Heir Apparent
Chapter 36 – Dodging and Healing
"What's wrong Thea?" Nyssa asked from where she stood off to the side of the training area.
"I'm trying to decide if I should be insulted that Namir is using a single eskrima stick to beat us," Thea explained as she watched Sin dodge another strike from said assassin. "Or dejected about it."
"You should be neither of those," Nyssa replied calmly. "Namir has been doing this a long time. He has taught Maseo, Saqr, your brother and even me. Now he teaches you and Sin."
"Don't get me wrong, I am grateful," Thea responded. "Its just... my world has changed so much that my head is still bouncing around from it. And I can't even talk to anyone about it."
"You can talk to me, Thea. Or your brother," Nyssa said, looking over to where Oliver was pounding away on what Thea now knew was a Wing Chun dummy. "You can talk to any of us here."
"Thank you for that," Thea acknowledged. "I think it's my turn against Sin."
"Remember to keep your guard up," Nyssa advised as Thea stepped onto the mats; taking Namir's place even as he took hers next to Nyssa.
"She isn't coping, is she?" Nyssa asked in a whisper, looking at the two girls as they began to spar.
"No," Namir answered succinctly. "She barely attacks and when she does it is without thought or effort. Her defence is impressive but you cannot win by that alone."
"I will speak to her again," Nyssa responded.
"I will take my leave then," Namir said at the same time as Oliver audibly broke the eskrima stick he had been using over the dummy, causing everyone in the Foundry to pause in their efforts.
"It's only been a week, man," Diggle pointed. "Shouldn't you be taking it easy?"
"That is me taking it easy," Oliver retorted as he threw the broken stick away and grabbed his towel.
"So who are you visiting tonight?" Diggle enquired.
"Ken Williams," Oliver announced as he moved over to and opened his crate. "His pyramid scheme stole millions. People didn't just lose their homes. Their entire lives and those of their families have been ruined."
"I'll get my gear," Diggle said as he headed to where he kept his own equipment.
"You don't have to do that Dig," Oliver called out. "I can take care of it alone. I'm not expecting any trouble."
"Then it should be a quick evening for the both of us," Diggle countered with a grin. Oliver had no response to Diggle's comment, instead deciding to just accept it and get ready.
"Ready?" Oliver asked once he was ready to go.
"Yeah," Dig replied as he loaded his UMP9. "Let's do it."
"Ah, can I talk to you both for a second?" Felicity called out, interrupting the two men's departure.
"What is it?" Oliver asked, slightly annoyed at being interrupted at the last second.
"I pulled up some information," Felicity explained as she turned back to her computers. "Did you know he is the widowed father of a 10-year-old boy?"
"Yes. His name is Timothy," Oliver revealed, surprising Felicity slightly. Though upon thinking about it, she shouldn't have been. Oliver and Nyssa would have done their research on all their targets. "What's your point?"
"I told you that I'm only here to help find Walter," Felicity stated forcefully. "I'm not going to be an accessory to orphaning children."
"Felicity," Nyssa said cautiously, trying to calm her.
"It is just a warning," Oliver clarified, turning to walk away.
"And what happens when he doesn't do what you want?" Felicity asked loudly, coming to her feet and drawing everyone's attention. "Have you ever considered how much you could help this city if you killed less and tried to stop more crime that what you can find in that book?"
"We'll figure it out then," Oliver hedged, truly unsure of what he would do if Ken didn't return he money. He was about to respond to the second part of what Felicity said when she spoke again.
"This was a mistake," Felicity announced heatedly. "I should never have agreed to sign on. Even provisionally," she said before storming out of the basement.
"Let her go, Beloved," Nyssa advised as Oliver turned to go after her. "Let her calm down."
"Fine," Oliver said before turning to a smiling Diggle. "Let's go.
#Flashback – 3 Years Ago#
"You're awake," a familiar voice said as Oliver woke. Looking around from where he lay on the bed, he saw Hakim sitting off to the side, watching him. "Good."
"What happened?" Oliver managed to mumble out through a dry throat. Hakim climbed to his feet and gabbed a damp cloth from the bedside table and brought it over Oliver's lips, where he squeezed it and le the water drip into his patient's mouth. Oliver eagerly swallowed before speaking again. "What happened after?"
"After you disobeyed the commands of Ra's al Ghul?" Hakim completed Oliver's sentence. "Namir, Aziz, Saqr and Sarab returned both Nyssa and yourself to Nanda Parbat."
"How is Nyssa?" Oliver asked, mentally adopting the empty tone of Al Sah-him.
"Weakened from the lashing and insufficient nourishment during her detainment. She will recover though," Hakim conveyed. "As will you."
"My condition is irrelevant," Oliver said, considering what his next words should be. "My life is now in the hands of Ra's al Ghul. I disobeyed his command and so await judgement."
