Chapter 35.

The Past, the Present.

Everyone had heard the cannon fire.

Slade had his swords drawn when Oliver and Sara pushed through the brush. Oliver looked into his eyes and found fear and fury blended. He relaxed when he saw them, but he was on edge. His eyes darted around the cove, suddenly suspicious of their seemingly idyllic home.

"Ivo is here," Oliver announced.

He got a few blank stares, but Slade narrowed his eyes. "I think it's about time we had a pow-wow about what happens next, kid."

Oliver nodded his ascent, heading down to the beach. His companions followed, arranging themselves on the logs they had dragged up to the fire. It was unlit. It was getting darker, but no one made a move for wood. It would be better if they kept the camp quiet until they dealt with the freighter. Ivo could easily pull it around Lian-Yu and blast them all into nothing.

He had not addressed them all together yet. Shado regarded him with a guarded expression. His father looked carefully at his hands. Joleen had no idea what was going on, so she was politely attentive. Luke sat off to the side, also not seeming to understand – though Oliver had talked to him about this before. Sara and Slade looked straight at him, more alike than they realized. Both were confident, ready to face this threat head on.

He cleared his throat, and began,

"Anthony Ivo is a scientist. When I was on the island… before… he came on a freighter equipped with heavy explosives and a team of mercenaries. He wanted to find a serum called Mirakuru that was hidden in a submarine on the island. He wants to create a cure to save his wife. Last time, Sara was rescued by the freighter after our yacht sank."

"Mirakuru," Slade repeated. It sounded ominous on his lips. "You mean the stuff you said you gave to me that made me crazy? That made me kill your mother?"

Everyone turned to look at Slade.

Robert looked horrified.

"Yes," Oliver responded, suddenly regretting that he had told his father nothing of what happened to their family after the island. "But I destroyed it – all of it." Except for one vial, Oliver thought.

A short silence following. Robert stared at Slade, and then his eyes came hard on Oliver. His gaze was a heavy weight. Oliver looked away, relying on Sara.

She spoke up, "So, what do we do about him?"

"Well, that's pretty obvious, isn't it?" Slade said. "We kill him and take his boat."

"He has captives on board, including a prominent member of the Bratva."

"I didn't say we should kill everyone," Slade said. "Just the mercenaries and Ivo. We can drop the hostages off when we get back to civilization." He paused, and then said, "It would be a hell of a lot easier to take the boat if we had killed all of his lackies. But you let one go."

Oliver met his challenging eyes, saying nothing.

"Why is that?" Slade wondered. "Feeling soft? What happens when we get aboard, and we have to kill all the crew? Or were you planning to maroon them on this island?"

"We could," Oliver admitted.

"And pretend they won't all die within a month?" Slade snorted. "It may not shed blood, kid, but none of those men will ever make it home."

"What do you want me to say?" Oliver demanded, suddenly frustrated. Why was Slade being so obstinate? Why was he playing the devil's advocate all the sudden?

"I just want you to think about this ahead of time, so we don't face a moral dilemma on board."

"I'll do what I have to," Oliver said.

"If we take it in the night we can avoid killing as many people as possible," Sara reasoned. "We can just tie them up and drop them off at the first port we come to."

"In my line of work, you don't leave enemies alive," Slade grumbled.

"Well, you're not the only one who gets a vote here," Sara snapped at him.

Slade stood up, and Sara stood up, and the two of them faced each other. It was impressive to see Sara stand chest-to-chest with such a deadly swordsman.

Oliver tensed, waiting for a fight to break out.

"I should get more votes than a silly little girl," Slade said lowly.

Sara laughed, "I think I should get more votes than a dumb brute."

For a moment it really looked like the two of them might exchange blows, but Slade just rolled his eyes and sat back down. Sara did as well.

"So, we take the ship," Oliver said, "And we take prisoners."

Slade snorted, but said nothing else.

XxX

"She sacrificed herself to save me and Thea."

Robert put his face in his hands, taking a deep, steadying breath. His shoulders heaved for a moment and Oliver thought he might start crying. But when he sat up again, his face was blank. He said, "I don't know what to say."

"Without the Mirakuru, nothing will happen to her."

"Can you be sure of that?"

"No. But I know that Slade would never do that in his right mind."

Robert looked doubtful. He sighed again.

Oliver sat back against the cave wall, hugging his knees to his chest to stay warm. He tried to keep the words inside, but they bubbled out, "Part of me wants everything to happen the same way. If things change, there are people I'll never meet. Important people."

He closed his eyes and groaned.

"But it's not fair to you guys. I'm responsible for you now."

Robert nodded solemnly. "I can't possibly know what you're going through, but I know one thing – what happened then no longer exists. We're here now."

His words were harsh.

Oliver thought about Felicity, about Diggle, about the friends he had made, the things he had accomplished. Sometimes the prospect of beginning again was too overwhelming. It made him feel exhausted, like he had been running a marathon nonstop and everyone else had had time to stop and rest.

"And I know I tell you this every day, but you never listen," Robert said. "We're responsible for our own fates. You're not carrying us."