Arrow War of Faith

by Dellore of VersatileCreativity

My name is -Error- with one goal, to save Star City. With -Error- Oliver Queen, out of jail and most of Team Arrow assembled, we fight to save Star City from those who would -Error- ...become someone else. Become something else. I am -Error- (Sequel to Arrow: Rise of the Vigilantes and Elseworlds: the Chosen).

3. Episode 3: Chimera

Disclaimer: Based on characters and references created by DC Universe and the CW, which I do not own. Enjoy!

---

My name is William Queen,

A man from the future who's come to the past with one goal,

To save Star City.

Working with my father, Oliver Queen,

Alongside other members of Knightwatch,

We fight to keep the future from being in the hands of those who would corrupt it.

To do this, I must become someone else,

Become something else.

I am the Red Arrow.

---

Episode 3: Chimera

---

"52 News Presents…"

"…Length-feature Documentary…"

"…Green Arrow and his exploits…"

"…The Emerald Archer."

The blaring sound of theme music finally forces Red Arrow to snap his eyes open. In shock, he gasps for air and breathes rather rapidly, but he is quick to calm himself down. Immediately afterwards, a throbbing pain consumes his mind, as if he had just come from a few rounds of intense sparring. Though, he does not remember doing that recently. In fact, his pain prevents him from remembering much of the last 24 hours.

He can only remember fragments…

…blocks the incoming attack. Red Arrow yells to them, "Go! Run!"

…tossed to the side, hitting one of the shipping crates hard.

…stands over him, reaching his hand out as darkness consumes his vision.

As Red Arrow looks up, he finds himself in a nearly pitch-black room. The only source of light is a TV across from him that is fading from the logo, "The Emerald Archer." He looks down, seeing himself bound to his chair in chains from torso to legs. He can barely just make out his suit.

If they didn't get the suit off, that means the emergency protocols worked. Good.

"I've been the Green Arrow for more than seven years. Before that, I wore the hood all over the world, trying to make things right."

The scene that follows is his father, Oliver Queen, smiling in front of a camera. As his pain subsides, Red Arrow starts to remember the context of this scene, that he had been there, but never recorded.

"And now this, having my identity revealed…it feels different. Even when I'm wearing a mask, I'm completely maskless, COMPLETELY in the light of day."

"Would you have done this from the start, if you could?"

The other voice, asking Oliver the question, is a little familiar. It takes until the headache has mostly died out for Red Arrow to focus, to remember when he had seen this moment. He remembers…

---

As Felicity opened the door, William saw Oliver with a couple of other people, one of them behind a stationary camera and the other, a woman, looking at Oliver casually. Oliver, however, seemed to have been caught off guard somehow, as if he was given something he didn't expect coming.

Felicity, even with what was going on, grabs Oliver's attention with a little, "Surprise!"

Oliver flashed a wide smiled when he saw William, the same one he would give whenever they meet. William, himself, can't help but smile back. It had been over a month since he saw his father.

Oliver looked back at the camera, telling the crew, "Give me a minute."

The woman nodded and looked to her cameraman with a slashing gesture, telling him to cut the recording.

Oliver walked up to William, giving him the usual big, fatherly hug that he expected but always appreciated. "Hey, bud!"

As Oliver moved away, he took a good look at William, up and down. "Look at you! You've gotten so tall since we last met."

Felicity patted William on the back, proudly stating, "And so lean! You've been eating well?"

William shrugged. "Yeah, as well as I can." He then looked past Oliver and towards the crew. "Who are they?"

The woman was already walking up to William and extending a hand. "Just call me Ms. Petowitz, independent journalist and director for your father's documentary."

William shook back, but his eyes darted to his father. "Documentary?"

Petowitz continued, "I've been collecting interviews and evidence on your father's exploits for years. I didn't have the funding for it until he went public."

Oliver walked up to William and patted him on the shoulder. "We thought it would help improve public opinion."

William couldn't help but be worried. "I won't have to give an interview, right?"

Oliver almost immediately answered while wrapping both hands around William's shoulders, "No! No, absolutely not. I prefer to keep her interactions with you to a minimum."

Petowitz reaffirmed, "If you're not comfortable, I'll keep you out of it."

William nodded, somewhat at ease.

Felicity put her hand on William's back again, leading him away. "I'll set William up in his room."

Oliver turned back to Petowitz. "I hope that isn't a problem."

She shook her head. "Not at all. I was hoping to interview your sister and her boyfriend next, if…"

As she and Oliver continued to speak, Felicity and William moved to the new bedroom he would be staying in for the weekend and he set down his suitcase.

As Felicity opened the closet, she asked, "So, how's Bruce's move back to Earth 1 going?"

William unzipped the bag with all of his clothes. "Going fine. He's trying his best to keep it under the radar, but he'll be making his appearance public next week. Until then, I'll be with you guys."

Felicity started to help William move clothes onto hangers and shelves. "Well, at least you'll be hanging out with us. We missed you, you know."

William nodded with a grin. "I know." As he hung up the last shirt, he asked, "Is there at least going to be time tonight for Dad to hang out? I've been meaning to show him a few things Bruce taught me."

Felicity inhaled harshly through her nose; her hands clasped together close to her lips. William knew it meant bad news was coming.

"I wish that were the case, but no."

William tossed the suitcase into the closet, almost throwing it onto the wall. "It's lasting that long?"

"No, no, no. That's not it. It's the debate."

He looked at her with a curious stare. "Debate?"

"Between him and Mayor Pollard. They're going to argue over whether or not the Anti-Vigilante Act should be removed."

William thought about this for a moment, slightly nodding as he did. "That's good, right? It's partially why Dad was in jail."

"It's a debate, not a counsel. At the very least, it'll make people think about the repercussions of not repealing the law."

"Nobody likes it anyways. Why not get rid of it now?"

Felicity put a hand on William's arm. "It's not that simple. You'll know why once you're older." She leaned in with a smile. "But while I'm here, did Bruce happen to teach you any good computer skills?"

William nodded, still feeling somewhat discouraged. "Yeah. Yeah, he did."

---

I remember. I knew the documentary shoot was today but…wait. Is it even today? This just broadcasted. How long was I out?

Suddenly, a door that Red Arrow couldn't see before flings open. A hulking figure steps through and looks at him. He can't tell whether it was to check on him or to look intimidating.

"Well, look whose finally awake?"

The accent is mechanical, but also has a distinct accent, somewhat southern like Deacon Blackfire's. Though, William can tell that this wasn't the Deacon.

"Been waiting a long time to finally meet face to face with you again, Will."

Red Arrow is surprised and somewhat worried by the mention of his real name, but his mask keeps his appearance to a scary poker face.

The hulking figure steps in further, the TV light illuminating him just a bit. From what Red Arrow can tell, the size of the man is from a mechanical suit, not a natural stature.

"My brother has been…kind of an inspiration for me." The documentary continues in the background, Red Arrow's Aunt Thea giving a little speech with her old apartment in the background. "He showed me just how dangerous Star City is. He showed me that if the police were unable to protect the people, then the PEOPLE…they had to learn to protect themselves. That included my boyfriend, Roy."

The scene then cuts to Roy, still in the apartment. "Oliver was…a lot of things to me. He was a mentor, a friend, and the brother I never had. Without him, I…I don't think I would've EVER become the guy I am now. I wouldn't have been Arsenal."

The hulking man chuckles sinisterly at the screen. "That's a fine family you have there, Will." He then looks down at Red Arrow. "Too bad I couldn't get my hands on your Aunt's boyfriend down by the docks. It would've made the whole plan much easier."

The docks? The docks…

Red Arrow's memory is hazy, but he remembers being sent out by ARGUS to investigate something by the docks, alongside Roy as his Arsenal persona and Rene as Wild Dog. They were all bantering, treating it, at first, as another day at the office. There were people there, dressed in monastic yet armored robes, carrying red cross insignias on their shoulder pads.

Arsenal was taking them down with athletic grace and marksmanship. "You'd think after seven years, the bad guys would wisen up to us?"

Wilddog was dodging in and out of cover, using rubber bullets to take down the bad guys and his fists, elbows, or kicks if they got too close. "Yeah, well, bad guys usually aren't smart. At least, that's my logic from the movies."

Red Arrow took his batch down, at first, with stealth and his gadgetry before moving in on the rest with his usual brand of MMA and tactics, exploiting openings for hard takedowns and throws. "Focus, you two. He's got to be around here somewhere."

He…who was he again?

Red Arrow looks up at the brutish man. "Where are the others?"

He leans down a bit, his huge suit casting a looming shadow. "You mean the vigilante's you believe can save this excuse of a city?" He leans away a bit. "They got away, thanks to you MESSING things up. But my little trap still worked." He leans in again, this time more in Red Arrow's masked face. "Because we, at least, have you, ensuring that you won't do to us what I've been trying to do to your friends and family for months."

What he's been doing? Wait. That means…

Red Arrow got on the comms. "Curtis, can you find any trace of Chimera?"

The only thing he heard was static.

"Curtis, come in. Curtis?!"

Red Arrow stares him down. "You're Chimera? You're the Ninth Circle's future informant?"

The hulking man leans away and laughs. "You mean you haven't figured it out yet? Wow! I thought you would've been told already."

Red Arrow raises an eyebrow. "Told what?"

He raises his hand as if to say something but is hesitant. He then puts it to his mechanical jaw. "You know what? I won't spoil things for you. Not just yet. First, I'm going to enact JUSTICE for what you did to me. 'An eye for an eye' type of deal."

"I don't even know who you are."

Again, the man looked as if he was about to speak, but then stops himself. He looks down at himself and laughs. "Oh, that's right! I'm so used to being in this thing."

He removes his helm and wraps it around his hip in one arm. With the other, he reaches up for what William can barely discern as a cord to possibly a ceiling bulb. As the light flickers on, the man looming above him is made more clear and much more familiar. A red-haired man that William once knew to be a clean looking but corrupt individual now looks rugged and somewhat maniacal with that smile he has on his face.

"Recognize me now?"

Red Arrow just scoffs. "Keven Dale. I should've guessed."

Dale just chuckles.

"What's funny?"

"What's funny is that you still don't know SHIT!"

"I know you were arming explosives all over Star City, preparing Armageddon while you waited safely behind the walls of the Glades, make Mayor Ramirez take the blame for ALL of it."

Dale kneels down in front of William. "You know, you're not as smart as you think you are. You just have bits and pieces. But you'll realize soon what exactly you did that made me so PISSED OFF at you."

"Mia told us everything. This was your backup plan. The others were about to stop you, so you travel back in time to tell the Deacon and Dante how to prevent us from saving Star City."

Dale just laughs again. "If only you knew how you're still grasping at straws." He slips the helm back on. "I will admit that I was unprepared for how things went, but now I have THIS."

Dale shows off his suit. It looks militaristic, made out of titanium with wrist rockets and most likely has some kind of HUD for the helm's visor. Yet, it also looks familiar, as if he had seen it before, or at least its designs. What tipped Red Arrow off was the magnetic seal on the chest area. He swears he has, at least, seen a variation of it.

Dale flexes the suit a bit more. "This thing was made to withstand almost anything. You, you're vigilante friends, even your dad. Just imagine them shooting their little arrows and bullets, only DELAYING the inevitable. It'll be fun watching them SQUIRM…" He leans back in towards William. "Especially getting PAYBACK on your little sister for almost making me lose my trip."

William's blood flashes red, his arms now trying to get out of the binds he is in. "If you lay one hand on my friends, on MY FAMILY—"

Dale just waves a hand. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've heard the hero speak before. It won't make a difference this time." He walks away through the door he came through. "Just enjoy the feature presentation! It'll end with a bang!"

