Disclaimer: Not mine.
The Siege of Starling City
By Kylia
Chapter 2: Written Off
Alderman Blood: What brings you to Glades Memorial, Mr. Queen? I assume someone of your means can afford the best medical treatment money can buy. And I can assure you, you're not going to find it here.
Oliver Queen: You're right, Alderman, and that's people of the Glades have suffered too much to not have access to basic medical services.
Alderman Blood: [Steps closer to Queen] Well that's very compassionate of you to say. Although I wonder where your family's concern for it's fellow citizens was when they ordered the construction of the earthquake machine that killed 318 people.
Oliver Queen: You'd have to ask the only member of my family who was involved in that, Alderman. I believe visiting hours at Iron Heights are 9 to 7, on most days. [Tries to walk past Blood, his bodyguard trying to clear a path.]
Alderman Blood: You think this is all a joke? [Steps in front of Queen to stop him from getting by] The people of the Glades suffered at the hands of your family-
Oliver Queen: But not at my hands, and not at the hands of my best friend, who you've practically called for to be dragged out and ripped to shreds. The people of the Glades suffered, and I aim to do everything in my power to help make up for what happened, but that doesn't give them the right to kill an innocent man just because his father was a monster.
-Transcript of an exchange between Oliver Queen, CEO of Queen Consolidated, and Alderman Sebastian Blood, captured in front of Glades Memorial Hospital, October 17th, 2013 by Channel 52 News. Oliver Queen's vehicle was mobbed by the protesters and several windows broken shortly after as he departed.
October 17th, 2013
FEMA Depot, Outskirts of Starling City
Laurel couldn't understand how things had gotten like this. That the news wouldn't care to report on the theft of the medical supplies she could understand, even if she hated how much the Glades were being written off so easily. But that the Federal Government had just let four truckloads of medical supplies sent by FEMA get hijacked without providing security, or demanding the city provide some sort of security - these were federal employees being killed, but street thugs on the street of a major city. Six so far - and if too many more died, would FEMA even have any more drivers willing to drive the medicine to Glades Memorial?
What was the Federal Government doing? And if they wouldn't do anything, there was always the national guard.
Then again, given how unwilling the Governor was to declare a state of emergency and deploy the guard even right after the Undertaking...
The rest of the country wasn't ignoring the disaster that was the Undertaking, funds were still coming in from all over the country, but the government on all levels seemed to be sleeping on the job when it came to the response to the aftermath. Everyone was concerned with optics and apparently sending in the troops looked worse than people suffering.
"The trucks should be leaving any minute now," Felicity told them over the comms. "The hijackings would happen anywhere on the-" Whatever Felicity kept saying, Laurel ignored due to the sound of gunfire inside the depot. Grabbing her sonic device in one hand moving towards the entrance. The two trucks were there, both about to be boarded by two men in black, wearing motorcycle helmets - just like the previous hijackings, based on what witness testimony they had.
There were two dead drivers sprawled out on the ground, and another trying to get away, pleading for his life. Laurel ran forward, about to try to knock one into the other to give the driver a chance to escape, but Oliver beat her to it.
"Down!" He shouted from behind the man - the driver dropped and two arrows flew from Oliver's bow, hitting each would-be hijacker in the shoulders, sending them sprawling backwards. Laurel grabbed one and spun him around, punching him in the gut and then kicking his legs out from under him, Oliver using his bow to break the faceplate of the other one's helmet and forcing him back as glass threatened to get in his eyes, cutting into his face.
The two hijackers weren't down for the count entirely, but they were distracted, one trying to get to his feet and the other ripping his helmet off as useless.
"Get in the truck and drive!" Laurel shouted at the driver. "Go, now!" She urged. The driver looked terrified, but through psychological inertia or courage or dedication to his job, he managed to climb to his feet and open the door to one of the trucks - but he couldn't even get into the seat before a knife, curved in the hilt, whistled through the air and embedded in the man's neck.
"And here you are, the Black Canary and the Emerald Archer," an all too familiar voice called out, stepping into view, spinning a knife easily in her hand. She gestured to her two goons - the Triad must have been behind the hijackings from the start - and they managed to get to their feet, pulling away from Laurel and Oliver, behind China White.
"I was worried neither of you would show up, and I'd be stuck robbing trucks until they stopped sending them," she mused. "But now I have the chance to pay you both back for your past interference in my business."
"This was all just to lure us out?" Laurel demanded. "The people in the Glades are dying for lack of medicine, and all you wanted was us?"
"Revenge is never a sole motive, Black Canary. But I suppose I wouldn't expect a vigilante to understand the needs of profit to keep an enterprise moving."
"You're not going to be profiting off of these trucks anymore," Oliver snarled, firing an arrow. But before it reached China White, another man dropped down in front of China White, a tekkō-kagi on each hand, the long clawlike blades catching Oliver's arrow and breaking it.
"I think my friend disagrees with you," China smirked. The man blocked two more arrows with ease, then charged Oliver, who blocked a swing of the claws with his bow. Laurel debated grabbing her sonic device to try to use it against him, but dismissed it after a moment. China White had earplugs against it, and if she'd brought this other man to the fight expecting her to come, he'd have similar plugs as well.
Now if only I could get her to stand under glass. Then her device could still be useful.
