Thanks for all the love from the last chapter! Your reviews keep me writing! I am starting to incorporate more of the lines from the show into the chapters, i hope they are working well for you all. If you have any specific character lines you want me to add in, let me know!
i am so glad you are enjoying this idea...im enjoying writing it :) Hopefully a little more explanation in this chapter. I hope it reads well for you all!
Chapter 8 – Breaking Down
His entire body was shaking, writhing against the contact on his back, the pain shooting through his whole body as the currant made its way from his fingers to his toes. Again, Oliver found himself hung by the arms, he really was over this position, but today the form of torture had taken on another form. Electric shock. Something the men around him clearly found entertaining as they laughed at him while he tried to pull away from the pain.
He had finally recovered from his fever, it had broken days before being strung up again and he was given a day of reprieve by the men but now they were back, angrier than ever and he had no idea why. Once the pain had stopped, Oliver let his head hang forward, trying to keep himself awake long enough to show that he wasn't weak.
But it didn't last long – the wet cloth was placed back on his back – sending more shocks through his body. Oliver let out a gut-wrenching cry as it was turned up, his body starting to shake. But he would not pass out, he wanted to stay strong for himself. Prove that he wasn't a push over.
Russian murmuring started in his ear; he could hear the discussion between the men but couldn't understand what was being said. As his head hung against his outstretched arm, Oliver suddenly felt a small amount of pressure on his shoulder, instinctively he shrunk away from the touch. "You are strong American…we have use for you…" The thick accent spoke in very broken English but Oliver didn't care. If they thought he could be of use to them, that might mean that he wouldn't have to put with the torture anymore.
He felt his body being moved from his position, silently thankful that his arms were now by his side once more, the blood rushing back to his fingers. They dragged him back to his sell, the cold concrete floor against his bare back was dulling the pain slightly as they dropped him. If he had any strength left, Oliver would have removed the shirt he was wearing. Between the slice on his ribs and now the electrical burns on his back, as well as the punches and kicks that had been thrown his way, there wasn't much left of the shirt.
But instead he used the strength he had left to slide his hand under the mattress, pulling the small photo from its hiding place. It had been worn out from Oliver holding it so tightly every morning and night over the last 6 months that he was surprised that he could see the picture still. But he could. Tommy and Felicity smiling back at him. Bringing the photo to his chest, Oliver curled up on his side, finally letting the pain take him over and the darkness seep in behind his eyes.
"So what is this place?" Oliver had tried to keep himself quiet for as long as he could, he had kept his mouth shut for the last few weeks, mostly letting his body heal as much as he could from the beatings he had received, the wounds he had were now scarred over. The electrical burn on his lower back had healed up, scaring the skin that would have no doubt been perfect otherwise. It was a large scar, Anatoly telling him that it took up almost a third of his back, Oliver had scoffed chicks dig scars, right?
It still hurt, the movements he was forced to make now that he was working on the land would pull and tightened the skin, but it was mostly just a tightness than a pain. One of the other reason's he hadn't asked any questions was because Anatoly hadn't been on the land with him in the same area, as far as he knew Anatoly was in another part of the field and no one else spoke English.
But that changed one day when Anatoly came to stand by his side, his own tools in his hand and so Oliver had taken his chance to get more information on what was actually happening on the island. "It's a drug field. They grow the plants here that are then transported to the United States before its production."
Oliver furrowed his brows at Anatoly, wondering how he could have known that. Oliver had expected Anatoly to just shrug and say he didn't know. It was more information than he thought he'd get, "How is that something that you know?"
Anatoly shrugged, "See that man over there?" He motioned to one of the guards, his large weapon seated in his hands. Oliver nodded, "I was that man. It was my job to oversee the packing distribution of the plants. Do not mistake my participation as a choice Oliver…" Anatoly knew that Oliver was going to ask next, what happened? "That same man happened. He wanted my job and so I ended up here…" He shrugged; Anatoly really had sort of just come to go with whatever happened to him now.
Oliver continued to try and pick the flowers that he was being forced to do. "Tell me about it all? Where in the US does this stuff go? What sort of drug is it?" He glanced around, Oliver had spent the last few weeks tracking the guards, trying to work out what the patterns were and how that might help him get off this island.
