[CHAPTER IV: OMISSIONS]
"Ben!" Emily shot up from her hardened cot, awakening from her unconscious state. Her anxious voice reverberated through the enclosed spherical cell she was in. It was small, but not cluttered and inhibitive. She immediately got up to her feet. The cell was equipped with a skylight at the zenith of the ceiling. Sunlight beamed through it, giving the cell a natural lighting. The walls were lined with lined with halogen light fixtures. At the corner adjacent to her cot was a stainless steel toilet and a sink with essential toiletries. An Asian folding screen blocked them from view for privacy. Well, at least she knew she had some decent hospitality around here. For a holding cell, it was oddly clean.
The entrance of the cell was locked with a glass sliding door. From her side, it showed the cell's reflection. Emily was willing to bet that it was a one-way mirror. It was a type of imprisonment where the prisoner cannot see her captors, but the captors can keep close eyes on her. She sighed in frustration and slapped her hand against the glass. She hated the idea of not knowing what was beyond her current living quarters. At least with Malcolm Black, she was held in a cage from which she could observe her surroundings. Here, she was blind. It would be impossible to plan any action. She's dealing with someone smart and organized.
Right now, she was not worried about herself. She was worried about Ben. At the Grayson Manor, she barely managed to save him from being punctured in the throat by their attacker's switchblade. That guy moved fast and efficiently. If Emily failed to move by a split second later, Ben would have been on her floor, dying in his own blood. But, instead of being able to subdue the intruder, Emily was subdued by his sleeper technique. She awoke in the trunk of the car. She was hoping the absence of Ben's body next to her meant that her abductor spared his life. She saw how the man dismantled Ben's gun in a routine fashion, as if he did it often. He could have used it to shoot Ben, that would have eliminated him as a threat. Maybe he was not planning to murder Ben with his switchblade. Maybe he was just going to use it to bargain Ben's life for Emily's surrender.
Not knowing, that was a real nuisance in her life. Planning for revenge meant to know every single variable. How did the intruder get into her home undetected? Did he take advantage of her disarming the alarm to make his way in? Did he kill Ben or not? If another man died because of just being in her life, Emily would never forgive herself. Hell, she still shouldered the burden of Aiden's and Daniel's death upon herself. Especially Daniel's. From the get-go, he was not a target. She had told Nolan and Aiden that repeatedly. She even told herself that repeatedly, even when Daniel rebelled in their marriage with Sara, the woman whose life Daniel destroyed in a drunk driving accident. Why did Daniel have to be there to save her? She should have been shot, not him.
Survivor guilt will not solve anything. Emily cleared her head and inspected the toiletries on the sink. She was given a toothbrush, a small tube of toothpaste, a bar of soap, a small towel, and a roll of toilet paper. Was this a hotel for the kidnapped? Or did her captors have germophobia? Did they only like clean people? Were they actually humane? Puzzled, she turned on the sink, finding that the water functioned perfectly. She went over to the toilet and flushed it, also finding that it too works. What the hell is going on?
She must have broadcasted that thought a little too loud. The door to her cell unlocked and slid open. The man who put her here stepped inside and beamed at the sight of her. "Oh, hallo meine Frau! Wie gehts?" He chuckled at her incomprehensive expression. "Sprichst du Deutsch nicht? Schöne."
"Who are you? What do you want with me?" Emily demanded sternly, crossing her arms boldly.
"You are right, ja," the abductor nodded. "Mein Name ist Falco. Und yours? Ah ja, Ich kenne. Du are Emily Thorne."
Emily was confused. At the Manor, this Falco did not speak in this German/English manner. He sounded American. Is he playing mind games with her? His arrogance was becoming an annoyance. She exhaled deeply. "Why am I here?"
"Das ist not meine thing to say," Falco replied. "Ich will take you to unser boss. I told him about deine fighting skills. He wants to meet you. Come, meine Frau!" He gestured for her step out of the cell before him.
