Chapter 9

Oliver woke with a start. The darkness receded from his mind, and the first thing he noticed was that he was tied down. He couldn't be sure who captured him on the Island, but he wasn't about to lie down and just take whatever they had planned. He lashed out, hard, and when he felt a solid hand on his shoulder, he practically barred his teeth… before he realized two people were calling his name, gently and not with the tone of someone intending to cause harm.

While his vision still swam, Oliver found himself not on the Island but in his own Foundry. Diggle had a steady hand on his shoulder, and Felicity was near her computers, her eyes full of concern. Oliver felt terrible if he had frightened her; he had warned them constantly about being near him following a nightmare, or in this case, a near death experience.

"You okay man?" Digg asked to which Oliver forced a nod.

"I'm fine." His memories of the night were hazy, but he remembered the fight with Cyrus. He also recalled losing before passing out; everything else after that was… gone. There wasn't anything except his dream or hallucination in the spans of time he was missing.

Oliver prided him on his senses, and even partially in a drugged state, he could practically feel someone else in the room. His eyes zeroed in to find the Central City forensics scientist, Barry. He was staring at Oliver, mouth stuck between a smile and partially agape. Vaulting from the table, Oliver ignored that he was free and headed straight for Barry. It was only Felicity's timing that prevented him from crossing the entirety of the room; she must have sensed the rage pouring off of him.

"Felicity," he said, tense. "What is he doing here?"

"He saved your life," she said stubbornly. "You were dying! There weren't a whole lot of options."

"You shouldn't have brought him here." The next thing Oliver said came out as a hiss, "That wasn't your choice."

"You showed up in my car bloody and shot. You trusted me," she argued flimsily. "There wasn't a choice. You were either dead… or not."

"I made a calculated choice with you," he continued. "And Diggle. I researched you both before bringing you both into this. Him," he said gesturing to Barry, who had thankfully stayed quiet this entire time. "I know nothing about."

"I trust him," Felicity stated, holding her ground. She met Oliver's glare for roughly three seconds before averting her gaze with the realization he was that angry. The air was alight with tension, and it would take very little to cause it to break and explode.

Sara was intelligent enough to step in now and try and divert Oliver's attention. While she didn't condone what Felicity and Diggle had done, she understood it. With Oliver dying, there really as little choice: hospital or Barry. Thus far, it seemed Barry had been the better option. He wasn't about to go speak with the police, at least it seemed that way.

Oliver could be heard saying, "I don't." Barry was slowing backing up, obviously heading for a quick exit, but Oliver had already turned his gaze on the Central City employee. "Oh no, you're going to stay. We have some things to discuss."

"But first," Sara interrupted stepping into Oliver's line of sight, black arrow in hand. Whatever he had planned to say died on his lips with the sight of the arrow.

Felicity stepped away recognizing that this was important. When Digg and her had found that arrow, they hadn't been sure what to think. After snatching Barry, Felicity had made an amazingly fast call to Sara about what they had found. There was an equal amount of worry about who the arrow belonged to. Sara had assured them that the arrow was actually a standard issue League set, so it didn't necessarily mean the Dark Archer was in fact in Starling… however, they all had a gut feeling over it. Digg and Sara were leaning to trust their instincts while Felicity was just hoping that Oliver wasn't going to bring down the entire Foundry over Barry. She returned to her computer continuing to run traces looking for either Viper or Malcolm.

"I had thought I hallucinated that," Oliver stated taking the arrow from Sara. His eyes ran from tip to tail of it. The last time he had proximity to such an arrow it had been because he had shoved one through his chest. Oliver's mind drifted back to what he had dreamt while unconscious… he knew it had been his subconscious, but he hoped that if Tommy had been alive, he would be proud to see what his friend turned into…

But now, worry began to creep in. Oliver had to admit a League hunter was the last thing he expected on top of everything else going on in Starling. He wasn't sure how he could continue to be a hero when there was no clear choice to make. He could give the League what they wanted, and it wasn't like Malcolm didn't deserve it… but that would practically make him a murderer again. Then again, he doubted that if he challenged Viper, it would be anything but a massacre. The hunter wouldn't lie down and lick her wounds if he won… and the more he heard about the League, the larger that if became.

"Is it Viper's?" Oliver asked breaking his trance. Sara had her hand half way up to touch his cheek; she had seen him daze off. Seeing him back, she dropped her hand and sighed.

