Ria, dressed as River, made her way through the abandoned halls of the nearly complete psychiatric hospital. It was a beautifully built place, she had to admit. The building was roughly three stories tall with a hedge maze garden in the back. Surrounding the entire place was a wall, at least twelve feet in height with steel bars at the top to deter people from climbing it either way. Despite it's modern and almost serene look, the hospital was a prison in disguise. Just like the cottage.

She clenched her weapons tighter. Yes, the cottage was a prison. Albeit a nice one, but a prison none the less. And Malcolm was her jailer. Not anymore. Yes, he had her mother, but it wasn't like he could disappear. He had his son and company. Why didn't she think about those facts before? Besides, it wasn't like he would try to make her mother disappear now. What good would that do him? Her feelings toward her mother were extremely complicated. Despite having plenty of time to do so, she had focused more on getting stronger than on what to do about her mother and how she felt about the situation. Her mother, alive, but in a coma. There was no way her mother would ever be the same if she ever woke up.

Her spine tingled with warning. She would have to think about that later. Right now she had to focus on the present. The group had split up, Malcolm and Kevin going down into the basement while Ria had to go up to the third floor where the security office lay. Her job was to get to the security room and find out where everyone was. They had only seen one security guard. The man sat in a security booth at the entrance to the place and was surprisingly sleeping, allowing them to sneak in without a single problem. Yet, there had to be more guards somewhere. The building was huge and the electricity was on, which meant the security cameras had to be working, right?

She quickened her pace. If Kevin and Malcolm needed her they would have contacted her through their comms, but they hadn't. Still, it was her job to watch over them and make sure that they were safe. She knew that they wouldn't wait for her to get to the security room. Which was why she was all the more focused on reaching her goal. Although she had wanted to go with them, Malcolm convinced her that it would be best for her to be the one to watch their backs.

Slowing down, she finally stopped in front of the security door. Yet again, no guards. She was on full alert. Putting her ear against the door, she listened for any sort of movement or voices. Silence. Either the door was too thick, or no one was behind it, or if someone was back there they were waiting patiently and quietly for her to try and open the door. She looked at the handle. No, they would see that. Clenching her fists, she raised one hand up directing energy out, breaking the lock, swinging the door back on it's hinges. Her sias were almost immediately in her hands as she prepared for an attack.

Cautiously, she stepped into the room, her eyes falling on the security monitors. By them, a man lay slumped on a chair, knocked out or dead. She would have to get closer to see. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and she spun, coming face to face with a gun.

"Don't move!" a cool voice commanded.

Her eyes narrowed for a brief second before her brain registered the voice. "John?" she asked, slowly raising her hands in the air.

Oliver's bodyguard frowned then his eyes widened with surprise. It was the only thing she could see since he was wearing a ski mask to hide his identity. "River?" he asked, eyes narrowing slightly as he tried to figure out why she was there.

She couldn't blame him for not immediately recognizing her. Although her clothes, mask and weapons were the same, she wasn't wearing her signature fancy color wig.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"That's my question to you," she countered. Although part of her wanted to wait for him to answer, her main concern was the cameras. She had to see how Malcolm and Kevin were doing. She didn't wait for him to answer.

"Clearly we're here to help you," he replied, joining her by the monitors.

She glanced over at him then shook her head. "I highly doubt that," she replied.

Then, it dawned on her. John said "we" and if he were here then that meant. "Where's- the Hood?" she asked, nearly calling Oliver by name. There was no telling what kind of "ears" were out there. And if they put two and two together, she couldn't be the one to reveal Oliver's secret.

"Basement," John said. "We haven't come across many guards, have you?"

She shook her head. And the cameras told her nothing. Looking harder at the footage in front of her, she realized that she was missing a lot of information. "Something's wrong," she said out loud, although it was to herself.

John nodded his head. "The cameras in the basement have all been disabled. Felicity is still working on bringing them back up."

The screens flickered, revealing images from the basement. "Good work, Felicity," John complimented. "Alright, we have control of the security system," he said, clearly talking to Oliver. "And, River is here next to me." He glanced over at her then nodded his head to whatever Oliver had said. "He wants you to stay with me," he said, addressing her. "Everything will be okay."

She had no idea what the hell he was talking about. Suddenly, her mind brought up a possibility.

"You're with them," she accused, backing away from John, raising her sias up ready to attack.

"Why the hell would you think that?" John asked. His hands remained by his side, but the tension rose in the room.

Malcolm's words came to mind about Oliver. Did he really know what Matthew was up to? Was it possible that he recognized her and started to date her because of that, to keep her in town? No! She couldn't believe that. He was here for another reason.

"Then why are you here?" she demanded. There was no way Kevin or Malcolm would let Oliver in on what they were doing. They didn't know he was the Hood. And there was no time for them to meet with the Hood.

