Chapter 25: …And Meddling Vigilantes!

"Now, fair warning: you might blow up." The Streak stated, placing the splicer in Ronstein's hand.

Ronstein blinked. "Are you sure we should be doing this?" he asked cautiously as he placed the splicer on his chest.

"Either way, you're going to blow. And if you're going to blow, we might as well see if we can separate you two first so that way you don't blow again."

Ronstein frowned. "You are oddly calm about this."

The Streak shrugged. "This isn't my first rodeo, so to speak. Anything that happens, I can handle. Trust me."

"And her?" Ronstein shifted his eyes to Caitlin, who was waiting a little way's off to the side, watching them anxiously.

"She'll be fine too. Now, if you would?"

Ronstein sighed, and caught fire.

BOOM!

"Moira." Kara greeted the older woman, giving her a short hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Moira smiled. "Kara. I assume Kal is at your house with Thea?"

"And with Ruby." Sam walked up to them, clad in a stunning midnight blue evening gown. "Hello again, Moira."

"Sam! I see you were invited too."

Sam blushed. "They sent me an invitation, and I saw no reason to refuse. And when Kara told me she was invited as well, we decided to save money on a babysitter. I hope that's no imposition to your daughter, Moira."

Moira shook her head. "None at all. I'm sure Thea is thrilled – Kal and Ruby can wear each other out faster and she might be able to get some peace and quiet tonight."

Kara frowned. "Speaking of your family, where's Robert and Oliver?"

Moira craned her neck. Kara and Sam turned around to see Oliver and Robert conversing with Tommy and –

"Is that Carter Bowen I see?" Kara asked faintly.

"Yes." Moira would've squealed had she not been so prim and proper. "He's been asking about you lately, Kara."

"Oh." Kara did not seem pleased. While Moira was oblivious to it, Sam was not, and she had to stifle a small giggle behind her hand.

Just at the moment, it seemed Carter had caught sight of her. Cutting his conversation with the men, he strode towards the trio of women, eyes completely zeroed in on Kara.

"Moira." He grabbed the Queen Matriarch's hand and gave it a kiss. Then he looked at Kara, and gave what he assumed to be a suave smile. "Kara." Kara – reluctantly – held out her hand, and gave a kiss to it, rather than the handshake she would've preferred.

"Carter. How…nice. To see you again." Obviously, she wanted to replace the word 'nice' with something else, but she was currently in polite company. Not that anyone except Sam noticed.

"It's good to see you too. Who's your friend?"

Sam held out her hand. "Samantha Arias."

Carter shook it. "Carter Bowen."

"Kara!" Oliver arrived, preventing anymore conversation, much to Kara's relief. "It's good to see you!"

"Oliver, you remember Sam, right?" Kara smiled tightly, trying to get everyone's attention off her.

"Ah, yes! From the Christmas party?" Sam nodded politely as she and Oliver exchanged greetings. "It's good to see you. Dad's been wanting to meet you for a while."

"Robert Queen himself?" Sam still couldn't believe it.

Oliver gave a short nod. "Yes. Unfortunately, he's with Tommy and Uncle Malcolm right now, helping the latter with any last-minute nerves."

Sam frowned lightly. "Oh. That's too bad. I guess I'll see him at the afterparty?"

"I'll introduce you to him myself." Moira put a comforting hand on her arm.

Carter, noticing that everyone was done talking, decided now was the time to make his mood. "So, Kara, I was wondering –"

"I think the speech is starting." Kara cut him off, looking to the podium where the announcer was currently walking up the steps. Carter scowled, and turned to watch with her, as did everyone else.

"Identification." The soldier demanded.

Barry held up his S.T.A.R. Labs employee ID card, and then his state ID in conjunction. The soldier scrutinized him for a moment before deciding they were legitimate and letting him on his way. Barry walked into the cortex, where he saw Dr. Wells conversing with someone he instantly recognized as General Wade Eiling.

"Dr. Wells." He interrupted the two men's conversation, diverting their attention to him.

"This one of your lab monkeys, Harrison? I know a few stayed, but I don't think I've heard of this one before." Eiling eyed him up and down, distinctly unimpressed.

"He's a new hire." Dr. Wells explained, face devoid of emotion.

Eiling snorted. "Now that's even stranger."

"You aren't here to 'catch up,' Wade. What you're here for, is not here. So, my suggestion? Leave." Harrison looked oddly imposing for a man that would be permanently bound to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

"This isn't over."

"As far as I'm concerned, it is."

Once Eiling and his cronies had finally vacated the building, only then did Barry speak.

