Chapter 70: Escape
"Where do we go?" Laurel asked quietly as she and Oliver rushed through the hallways, trying to avoid as many people as they could by using the employees' paths. They had been familiar with these halls thanks to exploring every single inch of the mansion that they could when they were kids.
"The new S.T.A.R. Labs building downtown. That building isn't supposed to exist, so I can only assume that it's our ticket out of here." Oliver replied in a hushed voice, dodging another one of the mansion's staff. "We're gonna cut through the garden to Dad's garage, grab one of the cars there, or maybe my motorcycle. Now that we know that this is an illusion, I wouldn't put it past the Dominators to do whatever they can to keep us here, and that includes using whatever people they generated to try and convince us to stay. Be on your guard."
The very moment he finished that sentence, such a person did appear: Rebecca Merlyn. Oliver and Laurel stopped moving at the sight of her, slightly stunned. Now that they knew the woman was dead, the aftermath still so clear in their minds, it was strange to see her standing there, alive and aged.
"Oliver, Laurel!" Rebecca put her hands on her hips, a frown on her face. "What are you doing out back here? The rehearsal is going to start soon!"
Oliver swallowed. "Aunt Rebecca," he began haltingly, "I'm sorry, but Laurel and I, we needed a break. A bit of fresh air. Things have been… stressful… lately, and we wanted a bit of alone time together."
Rebecca eyed them suspiciously, before huffing. "Alright then, go on, but I better see you within the hour or your parents will have security flip this place over to find you two."
"Got it." Oliver smiled awkwardly, inwardly berating himself for the sudden degradation of his acting skills. He gestured Laurel to rush forward, while he went to Rebecca herself, and pulled her into a hug. Rebecca let out a small 'oof' in surprise, before relaxing into the embrace. Laurel stopped by the door to watch the scene, gripping the doorsill tightly.
"You're amazing Aunt Rebecca." Oliver said, trying to keep the sadness he felt at bay. "Tommy and Uncle Malcolm are lucky to have you."
"Why thank you Oliver, but don't think this gets you off the hook." Rebecca scolded back as they released the embrace. "Your mother will be hearing about this, so don't think you can butter her up like me."
"I wouldn't dare." At Laurel's pointed gaze, Oliver reluctantly let his godmother go. "I'll see you later."
"I better. Laurel!" Laurel caught Rebecca's eyes at the sound of her name. "Make sure he comes back, alright?"
Laurel tried not to grimace. "Of course, Mrs. Merlyn."
"We're in." Astra muttered as her and Kara's ship docked in a remote corner of the shipbay of the large, intergalactic cruiser. "What now?"
Kara unlocked her seatbelt, and then clicked on something on her wrist. Astra let out a startled gasp as she felt her powers return. "Now, we go looking for them. Barry gave me another locater with a smaller range that will allow us to find them on this ship. You are coming with me."
"Don't trust me, little one?" Astra smirked.
"No." Kara stated bluntly. "Keep the ship's cloaking on. I assume you have stealth training?"
"You assume correctly."
"Good." Kara fingered a small blade in one of her suit's hidden compartments. Thanks to the discreet nature of the mission, she hadn't been able to bring her sword. "We're gonna be quick, and we're gonna keep hidden as long as possible until we find them. After that..." she narrowed her eyes, "… well, we'll see."
After the emotional encounter with Rebecca, Oliver and Laurel rushed through the garden, only to stop when they saw a small group of gangsters. At the head of them was Danny Brickwell, laughing. The couple immediately moved into fighting stances, waiting for the battle to begin. Brick eyed them for a moment, before pointing forward, initiating his groups to charge.
"What I wouldn't give for my tonfa." Laurel grumbled as she blocked one thug's attempt to shank her with a knife. She quickly twisted his arm, disabling him, before taking the knife and stabbing him in the leg. He let out a scream of pain that was quickly silenced by Laurel braining him with the handle.
