Undefeated: Chapter 3: Wasteland
Author's note: We continue on the journey, people! We start this thing here after the island explodes. I have done my research on C4 so Chase couldn't have sunk the entire Lian Yu, just most of the surface of it.
Follow me and see what happens!
Warnings: some language, martial arts violence
Enjoy!
XxXxXxX
Lian You, Chinese Prison
Emily didn't know when the noises of the explosion died down. Malcolm's calming breath had lulled her into a restorative sleep earlier than that. She woke up and looked at her love. She touched his cheek and after a while, he woke up too and smiled at her.
"Hi," she said.
"Hi." He smiled back, his voice a little too weak for her liking.
"You ok?" she asked, snuggling up to him gently.
"Um, I think so. My head hurts a little." His gaze travelled towards Kevin and Bri. The sounds of water in the shower made him ask with a knowing smile, "Tim doing his usual bathroom routine? Taking way too much time? I know how much that annoys you."
"Yeah, well. I've gotten used to that. More important things to discuss though. You have a concussion," Emily said, squeezing his hand.
"I've been through worse," Malcolm chuckled, then his face turned serious and concerned. "Thea?"
"She seems to have escaped, after your whole 'kill Digger Harkness and Talia's ninjas' scenario."
"Ah, so you eavesdropped on me through the commlinks? Which I explicitly told you NOT to do."
"And you really thought I would obey?" Emily cocked her brow.
"Hm, nope, I guess."
"To be quite honest, Malcolm, your daughter is somewhat of a bitch."
"That's rather harsh, Emily."
"Just speaking my mind. Neither she nor Oliver have exactly been kind to you."
"Perhaps I did not deserve it. However, Oliver has actually been surprisingly kind since we landed here."
"Really? How so?"
"I can't quite put my finger on it." Malcolm sighed in confusion. "He just... it was as if things were back to when we cooperated on defeating Ra's two years ago. He seemed to trust me again. He was kind, despite of what I had done with Damien Dahrk. It felt as if he was my son again, although I know now he'd never think of me like that; I'm not delusional. But… he depended on me the way he had then. It was like a dream come true." He smiled wistfully, then sighed again. "I'm worried about him, Emily. Worried that Chase or Talia might have gotten to him."
Emily took his prosthetic hand into hers gently, "So you feel that way about him after he did this?"
"He might have done much worse. I plunged him into a world of pain... Emily, I can't even begin to describe what my actions caused him to go through. I hold no grudges against him; I have no right, and he is a good boy, deep down inside. His heart's in the right place. And I did hurt him. I can't even imagine what suffering this island, the place I banished him to for such a long time, has caused him to endure. The echoes of what I've done all those years ago, and then afterwards; to Oliver, to Tommy, to Sara, to Thea; to even earlier, Robert, to people who thought of me as a friend. The chain of events I have set in motion," Malcolm stared away into the distance, guilt painted on his face. "And now, because of me, Oliver might be…" His voice broke off with grief.
"Don't think that; don't do that to yourself," Emily whispered. "Paradoxically, if anything, what you did to him has made him a survivor, made him stronger. I had known him before all that, a brief brush on the Starling party scene. None of my friends, nor I, wanted to have anything to do with him. Spoiled brat, we used to call him. So, in a paradoxical way, you might have done him a favour."
"A cruel favour, Emily. We all make silly mistakes in our youth. And the kind of mistakes he or Tommy made... They didn't deserve the kind of pain that followed. I know I failed Tommy and Thea as a father; in some way I failed my wife and Oliver as well. I focused on being a killer, an assassin because it was the easy road to take, to stifle my own pain, while they still suffered. And some paid the ultimate price for my selfishness."
Emily put her arm on his shoulder.
"Don't do this to yourself, Malcolm. Don't go on this guilt trip that serves no one. You couldn't have known the Undertaking would kill Tommy. As Resh you helped resurrect Thea and Sara, you helped Oliver numerous times even though he kept rejecting you, as is his unfortunate trait. He has done his share of bad things."
"He started down that road because of me."
"No, he could have made different choices. Malcolm, whatever mistakes you made, you did not force him into anything. Yes, you influenced him, but ultimately his choices were his own. You weren't standing there, strongarming him to make them. It's complicated, I agree. But we are all human beings in a large world and each choice we make influences other people, just like other people's choices influence us. We are unique creatures and we can't predict what will be what I call a… well, a trigger that causes someone to react this way or that. So stop this guilt trip. I know you want to help Oliver, but this won't. You hurt him, I know that, but so have others."
"That's not what Chase has done." Malcolm sighed. "I mean just hurt him. Emily, I have seen Oliver after their encounter. He didn't confide in me about it, and why would he? I'm not exactly a person he would trust. But, it doesn't take a scientist to figure out that Chase broke him somehow. Psychologically, emotionally." Malcolm's expression was haunted. "Ems, the boy was a shadow of himself. I don't know what Chase did to Oliver, but it must have been something... something monstrous. He's not the same person, not by a long shot. He's in pain, and I... don't want him to be in pain."
