Heir Apparent

Chapter 14 – The Hunt Begins

"Good morning Felicity, how are you today?" Oliver said as he stepped aside to allow Felicity to enter the mansion. Seeing the look on her face as she entered, he made a guess. "First time in a mansion?"

"Ah, yes, it's my first time, ah here, or anywhere like here," Felicity mumbled, her eyes darting everywhere. "It's so big."

"Its home," Oliver said, again ignoring another double entendre from his Technical Advisor. He wasn't sure if he should acknowledge her comments or just continue to ignore them. So far, ignoring them was working out. "Did Walter explain the situation to you?"

"That you are housebound because everyone thinks you are the vigilante?" Felicity quipped. Realising what she had said, she backtracked. "Not that I think that you could be the vigilante or that you are. I mean you could be but that you aren't. I mean, I don't think you are the vigilante. I should really stop and think before I speak."

"Thank you Felicity," Oliver said patiently. "However I was referring to setting up a home office to allow me to work from here while I am, housebound, as you say."

"Yes, he did," Felicity answered, glad to be back on topic. "I don't see a problem with setting up a workstation here at your mansion that would allow you to work securely."

"Excellent," Oliver announced. "A room has been set aside that we can convert into an office of sorts. I hope it will be suitable."

"I'm sure it will be," Felicity assured her boss. Oliver was about to say something when he heard footsteps above.

"Felicity, how good to see you," Nyssa greeted as she walked down the stairs. Felicity's hearing was obviously not as good as Oliver's was as she was surprised by her name being called. "Oliver told me that you might be coming by to help him set up his new office."

"Hi Nyssa," Felicity replied, recovering from the surprise. She still wasn't used to one of her few friends being engaged to Oliver Queen; who was also now her direct boss. "Yes, I am here to set up a secure office for Oliver to work from while he is unable to travel. And I am well thank you."

"Unable to travel is putting it mildly," Nyssa said harshly. "Oliver is under house arrest because one detective cannot separate fact from fiction."

"Nyssa," Oliver cautioned softly. "Detective Lance is entitled to his opinion, no matter how wrong it is. I am innocent of the charges and that will be shown in court, if it ever reaches there."

"I dislike that man," Nyssa stated coldly. Felicity could almost feel a chill run up her spine at how cold those words were.

"So you have said," Oliver said. Felicity got the impression that it was not the first time that Nyssa had made her feelings known. "Have fun with the apartment shopping."

"You're going apartment hunting today?" Felicity asked. Nyssa was sure she had heard disappointment in Felicity's words.

"Do not be concerned Felicity," Nyssa soothed. "It is just the preliminary round. Thea has concocted a list of almost 20 locations that she insists we must see. I believe that she intends to remove half of them from her list before we do the serious inspecting. When that happens, you will be there."

"Oh," Felicity said, mollified. "Alright then."

"Besides, my fiancé appears to be occupying all your time today," Nyssa said with a smile before her eyes darted up at the same time Oliver's did. "Thea is coming." Felicity was again surprised when not a moment later, Thea appeared at the top of the stairs. "I'm glad you could join us Thea."

"I wouldn't miss this," Thea announced cheerfully, as her eyes gave Felicity the once over. "I don't believe we have met. I'm Thea Queen."

"Felicity Smoak," Felicity replied.

"Ah," Thea acknowledged. "The unlucky person who has to make sure my brother can safely use a computer again. I feel sorry for you already."

"He isn't that bad," Felicity replied without thought. "I mean, his ability to use a computer is quite good, given his history. I'm just going to stop talking."

"You should keep this one around Ollie," Thea said as she hugged her brother. "She is funny. Ready Nyssa?"

"For some already," Nyssa replied, herself smiling at Felicity.

"Let's go then," Thea called as she walked out the front door. "These apartments won't show themselves to us."

"Be careful today beloved," Nyssa warned as she hugged her fiancé. "Detective Lance will try to aggravate you into slipping up."

"I know he will," Oliver said, kissing Nyssa. "But he won't succeed."

"See that he doesn't," Nyssa stated as she broke the hug. "I will see you both later. Be nice to her Oliver."

"I will," Oliver promised.

"Take care Felicity," Nyssa said before she followed after Thea, shutting the front door behind her.

"She is not like anyone I have ever met before," Felicity observed.