"Viper is named as such for a reason," Sara explained. "Poison is her thing… And Felicity found not a trace of anything on this arrow." She casted her gaze over to the IT girl. "We were about to run the shipment number when you woke up… abruptly."

"That's one word for it," Felicity mumbled to herself. When she realized she had been heard, she instantly apologized.

"Felicity," Oliver said hoping to cut off the long winded explanation she was about to give. "Run that shipment number." When she glared, he added, "Please." The last thing Oliver needed was both Viper and Malcolm in Starling fighting over territory. What worried him the most was his family getting caught in the cross-fire; he hadn't realized it but his eyes had unintentionally trailed to Felicity.

The IT girl frowned and turned to face the small group. Oliver placed the arrow on a table and asked, "Did you get what bundle the arrow was a part of? And where it was shipped to?"

"Yes."

"Felicity," Oliver pushed.

"You're not going to like it," she frowned. "It's from the same bundle Malcolm had shipped here. The one he used to lure you to that warehouse to blow you up."

"Yes I remember," he sighed. He turned to Sara needing her input. "Was it left on purpose?"

"It had blood on it," Digg said. "We were lucky we found it."

"So no then," Oliver summarized. He recognized the look in Diggle's eyes. "It wasn't my blood. He didn't shoot me."

"He could have," Digg argued.

Oliver decided not to rile his friend up by stating that Malcolm saved his life. This wasn't entirely the time, and for once, Oliver found it in him to swallow his pride. "But he didn't," Oliver simply said. "Any chance you can track him from the warehouse?" he asked Sara.

"He's well trained," she said. A moment later she added," And it's been too long. There wouldn't be any trace for me to track."

"Um," Felicity interrupted. "There might be a newer tracey thing. Four dead bodies at a random warehouse. Arrows…. Everywhere. And none are obviously yours… since you know, you were here… yep nevermind." She faded off before rattling off the address to Oliver.

Although still weak, Oliver suited up nonetheless. He had to get ahead of this. If luck was on his side, Detective Lance might even be on scene, and he could gleam a large chunk of the information from there. Sara dressed nearby, and while he usually couldn't take his eyes off her, his emotional state was far from ideal. Everything felt raw.

Grabbing his bow, he turned to Barry, "Stay here until I get back."

Barry nodded feverishly and took a seat nearby. With Oliver armed, he wasn't to be trifled with, especially with the mood he was giving off. Sara shot him a sympathetic look but followed Oliver out, Digg not far behind. He wasn't as needed as much with Sara now around, but an extra set of eyes, especially against two League members, wasn't something to ignore.

Malcolm hissed as the needle dug into his skin for the fifth time. The wound on his thigh was just deep enough for stitches, but the poison still racing in his veins was making fixing it incredibly difficult. The toxin had been diluted enough that Malcolm could tell its sole purpose was to incapacitate but not much else. Viper had wanted him aware but unable.

His hand clenched around the needle, part of it dug into his palm to the point blood was drawn. When Moira had called practically in tears and left him a message, he had thought it had been the news he wanted- Thea knowing the truth. He hadn't expected to hear about a hunter, and he hadn't stuck around long enough to hear the entirety of the message. That had been foolish of him; he could admit that now. Moira had told him that it was Viper, but he had run after the hunter without that knowledge.

The ex-League member wasn't sure how to feel about the entire situation. Viper was a problem, but not as much as Talia would have been. Nonetheless, Malcolm could set aside his pride and admit when he was outmatched. He had overestimated his ability and underestimated hers. He wouldn't make that same mistake twice.

He considered his options, very limited options. There wasn't much the elder Merlyn could do. The only way to beat a hunter was to overwhelm them, and on his own… that seemed unlikely, and he wasn't about to just hand himself over.

First things first though, Malcolm had to get Thea to safety. He had already put extra security on Moira, even if Mrs. Queen didn't know it. But his daughter… he had to do that himself. Once he was stitched up, he was planning to head right back out and find her.

Note: Next up, poor Thea gets caught in a cross fire, and all archers end up on the same playing field.

To all you reviewers, you guys make me smile. I'm always thrilled to hear you like an OC. I find they can be difficult to accept in some settings, but I'm happy that you all enjoy Viper as much as I like writing her.