After dealing with ARGUS, at the Boomerang Killer's residence, Oliver sat on a bench, as Cisco Ramon and Caitlin Snow gallivanted and gawked at his, and his team's weaponry and suits. It was as if The Bunker became a damn museum exhibit.
He looked around to see Laurel at a table in the corner, catching up on her legal practice. He was glad to see an improvement in her mental health since their mission to Central City, and whatever magic Grant did, he owed that usually smug, self-important bastard a drink.
He turned his head to see Cisco about to arrowheads. "Don't touch that." He warned, then as if he was dealing with a child, Cisco's hand slowly moved to the jettison arrows. "Or that." CIsco's hands immediately pulled back at the gruffness to Oliver's voice.
How was it that when his son was brought down here numerous times, he never got up to as much mischief Cisco had in five minutes. And this was a man that both Laurel and Thea respected? He was a man-child.
Roy looked on in amusement. "Will I get a cut, since we started selling admission to our underground base?"
As Oliver scowled at Roy's playful comment, he turned to see Cisco staring up at their suits that were in the showcases almost as if they were something in between a holy relic and something to tinker with. He moved from left to right muttering their code names. "Speedy, Black Canary, Green Arrow, and Arsenal." He moved back to the center, and looked over his shoulder towards "I have so many more improvements I could make."
Oliver grunted as Roy grinned in amusement. Roy called out to Laurel. "Hey, Laurel. Have you shown Cisco where you and Thea use to operate from?"
Oliver spun his head to see Laurel stand, looking somewhat startled from being thrust into the spotlight. "No. There's not much to see…" Her eyes moved from Roy to Oliver. She must have noticed his frustration because he hadn't expected the next words. "But, sure, I'll see if Thea is busy and she can join us." Cisco squealed as he followed Laurel up the stairs.
About a half-hour after Laurel and Thea had taken Cisco on a tour of the city, he felt his phone vibrate and answered the call from Diggle. Diggle explained that the Boomerang killer was at ARGUS and that both he and Lyla were there. After Oliver hung up, he and Roy put on their suits and left for ARGUS.
:-: :-: :-: :-:
Laurel and Thea had shown the exterior of Laurel's old apartment complex, before taking him to Wildcat's gym. Cisco scrunched his nose at the smell and look at the old gym, the way his face crinkled at the musky stale smell of sweat made Laurel realize that perhaps this was her friends first time in a gym, or at the very least an old-school sort of gym.
"I would have expected Oliver to work out of a gym, and rough it considering his past, but you two?" He asked, raising a brow at both of the women.
Laurel shrugged as Speedy grinned. "If you knew the guy that trained Laurel, you would take that back. He is completely old-school."
Cisco looked around the place with a keen eye. "And you own it?" He asked, looking at Laurel.
"More or less."
"This is so cool!" He said as he moved around the interior looking at the old worn and faded images of different boxers and fighters, old trophies and the like.
Thea sniggered at his look, she explained. "If Ted heard you squeal like that, he would ask if you were a teenage girl swooning over a boy band."
:-: :-: :-: :-:
As a boomerang swung back around, ready to impale itself in Lyla's back, The Green Arrow fired an arrow to prevent the ARGUS agent, and friend's partner from being injured or worse. He looked at Arsenal and gave him a signal with his head.
The two archers jumped from the elevated walkway to the ground and chased after the Boomerang Killer.
The first arrow, Green Arrow shot was deflected by the man's boomerang in his hand, and quickly through the second boomerang, knocking Arsenal's bow away from him.
Arsenal snarled as he quickly pulled out his kali sticks. The two hooded archers moved in to fight the man who wielded the boomerangs.
Green Arrow ducked under the boomerang's razor edges, as the man dual-wielded them like daggers, sending cuts and thrusts at them in unpredictable movements.
Arsenal swung his kali stick, managing to slug the man in the jaw. The Boomerang Killer spat and grinned. He sent a hard-high kick to the Ruby Archer's chest sending him to the ground,
Before throwing several boomerangs at the Emerald Archer at point-blank range, before anyone could react, a blur of yellow lightning appeared and removed the boomerangs from killing the archer. In a puff of smoke, the Boomerang killer was gone.
Green Arrow looked around the room to see The Flash give him a playful smirk, before leaving.
After the fight, Arsenal and Green Arrow walked towards Diggle and Lyla. "Who was that?" Lyla asked, holstering her sidearm.
"Better question: Who attack you?" Attacking a government installation is a hard feat to complete. And yet this man had.
