A/N- I would like to thank two reviewers, highlander348 and WinterRain36 for helping me create this sequel. Without these two individuals, allowing me to use them as soundboards, this fic would likely never have gone beyond the planning stages. As a way to show my thanks, I have used their usernames as character names. WinterRain, unfortunately, you will have to wait for a little while before you see your thank you gift.
Black Canary and Speedy were watching from the small rooftop in the shadows, their eyes glued to the scene playing below them, on the banks of Orchid Bay, in The Glades.
"I got all you need, gents. Shotties; double barrel, over and under, side by side, the classic pump action, and my personal favorite; the lever action." The dealer said with a smug smile, as he looked upon his small arsenal in the trunk of his car.
Speedy snorted as she listened to them argue and heckle for better arms or cheaper prices. The black-market dealer was buttering up his potential clients with praises. Calling them, badasses, or other similar expressions.
Speedy sniggered under her breath. "He chose the wrong career. He could easily have been a sales rep for QC."
Black Canary smirked at her sister's joke until she saw the deal heading south. "Follow my lead, Speedy. You take out the fleeing thugs. I will deal with your prospective sales rep."
She then jumped, using her canary cry to shatter the windows, sending a few men to the ground.
Speedy followed in suit. She pulled out her arrow and shot one of the fleeing criminals in the calf, and quickly sent another arrow into the last fleeing man in his thigh. She then rushed over to them to zip tie them to the street lamps. "Why do they always want to run?" Speedy muttered to herself.
Black Canary took out one of the thugs then turned to see the seller, attempting to start his car's ignition. She ran over and pulled him out through the shattered driver's window and shoved him against the car, her baton shoved against his throat.
She leaned closer to him. As he smirked, as he looked her up and down. "Nice duds." He then looked over his shoulder to see her partner. "Heard you had a lackey." He said before addressing Speedy. "What should I call you? Her Quiver?" He chuckled.
Speedy scowled, as she felt the immediate need to correct the man. "Her partner." She really did not like being called Quiver. Especially Laurel's she wasn't a tool for her sister to use. She is her sister, and they protect each other!
The blonde vigilante released her baton from the man's neck. "A rich one-percenter had his whole small army of guards massacred last night. Shot with arrows."
"I would feel sorry for him. Truly. But, the rich kid like that, I ain't shedding no tears for him." He sneered. "Besides, if you want to know about archers." He said nodding his head towards Speedy. "Your girlfriend in red, here, would know. Saw her shoot her bow."
Speedy stood beside her sister. "I use red arrows. The ones used were green." Both vigilantes noticed the scared look on the man's face. "Our Robin Hood has special forces training, and military grade weapons."
Speedy had heard from Laurel, according to her father, and the SCPD, Robin Hood had utilized flashbangs, when he fled the SCPD.
Black Canary looked the man dead in the eyes. "Who's the supplier, Highlander?"
Highlander, looked between Speedy and Canary, in both fear and surprise that they believed he was the one funding this, Robin Hood's crusade. "I don't know who is supplying him, I swear!" Black Canary grabbed Highlander's wrist and twisted it, hearing the bone break.
"Don't act like it couldn't have been you, who is funding Robin Hood. You were helping the Russian Mob, providing them Intel, and arms for B and E's. You're a freelancer, it's what you do."
"Ladies, the small cache in my trunk, couldn't be used to hunt small game."
As he raised his hand, towards his jacket, Speedy fired an arrow, pinning his hand to the car door. The man howled in pain. "Don't move!" Speedy ordered.
The man panted, between being held by Black Canary, and his other hand, pinned by Speedy's arrow he realized his only way to escape more injuries was to tell them everything he knew. "Alright." He wheezed. "Alright, I don't know anything about the archer..."
"But?" Black Canary pressed.
He gave a dry chuckle. "It's got to do with Brick."
Speedy watched, as her sister grabbed his wrist and held him in an armlock before she heard his arm break. A broken wrist, broken arm, and an arrow to his hand.
Black Canary growled in response. "Brick is gone. He's a none-threat."
"Yeah." He looked over his shoulder and looked at the blonde vigilante "But once you took out Baldy—" He panted. "There is this weird cold tension between the gangs. Bettinelli's, Los Halcones, The Triads, all of them."
