Buckle up, folks. This might get wild.
Leave a review after reading, please.
Special thanks to K.J. Bollinger, NeoTyson, Lauriever4ever, Aryan229, Hadi276, Reven of Darkness, Izi Wilson, D, CallMeMiles, Pointeofdance, Jerry, xXxAngelStormxXx, and Guest for reviewing the previous chapter.
Three thugs are on the run from Roy Harper, who was wearing a red hood and armed with a bow and a quiver of arrows. He stands on top of a dumpster and fires three sedative arrows. He hits one man in the bag of his knee, the other in the back of his shoulder, but he missed the third one.
The hooded man pushes his comm-link button and says, "He's all yours."
The last man running gets hit in the leg with an arrow, causing him to fall down to the floor. The arrow came from Thea, who was wearing a yellow and black jacket, covering her face with a hood. She was on the balcony of a nearby building. She jams an grappling hook arrow on the wall and jumps down from the balcony. She ends up landing hard, hurting her shoulder in the process.
"Are you okay?" asked Roy.
"Besides the fact that this is gonna be sore all night, I'm good," said Thea.
"Why'd you do that?" asked Roy.
"I wanted to try it," said Thea.
"Try practicing shorter falls first," suggested Roy.
"Noted," said Thea.
Thea and Roy see the wounded man trying to limp away. Thea was about to fire an arrow, until someone came out from the shadows and punched the man unconscious. It was the Black Canary.
Thea turns on her voice modulator and says, "We had that."
"Don't even try to fool me, Thea," said Black Canary.
"Who-Who-Who's Thea?" asked Thea, trying to act confused.
Black Canary approaches the two and pulled off their hoods, seeing their faces.
"Hello, Roy," greeted Black Canary.
"Ms. Lance," greeted Roy.
Black Canary glares at Thea, who was trying to charm her way out of trouble with a smile.
"You told Roy?" asked Black Canary.
"I slipped," said Thea.
"What are two doing out here?" asked Black Canary.
"Daniel Brickwell," answered Roy.
"Roy's been doing some investigating for me and he found out that the released criminals from last week were only released because Brickwell's been stealing evidence against them," said Thea. "We're just here to clean up the mess he made."
"By being wannabe Oliver Queens?" questioned Black Canary.
"The Flash and Supergirl have been too busy taking care of metahumans and aliens, and you can't take care of all these thugs yourself," said Thea.
Black Canary grabs Thea's ear.
"Ow!" Thea yelled.
"We are heading back to the bunker right now and we're gonna talk about this," said Black Canary angrily.
In an abandoned warehouse not too far from where the three vigilantes recently were, Daniel Brickwell calls a meeting with every criminal he released from prison.
"Gentlemen," he started. "Tomorrow night, we take over this city. No longer do we have to hide in the shadows. Once we take control of the Glades, the rest of the city will learn to fear us. No one, not even the police, would dare stand in our way."
"But what about Flash and Supergirl and the Black Canary?" asked one man.
"What about them?" Brickwell doesn't sound scared at all by the mention of Silverstone City's heroes. "There's only three of them and dozens of us. Strength in numbers. We will crush them, and then we will crush this city."
At school, Cisco and Caitlin are sitting next to each other in science class, listening to their science teacher's lecture about chemical combinations.
"Hey," Cisco whispered.
"Not now, Cisco," Caitlin whispered.
"I just want to ask if you're ready to come back?" asked Cisco.
"Uh, if I recall correctly, I sent the Flash back to S.T.A.R. Labs with a freezing leg, and that was last night," said Caitlin.
"After all we've been through together, you still want to be the biggest bad in Silverstone City?" asked Cisco.
"Everything we've been through was based on a lie," said Caitlin.
"Is this about Dr. Wells again?" asked Cisco.
"We're in class, Cisco," reminded Caitlin. "Pay attention."
"I don't care," said Cisco. "I just want my best friend back."
"Barry's your only best friend now," said Caitlin.
"What will it take for you to come back?" asked Cisco.
"Nothing," said Caitlin. "I am who I am now. That's not gonna change."
"I don't believe that," said Cisco. "I am never going to believe that. You know why? Because you're my best friend. You're like the sister I never had. I miss you."
"You see me every day," said Caitlin.
"I miss you being at S.T.A.R. Labs with me and Barry and Dr. Wells," said Cisco. "Please, Caitlin, come home. You're supposed to help us protect this city from bad guys, not become one."
"I'm not the villain, Cisco," said Caitlin. "I'm just a victim who wants to prove a point."
"That this city has no heroes?" guessed Cisco. "I think the Flash and Supergirl would disagree."
