Arrow: Rise of the Vigilantes Chapter 5: Episode 4: Father and Son, an arrow fanfic

Author's notes: Hello Readers! I know I said that in the last chapter that I would let the questions you left be answered through the story, but there is one more thing I would like to answer that I have seen often enough. I've seen some reviews that believe that William is a placeholder for Emiko and emulate her behaviors from the show.

Without spoiling anything, everyone reading should know that William is not just a placeholder for Emiko. Even though he is going through some of the same events as Emiko, He is an entirely different character with different motivations. You will see this as the story goes along. With that out of the way, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: Based on characters and references from 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 father, Oliver Queen, in an unknown part of Slabside prison,

I must ensure that he makes it through the trials ahead of him

To do so, I must be someone else

Be something else

I am the new Green Arrow

Episode 4: Father and Son

As William and Noah head towards William's dorm room, Noah counts the money they've made from the student's they have "threatened."

"You just landed us the biggest score yet. How you convince them every single time, I might never know."

"Why exactly do we need this money? We get all our lunches for free since we're not juniors or seniors. The only thing we use that for are snacks and laundry."

"Well William, it's all about planning ahead. When we graduate or get expelled, we're pretty much have a foundation to live our own lives, away from our families. I know you'd like that as much as me."

William can't believe that this is Joseph Blackfire's nephew. For one, his physical appearance is different from that of Blackfire's. Noah has red hair and a subtler southern accent then that of his Uncle's. Besides that, he's cruel and quick to violence. No wonder Mr. Blackfire is worried.

"So, since you've proven yourself to be a reliable friend, I think it best if we put you through one final trial. A trial of trust, if you want to call it that."

"What is it?"

"I'll give you the details tomorrow. For now, I have to go back to my room and stash this in the secret spot."

"You mean—"

"Shhh. Not out here, you idiot. Do you want everyone in the hallway to hear?"

"Uh, no."

"Good. See you tomorrow then. 'Night."

"Goodnight."

Noah takes off, still looking at today's "earnings." It's becoming a bit hard to convince other students to play along and give money to Noah willingly, but William feels that he is close to stopping Noah for good. He just needs to play along just a little longer.

For now, he takes out his key and unlocks the door to his dorm room. He opens it slowly as to not wake up Billy. When the door opens just enough for him to get in, he slips through and closes it as slowly as he opened it. He hears Billy snoring to his right and to his left is the bathroom light, the only source of light in the room.

He remembered to keep the light on for me. Thanks, Billy.

Maneuvering the somewhat brightened room, he grabs his pajamas and heads into the bathroom to change. As he enters, he locks the door. He prepares to change. Just as he is about to take off his shirt, something occurs to him. From what he read in the Bible, God is a tri-omni being, all good, all powerful, and all knowing. What William has been doing lately hasn't exactly been what God would've expected out of a Catholic, no less a new one.

Instead, William puts his pajamas on one of the racks used for towels and leans against the wall. Even if God is all knowing, William feels like there must be an understanding between them on why William is doing this.

"Um…Hey, God. I—I don't really know how to start a prayer. This is my first time doing it. But, I guess I can start with just explaining myself." He takes a deep breath before continuing, keeping his nerves calm. "I know what I've been doing isn't what you would approve of, setting up someone to fall. Your son, Jesus, did preach about no judging or condemning others. Rather, you should be forgiving them. But…what about the times when that just doesn't work?"

"I'm not saying what he says is wrong. I'm just asking about what we do when we meet people who always condemn and judge, those who never forgive? What about the criminals who take advantage of the weak every day, no matter how many times we try to reform them, to discipline them? What about those times when the law fails? There has to be someone to enforce these laws and to do so, they need to work outside them. That's what my Dad did. As the Green Arrow. What I do, I do to enforce the laws you set for us. If that means I have to condemn someone who has never stopped condemning or judging others…then so be it."

Oliver starts to feel uneasy, the buzzing in the room he is in making him feel as if he is going deaf. The flickering lights and not being fed anything for a long time doesn't help either. He keeps his mind occupied with thoughts outside of his predicament.

Felicity is doing all she can to find Diaz. She has the team to look out for her. William is probably doing well in his school. He's making friends, enjoying life. You'll get to see them soon. Time…time…the time is—

"Just after your usual wake up call." Oliver hears a familiar voice in his head, as if it's all around the room. He jolts a bit and looks up to see the Green Arrow standing in front of him. "Hello, Mr. Queen."

Just as Oliver is about to ask how he got in here, the light flickers again and the Green Arrow disappears for a split second before reappearing again.

"You're not here."

"No, I'm not. I won't go into the details of how, since it might confuse you. Just know that I'm able to speak to you telepathically."

Oliver never noted this until now, but he notices that the voice modulator that the Green Arrow uses is a lot like the one he used during his first couple of years as the Hood, only it sounds somewhat deeper and more intimidating.

"What do you want?"

"Just wanted to check up on you. After everything that happened, I thought you would like someone to talk to."

"I'm fine."

"You shaking a bit says otherwise. They usually starve people before starting the reform process. It's something that tells you they're in control. Don't let them get to you."

"I said—" Oliver takes a moment to regain some composure. "I said I'm fine."

The Green Arrow raises his hands. "Okay. Just trying to help."

"I don't need your help."

"You made that pretty clear when you refused my offer. And yet, you're still talking to me, which means you trust me to a degree."

"The only reason I'm letting you talk to me is because you saved my wife and child. Besides, what were the chances that the Demon would've hid himself if Brick told him you were after him?"

"It's prison. Where could the Demon have gone?"

"You don't know what Level 2 is like."

"Neither do you. What is the likelihood of someone hiding themselves in—"

Before the Green Arrow says anything more, faint footsteps can be heard in front of Oliver, even with the buzzing in the room. The Green Arrow turns his head in the direction of the steps.

"Someone's coming."

The Green Arrow steps away, giving Oliver a clear view of who is coming his way. There were three people. One of them is a man with dark complexion, a full, black beard, and a black suit with a buttoned shirt underneath it. It distinguished him from the two guards in their usual attire escorting him.

As the three men came closer, the buzzing dies down and the lights become more stable. Oliver breathes a sigh of relief to know that the constant sound is over, at least for now.

The door opens and the three men step inside. As the door closes, the man in front speaks up. "Hello, Mr. Queen. I am Dr. Jarret Parker, the Chief Psychiatrist of Level 2."

"You've been keeping me in here without food or water."

"I understand these conditions may cause some discomfort, but your recent behavior indicates that you are a danger to yourself and other inmates. Until I can determine that you are in the right mental state to be with the other inmates, it will just be the two of us for a while. I'm going to conduct your psychiatric evaluation."

"But I'm not crazy."

"That's what I aim to determine. Now, let's begin. What is your name?"

"You know my name."

"Please, answer the question."

The Green Arrow puts a hand on Oliver's shoulder. At least, whatever form the Green Arrow is in. The touch feels real though. "Play along, but don't let him rope you in completely."

Oliver closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. "My name is Oliver Queen…and I don't belong here."

"I'm hearing someone who doesn't want to take responsibility for his actions. The actions that led you to Slabside are of your own design."

"You don't understand. A man named Ricardo Diaz tried to kill my family. Somebody on this level has a connection with him. I need to find this person. The only reason I am in here is because I put myself here."

"For the sake of argument, what will you do after you find this person?"

"I will use him to stop Diaz."

"How? By hurting or killing him…and Mr. Diaz?"

Oliver looks away from Dr. Parker and to the floor. He hasn't thought of what he will do with the informant. He was just going to get information out of him and exploit it but didn't think about what to do afterwards. Would Oliver kill him to stop him from contacting Diaz? Let him go?

"So many possibilities."

Oliver subtly shrugs the Green Arrow's imaginary hand away and gives a frown. Oliver knows that he is reading his mind, which is focused on the conversation with Dr. Parker.

"Sorry. Force of habit."

Dr. Parker continues, "Recidivism is the likelihood that a violent criminal offender will commit another violent crime when set free. That is what I'm trying to prevent, but I believe everyone here has a chance at redemption, even people like you."

Oliver looks back up to Dr. Parker, the frown still present. "I don't need your help, and I don't need redemption."

"You don't?"

"No."

"How many people have you hurt…besides the prisoners and guards you sent to the infirmary?"

Oliver looks away for a moment. He never keeps track of how many people he has hurt, nor how many he killed. To him, it was irrelevant.

He turns back to Dr. Parker. "I don't know."

"How many people have you murdered? Hmm? Would you say you have violent tendencies?"

"I would say that I'm trying to protect my family."

Dr. Parker doesn't argue further. Instead, he reaches into his pocket. He takes out what looks like a photograph. Oliver's eyes widen just a bit. The back of it only shows it faintly with the lighting, but he can tell who is on it.

Dr. Parker smiles. "And they do seem like a lovely family." He lends the photograph to Oliver. "We'll…unpack more of this tomorrow."

Dr. Parker and the two guards leave the room. Oliver is left looking at the photo of his wife and son.

The only one left with him is the Green Arrow apparition. "Asking the right questions and acting friendly. This guy knows how to probe somebody. But, Jarrett Parker. How have I heard that name before? Something I'll have to look up. So, since there's not much I can do right now, I'll be going."

"Wait!" The Green Arrow doesn't move at all, since there is nowhere for an apparition to go. But he doesn't disappear, which must mean Oliver has his attention. "Just tell me…how are my wife an son?"

The Green Arrow seams hesitant to say at first. Eventually, he says, "They're fine. I'll be back."

The Green Arrow then disappears as the light flickers just one more time. The buzzing doesn't come back yet, but Oliver knows that it eventually will. For now, he looks back to the photo of his family, glad to hear that they are far from harm.

Rene walks into the refinery, seeing Felicity stand over the Silencer. Even from here, he can feel the heat sweltering inside the refinery and can see from the Silencer's sweat that even she finds it unbearable but keeps a neutral stare.