"That only shows you're a good man and that's what I always knew anyway." Emily wiped a drop of sweat from his forehead. "You know I have no love lost for Oliver, but whatever Chase did to him, we can try to find a way to fix it. Or prevent whatever he and Talia are thinking of doing to him, any further damage. You know I'm not someone who gives up."
"Yes, but... I feel so useless here in this makeshift hospital wing." Malcolm shifted uneasily, clearly longing to jump back into action.
Emily laid a calming hand on his shoulder. "Well, you need to get better so there's no other way to do it… And Malcolm, I must tell you this. I truly admire you for the way you continue to care for him, treat him as a son."
"He has always been that to me, despite all the harm he and I caused each other, and even more so now. I wish all that strife between us had never happened. I wish I had been kinder towards him." He shook his head with regret.
Emily kissed him then, hugging him close.
"Oliver is a survivor. We will find him alive and ok, I promise. We just need to get some sleep." She lay her head gently in the crook of his arm. They fell into an uneasy slumber, Kevin and Sabrina keeping watch outside.
XxXxXxX
Emily woke up suddenly several hours later, stifling her startled gasp as she noticed Malcolm was still asleep. She didn't want to disturb him, but her system was too pumped up with adrenaline to just stay put, so she got up and padded her way to the other room.
Kevin stood up, next to Bri, who was napping propped up against the wall. Emily noticed with concern she had a wound on her shoulder.
"We had that checked out, it's nothing serious. Tim and I are taking turns napping and checking on her." Kevin reassured her.
"Alright," Emily said, her voice burdened with worry and moved to walk past him, but he put his hand on her shoulder firmly.
"Hey, where are you off to?"
"The beach, I think." Emily sighed as she turned back towars him. "Malcolm is worried about Oliver. Oliver was going for the boat so he is probably there, as is Chase." She resumed her walk and he fell into step beside her.
"Perhaps I should go with you."
"No, you and Timothy stay with Sabrina and Malcolm. I need to check on Oliver," Emily's tone brooked no objection.
Kevin knew her too well to try and dissuade her from what he knew was nuke-resistant resolve. He decided to negotiate a compromise instead.
"Emily, I understand, but I must insist on me not staying here. Thea and the rest of them might be in the ARGUS bunker. Felicity Smoak is bound to have read the maps and escaped there. Tim will stay here with Bri and Malcolm while I go and check. I remember the way."
Emily still seemed hesitant. He himself was hesitant, about her going off alone to possibly face Chase or whatever that idiot had prepared, about what the rest of them would have to face. The ultimate unknown in a place forsaken by the world. He decided to fall back on his Agency training, even though these circumstances went beyond everything he'd ever had had to deal with before.
"Ems, you do what you have to do and I will as well. We have the commlinks, right? I go do my thing, you do yours. I will inform Tim, then radio silence. I will sitrep you as soon as i get to the bunker, okay?" He helped her through some rubble from the explosion.
"Okay." Emily nodded as she turned to make her way toward the beach. The desolate landscape before her made her stop. There were no trees, no anything, just burnt ground, and very distant sea on the horizon. She glanced back at Kevin, but he had run off. She knew why. In his time as an agent he must have grown used to difficult conditions like this.
Emily took a deep breath, strengthened her grip on her bow and started to make her way in the direction of the beach.
She didn't need to watch her step too much now; the C4 had removed all the mines. All that was left were some rocks.
She walked at a rapid pace until she found herself on the beach. She stood there, her arrow ready to notch, looking out onto the sea. She saw a boat but it seemed abandoned, floating idly.
XxXxXxX
Emily walked a few paces on the beach, then was suddenly thrown to the sand, an angry young male keeping her pinned down. It was Oliver Queen. She struggled a little, then gave up as his grip made her gasp in pain.
"Who are you?" he growled, his gaze travelling towards her bow. She noticed a boy standing a little further away. William.
"Ouch," she exclaimed. "Ouch, let me go! I'm not an enemy. I'm a friend of Malcolm's!"
"That doesn't exclude you from the enemy category."
Emily sighed in exasperation. "I'm not here to harm you, just to help you. I'm Malcolm's associate. He's been wounded, and he informed me about
Adrian Chase and Talia Al Ghul. I came here to make sure they haven't hurt you."
Oliver looked at her doubtfully for a while. "Well, that's quite a story you're trying to sell."
Emily decided to forego the formalities and took a commlink out of her pocket. "Me and my friends heard the entire snafu you all got into by the cages, so we know Adrian Chase and Talia Al Ghul attacked you. Malcolm kept us secret because he suspected one of your allies was in fact a traitor."
Oliver lessened the grip on her arms.
"The famous Digger Harkness," Emily said. "He's dead, by the way. Him and some of Talia's ninjas. Malcolm almost died when he killed them."
"What?!" Oliver exclaimed.
"Thea stepped on a mine while they were walking to the plane, and Malcolm took her place, made them all run away to safety. Then he tricked Harkness into stepping on the mine, while we listened on. Harkness and his team were blown all the way to hell before we arrived. Malcolm almost died there, but managed to jump away."
"Wait, what?!" Oliver was beyond shocked.
