Arrowverse Elseworld Chapter 14: Green Arrow

An original story with alternate versions of Arrowverse characters.

The skies darken and the lights flicker on around the dome-shaped building that houses Frontier Labs. I stand between the trees, outside the fence that surrounds the property. There, Flash skids to a halt in front of me.

"Don't see anyone patrolling the perimeter, other than those at the main gate," she says.

"Anyone arrived at the loading bay?" I ask.

She shakes her head. "Not yet. But I did see lights on. Wouldn't surprise me if Hosills is waiting for his latest shipment from Intergang."

I glance to my right. A few feet away is a delivery access road, which leads to a locked gate. "I suspect they'll use that entrance to arrive. Probably for the best if we move further away and come at them from the side."

Flash stares at the fence for a minute. "So how are we going to get in?"

I head toward my left and motion to her with my right hand. "Follow me. The override devices you planted should keep any cameras or sensors on a continuous loop. Also, they should disable any lasers."

She follows me through the trees. "I could just vibrate my way through the fence, then."

I glance over my shoulder. "Yes, but I don't want you racing off to confront Hosills on your own. Please stay with me."

She mutters something under her breath but doesn't object. Truth be told, I feel terrible for her. Destiny told me the story about how her parents were killed by a drunk driver, how that driver worked for Warren Hosills and how he used his connections to get him off the hook. It's bad enough to lose your parents like that, but to see the person responsible for their deaths get away with it, that would be more than I could ever stand.

At the same time, I don't want Destiny to let her grudge get the best of her. Especially because it shouldn't get in the way of finding out about this artificial intelligence Warren talks about. I know Warren well enough — he's always been the type who wants to profit off technology in any way he can. He's the type who would sell to both sides in a war and reap the windfall without a care in the world. I can only imagine he'd use this AI to play off everyone's paranoia.

I approach one tree with a thick trunk and examine the branches. They appear strong enough to support me. Grabbing a branch and the trunk, I begin to climb. My thoughts go back to what I told Tara — I didn't want to push her away, but I sensed she saw Warren discovering technology from her home planet as a personal issue. The last thing I needed was to control two people who had vendettas with Warren — especially two people with powers far beyond anything I could ever imagine. And though I know Tara better than I know Destiny, I suspected it would be harder to convince Destiny to stay behind.

Besides, any more information Tara can get will be useful. If it's true that Warren got his hands on Kryptonian technology, we need to know everything we can about it. Otherwise, we may never be able to counteract whatever Warren has planned.

I reach a branch several feet above the top of the fence, I pull myself above it and inch my feet onto it. Seems sturdy enough. Looking down, I see Flash is still on the ground. I'm a little surprised she didn't follow me up the tree.

She raises her head up. "What now?"

"Now I drop them a line." I unfurl my bow and reach back into my quiver to pull out an arrow. My eyes scan the area past the fence and I notice a utility pole with no light attached to it. Sliding the arrow into place, I raise the bow and take aim.

Releasing the drawstring, the arrow sails down toward the pole, a long wire unfurling behind it. The arrow embeds itself into the wooden pole. I take the other end of the wire, pull a hook from my belt and fasten it to the wire. Jamming the hook into the tree, I pull on the wire to make sure it's taut. I glance down at Flash and say, "Follow my lead."

From my quiver, I retrieve two unstrung bows and slap each over the wire. I grab the first one and slide down the wire, over the fence and toward the pole. The bow bumps against the end and I slip it off the wire, allowing myself to drop a short distance to the ground. Shoving the bow back into the quiver, I step away from the pole and glance upward. Flash, has already slid down the wire and drops down in front of me.

I gesture toward the domed building. "Avoid the lights as much as you can. While the sensors and cameras are on a loop, we don't want to risk that somebody might spot us."

Flash nods but doesn't say a word. I wave my right hand and get her to follow me along through the parking lot. What catches my attention is that many of the cars that were here earlier today haven't left. Makes me wonder if Warren has his crew working overtime on this AI project. But the vehicles allow Flash and I to slip between them. When we do, we bend our knees and take smaller steps, trying to stay out of sight as much as possible.

That's when we come to the back side of the building. All that's here are a couple of white vans, each with a Frontier Labs logo plastered on the side, and a delivery truck with the same marking. From here, I notice the bright lights illuminating the loading bay. Glancing back toward the fence, I don't see any vehicle approaching.

"Stay with me," I say to Flash. We both press alongside the delivery truck and approach the cab. I gaze past the front of the truck and notice a figure standing on the dock. Though his face is obscured in the shadows, the bald head is enough for me to determine that must be Warren Hosills. He raises his right arm and glances at his wrist.