---

As the elevator doors open, Felicity and Oliver rush in with Petowitz and her cameraman at such a speed that may be mistaken for a small stampede. They see Curtis Holt hard at work alongside Rene Ramirez and Roy Harper, focused on the screen while talking. That is, until Roy sees them coming and heads to the catwalk to meet them.

"Oliver."

Oliver gives an intense stare. "Where is he?"

Roy does his best to not let the stare deter him. "We're doing everything we—"

"Where's Red Arrow?!"

The yell makes almost everyone, including Petowitz, flinch. Roy, however, stands his ground.

Rene joins in. "Chimera took him. We barely escaped."

Felicity seems to be just as temperamental as Oliver is at this moment. "We leave the three of you alone for one mission and he's somehow the one captured?!"

Roy refutes, "The guy was equipped with some kind of military grade suit. Even I couldn't find any openings." Roy bowed his head. "Red Arrow was holding him off to give us time to escape."

Rene tries to assure them, "We tried to go back, but the guy was chasing us down with wrist rockets. We don't have that type of A…weaponry."

Roy looks at him with a bit of a grimace.

Oliver takes a few breaths as they explain, his anger subsiding. "I understand. But at least tell me there's been any attempt at tracking him."

Curtis raises a hand. "Uh, before I say anything, should we really be letting them record a personal conversation?"

Petowitz shakes her head. "Mr. Queen told us to turn off all recording devices before even coming here and even blindfolded us. We've agreed to not make this part of the feature."

Curtis nods. "In that case…" He points to the computer screen. "I've been trying to find a signal from both ARGUS and detective vision satellites. Whoever this guy is has a jamming device on his person."

Felicity gets into the chair next to him. "Any signals from Red Arrow's suit beacon?"

"Not yet. That jammer may cover a wide area."

"Let me see if I can find a work around."

Petowitz looks around the area, already amazed by what she is seeing. "This is truly amazing! I have seen the inside of military bunkers that don't even compare to all of this."

Oliver steps in. "This is not a military grade bunker."

Curtis intervenes with, "Though, we do call it the bunker." Oliver gives him a stern glare, which causes him to shrink back into his chair. "Sorry."

"Who are they?"

Emiko's voice echoes from a distance, catching everyone's attention. Everyone looks at her, Oliver and his team expressing concern and worry of her even being here.

Petowitz, however, raises an eyebrow. "Who are you?"

Before Petowitz could make a step towards her, Oliver stands in her way. "THIS…is one of our newest members, top secret…" He then looks at her with a bit of a glare. "Whom I thought was supposed to be DONE for the night."

Emiko continues to walk up to them. "I was woken up by you shouting something about Red Arrow. Is he okay?"

Petowitz manages to move past Oliver and approaches Emiko. "Woken up? Are you implying that you live here?"

Emiko just bumps past her.

Petowitz scoffs. "Rude."

Emiko rushes to Oliver. "What happened to Red Arrow and why are these people here?"

Before Oliver could get a word out, Rene chimes in, "He was captured by Chimera."

Emiko looks at him with wide eyes. "Chimera?"

Petowitz walks back up and asks, "Who exactly is this Chimera?"

Emiko retorts, "None of your damn business!"

Oliver grabs her by the arm. "Hey!" She stares back at him grimly but says nothing. He continues, "Let's talk about this privately."

"But—"

"PRIVATELY."

Oliver's almost thunderous tone does not worry Emiko, as it does the others. However, she does not test Oliver further. She and Oliver move off the platform and to the training area, out of everyone else's earshot.

Emiko asks, "What did Rene mean by Chimera kidnapping William?"

"They were on a mission that went south. Curtis and Felicity are on the case right now."

"William's not going to last five minutes with Chimera."

"Emiko, I'm worried for him too. I also know that William's been through worse than this."

"He hasn't met Chimera. I have."

"You said you only met him once."

"And that one meeting told me all I needed to know about him. He may seem boastful and talk down to everyone. But I SAW into his eyes. They were the eyes of someone who is ruthless, cunning, and trained with a bloodlust that he won't hesitate to show if he's cut loose. There's only one other person I know who's like that. The Deacon."

"Blackfire."

Emiko nods. "If I had to guess, he trained Chimera that way and only a few lasted long against his interrogation methods. So, if I were you, I would be more worried than you are right now and get whoever those people are out of here."

Oliver sighs. "I can't. They're insistent on following us everywhere for this documentary, even here."

"You led them to our lair for a stupid documentary?"

"They don't know where they are and they don't care. All they want are interviews."

"Did you actually tell them no?"

"We did, but they said that they knew how to be discreet. That's how they were able to get William and Diaz's fight at the plant."

Emiko is taken somewhat aback. "That was them?"

Oliver shrugs his shoulders. "Apparently. Either way, we're stuck with them, so…we're going to have to accommodate."

Felicity's voice rings out, "Oliver! John and Lyla are on the line."

Oliver looks back and nods. "Let's go."

Oliver and Emiko head back to the platform, greeted by a screen call from Lyla and John at her office.

"John, Lyla! Red Arrow's—"

Lyla interrupts, "We know Oliver. We've been tracking him for hours. Blackstar's been on the hunt for him."

Oliver pushes past Roy and Rene. "You mean on her own?"

"We couldn't stop her. She was already on patrol at the time helping Captain Drake."

"So, are the police assisting?"

John shakes his head. "This is an internal operation and Dinah's moving on to cover your debate with Pollard tonight. But we've combed through the satellites. Whatever jammer the guy is using is far more advanced than anything we've seen before."

Oliver nods, knowing that it may be future tech.

Felicity looks up at the others. "That means I can't help you guys from here if it can't be destroyed easily."

Petowitz steps in. "Uh, isn't there anything you can do with our camera? I know that may be a stupid suggestion, but—"

"No, no, no. You're actually onto something."

Petowitz actually looks at Felicity with surprise. "I am?"

Felicity stands up and whispers in Oliver's ear, "William's little bot devices were made to withstand jamming frequencies. We get one of those onto the camera and I am guaranteed at least some vision of what's going on."

Oliver nods slowly. "You may be right, but it would be limited vision and one of them would be holding the camera."

"It's the only option we have. Don't worry, it'll be fine. It's just like that Star Trek Episode."

"Felicity, I have never watched Star Trek."

She steps back with a faint, "Right."

Oliver then turns to Petowitz's cameraman. "We'll need that camera."

She steps between them. "We're going with you."

Oliver detests, "You're going to be placed in danger. We can't ask that of you."

"We knew what we were signing on for when we agreed to this documentary. My guy is a skilled cameraman and can do it a lot better than any of you here." Petowitz raises a hand. "No offense."

Oliver sighs and rubs his eyes, whispering to himself, "This is just getting harder all the time."

Roy then indicates, "Even so, we don't know where Red Arrow is right now."

Lyla tells them, "We are pooling every intelligence officer we can into this. Chimera is our best shot at information and Red Arrow is too important to—"

Just then, an ARGUS agent comes in and whispers something into Lyla's ear. Her face goes from a stare for being interrupted to mellowing a bit, listening with great interest. John leans in and expresses the same attitude. Slowly, but surely, they seem to be either confused or shocked, judging by their wide eyes and subtly pursed lips.

John asks, "Are you serious?"

The agent nods.

Oliver asks, "What is it?"

Lyla looks back and answers, "Someone just escaped from ARGUS."

Oliver's eyes widen, as does everyone else's. "What?!"

"Didn't set off any of the alarms, no trace of where she went. Nothing! She left just a few minutes ago."

"Do you need one of us to pursue her?"

John intervenes, "That's the thing. She left a note leaving a potential location, but…"

"What?"

"…the note says it's where Red Arrow is."

As confused as Oliver is, he immediately asks, "Where?"

---

With Kevin Dale gone, Red Arrow gets a measure of his binds.

I'm tied to the chair by chains, both torso and feet. He didn't resort to handcuffs first, which means that he's cautious or knows of my thumb dislocation trick. He didn't remove my suit, which means the counter measures worked. This isn't a total loss.

Red Arrow tucks his lower legs close to the chair as he can. Slowly and carefully, he stands up on his feet and balances himself. With that one step done, he hops backwards to the wall and puts himself parallel to it.

It should be enough. Here goes nothing.

Red Arrow shifts his weight and whacks the chair into the wall a few times. A leg breaks away and the bottom-right side chips away and cracks.

That should be enough. Now the other.

Red Arrow hops around to the other side, adjusting to account for any accidental shifts away from the wall. He then whacks his chair into it again, breaking off another leg and chipping the back once more. He can feel a couple rows of chain beginning to loosen, as well as the chair seat.

It's good, but it's not quite there yet. Trying to jump onto the wall from behind won't be enough.

He then looks down at the floor.

However, with my suit's shock absorption, it should be enough to do…

Red Arrow shifts his feet forward. He begins to hop towards the center, building up enough speed and height with each jump. At his highest, his last jump ends with him spinning and landing on his back, breaking the chair entirely.

…Ah…that.

Red Arrow groans as low as he can. While he does not feel any fractures, he can feel the impact of the fall vibrating through his suit. Still, the chains around him are now completely loose, allowing him free use of his arms. He then unwraps the chains around his legs, letting himself move around.

Can't go out there empty handed. Like Bruce said: adapt and improvise.

After loosening up his limbs, he gets himself up. He grabs the chains and wraps them around the two loose chair legs, creating makeshift kusarigama. He breaks the other two legs off with the help of his gauntlets and wields them in both hands as escrima sticks.

"Oliver Queen?"

The broadcast in front of Red Arrow moves on to an interview of John in a car. William deduces that this must've been the time when he was Oliver's chauffer and bodyguard.

"Let's get a couple things straight. Oliver Queen doesn't even know Adam Hunt."

This was from my father's time as the Hood. Petowitz was on his trail for that long?

"Second, do you see a billionaire playboy like him playing Robin Hood?" John scoffs. "Give me a break."

The footage then cuts to John in his office at ARGUS HQ, giving a bit of an embarrassed grin as a man exposed of lying would.

"Well, I guess that statement did not age well."

Red Arrow couldn't help but smile a bit at the joke.

"But what you have to understand is…Oliver's a different person, a different man. It has ALWAYS been an honor to fight alongside him, to see him grow. He's changed from the man on a mission to a hero, from a billionaire playboy to a great husband and father. There's always been one constant in his mission: His commitment to Star City."

Red Arrow looks at the TV, seeing no remote or even buttons on the side of it.

Something must be casting to this TV. But where? Why would Dale want me to see day old footage? That is, if it is a day old.

Not wanting to stay long, Red Arrow exits the room, peering out first to see if there were any dangers. With the coast clear, he walks down the hallway to his left. With the little light provided, he sees dusty desks, worn out wheely chairs, and a few manilla folders on the floor. Further down, he enters a spacious area with cubicles lined up in rows.

An abandoned office building. No signs of what administration was here. No signs of Dale either. If I knew where he took up residence here, I may find my equipm—

Suddenly, a knocking sound comes from one of the doors next to him. Alert, he enters a fighting stance.

"Hey! I can hear you out there!"

A female's voice. Another prisoner?

"I did everything you said! Let me out!"

Yep, prisoner. Either that, or a defector.

Red Arrow moves in slowly. He stows one stick to his side and grips the door handle. He turns it gently, making sure that it wasn't locked on his side. Seeing it push down, he quickly opens the door and points his stick towards the doorway.

A young woman with brown hair and fairly big glasses raises her hands up. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Don't hurt me!"

He extends his arm a bit further towards her, which makes her flinch back a bit. "Are you with the Ninth Circle?"