Black Canary felt sick. Was this Robin Hood an anonymous hitman for one of these gangs? If he was, why did he return all that money to the innocent people who were hurt by Hunt's machinations? To lead the SCPD, her and Thea on a wild goose chase?
"He's an enforcer for one of the gangs? Perhaps, The Bratva, skimming Hunts till to make rise like a phoenix?" Canary asked, her mind coming up with hundreds of different scenarios and possibilities.
"Bratva?" Highlander mocked her suggestion. "Ain't no one heard from them, since you sent them running with their tails between their legs to lick their wounds." He chuckled. "Knowing them, they were called back to their Snowy Wasteland, they call home. Being beaten by a small girl is not good for their fragile ego."
Speedy moved closer to close the gap between her and Highlander. "Who then?"
"Don't know. But from what I've heard, some sort of Illuminati shit is scaring the hell out of the boy's calling the shots. They think that this Robin Hood is after the powers that be." He then pulled the arrow from his hand and cradled it to his chest. "I swear, ladies. It's all I know."
Black Canary leaned into the car and handed her hooded partner, the car keys, who dangled them in front of him mockingly.
"Come on, please. I answered everything you asked. And now, my arm is busted, and so is my hand. Not to mention the windows I have to replace because of your banshee wailing. Let me go, one good turn deserves another, right?"
Black Canary smiled, as the man in front of her begged for leniency.
"Come on, BC. I'm on parole, I will do better! C'mon, I missed Starling City and The Glades."
Black Canary chuckled. "Yeah, yeah. That may be so, but I can't say we missed seeing you." She then turned her head and nodded at Speedy.
The Red Archer attached the keys to one of her arrows and shot it into the depths of the polluted bay.
Highlander glared at the two women. "Wanna be stone cold bitches, fine. Because the three of us know, that I will be out of jail in…"
Black Canary slugged the Highlander upside the head, knocking him out. "Guess, we will see you in a few months then."
Speedy zip-tied him, along with the rest of the thugs. She then looked over at her best friend, as she opened all the doors of the car. "You don't have any issues with scum like him, escaping justice?"
Canary shrugged. "Every time he is let out, he has a chance to be redeemed. It's not perfect, but's it's what we have. It allows the criminal a chance at rehabilitation, even if a minute group of determined criminals who will play the system. It's better to give them that chance, then snuff out that possibility."
Oliver finished putting on his suit jacket as he descended the stairs, to the main floor of the mansion, as he did so, he heard a news report in the den. He found himself walking towards the room, spotting his mother watching the television.
"For just over a decade, and a half, Mr. Redmond has withdrawn more than thirty-million dollars from the plan's account. Redmond's spokesman stated that it was always the intent of his employer's company to refund the Halcyon pension plan…"
As he adjusted his cufflink, feeling like a fraud. He was no longer the spoiled rich playboy, and since his time in hell, he no longer felt at ease in the finest attire, he was expected to wear. He felt more at home in comfortable and practical clothes, or in his hood.
Oliver walked in to see, his mother, and stepfather, Walter, watching the news report. As he was about to turn his attention to the news report, a felt his hair raise.
He scoured the room either his eyes, until he noticed his little sister, silently, but casually, making her way into the den.
He wondered how she was able to sneak up on him. Was it him slipping? Was he already relaxing and unconsciously letting go of his gut instincts, when among family?
He dismissed the thoughts and noticed that like him, Thea had also opted to wear business, formal wear. He also noticed that she seemed to be favoring one leg, over the other. Before he could speak, the report caught his ear.
"Some other anonymous sources refute Redmond's statement. They state that Redmond was coerced by The Vigilante. Who is not to be confused with The Birds of Prey…
The Black Canary, who aided The SCPD in dismantling a criminal organization headed by Daniel Brickwell, who was on a crime spree, that has never been seen since the likes of; Al Capone…"
His mother scowled at the television. "People used to feel safe in Starling, before these people, these vigilantes like; Black Canary, The Archer and, now this man."
"What's the matter, Mom? Afraid, The Birds and this Robin Hood wannabe will be after us?" It was then, he noticed Thea quickly kissing her mother on the cheek, then patted Walter on his forearm, quelling any argument, as she spoke. "I have to get going."
