Laurel had returned to the office and had sent Thea home, one of them had to be at their best in case they were needed.
As she went over her notes, Thea had taken earlier, and the police report her father had given her. But her mind kept going back to Brick's offer to meet with her? Why would he want to associate himself with her?
Her thoughts were broken, as the lights went off in the office. A file was thrown onto her desk.
"Compliments of Mr Istook."
"What's in it?" She asked, as she glanced at the folder, then back up at her unlikely ally.
The Hood answered from her doorway. "Leverage on Brodeur. Enough to hopefully ensure that you can save Declan's life."
She looked up at him. "I thought you were initially an enforcer for one of the crime families. A freelancer, or an enforcer."
The Hood stepped into her office. His voice was oddly gentle despite his voice modulator, a stark contrast to the murderous glare and voice she was assaulted with when they first crossed paths. "And now, Laurel. What do you think?"
"I think that there are too many people in this city who care about themselves. People who are greedy and only care about their wants, rather than others. I think that you as long as you stop killing people. You may be what this city needs, just like The Birds of Prey."
She saw a small smile grace the archer's hidden face before he left. Once he left, the lights turned back on. A smile, that made her feel warm. A smile that was oddly familiar, and yet, she couldn't put her finger on who owned the smile.
If he kept to helping people, she would overlook him trying to kill her. If he kept to helping people, she would overlook him trying to kill her but it wouldn't stop her from trying to find out who he really was under the Hood. Once Laurel had that knowledge, she would have even more leverage over the man underneath the Hood and force him to her way of thinking.
Oliver walked into the lobby of the mansion, with a grin. As he was about to ascend the stairs, Thea noticed the smile.
"Ollie?" He turned to see his little sister walking towards him with a grin. "What is that on your face?" She asked cheekily.
"What?"
"There's this weird thing with your face. Around the mouth and lips…" She then fake gasped. "Could it be a smile?"
He chuckled. "Cute, Thea."
"I took your advice, with Laurel." He revealed.
"And?" She prodded.
Oliver rolled his eyes. "It's helping. You were right, we are communicating better."
Thea folded her arms and looked at him with a haughty expression. "Move over Dr Phil. Thea Queen has mad relationship skills, and doesn't even need a doctorate nor a medical license." She then smugly smirked. "I know some expensive, yet trendy places, my adopted sister would love for you to propose to her in..."
He pinched his fingers. "A little too quick on the draw, Speedy."
As Laurel was working, her father barged into her office. "Want to know what I heard?"
She looked up. She knew she shouldn't take the bait but did. "What?"
"Matt Istook was harassed by The Hood. Which is incredibly strange, because I gave my daughter that name. I could have forgiven a Red Archer or Black Canary roughing up Istook, but The Hood!?"
"Dad, I—"
"He's a vigilante, a killer. That makes you an accessory." He sighed. "He could have murdered Istook and Brodeur."
Laurel stood from her seat. "But he didn't. And I am saving a man's life. And If I'm an accomplice to The Hood's crimes, you are to mine."
He shook his head, his face showing how visibly sad and disappointed in her he was in her. "You took this case, and lied to me." He said hurt. "I thought that you and I don't do that. When you came back, I thought we had an unspoken pact. That we could trust each other. I thought that after I told you that I knew, We wouldn't lie to each other anymore."
"I am sorry dad but I have a chance to change the Hood's mind about killing criminals and I couldn't let an opportunity like that slip away," Laurel said with a conviction in her voice, that Quentin had never heard so strongly before.
"And if he breaks his word, Baby?" He asked.
Laurel's eyes hardened. "Then Thea and I will ensure that the SCPD will have Robin Hood with a bow wrapped around him. I promise."
Laurel had been spending the last ten minutes trying to get the judge to see reason.
"That evidence proves beyond a reasonable doubt, that Mr Istook had perjured himself for Jason Brodeur's benefit."
"That's slander." Laurel turned to see two lawyers and Brodeur standing in the doorway of the judge's chambers.
Istook's attorney continued, as he waltzed up to the judges' desk beside her, with an air of arrogance. "Jared Swanstrom, your honour. Here on behalf of Jason Brodeur, and his holdings."
She had to try harder now that the judge had an opposing view to hers. She had to try to appeal to the judge's sense of justice. "For justice to be achieved, Your Honour, you should stay the defendant's execution. To allow the exploration of newly discovered evidence."
"This court is not a court of justice, Miss Lance. It's the Court of Law. Which dictates that your evidence is not enough to warrant a stay of execution." The judge harshly explained to Laurel.
Laurel felt herself deflate. She let down Peter Declan, his daughter and The Hood. If she lost this case, she doubted she could rein in The Hood from robbing or murdering people, after all, he thought that deserved it. Then the Birds would have no choice but to pursue him. For some reason, that thought left her deeply unsettled. She listened as the judge denied her motion, feeling dread cling on to her.
