Title: Home Coming
Pairings: None? Ish? Maybe?
Disclaimer: I own nothing! Everything belongs to DB/WB. Sigh
Summary: An ending to Season 5. This is not in any way how season six will continue… but I have odd ideas and too much time on my hands apparently.
Bold- means they are speaking in Chinese.
-Lian Yu (right at the end of season 5)-
For the most part everyone made it to the Argus ship in varying degrees of uninjured. Oliver, when the explosions stopped, moved Chase's body to the ocean, and sat William at the Captain's chair of the small boat. The Arrow stood behind the boy, boxing him in place- neither occupant quite ready to move to far away from each other now. William was in shock- Oliver could tell, but he was putting on a strong face for his newly met father.
"Here, you can help me steer," said Oliver as he put the boat in gear, "Just hold the wheel here, and here," he maneuvered William's hands to the 10 and 2 position on the wheel, and hovered over the top of it in case he needed to take over from the boy. William didn't say anything, but the act of steering the boat seemed to help calm him down. The pair carefully made their way around the island, trying to get to the Argus boat to meet the others. Oliver had no idea how close the group had been, or where they could possibly be, but with the pre-teen in his care he couldn't exactly break down now.
The Arrow wasn't getting anything over the comms except static, which was probably due to the entire island going up in flames. He could only pray that Slade could get everyone to some kind of safety- knowing the island better than the group. As the Argus board came into view, and the team didn't, Oliver didn't let his anxiety show. "They're probably on the boat already," he whispered to William as the boy made the same negative connections his father had.
The small boat reached the Argus dock, and Oliver didn't let William get off the boat until he inspected every inch of the dock- making sure it was secure enough to hold their combined weight. Right as Oliver deemed the dock worthy- "Do NOT venture onto the beach- there is no telling what is happening to the island right now," and William stepped off the boat, they heard shouting from the woods.
"Stay. Here." Oliver used his Green Arrow voice, making sure William nodded, before taking off down the dock and onto the beach. Nyssa and Thea were the first to emerge from the trees, looking only slightly worse for wear. Thea had been the one shouting, but apparently, her ears where still ringing from the explosions and she couldn't hear properly. Oliver hoped it wasn't permanent, but it was still too early to tell. Lance was behind them supporting Curtis and Renee, with Dinah's help. Apparently the two of them tried to shield her from the closest blast and were sporting some leg injuries and head lacerations.
"The others?" Oliver asked, none of his concern showing through as he was using his 'I'm invincible and nothing fazes me, ever,' mask. Nyssa nodded back the way they came, "Diggle and Wilson were shielding the others and took the brunt of the hits- the girls are helping them walk, it's a slow process." Oliver nodded and with a look towards William, who was watching the exchange with the largest eyes and terrified expression Oliver had ever seen, took off into the woods after the group of four. There was a lot of smoke in the air, and fires all over the place, but Oliver ignored all of it.
After running for about a hundred yards, Oliver came upon the quartet. Samantha and Felicity were supporting Diggle and Slade, who were both covered in some pretty bad burns along their sides from what Oliver could see. He got in the middle of the group- taking one of Slade and Dig's arms over his own shoulders- helping support their weight and letting them walk a little faster.
"William?" Samantha inquired with concealed fear, as they walked.
"Safe at the boat." Was all Oliver said in reply.
Samantha's "Thank you," was over shadowed by more explosions coming from behind them.
Slade, with all his injuries smirked towards Oliver, "We have to stop meeting like this, Kid."
Oliver snorted, finding Slade's attempt at humor right now completely inappropriate, but reminding him of the pre-Mirakuru Slade, "Yeah, I don't have any drugs or magazines for you now either."
Slade didn't say anything else, but Dig was giving Oliver the side eye at their exchange however brief it had been. Oliver ignored his bodyguard/friend because they were breaking the trees and the beach was right there.
William's, "Mom!" had Samantha dropping her hold on Slade, a move Oliver was expecting and compensated for, as she ran to engulf her son in a huge embrace, meeting him halfway up the beach- Lance right behind him in case the island decided to start sinking or something.
