Nanda Parbat
A few nights ago Talia had disappeared. He had sent men to search for her, but he was uncertain if their loyalty was complete, and could not wholly believe the reports they returned with weren't colorful lies. Then Simon Lacroix was captured and the business of executing him provided distraction.
The Master had been gone for more than fortnight. To where, no one knew, not even him. It was not Sensei's place to question Ra's Al Ghul's motives. His continued absence could be another smoking mirror, nothing to be concerned about. The Demon's Head had trusted him with control of Nanda Parbat and he did not want to fail him.
A messenger burst through the doors, gasping for air.
"Sensei!" He made hasty bow, "The Arrow has captured Talia Al Ghul. ARGUS has Marco and Luka, David and Azura's whereabouts are also unknown."
There was a table near him and he considered flipping it over. Heirs to the Demon were not easy to come by. The other losses would cost them too. Assassins did not grow on trees, they had been trained, tirelessly cultivated to embrace and utilize their shadow selves. Nonetheless, Talia was the Master's own kin and it would be a great insult to the League, to their entire legacy if she was defeated by a lonely street hero and his ragtag team.
This could only be settled in blood.
"Mobilize a unit and leave for Starling immediately. Meet with this Arrow, tell him he either hands Talia over to us, unharmed, or we execute the citizens of his beloved city."
Starling General Hospital
He almost did not notice it was already dawn. It had been raining, not long ago, but it had stopped. A ray of watery sun had finally broken through the clouds and was glinting on the window pane of the waiting room.
It was hard to imagine he had come here on his bike less than two hours after Mercury Labs was blown off the map of Starling City. He had left the police to handle the clean-up, a task Captain Lance did not thank him for.
Less than three months ago he had come here to welcome his best friend's daughter into the world. The circumstances for his second visit were much less jovial. Caitlin Snow had not woken from her medically induced coma.
After being released from the emergency room with twelve stitches, Barry had been standing watch for two hours straight outside the ICU, bothering every nurse, resident and doctor who would give him the time of day. Barry had his arms crossed over his chest; an expression Oliver was familiar with was plastered across his features. It resembled guilt, and the anxiety you had when you waited for something of great importance and great dread.
"How is she?"
He sighed heavily, still shaken, "Showing signs of recovery. Dr. Wells wants me to go back to Central. But I can't just leave her, you know?" He uncrossed an arm and caged his fingers through his unkempt brown hair, throwing a plaintive glance at the ICU doors.
"Does she have family?"
"Yeah," he leaned on the wall, yawning as he ploughed through the exhaustion. They all needed a rest. But I won't until this is over. "Her mum's coming out to stay with her."
"We'll look after her Barry," he clasped his shoulder reassuringly; "You saved her life." Four words that Barry needed to hear.
"I'm sorry I lost my focus out there, you guys might have Talia if I—"
"No, I don't want to hear it." He didn't need to apologize for anything.
In the chaos of last night's haphazardly thrown together mission, Malcolm had pulled a fast one on them.
Merlyn had Talia.
And the League of Assassins had declared war.
If his team had captured her and imprisoned her in ARGUS, then at least he would have control of the situation. But her fate was entirely out of his hands.
They had their chance; but Barry had found Dr. Snow like that, heaving towards her death and he had lost all sense of the plan beyond getting her to a hospital.
And for all his control-freak tendencies, sacrifices and ugly things he had to do; a part of him knew he would have forgotten the world too if was someone he cared for was lying in a puddle of their own blood.
"You did well. Take it step by step, and let people help you."
"Hm, you should take your own advice."
He breathed a half-laugh. "She's going to be okay" he said serious again, "she's strong. She wouldn't have endured Talia's torment if she wasn't."
Barry hung his head low, "I don't know. I want to believe that."
"You have too, Barry. You have too."
He and Felicity said their goodbyes and parted ways with the Central City hero.
"You'll always be welcome in my city," he told him and he meant it wholeheartedly.
...
"Any luck?"
Felicity balanced two coffees from the hospital cafeteria in both hands. He took one from her and set it on the side table. She lowered herself into the seat beside him sighing wearily. No such luck then.
His mind coughed up a bitter reminder; Malcolm Merlyn saved your life. To be in the debt of a man you most despised in the world, the thought made him taste bile.
Merlyn thought he was doing what was best for Thea, but that put everyone else's lives at risk.