She shakes her head in confusion. "The Ninth what? Look, I don't even know half of what's been going on here. I'm just a ha-analyst."

Red Arrow raises an eyebrow. "Why would someone want your particular skills?"

She shakes her head. "Oh no. First, you put that down and tell me who YOU are, or I don't talk."

Hm. Doesn't seem to recognize my crest. She must've been a prisoner for a while, no outside communication or just a lack of it.

Red Arrow lowers his stick. "A prisoner, just as you are. I only recently escaped my cell. You can call me Red Arrow."

Slowly, the woman lowers her arms, approaching him slowly. "Like…like the Green Arrow? You're doing the good work while he's in jail?"

Okay, she's been REALLY out of touch.

"How long exactly have you been here?"

She shrugs. "A couple of months, give or take. It's been hard to keep track of time." She steps out and looks around, seeing no signs of anyone else besides them. "Can we leave now?"

"Answer my questions first then we'll see. What exactly have they been making you do here?"

Her foot begins to tap impatiently, desperate to get out or hesitant to tell the truth.

"You…you won't like me if I tell you—"

"That you're a hacker. Well, trust me, I've done my fair share too and my friend, Overwatch, is an expert."

The woman's eyes widen. "Overwatch? As in Felicity? She actually survived?"

The statement caught Red Arrow a bit off guard.

Survived? As in survived the attack from Diaz on our apartment during witness protection?

"I saved her life."

She lets out a breath, almost exasperated. Her legs wobble a little, but she catches herself. "Oh my god! Oh, thank god, she didn't die."

"What do you know about it?"

She takes a few deep breaths before she explains, "I was part of a hacktivist group called Helix. It was run by someone I thought would help change the world, but became unhinged when a member of his family died."

Red Arrow nods slowly. "I understand that kind of story."

"Yeah, well, he died not long after we rescued him from ARGUS and the group was disbanded. I went into hiding myself but somehow, these guys in hoody trench coats jump me and bring me here."

"Why?"

"They wanted me to work with somebody else on a code. A woman in a white outfit."

Silencer.

"What for?"

"A virus. A multipurpose virus. Once you were inside a system, you could shut down security systems, mess with cameras. A whole lot of stuff and I just—"

"Wait!"

Security systems? Cameras? The same one that disabled Felicity's security and allowed the Longbow Hunters access to the battery?

"You designed that code?!"

Red Arrow's harsh voice disturbs the woman a bit, soliciting an immediate response, "No! No, I didn't! She and her brother developed the code, at least the basis. I just helped polish a few things."

"Brother?"

She nods. "I didn't know her, but I knew her brother. I don't know how involved he is with these people, but she told me they created the code. She needed help tweaking it for further use."

"In what?"

"Well, everything. Like I said, the code is multipurpose, but it has flaws. You need to be on sight for it to work and they wanted a more wireless version of it to send anywhere with just a click of a button."

With a code like that, they could very well hack anything on the entire planet, and that wouldn't be in effect until the late 2020's.

William walks up to her. "Do you know where exactly you did these improvements here?"

She puts up a finger, but is hesitant with her words. "I…don't exactly know since they blindfold me, but from the elevator trips, I would say the upper floors."

That's not enough to go on.

"Any defining details?"

"I managed to look past the computer. There's a pretty elaborate lab across from it, at least two rooms big. There's also a meeting room on the side. The room I was in seemed like an office, and a pretty big one"

William rubs his chin a bit.

It may be a longshot, but from what she is describing, the top floor seems to be our best bet.

While he is unsure himself, he still nods. "Good. Then I'm not leaving just yet. I need to get my equipment and make sure that code can't be used by these people."

The woman approaches him. "Let me come with. I know the code intimately, so I could help extract and contain it."

"Fine. But if we're in immediate danger, you run."

She nods. Before she could walk past him, he asks, "I told you my name. What's yours?"

She looks at him with a cautious and uncertain stare. Still, she introduces herself as, "Whitlock. Alena Whitlock."

---

Mia, aka Blackstar, swings high up into the sky before she launches another grapple arrow that zips her up towards the roof of the structure opposite of the target building. She walks up to the ledge and takes in the view of the abandoned facility.

A tall office building with the big Palmer Industries logo. Still can't believe we're taking the word of a crazy woman who escaped ARGUS.

Blackstar then gets on the comm to the Bunker. "Overwatch, I have the target building in sight."

"Got it. Any sign of William in one of the rooms?"

Blackstar uses her new mask to zoom in on the windows. Almost every single one of them is pitch black while the others that are lit are empty.

"Not so far. Are we even sure we can trust that woman? She tried to kill Will and was showing signs of psychosis."

"The coordinates she left were very specific. Actually, maybe too specific. Besides that, there's a jamming signal broadcasting in that building. Still, we're all as doubtful as you are."

Blackstar nods. "I get that, but this just seems a bit coincidental, the Ninth Circle having operations in the same building Ray Palmer snatched from Dad."

"Okay, snatched is a harsh word. Your father's company was bought out."

"Same difference to me."

"And besides, even if this is a bust, ARGUS is already scouring the city. We're just sending Knightwatch to investigate. That's all."

"Still, it feels a bit stupid that we're relying on the words of a—"

Suddenly, she hears another arrow being latched onto the side. Blackstar turns around and gets ready for a fight. However, the intruder is just her half aunt, Emiko, dressed in a standard ARGUS uniform. She is equipped with a quiver and bow, but her arrows seem limited to the blunt and rope variety.

Blackstar stands down. "They sent you alone?"

"Alone, but not unwatched." Emiko points towards the sky as she walks next to Blackstar. "Satellite has me covered."

"To make sure you're safe. BIG difference. You two behave yourselves and don't move in until you get the all-clear, and keep us updated. Overwatch out."

Emiko looks out towards the target building. In fact, she is almost fixated on it, particularly the old sign covering a good portion of the top floor.

Blackstar begins to worry. "Are you alright?"

Emiko's eyes remain on the sign. "That name. It feels wrong. It should be Queen Consolidated there."

"You say that as if you miss it."

Emiko looks at her with a glare. "I said it LOOKS WRONG, not that I missed it. For all I care, my father's company could BURN if that meant he would come back to me and mom."

Blackstar chooses her next words as carefully as she can. "Did he?"

Emiko brings her eyes back to the building. "There was a time when my Dad lived with us. I was about 10 years old by the time he left. Mom would never tell me why."

Blackstar couldn't help but feel sorry, comparing Emiko's parent troubles to her own. Then came a wave of despair.

"You were lucky. My dad left me and Mom a couple of years after I was born, out doing vigilante stuff for Star City. I wouldn't see him until many years later. Even then, I couldn't fully forgive him, even when he wanted me back in his life."

Emiko tries to keep a firm face, but a subtle twitch of the eye or jaw could be seen.

"I tried to insert myself into Dad's life. I had ideas for Queen Consolidated. I wasn't seeking to make my true heritage known to the public or Oliver or Thea. I wasn't chasing personal glory or—"

Hearing Emiko's voice raise a bit, Blackstar interrupts, "You just wanted to be part of the family business. I can…I can get that."

Emiko bows her head. "He still rejected me." She looks at Blackstar once more, her eyes looking more cold. "You think my father's actions were somehow justified, just like your dad thinks they are? Did your Mom ever justify his own?"

Blackstar does not answer. She looks away, her head pushing down all of the bad memories down. However, as she gets a view of the building back, she sees two figures on the top floor. She recognizes one of them as Red Arrow, roaming without his equipment. The other one is a woman, someone completely new to her.

Blackstar points them out to Emiko. "There!" Blackstar gets on the comm. "Overwatch, I found Will!"

"You do?! Where?"

"Top floor. He's with some woman."

"Woman? What does she look like?"

Blackstar zooms in on her. "Brown hair, glasses, probably in her late 20's." There's no response. "Overwatch? Mom?"

"Sorry. Listen, I'm contacting the others. Do not take your eyes off of William for a SECOND."

"Wait, shouldn't I try to contact him?"

"If you find a discreet way, then do it. Otherwise, DON'T go in. That goes for Emiko too."

"Got it. Blackstar out." Blackstar turns to Emiko as she gets off the comm. "You wouldn't happen to have something to create morse code or something?"

Emiko shakes her head. "I'm afraid William's on his own, for now."

---

Exiting the elevator, Red Arrow and Alena stumble into what can only be described as an R&D lab. Tons of equipment and tools can be seen, as well as a couple of workbenches.

Red Arrow takes in the surroundings. "Okay. You weren't kidding about this place being elaborate."

Alena points in the direction beyond the labs. "The computer's in there."

Red Arrow sees the main office just ahead. The office itself looks a bit more lavish, surrounded by marble walls and the glass windows. There were empty shelves that, from a distance, look to be made of the finest wood. There was no doubt, however, that they would've collected dust over the years it was abandoned.

As they walk towards the office doors, Red Arrow looks through the windows available to them. From the looks of the other buildings, theirs might be the tallest of them all, if not of the whole city. He can even see out to the horizon and the stars leading towards it. The tallest complex in the city he had ever been to was one of the Felicity Tech buildings, but he does not recognize the inside of this floor as one of them. However, this would be a prime candidate.

Once they got there, Red Arrow tries to pull the door open, but it does not budge.

"Locked. If I had a pick or a paper clip-"

Right on cue, Alena presents him with a large paperclip gripped in her fingertips.

He raises an eyebrow. "You had one and didn't use it?"

She bites her lip. "I tried, but…I'm not the best lockpick."

Red Arrow proceeds to take it and unfolds the top part. "This'll take a minute. Keep an eye out."

Alena leans on the glass wall opposite him while he sticks the clip into the keyhole and feels around for the picks.

Alena, after a moment, asks, "So, this Knightwatch group you assembled… Felicity Smoak is a part of it?"

Red Arrow finds the first pick and focuses on slowly pushing it upwards. "You know her?"

"Yeah. She's a bit of an inspiration for what I do."

He feels the click and then proceeds to the next one. "Yeah, I can get that."

"She's also helped us out a bunch, both before and after realizing what our leader, Cayden James, had become."

Red Arrow stops just as he finds the next pick. He looks up to Alena with wide eyes. "You worked with Cayden James?"

Alena looks at him with a curious stare. "You know him?"

For Red Arrow, memories start to flood back. He remembers the night he followed his father because the possibility of him dying on that particular mission was too much to bear. He remembers meeting Cayden James and his father stopping him from detonating a bomb that could've destroyed Star City. A sense of dread accompanied them.

"Barely." He shakes off the feeling and gets back to the lock. "Just that the loss of his son drove him to bankrupting Star City, nearly destroying it, and got killed by Ricardo Diaz."

Alena closes her eyes. "That…pretty much sums it up."

Red Arrow can hear her voice dropping off. "I guess he was a different man before that happened."

Alena was silent for a moment. She looks down at the floor. "He wanted to change the world once. He wanted Helix to be a group that could make a difference in the world, upend corruption."

"And yet he became corrupt himself."

"He was in grief. None of us acknowledged it until he started hiring the likes of Diaz and that Black Siren alternate."

After feeling for the next pick, he looks up. "You knew about Earth 2 Laurel?"

Alena shrugs her shoulders. "If aliens could invade, alternate Earths weren't such a longshot."

"Point taken."

"Are you…from another Earth?"

"What makes you say that?"

"The way you talk. I know you're using a modulator, but it sounds…familiar somehow."

As Red Arrow pushes on the pick, he simply dismisses her claim with, "I get that a lot."

With the last click, the door unlocks. Red Arrow takes the clip out and opens the door. As they head inside, he can now discern the computer as a modern windows desktop computer and tower. Next to it is a laptop, also of a modern make. The laptop is currently the only machine running, playing some commercial.

