For once, we had a quiet night. Well.. A non-murderous night. Oliver focused on Verdant. I took the night off for some much needed sleep. What I forgot was... there was a loud club above the foundry and we had not quite made the whole thing sound proof yet. So I was finally getting some sleep after closing when Oliver came storming down the stairs, which woke me up. "You forget some people live here Oliver." I grumbled. He just looked at me "Maybe you should get your own place then... you are planning on staying a while aren't ya?" I shrugged "I haven't truly settled someplace and got my own place in hundreds of years.. Last place that was my own was my Galleon ship the Normandy that I had 300 years ago." He looked at me in shock for a second "I read about that ship in my history books.. It had been spotted numerous times in the Caribean, off the coast of france, the America's... and no one could trace its true allegiance.. It was a mystery ship." I nodded "That it is. Anyway.. What's up?" He then said "A girl who was in the club today was killed. She was high on Vertigo. I'm going to have Felicity cross reference our list of staff to see if any ever had drug dealing pasts. And the Hood is going to visit the count tonight." I then looked at him "Does the Hood want the Ghost?" He shook his head "The Count is in a highly secured facility.. It is too much of a risk for both of us to sneak in to that place. You stay here. I've got this one." I nodded "And this time you aren't hyped up on Vertigo so I'll let you go alone." He rolled his eyes and left.
The next night he returned back to the foundry where I was and he said "I've already texted Dig.. We will wait for him." I nodded. We then waited until Dig showed up "Got here as quickly as I could, is this about the Glyph in your fathers notebook?" Oliver shook his head "I still have Felicity looking into that, We've got another problem." Oliver turned on the news and the three of us gathered around the screen to watch "Starling City is once again at war with the drug known on the streets as vertigo. It used to be the city's most lethal vice, but the purple and green pill was nowhere to be found for the last 3 months" Oliver then said "Over the past few days the city has been flooded with a new version of vertigo." I added "It killed someone in the club the other night." Oliver then added "Just like it almost killed Thea." Dig then said "So what are you thinking should we pay a visit to the Count." Oliver then said "He was my first visit, waste of time." I nodded "Yeah.. He's crazy." Oliver then nodded "Since he was the only one that knew the formula for vertigo, I don't even know where to begin." Dig turned to me "David.. In the future, do you deal with vertigo" I nodded "Yes, but only briefly.. It was a different count then... and one from what Oliver and Felicity told me.. Not one you encountered until a few weeks before I joined the team. I'm sorry but my future knowledge will not help us identify THIS copycat. Try me again in a couple years." Oliver shook his head slowly "I figured you wouldn't know. I'll remember to tell you about this in the future so that the NEXT timeline stands a better chance." I looked down.
Felicity then walked in saying "Good you are all here.. Although where else would you be.. You live here after all David and you all clearly love it down here. You have got to see this." She brought up the news "I'm here at the scene where polive say a disturbed patient escaped only hours ago. Authorities have issued a complete lockdown at the Starling County institute for mental health following the breakout. Police are warning people to avoid contact with the drug dealer known as The Count." Dig then said "Not so crazy after all huh?" Oliver flipped a table in anger. My lips thinned as I pretended to examine my finger nails, lightning arking between my finger tips "So how about this time I come with you huh?"
The plan consisted of Dig... buying Vertigo with money with a tracker in it. Dig returned back "Okay, the guy of color has successfully purchased the drugs." Fel then replied for the record I offered. I then said "Had to be Dig. Oliver and I are the Vigilantes, You are the computer wizard with no tactical training.. And if things got hairy Dig has the training to get out of it." Diggle then said "Well come to think of it.. You could have gone David, I could have suited up in the blue hood for once." I just smirked at him and tossed him one of my Assassin gauntlets "You figure out how to get the blade out without cutting off your finger and the suit is all yours John." He looked at it for a second then tossed it back "You have got to teach me how to use that one day." I nodded, fitting the gauntlet on my wrist and ejecting the blade in front of my face for effect. "Will do, Initiate." Oliver then said "Enough chatter. Focus. Felicity is the tracker active." I de-activated the blade as Felicity responded " was active since it was placed." John then said "Drug money's like a pigeon. It always finds its way home." Oliver then said "We can follow the money all the way to the Count. Keep tracking it." He then pulled up his Hood and looked at me "Ready Ghost?" I put on my mask and pulled up my hood, voice changer on "Ready Hood." We then set out.