"Charming guy. I'm surprised you haven't done away with him yet." He commented, hands in his pockets.

Harrison frowned at him. "If I could, I would. Unfortunately, the disappearance of a U.S. General would be hard to cover up."

"And now you're not even denying it! I'm glad we can be so open with each other Harrison."

Harrison smirked. "Indeed. Where are Ronnie and Stein?"

"Holed up at Stein's place with the Quantum Splicer. I told them I would take care of Eiling, and I will." He opened the inside of his jacket and took out a GPS, where a blinking red dot was moving towards the outskirts of Central City.

"I didn't even notice you place the tracker on him." Harrison noted, genuinely impressed.

Barry shrugged. "I'm gifted like that. Didn't even need my speed to do it. Of course, now that we know where he is…" he smirked.

"Is it me, or did that speech sound slightly ominous?" Kara whispered to Oliver as they applauded with the rest of the audience.

Oliver shifted his shoulders. "Uncle Malcolm always did have a flair for the dramatic." he whispered back.

Just then, the fire alarm sounded off. Oliver and Kara nodded to each other and were prepared to move.

Unfortunately, an oblivious Carter Bowen interceded. "Kara, let me escort you out."

"Carter –" Kara looked at Oliver pleadingly, who shrugged.

"I insist." He grabbed her firmly by the elbow as they exited the building. Oliver watched them disbelievingly.

"Come along, Oliver." Robert Queen appeared from behind him and gestured to follow Kara and Carter. Oliver, knowing he couldn't say no without arousing suspicion, didn't fight it.

They exited the building with little fanfare. Up ahead, he could see Kara and Carter following Moira and Sam, who were being escorted outside by the Merlyns. Internally, Oliver frowned. This isn't going to plan.

And then –

Oliver could hear it, faintly, the tell-tale whizz of a passing bullet. Kara was already moving, but with so many witnesses, she could only do so much. Someone else, however, had noticed Malcolm Merlyn's predicament, and pushed.

"TOMMY!"

It was night.

He wasn't the Streak tonight. Tonight, he was Al Sa'iqa, because this – all this required a finesse, a delicacy that was uncharacteristic of the Streak. Silence, stealth, all tricks of the trade that the Streak rarely, if ever, employed.

It was child's play, breaking in. Perhaps Eiling had grown arrogant, sloppy in his single-minded pursuit of American dominance. Or perhaps Al Sa'iqa was just that good.

He looked and looked and – there.

He inserted the drive into the terminal, and let Gideon work her magic.

"How is he?" Malcolm asked quietly, the Queens crowded around him and Dr. Lamb. Kara was off to the side, watching worriedly.

"Stable. The bullet is gone, and the blood transfusion from Oliver helped. However, we'd like to keep him under observation for the time being."

Malcolm nodded slowly. "If that's what you think is best."

"Can we see him?" Oliver was the one to ask, clearly distressed by his best friend's condition.

Dr. Lamb sighed. "Two at a time only. He's still unconscious, and needs as much rest as possible."

"This was not supposed to happen." Malcolm snarled, pacing around the empty hospital room with his hands behind his back. "The Hood didn't show, and because of his negligence, Tommy was almost killed!"

Robert and Moira, both standing, exchanged looks.

When Malcolm had devised this plan, they had been doubtful from the start. The goal had been to pique the Hood's interest with the sudden appearance of so many high-end assassins, and then draw him to the ceremony. When he arrived, a bevy of mercenaries, both surrounding the shooter and within the building itself were to converge on him and kill him, or, failing that, capture him. Malcolm was to further the charade by fleeing to his panic room above, giving the Hood a reason to remain in the building.

Of course, the plan was shot to hell when Tommy questioned why his father wasn't leaving the building with everyone else. With there being no imminent danger at the time, Malcolm couldn't just tell his son the truth. Thankfully, he had been prepared for this possibility, and had Kevlar beneath his shirt so the assassin, the only one not aware of the plan and specifically instructed to shoot the chest only, would not be able to kill him. And then Tommy interfered again.

The assassin hired, who had taken inspiration from a fellow hitman by the codename of 'Deadshot,' had coated the bullet in a poison. Thankfully, it was a knockoff, but Tommy was still in the red until Oliver had convinced one of the EMTs to perform a blood transfusion with him as the donor, allowing them to dilute poison enough so Tommy could survive the bullet's removal.