She stormed past Brodeur's lawyer and walked up to the man himself. "This isn't over. I found a loose thread, and I will keep pulling at it, until your entire would unravel around you. If you don't believe me, ask the last person whose world tumbled down because I wouldn't let go of the loose string." Laurel took a deep calming breath, she desperately wanted to punch the so smug smile off his face, but she turned around and walked away.
"We're not done yet, Laurel." The Hood said, almost eerily repeating verbatim, what Thea had said earlier.
"Wow, maybe Robin Hood isn't so bad if he agrees with me," Speedy said over the Comms. A few seconds later she quickly added, "I will deny that tooth and nail if you ever tell him that."
"I'm an attorney. Trust me, it's over." She said, ignoring her sister, in favour of trying to keep The Hood talking. "By the way since you are on a first name basis mind telling me yours? After all, calling you Mr Hood sounds so formal." Laurel said with a smirk.
The Hood just looked at her and chuckled slightly, under his breath. "I don't think so, Laurel. I am a very guarded person. You know with this line of work and all..."
"Perhaps an associate of mine will have more luck then," Laurel replies coyly.
Laurel's mind then returned back to the issue at hand. Brodeur. Laurel Lance and Thea Queen might be temporarily on the bench, but Black Canary and Speedy weren't under such an obligation.
Jason Brodeur was going to realise that she and her sister were the justice that he couldn't run from.
One way or another, Peter Declan would be alive, and a free man who would be able to watch his daughter grow up, and walk her down the aisle at her wedding.
The Hood turned to look at her, though his hood still concealed his identity. "What do you need, to free our innocent man?"
"At this point? Nothing short of a signed confession by Brodeur. "He nodded and walked off. "Where are you going?" Laurel shouted at him and started to run in his direction which forced him to spin on his heel and assume a more defensive posture on instinct.
"Careful, Laurel," Speedy warned, as Laurel heard Thea take a deep breath and the telltale sound of her drawing her bow, her nocked arrow had a bola attached to it, ready to incapacitate the Hood in a heartbeat. He wouldn't be able to cut the bola this time as it was made of reinforced carbon steel courtesy of Cisco. The Hood would need a blowtorch and even then, it would take at the very least, an hour to melt through it.
Laurel had to remind herself, that she wasn't wearing her suit, right now, at this very second, she was Dinah Laurel Lance, attorney at law. Not the Black Canary so the called for different tactics.
"I'm going to get the confession." He growled, in an attempt to explain himself, or was it the modulator, that made him seem angrier at the world?
Then you will do it on my terms, or I will wash my hands of the case." She said with finality while wiping her hands together, to convey her point though Laurel would never do that she thought but she had to find a way to keep the Hood playing by her rules."
"You're bluffing." The Hood said as he inched closer towards Laurel trying to intimidate her. She prayed that Thea was on target and would be able to tie up the Hood with her bola arrow before he possibly did an encore of the night when he stole her wig.
Of course, Laurel was no damsel, but she didn't want to blow her cover unless she absolutely had no choice.
She still felt the phantom pain of that damn arrow hitting her shoulder, then the blinding headache she had after she had been forced off a roof. It's a good thing for him that Laurel didn't tend to hold that much of a grudge, or The Hood would be missing some teeth and nursing a broken jaw and a concussion if the Birds had managed to capture him the first time around.
"Am I?" She asked with a quirked brow and remained steadfast, she refused to cower at the hooded man. "The judge already saw me angry after her dismissal of the evidence. She would easily vouch that I'm too personally involved."
She took some satisfaction at the archer gritting his teeth.
"What are your terms?" He enunciated slowly, in an attempt to rein in his temper.
"No killing." The same rule as they had agreed to at the beginning. "And you work with an associate of mine, just while you are getting your confession." She then cocked her head. "Consider it, a form of probation."
"What?" He growled.
"What!?" She heard her sister mimic the other archer, though with less anger and more shock lining her voice.
She then spoke to her sister through the Comms. "Come down here."
The archer watched as Speedy, swung in from a grapple line. "I hear we are to be allies." She said. "How's the shoulder?" Beneath her modulator, Laurel could hear Thea's teasing voice.
Trust Thea to rub the salt in the wounds. She obviously still hadn't quite forgiven the hooded man for trying to kill Laurel.
"Fine." He addressed Speedy, then turned to Laurel. "You have got to be joking. She looks like a damn kid to me! She would just get in my way." The Hood said incredulously and with considerable malice.
Laurel was about to speak up to when Speedy got right in his face forcing him to lower his Hood and said cheekily, "Well Mr Hoody, this little girl." She said gesturing to herself. "Almost defeated you, so you don't have a lot of room to talk. Of course, if you want a proper demonstration of my skills then we can spar, right now. I would relish the chance to beat you again." She said with a sly grin, her arms crossed over her chest.
