Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.
"While the Houston Police Department does not condone vigilantism, we have no reason to believe that this Black Siren as we have decided to call her is an enemy of ours." Layton, now promoted to Sergeant announced to the press on TV.
"Three guys came in, just as I was closing my store. They all had guns aiming at my wife and daughter." A man was telling to the reporter. "This woman saved our lives. One scream and they were down."
"Whoever this Black Siren is, it seems that she wants to make Houston a better place…"
"Black Canary of Star City, now Black Siren of Houston…" Annabelle smiled as she poured Laurel a glass of whiskey, who sighed.
"I wasn't looking for publicity. Just… start over. Nothing more." She grumbled as she swallowed hard.
"What's the problem? You've saved a lot of people in the past few weeks." Annabelle said.
"But I killed dozens of more." Laurel said as she looked down in shame. "No amount of good I do here can make up for what I've done."
"Come on." Annabelle smiled. "I don't know what happened to you, Laurel but… what's done is done. What matters is that you're trying to be better. Leave the past in the past."
Laurel sighed. "You wouldn't be so kind to me if you knew the half of the things I've done. I… I killed people. I led… dozens of…"
"Don't." Annabelle said. "Look, I don't want to know how much blood you've got on your hands. None of us is a perfect saint. You're telling me who you were, I'll tell you who I think you are now. I've met a lot of folks in the bar, who had crisis of faith. And they all had the same look you've got. Like if you have no idea what to do, where to go… what's your next step. You want my advice?" Laurel raised her brows. "Go out, have some fun, forget for a few moments about what's going through your mind and turn it off. Who knows, maybe you'll find out what's your direction." Laurel stared, considering. "I've got a concert later tonight at my friend's club if you want to see."
Later, Laurel entered the club per Annabelle's request as she was watching Annabelle sing and everyone around was having fun, drinking and dancing… but Laurel kept sitting at the table, staring passively… part of her was enjoying the music, the smile on their faces… but another part of her was wondering if she deserved such joy after all the things she had done. All she could think of were questions, such as "Is this what normal life looks like? Is this what people do?" As she looked at Annabelle on stage, singing, she saw the kindness in Annabelle's eyes… and Laurel was doubting she deserved such kindness. All she wanted to do was to leave… before in the crowd she saw a woman with long brown hair and… no, it couldn't be…
Laurel slowly neared the woman before she felt a scratch on her arm and she hissed as the woman swung her hand, in which she had a knife. "You!" Laurel glared as Talia was running to the backstage. "Son of a…" She held her arm. If Talia wanted revenge for Laurel betraying her, so be it but she wouldn't let the people in here get caught in crossfire.
Laurel ran to the backstage as Talia went upstairs. "What the hell do you want, Talia?"
"You betrayed Mr. Chase, Laurel." Talia smirked. "Did you think that I would let this slide? You promised him loyalty and you ran. Left him to be imprisoned…"
"I'm not his attack dog anymore!" Laurel snapped. "If you want revenge, then go ahead but leave these people out of this! They're innocent!"
"You've grown soft." Talia said, disappointed. "It would have been so sweet to kill you if you had the drive inside you. But… if you care about those people, then you can watch them burn!" She threw into the crowd a small ball that exploded as the stage caught fire.
"No!" Laurel exclaimed as people were scattering around in panic and she jumped down from above but then, she felt pain and vertigo as she stumbled before looking at her wound on her arm. The blade was poisoned…
Talia jumped down from above, attacking Laurel as she dodged and as Talia was about to stab her, Laurel grabbed her arm and used her Siren Cry to knock Talia back. Talia got up on her feet. "They will all suffer. You betrayed me and I will not let that slide." She attacked Laurel, who jumped back but was losing strength and felt weaker and weaker due to the poison in her system. "Your past is colored with blood of innocents. How much more blood is there going to be spilled? Maybe I should start with that doctor. Or your friend Annabelle. Or that girl. What was her name again?" She stabbed Laurel in the shoulder as she fell down. "Maybe I should make our Laurel and Oliver suffer first by killing you. To let them see that everything they touch…"
"Get off her, you crazy bitch!" Annabelle snarled from behind, hitting Talia in the head with the microphone stand as she fell down.