Felicity, you better not be killing her.

Rene walks to Felicity as she continues her interrogation with the Silencer.

"Where is Diaz?"

"No food or water. The heat on blast. And you call this an interrogation?"

"It'll only get worse for you."

"You don't have the stomach to do what you need to do. Diaz is only getting stronger. You have no idea what's coming."

Rene stops just behind a pillar and peeks out to Felicity.

"Hey."

Felicity turns to Rene. He motions his head for her to come over so they can talk. Felicity obliges and follows Rene to a space just a steps from the pillar where they believe their conversation can be private.

"Any luck?"

"No. I think she may be enjoying herself. We need to turn up the heat."

"Any hotter and she'll turn into soup."

"I mean raise the stakes. Do whatever it takes to get the information."

"You mean torture?"

"I don't not mean it."

"Felicity, you don't know what you're saying. Torturing someone is a line you do not want to cross. When the Navy discharged me for what I did to a prisoner, I learned of the cost it took on my humanity because I still have nightmares about it, even though I saved lives. So when Tobias Church tortured me for over 20 hours, that was the Universe paying me back. Evil for evil."

"I'm sorry about that. I really am. Church broke you. You gave up Oliver's identity. But that means it worked. Silencer tried to kill Dinah and Laurel and everyone. Diaz hired her and he is not gonna stop until we are all dead."

As Felicity is done talking, Rene's text alert goes off. He takes out his phone and reads a text from Dinah that says, "Where are you? You were supposed to be here 5 minutes ago."

"Oh shoot. I was supposed to meet Dinah for a town hall." Felicity looks like she is going to argue, so Rene quickly speaks, "Look, Silencer is not going anywhere. So, let's take a break, then we can find out what to do with her later. Okay?"

Felicity slightly nods. "Okay."

Rene and Felicity turn the heat off as to not risk killing their prisoner prematurely. They then rush out, Rene hoping he can pick up Zoe and get to the Youth Center before he ends up being late.

"Okay. Range is still good. Connection seems stable. Mask filters on. I should be set."

William walks over to the chair, intent on using it to go into his dad's mind once more before the night's end. Before he gets there, though, the time alert goes off on his computer. He let's out a loud groan.

"This thing has the worse sense of timing."

He walks towards the computer and clicks on the notification. It shows next week's paper, its front page news being "Constant Fires Cause Riots in the Glades."

"Show me the first fire."

The newspaper changes to a news article detailing a fire at the Glades Youth Center. William looks at the date. "That's tonight."

He lets out another groan, this one more subtle than the last one. "When I take down Diaz, I'm going to get you fixed."

William quickly walks over to the mannequin with his suit, taking the suit off it and putting it on himself. He then grabs the bow and quiver and heads out, hoping to get to the Youth Center before anyone gets hurt.

William reaches the roof of Youth Center and turns on his detective vision. The first room he sees is with Captain Drake and Rene Ramirez addressing a bunch of people.

The portable mic lets him listen in on what the people are saying and the responses from both Captain Drake and Rene.

The first person speaking out is a voice he recognizes. It was a woman whom he helped from being mugged just outside her home. "The rich part of Star City gets five squad cars for every one the Glades gets."

"I assure you ma'am, that is not the case."

"Well, I'm with her." The second voice is a grocery store owner who was being robbed until William stepped in. "When my store got robbed, it took SCPD two hours to respond to it. Do you know who was there in minutes? That new Green Arrow. Where were you?"

"Sir, I am sorry for the response time, but we are doing the best we can with limited resources."

"You and mayor Pollard are in way over your heads."

"Guys, guys. Captain Drake is here. She's trying to help. Let's be reasonable."

"Well, the facts are, Rene, that things were better off with the vigilantes. Am I right!?"

The store owner turns to the other people and raises his hand as a gesture for all of them to agree, which they did. Nearly all the room shouted agreements or insults at Captain Drake for incompetence. It became so loud that William turned the volume of his mic down.

Still, William can't help but to smile. From the chanting, William can tell these are all people he helped this past month, whether it was preventing their death, stopping a mugging, or far worse. Even though he has a future to save, he couldn't just sit by and watch helpless people being preyed on in the streets. Helping them is what any hero would do. It's what his dad has done.

"Sounds like people are taking a liking to you."

The voice behind William turns his smile into an eagle eyed stale as he instinctively turns around and aims a concussion arrow so quickly, he may have shot it as well had he not controlled his arm. Knowing Diaz, who is standing there with a black trench coat on, will not fall for the same trick.

Diaz smiles. "Really, William? Well, go ahead. I fell for it twice already."

"You just made your presence known. You could've snuck up and killed me right here."

"Oh, I'm not going to kill you. Yet. Right now, I'm…keeping you on your toes."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you do have your little…what was it called, a time alert?" William is taken slightly aback, his eyebrow raised by a little, but keeps his stare. "Just one of the new tidbits of information we got from a reliable source."

"Who is it?!"

"I don't think that should be your priority right now."

"What are you—"

"Fire! Fire!"

The subtle yelling of Captain Drake in his ear causes him to turn his mic up and look back into the room with his detective vision. People are getting up and leaving in droves. Captain Drake is about to leave, but Rene runs the other way.

"I have to get Zoe!"

"Zoe?!"

William scrambles to find Zoe in the building until he sees her on the far side, kneeling to the ground and putting her hands behind her head.

No.

"Looks like you have a choice William. Find the arsonists…or save her."

William doesn't hesitate to run to where Zoe is. The last thing he can hear from Diaz is him sarcastically saying, "Nice chatting with ya!"

William spots a glass ceiling he can break through. He readies a rope arrow from his quiver. Before he gets there, he sees Rene moving over debris and catching up to her, but part of the the ceiling collapses, blocking them from the door.

William quickly breaks the part of the glass roof farthest from them, which startles them a bit, but not scaring them away. He jumps down, the sight of him calming the two of them down a bit.

He waves to them. "Come on!"

Rene, carrying Zoe in his arms, runs to William's position. William then shoots a rope arrow at the beam above them.

"Hang on!"

Rene and Zoe hold William tight as they shoot upward, their weight still supported by the rope. Once they are above ground, they step off onto the roof.

William turns to where he saw Diaz last, seeing him nowhere in sight. He then turns to Rene and Zoe.

"The emergency stairs are back behind you. Get to safety. Go!"

Rene does as he is told, bringing Zoe over to the fire escape nearby. William stays to make sure they get to where the other people are safely. They regroup with Captain Drake, who looks up to the rooftop, a stare of contempt on her face, but she's probably glad that he got them to safety.

Not taking any chances of Captain Drake calling in SCPD, William takes off the long way, hoping that going another route besides the fire escape can keep him from being followed. As he does, one concern is left in his mind: How much of the future does Diaz know?

"Although the cause for the fire at the Glade's Youth Center is yet to be determined, the SCPD does have a leading suspect. The new Green Arrow was spotted at the scene of the crime. I have instructed Captain Drake and the SCPD to utilize every resource to find and apprehend him. Vigilantism will not be tolerated."

Rene turns the TV off, becoming sick of Mayor Pollard's bias against someone just trying to help the city. He turns his head to John and Curtis. "What a load of crap. This guy's a hero. He saved those people's lives."

John can't help but smirk at Rene's comment. Like father, like son.

Their attention turns to Zoe, who lies in the hospital bed asleep.

"How's she doing?"

"Doctor says she'll be fine. They're just holding her here as a precaution."

Curtis gives a warm smile. "She's strong. Just like her not-so old man." He then reaches into his sack. "I got her a little something." He pulls out a Beebo plush toy, something John gave to his son last Christmas.

Rene looks at it, looking a bit skeptically. "Isn't she a little old for that?"

"Hey, don't hate on Beebo. He brings comfort to all ages."

As Curtis lays the plushie next to Zoe, Diggle feels his phone vibrate in his pocket. He takes it out to see a text that says, "Meet outside the room. G.A."

John turns around, seeing William poke his head in view of the door's small window. Curtis looks back too, a look of surprise as he sees him. Rene doesn't notice, his focus on Zoe.

This is fortunate for both John and Curtis since that means their excuse for leaving won't be convoluted.

"Listen, Curtis and I need to go. But update us on Zoe when you can."

Rene looks up and nods. "Alright."

John and Curtis leave the room, seeing William, who is wearing a black hoodie and jeans, just a few meters away.

Curtis is the first to ask, "How long have you been there for?"

"I just wanted to know how she's doing."

"She's fine now, thanks to you. How exactly did you know—"

"Time alert. And this is just the first John. A newspaper a week from now says that this causes a riot in the Glades. Star City will be in a state of disrepair if I don't stop them."

Curtis gives a curious look. "Why would a couple of arsonists want to do something like that? There isn't anything at stake for them, is there?"

"There is since Diaz, who was at the youth center, is leading them."

"Diaz was there? Well, that would explain a lot and may just open up a potential lead."

"How so John?"

"Curtis."

"Right." Curtis pulls out his phone from his pocket and accesses his ARGUS app. "You remember that laptop Wolfman had when we arrested him?"

"Yeah."

"Well, we extracted the contents and found the money transfer sent to him, which had this." He moves next to William to show him the painting. "It's a painting called—"

"'Dante, He Hath Seen Hell.' I've seen it before. How is it relevant?"

John moves next to Curtis as he fiddles with the app to show the accounts linked to the painting. "Well, after some backtracking, we've discovered this painting has been sent to multiple accounts, mainly terrorist organizations, by someone going by the name Dante."

William nods. "I see. The painting is his calling card."

"Yep. And one of the most recent payments is to a man named John Cortez." Curtis accesses ARGUS' criminal database to bring up John Cortez, a man who looks skinny but not very muscular with somewhat long hair and a clean shaven face.

"Wait, Cortez?"

John gives a curious look. "You know him?"

