With Sara on Team Arrow it wouldn't take too long for Oliver to put together the things about Talia.
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Oliver, Sara and Matt walked up the mountain as Oliver had Lyla on the phone. "Are you sure this is the place?"
"It's the only monastery that our satellite found." Lyla said.
"It says 'demon'. What did you say her name was again?" Sara asked as she read the sign on the door.
"Talia." Oliver said and Sara's eyes widened. "What, you know her?"
"I think I know who it is." Sara said as they entered the monastery and saw some people dressed like ninjas sparring and exchanging blows before they noticed the visitors.
"Where is she?" Oliver demanded.
"Who are you?" One of the students asked.
"I'm a former student." Oliver said.
"Former. Which means you are not welcome here." The student said before they attacked.
Oliver knocked one of the students on the ground, while Matt grabbed another one by his leg and threw him down. Sara exchanged blows with another student before she threw him down and Oliver knocked two more on the ground before a female voice stopped the fight.
"Hold! Leave us."
The students left as a woman with an Eastern accent walked down from the upper level, lowering her hood and Sara could see the resemblance to Nyssa. "I would apologize for my students' enthusiasm, but you should not have come to this place."
"Because I killed your father?" Oliver demanded and Talia paused, taken aback.
"When Ollie told me who was his teacher, it didn't take too long to put it together." Sara said.
"Yet you still came." Talia said.
"Because one of your former students is trying to kill us." Matt said.
"Oh, he doesn't want to kill you." Talia smirked. "He means to destroy all of you utterly."
"So you knew about what was Prometheus planning." Sara realized.
"Of course she did." Oliver laughed humorlessly. "Let me guess, he sought you out after I killed Ra's and you were only too happy to help him?"
"You were always a quick study." Talia said.
"So you're not gonna tell us who Prometheus or Ikari are." Matt said angrily.
"Ikari…" Talia chuckled. "I truly have no idea who it is under that mask. Just that he was one of the Hand's best. And he wants to destroy you for taking them down, with Maki, Mr. Murdock. But as for Prometheus, of course I will tell you, Oliver. Because I want you to suffer. He calls himself… Adrian Chase."
"Adrian Chase?" Matt repeated as he paled. Suddenly, he realized why he felt that there had been something off about him.
Oliver stared. "Isn't he…"
"…an ADA of Star City."
Later, City Hall
Matt entered as Foggy approached. "Matt, where have you been, I've been trying to call—"
"Where's Adrian Chase?" Matt asked.
"With Laurel and Mayor Queen in the conference room, why?" Foggy asked, not understanding. "What's going on?"
Matt entered the conference room as he heard Adrian, Laurel and Moira talking before they looked over at Matt.
"Matt. I didn't think you'd be making it into work today. I guess you know what I've been up to." Adrian said casually as Matt seethed.
"Yeah." Matt said, tense.
"I've been working on addressing our sentencing policy for drug offenses. Care to join?" Adrian offered.
"Actually, there's something I need to talk with you about in private, Mr. Chase." Matt said.
"Sorry, can it wait? We're on a clock here." Adrian said before smirking at Matt. "Besides, you look a little ragged. You tired or is it that you've actually been asleep this whole time?"
Matt seethed and it took all his willpower not to react by attacking Adrian. He left as Adrian smirked, while Moira, Laurel and Adrian continued the meeting, as if nothing had happened.
"What's going on, Matt?" Foggy asked as Matt took a deep breath, telling Foggy everything as his blood ran cold.
Later that night, Adrian walked to his car in the garage before the front window shattered as an arrow flew in. "Gonna try it this way now." He smirked and turned around to face the Green Arrow and the Canary and Daredevil. "I got to tell you, I don't know how those masks are gonna play here, especially since the city's not too fond of your alter-egos these days."
"We'll give them the Throwing Star Killer, see how they feel." Oliver sneered.
"Wait. That's your big plan, arresting me? Oh, man, that's a bit of a letdown, I have to say." Adrian said with feigned disappointment.
Oliver put his arrow back into the quiver. "Well, we're not gonna kill you, if only because that's what you want us to do."
"But you've done almost everything I've wanted so far. Did you really think I'd let all this end in a parking garage?" Adrian gloated as their blood ran cold.
"What did you do?" Sara demanded.
"I've made some new friends. I think you've met them last year. The Longbow Hunters." Adrian said and they stiffened. "Yeah. Few weeks ago they paid visit to your Bratva buddies in Russia. I'm surprised Anatoly hasn't told you about it. Except, oh, wait, he can't. The brotherhood is no more." He laughed.
"What did you do to him?!" Oliver snarled.
