Arrow: Rise of the Vigilantes

by Dellore

My name is -Error- A man from -Error- with one goal, to save Star City. (Alternate version of Arrow Season 7 that features another person taking up the role as the copycat Green Arrow).

4. Episode 3: Sacrifice

Author's Notes: Hello readers! First off, thank you for leaving reviews and questions of the story so far. I am seeing some questions regarding how Diaz knows William from the future or how it makes sense to the plot. Let me assure you that these questions and more will be answered as the story goes along and will be integral to the plot.

One question, however, is something I'd like to address here, and it is how old future William is in the timeline and if I am using the actor currently playing future William in Season 7 or using another actor's likeness. First, since the future is sometime around 2040, future William, in both present and future, is in his early 30's, probably 33 since, according to the Arrowverse wiki, he is born in 2007. If this information is inaccurate, feel free to let me know. Second, I am not using the actor currently playing future William nor am I using the appearance of any other actor. My vision for William is that he looks a lot like Oliver and has some similar characteristics to him, which will also come into play.

With all of that said, I hope I've painted a clearer picture of William and the story going forward for everyone. Please enjoy the fanfiction.

---

Disclaimer: Based on characters and references owned by DC Universe and the CW, which I do not own. Enjoy.

---

My name is William Queen

A man from the future who has come to the past with one goal

To save Star City

With my Dad in jail, Team Arrow split up, and new enemies on the rise,

I must work harder than ever to correct the mistakes of the past by becoming someone else

By becoming someone else

I am the new Green Arrow

---

Episode 3: Sacrifice

---

"William?" He looks at the ground, not even wanting to make eye contact with the Dean. "Do you know what you have done wrong?" Hearing no response, the Dean leans forward in his chair. "I know you're tired of these lectures. They would stop if you just—"

"They would stop if you actually took me seriously." William finally raises his head, frustration riddled all over his face. "I'm the only one doing anything about—"

"I told you for the fifth time, William. We are doing everything we can about your supposed 'bully.'"

"My friends are getting beat up! Their money is taken and security aren't looking into it!"

"Because we have found no evidence, as you are aware."

"Because they manage to cover everything up and the guards now think I'm crying wolf or something! It's up to me to—"

"You're not a hero William! You're not—"

"My Dad? You're right. I'm not a vigilante."

---

From the vantage point, William can see the entire dockyard. Containers take up the majority of the ground, making it nearly impossible for the naked eye to see everything without getting up close. Luckily, he has his detective vision, which he switches on.

Almost immediately, red dots light up everywhere. About 15 in total. 10 of them are near the containers, 2 of them near the main entrance, and 3 near the storage buildings, waiting for their guests. The walls are pretty easy to climb over. I should take the ones near the containers first, then take the ones at the gate after the others arrive, making it easy for me to take the others out.

With his plan formulated, he puts on his hood and face mask. He then readies a rope arrow and shoots it at one of the containers not being patrolled. He ties the other end to a sturdy pole. With his means of getting in set up, he jumps from the building, swinging the bow onto the rope and hangs on tight as he rides it towards the docks.

"But I'm doing something to help others around here, something you clearly won't do."

"By fighting against other students? Stalking them just so you can fulfill some need to bring justice? Or is it attention you want?"

As William makes his way to the first guard, his detective vision sees five others also reaching the same position. Take out six birds with one stone. As they make their way to the gap the containers are making, he prepares a sleeping gas arrow, aimed just at the middle of their predicted path. The five of them round the corner, one of them taking out a carton of cigarettes and opening it as they gather round.

"Here everyone. As promised."

Now. William shoots the arrow at the floor, the gas dispersing quickly before any of them have the slightest chance to react. They all catch a whiff, their coughing cancelling out any screams they intended to let out. Before they knew it, they were out cold, the gas dissipating quickly. William then jumps towards another container, reaching the next set of guards.

"I was following them, trying to catch them in the act or find any sort of evidence to prove that I'm telling the truth."

"Security has already searched their rooms from top to bottom."

"It's probably because they expect security to come to their place, so they have time to bury the evidence. They can't see me—"

"Listen to me, William. You have a bright mind. You exceed other students in your classes. But your behavior has me worried about you."

William spots three more guards chatting and laughing. William also spots one lone guard, who is too far away and somewhat too close to the guards at the entrance. Seeing a possible opportunity, he switches his detective vision on to see how far the sound waves of a flash bang and of containers being hit would spread. From the vision, he can see that it won't be detected much by the entrance guards, but the lone one may hear it and check things out. Okay. Let's do this.

William takes out a flash bang arrow, inspired by Red Dart's design, and shoots it at the middle of the group. The flash goes off, the three of them going blind and rubbing their eyes, trying to clear their vision. Before they get their sight back, William shoots two concussion arrows, knocking a couple of them out. He then jumps down and grabs the third one quickly, throwing him onto the floor and near one of the containers opposite them. He picks the man up and slams him onto the container and hook punches him, rendering him unconscious.

As expected, the lone guard hears the commotion and calls out. When he hears nothing, he runs over to check it out. William crouches next to the pathway the guard is taking, waiting for just the right moment. As the guard rounds the corner, William employs a back-fist strike on the guard's stomach and forces him down into a chokehold. William, feeling that he is now unconscious, let's go of the guard, letting his body slump to the ground.

William gives a sly grin behind his face mask. I guess criminals never learn. He shoots a grapple arrow and flies upward to the container, making the gate the next place to hit.

"You seem to disregard your teachers, you got yourself into fights since coming here."

"I was defending myself. I tried to keep a low profile, but they won't leave me or anyone else alone."

"That doesn't give you the right to throw punches at the first person you think deserves it."

He reaches the container with a clear view of the entrance, seeing the guards at their posts, not suspicious in the slightest. So far, I haven't raised an alarm. Good.

William then sees two cars stopping at the entrance, both guards walking towards them. William takes the time to use his detective vision and see what he is now dealing with. Eight men. Unlike these criminals here, they look more like those under Diaz's command. Six of them are armed, two of them important business men. The trunks have containers of weapons and cash, possibly $10,000. Too small to be worth something to criminals like these guys. More like a sample of what's to come.

The guards signal the cars to move on. As soon as the cars are clear from their sight, William quickly shoots two concussion arrows at them, not wasting time with an elaborate strategy.

He makes his way to where he saw the last three guards, seeing that they have multiplied with the eight others that have arrived. The two businessmen set down the two cases on the table in between the two groups.

William looks to the groups, seeing the armed men with either nervous trigger fingers, looks of suspicion, and shaky hands. An opportunity for fear. With my explosive arrow, I can burn the cash and weapons while keeping everyone safe. The armed guards will either drop their guns or shoot in a frenzy.

William aims two explosive arrows at the cases, waiting for the right time to destroy them. The criminals on the right open the cases and step back, allowing their leader to examine them. Now.

Before the crime leader could take one step, William shoots the cases, setting the cash ablaze. The criminals with guns, as predicted, either shoot everything in the air uncontrollably or drop their weapons out of shock.

The ones on the left still have their weapons. Shoot a gas arrow at them first, then go for the ones on the right.

William aims his gas arrow, shooting it at the group, rendering them unconscious. He then shoots a rope arrow at the other group and rides it down, knocking one of them out with a kick before he lands.

As William turns around, one of the guards comes at him with a telegraphed hook punch. Before the hit can land, he delivers a hook punch of his own. His attention then turns to the leader, who is struggling to get his pistol out. He finally draws it, but William, taking a page from his father's book, grabs the gun, spins around the leader so their backs are parallel, elbows him, and then locks both their free arms and employs a throw.

The leader moans in pain. William unloads the gun and tosses it aside. He then kneels, observing for anything to confirm his suspicions. As he turns the head, he sees it: a tattoo of a jackal on the back of his neck, the symbol of the Kasnian criminal organization, whose boss William knows well, or at least his future counterpart.

"Where's your boss!?"

Startled, he points to a location opposite of where William came from. He looks to where the Jackal points, now seeing a lone figure on top of the containers, someone he didn't see before. He wears black kevlar armor, a mask that is half black and half orange, and a sword on his back. Wolfman.

"So, you actually came. I guess my contact was right. You'd stop any crime, even if it was a setup." Wolfman jumps down, drawing the sword from his back and slowly making his way towards William. The Jackal gets up and runs, believing that his boss can settle this. "You see, I've just been hired to take you in, and in exchange, I get more weapons and money to give the Jackals control of Kasnia again. So, you can either surrender, or I'll have to rough you up."

"Funny. I was going to ask you the same thing."

William throws the bow to his right hand, positioning it in front of him and leaving his free hand in front of his face and behind the bow. Wolfman positions his sword in front of him, both hands tightening on the grip. They have made their stances clear: none of them is leaving with the other willingly.

"Violence doesn't solve problems William. Using your head does."

"And you think that I can't use my head when thinking of ways to defend myself?"

"Don't twist my words. You should be able to defend yourself. But what you demonstrate is clearly not self-defense, but an agenda against other students who you think mean you and others harm. Beating up the supposed bully can create more harm than good and put you in danger. Is that what you want?"

"If that means I can help others when you can't? Yes."

After a long pause, Wolfman's grip on the sword tightens, and he charges at William. Wolfman comes in with a flurry of swings aimed just about everywhere, but William blocks each one successfully, trying to find any opportunity to strike back. He finds it when he ducks under a horizontal swing, allowing him to strike at the shins. This has no effect since everything from the shin to the knee on both legs is covered in armor. William then dodges a vertical strike and puts some distance between him and Wolfman.

His fighting style resembles a mixture of kenjutsu and kali, no doubt taught to him by his father, Slade Wilson. I need to test his defenses before I formulate a plan of attack.

William goes into the offensive, employing his own series of strikes against Wolfman. His are a bit slower, more deliberate, but become faster with each hit. Despite this, Wolfman blocks each one. As William goes for a backhand strike to the head, Wolfman blocks it and then tries to twirl both weapons as a way to try and disarm William. Catching on to this quickly, William makes the twirl go into a wider arc, resulting in the blade and bow being locked to the ground.

Wolfman tries to move his weapon, but William quickly traps the hand and redraws his bow, aiming for the upper part of Wolfman's leg, making him stagger. He then let the trapped hand go and swings his bow at the helmeted head. With Wolfman dazed, William tries to go in for a hold. Wolfman, however, recovers quickly, grabbing William and throwing him away. William recovers with a roll and quickly goes back to his fighting stance.

Analysis complete. Results: The armor I previously assumed was Kevlar is in fact a more advanced mesh with minimal pieces covering the shin, chest, and wrists. Those, including the helmet, make for strong armor that is also flexible, so his movement isn't hindered. Not even my bow has an effect. My only strategy here is finding an opportunity for a throw and incapacitate him on the ground.

Wolfman charges and swings again. William now opts to dodge the incoming attacks and backing up to the container behind him, hoping that at least one of them will leave an opening. Wolfman goes in for a stab, which William side steps, and it gets lodged into the container wall. With the sword out of play, William grabs the wrist and pulls Wolfman away, following it up with a wrist throw. Wolfman, however, breaks the fall with his palm, which he uses as a pivot as he swings his legs over to sweep kick William. However, William quickly lets go of the hand and goes into a cartwheel, dodging his attack.

William goes for his net arrow, hoping to shoot it before Wolfman has the chance to react. Unfortunately for him, Wolfman draws a pistol hidden behind the back of his shin and aims it at William. Both men stand there, not seeing any way that they can both get a shot out without the other shooting at the same time.

"FREEZE!" William did not dare to turn his head, but recognized the voice of John Diggle, along with the footsteps and weapons of other A.R.G.U.S agents aimed at him and Wolfman. "Kane Wolfman, you are under arrest for violating laws in 19 different countries."

"Give up Wolfman. You can't beat all of us."

Wolfman is still, not moving a muscle. "You're right."

From his wrist, a black ball shoots out into his hand. He quickly throws it to the ground, revealing it to be a smoke bomb. William is blind for a second, but his detective vision flickers on immediately, showing Wolfman running past him and towards a fence. The agents try to shoot him, but he proves too fast. William does have one option available. He throws an arrowhead at Wolfman under the guise that it was supposed to hit him. A tracker shoots out of it, attaching itself to Wolfman just before he escapes.