"This guy's got a crowbar," Oliver commented as he kicked the weapon out of another thug's hands, grabbing it. With a mighty swing, he knocked out the other man before grappling another of their attackers and restraining him into a hold. "Want to switch?"
Laurel paused, ducking a punch and retaliating with one of her own, before knocking the guy out with a double kick to the neck and face. Silently, she tossed the blade to her boyfriend, taking the crowbar in return. Smoothly, she brained another gangster in the head, before using the curved end to pull another one forward using the neck of his shirt. The thug yelped, stumbling and dropping his bat, then letting out a high-pitched keen as Laurel kneed him in the groin. He grabbed himself, legs buckling, allowing Laurel to finish him off with another knee to the chin.
Oliver used his newly-acquired knife with great efficiency; while he wasn't Barry, he was proficient enough with knives to be considered an expert. He sliced the arm of another thug, forcing him to let go of his gun, before giving him two more slices to the chest and a punch to the face. Absentmindedly, he blocked the metal bat of another, the blade grinding against it making an unpleasant sound, before twisting the bat out of the thug's hand with his superior strength. He cut the man's wrists, specifically aiming for certain nerves, before stabbing him in the shoulders. The man collapsed in pain, writhing on the grass.
As Laurel finished off the last man, Oliver turned around to see Brick charging at them. Wordlessly, he threw the knife, watching as it pierced him in the neck. Brick collapsed immediately, pulling out the knife and trying fruitlessly to stem the blood flow with his hands.
"Ollie…" Laurel said, a little disapprovingly, before sighing in acceptance. Oliver took her hand, rubbing circles in apology.
"I know. But we're in a hurry."
Laurel sighed once again. "It's fine. He isn't real anyway. I just thought that being a lawyer and a cop's daughter would better prepare me for stuff like this, but even after almost a year of being a vigilante, it's hard to watch."
"Good," Oliver said, surprising her, "It should be hard to watch. It means you still have something human in you left." He had a faraway look in his eyes as he finished.
His girlfriend was about to put another comforting hand on his shoulder, only to jump back as an arrow nearly pierced her hand. The two whirled around to see another contender: Nyssa, garbed in her gear. Next to her was an older man with dark, but graying hair; Laurel noted that he shared a vague resemblance to their friend. He was dressed similarly to her, with a sword strapped to his waist.
"Ollie, who is that next to her?" Laurel asked, tensing herself, feeling Oliver do the same.
"Ra's al Ghul. The most dangerous of my teachers… and Nyssa's father," Oliver revealed, momentarily stunning the woman, "Most of all, however, he's the second-best warrior on the planet."
Laurel looked sharply at him. "Second-best? Then who's the best?"
Nyssa fired another arrow. This time, they were ready. Laurel shift herself to the side as Oliver plucked the arrow from the air, twisting his body to throw it back at a startling speed. Quickly realizing it was too fast to catch, the two assassins leaned away, allowing the arrow to pass through the opening they created and plunge itself into the grass behind them.
"Me." Oliver growled, before charging. Laurel followed him, ducking under another barrage of Nyssa's arrows.
With that, the two pairs of adversaries clashed.
Kara pressed her back against the walls of the ship, gesturing to her aunt to keep quiet before leaning forward to peer around the corner of the hall they were in. She watched as a pair of Dominators conversed, before leaving down another corridor. Using her super vision to confirm they were gone, she turned back to Astra, lifting the locater Barry had given her.
The screen came to life as she turned it on, revealing a series of grid lines on a blue interface and three dots. One green one, presumably representing them, and two red ones, representing Oliver and Laurel. The red ones were practically on top of each other, which was relieving — it meant that the two were close to each other, most likely in the same room. With another silent gesture from Kara, the two Kryptonians walked down the halls, their steps silent.
