Chapter 34: the Undertaking

Five Years ago...

As Oliver floated in the raft, he looked up and saw an island upon the horizon. Once he came to shore, he pulled the raft from the water and took out his dad's body. He laid the body on the beach, crying at how still and cold he was. As he rested his hand on the body's chest, he felt something in the shirt pocket. He reached inside and pulled out a small notebook. He opened it, finding nothing but a strange symbol on the inside cover, and several blank pages. Just then, an arrow came out of nowhere and shot him in the shoulder. He cried out in pain as he looked around for where the arrow could've possibly come from. He managed to catch sight of a man in a green hood just before passing out.

Felicity and Diggle had been freed from the salmon bars, the latter trying his best to tend to Oliver. The man was practically catatonic after what he had learned, his eyes distant and unfocused. Batman has his cowl down, looking at Oliver with sympathy. Even Robin looked upset, his anger giving way to an apologetic apathy.

"I'm sorry," Bruce concoled. "But right now, we have a job to do."

"Right," Oliver replied, trying to focus. "The seismic generator. That's his target."

"In truth, the generator was designed to only simulate earthquakes," Oracle, currently on facetime while wearing a domino mask, spoke up, "However, I went over the schematics and someone altered the designs so they generate quakes up to a 5.0 on the richter scale."

"That would be enough to decimate the Glades for sure," Oliver dreaded. "We'll head to the lab and destroy the generators."

"We need to act fast," Bruce insisted. "My arrival in town may have accelerated their time table."

"Then let's get going," Oliver advised, grabbing his bow.

At the lab, Batman, Robin, and the Hood arrived on the roof, with Batman picking the lock on the skylight. As Robin and Hood scanned the area for signs of trouble, the latter took notice of a car parked stealthily behind the building, just out of sight. It was a car he recognized instantly.

"Laurel?" Hood let out. "What's she doing here?"

Robin glanced over.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"Laurel… she's here. Why?"

"Not sure. But let's do what we have to and get out before someone else beats us to the machine."

"Right."

Once Batman got the skylight open, the three of them descended inside, only to find three security guards dead on the ground with arrows in their chests. Batman bent down and examined the bodies, grimacing.

"These shafts are black," he noted. "Not yours."

"No," Hood dreaded. "But I know who they belong to. And we need to move."

The three picked up the pace, keeping to the shadows.

Meanwhile, Laurel snuck in the building through a back door, hoping to find some kind of information as to why the Hood attacked Bruce Wayne. As she walked down the halls of the dark building, she heard the sounds of a struggle off in the distance. She moved down the hall to investigate, stopping short when she saw a security guard fall dead, an arrow in his eye. She covered her mouth to suppress a gasp, hiding behind a shelf of supplies.

She peered out from between some of the stuff on the shelf to see a man dressed in black carrying a bow. He was brutally fighting with some guards, striking them down without remorse. The dark archer pulled one arrow from his quiver and stabbed one guard in the stomach before pulling it out and firing it at another, taking him out. Once the guards were down, the dark archer moved forward, with Laurel slowly following behind.

The Dark Archer made his way over to a large wooden crate with the words "Wayne Enterprises" and "Caution, Heavy machinery" stamped on it. As he looked at it, various masked men entered the room alongside him.

"Load it up," the Dark Archer ordered, his voice distorted due to a voice synthesizer.

The men instantly got to work moving the crate towards a loading bay in the back of the building. Once the loading bay doors opened, several arrows flew out, nailing some of the men. Those left standing drew their guns as the three costumed heroes landed in front of the Dark Archer. Almost immediately, several batarangs and birdarangs were thrown through the air, disarming the gunmen. The Dynamic Duo moved to take out the goons as the two archers stared each other down.

"So, you work for Malcolm Merlyn?" The Hood guessed.

"You might say that," the Dark Archer replied. "He and I just share the same goal."

"To kill thousands?"

"To ensure that those poisoning this city are wiped off the map."

"I can agree with that." Hood drew an arrow. "Let's start with you."

The Hood fired a shot, but the Dark Archer managed to catch it and toss the arrow aside. He fired a shot of his own, but the Hood managed to dodge as the Dark Archer ran up to him. He grabbed the Hood and slammed him into a wall. The Hood brought his bow down on top of his head, prompting the Dark Archer to release him before he kicked him in the head. The Dark Archer stumbled back as the Hood fired another arrow. The Dark Archer dodged it as the Hood ran up, preparing to kick him in the face, but the Dark Archer grabbed his leg and threw him back, knocking him to the ground.

The Hood looked up to see the Dark Archer about to bring a fist down on him. He brought up his bow to block it, but the Dark Archer just snapped through it, breaking it in two. Before the Hood could react, the Dark Archer smacked the Hood aside, causing him to roll on the ground. Just as the Hood got back to his feet however, the Dark Archer fired another arrow at him, this time nailing him in the shoulder. The Hood let out a cry of pain as the Dark Archer came up, pulled the arrow out, and knocked him to the ground. The Dark Archer then just hit him again and again until he was out.

Just as Batman finished taking out a goon, he saw the Dark Archer standing over the Hood. He dashed over and kicked the Dark Archer aside, causing him to skid on the ground as Batman got a good look at him.

"Your uniform…" Batman realized. "You trained with the League of Shadows."