The bell rings, which means class is over. Caitlin grabs her things and walks out of the classroom. Cisco followed her.
"Hey, we're not done talking," said Cisco.
"There's nothing you can say that Barry hasn't said already," said Caitlin.
"Is this what you really want?" asked Cisco. "To keep killing people?"
"I have 'killer' in the my nickname for a reason, Cisco," said Caitlin. "Just go away."
Cisco runs towards Caitlin and puts his hand on her shoulder. Caitlin turns around and grabs Cisco's arm, freezing it. Cisco quietly shouts in pain as he held his freezing wrist.
"Talk to me again and you'll be running to the nurse's office with second degree frostbite," threatened Caitlin.
Cisco watches Caitlin walk away while still holding his slightly frozen wrist. He wanted her back in the S.T.A.R. Labs family so bad, but nothing he says is working. He begins to question if she can be saved at all.
In the foundry, Thea was trying to do some exercise on the salmon ladder. However, after pushing herself up one level, she falls down on her back. Laurel came in just in time to see it happen.
"You're never gonna quit, are you?" asked Laurel.
"Not as long as Ollie's body is in a coffin," said Thea. "And he's stuck in it forever."
"This isn't what he would want you to do," said Laurel. "And don't tell me that the dead don't want anything."
"The Arrow kept this city safe," said Thea. "He's gone now, so someone needs to take his place."
"And you think it's supposed to be you?" asked Laurel. "Thea, you're a 13-year-old girl turning 14 next week. This isn't a comic book world where kids can put on a fancy costume and fight crime and win every day."
"I don't care," said Thea. "Laurel, ever since Ollie has been dead, I have been a mess. You remember a few weeks ago when you busted me for drinking, right? Well, if I can't drink my feelings away, I have to find another way to cope with that."
"And you think putting arrows in criminals is the best way?" asked Laurel.
"You take your frustrations out on those low-lives, too," said Thea.
Laurel was about to burst with anger, but she calmed herself. "Okay, I deserve that. But I'm trying to get better. You should too, but not like this."
Thea was about to protest again until her phone rang. It was Roy.
"Hello?" She answered.
"Got the latest on Brickwell," said Roy. "He and his men are about to attack the Glades tonight at 8."
"Suit up and I'll meet you there," said Thea.
"What is going on?" asked Laurel.
"Brickwell," answered Thea. "He and his gang of escaped lunatics are about to turn the Glades into hell."
"Oh, no. You're not going out there," said Laurel.
"You can try and stop me," said Thea.
"Okay, let's recall when I told you about Oliver's secret," said Laurel, sounding like she was about to lose her temper. "That was three weeks ago. If you've been training that long, then that's not good enough. Oliver spent an entire year on an island to turn himself into the capable fighter The Arrow was. A few weeks of shooting arrows and exercise is not just gonna make you an expert crime fighter all of a sudden."
Thea grabs her jacket and puts it on.
"Roy and I are about to save the Glades from being taken over by Daniel Brickwell," said Thea, clearly feeling ready to get out. "Are you with us or not?"
Laurel crosses her arms and gives Thea the look of an upset mother, surprised to see the younger woman stand up to her.
In the clocktower, Sin was preparing herself for a fight. She picks up her baseball bat and heads for the exit. She stopped when she saw two friends come in. It was Wally and Jesse, both wearing hooded jackets.
"Hey," greeted Sin. "What are you guys doing here?"
"Word on the street is that two mysterious archers are rounding up a group of civilians from the Glades to fight Daniel Brickwell," said Jesse.
"We want in," said Wally.
"Uh, you guys do know you have families, right?" said Sin.
"Sin, you're our family, too," said Wally. "We're not just gonna stand by and watched you get killed."
"You're fighting to save this city. That's what we wanna do," said Jesse.
"You can't get rid of us," said Wally.
"In that case..." Sin walks over to a pile of junk. "Take your pick."
At the Glades, Daniel Brickwell and his army of escaped criminals walked down the road, scaring the people into their cars or into buildings. The stopped when they saw an army of civilians wearing hoods standing in their way, all armed with guns, baseball bats, crowbars, and other items they intend to use as weapons. Leading them is Roy and Thea, hooded up and armed. Among the hooded civilians are Sin, Wally West, and Jesse Wells.
Thea turns on her voice modulator. "Daniel Brickwell!"
"You have failed this city!" growled Roy.
"So, you two must be the wannabe Arrows who sent fifteen of my men back to prison," said Brickwell. "It doesn't matter. I have all the men I need."
"We'll see," said Sin.
Brick looks at him men and says, "Get them!"
