Welcome back everyone! So, I was bored and decided to create my own reaction to flashbacks in Arrow season 3. My favorite Flashback season. I'm also sick so I got the whole day off to do this. Honestly, this was really fun to write so if you want me to write another scene from Arrowverse, just comment. I love suggestions!
I wasn't planning on posting it either, it's a little complicated and nervous with issues for this account! Everyone who died is still alive who are watching the show.
If this gets copyrighted, I'm taking this down. I apologize, but I can't deal with the law right now! I wrote the descriptions myself since I had all day.
DISCLAIMER: All rights belong to the CW and DC Comics. I'll leave this story up as long as I can.
ENJOY!
CHARACTERS WATCHING -
Felicity Smoak/Overwatch
Moira Queen
Malcolm Merlyn
Thea Queen/Speedy
Roy Harper/Red Arrow
John Diggle/Spartan
Laurel Lance/Black Canary
Detective Quentin Lance
Tommy Merlyn
Walter Steele
Lyla Michaels
Rene Ramirez/Wild Dog
Dinah Drake/Black Canary
Curtis Holt/Mister Terrific
"So, Oliver was in Russia?" Moira asked in shock.
Malcolm nodded. "For a lot of the time. How do you think he learned Chinese? Just watch."
[Oliver awoke in a bed, his hair all messed up. He glanced around and rolled off only to catch himself. He grabbed an object from the side table when two men entered the room.]
"Who are they?" Thea asked.
"Just watch," Diggle said staring at the screen.
[They threw a shirt at him and said something in a different language. The next scene showed heels walking up from the outside. Around the corner came Oliver with the shirt on, the men following close behind. A young woman is shown standing in front of a car, a man positioned behind her.]
Amanda: My name is Amanda Waller, Mr. Queen. [Oliver is being guided into a car] We have a lot to discuss. [Oliver looks around outside]
"Where is this?" Rene asked.
[The camera panned out to towers of buildings with Chinese writing printed on signs.]
Amanda: Welcome to Hong Kong.
"How does she know English?" Lyla asked but no one heard her.
"He escaped the island..." Moira said. "How couldn't have we known?! There should have been tracking there!"
As Moira went on about how the government should have gotten one picture of him, Tommy zoned out. He remembered something.
The signal that Oliver was alive. "Mrs. Queen, I don't think we ever told you this..."
"Not now Tommy, I need a good chat with the cities-"
"I knew Oliver was alive," he blurted out. Everyone went silent.
"What did you just say?"
Tommy gulped. "There was a signal that was sent back after he was gone-"
"No, no, no! No! That can't be real."
"I'm so sorry. It's just when I came home emptyhanded, I couldn't tell you. I couldn't make you go through the pain again. I don't remember much. He must have been there, and I couldn't stay. I know, it was selfish. But I got kidnapped-"
"Wait, you got kidnapped?" Malcolm jumped in.
"Wow, that turned into dad mode quick," Curtis said.
"Look, Mrs. Queen I hope you can forgive me."
"Well, I guess we can't go back in time to change it, can we?" Moira sighed. Tommy was too innocent for his own good.
"Well..." Felicity started but Dig stopped her. "I mean, no time travel. No time traveling, not anymore." Moira gave her a questioning look. "Let's just keep watching!"
[Oliver is shown running through the streets of Hong Kong, pushing past people.]
"Why is he running?" Felicity questioned.
"The question is, what is he running from?" Dig concluded. Everyone tensed up.
[He grabbed a phone from someone and started to dial.]
"He must have been trying to contact us. If he had the chance to get off the island, it would be the first thing I would try to do." Malcolm stated.
"Stating the obvious," Curtis rolled his eyes.
"Excuse me-"
"Guys! Come on, let's just finish watching," Rene said facing the screen once again.
[There were gunshots and Oliver ducked. One of the men from the bedroom had the gun held firmly in his hands.]
"Who is this guy and why is he trying to shoot Ollie?" Thea leaned against Roy seeking comfort. "What did he do? Who is that man? What does he want?"
"Thea, quiet down," Malcolm ordered.
"You can't tell me what to do! You aren't my father!"
"Thea!" Moira exclaimed. She wasn't about to back up Malcolm, so she decided to keep watching. He looked almost hurt by that statement, but he hid it well.
[Oliver knocked a bunch of boxes to the ground and jumped over tables as the man kept chasing him forward. He pushed a man into a displayed sunglasses case and they both toppled over.]
