Chapter 33: Batman vs Arrow

Five Years Ago…

Oliver, his dad, and a single crewmember were stuck in a life raft, lost at sea with barely enough rations for a single person, much less three. It had been about a day or two since the Queen's Gambit had gone down, and there didn't seem to be any hope of rescue. Robert Queen looked at the half drunk bottle of water in his hand, then passed it to a barely conscious Oliver, rousing him from his daze.

"Drink," he urged.

"What about you?" Oliver asked.

"You need it more."

As Oliver took a drink, the crewman turned to Robert, looking pissed.

"Are you crazy? That's all we got!"

"If anyone's making it out of this, it's him!" Robert insisted.

The crewman backed down, then Robert turned to Oliver.

"I'm so sorry. I thought I had more time… I'm not the man you think I am."

Oliver looked at his father in confusion. Robert just sat there, looking much older than he was.

"I didn't build our city, I failed it, and I wasn't the only one."

"Dad, you're delirious," Oliver tried to rationalize, pushing the water bottle towards him. "Here, drink this and just save your strength."

"No, son." Robert pushed it away. "There's not enough for all of us, but you? You can survive this. Make it home. Make it better. Right my wrongs. But you've gotta live through this first."

He leaned over, placing a gentle kiss on his son's forehead. Suddenly, Robert pulled out a gun and shot the crewman, causing him to fall into the water.

"Dad, what are you doing!" Oliver yelled.

Robert then turned the gun on himself.

"Survive."

He fired.

...

Oliver suddenly snapped out of the trance he was in, shaking his head as he walked up to his nightclub, Verdant. As he entered through the front door though, he was greeted by Laurel Lance. She stood in the doorway, briefcase in one hand and her business face on.

"Laurel," Oliver greeted. "What brings you by?"

""The Hood attacked Bruce Wayne, your company's business partner," Laurel explained. "I was hoping you could provide some insight as to why."

"Honestly, I'm just as surprised as anyone. This seems out of character, even for the Hood."

"Maybe, maybe not. I've done some digging on Mr. Wayne, and despite his reputation as a playboy, he's a massive recluse. He often disappears for hours on end and is known to ditch events he's sponsoring or just attending. He's hiding something, and considering the Hood's previous victims, it's got to be big."

"Being late to important stuff and being a playboy? Are you sure we're not talking about me here?"

"I'm being serious here, Ollie. He's hiding something, and I don't want you to get caught in the crossfire when Hood comes after him again."

"I'll be fine, Laurel. I promise. I do appreciate the concern, though."

He walked passed her as Laurel sighed in annoyance, watching him go.

In the basement of the club resided the arrow cave, where Felicity was typing away at her computer.

"Don't you ever go home?" Oliver asked.

"Not since taking on this second job. Honestly, I don't even remember what my apartment looks like anymore."

"Fair enough. Wayne tried planting a bug on me at the same time I tried to."

"Tried?"

"Never even got a chance to activate it."

"Damn, he's good."

"Yeah, I noticed. Anything on the data you got from the lab?"

"Only an image of the same symbol from The List," Felicity answered, bringing up said image on her screen. "I still have no idea what it is, I'm afraid."

"It's the only thing connecting Bruce Wayne with the list. Just wish we knew more."

"Unfortunately, their system is under serious guard now. Their hacker's on standby, just waiting for us. I try and get in again, and they'll be ready."

"Anyway you can identify the hacker? If we find out who their hacker is, it could give us a clue as to Wayne's secret."

"I can try, but I risk exposing my identify as well."

"Luckily, Bruce Wayne never met you."

"That's… true."

She popped her knuckles, then got to work.

"So Queen tried to bug you?" Barbara asked over the phone.

"At the same time I tried to bug him."

"Well, I say this is a record for how quickly your bug is found. So, we're going with the 'Queen is the Hood' angle?"

"It's the only theory that makes sense right now."

"Well, so far no one has tried to get back into the system."

As if on cue, that's when her monitors started beeping again.

"I stand corrected. My mysterious cyber-adversary has returned."

"What are they up to this time?"

"Not sure, they're just doing a general probe. I don't know what-"

That's when she noticed a little red light turn on at the top of her screen, indicating her webcam had been activated. Her eyes went wide and she immediately covered her face.

