Disclaimer: Based on characters and stories owned by DC Universe, which I do not own. Enjoy!

After the mission in New Haven, William heads back to the basement of the old St. Paul Cathedral in the Glades. Walking down the last steps, Lyla Michaels stands in the lone light shining from the ceiling above. Her hands are behind her back, fidgeting.

She turns as William draws closer, a neutral stare disguising whatever impatience she has.

William quickly briefs her, "We found Benjamin. He'll help us with our plan. He just needs a few days to collaborate with Felicity and Alena."

Lyla nods. "You probably already know, but your plan worked."

William nods. "It took a lot out of my younger self, but he'll bounce back."

"I hope so. This is the second time you put him in danger."

"He was there to ensure Noah wouldn't kill his family. This time, he knew the stakes."

Lyla put her hands on her hips, akimbo style. "Dante's setting up a meeting with all of the Ninth Circle Members. They'll be gathering at the plaza building for Blackfire's execution. Top floor."

William grins. "Good. I'll scout it out and plan things from there."

"You will, but FIRST…"

This is what she called me here for, isn't it?

"I know you have everyone else's trust, including my husband's. As much as I want to, I need to know EXACTLY what we're trying to avoid. You've been here long before your first appearance as the Green Arrow. You've been preparing for it, gathering materials to repair the bunker ahead of time, keeping certain details like Rene's future as mayor from us."

William nods. "And now you want the whole thing."

Lyla tilts her head forward. "As MUCH detail as you can give."

"Explaining would take a while."

"John's expecting me to be home late tonight. I've got time."

William closes his eyes, taking a deep breath.

I don't want to divulge who brought me here. At least, not yet. I can still tell Lyla how and why.

William nods. "Fair. You already know that ARGUS becomes a police state and Star City becomes destitute while the Glades thrive."

"But that's not why you're here."

William shakes his head. "That's a part of it. In reality, my father called me here, along with Roy, to help rescue Felicity. She uncovered a plot to blow Star City to smithereens, which she entrusted to Mia."

"That's when you two first met?"

William nods. "Along with reuniting with others. John, Laurel, Rene, Zoe…"

Lyla nods. "What about the rescue attempt?"

William sighs deeply. "That's where things went south."

When we were found out, my father, John, Roy, and Rene ensured our escape, but they were captured. We devised a plan and managed to find where Felicity was being held. A corporation inside the Glades held her hostage, one run by Kevin Dale.

Noah York's alias?

Correct. We managed to get a hold of the DNA necessary to infiltrate their restricted levels and get the others inside without detection.

There were a couple of bumps, but nothing that couldn't be sorted out.

But the rescue attempt?

That's where things went awry. It was smooth sailing at first.

We managed to use Noah's DNA to enter an elevator. It brought us down to a restricted level only he and his guards were allowed to enter.

That's where Felicity was?

Yes. When we arrived down there, and the doors opened, there were at least a dozen guards, all clad in black, wearing Kevlar armor. They were the Glades' Black Ops unit, and Noah had them in his pocket.

But what advantage they had in numbers, we had in skill and strategy.

We already collaborated on how we were to move in. Laurel was in front, her Siren screech knocking down the first half nearly instantly. Mia and I went in second, splitting off and shooting arrows at those still up, aiming for the knees.

I thought they were in Kevlar.

Indeed. But even in the future, armor still had weak spots. After us were Zoe and Ben Jr, joining us to take others down.

Ben Jr? As in Ben Turner Jr? He was helping you?

A story for another time. Zoe joined me while Ben was supporting Mia. When the Black Ops soldiers charged in, I was first to defend, taking the brunt of their attacks. Zoe was finding openings, grabbing and peeling others from me as best she could while using a specialized tazer she kept on her person.

I was surprised she even had that.

I'm surprised her father taught her to fight as she did.

Rene taught her how to box. It was your husband who turned her into a warrior. A nimble one at that. The soldier's Kevlar slowed them a bit, but she was still too fast for them. She even disarmed a baton and used it against them.

You sound…impressed by her skill.

She couldn't hold them for long. I managed to knock my opponents down and help her. Laurel was taking care of anyone still conscious.

Your answer wasn't direct.

Do you want to hear the rest or gossip?

Fine. What about Ben Jr.? How was he fairing?

Rather well. Between his training with Knightwatch and his time in Star City, he protected Mia with his life. He proposed being a sort of shield to protect Mia, but there were too many for that to happen.

How chivalrous.

That's one way of putting it. Mia wanted to join in the fighting, but I insisted that she stay back and provide ranged support for Ben. She complied, though she was a bit frustrated. One of the guards did manage to break away and charge at her, but Laurel took him down instantly.

I'm guessing you were the one who planned how everything would go?

Just our formation. There was no way to predict what would happen after we stepped out of the elevator. For all I knew, Bane could have been in there, injecting himself with Venom and ready to send us five stories down in one punch. A dozen guards was the better scenario.

We managed to take them down within minutes. Still, it was one of my more challenging fights. A couple just kept coming back up, even after Laurel's screeches. I could see why Rene feared them so.

After the fight, when the dust settled, we found her.

Felicity?

Yes. Her eyes were wide when I saw her. She knew who I was already.

"William?"

Felicity had barely changed. She had some wrinkles on her forehead and around her eyes, but she was the same stepmother I had seen so many years ago. I'll admit, I…I was processing that I was seeing her at all.

How long had it been?

