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The sterile hum of the bunker's medical equipment echoed through the dimly lit room as John Diggle meticulously wrapped bandages around Oliver Queen's battered torso. Oliver winced, gritting his teeth against the pain that radiated from his injuries. Felicity Smoak paced anxiously nearby, her fingers tapping nervously against a keyboard.

Oliver winced as Diggle tightened a makeshift tourniquet around his injured arm. "Easy, Dig. I don't need you to make it any worse," he groaned.

Diggle shot him a stern look. "You should've waited for backup, Oliver. Going in alone like that, it's just reckless."

Felicity Smoak, her eyes wide with concern, paced the room, her fingers flying across the keyboard, as she monitored police frequencies and hacked into surveillance cameras. "You need to tell us what happened, Oliver," she pressed, her voice laced with worry.

Oliver let out a sharp exhale, his jaw clenched. "I picked up a silent alarm at one of the labs in Star City," he began, his voice strained. "I thought it was a routine break-in, but when I got there, it was different."

Felicity shot a skeptical look at Oliver. "Different how?"

Oliver's gaze hardened as he recounted the encounter. "The guy, he called himself 'Spotlight.' He acted like he was straight out of a Saturday morning cartoon. Clumsy, loud, obnoxious. Like he wanted all the attention in the world."

Felicity arched an eyebrow. "Spotlight? Seriously? That sounds more like a stage name for a washed-up actor than a criminal."

Diggle chimed in, "Are you sure this guy is all there mentally? A grown man acting like a cartoon character. Maybe he's just playing a part to throw you off."

"Trust me, I wish I was exaggerating," Oliver replied with a wince. "But it gets worse. Spotlight had an accomplice, a woman named Shawna. She had a robotic arm and was just as dangerous."

Oliver nodded, his expression grim. "I thought the same, but it gets weirder. He had an accomplice—said her name was Shawna."

Felicity's fingers danced across her keyboard as she searched for any information on Shawna in Star City's criminal database. "Shawna, Shawna... nothing here. Are you sure about the name?"

Oliver winced again as Diggle tightened the bandage. "I'm sure. She can teleport but didn't bother using it on me."

Felicity's eyes widened, her fingers freezing over the keyboard. "Is she a metahuman like Barry, or is this some high-tech gadget?".

Oliver sighed, his gaze fixed on the ceiling. "I'm not sure, but she might be. It's the only way they vanished before I could finish the fight."

Diggle, his skepticism not yet dispelled, crossed his arms. "Oliver, are you holding back on us? What else did you see?"

Oliver shifted uncomfortably. "Believe me, it gets worse. When I found the lab's security team, they were all dead. Throats slit open."

Diggle's gaze sharpened. "What are you saying, Oliver?"

Oliver swallowed hard. "It looked surgical. Clean cuts. Like the work of someone who knows their way around anatomy. Someone who's either a skilled assassin or someone who worked for the government covertly."

The revelation hung in the air like a dark cloud. Diggle's expression hardened. "Like an assassin's work. Government black ops."

Oliver nodded solemnly. "Exactly. And considering how clean those cuts were, Spotlight might be more than just a cartoonish villain; he could be a hired killer."

Diggle's gaze narrowed. "Or a serial killer."

Oliver sighed, his brow furrowed in thought. "If he is, it's the kind you don't hear about on the news. The cuts were too clean, too professional."

Felicity's fingers froze over the keyboard as she absorbed the gravity of Oliver's words. "So, we're dealing with some sort of government experiment gone wrong?"

Oliver winced as Diggle finished securing the bandages. "Or something worse. We need to find out who Spotlight and Shawna are and what they're really up to."

Felicity's eyes met Oliver's determined gaze. "I'll dig into Shawna and see what I can find. We can't let them slip through the cracks."

As the trio exchanged glances, the weight of the unknown hung in the air, a shadow that loomed over Star City, threatening to engulf them all.

*-*-*

In the dimly lit underground chamber beneath Central City, the air hummed with an eerie tension as Myles worked diligently on Shawna's brainwashing treatment. Grodd, the imposing gorilla with enhanced intelligence, stood nearby, overseeing the process. Wires and tubes connected to Shawna's limp form, transforming her into a lethal weapon under Grodd's meticulous guidance.

As Myles delved into the digital realm, hacking into Star Labs' systems, his expression betrayed a hint of vulnerability. The cold, calculating demeanor he usually wore melted away, revealing a man desperate to connect with someone he'd lost. His eyes fixated on the screen, his fingers dancing over the keyboard with a mixture of determination and sorrow.

Meanwhile, Myles, his fingers dancing across the keyboard, stared at the screen displaying Caitlin Snow at Star Labs. There was a small, almost imperceptible hint of humanity in his expression. He looked like someone yearning to touch a loved one who had been missing for far too long. His gaze lingered on Caitlin's image, a mixture of longing and concern in his eyes.

Abruptly, the atmosphere shifted, and Myles frowned. He sensed Grodd's imposing presence behind him. Slowly turning in his chair, the scraping noise of metal against the floor echoed through the chamber. Grodd loomed over him, his massive form casting a shadow over Myles.

"What are you doing, Myles?" Grodd's deep voice rumbled, his eyes fixed on the human before him.

Myles met Grodd's gaze with an air of nonchalance. "Just keeping an eye on an old friend."

Grodd's expression darkened. "If I didn't know about your connection to Caitlin, I'd find this behavior disturbing."

Amusement flickered in Myles' eyes. "Disturbing? After all the murders, the chaos I've caused? You find my habit of stalking my ex disturbing?"

