Panting out heavy breaths, Jake swung wildly at the punching bag in front of him. Each strike synchronized with the beat of an Eminem song he was listening to.

He had been at this all morning, pushing his body to the limit as he released everything he was feeling from the previous day. This was the right time to let everything out; his anger towards Lonnie for kidnapping him and hurting Madison, the frustration from finding out the lunatic had escaped custody with knowledge of his past, of her. The girl he considered to be his first...everything.

It was just him at the moment, shielded within the confines of Benji's house on the outskirts of the city. Alone and away from everyone else, he could finally expose the monster that had become of him recently. Away from the people he cared about and wanted to protect.

After the song ended, Jake yanked out his ear buds and thrusted his left leg back, kicking away the sparring dummy that was behind him. He then slung a towel over his naked shoulder and shoved his walkman into the pocket of his black basketball shorts.

He stood still for a moment in the center of the room, his deep blue eyes scanning over the basement. The space itself was small with fairly bright lighting. There was a small stairwell with wooden banisters situated to the left, leading to the living room. A messy, makeshift lounge area with a cushioned recliner sat over on the right side in front of a desk space. Racks of weights stood against concrete walls on the right along with an adjustable pull-up tower. Various cases of guns and ammunition were scattered around in the back.

Jake moved over to the desk space, grabbing his phone and an opened bottle of water. He sighed in mild frustration after checking his text messages.

He had been trying to get a hold of a contact he met in Brazil since last night, a hacker that could find anyone with just the push of a button. He knew the kid, Nico, when he was in the Santa Muerte and after he fought his way out. Nico knew Maia better than he knew her himself. So, along with his technical expertise, he had a greater chance of finding her. And right now, Jake needed to find her.

He couldn't stop thinking about her and how strong-minded and lively she was when they first met.

2012

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

"Seriously, fuck this shit," Jake muttered quietly with a scowl as he lifted a heavy package of cocaine.

He had been doing this since February, picking up and unloading drugs from Rio and Salvador. He hated doing this, being a lapdog and working for an asshole like Philippe. Although, the Brazilian drug lord wasn't Jake's main issue. His head lieutenant, Paolo Santana, was the thorn in his side that was needle deep.

Paolo had been up on Jake's case ever since his "initiation" and branding. He enforced Jake on a daily basis, along with teasing and pushing him around. In fact, the only time he ever punished Jake for actually doing something wrong was for when he'd smoke some of the weed he was supposed to bring back.

After unloading the rest of the cocaine and stacking it next to the back entrance of the warehouse. He turns around to close the trunk, moving his dark curls back and wiping the sweat that accumulated on his forehead. He then walks away from the rusted truck and enters the opened garage, pausing beside the staircase when he hears voices upstairs in the office.

"What in the actual fuck are you thinking?! This plan of yours is gonna get all of us killed!" Paolo's angry shout echoed off the office doors, catching Jake's attention.

"Not if we're smart about it and no one fucks it up! Look, just trust me when I say that this is gonna work. But for now, this stays between us. The bastard won't even know what hit em!" Philippe replied, his tone resembling a loud whisper.

Jake narrowed his eyes.

"You better be careful."

He jumped back, moving away from the stairwell as he turned around to face the source of the voice. He relaxed slightly after realizing who it was.

A young woman with warm beige skin and ocean blue eyes stood before him, running a swift hand through her long and dark brown hair. She wore a purple tank top with black jean shorts and a pair of sandals. Her black leather jacket was wrapped snugly around her curvy waist. There was a brown leather cord around her neck, along with a triangular Damascus steel arrowhead that hung in the center of her chest.

He had seen her in the warehouse most of the time, fixing up her Jeep and keeping track of the weapon stash. She would usually hang around in the makeshift weight room and spar with some of Philippe's men during the day. Jake didn't really know much about her, other than the fact that she had been working in the gang for about for a few years now. From what he had seen, she seemed pretty efficient in hand to hand combat.

She crossed her arms with a subtle smirk, her azure eyes glinting with amusement.

"Snooping, out in the open with the possibility of someone walking in and noticing. Not a smart way to eavesdrop," the girl, Maia, gave Jake a pointed look before turning around.