In the original timeline? More than twenty years. I tried contacting her and Dad many times, but they never answered. Dad said it was because they didn't want to put me in danger, but…I'm getting sidetracked.

"Mom!"

Mia's voice snapped me out of it, remembering that we came here to save our mother.

Still, Felicity wasn't too pleased with her being there. "Mia! What are you doing here?"

"Getting you out of here." I immediately got to work on the panel locking her in the glass box.

Felicity was still upset, telling us, "I thought I made it clear that you were supposed to be OUT of the city."

When the door opened, I stepped in, telling her, "Well, we're stubborn…just like Dad is."

Felicity didn't retort. Instead, she hugged me. She hugged as if she had found a lost, valuable treasure and didn't want to let it go ever again.

She whispered the same sentiment I would have said, "I never thought I'd see you again."

How did you react?

I hugged back, but not as tightly. I was still in disbelief that it was even happening. After all these years, after a lot of prayers, they were all answered, one by one. It wasn't in the way I thought they would, but that's how it is with God. He answers in unknowable ways.

When she broke away, she was asking, "But, I thought your father would—"

"He was kidnapped."

Her eyes were wide with fear. "HOW?"

Mia was the one who answered, "These Black Ops guys. He held them off, along with Roy and the Mayor."

"They were there too? But how did you get here undetected?"

"With my help."

Felicity seemed to have known Zoe then. No surprise on her face.

However, Laurel was a different story. "And mine."

Felicity had a mixture of joy and shock on her grin. She was asking, "You got my message?"

Laurel shrugged her shoulders. "Nothing was going on in Earth-2. I thought I'd drop by."

Was that when you found out about her being a parallel duplicate?

No. I knew of Earth-2 and Black Siren long before. Bruce sent me on missions there plenty of times, mostly recon.

Ben was confused though. "Earth-2?"

I tried to keep us on track. "Later. Felicity, we know about their plans to destroy Star City. We followed the coordinates to find you."

However, Felicity's answer shocked me and the others. "Those weren't for me. Kevin Dale is storing the bombs deep underneath this building."

I was catching on. "And you know exactly where, which is why Dale captured you."

"I was found out before I could tell your father. But, and as much as I hate the idea, you're here." Her eyes turned to Mia. "You both are."

Mia nodded in agreement. "We'll find those bombs…and Dad. Lead the way."

Felicity led us down to a lower level, which she found in the company's more obscure files. Mia and I were right beside her, bows in hand, while the others kept to the rear to defend us from anyone checking in on their knocked-out friends.

I'm guessing that it was difficult to maneuver through?

No. It wasn't.

Wait! You're serious?

That's what irked me about it. No traps, guards, or cameras. For a place that was holding explosives, they didn't add any security measures.

Even Felicity was confused. "This isn't right. There should be security around here."

Laurel didn't seem to care that much. "They probably relied on nobody else to know about this place."

"Still, you'd think there would be at least one guard or camera."

I was starting to have reservations, too. Thinking back on Felicity's rescue, the guards were numerous and did put up a fight. Still, why did they choose to fight? Why didn't any of them call for backup? We didn't even have a jammer.

Did you voice any of that to Felicity?

I did. But Mia said, "We can't turn back now! We've come this far, and it's Dad's life on the line now. We're finishing this."

She wasn't wrong. Whatever was coming, we were confident that we would handle it.

We managed to find the entrance to the storage space Felicity mentioned, but still no security. We were wary as Felicity punched the code in, whispering, "Please be the same one, please be the same one…"

Luckily, the passcode was the one Felicity saw in those files.

When I heard the beep, I told Felicity, "Let Mia and I go in first. Stay close to the others."

Felicity nodded, though her pressed lips told me she hoped someone else would face the danger first.

Mia and I stood ready to breach. I counted down, "3…2…1…GO!"

I pressed the button, the door flew open, and Mia and I…

What? Were there guards? Bombs?

No. It was a body, sitting lifeless in a chair. It…

…It was Rene's.

For the first time since William met her, Lyla slowly put up a hand to her mouth, he eyes as wide as apartment windows. She had many reactions when given bad news: worry, a hard stare, frustration, and even a rageful voice at the worst of times. Never this. John said she only did this once in the years she had known her, when she was beyond shocked and had no immediate response or emotion. She doesn't know what to think or, most likely, she's picturing Rene's lifeless body postured on the seat.

It's an image that William sees every time he interacts with Rene. "Now you see why I didn't tell you anything about him?"

Lyla's hand drops, her lips now quivering. She looks down, her breathing slow but loud and shaky.

The first thing she tries to say is, "Why? Why would they—"

"He outlived their usefulness. That, and he protected us, made sure we remained anonymous. The latter is…something I learned only recently."

Lyla closes her eyes hard, a single tear dripping down her face. She quickly wipes it away, brushing any congestion on her clean sleeve.

She then asks, "What about Zoe?"

William sighs. "She was devastated."

I tried to stop her from going in, but she was too quick. When she laid eyes on her father, she froze. She even forgot to breathe. When I tried to put a hand on her shoulder, she sprinted towards her Dad, grabbing him in a hug. She broke down in tears and SCREAMED at the top of her lungs. No words were coming out. There were only the echoes of a child who just lost her parent.

It was one I knew…all too well.

It was Felicity who walked up to her, placed a firm hand on her shoulder, and said, "I'm sorry."

I would have done the same, but cogs were turning in my brain. Something about all of this didn't seem right.

Where were the bombs? Why place Rene's body where it was? Why was getting into the room so easy?