Diggle looked at his ex-wife and mother of his daughter. "And Lyla, don't tell them that it was an internal ARGUS matter. "
Lyla looked at her partner and sighed, "His name is Digger Harkness, former ASIS." She then looked at the two archers. "He specialized in weapons and technology before he became a turncoat. He became a mercenary, to the highest bidder.
She then explained that Harkness was inducted into Taskforce X. They were sent to Tanzania to assassinate a warlord. After the mission went south, the team was killed and the mission was scrubbed. She then proposed a theory that Harkness's bomb implanted in his neck had been an unintentional dud.
"We need to assume that due to his history, and history with ARGUS that all of ARGUS's bases are compromised. We will keep you safe."
:-: :-: :-: :-:
After getting the information about Digger Harkness's supplier, Klaus Markos, a member of the Bratva. Green Arrow, Speedy and Arsenal were waiting for The Flash to arrive.
Speedy whistled as she looked at the construction site that has been was due to a lack of funding after The Undertaking, and completely abandoned following The Siege. A lot of investors had avoided investing the funds into Starling. "So, this is your brother's new hang out? First a restaurant, and taxi service, then to lowly mechanics and now an abandoned construction site on the edge of The Glades?"
"Former brothers. I think if you recall, that I am no longer welcome amongst their ranks."
Arsenal looked around, the construction site, "Now, the entire Lance-Queen family are blacklisted from their ranks, and are now we are considered their enemies?"
Before Oliver could answer, The Flash zoomed up to them, "I cannot believe that you are a member of the Russian Mob." Barry sounded almost surprised, if not in slight awe, that Oliver had been a member of a notorious criminal organization.
"Former member." He assumed he and his family were granted clemency by Anatoly. Perhaps between Oliver aligning Speedy, as well as Slade killing what was let of Starling's chapter was too much to repair with platitudes. "We had a falling out with them." He then pointed at the construction site. "This is where they run their mobile cyber-crime division. It makes them harder to find, and less likely to be attacked by us, or others." He said thinking of Slade, who had killed Alexi.
The Flash stood between Speedy and Arsenal. "Hey, you two have a nice outfit, red suits the suit you both."
"Roy, take the southeast corner, Barry, you scan the perimeter, Speedy you're with me."
Both Roy and Barry want to do their respective jobs, while the Queen siblings moved into the main carpark, and into the part of the building that was built. They were about to strike, when they saw The Flash standing with Bratva members knocked out and zip-cuffed.
Speedy huffed looking towards her older brother. "Are you sure that I have the right codename?" She then looked at the speedster. "Show off." She muttered as she walked around the perimeter of the large room.
Barry shrugged with a grin. "I had like eight seconds to kill." He then looked at Oliver, and in a smaller, voice he asked; "Was I wrong?"
Oliver gave a quick shake of his head, and walked past the speedster and kicked in the door, to see Klaus Markos. The Bratva member promptly jumped from his chair swearing, only to run into The Flash. The speedster then pinned him against the wall, in the blink of an eye.
"My buddy want's a conversation with you."
Green Arrow moved in slowly to intimidate Markos. He held up on of Harkness' boomerangs. "You made this for Digger Harkness. I want his location."
"Go to hell!"
As the Emerald Archer drew an arrow, The Flash was shoved to the side by Speedy, who held Markos still. A green arrow was shot into the man's knee.
Barry looked at the two archers in fear, he knew Joe had said that Oliver and his team were dangerous, but he had never seen them up close. He looked at Speedy who loosened her grip and let the man fall to the ground clutching his leg. It was abundantly clear to him that the youngest Queen sibling held no love for the Russian Mobsters.
"The only thing that hurts worse than an arrow going in, is it coming out." Green Arrow then yanked the missile from the man's knee, causing him to cry out in pain, curling himself into a ball on the ground.
Barry looked at the archers and noticed Arsenal standing guard at the door. "What are you doing? You have to stop, your hurting him!"
'I'm getting information." He then glared at the man. "Where is he? I have a whole quiver of arrows, as do my two friends."
Barry looked at his mentor with trepidation as Oliver tortured the mobster, while Speedy and Arsenal just watched. Barry felt sick. It wasn't right, there were more humane ways of getting information than this. "He said he didn't know!"
Speedy looked over her shoulder as she unsheathed her sword. The steel, blade glistened in the dim light of the site. "He's lying."
Green Arrow pointed at Speedy's sword, before hauling the man up by the collar of his shirt. "If you ever want to be able to walk again, tell me where Harkness is!"