"Annabelle…" Laurel whispered as she felt weaker due to the drug. "Run…"
Annabelle swung the stand once more as Talia dodged and attacked with her knife but Annabelle jumped back as some debris fell down from above, separating them both as Talia smirked. "You have courage. I admire that. But we're not done, Laurel." She disappeared as Annabelle helped Laurel on her feet as she leaned on to her.
"Oh, my God, you're bleeding… you've got burns…"
"I'm OK…" Laurel said weakly.
"Laurel…"
"Run away from me, Annabelle…" Laurel whispered. "I don't want you to get hurt because of me…"
"I won't abandon you." Annabelle said. "It's gonna be OK, Laurel, just hang on…" Her voice echoed as Laurel's vision faded to black…
Later, Laurel woke up in a hospital as Meland was next to her and she had bandaged arm. "You had us scared for a bit, Laurel."
"Meland?" Laurel whispered. "What…"
"You've had neurotoxin in your system. That blade was laced with some kind of poison." Layton explained. "That woman seemed to know you. Who was that?"
Laurel sighed. "Someone with an axe to grind. It's… it's a long story. I helped her to… hurt someone… I used to love. But then, she escaped and they arrested me. But later they let me go. I guess she wants revenge because I turned my back on her."
"Laurel, whoever she is, we can protect you…" Layton assured her.
"I'm not the one that needs protection from her, Layton." Laurel snapped. "You don't know her, she's very dangerous." She got up and ripped the wires off her. "You'd all do best to stay away from me, she'll make you suffer, only to get back at me."
"Laurel, come on." Layton held her shoulder. "You don't need to go to protect us. We're in this together. We've got each other's back. Please." He pleaded as Laurel looked into his kind eyes.
Laurel then followed Layton outside as they went to a crime scene in Hermann Park.
"What happened here?" Laurel asked as she looked at the sheet, under which was most certainly a body.
Layton unveiled the body to reveal an Asian teenage girl, dead, with a scar on her face, a brand in form of a hand. "This is a work of a serial killer that has been active for the past two years. We started to call him the Hand of Hell."
"Who is she?" Laurel asked.
"No clue." Layton shrugged. "Girl like her usually turns up, they've been illegally brought here and forced to work off their fare over here. Sometimes in kitchens, sometimes they end up… in worse positions." He emphasized as Laurel clenched her fists. She had seen these kinds on Earth-2…. "You're looking at a slave, Laurel. People like them were low. Desperate. Poor. All they wanted was a second chance. But they weren't strong enough to fight back and suffered in the most terrible ways you can imagine. Girls like her end up like the Hand's victims.
And we can't do much to stop him. But you… people like you are strong enough to stop monsters like them. Annabelle told me about your chats at the bar. You think you're a bad person? You say you've done bad things? Maybe this is your chance to make up to them. If you walk away, that makes you a coward. And I don't think you're one. If you really were the monster you told Annabelle that you think you are, would you even care about this?"
Laurel considered for a long moment. "What do you have?"
Four Seasons Hotel
Aracely was groaning and rolling over on bed as she could not sleep at all before she gasped and woke up and started to say something in Spanish as Annabelle rushed in.
"Aracely, what's going on?"
"Daughter… Demon… hunting… suffer…" Aracely said in Spanish.
Elsewhere
"Are you ready for this?" Talia asked as the man in the shadows was sharpening his knives.
"Black Siren will make an interesting trophy."
"Take your time." Talia smirked. "Just make sure she suffers. I don't take betrayals well."
"To catch my prey, I need a bait." The man said.
"I've been watching her." Talia smiled as she handed the man the photos of Layton, Aracely, Annabelle and Meland. "She has grown fond of these people. Target them… and she'll be vulnerable."
Author's Note:
So, what do you guys think?
Please review and let me know if you have been enjoying this and want for me to continue.
