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.
When Oliver came to, he was back in his apartment, with a basketball match on TV, lying on a couch, wearing a formal wear, much to his confusion as he groaned as he sat down, trying to recover his thoughts and remember what happened before his phone rang and he saw Felicity's name flashing and he answered the call.
"Oliver, where the hell are you? Did you forget about the fundraiser?" Felicity demanded.
"What fundraiser?" Oliver asked, confused. "The last thing I remember is that I was on the roof with Tommy, Sara, John and Laurel and we were tranqed…"
"…by Lyla, John told me it was just a misunderstanding." Felicity said.
Oliver tapped his head, wondering if he was dreaming. "What did we do with Burov's plan for the weapon?"
"You said we didn't need it anymore." Felicity explained.
"Why? The Monitor's still out there. He's still a threat." Oliver said, confused.
"Oliver, what's going on? Is everything OK? Did you hit your head or something?" Felicity asked.
Oliver rubbed his head, trying to think. "I… I need to talk with John and Sara."
"Yeah, John's at the fundraiser and Sara should be on her way. Don't remember to suit up. And by that I don't mean the hood." Felicity said and Oliver then noticed the invite at the fundraiser on his desk.
Later, Palmer Tech
Oliver went out from the elevator, now in his suit as he saw people in formal wear, mingling.
"Hey, Queen, what's the difference between a cop and the Green Arrow? A cop doesn't need to play dress-up to do his job." One of the guests joked as the rest laughed.
"Ha. Yeah, sure." Oliver nodded, confused before a waitress bumped into him, spilling some champagne. "Whoa!"
"I'm so sorry, Mr. Queen." The waitress said.
"It's fine, it's fine." Oliver assured.
"There you are, man. The party started an hour ago, Oliver." Diggle said upon noticing him.
Oliver approached Diggle. "Do you remember getting tranqed last night?"
"Yeah. Uh, Lyla feels awful about that. By the way, that wasn't last night. That was two days ago." Diggle explained.
"What? No. No, no." Oliver shook his head. "That… John, that is the last thing that I remember before waking up in my apartment earlier tonight."
"You OK, man?" Diggle asked, worried.
"No. This is… this… Is this the… This is the Monitor." Oliver realized.
"Oliver—" Diggle started.
"Your wife is working with the Monitor, John. What—"
"I thought we already settled this." Lyla said as she approached them. "I have been working with the Monitor but as a double agent, which I told you on the roof."
"I don't… I don't remember that. I'm not remembering anything." Oliver said, confused.
"Oliver, look. Just maybe you should go home, man, get a little sleep, OK?" Diggle said as he held Oliver by his shoulder.
"Oliver, there you are." Rene said as he approached them. "Mayor's looking for you. Come on."
"What?" Oliver asked, confused as he followed Rene.
"What happened there?" Rene asked as he noticed the champagne stain on Oliver's shirt. "Can't give a speech with a stained shirt."
"Give a s… what speech? I'm giving a speech?" Oliver demanded.
Felicity giggled as she approached. "You know, you're funny. Did you forget about the joint remarks with the mayor?"
Oliver rubbed his forehead, trying to understand what was going on. "Guys, um, serious question. When did Palmer Tech get rebuilt?"
Rene shook his head. "You really need to drop this amnesia routine quick. This fundraiser is our only chance to take the SCPD vigilante pilot program global."
"Oliver, you need to get your head straight, if you want to give the speech with the mayor. He's waiting for you." Felicity said.
"'He' who? Isn't… isn't Pollard the mayor?" Oliver demanded.
"In her dreams maybe."
Oliver recognized the voice slowly turned his head, wondering if he was seeing a ghost.
"What's the matter, Oliver? You look like you've seen a ghost." Quentin said. "So listen. I was thinking about making a few changes to the speech, so I figured I should run it by you first."
Oliver shook his head in denial. "This is not possible. This is—"
"What? Don't tell me you're scared of a little last-minute memorization, Oliver." Quentin chuckled.
"It's been a while since I've seen you." Oliver noted.
"Couple of days maybe. You're looking at me like it's been years." Quentin said.
"No. You're right. A couple days." Oliver nodded.
"Right. So listen. I was thinking about adding a line about, you know, me telling you it was a bad idea to unmask, but, you know, maybe a joke about how you'd rather take it to Supermax than take my advice. Heh. You know? What do you think?" Quentin asked.
"You know that I went to Slabside?" Oliver demanded, realizing something was off.
"Uh… yeah. What's that, your way of saying I should have come visit more often?" Quentin asked, confused.
"Quentin, right before I turned myself in, Diaz shot you, right?" Oliver asked, trying to understand.
"Oh. Yeah. That son of a bitch almost killed me. Almost died in the O.R. you don't remember?" Quentin asked.
"I remember it differently." Oliver said.
"Well, the doctors called it a miracle. I was without oxygen for so long, I should have been six feet under. Felt like I escaped my fate or something." Quentin said.
