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Chapter 18- It Ends Tonight
"You can survive, make it home", Robert said to Oliver as he gasped for breath while the two and a crew member sat on a life raft in the middle of the sea with no land in sight, "Make it better."
Suddenly Robert brandished a gun and shot the crew member whose body tumbled into the river.
"Dad!" Oliver gasped in shock and stared at him incredulously.
Robert then put the gun to his temple and requested Oliver, "Survive."
"NO!"
BANG.
A blast of cold water woke up Oliver. One of Malcolm's men, who had thrown the water on him, walked away. Oliver looked around. He was in some kind of storage facility, his comms were gone, he had been stripped from the waist up and his arms were chained above his head, his feet barely touching the ground. He heard footsteps and looked up to see Malcolm Merlyn walk in.
"I hope I didn't hurt you", Malcolm said honestly, "At least I can thank you now properly for saving my life."
Circling around Oliver, he chuckled and said, "If only I knew how you were spending your nights. My hope is that I can explain everything to you, to help you understand."
"You murdered my father!" Oliver roared in a rage, "You sentenced me to that island, to five years of Hell."
"I am truly sorry for what happened to you", Malcolm said calmly with honesty in his voice, "You know I have lost people."
"Yeah, your wife", Oliver said to him before asking, "Do you really think that you're honoring Tommy's mother by destroying the Glades?"
"As surely as you believe that you're honoring your father with this hood", Malcolm replied sincerely as he held up the green hood.
"Not a day goes by I don't miss your father", Malcolm continued.
"You'll see him soon", Oliver promised darkly with a growl.
Malcolm's face turned cold and walking up to Oliver, he said bluntly, "You can't beat me, Oliver. Yes, you're younger. You're faster. But you always seem to come up short against me. Want to know why? Because you don't know in your heart, what you're fighting for, what you're willing to sacrifice; and I do."
Malcolm started walking away and declared, "No one can stop what is about to happen. Not even Daredevil or the Vigilante."
Malcolm threw the hood on the ground and walked out as the guards closed the door behind him.
After about 15 minutes, Oliver looked around and saw no guards. He lifted his legs off the floor and pulled them upwards, wrapping them around the chains and then started climbing.
When he was satisfied that he was at a sufficient height from the floor, Oliver stopped and let go. The chains snapped as all of the weight was now too much for the pipe they were hung over. The pipe fell down along with the chains and Oliver, who grunted in pain but managed to get up.
A guard arrived, gun drawn. Oliver threw the chains at him, causing him to drop the gun and fall down the stairs. Oliver went up to him and snapped his neck. Oliver then walked up to the doorway that was sliding open and hid on a side. As a guard walked in, Oliver wrapped his arms in chains and elbowed him, making him spin around. Oliver then wrapped his neck with the chains and with some effort, broke it.
Oliver knelt down to search the man for the keys to his chains but looked up in surprise as a third guard walked in, gun drawn. He was then hit from behind by a Billy Club and fell down, unconscious.
Daredevil stood there and said to Oliver, "Let's go."
Oliver nodded.
Matt and Oliver walked into the lair.
"Felicity's at Queen Consolidated", John told them, "She's still going through the data Natasha and Clint pulled off Merlyn's network."
"Did she find anything?" Oliver asked.
"Yeah, the device schematics of the earthquake generator so we can shut it down", Natasha replied.
"Assuming we find it in time", Clint added grimly.
John's cell phone rang and he answered, "Yeah, Felicity, Matt got him."
"Thank God", Felicity said as she walked out of the Queen Consolidated building, "Is he okay?"
"Mostly", Dig replied.
"Okay, I'm on my way", Felicity said and hung up.
"I have a feeling Merlyn will try his best to stop us from getting the device", Matt said to everyone.
"He has Bane and that assassin so I think we all might end up being tied down in duels", Oliver told them.
"So what are we gonna do?" Dig asked.
Oliver picked up his phone and rang someone.
As the one on the other end picked up, Oliver said, "Hello Detective."
"Long time no chats", Quentin said sarcastically to him from the other side, "Why the hell are you calling me?"
Oliver immediately got down to business, "Malcolm Merlyn plans to level the Glades with a man-made earthquake using technology from Unidac Industries."
"What?" Lance asked as he rose from the chair and even chuckled, "Now you're just trying to have some fun with me."
"I don't know what Merlyn's timetable is, so you need to evacuate the Glades immediately", Oliver pressed, "Get as many people to safety as you can. Whatever you think of me, Detective, please- believe this."
Oliver then hung up while Lance contemplated on the other end.
Matt later walked to Laurel's home but before he could knock, the door opened and Tommy walked out.
"Matt?" he asked, "What're you doing here?"
"Just came to see Laurel", Matt said, "What about you?"
"Just hanging out", Tommy said and prepared to leave. Matt then contemplated whether he should tell Tommy or not. In the end, he decided Tommy deserved to know the truth.
"Something's happening, Tommy", Matt told him, "And it involves your father."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Tommy asked as he turned to him, a confused look on his face.
"Not just your father, but Oliver's father too", Matt revealed, "They made a plan to destroy the Glades!"
Tommy gaped at him and asked, "Do you have any idea what you sound like right now?"
"Your father's going to do it", Matt pressed, "Because he thinks it will avenge your mother's death!"
Tommy was angry at the way Matt was talking about his parents and with balled fists, asked, "How do you know all this? Tell me!"
Matt slowly walked up to him until their faces were inches apart and whispered to him, "Because I'm Daredevil."
Tommy's jaw dropped as he stumbled back in shock, putting his hand on the wall to steady himself.
"H-how?" he asked, "You're blind!"
"Not important, Tommy", Matt told him, "You need to confront the truth about your father."
Tommy then connected the dots and realized that if Matt was Daredevil, he would know too.
"So you knew about Oliver all this time?" Tommy asked in a shaky voice.
"Yes, I did", he said.
"Does Laurel know?" he asked.
"No."
"When she finds out, it will break her heart that you lied to her", Tommy said before walking away.
Matt then walked in and Laurel was there. She had not heard anything.
"Hi", he said.
"Hey", she replied, "I woke up and you were gone."
"I'm really sorry about that", Matt said as he walked up to her.
"I hope you're not scared or anything", Laurel said with some fear in her voice.
"No", Matt shook his head, "That's not it."
"Then please tell me what is going on with you?" she begged.
"I had some business to take care of", Matt told her, "And when it is, I will do anything to make this work."