"After all, I couldn't have your boyfriend interfering in our rematch," China said, stalking towards Laurel. She threw the blade in her hand, and Laurel stepped to the side and ducked a bit under, the blade whizzing overhead, though the triad enforcer didn't look surprised by that. "Good, you haven't lost your edge. I'd hate for this fight to be boring."
Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Oliver and the other man fight, but Laurel kept her focus on China White, the two women circling around each other, watching for an opening. Laurel looked to the enforcer's face, focusing there rather than on her feet, or hands. She saw it - a glance, merely a second, behind her. Laurel turned quickly, the two would be hijackers from earlier about attacking her from behind - Laurel swung both tonfa, hitting the helmetless one in the side of the head, and bashing the other in the stomach, sending them both to the ground.
But Laurel wasn't quick enough - she heard China White Lunge, and before she could turn to face her, the woman had one arm pinning one of Laurel's arms, and the other holding a knife to her neck.
"At my mercy at last," The woman growled. "I should savor-" Laurel kicked back and hit the woman's shin, rocking her back just enough to loosen the grip on her arm - which let Laurel spin away, the blade scraping a thin line along her neck and up her jaw a bit that stung, but it didn't feel like it had done any more than that.
Laurel didn't have any time to worry about that though, because as she dropped into a defensive crouch, the triad enforcer was on her, two more blades in hand. Laurel blocked one with a tonfa, dodged the other swing and the fight was on in earnest.
"You might not have lost your edge, but you'll never beat me if you're not willing to make a killing blow," the white haired woman ground out after Laurel caught both of her knives and then kicked at her legs - China White stepped away, avoiding the attack, but was clearly frustrated with how the battle was going.
Laurel stepped towards her, then paused a moment at the sound of police sirens in the distance.
All four combatants hesitated a second, but the police weren't here yet - Laurel ran at the triad enforcer her the moment the other woman made for the open door of the truck, getting inside the cab before Laurel could stop her, starting it up even as Laurel was hanging onto the door - the police were there - Laurel had to jump off the truck as bullets started to fly, one cracking the windshield of the truck, and then it was off, two cops in the way of the truck barely getting by as China White drove it around the cops, shots ringing off the car.
But even as shots were coming off the car, more members of the SCPD were coming towards the three remaining - and Oliver and the other man were still struggling in close quarters.
Laurel recognized two of the cops in the lead - Lt. Pike, and... Sara.
"SCPD, drop your weapons and put your hands in the air!" Pike shouted, "You're surrounded, and we will open fire if you do not comply-"
Laurel watched Oliver redirect the other man's tekkō-kagi into canisters, some sort of white smoke flooding out and covering the space between them all and the cops - Laurel and Oliver both fled, the other man probably doing the same, as more shots rang out - Laurel cried out as she felt one graze her side, and when she and Ollie reached their bikes, she his left leg lagging just a touch as he got on - he'd been shot as well.
Damnit.
October 17th, 2013
The Foundry, Starling City
"Damnit Sara, why didn't you warn us the SCPD was going to be there!?" Laurel all but snarled, stepping towards her.
"Laurel, stand still or I'm going to have to start over," Diggle cut in, grabbing the needle and surgical thread again, patching up the small grazing wound on her side. He'd helped Oliver with the one on his leg first, but Laurel had been too angry at Sara to let her help.
Yes, because I'm totally the one who shot you. Sara had made sure her shots went wide, but she'd had to look like she was at least trying to hit the escaping vigilantes.
"I couldn't! I only found out about Lt. Pike's plan a few hours before it happened, and I couldn't get away to make a call!" Sara shot back, defensively, not meaning to raise her voice, but doing it all the same in response to Laurel's yelling. "So my choices were to warn you and get arrested for obstructing justice, or know that you two could handle it."
"Yes, we handled it just fine - China White got away with one of the trucks and her friend escaped too!" Laurel countered, though she refrained from moving this time as Diggle finished with the needle, snipping off the thread and stepping back. Laurel grabbed her shirt, but didn't pull it back on yet. "You couldn't have even given us a text?!"
"What would that have even accomplished? Were you going to just sit at home and let the trucks get taken?!" Sara stepped closer to Laurel, glaring at her older sister. This is not my fault. She'd been so worried when she saw her sister bleeding when she arrived at the foundry right after her and Oliver, but all the concern had slipped away the moment Laurel decided that berating her for not warning them was a good idea.
"And for the record, no, I couldn't get out a text. Pike was keeping everything and everyone close for this, and if I'd tried to get away, it would have gotten back to IA. There's people there that are convinced I was the one who leaked what we knew about the Hoods to you two." And this was one she hadn't even been guilty of. "And with dad taking the fall... there are people who are convinced I was in on working with the vigilantes too. So they're already suspicious."
"They wouldn't have been able to arrest you or fire you just for ducking out to make a phone call!" Laurel crossed her arms in front of her chest.
"Maybe, maybe not," Sara shook her head, "Like I said, they're suspicious. It would have gotten them to keep even more eyes on me, and then I wouldn't be able to help you at all ever again!"
"Well, I don't see how it really matters, because by doing nothing this time, you didn't help at all, and China White got away with a truckload of the medicine - again! Because you couldn't be bothered to take a damn risk!" Laurel turned away from Sara, disgust evident on her face.