"They activated my camera! They saw my face!"

"Shut it down!"

Barbara shoved herself back, hitting a big red button that said "Emergency Shut-Down". The entire system shut off as the power went off. Barbara let out a breath, holding her phone to her ear.

"Maybe I should take Dick's advice and wear one of his masks when I'm doing this..."

"I got her!" Felicity cheered. "She shut down her system, but I managed to get a nice look at her face."

"Can you ID her?" Oliver inquired.

"Running facial recognition now." her computer dinged. "Got it. Her name is Barbara Gordon. She's the daughter of the GCPD commissioner and apparently works for the Gotham Public library. Freelances as a tech guru for Wayne Enterprises and-... oh..."

"What?"

"Paralyzed from the waste down when she was shot in the stomach by some freak job called The Joker."

"I've heard of that guy. Not someone I'd want to meet."

"Tell me about it," Felicity shuddered. "I'm accessing her social media right now and it seems she was real close with Bruce's first son, Dick Grayson. At least in the beginning."

"That explains how they know each other directly," Oliver remarked. "Still, it doesn't explain anything about Wayne's secrets."

"Hang on," Diggle suddenly said, leaning on the desk and pointing at a line of code. "What's that?"

Felicity takes a look.

"That is Miss Gordon's online callsign and-" Felicity went silent.

"What?" Oliver asked. "What is it?"

"She's Oracle… Oh my God, she's Oracle!"

"Oracle?" Diggle inquired.

"She's a famous hacker, most notably for working with Gotham's Dark Knight himself: The Batman. Rumors have been circulating about her being Batgirl since Oracle appeared after Batgirl disappeared."

"That doesn't sound like a coincidence," Oliver remarked.

"No it does not," Diggle agreed. "You think this is the secret Bruce is sitting on?"

"I think there are too many connecting threads for it not to be a possibility," Oliver replied.

"So, how do we want to proceed?" Diggle asked.

"After what happened at lunch, I wouldn't be surprised if Wayne is coming to similar conclusions about us," Oliver reasoned. "So for now, we wait."

Meanwhile, at the Wayne/Queen Seismic research center, Merlyn walked inside and made his way through the building to a particular wing. As he walked inside, he saw several men working on what appeared to be a large metal cylinder suspended by a metal bar attached to a control console.

"How's it coming?" He asked.

"Just fine sir," one of the lab techs replied. "If we keep at our current pace, we should have it done by tonight."

"Perfect. Before long, all our hard work is about to pay off."

Back in his hotel, Bruce was looking at the destroyed bug Oliver tried to plant on him, scowling.

"So, I'm guessing the Oliver Queen investigation isn't going so well?" Tim inquired.

"No," Bruce confirmed. "Now, his secret hacker knows about Barbara."

"That's not good," Tim hissed. "What do we do now?"

"We need to confirm our Hood theory."

"Might I suggest his nightclub, sir?" Alfred piped up. "Apparently he opened it not long after his return. Considering you hid your activities in the Wayne Enterprises R&D department, perhaps the Hood's sanctum is tucked away somewhere there."

"Not a bad idea, Alfred," Bruce commended. "Bruce Wayne could use a little night life."

"Guess that means I'm doing the fun bit," Tim smirked. "Finally."

That night, Bruce walked into Verdant, taking in the loud music and massive crowds of people dancing on the dance floor. He maneuvered his way through the crowd, approaching the bar.

"Excuse me," He spoke, getting the bartender's attention. "Is Mr. Queen here, tonight?"

The bartender turned around, revealing himself to be Tommy Merlyn.

"He's tending to some personal business at the moment, but he'll probably join us soon. Can I get you anything in the meantime?"

"Just a martini, please."

"Coming right up."

Tommy then went off to prepare the drink, leaving Bruce alone at the bar. He made as if to brush some of his hair back, turning on an earpiece in his ear.

"Robin, are you in position?"

"Just about. Oracle was able to download the blueprints for the club, and there is a large basement area that was not integrated into the club. If I was a billionaire playboy nightlighting as a vigilante, that's where I would hide my sanctum. I mean, club would explain my location for the evening and I'd only have to appear occasionally."

"He's thought ahead. See if you can get in. I'll keep an eye on things here."

"Roger that. Also, hottie alert at 4 o'clock."