"No ones gonna notice. Besides, I don't do careful. Its too slow paced," Jake told her, his tone confident.

Maia waved him off, shaking her head as she walks off towards the weight room.

He turned back to the stairwell as Paolo stormed out of the office in a rush, his feet pound against the concrete steps like thunder. He roughly bumped his left shoulder against Jake, shoving him out of the way as stormed past him and out of the warehouse.

Jake gave him a heated glare as he left, flicking him him off with both hands. He let out an annoyed exhale, moving over to the door leading to his locker room.

Later that day...

Inhaling the chilly breeze of the night, Jake paused his trek through an urbanized area of Ipanema and stared up at the sky in wonder. He could hear singing and upbeat Latin music down the street he was facing.

Carnival, the most anticipated event of the year in the capital of Brazil. Colorful bird costumes, parades, hundreds and thousands of people chanting, and dancing. All over the city.

Jake loved the idea of this record breaking event, something that was fun and brought all kinds of people together.

As he watched confetti litter the ground and a round of fireworks shoot off into the sky, he realized that this was something he could look forward to during his unexpected and unfortunate situation.

He turned around at the sound of subtle footsteps behind him.

He watched Maia as she cursed under her breath, shoving what looked to be some cash and a bottle of pills down her duffel bag.

She zipped it up and threwd it over her shoulder, turning her attention back to the street in front of her, smiling slightly as she noticed Jake staring at her.

"Hey, stranger! Enjoying the most exciting event this corrupted city has to offer?" She joked with a playful scoff, making her way over to Jake.

He smiled in return, looking over to the bustling street ahead, "You could say I'm a fan of the party scene. You?"

"Easily my favorite thing about this place, besides the beaches," Maia paused , glancing over to the same street that was now filled with people dancing and drinking.

She then turned back to Jake with a sly grin, her sapphire eyes were filled with mischief, "What do you say we join the party? Y'know, since you followed me all the way over here. You forget to ask for my number?"

Jake scoffed, letting out a laugh as he looked down at his feet, "You kidding? I barely know you, why would I know where you hang out?"

He stepped up to her with a grin of his own, "But, I was looking to have a little fun tonight. I'm not sure about the date, but its definitely a yes to the party."

Maia gave him a small smirk before walking over to an unattended table. She snatched two bottles of Corona from its package and offering, one to Jake, "No one cares if your underage around here."

Once Jake grabbed a bottle of the famous liquor, he followed Maia as she lead him through the rambunctious crowd of people.

Its past midnight when they find themselves sitting cross-legged on the sandy shores of Ipanema Beach. It was just the two of them, facing the ocean. They gazed off into the foggy horizon of the night, occasionally staring up at the moon from time to time. Bottles of Corona littered around their bodies.

Jake suddenly broke his gaze from the sky, remembering Maia's suspicious behavior from earlier. He turned to her with a raised eyebrow,"So, how'd you start working for a prick like Philippe?"

The girl in question turned to Jake with shocked eyes. Being visibly caught off guard by his question, she turns away from him to gaze up at the stars above.

Her next words are almost as quiet as the wind whispering around them, "What's the most important thing in life?"

Jake made a noise as he slowly leaned back, sinking himself into the sand.

Maia snickerd quietly with a smile, shaking her head as the young man next to her drunkenly moved his messy curls back into the sand.

He turned to her after a moment with a smile of his own, thinking about all of the people he's ever cared about. His mother and father, Benji, Sara, Laurel, Thea.

"Family."

Maia nodded her head, bringing her knees up to her chest, "What's the point of living if you don't have people you can count on?"

"Yeah..." Jake slured with a sigh, closing his eyes, "I was just curious. I mean, you don't seem like a bad person."

Maia turns to him again with a blank facial expression, "I'm not exactly swimming in money right now. The job pays well. It doesn't matter what kind I get, drug money is still money."

Present Day

Even though he was mildly drunk that night, Maia's words stuck with Jake. They replayed over and over again like a mantra. What was the point in living without being surrounded by people you could truly love and care about?

When Jake thought about it, he realized that he wouldn't want to live without that. Without his friends, his family. He'd die for them, kill for them.

Starling City Police Department

"Thanks for meeting with me Captain Lance," Jake greeted with a smile, offering his hand to the older man.