I hear Flash grunt. "Wonder if his shipment is running late."

"If it is, he has plenty of time to explain himself." I creep around the truck and bend my knees. Warren appears to be alone. "All right, here's what we'll do."

"I'm not waiting any longer." Those are the last words I hear from Flash before she speeds around the truck and rushes toward the loading bay. It's only seconds before she has Warren by the throat and pressed up against the side of the building.

"Flash, no!" The words come out on instinct, even if they won't do any good now. I move past the truck and hustle to the bay. Climbing up onto the dock, I see Flash's left hand curled around Warren's neck, her fingers pressing into his skin. Her right hand is extended in front of her, her fingers vibrating before his chest. Warren's eyes are closed and he gasps for breath. Part of me wonders if Tara was right about Flash — that all she cares about is getting her hands on Warren. Maybe I shouldn't have thought I could calm Flash down.

Flash growls. "Hosills, tell me what you are doing working with Intergang."

He tries to raise his right hand. "It's not what you think, Flash."

Her voice deepens. "You took everything from me, Hosills. That's all you ever do, is take everything from anybody who crosses your path."

I raise my hand toward her. "Flash, that's enough."

"I'm getting information, Arrow. Then when I'm done with that, Hosills will be done."

I shake my head. "Flash, if you believe you are better than Warren Hosills, then show that you are better."

She moves her hand closer to Warren's chest. "I'll show him whose better, because I'll be getting justice for everyone he's hurt."

"If you want justice, then don't seek revenge." I step closer to her. "Revenge never results in justice."

Warren looks like he wants to say something, but he gasps for air instead.

Flash turns her head toward me for a moment. Her fingers around Warren's throat relax, her right hand lowers and she pulls Warren away from the wall. She gestures to him. "Make sure he admits to everything."

Warren presses his hand alongside the wall and coughs. "You don't understand what I'm trying to do."

"Then you need to explain why you are working with Intergang," I say.

"It's not all that it seems." He gasps again. "I was acquiring weapons technology from Intergang to incorporate into the AI I've created."

I step closer to Warren, my tone direct. "You want to add weapons to the AI? Do you realize the damage you could do with that?"

"You don't know the threat that's out there." He rubs his throat. "It's a threat not even from this world. If I didn't act quickly, I wouldn't be able to save the planet."

Flash steps toward Warren now. "Save the planet from what?"

"You know that technology you stole from me?"

She steps back a bit. "How did you know about that?"

"You think my associate didn't tell me how the police found him?" He locks his gaze upon her. "He managed to get the technology from another person who possessed it. My associate was delivering it to me so I could find ways to counter it."

"Counter what?" I ask. "What are you talking about?"

"There's a much bigger threat out there than you can imagine." Warren's tone remains calm, even after what Flash put him through. "A threat that means to wipe out humanity."

I jab a finger at Warren. "If there is such a threat, why be so secretive about what you are doing?"

"You don't think I haven't tried to explain things?" He shakes his head. "Mark Gregory won't listen, though. Neither will anyone else — did I mention how George Mortensen blew me off and never let me speak my piece?"

I curl my fingers, stopping myself from telling him that the conversation didn't go that way. The last thing I want to do is give away my identity to Warren Hosills.

But before I can speak again, I hear a door open. Then a lot of footsteps — almost like soldiers marching in formation. That's when I see about ten people dressed in white lab coats walking toward the loading bay. They stay together in a group, their steps in time with each other, their facial expressions blank.

Warren stares back at them, his face showing a mixture of confusion and annoyance. "What are you all doing down here? Get back to work like I asked you."

The lab coats keep marching toward us.

"Doesn't appear they're listening to you," I say.

That's when I hear Flash. "Looks like we got company."

Warren rolls his eyes and his tone is sarcastic. "What tipped you off, Flash?"

"I'm not talking about them. I'm talking about Intergang."

My head turns to the other side and I see a delivery truck approaching the bay at a rather high speed. It makes a quick turn to the side and screeches to a halt, the tires kicking up a few sparks. The door to the back of the trailer flies upward and twelve men dressed in black get out. The men all carry rifles

They are followed by another individual — only this individual doesn't touch the ground. Instead, this individual hovers in the air and floats toward the bay. Whoever this individual is, he or she stays away from the lights and I can't make out who it is.

All I hear is a monotone voice. "Take them all."

I step toward the edge of the dock. "Who are you?"

There is no response from the individual. Instead, the Intergang members take their rifles and raise them.

Warren whispers, "I guess my deal is off."

Before I can reach for an arrow, Flash is off and running, a streak of lightning crackling behind her as she mows down the Intergang members. One by one, they fly into the air and crash to the ground, their rifles scattered about. She spins around and faces them, ready to strike any who get to their feet.