Nyssa sheathed her bow as Laurel engaged her, blocking her fast blows with little difficulty. Laurel was not deterred, instead dropping down sweep her legs in a perfect arc. Nyssa stumbled back, but righted herself with a backflip, only for Laurel to fearlessly tackle her. She mounted the false figure of her teacher and started throwing several punches, while Nyssa blocked them with her forearms before using the strength of her thighs to throw Laurel off to the side. They were back on their feet instantly and started circling each other, searching for openings.
Several feet away, Oliver and Ra's were engaged in their own battle. Ra's had already drawn his sword and was swinging it with deadly precision. Oliver had to constantly move to dodge the blade while at the same time trying to break Ra's' grip on the handle by countering with his forearms and hands. Finally, he managed to grab his opponent's hand and twist, forcing Ra's to drop the sword into Oliver's own waiting palm. Weapon in hand, Oliver thrust the blade towards Ra's' head, only for the man to dodge and kick him away.
Elsewhere, Laurel and Nyssa continued their fight, throwing barrages of blows at each other. However, it became patently clear that Laurel was wavering. While she had come far in the months since becoming a vigilante and falling under the tutelage of Oliver and Nyssa, she was still inexperienced compared to them and not as conditioned. It was only her familiarity with Nyssa's own style that she had managed to keep up for this long.
Finally, it became too much — a well-placed jab to the mouth sent Laurel sprawling to the grass, and she let out a groan. Through the corner of her eye, she could see Nyssa stalking her, and she rolled away to dodge a boot to the sternum. As she did so, she spotted something that could turn the tide of the fight: the arrow that Oliver had caught and thrown at the beginning of their encounter with the assassins. Her adrenaline pumping, Laurel burst forward, grabbing it with an outreached hand. Shaking, she turned back to the false Nyssa, who was impatiently tailing her.
Making a silent apology to her Nyssa, she charged at the false one with another burst of speed, surprising her opponent. Laurel grabbed her by the back of the head, and slotted their lips together in a deep kiss. Suitably stunned, the fake Nyssa was unable to dodge the arrow piercing her chest. Laurel released the kiss as soon as the wound was deep enough, and her opponent backed away with blood running down the side of her mouth, gazing at her in betrayal before collapsing completely in a dead heap.
Laurel allowed herself only a moment to feel, before going to the cooling corpse and depriving it of its bow and one of the arrows in its quiver. She turned to watch Oliver's battle with Ra's, Oliver's lessons on archery at the forefront of her mind as she readied herself to aim, only to stop and gape.
The two men were a blur, exchanging so many different movements, one after another, that they almost looked like a standing, flailing tangle of limbs. She had initially planned to fire an arrow at Ra's and give Oliver an opening to end things quickly, but there was no way she could do that with them so close to each other and moving so fast. Not to mention the sword the two of them seemed to be exchanging every minute. If she timed it incorrectly, then Ra's could just block it with the blade.
Laurel had seen Oliver spar with many people since she had joined the Justice League. Barry, Kara, Nyssa, Jefferson — all spirited affairs that left her in awe and even more determined to one day reach his level. But none of them had compared to this battle, where every move was calculated and not a single moment was wasted. It had honestly made her fight with Nyssa look like a playground brawl.
So, this is what it means to be the best… She thought to herself, recalling Oliver's claim. No, there was no way she would be able to interfere, to help. All she could do was leave her faith in the man she loved.
Oliver grunted as Ra's got a particularly hard shot to his ribs, and retaliated with another slice of the sword. Ra's leaned back to dodge, and then kicked the handle out of his hands, slapping the blade with two palms before swinging the handle upwards in an arc and grasping the handle. Now it was Oliver's turn to evade, each swipe intended for his neck. From the corner of his eye, he could see Laurel watching the battle in worry, and steeled himself. It was time to end this.