Markos pulled out a phone, "Here. Harkness gave it to me, it's encrypted." He explained that he already has an order for him, and called using the phone, and Harkness arrived. He then started pleading for his life, telling them that he didn't know where he was.
Barry disappeared with Markos, and returned in the blink of an eye, to see Oliver looking at the phone, while Speedy and Arsenal were sweeping the place for any more intel.
"Felicity can crack the encryption. Use this" Oliver said holding up the phone. "To track down Digger Harkness."
"You tortured that guy."
"I interrogated him." Oliver corrected.
Barry walked towards him and huffed. "When my friend told me that your tactics make you, Laurel, Thea, Roy, Diggle and Felicity criminals. I defended you. I had your back because I thought that you were a hero. I thought that we were supposed to be better than them."
Oliver was reminded of the conversations he, Laurel and Speedy used to have when he was The Hood, and they were The Birds of Prey. Only they had no illusions about hurting people to get information.
Laurel had made a Bratva brother permanently deaf and proceeded to push a Bratva thug off a rooftop when she was searching for a child that was kidnapped and was about to be sold into slavery. They knew how dark the world could be, but there was one line they didn't cross. One line that he now didn't cross and that was killing people.
"Barry…You live in Central City, where it is sunny all the time, and your enemies get cute nicknames. You are not in Central City." He then exhaled, and continued, feeling anger at how his friend was questioning his motives, drawing the line at killing is one thing, but relying on advanced interrogation techniques are necessary on the hardened criminals of Starling.
"I…We," He said waving his hand at Speedy and Arsenal, who were heading out. Oliver's voice became harsher as he continued. "Live in a city where my best friend was murdered, where my fiancée's sister was shot full of arrows and sent tumbling off a rooftop in front of Laurel, and our son. Where my mother was murdered before my eyes, and Laurel's father collapsed in front of her, from injuries related to Slade Wilson. So, before you…"
"My mother…" Barry interrupted. "Was murdered in front of me too. But I don't use my personal tragedies as an excuse to torture whoever pisses me off."
"I'm sorry Barry, I'm not as emotionally healthy as you are." He then was ready to walk out the door that his sister and her boyfriend walked out of.
"What's wrong with you?"
Oliver turned around, "When we agreed that you were staying, we decided that it would be on my terms. If that is proving too difficult, you know your way back to Central City." With having said his peace, Oliver walked off leaving Barry to think.
:-: :-: :-: :-:
Barry made his way to Wildcat's Gym to see Laurel sitting with Caitlin, next to a small rug that resembled a savannah, with lions, elephants, and chimpanzees, on top of the boxing ring, it was a strange sight between domesticity for the old-school gym. It looked like something out of Joe's photo album of when he was young.
It was then he saw Oliver and Laurel's son, Conner. Playing with a toy xylophone. He had grown a lot since he last saw him. It was hard for Barry to believe that after his quarrel with Oliver about the ethics of torturing people, that he was a father to a young innocent child.
Did having a child justify his actions? Barry didn't seem to think so, Joe was never one to put his emotions ahead of a situation. He always saw Joe act with a clear mind when he was wearing his badge or uniform.
He walked towards them and smiled at Caitlin and Laurel, as he did, Barry mussed up Connor's hair. "Hey, Laurel, can I ask you something?"
Laurel hummed. "Sure." She said as she followed Barry out of the ring, to sit on a steel bench.
"Aren't we supposed to be better than the criminals? And if we are, how does utilizing their methods make us better?" It had been something that he had been wracking his brain about since he saw Oliver and the others brutally torture the guy.
Laurel looked up, "Sometimes, asking politely doesn't work, nor does turning up in our suits. What you have to remind yourself, Barry, is that these people are hardened criminals, pain is the language they understand, that they respect. It's not right, but it's the only way it is sometimes. We just don't cross the line, murdering people."
Caitlin nodded in agreement, as she made her way towards the pair. "She's right, I saw her do a similar thing that Oliver and his team did to Markos. She blew out his eardrums. After she found the location of the little boy that they kidnaped, she threw him off the building and into a dumpster below."
Barry's mouth opened and shut, perhaps for the first time realizing just how dangerous Starling City was in comparison to Central City. Barry nodded, and walked past them and into The Bunker, he would have to digest this more. Maybe by being Central City's Guardian Angel, he could provide a light, to prevent his city from becoming as dark and dangerous as Starling?
If he did, perhaps he may be able to avoid being that dangerous, to inspire people. The Birds were doing that for a while in Starling, but they could be places in a blink of an eye. He do what Oliver suggested, be the person to inspire and garner hope for his city.
