“Time to wake up, Mr. Queen.”
Oliver slowly opened his eyes, groaning groggily. “Where…?”
“Still Q-Core. Just farther down.” Merlin said, walking in front of him tauntingly.
Oliver growled, attempting to lift himself up and punch Merlin… only to find himself restrained.
“It’s not time for you to break out yet.” A familiar voice - William Tockman - said.
“Tockman!” Oliver shouted, straining himself to break free.
“Don’t try.” Tockman advised. “Those restraints are made out of depleted promethium. It’s a virtually unbreakable metal. Not even an amazon could shatter it.”
“The Ninth Circle has quite a bank, don’t they?” a masked woman asked to no one in particular. “Being able to afford some of the most expensive stuff on the planet… A robot built out of depleted promethium would be the ultimate weapon.”
“Who…?” Oliver asked.
“Isabel Rochev. You used my face as a dishrag to clean up a table of chemicals.” Isabel replied with venom in her voice.
“Great. How many of my old villains did you bring out to fight me, Merlin?” Oliver asked jokingly. “Can I expect to see Chloe Sullivan here? Or how about some ordinary goons? Ooh, ooh! How about the Angler?!”
“Do you think this is a joke?” Merlin asked. “This is the endgame, Oliver. You’ve been building up your army, so I made one myself. A giant suite of all your best villains. I’ve already sent Onomatopoeia after your tech support and doctor, and Count Vertigo should be handling a certain songbird.”
“W-what?” Oliver was shocked. Naomi, Pieter, Dinah… in danger? He growled again, trying to break free.
The Crimson Archer then walked forwards, surprising Merlin. “What do you want with Oliver, girl?” he asked.
“Just to take a look.” the girl replied. She seemed to gaze deeply into his eyes, seemingly searching for something. “So you really are Oliver Queen, huh…?”
Merlin’s phone beeped. The mercenary pulled it out, seeing it as a call from Count Vertigo. The assassin picked up the call. “Hello, Count? ...ah, I see. Are you sure you’ll need us? ...more of them?! And Onomatopoeia failed?! Very well, I’ll bring Clock King and the girl.” Merlin hung up. “Tockman, Crimson, we’re moving. Rochev, guard him.” Merlin stated with a growl, grabbing his bow from the wall.
The Crimson Archer looked away with a start. “Alright. Coming.”
“I see it’s time for us to make our entrance. The count can’t handle it alone?” Tockman said with a smile.
“He’d be able to handle just Canary, but Doctor Mid-Nite and some government agent are with her as well.” Merlin explained as the trio went beyond the door. Rochev closed it, looking straight at Oliver.
“What makes you hold such a vendetta against me?” Oliver asked.
“The marks our encounter left. The scars behind this mask.” Isabel said with a glare.
“I’m sure they’re not that bad.”
“No?!” Rochev tore the mask off, revealing her scarred and slashed face. It was stitched together in many places, many of which looking like they would never heal. Oliver tried to lean back but he was so tightly bound he couldn’t even do that. Well… when it came to the head and body, at least. His hands and feet could still move.
Thank god for that. Oliver thought he heard a clattering after his attempted movement, and took a quick glance to the ground while Rochev put her mask back on. There was an arrow there - a thin one, perfect for unlocking the locks keeping Oliver restrained. If he could get one, he could get the others.
Oliver reached for the arrow subtly, stretching his leg out towards the arrow. He hitched it between his pinky and fourth toe - or the fletching, at least. He spun the arrow around so he was able to catch the shaft over his big toe and under the rest of them. He wiggled it around so it was in between his big and index toes before pulling his foot back and tossing the arrow up to his right hand. Taking the arrow and stretching his hand out, he began to work on his right-side restraint.
This was what Rochev noticed. “Hey!” she said, walking towards him. She pulled back her sleeve to reveal the electric knuckles she had on.
Oliver had to work fast. He fiddled with the arrow more until he finally got it. With a click, the lock on his lower right arm released. He punched Rochev, sending her reeling back. Bending his arm, he unlocked the rest of his right arm. Rochev ran towards him, and Oliver unlocked the lock on his lower left arm. Tossing the arrow to his left arm, Oliver undid the last arm lock while he tried pushing Rochev away with his right. If Ollie wanted to get his legs, he’d need to be able to bend over. He started by unlocking his neck. By this point, Oliver had figured out a strategy that let him open a lock every few seconds. As he kept pushing Isabel back, Queen unlocked the three locks on his chest and the lock on his waist. Pushing back the restraints, he held the arrow in his mouth in order to grab both of Rochev’s arms, leaning forwards, and force her to punch herself. The electric current from the gloves ran through her body, and Isabel Rochev fell to the ground unconscious.
Oliver sighed. It was done. Oliver quickly unlocked the restraints on his legs, and leapt out of the bounds. As soon as he hit the ground, his body shook. “I’d better find my costume.” he remarked, noticing only now that he had been stripped down to his underwear. Fortunately, he saw the costume thrown haphazardly into the corner. Smiling, Queen pulled on his outfit, becoming the Green Arrow again. He grabbed his bow and ran out towards the stairs to go back to the sixth floor - he needed his bike.
Black Canary gasped, rolling behind a car quickly. She had just taken cover from Count Vertigo, and was able to escape his vertigo waves or whatever the hell they were by using the car as a shield.
Count Vertigo groaned. “Stop hiding, why don’t you?” he asked, using his power to send Doctor Mid-Nite and Diggle stumbling back. “It only makes my job harder.”
“Kinda the idea!” Canary stated, lifting the car up on its side and sending it falling over Vertigo. The Count dodged out of the way quickly.
“Not a wise idea.”
“It gives us time to act.” Diggle said, cocking his gun and pointing it at Count Vertigo’s head. “There’s more of us then there is of you.”