This must be what he meant, when he said I would die. And my friends and my city would die with me. This was Merlyn's revenge for not partnering with him. No wonder they say keep your enemies closer.
"I can't find him. He's hidden from the League this entire time. It's not gonna be easy," she sipped the black coffee and her face bunched up at the bitterness. "Ugh that's disgusting."
She blew out a slow breath and leaned back, unbothered by the uncomfortable chair, just as worn out as he was. "Digg's out searching for the assassin who made off with the last case of super serums."
Another failed goal in their mission. It happened in the missing blacked-out time and confusion after the labs exploded. It was just one case, but one case had ten vials and could be resynthesized to make one hundred.
She glanced at him sideways, and she saw Oliver frowning down at the carpet. She reckoned he would be doing that for at least ten minutes trying to conjure some heinously complex genius master plan.
"I still have work today, vice presidents can't take days off on a whim," she complained. When he was silent like this, she always had enough to say for the both of them. "I had so much free time when I was your 'executive assistant'. Well, I mean it seemed like I did y'know, if you discount our night job."
He didn't say anything. She felt like an idiot for even trying to make conversation. The silence filled the space between them and she found herself dozing off.
"I should get back to the foundry," he announced, starting to stand. She blinked absently and then groaned. Why did he always have to ruin a quiet moment?
He was mostly unharmed except for an eye-sore of a bruise on his temple. Oliver was nocturnal. But she knew he had not slept in 72 hours. She'd read once that by day four, you started to hallucinate. That wasn't healthy for a normal person and couldn't be healthy for a superhero either.
She grabbed his wrist to stop him. Oliver's muscles coiled like a spring from where she touched his skin. He lifted his eyes to meet hers.
"Don't go. Not yet. There's nothing we can do beyond what we're already doing."
She trailed down. His fingers were calloused, hand cold, but yielding. She stood to face him.
"I'm fine," he snapped it without thinking if that was what she was going to ask. "We have to prepare ourselves for the League. I have to get Thea out of the city, if I can even convince her to leave. We need to find that stray assassin, we have to secure the foundry, and we have to find where Merlyn is keeping Talia." He clenched his fist, "That's on top of everything else we haven't done yet because we were sidetracked by this!" He bit out in frustration, "The Red Hood, Vertigo…"
He yanked his hand away and turned to stare at the vending machine, as if somewhere on the numbers and names, was the answer to his problems.
"It's only been a night," she said, trying to reason with that annoying super-hero complex. "The city isn't going to fall to pieces if we leave it alone for half a day."
"No," he stated nearly snapping at her once more. She winced. He chewed his bottom lip guiltily, his brow knitted.
"I need—I'm not…I'm not doing enough to protect our home!" He said with enough volume they were shushed by a nurse. He continued, whispering; "The people I love," his eyes flickered to her and she tried to ignore it, but the flush in her cheeks betrayed her. "I don't know who I'm fighting anymore, I don't know if what I'm doing is the right thing."
She didn't want to interrupt him, because they all knew he would rather face down ten thugs in a cramped alleyway with a one arrow, than discuss his feelings. God forbid he be a normal guy and stop carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. She also understood that sometimes he needed to hear someone tell him he was wrong.
"You're not fighting this alone, Oliver. You don't think Caitlin struggling to hold onto her life is killing us all?"
On their side, they had a meta-human speedster and the hero who saved Starling from Deathstroke and Malcolm Merlyn, but still they couldn't stop their friend from landing in intensive care. "We never know if what we're doing is saving people or not. But believe me; we're all trying our best here. You can't expect yourself to be able to carry this responsibility on your own Oliver, not with what's to come."
She reached and caressed his cheek; the pads of her fingers brushed the stubble along his jawline. He struggled between pushing her away and letting her in, but then he reached and encircled her wrist with his hand. She was the one who said they could never work, she wanted more than short stolen moments in times of loss and grief, yet she didn't want him to let go.
"We stood in a hallway just like this," she said softly, quietly, as if raising her voice would shatter the moment. "You said we couldn't be together because you couldn't be both Oliver Queen and the Arrow. Despite everything, I still don't believe that…but I believe in you."
He opened his mouth to say something, and then swallowed. Their noses were less than a foot apart. Oliver licked his lips, she stared at them, remembered how they felt on hers. How her heart felt like it was going to burst when he told her he loved her, how it broke when she ended it. She was tempted to lean in...
