8:37 PM.
Oliver Queen raised his fists, moving into a Peekaboo boxing position. He then rushed at Pieter, quickly dealing out multiple powerful blows to the chest. Pieter blocked the last one, but took the full brunt of the others. Dr. Cross stumbled back, catching himself on the edge of the ring.
“Good.” Cross smiled. “You’re decently adept at unarmed combat now.”
“Are you sure we should be doing this?” Oliver asked, lowering his guard. “It hasn’t been twenty-four hours since you got injured, y’know…”
“I’m fine. As long as I don’t stretch or open the wound, I shouldn’t have to worry about it.” Pieter replied. “Besides, it’s good to test what I can and can’t do before I’m fully healed.”
“Without your Midnight Bombs, that is.”
“Indeed.”
“But speaking of your Midnight gear, I have to ask.” Oliver spoke up. “Why exactly do you like to wear those sunglasses so much? And why did you say that your Mid-Nite costume let you see better?”
“I have… a strange sort of medical condition.” Pieter replied, walking out of the ring and sitting down. “Whereas normal people are able to see through use of light, I see through use of darkness. My eyes have the opposite reaction to light and darkness that yours do. These sunglasses are special ones that make it pitch-black. To normal people, it cuts off their vision. To me, it is my vision.”
“Is that why you use the Mid-Nite bombs?” Oliver asked, following him. “And did the previous Doctor Mid-Nite have this condition as well?”
“The Mid-Nite bombs were both designed by my mentor and made to work in conjunction with this visual disability.” Dr. Cross said. “Charles McNider did also have this condition, yes. He took me on purely because of the fact that I had it as well, and that I had a passion for healing.”
“If you two men are done having your chat…” Naomi intruded, walking into the room. “It’s 8:40. You’ve got twenty minutes to the deadline. You gonna suit up?”
“You ready, Doctor?” Oliver asked Pieter. To his surprise, however, Pieter was already half-suited up.
“Doctor Mid-Nite is ready.” Mid-Nite said, putting on his mask. “After you, Green Arrow.”
“Right then.” Oliver put his mask on. “Let’s get going.”
8:52 PM.
Count Vertigo sighed. He leaned against the crate, looking at the moon just above the horizon.
“Looks like it’s going to be a beautiful night tonight.” he said.
“Guess so.” the Crimson Archer replied, walking towards him.
“How’d a kid like you even get involved with the Ninth Circle, anyways?” the Count asked.
“It’s not a story that’s proper to tell in this situation.”
“No, I’d like to hear it.”
The archer sighed. “Alright, then. It actually involves my mother more than me. Back in the cold war, my grandfather was a member of the Yakuza. He was given two million 1953 dollars to establish a Yakuza front. However, he was found out by the local mob and lost the money. He returned to Japan cashless. Because of the way the Yakuza works, this meant that both my grandfather and his family had a severe debt to repay to the Yakuza. Grandfather chose to commit harakiri to attempt to cleanse his shame, but his debt was merely passed down to his daughter - my mother. She worked for the Yakuza for most of her life until she was bought by the Ninth Circle, who inherited her debt as well. My mother has been working there for at least fifteen years now. I know mainly because I was born within the Circle. She trained me to be just like her - maybe better. And now, just like my mother, I am bound to the Ninth Circle through my grandfather’s debt.”
“Sounds pretty sad.”
The Crimson Archer looked at him, shocked. “Sad?”
“Living only for the sake of paying for another’s mistake.” Count Vertigo explained. “I mean, you’ve got no part in it. You weren’t the one who lost the money. Your grandfather already paid them back in blood, and your mother has spent her life serving the inheritors of that debt. Why should you? I would think that a life is worth more than cash.”
“...it seems you truly are noble, then.” the girl said, looking away. “I suppose what you say is true, but I still have a duty-”
“He’s here.” Count Vertigo stood up suddenly. “Get the girl.”
The Crimson Archer nodded, running off.
8:57 PM.
Green Arrow’s eyes narrowed as he drove through the large doors, his motorcycle running loudly. He wanted to clearly announce his arrival. It seemed he had, as Count Vertigo was waiting for him.
