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.
The Ghosts, riding on bikes, ambushed the armored truck as it got off its course and one of them was about to execute the driver who got off as the vehicle stopped before a high-pitched sound stunned them as the Black Canary and other vigilantes showed up and the Ghosts retaliated with gunfire as Speedy and the Green Arrow took cover while the Canary jumped down and took down the mercenaries with the Black Canary, save for one who aimed at the Black Canary's head and she smirked when an incoming van sent the Ghost to the ground, with Spartan driving and Katana in the passenger seat.
"The Ghosts, they're about to knock over the armored trucks." Black Canary informed.
"Yeah, just like old times." Spartan said before following the Black Canary.
One of the Ghosts got on his feet, only to be knocked down on the ground again by Speedy, who beat him savagely and pulled out a sword before the Canary grabbed her by her hand.
"Don't!" She shouted as Speedy turned to her, her eyes widening in horror and realization upon what was she about to do.
Green Arrow shot one of the Ghosts in the shoulder as the driver pointed in a direction behind the truck.
"There are guards in the back."
"We got them. Go!" Green Arrow ordered.
The Ghost tossed an explosive device inside the truck as it exploded before the Green Arrow shot him, taking him down.
The team ran to the Emerald Archer as Speedy stared at the fire.
"They burned all the money."
"They didn't need it." Green Arrow explained. "The federal government sent this to prop up Star City Bank, H.I.V.E. just wanted to make sure that didn't happen."
The Lair
"Looks like Darhk's really not messing around, if he destroyed all that cash." Henry sighed.
"Yeah, he really wants this city to die." Diggle noted.
"Yeah but why?" Thea asked. "What does H.I.V.E. have to gain from any of this?"
"A base of operations." Oliver said. "They have to operate out of somewhere…"
"And what better spot than a dead city?" Henry realized.
"With almost dead police department." Laurel noted.
"Any luck with that tooth we got from that H.I.V.E. member?" Diggle looked at Henry.
"Not much." He shook his head. "The deterioration of that tooth was definitely not natural. Other than that, a dead end. Curtis and I've been over that thing for weeks now."
"No offense, Henry…" Sara said. "But maybe somebody smarter should take a look at it."
"Palmer." Henry realized.
"I'll call him, maybe he'll have better luck." Oliver suggested as everyone nodded in approval.
"You got a sec?" Diggle asked Oliver as Thea and Laurel left but Henry turned his attention to him as well.
"Yeah."
Diggle tossed a folder on the desk as Oliver took a look inside it, with Oliver and Henry eyeballing it, inside it disturbing information about Andy Diggle.
"What the… who gave you this?" Henry whispered.
"I got that from Lance. Who got it from Damien Darhk."
Oliver lowered his voice, disturbed. "John, this…"
"Is pretty definitive evidence that H.I.V.E. had Andy killed because his criminal operations conflicted with theirs."
"Now, hold on a second, Dig…" Henry interrupted. "This doesn't track with anything you told us about your brother at all."
"This doesn't track with what I knew about Andy." Diggle said, disturbed. "I guess I never really knew him at all."
"There's gotta be some explanation." Oliver reasoned.
"John, I've seen that kind of dirty stuff revolving around a lot of agents." Henry eyeballed the file. "I don't know… maybe he was undercover or something. Black ops… a scapegoat for government…"
"It's all right there! The facts are right there!" Diggle snapped.
"Diggle, calm down." Oliver implored. "Listen… Andy was your brother and all I'm saying is that he deserves a benefit of the doubt."
"I'm with Oliver." Henry agreed as he glanced towards the file. "These are the facts that you know from the official story. I've seen a lot of this shit around a lot of governmental operatives. Who knows, maybe unofficially he was trying to… I don't know… infiltrate and take down the people he was in cahoots with. You can never be sure if you have all the facts straight."
Diggle just shook his head, unconvinced.
The next night, Wolfman Biologics
Luckily, Ray had more luck with the tooth than Henry and traced the chemicals in the tooth as the team scoured the building's surroundings and entered.
"Seeker, what's next?" Spartan asked.