He backed out of her caress. And it was over again. She stared at her hands in front of her, twiddling her thumbs.
"I'm sorry…" he trailed off. She looked at him, unsure what exactly he was sorry for. She didn't know if she had said anything to get through to him, didn't know if she could believe her own words, didn't know at all what was going to happen to them. Her life was filled with unknowns and like a tree with roots they all stemmed from Oliver Queen.
"I'm sorry, I have to go," he said and left.
Verdant, the Glades, Starling City
Thea Queen listened to the voicemail Malcolm left her as she wheeled the crate of cocktails mixers towards the bar.
"I know you're at Verdant so I'm not going to scold you for being you. But Starling won't be safe for much longer. When I call you tonight, you may have to implement Operation 67..."
Operation 67 involved leaving the city, without warning, literally with the clothes on your back and if possible, a small prepared hand luggage with items that would allow her to disappear off the grid.
She didn't want to listen to it anymore. He had repeated the same warning for over a month now and nothing had given her cause to uproot her life and leave without a goodbye.
She titled the trolley to deposit the crate. It was a slow start to re-opening and she had been working until the early morning to get everything organized. She rolled her shoulders, and glanced at the other three crates she had to move on her own.
It would be much more convenient if the basement wasn't flooded, maybe she should call a contractor to take a look at it? She dusted her palms and started for the corner hall that led to the basement.
The double entrance to the club creaked open. She went to see who it was, instinctively reaching into the back pocket of her jeans for the switchblade Merlyn had gifted her.
Like lifting a shoebox, Oliver hauled the crate onto the trolley and pushed it to the bar.
"Hey, what are you doing here?"
He parked the trolley, "I could ask you the same question," he said in a similar stern tone their father once used on him. "Have you seen the news? The Glades aren't safe."
She rolled her eyes. "Ugh, you sound like dad. Life isn't safe, Ollie. I could get hit my bus or have a construction beam fall on me," she suggested throwing her arms around over-dramatically. "An airplane could crash through the ceiling, this second!"
The corner of his lips lifted with every insane probability. "Yeah, they are a million ways to die. Just don't do it the Glades." He turned his head and she saw the purple shiner on his temple.
"Whoa. Did you lose a fight, Ollie?" She pointed at the side of her head.
He gingerly touched it as if he'd forgotten he had it. Most people, injured like that, wound up in the hospital with a concussion. But here her big brother was, checking on her and doing heavy duty lifting for her.
"Yeah. Some guy who didn't get along with me back in the day decided to get retribution." He dismissed it with a chuckle and a short wave, "don't worry about it."
Was there a problem with her hearing, or did that chuckle sound a bit fake? She didn't push it though.
"I hope he lost, at least." She went to the next crate. "I'm almost done. I might visit Roy afterwards, his leg got busted in a fight or something." She started to carry the crate on her own; Oliver hurried over to help her settle it onto the trolley.
"The Arrow should take better care of his partner's," he grunted. She dropped the crate suddenly, as she caught what he said.
"Wait. I never said Roy was the Arrow's partner."
He stared back, wearing that poker-face she could never read. "I kept a few tabs on Harper while you were gone. There were rumors he was the red archer but I wasn't sure."
That was nice of him to do that for Roy. She had no idea he cared about him. She wheeled the trolley for the second to last trip. "Sometimes I don't understand why he does it." Thea looked sidelong at him and he was grimacing at his shoes as he strolled beside her, like he wanted to tell her something. The last time he wore that look, he told her their father shot himself in the head so that he could live.
When it seemed like he had decided against telling her whatever his secret was, she said, "Oh I almost forgot; movie night—what do you say? You bring the popcorn?"
His smile brightened his face. "Sounds good." When they finished with the last crate, she got her purse from the office. "Thea, wait," he went to her before she could leave.
"The night of the Siege, it wasn't a police officer that saved you, was it?"
Puzzled by the change of topic, she hashed together a quick lie. "Um, I don't remember, it was hectic at the station."
She noticed the tension in the vein on the side of his forehead, the bone in his gritted jawline. Merlyn had taught her to observe people, not to merely see them. And she realized then that her brother always looked like he was waiting for the FBI to drop on them from the ceiling. Like there was a battle going on that she couldn't see. It was weird. But like many of Ollie's idiosyncrasies, she blamed the island for that.