"I have heard nothing of what that may be, Al Sah-him," Hakim revealed, leaning forward. "But know this. Your devotion to Nyssa has been noticed and is even now spoken of within these halls."
#Present#
"Good afternoon Felicity," Oliver greeted as he and Diggle entered his office after lunch to find Felicity laying out several folders. His morning had been pretty hectic as he bounced between meetings and presentations and he hadn't, as yet, had a chance to speak with Felicity about the previous night. "And how are you today?"
"Probably better than Ken Williams is," Felicity sniped back. "How is he today?" Oliver took a calming breath before responding.
"Ken Williams is in the same health that he was when Diggle and I left him last night. Though he is poorer," Oliver replied. "He returned the money he stole in time to put Timothy to bed."
"Oh," Felicity uttered, slightly taken aback.
"As I told you Felicity," Oliver said. "Just a warning. That's all it is seeming to..." Oliver drawled out as his attention was taken by a news clip playing on the nearby TV.
"At this time, we'd like to remind the public that we are coordinating our efforts with Interpol as the Dodger operates primarily in Europe, and they have advised us to warn the public that he is to be considered armed and extremely dangerous," a SCPD Detective said to the assembled news media.
"Oliver?" Diggle asked once the broadcast was over. "You ok?"
"Yeah," Oliver replied, shaking his head. "I just recognise the Detective. McKenna, uh, Hall."
"Someone from before the island?" Felicity wondered out loud.
"Just a friend," Oliver pointed out.
"You know," Diggle said, changing the subject. "I heard about this guy. They call him the Dodger because he doesn't get his hands dirty. He uses hostages to do all the stealing for him."
"How does he do that?" Oliver enquired.
"Puts a bomb collar around their necks," Diggle answered. "A guy in Madrid last year didn't do as he was told and it took his head off, literally."
"Great," Felicity deadpanned. "And now this psycho is in Starling City. Too bad he isn't in your book."
"Felicity, you yourself have pointed out that I have made exceptions to the List from time to time," Oliver reminded his Technical Advisor. "A hostage-taking jewel thief sounds like another exception. Would you be interested in helping us take him down?"
"If only to prove my point," Felicity said. "So how do we go about catching him?"
"Well, we need to find out either where he is or where he is going to be," Oliver explained.
"That's it?" Felicity quipped in disbelief. "I thought it would be a lot harder than that."
"It probably will be," Diggle said. "But if you start with a simple plan and work from there. It makes it easier to understand for everyone."
"Right, so what's the plan?" Felicity asked. At the incredulous looks from the two men, Felicity continued. "Hey, I'm new at this. You two are the experienced vigilantes."
"She has a point," Diggle quipped to Oliver's chagrin.
"Well, we know he is targeting a specific type of jewel," Oliver summarised. "We figure out why and that might give us an idea on how to catch him."
"I have an idea," Felicity suddenly said.
"That was fast," Oliver joked.
"I'm a fast learner," Felicity retorted. "Anyway. You said you knew this Detective Hall; the one on the Dodger case, from before the island."
"Yeah, so," Oliver said, no sure where Felicity was going with this.
"Well, why don't I work up a little tech. You and Nyssa take a stroll down memory lane and while one of you distracts her, the other slips the aforementioned tech onto her phone. We will be able to hear everything."
"Hmm," Oliver consider. "It's not how I typically get my information."
"No, it really isn't," Diggle added unnecessarily, earning a glare from Oliver.
"Well," Felicity began. "How do you usually get your information?"
"I find the person. And then I put the fear of God into them until they tell me what I want to know," Oliver answered in complete seriousness. "But we can try your way."
#Arrow#
"It is a rather unique location, Beloved," Nyssa said as she and Oliver walked towards the station. "And we never planned for the Foundry to house us for more than a year. Nor to house as many of us that it now does."
"All true," Oliver acceded calmly. "I'm just not sure if that location is the best spot that we could use. I would prefer we stayed in or around the Glades. It is more central."
"I see your point," Nyssa said. "We shall discuss this more later."
"We shall," Oliver agreed with a smile. "Now, let's go meet an old friend," her said as he led the way into the precinct. They found their way up to the squad room and Oliver grabbed the first officer that was free. "Hi, I'm looking for Detective Hall. I was told she was up here."
"Oliver?" A familiar voice called out from behind him and Oliver turned to see McKenna standing behind Nyssa, a folder in her hands.
"Hello McKenna," Oliver greeted his old friend with a smile as he stepped forward.
"Hi," McKenna replied, moving forward to hug Oliver briefly before stepping back.
"I never thought you would become a cop," Oliver said.
"Well, I live to surprise," McKenna responded.
"I remember," Oliver noted thoughtfully. "What was that club you got us kicked out of?"