Emily walked past him and attempted to ambush him with an elbow to the face. He instinctively deflected her strike and penned her arm behind her back, shoving her against the wall. "Ficken Frau! Kennst du wer ich bin?!" He hotly breathed on her neck. Emily defiantly struggled against his grip. Falco giggled with boyish excitement, entertained by her tenacity. He handled her with ease, pushing her into the corridor outside of the cell. Emily turned to strike him back, but found herself with a pistol pointed at her head.
"Enough play," Falco said, switching back to his American accent. His dark eyes seared into hers. "Let's go. The Cygnus is waiting for you. He's not a patient man." He grabbed her by shoulder and turned her around. "Walk."
Emily was lead down a series of dimly lit halls filled with cells just like hers. From the glimpses she was able to get, each cell was brightly lit by skylights, as if putting a natural spotlight on the person inside. She was not able to recognize any faces, for she was rushed along with a gun pressed against her lower back. Falco kept a close distance behind her, whistling incandescently. Some patrolmen they encountered along the way spoke to Falco in German as they passed. Judging from his peers ugly expressions toward him, Falco was not a well-liked man. If only she knew what they spoke to him about. Why did she only focus on Japanese when learning with Takeda?
"Did you kill my boyfriend?" Emily surprised herself, uttering it without thought.
"No," Falco answered firmly. "He's alive, as long as he does not do anything stupid."
A weight was lifted from her shoulders. She could breathe a little easier knowing that Ben was alive. Falco brought her to a set of double doors guarded by two tall men. With the gun still planted at her back, he recited, "Kogda lebed'umirayet, on poyet svoyu poslednuyu dykhaniye."
The guard to Emily's left smirked slyly, his aquamarine eyes looking at Falco with condescension. "Deine russische ist noch schrecklich, Falco." He and the other guard tittered amongst themselves.
Falco growled and aimed the gun over Emily's shoulder, firing a bullet into the left guard's knee. Emily jumped a bit and gasped in shock as the guard screamed in agony, falling to the ground holding the bloody wound with both of his hands. The other guard cursed at Falco and made to grab his gun, but the German was faster and trained his gun at his head. "Get the fuck out of our way."
The guard immediately obeyed, tending to his wounded comrade as Falco shuffled Emily through the doors. They swung closed behind them, blocking out the bawling and cursing. They were in a spacious, decorous lounge and office hybrid room. There was a fully stocked bar on the far side of the wall. Several lounge sofas were sprinkled about the room. At the corner closer to them was a mahogany desk. Shelves of books lined the walls behind it. In its chair was a rugged looking man with a mildly scarred face and salt-and-pepper hair, dressed in a shirt and tie. He was slightly older than Falco, but had an air of wisdom and maturity about him.
"Der'mo, Falco!" He hissed. "Did I not tell you to stop harming my guards? Is this boarding school or is this place of enterprise?"
"I am sorry, Herr Cygnus!" Falco said compliantly. "Please excuse my actions."
The Cygnus gave his subordinate a stern glare before looking upon Emily. "Welcome, Gospazitza Emily Thorne. I do hope Falco's eccentricities have not uh…dampened your spirits, hmm? I am known as the Cygnus, but lovely lady like you can call me Pyotr." He paused to inspect her farther. "I can see why Falco has been taken with you. There is great fire in you. You are first woman to give him challenge. He talks about you with such affection. He may want to take you as his wife, no?" He chuckled cordially. "Come and sit. You and I have something to discuss." He indicated to one of the chairs facing his desk.
Emily genuinely did not want to, but after having witnessed Falco's undeterred rage, she decided it was in her best interest to be amenable. She was starting to understand that she was dealing with people above the run-of-the-mill that Emily had experience with. They may be on par or above the likes of the Initiative. A foreign presence on American soil meant they could be a critical threat to national security. She treaded carefully as she approached the Cygnus and sat across from him. She was slightly relieved when he dismissed Falco from the room.
"So, I'm assuming you ordered my abduction?" Emily probed cautiously.
