My name is David Shuter Razacrazer...and I am The Ghost. I was destined to become the Blue Lighting.. Vigilante of Starling City.. However that future is now uncertain. I am on the cusp of a tipping point. One where I stop the Undertaking and erase myself from the Timeline.. And one where history takes its course and the timeline remains intact. A decision no man could make. Luckily I was no mere man. I am a Hybrid.. A Demigod half Elf Dragon rider. I am Iron Thunder. I am the Grandmentor of the Assassin Brotherhood, David the Black and The Son of Zeus. If anyone could make this choice... It would have to be me.
I remembered something Oliver once told me "That suit.. Belonged to one of the greatest men I ever knew. He was selfless, cunning, skilled and intelligent. He helped me during the Undertaking, trying to stop it.. He had my back with Deathstroke and up until a few weeks ago he was my most trusted partner. Starling City sees you as the Blue Lightning now David.. Honor him. Be the Hero this City needs.. And do not fail it." I perked up. I always helped him defeat Merlyn. I had the knowledge to fully stop the undertaking, yes. However technically the undertaking was done long before Deathstroke showed up. So Oliver became the Arrow anyways. Stopping the undertaking would not stop the future. I could help Oliver and still keep the timeline...mostly..intact. I jumped up and ran, running for the Foundry.. To inform Oliver who was the Dark Archer.
When I got then Dig and Felicity were hard at work "Still tracking down the Seismic device?" I asked. Dig said "No, why didn't you answer before?! We thought we found it, I went for it and it was gone. Oliver went for Merlyn and has gone dark on Coms.. We assumed he is busy torturing Merlyn for an actual location." My eyes widened "What?! Oliver engaged Merlyn without me?! Felicity, track Oliver's tracker in his boot! Suit up Dig." I began pulling on my suit when Dig said "David what is going on?" I then said "Malcolm Merlyn is the Dark Archer." There was a gasp from Felicity.. But she began typing and forwarded an address to our phones. Dig and I headed out.
We entered the warehouse. I took the lead, Dig watching my back. I notched an arrow and shot out a camera before notching an arrow and shooting one of the guards men. Dig fired his gun behind me, I assumed to take out another guard. We continued to work our way through some corridors. We heard a crash and quickened out pace. There was two guys going for the main room which I assumed Oliver was in. I fired at the guy farther away, and Dig fired at the closer one. We saw Oliver, shirtless and bloodied but otherwise alright. Dig said "I take back every joke I made about you sticking a tracking device in your boot. We then helped him up and got him his hood back and went back to the foundry.
While walking down the steps Dig said "Felicity is at Queen consolidated going through the information we pulled from Merlyn's servers to see if we can find a planting location for the device." Once downstairs I looked at Oliver "Oliver.. I'm sorry. I truly am." He looked at me and said deadly calm "Why didn't you tell us Merlyn was the Dark Archer?" I then said "I was afraid about damaging the timeline too much by telling you too soon... I didn't think you would go after Merlyn without me." He then said "I wouldn't have had to if you had been there, if you had answered your phone!" I then said "Well I'm sorry Oliver! You said once the Undertaking was stopped you would stop being the Vigilante. I had to make a judgement call on what to do. If you do not continue with the Hood.. I never travel in time and no matter how many lives we saved in the Undertaking would mean my death.. And possibly the death of the world as my actions throughout history would have never taken effect." Oliver then said "Then why didn't you talk to me about this?! If you explained the severity about hanging up the hood I never would have!" I looked at him "You seemed so.. Relieved to be done with the hood.. I wasn't going to have you torture yourself for my benefit." Oliver then yelled "But that's what friends do David! We make sacrifices for each other, Something you seem to be unaware of. What.. What baffles me is we had the chance to just let Merlyn die a couple months ago and you helped me stop it! Why?" I looked at him "Because you were determined to save him for Tommy. I warned you that it would be better if he had died. I even told you a week later that I had to allow some things and with hold things against my better judgement. That was it. I did it to keep the timeline intact.. To allow you what you needed in the future to succeed." Oliver then snapped "Then why come back?" I looked at him and said "Because that is what friends do Ollie. If stopping the Undertaking means my death.. So be it. This means something to you, and I can not just stand by and let people die without doing something to stop it.. Which means something to me. The next time we run into Merlyn.. We will kill him. Together. If you will still have me." Oliver and Dig looked at each other and Oliver then said "I need all the help I can get to stop this in time." I nodded "Agreed."