Ra's jabbed forward with the blade, aiming to pierce his heart. Instead of leaning backwards, Oliver moved forwards, dodging at the last second. The steel passed by the side of his head, barely missing his ear; Oliver paid it no mind, instead grasping Ra's' arm like he had before. He elbowed the man on the chest with his arm while using his left to twist the sword out of the older man's hand and back into his own. Now armed once again, Oliver sliced Ra's' abdomen, feeling the familiar resistance of flesh. Ra's was driven back immediately, but it was too late. Two more slices followed, both to the chest, and then Oliver was driving the sword through his heart.
Laurel watched as Oliver let go of the sword, as Ra's al Ghul fell to the ground, dead, and let out a breath of relief. She moved towards her boyfriend, noting how he had yet to let his eyes waver from the gruesome sight. As she got closer, Oliver abruptly turned around, as if sensing her approach. The two stared at each other.
"Are you alright?" Laurel prompted first.
Oliver took another look at the corpse, then turned back to her. "I will be. And you?"
Laurel looked down. Unlike Oliver, she didn't have the strength to look back where the fake Nyssa's cold body laid. "I don't know."
"It wasn't her, Laurel." Oliver assured her, his words comforting. "And if she were here, she'd tell you the same thing. Hell, she'd probably be proud of you, for beating her like that."
"You saw that?" Laurel blushed.
"Yes." Oliver admitted. "To be honest, I was a little jealous."
His girlfriend raised an eyebrow. "Of who?"
He grimaced, not sure if he wanted to answer. That was a can of worms that he didn't want to open just yet. Laurel noted his expression and patted him on the shoulder, understanding emanating from her. She knew exactly how he felt. If their positions had been reversed… well.
"We need to go." Oliver stated, once the awkwardness had passed. Laurel nodded in agreement. After checking around to make sure there were no more surprises waiting for them, the two ran towards the garage, where their escape awaited.
Kara's lips curled into a smile as they got closer and closer to Oliver and Laurel's location, ducking behind another corner with Astra following her lead. Hopefully, the two would be in decent shape when they got there. It would make escape easier. They had managed to avoid detection thus far, and, as long as Oliver and Laurel were able, it seemed they'd be able to get out of this with the Dominators being none the wiser.
Of course, it was right after this thought passed through her mind that things went to shit.
Despite her senses being on high alert, Kara almost didn't notice the growing glow of the blaster until it was too late. She whirled around and slammed her aunt against the wall, wincing as the beam of energy passed by where they had just been standing. She powered up her heat vision, and blasted her own twin beams into the offender, burning a hole through him.
"So much for stealth." Astra grumbled, flying forward to punch another Dominator in the face.
After some quick deliberation, the couple determined that the motorcycle was the best way to go. It was faster, and allowed them better mobility in case the illusion did decide to send someone to pursue them on the way to S.T.A.R. Labs. Oliver grabbed two helmets, tossing one to Laurel and putting on his own before going to start the machine up. He sat down towards the handles, and once he felt his girlfriend's familiar embrace, he opened the garage and they fled into the night.
Thankfully, it seemed the illusion had decided stopping them was pointless, because they had no pursuers. Oliver, however, had refused to take any chances, parking the motorcycle in a dirty alley. Sneaking in had been surprisingly easy; it seemed that this Barry, or whoever was in charge of S.T.A.R. Labs' security, hadn't cared enough to go beyond the most basic of security systems. They would have had more difficulty breaking into a retail store.
Entering the building, they found the bottom floor had a glowing, green portal waiting for them. The energy within swirled together ominously.
"You think that's it?" Laurel gulped, grasping his hand tightly.
Oliver narrowed his eyes. "Only one way to find out." He stepped forward, readying himself to charge through.
"Oliver."
The two swiveled around to see Shado standing before them. Except, it wasn't the Shado that had attended their fake rehearsal dinner. This Shado was younger, wearier; her clothing was the same she wore the night she died, Oliver idly noted. There was this glow around her, and upon closer inspection, she was translucent. She wasn't really there, he realized.
