Disclaimer: I do not own anything in Arrowverse or Marvel Cinematic Universe, DC Comics, Marvel Comics or any characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises or anything else you may recognize.
Queen Manor
"Tahitian green or midnight black, what do you think?" Thea asked Oliver.
"I think that you've been dropping hints all week, Thea, and Mom still isn't buying you a car for your birthday."
"I could not have said it better myself." Moira said upon entering.
"Oliver got a car, when he turned eighteen." Thea pointed out.
"Yeah, but I could back it out of the driveway without hitting a tree." Oliver reminded.
"That's true. But I do remember you taking the paint off the side of your Dad's Maserati." Tommy reminded as he entered with some blueprints in his hands.
"Thea, the party planner's waiting." Moira said before kissing Tommy on his cheek. "Sorry to run off like this."
"Don't we have a convertible to go buy?" Thea asked.
"Good luck." Oliver told Moira as they left.
"How's she holding up?" Tommy asked.
"Oh, she's OK. Thea thinks she's actually a little bit too OK." Oliver said, a bit confused.
"What do you mean?" Tommy wondered.
"Just behaving erratically. Shut-in one minute, running the company the next." Oliver explained.
"Well, her husband is missing and presumed who-knows-what." Tommy pointed out. "If anyone had an excuse to be erratic, it's your Mom."
"That's what I told Thea." Oliver said as they saw Quentin on TV, while Oliver picked up the remote and turned up the volume
"The department has got the same comment about this heist as it did the other two. No comment." Quentin said on screen.
"The SCPD may not be willing to go on the record but traffic cameras got the entire heist in this exclusive. The $2.3 million heist is like a scene out of the movies." The anchor explained.
"That's why you keep all your money offshore." Tommy noted.
Later, the Lair
"I've seen this before." Natasha noted as Oliver showed her the news report of the armored car heist.
"With all the guys working up top, you might want to think about a side entrance for your, uh, Arrowcave." Diggle suggested upon entering.
"Just put one in." Oliver said. "South alleyway. Something I want to show you."
Diggle looked at the computer as he saw the footage of the heist. "Yeah, I read about it, this is the third truck to be hit this month, I saw it on the news this morning."
"Saw it on the news this morning. I couldn't figure out why it seemed so familiar. Then I remembered this." Oliver said as he showed Diggle a thermal imaged footage of an ambush of a truck. "Kandahar '09, when the marines took out a Taliban transport vehicle."
"Yeah. Well, there's a reason why it looks so similar, these guys are running the same swarming technique. Where did you find this?" Diggle inquired.
"We were researching someone." Natasha said as she showed a file. "Blackhawk Squad Protection Group. Ted Gaynor."
Diggle was stunned before he spoke up. "Guys, Ted Gaynor was my commanding officer on my first tour in Afghanistan."
"Dig, I'm sorry. Gaynor's on the List." Oliver explained, looking sympathetic.
"Gaynor's a few hundred thousand dollars short of making your list." Diggle argued.
"I understand you don't want to believe this, John but you haven't known him in a long time. Plus, whoever was Kovar's associate, he hired Blackhawk and this other archer to force the Unidac Industries into building something. All I'm saying is that you haven't known him in a long time." Natasha pointed out.
"Nat, this guy saved my life. Received a commendation for it." Diggle said before turning to Oliver. "I don't care what your book says, he's not a stick-up man."
"You haven't known him in a long time, Diggle." Oliver said.
"We both kept in contact with each other since he got stateside. Six months ago, he even offered me a job at Blackhawk. Now, trust me, you don't know this man like I do." Diggle said.
"I know in Afghanistan his training specialty was M32 multiple grenade launcher. The exact same weapon used in these heists and not exactly something you find at your local sporting goods." Oliver said.
"Two months ago, we found out this wasn't even your father's book; that it was written by whoever hired the other archer. Doesn't that kind of beg the question what else you could be wrong about?" Diggle argued.
"Wrong or not, you can't ask him to ignore the facts and the clues because you still trust Gaynor." Natasha pointed out. "Look, we're going to take a look at Blackhawk and check him out. If we're wrong, we're wrong and then you can say "I told you so"."
Diggle sighed before nodding.
Later, Blackhawk Security
The Hood made his way through the building, shooting down the guards with tranquilizer arrows before he saw Gaynor in his office pull out an USB drive from a laptop. The Hood kicked Gaynor as he fell down.
"Ted Gaynor, we're gonna have a conversation. You make a move, go for a gun, anything, things will end badly for you." The Hood growled.
