Disclaimer: Based on characters and references belonging to DC Universe and the CW, which I do not own. Enjoy.
Episode 1: A Vigilante's Homecoming
"Deals can't miss, bro. Primo price, great product." Stent walks away from the building and towards his car, assuring Medina over the phone. Stent's confidence is high, believing that nothing can stop him. He thinks that's how all criminals feel now that the Green Arrow is in prison.
"Look, I'm on my way now, oka-" Suddenly, the light behind him went out. He turned around, seeing a few sparks ignite before the light dimmed completely. What the he-
He then feels a sharp pain in his hand, his voice instinctually cries out, and his grip loosen, dropping his phone. He looked at it to see an arrow piercing his palm. Before he had time to try and find anyone around him, he feels his leg being pulled from the ground, throwing him face down onto the concrete pavement.
He looked at the leg that forced him to fall, seeing some kind of wire attached to his ankle. Just a few meters from his leg, he sees what appears to be…An arrow shaft? No. No, no, no. Out of the blue, a pair of feet landed right in front of him. He looked up at a sight he hoped wasn't true. His confidence turned to terror as he looks at the figure standing over him: a man in green leather carrying a bow. The Green Arrow!?
"No. It can't be you." Stent let out one last scream before something smacks him on the side of the head, rendering him unconscious.
As he got onto the rooftop, he overhears two cops coming from the precinct across from him, including one Nick Anastas. Right on time.
"Am I handling the incident report? I'd like to make date night with Curtis for a change." It didn't take them long to see Jason Stent, wrapped in one of his rope arrows, unconscious. They looked subtly surprised, knowing what this signifies. "Go get the captain." His partner runs off back into the precinct while Anastas stays, checking Stent's vitals.
Satisfied with what he sees, he takes off and heads back to the hideout, knowing that his message will be heard, that the Green Arrow has returned.
Stent takes a sip from the coffee given to him, the taste of it even worse than the pounding in his head. He forces it down his throat, the aftertaste just as terrible. "This coffee's crap."
Anastas gives a smug smirk as he circles around Stent and the table in front of him. "I'll be sure to take it up with our barista. You ready to talk?"
"With a beat cop? I've already wasted enough time. I want to talk with your captain."
As if on cue, the door opened, revealing the precinct's current captain, Dinah Drake. She looked at Stent with an intimidating stare. "You sure about that? Because officer Anastas is a lot more patient than I am."
Stent looks at Captain Drake with a smile. It isn't every day that a woman cop shows up with, in his dirty mind, sweet curves and a pretty face. He nods and gives a lustful sigh. "A lady captain. Nice."
Dinah ignores his blatant looks and comment, looking through his record, an amused smirk forming on her face. "Well, you have quite the record of allegations. Fraud, racketeering, embezzlement."
"The keyword being allegations."
She closes the file. "Well, where there's smoke, there's fire, Mr. Stent. And in my experience, innocent men don't typically show up bound and gagged at my doorstep without reason."
Stent leans in a bit, a serious stare hiding his fear of the person he saw last night. "There's a reason all right. The Green Arrow."
Captain Drake keeps a neutral stare, seemingly not bothered by Stent's statement. "You must've hit your head a little too hard, but Oliver Queen is in prison."
"Then there's another psycho out there assaulting people with a bow and arrow." His tone comes off as a mix of both sarcasm and frustration.
"There have been no vigilantes in this city for five months."
"Then it looks like you have you work cut out for you then, don't ya?" …
… "Now, are you gonna let me go, or do I have to sue your asses?"His blocking motions with the dummy increase faster and harder as the conversation's ends. He already knows what her answer is most likely going to be.
"Yeah. Just as soon as officer Anastas takes your statement." He gives one last punch to the dummy in slight frustration, his hopes that she would've had the determination to investigate him further after seeing his record. Though, he knew the chances of that were very slim.
He didn't blame her for it. After Oliver's arrest, she and other members of team Arrow put a stop to vigilantism to honor an immunity deal between them and the FBI. Since then, they've been trying to help the city in their own ways, but it only made the city worse and set it down on a disastrous path. That's why he came here. To set things right.
He sits down in front of the computer, checking facial recognition software for anyone in Jason Stent's payroll. Since Captain Drake will not find any evidence to implicate him, he has to catch Stent in the act, or at least have the police catch him. One of these guys must know Stent's next move.
After a while of searching, the software pinged somebody matching the description of one of Stent's top men: Medina, a gun launderer rumored to be selling sidearms to people in the Glades. Taking a look at street camera footage, the man is driving a red car with a custom Star City License plate that said "I'M THE MAN." It's the same car that frequents the area under one of the major bridges, a place where there are no street cameras. An ideal location.
He looks up a digital map of the area, marking possible vantage points where he can listen in on any conversations that can give him potential clues. He sees a building right under the bridge and across from his target's potential selling spot. If the guy is selling something, he can swing down with a grapple arrow and take him down along with his business. Perfect. With his plan formulated, he logged off and went to prepare for tonight's "escapade."
48, 49, 50. With his usual rep of pull ups done, he hops down to catch his breath. As he starts to relax, he notices an inmate, someone he's never seen before, walking towards him. He looked smaller in comparison to the others, no scars anywhere and yet is frail. A new arrival.
The new arrival points at Oliver. "You're…you're the Green Arrow."
Oliver becomes apprehensive, the name making him feel uncomfortable. "Wrong guy."
"No, I saw you on TV. The beard threw me off a bit, but you're definitely him." He starts to look a bit excited, but also nervous. "I'm Stanley. Big fan. 'You have failed this city.'"
Oliver is starting to get frustrated, just wanting to be alone. "Okay, but that's not who I am anymore."
Stanley turns around, looking at Brick and Sampson. "Look, I'll join whatever gang you're in. I don't care what I have to do. I-I just need your protection." Oliver started to piece together what Stanley wanted. People like Brick and Sampson can trample all over Stanley at a whim. He knows he won't last long in here without making some friends.
Regardless, Oliver is still reluctant to help. Having someone to protect means he'll get into more trouble than he needed to. "I'm not in a gang."
"Then maybe I can be your sidekick. Or your lookout or something. Please, I—" He looks at Brick and Sampson, his foot tapping and his hands shaking. "How am I supposed to survive in here?"
Oliver's patience ran thin. He just wants Stanley to go. "I don't know. Go away."
With that, Stanley walks off, his walk looking like one of a man in sorrow. Oliver couldn't help but pity him, but he can't afford a liability that may hinder his chances at seeing his family again. He just can't. He looks to Brick, who gives a smirk. Oliver has been in here long enough to know what Brick smirking meant. He's planning something.
"Remember, keep your hands high. That's your guard." Rene's students adjusted their posture as instructed, punching their bags but also being careful not to punch a hole in them…again. Rene pays more close attention to his daughter, Zoe, who is showing more proper punching technique. "Yeah, Zoe. In and out. But keep your distance."
Zoe stops punching and turns to her dad. "Isn't it bad to punch things? Ms. Lopez says going with violence is—"
"Something from the Glades." Rene knows that already. The Glades is notorious for its escalated violence and crime, especially now with no Green Arrow to protect anyone. Most people who live in the Glades now turn to a fight first, ask questions later state of mind, but Rene isn't teaching these kids to go down that path. "Besides, self-defense is not about violence. It's about being focused and disciplined to protect yourself and the ones that you love."
One of his students scoffs at him. "That's just 'cause there's no more heroes to protect us. Right?"
Before Rene could respond, Zoe called to him. "Dad, my bag's leaking." He turned to see the bag spilling out sand all over the floor.
"Nothing a little duct tape can't fix." If we have any duct tape left from the last five times I patched it.
"This bag is gross." He didn't want to admit it, but Zoe's right. These bags are worn down from the past five months he's been using them. Technically, they've been used for years by other people. Rene can only afford the cheap stuff for now.
"Still waiting on that lottery. Besides, gross builds character." He pats the bag, trying to make it not look like a big deal. He turns to the other students. "Ten-minute break while I patch these things up."