Oliver pulled out a phone and said "Speaking of help." He then called and said "Hello Detective... I don't have a sidekick, if you are refering to the Ghost.. He is right beside me.. And he's my partner. When we need help, we call you. Malcolm Merlyn is planning to level the glades using technology from Unidac industries... I don't know what Merlyn's timetable is so you need to evacuate the Glades immediately, get as many people to safety as you can. Whatever you think of me, Detective, Please... believe this." He then hung up and we continued to try and locate the device. Oliver went to try his connections to Merlyn. Tommy.. And Moria.
While the searched. I trained. I had no contacts.. No JARVIS.. Nothing that could help track the doomsday device. It was obvious Merlyn was keeping everything close to the chest at this point. What I could do.. Was train.. Train harder than I had ever trained before. Merlyn would be prepared for me this time.. And together Oliver and I needed to defeat him. I trained with my sword, as I knew it would come down to a sword fight.. And this is where Merlyn would lose. Oliver came in after a few hours saying "The Undertaking is tonight." I stopped and looked down. "So this is it." Dig then said "Oliver, David, Felicity may have found something." She then held up the list and said "This symbol is a map of the old subway tunnel system." Oliver then said "That was our clue that got us thinking the undertaking is connected to the glades, and David confirmed it." I nodded. Felicity continued "What if it is more specific than that." I then asked "What do you mean?" Felicity then continued "If I had a machine that could trigger an earthquake in an otherwise geologically stable area, where would I position it?" Oliver then said "Underground.." I clicked my tongue "Hades is going to be pissed." Dig looked at me "Can we expect help from your..uh.. Uncle I guess it would be?" I shook my head "Gods react, they aren't precautionary beings, any 'help' we would get from my Uncle would be after the fact.. And who knows it if would be help he offered.." Felicity then continued by pulling up something on the computer and saying "Anyways.. This is a geological survey of the tectonic plates running underneath Starling City. This red line here is a known fault line that runs right below the Glades.." Dig then said "About a mile, the fault runs underneath the old tenth street subway line. Dollars to donuts, the seismic device is somewhere along there." Oliver then said "I know where it is.." His phone buzzed and he walked away.
He came back and said "Felicity, pull up the local news please." the news popped up with Moira on the headlines. "My name, is Moira Dearden Queen. I am acting Ceo of Queen Consolidated and god forgive me, I have failed the city. For the past five years, under threat for my life and the lives of my family.. I have been complicit in an undertaking with on horrible purpose...to destroy the glades and everyone in it. I realize now that my family's safety will mean nothing if I let this dreadful act occur. But you need to know that the architect of this nightmare is Malcolm Merlyn. Yes and I have proof that he has killed dozens in his pursuit of this madness. Adam Hunt, Frank Chen, and my husband, Robert. Please. If you reside in the Glades, you need to get out now. Your lives and the lives of your children depend on it. Please." She left the podium. I then said "Well.. Its fair to assume our timeline as shrunk even further now. We need to stop this device NOW, or else all is lost." Oliver walked over to this trunk "I thought Malcolm broke your bow." Dig said "I have another" Ollie said pulling out his second bow.
