Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.
Oliver was in his cell in Level 2 of Slabside as the lights flickered and high-pitch sound went off from the speakers before it stopped and a middle-aged black man accompanied by two guards entered.
"I am Dr. Jarrett Parker. Chief psychiatrist of Level 2." Parker introduced himself.
"Keeping me in here without food or water." Oliver said glumly.
"I understand these conditions may cause some discomfort, but your recent behavior indicates that you are… a danger to other inmates and yourself. Until I can determine you are in the right mental state to be with the other inmates, it will be just the two of us for a while. I'm here to conduct your psychiatric evaluation." Parker said.
"But I'm not crazy." Oliver protested.
"That's what I aim to determine. Now, let's begin." Parker said as Oliver looked up to him. "What is your name?"
"You know my name." Oliver said.
"Please. Answer the question." Parker insisted.
"My name is Oliver Queen. I don't belong here." Oliver said.
"I'm hearing someone who doesn't want to take responsibility for his actions. The choices that led you to Slabside are of your own design." Parker said.
"You're not understanding me. A man named Ricardo Diaz tried to kill my friends. Somebody on this level has a connection to him. I need to find this person." Oliver looked into Parker's eyes. "The only reason that I am here is because I put myself here."
"For the sake of the argument, what will you do after you find this person?" Parker asked.
"I will use them to stop Diaz." Oliver replied.
"How? By hurting or killing him and then Mr. Diaz?" Parker asked. "Recidivism is the likelihood that a violent criminal offender will commit another violent crime when set free. That is what I'm trying to prevent but I believe everyone here has a chance at redemption. Even people like you."
"I don't need your help and I don't need redemption." Oliver protested.
"You don't?" Parker raised his eyebrows. "How many people have you hurt besides the prisoners and guards you sent to the infirmary?"
"I don't know." Oliver admitted.
"How many people have you murdered? Hmm? Would you say you have violent tendencies?" Parker questioned.
"I would say I'm trying to protect the people that I care about." Oliver said.
"Including your son?" Parker asked as he pulled out a photo of William and handed it to him. "We'll unpack this more later."
Parker and the guards left, closing the door to Oliver's cell.
Star City
Nyssa had cleaned up her knife as Silencer's chest and arms were covered in cuts and bruises.
"I can see why even my father respected you." Nyssa said as she turned to Silencer. "Where is Diaz? What is he planning?"
"You really think that will make me talk?" Silencer gloated.
"I will get what I want, one way or another or you can spend the rest of your days locked up in the basement forever." Nyssa said coldly.
Starling General
Sara had entered the hospital as she met Rene, Diggle and Curtis outside in the corridor.
"I heard about the fire. They said they saw the Green Arrow there." Sara said.
"It wasn't him." Rene said.
"How's Zoe?" Sara asked.
"She'll be fine." Rene assured.
"Who did it?" Sara asked.
"Maybe it's a homicidal maniac running around town with a shiny new flamethrower, goes by 'Dragon', hates our guts." Curtis drawled.
"It wasn't Diaz." Dinah said as she approached.
"Shouldn't you be resting?" Diggle asked.
"Look, I'm fine but I appreciate your concern." Dinah assured.
"You sure?" Sara asked and Dinah nodded.
"How do you know it wasn't him?" Rene asked.
"Because the perp's used an accelerant that's also been used in a rash of other fires around the Glades, one on the same night Diaz broke into the CDC." Dinah explained.
"That gives him an alibi." Diggle said before looking at his phone at the message he just received. "This is A.R.G.U.S. We have to go, keep us posted."
Diggle and Curtis walked off, leaving Rene, Dinah and Sara alone.
"How's Zoe?" Dinah asked.
"She'll be OK." Rene assured.
"Good." Dinah relaxed.
"The guy who did this won't be, not when I get my hands on him." Rene said.
"We'll find him and that vigilante, I've got patrols combing the city." Dinah said.