Alena makes her way to the desktop and turns it on. "I should be able to get the virus code in just a minute."

"Is the computer passcode locked?"

"Yeah, but it's no problem. They type it right in front of me."

"They never told you to turn away or blindfolded you?"

"Well, they threatened to do away with me if I did one thing wrong, so I wasn't in a position to really do anything to them. Let me just—"

"We now return with tonight's feature presentation of The Emerald Archer."

The laptop starts playing the documentary's intro, arrows flying past the green palette title. It then cuts to a scene of Spartan, Wilddog, and Arsenal in the portable HQ, on their way towards somewhere. Also in view is Petowitz, just off to the side next to one of the workstations.

Spartan speaks to the others, "Our lead is the old Palmer Industries building just on the north side of the city. It's flimsy, I know, but it's our only one. We go in, find Red Arrow, then get out. If Chimera is in there too, be cautious. Until we know his full specifications, engaging him is NOT advised."

Red Arrow looks at the footage confused.

Is Palmer Industries where we are now? If so, then they should've been here a while ago. Are they prisoners here too or…

"Alena, does your computer have a date on there?"

Alena looks at the bottom right-hand corner. "Uh, yeah. It's the 4th of February."

Red Arrow is now shaking his head in disbelief.

This should be impossible! The footage is recorded. It won't go live for another…

Red Arrow's eyes widen.

Unless…

Red Arrow quickly minimizes the video and goes to the home screen. He does not find a lot of apps, but the browser icons look like something beyond a simple Windows 10 laptop. He brings up the settings menu, which is also different from that of a Windows 10, but is no less familiar. He's seen this type of OS before, but it would not be public until 2021. He goes into the "about" section and confirms that this laptop is, indeed, a Windows 11. However, he looks at the date it was first set up, which only leads to more questions.

2040? That would mean Dale bought this thing and installed a Win 11 OS, maybe mistaking the era it was supposed to be made. But that doesn't explain why there's a video of an already made documentary live on…wait. Is it live?

Red Arrow goes back to the video, discovering a slider at the bottom. He rewinds it to the beginning, seeing some footage of the team on their old adventures. He fast forwards it by 20 seconds, stopping at an interview of Quentin Lance as the officer of SCPD.

"The law is meant to be upheld. You can't take it into your own hands. That's vigilantism, anarchy. But…I realize that there's worse out there than vigilantes and…sometimes, the police aren't enough."

He then fasts forward to another interview, this time with Sara Lance.

"The world needs protectors. It doesn't matter whether they're in masks or not. Friends, family, even total strangers need someone they can look up to."

To be sure, he goes to one more interview, a young woman the video identifies as Cindy Simone.

"I knew them back in the day. The Canary, the Arrow. Honestly, I don't know where I'd be without them. They helped me out of a couple tight spots. But I've seen the toll it takes on them. For them, it's not just legality or philosophical debate. It's real. And it takes EVERYTHING from them."

How could this be already established footage? It hasn't been released yet. Go further.

When Red Arrow pushes the slider beyond the limit, he finds something even weirder.

These images, their…unstable. That green that keeps intermitting, is that the time stream? What are these? They look like riots, chaos, destruction. No one's stopping it. Where's Knightwatch?

One more image appears before his eyes.

The Glades…walled off!

Red Arrow then realized what this was.

I remember now! Another documentary WAS made. It covered Star City's downfall with Green Arrow's absence before he was sent back in under government mandate. The current documentary must be replacing this one and Dale's using timestream tapping tech to check up on it!

He whispers, "Oh crud!"

"Okay, I found the code."

Alena's voice forces Red Arrow to close the laptop screen down quickly.

"But I need a USB stick or something to store it in."

Trying to act cool, he nods. "Check in the drawers. I'll check the lab."

Alena nods and looks inside the drawers. Red Arrow heads back into the lab and starts searching for a USB stick, still thinking about the footage he saw.

If Chimera can spy on Team Arrow through a documentary, then he'll know they're coming. He has to. I need to find a way to get in contact with the team soon before he uses that info against them. If there's a jamming device in this place, I won't be able to…

As he makes his way to the workbench, something catches his eye: a blueprint depicting a hulking figure similar in design to the Chimera suit. On the corner of it is the "Wayne Enterprises" logo.

I knew I recognized that design! This must've been from before Wayne tech shifted from military ordinance. At least, before Bruce took it all in through shell companies to finance his time as Batman.

He sees the chest area in the blueprint, recognizing the small portable battery in the middle. The notes on the side give specifics of the material and power output.

As I suspected, the battery is the only source of power for the suit. Take that out and Dale's completely immobilized. However, it's magnetized, so EMP won't work. Only a direct hit will take it down. Now, if only I knew where my equipment was.

"Hey! I found one. I'll start downloading."

Right. I forgot about the USB.

"But, uh…you may want to see this."

Red Arrow heads back into the office and stands next to Alena. On the computer is a top-down image showing the interior of the city's Community Center. The bottom floors are marked with arrows both in and out of the entrances. The second floor has a red circle around the platforms and podiums.

"I found this when searching for the code. I didn't know what it was for."

Red Arrow leans on the desk with his hands. "I do. Green Arrow and Mayor Pollard are supposed to have a debate over the Anti-Vigilante Act. Dozens of reporters will be there. If Chimera is planning an attack there…"

Alena looks at the time displayed for the attack to begin. "The debate's about less than 10 minutes away. I don't know how he's going to get there in time."

"I do. I have a strong feeling we're at Palmer Industries, which is just a few blocks from the Center."

Alena raises an eyebrow. "Huh. Convenient."

"More like strategically picked by Chimera. No one would check an abandoned facility like this."

"Well, that, and it just seems to be convenient that Robert Queen chose a location this close to the Center when he first made 'Queen Consolidated.' Maybe that's just the conspiracy theorist in me."

Hearing the original name, Red Arrow looks around the room, almost mystified.

This was Queen Consolidated? They were hiding out in my family's original company? Alena's right. This feels convenient…too convenient.

Red Arrow steps away. "Regardless, that tells us that Chimera isn't here. It explains the lack of—"

Suddenly, Red Arrow hears a slight ping noise ahead of them, a ping he immediately recognizes as a dart leaving its holster. Upon reaction, he puts up both gauntlets in front of himself and Alena, who flinches upon his action.

"Down!"

Both of them crouch behind the desk. Alena puts her head in between her knees. Red Arrow scrapes off the darts and moves his hand up slowly, creeping it up to just the edge of the desk.

"Come out, little Arrow!"

Red Arrow pokes his head out just to his eyes Just across from them in the labs stands a woman he recognizes as one of the Longbow Hunters, Red, their dart markswoman.

---

Blackstar sees a woman in a red leather jacket shoot darts at Red Arrow, which he quickly reacts to. She also sees somebody else. A man with a large shield, covered by the rims with blades.

Emiko looks at the two with a concerned stare. "It's the Longbow Hunters, the Deacon's elites."

Running out of patience, Blackstar gets on the comm. "Overwatch, Red Arrow's cornered! I'm moving in."

"Wait! No! Do not move in! Repeat, do not—"

Blackstar cuts the channel off before sighing.

Emiko stares at her with a look of disbelief. "Did you just cut your mother off?"

"She won't agree. We need to save William. Come on!"

Emiko does not argue. They turn around, ready to head back to their rope arrows and head to the Palmer Industries building. But near those arrows, they see her, the person who escaped ARGUS, who led them here in the first place. As she is still classified as the enemy, both Blackstar and Emiko ready themselves.

"Listen to your mother."

Blackstar tries to detect any hint of deception or sinister tones in her voice, but she can't. She addresses them in such a friendly manner. Even Emiko is taken a bit by surprise.

"Your purpose lies elsewhere."

---

"Wait! No! Do not move in! Repeat, do not—"

Before Felicity can finish, the transmission ends. Her mouth is agape, and her fingers tense up.

"Did—did she just cut me off?" She shakes her head in disbelief. "Oh, she did NOT just cut off her own mother!" She slams a hand on her computer and rubs her forehead, groaning in frustration.

Curtis tries to comfort her with, "Well, I don't think tonight will get—"

Felicity points accusingly at Curtis. "Don't you DARE jinx us Curtis!"

Her subtle anger makes Curtis' tongue roll into his mouth.

"I'm calling the others!"

Felicity patches through to John's comm first, then Rene and Roy's.

"Knightwatch, this is Overwatch. Do you read?"

No response comes in.

"Knightwatch, do you read?"

Still nothing. Felicity starts to become more tense.

"John? Rene? Roy?"

The silence becomes startling, almost frightening now. Felicity starts to panic.

"Somebody? Anybody?!"

---

"Until we know his specifications, engaging him is not advised."

Petowitz had her cameraman keep recording as soon as their blindfolds were off. John Diggle, aka Spartan, giving his speech to the team members is just the kind of scene they need. Ideally, Oliver Queen as the Green Arrow giving it would be more on point. This was his documentary after all. However, he has his debate with Mayor Pollard, which is already being televised by a few major studios. She'll add it in if it goes Oliver's way.

The van stops suddenly. The driver Rene Ramirez, aka Wilddog, curses, "Oh, what the hell?!"

Spartan walks up to the front, looking at the traffic passing by. "Why'd we stop? It should be a straight shot through for us."

Wilddog groans a bit. "I know that."

"These lights should be green for us up to Palmer Industries."

Wilddog then sighs. "Look, whatever! Light's going to go green any—"

Suddenly, above them, something huge breaks through the van's roof and lands with a thunderous sound. Petowitz flinches away and screams, so does her cameraman, and covers her face as a futile means of protection. When she moves them away, she sees a hulking suit, like a villain out of a superhero movie, which feels different when being in one.

Roy Harper, aka Arsenal, tries to get an arrow out of his quiver, but the brute knocks the bow out of his hand and knocks him to the floor as if he were a mere mannequin.

As Spartan and Wilddog aim their guns, the brute aims his wrist down at the floor, which spawns a couple of miniature rockets. "Stop!"

Petowitz crouches down and covers herself again, scared that her life is about to end by explosive. Her cameraman does the same, but she is quick to make him point the camera at the action. In her mind, very high stakes such as this still make for quality television.

"I can survive being blown to kingdom come! Can you?"

Petowitz whimpers at the possibility of dying in a massive explosion. Spartan and Wilddog are hesitant but look about ready to shoot. However, they eventually lower their guns, which lets Petowitz let out a relieved breath.

The brute looks down at her and her companion, his face looking like something out of a Friday the 13th movie. "Get up! Move out of the van now!"

They both comply almost immediately, slowly moving to the van door.

The brute follows, still aiming his wristrockets at the van floor even as he leaves, leaving them with an ultimatum, "Right now, I reckon my friends are about to take Red Arrow out of the city, that is if they haven't killed him for being uncooperative. You all have a choice: save him or follow me to your death. Either way, I win."

As Petowitz and her cameraman move out of the van with the brute, he grabs both of them by the waist and lifts them up onto his shoulders.

When the cameraman starts screaming, the brute yells, "Keep that camera intact! We need to finish that little movie of yours, preferably with a BANG."

Felicity, who is watching through the camera with the bug she implanted, starts to panic more than she did a few minutes ago. "Oh frac! Oh frac! Oh frac!"

Curtis is trying to get back into contact with the others, but is failing to get results. "Something's jamming the signal. This must be Chimera."

"Tell me something I don't know!"

Curtis puts up a hand. "Okay, okay. Well, wherever he's going, it's not in the direction of Palmer Industries."

"Well, where else could he…"

Felicity stops as a thought pops in her head, the last thing Chimera says,

We need to finish that little movie of yours, preferably with a BANG.

