++++++ kindleflame5 - River is twenty, she will turn twenty-one in a few months. Her natural hair color and wig color are stated in the following chapter. Thanks for the review! ++++++

++++++ highlander348 - I love your reviews! They always give me ideas or reinforce ideas I had in the first place! I do hope you like the chapter! ++++++

++++++Insert standard disclaimer here ++++++

Seven

Adam Hunt.

Adam Hunt.

Adam Hunt.

A ruthless businessman and the CEO of Hunt Multinational. He swindled hundreds of people out of their homes and life savings in the name of business. Tonight we were giving him the chance to return the forty million dollars he stole or face our brand of justice.

The name of the man rolled off the edge of my tongue as I stared at myself in the mirror. I knew that it was me but not me at the same time. The woman that stared back had her pale blue eyes hidden behind a domino mask and her ebony curls hidden behind a blonde wig. The domino mask had been my idea, the wig-Oliver's.

I stared at myself in the mirror, studying every aspect of my outfit in major detail. The blackish-purple leather material clung to every curve like a second skin, playing host to various pouches with throwing knives tucked away safely inside them, on the belt around my waist hung the two sais that I had taken a long time to master, the close quarters weapons were my primary weapons with the nunchucks tucked in my left boot were my secondary. The suit had long sleeves and gloves to prevent fingerprints being left behind and blood from a wound. I knew I was going to get hurt following Oliver into hell but spilling blood for him was nothing new.

How Oliver had managed to get the suit fitting so well without asking for my measurements made me laugh-not so much as watching Oliver come over to the computer with a combination of black and green paint around his eyes.

I giggled. "When you got the mask it would have been a brilliant idea to get two."

"I did," he shot back. "For you."

I rolled my eyes. "Hood's fall off, Ollie."

With all the banter going on between the two of us, it was hard to believe that we hadn't always been like this. In fact, the first six months had me nearly ready to kill him-and I would have too.

Oliver threw me over an earpiece. "That will keep us in constant contact, River. If we get separated, you don't come back here in case you're being followed. Find a secondary location, hide there and come back an hour later. They also come equipped with a voice scrambler."

I put the device on and tapped it, getting a small bit of feedback. "Works-so where is Hunt going to be tonight?"

"He's working late," Oliver answered. "All we're going to do is threaten him-demand he give back the money."

"The bodyguards?" I ask.

"Expendable."


The two of us had been floating in that life raft for days before the island came into view. The water seemed to be carrying us towards the jagged rocks and gloomy landscape, it truly looked like a place someone would die on.

"Think there's people there?" I murmured, after not speaking since Robert shot the deck hand and himself.

Oliver didn't seem to hear me, he was too focused on the shoreline which seemed to be so close.

I grumbled under my breath, too tired to deal with this anymore so I slid over the side, the freezing water waking me up and giving me that second burst I desperately needed.

"RIVER!" Oliver shouted.

I breached the surface and shook the water out of my hair. "Fuck its freezing."

"There could be sharks in the water!" Oliver snapped. He offered me his hand and glared at me-the first of many I assume.

I rolled my eyes and with his help, I was yanked back into the life raft, the lack of food and water was playing its toll on the both of us but we were so close to land…I needed to reach it…we needed to reach it. I glanced over at the body of Robert Queen that Oliver had wrapped up in a tarp-it stunk to high hell but Oliver wouldn't listen to me.

When the raft finally reached the shoreline, the two of us jumped into the water to pull it ashore, it was the most I'd seen Oliver move since The Queen's Gambit went down. "First things first-we need water," I mumbled to myself. I was tired, so freaking tired but we needed water.

"Then go get some," Oliver snapped.

I shot him a look and grabbed the two empty canteens out of the raft. "Be a man and go sob over your dead father," I sneered. "At least you get to bury him." I stormed off towards the trees, not caring where I was going.

If my watch had been working-it was clear to me that several hours later, I hadn't found the water and it was almost dark.

"SON OF A BITCH!" I screamed, throwing one of the canteens off into the trees.

It only made me angrier when I realized I had to go and get it.

I slapped a branch out of my way and walked through the trees. "At least the headline will be 'Starling City Teenager Dies in Tragic Boating Accident' and not 'Starling City Teenager Eaten by Wolves'," I scowled.

A crack behind me alerted me to the fact that I wasn't alone.

"Is there anyone out there?" I frowned. "Hello?"

Silence.

"Whoever you are," I growled, "I am armed and really dangerous!" I held up the canteen and waited for someone or something to come running out at me.