Daniel Brickwell's men charged, as did Sin and her army. Roy and Thea split up and stood on top of cars, providing long-ranged support. The civilians and the criminals started exchanging gun shots and punches. Sin, armed with her baseball bat, hits a few thugs and even battered them to the ground until they were out cold. Wally and Jesse, both armed with baseball bats as well, used their quick wits and youthful agility to take out Brick's men.
"I don't know about you, but I'm having a lot of fun," said Jesse.
"Wish Flash and Supergirl can see us," said Wally.
Roy and Thea continued firing arrows, trying to make sure they don't kill anyone or hurt anyone of their allies.
"Your brother would be really proud of you, Thea," said Roy through his comm-link.
"I like to think he will be," said Thea.
"Hey, guys. Am I late to the party?"
Roy and Thea recognized the voice that intercepted their signal and smiled.
Black Canary jumps down from the top of a building and started fighting along with Sin's army. She kicks one man in the stomach and takes out another by slamming his face to a car window. She takes out her reinforced batons and started whacking every thug coming her way. She even saved Sin from being killed by hitting her attacker in the head really hard, knocking him out.
"Thank you for coming," said Sin.
"I never abandon this city in a time of need," said Black Canary.
"What about Flash and Supergirl?" asked Sin.
"They're not coming, I'm afraid," said Black Canary. "Flash is dealing with this meta called Weather Wizard while Supergirl has a flying alien woman to take care of. It's just us."
"Well, we're glad you're here," said Sin.
Black Canary turns her attention towards Daniel Brickwell. She shoves a few criminals out of her way as she walked towards the crime boss. Brick cracks his knuckles as he prepare to throw down with the black-clad vigilante.
"You think you can take me, girlie?" Brick mocked her.
"I had a good teacher," said Black Canary, referring to The Arrow.
"Well, too bad he's not here to save you," said Brick.
"I don't need saving," said Black Canary.
Black Canary and Brickwell started throwing fists at each other. Brickwell was strong, but Black Canary was agile and smart. She dodges his punches and hits him left and right. However, Brick gets the upper hand when he grabs her hair and punches her repeatedly in the face. He keeps on punching until Black Canary fell to the ground.
Brickwell takes out his gun and prepares to fire at Black Canary.
"Say goodnight, Black Canary," said Brickwell.
Before he can fire, an arrow knocks the gun out of his hands. There was something strange about the arrow that Laurel noticed. It was colored red or yellow like the ones Roy and Thea use. It was green.
Distracted by the arrow, Black Canary fails to avoid Brickwell, who picks her up by grabbing her hair again. Before he can punch her again, someone in the shadows spoke.
"Let her go!"
Coming out of the shadows is a man wearing a black body suit and a cowl with two short pointy ears.
"Who in the costume are you supposed to be?" asked Brickwell.
"Wild Cat," said the masked stranger.
Wild Cat punches Brickwell in the face, making him drop Black Canary. Wild Cat punches left and right while dodging Brickwell's fists. He kicks Brickwell in the stomach and follows it with a aerial kick to the neck, knocking the crime boss back towards a car. Wild Cat grabs Brickwell by the suit and slams him towards the car window. He started punching him in the face repeatedly. Brickwell punches Wild Cat in the stomach, knocking him back, only to be surprised that the vigilante wasn't clutching his stomach in pain.
"Is that Kevlar?" asked Brickwell.
"You can say that," said Wild Cat.
"Hey!" Black Canary called. "Don't hog all the fun."
Black Canary and Wild Cat both fight Brickwell together. Brickwell was pummeling them with his inhuman punches, but the two vigiliantes used their quickness and strong hits of their own to overwhelm him. Black Cat unleashes a strong left hook. Black Canary immediately kicks Brickwell in the chest, knocking him down.
Two of Brick's men grab the two vigilantes, giving Brick time to flee. The two vigilantes pound the thugs off them. They were about to pursue Brick until an arrow comes out of nowhere and hits him in the leg. They turned to the direction where the arrow came from and were shocked to see what they found. They saw a man in a green hood, standing on top of a building.
The green-hooded archer uses a zipline arrow to swing down to the ground. He lands just close to the injured Brickwell.
"Daniel Brickwell, you have failed this city!" he said.
"Somebody already beat you to that phrase," said Brickwell.
The archer punches Brick in the back of the his head, slamming his face to the pavement. He takes out three tranquilizer arrows and shoots, sending Brickwell into a deep sleep. The archer turns around and sees Black Canary coming towards him.
"Who are you?" asked Black Canary.
"You know who I am," said the archer. He looks over her shoulder and asks, "Who's he?"