Suddenly, a black arrow shot John’s gun out of his hand. The quartet of combatants looked up to the roof the arrow had come from, where Merlin was proceeding to load up another arrow alongside the Crimson Archer and Clock King. “You’ll need to recount.” Merlin said with a smirk.
“Oh crap.” Diggle groaned. “Where’s Green Arrow when you need him?”
“Locked up safe and sound.” Merlin said with a smile.
Black Canary’s eyes went wide before she unleashed a powerful scream, sending all three newcomers stumbling back. Clock King groaned as the Crimson Archer rose to her feet, and Merlin snarled. The dark archer jumped from the roof, launching an arrow straight at Canary. The blonde bombshell dodged out of the way, and the quartet of villains banded together.
“What’s the plan?” Tockman asked.
“We’ve got them outnumbered. Merlin, Clock King, choose an opponent and take them down. Crimson, provide support.” Count Vertigo ordered. “Black Canary is mine.”
The villains nodded. Clock King ran straight at Doctor Mid-Nite and punched him straight in the stomach, and Merlin shot an arrow straight at Diggle. The heroes began fighting off their foes while Dinah was assaulted by Count Vertigo. Mid-Nite and Tockman began punching at each other, and the Doctor overpowered William. Just before Mid-Nite could get a good hit in on Tockman, however, the girl shot an arrow straight at him. Pieter was forced to roll out of the way before getting kicked by Clock King. Merlin and Diggle, meanwhile, were in a stalemate. For every arrow Arthur shot forwards, the ARGUS agent shot it out of the air. Vertigo, meanwhile, was COMPLETELY overpowering Black Canary. For every step the Count took forwards, her disorientation greatened. Canary gripped the ground, snarling.
That was when the horn beeped. Canary and Vertigo both looked to where it had come from, and the Count quickly rolled out of the way to dodge the incoming federal truck. Chief Westberg halted the car, beeping the horn.
“Get in the car! We’re moving!” Westberg shouted.
Black Canary nodded, gesturing to Diggle and Mid-Nite. She saw the girl readying another arrow, and let out a screech to send both her and Count Vertigo off-balance. Shocked by the lack of support, both Merlin and Clock King were socked by the heroes before they hopped in the cruiser. Westberg hit the gas, driving off.
“Thanks for that.” Doctor Mid-Nite sighed. “We had a huge disadvantage out there. They got us completely by surprise. At least Naomi and Henry are safe.”
“You’re sure?” Henry asked through the comms.
“Of course we are.” Lion replied. “This is Lion to Team Arrow. What’s the situation?”
“Chief Westberg picked us up.” Black Canary said. “We’re currently heading away in a police cruiser. Where are we headed, Chief?”
“Figured the docks would be the best place to take down some criminals. No people around to take hostage.” the cop said with a smirk.
“Good reasoning.” Diggle nodded in agreement.
“Decent reasoning.” Westberg stated. “No civilians means no witnesses if they kill us all.”
“That’s not going to happen. You die, I’ll bring you back.” Mid-Nite gave a playful smirk.
“I’ll listen to you, Doctor.”
Black Canary was about to comment when she heard a thump on the roof. Curious, she opened the back door a bit to check it out… and was instantly grabbed and pulled to the side of the truck.
Green Arrow narrowed his eyes as he revved down the street. He hadn’t spoken yet - he didn’t want to miss anything. Especially not now.
“What the hell?!”
“It’s Vertigo! He’s on the roof of the truck!”
“I’ll get him.”
“Don’t! The car’s bulletproof, you’ll be wasting your bullets!”
Green Arrow sped up, driving straight towards where he knew the truck was headed.
Black Canary groaned in pain as her wrist ached, the masked man holding it tightly. “Let… go… bastard!” she spat out.
“I’m afraid I can’t do that. Or do you want to be roadkill?” Vertigo asked.
Black Canary didn’t respond. When the truck arrived at the docks, Vertigo pulled Canary up and threw her onto the street. The blonde bombshell rolled painfully, and the Count jumped down after her. Count Vertigo marched ahead, hearing the car screech to a halt. The Count then stopped, hearing something.
A motorbike.
Count Vertigo turned just in time to see Green Arrow driving towards him, launching himself off the bike and firing an arrow straight at the Count.
The shaft launched forwards, running straight through Count Vertigo’s shoulder. Vertigo groaned in pain as the archer landed on top of him. The Emerald Archer growled at him. “What did you do to Canary?”
“We were on top of a moving car.” Vertigo explained. “I had to toss her off to get her here.”
The bowman growled, trying to punch the Count. Vertigo blocked, hitting Oliver a few times before catching him in a leg-lock and rolling to the side. The Count and the archer got a few more punches off on each other before Oliver grabbed Count Vertigo’s mask.
“How about we see who’s under here?” Ollie snarled before tearing the mask off.
Werner Zytle looked at Oliver with a shocked expression, and Green Arrow looked back with an equally shocked one.
“Zytle?”
“I’m sorry, Oliver. I never wanted this.” Count Vertigo stated. “But I’m afraid it’s for the greater good. At the very least, I know your psyche better than I know my own.” Zytle then punched Green Arrow again, and pulled a syringe out of his belt. One filled with Vertigo. As Oliver groaned, Count Vertigo reared back his fist…
Black Canary couldn’t believe what she was seeing. First, she had been rolling across the street. Second, she had seen Oliver shoot Count Vertigo in the shoulder and beat him up in a fist fight, with the Count getting the advantage.
Third, she was now seeing the Crimson Arrow shoot Count Vertigo in the back.
All three combatants were shocked as the Count slumped into unconsciousness, the girl lowering her bow. Merlin, who was beside her, was near livid at that moment.
“What have you done?!” he exclaimed. “Why would you shoot Vertigo?!”
“It’s a matter of… honor.” the girl said, walking forwards and notching another arrow. “I desire a rematch against the Green Arrow. If the Count had taken down him with a dose of Vertigo, then I wouldn’t have gotten a chance to fight him. Besides, that was a tranquiliser. The Count is fine.”
