Part 12

Responsibility


A week after the Undertaking, everything was starting to get slowly back to normal.

Thanks to Moira's warning (and Karma and Arrow's actions), the number of dead was under 25, though there had been over 200 injured, both in the earthquake and during the evacuation. Still, the numbers were much lower than they could have been and they all knew that.

Oliver and Tommy each headed to their family company to keep everything under control. Veronica had convinced them, during the night, that they needed to take their responsibility and run their respective family companies in order to save thousands of jobs and their own fortunes. They couldn't let people they couldn't trust buy it over or subtly take control. They had to do their best to run it and to clean up their now tarnished family name. Thea had volunteered to manage the club until another solution popped up and they had no choice but to agree, especially since she seemed particularly enthusiastic about it and had good ideas.

Veronica decided not to open her PI office again. She was officially helping Thea with the club and the rest of the time, she was in the Foundry, under Verdant, doing researches or trying to solve some mysteries and making money with the test that she and Mac created. If someone really needed her help, they knew how to join her because she still kept her blog up to date. People kind of guessed that The Healer had a way to contact the Vigilantes. She still took the usual cases for her regular clients but she didn't seek more clients. She had plenty to do with The Healer, her blog, and her nightly activity as Karma.

To keep in touch with Oliver while he was at work, Veronica had set a permanent webcam connection between them, this way he wouldn't have to leave the office to discuss their vigilante work with her. It would be more effective and it reassured him to know that she was so close to him in case he needed to ask her a question or an advise, or simply to be cheered up.

"So, how's your new assistant?" Veronica asked Oliver with a smile as she tested the new connection.

"I don't like her. I wish you could have taken the job." He replied.

"Me, serving you coffee? No thanks. My inner bitch makes me not fit to be anyone's assistant and I think that would have marked the end of our relationship, and possibly of your life." She replied with humor.

Veronica had spend a long time looking through potential candidates until she found the one that would be best for Oliver.

She had discovered shortly after the undertaking, while checking out Queen Consolidated data for Oliver, that one of his father's ex lover, Isabel Rochev, was trying to take control of Queen Consolidated. Veronica had stopped her from buying any stock that had been put up for sell by buying them on her own, with money she had put aside over the last few months.

During her last stay in Neptune, Veronica and Mac had worked on refreshing the old "Purity test" and, in order to make some fast and easy money, had send it out to every private school (as well as public school in rich parts of the country). As a difference, they also sent a message to the parents, two days after the test was taken by their child, and offered for them to get the detailed answers of their offspring for 50 dollars. Cash had flood in quickly and the two young women shared it equally. While Mac had made a donation to a couple of charities, Veronica knew she needed to keep it all. Now, slowly, she was owning more and more stock from her boyfriend's company, as well as a couple of companies that Isabel Rochev had tried to take control of as well and that Veronica had invested in just to spite her.

Oliver knew it of course, Veronica didn't hide anything from him. They were true partners and she knew that if there was ever a moment where he wasn't able to be the CEO, he'd ask her to replace him, and she'd have to be ready. Another reason why the permanent connection was so useful. She knew that he wanted her to be his partner even at Queen Consolidated, to be his second in command or something. She actually wouldn't mind. She was getting her fill of adrenaline and justice during her night job with him, she didn't mind sitting behind a desk during the day. Her father would definitely like that as well.

"I know... Right now I'm thinking that I need a second in command, you know someone I could trust completely..." he hinted at her.

"We talked about this, I'm not ready for this yet, maybe later... Right now your board needs to be reassured that the company is in good hands, not to be handed someone who has no experience and no right to be there and that's exactly how they'll see me at the moment." Veronica replied with a chuckle.

"You're right. Anyway, I wish I didn't have to go to all these meetings... I know I'll always have a few a week but this week alone I have at least 5 meetings a day. First with the board, then with every head of department to review everything... Taking over and cleaning up the company is going to take some time and lots of coffee. I think I'd rather go back on the Island and being tortured." he tried to joke.

"I know, it'd be a different kind of torture, right? You could always do some of the later meetings via webcam but you're right, at the moment you need to attend all of these meetings yourself, you can't delegate if you want them to know and believe that you actually care. But don't worry, later you'll be able to do some of them via webcams." Veronica suggested.

"Good idea. Anyway, Mac sent me an email, she accepts the job I offered her. She resigned from Kane Software this morning and told me she'll be able to be in town in a few weeks. I told her we'd find her an apartment. With the money she still has left from your test thingy, she can get something nice in the upper part of town. She sent me back a list with her requirements for the apartment. I'll get my assistant to start looking later today, once she's done with all the letters I asked her to write for me." Oliver warned his girlfriend.

