Thea saw everyone running away as the SCPD arrived at the scene. She looked over in the distance and spotted detective Lance. Shit she thought as she knew that the detective hated her family and would love the opportunity to arrest her. She made a run for it in the general direction that Sara, Shado & Diggle were running in. They were actually heading in her direction, so she spun around and ran for it, not realising that one of The Count's men and Chien Na Wei were also running in that direction.
Team Arrow were running after The Count's goon, hoping to take him down and with a bit of luck, find The Count's location. Chien Na Wei was also running after The Count's guy as she didn't like how his Vertigo business was affecting the Triad's drug business and she didn't like sharing the market. She reached him and tripped him over and was about to strike him. But before she could, the psychopath began to laugh manically due to the vertigo he had taken. 'Turn around' he said with a wide smile. She was weary of this crazy guy but she turned around anyway to see a young girl running towards her. She looked back down and struck him in the heart with her knife. A syringe of vertigo had fallen out of his pocket when he had fallen over. She stood up and as the girl ran towards her, she grabbed her and injected the vertigo into her. 'No witnesses' she hissed before disappearing into the night.
Thea staggered back a few metres before she fell on the floor shaking. Team Arrow ran up and looked on in shock. They didn't understand why Thea was even here, but she needed medical care urgently. Diggle pulled the syringe out of Thea's chest and gave it to Shado before he picked the girl up.
They took Thea to the foundry and laid her on a table. She was still shaking and everyone had concerned looks on their faces. Shado raced around the room, getting the special herbs from Lian Yu and mixing it with water. Diggle and Sara held Thea down as she screamed, whilst Shado poured the mixture of herbs and water into Thea's mouth. She continued to scream before shortly passing out.
'Is she going to be okay?' Felicity asked from her seat in a panicked tone after around 10 minutes of silence.
'She didn't get hit by a full dose and those herbs have the ability to counteract some drugs. I think she will be okay. Felicity, I want you to take this syringe of vertigo and go to QC's applied sciences and find an antidote' Shado said, handing the syringe to Felicity.
'Ok' she said as she got up and left the foundry.
'What do we do now? The plan failed because of the Triad' Diggle said.
'Thea is our main concern but we can't let her wake up and find all this. So we need to take her back to our apartment. No matter what she cannot learn about who we are' Sara said.
Oliver and Nyssa arrived back to their base in Starling. As they entered they spotted Aaliyah, who was sitting by some of the computers wearing her league of assassins armour. They put their bows and quivers in their glass case. Aaliyah immediately stood up and rushed over to the pair. She looked very sad, perhaps she had even shed a tear or two, Nyssa thought.
'What's wrong?' Nyssa asked.
'I'm sorry Al Sah-Him. I..I couldn't stop someone from injecting Thea with some drug. I'm so sorry' Aaliyah said trying to hold back her tears.
Oliver's face had a look of pure anger and hatred. The hatred was for whoever hurt his sister. It was frightening to Aaliyah and she was scared at how he would react. His breathing became unstable and his rage was tangible. Aaliyah was about to speak again but Oliver cut her off with a glare. 'HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?' he shouted directly at her.
The poor girl was clearly distraught and Nyssa put an arm around trying to comfort her. She just kept apologising to Al Sah-Him but he wasn't interested in apologies. 'WHERE IS SHE?' he yelled, standing over her.
'Your former friends took her' she whispered.
Oliver's still looked furious but deep down he was slightly relieved as he knew they would help her. 'Why was she even there?' he asked in an ever so slightly calmer voice.
'She followed Sara and Shado as they were having a meeting with the man who is producing vertigo' she said.
He spun around and stalked out of the base. Aaliyah and Nyssa ran after him but he didn't turn around for them. 'What about your bow and arrow?' Aaliyah asked.
'I don't need them' he murmured. He walked at such a pace that Nyssa and Aaliyah were struggling to keep up. He noticed they were still following and he sighed in frustration. 'Go back! This is something I need to do alone' he said with such venom that Nyssa immediately grabbed Aaliyah's hand and dragged her back. Nyssa understood why Oliver was so angry and why he was acting like he was so she decided to let him go and wait for his return.
Aaliyah raced back inside of their base with Nyssa following her. She could tell that the girl wanted to be alone but she wasn't going to let her be in pain alone. Nyssa sat down across from her and took her hands in her own, causing Aaliyah to lift her head and look at her. Sadness was radiating from her body and Nyssa could feel it.
'What happened isn't your fault, little sister. You can't blame yourself' Nyssa said trying to assure her protégé that everything will work out fine.
'Al Sah-Him blames me! You saw how he reacted' Aaliyah said sadly.
'No. Look at me! No, he does not blame you. He was angry and didn't react well and I will talk to him about that but he will not blame you. Remember, you're his little sister too and had this been the other way around, he would be fiercely protective of you too' Nyssa promised her.