William then turns to John, wondering how he found out about this deal and knowing this means that they will have to, once again, work together to stop another threat to the future.

---

"You feel the responsibility to protect others from harm, and I respect that William. But this has become a dangerous habit of yours, and I am genuinely worried about you and your future here. So, I'm giving you one more chance."

"Another trip to the counselor?"

"No. We tried that already quite a few times. This person is an old friend of mine visiting from Gotham City. You are to meet him here after your last class. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

Glad that the lecture is over, William gets up to leave.

"Hold it."

William freezes, keeping a neutral stare, but feels frustrated inside.

"This is your final warning. If you break one more rule, I will expel you and call you step mother. And you are to stay away from Noah until it is clear to me that you are past this delusion. Understood?"

William nods.

"Good. You may leave."

William finally steps out and follows security to his dorm room, one thought on his mind. Like she cares anymore.

---

As Curtis finishes and sends a brief report to Lyla about the results of the mission to capture Wolfman, he hears footsteps coming up the small stairs and into what he likes to call the portable base. He turns around, expecting John. Instead, he sees the Green Arrow, looking around. Well great. Working with him again. It's not like we're trying to cut off all ties to our vigilante lifestyles or anything.

"Nice setup."

"Well, don't touch anything. This is sensitive equipment."

"Easy, Curtis." Curtis sees John, who he didn't hear enter before, walk over to his left side. The Green Arrow sits himself down before John starts talking. "All the Jackals have been rounded up and handed to the police. We didn't mention anything about you, so your safe. So, I think you owe us an explanation on how you found Kane Wolfman and the Jackals."

"You first."

"He asked you a—"

"Curtis." John waves his hand, telling Curtis to just let it be. He complies, but he's still skeptical about revealing information to someone they barely know. "We've been tracking Wolfman for months. Recently, we captured someone who was going to do business with him, and he told us about the Jackals meeting with Diaz's gang. Now, your turn."

"Fine. I received an…anonymous tip that the Jackals came to Star City and that they were going to receive weapons and cash from the remnants of Diaz's gang. I didn't know what the Jackals were going to give in exchange, but now I do."

"What is it?"

"Me. Alive."

Curtis expressed concern about this new information that they're hearing. From the look on John's face, so is he. Sure, helping the Green Arrow may give Samantha Watson an excuse to arrest them, but he has proven himself as someone that is at least concerned for the city's safety and someone a lot of people look up to as a sign of hope. If he gets captured, that hope is lost, probably forever.

John then nods. "Well, if that's the case, then you need to lay low."

"No chance. I'm not going to let Wolfman and the Jackals roam around if I have the chance to stop them."

"Then let me remind that this is an—" The cold stare from the Green Arrow's now lens less eyes stops John in his tracks. "Fine, I'll spare you the lecture. But you are going to receive help from us."

"On one condition. We keep this to a three-man team. Just you, me, and Mr. Holt. No one else. We won't have a repeat of the train fiasco again."

John looks down at the floor, letting out a sigh, remembering how many agents died on their mission to stop Diaz from exporting an energy weapon, how many of their families they had to tell the bad news to. Curtis can't help but feel the same.

"That's fair. But I have a condition of my own. What we do will also require day time reconnaissance, something you can't do without the risk of exposing yourself. You're going to show yourself to us if you want to be a part of this operation. Your true self."

The Green Arrow looks down to the floor, but in thought rather than emotional turmoil. Curtis can understand why. Revealing your identity to strangers is a risky maneuver.

The Green Arrow then looks back up. "Deal. But not here." He takes out a piece of paper from his pocket. "In here is a code phrase that will confirm it's me. The first sentence is what I say. You will speak the second sentence."

The Green Arrow gets up, extending the piece of paper to John. He takes it and they shake hands, the agreement now solidified, which worries Curtis. As the Green Arrow leaves, Curtis stops him. "Hold on. This doesn't mean I have to go out in the field, does it?"

"I most certainly hope it does." The statement only heightened Curtis' fears as the Green Arrow leaves. He doesn't try to argue about it, thinking to himself that the chances of him on the field are very slim, but doesn't shake the restlessness inside him. He doesn't feel ready for this, but he is going to have to do it anyways.

The kitchen air fills with the smell of microwaved bacon and stove cooked scrambled eggs, a meal that Rene feels that he and Zoe missed out on for so long. With all that is happening to the glades, it's almost dangerous to stay out from home for too long. With the new Green Arrow, though, getting to places feels safer, that they can get the freshest ingredients without worrying that a robbery may happen at any second. To him, they're feasting on a brunch worthy of kings.

He places the food on each of their plates, the smell making them both almost drool. "Okay Peanut. Let's eat."

Just before he sits himself down, he hears the door open. From the doorway, he can see Felicity walking over to the couch and open her laptop, looking as if in a rush.

Rene turns to Zoe. "You get started without me. Okay?"

"Okay."

Rene walks over to Felicity, now sitting on the couch and typing away at her computer. He stands over her, concerned about what answer she will give.

"I take it things with Agent Watson didn't go so well?"

"Not so far. She said that Diaz isn't a major threat and that I should trust them to get it done."

"But you won't?"

"Nope, because I don't believe a single word she says and, if I'm right, neither does she. When I was talking to her, I could see the emotions riddled on her face. Guilt, doubt, sympathy. All the stuff that says she wants to catch Diaz as much as we do. That's why I placed a bug in her office."

Rene looks at her with a wide-eyed stare. "Wow. You are really done with doing things the A.R.G.U.S way, aren't you?"

"John has other priorities besides Diaz. I don't."

"Well, don't you think that bugging Watson's office is kinda breaking our immunity deal?"

"I'm going with the 'asking for forgiveness' path and hope that works."

"Okay. Well, while waiting to see if Watson is not as stubborn as we think, how about you have some brunch?"

"No. I had a bagel on the way back."

"Okay." He starts to head back to the table.

"And Rene." He stops and looks back to Felicity. "Thanks for the help, and for letting me crash on your couch, which is surprisingly comfortable."

Rene smiles. "I've been dying to get the band back together…and maybe add one more member."

"If you're going to say the new Green Arrow, you know my answer."

"Well, you gotta admit, he's been doing a great job keeping the city safe." He points to the table. "That meal we're having over there, that wouldn't have been possible if it weren't for the Green Arrow stopping robbers from stealing everything in the store and the muggers who prey on somebody. If Oliver's not coming back for a while, we should consider this guy as an alternative. The people need a Green Arrow, you know that."

Rene, saying all he wanted to say, turns back to the table to enjoy brunch with Zoe. He can't help but worry about Felicity though. She's done something like bugging an office before, but that was to help Oliver and the others in the field. This time, however, felt more like a step towards revenge. He knows how far a person can go for something like that, and the consequences are always dire.

---

As usual, the food being served to prisoners is minimal and stale. For Oliver, it makes him feel like he's back on Lian Yu, trying to imagine everything he eats is like the meals he used to have back at the Queen Manor. Stanley didn't seem to mind, but he looks more worried for Oliver than for what is being served to them.

"I still can't believe you stabbed yourself. You didn't hit anything big, did you? Like your liver or something? Heh, right. You probably don't have a liver. Just muscle."

Oliver places his hand on the wound, which hurts when moving around. "You think I had any other choice?"

Just as they were being served, Oliver turns around once again to see if Brick has come in yet. He indeed has, along with Turner and Sampson. They force a few prisoners who are occupying a table to move, giving them the space to themselves.

Oliver heads on over to the table, clutching his side as his movement increases his pain. As he does, the three of them notice just as they are about to walk to the line and get some food. The way they face each other feels like a stand off of sorts.

"I did what you asked. Tell me where to find Diaz."

"That wasn't how I intended for you to get rid of Yorke."

"I found a better way."

Sampson scoffs. "He still thinks he's a hero."

Turner smiles. "You're a bigger idiot than I thought."

"Easy gents. A deal's a deal. Getting Yorke off our backs means we're back in business. Thanks to Queen here, we're going to have a hell of a night."

"Where is Diaz?"

"I don't know him, but I do know someone who does. There's an informant in Slabside. Anything that goes on in this prison goes through the Demon first."

Oliver is hesitant to ask for a second. He knows only one person with a name like that, but he should be dead. Oliver made sure of it. "The Demon?"

"Yeah, the person who ordered the hit on you and has a direct connection with Diaz. All I did was handle the transaction. But, seeing as I am…a man of my word, I will arrange a meeting."

"You really expect me to trust you?"

"Well, you don't have much choice, now do you?"

Oliver knows that Brick is right. He doesn't have many other options to find the Demon. "When?"

"Tonight, cell 3-B after lights out." Brick leans a bit towards Oliver's ear. "And you will know when."

The three of them walk past Oliver to get some food. Oliver heads back to the line, where Stanley is holding his lunch. As he takes it and they both head to their usual table, Oliver thinks about how close he is to the truth.

---

"Stall all you want, but eventually you're gonna break. And when you do, I'll be right here. Last chance…before I bring HER in." John leans back in his chair, staring down at the perpetrator with cold eyes. He then eyes the item in question, its contents empty. John knows the person before him is the suspect, even though he denies the claim. He asks once again, "Did you eat this whole box of cookies?"

John Jr. still doesn't say a word, looking more scared by the minute. Just as John was about to call on Lyla, she enters in and kneels next to their son.

"You were just hungry, right?" John Jr. nods, which makes John roll his eyes.

Every time. How does she do it?

"Well, now we know what happens when you eat too much sugar. Come on, lets go see Ella. She has a lot of fun stuff planned while you father is working and I'm out of town."

Lyla leads John Jr. outside where Ella, the usual babysitter, is waiting. After making arrangements, she steps back into John's office, John looking perplexed.

"I've been trying to get him to talk for 20 minutes and you got him to confess in 15 seconds?"

"I'm his mother. I always know how to get on his good side."

"Right." John gets up from his chair and walks towards Lyla. "Is everything packed?"

"Yeah, there's just a few more things I have to arrange before the mission."

"Good." John can't help but feel a bit worried. This isn't the first time Lyla has gone solo on a mission, but it is the first time alone without him. Sure, he used to do vigilantism without her, but he had backup. The only help she will have is a hacker and a team on standby.

Lyla seems to notice this. "Hey. I'll be fine. This isn't my first time being on the field."

"I know. I've seen you in action. You're an incredible agent…and an incredible wife."

Lyla chuckles a bit at the flattery. "I know. You focus on Wolfman and Diaz. I'll call you when the mission's done."

John places his hands-on Lyla's hips, looking longingly into her eyes. "And I'll be counting the minutes until you come home. So will little John. I love you."

He leans in to give her a tender kiss, which he always treats like it's the last when a mission is upcoming. John leans away, seeing a smile on Lyla's face before she leaves the office. As he looks on, he smiles as well, reminiscing on how much they went through and how much she means to him.

As she steps out of the office, someone else comes towards his direction, someone…familiar. A man with buzz-cut hair that looks to be growing back and a face that looks hardened by long term conflict. It looks a lot like…Oliver? As the man gets closer, John can see the differences in facial structure, signifying that he is not Oliver. He, however, can't shake the feeling that he somehow recognizes the man.

He enters the office with a couple cups of coffee. "Agent Diggle. Brought you that coffee you wanted."

John looks at him with a bit of confusion. "I, uh, didn't say I wanted a coffee and I don't know you."

"Well, I just wanted to bring you something to tell you that you're like a good Shepard."

John recognizes the last part of that sentence. He knows who this is now. "Because a good Shepard never leaves any of his sheep behind."

He walks towards the doors and closes them as the Green Arrow lays the coffees down on the table. This glass is soundproof, so nobody can listen in on them unless the room is bugged, which he knows it isn't.

He then looks to the Green Arrow, who is taking a sip from one of the coffees that he brought with him.

"You're not at all what I was expecting."

"You expected someone you would recognize?"

"Uh, sort of. I can't exactly call you the Green Arrow, even when we're in here."

"My real name can't be known, not even by you. But you can call me Connor Hawke."

Hawke? That was…John shakes his head, another question lingering in his mind.

"How did you get inside A.R.G.U.S?"

"I have my ways, Mr. Diggle."

"And you brought me coffee because?"

"A gesture of good faith. And no, there's no hidden sleeping pill inside. I wouldn't take advantage of anybody's trust. Especially when we have common goals."