Felicity then said "I was going over the device schematics. The device can be set for a timed detonation or can be activated by a mobile transmitter" Ollie then said "something Merlyn could have on him." Dig then said "Listen, Oliver, if we can just get our hands on this transmitter, Maybe we don't need to get our hands on the device." I shook my head "No. Merlyn is smarter than that. He will have a back up plan. We can't rely on him not setting a time detonation.. Nor can we rely on just finding the device. Dig, you and Felicity need to get to the device." Ollie then said "I will take on Merlyn." I looked at him "Together this time." He looked at me "Together." I smiled. Dig then said "He will kill you both." I scoffed "Malcolm Merlyn is nothing more than a trained lacky of the League. I am the Grand Mentor of the Assassins. I'd like to see hi try." Ollie then said "I don't know. He's beaten me twice.. You barely beat him when you caught him off guard. I think he knows more than what the League has taught him.. He has to because I know many of their training techniques... I don't know how we will stop him this time." I nodded slowly. He was right. If I used my powers and full abilities.. It would be easy.. But I had to handicap myself for the sake of the timeline and people of Starling City. Dig then said "Okay.. Well how about this time yo bring along something you both didn't have the last time you fought him.. Me" Ollie then said "I can't let you. " Dig then said "I can't let you do this by yourselves. We need to win.. And I am the wildcard. Oliver, David. You two are not alone. You see yourselves as the team.. The fighters. The ones who must put your lives on the line every day. But you aren't alone.. Oliver you have not been alone since you brought me into this.. Us into this. David.. You have spent hundreds of years watching your own back, taking the weight of the world on your shoulders.. You do not have to anymore. Share the load man." He held out both his hands, one to each of us. Oliver and I looked at eachother, and then we both shook his hand "We're out of bows" He said. "I got my gun" Dig said.
Felicity then said "I guess its up to me to do the dismantling." Ollie then said "This whole area is ground Zero. I want you out of here." Felicity then said "If you are not leaving, I'm not leaving. Besides if I don't deactivate the device, who will." Oliver paused. I smirked slightly "And Team Arrow is truely born." He looked at me and pointed a finger "We are not calling ourselves that." He then walked over to the phone and called the detective "I need one more thing from you...I know where Merlyn is keeping the device, It's in an abandoned subway station near puckett street... That's where his wife was murdered. I need someone I can trust to deactivate the device. We have a mutual friend that I think could talk you through it... Right now detective. It needs you." Oliver then turned to us "Team.. Suit up!"
We arrived at Merlyn Global, Oliver and I in the lead, Dig watching our backs. We made our way to Merlyn's office with no trouble. Once we arrived we found it trashed, cops dead. I said "Maybe he is gone." Oliver then said "If he is.. We have truly lost." There was a groan. Oliver ran over and saw it was Tommy. He pulled down his hood and had a private chat. We found a hollowed out part of the wall with a key code "Oliver" I said softly. Dig then took a closer look. "Looks like a false wall." He pulled it back revealing a secret bunker room with Merlyn in the back "Welcome Gentleman. I have been waiting for you, I wanted to see you watch your city die" Oliver then said "Where is the transmitter?" Merlyn replied "Somewhere I can easily get to it." I then said "Give it to us Al Sah-her, and I promise to make your death quick and painless." "I make no such promise" Dig said. Merlyn said "Ahh, The Ghost.. I count Oliver and his first bodyguard, John Diggle. You on the other hand.. Weren't you the guy who had Oliver's back when you hacked into my servers the other day? Mr Shuter was it? League texts state that the Grand Mentor's name was David.. Now that we are all acquainted, ready to watch your city burn." Oliver then growled "Never" We both notched arrows and fired, Dig began firing his gun. We rushed him.
Soon we were fighting hand to hand, Oliver and I using our bows. I had to say it was not going as planned. Merlyn was prepared for this fight, he knew the layout and used it against us. I was kicked back and hit my head off the side of the table, my vision going a little blurry. I stood up and was hit with a throwing knife into my leg, I went down on one knee. Oliver ran to Diggle as he had a knife out of his chest. Diggle said "Stairs, go go." Oliver ran off. I pulled the knife from my leg and then pulled off my mask, wraping it around my legs tightly as a tourniquet. I then limped over to Dig who said "I'm okay.. Just go help Oliver." I nodded and limp-ran my way after him.