Then, the stark realization hit me.

"It's a trap! We have to get out!" That's what I would have yelled.

However, the door closed behind us. The only ones outside were Ben and Laurel.

Just then, a familiar voice was laughing through intercoms on the corners of the wall.

You mean Noah.

As Kevin Dale. Yeah.

He was gloating, "Wow! You know, I knew you would try to get any strand of DNA to get in here. But that stunt? A THOUSAND TIMES more creative than what I concocted with the secretary downstairs."

Everyone in the room looked at each other and Rene's body, realizing what was happening.

Still, I yelled out, "Where are the bombs, Dale?!"

"Gone. Did you think we would let them stay here after Smoak's intervention? We set them up DAYS ago, through discreet methods."

My eyes shot wide when Noah said that. It was a rough estimate, but from what he said, the bombs were placed a couple of days before Roy and I arrived in Star City. We wasted days trying to find Felicity for nothing.

It couldn't have been for nothing. You still found her.

But the bombs weren't there. They were armed and ready to be triggered.

That's when Felicity brought up a point. "So why not detonate them now?"

"Oh, I WANT to. But a friend of mine wants YOU and your little band captured first. You'll be the witnesses to Star City's FINAL end. I have guards on their way to pick you up. They won't be as easy as the guys holding you were."

His last statement was to Zoe, who was still cradling her father's body in her arms. "Oh, and my condolences to you, Ms. Ramirez. Your father served his purpose well, but we'll have to find someone who's more malleable, maybe a former Star City mayor who won't DARE to oppose us when his city is in ruins and his spirit CRUSHED."

That's oddly specific.

The future mayor is…a friend Zoe has been dealing with. She knew what Noah meant.

Still, the words were enough to send her flying into a rage, spouting swears, curses, and promises to make him pay.

I was calming her down while Felicity ran over to the door. Thankfully, it wasn't soundproof, so she was able to tell Ben the codes to the door.

I was able to talk Zoe down, but it took a while. She was insisting, "We can't leave him here!"

"I don't want to either! But right now, a dozen soldiers are coming our way. We need to get out of here so we can fight another day. Your father would want that."

She hesitated but went along with us as soon as the door was open.

But when we got out, several guards were already coming down the hall from where we entered. We followed Felicity, who insisted, "There's a ventilation shaft your father used to get in and out last time. I don't think they found it yet."

But you never went with them, didn't you?

No. Back then, I knew that for the others to have a chance of escaping…

One of you had to stay behind.

…Yes.

I stopped dead in my tracks, weighing my options. The bombs may have been armed, but Felicity could still stop them, along with the others' help. But if the guards were allowed to follow them, if they knew where that secret passage led, all would have been lost.

Felicity noticed, yelling at me to, "Keep up! William!"

The others stopped as well, looking at me with confused eyes.

I took out my bow. "Get Felicity out of here. Stop those bombs!"

Felicity was yelling at me to, "Come back!" I ignored every plea. I didn't look back, but Mia and the others stopped her from chasing me.

That was the last you saw them?

In that timeline, yeah. I charged at the pursuers, knowing that what I was about to do was going to get me captured…but not killed.

"But why? Who wanted you alive?"

William sighs. "This is where you have to promise that nothing I tell you leaves this room."

Lyla puts her hands on her hips, trying to assert authority. "Is this for your sake?"

William shakes his head. "For Aunt Thea's, and Roy's. They can't know what would have happened."

Lyla raises an eyebrow. "Is this what happened in the previous timeline? From before you, John, and Knightwatch saved them?"

William nods. "It's the possibility I am doing everything I can to spare them from. I NEED your word that you won't tell them."

Lyla lowers her hands slowly, her eyes gazing up at the ceiling. After what seems like an eternity of waiting, Lyla nods. "Fine. Not a word leaves this room."

William nods. "Then I'll continue."

When I came to, I was being dragged through a cement hallway. I thought I had ended up somewhere in the lower levels of the building we infiltrated. However, the guards dragging me weren't the Glade's Black Ops. They were in lesser tactical gear, wearing helmets with glass visors. They had batons at their sides. There's only one unit confined to such armaments in my time. Prison Guards.

Prison guards? Was that when you got your crew cut?

That came later. I was trying to assess where I was and find any recognizable crack or door beyond the cement walls. It wasn't until we reached a pair of large doors that opened into a large assortment of cells. I knew the inside of it well, having infiltrated it many times to find a prisoner with intel or prevent a possible riot. It had a long history of criminal abuse, but there wasn't substantial evidence to support the claims. Even if there were, it was government-funded, and the Glades was their financier.

The cells stretched about twelve stories high, possibly more if counting the lower levels it had. It was the third-largest prison in the country, built over decade after decade. Even I didn't know every inch.

When they dragged me past the cells, HE was there.

Future Noah?

No. Someone else. His face was covered in a demon mask.

Like the ones the Ninth Circle members wear?

Yes. His was the spitting image of Satan, at least as depicted in Dante's Inferno. A three-headed demon. He added snakes for hair, curled around each other.

His demon voice told me, "You have no idea how long We've waited for this." He looked up to the guards and told them, "Put him through the process, then bring him to me."

The next thing I knew, I was being processed as a prisoner. The cut, the strong water hose, and my own set of lightish blue flannel with a long grey shirt.

Wait. That uniform's—

Slabside prisoner standard. Yes. The guards confirmed that with, "Welcome to Slabside, 4587."