"Dinah, he saved Zoe's life and Rene's, don't you think you owe him at least the benefit of the doubt?" Sara pointed out.
"You think I don't care about finding out who did this?" Dinah demanded.
"No, but the mayor doesn't give a crap about a fire in the Glades, she cares about the New Green Arrow because it will make her look good. He saved Zoe's life." Rene said.
"Doesn't definitely make him innocent, what was he doing there in the first place?" Dinah argued.
"Dinah, you really think he started that fire? Or that he'd purposely manipulate Stent to make the deal and then take him down on his own?" Sara pointed out.
"Look, I get you want to believe in him but these people have completely lost their faith in law enforcement because Diaz corrupted it and my job is to catch whoever did this and restore that faith. All I'm asking is that you put that faith in me." Dinah pleaded.
"And all we're asking you is for you to give the Green Arrow the benefit of the doubt." Sara countered and Dinah considered. "He could've left Zoe to die and kill Rene but he didn't. And I get that you want to make sure that the people can believe in the system again but what good it is with monsters like Diaz and the Longbow Hunters still out there?
Dinah, I get that you want to put faith in the system and restore it but it's not the first time it's been broken, when Ollie first came back, rich people had been buying off the entire force, judges and juries and he helped the city as the Hood because the system couldn't protect innocent people and Dad believed that we didn't need to go outside the system to get justice but he later realized that there were powerful people who mocked the laws of the city and twisted them to their own needs, which is why he helped Ollie to help, when the police couldn't. Don't you think we owe the Green Arrow that much?"
"This Green Arrow isn't Oliver and I can't work with a stranger." Dinah pointed out.
"If you take him in and innocent people die, what does that make you?" Sara argued. "All I'm saying is that sometimes, to get justice, you need to bend the rules and work outside the system because it's not perfect and it doesn't always get the results you'd want it to. Sometimes, vigilantism is a better form of justice than law."
Dinah considered and sighed eventually. "Fine. You win. We'll do this your way. For now. But if something's off about him, you don't want to be anywhere near him, when I bring him in."
Slabside Maximum Security Prison
Oliver was forced to listen to the high-pitch sound and the lights in his cell flickered again before it stopped as the guards entered with Parker.
"Good morning." Oliver said.
"Good morning." Parker nodded, impressed. "I see you've found a way to keep track of time. I'm impressed. Active mind means you're thinking about things. What is your name?"
"I'm not answering any more of your questions." Oliver said firmly as he looked up at Parker.
"Still resistant. Hmmm." Parker frowned, disappointed. "I suppose we'll have to try a different approach."
One of the guards injected Oliver with a syringe as he groaned. "What… what was that?"
"That will help make you more comfortable, allows us to have a real conversation." Parker said and Oliver groaned. "You don't have to fight anymore. You've fought enough in your life. You consider yourself a hero. The question is, when was the moment the playboy son of a billionaire became the man known as the Green Arrow?"
Oliver remembered the moment his father had asked him to right his wrongs before killing himself.
"You're struggling, what do you see?" Parker asked as he saw the look in Oliver's eyes.
"I'm with my father at the sea." Oliver said lowly.
"Are you on the Queen's Gambit?" Parker inquired.
"No, we're on a life raft." Oliver said and Parker narrowed his eyes. "Gambit's already gone down."
"Was there anyone else there with you and your father?"
"Yes… his… his bodyguard Hackett. There… there were three of us who survived."
"Dad?" Oliver stared in horror as Robert shot Hackett and threw him over the raft.
"Survive." Robert said as he placed the gun on the temple of his head.
"No!" Oliver cried out as Robert pulled the trigger.
"What did you see?" Parker asked.
"I see my father asking me to right his wrongs… right before he shot himself in the head. He sacrificed his life to save mine." Oliver explained.
"Is that why you became the vigilante?" Parker asked.
"Yes." Oliver nodded.
