5: GONE
Oliver followed The Martyr's signal for what felt like miles as he contemplated all that was about to happen. He wondered exactly what The Martyr wanted. Either way, he had made it personal by risking the lives of the ones he cared about, and Oliver knew deep down he had to put an end to The Martyr's plans. How exactly, Oliver didn't know. And that terrified him.
Eventually Oliver found himself standing exactly where the signal was coming from. He looked around nervously, breathing heavily.
"Hello." The booming voice of The Martyr said. Oliver looked up and standing on top of the tall building was The Martyr himself. The Martyr pointed at Oliver then curled his finger slowly towards himself, inviting Oliver up. Oliver climbed up the side of the building, hopping from one window to another as he got higher and higher before reaching the roof and climbing up. The Martyr faced him directly as he pointed a gun at him.
"And so the story ends." The Martyr said.
"This needs to stop, Sterven." Oliver said.
"DO NOT call me that! Whatever was left of him, of my humanity, is gone. You took it from me that night. The night you scarred my left cheek and made me a Martyr. You made this monster of a man, Oliver." The Martyr said.
"I know. And it is one of the many things I've done that I regret, but what I did saved so many lives. I had to stop you." Oliver said.
"Oh, and didn't you just? You left me for dead and ruined everything. I couldn't risk continuing with my plans for Amanecer going global after that. So I hid, waiting for the moment to get my vengeance. And this was the perfect opportunity; just as you save the city from a man called Slade Wilson and think yourself as a hero, I arrive and show you that you're not." The Martyr said.
"I thought you died that night." Oliver said.
"I know, and I wish I had. But I didn't, so I knew that I had to get my revenge, and it only took a miniaturised bomb and a few hired men. They're both long gone, by the way, you won't find them. I knew this is only between us now." The Martyr explained.
"And the 'traitor in my team' was the bomb inside of me." Oliver said. The Martyr smiled eerily and clapped.
"Very good, Oliver. Well done. Top marks. I knew you'd survive that somehow and come looking for me. I needed to raise the stakes or you'd have just left me to it. I needed closure, and I think you do to. And now I'll kill you in person to get that closure. You really think after all this time I'd be happy for you to die without me as witness? I want to see the life leave your body and I will dance upon your corpse. That is my final victory. The victory you robbed me of." The Martyr declared.
"You were unwell back then. You still are. Please, let me get you help." Oliver pleaded. The Martyr shook his head.
"No. It's too late to save me now. Far too late. I wish I was never born." The Martyr said.
"You hate your own existence? No wonder you're willing to die for any cause." Oliver said, looking into The Martyr's eyes. Any humanity certainly had gone, and had been gone for a long time.
"You know, part of me wishes I'd returned sooner. I'd have loved to have been the one to plunge that sword deep into your mother's heart." The Martyr taunted.
"Don't."
"Maybe I still can savour the taste of your family's blood. I could track down your sister, wherever she may be. Perhaps her screams would sound equally as satisfying as yours will."
"STOP!" Oliver demanded.
"Enough of this. It is time for the final chapter, only this time it will end with YOU being the one dead." The Martyr said. As Oliver stared down the barrel of the gun his thoughts returned to that fateful night.
...
Sterven held the manual trigger in his hand. Oliver knew Sterven was more than capable to go through with pressing it. He had to do something, and quickly. In a swift motion, he rolled on the floor, grabbed the bow and arrows that had fallen and shot the trigger out of Sterven's hand, causing it to roll to the corner of the room. Sterven glared at Oliver, enraged, and jumped on top of him, screaming at the top of his voice. The two of them threw each other around the room, delivering powerful kicks and punches to each other at every opportunity. Oliver had to ignore the blood dripping down his face as he continued to fight Sterven. The madness inside of him was making him strong enough to be a worthy opponent for Oliver.
Oliver punched Sterven and threw him onto his desk, which collapsed and caused him to fall to the floor. He rolled onto his stomach in pain as Oliver approached him.
"It's over, Joseph." Oliver said. Sterven grabbed a broken piece of wood from the remains of the desk and rolled back onto his front, smacking Oliver across the head with it. Oliver fell, disorientated, as Sterven leaped on top of him.
"It is indeed." Sterven whispered viciously, the venom dripping off of his words. Sterven wrapped his hands around Oliver's neck and squeezed tighter and tighter. Oliver tried to kick Sterven off but he wouldn't budge. His face went red as he stopped being able to breathe. He desperately moved his hands around the floor to find something to defend him and he felt a rogue arrow lying near him. He reached for it with the last of his strength and launched his arm at Sterven. The arrow sliced open Sterven's left cheek and he fell back in pain, clutching his face in agony as he screamed. Oliver sat up and tried to regain his breath just as Sterven found the trigger once more, one hand still covering his wounded face.
"No. More." Sterven declared. Oliver stood up.
"Sterven, no! You can't!"