Bruce turned around and saw Laurel Lance walking up to him. Tommy returned with the martini, looking at Laurel in surprise as he set down the drink.

"Laurel..." Tommy greeted. "What brings you by?"

"Mr. Wayne, actually," she answered, approaching the bar next to Bruce. "I hope I'm not interupting."

"Not at all, Miss…" Bruce greeted.

"Lance. Laurel Lance."

"Right, I've heard of you. You've made quite the career as a defense lawyer, from what I hear. Your father must be proud."

"We butt heads often. It's been that way since... it's been like that for awhile."

"I see. So, what can I do for you?"

"I was hoping to talk to you about the events of last night, with the Hood."

Tommy pointedly made his way to the other end of the bar. Bruce noted that, then picked up his martini.

"Seems to be a favorite topic these days."

"The Hood is a violent, dangerous criminal, but one that only goes after those with something to hide. You, Mr. Wayne, are a man of many secrets."

"I'd like to think everyone has their own secrets to keep, Ms. Lance."

Laurel sighed, rolling her eyes.

"You remind me of Oliver."

"I take it that's not a compliment."

"Oliver and I… There's a lot of bad blood between us, as well as a lot of confusion and drama. Ever since he returned, it's only gotten worse."

"Right, I heard about what happened with your sister. I'm sorry for your loss."

Laurel turned away.

"I'm not here to talk about her, or Oliver. I wanted to ask you why you think the Hood is coming after you."

"I honestly have no idea. Maybe he just jumped to conclusions."

"From what I've seen, he's not one for doing that."

Meanwhile in the back of the club, Oliver slipped out of a back room, having seen the arrival of some new patrons, and went out onto the floor. As he left, closing the door behind him, Robin descended from the rafters, dropping silently in front of the door. He pulled out a small device, placing it on the pin pad. He then pressed a few buttons on the device, programming it to find the security code to open the door. After a moment, it beeped and the door unlocked, allowing Robin entry. Punching the air silently, Robin retrieved the device, then slipped inside, closing the door behind him.

Back at the bar, Oliver walked up to see Bruce and Laurel still talking.

"Mr. Wayne," Oliver greeted, getting their attention. "Didn't expect to see you here."

"Well, I finally managed to get Tim to bed, and I heard a lot of good things about your club. Thought I'd come see if it was worth all the hype."

"I hope we didn't disappoint." Oliver then turned towards Laurel. "Hi Laurel."

"Hi," She greeted. "I was just talking to Mr. Wayne about his encounter with the Hood the other night. Any thoughts?"

"I think all I can add is that he needs a better name then 'the Hood' or 'Hood guy'."

"Agreed," Bruce nodded. "A name like that does inspire terror, but in both civilians and criminals."

"I'm pretty sure the 3 dozen plus bodies the Hood's left in his wake does that for him," Laurel muttered. "Besides, what would you call him? The mad archer?"

"How about… Green Arrow?" Tommy chimed in.

"Lame," Oliver commented.

Laurel grabbed her stuff, grunting in annoyance.

"Leave it to you two to turn a serious conversation into a joke." She straightened up. "Pleasure meeting you Mr Wayne. Oliver. Tommy."

With that, Laurel took her leave of Verdant.

"I hope we didn't upset her too much," Bruce spoke.

"No, that was directed squarely at me and Oliver," Tommy assured him.

"Mr. Wayne, perhaps one of the VIP areas would be a bit more your taste," Oliver suggested, his tone brokering no argument.

"Perhaps so," Bruce agreed, walking off with Oliver.

Robin slipped across the rafters of the basement level, marveling at the tech and equipment he saw set up. It was no batcave, not by a longshot.

"Not bad," he commended, taking a few pictures with a small device on his belt. "Surprised he's so low tech with the resources he has. Heh, maybe he's on a budget."

Suddenly, he felt something grab his cape, yanking him down from the rafters. He fell onto the ground, and was greeted by Diggle standing over him, aiming a gun at him.

"How the hell did you get here?!" He demanded.

"I came down the chimney," Robin replied, sitting up. "You're big. Not Killer Croc big, but big."

He then pulled a small metal pole out of his belt, extending it into a staff, and using it to knock Diggle's gun out of his hand. He then smack Diggle across the face, allowing him to flip back onto his feet.

"So, what role do you play?"