Oliver knew from the looks of her that the Red Archer was not in his league yet but she wouldn't make it easy for him and he didn't have time for this. The Hood said in a resigned voice "We will get what you need." He then growled. "But I don't like being manipulated."
Speedy just waved and gave him a wink, before calling after him, as he swung away. "Lose the doom and gloom as well, it's bumming me out."
Walter was started reading the file on Tempest and its involvement with his company. Miss Smoak had been able to quite quickly find the information. This young woman was at least in his opinion, quite intelligent, and her sunny demeanour, along with her naivete, brought him a sense of fresh air.
He wondered what Moira was up to, and wondered what this Tempest was, and the potentially dire implications this might have for his family.
Speedy and The Hood were outside the office. The Hood Looked at the petite archer. "What's your name?"
Speedy smirked. "What's yours?" After hearing his grunt, she answered, feeling satisfied at getting underneath his skin, and if she played her cards right hopefully under his hood like Laurel hinted at earlier. "You can call me, Speedy."
The Hood's mouth opened, in shock. "I knew someone called Speedy, once."
Speedy shrugged. "Common enough nickname, my sister, Black Canary, she named me Speedy, after the cartoon mouse. You know, small and fast." She lied, to the archer. Thea had grown up in the public eye, there was a minute chance that someone may have heard her being called her nickname before, though that was very unlikely.
The truth was, her brother gave her that nickname, after always following him around, and both Tommy and Laurel, caught on. Laurel, especially so, and thus they were the only ones who called her that name in private. There was no way she let them called her Speedy in public. After all, Thea had a reputation to maintain as a rich entitled princess back in the day. Well before Laurel took her under her wing and she gained a new sister, and another father figure.
The Hood nodded. He supposed that it was plausible that someone else was given the nickname of his sister, and that it was purely coincidental. Of course, it would be, Thea was always a rebel, but not one to actively hunt down street crime. She was his baby sister, and the only thing she had ever beaten up in her life, was a girl in high school who started spreading rumours about Thea being promiscuous, and even then, it consisted of hair pulling, and Thea slapping the other girl in the face. Hardly a vicious beat down.
Thea was a far cry from the vigilante in front of him. This young girl had reminded him of Slade before everything went to hell. This Speedy had given him the same dangerous look Slade had given Fyers and his men when they had come near him.
The unlikely pair waited on opposite sides of the door and on the Hood's signal stormed in; their bows, drawn. "Jason Brodeur." The Hood said.
"We are the Justice you cannot run from!" Speedy growled.
"What do you want?"
Speedy decided to let The Hood take the lead, after all, the more he spoke, and the more he did on his own volition would teach her and Laurel more about this man and finding out his true identity. Thea wondered if she would have a chance to plant a tracking device she carried on The Hood and one Cisco made just for her. Not even Laurel knew about it and would deem it too risky if she did. Thea turned back into the conversation.
"You arranged the murder of Peter Declan's murder."
"You want me to exchange myself for him?" The businessman scoffed.
"Avoid the death penalty. Something you are robbing Declan of."
Brodeur then saw a flaw in The Hood's threats. "Kill me, and you lose the leverage on Camille's murder."
At his grandstanding, The Hood and Speedy both shot an arrow each at Brodeur, a green arrow hit his shoulder, and a red one pinning his hand to the wall behind him.
Speedy looked at The Hood. "What is with you and shoulders?"
"What is with you and hands?" At the look Speedy gave him, he clarified. "I did research into you and your teacher…"
"Partner." Speedy corrected him, with an exasperated scowl. Laurel may have taught her everything she knew, but her sister was adamant that they were equals, just as they were at CNRI.
"You shot a freelancer in the hand, almost caught mine in the fire escape." He said with a little mirth escaping his disguised voice. "Guess both of us share a fondness of hitting a nonlethal body part."
"When you aren't killing them, you mean?" She bluntly asked, not expecting an answer. Just because Laurel was willing to play nice, didn't mean that she couldn't continue to irritate and get under The Hood's skin.
Surprisingly, the Hood did provide something of an answer. "I do what I deem necessary in order to carry out my mission. If that involves removing a few unsavoury elements so be it."
Speedy replied in a passionate voice, " There is always another way and you just snuff out the small potential everyone has. The ability to try again, and to recourse their lives. Be better people, spouses, siblings, friends or parents." He voices then became hard and unyielding. "My sister and I will not hesitate to bring you to justice if you cross that line in our city again. Despite what you did to Canary, she is giving you the chance you robbed from others."
All of a sudden, their face-off was broken when Brodeur's phone rang, The Hood forced him to answer it, and upon being informed of Brodeur's plan to murder Declan, he knocked out the man, as Speedy zip-cuffed him, to a filing cabinet. When she looked over her shoulder, The Hood had gone.
Speedy grumbled out loud. "Damn ninja jerk." Only a few more seconds she could have planted that tracker on him. As Thea headed to a nearby window and shot a grappling arrow to the roof, disappearing into the night, as she heard police sirens in the distance.