The plan was terrible, unquestionably. But Robert and Moira and the rest of Tempest had not protested it, simply because they had no better options of drawing the Hood out. The vigilante was a ghost, harder to catch than the wind. There were no clues to his identity, no trail of breadcrumbs to follow, and anyone that they sent after him would be killed or worse. Malcolm had been growing increasingly desperate with each dead end, and had created this plan in return, seemingly hinging its success on the Hood taking care of a hitman who was doing similar assignments for Warren Patel. But it seemed either the Hood was already suspecting something was amiss with Malcolm, or hadn't been able to figure out who the target was, because he never appeared.

And here they were.

"Malcolm. Robert. Moira." Dr. Lamb opened the door, catching everyone's attention. "I have something to tell you."

"Ollie. Kara." Laurel muttered quietly, mindful of the sleeping Tommy. Oliver and Kara, who were crowded around the Merlyn, turned and beckoned her over.

Oliver wrapped his arms around her as they looked down sadly at Tommy. "He's going to be fine. Though he'll have to take it easy for a while."

"Oh, thank God." Laurel felt relieved. "What about you two?"

"I'm a little dizzy." Oliver admitted. "Tommy needed a blood transfusion, so I volunteered. But other than that, we're fine."

Kara stood up, taking out her phone. "I better go. Someone needs to call Thea, inform her that we're fine and that so is Tommy."

Oliver nodded, Laurel still buried deep in his arms. "Tell her we'll pick her up when visiting hours are over."

"Alright." Kara bid farewell to them both, and quietly closed the door, a small smile on her face.

"Thank you, Barry." Caitlin smiled gratefully, if a little sadly, as they watched Ronstein fly away.

"I'm sorry I couldn't bring him back to you." Barry apologized, sincerely.

Caitlin shook her head. "You did bring him back to me. It wasn't your fault he couldn't stay. But, knowing that he's still out there – that's enough for me."

"And you got rid of Eiling." Cisco piped up, genuinely pleased. He was referring to a recent news broadcast, where Eiling had been carted off to military prison in chains for an impending trial regarding his inhumane experiments. "How'd you manage that?"

Barry smirked. "Trade secret."

"Wade."

"Amanda. I thought we agreed not to interfere in each other's operations?" Eiling growled out, his arms restrained behind the chair as various A.R.G.U.S. agents dismantled his base piece by piece.

Amanda smiled darkly. "We did, didn't we? Except, Wade, you reneged on our agreement."

"And how exactly did I do that?"

At that, Amanda snapped her fingers. A figure entered the room. A very familiar figure.

Eiling felt his blood go ice cold.

"Hello, General." Bette Sans Souci grinned unkindly.

"I killed you."

Bette gave a one-armed shrug. "You thought you did."

He gritted his teeth and turned his attentions back to Amanda. "How is this reneging on our deal? She was never one of yours!"

Amanda shook her head. "No, she wasn't. But her fiancé was."

Eiling stopped at that, looking at her in disbelief.

Amanda leaned down, the smile still there. "You remember Nathaniel Adam, right, Wade? He was the first meta you captured, the first you experimented on. Now, I admit I am the farthest thing away from a saint, but I'd like to think I always repay my debts. And I owed Captain Adam quite the debt. When he disappeared, it was rather…upsetting. And when his fiancée disappeared – well, I couldn't just ignore that either, right?"

"How did you find out?" Eiling asked, voice resigned.

She smirked. "Trade secret."

"You don't look surprised, Robert." Malcolm noted, trying to keep his temper in check.

Robert, comforting a distraught Moira, payed him no mind. "I always knew. But from the very moment I saw him in your arms, Moira, I loved you both. And that will never change."

Malcolm snorted. "Very kind of you, Robert. But as sweet as this all is," he growled out, punching the wall loudly, causing the Queens to flinch, "it doesn't change the fact that you DIDN'T TELL ME!"

They both glared at Malcolm, stubbornly, defiantly silent.

"You were never going to tell me, were you?" Malcolm stated angrily.

"You were never going to tell me that Oliver was my son."

Sorry for the wait, everyone, but I got sick. Right now, I have a runny nose, and that is not fun.

As for recent revelations – in this continuity, it is Oliver, not Thea, that is Malcolm's child with Moira. Thea is the daughter of Robert and Moira here. While this will impact Oliver on a significant level (eventually), this was mainly done for the character development of Malcolm and Tommy. While many of you have probably guessed Tommy's fate in this story, I will still keep it a wrap for now.

As for Bette Sans Souci, you can probably guess, but she will be joining the Suicide Squad as one of the few "willing" members, so to speak. Barry helped fake her death to hide her from Eiling after some instruction from Amanda, and the two waited until he could steal information and hand over evidence of what he did to Nathaniel Adam, so Amanda could call off their agreement and jail him for his crimes.