"You have no idea," Oliver agreed as he heard the sound of a powerful engine start up. It struck him as the engine moved away, he still didn't know what kind of car Nyssa had bought. Putting aside that train of thought he turned back to his Technical Advisor. "Come on, I'll show you the room."

#Arrow#

"Alright. This is apartment number 3 on my list for today," Thea announced as they climbed out of the Camaro. "Again, it is a penthouse. Custom designed by some guy whose eyes were bigger than his wallet."

"I don't understand," Nyssa said as they walked in the front door of the 22 storey apartment building.

"Some guy, he spent all his money designing and constructing this building," Thea explained. "Except his wife filed for divorce and now they are selling this place on the cheap."

"I see," Nyssa said as they waited for the elevator to arrive. "Won't it prove difficult to purchase just the penthouse apartment then if the whole building is for sale?"

"It might. I don't really know," Thea admitted as they stepped into the elevator. "I'm mostly just looking at them to arouse interest in sellers and to divert suspicion about which one you will actually want. If they want to make a sale and they think you will be buying someplace else, they lower their prices to steal your attention back."

"An effective tactic," Nyssa concluded. The elevator didn't take long and soon they were stepping out into the foyer of the penthouse where they were met by the realtor.

"Miss Queen, Miss Raatko, how are you both today?" She greeted them politely, even if Nyssa could tell it was put on for their benefit.

"We are fine, thank you Mrs Davidson," Thea replied as she stepped forward, taking the lead as she had at the two previous apartments. "We have a rather busy schedule for today so if we could get straight to the inspection, that would be excellent."

"But of course," Mrs Davidson said with the same false tone. "Allow me to give you the tour."

The apartment was actually spread over two levels. The ground level held most of the living spaces; the usual kitchen, lounge and dining rooms along with the unusual addition of open area gym with high ceiling and a pair of bowling lanes. The upper floor held 5 large bedrooms in addition to a master bedroom complete with walk in robe and ensuite, bathrooms and a study. It was a rather extravagant affair in Nyssa's opinion and she definitely knew she couldn't live in a place like this.

"Thank you for your time, Mrs Davidson," Nyssa said, keeping her voice neutral. She wasn't one for false platitudes. "This apartment is quite a spacious and luxurious place but I'm not sure if it is for me and Oliver. We aren't one for too many luxuries."

"If you were to buy the apartment though, Miss Raatko, then you could renovate it to whatever design you wish. This building also features a concealed freight that can transport building supplies to this level," Mrs Davidson explained. "This is quite a unique ownership opportunity."

"Oliver and I value our privacy and you have just informed me that there is now a 4th point of entry to this level," Nyssa argued. They had already been shown the two emergency stairwells that provided alternate means of entry and exit. "That doesn't seem very safe and private for us."

"I can assure you Miss Raatko, this level is quite secure," Mrs Davidson assured the two women. "All four entries are protected by coded keypads and security cameras. And all the external windows and doors also feature alarms that can be activated from a keypad in the living room."

"We were able to get to this level without entering any code," Thea pointed out.

"That is because I disabled the codes upon my arrival to make it more convenient for you to inspect the apartment," Mrs Davidson replied.

"It would probably have been better if you had left it enabled and walked us through the security features as part of our entry," Nyssa advised. "We will be in touch, Mrs Davidson."

"Thank you for the tour," Thea thanked as she followed Nyssa back to the elevator.

"You're both welcome," Mrs Davidson said as the elevator doors shut behind the two.

#Arrow#

"Alright, we're all set," the operator said as he attached the last of the leads to his computer. "When he answers your questions I will be able to see the readings here."

"Is your name Oliver Queen?" Detective Lance asked as he sneered at Oliver across the table.

"Have you forgotten who I am, Detective Lance?" Oliver asked calmly.

"These questions are to calibrate the polygraph. Please answer yes or no," Detective Lance explained. "Is your name Oliver Queen?"

"Yes," Oliver replied.

"Were you born on May 16th, 1985 in Starling City?" Lance asked.

"Yes I was," Oliver said.

"Is your hair blue?" Lance questioned.

"No, it isn't," Oliver replied. With that ridiculous question asked to provide a negative response, Oliver knew that the real questions would begin now.

"Have you been to Iron Heights Prison?" Lance asked, staring at Oliver.

"Yes, I have," Oliver replied. "I, along with your daughter and multiple other students went there on a field trip from school once."