"Relax; he'll be fine, so long as I get back in time to get him food and water. Bottom line, I die, he dies. I don't make it back to him in time, he dies. Starvation and dehydration, terrible way to go. You could try torturing me for his location; we both know what you're capable of in that department, but I can probably last longer than he can. So what's it gonna be? Anatoly or me?" Adrian said and they froze, realizing that Adrian had him as he laughed. "Oh, I'm ten steps ahead of you and you haven't even figured out what game we're playing yet." He entered his car and drove away as they glared at him.
Later, the Lair
"That son of a bitch." Quentin growled as they filled him, Misty and Team Arrow in.
"Yeah, I'd say that pretty much covers it." Rene said.
"I should never have left, I would've known if—"
"Right now we can't blame ourselves." Diggle said. "We underestimated this guy."
"I underestimated him." Oliver said.
"I called Lyla. Alex and our families and closed ones are safe. Thea and Roy are fine too." Diggle assured.
"We need to find Anatoly." Sara said. "We can't make a move on Chase until we find him."
"You said that the Longbow Hunters got him? Who are they?" Rene asked.
"Three assassins, that even the League is afraid of. I thought that the last one died back in the fifties but apparently, that was a lie." Danny said.
"We can't make a move on Chase without any evidence saying that would confirm that he's the Throwing Star Killer." Misty said. "I can't get involved until then."
"This guy has us in check." Oliver sighed.
"Yeah, for now." Diggle assured.
"We should again check Chase's mother. Maybe we can get some answers from her." Sara said.
City Hall
"You can't ask me to act casual after—"
"I don't like this any more than you do, Laurel—"
Moira, Foggy and Laurel stopped as they faced Adrian at the corridor and the phrase 'if looks could kill' came to mind. "This is nice. Everything out in the open now. All the cards on the table, as it were."
"You have a lot of nerve coming back here." Moira sneered.
"Why wouldn't I? I take my job very seriously." Adrian said.
"You think you're so clever. But this isn't over yet." Foggy growled as he, Moira and Laurel burned holes into Adrian's foreheads with their fierce glares.
"I agree. We're just getting started." Adrian said as he walked off before Laurel pulled out her phone.
"Sara. We've got eyes on Chase. You're good to go." Laurel said.
Star City
Green Arrow, the Canary, Spartan and Daredevil entered Chase's house. "OK, Daredevil, Spartan, check the upstairs and work your way down. The Canary and I will sweep the basement. We can meet in the middle."
"Roger that." Spartan said.
Green Arrow and the Canary found no clues in the basement as Spartan and Daredevil looked upstairs before the Green Arrow and the Canary met Adrian's wife Doris in the living room.
"Please, don't hurt me." Doris begged.
"Mrs. Chase—" Green Arrow tried as he put his arrow back into the quiver.
"What are you doing in my hou—"
"Mrs. Chase, we won't hurt you." The Canary assured.
"Get away from me." Doris said.
"Your husband isn't who you think he is." Green Arrow said.
"Get out of my house." Doris insisted.
"Mrs. Chase, your husband is not who you believe him to be." The Canary said. "He is the Throwing Star Killer and he's holding a man hostage and we need your help—"
"You're insane." Doris protested.
"Doris. Please. Deep down you know that your husband has been keeping something from you." The Canary pleaded.
"The police and the mayor says that you're the killers, you—"
The SCPD suddenly burst in, aiming weapons. "On the floor! On the floor! Down on the floor! Now!" One of the officers ordered before turning to Doris. "You all right, Mrs. Chase?"
"I'm—I'm fine." Doris assured.
"We got a call from your husband. Don't worry. We got this handled. Get her out of here." The officer said as they accompanied Doris out.
"Tell me what you want us to do." Daredevil asked.
"I am not getting into a shootout with the SCPD." Green Arrow said.
"Copy that. We're out." Spartan said.
"Smart move, douchebag." The officer said.
"I wasn't talking to you." Green Arrow said before he dropped a flashbang on the floor, the explosion knocking the officers down as Green Arrow and the Canary disappeared.
Later, the Lair
They arrived back at the lair to see that Adrian had left a message for them: He had sent a video to Oliver on his phone of Prometheus tormenting Anatoly. Oliver had sent it to A.R.G.U.S. to see if they could get anything out of it, but he didn't have high hopes. Oliver and Sara were staring at the computer, waiting before a call went off on the screen and they saw Felicity on video chat.
"Hey." Felicity said, as she greeted them from S.T.A.R. Labs.
"You've got some good news for us?" Sara asked.
"I've gone through the petabyte of you took off of Chase's mother's computer." Felicity said, sending them some records and birth certificate.
"Who's 'Simon Morrison'?" Sara asked.
"Adrian Chase." Felicity said. "'Simon Morrison' is his birth name. That's his real identity."
"But his mother's name is Amanda Westfield." Matt said, confused.