Anatoly sighed, glancing behind him as well, making sure that no one was around that would over hear them. "This flower…" he holds up the flower in his hand, "When mixed with the right chemicals it caused incredibly realistic hallucinations and creates a high like no other. They use the easiest city to get into…Starling City." Oliver stood up straight suddenly, the knowledge that his home town was home to the production of this terrible drug. "It was easy to get it the city. The rich are easily corruptible…" Anatoly shrugged not realizing that his words hit Oliver closer to home. Which rich was he talking about? His family? His family friends? There was too much to suddenly thing of.
Furrowing his brow at Anatoly, Oliver narrowed his eyes, his friend had just told him that his home town was involved in the production and distribution of a highly addictive and dangerous new drug. But Anatoly was able to read Oliver's facial expressions, "Do not mistake participation for willingness Oliver. These men – they are dangerous and they will get you to do what they want."
Oliver nodded, he understood that, after everything that had happened, he understood that these people could make you do anything. "Why did he want your job?" Oliver glanced over at the guard that Anatoly had pointed out previously.
"He did not like that I did not want to push the workers, so he pushed me. And now I am worker." It was a simple, a matter of fact answer.
"возвращайся к работе! (Get back to work!)" Oliver missed the guard who came up behind him, noticing that he had stopped working. The sudden stinging struck Oliver's back, the whip connecting with his skin with a painful crack. And again. And again. 5 times, the whip cracked against Oliver's skin. Sending him to his knees, cries escaping his lips.
Oliver groaned was he rose to his feet, leaning on the shovel he was holding for support. Anatoly has reached for him, helping Oliver to his feet. Glancing over his shoulder, Oliver eyed off the man who had just whipped him, the smirk shining brightly on his face. "американская свинья" he laughed before moving back to his original position.
Oliver glared at him, American pig, that was a statement that he understood, Anatoly had been teaching Oliver Russian while they had time. He was getting the hang of it, it was slow and his accent had been horrible but Oliver was a quick study when he wanted to be - and at this point he had nothing else to do with his time.
Dropping his head, Oliver went back to his work, his back aching with every movement but he knew that stopping wasn't an option. Instead he just worked through the pain, pushing harder, allowing his mind to slip towards the memories he had of Thea, Tommy and Felicity.
Oliver glanced over at Anatoly, taking in his surroundings. They had to get out. They had to find their way off the island, no matter what getting off was the most important mission to him right now. The weather around them was hot during the day, the sweat dripping down his torn shirt, the nights were freezing, his whole body shaking to try and keep himself warm, thankfully though, it had taken almost 6 months on this place, but Oliver's body had started to become accustomed to the cold nights.
It had been a week since his back had healed from the whipping he had been given, the crossed scars on his back no long sting as he moved, but the memory of the pain was there, ever present, mixing into the memories of the pain from the electric shock and the knife to his ribs. It was all just pain, waking him up from nightmares at all times of the night.
When they had brought him to the fields with the rest of the workers, Oliver was lucky enough to have been able to grab the thin blanket that was on the cot in the cell and the he had been able to slip the photo of Tommy and Felicity into his pocket, he never wanted to let that go. He had been set up in a tent like the others, having nothing more than the ground and his own arm as a pillow.
"Where is the plane kept?" Oliver asked Anatoly quietly one day, his head down over his work to not bring attention to himself. He really didn't need a repeat of the last time he was noticed to be talking. He looked around, trying to get the layout of the land they were on, trying to figure out how he was going to get home.
Oliver Queen was not a stupid person, he was dumb or an idiot. Lazy...yes. Stupid...no. He may not have had any interest in schooling or studies but he was a very intelligent man, he knew his skills lay more on the doing than the studying. "Other side of the island. Never lands in the same place..." Anatoly looks over at the Asian man who seemed to just be working with his head down as fast as he could.
He seemed old, almost frail but had a strength about him. "He would know. But he does not speak English..." Oliver looked over at the man, taking him in. Wondering how the hell he was going to get his help if he didn't speak English. It was clear that he didn't speak Russian either, the man seemed to be of Asian origin, even the few phrases that Anatoly had taught Oliver wouldn't help him out in communicating with the man.
Oliver eyed the man for a moment, instantly catching it, they watched each other, almost as though they were both challenging the other to make the first move. "How am I supposed to talk to him if he doesn't speak English or Russian?" Oliver sighed; Anatoly wasn't much help to him at that moment.