Sara stared, swallowing a moment, inhaling sharp, shallow breaths quickly, blood pumping in her ears.
"I can't be bothered to take a risk? I can't be - for god's sake, Laurel, every single day I go into that station, I'm risking jail, and if I end up in prison, I'm dead in a week!" Sara stepped after Laurel. Cops didn't do well in prison, and there were plenty of people in Iron Heights specifically that would love to kill her, either for her own sake, or to get at her dad. "I couldn't warn you, and I'm sorry for that, I'm sorry you got shot, and I'm sorry China White got away, but don't take it out on me!" She grabbed at Laurel's arm - she heard Oliver say something, but she was too focused on her sister to pay attention. But the moment her hand grabbed Laurel's forearm, her sister was spinning back around, and her free hand punching into Sara's gut. Sara let go of Laurel and staggered back, hands on her stomach, barely able to breath, gasping as she fell back onto her ass - she managed to start sucking in air, one hand still on her stomach.
Fuck! That was going to leave a bruise, or that's what it felt like anyway...
She inhaled, and the gesture hurt a little, though she was pretty sure none of her ribs had broken.
"Sara!" Laurel hurried to her, crouching by her side and putting a hand under her arm to help her up. "I - I didn't mean -"
Sara pushed Laurel away, and climbed to her feet slowly. "It's fine... I - I shouldn't have grabbed your arm from behind like that." She said after a moment to take a breath again, then shook her head a little, reorienting herself.
"I - still, I shouldn't have - it's not your fault that IA-" Sara cut her sister off. The apology sounded forced, and she wasn't in the mood to hear something Laurel didn't mean.
"Save it." Sara shook her head. She turned away from her sister, moving to a chair and dropping into it.
"Both of you - just... this isn't helping," Oliver cut in. "Yes, it would have been better if Sara could have warned us, but she couldn't. Not without risking too much." He stepped towards them, limping a tiny bit from the injury on his leg, even with the wound closed up. "Besides, Laurel..." Sara watched him put his hand on Laurel's arm, "It's not Sara you're mad at."
Laurel looked away, and Sara knew her sister well enough to know her sister was feeling ashamed - whether at punching her, or yelling at her, or both, Sara wasn't sure. After a moment, Laurel looked back at them and nodded.
"No, she's not. Not really." She looked to Sara, "What the hell was Lt. Pike thinking?!" Despite the emphasis of her words, she wasn't yelling anymore. "He had to have been close enough to stop the initial hijackers, and he could have sent a police car after the truck China White took."
"Lt. Pike wouldn't answer me when I demanded an answer, but it's not like I didn't already know," Sara shook her head softly. Pike was a good cop, and a good lieutenant for the force, but he was, like her dad - but even more so - stuck inside the box, and by virtue of his position, had to be as much concerned about politics and optics. "Apart from Alderman Blood, not enough people in city leadership care about the medicine hijackings, and blood doesn't have any pull over the SCPD."
"So the Glades get written off all over again?" Oliver grimaced. "By everyone."
"By too many." Sara agreed. "It's more complicated than that but at the end of the day..." she shook her head, "You know what it is."
"The SCPD thinks we make them look bad," Laurel scoffed.
"Well, the Green Arrow and the Black Canary do make the SCPD look bad," Sara pointed out. "But it is a bit more complicated than that, like I said... I mean - god, I can't even count the number of laws you've broken." She threw up her hands in abandonment of even trying to count the number of criminal acts they'd both committed. Sara had kept a running tally in her own head of the number of charges that could be brought against her.
Right now, she was sitting at just under 200, depending on how much you wanted to separate out each individual action.
"And..." Sara shook her head. "I stopped letting that get to me - much - when I committed to helping you both, but the fact remains... if the law doesn't apply to everybody, it applies to nobody. That includes the both of you. Lieutenant Pike... he's just... too much of a cop's cop to just let that slide. Even if he should be focusing on the Glades more."
Of course, the other part was also related to the Glades - it had been decades since the people of the Glades and the SCPD had anything but an adversarial relationship. Between class resentments, racism -deliberate or just accidental - on the part of too many cops, and a thousand other grievances, big and small, almost no one who lived in the Glades trusted the police. Sara had earned the trust of a few people, as had her father, but even those people didn't trust the SCPD as a whole.
Pike, and those above him in the department, seemed convinced that if they could get rid of both the Arrow and the Black Canary, the people of the Glades would have no one else to turn to and there'd be more willingness to work with the SCPD among the people there.
It made no sense to Sara, but that seemed to be the working theory.
"I'd have more sympathy for that argument if the rest of the SCPD was applying the laws to the criminals running amok in the Glades," Laurel shot back. Sara inhaled, about to counter her sister's words, but then the other woman held up a hand. "Look - I know you don't agree with it, but you seem to be in the minority."
Sara exhaled and looked down at the ground. She wished she could defend the SCPD more, but she really couldn't. The last year had done a lot to strip away some of the illusions she'd still had about police work.
"And as long as the SCPD keeps trying to hunt us down... we're not going to be able to help the city," Oliver growled. He pinched the bridge of his nose and then slammed his fist down on the metal table - if his hand hurt from that, he didn't show it. "And what happened at Glades Memorial proves helping the city as Oliver Queen - or anyone connected to him - isn't all that possible either."