"Hey, guys, you need to see this." Felicity said as she gestured and they turned to a nearby TV, where was a news report about a hostage situation at the SCPD. "A hostage situation at the SCPD. The leader wants to see the mayor."
"No. No. You can't go down there." Oliver protested as he turned to Quentin.
"We'll call in a special ops team." Rene said.
"I'm the mayor. Nobody does my dirty work for me. Give my apologies to the guests." Quentin said.
"I'm… I'm gonna come with you." Oliver volunteered.
"OK, but you might want to bring a change of clothes because something tells me we're gonna need the green guy." Quentin said.
Later, SCPD
"What's the situation, Captain?" Quentin asked as Dinah approached her and Oliver, who was in his Green Arrow suit.
"Armed mercs stormed my precinct, took a dozen of my guys hostage." Dinah said.
"How'd they get by your men?" Oliver asked.
"It's a long story that I don't have time to tell. The only demand was to speak to the mayor." Dinah said.
"All right. Well, I'll go talk to them." Quentin said.
"I appreciate that, but there is no way I'm sending you in there." Dinah protested.
"Listen. I wore the blues a long time before I wore this monkey suit, OK? I can hold my own." Quentin assured.
"I know, sir. It's not the point." Dinah said.
"She's right. It's too risky." Oliver pointed out.
"Says the man who risks his life every day for this city?" Quentin countered as he turned to Oliver, who resigned, knowing there was no talking Quentin out of it as Quentin turned to Dinah. "Give me a vest. I'll go in there, I'll distract the son of a bitch…" He turned to Oliver. "…and in the meantime, you sneak around the back and do your thing, OK?" He turned to Dinah. "The longer this drags on, the worse it gets. Let me do this."
"I'll have his back." Oliver assured.
Dinah nodded after a moment. "I want you on comms the whole time."
"Sure." Quentin nodded.
Quentin entered the precinct, with his hands raised, wearing a bulletproof vest, with the officers bound and sitting on the floor and armed men placed around the office area. "This is Mayor Quentin Lance. I'm unarmed. I'm coming in."
"That's far enough." The leader said, aiming his gun at Quentin.
"All right. Just… just take it easy, OK? Take it easy." Quentin said.
"I'm in position. Keep him talking." Oliver said on comms as he shot down two thugs outside the precinct.
"You asked for me. Here I am. What do you want to talk about with me?" Quentin asked.
"You're the mayor. You're a guy who can make things happen." The leader said.
"Why don't you let a few of these guys go while we talk?" Quentin tried to reason.
"So I can get stormed by the cops? No, thanks. I'm not stupid." The leader sneered.
"But it would show that you don't want anybody to get hurt because if anybody gets hurt, you're in real trouble." Quentin said before he noticed Oliver entering. "Actually, I think you're already in trouble."
"I'm the one holding the gun." The man growled.
"Not for long. Put it down." Oliver ordered as he notched an arrow and fired, disarming the man and then notched another arrow. "This… is… over."
"This isn't over until you stop it, Oliver. That's the only way out." The man said.
"What are you talking about?" Oliver asked, confused before the man pulled out what seemed to be a detonator.
"No!" Quentin cried out as he rushed at the man.
"Quentin!" Oliver exclaimed before an explosion followed.
Oliver's apartment
When Oliver came to, he was back in his apartment, lying on the couch and on the TV was the same basketball match he had seen the previous day, making him wonder what was going on and the next thing he knew, his phone rang, with Felicity calling again as Oliver answered the call.
"Oliver, where the hell are you? Did you forget about the fundraiser?" Felicity demanded.
"I'm late…" Oliver remembered.
"Yeah, really late." Felicity said.
Oliver rubbed his head, trying to remember. "Felicity, did something happen at the SCPD headquarters?"
"What do you mean?" Felicity asked.
Oliver sighed. "Never mind."
Later, Palmer Tech
Oliver entered Palmer Tech and seemed to relive the same day again as he bumped again into a waitress but this time, he caught the glass with the champagne before it would spill on him.
"Nice reflexes, Mr. Queen." The waitress said.
"Thank you." Oliver nodded.
"There you are. You know the party started an hour ago, right?" Diggle said as Oliver approached him.
"I need to speak with you. Uh, this is gonna sound crazy." Oliver took a breath. "I have been here before. So have you."
"What are you talking about?" Diggle asked, confused.
"About the Monitor dropping me into some sort of alternate reality time loop or something, where everything is different, where Lance is still alive." Oliver said.
"Oliver, Lance has always been alive—" Diggle started.
"No, he hasn't. You just don't remember because the Monitor has done something to people's memories, but I… I think I know the way out of this, but I… I need to stop a bomb at the SCPD." Oliver said.
"Oliver, will you just calm down, man? If there was a bomb, we would know about it. Lyla would know about it." Diggle said.