Anatoly shrugged, "That is not something I know. But I do know that he will know where the plan is." Oliver's only reply was a groan. He needed to think of something.
It was late that night when Oliver decided he was going to take his chance. He hadn't been able to sleep, the last few nights he had been walking through the thin material of the tent, he watched and counted and timed each time a guard would come past the tent and how long between them that the next would come.
When he felt that it was a safe time, Oliver slipped from the tent, the moonlight lighting up his way. Slowly he crept past the other tents, being incredibly quiet as not to disturb anyone. Making his way into the bush land behind him, Oliver followed the tracked path at his feet, unsure of where it was going to lead but he needed to try something. Picking up a sharp looking twig from the ground, he began to dig a mark into the trees he past, giving himself a way back to the camp when he was done looking around.
Not sure how long he walked for, Oliver suddenly stumbled down a small embankment before coming to a stop. Groaning, Oliver rolled over, brushing his hand over his face. Could he go a few minutes without getting hurt? Rolling onto his side, a flash caught Oliver's eyes, the moonlight reflecting off the wing of the plane.
He had found it.
Smiling to himself, he rose to his feet, he had finally found a way off the island, now he just needed to plan the escape. Turing back to make his way back to his tent, Oliver didn't see the fist the collided with his face, sending him back to the ground. Oliver scrambled to his feet as quick as he could. You never want to be on the bottom of a fight. It was something he had always remembered; he and Tommy had been in a few fights in the past.
Throwing his hands up quickly, Oliver was able to block the next few punches that came his way, landing a couple of his own. The fight suddenly found them both of the ground, wrestling with each other, Oliver was finally on top, landing his own fists to the guards face and stomach but that was only before he was flipped over, the guard now taking the opportunity to land more punches, splitting Oliver's lip and his bloodying his nose.
Oliver reached, grasping for anything that he could find, trying to protect himself. His hand landed on a rock and before he knew it the rock was connecting with the guard's head. One, two, three, four times. Enough to send him flying to the ground. Oliver panted for a moment, there was no moment next to him, the guard was still, blood pouring from his head. Oliver turned onto his knees, looking down at the man who had just tried to beat him to death, staring down at his face, the man's eyes wide open, the emptiness staring back at him.
Oliver had killed the guard; he had killed the man who had tried to kill him.
Oliver had killed a man.
It was as if Oliver didn't have any control over his body, once on his knees, his stomach gave way, emptying the very limited contents. His hands shaking as he realized what he had just done. He had killed someone, taken a life with his own hands.
What had he become?
Pushing himself from the ground, Oliver scrambled to his feet, feeling them slip from under him as he tired to get out there and rushed from the scene, leaving behind the plane, the body and a little piece of himself.
"You and Laurel have been spending a bit of time together recently..." Felicity had been trying breach the subject of Laurel with Tommy for a couple of weeks now but they'd been so busy with the set up or Verdant and their respective jobs, that she just never had the time. But tonight, as they were almost finished setting up the club, they'd ordered burgers, had a few beers and sat on the floor.
Their club.
They had finally done it. It had taken almost 7 months to organise, clean out all the old equipment, have it cleaned of any dangerous excess materials, their stuff set up and Felicity to do the electronics. 7 long months of fun and laughter and tears and arguments but they had finally made it. All the big stuff was done and opening night was going to be in a few weeks.
Tommy blushes brightly at her question, trying to hide behind the beer that was now at his lips. He was smirking at Felicity, Tommy knew that Felicity wasn't stupid, she knew that Tommy and Laurel had been spending time with each other - she also knew that Tommy was feeling a little more than friendship towards Laurel these days.
"Oh, come on. She is a friend...don't look at me like that!" He laughed, reaching over to eat more of her fries before she could stop him, giving her a little shove in the shoulder at the same time.
Rocking against the shove Felicity just raised her eyebrow at him. "Tommy, we..." she motioned between the two of them with her hand, "...are friends." Tommy just smiled at her, keeping his silence, he did not want to admit anything to Felicity. "You know...if you have feelings for Laurel, it's not a bad thing." Felicity became serious for the first time since she started teasing him.
