"Look, this is the single most important deal I have ever made; one that, if it fails, will mean the end of your miserable existence Dwayne. So Get It Done". Adam Hunt snapped the burner phone shut and tossed it to his body guard who immediately crushed it beneath his boot. The deal in question was part of a larger scheme that was being planned by the group which he was involved with. Day by day the stress of his role took a toll on him, but not so much that he was put off by it. Should they succeed it would be a very lucrative venture indeed. The body guard climbed into the limousine behind Hunt and shut the door, engaging dead locks that ensured no one would be able to enter.
"This is a very distressing enterprise", he whispered as he stared out the window. He ran one hand over his bald scalp, contemplating how to execute the next step.
"I'm sure it is", a disembodied voice said. In a second Hunt's bodyguard had his weapon drawn. In the same second a green arrow pierced the glass and embedded itself into his wrist. Cowering, Hunt ordered his driver to leave. As the car accelerated Hunt was thrown back against the seat, his bones rattling as the limousine sped off into the night.
2 Hours Ago
"Oliver, I'm not sure about this". Tommy Merlyn stared into the full length mirror in the changing area of what he had dubbed "The Quiver". He was wearing a chauffeurs uniform with a hard billed cap under his arm, and adjusting his tie with his free hand.
"It will be fine Tommy. All you have to do is drive Adam Hunt here, Nyssa and I will take care of the rest". Tommy stepped out to see Oliver strapping his quiver to his right hip, his bow resting on the the table beside him. Nyssa, across from him, had raised her Hood and was snapping her veil in place. Tommy began sweating as he bid farewell to Oliver and Nyssa.
Present
Adam Hunt pounded on the privacy window as he realized he was not back at his office building.
""Hey...where the hell have you taken me"?
"Right where I told him to Mr. Hunt" !
Adam Hunt looked out the windows in a vain search of the disembodied voice. As he turned his back on the rear window it shattered and he was wrenched from the car and into the air. The world spun around him. He could barely make out the ambient green hue of the space around him. Suddenly a masked figure appeared in his direct line of sight, halting the spin of the room. The figures face was completely hidden by a grotesque Hannya style mask.
"Oh God...Oh God"..
"God's not here...Mr. Hunt...and if you follow my instructions...I promise you won't meet Him".
As promised, Oliver and Nyssa took care of Adam Hunt. Tommy, for the most part, tried to control his heart rate, to breathe evenly. It unnerved him, to say the least, to see his best friend acting so callously, to hear what he assumed were supposed to be quips coming from a demonic looking figure with a voice to match. Was he actually going along with this? He looked about himself, The Quiver was empty and he was all alone, with nothing but his moral struggle to keep him company.
Later that Night
Felicity stole glances at Tommy as she drove him home. In all their time together she had never seen him cry. Not when his father kicked him out. Not when she had punched him for what she had assumed to be an act of fornication, completely her own fault, she owned. Not when he talked about his mother. So, whatever Oliver Queen had done to make her love cry, he was going to pay for it.
The next morning Felicity Smoak marched into Oliver and Tommy's burgeoning community center, walked right up to Oliver and slapped him.
"How dare you, you...you heartless monster. How dare you treat Tommy the way you did. And after all these years of his loyalty, it just makes me sick".
"Are you done Felicity"?
"No I am most certainly not done...okay maybe I am, but that's just because I'm too angry to think of anything else".
"In that case let me explain".
"There is no explaining..".
"Oh no, you said your piece, now it's my turn. Last night Nyssa and I were made to force Adam Hunt into a confession, and to return every single penny he stole from the families here in the Glades. Tommy posed as his limo driver. I told him to leave before Nyssa and I did our work, but he stayed. Nyssa and I didn't harm Adam Hunt, but we did scare the hell out of him. Who Tommy witnessed me become was Al'sahim, The Arrow. It is the persona I adopt when I need information from someone and I don't have time to waste. The families were suffering, and without that confession and money many would have lost their homes. I'm sorry for what Tommy had to witness, but the sooner he knows the better".
Tommy stood alone in the new gym of the community center. the workers had completed the floor of the all-purpose court and were halfway finished with the seating. That morning Oliver was overwhelmingly apologetic for what Tommy had witnessed. Tommy assured him over and over that he was, not okay with what had happened, but he understood what was at stake. Now he stood alone, wondering what else this life he had found himself had waiting for him.
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