John walks over to the table and takes the coffee. For safety's sake, he takes off the lid and smells it. It smells like the coffee he usually has at home before coming into work. Smelling nothing unusual, he sips it, the taste almost exactly like what he prefers. It kind of scared him.

"How do you know what I prefer?"

"Your wife is chatty about such things, especially to people who she believes are interns." Connor takes a sip from his coffee. "But we have more pressing matters."

"Right. Do we have any leads on Wolfman?"

"One. When he was fleeing, I managed to place a tracker on him. It stopped working at a warehouse just outside of the Glades."

"The Northeast end?"

"Yeah."

"The guy we caught, Nyambi Somto. He said he was going to meet Wolfman somewhere in that area with instructions on what to do when he got there. Also, he said he only spoke with Wolfman by phone, which means—"

"Wolfman and the Jackals won't be able to recognize him at first glance. But they know you and there's a sure chance they know me. There's no way we can pull it off."

"They don't know Curtis. Plus, Somto is a French man, which Curtis can impersonate easily. He goes in, confirms that Wolfman is there—"

"And we take him down before he knows what hit him. But we need a couple more thing."

"What?"

"Wolfman needs to take me in to Diaz, so he will need to see that 'Somto' got something of value for him."

"Right."

"Also, we need some gauntlets for me to use. I found out that armor is a much more advanced version of his father's and there is only some type of materials that can break it off. I'll need that before we can stop him."

"R&D have been working on something like that. I'll take it up with them, discreetly of course."

"Good. We have our game plan."

"Now we just need to hope it goes well."

"Knowing Team Arrow…I kinda doubt it."

John can't help but smirk at Connor's sarcastic remark. He remembers all the times something that went horribly wrong, whether it was miscommunication, drama, etc. In the end, though, they usually got the job done. He almost misses those days.

Suddenly, someone comes bursting through the doors, that someone being Curtis, who is looking down at a company tablet. "Hey John. I'm looking over the possibilities of where Kane Wolfman can be, and I narrowed—"

He looks up and sees Connor, looking a bit confused at first, but then looks as if he understands who this is. "You're you-know-who, aren't you?"

Connor nods his head. He and John look at Curtis, who is now getting a bit nervous. "And why are you two looking at me like that?"

They both turned their heads towards each other, seeing that they're both thinking the same thing. Curtis is not going to like where this is going.

---

"Okay, let me be the first to say that this is a bad idea. A really, really bad idea."

"Relax, Mr. Holt. You're only going to confirm if Wolfman is there. Afterwards, Mr. Diggle brings me in and we ambush him. And we are monitoring you at all times, so if things go wrong, we pull you out. Okay?"

"Alright, alright. Any signs of the Jackals?"

From the portable base, John and William, who to John and Curtis is Connor, have satellite imaging of Curtis' location. So far, the streets are empty.

"Not so far, Mr. Holt. Will update if things change."

"Copy that."

William zooms out from Curtis' location and observes the streets outside his area. So far, all he can see are a few cars that are close to passing Curtis by. Just as he is about to zoom back in, John notices something.

"Look. Coming out of the alley."

William looks to where John is pointing, seeing a figure exit out of the alleyway. Zooming in on him, they can see that it is a man with disheveled hair wearing a brown jacket and black pants.

"Mr. Holt, you have someone incoming on your right. Turn on your camera so we can confirm the target."

"Got it."

The monitor for Curtis' glasses camera flickers to life, showing William and John a clearer image of the man. They can see that the man has a full beard and sunglasses. On his neck is a tattoo William recognizes, that of a jackal.

"That's definitely a Jackal. Mr. Holt, you're on."

"Copy."

They can hear Curtis clearing his throat as the Jackal approaches him.

The Jackal looks up and down at Curtis as he asks, "Are you Nyambi Somto?"

Thick Kasnian accent. Definitely the right guy.

"Oui. Um, that means yes."

French accent. Curtis is doing well so far.

"Follow me."

The Jackal leads Curtis back towards the alleyway he came from, then walking into a somewhat bigger alley where a few more Jackals await. William looks at the Jackal in the front, immediately recognizing him.

"Wait a minute. I know that Jackal. He was at the docks doing business with Diaz's men."

"Then he must be one of Wolfman's top people."

As Curtis approaches, the man stretches his arms out wide. "Mr. Somto, good to see you. I would speak French, but I was not best in that class."

"Not necessary, Monsieur. My English is, as they say, up to par."

"Good. Saves us both times. But what doesn't save us time is an explanation of where our weapons are."

"My arsenal was…intercepted by A.R.G.U.S agents. However, I have recently obtained something of much more inherent value to you."

"And what would that be?"

"The Green Arrow."

William and John can see the leader raise an eyebrow and give a curious glance. "The Green Arrow? We encountered him only last night, sabotaged a deal between us and a potential investor. How did you catch him?"

"I have my ways, Monsieur."

"Prove it."

"Show him my hood."

William and John can't see Curtis taking the hood from his pocket, but they do see him outstretching his hand, grasping the hood in his palm.

"The Green Arrow's hood, taken from him after his capture. I have him restrained in a nearby location, ready for Monsieur Wolfman."

The Jackal nods his head. "Alright. I'll take him off your hands."

"Not with you. I would like to give him to Monsieur Wolfman in person when he gets here."

"Mr. Wolfman is currently with another client and won't be here for this exchange. But, if you are that stubborn, I'll help arrange a meeting with him sometime tonight."

"That was not part of our arrangement!"

The Jackal looks at Curtis with a glare. "I cannot just summon my boss at will. You either agree to this or hand him to us now."

William and John look to each other with worry. Curtis is showing reluctance in his voice. If he doesn't go through with this, they may never get the chance to find Wolfman.

"Curtis, what are you doing? Take the deal."

After a short pause in which doubt and suspense filled the air for both of them, Curtis gives his answer. "Very well, Monsieur. I will meet with him tonight."

William and John breathe a sigh of relief as Curtis is given a burner phone.

"I shall call you with the time and place in a couple of hours. Don't be late."

William switches the screen off, not wanting to deal with the pressure anymore. He rubs his face with his hands. "Oh man, that was close."

"Tell me about it."

Thinking that they need to talk privately, William quickly switches the communicator off.

"Mr. Diggle, what the heck just happened out there?"

"I don't know."

"You realize that if he blew it, we could've lost Wolfman. Right?"

"I know. I know. Curtis hasn't been back on the field for some time. Maybe it was just him getting uneasy after so long."

"Five months doesn't always constitute a long time to be inexperienced. And we both heard him. He wasn't nervous, he was frustrated."

"Let's…let's just talk to him. Okay? I know him. It's not like him to be frustrated when something goes wrong."

As John finishes saying this, they hear footsteps coming inside the portable base. They turn to the doorway and see that it is indeed Curtis, looking as frustrated as William had predicted.

"Guys, what the hell did you just make me do?!"

"Funny, Mr. Holt. We were just discussing that about you."

"This was supposed to be an in and out mission!"

"Curtis, parameters change. You should know this."

"Well, listen to me. My days in the field were over since the day Oliver went to jail. I would like it to stay that way. I…I can't do this anymore. I'm out."

"You can't just do that. We still need you to help us take down Wolfman."

Curtis hastily takes out the burner phone and places it on the desk. "Then take it and go all Green Arrow! You can just swoop in and take him out with the gauntlets we gave you."

"It's not that simple, Mr. Holt. Wolfman could have who knows how many guards and is probably located somewhere I won't easily maneuver through. I need to engage them when their guard is down and you're the only one that can make that happen."

"Well, you better hope that there's a clone or some secret twin because I'm not doing that again! I'm out!"

Curtis takes off, each step pounding the floor and then the sidewalk. William pinches the ridge of his nose and takes a deep breath. This is not going to be easy.

---

As he was told last night, William heads straight for the Dean's office to meet with whoever his friend is. As he walks, he sees other students his age give mixed looks. Some glare at him, thinking that fighting back against Noah is only making things worse. The other reason is because his father was the Green Arrow, who put some of their parents in jail and got forced here. Then there are the others who give him thumbs up or smiles, appreciating that there is someone at least taking a stand or they're Green Arrow fans.

Brushing past them, he finally makes it to the office, where he can hear muffling on the other side. Taking care not to interrupt the conversation, he opens the door slowly, the voices becoming clearer.

The first voice William hears is one he does not recognize. It sounded like a Southern accent. "Rest assured, I will take care of young William. You just keep up the work here until the time comes."

Believing that the conversation is over, William opens the door completely, getting the attention of the Dean and who William assumes is his friend.

"William. You actually came."

Like I had a choice. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"No, we were just finishing up. This is my friend, Joseph Blackfire."

Joseph Blackfire looks to be fit, but the gray strands in his dominantly black hair and wrinkles on his face tell William that he is probably in his late 50s or early 60s. He is wearing clothing like that of a businessman, the suit and pants being an ashen color with a white shirt and tie underneath. He gives off a friendly demeanor as he extends his hand to William, but something about him seemed a bit off. Regardless, William takes his hand and shakes it.

"It's good to meet you, Mr. Blackfire."

"Please, call me Joseph. Everyone does."

"Okay, now that you are acquainted, I must be off. I have business elsewhere. Joseph, feel free to use my desk." As he leaves, he points to William. "And listen to what he tells you, William."

With that, he leaves. Joseph sits down behind the Dean's desk and extends his hand to the chair opposite him. "Come, sit." William slowly walks to the seat and sits down, still wishing he was anywhere but here.

"I know. Your Dean is a very strict man. But he is good. But, to the point. From what I've been told, you are dealing with a student who you say is a bully."

"He is. I've seen him do it."

"And what exactly has he done?"

"Beat students up, take their money. He may have even gone to cyber bullying, but nobody can prove that."

"And you have gone to the Dean with this?"

"Yeah, about so many times and every time I do, either the students he beats up don't say anything out of fear or he claims that he has a different account from the one he cyberbullies with. I have to be the one who takes him down. Only I can stop him." William lets out a sigh. "Who am I kidding? I said the same thing to every counselor like 10 times. You won't understand."

Joseph leans in, his arms on the desk. "William, tell me something. Why do you fight against this bully?"

"It's because he doesn't leave me or anyone—"

"No. Why are you constantly fighting back? Surely, you entertain the thought of joining him, letting the pain end for you. So, why don't you?"

William is perplexed by the question. The Dean never asked him that, neither did any counselor he met. He knew the explanation to that kind of question once, but it escaped him after so many times of trying to explain himself.

"I—"

"Don't worry. Take your time."

William then pats the outside of his pocket, feeling the hozen, the last thing Felicity gave him before sending him off here. The words he wanted to say to the faculty before are coming to him now.

"My Dad is in jail. My Step-mother sent me here without asking what I wanted. To me, they've straight up abandoned me. A part of my life has been taken from me and I don't know if I can get it back. Doing this, protecting other students, it feels like—like—"

"Like you found something that is close to what your parents have done. Like your filling in that part of your life that you're missing and feel that this is the path you want to take."

William nods. "Yeah."

"Well, let me tell you something. I was a city boy, grew up in a bad neighborhood surrounded by people much worse than Noah. Criminals, drunks, corrupt politicians. I didn't have any fancy security systems like you did. I had to always be on my toes, fight back. For myself…and for my mother. When I lost her, it felt like I lost a piece of me that I wanted so desperately to fill. Eventually, I wanted to clean up my neighborhood, try to make it better than it was. All my efforts failed and, what you might do eventually, I wanted to give up."

"Did you?"

"I did, for a time. That was until, one day, I met with a local priest in a church just outside my neighborhood for answers." Joseph reaches into one of his jacket pockets and takes something out. "And he gave me this."

He shows it to William, who recognizes it as a Bible. He saw someone reading it once when waiting with his mom at a bus station, but he never knew what the contents of it were. He looks at it with a curious look.

"A Bible?"

"The Bible has been a source of answers for more than two thousand years William. With this and communion with God, I found my purpose in this world, what I was meant to do."

"And you helped your neighborhood?"

Joseph shook his head. "Oh no. It was far gone for me to help it on my own. I went in search of help and found people, people who saw my plight and helped me to do what I needed to do."

"Who are these people?"

"A story for another time." He extends the Bible over to William. "For now, I would like you to have this. I already bookmarked some readings I would like you to read and interpret for yourself."

