Zambesi, Africa

Five years ago…

Most of the time, Laurel could stand the intense heat of the desert weather. However, today seemed hotter than usual. Wearing a light blue tank top and cargo shorts, the material of her clothing stuck to her skin while her forehead rained with perspiration. She glanced at her roommate and friend, Mari, who easily adapted to the country's climate as she passed along food and supplies to the appreciative community of the small village called Idanmin.

It had been several weeks since she enrolled in London's International Diplomatic Studies program and she wanted to prove herself and to her peers and colleagues that she was more than a pretty face. More importantly, she wanted time to forget the tragedy of losing Sara and Ollie at sea. Reaching for the first aid kit inside the truck to help administer medicine to the sick children of Idanmin, she directed her attention to her fellow classmate, a handsome, brown haired gentleman with striking blue eyes. He was tall, athletically built and reminded him so much of the blond haired rich boy she once loved. Shaking her head, she refocused on the task at hand.

"Let me get that for you, Dinah," said the man. He reached on the top shelf of the supplies truck and handed her the first aid kit. Laurel had been using her birth name intentionally so as to conceal the pain of her life as Laurel back home in Starling City. So far, it was not working.

"Thank you, Richard," smiled the brown haired beauty. Her colleague, Richard Drakunovski, helped carried the heavy container toward the awaiting tent where her teacher and host, Professor Otomo Wu-san had been inoculating the Idanmin children. The Asian instructor gestured to the pair entering the tent.

"Could you give the infants a bath?" Professor Wu-san asked. "Many of them have bad rashes from the climate and I need to cleanse some of their open sores from getting infected."

Both Laurel and Richard agreed. Tending to the babies was one of the brown haired student's favorite assignments, she always wondered what would it be like to be a mother. She often daydreamed being married, having a family and she hoped that Oliver Queen would eventually come around and share in the same idea. Unfortunately, that never was going to happen.

Lifting one of the crying infants in her arms, she laid the babe in the warm tub of water and gently bathed him. Richard attempted to do the same with his charge but got a face full of pee from his giggling patient. Laurel could not help herself as she tried not to laugh.

"That boy is going to fireman someday," grinned the young woman. "He's got good aim!"

Richard snorted. "Yeah, kids love me!" His face shot her a flirty smile to which Laurel blushed in response. She attempted to say something witty before her classmates entered the tent. Mari Jiwe, Ben Turner and Professor Wu-san's daughter Carolyn, slipped inside the makeshift building. Their instructor then signaled to the trio and gave them directions.

"Mari and Dinah!" Professor Wu-san stated. "Carolyn and Ben are here to relive you. Take your break and you'll help me with the food preparations later."

Caroline Wu-san smiled as she took Laurel's place and finished bathing the infant. The African American student named Ben Turner privately spoke to the professor as the two women exited from the tent. Mari grabbed Laurel's hand as they found shade inside the supplies truck and pulled out a couple of water bottles to appease their thirsts.

"What's it like coming back to Zambesi?" Laurel asked the African born Mari.

"Strange," answered the ebony skinned woman. "I left my country when I was eight and was adopted by my foster family in England. It's bizarre returning here but remarkably humbling." Her face turned toward Laurel's. "How about you, Dinah? How are you finding Zambesi?"

"Hot." Laurel answered bluntly. "I'm adjusting. Though, I'll have tons of dirty laundry to do when I get back home."

"And what about Richard Drakunovski?" Mari elbowed her.

Laurel's eyes rose. "What about Richard?"

Mari laughed. "I see how you two flirt. He's fancies you!"

Fancies. It was a cute English phrase that Mari enjoyed using that meant liking someone. Laurel admitted she found the man attractive but her thoughts still drifted to Ollie and her feelings for him still kept her torn. Was she really ready to move on? She looked away from her friend.

"Dinah, what's wrong?" Mari inquired. "Have I offended you?"

Laurel sighed. "It's nothing, McCabe." She enjoyed referring to Mari by her last name. It became a hidden joke between the two. Then she sighed. "I don't know if I'm ready to start dating. I told you about my sister and my ex-boyfriend…"

Mari frowned. "Dinah, it's been a year. You need to continue living for their sakes. Face it, the reason why you enrolled in this program overseas is because you needed to get away. You wanted a fresh start from all the pain at home. It's time you put the past behind you and move on. Live for Dinah and no one else."

His friend's words struck a chord in the brown haired beauty. Deep down, Laurel knew that she was here alive and well and willing to live her life helping people in honor of the people who mattered most to her. She was in the middle of an amazing experience, hoping to find some spiritual awakening, and maybe discover who Laurel Lance was than being someone's sister or a wealthy playboy's girlfriend. She needed to stop moping and take advantage of this golden opportunity.