"Have to be so aggressive though," Laurel muttered.
"What do you think? He has to be strong in a situation like that," Dinah reminded her.
[Oliver entered a building filled with computers. He pushed a man off the seat and started typing. It showed him searching for names. He wrote in the computer, Mom. I'm alive.]
"Oh Oliver," Moira placed a hand over her mouth. "How couldn't you have told me?" Tommy knew she was asking him.
[He wrote, 'I'm in Hong Kon-" Suddenly, a gunshot rang out. The computer fell to the ground.}
"He was so close," Felicity muttered.
[They started fighting each other, throwing punches. The man kicked Oliver in the face causing him to fall to the ground.]
Laurel jumped.
[The man started to speak Chinese at him.]
Oliver: I told you, I don't speak Chinese!
"Poor Oliver, this is going horribly," Dinah commented.
"You think?" Rene added.
Man: And I told you, you try to escape again, I beat you senseless. [He then punched Oliver hard in the face making him pass out.]
Thea looked away. "I thought he just was in hell on the island. This is even worse! I don't want to see anymore!"
"We have to," Curtis said sadly. "You think any of us want to see Oliver suffer?"
Thea looked down. "It's alright Thea," Walter said giving her a nod. She grinned slightly. Malcolm turned the video back on, pretending that didn't bother him.
[The camera changes to an opened room showing the outside buildings around it. Oliver sat in a chair, his head down, another man watching him from behind.]
Amanda: So, this morning makes how many escape attempts in the last five months?
"Five months?" Felicity breathed. "How did he survive this?"
"He's stronger than anyone of us thought when we met him," Dig said.
"Yeah, he escaped from you, countless times. I thought you were a trained professional," Malcolm spoke out. Dig glared at him.
"Right now, the last thing we need is a fight, now pay attention," Dana declared. They shifted back to the screen.
[Amanda entered showing her heels once more.]
Oliver: Nine.
Moira saddened. This was hard to watch. He just wanted to go home but got swept into this whole mess. She wished she could have done more.
Amanda: What we have here is a failure to reach an understanding.
Oliver: [exhales] Go to hell.
"Is he asking for more trouble?" Rene called out.
"He's pissed," Dinah said. "I would be."
Amanda: So, this my reward from saving you from drowning in that freighter off the coast of Lian Yu?
Oliver: Yeah. Why'd you do that?
"Yeah, what's the point?" Curtis asked.
Amanda: That's need to know. Suffice it to say, I have need of a man of your capacity.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Quentin questioned. "Man of his capacity?"
"This woman is really getting on my nerve," Rene said.
Oliver: I don't care.
"This is really when we see how Oliver changes it seems," Walter said. Thea sighed, she just wanted her brother back, the one she knew before the yacht sank.
Oliver: I don't care about anything except going home.
Moira wanted desperately to tell him everything was all right, but she knew she couldn't.
Oliver: And you should know that. You should know that I will never stop trying to escape.
Amanda: And you should know that it's extremely easy to kill someone the world already thinks is dead.
Thea shuddered. Dinah glared at the screen. "I hate her," she seethed.
"I believe it's safe to say we're all on your side," Tommy said.
Oliver: Kill me, then. I don't care.
Moira was taken aback. Oliver would never say that. The words rang in her ears. She felt like weeping. Thea let out a cry. He would just leave her?
"Oliver doesn't know what to do anymore. He just wants it to end. Trust me, I had that feeling before," Dig said. Lyla squeezed his hand.
[Amanda turned to face the man from before.]
Amanda: We're going to have to try this another way, then. [the man punched him again and Oliver fell out the chair.]
"What is with them and punching his face?" Curtis asked.
[A woman is dabbing a towel on Oliver's head as he lay in an unfamiliar house. He sits up only to have her start speaking in Japanese. He groans.]
"Again, with the Chinese!" Laurel said shaking her head.
"It's not Chinese. She's speaking in Japanese," Malcolm told her.
Oliver: When are people going to realize that I don't speak Chinese?
Woman: Japanese.
"She speaks English too?" Roy asked in disbelief.
Oliver: You speak English?
Woman: Better than you speak Chinese.
Oliver: Where am I?
Woman: Our home. Mine and my husband's.
"Why do I have a sneaking suspicion the husband is someone he knows?" Quentin asked. Everyone gave him suspicious looks. "What? I watch movies!"