Before Rene gets to it though, he looks towards the student who scoffed at him, noticing that he is about to leave. Rene walks over to him. "What's up with you man?"
"This class is dumb. Boxing isn't going to win a fight in the Glades, and you know it."
"Boxing isn't about winning. It's about being focused and disciplined so you don't have to fight."
"You mean like with a hockey mask?" The question caught Rene off guard, leaving him uncertain of how to respond "Come on man, everyone knows your Wild Dog after that trial. You didn't just punch people."
Rene knows what his student means. When he was wild dog, he killed what seemed like dozens of criminals. Back then, he was more careless, risking his life more than once to stop crime. All he wanted to prove was that he could be a hero, for Zoe's sake. For her to live in a safer neighborhood. A safer Star City. To prove he could be the Dad that he is now.
For Rene, that's all behind him now. "I don't do that anymore."
His student scoffs again. "Maybe you should, 'cause my family got robbed last week, and the cops don't care about us in the Glades, so it's on us to protect ourselves. Hitting these bags ain't gonna do it."
The student stormed towards the locker room, Rene not saying anything to calm him down. His mind is currently occupied with doubts. It's true that cops aren't being of much help these days, but that's because they have fewer people after they cleaned house five months ago. No one else joined the force after seeing how corrupt it once was. Then again, the Glades needed more protecting than anywhere else in Star City. No one can deny that. With all the escalating crime, people are turning to buying illegal weaponry for help.
Rene's thoughts are also focused on a certainty that worries him. That his student is going to become one of those desperate people.
His grapple arrow lifts him from the ground to the edge of the roof. He climbs over and walks to the where he can see Medina, who has set up shop and is guarded by a few other men. He turns on his detective vision, calibrated to see through walls and distinguish who is armed and who's not, and examines the surrounding area carefully. Five hostiles, four lights, and a car trunk full of weapons. Target has a sidearm, currently on his cellphone. The rest aren't armed but can overwhelm me if cornered.
He connects his communicator and his mask wirelessly, turning them into a wireless mic that is able to hear what Medina is saying. "Sure. I can sell cheap to the Culebras no problem…Whatever you want, Mr. Stent...You got it…My man." Medina hangs up.
Stent. I need to get that phone. It may be my only lead to him. He shoots a grapple arrow at the bottom of the bridge above him, locking the rope onto the back of his belt. Before he prepares another arrow though, he eyes a teenage boy walking up to Medina. Crud. Okay, wait for civilian to clear out before swooping in.
The long-ranged mic lets him eavesdrop on the conversation. "This ain't no playground kid. Keep it moving."
The boy looked a bit nervous but refused to leave. "You sell guns, right?"Just as he thought: someone in desperate need of protection, looking to a gun launderer to provide it to him. I'll track him down afterwards and disarm him of the gun.
Medina shrugs his shoulders. "That depends. How much money you got, little man?"
"He's not interested."A third voice catches his and everyone else's attention. This one he recognizes. The third voice walks into the meet, his appearance confirming that it is indeed Rene Ramirez. This boy must be one of his students.
The boy looks at Rene with an embittered stare. "You followed me?"
Rene looks back at the boy with a glare. "Yeah. I figured you would do something stupid, and it looks like I was right."
Medina looks at Rene, his head tilted a bit and a curious look forming on his face. "Hold on."The target points at Rene, sounding as if he saw him before, or at least heard of him. Rene pushes the boy behind him. "I know you. You're the one who dropped a dime on Oliver Queen. Uh, Crazy Dog or something like that."
Rene shakes his head. "I don't know what you're talking about. Let's go."He turns to leave with his student, but two of Medina's men block the exit.
Rene turns back to the target, who points to his merchandise. "Well, unfortunately for you, you just saw my entire operation."What was once a sarcastic smile on the target's face has now turned into a threatening stare. "And that can't be good for anybody."
Rene turned to his student. "Get down."The student ducks down as Rene punches Medina with a straight lead. He dodges under one of the guard's punches, returning in kind with a punch of his own. He blocks a couple of punches from another guard before countering with a hook punch. The third guard kicks Rene in the gut while the fourth charges at him. Rene elbows the fourth in the stomach before he could lay a finger. He turns around, uppercutting and throwing Medina to the ground and dodges the third's round house kick before finishing off with a hook to his face.
Medina got up quickly, unholstering his sidearm and pointing at Rene, who gets restrained by a couple of the guards.
That's my cue. He begins to aim his first arrow, thinking the steps he planned in his head. First step: Shoot out lights, staggering enemies a bit with fear and keeping their focus off Rene. He fires four of his arrows in quick succession at each lamp, catching the hostiles by surprise. Bonus step: Light up gun arsenal with an incendiary arrow, intimidating enemies more. He draws and activates an incendiary arrow, sending it flying towards the trunk of the car, setting it ablaze. Now, to make my entrance. He jumps off the building, supported by the grapple arrow. He swings himself around to face where everyone is relative to his new position and cuts the rope off at just the right time. He lands on the roof of the car with force and precision, his presence now giving the criminals a new target for them to focus on.
The guards start to run at him while Medina aims his pistol at him. His shot is interrupted by Rene, who disarms the gun and knocks him unconscious. Target is down. Deal with stragglers before they get to close. He knocks and looses his custom-made concussion arrows quickly, shooting three thugs in the head, rendering them unconscious. One of them is too close. Employ low roundhouse. He crouches down and kicks the last guard in the face, sending him to the ground.
He looks towards Rene, who looks shaken up, but unharmed. "You two alright?"
Rene nodded. "Uh, yeah. Thanks."
He jumps down from the car and walks towards Medina, taking his cellphone and putting it in his pocket. "Call the police, then get off the streets. It's not safe this time of night." He aims a grapple arrow at the building he came from and fires it at the edge. Before he leaves, he looks to Rene and his student once more. "And tell your friends." He whizzes into the air, climbing onto the rooftop. Before he leaves for his hideout, he turns back to see Rene examining one of the arrows he shot. He doesn't know whether Rene doubts his intentions, but the student seems impressed. He knows one thing. After tonight, the whole city will know that a new Green Arrow is protecting Star City.
The rocky waves shook the boat and the heavy rain drenched his parted hair and his cleanly cut beard. These did not bother him though. His focus was on the item in his hand, the reason he came here. The treacherous weather would not deter him.
The captain, however, did not share this determination. "Maybe we should head back! It's not safe!"
"Is it impossible!?"
"No, not impossible! But it is not very smart!"
"Well, how about I add another $100 grand to the $200 I already paid you!?"
"Most people would pay that kind of money to stay away from here! This place must be very important to you!"
"It's not the place! It's the person I'm hoping to find there!" He looked out from the side of the ramp towards the front of the boat, seeing their destination only in the glimmers of lightning strikes. He made it to his destination: The island of Lian Yu.
As he eats the lunch that he got from Belly Burger, he searches the web for any changes that may have happened since his recent activities. No sooner did he find a YouTube video from the Channel 52 News network with the title "Green Arrow Returns?" He sees that it is the #1 trending video, even though it had only been posted 10 hours ago. He smirks, his message finally going public as he hoped it would.
He clicks on the video, which opens to a female news anchor, the same one since 2008. Next to her is an old sketch of the Green Arrow from when he was called the Hood. "Breaking news out of star city this morning as the D.A.'s office is set to comment on growing speculation that the vigilante known as the Green Arrow has returned. For an official statement from the district attorney, we go live to city hall."
The video then cuts to said press conference with the new DA, Laurel Lance, at the podium. The reporters bombard Laurel with questions. "Are the rumors true? Is the Green Arrow really back? Did Oliver Queen escape? Do you have any idea who's under that mask?"
Even with all these questions, Laurel keeps her composure. "We have reason to believe that a vigilante impersonating the Green Arrow is out there. While we're still pursuing leads as to the identity of this unknown assailant, we can tell you with 100% certainty that he is not Oliver Queen. This is someone new." Even for a Laurel who is a criminal from another world, as he recently discovered, she seems to play her role with a professional attitude.
