Oliver had tossed and turned all night, haunted by the changes wrought on the timeline by the changes he had made, even unknowingly, and the next morning it was obvious that neither of the Queen siblings had slept well, both having bags under their eyes as they poked at the breakfast the F.B.I. had brought in from a nearby Denny's (biscuits and gravy with a side of sausage). "What's going to happen, Ollie?" Thea asked tentatively.
Oliver, who had been brooding over how to get away from the F.B.I. so that he could meet Alexi and the other members of the Bratva, looked up at his sister. "What do you mean, Speedy?"
"What's going to happen to me?" The seventeen-year-old girl asked, looking very young and vulnerable as she looked at her brother beseechingly. "Mom and Walter are dead. I'm seventeen. Does this make you my guardian for the next few months?"
Oliver's brain stalled out at this question. He hadn't even thought about the impact this would have on the matter of custody for his little sister, focused as he had been on the overall impact to what he remembered from the original timeline. By the time his mother had died in the last timeline, Thea was nineteen and had had a boyfriend who she had spent a good part of the summer living with at his home in the Glades, and when she came back after training with Malcolm she had purchased the loft and been the put-together sibling out of the two of them. But here and now, Thea was a seventeen-year-old girl who had just lost her mother and stepfather, and Oliver knew without even broaching the topic that emancipation wasn't in the cards simply because of the emotional anguish his sister would be in for the coming weeks and months. She would need someone to keep an eye on her, make sure depression wasn't overwhelming her.
"Ollie?" Thea asked worriedly.
"Sorry, Thea, you just made me realize there's a lot more going on that I hadn't considered," Oliver said. "As far as I know, yes, this would make me your guardian, though we'd have to confirm it through the courts. I'm sure Laurel can help us out in that regard." Thea nodded morosely. "With any luck, we'll be able to resume our normal lives either today or tomorrow, albeit with an F.B.I. escort. You know if you need to talk, I'm here for you, right?" *1*
"I don't know that," Thea said. "I mean, sure, you're teaching me how to defend myself, but we don't talk. You're always so busy with-with stuff from Queen Consolidated." The unspoken and your work as the Green Arrow hung in the air between the Queen siblings. "I know you've got a lot on your plate, Ollie, but I could really use my brother right now."
Oliver closed his eyes for a moment. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I know it isn't easy. And it's not going to get much easier. The company needs me to be the C.E.O., give our investors some reassurance that the company will weather through this. There's a lot that needs doing at Queen Consolidated." Again, there was an unspoken message that his work as Green Arrow, when he could get away to handle it, would also take up a lot of time. "But I swear to you, Thea, I will make as much time as possible for you, even if it means I sleep less than I should. Nothing is more important to me than family." Which means I need to decide what to do about Emiko, Oliver thought grimly as he reached a hand across the table and took Thea's slender hand in his own rough one. "I'm here for you, Thea. I'm here for you."
"Thanks, Ollie," Thea said thickly, tears streaming down her cheeks as relief overwhelmed her. She had been scared of facing all of this alone; in hindsight, she knew she was being foolish. She would always have Oliver, and so long as they were together, she would also have Laurel.
There was a knock on the door before Agents Trimble and Danvers entered. "Good morning Mr. Queen, Miss Queen," Agent Trimble said. "I'm sorry we had to keep you here overnight, but we wanted to be careful, at least for the first twenty-four hours after Mr. Steele's death, just in case someone planned to go after the two of you. While our agents saw no one suspicious hanging around, we're still cautious and will be assigning an agent to each of you. While you're working or at school, they'll be doing other things, but when you're at home, they'll be there to protect you."
Oliver quirked an eyebrow at this. "Who will be assigned to us?" he asked.
"Agent Teller will be trailing Miss Queen," Trimble said, "while, despite your differences, I've decided to assign Agent Danvers to you since, aside from chasing the serial killer who targeted Miss Smoak, she has very few duties for the task force."