"Get a sample of those chemicals, they might help us unscramble the DNA markers and I.D. some of Darhk's operatives."
"Where do we find those things?" Black Canary asked.
"Second floor, northwest corner. Look for a yellow liquid." Seeker said after they heard clicking of keyboard.
"Incoming." Green Arrow said, spotting the entering Ghosts. "Four Ghosts at the north entrance."
"I'm on it." Speedy said as she rushed through the corridor and the Green Arrow engaged the mercenaries with the Green Arrow and the Canary lunged at one of them and grabbed him by his neck, choking him as Speedy took a glance at her.
"No!" The archer in crimson leather barked as the Canary woke up from her haze of rage and knocked the Ghost out instead.
Spartan, Katana and Black Canary entered a lab.
"We're in, looking for the compound."
"Got it." Black Canary said as she grabbed a vial of yellow liquid before she took cover behind the table as one of the Ghosts with an assault rifle burst in while Katana rolled down and kicked the mercenary in the legs as he fell down while Spartan entered with his gun.
"Guys, the archers are in trouble!"
"Get out of here, I got this." Spartan ordered to Katana and Black Canary and they did as ordered. "Seeker, I'm going for the I.D. of the Ghost that shot at us, stand by." He knelt down next to the unconscious Ghost, taking off his mask, only to gasp in shock as he stepped back, looking at the face of the Afro-American male. His deceased brother… or at least Diggle believed him to be deceased.
"Andy?" Spartan whispered before the unmasked Ghost came to and wrapped his legs around the vigilante, knocking him on the ground before running away, leaving Spartan there, staring at shock and disbelief.
Later, the Lair
"And here I thought that the crazy shit can happen only in Gotham." Henry groaned. "How the hell is this possible?!"
"I don't know." Diggle shook his head, still shocked. "Nothing makes sense anymore. Andy… I can't believe this."
"It's obvious that H.I.V.E. faked his death." Oliver deduced. "Maybe it was a part of his recruitment…"
"You saw the file!" Diggle retorted. "You saw what kind of man my brother was, what kind of man he is."
"We don't know anything." Oliver reasoned. "Not until we hear it directly from Andy."
"Agreed." Tatsu nodded. "I think we should listen to his side of the story as well to get all our facts straight."
"And how are we supposed to do that?" Sara asked.
"We get him out of H.I.V.E…" Oliver suggested.
"And maybe we can flip him." Henry realized. "Maybe he can give us an insight on them."
"Oliver…" Diggle shook his head in disapproval. "How are you still giving him the benefit of the doubt?"
"Because he's family." Oliver replied. "You said he was a good man, maybe he still is."
"I don't know." Diggle admitted.
"Wait…" Henry snapped his fingers. "Remember that Ghost who had you dead to rights back at the lumber mill?"
"He could have killed you but didn't." Oliver realized. "Maybe it was Andy. Maybe there's still part of him in there."
"So, what, he had a chance to kill me and he didn't, so I'm supposed to forget that he's a murderer?" Diggle asked.
"No…" Thea spoke up. "But you should still remember that he's your brother."
"I can't square that circle, Thea." Diggle shook his head. "That H.I.V.E. member was nothing like my brother. The man that my brother was, is dead."
"That kind of thinking forced Takeo and Maseo to part ways." Tatsu noted.
"You don't turn your back on your family, John, even if they turn their backs on you." Henry tried but Diggle's only answer was walking away.
Later, SCPD Gala
Oliver, Diggle and Alex in their suits with Laurel and Sara in their dresses were at the gala as Oliver turned his attention to Diggle.
"Alex hired a security detail if you want to sit this one out." Oliver said
"Yeah, I'll be at the bar." Diggle nodded as he left while Oliver went on the stage, preparing his speech.
"Excuse me. Thank you all for coming tonight. It is our great privilege to be here tonight to honor the Star City Police Department. These are a group of men and women who risk their lives for us on a daily basis. Never been an easy job, and it has certainly never been more difficult than it is right now in our city.
These are the people that keep our streets safe; who watch over us. They protect us. For that, I'm grateful. And so is the rest of Star City." He finished as he clapped his hands and along with him, the crowd applauded as well.