"As did you, Dark Knight. The Demon's Head spoke often of you. His greatest student, and his greatest failure."

"Let's see if you're any better."

Batman then lunged at him, delivering blow after blow. The Dark Archer was able to keep pace and block most of the attacks, even managing to kick him away so he could shoot an arrow at him. Batman easily caught it as the Dark Archer lined up another shot. Batman managed to catch that one too, tossing them aside as he made his way towards the Dark Archer. Robin meanwhile, was taking down the goons with relative ease. After he had punched out what he thought was the last one, he started making his way over to Batman and the Hood, unaware that more men were coming in.

One of them managed to strike Robin on the back of the head, sending him sprawling to the ground. Batman saw this and instantly went to the goon, leaping up and kicking him in the face. As Batman fought the goons, the Dark Archer managed to get off a shot, nailing Batman in the back. As he prepared another one, the Hood tried grabbing his leg in a vain attempt to stop him. The Dark Archer replied by kicking him in the face, causing him to fall back as his hood fell slightly. Intrigued, the Dark Archer knelt over and pulled the Hood's hood back, revealing Oliver underneath.

"Well… that's interesting."

From her hiding place, Laurel gasped, shocked by what she was seeing. Only the sound of approaching sirens broke the reverie of the moment.

"Get that thing on the truck!" the Dark Archer ordered. "Now!"

The remaining goons nodded as they moved the crate onto the truck. Batman managed to pull the arrow out of his back and stagger to his feet as he saw the Dark Archer retreat.

"Another time," the Dark Archer promised, throwing a smoke bomb on the ground.

The gas engulfed the room, allowing the Dark Archer a chance to escape. Batman moved to try and go after him, but couldn't move fast enough. Even worse, as the smoke cleared, the Hood was nowhere to be seen. Laurel could hear the sirens getting closer, and she knew Batman and Robin were in no condition to run. So, she came out of hiding, approaching them.

"We-... We need to get out of here," she insisted.

"Where's your car?" Batman asked.

"Out back. Can you walk?"

"I'll be fine."

Batman picked up Robin as he and Laurel slipped out of the lab. Once they got into her car, Laurel drove off, shaking from shock of the entire situation.

"Oliver… it was him under that hood…"

"... yes," Batman confirmed.

Laurel fell silent for the rest of the trip.

...

Five Years Ago…

When Oliver finally came to, he found himself in a cave with his shoulder patched up and the man who shot him cooking something over a fire.

"You…" Oliver let out. "You shot me… why?"

"Shēngcún," the man replied simply.

"Wh… what does that mean?"

"Shēngcún. Mean survive. You want to live? You listen, and listen well."

Seeing as how Oliver didn't have much choice, he decided to oblige.

"Who are you?" Oliver asked.

"My name is Yao Fei," the man explained. "I have been on this island for many years. I change so I survive. If you survive, you must change too."

"Change how?"

Yao Fei said nothing, but moved to another part of the cave, grabbing a bird in a cage. He brought the cage over to Oliver, setting it down next to him.

"Shēngcún."

"What am I supposed to do with this?"

Yao Fei merely repeated the word again while pantomiming breaking something.

"Wait… you want me to…"

"If you want to survive, you must do what is necessary."

"I can't-"

"You want to stay alive? Then you will have to."

Oliver let his head fall back in defeat before turning towards the bird. Hunger was starting to set in on him, and he had the strongest feeling that Yao Fei wouldn't give him any of his food. Reluctantly, Oliver steeled himself, opened the cage and pulled out the bird.

"I'm sorry…" Oliver let out, snapping the birds neck.

Sometime later, the bird was roasting over the fire, nearly ready to be eaten. As Yao Fei cooked it, he turned towards Oliver.

"You have never killed before."

"No…" Oliver admitted.

"If you wish to survive, you will have to again."

"I don't know if I can-"

"It is not a matter of can or can't, it is a matter of conviction and necessity. You will not survive just looking at that book.

Oliver looked down at the blank book he got from his father, scoffing as he tossed it near the fire.

"It was something my dad had… before he died. Don't know why."

Yao Fei looked over at the book, seeing something on one of the open pages. He picked it up and raised an eyebrow.

"Who are these people?"

"What? There's nothing on that. It's blank."

"Not anymore."

Yao Fei handed the book back to him. As Oliver took it, he had an idea. He opened to another blank page and held it over the fire. The flames revealed even more names, much to Oliver's intrigue.

"This is what he meant. H-He said that he had failed my city, and that he wasn't the only one. This must be what he was talking about."

"Then, you have a reason to live." Yao Fei pointed at the book, tapping the pages. "Let this fuel you. Survive so these names don't hurt more people."

A bucket of cold water struck Oliver, pulling him from his dream. He was in a warehouse, chained by his wrists to the ceiling. He'd been divested of his bow, his quiver, and his hood, leaving him in just his pants. Someone had even taken the time to clean off the greasepaint, leaving his face completely exposed. As he shook his head, trying to clear the water away, he was greeted by the Dark Archer standing before him.

"I must admit, this is a surprise," he commented. "Oliver Queen is the Hood."

Oliver just stayed silent as the Dark Archer circled him.

"You know, you had me fooled with your stunt with the prison party. I actually believed you were just an innocent pawn. If only I knew."

"As if I give a damn about what you think."

