A gap-filler between 5x04 and 5x05.

I already like Wild Dog although it's difficult to say that the concept of this character is original. But I think that Rick Gonzalez is a great cast and puts some spirit into Wild Dog, what balances Generic Tropes he consists of. And he has an amazing chemistry with Stephen Amell. Also I just can't dislike character that references Robin Hood. Of course I'm sure that Rene won't survive this season (characters like that usually don't).

Most likely AU after 5x05 airs. Warnings: torture, language.

Many thanks to supercode for beta!

Loyal as a Dog

Things don't look up for Rene Ramirez. At this very moment, his world is narrowed to the inside of some old abandoned warehouse and filled with pain inflicted by Church's men. They are faceless to him; the room is heavily shadowed in corners and he can barely see them, blinded by blood and sweat pouring into his eyes and bright lighting located somewhere over his head and tied up hands. Rene feels like a piece of meat, hanging from the hook in the butcher's shop. They don't show much sophistication as they torture him—they simply slowly and methodically beat him to death, surely enjoying their time and paying attention only to not finishing him too early. They can lash out at him that the vigilantes are interfering with their business. He is going to pay the price for all of them.

Only when he loses consciousness, he earns short moments of blissful unawareness. But those don't last long, as he is quickly woken up with another brutal punch, or a blow with a truncheon or a taser shot. And his suffering starts again.

Then a moment of comforting darkness lasts a bit longer. He wonders half-consciously if his body has given up and slowly started to shut off, because he doesn't feel pain any more. On some level he is aware about his surroundings. He registers movement, then stillness, a jingle of the chain he has been tied up with the only sound breaking the silence...

Rene draws a sharp breath and raises his head abruptly. He glances around as much as he can. Blood from the cut over his eye flows freely, interrupting his vision, but he realizes that for a short moment he has been left alone. He remembers briefly that just before he had passed out again, Church sent one of his men to call the rest for some meeting.

His breath is heavy and labored. His arms are numb, wrists abraded by the chain. He can barely feel them, but he considers it a "minor" discomfort compared to the ache in the rest of his body. He wonders bleakly how many fractured ribs he has. His tormentors were also quick to discover his not-that-old injury of the right knee—he hadn't completely mended after Green Arrow had shot him to teach a lesson. Now his leg is throbbing unmercifully, as they had used it as a special target to inflict him with more pain. He glances at his abandoned hockey goaltender mask, lying forgotten on the ground—a patch of white surrounded by darkness. Right now his bruised face, covered by fresh and dried blood from various cuts, must look like some grotesque one.

Damn.

It is a really fucking wrong way for a day to go. He hangs his head down. It seems an age—an eternity—since he has been dragged here, but in fact it must have been no more than a couple of hours. At the mere thought that there might be many more to come before they will finally finish him off, his blood turns to ice.

This is one of the possibilities he hasn't really been thinking of—that he will be taken prisoner and beaten to death. Green Arrow would probably say that thinking ahead is a concept entirely alien to him. Well, that wouldn't be far from truth.

He wonders if Queen is back in the city and aware of what has happened. If he plans to come for him. Robin Hood would never abandon any of his Merry Men, right? Then again, that old show he had been watching as a kid might be not the best reference. Especially because, he reminds himself, of the many times he had pissed him off by disobeying his orders, or by acting reckless and screwing up the whole operation in the process. Rene called him boss, but didn't respect him, and that was mutual. So maybe he will just cut him loose. Then he can tell others something like: "You see? Rene was foolish and reckless, and didn't listen to me. Think of what has happened to him as an example."

But deep down he latches to a spark of hope that he won't abandon him. Only that it might be too late.

The truth is vigilantes are not invincible, especially ordinary guys, like them. It seems that their life span is rather short (is roughly six months of doing this a long time or not?). They aren't meta-humans, only men. He thinks about Laurel Lance, murdered by Darhk. Come to think of it, quite a number of people working with Queen ended up dead or their life got screwed up. Lance was kicked out of the force and that Harper guy took the fall for him. Blondie had told Rene that he is still alive, but what sort of life that was, being a fugitive who has to hide for the rest of his life?

Still, much better than his current fucked up situation. If he could only free himself... He glances up, squinting his eyes in the strong light, and yanks the chain, testing it, but it holds strongly. A fresh surge of pain shoots through his wrists and arms. He grits his teeth and stops to struggle. He simply doesn't have enough strength left.

Green Arrow had said repeatedly that Wild Dog is not cut out for this vigilante stuff. That he is not able to cooperate with others. But in fact Rene is a team player. He used to be a goalkeeper, both in hockey and in soccer, during his college years. And everyone knows that one has to be a bit crazy to become a goalkeeper. It is almost like a team within a team. Someone covering the back of others. At all costs.

And that was the kind of a sacrifice he had done today. He managed to cover up the retreat of his team. He knows it was damn stupid to rush into hand-to-hand combat with Church, but he had run out of ammo and had no time to reload. It was the only option. Better not to think what those assholes would do to Evelyn if she was the one they had caught. Then he wonders if Curtis made it out alive; that injury he had gotten looked pretty bad. His thoughts veer toward Rags next. He could probably take down all these fuckers by himself—pity that he is not in the vicinity...

A sound of approaching footsteps makes him wary. He knows that his tormentors are coming back to finish their job. A short moment later Church appears in his field of vision, glancing at him curiously as if he was surprised that he is still alive and sane. His men stop at a distance, forming a loose circle.

"How is it hanging?" Church asks jovially.

Rene glowers at him, wishing he could free himself from the chains and punch him in the face, just to wipe out that arrogant smile.

"You have been one very disobedient dog. What do you think your master will say once we deliver him what is left of you in a shoebox?"

Rene still says nothing. No matter what he does it won't spare him suffering, but he has no wish to engage in small talk with this son of a bitch.

"Listen, lad, you've really impressed me." Church puts his arm around his shoulders, in a seemingly friendly manner. The touch of his heavy hand makes Rene's flesh creep. At the same time he feels anger welling up in his chest—how he wishes he could make a stand...

"So, I have a proposition for you. Just tell me who Green Arrow is and I'll grant you a quick, merciful death." He has a gun in his other hand, and for sure it is not an empty threat—or promise.

So that is what this is all about? Rene reconsiders his options. When he had served in the army he had seen people broken by torture. He knows that he won't be able to resist much longer. That sooner or later they will manage to wrest that piece of information from him and kill anyway, so why bother... And who is Queen to him after all? Is it worth it to take that beating for his sake...?

But then suddenly, a distant yet vivid image appears in his mind, quite unexpected but in some way very accurate in reflecting his present situation. He saw a documentary once about African wildlife (it seemed that he had way too much spare time when he was unemployed a couple of years ago). There was a wounded wild dog, surrounded by a committee of vultures. Its rear paw was injured and it couldn't escape. It was literally torn apart, piece by piece, by those birds while still being alive. And yet, it tried to defend itself even when the situation was hopeless. Bared its fangs and kept attacking back, even despite the fact that the vultures were too quick for him. It resisted till the bitter end...

Rene swallows hard—his throat is completely dry—and makes a decision, although his guts twist at the mere thought of what will come shortly after.

"Go... to... hell," he utters, his voice hoarse, but audible enough.

Upon hearing this answer Church's glance becomes stone-cold and cruel. He steps back and gazes at his men.

"Very well then. He's all yours, boys."