The two shared a passionate kiss and as they pulled away, Matt told her gently, "Laurel, I need you to do something for me. Stay out of the Glades tonight."
"Why?" she asked.
"You'll know soon", Matt promised, "One way or the other, I have to go."
Matt then walked out of her apartment.
At SCPD, Lance was trying to tell Pike about what The Hood had told him.
"Make it quick, I got a comm stat meeting in five", Pike said irritably, "I don't want to be late for my own funeral."
"I've got it under good authority that Malcolm Merlyn is planning to level the Glades with an earthquake device made by Unidac Industries", Lance said as they entered the squad room and Pike froze, turning to look at him.
"Who's your source in all this?" Pike demanded.
Lance sighed and realized he had to tell the truth, "The Vigilante."
All chatter stopped as every cop turned to observe the two, McKenna included.
"He called me, has been for the past few months, has been helpful on some cases", Lance admitted.
Pike stared at him in surprise and anger and moving closer, pointed out, "You asked for the task force to catch him. You swore to me you'd bring him in."
"I know", Lance said, "I swore to uphold the law, because the law is steady, the law is unchanging, the law needs to be protected. But what are laws, rules, if they don't protect the people?" he asked passionately, "Now listen, I'm throwing away my career by telling you this, but I'm willing to sacrifice catching this guy if it means saving people's lives! Please."
Pike stared at him for several seconds before saying finally, "You're suspended", Lance closed his eyes in resignation, "Leave your gun and badge with the duty sergeant."
"Lieutenant-"
"Suspension or incarceration", Pike harshly pointed out the two options, "You choose."
Pike left as Lance stood, defeated in the middle of all the other cops. Hall looked between Pike's retreating figure and Lance's expression, a conflicted expression on her own face.
At Queen Manor, Moira was in the bedroom, putting Walter's clothes in a mover's box for him to pick up when Oliver walked in.
"No more lies, mom", he said softly as she looked at him, "The Undertaking. We need to stop it."
"Everything I have ever said or done is to protect you and your sister", she told him as she continued her work.
"What about all those people in the Glades?" Oliver asked.
"I'm not their mother", Moira said, sounding heartless.
"I spoke to Malcolm", Oliver said bluntly.
"You what?" she asked, horrified, "He could have killed you. He killed your father."
"No, he didn't", Oliver shook his head, took a deep breath, and continued, "After the Gambit went down, dad and I both made it to the life raft. And then we drifted, for days. In the end, there wasn't enough food and water for both of us", he sighed, "So he shot himself in the head."
Moira gasped and looked away, horrified, "I don't want to hear this."
"He sacrificed himself", Oliver continued, "So that I could live. Do you really think that I could go on living knowing that you sacrificed thousands more in my name?"
She cried as he asked that question. He moved to her gently and took her in his arms, "Mom, please. You have to help me stop Malcolm. We need to know where the device is."
Moira's cell phone rang. She pulled away and answered, "Malcolm", she controlled her voice as Oliver stared at her, "How can I help you?"
She listened to what he said for some time and said shakily, "I see. Thank you for calling."
As she hung up, Oliver asked, "What is it?"
"Malcolm's accelerated his timetable. The Undertaking is", she swallowed, "Is happening tonight."
Oliver moved past her to the door and she asked tearfully, "Where're you going?"
Oliver stopped and turning around to face her, said, "Somebody in this family needs to put an end to this. Whatever the cost."
He walked out and headed to the stairs as Moira contemplated his words.
At Merlyn Global, Tommy walked into his father's office, who looked out of the window into the city.
"Hey, dad", he said as he threw off his jacket.
"Son", Malcolm acknowledged him.
Tommy picked up his father's best scotch and poured himself a lot of it.
"Matt said you wanted to nuke the Glades or something", Tommy snorted, "You know, it's funny. Scotch doesn't make it any more believable. Maybe after your jihad, we can grab some steaks."
"It's true, Tommy", Malcolm said as he turned to face his son who looked at him in confusion, "It's the reason I closed your mother's clinic. I didn't want to see it leveled."
Tommy stared back at him in confusion which soon turned to disbelief, "What?" he asked unsteadily.
"I have something I'd like you to listen to", Malcolm said as he walked past Tommy and patted his shoulder before heading to the desk.
There was a small decorative vase there. He pulled off the top and flipped it over, revealing a small cell phone attached to the top.
"The night you mother died, she called me. I awoke to a voicemail from her", he told his son.
"Dad-"
"Her final gift to me", Malcolm said as he pressed play.
"Malcolm, I'm in trouble", wept Rebecca's dying voice in the message, "I told… I told him to take everything. My money….. my ring."
Tommy listened, horrified, the dying words of his mother sobering him up as he pleaded his father shakily, "Turn it off."
"He shot me", Rebecca continued, "I screamed for help, but no one would come."
"No one would come", Malcolm said at the same time as Rebecca in the voice message, having memorized it completely after listening to it over and over again through the years.
"Oh God!" Rebecca wept, "I don't want to die, Malcolm! I don't want to die!"
Tommy was breathing heavily, close to tears.
"She bled out into the pavement, while people passed, did nothing", Malcolm said as Rebecca continued crying while Tommy closed his eyes temporarily in sadness and to stop the tears, "Your mother built her clinic in the Glades because she wanted to save this city. It can't be saved", he declared, "Because the people there don't want it to be saved."
Appalled at why his father was doing what he was doing, Tommy asked, "So you kill them all-"
"YES!"
Tommy jumped in fright and shock.
"THEY DESERVE TO DIE, ALL OF THEM!" Malcolm yelled at the top of his lungs, every single fiber of his being burning with hatred as intense as the fires of Hell, "THE WAY SHE DIED!"
Hearing his father's delusional declaration and looking at his delusional expression, Tommy involuntarily took a step back, realizing the man in front of him wasn't his father. His father had died years ago, the same night his mother had died. The person facing him was a crazy psychopath hell bent on revenge.
At the lair, Oliver walked in to find Matt, Natasha, Clint, Diggle and Felicity already there.
"The Undertaking is happening tonight", Oliver told them.
"Oliver, I think we have found something", Dig said to him.
Felicity held up the notebook and said, "This symbol is a map of the old subway tunnel system."
"That's what made us realize the Undertaking is a plan to destroy the Glades", Matt stated.
"I think it's more specific than that", Natasha said.
"What do you mean?" Oliver asked.
"If I had a machine that could trigger an earthquake in a geologically stable area, where would I position it?" Clint asked.