Quentin followed Oliver down from the stage. "Not bad, not quite powerful as the Green Arrow but not bad."
"Maybe I should get him to endorse me." Oliver quipped as Quentin chuckled. "Look, I need a favor from you. I need a location on one of Darhk's foot soldiers."
"Could be a little difficult, Darhk called me this afternoon into his office about a chat about how he doesn't trust me anymore."
"Wait, are you in danger?" Oliver stopped, looking at the captain of the police worried.
"I hope not." Quentin replied nervously. "But listen, when I was there, I saw something on his desk, something about Slip 52 down at the docks. Now if the Ghosts are there, maybe the one you're looking for will be there too."
Oliver nodded. "Thank you."
"Club soda." Sara offered to Diggle.
"Yeah, it has to be." He chuckled, picking the cup. "Candidate can't have his bodyguard get hammered." Diggle deadpanned.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Sara offered. "Resurrected siblings are kind of in my family's wheelhouse."
"It's not quite the same thing, Sara. You weren't really…"
"A member of an organization of killers?" Sara said dryly. "Look, Dig, I know you've got a lot of thoughts racing in your mind." She turned to him. "At least be glad that your brother is back."
"So that I can hold onto some false hope that he might be decent? He doesn't deserve that." Diggle replied sadly.
"If not for him, then do it for yourself." Sara requested. "You lost a part of yourself when you lost your brother. Let that gap heal."
"How am I supposed to do that?" Diggle asked with his eyes getting wet. "When I had to look my nephew in the eye and tell him that… he was never going to see his Daddy again?" He wiped his face. "The months after Andy died were the darkest one in my life and I would have given anything… anything… to get Andy back. I would have sacrificed my life to have him back with his wife and his son. I would have traded my life for a stranger." Diggle realized as Sara held his arm, trying to console him.
Laurel was laughing with a man in his early 30s as Oliver approached them both. "Laurel, can you introduce me to your friend?"
"Oh." Laurel gasped. "Oliver, this is my former classmate from college and currently the executive ADA of Bludhaven, Adrian Chase. Adrian, this is…"
"Oliver Queen." Adrian smiled at him, shaking his hands. "You probably don't remember this but we actually met a couple of years ago. You tried to pick up my girlfriend."
Oliver chuckled as Laurel rolled her eyes. "I did a lot of things back then that I'm not especially proud of but I'm sure she ended up with the better man."
"Hell, no." Adrian shook his head. "She went home with you." He laughed briefly. "It's OK, I don't hold grudges. Oh, there's my wife." He said as he walked away, approaching a beautiful woman in purple dress.
Laurel gave Oliver a hard stare. "What?"
"You are so lucky Adrian is so forgiving." She said dryly.
"What? You think he'd hit me in the face in the public? I'm used to that at this point." Oliver deadpanned.
"No but he would have made you suffer." Laurel whispered in a tone that had a chill sent down Oliver's spine. "He's got very dangerous reputation as a prosecutor back in Bludhaven, it's good that you don't have any skeletons in your closet." She joked and Oliver shook his head, smiling. "He certainly could find something to make sure you'd end up in a cell for a couple of years."
"Or worse, Adrian could turn out to be a psychopath. Or Adrian is actually 'Prometheus', trying to make me suffer, and him being your friend is just an act, trying to get to us." Oliver said sarcastically, making Laurel laugh.
"What, Adrian? Never!"
Oliver chuckled as he left the gala before another woman approached him.
"Mr. Queen, it is so nice to meet you."
"Thank you." Oliver smiled.
"Do you think you can get more funding for SCPD?" She asked.
"Well, that is certainly a priority." Oliver assured her.
"That's great news, thank you."
"Mr. Queen." Oliver tensed at the familiar tone, keeping a poker face as he turned around to face Damien Darhk. "Huge fan."
Oliver shook his hand with Darhk, trying to keep the act together. "Thank you, Mr…"
"Darhk." He smiled. "I have some ideas to how I might contribute to your campaign. Do you have a minute?"
"Of course." Oliver nodded as he followed Darhk to the windows.