"Yes. Well, she changed her name when she went off the grid, so it runs in the family." Felicity said.
"If 'Adrian Chase' is an alias…" Oliver trailed off.
"…then the proof that his background is fake would be enough for the police to take him in." Matt finished.
At the same time, City Hall
"Obviously, this is a horrifying development." Adrian lied through his teeth to the reporters. "We believe that the Green Arrow was speaking out against this office for speaking out against his recent crimes. Miss Mayor."
He let Moira take her place at the mics as Moira, Foggy and Laurel were resisting the urge to turn around and strangle Adrian, with Foggy and Laurel were also throwing Adrian fierce glares
Obviously, the Green Arrow was retaliating against the District Attorney's office for speaking out against his murder of Detective William Malone. So…I am ordering the Green Arrow to turn himself in before the SCPD will have shoot on sight orders. He has 24 hours."
Moira then walked off, ignoring the reporters to put herself some distance between nher and Adrian as he walked in the opposite direction, with Laurel and Foggy glaring at him.
SCPD
"Hello?" Misty answered the call. "What is it, Oliver? Chase? Are you sure? Uh-huh. Got it." She looked at the computer and saw the files from Oliver. "Simon Morrison. I'll see what I can do."
But as she went out, she saw a homeless man limping towards her. "Hey, are you OK? Do you need help?"
Suddenly, the homeless man stabbed her in the abdomen as she fell down.
Later, Starling General
"What happened?" Oliver asked as he burst in with Sara and Matt.
"Some lowlife attacked her outside the precinct. SCPD's canvassing, but the security cameras, they did not get a shot of his face." Quentin said.
"How is she?" Matt asked.
"She's comatose." Quentin said as they sighed.
"This was Chase." Sara said and Quentin nodded.
"You send us a lead on Prometheus, then one of us gets attacked? Quite convenient." Quentin said sarcastically.
"Is Luke there?" Oliver asked.
"No. But somebody else is." Quentin said as they glared upon seeing Adrian at Misty, who was attached to a life support.
Oliver, Sara and Matt entered, glaring at Adrian, who was staring at Misty. "Life's just so fragile, isn't it? Decades of hopes and dreams, and in one moment, one little mistake, and it all just goes away."
"You're not gonna let you hurt anyone else, ever again." Sara sneered.
"Really? Because so far, you haven't been able to do much to stop me." Adrian boasted. "Anatoly is fine, by the way. Alive at least."
"Me and my team are gonna find him, and when we do, the second that we do... I'm gonna put an arrow right through your heart." Oliver growled, tapping Adrian's chest.
"You do realize how impotent you sound, right?" Adrian taunted.
"You think this is a game?" Oliver grabbed Adrian by his jacket. "I don't feel like playing anymore."
"You don't have a choice. If you kill me, you kill Anatoly, and he will be as dead as your father, as Shado, as Slade, as Akio, as Karen, as your friend Misty here probably, all dead because of you." Adrian said and Oliver seethed, while Sara wanted to rip Adrian apart with her bare hands. "So go ahead. Kill me. Let's find out how much more loss you can take because I don't think it's much. I think that you're one or two more losses away from being destroyed."
Feeling himself deflate, Oliver let Adrian go. "I guess we'll have to find another way to handle this then. You see, that's the beautiful thing about all of this, Oliver. If you kill me, you'll only really be killing yourself."
Oliver's blood ran cold. It was no coincidence that Adrian was repeating Gregor's words as Adrian left.
"He's taunting me." Oliver said.
"What makes you think that?" Matt said.
"'If you kill me, you'll only really be killing yourself.' Someone I killed in Russia five years ago… those was his last words." Oliver said. "Talia must have told him—"
"Don't let him get into your head, Ollie." Sara said before Matt's phone went off.
"It's Felicity. She may have found Anatoly." Matt said as his phone 'read' the message as an idea sparked in his mind. "If he's trying to use your connections to those you love, against you, well, why not return the favor?"
As I've said in my story "Paths realigned", Talia's reasoning for allying herself with Chase and training him are in hindsight stupid and it makes her a hypocrite, since she's the one, who convinced Oliver to target the List on which Claybourne was, yet she helped Chase get revenge on Oliver but in most portrayals, she is obsessively loyal to Ra's to the point of being beyond reason but in some of them she is portrayed as an antihero, who would also allied herself with Bruce to stop Ra's schemes. But, seriously, her reasoning for helping Chase, since Ra's wanted to kill thousands of innocent and Oliver stopped him?
Wow. It's astonishing how the writers find new ways to hate Oliver.
Misty got stabbed here and not Pike, since I've got something different planned.
So, what do you guys think?
Please review and let me know if you have enjoyed this and want for me to continue.