“Green Arrow. I’m ecstatic that you’ve decided to join us.” Count Vertigo said with a nod.
“Cut the crap, Vertigo. Where’s Canary?” Green Arrow snapped, stopping the bike and holding his bow.
“Patience, friend Arrow.” the Count said sternly. “You wouldn’t want your impatience to get her killed, now would you?”
The archer stifled a response, growling.
“But to answer your question… she’s right here.” Count Vertigo motioned towards the Crimson Archer, who was returning with what looked like a medical stretcher on wheels, Black Canary tied to it. “I am a man of my word, and as such you may have Black Canary back if you manage to defeat the Crimson Archer. However, if you try any funny business…” The Count held up a detonator. “I’m afraid I’ll have to explode the table, at least giving her serious burns and at most ending her life. This is necessary, just so you know.”
“Necessary how? I’d be coming to track you down anyways.” Green Arrow replied.
“It’s necessary to assure that you play fair.” Count Vertigo stated. “Trust me, if I had another way to assure you’d play along, I’d take it.”
“Alright then. I’m playing.” The Emerald Archer drew an arrow and notched it onto his bow, pointing it at the Crimson Archer. “Let’s do this, bow-girl.”
“Very well.” the Crimson Archer replied, doing the same.
“I’m in.”
“Good. Proceed straight, but keep to the walls.”
“Roger, Lion.” Doctor Mid-Nite said, creeping along cautiously. He had received another one of the infrared comms, and was now simultaneously hooked up to both Lion and Green Arrow. Good thing, too - otherwise, he wouldn’t have known just how delicate this task was. Like a surgical operation. One wrong move, and a life could end.
Mid-Nite peeked around a corner, spotting the open clearing. There were Green Arrow and the Crimson Archer, just where they should be. And there was Black Canary and Count Vertigo.
Wonderful.
Green Arrow decided to start the fight himself. Loosening his grip, he fired the shaft straight at his foe. The archer rolled underneath the sharp shot, firing off an arrow of her own. Green Arrow jumped out of the way this time, notching another arrow at the same time as the Crimson Archer did. Both bowmen fired off their next bolt at the same time, and the two shots deflected against each other.
“Impressive aim.” the Emerald Archer said, making a dash to the right.
“Same as you.” the Crimson Archer replied, doing the same. The two circled each other, loading and firing arrows.
“This could go either way…” Count Vertigo mused. “But I suppose I win no matter what. As long as no one interferes…”
Count Vertigo would later muse on that last statement. He had heard before of the danger of tempting fate, but only now understood what it was about. As soon as the words left his mouth, a strange beeping device was hurled in his direction. Before the Count could respond, the device exploded, spreading a black gas in the area around him and covering him in absolute darkness. Count Vertigo was blind.
The same, however, was not true for Doctor Mid-Nite. The doctor landed beside Count Vertigo and delivered a spinning kick to the back of the kneecaps. Vertigo crumbled, and the Doctor snatched the detonator away from him. He ran to safely get the detonator away, but the Count let loose a disorienting blast to clear the dark clouds. Doctor Mid-Nite ran towards the edge of the pier, Vertigo following.
“I don’t recognize you.” Count Vertigo stated. “If I may inquire, who exactly are you?”
“Doctor Mid-Nite. Superhero doctor and crime fighter.” Mid-Nite explained. “I’m a recent joiner of Team Arrow. Call it revenge for setting my fellow doctor’s house on fire.”
“So you’re a friend of Doctor Cross, then.” Vertigo inferred.
“In a sense.” the Doctor said with a smile.
The battle between the two archers was continuing as it had before, neither concentrating on what was happening nearby - for if they did, they would lose. The two bowmen were practically matched in skill - shot for shot, arrow for arrow.
If I want to win, I’ll have to play a bit more risky. Green Arrow thought. He waited until the Crimson Archer was up against a wall, and fired off two special shafts simultaneously. The girl dodged them both, rolling in between them.
“Is that the best you can do?” she taunted, loading another shaft.