"You said, 'assailant.' Does that mean city hall considers this new Green Arrow a threat to the rule of law?"
"Absolutely. Star City continues to employ a zero-tolerance policy against any and all acts of vigilantism. Anyone found committing or aiding and abetting these acts will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law." She says this as though reciting a rule book to a bunch of new employees. He can tell that she doesn't fully believe in what she's saying, especially given her background.
He clicks off the video, turning to Medina's phone, which had saved messages from Stent. Going through it, he finds that Stent is going to sell his whole arsenal of weapons to a wealthy crime boss. Apparently, his actions as the Green Arrow is hurting Stent's business and is putting him into a corner. The message also says that the amount of money is going to be $400K in cryptocurrency. That much money can help people in the Glades…and give me some money to keep my operation going.
The address is not in the message but says that it will be sent an hour before the buy goes down. With Medina in a cell and being questioned, Stent won't know that he's been compromised until it is too late. So, I'll have to get busy while I wait.
Before he started preparing, something did cross his mind. What if the police discover how I'm picking my targets?
Rene steps into the precinct, seeing tons of police officers and SWAT units armed to the teeth. It looked like they're ready for a war. He walks into Dinah's office, finding her with a kevlar jacket on and checking on her pistol.
"Looking pretty crazy out there."
Dinah didn't look up, her focus still on the gun. "I wanted everyone ready the second Curtis has the location. With any luck, we can establish a perimeter and get some leeway."
"And if the vigilante shows up?"
She cocks her pistol, holstering it by her side. "Then we take him down too."
"I still don't think you should do that."
She looks up and gives a small sigh. "I though we settled this Rene."
"Look, these past few months, all I kept hearing was how scared my kids at the center were. Then this Green Arrow wannabe shows up, and they have hope again. So to me, that's worth a hell of a lot more than our immunity deal, the rule of law, whatever the hell crap Laurel said. Sometimes, people just need something to believe in."
"Right, Rene. I get it. I really do. But how do you know you can trust this guy? You don't know what his motives are and don't even know who he is."
"I know he could've let me die, but he didn't. That's good enough for me."
"Yeah? You sure he saved you or were you just not his target because there is a big, big difference."
Rene doesn't know how to answer that one. He strongly wanted to believe that the Green Arrow copycat saved him. Him and his student. But he can't make a case for it. Not with what little he knows.
Before he can think it over further, he hears his phone chime in his pocket. "Uh, hold on." He takes it out, seeing a text from- the Green Arrow? The initials "G.A." do not mean anyone else he knows. He reads through the rest of the text: Go outside of the office and I'll call you in an instant. My initials will be on your caller I.D. G.A.
"Rene? Everything okay?" Rene looks up to see Dinah looking a bit curious.
He puts on a straight face. "Uh, yeah. That's just Zoe. I need to give her a call back." He steps outside the office, the phone ringing as he was told it would. He looks at the caller I.D., confirming that it is indeed the same initials as in the text. He doesn't hesitate to answer the call.
"Hello, Rene Ramirez."The voice is the same as the night before: deep and almost intimidating. Over the phone, it is more profound.
Rene paces slowly outside the office, acting as if he is talking to Zoe, keeping his voice as low as he can. "How did you get this number?"
"That's not important. What does matter is that Captain Drake is going to arrest me unless you agree to help."
Rene became hesitant, considering what Dinah said a minute ago. "Why should I trust you?"
"Because Captain Drake is right. There is a difference between taking out a target and saving lives. If I wanted to, I would've waited for you and your student to die, blown up that trunk full of munitions, then took down Medina. I didn't because that is not the kind of hero I aim to be. I want hope and trust in vigilantes to be restored in this city and leaving others to die is obviously not the way to go."
With this Green Arrow's answer, Rene's decision now became clear. This guy definitely saved his life and the life of his student. He knows that what he's going to do will save more lives in the long run, probably more than Dinah and the police ever did these past five months. "Alright. What'd you want me to do?"
"For now, go home and prepare. I'll call you when I get the address. Oh, and bring something to hide your face with in case things get hairy. See you tonight."
With that, the call ends. Rene puts his phone away and walks back into Dinah's office. "Hey, uh, Zoe needs me back home, so I'm gonna go."
"Okay." Before Rene stepped out of the door, Dinah stops him. "Rene. I'm doing the right thing here. Trust me."
Rene doesn't turn back, breathing out a heavy sigh. "I hope you are." He starts to walk away, two things going through his mind as he left the station: the assurance that he is doing what he believes is right and the hope that things between him and Dinah don't become intense after tonight.
They made it safely to shore, the storm from last night replaced by the quiet, calm, and yet haunting atmosphere that crept within him. The last time he was here, his life ended, but also began anew.
He turned to the captain, who was getting out the supplies he needed for the trip. "If you don't hear from me in a week, I'm not coming back."
The captain threw the supply bag to him. "I hope you do. You know, you pay me a lot to do stupid things."
He gave a heavy sigh, annoyed by the remark. It was understandable, but the guy brought it up one too many times during the trip. He didn't shoot back, just turned and walked away, saying "Always a pleasure." The captain waved in response before preparing to go back to the boat.
He traveled into the forest, not having too go far before he stumbled upon his first oddity: a pile of rocks forming a grave. He thought all the graves were obliterated after the explosion years ago. He went over for a closer look, finding a piece of wood with a name on it. He kneeled down and picked it up, seeing the name "Robert Queen" written on it. Now he was even more confused. Robert Queen's grave was the first one here and, like he remembered before, all the graves were destroyed. Was this one remade? If so, then why?
Oliver looks at the food on his tray. Even though it's different from day to day, he feels that it all tastes the same, just with a different appearance. He remembered the days when he cooked with William and Felicity, everything from omelets to cookies. It felt like a five-course meal almost every day. Now, he's in here, eating what he now considers to be colorless, tasteless meals. What I wouldn't give for a Belly Burger right no-
"Hey Oliver." He looks up from his food, seeing Stanley with a nervous smile on his face. "I uh…I hope I wasn't intruding on your…"
"Stanley. Go away. Sit somewhere else."
"I can't." Stanley sounds a little more desperate. "Everyone else keeps taking my food and no one bothers to sit with you. Please."
Oliver sighs. So long as he doesn't talk to me. Reluctantly, he gestures his hand towards the seat across from him as an invitation. Stanley smiles and sits down, eating the food quickly as if it were his last. Oliver proceeds to eat his, slowly chewing every bite, trying to find some flavor in it.
"So, you heard that there's a new Green Arrow in Star City?" Oliver sighs again. And he's talking. "You must be jealous, you know, with someone going around as y-"
"Look, I let you sit at this table. I didn't say you could tal-"
Suddenly, Oliver hears yelling from the crowded side of the mess hall. Two inmates are going at each other with everyone else spectating.
Stanley looks on, apparently amused. "Well, it's a good thing we're sitting over-Oliver, look out!"
Oliver turns just in time to see and dodge a tray swinging right at his face. He does not, however, see the fist and receives a blow, but shrugs it off. He quickly stands up to see both Sampson and Brick surround him.
On the other side is Turner, who grabs Stanley and pulls him away. "Sorry, but this is a personal thing. You can go play with them though."
Turner starts to drag Stanley towards the two inmates fighting. Stanley starts to hyperventilate and struggles to break free. He then looks at Oliver. "Oliver. Don't let him. Save me. Please!"
"Hey!" The inmates stop fighting and turn their attention to Turner and Stanley, so do all the spectators. "This is the guy who spilled milk on one of you. Take it out on him."
"No. I didn't do it. I swear!" Turner chucks Stanley to the inmates, who grab him and slam him to the ground. "Oliver, help! Oliver!" His cries are silenced by the fists that pummel his face to no end.
Oliver doesn't watch but turns his attention to the three men around him. Brick chuckles. "You knew we were going to do this sooner or later."