The Argus boat was floating innocently against the slowly setting sun- but Slade cautioned the group from boarding right away, "It's probably rigged to blow as soon as we get out to sea. I wouldn't try taking that thing anywhere."
When the group turned to look at the ex-psycho with alarm, Oliver shrugged and said detached, "If I was a murdering psycho like Chase, I would do that as well. I say we call Lyla and get a pick up that hasn't been here for as long as Chase has."
After some arguing between Felicity and Curtis, the pair managed to get the ships radio working- something that Chase had apparently dismantled- making Slade's claim against using the vessel more valid, even if no one in the group would acknowledge it.
It would be a few hours for Lyla to make the extraction. Now all the group had to do was wait. Nyssa and Dinah managed to find some first aid supplies on the ship, the group working on fixing as much of the injuries as possible in their spare time. When Diggle quietly asked Oliver about what happened with Chase, Oliver explained how the psycho had shot himself in the head, hoping to take the group of them with him in his murder suicide.
With the first aid supplies available, none of the group, except Oliver was willing to go near Slade, who had sat himself down on a rock near the dock but still on the island proper. Samantha was the only one not cautious of the former ASIS agent, but she was too preoccupied with her son to consider helping Slade. When Oliver was sure the team was as patched up as they could be on the island, he grabbed the kit and went over to sit with Slade on the rocks. The Australian tilted his head slightly in acknowledgement of Oliver's approach, but otherwise didn't turn his body or look in his direction. Oliver could feel the eyes of his teammates digging into the back of his head, but he ignored them and wordlessly held the first aid kit out like a peace offering. Now that Slade seemed to be in his right mind again, the pair was falling back into their old routines, something that Oliver was grateful for on multiple levels.
Slade sighed softly, and started to undo the top of his uniform so they could take care of the burns on his arm and side. The injuries weren't as extensive as the last time Slade had a bomb explode next to him, which was something they were both grateful. Even though they weren't talking, the silence was not strained. It was like other times when they would take a moment to try and relax at the fuselage. Well, it was as silent as it could be with both Curtis and Felicity around them.
As Oliver finished with the bandages, his attention kept being drawn towards the inland, like how Slade seemed to be transfixed on it.
"You feel it too, don't you." Although it was a question, Slade didn't phrase it that way. Oliver turned towards the inland completely, focusing on Slade's sentence, while also nodding his agreement to the statement.
"After the Undertaking… I thought I was done. I came back here, hoping… but there was nothing. I didn't realize at the time there was still so much to do, so much to heal from."
Slade nodded, "What are you going to do then?"
Oliver was silent for a long while just thinking, weighing everything and whether he had done enough to prepare them all. Whether he could take this next step.
"…I think I'm ready." It was barely a whisper but Slade heard it, turning to face his once brother with a small smile.
"Good. 'Cause I'm ready as well." The pair locked eyes, no more words being spoken between them except, "Do you think she'll be here?"
"We can hope so," was all Oliver said in response, already trying to figure out how he would tell the team- no family. Oliver put a hand on Slade's shoulder, squeezing lightly with a small, "thank you," before he went back to the main group.
Lance ended up taking charge as the air started to grow cooler. The smoke from the explosions and fires going on around the island made the sky a little darker, and cooler before the sun even fully began to set. It looked like Mother Nature was getting ready for a storm, maybe it was her way of stopping the fires and starting the island's own healing process. He, Thea, and Dinah, all went aboard the Argus boat to get some blankets and find some food/heavier jackets for the group.
As the trio went onto the boat Oliver went over to Samantha and William, "Hey, I'm glad you are safe."
"Thank you for saving him." Samantha said in return. William squeezed his mother before detangling from her arms and almost tackling Oliver in another hug. He hadn't spoken a word the whole time, and the two parents were getting a little worried. However, a quiet, "Thanks for bringing my mom back," said into Oliver's chest, eased their fears.