The individual hovering in the air, though, raises an arm and sends a white energy blast of some kind toward Flash. It sends her flying backwards, where she crashes into a van and slumps to the ground.

"Flash!" I'm about to move to where she is, but notice the people in the lab coats out of the corner of my eye. Spinning around, I pull an arrow from my quiver and let it fly. The tip of the arrow unfurls into a boxing glove, which knocks one person down. Another unfurls a cord that wraps around a person, binding him tight, and he falls forward.

I cast a quick glance at Warren, who hasn't moved. "What's happened to them?"

Warren's tone remains steady. "You know that threat I was telling you about?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"My research showed that it had the power to control minds." He gestures toward the lab coats, who keep marching toward us. "It must be controlling them now."

I raise my bow again, but I hear a humming sound and glance over my shoulder. The next thing I do is dive toward the floor, avoiding an energy blast coming toward me. It strikes the ground and the force sends Warren flying away from me. He sprawls to the floor and doesn't move.

I crawl toward him and roll him onto his back. Touching underneath his chin, I feel a pulse. Then I notice the people in lab coats coming closer. One stares at me, a glassy look in her eyes, her voice sounding robotic. "You organics will be subdued."

I get to my knees, draw another arrow and fire it toward the lab coats. It hits the ground and unleashes a small explosion, forcing the lab coats backwards. Scrambling to my feet, I head toward the edge of the loading dock.

The Intergang members have all risen to their feet — as if they were never affected by the Flash's assault. One of them grabs his rifle and opens fire. I drop down and slide across the bay, hiding behind a large crate. I press a hand to my ear. "Flash, where are you?"

All I hear through the communicator is static.

The sounds of gunfire fill the air and bullets ping against the walls. I reach toward my quiver, grab another arrow and take a deep breath. Rising to my feet, I slide the arrow into the bow and fire in one quick motion. The arrow sails toward the Intergang members. When it hits the ground, a big explosion goes off and the Intergang members scatter, some of them thrown several feet away from the point of impact.

I notice Flash has pulled herself to her feet. She stares at the individual hovering over the ground. "Who are you and what do you want?"

The mysterious individual turns toward Flash. "I want you to come with me. Your powers will be useful."

Flash raises her arms and spins them around, creating a wind funnel that pushes against this individual. It appears to keep the individual off balance. Perhaps now is my chance to subdue him.

I load my bow again and send an arrow toward the individual. When it makes contact, a snare unfurls and wraps around the individual, pinning his arms to the sides.

But he does not go down. Instead, he pushes his arms outward, hard enough to break the snare. I take a step back. That snare was meant to withstand the strongest force any human could muster. Could this mysterious individual be from Krypton, like Tara?

Flash is still spinning her arms, but this individual manages to get his right arm upward and deliver another energy blast. This time, Flash is quick enough to avoid it, speeding behind the van. I can see her raise her hand to her communicator to say something, but I hear nothing. Whoever this individual is, he must have found a way to interfere with our comms.

That's when I hear Flash shout. "You have any ideas?"

I move slowly along the dock. The individual is in the light enough for me to make out his body — green and blue skin with silver markings, a metallic sheen over his body. "Whatever this thing is, it's not human. Looks like some kind of android."

The individual raises his arm toward me. I leap out of the way, barely avoiding the energy blast that strikes the crates and boxes behind me. Flames ignite and I scramble away from them.

And I scramble right into the lab coats, who have surrounded me. I fight to get away, but it takes every ounce of strength I have to push away and scramble toward the loading dock. That's where I see Flash stepping from behind the van. She glances in my direction and shouts, "I'll come get you!"

But before she can make a move, this android raises his right arm again, sending an energy blast at the van. A booming sound fills the air, the van exploding in a mess of torn metal and broken glass, flames covering the interior. Flash is thrown backward past other vehicles and crashes to the ground. She pushes herself to her hands and knees.

"Flash, get out of here! Find Supergirl!" I yell.

The lab coats surround me again and hands reach out, grabbing at my arms and legs, preventing any movement. I can make out a lightning trail at the same instant that another energy blast strikes the ground. When the light from the blast clears, I don't see Flash any more.

I'm forced down to my knees and this android turns toward me. He moves forward into the light. Hands cover my eyes, preventing me from making out his facial features, but I catch a glimpse of three yellow dots connected with thin black lines.

I hear that monotone voice. "Clearly Flash won't be of any help to you. And the one you call Supergirl won't be, either. I already have plans for her — as I do for you."

Next thing I know, the hands pull away from my face. Fingers touch my forehead and I feel a sharp pulse in my brain. My eyelids fall shut and I black out.