"You know who saved you don't you? It was Merlyn."
"You figured it out huh?" He looked irritated. "I've been in touch with him. I didn't want to tell you because I knew you'd react this way."
"Of course I would," he raised his voice a little in his reprimand. "He's bad news, Thea."
"Other than you, he's the only family I have left. And didn't you say that family is stronger together?" Oliver folded his arms and stayed silent. "I know what he did, but he's been looking out for me, if it wasn't for him I wouldn't even be here."
She didn't delve further into the truth, like tell him that Merlyn had been training her. I have to have some secrets of my own, don't I?
A few moments passed before he relented, his shoulders relaxed an inch, but were no less stiff. She had never seen him so mentally strained, not since he told her to leave Starling the night of the Siege.
"Just, please be careful. I came here to tell you to leave the city but—"
She didn't hesitate to argue, "No. I can't leave. I came back to start over. And I want to see that through. I have too." He bit his top lip and then nodded. Malcolm had told her they had enemies, but she didn't want to run, not anymore.
She had a choice now, and she chose to fight. Oliver was only trying to protect her and she appreciated it. But she knew how to protect herself.
"I know what I'm doing, Ollie," she hugged him. "See you at home."
The Foundry
By late afternoon, the team checked in at the foundry. As he walked in, he stole a longing glance at Felicity. He could have sworn she wanted to kiss him in the hospital too, but maybe he'd dreamed it. It could have led to that, but he doubted there would be any more quiet moments in the wars to come.
Vertigo was expected to continue his retaliation against the Red Hood after last night's massacre. And the League was coming for them. Where was a relationship going to go amongst all that?
Inside, the first figure he was saw was Roy, half-sitting half-standing on a chair pointing one of Digg's massive assault rifle's at—
Turns out they didn't need Felicity to find Malcolm.
Malcolm found them.
John had two guns pointed at him before he could open with some narcissistic welcoming speech. Felicity halted and squeezed her purse as if waiting to turn it into a projectile to hurl at Merlyn.
They locked gazes as he strode to the head of the team, both of them weighing each other like two predators in the wild.
"How did you find us?" Were the first words out of his mouth.
Merlyn looked at him as if to check whether he was kidding or not. "Let's make this quick. I don't have the time to look at your dopey face, Queen."
"Give us Talia Al Ghul," he barked, with the voice he used to put the fear of God in criminals. "Or I'll make your life very difficult."
Malcolm was not disturbed by his threats, "She's more valuable to me than she is to you. I had to take measures into my own hands," he glared scathingly at Oliver, "since you were too bloated with pride to accept my offer for help."
"What the hell are you doing with Talia Al Ghul?" Diggle demanded, arms never wavering as he trained his aim on Merlyn. The guns bothered him and John liked that it did.
"She's a bargaining chip."
"I was warned not to lay a finger on her or else risk an army of assassins flooding into my city."
"Our city, Oliver," he corrected, which only maddened him further, as if he has the right to lay any claim to it. "And how was what you were doing any better? Holding her in that flimsy ARGUS prison like a pet? Lian Yu would not have made much of a difference either. Eventually she would have escaped. I'm doing you a favour by holding her hostage."
"For you own agenda," Roy hissed.
"Why else would I take the risk Mr. Harper?" He took him in head to toe, and shook his head reproachfully, "My God, what does she see in you?" He said referring to Roy and Thea's relationship.
Oliver was close to losing his temper, "You're holding her hostage to force Ra's to release you from death row."
"Very good, Mr. Queen," he said condescendingly. "He honours the deal and I return his heir in one piece."
"How can you be so sure Ra's has chosen Talia as his heir?"
"Talia has made sure of that herself."
"You think Ra's won't come here anyway to kill you for kidnapping her? You put Thea in danger for your own selfish reasons!"
"I am protecting her," Malcolm stabbed a finger at his chest, "A job you can no longer handle on your own!"
Oliver found himself moving forward, it was a miracle they weren't already at each other's throats but Diggle fastened a hand onto his shoulder to stop him. We can't fight, not here. Not yet. There would be a chance to battle him in the future, he was convinced of it. This enmity between them was like a flat circle. They moved in opposite directions only to face off against each other again, and again.
"Anyone who has ever threatened my family, somehow you have always been involved. Was working with HIVE and Adeline Kane your idea of protecting her?"