Oliver tightened his hold on William for a moment, and whispered, "thanks for being so brave on that boat earlier."
When William made to let go, Oliver gave him one final squeeze and let him detangle himself from the hug. With a quick glance at Samantha, who nodded, seeming to know what Oliver was about to say, the Green Arrow looked his son in the eye, "Look William, what Chase said on the boat is true. I am your father. Your mom and I didn't want to put you into the middle of this, because of how many enemies I've made over the years. And this is a huge secret to keep, I wanted you to have a chance at a real childhood without having to carry the burden of knowing my alter ego."
"Is that why you didn't come to visit until last year?" Said William, who was trying to wrap his head around this information.
Samantha spoke up before Oliver could, "Oliver didn't know about you until last year Sweety. Mommy made a choice before you were born to keep your existence a secret from your father, I was trying to shield you from the media storm that comes with the Queen name."
"Besides," added Oliver self-deprecatingly, "I would've been a horrible father back then. And then I went and died… your mom made the right choice when she was pregnant."
"What about now?" Came the soft-spoken question from William. Oliver glanced over his shoulder at the group, Lance and the ladies had gotten back with food, blankets, and some heavy jackets from the Argus ship. The group was laughing at something Dinah was saying about some crazy things Thea and Lance were doing on the ship while they searched it. Slade was still off to the side of the group, not participating but still listening with half an ear. His lips twitched slightly into a smile every now and then, but Oliver was the only one to notice. He then looked out towards the inland again. The feeling was getting stronger the more time passed. He knew he was making the right choice.
"Now…," Oliver knelt in front of William, "the others don't know this yet, but I will not be leaving here with you when Lyla's transport gets here. I'm going to be talking to them in a little bit, but I wanted to let you two know first."
Slade appeared like magic at Oliver's side, seeming to know what he was saying to the small boy and his mother. "It's hard to explain, and I will try to explain in a little bit to all of you at once, so can you wait a little while to find out why?"
Samantha and William's eyebrows shot up at that announcement from Oliver. They had no idea what he was talking about, and definitely had a few questions. "This better be a really good explanation then." Was all Samantha said in response.
"Before we head over, I want to introduce you to your uncle, William this is Slade. He's my brother. He's the reason I made it off this island in the first place."
Slade nodded at the boy, "hey squirt." Samantha smiled at him, "Thank you for what you did earlier to protect us. The others might have a problem with you, but you helped bring me back to my son, and that makes you part of the family."
Before Slade could respond, he had a pre-teen attached to his chest. A rough grunt was his only response, while Oliver gave William a soft, "careful he's injured," reprimand.
"Thanks for saving my mom Uncle Slade." William said into Slade's chest.
"It was nothing Squirt, I owed your father some favors and it was the right thing to do." The ex-ASIS agent and Oliver shared a small smile over William's head.
"Come on," said Samantha suddenly, "let's get over there… I am really interested in hearing what's going through your head Oliver."
/You and everyone else/ thought Oliver, but he just nodded and turned towards the group. William let go of Slade and moved back to his mom's side.
As the quartet made it back to the large group, Thea was the first one to notice their approach. "Ollie!" the younger Queen said as she threw herself into Oliver's suddenly open arms. She handed her brother a protein bar.
"Thanks Speedy," said Oliver quietly, kissing the top of her head and keeping his arm locked around her shoulders.
Lance handed both Samantha and William protein bars and water bottles, while Dinah went up to Slade with the same objects. Slade nodded a thank you, taking the bottle and bar but not opening either.
"Lyla should be here soon," said Dig, making conversation and catching the quartet up on some of the conversation they had missed.
"That's great," said Oliver softly, "You guys should get your injuries looked at with the Argus medical facilities before you head back to Star City."
Dig and Felicity both narrowed their eyes at the wording of Oliver's statement. They couldn't figure out why, but it sounded wrong the way he said it.
"What about you Oliver," said Dig, trying to push and see if Oliver would expand his statement, "you should get looked at as well. No need to pretend like you're okay and not in need of medical."