Oliver had a realization, "Underground."
"Yeah", Natasha said as Felicity pulled up a geographical map on the screen, "This is a U.S. geological survey of tectonic plates running underneath Starling City", she pointed to the screen as she explained, "This red line here is a known fault that runs right below the Glades. About a mile, the fault runs underneath the old Tenth Street subway line. Dollars to donuts, the seismic device is somewhere along here."
"I know where it is", Oliver said but before he could explain, his phone rang.
He answered it and said crossly, "Now is not a good time."
"Yeah, understate much?" Thea replied as she walked through the foyer towards the sitting room, "Mom has a whole bunch of reporters here. She's holding a press conference or something."
"What channel?" Oliver demanded.
Thea looked at the packed room and said, "Ah, it looks like all of them."
Oliver turned back and said, "Felicity, pull up the local news please."
He moved to her as she pulled up the local news just as Moira started speaking.
"My name is Moira Dearden Queen, I am the acting CEO of Queen Consolidated. And God forgive me, I have failed this city", Moira said as Thea watched while police officers entered the room and watched from the back, "For the past 5 years, under the threat of my life and the lives of my family, I have been complicit in an undertaking with one horrible purpose- to destroy the Glades and everyone in it", Thea's eyes widened in shock while the reporters whispered amongst themselves.
Moira looked to the side and saw Detective Hilton, ready to take her in, "I realize now my family's safety will mean nothing if I let this dreadful act occur."
At Merlyn Global, Malcolm and Tommy watched the broadcast on the former's laptop, "But you need to know that the architect of this nightmare is Malcolm Merlyn."
"NOOOOOOOO!" he screamed in rage, slamming the lid of the laptop and smashing the desk, shattering its glass.
"Yes, and I have proof that he has killed dozens in pursuit of this madness", Moira continued as the press whispered amongst themselves, "Adam Hunt. Frank Chen. And my husband- Robert", Thea was shocked beyond measure and almost shook her head in disbelief.
"Please, if you reside in the Glades, you need to get out now", Moira said as Laurel, Joanna, Anastasia and everyone else watched the broadcast at CNRI.
"Your life and the lives of your children depend on it", she continued as Lance stood next to Pike while the entire SCPD including McKenna watched in stunned shock.
"Please", said Moira as she stepped down and walked to a stunned Thea, ignoring the questions of the press.
"I don't understand", Thea said, still in shock.
"I'm sorry", Moira said, "I love you."
"I love Roy", Thea said suddenly, terrified.
"Roy?"
"He lives in the Glades", Thea said with tears in her eyes, "I can't leave him there."
She spun around and ran out of the room as Moira called out, "Sweetheart! Thea!"
She made to run after her daughter but a patrol officer restrained her as Hilton began reading her rights, "Moira Queen, you're under arrest for conspiracy. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney."
As Matt, Oliver, Natasha, Clint, Dig and Felicity stood in front of the TV, the news host suddenly said, "Our helicopters are getting this! It's happening in the Glades!"
The scene on the news changed and they watched the Glades from above.
Bane was there. He roared and ran around, lifting and throwing cars into houses, shattering them. The people screamed in terror and ran. He ran into houses at his super-speed, shattering them.
"That sick son of a bitch!" Clint said angrily.
"Why the hell did he send Bane there?" Felicity said in confusion.
"In case the device fails", Oliver said in realization.
"Bane will do the damage", Matt said.
"We have to stop him too now", Natasha said.
"This got so much worse!" John muttered in anger and frustration.
At Merlyn Global, Tommy looked at his father in stunned disbelief, "Is it true? Did you kill all those people?"
"I did what I had to do", Malcolm said coldly as he glared at his son. He moved to the wall, looking back to see if Tommy was watching. He slid the painting to the side, revealing the fingerprint scanner. He placed his thumb on it and it activated. It then beeped and the light turned green. Malcolm slid the painting back and a second later, the wall slid to the side, revealing the Dark Archer suit to a stunned Tommy, who again shook his head in disbelief as he looked between it and his father, jaw gaping open.
"Freeze!" Tommy looked over to see 3 S.W.A.T. officers arrive, weapons aimed at his father as he backed off, "Malcolm Merlyn, you are under arrest."
Malcolm jumped into his armory as the leader yelled, "Don't move!" and fired but missed him.
They moved cautiously to the doorway-
When Malcolm came out with a broadsword.
"Dad, no!" Tommy screamed in shock as Malcolm sliced the first man's throat and impaled the other. As Malcolm batted away the third's gun and sliced his abdomen, Tommy knelt down and ripped out a gun from a dead cop's pocket.
"Please, dad. Stay back", he said as he shakily pointed the gun at his father's chest, "I don't want to hurt you."
"You can't", Malcolm declared, "And you can't stop me."
In a swift movement, Malcolm swatted the gun away and hit Tommy's forehead with the back of the hilt of his sword, knocking him out.
"Oliver, I'm sorry", Felicity said to Oliver in the lair as he stood in front of a crate.
"Don't be", Oliver said, "She gave those people a chance."
He opened the lid as Dig said, "I thought Merlyn broke your bow."
Oliver reached down and picked up his- Yao Fei's bow. He spun it and it still felt comfortable in his hands, "I have another."
"Cool standard bow", Clint said as he eyed it, impressed.
"Felicity and I were going over the device schematics", Natasha said, "The device can be set for a timed detonation or can be remote activated by a mobile transmitter."
"Something Merlyn could have on him", Matt noted.
"Oliver, if we can just get our hands on this transmitter, maybe we don't need to track down the device", John said.
"It's too big of an 'if' Diggle", Oliver said, "Find the device in the subway. Disarm it."
"So you can take Merlyn by yourself?" Dig asked.
"I have to", Oliver said.
"He'll kill you", Matt said bluntly.
"I know", Oliver said, "He would have beaten me the first time if not for you, Matt. He beat me last time. I don't know how to stop him."
"Okay", Dig said, "Maybe this time, you bring along something you didn't have the last time you fought him- Me."
Oliver shook his head, "I can't let you."
"I can't let you do this by yourself, man", John stated, "Oliver, you're not alone, not since you brought me into this", he looked at Felicity, "Us into this."
Oliver looked at the room around him and they all nodded as Dig said, "Besides, army regulations- a soldier never lets a brother go into battle alone."
Diggle held out his hand and after a moment, Oliver shook it firmly.
"I'm out of bows", Oliver said.