"Lyla's a part of this." Oliver explained.
"Part of what?" Lyla asked, confused as she approached them.
"Oliver seems to think that he's caught in some sort of time loop." Diggle said.
"If we're traveling back in time, I'd like to revisit my 20s." Lyla joked.
"I… I need to speak with Quentin." Oliver said before Rene and Felicity approached and Oliver realized what was going on. "The mayor's waiting for me."
"Yeah. How'd you know?" Rene asked but Oliver ignored him and Felicity.
"You know, it's Oliver, he's a know-it-all." Felicity shrugged.
"Mr. Mayor." Oliver said as he approached Quentin.
"Oh. Hey, Oliver." Quentin greeted. "Listen. I, uh… I made a few last-minute changes to the speech, so—"
"We need to talk." Oliver said.
"Sure. Let's." Quentin nodded as they entered an empty office. "Uh, yeah. I wanted to run these changes by you anyway."
"You want to add a joke about Slabside, about how I would rather spend time in a Supermax than take your advice." Oliver said.
"You steal a copy of my speech or something?" Quentin asked, confused.
"We've had this exact conversation already." Oliver explained.
"What are you talking about?" Quentin demanded.
Oliver rubbed his face and took a breath. "Fully aware of how this is going to sound. Quentin, I'm trapped in some sort of… time loop, where the same events just keep repeating themselves."
"Like 'Groundhog Day.'" Quentin realized.
"Sure, except this one ends in a lot of people dead, including the two of us." Oliver said.
Quentin nodded. "OK. How can I help?"
"Do you actually believe me?" Oliver demanded, surprised.
"Oliver, I've seen one daughter die and come back to life twice. I've seen another come from some other Earth. I've seen a guy in red run so fast he can reverse time. This is not exactly outside the norm, is it?" Quentin pointed out. "Also, I'm done learning my lesson about doubting you because that always bites me in the ass." He sighed. "What happens now?"
"Very shortly, we are gonna learn that there is a hostage situation at the SCPD. They're going to insist that they talk to you and only you." Oliver explained.
"And how does it go south?" Quentin inquired.
"There's a hidden explosive device that I didn't know about the first time through, and judging from the blast, it's underneath the building." Oliver said.
"OK. So you find it, you keep us from going boom. What then?" Quentin asked.
"I break out of the loop." Oliver said.
"Great." Quentin nodded before Rene entered.
"Here you are. There's something you need to see." Rene said.
Later, SCPD
"What's the situation, Captain?" Quentin asked as he approached Dinah.
"Armed mercs stormed the precinct, took a dozen of my guys hostage." Dinah explained as they approached her.
"They have a bomb." Oliver said.
"We already did a sweep of the entire building." Dinah said, confused.
"It's not in the building. It's underneath it." Oliver said.
"How could you possibly know that?" Dinah demanded.
"I trust him. Instinct thing." Quentin said.
Dinah considered. "So what do you want to do?"
"This is Mayor Quentin Lance. I'm unarmed. I'm coming in." Quentin said over the radio as he entered the precinct.
Oliver was in the underground tunnels before he saw two figures approaching the bomb and notched an arrow. "Stop right there."
"Ollie?" Sara asked as she turned to Oliver in confusion, alongside Laurel.
"Oh. It's you. Would you relax?" Laurel asked as Oliver lowered his bow. "We are here for the same thing."
"Hey. How did you know to come down here?" Oliver demanded.
"I may have learned about the existence of this place as a part of a former career." Laurel said.
"And when I was looking for the bomb, I followed her." Sara said.
"How did you two know about the bomb?" Oliver demanded.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Well, actually, since you're not going to remember anyway, there is a crazy space god who has me trapped in a time loop." Laurel said.
"Wait, you too?" Sara demanded.
"Me too." Oliver nodded. "It's my second time though."
"Yeah. Same here." Sara nodded.
"Same. I wake up in the bunker." Laurel said.
"I wake up at my place." Sara said.
"I wake up in my apartment, so clearly, the Monitor is doing this." Oliver said.
"You mean punishing us?" Laurel drawled.
"Yeah." Oliver nodded.
"That's what we get for defying the space god." Sara said.
"In Russia, I disobeyed him, and you… you tried to destroy him." Laurel said.
"At least we're in it together now." Oliver gestured to the bomb. "I think disarming that is the way out of here."
"How long before it goes off?" Sara asked as they approached the bomb.
"Oh. Your guess is as good as mine. Quentin's upstairs buying us some time." Oliver said and Laurel and Sara stiffened at the mention of Quentin.
"Dad's here?" Sara asked.
"Yeah." Oliver nodded before they heard the bomb beep. "I think we just activated some kind of failsafe. Look. We need more time on the next loop, guys."
"We find each other earlier, we might get more time to stop this." Sara said.
"There's a party at the Palmer Tech building. Meet me there." Oliver said.
