A/N: This might be one of my biggest projects to date. I'm going to attempt writing an entire 'Season 3' of Arrow to keep me busy during the hiatus. I might leave some things out, such as the island years – I'm not invested enough to focus on that. There's enough to focus on in the present day, anyway. I hope I'm not taking water over my head (which I might definitely have), and that I don't screw it up along the way.
This is just a fun idea (and a whole new way of writing for me), so try not to take it too seriously. These are mainly wishes and ideas drawn from my own mind (and sometimes inspired from the general echo on tumblr). There's certainly no ambition beyond having a good time.
There will be new characters introduced, plot twists to die for (pun intended), old foes returning, new villains and a lot of emotion to stir the pot.
Now, bear with me! This story will have 23 'Episodes', just like an ordinary season and include storylines about everyone (more or less – a real season would do this a lot better than little ole' me ever could alone).
Readers beware! I am an Olicity shipper, but I don't think you can get away with season 3 without some Laurel/Oliver. I want to do them all justice, so please don't be pissed if a ship doesn't suit your taste in a certain 'Episode'. There will be a lot of push/pull between everyone since it's supposed to resemble an entire season so hang in there until the end.
Also, just as the show has done thus far: I will take some liberties with 'comic canon'. But I will do some research and pull some stuff from canon – with my own perspective and twist to characters and plots.
P.S: I don't know much about how American companies work on this level, so a lot in that story line may not work in the real world, but let's pretend this works for the Arrow universe, can we? The same goes for many other things, I imagine, but I'll try and make this story quite 'authentic'.
Also: English is not my first language and sometimes mistakes slip in there that I might not catch. If you see a glaring mistake I'm always grateful if you point it out so I can get my shit together.
Disclaimer: Obviously I own nothing of this! Everything belongs to the rightful owners at CW, DC and others.
Synopsis for Episode 1: Six months has passed since Oliver Queen defeated Slade Wilson. Oliver still work tirelessly as the Arrow, alongside trustworthy team members John Diggle, Felicity Smoak and Roy Harper, to put an end to crime in Starling City. Another main goal for Oliver is to win back his family's company, but a sharp turn of events introduces a couple of players that might set him back. As far as new players go, there are a few more of those about to make an explosive entrance in Starling City…
I hope you'll enjoy reading this!
Arrow
Season 3: Rebuilding Life
3x01: Break of Day
Oliver hunched down on his tree branch and shifted to make his position somewhat comfortable, but without relaxing any of his muscles. He sat like a tense predator in the dead of night, tightly gripping his bow in one hand, listening to the howling wind and the distant noises of the late evening around him. Though he felt nothing out of the ordinary about any of it, he knew appearances could be deceiving. There was a good reason, after all, why he was perched unseen in the thick greens of a tree in the middle of a park near Star Bridge.
"Any sign of our mystery guy?" he heard a familiar voice over the Bluetooth headset and focused his mind to stay alert on the mission.
Felicity was out of breath and Oliver's fingers clenched reflexively around the compound bow. The blonde had volunteered as bait for this particular mission, and he'd agreed to it after a slightly heated debate on the topic.
The whole thing had started a few weeks ago, when a furtive killer had started terrorizing Starling City. The unknown killer had started by frightening random, female joggers out for a late run, but it had quickly escalated to twisted and sadistic murder. Over the past week, he'd killed three young, innocent women in the cover of darkness in different parks across town that suited his taste.
Detective Lance had brought the case to the Arrow's attention and had suggested they co-operate to bring the sick bastard down since the guy seemed stellar at avoiding the police's attention. Since neither Quentin, Diggle nor Oliver had many feminine traits, Felicity had offered herself up as fresh bait to be dangled before the jaws of death. She'd triangulated the man's usual hot spots and for the past three nights the trio (with Diggle surveying them from the lair) had tried to lure the killer out by having her jog alone through different parks across town. So far no one had taken the bait. The closest they'd come was a couple of harmless teenagers that had wolf-whistled when the slender blonde had jogged past them.
"It's quiet on the East side," Lance's irritated voice responded in his ear.
"Nothing for me either," Oliver grumbled, his own tone mechanically altered by the voice filter.
The Detective spoke again, "I don't think tonight's the night."
"I'll take another lap," Felicity's strong tone was decisively stubborn in reply. She was definitely not ready to call it a night yet, and there was no point arguing.
Oliver stretched his neck to peek through the thick foliage that surrounded his hideout. In the distance he saw her pink sweat jacket and blonde ponytail jog past a couple of low bushes in a steady pace.
"I can't believe this son of a bitch hasn't taken the bait yet," Lance muttered angrily over the headset. "Not that I particularly want him to take this bait… I just want him imprisoned for what he's done."
"Don't worry, Detective," Oliver reassured through gritted teeth as his gaze stayed on the woman further away. "We'll stop him before he hurts someone else."
"I'd really like to take your word for that, you know."
Felicity listened to their voices in her ear as she focused on keeping her breathing even. She'd never been the greatest runner in the world, though she'd gotten better at it since joining Team Arrow. Still, her lungs had started to burn from exhaustion and her muscles ached for a break. She just didn't want to give up yet. As long as she was putting herself out there as bait, there was a good chance their perv didn't go after someone else.
Suddenly, Diggle's voice cut through the others in her earpiece. "The monitors suggest movement on your left, Felicity."
She opened her mouth to reply when she suddenly felt something strong encircle her waist. She shrieked as the arms easily picked her off the ground. The earpiece fell out of her ear as she trashed and it smashed against the ground. Before it did, she was almost certain she'd heard Oliver react upon hearing her scream.
Felicity struggled against her attacker and tried to get loose from his iron grip that kept tightening around her smaller frame. Panic rose in her chest like the tide and she found herself relying on instinct rather than training. Somehow, she managed to stomp down hard on the man's foot. What happened next transpired in a matter of seconds, and Felicity was barely aware of the events.