Green Arrow pushed Vertigo’s unconscious body aside with a snarl. “You want a rematch, girlie? Fine by me.”
“Very well.” Merlin stated. “If it’s truly a matter of honor, I’ll let you handle this. I’m off to help Tockman with Queen’s friends.” Merlin dashed off, and the two opposing archers notched their bows.
Chief Westburg pulled the car to a stop, swearing heavily. “They had better damn well follow us…” he said, groaning. “Otherwise, we’ve wasted this opportunity!”
“Not to worry.” Diggle replied, as he and Mid-Nite got out of the car. “We’ve got incoming.”
“Oh, Broderick~!” Clock King said with a maniacal laughter, driving forwards with his stolen car and crashing into the police truck. Mid-Nite and Diggle rolled across the ground as Westberg’s truck was flipped full on its side. Tockman got out, holding a pistol. Diggle fired towards him, but the madman hid behind the side of his car.
“For the love of…!” Westberg said, climbing out the top of the car with a pistol in hand. He tried to look for Clock King, but couldn’t find him. “Tockman! Where the hell are you?!”
“I’ll show you!” a voice said, and a powerful scream sent both Tockman and the car he was hiding behind flying. Black Canary walked into the clearing, pulling on her leather glove. “Merlin’s here, too.”
“Found him!” Doctor Mid-Nite exclaimed, rolling out of the way of three consecutive arrow shots. “He’s trying to snipe from up top!”
“I see him!” Diggle replied, firing off some shots towards the archer. Merlin broke his hidden posture and ran across the cargo crates, eventually landing on top of the police truck. When he did, Chief Westberg shot him in the leg. Merlin stumbled forwards and fell off the truck with a groan of pain before rising to his feet again.
Tockman, meanwhile, had grabbed his gun and fired at the Chief again. Westberg quickly jumped off the car, landing beside Doctor Mid-Nite. “What’d I do to Merlin, doc?” the chief asked.
“Pissed him off.” Mid-Nite replied sadly. “A shot like that hurts like hell and it’ll throw off his balance a bit, but you didn’t hit a necessary area. He could probably kick our asses in a fight still.”
“Then I’ll just have to hit something more important next time.” Westberg stated, loading his gun again. That was when Clock King looked at them from on top of the police car.
“Tick tock.” he said with a chuckle, firing.
“GET DOWN!” Mid-Nite shouted, jumping in front of Westberg. The two men fell to the ground, the lead shot clanging against Mid-Nite’s kevlar vest. Westberg slid across the ground, aiming straight at Tockman.
“This is for kidnapping me, you son of a bitch.”
Westberg fired his gun, and the bullet hit Tockman straight in the stomach. He fell down on top of the truck, hitting it hard. Westberg and Mid-Nite both got up slowly.
“Is he dead?” Westberg asked as the two ran over to the body.
“No. He’s alive.” the Doctor reported. “Just unconscious. Thankfully.”
“Good, I need him alive to bring him to justice.” Westberg replied with a sigh. “Let’s get him tied up.”
Meanwhile, Diggle dropped his last pack of ammo to the ground. “I’m out!” he reported.
“Get to the others, then!” Black Canary replied. “I can handle Merlin.”
“Oh can you now?” Merlin let out a deep chuckle, firing an arrow straight at the Canary. The Blonde Bombshell caught the arrow as it skimmed over her right shoulder, glaring at the archer.
“Yes, since I’m pissed off.” Canary said with a dark smile, tossing the arrow straight at the archer. Merlin rolled out of the way before shooting off several new arrows, all of which Black Canary shattered with a sonic scream. Merlin was sent flying back into the wall, and held his bow forwards. Black Canary ran up to him, weaving through his two fired arrows, before she grabbed Merlin and sent him crashing to the ground with a judo throw. The bow snapped under the force of the impact, and Merlin rose to his feet, spitting blood to the side. “Let’s go then.” he said with a growl, dashing towards Canary with his fists ready.
Green Arrow and the Crimson Archer fired another shot simultaneously, and the two shafts crashed into each other and split in half.
“You’re a good shot.” Green Arrow said, dashing forwards. “Who taught you? Merlin?”
“My mother.” the girl replied, sending off another shaft to try and shake the Emerald Archer away. Queen quickly jumped back. “Guess archery runs in the family, though.”
“Really now?” Oliver asked, shooting off another shot as he hit the ground, the Crimson Archer responding with a shaft of her own. The Green Arrow got a quick feel for his quiver. Three arrows left. Had to make ‘em count. The bowman quickly ran to the right, shooting off a shaft. The Crimson Archer knocked it out of the air with her bow, and fired off another arrow where Oliver was running to. Queen halted, letting the arrow pass by. The Arrow then fired off another bolt quickly in response to the Crimson Archer’s next arrow.
One left.
Green Arrow and the Crimson Archer both knew the situation. The two archers stared each other down, one hand at their side and the other on their bow. As they locked eyes, they knew what was coming.
Green Arrow and the Crimson Archer both reached back to their quivers. Oliver grabbed his last arrow, notched it on his bow and fired it in a second.
The Crimson Archer’s searching hand found nothing but air.
The single arrow cracked loudly against the girl’s mask. The shaft fell to the ground as the plastic broke and shattered, with the Crimson Archer tumbling back in wide-eyed shock.
And as the broken face mask tumbled to the ground, Oliver saw the face he never thought he’d see.
The same face in the photo his father had shown him not that long ago.
“Emi?”
Emiko Queen gasped in shock, clutching her bow tight and holding her hand to the side of her face. “...so now you know, Oliver.” she said solitarily.