John's eyes narrowed. "To rescue that little girl Juliette," he replied. "She was kidnapped last night, clearly in an attempt to either trap you or Tiberia."

Juls! That name stunned her. Why would they kidnap the girl? Unless they knew that the young girl was exhibiting powers. That was possible, but the real reason suddenly became all too clear. They were after Ria- her! If she had known she would have marched face first into a trap. Amanda must have remembered her words when she told the older woman to trust Oliver and go to him if she ever needed to. Playing it off that he had resources to help in any way. Ria never figured it would come to that.

John grabbed her arm, just as she started to leave. "Trust him to do this," he said.

Gently, Ria moved his fingers off her. "They won't be able to catch me off guard now. And trust me, if this is a trap set for me then he'll need my help. Watch out for us. As soon as we get Juls you head out of here immediately. Do not wait around!" With that, she ran.

She had to move quickly. Her mind went through the steps of where she needed to go to catch up to Oliver. He would need her. A trap for her. Which meant that they were ready to deal with someone like her. But at least now she was ready for them. And she had Oliver by her side. Malcolm and Kevin wouldn't stop what they were doing, not even if she asked them too. She had seen the dedication in their eyes. She had to get to Oliver, help him rescue Juls and get them out of the building. There was no point in telling Malcolm or Kevin what she was up to. They would only waste words.

Oliver as The Hood moved swiftly along the dark dank halls of the basement. Considering the place was practically new, it looked like they built over top an old building. And they had, somehow getting away with it. Felicity had found the plans, an old apartment building used to sit atop the grounds. He wasn't exactly sure where they were keeping the little girl, but the basement seemed more plausible than the empty more open rooms of the new facility that were upstairs.

"Stop," John commanded over their comms. "There are three men in the intersecting hall. They're watching each direction."

Oliver did as he was commanded. He wanted to ask what River was doing now, but his voice could carry.

"Okay, now."

Oliver quickly peaked out, getting a good look at the men before returning back to the safety of the darkness. Darkness! "John, can you cut the power down here?"

"No," Felicity answered. "But I can, just give me a sec."

Oliver prepared himself, taking out two arrows and nocking them into place. One of the guards softly whistled, the sound helping Oliver pinpoint the man.

Closing his eyes, Oliver let out a breath. He heard the lights flicker then stepped into the hall, just as the lights went out. He didn't need them, letting the arrows go. Two men didn't even have time to cry out as their bodies fell to the ground. Oliver immediately fired his third arrow. The man still managed to shoot his gun, not that it mattered. He had no idea where Oliver was and ended up shooting the air.

"Get them back on!" Oliver commanded.

The lights immediately went back on, revealing the three bodies. This was the first time he'd run into a group of three, the other hallways had one person. This had to be where they were holding the little girl. There was a single door in the hall. "The door has a card reader on it," he stated, spotting the device from afar.

"Working on it," Felicity answered.

Crouching by the first guard, Oliver searched the body, secretly hoping that maybe one of the men had what he wanted. It was too much to ask for, especially since the men were probably just plain old grunts.

On the second guard, Oliver frowned as he pulled out a case as well as a security card. Opening the case he saw three small syringes. For themselves or for Ria, he didn't know. And he wasn't about to find out. He threw them against the wall, satisfied by the sound of them breaking.

"I have a card," he said, rising to his feet and making his way to the door. He quickly swiped the card, relieved when the light turned green and pushed the door open with one hand. As the door swung open he pulled out another arrow and nocked it, entering the room as quickly as possible.

His mind registered the surprised doctor and he let the arrow go, hitting the man in the shoulder. He couldn't bring himself to kill someone in front of the girl who sat helplessly tied to a chair. At least, not right now. There was no need for her to see it. The doctor yelped in pain, falling to the ground.

The young girl, Juls, sat on a chair in the middle of the room. His heart almost immediately sank when he got a good look at her. She was positively terrified. Her entire body was stiff and ridged the moment she saw him.

Oliver shot another arrow at the doctor, hitting the man in the leg, before running to help the young girl out. He was still wary of the man whose movements were loud, making it impossible for him to sneak up on Oliver.

"No!" the doctor yelled at him. "You're not supposed to be here. You're ruining everything."

Oliver glanced over at the doctor as the man dragged himself across the floor, away from the two. Anger welled up in him. He wanted to hurt the man. But there wasn't time for this, not right now. He had to get the little girl to safety first. Reaching Juls, Oliver quickly surveyed what he was dealing with. "Don't worry," he said softly enough for her to hear. "I'm going to get you out of here alive."

She nodded her head in acknowledgement.

"Fool," the doctor said, then laughed.

