At The Glades Memorial Hospital Ted lies on a bed in bandages while Diggle, Felicity and Laurel sit by him as civilians waiting for Dr Lockhart.
Enter Dr Lockhart holding a clipboard
"Well Mr Grant you got pretty banged up but you should make a recovery within the month." He said
"Thanks Doc" he said sheepishly
Enter Roy
"How is he?" Roy asked as he walked in wearing his Arsenal uniform. "Oops!" He said after noticing that Dr Lockhart was in the room. "Dr I..."
Silence filled the room everyone was nervous as hell that they would be outed like this.
"I know who you people are, and no I haven't told anyone", he said drawing looks from the others.
"How long have you known? asked Laurel.
"I helped treat Mr Queen when he came back from the Island and noticed his scars, and I saw those same scars on The Arrow when I helped him out last year after he was poisoned." He stated firmly.
The others weren't suprised he's been patching them up for a while, it was only a matter of time.
"Listen I know that Oliver is gone," he said trying to be sensative, the others just looked down. "But you are his legacy you need to continue what he stood for, Oliver was a vigilante you can be more you can be heroes you can't let Starling get taken over like before. Everyone looks up to you and admiers you." He stated trying to motivative.
"The Arrow's dead we can't go on without a symbol to lead us." Laurel told the Doctor.
"You're a symbol Laurel you carried on your sisters legacy why can't you guys do it with The Arrow identity?" He asked.
"Because he's dead too!" Diggle said, "Roy told everyone he was gone."
"Dr Lockhart we will carry on to defend this city but we can't bring back The Arrow it would be wrong." Felicity shouted after remaining silent all this while.
"I'm sorry... I just needed hope." He said apoligetically. He then left the room.
3 days later during the day
Roy was standing on a rooftop in the glades he was happy to see a patrol car speed by. He then noticed a group of people pulling out guns, putting on hockey masks and entering a bank. He immediately zip-lined to the roof of the bank and entered through a door. He was in a corridor leading downstars, a couple of guards came from around the corner so he hid in a broom closet. The guards went right passed pulling out guns and headed downstairs. Roy followed them to a staircase by the main room of the bank, he stood atop the staircase looking down into the room. Hostages were sitting in the centre with two of the gang holding guns to them as well as that he could also see the two guards unconsious at the bottom of the staircase. The gang seemed familier to Roy but he couldn't tell who they were exactly. The other two gang members were by the vault with one kneeling down trying to hack the password lock.
"Hurry up Ace" said the man standing behind the hacker.
Roy thought it was odd that what appeard to be trained theives would use their names openly in public.
"one minute Jack." Said Ace hastily.
"Jack" and "Ace?" Roy thought. It then hit him this was the Royal Flush Gang they were known to appear in Gotham mainly but two years ago they went on a spree in Starling and fought Oliver. Back then Oliver was known as just "The Hood Guy" he also killed people which wasn't something that Roy could be proud of.
The robbers broke the lock loading the cash into their bags, one of the guards roused and raised his gun to Ace
"Freeze" he shouted.
"Well look who wants some more" Ace called out. The guard was frozen in fear.
Ace rose his gun to the guard.
"Ace don't!" Called out Queen.
Roy then shot an arrow knocking Ace's gun out of his hand. Roy then drew another Arrow and aimed it at him.
"Hello there your highness', what the Bat and bird too much for ya?" Roy said confidently.
"You!" Shouted Jack.
"Sorry don't believe we've met-"Roy said
"I met your boss once, he killed King" Ace shouted
Roy just looked at him in hesitation.
"Yeah, of all the supposed good he did doesn't change the fact he killed so many people!" Ace shouted.
"Well unless you want to end up like him I suggest that your family puts their guns down!" Roy shouted.
"How about I put you down" Jack said while firing at Roy's shoulder.
The gang then bolted from the bank just as the police came in. Roy stumbled to his feet and did his best to run up the staircase. He then tapped his earpiece.
"Felicity!" Roy screamed.
"Lance isn't with them Roy you need to move!" Felicity told him while looking at a the security camera footage on the computer screen.
"How far am I from Verdant?" He said now on the roof
"2 miles but the Glades Memorial is just 700m west" she said
"Verdant?" Ace said after overhearing their conversation from the ground.
Glades Memorial Hospital
Dr Lockhart was walking into an empty ward to grab some files where he found Roy bleeding on one of the beds.
"Oh God!" He proclaimed
Half an hour later
"Well Roy you're lucky out of the 7 bullets only one hit your skin and it was soft flesh too, you should be fine" Lockhart said.
"Oliver... how many...how many people did...did he kill?" Roy muttered.
"Roy listen-"
"No you don't understand, while on the island he did it to survive but here he chose it... he chose to murder all those people, I've been following him for forever and now that he's gone I can finally see the evil he did." Roy blurted out.
"The death count was about 50 something" Lockhart said bluntly.