Dig smirked, "I got my gun."
"I guess it's up to me to do the dismantling", Felicity said.
"This whole area is ground zero", Oliver told her, "I want you out of here."
"If you all are not leaving, I'm not leaving", she told him sternly, "Besides, if I don't deactivate the device, who will?"
After some thinking, Oliver walked over to the table and picked his phone.
He called Lance who picked up and said, "You were right."
"I need one more thing from you", Oliver said.
"Yeah? What do I got left to give?" Lance asked.
"I know where Merlyn's keeping the device", Oliver said, "It's in an abandoned subway near Pabst Street."
"How do you know?" Lance asked, stunned.
"That's where his wife was murdered", Oliver explained, "I need someone I can trust to deactivate the device", he looked at Felicity who smiled and nodded, "A friend of mine can talk you through it."
Lance considered that and said, "My daughter says you care about the people of this city. That it needs you."
"Right now, Detective, it needs you", Oliver said as Lance hung up and exhaled sharply.
Hall walked up next to him.
"What happened, Detective?" she asked.
"I know where the earthquake device is", he said, "I am going to dismantle it."
"I'm coming with you", Hall declared firmly.
"What? No!" he protested.
"I am a cop and I care for this city", Hall said, "And I would give anything to save it."
Lance considered her.
In the lair, Matt said, "Bane is out in the Glades, causing destruction. I think that assassin would be in the subway, guarding the device."
"So you will go with Lance?" Oliver asked.
"The man was skilled", Matt said, "I think I will need help in beating him."
"You got it", Natasha said and he nodded in appreciation.
"I guess that leaves me with Bane", said Clint with a gleam in his eye, "I'll put an arrow through his eye socket."
It was chaos in the Glades. The looting had started. People were running around in panic. The destruction caused by Bane made them afraid but the thought of the device being activated drove them into complete terror.
Roy watched his news in disbelief.
"The superhuman mercenary known as Bane is tearing apart the Glades. Earlier today, Moira Queen, CEO of Queen Consolidated, admitted to a conspiracy to destroy the Glades. Everyone within a five mile radius is asked to evacuate as the police will deal with Bane", Roy heard horns and opened his door to look at the chaos, "Please leave the area immediately. Evacuation centers have been set up in Starling City."
Roy ran out of his house, wondering what to do. Suddenly, a car thrown by Bane landed on some running people, crushing them. That sight forced him into action as he headed to the heart of the Glades, deciding to do what he could to help.
Daredevil crouched on a rooftop, listening to the chaos.
He heard Lance's heartbeat, which was erratic due to what was going on. Hall was with him too. He was driving a car. He leapt off the rooftop to help him as Natasha grappled down with him.
As he ran to help, he realized Natasha had stopped.
"Why did you stop?" he asked her.
"I need to do something", she said, "Don't worry. I'll join you soon."
He nodded and continued running while Natasha took out her cell phone and made a call she had never thought she would.
It had started raining heavily now.
Lance pulled out his flashlight and shone it over the boarded entrance of the subway.
"Detectives!" the two spun around to see Daredevil approaching, "I am here to help!"
Daredevil kicked the boards hard and they shattered, allowing him and the two cops to head in.
Oliver, wearing his suit arrived at Merlyn Global with John.
As they cautiously entered his office, they spotted the 3 dead cops.
"Looks like we missed him", John said.
Matt, Lance and Hall kept running to where the device was. Matt could hear the humming with his senses and directed them towards it.
Suddenly, Yamura leapt at him and kicked him away. The two cops stopped dead in their tracks as he looked at them.
As he moved to them, Matt flipped and landed between them.
"Go!" he said to them both, "I'll handle him!"
Lance and Hall ran deeper into the subway.
Matt and Yamura then faced each other. They stood still for a moment.
Suddenly, Yamura attacked with a punch which Matt blocked with both hands. He attacked again and Matt again blocked before Yamura elbowed him, pushing him away.
Matt recovered and the two moved towards each other. Matt once again blocked a punch with both hands but Yamura kicked him hard on the abdomen and he staggered back.
As he recovered, Yamura beckoned him in challenge.
Matt walked further and again blocked a punch with both hands before jumping back to avoid the other.
Matt tried to kick his foot but he lifted it to avoid. Yamura tried to kick high but Matt ducked. He leapt and kicked Matt away. He then kicked Matt in the abdomen and chest and then ducked to avoid a high spin kick from Matt before tripping him by grabbing his leg.
He then ran at Matt and tried to smash him with his foot but he rolled away at the right time and got up. Yamura tried to kick him but he grabbed the leg with both hands. He freed the leg and the two traded punches before Matt blocked a punch and in a spin motion, elbowed Yamura. He tried to punch again but Yamura blocked and tried to hit him with a chop which he avoided by ducking.
He grabbed Yamura's hand with both of his to block the chop but Yamura managed to spin him around. Matt tried to elbow him but he blocked. Matt tried to punch him twice but he blocked before Matt jumped in the air and gave him a strong backwards flying kick, making him stagger back.
As Yamura recovered, Matt charged at him with a punch. Yamura blocked and punched him on the face, making him stagger back. Matt then ducked to avoid a chop from him before blocking another strike and jumping back to avoid another.
He blocked a kick with his hands. Yamura then grabbed him by the throat with both hands and flipped him to the ground.
He rushed Matt who punched his knee, making him fall down too. As Matt got up, Yamura kicked him on the face, making him fly back by a few feet.
As he got up, Yamura charged at him again and he blocked two punches from him.
Yamura tried to hit him on the head with a flip but Matt stopped his legs with his hands and kicked him in the abdomen, making him fall down.
Matt hen grabbed him by the back if the collar and lifted him up. Yamura tried to elbow but he ducked and flipped to his other side. Before Yamura could attack, Matt kicked him on the knee, then the abdomen, then the chest and then finally on the face, making him numb temporarily. Matt then jumped into the air and gave him a strong flip kick, sending him flying off by a few feet.
Matt leapt at him but he rolled away. He then tried to kick Matt who jumped back to avoid but he swept his feet from under him. Before Matt could get up, Yamura kicked him on the knee and then on the shoulder followed by the chest. He then stamped Matt's chest thrice with his foot, weakening him. Then, he knelt down and wrapped his hands around Matt's throat, slowly choking him.
Oliver looked around when he heard coughing.
He looked to the windows and saw Tommy lying there, groaning.