A loud piercing noise caught Oliver off-guard and he groaned in pain, quickly pulling out his earpiece. To make matters worse the lights went out, leaving them in a pitch black room. Oliver had been prepared for the darkness last time. He focused, trying to get his eyes to adjust faster. It was time for him to use his other skills. He had to just finish getting the girl loose and out.

Heavy footsteps and breathing caught his attention as the door swung open. Oliver jumped back, firing an arrow in the direction of the person. He heard it hit flesh, but no words came out of the newcomer. Instead, the newcomer ran at him.

Oliver barely had time to miss a fist as it swung just over his head. His eyes finally revealing outlines. He jumped back and to one side, trying to avoid hitting the chair the little girl was in. Raising one hand up, Oliver blocked a blow aimed for his side and immediately went on the offense, or at least, he tried. The man shoved one of the smaller machines, that had wheels on it, at Oliver. He jumped away and rolled under a hospital bed. Aiming to go around the bed and get at the man from behind, he felt a breeze as the bed was thrown out from over him. It hit the wall, smashing into pieces.

Oliver jumped to his feet, only to feel a sharp kick to the back of his knee forcing him back down. Two powerful arms wrapped behind his. He pushed his head back, hitting his captor's hard, but the man didn't seem phased by the pain at all. Instead, Oliver felt as if he were being squeezed by an anaconda. Without warning, he was lifted up. A mistake on his captor's part, he immediately kicked the man's shin as hard as he could. That should have done something, but the man's grip only tightened.

"You made a big mistake, Hood," the doctor growled.

The lights blinked before turning back on. The doctor limped over to the little girl. By her, on a small table was a tray. He grabbed one of the syringes and smiled.

"Don't you dare!" Oliver snarled. Struggling wasn't helping him, but he had to waste time. There was little doubt in his mind that John and River were on their way.

"Now, mister vigilante," the doctor said, picking up a syringe. "See, this is a new variation of an old drug. I've been dying to test it out. Our boss says it isn't ready. However, I don't think he'll mind if I test it on you first. Hell, if it works out the way I expect I think the little girl will be next."

The doctor moved too close to Oliver. Not allowing either man time to think, Oliver slammed his head against the doctor's face. He expected his attack to surprise both men, but his captor didn't even flinch. Meanwhile, the doctor screamed obscenities, covering his bloody nose with his hands.

"You screwed up, you son of a bitch," the doctor yelled, blood dripping down his lips.

Oliver's world seemed to slow around him as the only door to the room opened and River stepped in. She threw on sai almost instantly. Her aim was perfect as the blade went into the doctor's hand, causing him to drop the syringe and scream in pain. Both arms and a leg now injured. At the same time, Oliver felt his captor's grip loosen, but before he could do anything he was thrown to one side.

Quickly rolling onto his feet, Oliver grabbed his bow and pulled an arrow out of his quiver. He got a good glimpse of the man who had him captive. The memory of the man standing in front of Ria's apartment when she used to live with Katie came to mind. However, the man was much smaller at that time. Now, he looked as if he had injected himself with a bunch of steroids of years.

The doctor cried out, throwing his entire body on top of Oliver. He dropped his bow and arrow and grabbed onto the doctor's coat, trying to push the man back. The doctor clawed at him desperately with no skill or knowledge on how to fight. Grabbing River's sia from the doctor's hand, Oliver pulled it out.

River dodged a swing aimed for her head as the giant man attacked her, thrusting her other sia toward his side. He caught her hand, surprising her and twisted her arm back then slammed her onto the ground. For his size he was way too quick.

Oliver punched the doctor square in the jaw, causing the man to collapse in a daze. Grabbing his bow and arrow, he aimed the weapon at River's opponent.

The giant flashed a glance at Oliver, then before Oliver could react, he had her own sia to her throat, pressing her body down with his foot.

"Let her go," Oliver snarled, stepping to one side in an attempt to get a clear shot. So far, all of his attempts to hurt the man had failed. He had no clue if his arrow would even affect the man. And if it didn't then he had little doubt in his mind the man would kill River.

River struggled, one of her arms as pinned to the ground, she used the other to grab the man's wrist to try and push his arm away from her neck. He didn't even flinch.

"He won't," the doctor said weakly as he leaned against the wall. "He won't listen to you."

"Then you will tell him to let her go if you know what's good for you," Oliver said, focusing on the wounded man.

The doctor laughed, shaking his head. "You think you frighten me? You don't have the time to torture me. They'll be coming. They had to stay back, wait for her."

River's sia snapped out from the ground with a clang. Oliver spun on his heels, and watched in complete surprise as she grabbed her weapon from the air and swung it up at her captor's face. Startled, he let her go, her blade nicking his cheek. She cried out in pain, rolling away from the man and clutching her shoulder. She pulled out a syringe, letting it fall to the ground.