He was infuriated to return this argument, "I have since renounced any and all ties with HIVE, they blame me for the losing their investments in Starling. If it will insatiate your anger at me, they're also after my head in addition to Ra's Al Ghul."
"Yes Malcolm," he replied with thick rancour. "It does actually. At least I know there's someone else out there who agrees that you should not be walking this Earth. I'd gladly stand aside and let them end you," he snarled it without even realizing what he had alleged.
"Now you're the liar," and The Dark Archer smiled dark and bitterly. He knows the kind of man I am now, what I won't do. Malcolm's mouth twisted with contempt, "You've always been ungrateful haven't you? I am the only person who can protect Thea and I am the only person standing in the way of Adeline Kane sending HIVE troops here to slaughter all of you."
Oliver floundered. What? When? Who? HOW?
He narrowed his eyes to slits, "What in the hell are you talking about?"
"She knows where to find you, Oliver."
In the mess of the past 48 hours he had almost forgotten about Slade's estranged wife.
"You're lying."
"You don't trust me," he was unsurprised.
Felicity barked an ironic laugh, "Can you blame us?"
"I am a better actor in this art of deception than all of you, true. But I am not lying now. A 'thank you' would be more appropriate wouldn't you say?"
"Did you tell them?" Oliver asked. If the answer had been anything but a flat-out no, he would have yanked the gun from Diggle and shot him dead on the spot.
"Are you—?" He started madly, "Of course not! I have no idea how they know, but believe me when I say I would happily kill whoever revealed your secret."
"Hm, we still don't believe you," Roy said, and leveled his eye parallel with the rifle barrel to empathize.
Malcolm bristled, and stared at him pitilessly, "So instead you kill me Mr. Harper? You're not on mirakuru anymore, boy, you don't have the courage to pull the trigger," Roy's face fell. "And why take the risk? What would be the point of me lying? Perhaps you should stop wasting your time defying me at every turn and begin relocating your lair. It's not secure anymore."
"How are you 'protecting us' then? I would like to know why I should place my sister's life and the lives of my friends in your hands because you think you can protect them."
He looked him straight in the eye, "Because I have someone Adeline loves in my custody."
"Joe?" He asked, already knowing that it was.
And then Malcolm Merlyn smiled shrewdly. The act was over. He had been deluding them. The heated argument, all the threats were purposeless.
He had his grip on the Oliver Queen and his team the moment he sauntered into their home.
"Adeline's son and Talia Al Ghul," his smile widened into a grin, "Amazing gifts I have provided, aren't they? What have you contributed to Thea's safety may I ask?"
At long last Oliver learnt his lesson and did not have a rebuff. The tortured look on the older Queen's face was priceless.
"You continue on your path and I'll continue on mine, undisturbed." Malcolm marched around them to the entryway. Thea was his second chance, and he wasn't going to let her go. You may have not failed this city, Oliver, not yet, but you failed your family. He got the only revenge he ever needed for the Undertaking, right then and there.
He lingered at the exit and spun to them one last time, with full knowledge he was going to walk out without even a tear on his immaculate navy suit. "You should be thanking me and Jesus that you're all still alive and breathing."
…
Somewhere close to God. That was how highly Malcolm thought of himself now that he had them in the palm of his hand. He had made himself untouchable, and made Oliver feel absolutely useless. He already owed Merlyn his life for saving him from the assassin, now this.
No one spoke for a minute or two. They sulked, all angry-looking, regretting what had been said and what had not been said. Maybe some another threat or grave insult would have gotten to him to release her.
Not like it would have mattered anyway.
Felicity was the first to burst at Oliver, "are we just going to stand by while Malcolm bulldoze over us?"
"Since when did he start making decisions about our safety?" Roy concurred, throwing his arm towards the exit Malcolm had gone out from. They had him and they just let him walk.
Oliver upraised his hands, "Calm down. Both of you! Malcolm's right." They frowned like that was not the response they were hoping to hear.
"I can't believe this! He's gotten into your head," Felicity took a step closer to him, until they were face to face, "You think he's what's best for Thea but he isn't."
"He's holding the only two deterrents over the greatest threats we face," he said directly to her. Her bottom lip curled in frustration, because Malcolm, Oliver's arch nemesis had him on leash and he was doing jack-shit to get off of it.
"He has done more to keep her safe than I could've accomplished on my own," he told her trying to talk to her like they were only two people in the lair. She was reminded of his sorrow during their conversation at the hospital. And for a moment she didn't have it in her to be mad at him.
