Disclaimer: I do not own Daredevil, Arrow or anything else you may recognize
Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.
Chaos Sorcerer: Thank you for the review. Glad you liked it. Glad you liked seeing Steve and glad it makes sense. Yeah, "On your left" is a classic. Something like that can happen. Agreed on Jon Snow totally. Matt is a bit weaker than Cap. Roy struggled with a bow because the Mirakuru was making his hands shake. When he was cured of it, him and archery went together like cops and donuts. I'm planning on keeping Steve around for a while. The part with Natasha was taken from Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation where Ethan Hunt did the same thing. I will do it in italics from now. Your reviews are getting longer. Enjoy the chapter.
Chapter 11- Suspicion averted
St. Walker's Hospital
Sebastian Blood walked up to the stairs of St. Walker's hospital as it rained above him.
He walked into the hospital and was greeted by one of the nurses.
"Welcome to St. Walker's, alderman." She said, and then added conspiratorially, "Or should I call you Mayor?"
Sebastian Blood smiled at the nurse as they walked. "Thank you for letting me come by so late."
Well, I can imagine how busy your schedule is." She said, "It's really great of you taking the time to come and visit your aunt."
She paused outside Maya's room, "Her health has taken a bad turn."
"Of course." Blood said with a smile, "She's family."
Inside the room, Maya sat on the edge of her bed, praying with a rosary as the other two walked in. "Maya, look who came to see you." The nurse said, "It's your nephew, Sebastian."
Maya looked up from the rosary.
"Don't go. Please." She pleaded.
"We'll be fine." Blood said, patting the nurse on the arm, "Thank you."
She stepped out and closed the door, and then Blood approached his 'aunt'.
"Still worshipping the old Gods, I see." He said mockingly.
"They're the last thing I have from your father's." Maya shot back, "They protect me."
"You were supposed to protect you." Blood said, "A friend of mine, Laurel Lance, came by to visit you a couple days ago. Do you remember her?"
"She's muy Linda." Maya said with an absent smile.
"Yes, she is." Blood agreed, "What did you both talk about?"
"Nada. Nothing." She claimed.
"You know I don't like it when you lie to me." Blood said with an edge to his voice.
"I told her the truth." Maya said after a moment's hesitation, "That you- you kill him. Your father. Mi esposo! I don't know what came over me. I am so, so sorry. I hurt you, mijo."
"Esta bien. No te preoccupes." He said quietly.
"But you are my child, my son." Maya protested, "And I hurt you."
"I forgive you, mama." He said, rising from his seat on the bed. He walked over to his mother and kissed her on the top of the head.
"I forgive you for everything." He whispered. He walked out of the room leaving Maya sitting there, crying softly.
A short time later, Maya had repositioned herself by the bed and was saying her prayers while counting on her rosary, "La luz de dios me rodea, amor de dios me envuelve, El poder de dios me protege, la presencia de dios vela por mà ."
She lay back against the bed- and then suddenly the man in the skull mask was there.
"Los dioses están muertos." He said. Maya's screams echoed through the halls-
Then said no more.
Later, Glades
Roy's stolen merchandise buyer Louis was standing in an old factory, his foot pinned to the floor as the Arrow fired arrows all around him with Daredevil next to him.
"Oh! Ah! Oh, please!" Louis screamed in terror.
"I don't know anything!" He stammered.
The Arrow shot another arrow near the man, hitting the industrial tank beside him.
"The man in the skull mask." He growled, "Where is he?"
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Louis yelled.
Another arrow, this time near his leg, "He's been experimenting on people in the Glades. He's leaving a trail of corpses with blood running from their eyes."
"No, no, no, no, no. I deal in stolen merchandise, that is it." He protested. Another arrow, near his groin, "Ah, ooh, please!"
"He is telling the truth." Daredevil finally said. Sighing, the Arrow nodded as Louis looked up.
"Please-" He started to plead, but the vigilantes were already gone.
Later that night, Oliver and Matt stood on the room of a building looking out over The Glades.
"He's out there." Oliver whispered, "Somewhere."
"We have to find him." Matt said.
"Come home." Felicity said over the comms, "We can't do any more tonight."
"Felicity is right." Steve added, "There is not much that can be done right now."
Later, D.A.'s office
Laurel sat down at her desk.
"Ms. Lance?" Laurel looked up in surprise at her assistant who was standing there.