Oliver and I split up so one of us could be closer to the Count when the money stopped. We were only a few blocks away from eachother so that we wouldn't be left without back up. This meant a wait in solitude. I did not know what Oliver was doing, however myself I was on top of one of the roofs, standing tall.. Looking out over the streets and houses... streets and houses that would not be here in a few short weeks if I did not stop the Undertaking. These streets.. Were my mission.. Were mine to protect.. Their fates left to me. I was confident I could do it.. But if I failed.. These people would die. It would be on me. Rain began to fall at my emotions... or just normal weather I was not sure. I looked up at the sky, letting the rain fall on my face.. Letting it calm me down to a point I could focus. Ever since I was a young boy storms calmed me... one of the quirks of being the Son of Zeus.
I took a deep breath just as Oliver's voice came over coms "What have you go?" Fel responded "The end of the money trail. Sending the dealers location to both of you now." I pulled it up on my phone. "Hood, you are closer. Do you want me to hang back for backup." Oliver said "No, Get here as soon as possible. If we are able, we will attack together." I then jumped down from the room, flipping and landing on my feet, crouching to take the impact. I then hopped on my bike and zoomed off.
Just as I was about to pull over to get into position Oliver said "I've engaged." So I kept driving, skidding to a stop at the entrance to this little corner of drug paradise. I notched an arrow just as one of the dealers pulled out a gun to shoot Oliver. I then fired it right into his back, him going down. Oliver shot the car with an explosive arrow. It exploding not far from me. This impaired my vision and by the time I was off the bike, explosive arrow notched to destroy the other car. It was already gone and Oliver was on the ground.. I ran over just as he got up. I then placed the arrow back in my quiver saying "I guess it is too much to hope the Count was in the car you blew up right?" Oliver nodded quickly "Yup." and with that we returned to the foundry, plan unsuccessful and the Count still at large.
We returned to find that someone high on vertigo was holding an aquarium as hostage. Oliver went to work on his medicinal Tea. I was preparing one of my arrows for him to put it in, ignoring Felicity until she mentioned killing the guy. Oliver was just finished saying "He did not fail this city.. This city failed him.. And so did I." Felcity said "You can't blame yourself for this. You didn't make him take the drugs." Oliver then yelled "But I failed to put the Count in a grave so deep he couldn't crawl out of it and hurt anyone else. I went in compromised and refused to let him help me" He pointed my now ready remedy arrow at me. I shook my head "I could have killed him that night. I chose to save you. This is on me as well." He then tossed the arrow and me and I placed it in my quiver. "Whoever gets the shot, take it." Oliver said. I nodded. And we left.
I shut off the lights with a quick surge from my finger tips. The plan was Oliver was to take the shot and try to shepard the scared man to me. This did not work. He ran the wrong way apparently as Oliver said "He's dead." into comms. We then left, failed again.
I stayed on the streets afterwards, looking for the count. It lead to nothing. So I returned to the club. I went in the side entrance to find that our base was now...storage? Felicity and Oliver were talking in the middle of the room. I pulled down my hood and said "Not that I own the room... but since I do live here.. Can I be consulted on remodels in the future please." Oliver turned to me and said "Tommy's doing.. Detective Lance has a warrant to search the lower floors. We almost lost everything tonight. Dig is off on his own missions now. So it looks like its just us three to take out the count, that okay with you?" I could tell Oliver was upset so I said "We can do this together Oliver." He just huffed "That is what you keep saying." He then said "I've got a lead on the Count's location, are you in?" I nodded "Of course."