They put you in Slabside? Why?

It was the one place far from the blast radius, where the man could give me, my father, John, Felicity, and Roy the view to see Star City be destroyed.

The others were alive? But Rene—

Was to send a message. But the others, he wanted to show that they lost, that he won.

Why? Who is he?

That's what I was wondering. It was in the interrogation room where I got my answer.

There was darkness all around me and the table. The only source of light was the bulb above. So, when he came in and took off his mask, he was still invisible except for his suit.

He prostrated himself, hands behind his back. "William Clayton!" he let out a laugh. "Forgive me, you go by Queen these days, don't you?"

I stayed silent, gauging him. Even from his tone, he seemed to be mentally unwell. His startling laugh only confirmed the suspicion.

The most weird thing is that he seemed relaxed and more reserved than when I saw him in the cell block. I tried to remain as neutral as possible, but I couldn't help but feel uneasy.

After his laugh, he told me, "You don't know how much of an honor it is to finally meet you in person."

Even with his mental state, I did my best to get answers out of him, "Should I know you?"

I could see his shadowed head shaking. "My parents, you would. The stories my mother told me about you were borderline DULL. But YOU…a vigilante? Now that really—

Just then, for some reason, his tone and language changed. He was saying something that I surmized to be Arabic. He seemed more direct and authoritative when speaking.

He then erupted with, "I'M GETTING TO IT!"

His sudden yelling even caused me to jump in my chair. My eyes darted to see if a mind control device was on his person, or maybe some magic hue. But I saw nothing. He didn't even have a comm in his ear.

He must have noticed, putting up a hand. "My apologies. The others are not as patient as I am."

"Your parents?"

The man scoffed. "No. They were the ones who unwillingly blessed me with my gift."

Schizophrenia usually isn't hereditary.

I know. It's not what he had.

"They tried to destroy it, you see. But little did they know that I ended up inheriting it."

"If you're trying to gauge whether or not I know what you're talking about—"

He put a hand up. "You don't. I'm just setting up context so you can understand."

"Understand what?"
"What my father didn't tell you."

Then, he leaned out, hands on the table, face in the light.

"Why he REALLY left for that GODFORSAKEN ISLAND."

godforsaken Island? He can't really mean—

Lian Yu. Only one person went back there to spend the rest of his days in exile. Roy Harper.

Lyla is dumbstruck, her eyes and jaw wide enough that they refuse to close. She doesn't even blink.

After a few moments, she finally musters some words, slowly asking, "That man was—"

"Robert Harper. Roy and Thea's son."

William's voice is low, almost distraught. Even after nearly a year, he still has difficulty wrapping his head around the fact.

He continues, "I didn't believe it…but then I saw his face. He had his father's face and hair…but his eyes were brown, like Aunt Thea's."

Lyla then looks at William with a sudden realization, "The Ninth Circle recruited him?"

William confirms, "And he was leading it. I didn't know who the Ninth Circle was at the time. They were one of the puzzles I worked on when I got here."

Lyla doesn't seem interested in that detail. Her fingertips are pressed to her temple, eyes darting from William to the floor. She frantically asks, "But William—"

"How? That's what I wondered too…"

"How? It…it can't—"

"Can't be. Right? That's what Mom and Dad said!"

Robert seemed to be taking joy in my shock. His smile was nothing short of psychopathic.

"Roy, Aunt Thea…your mother and father wouldn't—"

Robert laughed. "Oh, this wasn't their fault. Well, not directly." He moved himself away from the table, walking back and forth. Still, I could imagine the disturbing smile he had on his face. I still do. "You see, my mother and father once went on an adventure, a mission. They wanted to destroy something called—"

"Lazarus Pits. I know what they are. A foolish misnomer."

He pointed a finger at me. "AH! But did dear old Dad tell you that she FELL into one?"

My eyes widened. I knew what psychological effects the pits had from Bruce's cautionary stories.

Robert corrected, "Well, thrown in. They were caught by their enemies and she was put in there to be the heir to their little group. BUT little did they know that mother was resurrected by Lazarus before."

I raised my head to meet his possibly ecstatic gaze. Even I didn't know this.

I did. Your father was able to cure her through Red Lotus.

Christ's blood. That's what Robert confirmed. "Yeah, the same one Ra's Al Gual used. She was cured by…I don't know what it was, but it made her immune to the effects of another Pit, which gave her the idea to FOOL her enemies, destroy the pit, and take them down in ONE. FELL. SWOOP."

Wait. She was immune? You mean saving her from the pit—

It saved her! But what happened afterwards…

I was questioning the logic, too, "But then nothing should have happened. She would have been happy, healthy!"

"SHE WAS!" His anger came out of nowhere. It was enough to send a shiver down my spine. Still, he explained, "However…the Lazarus found a new host, someone who was in the pit with her, somebody even she didn't know she had…"

I pieced it together at that moment. "You. She had you in her belly."

Robert clapped his hands together. "Exactly! Little me with none of that cure in my veins."

Lazarus can do that?

Now you know why I saved Thea from falling, why that was imperative.

But, the side effects on an unborn child!

Robert was elated to tell me, "They didn't affect me much as a baby. Little voices when I slept, dreams that felt so VISCERAL, so REAL. It wasn't until I was ten did they speak to me, multiple languages that I somehow understood."

"The people who were in the pit before you. Warriors long dead."