"The Community Center."

Curtis turns to Felicity with a confused stare. "What?"

She elaborates, "Oliver's at the community center with Mayor Pollard right now along with a few dozen people! Dinah and the police escort won't be able to stop them. If Chimera comes in and wrecks the debate, the Anti-Vigilante Act may never be rescinded."

Curtis nods, now understanding. "And a documentary with an anti-vigilante view would only reinforce the law further. We'd be demonized for good."

Curtis looks down, contemplating for a moment. He lets out a sigh, as if he were about to do something he may regret.

He then gets up. "I'll call Nick and have him pick me up here. The second the jamming signal doesn't have an affect, call the others."

He heads towards the back of the bunker for some reason.

Felicity shouts for him, "Where are you going?"

"To suit up!"

Suit up?

Felicity's eyes then widen, realizing what's about to go down.

Holy crap! This is happening.

---

As Red Arrow ducks back down, he shouts to Red, "Thought you would've crawled back to your hole in shame, along with your friends!"

"You can't keep a Longbow Hunter down, little arrow! I thought you would've known that."

Alena grabs him by the shoulder. "What are you doing?"

"She believes she has us cornered. I just need to provoke her and stall, find a way for us to get out of here."

He looks towards the meeting room to their left. Unfortunately, there is no door leading out from there. However, there is a bit of room in case he had to fight in there.

He then addresses Red again. "This is just going to end up like last time. We don't have to fight. Walk away now."

"Sorry. There's no way I'm letting you leave, especially when the Deacon wants you alive."

"And become one of his brainwashed minions, living by his corrupt interpretation of the Holy texts? No thanks!"

"He saved us! Saved us from our CRUEL, DESPOTIC lives. HE gave us purpose. He can give you the same."

He looks to his right at the windows. Besides the desk here, he does not see much else he could use for his makeshift kusarigama to wrap onto so he and Alena can jump their way into the floor below.

"He turned you all into weapons for the Ninth Circle. You're all killers for hire, taking innocent lives in the process."

"Well, now they're going to regret what they've done to us! The Deacon will lead us into victory against the traitor, Dante, soon enough. He wants YOU by his side when he does."

This news catches Red Arrow off guard.

What?

However, he is quick to shake it off.

Nevermind that. I don't have a lot of options. I'll have to charge.

He whispers to Alena, "Listen to me. the moment I grab her attention, you run to the elevator and get out of here."

She shakes her head. "I'm not leaving you here."

"I'll be fine. Find ARGUS and tell them that I sent you along with my location. They'll take it from there. Okay?"

After a moment's hesitation, she nods, but her eyes tell him that she is not happy about this.

"Okay. Wait for me to—"

Alena's eyes grow wide as she points past him. "Look out!"

By the time Red Arrow turns around, a huge hand has already grabbed hold of him by the neck. At first, he believes it to be Chimera because everything is a blur for the moment. Then he begins to see the hand is made of flesh, so is the man with the familiar bladed-shield grinning sinisterly at him.

B—Bear?

"Hello there."

Bear slams Red Arrow into the table, his grip on his throat not very tight, but still firm.

Need to break grip. Don't have a lot of options.

Red Arrow throws out a wild hook to the face that does get a painful flinch out of Bear, but does not break the grip. He follows the hand through to his gauntlet, tapping quickly on the interface before Bear regains his focus. Bear then uses his shield hand to force his arm off of the desk and, with the shield, presses it down to keep it from moving. Red Arrow groans at the pain of his aching arm muscle as Bear applies the pressure.

"You're not getting away this time, and you're certainly not getting the better of me." Bear turns to Red. "Take the girl!"

Red starts to approach them. Alena, in panic, retreats to the wall, repeatedly murmuring "no" under her breath.

Bear then looks back at Red Arrow with gritting teeth. "We couldn't get that suit off you, but that won't save you. I'll beat you OVER and OVER until I break that armor off of you." He leans in and whispers, "Then we'll pay a visit to that little you, show you how WEAK and PATHETIC you really are. Joining us will be a boon for you."

As he leans away, Red Arrow smirks under the mask. "You want to know something about the suit? It was made to counter people like YOU."

He quickly raises his gauntlet with the screen facing Bear. It quickly emits a flashing light equivalent to a flash bang, stunning him. He covers and rubs his eyes and moves away, freeing Red Arrow from his grip.

Red Arrow gets up and tackles Bear, pushing him towards the meeting room, crashing through the glass windows. As they reach the table, Red Arrow, with the help of his suit's enhanced strength, is barely able to lift Bear off the ground and slam him into it.

As Red Arrow slowly starts to get up, he sees Red now walking towards Alena, her wrist launcher armed with a tranquilizer dart. Without a chance to breathe, Red Arrow takes out his makeshift kusarigama, spinning it in his hand, and runs towards Red. He throws the chair leg and chain at Red's head, which results in a broken nose for her and a prematurely fired dart at the desk. He charges at her with a blitz punch to the same area, pushing her away from Alena. He then grabs her by the waist and trips her up by the back of her legs, throwing her down to the ground.

As the dust settles, even if it is only for a microsecond, Red Arrow puts himself in front of Alena, preparing for Bear to get up. Alena does not move. She looks at him with astoundment, as if she had never seen anyone perform the feats he did. At least, not in a long while. Alternatively, she may be in shock.

Red Arrow looks down at her. "Why are you still here? GO."

Ahead of him, Red Arrow can hear Bear finally get up. He is on one knee, slamming his fist onto the ground. Immediately after, he throws his bladed shield at Red Arrow. He manages to deflect the shield away with a helmet block, the tri-weave materials dense enough to break one of the blades off as it goes flying.

Bear then walks towards them, seething through his clenched teeth. Red Arrow puts his hands up in his standard guard position, ready for anything. Almost as if not caring, Bear throws a telegraphed punch at him. Still, Red Arrow just barely catches it, using all his strength to keep it at bay.

He turns back to Alena, who still looks shocked, but is slowly getting up.

"Run!"

This time, she listens, running past a barely conscious Red and out through the labs.

When she is far enough, Red Arrow throws Bear's arm away and employs a cross to the face, which does stagger him a bit. Red Arrow then follows with a series of quick punches to the gut, his titanium gloves chipping away at Bear's stamina. Bear, however, is still able to throw another punch, which Red Arrow slips, shifting himself to Bear's side to throw a ball kick that sends him to the wall.

With Bear stunned again, Red Arrow continues to throw punch after punch, each one close to breaking Bear down. However, whether though sheer will or strength, Bear is able to get himself to stand and catch one of Red Arrow's punches as well as his chest and throw him to the wall next to them. Bear follows up with a hook to the face, which Red Arrow is able to roll under. Bear seemed to have expected it, for he goes to grab Red Arrow again mid roll. Red Arrow manages to catch the hand and, at the end of the roll, shifts himself away from the wall and spins around with Bear's arm still gripped in his hands. Bear is able to follow his movement and pushes Red Arrow into the desk. Red Arrow reacts quickly by jumping and landing onto the desk in an arm bar.

Good position to think. Got to think.

However, Bear adapts to the situation. With just the strength of one arm, he lifts Red Arrow into the air and slams him down onto the desk. Through the combination of the dense armor and the velocity of Bear's downward swing, Red Arrow finds himself unable to hold on and the desk itself breaks into two. The computer falls along with him, the screen shambling into pieces and spilling onto the floor.

Bear does not follow up with anything. Instead, he walks away towards the labs, about to get to Alena. Thinking fast, Red Arrow takes another one of his makeshift kusarigama and slowly gets up. He aims for the head, but throws it just a bit ahead of Bear to make up for his current lack of speed. However, Bear ducks down and grabs it by the chain. He then wraps it around his arm and yanks it hard. Too exhausted to react, Red Arrow is pulled away and thrown towards the floor. He skids about a few meters past Bear, who laughs at his attempts. However, as Red Arrow looks up, he sees the shield just ahead of him.

Use…shield.

He crawls his way towards it, making it look like a futile attempt at escape. Bear continues to laugh, hopefully not noticing.

"I guess I'm gonna have to incapacitate you first."

Red Arrow manages to slip the shield on and get on top of it, hiding it from sight.

Bear is now turning him around. "She'll have nowhere to hide anyways once I'm done with you."

As he is halfway turned, Red Arrow slams the shield across Bear's face. He certainly flinches, but it only seems to make him angrier. He takes Red Arrow by his metal chassis and throws him into the lab.

Red Arrow struggles to get up, only able to get to one knee. Bear walks towards him, laughing somewhat maniacally.

"You just don't know when to quit, don't you? That's good. That's the type of persistence we need in the Order."

Bear raises a fist into the air, readying a knockout punch.

"But you're too stubborn. So instead, you'll serve as an exa—"

Out of nowhere, a sharp, glinting object pierces Bear's hand. He screams in pain, grasping his hand. Looking at it for a moment reveals it to be a surgical knife, an odd object to find in a lab.

Red Arrow, not questioning it, takes the opportunity to stand up and tackle him once more. Bear, this time, manages to break the tackle halfway towards the workbench and trips him up, forcing him back to his knees. As Bear refocuses on Red Arrow and raises his unharmed fist, a fast, shadowy figure dashes in and throws another sharp knife into Bear's leg. He kneels on his injured leg with a painful groan.

With what little strength Red Arrow has, he thrusts the non-bladed side of Bear's shield into his abdomen with an uppercut, following it up with a hard jab to the same area. With Bear hunched over, Red Arrow grabs his arm and throws him to the ground before finishing him off with a knockout cross.

With Bear unconscious, Red Arrow senses no danger, no threats. He feels that he can finally breathe, knowing that someone friendly has come to his aid. He sluggishly walks away from Bear and slowly starts to raise his head. He can see, at least, the body of a woman approaching him, wearing a familiar ninja garb, carrying his bow and quiver.

Nyssa? Talia?

Both expectations are shattered. His sense of safety fades as he finally sees the face of his "rescuer." He raises his shield as much as his stamina allows as Athena, leader of the Thanatos Guild, walks up to him with a calm posture. Besides his equipment, she has no weapon and no signs of battle, not even on her knuckles.

Athena stops in her tracks, showing no signs of engaging. Despite all of Red Arrow's observations, he can't see any signs of trickery or false intent. Still, he prepares himself for the eventual.

"Hey!"

The voice of Alena shouting down the lab hall grabs Red Arrow's attention. She runs up next to Athena, a large smile on her face.

"You're alive!" She points to Athena. "She said she was here to save you. I didn't know what to believe, but she actually did. Is she a friend of yours?"

Red Arrow starts to look at Athena, a feeling of curiosity pervading his thoughts.

Still, he does not lower his shield as he approaches. "I intend to find out."

---

"For more than six years, Star City has faced threats like NONE that have ever been seen beforehand."

As Oliver is giving his speech, the reporters lean in and look with great interest, their pens ready to write down notes and summaries.

"Half the Glades were destroyed, armies of super soldiers, assassins, and so much more FLOODED the city."

The cameras zoom in on his face, millions more watching with either the same or little interest as this crowd.

"And for those seven years, my teammates and I have kept those threats from turning our city into rubble, from turning our home into a CHAOTIC cesspit. We will CONTINUE to do so. But in order to operate without hinderance, to ensure that we can stop the threats EFFICIENTLY, the Anti-Vigilante Act must be removed."

With his speech pretty much done, Mayor Pollard steps up to her podium, giving a nod to everyone in the room. She then looks to Oliver.

"Mr. Queen, it is true that we have faced many EXTRANEOUS threats these past six years. However, these threats appeared after YOU returned to Star City. You went on a revenge spree, one of your targets being the father of the criminal, Prometheus, a District Attorney under YOUR mayoral administration."