"I suppose not."

"Why are you helping Malcolm Merlyn? What do you get out of this?"

"Many things. None the least of which…" The Dark Archer then pulled off his mask, revealing himself to be Malcolm Merlyn. "Satisfaction."

Oliver was thrown for a loop by this, trying in vain to reach out and grab him.

"You! You murdered my father! You sentenced me to that island! To five years of hell!"

"I am truly sorry for what you've had to suffer, Oliver. I've lost people too, you know that."

Oliver paused for a moment, remembering something that made all of this click into place.

"Your wife," Oliver let out. "That's what this is all about?"

"She was trying to help the people of the Glades. To make it better. And how did they repay her? Did they thank her? Did they help her in her cause? No. Some punk decided to repay her by stealing her purse, and shooting her in the chest."

"And you honestly think destroying the Glades will honor her?!"

"As surely as you believe wearing that hood honors your father. And while I don't regret the actions that lead to his death… there isn't a day that I don't miss him."

"Don't worry, you'll see him soon enough."

Malcolm scoffed in response.

"You can't beat me Oliver. Sure you're younger and faster, but I've left you for dead twice. You want to know why?"

"Surprise me."

"Because you lack conviction. Because at the end of the day, you don't know in your heart what you're fighting for."

He turned and began walking out of the warehouse, a guard visible just outside the door.

"Keep him here until this is done, then let him go."

The guard nodded as Malcolm exited. The second the door closed, Oliver began attempting to free himself from the chain. He grabbed hold of it and climbed upwards. Once he was high enough, he let himself drop, snapping the pipe the chain was attached to and hitting the ground hard. Still writhing in pain, Oliver pulled himself up as the guard came towards him with a gun. Oliver whipped the chain and knocked the gun out of his hands before running up to him and snapping his neck. Once the guard dropped to the ground, Oliver reclaimed his hood from a nearby table and headed out.

Laurel helped Batman carry Robin down into the Arrow Cave, where Felicity and Diggle were waiting. Upon seeing the injured heroes, as well as Laurel's presence in general, they were understandably shocked.

"What happened out there?" Felicity let out.

"Things got complicated," Batman replied. "Help me with him."

Felicity nodded as she and Batman placed Robin on the medical table. She went and grabbed what first aid supplies the cave had, leaving Diggle to tend to a shell shocked Laurel.

"I know this must be a lot to take in," Diggle assumed.

"I always… felt connected to him… the Hood… now I know why… He's Oliver..." she hugged herself, curling up against one of the support columns. "Oliver is a murderer..."

"I… he's… complicated," Diggle tried to explain.

Laurel looked over at him, tears in her eyes.

"He's killed people… what's complicated about that?"

"Not much," a new voice added.

"Everyone turned to see Oliver entering the cave, still nursing his injuries.

"Oliver!" Felicity shouted.

Batman rose to his feet, seeing the state Oliver was in. However, Oliver's eyes were latched solely on Laurel.

"Laurel…" he let out.

"Hey Ollie," She greeted.

She got to her feet, still holding herself. Oliver reached for her, but she flinched, something that made him grimace.

"Why don't you two go talk in Oliver's office," Diggle suggested. "I think he has a spare shirt up there anyhow."

"Good idea," Oliver replied as the two went off.

"In the meantime," Batman spoke up. "I need to call in some friends."

In Oliver's office, he closed the door as Laurel just stood there, her back to him.

"I can only imagine what you must be thinking right now," Oliver spoke.

"What am I thinking?" she let out a shuddering breath. "You're the Hood… The vigilante who's been killing people for the past year."

"It's not that simple."

"Not that simple? You're killing people Oliver! What else is there?"

"Each person I've gone after has been connected to a conspiracy to destroy this city, culminating in Malcolm Merlyn's plan to destroy the Glades."

"Wait, Tommy's dad? He's behind this?"

"He's the Dark Archer. He thinks that destroying the Glades will avenge his wife."

"And how is your crusade any different?"

"He's wanting to destroy the Glades. I'm trying to save it."

"I don't think so. I think both of you are just mad killers trying to justify the blood on your hands."

"Laurel, please. You think I enjoy killing? That I do this to satiate some kind of… bloodlust?! I don't! I do it because every person I've gone up against since putting on that hood would sooner have me dead. It's survival. Kill or be killed."

"Maybe on your island, but not here! There's always another way! There's justice! Law and order! Everything I stand for, my father stands for!"

"And what about those who don't care about law and order? What can justice do about them?"

"You mean people like you?"

By this point, Oliver was out of comebacks. He just stood there silent. Laurel wiped her eyes, turning towards the door.

"Goodbye Oliver..."

"Laurel…"

Laurel just walked out of the door, doing her best to hold back her tears as she left the club.

Down in the cave, Batman tended to Robin who was finally starting to come around. The boy wonder slowly sat up, grunting as he held his head.

"How are you feeling?" Batman asked.

"Not too bad," Robin replied. "So, how are we looking?"

"Bad. the Dark Archer got away with the seismic generator."

"That's pretty bad." He slid off the table. "Do we have a plan?"

"Not yet, but we do have back up."

Just then, a Boom Tube opened up, causing Felicity to jump in shock. Diggle instantly reached for his gun, aiming it as Wonder Woman, Flash, and Cyborg stepped through.

