Total silence. Tension in the air that could only be cut with a knife. Just some of the words that could describe the atmosphere inside of one particular room inside of the loft. Tension that has stayed with a small group of individuals for the past couple of hours.

Hours filled with events none of them could ever have predicted would happen. Events in which the minds of three individuals would never forget. A night filled with pain and sacrifice. A night of revelations.

A night where secrets had been revealed. Secrets which one man had hoped to never reveal. Hoped to never reveal a side of him that hadn't been seen by the likes of anyone before. A side of him that was ruthless. A side of him that showed no mercy.

A personality that had become his own during his worst nightmare. A nightmare he never thought he would awaken from. The nightmares of Lian Yu. His own purgatory. An island that had slowly changed him over the years.

Changed him from a boy to a man. An island that would always put him to the test. The test to survive. Whether it was from the creatures that lurked in the shadows just waiting to strike to the conditions themselves. Conditions not many would be able to survive let alone live off of.

Conditions that he never thought he would ever have to experience again. Never have to experience being that man again. A man that lurked in the shadows of the island taking the fight to the creatures that lurked around on the island. A man that would kill without mercy. Not because he liked it. No only for survival.

Just like he had done on this given night. How he had sprung into action the moment danger had revealed itself to him. Revealed itself to his loved ones. A moment that he knew none of them would ever forget.

The moment he had snuck behind one of their attackers to deliver the killing blow. A deep cut to the side of their attacker that had only silenced him forever seconds later in front of his loved ones. Loved ones that only looked towards him with nothing but shock. Shocked from his actions.

But down deep inside he knew that this day would eventually come. A day where his worst fears would come to life. Fears he wished to never share with his loved ones. Except for one woman. The same woman that for the first time in years made him feel safe. Made him feel whole again.

The very same woman that now lays by his side with her arms wrapped around him as he feels her eyes looking down upon him with concern. The same concern he had seen in her eyes the moment she had seen him sitting underneath the shower handle as the shower continued to pour cold water down upon his body.

The same concern that had never left her eyes as she lead him out of the bathroom to only have him discard his wet clothes along with her own in the far corner of the room before they ended up in the position they are in now. A position they have stayed in for the past few hours in total silence.

As she hears him taking a deep breathe just below her snapping out of her thoughts Laurel looks down towards Oliver before mere seconds later as she sees his hand starting to shake across the mattress reaching out Laurel lays her hand gently down upon his own causing his hand to instantly come to a complete stop.

" It wasn't always like this."

With a confused look coming across her face as she hears him taking another deep breathe Laurel can't help but squeeze Oliver's hand to only feel him returning the favor seconds later.

" At first Yao Fei would use me as some sort of hound dog. When we went out hunting he had me retrieve whatever he had killed with arrows. Some days were easier than others. But after a few times out he refused to share what he killed with me. Instead he said that in order to survive out there that i needed to learn how to fend for myself.

His first lesson in survival for me. When i had slept one night he had managed to capture this bird and had placed the creature inside of this small cage inside of the cave where we were staying. He told me in his own way that if i was to survive that i would need to kill the bird myself."

As he closes his eyes slowly Oliver takes a deep breathe when he feels Laurel giving his hand a squeeze before slowly he reopens his eyes.

" When i figured this information out at first, I refused to do it. I didn't want to kill the bird. But as the days went on my mind started to give in to my body's demands. I tried to fight it but i just couldn't. I was starving and Yao Fei refused to help me.

After a couple of days, I was left with no choice but to kill the bird. If i didn't then i would have starved to death. I don't know why but a week after Yao Fei decided it was time he started training me.

When he began training me at first he would only train me at night saying that we still needed to be carefully. I didn't understand why when we first began because by then the only dangers that i had seen on the island was a couple of animals lurking around one part of the island. But i couldn't question him about the subject so i just kept my mouth shut and did what he instructed me to do…."

" Is that how these happened? Your scars."

" Some of the scars came from my training with him. The scars across my right shoulder came from him when we had first met. But most of the others came from something else. Something much worst."

In a sudden move as she retracts her hand slowly Laurel gently places her hand down on Oliver's cheek before slowly she turns his head to look in her direction suddenly Laurel's eyes widen slightly when she sees Oliver's eyes starting to get watery.

" Who did this?"

Taking his eyes away from Laurel as he looks away from her face to stare up at the ceiling suddenly Oliver's eyes widen as memories start to come flooding back into his mind. Memories that would often come flooding into his mind whenever he closed his eyes. Memories he often dreamed about.

Memories he had hoped would fade away with time. But it was not meant to be. Instead the same painful memories would invade his mind. Memories of so much pain. Memories of so much fear. The fear of when the next torture session would take place. Fear of what his body would be put through next.

" Ollie?"

Snapping out of his thoughts as he looks back down towards Laurel to see her looking at him with concerned riddled across her face slowly Oliver closes his eyes before as he feels his eyes stinging from the tears he is holding back Oliver feels Laurel gently rubbing his cheek with her thumb.

" It's okay. You're safe now. Who did this?"