"The Club Deville," McKenna answered. "And in my defence, there was no sign that specifically said I had to keep my clothes on."
"Uhuh," Oliver grumbled as he stepped to the side. "I'm being rude. McKenna, allow me to introduce my wife Nyssa. Nyssa, this is McKenna. A friend from before."
"It's nice to meet," Nyssa said.
"And I you," McKenna replied with a smile. "So what brings you two down here today?"
"I saw your news broadcast and thought I'd like to catch up with an old friend," Oliver supplied easily. "It's been too long."
"It has," McKenna agreed.
#Arrow#
"Hey Speedy, whatcha doing?" Oliver asked as he stood in the doorway of Thea's room.
"Nothing. Just some stuff for CNRI," Thea replied as she turned to face her brother. "What about you? What are you doing?"
"Just passing time," Oliver answered, entering Thea's room.
"Did you talk to Felicity yet?" Thea wondered.
"I did," Oliver confirmed. "We worked things out. At least for now."
"Should I ask how you did that?" Thea queried snidely.
"We are going to take down a jewel thief called the Dodger," Oliver said.
"I saw that on the news. Any leads yet?" Thea asked.
"Not yet, but she is working on it," Oliver asked as he sat down on the edge of Thea's bed, facing his sister. "How are you doing?"
"I'm fine," Thea answered. Her brother said nothing as he gazed at her with a meaningful look. "You're not asking about my general wellbeing, are you?"
"No," Oliver said softly. "I'm asking how you are holding up now that you know."
"You know, at first. I figured it would be easy. All the things I haven't told mom about. What's one more thing to add to the list," Thea expressed, leaning back in her chair. "But it's not just the lying about it. I have to hide a part of myself. I can't do things I know I can do because doing them would show the world that I am more than what I appear to be. And that would lead to questions. This is so much harder to do than anything I have ever done."
"Now you know how I felt when mom was shot at, among other times," Oliver pointed out. "I couldn't tell you at the time that I am fast enough to chase down the shooter and almost catch them."
"Oh my god," Thea uttered as she thought back. "I was such a bitch to you then."
"You were right though," Oliver said. "I was lying to you. You and mom both. And I hated it."
"How did you do it?" Thea asked softly.
"I told myself that not knowing would put you in less danger than knowing would," Oliver reasoned. "That if you didn't know than you could never be considered a threat in the world that I now live in and that that made life safer for you."
"That didn't exactly work out for you did it?" Thea quipped.
"No," Oliver said, his face breaking into a smile. "No it didn't."
"Does it ever get easier?" Thea asked.
"Lying?" Oliver wondered. Thea nodded. "To strangers, yes. To our friends and family, no. Practice can make you better at it but even I have to work at it to be able to lie to mom, Walter and Laurel. I don't think it will ever get easier."
"Great," Thea droned absently. "What a life I now lead."
"Oh come on Thea," Oliver drawled. "It's not all bad. You got me back."
"Yeah, I got you back," Thea repeated with a happy smile. And then it dropped.
"What?" Oliver asked.
"Tell me about your scars," Thea requested. "I want to know about them."
"There's not much to say about them," Oliver said casually. "Most of them are training or sparring scars. Boring things."
"And the ones that aren't?" Thea wondered. "Tell me about those."
"Thea, I," Oliver began before stopping when his sister shot him a look that screamed 'I'm not letting this go.' With a sigh, he unbuttoned his shirt and took it off. "Where did you want to start?"
"Which one did you get first?" Thea asked.
"This one," Oliver said, pointing at one near his right shoulder. "Arrow from a man named Yao Fei."
"What happened to him?" Thea asked.
"He died," Oliver answered succinctly.
"Ok," Thea said, deciding not to press the issue. "What about this one?" Thea wondered, pointing at a large, diagonal scar on his upper left abdomen. "That doesn't look like a training accident."
"It's not," Oliver said. "I got that from a man named Billy Wintergreen. He was torturing me about what I knew about Yao Fei."
"Did you tell him? What happened to him?" Thea shot off without thinking.
"No, surprisingly I did not," Oliver said with a slight smile for a moment. "He was killed by a man named Slade Wilson."
"Interesting name," Thea mused. "What about your dragon tattoo? I can't see the League of Assassin's letting you get that. And you didn't have it before the island."
"I got that on the island," Oliver said softly, pausing. "From Slade Wilson."
"Why did you choose to get it?" Thea wondered.
"I didn't," Oliver replied slowly. "I was branded with it to remind me of what I had done."
"Which was?" Thea asked. Oliver was saved from answering by his phone ringing.
"Hello?" Oliver said into the phone.
"Oliver, hi," Felicity said cheerfully through the phone. "Is this a bad time?"
"No," Oliver said as he shot Thea a smile. "What have you got?"