Oliver was about to respond further when an arrow hit the ground in front of him, and he had to dodge. Merlin ran over and grabbed Emiko by the arm, pulling her away. Green Arrow broke into pursuit, dashing against the pavement to catch up to his half-sister. Oliver chased Merlin back into the docks, down the route he had taken the first time he and Merlin had met. And at the end of the pier was a helicopter.
“Get in.” someone said inside the helicopter. Merlin threw Emiko aboard before climbing in himself, and the chopper flew up and away.
Oliver and Emiko locked eyes quickly before Merlin shut the door.
“EMIIIIIIIII!”
Dinah sighed. It had been only a night since the events of the pier. Merlin had caught her off guard with a cable, and she had been unable to pursue him. Because of that, he’d gotten away… Now Dinah was waiting at some coffee shop for the rest of the team to arrive.
Pieter Cross walked over, two cups of coffee in hand. “Want some caffeine?” he asked.
“Yeah… yeah, sure.” Dinah replied, holding her head. It had been a long day yesterday. Pieter sat down, and Dinah sipped her coffee. “Thanks for getting me this.”
“You’ll need to be awake. You’re a superhero, after all.” Pieter gave a smile.
“And you don’t need to be?”
“I got two coffees, not one.”
“Fair enough.” Dinah took another sip. “Any news on the situation at Queen Consolidated?”
“As expected, Cyrus Broderick is taking charge.” Cross informed her. “The shocking thing is that apparently he’s got plans to remain as the CFO.”
“Hm?”
“He’s making no move to increase his position.” Pieter continued. “Normally something like this would have paperwork circulating about his increase in position, but from how it’s been looking… it seems like Broderick wants someone else to take command of the company.”
“How about Vertigo and his goons?” Ms. Lance asked.
“The Chief’s men found Onomatopoeia and Count Vertigo, Ms. Isabel Rochev was arrested at the Q-Core, and Westberg himself arrested Clock King. They’re all in the Star City Federal Prison at the moment.”
“Good to hear. It was hell getting them arrested in the first place.” Oliver Queen said, walking in.
“Ollie!” Dinah said happily. “You’re early.”
“Couldn’t sleep.” Oliver replied. “Especially not with finding out my long-lost half-sister apparently works for this group called the Ninth Circle, whatever it is.”
“Forgot about that. Must be rough, huh?” Pieter asked. “Never had any siblings, so I wouldn’t know.”
“Before a few days ago, I didn’t think I had any either.” Queen said. “Anyways… Dinah, do you mind if we go for a bit of a walk?”
“Sure.” Dinah nodded, standing up. She took the coffee cup. “Hope you don’t mind, Pieter…”
“Go ahead. I’ll stay and keep an eye out for the others.” the doctor said with a smile.
Dinah smiled back, and the two walked outside.
“So… are Green Arrow and Black Canary partners now?” Dinah asked.
“Well, I guess that depends.” Oliver replied.
“Depends on what?” Dinah looked at Oliver.
“Well… if Black Canary, a metahuman, martial artist and professional hero, is fine with downgrading to a ripoff Robin Hood.” Queen looked away, holding his arm.
Dinah grabbed Oliver’s head and pulled him into a kiss.
“That a good enough answer to your question, ripoff Robin Hood?” Dinah gave a smile.
Oliver smiled back, and the two kissed again.
Oliver and Dinah walked back into the cafe, holding each other’s hands happily. As Oliver and Dinah came to the table, several faces turned to see them. Naomi Singh. Henry Fyff. Pieter Cross. John Diggle. Oliver pulled out a chair for Dinah and then one for himself, and the duo sat down to join the discussion. But all throughout the happy chat of the new Team Arrow, one thought was going through Oliver Queen’s head.
Emiko… I’ll find you someday. Be it today, tomorrow or sometime after… I’ll find you.
Emiko Queen put on her new face mask, looking in the mirror. The garb of the Crimson Archer was the suit she had worn for the past several years.
“Are you finished with the new suit?” a woman asked, outside the room.
“Yes, mother.” Emiko replied.
“Good. The Ninth Circle’s Board calls on us.”
“Already?” Emiko was surprised. The calls to action were never this frequent.
“Yes, already. Now let’s go.”
“Very well…” Emiko said, stepping out of the room to walk alongside her mother. “Lady Shado.”
Oliver slowly opened his eyes, groaning groggily. “Where…?”
“Still Q-Core. Just farther down.” Merlin said, walking in front of him tauntingly.
Oliver growled, attempting to lift himself up and punch Merlin… only to find himself restrained.
“It’s not time for you to break out yet.” A familiar voice - William Tockman - said.
“Tockman!” Oliver shouted, straining himself to break free.
“Don’t try.” Tockman advised. “Those restraints are made out of depleted promethium. It’s a virtually unbreakable metal. Not even an amazon could shatter it.”
“The Ninth Circle has quite a bank, don’t they?” a masked woman asked to no one in particular. “Being able to afford some of the most expensive stuff on the planet… A robot built out of depleted promethium would be the ultimate weapon.”
“Who…?” Oliver asked.
“Isabel Rochev. You used my face as a dishrag to clean up a table of chemicals.” Isabel replied with venom in her voice.
“Great. How many of my old villains did you bring out to fight me, Merlin?” Oliver asked jokingly. “Can I expect to see Chloe Sullivan here? Or how about some ordinary goons? Ooh, ooh! How about the Angler?!”
“Do you think this is a joke?” Merlin asked. “This is the endgame, Oliver. You’ve been building up your army, so I made one myself. A giant suite of all your best villains. I’ve already sent Onomatopoeia after your tech support and doctor, and Count Vertigo should be handling a certain songbird.”
“W-what?” Oliver was shocked. Naomi, Pieter, Dinah… in danger? He growled again, trying to break free.
The Crimson Archer then walked forwards, surprising Merlin. “What do you want with Oliver, girl?” he asked.
“Just to take a look.” the girl replied. She seemed to gaze deeply into his eyes, seemingly searching for something. “So you really are Oliver Queen, huh…?”