"Net, miledi," the Cygnus shook his head. "This is more like…acquisition. Right now, you are commodity. People of Hamptons have high net worth, with assets and affluence unmatched by most of the world. Wall Street, CEOs, Entrepreneurs…this place is swarming with money. Valuable people like you reside here. Each one of you is worth something to someone or some company. We are auctioneers. The highest bidder gets you in his pocket. Sounds fun, no? Being able to possess a CEO, celebrity, or high powered investor like collectibles is my customer's business. Of course, families are able to buy back their loved ones here. Perhaps your lover, David Clarke will do same?"
"What?!" Emily reacted, not expecting her father to be called her lover.
"Oh please, do not be shy," the Cygnus said casually. "That…boy toy you see is quite a looker, but David Clarke seems to really care about you. He went to your rescue when Malcolm Black kidnapped you, no? You see, we know David Clarke and what he had done to betray Black. But, funny story, Gospazitza: That money that Clarke stole from Black was not Black's. It was supposed to be his payment to me. I trusted that pathetic fool to get it back from Clarke, but alas, it did not work out so. So, here we are, with you. Someone he cherishes. I'm sure he will be inclined to give me my money without a fuss." He sat back and beamed widely at Emily, toasting a glass of vodka to her before taking a drink.
"Sweetheart, I am so sorry for keeping you waiting," a redheaded man sighed, giving Louise a hug. He looked at Oliver and Thea and gave an amicable smile. "Hello, welcome to my little slice of paradise. I'm Nolan Ross. Louise was telling me how pleasurable your company has been."
"Likewise here!" Oliver nodded, shaking his hand. "I'm Oliver Queen, this is my little sister Thea Queen."
Nolan's jaw dropped at hearing his name. "Queen?! As in Queen Consolidated in Starling City?!" His face turned from grim to elated. "I've heard so much about Queen Consolidated in the technology sector. When I was in charge of NolCorp, I thought about doing a partnership with your company. My board kept telling me that Starling was not a good place to do business though. Not that I'm actually forming an opinion about your city."
Oliver laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. Compared to the Hamptons, Starling must have seemed like a ghetto in a CEO's eyes. Even though Starling possessed some major corporations like Queen Consolidated and Merlyn Corp, it did not have the flair of New York and its business community. "Starling could use some improvement," Oliver said in agreement. "In fact, I know a group of people dedicated to doing just that. Ray Palmer, the new CEO of my family's company, has a vision to renew Starling City to new heights. I know he will succeed."
In reality, he was not thinking about Palmer, but Roy Harper, Laurel Lance, Diggle, and Felicity Smoak. They were now an independent team. They had no necessity for his leadership to function. Each one of them were capable of keeping the streets of Starling safe. Roy as Arsenal had proved himself worthy of the bow. He grew up into a man with virtue. Laurel as the Black Canary, despite his objections, was something to behold. As the city's ADA, she could provide justice within a broad spectrum. Diggle, one of the most fiercest comrades he had known. Oliver knew his strength as a teammate. He was a reliable partner, even in the face of chaos. And Felicity, her intelligence and insights knew no bounds. While she was not a major part in the field, she held the team together countless of times. Oliver truly loved her, but he was afraid of what that would mean for them.
"Nolan, darling, these two were looking forward to meeting you," Louise interjected. "Perhaps you could give them a tour of the premises some time. Lots of amenities to enjoy here while you're in town!"
"We would like that," Thea nodded. "When you have time of course, Mr. Ross. I could really use advice from a CEO about running a business. From what Ollie was telling me, you were pretty successful with NolCorp. I'd like to hear some stories if you wouldn't mind."
"Please, call me Nolan," Ross told her. "I would be happy to show the Queen siblings my humble abode. How long will you be in town?"
Oliver and Thea looked at each other, scanning one another for answers. They were hoping to be in the Hamptons for only three days. However, Oliver decided to be more generous with the time frame. "We will be here for about a couple of weeks." He had a feeling that Darwin had business here that was time consuming. He was hoping that he would not have to be away from Starling for that long, but he had to be prepared for the possibility.