“No. This is.” Green Arrow smirked. The Crimson Archer’s look of confusion was quickly replaced with one of shock as the two arrows exploded behind her, sending her rolling forwards. She quickly got to her feet and notched another arrow, but by that time the Emerald Archer had already fired off his next bolt. The specialized shaft reached forwards with a three-pronged claw, clasping tightly onto her red fabric before dealing out a powerful electric shock. The archer dropped to the ground, incredibly hurt.
“Do you give?!” Green Arrow demanded, pointing an arrow at her skull. One of the sharp ones.
“I… yes…” the Crimson Archer pounded the ground in disappointment.
That was when the table blew up.
“CANARY!” the Arrow turned around quickly in shock, seeing the fractured bits of the table and smoke rising from the cloud. The archer quickly ran towards the ruins.
Doctor Mid-Nite clutched his head in pain, groaning. Reaching out a hand to stabilize himself, he caught his balance through the use of a convenient bollard. Clutching his hand tightly, he heard Count Vertigo shout something before a loud blast erupted.
“Shit!” Mid-Nite said aloud, realizing he had accidentally activated the detonator.
The Count rushed towards him, grabbing him and throwing him to the floor of the pier. Mid-Nite rolled on the ground, grabbing a small dart from his glove and tossing it straight into Vertigo’s shoulder. Count Vertigo grunted.
“What was…?” Vertigo asked.
“Tranquilizer. A weak one, but one that should take you in about a minute.” Mid-Nite replied, getting up. Vertigo responded with a concentrated blast, causing the Doctor to fall back down. The Count decided to make a run for it, dashing towards the gate. He managed to make it inside one of the cargo containers unnoticed by either Doctor Mid-Nite or Green Arrow.
Count Vertigo placed his hand against the wall. “Damn… Where’d Mid-Nite come from? I thought he had vanished…”
“He’s not the only one able to pull a vanishing act.” a female voice said from behind him.
“Oh shit.” the Count said, not even needing to turn around.
Green Arrow was shocked to hear a sound from behind him - a sound he had heard before, but not one he was expecting to hear this soon again.
A loud screech came from behind him, and the Arrow turned around to see Count Vertigo flying out of a container. He was unconscious before he hit the ground.
Then Black Canary came stepping out of the container.
“Canary!” the archer exclaimed happily, running over to her. “How did you…? I mean, I thought you were…!”
“That’s thanks to your friend. Doctor Mid-Nite, right?” Canary replied. “I woke up when that black cloud bomb or whatever exploded.”
“I call it a Blackout Bomb.” Mid-Nite stated, joining the duo. “When I exploded it and ran from Vertigo, I actually used a knife to cut her bonds and free her. It was quick and with surgical precision - just like I like it.”
“I’m just glad you’re okay.” Green Arrow replied.
“How sappy and sweet.”
The trio turned around to see Merlin behind them, holding some sort of orb in his hand.
“Merlin!” the archer shouted in shock.
“So you couldn’t handle this chump?” Merlin looked at the Crimson Archer with what looked like disgust.
The girl merely looked down. “Just do it already.”
“Very well.” Merlin replied, tossing the orb up in the air. As he did, Mid-Nite realized he had a gas mask on.
“COVER YOUR MOUTHS!” the Doctor shouted, but it was too late as the orb crashed against the ground.
The last thing Green Arrow saw before blacking out was Merlin’ triumphant smile as he picked up Count Vertigo and walked off.
5:33 AM.
The archer awoke with a start, Doctor Mid-Nite above him. He saw a car just nearby, where Naomi and Black Canary were talking.
“Mid-Nite…?” the Arrow asked. “What…?”
“Merlin got away with Count Vertigo.” Doctor Mid-Nite explained. “That orb was concentrated knockout gas. We were out in an instant. Naomi drove over here and managed to wake me up first. Then Black Canary. You’re the last one up.”
“Dad always said I was a sleepyhead.” the archer joked. “Wait, you only mentioned Merlin and Count Vertigo. What happened to the girl? The Crimson Archer?”
“He didn’t bother.” Mid-Nite gestured to the side, where they had the girl tied up to one of the bollards. She was still unconscious.