Turner takes out a shiv from his pocket. "Been waitin' a long time for this. Revenge is a bitch."
Oliver doesn't want this. He can't do this. He needs to keep up his good behavior for the hope of a lighter sentence. "We don't have to do this."
Brick chuckles again. "Oh, but we want to."
Okay. Diplomacy is not an option. Before Brick and Sampson could attack, Oliver rolls on the table towards Turner's side, where there is more room for him to maneuver. Turner quickly tries to plunge the shiv into Oliver, who traps the wrist and twists the joint until Turner's palm opens up enough. He takes the shiv, grabs Turner and slams him on the table, taking him out of the fight.
Oliver's attention then turns to Brick and Sampson, who are now charging at him. He ducks down to dodge their attacks, stabbing Turner's shiv into Sampson's leg. He struggles to block both Sampson, who is still using the tray, and Brick's kicking. Finding an opening, he grabs Brick's kicking leg, holding it long enough to stand up. Ignoring the tray slamming on his back, Oliver sweeps the leg that is struggling to keep Brick up, forcing him to the ground. Two down. One to go.
Oliver blocks Sampson's attacks, looking for an opportunity. He then parries the tray and deliver a punch to Sampson's face, giving Oliver an opportunity to crouch down and grab both of Sampson's legs, lifting them up and forcing him to the ground.
Just as Oliver is about to relax, he feels someone tugging at his shirt. He quickly grabs the shiv from Sampson's legs just before he is pushed onto one of the tables. He is flipped around and sees Turner, who punches him in the face, anger riddled all over his own. Trying to dodge every punch he can, Oliver takes the shiv in his hand and, instead of using it, slips it into Turner's pocket. By now, Oliver believes, the guards would be breaking up the fight. And he was right.
"Break it up. Break it up." Two guards stand over Oliver and Turner. They forced Turner off of Oliver, allowing him to get up and kneel down with his hands behind his back, which is the standard procedure for all inmates after a fight. Yorke walks up to them, eyeing the pocket that contained Turner's shiv.
"Well, you know the penalties of carrying a weapon, Mr. Turner." He takes out the shiv from Turner's pocket. "Take him to the hole." The guards grab Turner by the arms and drag him to the hole, one of the special prison cells that serves as a place of isolation to protect other inmates and give the guards less trouble. The amount of time spent there is up to the guards, but for Turner, it will be two weeks at most since he was caught with a weapon.
Turner, seeing his new predicament, snarls at Oliver. "You're dead Queen! When I get out, you're dead!"
Oliver sighs once more, this time with relief. With Turner out of the picture, Brick lost his best enforcers and the only equal to Oliver in this prison. Nobody will dare take on Oliver now. At least for a while.
Before he relaxes his guard completely though, he hears groans coming from where the other fight was happening. He sees Stanley, lying on the floor. Oliver can't get a good view of Stanley completely, but he can guess what the injuries are.
Yorke walks over to him and examines the damage done. "Take him to the doctor." A guard lifts Stanley up, his face now in Oliver's view. He has bruises all over his face and he showed little signs of breathing. A part of Oliver feels sympathy for Stanley and also shame. Shame that he did not at least try to protect him. Oliver knew Stanley wouldn't survive among the other inmates.
The other part, though, reminded Oliver that if he did, it meant he would see his chances of an early release never come to pass. He did what he had to so he could see William and Felicity again. He can't mess this up. Not while he's gone this long with good behavior. If that means a good person must fend for himself, then that's Stanley's loss, not his.
He spent the whole day preparing, making enough of each kind of arrow to account for every situation. He sharpened his aim, his martial arts, his acrobatics, anything that helps him pass the time until he gets the address.
It has been a few hours and still nothing on the phone about the exchange. With no activities left, he decides to just take one glimpse at how things are going at Hope Springs. Just one glimpse. He activates the AI hooked into the computer monitor. "Show me Felicity Smoke and William Qu-Clayton."
The monitor displays the apartment, Felicity just entering and placing her thumb on the security pad, assuring the system that it is not some stranger looking to rob the place. He rotates the screen to get a good look at her, seeing her carry the leftovers from her job. He chuckles a bit as he sees her with her yellow hair with pink highlights and nose ring. I forgot she-
"Felicity." A voice grabs her attention and his as well. Coming from the hallway next to her is William Clayton. He looks at the boy that reminds him of a time long, long past. Long before the events that are to transpire.
Felicity turned the living room lights on. "Hey. Sorry, did I wake you?"
William shook his head. "I couldn't sleep."
"Everything all right?"
No. Nothing's all right. William shrugs his shoulders. "I guess."
Felicity puts a comforting arm around William, leading him to the table. "How was school today?"
"The same. It sucked." He nodded at William's statement. That was the truth.
"Well, did you at least crush your geometry test?"
"Yeah. I just…miss my old school." All the friends and memories that should've lasted longer.
"I miss my old job." Right. She had to get that café job to provide. Was there anything good there besides the cocoa?
"And I really, really miss your dad."
"Me too." More than you realize.
"At least we still have each other, right?"
He begins to feel displeasure at this point. Both of them do. For how long with all the changes happening? How much longer? Felicity hands the container filled with leftovers to William, probably hoping that him eating it means he agrees with her statement. He just sets it aside. How much longer do we have to stay here for? "How much longer do we have to stay here for?"
Felicity's smile falls, but no completely, not wanting to show William that she too is feeling the same thing he is, that this didn't have to happen, that maybe if Oliver discovered a way to stop Diaz without resorting to the FBI, to not revealing his identity to the public, then they would be together as one, big, happy family. But that didn't happen. This is the reality, and she has to show that she still has hope for a happy ending.
She doesn't, however, have a positive answer for William. "I don't know."
He shuts off the screen, not able to take anymore of the conversation. He bows his head down, running his hands through his buzz cut hair and gives a deep sigh. Why did she go with that? Why didn't she just say something like "It won't be soon, but we can't let that dim our spirits?" Just something hopeful instead of depressing. WHY!?"
His thoughts are interrupted by a beep next to him, the source being Medina's phone. His eyes grow wide. Stent texted the location. He quickly grabbed the phone and went into the messages app, finding one new text that indeed came from Stent. He opens the text and finds one brief message with an address. Got it. An abandoned steel manufacturing plant by the wharf. The text also says that Stent is bringing quite a few guards carrying better firepower than Medina's men did. What about the plant itself?
He turns his computer screen back on and frantically researches the manufacturing plant in question, searching through images of both the exterior and interior. It's a wide-open area, enough for cars. The equipment was scrapped, so there won't be any room for cover. There are, however, high beams on the ceiling I can use to take out my enemies from above. Heh. It seems grappling arrows are becoming somewhat of a theme this week. Anyways, I should have more than enough to take down the three thugs and more in case Stent gets paranoid. Okay, time to get Rene.
He puts on both masks and the hood, grabbing his bow and quiver. He taps a button on his communication device, telling Rene where to meet as he makes his way out of the hideout and towards the wharf.
From his vantage point, he can see the entire floor of the plant. He sees three cars and three tables loaded with heavy ordinances ready to be sold. Stent is there, pacing back and forth, murmuring to himself, probably wondering what's taking the buyer so long. One of the signs that he's either scared or stressed. Probably both.
Moving from Stent, he cases the rest of his environment. Five guards spread around behind him. Probably more coming with the buyer. Seven light sources. High beams and grapple arrows are still a viable option. Otherwise, improvise.
"That's a lotta guys down there." Rene, who is wearing his signature hockey mask and blue vest, is also looking at the floor, his voice sounding a bit concerned. "You sure you don't need help with this?"
He turns to Rene and nods. "I can handle it. Just be ready with the distraction."
He then hears two large doors below him open. He leans over to see two people entering, both of them wearing the same kind of suits as Stent. One of them is carrying a small box, possibly the one containing the cryptocurrency Stent wants.