Oliver subtly looks over to Dinah, who is with her police escort on the side railing, as Pollard gives her speech. She catches it and shakes her head, telling him not to let what Pollard says dissuade him.

"You admitted that Slade Wilson, the producers of said super soldiers, was someone on a vendetta against you. Frankly, Mr. Queen, your activities have had UNINTENDED consequences."

"I couldn't agree more!"

The sudden booming voice alerts Oliver and Dinah, who look around the building to find where the mechanical voice is. Unfortunately, from the second floor, there is very little coverage of the first. Everyone else is doing the same as him, looking amongst themselves, seeing if one of them spoke out.

However, the question is answered when a man in a mech suit, carrying two hostages, jumps out from the first floor and lands with a crash. The reporters jet out of their seats while Pollard, for some reason, looks on at the man with terror. The man lets the hostages go and, with a flick of a wrist, shows rockets coming out of them. Dinah and the police draw their guns, but do not fire, knowing their bullets would do next to nothing against the titanium suit.

Chimera. William's kidnapper.

As the hostages get up, Oliver quickly recognizes their faces.

Petowitz and her crewman? Why are they here?

Chimera picks up the cameraman, who is still holding his camera, and forces him up to his feet.

"Get that camera rolling!"

The cameraman points the camera, but does not flip any switch to turn it on. In fact, it already is, according to the red light on the top.

Oliver can think of only one reason why this would be. He's letting Felicity know what's going on through the tap. Felicity, please make use of it.

Chimera slowly walks over to the platform, keeping his aim at the journalists and camera crews. "You vigilantes, politicians, and law-enforcement…you're all HYPOCRITES. You lock up psychopaths, murderers, and thieves, advertising REHABILITATION and REDEMPTION."

Chimera points one of the rocket launchers towards Pollard, which makes her step back quickly. "It's all lies! How many of them get released, only to do the same thing? How many just take advantage of the prison industrial complex for their own benefit? Just look at Slabside!"

Chimera moves the launcher from Pollard to Oliver. "You, Queen, had the right idea your first year, killing all the corrupt, the IRREDEAMABLE. But you have yet to realize the truth, as proclaimed in Christ's parable. Separate grain from tare, and burn the tares to ASHES." Chimera laughs. "From what I see, there is so little good grain left because we keep letting the tares grow along with it. Now, we must burn BOTH wheat and tare down."

Chimera now points both wrist launchers at Oliver and Pollard. From them come a couple of simultaneous clicks, which causes Pollard to cover herself and Oliver to take out his bow. "Let's START with the both of you."

And then, an explosion arises. However, it is not the explosion of a rocket. Rather, it is from the foundation of the floor below Chimera. He falls through as one of his rockets prematurely fires towards the ceiling.

Acting quickly, Dinah yells to the reporters, "Everyone out! Now!"

Without hesitation, the reporters retreat to the side stairs. Dinah and the police lead them on, directing them with guns drawn and aimed. Mayor Pollard joins them at the back along with Dinah.

Oliver slips on his mask and throws his hood on, donning his Green Arrow persona. He runs over to the crater-shaped hole, seeing Chimera slowly standing up on the charred rubble. To test the armor, he takes out an incendiary arrow and shoots it straight at the back. While it did throw Chimera off balance for a second, no dent is visible, just soot.

Chimera looks up and lets out a loud growl. He aims his wrist rockets at Green Arrow again, but something is thrown behind him and explodes on his back. It was something spherical. Green Arrow and Chimera looks to where it came from, seeing someone Oliver did not expect to find on the field ever again.

Curtis? As Mr. Terrific?

Mr. Terrific is hard to make out, but Oliver recognizes the purple T across his face, as well as the black jacket with white streaks stretching across it.

Chimera laughs. "Another freak show joins the party."

Mr. Terrific scoffs. "You're one to talk."

With Chimera's attention diverted, Green Arrow shoots a rope arrow just next to the charred rim of the hole and attaches the rope to his belt. He dives down, the rope retracting to ensure he did not fall too fast as he positions himself above Chimera. Just as Chimera was about to aim at Curtis, Green Arrow manages to get himself on the armor's shoulders and lock his legs around his neck. As Chimera fights to break free, the rope above recoils and tightens, strengthening Green Arrow's grip.

He then looks down at Chimera's body, trying to assess any weak spots. The only distinguishable feature of the armor, so far as he can see, is a crystal blue cylinder, possibly a battery or energy source, lying on Chimera's chest.

Best weak spot I can see!

Without further delay, Green Arrow takes out an EMP arrow and raises it up, ready to jab it into Chimera's battery.

"Oh, no you don't!"

As Green Arrow swings it down, Chimera is quick to block it. Afterwards, he outstretches his hands to grab as much of Green Arrow's back as he can. He pulls on Green Arrow, attempting to bring him down. The rope tenses, but does not give weigh, a testament to Red Arrow's improvements of the old tech. However, the floor above crackles. Fractures previously unnoticed begin to grow wider and take shape.

The floor will kill me if Chimera doesn't! Think fast.

Terrific, who seems to notice, throws one more explosive T-sphere at Chimera's head, which forces him to let Green Arrow go and balance himself. Taking advantage, Green Arrow presses a button to detach the rope arrow from his belt and then, using Chimera's imbalance, leans back and uses his leg lock to throw his opponent backwards in a somersault. The heaviness of the armor almost strains his leg muscles in a couple of places, but he succeeds in getting Chimera on the floor.

Green Arrow moves away and arms his bow. Terrific joins him, another T-sphere in his hand. Chimera raises his head, a harsher mechanical growl leaving his modulator. As he stands, he looks to the side. In the distance, Dinah escorts people out towards the entranceway. However, as she tries to open the door, it refuses to open. She looks to her escort to see if they have keys, but they just pat their pockets.

Chimera snickers at the sight. Green Arrow and Terrific, however, jump when they realize his intent. Whatever tunnel vision he had prior is not present, for he steps back out of their way before they can even touch them. He aims his wrist rockets, but Terrific throws his T-sphere at the chest to dissuade him from shooting. Green Arrow presses the offensive, disorienting him with strikes from his bow. Even with a couple, the bow just bounces off the helmet and Chimera grabs it and tosses it aside after the third. He then kicks Green Arrow away with a front kick to the abdomen, sending him back about a few meters.

Chimera aims again, Dinah yelling orders at his crew to find something, anything, to get the doors open. Terrific, now out of T-spheres, does a flip over the arm, from the outside of it to the inside, grabbing it as he is midway through. He uses his momentum to pull down with all of his might.

Green Arrow, now recovering from the kick, sees Chimera raising his other arm to aim. He charges in quickly and grabs it, putting it into an arm bar. He puts as much pressure on it as he can, if not to break it, then to at least make sure Chimera can't break free.

However, Chimera's arms are only slightly off their target and he does not seem to fight them. They can see Dinah finally having enough, aiming at the doorknob and about to shoot it off.

Chimera scoffs. "Don't waste your breath."

Almost with ease, Chimera pushes his arms up and spins himself and the two vigilantes around. He sends them flying into the air like footballs.

Without hesitation and maybe, not wanting to take any chances, Chimera shoots off all the rockets in his reserves, sending them directly towards the defenseless group.

As Green Arrow looks up, he outstretches a hand.

"NO!"

---

Dinah leads the reporters, crew, and Mayor Pollard downstairs as Green Arrow and Mr. Terrific, to her surprise, keeps Chimera distracted. She and her escort keep a square formation around the civilians as they make their way into the reception area.

When they reach the door, Dinah runs towards it. Before she opens it, she turns to the group. "The second we leave, head as far away from the Center as possible and don't look back."

When she turns the knob, it barely moves, the lock mechanism not even moving at all. She turns it a second time, but the same result. She then jiggles it out of desperation.

Mayor Pollard shouts to her, "What are you waiting for?"

"The door's locked!"

This gets a few screams from the group and frightened murmurs such as "This is it?" and "We're going to die!"

Dinah turns to her escort. "Do any of you have the key?"

The officers check their pockets, both in their jackets and pants. One of them even looks behind the large desk, checking the drawers. All of them shake their heads.

Out of caution, Dinah looks out towards the battle taking place. Chimera is staring back. He must know that they're currently trapped.

"Screw it!"

Dinah takes out her gun and shoots off the latches of the door from top to bottom. When the last latch loosens, it falls down quickly with a thud. She turns to the group again, some of them a bit shocked by the sounds of gunfire.

"Get out of here. Move!"

Suddenly, the sounds of explosions thunder right next to them. The glass wall right next to them starts to collapse on top of them. The reporters and crew duck down and cover themselves while the police put themselves in the way to take as much of the glass as possible. Mayor Pollard, meanwhile, is frozen. She does not react at all.

Oh, damn it!

With no other choice, Dinah runs to the group, just below the wall as it collapses. She takes in a deep breath and lets out the loudest and largest Canary Cry she has ever uttered in her life. The cry's strength cracks the glass a bit, but also pushes the wall back the opposite way. It falls onto the empty floor and filling it with broken shards.

The group, even the cops, look at Dinah with wide eyes of amazement. She, however, does not have time to explain things to them. "Get them out of here. Now!"

The escort snaps out of it quickly and gets the civilians up, leading them out of the door to safety.

Mayor Pollard, however, continues to look on. "You're…you're one of them."

Dinah walks up to her and grabs her by the arm. "Madam Mayor, I'll explain this later. Right now, I need you to get out of here."

It takes Mayor Pollard a bit to respond, but she eventually nods and runs out the door.

---

Seeing Dinah risk her identity, use her Canary Cry to stop the wall from cutting everyone to bloody ribbons, was a surprise even to Green Arrow. Regardless, he and Mr. Terrific are assured that the civilians and the mayor are safe and outside. Chimera, however, slams his metal fist down, creating a hand-sized crater.

Both Chimera and Green Arrow get up slowly, taking up fighting positions. Chimera starts to walk slowly, loud thuds making his already menacing look even more so. "You deprived me of one target." One of his hands reaches down to his leg, unholstering a hidden Desert Eagle behind it, and aims it at Green Arrow. "At least I can kill you!"

Shots go off…

But not from Chimera's gun.

Out of the shadows, Spartan, Wilddog, and Arsenal fire their guns and let arrows fly at Chimera from behind. While the suit absorbs them all, Chimera is overwhelmed and keeps himself covered. He is about to shoot, but Dinah, who charges at him, lets out another Canary cry. While it does not push him down, his arm wobbles around uncontrollably.

Spartan looks towards Green Arrow with a stern look. "Oliver, get out of there!"

With a nod, Green Arrow retreats towards his friends' position. Chimera tries to shoot him, but between the constant fire and the Canary Cry, his bullet fire spreads everywhere until his clip is completely empty.

Wilddog helps Terrific up to his feet. "Good to see you in the old suit."

Terrific does not comment. "We need to take him down."

Dinah stops her Cry and backsteps towards the others. "Any ideas?"

"I have one." Overwatch's voice finally finds their way into their comms. "Oliver, you were onto something before. The thing in his chest is an Exolithium battery. It basically powers up everything. Bad news is I can't disable the battery from here because—"

Curtis finishes for her, "The battery itself is electro-magnetically shielded. Right."

Eventually, everyone's magazines are empty. Spartan and Wilddog quickly reload as Chimera does with his Deagle.

Roy, however, has no weapon except his bow and trick arrows. "He's going to take everything we dish out. There's no way we're getting to that battery."

Green Arrow can think of one strategy.