Oliver glanced back at the island before turning to the group proper. He didn't make eye contact with Slade, but he knew the Australian was near and would have his back with this.
"I'm not going to be returning to Star City with you," said Oliver. He waited to let his statement sink in and wasn't disappointed.
"What?" said Felicity, "are you going back to Russian and your Bratva friends? Or maybe you're going to head back to Hong Kong again. Or heck, maybe you'll head to Australia with your psycho brother-slash-enemy. Where could you possibly go Oliver? You have a team and you have responsibilities as the mayor." Felicity's tone was getting harder and harder as she spoke, trying to show Oliver the stupidity of his statement.
Thea's hold on Oliver became crushing as she processed Oliver's statement, "Ollie, you have to come back with us."
Oliver pulled Thea closer, "Guys. Look. You will be fine. And I'm… I'm tired. It's time for me to move on. To finally get some rest. To find peace."
"Look Oliver, I think you might've hit your head one to many times on this little excursion," said Lance, "You're not making any sense right now. You can get some rest in Star City. We can handle the Mayor's office and your team can handle the vigilant side of things."
Oliver nodded to agree with Lance but spoke up anyway, "Yes. That's why I can finally get some rest. Why I can move on."
Felicity looked like she was about to rant but Oliver cut her off before she could, "Look. You guys know the name of this island. And you know what the translation is in English-"
"Yeah," said Curtis, "it's Lian Yu and it translates to Purgatory… I don't…" his eyes seemed to widen with a sudden realization, "wait, you don't mean…-"
"What you don't seem to understand," said Oliver cutting him off as well, "is that the name is literal."
Everyone's eyes seemed to widen and jaws dropped together in sudden understanding.
"Wait," said Renee in complete disbelief, "this place is literally Hell on Earth?"
"That's why there have been so many evil people drawn here, John Constantine explained it to me once, but I didn't fully understand what he meant at the time. This place," Oliver paused to gather his thoughts, "It's full of forces humanity isn't anywhere ready to understand or comprehend."
"You don't get cold," said Thea suddenly as pieces started to fall into place in her mind.
"You were right Speedy, when we spoke at the mansion that one day and you showed me the graves." Oliver confirmed her statement. Thea suddenly had tears in her eyes, not sure if she should cling to her brother or move away from all of them and have a complete mental break down.
"But… you're real. You're here and your…. Solid! I don't…" Felicity was having trouble wrapping her head around what Oliver was saying.
"For some people," Oliver glanced at Slade before looking back at the group, "if you die on the island you are given an opportunity to… fix… or …finish… whatever was tying you to this world. The only problem is, that second chance comes with a steep cost."
Dig suddenly let out a chuckle that was slightly hysterical, "You had unfinished business. You're freaking Casper but more psychotic."
Certain things about Oliver were starting to make a lot more sense to the group.
"Star City," said Oliver, not acknowledging Dig's Casper comment, "was in more trouble than I originally thought. It was going to take more than just me to save it and I needed to find people who could handle the job of saving it."
"You... Son of a…" Dig went over to the Argus boat, slamming his fit into the large frater.
As the group was listening to Oliver try to explain why he wasn't leaving the island with them the sun had fully set and night was settling around them. The fires from the island behind them gave them some light, as did the lights on the Argus frater next to them.
"Your ride is almost here," said Slade suddenly into the night air, nodding off in the distance where he could hear the plane's rumbling engines.
A sudden wind picked up around them, moving the smoke and storm clouds out of the way of the moon's light.
Dinah let out a startled gasp, staring in horror at the island behind them, "what the.."
Everyone turned to see what startled the cop so badly and let out their own profanity/gasps of surprise.
The island, in the light of the moon, looked like it had before Chase blew it to smithereens.
It looked alive and completely normal- not a fire or ash in sight.
"That's our que Kid," said Slade, nodding toward the reincarnated island. Lyla's plane landed a little way off the dock, before slowly taxiing up to the dock they were all standing on.