Oliver's hands flinched to the edge of the table, but he didn't actually grab it and turn it over, which was a bit of a surprise, given the barely suppressed anger all but rolling off of him in waves. His stance only got tighter, more tensed, but he didn't act on it.
"We spent a year trying to save the city, and all we did was... God, Starling's worse than it was this time last year." Oliver ground out. He looked away, "There has to be a better way to do this."
October 18th, 2013
CEO's Office, Queen Consolidated, Starling City
Though technically he shared the position of CEO with Isabel Rochev, Oliver still had the original CEO office, with Isabel having moved into another office on the floor.
"Mr. Queen," the voice of his secretary came from the front office, "Alderman Blood is here for your 4 o'clock meeting,"
"Thank you Tyler," Oliver nodded. While he knew Laurel trusted him, Oliver was cognizant of his reputation... and how some secretaries might want to exploit that, or think they could. They couldn't, but it would be easier, and avoid even the appearance of scandal if he had a male secretary, which he did. Tyler Mayfield was fresh out of college with an Administrative Services degree, hired a few days before the Undertaking for the secretarial pool, and so far, he had done quite well managing Oliver's schedule and everything else he had to handle.
"There's no cameras for him to play to, and no one to throw things at you here," Laurel pointed out. "I'm still surprised he agreed to meet you, especially on short notice." Oliver had contacted the Alderman this morning, after getting an idea and talking it over with Laurel, but he was just as surprised as Laurel that it had worked out so easily.
"I'm just glad he's here," Oliver approached the Alderman, who was waiting in the front office, "Alderman," Oliver raised his voice a little, greeting the man, and holding out a hand. "Thank you for agreeing to meet with me here."
Blood brushed past him, into the office, ignoring the offered hand. Oliver lowered his hand, grimacing for a moment as Blood walked to the window.
"This is some view," Blood mused, standing in front of the window, looking out on the city below. "How small the rest of us must look from up here."
"When I look out of this window, I tend to think more about how small we all are against the city itself," Laurel countered. "How much bigger than any of us Starling City is."
Blood turned around, "An interesting way of putting it."
"Alderman, this is Laurel Lance-" Oliver started to introduce her, even if he figured Blood probably knew her name already/
"Your girlfriend," Blood nodded, "I do occasionally read the tabloids."
"Then you might also know that she's also the new manager of the Queen Family Charitable Trust," Oliver pointed out. "That's why she's here at this meeting with us."
"Yes, I heard about that." Blood stood behind one of the chairs. "I would have assumed the worst, Miss Lance, but everyone I spoke to had nothing but praise for your time with NOVA. Hopefully, you'll be able to do as well in your new position." He looked back to Oliver. "I have to say, though, I'm surprised you asked to meet with me."
"As surprised as I am that you agreed to come," Oliver gestured to the chair, "Please, have a seat," He gestured to the chair Blood was standing behind, while he and Laurel sat down in chairs next to each other. Laurel took his hand and squeezed it for a moment. Her new job title was the biggest part of the reason she was here, but moral support was almost as important. For both of them.
"As surprised as I was when you turned an angry mob on me?" Oliver added, pointedly. Whatever grievances Blood and his constituents had with him and his family, legitimate or not, what he'd done at the hospital wasn't right, or acceptable.
"Are you surprised?" Blood asked, even though he did sit down. "My constituents have a lot of anger towards your family,"
"And you have no problem using that anger," Oliver pointed out.
"Mr. Queen, I'm a politician." Blood said, uncrossing his arms. "I became an Alderman to help the people of the Glades, and yes, I'm hoping to use their anger for good, so I can help them more. But that does make for a dirty business, no matter how much I might wish it otherwise,"
"And I understand that. I just want us all to know where we stand. I don't blame your constituents for being angry at my family - coerced or not, my mother was willing to kill potentially thousands of them." Oliver hated to say it like that, but it was the truth. His mother had decided that the lives of the thousands of people who lived in the Glades was worth it, if it meant it saved Thea's life, his life.
"But that doesn't mean I'm happy with being mobbed - or with the people who would kill Tommy Merlyn if he came within reach. We're both our own men, and we're not your enemies."
Blood paused for a moment, "You're not my friends, to me, or to the people in the Glades, either. As for your friend Merlyn -" he let out a small sigh, "I can't deny that some of the things I've said have gone too far. What happened at the Hospital did too." He admitted. "Anger or no anger, it wasn't acceptable, and I am sorry for things going that far." Blood's tone softened a little.
"I appreciate hearing that," Oliver nodded. "And I understand why you don't see me as a friend. I'm hoping that this meeting can help change that."
Blood's expression didn't change, the schooled expression of an experienced politician not trying to give anything away.
"This isn't something you can just throw money at until it goes away, Mr. Queen. Not you, not your family's charitable trust." Blood shook his head, "It'll help with the immediate problem, but even once all the rebuilding is done, the real problem will remain - and it's not going to go away until your elitist friends realize it's unacceptable to let thousands of their fellow citizens live in conditions akin to a third world country, just a few blocks away."
Blood leaned forward as he said that, and some real emotion, real, genuine anger was in his voice and his expression, even as he tried to keep it under control, trying to play the political game.