"Are we talking formal wear or—"
The bomb them exploded.
Oliver's apartment
Oliver woke up back in his apartment and went out before his phone rang.
"Oliver, where the hell—"
"I know, Felicity, I'm on my way." Oliver said.
Palmer Tech
Oliver went out from the elevator and avoided the waitress before she would bump into him and quickly talked with Felicity and Rene before approaching Quentin.
"Hey, Oliver. Listen. I made a few last-minute changes to the speech…" Quentin started.
"…and you figured you should run them by me first." Oliver finished.
"Yeah, exactly." Quentin nodded and smiled upon seeing Laurel and Sara approach. "Hey, sweeties. I didn't think you were gonna make it."
"Me either." Laurel said.
"Hey, Dad." Sara started, as if both of them were seeing a ghost.
"You OK?" Quentin asked, confused.
"Yeah." Laurel said as she and Sara hugged Quentin. "We're just really happy to see you."
"Oh. I'm happy to see you, too. Though I got to say I'm glad you left the black lipstick at home tonight." Quentin said.
"You know that I'm Earth-2 Laurel." Laurel realized.
"Who else would you be?" Quentin asked.
"Look. I'm really sorry to interrupt, but you and I need to go." Oliver said before turning to Quentin. "You're coming with us. We need your help."
Later, SCPD
"What do you mean there's a bomb?" Dinah demanded, confused.
"I know how to stop it, but you have to trust me." Oliver said.
"I'm gonna need a vest." Quentin ordered.
"Not this time, Quentin." Oliver protested.
While Quentin was distracting the mercenaries, Laurel, Sara and Dinah were underneath the precinct, examining the bomb.
"The detonator operates on an oscillating frequency." Laurel said.
"If we can find the right one, we should be able to disrupt it." Dinah said.
"Vincent, listen to me. I know you don't really want to do this." Quentin said over the radio, while Oliver and Sara snuck into the precinct, taking out the mercenaries.
"And I know that if you don't get in here, these men are gonna die." Vincent said.
"I have an idea." Dinah said as she turned on her Canary Cry device and the timer shattered and stopped.
"We did it." Laurel smirked before she noticed Dinah shooting her a look and sighed, refraining herself from rolling her eyes. "OK. Fine. You did it."
Laurel and Sara went out and met with Oliver.
"We disarmed the bomb, so why are we still here?" Sara wondered.
"I don't… I… we must have missed something." Oliver said and they turned to Quentin and saw a red dot light on his chest as they widened their eyes in horror.
"No!" Oliver exclaimed.
"No!" Laurel and Sara cried out before they heard a gunshot and Quentin fell down as Laurel and Sara rushed to Quentin's lying form.
"No, Dad, no, please…" Sara sobbed.
Oliver's apartment
Oliver came to and was back in his apartment, realizing that Quentin's death was the reset point.
Later, Palmer Tech
Oliver was in the gala as he talked with Laurel and Sara.
"OK, Dad's death is the reset point, so, if we save him, we get out of the time loop." Sara said.
"What kind of sick game is the Monitor playing?" Laurel wondered.
"I don't know. We need to find out who is behind this hostage situation." Oliver said.
"If it's just about killing Quentin, then why plant a bomb? It seems like a lot of extra work." Laurel noted.
"Maybe whoever is behind this wants their involvement kept a secret." Oliver pointed out.
"You think that whoever is behind the hostage situation is also is behind this time loop?" Sara wondered.
"Those were mercenaries, which means that somebody had to hire them." Oliver pointed out.
"Great, and I'm sure they're gonna be really easy to find, too." Laurel drawled. "Any idea where to start?"
"Let's get Quentin out of here. Why don't you take him to the bunker?" Oliver suggested and Laurel nodded. "We're gonna go take a look at that bomb."
Laurel nodded as Oliver and Sara walked off before Lyla approached Laurel. "Laurel, I didn't think you'd make it tonight."
"I am really not in the mood for small talk with the Monitor's bestie." Laurel sneered.
"Excuse me?" Lyla asked, confused.
"It turns out tranq darts, they don't feel so good." Laurel said coldly.
"I told you that was a big misunderstanding." Lyla said.
"Well, understand this." Laurel said as she neared Lyla. "The second I get out of this sadistic 'Edge of Tomorrow' reboot, I am going to make sure to tell everyone exactly what kind of traitor you really are."
"Laurel, I truly have no idea what you're talking about, but whatever it is you're feeling toward me, that's on you." Lyla said.
"Thank you for the advice, Dr. Phil, and now here's some for you. The next time you decide to double-cross someone, don't pick a woman who specializes in revenge." Laurel sneered.
"You're threatening me." Lyla realized.
"Yes. Yes, I am, but don't worry. You won't remember anyway, and by the way, I pull off the short hair way better than you do." Laurel quipped.
SCPD
Oliver and Sara were underneath the SCPD, when they noticed Diggle at the bomb.