"Trust me, that won't do you any good," Cyborg quipped as he closed the Boom Tube.

"We are on your side," Wonder Woman reassured.

"Sorry," Diggle replied, lowering the gun. "It's been an interesting couple of nights."

"And it's not over yet," Oliver replied, coming down the stairs.

"Guessing things didn't go well with Laurel?" Diggle surmised.

"Fraid not," Oliver replied. "But we've got bigger problems. The Dark Archer is Malcolm Merlyn."

"The tech mogul?" Diana questioned. "I've heard of him."

"As have I," Flash spoke up. "Not exactly the nicest of men, but I can't really see him running around in tights shooting arrows."

"Well it's true," Oliver replied. "He believes leveling the Glades will avenge his dead wife."

"So psycho archer out on revenge against an entire neighborhood," Cyborg surmised. "That about sum things up?"

"Pretty much," Dig confirmed. "No doubt he's gonna try and pull this off tonight."

"We have to evacuate the Glades," Wonder Woman insisted.

"That's not gonna be an easy task," Oliver warned. "There's too many people, and we can't warn them in time."

"Um, Oliver?" Felicity suddenly chimed in. "You might want to see this."

On her screen was the news, currently playing a press conference featuring Moira Queen.

"My name is Moira Dierdra Queen, CEO of Queen Consolidated... and God forgive me, I have failed this city. Over the past five years, under the threat of my life and the lives of my family, I have been complacent in an Undertaking with one… sinister purpose. To destroy the Glades, and everyone in it. I realize now that my family's safety will mean nothing if I let this dreadful act occur, but you need to know that the architect of this nightmare is Malcolm Merlyn. I have proof that he has killed dozens in pursuit of this madness, including my late husband, Robert Queen…"

"What is she doing?" Diggle let out.

"She's giving everyone a chance," Oliver recognized.

"Please, if you reside in the Glades, you need to get out now. Your lives and the lives of your children depend on it. Please..."

She then walked off camera, into the waiting throngs of police officers. The last thing the footage showed before cutting off was her being arrested.

"This gives the people a chance to get out," Batman observed. "But we still have work to do."

"We need to find this machine before it levels the Glades," Flash declared. "But even running at top speed, I don't know if I can search the entire city in time."

Robin picked up the notebook, looking at it while trying to figure out what was going on. As he flipped through the pages, he spotted the symbol on the inside cover.

"Why is there a subway map in this thing?"

"What?" Oliver questioned.

"This symbol, it's a subway map."He turned the book, pointing to the symbol. "I spent most of my life using the subway to get around, I recognize a map of one when I see one."

"I didn't even know Star City had a subway," Flash commented.

"It used to," Oliver responded. "Back in the day, Star City had a whole network of tunnels. They were shut down due to budget cuts."

"Sounds like the perfect place to hide a seismic generator," Cyborg declared. "We need a map of the full network."

Cyborg then displayed a holographic computer screen and began combing through data on the city.

"Okay, I officially feel useless," Felicity announced.

"Time is of the essence," Cyborg replied, scanning the map before focusing on a specific area. "Here, this is where the symbol comes from."

"Scan for structural weak points," Batman advised. "It'd be the perfect place to set up an Earthquake machine.

"Get the ball rolling, got it. One sec…" Cyborg continued scanning the area until he found something. "Bingo. Here."

The group all gathered around as they took a look at the spot Cyborg pointed out.

"Alright," Flash spoke up. "So, what's the plan?"

"You and Wonder Woman work on crowd control," Batman relayed. "Get everyone out of the Glades as fast as you can. Cyborg, you and Robin head to the seismic generator and disarm it."

"You got it," Robin replied.

"I'm going after Merlyn," Oliver announced, grabbing his hood.

"After the beating he gave you last time?" Diggle questioned. "Besides, didn't he break your bow?"

"Fortunately," Oliver spoke as he reached into a green wooden box and pulled out a simple wooden bow. "I have another one."

"You're not going after him alone," Batman told him.

"Fine," Oliver allowed. "But I can't promise I won't kill him."

"We'll see."

"I'm coming too," Diggle spoke up. "Soldier never lets a brother go into battle alone."

Oliver smirked, nodding in response.

"Fine," Batman allowed. "While we're doing that, we should coordinate with the police."

"Felicity," Oliver spoke up. "Contact Detective Lance and let him know the situation. Hopefully he can scrounge up some forces that can help us."

"We'll swing by on our way," Robin suggested. "The cops know this city better than us. Could save us time."

"Sounds good," Batman agreed. "Let's move."

Out in the Glades, word of what was to come sent the city into chaos. People were trying to flee the Glades by foot or car, some were taking advantage of the madness to loot and pillage the place. As everyone ran ramped, Wonder Woman and Flash arrived at the scene, seeing the absolute carnage at play.

"This is… insane," Flash commented.

"They are scared," Wonder Woman reasoned. "They act out of fear and desperation."

"Right. Well, let's make sure that desperation doesn't get someone killed."

"Agreed. I will deal with the looters, you search for injured civilians and get them to safety."

"On it."

Flash then sped off as Wonder Woman walked into a store that was getting robbed. She stepped through the shattered window, letting out a whistle.

"What's worth more to you? These paltry trinkets, or your lives?"