"It's not just about financial support. I have strong relations in the business circles, media outlets as well." Darhk offered.
"That's all well and good but I am running unopposed, so I don't totally understand how can you help me win." Oliver said, masking his feelings.
"Oh, it's not about winning, it's about how much we could accomplish if we worked together." Darhk said, unexpectedly impressing Oliver with his charisma. "And, not to be indelicate, a lot has changed in Star City since your parents had sway here. The levers of power have changed. And not understanding that is what doomed Jessica Danforth's bid."
The veiled threat was not lost to Oliver as he decided to cut to the chase. "What do you want, Mr. Darhk?"
"I read the press release about your new project, the restoration of Starling Bay." He pointed his hand towards it. "Reconsider your plan. Leave the bay as it is."
"What if I refuse?" Oliver taunted.
"Well, then you would no longer be run unopposed." Darhk promised.
"And who else…" A new female voice with a British accent but very familiar one to both Oliver and Darhk said. "Would be more capable to lead this city than Oliver Queen. A reformed playboy, trying to redeem his family's name?" Oliver turned around to face the woman he never expected to meet again, while Darhk glared fiercely at her. "Oliver Queen. My name is Miranda Tate." She offered Oliver his hand, who shook it, thousands of thoughts going through his mind right now.
"I never expected you to be interested in politics, Miss Tate." Darhk said venomously.
"I'm interested in making sure that this world becomes a better place, Mr. Darhk. I believe your consultant, Mr. Davis needs you, Mr. Queen." She smiled at Oliver who stared at her, dumbfounded for a moment before he composed himself and walked away.
"I hope we're not finished yet." Darhk said, both to Tate and to Oliver.
Later, the Lair
"You are out of your mind if you're actually considering this!" Laurel snapped at Oliver.
"Getting in cahoots with Darhk is idiotic on so many levels." Henry agreed.
"Dad's already inside H.I.V.E!" Sara added.
Oliver spoke up. "But he has lost his trust and with him compromised, we need someone else on the inside…"
"And may we remind you what had happened the last time you tried this tactic before? Infiltrating an organization of dangerous killers from within, undercover? How did that turn out?" Laurel asked rhetorically.
"They're right, this is too big of a risk." Tatsu agreed.
Later, Thea entered, with her hands bloodied and dread on her face as everyone looked at her worried.
"What happened?" Oliver asked.
"I…" Thea spoke up weakly. "I… I almost lost it again… at the bar… an hour ago…"
It then dawned onto all of them. "And now this on the top of all that." Henry stretched his arms. "How are we supposed to help Diggle and Thea at the same time?"
"I can help her." Tatsu offered as everyone turned to her in surprise. "I've heard stories about warriors who have lost themselves in the fight, not being able to control their anger and eventually found a way. I brought with me some herbs which can subdue it and I've been taught meditating techniques to balance my feelings."
"She's right." Sara remembered. "I remember that some people in the League used that method to compose themselves but I never thought of that."
"Pity that Malcolm's probably gonna say 'no' to that offer." Oliver deadpanned.
"We don't need him." Thea said with conviction.
Henry then picked his phone as he read the message. "It's Dig. He's following the Ghosts at the docks, observing, says he wants some back-up. Scouting mission, so just one more to cover him might be enough. Who's going?" He turned to the team.
Later, the Docks
Green Arrow and Spartan observed from the containers as Damien Darhk was able to make people around him listen to him as they swallowed some yellow pill before being spotted and fired at before they jumped down, hiding as the Ghosts searched for them before the vigilantes ambushed them in an alley between the containers, taking them down swiftly before one of them tossed a grenade and the shockwave from the explosion sent the Green Arrow flying as he hit a container with the Ghosts. Spartan got his partner on his feet, grabbing an explosive arrow and tossing it towards the Ghost rushing at them as he fell down and the vigilantes escaped as the exploding arrow took more mercenaries down.
Later, the Lair
"This isn't on you, John, it was my call." Oliver groaned as Henry patched him up.
"And I never should have let you make it. You have to let this go." Diggle demanded. "I have. You almost got yourself killed."
