Chapter 41: The Aftermath

While Malcolm Merlyn's act of terror did not come to fruition thanks to the efforts of the newly-dubbed "Justice League," that did not mean all was well within the Glades. There was still extensive amounts of casualties and property damage from the bedlam that had overcome the area in the wake of Frank Chen's announcement. People were cleaning up debris, putting out fires, arranging shelters for those who were temporarily homeless. Businesses were surveying the state of their shops and taking inventory. CNRI, in particular, was recalling the many vehicles they had sent outside the neighborhood, so they could put their central office back in order. Many would despair over having to do such tedious work, but considering the alternative, they were just thankful they were alive to do it.

Laurel was one of them. She was grateful that she could rifle through these documents, arranging them, piling others – it was almost relaxing in a way. Normally, her days were spent pouring over evidence, creating arguments, making connections, but after the would-be Undertaking, it felt wonderful taking the time do some mindless secretarial tasks. Anything to keep her mind off what could have been, and what currently is.

"Laurel." Laurel perked up, lifting her head to see her father in front of her desk. She smiled, getting up and wrapping him in a big hug. After what happened a couple of days ago, having her father close felt hardly tiring. Laurel knew she wouldn't be feeling that way in a couple of weeks, but for now, she welcomed his protective instincts.

"Hey Dad. What are you doing here?"

Quentin rubbed the back of his head. "We're policing the area. Making sure no one's taking advantage of what happened to make off with some cargo or use the confusion for a hit or two. That kind of stuff." He smiled mirthfully. "Though, it feels a little unnecessary. Crime has gone down."

Laurel nodded. Crime had gone down. Ever since the Justice League had revealed themselves to the world, the crime rate in major cities had decreased noticeably, especially in Starling and Central. She imagined that learning that Green Arrow, the Flash, and Supergirl were all close allied with each other had to do with that. Those three together would be terrifying enough, but with an unknown like Vixen added to the mix – well, people didn't like unknowns. They can't plan for something they don't know. And no doubt, others, some with unbelievable powers and the desire to do good, would be joining the team soon as well.

And for those few who had gathered up the courage to keep going with their crimes, Black Canary happily dealt with. Her way of helping those who had deeply inspired her, for doing what she could not have done.

"…How's Tommy?" Quentin asked quietly.

Laurel sighed. "From what Oliver told me, not…well, I guess you could call it, but he's coping. I think that's the most we can ask for right now."

After Tommy Merlyn had been looked over at the hospital and cleared of all suspicion by the police, he had been allowed to go free. Unfortunately, he had nowhere to go – the Merlyn accounts were frozen, their properties cordoned off for investigation. Laurel would have offered her place, but she figured that after seeing her dad arrest his on national television, that wouldn't be the best idea. Thankfully, the Queens were willing to do what she could not. Malcolm might have not been what they thought him to be, but Tommy was different – Tommy was practically family.

"…Good. That's good." Quentin closed his eyes. "After everything, he needs to be close to the people who care most about him."

Raisa set down the tray of food and shook her head.

Moira exhaled. "He's still not eating?" She asked knowingly.

"No, Mrs. Queen. Mr. Thomas…" the maid trailed off, not quite knowing how to put things to words.

"It's alright, Raisa. Thank you for trying. We'll just have another group meal tonight." With that, she dismissed her servant kindly. Once Raisa was gone, Moira leaned back into her seat on the couch and sighed.

Tommy had been completely shut within himself ever since he had gotten to the Queen Mansion. Learning of his father's actions, that he was the son of a monster, would be shocking and horrifying enough – but from what Robert and Moira understood, that was not all he had learned. The authorities had found Tommy unconscious and covered in his own blood in the midst of the bodies of the S.W.A.T. team sent to take in Malcolm Merlyn. More than likely, he had met his father's enforcer, and watched him kill those men before being injured and knocked out. That was probably when the Hood – or Green Arrow, as he and the public were calling him now – went to apprehend Malcolm himself, seeing as Tommy had no knowledge of the vigilante's new name when he finally awoke.

They were giving him space, as was only logical, but it could only last so long. Tommy was hurting, and despite what his father had done, to both the city and to her family, she still saw him as one of her own. She always had, especially after Rebecca's death. Moira could not bear to watch him suffer like this. He only ventured outside of his room for family meals, and those same meals were the only times he ever ate. Other than that – nothing. It was like Tommy Merlyn was gone, and some sort of automaton had taken his place.

She knew she wasn't the only worried. Raisa loved Tommy as much as she did, and always entered with a tray of food for meal times, even though she knew it would go untouched. Robert would drop by the door, asking Tommy to join him in watching a game or a show (as going out to town right now was currently very inadvisable), only to reluctantly walk away when he didn't answer. Oliver had done similar things and gotten similar results, as had Thea. She had no doubt Laurel would be visiting herself if it weren't CNRI's current state. Plus, with Quentin being the one to arrest Malcolm…the Queens still held the Lances close, it's just that with Tommy here, it would be best if they kept away for now. She knew Oliver took time to visit Laurel in the Glades while doing his own volunteer service and update her on Tommy's condition, so at least they weren't out of the loop.