But he was sincere. Oliver had wondered if this really was all politics for him - he didn't really know much about government, or elections or any of that, but he understood how people could exploit the desperate for their own gain.
OIiver didn't doubt there was some ambition at work with Blood, but...
The Alderman was genuine in his righteous anger, and his desire
Still, there were some issues with his response.
For one, I'm not actually friends with most of the elite of the city... Oliver had had a few friends among the wealthy of Starling, apart from Tommy, but it wasn't like he was chummy with the high society. But he understood what Blood meant.
"And if we were just proposing a simple donation, even a large one, then you'd be right. But we're thinking in terms of something that will hopefully be more impactful." Laurel chimed in. "A fundraiser, held here, at Queen Consolidated, for the Glades recovery effort. Oliver will host it."
"And I'll invite all my elitist friends," Oliver added. Even Carter Bowen, given the generous track record the endlessly annoying guy's family had for charitable donations. "Hopefully, between the three of us, we can help them see what needs to be done."
"And the Queen Family Charitable Trust will assume all the costs, so every dime raised goes straight to the Glades," Laurel concluded.
Blood looked genuinely surprised, though Oliver could tell he thought he was hiding it. The man leaned back, one hand relaxed over the back of the chair next to him. When he spoke after a few moments, there was a pensive, thoughtful tone to his voice as he spoke slowly.
"People seeing you... seeing you stand up as the CEO of Queen Consolidated, as a Queen - practically the First Family of the city - being the public face for this cause." Blood nodded, "That would make a difference. It would change some minds."
Oliver stood, and Blood did as well, "Then let's make a difference," he told the Alderman. He held out his hand again, and this time Blood accepted it - though not without a momentary grimace -, giving him a firm shake, then he did the same with Laurel.
"I'll see what I can do about talking to the people protesting and camped outside Merlyn Global," Blood offered. "I can't promise they'll just be happy to see Tommy Merlyn walking around, but I think I can convince enough of them to back off, for now, that the rest will have to leave."
"Thank you," Oliver said. He hadn't spoken to Tommy since the day he'd killed Malcolm Merlyn, but he didn't bear his friend even a little ill will for the silence - and Tommy deserved better than to be trapped inside Merlyn Global in fear for his life.
October 20th, 2013
Reception Hall, Queen Consolidated, Starling City
"Good think you have me to help keep you on time for these things," Laurel said. She'd styled her hair in carefully arranged curls, and was wearing an elegant black sleeveless dress that looked beautiful on her - though as Oliver had noted, there was pretty much nothing Laurel could wear that wouldn't look beautiful on her.
"Oliver Queen does have a reputation for being fashionably late," Oliver pointed out. "It wouldn't have been the end of the world if I was a little late."
Diggle cleared his throat, "Have I mentioned this penchant of yours for talking in the third person weirds me out?"
Oliver was about to say something else, but he got a call on his phone. Felicity.
"Felicity, go," Oliver turned the phone on speaker, since the three of them were alone in the elevator.
"Okay, so, good news and bad news," Felicity told them. "I've hacked FEMA - another federal crime by the way - and I know when the next truck is leaving."
"The bad news being that it's right now?" Laurel asked.
"Just about. It's due to leave in five minutes," Felicity explained. "They did up security around the truck depot itself, so I'm going to guess the Triad tries to hit it on route."
"I hope so, because there's no way we can get to the truck depot in five minutes," Oliver grimaced. This fundraising benefit was important, but the truck - it needed to be protected.
"No, there isn't, because you're not going," Laurel cut in. Wait, what? There was no way Laurel was suggesting they just let the truck get hit. He turned to stare at her, raising an eyebrow. "You can't go, Oliver. If you do, this whole benefit fails, and then where will that leave us with Blood? He's going to whip up his angry mob even more."
"You can't go up against China White and her friend alone!" Oliver protested. He knew Laurel was good, but so were those two. "I mean - you can't take that risk."
"I have to," Laurel countered. "I can go - you can say I'm feeling sick and couldn't make it. But I can't do the same for you," She stared at him. "Oliver, this whole thing hinges on you." Laurel shook her head, "I can't say I'm thrilled about facing them together, but I do have a few options. I've been working on reproducing some of the other tools and tricks of the League that I didn't use much myself."
Laurel took his hand and squeezed. "I'll be careful."
"I can provide some backup," Diggle chimed in, making the suggestion. "In case you need it."
"I might," Laurel nodded. "And there's enough other Queen Consolidated security there... so we don't need you at the benefit either..."
"Guys, whatever you decide, you need to do it soon, the truck's going to leave any minute now," Felicity cut in over the phone.
"Text me the route info," Laurel said, "I'll be on my way as soon as I can." Showing the same reflexes she did when they sparred - and beat him most of the time - Laurel grabbed the phone from Oliver and hung up as the elevator reached the level for the reception hall, where the benefit was being held.
"Oliver, you know I'm right."
Oliver stared at her as the elevator dinged and the door opened. She is right... He couldn't not attend. It would ruin the entire event, and it would turn Blood against him even more.
Laurel was the best hand to hand fighter he'd ever seen. China White had only successfully gotten away with the truck a few nights ago because the cops intervened...