"He's the illegitimate son of Garfield Lynns, a famous arsonist. I encountered him a few times in the future. So far though, he was supposed to be in Gotham. But, how are we sure he and Diaz are connected?"

Curtis scrolls down until he reaches the name "The Dragon."

"This name here is the only one that's an alias, and it's one for Diaz."

"We believe that Diaz may be in league with whoever Dante is."

"So, Diaz hired the Longbow Hunters and indirectly hired Cortez through Dante?"

John nods. "Exactly."

"Okay. Well, if there are going to be multiple fires, that means Cortez will stay in the city, probably the glades."

"I'll monitor street cams and see if ARGUS can find Cortez. I'll send you a text when I get something."

"You do that. My number is on the text sent to John. Contact me through there. In the meantime, I need to get back. Oh, and I need one more thing. There's someone I need information on."

Curtis nods. "Sure. Who is it?"

"Jarrett Parker. He's the head psychiatrist of Slabsides Level 2, but he probably doesn't have an official record there."

"Alright. I'll find him."

"Thanks."

William walks away and into one of the closets. Curious, both of them walk to the door. As they were about to open it, they here a whooshing sound for about a second before silence comes back. They open the door quickly, the only things there being the cleaning supplies.

Curtis is now amazed. "Did he just—"

"Let's…just get back so we can find Cortez."

Not wanting to dwell on it, John closes the door and they go to the elevators, their objective clear. Curtis kept his amazed look, probably thinking about how he can get a breach device of his own.

It's 9:00 A.M in the morning. Parker will be here in a few minutes from now. Lunch is being served to everybody 3 hours from now. Lights out is in—

"Good morning."

The familiar deep voice returns, but Oliver does not open his eyes.

"Good morning."

"You've learned how to speak to me through your mind. Good. Wouldn't want Parker to think you're crazy."

"Why are you here?"

"To make sure you haven't succumbed to Parker's interrogations."

"No. Why are you here when I made it clear that I don't need your help?"

There is a pause before the Green Arrow speaks again. "You're…an important person. At least to me. I need your mind intact for when you go down to Level 2. Otherwise, I lose the Green Arrow."

"You're the one wearing the costume."

"But I'm not the Green Arrow. I'm just a man keeping your image alive. What you represent."

"And what is it you think I represent?"

"Hope. And I'm doing everything I can to spread hope in Star City, which now needs it more than ever."

Oliver hears the buzzing dying down followed by the door opening in front of him. He opens his eyes to see Dr. Parker and the same two guards who walk to either side of Oliver.

"Good morning."

"Good morning. I see you've found a way to keep track of time. I'm impressed. An active mind means you're thinking about things. What is your name?"

Oliver makes eye contact with Dr. Parker. "I'm not answering any more of your questions."

The small smile on Dr. Parker's face turns into a neutral stare. "Still resistant. Hmm. I guess we'll have to try a different approach."

Suddenly, Oliver feels a pinch on his right arm which starts to intensify. He looks at it to see a guard give him an injection. As the guard takes out the needle, he feels something strange in his body.

"What was—what was that?"

"That will help you feel more comfortable, so we can have a real conversation."

"Oliver, I think this is some kind of truth serum. Fight it."

"You don't have to fight it anymore. You have fought enough in your life. Now, you consider yourself a hero. The question is: when was the moment the playboy son of a billionaire became the man known as the Green Arrow?"

He tries to resist answering the question, but whatever chemical has been injected in him is forcing him to remember. Remember…

"Oliv—whatever he injected is inter—just make it through. Survi—"

"You can survive this. You can make it home, make it better. Right my wrongs. But you have to survive this first."

The memory fades from his mind faster than it remained, but it still overwhelmed him intensely.

"You're struggling. What do you see?"

He finds that he can't keep in the truth anymore. "I'm—I'm with my father at sea."

"Are you on the Queen's Gambit?"

"No, we're on a life raft. The ship has already gone down."

"Was there anyone else with you?"

More memories flash in Oliver's mind, memories that he had been trying to suppress his whole life. "There was…Dad's security guard, Hack—Hackett. The three of us survived."

The memories become more intense. He can see his father shoot Hackett and then himself, his parting word lingering even as the memory ends, "Survive."

"What is it? What do you see?"

"I—I can see my father. He's telling me to right his wrongs…just before he shoots himself. He sacrificed his life so I could live."

"Is that why you became a vigilante?"

Oliver nods. "Yes."

"Because he put his sins on you."

"Please, stop."

"A father passes on more than just his name to his children. He provides them his legacy. What became of Hackett?"

"There was only enough food and water for one person. Dad shot him."

"Your father shot him? Then what? Like he doesn't matter in this story? Just collateral damage? Didn't you ever think to yourself that he had hopes, dreams, something to go back to just as you had, and your father took all of that away from him? Your father wasn't a hero, Mr. Queen…"

"…He was a murderer."

William can't believe what he is hearing. Dr. Parker wasn't there. He doesn't understand what Dad has done for the city. Besides, my Grandfather at least felt guilty for what he did, you jerk. Still, he seems to be getting to my dad, which is worrying. At least I now know the small ranged time camera I placed on the photo of me and Felicity is working to great effect.

William turns the camera off, knowing the interrogation is over. He wants to go back into Oliver's mind, comfort his dad and tell him that Dr. Parker is wrong. Unfortunately, the serum Oliver was injected with messed with the frequency between Oliver's brain and Devoe's chair, so he can't get back in until a few calibrations are made.

In the meantime, he decides to check up on Felicity, who should still be at Rene's apartment. However, he finds the apartment empty.

"Where did Felicity go?"

He looks through other time cameras. Surprisingly, he finds her just passing the police officers guarding the door to Laurel's office with ease.

"What is she doing at the D. A's office?"

Felicity stops short at the door and gives a quick knock on it to let Laurel, who is working on something, know she is there. William shifts the time camera to see Laurel's face, seeing that she is not happy to receive visitors.

"How did you get past my police detail?"

Felicity slowly makes her way to Laurel's desk. "You know I went to MIT, right? It's like Harvard for computer geeks with an acceptance rate of 6.7%? If I can make it into there, I can get into anywhere. Except for here, which is why I told the cops outside that we were sorority sisters."

Felicity looks over Laurel's work, looking a bit surprised. "Wow, so you are actually practicing law."

"Why does everyone find that so hard to believe?"

"Probably because you're not the real Laurel, or a real lawyer. Wow try saying that 3 times as fast. What a tongue twister."

Laurel looks up from what she is doing. "I am doing this for Quentin. So, if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to work now."

"Yeah, yeah. I get it. I mean, prosecuting criminals must be harder than being one."

Felicity peeks at a few pages of one of the books on the desk, probably seeing if there is anything hidden in there from Laurel's criminal days. Laurel pushes the hand away.

"You're still here."

"I have a case that you might be interested in."

"Look, your Laurel may have done the whole pro bono thing, but this Laurel doesn't."

Felicity sits down in the seat across from Laurel. "Hypothetically…if there was an assassin who, I don't know, went by the name Silencer and said assassin attacked the D.A and Police Captain with a belt that cancelled sound, that got captured and is being locked up somewhere by an unnamed individual, would the D.A and said individual be interested in dishing out some old fashioned justice?"

William's fears of the question not being hypothetical raised as Felicity kept on talking and even more beyond. Laurel, however, showed more interest than worry.

"You kidnapped and imprisoned the silencer?"

"No, just…asking for a friend."

Laurel smirked, placing her arms on the desk and leaning in a bit closer to Felicity. "And now you need my help."

"Yeah, I never thought the day would come, yet here we are."

Laurel stands up, her hands supporting her as she leaned on the desk. "Where is she?"

As William hears the location, he sighs and places his hands on either side of his head. "Now I have two things to worry about."

As the last of his food is put onto his tray, William starts to walk over to his table at the end of the room, where Billy usually sits. He looks down at the food, which is the usual hamburger every Wednesday. By now, he can predict what every food will taste like, good but bland. I really miss the home cooked meals.

As he gets to the middle of the room, he hears a familiar voice call to him, "Hey, William!"

William looks to his right, seeing Noah surrounded by his usual gang of friends. Noah stretches his hand, offering William a seat opposite him. He complies and sits in the empty seat, knowing that refusing means he might lose Noah's trust.

William sets down the food, eating it slowly so he can try to find some flavor in the burger, a different taste, but finds nothing.

"I know Will. The food in here is crap after a while."

"I take it you wanted me here for the test of trust you've been talking about?"

Noah smirks. "Straight to the point. I like it. Yeah, this is the test."

"What is it?"

Noah points to where Billy is. "I want money from him."

William raises an eyebrow. "From Billy? He's my friend, not to mention my roommate."

"And he must know that even under those conditions, he's not safe from us unless he's in the gang. Everyone here has to make contributions to us or else."

"I can convince him to join us then."

"We tried. He says he's too 'pure hearted' to give us a chance."

Some cogs start spinning in William's brain. "And if he doesn't?"

"Then tell him that if he doesn't give it to us by tomorrow night, we'll take it from him, willingly or not."

Outside, he acts concerned. Inside though, he's ecstatic. Noah has been known to break into dorms and take money that way, whether it was sneaking inside or threatening another student to unlock the dorm for them or, better yet, a member of his gang did so. Either way, he manages to leave no trace at all. Knowing that it will be his room they're breaking and entering into assures that this time will not be the case. This is the opportunity William has been waiting for.

William nods. "Okay. I'll signal you with a thumbs up or down when I have an answer."

He takes his tray and gets up. He walks over to where Billy is sitting and sits opposite him. Billy does not look pleased. However, William can tell that it is an act, as they agreed upon when William told him he was infiltrating Noah's "operation." William acts the same.

"Did you find out anything?"

"They want you to give money to them by tomorrow night or else they take it from you. I know where you hide it, so there's no use refusing." William words his warning carefully in case Noah knows how to read a person's lips. "You know they'll deny ever being there."