"Well after the Dodger killed Cass Derenick, we figured that he would need a new fence so that he could offload the Sherwood Ruby," Felicity explained.
"Did you find out which one it is?" Oliver asked.
"No, but I have a list if you guys want to check them out tonight," Felicity replied.
"Call Diggle and Nyssa," Oliver ordered. "I'll head down."
"Got it," Felicity said before ending the call. Oliver turned to Thea.
"Be careful out there," Thea requested of her older brother. "We can finish this talk another time."
"I will," Oliver agreed as he grabbed his shirt and left.
#Arrow#
"You look like you almost got blown up," Sin commented as Oliver, Nyssa and Diggle entered the Foundry. Felicity spun around in her chair just as Oliver set his bow down on the bench.
"I have to agree with what Sin said," Felicity remarked. "You really do look like you almost got blown up."
"I very nearly did," Oliver responded as he leaned back against the bench and exhaled. "And the Dodger got away."
"How'd that happen?" Sin asked.
"Nyssa hadn't reached the location and I was on the other side of the building covering those exits," Diggle began.
"And I was caught off-guard when he threw one of his collars at me," Oliver said angrily, obviously at himself for being fooled. "It exploded on a timer, knocking me off my feet. When I recovered, he was gone."
"It wasn't a complete waste," Diggle said, trying to lighten the mood. "Cops recovered the Sherwood Ruby and busted a fence. That's got to count for something."
"Perhaps," Nyssa said evenly. "But they were not our prey."
"You sound like some sort of Huntress," Felicity quips. At a look from Nyssa, she grins before continuing. "So what do we do now?"
"Well the SCPD raided the warehouse before the Dodger could get paid so my guess is that he will be looking for another score," Oliver surmised. "Can you hack into the police records and find out everything that he has stolen so far."
"Easy," Felicity said as she spun back around to her computers.
"Why?" Sin asked curiously as Felicity typed.
"Because the Dodger has been very selective of what he has stolen," Felicity answered before Oliver could. "It looks like he has a thing for the ominous decade. Last ten years of King Ferdinand's rule."
"Right," Diggle drawled.
"Anyway," Oliver said. "Are there any other places in Starling City that either sell of display these items from this ominous thing."
"Decade," Felicity corrected absently as she read. "And no. It seem everyone in this city seems to prefer the Elizabethan era."
"What is that?" Nyssa suddenly called out.
"What?" Felicity said, stopping in her searches.
"That," Nyssa said as she pointed at something on one of Felicity's screens. "The Starling City Cancer Society. It says that they are holding a fundraising auction tomorrow night. We could lure him out into the open."
"With what?" Felicity wondered. "A fake?"
"No," Oliver answered as he shook his head. "The Dodger clearly knows his antiquities. He won't fall for anything less than the genuine article."
"Right," Sin uttered. "So..."
"Where are we going to get out hands on a rare Spanish antiquity?" Felicity finished Sin's sentence.
"Your family or mine?" Nyssa asked with a somewhat cheeky look at Oliver.
"Mine is closer," Oliver replied with a broad smile.
"You really have no idea how rich their families are, do you?" Diggle commented. When Felicity looked at Oliver, he merely shrugged in response.
#Arrow#
"So how did your talk with Sin go?" Oliver asked as he straighten his tie in the mirror.
"Not well I fear," Nyssa replied from around the corner in the bathroom. "Despite appearances, she is still struggling to come to terms with taking a life, no matter the circumstances behind it."
"Maybe I should try speaking with her," Oliver proposed. "I might be able to better relate to the situation given the circumstances surrounding the first life I took."
"I had not considered that," Nyssa said as she walked out of the bathroom. Oliver could help himself as he turned and stared at his wife. "You're staring Beloved," Nyssa pointed out as she walked across the room to the bed where her dress and shoes waited.
"Do you blame me?" Oliver retorts as he continued to gaze at his wife. Nyssa made a show of sitting on the bed and putting her shoes on before standing. With a teasing look over her shoulder, she bent at the waist picked her dress up off the bed; hearing Oliver's breath hitch as she did so. Smiling to herself, she stepped into the dress and pulled it up onto her body.
"Would you mind zipping me up?" Nyssa asked sweetly, gazing at her husband.
"That is not the first thing that comes to mind that I would like to do," Oliver said huskily as he stepped across the expanse of their room to assist his wife. Once zipped, he kissed her.
"Do not get any ideas, Beloved," Nyssa warned. "We do not have the time."
"We can make time," Oliver proposed as he leaned back in. A knock at the door interrupted any further actions. "I'm tempted to ignore it, but duty calls."
"It does," Nyssa said as she turned and picked up her clutch. "Shall we?"
"After you," Oliver replied before following Nyssa out of the room and downstairs. Entering the lounge, they found Diggle, Maseo and Sin waiting for them. "Evening everyone."