Oliver: Your husband? [Oliver walked around a corner to see the man that chased him down the streets of Hong Kong.]
"That guy!" Curtis exclaimed. "Oliver needs to leave, or he'll attach him again."
Man: Welcome to my home. Dinner?
"Why is he welcomed? I'm so confused!" Thea said. "Literally minutes ago, he tried to kill Ollie!"
"I'm not sure," Roy said.
"I can't believe this is what Oliver went through," Moira whispered. "When I thought it was hard, I didn't think it was this bad." She buried her face into Walter's shoulder.
[The camera came to Oliver's face in the house]
Oliver: How do I get out of here? [the man walked in]
Man: You can't leave.
"Why not?" Rene said angerly.
Oliver: Well, why don't you try to stop me?
"Don't be stupid, Oliver," Dig mumbled at the screen. He shouldn't start a fight without a plan.
Man: You've already learned I can. Repeatedly.
Even within the circumstances, Tommy cracked a smile. Laurel elbowed him.
Man: Amanda Waller wants you working for her. And she will have her way.
"It's honestly cowardly to have others do your dirty work. And that's what Amanda is doing," Diggle mentioned.
"She certainly has a plan. But from the way their babysitting Oliver, I have a feeling the man doesn't want a stranger in their house." Dinah said.
"Why are you taking their side?" Rene asked.
"I'm not! I'm just saying, we shouldn't judge these people too soon until we know what the family's intentions are." she concluded.
"If they have my son, I don't care what their reasons are," Moira added bitterly. "They don't understand what losing a child feels like, or not knowing what will happen to them..." No one else spoke out after that.
Oliver: Yeah, well, too bad for her. I'd rather die.
Thea flinched. She hated hearing him say that. "He's so traumatized," Moira said, a tear slid down her cheek.
Laurel looked down. She had hated Oliver for the five years he was persumed dead. Now the guilt of that time was only escalating. She was just so mad about Sara, she needed to blame it on someone. And she had the right to be since he cheated on her. But seeing this, she regretted every horrible thing she ever said to him.
Tommy didn't need to watch his best friend depressed. He didn't need it in his head. He knew it was hard, but this was way worse than he ever pictured. No wonder there were so many scars.
Quentin tried to hide his guilt. But he knew it showed. Hating Oliver for killing his daughter was a little too much but Oliver had already done so many horrible things to his daughter's, what would you think of someone with that reputation? Seeing his pain, he was almost glad Sara didn't have to go through all of this trauma and stress. Moira must be having a heart attack. He hoped she could forgive him.
Man: Which is why it's not your life she's threatening.
"Told you," Dinah said in a small voice.
Man: I may be responsible for you. She's found the proper way to motivate me. Akio.
[A young boy entered behind the man with his pajamas on.]
"A kid, of course," Diggle rubbed his face.
"Targeting the family," Lyla said.
Man: She's threatening my family. She'll kill them if I let you go.
Moira let out a shaking sigh. They did know what it felt like. Oliver wouldn't go now. He's Oliver. The look he gave was only pleading, begging just to leave and go home. But he couldn't. And that broke her heart.
Man: My father had a proverb he was once fond of. A man cannot live by two names.
Oliver: And what does that mean?
Man: In your case, I believe it means not having any choice.
"No choice at all," Felicity muttered sadly. "This is so unfair. He did nothing but everything just expects so much from him. He's a human, he can only do so much."
"He's Oliver. Oliver's more," Dig said sincerely. Everyone nodded at the statement. If anyone could make it through, it was him.
[Oliver and the man are walking along the roof of a building the man holding a suitcase in his hand. He opens it up.]
"Surprised he hasn't ran away yet," Malcolm said.
"He wouldn't. A family was threatened. And that man would chase him down, fairly easily it seems. Oliver hasn't been fully trained yet." Diggle added.
Man: We'll take our position here.
Oliver: Who's your target? [the man got a gun from the briefcase]
Man: I don't have a target, you do. [the gun only got bigger the more pieces he added.]
Oliver: What?
"They're going to make him kill, aren't they?" Laurel shuddered.
"I can't watch that," Moira said.
"I won't," Thea declared almost angry she was forced to watch this.
Man: Might have escaped your notice, but Amanda Waller doesn't have a sense of humor.
"Never got that vibe," Rene said.
Oliver: Oh, really? Then why'd she drag me off of Lian Yu and bring me all the way to Hong Kong to become her hit man?
