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.
A drug dealer was running down an alley as the Hood chased him from above on the rooftops as he tried to climb on a fire escape, only for his sleeve to be pinned by an arrow as he was hanging on the ledge. "Come on, man, I'm just trying to get an honest living!" He moaned.
"There's nothing honest about what you do!" The Hood snarled. "Who supplies the Vertigo? Tell me now and you live!"
"Please, they'll kill me!" The dealer begged.
"Whoever you fear, fear me more!" The Hood notched an arrow, ready to fire.
"OK, OK! They call him 'The Count'! That's all I know! I swear to God!" The man covered his eyes, ready to die but when he opened his eyes, the Hood vanished as he was still hanging from the railing but then something else occurred to him. "Hey, get me down from here!"
Later, the Foundry
"Found what you were looking for?" Diggle asked.
"I took down three Vertigo pushers tonight, Diggle. Last one finally knew a name. The Count." Oliver informed as he put the bow on the table.
"The Count? That's worse than 'the Hood'." Diggle deadpanned as Oliver approached the computer. "You're not going back out?"
"I'm not done for tonight." Oliver looked at Diggle. "Whoever this Count is, he has a lot of blood on his hands and it is long past time he started paying."
"Whoa, slow down, I think you're missing the point here." Diggle interrupted him.
"What?" Oliver asked as Diggle gave him a look and then he remembered. "Thea."
"Her hearing's in a few hours." Diggle reminded. "You think she cares more about some drug lord getting his 'just desserts', or you being by her side, when she needs you the most?" Oliver nodded.
Sin's Apartment
Sin heard the doorbell as she opened the door and froze in surprise. "Can I help you?"
"Laurel Lance, CNRI." She showed her card. "You're Cindy, right?"
"Sin." She corrected.
"I'm looking for my sister."
Sin blinked but quickly put her mask on. "I don't know what…"
"I've been asking around in the Glades, some people have seen the Canary showing up around your apartment a lot in past few months and that she's been saving you in particular a lot lately and it didn't take too much for me to put it all together." Laurel said. "I just want to talk to her. Please."
Sin sighed and raised her hands. "Look, she's not here right now and I don't know where did she go. She pretty much goes wherever she wants and does whatever she wants whenever she wants and she made it abundantly clear to me that the less I know, the better off I'll be. So, even if I wanted to help you, I couldn't. Sorry."
Laurel nodded in understanding. "Could you please just tell her that I wanted to…"
Sin nodded. "Sure."
"How is she anyway?" Laurel asked.
Sin sighed. "Honestly, she does miss you. A lot… but she's too afraid of…"
"Me knowing the truth about her. About what happened to her when she was gone." Laurel nodded in understanding.
"Haven't told me much either since I met her a few months ago; most of the times I try to get her to open up to me, she pretty much becomes like Great Wall of China." Sin explained. "I know just bits and pieces of what happened during those five years away. But I'll tell you that much; she'd rather have you believe she died on Gambit than you knowing what she is right now."
Laurel sighed, understanding a little. "She feels guilty, does she? About what she's done?"
"She wouldn't admit it but sometimes she screams when she sleeps. Like if she was begging for mercy. And saying she was sorry." Sin said sadly. "And she said that I can't even imagine what has happened to her; the less I know, the better."
Laurel nodded again. "I don't want to hate her for what happened. I want to help her."
"Me too." Sin nodded. "Honestly, I think she's too afraid that you would stop loving her if you knew what had happened to her…"
"I'm trying to understand…"
"I know you do. I just want you to understand how hard she can get." Sin explained. "Sometimes, it's like she believes she's a monster and there's not much that can convince her that she's a good person. But I believe in her; I know there's good in her. Even if she does not admit it to herself." Laurel nodded in agreement.
"I want to believe in her too. I still have hope for her."
The courtroom
Oliver tried to shield Thea on the way to the courtroom as the paparazzi were shooting pictures of her.
"Docket ending 1-10-5-6. People vs. Thea Dearden Queen. Possession of a controlled substance, driving under influence of a controlled substance." Judge Brackett was given the trial sheet from the bailiff who read it out loudly.
"Counselors, I understand you have reached a plea agreement."
"We have, your honor." Thea's attorney spoke up. "Given that my client is a juvenile, the people have generously agreed to probation."
"Juvenile?" Brackett asked, surprised as he looked at the sheet again. "It says she's eighteen."
"Yes, she is eighteen now, Your Honor but at the time of arrest she was still two days shy of her eighteenth birthday. Miss Queen has no priors." The attorney said in Thea's defense.
"Just because Ms. Queen's family sweeps her priors under the rug does not mean they don't exist." The judge countered. "You get your client off and you help your boss avoid dealing with a drug that's sweeping across our city like a plague. Everyone wins except us: the people of Starling City."
