Summary: After defeating and surviving Slade Wilson's siege on Starling City, crimes have been at an all time low in the past five months. But what happens when a new challenger emerges, which causes Oliver to make one of the biggest decisions of his life? Will he do what he thinks is best for him, or best for his friends and Starling City? I do not own none of the characters, everything belongs to DC. (Obviously?)
"The calm before the storm."
Train tracks
Oliver was running through trees before coming along the tracks. On the road, nearby, was a red truck.
"Got em." Oliver said, tapping into his comms. "Coming up 52nd Street, heading east."
Felicity was listening, while checking the cameras on the street.
"Copy that. Or is it roger?" Felicity asked. "I never know the difference John, there's an illegal shipment of RPGs headed your way." She announced.
John was driving in the black van, down the street.
"Roger, I'm on it." He replied.
"Oh, so it is roger." Felicity said.
The hooded vigilante waited for the right moment to jump down on top of the truck's trailer. Jumping over, he fires an arrow, which explodes and disconnects the trailer from the truck. John made a quick stop before opening the trailer to find a crates of the weapons.
"RPGs are secure, I've got eyes on." John confirmed, pointing the flashlight at the crates.
"Roy, we're coming to you!" Oliver yelled out.
Oliver moved over to the side of the passenger seat window and caved his gloved fist into the window. He hit the driver in the face before climbing back up on top of the truck and onto the other side. Oliver grabbed the wheel, trying to take the driver off the road. Roy arrived and shot two arrows at the tires, forcing the truck to stop. The driver fired a shot at Oliver, who ducked before he even pulled the trigger. Oliver waited for the driver to open the door, and once he did, he used his bow to trip the driver to the floor.
Seeing Roy in his suit, scared the driver off as he tried to run away. Oliver chased the driver down, through the rain, until they split up in a warehouse. The driver was stopped when Oliver shot an arrow, that exploded into cables, stopping their target. Oliver then punched him in the face.
"Vincent Steelgrave, you have failed this city!" He said, with a modulated voice and then knocked him out.
The next morning, Queen Industrial
"The Arrow just took down another one of the city's most wanted, and there's no denying that the city's crime rate has plummeted in the past five months." The lady on the news said.
"You're welcome." Felicity muttered, watching the news in the bunker.
"But so has its unemployment rate and its population. We have experienced two terrorist attacks in as many years. Starling City is dying, and a prison full of criminals-"
"Take another off the board." Oliver ordered to Felicity, walking in the bunker.
"We keep this up, there will only be two types of criminals left in Starling City," John said, following Oliver, with Roy. "the ones we put away and the ones that are running scared."
Oliver placed his bow in the glass case while everyone else was looking at the computer screen. It had photos of many criminals in Starling City, all but two were grey'd out, meaning they've been caught. Oliver then noticed something.
"What's that?" He asked.
"A fern, it thrives on the light." Felicity answered, the two walking towards the plant. "I thought since you were living here now, the place could do with a little sprucing."
"You should buy me a bed." Oliver said.
"You were sleeping on the floor." Felicity replied.
Then her phone started buzzing.
"Another text from Thea." Felicity announced, handing Oliver the phone.
"Where is she now?" John asked.
"Amalfi Coast. I keep telling her to send photos." Oliver answered, while Roy marched away with a smug on his face.
"I'm going to go do a patrol, clear my head." Roy said.
"Hey," Oliver called out, stopping him. "you did really good tonight."
Roy nodded before leaving.
"I'm going to head out, too." Felicity said. "I have to pull an early shift at work today, which may or may not be the most depressing thing I've ever said."
"But we're still on for tomorrow night?" Oliver asked.
"Absolutely, I'm going to turn you into corporate master of the universe. Those board members are going to be begging to sell Queen Consolidated back to you and your backers." Felicity answered, before leaving.
"I'm going to roll out, too." John said. "Lyla has me trying to build the bassinet from hell."
As John was walking, Oliver followed.
"That reminds me.." Oliver said.
Then, Oliver showed Diggle a necklace, with an Isotoxal star.
"I figured since you and Lyla are having a girl." Oliver said, grinning.
"Man, you cannot afford this." John replied, smiling back.
"I can't afford anything, which is why I made it." Oliver said. "Arrowheads, one of the few things that I can make."
"Well, it's beautiful. Thank you." John responded.
"Congratulations, John. And not just on the baby. You and Lyla are happy." Oliver said.
"Well, you know you should try it some time." John suggested.
"Last girlfriend, she's in the League of Assassins." Oliver said, referring to Sara Lance. "My girlfriend before that, she shot my girlfriend before that. I'm not.. not exactly a catch at the moment."
"Maybe Felicity will change all that." John said.
"It's.. it's not the right time." Oliver responded.
"Things are as good now as ever will be, Oliver." John said. "And you love her, you even told her so."
"I was only trying to fool Slade." Oliver replied.
"Yes." John agreed. "Except now the only person you're fooling is yourself." He told Oliver, who didn't say anything back. "Thanks again." John said before leaving the bunker.
Five years ago, Hong Kong
A younger Oliver Queen was running through a crowd, bumping into people. Oliver grabbed a random man's phone and used to dial a number, but was interrupted by a gun shot. A Chinese man in a suit had fired the gun and continued chasing Oliver. He continued running, knocking down boxes, trying to get away from the man. Oliver then ran inside of some story and knocked over a guy, who using the computer.