She ripped her gaze from his, and it was Digg's turn to contend with their leader, who at the moment wasn't being much of one. "That's it? He's off the hook? We're just going to let Malcolm do whatever he wants now?" His finger was still on the pistol trigger as if he needed to shoot someone. "If we let men like him get what they want, half of the city would be under rubble. We defeated him once, Oliver. Together. We can do it again."
The fateful night they fought Malcolm as partners, it had solidified their friendship, their brotherhood. How could their combined struggle, effort and victory not mean a damn thing, when it really mattered?
To Roy, he could only hear them going around and around in circles with this, missing the significant center of it. Livid, he threw both his crutches across the ground. They were insufferable, he had never reviled two inanimate objects so strongly. That snapped their attention to him.
"Do any of you even care about Thea's opinion? She should have a say in what's best for her."
Oliver had contemplated it, telling her the truth. But would it protect her? Would the truth shield her? Make her any safer?
"Then tell me," he demanded, Roy crossed his arms. "Tell me!" He angrily swung his arm, throwing a chair crashing to the floor at Roy's lack of response. Still no one said anything. "What do you propose we do to stop Malcolm from—what exactly?" He glanced at them collectively taking any offers for an alternative. "Keeping Adeline Kane off our doorstep? Getting insurance from Ra's Al Ghul that he won't come after my sister?" Roy looked away. "Isn't that what we've wanted the moment Thea came home?"
"You surrendering isn't really inspiring us to do anything about it!" Felicity shouted at him. Everything bearing down on them was making them snap at each other, and she didn't want to deal with it any longer. She stalked towards the stairs. She had to get to back to work anyway, and she was in serious need of normalcy, peace, and a good cup of coffee.
Oliver spun around in the opposite direction from her, hands on hips, rubbing his neck. That quiet moment in the hospital was surely a dream.
Digg tried to stop her but she wasn't having it. Roy stormed off too, jaw clenched and the limp in his leg nonexistent, and he couldn't stop him either. He rested his elbow on the top of a cabinet, sighing resignedly. This, in addition to raising a baby, finding Adeline Kane, investigating Lex Luthor, ARGUS politics, Amanda Waller. He just didn't know how much more he could take. He was everywhere; trying to keep the team above water, trying to keep his best friend from doing something stupid, trying to save the city.
If they fought Malcolm, he would release Joe and nothing would stop Adeline Kane from destroying them. Unfortunately, until they could come up with a plan, they were indebted to Malcolm. They had to be, for now. They had to be.
"I get it, man. With the all the crap we're going through, this seems like the only option." Oliver looked over his shoulder at him. "But Malcolm is gambling with all our lives. He may talk like he's invincible, as if he has all the cards, but haven't we learnt that the enemies we face have the resources and the manpower to take down entire countries? He can have his hostages and play this out as long as he wants to keep his enemies in line. But what is he—what are we going to do if they retaliate and we aren't ready for the battle that comes?"
Empty Merlyn Global Warehouse
His satisfaction at putting Oliver Queen in his place was brief. He chose the Merlyn Global warehouse to hold the demon's daughter. Hiding in plain sight, no one would suspect he would use a dim fragment of his old life in the new one he was trying to forge for him and his daughter.
"What do you want, traitor?" She had hissed, sour that he had defeated her in combat.
"For Ra's to lift the blood bounty off my head," he had replied, seeing no point in misleading her.
"And if he doesn't. You kill me," she spat out a glob of blood. He had gotten a solid hit at her mouth when they fought, her lip was still bleeding.
"Yes and no," he used the edge of the bowstave to tilt her chin upwards. "Yes. I will kill you if he doesn't give me what I want. But slowly, and in…pieces."
That was before he left to confront team Arrow, predicting they were fraught trying to locate him.
Now, the welt on her lip had clotted and Talia Al Ghul looked fairly at ease—which was never a good sign.
"Malcolm, Malcolm, Malcolm," she sang as he approached. "I so admired your charisma and determination to change when you came to us after your wife's tragic death." She hummed, calculating eyes skirting around the warehouse, "Obviously, from this very disappointing display you have lost your touch. I see about three, four? Access points for my men to break in through."
"Are you referring to the ones I killed?"