"I have a call for you on line two." She said.
"Thank you, Katherine." Laurel replied. Katherine walked off and Laurel reached over and picked up her phone.
"Laurel Lance." She announced as the call connected.
"This is nurse Downey from St. Walker's." The woman on the other line said, "You asked me to call if there was any changes in Maya Resik's condition. I'm sad to report she passed away."
Laurel froze in shock.
"What?" She asked.
"Her heart gave out on her, poor soul." The lady said.
Few minutes later
"You think Sebastian Blood, the saint of Starling City, killed his own mother?" Donner asked incredulously after Laurel told him her theory.
"He was the last person to see her alive." Laurel argued, "That isn't a coincidence."
"He's a devoted nephew visiting a sick relative. You're right, that's very, very suspicious." Donner said sarcastically.
"He didn't go there to visit her." Laurel said, "He went there to kill her; to cover up the fact that as a child, he killed his father. Maya Resik told me what happened."
"From inside a padded room, right?" Donner pointed out.
"He had her forcibly committed." Laurel shot back, "She tells me the truth and then two days later has a heart attack. You don't find that strange?"
"Well, for one thing, there's no record that Maya Resik was even Blood's mother, and according to the hospital, she was in the late stages of heart disease." Donner said.
"I need you to call in a favor with Judge Carlin." Laurel begged, not willing to let this go, "Get a search warrant for Sebastian's campaign headquarters, his phone records; I-I have to start somewhere."
"Laurel, this isn't some casual request." Donner said, "I'm the ADA who took Vertigo on live TV. I take a shot at Sebastian Blood and miss, my career is done."
"Adam! Please." She begged.
Donner shook his head.
"I'm sorry, Laurel." He said, "You're on your own."
He walked out of his office and left a disappointed Laurel alone.
Later, Verdant
"Don't yell at me, but I really think we need a new plan on how to find this creepy mask guy." Felicity noted to the others, "Scaring the crap out of low-lifes isn't yielding results."
"Felicity, I am open to any and all suggestions." Oliver said, frustrated.
"Oliver, maybe we're over thinking this." Dig said, "What if the mask simply got wind that you were after him and decided to skip town?"
"It's not that simple, John." Steve said, "This man created a replica of the Super Soldier Serum and tested it on common criminals. I don't think he will just walk away after that."
"Cap's right." Matt said, "He is still here and we need to locate him."
Suddenly the Arrow's phone rang. Felicity reached down and grabbed it out of habit. She looked at the screen, and then handed it over to Oliver.
"Lance, for the Arrow." She said.
Oliver took the phone, "Yes, Detective?"
"Can we meet?" Lance asked from the SCPD.
"What is it?" Oliver asked
Lance looked up at his daughter disapprovingly, "Someone wants to talk to you."
Later, that night
Laurel stood on a roof, watching the train go by as she waited for the vigilantes to show up. After a few minutes, they did.
"Hello, Laurel." The Arrow said.
"It's been a while." Daredevil said as Laurel turned around.
"What do you need?" Oliver then asked.
"Sebastian Blood." Laurel said without further preamble, "He's about to be the new mayor of Starling City."
"We know who he is." Matt said.
"No, you don't." She shot back, "No one does."
She walked towards the vigilantes, holding out a file. "A few weeks ago, I was approached by your groupie, Roy Harper, and his girlfriend."
Oliver took the file and the two continued to walk past her.
"They asked me to investigate the death of Max Stanton."
Oliver and Matt froze, remembering the death in question.
"You think Blood was involved in Stanton's death?" Matt asked.
"Blood, or a man that works for him named Cyrus Gold." She explained. Oliver looked at the picture in the file, and sure enough it was the same man who had nearly killed him.
"Gold almost killed four cops, including my father's partner, Lucas Hilton." Laurel continued, "Blood and Gold knew each other from the orphanage that Blood was raised at. He would do anything to keep the truth about his past hidden. Including murdering his own mother."
"Why would he do that?" Oliver demanded.
"To cover up the fact that he killed his father." Laurel stated. Oliver and Matt turned back to her, stunned.
"I tried going to the DA. No one will believe me. I swear to you, Sebastian Blood is dangerous. And you're the only person in this city who can stop him. Please, Matt! Arrow!" She pleaded.
Next day, Queen Consolidated
Oliver, Matt, Felicity and Diggle sat in the conference room while Felicity collated all the information she had gathered.