"Let him go."
The Hood whirled around to see a man with a beard and combed hair aiming at him. "Drop your bow and let him go." The man said.
The Hood narrowed his eyes before firing an arrow, disarming the man. The Hood attempted to fire another arrow but the man dodged and kicked his bow off his hand. They bot exchanged blows before the man pulled out a wrist blade. The Hood dodged as it cut his hood and kicked him back, realizing the man was skilled before more guards entered and the Hood decided to retreat as he stole Gaynor's flash drive.
Later, the Lair
"Was that him?" Natasha asked as Oliver described the man for her and she pulled out a photo.
"Yeah." Oliver said.
"I know him." Diggle said as he looked closer. "That's Billy Russo."
"Former U.S. Marine Corps." Natasha nodded. "Recently he started a PMC company called Anvil Security. Maybe he was there on business. I've read he might be shady but we've never found a solid lead."
"Maybe Russo was behind it?" Diggle wondered.
"Don't know." Natasha said.
"I think I need to talk with Mr. Gaynor again later." Oliver said.
"I'm not gonna let you William Tell an innocent man!" Diggle immediately protested.
"Gaynor isn't innocent, Diggle." Oliver snapped back.
"You seem to think that mainly because of what's in your damn book, which you apparently trust more than me!" Diggle sneered.
"I trust my father. And he explained to me that every name on that list has a reason to be there." Oliver said.
"I thought you took that book off your father's body." Diggle stared, processing the new information as Natasha looked at him in sympathy.
"A few years ago, I found a message he left me, explaining the List." Oliver explained.
"Oliver, how is this possible? You were on a deserted island." Diggle argued.
"I didn't say that I found it on the island!" Oliver snapped as Diggle looked at him in confusion. "Diggle, for the past four months I have lied to, hurt and hid things from all the people that I care about. Do you really think I would do all of this if I wasn't sure?" Oliver asked.
Diggle looked at Oliver for a few moments, considering. "Oliver, listen. Gaynor got me into Blackhawk and I'm gonna prove he's innocent." He holstered his gun.
"And if he isn't?" Oliver asked.
"If he's not, I'll be the one to take him down myself. You owe me that. You owe at least that." Diggle hissed as he left the foundry.
"What do you think?" Oliver turned to Natasha.
"I think he's letting how he feels about Gaynor get in the way of the facts." Natasha said and Oliver nodded in agreement before she picked the flash drive. "I'll see if I can break through the encryption. With any luck, I'll have another lead on who hired them to force Unidac into building whatever it was."
Later, Starling City
Three men, wearing gas masks and tactical equipment and military grade weapons had surrounded the car before the Hood shot the mask off one of the men from the roof as the remaining robbers opened fire on him. The Hood used the vehicle to take cover from the gunfire before disarming one of the men with an arrow.
"Behind you!" Natasha said as the Hood saw one of them pick up a grenade launcher. The Hood picked up a trash can lid and used it as a shield as the grenade sent him flying against a pile of garbage bags, while the vans drove off.
"They got away." Oliver groaned.
"We'll get them next time." Natasha said. She was walking down the rooftop but then she sensed something and dodged as gunshots went off from a sniper rifle.
Russo, wearing a mask, was on the other side, aiming at her through the gunsight. "Come out, come out."
Russo saw movements of a shadow as he fired but the shadow dodged his shots as it jumped down.
"Damn you." Russo swore. He was about to switch vantage points but Natasha had managed to sneak up on him and throw his rifle away.
Russo glared, pulling out his wrist blade and a knife. Natasha dodged as Russo scratched her suit, while they exchanged blows. Natasha kicked Russo back and jumped at him, wrapping her legs around him and knocking him down.
Russo blocked Natasha's punch and kicked her in the face as she groaned before he got up. Natasha kneed Russo three times and sent him flying back with an uppercut to his chin. Natasha disarmed him of his wrist blade and knife and was about to scratch him in the face as she attempted to drive it across his cheek.
Russo glared, not wanting to have his face ruined, knocking the knife off her hand and shoving her back as he realized she was more skilled than him. Natasha jumped at him as they rolled down the ground before Russo fell off the roof and retreated, realizing he was in over his head.
"Screw this." Russo muttered.
Later, Queen Manor
"I heard that the Hood foiled an armored car heist tonight." Diggle quipped as Oliver approached him.
"Gaynor wasn't holding the rocket launcher." Oliver admitted.
"I know, I was with him the whole time it was going down." Diggle said.