We both dropped to the sub levels through a grate. Oliver popped some green glow sticks to light our way. I resisted the urge to make a comment and followed Oliver, watching his back as we made our way through the abandoned laboratories. We heard the Count's voice and Oliver picked up his pace. Finally we reached the room where the Count was. Oliver then said darkly "I should have killed you when I had the chance. Turn around slowly. I said... turn around slowly..." I turned to see The count was a vegetable, tubes coming out of him. Draining his blood. I released the tension on my bow string at the revelation.. It wasn't the Count behind Vertigo... however someone was using his blood to reverse engineer Vertigo.. Suddenly Oliver went down with the sound of a mettle clang.. I twisted around but was too slow and took the metal pip to the side of the head, me going down myself.
"You Have failed this city David Shuter." The Arrow said, arrow trained on my heart. "Oliver.. Please." I said, taking a step back, teetering on the edge of the roof top. He then said "The Glades.. Destroyed. Merlyn won! Thousands dead! You withheld information that could have stopped this! I could have let Merlyn Die instead of saving him. I would have saved my friendship with Tommy! We would have won! You are the reason we failed!" My hands inched towards my sword and I pleaded "Don't do this! Give me another chance!" He then yelled "I did! We tried things differently. You became the Blue Lightning, I became the Arrow.. And still you withheld information! Mirakuru is now rampant on the streets of Starling City because YOU didn't tell me about Deathstroke recovering the drug from the Island. You are out of chances.. And now I hold true on your promise a year ago." I pulled my sword from its sheath but too late as the arrow pierced my chest.
I woke up with a Start, spewing green liquid out of my mouth. Oliver stood in front of me, and in my chest was one of my arrows... the one with the cure for Vertigo. One swift motion and my bonds were broken and I ripped the arrow out of my chest and gasped in pain. Dig helped me up.. But I almost passed out from the effort so Dig threw my arm over his shoulder and said "Lets get you out of here" Oliver simply walked over to the Count and notched an arrow. Dig and I watched. I bit my lip "Don't do it.." I whispered. Oliver hesitated but then put the arrow back in his quiver "We are done here." He picked up my weapons and we left.
Back at the Foundry I sat in a chair eating some ambrosia to help myself heal. Oliver had to check on the club and Diggle had to step out for a second. I sat there, thinking about the dream I had had.. Wondering why I hadn't come to like Oliver did.. And pondering on the fact Oliver saved my life... Would he end up regretting it... would I?
He came back down stairs upset. He continued to work on setting things back up to the way they were before. I spoke up and said "Thank you.. For saving me." He looked over at me and said "You've done it for me before." I shrugged "Didn't do a good job watching your back tonight. I failed you again." He shook his head "They caught both of us by surprise David. It wasn't your fault. Besides.. I believe you more now than ever before." I raised an eyebrow "What do you mean?" Oliver pointed at me and said "Vertigo, when given in the dose we received is fatal, but not right away. It makes the user hyper aware before they overdose and die. You did not wake up. You thrashed around, vitals going through the roof. The only explanation is because you are half elf. I believe your story. I trust you David." I smiled but my smile faded as I remembered the fever dream I had and how real it could become.
Dig showed up moments later and Oliver said "Hey... thanks for having my back." Diggle then said "You needed me, Felicity told me where you were headed." Oliver then asked "You okay? I'm the Killer remember." I was confused by what he meant. However Diggle said "I've killed before Oliver.. It's just been a while... If you are the killer, why isn't the Count down too." That's when I stood up and said "Because he realized today he can be more than a killer. He can be a hero." Oliver looked at me "But.. Not everybody deserves mercy. For example.." Oliver brought up a picture of deadshot. Diggle said "I thought he wasn't a priority to you." Oliver then said "He is a priority to you. You two have unfinished business." Diggle then said "Where do we start?"
