"Barry." Iris said as she moved over to the man's side.
"What the hell?" he asked.
"You got struck by lightning." Iris said as Caitlin and Cisco joined them in the cortex.
"Lightning gave me abs?" Barry asked, since he noticed that he now had abs he certainly had not had before getting struck by lightning.
"I'll take that as my cue to leave. Remember, you tell anyone who I am and you'll regret it." Oliver said as he headed out.
"Wait, so now there's a cop who knows your identity and expose our operations?" Laurel asked after Oliver had filled them in on what had happened at STAR labs.
"Relax, he's one of the few cops who actually supports our actions, plus, I have something on him to keep his mouth shut." Oliver said.
"And that is?" Thea asked.
"He tells on us, I tell on his daughter, who while she didn't kill anyone, she did cause a lot of damage to the city." Oliver said.
"So in exchange for keeping our secret, we keep her's. Sounds like a plan." Laurel said.
"Well anyways, we need to get going, mom's trial is in a few hours." Thea said, reminding them both of what today was.
"Right. Guess today we're going to find out if the city finds mom innocent or guilty." Oliver said, mentally preparing himself for the more likely verdict.
"Let's go." Laurel said.
As Oliver and Thea walked into the courtroom, preparing to face the music, reporters kept pestering them for answers while John tried to push them aside.
"Mr. Queen, what are your mother's chances? Is she on suicide watch? Mr. Queen, can you give us any comment?"
"It's not fair. They're not the ones on trial." Laurel said sadly as she looked at her boyfriend and his sister deal with the press.
"That won't stop Jean Loring from using them as props to drum up sympathy." Adam said.
"You don't seem overly concerned." Laurel noted.
"She confessed to being an accomplice on live television." Adam said.
"Also said that Malcolm Merlyn coerced her. You have something, don't you? I thought I was your co-counsel, Adam. If you're holding a trump card, don't you think maybe you should share it with me?" Laurel asked, looking at him shocked.
"It's going to be a good trial. Come on, let's get inside." Adam said cryptically as they entered the courthouse.
After the case had been opened, Adam began his case.
"The defendant has been complicit in an undertaking with one horrible purpose- to destroy the Glades and everyone in it. And it nearly worked. While the undertaking was prevented, there was still plenty of damage done by the rioting that was caused by her confession. Homes and lives were lost. All because of her actions. True, she had second thoughts; Remorse which compelled her to deliver this statement. But on behalf of all the lives that were extinguished that day, I say, Moira Queen, your remorse comes too late." Adam said.
"For the last five years, my client was under the threat for her life and the lives of her family. Why wouldn't those threats silence her? Why wouldn't Moira Queen be terrified? Malcolm Merlyn killed her first husband, abducted her second. Why wouldn't she be in fear for her life? For the lives of her children? What would you do? If it were your children in the crosshairs of a mad man's rage?" Jean asked and Laurel had to admit, it was a compelling argument, not that she'd ever say that out loud.
Thea had been called up to the stand by the prosecutor.
"Ms. Queen, when was the first time you heard about this so-called Undertaking?" Adam asked and Laurel hoped that Thea would lie convincingly.
"When everyone else did, when my mother gave the press conference." Thea lied smoothly, since while she had learned what the Undertaking that day, it wasn't because of the press conference.
"Doesn't seem like you took it too well." Adam noted.
"I was surprised. Who wouldn't be?" Thea asked.
"Uh, your mother was, um, immediately take into custody, but I assume you went down to the precinct to see her?" Adam asked.
"Um, actually I didn't see her until she was moved. To the prison." Thea said, but thankfully she had a good excuse.
"Do you remember when you visited her?" Adam asked.
"Uh, not the exact date." Thea said.
"It's ok, I have the visitor log here. October ninth. Five months later. Why so long?" Adam asked, sure he'd gotten her, but Laurel had to suppress a smile, since there was a good reason why she hadn't visited her mother.
"In my defense, I was in a coma due to the accident at Star Labs last year. I couldn't get out of bed, much less gone to Iron Heights to visit my mother." Thea said and Oliver could help a chuckle at the look on Donner's face.
"I'd like to see proof of that." Adam said.
"Objection, I don't see how proof that Ms. Queen was in a coma is relevant to this case as it is her mother on trial, not her." Jean said.
"Sustained." the judge agreed.
After the judge called for a recess, Oliver, Thea and Jean met with Moira to discuss the trial.
"How do you think it's going?" Oliver asked.
