Summary - Not all of Stretch's old friends from Mossad are as impressed with his life choices as his new friends are. In fact, one is very, very angry.
Missing scene (sort of) from 5GW, after Stretch/Archer has been delivered by West Senior to the Mossad, and before he wakes in the tank for the first time.

A/N Inspired by the song "Here she comes again" by Royksopp.

A/N II - In my head canon, Arrow becomes Muniz's personal guard, the one who shoots Pooh-Bear with the paralysing agent and then is shot himself by Jack when he comes to the rescue.

Originally posted November 2020, minor edits October 2021.

Dis-Integration

'It's an unusual request, Captain,' Mordechai Muniz told him, looking up from the file.

'Yes sir,' Joseph "Arrow" Aaronson replied. 'It is an unusual situation with Lieutenant Cohen.'

He was standing in Muniz's office, the official one, not his "private" office downstairs. It had taken Arrow two days to pluck up enough courage to come in here and present his request. The Old Master was not the sort of man you antagonised willingly.

'I'm not sure I want my plans to be delayed,' Muniz said. The tone was conversational, but the intent was anything but pleasant. Arrow didn't know what those plans were, he didn't want to know either.

'I feel I must find out.'

The Old Master looked him up and down, in a way that made Arrow uncomfortable.

'Are you sure you are not letting your personal feelings cloud your judgement? I know Archer was under your command.'

Arrow paused, wondering what to say. He decided on the truth.

'It was a betrayal that I've taken very personally,' he replied. 'Ben Cohen was one of my closest friends in the unit. When Major Meir asked who might be suitable I suggested him. His conduct reflects badly on me as well.'

Muniz nodded slowly, thoughtfully.

'And?' he asked.

'I must know how they got to him. I want to avoid the same mistake.'

Muniz was watching him, as if he was under a microscope. Then he handed Arrow a thick file.

'Familiarise yourself with this,' he said. 'Then you may make your request again, with full details of how you wish to proceed. If you wish to proceed.'

Arrow saluted, slightly stunned that this had worked and he might get what he wanted.

'Thank you, sir!'

'Dismissed.'

He wasted no time. All afternoon, Arrow sat in his room and studied the mission report the Old Master had given him, his anger growing steadily with every word he read. He had not known any of this. Somehow, knowing all of the details made him feel the betrayal all the more keenly.

Archer had been dispatched to keep tabs on the Coalition of Minnows as they waited for the girl to grow up. To be there with them, to watch them, to help them. And to protect Israel's interests when the time came.

They had been very clever in choosing Ben for this, as he was too open for his own good. Jack West could undoubtedly smell subterfuge at a thousand feet. Ben was to be the innocent lamb, all chipped up and ready to relay all the information on the group without knowing that he was doing it. A spy who didn't know he was a spy. Perfect cover.

Arrow shook his head. Surely Ben had realised there was more at stake? Surely he couldn't have been surprised when the other group had arrived? Surely he understood that they had a better plan than just leaving him there to "observe"? These were world-changing events, Ben must have had some idea of the part he was expected to play when the time came? He couldn't have been so naive, or blind to the realities of modern warfare and the demands of his country.

He looked at the summary report from the Americans and scowled. They had taken a malicious joy in reporting what Archer had done. How he had turned on his own superiors to protect that little girl.

Somehow, West's mission had become Archer's mission and he had forgotten who he worked for. In the embarrassment and anger that followed, Ben was labelled a traitor to his country, one of the highest order. Someone was furious with him for his actions. Even Arrow, bitter and angry though he was, had thought a Category 5 was a little extreme. Now he knew what had happened, he wasn't so sure.

He read and reread the file, thinking and wondering all the time, searching for the answer. There was nothing in there that gave any clue at all about why Ben had done it. As far as the Mossad were concerned, Archer was as loyal an operative on the first day as on the last. Or he should have been.

Someone had got to him, that was the only option. Someone had found a weakness and bought his loyalty. The thought made Arrow feel sick, that a man he knew so well, and trusted , could be bought like that.

He shook his head again. How? What was more important than the safety of his country and the honour of his friends? How could Archer turn his back on everything they stood for, just to save one little girl? He didn't understand. But he wanted to. And he needed to.