The men robbing the place just drew their guns and opened fire on her, prompting her to use her bracelets to block the bullets. The men just kept shooting and shooting until they ran out of bullets. Once that happened, Wonder Woman shot out her lasso at them, wrapping it around them and bringing their heads together, knocking them out.

Flash meanwhile, was zipping through the streets, looking for people in need of immediate evac or medical attention. As he ran down block after block, he saw a car crashed into a telephone pole. He ran over and tried opening the door, but it was stuck. From inside, he could hear a man inside, crying for help for him and his wife.

"Hang on!" Flash called out. "I'm gonna get you out of here."

Thinking fast, Flash held his hands up to the cars door and began vibrating them. After a second, the car door opened, and Flash pulled the man out.

"You're gonna be ok," Flash promised.

"My wife…" the man let out. "She still in there…"

As Flash turned back to the car, he saw a telephone wire falling towards the car, and fuel leaking out of it. Thinking fast, he dashed towards the car, unbuckled the woman, and dashed out with just before the wire hit, causing the car to explode. Flash dropped the woman off next to her husband, prompting the two to embrace before turning back to the hero.

"Thank you," the man replied.

"It's what we're here for," Flash told him before taking off.

In the SCPD Headquarters, every available cop in the area was working double time.

"I want every available unit working evac!" Captain Pike ordered. "I want every civilian out of the Glades before midnight! Where are we at with finding Merlyn?!"

"Still no sign of him, sir!" One of the officers shouted in reply.

"We still need to find that thing he plans on using to level the Glades," Detective Lance reminded.

"Maybe we can help with that," Robin's voice called from the window.

Lance and the other officers turned to see Robin perched on the windowsill with Cyborg standing in the doorway.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" Lance let out.

"We're here to help," Cyborg explained. "We know where Merlyn's earthquake machine is. That's how he's gonna pull off this insane plan of his."

"Well then, lead the way," Lance responded.

"Hope you can keep up!" Robin cheered, falling backwards out the window.

Cyborg and Lance went out the door as they ran to catch up.

At Merlyn's office building, Oliver, Diggle, and Batman made their way up the building to Merlyn's main office. As they went inside, they saw part of a nearby wall sticking out. Instantly on the offensive, the three drew their respective weapons as they approached the open wall. Diggle reached out a hand and slowly opened the wall the rest of the way. Once it was fully opened up, they went inside and saw a secret chamber lined with weapons and a mannequin, no doubt meant to hold Merlyn's Dark Archer uniform.

"He's here," Oliver realized.

The three moved in, Diggle drawing a gun as Oliver readied an arrow. They continued further inside and found Malcolm Merlyn standing before them with a bow in his hand.

"Your mother really is a piece of work, Oliver," he remarked. "Still, it will hardly be enough to save everyone. Your city will still die this night."

"You won't get to enjoy it," Oliver promised, firing his arrow at him.

Malcolm dodged it as Diggle opened fire on him. Merlyn evaded the shots as he made his way outside. The three attempt to pursue, but several men in black suits dropped down from the ceiling. The three quickly engaged the men, Oliver firing a few arrows into a few before breaking off and continuing his pursuit. Batman saw this and attempted to pursue, only for one of the men to grab him by the arm and punch him in the face.

Oliver's chase led him to the roof, where he was quickly fired upon by Merlyn, prompting him to roll out of the way and take out an arrow of his own.

"Tell me," Merlyn spoke. "Are you ready to die?"

Across town, Cyborg, Robin, and Detective Lance were booking it down the street in the latter's cruiser. Robin perched on the top of it while Cyborg sat shotgun, keeping an eye on his holographic map.

"We should be closing in on the subway entrance soon!" Cyborg announced.

"I see it! Up ahead!" Robin shouted.

Lance pulled to a stop as the three got out, approaching the boarded off subway entrance. Cyborg immediately pulled away the boards like they were nothing, opening the way.

"Stay close to me," Lance insisted. "These tunnels aren't the most structurally sound."

"Good to know," Robin replied. "Lead the way."

"Alright tin man, where are we heading?" Lance asked.

"The Seismic Generator should be down the southern tunnels, right before it crosses with Weisinger Avenue.

"Got it. Come on, let's hurry!"

Back on the roof, both Oliver and Merlyn continued firing shots at each other as they moved closer. Once they were in close, Malcolm charged forward and tried swinging his bow at Oliver. Oliver ducked under it as the two clashed, both trading quick and precise blows to each other. Oliver was forced on the defensive for a moment, blocking Merlyn's various bow swings and strikes, but he managed to get the upper hand and grabbed his arm, flipping him onto the ground. Oliver then quickly pulled out an arrow and fired it at Merlyn, prompting him to catch it. Unfortunately for him, it was an explosive arrow, which went off right in his face.

Back with Batman and Diggle, the two continued fighting against the masked men, with Batman dodging their attacks with ease and performing quick and immobilizing strikes to take them down, while Diggle went for more rugged and forceful attacks to bring them down. He grappled with one man before pulling his arm free and shooting him in the chest, causing him to drop to the ground. Batman meanwhile, just pulled out a batarang and tossed it at the head of the last man, knocking him out before the weapon returned to his hand and he turned back to Diggle.

"Come on," he told him. "Let's get to Queen."