I could have sworn that years passed before I relaxed enough to keep moving.

I sighed and tried to get my bearings, when I turned around I smacked into something solid and screamed when I hit the ground.

Just in the fading daylight I could make out what I had slammed into-well-whom. He was decked out like a soldier, all clad in black with backup behind him-all wearing balaclavas. The only difference between him and the rest of them was that this guy was wearing a black and orange mask, split right down the middle.

I laughed.

I'm putting it down to lack of food and water. "Who the hell are you supposed to be? Halloween isn't for another couple months."

He reached backwards and drew a sword out held it dangerously close to my throat.

I gulped. "Ah…that looks kinda sharp there, buddy. Mind putting that away?"

He took a step closer to me and paused before turning his weapon around.

The last thing I saw was the butt of a sword hitting me in the face than nothing…


The first bodyguard falls with one of my knives to his throat

I watch in fascination as he yanks to knife out and throws it on the ground before realizing that someone had hit a major artery.

An arrow whizzes by my face and plants itself into the second bodyguard before I take care of the third. I pealed myself out of the darkness and kicked the man's legs out from underneath him, knocking him to the ground. Training taught me to crouch before delivering a swift slice across the throat, severing his jugular.

It's always fascinated me to watch the life go out of someone's eyes, those last few seconds of hope that they cling to.

I got to my feet and kicked the knees out of a guard behind me, twirling around him with a knife held up against his throat. "Move and you're dead," I hissed. As Oliver walked by me, Adam Hunt stared at the two of us. Fear written all over his face at his attacker approached him, confusion coupled that fear when he looked at me. I was small and not to be underestimated.

"Just tell me what you want?" the man in the expensive suit demanded to know, fear mixed in with false bravado.

"You're gonna transfer $40 million into Starling City Bank account 1141 by ten pm tomorrow night" Oliver ordered, his voice distorted by the scrambler.

"Or what?" Hunt snapped.

"Or we're gonna take it," I smirked, "and you won't like how." Oliver disappeared into the darkness and I snapped the guard's neck. "$40 million, Hunt. 1141. Remember that."

I pushed the body to the ground and fled the building before Hunt could call the police.


When I woke up, I was lying on the ground in a tent with my hands bound behind me. I wanted to scream and hit something-surely this was all a dream and I'd wake up soon? I'd be in my own bed and about to go to school to see Chloe and Leah.

The tent flap opened and the same masked man came in followed by a smaller man with blonde hair and blue eyes. "Who the fuck are you?" I growled, struggling to at least sit up.

"I was going to ask you the same question in a less crude manner," he replied, his accent was British. "For now, you can call me Fyers. I must apologies over your treatment." He came over and used a knife to cut the ties on my hands. "You must be hungry, miss…?"

"Quinn," I answered, rubbing my wrists. "River Quinn. Where am I?" I asked.

"My camp," he replied, giving me the feeling that he wasn't going to tell me anything else. "How did you find this island, Miss Quinn?"

"Ship sank," I answered "I don't think anyone else made it," I lied. I glanced up at the guy wearing the mask. "Why's he wearing a mask?" I ask.

"You must be hungry," Fyers smiled. "We have a mess tent set up, but before you eat, I must ask you…have you seen this man?" he questioned, holding a photo of a well-dressed Chinese military man in front of me.

I raised an eyebrow. "You're kidding, right?" I laughed. "I've gotten off a sinking ship, floated for god knows how many days on the ocean, finally found land and your friend over there hit me in the face with a fucking sword and you want to know where Jackie Chan is? I have no idea who the hell this guy is!"

I could have sworn a smile appeared at the edge of Fyers mouth.

"Food will be provided for you and a change of clothes," he told me.

"Can I go home?" I asked him, seeing light at the end of the tunnel.

He chuckled. "We have a job here to do, Miss Quinn. Not until it's done. Even then I will have to decide if it's worth the trouble."

I wanted to punch him in his smug British face.

He held the tent flap open. "Make no mistake, Miss Quinn. You are a prisoner here until further notice. Do not wonder or my men will shot you."

I glared at the masked man as I walked passed him. "Do he have a name? Or do I make one up?"

A little voice in the back of my head was telling me I should have stayed on the beach with Oliver at the same time it asked me why did I lie?

++++++ Don't shoot me but I decided to give River a different start on the island. Oliver had Yao-Fei before eventually getting Slade as a teacher and I didn't want the same for River. She still gets to the same place, just takes a different road ++++++