Billy gives a smirk in the corner of his mouth that cannot be see by Noah. He knows that this is their chance to spring a trap. Even so, he stays in character. "Well, tell Noah that if he wants money, he can go begging to his mom for it because I won't pay a single cent."

William gives the thumb down. Noah nods in acknowledgment and smirks. He probably wanted Billy to refuse, to give him an excuse to make his life miserable.

William and Billy continue eating, still acting as if in contempt for each other. Both are thinking the same thing: tomorrow night, they end this.

Her captors keep calling her the Silencer. She didn't mind, so long as her identity is still hidden from them. Plus, it has a nice ring to it.

Silencer, to keep her mind off the heat, closes her eyes thinks about the programs and tech that she made alongside her brother. From apps to hacks, every string of code, every wire and mechanical piece, including those in her custom-made belt. From her early childhood to the present, she had been into computers and technology and with her assassin training, she felt almost unstoppable. Though, her master had always warned her of pride being her downfall.

"Hello."

She opens her eyes as soon as she heard a voice, looking at a familiar figure with a sinister smile.

"Remember me?"

Laurel Lance. Of course, I do. I still have an order to kill you.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"

"You have no idea who I am. I survived. You're in way over your head."

Laurel crouches down. "I don't think I am. A little advice from the person who used to work with that psychopath Diaz…you think you're being loyal, but the only loyalty Diaz knows is to himself. He'll kill you without a single thought."

"I'd do the same to anyone who gets in my way."

Laurel quickly gets up, her smile turning into a grim stare. "I don't think I'm making myself clear. Maybe I need to talk a little bit LOUDER."

Laurel opens her mouth, Silencer ready for the scream. Surprisingly, nothing comes out. Laurel, who even seems surprised, tries to scream a few more times. Still nothing.

One of her captors, Felicity Smoak, peers around the corner. "Laurel. Laurel, do the thing."

"I'm trying, but—"

Suddenly, a couple of loud taps of metal can be heard behind where Felicity Smoak is. All three of them turn to see the Green Arrow, his bow on one of the machinery. In his other hand is a device the Silencer recognizes as something that dampens sonic screams.

Felicity Smoak sounds frustrated as she says, "You have the worse sense of timing. You know that?"

"Upstairs! Now!"

Felicity Smoak and Laurel Lance seem reluctant to do so but follow the Green Arrow to the upper level. Silencer can't help but to smirk.

This is going to be interesting.

William paces back and forth in front of Felicity, Laurel standing at a distance and watching them.

"You have done some incredibly stupid things since getting here. You nearly ruined the train operation, you kidnapped the Silencer without anyone's knowledge, not to mention you used and lied to Watson."

"I've been trying to find Diaz!"

"And so am I! This is not the way to go about it! If you keep torturing her, she's going to die."

"Who cares?!"

William is almost shocked at what he is hearing. She's going down into darkness fast. Too fast.

"He's right." Felicity and William look to Laurel, William with surprise, but Felicity looks more befuddled. Laurel walks towards them. "I'm not saying that I care about whether she lives or not, but if she dies, we get nothing."

"That is what we have now! We need that information."

"And how are you going to get it Ms. Smoak? She's most likely been trained to resist interrogation."

"I can break her."

"That isn't the person I know of."

"Well, this is the new me. This is the me that is not waiting to get herself killed. I'm getting that information, whether either of you help or not."

Felicity turns in the direction of the stairs, but Felicity steps in front of her.

"Get out of my way."

"Listen to me. As much as I like this new you since I can stand to be around you, you have to know that I used to be just like you."

"I find that hard to believe."

"I loved—" Laurel pauses for a second, regaining her composure. "I loved my father and my Ollie, but then they were murdered. When I was past my grief, the anger started to settle in. I went into the darkness and I never went back to who I was…and I probably never will. You can't do the same thing I did. You can't let your grief cloud your judgement."

"But…" Felicity looks almost as if she's going to cry. "I don't know what else to do."

"My advice, Ms. Smoak, use your head. It's your best tool."

Felicity looks down to where the Silencer is, sitting with her eyes closed. At first, William is concerned that Felicity is deliberating on inflicting harm against the Silencer. She then lowers her eyes, looking at the belt that is on a large container just a few meters from where the Silencer is. William's concern then turn to speculation.

Could she have installed a…?

After a moment of what William considered to be deliberating, Felicity walks past them and down the stairs. As she nears the Silencer, she grabs a screwdriver that is next to the belt. Laurel is about to rush down the stairs, but William stops her by gently grabbing her arm.

"Wait."

Felicity stands in front of the silencer, gripping the screwdriver firmly.

"Where is Diaz?"

"You know you'll never make me talk."

"I have lost everything. If I have to use this to make you talk, then I will."

"Then do it. Try to make me talk." The Silencer leans in a bit with a grim stare. "I dare you."

Felicity raises the screwdriver, looking like she's ready to plunge it into the Silencer's skull. She looks hesitant, however, her hand shaking. She bites her lip, breathes heavily. Her hand begins to tremble.

Felicity then lets out a grunt, throws down the screwdriver and walks away. William smiles under his mask while Laurel breathes a sigh of relief. They turn their attention to Felicity as she gets up the stairs.

"Was that acting, or did you really consider killing her, Ms. Smoak?"

"Acting at first, but I couldn't help but consider giving the screwdriver a shot."

Laurel looks at them a little confused. "What are you talking about?"

Suddenly, they hear the refinery door opening and closing. They turn to where the Silencer is supposed to be, finding no one there and the belt gone. Laurel looked like she was about to yell at Felicity for being clumsy and leaving the screwdriver at the Silencer's feet. She stops herself though, looking as if she realizes why Felicity did what she did.

"You deliberately gave her the means to escape? Why—"

"Because she put an RFID chip in the Silencer's belt. Right?"

"Yeah. The first thing I did when bringing her here was installing it in case she ever tried to escape."

"So, what does that mean for us?"

"It means we can track her, and she can lead us straight to Diaz."

"A good use of your head, and a moral good at that."

As William finishes his sentence, the time alert on his gauntlet goes off. He checks it to see something that he has been expecting. The location of the arsonist's next target has changed. It is now a Loft that is nearly on the other side of the Glades. He might not get there in time to stop the fires, but he can at least try to apprehend or track Cortez if the opportunity arises.

He lowers the gauntlet. "I have to go."

He starts to walk the direction of the stairs but feels Felicity's hand on his shoulder.

"Hey. Thanks for talking me out of killing her. I needed that."

William gives a small nod of acknowledgement before walking down the stairs quickly and exiting the building, hoping to make it to the Lofts in time.

Rene rushes back into Zoe's hospital room with the few assortments of yogurt he could find in the cafeteria.

"Hey. They didn't have strawberry, so I got you a few others. You still like cantaloupe, right?"

Zoe gives a smile when telling him, "Dad, for the 100th time, I'm okay. You should be out there, finding the bad guys."

Rene sets the tray on the table next to her. "No, no. You're my daughter, so your well being is my priority. Besides, I don't think Aunt Dinah will take kindly to me getting involved again."

Rene notices something odd from the corner of his eye. He looks to the window and sees smoke emanating somewhere afar. Even though he can't see the location properly, he knows the area.

That's where the Lofts are.

Zoe, who seems to have taken notice, says to her dad, "You should go. You told me that only punks never care about their neighborhood."

Rene looks at her, proud that Zoe shows her father's concern for the Glades, even though those words were meant to inspire her to help the community, not an excuse to commit vigilantism.

"Why do you listen to everything I say?"

Rene gives Zoe a kiss on the forehead before leaving, seeing a big smile on her face, happy to see that her father is being a hero again.

Rene makes it to the Lofts, seeing people run out of the building and coughing from the smoke. As he nears the entrance, he pulls out his gun, ready for whatever may be coming. When he passes by the fence, he can hear someone jump down just on the other side.

He aims his gun, finding not an arsonist but the Green Arrow, looking like he rushed out of the building, aiming an unusual, blunt arrow right at Rene.

Rene quickly puts his hands up. "Wait, wait, wait, wait. I'm on your side. Remember?"

The Green Arrow keeps his bow aimed at him. "He got away."

"Who got away?"

"John Cortez."

"Is that the guy setting off these fires?"

The Green Arrow nods his head. Rene is now a little confused as to why the Green Arrow is entrusting information with him while still aiming the bow.

"Okay, you can really put it down now."

"It's not for you."

"Then who's it—"

"Freeze!"

Rene turns around to see Dinah, who he didn't hear come up behind him, aiming her gun at the Green Arrow.

"Drop your weapon and put your hands in the air. Now!"

"D, what're you doing?"

"I got a tip of a suspicious fire. I thought he might've been involved."

"He's just trying to help."

"He can prove that by turning himself in!"

"I'll pass!"

Rene quickly looks to Dinah and the Green Arrow, trying to come up with a plan to help him escape. He can only think of one thing right now, which he knows will get him into trouble.

He rushes to Dinah, blocking her line of sight on the Green Arrow.

"G.A, go."

"I won't—"

"Go!"

He hears the Green arrow running away and climbing over obstacles. He does his best to block Dinah, moving in the way when she tries to aim. Eventually, she lowers her gun, telling Rene that the Green Arrow escaped.

Dinah grunts and hits the fence with the butt end of her handgun. "Damn it!"

"I'm sorry D, but I couldn't let you take him in."

"Turn around."

"What?"

Dinah puts away her gun and grabs Rene, forcing him to do as she told him. "Turn around!"

She grabs some handcuffs from her belt and uses them to restrain Rene. He turns his head to her as best as he can, looking at her with disbelief that she would do this. "Are you kidding me?"

"This marks the second time you've tampered with police business, and I am not going to let you do it a third. Rene Ramirez, you are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do will be used against you, so I suggest you SHUT the hell up."

She escorts him to the car as she gives him the rest of the Miranda rights. Rene doesn't really care about his predicament all that much. At least the Green Arrow's safe and my daughter is proud of me.