Back on the streets of the Glades, Flash and Wonder Woman continued their rescue efforts. That can work. As they reconvened, they could see smoke emanating from a tenement building down the street. They took off towards it, hoping that they could save those inside. Once they reached the building, they could see a teen in a red hoodie helping an older woman out of the building. Seeing the flames start to rise, Flash quickly ran inside and started spinning his arms at super speed, creating a wind funnel that helped to turn down the heat. Once the flames were dissipated enough, Wonder Woman made her way inside and carried the two out of the building.

"Are you alright?" She asked them both.

"I'm okay," the boy nodded. "Thanks."

"I'll be alright," the woman answered. "Thanks to this young man."

"The fire looked bad. I went in to see if there was anyone else inside. Glad I did."

"As are we all," Wonder Woman commended.

"Thanks for the help kid," Flash told him. "But get yourself checked out, and leave the rest of the hero work to us."

"Hey, this is my home. I'm not just gonna sit around and watch it burn. Not while I can do something about it."

"I can respect that. Just try and avoid running into fire in the near future."

"I'll try, but no promises."

Flash allowed that as he and Wonder Woman took off. Once they were gone, the boy got back to his feet and began looking for anyone else who needed help.

Back down in the subway, Lance, Robin, and Cyborg continued tracking through the vast tunnels in search of the machine that would decimate the city.

"So, how much further?" Lance asked.

"It's just up ahead," Cyborg answered.

The three rounded the next corner and saw the seismic generator, looking like it was almost ready to activate.

"Looks like we got here just in time," Cyborg remarked, rushing forward to the device.

He knelt before it, looking over the device and giving it a scan.

"I need some good news, tin man," Robin quipped.

"Well, I've got some good news, and I've got some bad news."

"Start with the good news," Lance insisted.

"Good news is that this thing hasn't been activated yet, so we don't have to worry about that."

"And the bad news?"

"If we mess up deactivating this thing, it will set off early and we'll all be screwed."

"Then let's not do that," Robin suggested.

"Right," Cyborg agreed.

He located a panel on the device and slowly removed it, revealing an entire mess of wires. Quentin and Robin both looked worried.

"I don't think this is going to be easy," Robin remarked.

Back on the rooftop, Oliver and Malcolm continued to duel. Merlyn had run out of arrows at this point and was forced to draw a sword on Oliver, prompting him to block the strikes with his bow. Oliver quickly grabbed his sword arm and knocked the blade out of his hand before Merlyn spun around and kicked him in the back. Oliver rolled on the ground before taking a crouched stance as Merlyn ran up to him. Oliver quickly spun around and kicked him in the face, knocking him to the ground. Oliver then ran up and grappled Merlyn, throwing him to the ground. Merlyn however, rolled back to his feet and charged at Oliver, grabbing him and flipping under him so that he was standing over him and could punch him in the back repeatedly.

Elsewhere in the city, Laurel was driving through the streets towards CNRI, doing her best to avoid the oncoming traffic. After Moira Queen's message was televised, she wanted to make sure her coworkers got out safely. She rushed inside, seeing everyone inside scrambling to get their paperwork together.

"Joanna!" Laurel called out.

An african american woman with long, curly hair looked up when she heard Laurel.

"Laurel! What are you doing here?! I thought you were with Oliver!"

"Yeah, well now I'm here. Come on, we gotta get everyone out!"

"Alright, let's hurry! We don't have much time."

Back in the tunnels, Cyborg continued working with the bomb, with Robin and Quinten watching with bated breath. Robin glanced over at Quentin, dropping his smart-mouthed facade for a moment.

"Hey, you got any family?"

"Yeah," Quinten replied. "My daughter."

"Call her. Trust me, you'll want to, just in case."

Quinten thought about what he was saying, then took out his phone and dialed a certain number. He let it ring for a few seconds before the call connected.

"Dad?"

"Laurel. Sweetheart, I just… I just needed to hear your voice. Make sure you were ok."

"I'm okay Dad. I'm at CNRI, trying to help everyone get out. Where are you?"

"CNRI? Laurel, you need to get out of the Glades, now."

"Not while there's still people here. I can't just leave them here any more than you can."

"Laurel…" Quinten took a breath. "Just… be careful, please. I can't lose you."

"Same with you Dad… come home, okay?"

"I will Laurel. I love you."

Quinten then hung up the phone as Cyborg zeroed in on one of the wires inside the device.

"I think I may have found the wire connecting the server to the primary power unit. Pulling it out should shut the whole thing down."

"Should?" Lance questioned.

"It could also set this thing off..."

"So, what's the call coach?" Robin asked.

Cyborg looked back at the machine, unsure of what to do next.

Back on the roof, Merlyn managed to get Oliver in a choke hold as he fell to his knees in weakness.

"It's over Oliver," Merlyn told him. "There was never any doubt in the outcome. Don't worry about your family though, they'll soon join you in death."

Upon hearing his family threatened, Oliver looked on the ground near him and saw one of Merlyn's discarded arrows. Mustering the last of his strength, he reached for it, picking it up and ramming it through himself, stabbing Merlyn in the chest. Merlyn let out a grunt of pain as Oliver pulled the arrow out, letting Merlyn fall to the ground.

"Thank you… for showing me what I'm fighting for," Oliver told him. "But my father showed me how."

