"Felicity we have a problem," said Oliver as he came down the stairs leading into the Foundary.
"Yeah," Diggle agreed, "You need to sleep."
"It's not working," Oliver replied flatly.
"Oliver, I'm sorry but I can only do so much," Felicity looked up from her many monitors, irritated.
"Just tracking them slowly one by one is just not cutting it," Oliver shook his head.
"What do you suggest we do then?" Asked Diggle, just as irritated.
"Okay, what is it you two? Come on, spit it out. If you want to say something, just say it."
"Oliver, I know that you like to keep your secrets but the city has a right to know," Diggle implored him.
"It wasn't my decision," Oliver avoided his gaze.
"And since when did you take orders from Pike?"
"Pike doesn't want the public to panic and quite frankly, neither do I," Oliver replied.
"Oliver," Felicity spoke in softer voice that was just as annoyed as Diggle, "I know that you're going to reason your way into thinking that this is somehow your fault. It's NOT."
She never raised her voice so when she did, both boys were stunned into silence.
"Oliver," Roy's voice came over the coms, "I can see them... but... you're not going to like it."
"We'll talk about this later." Felicity glared at Oliver.
"Send it over," Oliver commanded Roy.
"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Diggle asked no one in particular as the footage came over their monitors.
"They're just..." Felicity stammered.
"Kids. I know," Oliver placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her.
This was the culmination of almost a month's worth of work. Ever since the Arrow was contacted by Lieutenant Frank Pike of all people.
"Look, I know that you're not usually into petty crime but I believe that we have a mutual interest in this case," Pike met Oliver on the roof of a neutral building as neither wanted to risk capture by the other's team, though it amused Oliver that Pike would believe that he ever took prisoners. Okay he did lock up Slade but that was different.
"Why come to me?" Asked the Arrow, "And why now?"
"Look around you," Pike implored him, "Tell me what you see."
"I see a city in a state of confusion," the Arrow replied.
In truth it was utter chaos. As did usually happen in the immediate aftermath of a major disaster such as an earthquake or in this case a siege, looting became the most prevalent activity on the streets. Although Diggle and Lyla had managed to stop Waller from cutting all power to the city as part of her nuclear contingency plan, some of the more creative members of the criminal community had managed to cause sporadic blackouts throughout the city anyway.
"You said that you had and I quote 'neutralised the super soldiers'," said Pike.
"I did," the Arrow replied, adamant.
"Then how do you explain this?" The detective gave the Arrow a rather thick folder.
Oliver stared at the pictures in the folder: what appeared to be shots from car thefts and shopfront break-ins which show that the doors had clearly been dented or in a some cases pulled cleanly off their hinges.
"You need a light?" Asked the detective.
"No I can see," the Arrow replied.
In truth, Oliver had developed heightened senses that to a normal person might seem superhuman but to a well trained operative were a reachable skill. Even among operatives though, Oliver's senses would be considered well trained.
"I know what they look like but have you considered that there may be another explanation for them?" Asked the Arrow.
"I don't want them to be the work of super soldiers any more than you do but you can't ignore the facts." The detective replied.
It was true. Damage caused by someone bending an object rather than smashing that object with another object produces very different marks and scratches.
"Look, is there any chance there may more of them out there?" Pike asked.
"There might," the Arrow conceded.
What followed was three weeks of cat and mouse chases around the city with Team Arrow hunting remnants of the people who has been infected by mirakuru. What was never made public because the police did not want to cause mass panic was the fact that the soldiers in Slade's army were not the only people to be affected by mirakuru. Brother Blood had experimented on countless others who were "disposed of" when they did not meet Slade's requirements. It seems that whoever did the disposing did not do a very good job of it, considering the amount of people now running around Starling City with mirakuru in their system - many of them without even knowing it. To combat the outbreak, they even had Cisco and Caitlin working overtime at S.T.A.R Labs trying to produce the cure enmass so that the Arrow could deliver it when an infected person was found.
However even their month long campaign could not have prepared them for this. The last remaining mirakuru carriers were now coming out into the open - and they brought with them a very clear message. On the side of a large abandoned building in the Glades, were giant letters, that had been drawn in such a way that they appeared to be dripping with blood, surrounded by a larger ring of fire. What did they spell? You guessed it - Arrow.
"Roy come back here," Oliver commanded.
"But Oliver, these kids. They're organised. Someone's doing this to them." Roy protested.
"We'll find them later," Oliver assured him, "Now is not the time."
"I can't just leave them there." Said Roy.
"Roy," Oliver said softly but firmly, "You need to get out of there. Now."
The younger man switched off his camera and the screen on their monitor went blank, his tracker indicated that he was heading back.
When Oliver turned away from the screen, Diggle recognised the look in his eyes. In an artificial calm brought on possibly by meditation, John wasn't sure, Oliver was hiding a kind of tranquil fury and determination that was truly scary.
"Oh my God, those poor children," Felicity exclaimed.
"Felicity," Oliver waited for her to look at him, "I promise, I won't let anything happen to them."
"Oliver, what you just told Roy," Diggle advised, "You should listen to yourself. "
"Don't worry Dig," Oliver laughed, "I'm not going to do anything stupid."
"Oh, I really want to be sick," said Felicity, "But luckily, I didn't have any snacks tonight."
"You guys can all go home now. There's nothing more that we can do. Not tonight anyway."
"Wait, you're letting me off too?" Roy asked in his ear. Of course his young protégé had been listening in on their conversation.
"Yes, that includes you too Roy," Oliver replied.
"Watch him," Oliver mouthed to Diggle so that Roy couldn't hear.
"Of course," His bodyguard replied.
"Oliver, John's right," Felicity gave him a weak smile, "You should do what you're telling Roy to do."
"I'll be fine," Oliver smiled back.
Neither Felicity nor John found themselves reassured.