"Tommy!" Oliver said as he pulled down his hood and knelt beside his friend, helping him up, "Tommy. Tommy."
As Tommy's eyes cleared, he realized who he was looking at. He had a gash under his eye but was unhurt.
"Oliver", he said, recognizing his friend.
"Where's your father?" Oliver asked.
"Oh!" Tommy blinked to regain his senses, "I don't know."
He looked up at Oliver and admitted, "I am sorry. Matt was right. He was right."
"Oliver", Dig called out and Oliver looked at him. He had found a crack in the wall.
"Are you going to kill him?" Tommy asked.
Oliver stared at him for a few moments and said, "Get to safety."
Oliver then rose and walked towards Dig as Tommy got up and looked at the two.
He thought he might not see his friend again and called out, "Oliver!"
As Oliver looked at him, he said, "I am sorry!" and ran out.
"Looks like a false wall", John said, gun at the ready.
Oliver nodded and slid the wall open. They walked inside and saw Malcolm standing with a smirk, wearing his Dark Archer suit, minus the hood.
"Welcome gentlemen", he said calmly, "I've been waiting for you. I wanted to see you watch your city to die."
"Where's the transmitter?" Oliver demanded.
"Somewhere I can easily get to it", Malcolm smirked.
"I doubt it", John said, "You'd be too dead."
Oliver drew and fired as John also started firing his gun but Malcolm ducked to the side of the room. John ran after him as he continued firing. Malcolm ducked behind a pillar. The two moved to him but Malcolm fired an arrow at Oliver, who ducked in time.
John round the corner but Malcolm emerged and grabbing his hand, hit it with the elbow, disarming him and then kicking him away. He threw the gun at Oliver who ducked to avoid it. Oliver and John attacked him together.
Oliver smacked him with the bow which he blocked and jumped back to avoid John's kick. He then smashed Oliver on the table before spinning around and smacking John's face with the bow, making him stagger back.
Malcolm tried to hit Oliver with his bow but he blocked with his own and punched Malcolm away. Malcolm moved behind a rack of swords and threw a pair of throwing knives at Diggle. One hit him on the thigh, the other on the shoulder.
John fell on the ground as Oliver ran over to him while Malcolm ran out through a back entrance.
"Aah!" John cried out as he pulled the knife on his shoulder while Oliver knelt on his side but he gestured to where Malcolm had run off to, "Stairs. Go, go."
Oliver ran up the stairs and opened the access door to the roof, ducking to avoid an arrow the hooded Merlyn shot at him. He stepped out calmly on the roof. The two archers now faced each other.
"So tell me", Malcolm said, "Are you ready to die?"
Bane threw a police van at several others, smashing them all.
The cops fired but to no avail.
Two thugs angrily attacked him with chains that had hooks at the end. Bane picked them up and crushed them with his are hands. He then picked up the hooked chains and joined them together with the hook, forming one huge chains.
Twirling it around, he brought it down on a police van, smashing it completely. He then swung it again and the hook sliced some cops' throats.
Clint walked up to a nearby rooftop of a small house. Looking at Bane, he commented, "They have a Cave Troll."
Clint admired Legolas a lot and would have envied him if he was real. And now, he was going to repeat the feats of Legolas against the Cave Troll.
"Hey!" he called out and Bane looked at him.
He fired a standard arrow which embedded itself on Bane's shoulder but didn't affect him.
"So we got to play hard", Clint muttered. Bane rotated the chain and swung it at Clint who ducked. He then brought it down on him but Clint side-stepped and it destroyed a section of the roof. Bane picked it up and brought it down again but Clint dodged again. This time, because of the hook, the chain was stuck on the roof.
Clint walked along the chain and leapt on the back of Bane's head. As Bane tried to shake him off, he fired an arrow above his neck and leapt down.
Before Bane could react, Clint pressed a button on his bow and the arrow exploded. Bane staggered violently but did not die.
"What the hell are you?" Clint muttered angrily.
He fired another arrow but Bane caught it. Clint pressed a button and it discharged a deadly poisonous gas on him, making him cough out loud and stagger around. The gas covered him totally.
Clint thought it had done the work but when the smoke cleared, Bane stood there. He was horrified now.
"Okay", he said to himself, "Calm down. Calm down."
He fired another arrow and it hit Bane on the shoulder. He pressed a button and Bane was electrocuted. After a few seconds, he ripped out the arrow and crushed it.
Before Clint could react, Bane ran up to him and swept him away with his hand.
Lance and Hall were still running in the subway as Felicity gave them instructions.
"You found it, yet?" she asked.
"Not exactly sure what we're looking for", Hall said.
"Do you want me to describe it?" Felicity asked.
At that moment, Lance and Hall stopped and stared ahead. In front of them was the Markov device.
"No, we've got it", Lance said as the two cops moved cautiously towards it.
"You should see something that looks like a circuit board", Felicity said, "Pull it out."
Hall pulled the cover off the device and the two looked around as Felicity asked, "Do any of you see a timer?"
Lance looked at the countdown clock and informed her, "7 minutes."
Felicity swallowed, "Okay, the good news is, this is going to be a paperweight in 3."
Roy was running around, wondering what to do. People were running, screaming and even looting. He stopped on hearing something from the alley and moved there to see an old man being assaulted.
"What do you got there, grandpa?" one punk asked.
"Hey! Hey!" Roy ran to them as 2 punks dragged an old man to the 3rd, "Hey! Back off!"
"Learn how to count, jerk wad", the leader said, "There's 3 of us."
"Oh, is that right?" Roy asked.
The two moved at him as the old man ran off. Roy ducked to avoid a punch and then punched the 2nd thug on the face before smashing his head on a window near the ground. The first one grabbed him in a chokehold but he flipped, throwing him on top of the previous one, knocking them both out.
"Cause I only count one", Roy said to the leader.
Suddenly, the leader pulled out a gun and said, "With a gun."
Roy thought he was about to die when a bottle smashed on the back of the thug's head, taking him down.
Roy looked at him in shock and then looked up to see Thea walking up to him.
"Where did you learn how to do that?" he asked her, not believing she was here.
"I guess I have wicked aim", she said shakily.
"What?" he asked as he walked up to her.
"I went to your house", she said.
"Yeah, I figured I'd run for my life with everyone else", Roy said before asking, "Did- did you come here to rescue me?"
"Yeah", she smiled.
He smiled back at the fact that she cared for him and said, "Come on."
He took her arm and lead her away.
