Chapter 7:
Thea wished Oliver would answer his damn phone. Ever since he went off on his motorcycle, he had been a ghost. That was fine before when Thea had an idea of what type of criminals he was fighting as she worked as Chief of Staff of Star City. But now, she was the only person who knew what he was up to. She needed to find him and tell him everything about Adrian Chase before it was too late.
While she was still reluctant to be a vigilante, Thea knew she had to be one in the fight against Prometheus. She was the only one with knowledge about his tactics. Oliver lacked a cohesive team. It was up to her to assist him.
Unfortunately, Oliver had to be off fighting Triad members, and handling various despicable businessmen. Thea tried to visit the Arrowcave, but he had some unknown code on the old-fashioned lock. Felicity had shown her how to hack computerized locks, but not mechanical ones like the one Oliver currently used. She would need to wait until either Oliver came home or the camera, she planted showed her the code.
At least she was done with Detective Kimberly Hall's and Detective Sam Conahan's rounds of questioning. They asked her all about her fight with Chase at the hospital. She went along with the story that it was the Triad. This time Team Arrow would deal with Chase before there were any casualties in the police department.
She did everything she could to find Oliver. He would appear when he was ready. In the meantime, Thea needed to train. While she had her natural instincts to fight, and good hand and eye coordination from doing archery as a young teenager, Thea's younger body lacked the ability to withstand pain and fight like an assassin. The easiest way to do that was to practice archery and various solo maneuvers. Once she had Oliver's assistance, they could practice together.
She located her old archery bow and arrows from the room she stored in them many years before. While she couldn't use these to fight as Speedy (due to the possibility of them being traced to her), they were good enough for training.
After she talked to Oliver, she would request that they work together to get weapons, Kevlar costumes and other necessities. She already retrieved a new gun from an arm dealer. Unfortunately, he didn't sell Kevlar or untraceable bows and arrows.
That led her to the outdoor grounds of the Queens Mansion. She positioned herself a good distance from the various trees. She would start with practicing her archery. First, she did a warmup of push-ups and various exercises. Then, after hooking an arrow in, Thea practiced moving it back and forth. Good, her younger body still remembered how to use a bow. She drew her bow and aimed at the tree. The first arrow landed on the ground. Right, her fingers let go too quickly. She tried again and this time the arrow hit the tree. Soon, she was hitting various trees without any problem. She got this. She now needed to try moving targets. Now where could she find some birds?
"That's impressive." Thea lowered her bow and turned to find Walter standing behind her.
"Thanks." Thea smiled.
"Moira had to go to a meeting. She requested that I check and see if you have seen Oliver since he left in a rush yesterday. As far as we can tell, he never came home last night. Have you seen him?"
"No." Thea shook her head. "I left him like a million messages, but no luck. Maybe he found another island and decided to live there forever."
Walter nodded. "Moira told me you did archery back in the day. Why did you stop?"
"I was fourteen." Thea shrugged. "Decided it was lame."
"You know, the Hood is very good at archery." Walter said.
"I'm not the Hood, if that's what you're asking."
"I know. But you definitely admire him."
"You going to tell me that he's a criminal too, and that I shouldn't like the good he's doing." Thea pursed her lips.
"No. You're old enough to think for yourself and make your own decisions. I'm glad you found your way back to an old pastime."
"What do you think about the Hood?" Thea asked; she always wondered.
"I think he's dangerous, and I hope to never encounter him. I personally believe that people who kill lack any sense of morality. However, I also know that he helped hundreds of people get back the money then lent Hunt through his Ponzi scheme. Not all businessmen are moral. I know that's not really the type of job for a good person, but some people do take it too far."
"You're a good person, and you're a businessman." Thea said. "If only there was a way to get more people to act like you."
Walter nodded. "I try to mentor people the best I can. Now, I was curious to see if you have any interest in discussing the secrets you revealed yesterday. I'm here to listen to you if you need to."
"What can I say?" Thea sighed. "I had some secrets that I needed to get out. I said it all yesterday. I'm glad to have another brother and a nephew, but I'm not interested in thinking about my psy… bio dad that much."
Walter nodded. "Well, if you like to discuss your feelings in the future. I'm here to listen."
"I know. But I'd rather practice some more."
"Can I watch?"
"Sure." Thea looked around and saw a brown bird on a branch. She aimed her bow towards it. It started to fly away. "Here's how it works."
She should enjoy every chance she had to talk to him before he left her behind.