But still. Two on one, both of them protected from her sonic device...
"Be careful. Please," He stepped out of the elevator and watched it close behind him as Laurel pressed another button. He walked down the hall, and found it filled with his 'elitist friends'. He started shaking hands and greeting people as he looked for Alderman Blood, thanking them for attending.
"Mr. Queen." Blood said behind him, and Oliver turned. This time, the Alderman held out his hand first, and Oliver accepted it, giving him a firm shake. "I saw you come in, but I had to work my way over to you." He looked around the crowd. "When you said you'd invite all your elitist friends, I didn't know you'd actually invite all of them." He had a bit of a rueful smile, though how much of that was a carefully crafted politician charm offensive, Oliver didn't know.
"Well, I do like to be thorough. The more people we can reach, the better it will be for the Glades." Oliver agreed. He saw Blood looking around a bit, and he guessed he was looking for Laurel. "Laurel came down with a stomach bug a few hours ago. As we were leaving, she decided it was better to stay home," he hadn't practiced the lie, but it was simple, and delivered easily.
"A pity. She did excellently organizing this on short notice," Blood noted. "Please, give her my compliments."
"I will," Oliver smiled. "I suppose we should get started, since we're both here," He grabbed a glass of champagne from a passing waiter, and a fork from the table of hors d'oeuvres. With Blood walking next to him, Oliver made his way through the crowd, shaking a few more hands as he went, and reached the front of the room.
He tapped the fork against the champagne glass to get everyone's attention, and the murmur of conversation tapered off quickly enough.
"I want to thank all of you for coming," Laurel had helped him write a short speech to start this off, and he was pretty sure that between them, they'd managed to hit the right notes. "What happened in the Glades last April was a horrifying tragedy - but it has been good to see help coming in, from across the country. But the whole reason we're here is that it's still not enough. Not for the Glades, and not for the people who live there. Not for our city." He
"Which is why I'm very happy all of you decided to come, so we can do what we can to help fix that," he went on. "I'd also like to thank Laurel Lance, for organizing this whole thing on short notice. Unfortunately, she's feeling a bit under the weather, or she'd be here at my side, helping me get you all to donate as much as we can get out of you." There was a small patter of polite laughter at the joke.
"And of course, I'd like to thank Alderman Blood. I know that for you, being here with all of us must be like taking a trip to your idea of hell, and I appreciate you braving being in the belly of the beast to be here with us today.`` The chorus of laughter from the crowd, and even the amused, if suppressed chuckles from the Alderman next to him were much more genuine than for his last joke.
"What happened in April was a tragedy, as I said," Oliver repeated. "But maybe, maybe it can be a wake up call, for all of us - the people who live in the Glades deserve the same dignity that you and I deserve." He gestured to himself, "I was born a Queen. Born rich, privileged and a whole drawer of silver spoons in my crib. And I frittered away my life, idle rich, partying, crashing cars and generally being a burden on my family. But eventually, you have to step up and take responsibility. And that's why I fought so hard to keep a hold of Queen Consolidated. I could have sold my shares and let the company be sold off, and lived rich off that money, but too many people in the city depend on the jobs Queen Consolidated offers here. Starling City is my home, it's all our homes, and that's why we're still here, right?" There was a chorus of 'hear hear' from the attendees in response.
"So yes, this night is about raising money for the reconstruction efforts in the Glades, and to help the people there rebuild their lives. But I hope that for all of us, it can be a chance for us to step up, and take responsibility for making sure that things in the Glades get better. Permanently. Because at the end of the day, this is all our city."
There was a polite applause, and he nodded to the Alderman. Blood nodded.
"Nice speech," Blood admitted in a soft voice, and then he stepped up to start giving his own. It was more fiery, and a bit more accusatory, but the Alderman knew how to play to his crowd, offering a very different tone than he did to his constituents, than he did for the cameras. Once that was done, they both started doing the rounds, and walking around the room, talking to people one on one, in smaller groups.
Oliver tried to channel his parents as he tried to convince people about the need to donate, and used the talking points Laurel had suggested for him, based on her experience at NOVA. After about fifteen minutes, he moved on to the next person, and then blinked when he recognized...
"Tommy?" Oliver murmured. He saw two men in suits standing not far from Tommy, keeping an eye on him and the crowd. "I... I didn't think you'd come after..." He'd sent Tommy an invite, but he hadn't expected...
"It couldn't not," Tommy shook his head."Besides, I'm guessing the protestors vanishing from around Merlyn Global's HQ is related to this?"
Oliver nodded, "Blood said he'd try and talk people into at least keeping their distance. But it looks like the State Police are still keeping an eye on you."
"They insisted on sending a few people to come with me, in case someone tried something," Tommy made a bit of a face at the idea of his minders following him around. He looked away, "Look, Oliver - I'm not..." His expression made it obvious he didn't want to talk about what he was about to say, something about not being ready to forgive Oliver yet, probably.
Oliver shook his head in turn, interrupting Tommy. "Tommy, we don't have to talk about that, if you aren't ready. Tonight's for the fundraising benefit."
Tommy's expression softened. "Thank you... and speaking of - Laurel really outdid herself here." He lowered his voice, "Is she actually under the weather or-"
"I think you can guess," Oliver answered in a low tone, and Tommy nodded.