"Laurel was right." She announced, "I hacked Blood's cell phone records. The alderman and Gold have stayed buddies since Zandia orphanage."
"So what? They kept in touch." Diggle argued, "Doesn't exactly mean that Sebastian Blood is the man in the skull mask."
"His last name is Blood. That can't be a good sign." She noted.
"Laurel's last name is Lance. Does that mean she produces a lance out of thin air by magic?" Matt pointed out incredulously.
"Felicity, he's dedicated his life, risked his life to help the people of the Glades. And in his spare time, he's a murderer trying to create an army of human weapons?" Dig tried, pointing out how ridiculous it sounded.
"When you put it that way, it sounds very crazy." Matt said.
"You're a personal bodyguard who fights crime at night with his billionaire boss, John. And you, Matt, are a blind lawyer who has superhuman strength and is Daredevil." She countered. "Not a lot of people show their real face in public."
"That is a good point." Matt admitted before saying sarcastically, "I think you can be a lawyer."
Diggle nodded, and then turned back to Oliver, "Oliver, what are you thinking?"
"Laurel gave me a case number to start with." He said, rising from his chair, "We need to know if Sebastian really killed his father, then we figure out if there's a chance he has the Mirakuru formula."
"I'm on it." Felicity said.
Later, that night, Queen Consolidated
Oliver and Matt were returning to his office from a meeting when Felicity met up with them.
"I have good news and bad news." She said, "I suggest the good news first; it tends to soften the blow of the bad news."
Oliver just gave her a look.
"Okay, dealer's choice." She said, moving back towards her desk which Diggle was leaning against.
"Good news is we found the case file on Sebastian's dad's murder." She said, sitting down behind her computer.
"Anything in it to suggest he killed him?" Oliver asked.
Felicity sighed. "Oliver, meet bad news."
"That file was sealed years ago." Dig said.
"And since the file is over 27 years old, there is no digital copy for me to hack." She told him, "The only hard copy is stored the old-fashioned way in the city archives."
"So we go in and take it- the old fashioned way." Oliver said simply.
"Except security in the file room is so old school, you need a key card to get in, which, even if you had, you wouldn't know where to start looking for the file." Felicity pointed out.
Oliver and Matt thought about it for a moment.
"An assistant DA would." Matt said and Oliver immediately knew who he was talking about.
Later
Laurel was standing in her bedroom when she heard the window of the next room open. Startled, she walked out into the living room where Daredevil and Arrow stood in the darkness.
"You said you needed our help." Oliver said through the voice changer, "Now we need yours."
"What do you both need?" She asked.
"We need your help, Laurel." Matt said.
Without hesitation, she grabbed her coat and walked to the door, The Arrow and Daredevil following behind her. They passed a picture of the Lance sisters as they left the apartment.
Later
Oliver and Matt led Laurel to the roof of the Department of Records. Oliver quickly drew and fired an explosive arrow at the access hatch, blowing the lock.
"You ready for this?" He then asked her as he lifted the lid.
"Whatever it takes." Laurel said firmly.
"Sounds like something Cap would say." Matt whispered to Oliver in good humor.
The Arrow nodded at Laurel and then activated his com-link, "We're going in."
"At least the security cameras are from this century." Felicity said from her seat in the Lair. A few keystrokes later, she said, "And now they're toast."
The cameras all shut off.
"You have exactly seven minutes until the system reboots." She informed the vigilante.
Down in the lobby, two guards sat fighting off boredom. One looked up from his crossword puzzle to see the monitors greyed out.
"Hey check this out." He said to the other one.
Inside the main hall, Laurel used her access card to swipe into the main records room.
The three entered and room and froze. Before them were rows and rows of shelves, all with hundreds of file boxes on them.
"This could take a while." Laurel said.
"You have six minutes." Daredevil replied. They moved deeper into the room, frantically searching the boxes for the right file number.
Back in the lobby, the guard was actually managing to undo the damage Felicity had done in record time.
"I'm rebooting the monitors." He said.
"There's a Trojan plugging our system." His partner replied, watching as the security grid rebooted.
"It's probably some punk." The first said as the cameras turned back on.
Back in the Lair, Felicity's eyes widened in surprise.
"Uh-oh." She hit the com switch, "Oliver. Matt."
"What's wrong?" Oliver asked.