Drawing his bow string back, Oliver let his arrow loose before the man could recover. It hit him in the face. The man's eyes focused on Oliver, his mouth turning into a sneer, but he didn't move the arrow.

Behind him, the door opened up again, for a brief moment Oliver feared that there were reinforcements. A shot rang out, and the man spun around. His body moved when he was hit by another bullet from John's gun. Dropping to his knees the man fell.

River was the first to let out a deep breath. No doubt, she was waiting for the man to get back up as was Oliver. John cautiously tapped the fallen man with his foot, but there was no movement

"Figured you could use my help," he commented.

River's shoulders sagged a little, turning, she ran to Juls, dropping to her knees and quickly untying the kid. Juls wrapped her arms around River's neck, crying out.

"Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" River asked.

Juls nodded then shook her head.

"We need to go," John hissed. He hadn't moved from the doorway, instead he had turned his back to them, keeping a lookout.

"We're getting you out of here, now," River said, pushing Juls back to touch her face. Standing up, she offered her hand to the little girl who accepted.

Seeing them headed toward him, John left the doorway and entered the hall. There were a million questions in Oliver's mind directed toward River. She worried him.

"You think you're safe? You think she'll ever be safe?" the doctor demanded, his voice louder than needed. River froze. He cackled. "You don't know who you are dealing with. Until he gets what he wants he'll never stop."

River let Juls hand go and turned.

"River," Oliver said sternly. They didn't have time for this. It took all of Oliver's self-control not to shoot another arrow into the man and kill him. But he was limited in supply and the doctor said that more people were coming.

She gave Oliver a quick glance but then focused her complete attention on the injured doctor. "One thing that Dr. Hedler and your boss seem to not realize is that I have people who care about me. People who will fight and help me. I'm not afraid of you or him. And I'm no longer afraid of what I can do. So bring it on, bitch."

The doctor's eyes widened as he stared up at her. Before he could say another word, she turned and walked out of the room, grabbing onto Juls' hand as she did so.

Oliver joined them, not worried about the doctor. Unfortunately, it was clear to him that Juls and her family would have to go into hiding for a while. But he had resources that could help them in that matter. And he had a feeling that River could help as well. At least, until they figured out who was after her. The important thing was to make sure that they got out of the hospital alive and together.

Oliver picked up his speed, intending on passing John and taking the lead, but was stopped when River grabbed his wrist.

"Wait," River said.

"River, we don't-"

His whole body stiffened as her lips met his. Before he could register what was going on, she pulled away.

"Get her out of here. I came with other people and I have to help them. Just get out of here and as far away as you can. I'll meet you at your base."

She squeezed his wrist before letting him go. With a wink she jumped back then ran in the opposite direction that they were going.

"Wait!" he called out, but she didn't even turn. Inwardly, he struggled. He had to go after her. It was possible that she was sacrificing herself to save them, save Juls. And her lips, so familiar.

"Go!" John commanded. "I'll get the kid out of here. Go, help her."

"Yes, go," Juls echoed.

Glancing at the two, Oliver nodded then ran. He had to trust that his bodyguard would be able to get the little girl out. But he couldn't trust that River would get herself out of whatever trouble she was planning.

Ria ran as fast as she could in the direction that Kevin and Malcolm were at. "Kev, I'm on my way," she said in her ear piece.

Static greeted her, causing her heart to drop with worry. Were they killed while she was helping rescue Juls? She couldn't think that. Coming to a halt near a connecting hallway, Ria stopped.

A hand touched her wrist and she whirled around, sai in one hand, placing it against Oliver's neck. Almost instantly, her eyes widened and she pulled back. "What are you doing here? Go back and get-"

"I'm staying with you," he said.

She opened her mouth to protest then closed it. "Fine," she growled, moving away from him and toward the hall. "Just-"

She arched her back, swinging to one side as two prongs from a taser flew just past her. What the hell? Oliver grabbed her and pulled her back to the safety of the wall, half expecting to hear bullets. Instead, he heard the sound of feet.

"I've got company, at least fifteen men, near the north stairs," she said into her comms. She had no idea if they could hear her or not.

Two men rounded the corner, tasers in hand. One of them shot immediately, the two prongs missing both Ria and Oliver. Oliver was the first to run, disarming both men. Ria rushed past him, focusing on the first man she saw to the ground.

Rounding the corner, she jumped on the first man she saw, using her legs to twist his body and drop him to the ground. She grabbed his taser shooting it into him. Two men didn't even give her time to breath as they came at her with stun batons. She caught the wrist of one of them with her sia while using the butt of the other sia to hit her the neck of the second man. He collapsed, trying to catch his breath, giving her time to focus on just one of them. Behind them, she quickly counted five more.