"I've been a lot closer to get myself killed." Oliver shot back.
"Andy made his choice."
"You don't know that." Henry implored. "You shouldn't have to give up on your brother so soon."
"Henry's right. John, you saw what was going on tonight. Those men were under the influence of something."
"A mind-control drug?" Henry asked. "You mean like Votura?"
Oliver nodded. "It has to be making them susceptible to Darhk's suggestions."
"Just because you have a blind spot when it comes to your family, don't expect me to as well!" Diggle retorted.
Henry turned to him. "John, calm down…"
"I can't calm down! Criminal or not, under the influence or not, my own brother made his choice! He let his son and wife believe he was dead for eight years. Eight years!" Diggle snapped. "And there's no excuse for that! None!"
Oliver argued. "John, you don't know…"
"Oliver, you don't know!" Diggle fumed with rage now. "You have this inexplicable way of excusing everything just because it's family!"
"It's not inexplicable! I'm asking you…" Oliver grunted from pain. "I'm asking you to have hope for Andy because I need that hope. I need to believe that no matter what happens in our lives, no matter how much darkness infects us, I need to believe that we can come back from that."
"And that's exactly that kind of thinking that got you to the League last year." Diggle noted. "Doesn't seem like you've learned much from that."
"You told him?" Oliver turned to Henry.
"No more secrets, Ollie." Henry said simply as Oliver nodded in understanding.
"How can you even consider that?" Diggle asked.
Oliver got up from the table. "We are gonna take this guy down and no idea is off the table."
"I thought you were gonna do things different now Oliver. Fighting Darhk from the inside is just fighting him from the shadows." Diggle said with conviction in his tone. "You want ideas, fine! Let's take that son of a bitch out in the light of day!"
Oliver and Henry nodded.
"One way or another, we're gonna beat him." Oliver promised as Diggle left the lair and the former grabbed Henry by his arm. "I need a favor." He whispered to his ear.
"Sure." Henry nodded. "For you, anything. What is it?"
"When you have time, find out anything you can on a woman named 'Miranda Tate'. First thing, where in Star City she lives." Oliver asked. "Here's how she looks like." He handed him a sheet of paper with a portrait of a woman and Henry widened his eyes in recognition.
"Oliver, tell me that's not who I think it is." Oliver nodded as Henry swallowed. "What the hell is she doing here? What does she want?" He asked, worried.
"Just do as I say." Oliver ordered. "For now, we keep this to ourselves, at least until we find out what does she want. After that, we'll see."
Later, the Loft
"Hey." Ray smiled at Oliver. "I hope you don't mind, I had Curtis grab some more toys, so that I can keep working on that tooth." Then he noticed the expression on his face. "What happened?"
"Don't ask, it's complicated." Oliver said simply. "You've been here all day?" He then realized. "Look, you're back among the living, so start living like them too." He tried to cheer him up. "You can have your company back if you want. Talk to me. What's going on?"
Ray stared down for a moment before turning to Oliver. "I've been catching up on the past six months. My company, my city, my life. I feel like Tom Sawyer watching his own funeral. Except in my case, no one cares. Renaming Starling to Star City was nice but take a look at what's happening to the place, my company, this thing that I built, that was supposed to have outlasted me is now on life support."
"I thought the same thing about myself last year when that mess with the League happened. 'What have I accomplished as the Arrow? If neither Oliver Queen or the Arrow cannot make a difference, can Al Sah-him, Heir to the Demon?' I felt like if I wasn't making any difference." Oliver admitted. "I didn't see the point of fighting until…" Ray nodded in understanding. "And now, at least I know what I'm fighting for. For my friends, for my family, for this city… and I'm trying to do things differently. The thing is, it takes a while to figure out your purpose. But… the first step should be to ask yourself, what do you do best?"
Ray nodded again, considering before changing the subject. "I played with the compound on the tooth; it definitely broke down the residual DNA on the tooth. It's pretty inventive, actually."
Oliver blinked. "I'm not gonna lie, I flunked from biology but I'm guessing that means that tooth is useless to us."