"It looks we've got the one rent-a-cop with a brain here. If there's a camera nearby, I recommend hiding."
Oliver and Matt, remembering the camera they had just past, ducked around a corner. But not before the camera came on.
"Look there." The guard said in the lobby as he saw a shape move around the edge of a row of shelves. He picked up his phone.
"You got to send some officers here." He said when the SCPD picked up.
"The police will be there any minute." Steve told the two over the line in a concerned tone, "The three of you need to get out of there now."
"We're not leaving without the file." The Arrow said in determination. They rounded a corner and found Laurel digging through a box on the floor.
"Laurel." Matt said urgently.
"I can't find it!" She exclaimed, running back up the ladder to grab another box.
In the lobby, the guard let the SWAT team in.
"Up there, third floor." He told them.
"The police are coming." Matt informed Oliver.
As Daredevil and Arrow moved into a better position, Laurel was frantically digging through another box.
"Wait!" She exclaimed, double checking against her notes, "Case number SC43878! This is it!"
She yanked the file free just as the SWAT team burst into the room.
"Vigilantes, we know you're here!" The commander yelled as his men filed into the room, "Close everything off, now!"
"They're blocking our only way out!" Laurel said as The Arrow and Daredevil led her away from the cops.
"It's not our only way." Daredevil said.
"Get to the east wall and get out!" Arrow told both of them.
Laurel moved off, and the Arrow rounded a set of shelves, coming into view of a group of officers.
"Drop your weapon!" One of the cops ordered. Instead, Oliver drew and fired a flash bang arrow that stunned the officers. He took off at a run, trying to stay ahead of the fire from another officer as the bullets tore into files and shelves right behind him.
He rounded a corner and saw Daredevil punching the window on the east wall open. As the fire drew closer, Daredevil grabbed Laurel around the waist and jumped off, pulling her out with him. He used the cable of the club to swing away and gently on the ground with his passenger.
Arrow jumped after them and hooked his bow to the line he had shot out and slid down it, landing gently next to the two.
The immediate danger past, Laurel ripped open the file-
Only to find it empty.
Later, Verdant
"We tried going through all the security footage at the city archives to see if anyone swiped the file over the last few days." Felicity was telling Oliver, Matt, Steve and Dig, pulling up the video files.
"Did you see anyone?" Oliver asked.
"Just this." She said, playing a particular file. The video showed the main room empty, but after a few seconds the view started to break up before going to static, "It's all been erased."
"So what happened when you reversed the footprint to see who hacked in before you?" Oliver asked.
"I struck out again." She admitted, "It must have been an inside job."
"Meaning?"
"As a city alderman, Blood would have had access to the files." Felicity noted.
"Oliver, anyone on city payroll could have done this." Diggle pointed out.
"He's running for mayor." Matt said. "One hint that he killed his father and his political future is dead in the water. And I don't think he wants that."
"The evidence is against him. But unfortunately, all of it is circumstantial at best." Steve said in a grave tone.
"Wait, I thought you were supposed to be friends with him." Diggle said to Oliver and Matt, "Don't you think you ought to give him the benefit of the doubt?"
Oliver looked to Felicity.
"Please keep digging into Blood's past and see if there's anything that could help us." Oliver said, turning to leave.
"Where you going?" Dig asked.
"To give a friend the benefit of the doubt." Oliver replied as he walked out.
Later
Oliver walked into Blood's campaign office and looked at all of the bustling people around him, working hard to make Sebastian Blood mayor.
"You looking for me?"
Oliver turned, then extended his hand with a smile.
"Sebastian." He said, shaking the mayoral candidate's hand, "Good to see you."
"You too, man." Blood said with a smile. Then he was on the move, handing some papers to a staffer to look over, "Listen, I'm so sorry, but I'm right in the middle of a polling snafu."
"I'll be quick." Oliver promised, "I just had a question about Laurel."
"Of course. Is everything okay?" Blood asked in concern.
"Not sure." Oliver began, "I ran into her the other day, and something just seemed off. I know the two of you have been spending a lot of time together."
He sighed, "I just wanted to know if you knew anything."
Blood shook his head.
"Well, we've traded phone calls, but she's in trial, I've been campaigning." He said, "We haven't really been able to connect."
"Nothing happened between the two of you?" He asked, stepping in front of him as he started to leave his office, "Not an argument or a fight or something?"