"No need for the formalities kid, you're family," Quentin dismissed Jake's offered hand. Instead, he pulled him in for a brief hug before sitting down.

Jake took a seat as well, heaving a sigh as he leaned back into his chair. He took a moment to briefly examine the office, noticing the change in furniture and the plaques on the wall.

Quentin pulled his chair up to his desk, clearing his throat soon afterwards, "Don't tell me that you got homesick, kid. I've lived in this city, this state all my life. There are other people that would jump at the chance to leave this godforsaken city and never look back."

He paused with a small chuckle, "Hell, even I would leave if I could. Or even take a vacation. With all the paperwork and criminals I've had to deal with, it seems that God wants to keep me around until I'm over 100."

Jake chuckled at the detectives joke, shaking his head, "I'd love to tell you it was all fun. But most of it was soul searching, figuring what to do with my life. I've been looking into careers for criminal justice."

The middle aged man nodded, crossing his arms as well, "Yeah, Laurel filled me in on that. Said you were interested in becoming a cop."

A moment of ill silence suddenly filled the air as Jake switched his gaze from the detective to the wall behind him.

Quentin watched him with a knowing expression, he didn't need to turn around to know what Jake was looking at.

Hanging from the plastered wall, a picture of Jakes father was centered in between two awards. The man, who was in his mid thirties at the time, beamed with pride as he held a plaque in his hands. His deep blue eyes shone with happiness, matching with a bright smile.

Jake remembered that eventful day, it was his favorite memory of his father. He had left school early that day of his third grade year, and later celebrated the award with a movie marathon and pizza with his parents. That was one of the few times he actually got to spend time with his father, let alone his mother, without work getting in the way.

Quentin turned to the picture as well with an appreciative smile, "Your father was one of the best Lieutenants I've ever worked with. He'd come in every morning, tired as hell, but with a smile."

The captain cleared his throat before giving Jake a pointed look, "Everything he did for this department, this city, was for you kid. Michael, he wanted you to have every opportunity in the world. Kinda reminds me of how I was when Laurel and Sara were born."

Quentin exhaled a deep sigh, rubbing a rough hand over his face and into his graying beard.

At the mention of the two women he considered as his sisters, Jake broke his gaze from the wall and glanced over to the framed photograph of Sara and Laurel on the desk.

He smiled at the photo, remembering every night he stayed out late or snuck out to a party with Sara.

Every time Jake went through a rough patch and needed an escape, Sara was there. She helped him ignore all the bad shit in his life, even if it was just for an hour. She never judged him for wanting freedom.

"I still remember her first date like it was yesterday," Quentin's eyes glazed over briefly, a sad smile on his lips as he recalled the eventful night to Jake.

"September 2003, around 6:00 in the evening. Your uncle pulls up to my driveway in a silver 1970 Mustang Fastback. Benji gets outta the car, clad in a leather jacket and a black dress shirt, his hair all spikey and cropped at the top, and walks to the front door with a nervous smile. I open the door with a gun in my hand and a deadpan expression. He comes in and shakes my hand firmly, before sitting down. And before I start listing off the rules, I ask him, "What's your favorite organ?" He paused, exhaling a deep chuckle before continuing.

"And the kid says immediately, "The brain, her brain. Its my favorite thing about your daughter, sir. She's really smart." And I freeze in my seat. Benji starts to get anxious afterwards, I could see it in those doe brown eyes of his. I was expecting the kid to say something stupid, something that could tell me that he wasn't right for my daughter. But he didn't, and I was pleasantly surprised. So, before he starts to freak out, I say, "Good answer, kid."

Jake smiled in amusement, crossing his arms, "Benji did always have a way with words," he paused with a rough exhale, rubbing a hand through his hair before meeting the detectives sad gaze.

"This might sound crazy, but I think that Benji and Sara might still be alive. I mean, its been 8 years. We don't know for sure that they died, which could be good or bad. Either way, I can't ignore the possibility of that. Of them coming back one day."

Quentin looked away briefly before giving Jake a sad smile, "That's good kid, hold onto that hope. We could use a lot of that nowadays. Especially with those bodies that popped up in the Glades."