As soon as Samantha heard the news about Prometheus, she knew that she had to leave town with William. A part of her hated herself for the choice, but her son always came first.
She reminded herself that this was the plan; she was simply leaving earlier than scheduled. Oliver had agreed to a similar plan after the bastard Darhk kidnapped William. He will eventually understand.
Thank goodness for her friends. She missed them last year when she was living under a false name in the middle of rural nowhere. Becky, Gail and Megan were more than happy to lend her some cash. Becky hadn't forgotten when Samantha paid for her son's surgery, Gail said it made up for all the times Samantha provided her free therapy, and Megan was simply too nice.
Samantha used the time William spent at a playdate on Saturday to buy their fake IDs for the trip. She hoped this worked. Prometheus tracked her down before. But this time she would not bring a phone and will not interact with anyone besides the staff at airports, train stations and motels.
Work had gone by extra slowly today. Samantha considered skipping and leaving immediately, but she wanted William to have one last day of normalcy and she needed time for a phone call with her parents. Who knew when she would speak to them again?
She had called them throughout her lunch break but kept receiving their voicemail. It figured that they would call right when she was in the middle of a project.
"Hey mom, is dad with you?" Samantha asked as she saved her grant application.
"I'm here, honey." Her dad's voice echoed. It sounded like they were in the middle of a crowded area.
"What's wrong, Sam?" Her mother sounded concerned. "Your voicemail sounded like you were overworked. Do you need us to come over for a few nights? I can clean up your bathroom. I know how dusty you keep it." Typical mom, always the perfectionist who offered to do unnecessary chores.
"I'm fine, mom," Samantha said. "I wanted to check on you too, make sure everything is fine."
"It's the same as it always is," her dad stated. "Mom's working most nights at the store." After her mother retired as a nurse, she decided to pursue a part-time job at an independent bookstore. "And I'm messing around with some coding. Did you hear about the latest crypto currency?" Her dad went along for a bit about his latest obsession.
"Frankie, Sam didn't call us to discuss bizycoin."
"coin," her dad corrected. "It's incredible how fun it can be. Plus, it might make us rich!"
Samantha laughed. Her dad did make a few grands from this. "I'm glad you're having a blast. I'm mostly working on a never-ending grant."
"I heard from Annette that you had some visitors yesterday." Great, her nosy neighbor did notice the Queens. For some reason her mother enjoyed gossiping with Annette; a woman who once told the whole neighborhood that Samantha's mother was raised in a slum. Her mother may have been raised in poverty, but that was not any of their business.
"Just some friends from Brown. They were in town and wanted to stop by."
"That's terrific. I hated how you lost touch with them." Her mother sighed. "But Annette said a handsome young man, a middle-aged lady and a black man came in."
"Lucas," Samantha said shortly, referring to an ex-friend from university. "His mom, and a friend of hers." Why did her mom have to find out every single detail? To her mom, Samantha was twenty-six; at some point her mother needed to get her own life.
Samantha rubbed her eyes. She should be enjoying this. Not thinking all about her own family issues. All she wanted last year was to reunite with her family- to be normal. She should be glad her mother cared so much.
"Sam, are you there?" Her mom asked.
"Yes," Samantha's voice cracked.
"Sam, what's wrong?" Her dad was now concerned.
"Nothing, I'm just glad to talk to you. I'm glad you both are doing so well." Samantha sniffed. "I should go."
"Sam, if there is something going on, you can always tell us," Her mother said sternly.
"Are you pregnant again?" Her dad blurted.
"Frankie!" Her mother scolded her dad.
"You're thinking that too. Why else would a family be visiting Samantha?"
"I'm not pregnant. I told you, it was Lucas and some adults he knows." You get pregnant once, and, of course, your parents think you're pregnant whenever you sound upset. "Anyways, I have to get back to work. I'll talk to you soon."
"Mommy, where we goin?" William whined as she drove up to the Central City Airport. She decided to drive a car she rented with the fake ID as a precaution.
"On a little trip," Samantha stated shortly. "If anyone asks, your name is Raphy."
"Like Raphael! The best ninja turtle." William cheered.
Samantha missed when it was this easy to have William follow her directions. He became very stubborn as he grew older.
She parked in the lot near Terminal A. While their destination was Terminal F, Samantha felt it was better to leave her car in a different terminal. When Prometheus came looking for her, he would have a hard time finding the right flight.
Of course, this flight was not their only ride. After a plane ride to Chicago, they would have a train ride to Memphis, and then another plane ride to Baltimore. Finally, they will go on a bus ride to Charlotte, and she will buy a car to drive to an undetermined location. She hoped William would stay relaxed during the long journey.