"Your Honor, with all due respect…"
"Miss Queen, like it or not, you are now the poster child for this menace. Maybe if people see that the Queen family cannot get away with using Vertigo, they'll think twice about using it themselves. The plea arrangement is denied." The judge banged the gavel. "This case will proceed to trial." Thea turned around to Oliver and Moira, worried about what happens next, just as much concerned as they were, if not more.
Later
Oliver walked out from the manor as Laurel waited there, to his own surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to check in on you. See how your family is doing." Laurel explained.
"Why?" Oliver asked. "Why would you do that for me? After what I did to Sara?"
"I… I'm not blaming you anymore, Ollie." Laurel reasoned. "I know that you feel guilty… and not just about the Gambit going down but it wasn't your fault." She said, seeing the guilt on his eyes, particularly the same form of guilt Sara had when she met her outside the hospital before it clicked. 'If Sara is the Canary, could Oliver be…'
"Thea doesn't care about what happens to her." Oliver interrupted her thoughts.
"What?" Laurel blinked.
"I don't know why but she's not as worried about her trial as much as we are. And it's not looking good for her."
"I'll talk to my Dad, see if he can pull some strings."
Oliver let out short laugh, thinking Laurel was joking. "I doubt he'll help the sister of the guy who killed his daughter…"
"It wasn't like if you caused the storm. Don't beat yourself up about what happened." Laurel reasoned. "I won't lie to you, I was mad at you too but… then I realized I was blaming you for things over which you had no control; it's not like if you made Sara go with you, she made her choice and you didn't cause for the ship to sink. And… I'm not blaming you for that anymore."
Oliver stared at her, considering what she just said. "Thank you, Laurel. I appreciate it."
"Despite everything, you're still my friend, Ollie. And that hasn't changed… even after Sara…" She assured him as she entered the car, her suspicions about Oliver growing.
Three years ago, Shanghai
"You sure you ready to go out?" Chloe asked as Sara was slightly limping while entering the car outside the hospital.
"I'll be fine." Sara said but it sounded like if she was trying to convince herself.
"Look, Jack's apartment might be compromised, so we're moving you to our safehouse." Henry said as he turned on the radio and Sara heard bits and pieces of Chinese she understood as she saw Henry sneer in the mirror, visibly frustrated.
"What was that about? I heard something about drugs."
"Vertigo." Henry explained. "There's been a new drug rolling around for the past few months and military police's been trying to shut the operation of the crime lords down but they keep slipping through their fingers; this gunk keeps somehow finding its way from Asia to the U.S. Bratva; the Russian mob if you've heard of them, might be helping it. Even found its way to Gotham where my sister lives. I hope that the punk behind this gets very painful death, I would have skinned him alive if I'd get my hands on him."
Sara hummed. "I'd be lying if I said I was a saint but I'd never touch drugs. Ever."
Chloe pointed at Sara, whispering quietly. "One thing you should know; never try to hurt Henry's sister, if you want to make it out alive; there was one time when someone had been making crank calls on her and stalking her for a while and once he got a word of it, Henry hunted that creep down and almost beat the guy to death."
"Jesus…" Sara whispered.
"I can hear you…" Henry said in a warning tone.
"Frankly, if someone had tried to force me some drugs or threaten Laurel; I would have skinned them alive." Sara muttered.
"Wouldn't blame you." Chloe nodded. "Never threaten a sibling, if you want to live."
Present
"Absolutely not." Quentin said as he was walking down the car park with Laurel.
"Dad, I know how you feel about Oliver…"
"Then why would you ask me to do it?"
"Because Thea, she's only 18 years old."
"Which makes her an adult, she can take her medicine, it's about time someone in the Queen family did."
"And what about the Lance family?" Laurel pointed out. "A young girl, acting out, engaging in reckless behavior?"
"Laurel, don't go there." Quentin warned.
Laurel spoke up. "Thea, she's just like I remember Sara…"
"That is not how I remember your sister…"
"That is because you remember the way she had been, not the way she actually was. She's not the Saint that you make her out to be." Laurel added. "I know she was arrested for shoplifting and I know you made it go away."
"Well, maybe if I let her go to jail, Queen wouldn't have let her on the damn boat."
At that point, Laurel had enough of it as she smacked him on his face, to his own shock. "That's enough! Stop blaming Oliver for the yacht sinking! You make it sound like he kidnapped her but he didn't make her say 'yes', did he? Sara made her own choice and it's not like Oliver caused the storm! And it's unfair of you to take your anger for the Gambit on Thea; you know what, you're acting just like three years ago at Tommy's birthday party, which was very unfair of you to take it out on her instead of Oliver. You have no idea how ashamed I was of you back then. I did blame Oliver for so long too… but I'm done blaming him for everything bad that has happened to our family since then." Laurel snapped at him. "Mom leaving, you grabbing the bottle, the Doll Maker… was that on him too? Huh? When I look at Thea, I see Sara's potential in her and her flaws too. Yes, Thea made a mistake but she's been through a lot; she lost her father and her brother. She doesn't need prison. She needs help. If you won't help her, just to get back at Oliver… then I don't want anything to do with you anymore."