"Oliver, Nyssa," Diggle responded with a nod. Maseo also nodded but stayed silent.
"Hi everyone," Sin said with a small wave.
"We ready to go?" Oliver asked.
"Just waiting on the two of you," Diggle replied calmly. "Thought you might get distracted or something."
"I do not know what you mean," Oliver countered.
"Right," Diggle said with a small grin. "And I'm a blind man."
"I would hope not, John," Nyssa said as she walked up to Sin. "How are you?" she asked quietly.
"I'm good," Sin replied, perhaps a little too easily. Nyssa said nothing as she looked at her shrewdly. "Really, I am."
"Very well," Nyssa accepted. "Shall we go then?"
"We should, or we will be late," Diggle reasoned.
"Oliver Queen late," Oliver joked. "I'm sure that they would understand.
#Arrow#
"Someone else seems to have had the same idea you did. The SCPD is here too," Diggle said as he stopped next to Oliver. "Your bait has attracted them, at least."
"That is not the target that we are seeking," Nyssa said as she joined the two men; Thea and Sin with her. "And it matters not if either the SCPD or one of us apprehends the Dodger, as long as he is apprehended," Nyssa said, looking around at all the attendees of the charity auction before her eyes were drawn to another person entering.
"Wow, Felicity," Thea exclaimed. "You look, wow."
"What?" Felicity exclaimed in surprise as she tore her eyes away from her phone to examine her dress. "I was worried this dress wouldn't look good on me."
"That's not it," Thea quickly responded, trying to calm the blonde. "I've just never seen you look this hot before."
"I believe what my sister-in-law is trying to say is that your dress looks great on you," Oliver offered as a translation.
"And I would agree with the both of them," Nyssa added with an appraising eye. "Though I think you would look much better in a red, black or green dress."
"Oh," Felicity stammered, trying to make sense of the last 2 minutes. "Thanks."
"You're most welcome," Nyssa said with a smile.
"Anyway, I'm getting a good signal from the GPS tracker I put on your family's broach; which I can track from my phone." Felicity explained as they all began to walk down the hall together. "On a side note, have you considered to what might happen if this doesn't work and the Dodger absconds with your family jewels?" Felicity's worlds brought everyone to an abrupt halt and all eyes were on her as she suddenly realised what she had said. "I'm sorry. That, that came out wrong."
"Let's just keep our eyes open, shall we?" Oliver suggested. Felicity merely nodded in reply, not trusting her own words. "Dig and I will head this way," Oliver said before he and his bodyguard joined the crowd.
"I will take Sin and Maseo this way," Nyssa said before they too, joined the crowd.
"Guess that just leaves you and me, Felicity," Thea pointed out. "Do you mind if I call you Lis? Felicity is a bit wordy sometimes."
"I don't mind," Felicity responded with a smile. "Do you think your brother hates me now?"
"Lis, I don't think anyone in the world could hate you," Thea said as the two joined the crowd themselves.
#Arrow#
"So what are you going to do about Sin?" Diggle asked as he and Oliver mingled.
"You've noticed?" Oliver enquired as he looked around.
"Only because I know what I'm looking for," Dig replied, his own head on a swivel. "And you didn't answer my question."
"I'm going to have a talk with her. Relate some of my own experiences to her to try and help her understand," Oliver stated.
"Does that include relating them to the rest of us as well?" Dig asked.
"In time, perhaps," Oliver said.
"Maybe I should check out front, see if the security guards have had any problems," Dig suggested.
"That's a good idea," Oliver agreed. "I'm going o swing back around and check on the bait." As they both turned to leave, the saw Thea approaching them hurriedly.
"I think we have a problem," Thea said before turning around and walking away. Unable to even get a word in, the two men were unable to do anything but follow in silence. She led them to a small empty roo off the main gallery where they found Felicity pacing back and forth, an explosive collar locked around her neck.
"Get away from me!" She exclaimed, backing away from the two men. "If this thing blows…"
"Not going to happen," Oliver told her with a confidence he suddenly didn't feel.
"The Dodger said if I called the police, he'd… I'm going to get decapitated, aren't I?" Felicity asked fearfully. Diggle looked around for some kind of tool to use, but all he saw was a glass full of pens. He knocked it over and grabbed one of the pens, then pulled the small metal clip off of it. Using that, he opened a small access panel on the front of the bomb, exposing the circuitry within.
"The trackers on the move." Oliver said, noticing Felicity's phone. "If I find him, I can get him to disarm it. Talk me in," He told her in a calm voice. "Stay calm."
"Too late for that," Felicity said with a watery smile.
"Go!" Diggle told the vigilante when Oliver turned to him. "Just go. Go, go, go." Oliver nodded before exiting the room.
"I have to say though, Lis," Thea began. "This is the wrong style of choker for you."