Blood backed off slightly with a sly smile.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were coming to me like a jealous ex-boyfriend." He teased.
"No." Oliver said, shaking his head with a smile.
"Just-no, I'm just looking out for a friend. And I hope you do the same." He added.
"Of course." Blood said.
"Listen, I will take care of Laurel." He promised, "Thank you for letting me know."
He then finally stepped out of his office and back to the bustle of the main room as Oliver watched on, contemplating. Something felt off to him- but for some reason, he couldn't place it.
Later, that night
Blood's campaign office was empty as he was laying out work for the next day before a voice drew him to his office.
"Point blank range." Slade Wilson said, sitting behind Blood's desk and reading the police file he had liberated shortly before Laurel had tried to do the same thing, "Single shot to the heart from a low angle. Obviously the handiwork of someone quite scared, and very small."
He set the file down on the desk, and Blood looked down at the picture of his father that had been paper clipped to it.
"How come the police didn't arrest you?" Slade asked.
"I knew how to cover my tracks." Blood replied.
"A skill you've obviously lost since you've gotten bigger." Slade noted scornfully, "You know how close you came to allowing the Vigilante to destroy everything?"
"Someone spoke out of turn." Blood said, "I've taken care of the problem."
Slade slammed his hand down on the desk as he rose. He moved quickly around the desk, buttoning his suit jacket, "Your mother was not our problem. Laurel Lance is."
"You were the one who told me to get close to her." Blood complained, "You said that it was part of the plan to hurt the Vigilante."
"It is." Slade said, stepping very close to Blood, "But you being sloppy isn't. Fix this, Mr. Blood."
He grasped his tie and yanked it up, choking the politician.
"You don't want me to fix it for you." He warned as he moved him out of his way, shoving him into a pillar in the process.
Even before Slade was out of the office, Blood was scrambling for his phone. He quickly dialed one of his followers.
"Brother Daily." He said shakily, "I need you to take care of something for me."
Later, Laurel's apartment
Laurel was walking down the hall, digging her keys out of her purse when she stopped at her door. Laurel opened the door to see her apartment was trashed. She walked in, stunned at the destruction all around her, when she heard a noise.
"Whoever you are, I'm calling the police!" She called out shakily.
"No need to." Daily stepped into view in her living room, "Remember me?"
"Officer Daily, right?" Laurel said, stunned. She moved towards him, her arms crossed.
"What's this all about? What are you doing in my apartment?" She demanded.
"I have a warrant." Daily said, holding up the paper for her to see. Two other officers came into view.
"A warrant for what?" She asked.
"We found these in your bedroom, Ms. Lance." One of the officers said, holding up a plastic evidence bag that contained Quentin Lance's oxycodone prescription.
"These aren't prescribed to you." Daily said as the third officer cuffed her, "That's a felony."
"What?!" Laurel exclaimed, knowing that this was all a lie, "This is ridiculous!"
"You're under arrest for possession of a controlled substance." Daily said as the three officers led her out of the apartment, "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."
Later, SCPD Headquarters
Laurel sat in the darkened interrogation room, her hand still cuffed when Quentin walked in.
"I know what this looks like. But you have to listen to me." She started, rising from the chair and scurrying towards her father.
"I know what's happening. Sebastian Blood… he's setting me up, because he knows I'm onto him. He's-he's trying to frame me!" She exclaimed desperately.
"So he planted drugs in your apartment?" Quentin asked. He started walking around the table, trying to maintain control.
"Yes, he did." Laurel said, following him, "The point is, is that he is the one behind this witch hunt."
"Sebastian called your boss." Quentin told her, "He's worried about you."
"No, no! He wasn't worried about me." She said frantically, "He's trying to discredit me! Don't you see what he's doing?"
"But you have tested positive for opiates! Quentin exclaimed.
"He's trying to discredit me." She tried as tears started streaming down her face, "Please Daddy! You have to believe me!"
Quentin looked at her closely. He was a cop. He had been on the job for many years. And he could tell when someone was telling the truth, unless the person was a complete master of deception. Which Laurel obviously wasn't.
Quentin hugged her as she started sobbing, "I believe you."
A few minutes later, in the squad room, Quentin rounded the corner to see Oliver, Matt and Tommy standing there, leaning against the wall.
"How is she?" Oliver asked.