Oliver fired an arrow, bringing them down to four. Blocking several punches, she landed a solid hit to the man's face. He dropped to the ground, unconscious. Turning, she frowned. Why weren't there more like the big guy? All the men appeared to be just normal security guards. Did they really know what was going on?

There was no time to ponder. Ria ran to one of the men. He raised his baton to swing it at her. She dropped to the ground, kicking his feet out from under him. He landed hard with a satisfying thud. Before he could recover, she brought his stun baton to her hand forcefully hit him on the head.

Electricity zapped through her body, causing her to go stiff with pain. Mercifully, the contact pain disappeared as Oliver grabbed the man and threw him over his shoulder, slamming him hard onto the ground.

Ria gasped, as her entire body slumped forward. Her brain felt scrambled, but she didn't have time to gather her wits. Oliver jumped over her, taking on the three men, dodging their attempts to stun him. Rising to her feet, Ria came face to face with a real gun. One of the three men somehow got past Oliver.

She felt a warm wet splatter on her face from his blood. An arrow embedded in his neck. He gurgled as he tried to breath, dropping to the ground at the same time. She pushed his weapon away, and stepped back. Turning, she realized that the arrow wasn't from Oliver, but Malcolm.

Oliver spun around. He didn't even wait, nocking an arrow and firing it at the archer.

"No!" Ria screamed as Malcolm returned fire.

Both men moved, but it didn't matter. Their arrows wasn't going to miss either of them. In her desperation, she slammed all of her will into each arrow, sending them wildly out of their paths and into the wall instead. She ran between the two men, holding her hands out to each of them.

"We're on the same side," she wheezed, both fatigued by her fight and the stun she had received.

Oliver didn't lower his weapon and neither did Malcolm.

"Please," she said weakly, dropping her arms to her side.

Pushing past Malcolm, Kevin went to her. His gear covered his face, making it impossible for Oliver to identify him. Not that Ria cared by this point. She was going to tell Oliver who she was anyway.

"Are you okay?" Kevin asked, ignoring the two archers.

She nodded her head. "Just a little winded. Kind of got stunned back there. Hurts like a bitch. How many more?"

"One more, down that way," he said, point in the direction they had come from.

"Right," she said, moving that way.

He nodded his head. "We need to move," he said, finally glancing at Oliver. "You can either help us or leave. Up-"

A loud explosion forced all of them to duck and cover their heads as the ceiling above them gave way. Ria pushed most of the debris away from her and toward the wall that none of them were at. A figured dropped between her and the other three. She didn't like the feeling of being cornered.

Scrambling to her feet, Ria ran toward the others. She dodge the man as he grabbed at her, at least, she thought she did. His hand wrapped around her hair, dragging her off her feet. Before she could comprehend what was happening she was slammed into a wall, knocking the wind out of her.

"Drop your weapons," he commanded. His voice boomed and he briefly shook her. She gasped and struggled, but her movements were weak.

"You're outmanned," Kevin said as he leveled his gun. "Let her go."

He was answered by a chuckle, opening his jacket. "Outmanned, maybe. But I have little problem taking all of you with me. After all, you fucked up my plans, brother." He wore something around his chest that appeared to be a heart monitor. "This baby here, see I kind of figured you'd eventually come to stop me. So, I rigged the place myself to explode. But only if I die. I had hoped that there would be more innocent people around, but oh well. Take this off or mess with it in any way, well, we'll all be seeing our Maker. Aren't you happy, brother? You wanted to kill me after all."

Turning his gaze to Ria he shook his head. "So, what did they tell you? Always protecting her and putting others in her place. You'll be the second decoy to die for her. Bet my brother never told you that. Figured your job would be easy, huh?"

Joseph chuckled, lifting his other hand he grabbed Ria's mask and roughly pulled it off, dropping it to the ground. His smile slowly faded and he pulled her closer to his face. "You did a good job, brother," Joseph said, nodding his head. "She almost looks like her. Almost. Good job." He turned his attention away from River and smiled at Kevin. "For a moment, I almost believed-"

Ria roared, shoving one of her sais into Joseph's hand and twisted. The sound of bone breaking echoed through the hall. He dropped her and she fell, landing hard onto the ground. She didn't waste a moment and scurried away, back toward safety. She stopped near Oliver and he helped get her up. No doubt that he say her face, she was glad he didn't react.

She struggled to catch her breath as she leaned on him for support.

Joseph pulled out her sai and growled. Glaring up at her, he moved as if to throw it then stopped. "Tiberia," he whispered as he stared at the sai then at her. "It, it's really you." His demeanor changed so suddenly it was as if they were looking at a different person. "You're here. Come." He reached out his hand toward her, beaconing for her to join him.