"I will return to this Earth, Oliver, with a new life and a new name, but the same cause. I will die time and time again to save this planet, Oliver, and that is a promise. A new world will come from this, Mr Queen, a world run by people like me." Sterven shouted. Oliver lunged towards Sterven, but it was too late.
Sterven pressed the button. The trigger activated.
There was a loud rumble and suddenly everything turned a mixture of red, orange and black as the explosives ripped through the ground below and tore every building in Amanecer apart. Through the sound of the explosions, Oliver heard the screams of nearby people as the office collapsed around him, with bricks and water spraying everywhere as everything turned to dust. An explosion occurred right in front of Sterven, sending him flying back through the window with a smash. Oliver heard his cries as he seemingly fell into the fiery abyss. Oliver looked around at the inferno, knowing he'd failed yet another city, just as rubble fell on him and everything went black.
Oliver woke up an hour later on the floor of the area just outside Amanecer. Fire engines roared as they tried to drown the blaze. Oliver sat up and saw the whole site had been flattened by the explosions, and other nearby buildings had partially collapsed or had missing windows. Huge crowds were gathered, watching in horror and screaming as the blaze continued. Oliver felt tears fall down his face as he accepted another failure. He'd failed those he cared about once again. A fireman approached him.
"Sir, are you okay? Are you hurt?"
Oliver wiped his tears and looked at him.
"Just a few bruises."
"You got lucky; we found you under some rubble. It must have shielded you from any further damage." The fireman explained.
"And that's lucky?" Oliver asked.
"Luckier than some. Joseph Sterven isn't accounted for, and two other poor souls didn't make it out in time. We've recovered their bodies. God knows what happened here." The fireman said and walked off as he was called over to help an injured civilian. Oliver broke down at the thought of the two dead guests and how scared they would've been in there final moments. In the end, Sterven did have a small victory of his own.
The next day, Oliver saw on the news that the explosion of Amanecer was labelled a simple terrorist attack. He knew that someone higher up obviously wanted to cover up any evidence of the pre-existing bombs. Sterven and Amanecer were gone; the damage he could have caused had been limited. It was the only good thing Oliver could think of coming from the events. He thought of the murdered motel staff, the two innocent men killed in the explosion, and of his friends and family back in Starling, who were watching the story on the news not knowing the truth behind it. Sterven wasn't even mentioned in the news; only the citizens of Hong Kong knew he was there. His body was never found, presumed there was nothing left of him to find after such a huge explosion.
Oliver spent the next few hours walking around, listening to the local people talk about him.
"He died with his company. His vision. He is a martyr of sorts." The local people were saying.
That word stuck with Oliver. Martyr. If only everyone knew.
To Oliver, his failure to prevent Amanecer's destruction was yet another thing he'd gotten wrong. Part of him regretted even returning to Hong Kong; he should've gone straight to Lian You. Hong Kong had nothing left for him now, so Oliver headed straight to Lian Yu from there, desperately trying to bury the recent events deep into his memory.
Oliver swore to himself he'd never speak of it again.
...
As Oliver continued to stare down The Martyr's gun, his heart broke as he recalled those awful moments in Hong Kong.
"How did you survive?" Oliver asked. The Martyr lowered his gun.
"Really? You need to know? You saw me fly through that window. I flew straight into a flying piece of rubble which sent me soaring into a pile of ash by the fence. I saw the fence had mostly blown away so I jumped through it and ran as fast and as far as I could. I was lost, Oliver. In that moment, I knew of only two things; Joseph Sterven was my past, and that I hated you above all else. My hatred for you overtook my hate for those interested in nuclear weaponry. That is how much you destroyed my world, Oliver. You made me this." The Martyr said.
"I know. And I'm so sorry. But you're not right in the head. I don't think you ever have been, and that's okay. There are so many people who can help you. Please. Life has been unkind to you, but for you to admit something's wrong is a victory. Getting better and finding peace without violence should be your final victory. You survived Hong Kong for a reason, and I think that reason is to get better. You could be amazing, you know. Just give yourself the opportunity...and stop all of this. I wish I could change what happened but neither of us can. But we can change the future, together. Don't be The Martyr, be something more...be something better." Oliver said. The Martyr seemed captivated by Oliver's words. He dropped the gun and started crying.
"I...I can't kill you. It wouldn't be right..."
"Exactly." Oliver said.
"No...it wouldn't be the right punishment. You shouldn't be the one to die, Oliver. Your punishment should be that you live. You have to live with yourself after having so much death on your hands. With every death you cause you take a step even further away from being a hero. I take pleasure in this, Oliver. You take people, call them your enemies and force them to fall." The Martyr said. He took a few steps back.
"Watch me fall, Oliver. And know two things; you did this, and you will never be a hero."
He took one final step backwards and fell.
"NO!" Oliver screamed, rushing to the edge. He heard a loud noise as he reached the side of the building. He looked down and saw The Martyr lying in a pool of blood. Even from that high rooftop, Oliver could see The Martyr had died smiling. He was gone. He was victorious.