"What are you doing here?" Oliver asked.
"Well, word came down that the Green Arrow called in a bomb threat, so I thought to myself, 'How did he know about that, and why didn't he call me?'" Diggle said.
"Because the Monitor has me, Sara and Laurel trapped in a time loop. Already told you that." Oliver said.
"OK. Definitely not the answer I was expecting, but if the Monitor's involved, anything is possible." Diggle said. "Any idea how to break out?"
"Saving Dad." Sara said. "We thought that would stop this but… there's nothing useful we can find."
"Well, has to be something. No case is unsolvable." Diggle assured.
"This might be impossible." Oliver said.
"Well, you'll figure it out." Diggle assured.
"I do wish we were as sure as you are." Oliver said.
"You want to know what makes me so sure? You. You, Oliver. You always figure it out. You never stop fighting. You never give up. You always keep at it. Why should this be any different?" Diggle pointed out.
Sara smiled. "This may not be really you, Dig, but you still know how to give a good advice."
"Yeah. I'm flattered." Diggle smiled as he examined the bomb.
"Well, A.R.G.U.S. has some more sophisticated analytical equipment. Any chance you can get us in there?" Oliver asked.
"Yeah. I bet I can make a few calls." Diggle said.
The Lair
"So you're telling me we're in some kind of an alternate reality based on the plot of a Bill Murray movie?" Quentin asked.
"Well, I was gonna go with a Tom Cruise flick but basically. Also just really glad that you believe me." Laurel said, relieved.
Quentin shrugged. "Well, it's not the craziest thing you ever told me. I mean, I'm just glad this Monitor guy just kept me as mayor, you know?" They stopped, when Quentin noticed the worried look in Laurel's eyes. "What? What's that look?"
"It… it's just that, uh, in my world or in the real world, uh, you're not mayor anymore." Laurel explained.
"Really?" Quentin sighed. "Ohh. Pollard. She always had it in for me. Heh." He noticed how Laurel was on verge of tears. "Is there something else? Laurel. Sweetheart, I always know when you're hiding something from me. Please, tell me. What is it?"
"It… it's a year and a half ago when Diaz… when he shot you in… in the real reality or whatever, you… you didn't exactly, um…" Laurel paused, unable to continue.
"I didn't recover." Quentin realized.
Laurel shook her head. "No. No. You died to save me."
Quentin smiled. "Best way I could have gone."
Laurel looked completely taken aback. "What?! I'm sorry. I basically just told you you're a ghost, and you're completely OK with that? It doesn't… it doesn't faze you? You're completely calm?"
"I always felt like I cheated death with that one. Guess that's because I didn't." Quentin pointed out. "Fate's just tricky like that."
Laurel's phone went off as she looked at the message. "It's Oliver."
"Yeah? Did he figure out who wants me dead?" Quentin asked.
"Not yet, but he and Sara did figure out the location of the mercs' hideout." Laurel said.
"OK. So we better go." Quentin said as they went out.
Star City
Green Arrow, Black Canary, White Canary and Quentin entered the building as they looked around.
"How'd you find this place?" Laurel demanded.
"Uh, we analyzed the bomb and traced the chemical signature back to this building." Oliver explained.
"It still doesn't tell us who hired these bozos." Quentin said.
"This might help." Sara said as they approached a laptop at the desk.
Quentin opened the laptop before they heard beeping and saw wires on the ground, leading to a hidden compartment in the wall. Oliver ripped off the blueprints from the wall to reveal a bomb, counting down just seconds to zero.
"Bomb!" Oliver shouted and they ran off before the explosion knocked them all down on the ground and they groaned.
Lyla then entered as Oliver noticed that she was holding a gun in her hand. "Lyla, what the hell are you doing?"
"Helping you. You're missing the point, Oliver." Lyla said.
"What?" Oliver asked, confused.
"You can't fight this." Lyla said.
Quentin groaned before he noticed Lyla aiming her gun at him.
"Lyla!" Oliver cried out before she pulled the trigger.
Palmer Tech
"No sign of Lyla anywhere. You?" Laurel asked as she approached Oliver and Sara.
"Me neither." Sara shook her head.
"John just told me she got called away on a last-minute A.R.G.U.S. mission, meaning she's never even been here." Oliver said.
"Maybe the Monitor deleted her for going rogue. Heh. Wouldn't that be so, so sad?" Laurel said with a mocking baby tone.
"She must be helping him, why would she betray him?" Sara said.
"So why reveal her hand? It makes no sense." Laurel questioned.
"You spoke with her. Was there anything, anything at all in the conversation that stood out?" Oliver asked.
"She said how I feel towards her was on me like it's my fault that I'm stuck here." Laurel sighed in frustration. "I told you the Monitor's punishing us."
"I'm not so sure." Oliver said.