Merlin’s phone beeped. The mercenary pulled it out, seeing it as a call from Count Vertigo. The assassin picked up the call. “Hello, Count? ...ah, I see. Are you sure you’ll need us? ...more of them?! And Onomatopoeia failed?! Very well, I’ll bring Clock King and the girl.” Merlin hung up. “Tockman, Crimson, we’re moving. Rochev, guard him.” Merlin stated with a growl, grabbing his bow from the wall.
The Crimson Archer looked away with a start. “Alright. Coming.”
“I see it’s time for us to make our entrance. The count can’t handle it alone?” Tockman said with a smile.
“He’d be able to handle just Canary, but Doctor Mid-Nite and some government agent are with her as well.” Merlin explained as the trio went beyond the door. Rochev closed it, looking straight at Oliver.
“What makes you hold such a vendetta against me?” Oliver asked.
“The marks our encounter left. The scars behind this mask.” Isabel said with a glare.
“I’m sure they’re not that bad.”
“No?!” Rochev tore the mask off, revealing her scarred and slashed face. It was stitched together in many places, many of which looking like they would never heal. Oliver tried to lean back but he was so tightly bound he couldn’t even do that. Well… when it came to the head and body, at least. His hands and feet could still move.
Thank god for that. Oliver thought he heard a clattering after his attempted movement, and took a quick glance to the ground while Rochev put her mask back on. There was an arrow there - a thin one, perfect for unlocking the locks keeping Oliver restrained. If he could get one, he could get the others.
Oliver reached for the arrow subtly, stretching his leg out towards the arrow. He hitched it between his pinky and fourth toe - or the fletching, at least. He spun the arrow around so he was able to catch the shaft over his big toe and under the rest of them. He wiggled it around so it was in between his big and index toes before pulling his foot back and tossing the arrow up to his right hand. Taking the arrow and stretching his hand out, he began to work on his right-side restraint.
This was what Rochev noticed. “Hey!” she said, walking towards him. She pulled back her sleeve to reveal the electric knuckles she had on.
Oliver had to work fast. He fiddled with the arrow more until he finally got it. With a click, the lock on his lower right arm released. He punched Rochev, sending her reeling back. Bending his arm, he unlocked the rest of his right arm. Rochev ran towards him, and Oliver unlocked the lock on his lower left arm. Tossing the arrow to his left arm, Oliver undid the last arm lock while he tried pushing Rochev away with his right. If Ollie wanted to get his legs, he’d need to be able to bend over. He started by unlocking his neck. By this point, Oliver had figured out a strategy that let him open a lock every few seconds. As he kept pushing Isabel back, Queen unlocked the three locks on his chest and the lock on his waist. Pushing back the restraints, he held the arrow in his mouth in order to grab both of Rochev’s arms, leaning forwards, and force her to punch herself. The electric current from the gloves ran through her body, and Isabel Rochev fell to the ground unconscious.
Oliver sighed. It was done. Oliver quickly unlocked the restraints on his legs, and leapt out of the bounds. As soon as he hit the ground, his body shook. “I’d better find my costume.” he remarked, noticing only now that he had been stripped down to his underwear. Fortunately, he saw the costume thrown haphazardly into the corner. Smiling, Queen pulled on his outfit, becoming the Green Arrow again. He grabbed his bow and ran out towards the stairs to go back to the sixth floor - he needed his bike.
Black Canary gasped, rolling behind a car quickly. She had just taken cover from Count Vertigo, and was able to escape his vertigo waves or whatever the hell they were by using the car as a shield.
Count Vertigo groaned. “Stop hiding, why don’t you?” he asked, using his power to send Doctor Mid-Nite and Diggle stumbling back. “It only makes my job harder.”
“Kinda the idea!” Canary stated, lifting the car up on its side and sending it falling over Vertigo. The Count dodged out of the way quickly.
“Not a wise idea.”
“It gives us time to act.” Diggle said, cocking his gun and pointing it at Count Vertigo’s head. “There’s more of us then there is of you.”
Suddenly, a black arrow shot John’s gun out of his hand. The quartet of combatants looked up to the roof the arrow had come from, where Merlin was proceeding to load up another arrow alongside the Crimson Archer and Clock King. “You’ll need to recount.” Merlin said with a smirk.
“Oh crap.” Diggle groaned. “Where’s Green Arrow when you need him?”
“Locked up safe and sound.” Merlin said with a smile.
Black Canary’s eyes went wide before she unleashed a powerful scream, sending all three newcomers stumbling back. Clock King groaned as the Crimson Archer rose to her feet, and Merlin snarled. The dark archer jumped from the roof, launching an arrow straight at Canary. The blonde bombshell dodged out of the way, and the quartet of villains banded together.
“What’s the plan?” Tockman asked.
“We’ve got them outnumbered. Merlin, Clock King, choose an opponent and take them down. Crimson, provide support.” Count Vertigo ordered. “Black Canary is mine.”
The villains nodded. Clock King ran straight at Doctor Mid-Nite and punched him straight in the stomach, and Merlin shot an arrow straight at Diggle. The heroes began fighting off their foes while Dinah was assaulted by Count Vertigo. Mid-Nite and Tockman began punching at each other, and the Doctor overpowered William. Just before Mid-Nite could get a good hit in on Tockman, however, the girl shot an arrow straight at him. Pieter was forced to roll out of the way before getting kicked by Clock King. Merlin and Diggle, meanwhile, were in a stalemate. For every arrow Arthur shot forwards, the ARGUS agent shot it out of the air. Vertigo, meanwhile, was COMPLETELY overpowering Black Canary. For every step the Count took forwards, her disorientation greatened. Canary gripped the ground, snarling.
That was when the horn beeped. Canary and Vertigo both looked to where it had come from, and the Count quickly rolled out of the way to dodge the incoming federal truck. Chief Westberg halted the car, beeping the horn.