Jake eyes widen slightly in curiosity and shock. His thoughts drifted over to what happened when he returned 2 nights ago. He hoped that Quentin wasn't talking about those bodies, the ones he was responsible for.

He anxiously cleared his throat before questioning the captain with a raised eyebrow, "Do you have any information on the guy who did it? Physical appearance, age, anything I should look out for?"

Quentin gave him a look, "Don't get too ahead of yourself kid, your not a sworn officer yet," he paused, sighing, "But, to answer your question, no. We only got the bodies this morning."

Jake only nodded in response, taking in the new information.

Arrowcave

"Damn it!" Oliver exclaimed with a frustrated grunt, pushing himself up again on the Salmon Ladder. He had been trying to get through this last rung for the past 3 minutes, but he couldn't focus. He was too plagued by his mind, and its buzzing thoughts.

Only a few of those thoughts consisted of Darhk. The rest consisted of Diggle, and their strained friendship. He tried everything to earn his trust back...at least from his perspective. But the veteran soldier wouldn't budge, he was just too stubborn.

This whole situation with Jake didn't help matters, it only added to Oliver's plagued mind. The former playboy didn't want to jump to conclusions, but he needed to know if Jake was a threat. For Thea's sake, and for Star City.

"I'd be drooling right now if I wasn't so busy researching Thea's "friend"," Felicity joked, air quoting before she continued her typing.

Deciding to take a break, Oliver jumped down from the ladder with a deep exhale. He grabbed an unopened water bottle before making his way over to Felicity.

"What did you find?" He asked, taking a few sips of his water.

"A lot actually. Police reports, news articles, footage. Unfortunately, none of those connect Jake to this Ghost. But," the blonde paused, pulling up four different windows on the computer screens in front of her.

She turned to Oliver afterwards, gesturing to the computers as she spoke, "I was able to hack into the database of the Civil Police Department in Rio. And the files they have connect Jake to something else, something a lot more... interesting."

Oliver leaned in slightly, glaring as the four different profiles popped up. He followed Felicity with his gaze as she continued, gesturing to the computer monitor on her right.

"Daniel Reyes, investigator of the CPD since 2006. Late 20s, 6'3, and... " The blonde hacker paused again with widened eyes.

"He was hunted down after murdering his Captain, who was later revealed to be working with Victor Garmudela. Geesh, out of all the places in the world, Jake couldn't have picked one that was, I don't know, less corrupt?" Felicity retorted with a scoff.

Oliver shook his head, pointing to one of the paragraphs of Jakes profile, "Jake didn't want to go to Brazil, he was forced."

Felicity nodded her head, skimming through Jakes profile, "He was involved with the Santa Muerte, a Brazlian drug cartel that was well known in the Northeastern parts of South America. Prostitution, trafficking, and all the other norms for a notorious gang," she pointed to the two other profiles in the center, "These two were his closest allies. Nicolas Alvarado: hacker, DJ, and a current student at Stanford University. He's majoring in mechanical engineering, under a scholarship."

Felicity shook her head this time, skimming over Nico's backstory, "Why do I get the feeling he hacked himself a scholarship?"

Oliver turned to Felicity, giving her a pointed look.

"Sorry, off topic," she cleared her throat before continuing.

"Maia Cruz, black belt in Tai Chi and Brazilian Jiujitsu. She worked for the gang after declining a spot at the ANPRF. None of the footage I uncovered of her showed much, mostly just her roaming shantytowns and slaughtering gang members with the Ghost. That and Machins footage is the only solid evidence we have that suggests Jake is the Ghost. Plus, he didn't exactly deny it in the tape."

Without a word, Oliver moved over to the display case his suit currently resided in, grabbing his bow from the nearby rack.

"The SCPD found 6 bodies in the Glades, 6 bodies with the same brand mark that members of the Santa Muerte used. Whatever this is, needs to end. And, since Jake is our only lead, we follow it. I'll get answers."

Jake pulled the hood of his blue flannel jacket over his head, strolling down the sidewalk. Breathing in the mint flavored vapor from his vape pen, he aimlessly roamed the empty streets ahead, passing run down restaurants and tattoo parlors in the Glades.

There was something about the night that fascinated Jake. He loved how spontaneous it could be, the thrill. He considered himself a Night Owl, someone who felt more alive when the Sun disappeared and the Moon took its place.