"Task force?" Oliver echoed. This was new.
"Task force," Trimble said with a nod. "I've been in contact with my superiors at both the Seattle field office and at Quantico. There is too much going on in Starling City that stinks of a conspiracy, and they've decided to create a special task force to delve into these matters. From Green Arrow to Tempest, it will be this task force's job to uncover the truth. We'll be receiving further agents this afternoon, flying in from Quantico."
"That is… gratifying to hear," Oliver said, his mind whirring as he tried to factor all of this in and apply it to his plans surrounding Merlyn and Tempest. "I, for one, will sleep better knowing so many people are taking an interest in what's happening to my family. I just hope you find the answers that we all want." Oliver turned to look at Alex. "I have to go to Queen Consolidated today to sign the contracts that will make me C.E.O., and then I have to hold a press conference afterwards. If someone were going to kill me, the conference would be an excellent opportunity."
"I agree," Alex said, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. How did he know that? A moment later, she felt foolish for her suspicions. A public event was the most obvious place for an assassination attempt, even a layman knew that thanks to it being popularized by television dramas and political thrillers. "I'll make sure to have a couple of other agents tag along, just in case. We'll coordinate with the security staff at Queen Consolidated." Oliver nodded.
"Miss Queen, do you plan on going to school today?" Agent Trimble asked.
"No," Thea said. "I was barely making it through after Mom died. I'm not going to be able to focus with everything that's going on." She looked at Oliver. "You'll need to call and excuse me from classes until at least the funerals, Ollie."
"I'm sure Headmaster Kreisberg will prove amenable," Oliver said blandly. He didn't particularly like the headmaster of Berlanti Preparatory, and not just because of the disciplinary issue. There was something slimy about the headmaster, the way he acted around some students, that rubbed Oliver the wrong way. Not for the first time, Oliver wondered if there was more to Kreisberg than met the eye. "I'll call him on the way to work. Don't worry, Speedy." Oliver turned to the agents. "I assume this means that Thea is welcome to return to the loft?" *2*
"She is, so long as she takes Agent Teller with her," Trimble said.
*DC*
Oliver flexed his cramped right hand experimentally. Ned Foster gave him a sympathetic smile. "Your father did that whenever he had to sign a lot of paperwork in one go," Ned said quietly as the two men left the office of the Chief of Operations and headed for the elevator bank, where they would head to the ground floor for the press conference. "I noticed you were carefully reading over the contracts. Worried about something?"
"Dad once told me the Board could be a pit of vipers if they smelled blood in the water," Oliver said. "I wanted to make sure they hadn't slipped something in that would let them seize control of Queen Consolidated from me."
"It's not like they could even if you did do something they didn't agree with," Ned said. "You have full control of your family's stock now that your mother's passed on, and I know you've been buying up stock that people sold off with your mother's suicide and now Walter's murder. Even without that stock, you're the majority shareholder." Oliver nodded, thinking that this was another drastic alteration to the timeline as a result of one simple stone thrown into the pond, that being the discovery of the Queen's Gambit.
In the original timeline, his mother had held the controlling interest of QC stock until her arrest, at which point it had been put into escrow and sold off slowly, which had resulted in Isabel Rochev gaining the foothold that she had had. But here, his mother's shares passed onto him, as stipulated in her will, which had went into effect as soon as she was declared dead. With it, he controlled Queen Consolidated without any potential for being pulled down, especially since he had made sure his C.E.O. contract didn't include any stipulations from the Board that would allow them to seize control of the company from him. *3*
Oliver gave a deep breath, releasing it slowly as the elevator descended towards the lobby. "You're going to do fine, Oliver," Ned said. Oliver nodded silently, mentally going over what he wanted to say as the numbers on the digital display inside of the elevator dwindled towards one. Barely a minute after leaving the top floors of Queen Consolidated, Oliver and Ned were stepping off of the elevator and into the lobby. Oliver focused his attention again on what he wanted to say, having learned to ignore the crowd of reporters during his time as Mayor of Star City. Oliver and Ned mounted the dais that had been set up, and Oliver stood off to the side as Ned took to the podium.