“So we’ve got a hostage, then. Good to know - maybe we can get some info about their plans.” the bowman replied, sitting up. “I think we need to build up a stronger offensive.”
“What do you have in mind?” the Doctor inquired.
“Expanding the team.” Green Arrow replied. He walked over towards the girls. “Black Canary? There’s something I’d like to tell you.”
“Hm?” Canary asked, looking over her shoulder.
“You see, the truth is…” the archer said, removing his mask and hood. “I’m Oliver Queen. The Green Arrow.”
“What?!” Black Canary gasped. She hadn’t been expecting Green Arrow to be the long-lost former billionaire.
“And I’m Doctor Pieter Cross.” Mid-Nite replied, also removing his mask. “We may as well share our secret identities, I guess. You’ve got a reason for this, right Ollie?”
“Of course.” Oliver replied. “Black Canary. It seems we’ve been working together a lot lately. And by this point, we’ve clearly got common enemies. So… I’d like to invite you to join us.” Queen held out his hand towards Black Canary. “I want you to be part of Team Arrow.”
“...heh. So officially going back into the superhero business, huh?” Black Canary shrugged before clutching his hand. “Dinah Lance. I accept your offer. Let’s take down Merlin and Count Vertigo not as associates, but partners.”
“Deal.” Oliver smiled at her.
“You’ve also gotta make up for that date we missed out on.”
“Oh, come on! Supervillains make social lives hell.”
“Yeah, I know…”
Oliver Queen raised his fists, moving into a Peekaboo boxing position. He then rushed at Pieter, quickly dealing out multiple powerful blows to the chest. Pieter blocked the last one, but took the full brunt of the others. Dr. Cross stumbled back, catching himself on the edge of the ring.
“Good.” Cross smiled. “You’re decently adept at unarmed combat now.”
“Are you sure we should be doing this?” Oliver asked, lowering his guard. “It hasn’t been twenty-four hours since you got injured, y’know…”
“I’m fine. As long as I don’t stretch or open the wound, I shouldn’t have to worry about it.” Pieter replied. “Besides, it’s good to test what I can and can’t do before I’m fully healed.”
“Without your Midnight Bombs, that is.”
“Indeed.”
“But speaking of your Midnight gear, I have to ask.” Oliver spoke up. “Why exactly do you like to wear those sunglasses so much? And why did you say that your Mid-Nite costume let you see better?”
“I have… a strange sort of medical condition.” Pieter replied, walking out of the ring and sitting down. “Whereas normal people are able to see through use of light, I see through use of darkness. My eyes have the opposite reaction to light and darkness that yours do. These sunglasses are special ones that make it pitch-black. To normal people, it cuts off their vision. To me, it is my vision.”
“Is that why you use the Mid-Nite bombs?” Oliver asked, following him. “And did the previous Doctor Mid-Nite have this condition as well?”
“The Mid-Nite bombs were both designed by my mentor and made to work in conjunction with this visual disability.” Dr. Cross said. “Charles McNider did also have this condition, yes. He took me on purely because of the fact that I had it as well, and that I had a passion for healing.”
“If you two men are done having your chat…” Naomi intruded, walking into the room. “It’s 8:40. You’ve got twenty minutes to the deadline. You gonna suit up?”
“You ready, Doctor?” Oliver asked Pieter. To his surprise, however, Pieter was already half-suited up.
“Doctor Mid-Nite is ready.” Mid-Nite said, putting on his mask. “After you, Green Arrow.”
“Right then.” Oliver put his mask on. “Let’s get going.”
8:52 PM.
Count Vertigo sighed. He leaned against the crate, looking at the moon just above the horizon.
“Looks like it’s going to be a beautiful night tonight.” he said.
“Guess so.” the Crimson Archer replied, walking towards him.
“How’d a kid like you even get involved with the Ninth Circle, anyways?” the Count asked.
“It’s not a story that’s proper to tell in this situation.”
“No, I’d like to hear it.”