He leans back and turns to Rene. "This is it. Remember, when the police surround me, give it a few seconds and then set off the distraction. Got it?"
Rene nods. "Got it."
He turns back around to see one of the men, a bald man, shaking hands with Stent. That must be the buyer.
Stent paces in front of the buyer with great calm, betraying his impatient demeanor from a few seconds ago. He also holds up his arm, which has a bandage on the hand where an arrow once was, as if a cast were holding it up. "This is a million dollars worth of product here. All yours for $400k."
"What's the catch?" He can't tell what the buyer is feeling, but it may be either curiousness or skepticism.
"I got burned out of the business. Decided to liquidate for my mental health."
To be sure the plan isn't for nothing, he turns on his detective vision, seeing at least a dozen cops surrounding the building. He also spots a small camera that views the exchange. Good. Now the police have to arrest Stent.
The buyer nods to the man with the box, who proceeds to open it, revealing a small usb drive. The buyer takes the drive out of the box and presents it to Stent. "$400k of assorted crypto currencies. As requested."
Here we go. He readies an arrow, aiming it at a light source.
"I do miss the old days."
Stent takes the drive. "You mean a brief case full of money. No thanks."
Now. He lets the arrow loose, knocking one after another, shooting each light source until the room is nearly pitch black. He hops on the high beams, getting to the center of the floor where three guards back into a narrow pathway created by the cars. He fires three grapple arrows that attach and retract on their legs, lifting them up so they are facing the floor. He then attaches the arrows onto the beam. Three down.
He runs across the beam, taking aim at a guard below with a concussion arrow and shoots him in the head, leaving him incapacitated. He then runs across in the opposite direction, perching above the buyer and his assistant, who are hiding behind one of the cars, not knowing where he is. The last guard is just across from them, looking frantically for any sign of movement. Perfect. He fires two more grapple arrows at the buyer and his assistant and jumps back from the beam, the rope and the weight of the two men swinging him over to the last guard, who looks up and aims too late, getting knocked out by a kick to the face and chest.
He releases the bow from the rope, landing on the ground. He stands up and turns around, seeing Stent trying to remove the barriers from the large doors. And then there was one.
Stent, seeing no way to open the doors, makes a dash for the doorway next to him. He is stopped by a grapple arrow that clenches his shoulder and hurls him backward. The next thing he knew, he is seeing the world around him twist and turn as he is thrown to the ground, leaving him with agonizing pain all over his body.
He kneels over Stent, seeing the terror in his eyes, but hearing pain in his voice. "Please…I'll give you what you want."
He fishes into Stent's pockets, finding the drive given to him by the buyer. "I have what I came for." He then grabs Stent by the throat, not to the point of choking him though. "Jason Stent, you have failed this city. So, if you ever launder guns again or threaten innocent lives, if I even catch wind of you ESCAPING your cell…I will make your life a living nightmare. Do you understand!?"
"Yes, yes." Stent speaks in a more squirming voice, acting as if being choked by his hand, but more likely by fear.
That's all he needs to hear, and probably the police too, for one of the plant's lights comes on as swarms of SWAT and officers barge in. He readies his bow, not to fire an arrow but as a warning for the SCPD not to come close. He looks again at their numbers. She must have brought the entire force here. Among the front lines of the force is Captain Dinah Drake, firearm in hand. He stands firm, keeping his arrow aimed, trying to stall for Rene to set off the distraction.
Captain Drake takes a step forward, her gun now aimed at his head. "Drop you weapon now." He doesn't flinch. As she takes one more step, he draws the bowstring back a bit more, his fingers tightening their grip on the bow. Her men aim their guns higher and more carefully. "Don't be stupid."
Come on Rene. Do it already. As she takes one more step, a couple of flash-bangs go off in front of the officers, their range not blinding him. With the distraction set off, he makes a dash for the sewer exit, jumping inside and running and fast as he can. The last thing he hears behind him is Captain Drake shouting, "Vigilante heading north!" He isn't worried. He has a head start on them already. Besides, he has to lure them away so Rene can make his getaway as well. He just needs to run as fast and as far from Rene's position as he can.
He had been walking through these woods the whole day, though it felt like forever. The map didn't help matters either. His frustration rose. "Come on. Where are you?"
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a noise beneath his feet, like the snapping of a mechanism. Before he could react, his leg is suddenly pulled off from the ground, flipping him upside down. Quickly, he searched his pockets and took out the survival knife he brought with him. Before he could use it, an arrow came out of nowhere and disarmed him.
He looked towards where the arrow came from, seeing a figure in a uniform similar in design to his, only it was red and more low tech. The face was a bit covered by his mask and hood, but he could still discern it enough to know who it was: Roy Harper.
he put up his hands in front of himself, motioning his attacker to stop. "Wait. I was just trying to get free."
Roy didn't seem to listen or care. "You never should've come here."
Seeing that he couldn't get Roy to stand down, he blocked his face from a horizontal swing from Roy's bow. When Roy came in for a second swing, he grabbed and disarmed the bow, returning with a swing of his own, hitting Roy on the side of the face hard enough for him to fall down, but not knocking him out entirely.
He looked frantically for any way to get himself untied. Looking up, he noticed the branch holding the rope was not very big, so it could give way with enough force. He took a deep breath, leaning as much as he could and grabbed the rope. He climbed up it a bit before pulling it with all his might, the branch breaking loose with each tug. Eventually, the branch broke completely, his body falling to the ground, the rope still attached to his leg.
He quickly got up just in time to dodge a forehand swing from Roy's bow. "Wait!" He then ducked under another horizontal. "I just want to talk!" Roy just kept swinging, the attacks coming so fast, he could barely dodge them in time. Eventually, Roy got a hit in, not hard enough to send him falling, but at least daze him. As he regained his composure, he looked at the rope, quickly deducing that it was long enough that he could use it without tugging on his leg, so he wouldn't trip himself and leave himself open to an attack.
As Roy swings another horizontal, he dodged it and quickly took the rope. As Roy prepares a backhand, he traps Roy's arm and and tied it and his neck, moved behind him and finally threw Roy to the ground. He quickly punched Roy in the face, knocking him out cold.
Free from danger, He took off Roy's hood and examined him. He looked old, roughed up. His hair and beard looked somewhat unkempt but at least cut. Roy must've been here for months. Maybe a couple of years. "What happened to you Roy?"
He enters the hideout, rushing towards the computer to check on his security cameras. The various screens flicker on, showing no sign of anyone nearby, which means none of the police were able to follow him.
He then hears a blip coming from the upper corner of his screen. It's a text message from Rene which says, "Made it out. No one followed me. Good working with you G.A. Don't hesitate to ask for help again." He breathes out a sigh of relief. He types on the keyboard, responding to Rene. "Good. Keep low and stay out of trouble. G.A." He doesn't respond to the part about the future help. He asked for it this time because he didn't have a choice. He hopes it doesn't come to that again. This mission is his cross to bear, not anyone else's.
He plugs in the drive and searches through the contents. The important part is its sources. It seems the sources are charities that act as fronts for organized crime. This means it won't be traced to Stent and, at the moment, doesn't count as dirty money if it looks like donations to those in need.
He splits the money up, leaving $100 grand for himself and donating the other $300,000 to various places in need of renovation, including a certain Rec Center in need of new boxing equipment. He begins the money transfer, letting himself give a bit of a smirk. This may be just one step of many, but this, at least, is a good first step.
Too exhausted to change out of his suit, he slowly walks over to the bed just across from him. He slumps down onto it, his eyelids ready to close shut for the night. But he can't sleep just yet. He unzips his suit just by a bit and reaches into his secret pocket, taking out his small bible, the object that gave him back his hope when he felt that his whole life was collapsing around him. He always takes it out when he is in prayer to remind him of how he came to his faith and that part of his mission is to keep to that faith.
Wanting to keep it short, he starts to pray, "Dear God…thank you for this victory. The one out of countless others that I will possibly face. But also, help me to remind myself why I am doing this. Please guide me so that I do not get lost in the darkness that countless others had lost themselves to. Help me focus on the mission for my sake as well as everyone else's. Amen."