"I suppose I can." Tommy admitted. "That was a good speech," he added, raising his voice a little. "We're all stepping up now, aren't we?"
"Someone has to. The city deserves better." Oliver nodded. He stood for a moment, looking at Tommy, feeling awkward, unsure of what to say.
Tommy, though, kept things on topic. They started talking about the reconstruction effort,and a few other people joined in, and Tommy actually helped him get a few people to donate more than they initially were going to. He'd always been great at schmoozing at parties, and he put that skill to full use now.
October 20th, 2013
Sidestreet near the Glades, Starling City
"Felicity, how close am I?"
"Turn down the next side street, and you should come out in front of the truck," Felicity said in Laurel's ear. Diggle was following close behind in the car, but she was taking her motorbike, letting Felicity track the truck. "Crap," Felicity spoke as Laurel turned down the street in question. "It's stopped moving."
"The Triad. They'll disable the transmitter as soon as they can," Laurell gunned the bike and came out onto another side street - though wider than the last few - to see a dead FEMA driver on the ground, China White, her claw-wielding friend, and two others with her. Laurel pulled a knife from her belt as she drove towards them, chucking it into the shoulder of one of the goons, sending him reeling backwards. Laurel stopped the bike in front of the truck, and stepped off.
China White smirked.
"Just in time to die." She nodded to her goons, and both of them, the injured one struggling to pull the dagger from his shoulder, stepped back, towards the truck. Laurel knew she'd have to trust that Diggle could handle that part, because she couldn't focus on it as China White and the other man charged in at her. Laurel jumped back, landing on the roof of a nearby car as the claw-man slashed at where she'd been, China White leaping onto the car as well, pulling her knives.
"What, no defiant words about how I'm going to lose?" The Triad Enforcer chuckled.
"I don't really see the point of stating the obvious," Laurel shot back, ducking under a slash and pulling out her tonfas, kicking at the other woman's side - her other opponent jumped onto the hood of the car behind her, and Laurel had to divide her attention, trying to keep both away. She needed to buy Diggle time, and she needed to take one of these two out...
The other man clawed at her, but she avoided the attack, grabbing his arm and redirectly his slash as she rolled off the car, putting a couple feet of distance between herself and the other two as they had to turn and reorient their strategy. China White hung back for a moment, and the other man came at her, Laurel's back to a building's wall. He thought she was pinned...
He was almost on her when Laurel threw the powder at his face - the man's instincts were good and he threw up his hands to cover just in time, the bright light from the flash powder - a specialized variant the League used, her her cheaper knockoff anyway - went off, Laurel seeing some of it even with her eyes closed as she ran to the side, jumping over a trash can - then kicking it towards China White as she pursued. Laurel circled around, her two opponents extricating themselves - but Laurel wasn't idle. She caught the truck starting out of the corner of her eye, and positioned herself, pulling out more of the powder and running towards China White, tossing it at the ground at the enforcer's feet as she finished getting back up - White managed to look away as the powder burst into light, but she was dazed enough. Laurel kicked the other woman in the stomach, sending it sprawling back on her ass as the man with the claws came at her again.
"Tricks and distractions, is that all you have?" He growled, slashing at her. Laurel caught one of his sets of claws on one tonfa, then tried to hit him with her other, but this time it was his chance to duck and strike - the claws slashed at her stomach, and she twisted, losing her block on his other claws, which allowed him to cut across her upper shoulder. Laurel bit back a cry of pain as her skin was cut, even shallowly, dropping her Tonfa and staggering back. She stepped back again, and the other man grinned, stepping towards her, clearly wanting to savor having the advantage... and then he turned, watching the truck, Diggle in the driver's seat, driving right at him. He dove out of the way, rolling on the ground as he mistimed his landing and Laurel pressed one hand to her cut shoulder, biting her lip.
Just get that to the Hospital, Dig. Laurel let go of her shoulder and moved quickly towards the prone man as he pushed himself to his feet - he was on all fours, and Laurel kicked him, getting him in the stomach and sending him rolling a bit away - but before she could follow up, China White came at her from the side.
"The truck's out of your reach," Laurel growled, jumping away, her reaction slowed a little by the pain of her cuts, but enough to avoid the enforcer's slashes with her knives.
"But you aren't," The other woman growled. "Getting rid of you will do more than enough for my organization's bottom line," China White ran to the side, as if trying to flank Laurel, but when Laurel moved to block her, the woman ran past her, to the building, parkouring off the wall a bit to land behind her. Laurel turned, barely blocking her strike, catching the inside of her arm with her forearm, grabbing White's other wrist with her injured arm, holding her at bay... barely. She clenched her jaw, fighting to hold China White back.
The triad enforcer tried to kick at her, but Laurel moved her leg into her instep, catching her and forcing her to stop.
"Sooner or later, this dance of ours has to end with one of us dead," White noted. "And since you don't kill, it's going to be you." But the 'sooner or later' came with the slightest twitch of the other woman's lips...
"Not everything has to come down to murder," Laurel shot back. She ducked under, pushing China White up and over her, using the other woman's forward momentum to send her flying overhead. She heard the other woman impact her ally and the two fall to the ground before she could straight back up and turn around, but now both of her opponents were on the ground, tangled with each other.