As the man yelped and cursed in pain, the blonde took the offered window of opportunity and elbowed him hard in the guts. As her attacker stumbled backwards, she felt the cool, night air embrace her frame comfortingly. Her heart still beat like thunder inside her chest and she was well aware that she was far from safe, with or without Quentin and Oliver rushing towards her.
Felicity spun around in a flash and threw a frantic punch in the man's direction. She wasn't entirely sure if she'd hit anything but air as her hand never felt anything solid, but the man went down like a fallen tree. The woman spun forward again and ran as fast as her legs could carry her, her heart still beating frantically in her ear and panic pulsating through her veins. Oliver had told her before-hand to run as soon as she could get loose, and leave him to do the rest.
The Arrow landed on the ground next to the fallen attacker. He glanced down at the unconscious guy in dark sweats and then let his gaze drift up to follow the fleeing woman in the distance. He watched her pink jacket grow smaller and smaller on the horizon.
"Talk to me," Diggle's voice called anxiously over the headset.
"… She clocked him," Oliver remarked and heard how his own tone raised a notch in the deep shadows of the night.
The other man chuckled. "You sound surprised."
"Proud."
Oliver turned as he heard Lance's quick steps come running towards him. The detective had his sidearm raised and ready as he gazed down at the fallen man and then up at his ally. The policeman easily took in the vigilante's passive stance beside the fallen man and filled in the blanks.
Quentin breathed heavily as he lowered his gun with a frown and pointed down at their suspect, "She did that?"
The Arrow simply inclined his head.
The policeman exhaled heavily and nodded in admiration. "Ms Smoak's tougher than she looks."
Oliver couldn't help but agree as he lowered his head to conceal the ghost of a smile beneath the green hood. "I believe you can handle things from here, Detective?"
Lance waved the vigilante off as he withdrew a pair of handcuffs and knelt beside the unconscious man. "Yeah, yeah. I got this. This fella's going away for a long time. Make sure to thank Ms Smoak from me… if you can catch her, that is."
Felicity's panic reigned within her mind even as she ran down the steps to their secret lair a while later. The old lair had been abandoned after Slade had destroyed it and also because the team had agreed that too many people knew of its whereabouts. Instead they had re-modeled and re-decorated Oliver's second lair to be their new 'Arrowcave'. Felicity had very discreetly re-directed funds from Isabel Rochev's personal account for the purpose and with some investments from A.R.G.U.S, the place was more up to date than the first lair had ever been.
This lair had many benefits compared to the other: not least because of its size. It was considerably bigger, and more safely located, than the lair under Verdant had been. There was even space for several areas with different, particular purposes. In the main area of the lair, from right to left as you entered, they had a smaller archery section, Felicity's computers, one open space for workout and sparring as well as a medical bay right by the base of the stairs. In a backroom they'd set up a little lab and stock of supplies. There was also a changing room, a smaller gym, a bathroom and a bedroom further down a corridor.
After six months of hard work, the place had become a home and safe haven to their little team. Only Oliver, Diggle, Felicity, Roy, Lyla and Laurel knew the location of this secret lair, and they saw no need to elongate the shortlist any time soon.
As Felicity came to a halt in the center of the main area, she found herself out of breath as she gazed at her two partners standing idle beside her workstation at the opposite end of the room.
"Hey…" she breathed. The panic slowly subsided as she saw her friends safe and sound, but the wild thunder raged on inside her chest. She swallowed and took a step towards them as her lungs heaved for reprieve. "Is… anyone else… out of breath?"
She frowned as Diggle and Oliver merely exchanged an amused grin.
"What?" she asked and walked forward as Oliver, still clad in his green leather, held out a pale towel for her. She dabbed it across her forehead and was surprised to realize how sweaty she was. She ignored the thought as she faced the leather-wearing man. "How did you get here so fast?"
His voice rumbled with tacit amusement as he remarked, "…I have a motorcycle."
Felicity frowned. "The guy went with Detective Lance without a fight then?"
"You could say that… You knocked him out."
The sweaty woman snorted as she slung the towel over her shoulder. "No, I didn't."
"Your hand."
Her scowl increased before she humored him. She looked down at her right hand and exhaled as she saw blood and broken skin on her otherwise pale knuckles. "Whoa." As her brain kick-started itself into action, her mouth fell open in comprehension, "I ran all the way here!"
"14 blocks," Diggle affirmed and crossed his arms over his wide chest. "You got to love adrenaline and shock."
"I'm not going to love it when it wears off," Felicity moaned and rambled, "My legs will kill me tomorrow. I haven't run that far since my buddies Stephen and Colin tricked me and signed me up for a charity run at MIT. I could barely walk for two days after that…"
Oliver took a step towards her and nodded down at her limb. "I'm more worried about your hand. Let me have a look at it."
She inclined her head and watched as he gently reached out to her alabaster skin. He twisted her hand and prodded without any pain to the woman. At last he released her with a satisfied grin. "Nothing's broken. I'll just wrap it for you."
"Fine…" Felicity breathed as she followed the man across the room to the med bay by the stairs. She hopped onto the steel table as Oliver searched for bandages and antiseptic in a drawer nearby. He quickly found what he was looking for and moved back towards the table.
The young blonde watched him work on her hand in intrigued silence. After a few seconds, she muttered under her breath, "I can't believe I did that. I certainly didn't mean to. I just… panicked."
Diggle slowly stepped over to complete their triangle and placed a heavy hand on her lean shoulder. "You've got good reflexes."
"Bad ones, I'd say," she disagreed and looked up at him. "I couldn't really remember any of my training. All I could hear was your voice in my head, telling me that one of the strongest bones in a body is the elbow so that I should use that to inflict injury if necessary… But then it wasn't exactly a calculated punch."