The archer sighed. “Alright, then. It actually involves my mother more than me. Back in the cold war, my grandfather was a member of the Yakuza. He was given two million 1953 dollars to establish a Yakuza front. However, he was found out by the local mob and lost the money. He returned to Japan cashless. Because of the way the Yakuza works, this meant that both my grandfather and his family had a severe debt to repay to the Yakuza. Grandfather chose to commit harakiri to attempt to cleanse his shame, but his debt was merely passed down to his daughter - my mother. She worked for the Yakuza for most of her life until she was bought by the Ninth Circle, who inherited her debt as well. My mother has been working there for at least fifteen years now. I know mainly because I was born within the Circle. She trained me to be just like her - maybe better. And now, just like my mother, I am bound to the Ninth Circle through my grandfather’s debt.”
“Sounds pretty sad.”
The Crimson Archer looked at him, shocked. “Sad?”
“Living only for the sake of paying for another’s mistake.” Count Vertigo explained. “I mean, you’ve got no part in it. You weren’t the one who lost the money. Your grandfather already paid them back in blood, and your mother has spent her life serving the inheritors of that debt. Why should you? I would think that a life is worth more than cash.”
“...it seems you truly are noble, then.” the girl said, looking away. “I suppose what you say is true, but I still have a duty-”
“He’s here.” Count Vertigo stood up suddenly. “Get the girl.”
The Crimson Archer nodded, running off.
8:57 PM.
Green Arrow’s eyes narrowed as he drove through the large doors, his motorcycle running loudly. He wanted to clearly announce his arrival. It seemed he had, as Count Vertigo was waiting for him.
“Green Arrow. I’m ecstatic that you’ve decided to join us.” Count Vertigo said with a nod.
“Cut the crap, Vertigo. Where’s Canary?” Green Arrow snapped, stopping the bike and holding his bow.
“Patience, friend Arrow.” the Count said sternly. “You wouldn’t want your impatience to get her killed, now would you?”
The archer stifled a response, growling.
“But to answer your question… she’s right here.” Count Vertigo motioned towards the Crimson Archer, who was returning with what looked like a medical stretcher on wheels, Black Canary tied to it. “I am a man of my word, and as such you may have Black Canary back if you manage to defeat the Crimson Archer. However, if you try any funny business…” The Count held up a detonator. “I’m afraid I’ll have to explode the table, at least giving her serious burns and at most ending her life. This is necessary, just so you know.”
“Necessary how? I’d be coming to track you down anyways.” Green Arrow replied.
“It’s necessary to assure that you play fair.” Count Vertigo stated. “Trust me, if I had another way to assure you’d play along, I’d take it.”
“Alright then. I’m playing.” The Emerald Archer drew an arrow and notched it onto his bow, pointing it at the Crimson Archer. “Let’s do this, bow-girl.”
“Very well.” the Crimson Archer replied, doing the same.
“I’m in.”
“Good. Proceed straight, but keep to the walls.”
“Roger, Lion.” Doctor Mid-Nite said, creeping along cautiously. He had received another one of the infrared comms, and was now simultaneously hooked up to both Lion and Green Arrow. Good thing, too - otherwise, he wouldn’t have known just how delicate this task was. Like a surgical operation. One wrong move, and a life could end.
Mid-Nite peeked around a corner, spotting the open clearing. There were Green Arrow and the Crimson Archer, just where they should be. And there was Black Canary and Count Vertigo.
Wonderful.
Green Arrow decided to start the fight himself. Loosening his grip, he fired the shaft straight at his foe. The archer rolled underneath the sharp shot, firing off an arrow of her own. Green Arrow jumped out of the way this time, notching another arrow at the same time as the Crimson Archer did. Both bowmen fired off their next bolt at the same time, and the two shots deflected against each other.
“Impressive aim.” the Emerald Archer said, making a dash to the right.
“Same as you.” the Crimson Archer replied, doing the same. The two circled each other, loading and firing arrows.
“This could go either way…” Count Vertigo mused. “But I suppose I win no matter what. As long as no one interferes…”
Count Vertigo would later muse on that last statement. He had heard before of the danger of tempting fate, but only now understood what it was about. As soon as the words left his mouth, a strange beeping device was hurled in his direction. Before the Count could respond, the device exploded, spreading a black gas in the area around him and covering him in absolute darkness. Count Vertigo was blind.