Breathe in…breathe out…keep the mind focused…block out all other distractions…noise, hunger…

"You're meditating. Good. What better way to keep your mind off things?"

By this point, Oliver can tell what kind of tone the Green Arrow is conveying, even with the modulator.

"You sound frustrated."

"I hoped nobody could tell with this voice on."

Oliver can hear the Green Arrow take a deep breath.

"Well, I lost an arsonist the second time last night and…Dinah Drake arrested Rene Ramirez for interfering with police business."

"You say this as if it wasn't his fault."

"He…he did it to save me. My presence put him in jail. But it's not entirely my fault. If Captain Drake cared more about truly upholding the law than her career, none of this wouldn't—"

"Some advice, from one Green Arrow to another…cooperate with them."

"How? Captain Drake is fully committed to stopping me because Mayor Pollard's adherence to the Anti-Vigilante Act—"

"You don't know them as well as I do. Deep down, Dinah, Rene, all of them want what's best for the city. Let them help. Don't judge them harshly because they may judge you the same way."

The Green Arrow breathes a heavy sigh. "'Judge not and you will not be judged.' You wouldn't happen to have read the Bible, would you?"

"Heh. No, but—"

Suddenly, the pinching in Oliver's arm is back, forcing him out of his meditation. He opens his eyes to see Dr. Parker and the two guards, back for more interrogating.

He can feel the drug work his way into his system, compelling him to tell the truth.

"Oh crud. I'm losing the con—Oli—"

"Good morning. Please state your name."

As Dr. Parker walks in a circle around Oliver, he feels the drug giving him discomfort, the Green Arrow's voice not there to help him, just like last time.

"O—Oliver Queen."

"You were now just meditating. Where did you learn to do that?"

Oliver doesn't try to fight it as much this time. The drug will get the truth out of him anyways.

"Hong Kong."

"Who taught you?"

"Tatsu Yamashiro."

William jolts out of his chair. He quickly takes off the helm and rushes to the computer, accessing the time camera as fast as possible.

"Come on, come on, come on."

The camera finally shows on the monitor. In it are his dad, Dr. Parker, and the two guards from before.

"When we last spoke, you said your father killed a man, Hackett, so that you could live."

"Yes. I felt like my father had to make an impossible choice."

Oliver doesn't seem to be resisting Dr. Parker's interrogations like last time. This concerns William.

"An impossible choice, eh? How would your son feel if he knew his grandfather was a murderer?"

He did not just pull that. I wish I could tell him—

"Dr. Parker, please leave my son out of this."

"At times, love can blind a person to the harm they are inflicting on their families, the cycle of violence they are creating that they learned from their own parents."

"I would never intentionally harm my son."

"Did you know that children of incarcerated parents are 3X more likely to enter the justice system than those whose parent's are not?"

"William is nothing like me."

"That may be true, but what effect do you think you're having on William? He's lucky to be alive, but with no father, his mother dead, and no real home. Do you think that's a good life?"

Dad, don't answer the question. Please don't answer the question.

To William's dismay, Oliver shakes his head. "No, it doesn't. Everything I've done, I've done for my son."

"I don't doubt that. But, it is my duty to point out uncomfortable truths so that you can reform yourself, so that you can become the man you want to be for your son. You created your vigilante persona so that you could avenge your father's wrongs. Isn't any part of you concerned that William will take your lead and become a murderer just like you?"

Oliver nods, William's hopes faltering more and more every second.

Dr. Parker crouches down to Oliver's level. "Then listen to me. That promise to your father was made when you were vulnerable and desperate. It tainted your mission from the start, infecting you and now your son. It wasn't fair of your father to ask what he did of you. You must let go of the past. Only then can you spare your family from paying for your sins."

Please don't Dad. Don't listen. Please.

Oliver looks to be struggling a bit, his breathing a bit uneasy. He looks at Dr Parker with a glare.

"Go to hell."

William sighs and leans back in his chair. He runs his hands through his nearly grown back hair.

"Good job, Dad."

He leans back up, seeing Dr. Parker and the guards leave. Dr. Parker looks to be on his cell phone. Out of curiosity, William zooms in as much as he can to hear what he is saying.

"He's not responding to treatment, but I'm not done with him yet. I'll prepare the shock therapy for lights out tonight. If that doesn't help him, I don't know what will."

The brief relief that was in William is now being whisked away. Shock therapy? No, no, no. I can't let Dad go through that alone. But if Cortez attacks…

Taking his father's advice, he makes a phone call to someone he needs in order to make hunting Cortez go smoothly and quickly. While the phone rings, he calibrates and strengthens the psychic signal of Devoe's chair.

As William makes the last adjustment, she picks up. "Hello?"

"Good morning, Ms. Smoak."

"I thought we settled the whole 'don't kill your prisoners' therapy session."

"We did. I helped you. But now, I need your help, if you're willing to return the favor."

"Alright, what do you need?"

"I need you to track down someone for me."

In normal attire, William walks into the police station. Thankfully, his resemblance to his father doesn't ring any bells. Everyone inside is either busy or keeping their mind off the stress they face from being busy. He walks towards Dinah's office, seeing her filing some paperwork.

As he walks towards the office, he can't help but feel a bit on edge. He's been taking many risks these past weeks, both now and in his time. This feels different. He is surrounded by people who will arrest him without a second thought, or at least they'll try to. But he has no other alternative.

He reaches the office door and opens it instead of knocking first, knowing he'll just be sent away if he does. He enters and closes it fast, so she doesn't get the chance to tell him to leave.

"Good morning, Captain Drake."

"Whatever complaint you have, you'll have to come back tomorrow sir."

"It can't wait. You arrested a friend of mine, whose help I need as much as yours."

"Sir, the only person we have in our cell room at the moment is—" Dinah's eyes grow wide as she looks up from her paperwork. They then form a glare as she gets a good look at William. "You have some nerve showing up here."

"Actually, it's a mix of desperation and courage, at least in my mind. But, I'm here because I want us to put our differences aside and hunt down the arsonist."

"Then you better have a damn good reason why I shouldn't have all of the SCPD arrest you right now."

As Dinah is saying this, William hears the door behind him open. Believing it to be an SCPD officer, he readies himself for a swift escape.

"Because I can vouch for him."

The sound of John's voice lets William relax a bit, thankful that his plan isn't deterred.

He turns to John, who closes the door. "And he would escape before you gave the order."

William gives a smirk, glad that he now doesn't have to convince her alone. "Good to see you here John."

"Same to you."

William turns back to Dinah, who is looking at both of them with her mouth slightly dropped.

"Your working with him, John?"

"Yeah, but that's not why I'm here. Rene called me."

Dinah sighs. "Of course, he did."

John moves to the right side of her desk, sitting on the edge of it. "He told me about what happened last night."

"He broke the law again and kept me from bringing you to justice." She points to William, who moves to the other side of the desk. "I can't make exceptions because he's a friend of ours. Not anymore. Circumstances have changed. We can't help anyone the old-fashioned way with the risk of getting arrested by the FBI and the police force falling into shambles."

"You mean more than it has already?"

"Shut it."

"Guys! just calm down. Let me take the lead, okay?" He looks to William. He nods, knowing that John is better at talking to her than he is.

"Dinah, you're under pressure. A lot of pressure. I get that, but you sure it's not something more?"

Dinah shifts her eyes downward, as if this is something she doesn't want to talk about.

"You know what helps me? Spending time with J.J. Family, Dinah. That helps us through."

She shifts her eyes back at John. "John, living in the shadows is when all the worst things happen. Oliver going to prison, Vince first undercover, and then…"

"Him dying?" John frowns at William for asking the question, but it doesn't seem to set Dinah off. Instead, she nods, not questioning how he knows about that.

"That's the real reason, because as much as I believed in Team Arrow, I had to move on. I have to be a different kind of hero for this city."

As Dinah talks, William nods to John, telling him that he has the lead again. "Well, sometimes I wonder if there's any form of justice that's 100%, even at ARGUS. I think sometimes, you need vigilantes and law enforcement to work together to get results. Quentin Lance, he did everything by the book, but worked with anyone who could help him. Do what he did and hear us out. Please."

Dinah looks down at the desk for a moment, probably considering her decision. After a little while, she looks up to William.

"What do you have?"

William smirks, glad this actually worked out.

"Well, I had Felicity try to find a correlation between the attacks made by the arsonist, John Cortez. And before you ask, yes, she's working with me now. The M.O is always the same. Sprinkler system down, smoke detectors down, and anyone within range of a fire alarm is taken out. Basically, he has every possibility covered. Though, she can't seem to pinpoint any commonality between the targets."

"Curtis and I have." John takes out his phone and pulls up the list of companies financed by Dante. "This person, Dinah, has been funding both Diaz and Cortez. One of the ways he funds it is through a shell corporation called Patbane Holdings. This company has also been buying up and restoring these targets at a cheap price."

"Patbane holdings?"

"Yeah."

"When I took down Stent and took the cryptocurrency, one of the names I saw that chipped in on it was Patbane and its owner, Marcus Fish. Probably not Dante but may be working for him."

"So, this Dante has been looking for weapons and buying up property that he told Cortez to burn down?"

"Property that, according to ARGUS, has been competed for by more than just Patbane. The last competing property is a movie theatre on 8th, which isn't far from here."

"So, we head there, stop Cortez, and you can have the police claim the glory and restore people's faith in it. Those are wins in my book. Just one more thing."

"Right. Rene." Dinah gets up from her desk. "Follow me." She exits the office, William and John right behind her.

As they head for the cell room, William whispers to John, "Thanks for the help."

"No problem."

John gives William a pat on the shoulder as they both catch up with Dinah. William smirks, glad to know the advice his dad gave him actually worked.

As Rene hears a door open, he turns around to see Dinah followed by John and someone he…somehow vaguely recognizes. Brushing the feeling off, he gives a smile.

"I knew calling John would work. Thanks."