"Come and find out."

Diggle then tried punching Robin, but he easily flipped over the attack.

"Oof, too slow old man. I've seen zombies move faster than you. Literally."

Diggle tried moving at him again, but Robin just leapt over him and smacked him on the back. He landed on a chair, yawning.

"You'd think the Hood would hire competent help."

"Hey, I'm just going easy on you because I don't like the idea of fighting a kid. Don't make me regret it."

Robin smirked, twirling his staff and getting into a fighting stance.

"Oh, I plan to."

Robin then leapt forward and smacked him across the face before kicking him in the chest, knocking him to the ground as Felicity came in.

"Diggle!" she let out.

Robin turned to her, looking her over.

"Gonna go out on a limb and say you're our hacker." He jumped in front of her, smiling. "Please take a deep breath."

He sprayed something in her face and she went crumbling to the ground. As she did, her phone dropped from her hand. It was flashing green, the words "Panic Button" in big bold letters.

Back with Oliver and Bruce, the two of them walked into the backroom of the club. Once they were inside, Oliver locked the doors behind him. That sound made Bruce drop the playboy act, his voice deepening to his Batman voice.

"You don't want to do this, Oliver."

"Actually, I kinda do. Now, why don't we get right down to it. What exactly are you doing in Star City?"

"I came here to check on the progress of the Seismic lab. Nothing more, nothing less. You and your crusade against me extended my stay and made this personal."

"That lab is connected to people that are feeding off the suffering of my city. And right now, you're my only lead as to why."

"It doesn't involve me. You want the true culprits? Ask Malcolm Merlyn and your mother."

"Leave her out of this! This is between me and you."

"I overheard Merlyn and your mother discussing something going on in the lab, something I wasn't supposed to know about. Moira claimed I was not involved and Malcolm warned her to keep it that way. I was on my way to investigate when you took a shot at me and my ward."

Before the conversation could continue, Oliver's phone started going off. He pulled it out, seeing the panic alert from Felicity. He then instantly grabbed Bruce by the coat and slammed him against the wall.

"You mean the same 'ward' that just attacked my friend?!" Oliver accused.

Bruce broke Oliver's grip, punching him across the face.

"He was supposed to be on a recon mission. If your friends were attacked, it was because they engaged him."

Oliver then threw Bruce aside, causing him to roll on the floor before getting back to his feet and engaging him. The two traded blows back and forth, both easily impressed by the others skill. Bruce managed to pin Oliver to the wall for a moment, twisting his arm behind his back.

"Stand down, Queen. You can't win this."

Oliver stomped hard on bruce's foot, then freed his arm and elbowed him in the gut. Bruce stumbled back as Oliver tried to bring his elbow down on him, but Bruce caught it, flipping him onto the ground. Oliver quickly swept the legs out from under Bruce as he got back up, punching Bruce in the face. Bruce then caught both his fists, leaving the two to struggle for a moment.

Down in the Arrow Cave, Diggle came to. He found himself cuffed to Oliver's salmon ladder, Felicity similarly cuffed to the opposing side. The Boy Wonder was going through the hideout freely now, looking through all the equipment and data.

"Dare I ask what you're looking for?" Diggle let out.

"Oh, hey chuckles, you're awake." Robin opened a drawer, rummaging through it. "I'm looking for anything that could explain why you're going after Bruce Wayne."

"Maybe Wayne did something to piss him off."

"Wayne pisses a lot of people off, but usually they're criminals or his BOD every time he pays some waitress' college debt. How about you fill in the blanks for me. Why's your friend after him?"

"Why should I tell you anything?"

"Because I'm the good cop here. Trust me, you do not want my partner to be the one interrogating you."

As Robin continued going through the drawers, he came across a notebook, one identical to the one in Oliver's room. However, this one was brand new with crisp pages.

"Hello, what's this?"

He pulled it out, taking a look. When Diggle saw the notebook, a moment of panic overtook him. Robin noticed and smirked.

"This is important, isn't it?" Robin guessed, waving the notebook. "What's it contain? Passwords? Banking notifications? Best place to buy arrows?"

"Drop it, kid."

"Can't do that Muscles," Robin quipped as he opened the book. "My boss is a lot… scarier… than..."