“Get in the car! We’re moving!” Westberg shouted.
Black Canary nodded, gesturing to Diggle and Mid-Nite. She saw the girl readying another arrow, and let out a screech to send both her and Count Vertigo off-balance. Shocked by the lack of support, both Merlin and Clock King were socked by the heroes before they hopped in the cruiser. Westberg hit the gas, driving off.
“Thanks for that.” Doctor Mid-Nite sighed. “We had a huge disadvantage out there. They got us completely by surprise. At least Naomi and Henry are safe.”
“You’re sure?” Henry asked through the comms.
“Of course we are.” Lion replied. “This is Lion to Team Arrow. What’s the situation?”
“Chief Westberg picked us up.” Black Canary said. “We’re currently heading away in a police cruiser. Where are we headed, Chief?”
“Figured the docks would be the best place to take down some criminals. No people around to take hostage.” the cop said with a smirk.
“Good reasoning.” Diggle nodded in agreement.
“Decent reasoning.” Westberg stated. “No civilians means no witnesses if they kill us all.”
“That’s not going to happen. You die, I’ll bring you back.” Mid-Nite gave a playful smirk.
“I’ll listen to you, Doctor.”
Black Canary was about to comment when she heard a thump on the roof. Curious, she opened the back door a bit to check it out… and was instantly grabbed and pulled to the side of the truck.
Green Arrow narrowed his eyes as he revved down the street. He hadn’t spoken yet - he didn’t want to miss anything. Especially not now.
“What the hell?!”
“It’s Vertigo! He’s on the roof of the truck!”
“I’ll get him.”
“Don’t! The car’s bulletproof, you’ll be wasting your bullets!”
Green Arrow sped up, driving straight towards where he knew the truck was headed.
Black Canary groaned in pain as her wrist ached, the masked man holding it tightly. “Let… go… bastard!” she spat out.
“I’m afraid I can’t do that. Or do you want to be roadkill?” Vertigo asked.
Black Canary didn’t respond. When the truck arrived at the docks, Vertigo pulled Canary up and threw her onto the street. The blonde bombshell rolled painfully, and the Count jumped down after her. Count Vertigo marched ahead, hearing the car screech to a halt. The Count then stopped, hearing something.
A motorbike.
Count Vertigo turned just in time to see Green Arrow driving towards him, launching himself off the bike and firing an arrow straight at the Count.
The shaft launched forwards, running straight through Count Vertigo’s shoulder. Vertigo groaned in pain as the archer landed on top of him. The Emerald Archer growled at him. “What did you do to Canary?”
“We were on top of a moving car.” Vertigo explained. “I had to toss her off to get her here.”
The bowman growled, trying to punch the Count. Vertigo blocked, hitting Oliver a few times before catching him in a leg-lock and rolling to the side. The Count and the archer got a few more punches off on each other before Oliver grabbed Count Vertigo’s mask.
“How about we see who’s under here?” Ollie snarled before tearing the mask off.
Werner Zytle looked at Oliver with a shocked expression, and Green Arrow looked back with an equally shocked one.
“Zytle?”
“I’m sorry, Oliver. I never wanted this.” Count Vertigo stated. “But I’m afraid it’s for the greater good. At the very least, I know your psyche better than I know my own.” Zytle then punched Green Arrow again, and pulled a syringe out of his belt. One filled with Vertigo. As Oliver groaned, Count Vertigo reared back his fist…
Black Canary couldn’t believe what she was seeing. First, she had been rolling across the street. Second, she had seen Oliver shoot Count Vertigo in the shoulder and beat him up in a fist fight, with the Count getting the advantage.
Third, she was now seeing the Crimson Arrow shoot Count Vertigo in the back.
All three combatants were shocked as the Count slumped into unconsciousness, the girl lowering her bow. Merlin, who was beside her, was near livid at that moment.
“What have you done?!” he exclaimed. “Why would you shoot Vertigo?!”
“It’s a matter of… honor.” the girl said, walking forwards and notching another arrow. “I desire a rematch against the Green Arrow. If the Count had taken down him with a dose of Vertigo, then I wouldn’t have gotten a chance to fight him. Besides, that was a tranquiliser. The Count is fine.”
Green Arrow pushed Vertigo’s unconscious body aside with a snarl. “You want a rematch, girlie? Fine by me.”
“Very well.” Merlin stated. “If it’s truly a matter of honor, I’ll let you handle this. I’m off to help Tockman with Queen’s friends.” Merlin dashed off, and the two opposing archers notched their bows.
Chief Westburg pulled the car to a stop, swearing heavily. “They had better damn well follow us…” he said, groaning. “Otherwise, we’ve wasted this opportunity!”
“Not to worry.” Diggle replied, as he and Mid-Nite got out of the car. “We’ve got incoming.”
“Oh, Broderick~!” Clock King said with a maniacal laughter, driving forwards with his stolen car and crashing into the police truck. Mid-Nite and Diggle rolled across the ground as Westberg’s truck was flipped full on its side. Tockman got out, holding a pistol. Diggle fired towards him, but the madman hid behind the side of his car.
“For the love of…!” Westberg said, climbing out the top of the car with a pistol in hand. He tried to look for Clock King, but couldn’t find him. “Tockman! Where the hell are you?!”
“I’ll show you!” a voice said, and a powerful scream sent both Tockman and the car he was hiding behind flying. Black Canary walked into the clearing, pulling on her leather glove. “Merlin’s here, too.”
“Found him!” Doctor Mid-Nite exclaimed, rolling out of the way of three consecutive arrow shots. “He’s trying to snipe from up top!”
“I see him!” Diggle replied, firing off some shots towards the archer. Merlin broke his hidden posture and ran across the cargo crates, eventually landing on top of the police truck. When he did, Chief Westberg shot him in the leg. Merlin stumbled forwards and fell off the truck with a groan of pain before rising to his feet again.
