Chapter 4: Dark Waters and Dastardly Plans
Central City was a blast, but Adam knew the show must go on. And by "show," he meant the meticulously planned, yet constantly disrupted, narrative of the Arrowverse. Next up on his itinerary of chaotic intervention: Star City.
"Alright, System," Adam thought, mentally checking his schedule. "January 20, 2016. Arrow S04E09: 'Dark Waters'. Oliver Queen's mayoral announcement. And, more importantly, Damien Darhk's grand entrance. Popcorn ready, because this is going to be a show."
He teleported into Star City, the air here feeling heavier, more… brooding. Like the city itself was constantly wearing a dark hoodie. He found the location of Oliver's mayoral announcement, a grand, outdoor event filled with hopeful citizens and, inevitably, a few too many security guards who clearly hadn't seen enough action movies.
"Time for my political debut," Adam mused, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. He materialized right in the middle of a small crowd, just as Oliver Queen was stepping up to the podium.
"Excuse me, folks, just passing through," Adam said, a little too loudly, as he pushed past a bewildered couple. He made his way closer to the stage, drawing a few annoyed glances. He reached the front, just as Oliver began his speech.
"You know," Adam interjected, loud enough for a few people to hear, "for a city that's constantly being blown up or taken over by cults, you guys really know how to throw a party. Very… optimistic."
A security guard, looking stern, immediately moved to usher him away. "Sir, you need to step back."
Adam sighed dramatically. "Oh, come on. Can't a guy appreciate some good old-fashioned political theater? I mean, it's not every day you get to see a billionaire vigilante try to run a city. It's like Batman Begins, but with more angst and less bat-themed gadgets. Although, that salmon ladder… chef's kiss."
The guard, utterly baffled, just pushed him harder. Adam, with a theatrical sigh, allowed himself to be escorted towards the edge of the event, but not before he saw the first signs of trouble. A flicker of movement in the shadows, a glint of metal. Darhk's Ghosts.
"Showtime," Adam thought, his casual demeanor dropping slightly. He slipped away from the confused security guard, teleporting onto a nearby lamppost, gaining a better view.
Damien Darhk made his entrance, of course, with all the subtlety of a wrecking ball. His H.I.V.E. Ghosts materialized, guns blazing, turning the hopeful rally into a scene of pure pandemonium. Oliver, naturally, sprang into action, a green blur.
"Alright, Darhk, let's see what you got," Adam muttered, observing the dark magic with keen interest. "External Energy Signature: Uncategorized. Analysis: Ongoing. So, magic is real. And it's not nanotech. Fascinating. And highly annoying, because now I have to figure out how to mess with it."
He focused on a group of Ghosts advancing on a terrified family. Shimmer. An illusion of a giant, glowing sign appeared above their heads: "WARNING: INVISIBLE BANANA PEELS AHEAD." The Ghosts, momentarily confused, hesitated, some even looking down. One actually slipped on nothing, tumbling comically.
[SYSTEM: Illusion deployed. Target: Ghosts. Effect: Minor Confusion.]
"See? Even bad guys can appreciate a good sight gag," Adam thought, pleased.
Later, as the chaos subsided and Team Arrow was regrouping, Adam decided to try his hand at annoying Oliver directly. He teleported into the Arrow Cave, materializing right next to Felicity Smoak, who was frantically typing on her console.
"Rough day at the office, huh, Felicity?" Adam said, leaning against the console, as if he'd been there all along. "I mean, first the mayoral announcement goes sideways, then the magic guy shows up, and now you're probably trying to figure out why your network just had a brief, inexplicable obsession with cat videos."
Felicity jumped, nearly spilling her coffee. "Who—?! How did you get in here?! My security is top-notch! And my network did not have an obsession with cat videos, that was a… a glitch! A very, very strange glitch!"
"Sure, a glitch," Adam said, wamping an imaginary dust bunny off the console. "Just like the time your comms briefly played the 'Yakety Sax' theme during a serious stakeout. Or when Oliver's arrows briefly turned into rubber chickens. Total glitches."
Felicity stared at him, her eyes wide with a mixture of frustration and dawning horror. "You… you're the ghost hacker! The one who's been messing with my systems! And Oliver's arrows?! You're lucky I don't have a taser handy right now!"
Adam grinned. "Oh, I'm very lucky. But come on, you gotta admit, the rubber chickens were a stroke of genius. Very thematic for the 'Green Arrow' vibe, don't you think? Adds a certain… je ne sais quoi."
Oliver Queen, walking in, stopped dead in his tracks, his intense gaze falling on Adam. "Who is this, Felicity? And why does he know about the rubber chickens?"
"He's the ghost hacker, Oliver!" Felicity exclaimed, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "He's been messing with everything! And he just admitted to the chickens!"
Oliver's eyes narrowed, a muscle twitching in his jaw. "You… you did that? During a live operation?"
Adam shrugged. "Hey, it lightened the mood. And it worked, didn't it? The bad guys were momentarily confused. Confusion leads to hesitation. Hesitation leads to… well, you know the rest. It's like Sun Tzu, but with more poultry."
Oliver just stared, his face a mask of bewildered fury.
[SYSTEM: Achievement Progress: Annoy Hero (Oliver Queen). Current: 10%]
"One down, nine to go," Adam thought, a triumphant grin on his face. "Oliver Queen, officially annoyed. This is going to be so much fun." He teleported away, leaving Oliver and Felicity in a state of shared, bewildered exasperation.