"NOT dead."Again, his accent changed, and his stare became more stern. He spoke English but had a more British accent. "We were crusaders and Ottamans, Christian and Muslim, all who touched the pools of Lazarus. We wrestled even in death. In time, we realized our God abandoned us to our fate. We came together as one mind."

Robert's sadistic smile came back as he pointed to his head. "All up here now. They told me their secrets, their goals, their dreams. They showed me all the evils of the world, the wrongdoings, but most importantly of all…the solutions."

That last statement…he said it as if he loved the idea, reveled in whatever fantasy or memories he had in his mind.

As concerned as I was, I pressed him, "And no one noticed? Your mother? Your father?"

Robert scoffed. "Oh, they noticed. My anti-social behavior, getting into fights at school. The doctors thought I had schizophrenia."

"Simple tussles were enough to make that distinction?"

Robert laughed, amused. "If you call grabbing the bully's pencil from his backpack and jamming it into his hand OVER and OVER to dissuade him from his endeavors, then yes."

Using a pencil as a knife?!

Robert wasn't well. The voices were directing him. Even when I was repulsed, I knew this.

Robert continued, "The meds didn't work, but my friends told me to—"

"They're not your friends Robert!"

"YES THEY ARE!" I grew used to his outbursts at that point. I knew that if he wanted to kill me, he would have. "They have guided me…" he picked up the mask from the table. "…to this. They have given me a gift that has led me to destiny."

"Lazarus isn't a gift! It's a SICKNESS, a UNHOLY CURSE. Whatever justice they seek isn't Godly. You NEED help, Robert."

Robert sighed, but it was a more satisfied sigh. What I said reminded him of something.

He told me, "That's similar to what mom said…before I shut her up for good."

No. NO! He didn't—

I know. I was as shocked as you are. Though, I knew deep inside that it might have been possible.

All that uttered from my lips was, "WHY?"

Robert slammed the mask on the table. "She was in my way! She didn't understand, nor did she want to. I was DESTINED. I was CHOSEN."

Again, another voice came, this one of a gruff German, possibly a Teuton knight. "We chose the boy to revitalize our goals, create armies that would have swept this fallen world, and bring order."

Another accent, African, took the German's place. "To elevate the strong, show the weak their place."

Robert's voice returned. "Mother was weak…so I put her in her place. But she wasn't the only one who tried to stop me. Uncle Oliver, Aunt Felicity, my father, John Diggle."

"They know about you?"

"Of course, they did. You think that they would have told you. 'Oh, by the way, the guy we're up against is your cousin, who we think is utterly deranged. No biggie!'"

His sarcastic tone didn't deter my last question. "But your father, Roy? He didn't want to fight you, didn't he? That's why he exiled himself."

"My old man blamed himself for what happened, even though, you know, I was the one who had the gun that shot her in the—"

"Stop!" At that point, I had enough of his psychotic rambling. "Cousin or not, you're not getting away with it."

Robert just scoffed. "Is that so?"

This is what I thought at the time: "If I'm here, then Felicity and the others escaped. They're on their way to disarm your bombs. They'll foil your plan. Star City will be saved."

Robert smiled at me, almost amused. "You have no idea how much time passed after your little capture, didn't you?" He took out a phone. "Did you really think I'd leave Aunt Felicity in your hands without the slightest chance of catching up to her?" And he tapped on a video. He placed it down in front of me. "THIS was from a couple hours ago."

He showed me the site for one of the bombs, a place I recognized from the blueprint. In this era, it would be one of the highways entering and exiting Star City.

Robert wanted to ensure no one escaped.

Exactly. I saw Felicity, Zoe, and Laurel making their way towards it. Felicity was about to enter the disarm codes while the others kept watch. However, what I thought was a security camera looking from the corner was a body cam. Only when it fell and started approaching, along with others from the Glades Black Ops unit, did my eyes widen.

So, what you did…

All for nothing!

I saw as the Glades Units caught them unawares, first taking Laurel down, then Zoe, grabbing Felicity by her arms and handcuffing her.

The units pointed guns at Zoe and Laurel, but Felicity begged, "Wait! It's me you want. Just let them go, and I'll come peacefully."

Then…

You don't have to—

The one who had the body cam. He said, "Our leader has made a better deal. We take you peacefully…while Miss Ramirez sees her father again."

William is silent after this, still as a statue. He looks at the wall behind Lyla, fists clenched.

Lyla, out of guilt, places a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have made you relive that."

William shrugs the hand away. "I kept reliving that scenario OVER and OVER. I rewind back to the moment I was with the others in the Galaxy One basement, choosing to go with them instead. Two possibilities happened: I gave them time to delay the inevitable, or we all died quickly. No matter what I did, it was all for nothing." William turns his head towards Lyla with the slightest grin. "That's changed since saving Thea. We averted that future." He looks back to the wall, the dread creeping back in. "But in that moment…"

Felicity was screaming, distraught at what had happened, swearing on her breath that she would kill them all. I simply looked on, eyes wide and hands shaking. Seeing Laurel die…to see…Zoe…her lifeless body…blood pouring out to form a circle around her from waist to head. It was the first time I felt my body want to break down.

Robert laughed. "Look at you! Even the voices are saying that your act of heroism was a waste. You just got locked in here for FREAKING NOTHING!"

As he laughed, something in me just snapped. I threw the entire table over and lunged at Robert, both of us on the floor. My hands were on his neck, gripping tightly and pressing hard on his skin.

Robert just kept laughing, even while choking. "T-That's it! DO IT. Do what everyone else was too cowardly to do. END ME! It's…it's the only way to stop Star City…from being ashes."