Oliver let go of Thea for a moment to turn towards Samantha and William, "You guys should be okay now, if you wanted to go back to your lives in Central City. Without me there you shouldn't be in danger any longer. And you'll have Thea, the team and even team Flash to help you if you get into any trouble." William perked up at the talk of his favorite super hero the Flash.
Oliver pulled William into another hug, with Samantha joining in briefly at the end, "You listen to your mother okay? I'll be keeping an eye on you from where ever I am and I don't want to see you giving her problems."
William nodded into Oliver's chest, "It was nice meeting you… Dad."
"Come on Sweety," said Samantha pulling William away towards the end of the pier and towards the plane, "let's let Oliver say good bye to his friends."
William and Samantha went towards the end of the dock, leaving Team Arrow there to say their good byes or yell in Felicity and Thea's cases. Oliver nodded towards Nyssa, who nodded back and went towards the plane as well. The pair understood each other in a way the others couldn't, they didn't need words to say their good byes.
"You're going to make one hell of a Black Canary," Oliver said to Dinah, pulling her into a short hug, "Laurel would be proud."
Dinah squeezed him before pulling away, "Remember to keep these guys in line- okay?" Oliver asked as he pulled away from the hug as well.
"That I can do," said Dinah as she also moved towards the plane. Lyla was making her way off said plane, to make sure John was doing okay and smack him for scaring her, of that Oliver was sure.
Oliver turned towards Curtis and Renee next, "You don't give yourself enough credit Curtis, you give a lot to Team Arrow, more than you realize. Keep working okay?"
Curtis pulled Oliver into a strong hug, even with his injuries, "It's not going to be the same without you- less broody and melancholy around the Arrow Cave…"
Oliver rolled his eyes and turned towards Renee, "you will need to reschedule your hearing to get your daughter back. I know you will get custody."
He shook Wild Dog's hand- neither of them into the whole hug thing, "Thanks Hoss."
The pair helped each other towards the plane without looking back, while Oliver turned towards Lance next, "You're gonna have to take over as Mayor now," was all Oliver said to the once police officer.
"You…" Lance sighed, "You're still a piece of work Queen," he said without the bite it had when Oliver first got back from the island, "Look- Sara…"
"She was living when she left the island." Oliver put a stop to Lance's line of thinking right away, "She was still innocent, I couldn't…. I was already gone and I needed to make sure she stayed as innocent as possible, no matter the cost." Oliver's eyes shot towards Slade for a moment, the Australian wasn't watching them, instead watching the island again.
"I… Thanks." Was all Lance could say.
"It was the least I could do." Oliver said back. "Stay strong Quinten. Think of what Laurel or Sara would want you to do before making any decisions about the city. You are the best chance we have of getting Star City back on track."
The pair didn't shake hands, but Quinten did pull Oliver into a very brief quick hug, "Make sure Renee does right by Zoie, okay?"
The new mayor nodded, "we will make sure the Arrow gets the same kind of monument and recognition that Laurel did."
Oliver looked like he wanted to argue the point, but ended up thinking better of it at the last second. Lance moved off to the plane as well, leaving the original Team Arrow, Thea, and Slade on the dock.
"That's why- Barry- you wanted him to lead the group with the Dominators," Felicity was in shock and not sure what to focus on. Oliver nodded, "he has it in him to lead, he just needed a little guidance."
Oliver paused, "you two are gonna be in charge of the team now. Not that either of you ever really left."
Felicity punched his arm not to unkindly, "You can't leave us." She said quietly, "they aren't ready. We can't do this without you Oliver."
"How will you learn if you don't do it on your own?" Was all Oliver said in response, "You guys will be fine. I have faith in you, just like you had faith in me. But I'm tired… I can't keep going like this." He pulled out the puppy eyes, "You just need to have faith in yourselves and the Team."
"That's why you recruited us, isn't it." Said Diggle, not as a question.
