly over and over with a spoon.

"Good good good."

Sarah smiled while her sister was saying it was good it meant it was bad.

Laurel's head perked up as if she read Sarah's thoughts.

"But there was this gal, I think she from the enforcers, who put up a pretty good fight." Laurel said her voice sweet and singsong. "I almost died." Laurel added the last part with such pride and joy.

Sarah tried to hide the shiver that raced up her spine.

"Well I guess you're talking about Katana."

"Is that her name?" Laurel asked. Sarah just nodded and took a slow sip of her tea. If you had told Sarah fifteen years ago she would be Ra's Al Ghul; leader of a secret sect of assassins and be drinking tea like some Zen master she would have laughed in your face and demanded what you were smoking and if she could have some.

"Well I want to fight her again."

"I'm sure you will, laurel, one day."

"Soon." said Laurel her eyes becoming a brighter shade of red as she looked off into the distance, "but you'll be dead." laurel looked down sad by whatever she saw and then began to laugh and scoop meatballs up on her spoon and shoving it deep into her mouth.

Sarah watched her sister uncertainty, another side effect from the Lazarus pit, the ability to perceive future events.

But Sarah wasn't scared if she really was going to die in the future sooner or later. Everybody dies. It's just how the world went. But she was afraid what would become of Laurel, what would become of Hal Jordan's nephew, the boy she was training personally. She was ready but not ready.

Sarah closed her eyes and tapped her napkin around her mouth before getting up.

"Mistress?" asked one of her attendants.

"I'm done eating, there's some business I must prepare for." Sarah said as a male attendant walked up to her placing her long white coat onto her arms.

With that she left her sister and her other higher rank assassins to their meals.

"Hello Jason" announced Sarah as she entered the young man's room.

Jason shot up from his workout position and began a bow to the Ras al Ghul.

"I didn't expect to see you until tomorrow morning." the boy said keeping his head down.

"Enough." she said her voice stern, harder than it ever sounded when she was training him personally.

His head rises to look up at her to discern what was about to happen, but his body remained in the bow position.

Sarah popped her pointer finger on her right hand which made a loud pop, then her middle finger which made the same crunching pop noise as the other. Jason's skin tingled as the noise reverberated through his 6 by 8 room.

"I'm going to kill you." was all she said as she sent a vicious front kick into Jason's chin knocking him onto his back. She didn't wait for him. As she stomped on his body. Something creaked inside him. Jason decided before Sarah broke something inside him he should move.

He rolled back out of her second stomp.

"Why are you doing this?" asked Jason as he jumped to his feet.

"I'm going to kill you," Sarah growled. She attacked with a big right overhand punch. Jason stepped out of range, but before he could bring his hands up to defend, Sarah drove her shoulder into Jason's chest, slamming him into the wall, where she started landing solid punches into Jason's gut.

Jason was hopelessly outmatched, and she knew it. So why was she doing this. What did he do wrong?

She elbowed him into the face knocking him to the floor.

"Did I really teach you nothing over the past few weeks." she said.

Jason struggled up onto his hands his breath ragged, his stomach aflame, and blood glazing underneath his nose. "I'm not ready." he hissed.

"The world doesn't give two shits if you're ready, that's why…" Sarah went silent and instead went to the door.

"What's wrong in this world is people who want to change but lack the will to act, even if your wrong or disadvantage you need to fight or be stuck in a place of nothing."

"Your uncle knew that better than anyone." she finished before leaving.


Sorry again for the super delay. College has been super stressful.

But for those who are continuing to read this story, I owe you a great deal of thanks because it's your support that keeps me going to write this and put out the best chapters I can. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Hopefully I'll have chapter 7 out soon.

-Edmaster2