Second Chances: Red Arrow

Chapter 11

Tommy Merlyn was currently standing in his new penthouse in Hub City, which was supposedly located in the best part of the city, though he had to admit, there really was no good place here. If anything, Hub City was the place his father should be planning on tearing down, not just the Glades in Star City, since in his opinion, all of Hub City was a blight that needed to be eradicated. But since his father was busy obsessing over punishing the Glades, Tommy was working on his own plans to bring a different but just as effective version of his father's vision to Hub City.

He still couldn't believe how much his father had helped him change over the past five years. After his brother in all but blood Oliver was thought to have died, the woman Tommy loved, Laurel having left and the two girls Tommy thought of as sisters, Thea and Emiko, had both disappeared, he'd hit rock bottom and his father had quickly grown tired of his behavior, so he'd decided to help Tommy out in his own way and while at the time, he'd thought it was cruel, but now he knew that his father was just showing him the world the way it truly was.

He'd also finally learned where his dad had disappeared to after his mom had died. A place called Nanda Parbat where his father had been trained by Ra's al Ghul into a ruthless assassin, which explained why he'd been so different when he'd come home. Malcolm had taught Tommy how to process his grief in the same way Ra's had taught him. It had been harsh and painful work, but the results were worth it, since while his father had shattered him like glass, he'd only done it so that he could be reforged into something as strong as steel. After that, his father had inducted him into the ranks of his own version of the League of Assassins, the Thanatos Guild and he'd quickly risen through it's ranks right into his father's inner circle and he'd actually become his father's second-in-command, the only person who was his equal was one of his father's earliest students and the only person in the Guild besides his father who could match him in combat, Athena.

Anyways, he was pulled from his thoughts when he heard one of the Guild members his father had sent to Hub City with him, entered.

"Apologies for interrupting you Mr. Merlyn." the member, Lioness, said, in case anyone else was listening.

"What is it?" Tommy asked.

"Your father's been exposed in Star City. The vigilante called the Green Arrow managed to set a trap and unmask him. It's only a matter of time until the authorities find their way here and begin snooping around." Lioness said.

"How bad is it?" Tommy asked.

"The city doesn't know about his plans, at least not yet, but they know that he's a killer." Lioness said.

"We don't have to worry about the local authorities, the Hub City PD is so corrupt they make Gotham PD look like a model police force. And as far as the feds go, I made sure that there was nothing to connect me to him beyond a name, a bloodline and a trust fund. After all, it's not like he and I were ever real close after mom died and if they do come snooping around, well, I've already made plans to protect myself, including selling him out in exchange for protection against prosecution." Tommy said.

"You'd really sell out Al Sah Her?" Lioness asked, shocked.

"Only so that the Guild can continue to survive. It's become more than just his personal army. And I don't know about you, but I'd rather distance myself from him before Ra's al Ghul learns about his plot." Tommy said.

"And what if he discovers your's?" Lioness asked, since she honestly agreed with Tommy's view, though she knew other members, especially Athena, would not see things that way.

"Unlike dear old dad, I was never a real member of the League of Assassins, I was just trained like them." Tommy said.

"You really think that Ra's will buy that?" Lioness asked him.

"We'll worry about that when we get to it. But for now, let's focus on preparing for when the Feds come knocking at our door." Tommy said and Lioness nodded.