The door rang. Moira went to open it, smiling lightly when she saw who it was: Kara and Kal. The two didn't say anything, just going in to hug her, an embrace she gladly returned.

"How are things?" Kara asked once they let go.

Moira diverted her eyes slightly. "Not…good. But not terribly bad either. We'll make through this."

"Yeah. That's good to hear." Kara inhaled deeply. "…You mind if we stay here for the next couple of days? Balliol canceled school for the rest of the week, and, well…"

"Of course, Kara. You're more than welcome to."

"I still can't believe it." Iris said as she, Barry, and Joe watched the television, which was showing a recap of Frank Chen's press conference. "I mean…"

"I know, Iris." Joe stared at the screen, his eyes betraying nothing. "We had dinner with that man. Talked with him, laughed with him. To think he was capable of something like this…"

Barry nodded his head in agreement. "Caitlin and Cisco felt the same when they found out about Wells." He deliberately avoided mentioning himself.

"How are the Queens taking it? And the others from Thanksgiving?"

Barry rubbed his hands. "They're in shock, mostly. They don't know how quite to feel, but I think they'll be fine. The real concern is Tommy. From what Oliver told me, he hasn't been doing too well. He's coping, but…" He shrugged.

"I can't even imagine how he's feeling right now." Iris released a deep breath, contemplative. "If either of you had plotted something like this…" Barry nodded along, keep his feelings buried deep.

All three suddenly jumped when they heard a loud noise. They looked over to see Eddie all but slamming the door to Captain Singh's office closed, an ugly look on his normal handsome face. He stomped towards his own desk and started opening drawers and taking out files, throwing them into a heap. The three exchanged looks. Joe took the initiative, walking to Eddie slowly, trying not to provoke him.

"…Eddie?" He asked his partner. "What's going on, man?"

Eddie snarled loudly. "Well, for one, I'm no longer in charge of the Anti-Streak Task Force anymore. I'm now in charge of the Anti-Metahuman Task Force. For another, the Streak, or the Flash – whatever stupid name he's calling himself these days, is now off-limits. A blanket pardon for saving the Glades in Starling."

Joe blinked, as did Iris and Barry. "O…kay?"

"NO! Not okay, Joe! He's still a murderer, and God knows what else. He's dangerous and letting him run around free is a mistake."

The senior detective held up his hands in a defensive gesture. "I understand how you feel, Eddie, but it's out of our hands now. You're just going to have to live with it." The other man growled angrily at that.

Iris watched the scene worriedly. No one noticed the way Barry's eyes narrowed slightly at Eddie.

Amanda Waller smirked as she surveyed the screens. Everywhere around the world, people were talking about the Justice League, speculating over their proclaimed motives, their effect on the crime rate – everything. Things had gone exactly to plan, better than even she had hoped.

As for the two who had made this possible, Frank Chen was currently imprisoned within Iron Heights under maximum security. After his trial and conviction, he would then be "killed" and smuggled out of the country alongside his daughter to make new lives under new identities. More than he deserved, that much Amanda agreed with Robert, but it was his payment for helping them with this and exposing Malcolm Merlyn. As for Merlyn himself, he was currently imprisoned in A.R.G.U.S.'s own supermax prison, awaiting his trial. Amanda knew she would have to visit him to dissuade him from trying to take down the Queen, but she figured she'd allow him to stew a bit before making a play.

Her smirk dimmed slightly when someone joined her side: Slade Wilson. Slade had been invaluable as well – he had visited each of Merlyn's fellow conspirators, and after determining their motives, had either threatened them to keep their silence and be spared from the witch hunt, and or killed them, staging their deaths as suicide, in order to protect the Queens' involvement. All to protect the blood family of his eldest "son," of course. That, and…well, it was time she paid up anyway.

She took out a flash drive from within her jacket, holding it up for him to take. "Everything we have on Joe Wilson, aka Kane Wolfman, and Grant Wilson. Happy hunting, Slade."

Slade took it, snorting derisively. "Go to hell, Amanda."

ARC II: FAMILY

END

NEXT: ARC III: CONFLICT

Arc II is FINALLY over! One long hard slog for this one.

Arc III is going to be more episodic than Arc II, a little more like Arc I. Its focus is developing other characters, particularly Laurel (both as herself and as Black Canary), Iris, Eddie, Tommy, Sam, and Nyssa. Yes, Nyssa will be returning in Arc III, and we'll delve a bit into her history before the trio came into her life. Don't worry, the trio will still have major parts, their storylines just won't dominate like they did in Arc II. They will have three major villains in Arc IV, all of whom will either appear or be alluded to in Arc III. Arc V, the final arc before the halfway point, is when most of the plot threads will all tie back together. I've been deliberately vague about that arc for various reasons, and I hope you'll be pleasantly surprised by it.

Arc III won't start until May, most likely. Not only do I have to outline it, chapter by chapter, but I also have school to deal with. Don't worry, though – I will never abandon this story.

In other news, Justice League is now officially the lowest grossing film in the entire DCEU. Which is…sad, but not entirely unexpected. Wonder Woman was wonderful (heh) and Justice League wasn't bad so much as average, but, well, you know how things like this go. And for my fellow One Piece fans, there is allegedly no break next week! Cheers!