"It looks like I was wrong." Oliver admitted as Diggle nodded, accepting the unspoken apology.
"Listen, if someone in Blackhawk is on it, I'd put my money on Knox; he started right before the heists began and he has military training." Diggle noted as Oliver nodded, considering the suggestion.
"OK, I injured one; he was bleeding pretty badly when they made off in the van."
"OK, so if any of Knox's blood is on one of the motor pool vans, we'll know for sure." Diggle surmised.
"I'm going with you." Oliver said before Diggle stopped him.
"No, no, listen. You have this part. And I told you I would handle this." Diggle reminded. "If there's any problem, you're just a phone call away." He assured Oliver and left before Oliver stopped him, discreetly putting a tracker in his jacket.
"Hey. Head on a swivel."
"That's the way I was born, man." Diggle smiled.
Later, Starling City
Later that night, Diggle, coerced by Gaynor, walked out in the middle of the road with a grenade launcher, wearing a gas mask, aiming the weapon and thinking about his sister-in-law but in the end, his conscience would not let him do it as he stepped aside to let the truck pass.
The three men walked out of the truck, dragging Carly with them.
"You shouldn't have done that, Dig." Knox said. "Now you gotta watch us kill your pretty little girlfriend."
"No, please, don't!" Carly begged, full of tears.
"You're forgetting one thing, guys!" Diggle snapped.
"Yeah, what's that?" Gaynor asked.
"I'm the one with the grenade launcher!" Diggle fired on the road, sending Gaynor, Knox and Cavanaugh flying in the air.
"Carly, get out of here!" He yelled at his sister-in-law who didn't need to be told twice as she ran.
Gaynor fired at her but missed as Diggle followed him, in the meantime he ripped the mask off Cavanaugh and grabbed his gun. Knox had managed to recover and picked up his weapon, aiming at Diggle, only for an arrow to disarm him. The Hood engaged Knox, blocking his knife and baton before grabbing him in chokehold and snapping his neck.
"Freeze!" Diggle roared as Gaynor stopped. "Drop it, Ted, or I swear…"
"Don't posture." Gaynor mocked as he turned around to face his former comrade. "You're not gonna do it. You can't. I can see it in your eyes." He pulled out his gun before suddenly an arrow stuck out from his chest as Gaynor dropped dead on the ground as the Hood approached Diggle.
"You're late." Diggle said, staring sadly at the corpse of his former friend.
"You knew I was coming?" The Hood asked.
Diggle pulled the tracker out of his jacket. "Next time you plant a bug on someone, be more subtle about it. I wish you'd trust me though."
"I trusted you, Diggle." The Hood assured him before glancing at Gaynor's corpse. "But them; never."
"You should get out of here." Diggle said as they heard the sirens blaring.
Later, the Lair
"I screwed up. Obviously, Gaynor wasn't who I thought he was. I was wrong." Diggle admitted reluctantly after he had explained everything to the police about being forced under duress.
"Yeah but you were right, too." Oliver said as he showed him the notebook. "When you told me that I trusted the List more than I trusted you, Diggle, the truth is, after what happened to me on the island… it's difficult for me to trust… anything. But you do." Oliver turned to Natasha and Diggle. "You see the best in people and you know when to trust someone or not."
Oliver handed Diggle the List and the pen as Diggle crossed Gaynor's name off.
"I learned something, too. Until you tell me, I'll never want to know what other names are in this book." Diggle said.
Later, Merlyn Global Group
"I never expected you to back out, Mr. Russo." Malcolm said over the phone.
"She was a bigger bite than I could chew. Frankly, you need to do better than that. She's not worth it." Russo said as he hung up.
Malcolm considered as he narrowed his eyes. Black Widow cannot be underestimated… but let's see if a different tactic is going to work on her.
Later, Starling General
Oliver was accompanying Thea, who was just discharged.
"She promised me she's not cheating on Walter." Oliver said.
"Like I would trust anything that woman says." Thea scoffed.
Two officers approached Thea as they walked down the corridor. "Miss Queen. Thea Queen?"
"Is there a problem?" Oliver inquired.
"We received a call from your doctor." One of the officers said as he turned to Thea. "In the event of a vehicular accident, they're required to report a result of the driver's tox screen." Thea sighed and paled. "Miss Queen tested positive for a narcotic called "Vertigo"."
Oliver looked at Thea incredulously. "The drug they're using in the Glades?"
Thea looked away in shame as the officer started to read her Miranda rights. "Thea Queen, you're under arrest for driving under narcotics…"
So, what do you guys think?
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