"I remember that trip," Laurel said from her spot beside Oliver. "I can provide over a dozen witnesses to our presence there."

"Yeah," Lance moaned, already thinking of his next question. "Have you been to Iron Heights Prison within the last 2 years?"

"No, I haven't," Oliver replied calmly. Lance glanced at the operator and saw him nod his head.

"Are you the man in this picture?" Lance asked as he held up the police sketch of the vigilante.

"No, I am not Detective Lance," Oliver said. "The man in that picture rescued me from a kidnapping attempt just after my return. You know that detective, you interviewed me about it."

"Yeah, I still have my doubts about that," Lance stated dismissively as he again glanced at the operator who nodded once again. Licking his teeth, Lance decided on a different approach. "Did you steal $40 million dollars from Adam Hunt?"

"No I didn't," Oliver said, curious about what Lance was going now that his initial questions had not worked.

"Were you marooned on an island called Lian Yu for 5 years?" Lance asked aggressively.

"Yes," Oliver replied quietly.

"Why ask that question?" Laurel demanded, wanting to know what her father was up to. "It has no relevance."

"I don't need to show relevance counsellor," Lance argued, glaring at his daughter. "But since you asked, whatever happened to Oliver Queen on that island turned him into a cold blooded murderer," he stated before looking back at a still calm Oliver Queen. "The physician that examined you when you returned to Starling City reported more than 20% of your body is covered in scar tissue from various wounds and injuries."

"You need to ask a question for the machine to work," Laurel said even as she tried to get past her shock at the revelation of how much Oliver was scared.

"Did that happen to you on Lian Yu?" Quentin asked bluntly.

"Yes Detective, it did," Oliver replied after a moment.

"When you returned to Starling City, you and Miss Raatko claimed that you were alone on that island," Detective Lance noted. "Are you claiming that Miss Raatko inflicted all these scars on you? Or that they are self-inflicted?"

"Neither," Oliver admitted after a moment. "We weren't alone on the island."

"Then why did you say that you were?" Detective lance pried.

"Because neither of us want to talk about what happened to us on the island," Oliver explained.

"And why is that? Detective Lance questioned. "Got something to hide?"

"We don't want to talk about the island," Oliver said slowly, staring at the Detective across from him. "Because the other people that were on the island kidnapped Nyssa and tortured me," Oliver admitted, both happy and disappointed to see the shock in Lance's eyes. He refused to turn and look at Laurel but knew that her face would look the same; or worse.

"Have you killed anyone?" Lance asked after regaining his composure. Oliver took a deep breath, closing his eyes to clear his mind of all the faces that popped into his head.

"Yes," he admitted, looking up to stare at Lance. The detective's eyes flickered to his daughter before Oliver's words caused them to look back. "5 years ago, when I invited Sara Lance to join me on my father's yacht for a trip to China," Oliver explained slowly, his calm demeanour slipping as the words left his mouth. "I killed your daughter," he admitted before he tore the sensors off and marched out of the room; leaving a fuming Detective and a saddened Lawyer in his wake.

#Arrow#

"Well that was a bust," Thea said as she marched out of the lobby and onto the street; Nyssa following close behind. "That is the last time I trust the internet to provide me with penthouse apartment listings."

"I have always found it better to deal with people directly then to use an intermediary," Nyssa disclosed as she looked around. She had a feeling that she was being watched and given recent events, she was suddenly very wary and focused on the world around her. "Thea, I think we should go back inside," Nyssa said casually, trying not to panic Thea. "I want to ask them another question."

"Forget about it Nyssa," Thea advised as she kept walking, putting more space between her and Nyssa. "They obviously do not have anything worthwhile in that building that could even come close to the standards that I would allow my brother and you to live in. And that isn't anywhere near what my standards are."

"Thea, I really think…" Nyssa's words were cut off by the sound of screeching tires as a van skidded to a stop next to them. The side doors flew open and 4 men jumped out, splitting into pairs and rushing at Thea and Nyssa. "THEA! RUN!"

"NYSSA!" Thea screamed as she turned to run. She didn't get far though before her shoes, not designed for running, betrayed her and sent her tumbling to the pavement. Before she could regain her feet, the two men after her had seized her arms and began dragging her towards the van. "NYSSA! HELP!"