When he returned to Muniz the next morning, his report was ready. Muniz nodded his approval.

'He's here now,' the Old Master said. 'If you are ready?'

'I do have one question,' Arrow replied. Muniz looked at him as if he'd just put a gun to his own head. Arrow held his nerve, but only just.

'Which is?' Muniz asked eventually.

'Category 5. Why?'

The corner of Muniz's mouth twitched very slightly.

'Loyalty is a commodity that one cannot afford to squander,' he replied. 'Lieutenant Cohen is not to be a positive role model. I'm sure you understand.'

Arrow nodded once. He did understand some of it at least. He was going to find out the rest.

'Hello, Archer. It's been a long time.'

Ben felt sick at the sound of that familiar voice. Huddled naked in the corner of the concrete interrogation room, he tried in vain to stop shaking. He didn't want to look round at his old friend. Maybe Arrow would just go away if he didn't speak. He didn't believe it, but he'd do anything to avoid this conversation.

The trip to this facility had been long and painful but he had wished it would never end, in spite of the continuous aching through his body. He could remember Wolf's mocking words and the chill of terror they had caused him. He'd chosen wrongly. The Mossad were not known for their forgiving natures.

His orders had been starkly clear…

'I'll be direct, Lieutenant Cohen,' said Major Meir. 'We must have our seat at the table with the Minnows. You will provide us with that.' He leaned forward. 'You are our first and only choice.'

Perhaps that had been meant to sound like a compliment, but Ben thought it sounded more like a death sentence.

'Sir?'

'You are to put yourself at the disposal of Captain West, you are to obey him without question. Just as the others do.'

'How do I report back?'

The Major shook his head, looking ever so slightly disappointed. Ben suppressed a shiver. This was not a man you wanted to disappoint, under any circumstances. His call sign wasn't "Avenger" for nothing.

'I doubt that West would let you do that. None of the others report.'

'But I don't underst-'

'Lieutenant,' said Meir sternly. 'The only way we get to stay at the table is if you are in that group. You are to do nothing to jeopardise that. Nothing at all.'

'Yes. Sir.' This made no sense.

'You do not sound convinced,' the Major observed dryly. 'If Jack West tells you to run from Nairobi to Capetown, you will run from Nairobi to Capetown. If Jack West tells you to jump off the side of a building, you will jump off the side of a building. If Jack West orders you to invade Cuba or steal the British Crown Jewels, that is exactly what you will do. Am I perfectly clear?'

'Yes, sir.' His voice was more confident this time, but Ben still didn't like this mission. Jack West was a great soldier and a good man, someone who'd treated him with a cautious respect in the past. He didn't like the thought of just rolling up to his secret hideout and demanding to be let in. But there wasn't much of a choice. Not with the Mossad.

That had been then. Now, Ben was about to get his just rewards for betraying his homeland. Why couldn't Arrow just fuck off and leave him alone, and let them just get on with it?

There was a noise from behind Arrow and a tall guard moved close, yanking him upright by the arm. It felt as if his shoulder was about to be wrenched out. He expected a punch or a kick, but none came. Carefully he looked up, seeing Arrow standing casually by the door.

Oh fuck, he thought. He was really going to have to do this.

'Joseph,' he murmured, his voice sounding hoarse. There was nothing much else to say.

Arrow nodded to the guard, who released Ben's arm with a shove. He staggered against the wall, acutely aware of his nakedness and vulnerability. Slowly, Arrow walked up to him, stared at him coldly, watching his face as if trying to see inside him.

'I wanted to give you a chance to explain, Ben,' he said at last.

'Explain what?'

'How they did it.'

Ben drew back.

'How who did what?'

Arrow leaned forward, looking directly into Ben's eyes.

'How Captain West and the others turned one of the most loyal soldiers in my team against me.'

They clinked bottles, and Joseph gave him a wide grin.

'So, you're off in the morning then Ben,' he said. 'I'll be an Arrow without an Archer.' Ben gave a huff of laughter at the old joke. 'A promotion will be coming your way if you get this right. Captain Cohen! How do you think that sounds?'