Oliver then socked Merlyn across the face, knocking him back as Batman and Diggle arrived.

"Oliver!" Diggle called out.

"You alright?" Batman questioned.

"I'll live," Oliver reassured as Diggle helped him stand. "Felicity, did Robin and Cyborg find the seismic generator?"

"Cyborg's working on deactivating it as we speak."

Back with Cyborg, he reached inside the device and slowly wrapped his fingers around the wire, silently praying that it wouldn't be the last thing he did.

"Here it goes…"

Gritting his teeth and closing his eyes, he yanked out the wire. He, Robin, and Quentin all flinched, waiting to make sure nothing happened. After a few seconds, the device seemed to power down, much to their relief.

"Oh thank god," Quinten let out.

"Batman, we did it," Cyborg reported. "It's over."

"Roger that Cyborg," Batman replied. "We're wrapped up here too."

Just then, Malcolm started chuckling as he laid dying on the ground, much to the groups confusion.

"What's so funny?" Oliver asked.

"If there's one thing I've learned as a businessman…" Merlyn let out. "It's… redundancy."

Merlyn then dropped to the ground, leaving the three confused. Suddenly, Oliver realized what he meant.

"There's a second device…" he realized.

"There's a second device!" Batman grabbed his JL communicator. "Robin! Cyborg! Get out of there! There's a-!"

Before he could finish, the ground began to shake violently. The three of them staggered to the edge of the roof to see an entire section of the Glades crumbling in on itself. To Oliver's horror, that included the area where Verdant was set up. His horror became even greater when he heard a terrified scream from Felicity through the earpiece.

"Felicity?!" Oliver let out. "What's happening?!"

"The club is crumbling! The ceiling's caving in!"

"Get out of there! Now!"

All Oliver heard was more screaming and the sound of crumbling debris. There was a bit of silence for a few moments before Felicity's coughing came on comms.

"I'm alright… the cave's destroyed though…"

"You're alright. That's all that matters."

"Hey Bats..." Robin's voice came through his comm.

"Robin, are you alright?"

"Cyborg Boom Tubed us out in time. We're at Queen Consolidated. There's something else though."

"What is it?"

"Detective Lance's daughter is at a place called CNRI."

"Laurel…" Oliver realized.

He immediately took off, shooting a grappling arrow off the roof and swinging towards CNRI.

The city was in chaos in the wake of the quake. There were crumbled buildings stretching as far as the eye could see, with lights going out and fires erupting from everywhere. Sirens were wailing in all directions as emergency crews worked overtime to get everyone out. Several fire fighters were gathered around CNRI, which was seconds from collapsing in on itself because of the quake. Inside, Laurel maneuvered through the fallen shelves in search of anyone else trapped inside.

"Is there anyone else in here?!"

"Laurel!" Joanna shouted.

Laurel quickly moved towards her friend, who was stuck under one of the shelves. Laurel grabbed hold of the shelf and tried picking it up, struggling with its sheer weight. She was able to lift it high enough so that Joanna could get out from under it, allowing her to drop it.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"I'm okay, but we need to get out of here."

Just as the two got to their feet, the ceiling above them started to crack and give way.

"Move!" Laurel yelled, shoving Joanna forward.

Joanna and Laurel sprinted as the ceiling came crashing down.

Outside CNRI, the building began collapsing just as the Hood came in. He saw Joanna stumbling through the door.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yeah, I-" she looked behind her and saw Laurel wasn't behind her. "No… Laurel!"

The Hood immediately dashed inside. He kicked open the door and started making his way through the fallen debris.

"Laurel!" He called out. "Laurel!"

"Ollie…" Laurel's weak voice called out.

Oliver moved towards the voice, seeing Laurel lying under some debris. He immediately went over and started moving piece after piece off.

"Laurel! Hold on! I've got-!"

As he grabbed some of the shelf, he was met with the sight of a massive wooden beam sticking through her stomach. From the amount of blood, it was clear it had pierced something vital.

"No…" Oliver dreaded.

"Oliver…" Laurel coughed, blood trickling down the corners of her mouth. "J-Joanna… is she..."

"She got out. She's alright. You're gonna be alright too."

"Oliver… you can't…" she coughed again. "You can't… keep killing… please..."

"Laurel. Laurel, stay with me. Stay with me, please."

Laurel's eyes slowly began to close as her body went limp. Tears started welling up in Oliver's eyes as he dropped to his knees in defeat.

"No…" he let out. "It should've been me… it should've been me…"

Back outside the building, Robin, Cyborg, and Quinten were arriving via Boom Tube, the latter looking around frantically.

"Laurel!" He shouted. "Laurel, where are you?!"

His calls were cut short when he saw the Hood walking out of the building with Laurel's body in his arms. Quentin came forward, taking Laurel from Hood. He saw the pained face on the vigilante, recognizing the face but caring more about his daughter to say something.

"No…" Quintel let out as the Hood placed her on the hood of a nearby car. "Laurel…"

He bent down, cupping her face as tears began to well up in his eyes. He then just dropped to his knees, sobbing openly while gripping Laurel's cold hand. The Hood just turned away in shame, walking off as the city crumbled around him.