The eldest man grinned, "The important thing is that you did react, despite the panic. Not many people do with as little training as you in the field. We'll work on getting the basics right next."
"While Diggle makes a fair point," Oliver said as he finished dressing her hand and fixed her with an earnest, yet pointed, gaze. "I need you back behind the computers right now."
"With pleasure," she smiled widely and jumped off the table. "But first… I think a shower is in order!"
The guys smiled as they watched their friend walk out of the room heading for the bathroom down the hall. She'd barely stepped out of the main area when a shrill sound interrupted the relaxed silence. The hooded vigilante stepped back over to his ringing phone by the computers and picked it up as he recognized the caller-ID.
"Walter?" Oliver asked as he pressed the phone to his ear. "Is something wrong?"
The Brit's voice was firm and calm, revealing not an ounce of emotion, as he explained, "We should meet, Oliver. There's some change regarding Queen Consolidated that I think we ought to discuss."
"I'll stop by your office first thing tomorrow morning. See you then," Oliver said and hung up the phone.
"Anything wrong?" Diggle's worried voice cut through the other man's thoughts.
Oliver shrugged as he met his best friend's gaze and tentatively admitted, "I don't know."
As Oliver stepped into the grand elevator the follow morning, he found his mind wandered to the past few months and everything that had transpired since they'd defeated Slade Wilson. Six months had passed since that day, six months since Felicity had injected the mentally deranged Aussie with the Mirakuru-cure, six months since Oliver himself had bested Slade in combat once and for all.
The mad man was locked away in an A.R.G.U.S prison on Lian Yu, where he'd be spending a lot of time. Even as his mind wandered to his old ally, Oliver couldn't help but feel remorse touch his heart. He'd hoped that the man's psychosis was founded in the effects of the Mirakuru, but Slade had hated him no less after being given the cure. Whatever bond between brothers they had once shared was gone forever. Oliver was still glad he'd chosen the right path and not killed Slade in the end. He'd come out a better man on the other side after he'd faced his crucible, and in a strange way he had Slade to thank for that.
In the months that had followed, Oliver had focused on rebuilding some sort of 'normalcy' in the wake of the war he'd waged with his former ally.
Normalcy had included getting a decent job and income: something which Amanda Waller and A.R.G.U.S had happily provided. The secrecy of the job stood in stark contrast to the media's constant attempts of getting an exclusive of him: Oliver Jonas Queen, ex-billionaire, playboy and son adrift. The press had painted quite the dreadful (and entirely false) picture the first month or two, but when he'd simply kept away their interest had slowly died down.
He didn't really care about the press or his official figure that much anymore, to be fair. Right now he needed to focus at rebuilding one thing at a time, and his main focus was on earning money to be able to get Queen Consolidated back. The company was his and belonged with no one else but the Queen family. Hence, the alliance he'd built up with Walter.
When Oliver had explained his plan to his former step-dad months ago, the latter hadn't missed a beat as he'd promised to help. They both owned a small share of the QC stock, but not even together they were strong enough to make a small wave on a vast ocean.
As the elevator reached the right floor, Oliver exhaled and pulled himself from the bottom of his well of thoughts. He smoothed a crease on his grey suit jacket as he stepped into the old-fashioned, extravagant corridor of Starling City Bank. He walked the familiar path until he reached the office door marked with the bold letters 'FINANCIAL MANAGER' and knocked on the stained glass.
As expected, Walter himself opened the door and smiled affectionately as he recognized his visitor. The two men shook hands before the younger was invited inside. Oliver closed the door behind him before he followed the elder man over to the man's wide, mahogany desk.
Where Queen Consolidated (and even the secret lair) was modern and edgy in its interior design, Starling City Bank was quite old-fashioned and relied heavily on the taste of old men in charge. There was a lot of rich wood, panorama windows and heavy curtains to go around.
"Please have a seat, Oliver," the Brit said as he sank into his own chair and the warmth in his eyes lingered. "I'm glad you could come so quickly. As I told you, I have some news…"
"Good or bad?" the younger man asked as he sat down in the leather chair.
"That remains to be seen," Walter replied in a business tone of voice and the genuine affection for his family was replaced by a weary edge. "Do you know Ned Foster?"
Oliver racked his memory bank for the name. "Of course. The COO of Queen Consolidated."
"He was, yes," Walter nodded and crossed his hands atop of the desk as he leaned forward. "Ned Foster was the swiftest player after Isabel Rochev's… fall from grace. He - and Simon Cross, as you know - purchased QC right from under our nose six months ago."
"I have a vague recollection of the memory," the younger man breathed with a sarcastic twinge.
"Their partnership didn't last long, it would seem. Ned Foster sold his share of the company this morning."
Oliver blinked. "Why?"
Walter grimaced as he leaned back in his seat. "The phrase 'abandon a sinking ship' might have been uttered to explain his actions. After Isabel's era as CEO, the company stock has been diminishing in value. In fact, it's been diminishing for a lot longer than that. QC hasn't fully recovered after all the turns with your late mother, your partnership with Isabel and everything in the wake of Slade Wilson. The stock just hit its all-time low and Ned didn't see the point of lingering any longer."
"Ned owned… 48 % of the company, didn't he? Who bought his share?"
"It all happened so quickly that I don't have the details for you yet. Simon Cross attempted to buy some, though Ned apparently tried to keep him out of the loop."
"Simon has single majority interest then?"
Walter hesitated on the precipice as he slowly shook his head, "Possibly. He's acting CEO now, if nothing else."
Oliver ran a hand across his short stubble and released a deep breath as he tried to process the information. He felt as if he was in the ring for a boxing match, and getting the crap beaten out of him. "You said there might be good news."
"The market went a bit wild when Ned sold his share so sudden. Though I was expecting it to happen sooner rather than later, I wasn't swift enough to buy anything. A friend of ours did, however."