"Take care of them, Oliver." It was her voice, but her mouth wasn't moving. Nonetheless, Oliver felt the prickle of tears in his eyes, and he desperately tried to will them away.
"They'll need you. They'll always need you." She was smiling now, and it was such a painfully familiar sight that Oliver couldn't help but nod.
Laurel's solacing touch broke him out of his reverie, and with reluctance he turned away from Shado. He allowed Laurel to guide him away, back to all the real, living people that were waiting for them on Earth.
"Who was she?" Laurel asked quietly, just as they were about to pass through the gate.
"Family," was all that Oliver said, before the world blinded them.
Waking up was painful.
His neck was sore, and there was a piercing headache that was only now beginning to fade. Oliver blinked as he tried to get feeling back into his limbs. Across from him, he could see Laurel was in a similar state, rolling her shoulders back and forth and stretching out her neck left and right.
"Where are we?" He murmured, stepping down from whatever pedestal he had been standing on. Looking back, he could see some kind of open pod bursting from the ground in an upright position. Was this how the Dominators' had kept them captive? But why?
"Uh, Ollie." Oliver turned back around to see that Laurel had also moved and was now staring at… something. He followed her line of sight and blinked, eyes widening.
Space. They were in space.
"You have got be kidding me."
"Almost there, almost there…" Kara chanted as she and Astra flew through the halls. Behind them were a crowd of Dominators chasing after them, blasting them with barrages of energy beams. Astra was flying backwards to counter them, only turning whenever Kara tapped her on the shoulder. It was a system they had made up on the fly after their enemies had crowded together in a pack to chase after them.
Normally they would've just used their super speed and rushed through the halls that way, but on top of this being an unfamiliar area that they just barely knew how to navigate, using super speed left them vulnerable to all sorts of nasty surprises that the Dominators might have left on their ship, like barriers or mounted guns. Not wanting to risk that and leave themselves vulnerable, the women had resigned themselves to going at semi-normal speed and hoping that said surprises, if they existed, didn't spring up too fast and leave them unable to counter or dodge.
Kara looked down at the locater. If this was correct, then the next room around the next bend was where Oliver and Laurel were. Satisfied, she turned around and stopped. Astra stopped as well, and they exchanged a silent look, before turning back to the charging crowd. Together, they took a deep breath and blew, watching as everything before them froze. The floor, the ceiling, the walls, the flying energy beams, the blasters and even the Dominators themselves. Soon, the entire area was a miniature, wintry wasteland.
Not wishing to wait for more Dominators to show up, the two women left the scene. Making one last turn, they stood in front of a large pair of double doors. Kara gestured for Astra to stop, and pressed her hand against the metal, focusing her hearing. Beyond the door, she could hear her friends' familiar voices.
That was enough for her.
She stepped back, and curled her hand.
BAM!
Oliver slammed himself against Laurel, sending them sprawling as the pair of metal door flew overhead. The two landed with a loud clang!, before sliding to a stop. Once they did, the two vigilantes got to their feet and dusted themselves off, turning to what had once been a firmly shut and closed doorway.
Standing there was Kara, next to a vaguely familiar woman. Neither of them cared for her though, eyes trained solely on what looked to be their comrade and friend. Kara had spotted them as well, letting her arm fall back to her side as she felt her body relax in relief.
"Ollie. Laurel." She said, smiling.
Oliver didn't return it. He pulled Laurel close, eyes narrowed. "What's the number one rule we have about Dhaka?"
Kara blinked, then realization hit her and she sighed. "That Dhaka never happened and anyone that says otherwise is a big, fat liar," she recited immediately in a well-practiced fashion.
At that, Oliver lost all his suspicion, and before anyone knew it he had barreled into her, hugging her with everything he had. Kara returned the embrace fervently, allowing herself to melt in the familiar warmth of one of her oldest protectors, of her brother. "We were so worried…" she muttered quietly into his ear. He said nothing, simply tightening his hold.