"Pretty much." Ray agreed. "But I took another look at the polymer, looking at what it was made of and I found faint traces of sodium fluoride from the water. It is unusual for the water to have such high concentration of it, unless it was drinking water for example like in the building that was closed down for that same very reason." He explained, showing Oliver the picture of Mueller Psychiatric Facility on the tablet. "Kind of ironic."
Oliver patted him on his shoulder. "Nice job, Ray. So don't beat yourself for thinking you've accomplished nothing."
Later, the Lair
"Everyone know the plan?" Oliver asked.
"Yeah, we got it." Tatsu nodded.
"What's going on, guys?" Diggle asked, entering.
"Ray may have found where the Ghosts are lurking." Henry explained.
"These guys are not gonna be easy to take down." Diggle said, worried.
"Nobody's saying we will." Oliver shook his head. "We don't have the manpower anyway, we're gonna extract Andy."
"Oliver nearly got himself killed trying to help Andy, I'm not gonna let you do the same." Diggle looked at everyone in disapproval.
"I'm sorry but what we do is not up to you." Thea argued.
"Laurel did everything she could to bring me back…" Sara spoke up. "Don't you think you owe your brother that much?"
"That's the thing, Sara, I'm not sure he does deserve it. And I don't know what Oliver told…"
"He told us the only two things that matter." Laurel explained. "Andy is under the influence of H.I.V.E. and we have to get him out."
"Like I told you, Dig, I don't think it's time to give up on your brother just yet. At least not until you try to reach him." Henry added. "Would you forgive yourself if you wrote him off too soon?"
Diggle sighed, knowing he was beaten.
Later, the Ghosts compound, Mueller Psychiatric Facility
"I put on your suits infrared lenses Curtis, Ray and I made." Seeker said over the comms. "With them, I can I.D. Andy under their masks, so you can extract him. Good luck, guys."
Green Arrow and Speedy used their grapnel arrows, flying upwards as the Canaries and Katana descended down.
"In position." Speedy informed the team over the comms.
"In position." Black Canary said as well.
"This isn't just base of operations." Green Arrow realized upon seeing the Ghosts carrying crates. "It looks like a staging area."
"For what?" Seeker asked.
"Equipment. Military crates marked G6:5."
"Damn it. It's in encrypted military database. It's gonna take a while to look into it." Seeker cursed after they heard clicking of the keyboard.
"Forget it, our priority is Andy, when you find him, we wait on my signal before engaging." Green Arrow instructed.
"Yeah, I might not have that option." Speedy said.
"She's been made, third floor, southwest building." Seeker warned.
"I've been spotted too." Black Canary said as she swiftly took down the Ghosts in the corridor.
Speedy engaged two Ghosts near the stairwell. "I need to get a visual on our target." One of the Ghosts grabbed her from behind in chokehold.
"Hang on." Seeker said. "The Ghost on your right! You got him!"
"Actually, he's got me!" Speedy groaned. She slammed Andy to the wall but he was able to match her close combat skills as he cornered her in the elevator, attacking her with a knife as the elevator closed and opened at another floor, with Andy pushing her out to a nearby hallway and it took a while for her to get an upper hand before she knocked him down on the ground and subdued him by shooting an arrow through his shoulder.
"I got him. He's looks a pretty heavy though, I could use a hand."
"I'm on my way." Black Canary said.
Outside, the Green Arrow, Katana and the Canary fought off the remaining Ghosts before more showed up with hostages and Prometheus in charge.
"Weapons down or they all die." Prometheus goaded.
"Stand down." The Green Arrow ordered as everyone complied.
"Don't do this, Takeo." Katana pleaded.
"I don't listen to you." Prometheus said coldly to Tatsu before turning to the Green Arrow. "Always defending the weak and helpless, do you? There was a time you would have been indifferent but you've changed. That's what I like about you. Predictable. I know your move before you make it because I know how you think." He stretched his arms shortly, taunting the vigilantes.
"Do you know what am I thinking right now?" The Green Arrow asked.
Prometheus chuckled. "Of course. You're thinking, "Who the hell is this guy?""
"No. I'm thinking which one of you is my friend going decide to take out first."