"…A friend?"
"Do you remember the Deleon family, owners of Deleon International?"
Oliver nodded slowly. "They were old friends of my family years ago, when the Deleons' still lived here in Starling. They moved to London very suddenly, if I recall correctly. God… I haven't thought about them for a long time. John and Ann, right? And their daughter; Jane?"
"I've known them for many years, since my own youth in England. I'm the one who introduced them to your parents over two decades ago," Walter reminisced with a fond smile before he refocused their attention. "I told Deleon International's VP of Operations a few months ago about our plan to bring QC back to your family when I was certain we could use outside assistance. I was promised help from the Deleon family. It would seem they've stepped up and given the help now… The VP was more prepared than I was for Ned's move and bought a share. I don't know how big a share, or if we'll have majority interest together."
"… You brought in outside help?" Oliver asked and felt his voice drop into a low growl. He clenched his jaw and tried to contain his irritation. He knew the older man had acted entirely out of good will, but still couldn't hide his disappointment. "Walter… I can't trust anyone but you with this right now."
Steele grimaced with an understanding nod and then proceeded to steadily clarify, "We'll take it one step at a time, Oliver. All I know is that… things happened faster than I expected, and we needed to act now or lose our first good chance at doing this. Hopefully she bought a substantial part and will come here to help us finalize a deal to bring you closer to your rightful inheritance... I trust her. I promised I would take care of this part, Oliver. You can focus on earning your own money while we wait for answers."
The younger man nodded slowly and met the other's confident eyes. "When do we know for sure?"
"Within the week, Oliver," Walter assured but his features briefly darkened with a passing shadow. "But there's more… I only just heard. There is a rumor that someone else also made a purchase. I don't know who. No one seems to know right now. I'll investigate the matter."
"Thank you, Walter..." Oliver nodded as he rose from his seat in a fluid motion. "Could you let me know when you get more information?"
"Of course," the older man promised and the younger turned around to head for the exit, when the Brit called him back, "And, Oliver?"
"Mm?" the man glanced back over his shoulder.
Walter's face seemed anguished for a second as he voiced a mutual concern of theirs that was far closer to heart, "You… haven't heard from Thea, have you?"
Oliver felt his own face fall before he could put on a façade and grumbled, "No… Still nothing."
"She'll come home eventually, Oliver," the older man smiled grimly and the conviction mingled with grief. "When she's ready for it."
"… I hope so."
It was late afternoon when Oliver descended the steps into the lair, with his suit jacket lazily thrown across his shoulder. He glanced into the main area and was only mildly surprised to see a guest standing beside the glass cases by one of the walls.
Laurel Lance, clad in a knee-length, crimson dress befit of the DA's office, stood with her back towards the entrance, seemingly lost in her own mind as she gazed up at the black leather jacket in the glass case next to the one containing the Arrow's outfit on a mannequin top-half.
"Hey…" Oliver breathed as he reached the bottom.
The slender beauty turned at the sound of his voice and offered him a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Hi, Ollie. I was just…"
"… I miss her, too, Laurel," he assured as he stepped up to her side and glanced up at the Canary jacket.
"It's been awhile since she was in contact, I was wondering if maybe you…"
"No. Sorry…" the man said regretfully with a hasty shake of the head. "I take that as a good sign, though. If something was wrong, we'd know about it."
Laurel threw him a pointed glare, though her eyes gleamed with something akin to amusement. "She's in a league of assassins, everything about it is wrong."
Oliver could but agree, but he didn't need words to convey that particular opinion to the woman beside him. A companionable silence descended in the lair as they both got lost in their own memories.
Eventually, Laurel's voice filled the room to the brim as she spoke up, "… I want to take her place. On the team."
The man closed his eyes tight for a second before he turned around to gaze down at the woman. "… No."
"But, Ollie-"
"We've had this discussion before," his tone was rough like sandpaper and his voice practically scratched at the inside of his throat as he denied her what he knew she desired the most.
Her eyes danced with something close to desperation and exasperation as she reached out a hand to grip his upper arm, "Train me. Test me and see what I am capable of… Just give me a chance, Ollie. That's all I'm asking!"
Oliver sighed as he looked down at her pale hand where it rested atop his white shirt. His gaze rose to meet hers once more as he put into words what they both knew to be true, "It's not though, Laurel."
She opened her mouth to retort, but the sound of footsteps descending into the lair broke the moment like fragile glass. They both turned as Diggle and Felicity stepped into the main area, still clad in their autumn jackets. The new arrivals stopped talking as they faced the couple already present in the lair.
"Oh!" Felicity breathed as she saw the visitor and tried to sense the atmosphere around them. "… Hey, Laurel. How are you? Didn't know you were here. Not disappointed or anything, just didn't know you'd be here. Are we interrupting? We should consider socks on the door knob… or some other grown up way of handling situations like these."
Oliver exhaled slowly. "Felicity."
Diggle brought them back to the matter at hand as he stepped forward on firm feet and raised his voice, "Amanda Waller just called. We've got another job, it's small, but it didn't sound like a walk in the park."
"They never are with Amanda," the bearded man sighed as he let some of the tension leave his body.
Felicity shrugged out of her jacket and discarded it beside her monitors as she stayed on track. She spared a brief glance at Oliver and Laurel before she sat down and got to work. "Let me show you. Here." She pulled up a map of Starling City, with a couple of blinking dots in the Eastern end of it. "Two bombs exploded almost exactly at the same time last night. The police report suggests it was similar bombs, homemade by the same manufacturer."
Oliver stepped over and looked down at the map. "The same criminal?"
The blonde nodded and her long ponytail grazed her shoulder as she looked from the man to the screens. "It looks that way. Now, nothing too odd about that, except that two bombs went off the day before that, too. At the other end of town, at almost the same time."
"Casualties?" Laurel asked from the side lines.