But you didn't do it. Didn't you?

No. I wanted to. It was the strongest I've ever felt the urge. Roberthad killed Laurel and Zoe, Rene…and Aunt Thea. All I wanted to do was end him right there, not out of justice, but wrath.

What stopped you?

When I stared into his eyes…I didn't see the eyes of a killer. I saw his mother's, my Aunt Thea, staring right back at me. Something in my brain was screaming, "STOP! This is YOUR COUSIN. Don't do it. For my sake."

You heard her voice. You knew she wouldn't want Robert killed, no matter if he was a psychopath or not.

Robert confirmed that…when he grabbed me by the neck. His grin turned into a creasing snarl. "Typical!"

It turned out that my grip didn't affect him in the slightest. The Lazarus in his veins gave him a near-invincible constitution and even greater strength. He threw me to the wall as if I were a doll.

He walked over to me slowly, hands gripped as if ready to cripple me. "Just like my mother, trying to see some spark of good in me, a sign of WEAKNESS."

I got up, throwing a punch to knock Robert out. Yet, he took it as if it were a slap.

He then returned a punch to my stomach so fast that I couldn't react. The sheer strength was enough to knock all the energy out of me. My knees and arms were nearly weakened, unable to support me as I fell to the floor. Breathing only made the pain worse.

It's a miracle you're even alive.

That was Robert's intention. "Don't worry cousin. I'm not going to kill you…yet." He knelt down just enough for his eyes to meet mine, wearing that sinister grin again. "I'm going to make you watch, along with our Dads, Felicity, and Diggle. You four will see Star City DIE before your very eyes. And when it's ashes, when the last spark of hope in all of you FADES into the nothingness your home will be, You'll spend the rest of your days here. A lifetime sentence…of misery."

"That's when he had the guards escort me out and onto the rooftop."

One of Lyla's hands is rubbing her chin, clearly processing and piecing together everything William has told her so far. "So, Robert would become head of the Ninth Circle, but Noah was helping Blackfire and the St. Dismas Order before we captured him. The plan to destroy Star City would be something the latter would do. It seems that the St. Dismas members eventually took over the Ninth Circle and changed things from the inside."

William nods. "That was my conclusion when the war between them broke out. We ensured that two of the three events won't come to pass, at least not now."

Lyla then asks the pertinent question, "But Star City's destruction?"

William nods somberly. "That's where this story's heading."

I was somewhat rejuvenated when we got to the rooftop. At the very least, my legs and arms weren't wobbly. Dad, Felicity, Roy, and John were waiting for me, along with a few guards armed with rifles.

Dad and Roy were allowed to pick me up when I was thrown down. Thankfully, I was able to get up on my legs.

Oliver was asking questions, trying to ascertain my health with, "Are you okay? How bad did he hurt you?"

When I was near enough to Felicity, she cupped my head into her hands. "I'm so sorry. We didn't want you to know. Not this way."

I was looking at Roy, who didn't return a glance to me. He didn't even look at Robert standing behind the guards.

Did you press Roy about it? About Robert?

No. A question was on my mind, one towards Felicity. "Where's Mia? The footage didn't show Mia or Ben. Where are they?"

That's right! Mia time traveled when you were captured.

That's what Felicity tried to explain. "She's not here. But listen to this! In the Galaxy One building, when we were escaping, we found—"

"Family and friends!"

Robert looked at us, hands raised in the air. "THIS is it. THE momentous occasion that I have been leading ALL of us towards. Look out!"

From where we were, Star City was just miles away. The outer city was barely lit, with only dark visages of tall buildings, the roads leading in and out covered by trees. The Glades and its wall were shining brightly in the center of it all.

Robert kept gloating, "Take in the view of your precious Star City. It will be ashes within seconds. The Glades will stand tall, being a haven for the fortunate, those who have accepted our Heaven on Earth, and those who will watch comfortably as we force Judgement Day upon the wicked!"

Felicity turned to him, retorting, "No! That's not going to happen. We found what Kevin Dale was working on in the basement. Your time machine!"

I already knew about time travel then, but the only ones with the means were the Time Bureau or those entrusted with its care. I was surprised to find out that Robert and Noah had the means.

John confidently exclaimed, "Mia and Ben went with him. They'll stop him, come back, and we'll end this!"

Robert laughed maniacally. "If they had succeeded, we wouldn't be here. They would have gone back and stopped the bombs if they wanted to. Besides, Noah will have people waiting for him."

This worried me. "You know how to communicate via time travel?"

Robert's grin was a disturbing one. "We've been developing the capacity for months, coordinated with our compatriots FOR MONTHS. Noah will do his little chores and come back. Either way, he doesn't need to be here for this."Robert then took out a small trigger from his pocket. "This is for ME…and for the world."

Dad tried to plead, "Robert! Your mother did everything she could to bring you out of the darkness. She believed in you, and so do we! There is a shred of humanity in you, SCREAMING that this is wrong."

Robert's eyes were on his father. Roy looked down, but his son persisted, "How about you, Dad? Do you believe that?" He pointed to his head. "Do you believe that one of my friends believes that DEAD, CONCRETE FOREST of a CITY can be SAVED?"

Roy said nothing.

Robert then looked at Oliver, a new voice emanating as his eyes went white. "I have witnessed Star City fall into decay for most of my days. All of its infrastructure was infiltrated TOP to BOTTOM, even by me."