"Thank you all for coming here today," Ned said. "Queen Consolidated has seen a moment of double tragedy in the past three days. We've seen the suicide of one former C.E.O. and the murder of another, in the midst of the discovery of the remains of the Queen's Gambit, which according to the F.B.I. showed signs of sabotage, which leaves us with the inescapable reality that Robert Queen was also murdered. As a result of this, Queen Consolidated is in turmoil and our investors are wondering if they should pull out. I'm here today to introduce the new C.E.O. of Queen Consolidated, though he needs no introduction. Taking his rightful place as the head of Queen Consolidated is Mr. Oliver Queen, who has prepared a few remarks for this occasion." Ned stepped back, allowing Oliver to step up to the podium. As he did so, he noticed a few familiar faces in the crowd behind the press corps. Tommy Merlyn and Laurel Lance were standing and watching, Tommy looking gobsmacked and Laurel beaming at him. He could barely make out Sara Lance, a Rockets cap pulled low over her face, standing near a potted fern. Nearer the back was Barry Allen and a man Oliver assumed must be Henry Allen; the younger of the two looked shocked. Oliver felt bolstered having so many of his friends present.
"Thank you, Ned," he said. "And as Ned said, thank you all for coming. Queen Consolidated is facing a dark and uncertain future. There can be no denying this. We have been informed my father was likely murdered; my mother has committed suicide, presumably to hide information surrounding that revelation; and my stepfather has just been murdered. Two successive C.E.O.s have been murdered and another has committed suicide rather than be questioned. Our investors are panicking. How can they know Queen Consolidated will be safe for them and their investments?
"I'm here today to answer that question. The answer is that there is no guarantee. The future is dark and uncertain, like a black road at midnight. Only by forging ahead will we discover what that future brings. But Queen Consolidated is not without beacons of hope. I have personally begun redirecting the efforts of our Applied Sciences Division to focus on the development of technologies that will help the most people. As C.E.O. of Queen Consolidated, I intend to refocus the entirety of my family's company towards helping the people of this city. It is why, as one of my first acts as C.E.O., I am intending to re-open the Queen Consolidated steel factory and bring desperately needed jobs to our community." Whispers broke out at that and there were a few shouted questions that were indistinct. Oliver raised a hand for silence then pointed at one reporter, Susan Williams.
"Mr. Queen, your father once promised to the workers at the steel factory that it would never close, and yet he broke faith with them and did precisely that," Susan said. "What assurances do the people of Starling City have that you will not break faith with them as your father once did?"
"Thank you for asking such a pertinent question, Miss Williams," Oliver said. "And the short answer is that I am not my father. For five years, I lived day by day, never knowing if I would eat that day or if I would starve for a few days at a time. I suffered through harsh winters and the knowledge that nothing I had done would be remembered, or if it was, it would be as the childish playboy that the paparazzi loved to write stories about.
"What I can promise the people of Starling City is that I will fulfill my obligations to them. I am not my father. I want to see our city once more become the beacon of hope it was in my youth, a place where our children could play in the streets without the fear of vanishing, where women could walk down our streets and be comforted in the knowledge that they were safe. Economic stability brings with it social stability, and with social stability comes my vision for what this city could be. I will not betray the people of Starling City. But don't take my word for it. Let my actions provide the proof of my intent. No more questions, please." Oliver stepped away from the dais and nodded at a beaming Ned. This was precisely what Ned had hoped for and what Oliver had wanted to deliver: a statement of strength and hope for not only Queen Consolidated and it's investors, but for the city he loved.