:-: :-: :-: :-:
Oliver was repaying his actions over and over again. It was all his fault. He had tortured Markos and fallen for Harkness' trap. It was all his fault that Lyla was fighting for her life in surgery. It could have easily been Thea, Roy, Laurel or Connor.
"It's all my fault." He said to whoever it was that had entered The Bunker and was making their way towards him.
"It's really not." Barry's voice answered.
"I tortured Markos to give up that information." Oliver licked his lips, as he contemplated his guilt. "It would never have happened if it weren't for me."
"I get the feeling that you don't say that very often. Apart from someone from the outside of your inner circle, I mean."
"To do what I do, Barry takes conviction." He said remembering Waller's words about doing whatever was necessary. "But, more often than not it's the will to do what is ugly," he said turning to look at his friend and protégé. "Every time I do what is necessary, I chip off piece by piece of Oliver Queen, until all that remains is the Green Arrow. And it feels as if nothing is left besides, Green Arrow.
Barry shook his head in disagreement, as he thought about what Laurel and Caitlin had said to him, and about how Oliver had a wife and child that he adored. "I think you are full of crap. You have convinced yourself that what you have endured has scraped off your humanity. I would argue, however, that it was because of that humanity you survived and became a man who would give his sweat and blood to save the people of your city. A hero. Not to mention that you have a fiancée that anyone with eyes can tell that you both love each other with all your heart, and you also have a little boy. You couldn't have achieved all those things if you never had a light inside of you."
Barry then cleared his throat. "I'm sorry what I said the other day when I was whammied. I said a lot of things that were untrue, Ollie. The truth is, it takes a person more courage and determination for someone without powers to go out in the field. And that is your superpower, courage, determination. And no one can rob that from you except for yourself. "
"Barry, I don't— Thank you, thank you, Barry," Oliver said sincerely before he fished out his phone to see that Felicity had a match on Harkness's ID. He was at Starling train station.
:-: :-: :-: :-:
As Digger walked through the platform full of people, a bright trail of yellow dashed around removing all the civilians, until The Flash appeared with Green Arrow in tow. The archer aimed his bow at Harkness.
"Get on the ground!" Commanded Green Arrow.
Harkness chuckled. "Now, why would I wanna do that, mate?"
"You hurt a friend of mine." He said thinking of Lyla in a hospital bed, with Baby Sara and Diggle watching over her. "You really think that there is a place in the entire world that you could run to that I couldn't find?"
Digger hummed, as he scrunched his face up. "Probably not, no. That is why there is a contingency plan in effect." He then held up a small device with a red LED light. "Five bombs in Starling." He then chuckled again. "Now, I was never good at Maths, but you could stop me, or you could stop the bombs, but you can't do both, can you?"
Digger looked directly at both The Flash and The Green Arrow. "The Bombs are armed. In ninety seconds, the city will be on fire."
Green Arrow without turning to look at his comrade, instructed him to go. The Flash disappeared in a flash of yellow lightning. Over the comms, Oliver could hear Felicity telling Barry that Laurel, Thea, and Roy were ready to assist.
:-: :-: :-: :-:
Barry had found a bomb and was told by Felicity and Cisco not to touch it, that they believed the bombs were connected to each other, explaining that was why Harkness was so sure that they couldn't save the city from becoming an inferno and take him out.
Barry then traveled back to the Bunker in a blink of an eye, and grabbed Arsenal, and deployed him in one location, then did the same with Speedy, Laurel, and Caitlin.
Cisco directed that everyone had to cut the bomb's wire simultaneously in three seconds. After doing so, Barry looked around and heard, no explosion nor saw any infernos.
:-: :-: :-: :-:
Green Arrow looked at the ensnared Harkness, both expecting to see and hear explosions, followed by the screams of people. But none came.
Digger Harkness smirked. "You really think that you have accomplished something here? Do you think that not killing makes you stronger? No, it makes you weak."
Oliver disagreed. "No, it means that I have humanity still within me." It took a certain kind of strength to avoid killing people to do the right thing, someone like Harkness would never understand.
:-: :-: :-: :-:
Ra's stood in his throne room. That he has called his home for more than two centuries. As he sat upon his throne, one of his trusted horsemen, Sarab, walked into the chambers.
"Ra's Al Ghul," He bowed, as a sign of respect and perpetual fealty.