They made it to Terminal F and through security without any problem. Samantha allowed herself to relax when they found a seat to wait for the airport workers to call passengers. She had to get through only ten minutes until the plane was due to arrive.
"Mommy, can we getta pretzel? I hungry." William asked.
"Not now, sweetie," Samantha replied. "We'll get one at the next airport."
"I want one now!" William cried, pouting his lips. "Where we ev'in go'in?"
"On a fun road trip for a few weeks. We'll get to explore the world." Samantha tried to sound excited. All she felt was empty. She really didn't want to leave her normal life behind.
"I can get him a pretzel, if you like?" A bald man in a black suit came up to them. He wore an earpiece. Hopefully, he was an airport security guard on break and nobody nefarious.
"No, thanks." Samantha replied. "We're going on a two-part flight. We can get one before our connection."
"It wasn't a request." Samantha would recognize that stern voice anywhere. "He's going to get William a pretzel while we talk."
"Mommy, can I?" William squealed. "Please!"
Samantha nodded, completely focused on the woman in front of her. How did she find Samantha here? Did she have Samantha followed?
William and the man left to buy the pretzel. Samantha watched two other men follow behind, also wearing suits and earpieces. Samantha would have believed he was perfectly safe surrounded by security guards two years ago. She now knew that he wasn't safe anywhere.
"Ahem." The intruder stated.
"Moira, I'm happy to talk to you, but I'm not letting my son out of my sight." Samantha tried to sound calm, but her voice shook involuntarily. She started to follow the men and William. Samantha heard the sound of Moira's high heels click behind her. "What are you doing here?"
"You think I wouldn't guess you would try to kidnap my grandson?" Moira Queen frowned downwards at her. Another nameless bodyguard watched them from the row of seats near the snack stand. This time none of the bodyguards at the airport were familiar faces like Diggle. Samantha was completely alone to stand her ground against the worst mother she ever met.
"I'm not kidnapping him. We're going on a road trip for a few weeks." Samantha knew her lie hit deaf ears. Moira was too smart and well connected to believe it. But she had to buy her some time to relax her trembling body.
"As Julie and Raphael Montrose, you mean?" Moira answered. "I highly doubt that."
"What do you want, Moira? I thought you wanted William out of Oliver's life?" Samantha snapped.
"Did you know you can get up to five years in the state of Missouri for kidnapping your own child?" Moira opened a folder. Typical Moira, bringing folders with intrusive paperwork.
"Luckily for you, I won't press charges if you return home tonight and accept this."
Samantha took the stapled document from Moira and glanced down at it. It was titled, 'Plaintiff's Motion to Modify Custody.' She checked the last page and recognized Oliver's signature. What was he thinking? Didn't he have bigger priorities?
"If I were you," Moira continued. "I'll hire a lawyer. I would hate it if you would have to face this alone, dear."
"You can't do this. You bribed me to fake a miscarriage. I will release that to the world if you try to take William from me." Samantha said sharply.
"If you do that, I'll simply have to share with Central City police that you attended to kidnap William." Moira shot back. "Really, dear. There's no point in trying to prevent the inevitable conclusion. You're going to have to let my son get partial custody of William. That is only fair."
"No. We agreed that he would have no involvement in William's life." Samantha retorted.
"As I told you the other day, that was before my children discovered his existence." Moira smirked. "Understood?"
"Did Oliver really ask you to do this, or are you trying to make my life hell? Seriously, Thea finding out the truth was a mistake. She found out herself. It wasn't my fault."
"We can go back and forth on the issue," Moira stated. "But the truth is my son lived five years alone, and soon after his return he discovered his son. He's so happy and excited about knowing William. After those five years of pain, are you really going to deprive him his child?"
"It's not just about Oliver." Samantha said. "It's about his safety. I know what danger faces children in the public eye, and your family is definitely on center stage."
Moira nodded. "I know. I saw the little email you got from SM. I receive hundreds of those a day about my own child. It's something you will get used to."
"It's not an empty threat. Prometheus ..." Samantha stopped herself. Oh, no. She said his name in front of Moira. What was she going to do?
"Prometheus, do you mean the vigilante who saved Laurel Lance's life?" Moira smiled. "So, he's a problem, I see. I knew it. The vigilantes are nothing more than a menace to polite society. What exactly does he have against Oliver?"
"I don't know." Samantha wished she knew more than the facts that he was crazy and a serial killer. "I guess he and Oliver had a beef back in the day, and now he's after my son."