Ben drew a deep breath. There was something about the whole mission that left him feeling vaguely out of his depth. He was a sniper and that was always going to be what he did best. Instead, he had to go to Kenya, be part of this little group and stay there, presumably until the Mossad thought that enough was enough and pulled him out again. Stay as part of the group. Do nothing to jeopardise that. Do what West told him to do. That shouldn't be hard. It didn't sound hard.

Joseph was grinning at him so, in spite of the doubts, Ben smiled back.

'Thanks, Joseph,' he said. 'And thanks for putting a word in for me.'

'The least I could do for a friend,' Arrow said. 'Hey, maybe I'll get a promotion too!' He took another swing of beer.

'It's going to be a long time coming,' Ben replied. 'They can't even tell me when I'll be back.'

'Or anything else?'

Ben shook his head.

'Nope,' he replied. 'Just the full brief of who and what. Guess I'll just have to figure it out when I get there.'

'I think I'm jealous,' Joseph said. 'Sounds easy. An extended mission. I hope it's somewhere warm.'

Ben frowned. It did sound easy. Too easy. He didn't like this, but it was also clear from the conversation with Major Meir that he could not say no.

Ben looked away, unable to say what he was thinking and unable to explain to his old friend what had happened in the three years he'd been away. Three years in the intense, interpersonal pressure-cooker that was Victoria Station in Africa. Three years to figure out who's side he was supposed to be on. Three years of…

Liam taking such delight in eating bacon sandwiches in front of him. Noddy making sexual innuendos about what he did with his Barrett. VJ constantly taking the piss out of his accent, which was rich considering the man was as Jamaican as Bob Marley. Doris baking him shortbread cookies. Zoe wafting out of the bathroom in the morning looking distractingly feminine and occasionally leaving him in need of a very cold shower. Max lecturing him on ancient history until he wanted to scream. Pooh-Bear always watching him suspiciously, their cultural differences almost too much to overcome.

Lily being a sweet, clever, enchanting little girl.

And Jack, being, well… Jack about everything. Being Jack West, "the" Jack West, leader and Commander, and a man that every single one of those people would die twice for.

Somehow over the years, he'd been accepted as a member of the team. Even Pooh-Bear had mellowed over time. And after what he'd sacrificed to save Lily from the quicksand trap, they had become close friends. Pooh-Bear was a friend like he'd had in Joseph. A comrade-in-arms and an ally through thick and thin. Someone he could trust and rely on. Ben gave a tiny sigh. That all felt a very long way away at the moment.

'I guess people change,' he said. Arrow looked back scornfully.

'You've had years to come up with something better than that,' he said.

Ben didn't reply, he had nothing else to add.

'I can pump you full of drugs and get the truth out of you in a few minutes,' Arrow said. 'But I want to give you the chance to explain why you turned your back on our homeland. On your unit. And on me.'

'I didn't,' Ben said quietly. Except it was kinda hard to argue with the facts: He had turned his back on them all. He knew he had.

'That's not what it looks like from here,' Arrow said. 'From here it looks like you are the worst kind of traitor. And I want you to explain it to me.'

He crossed his arms, staring at Ben who tried to pull back against the wall, away from the look of revulsion on his old friend's face.

'They were gonna kill a little girl,' he said eventually. 'Leave her behind to die in a pool of quicksand.'

'And?'

'That wasn't my mission,' Ben snapped. Why was it so hard to explain? His mission was their mission, Jack's mission. That's what he'd been told. It had sounded so straightforward at first, show up each day, do his job and just be there with them. But these people cared for each other in a way he had found utterly baffling. They weren't a group of soldiers on an unusual mission in the desert, the seven years they'd spent together had formed them into something else entirely. Even the Pooh-Bear treated the others like honoured brothers. Like family. And they all would have done absolutely anything for each other. They would die for each other.

At first, Ben had considered this just another part of the job, and there would always be a case for a selfless sacrifice for the greater good of the mission. But that wasn't what sacrifice meant to these people. All them would die for each other, and to hell with the "mission". The intense loyalty to the group, but also to Jack and Lily, it unnerved him. He could see it every day, always the outsider looking in, unable to figure out what the hell he was supposed to do.

'Your mission?' Arrow asked. 'Explain it to me.'