He slips the book back into the pocket and finally lets himself drift off to sleep, darkness covering his vision, hoping that after this, he dreams a good dream this time. Before he lets himself completely relax, he utters one more thing to end the day, "Lights out."
Oliver looks at the photo of his wife and son, wondering how life is for them in witness protection. He knows that they were reluctant to go through with it the last time he saw them, but they had to. Diaz is still out there, probably hunting them down along with trying to take back control of the city. He couldn't risk it, especially with his identity now known to the entire world.
Just as Oliver puts the photo down, he hears moaning coming from the cell next to him. He recognizes the voice. Stanley. He walks to his cell bars and leans in his head as much as he can to try and see Stanley. He can only see Stanley's feet stretched out from the wall.
"Stanley. Stanley, are you okay?"
"O…Okay? Do I sound o-okay to you?" No, he didn't. His voice sounds weak, whimpering, almost as if he has given up. "Why…why didn't you help me?"
"They surrounded me. There was nothing I could do."
"You could've ag-agreed to let me be y-your sidekick. Just put me under your…protection."
"Stanley, I can't. I…" Oliver didn't know how to explain this without sounding as if he doesn't care whether Stanley got hurt or not. "I can't get myself into trouble. Otherwise, I might not get my sentence lightened and I may never see my wife and son anytime soon."
"So, you think getting wh-what you want is more important than protecting an innocent?" Oliver doesn't respond, mostly because he knew Stanley wouldn't understand, but also confused at what he meant by innocent. "I don't belong here Oliver. I was framed for a crime I didn't commit. That's…That's how bad things are in Star City. Do you…still think your life is more important than…than that of an innocent?"
Oliver doesn't say anything. He just retreats to the bed and sits there, waiting for lights out and hoping Stanley will understand overtime.
He does, however, takes a moment to contemplate what Stanley said. All his life, he believed that all people who came here were criminals, that the law was always right about who it persecuted. Especially when it came to himself. However, he thinks back to Peter Declan, who he and Laurel saved from false persecution 6 years ago. Stanley is a what if scenario. A what if scenario for Peter Declan if they had failed. Oliver now feels a sort of revelation. Without the Green Arrow, the law was not being enforced as it should've been. I just hope this new Green Arrow is enforcing the law as much as he is working outside it.
After a minute of contemplating, he decides that he can think more about this tomorrow. It is more important that he stays rested and ready, especially after today's events. When Turner gets out, he'll need to prepare for something like it to happen again. Oliver then hears Yorke call, "Lights Out!" He closes his eyes, hoping that whatever dream he has is a different one, but also expecting that it will be the same nightmare as before.
He wakes up in a fit, his breathing becoming almost out of his control. He doesn't fight it. Rather, he lets himself hyperventilate, his body telling him to slow down until he started to breathe normally. He rubs his eyes with his hands. Why that nightmare? Why?
Suddenly, he hears a noise coming from his computer. It's his alarm for any drastic changes to come that require his attention. Already? He gets up and walks over to the computer, clicking on the notification on the monitor. Maybe me taking down Stent had more of an impact than I- His thoughts, as well as his own body freeze as he sees what is before him. His eyes go wide. Words are having trouble forming in his mouth. After a few seconds, one word comes out of him. "No." The word keeps repeating, faster and faster. "No, no, no, no."
Panic sets over him. He frantically tries to find out when this happens. Maybe it isn't too late. Maybe there's the slightest chance he can stop what is to come. 5 minutes. Plenty of time. He rushes to get his bow and quiver, taking his means of transportation with him as well. I've come too far. This can't happen. I won't let it.
He wakes to the banging of the cell bars. At this point, he has taught himself how to control his breathing as he starts to wake from his nightmare. He gets up and sits on the edge of the bed, seeing Yorke do the routine wake up call. "Morning 4587. Beautiful day."
Felicity wakes to the sound of her phone's alarm. She turns it off and takes a deep breath. Another day, another coffee shift. She leans up and sits on the edge of the bed, closes her eyes and takes a more focused breath. You're doing this for William. You're doing this for William. The phrase is the only thing keeping her going at this point. She has to stay strong, for the both of them.
She gets up and walks into the bathroom to get ready for the day.
The hot moisture of Oliver's daily shower is really the only event that feels calming, that makes him feel no imminent threat or danger is coming. He closes his eyes, letting the soothing steam take away yesterday's sorrows. It doesn't, however, take away the thought of the talk he and Stanley had the other night. Maybe if people just heard that he's at least an acquaintance, maybe they can just leave him alone and then he can leave me alone. Though, that means he'll take it as an offer for protection, so that won't work.
Fully dressed, she gets out of the bathroom and takes her cellphone, the smell of fresh boiled coffee still lingering in her room. The smell should make her feel refreshed, but it only gives her slight disgust. "You'd think I'd get sick of coffee by now?" Just as she's about to exit her room, she hears a door close outside. "William?" Why's he awake this early? It's a Saturday.
She goes outside her room, finding no one in the living room. peeking into the hallway, she sees the door to William's room…closed. Okay. Now I'm a bit- she stops dead in her tracks when she notices her security give an "error" message.
"Hey Erin." She jumps at the haunting voice coming just a few meters from her. Her fears are realized. Ricardo Diaz stands there, wearing all black and a small smirk. "You're a hard woman to find."
As Oliver finishes his shower, he hears light footsteps behind him. Wait. Other people shouldn't be coming in just ye-
He feels sharp steel cut his back, making him wince in pain. He quickly turns around to see an inmate armed with a shiv, preparing to swing again. He ducks under it, returning with a punch to the gut and a kick to the shin. The inmate cuts his leg, but it didn't affect him as much since he knew it was coming. He proceeded to deliver a hook punch to the face and kick the inmate against the shower wall, breaking off a piece of it as well as probably breaking his skull.
"No one to save you now. It's just you and me."
Felicity backs away as he approaches, her heart pounding in her chest. She hides her fear. "I swear to God, if you hurt him-"
"You'll do what? You're gonna sick Oliver after me? Right now, he's realizing how difficult prison life is."
Oliver is pushed towards the wall by another inmate, who proceeds to punch him. He pays in kind with two elbow strikes to the face to break himself free and pushes himself away.
Oliver sees two more attackers coming his way. He kicks on away while the other goes in for a punch, which Oliver traps and counters with his own punch and throws him towards the wall he was pushed onto.
She can't escape. Diaz is blocking the only route out of the apartment. But she notices William peering from the hallway. She can give him time to escape. So, to find the perfect opportunity for William to run, she acts a bit more scared. "What the hell do you want?"
Diaz draws a gun from a barely visible holster and cocks it. "It's pretty simple, actually." Felicity flinches just a bit. If she dies, it's for William. She knows that. Diaz aims the gun towards her head. "I want Oliver to spend the rest of his life in prison knowing…I killed his wife."
Felicity smirks. "Oh, thank god. I made you monologue. Run!" As William runs out of the apartment, she throws hot water at Diaz, making him discharge his weapon. She then disarms Diaz with the kettle and charges at him, giving William time to escape.
Oliver receives a punch to the face, but he doesn't flinch. He blocks the next one, along with a kick from the other inmate. He gets kicked in the back, which pushes him. He gets pushed again towards the other inmate with the shiv. He traps the inmate's shiv hand and punches him followed with an elbow strike to the inmate behind him. With both unbalanced, he throws them to the ground and kicks the third inmate away.
Felicity pushes him to the ground and quickly grabs the poker from the fireplace, swinging it frantically at Diaz.
Oliver traps the inmate's arm, swinging him around and using him as a shield against the other inmate's punch. He throws his human shield down, disarms the other inmate's shiv, and stabs him under the arm. He then gets punched and thrown by a bulkier inmate.