William takes the book and puts it in his pocket.

"Okay, you may go now."

William looks at Joseph with surprise. "That's it? No lecture on how it's wrong to blame people for things that no one else has seen?"

"Oh, on the contrary. I believe you, William. My nephew has always been a troublesome child."

"Wait. Noah is your nephew?"

"And the person I worry about the most. His father was always focused on his work and his mother did the best she could for him. But it just wasn't enough.

"Then tell the Dean. He's your friend."

"That was the conversation we were having before you came in here, but he is a stubborn man, says he needs evidence before he can convict. It's the old lawyer in him, I think.

"Well, can you tell me how to deal with him?"

"No, I cannot. I learned best when I read and interpreted the scriptures myself. Being the smart kid I've been told you are, I'm sure you will too. The answer to dealing with Noah is in there somewhere. You just need to find it. I'll tell the Dean you learned your lesson. Go on now."

William gives a smirk. "Thanks."

"No problem."

William exists the office and heads directly towards his dorm room. His first priority, when he gets there, will be to read those readings Joseph bookmarked, hoping that what he told William about the Bible is right. Maybe I will find how to expose Noah with this.

---

Samantha Watson lays down Diaz's file on her desk after telling her superior the details that Felicity gave to her earlier today.

"He took over the city's infrastructure."

"And then we dismantled it. He is not an immediate threat."

"He has new allies. One of them hacked into the CDC, it's security infrastructure specifically."

Her superior picks up the file to study its contents. "And you got all that from a photograph and an unsubstantiated hack?"

"It's the best lead we've got in months and you know it. We can't let this just slip away."

"Then give me something concrete and I can act on it. CDC security is airtight, and no one can get in without a level 5 clearance. I can't waste resources on something circumstantial."

"You mean on someone who dropped to number 27 on our most wanted list."

"That too. Tell the CDC they've been hacked, they can deal with it as they see fit. I need your focus elsewhere, agent."

Samantha Watson's superior drops the file on her desk and heads on out of the office. She is left looking frustrated that she got turned down. Just what Felicity wants to hear.

Felicity clicks out of the screen, looking up something else. After less than a minute, she sits up from the couch and walks off. "Rene, call up Dinah. I've got something."

Of course you do. William, seeing the screens from both his time camera and Felicity's easily hackable bug, shifts the time camera's angle to take a look at what Felicity looked up. The floor plans and inventory manifest for the CDC, currently occupied by the FBI. It seems Diaz has been keeping track of something called glutathione hydrate. Why go for medicine?" William hacks into the CDC himself, making sure to leave no trace and finds the ingredients for glutathione hydrate, with one ingredient standing out. Mirakuru. Of course. They start experimenting with it medically around this time. Although it's in the prototype stages, but it seems to have almost none of the side effects of the original compound. What's more, this was originally created by Diaz during his drug trading venture. It's not as strong as the drug before it, but it can give Diaz his full strength and beyond even if he gets it.

He then looks at the screen with the future news clipping again, which says "Jackals overrun Star City." As much as he wants to stop Diaz from getting the hydrate, he has other priorities. Felicity and the others can handle it. Besides, I should be done in time to stop Diaz from getting it if they fail. But right now, I'm at a loss.

William gets up from the chair and paces back and forth, wondering how to handle Curtis. I already took a risk showing him and John what I look like. I've seen it in how they look at me. They're already starting to recognize me, but not completely. And I can't just reveal my whole identity to Curtis or John now. They might ask questions about the future and—

He stops for a minute and looks to the Bible and the hozen next to it. The objects given to him by people who were concerned for him, who cared about him. He realized over the years that Felicity didn't push him away but tried to keep him safe. If he had a child who was in imminent danger, he would do the same in a heartbeat. He realizes now that he has been doing what his younger self thought Felicity did to others, at least others who turned out good in the future and chances are that they still will.

He gives a sigh of defeat. But it's the best option I have and maybe my only option.

---

Curtis, you are our only option to getting— John shakes his head. No, no. He's not going to help us with an apology like that. He'll think he's only a means to an end.

John then looks to the photo of him and everyone else at Oliver and Felicity's wedding party. You always held this team together, Oliver. At least you used to before everything that happened last year. What would I do in your—

Suddenly, as he looks over to William, who is just next to Oliver, his mind suddenly clicks something together. He can't help but see a few similarities between him and Connor. There are a couple of things, such as the beard, hair style and a few differences in facial structure, but those things can change as he gets older. He tries to imagine William growing up, developing into Connor overtime. The transition is seamless.

He leans back in his chair, feeling a mix of emotions swirling in him. He doesn't know how to feel right now, but he does know one thing: Connor Hawke is William Clayton from the future.

As William walks down the hallway, he can see Curtis working away at something on his computer. He knows, however, that Curtis is trying to find something that will keep him occupied and away from dealing with Wolfman. William stops at the door and gives a subtle sigh. I've already risked enough with revealing myself. I just hope this isn't risking the future from changing more than it already is.

William opens the door and steps inside, but Curtis either doesn't notice or is ignoring him intentionally.

"Hello, Mr. Holt."

Curtis looks away from the screen and towards William, his glare already signaling that he is not happy to see him again.

"If you're here to try and rope me into catching Wolfman, you're out of luck. I told you, I'm out."

"I know." William walks over to Curtis' desk, seeing that he is working on a few pet projects for Helix, the company he and Felicity started together before Felicity turned it into Smoak Technologies. Memories start to seep in, but he immediately expels them and gets to his point.

"Listen, Mr. Holt—"

"Just…call me Curtis."

"Right, Curtis. I understand why you're reluctant to help. I know what happened to you guys last year with Diaz. Specifically,…what happened to Nick Anastas. It's hard to see someone you love almost die and not think 'what if that happened to me?'"

"Well I still think that. Here, behind the computer, I feel like I'm going to go home to him unscathed, not worried about him grieving for me when I die doing something reckless. Do you not get that feeling?"

"Of course I do. I have a dad and stepmom that I think about every day, that I worry about every day. Not a time goes by that I think I'll die before I see them again. But my Stepmom once told me that heroes don't always make it home, but we all have to make sacrifices. Sure, that means we have to live with the fear that anything can be taken from us in an instant. But our sacrifices show how deep we care for the ones we love…because we do it for them. For their safety, so we can go home to them, unscathed or not."

Curtis looks down at his keyboard for a minute and then turns his attention back to William. "You're Stepmom sounds like a brave but brash person."

William can tell that Curtis is nearly convinced, but not entirely. There's only one thing that can convince him now. Just a few words. "Felicity can be like that."

Curtis' fingers freeze before they can type another word. He looks at the monitor with confusion. "Wait. Felici—" His eyes widen, realization probably rushing into his head too fast for him to comprehend. He utters the question that William somewhat dreads anyone in this time would ask him. "William?"

William nods his head. He can only imagine the things going through Curtis' head right now, trying to process this new information. After about a few seconds, Curtis responds with his usual rambling. "Oh my god, this makes so much sense now. I mean, I suspected it earlier when I saw what you looked like, but you being the actual William changing the future. Wait a minute, we're changing the future right now by having this conversation, which means helping you in turn is-"

"Curtis!"

"Uh, right. Sorry, but…This is a whole lot to unpack. I mean, you're out there being the Green Arrow and I'm…" Curtis stops dead, his hysteric revelation dissipating into a look of guilt. "Oh my god. You're out there, sacrificing yourself for Felicity and Oliver, for us. You've been keeping us safe. Is that why you were reluctant to tell us who you were all this time?"

"Yeah. I was going to tell all of you when this was over. Right now, you guys, Star City, and your futures are my priority. But I've realized that I can't do everything alone. At least, not how I used to"

"You've done so much. You've been stopping at nothing to take down Diaz and now Wolfman and…I've been concerned for my own skin, backing out of something that you needed my help with." Curtis places his elbow on the table, placing his hand over his eyes. "Oh god, I'm such a jerk."

"You're not. Everyone is reluctant to do something outside their boundaries, a sacrifice they don't want to make, whether it's because of fear or selfishness. You admitting your reluctance shows that you're shaking off that fear. Some people don't have the backbone to do that."

Curtis nods his head. "You're right. You've sacrificed so much for us. Now it's my turn."

"And mine, too."

William and Curtis turn around and see John at the door. William didn't even hear him come in from talking to Curtis, but from the look on John's face and the fact that the glass is soundproof, William knows that he has already figured it out beforehand.

William bows his head a bit. "Of course you managed to figure it out on your own."

John walks up to William. "Well, it's not hard when you put two and two together, like the fact that you look a lot like your father." The way John says it sounds as if he's proud of that fact, or maybe just proud of William in general.

Curtis doesn't give off that same vibe. "Actually, the resemblance is kinda scare-"

Suddenly, the phone in William's pocket begins to ring, but not his cell phone. "It's the burner phone." William takes it out quickly and hands it to Curtis. "Curtis, you're on."

"Right." Curtis takes the phone, clears his throat to prepare his French accent, and presses the call button before bringing it to his ear. "Bonjour? Ah, Monsieur Wolfman. A pleasure to speak to you again…oui, I have the Green Arrow. I am looking at him right now…the offer still stands. When and where? Merci, Monsieur Wolfman. I will not be late. See you soon."

Curtis hangs up. "I've got the location. A Chinese restaurant in the Glades."

"Google it."

Curtis types in the address and moves the monitor to show William and John. William looks at photos of the interior, seeing tables and booths in a room big enough to seat more than 20 people. Still, William doesn't like what he is seeing. "This is too small for me to maneuver through with too many guards."

"Well you won't be alone. You'll have me and Curtis to back you up."

"Plus, I've been working on something for agents in case they get into close quarters situations. It can also store a weapon of your choosing."

"Good. I'll get my suit and meet you guys outside of A.R.G.U.S in a couple of hours."

"Oh, and Wolfman also told me the time of the meet. It's going to be 9:00 tonight."

"9:00 to-" William clenches his fists. "Dang it!"

John looks at him with a worried look. "What is it?"

"Diaz will be robbing the CDC that time. He's going to try to steal glutathione hydrate, a medicine which has one vital ingredient, Mirakuru. If he gets his hands on that and uses it-"

"Then Diaz can make himself stronger than he was before. Okay, which event makes the most impact?"

"Wolfman and the Jackals. If they get away, they take advantage of Star City's weak infrastructure within the month and take it over. Even if I dismantled it, the results will still be catastrophic."

"Okay, then we stop Wolfman quickly enough so we can stop Diaz afterwards. William, get your suit and meet us outside of A.R.G.U.S an hour before the meet. And have the gauntlets ready."

"Got it, Mr. Diggle." William starts to head for the door.

"And William?" William stops and turns to John, who smirks. "Call me John."

William smirks back and nods in acknowledgment. "See you guys soon." He walks out the door, rushing out to get himself ready and hoping that they can pull this off.

---

Dinah starts to walk out of her office at the mere mention of an offer to help. "If this is illegal, I don't want to hear about it."

Rene follows her with Felicity behind them. "Aw, D. Why do you always assume the worst?"

"You make it easy, Mr. Ramirez." Across from them is Samantha Watson, the FBI Agent who arrested Oliver in exchange for everyone else to obtain immunity from their vigilante lives.

Dinah walks right next to her but looks to Rene and Felicity, knowing they had something to do with this. "Okay, okay. What the hell is going on here?"

Felicity speaks up, "We know how to catch Diaz. And we need your help."

"I thought I made myself clear-"

"You did and then I set a trap at the CDC."

"How do you know about that?"

"I bugged your office." As Watson is about to lecture, Felicity cuts her off. "And I know, but hold the lecture, we're on a time crunch here. I back traced the Silencer's hack."

Rene leans in towards Felicity. "We're calling her the silencer now?"

"It's better than the belt lady."

"Noted." Rene leans away and allows Felicity to continue.

"She's been tracking inventory on a glutathione hydrate. It's a vial compound that helps protect red blood cells from diseases like Ebola and the Lassa fever. I mean god knows what creepy thing Diaz has planned for that, and the only place he can get it is the CDC."

"You do realize the CDC is a secure government facility? There are strict protocols, which-"

"Which makes it the perfect place. You know, to set a trap. The compound is being stored in a bio containment lab. Diaz walks in there, I seal the doors…" Felicity snaps her fingers for dramatic effect. "Diaz is locked in."