Hissing again in pain, Laurel closed up to them and kicked China White off her friend, stepping on his wrist lightly, and then punching him in the neck, knocking all the air out of him and putting him out like a light. She crouched and pulled his claws off his hands, tossing them to the side as she heard police sirens coming towards them.
China White was struggling to push herself onto all fours, and she looked at Laurel, shaking her head. "You think not killing makes you a hero? The police would rather catch you than stop me. You'll always be a criminal to them, and to this city."
"Standing between you and the people of this city matters, not what people call me," Laurel shot back... which was true and false. But she wasn't here to debate vigilante ethics with her. Laurel grabbed the Asian woman's arm, pulling her to her feet, pinning the arm behind her, and then grabbed the enforcer's other arm, wrenching it back - more than it could take - before kneeing the woman in the back and letting her go, sending her staggering forward and falling on her face.
And Laurel would be lying if she hadn't felt a spark of satisfaction at the cry of pain China White had made when she dislocated her arm.
"You could do so much more with your talents," White shook her head, managing to not show the pain in her voice, though she couldn't get up.
"So could you. But I suppose you won't even have that chance in prison." Laurel ran to her bike, getting onto it as the sirens grew closer, gasping as she tried to move her injured arm as little as possible.
"Dig?"
"Truck's at the entrance to the hospital parking lot, I'm on my way back to base. How about you?"
"They're dealt with for now, cops will pick them up," Laurel inhaled sharply as she spoke, turning the bike down another side street to make sure she stayed out of the notice of the cops.
"I'll prep the first aid kit," Diggle commented, the knowing tone in his voice. "How do you figure Oliver's doing at the benefit?"
"He's survived worse."
Diner near SCPD, Starling City
October 21st, 2013
Sara had fifteen minutes to finish her late breakfast and get back to the precinct, but thankfully, this diner - popular with the SCPD - was just a few minutes walk, so she could at least avoid being too fast. She dipped the toast in her sunny-side up egg, letting it get covered in the yolk before taking a bite.
Sara's phone rang... Come on, just let me eat some goddamn food... assuming it was someone from the department, she answered accordingly. "Detective Lance,"
"Is that what you want me to start calling you?" Tommy asked in a tone that someone who didn't know the man as well as she did might call flirtatious.
"Sorry. I figured you were someone else from the department." Sara stopped to take a sip of her coffee. None of the food here was really spectacular, but the coffee was pretty good for the cheap diner drink it was.
Orders of magnitude better than the stuff at the station.
"I assumed." Tommy inhaled a moment, taking a deep breath. "Sara... I know we haven't exactly... talked about the elephant in the room the last few months,"
"I figured you didn't want to touch it," Sara noted. They'd kept their discussions pretty light, or as light as they could be in the situation. Joanna had been a saint sticking by Tommy's side through all of this, when no one else could, and most wouldn't.
"I'm still not really wanting to touch it, but..." He inhaled another deep breath. "Look, can you get away from the station this evening? Drop by Merlyn Global?"
Sara's eyes narrowed. "Tommy? What's wrong?"
"A lot... but specifically... there's something I need to show you."
Sara would have a hard time getting away this evening, but she could probably manage it. And from Tommy's tone...
"I'll be there. See you then."
"See you," Tommy hung up first and Sara returned to the food on her plate, smearing a link of sausage with egg yolk and eating it. She was only a few more bites into her breakfast when she was interrupted again.
"Eggs, sausage and bacon?" Sara looked up at the sound of her sister's voice in front of her. Laurel slipped into the booth across from her. "You're going to give yourself a heart attack eating breakfast like that all the time." The smile on her face took the heat out of her words, but Sara wasn't really interested in bantering with her sister.
Laurel must have picked that up, because her expression fell. "Look - I... I just wanted to... I'm sorry."
Sara inhaled, reading the sincerity on her sister's expression this time. She nodded, "Thank you. I... I'm sorry for giving you the silent treatment the last few days."
"I deserved it," Laurel shook her head. "I was just..." she shook her head again. "No, no need to make excuses. It was wrong."
"You were angry. We all screw up. It happens." Sara took a bite of her toast. Her phone rang again, and she growled in frustration. "Am I never going to finish my breakfast?" She grumbled under her breath, checking the caller ID this time.
Lt. Pike.
"Detective Lance," Sara answered.
"Lance, get back to the station, no."
"Sir, what happened?" Sara's eyes widened at the Lieutenant's tone. Shit had hit the fan.
"China White escaped the truck transporting her to Iron Heights, killed the driver and an officer. All hands on deck, she's not getting out of the city."
Oh, now we care about her, because she killed one of us? Despite her bitter thought, Sara was too loyal to her uniform and her fellow cops to not feel that simmering anger at the death of another officer. "I'm on my way," As she hung up and stood, Sara grabbed the last two pieces of bacon off her plate, all but inhaling them as she pulled a couple bills out of her wallet and dropped them on the table to cover the bill and the tip.
"Sorry, I've got to go. China White escaped," She caught Laurel's flash of anger at the thought of the woman escaping - given the trouble the triad enforcer had given her, Sara understood her consternation. "I'll fill you in when I can," She added, hurrying out the exit and into her car.
I'm going to have to call Tommy and let him know I can't drop by tonight.