"You're right, McCabe," she said. "I mean this is an awesome experience and I'm screwing it up. Out of all the candidates for Professor Wu-san's program, he selected only four students to accompany him and his daughter for ambassadorial work! I need to be grateful for this program and soak in this journey and learn from it!"

Mari embraced the young woman. "That's my girl! You can start by asking Richard Drakunovski out?"

Laurel clucked. "And where will we go on our first date? The Zambesi plains to see the gazelles run?"

"Hey, it's romantic!" The African woman scowled. "That where Ben and I kissed."

Laurel's mouth dropped. "You and Ben Turner?"

Folding her arms, Mari Jiwe frowned. "There's only three males in this program to date. Professor Wu-san, which is wrong on so many levels, Richard Drakunovski who is yours, and Ben Turner. I got my hands on Ben!"

"Don't forget, Carolyn Wu-san!" The brown haired beauty remarked. "Then again, she's always so serious and moody. Then again, she might not be into guys."

"That could explain her aggression with males," noted Mari. "She did get into a heated argument with the Idanmin shaman and threatened to rip his head off with her bare hands."

"It wouldn't surprise me," Laurel commented. "The woman sounds like someone you shouldn't mess with. Even if she Professor Wu-san's daughter, it would be best to stay from her."

"Point taken," said Mari. They clinked their water bottles together, drank several sips, and returned to their instructor's tent to handle their next duties.

Night came quickly as the group slept in their private tents. The peaceful sounds of birds, insects, and small howls echoed through the village. Laurel and Mari were enjoying a peaceful slumber until a large roar of vehicles woke them up. Darkened shadows appeared outside as the African woman awakened her roommate curled inside her sleeping bag.

"Dinah! Wake up!" Mari whispered.

Rubbing her eyes, Laurel forced herself up. "McCabe, what is it?"

Fear displayed in Mari's eyes. "There's people outside…"

Screams ignited in the tent as large, brutish figures ripped open the fabric of the covering. Soldiers in combat gear grabbed the two women dragging them from their sleeping bags and into an awaiting jeep. Gunfire and explosions vibrated through the air as the village of Idanmin was attacked by enemies. Laurel observed helplessly as men, women and children were dragged outside and shot. Some were violated by the soldiers. Horrified, Mari tugged at her arm.

"Okonkwo rebels!" The African woman gasped. "They are massacring everyone!

Amid the confusion, a pair of hands covered both women's mouths as the jeep drove away. A sweet odor permeated their nostrils and the pair slowly drifted into the darkness…


Bright sunlight flashed across Laurel's face blinding her. Reaching her hand over, she heard her alarm clock go off and she slammed her hand down to shut off the offensive device. Opening her eyes, she saw the time 7:15 a. m. and forced herself up. She remembered she had to be at Mari Jiwe's arraignment at ten and scrambled from the bed to hit the shower. After a nice half hour bath, she wrapped herself in a towel before her eyes scanned down the side of her body.

Dark purple bruises on her hips, abdomen, and thigh startled her. These were not small bumps but large attack welts as if someone had struck her. Her mind tried to refocus on last night's events. Nothing. She remembered coming home around eight, microwaving some leftover takeout, and going to bed. The rest was a blur.

"I must have fallen off the bed when I slept," she told herself. Shrugging off the bruises, she grabbed her clothes and fixed herself for her meeting with the judge.

Within an hour, she had pulled her long brown hair back, put on an ivory silk blouse, and stylish navy pencil skirt. Slipping on her dark pumps, she went to her closet to grab her blazer before her eyes darted down to the leather clothing and combat boots in the corner. A short, blonde wig had been piled on top of a feather domino mask and she leaned down to pick up both accessories.

"Hmm," she wondered. "Must be Joanna's when she crashed here a few nights ago? I don't want to know what's she's into." The thought of her coworker and best friend being into some kinky fetishes made her cringe. She returned the items back, grabbed her briefcase and prepared to head out the door. Her boyfriend Tommy Merlyn greeted at her apartment doorway holding a bag and a tray of Starbucks.

"Brought you breakfast," said the dark haired man. "Got you those muffins you love so much and a soybean latte."

"Tommy, thank you." Laurel smiled and gave him a tender kiss on the lips. "Unfortunately, I not really hungry. I have a lot on my mind with Mari's arraignment and how I'm going to approach this case…"

Being the attentive boyfriend, Tommy raised his hand. "Say no more. Can I at least accompany you to the court hearing?"

Laurel clucked his tongue. "Don't you have work to do on Oliver's nightclub?"

The dark haired man sighed. "Ollie bailed on me. He said to have me handle everything with the contractor this morning since he had a blind date with two twins last night."