Oliver stated, "Stop lying! Robert, I have seen this city saved—"

"LOOK AT IT!" Robert's voice was angry at that point. "It might as well be a garbage heap, producing nothing but the FILTH of SIN."

"You're right."

Roy's statement from nowhere surprised us all. It even got Robert's attention.

Still, Roy continued, "The Glades were a hellhole. Star City was filled with corruption, despair, backroom deals, and the strong taking advantage of the weak."

Roy was beginning to approach Robert, which alerted the guards. Yet, Robert waved them down and let Roy come to him. I thought he might have believed that his father was turning to his side.

"I was among the filth, stealing because I thought I had to." At that moment, Roy finally looked at his son in the eyes. "But then I met your mother, your uncle Oliver, John, and your Aunt Felicity. They showed me that I could fight against all that filth and despair! And you know why I fought against that?" He was close enough to Robert to land a punch, just a little off to the side. "Because it's my home. It was your mother's home. It's YOUR HOME!"

Robert smiled his malicious grin. "And yet you left…after I killed her. You couldn't face me, not even in battle. You let others do that for you. That's why I let you get so close." With his trigger hand, Robert patted his cheek. "Even now, you're a coward."

There was a moment's pause. Roy looked back at us, but his eyes fixed on mine. He gave a slight nod, signaling me to get ready. For what it was, I didn't know at the moment.

But then, he pulled the riskiest move.

He punched Robert, didn't he?

No. Roy's hands went for the trigger while performing a headbutt. In one swift motion, he stunned Robert and threw the trigger to the ground.

But…the maneuver costed him. The guards opened fire, aiming from head to torso, ripping him to shreds. Felicity was screaming "NO!" and sobbing. Oliver was stunned, almost breathless. And John was about to charge in. However, one of the guards who fired redirected his sights back towards him, shooting John in the leg.

When Robert regained his momentum, he shouted, "Cease fire! Cease fire, dammit! You were supposed to INCAPACITATE—"

My eyes were on the trigger, right there in front of me. Everyone was distracted. I knew this was what Roy wanted me to do. So, I took the plunge and grabbed it.

I didn't know exactly what I would do with it, but I knew Robert needed the trigger. That was my ticket to getting the others out of there.

I stood at the ledge, my foot nearly grazing it. I stretched the trigger out towards the dark forests below.

When he noticed, Robert marched towards me. But I put him in line by inching myself closer to the drop.

The other guards aimed, but he told them, "Stand down, NOW!"

Felicity, Oliver, and John looked at me, eyes wide with the fear of what I was about to do.

Were you really going to die just to keep the trigger out of Robert's hands?

If that meant saving the city, then yes. Or, at least, save the others.

So, I made my demands, "You want the trigger back? Let them go."

Robert's smile was crooked, almost as forced as his laugh. "You expect me to believe you'll jump?"

"Let them go!"

"And let my enemies live to fight me another day? I don't think so. Now, give me the trigger!"

He kept taking steps, so my foot went further back. The only thing clinging to the edge was my toes. "You have your victory. Either Star City dies, or we die. You can't have both."

Robert nervously scoffed. "And you think we won't make another trigger, rearm the bombs?"

"By that time, Knightwatch will regroup. They'll stop you, or someone else will."

This time, Robert's laugh was genuine. "You think that's going to happen? The organization I have led existed for hundreds of years, since the MIDDLE AGES. We're like spiders: cut a piece of the net, we'll just web it back together. What you're doing is only a dent."

I nodded. "It is, but I'm doing what I do best: saving my home."

"You're delaying the inevitable. Now, give me—"

It was then that, for whatever reason, my father tackled Robert to the ground before my back foot could escape the ledge entirely. They wrestled on the ground, but Oliver wasn't trying to hurt Robert, only incapacitate him.

The guards were zeroing in on them, but John, even with a bullet to the leg, grabbed one of the guards by the neck, unsheathed his pistol, and shot off a few rounds. The guards looked his way and tried to get a few shots off, but John used his guy as a human shield.

Felicity ran to me, urging, "Throw the trigger and run."

I was paralyzed, not by her statement, but by what that meant.

You think they planned that?

Most likely. They were willing to sacrifice themselves so that I could live. They knew what I knew: Someone was going to die on that roof. It might as well be them.

Did you…

No. I was hesitant. I already got my dad and stepmom back. I wasn't going to watch them die.

But Felicity forced the choice when she grabbed the trigger from my hand and threw it out into the dark forests.

She screamed one last time, "RUN!"

I wanted to say, "Not without you!"

But that moment never came. A bullet whizzed through her head.

Oh god.

But not just her. John's meat shield could only defend him for so long. Eventually, the bullets pierced the armor and through him.

And Dad…Robert got out of the hold, grabbed Dad by the head…and…

This time, Lyla does nothing. She is motionless, not even a single breath. It's as if her brain has shut down. She looks out at the darkness of the walls surrounding her and William.

After a long silence, Lyla's lips twitch to try and form a word. "Th…there was a future…" Her head slowly moves to William, her eyes meeting his with the faintest gleam of tears. "…where I lost John?"

William takes a long, calming breath to relax his unwieldy sadness before responding, "He lost you first. You would have died in a coup that changed ARGUS for the worse. I would…" William hesitates, hoping that what he says next will be of some comfort. "I KNOW that when he died, he joined you and Ben, and John Jr. would take up the fight."

She doesn't seem comforted. Her breathing is steady but also shallow. She slowly shakes her head as if thinking the tears would fall off her face.