"I know, she called me while she sent it to you. Maybe you can ask her to be your assistant but I doubt she'd accept it." Veronica chuckled.

"I know, she's overqualified too. Well, it doesn't matter, you did your background search on this assistant so I guess she can be trusted." He sighted.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine. I know you're nervous about being Oliver Queen, CEO, but I'm only a webcam away. And yes, your new assistant can be trusted. She has had no contact with Isabel Rochev or any of the companies she works with, nor with the people Miss Rochev hangs out with." She smiled reassuringly.

"And how many candidates did you have to eliminate because of that argument?" He asked her, curiously.

"About 15. One had the same hairdresser as her driver but I didn't want to take any risks. She really did try to get someone inside though and seems angrier with every stock that I buy before her but what can I say? I'm just that good. Anyway, I'll be sending you some names later, employees of yours, that I suspect of having been contacted by her. You'll have to interrogate them and decide if you keep them anyway or fire them. I'll send you the ones she just spoke to along with a couple of names that she sent money to via intermediaries." Veronica replied with a proud and satisfied smile.

"Okay, thanks. I'll ask to see them all immediately and make my decisions after our discussion, I'll call you when I do so you can assist and ask your own questions."

"I'll even come in person if you want." Veronica smiled.

"Thanks, I really appreciate this. So, is Thea doing alright up there?" He asked her.

"So far so good. She seems to know what she's doing and has good ideas. I think it's her calling."

"What every big brother wants his little sister to do with her life, manage a club." Oliver sighted.

"At least she's safe and happy. Roy seems to like his new job as well." Veronica argued.

"True. Anyway, I guess I should do some actual work. I need to meet with people from applied sciences all morning long. I'll see you for lunch?" he asked her.

"Of course, I'll be by with some take out from Big Belly Burger." She smiled.

"Can't wait. I love you." he smiled back before buzzing his assistant to let his first appointment of the morning in.

.

Moira's lawyer had reassured her a few hours after she was arrested. Since Malcolm had been brought in, along with the evidence Moira and the Vigilantes provided, she'd be released pretty quickly. Malcolm would be taking all the heat on this, he'd be paying for all the lost lives and the damages caused to the town.

Malcolm wasn't helping his case, he refused to speak to anyone, even to his court appointed lawyer. Tommy had cut off all of his funds (even the hidden ones thanks to Veronica) by taking over the family company and he had refused to pay for their usual family lawyer to defend his father. Malcolm was now defended by a court appointed lawyer who came from the very part of town that had been destroyed and everyone knew he'd go away for a long time, unless he managed to break out, which wouldn't surprise anyone, even though he was kept in a high security facility, constantly being watched.

As soon as she was released from custody, Moira agreed to answer journalists questions and did so as honestly as she could.

"Misses Queen, what motivated you to warn people of Malcolm Merlyn's plans?" A blond woman asked her.

"My son did. He knew that something was going on and convinced me to tell him and not to be afraid anymore. He was going to rush out to try and warn people and he convinced me to overcome my fear of Malcolm and tell everyone the truth." Moira replied.

"Did Mister Merlyn scare you?" Another journalist asked her.

"Yes, he really did. He threatened my children's life, I... I believed that he had already killed my husband and my son. Even after Oliver came back, Malcolm quickly kidnapped Walter. I was scared, not for me, but for my family." Moira replied, trying to hide her emotions the best way she could.

"Why did you start working with him in the first place?"

"My husband did, before he went missing, and didn't tell me about it. Malcolm managed to convince their group of friends with pretty words and stupid ideals that they could redo the Glaves into a much better place for everyone in it but what he really wanted was to punish everyone for his wife's murder and the fact that she spent her life helping them and they didn't even try to help her, that they let her bleed to death. Robert eventually saw behind Malcolm's crazy mind but it was too late, he was too involved and couldn't get out of this. I believe that Malcolm sabotaged the Gambit to punish my husband for trying to stop him. He's... Malcolm Merlyn is far more dangerous than people think or expect." Moira confessed.

"What do you mean by that?"

"He's the black Archer, the copy-cat arrow that's been killing people." She revealed.

"Are you going back to Queen Consolidated now?"

"No, I believe that it's my son's turn now. I will provide him with guidance and advice if he needs them but nothing more. I've failed this city and my company, I need to take my responsibilities and try to fix things." Moira replied.

"How do you plan on doing that?"