She keeps flailing the poker at him, hoping she can at least scar him. Her arm begins to tire, her swings having less force. As she tries to swing again, Diaz takes the opportunity to charge at Felicity and throw her behind him, her body landing on the table, which crumbled onto the floor.
Oliver pins the bulkier inmate, delivering hooks to the face until he went down. He then engaged the last two assailants, hook punching one in the face and slamming the closest one onto the barred walls, delivering a back-hand strike, then throwing him down. Thinking he has taken them all, almost out of stamina, he relaxes himself. What he didn't expect was another inmate, bigger than the others, hooking him right in the face. He didn't have the energy to receive the force, so he goes down, dazed and out of breath.
The inmate, rather than end Oliver, just stands there. "The only reason you're still breathing is so you hear this message. Diaz found Felicity. Your wife is dead."
Oliver's fatigue is now mixed with depression and doubt. He didn't know whether to believe what he has heard or not. He doesn't refute it, nor does he lash out. He just lays there, placing his head on the floor, now facing the possibility of his family being dead, his old life dying with every second.
With her incapacitated, Diaz takes out a knife and turns to her. Her little stunt has made him angry, but he keeps it to a subtle demeanor. "You're gonna suffer for that."
He slowly walks towards her, his focus on Felicity. Finally, he gets the chance to make both of them suffer, to take away at least one thing from their lives. It feels like nothing can stop him now. He kneels down to deliver the killing blow.
Suddenly, the sound of crashing glass ahead of him gets his attention. He looks up to see someone he'd been told to expect, someone with a sense of timing similar to Oliver Queen. The new Green Arrow. There you are.
The Green Arrow draws an arrow and fires it pinpoint at the knife, breaking the blade and forcing it from Diaz's hand. Just as Diaz is about to ready himself, The Green Arrow quickly charges in with a push kick, sending Diaz flying into a wall and proceeds to pin him there.
The Green Arrow turns to Felicity. "Go! Run!"
Felicity gets up and runs, Diaz trying to get himself free to go after her. The Green Arrow, however, head buts him and throws him to the floor.
He gets up quickly, but the Green Arrow aims at him before he gets the chance to move. "Freeze! Don't move!" His voice sounds like it is altered by a microphone. It sounds deeper, intimidating. A lot like Oliver Queen.
"So, the rumors were true. I was told you would come, but I thought I had the upper hand. Guess I was wrong on both accounts. Oh, and shame you put Stent out of business. I really needed those guns."
He takes a step, wanting to see what will happen, see what kind of man he has become. The Green Arrow draws his bowstring back further, his voice sounding more hoarse. "I said…don't… move!"
The Green Arrow's eyes are covered by some white lenses, but his stance tells Diaz everything he needed to. He stands as if with no fear. With focus, determination. Diaz recognizes that look. It's a disguise for the anger burning inside him. The hatred one standing in the presence of someone who took everything from him would feel. A man who's gone through hell. He thinks it's time to drop the bomb on him. "Or what? You'll shoot me? Go on. Do it."
The Green Arrow stands there, his stance unchanging, his grip on his bow and arrow still firm. After a few seconds of doing nothing, Diaz chuckles. "I knew it. Gutless. More gutless than your old man. He at least drove an arrow right in my shoulder last time I met him. Before he was arrested, of course."
He says nothing, but Diaz can see the slight flinches in his hands, the slight raise of his head. Diaz smirks. "Yeah. I know who you are…William. The things I've been told about you. A billionaire tech guy and a good, devout Catholic by day…and a vigilante by night. What's one of those commandments you people follow? Is it…'Thou shalt not kill?' You think because you only resort to punishing the wicked yet leave them alive means you're clean? You're walking on a dark road William. Once you go down that road, you never come back. You'll be one day…from becoming me. But…I can tell that you have yet to go into that abyss. The same one your father did. That I did. Unlike him, you won't have the courage to shoot one arrow at me. Won't you?"
William relaxes his arm, putting less pressure on the string, but still aims the bow at Diaz. He lowers his bow arm slowly. Diaz starts to smile. He's certain that William isn't going to use the bow now, not since he's shown his true colors. "You're wrong"
Almost immediately after saying this, he releases the arrow, which Diaz cannot register fast enough to react to. It pierces his leg, causing him to lean down out of instinct. Before he can try to defend himself, he gets kicked down. William didn't strike another blow. Rather, he removes his hood and his face mask, revealing a young yet hardened face with buzz cut hair and a full, trim beard. He then turns a notch on his eye mask, revealing blue, snaring eyes. "Remember this face, Diaz. It's the one that will haunt you wherever you go. I'll never stop hunting you down. I will see you face justice and make you pay for your crimes." He immediately put his face mask on again, his altered voice returning. "That's a promise."
Putting his hood back on, William walks back to the window he came from, pulling out some sort of button. When he presses it, some whooshing sound is heard outside, something Diaz can't identify. William then jumps down towards the street, but Diaz can't hear him hitting the ground, just another whooshing noise. Diaz gets up, limping over to the window, not finding any sign of him anywhere. How in the hell?
He has no time to wonder about it. He probably has only a few minutes before ARGUS comes storming in. He'll wonder about William's whereabouts later. He needs to leave. He has other plans anyways. Plans for Star City.
William kicks the chair in front of him. "How did I not see this sooner!?" He sits himself down on the edge of the table, slamming his bow down. "How could I have been so…stupid!? I just…" He lets out an uneasy sigh, curling his hands into a ball and resting his forehead on them. He takes a few breaths until he feels more centered.
"Okay, I need to stop. I've been beating myself up over this for the last half hour. I just…" He sighs again, taking a minute to clear his thoughts. He wants to say something. He needs to say something. Something he can at least put on himself. Something to help him move on.
"I was too relaxed. I thought that things would proceed their natural course. I should've been more attentive. Maybe then, I could've been more prepared. Maybe…" He uncurls his hands, letting them fall onto his legs.
"I know that the future is supposed to be unknown to mankind and only God knows what is to come, but I'm from the future for…" William stops. He goes back to what Diaz said about being told things about him. Only one person could've told him about William. He looks back up. "And so is whoever told Diaz about me."
He looks back to the monitor that displays events of the past, present, and future, all made of news clippings. "No other aberrations concerning Diaz so far, which means this is the first event our mysterious future foe tried to alter." He strokes his chin. An idea comes to his head. "The security system. That's the only way Diaz could've entered without being seen. If I can just tap into it and extract the code…"
After a few seconds of hacking into the apartment's security system, he finds the new code that disabled it. He skims through the various lines and commands. "One placeholder is common in this code, 'partners.' It's carefully worded, so it's hard to make out as a virus at first. It's made with a modern computer program, but it's not one I've ever encountered before. If I find whoever made this code, then I find Diaz's future informant."
He copy's the code into a usb so he can reference to it in the future and to isolate it from his own computer for safety purposes. He then shoots both hands in the air, looking up towards the ceiling. "Thank you, Lord almi-" he stops, his face going from a triumphant smile to horrifying realization. He forgot one person who may have been targeted in all of this. "Dad."
He quickly types on his computer, getting his A.I companion up and running and opens up his program that allows him to see the past and present relative to the time he is in and only where he placed the beacons, something that he spent a lot of time and money to create. "Show me Oliver Queen." Almost immediately, the screen forms into the inside of the Slabside Prison, showing Oliver, his Dad, in his cell. William lets out a sigh, leaning his head back. "Thank goodness."
William looks at the screen again, now examining Oliver more closely. He looks more roughed up than before, sporting a couple of bruises and a cut on his face. He's definitely been beaten up, but not killed. Oliver also looks impatient, pacing his cell as if waiting for something. Or someone. As the guard, Yorke, made his rounds, Oliver pounces on the cell bars.
"Yorke. I need to make a phone call."
Yorke turns to Oliver. "Why?"
"I have reason to believe that my family was attacked. Please let me make a phone call." While Oliver was subtle in his speech, William can tell that he's desperate. How did he know we were…wait a minute. Diaz wanted to kill Felicity to get to Dad. To make him suffer. To make me suffer.