"Ollie, think about it, we've watched Dad die time and time again and there's nothing we can do to prevent it. Look, it's like living Hell. Do you have any idea what's it like, not able to save the one you love, no matter what you do?" Sara snapped.
"But right before Lyla disappeared, she told me she was trying to help me." Oliver said.
"She also told you you can't fight this. It seems pretty clear to me that we're not supposed to win." Laurel pointed out.
"The first time that I met Mar Novu, it felt… it felt the same. It was like I was put in a situation where there was no way out, but it was a test, Laurel. It was a test, just like I think that this is." Oliver noted.
"What test?" Sara questioned.
"I don't know, but there is a way out of here, and I'm gonna find it." Oliver said.
"You just never give up, do you?" Laurel said.
"No, I don't. Are you with me?" Oliver asked.
"If we're supposed to save Dad, count me in." Sara said.
"Fine. What's our play?" Laurel asked.
"We go back to the mercs' hideout. We know where the danger is this time, so we can do things differently. You grab Quentin, and I'll meet you there." Oliver said and Laurel and Sara nodded as he entered the elevator.
Later, SCPD
"So you're telling me we've been here once and still came back for more?" Quentin said as they were underneath the SCPD.
"At least now we know what not to do." Laurel said.
"OK." Oliver ripped the paper and jammed an electronic arrow into the bomb, disarming it. "That should disable the bomb."
"Let's hope so. Don't wanna get blown up again." Sara quipped.
"All right." Oliver said as the laptop turned on.
"OK. So now what?" Quentin asked.
"We find out who hired those mercs to kill you." Oliver said as they looked at the reports.
"The money belongs to Anderson White." Sara read.
"Never heard of him." Quentin said.
"Looks like he's been accused of not too many nice things. Money laundering, racketeering." Laurel read.
"Doesn't explain why he'd want me dead." Quentin said.
"Well, that's what we're gonna find out. CEO of a company named Global Solutions. They have a warehouse down by the docks. Let's go." Oliver said.
Later, the Docks
"We need to find White." Oliver said as they looked around inside the warehouse before a gunshot rang out and Quentin groaned, slumping against the wall as a red spot appeared on his shirt.
"Dad!" Sara cried out.
"No!" Laurel exclaimed as they held Quentin.
Oliver notched arrows and shot the mercs as he accompanied Laurel, Sara and Quentin to the fire escape. "I'll take care of the rest."
Oliver left as Laurel and Sara took off their masks and sobbed as Quentin groaned in pain.
"I'm sorry, sweeties. Looks like we lost this round." Quentin said.
"Dad, don't give up, come on…" Sara sobbed.
"We are not letting you die again." Laurel said.
"It's too late." Quentin murmured.
"No." Sara protested.
"It… it's… it's time to say goodbye." Quentin whispered.
"We're not giving up on you, Quentin. Quentin, we are not giving up on you. You never gave up on either one of us. You believed in me when nobody else did." Laurel sobbed.
"Well, that's what dads do. They believe." Quentin said.
"I want you to know that you and Sara are the reason that I'm trying to be a hero. It's because of you." Laurel said.
"I'm sorry I wasn't here, when you needed me. I should've been here…" Sara said, on verge of tears.
"You'll always be with me. And you'll always be heroes. Both of you." Quentin assured.
"Thank you. I never had the chance to tell you how much you mean to me." Laurel sobbed.
Sara took a breath. "I should've been here more. I should've been here more."
"I love you… both of you." Quentin smiled as he drew his last breath and tilted his head.
"We love you too."
"We love you." Laurel and Sara said before they both broke down in tears.
Oliver entered and noticed what had happened. "Damn it. All right. OK. All right. We fix this next time. We'll fix it." He assured.
"Ollie… there's no fixing it." Sara said, choking her sobs. "I just… I just wanted to have more time with Dad."
"All I have ever wanted was a chance to say goodbye to Quentin. Now I have." Laurel said.
Oliver's apartment
When Oliver came to, he was back in his apartment.
The Lair
"Laurel? Sara?" Oliver called out as he looked around.
"They're not here." Lyla said as Oliver turned around to face her.
"Where are they?" Oliver demanded.
"Gone." Lyla said.
"What did you… what did you do, Lyla?" Oliver snapped.
"I didn't do anything. Laurel and Sara got what they needed from this." Lyla explained.
"I don't have time for these games, Lyla, so whatever this is, get me out of here right now!" Oliver exploded.
"I can't do that, Oliver. Mar Novu needs you to understand no good will come from struggle. The only way to win is to accept the inevitable." Lyla said.
"I have no idea what that means." Oliver shook his head.
"Learn that, and this will end." Lyla said before she vanished in a glow of light.
"Lyla!" Oliver yelled as he looked around.
Later, the Docks
"So, if me dying is the problem, maybe bringing me into the lion's den isn't so smart." Quentin noted as he followed Oliver.
"Couldn't think of a better way to keep you safe." Oliver said.