"You should also thank him."

John points to the stranger next to him as Dinah takes out the keys to the cell.

"And who is he?"

As Dinah unlocks the cell door, she answers, "Your friend."

"My fr—" Suddenly, the realization of who the stranger is hit him like a speeding car. "G.A?" The Green Arrow nods. He can't help but to smirk, glad that the Green Arrow risked his identity to help him get out of jail. Though, he can't shake off the feeling that he's seen him somewhere before. "You're…not what I was expecting."

"Yeah, says you and a lot of people I've met. Listen, we may have a lead on Cortez, but we'll need all the team on deck to catch. You in?"

His smirk turns into a smile, the proposition making him ecstatic. "Man, I've been waiting for something like this for weeks."

The Green Arrow nods. "Good to hear."

Dinah finally gets the cell door open and allows Rene to walk out without a hassle. Rene can't help but wonder one other thing though.

"What about you D?"

"Well, I've realized, with a little help, that cooperating with vigilantes is sometimes necessary in order to keep the law upheld."

"You sound a lot like Lance."

"Thanks."

The Green Arrow interrupts, "Okay, then let's get moving. I have my suit ready to go. We just need transportation."

"Curtis is coming with the van. He's just picking up Felicity first. If Diaz is there, she won't want to miss this."

"Good. Let's go catch us an arsonist."

"Everyone, this is John. Comms check."

"Dinah here, just at the back entrance."

"Rene here, just entering the theatre room."

"Green Arrow here, at the scaffolding with eyes on Rene. Overwatch, any changes?"

"Indeed, there are. Sprinkler system jammed almost 2 seconds ago."

"That means they're here. Remember, the predicted sites to start fires are the side room and the room behind the screen. That's where the fire alarms are."

"Got it. Moving to the side room."

William watches Rene as he walks through the theatre aisle as people watched an old Bruce Lee movie. William remembers movies like this, as they were the first martial arts movies he ever watched as a kid and his inspiration for learning and incorporating Jeet Kune Do and Lee's principles into his fighting style.

Pushing the nostalgia aside, he sees Rene enter the room, so far nothing suspicious in sight. That is until William sees someone, a bearded man, get up and follow Rene.

William quickly gets back on the comm. "Rene, one person following you. I think it's one of Cortez's men. Moving in to join you in the side room."

"Got it. I got eyes on someone setting up a bomb. Get here quick."

"Copy."

As Rene gets off his comms, he starts to slowly creep up to the guy setting up the bomb. Seeing that the man isn't armed, he takes out his gun and aims it.

"Hey dummy. Hands up."

The man does as he is told but looks relaxed. Rene probably knows why. He then hears another handgun being loaded and aimed behind him.

"You first."

Seeing no way out of this on his own, he stalls for time by dropping the gun and slowly putting his hands in the air. Just as they reach above his head, he hears an arrow latching itself onto the ceiling followed by the thug behind him being knocked out.

Without hesitation, Rene charges at the man with the bomb. Before he can get close, the man throws something that creates an explosion strong enough to force him on his back. As he falls to the ground, he sees that the Green Arrow is in the same position, the explosion being stronger than anticipated.

As they get up, the man charges at Rene, coming in with a couple of punches. Rene finds them easy to block and counters with punches of his own to the face. With the man disoriented, Rene finishes him off with a hook, knocking him out for good.

The other man tries to run, but the Green Arrow catches and reels him back with a rope arrow to the leg. The Green Arrow then grabs him by the neck.

"Where is your boss, Cortez!?"

Suddenly, an explosion goes off, Rene predicting that it's in the room behind the screen.

"I guess we got our answer."

The Green Arrow knocks him out quickly and shoots arrows that disperse nets over the goons. They then rush to where the explosion is quickly, hoping it is not to late to stop Cortez.

As Dinah enters the back room, she sees someone setting up a device on a table. She gets up close enough and aims her gun.

"Freeze!"

As the man steps away from the table, she gets knocked away by something explosive. As she tries to get up, she sees the face of John Cortez as shown to her by Diggle.

Cortez looks to the man. "Set it up."

As the man gets to work, Cortez quickly walks to her with a knife. She instinctually tries to find her gun, seeing it just a few meters away. She grabs and aims it, but Cortez kicks it away. As he goes in for the thrust, Dinah grabs the arm, kicks his leg so he kneels down, and uses her momentum to flip herself and Cortez over. With him on the ground, she employs an elbow strike to the face, knocking Cortez out.

By the time she gets up, it's too late. The man has set off the fire and now he is running off. Before he can get far, though, a rope arrow grabs him and flings him towards the Green Arrow, who catches him and throws him to the ground.

Dinah quickly runs over to the fire alarm and switches it on, the blaring drowning out the screams of people leaving the theatre. She can see Rene run over to her along with the Green Arrow.

"D, you alright?"

"I'm fine, but we're too late. The fire's spreading and the sprinkler system is still down."

"I'm on it." The Green Arrow quickly climbs up the wall with metal ledges until he reaches and grabs onto the water pipe. He pulls on it multiple times, the grunts he gives telling Dinah that it is a very sturdy pipe. Eventually, the pipe breaks away, leaning in the direction of the fire, quickly dowsing it. The Green Arrow, unfortunately, is also on that pipe. The speed and force at which it stops forces him to let go, the wooden platforms below him breaking apart as he falls.

Rene rushes to the Green Arrow, who groans in pain, and tries to lift him up, but to no avail. He looks to Dinah. "D, I need your help."

Dinah hesitates. The police may get here at any minute and if she and Rene get out of here without the Green Arrow, he'll be hospitalized and arrested which is a win for her and gets her respect from Mayor Pollard. But, she knows, deep down, letting the Green Arrow be imprisoned will lead to the city's decay, particularly the Glades'. Also, she knows Rene won't leave the Green Arrow behind.

"D!"

Snapping out of her contemplating, she hurries to the Green Arrow's side and helps Rene get him up.

As they slowly head for the door, Rene gets on the comm. "Dig, G.A's down. We need a ride fast at the back of the theatre."

"Copy, on our way now."

John quickly parks the portable base just outside the entrance, where Rene and Dinah are carrying in an injured William as quickly as they can. They open the door, shimmying side by side since the doorway is narrow. They set the Green Arrow down, who is groaning and barely moving a muscle.

"Curtis, take the wheel."

John quickly rushes to William's side, Felicity joining them as well.

"You all right?"

"Yeah…John. I'm fine."

"Curtis, drive us to the hospital."

"No! No hospital. Get me…get me to the St. Paul's Church just outside the Glades."

"Listen Arrow. You can get a chance to pray when we get you to—"

"Felicity, I need to get to—" William starts to groan in pain again, clutching the upper part of his stomach. He looks back to John. "John. Come closer." John leans in. William whispers, "Dad is going to be put through shock therapy. If I don't get there, I will lose him forever."

John pulls away after hearing this, feeling the sense of urgency William probably is. He looks up to the rest of the group. "Does anyone know where he's talking about?"

"I do."

"Okay. Rene, give Curtis directions. Dinah, get me a med kit. It's on the shelf over there."

As Rene and Dinah go to where they need to go, Felicity grabs John's shoulder, getting his attention.

"We're not seriously doing this, are we? This guy needs a hospital."

"It's…an emergency. Besides, he's still breathing. We just need to make sure he stays that way. Dinah!"

"Got it."

As he feels the van move and as Dinah gives him the med kit, he can't help but think, I hope we're doing the right thing here. For William and Oliver.

No broken bones or ribs felt. No sprained ankles. Just bruising and outside pain. Walk it off.

William keeps thinking this over and over as he is being taken in by Dinah and Rene, with the others following him. He can tell that their eyes are on the bed.

"No bed! The chair."

Their attention then turns to Devoe's chair right next to his computer setup. They hesitated but did as he requested. They set him down on the chair as the others make their way inside. Felicity seems to be the only one who knows who's chair William is sitting in.

"Is that Devoe's chair?"

"Yes, now—"

"Did you steal that from STAR Labs!?"

"I'm going to give it back! Now, please…do as I say. Go to the computer."

Felicity does as she is told, looking at the monitor.

"Wow, you have complex systems here."

"Focus. What does…what does the calibrations system say?"

"It says calibrations are complete. Whatever you're gonna do, you good to go."

"Good. Just one last…thing. Below are filters that say mask and voice modulator. Turn those…off."

William can hear two clicks as Felicity moves the mouse around.

"Done."

"Wait a minute." William can see John looking at him with concern. "You're going to reveal yourself to him? Are you sure?"

"It's…the only way to help him…John. Now, lower that onto my head." He manages to point to the helm above him as he painfully takes off his hood. John happily obliges.

Felicity starts to look confused. "Wait, help who?"

"Felicity…just know that…I'm sorry for not telling you…the way I wanted to."

"Tell us what?"

"Just…watch the screens. You'll know."

John places the helm on William and goes to stand with the rest of them. Before going into the vortex that would bring him into his dad's mind, he presses a couple of buttons on the chair that puts his perspective on screen. Then, he closes his eyes and lets his mind go through the process of connecting to his dad's brain.

As his mind becomes more focused, the pain he is experiencing becomes more and more intense. He knows that by the time he is done helping Oliver, he will pass out from the pain. Still, he knows that the others will be more than willing to help him, especially his stepmother, once they see the truth.

Oliver wakes up with a start, finding that he can't move his arms or legs. He lifts his head up to see himself strapped to another bed. He can also feel a couple of metal objects on either side of his head.

"Ah, Mr. Queen. You're awake." He looks to where he heard the voice, seeing Dr. Parker next to him, working on a machine. "I apologize for the sedative we gave you, but it's better to be cautious than sorry."

Oliver tries to think back to when he had that sedative. The last thing he remembers is being given some water before the whole world suddenly went back. They told him he was taking a pill. He guesses that wasn't too far off.

Oliver looks back to his strapped down body. "What is this thing?"