Rene chips in, "like that zombie movie. Or, really, any zombie movie."

Dinah is a bit intrigued by the plan, but she still has her doubts. "And when is this happening."

"Tonight. A shipment just came in from Central City."

"Well, I'll put a team together. If Diaz walks in there, the SCPD will be there to take him down."

"D, if Diaz gets a whiff of the police, it'll spook him."

Dinah knows where this is going. "Oh, right. You want to do it the vigilante way. Well, you probably shouldn't have invited her then."

Dinah points to Watson, but Rene and Felicity seem to know that. Otherwise, they would've thought twice about bringing her on board.

Rene shakes his head. "No Canary, no Wild Dog. Just us."

"And it technically wouldn't be off the books if Watson is on board."

"And go against my boss' order to stay away from the CDC?"

"Your boss is wrong, and you know it. Besides, it seems to me that if Diaz is brought in, all is forgiven."

"That's a big IF."

"Diaz has been a plague on the city and on our lives for too long, and now we have the chance to bring him down. We have to take it. It's been five months. The SCPD hasn't arrested him, neither has the FBI, neither has ARGUS. It's…it's time to try another way."

Dinah can't help but feel that Felicity's right but is hesitant to agree with this seeing as how they can get into trouble over this. She can see that Agent Watson feels the same way.

After a few seconds, Watson nods her head. "Fine." Felicity somewhat smiles, looking more relieved that Watson agreed than happy that she is on board. "But this is a one-time thing. Understand? And if anything feels off, I pull the plug."

Felicity nods in agreement. Rene, however, looks to Dinah, for she hasn't given her answer.

"What do you say, D?"

As much as Dinah dislikes the plan, she knows that this may be their one chance to catch Diaz for a while. If they get in trouble for it, then that's the sacrifice they have to make. She nods her head. "Fine."

Rene gives a smirk. "Let's go catch us a Dragon."

---

Oliver looks at the photo of his wife and son, the only item he was allowed to bring into the prison. Before, it served as a reminder of why he is in here, why he had to be on his best behavior. Now, they are the reason why he is risking his chances of early release. To find the Demon and make him pay for what he has done to him, for sending that message, and to find Diaz.

Suddenly, he hears the buzzing of his cell door. He looks up from the photo to see that it is now opening. What the hell?

He gets up, placing the photo on the table. He walks out of his cell and finds all the cell doors opening, the prisoners walking in the direction of the mess hall. The strangest thing of all is that there are no guards around to stop them from leaving.

The only one not heading to the mess hall is Stanley, who walks up next to Oliver. "Where are all the guards? What the hell is happening?"

"No idea. Brick must have something planned. Wait here."

Oliver walks over to the nearest set of stairs, remembering which cell Brick told him to find in order to talk to the Demon. He clutches his side, the pain still a bit burdensome. As he nears the stairs, he can hear Stanley walking up next to him. Of course he doesn't listen to me.

"Where're you going?"

"To find someone."
"I'll go with you."

"Your cell is the safest spot right now."

"With all these murderer guys? No way. I'm sticking by your side."

As they get to the stairs, Oliver turns to Stanley, seeing his point. With all of the doors open, he can be prone to attack. The safest place for Stanley is at Oliver's side.

"Okay."

Stanley gives a half smile, either because he's excited to be working with Oliver again or that he is safe. Either way, they walk up the stairs and start their search for the Demon.

---

The night is still, almost silent except for the far distant traffic. The two Jackals tap their boots, shivering a bit in the Fall breeze. They were told to wait outside to bring Nyambi Somto to show up with the Green Arrow and show him in, saying that he should be coming at any minute. It's 1 minute to 9:00, but these two aren't as patient as their boss.

Just as one of them is getting out a cigarette, both of them see headlights coming their way. As the lights get closer, they can see that it is a white van. Finally, the van stops in front of the restaurant and from the driver's window, they can see a man with an intimidating mask on, now turning of the motor and moving to the back of the van. The back doors open and out comes a man in a beige suit. Following suit is the Green Arrow in handcuffs being escorted by the masked man clad in black.

The man in beige stops in front of the two men. "My name is Nyambi Somto. I'm here to see Monsieur Wolfman."

One of the men presses the communicator in his ear. "He's here."

"Bring him in."

The Jackal takes his hand away from his ear and motions Mr. Somto to follow. While the guard lead the way, the other checks inside the van, to be sure there is nothing else to be concerned about.

---

From her laptop, Felicity and Watson can see and hear Diaz, who is carrying a container, probably a refrigerator unit. With him are two of the Longbow Hunters, the shield guy and the woman in red, walking down the hall to the bio containment lab.

"Wonder where they keep the dead rats?"

The woman in red scoffs at shield guy's question. "So inhumane."

After a little while, they lose sight of them for the cameras' views are limited. But that is why they have Rene in position and ready to follow them.

"I have eyes on Diaz and a couple of his psychos."

Watson leans on the table towards the laptop screen. "Any chance they left the third one at home?"

Dinah answers, "It's doubtful. Silencer wouldn't want to miss this."

"They reached the lab. What the?"

"What is it, Rene?"

"Zombies just walked right in. No keycard or nothing."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"Doesn't matter, just lock the doors."

Felicity tries to do just that, but all she gets is a message saying, "Code Protocol failed."

Felicity starts to panic. "Oh frack, frack, frack, frack."

"Better sounds, Felicity."

"Whatever opened the doors is blocking my access frequencies. It's some sort of sonic disruption."

"Comm is still working."

"Well, how about I save the details of how acoustic injection cyberattacks work for another time."

Once again, Dinah has the answer, "The Silencer. She must've brought a new toy."

"Can you turn it off?"

"I can't hack it, but I can track it."

As Felicity tracks the disruption, the view of the 3D layout moves away from the bio containment lab until it shows the location with a big and bright yellow dot. "She's in the northeast corridor heading for the mechanical room."

"I'm on it, but once I catch up to her, it will be radio silence. Literally."

"Diaz is packing up. We have to hurry."

Watson leans away from the table. "Okay. Time for plan B."

Felicity shoots up from the chair. "No, no, no. That's a big negative. Manual overrides are in the basement and again, no locks, no entry."

"I can't let Diaz escape."

"Are you crazy?! You can't beat them!"

"I don't have to. I just got to keep them in there long enough for you to lock those doors."

Watson heads out, Felicity now worried that this will go awry. It usually does. But she can't abandon the plan now. This may be the only time to catch Diaz or, if not him, one of the Longbow Hunters.

---

As they make their way up the stairs, Stanley starts to talk a bit nervously. "It's like one of those horror movies. So quiet, I can hear my heartbeat. Usually, the first person leading dies. But you won't die."

Finally getting up the stairs, Oliver turns to Stanley. "Look, if you're going to tag along, then you should do so quietly. Okay?"

Stanley's voice turns into a whisper. "Okay. Got it. There's 3B."

Stanley points to the cell door with "3B" above it. This one is different from the others. It has a blue, singular door, not the automatic sliding ones like Oliver's or Stanley's. These are usually used to house prisoners who aren't level 2 material, but still pose a threat to prisoners.

Oliver and Stanley slowly make their way to the cell door, making sure their footsteps do not make a sound. When they get to the door, Oliver slowly opens it, ready to finally meet the Demon face to face. That chance does not come.

He finds no one in the cell. The only things there are a couple of books on the table and bed. Oliver clenches his fist. Damn it. "Not here."

"So, what do we do? Just wait?"

"It'll be a long wait."

Both of them turn around, seeing Turner and two other inmates behind him. Oliver's blood starts to boil.

"Where's the Demon?"

"Hell, if I know." Turner chuckles. "You really thought Brick was going to help you? He got what he wanted, and now…" He raises one of his hands, flipping a shiv in his hand to a regular grip. "…He wants you dead."

Turner comes at Oliver with a horizontal swipe. Oliver blocks and directs the arm to make it easy to disarm the shiv. Before he could though, Turner kicks him back towards the bed. Thinking fast, Oliver grabs one of the books and uses it to block an incoming stab. Both struggle, Oliver to keep the knife away and Turner to push it forward into Oliver's neck.

Taking advantage of the situation, Oliver uppercuts Turner and shifts his focus on the two other inmates. The first one comes in with a couple of kicks, one Oliver blocks and the other he grabs, forcing the inmate to the ground.

The other inmate kicks Oliver while he isn't looking, forcing him outside the cell. The inmate tries to charge at him, but Oliver side steps out of the way and pushes him over the railing. The fall looks to be long, but the inmate doesn't land on anything that can result in a life-threatening injury.

The first inmate gets up and throws a couple of punches at Oliver. Oliver blocks the strikes and slams the inmate against the wall, leaving him incapacitated.

Turner, who has gotten his shiv out of the book, charges at Oliver again. Oliver grabs the wrist and the other arm, turning Turner around and pinning him to the wall. With the trapped wrist, Oliver brings it as close to Turner's neck as possible.

"Stanley, rip up the blanket into two ropes long enough to tie his wrist and ankles."

Oliver still keeps his focus on Turner but is confident that Stanley is doing as he is told.

"Done."

With Stanley's confirmation, Oliver brings Turner's wrist away and twists it just enough that he is forced to let the shiv go. He grabs it as it drops and once again brings it to Turner's neck.

"Hands down and behind you. Now!"

Turner does as he is told, lowering his hands and brought them close enough to be tied together. Stanley quickly ties the hands and ankles together, allowing Oliver to take a few steps away without worrying that Turner may try to do something.

"We had a deal!"

"A deal that means nothing now that Brick got what he wanted. With Yorke gone, we're finally free to have some fun. Brick's got a game going on right now in the mess hall, all thanks to you."

"First rule of prison: don't trust anyone."

"Ah, kid's right. Now, how'd he manage to figure that out before you did?"

"Fine. Brick was lying. There's no Demon."

"Oh, there is. But you don't summon the Demon. The Demon summons you."

"I'll take my chances."

"You're not getting it. The only way to the Demon is through Brick. There's a system. It's how this place works."

"Well…looks like I'm gonna force Brick to make good on his deal."

"Good luck. His event's invite only and you're not on the list."

Oliver takes a couple of steps forward, bringing the shiv close to Turner's neck. "And I'm guessing you are?"

---

As they walk into the restaurant, William cases the room around him. Seven people. Six guards, including the one who escorted us in and the other outside, with Wolfman in the middle. All the tables are pushed to the side except the one with a laptop where Wolfman is. Bar counter on the right can serve as good cover. Door to the kitchen is a possible escape route. Need to make sure no one goes through there. If the plan goes right, then the six guards will be down in time for me to snatch Wolfman.

Wolfman looks up from the laptop he was on, a smirk across his face as he sees William in handcuffs. As planned, Curtis acts as if he's glad to see Wolfman.

"Monsieur Wolfman. A pleasure to see you at last."

"Likewise, and with what I wanted. And what's that?"

He points to the case in Curtis' hand. Curtis walks over and places it on the table. "One of my expertly crafted weapons that was…recovered from one of the ARGUS agents before it could reach their headquarters. Consider it as an apology for being…nearly empty handed." Curtis takes a few steps back.

"Fine. One moment." Wolfman looks back to the laptop, typing something in it, possibly a message telling Diaz that he has "the Green Arrow". A little more than 10 seconds later, Wolfman looks back to them. "The transaction has been paid in advance. I am to bring the Green Arrow to my client and the weapons will be ours." He walks away from the computer and stops just next to it. "But first…" He quickly draws his pistol. The rest of his men draw their weapons afterwards. "We need to clean up the corpses that are going to hit the floor."

Curtis puts his hands up while John, in his disguise, draws his weapon. William just looks on, feeling a bit stupid. I should've seen this coming.

"I may have only called Mr. Somto, but I always like to know who I am dealing with and know my enemies…Mr. Holt and Mr. Diggle."

The last guard comes in and rushes to Wolfman. "No one else is in the van. It's just them, boss."

Wolfman scoffs. "Just the three of you? Brave, yet stupid. Tell me, what exactly was the plan? Come in here and trick me into letting my guard down?"

Curtis smirks. "Yes. And it's working wonders."

As he finishes his sentence, William presses the button hidden in his palm. The case springs open, revealing a turret loaded with non-lethal pellets. It starts shooting the guards one at a time, forcing their attention on it.