Laurel swallowed hard and tried not to show an angry expression. "Twins?" She could not understand why her ex-boyfriend's antics bothered her so much. She tried to not think about it much.

Tommy breathed through his nostrils. "You know Oliver Queen and his bevvy of gorgeous conquests." His girlfriend glared at him. "Oh not you, Laurel, you're not gorgeous…I mean you are…but it's the type that Ollie goes for…" Trying desperately to backtrack, he seemed to be sinking even further.

Laurel stopped him. "Tommy. Fine. You can come with me to Mari's arraignment but lay low in and don't make any noise. This arraignment is important for me and my client. Don't ruin this for me!"

The dark haired man made a horizontal zip-up motion with his fingers to his mouth. "I promise. My lips will be sealed."

Taking the bag and the latte, Laurel rapidly munched on her food and she and Tommy took the stairs down to her car.


On other side of town, Oliver Queen provided his family a feeble excuse to skip breakfast as he hopped on his motorcycle and headed for The Triangle. Locating the secretive parking spot, he peeked behind an alleyway to see the burnt warehouse blockaded off with yellow caution tape. Sergeant Lance and his task force scoped the area as they investigated the crime scene.

One of the clean-up crews had left the back of the open. Seizing his chance, Ollie snuck in and grabbed a hazmat suit. Slipping on the uniform and with his face concealed by the oxygen mask, he entered the building now surrounded by ash, broken glass, and splintered wood. As the clean-up crew scoped the area, his foot touched something tiny in the corner of the arena where he and blonde siren escaped from the explosive blasts through the broken windows. Looking down, he saw the charred material of cloth and the mangled remains of what appeared to be blackbird pendant.

The choker. It was what the blonde siren was wearing. With no one watching, he slipped it inside his pocket and made his way outside. Sergeant Lance was busy conversing with his fellow officers to notice him slip past him as he raced toward the alley near where his motorcycle was parked. Tossing off the hazmat suit, Ollie threw the contents into a nearby dumpster, got on his motorcycle, and sped off to his lair.

He hoped the choker would provide him a lead.


Back at Starling City Courthouse, Laurel stood in front of Judge Carew as Mari Jiwe sat in her prison garb listening to her arraignment. Prosecutor Bill Tanner was ready to hang the African supermodel but Laurel Lance was not going to let that happen. Speaking in front of the judge, the brown haired woman made her case.

"Your Honor," said Laurel. "My defendant would like to plead not guilty in her participation of the murder of Edgar Mandragora.

Judge Carew, a steely old man, peered at the African woman and asked her. "Is this how you plead Miss Jiwe?"

"I do," said Mari.

"Then by the laws of Starling City a court trial will be set…" announced the judge. "Bail for the defendant will be set at one million dollars…"

"Wait!"

Murmurs and surprised voices resonated from the crowd seated in the courtroom. Even Tommy Merlyn who had been seated in the audience appeared shocked by the interloper. Judge Carew banged his gavel in response to the tall handsome, brown haired gentleman wearing a dark suit.

"Order in the court!" Judge Carew demanded. He eyed the blue eyed stranger. "Who are you, sir?"

"I'm Agent Richard Dranukovski of the government's Central Bureau of Intelligence!" The man flashed his badge. Laurel's mouth dropped as she and Mari whispered his name in union.

"Richard!"

The CBI operative crossed the aisle and nodded to both Laurel and Mari. "Miss Lance. Miss McCabe. I'm sorry we're reuniting under these tragic circumstances but be aware that I'm here to do my job." He turned to the judge and pulled out a document from his suit pocket. "In accordance to the Pentagon's International Act, Miss McCabe is a foreign suspect and must be released to the custody of the CBI where she will be awaiting her trial for the murder of Edgar Mandragora under international law."

Judge Carew accepted the document, reviewed it, and shared his information with the court. "It seems that Miss McCabe won't be standing trial in Starling City and will be put under the custody of CBI. Agent Dranukovski, the defendant will be released to your custody at noon tomorrow!"

Prosecutor Bill Tanner stood up from the table to protest. "Your honor, I object! This is highly unorthodox!"

Judge Carew remained firm. "It's out of jurisdiction, Mr. Tanner. The international document is legally binding and since Miss McCabe is a foreign visitor, she will be tried under the international courts." He then turned to the bailiffs. "Please escort, Miss McCabe, back to her confinement until tomorrow when the CBI comes to collect her."

The bailiffs did as they were told and a saddened Mari Jiwe was returned back to her cell. Laurel approached agent and folded her arms.

"Richard? What are you doing here?" She asked with concern.

"Saving her life," answered the CBI operative. "And maybe yours."