"All I can say is that we're lucky that the Undertaking failed, otherwise it would be harder to convince the jury. Thea's testimony helped, especially when she made Donner look stupid by informing him of her coma." Jean said.
"Is there anything else we can do in case the DA's office has anymore evidence they could use against her?" Thea asked.
"I don't know, but if Moira were to testify, it could give us the edge we needed." Jean said.
"No. I won't testify." Moira said stubbornly.
"But I will." Oliver said, since he had not been called to the stand.
"What?" Jean asked.
"We know that Malcolm sabotaged the Queen's Gambit, killing our father and stranding me on an island. Since mom had no idea I was alive until last year, I think it might work." Oliver said and Jean nodded.
"Alright then, I'll call you to the stand when the trial reconvenes." Jean said as she walked out.
"Ollie, are you sure you want to do this?" Thea asked.
"I have to Thea. The jury doesn't seem to realize just how much of a corner Merlyn had mom backed into. Hopefully this will remedy that. But mom, what I don't understand is why you won't testify. It's not like you have anymore secrets from us." Oliver said.
"Oliver, please, I have my reasons." Moira said.
"Okay." Oliver said.
When the trial reconvened, Jean surprised everyone by saying "Your honor, I call Oliver Queen to the stand."
"Objection, Mr. Queen is the defendant's son." Adam said.
"So what, her daughter can testify but her son can't." Jean said.
"Overruled, the defense may proceed." the judge said.
"Thank you." Jean said as Oliver took a seat at the stand.
"Mr. Queen, you told me that you had proof of how Malcolm Merlyn blackmailed your mother. What is it?" Jean asked.
"Many people are not aware of this, I only recently became aware of this myself, but my father, Robert Queen, was also aware of the Undertaking. He tried to stop Malcolm from going through with that insane plan, but when Malcolm Merlyn caught wind of it, he put a bomb on the Queen's Gambit to shut my father up before he could tell anyone. Merlyn killed my father and sentenced me and Laurel Lance to five years on a hellish island. So yes my mother went along with the Undertaking because Malcolm had already taken her husband and her son from her and she did what she felt she had to do to protect her daughter. Can any of you in the jury honestly say that you wouldn't do the same thing had you been in her position?" Oliver asked.
"That is all Oliver." Jean said as Oliver got up and left the stand.
After Moira had surprisingly decided to testify and revealed her affair with Malcolm, the jury had finally reached a decision.
"I have received a note that the jury has arrived at a verdict. Please publish the verdict." the judge said as he was handed the verdict.
"In the superior court of Star county state versus Moira Queen verdict On one count of conspiracy in the first degree, the defendant is found not guilty. On the 503 counts of murder in the first degree, the defendant is found Not guilty." the judge read much to everyone's surprise and Oliver, Thea and Moira's immense relief as her children walked up to her and hugged her as she cried in happiness.
On the other side of the city, the man in the Skull mask was taking a look at his newest inductee and the results looked promising.
"Brother Cyrus How do you feel?" Brother Blood asked.
"Stronger." Cyrus said.
"Good. Then you're ready. The Green Arrow has no idea what he's in for." Brother Blood said with a grin.
Moira had just gotten in the car after being processed when she noticed that the car was not headed home.
"The freeway will be quicker." Moira said.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Queen. I was instructed not to take you home. Not yet." the driver said as they arrived in a strange lot.
"Where are we? I-I don't know this place." Moira panicked.
"I've got her, sir." the driver said, only to be shot down. Moira turned to see a face that she had hoped she'd never see again.
"Hello, Moira." Malcolm Merlyn said.
"They said you were dead!" Moira panicked, reaching for her phone to call Oliver before remembering she didn't have a phone.
"There are parts of the world where death is an illusion. I've been to one. I learned to be very convincing. But I returned because you needed my help." Malcolm said.
"Help?" Moira asked.
"With your trial. You didn't think that jury acquitted you without a little persuasion?" Malcolm asked.
"Dear God. What do you want, Malcolm?" Moira asked.
"I still have resources in Starling. Associates. Including one in the D.A.'s office. I followed Mr. Donner's investigation of you with interest. The ease with which you lied about us for years, it made me wonder whether you lied to me." Malcolm began.
"No. No." Moira said, hoping he hadn't figured it out.
"It was a matter of a simple surreptitious genetics test to confirm my suspicion." Malcolm said.
"Don't." Moira begged.
"Imagine my joy at learning that Thea is my daughter." Malcolm said with a sick grin.