Felicity focused on finding the police reports and pulled them up for the team to see. "Ehm… No deaths, seven people seriously injured, though – one of them a kid."
"Any other clues?" Oliver questioned.
"All four bombs were located in different stores. A jewelry, a bakery, a pawn shop and an interior design shop... I really liked that design shop. Practically bought half my home from it."
"Anything that ties them together?"
"I just had a quick search on my tablet on the way here and get this…" the IT girl pulled up the relevant articles for the attacks and waved a hand in their general direction as she explained, "All the stores attacked have one common denominator as far as I can tell: they share the same insurance company. Based on the locations and possible clientele, I'd say the insurance rates will go through the roof if the bombers continue... I think we're looking at highly warped insurance fraud."
Diggle leaned back against the desk on her other side. "Worse is, if they escalate people could get seriously maimed or killed. The attacks are getting more forceful, with more damage as a result."
Oliver nodded and turned back to his blonde IT girl, "Any lead on who it could be?"
Felicity quickly chipped in with the answer as she showed him the evidence, "Security footage from Thompson Street doesn't give us a clear image, but you can make out a dark van outside the building and several people entering it about ten minutes before the bomb in there went off. It looks like it might be an organized gang. They're all wearing balaclavas, though, so no positive ID yet. No clear shot of the plates either…"
"Do we have any leads where their next target might be?"
At last, the fair woman admitted defeat, "Sorry… That's all I've got."
Oliver flashed his partner a reassuring smile of a job well done as he gently commanded, "Go over the map of their previous targets, see if you can triangulate where they might target next. Call in Roy. We'll pull an all-nighter if we have to."
The man turned towards the glass case containing his suit. He was already in the right mode, but felt the rug sweep from under his feet as Laurel's voice interrupted his mind set, "Do you need help?"
Oliver set his jaw as he slowly turned back around to face his ex-girlfriend. "Laurel… Go home."
"I could be of use out there. You know I can help you!" the young woman called after Oliver as he collected his outfit and retreated to change in the back. When he was out of sight, the woman turned with an exasperated sigh and looked back at Diggle and Felicity.
The ex-military man merely shrugged as he met her gaze. "He hasn't let you join the last eleventy-seven times you've asked. If I were you, I wouldn't hold my breath he'll start tonight."
"Do you see anything, Roy?"
"Nah… It's quiet. Almost too quiet, you know?" came the response from the younger man as he leaned over the edge to gaze down at the road far below. The young man wore his red hero-suit and matching mask as he patrolled with his mentor these days. He'd quite gotten the hang of the hero life without the Mirakuru pumping through his veins and rather preferred being free from that rat poison.
Felicity's voice carried strong over their earpieces, "Sorry, guys, I've gotten you as close as I can to an eventual bomb sight. Truth is; we don't even know if there will be any explosions tonight."
Oliver grimaced as he replied, "We'll stay in the area just in case. Anything else happening tonight?"
"Seems like the SCPD has a quiet night and is also focusing on patrolling in search of the- Whoa!"
"Felicity?"
"A bomb just exploded about ten blocks away from you, in an old jewelry store. Based on the triangulation, a second bomb ought to go off in your-"
Both men flinched as they heard an explosion from a few blocks away. They saw the billowing smoke rise upwards, where it met the clouds and starry skies. Further away in the same direction, as if on a straight line, they could make out the smoke from the first explosion and heard the sirens even from their distant position.
"Oh!" Felicity exclaimed and her tongue was swift like a processor as she clarified, "The second one was exactly four blocks away from the first, that's odd… The other bombs have been 8-10 blocks apart. I-I thought… It ought to have been closer to-"
Before the woman had a chance to finish her sentence, there was a third, louder explosion just beside Oliver and Roy's rooftop. The powerful growl and deafening sound took the vigilantes by surprise, and they ducked low for cover. The bomb had gone off in the very building next to their own and they rushed over to the side of the building to gaze down at the damage. The flames licked the building across the road and the blazes reached for the heavens above, the smoke threatening to annihilate the moon in the sky. The heat of the fire was warm enough to reach across the road to the vigilantes. Shrieks of panic and pain erupted from within the belly of the fiery pit that presented itself before them, and people rushed out onto the streets to get away from the consuming inferno. Further away, a cacophony of police cars and fire engines echoed above the other noises.
"Are you okay?!" Felicity's panicked voice spoke in their ears.
"We're fine, but… How's that possible? We've been here the whole time..." Roy huffed with a scowl as his gaze scanned the streets below for any signs. He raised his hand and pointed straight at the intersection further away. "There!"
Oliver turned just in time to see the black van run a red light and disappear out of their line of view.
"Do we follow it?" Roy cried and looked back at the older man.
"No. There are people still inside the building who need our help. Come on!" the Arrow huffed as he fired a grappling hook arrow with an attached wire across the street. From the corner of his eyes, he noticed Roy do the same before they swung themselves towards the burning building. They crashed through a couple of windows on the second floor and got to work in the heat.
"Another bomb attack transpired late last night in three stores across Starling City. At least twelve people were reportedly injured: three still in critical condition and one elderly woman died this morning with 90 % burns covering her entire body. The police are struggling to keep up with the gang that has become known as 'The Blazing Infernos'. The bombastic, criminal gang is quickly spreading fear through Starling-"
Felicity muted the broadcast and sighed as she stepped away from her monitors and the lair around her fell into a tense quietness.
Diggle watched as the woman paced in front of her workstation, her heels echoing rhythmically against the cold, hard floors. The man decided to voice what they were all thinking, "They're escalating. They've upped the game to three bombs per night."
Oliver shot his best friend a glance before facing the blonde wearing out the floor before him. "Was there anything different this time that might help us find them?"
"I tracked the van on the security cameras for as long as I could, but I lost it… They evidently know where the cameras are placed and how to avoid them… The plates were fake, too."