Prometheus snorted. "Just so everyone's on the same page here, I fully… FULLY intend to kill you myself. But first, I'm gonna make you suffer."
"It's not his fault what had happened." Katana pleaded.
"I don't care. I'm gonna prove I'm better than him." Prometheus glanced at her, replying coldly. Suddenly, a 'woosh' sound went off from the sky as one of the Ghosts asked.
"It's a bird?"
"No, it's a plane…"
"No, it's…" Suddenly, a blast of bright light knocked all of the Ghosts, even Prometheus down as Atom landed.
The vigilantes engaged the mercenaries in combat as the Green Arrow lunged at the assassin, trying to take off his mask as Prometheus grabbed him by his throat.
"Show… your… face…"
Prometheus neared Green Arrow's face dangerously close. "Not yet… Hood." Suddenly, an explosion and a cloud of smoke blinded the Emerald Archer as Prometheus vanished and as soon as he got up on his feet, he assisted the Atom in taking down the Ghosts while Katana and the Canary escorted the hostages.
Speedy walked down the corridor but stopped herself upon suddenly encountering Damien Darhk.
"Oh, it's Merida. Don't you think it's past your bedtime?" He said sarcastically. Speedy turned around to run, only for Darhk to stand in her way again. "I've seen something in your fighting style, you were trained by Ra's al Ghul. Tell me, how have you coped with Malcolm's death?"
Speedy froze in place, wondering if Darhk really just said that her biological father, Malcolm Merlyn was dead as he pinned her to the wall, touching her chest but Darhk scowled as nothing happened.
"That usually works." Suddenly, he groaned and let her go as a strange feeling took him over and his skin turned pale red and Speedy used the opening to run away.
"Black Canary has Andy but she could use some help." Seeker told them all.
"I got this!" Green Arrow barked at Atom.
"You sure?" Atom asked.
"Just go!" Green Arrow barked as the Atom flew away, while the archer took down the remaining Ghosts, only for the last one to be shot down by Spartan who showed up. "Nice of you to show up."
"My brother needed me." Spartan smiled. "The green one."
Later, the Lair
"Thank you all. Palmer, even you." Diggle smiled at Ray.
"My pleasure." Ray chuckled. "Feels good to do something useful, it's been a while."
Oliver cleared his throat. "So, you want your company back or…"
Ray shook his head. "No, I can't keep doing the same useless, ineffective things. I gotta do something different, take some time and figure out what that is." Oliver nodded in understanding. "But it will include the occasional super-heroing, whenever you need me."
"Where are you going?" Laurel asked Diggle who stood up.
"Well, I have a long overdue chat with my brother." Diggle pointed to Oliver and Henry. "You were right, I shouldn't have to give up on him until I'll let him explain himself, so... thanks."
"Likewise." Oliver nodded. "You were right too. About Darhk. I've been thinking about what you said, how to fight him. Fighting about him in the light of the day."
"What did you have in mind?"
"You'll see."
Diggle then noticed the look in Oliver's eyes shortly. "What?"
"Back there… Prometheus, he was making things personal… maybe too personal… said he knows how I think… that I was indifferent once upon a time where the weak were concerned… that was before the island… and he called me 'the Hood'… he knows who I was before the Green Arrow…"
"Oliver, Takeo's an ex-A.R.G.U.S. agent. He might know about you more than most of our enemies." Diggle reasoned.
"That's the thing, Dig…" Oliver swallowed. "He may have known those things about me from Tatsu or Maseo or from A.R.G.U.S. but the way he talked… the intimacy… the closeness… it was far too personal… it was like if he was trying to prove himself. To beat me... on a more closer level than one would expect… like if he was trying to mock me for trying to be a hero."
"What are you saying?" Diggle asked.
"That I'm not sure who is Prometheus… maybe Takeo's the mastermind but… this time… and back when we were saving Ray… he fought differently than when we first met when I returned to Star City two months ago."
"Which means…"
"That maybe it's not just Takeo Yamashiro under that mask…" Oliver said.
"Are you sure?" Tatsu asked Thea.