William places a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Lyla."

She scoffs. "For what? You prevented all of it from happening."

"Still…"

Lyla's shallow breathing turns to something much lighter and calmer. She then asks, "How did you survive?"

That, to him, is the million-dollar question. "It's how I got here."

Lyla's eyebrows rise up. "What?"

When Dad died, Robert's eyes were on me. He charged at me like a feral animal and at a fast speed. I put my hands up, ready to take him on. Even if I was about to die, I'd at least make my stand.

But then…something surrounded me. A light. A white light, not blinding or burning. It was…serene. Almost peaceful. Divine.

I didn't see Robert, my father, or anyone else anymore. I only saw the light.

Then, it dissipated. I wasn't on the rooftop anymore. I was here, in the church basement. My prisoner uniform was switched to a more casual jacket, shirt, and jeans.

Of course, I was confused, looking around and calling, "Hello? Is anyone here? Hello?"

"I'm the Green Arrow."

I heard Dad's voice behind me. Yet, it was younger, less gruff. There, I saw the computer playing a very familiar video. It was Dad, the day he was arrested by the FBI. That memory never ceased to haunt me, even to this day.

"I realize that I have denied that claim with the same conviction with which I am speaking now."

I was wondering why the video played on this particular moment, why it was significant.

"I have let good people stand accused of things that I have done…"

My eye then caught the corner of the video. It wasn't old. It was live, playing on Channel 52 News' YouTube feed.

"No."

I then saw the date. It was, indeed, the day Dad was getting arrested.

"No, no, no!"

I rushed outside, hoping that what I was seeing wasn't true. But it was. I was in the Glades, but it wasn't clean, and there wasn't a wall. It wasn't a bastion of "progress." It was the dirty, crime-infested, poverty-stricken borough you know it as today.

Lyla's eyes were wider than they had been the entire evening. "You've been here since the day your father was arrested?"

William nods.

Lyla's breaths become exasperated, her lips between a snarl and a stunned smile. "But…that means—"

"I've been here months before I stepped out of the shadows."

"But…what were you doing?"

"Preparing. I was sent back here to avert the future I told you about. I also needed to make sure I would leave behind something for Dad and Knightwatch to return to so they could resume being vigilantes. To do that, I've been prepping myself to take on the major threats coming to Star City. I would have revealed everything to all of you when Dad got out of jail. But…" William raised his hands up as if in defeat. "…We know that didn't go according to plan."

Lyla shook her head. "Yet, the Time Bureau let you stay here?"

"So long as my actions didn't alter events for the worst. So far, the worst is behind us." William walks a bit closer to Lyla with a firm stride. "But now you know WHY I'm here, what's at stake. I won't let my sister and cousin grow up without a family or a home, and certainly not as unstable personalities." He looks her firmly in the eyes. "And I'm sure you don't want that for your son, nor Ben Turner's."

Lyla looks down, her hands on her hips. She contemplates and processes everything she just heard.

After another long silence, she looks back up at William. Instead of sadness or shock, conviction is now in her eyes. "Tell me what needs to be done."

William gives the slightest grin, glad to know he has everyone's trust.

Even if he had to omit one crucial detail.

William's breathing quickened out of control. His eyes darted from building to building. Under his breath, he repeatedly said, "No."

He wasn't dreaming. He wasn't dead. He was standing in the past on a day he utterly dreaded. This was 2018 and the beginning of a dark age for Star City.

What brought him here? Divine intervention? Or was it some kind of—

"Relax!"

William spun around, putting his fists up and ready for a fight.

"You were brought here for a reason, William."

The man standing before him was unusual. He looked human but was clad in silvery armor with dark cloth and a cape covering him.

All it did was heighten William's caution. "Was it you? Who are you? Why am I here?!"

The man seemed calm, almost amused by William's questioning. "Anger will get you nowhere, chosen champion."

"That's not a name I go by."

"No…but it is the title God bestowed upon you."

William's eyebrow slowly rose upon the mention of God.

Still, William remained unconvinced. Many people have used God's name in vain, as ploys to fool the laymen.

"Which—"

"The one, true God…who answered your question."

William lowered his hands. The intensity of his fists lessened. "What question?"

"The one you left behind so long ago, which you asked as a child in your boarding school dorm room. You asked about those who always condemn and judge, who never forgive, and prey on the weak. You asked what to do when the law fails and who will be there to enforce it. He answered it when you read, 'First, take the log out of your own eye—"

"And then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye."

William's hands fell to his sides. He had read the passage before in his youth, but never took it seriously until later in his crime-fighting career. It was during a time when his anger got the better of him, when he nearly crossed the no-killing line more than once. The Bible passage gave him the clarity he desperately needed.

More importantly, that prayer was made in private, in the bathroom of his dorm room. Not even Billy Batson, his roommate, could have heard it.

William looked at the man with an incredulous stare. "Who are you?"

The man flashed a broad smile, clearly elated that he was taken seriously.

"I have gone by many names, but you may call me…The Monitor."

Author's Notes: Hello readers! Some of you may be wondering why I'm calling this an interlude and not an episode. In truth, I was starting to run out of places to put in flashback sequences where they would make sense and keep the pace of the chapter/episode balanced. So, I've decided to wrap up the future storyline in this chapter and another interlude that will be coming up sometime in the future.

Still, I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, feel free to favorite the story and follow it or my account to never miss a chapter. Have a blessed day, and I'll see you all later.