He sighed, releasing the flavored vapor from his lips as he crossed the empty street, making his way through the bridge of an intersection.

When his phone chimed from his pocket, Jake slowed his pace to a near stop.

He answered it after looking at the caller ID, "Took you long enough."

"Yeah. Well, maybe if you and Maia hadn't insisted on me going to college like a normal person, I'd be free enough to do things for you," a sarcastic voice replied from the other end.

With an eye role, Jake exhaled an annoyed sigh, "Whatever, smartass. We both know that you're smart enough to finish all of your assignments within like, thirty minutes."

There's a scoff at the other end, along with the sound of typing, "Pssh, I'd rather work on upgrading my drone. Besides, all of the stuff they give me is freaking easy! What's the point of going to school if you're already educated in everything?"

The hacker paused with a brief exhale, "Anyway, Maia contacted me a few days ago. Mentioned something about being followed. She seemed a little a panicky on the phone."

Jake grips his phone a little tighter, his eyes widening, "What?! Is she okay?!"

There's a sound up above on the bridge that prompted Jake to ignore Nico's response. He glared, focusing on the area around him, listening in for another sound.

"Yo! Jake, did you hear me? I said that the guys who tailed her wore tactical gear, used military grade weapons. She said that when she cornered one of them, he mentioned something about a 'H.I.V.E.', then offed himself with cyanide."

Once Jake surveyed the area a few times, he sighed, some of the tension leaving his back. He was still on edge. Something felt off.

"Sorry man, I've just been really paranoid since I came home, especially after... that night I got back. I thought I heard footsteps."

"That's understandable. After everything you've been through, you get to be paranoid. By the way, I checked, and Vic isn't anywhere near you. He must be giving orders from afar, like in another country afar."

Suddenly, a green arrow sliced through the air from up above, and Jake was almost to slow to respond.

He muttered a silent curse, dodging the pointed projectile that had been dead set on impaling his shoulder. It landed right behind him, emitting a loud bang followed by a bright glow that blinded him.

"Shit! I gotta go!" He whispered hurriedly into the phone before hanging up, not giving Nico the chance to respond. He lifted an arm up to his face to fend off the light.

Time seemed to speed up once Jake regained his vision. His body was set into a fighting stance as he tried to locate his attacker.

A green gloved fist is suddenly thrown, barely missing Jakes face as he deflected it quickly with his hand, delivering a strike of his own.

Not much time passed when Jake swung his fist again, feeling drained from energy as he continued to defend himself. His vision was still a little blurry from the flash bang.

The fight ended when the hooded attacker deflected Jake's uncharacteristically weak punch, grabbing it and twisting it back. He proceeded to hit him square in the face with his compound bow, knocking him out cold.

Nanda Parbat

Laurel sighed in exhaustion, packing up the last of her belongings in her duffel bag. Once everything is packed, she moved to zip up the bag, but stopped as she noticed a photograph. It was stacked on top of the neat pile of clothes she brought.

Smoothing a stray lock of her blonde hair back, she leaned forward to pick up the the lamented photo. She smiled, remembering the night it was taken.

It was the weekend before Sara went off to college, and Laurel wanted to spend some time with her sister before she left to start a new chapter in her life. She also had to watch over Jake, who was thirteen at the time and still as mischievous as he was when she had met him that previous year. And since Sara had never officially met the little troublemaker, Laurel thought it was a good idea to put the three baseball game tickets she had to good use.

That night, the Starling City Rockets had won the three hour game by a blowout against the Central City Diamonds, 32-5. And Jake, who was hyped up by caramel corn and cherry cola, had caught the baseball during the last inning.

Laurel's smile widened, staring down at Jake's thrilled expression in the photograph. Sara had also worn a smile, her arm was wrapped around Jake's shoulders as he held the baseball up in pride.

"Hey."

Laurel turns around to face an exhausted Thea, who sleepily trudged into the bedroom in her pajamas before closing the door.

"Hey, couldn't sleep?" she gave the youngest Queen a small smile.

"Yeah, I just can't focus on sleep lately. Especially with everything going on," Thea paused, glancing over to the photograph in Laurels hand.

"No way, is that Jake? I've never seen pictures of him that young. Just of him in high school," she walked over to get a better look.