Quentin stared at her for a moment. "I'll make some calls." He turned around and walked away, thinking about what she had said, considering what good has been doing being angry at Queen's family for the past few years.
Elsewhere in Starling City
Oliver and Diggle were walking into Alexi's car shop as Oliver held two duffle bags.
"I've seen a fair amount of Cyrillic back in Afghanistan left over by Soviets. This is Russian?" Diggle asked.
"This is the not so hidden headquarters for the Starling City chapter of the Bratva." Oliver explained before turning to his bodyguard. "Diggle… whatever I say, whatever goes down, just go with it." He said as he approached Alexi, greeting him in Russian.
"Good to see you. Long time." Alexi said. "Particularly for Bratva captain."
"I was trying to figure out where to put my interests." Oliver explained. "I decided on pharmaceuticals." He put the duffel bags at Alexi's feet. "I don't mean aspirin."
"A wise choice." Alexi noted. "Mefedrone would be a good investment for you. It's the newest thing."
"Actually, I was thinking Vertigo." Oliver corrected. "Newer thing."
"Tough market, Vertigo. Only one seller." Alexi warned.
"I know. I was hoping you could do me a favor and arrange a meeting."
"He's a difficult man and he doesn't like new friends."
Diggle handed Oliver a file who handed it to Alexi. "This is everything that the police has on him. Tell him it's a gift."
Alexi examined the file before looking at Oliver. "I will see what I can do. Provided you do a favor for me."
"Anything." Oliver replied in Russian as Alexi turned to his henchman who nodded and left for a moment.
"It is unusual for an American to hold such a position of esteem in our organization… Mr. Queen." Oliver nodded, acknowledging that Alexi knew who he was. "Anatoli Knyazev. He speaks very highly of you."
"He should. I saved his life." Oliver pointed out as Alexi's henchman dragged in a man who apparently has been through a beating. "What did he do?"
"Something I told him not to." Alexi said simply before looking briefly at the man. "Now the favor; kill this man for me and I will believe that your interest in our organization is genuine. And then I will arrange a meeting with the Count."
Oliver considered for a moment before grabbing the man in tight chokehold.
"Oliver…" Diggle warned.
"Hey, shut up!" Oliver snapped at him as he held the man in chokehold as he struggled, groaning before Oliver apparently strangled him to death as he dropped him on the floor. The henchman checked the pulse as he acknowledged that he was dead.
Alexi said something to Oliver in Russian as he nodded. "What are friends for?"
"I can't believe you just killed that guy." Diggle said, exasperated as Oliver carried the man he had choked to death on his shoulder.
"You really have a low opinion of me." Oliver scoffed. Diggle opened the trunk as Oliver put the man in and as he checked that no one was looking, he touched the man's neck as he suddenly came to, very much alive.
"Whoa, that's a neat trick, you're gonna teach me that one day?" Diggle asked, impressed.
Oliver knocked the man out as he looked at Diggle. "No."
"What are you doing?" Diggle asked as Oliver closed the trunk.
"You need to arrange a new identity for this guy; get him out of the city."
"Right, so your Ruskie pal draws out the Count; the vigilante takes him down." Diggle concluded as he and Oliver were entering the car.
"No, Diggle, because then the Bratva would know that I used them and that relationship is too valuable." Oliver explained. "I do the meet with the Count as myself, let him leave, then we follow him to his hideout."
"Just that easy, huh?" Diggle asked sarcastically.
"Well, I will still need my trustworthy bodyguard." Oliver quipped.
"Fantastic. Looking forward to my new exciting career as a drug dealer." Diggle deadpanned.
Later at night, Diggle and Oliver were doing a meeting with the Count but the unexpected arrival of SCPD caused for the drug dealers to bolt and as Oliver attempted to chase the Count down, the drug lord stuck two syringes of Vertigo in his chest as Oliver groaned, collapsing on the floor.
"No witnesses." The Count hissed and Diggle ran to Oliver, getting him out from the garage.
The Foundry
Sara entered, looking around. "Ollie? Dig? Anyone here?" She then saw Diggle dragging Oliver and putting him on the table as Oliver trembled like if his body was on fire. "Oh, my God, what…"
"Vertigo!" Diggle explained.
"Damn it!" Sara yelled as she ran to a crate with herbs, helping Diggle mix an antidote and approached Oliver as he grabbed Diggle by his throat but Sara grabbed him by his arms and held him down while Diggle forced the antidote in his mouth. "It's gonna be OK, Ollie. It's gonna be OK." As Oliver swallowed the mixture, he screamed out in excruciating agony.
