"Slade had a son?" Sara said in shock once they had escaped Grant.
"Look, Oliver tried. He tried to raise an army to fight Deathstroke, but... everyone just wanted to evacuate. How can you save a city that doesn't want to be saved?" 'The Green Arrow' asked sadly before Rip stepped forward.
"A moment. Sara, I know what you must be thinking, but none of what has transpired here is your fault, nor do you have the means to change it, but Vandal Savage's future is preventable. I implore you, please stay focused on our mission. We're very grateful for your assistance, but we really must be moving along to Smoak Technologies" Rip said to Sara and then to the 'Green Arrow'.
"What for? That place has been cleared out for years, but a lot of Felicity Smoak's projects got relocated" 'Green Arrow' asked confused.
"Where?" Sara asked before 'Green Arrow' led them to the Oliver Queens 'Green Arrow' base from back in 2016.
"You didn't say that Felicity's equipment would be here" Sara said sighing as they went down the elevator.
"Well, where else would you think it'd be?" 'Green Arrow' asked as they doors opened to reveal a dark, dusty basement.
"Mr. Queen's base of operations appears to have seen better days" Rip commented.
"Yeah, well... the place got attacked after Grant Wilson outed Queen as the Green Arrow" 'The Green Arrow' explained as they looked through the room with torches.
"Let's just find what we're looking for and get out of here" Sara muttered, not wanting to be in this place any longer than normal.
"Whoever's there, get out. I said get out!" A voice said in the darkness making 'Green Arrow' prepare his bow and arrow and Rip pull out his gun.
"Whoever you are, get out" The man said stepping into the light to see Oliver Queen… missing an arm.
"Oliver?" Sara gasped in shock.
"Hello, Sara. Long time, no see" Oliver said lowing his gun.
"Is that..." Rip started to ask.
"Oliver Queen" 'Green Arrow' answered for him.
"Everyone thinks that you're dead" Sara said softly.
"They're not wrong. Put the arrow down, John. You're embarrassing yourself" Oliver said the 'Green Arrow'.
"John?" Rip asked confused.
"John Diggle Junior" Oliver explained as John took of his hood and mask.
"My dad is dead because I couldn't save him. I don't deserve his name. I'm Connor Hawke" John or Connor explained sorrowfully.
"So, you won't take his name, but it's all right to parade around in someone else's outfit?" Oliver asked sarcastically.
"Well, someone has to, because last time that I checked, you were dead. Everyone thought you were dead. I've been trying to hold this city by myself because I thought you were gone" Connor spat angrily.
"What happened to you? To Laurel, to my dad... Felicity..." Sara asked sadly, stepping forward.
"They're gone. All of them" Oliver said softly as Rip sighed.
"What do you mean?" Sara asked fearing the worse.
"What do you want me to say, Sara? 30 years ago, you and Ray hopped on a spaceship, and you never came back" Oliver snapped angrily.
"We will" Sara promised.
"I don't want to say that... things would have ended differently if you and Ray had been here, but..." Oliver said trailing off.
"But if we were, it could've made the difference" Sara finished for him.
"You thought I was dead. What are you doing here?" Oliver asked.
"We were looking for a Neuromorphic Prototype that Felicity Smoak was working on" Rip explained.
"Felicity left after everything that happened. Everything her company was working on is being kept in a warehouse at Adams and O'Neil. Entry code is 4-5-8-7" Oliver said giving Rip all the information he needed.
"Thank you, Mr..." Rip started to say but Oliver had disappeared into the darkness.
"You found your way in... find your way out" Oliver's voice echoed through the empty warehouse.
….
"Thank you for agreeing to accompany us, Mr. Diggle" Rip said to Connor as they walked through the warehouse that Oliver told them about.
"It's Connor. It's not like I needed to stick around Oliver Queen for anything" Connor said as he walked off to search one room of the warehouse.
"Did you know?" Sara asked Rip.
"Know what?" Rip asked wondering where Vyra and her criminals were and what trouble they were causing.
"That this is what would happen in my city? Oliver said that the only reason that things got so bad was because Ray and I weren't there to help" Sara explained
"I suspected that might be the case, but that's actually a good thing. Hm? Now, once our mission is complete and you and Dr. Palmer are returned to Star City in 2016, you will both be present to stop Grant Wilson's Uprising. This future is only a potential timeline" Rip explained searching the warehouse.
"So, this... this version of Star City... this doesn't have to happen?" Sara asked.
"Correct. The future is always in flux. Hopefully, this will never come to pass. This world isn't real" Rip said firmly to Sara.
"Let's split up. We'll cover more ground" Sara muttered before leaving Rip behind. They spent the next half an hour searching for the Neuromorphic Prototype.
"Hello, beautiful" Rip said finding what they needed just as an explosion went off. Rip grabbed the case and ran to meet up with Connor and Sara were fighting Grant's men.
"There's too many of them!" Connor called out just as Leonard and Mick pulled up on motorbikes and Vyra teleported beside Rip.
"Gentlemen, your timing is exemplary" Rip called out before looking at Vyra and nodding to her as they stood back to back killing the remaining men. Rip firing his gun and Vyra teleporting around and slicing throats with her dagger.
"Where's Connor?" Sara asked as Rip picked up his bow.
"He's been taken" Rip concluded darkly.
"These are Grant Wilson's men" Sara said kneeling next to one of the men Vyra killed.
"The guy with the half face and the body armour has a real mad-on for the kid in the hoodie" Mick explained before Rip looked at Vyra and then Sara.
"Can I have a word?" Rip said to Sara as they walked away from Mick, Vyra and Leonard.
"I know what you're going to say" Rip said.
"We have to get him back" Sara said firmly.
"Yes, that. You're forgetting this future is only a potential timeline" Rip explained.
"Yeah, where Grant Wilson kills Connor" Sara argued.
"Wilson's not going to murder Connor, because once you're returned to 2016, there won't be a Wilson or a Connor, at least not as we know them both right now" Rip explained firmly. Vyra stopped listening to Rip and Sara and turned back to Mick and Leonard.
"Now that we rescued them, let's have that chat" Mick said firmly and Vyra stepped backed, planning on letting the two hot heads work it out between themselves.
"You want to stay here" Leonard said simply.
"Thought I made that pretty clear. What I'm less clear on is why you don't. A city of thieves and criminals…" Mick started to say.
'Sounds like a lot of competition" Leonard stated.
"Then we wipe them out. Vyra?" Mick asked.
"I'm not leaving Rip, but Mick, if this is where you want to be… I'm not going to stop you" Vyra replied simply as Mick nodded before turning back to Leonard.
"What I did to that other guy, we do the same thing to this Grant Wilson and anyone else stupid enough to get in our way. Take a look around, Snart. We're living the dream" Mick said happily as he walked past Leonard. Leonard looked at Vyra apologetically.
"Yeah. Speaking of which..." Leonard said before knocking Mick out with his gun. Leonard looked over at Vyra seeing what he reaction was. She wasn't happy but she didn't speak up either.
"Sleep tight, buddy" Leonard muttered as Rip and Sara walked back over to them.
"What happened to him?" Rip asked seeing Mick on the floor.
"Difference of opinion" Leonard replied.
"Right" Rip said making him look over at Vyra to see her torn between something.
"We need to get this and Mr. Rory back to the Waverider" Rip said holding up the case and giving Vyra a look that said they were going to talk about whatever just happened later on. Vyra nodded her agreement.
….