Tockman, meanwhile, had grabbed his gun and fired at the Chief again. Westberg quickly jumped off the car, landing beside Doctor Mid-Nite. “What’d I do to Merlin, doc?” the chief asked.
“Pissed him off.” Mid-Nite replied sadly. “A shot like that hurts like hell and it’ll throw off his balance a bit, but you didn’t hit a necessary area. He could probably kick our asses in a fight still.”
“Then I’ll just have to hit something more important next time.” Westberg stated, loading his gun again. That was when Clock King looked at them from on top of the police car.
“Tick tock.” he said with a chuckle, firing.
“GET DOWN!” Mid-Nite shouted, jumping in front of Westberg. The two men fell to the ground, the lead shot clanging against Mid-Nite’s kevlar vest. Westberg slid across the ground, aiming straight at Tockman.
“This is for kidnapping me, you son of a bitch.”
Westberg fired his gun, and the bullet hit Tockman straight in the stomach. He fell down on top of the truck, hitting it hard. Westberg and Mid-Nite both got up slowly.
“Is he dead?” Westberg asked as the two ran over to the body.
“No. He’s alive.” the Doctor reported. “Just unconscious. Thankfully.”
“Good, I need him alive to bring him to justice.” Westberg replied with a sigh. “Let’s get him tied up.”
Meanwhile, Diggle dropped his last pack of ammo to the ground. “I’m out!” he reported.
“Get to the others, then!” Black Canary replied. “I can handle Merlin.”
“Oh can you now?” Merlin let out a deep chuckle, firing an arrow straight at the Canary. The Blonde Bombshell caught the arrow as it skimmed over her right shoulder, glaring at the archer.
“Yes, since I’m pissed off.” Canary said with a dark smile, tossing the arrow straight at the archer. Merlin rolled out of the way before shooting off several new arrows, all of which Black Canary shattered with a sonic scream. Merlin was sent flying back into the wall, and held his bow forwards. Black Canary ran up to him, weaving through his two fired arrows, before she grabbed Merlin and sent him crashing to the ground with a judo throw. The bow snapped under the force of the impact, and Merlin rose to his feet, spitting blood to the side. “Let’s go then.” he said with a growl, dashing towards Canary with his fists ready.
Green Arrow and the Crimson Archer fired another shot simultaneously, and the two shafts crashed into each other and split in half.
“You’re a good shot.” Green Arrow said, dashing forwards. “Who taught you? Merlin?”
“My mother.” the girl replied, sending off another shaft to try and shake the Emerald Archer away. Queen quickly jumped back. “Guess archery runs in the family, though.”
“Really now?” Oliver asked, shooting off another shot as he hit the ground, the Crimson Archer responding with a shaft of her own. The Green Arrow got a quick feel for his quiver. Three arrows left. Had to make ‘em count. The bowman quickly ran to the right, shooting off a shaft. The Crimson Archer knocked it out of the air with her bow, and fired off another arrow where Oliver was running to. Queen halted, letting the arrow pass by. The Arrow then fired off another bolt quickly in response to the Crimson Archer’s next arrow.
One left.
Green Arrow and the Crimson Archer both knew the situation. The two archers stared each other down, one hand at their side and the other on their bow. As they locked eyes, they knew what was coming.
Green Arrow and the Crimson Archer both reached back to their quivers. Oliver grabbed his last arrow, notched it on his bow and fired it in a second.
The Crimson Archer’s searching hand found nothing but air.
The single arrow cracked loudly against the girl’s mask. The shaft fell to the ground as the plastic broke and shattered, with the Crimson Archer tumbling back in wide-eyed shock.
And as the broken face mask tumbled to the ground, Oliver saw the face he never thought he’d see.
The same face in the photo his father had shown him not that long ago.
“Emi?”
Emiko Queen gasped in shock, clutching her bow tight and holding her hand to the side of her face. “...so now you know, Oliver.” she said solitarily.
Oliver was about to respond further when an arrow hit the ground in front of him, and he had to dodge. Merlin ran over and grabbed Emiko by the arm, pulling her away. Green Arrow broke into pursuit, dashing against the pavement to catch up to his half-sister. Oliver chased Merlin back into the docks, down the route he had taken the first time he and Merlin had met. And at the end of the pier was a helicopter.
“Get in.” someone said inside the helicopter. Merlin threw Emiko aboard before climbing in himself, and the chopper flew up and away.
Oliver and Emiko locked eyes quickly before Merlin shut the door.
“EMIIIIIIIII!”
Dinah sighed. It had been only a night since the events of the pier. Merlin had caught her off guard with a cable, and she had been unable to pursue him. Because of that, he’d gotten away… Now Dinah was waiting at some coffee shop for the rest of the team to arrive.
Pieter Cross walked over, two cups of coffee in hand. “Want some caffeine?” he asked.
“Yeah… yeah, sure.” Dinah replied, holding her head. It had been a long day yesterday. Pieter sat down, and Dinah sipped her coffee. “Thanks for getting me this.”
“You’ll need to be awake. You’re a superhero, after all.” Pieter gave a smile.
“And you don’t need to be?”
“I got two coffees, not one.”
“Fair enough.” Dinah took another sip. “Any news on the situation at Queen Consolidated?”
“As expected, Cyrus Broderick is taking charge.” Cross informed her. “The shocking thing is that apparently he’s got plans to remain as the CFO.”
“Hm?”
“He’s making no move to increase his position.” Pieter continued. “Normally something like this would have paperwork circulating about his increase in position, but from how it’s been looking… it seems like Broderick wants someone else to take command of the company.”
“How about Vertigo and his goons?” Ms. Lance asked.
“The Chief’s men found Onomatopoeia and Count Vertigo, Ms. Isabel Rochev was arrested at the Q-Core, and Westberg himself arrested Clock King. They’re all in the Star City Federal Prison at the moment.”