"He has a point," Roy added.
Man: To become her operative.
"Like that would make him feel any better," Tommy said.
Man: Obviously she needs you for something or she wouldn't be threatening my family to assure your compliance.
"He's acting like it's Ollie's fault! I get why he's mad, but he has no idea what's happened to him!" Thea yelled at the screen.
"And you do?" Rene glared. "You have no clue."
"Hey, I've known him my entire life! You've met him like a year ago!"
"Hey," Moira made them quiet. "Don't act like a five-year-old!"
Man: The target will be entering our line any moment.
"Who's the target?" Walter questioned. Moira shrugged.
[He gave Oliver the gun] Thea didn't like that scene. [Oliver put his eye in the hole and peered down]
Man: The target will walk 10 paces through the roof garden and arrive at his hotel suite. That's your window. [a man came into view of the target]
Tommy froze. It couldn't be. "Tommy, are you okay?" Laurel asked him. His breath sped up and he shook his head. "What happened?"
"Remember when I said I went to Hong Kong to look for Oliver?"
"Yes," Moira recalled. "Why?"
"I'm the target..."
Everyone peered back up at the screen in shock. It was Tommy Merlyn.
"Oliver's told to kill his best friend. That's messed up," Rene said running a hand through his hair.
Malcolm looked on in worry. Oliver wouldn't kill his friend. He wouldn't.
Oliver: I see it.
"How does Oliver not know it's him?" Dinah asked.
"Please tell me he won't take a shot," Laurel said hopefully.
"I'm sure he'll figure it out sooner or later," Roy said.
[That's when Oliver saw his face. He let go of the gun and looked above the hole shock on his face.]
Oliver: Tommy?
"He must be so relieved to see someone he knew over the past years," Moira said. "What will he do to not have to kill him."
"Oliver was so close yet so far from sight," Thea sighed.
[Oliver laid the gun down and stepped away.]
Man: You didn't eliminate the target!
"Great, now he has something else to worry about! The safety of his best friend!" Curtis leaned back in his seat.
Oliver: That's not a target, that's my best friend! Why am I pointing a gun at my best friend?!
Moira shook her head sadly. It was too much for her, way too much. Tommy smiled slightly at Oliver talking about him, how much his friend cared but could feel his pain.
Oliver: is this some sort of test?
Man: Yes, one you failed.
Oliver: Good, flunk me!
Man: You think it's a coincidence your friend just happened to show up in Hong Kong? He's here looking for you!
Tommy sighed along with everyone. They were so close to getting him back, so close. And they had no idea. But the sad thing was that Oliver knew.
Oliver: What?
Man: When you logged into your email, it set off an account alert. Dead man don't check their email, Oliver.
Oliver: Oh, so this is my fault?
Man: Waller needs you. She can't let you be compromised by some rich kid flashing your picture all over Hong Kong. Whether you're the one who pulls the trigger or not, she wants Tommy Merlyn off the board.
"Off the board? What did I do?" Tommy asked.
"This is just getting ridiculous!" Thea exclaimed. Malcolm honestly was nervous. There were people trying to kill his son and he hadn't known. He was just happy Oliver was a loyal friend to him or he'd be dead right now.
[Oliver exited disgusted.]
"He must be so mad they just threatened his best friend, there is something wrong with these people!" Dinah said angerly.
[The camera came back to the home.]
Oliver: I mean, what if we just- we go to a local morgue and we find a body that looks like Tommy's"
"He's desperate," Moira said sadly.
Tommy looked down. He should have known this was happening. He came to make his life easier, not harder. He went to save Oliver, not for Oliver to save him.
Man: At the Hong Kong morgue? You've got a better chance of winning the lottery and trying to pay Waller off.
Oliver: I am not going to assassinate my best friend, do you understand? There has to be another way.
Man: There is. But it involves Amanda Waller finding someone else to execute your friend.
"Like that's any better," Curtis muttered.
[The camera pans to Tommy Merlyn at the suite.]
The real Tommy looked away almost embarassed he had no idea. Sad, he wasn't able to save his friend. "I don't remember much of the kidnapping. Just blacking out." Malcolm nodded. They would see it soon enough.
Tommy: [talking on the phone] No, not you, dad. Look, I'm already in Hong Kong.
"Malcolm, you knew he was there?" Moira asked.
"Yes, but he didn't tell me he was kidnapped," he shot Tommy a glare.