"THEA!" Nyssa yelled as she squared off against the two after her. Judging by how they were moving and lack of obvious weapons, they knew nothing about what she was capable; which led Nyssa to believe that this was not related to her and Oliver. They would never send such untrained thugs against them, especially not so few of them. Judging that offense was the best defence, Nyssa advanced on the two men.

The first man assumed she was foolish and unhesitatingly tried to grab her. Nyssa corrected his assumption with a kick to the shin and a knee to the head, laying him out. The second man observed this and tried to punch Nyssa in the head. Nyssa simply ducked below his attack and double punched him in the stomach. Winded, the man doubled over and, like his partner, received a knee to the head, with similar results.

"NYSSA!" Thea screamed and Nyssa turned to see her sister in law being hauled into the van even as another man jumped out carrying a Kalashnikov pattern rifle with drum magazine; a weapon he immediately levelled at Nyssa. She barely had time to dive to the side, interposing a car between them before the gun began firing, spraying bullets left and right. Nyssa stayed down as the gunfire continued, the car windows above her shattering and showering her in glass. As she brushed the glass off, the gunfire stopped. Careful in case it was a trap, Nyssa looked out, just in time to see the doors slam shut on the van even as it was accelerating away.

#Arrow#

"ARRRGGGHHH!" Oliver raged as he punched the wall again. His wife attacked in broad daylight and his sister kidnapped by the same attackers.

"Oliver, that isn't helping," Diggle advised as he watched Oliver thump the wall again. While he could sympathise with feeling helpless, beating yourself up was never a good option.

"But it is taking my mind off what is happening," Oliver stated angrily as he punched the wall again. "At least momentarily." Noise downstairs stalled further words as the two men looked at each other before exiting the room and heading to investigate the source. There they found a multiple police officers, uniformed and plain clothed, entering the mansion; along with Nyssa. "Nyssa!" Nyssa barely had time to turn before she was grasped by Oliver and pulled into a hug.

"I am alright, Oliver," Nyssa stated once Oliver let her breathe again. "But what of Thea?"

"I don't know. I haven't heard anything," Oliver admitted as he put his hand in his pocket. Nyssa noticed the movement and looked first at Oliver then at Diggle.

"The wall?" she asked knowingly. Diggle just smiled in reply and Nyssa knew she was right. "Now is not the time for self-recrimination. We must find Thea."

"Where do we start though?" Oliver asked as he saw Detective Hilton walk into the Mansion. "Detective Hilton. Is there any news about Thea?"

"Not yet," Hilton replied. "They dumped the stolen Chevrolet Express they used and torched it to destroy any evidence. The two men that attacked Miss Raatko were pronounced dead at the scene from gunshot wounds, most likely from the AKM we recovered at the scene. Right now we are combing through traffic cameras trying to trail the van as it moved through the city before it was dumped and hopefully discover which vehicle they swapped to. I'm sorry."

"I'm sure you are doing all you can Detective Hilton," Nyssa said, resting her hand on Oliver's forearm, feeling how tense it was. "We appreciate it. Don't we, Oliver?"

"Yes, thank you Detective," Oliver ground out. Hilton said nothing as his words were interrupted by a phone ringing. Everyone ran into the sitting room where Oliver found his mother and Walter standing with several detectives; including Detective Lance. One of the detectives was sat at a computer and nodded once before pressing a button. And a familiar voice echoed through the room.

"Good Evening Mrs Queen, and the fine members of the Starling City Police Department who I am sure are in attendance and already at work tracing this call," the voice of China White said.

"Please, release my daughter," Moira begged tearfully.

"Oh, I will," China White said. "As soon as my demands are met."

"And what are they?" Walter asked sternly as he embraced his wife.

"Nothing too grand, Mr Steele, I assure you," China promised. "Merely the transfer of $100 million into a numbered account of my choosing. I will call you again 6 hours. That should be enough time for you to organise the transfer."

"Wait! Let me…" Moira started but was met with the sound of the call disconnecting. "Oh no." Oliver could only watch as his mother broke down in Walter's arms as his only feelings of helplessness slowly increased.

Author's Notes

Well, so much for getting a long Chapter 14 for everyone. But at least it's going out mostly on time. There was another scene I had started to go in this chapter but I haven't finished it yet and time was ticking away so it is going into Chapter 15 'Actions Speak Louder Than Words."

I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and will leave a review.

Stegro88