Oliver's eyebrows rose, he had expected his entire family to be there when he was legally recognized as a living person. "You're not coming with?"
Thea's lips upturned as she quickly held him in her embrace. "I'll be at the courthouse, but I don't know if I can make the hearing."
Right.
Since he had been dead, for the better part of five years, Laurel had taken his place, his place as the older sibling. Despite, his feelings for Laurel, and how much he appreciated her putting his sister on a better path, he couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Even as he thought it, he knew he was being petty.
Laurel was walking with Emily Nocenti, her client, the woman whose interest she is protecting. As they entered through the back of the courthouse, she meets Thea, who is standing there at the entrance with three cups of coffee.
"I thought you could use a cup of coffee, Emily," Thea said as she handed their client a cup, and gave her a reassuring smile.
Laurel looked at her business partner and sister. She hadn't expected her to attend today's hearing. "I thought you would be with Oliver today?"
She shook her head. "I'll buy him a cake after he is legally resurrected." She then looked at her watch. "Crap. We should get a move on."
The three women walked through the court, avoiding the media that was present for Oliver, their high-profile case or both.
They rounded the corner with Laurel almost walking straight into Oliver, who seemed like he was about to gently stability stabilize Laurel, by holding her, but decided against it at the last moment.
"Hi…" Oliver said carefully as if Laurel was a wild animal, ready to tear him apart at a moment's notice.
"What are you doing here?" Laurel asked dumbly. She knew what he was doing here, she had just had a conversation with his sister about it.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed, Thea rolls her eyes, and Tommy is hiding a smirk.
"Oh, they were bringing me back from the dead, legally speaking. You?"
Thea scoffed. As Laurel noticed her and their client, walking past her and Oliver. "We will see you in a few minutes, Laurel."
"My job." She answered. She was wondering why Oliver seemed to be gentler than he was, a few weeks ago. It didn't matter, she was done, being taken for granted. "Now, if you will excuse me, Mr. Queen. I have a job to do." She said, as professionally as she could, as walked up to the stairs, and away from Oliver. Away from temptation.
Oliver watched as Diggle left, after being reprimanded by his mother. As he did, he saw Thea walking past.
"Where are you going?"
"Laurel's," Thea answered simply. "To do paperwork, for our case against Sommers, then a movie marathon, or train at the gym." She answered with a small shrug.
He smiled, proudly at his little sister, who had flourished from a rebellious teen to a confident and determined young woman. "I'm glad that you are doing something that Dad would be proud of. Something that I am proud of."
His sister gave him a sad smile. "So would Jo." Upon noticing his curiosity on his face, she answered. "She was Laurel's partner and co-founder of CNRI with Laurel. She… she along with Laurel gave me a purpose. She was killed by Brick because we were getting too close."
Laurel was photocopying some legal documents using the dinosaur of a machine, that Thea had given them over a year ago. Even after, the money that received from Mrs. Queen, that was primarily used, to pay their bills, and allow pro-bono work, the old office equipment had sentimental value for her and her baby sister.
As she watched the light, of the scanner, she heard Thea going preparing their client, Emily what the defense may say, how they would paint her as the bad guy.
It always amazed Laurel, how far Thea had come. When Laurel had returned home, Thea was a lost young woman, struggling to live through her addiction and depression.
Now, she was a blossoming young woman, who fought alongside her at night, and seemed to have a quick legal-political mind, which aided the young Paralegal, and by extension, CNRI.
As she was listening to Emily air her grievances, she saw her father enter the lobby, with a pair of officers. "Dad?"
Lance walked over to his daughter. "These guys will be looking after Miss Nocenti."
That piqued her interest. She directed her father, into her office, and closed the door. "What's going on?"
"Sommers. He's got his sights on you, Thea and Nocenti." Before she could argue, he kept talking. "I didn't put protection on you and Thea. I have seen what the pair of you can do, just keep your head on a swivel." He then added. "And my phone is always on. For both of you girls. And I will have a patrol or two make their rounds past your apartment, and near her mansion, to keep up appearances."
She felt her gut tell her that he wasn't exactly telling the whole truth. "It's not just Sommers, is it?
He shook his head, as he brushed his hand through his hair. "Sommers was attacked by The Vigilante.