"It's a new form of electrical therapy. It targets the memory areas of the brain, the places where our greatest fears are held. I've used this to reform Slabside's more stubborn cases."

"I don't need to be reformed."

"Your will is one of the strongest I've encountered, but even mountains fall overtime."

Oliver can feel the metal objects send shocks to his head. He feels the world around him fading, his eyes forming a picture. He tries to stop it.

"Don't fight it."

He keeps trying. I can't give in. I…can't…

"You can survive this."

Suddenly, Oliver finds himself back on the raft, hearing his father's voice whisper to him the words he always stood by.

"Make it home, make it better. Right my wrongs. But you've got to live through this first."

"Are you on the raft?"

The voice of Dr. Parker emanates all around him like an echo. Oliver feels that he has no choice but to comply.

"Yes."

"What is your Father asking you?"

"He's—he's asking me to right his wrongs."

"And setting you on a road of ruin that will one day poison your son."

"Dad."

Suddenly, Oliver hears another familiar voice. He sees no sign of his father, but sees William, tired and vulnerable, as Oliver was on this raft.

"I'm scared."

"It's okay buddy. Come here."

He brings William over to him and puts his arm over his shoulder, letting him lay by his side.

"I'm gonna take care of everything. It's gonna be fine. You're—you're gonna be fine."

"In those last moments on the raft, your father asked you to redeem his own life. But, if you had been in his place, what would you have told your son?"

"We're gonna die here." William's voice sounds as weak as he looks, which saddens Oliver, concerns him.

"No. No, you're gonna make it through this. You're gonna get off this raft, and you, William, you are…"

There are so many things Oliver wants to say to William at this moment. He wants to say that he loves him, that he would do anything for him because he and Felicity are all that matter to him. But, if he want's William to move on, William has to hate him.

"… You are gonna have an amazing life…because you are destined for great things, not to die on this raft. Promise me that you will forget about me, and—and you go live your life."

Oliver gently moves William off him and onto the side. He then reaches for the revolver underneath him. He knows how this must go. Only one of them can survive, and he accepts his fate.

As he takes the gun out, William gives one last look of shock and confusion, as Oliver once had when he saw his father die.

"Dad!?"

Oliver looks away. "Live."

He then puts the gun to his head, ready to pull the—

"No, Stop!" Suddenly, gloved hands grab the barrel of the revolver. Oliver knows who this is, but he doesn't care. He struggles to keep the gun on him, no matter how may time the Green Arrow said—

"DAD, STOP!"

His hand trembles and the mention of the word "Dad," his grip still firm on the revolver, but letting the gloved hands bring it down and away from him. He looks back, no longer seeing William…or is he?

He looks at the now unmasked vigilante, seeing a young man with a familiar yet changed face, bearded and hardened, a haircut that looks to be growing back from a buzz cut. And his eyes, the eyes of those of a Queen who had been through so much pain, so much hardship. Oliver looks with eyes so wide that he felt he can never close them again, nor did he want to at this moment. It couldn't be…

"Dad."

The whimpering mention of the word once more confirms Oliver's suspicions, and his fears.

"William?"

He nods his head, only solidifying his fears even more. Everything Dr. Parker said…

"Oliver. What's going on?"

William holds up a hand. "Don't talk. They can hear you, but not me. Just listen. Hear me out. Please." William's voice has changed. His pleading, almost begging voice now sound deeper, with a similar tone and mannerism as Oliver.

"I know what this looks like. I know that you think that you've passed on some cycle of violence onto me, that I have become a killer like you. But you should know…I always knew that you've made mistakes, that you've killed people. But—but I also knew you were a hero, the same hero that saved me and others countless times."

William leads Noah and his group to his room, the hallways devoid of any security. Knowing Billy is out as he was instructed to be, he takes out his room key and unlocks the door. He opens it and lets Noah and the others in to try and find the money Billy stashed while he waited outside to "keep watch."

"All my life, all I ever wanted was know who my father was. I didn't care if you were pure hearted, flawed, or both. When I found out who you were, what you've done, all I wanted was to be like you. Be the hero I knew you were."

As they start to rummage the place, William takes out his phone and turns on the cameras he set up inside. He looks at it, seeing Noah and the others carefully looking through all of Billy's stuff, being sure not to leave a trace. Eventually, they find the money where Billy said he would leave it, all of them giving each other high fives and counting the money they just got. William can hear Noah saying that they hit the jackpot. Ironically, so has William.

"I always knew that you've done terrible things to enact justice, but I didn't care. That wasn't the person I saw you as and they never outweighed my opinion. To me, you were always doing what was right, but you hit a few bumps along the way. We all do."

As they leave the room and back towards their dorm, William quickly puts away the phone. As Noah exits, he walks up to William and gives him a pat on the shoulder.

"Welcome to the group."

As Noah leaves for his dorm, William smiles. Trust me, I'm going to send my resignation, and the whole school will see it.

The thoughts of bringing down Noah become a bit overwhelming. At last, he has done it. He has what he needs to bring Noah to…

To justice. Just like his dad would with a criminal. At that moment, William didn't know whether to be happy or concerned. Sure, he's glad to do something like this. He always wanted to emulate his dad in some way. But what if this video gets tracked back to him? What if he gets expelled? He knows that his parents would never approve of something like this as much as the Dean. But…this is the right thing, isn't it? I feel like I need to do more of this, but…should I?

Remembering what Joseph Blackfire said about the Bible having the answers, he flips through it, skimming through the marked readings. He stops at a Gospel reading from a Saint named Luke, specifically, if he's got how the numbers worked correctly, chapter 15, verses 11-32.

"And, honestly, I've made some mistakes myself…"

"…But they were my mistakes and mine alone. Nothing you've ever done has led me to them, neither has anything you father done. Their your burdens alone and they are in the past. Don't judge yourself for the choices I've made. Be the hero…be the dad I know you are. Please."

William looks saddened, his eyes almost tearing. His grip is still firmly on the gun barrel, but neither of them dare to move it. Oliver, however, is still processing the information given to him, William's confessions like pinballs in his brain. He doesn't know what to do with this information. He just…he…

He slowly smiles. A tear, the first tear he shed in 6 months, rolls down from his eye. Somehow, all the transgressions, the world outside him, the constant interrogations…they're just melting away. He doesn't care about what he's done. He doesn't care about the things Dr. Parker put in his head. William, the actual William, is here. His son, at this moment, is sitting with him in the one place he least expected and he can never be any happier than this.

In a joyful, whimpering, and almost breaking voice, he says the words he wanted to say before. "I love you William."

William seems to give a very slight, assured smirk. Seeing him happy is just what Oliver wanted.

"You talked just now. You said you loved your son. Why?"

Reminded that Dr. Parker is still listening to them, Oliver rephrased what he wants to say next. "Because he's the most important thing to me in the world."

"Then it is up to you to end your father's cycle for the sake of your son. Only you can do this. Do you understand?"

Oliver looks down to the gun, then to William. For once, Dr. Parker is right. A cycle of violence must end. The cycle of violence caused by criminals like Diaz, the people who try to hurt his family, who hurt others. The people he stopped as the Green Arrow. If he gives up his identity now, he will have failed in his mission. Failed William. He needs to end this cycle by being the hero he once was again.

His resolve restored, he lets go of the revolver, allowing William to take it and throw it into the imaginary ocean.

William looks at Oliver with a look of relief in his eyes. "We'll both get out of this. I promise." William then hugs Oliver, emotion in his voice. "And I love you too, Dad."

Oliver slowly wraps his now gloved hands and leather covered arms around William. He can feel the suit wrapping around his body, the mask on his face. He doesn't think about it or how it is happening. Right now, he just wants to stay in this moment, hugging his son until he is taken out of this dream. He knows that it will be the last time he does for a long while.

Rene, Felicity, and Dinah look at the screen, each of them with a different reaction, but the same common feeling to the truth, ranging from surprise to shock.

Rene looks to the Green Arrow—to William, and back to the screen, three words pretty much describing how he feels and probably how everyone else feels, "Oh my God."

Felicity, however, sheds a tear, putting her hands to her mouth. She doesn't know what to say. The insults and taunts she has said to William this past month are just flashing in her mind. She now wishes she can take it all back, but she can't.

Dinah, as surprised as she is to see this, looks to John and Curtis, who don't react at all. Instead, they look at the others with calm, relaxed demeanors. But their eyes tell a different story, looking as if a burden has been taken off their shoulders.

"You knew?"

John nods his head. Dinah doesn't know whether to be angry at them for keeping it a secret or sympathetic if there was a chance that William told them to not tell anyone in the first place.

Suddenly, the screen switches off and the humming noise from Devoe's chair slowly goes silent. William can be heard groaning from the chair. They all look in his direction, seeing his head resting on the extended metal flaps.

Felicity calls to him, "William?"

She, John and Rene quickly run over to William. Rene examines him, finding a pulse and seeing that he is still breathing. "He's fine. He just passed out."

"He needs a doctor."

"We can't just bring someone here, Felicity. We'll take him to my place."

John takes the helm off William's head. "Okay. Felicity, there's a wardrobe over there. Get him some normal clothes. I'll call ARGUS and tell them to send for one of our medics. Rene, get him up. Quick!"

Oliver wakes up from his visions with a start, finding himself back in the room he started in. William is nowhere to be seen. The only ones here besides him are Dr. Parker and the two guards.

Dr. Parker walks from the machine to Oliver's side. "What is your name?"

Oliver now gets what the answer is supposed to be. Dr. Parker, all this time, was trying to erase Oliver Queen, break him down until he doesn't consider himself a human being, but rather a number. Just another prisoner at Slabside. He now knows how to get into Level 2.

Oliver gives Dr. Parker the answer he wants. "I'm prisoner 4587."

Dr. Parker smiles. "Very good. You'll go down to Level 2 tomorrow. I hope to see you again."

