Chapter Thirty-Seven:
Crossing his legs, Oliver entered a state of deep, deep, mediation. He prepared himself for the battle to come. A man he knew so well, or thought he did. Oliver knew killing Malcolm not be needed, but he detached the man who planned atrocities from the family friend and the father of his friend.
Thankfully, Tommy was out of state, because what Oliver would a bit harder, although no less necessary.
The moment Oliver came out of his trance, he filed away any regrets. Diana stood with him and Lexi joined her. Should things go awry, Oliver thought an Amazon Warrior and a Bounty Hunter would make some good back.
"You ready?" Lexi asked.
"Yes," Oliver said. "I am."
No more words from Oliver. Time to get ready for action. He planned to get this done tonight. He took his position in the hotel across the street from Malcolm's current location. Fortified, secured, took weeks of very careful planning, even with Moira's help to get in. And one misstep could set them back.
"Cheshire's awaiting your word," Diana said. "Do you think she could get him?"
"If she does, this night ends early," Oliver said.
Man of few words and Oliver had confidence in Jade's abilities to at least get Malcolm wounded. He would move down the line, through a gauntlet of some of Oliver's most skilled assassins. Talia put the idea into Oliver's head to wear down an enemy through a number of tough battles, when she told him a story about a man called Bane, who once let out all of the inmates in Arkham Asylum to wear down Batman.
All in a gambit to break the Bat. Oliver thought a similar gambit would work, although he did tweak the plan a little bit.
Tonight, the beginning ends. While Oliver intended to cut the head off of the snake, he was very conscious to the fact two more would grow in its place, or whatever. The chaos of their leader being taken down would put those on the list at a disadvantage and Oliver could make the deals necessary to fix Starling City.
"Jade," Oliver said.
"I'm moving," Jade said.
It was go time. Do or die tonight.
Something was off tonight. Malcolm had been a few months away from completing his goals for the Undertaking. Doctor Markov, with proper modification, and his sister under the watchful eye of a couple of his associates, inspired the good doctor to work well.
Malcolm waited for his security to change shifts before he could safely move to the elevator. They were late.
Finally the elevator opened up and two guards landed on the ground. Very barely, Malcolm could block an incoming dagger which came inches away from slicing open the side of his head.
Malcolm caught the dagger, eyes widened when he came face to face with the woman who threw it. The ever present face of a Cheshire cat mask appeared in front of him. He dodged a second attack from the mysterious woman.
Jade approached Malcolm. She jumped on this plan when hearing about Malcolm's designs to destroy the Glades. Given her mother and younger sister lived there, Jade absolutely had been against any plan of destruction.
"Who sent you?" Malcolm asked. "I can double your fee."
Cheshire jumped up and Malcolm twisted out of her grab. The two fought in the middle of the hallway, with Jade slamming Malcolm into the wall.
"I do this for free, Magician," Cheshire said. "Ra's al Ghul sends his regards."
Malcolm avoided the plunging blow. Fatal if it would have connected. He rushed to his office and moved inside. The desk had been kicked in front of the door. Cheshire broke down the door and Malcolm moved to grab his gear.
Just as Cheshire came in and put a dart into the side of his neck. A wobbling Malcolm fired three arrows at the woman. She dodged them all expertly.
Malcolm broke the window with his arrow. Cheshire sliced at his ankle when he threw himself out the window.
Slipping an antidote for her poison into his mouth, Malcolm felt a bit better, but still a bit woozy when landing onto the ground.
The Dark Archer slipped down the streets of Starling City. Ra's al Ghul sent an assassin after him. The Demon must have heard his plans, but surely a man of his stature would understand the necessity? The League had been all about fixing the world and Malcolm wanted to bring down the Glades.
Something was not right and Malcolm would find the strands.
Nyssa and Talia watched the Dark Archer slick from the shadows. From the rooftop, Talia made her move, firing an arrow down at him.
The two Daughters of the Demon descended on either side of the Dark Archer. Nyssa grabbed him around the head and Malcolm countered by hurling her off. Talia came back around and hit Malcolm in the back of the leg. A crunch and rolling of Malcolm's leg indicated he had been compromised in this battle.
Nyssa and Talia swarmed on either side of the Dark Archer to engage him The Dark Archer shot an arrow up and it triggered an explosion which sent debris falling down. The smoke and the ash allowed Malcolm to slip down into the shadows.
Despite hobbling on one leg, a wounded animal was significantly more dangerous than one who was healthy. Malcolm's blood dripped to the ground. He leaned against the wall and treated the wound hastily, but efficiently. At least to try and give them the least obvious trail.
Talia flipped over the top of the head and landed firmly.
"Your father has to send his daughters to do his dirty work," Malcolm murmured. "Although, I'm surprised you returned to the fold…."
Talia was in no clear mood to correct Malcolm's out of date information. Nyssa came to the other side and fired an arrow which Malcolm deflected back. He moved back and forth between these two women and fired off a barrage of arrows. They bounced back and forth against them.