"You really don't know anything else? The email makes it seem like you are both after a 'second chance.' How do you know him?"
"I met him once." Samantha paused, gathering her thoughts. "He seemed out of his mind and complained about Oliver a lot. I think his return has made him angry and he's acting out through being Prometheus."
"How did you guess he was Prometheus?" Moira knew how to ask the tough questions.
"He talked about his interest in fighting crime in the mask, and that, if he ever did, he would name himself after the titan of fire," Samantha explained. "That's all I know."
Moira nodded. "So, you would like some protection for William in case Prometheus decides to target him? I will be more than happy to oblige."
Oh, right! Why didn't Samantha think about getting a bodyguard for William? Oh, right. Samantha lacked the money for that. But the Queens….
Still, Samantha didn't want to sound too eager. "Because he's your grandson, or because it will put me in your debt?" Samantha asked rhetorically. "There's only one person in your employ that I would trust with my child, and he's Oliver's bodyguard. So, no thanks."
"You want Mr. Diggle?" Moira's eyes widened. "Did Thea not tell you how he fails to keep track of Oliver? He's far from the best bodyguard."
"I know that Oliver probably doesn't want a bodyguard. John Diggle would be great at protecting anyone else," Samantha said. He kept Oliver alive for five years as the Green Arrow after all.
"I'll see what I can do," Moira said. "I do need a better bodyguard for my son. So, this would solve both our problems. Still, Mr. Diggle has a nephew in Starling City, so he might be resistant. I'll let you know."
John Diggle was a tough one to kill. Chase had sent out the best of Fuller's henchmen, but each came back empty handed, and one came back with a bullet in his leg. He dealt with that one permanently. Can't have a weak link.
Well, as the best leaders say, when your lackeys fail, it's best to do their work yourself. Well, after punishing them thoroughly. It was delightful to hear Fuller and his men scream as he burned their skin. Now that was out of the way, it was time for Plan Kill Sidekick.
While Chase was reluctant to kill Oliver's friends and family until the right time, he was ready to kill the two people that helped Oliver succeed in the future. He started with Diggle because he was a harder kill than an unremarkable IT girl. Chase hated to change plans. But, oh well, Chase will kill Diggle and he'll have Fuller try to regain his trust with an assignment in Plan Kill Ex-Fiancé.
Chase was currently waiting for Diggle to leave the Big Belly Burger. Diggle was chatting with his wiser brother's false widow, and his little nephew. He had been there for over two hours. Diggle was exhausting. Reasonable people spent twenty minutes at most at a fast-food restaurant.
Chase had his arrows finely sharpened for this mission. His quiver of arrows was wrapped around his shoulder. His pocket was full of throwing stars and detonators that were ready for launch. He was ready for the kill.
Now, come out, Diggle, Prometheus is waiting for you.
Finally, Diggle exited the restaurant an hour later. Chase immediately notified Rene that the plan was now in motion. Diggle walked quietly in the dark night. Perfect. Chase followed along the rooftops as Diggle walked down the sidewalk and past various gangs looting. Diggle ignored them, probably focused on keeping a low profile. It was nearing the time that Rene was instructed to give him a prank call.
Finally, Diggle's phone rang, and Diggle stopped near an alley to answer the call. Chase aimed his arrow to a window of a building in the alley. He then glided downwards. It was time! He aimed his arrow and struck.
Diggle jumped out of the way, just missing the arrow. Not bad, Diggle, not bad.
Chase aimed again and watched Diggle walk towards him. People were so predictable. Chase fired. The arrow was nearing Diggle when he shot his gun at it, and it split in pieces. So, Diggle was going to make this fun.
Chase took out a metal throwing star from his pocket. Maybe he needed to start with causing some tiny pricks of pain.
The first throwing star hit Diggle's shoulder and the second hit his stomach. Diggle shrugged them off. Guess the little pricks did not bother the ex-soldier that much.
"Leave him alone!" A deep, modulated voice shouted from the rooftops. Oliver aimed an arrow at Chase. It was amazing to see his old friend again.
"Good to see you, Hood!" Chase said through his own voice modulator. "I think we should have a nice team up against this man. He has failed the city worse than the businessmen you target." Diggle would side with a monster who thought he was above the rule of law. At least the businessmen sided with the city's best interests.
"Not interested, Prometheus. Attacking an innocent man has revealed who you truly are. Leave my city, and never come back."