'Integrate with the group,' Ben said flatly, tiring of the exchange, knowing he didn't have the answer Joseph wanted. 'Do what they did. Go where they went. Do what Jack ordered me to do. And protect the girl.' Lily. Ben couldn't bear to say her name out loud, it hurt too much. He looked into Arrow's steel grey eyes. 'I didn't sign up to murder children.'

'There are Children of Israel who are murdered every day,' Arrow said coldly. 'Innocent children who have no one but us to protect them. Or have you forgotten that?'

'That wasn't the mission,' Ben whispered. He hadn't known what he was getting into. If he could go back in time, maybe he would let Jack blow his brains out like he'd threatened to do on that awful first day. Anything would be better than this, being here right now.

Ben walked up that long dusty path to the station, army bag over one shoulder, his rifle case strap over the other, trying to look more relaxed than he felt. It was like taking the long walk to the gallows. This was going to be the easiest mission in the world to fuck up. Jack West was not the sort of man who would take this incursion lightly. But as long as he played it straight, did what Jack asked, and got on with his job it would all be ok.

Getting inside the station turned out to be the easy part, in spite of the initial death-threat. After the stand-off at the door, they'd left him in the kitchen with Mrs Epper, while they'd gathered behind the closed door of Jack's office. He could hear raised voices. All of them were angry. Some of them were utterly furious.

Sitting at the kitchen table, Doris made him a cup of tea, and offered him one of those odd, chunky cookies she had baked. Ben stared at her suspiciously. Was she some sort of operative? Was this some sort of strange test that West had cooked up? Or was he being a little paranoid? Doris beamed at him.

'These are just out of the oven,' she said.

Carefully, he nibbled on the edge of one. Then he took a bite, and then a larger bite. Sweet, but not overly so, warm vanilla and a hint of citrus, and a texture that crumbled and melted in his mouth, dissolving like butter.

'Fuck, those are delicious!' he said quietly.

There was a girlish giggle from behind him and a little voice said 'swear jar!'

He looked round, but the owner of the voice vanished. When he looked back, Doris smiled at him, a comfortable, friendly smile, the only one he'd seen since he'd arrived. She moved the plate of cookies a little closer.

'You can have another one.'

How was he ever going to explain?

'Avenger left Lily behind to spite Jack,' Ben said. 'It was wrong.'

'Wrong? How many men have you killed in cold blood, Archer? It's a little late to discover your moral compass.'

'I've killed people who have murdered our countrymen,' Ben hissed. 'I've taken away their lives to protect my country.'

'And was that right? Executioner, without judge or jury?'

'Those were my orders,' Ben said, even though he knew exactly what Arrow would say in reply. He wasn't disappointed.

'Orders?' Arrow said scathingly, 'Orders? Remind me again about your orders, Lieutenant Cohen.'

'I had orders to place myself under Jack's direct command,' Ben said. 'I was to be part of the team.'

Doris sat down next to him at the kitchen table, offering him a shortbread cookie, the same type as she'd been baking that first day. Ben took one and tried to smile as thanks. It didn't work. This was supposed to be an easy mission, but he was struggling to keep going in this place, constantly wary, constantly on his guard, feeling as if any one of them might shoot him in the back at any moment. All except Pooh-Bear. No, the Arab would shoot him in the face.

Ben was exhausted, feeling more isolated than he ever had before. No one ever talked to him in a friendly way except Doris and Lily. Surrounded by so many people, he had never felt loneliness like it. He was never going to be part of the team. He'd failed, though he wasn't exactly sure who he had failed more, the Mossad or Jack himself.

'It must be hard for you, dear,' Doris said with a kindly smile.

He looked round suspiciously, still wary, still on his guard, not sure what she was talking about.

'I mean,' she continued, 'they've all been here for years, they know each other and they care for each other. You don't know them at all, even after six months.'

She was right, but he wasn't going to adm-

'Maybe if you joined in a bit more,' she said suddenly. 'If you didn't spend so much time on your own, you would all get along a little better. You might be a little less lonely.'

'I have my orders,' he said quietly, very uncomfortable with her accurate observation. 'This is a job.'

'I know you think that,' she said, patting him maternally on the arm. 'But it's not a job to anyone else.'