“Good to hear. It was hell getting them arrested in the first place.” Oliver Queen said, walking in.
“Ollie!” Dinah said happily. “You’re early.”
“Couldn’t sleep.” Oliver replied. “Especially not with finding out my long-lost half-sister apparently works for this group called the Ninth Circle, whatever it is.”
“Forgot about that. Must be rough, huh?” Pieter asked. “Never had any siblings, so I wouldn’t know.”
“Before a few days ago, I didn’t think I had any either.” Queen said. “Anyways… Dinah, do you mind if we go for a bit of a walk?”
“Sure.” Dinah nodded, standing up. She took the coffee cup. “Hope you don’t mind, Pieter…”
“Go ahead. I’ll stay and keep an eye out for the others.” the doctor said with a smile.
Dinah smiled back, and the two walked outside.
“So… are Green Arrow and Black Canary partners now?” Dinah asked.
“Well, I guess that depends.” Oliver replied.
“Depends on what?” Dinah looked at Oliver.
“Well… if Black Canary, a metahuman, martial artist and professional hero, is fine with downgrading to a ripoff Robin Hood.” Queen looked away, holding his arm.
Dinah grabbed Oliver’s head and pulled him into a kiss.
“That a good enough answer to your question, ripoff Robin Hood?” Dinah gave a smile.
Oliver smiled back, and the two kissed again.
Oliver and Dinah walked back into the cafe, holding each other’s hands happily. As Oliver and Dinah came to the table, several faces turned to see them. Naomi Singh. Henry Fyff. Pieter Cross. John Diggle. Oliver pulled out a chair for Dinah and then one for himself, and the duo sat down to join the discussion. But all throughout the happy chat of the new Team Arrow, one thought was going through Oliver Queen’s head.
Emiko… I’ll find you someday. Be it today, tomorrow or sometime after… I’ll find you.
Emiko Queen put on her new face mask, looking in the mirror. The garb of the Crimson Archer was the suit she had worn for the past several years.
“Are you finished with the new suit?” a woman asked, outside the room.
“Yes, mother.” Emiko replied.
“Good. The Ninth Circle’s Board calls on us.”
“Already?” Emiko was surprised. The calls to action were never this frequent.
“Yes, already. Now let’s go.”
“Very well…” Emiko said, stepping out of the room to walk alongside her mother. “Lady Shado.”
THIS IS THE LONGEST WRITTEN WORK I HAVE EVER WRITTEN ALONE ON THIS WEBSITE OR I THINK EVER!
Whoof, Green Arrow: Eternal. I'm really happy with how it all turned out. This is the end of Season 1, as you might expect. Most of the plot threads have been resolved, with a few left open to further expand upon. After the long wait, Phase 2 of DC: Eternal is finally at an end.
...and my comrades all already have stuff for Phase 3 prepared. Yeah, I'm gonna need to play catchup inevitably...
All in all, I think this is the series I'm most proud of ever writing. With a full season done, I can technically say this is my first completed writing series. Though we're not done yet.
Writing Green Arrow: Eternal has given me a new appreciation for the mythos. Doing research for GA:E has led me to read Green Arrow: Rebirth, one of my favorite comics, and has made me fall in love with the Emerald Archer. Before he was pretty low-tier for me on the list of DC super heroes, but now he's number 2.
Also, wow Green Arrow doesn't have many memorable villains. It's a good thing the Ninth Circle is set up as the villains for Season 2! Whoops, spoilers. Though I guess that was obvious...
With Oliver and Dinah in a budding relationship, Team Arrow formed and Emiko revealed, I've done what I set out to do with Season 1. Season 2's going to have Oliver and Dinah evolve as heroes and people off of each other, and Team Arrow will become a tight-knit team through trials by fire. The Ninth Circle is a group MUCH more powerful than any foes Green Arrow has faced so far, so he'll need to be at the top of his game to beat them.
But first, he'll have to take on some new enemies...
Make sure to follow the rest of the DC: Eternal universe to get the whole story!
@Mockingchu's Batman: Eternal: https://pokecharms.com/series/batman-eternal.4946/
Make sure to join the Notification Squad to keep in touch with everything GA:E related! Or, y'know, the other things I write sometimes...
Whoof, Green Arrow: Eternal. I'm really happy with how it all turned out. This is the end of Season 1, as you might expect. Most of the plot threads have been resolved, with a few left open to further expand upon. After the long wait, Phase 2 of DC: Eternal is finally at an end.
...and my comrades all already have stuff for Phase 3 prepared. Yeah, I'm gonna need to play catchup inevitably...
All in all, I think this is the series I'm most proud of ever writing. With a full season done, I can technically say this is my first completed writing series. Though we're not done yet.
Writing Green Arrow: Eternal has given me a new appreciation for the mythos. Doing research for GA:E has led me to read Green Arrow: Rebirth, one of my favorite comics, and has made me fall in love with the Emerald Archer. Before he was pretty low-tier for me on the list of DC super heroes, but now he's number 2.
Also, wow Green Arrow doesn't have many memorable villains. It's a good thing the Ninth Circle is set up as the villains for Season 2! Whoops, spoilers. Though I guess that was obvious...
With Oliver and Dinah in a budding relationship, Team Arrow formed and Emiko revealed, I've done what I set out to do with Season 1. Season 2's going to have Oliver and Dinah evolve as heroes and people off of each other, and Team Arrow will become a tight-knit team through trials by fire. The Ninth Circle is a group MUCH more powerful than any foes Green Arrow has faced so far, so he'll need to be at the top of his game to beat them.
But first, he'll have to take on some new enemies...
Make sure to follow the rest of the DC: Eternal universe to get the whole story!
@Mockingchu's Batman: Eternal: https://pokecharms.com/series/batman-eternal.4946/
Make sure to join the Notification Squad to keep in touch with everything GA:E related! Or, y'know, the other things I write sometimes...