Dr. Parker leaves the room while the two guards unstrap him from the bed. They force him to stand up and then take the bed away, leaving him alone in the room. He walks to the normal bed and takes the photo of Felicity and William in his hand. He lies down and places the photo on his chest.

He then closes his eyes, keeping one thought in his mind, the truth he kept from Dr. Parker. My name…is Oliver Queen.

William wakes up, almost with a start. His breathing is more under control, unlike most other times. He finds himself looking up to a ceiling he doesn't recognize. He tilts his head to his side, the familiar table and brown chair across from him giving him a better idea of his current location.

In the chair is Felicity on her phone, tapping on it as if texting somebody.

"Felicity?"

His voice takes her attention away from the phone and towards him, a smile across her face. She sets down the phone on the table next to her.

"You're awake." Her voice sounds as if she is just getting over being frantically afraid. She gets up from the chair and kneels next to him. "How are you feeling?"

William quickly assesses himself. The pain he felt since falling is still there, but it is not as prominent as before. Still, he feels what he tells Felicity, "Terrible."

"Well, an ARGUS field medic looked at you. Nothing's broken, but you do have a lot of bruising. She said you should be better by tomorrow."

William looks down at himself, seeing himself in his civilian attire. "I'm not wearing my suit."

"Yeah, we kinda didn't want to set any alarm bells with the medic, so we took you out of it."

"I'm guessing that's why we're in Rene's Apartment?"

"Yeah."

His eyes dart over the room, not seeing him or anyone else besides himself and Felicity. "Where are the others?"

"Rene went to see Zoe in the hospital and Dinah went to file a report about the theatre incident. John and Curtis had to go to ARGUS HQ but wanted me to tell you that they hope you get better. Also, don't worry about Rene and Dinah. They said they're not going to say a word about you to anyone."

"And the theatre?"

"You saved it and Cortez was arrested. You did it."

He looks back up to the ceiling and closes his eyes, letting out a sigh. "Good."

There is a moment of silence between them. William can tell that there is something that Felicity wants to say but doesn't know how to say it. He turns his head back to her.

"Felicity. Whatever's on your mind, you can tell me."

Felicity lowers her eyes, probably feeling ashamed. "All the things I said to you over the past month. I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

She raises her eyes to him quickly. "No. No, it's not. If I had just known it was you, I—I would've been more supportive, more…you know, not belittling you almost every step of the way."

"Well, I didn't want you to know. I didn't want anyone to know until Diaz was taken down. But I guess even God has his way of saying that I can't do it alone."

Felicity gives a little smirk. "Since when did you get religious?"

William tries to sit himself up on the couch, the pain not enough to hinder his movement. "Cambridge. It was one of the only parts of it that didn't suck." Realizing what he is implying, he slightly raised his hand. "Not saying that sending me there in the first place, with good reason, sucked."

"No, no. It's okay. I know how much you didn't want to go. I remember you saying that—"

"That I thought you were abandoning me? Felicity, I was angry back then. We were attacked. I knew you were sending me there for my own safety. Well, eventually I did."

"Good to know. Oh, one thing I forgot to mention. John told us about Level 2 and Dr. Parker. Dinah's joined the search for any leads on both subjects, but so far nothing's turned up."

"Probably because SCPD haven't digitized their files yet. But, so long as we got someone else searching, then that's a win in my book. But now I need to get back to the hideout."

Felicity quickly stands up. "Hey. No, no, no. You are in no condition to do such a thing. You need rest and rest is what you're going to do."

William couldn't help but smirk. "I forgot how much of a mom you can be."

Felicity smirks as well but doesn't deviate from the subject. "Rest. I'll be in Rene's room in case you need me."

As Felicity turns to leave, William stops her with, "Felicity. Thank you…for everything. And for understanding."

She turns back and kneels, taking William's hand into hers. "You're my stepson. I'm always going to be there for you when you need me…as your father always was. Never forget that."

She stands back up, leaving for the bedroom right next to him. William lays himself down and closes his eyes, letting himself drift to sleep, wanting to let Felicity be at ease knowing that he is doing as he was told.

"Billie Batson?"

Billie raises his hand upon hearing his voice. "Here."

"William Clayton?"

Silence is all that comes after. He and other students look to the door, seeing if William is going to come in at the last second. Still, nothing. The only time Billie saw William was this morning, when he refused to come with him to class, saying there is one thing he must do first. So far, he hasn't showed up.

"William Clayto-"

Suddenly, the front board that showed the attendance sheet had a video screen pop up on top of it. In the video are Noah and his gang, rummaging Billie's side of the dorm, in search of the cash he deliberately left almost in plain view. It shows Noah finding the money, trading high fives with his friends, then getting out quickly.

Billie looked at it with amazement, as are some of the other students in his class. Others cheered, seeing Noah finally get what he deserves. The teacher tries to calm them down, but they do not want to be silenced. They point at him and say "We told you so," over and over. Billie takes this as his opportunity to sneak out of the room to look for William.

As he enters the hall, he can hear muffled cheers from the room across from him. He peaks in through the glass pane to see the video playing in that classroom as well. As he goes down the hallway, he finds it playing in another, and another, and another. This is what William wanted to do. He wanted to post the video throughout the entire school, maybe beyond, as a way that even Noah can't cover it up, cannot deny his involvement.

This victory gave Billie the biggest smile he ever had in his life.

William did one final check to make sure he isn't going to leave anything behind. He had an envelope filled with cash, all his clothes, dirty and clean, all his books and his laptop. He throws the bag filled with stuff that felt a little heavy to carry around his shoulder. Before going, he takes out the hozen from his pocket, looking at it and remembering Felicity's promise to William, that she would come back for him when this is all over. A promise that she won't keep.

Sorry Felicity.

As he puts the hozen away, he sees the door slam open. On reaction, he takes a step back, ready to punch Noah in the nose if it is him.

Luckily, it was Billie with a big grin on his face. "Will! The class and I saw that entire video! In fact, all the school did! You just made sure Noah is getting a definite expulsion! You actually did—" His grin almost immediately turns into a look of confusion. "Why do you have your bag packed?"

William doesn't say a word. He picks up the bag tries to walk to the door, but Billie steps in the way.

"Will, what's going on?"

"Get out of my way Billie."

"Not until you tell me what's going on."

William sighs in frustration. He doesn't have much time before the Dean gets here, but he's not going anywhere with Billie in the way.

"Look, I can't stay here. There's nothing for me here."

"Wait. You're leaving? You can't just leave."

"Watch me."

"The Dean is going to find out and—"

"The Dean is going to know I sent that video and expel me anyways. I'm just going a few steps ahead of that."

"Do you even know where you're going?"

"Yes, I do. Billie, I really don't have time for—"

"William." The Dean's voice catches their attention. Surprisingly, he doesn't look angry or disappointed. Currently, he looks curious, his eyes on William's bag. "Why are your things packed?"

"Well, I—" William hesitates for a moment, unsure of whether he should tell the truth or lie. But, knowing the Dean, he'll see through any kind of deception, at least with William. "I knew you were going to trace the video to me. I'm just preparing for you to send me back to Star City."

"Send you back? Not at all."

William is taken aback by what the Dean said. For a little while, he is short on words. Luckily, the Dean fills the silence with the answer he wants.

"I saw what Noah did in that video. You gave us irrefutable proof of Noah's activities, what almost every student has been saying of him for the time he's been here. So, I came here to say that I commend you…for finding the most unusual way to take him down."

Whatever glad feeling William was about to express is now slowly turning into confusion. His jaw drops a bit.

"What?"

"Usually, students would resort to just going up to students we make play the role of bully and beating them, show that they are not afraid to resort to violence. That's how we separate the strong and the weak. But, you have still shown that you can be molded to be the same."

"Wait, wait, wait. You put Noah up to all the things he has done?"

"Yes, I did William. Who do you think really erases the evidence? The intent was to take matters into your own hands, to make every student who isn't one of us, which is a small majority, take matters into their own hands. So far, only you have had the courage to do that. Now, we can make you into one of us. As for you, Billie, you will meet the same fate as the others. Our second phase to recruiting brats like you: suffering and surviving through pain."

Reacting quickly, William grabs Billie by the arm and runs towards the window above their bed. The Dean just stands there, but they don't question why he doesn't pursue them.

As William and Billie near the window, a hand grabs William by the neck and pulls him out the window. William sees the face of the man grabbing him, both quaking in fear and having a bit of trouble breathing. It was the face of Ricardo Diaz.

"Going somewhere kid?"

Billy doesn't run off. Instead, he looks as if he is about to say something. But then, a handkerchief covers his mouth, muffling his voice. His eyes look as if they are growing heavy until they close shut. He falls over, the Dean catching him.

The Dean then eyes Diaz. "Take William to the van. Remember, the Green Arrow is sure to follow."

"That's what I'm hoping for."

Diaz grabs William by the back of his shirt and lets go of his neck, allowing him to breathe. As William dangles and regains his breath, he struggles to get out of Diaz's hold.

"Let me go! Let me go! Let me go…"

"…Let me go! Let me go!"

"William! William!"

William's eyes flash open and his screams are replaced with hyperventilating. He sees the morning light pouring into the room and Felicity standing over him. He looks down at the couch, seeing the blanket on the floor, crumpled from the bottom of it as if it was punched.

"You're all right. You were in a nightmare."

"No! No, it wasn't a nightmare. It was a memory."

William looks back up to Felicity, his look of horror unable to match how he is feeling when he tells her, "I've been kidnapped."

Author's notes: Hello Readers! I know there are going to be a lot of questions from people who have watched the show about why there are no flash forwards in this chapter. Well, after a little thinking, I've decided to push them aside for now to instead focus on younger William and set up one of the scenarios for the next chapter. Don't worry. They will be back in the next one.

Anyways, thanks for reading. Don't forget to leave a review, like it if you did, and follow this story if you want to know when the next chapter comes out. Also, if you want to, share this with anyone you think will also like this story. See you all later and have a great day!