At the rooftop of Merlyn Global, the two archers kept firing arrows at each other, and dodging each one. Malcolm tried to smack Oliver with the bow but he slid down on his knees and ended up behind him. Malcolm tried to bring the bow down on him but he blocked with his own. He then got up and they used their bows as bo-staffs, trying to hit the other. Both of them managed to block each other's strikes.
Oliver smacked Merlyn on the chest and then ducked to avoid a strike before jumping back to avoid another. He then grabbed Merlyn's arm as he tried to punch and flipped him to the other side before firing an arrow.
Like the previous time, Malcolm grabbed the arrow just before it hit his face. The arrow beeped and exploded on his face, sending him to the ground as Oliver watched.
"There are 3 wires- you need a green one, a yellow, and a blue", Felicity said to Lance and Hall, "Cut the blue."
"All right, I got it, I got it", Lance said as he cut the wire. Suddenly, the device seemed to come alive. The two looked at the clock and saw it had reset itself to 2 minutes.
"Oh, my God!" McKenna gasped in horror.
"No, no, no, no, no", Lance said.
"There must be some sort of anti-tamper safeguard", Felicity said, "Hold on. I'm going to try to figure out how to override it."
"Not enough time", Lance muttered as he backed from the device before screaming, "There's not enough time!"
"Just hold on!" Felicity urged calmly.
"Not enough time", Lance said as he pulled out the phone and dialed a number.
The one on the other end picked up and he said, "Laurel."
"Dad, don't worry, I got your message and I did not come to work today", Laurel lied as she frantically packed up files in boxes.
"Save it, kiddo", Lance said, "We both know you're there. But listen, you got to get out of the Glades. You got to get out of the Glades right now! Okay, please."
"Dad?" Laurel asked in concern.
"Right now, Laurel!" he screamed over the phone, "Right now, Laurel!"
"Daddy, you're scaring me", she said, afraid.
"Sorry but….. I'm not- I'm not going to make it", Lance told his daughter.
"What?! What?!" Laurel exclaimed tearfully.
"You have to promise me one thing, Laurel. You're not going to die along with me. You have to go on with your life. After your sister died, I pushed people away. I became like a ghost", he told her, "I didn't think that I had the right to live when my baby girl didn't. Promise me you're not going to make the same mistakes I did."
"Where are you?" Laurel whispered, crying.
"Promise me, Laurel", he begged, "Promise me."
"I promise", she said brokenly.
Lance closed his eyes, wiped his tears and said, "I love you honey, now and forever."
"I love you", Laurel said but the line went dead.
"Dad!" she yelled and started sobbing.
Lance took a deep breath as the comms beeped.
"Detective Lance? Detective Hall?" Felicity said, "I need you to listen to me very carefully."
Matt was being choked by Yamura. With his senses, he had heard Lance's conversation with Laurel. Due to his current predicament, he thought he wouldn't meet her again either.
"Goodbye, Laurel", he whispered as he gasped for breath.
"You're going to die alone", Yamura sneered.
Suddenly, they heard a gun click. Gunshots were fired and Yamura flipped back to avoid them.
He turned to the direction of the gunshots and saw Natasha lowering her gun and putting it back inside.
"He's not alone", she said to him.
Matt got up and moved behind Yamura, giving Natasha a nod of appreciation. Matt and Natasha now stood on both sides of Yamura, ready to fight him.
The 2 kicked him simultaneously and he ducked to avoid before flip kicking Matt away. Natasha tried to punch him but he blocked, kneed her and pushed her away before jumping back to avoid a kick from Matt. At that moment, Natasha kicked him on the chest and he staggered back.
The two tried to kick simultaneously but he jumped back and kicked Matt who blocked with his elbows. He tried to spin kick Natasha but she ducked and kicked him at Matt who kicked him back at her. He then kicked Matt on the abdomen and Natasha on the chest, making them both stagger back.
He then spun around and elbowed Natasha on the chest before kicking her away. Matt leapt at him from behind but Yamura grabbed him and slammed him on the ground.
Natasha tried to kick him again but he grabbed her foot and slammed her down. As she tried to get up, he kicked her down again. Matt leapt over her and gave him a flying kick, making him stagger back.
He then blocked 2 kicks from Matt who then swept his feet from under him, making him fall down. He grabbed Matt's foot and kicked him away. As he got up, Matt kicked him on the chest and he staggered back.
Natasha tried to punch him but he ducked, grabbed her by the waist and slammed her down. Matt tried to kick him but he blocked and elbowed him on the chest and then on the knee, making him kneel. He then kneed Matt on the face and he fell down.
As Natasha tried to get up, he tried to kick her on the face. She grabbed his foot and slammed him to the ground. As he tried to get up, Natasha kicked him on the face. He rolled away and got up, flip kicking her on the face, making her stagger away.
Roy had liberated a truck and was trying to drive Thea out of there. He was typing on the phone as he drove at a breakneck pace.
"You do know how dangerous it is to text and drive, right?" she asked him, "It can wait!"
"No, it can't", he said, "I'm trying to find us another route out of here."
Thea snatched the phone and said, "Let me. It's not worth the risk."
She looked out and saw an SUV ahead, blocking the intersection and yelled, "Roy!"
Roy slammed the brakes and spun the wheel, stopping the truck and barely missing the SUV, stopping just short of a person. The man banged on the hood of the car, "Help me out! Help me out!"
Roy got out and saw that a car had smashed into a bus, hitting it right at the door, pinning everyone inside.
"Roy!" Thea ran after him, "Roy! Stop, Roy! The device can go off any second! Or Bane can tear this place apart!"
Roy looked at the people in the bus and said, "I can't leave anyone behind."
"I know you think you have something to prove", she said, "But you're not Daredevil or the Vigilante!"
Roy took her shoulders and said, "Look, I can't do this unless I know you're safe."
"Then you better haul ass out of here too", she said. The two then kissed passionately, illuminated by the sparks of a busted transformer. They pulled away and he pressed his forehead to hers, staring into her eyes. She nodded and ran back to the truck. He watched her climb into it and turned back to the people in the bus.
Bane lifted Clint by the throat and threw him off. As Bane advanced towards him, an eskrima stick hit him behind the head and flew back to the outstretched hand of its owner- Nightwing.
Bane looked at him and grunted in rage, "You?"
"Yeah, me", Nightwing said as he leapt down, "You broke the back of my mentor. Now it's time for him to be avenged."