Ra's flicked his wrist as a signal for his horseman to rise. He then looked upon the man that was once, a father, a husband, and an agent of Advanced Research Group United Support, ARGUS, research, and special operations division of the United States Government. And most importantly a former friend of Oliver Queen.
Oliver Queen has shielded Al Saher from justice. What he told his youngest daughter was true, despite their mutual attraction to each other, Sara Lance was never truly a member of The League of Assassins. This was made abundantly clear in the early 1950s when he met Sara Lance from the future. Considering the company she kept, along with her reluctance to return back to Nanda Parbat, in favor of her family the year prior, confirmed his suspicions.
And despite her tenuous at best loyalty to The League, and the love she possessed for his only daughter that was not disowned and disavowed, Nyssa. He had to react with a strong hand, he could not allow a precedent to be made that allowed the unlawful killing of their own. No. Al Saher would receive justice, and Oliver Queen and his comrades would suffer the same fate for obstructing justice.
"Oliver Queen has had enough time to recant and disavow Merlyn. Take five of your best men. Take them to Starling City. Until he reaches out to you and my daughter, kill in his name. Make him rue the day that harbored our enemy."
"As you say, Malik"
:-: :-: :-: :-:
Oliver stood with Diggle and Thea, watching the news report of what had occurred earlier that night. What he saw made his blood boil.
"What remains of the City's leadership, had an impromptu meeting regarding the future of this once prospering city. On the agenda, according to some insider reports, state that amongst many of the issues to be discussed was the issue of vigilantes."
Thea groaned, "Why can't they see that we are doing what the police and city officials can't do?"
Oliver didn't answer, nor did John. Oliver suspected that it was due to the correlation between terrorist attacks, violent crimes, and vigilantes. They are operating under the assumption that the city was safe before they arrived and started to assist the crippled SCPD.
Even if Pike viewed them as a valuable ally, he was but one voice in a sea of others who do not feel the same.
"During these discussions, Mayor Castle was shot and killed by The Green Arrow. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Palmer Technologies CEO Ray Palmer was also taken to Starling General Hospital, where he is currently in critical condition…
Diggle folded his arms and looked at his friend. "I tried to call Felicity, she's probably with Palmer, it explains the lack of communication."
Oliver chewed his lip. And was about to speak when he heard the voice of Captain Frank Pike.
Pike stood in front of a lectern, "I have just requested a first-degree murder warrant for the Green Arrow. With the assistance of the District Attorney, I have installed a task force to assist in apprehending The Green Arrow and his associates. These fine men and women have shot to kill orders if necessary. We have accepted these masked individuals for too long, and have become complacent about their actions. This ends tonight."
The media was then allowed to asked questions, one reporter asking why The Green Arrow would suddenly decide to assassinate the mayor.
Pike gave a small shrug of his shoulders and explained that despite working alongside these vigilantes they had no idea what their end game was. But after the death of two of their finest officers; Detectives, Quintin Lance and Lucas Hilton, were tragically killed while assisting the vigilantes. "The SCPD should have ended their association with them, the night either of these two valiant officers lost their lives."
Oliver closed his eyes, as he thought about Lance dying, it was the what started Laurel on the slope she was on, Sara's death had temporarily pushed her over the edge, but she managed to pull herself back up.
He knew he was at fault. He brought in Hilton and Lance to help bring down Cyrus Gold, that ended the life and career of Lucas Hilton, a few months later, he allowed Quintin to fight against Mirakuru soldiers. His future father-in-law had succumbed to his injuries and stress and died in his eldest daughter's arms from a heart attack.
"I did this. All of this is my fault."
Thea turned him around to face her. "No, it isn't. Malcolm Merlyn is. We spared the man that killed Sara, and it has brought the wrath of The League, of Nyssa."
"I'm protecting him because he is your father, Speedy. I will not let you have his death on your conscience."
Diggle watched the two siblings glare at each other. "Perhaps, we should confirm Malcolm's innocence?"
Oliver grunted as he walked out of The Bunker to find Malcolm.
:-: :-: :-: :-:
Daniel Brickwell sat in a lavish prison cell, he had almost anything he desired in his small cell. He finished his freshly cooked Foie Gras with mustard seeds and green onions in duck jus. He cleaned his face with a silk napkin. He looked at one of his men, enough money would buy the loyalties of people in here, to give themselves small freedoms, or to look after loved ones. A fellow prisoner, a man indebted to Daniel Brickwell.
"Start the preparations immediately."
"As you wish." The man gave a small bow of his head before conducting his affairs. It was time to prepare to get out of this hell hole and return home.