Ria frowned, as confused as the others. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Why would I go to you? You killed my father. You want to imprison me here!" she yelled, her grip tightened on Oliver's arm.

Joseph's eyes narrowed, giving his brother a brief glance. "You don't understand, Ria," he said, shaking his head. "Everything I've ever done was to make your life better."

"You're sick," she replied, moving off of Oliver and taking a step toward Joseph.

"Everyone lies to you. Everyone always lies to you. I've always told you the truth, always told you what my intentions are," he said, pointing his finger at the Malcolm and Kevin. "They were the ones who forced my hand. Do you think I wanted to kidnap that little girl? I just wanted to see you again. If they had only told you then things would have gone a lot differently. Tiberia, we can be together again and you no longer have to hide who you are."

Her mouth scrunched up in disgust. "What is wrong with you? You love me? Where was that love when they experimented on me? You wanted me to stay in Dr. Hedler's lab. You could have helped them when they came to rescue me. When my father came for us. You don't love me," she spat. "You don't know what love is."

"No no no," Joseph said, shaking his head. "You have it all wrong. They all lied to you. See, they are always lying to you. Even that man, lying from the beginning. No, no no. I always tell you the truth. Of course, I love you. Everything was done to help you."

"You want me to love you? You want me to care for you? Go with you even after you killed my father?"

Joseph's eyes widened in anger and he raised to his full height. "Stop calling him that! He wasn't your father!" His knuckles tightened, voice clearly filled with rage. His body shook. "You, all of you are in the way," he said, pointing to the men behind her.

"No!" Ria screamed as he grabbed the device that was on his chest and pulled it off. They heard the sound as the building cracked and broke around them. Oliver reached for Ria in an attempt to cover her body with his to protect her from the falling rubble.

Joseph dropped to the ground, a piece of concrete falling over him. As another explosion rocked the entire building.

Ria cried out as she imagined a protective bubble around her small group, putting all of her force and will behind it. She had to protect everyone. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted Oliver. She couldn't tell him to leave her alone without breaking her concentration. She knew her bubble was up, she knew that she was protecting them. She could feel the rubble as it hit her forcefield of sorts. Her energy was keeping everything around them from falling apart and onto them. If he moved her she would lose it. She focused on the far side wall, ignoring the fact that Joseph was dead under the concrete debris that was still falling.

Another explosion rocked the ground from under them, dropping her to her feet, breaking her concentration. Something hit her leg, causing her to cry out in pain. She saw Oliver reach for her. Flames appeared behind him. They were all about to be engulfed.

"No!" she cried out, reaching her hand out. Her barrier successfully stopped the flames from hurting them. But that one action sucked up the rest of her energy. She had to protect her group. She saw things fall around her as her vision went black.

Her legs were in pain and the smell was awful. Ria slowly opened her eyes, her mind racing as she tried to remember what had happened. She could hear fire, somewhere off in the distance. Looking at her body, she was relieved to see that there wasn't anything on her, in fact the hall was pretty clean, considering what had happened.

She wiggled her toes, then slowly brought herself up to her feet. Other than being painful, she didn't think anything was broken.

"Ria?" Oliver's altered voice sounded muffled.

Turning, she gasped at the wall of debris that was between her and him. At least there were gaps, not that they were large enough for either of them to fit through. He didn't look like he was hurt, but she couldn't be sure.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

He nodded his head. "You?"

I will be once I'm in your arms again, she thought, but she couldn't let those words out just yet. Especially since they sounded so cheesy. "Can you get out?"

"There may be a way for me to go, but I had to make sure you're alright," he replied.

"I told him you were," Kevin said as he walked toward her. "We've found a way out. It's a tight fit, but we can do it. You?" he directed his question toward Oliver.

"I'll find a way," Oliver said.

"Good," Malcolm said, his voice altered as well.

Ria didn't like the idea of leaving Oliver alone. "No, you can come with us. I'll just-" she didn't bother finishing her sentence, instead she focused her mind and energy on some steel beams, lifting them up. As she did the ceiling above her cracked. All she had to do was lift it just a little bit higher. Her vision started to go black again, but she ignored that.

"Ria, stop!" Malcolm commanded.

His voice brought her out of her focus and she dropped the beams. The ceiling above her cracked, a large chunk falling.

"I can do it," she yelled, but her voice felt hollow.

"No, you can't!" he said. "You can bring the whole thing down on us. I trust he'll be able to get out of from his side." He focused his attention on Oliver.

"I'll be fine," Oliver said, pulling away from the wall. "River, go."

She gulped. She didn't want to leave him. But before she could argue he disappeared from view.

A loud creak and groan from the building brought her back to reality.