"When Darhk tried to use their powers on me, they completely backfired. And my bloodlust was gone, for a while."
"We'll find a way to help you, Thea. And Sara." She promised as Thea nodded gratefully.
"Did you find her?" Oliver asked Henry.
"Yeah. Wasn't easy though." Henry gave Oliver an address. "What are you gonna do when you confront her?"
Oliver said nothing as he put on his costume.
Miranda Tate's Apartment
'Miranda' was in her bathrobe, leaving the shower when the lights flickered and she smirked as a shadow of a hooded man covered her.
"I'm impressed, Oliver. It seems that the time with the League has sharpened your edge."
The archer turned off his voice changer and put down his hood and mask. "What do you want, Talia? I thought we were done after our business in Russia."
"You and I seek the same prey… Damien Darhk." She turned to him with a stoic attitude.
"Who is he to you?"
"My enemy, just as yours. I'm settling some last blood debts." Talia smirked as Oliver scowled. "That is the way of the League." Oliver stared at her, confused. "I never told you my full name, did I?"
"No." Oliver admitted.
"It's Talia al Ghul."
Oliver stood there, stunned before the realization dawned onto him. "Ra's al Ghul was your father."
"Yes." Talia nodded. "My father and I came to be at odds, so I forged my own path… but he was still my father when you put a sword through his chest."
"If you want revenge, I'm right here." Oliver goaded.
"Revenge… yes. But not upon you." Talia said simply. "I am offering to help you kill Damien Darhk. Like I said, I'm just settling some last blood debts. Besides, my sister has already claimed the throne of Demon's Head."
"What?" Oliver asked, surprised.
"You didn't know? Your foe, the one who calls himself 'Prometheus', executed Malcolm Merlyn and gave the ring of the Demon to Nyssa."
"Why?"
"Because Takeo has his honor and it was supposed to be you on the throne. I would have understood giving the ring to my sister…" Talia glared at him. "But you were a fool to hand it to Mr. Merlyn. So he killed him himself and set things right."
"But he still killed someone I knew, just to send me a message. And there's no honor in killing an innocent woman." Oliver glared at her.
"Which is why I'm offering to help you end Damien Darhk and Prometheus once and for all."
Oliver paused, contemplating before remembering what happened the last time he accepted an offer from a member of the League.
"Who is Prometheus?" Oliver changed the subject. "I had believed it was Maseo's brother but I'm starting to think that it would be too simple."
Talia paused. "Takeo Yamashiro is Prometheus… but remember my advice, never be fooled by how things might seem… and you cannot hesitate to do whatever it takes to stop them, otherwise everyone close to you will suffer far greater pain than ever."
"Which means?"
"You don't kill him, he will make you all wish you were dead." Talia advised.
"That's not who I am anymore."
"Then you're already dead." Talia sneered at him as Oliver left, not before she yelled at him. "You cannot change who you once were and if you are not willing to do whatever it takes, then you're all already dead!"
The following morning, Starling Bay
"Thank you all for coming." Oliver told the crowd of reporters. "My… my campaign advisor doesn't think that saving the Bay is the right play given the state of the city." He gave a short glance towards Alex and Thea. "But I'd like everyone to know that I'm not blind to Star City's problems.
And I wouldn't be here today if I wasn't confident that this program could help solve them. And the reason I chose the Bay is because it's in the center of the city. It's out in the open. For everyone to see." He glanced at Damien Darhk who was in the middle of the crowd. "The fight to save Star City isn't going to be fought in the shadows. It's gonna be fought in the light of day.
And I promise you, all of you, that I will never stop fighting to save this city."
Oliver promised as his eyes met Darhk's and both of them stared at each other, with the flames igniting and he saw Talia behind Darhk smiling at him proudly.
Author's Note:
So, what do you guys think about it?
Please review and let me know if you are enjoying this so far.
BTW, I'm not sure yet what kind of role is Talia going to have here but I'm definitely not gonna make her go on revenge on Oliver like she did in S5 but though, I plan on things get heated between them a bit as they cross path as both of them are gonna try to take out Darhk.
With regards
Bl4ckHunter