Arrow gave a disdainful huff.

'Your "other" orders!'

Ben's jaw tightened, his mouth clamped shut.

'Ben!' Arrow snapped. He slapped his hand down hard against the wall, missing Ben's head by a fraction, and in spite of himself Ben flinched at the sharp noise. There was a long uncomfortable pause. There was only one overriding order for all the members of the Israeli army.

'To protect Israel,' Ben said at last.

'Exactly,' Arrow said. 'And did you do that?'

'How is letting a little girl die in quicksand protecting Israel?'

'How is disobeying a direct order protecting Israel?'

There was no answer to that. Ben had no answers to give. Arrow turned away for a moment, his back to Ben. When he looked round his face was blank.

'So tell me,' Arrow said calmly. 'Because I want to know. How high was your price? What did they give you to turn against our homeland?'

Ben closed his eyes, unsure what to say, or if he could explain.

'How many times do I have to tell you not to eat these so near to dinner!' Doris snapped. Lily looked to the kitchen floor, her top lip wobbling as if she was about to cry. A furious Doris was a terrifying sight to behold. 'There are five missing! Five! I told you what would happen! Don't think tha-'

'Um, Doris,' Ben found himself saying. She turned and Ben's breath caught in the back of his throat. She was a lovely, kindly lady who baked him cookies, but she could take on the Mossad Interrogation Unit when it came to the rules of the kitchen. 'I'm sorry Doris,' he continued, surprised at how nervous he suddenly felt. What the fuck was he doing, getting involved in this? How was this helping? But it was too late to back out now. 'I-I took them. Felt a bit, um, hungry.'

'Benjamin Cohen!' she said, aghast. He winced. The way she said it made him feel six years old again, no one but his late mother ever said his full name like that. Doris shook her head, the look of fury on her face was like an oncoming storm, mixed with a terrible disappointment. 'I had expected better from you, Benjamin.'

He didn't have a chance to react to the words, as there was a soft cough from behind him. Everyone turned, Ben with an inexplicable sinking sensation in his empty stomach.

Jack was standing in the doorway, and Ben hadn't noticed it. Shit!

'Can I have a word, Archer,' he said. 'My office. Now.'

Doris was still scowling at him, but as Ben turned, when he was sure only Lily could see, he gave her a quick wink. She gave him a guilty but conspiratorial grin in return. Ben was surprised at his own unexpected smile as he walked to Jack's office, feeling oddly pleased at Lily's reaction. The feeling didn't last long.

There was a stony silence as Jack closed the door and they sat down. Ben waited anxiously, but West said nothing and just looked at him. Eventually Ben couldn't stand it any longer.

'What is it, Jack?'

West looked annoyed. But there was something else bothering him because that was not a look that Ben had seen before.

'Have you been upsetting Doris?' Jack asked.

'Um, well, I guess,' Ben said. Shit, shit, shit, Mossad were going to kill him slowly and painfully if he fucked up his mission by lying about cookies. 'I helped myself to, um, a few cookies from the tray. I know stealing cookies isn't a good look, but I like them.'

'That's it? That's your excuse? You like them?'

Ben nodded.

'Because the funny thing is,' said Jack, leaning forward, 'I saw Lily take them from the window-sill three minutes before you went in there.'

'Ah.' It was difficult to argue with that, his bluff had been well and truly called. Jack looked at Ben steadily, waiting for a response. Ben pursed his lips, out of his depth in this conversation. Jack still didn't speak but kept looking at him.

'Fuck,' muttered Ben, rubbing his forehead. 'Look, Jack, please, please just don't tell Doris. She'll kill me for getting involved. I don't want to piss her off any more than I already have.'

Jack looked at him for a few moment longer, holding his gaze with those intense steady eyes. Ben gulped.

'I think you're gonna be on cleaning duty from now until next Christmas, Ben,' Jack said seriously.

Ben sighed, relieved at the comment, noticing that Jack had used his given name, not his call sign, for the first time since the day he'd arrived. Was that good or bad? He wasn't sure he could tell any more.

'Yeah, well. I guess.'

'Rather you than me,' Jack said with feeling. 'Doris will get you to pay it back in blood and washing-up liquid.'