"We have to go. Now!" Malcolm demanded, grabbing her right wrist and pulling her with him and Kevin. There wasn't much debris in their way as they moved from one hall to another, finally reaching a set of elevator doors. Malcolm let her go, helping Kevin pull the doors open. The car was completely intact, not that they could use it. Kevin pushed the emergency hatch off and climbed up, before turning and reaching down for her.

She looked up at him. There was no fire, no debris, between them and the way out. The two men could make it safely, she had no doubt. But Oliver- Turning her head back in the direction that she had come from she gulped, feeling her tears well up.

"He'll be fine, Ria," Malcolm said.

"He can die!" she replied, looking up at him. His eyes told her everything. He was willing to let that happen.

"Ria," Kevin said, shaking his hand as if his impatience would make her want to move faster.

Malcolm grabbed her arm, bringing her toward their escape route. "He's resourceful and smart," he said. "But dying is a part of this world."

She let him drag her away, but focused her eyes behind her. What if the Oliver's exit was blocked? She would never be able to forgive herself if she let Oliver die. No! her mind screamed at her. She couldn't leave Oliver. Yes, maybe his exit was clear and he was already making his way. But she didn't know that. What she knew was that Malcolm and Kevin were safe. Their exit was clean and clear.

She slipped her hand out from Malcolm's grasp, and she ran.

"Ria!" she heard him call behind her as he ran after her.

She focused her mind on her one objective, pushing the pain in her leg to the back of her mind. Turning the corner, she spotted the wall that was between her and Oliver. Above her, the ceiling was open. It was too far up for someone to be able to climb out, but if she could fly, she could get a better view of the damage. Hell, maybe she could squeeze through a hole and make it to Oliver's side.

If she could bring objects to her, make them float, then she could do the same thing to herself. Without a second thought, she was weightless and rose up into the air. She'd been correct in assuming there was a way in, although it was a tight fit. Landing rather roughly, she squeezed through concrete, landing on her feet.

Focusing her attention in the only direction Oliver would have gone, she ran. Malcolm had no doubt seen her rise up into the air. But she couldn't let that knowledge distract her. It wasn't like she could wipe his memory. And besides, what was he going to do now? Her vision tunneled as she focused on her goal. All that mattered was getting to Oliver. And then there she was, right in the clearing she had been focusing on. She dropped to her knees, her body exhausted and in pain.

She limped down the hall. It was messier than the one Malcolm and Kevin were escaping from. Beams, doors, rubble, made an interesting obstacle course for her to maneuver through. She wanted to shout out his name, but she couldn't, not with her voice possibly echoing and others hearing her call. Besides, she wasn't sure if she had the energy to call out his name and walk. If she were lucky then she would catch up to him.

Spotting an arrow on the ground, she picked it up. She wasn't sure why, there really was no reason for it. But she did. With the arrow in hand, she limped in the only direction Oliver could have gone.

Oliver hurriedly moved through the debris. He felt energized to say the least. Maybe it was because he should have died. He knew that. If the explosion hadn't then the falling debris should have killed him, if not at least injured him. But he had been spared with only a few scraps as some sort of proof of the ordeal. It had been as if he were wearing a personal forcefield.

A part of him wasn't entirely surprised when River was revealed to be Ria. He was sure that somewhere deep down he had suspected it. And she had hinted more than once about her power. In fact, thinking back, he knew she had tried to subtly use it. At least, she was alright. He had seen her leave with the dark archer and the man in black, who he assumed was Kevin.

When she saw the wall between them she tried to help him get to her side. And he had seen the color drain from her face by her effort. She hadn't noticed, her sole focus was helping him. Could her power kill her? He didn't know and he didn't want to be responsible for that. So he had left. It was the only option that made sense. If he left then she wouldn't try to help get him out. Besides, he was sure he could find a way out. Oliver Queen was not about to let himself die in a collapsing building.

He slowed his jog to a walk, finally stopping in front of a rather large obstacle. Looking up, he could see a hole just large enough for him to get out. Grabbing a rebar, he tested its strength before using it to help pull himself up. He slowly climbed the wall of rubble, careful with each step he took. One false move and he could theoretically cause the whole thing to fall back, burying him.

Placing his hand at the top, he felt relief. He was going to make it. Something crisp and leathery grabbed his hand.

"Not so fast," a coarse voice growled. The hand loosened his grip, throwing him back down onto the ground below. He hit it hard, groaning, as the figure at the top dropped down.

Joseph stood up, most of his body burned from the explosion he had caused. But he didn't act or appear to be in any pain. Oliver reached behind him, trying to grab an arrow, but there weren't any left.

Rolling onto his feet, Oliver swung at Joseph, hitting the man in the chest.