Bane angrily tried to swipe him away but he flipped back. He then slid in between Bane's legs and emerging from the other end, hit his left foot with the sticks. The sticks also hit him with the sparks of electricity and he staggered slightly as Nightwing leapt back.
"Thanks for the save", Clint said as he walked up to him, "Dick!"
Dick Grayson looked at Clint in surprise.
"We know everything about vigilantes", Clint said to him.
"It's nice to meet you", Dick said as he held out his hand and Clint shook it.
"So what's the plan?" Clint asked.
"I will distract him", said Dick, "You smash that storage tank behind him."
As Bane ran at them, the two slid to different sides. Clint fired an arrow at his leg and pressed his bow, giving him electric shocks again.
As Bane ripped the arrow out, Dick leapt at him and hit him with the gauntlets, the 100,000 volt stun-gun on his right gauntlet stunning Bane even more after the arrow.
Dick leapt off him and threw a smoke pellet which blinded Bane temporarily. As Bane came out of the smoke, Dick flipped into the air and threw 2 Wing-Dings at him. They hit Bane and embedded onto him. As he made to rip them out, Clint fired an arrow behind him. The arrow multiplied into 3 and they embedded themselves on the storage tank where all the Venom was stored.
Clint then pressed a button and the arrows exploded, destroying the tank and Bane was flipped to the ground. He yelled in agony, the sudden loss of the Venom causing his body to spasm. Bane managed to get up and staggered. Dick leapt at him with a flying kick, sending him to the ground. Before he could do anything else, Clint smacked his face with the bow and he was out cold.
Clint and Dick looked at each other and nodded in appreciation.
Matt tried to kick Yamura who blocked the kick and ducked to avoid a punch. Matt tried to punch again and Yamura blocked. Matt spun around and elbowed him, making him stagger back. He then grabbed Matt by the waist and slammed him to the ground. Natasha leapt at him and kicked him on the knee, making him kneel. Before she could kick again, he leapt up and kicked her away. Matt grabbed him from behind and held him in a chokehold, allowing Natasha to kick him before pushing him off. Matt then took out his club and in a spin motion, hit Yamura while Natasha flip kicked him and in a spin motion, knelt down and hit his left foot with the Widow's Bite, making him yell in pain as Matt kicked him away.
Yamura tried to punch him but he ducked and went behind him. Then he gave Yamura a push kick on the back and he staggered to Natasha who hit him with the Widow's Bite on the chest, making him yell in pain as he staggered back.
By now, Matt was getting flashbacks to his and Elektra's final fight against Nobu. Like in that fight, their opponent now got pissed. He angrily leapt in the air and gave Matt a hard kick on the chest, making him fly back by a few feet. Yamura then flip kicked him to the ground and then with another flip, hit him on the chest. He then angrily punched Matt's face multiple times with a roar.
Natasha grabbed him and pushed him off of Matt before ducking to avoid a punch and sweeping his feet from under him. She then hit him with the Widow's Bite on the chest and he went into violent spasms. But he somehow managed to push Natasha off and held her to the ground.
Grabbing her hands, he pressed her bracelets to her chest and then pressed the buttons, shocking Natasha by her own Widow's Bite. She went into violent spasms. By that time, Matt got up and was horrified by what was happening. He went up behind Yamura and grabbed him in a chokehold. But he was too weak to push him off of her now.
Natasha's eyes were barely open. If he didn't do anything, she would die.
"DON'T DO THIS!" Matt yelled.
"I will kill her", Yamura gasped in the chokehold but continued shocking her, "And you will live with the guilt forever."
"STOP!" Matt yelled, "STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!"
"Never."
Something then snapped inside Matt as he remembered that horrible night.
Nobu had lifted him up by the collar and prepared to stab him with the sai. Just before he could, Elektra grabbed his hand and made it plunge the sai into herself.
SNAP!
Matt let go as Yamura's lifeless body swayed and fell on the ground with a thud. Matt then fell on his knees as Natasha gasped for breath, recovering.
Matt breathed hard and his heart beat so rapidly that it hurt. He couldn't feel anything. He felt like a piece of his soul had been ripped off.
'You are just one bad day away from being me.'
Matt closed his eyes, still breathing hard. He had never felt this broken before. He was so angry. But he just wanted to save Natasha. Right? He did not want someone else to die for him like Elektra had. But what had he done? What was he now?
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The scream of pain, guilt, shame and rage that he had given out to try to make the pain go away sent chills down Natasha's spine. Even Lance and Hall heard it and jumped.
Natasha put her hand on his shoulder to offer comfort. Matt could now feel tears pouring from his eyes. Touching Natasha's hand, he turned to her. She wrapped him in a hug as he cried.
At the rooftop of Merlyn Global, Oliver ran at Malcolm and tried to hit him with the bow but he brandished a sword and blocked. He tried to swing it at Oliver who leaned back to avoid. As Malcolm struck again, Oliver grabbed his hand and hit it with the bow, making him drop it. Malcolm then did a roll and kicked Oliver on the back, sending him sprawling on the ground. As Malcolm got up, Oliver did a flip and kicked him on the face, making him stagger.
Oliver then ran up to him, grabbed his head between his legs and did a huricrunrana, landing Malcolm on the ground on his back as he landed on the top. As Oliver got up, Malcolm jumped at him, spinning from an arm bar to a reverse choke. He reared back, cutting off the air supply to Oliver's lungs.
Oliver gave him a few backward punches on the face as John crawled out and witnessed the fight. Oliver reached back and ripped off Malcolm's hood and mask, throwing them to the ground.
"Don't struggle, it's over", Malcolm said as they fell to their knees, "There was never any doubt in the outcome. Don't worry. Your mother and your sister will be joining you in death."
Oliver struggled with all of his might and remembered his father shooting himself, along with his last request.
'Survive.'
On the ground in front of Oliver lay a black arrow. He reached for it even as his eyes darkened. Without hesitation, he gripped the shaft and then jammed it through his own chest. It protruded from his back and was jammed into Malcolm's chest, finally protruding from his back.
Malcolm yelled in pain and let go. Oliver allowed himself to fall forward, letting the arrow go through him all the way as Malcolm fell on his back, gasping in pain.
"Thank you for teaching me what I am fighting for", Oliver snarled as he got back on his feet and looked down at his enemy, "But my father taught me how."
Malcolm tried to rise but Oliver gave him a hard punch on the jaw, knocking him down as John watched in stunned silence.
Down in the subway, Lance and Hall were trying to follow Felicity's instructions.
"Come on!" he said in frustration, twisting 2 wires together.