Ben smiled, then gave a short laugh.

'Yeah. But if she'd caught Lily again…' he let the sentence hang, raising his eyebrows at Jack. Everyone knew what Doris had threatened to do if Lily had swiped any more cookies before dinner.

'Look, I'm going out to check the far fences later,' Jack said, leaning back. 'You're welcome to tag along. Might be a good idea to stay out of Doris' way for a few hours.'

Ben was taken off-guard by the suggestion. They all knew that Jack liked to work on his own, only asking for help on very few occasions.

'If you want to, that is,' Jack added with a warmer smile. 'I'll ask Liam if you pass. But I thought you'd be more useful. And I'm sick of all that Dan Brown shit he's been on about for the past month. As if we don't have enough weird mystical crap going on around here without adding fiction into the mix.'

Ben paused, thinking maybe he had misjudged the situation, suddenly yearning to say yes and take an afternoon working in the sun with someone to talk to. He thought back to what Doris had said a few weeks before. It wasn't a mission to them, any of them. It wasn't a job, it was life. He couldn't keep cutting himself off from life. The isolation and loneliness would break him, and then what good would he be to Lily or Jack?

After a moment's hesitation, he nodded.

'Are you going to tell me or am I going to beat it out of you,' Arrow hissed. 'What did they pay you?'

'Nothing,' Ben said. 'I didn't have a price.'

Arrow looked stunned, confused and furious.

'Nothing? Nothing? They didn't offer you money? Or sex? Power? Or whatever you wanted?' Arrow was incredulous beyond words and the scathing tone made Ben recoil.

He'd been used to operating alone, lying in the baking sun or in the thick undergrowth, waiting to take that one perfect shot, his unit relying on him to keep his mind on the job. He had friends in the Mossad unit, not least Arrow himself. But the group from the station were people he had grown to care about, and he saw how they cared about each other. He'd had fun, he'd enjoyed their company. Doris had been right. It wasn't a mission, it was being alive and with friends. With family.

Ben shook his head.

'They didn't offer me anything. Other than friendship.'

Arrow's face dropped in shock.

'Friendship?'

Ben looked away. He couldn't stand the way Arrow said that word.

'Saving her was the right thing to do,' he said. 'I did it for my friends.'

'Your friends?' Arrow couldn't have sounded more disappointed if he'd tried.

'And I'm sorry,' said Ben honestly, looking at a man who's life he'd saved more times than he cared to remember. 'I didn't mean it to work out like this.'

Arrow glared. There was a frosty, tense silence, and when Arrow next spoke, the words were laced with fury and venom.

'Sorry?' he said. 'You're SORRY? Is that all you have to say? I recommended you, I told them you were a good man, a loyal man, someone I trusted with my life. I chose you because I thought you understood what this meant. This was my reputation too.'

Ben glared at him, disgusted more than angry, feeling the bitter stab of betrayal. Was that all Arrow actually thought about? Promotion and reputation? Not sorrow for a friend who'd made the hardest choice? Not regret for the end of a friendship that he'd valued? Had their friendship meant anything, or was it a convenient rung on the ladder of Arrow's success?

'Reputation?' he snarled. 'Is that what this is about? Your promotion?' Ben gave a snort. 'You're such a fu-'

The punch to his face was lightning fast, stopping the swear word before it came out. It was so hard that Ben smacked the back of his head against the wall and for a moment everything went grey around the edges. He staggered to the ground, his arm rising to protect his face from the next blow. But Arrow stood back, flexing his hand and giving it a small shake. He looked at the four men behind him.

'I'll be back in twenty minutes,' he growled. 'Just don't make a mess. I don't want to have to clean up any blood.'

Ben swallowed hard, watching Arrow as he stormed out, the other guards approaching menacingly.

Maybe he had chosen wrongly. It didn't matter. He'd chosen Lily. He'd chosen Jack, and Pooh-bear. He'd chosen friendship and disgrace, over loyalty to an amoral man.

He closed his eyes, afraid of his reward.

Arrow had paced the hallway, rarely stopping, placing one foot down in front of the other for the whole twenty minutes. Twenty long minutes of listening to Ben's agonised cries hadn't helped him feel any better. It had made him feel even more annoyed and hurt.