Placing his beer down on the floor beside him, Tommy sighed, "But it's Laurel. I shouldn't have feelings for her. She is Oliver's ex, my best friend's - who is dead - ex. I can't have feelings for her." He sounded upset and frustrated, almost like he had been having this same argument with himself. Running a hand over his face, Tommy finally looked at Felicity. "He would be so pissed if he knew..."
Felicity thought for a moment, "I don't think he would be. I actually think that considering he is gone - he'd want the two most important people in his life to be happy. And if that's with each other, I think he'd understand." Tommy just nodded, the battle inside of him clear.
Tommy thought for a moment, taking in her words. Would Oliver really be ok knowing his best friend had feelings for his ex-girlfriend? Deciding it was time to change the subject away from himself and Laurel, Tommy looked at Felicity, "What about you huh? You were a very important part of Oliver's life…how are you doing?" It had been a while since they had really talked about how they were handling not having Oliver around. Tommy had seen a few times when Felicity just seemed far away, like she was struggling.
But before she could answer an alert on his phone caught Tommy's attention, "You ready for this?" Felicity just shook her head, she really wasn't. "Too bad...they are here..." moments later the entrance door swung open and Moira, Robert and Thea made their way inside. Thea looked very intrigued, running straight to Tommy who hugged her tightly. She has started to latch onto Tommy a lot more now that Oliver was gone, he had become her big brother.
"Hey guys! Thanks for coming..." Felicity stood from the floor, brushing herself off, she was nervous. It would be the first time that the Queen's would be seeing Verdant, Robert had sold it off to Tommy with no issues, but he had not really asked anymore questions about what he was going to do with it. Getting right to the point, Felicity spoke, "So ... you are standing in what was Oliver's dreams, his vision and his ideas." She looked around; her arms raised in a way to show off the space.
The Queen's took in the bar off to the right, a long line of stools and space to for people to move and order. To the left was a large DJ space - or live band, which Felicity made sure Tommy agreed to allow at least once a month - a large stair case in the middle leading up to the VIP/function area that overlooked the dance floor. There was silence in the room, Moira just taking everything in, the booths off to one side that lines the walls, the tables to the other side of the dance floor. Robert seemed stoic, hardest to read and Thea just looked surprised.
"We kept everything that Oliver had wanted, all of this was his ideas. Felicity had his drawings and reports and plans as so we just had put it all together. With the exception of the electronic and lighting. Oliver had already given her free reign of those anyway." Tommy looked towards Felicity who just smiled at him while she moved to stand beside the bar.
"Thea if you could get the lights by the door..." she motioned for Thea to move the large industrial handle that controlled the lights, to which she did plunging the room into darkness as well as silence. None of the Queen's had spoken yet. You could hear a pin drop. "Now...the code for the lighting... Late Ada Jonas 11900..." Felicity spoke the code loudly, not missing the sharp intake a breath from Moira when she had heard Oliver's middle name. She hadn't told Tommy the code yet – wanting it to be a surprise for him as well.
The darkened room suddenly light up in a bright green lighting, the lights along the bar and stage lit up the flooring in the same green, the walls dotted with different shades of green. But it was the bar that caught the Queen's attention. Lit up behind the bar, in the middle of the bottles of alcohol that will no doubt be stocked in the next few weeks was three simple letters, outlined in their own green colouring.
OJQ.
Felicity smiled as she turned back to the letters, her fingers instinctively touching the industrial bar in her ear. "I wanted something for Oliver, something that could be seen, so no matter who comes here…they will know who made this place possible." Moira sniffed a little as she pulled Thea into a hug. "And in saying that – I have been able to do a bit of not so legal stuff with the paperwork on this place."
The group turned towards her, unsure of what she was talking about. "…this place is currently set up as Tommy and Oliver as co-owners. And I've been able to rig it so that he will never be removed from that standing but when Thea turns 21, she will assume Oliver's position as co-owner and then the three of their names will be on the ownership papers. Oliver would have wanted Thea to be involved and this place will always be part of Oliver's legacy."
Thea whimpered as she listened to Felicity speak, rushing to her side and hugging her tightly. "Thank you." Silence filled the club once more, Tommy and Felicity still nervous about what the Queens were thinking, even though they so far seemed to be happy about it all.
Finally, Robert spoke, for the first time he had walked into the club, "Felicity, you said that Oliver created all of this…that he had plans and designs…do you have them still?"