Laurel giggled softly as Thea grabbed the photograph in awe, covering her mouth with one hand in an attempt to stop herself from squealing.

"Jake would kill me if he knew I showed you this."

Thea scoffed out a laugh, "That's because he knows I'd never stop teasing him about it. Look at those freckles, and that goofy smile! He was such a cute kid, could've gotten away with murder with those looks."

The smile from Thea's face quickly disappeared as her gaze switched from Jake to Sara in the photograph.

Her thoughts suddenly drift to the youngest Lance, and the reason her and Laurel came to Nanda Parbat, "I know you said that you wanted to keep this between us. But once we figure out a way to bring Sara back for good..."

Thea sighed, threading her fingers through her dark hair, "I just think that Jake should know, and he needs to hear it from you."

Laurel sighed as well, taking a seat on the bed, "I know, but I don't want him to get his hopes up."

She paused, turning to Thea and gesturing to the photograph in her hands, "Her eyes were empty when she looked at that photo. If we can't get her back, I'd rather let Jake believe that she just died on the Gambit. I know it's wrong, but I don't want him to feel that pain again. I don't want him to shut himself down like he did when his dad died."

Seeing the tears in Laurel's eyes, Thea walked over to sit beside her on the bed, pulling her into a tight hug.

With a painful groan, Jake opened his eyes. His face scrunched up in a grimace as a sharp sting surged through his forehead, followed by a dull ache.

Once the headache ends, he took a moment to look around. He quickly determined that he was in what looked to be a small warehouse somewhere in the Glades. Shaking his head, he forced the rest of the foggyness from his mind as he looked down at himself. Each of his legs were zip tied to one of the front legs of the wooden chair, and his arms were zip cuffed behind behind the back of the chair. To make matters worse, cables were wrapped tightly around his torso.

Groaning in exasperation, Jake looked around in an attempt to try to find something that could aid him. Anything that may have even been of slight use was far out of his short reach.

Jake let out a deep exhale, he knew he would have to use a tactic he learned during his many captures in Brazil.

"This is going to hurt," he grumbled under his breath and prepared himself.

Once he was ready, he used all the strength he could generate to rock the chair forward, using the balls of his feet to push himself backwards afterwards. With Jake in tow, the chair landed on its back legs with enough force to snap and crash roughly to the ground.

"Shit, I forgot how much that hurts," he mumbled under his breath from his place on the cold, concrete ground.

He then twisted and struggled away from the loosened cables and to his knees. Jake prepared himself again before yanking his left shoulder out of its socket with a painful grunt, hearing a loud pop in response. With his shoulder now dislocated, he managed to maneuver under his body and bring his still zip tied hands in front of him before falling to the side on his left dislocated shoulder.

That produced another pop as his shoulder popped back into place, which was accompanied by another loud grunt of pain and muttered curses from Jake. Returning to his knees, he brought his wrists to his mouth, using his teeth to pull the end of the zip ties to the middle. Then, he pulled them as tight as he could before intertwining his fingers and raising his arms above his head, only to slam them into his midsection with as much power as he could muster.

The snapping noise of the zip ties breaking was like music to Jakes ears. Rubbing his wrists, he stood and looked around for the warehouse door. It was to his far right next to a shelf rack in the corner. Before approaching it, he scanned the room to make sure no one was hiding in the shadows and then made a break for the door.

Reaching it, he extended his left hand to the knob to open the door. Suddenly, a sharp, bolt of pain sprung through the previously dislocated shoulder.

"What the fuck!?" Jake yelled out as he looked at his shoulder, grimacing at sight of a green arrow sticking out of it. The color only added to his anger and pain.

"Jacob Hawthorne!" A deep modulated voice stated with a nearly inaudible thud.

A figure dressed head to toe in green leather dropped from the shattered skylight in the middle of the ceiling.

Jake let's out an amused scoff, shaking his head. Tired and pissed didn't even fully cover what he was feeling right now. But, as he glanced over to his impaled shoulder, noticing the blood that slowly seeped out and covered his fingers, he couldn't help himself from finding humor and irony in the situation.

"Kidnapped, two nights in a row. I must be famous or something."

A/N: Happy Thanksgiving guys! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!