"She is not fine at all. And I have no idea what to do." Quentin replied helplessly. He started to walk off, but Matt laid a hesitant hand on his shoulder.
"We'll-We'll get her home." He told the cop.
"Thanks." Quentin said, walking off. Oliver, Matt and Tommy turned to find Laurel being led to central booking. Tommy tried to give her a reassuring smile but it ended up being a grimace due to the tense situation. She stared back at the three tearfully.
Matt's hands tightened around his stick, knowing that she wasn't lying. Or at least she believed she wasn't. And in his anger, he cracked the stick.
Later, Laurel's apartment
Laurel, now released, and Oliver, Matt and Tommy were quietly trying to clean up the mess Daily had left. Oliver paused as he picked up the picture of Laurel and Sara, now free from its shattered frame.
"You three haven't said much." Laurel said from across the room, "Quietly working on your lecture?"
"I am not the type to give lectures." Tommy said dryly.
"No lecture." Oliver said.
"I suppose you think I was wrong about Sebastian, too, though." Laurel said.
"I don't know if you are or not." Matt said after a sharp exhale.
Laurel, desperately trying to hold back tears said, "I just- I need a glass of water."
As she walked inside, Matt suddenly heard something and turned around but before he could do anything, he was struck on the neck by a tranq dart, followed swiftly by Oliver and Tommy.
The two fell down. Matt tried to keep his footing but this dart was strong enough to even incapacitate a Mirakuru injected person for at least two minutes.
"Leave them. They're not important." Brother Blood said as he walked out of the shadows, looking to the two men he had brought who had gone over to Laurel and were restraining her, "Hello, Laurel."
Later
At the Cannery, Laurel's eyes shot open as she too regained consciousness. She was laying on a cold, concrete floor, and as she pulled herself up and looked around, it appeared to her that she was in a boiler room of some kind.
She made her way frantically through the boiler room, pausing as she saw Brother Blood walking across from her, separated only by rope netting.
"If that mask is supposed to scare me," She started, breathing heavily, "All that it's doing is confirming what I've already known for a while now."
She rounded a support column- but Brother Blood was gone. She looked around fearfully, "You're one sick son of a bitch, Sebastian!"
"30,000 years ago masks invested their wearer with authority, like a God." The voice of Brother Blood said.
"You're insane." Laurel said.
"I'm not the one making drug-addled, unsubstantiated accusations against Starling's favorite son." Brother Blood said and Laurel could hear it everywhere.
"If I can find out the truth, then others can, too." Laurel said.
Suddenly Brother Blood was standing right behind her. She swung her elbow back, but the masked man ducked underneath the wild swing and grabbed her in a light choke hold.
"You found out nothing. You know nothing." He growled.
Suddenly and arrow shot past his masked face, embedding itself in a pipe.
"Get away from her!" Daredevil demanded from the catwalk above with Arrow next to him, "Or we will put…you…DOWN."
You wanted us here. We're here." The Arrow growled, "Let. Her. Go."
Brother Blood threw Laurel to the ground and pulled a gun, "No, I think she should witness this."
He moved to aim up at the catwalk, but another arrow knocked the weapon from his hand. Then the Arrow was there, beating the masked man down with fists and feet, contemptuously ducking or blocking every shot Brother Blood took. Daredevil angrily lifted him up by the throat and slammed him to the ground, dazing him before punching his face repeatedly, breaking his nose.
He then lifted him up by the throat and threw him off. Brother Blood fell down, weakened.
Still, he managed to withdraw his backup piece from an ankle holster as he staggered up and draw it on The Arrow and Daredevil. The latter marched towards Brother Blood angrily when suddenly a shot rang out. Brother Blood jerked as Laurel came up behind him, his first gun in her hand, and fired again and again. Six shots left Brother Blood laying on the ground gasping for breath.
The Arrow, Daredevil and Laurel walked up to the fallen criminal.
"Take off his mask." Laurel demanded. Matt shook his head, having heard the man's heartbeat.
"I need to see." She said.
Oliver stood frozen for a minute. Slowly he knelt down and removed the leather mask, and Laurel's look of satisfaction turned to shock as the man behind the mask turned out to be not Sebastian Blood, but Officer Daily, with his face bleeding badly. He had time to smile in satisfaction at her stunned look before he finally died. Laurel looked up at The Arrow and Daredevil, who stood there stunned as well.