He stopped talking as he went through the pages, seeing nothing but names. He began to turn pale at the sheer number of them, even more so when he saw they were crossed off in some areas.

"It's a hit list..." he shuddered.

"You're only half right. Except that every person on that list has made a good reason to be there."

Robin snapped the book shut.

"Good reason?" he repeated. "Are you actually justifying murder?Justifying this?!"

He threw the book at Diggle, watching as it hit him in the chest.

"I'm not saying I agree with the methods, but-"

"No! No buts! There is no 'but' when it comes to murder! You cross that line, and you're just as bad as them!"

Diggle paused for a moment, honestly unsure how to reply. Robin approached him, grabbing the book again and holding it up.

"Forget good cop. Tell me everything. Now."

Back in the back room, Oliver and Bruce continued going at it, trading blows back and forth. Finally, Bruce grabbed his arm and flipped him onto the ground, pinning him.

"You're done," Bruce insisted.

Oliver grunted in Bruce's grip, rolling over and kicking him in the ribs. Bruce was forced to let go of Oliver.

"No, you're done."

Bruce just scowled as he grabbed Oliver's jacket and threw him into a wall. Before the fight could continue, Bruce's phone started going off. Both men panting slightly, they jsut stared at one another as the phone kept ringing.

"You better get that," Oliver spat.

Bruce reached for his phone and answered it.

"Hello?"

"This is much bigger than we imagined, Bats. You need to get down here. And bring Queen… It's bad..."

Bruce closed the call, returning the phone to his pocket.

"It seems we're wanted downstairs."

"If your partner hurt my friends-"

"You don't give him enough credit."

...

Oliver and Bruce entered the arrow cave. Diggle and Felicity were still cuffed, but the latter was now awake. When she saw Oliver's face and rumpled suit, she gasped.

"Oliver! Are you okay?"

"Fine," Oliver insisted. "You?"

"Relax, Robin Hood," Robin snarled, swiveling in Felicity's usual chair. "I didn't hurt her. Sprayed her with knockout gas, that's all."

"Forgive me if I seem skeptical," Oliver replied.

"He's telling the truth," Felicity vouched. "Face full of gas. Never felt a thing. Can't say the same for Dig though."

"Muscles attacked me first," Robin defended.

"I'm not gonna apologize," Diggle insisted.

"What did you find?" Bruce asked.

Robin pulled the notebook from his lap.

"His hit list. And you're on it."

"It's not a hitlist," Oliver insisted.

"Then how would you describe it?" Robin challenged.

Oliver paused for a moment.

"It's the people my father told me were destroying this city."

"Your father?" Bruce inquired. "Before the Gambit?"

"He didn't die on the boat," Oliver told them. "Me, him, and a crewman made it to a life raft. There, he told me that he failed this city, and that he wasn't the only one. Written on every page of that book are the names of men and women who make their living by praying on the suffering and misery of the people of Star City. he gave his life so I could come back and right his wrongs."

"And your way of doing that was a Robin Hood cosplay?" Robin inquired.

"After the Gambit sunk, I washed up on the shores of Lian Yu. While there, I met a man named Yao Fei. He taught me how to survive on the island. And that's what I did for five years, until I got the chance to return home and bring down those destroying Star City from within. I wear the hood because I knew if I was going to do this, I couldn't do it as Oliver Queen. I had to become someone else. I had to be… something else."

"You mean a murderer?" Robin said coldly. "A killer?"

"It's not that simple," Oliver replied.

"How is it not simple?!" Robin was on his feet in an instant, seething with rage.

"Robin," Bruce cautioned. "You need to-"

"Don't tell me to calm down, Bruce! He needs to hear this!" He ripped his mask off so he was looking Oliver dead in the eyes. "You think you're saving this city by murdering people? You're not! If anything, you're adding to the problem!"

"Look kid," Oliver spoke up. "I know Gotham's a hellhole, but Star City isn't that much better. When I put on that hood, it's kill or be killed. You may think you can coast by dealing with color coded criminals with cute nicknames, but down here, it's a lot more brutal!"

"No… you're wrong. Those 'color coded criminals'? They're just what the media focuses on. They don't tell you about the druggies on every corner, or the emancipated hookers just trying to survive. They don't tell you about the poor, starving families resorting to working for those 'color coded criminals' just to feed their loved ones for one more night." Tim's fist were clenched and tears were in his eyes. "They don't tell you about the kids who have to watch the only family they know get gunned down in an alley, and have cops write it off as someone 'taking out the trash'!"