"Don't underestimate me, Merlyn. Those who have—well, you can ask their corpses." She leaned in her chair, he knew the bindings he used were grating her skin raw, but she made it look comfortable. "I have to admit I did underestimate you once; the Undertaking was a stroke of genius, but it was also a failure."
That did not correlate with what he'd been told. "You expressed vehement condemnation of the Undertaking, you stood by your Ra's' side and demanded my head."
She frowned, curious. "Now how on earth would you know that?"
"Why the change of mind?" He asked instead. He wasn't going to reveal that he had a spy in the League even if she was guessing it already.
She snickered, and continued looking around as if waiting for the cavalry to burst in, but he had taken the necessary measures to stay untraceable. They weren't to be disturbed unless he wanted them to be.
"My mind never changed Malcolm; I'm just a better liar than you," she scorned.
Many aspects of Talia had drastically changed since he left the League. She was equally as manipulative as him. Master could become student and student could become master. And suddenly Malcolm doubted whether he could prevent those roles from reversing.
She snorted in derision, "You spent two years as my father's lieutenant but you never truly saw the League for what it was, or what he was. This—" she motioned her head to the kidnapping in general, "—Threatening to mutilate me? You underestimate how far my father will go to uphold his honour. He will never wipe away your debt."
He drew his sword, the metal scraping against the scabbard. "Even if it meant I would render his heir worthless by cutting off her sword hand?"
Talia was unflinching, only kept her vicious eyes intent on him. "He hasn't chosen an heir, you fool. And I'm certainly not the only option he's had." She was mocking him but he could sense the betrayal behind the veil. "He's considered pretenders for the role; even those who are ranked far below me have caught his attention."
He had always assumed Nyssa and Talia admired Ra's, loved him from a distance as their father, feared and revered him as their leader. But perhaps they were both living a lie. "Whether you cut my sword hand off or my head—he doesn't care. None of you understand Ra's Al Ghul, not like I do, you think he's mortal."
"I know about the Lazarus pits."
She made a contemptuous, pish sound with her lips. "Another one of our sacred emblems he's allowed to escape into the world. No, 'mortal' isn't the appropriate term. You think he is a man. But he is not. A man is capable of being a father, but he is not. Not to me, not to Nyssa. I learnt that a long time ago."
Merlyn had not foreseen this confession. It was almost too personal, too devout to be a lie. But then again, this could part of her con.
"So, I will bet both my hands, my safety is the last thing on my 'father's' mind."
The man he was before Rebecca died would have pitied Talia Al Ghul. But the man today had been banking on Talia being the heir, it had seemed like the logical choice to him. But if Ra's did not care whether she lived or died, then he had gone through the trouble of abducting her for nothing. Put a bullseye on Starling for the League to shoot at, for nothing.
"There is still time."
He intended to leave her when she said; "You worked with Adeline Kane before."
"How do you know?" He said, guarded.
"Because I'm working with them now. Independently."
She didn't need to explain who 'them' was.
His heart started to beat a little faster. "Why?"
She didn't smile, didn't remove her stare from him. "To overthrow my father and push my sister off the throne's steps," she replied, low, conspiratorially. "You could help me in that respect now, couldn't you?"
Malcolm closed his fist. "You're referring to Taer-Al-Asfar."
She shrugged, a miniscule rise of the shoulder because of the constricting restraints. "Merely a suggestion really, I had a plan and I was thwarted. But one should always have a plan B, but first I need lose ends tied."
He didn't have an answer. This was meant to be a hostage situation not a deal-brokering.
Her brows rose to her forehead. "Silence from you? Oh. that must mean you're considering what I have to offer," and Talia Al Ghul smiled, which was never ever a good sign.
He carefully chose his words, "And what is that?"
She leaned to him as much as she could. Hostage situation be damned; they were plotting together now, thick as thieves. She really did turn the tables on him. But this could work towards both their benefits.
"You know my father is outmatched in battle, and he will never relinquish the Demon's Head unless he hands it over. Let me go and finish what I started. Once the League is mine I'll remove your debt."
It was everything he wanted, but he was smart enough not to say 'yes' immediately.
"There are many who would advise me against it. You aren't known to keep your end of a bargain."
"Another thing we have in common then. But you're a clever man Al-Saheer." He tried to read between the lines, uncover the fine print in this deal that she could use against him later. Her eyes were like small coals, and Talia titled her head slightly to stare more raptly into his ice-blue ones. "You shouldn't be wasting your time with me. You should be out there, saving your daughter."