I nearly did when being held up by the rope arrow. I can't do the leg lock again, but the coil is strong enough to keep him down.

He proceeds to take one out. "We can if we pin him down."

Roy looks at the arrow, then at Chimera. He nods in acknowledgment. "Go for the arms."

Chimera manages to reload before Wilddog and Spartan, now aiming at Dinah. She, however, is able to shoot hers off at the helmet, disorienting him a bit before Spartan and Wildddog join back in with their own.

Spartan yells to Green Arrow and Arsenal, "Do it! We'll cover you."

Green Arrow and Arsenal run towards Chimera, readying their rope arrows to fire. As soon as they get close, Spartan, Dinah, and Wilddog cease fire. As Chimera regains line of sight, he quickly throws a jab at a charging Arsenal. Arsenal, however, slides down on his knees to dodge it. Chimera then tries to shoot Green Arrow, but he quickly grabs the gun and spins around his opponent, a move he usually does. However, instead of following with an elbow strike and a throw, he tosses the gun down and rolls out of the way as Chimera swings wildly behind himself. Both of the archers turn around and shoot rope arrows at both of his arms. They then run as far as they can on both sides and pull on the coils.

The effect is slow, but Chimera shows struggle to move his arms to his body. Dinah gets in front of Chimera and lets out one more Canary Cry, dissuading him from pulling up as much as he can. Still, his suit is still strong enough to pull at the ropes. The archers skid as they try to keep Chimera from gaining control of his arms again.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, two more rope arrows emerge and latch onto the arms. From either side, Blackstar comes to Green Arrow's aid, as well as Emiko, wearing a mask and hoodie to disguise herself, comes to Arsenal's.

Blackstar gives her father a quick nod, affirming that she knows what it is they are doing and is willing to help. Green Arrow is quick to smile and nod back, grateful for it. Quickly, all four of them pull at the arms, the added strength showing significant results. Spartan, Wilddog, and even Terrific run in and grab whichever rope they can get their hands on.

Eventually, Chimera can't get his arms out of the cross they are forcing him to form. Dinah, almost out of breath, takes it as her cue to stop. She hunches down, gasping for breath.

Seeing that it is enough, the archers plant their arrows and Green Arrow runs to where he can see the power source. He readies and aims his EMP arrow.

"Chimera, you have FAILED! THIS! CITY!"

He lets the arrow fly, hitting its target with pinpoint precision. The tip of the arrow sparks before a wave of electric discharge envelopes Chimera's metal skeleton. Chimera himself begins to scream and twist, his voice modulator malfunctioning and giving off random pitches and squeals before, in the final moments, it emits a low groan. The suit remains still for a moment. Then, a loud hissing noise follows with the back of the suit retracting itself. From it, a thin man in some mesh falls to the ground. He groans as he lifts himself up off the ground.

Blackstar walks up to him with cuffs handy, ready to put him into custody.

"Chimera, we place you under arrest for—"

Just as she kneels down, Chimera quickly wrap his arm around her neck and rolls both of them in front of his Dessert Eagle. Green Arrow, enraged, quickly takes an arrow, but Chimera is quick to aim first and place himself and Blackstar behind his armor as cover from the others who aim at him.

"Nobody moves!" He then aims at Blackstar's head. "She dies…" He then aims at Green Arrow's head. "…or you die."

Green Arrow wants to assess his options, but his mind is only focused on his daughter, seeing her at gunpoint.

"Choose."

He is taken back to the time Prometheus did the same to William, his ultimatum. He starts to choke up, not knowing what to do. He doesn't know how fast Chimera's reflexes are.

"CHOOSE!"

However, as if from heaven on high, another arrow comes out of nowhere and pierces Chimera's gun hand. As he lets go and screams in pain, Blackstar elbows him in the side and throws him down to the ground. He gets up quickly, but a rope arrow shoots out and grabs him by his mesh, pulling him away. As he heads into the shadowy darkness, two familiar gauntlet hands grab him. He is spun around by the visage of Red Arrow, appearing in the light, and thrown to the ground.

Chimera should be knocked out or groaning in pain, but he's not. He's just laughs at Red Arrow.

"Oh, I knew those two couldn't hold you. I told him this was a bad idea."

Red Arrow grips him by the jaw and starts to raise a fist. He grunts rather roughly, ready to end this night with one quick punch. For some reason, though, he keeps the fist there. He looks to be leaning in a bit to look at the man's face. His fist begins to trembling a bit.

"No. It can't be."

Chimera laughs again. "Now you're catching on. Now you'll know EXACTLY how you ru—"

Finally, Red Arrow knocks him down. The knockout punch, Green Arrow observes, looked more brutal than usual from Red Arrow, almost vengeful. He would know.

"Cut and print!"

Petowitz yells from the top of the balcony, her cameraman still recording everything.

"This is the BEST final footage you've ever given us! An explosive finale, epic fight, stakes! This will rival even combat docs—"

Red Arrow sits down by Chimera's side. Green Arrow runs up to him, every fiber in his being wanting to give him a fatherly hug. However, he resists and gives him a pat on the shoulder. Blackstar also runs up, but stays by her father's side.

"Are you okay? We've been worried that you were…"

Red Arrow does not seem to pay attention, his gaze fixed on Chimera's limp body.

Blackstar whispers, "Will?"

"I know who that is." Red Arrow's voice trembles a bit. "That's…that's Noah York, the boarding school bully."

The last name is what causes Green Arrow's hand to fall limp from Red Arrow's shoulder. He looks at the unconscious body with wide eyes.

Noah York? As in…as in Peter York's son?

---

It has been a few minutes after the entire fight with Chimera, aka Noah York, went down. The police have created a perimeter around the Community Center, refusing to let the journalists back in for interviews and covering for ARGUS as they discreetly arrest Noah and load him into a truck. They also disassembled the Chimera suit and stored it in some packages.

Red Arrow now sits in front one of the pillars that hold up the second floor, just next to the rubble from the fighting. He contemplates everything he has learned: the virus, Chimera's true identity, the split of the Deacon and Dante, Dinah outing her secret identity to save the lives of others. So many possibilities of future events, both good and bad, start to spin around his brain like the planets around the sun. However, one thought that keeps persisting is Athena, how she ultimately saved him and told him how to proceed into the Community Center discreetly to catch Noah unaware.

Whose handiwork was that? Deacon's? Dante's?

What takes Red Arrow out of his head are footsteps that stop directly in front of him. Dinah is looking at him with a warm, friendly look.

"How're you feeling?"

Red Arrow shrugs his shoulders. "I've been through worse." He stands up sluggishly, still feeling the painful effects of fighting the Longbow Hunters. "I'm more worried about you."

"I'll live."

"That's not what I mean."

"I KNOW what you mean. Pollard's not going to fire me. I'm too good of a Police Captain to be sacrificed."

"There's still going to be coverage about your identity from the reporters you saved, as well as multiple media outlets to come."

Dinah crosses her arms. "They can discredit or expose me all they like. It's not going to affect much."

"It's not the exposure I'm worried about. It's having a target painted on your back."

Dinah grins again. "You assume I haven't had one before. Worked undercover, remember?"

Red Arrow nods, but is still worried for her. "Are you okay with the exposure?"

Dinah shrugs her shoulders herself. "So long as I get to keep my position, it won't affect me."

"Even so, what you did, compromising your identity to save those lives…it's still a pretty hard call."

"Yeah, well…" The smile on her face starts to look rather content. "That just means that part of me won't die."

Red Arrow couldn't help but grin at the callback to their previous conversation, even if he can't show it. "Right." The satisfaction in his tone is enough. "Still, I would still consider a backup plan in case things do go south."

A bit of banter and laughter catches their attention.

"I have a couple of ideas."

She smiles at Lieutenant Anastas, who is walking and holding hands with Curtis, currently in his Mr. Terrific persona.

"Well, I don't know if this is going to be a permanent thing. I only wore this tonight because I had to."

Anastas gives a bit of an opportunistic stare. "Oh, I don't know. It'd be nice to occasionally have the GREAT Mr. Terrific watch my back occasionally. And…I wouldn't taking him home every now and then."

Curtis blushes and smiles at Anastas' suggestion. Red Arrow, however, finds it a bit awkward, pretty much knowing that he and Dinah are invisible to them.

"We could use you back out on the field."

Curtis and Anastas immediately notice them, scratching their necks in embarrassment. Still, they are quick to get over it.

"I'll meet you back home Nick."

"Okay."

With a quick squeeze of the hands and a kiss, Anastas leaves for the front door, where most of the police force are to help reinforce the perimeter.

Dinah takes a couple of steps back. "I should go too."

Red Arrow nods. "Be careful out there."

Dinah flashes one more grin at him before turning around, following Anastas out.

As Curtis walks over, Red Arrow continues, "I was serious. You think you're going to keep this up?"

Curtis stares off a bit, contemplating. "Maybe."

"You know, I'll be honest, this was the last thing any of us expected you to do."

"Yeah, well…desperate times."

"I thought you would have still been comfortable behind a computer."

Curtis nods. "I thought so too, but…it's like you and Felicity say, being out here, our sacrifices…they show just how deep we care about those we love."

Red Arrow looks over at Anastas, who is just exiting through the front door with Dinah. "And it seems that it's paying off."

"Oh, in spa—" Curtis stops himself and clears his throat. "Sorry. Going on my own tangent."

"Don't worry about it."

Just then, John, currently unmasked, stops just in front of them as he is on a phone call. "Okay, thanks for letting me know Lyla. I'll see you at home. I love you." As he hangs up, he walks over to them. "Good news. Bear and Red have been rounded up and are being brought over to ARGUS for interrogation."

Red Arrow asks, "And Alena?"

"She's fine but shaken up. Felicity is with her right now, catching up on old times to help her calm down a bit."

Red Arrow nods. "Good." He looks up at the hole left on the second floor. "I guess this is going to add fuel to the fire for Pollard."

"Hard to tell at this point. One thing's for certain: she was shocked to see that her trusted Police Captain was the Black Canary. She has to be reconsidering the Anti-Vigilante Act at this point."

Red Arrow nods. "Hopefully, it's the first step to becoming independent from ARGUS and have a legitimate vigilante group."

John raises a hand. "Let me and Oliver decide that. In the meantime, there's one more thing we need to discuss."

Red Arrow can already guess what it may be. "Athena?"

John nods. "She refuses to talk to us until she sees you."

Red Arrow looks down at the floor, thinking.

This could be her way to give me a secret she'll say can't be revealed to anyone else. She knew where I was and how to take down Noah while saving Mia. I also can't dismiss that she saved my life. I guess I owe her that much.

"Where is she?"

---

Athena, alone in the armored truck, sits in silence. She meditates, something she has always neglected to do during her time in the Thanatos Guild. Malcolm Merlyn always said that it was a secondary concern, a way to focus and sharpen her mind. For so long, she always thought she was, that her sheer focus on missions, when assassinating or intimidating, was enough. How wrong she was.

In front of her, the truck doors open. Light, at first, pours in and covers her face. Almost immediately, a familiar shadow blocks it as he enters. As the doors close, he removes his hood and presses a button on his chest. She can see the mask fading out even in this darkness. Finally, a light above them turns on, revealing the face of William Queen, the key to her salvation.

William looks at her with a neutral face. "I guess I should thank you for your rescue." He sits down on the bench. "But just a week ago, you were bent on killing me and my friends, forcing my aunt into becoming the leader of your guild. You escaped ARGUS to get to me, leaving only hints to my location only for you to be my rescuer, nobody else. Unless you give me a good reason to trust you, I can't help you."

Athena is quiet. She remembers the moment everything changed for her, the day she dared to put her hand in the pool of Christ's blood.

"You are my penance."