'Now, follow me' Nyssa said as she led Aaliyah into one of the training rooms. Just inside the room there was a sword rack with a number of different types and shapes of swords. 'Pick a sword'
Aaliyah walked over to the swords and examined a few and checked some of the weights of the sword. She found one that was perfectly balanced for her and then turned around to Nyssa. Nyssa was standing in the middle of the room, with her sword in her right hand ready to battle. 'Let your frustrations out on me. Fight me, little sister' Nyssa commanded.
Aaliyah smirked. 'You asked for it…sister'. Aaliyah stepped forward twirling her sword in her hand as she approached Nyssa. She lunged at Nyssa who effortlessly sidestepped her and landed a hit to Aaliyah's arm with the side of her blade.
'Had that been a real fight, your arm would now be useless. Don't force the situation. Wait for an opportunity to present itself' Nyssa advised.
They circled each other, looking for a way past each other's defence. Nyssa was the first to see an opportunity and went on the offensive. Aaliyah just managed to get her blade up in time to time block Nyssa's attacks. Nyssa was constantly switching up the pace of her attacks, but Aaliyah's defence remained strong. The blades continued to clash with neither managing to gain the upper hand.
A slight slip by Nyssa allowed Aaliyah to push Nyssa back and one of her attacks managed to land on Nyssa. Her sword barely touched Nyssa's face but it was enough to produce the slightest of cuts where a tiny amount of blood came out. Nyssa didn't notice it but Aaliyah did and her smile widened as she managed to actually land a strike on her mentor.
'Shall we fight properly now?' Nyssa asked.
The smile immediately fell from Aaliyah's face as she realised Nyssa was toying with her. The speed of Nyssa's new attacks were too quick for her. She managed to block the first few but then she couldn't keep up at all. Nyssa did a leg sweep, which sent Aaliyah down to the ground. As she fell, she lost her grip on her sword and it was caught by Nyssa. She placed both swords by her throat in an 'x' position. 'Yield'.
Aaliyah sighed and then nodded as Nyssa removed the swords and helped her onto her feet. 'You got too arrogant' Nyssa explained and when she saw the disappointed look on Aaliyah's face she continued. 'It's not a bad thing. Al Sah-Him did the exact same thing as you when we first sparred. You are very talented and you'll become one of the best members of the league in the future' Nyssa assured her.
The smile returned to Aaliyah's face as she hugged Nyssa and whispered 'thank you'. They both walked back to the main part of the base, awaiting the return of Oliver.
He was walking through the Glades with a purpose and soon he found what he was looking for. In the distance, there was around 10 people gathered around a couple of guys who were clearly drug dealers. Oliver walked up to the group and grabbed the shoulder of the first guy he saw and spun him around. He punched him in the jaw, knocking him out in an instant. The other nine junkies rushed at Oliver with a range of weapons but he disarmed every single one. A kick to the side of one guy sent him to his knees before a punch to the face knocked him out. Another rushed him but Oliver used his momentum against him. He hooked his arm and flipped him over with an arm drag and kicked him in the face as he was on the floor. All of the rest ran away as they saw what this guy in the black hood could do. The only two who were left now were the drug dealers.
The two drug dealers looked terrified, especially when they saw the cold look in the man's eyes. Oliver stalked over to them and grabbed one by the throat, lifting him in the air. 'WHO SUPPLIES YOU WITH VERTIGO?' he said menacingly.
'i..i don't know' he said as he coughed, barely being able to breathe.
'That's a shame' Oliver sneered. He released his grip on his throat and as he fell, Oliver grabbed his arm and threw him over his shoulder onto the ground. He never let go of the arm and as the drug dealer fell to the ground, Oliver went to the floor with him. He wrapped his legs around the arm and hyperextended it into an arm bar. The arm bar broke his arm in seconds and he screamed in pain as Oliver refused to let go.
The other dealer tried to attack the black hood in order to release his friend but Oliver saw the attack coming and released his hold. He stood up and swayed out of the way of a few punches by the man. He caught the next punch with his hand and twisted the arm so that it bent behind the man's back. He groaned in pain but this just caused Oliver to tighten his grip. 'Same question' Oliver said.
'Look, I have never met him. He doesn't deal with us directly. You have to believe me!' the drug dealer begged.
'I believe you' Oliver whispered as he released the man. The drug dealer sighed in relief but as he turned around, a sword pierced his chest directly into his heart. 'That's for my sister' Oliver said before walking past him as he fell to the floor.
Oliver looked between his bloody sword and the other drug dealer, who was still on the floor in severe pain and was looking at him with fear. He walked over to him and placed his sword at his throat. 'Why so serious?' he questioned. There was a period of silence before Oliver spoke again 'Find a new job or I'll be back and you won't like the consequences.'
Parts of Oliver's hood were covered in blood from all the people he had just beaten up as well as the blood for the man he stabbed through the chest. There was also some blood covering the lower half of his face, all from his opponents. He wiped most of the blood on his face with his sleeve before he headed towards Verdant.