After a long minute, he released her, and then there was Laurel. While their embrace wasn't as long or as tight, there was just as much comfort there, if only of a different kind.
"How did you find us?" She asked after they separated as well.
Kara scowled. "Barry implanted tracking chips into all the members of the Justice League without telling anyone."
The couple stared at her, stunned, before Oliver groaned and palmed his forehead in disbelief. "Dammit, Barry!"
"What does that say about us that I'm both surprised and not surprised?" Laurel deadpanned, having also grown familiar with the speedster's more… outlandish antics.
"I know exactly how you feel." Kara said soothingly in reply to her, as Oliver continued to curse his younger brother in a low voice, kicking the air for good measure.
"As entertaining as all this is, don't you think it's time we leave?"
Immediately, the three Leaguers stopped to look at the fourth person in the room. Laurel failed to place her; Oliver had no such issue.
"What is she doing here?" Oliver growled, fisting his hands.
Kara placed a hand on his back, trying to calm him down. "We needed someone to fly the spaceship to get you two. She was our only option."
"Barry could have probably learned it in a couple of days." Oliver argued.
"Ollie, we didn't have a couple of days, and you know that. Whatever the Dominators needed you here for, it would only last so long before you became a liability and they killed you both." Kara countered.
"Um, could someone please fill me in?" Laurel piped up, cutting through the brewing row between the siblings. "Who is this woman?"
Astra smiled, and she held out her hand to Laurel. "General Astra In-Ze. Kara's aunt. And I take it you are Laurel Lance, the Black Canary, yes?"
Laurel blinked, and then her eyes narrowed. She crossed her arms, pointedly refusing to return the greeting.
"Aren't you the crazy woman who was planning to brainwash the planet into being more eco-friendly?"
Despite the tense atmosphere, both Oliver and Kara had to stifle their snorts at Laurel's ridiculously apt description of Astra's plans. The woman herself dropped her arm immediately, and she glared at Laurel, snarling. She made a step forward, as if she was preparing to attack — something that did not escape Kara's notice.
"Astra." Her niece said with authority. Astra turned to her to see Kara waving the remote control to her cuffs in a blatant fashion, sending a very clear message.
"I've got Kryptonite arrows at home," Oliver added in, glowering. "Don't think I won't use them."
Knowing she was beaten, Astra huffed and turned to leave, mindful of the three glares burning into her back.
"Let's just go already. I can't stand being in this overgrown tin can any longer than I have to."
"Are you positive?" Barry asked evenly, trying not to show the panic that was coursing through his veins.
"Yes." A grim-faced J'onn replied, red eyes serious.
Barry turned around and kicked the wall next to them, ignoring the sharp pain that shot through his foot. "Fuck."
"Sir!" The two men looked right to see an agent running up to them, "The ship has reentered the atmosphere. It will be landing here in about half an hour."
Barry and J'onn exchanged nods, and then made their way to the landing strip.
The moment Oliver's feet were back on Earth soil, he was accosted by his speedster little brother. Barry was uncharacteristically silent as he clutched onto his form, not even making a comment about the drab wardrobe change Oliver had undergone over the last several hours. Knowing that this behavior change could only come from worry, Oliver rubbed comforting circles into the younger man's back.
"Hey, I'm alright." The archer said softly.
Barry said nothing, but he did let go, giving Oliver a nod. He then turned to Laurel and gave her a hug as well. Laurel gave him a small pat on the back, then a playful slap on the shoulder when Barry said something to her. Oliver smiled at the familiar byplay, only to stop when he saw Amanda approaching them with a serious expression on her face, her classic smirk having disappeared. Next to her was J'onn, who looked even less happy than she did.
"It's good to see you both back, Oliver, Laurel," she said, drawing everyone's attention. "But we need you in the conference room. We have news."