William quickly runs and ducks behind the counter and quickly dislocates his thumbs to slip the cuffs off. He raises his head up and sees Curtis hook punch one of the remaining guards and John trying to shoot at the leg of a retreating Wolfman. Remembering the location of the kitchen door, William quickly vaults over the counter and tackles and pins Wolfman onto one of the booths

As soon as Wolfman is pinned, William quickly employs a few punches to the helmet, the gauntlets feeling soft upon impact, but he can see the mask slowly coming loose. Looks like they work.

William employs a hook punch, which proves strong enough to break off the mask, revealing an angry yet staggered Wolfman. He tries to go in for the knockout punch, but Wolfman blocks it and punches William in the face, forcing him to back away. Wolfman then kicks him back to the counter, allowing him to stand back up.

Before Wolfman can do anything else, John rushes in with a flying knee, knocking Wolfman away. Wolfman quickly gets back up and grabs John's arm, trying to throw him down to the ground. Instead, John resists and grabs Wolfman and they both wrestle to bring one or the other down.

"Arrow!"

William looks to Curtis, who throws a foldable compound bow and a net arrow to William. He grabs both and takes aim.

John, who notices even amid the wrestling, pushes Wolfman back and ducks, allowing William to shoot the arrow and trap Wolfman in a net. The force of the arrow knocks Wolfman down to the ground just next to the kitchen door. As Wolfman struggles to get out, John runs to Wolfman and punches him in the face, putting him down for good.

William breathes in a deep sigh, relieved that they managed to take down Wolfman. John takes his mask off and takes a deep breath, either glad that their mission is a success or to have the mask off since it was lifted from one of Somto's men and probably reeks of who-knows-what.

Curtis starts to laugh excitedly. "That was awesome! I mean, the turret shooting pellets, us doing a team takedown on Wolfman! God, I forgot how exciting this was! Well, the whizzing of bullets and possibility of dying still sucks. But still!"

John gives an smile. "Just like the good old days."

"Sorry to interrupt the reminiscing, but we still have an objective at hand."

John snaps his fingers. "Right." John taps on the comm in is ear. "This is Agent Diggle. Target is down. Send team for extract." After a few seconds, John gives a nod. "Thanks HQ. Diggle out." He turns to William. "Team's 30 seconds away."

"Good. Let's get going. Diaz may have breached the CDC already, but we can at least stop him before he gets away."

"Right."

They exit out of the restaurant, heading for the portable base with the intent of stopping Diaz before he gets away.

---

"I'm in the mechanical room." Dinah slowly makes her way inside, seeing nothing but machinery surrounding her, steam emanating from them. As she reaches the center of the room, the sounds of the machines and steam are silenced completely. To be sure that this isn't just because she's gone deaf, she taps her handgun on a barrel. No noise. Silencer.

Dinah quickly turns around to shoot, but the Silencer directs the gun upward before the shot goes off. Silencer then goes in for a swing with her knife, but Dinah quickly back-steps out of the way. As Dinah tries to aim the gun again, Silencer pushes it to the side and disarms it.

The Silencer goes on the offensive, trying to stab Dinah anywhere she can. Dinah blocks each strike, the Silencer's speed making it hard to find any openings. With Dinah's hands high, the Silencer finds an opportunity to knee strike her a couple of times in the stomach, the first one making her stagger and the second forcing her back to a table.

Seeing that she needed something to help her go on the offensive, Dinah picks up a wrench and charges at Silencer.

---

Watson rendezvous with Rene Ramirez outside the bio containment lab, where Diaz is still collecting samples. She draws her gun, ready to go in and stop Diaz.

Before they do though, Felicity speaks up, "Um, FYI guys, not all the chemicals in there are stable. One stray bullet and the whole place can go boom."

Then I'll threaten them first. If that doesn't work, hand to hand combat will suffice. With all of this in mind, they quickly make their way inside, aiming their guns at Diaz and the Longbow Hunters. "Freeze! FBI!"

Diaz doesn't turn around but seems to recognize her voice. "Agent Watson. I see you've reunited with some old acquaintances."

"Step away from the cooler Diaz and put your hands in the air."

"Can you please take care of them?"

The woman shoots what looks like needles at Watson and Rene, who run out of the way and into cover. Rene runs over to deal with the brutish man. Watson gets out of cover only for the woman to shoot at her again, the needles digging into the ballistic vest, but not deep enough to pierce the skin. Watson runs over to the side and quickly takes cover again. She then takes the needles off her vest. She prepares for the woman to close in on her position. Oddly enough, she hasn't.

Assuming that she has taken cover as well, Watson prepares to charge at the woman and gets out of cover, only to find Curtis Holt engaged in hand to hand combat with the woman, managing to put distance between him and her with a side kick. Watson looks to where Rene is, seeing John Diggle helping him out with the brute.

Watson looks to Curtis Holt. "What the hell are you two doing here?"

Curtis Holt looks back. "Saving your life. And stopping Diaz, of course."

The Woman gets back up, looking like she's about to fire more darts. Before she can though, Curtis Holt ducks under her, grabs her arm, and throws her in between him and Watson. They both engage the woman, their strikes giving her no room to maneuver outside the enclosed space they have made.

---

With the wrench, Dinah finds somewhat more opportunities for a kick or a punch, but not many. She changes up her strategy, going from deflecting the Silencer's knife to redirecting it in order to get a disarm. The redirections give her a different idea though. During the next redirect, Dinah grabs the wrist with both hands, employing a wrist throw. Dinah raises one of her legs for a kick, prepared to knock the Silencer out. However, the Silencer sweeps the leg Dinah balances on, forcing her to the ground as well.

The Silencer gets up on her knee, ready to deliver the killing blow. As she raises the knife, however, an arrow breaks through the blade, and a man that Dinah wished would never be here kicks the Silencer away. The Green Arrow, now in view, offers a hand to Dinah. She reluctantly takes it, still a bit grateful that he saved her, even if they are on opposite sides of the law.

Both their attentions quickly turn to the Silencer, who gets up and draws another knife from her satchel. The Green Arrow switches his bow from his left hand to his right, raising it high and keeping his left near his face. Dinah assumes a similar position, her left hand close to her cheeks with the wrench still in her right. The Silencer then comes in with a series of knife swings, switching fluidly from one target to another.

---

Rene and John, no matter how hard they try, can't seem to take down who William called Bear. He has the most resistance to pain, almost as much as Deathstroke on Mirakuru. Flying knees to the face, punches to the leg, anything they tried, Bear just shrugs it off and goes back on the offensive. Even when Rene tries to use his knife and John his rifle as a melee weapon, Bear blocks or deflects them in quick succession. The gauntlets William gave to John have some effect, but they don't seem to work as well as they did on Wolfman.

Eventually, Bear punched Rene hard enough to send him flying to the floor. He then tries to strike John with his shield, but John uses his rifle to block it. Both of them struggle to push each other away, with Bear winning. As John feels his strength waning, Bear retracts the shield, adding a small jump as he strikes again. The attack proves strong enough to break the rifle and also staggering enough to put John off balance. Bear comes in with a push kick, sending John flying above Rene and almost to the table at the end of the room.

Curtis and Watson fair better, but not a lot against the woman William called Red Dart. She proves to be competent with hand to hand combat, at least enough to stand toe to toe with an FBI Agent and an ex vigilante. Her strikes aren't as strong as Bears', but her fluid movements from blocking to countering are fast enough to keep up with both of them at the same time.

Red Dart is more acrobatic, given the way she grabs and spins around Watson to try and get her in a hold. Watson reacts by throwing her to the ground before she gets that chance. As Watson tries to get up, Red Dart throws out a low sweep kick to the face, knocking her down.

Curtis goes in with a flip that forms into a kick, but Red Dart manages to move out of the way before it makes impact. As Curtis and Watson get up and prepare to go for another attack, they are stopped by Diaz, who aims his gun at them.

"Play time's over!"

Diaz, instead of shooting at the group, shoots at the chemical canisters near them. They retreat and take cover behind the table before the chemical canisters start to disperse gas, blocking their way to Diaz and the Longbow Hunters.

"Let's go!" Diaz, Bear, and Red Dart rush out of the room and towards the exit.

Rene and Watson tap on the comms on their ears, probably receiving new information from Felicity.

Rene turns to John. "The Silencer's still in the mechanical room."

"Okay, we'll get Diaz. You help Dinah. Go!" John avoids saying the Green Arrow with Watson in the room, knowing how much trouble they'll get into if she knew he tagged along. Rene rushes towards the mechanical room while John, Curtis, and Watson head to the exit, hoping to stop Diaz in time.

As they get to the exit, they find the doors cracked open and the sound of a vehicle that fades as it gets farther and farther away. John expresses frustration, his face snarling and his fists clenching while Curtis rubs his eyebrows with his finger and thumb, disappointed that they couldn't stop Diaz this time. But he is not entirely mad because they at least captured Wolfman.

Watson doesn't display anything, keeping her emotions in check. She just utters the bad news, probably to Felicity who is on the other line. "They got away."

---

Dinah keeps deflecting the knife with the wrench and now attacks with it too, the Green Arrow's help keeping some of the pressure off her. The Green Arrow attacks anywhere he can, from the head to legs, while the Silencer tries to manage both of them at once. Eventually, Silencer overextends one of her vertical reverse knife strikes. The Green Arrow traps the arm, swinging his bow at the clenched hand and forcing her to disarm the knife. He then grabs Silencer's arm and throws her as he kneels down.

Dinah and the Green Arrow push the offensive, forcing Silencer to constantly be on the defensive with no opportunities to strike. They keep up the attacks, eventually pushing her into the shelf behind her. When they try to go in for a simultaneous punch to the face, Silencer dodges it and rolls to the side. She gets up quickly and grabs the side of the shelf, pulling it onto the Green Arrow and Dinah.

They both run as fast as they can. The Green Arrow breaks out into a roll and makes it to safety before the shelf crashes down. Dinah, however, is not fast enough, the shelf trapping her by the legs.

The Green Arrow, his focus being on the Silencer, tries to reach in for an arrow, but the Silencer picks up Dinah's gun before he can do so. The Silencer reaches for her belt and turns the knob, the sounds of machinery and steam once again filling the air.

As her finger pulls slightly on the trigger, Silencer smiles. "This is going to be fun."

Before she can shoot, a knife comes flying in and impales the back of her shoulder. Dinah looks back as far as she can, getting a glimpse of Rene, who has his hand extended like it would be when throwing something.

Green Arrow, who probably saw Rene come in, doesn't hesitate to charge at Silencer. She switches the handgun to her other hand and aims it. By that time though, Green Arrow is already close enough that he is able to grab the gun, punch her, and pull it away from her hand.

As the gun is taken from her, Silencer quickly reaches into her pocket and throws a smoke bomb on the floor, blinding Dinah and the Green Arrow. Dinah barely makes out the figure of Rene through the smoke, probably asking if the Green Arrow is all right. The Green Arrow just points in a direction, probably to where he believes the Silencer has ran off to. Rene seems to hesitate, but the Green Arrow pushes him along, so he goes.

As the smoke clears up, the Green Arrow leans down to where Dinah is pinned and grabs the shelf. "Listen, on 3, I lift, you push. Okay?" Dinah nods. "Good. Okay. 1. 2. 3."

With all her might, Dinah pushes the shelf while the Green Arrow lifts it, the shelf feeling lighter on her legs bit by bit until she feels that she can move.

"Okay, now go. Go!" Hearing that he is straining under the shelf's weight, Dinah moves quickly until her whole body is out of the shelf's area. The Green Arrow lets go, the shelf making a thud as it abruptly comes back down.

The Green Arrow breathes a bit heavily, sounding somewhat exhausted. He turns to Dinah. "You all right?"

Dinah wants to say that she is okay, but then she remembers that she is not talking to Oliver Queen, but a copycat. "If you hadn't saved my life, I would be turning you in right now."

"Yeah, you're okay." Suddenly, a beeping is heard from where the Green Arrow is. He looks at his gauntlet as if looking at a display. She can't tell how he feels given that his eyes are covered by white lenses, but his frozen state and shaking hand tell her that he is looking at something bad. That, and the repeating "No's."

"What is it?"

The Green Arrow drops her handgun. "I have to go."

"To where?"

"I just need to go!"