"Yeah. That makes sense." Quentin nodded.
Oliver noticed the office they had been looking for and kicked the door in as they noticed a man in a suit and a short beard, who tried to run before Quentin aimed his gun, causing for the man to stop. "Ah-ah-ah-ah. Unless you want a hole for a head."
"Are you Anderson White?" Oliver asked.
"You really think Mr. White would be here?" The man pointed out.
"He ordered a hit on my friend. Why?" Oliver asked but the man pressed a hidden button at the bottom of his desk before Oliver punched him, knocking him out.
"I guess the clock's ticking." Quentin said as an alarm rang and they approached the computer and noticed a list of names, on which was Quentin as well. "Looks like a list of hits."
"And clients. Coded and anonymous. White's just the middleman." Oliver realized.
"A CEO with a healthy side business brokering hits for wealthy asshats." Quentin growled.
"All right. We're back to square one. We have no idea how deep this rabbit hole goes." Oliver grumbled.
"We got to get going." Quentin said.
Oliver and Quentin went out but Quentin was then hit in his gut as he groaned, leaning onto the door as Oliver was shooting their way through the mercenaries, trying to accompany Quentin. They entered a storage area, while dodging the gunfire as Oliver threw an explosive, sending the mercenaries flying away as it went off. Oliver kept trying to help them fight their way through, while dodging the gunfire until Oliver managed to finish off the last of the mercenaries before Quentin slumped against the wall and sat down.
"It's the last one." Oliver said.
"How many arrows you got left?" Quentin asked.
"Not enough." Oliver sighed in frustration.
"Oh, boy. Aren't we the couple?" Quentin grumbled.
"We are gonna find a way out of this. There has to be a way to fix it, and we are gonna find it, Quentin. It doesn't matter how many times. We're gonna find it!" Oliver said firmly.
Quentin laughed humorlessly. "Yeah? Sure. What's it gonna be, sixty times, hundred times?"
"It's gonna be however many times it takes!" Oliver exploded.
"You know, getting hunted like this in a space like this is kind of like what I was doing to you all those years ago. Remember?" Quentin asked and Oliver considered, while Quentin got up to his feet, groaning. "Sort of makes sense I'd go out like this now, don't you think?"
"Would you please just save your strength?" Oliver asked, not wanting to let Quentin die again.
"For what?" Quentin asked. "Oliver, you take care of these guys, there'll be more behind them, there will be more behind them. There is no saving me from this! OK? You ever think that's the point? Maybe you're not supposed to."
"I'm not giving up… and you're not giving up either." Oliver said.
"Oh, no, no, no. I'm not giving up. Maybe I'm giving in. You see, I've been outrunning death for a while now. The Siege, the island, but when Diaz shot me, that felt different like I was finally at the end, and I made my peace with that. And maybe it's time you did, too." Quentin said.
Oliver was on verge of tears, unable to accept that he could do nothing to save Quentin, just as he could do nothing to save Barry or Kara before they noticed laser gunsights.
"It looks like fate's knocking." Quentin noted.
"Just… just…" Oliver took a breath. "You just get ready to move."
Oliver approached the door but then noticed Quentin taking off his bulletproof vest and dropping his gun.
"Goodbye, Oliver." Quentin said as he entered the corridor, where were the mercenaries, while Oliver just stared in despair.
"Quentin." Oliver whispered brokenly before he heard a gunshot.
Oliver's apartment
Oliver woke up on his couch in his apartment again as he turned off the TV and started to realize what was the point of the time loop.
Later, Palmer Tech
Oliver approached Quentin as he entered the gala. "Quentin, excuse me."
"Hey. What's the matter, Oliver? You look like you've seen a ghost." Quentin said.
"Maybe I did. May I speak with you for a second?" Oliver asked.
"Sure." Quentin nodded as they entered an office. "You want to go over the speech? Because I was thinking about adding a few lines."
"I have a question for you." Oliver said.
"Sure." Quentin nodded.
"Back when I was running around as the Hood, you were trying to arrest me. You remember that?" Oliver asked and Quentin laughed.
"Ah. Yeah. The good, old days. How could I ever forget?" Quentin asked.
"The question is… what made you decide that I wasn't your enemy anymore? What changed your mind?" Oliver asked.
"Heh. Oh, you know, my daughters for one. Because I didn't raise dummies, and, uh, you know, if they were OK with you, then I figured I should be, too." Quentin said.
"They trusted me, and you trusted them." Oliver realized.
"Yeah. They got me to listen to what I always knew in my gut, that we were on the same side and fighting for the same goal, and it just took me a while to get there. Sorry." Quentin said.
"It's OK." Oliver assured.
"Oliver, is there any particular reason for this trip down memory lane?" Quentin wondered.
"Yeah." Oliver said, realizing what was the point of it and it felt like a punch to a gut. "God, I've been hanging on to something. Someone told me just recently that, uh… it's about time I made peace with it."