Oh, Oliver, always so resistant to being outmatched. "I'm sure you know the old saying, you can't always get what you want. Well, Hood. I plan to stay here for a very long time. You can either work with me, or we'll be enemies, and trust me, you don't want me as an enemy." There was no need to point out they were arch-nemesises yet.
Oliver drew his bow, and an arrow flew towards Chase. Time for some fun. Back and forth they went aiming their arrows at each other. Chase ran from the alley to the street, yelling, "Come down here, you big coward, or can you only fight when you have the high ground?"
He heard random street rats screaming behind him. Men and women wearing worn clothes were running around aimlessly. Old women desperately called out for the police from behind the broken windows of several worn-down apartments. Perfect, he needed to outmatch Oliver until the police arrived. Then, he'll consider a different approach for Diggle.
"Don't move or I'll shoot," Diggle said behind him. Speak of the devil. No need to change his plan, after all.
Chase laughed and elbowed Diggle in the neck. As Diggle shot his gun, the bullet clanked against a busted windowsill. Chase pressed Diggle on the ground and grabbed an arrow. Finally, time for a kill, Diggle. Chase hoped he suffered. The arrow logged into his chest. Nicely done.
Suddenly, Chase felt an arrow land on his back. Dammit, Oliver. Chase turned to find Oliver on the ground in his typical pose.
"I would love to stay and chat," Chase drawled. "But my work here is done."
As Oliver shot another arrow, Chase threw a detonator at it, and it exploded. Behind the flames, a police car was honking towards them. Chase slicked away in the darkness, feeling a familiar flush of adrenaline right after he outsmarted Oliver.
Time for a less exciting kill. But even winners must do the easy work when their followers are incompetent.
In downtown Starling City, Taylor Kent of Coffman, Kent and Rothstein, P.C. left a large skyscraper that housed his firm's ten story office at around 10:00 p.m. That wasn't unusual for the lawyer; he typically stayed late at the office to ensure that he spent as little of time as possible with his wife, Martha. He loved his eight-years-old twin daughters, Amy and Amanda, but he couldn't stand to listen to his wife's endless list of grievances.
Hopefully, Martha would be fast asleep when he got home. Taylor had a particularly painful day where his top client Laurie Goodwin wanted him to bring a case against Merlyn Global for failing to clean up their waste in an environmentally friendly way. Another top client, Justin Claybourne, would hate Taylor if he went through with it because Claybourne was indebted to Malcolm Merlyn, the CEO of Merlyn Global.
It was a terrible conundrum. Taylor needed to figure out which client he would need to disappoint and possibly lose billions of dollars from. The other partner at the firm, Michael Rothstein, might ask for a share of his salary for disappointing one of their billionaire clients. Luckily, he no longer had to worry about his late other partner, Darren Coffman.
"Are you Taylor Kent?" The gray-haired man turned to find a tall man in a hood and dark black mask that covered his entire face. This must be the Hood! Taylor shivered. He knew what the Hood typically did to henchmen of billionaires. What he did to Darren.
"I'll pay you! Please don't kill me. Let me help you, Mr. Hood, sir," Taylor begged.
The masked vigilante laughed, his voice modulator vibrating roughly. "Pity. I don't need your money. All I need is to make sure you don't screw with my inheritance."
Inheritance? What was the vigilante talking about?
"I won't take your money. I promise. Please let me help you."
"You already did enough. I saw the paperwork you drew up to ensure my father disinherited me."
"Simon," Taylor gasped. The Hood was Simon Morrison- the illegitimate son of Justin Claybourne. After reading through Darren's old files, Taylor had been amused when he discovered Mr. Claybourne's secret; yet another rich man who screwed around. But now, facing his death, the secret sounded far less entertaining. What should he do? Lie. There was no way Justin would not disown his maniacal bastard son. His new client wanted a clean break from his mistake. "I will throw away the new will once it's signed. I promise. No one will see the will without your name."
Morrison lined an arrow in his bow and pulled it straight at Taylor's eye. Taylor shivered; his life was in the hands of this terrible man.
"Too bad for you, I don't care about just the money anymore." Morrison screamed so loud that his voice modulator echoed across the empty street. "I care about revenge. You and Darren tried to take everything from me. Now, I will take your life. Can't have you talking, can I?"
"Please." Taylor gasped in pain as the arrow hit his neck. Tears streamed down his eyes and his whole body hurt so badly that Taylor fell sideways on the floor. He was almost thankful for the second arrow that logged through his heart. At least then the pain slowly went away as the lawyer died. His last wish was for the Hood to stay far away from his daughters.