"You told me that The Arrow gave you hope how could he give you hope if he's killed so many?" Roy asked
"Because he tried, he tried to save others to do good which paved the way for more people to carry on. It's called standing on the shoulers of giants, look at The Flash, Firestorm and now you." He said
"Me what can I do?" Roy asked
"Be a hero" he said.
At an abandoned warehouse which the gang were using as a base
"The Arrow's gone but we can still get justice for dad" he told his mom, brother and cousin who had just joined them.
"No Kyle we got what we came here for, we need to go" his mother told him.
"He killed dad and we are just gonna let that go?" He said
"You said it yourself The Arrow's dead how can we get justice anyway?" Jack asked.
"But his followers aren't and I know where to find them." Kyle said.
The others turned now interested.
"Verdant, a nightclub just the place to get us some cash too" Kyle said now smiling.
The foundry Felicity is at the computer and Diggle is cleaning his guns.
Enter Roy
"The Flush Gang, we need to get them" Roy said now putting his bow on the table.
"That gang was the first street criminals me and Oliver fought and they got away" Diggle said.
"Well where do we find them?" Felicity asked. "I mean it's not like their gonna fall out of the sky and land right infront of us."
Suddenly gun shots came from upstairs.
"Did I do that?" Felicity asked scaredly.
The Royal Flush Gang stood in the middle of the club.
"Don't act dumb with me you idiots fill up the bags!" Ace said.
People started to hand their money, jewelery anything of value over to the gang. Downstairs in the foundry team Arrow discuss what to do.
"We need to get up there" Roy said. Diggle stood up to slow him down.
"If you show up then this place will be compromised" Diggle said.
"But Thea's there"Roy said in a comanding tone.
"John's right we need a plan" said Felicity.
"Then what do we do?" Roy asked them both.
"Well I am the chief of security here so I'll go up" Diggle said.
"They'll kill you" Roy interviened.
Diggle walked up to the case with the guns.
"Fine you can't go alone" Roy demanded whilst picking up his bow.
"I can turn on the sprinklers upstairs, give you a diversion." She said.
"Call Laurel's dad too" Diggle ordered.
"I'll sneak through the ventilation shaft and get outside, chase em off." said Roy .
As Diggle went upstairs and Felicity started typing Roy looked back at the case containing Oliver's costume as he rembered what Dr Lockhart said.
3 minutes later Felicity activated the sprinklers in the club scaring everyone allowing the civillians to run out with Ace and Jack in pursuit. Queen and Ten tried to follow but were shot by Diggle in the legs from behind. The police had set up a barricade within a block radius of the club, Ace and Jack ran down the alley next to the club but were confronted by Roy wearing Oliver's upper suit but still in the Arsenal trousers.
"I'm done chasing you guys" comanded Roy.
"You're alive... wait you your the guy from earlier" shouted Ace.
"I'm continuing his legacy" Roy shouted to the two.
"So am I to my father so let's see who is more devoted" Ace said while he and his brother raised their guns and started to fire.
Roy dodged the gunfire and then threw a his knife into Jack's gun making it explode knocking Jack unconscious. Ace went to see if his brother was ok but that is when Roy went to him and started to punch him a few times. Ace dodged a few then spin kicked Roy in the gut then spun around and hit him on the jaw knocking him down.
"I've been waiting for this for a long time" Ace said with joy while grabbing Roy by the neck. "No matter what costume or code name you use you're still just a fool!"
As he said that Merlyn appeard from behind him.
"If the name doesn't matter than how about Green Arrow" Merlyn shouted loudly then proceeded to shoot an arrow into Ace's chest, "I've always had a soft spot for it."
Ace fell to the ground in pain and died. Roy then got up gob-smacked after seeing someone die infront of him.
"What the hell?!" Roy shouted.
"Be greatful it was either him or you, I chose you." Merlyn said.
"Why?" asked Roy.
"Because this city, it needs someone like you and also because, he was on my list" Merlyn said to the shock of Roy.
"Your list?" Roy asked in confusion.
"You'll find out soon enough, goodbye Roy or should I say Green Arrow." Merlyn walked off.
Roy started to pursue him but then the police came closer so he had to retreat through a vent.
The foundry
Felicity, Diggle and Roy were sitting down with Roy putting a plaster on his forehead.
"Well that went well," Felicity proudly said with Diggle smiling back.
"Merlyn was there" Roy said amongst the pain.
"What?!" shouted Felicity.
Diggle was also suprised
"Yeah when I was fighting Ace he saved me from being killed and shot Ace through the chest, he killed him," said Roy.
"Why would he do that?" Diggle asked.
"He said that he was on his list" Roy muttered.
"List? you mean like the one Oliver used to used?"Diggle asked.
"I guess but who would be on Merlyn's list? and why would he have one?" Roy asked sheepishly.
The three looked at each other in horror as they realised that Merlyn was going to be a problem again
A news report was being shown on TV that stated "The Dark Archer Returns"