"What about the bombs?"
"The first two explosions were just as the previous nights. The third bomb, however, didn't follow the same patterns as the others when it exploded. It was far more reckless and encompassing than the others they've used. It's a wild one. That's why there were more people injured… and one killed."
"They probably filled the third one with more TNT for enhanced effect," Diggle suggested.
"But why?" Roy scowled from his position on the other end of the table. "Why are they escalating? Are they trying to send us some kind of message?"
"I don't know," Oliver shrugged and gazed down as Felicity came to a halt before him. He could offer her no refuge and merely held her gaze as he exhaled softly, "Call Lance and see if we can co-operate a mission to bring them down tonight."
The three brothers mock-wrestled each other as they entered their small, dingy house just outside of town. They pushed apart with adrenaline-filled mirth as they headed into the small kitchen.
"I can't believe the Arrow's still clueless about us…" Jasper let out a low whistle as he threw himself down on one of the chairs by the unsteady table. "Man, when we accepted this job… I don't know about you, but I was fucking positive he'd get to us the first night… The threat was barely worth the money… but now!"
Patrick shrugged his shoulders as he sunk onto another seat and dropped his balaclava on the table top. The dark mask seemed to glare back at him as he looked down at the eye holes. "Maybe he's getting lazy?"
"Don't fool yourselves," the third man, Doyle, scowled at his brothers as he handed them a bottle of beer from the fridge before taking one for himself. "We've gotten lucky this far. That's all. Didn't you read the papers or listen to the news? The Arrow and his sidekick were at the sight of the third bomb only minutes after we left. They're getting closer to us… Too close."
"Well… Not close enough, it would seem," the middle brother grinned coyly as his eyes darted from one brother to the other. "We've still got our heads attached, haven't we? This doesn't have to… blow up in our faces."
Doyle glared at his brother with kindled irritation. "You're not funny, you know."
"Yeah, you are, Pat!" Jasper chortled. "Man, can you believe the money we're earning on this? And all because of a little explosive hobby! No more debts… and no more working nights at the fucking deli! Only whores and fine drinking for the rest of our lives!"
An unexpected voice, dripping with impassive slickness and power, interrupted their discussion, "Well done, boys… Well done, indeed."
The three men scrambled frantically to attention as a man stepped out from the shadowy parts of the house and joined them in the untidy kitchen. The stranger was tall and lean, though his build suggested he was packing more muscle power than he let on. With a strong posture and smooth movements, he reminded all three brothers of a dangerous lizard, prepared to strike and snap everyone in half. The man's dark hair was slicked back and his olive skin tight around the muscles of his wide arms. The man had during their first encounter refused to give them a proper explanation, but the money he'd thrown in their faces, combined with his air of authority, had led them to not question it. They all had a feeling they were better off not knowing too much anyway.
Jasper was the first to recover and unsteadily sank back onto the edge of his chair, "Didn't see ya there, Mr Constantin… What's next for us? We only have one job left, am I right?"
The unnamed man grinned slyly. "The Arrow."
Doyle blinked rapidly as he took a step towards their employer. "... That better be a joke. The only reason we're still free and alive is because we haven't encountered him yet. I thought that was the plan, too. To not get caught."
"I didn't say 'Get Caught'," the authoritative figure growled and the echo of his voice left no room for interpretation. Doyle visibly shrank back.
"Then what are you saying?" Patrick asked carefully as he saw the balance restored and felt the tension ease up marginally.
"Blow him up."
"Ms Smoak… Are you telling me the Arrow's suddenly taken an interest in insurance rates?" Quentin questioned as he stepped out of his car and locked it. "Is he pissed or something that he's not getting the same deal as everyone else trying to insure his precious arrows?"
"I… might have started at the wrong end with that," the woman stuttered over the phone. "I'm talking about the Blazing Infernos, Detective."
Quentin nodded distantly as he tried to follow her line of thinking. "Figured out the connection, did you? We were on the same track, as a matter of fact. Seems like the insurance company is the only connection between the targets. If felt like a long shot, but if you think so, too, maybe it's not so far off from target."
"He wants me to give you the possible co-ordinates for tonight. I can't give you an exact, but a pretty viable idea when and where the bombs might go off."
"I'd appreciate that information, Ms Smoak. I'll make sure patrol cars are in the neighborhood," the detective assured as he walked across the parking lot towards the building further ahead. "Oh, and there was one more thing. I wanted to thank you for helping us catch that guy in the park. That was one hell of a punch, you know. I told the Arrow to thank you from me, but…"
The woman seemed to shrug off his gratitude easily, "It must have slipped his mind."
"I figured it might. Listen, I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but how about I take you out for burgers someday? As a thank you for what you did."
"There's no need."
Quentin tried to contain his sigh as he heard her deflect once more. With a slightly sterner voice, he added, "And also as a sign of friendship, Ms Smoak."
That seemed to do the trick as her voice became gentler and less business-like. "… I could do that."
"Great! I'll be in touch. Meanwhile, you take care of yourself, will you? I'd sleep sounder knowing that the Arrow won't be using you as bait anytime soon."
There was even a trace of amusement in her voice as she concluded, "I wasn't planning on it. Bye, Detective."
"Bye," he hung up as he stepped through the front door and stopped short just inside.
Several police cadets, and even veteran cops, nodded at him as he stepped further into the room. Behind most of them, in a corner of the large exercise hall, he saw his eldest daughter beating the crap out of a punching bag. He supposed it was better than being beaten by a bottle, but only marginally since he knew the real reason behind it. He exhaled slowly and crossed the final distance.
A thin sheen of sweat covered her forehead and shoulders as she lowered her boxing gloves and took a break as he approached.
"Hey, dad," Laurel breathed and removed one of her gloves to have a sip of water from the bottle he handed her.