" I don't know his real name but i know what they called him…."

" They? Who is they?"

As he takes a deep breathe slowly Oliver opens his eyes before slowly he leans his head into Laurel's hand as he looks down towards the mattress.

" When Yao Fei and I were out hunting one night this group of guys dressed in camouflage just came out of nowhere and ambushed us. Yao Fei was able to escape from the scene but they managed to capture me. They must have drugged me because before i knew it i woke up inside of this tent with my arms and legs tied to this chair.

Once i had woken up, I found this man staring at me from the other side of the tent. This man was completely covered with body armor. He had this mask covering his face. This orange and black mask that completely covered his whole face except for his eyes. These pair of dark eyes that were just staring at me.

After a couple of minutes this other man that i would find out to be named Edward Fyers entered into the tent and started to question me about Yao Fei. When i didn't give him the answers that he wanted he turned and gave the masked man a nod before…."

Suddenly as she hears Oliver taking a shaky breathe Laurel's eyes widen before gently she wipes the lone tear that runs down his cheek with her thumb.

" It's okay. I'm right here."

" He took a knife out of his body armor and…."

As he takes a deep breathe slowly Oliver feels Laurel shifting her body against his back before he looks up to see her looking down towards him with concern riddled across her face.

" Which one?"

Reaching up as he gently takes her hand into his own slowly Oliver guides Laurel's hand down his side before gently he rest her hand down on his right side right above a large scar on his right abdomen. A scar that told a story itself leaving nothing to the imagination.

As he feels Laurel's fingers gently tracing across his scar Oliver can't help but close his eyes from her touch unaware that just above him slowly the tears that Laurel had been holding back have slowly start to cause tears to come flooding down her cheeks.

" When he did this….I never experienced pain like that before. It was too much. I ended up passing out before i woke up on a cold floor inside of this pitch black room. It felt like days before the door to the room opened revealing a couple of masked men. They dragged me out of the room to only place me inside of another dark room.

Only this time the room was different. There was this small light above my head lighting up just a small portion of the room. When i was being tied down to this metal chair that was when i saw it. This table in the corner of the room that was barely being hit by the light. It was covered with so many objects from knives to needles.

Before i knew it, I felt this pinch in my neck. As my vision started to fade, I looked over my shoulder to see the very same masked man that i had encountered inside of that tent staring down at me before i watched him make his way over towards the table.

He started questioning me about things like my name. I still refused to answer any of his questions and when i did he…."

As she hears Oliver taking a shaky breathe scooting over Laurel pulls Oliver closer to herself before gently she rests her head upon his shoulder as she closes her eyes.

" He did this to you."

Without opening her eyes as she feels him nodding his head slowly a few tears escape Laurel's closed eyelids before she reopens her eyes to look back down towards Oliver.

" I'm sorry Oliver. I'm so sorry."

Reaching out as he gently takes Laurel's hand within his own moments later Oliver can't help but give her hand a squeeze as he feels her interlocking their fingers together.

" It's okay. It's over now."

" How long?"

Glancing up as he sees Laurel looking down towards him with watery eyes Oliver can't help but look away before he feels her giving his hand a squeeze.

" How long did he…."

" I don't know anymore. It seemed like years. Every few days i would be retrieved from my cell to only be questioned by him again."

" Who is this man? You said they called him by a certain name. Who are they?"

" There was this woman that was being held inside of a cell closest to my own. One night when i had been returned back to my cell she heard me scream out in pain from my last session. She told me that her name was Shado.

When i asked her where we were she told me that we were no longer on the island anymore but instead we were being held captive aboard a boat. When i asked her about who the masked man was she told me that everyone on the vessel referred to him as Deathstroke.

An assassin for hire. One of the deadliest assassins in the world. That's what she referred to him as anyways. I questioned her about how she knew all of this when she confessed to me that she knew him a long time ago. From what she told me is her father had hired him for a job a couple of years ago."

" How did he end up on Lian Yu? If he's an international assassin then what would he be doing on Lian Yu with you?"

" I don't know. And neither did Shado. She said that he just appeared out of nowhere one day. But what she did know was he ended up getting hired by Edward Fyers to…."

As she hears Oliver taking a shaky breathe gently Laurel gives his hand a squeeze before she lays her head down on his shoulder.

" It's okay. He can't hurt you now. What was he hired to do?"

" There was these rumors that were spreading across the boat. Rumors about experiments taking place. On some nights i was able to hear these loud screams echoing throughout the boat. On other nights the boat was pure silent.

But they never experimented on me. He wouldn't allow it saying that nobody was allowed to touch his favorite pet. But that didn't stop them from touching Shado. There was some nights that i could hear her screaming out in pain from her cell.

She told me that it was okay. That she could take the pain. But i knew that was a lie. I knew that they were slowly breaking her. Not just physically but mentally by the way she would speak to me afterwards.

I don't know how long this kept going for but one night her cell was completely silent. I tried to get her to speak but she wouldn't answer me. It was like she had just given up hope. When i had tried to persuade her to not give up that's when it happened.