He gets up, beginning to run as if in a rush. Before he gets far, Dinah speaks up, "Stop!" He does as she says, turning quickly. "This was a one-time thing. The next time we meet, I will turn you in."

"Don't count on it."

The Green Arrow resumes his run, heading towards where Rene entered. As much as she wants to go after him, the Silencer is the top priority. She gets on the comms to both Rene and Felicity.

"Rene, did you find Silencer?"

"I'm sorry D. She…she got away."

The statement starts to worry her. "Felicity, can you confirm?"

"Yes. Yes, I can confirm that she got away. I'm sorry. We failed."

Dinah bows her head and puts her forehead on her curled leg. We failed. We did all of this and we failed. Of all the god damn… Dinah lifts her head up, her brow raised. Wait. Rene sounded…hesitant when he said that the Silencer got away. But, it wasn't the type that expressed disappointment, more like holding something back. And Felicity, she responded and talked quickly. Too quickly. Is there something they know that I don't?

She waves her hand. It's too late anyways. If Silencer is gone, nobody will find her. But I should keep an eye on Felicity and Rene. I just hope they won't do anything reckless or stupid.

---

John walks into the portable base, feeling defeated. He sees Curtis on the computer, trying to find at least a trace of Diaz or the Longbow Hunters. The only one not here with them is William.

"Anything Curtis?"

"No, they're using a jammer that's hiding them from the satellite. By the time I bypass it, they'll be long gone."

"Any word from William?"

"Actually, yeah. He said he had to go. Something about going to Slabside to stop a catastrophe."

"Slabside? It's miles from the city and the only thing of worth there is…Oliver. Redirect the satellite over Slabside now and patch William through."

"On it."

Curtis quickly gets to work, getting a satellite image of Slabside prison. He activates thermal imaging, seeing a large concentration of people in one area. Away from that area are three other dots making their way there. Far from them is one lone dot.

"There. That has to be William."

"How did he get there-you know what, forget it. Patching through…now."

---

William waits in the shadows, seeing his dad, Stanley, and Turner make their way towards the mess hall. Just wait till they get there. Afterwards, I'll jump in and…

"William, do you copy?"

The sound of John's voice can be heard in his comm. Of course they tracked me and patched into my earpiece.

William tries to not sound mad about it. "I copy."

"You just left with barely an explanation. How are you at Slabside?

"Breach beacon. I placed them in every place of importance when first coming to this era. "

"Okay, but why are you at Slabside?"

"Because there's a chance my father may die."

"What?!"

"After my fight with the Silencer, I got a time alert. A newspaper article says he dies tonight in a brawl with an inmate. I can't take the chance. I'm sorry."

"No, no. It's alright. But at least give us a heads-up next time."

"There wasn't time to. Besides, I can do this one on my own. You guys have done enough."

"Hey William. Uh, Curtis here. Even if you can take on the entire prison, the best approach is to stop Oliver from going towards the place where the bad guys are."

"I can't. Diaz has an informant in the prison and Brick is the only one who knows where he is. I just need to keep Dad alive. If the Demon exists, he or she can lead us to Diaz."

"Well, at least let me tell you what you're walking into."

"Probably the entirety of Slabside's inmates."

"And finest. About eight security guards are spectating the whole thing."

"Spectating what?"

"Looks like…a fighting event?"

"The brawl. That's probably where Dad dies and…wait. They're just outside the hall to the mess hall. They're releasing Ben Turner."

"He must be their best bet in. Keep your comm on. We'll be able to hear everything you hear."

"Copy John. Their going through the hallway. Moving up."

William creeps through the large cell block and positions himself against the wall his dad was previously. He peeks out into the hallway a bit, seeing his dad and the others make their way inside past two other inmates.

"They're inside. Two inmates are blocking access."

"Can you find a way around?"

"No, but I have something that can help."

William takes out a sleeping gas arrow. Seeing that they are still closing the door, he waits until it is completely shut. Seeing the metal door come to a stop, he quickly comes out of cover and shoots the gas arrow in between the two men. The gas quickly disperses, knocking them both out while not raising any suspicion.

When the gas is completely gone, he heads into the mess hall, hoping that he is not too late to save his dad.

---

As Oliver enters the mess hall, he and Stanley see inmates surrounding the center of the room, which is signified by the four tables being used as barriers, cheering something on. As they get closer, they see Sampson punching another inmate almost to death.

While Turner loses himself in the crowd, Oliver and Stanley move closer to the center. The inmate on the floor is dragged out, leaving a snarling, heavy breathing Sampson alone in what Oliver deduces is a makeshift boxing ring.

"Gentlemen, Gentlemen!" Oliver hears Brick's voice above him. He turns to where Brick is, seeing him with his hand raised to ask for silence. "We've got an unexpected treat for you tonight. A once in a lifetime matchup. Our champion, Sampson, vs the Green Arrow!"

Brick points to Oliver and the entire crowd cheers for the spectacle they think they're going to see. Oliver looks to Sampson, who smirks, probably thinking this is the night he gets vengeance for Oliver putting him in jail. Oliver, however, does not want to satisfy anyone's need for a spectacle. He has something to do.

"I don't have time for this."

He walks over to the table below the railing of the second level, thinking of using it as a platform for him to get up to Brick. The other inmates, however, get in his way.

"Where you goin' Arrow?"

Oliver looks to Sampson again, rolling his neck and clenching his fists in anticipation. Oliver then spots Turner, who is smiling. Turner knew this would happen, didn't he? He knows that the only way I get to Brick is by fighting Sampson first. Oliver gives a subtle sigh before stepping back into the makeshift ring. Guess I have no choice.

"You ready for a rematch?"

"Last time didn't end so well for you, Sampson."

"This time, I'm gonna kill you."

Stanley gives Oliver a pat on the shoulder. "You're better than this guy Oliver. You can take him." Oliver somewhat appreciates Stanley's optimism.

"Gentlemen, place your bets."

Oliver looks back up to Brick, who is dealing money with the guards, most probably on who will win this. Oliver now sees why Yorke was a threat to Brick. He was the only guard who would shut this whole thing down.

When Oliver looks back to Sampson, he is already charging in. Sampson tackles Oliver and pins him to the table. Sampson then comes in with a flurry of punches, which Oliver manages to block except one, which hits his shiv injury.

His side feels like it's on fire. Oliver punches Sampson away so he can check on the wound. But before he can, Sampson comes back and picks him back up, ready to hook punch him right in the face. Before Sampson even has the chance to do so, a gloved hand grabs his arm and an arm covered in green leather puts him in a choke hold and pulls him away.

As Sampson is thrown to the ground, Oliver can see that the person that saved him is…the new Green Arrow? Sampson tries to get up, but the Green Arrow kicks him away, forcing him back down. The Green Arrow doesn't attack him further, instead retreating to Oliver.

The crowd of inmates either remained silent or booed in the new Green Arrow's presence. Stanley seemed either ecstatic or shocked, but it was hard to tell.

Brick, however, seemed excited. "Well, gentlemen. This night just keeps getting more and more exciting. We got ourselves a GREEN ARROW TAG TEAM!"

The Green Arrow turns to Oliver, who is struggling to stand. "You all right?"

Oliver nods, but the pain is still somewhat hard to bear. The Green Arrow seams to note this, taking out an arrow and cigarette lighter and handing them to Oliver.

"Use these to cauterize the wound then get back in quickly. I'll hold him off." The Green Arrow walks back to Sampson, getting himself into a fighting position.

Stanley rushes to Oliver's side. "Here. Let me." Stanley takes the lighter and arrow. He lights the tip of the arrow, the metal absorbing the heat in a matter of seconds. He then applies the arrow gently, the heat feeling more painful than the wound itself.

While Stanley does this, Oliver tries to keep his mind off the sting of the heated arrow by watching the Green Arrow in action. He seems to be testing his opponent first, throwing jabs and quick kicks, nearly dodging every attack Sampson does.

Eventually, Sampson manages to get the Green Arrow with a tackle, forcing him back towards one of the tables. The Green Arrow, however, adapts to this, wall running on the table and throwing both him and Sampson to the ground. Both get up and Sampson goes in for another tackle. The Green Arrow, however, manages to keep himself planted, taking the tackle's full force. They now wrestled for control.

Oliver stops spectating to check on his wound, seeing that it has been cauterized. He nods to Stanley. "Thanks."

Oliver looks back to the ring, noticing that Sampson has pinned the Green Arrow to the table. Acting quickly, Oliver rushes in and pulls Sampson away. He then pins Sampson to the table, just next to the Green Arrow. Sampson tries to fight back, but the Green Arrow grabs his arm, allowing Oliver to punch Sampson a couple of times in the face before grabbing the other arm. Both of them force Sampson off of the table and onto his knees.

Both say in unison, "Yield!"

Sampson doesn't turn to either of them, but he snarls at the ground. "Never!"

Oliver looks to the Green Arrow, who nods at him, signaling that they are on the same page. Seeing that pinning him down won't be enough to make sure he doesn't fight again, they both dislocate his shoulders. Sampson screams out in pain, lying on the floor as his arms are let go, struggling to get himself up.

All the prisoners and guards fall silent at the duo's victory, except for Stanley. "That was awesome!"

"Quite the performance" Oliver and the Green Arrow look up at Brick. "Let me tell you a little secret. Duo or not, my money was always on you, Queen. You're a hard man to kill."

Having enough of his games, Oliver runs up to the table and runs off it to get to the upper level. The Green Arrow follows suit, using a rope arrow to get up top quicker. They go over the railing, Oliver grabbing Brick by the shirt and bringing the shiv to Brick's throat while the Green Arrow aims an arrow, rotating left and right at the guards now aiming at them.

Oliver moves the shiv closer to Brick. "Stand down!"

Brick motions his hands downwards, telling the guards to lower their weapons. They do as they are told.

"Mr. Queen, get the information you need, then get back to your cell."

Oliver nods in acknowledgement and turns back to Brick. "No more games. Tell me where to find the Demon." Brick doesn't answer. "Brick. Don't make me ask you again."

Brick just chuckles. "I made you run around, doing errands for me like my grandmother's springer spaniel. And do you know the best part? You'll never get to the Demon because you're on the wrong level. He's in level 2, and only the worst of the worst go down there. That's just not you, isn't it…Arrow?"

"Mr. Queen." Oliver turns to the Green Arrow. "Let me find the Demon. Don't do anything you'll regret."

Oliver lowers his shiv, looking at it, then at the guards, then at the Green Arrow. He considers every possibility of what may happen if he lets the Green Arrow find the Demon. Can he do it? Will the Demon get spooked if he finds out the Green Arrow is searching for him?

"Mr. Queen. Give me the shiv. Let me take the lead."

The Green Arrow relinquishes his bow and arrow and stretches his hand out, showing a sign of trust towards Oliver. Looking at the shiv and the Green Arrow once more, he knows what path to take now.

Oliver lets go of Brick and takes a couple steps forward, coming into arm's length of the Green Arrow, who is ready to take the shiv. Just as he is about to grasp it, Oliver outstretches both hands and grasps the back of the neck and employs a knee strike to the Green Arrow's stomach, forcing him to lean down.

"I'm sorry." Oliver reaches into the quiver for a rope arrow and attaches it to the back of the belt. "But I can't take any chances."

Oliver s the arrow to the ceiling and then throws the Green Arrow from the upper level, letting him dangle just above the ground. His attention then turns to the guards.

He walks towards Dunbar, kicking the guard next to him to the wall. He grabs Dunbar's arm before it can reach for his baton, cuts it and then slams his head on the railing. He walks over to the next pair of guards, one of them charging in and preparing to punch him in the face. As it comes towards him, he ducks down, employs a punch of his own, and stands back up to deliver a hook punch, knocking the guard out.

He walks up to the last guard who just stands there, trembling. As he gets closer, the guard tries to flee, but Oliver grabs him and stabs him in the shoulder, then follows it up with a hook punch.

Oliver looks at the damage he has done. He looks at the guards, bruised and bloodied, and his shiv, laced with blood. Among the damage is the Green Arrow, standing on the opposite side of the railing, looking at Oliver. Though Oliver can't tell how he feels since his eyes are covered with white lenses and his face is covered with another mask, he is no doubt either terrified, shocked, or both.

Oliver drops the shiv, feeling guilt overwhelm him immensely. He didn't want to do this, but he had to. This was the only way he could get to Level 2. He had to do this to get to the Demon.