The same, however, was not true for Doctor Mid-Nite. The doctor landed beside Count Vertigo and delivered a spinning kick to the back of the kneecaps. Vertigo crumbled, and the Doctor snatched the detonator away from him. He ran to safely get the detonator away, but the Count let loose a disorienting blast to clear the dark clouds. Doctor Mid-Nite ran towards the edge of the pier, Vertigo following.
“I don’t recognize you.” Count Vertigo stated. “If I may inquire, who exactly are you?”
“Doctor Mid-Nite. Superhero doctor and crime fighter.” Mid-Nite explained. “I’m a recent joiner of Team Arrow. Call it revenge for setting my fellow doctor’s house on fire.”
“So you’re a friend of Doctor Cross, then.” Vertigo inferred.
“In a sense.” the Doctor said with a smile.
The battle between the two archers was continuing as it had before, neither concentrating on what was happening nearby - for if they did, they would lose. The two bowmen were practically matched in skill - shot for shot, arrow for arrow.
If I want to win, I’ll have to play a bit more risky. Green Arrow thought. He waited until the Crimson Archer was up against a wall, and fired off two special shafts simultaneously. The girl dodged them both, rolling in between them.
“Is that the best you can do?” she taunted, loading another shaft.
“No. This is.” Green Arrow smirked. The Crimson Archer’s look of confusion was quickly replaced with one of shock as the two arrows exploded behind her, sending her rolling forwards. She quickly got to her feet and notched another arrow, but by that time the Emerald Archer had already fired off his next bolt. The specialized shaft reached forwards with a three-pronged claw, clasping tightly onto her red fabric before dealing out a powerful electric shock. The archer dropped to the ground, incredibly hurt.
“Do you give?!” Green Arrow demanded, pointing an arrow at her skull. One of the sharp ones.
“I… yes…” the Crimson Archer pounded the ground in disappointment.
That was when the table blew up.
“CANARY!” the Arrow turned around quickly in shock, seeing the fractured bits of the table and smoke rising from the cloud. The archer quickly ran towards the ruins.
Doctor Mid-Nite clutched his head in pain, groaning. Reaching out a hand to stabilize himself, he caught his balance through the use of a convenient bollard. Clutching his hand tightly, he heard Count Vertigo shout something before a loud blast erupted.
“Shit!” Mid-Nite said aloud, realizing he had accidentally activated the detonator.
The Count rushed towards him, grabbing him and throwing him to the floor of the pier. Mid-Nite rolled on the ground, grabbing a small dart from his glove and tossing it straight into Vertigo’s shoulder. Count Vertigo grunted.
“What was…?” Vertigo asked.
“Tranquilizer. A weak one, but one that should take you in about a minute.” Mid-Nite replied, getting up. Vertigo responded with a concentrated blast, causing the Doctor to fall back down. The Count decided to make a run for it, dashing towards the gate. He managed to make it inside one of the cargo containers unnoticed by either Doctor Mid-Nite or Green Arrow.
Count Vertigo placed his hand against the wall. “Damn… Where’d Mid-Nite come from? I thought he had vanished…”
“He’s not the only one able to pull a vanishing act.” a female voice said from behind him.
“Oh shit.” the Count said, not even needing to turn around.
Green Arrow was shocked to hear a sound from behind him - a sound he had heard before, but not one he was expecting to hear this soon again.
A loud screech came from behind him, and the Arrow turned around to see Count Vertigo flying out of a container. He was unconscious before he hit the ground.
Then Black Canary came stepping out of the container.
“Canary!” the archer exclaimed happily, running over to her. “How did you…? I mean, I thought you were…!”
“That’s thanks to your friend. Doctor Mid-Nite, right?” Canary replied. “I woke up when that black cloud bomb or whatever exploded.”
“I call it a Blackout Bomb.” Mid-Nite stated, joining the duo. “When I exploded it and ran from Vertigo, I actually used a knife to cut her bonds and free her. It was quick and with surgical precision - just like I like it.”
“I’m just glad you’re okay.” Green Arrow replied.