Grodd grunted in acknowledgment, but his eyes betrayed a sense of wariness. "You should be careful. You've already warned me Thawne is unpredictable. You already threatened his entire existence; he won't hesitate to harm her."

Myles raised an eyebrow, a sly smile playing on his lips. "Thanks for the warning, Grodd. But I've got it under control."

The gorilla's instincts tingled, a sudden unease settling in. The scratching screech of Myles dragging his chair around seemed to amplify the tension in the room. Grodd's annoyance was palpable, his features contorting in irritation.

"Be careful, Myles," Grodd warned, his voice a low growl.

Myles simply nodded, still wearing that enigmatic smile. As Grodd retreated to refocus on Shawna's transformation, an unsettling shift occurred. Grodd, for a moment, felt as though he stood on thin ice, facing a wild predator ready to be unleashed upon the world. He wisely returned to the task at hand, the weight of Myles' sudden change in behavior lingering in the air like an ominous omen.

*-*-*

The night air in Star City crackled with tension as Barry Allen, not in his superhero attire, streaked across the skies following Oliver Queen's urgent call. In a flash of red and gold, Barry arrived at the top of the tallest building, where Oliver, clad in his green arrow costume, awaited him.

Barry, catching his breath, looked at Oliver with concern. "Oliver, what's going on? Why did you call me?"

Oliver's expression was a mixture of determination and a hint of vulnerability. "Barry, I need your help."

Barry raised an eyebrow, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "You never call unless it's something big. What do you need?"

Oliver sighed, glancing at the city below. "What do you know about Shawna Baez?"

Barry's playful demeanor faded slightly as he became serious. "She's a small-time criminal. with records of petty theft, drunkenness, and disorderly conduct. Last I heard, she dated Clay Parker before vanishing."

Oliver's gaze turned intense as he nodded. "I saw her last night." He handed Barry a tablet, displaying a recording of his fight with Shawna.

"Whoa," Barry exclaimed, his eyes widening. "A robotic arm? Teleportation? That's... new." Barry watched Oliver struggle, only to be knocked out by Shawna's robotic right arm and her teleportation ability.

"What... how did I not know about this?" Barry asked, bewildered. "No, more importantly, how are you still not in a hospital with a caved skull!?"

"It doesn't matter," Oliver continued. "The point is she's working with someone named Spotlight."

Barry couldn't help but snort at the name. "Spotlight? Seriously? Does he wear a spotlight costume?"

Oliver's expression darkened as he continued, "He killed the security at the lab. Clean, surgical cuts. Military or black ops background."

Barry's eyes narrowed. "You think Spotlight's a meta-human?"

Oliver nodded. "That's what I need your help with. I called you in case he is, and I can't handle it alone."

Barry nodded, determination in his eyes. "Alright, Oliver. I'll help. I'll have Cisco look into any signs or clues we can find to track down Shawna."

"Thanks, Barry," Oliver said, grateful. "Did you find Wells yet?"

Barry's expression darkened. "No, it's like he just disappeared."

Oliver placed a reassuring hand on Barry's shoulder. "We'll figure it out. We always do."

With that, the two heroes, each burdened with their own challenges, prepared to face the unknown threats that loomed over Star City and Central City. The night embraced them with uncertainty, but the bond between Oliver and Barry stood strong, a beacon in the midst of the encroaching shadows.

*-*-*

The morgue buzzed with the sterile hum of machinery as Joe West and Cisco Ramon huddled around a computer, running a DNA match sequence. Tension hung thick in the air, amplified by the hum of fluorescent lights overhead.

The air was charged with anticipation, the low hum of machinery adding to the eerie atmosphere. Joe glanced at Cisco, who was hunched over a computer, fingers dancing across the keyboard.

Joe broke the silence, his voice low and tense. "Cisco, you better have a good reason for dragging me into the morgue in the middle of the night."

Cisco shifted uncomfortably, glancing around the morgue before answering. "I dug it up near the spot where Harrison Wells had that accident with his wife."

Joe's eyes narrowed, disbelief etched across his face. "I thought you said you were expecting some metahuman issue when you called me, not someone digging up corpses."

Cisco sighed. "Joe, I just had to know. I was the one who found Wells that night, remember? I need to know if there was someone else there."

Joe's mind flashed back to that fateful night, the overturned car, and Wells injured on the ground. He shook his head as if trying to clear the memories. "Cisco, you've got to be kidding me."

Cisco's tone turned serious as he pulled out a small video camera. "Just watch this."

He played the recording, revealing the night of Harrison Wells' supposed accident. The car didn't flip by chance; someone had strategically placed something on the road. The video captured the ominous figure dragging Wells into the woods before Wells emerged minutes later, deliberately injuring himself before Joe found him.

Joe's eyes widened, his concern and fear mounting. "Cisco, what the hell did I just watch?"

Cisco shook his head, equally perplexed. "I don't know, Joe. I don't understand it either."

As they awaited the DNA sequence results, the tension in the room thickened. The machine's automated voice cut through the silence, announcing the completion of the analysis.

"DNA sequence complete," the machine declared. "Harrison Wells, confirmed"

Joe and Cisco exchanged horrified glances. The implications sank in, and Cisco voiced the chilling realization that lingered in the air. "Joe, if this is Wells, who the hell was I working with all this time?"

Joe echoed Cisco's thoughts, his voice laced with fear. "And who orchestrated that accident?"

Cisco's eyes widened, and he pulled up a commercial on his phone. "Look at this. The camera that recorded the accident doesn't match any model that existed at the time. In fact, it's a recent model, the same one I'm holding right now."

The two could only stare at each other in confusion. Just what on earth is going on?