"Very well," Nolan nodded. "Let's make a date for -"
A short man with black wavy hair and weary eyes came to Nolan's side. "Hey Nolan," He greeted promptly. He politely nodded to everyone else in the group.
"Jack!" Nolan exclaimed, giving him a hug. "I did not expect to see you here!" He turned to Oliver and Thea. "Jack, this is Oliver Queen and Thea Queen. They are practically Hamptonites from Starling City. This is Jack Porter, a very esteemed man of honor."
"Nice to meet you," Oliver acquainted him, shaking his hand. Thea did the same.
"Same here," Jack responded. "Do you guys mind if I borrow Nolan for a minute? I need to talk to him about something important. It will only take about a few minutes."
Recognizing his tone of urgency, Oliver acted quickly. "No, not at all. In fact," he put a hand firmly on Nolan's shoulder, squeezing it in a friendly way. "I will get us another round of drinks. Mr. Porter, would you like something?"
"No thanks," Jack declined. "I will not be here for long."
"Okay then," Oliver conceded. "Thea, I will be back." He quirked up his eyebrows to give her a signal. Thea understood and nodded. She turned to make conversation with Louise. Oliver departed from the table and headed to the bar as Jack and Nolan went to the outdoor patio. He dug out his smartphone from his shirt pocket and dialed a three digit code. He held it up to his ear and listened as he patiently waited for the bartender's attention at the bustling bar.
"What's wrong, Jack?" Nolan's voice questioned with concern. "Everything alright?"
"Nolan, promise me that what I say to you will not be repeated to anyone else," Jack's urgent voice spoke.
"Okay," Nolan obeyed. "My lips are sealed."
Jack gave out an exasperated breath. "Emily is missing. She has been kidnapped from her home. Ben was attacked trying to defend her, but the guy was too tactical. Ben was tranq'd before the attacker took her."
"Whoa, whoa, slow down Jack," Nolan said eminently. "How did he get in without tripping the alarm? What was Ben doing there?"
There was a pause from Jack. "Ben was meeting Emily for lunch at her place. I'm guessing as a thank you for helping us with Malcolm Black. She disarmed the alarm so Ben could let himself in. I'm guessing the guy took advantage of that situation. But, Ben and I checked the security system. The surveillance system was still active. We are hoping that you can take a look at the footage and get a clear visual of the man and possibly ID him with whatever it is you do with your computer."
"Say no more, Jack," Nolan affirmed. "I can do it. Let's head over there right now. I know that surveillance system like the back of my own hand. I'll find him."
"What about those people in there you're meeting with?" Jack asked. "Are you sure you can just leave?"
"We just met," Nolan replied. "They'll have to wait."
Oliver glanced over at the patio doors and saw Nolan and Jack about to come back in. Oliver looked forward at the bar and pretended to still be listening on his phone. When he spotted Nolan approaching him from his peripheral, he casually hung up the phone and put it back in his pocket.
"Hey, Oliver," Nolan said with feigned enthusiasm. "I'm afraid to tell you that I have to be leaving right now. My friend Jack needs my help with something urgent."
"That's not a problem, actually," Oliver said, putting his hand on Nolan's shoulder again. "That was something important that just called me as well. Thea and I will be needing to head out now as well. Thanks for your hospitality. We really enjoyed this place." He patted Nolan amiably before withdrawing his hand and putting it in his pocket.
Nolan pulled out his wallet and gave Oliver a chrome business card with orange lettering. "Here's how to get ahold of me. Show this card to the bartender. Drinks for you and Thea, on the house. Enjoy the Hamptons!" He patted Oliver's muscled arm, probably to mimic his patting of the his shoulder.
Nolan and Oliver returned to the table and everyone exchanged their goodbyes. Louise gave Nolan a kiss on the cheek before he departed with Jack. She then said her farewell to Thea and Oliver before heading out the door herself. "What's going on?" Thea asked Oliver.