"You don't have phone privileges." Yorke proceeds to take out some cuffs. "But…you have a visitor."
A visitor? Wait a minute. Felicity. She went to visit Dad after… his thoughts are interrupted when his hand touches something familiar on the table. Something he has held onto for so long. He grips it and brings it into his peripheral view. The hozen. The symbol of reconnecting. The last thing Felicity gave to him before…
Right. She also sent me away the day after. He begins to dwell on that event, looking at it with sadness at first. He didn't want to leave. He felt as if Felicity was leaving him. That his whole world crumbled. But, after a little while, he smirks and looks back up. But that means I find you faster Lord.
He then hears a door opening from his screen. Apparently, a lot of time passed while he remembered being sent off. He finds Oliver in the visiting room, Felicity walking in from the other side, as William expected. She sits down and they both pick up the phones that allow them to talk with the sound proof window in between them.
"You're okay." Oliver's voice is subtle, but William can see the small smile across his father's bearded face and the glimmer in his eyes. He may be close to crying. "How's William?"
"He's fine." Felicity does not hide what she feels: shocked, scared, but glad to see Oliver. William, however, can't shake the feeling that Felicity is stretching the definition of fine. I was terrified. Even in the old timeline. "Are you?"
"I am now."
William feels so many emotions inside him, mixtures of happiness and sadness. Felicity never gave any details about what she and Oliver talked about. This feels so touching, yet he can't help but feel the disparity in himself. He somehow knew how this would end.
Felicity's voice cracks a bit. "I miss you."
"I love you so much."
William struggles to hold the tears back. Seeing his parents act like this just fills him with the dread of what will or might come.
"I am so sorry that I wasn't there. I should've been there." I was Dad. I was our guardian angel. I saved her so both of us wouldn't feel despair.
"How could you have been?"
"The only reason I'm here is to keep you and William safe." I know Dad. I know.
Felicity echos William's thoughts. "Yeah. I know."
"I need you to tell John to set the two of you up with new identities. I need-" Oliver chokes up a bit, trying to hold in the tears he wants to shed. "I need you-I need you back in the witness protection program."
"I have William set up with a boarding school in Cambridge. He leaves tomorrow." Well, at least that part of the timeline hasn't changed.
"You're not going with him?"
"No. I'm not." William noticed a change in her tone. It sounded serious, like a dark serious, something Felicity never showed in the past. At least, not as long as he could remember.
"Felicity-"
"I'm done hiding, Oliver." Her serious tone becomes more profound. "I'm not going to be the person who doesn't fight back. Diaz broke in and all I could think about was protecting William. I tried, but I couldn't do it." William shakes his head. You did. You did your best. Please don't say otherwise. "If the new Green Arrow hadn't gotten there when he did-" Don't. Don't make me relive that possibility.
"The new Green Arrow?"
"Yes." Yeah Dad. I wish you could've seen me. Facing down Diaz. But you would've done the same thing. I know that. You're actually wishing you had. "He did what I couldn't. Do you know what it feels like? Not being able to protect your family?"
"I have lived with that feeling every second since I stepped in here." I do too. Now more than ever. "Felicity, please don't-don't tempt that." His voice breaks, his sheer will to hold back his sadness waning by a margin. Felicity looks like she's going to cry. "Please, I-" he holds back his next sentence, taking a moment to regain his composure. "I am begging you to go back into witness protection."
Felicity sheds a tear, her voice almost wailing under the pressure her throat is in. "No. I won't. You don't get to decide this time Oliver." She places her fingers on the glass. "I love you Oliver, and I will…always…wait for you." Oliver places his fingers exactly where hers are, the sound proof glass being the only thing preventing them from touching each other. William, his emotions so welled up within him, places his fingers on the monitor, trying to place them on both his father's and step-mother's hands. This feels as if this is the closest he gets to show his emotions to them for a long time, even if they can't see him.
"But I can't let what happened to William and me happen again. I can't. I have to fight…back. You of all people understand that."
Yorke clears his throat, which prompts Oliver to put his phone on his chest. William can tell what this means. "Time's up, 4587."
"I-I need some more time."
"And I don't care."
Felicity struggles to get her last words out before Oliver goes. "I love-I love you."
William switches the monitor off, not wanting to see any more. He just sits there, placing his hands over his mouth like a respirator. He lets out a few short sobs, followed by uneasy breathing. Eventually, he finally lets a tear fall from his eye, not just because of what he saw, but what he knew it represented. He now knows it was that moment when it began. It was when the Felicity he knew was gone and from her, something far worse began to take root.
He takes the hand with the hozen away from his face and looks at it again. He begins to calm down, remembering Felicity's promise that they will be united again after Diaz is taken down. He will see her and his dad again. They will be united as a family. This symbol, one of reconnecting, will serve its purpose. That's a promise.
Lord, I have trouble not thinking about what Diaz said to me. That once you start down the dark path, it is impossible to walk off it, that you are bound to walk into the abyss. The same abyss my father found.
Oliver wipes the tallies on the wall, not to erase them but to make his point clear. He's done trying to keep himself under control. He won't deny what he is anymore. He's now going to do whatever it takes to find the person who sent those men after him. But first, he needs to take care of one thing.
It's true that he's not perfect. He has hurt people, killed people. He has been through a lot, made many mistakes. He still struggles with the darkness inside him. And now, so is Felicity. And, to a certain extent, so am I.
He walks out into the courtyard, book in hand. He spies the tall inmate that attacked him and gave him the false message in the area with the exercise equipment. As he walks towards him, Sampson and Brick see him, smirks appearing on their faces.
Brick begins to approach him. "You don't look so hot there. Maybe I can help-" Without hesitation, Oliver strikes Brick in the neck with his book, followed by a smack to the face to knock him out.
"Stand down 4587." Oliver turns to Yorke, seeing every inmate looking at him, a few of them twitching in fear. "Don't be a hero."
Oliver looks back to the inmate, who gives a small smile, only giving him another reason to not follow Yorke's command. Oliver drops the book, instead opting for one of the circular barbell weights. He smacks it across the inmate's face, sending him to the floor, but still conscious. Oliver stands over him and thrusts the weight onto his chest with all his might. Still not done, he throws the weight to the side, punching the inmate with as much rage as he has left.
Feeling that he vented his anger, he steps away from the inmate and points at him. "You should've killed me." He looks on to the inmates, all of them except Stanley looking down, too afraid to look him in the eye.
But you have shown me and constantly remind me that what I do is a call to rise against evil, even when there is the temptation to succumb to it. Even when we are at the abyss, we find a way to walk away from it, to find redemption. So I pray that you watch over them: Oliver, Felicity, the team, all those in Star City who struggle. Struggle with the darkness or find it easy to turn to.
Oliver kneels down, putting his hands behind his head. He then looks up to the sky, feeling something he hadn't felt for five months. The feeling of how good it feels to be himself. To harness his darkness again at last.
Even if they don't see the light of your grace, please help them see the light of redemption and hope…especially for my father. Please let him see the light outside the walls of Slabside when the day finally comes. Amen.
He watched Roy get up, placing a hand on his head, no doubt suffering some pounding to the head after being punched. Roy then looked to him from across the fire he got going.
Roy was about to get up to fight again. "Relax. If I meant you any harm, I would've killed you or kept you tied up."
Roy immediately looked around himself, seeing that none of his limbs are tied. He started to relax a bit, but still looked like he kept his guard. "Who sent you?"
"No one. But you knew my father."
"How am I supposed to know who your old man is?"
He knew how to answer that. He reached into his pocket, but Roy was about to get up again. He raised his hand up. "Don't!" He got out the item quickly, stretching his arm out for Roy to see. "My father is Oliver Queen."
Roy slowly got up this time, no signs of him preparing to attack. He instead looked to him in amazement. "William?" William nodded his head. Roy continued to look at him, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. The truth is, William couldn't either. It had been so long since they saw each other. They had a lot of catching up to do.