Tommy: No! No, I didn't tell you I was taking the jet because I knew you would freak out like this. No, I don't know how long, ok? It doesn't matter. Listen, if Oliver is still alive, if he is still here [grunts] Look, why don't you just go back to banging your pilates instructor, ok? [he hangs up and stands in his bedroom. In the mirror, a man in a black mask and knife enters] I'll just be here searching for my best friend.
Moira loved their realasionship. They would never hurt each-other and it was nice knowing Oliver had friends like that.
[Suddenly, someone stuck him with a shot in the neck and covered his mouth with his hand.]
Malcolm jumped from his seat. "Whoever did that if getting a piece of my mind! I will-"
"Dad, I'm fine!" Tommy said.
"Who is that though?" Quentin asked.
[Tommy had a bag covering his head and he was tied to a chair. Somebody pulled it circling around him.]
Laurel covered her mouth. He calmed her down by saying he was just fine right there. Malcolm was infuriated.
Tommy: How did I- What the hell is going on here? Where am I? Please, please don't- please don't hurt me. Look. Just-just let me go- please. I promise, I-I won't tell anybody about this.
Laurel started to cry silently. He was begging. Malcolm looked on, swallowing a big lump in his throat. He didn't want to see his son hurt. Tommy, on the other hand, didn't care about his reaction as much as Laurel's.
Cloaked Man: Would a fisherman throw his prized catch back into the sea?
Tommy: What are you talking about? Look, whoever you are, you really don't want to do this. Do you have any idea who I am? Who my father is?!
"Good idea. Using Malcolm as an excuse," Roy commented. Tommy shrugged.
"I'm still trying to figure out who is behind the mask," Thea said.
Cloaked Man: You're Thomas Merlyn. You've been looking for Oliver Queen.
"Well, he knows that much," Curtis spoke.
Tommy: How-how do you- how do you know that?
Cloaked Man: A simple hack of a missing billionaire's email account. I knew somebody would come looking for him, but I thought it would be his... mother.
"Oh Oliver," Moira said tearfully thinking of him. She should have came for him. How did this stranger know all this?
Cloaked Man: His sister.
Thea looked heartbroken. How wasn't she informed and how did they know he had a sister? They must have received the information from Waller.
Cloaked Man: But you, the son of the CEO of Merlyn Global. Jackpot.
"How dare he speak to him like that!" Malcolm scolded.
Cloaked Man: My friend, you are going to make me a very rich man.
Tommy: So Oliver didn't...[he sighed] he isn't...
"No!" Thea gasped as the cloaked man pulled the mask down. "Oliver..."
"That was Oliver..." Tommy sputtered in utter disbelief.
"I know it sounds cruel, but that's actually smart to make you want to leave." Dig said.
Moira looked horrified. She just couldn't believe he would do something like that. "He wants to tell him. You can see it in his eyes. He wants to so bad!"
Oliver in Cloak: Oliver Queen is dead.
Moira was in tears, along with Thea. Tommy covered his mouth with his hand. "He was right next to me and I didn't know. All I wanted for years was to talk to him and I did." Laurel hugged him.
"He's struggling to lie to his best friend. This is heartbreaking," Dinah shook her head sadly.
Oliver in Cloak: He's rotting at the bottom of the ocean. [He poked him making Tommy jump.]
"You can be very scary Oliver," Rene said.
Oliver in Cloak: And you will too."
"Did he just threaten him?" Malcolm seethed angerly.
"The hurt in his voice though, you can tell the pain. And it was only for a plan!" Felicity said.
"Well Tommy didn't know that!" he yelled.
"I'm afraid that's true," Dig replied.
Oliver in Cloak: If your father doesn't pay that ransom.
Someone: Hong Kong Police!
Tommy: I'm in here, please help! Help! Hong Kong Police!
[The man working with Oliver stepped in wearing a police outfit and holding a gun. He nodded at Oliver, who hid in a corner.]
Man: It's ok.
Tommy: Thank you.
Man: You're going home. You're safe now.
"I wish those were the words going to Oliver," Thea said. Tommy glared. "You too of course! Come on, you know what I mean!"
[Oliver holds back tears.]
Moira shakes her head. How could they make him do that to his best friend? Why did he have to go through all of this? It wasn't fair. Life wasn't fair. But the important part was that he made it. He made it, she reminded herself. He made it.
Authors Note:
I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing! Make sure you review if you liked it or what I could improve on! Ideas are always welcome!