"Hey…" Quentin grimaced and blinked innocently down at his girl as she moved back to the punching bag. "Remember when I told you not to get any ideas? This is exactly what I was talking about."
"I don't know what you mean, Dad."
He fixed her with a pointed glare. "Laurel, sweetheart… I'm your dad. You can't hide things from me."
"I'm just working out. Nothing more," she assured him with a small shrug as she re-started her training.
"Nothing…?" Quentin huffed. "Don't make me laugh!"
"I promise, Dad."
"Dinah Laurel Lance, don't lie to your father!"
Laurel dropped her stance then and turned her entertained frown in his direction. "… It's been awhile since you used your 'Mean Dad' voice."
Quentin shuffled from one foot to the other as he begrudgingly said, "Well, it's been awhile since you considered doing something this moronic. I'm concerned about you, sweetie."
"Me? What about you? You were in the hospital for over a month recovering from your internal injuries after Slade Wilson's army attacked the city, and you returned to work not that long ago…" Laurel's perceptive eyes seemed to drill a hole into his brain and read his secrets without a problem. She lowered her voice to not be overheard as she confronted him, "Don't you think I heard the news and figured it out? You and the Arrow worked together to catch that Park Killer a few nights ago. I thought we'd agreed you would be careful and not endanger yourself while you recovered."
Her father waved his index finger in the air as he stepped closer to her, "This is not about me! We both know I'm fully healed and wasn't in any danger that night… You're trying to change the topic, Laurel. If I asked you to reconsider and not pursue this crazy dream you have… would you listen to me?"
"I always listen to you," she smiled her most disarming smile.
"… But you never follow advice, do you? Stubborn child. Always having to walk your own path."
"Mmm…" the young woman cooed with a teasing grin. "Wonder who I get that from?"
Quentin didn't even miss a beat as he quipped, "Your mother."
"You have something for us, Felicity?" Oliver asked as he and Diggle gently jogged down the steps to the lair.
The woman barely glanced back at them as she showed them her finds on the monitors, "I do. I've spent the last hour triangulating possible bomb sights, and think I've got it. Based on the theory of elimination, it will be somewhere on this horizontal line, spanning over 12 blocks. There are only five different venues optimal for their assault in this area. Get this: only three of those stores have the same insurance company. I think it's where they'll attack tonight."
Diggle flashed her an impressed grin. "Good work, girl."
She returned the smile before she continued rambling, "Now, based on their usual window of operation and the fact that they leave the bombs out in the open - stupid, really, or just really cocky - I'd say there's a good chance we can find the bombs in time to disarm them tonight. We have no idea of knowing which will explode first or exactly when, so we'll need all hands on this."
"Fine," Oliver agreed with a tight nod. "I'll go after the first one, Diggle the second and you and Roy can take the third. How long do we have before they start exploding?"
"Well, the first bomb usually goes off around ten, so forty minutes from now. It's just a guess, but I imagine they're busy placing the bombs out as we speak. With any luck, we can catch the gang itself."
Oliver steadily held her gaze as he inclined his head a second time. "Let's get to work."
Felicity grimaced and wrung her hands in front of her blouse-clad chest as she said, "There's one more thing. I hacked the police report to see how these bombs were built, and they don't seem to be too tricky to disarm, except…"
"Except?" the man with the short scruff baited.
"Remember how I referred to the third bomb as a wild one? Boy, was I right. It's designed differently from the other two it's paired with. Not only does it mean it inflicts more damage, it will also be harder to deactivate. I won't go into details, but… If you find the wild bomb - which will be pretty easy because it's the only one with blue wires – I suggest you evacuate rather than try to deactivate."
The guys exchanged a glance. Oliver turned back to the woman and agreed, "Alright. Call in Roy."
"Already ready," the youngest man called from somewhere behind them. The trio turned to see him step out from the backroom, dressed the part of hooded vigilante already. Roy offered them a sly grin and a shrug of his muscular shoulders. "What are you waiting for?"
As Roy stopped the motorcycle on the street just outside the toy shop, Felicity easily jumped off from behind him.
The young man tensed as his eyes drifted forward. "… Felicity," he said and nodded at the black van that was just about to cut a corner up ahead. Roy turned back to gaze up at her with conflicted eyes that seemed to ask for permission.
"Go! I'll be fine," she promised and the youngest vigilante nodded his head before he sped off on his motorcycle to chase the bad guys before they could get away a second time.
As soon as he was out of sight, the woman tapped her headset and informed the others of the current development. "We got here just in time to see the black van drive away. Roy's going after the Blazing Infernos while I'm going to find the bomb."
There was a slight pause, but she knew the other two had heard her. She was also positive they wanted to argue with her about the decision, but hopefully knew better by now. After a few long seconds, it was Oliver who spoke, "I've found my bomb."
"Do you want me to walk you through it?" the woman asked as she knelt by the front door to pick the lock.
"I think I can disarm it without help."
"Careful," she asked of him as the lock clicked and she pushed the door open.
It was an old toy store with rows and rows of new and vintage toys of varying size and attributes. She swallowed as she slowly stepped further into the store and looked for the bomb. The darkened store was quiet as the dead of night and she felt shivers run down her spine as she continued further into the heart of the business.
Oliver's voice interrupted her tense walk with a short, "It's done. It's disarmed."
"I've got my eyes on the second bomb…" Diggle's voice informed them then. "Hang on."
Felicity rounded an aisle and froze as she saw the device that rested on the floor only a few paces before her. It was metallic and almost a yard in length where it simply lay on the cold, tile floor. For an outsider, it might even have looked like another toy. She walked over to it and knelt beside it. "… And I just found the third one."
"Dammit," she heard John's voice cut through the night and she recognized the despair in his voice at once. She clenched her left hand into a tight fist as she reached out to the control panel of her bomb.
"What is it, Dig?" Oliver's concern was practically palpable in her ear.