Hall pulled a third- and the machine spluttered and died. The two sat back, relieved.
On the rooftop, Oliver got the message from Felicity.
"Oliver", she said, "Lance and Hall did it."
Oliver stared down at Malcolm and said, "It's over."
"If I've learned anything as a successful businessman, it's", Malcolm coughed weakly, "Redundancy."
Malcolm then collapsed, face first on the ground, dead.
Oliver stared at him for a moment before the realization hit him.
"Felicity, there's another device", he said with dread in his voice, "There's 2 of them!"
In the east side of the Glades, in an abandoned subway, the second Markov device lowered into place and activated. The shaking then started.
Matt pulled himself out of Natasha's hug and looked around before realizing it, "There's another device! And it's on!"
Natasha's eyes widened in horror as Lance and Hall staggered to them. The four staggered out of the subway onto Pabst Street as the ground shook and Lance yelled, "What the hell's happening?"
At CNRI, the office shook itself apart. Laurel looked around and stopped Joanna and Anastasia, "Okay, that's enough."
In the lair, Felicity sat in stunned shock as the lights flickered and the place shook around her.
Clint and Dick looked around with horrified expressions as the ground shook and the people ran in fear.
On the roof of Merlyn Global, Oliver and John staggered to the roof to watch the devastation.
On the ground, Lance called in to Felicity and shouted, "I turned the damn thing off!"
"Merlyn had a second device!" Felicity replied, crying.
"My daughter! Laurel! She's at CNRI!" Lance cried out in horror and ran to the direction. Matt knew that and muttered in muffled horror, "Laurel!"
He then ran off and jumped to a set of stairs before jumping onto a rooftop. He then jumped around to reach CNRI as quickly as possible.
At CNRI, Laurel pushed Joanna and Anastasia forward, "RUN!"
She grabbed some files and tried to run out too but the shaking threw her off balance. She looked up just as a support beam swung down at her from the ceiling, hitting her and sending her crashing into the wall. She fell on the ground, stunned, and the chunk of the building fell on her, pinning her to the ground.
Joanna and Anastasia made it outside and spun around, yelling simultaneously, "Laurel!"
In the lair, Felicity tearfully called her boss, "Oliver!"
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yeah", she said and gasped as several machines exploded behind her while dust rained down from an aftershock. There was still power and she pulled up the damage assessment on her computer, "The damage seems to be contained on the east side, past Wells street."
"Laurel", Oliver said as he stared in shock and asked Diggle, "Are you going to be okay?"
"Go, go, go", John told him as Oliver ran to his bike while Diggle stayed on the roof, watching the chaos unfold.
At CNRI, Laurel woke up and tried to push the concrete off her to no avail.
"Help!" she cried out with sobs, "Please! Help me!"
At that moment, Daredevil arrived there and ran to her.
"Y-you?" she looked at him in surprise.
Daredevil gripped the concrete and grunted heavily. He then roared and managed to lift it off her. She crawled out as Daredevil yelled, "Get out!"
She ran out as fast as she could.
"Laurel! Laurel!" yelled Quentin as he arrived and she hugged him tightly and said tearfully, "Dad! Dad!"
Tommy was there too, having figured she would be at CNRI.
The two friends hugged each other. That moment, the building collapsed on itself.
Daredevil let the concrete go in time and just avoided being crushed by huge chunks of masonry but a heavy chunk managed to hit his foot, breaking it and making him kneel.
He decided to not try to save himself. After killing someone, he deserved to die. It was his punishment. That moment, his hearing picked up the sound of something piercing through the air.
John was still on the rooftop when he saw some flying body soar through the air.
Natasha and Hall helped residents when they heard the sound and saw a flying body soar through the air. Natasha smiled at that. There was hope finally.
Clint and Dick helped residents when they heard the sound too and saw the figure soaring by.
Oliver stopped his bike near the collapsed CNRI building and was about to go in when he heard the soaring as well. Laurel, Quentin, Joanna and Anastasia heard it too and looked at the sky along with Oliver.
A red and yellow figure landed on the ground.
Tony Stark!
He was the one Natasha had called before helping Matt against Yamura but because he wasn't in the continent due to a business deal overseas, he had been delayed.
Standing in front of the collapsed building, he pointed his gauntlets at it and they fired repulsor beams, clearing any rubble blocking the path.
Matt was still on the ground when he heard the rubble being blown away. He felt heavy footsteps move closer to him. Metallic footsteps.
He knew who this was.
"Tony!" he said as he looked up, "Tony Stark!"
"I saved the Devil", Tony muttered to himself, "What a name for an autobiography,"
He then grabbed Daredevil and flew him out of the collapsed building before putting him down near The Hood.
"Nice to meet you, Robin Hood", he said to him before flying off.
He then flew to the east side of the Glades and his A.I. JARVIS said in his British accent, "The Markov device appears to be in the subway, sir."
"Can we disarm it?" Tony asked him.
"It has been activated now, sir", JARVIS said, "So no."
"I guess it's time to turn 'Herculean' into 'Starkian'", Tony joked as he flew into the subway and looked at the activated device.
The device was lowered into place. He grabbed it and using all the strength from his suit, managed to rip it from the ground. He then flew out of the subway into the air. He threw the device into the sky and hit it with fully powered repulsor beams from both gauntlets, blowing it up to bits.
On the ground, everyone gave sighs of relief that the nightmare was finally over. But the loss of life was huge and this night would haunt everyone in their dreams forever.
The longest chapter I have ever written. I always planned for Tony to make an appearance here but I did not want it to be out of the blue so I had the scene of Natasha calling him earlier in the chapter. But I think Bane and the Markov device (before Tony blasted it) still caused a lot of damage and loss of life so him saving the day doesn't ruin the entire chapter(hopefully).
The biggest change here was that Tommy is still alive. With Matt being Laurel's boyfriend, I think it's not impossible for him to take Tommy's place. But he is the hero along with Oliver so I can't kill him off just like that. Speaking of killing-
Matt killing might raise some eyebrows. But remember, Frank said he was only bad day away from being him. Plus, the fight with Yamura brought back memories of the fight with Nobu and the fact that he couldn't save Elektra made him snap here so he could save Natasha. I think the no-killing rule can only take you so far. But there should be no indiscriminate killing either. Oliver's level of killing is the best IMHO.
Once again, I used fight scenes from The Raid and its sequel but they are just so damn awesome!
Please review. I always appreciate your feedback.