"Because he put his sins on you?" Parker inquired.
"Would you please stop?" Oliver whispered.
"A father passes on more than just his name to his children. He provides them their legacy." Parker said. "What became of Hackett?"
"There was only enough food and water for one person. My dad shot him." Oliver explained.
"Your father shot him? Then what? Like he doesn't matter in this story? Just collateral damage? People without the last names are human beings too. They have hopes. Dreams. Lives. Your father wasn't a hero, Mr. Queen, he was a murderer." Parker pointed out.
"He saved me." Oliver said.
"He condemned you." Parker corrected. "He is gone, but here you are caught in the same vicious cycle, paying for his crimes."
Star City
Rene and Sara went to investigate another fire, when they met the Green Arrow, who notched an arrow.
"Hey, hey, we're on your side, OK?" Sara asked, raising her hands.
"He got away." Green Arrow said.
"Who got away?" Rene asked.
"Jon Cortez." Green Arrow replied.
"He's been setting those fires?" Sara asked and Green Arrow nodded. "Look, you and us, we want the same thing. We can work together."
"No. I know you want to help but I can't let you put yourself at risk." Green Arrow said as Sara looked into his eyes, realizing there was something familiar about him.
"Look, you don't have to go on your own, just take off that hood, so that—" Sara reached out with her hand but Green Arrow shook her off and knocked her down.
"Don't come looking for me again, Sara." Green Arrow sneered before he ran off and vanished into the night.
Rene helped Sara on her feet. "What the hell were you thinking?"
"I planted a tracker on him. He might find it but if it is who I think it is, I have a pretty good idea where is he gonna go." Sara smirked, having suspicions about who it was.
Later, SCPD
"Any leads?" Sara asked.
"I thought about what you said about bending the rules and Felicity found this." Dinah showed them some bank records. "Jon Cortez has been receiving regular payments from Patbane Holdings."
"Let me guess, Patbane isn't on the up and up." Rene said.
"It's a shell company, one that's been buying these torched up properties at highly reduced rates." Dinah explained.
"So, somebody has been burning down the buildings in the Glades and buying them?" Sara asked and Dinah nodded. "Do you know who's the CEO?"
"That's what we need to find out." Dinah said.
Slabside Maximum Security Prison
Oliver was lying on the bed, with electrodes attached to his head as he had a hallucination of himself and William at his and Robert's place on the raft as Oliver committed suicide before he came to.
"You were talking… just now. You told your son you loved him. Why?" Parker asked.
"Because he's the most important thing in the world to me." Oliver said.
"Then it's up to you to end your father's cycle for the good of your son. Only you can do it. Do you see that now?" Parker said.
Rene's apartment
"Felicity untangled the Patbane Holdings web." Dinah said, showing them the information on the laptop. "This is our guy, Marcus Fish. A real estate investor here in Star City, he managed to buy up real estate on every Glades block where a fire happened. Can't be a coincidence."
"Cortez has been getting paid in two installments." Rene said as he went over the bank records.
"Half up front, half the day after the job. Patbane made a deposit earlier today but I don't see the second payment here." Sara said as she took a look.
"That means the next attack is happening tonight." Dinah realized.
"You know, I heard somebody was trying up Starling Palladium, old movie house over on 8th, owner's a crotchety bastard. Ain't no way he'd ever sell." Rene said.
"It's just a few blocks away from here." Sara realized.
Later, Starling Palladium
Sara, Dinah and Rene were on patrol as they searched the cinema before Rene found one of the arsonists in the area behind the screen and aimed his gun. "Hey, dummy. Hands up."
The man put his hands up as the other was were sneaking up on Rene before the Green Arrow entered, kicking him down. The man grabbed an explosive and threw it, knocking the Green Arrow down as it went off.
The man threw Rene down before Rene got up as they exchanged blows before Rene knocked him down and turned to the Green Arrow. "Thanks for the save."