"I'm not sure, I guess I'll see." Moira replied before she ended the questions and asked Diggle, whom Oliver had asked to make sure his mother got home safely, to drive her away.

.

To make things easier for him and the rest of his team, Oliver had settled their new headquarters under Queen Consolidated, with an hidden entrance outside and an hidden elevator in his office. The base under Verdant hadn't been dismantled though, they kept it in case of emergencies, as a secondary base, but they would work from under his day office from now on.

Veronica and Oliver would eat at least two meals a day together but most of the time, they did all three. They had breakfast with Moira and Thea at the family house, where they would all discuss their daily schedule and the news. Most of the time, they had lunch out or in the office, sometimes with Diggle. As for dinner, it varied from day to day. Sometimes they just grabbed something on their way to Vigilante-ing, sometimes they ate with Laurel and Tommy, sometimes they had a date night together and other time they ate with Thea and Moira.

When Oliver had a business Lunch, or even dinner, Veronica also joined them. Oliver wanted everyone to know that she was involved in the family business and that she would take an important position in the company some day. Already he had managed to convince Veronica to attend the board meetings with him, which she was entitled to considering the number of stock she now had in the company. All in all Veronica was getting acclimated quickly and she had attended all of the meetings Oliver had had with the people she was suspicious of. They had given second chances to a few of them but most of them had been fired and replaced by trust-worthy people.

"Hey Veronica, do you have a moment to talk or you're meeting with Oliver again?" Thea asked her big sister figure (and hopefully one day her sister in law).

"I have some time. Oliver and Tommy are meeting and I'm meeting with Laurel in two hours to help her with one of her cases. I have time. Is something wrong?" Veronica asked her.

"Why do you automatically assume that something is wrong?" Thea asked her with an amused smile.

"Force of habit. So, what do you want to talk about?" Veronica asked her with a smile, joining her on a bar stool.

"I... You know that you can trust me, right?"

"Of course I do, Thea. I trust you, just like you can trust me with anything." Veronica told her, concerned.

"Then why didn't you tell me that you were Karma?"

"Say what?" Veronica asked her.

"I figured it out after the undertaking. Roy was telling me how Arrow and Karma helped him save the people in that bus and I kept thinking of the few images we saw of Arrow and Karma helping people after everything. I think I only figured it out because I know you so well."

"I didn't tell you, not because I didn't trust you, Thea, but because I didn't want you involved, in danger." Veronica replied, seeing no point in denying it.

"Does Oliver know that you're Karma?" Thea asked her.

"Yes, he does."

"Is he Arrow?" Thea asked, looking like she already knew the answer.

"That's a question you'll have to ask him, you know that even if he is Arrow, I can't tell you. You have to ask him yourself."

"I think that pretty much means that he is." Thea smiled.

"You know that you can't tell anyone, right?"

"Of course, I understand how a secret identity works, Veronica. Who else knows?"

"John Diggle, Oliver's bodyguard, my friend Mac, my father and Tommy." Veronica replied, knowing that Thea would keep the secret.

Veronica then took Thea with her downstairs and showed her their old headquarters, before she made her promise not to go down on her own. Then she promised Thea that they would talk about it that evening with Oliver. She answered a few questions before she had to go and join Laurel. On her way, Veronica called Oliver and let him know of her conversation with Thea.

"We knew it would come eventually. I'm glad she took it well." He replied.

"She understood the secrecy and why we'd hide it from her. She'll wait for us tonight so we can talk about it but I think you're the one she really wants to talk with." Veronica explained.

"Well, I guess we'll talk tonight then. Are you on your way to Laurel's already?" he asked her.

"Yes, I bet we'll be done before you and Tommy are." She told him with a smile.

"Probably. What will you do once you're done?" He asked her, curiously.

"We'll probably go shopping or something normal girls do." Veronica chuckled.

"You should, you don't take enough time for you."

"I don't feel the need for it. I'm perfectly happy with the way things are, with the life I lead, with you." She confessed.

"So am I. I have to hang up now, Tommy is waiting for me. See you tonight?"

"Don't forget to bring pizzas." She reminded him before she hung up.

.

Later that night, Thea, Veronica and Oliver met in front of pizzas in the new vigilante headquarters and Oliver explained everything to his sister the best way he could while not revealing too much about what he had gone through on the island. He made sure that she knew that he was trying to protect her by not telling her about it and she understood, she wasn't even angry.

She promised to keep the secret and to help keep their cover anytime they might need it.


Did you like it? What do you think is next for the team? Don't hesitate to share this story with your friends, the more reviws I get, the more motivated I am to continue it and make it longer.

Lorelei Candice Black