Felicity nodded, "Yeah they are upstairs on the desk, the ones rolled up…" the group watched as Robert made his way up the stairs in the corner of the club, step by step until he had disappeared into the room, his silhouette the only thing that could been seen of him when the lights turned on.
The rest of the group talked for about 10 minutes, Thea asking many questions about the club and what they had planned, Tommy taking over most of the talking considering he was the one running it. Moira had disappeared towards the office after minutes of Robert not coming back. That's where she found him, standing with his back to the door, the plans rolled out on the desk, his head bent over and his hands resting on the paper. He wasn't moving.
Slowly she approached him, she placed her hand on his back. "Robert…"
"He came to me before he left on that boat. He had…he had these plans rolled up under his arm. Oliver came to me with his plans for this club, he had thought it all through, brought me ideas and reports and I kicked him out. I told him he needed to grow up and forget the club and finish college. And then he got on that damn boat!" Robert was angry now; he had pushed his son away when all he wanted was a little trust from his father.
"Robert…you can't blame yourself about this."
But he pulled away, "Our son got on that boat because I pushed him away this…" he lifted his arms around him, motioning to the whole club that his two best friends had built with his plans. "And now our son … is dead…" His shoulders hunched, his words falling from his lips, his head falling. Moira rushed to his side, pressing her arms around him. "I should have listened to him; I should have been proud of him…" was all he could say as he pulled Moira closer.
"Welcome, welcome, welcome!" The music cut off as Tommy stood on the stage in front of the DJ, his hand holding a drink and a microphone. He looked down at the group of people around him, the club had been filled almost instantly, the hype around the opening had grown the minute that Felicity had sent out the email dump to all social media accounts to anyone who had already signed up to other clubs in the city.
The mass of people turned to him, he smiled brightly at them, "I want to welcome you to the grand opening of Verdant!" Everyone cheered, clapping at him. "So, most of you know that my…actually wait…" he paused for a second, looking for Felicity. When he found her standing by the side of the stage, he reached his hand out for her, bringing her to his side. "Most of you know that our best friend Oliver Queen died 8 months ago. But before he died, he and Felicity designed this amazing set up. This club is Oliver's ideas and plans and his hard work. We just had the chance to put it together for him."
Handing his champagne to Felicity, Tommy reached for her free hand. "Please, we would like you to raise a glass in honour of the man who made this possible, the man we both loved, the man we both lost. Oliver Queen!" Felicity took a sip of her drink, smiling brightly as the rest of the group did the same. Happy to know that they had finally brought something together that was Oliver's and now something that they could both hold onto.
Moving off the stage, the music started up again, the thumping of the base taking over Felicity's chest, Tommy smiling back at her. "Oliver would be so proud. He would be so proud of you Felicity…" He placed his hand on her shoulder. Felicity just smiled tightly at Tommy; she had promised herself she would not cry tonight. Not again.
Glancing over Tommy's shoulder, Felicity spotted Laurel sitting by the bar, just watching them both. Inclining her head, "Laurel is over there…" Tommy turned around and found his smile growing bigger when he saw her. "Go…" she pushed him a little in the chest, encouraging him to go to her.
"Are you sure?" Tommy didn't want to leave Felicity in the bar on her own.
But she just nodded, "Yeah, I'm gonna head off anyway. I've got a few things to do tomorrow anyway." She reached up and hugged him.
"Are you sure Felicity, the night has really only just started…" He didn't want her to leave, Tommy could see that there was something in her eyes, something she was hiding.
But Felicity smiled, "Good night…" she placed a kiss on his cheek before pushing him a little harder towards Laurel.
By the time Felicity had gotten home it was late, after midnight. She changed out of her short, tight dress into her most comfy pyjama pants and the green hoodie that she had stolen from Oliver's closet months ago, it still smelt like him – which is what she needed on nights like tonight. Curling up on the couch, Felicity brought her knees to her chest, pulling the hood around her shoulder to her face before she buried her face in the material.
Taking in a deep breath, letting what was left of Oliver's scent take over her, Felicity held the photo of her, Oliver and Tommy against her chest, let her eyes slip closed and then the tears fell, a deep sob racking her whole body as she broke down again for not the first time in the last month.