Later in the morning, Oliver found himself cuffed to the table as he looked up, surprised to see Sara and chuckled lightly. "Well, did we just…"
"Probably not the best idea, with you under the influence of Vertigo." Sara joked as Oliver laughed softly.
"Well, pity that this isn't the reason of the worst hangover of my life."
"Well, there might be more hangovers in the future, Ollie." She kissed him. "You scared the hell out of me."
Oliver looked at the cuffs. "Do you think you could uncuff me? I'm not gonna kill either of you." He looked at Diggle. "I promise."
Diggle unlocked the cuffs as Oliver got up from the table. "You're standing, that's pretty impressive." He threw him a shirt as Oliver put it on.
"That drug is not normal, and I've seen a lot of not-normal drugs on Amazo; you could fill a bathtub with how you were sweating." Sara said as she looked at the syringe of Vertigo. "I might be able to find out what's in it but I need a lab."
"We have some equipment here." Oliver nodded as he pointed at the microscope and computer and lab equipment.
"Ollie, I think you should rest, with how you were shaking around, I'm surprised you didn't have a heart attack." Sara said as Oliver got up.
"Thea…" Oliver said simply as if the word was explaining everything.
A few hours later, the computer pinged as Diggle looked at Sara, impressed. "I'm guessing you learned that on Amazo?" Sara looked at him in surprise. "I know some of what happened between you two back then but not everything."
"That's for the best, Dig."
"You have something?"
"Yeah, the solvent from the drug is from water in the bay in Eastern Glades, the only thing there is an abandoned juvenile center." Sara said.
"So, you're gonna…"
"Dig, you saw him yourself. He's in no shape to fight with the dose he's been hit with." Sara said. "I'll be done before he even finds out where the Count's hiding."
Later at night, abandoned juvenile center
The Canary fought her way through the guards with her batons as she went upstairs, taking them all down effortlessly.
The Count looked around as a high-pitch sound shattered the glass and stunned him and nearby guards as the Canary threw around knives and shurikens, taking the guards down and restrained the Count with her staff. "You're done poisoning this city."
"Freeze! Let him go!" Quentin yelled as he and the police entered, aiming the gun at her.
"He deserves to pay!" The Canary snarled.
"Not according to the law! Not like this!" Quentin shot back.
"The law is not omnipotent! You're naïve to believe that it's the only way to get justice!"
"The people believe that you and the Hood are heroes; people like my daughter." Quentin sneered. "If they could see you now… you're no hero. You're what I always said you were – a killer."
The Canary looked down for a moment, feeling hurt for Quentin calling her that… but as long as she did the right thing, it shouldn't matter. She growled in frustration as she tossed the Count to a nearby drawer with syringes that collapsed and the Count ended up with syringes full of Vertigo sticking out from his back as he trembled and the Canary pulled out a smoke bomb to conceal her escape.
As Sara was on the rooftop, she put down her mask and wig as she broke down in tears, replaying what had her father called her.
The Foundry
Oliver and Diggle were watching TV about the arrest of the Count and the Canary taking him down as Oliver gave Diggle an accusatory glare. "You knew about this?"
Diggle shrugged unapologetically as Oliver chuckled.
Three years ago, Shanghai
Henry, Sara and Chloe were going upstairs but they all stopped as Sara scowled. "What?"
"Stay here." Chloe ordered as she and Henry pulled out their guns. They went inside and saw a hooded figure snooping around in a drawer of files as they aimed their guns at him. "Freeze!" The man pulled out two pistols as Henry and Chloe took cover. As they heard the clicking as the man was apparently reloading, Henry rushed at him, tackling him to the floor but the man kicked him back as Chloe tried to engage him too but the man attacked furiously, not wanting to stand down despite the combined attacks of Henry and Chloe. Acting on impulse, Sara rushed at the man, ignoring the pain in her leg as they jumped through the window and fell on lower rooftop, revealing a man wearing a red hood as they both laid down and groaned in pain but Sara even louder.
Henry and Chloe jumped down from the balcony and looked at the man, stopping and gasping as they looked at his face; more importantly on the letter 'J' branded on his cheek.
"You?" Henry gasped.
"Looks like the cockroaches can come back from the dead. Why am I not surprised?" Chloe asked rhetorically.
The man raised his hands in surrender. "It's not what you…"
"Shut up. You're coming with us." Henry grabbed the man by his arm and cuffed him.
"We're looking for the same guy…"
"You can explain yourself later."
"You OK?" Chloe asked as she helped Sara on her feet as she groaned, nodding.
"I'm fine, really." She looked at the hooded man. "Who's this guy?"
"I think the better question is, "What are you doing here, Jason?"" Henry asked rhetorically.
So, what do you guys think about it?
Please review and let me know if you are enjoying this so far.