Days later, a massive funeral was held for Laurel at the Star City Cemetery. Quentin stood next to his ex-wife, both of them looking at the gravestones of both of their daughters. Many members of the police force, CNRI, and the Department of Justice were there to pay their respects. Bruce and Tim were off to the side, both solemnly observing the service alongside Oliver. Next to him was his younger sister, Thea, who was holding the boy in the red hoodie while sobbing. Once the minister said his words, Quinten walked over to Oliver as he just stared blankly at the tombstone.

"I know who you are," Quentin told him quietly. "Don't worry, I don't plan on revealing to anyone."

"I know you must hate me," Oliver told him, not even reacting to the reveal. "You have every right to."

"I don't hate you, Oliver," Quentin replied. "How can I? You did everything you could to save her."

"It wasn't enough."

"You put your life on the line to stop Merlyn. He killed Laurel, not you. And I don't think for a moment Laurel would want you to go on blaming yourself."

"After everything I've done to your family, how can you not hate me?"

"I admit, I've resented you after what happened with Sara. I own that, but in truth… I just didn't want to take the blame myself. I shouldn't have let her get on that boat… the day I did… I lost both my daughters."

"So… where does that leave us now?"

"Honestly… I don't know. There's still a lot of people who want the Hood's head."

"Well tell them not to worry," Oliver started to walk off. "As of last night, the Hood's dead."

Bruce saw Oliver walk off, giving a soft sigh before following.

The remains of Verdant turned out to be worse than what Oliver had expected. The floors had collapsed into the cave below, the walls were fractured and several support columns were laying on the ground. Oliver just sat in the middle of the wreckage, holding his old hood. Furious, he threw it aside, letting it fall into the massive hole below.

"Oliver?" Batman called out.

Oliver glanced over his shoulder to see Batman slipping through the wreckage. Robin was with him, sitting on top of the broken bar and just watching. Wonder Woman, Flash, and Cyborg followed close behind, seeing the broken state of things.

"What are you doing here?" Oliver asked.

"We came to see how you were holding up," Flash explained.

"I'm not..." He looked over at Robin, sighing heavily. "You were right about me, kid… I wasn't helping anything."

"Honestly, I was only half right. You had bad methods, but a good mission."

"A mission that ended in failure. Laurel's dead, my mother's in prison, and the Glades got destroyed."

"That's why it needs a hero now more than ever," Flash piped up.

"And you think that's me? The man who failed to save this city?"

"The loss you've suffered is immense," Wonder Woman allowed. "But there are those out there who have lost just as much, if not more. Can you so easily abandon them?"

Oliver paused for a moment, thinking over what she said.

"No… but I don't know if I can do this again."

"Maybe you just need to try a different approach," Cyborg suggested. "Less Hood, more hero."

"How do I do that?"

"First and foremost, no killing," Batman told him.

"Agreed. This city's had enough murderers. It needs… something else. I just need a way to find it."

"Well, I have one way to start," Flash offered, holding out a box to Oliver.

Oliver took the box and opened it up, surprised by what was inside.

"The greasepaint's fine and all, but if you wanna do this right, try wearing that."

Oliver reached into the box, pulling out a green domino mask.

Three months later

The sight at Star City General Bank was that of any other work day, with tellers tending to customers. As a young woman was walking out of the bank, she ran right into four men in masks and holding guns. Before the woman could let out a scream, the first guy knocks her aside and starts shooting into the air.

"Everybody on the ground! Now!"

Everyone dropped to the ground, cowering in fear. The men quickly hopped the counter and started bagging the money there. As they did, one of the tellers quickly pressed a silent alarm button under the counter. One of the men saw this and instantly aimed his gun at her.

"Big mistake."

Suddenly, an arrow came out of nowhere and struck the gun, pinning it to a wall.

"I was about to say the same to you," a new voice called out.

"It's the Hood!" the first guy let out.

"Can't be," a second guy told him. "The Hood's dead."

Suddenly, a figure dropped down from the rafters, revealing himself to be a man in a green suit and hood with short sleeves, gloves, a mask covering his eyes, a quiver of arrows on his back, and a metal compound bow in his hand.

"Then who the hell is that?" the first guy asked.

"You're about to find out," the man promised, drawing an arrow.

Outside the bank, several police cars and news vans pulled up around the entrance. One reporter was doing a live report just in front of the police line.

"This is Valerie Watts for Channel 52, reporting live from outside Star City General Bank where a daring robbery has taken place. There are at least a dozen hostages inside, and-!"

Suddenly, the sound of glass shattering filled the air as everyone turned to see one of the gunmen tossed out the window tied up in metal cables. Before long the other three were tossed out as well on top of him.

"This is… a startling development. The gunmen seem to have been apprehended by-"

The reporter was cut off once again when the man in the green hood came walking out of the bank. The police were weary of this, thinking the man bore a striking resemblance to a previous hooded vigilante. Detective Lance, however, approached him without fear.

"Who are you?" he asked. "Cause you sure ain't the Hood."

"The Hood died in the Undertaking," the man told him as the camera's focused up. "And perhaps, rightfully so. His tactics and disregard for life left a stain on this city, but his mission, to bring justice to those without, needs to live on. That is why I'm here. As of tonight, I am declaring my intention to fight for this city. To protect the innocent, bring justice to the lawless, but most of all, to be the symbol of hope and light that the Hood never was."

Everyone was taken in by what was being said as the man turned towards the camera.

"I am… the Green Arrow."