*DC*
Oliver entered the C.E.O.'s office, his office, slowly. The Executive Assistant had already packed away Walter's things to be sent away to his next of kin, a sister named Cynthia if Oliver remembered correctly, and took a moment to take it in. The last time he had been in this office as it's true occupant, he had been talking about a matter of the board with Rochev and unknowingly signing away his status as C.E.O., playing right into the hands of Slade Wilson and losing the company his family had built over generations. Not this time, Oliver thought to himself. This time, I will not destroy my family's legacy but make it stronger. *4*
Oliver was pulled from his thoughts at a light knock at the door. He turned and found two people waiting on the other side: Laurel and Barry, who were giving each other confused looks before turning to look at him. He waved them in. "It was nice to see you both downstairs," Oliver said. "Laurel, this is Barry Allen, one of the people I recruited for Queen Consolidated's Applied Sciences Division in Central City. Barry Allen, this is my girlfriend, Laurel Lance. She's the head of C.N.R.I., a legal aid office providing legal counsel to those who live in the Glades."
"Nice to meet you," Laurel said, shaking Barry's hand.
"You, too," Barry said before turning to look at Oliver. "So, uh, that position still available?"
"I'm still in the midst of cleaning house in Applied Sciences, but yes, I want you as part of my team here at Queen Consolidated," Oliver said. He waved his new Executive Assistant, Mark Snow, in. Snow, a balding, gangly man, entered. "Mark, please take Mr. Allen down to Applied Sciences and make sure he's given a tour of the facilities he'll be using until the new division headquarters is built."
"Right away, Mr. Queen," Mark said. "And you received a call from Malcolm Merlyn. He wants to arrange a meeting between the two of you at your earliest convenience."
"I'll give him a call," Oliver said. "Thank you, Mark." He turned to Barry. "Go with Mark, get a feel for the building and the people. And try not to let them intimidate you. If they do, just name-drop me and the fact I recruited you. Should keep the likes of Miller off your back knowing you're a personal recruit of mine now that I control their paychecks." Barry grinned at that and nodded, following Mark out of the office. Oliver turned and gathered Laurel in his arms, giving her a deep kiss, one hand brushing her cheek and coming to rest on her shoulder. He pulled away reluctantly.
"What was that for?" Laurel asked, looking flushed.
"I've been wanting to do that since last night," Oliver said. "Didn't realize how much our nightly sessions have meant to me until they were taken away. And I wanted to thank you for being here. I know you've got the argument with Moss coming up and need to be as prepared as possible. It means a lot to me that you took the time to come and support me."
"You're the man that I love, Ollie, of course I'm going to come and support you when you're taking such a big step," Laurel said, reaching up and tenderly brushing her left hand across his stubbled jaw. "What do you think Merlyn wanted?"
"It's possible he just wants to offer me advice now that I'm the C.E.O. of Queen Consolidated and he has two decades of being such under his belt," Oliver said. "He may just want to impart his wisdom on me since Tommy's still trying to hold out on joining Merlyn Global. But it's possible he has some other nefarious purpose in mind." Oliver didn't vocalize it, but he had his suspicions that Merlyn wanted to exert his control over Oliver and, through him, Queen Consolidated and it's Applied Sciences division. This might even lead to Oliver gaining membership in Tempest itself, offering him unprecedented access to the true rot at the center of Starling City's social elite. "Whatever it is, I can handle it." Oliver turned and moved to the window, looking out at the city, Laurel joining him and threading one of her hands through his. "It's ironic," Oliver said softly. "Five years ago, I wanted nothing to do with the company and was doing my best to be someone that my father would never entrust with his legacy. And yet now here I am, the C.E.O. of Queen Consolidated, intent on seeing the company through these treacherous waters."
"You've grown up, Ollie," Laurel said softly, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "We both have. We're not who we were five years ago, either of us. I never expected to be the head of any kind of law office before I was thirty, yet I'm now the head of C.N.R.I. Our choices define who we are as much as our morality, and I think both your parents would be proud of the man you've become. You're better than them, which would've meant the world for Moira, at least. She always wanted better for you and Thea."