"You think?" Felicity deadpanned.
"I do," Thea confirmed, continuing her efforts. "You need something lighter and thinner. Maybe in black."
#Arrow#
"Alright, I'm outside. Talk to me, Felicity!" he called to her over his Bluetooth earpiece.
"Ahem," Felicity tried to compose herself. She pulled out her phone and brought up the tracking app while Diggle examined the collar. "He is heading towards Adams and O'Neil. At the clip he's going, he's got to be in a vehicle."
"Hey!" Oliver called to a nearby man that was readying his bike, walking briskly towards him at the same time. "I need your bike."
"Are you kidding me?" The large biker wondered as he stood up tall and glared at Oliver.
"No," Oliver said as he dropped the biker in two shots. He quickly donned the acquired helmet before slipping on a pair of gloves and climbing onto the bike. He hit the ignition and sped off. "I'm mobile. Where is he?" he asked.
Back in the room, Felicity got out her tablet and brought up the tracking program, then tied that into the traffic cameras to get a real-time image of where the tracker was. "Talk to me, Felicity," Oliver encouraged her over the phone.
"Come on." Felicity growled as the search ran. Thea re-entered the room, having left earlier, with Nyssa and Sin in tow. "Don't ask. Busy."
"John, how does it look?" Nyssa asked as she stepped up beside him, heedless of the danger. Diggle said nothing but the look he gave her said everything; bad.
"First time anyone's ever been grateful for traffic cameras," Felicity joked as she finally found what she was looking for- the Dodger's car. "He's one block from your position. If you cut through Harris Plaza, you'll end up right behind him."
On the street, Oliver did just that; startling several pedestrians as he rocketed past them down the stairs. He darted onto the main road and dodged between vehicles, looking for the thief.
"Where is he now?" he asked, looking at all the cars ahead of him.
"Got it. I got him, I got him," Felicity said frantically. "Grey sedan driving north. At the light ahead of you." Oliver bobbed and weaved, cutting off several cars as Felicity continued to guide him. "Ok, hard right." He did so, and found himself directly behind Dodger's car.
He tried to get in front of him, but the Dodger blocked him each time. Finally he managed to slip up the passenger side, but the Dodger, seeing this, bumped him off the road and onto the sidewalk. He quickly regained control and slipped back onto the road, sliding to a stop against a car that had spun out avoiding the thief. Heedless, Oliver revved the engine of his requisitioned bike and resumed his pursuit.
The Dodger then tried to make him crash by running into barrels and wooden barricades, sending debris flying out behind him, but he managed to avoid it. Oliver manoeuvred into position, then withdrew one of his flechettes from his coat and threw it. It hit the rear tire, causing an immediate blow-out, and the Dodger lost control. The car swerved, slammed intro a parked car on the side of the road and flipped, sliding several feet on its side before settling onto its roof.
Oliver skidded to a stop, dropped the kickstand and climbed off the bike. He approached the wreck cautiously, his identity concealed by his helmet as the Dodger crawled out.
"Hey! Don't do anything stupid," The Dodger warned as he pulled out the remote control for the bomb. "I had the foresight to collar up a particularly inquisitive blonde. I assume she's a friend of yours." He smiled cruelly at Oliver, who stared back through the heavily tinted visor on the helmet. "Touch one hair on my head and she loses hers. You've got quite the choice to make, don't you?"
"Not this time," Oliver growled. Suddenly, he withdrew another flechette and flicked it hard at the thief where it buried into arm just below the elbow. The Dodger stared down in shock, and not a little bit of pain, at his now useless arm.
"Your median artery's been severed," Oliver explained as he calmly walked up and pulled the remote from the Dodger's frozen hand. "You couldn't push that button if you tried."
Back in the room, everyone waited in silence as the conversation over the phone died off. A moment later, the collar beeped, before the lights turned green as it deactivated and unlocked.
"Oh, thank God," Felicity gasped as she quickly pulled it from around her neck. "Now what do we do?"
On the street, the Dodger stared at the vigilante in disbelief. "Why are you doing this?" he asked. "I'm exactly like you. I only steal from the rich." Before he could say anymore, Oliver lashed out into a series of punches to the Dodger's torso; pummelling him until he stumbled back and fell to the ground with a cough. As he moaned in pain, Oliver stalked up beside him. As the thief produced his stun wand from his good hand, Oliver stomped on the offending limb, crushing both forearm bones under his boot. With a last kick to the head, Oliver rendered the jewel thief unconscious.
"I'm not Robin Hood," Oliver declared as he looked down at his prey. Hearing sirens approaching, Oliver returned to his bike and made good his escape.
#Arrow#
"Well, here goes nothing," Oliver said to himself as he climbed off his bike in front of Sin's place. Grasping his helmet, he walked up to Sin's door and knocked.
