Astrid threw a punch at Malcom Merlyn. He restrained her, threw her into a pole, and she fell to the ground. Malcom helped her back up.
"You're not thinking, general!" he shot at her. "That was a simple maneuver and you failed it."
"You will not talk to your general that way!" Cisco demanded at the man.
"He's right!" Astrid said as she defended the Dark Archer and head of the league of assassins. "Mordru needs us to be ready. We can't be weakened by emotions, when we know what is at stake. We'll go again!" she said, and they continued their sparring match. Her head hurt and she couldn't move her arm.
A knock at the large door echoed into the room, so her second in-command went to answer it. He arrived a few minutes later, followed by Oliver Queen to find the general very weak. Even with her mask covering her face, it could not be mistaken. She told Malcom to leave the room so she could recover.
"Oliver, do you bring news?" she asked him, through breaths.
"I do, general. It is about one of your most trusted assassins. Miss Lance has joined the enemy. She fought me in combat and sent me on my way." Oliver declared.
"She fought you in combat? She could have killed you. At least you lived to tell the tale." Cisco joked.
"He's right. I'm surprised that she spared your life. Are you sure that it was her? That it was not her from an alternate universe?" she asked him.
"I am absolutely certain! I would not lie about something like this. She could destroy our plans entirely. Word has it that they want to rescue the girl from our cells, if that is the case we need to be ready." Oliver said.
"I heard that news, Oliver and I absolutely agree. And we will be ready. But why would this prisoner of ours be of any importance to them? She was just a mere circus magician, if I am correct." Astrid said.
"By your request, I will find out." Oliver said, as he thumbed an arrow between his fingers.
"You may… but I ask that you keep her alive long enough to get the information out of her. You may take Mr Diggle with you." Astrid permitted.
Oliver left the room and so Astrid and her second were alone again. She sat down on the chair and removed her mask. Her face was bloody and her shoulder had been dislocated.
"You don't need to fight in the battle." Cisco told her as he brought a bandage to her face.
"Yes I do… Mordru asked for me specifically… and you too. You should be training with your men, not here with me." She said as she tried to move her arm, it wouldn't move.
"It's not myself that I am worried about. You forget that I receive visions of the future. How do you think you will go, going up against him? He was our best friend once and you will need to fight him." He asked her.
"I simply think of Mordru's words. If I don't stop the speedster, and all those he gathers in his army… then I may as well say goodbye to you now. Besides, Barry was our friend four years ago… a lot can change in that amount of time. Now go train, and bring me my doctor."
He left and a few minutes later, her most trusted doctor came to her with bandages for her face and the determination to set her arm. This was the Caitlin that would have been her friend, had Astrid not have died in Barry's time reset. But this doctor did not know that.
"Your arm looks really bad, general." Dr Snow said.
"So just put it back in place and leave me be." Astrid replied.
Caitlin offered her some pain relief, but she refused, then she set her arm.
Astrid swore under her breath at the pain, but then breathed through it. The pain eventually subsided.
"I would very much recommend that you don't train yourself to death, general." Dr Snow said, on her way out.
"Duly noted, now you may go." She answered.
Before Dr Snow left, she stopped and needed to ask. "I need to know… Why did you hire me for the job? You came to my earth with that speedster Thawne and your second in command and saved me from those people. You were looking for me specifically… why?"
Dr Snow sure enough had seen her real face, but she had not known who she was. Astrid needed to give her an answer, one that would not confuse the girl. "I hired you because… because you're an amazing doctor… and I need only the best… that's all." It wasn't technically a lie. She was the best doctor that Astrid knew.
Once Caitlin had left her alone, she felt the presence behind her immediately and turned to see the image of Robert Sutherland. Over the past few years she had come to recognize this image, though not as her father, but as the embodiment of Mordru.
"You are certainly not yet ready for battle, child. Your emotions still haunt you and that will be your undoing, unless you take control now. You are weak and we do not need weakness in this battle. Your doctor is right to question why you chose her. She is a link to your past. How do you expect to carry out my plans, if you still have those links?" Mordru questioned her.
"No, you are wrong. I swear, Dr Snow is just a great doctor. We need the best! I promise you that there is nothing more to it, than that." Astrid argued, submissively. The lord was threatening to extinguish Dr Snow from their existence.
"So be it. But you promised me nothing but strength. If you do not deliver on your end of the bargain, it won't just be Dr Snow that's life will be on your hands." Mordru boomed at her.
Astrid fell to her knees. "No please, I will deliver… I will… I promise!" she begged, but Mordru had already disappeared.