He drew his knife and held it to her throat, "Call them off!" No one in the league was meant to know Thea was his child. It petrified him to his bones that Talia did.
"Sensei may have sent anyone to attack Starling. The soldiers may or may not be mine." She looked at him stone-faced and angled her neck from the blade. "Let me go," she nearly whispered, "and you may reach her in time to save her. Let me go, and I will wipe away your debt. Consider the price you will pay for holding me hostage and the reward you will receive if I win."
"'If' you win?" He repeated. And in those three words was the risk this entire pact would weigh on.
It was unlike Talia not to take it as an insult, but she didn't. If a snake could smile he imagined it would look exactly like smirk she had on then. "Can't be too confident now, can we? But you have to admit the second option is far more appealing."
2009
Hong Kong
ARGUS HQ
"Oliver!" Maseo crashed into the cabinet beside him whilst fighting off two HIVE agents.
He slid the magazine across the floor to him; he loaded gun in time to shoot a hostile clean between the eyes. Oliver reached onto the counter and threw a flask at the other one, whatever was in it proved effective as it burned, simmering through fabric and flesh. Maseo kicked his chin, sending him reeling.
Smoke stung Oliver's eyes; emergency sprinkler systems soaked him with water, plastering his hair to his head, making his clothes stick to his skin. The power had been cut leaving only the dim red glow of the emergency lights beside the exits.
The laboratories had evolved into a battleground. Maseo and Oliver scrounged as many ARGUS forces that remained when HIVE stormed the facilities. They had arrived during the last stretch of the brutally-fast action. Not too late, but not nearly enough time to warn the base and evacuate everyone.
HIVE had sealed the exits and executed the intelligence team upstairs to ensure no contact to other bases. Amanda Waller was MIA, the last they heard of her was her refusal to aid Maseo in the search for his son and wife. Her ingratitude and disloyalty were almost enough to make Oliver consider switching sides and joining the black and yellow assholes they were fighting against.
This rendered what remained of ARGUS in the Hong Kong base to a struggling, uncoordinated team of misfit agents and whatever-the-hell Oliver was to the agency.
Kenzo gave HIVE everything they needed to destroy them.
"We get the Alpha and get it out of here! Distract them!" Maseo ordered before sprinting to the other end of the labs, scarcely missing the dense rain of bullets. Oliver was too tired to protest or point out that in this low light he could not tell the fucking difference between a masked HIVE agent and a masked ARGUS agent.
Oliver's eyes strained. The smoke spread, it was harder to make out was happening. A thin wavering cry of pain drifted around him. He could hear the rifle shots; see white beams from flashlights undulating through the grey. They were getting closer. He had taken a hit to the ribs that forced him to hunch over, his face was awash with blood, and he was nearly out of ammo.
Someone approached through the smog; mask a molten gold in the red light. They aimed. He grabbed a dead soldier off the ground-ARGUS or HIVE he couldn't give a shit about respectfulness then-and used him as a shield, holding his torso over Oliver's head. Bullets turned the dead man into a pin cushion.
He shuffled to the back of the cabinet for cover. The HIVE agent dashed to him, he had another flask of that acid and jostled it onto the agent's mask. He fell to one knee and he shot him in the chest from where he sat.
He stood and hissed when he noticed some acid had spilled on his own gloved hand, burning a path down to his skin. But he couldn't take a breath to examine the burn, another came at him, Oliver kicked out his legs and crushed his neck beneath his boot, it broke with a satisfying crunch.
"So we meet again," he titled his head, coming face-to-face with the blue mercenary he'd encountered at the docks last night.
As he raised a spear, Oliver nocked his last arrow. "You're not getting your hands on the Alpha, you son of a bitch."
"You know what the funny thing is? All we had to do was convince your own to betray you, looks like they're all dying to join the winning side."
He drew the bowstring until it was taut. "You won't win!"
The HIVE enforcer pulled back the spear, ready to launch it, "Tell yourself that, pretty boy. Maybe one day your dream will come true."
His fingers were less than an inch away from releasing…when something struck his neck, shooting pain through his head.
A/N: Yup, the title was inspired by a GoT episode. Yay Flashbacks have returned! Not quite as suspenseful as present day but we haven't seen them in so long, it'll take some time to build up the tension again. Hope you liked the chapter! :)