"Where are the other two?" The Green Arrow asked as an explosion went off.
"Guessing over there." Rene said as they went out.
The people were running off as the fire started.
"Freeze!" Dinah yelled, aiming her gun as the man threw an explosive and Dinah tried to use her Canary Cry but groaned, realizing she couldn't as the explosion knocked her down.
Another henchman entered with a knife but Sara snuck up on him from behind, knocking him out as Dinah aimed her gun at the other man. "Drop it now!"
The man lit the fuse as Dinah shot him and an explosion went off before he pulled out his knife and turned to the other henchman. "Back to work. I'll take care of it."
The other man resumed the work but then, Sara snuck up on him, knocking him out as Dinah kicked the man approaching her and knocked the knife off his hand before knocking him out.
Sara approached the fire alarm and turned it on as the Green Arrow and Rene entered.
"You guys OK?" Rene asked.
"Yeah. What about you, did you get the other guys?" Sara asked.
"Yeah, we stopped them, how do we stop this?" Rene demanded.
"I can't turn on the sprinklers, they must have tampered with the fire system." Sara said.
The Green Arrow climbed up the pillar and ripped off the pipe, extinguishing the flames before he fell down onto the rafters as it collapsed and Rene and Sara helped the Green Arrow on his feet.
"You guys gotta get out of here before the SCPD arrives." Dinah said and Rene, Sara and the Green Arrow left as the SCPD entered. "Stand down! I'm a friendly!"
Star City
Nyssa had returned to the basement, about to interrogate Silencer again but Silencer had broken out of the shackles and tried to attack but Nyssa dodged before Silencer grabbed her device as a flash of light blinded Nyssa and when she recovered, Silencer had run off.
A.R.G.U.S.
"She escaped?" Sara asked, talking with Nyssa over the phone.
"As planned. The blade was coated with the same nanotechnology Oliver used to track down Merlyn." Nyssa said.
"I got a lock on her." Felicity said as she looked at the monitor. "Let's hope she leads us back to Diaz."
"Felicity, did you manage to track down the Green Arrow?" Sara asked.
"I used an algorithm to cross-reference all known sightings and narrow down the possible area in which he should be hiding." Felicity said as she showed Sara the map of the Glades. "It's the clock tower where you were hiding, when you first came back. Why would he go there?"
"I think I know why." Sara said, realizing who the Green Arrow was.
The Glades
The Green Arrow was sharpening his arrows at the top of the clock tower as he heard footsteps as Sara approached.
"I could see you coming from miles away. I thought you'd be subtler than that." Green Arrow said.
"If I wanted to sneak up on you, you wouldn't see me coming. But I think that we have a lot of catching up on and you have a lot of explaining to do. Like, what are you doing here?" Sara said as the Green Arrow turned around and lowered his hood and mask, revealing his face. "It's been a long time, Roy."
Roy just looked at Sara passively with a neutral expression on his face.
I could partly understand Dinah's actions to an extent here but she basically became a replacement of Season 1 version of Quentin, so I tried to have Sara and Rene talk her out of trying to bust the Green Arrow.
Yup, the New Green Arrow is Roy and I think it was quite obvious. Kudos to those who were able to figure it out. Honestly, it's quite disappointing what they did with him in Season 7 and the bloodlust arc and Roy becoming a hermit in the flashforwards and Emiko being the Green Arrow was quite insulting, considering what happened later and the repetitive trope of Queens being the bad ones was just ridiculous and insulting at that point.
Frankly, I found Felicity and Laurel interrogating Silencer just laughable, alongside with how they had managed to capture her in the first place, considering the reputation of the Longbow Hunters, so imagine that Nyssa had Silencer imprisoned similarly to how Chase had locked Oliver up in a basement cell with shackles. Hope you liked how I handled it.
So, what do you guys think?
Please review and let me know if you have been enjoying this and want for me to continue.