"I know," Oliver said. "I should probably let you get back to work. You've got that appointment with Moss. I've already got Fyff digging into her."
Laurel's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What are you up to, Ollie?"
"Just seeing about greasing the wheels of justice," Oliver said smoothly. Laurel's eyes narrowed further. Oliver simply smiled at his girlfriend. She shook her head at him and reminded herself that the system wasn't perfect; everything she had been through recently had let her see that, especially her father telling her about the pact between the police and the organized crime syndicates. If whatever Oliver was up to with Fyff saw Peter Declan freed, or at least the execution stayed, than it was for the best. She smiled bitterly as she realized how different she was from how she had been only three weeks ago. "What is it, Laurel?" Oliver asked.
"Just thinking about whether I would've been as open to this three weeks ago as I am now," Laurel said, shaking her head. "Things have really changed since you got back." She gave his hand another squeeze, one last quick smile, and then she was heading for the door.
You have no idea, Oliver thought as he watched her leave his office, before turning back to the cityscape, his blue eyes drifting towards the dominating skyscraper that was Merlyn Global. What do you want with me, Merlyn?
*DC*
Judge Rachel Moss glanced suspiciously at her cell phone, which was ringing and the Caller ID read 'Blocked'. After a moment, she answered. "Judge Moss," she said briskly.
"Good afternoon, Judge Moss," said a man's voice in a pleasant tone. "You don't know me, but I know quite a bit about you. I know how you've accepted bribes to look the other way on matters of public interest, matters that you certainly don't want seeing the light of day. Like, for example, the fact that you are fully aware of Jason Brodeur's dumping of toxic waste in the Glades. A little fact that you failed to acknowledge while serving as the trial judge for the case against Peter Declan. Which, incidentally, is what I'm calling to talk to you about. In less than an hour, Laurel Lance will be appearing before you with an appeal to stay Declan's execution as a result of a report that has been uncovered, a file compiled by Camille Declan before her murder that details Brodeur's illegal actions. You are going to accept this new evidence and stay the execution until it can be fully investigated by the Starling City Police Department."
"And if I refuse?" Moss asked.
"Your corruption will be exposed," the man on the other end of the line said smugly. "Your reputation will be in tatters, you probably won't survive the scandal, and in the end, Peter Declan's execution will be stayed anyways while the F.B.I., which have a strong presence in Starling at the moment, investigate evidence of corruption at the highest levels of the Starling City justice system. Either way, what my employer wants to happen will happen. But only one of these options offers you the chance to save yourself and your career. Choose wisely, Judge Moss." A click signaled the end of the call, and Judge Moss was left in a quandary.
Did she save Brodeur or herself? *5*
*DC*
Oliver ducked into the garage that served as the front for the Bratva after having used the window of opportunity where he wasn't guarded at Queen Consolidated to slip away and found two of the men waiting for him. They fell into step behind him as he made his way to the lower level of the basement, where he found the remaining members of the Starling City chapter of the Bratva waiting for him. Over forty men sat around the room, and Leonov, now one-handed and ever-glowering, sat in the center like a fat and conniving spider, albeit one who had lost its venom thanks to the actions of Anatoli Knyasev. "What's happening?" Oliver asked, wasting no time with pleasantries.
"One of our men was killed while speaking to lawyer about forming private security firm, one of suggestions Pakhan left behind," Alexi said. "Danakov. Good man. Strong man. Not easily taken. Shot from behind by an automatic."
Helena, Oliver thought to himself. With the Triad out of business, she would have to turn to the only other major crime family in the city. Next, she would target people from her father's organization and then return to targeting the Bratva, slowly pitting the two crime syndicates against each other. "Any leads?" he asked aloud.
"None," Alexi said. "We were hoping Kapushion could look into it. We cannot expand to legitimate enterprises if we are targeted."