Black Canary looks at the black-clad vigilante who just helped her fight Brick.
"The name's Wild Cat," said Wild Cat.
"I heard about you," said the archer. "Been a long time since you protected these streets."
"I grew up in the Glades," said Wild Cat. "No way am I gonna let my streets get run by this megalomaniac." He looks down at the unconscious Brick.
The three vigilantes look back at the fight on the road. Sin and her army were winning. Thea and Roy get off the cars and started fighting the thugs head-on, punching as hard and moving as fast as they can.
"So, who are you?" Wild Cat asked the archer.
"Someone who want to continue The Arrow's legacy," said the archer.
"Well, good start so far," said Wild Cat.
In the end, Sin and her army won. The cops show up and arrest all of Brick's men. Wally and Jesse run away to avoid being seen by Joe West.
"What a mess," commented Quentin.
"Tell me about it," said Joe.
Flash shows up in the scene in super speed, followed by Supergirl's landing.
"What did we miss?" asked Flash.
"Everything," said Joe. "These folks just took down Brickwell for you."
"The vigilantism in this town," said Quentin with an irritated tone.
"Hey, these people helped save the Glades. You can't arrest them for that," said Supergirl.
"I know," said Quentin.
Black Canary walks towards the two super heroes with crossed arms.
"You're late," said Black Canary.
"We had other problems to take care of," said Flash.
"Weather Wizard behind bars?" asked Black Canary.
"He got away using a hostage, but I'll get him next time," said Flash.
Black Canary turns to Supergirl. "Your baddie got away, too?"
"She has an army," said Supergirl.
"Seriously, it's like I don't know this city anymore," said Quentin.
Everyone's attention was caught by the green-hooded archer standing on top of a semi trailer.
"You have not failed this city," he said. "You have proven something here today. No matter how dark the times get, you all showed your bravery and your determination to fight for this city. That's why I'm here. To show all of you that this city is worth fighting for. The Arrow was a symbol of hope that was robbed from us too quickly. He fought for us and paid the price. I am here to ensure that his legacy will not be forgotten. I promise you. I will not fail you. I will not fail this city!"
The Green Arrow fires an arrow at a building and zips himself away from the scene. Everyone cheered as they watched him swing away.
"Great. Another copycat," complained Quentin.
"Watch your tone, Detective. He's my new best friend," said Black Canary.
Roy and Thea return to the foundry to see Laurel sitting by, still wearing her Black Canary suit, minus the mask. She was clearly waiting for them. The two young archers braced themselves for some yelling and, probably, some spanking.
"You two are either really brave or really stupid," said Laurel.
Roy and Thea hang their heads, feeling like kids who are punished by a mother for failing a school test.
"But I'm proud of you," said Laurel.
Roy and Thea lift their heads and smiled, surprised by Laurel's words.
"Keep in mind, from now on, you two are not to go out on the streets without my say-so," said Laurel. "Understood?"
"So, you're going train us?" asked Thea, looking excited.
"Sure thing, Speedy," said Laurel.
Thea started cheering and hugged Laurel tightly, happy to be accepted. Laurel reluctantly hugs her back.
"But before you two can get out there again, you're gonna need your own suits," said Laurel.
"We're getting our own superhero costumes?" asked Roy, looking excited.
"You bet," said Laurel. "But first, there's someone I need you to see."
Laurel heads down to the secret bunker, followed by Roy and Thea. The two were surprised to see who was down in the secret lair. It was the green-hooded archer who assisted them in the fight earlier. He lifts the hood and reveals his face.
"Oliver?" Thea was shocked, feeling herself smile.
"Hey, Speedy," greeted Oliver, smiling.
Thea runs towards her brother and puts her arms around him, pulling him into a hug and crying tears of joy on his shoulder. Oliver hugs her sister back, happy to see her as well. Thea tightens the hug as if Oliver was gonna fall if she lets go.
"You're back," said Thea happily.
"Yes, I am," said Oliver. "Hello, Roy."
"Uh, hi," greeted Roy awkwardly. He looks at Laurel and asks, "You know?"
"Not until tonight," said Laurel.
Thea lets go of Oliver and asks, "How?"
"I'll tell you about it later," said Oliver. "Right now, it's good to be home."
"I assume you're itching to yell at me about making a stupid and dangerous decision about becoming a vigilante?" guessed Thea, feeling a little afraid for the future lecture.
"Oh, I am itching to," said Oliver. "But I'm too happy to see you to do that now."
Thea hugs Oliver again and he hugs her. Oliver smiles at Laurel, who smiled back.
Yay! Oliver's back!
Well, what do you think? Was the wait worth it? Leave a review and let me know.