Friendship. That was all it was. He'd become friends with the group. He'd chosen them over his old allegiances. It wasn't anything sophisticated or important, it was just someone showing Ben a bit of kindness and loyalty, and he'd jumped ship like a plague rat.

Behind him stood a technician with the quick-acting drug the Old Master had wanted injected, so Ben would be ready for the final part of his incarceration. Arrow wasn't sure what was planned, but he did know this was going to be the last time he and Ben spoke. Ever. He counted down the last few seconds, listening to the sound of heavy blows and muffled whimpers.

Four. Three. Two.

One.

Arrow opened the door, stepping inside. The guards had certainly been skillful; not a drop of blood was on the floor. Ben had retreated to the corner again, gripping his ribs, the hitch in his breathing an indication of the pain being alive was causing.

Arrow's lip curled into a sneer. Pain was easy. Pain was an old friend. There was nothing to be gained from hurting him even more. Not like this. Ben would just drown in it and vanish, safe from the reality of his predicament. But this was the end and there was one final piece to play. He found he was was looking forward to this part.

'I'm sorry, Ben,' he said. 'But they're not coming for you. No one is coming to help you.'

Ben looked up, his eyes glazed with pain. Arrow looked over him casually, seeing the skin on his back and sides red and swollen, the bruises just starting to show. Arrow fought back the urge to smash his fist across Ben's nose and break it, then beat him to a bloody pulp. But Muniz hadn't wanted him bleeding. And Arrow knew better than to disobey an order from the Old Master.

Besides, there was another way to hurt Ben.

Intel was that West Senior had left Jack and the Arab in the mines and they were both dead. The remaining team members would probably assume Ben was dead as well. No word had gotten out about his repatriation, West Senior had been very discrete when delivering Archer and collecting the bounty.

So no one was coming for him. Jack and the Arab were dead, the others had their own troubles and were unlikely to survive. There was no one left. It was hopeless.

Arrow opened his mouth to speak, and take the pleasure in being the bearer of such terrible news. Then he stopped. He wanted to hurt Ben as much as he could, to repay him for all the sorrow he'd caused.

Hopelessness would give Ben a way out. He could give up, safely knowing that his "friends" would have helped him, if they could have. There would be a cold kind of comfort in that.

Hope was the cruellest thing he could leave Ben with; a lingering, forlorn hope that maybe they would come if they cared enough. But that day could never come as West and the Arab were dead, and the rest of the team would soon join them. Ben would have to wait forever to find out the truth. Always waiting, always hoping, his faith in his friends being chipped away a little more each day for weeks, months, maybe even years.

Arrow smiled to himself. Let him think he'd been abandoned, left behind to suffer alone while the others were too busy to care. That would be a perfect revenge. He narrowed his eyes.

'I'm sorry, Ben,' he repeated, trying to sound like he was genuinely sorry. 'They're too busy saving the world to bother about finding you.'

There was a sharp hiss of breath from the other man. Arrow could see him shaking, and he knew that he'd finally found Ben's true weakness: his trust in his new friends, and the impossible hope they might help him. That hope would eat away at him for as long as he lived.

One final time, Arrow looked down at the man who had been one of his closest friends. The man he'd trusted with his life so many times. The man who said he'd always have his back. No matter what. A man now crushed, ashamed and heartbroken, and a man he was about to leave behind, huddled naked on the floor, on the cusp of breaking down.

Arrow turned and marched smartly out of the room without looking round as the technician with the needle stepped forward.

Mordechai Muniz was waiting for him outside. And he was smiling.

'Excellent work, Captain,' he said, his smile growing wider. 'A most successful conclusion. I congratulate you. I think it might be time to discuss a proper reward for your efforts as I find myself in need of skilled help…'

Ben closed his eyes as the syringe stabbed into his arm, fighting to keep himself from panicking. They were all still out there and still in the game. That's what mattered. They might still come to help him. They might still try. After they'd saved the world, of course.

If he could only keep hoping.

His vision began to go grey as the sedative took effect. He only had moments before he slipped away. Maybe they would help. Jack, Pooh-Bear, Zoe… his friends.

He could hope.

If he could only ke-

End