"I don't want anything!" Oliver heard Sin call out from inside.
"Sin, it's Oliver," Oliver called back. "Can we talk?" He didn't hear a response but a minute later he heard locks being undone and then the door swung open to reveal Sin standing before him. "Hi."
"Uh, hi Oliver," Sin replied uncertainly as she looked past him to see if anyone was with him.
"I came alone. Nyssa is visiting Felicity with Diggle and Thea said she had to see a man about a purse," Oliver said, answering Sin's unasked but obvious question.
"Oh," Sin responded.
"Can I come in so we can have that talk?" Oliver asked politely. Sin said nothing but stepped back and to the side, allowing Oliver entry. "Thanks. Sorry for interrupting your game," he apologised having noticed the paused game on the TV.
"It's fine and I know why you're here," Sin stated once she had shut and locked the door. "You're worried about me. About what I have done."
"We're worried how you are dealing with it. Not about what you did," Oliver clarified.
"I killed someone," Sin said. "I may not have meant too but I did. And I can't ever come back from that."
"No, you can't," Oliver agreed softly, looking down at the floor and considering what he should say. "But you can understand why you killed someone, the reason for their death. And in knowing and accepting that, you can move forward."
"How?" Sin pleaded. "All I can see when I sleep is her blood on my hands. I can barely put on my knives in the morning, knowing what they have done. And I can't force myself to attack in case I hurt someone."
"By not letting those feelings win," Oliver offered. "If you remain as you are, you let them win and that is a waste of the sacrifice you have made."
"What have I sacrificed?" Sin asked, not understanding.
"Your innocence," Oliver whispered, remembering. "You have taken another human beings life, no matter how undeserving of that life they may have been. It is something you can never come back from."
"I keep telling myself that I did it to save Thea's life. That even if Aziz had not done anything that if it came down to it, I would have killed Tabani to save Thea or myself," Sin revealed softly. "But the only thing that seems to take hold is the fact that I killed someone."
"5 years ago. Before I knew of Nyssa and the League, I killed a man," Oliver said, perking Sin's interest. Several actually. But as they say, you always remember your first. My was a man named Edward Fryers."
"Who was he?" Sin wondered.
"He was a mercenary that came to Lian Yu to do something terrible," Oliver replied. "But at the time I killed him, he was threatening the life of someone I cared about. And despite his offer of getting me home, back to my family; I put an arrow through his throat."
"How did you know he would have killed this person?" Sin asked.
"I didn't know for sure, not at the time. At that moment, all I could see was a man holding a gun to my friend's head and so I killed him to save them," Oliver answered. "Does that make me a bad person?"
"No. You were saving their life," Sin reasoned, her speech dying off as she understood what she was saying. "It's the same for me, isn't it?"
"I think so," Oliver said. "Maybe the circumstances are different but at the end of the day, you killed an enemy to save a friend's life. That is not a bad thing?"
"But even knowing and understanding that," Sin began. "How do I live with being a killer?"
"Someone once told me something," Oliver said, recalling the words. "Everyone has a demon inside them. That the Dao De Jing recognises the yin and the yang. Opposing forces inside all of us. The darkness and the light. The killer and the hero."
"The reminds me of something that I read once, with my dad," Sin said wistfully.
"What was that?" Oliver prompted.
"A story, or I guess, a proverb," Sin said. "One evening, an elderly Cherokee brave told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside every person. And he explained that the battle is between two wolves inside of us. The first is evil. It represents anger, envy, greed, jealousy. Basically all of the negative in us."
"Sounds bad," Oliver noted.
"The second wolf, that is the good one," Sin continued. "It represents joy, peace, love, empathy. All the good things. And the grandson thought about it for a moment and asked his grandfather a question. 'Which wolf wins?'"
"And which one does?" Oliver asked, already having figured out the answer.
"The one that you feed," Sin stated.
"He sounds like a wise old man," Oliver pointed out. "Anyway, I have said what I came to say. I'll leave you to think about it while you play your videogame. That the new Assassin's Creed?"
"Yeah, the newest one. Assassin's Creed 3," Sin confirmed. "And I don't think I need to think too much about it. I'm pretty sure I get what everyone has been trying to say to me but I have been too self-absorbed to hear."
"Good," Oliver said with a smile. "I'll leave you to it then," he said, turning back towards the door. A photo on a side table captured his eye though and he paused. "Who's that?" Oliver asked, pointing at the photo of a man holding a much younger version of Sin on his knee.
"My dad," Sin responded. "My mum died of cancer when I was young so it was just me and him growing up. He was a pilot and disappeared while flying in early 2009. They never found the wreckage."
"Sin," Oliver said, his voice suddenly very solemn. "There is something I need to tell you."
"What?" Sin asked, not sure what to make of Oliver's sudden mood change.