Team Arrow minus Felicity were in the foundry, ready to move Thea to Shado and Sara's apartment. She was still unconscious as the herbs from Lian Yu did their job. Suddenly there was a loud bang and the rear door was open with a dark figure standing at its entrance. Sara and Shado glanced at each other before getting into a fighting pose. Diggle had pulled out his gun and had it aimed at the head of the man in the black hood.
In a blur, Oliver had pulled out a flechette and threw it across the room, knocking the gun out of Diggle's hands. All three members were looking behind them at the gun stuck to the wall with a flechette through the middle. That was their first mistake as Oliver seized the opportunity by running towards them, jumping over a table and landing a superman punch across the jaw of Diggle. The impact made him tumble over to the ground.
Oliver turned his attention to the other two as he lowered his hood. 'Why did you bring my sister here? She can never know your secret'
'The herbs from Lian Yu were here. We had no other choice' Shado snapped back. Oliver nodded in understanding. 'Why are you covered in blood?'
'Paid a visit to some vertigo dealers. Now, as to why I'm here and why I'm furious with the two of you' he began as he inched closer to them. 'My sister followed you to a meeting with the supplier of vertigo' he snarled. 'HOW COULD YOU BE SO CARELESS' he roared losing all restraint he had as over his shoulder, he saw the unconscious body of his baby sister.
He threw a couple of punches towards Sara but she managed to deflect them. Sara and Shado then advanced on Oliver at the same time, trying to subdue him in order to explain the situation to him. All of their attacks were parried by Oliver. He swerved out of the way from one of Sara's kicks and landed a straight right hand to her jaw, which sent her tumbling. As he landed the punch, Shado attempted her own kick on Oliver but he caught it in his hand. He swung her around and threw her into Diggle, who was just getting up.
'YOU COULD'VE GOTTEN HER KILLED!' he exclaimed as he lifted Sara into the air before kneeing her in the abdomen, knocking the wind out of her. He tossed her to the ground as he headed back to Shado's direction.
'Please Oliver listen' Shado begged.
He laughed coldly. 'You think you have the right to ask something of me? You stay back or I will not hesitate to kill you' he said aiming the last part at Diggle. He turned to Shado once more but then he heard a groan and turned around immediately. He saw his sisters eyes open slightly as she looked over in his direction. Oliver had a look of shock but that quickly turned to happiness as he saw that his sister was ok. She only looked at him for a couple of seconds before she passed out again. He ran over to her, taking her hands in his. 'What's happening? Why did she pass out again?' he asked desperately.
Diggle walked over cautiously, as he was wary of being killed by the assassin. He checked on Thea and was relieved when she was ok. 'She's fine' he said which made Oliver sigh in relief.
'You need to take her to your home' he said to which Shado and Sara nodded. 'This isn't over. Far from it but my sister comes first and she cannot know that you're the vigilantes'.
He turned around and headed for the exit but stopped when Sara placed a hand on his shoulder. 'Ollie, wait. I know you're still in there. The Ollie I knew. Come back to us. Please' Sara pleaded.
He turned and looked her directly in the eye. 'I am not the Oliver you remember; he died on Lian Yu' he said coldly.
He turned to leave again but she held onto his hand. He looked down to her hand and his face conveyed an emotion that looked like do you have a death wish. He sighed as she wasn't going to let him leave without saying something else. 'What?' he asked.
'The triad were the ones who interrupted our deal. And Chien Na Wei was the one who injected Thea with the vertigo. I know you want to kill everyone involved with vertigo but you need to take out the Triad and Chien Na Wei first' Sara said.
Oliver took a moment to think before a smile appeared on his face. 'Thank you for the information and you are right. Triad comes first, then vertigo'.
'Team-up?' Shado asked hopefully.
'No, you focus on the undertaking. I will be away for a few days and when I return, my assassins and I will obliterate the Triad. No-one touches Chien Na Wei or you will die. Her death will come by my sister-in-laws blade. Do you understand?' Oliver said warningly.
They all nodded. 'So that's where you're going? To get your sister-in-law? Didn't think you would ask others for help' Shado said.
'I don't need her help but even though Chien Na Wei did this to Thea, unfortunately I will not be the one to kill her. I keep my promises' he began. 'I promised my sister-in-law, Talia al Ghul, that she would be the one to kill Chien Na Wei and I have no intention of breaking that promise to her'. He left the foundry, with each member of Team Arrow silently wondering if he really would massacre the Triad and also wondering just how dangerous this Talia al Ghul is.
Very is the answer.
Thanks for all the amazing reviews! So, Oliver lost his cool in this chapter but nothing he did was against the leagues code as he didn't kill anyone who was innocent as the drug dealer was definitely not innocent. But Nyssa will address the way he reacted in the next chapter and once again we shall see the cool, calm and collected Oliver. Anyway thanks again for reading and giving great reviews!
Also just to clarify because I got asked it, Oliver's anger is purely based on Thea's situation and not Lazarus pit related because that would only affect him if he used Ra's pit because everyone who'd used that pit would have an effect on Oliver but this is a new pit so Oliver is the first user and it will have no effect on Nyssa as they're similar.