Preface
Lian Yu, despite having been long deserted by a hapless Oliver Queen and his equally hapless companions, was never completely quiet.
Anyone who paused to listen would hear the cries of at least a dozen different species of birds- some yet unknown to even the most devout ornithologist-, the growls and howls of lanky Tibetan wolves, and the near constant chirps and hums of teeming insects that hid in the foliage and soft dirt the forest provided. Those close enough to the water would hear the steady crash of waves against rocky cliffs and the gentle lap of those same broken crests against the sandy beaches, as the occasional pod of whales sang as they passed.
It was only when one chose to wander to the easternmost point of the island- a land consumed with mossy rocks and towering evergreens that were periodically broken with patches of grass-covered meadows and ocean-side cliffs- that one would hear a very different noise. It was almost inaudible, even to the keenest of ears, but its sound never failed to attract the attention, though not investigation, of roving packs of curious wolves and their evermore curious prey.
Had anyone, animal or man, chosen to follow the sound, they would eventually come upon the machine from which it issued- a heavily camouflaged and deceptively small generator. A single cable sprang forth, stretching a few dozen feet in the tall grass before appearing to end abruptly at the sheer face of a tall boulder. In actuality, the little black cable snaked downward- through moss and dark, fertile dirt- and into a large cave, the only entrance to which was just as camouflaged as the generator that powered it.
Here, a woman sat; not on the ground, as one might expect, but on a soft chair she had managed to bring with her- good chairs were so hard to find, after all. In front of her sat a large monitor and to her left sat, curiously enough, a wifi router.
And as, one by one, dogs and cats and even the occasional rabbit began to assume their places by her feet, preparing for the night, the woman found herself scrolling through a collection of highly classified, highly encrypted data- all detailing the heralding stories of the Arrow and the sudden appearance of a certain Australian nemesis.
"Well, that just won't do." She muttered, mostly to herself but also, admittedly, to the animals that had settled into sleep around her. Some glared at her, perturbed at her noise while others remained sleeping. Two, however, slowly drew themselves upright and, with a long stretch each, started for the cave entrance.
"Oh, come on now, surely this can wait until morning." She argued, waving absently to the screen as she faced the two dogs who had risen.
Seeing them merely continue on their way out prompted her to stand as well, but not without significant grumbling from both her and the three cats that had taken residence on her lap.
"Fine. We'll do it now I suppose."
With a final glance back at the screen, she tightened a thick woolen scarf around her neck and quickly checked that the fire was still going, that the smoke was still escaping from a cleverly placed and entirely discreet opening in the cave's roof. Inexplicably disappointed to find that it was, and that all else in the cave was as it should be, she huffed once more, and then disappeared into the cold black of the island's night, following two canine figures as they bounded ahead, one's nose in the air and the other's to the ground.