"OK. Sounds like a smart someone." Quentin smiled.
"Yeah." Oliver smiled as he shook his head. "Oh, I shouldn't have to say 'goodbye' to you again."
"Goodbye?" Quentin repeated, confused. "Evening's just getting started."
"Yeah. Thank you, Quentin for everything." Oliver said as he shook his hand with Quentin.
"Mr. Mayor." Rene said as he entered.
"We're gonna see each other again, Oliver." Quentin promised as Oliver was about to leave.
"I hope so." Oliver whispered as he entered an empty room, realizing what was the point of the time loop.
"Congratulations, Oliver. Now you understand." Lyla said.
"I couldn't change Quentin's fate. I can't change Barry's or Kara's either, can I?" Oliver realized.
"No. I'm sorry." Lyla said.
"Why did the Monitor go to all of this trouble just to… just to prove a point?" Oliver wondered as he turned to her.
"You've always been a man who needed to see things for himself. Telling you wouldn't have been enough." Lyla explained.
"How long have you worked for him?" Oliver asked.
"A while." Lyla admitted.
"You lied to us, Lyla. You… you lied to John." Oliver pointed out.
"Keeping this from John has been the hardest thing I've ever had to do." Lyla said.
"Then why do it?" Oliver demanded.
"The same reason you agreed to do what Mar Novu asked you to do in exchange for you saving Barry and Kara in Elseworlds. To protect the people I care about." Lyla said.
"Do you honestly believe that working with the Monitor is the best way to do that?" Oliver demanded.
"It's the only way. The Crisis is coming. There is no stopping it. All we can do is try to survive it." Lyla said ominously.
"OK. Help me out here, Lyla. I don't even know what it is." Oliver snapped.
"I know, but you will… soon." Lyla said. "What I can tell you is there is an evil coming that is greater than anything we've ever had to face."
"Can we stop it?" Oliver asked.
"I don't know… but you are the only chance we have." Lyla said.
"So everything I've done since Elseworlds, this has all been some… bigger part of a test?" Oliver demanded.
"He needed to be sure you were ready." Lyla said.
"He's just been sending me on useless missions." Oliver pointed out.
"They weren't useless. The dwarf star particles, Dr. Wong, even the antimatter weapon, they all have a purpose, just not the one you were expecting." Lyla said.
"What now?" Oliver asked.
"You complete your final mission." Lyla said. "I'll see you there."
Next thing Oliver knew, there was a glow of light…
…and Oliver, Sara and Laurel ended up in a tent.
"Where are we?" Laurel asked.
"Are you OK?" Oliver asked.
"My head hurts." Sara groaned, clutching her head. "The last thing I remember is Dad dying in the warehouse."
Laurel then looked at their clothes. "We were wearing these on the roof when we got tranqed, so does that mean that…"
"We got out." Oliver said.
"How?" Sara asked.
"We learned our lessons." Oliver said.
"Sara and I got out after we said 'goodbye.' Why would the Monitor let us see Quentin one last time?" Laurel questioned.
"It was a reward for not betraying me and to give you some closure." Oliver explained.
"Didn't really think rewards were his brand." Laurel drawled.
"No. We were wrong about him." Oliver said.
"And we should trust Lyla?" Sara questioned. "How did you get out, Ollie? Why did the Monitor want you to let Dad go?"
"Because deep down, I still believed that I could find a way to save Barry and Kara. Now I know that there isn't one." Oliver said as he got up. "Lyla said we had one last thing to do, one final mission.
"I can't wait to find out what that is." Laurel said.
"Where that is." Oliver said as he looked around the tent before they went out from the tent and were on a rocky beach surrounded by woods and they recognized where they were.
"Is that…" Laurel trailed off, recognizing the place.
"Kid, are we where I think we are?" Slade asked as he approached with Diggle.
"Yeah. We're on Lian Yu." Oliver realized.
While Katie Cassidy is a good actress and is great at emotional scenes, sometimes she has a little to be desired for, IMO and nothing against her, but I found her performance, when she said goodbye to Quentin a little underwhelming but maybe that's just me and it shows that Katie is not as great actress as Stephen Amell or Grant Gustin for example, and the fanatics trying to convince me of otherwise are only going to be wasting their time, if they try to roast me, everyone is entitled to have their own opinion, I may disagree with other people's opinions but at least I'm civil about it and am not a jerk, who curses and harasses like Tony stans or Laurel Lance/Katie Cassidy fanatics or WestAllen or Olicity stans.
I guess sometimes it's good days/bad days for the actors and it happens that they leave something to be desired in some aspects, like Katie in emotional scenes.
And this episode was both sad and great, since it was a good tribute to Quentin and it made up for not giving Quentin a death scene in Season 6 finale, when he died.
So, what do you guys think?
Please review and let me know if you have been enjoying this and want for me to continue.