"Mine's the regular bomb."
Felicity removed the mantle over the display of 'her' bomb and clarified, eliminating any trace of doubt as she spoke, "… I've got the wild one."
Roy's bike easily cut through traffic as he pursued the black van ahead. As the car swerved off onto a mostly abandoned road, the young vigilante saw his opportunity and seized it. He extended his left wrist and fired a small arrow at the back tire. The red arrow embedded itself in the rubber and exploded. As it blew, the van swerved off the road into a lamppost by the main road.
Roy parked his motorcycle a few feet away from the van and withdrew his bow as he approached. He threw upon the passenger door and aimed his bow at the three men squeezed into the front seat. They all looked at him with panic as the tip of his sharp arrow pointed at them one at a time.
"… You're not the Arrow," one of the men quipped at length.
"Astute observation," Roy growled, his voice contorted by the voice filter. "Now, I think we all know what just happened. It's time you surrender… Who are you?"
"We're the O'Flannigans, kid. Or, maybe you know us by our more flamboyant moniker: The Blazing Infernos."
"Have a nasty little family business, do you?" the vigilante snarled as he glanced between them. "I didn't know there was this much money in the insurance business."
The driver chortled and nudged the man sitting beside him. "Didn't I say they'd fall for it?"
"Not insurance fraud then?" Roy questioned as he read between the lines. "Tell me the truth!"
"You won't kill us," the man closed to him snorted.
"There are plenty ways to hurt you without killing you," the red hood assured in a low voice. "Spill!"
"It wasn't our idea, okay?!" the driver snarled. "We were paid to do it!"
"By who?!" Roy shouted right back.
"Quiet, Doyle!" the man in the middle hissed and reached for his brother.
"All we know is that it was a ruse to test the Arrow!" the driver continued and shrugged off the other man's hands. "We were hired by a man-"
Without warning, the van suddenly exploded. As it went up in flames, Roy was thrown back into the gravel by the shock wave. He moaned and coughed as his body hit the ground and ached all over. He felt unscathed and slowly pushed onto his feet again.
His jaw dropped as he gazed up at the van entirely consumed by fire and the smoke billowing towards the foreign skies.
Felicity licked her lips and shuffled in her position to get better access to the bomb and the many blue wires that glared back at her tantalizingly. "I might be able to disarm it."
"Felicity, you made the call earlier - get out of there!"
"I could still-"
"It's not up for debate!" Oliver's voice growled in her ear.
The woman scowled as she turned off her microphone and leaned closer to the bomb on the ground. Oliver had a point, she had to get out, but a part of her wanted to deactivate this bomb first. If it went off, it could kill people and that was something she had rather wanted to avoid. She hesitated on the precipice.
An unfamiliar voice suddenly echoed in the darkness behind her, "You won't be able to deactivate it."
She yelped and jumped around hurriedly. She looked up at the source of the voice, and what she saw only increased her shock. Because of the darkened space, she couldn't make out much more than the silhouette and a few details of her company. The person – a man from the looks of his strong, muscular posture - wore a black mask with a dark, skin-tight suit of a rubbery-like substance she couldn't pinpoint. A blue figure of some sort seemed to be drawn across his chest, from shoulder to shoulder. She squinted. It looked similar to a bat.
The woman swallowed slowly and tried to keep a level head about the unexpected turn of events. She'd been in the business long enough to know a masked face could mean both friend or foe, and sometimes a little bit of both.
"How much time?" the man asked and she recognized the slight mechanical touch to the voice that had to be created by a hidden voice filter.
Felicity stuttered and turned back to the bomb. "…I don't know."
As she touched the mantle again, the bright display on the bomb suddenly showed a pixeled arrow followed by the word "DIE", before a clock started to count down from 1:00.
"Oh, that's not good," the blonde muttered under her breath.
The man's mechanically altered voice resonated between the walls behind her and pulled her back to clarity, "We need to get out of here. I've cleared the perimeter. No one else is in the house… Unless you want to die in here, I suggest you trust me."
The woman rose from the ground to face him. She decided to throw caution to the wind as she inclined her head and held his gaze.
As the bomb went off, Oliver was already rushing across the rooftops to get to the third location. Felicity's headset seemed to be turned off – or worse – and the possible reason behind it only drove him to greater speed. He flew across the rooftops like a ghost and before he knew it, he'd run the eight blocks to get to her.
He breathed heavily as he gazed up at the billowing smoke rising from the building she'd been in.
"Oliver? I'm with Roy. Do you see her?!" Diggle's panicked voice echoed in his earpiece.
Oliver's gaze flew across the streets below, but he could only see injured witnesses and firemen in the growing crowd. No Felicity Smoak. His gaze flew across the area and as they landed on the building across the street, his heart stopped. Through the thick, grey smoke, he made out two figures on the rooftop. One was definitely Felicity's slender frame but the other was noticeably taller and unfamiliar. He wasted no time as he fired a grappling hook arrow to swing himself across the abyss. As he swung, he saw the other masked man leap off the side of the building and disappear into the dead of night.
Oliver landed beside Felicity on the rooftop and she jumped by his sudden presence. His hand came up to her cheek as her shocked eyes tried to focus. Her hand, in turn, clasped his shoulder and clutched on tight to the leather, as if needing to reassure herself of his presence. Her face was tainted with soot but she seemed to be otherwise unharmed. Oliver released a relieved breath of air he hadn't been aware of keeping in.
"Hey, hey…" he whispered to try and calm them both down. His voice seemed to draw her back until her eyes cleared. "Are you okay?"
"I-I'm fine," she said and waved a hand in the direction the stranger had disappeared. "He got me out in time."
Oliver glanced in the same direction. "Who was he?"
"He… He wasn't very talkative," Felicity shook her head. "He only said his name was Nightwing…"
'Episode 2' to come!