“How sappy and sweet.”
The trio turned around to see Merlin behind them, holding some sort of orb in his hand.
“Merlin!” the archer shouted in shock.
“So you couldn’t handle this chump?” Merlin looked at the Crimson Archer with what looked like disgust.
The girl merely looked down. “Just do it already.”
“Very well.” Merlin replied, tossing the orb up in the air. As he did, Mid-Nite realized he had a gas mask on.
“COVER YOUR MOUTHS!” the Doctor shouted, but it was too late as the orb crashed against the ground.
The last thing Green Arrow saw before blacking out was Merlin’ triumphant smile as he picked up Count Vertigo and walked off.
5:33 AM.
The archer awoke with a start, Doctor Mid-Nite above him. He saw a car just nearby, where Naomi and Black Canary were talking.
“Mid-Nite…?” the Arrow asked. “What…?”
“Merlin got away with Count Vertigo.” Doctor Mid-Nite explained. “That orb was concentrated knockout gas. We were out in an instant. Naomi drove over here and managed to wake me up first. Then Black Canary. You’re the last one up.”
“Dad always said I was a sleepyhead.” the archer joked. “Wait, you only mentioned Merlin and Count Vertigo. What happened to the girl? The Crimson Archer?”
“He didn’t bother.” Mid-Nite gestured to the side, where they had the girl tied up to one of the bollards. She was still unconscious.
“So we’ve got a hostage, then. Good to know - maybe we can get some info about their plans.” the bowman replied, sitting up. “I think we need to build up a stronger offensive.”
“What do you have in mind?” the Doctor inquired.
“Expanding the team.” Green Arrow replied. He walked over towards the girls. “Black Canary? There’s something I’d like to tell you.”
“Hm?” Canary asked, looking over her shoulder.
“You see, the truth is…” the archer said, removing his mask and hood. “I’m Oliver Queen. The Green Arrow.”
“What?!” Black Canary gasped. She hadn’t been expecting Green Arrow to be the long-lost former billionaire.
“And I’m Doctor Pieter Cross.” Mid-Nite replied, also removing his mask. “We may as well share our secret identities, I guess. You’ve got a reason for this, right Ollie?”
“Of course.” Oliver replied. “Black Canary. It seems we’ve been working together a lot lately. And by this point, we’ve clearly got common enemies. So… I’d like to invite you to join us.” Queen held out his hand towards Black Canary. “I want you to be part of Team Arrow.”
“...heh. So officially going back into the superhero business, huh?” Black Canary shrugged before clutching his hand. “Dinah Lance. I accept your offer. Let’s take down Merlin and Count Vertigo not as associates, but partners.”
“Deal.” Oliver smiled at her.
“You’ve also gotta make up for that date we missed out on.”
“Oh, come on! Supervillains make social lives hell.”
“Yeah, I know…”
ALERT: THE ENDGAME IS HERE!
Backstory, character skill reveals, team building... this chapter had a lot! I think it was worth the wait, right?
Anyways, I'm pretty happy with this part and what it sets up. I'm counting this as Endgame: Part 1 since it directly ties in with the narrative for the next two episodes - aka, the second-to-last and final episodes of Season 1. It's all coming together so fast... Hey, but there'll still be Season 2!
Make sure to be here next time when Count Vertigo and Merlin wage war against Green Arrow and Black Canary! Both Team Arrow and the Vertigo Drug Syndicate are going to need every weapon in their arsenal to win this coming battle, and through use of the past they'll get said arsenals!
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...
Backstory, character skill reveals, team building... this chapter had a lot! I think it was worth the wait, right?
Anyways, I'm pretty happy with this part and what it sets up. I'm counting this as Endgame: Part 1 since it directly ties in with the narrative for the next two episodes - aka, the second-to-last and final episodes of Season 1. It's all coming together so fast... Hey, but there'll still be Season 2!
Make sure to be here next time when Count Vertigo and Merlin wage war against Green Arrow and Black Canary! Both Team Arrow and the Vertigo Drug Syndicate are going to need every weapon in their arsenal to win this coming battle, and through use of the past they'll get said arsenals!
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...