Mental Games 101.

Elements of Terror Play Havoc.

Mental Games 101.

By James Carmody.

Disclaimer: I own neither "Arrow", nor any of the DC universe copyrights, nor the rights over "BtVS/AtS", and I forego any financial gain from this story- forever. They belong to the respective copyright holders, until such individual men decide otherwise of their own free wills. This also draws slightly from "Star Trek", and again, I forego any financial gain whatsoever from this.

Summary: The First Evil plays havoc with Dr. Ray Palmer's mind using his idea of nanites to mess around with him in an attempt to give the man some serious PTSD.

Genre(s): Science-fiction, action/adventure, horror, and comedy; just off the top, also "spiritual/supernatural" as a touch.

Rating: Let's see, pretty much teen overall; nothing more graphic in violence than a quality episode of "Star Trek", so it would be a solid PG-13, and nothing impure- though the mind messing with Ray Palmer sure is impure, believe you me!

Author's Notes: This also involves some solid elements of true theology, given the nature of the mobster ruling "Earth 666" come to think of it- as it is rightly petty and impotent, but completely vile. Somebody Else has it imprisoned, and rightly so- but it is NOT benevolent at all, and would be a serious threat if given the chance.

Parental Guidance is most assuredly desired as they are the best protectors of their own children- and I will NOT commit scandal, or go anywhere near there!

Chapter #1.): "Elements of Terror Play Havoc."

Dr. Ray Palmer, CEO and inventor, was exhausted beyond measure... he had no idea what time it was, and he barely even knew what was going on. He had spent the bulk of his shift in the office tinkering with his latest nanite project; and, given the odds of success; he knew he shouldn't be ashamed at all of his repeated failures. It simply was that he wanted to mix it up against the terrorists who were best described as gangsters and stop their damage to his own neighborhood. He didn't even know if he was still awake, but he heard a mechanical "whirring" sound, switching between "coming" and "going" in a way that'd be described as "red-shift" and "blue-shift" of sounds... repeatedly. As well as heavy footfalls in the hallway, workers screaming, and then not, and their bodies he heard hitting the floor. And something about this seemed "off"; almost like a "Star Trek" episode featuring the Borg as the main adversaries.

Ray Palmer was now sure he was awake, as a few of these hairless humanoids with armored plates of metal at various places on their bodies came up to the door to his office, a glass door he was sure would never hold up to them at all, no matter what; and his heart was beating so fast and hard it seemed like it would burst right out of his chest and explode in the meantime- and he knew enough of medicine to know that'd not be a comfortable way to die "As if there is a comfortable way to die..." he muttered to himself in total terror; he was sure his company security had been slaughtered by these alien invaders "If they are alien invaders." he thought with a sudden chill bouncing up and down his spine several times, giving him the chills in the meantime! He had the very subtle hint niggling at the back of his mind that indeed his nanite projects had brought about a science-fiction horror into being, a terror from the "Star Trek" binge he had undertaken a short few days ago when off-duty from his company job for a break, a terror referred to as "the Borg Collective". "I should never have done that gamble to loose those nanites into the air." Ray muttered as he furiously dialed his cellphone, trying to get in touch with some of his friends to find out if indeed they were dealing with the same fright, or were aware of that. Perhaps, just perchance, Oliver and his small unit would be able to deactivate the nanites and shut down these Borg Drones who were about to get in, especially if Felicity, whom he suspected he had developed an adult crush on, and had definite romantic feelings for in the meantime, was able to hack into the nanites and reprogram perhaps these drones... and that was a definite maybe at that. In the meantime, he was having an absolute nightmare that he was alarmed at having to begin with!

Previously, The First Evil had sent a subtle suggestion to "Brick"... was that his street name? to go after blackmailing a bunch of street muscle and getting them ready to take over the "Glades", but now the vile "Dictator of Hell" had been bored out of its proverbial skull and, much to its chagrin, been warned, rather firmly, that it must not do anything serious to any human. Its hands were tied to be perfectly candid, so it elected to have a bit of what it classified as "fun"; well, Lucifer had a very sick sense of "fun" and, actually, its idea of "light fun" was bullying someone- so it picked Ray Palmer; and elected to play around with his head, seeing if it could damage his mind and give him some serious PTSD in the meantime- some kind of terrors- for its own laughs. Nothing less, nothing more, and nothing besides; anything beyond or if he calls out; it'd have to bolt, or be in real danger of being caught and wind up in far worse trouble than it had been in before. So disguised as "Cain" from "Genesis", but with a shave, and a suit-coat, it looked alarmingly like it did as the ruler of "Earth 666", and it decided to have a bit of fun causing trouble and crime.

Ray Palmer for his part woke up with a shock, sat bolt upright, and in a panic he realized he had indeed dialed his "tech support secretary" Felicity Smoak, to find out if she could "Hack the Borg"; "Oh golly; I'm going to have to make that one up to her somehow." sure enough, going through his texts he had sent, approximately 30 in less than a minute! he realized that she'd be freaked, or think he had either gone completely nuts, or was pranking her big time, with the messages of "Help, the Borg are at my office door!". He was feeling real sheepish by the time she headed into his office shortly thereafter to report for the following day's work-shift...

End Chapter #1 Notes: Well, what'do you folks think of this? I fully plan on continuing this; but it sure was fun to write about Ray Palmer's panic attack as he apparently accurately sleep-texted Felicity Smoak for help that the Borg were about to break down his office door- it gave me some genuine laughs!

Yeah, and the identity of the First Evil logically is that of the devil, based on what a certain Mr. R. Giles says about it being the being that set the course of misbehavior.