Snapping out of his guilt, he sees four more guards heading his way. He looks back to the Green Arrow, still gazing upon him.

"Go. Get out of here."

"I-"

"GO!"

Hesitantly, the Green Arrow drops down to the lower level of the Mess Hall. The last thing Oliver hears down there is the opening and closing of the metal door leading into here, telling Oliver that the Green Arrow has left the room.

The guards surround Oliver, guns in hand. He kneels and puts his hands behind his head, knowing what is next for him. Brick stands there and chuckles, amused by the choice Oliver has made, something Oliver hates. To Oliver, this is the ultimate sacrifice for his family. The way that he can keep them safe.

---

The instant William gets out of the breach, he lets go of the bow. He quickly pulls off his hood and face mask. He also takes of his eye mask, throwing it at the computer monitor. He switches the comm off, wishing for neither Curtis or John to talk to him. He just wants to be left alone after everything that has happened.

He walks over to the bed and sits on it, giving himself, for once during this night, a chance to just stay still and process. He doesn't cry, nor does he become angry. He just breathes heavily, his hands grasping the side of the bed.

He doesn't think to himself. He doesn't speak anything out loud. He just breathes, the events just playing out in his head over and over. Something about it is pulling at his brain, but he can't focus on it from the shock he is feeling.

William, after a minute, manages to get his breathing under control. He then closes his eyes, the thought in his brain now focusing, revealing it to be a memory. Specifically, it is the memory of the first reading in the Bible he ever got invested in. He then lets out an uneasy chuckle. I guess even biblical history can repeat itself.

He then looks up, seeing something he didn't see when he first came in. It was a white tarp, hiding what looks like a chair. Can it be?

He gets up from the bed, walking to the chair. As he gets closer, he sees a note taped to the tarp, which says, "As requested." William smirks, glad that she came through on this.

He removes the tarp, revealing the one thing that will allow him to contact his dad when he is in Level 2. What he had planned in case something like what he saw were to happen. He finally has…Devoe's chair.

"Thanks, Nora."

---

"Come on Will. You've been looking at that thing the whole day. How about you focus on the homework we're supposed to be doing?"

William looks up from the Bible Joseph Blackfire gave to him, his roommate, Billy Batson, ready to do their project.

"It's not due for another week. Besides, I have to read this anyways as proof to the principle that I listened to Mr. Blackfire."

"Look, if this is about finding answers to stop Noah, you won't find them in there. You've tried everything else. What else can that give you?"

William just looks back to the Bible. He is still on Genesis, skimming over a few of the reading marked by Joseph Blackfire, which were on how God created the world and Noah's Ark, among others. He is about to do the same for this one…

…but, as he does, he actually finds it interesting. Not just the story it tells, but he can immediately find the underlying theme. It's similar to something Felicity once told him way before his dad got sent to prison, what helped accept him as the Green Arrow. He goes back to the beginning, reading it carefully.

"And now I've lost you. Fine, we'll do it tomorrow, but not after."

"Uh, sure Billy. Tomorrow."

William reads it about three times before he goes to bed. He now knows what he must do, what he hasn't thought of in a long time because it would've been the last thing he'd ever do. Wow. Mr. Blackfire was right. This does have the answers.

---

John sits in his office, filing the report on their successful capture of Kane Wolfman, and the excuse on how they knew a theft at the CDC was happening. Just as he saves it to the servers, he hears the door open. He looks up to see William, seemingly fine after everything that Curtis and John heard over his comm, which implied that Oliver killed or injured people just to find an informant.

"Is this a bad time?"

John smiles. "Not at all."

William closes the door and approaches the desk.

"You didn't try to find me last night."

"I thought it was best to just leave you alone, let you process everything that happened."

"Well, I did need to be alone, so thanks. I haven't seen Curtis on my way in."

"He's been given a new assignment, but he wanted me to give you his regards…and his thanks for giving him the courage to get back onto the field."

"Does this mean he'll do more of it?"

"Maybe. Depends on how he feels."

There is a bit of a pause between them. John wants to ask if William is fine, but worries that he is still recovering from seeing something that is possibly traumatic for him.

Luckily, William brings up another subject. "So…what happened after the CDC?"

"Well, it turns out Agent Watson had everything riding on it, including her career. The op wasn't approved by her superiors. So-"

"They fired her."

"Yeah, but somebody hired her afterwards, or so Felicity told me. Hank Heywood."

"Heywood? And in Nathan's father?"

"Yeah. Apparently, he saw her talent and wanted to hire her for a while. She seemingly wanted it too since she had no qualms with being fired."

"Does she still have connections to the FBI?"

"She may still have friends, but I don't know how many. For all I know, any connections she still has are waning fast."

There is another pause. There isn't anything else he can talk about with William besides what happened last night.

So, he tries to slide into the conversation gently. "Look, if you're a little shaken from last night-"

"No, my Dad didn't kill anybody." William says this as if he knew the conversation was going to happen eventually. "He just roughed them up enough to warrant going down to Level 2, whatever that is."

John tries to keep the conversation going, possibly to save William from the trauma of remembering the event. "Yeah, Curtis looked it up, but it's not on any official records."

"Which means that it's an illegal pet project, most likely. But I knew something like that would happen, so I made a contingency plan. A device that can let me talk to Dad telepathically."

He doesn't question the existence of something like that. He thinks anything like that can exist now. "Will it work?"

"Systems are up and running and the range is better than expected. I just have to test it."

"Good."

Even with all the information they are exchanging, John can't help but want to ask if William is feeling all right. William seems to notice and is probably letting John take the time to ask.

After one more pause, John just gets to the point. "Well, even with all that good news, I just want to know if you're okay."

"I am now. Thanks."

"I know it must have been horrific to you, seeing your Dad injure a few guards just so he can find information."

"It was, at first. But as I was processing the information…something about it tugged at my brain. It took me a while to realize that it reminded me of the first reading from the Bible that got me into Catholicism. One I found relatable."

"Which one?"

William smiles. "The story of Abraham and Isaac."

---

Oliver sits in his cell, legs crossed, waiting for the guards to escort him down to Level 2. He can hear multiple footsteps in unison heading his way. He closes his eyes for a moment and takes a deep breath, assuring himself once again that he is doing this for his family.

"Abraham, under the command of God, took one of his sons, Isaac, up to an alter to be offered up as a sacrifice."

Oliver opens his eyes, seeing Dunbar and a few guards in protective armor ready to escort him.

As his cell door opens, Dunbar takes out some handcuffs. "Let's go 4587. You're going downstairs."

Oliver gets up, letting Dunbar restrain him and escort him away.

"Abraham was ready to sacrifice Isaac in the name of God, even took up the knife without hesitation. But just as he was about to deliver the killing blow, an angel appeared, saying that God's command was only to offer up Isaac to God, a test of Abraham's faith."

As Oliver leaves his cell, he turns and looks at Stanley, who looks scared and sad that Oliver is being taken away. Oliver bows his head, a reminder to Stanley to keep his head down, avoid eye contact. The two essential things he needs to survive.

"So, instead of Isaac, Abraham sacrificed a nearby ram, which was stuck by its horns in a thicket. For showing his faith to God by offering up his son, he was blessed."

As he walks away from his cell, he sees Sampson, his arms in casts, looking at Oliver with contempt. The next person he passes, Brick, is as amused as he was the night before.

"Good luck, Queen. The only way out of Level 2 is through the Morgue."

Oliver doesn't react. He just keeps walking, knowing that what he is doing may kill him, but it means that he may find Diaz and save his family.

"Are you saying that Oliver is Abraham and you're Isaac?"

---

"I'm saying that anyone would do anything for someone that they love. Some would do what Abraham did, showing their faith to be true by finding something else to sacrifice in another's place. But some people don't do that."

"This was a bad idea, Felicity."

"We didn't have a choice."

"Look, I'm not a fan of Agent Watson, but we got her in trouble."

"We didn't make her do anything, Rene. We've been sitting and waiting for the law to catch Diaz, but I am tired of waiting."

"I get that, but isn't this going too far?"

"Isn't this what we've been doing? Stepping in when the system doesn't work? Isn't that the whole vigilante M.O.? Sometimes, you have to cross the line for that."

"Nobody believes that more than me. But I'm not sure that's what this is."

Rene points to their new prisoner, Silencer, as he and Felicity reach the main floor of the refinery they are using to keep her locked up in. So far, she has not tried to free herself, and Felicity hopes to keep it that way.

"Some of us make the sacrifices that, while we think it shows our faith, end up harming others more than it helps. Often these kinds of sacrifices are fueled by something else…"

---

"…Especially by hatred against those who have wronged us."

As the Deacon watches over their target, someone opens the door. The Deacon sees Ricardo, looking like he hasn't had a scratch on him. This either meant two things: the mission went very well, or it didn't happen at all. The Deacon hopes for the former.

"It's done."

"Prove it."

Immediately after saying this, Ricardo turns to the wall next to him and punches a crater into it, showing off his newly acquired strength. The Deacon smiles under his mask. There may be hope for you yet, Ricardo.

---

"What about you then, William? You think you've been making the good sacrifices?"

"I've done a bit of both in my lifetime, some without knowing and some that I was aware of. It took me a long time to find out the difference between the two. But I believe that what I do is the noble sacrifice…Thanks for the talk, John."

William turns to leave, but John stops him.

"Wait." William's hand stops before it grabs the handlebar. "Even if it is the noble sacrifice, it doesn't have to be one you can take up alone. I can't help you 24/7, but there are others who can."

William gives a subtle sigh. "I know who you're referring to, and I can't."

"William-"

"I've taken a big risk just telling you and Curtis who I am. I can't take the same risk with everyone else. Time is a delicate thing and I can't risk breaking it or have everyone try to prevent the future just to end up making it happen."

"You're underestimating them. You know Felicity, and Rene and Dinah-"

"Felicity is driven by an obsession to take down Diaz. Dinah is more concerned with keeping the Police force in check rather than taking risks to save the city. And Rene…Rene is another story." William sighs once again, probably to just let out a bit of frustration. "Look, I appreciate your concern, but I can't just go around telling everybody I'm from the future. There are just too many risks, including how everyone is conducting themselves. Goodbye, John."

William rushes out before John can argue further. John rubs his eyes and gives a sigh of his own. Whelp, now I know two more things William and Oliver have in common. They're both stubborn and would put their lives on the line to keep everyone else safe.

Realizing that going after William and convincing him to find help may be pointless, he just goes back to work, looking over the information that Curtis found on Wolfman's laptop. He looks at the painting that was sent with the money, which still puzzles him. All they know is the painting's name: "Dante, He Hath Seen Hell."

---

The Dean goes over the other complaints about bullying in school that, once again, do not have any evidence to support it. As he is about to click out of the document, a knock on the door grabs his attention. He looks up from the computer to see William.

"I suppose you came here to tell me something?"

William steps inside and shuts the door. "Yes, sir. I…I came to apologize for my behavior. You're right. There is no bully. I made it up to vent my frustrations on someone else."

The Dean is taken somewhat aback. "Well. I'm glad you told me this."

"Just wanted to make sure you knew that. And you should also know that I will stop trying to find false leads on Noah. I'm going to try to befriend him."

"That's good to hear. Thank you for telling me this and…I'm glad you came to this decision."

"Well, Mr. Blackfire really had an influence on me, you know."

"I hoped he would. Anything else?"

William shakes his head. "No sir."

"Good. Goodbye William."

"Bye."

William leaves the office. The Dean sits there for a moment, knowing that his suspicions are confirmed. William said exactly what he needed to hear as proof. Proof that the information given to them was indeed the truth. William did exactly as she said he would do.

Without haste, the Dean gets on his cell phone to contact the Deacon and give him the news.

"Yes?"

"Deacon, this is Dante. The information we got was right. William lied right to my face. He's probably going to make one last push to stop Noah…and complete our test. What do we do when he does?"

"We take him by force. The good news is that we know what he will try to do. This time, we will have him, and the recruit his mother once promised us will be ours."

"As you say, Deacon. So long."

Dante hangs up, a sinister smile on his face. He turns his attention to the computer monitor again, clicking out of the document and looks through the security cameras, seeing William "befriend" Noah. Seeing how William will complete our test is going to be fun.

---

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