"I know where your father is," Oliver revealed.
"You do? Is he alive?" Sin asked hopefully, even though a part of her already knew from the way Oliver was acting that that was not the case. "He's dead isn't he?"
"His plane was shot down over Lian Yu during my second year. He crashed into the jungle and we weren't able to help him before he died from his injuries. We buried him not far from his plane," Oliver explained sadly.
"Did he say anything?" Sin asked, tears welling up in her eyes.
"I don't know. I was running back to our camp to get our medical supplies," Oliver replied. "By the time I got back, he was gone. I'm sorry."
"Thank you for telling me," Sin acknowledged, tears now falling down her cheeks. "At least I know now."
"Come here," Oliver said and wrapped Sin into a bear hug like he used to give Thea when she cried. "I'll make you a promise. When we get a chance, if you want to, I'll take you to Lian Yu so you can see where he is buried. How's that sound?"
"I'd like that," Sin said with a sniffle.
Author's Notes
Hey everyone. Sorry for the delay but during the writing of this I realised I was already up to the equivalent of Episode 15 of a 23 Episode Season. That leaves me with just 8 episodes of material for the remainder of this story. I figure that gives me about 9-11 chapters of work to do. But more importantly, I have begun planning the next story, Season 2. Which is where I have been for the last week. The first 6 chapters are planned out fully with groundwork for most of the rest laid. Yay me.
BTW Happy New Year everyone.
Anyway, 9-11 more chapters for this. Hope to be finished at the start of May. Then it will be a short story akin to 'The Heir's Arrival'. That will be out start of July, maybe earlier. Then Season 2 at the start of October. Unless I get excited and release them earlier. Which I might.
Point is, I want to try and stop writing week to week. It gets hard some weeks when I have a lot on and can't write.
So, in summary.
1) The Heir's Arrival (Prologue to Heir Apparent) - Released
2) Heir Apparent (Season 1) - Current
3) The Heir's Acquisition (Prologue to The Heir's Adversity) - Start of July.
4) The Heir's Adversity (Season 2) - Start of October.
Reviewers:
.10: Here it is. Missed reading reviews. :D
Trainreader: You're Welcome.
NicoleR85: Same to you. Looks like it will be.
Danyael Prince: Unfortunately, I do not. Sorry.
98: Thank you, Happy to be back.
TheMaster444: Thank you very much.
Phillipe363: Thanks. Namir is Namir. :D Interesting is one word you could use.
TheKiller00: They kind of had to tell Thea. It's coming.
ArthersCamelot: Thank you for the complements. Yes, Oliver can be somewhat, angry when certain things happen to certain people. Malcom; is fun to write.
DizzyDiana: They are coming. Chapter after next, hopefully.
Highlander348: I like Thea too. They will always be training. But they will be going active soon. Hmm, Speedy costume. Uhh, maybe. They are all one big family.
Samuelanas12345: Thanks and she really is.
Reddevil47: Thank you.
NzOptimist: I loved writing it. Thank you. Thea is Thea. If she wasn't, would we love her as much?
1234123456785678: Thanks. I tried not too. :D That is something I have loved about Nyssa. She is always open and honest. Well almost always. I've tried to have that influence Oliver in some ways. I can't give you all the answers at one time. :D
Naitch03: And to you. :P Were you expecting this update?
Thank you so much for those compliments. Coming from you, that means a heap and more. Sorry Revenant-Commander. Ok, so.
More to preface it than echo it. I wanted to give the feel that when Walter's rescue come around, Oliver will have already done something similar before. Yes, we will see what happens and he knows he is Oliver Queen. But does he tell Ra's?
There will be continued consequences for Sin but she'll get there. Brunch was nothing special.
Firebreeze1: You're welcome. Here it is. I will take it under advisement.
Forouzan: Thanks.
Guest #1: Thank you.
Guest #2: Then I am doing my job in making it believable. And I love my job.
Revenant-Commander: Xmas-New Year is always hectic for my family. More so now that I have a little baby girl celebrating her first Christmas. Everyone wanted to see her.
The important part is, which League members are standing by and hearing it. Indeed.
Thanks. No guests but Slade is not far off. We'll be hearing from him over the next few chapters. :D (Rubs his hands in anticipation)
Guest #3: No and No.
Guest #4: Thank you. As stated above, probably between 9 and 11 more for this story.
Guest #5: Thanks.
Guest #6: Thank you.
Guest #7: It is today. It is always Today.
Gingerwolf96: Dedicated. I like it. And I can't wait for what comes next.
Guest#8: See Guest #7.
As always, let me know what you think.
Stegro88
P/S: If you haven't already. Go read Naitch03's Past is Prologue. It is epic and so much better than my own work. In the words of Molly Meldrum, "Do yourself a favour!"