"You had something missing from your lives. You can't tell me that private security was going to be the rest of your life- and you," he looked to Felicity, "working IT and removing porn from the higher ups in the company was really all you wanted to do with your life…"
The pair looked away slightly, they both knew what Oliver was saying was true, but they couldn't bring themselves to agree with him.
"And I," Oliver glanced towards Slade before looking back at the pair again, "I needed the humanity you were offering. I couldn't find peace without your help. You brought me back from the darkness, helped me find myself again… I couldn't have done any of this without you."
Felicity pulled him into a hug, silent tears streaming down her face, and for the first time in her life at a complete loss for words. Oliver kissed the top of her head, hugging back just as hard before moving away. He let Diggle pull him into a brief hug as well, "You are in charge now Dig, make sure to you keep the team in line."
"We won't let you down man," Diggle said as he pulled away. "Take care of John Jr for me. He has the potential to be great, I just know it," said Oliver to both Lyla and Dig.
Lyla smiled and nodded from her place next to John, "we will."
Finally, Oliver turned his attention to Thea, who was crying silently next to Felicity- not willing to believe her brother was leaving her.
"You were right Speedy," said Oliver, pulling her into one final hug, "your brother died on that island."
Thea just cried harder, "Ollie-"
"No, Thea," he pulled away slightly to cup her face and look her in the eye, "you need a chance to shine. Without me or Malcolm, or mom hoovering over your shoulder. You need a chance to find yourself and heal yourself without our shadows bringing you down. You need a chance to be the best version of you there is. The person I always knew you could be. Because I see you turning into that person every day."
Oliver kissed her forehead, "I will see you soon, I promise. But I need you to do one thing for me. Something I won't trust anyone else to do."
He pulled away slightly to take off the green hood he was wearing. He hadn't worn it up the whole time he was on the island, he realized. The thought reinforced his belief that he was making the right choice. Oliver carefully took Thea's hands and put the hood into them.
"You have a way of seeing into a person Thea. I trust you to find someone who will be able to handle the responsibility and weight of being the Green Arrow. I need you to find that person and train them for me." Thea carefully took the hood from her brother, cradling it close to her chest with one hand. The other went back into hugging her brother as tightly as she could.
"I don't want to lose you again Ollie…" she said softly.
"You aren't Thea. I'll be with you the whole time, just like you were with me on the island. I promise." Oliver held her tight, whispering into her hair.
Oliver started to pull away a little, but didn't let go of Thea completely. "Speedy, before we go, I would like to introduce you to someone." Oliver nodded towards Slade, who was still silently standing a little to the side of the group, "Speedy, Felicity, Dig… this is Slade Wilson, my mentor, friend and brother."
The three of them narrowed their eyes at Oliver, still not sure they could trust Slade. The Australian didn't seem phased by their apparent distrust though, "I would like to apologize for the things I did while under the effects of the Mirakuru. I know it won't change your opinions of me and that's your choice. But I need you to know I wasn't in my right mind."
"Ms. Queen," Slade turned towards Thea, "Your brother is correct about you, I could see it from the moment I met you. Perhaps one day you will be able to forgive me my mistakes."
"Ms. Smoake, Mr. and Mrs. Diggle," Slade turned towards the pair, "it was a pleasure to meet you both under better circumstances. I can see why Oliver chose you to join his crusade and carry on his mission for him."
Anything else the group was going to say was cut off by a faint shouting coming from the island behind them.
Oliver and Slade turned as one towards the path the group had come through earlier in the day. The island was still in pristine shape in the light of the moon, but the pair could see a faint outline jogging towards them in the distance.
"Is that…" Oliver said faintly while Slade's, "She's here…" echoed faintly right after him.
"Kid…" Said Slade already turning fully towards the outline in the distance.
"I know…" Oliver seemed torn, "Speedy…" He turned towards his sister and friends, "I…"
Thea seemed to know what he was saying, "It's okay Ollie… I… I'll miss you." Thea gave her brother one more squeeze before moving away and standing with Diggle, Lyla and Felicity. Dig wrapped an arm around her and Felicity wrapped an arm around her other side.