Oliver was typing up an email, saying that he was alive and was in Hong Kong but before he could finish, a gun flew through the computer monitor. The man in the suit stood at the door and engaged in hand-to-hand combat with Oliver Queen. He spin kicked Oliver to the floor and began speaking, in Chinese, to Oliver.
"I told you, I don't speak Chinese!" Oliver yelled.
"And I told you, you try to escape again, I beat you senseless." The man translated, before knocking Oliver out.
Present day, Starling City
Vincent Steelgrave, in handcuffs, was being escorted by a police officer. He was then put in the back of a truck, which was labeled, "Department of Corrections."
"Steelgrave took a plea for 15 to 20." Laurel informed Oliver. "His lawyer folded like a deck chair after I hit him with the evidence that the Arrow gathered."
"Good work." Oliver said.
"You catch 'em, I cook 'em." Laurel responded. "Did I say that too loud?"
"No, you're fine." Oliver said.
"Did you ever think that we'd end up as business partners?" Laurel asked, as the two were walking together.
"Is that why you invited me down here, Laurel? To see Mr. Steelgrave sent off into his new life?" Oliver asked.
"No." She answered. "I have a surprise for you."
The two were walking as a man in a police uniform turned around, revealing to be Quentin Lance, Laurel's father.
"What's your dad doing here?" Oliver asked.
"You'll see." She said. "I'll be right back."
Laurel walked over to Quentin.
"Dad, how are you?" She asked, greeting him.
"Well, if they had told me press conferences came with a promotion, I would tell them I prefer getting shot at." Quentin answered.
"Good thing your doctors didn't give you a choice, then." Laurel replied.
"You know, you could try to hide the fact you're glad I can't get out in the field anymore." He said.
"I can't hide that I'm glad that you're safe." Laurel said.
She walked back to Oliver as Quentin stepped up to the podium, in front of a wide crowd of people, reporters and cameramen.
"What's all this?" Oliver asked.
"Your surprise." Laurel answered.
"Thank you all, thank you for coming. Five months ago, this city was under siege." Quentin said, bringing up the siege, led by Slade Wilson. "And the SCPD rallied behind a man in a hood." During the siege, the police department joined forces with Oliver Queen, aka the Arrow. "Well, I ended up with a captain's rank, and he didn't even get a thank you. But today, he does. 'Cause today, the Starling City Police Department is formally recognizing the individual known as the Arrow."
Laurel and Oliver were smiling.
"And I'm using my new position to disband the Anti-vigilante Task Force charged with capturing him." Captain Lance announced.
"Thank you." Oliver says to Laurel.
Same time, elsewhere
"Now make no mistake, vigilantism will never be tolerated but I refuse to hunt, in the name of this city, the hero who saved it."
"Shut that crap off." A man said, entering the room where a television was on display. "Less heat on the Arrow means more heat on us."
"And the ATF now has our shipment of grenade launchers." Another guy said, sitting on the couch with a beer bottle.
"They got our shipment already?" The third guy said, with ginger hair. "What are we paying bribes to the cops for?"
"We have a more pressing concern." A voice said and in the distance, was a shadow. "Lack of leadership. I nominate myself. Any objections?"
"Yeah, a few." A bald haired man answered, standing up.
"Illuminate me." The mystery man said.
"Where do I start? It's not just that you talk funny. You don't know the first thing about business." He said, the other men also stood up. "You're just a low level street dealer, a pill pusher."
"Those pills I push?" The guy said, stepping into the light, revealing himself. He had a tattoo of a dragon on his neck. "Are known as Vertigo." He informed him before tossing a needle, which nailed the bald headed man in the neck. "In the wake of the Count, I tinkered some with his formula, introduced an additive produced by certain mushrooms."
The bald guy's vision became blurry as he is confronted.
"My Vertigo reveals the face of your greatest fear." The man with the dragon tattoo informed him, his voice echoing.
The bald guy looked at his face transform, as the man now had bloodied fangs and a black skull, roaring. The bald man took a step back as he was frightened before getting stabbed in the neck.
"As I was saying, lack of leadership. I nominate myself. Any objections?" He asked, circling the room. "Our course of action is straight as an arrow. Gentlemen, we're going to kill him."
Later, Verdant
"Hey, how was work?" Oliver asked Felicity.
"It is not work, it is a soul crushing exercise of misery that offers health and dental. Suffice it to say, I am highly motivated to help convince the board to tell you back the company." Felicity answered. "Unfortunately, you don't really have the qualifications to run Queen Consolidated, but what you do have is passion. You care about the company and the people that work there, that's what you have to get across to them. You got to speak from the heart."
"Felicity," Oliver said, stopping. "would you like to go out to dinner with me?"
"I'm being serious here, Oliver." Felicity replied.
"So am I." He said.
"I don't want to read... too much into this, but are you asking me on a date? Like an actual date? Like a date-date?" Felicity asked.
"I mean, the implication being with dinner that you-" Oliver is cut off.
"Usually, I'm the one talking in sentence fragments." Felicity said.
There was an awkward silence between them.
"Would you like to go to dinner with me?" Oliver asked, once again.
"Yes." Felicity answered, finally.