Joseph chuckled, pushing Oliver back. "Like it?" he asked, indicating that he was talking about himself. "I'm sure I look a mess right now. But in a few days I'll be looking as good as new. It's a lovely drug, Zeraxics. New and improved. I don't feel pain, and this new version seems to actually heal. At least, that's what my scientists said. Of course, they're probably all dead now." He shrugged. "If they lied to me they'd be dead anyway."

Oliver circled the man, keeping his distance. He wasn't exactly sure what else the man could do.

Grabbing a rebar from the rubble, Joseph pulled, dragging it out with some pieces of concrete attach to it. "Did I mention enhanced strength?" he asked, then swung at Oliver.

Oliver dodged, wary of his surroundings. One wrong move and he could hurt himself from the sharp debris.

"So, what do you say? Want to join me? Be one of my soldiers? All perks. Heck, clearly, Ria likes you. So I'm offering this to you as a peace offering." Joseph set the rebar down and pulled out a little box from his jacket. He opened it up, revealing three syringes. "Well what do you know," he said with a chuckle. Of the three only one was intact. "Will you look at that. You were meant to join us. She will see things my way. She knows I would never hurt her. She knows I'm the best for her."

"The best? You kidnapped a child in an attempt to get her attention. You stalked her. And you killed her father." He barely had time to dodge the rebar as Joseph threw it at him.

"He's not her father!" Joseph screamed. "And I had to do everything else. I knew if she saw me when I wasn't ready that she would be afraid. We were meant to be. Not her and Oliver. Not her and you, whoever you are. I know her. I accept her for who she is. Everyone always told her to hide her true self. Kept her from using her powers. But I know better. Hedler knew better. But he also knew that he would have to control her to teach her how to harness what she can do. I do agree, he went about it all wrong. I want the world to know who she is and to fear her. I know how to do things right."

"Is that what she wants?" Oliver countered, feigning a swing, he kicked Joseph's leg hard, hearing the bone crack. Joseph, dropped to one knee, then rolled back, shaking his head.

"Of course she wants it. I know what she wants. I know her. I love her"

"That's not love." Ria's voice surprised both men. They hadn't heard or seen her. She dropped down from a small wall, face pale as ever, an arrow in one hand. "I don't want people to plan my life for me. I don't want to be afraid that someone's going to try to experiment on me for what I can do. I want my dad-"

Oliver moved to her side, clutching his bow.

Joseph growled. "No," he snapped. "That man-"

"I don't care!" she yelled, stepping forward. "I don't believe you. And even if he weren't my biological father he was still my father. He raised me as if I were his daughter. And he did everything he could to try to keep me safe. I was the stupid one. I got myself caught. And he risked his life to rescue me. That's what you do for someone you love. You risk your life to save theirs."

Joseph shook his head. "You never listen," he grumbled. "You don't know what's best." He turned his back to them, grumbling to himself.

Oliver felt her hand him his arrow.

"I'll show you. You'll see," Joseph said, turning to them. "I know what's best. I know how to make you-"

Oliver let the arrow go. It shouldn't have picked up as much speed as it did. Joseph had no time to dodge as the arrow went through his skull. The man dropped to the ground, clearly dead.

Olive caught Ria as she fell. "He wasn't going to stop," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I know," he replied, holding her close.

"We had to, right?" she looked up at him, clearly wanting him to reassure him.

He had a feeling that she was behind the speed of his arrow. Still, he nodded his head. He couldn't see any other way. It wasn't like he had a jail where he could put the man so that he would never try to harm Ria again.

Her eyes fluttered. "I'm so tired," she muttered. "Please, don't let them take me away."

"I won't let anyone take you away," he promised.

A soft smile crossed her lips. "Surprise," she said weakly, trying to be cute. Taking in a deep breath, her eyes fell shut and her body went limp in his arms. He didn't move for a moment, watching her breathe slowly, but steadily. He wasn't sure who "they" were. But he wasn't about to let her out of his sight. Not until he was sure she would be safe. Looking up at the wall, he sighed. For now, he had to figure out how to get them out of there and back to his base.

A/N: This chapter… oh my god. THIS CHAPTER! I swear to you I've written over 20,000 words in total. Yeah, lots of rewriting of scenes. I'm happy with this final version. It actually has everything that I planned and somehow I think I got it all to work. Woot! It's hard for me to post a chapter if I'm not entirely happy with it. Also didn't help that real life decided to suck all of my energy making it even more difficult for me to write. But I'm back! And desperate to keep going. I have much planned. I really can't wait. I almost want to skip stuff. I won't but the temptation is great. lol. Thank you all of not giving up on my story. And to all you new readers out there, Hi! I should have answered everyone's review, if I never answered you, I'm so sorry. I'll answer it next time. :) Thanks for all the love and patience. Hope you guys aren't disappointed.