"Thank you all… You helped me heal and move on… I'll never forget you." Oliver looked them all in the eye before joining Slade who was already on the beach, moving off towards the figure in the distance. The figure was a short female with dark hair and Asian features.
"Slade! Oliver!" The girl started moving towards the pair at a jog again while the two of them started jogging- even with Slade's injuries, towards her as well.
"Shado!" Oliver exclaimed, as they all got closer together and able to see her better.
"What took you two so long! We've been waiting forever!" Shado engulfed Slade then Oliver in a hug, speaking in rapid fire Chinese. The two men wrapped an arm around Shado as they all turned back the way she had come.
"Yao Fei….?" Asked Oliver as they walked. Shado nodded, "He is proud of what you have been doing with his hood. You brought honor to his name."
"She's right Kid. You did your father and Shado's proud." Said Slade looking over Shado's head at Oliver.
"Slade, I'm sorry I didn't cure you on the Azzano. I should have used the cure on you then… you could've gotten here years ago." Oliver locked eyes with Slade over Shado's head trying to convey his sincerity in the statement. Slade withdrew his arm from around Shado and ruffled the back of Oliver's head, "Don't worry about it Kid. You were angry. I don't blame you for it at all."
Shado detangled herself from the pair of them, "Speaking of that…" She raised an arm and smacked the two of them on the head, a simultaneous "ow!" came from the men, more surprised than actual pain.
"What was that for!" They both said simultaneously.
"You were both being idiots!" Said Shado as she turned and continued walking, "I can't believe it took you both so long to get your heads out of your asses!"
"He started it!- No you did!" Oliver and Slade were apparently on a talking in sync kick. They both jogged a few steps to re-catch up with Shado.
Shado has a small smile on her face as they caught up, "Like I said… idiots."
Slade snorted and Oliver's mouth twitched into a small smile.
"Hey," Oliver took a few steps ahead of them, stopping Shado and Slade in their tracks, "There is this crazy underground labyrinth underneath this island…. We should go get Yao Fei and check it out! There is some really weird mystical stuff down there- it's kinda cool!"
Shado and Slade shared a small look at Oliver's excitement. "Alright Kid… race you to the fuselage?"
"Ok! Let's do this... on three… one- hey!" Oliver started laughing as Slade and Shado shared a look and took off into the trees. The archer shook his head, letting the pair have a head start before taking off after them.
As the trio disappeared into the trees, the clouds continued to move through the sky, recovering the Moon and blocking out it's beams of light. Team Arrow blinked from the dock, where they were watching the strange interaction between Oliver and his island friends as suddenly the island was again a burning inferno of ash and fires. The pristine environment was gone along with Oliver, Slade, and Shado.
"You know," said Lyla with some amusement, as they all got onto the Argus plane after watching Oliver reunite with his friends, "Waller always said that Oliver was a pain in her ass in Hong Kong. He refused to even attempt to learn the language, which made her job even harder than it needed to be."
"Well, he wouldn't be a Queen if he wasn't a pain in the ass," said Thea with a chuckle. She had stopped at the edge of the dock, picking up Oliver's bow as well. It was another reminder of her brother and helped ease her pain at his leaving.
"I always said that Barry was the source of all the crazy I've seen these past few years," said Dig when everyone was on the plane, "But really, the crazy started the minute I took the job as Oliver's body guard all those years ago. I just didn't realize it until now."
Team Arrow could be heard chuckling as the plane's engine started up again and it taxied away from the dock. The whole group was happy to be leaving this place of death and darkness behind forever. With the island's destruction, none of them wanted to ever set foot there again. Especially with the knowledge it was literally Hell on Earth.
Within a few hours a horrible storm would indeed hit the island, putting out all the fires and washing away the evidence of Chase's campaign against Oliver and his family. As the sun began to rise on the horizon the storm let up. Lian Yu looked exactly as it did before Chase ever set foot on it. Waiting. To lure more people into its depths. People that were drawn by the darkness shrouding the island. And people who were innocently caught in its dark web.
-End-