"I understand," Oliver said. "You have my word that I'll look into it. But why couldn't you just tell me this over the phone?"
"Because you must remember we are a brotherhood, Mr. Queen," Alexi sneered. "What affects us affects you. Sitting in that lofty tower, perhaps you forget your oaths. Poor choice when Pakhan has vouched for you so viciously." He raised his stump of a wrist for emphasis. "You are involved in our world whether you wish to be or not. You wish us to do as you say? Then you must show us that you shall fight for us as you fight for the poor and the victimized."
"Which reminds me," Oliver said idly. "You've shut down all our operations tied to human trafficking?"
"Yes, as directed," Alexi said sourly. He had pleasured himself with more than a few girls, helping to break them before sending them home to Russia to be further trained.
"Good," Oliver said. "Begin dialing back our drug operations next; reach out to the street gangs and begin negotiating to off-load those operations to those more inclined towards them." Alexi nodded sharply. "Anything else you need to discuss while I am here?" Oliver asked.
"No," Alexi said. Oliver nodded and turned to leave. "I question, though," Alexi said, forcing Oliver to turn around and meet his fierce, questioning gaze, "what will happen should you ever be forced to choose between Bratva and Kapushion? Will your oaths hold you? Or will I be directed to act against you from a betrayed Pakhan?" *6*
"I guess we'll see," Oliver said softly, turning and leaving before Alexi could say another word. It wasn't like he could say it would never happen. Anatoli hadn't been able to keep up his promises of turning the Bratva around in the original timeline, and Oliver had been forced to choose between doing the right thing for Star City and his relationship with Anatoli. If he were ever forced into that situation again, he knew that his choice would be the same.
Queen Consolidated. The Bratva. A.R.G.U.S. The League of Assassins. Perhaps Tempest if what he thought Merlyn's desires for arranging a meeting with him was about rang true. In the end, no matter his other commitments, the only thing that mattered was safeguarding his city. The city and his mission had to come first, above all other obligations.
A/N: I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter.
Chapter Notes:
*1* This is my attempt at giving a nod to the comics, where the heroes' sidekicks tend to end up being their wards, someone they have guardianship over (i.e., Robin). Even though it'll only be for a few months, it is realistic that Oliver would gain custody of Thea with their mother and Walter dead, especially if Thea wasn't in the right place mentally to be emancipated. To be emancipated, you have to show a level of maturity that Thea, at seventeen, simply didn't possess, though she's beginning to move in that direction with her involvement in Oliver's crusade, minimal as it is.
*2* This is obviously a reference to Andrew Kreisberg, one of the original showrunners of "Arrow", who was fired from Berlanti Productions during the beginning of the #MeToo movement and complaints about him were revealed. My only regret is no one paid attention to the assistant of Guggenheim who said MG treated women poorly.
*3* This is my explanation for how Rochev got fifty percent of the stock of Queen Consolidated, because there's no way that the founding family of the company wouldn't have had the majority of the stocks. Combined with Oliver quickly buying up the stock from those abandoning QC after Moira and Walter's deaths, and it confirms him as the majority shareholder, giving him complete control over the company and thus cutting off one avenue of attack for Slade Wilson.
*4* Most people (read: Olicity fans who squealed at the fucking 'first day fern') seem to forget that at the end of Season 2, Oliver very strongly wanted to get his family's company back. Like so many other things, this was thrown out the window with the re-piloting in 3x01. Fuck Guggenheim, I spit in his eye.
*5* I love putting corrupt public officials in the hot seat in this story, don't I? Oh, well. We'll see if she's more amenable than the District Attorney was.
*6* As much as I love the relationship between Oliver and Anatoli, I think that this relationship is doomed if I take Oliver towards his comic self (and hence let him be the hero the city both needs and deserves). He can only walk between two worlds for so long before he has to make a choice, as Slade said in 6x01. Eventually, he will face the choice between Bratva and Green Arrow, and we all know that's no choice at all.