"Jefferson, Mari, thank you for watching Starling over for us." Oliver said to his last two fellow Leaguers
He, Laurel, Barry, Kara, Amanda, and J'onn had relocated to the conference room after Oliver and Laurel had given reports. After a change of clothes, food, and a warm shower, they were mostly refreshed and ready for battle. A conference had been called once Barry had finished his analysis, with the entire Justice League in attendance. Since Starling couldn't be left undefended, Jefferson and Mari were video-calling from the Foundry.
"Think nothing of it, Oliver." Jefferson replied. "We're just glad you and Laurel are alright."
"Do we have any idea why you were taken?" Mari asked next to him.
"After getting full reports from Oliver and Laurel and conferring with J'onn and the other scientists located here at Central City's A.R.G.U.S. base, we believe they were taken for information." Barry answered, shuffling through some papers. "The pods they were held captive in had a neuromorphic interface that allowed the Dominators to parse through their minds while the pods distracted them with a realistic mind-based illusion that was cobbled together using their memories."
"But why us?" Laurel asked, sitting next to Oliver. "I get Oliver, he's basically our leader, but why me? Barry would've been a farther better choice since he would have all the intelligence regarding our technological and scientific advancement. And if they could just teleport us away then they could have taken all three of us anyway."
"We believe it's because you two are the only ones who aren't metas." Barry responded, gesturing to himself and J'onn. "The Dominators would have no idea how their technology would react to a meta, and even if they did they would have to reconfigure it differently to handle different molecular make-ups; even metas have differing biologies amongst each other. Baseline humans, however, are a different matter."
Kara tapped her finger on her chin. "Okay, so we know the why? The question is now: what were they after?"
Oliver frowned when he noticed that Barry, J'onn, and Amanda's faces had all closed off at that question. "What's wrong?"
Amanda sighed. "We intercepted another transmission while Kara and Astra were rescuing you. According to J'onn, the Dominators are planning to unleash something on Earth — a weapon of some sort."
"And while Amanda was busy preparing for your arrival," Barry continued, "We intercepted another message about the weapon itself: it's a bomb."
Everyone froze at those words. "And just what kind of bomb would that be?" Jefferson asked, very hesitantly.
"A meta-gene bomb. One with enough power to wipe out millions." J'onn said angrily. "They're going to detonate it right on top of Central City to eliminate as many metahumans as possible."
The room fell silent as everyone looked at J'onn in horror.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
As one, everyone turned to the metal door, which was rattling from the incessant banging of someone on the other side. Amanda stood up and walked purposefully towards it, mind churning over the most recent revelation. With a press of a button, the door slid open, revealed a disheveled agent that was struggling to catch his breath.
"Ma'am, the satellites have just picked up the presence of dozens of hostile vessels approaching the planet."
Sharp gasps were heard from behind her. Amanda understood the sentiment. "ETA?"
"Twenty-four hours."
"Sound the alarm, and call in Sub-Director Yamashiro and the rest of Task Force X. Have them video-call to this conference room. I'm calling in the council." Amanda stepped outside the door, knowing that everyone's eyes were on her.
"It's time for the Earth to prepare for war."
Sorry for the long wait everyone, but I've been busy and distracted lately. In return, here's a super-long chapter to satiate you all.
Yes, I have finally confirmed that Oliver has surpassed Ra's al Ghul, as seen when Oliver defeats Ra's here. As you can also see that Oliver is conflicted over killing Ra's — while the man press-ganged him and his family into the LoA and essentially brainwashed them (even if it didn't fully take), he did train them and was partially responsible for making them as strong as they are today. Not to mention, he is Nyssa's father.
Speaking of Nyssa, Laurel can't beat her yet, at least not in a fair fight. She will be capable of that feat one day, but it will take a couple more years before then. That's why she decided play dirty and used a kiss to distract Nyssa. For the record, she wouldn't have gotten that idea if she hadn't had a love epiphany the previous chapter.
We're reaching the climax of this act, everyone! Buckle in, because it's going to be chaos from here on out!
Constructive criticism is welcome! Flames will be removed!
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