There was a long moment of silence. Felicity looked aghast, Diggle was just silent, Bruce was turned away, and Oliver was unsure of how to react. After a good minute, Tim grabbed his mask, sliding it back onto his face.

"Don't talk to me about brutal, 'Mr. Queen'... I was born into it."

Robin then turned back around and returned to the swivel chair, pulling his legs up to his chest.

"Well…" Felicity let out. "That was intense."

"He's not wrong though," Bruce spoke. "Besides, I doubt I've done anything to earn my name being on your list."

"The symbol on this book showed up on one of the files on your lab's server," Oliver informed.

"Then someone's been using my resources behind my back. And I think Merlyn may be the mind behind this."

Oliver's fist clenched, Bruce's accusation towards Merlyn and his mother returning in full force.

"Maybe Merlyn is," Oliver allowed. "But my mother has nothing to do with this."

"Can you honestly say you haven't had doubts?" Bruce replied. "I know what I heard. It may not be of her own free will, but Moira Queen is involved in whatever it is you're fighting against."

"So what do you suggest?"

"I think it's time someone was direct with her."

"I tried that already," Oliver explained.

"It's how I became part of the loop," Felicity offered, raising her free hand. "He got shot and climbed into my car. I had to play doctor. It was… not fun."

Bruce crossed his arms.

"No one said anything about the Hood doing the talking."

In Moira Queen's office in Queen Consolidated, Moira sat at her desk going over some papers. Suddenly, she feels a small pinch in her neck. She felt her neck, pulling out a small yellow tranquilizer dart. She barely had time to register the bat insignia on it before the world started going fuzzy.

When she woke up, she found herself tied to a chair in an abandoned warehouse. Panic began to set in and she tried to free herself. However, she barely had time to start before the menacing figure of The Batman descended from the rafters. Moira screamed in terror as the Dark Knight stood menacingly over her.

"Moira Queen," Batman spoke. "We need to talk."

"Please! Please let me go! My children are-!"

Suddenly, a light in front of her turned on, revealing a second chair with someone tied to it, a bag over their. Robin was standing beside it, his expression grim. He grabbed the bag and yanked it off, revealing Oliver. Moira's blood went cold.

"Oliver…" she gasped in horror.

"Now then," Batman spoke. "What business do you have with Malcolm Merlyn? What does he want with the Wayne lab?!"

"What did you do to my son…?" She whimpered, her eyes never leaving Oliver.

"He'll survive," Batman reassured. "Now tell me what Merlyn is planning!"

"I don't know what you're talking about..."

Robin snorted, then socked Oliver hard in the face. Moira's eyes bulged and she strained against her ropes.

"Stop this! Don't hurt him!"

"Tell me what I want to know!" Batman demanded.

"I can't!" There were tears in her eyes. "I-!"

Batman turned around and hit Oliver hard enough that the chair he was tied to toppled over.

"No! Stop this! He's innocent!"

"What is Merlyn planning?!"

Moira hesitated again and Batman reeled back his fist.

"The seismic generator!" She screamed.

Batman stopped.

"He wants the seismic generator Wayne produced to create an earthquake that will level the Glades! He paid off the regional manager and ensured that everything would be tied back to Wayne! He was to take the fall for the devastation!"

Batman just narrowed his eyes in response while Oliver's head dropped in realization. Moira was sobbing now.

"Please… I don't have a choice… He said if I didn't help him, he'd kill Oliver… like he killed Robert."

Batman perked up in response.

"What are you talking about?"

"The Gambit… it didn't go down in a storm… Merlyn planted a bomb on it. Robert was going to China to meet with contacts to try and stop Merlyn. Somehow he found out and… Oh God..."

Oliver just turned away, reeling from everything his mother had said. Wordlessly, Batman turned away, throwing batarangs at Moira's and Oliver's bindings, freeing them. Moira immediately scrambled over to Oliver as both Batman and Robin left.

"Oliver..." she reached for him. "Oliver, are you okay?"

"... no," Oliver replied.

Brushing his mother aside, Oliver walked out of the warehouse, leaving a sobbing, heartbroken Moira on the ground.