This loud alarm started to go off. It was so loud that i had to cover my ears from it echoing off the walls. My cell door just suddenly opened revealing Yao Fei dressed as one of the members of the crew.

He helped steer me out of my cell before i pleaded with him that we needed to help Shado. Once i said the name he instantly agreed before as we entered her cell we found her barely breathing on the ground.

I carried Shado as Yao Fei guided me through the boat before as we got to the top deck he ordered me to jump off the edge when he noticed Deathstroke staring at us from the other side of the boat. I don't know how but i managed to make my way back to shore with Shado and back into the woods without anyone seeing us before she….she told me that it was too late for her. But it wasn't for me. She told me to never give up hope. To fight on. But not for me. She told me to keep on fighting for you.

On some nights i would tell her stories about you. About how we first met. She made me promise her that i would find a way to make it back home to you. Once i did this she was just gone. The life just vanished from her eyes."

Taking a shaky breathe as he feels Laurel giving his hand a squeeze slowly Oliver opens his eyes before he glances up towards Laurel.

" I brought her back to the cave that i had stayed at with Yao Fei to find him there waiting for me. He didn't say a word to me. It was like he already knew. Later that night i brought her to the same sight that i did with my father's body before i buried her next to his grave.

When i returned back to the cave, I found Yao Fei making something off in the corner of the cave. Once he sensed my presence he made his way over towards me before he handed me this bow. He told me to be one with the bow. To make the bow apart of me."

If it wasn't for Mr Queen's heroics then we wouldn't be standing here right now having this conversation. Words that he never thought he would ever hear. Words that have echoed throughout his mind for the past few hours. Ever since he had gotten the call.

The call that an attack was taking place at the docks. An attack he knew was being caused by one individual. One mysterious vigilante that had taken the law into their own hands. An vigalantee that he was so hellbent to capture.

But on this night he had mixed emotions. Mixed emotions on if he should stop this mysterious archer. Stop this archer from doing the city a good deed. The deed of ridding the world of Martin Somers.

Even if it meant letting a murder run free. Run free because of what had transpired on this given night. How his only living daughter had been attacked. Had a hit placed on her to only have the hit come of short.

An event that had taken its toil on his mind the moment he had heard the news the safe house she had been assigned to had been attacked. How he had never felt so scared in his life to instantly be overwhelmed with relief when he found her okay.

How the relief had turned into rage the moment he had spotted Oliver sitting close to her. How the anger that suddenly died down to a minim when he had learned of the young man's actions of the night. The action he had taken in order to protect his daughter. To protect his younger sister. Even though he knew from the look in his eyes it had taken just another piece of him away.

A piece of him that he knew too well. The piece of him that was always taken whenever he had to take a life. Even after the years of being on the force. Being forced to pull the trigger when he didn't want to.

But he knew deep down that he would always be grateful to him for this moment. A moment that decided his daughter's life. A moment he had taken charge and ensured his daughter's safety. Even if they didn't see eye to eye about things that was the one thing they could share in common.

As he nears an open doorway at the end of the hallway he is walking down snapping out of his thoughts slowly Quentin forces a blank look to come across his face before moments later as he enters into room with Lucas following closely behind himself suddenly he comes to a complete stop to stare at him.

The same man that he knew was the cause for everything that had happened on this given night. The same man that is battling his daughter in court. The same man that is now found handcuffed to his hospital bed as police officers stand on guard inside of the room. The very same man that he had found lying on the ground at the mercy of The Dark Archer and a mysterious woman.

A mysterious woman from what he could tell was fighting against The Dark Archer. Her reasons were still unknown to him. But what he did know was she was considered to be dangerous. Especially after he looked around their surroundings to find countless bodies all across the docks. From police officers to Mr Somers's own men.

" I want my phone call!"

" Oh you'll get your phone call but first we need to ask you a couple of questions. What happened tonight."

As he sees Somers snapping his head away from him slowly Quentin takes a step forward as his hand clutches into a fist to only unclench mere seconds later.

" What's the matter? Cat got your tongue? I said what happened tonight?"

Without breaking his stride as he makes his way over towards the hospital bed reaching out Quentin grabs a firm hold of the side of the bed as he watches Somers glancing over towards him.

" You want to know what i think? I think that when you found out that your little plan to rid the world of my daughter had failed you decided you were going to leave town tonight. But before you could leave town they showed up."

" I don't know what you are talking about."

" Do you now? Then this is all just some sort of coincidence that the men that happened to attack my daughter are under your employment?"

" Even if that has been proven to be true it still has nothing to do with me. Face the facts detective you have nothing on me. My men have minds of their own. I don't control their actions. They do. If some of my men happened to attack your daughter then it would be just a coincidence. You may believe me. You may not. It doesn't matter to me.

Now my patience is running thin. I demand to have my phone call."

" To who? Your friend the district attorney? Well it turns out he is currently unavailable i'm afraid. Seems he is out of town on vacation. It's funny how things turn out. Instead you and me are going to be spending the night together. So get comfortable Mr Somers. It's going to be a long night."