He stared down at the blood on his hands. This hadn't been the first time that they'd been covered and Diggle knew it wouldn't be the last.
"Digg," Sara whispered. "It's over."
Slowly, he turned to look at her. Sara, he realized, had grasped his wrist. "It's not," he responded.
"Let's get you cleaned up."
"We don't have time—"
Sara put an arm around him and she was guiding him to shore. "Oliver already went to get her."
"He shouldn't be alone," Diggle said slowly. It was just a lot to take in. The day had been a blur and he'd happily forget it all about.
"I think you're wrong about that," Sara told them. They knelt down by the water and washed off the blood. "This is one of those times where he needs to be alone." Sara was quiet for a moment. "We need to make sure that things are ready when Oliver returns."
"Do we even have a plan?" he asked. As relieved as he was that Slade was no longer a threat to him, he still found himself ready to surrender. He was physically and emotionally exhausted.
"Get to mainland China," Sara told him. "Oliver and I should be able to talk our way through… Get to the US Embassy. Oliver will be able to have everything expedited as far as papers…and we go home."
"And what about Felicity?"
"We prepare one of the rooms on that boat for her," Sara told him.
Diggle was sure that Sara could separate herself more easily from her emotions associated with Felicity. After all, Sara hadn't known Felicity like he or Oliver had. Diggle felt sick and just…he wanted to be alone. Felicity was family to him.
"We all have jobs to do," Sara told him. She'd straightened herself up; her tone was even and serious.
. . .
They'd found Slade and his boat. It was large enough, but smaller than Diggle had expected. Smaller than the Queen's Gambit for sure. Diggle really wasn't sure about their plan of attack, but Oliver seemed to be on a timeline. They didn't have much in the way of weapons…which worried Diggle. This all was shaping up to be a suicide mission, but really…what other choice did they have?
"I really would have rather have had my staff," Sara mumbled as they sat there.
Diggle would much rather have his weapon of choice as well, along with a back-up or two just for safety. He was certain that Oliver wished he had his gear as well, though he most likely wouldn't voice it. He just didn't understand how they were actually going to kill Slade. Oliver had tried in the past and obviously it wasn't an easy task…
"We go in. We sweep the boat. We take out any others that might be there…and then Slade," Oliver said as if it were a simple operation.
It wasn't that simple.
There was no way it would be that simple.
. . .
He and Sara took time on the boat. It was going to be some time until Oliver arrived back. Diggle was having a hard time focusing on the task at hand, but Sara kept pushing. He knew it had to be done, but he really didn't want to do any of it.
"You okay?"
"No," he responded as he stared down at the pool of blood in the middle of the room. This wasn't how he had thought it would end. The bloody mess was just too much for him. In hindsight, he knew that killing Slade in that way really was the only way to know for sure that he'd stayed dead…but it just seemed so extreme.
"I'd say it's going to be okay, but I think we both know that it's going to be a lie," Sara said with a sigh. "At least there's a drain?" she pointed out a little hopeful.
He hadn't missed that. The room they were in was rather large and had a drain in the middle of it; the floor slanted slightly inward so water would naturally flow towards the drain. Diggle knew that this had been the room that they'd been tortured in. This was the room that Slade had dragged Felicity out of and told them that they wouldn't see her again. This was where he'd thought that she was gone in the first place.
"I guess…" he muttered finally. "I'll go see if there's a hose…" he said before turning and heading away from her. He still wanted to be left alone, but she was right…they had jobs to do. The work had to get done.
. . .
He was going to be so bruised. Diggle's arm was already sliced, but it was purely superficial. This just seemed to be Slade beating them and throwing them around. He wondered if this really was the best idea. Before they'd even stepped onto the ship, he'd thrown out the possibility of needing Slade and his blood in order to possibly help someone. The regenerative properties because of the Mirakuru could be life or death. Oliver and Sara had both shot down that idea, so no one else could die.
Sara's staff had been broken apart long ago and now Slade was crushing Oliver's bow. Diggle watched in horror as Slade started in on Oliver. He yanked him forward and Diggle was sure that this was the end for all of them. He'd managed to find a gun, but had ended up using all of the bullets already. They didn't even phase Slade. Slade got a hold of Oliver and it looked like he was going to crush him when Sara pulled one of the swords from the sheath on Slade's back.
Everything seemed to move so quickly then. It was like watching a movie and all Diggle knew to do at that point was to get back because the only weapon he had was an empty gun. Could he use it? Sure, he could clobber Slade with it. Was that going to help anyone? He highly doubted it. The only thing it was likely to achieve was for Diggle to get some broken bones, he still was wondering if he could have some fractures.
"You—" Slade started as he turned towards Sara.
It was then that Oliver was able to pull out the other sword. To say that Slade was unarmed would be inaccurate since his blood was the real weapon in that room. The Mirakuru in his system was far more dangerous than both of those swords…and his gun if it were loaded. He was more dangerous than a whole armed army.
Slade just laughed now as he turned in a circle, Sara and Oliver on either side of him with the swords. "Do you really think you can defeat me?!" he screamed and then laughed again.
"We can try!" Oliver spat.
"I saw you digging her grave," Slade taunted.
Diggle suddenly wanted to get in on the action, but knew that he'd only be in the way if he did. He didn't want to be in the way, if he could help it. Instead he left the room in order to find a possible new weapon. There had to be something on that vessel that could be used to defeat Slade.
He swore he was gone no more than five minutes before he heard Slade's screams coupled with Oliver's and Sara's. He'd froze in his tracks and had just grabbed the knife he'd found and sprinted back to where he'd left them.
In the middle of the floor was a large pool of blood. That wasn't what dominated the center of the room though. It was the slouched headless form of Slade Wilson. The head, Diggle looked around for to make sure he wasn't going to trip over it or kick it. He didn't see it and assumed that it was closer to the body on the other side. Oliver and Sara were standing on either side with the swords still in their hands.
This was the only way, he told himself.
Slade Wilson was like those vampires in the 'Twilight' books that Carly had told him about back when she was reading them. You had to take off the head, pull off the limbs, and burn them so that they'd die. At least Slade Wilson didn't sparkle. He just stared though. There was so much silence, it was almost unreal.
"We need to get Felicity," Oliver finally spoke up.
"We need to ensure that this is over first," Sara countered.
"Then we burn the body…"
Sara nodded.
Things so simple a decision between the two of them. It was almost like they were in sync when it came to the island. Without saying a word, though, Diggle moved towards the body. Sara and Oliver did the same and they all gripped a different part of the body in order to move it. Diggle could feel the blood on his hands and gripped tighter in order to keep hold.
It wasn't going to be pretty, but at least they'd know he was really dead.
. . .
TBC…