Later, SCPD
Laurel was in the squad room with a blanket around her and a cup of coffee in her hands.
"Sweetheart." She looked up as her father ran in and came to her side, "Are you all right?"
"Yeah." She said numbly.
Quentin exhaled.
"Looks like Daily was behind this whole thing." He said, "Son of a bitch volunteered for the raid that almost got Hilton killed. And we found the accelerant that he used to torch the Langford Institute in his apartment."
"I thought it was Sebastian." Laurel said, in shock. "I was so sure."
"All of us believe a lot of things that don't pan out." Quentin said as the two hugged.
"Can we have a minute?" The two looked up to see Adam Donner standing there, a serious look on his face.
"Yeah." Quentin said with a sigh, rising and moving off so the two could talk.
"Are you here to say, I told you so?" Laurel asked.
"We're dropping the possession charges and you won't be charged in Daily's shooting." He told her, "It was clearly self-defense."
"You don't seem that thrilled for me." She noted.
"Are you going to look me in the eye and tell me you don't have a substance abuse problem?" He asked her. She tried to explain but he cut her off.
"The DA's office has a generous severance package." He told her.
"Wait!" Laurel shot to her feet, "Wait, let me explain to DA Spencer. I can-I can tell her everything!"
"This isn't coming from Spencer, Laurel." Donner said.
"This is me. I'm the one that hired you. I'm sorry." He told her sincerely, "But you're done."
He walked off, leaving Laurel devastated and alone once again.
Later, Verdant
Matt and Oliver walked in. Steve, Felicity and Diggle were sitting there, waiting for him.
"Did Laurel really shoot him?" Felicity asked.
Oliver sighed, "Yeah."
"That's a good thing, Oliver." Felicity told him.
"You okay?" Dig asked.
"We will be." Matt sighed, "But I don't think Laurel will."
"Well, the officer is dead and the serum is destroyed." Steve said, "Sounds like a win to me."
"It does." Oliver said. But deep ddown, all 3 of them could feel that it wasn't.
Later
Steve was working out alone in the Lair when his phone rang. He picked it up, "Hello?"
"Cap. It's Natasha." Natasha said from the other end.
"Natasha?" Steve said in shock, "What happened? I heard about the manhunt for you. Are you all right? What is it?"
"Don't worry about me, Cap." She said, "I know what happened to Matt."
"How?"
"Fury is not the only one with eyes everywhere." She said, "Please, keep an eye on him for me."
"I will." Steve promised.
Later, Blood's office
Sebastian Blood walked into the darkened office of Slade Wilson, flanked by three security guards.
"It's done." He called out, "They think it was all Daily. He sacrificed himself for our cause."
"A good start." Slade's voice called out. Blood paused and fearfully looked around, "But the magnitude of your negligence requires a greater sacrifice."
Suddenly Deathstroke was there, in full armor, wielding his sword like a surgeon. He stabbed Blood in the leg, sending the man to the ground, before pulling the sword out and slashing the chest of the first bodyguard.
A hard kick sent the second flying across the room where he crashed to the floor, but not before his head hit the back of a chair on the way down. Deathstroke spun and slashed the throat of the third man. The first guard came back, swinging wildly for the fences, but Deathstroke easily ducked under the wild swing and slashed his chest again, sending the man to the ground.
He spun back to the third, who was grasping at his throat trying to stem the bleeding, and punched him hard in the throat, killing him.
Blood was trying to pull himself up when the sword came to rest on the side of his neck.
"Your incompetence has now cost four lives, alderman." Slade said, pulling off the armored helmet to glare at the man with his one good eye, "Fail me again and yours will be the fifth."
He pulled the sword away and Blood collapsed back to the floor. When he looked back up again, Deathstroke was gone.
And the chapter ends. This time, Laurel isn't taking any pills and there is no spiral downwards. She has only been framed by Blood.
Don't worry, there won't be any spiral though because that made her character unlikable in 2x14. How anyone thinks Oliver was wrong in that hallway scene is beyond me.
And this will all be fixed by the end.
Also, I'm going on a vacation for a week and I'm not taking my laptop or anything like that so there won't be any updates from me for a week on anything. I will still read and review stuff and private message too but no updates for a week unfortunately.
And I can't write on a phone because that's as good as learning swimming on the Internet. I'm sorry but I hope you understand.
But don't worry. After one week, I will update again.
Hope you enjoyed.