When I reached the roof Oliver and Merlyn were fighting. I notched an arrow but the fight was intense to safely fire without hitting Oliver. So I limped my way into the fray. He kicked Oliver back and turned to me "Tonight I shall finally kill the Ghost." He said. I pulled Kveykva from its sheath "Good luck." He pulled his sword and we engaged in sword combat, no one getting a clear opening. We continued to spar for a few more blows before I went for the kill and sliced at his chest, I made contact but he twisted backwards out of it, turning and I suddenly felt cold steel in my side. The slurping sound was the worst as he slide it out. I dropped to my knees gasping, eyes wide open. He pulled my hood out "and with this.. .the Brotherhood finally dies." He said about to kill me but twisted and caught an arrow fired at him by Oliver. It was a stun arrow as it exploded he was thrown back. I watched as Oliver engaged him alone. I tried to move but my body would not allow me, I was frozen.
Merlyn got the upper hand and got Oliver in a choke hold "Don't fight it Oliver, you've lost. The outcome was never uncertain. But don't you worry, your Mother and sister will be joining you in death." I breathed out hard, groaning as I found the strength to move. I stood up and stumbled a bit before picking up my bow and notching an arrow, pointing it at Merlyn. My vision blurred on and off with pain and blood loss. Merlyn looked at me and said "You have lost David. I am not sure why you came to Starling City in the first place.. But nevertheless. You have lost. You can barely stand, I doubt you can see straight. I will kill Oliver, and then I will kill you." I looked at Oliver, he gave me a quick nod, tapping a finger against his chest on the position he wanted it. I pulled back even farther on my bow string, allowing more power. "I came to this City with only one goal. To save it.. No matter the cost." I then waited for the bout of clear vision and fired the arrow. Both Oliver and Malcolm cried out. My arrow went mostly through Oliver and inbedded itself in Merlyn. Oliver was able to pull himself off the arrow and rolled over saying "Thank you, for teaching me, what I'm fighting for. But my father taught me how" He then punched Merlyn.
Felicity came over coms "Oliver, David, Lance did it." Oliver then aid "Its over." I smiled, looking up at the sky. I had done it.. We had done it. Changed history.. Saved the Glades. Merlyn then said "If I have learned anything as a successful business man.. Its..redundancy." My head snapped down "What?" I said, wide eyed. I dropped my bow and my hand clutched my side. Oliver then said "Felicity.. There's another device. There's two of them" Oliver and Dig carried each other over and I slowly shuffled myself over, still in shock as we watched half the glades collapse. Felicity then said "Oliver?" over coms, Oliver replied, "Are you okay?" she replied close to tears "ya... the damage seems to be contained to the east side. Past Wells street." I fell to my knees.. Of course. That explained why half the Glades was newer buildings and half older looking ones when I first came to Starling City. Why did I see it. I looked up at Oliver and yelled "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THERE WOULD BE TWO DEVICES!" He looked at me and said only one word "Laurel." He then ran off, leaving Dig and I on that roof. I looked out at the chaos, rain falling harder at my heightened emotions.. Why.. Why didn't he tell me? I could have stopped this if he had.. We could have won. My being here.. Was pointless. I looked at Dig and said "I need to get out there.. Help people..I need.. To.. Help." I coughed. He looked at me "Niether of us are in any position to do that. Lets get back to the foundry and get patched up, then we can put together a rescue effort." I nodded and we made our way back to the foundry.
Oliver returned a little time later. Tommy had died. He hung up the hood, vowing to never put it back on and take another life. The mission was over. Everything was shut down. He left town. I never said a word to him. Felicity and Dig tried to convince him to stay. But couldn't, and I didn't talk to them either. I spent my time in the foundry, waiting to be erased from existence. I had lost. We had lost.
AN: Welcome to the end of season one of Arrow. Things are dark, but as we know... they don't get much better. This was a shorter batch of chapters for a season due to little involvement of the Ghost for the beginning half of season 1. Season two should have the full 23 chapters.. And we will see where that takes us! Please Review so I know what you all think!