"Penance for who? Dante?"

She shakes her head. "I couldn't make him out. He was…blinding. It was like seeing radiant light in human form."

William leans in, his interest now piqued, as the mysterious light told him he would be. "When?"

Athena sighs, knowing that recounting the moment would be a pain of its own. "When I put my hand into the pit, trying to get at least a handful of Lazarus but ended up trapped. I was in pain, but I knew it wasn't my body. I was feeling THEIR pain, THEIR agony."

"Whose?"

"My victims. All of those I killed, their screams serving to wound my spirit. I felt something I never had before: guilt. It was slicing away at me, one slice for every life I had taken. It was…" She had to stop for a moment and breathe, making sure she isn't going to cry. She still considers it weakness. "I knew it was seconds, but it felt like hours, HOURSS of reliving my moments…through their eyes. Then…the light."

William's eyes widen. "You saw Christ?"

She nods. "He told me that there was a path to repentance, redemption. He told me to protect what he called his father's chosen. You."

William looks away for a minute, not saying anything for a while. He seems to be taken aback by the mention of the title, maybe surprised.

He then looks back at her. "Did he show you what was to happen tonight? Chimera, the Longbow Hunters?"

Athena nods. "He showed me Chimera's plan, to suppress the vigilantes, to destroy the city. He showed me how to ensure a better outcome tonight, but nothing more than that. He said how we stop the war between the Ninth Circle and it's rebellion, the Order of St. Dismas, must be up to us."

"Then it's true, what Red said? The Deacon and Dante have separated?"

"It is. Dante is not like the Deacon. He wants what the Ninth Circle envisioned: control. Control over people, of nations…and this city. He came to me with the idea of betraying his old master, but it did not go according to plan. Chimera was the one to stop it, inform Blackfire when he should not have known in the first place."

William looks down again, contemplating. "The Deacon was supposed to die that day. Noah's always intended to travel back, so why try to destroy Star City in 2040 anyways?" He shakes his head. "Dante…did he get anything out of you before we stopped your guild?"

"Dante still managed to take some of my finest assassins with him as part of his shadow army, along with a few other specialized assassins more dangerous that the Longbow Hunters."

William lets out a worried sigh. "So, we're pretty much facing fanatics on both sides. Great."

Athena sits down next to him, which he does not attempt to stop. "A war threatens your city, threatens you. My mission is to assist you, to protect you. I know that will mean defending this city with your life. I will give mine to defend yours, if I must."

William, after a moment of silence, nods his head. "Even if it's God's will, not everyone is going to be excited about this. Tomorrow, I'll have a word with the ARGUS director. Maybe she'll be merciful after what you've done today."

Athena nods, but unsurely. For some reason, she feels something unfamiliar, alien. Maybe it is gratitude, which is something she never gave to anyone even to those under her command. She may respect someone's skill and aptitude in battle, respect to Malcolm Merlyn for taking her in when the League of Assassins rejected her, but never has she been thankful as she is towards William Queen.

Still, she does her best not to show it, breaking eye contact before her stare betrays her. However, a tiny grin on one side of her face escapes even her notice.

---

"And that move, by Red Arrow there, TOTALLY unexpected. He was like this shadow that was just waiting to pounce on the guy and drag him into—"

Oliver laughs as he watches Felicity retell the fight with Chimera to young William, who is just entranced by the whole scene in the documentary.

"There's no need to sugarcoat it, Felicity. We stopped another criminal from causing havoc."

William looks at his father with an excited smile. "Well, who else can say they stopped a guy in a mech suit trying to take out the mayor?"

Oliver sits down on the couch and puts an arm around Felicity, bringing her in close. "Well, I'm sure the Flash has a similar story or two from his adventures."

As Felicity places her head on his shoulder, Emiko sits down right next to them, cup of tea in hand. "Well, I'm just glad it's all over."

"So am I." Roy catches up to them with Thea by his side. "I thought I'd never wrap this whole thing up in time to at least say good night to you." He then places a hand on her stomach. "And to little Robert."

After Roy and Thea exchange a little kiss, Felicity asks. "So, is it true? You're getting a boy?"

Thea nods as she sits down on the couch. "It's still too early to know for sure, but odds are that we are bringing a little Robert into the world."

Roy sits on the floor next to her, holding her hand on her leg. "Well, we have Thea jr. as a backup, at least."

Thea laughs amusingly. "We are not having Thea as a baby name."

"Well, how about Theodora, at least?"

Thea looks over to Emiko. "How about Kazumi?"

Emiko is taken aback by the suggestion, almost jumping out of the couch.

Thea's smile fades. "If that's too sensitive, we can just—"

Emiko quickly shakes her head. "No, no, no. It's…" She flashes a grin, hiding her grief as best she can. "I just didn't expect that."

"Well, I just thought it would be a way to honor your mom. Besides, it's a beautiful name."

The next smile Emiko gives is more genuine. "It is."

There is a silence among them. It is not an awkward silence, but a peaceful one, a unifying one. Smiles exchanged, a warmth in the air, especially in this old, familiar apartment that has been home to Oliver, Thea, and Felicity on separate occasions.

Felicity is the one who describes the feeling. "This is nice, having the family gathered like this, all under one roof."

William nods. "It would be nicer if Connor and Mia were here too."

Felicity nods in agreement. "Yeah, well, Connor had it rough tonight, so he's on a mandatory break, and Mia is grounded."

William looks up at Felicity. "Yeah, you never said what for."

Felicity and Oliver exchange a quick glance at each other, one of worry and caution.

Oliver answers, "That's between her and us bud. But it's nothing serious."

"And now, our final scene of 'The Emerald Archer.'"

The last commercial transitions to the documentary logo, arrows flying on the screen.

Felicity points at the screen excitedly. "Oh, oh! Here it comes. Oh, you guys are going to love this last scene. This is where—"

Oliver looks at her with an intimate yet also firm stare. For anyone, it may be an oxymoron. For her, it's the signal that she's overstepping her boundaries.

She clears her throat. "Well, you'll see." She leans back on Oliver's side and snuggles close to him.

The intro scene transitions to Oliver walking down a familiar laboratory. He points out various workbenches and tech laying around.

"Before the takeover by Palmer Industries, this used to be a simple waiting room. The secretary's office is the next room. Felicity absolutely HATED it until everything got refurbished and she was running it."

Thea jumps up in her seat. "Wait?! Is that the old Consolidated building?"

Oliver nods, smiling.

"Why were you even there?"

"Well, it's a long story, but…you'll see."

"And this…"

They enter the old, giant office. Slowly, Oliver walks towards the broken desk that used to be his, just as it was his father and mothers before him. He kneels down and places a hand on it, letting out a sigh. At first, Thea thought the desk may have broken down from decay, but the pieces are spread out unevenly, as if it was fractured.

"…This was where it began for me. Lian Yu may have been the beginning of my transformation into the Green Arrow. But…this is where my transition into a man began. It's hard to describe, but…"

Oliver stands up but continues to look at the desk longingly.

"When my father was here, we got into an argument. I was an angry youth, thinking I would inherit this company, inherit all of the wealth. I thought of freedom, being able to do my own thing. He said something that stuck with me, even when my 'streak' continued. He said there was one thing I will never inherit from him."

"And what's that?"

Oliver looks up into the camera. "Greatness."

---

"My father told me that he was once like me in his youth: reckless. He thought he could take over the world if he set his mind to it. But there came a time when he had to set aside such behavior, to face reality. Reality, he said, is not something you control. It will ALWAYS be at your throat, TELLING you what exactly it wants from you, what it EXPECTS you to be. He learned the hard way that in order to achieve greatness, you must have the AMBITION and DRIVE to be the man you have to be."

As Mia watches the TV, she can't help but feel that her father is addressing her in some way. Though, she always felt that, after she came to Star City, drive and ambition were what kept her alive. At least, that's what helped her in the fighting ring. Now, she wonders if that same drive and ambition is throwing her off somehow, as if she can't operate like she used to.

---

"He told me that one day, when I grew up, I would face that moment, where drive and ambition would help me become successful, no matter if it was for the company or for myself. He also hoped I would give this talk to the children I would have one day. Though I address this to my son and…any future children I have one day, I also say this to all the people of Star City."

William, watching through his phone while in bed, smiles at his father's inspiring words. He can see his younger self look at Oliver with a smile of appreciation, thanking him for taking him in as a son, especially when things looked grim. He knows, for a fact, that he will achieve greatness himself, and is thankful that his father gave him a chance to find it.

Oliver, in this new memory, smiles back. No words. Just an understanding between father and son.

Break

"Whether tonight's actions give cause to repeal the Anti-Vigilante Act or not, it will be OUR drive and ambitions that will keep our city safe. It is the drive to see our city live for tomorrow and generations to come that will keep us all togeth—"

John Diggle turns the TV off.

"I think we've made our point."

Noah snickers at his pathetic attempts to dissuade him.

"You think this is supposed to affect me?"

Diggle leans in confidently. "You lost. What you did tonight just embarrassed you in front of your friends in whatever order your uncle now heads. You think he's going to accept you back now?"

Noah smirks at him. "I am the future of the Order of St. Dismas. Uncle Blackfire knows that."

"Does he? The Batman told us how your order operated for hundreds of years. They only accept ruthlessness, violence, and cunning."

"You forgot a couple more things." Noah leans in with a grimace. "STRENGTH and LOYALTY. I would DIE before I give anything up about my brothers and sisters."

"We won't kill you." Lyla Michaels walks up to Noah with a stern stare. "But there are plenty of ways to make you talk."

Noah scoffs. "And what? You're just too conscientious to make me endure the pain?"

Michaels slowly puts her hands on the table, leaning in as uncomfortably close to him as possible. "I never said that."

Diggle motions his head to her. "You better listen to her. You have NO idea what she's capable of."

Despite the threats, Noah is cool-headed. "I've been threatened and beaten before."

Diggle smirks at him. "So William tells us."

Noah laughs upon hearing his name. "Good old Willie. You know, I was the one who came up with the recruitment method. The one he nonchalantly BOTCHED."

Lyla leans up and crosses her arms. "Being a bully in school just to get a rise out of a student? Like an 80's movie?"

Noah smirks again. "That's PG stuff. The truth is that you do it enough times, make them feel that they're on their own, and you reveal their true nature."

Diggle tilts his head. "What nature?"

Noah shrugs his shoulders. "Well, as we both described. Ruthless, violent, strong, cunning. That's what we ALL are on the inside. THAT is our original sin, OUR fundamental nature. Uncle Blackfire and I are just not afraid to show it, to make everyone see it, turn it into something that can BENEFIT this world. Unlike you two, and…unlike Willie."

Michaels looks down on Noah, trying to look intimidating. "William is a good kid here and he's a good man now."

"He's a cunning man. He plans five steps ahead and trusts no one. Not even you."

"He told us what happens in the future."

Noah laughs again. "No, he didn't. Otherwise, you would've locked up your friend, Rene Ramirez, the FIRST chance you got."

Diggle shakes his head. "You're playing us. We're done here."

Just as he gets up, Noah yells, "Wait! I'm giving you the chance at insight here."

Diggle starts to walk over to him. "We're done!"

Michaels uncrosses her arms, putting one of them in Diggle's way. She looks down at him again. "If you're lying, I'll know."

He may give a small grin, but inside his mind, he is smiling sinisterly with fangs for teeth. "I would NEVER tell a lie, Director Michaels."

---

Author's Notes: Thanks for reading. Be sure to favorite this story if you're liking it so far and to follow my story and account so you won't miss when a new episode comes out. Don't forget to also leave a review and share this story with anyone you think will like it. See you all later and have a great day!