"I listened to them with the bug," Oliver told her. "They are going to try and see if they can discover Emily's abductor's identity. I placed the bug under his jacket collar, so I had to remove it. Let's hope they don't succeed before we can do anything."
Oliver lead Thea out of the bar, wishing Darwin would hurry up and give them a lead on his whereabouts.
The New York night sky was a dim sight to behold. It was mundane and characterless. No stars were visual. Clouds were scattered about. A gentle breeze blew into his face as he ventured into an abandoned industrial complex outside the city. Tyler was returning to his station. He could not wait to see his partner.
Seeing Nolan was a painful errand he had to do. He felt sorry for the guy, having had to go through what he put him through. Tyler went ballistic on him to sell his madness. He tied him up, roughed him a bit. He destroyed one of his laptops in his pool. He used Nolan to meet ends. All Nolan hoped for was a potential relationship. Too bad he had to ruin his ego in that endeavor. He had to make himself the enemy. His cover depended on it.
"Well, well, look at this lost cat!" A voice howled with jollity. Four men appeared from the shadows before him. Common thugs, probably in the middle of selling drugs. They approached Tyler with cockiness, sizing him up and staring at him dead in the eye. The ring leader, a Hispanic guy in a black long-sleeved shirt, scoffed at him. "I spy me some nice white ass. What do y'all think?"
"I'm down," the second Hispanic to his left agreed. "I bet he's nice and tight."
"I bet he works in vice," the swagger white guy to his right commented. "Look at him."
"I'm fucking horny," the black guy at the end followed. "Let's fuck him up."
Tyler got into defensive stance, ready for their onslaught. The guys laughed at him simultaneously. The leader shrugged and charged at him, the rest following behind. Tyler evaded the initial charge, dodging the leader's grapple. Swagger guy launched a punch. He snatched his wrist and tumbled him into the pavement. The black guy wrapped his arms around him from behind. Tyler focused his strength and disengaged the squeeze with his arms, freeing himself and elbowing the man in the throat and tripping him backward with a leg sweep.
The second Latino guy turned his cap backward and jabbed at him MMA style. Tyler parried and dodged each blow that came his way. He failed to see the leader come at him and was late to deflect a kick to the chest. He stumbled backward. The black guy grabbed him again from behind, holding him in place using the full Nelson technique. Swagger guy laughed and encouraged his friend. MMA guy punched Tyler repeatedly in the chest and stomach. He refused to show any sign of pain.
"Hold him against the wall," the leader commanded. Swagger guy and black guy dragged the weakened Tyler to the nearby building and penned him face first against the concrete. MMA guy hooted excitedly and yanked Tyler's pants down, exposing his buttocks to the chilled air.
"Yeah, look at that bubble ass, boss," Swagger taunted, giving Tyler a rough smack in the buttcheek.
The leader came up to Tyler and pulled his hair back, craning his neck back. He rubbed his crotch against him, saying into his ear, "Time to show you your pl -" His grip suddenly released as he groaned and dropped to the ground.
"What the f -" the black guy exclaimed, interrupted by a dagger piercing his throat. Two more whizzes sounded through the air as Swagger guy and MMA guy suffered blades impaling their lungs as well. They dropped dead in unison, leaving Tyler in dead silence.
He sighed in relief and pulled his pants up. He examined the four bodies around him, silver dagger handles protruding from them, glistening in the nightlights. He looked up in the distance and saw a stoic man eying him intensely with those entrancing viridian eyes. His short dark brown hair swayed lightly in the wind.
"Thank you... Simon," Tyler said shallowly.
"Get inside," the man told him firmly. "I'll clean up here. When I get back, I expect an explanation for your tardiness."
"Yes, I'm fine, really," Tyler said sarcastically. "Thanks for asking."
He headed for the station as his superior went to clean up the body. When they crossed paths, the quiet man put a hand briefly on Tyler's shoulder and squeezed affectionately.