A small group of armed guards arrived. Malcolm would have private security to back up. The red dots appearing on Nyssa and Talia indicated they were going to fire.
Talia dropped a small device which released a cloud of smoke. Nyssa dove underneath the bullets and sliced the hands of the enemies releasing their weapons.
From the distance, Talia fired one more shot. Whether or not it grazed Malcolm, he was still the walking wounded. Cheshire's poison affected him, the wounds and broken bones affected him.
"Get the helicopter ready and hurry!" Malcolm yelled. "And tell them to move the machine, the League is….."
A shuriken cracked Malcolm's head set off. Another one missed his ear by just inches. Malcolm stepped back and put his hands on her.
"It's a pity I didn't get a chance to train you. Perhaps you wouldn't make such foolish errors in judgment."
Lady Shiva, Malcolm heard of the woman, despite not having the pleasure of training with her. His head thumped about as loud as his heart. Malcolm stepped back, fingers clutched around the bow and prepared to fire the shot off.
He did not say a word. Did not waste any movement. Wasting one motion against Lady Shiva would wind up with him dead and everything had been lost. All Malcolm had to do was stall her just enough.
Malcolm dodged the latest attack of the deadly assassin. She came back around and grabbed Malcolm in a choke. Macolm pushed Shiva out of the attack and came back around.
The Dark Archer looked into the eyes of the woman who brought death to so many. Some called her the deadliest woman in the world and it was a moniker which had been well earned. Malcolm equipped himself with a bow and positioned himself for the attack.
Draw back the bow and fire. Fire hard at this woman. Shiva caught the arrow in her hand before it came even within an inch of connecting to her. Malcolm kept firing and Shiva deflected as many attacks as possible.
Shiva threw her hand back and Malcolm slipped underneath her. An attempt to grab her leg only opened up Malcolm to get kicked in the side of the leg. Shiva grabbed Malcolm and almost impaled him through a sharp steel pole. He blocked the attack at the very last moment.
The helicopter was over the top of them. He needed to make sure it landed.
A beam of heat from afar struck the underside of the helicopter and blew a hole into the side of it. The helicopter whirled out of control and Malcolm jumped off of it. He braced himself for impact and landed on the street below.
His helicopter veered out of control, but did not crash in the middle of Starling City. Malcolm, through one eye swollen shut, noticed a blurry figure flying and guiding the helicopter.
Of course, that very nearly took Malcolm's eye off of the ball. A sniper came close to hitting him with a bullet. Malcolm fired at the pedestal and the person who fired the gun had been knocked out.
Lady Shiva slammed down onto Malcolm from the rooftop. His broken body laid on the ground. Shiva picked up the blade and held it over her head.
Malcolm tried to grab his bow, but the quiver of arrows, laid inches away from him. Shiva slammed her foot down onto Malcolm's chest and sliced his mask off, revealing his bruised, swollen face to the rest of the world.
"And stand to face Ra's al Ghul."
Malcolm Merlyn barely could stand, on one bad leg, and breathing heavily. Yet Shiva put the weapons back in front of Malcolm. Why? He picked them up and breathed heavily.
The Dark Archer, wounded, winded, and worn down, came face to face with Ra's al Ghul. The figure looked at him. The hood obscured the face of the feared warrior.
"What do you have to say?"
"Great one, if I….did something to upset your plans, then I offer you my most humble apologies," Malcolm said. "Please...forgive….."
One arrow pierced the Dark Archer in the shoulder and another in the side of the leg. The Dark Archer, frozen, could not do anything to fight Ra's al Ghul despite Shiva handing his tools to him.
"There is no apology and no salvation for you," the Demon said. "You created your own demon with your plans, your schemes."
"I had to, great one, the Glades is a poison, my wife is dead…."
"Rebecca would not approve of this, Malcolm."
Another arrow, hitting him at a place where it would cause Malcolm the greatest pain possible without ending him. The Demon put his hand underneath Malcolm's chin and forced him to look at the city.
"You made your own demon, Malcolm. I'm not the one you know, but I know you very well.."
The mask slipped off and Malcolm Merlyn's last dying image was the face of Oliver Queen. He though, perhaps he could appeal to Oliver in some way.
"You've failed this city."
A sword withdrawn and swung for the killshot. Malcolm Merlyn's decapitated head fell to the ground, blood splashing off to the swords. Oliver peered down, no doubt of his demise there.
"I will rebuild this city, in my own way."
Talia, Jade, Nyssa, Shiva, Laurel, Sara, and Lexi all stood around, as Oliver burned Malcolm's remains out to sea. He could not take any chances. The ashes would be well buried and secured. What happened to Malcolm Merlyn would be the world's biggest unsolved mystery and very few would know the truth.
"May you find salvation in your next life," Oliver said as the fire burned and consumed Malcolm's body and head.
The Shameless Smut Commences In the Next Chapter.
