Marcus's Next Move
Marcus Queen stood in his lab, calculating his next steps with surgical precision. Talia al Ghul might have come seeking mercy, but Marcus knew that the League of Shadows was far too deeply embedded in Starling City to be left alone. His brother, Oliver, had pleaded for him to stop, but Marcus wasn't one to leave loose ends. He needed Oliver to understand the true depths of the League's corruption—and to know that Talia was no innocent bystander. It was time to reveal the full extent of the League's rot to his brother and take the fight directly to Malcolm Merlyn.
"Victory," Marcus said, his voice calm but determined, "send all the evidence we've gathered about the League's activities in Starling City to Oliver. Make it look like you sent it to him without my knowledge. Include everything: the abduction of children, the drug trafficking, weapons smuggling, and the photos of Talia dealing with the city's worst criminals."
Victory: "Affirmative, sir. Compiling evidence and creating an anonymous transmission."
Marcus watched as Victory worked, pulling together files, photos, and videos—proof of the League's involvement in every dark corner of Starling City. The images of Talia, shaking hands with crime lords and negotiating arms deals with known traffickers, were damning. Oliver had always been focused on taking down the worst criminals in the city, but Marcus knew that seeing this would force his brother to acknowledge the bigger picture. The League had infected Starling City for far too long, and they had to be eradicated completely.
"Include the photos of Sara's ex-boyfriend as well," Marcus added, his eyes narrowing. "Let Oliver see the truth about who he's really been dealing with."
Victory: "Confirmed. The evidence will be sent shortly."
Marcus stood in silence for a moment, watching as Victory finished the transmission. Oliver would receive it soon, and when he did, he'd know that Marcus had been right all along. The League wasn't just a distant threat—it had been poisoning their city from the inside out.
But Marcus wasn't done. His mind turned to Malcolm Merlyn, the man who had been pulling strings from the shadows for years. Merlyn had already tried to stir up trouble by siccing the federal authorities on him, feeding them lies about Marcus's supposed alliance with the League. It was time to hit back—and hit hard.
"Victory, begin targeting Merlyn's stock holdings. I want to start quietly, destabilizing his investments. It's time to oust that pig from his position of power. And make sure it's untraceable."
Victory: "Targeting Malcolm Merlyn's stock portfolio now. Initiating slow destabilization to avoid detection. His financial holdings will begin to erode over the next several days."
Marcus smirked, satisfied with the plan. Merlyn had built his empire on a foundation of lies and manipulation, but Marcus would tear it down piece by piece. While Merlyn focused on the federal authorities and tried to cover his tracks, his financial world would crumble beneath him.
Oliver Receives the Evidence
Hours later, deep in the Arrowcave, Oliver Queen was reviewing surveillance footage when his phone buzzed. It was an anonymous message, heavily encrypted but somehow familiar. He frowned and opened it, his eyes scanning the contents quickly. As the files loaded, his expression darkened.
It was everything: photos, documents, and video footage detailing the League of Shadows' operations in Starling City. Child abductions, drug trafficking, weapons deals—it was all there. And at the center of it was Talia al Ghul, standing alongside some of the city's most notorious criminals, shaking hands and orchestrating deals. The photos were clear, the evidence undeniable. This wasn't just speculation. The League had been rotting the city from within, and Talia had been playing both sides.
Oliver's jaw clenched as he flipped through the files, coming across photos of Sara's ex-boyfriend—one of the League's agents. He had no idea the extent of Sara's connection to the League ran this deep. He had been fighting for Starling City, but the League had been working from within to corrupt it at every level.
Oliver's heart sank as he realized what this meant. Marcus hadn't just been acting out of paranoia or a desire for control. He had been eliminating a very real, very dangerous threat to the city—one that Oliver had been too distracted to fully grasp.
"Dammit," Oliver muttered under his breath, feeling the weight of the information settling on his shoulders. Marcus had taken steps that Oliver could never have condoned, but in the face of this, he understood why. Talia had come to him, asking for mercy, but she was just as complicit in the League's crimes as the rest of them.
He leaned back in his chair, staring at the screen. He needed to talk to Marcus. He needed to understand the full scope of what had been happening. But more than that, he needed to confront Talia—and find out what the League's next move would be.
Malcolm Merlyn's Reaction
Across the city, Malcolm Merlyn sat in his office at Merlyn Global, reviewing reports on his various investments. Everything seemed stable on the surface, but there had been a few unusual blips in his stock portfolio over the past few days—subtle, barely noticeable, but enough to catch his attention. He had seen this kind of quiet destabilization before, and he knew what it meant. Someone was targeting him.
Malcolm's eyes narrowed as he put the pieces together. He had been focused on using the federal authorities to pressure Marcus, but now it seemed the tables had turned. Marcus Queen was coming after him—not with brute force, but by slowly dismantling the financial empire that had taken him years to build.
"Smart," Malcolm muttered to himself, his voice laced with irritation. "Very smart."
He slammed his fist down on the desk, fury building inside him. Marcus had already proven to be more dangerous than anyone anticipated. Taking down the League of Shadows was one thing, but going after Merlyn's financial power? That was personal.
But Malcolm wasn't about to roll over. He had backup plans, contingencies in place. If Marcus thought he could quietly dismantle his empire without facing retaliation, he was sorely mistaken. Malcolm had learned long ago how to survive in the shadows, and he wasn't about to let some arrogant upstart like Marcus Queen take him down.
"I'll make him regret this," Malcolm growled, reaching for his phone. He had allies, resources, and connections that Marcus didn't know about. It was time to bring them into play.
Malcolm dialed a number and waited for the line to connect. "Activate the contingency plan. Marcus Queen wants a war? I'll give him one."
As Malcolm hung up the phone, his eyes darkened with determination. The game had changed, but Malcolm was a master of survival. He had been planning his moves long before Marcus had even entered the picture, and now, it was time to see who would be left standing.
The War Escalates
With Marcus quietly dismantling Malcolm's financial empire and Oliver now armed with the damning evidence of the League's corruption, the stage was set for the next chapter in the war for Starling City's soul.
Talia al Ghul had made her plea for mercy, but Marcus had shown the world what happened when they crossed him. Now, with the League weakened and Malcolm Merlyn on the defensive, the power dynamics in the city were shifting rapidly.
But one thing was certain: this was only the beginning. The war for control of Starling City was far from over, and the lines had been drawn. Marcus Queen was ready for whatever came next, and with Victory at his side, no one—neither the League nor Malcolm Merlyn—could stop him.
The shadows were moving, and soon, the battle for the future of the city would come to a head.