"Yeah. Me and my friends were in a different part of the island but found Malcolm and got him to safety before the explosion. The old Chinese prison. You know it from your time here."
Oliver nodded in confirmation, then helped her up. She seemed legit, but the situation was developing way too fast for his liking. Emily brushed away the sand from her leathers, shrugged away a kink in her neck, then looked at him earnestly.
"There is no time for me to explain everything right now, but I know a lot about you, even if you don't know stuff about me. What's important is that Malcolm is majorly wounded, and even more majorly worried about you, so I have come here to check on you. He told me you were headed for a boat, and I have no clue what the status of that is or where Chase or Talia might be. We are very exposed here, to be quite honest." She looked around uneasily.
"I don't even know your name," Oliver said, not sure what to make of this woman standing before him.
"I'm Emily." She reached out her hand to shake his. "So let's get the introductions out of the way and deal with this complicated situation."
Oliver shook her hand back, surprised by her frankness. She'd also put her bow away, which reassured him that she had no hostile intentions.
"So, what do we do now?" he asked, taken aback by her steadfastness and courage. She seemed completely unafraid of him, even though Malcolm must have told her about Oliver's skills as an archer and a fighter. Her posture told him she had a lot of experience in that regard as well. She held herself like a true warrior. Oliver didn't know what caused him to sense this but she had an air of goodness about her that turned into what was almost vulnerability when he stared at her longer. It made him trust her on a deeper level.
"Um, and Chase is dead," he said, knowing it was the right moment to impart that information. If they were to cooperate, there was no reason to dally.
"What?" she exclaimed in surprise. "Wait, what the hell? Did you kill him? I thought you were in danger from him!" If Oliver had any doubts about her intentions before, they were completely gone now. She was one of the good ones.
"No, actually he committed suicide. He had this remote trigger in his head that caused the explosion. I… I tried to stop him, but he took me by surprise. I had just grabbed William from him and I wanted to jump at him, wrestle the gun away, but he was too fast. And then we watched this island explode, and… Everyone I love was on it. I'm the reason they were here and i failed to save them."
Emily put an arm on his shoulder.
"That might not be true, Oliver. Me and my friends went to the Chinese prison while Felicity and the rest, as we heard on comms, were headed for the plane. So the geniuses that Felicity and Curtis are, there's a strong chance they saw the explosives just as we did and decided to go to the ARGUS prison, which is the closest location to them. Oliver, they could have made it there! You know how smart they are!"
The boy looked at her hopefully but still full of doubt.
"Listen," she said. "One of my friends, he used to be a CIA agent, and he ran there just before I got here; he has a map of the island, one that Malcolm provided. His name's Kevin. It might take a while, but he will get there, sooner than we can from here."
"Okay," Oliver seemed resigned. He nodded and introduced Emily to William. They sat on the beach for almost an hour. Oliver observed the woman, the kindness with which she approached William, the natural way she had with children. The jokes she exchanged with the boy seemed to tear his mind away from the trauma he'd just been through with Chase.
Suddenly her commlink beeped and she moved away to answer it.
Oliver knew it must be her friend. Kevin, was it? With news about Felicity and everyone he loved.
"Ah, so you found them? They're there? Oh that's-So she-Oh." Her voice broke for a second. "Yeah I made it to the beach, I'm with Oliver and William. I need to tell him and I will call you back ASAP, okay?" She disconnected then turned to Oliver, who looked at her with apprehension.
She didn't know how to tell him this, but knew she had to. And she needed to do it delicately. She led him away from William to make sure it was far enough to clue Oliver in without the boy hearing.
"Bad news?"
"Both good and bad news," Emily said.
"Tell me,"Oliver said, bracing himself for the very worst, making a show of just having an innocent stroll with Emily.
"Thea, Felicity and Curtis are alive."
He sighed with relief as Emily's gaze travelled towards William. "Samantha didn't make it, I'm sorry." There was no easy way to say it.
Oliver's gaze followed hers as she looked at his son, just standing there, staring at the waves, away from the horror of it all, from the wasteland this place had become. And now, this boy who had suffered so much trauma already would have to learn he'd never see his mother again, that she was gone? How to even begin to reveal something like this to a child, how to make it hurt less? And it was bound to hurt. Oliver did not know the first thing about being a father. He and Samantha had a one night stand during his wild days that resulted in this precious child, and he always knew she was a kind person, devoted to William.
He turned to the woman walking beside him, took her hand in his suddenly.
"Emily, I can't do this, I can't tell him. I don't know how. I don't have a clue, and he needs to know, I can't keep lying to him. He needs to know and I don't know how to tell him. Could you?"
Emily looked at him uncertainly.
"I know it's a lot to ask, but you seemed to click out there while we waited for your friend's call and I... Well, basically, I think I'd botch this. But he needs to know." Oliver's tone was desperate.
Emily had no idea what to do with this request. She didn't think that in her mercenary profession she'd ever have children of her own, that she'd have to deal with something like this. To be honest, she didn't even want kids.
Meeting Malcolm had changed all that.
However, having your own fresh, newborn baby would be a situation a thousand miles away from informing an almost teenage child his mother was gone, and also having to deal with what she noticed by looking at Oliver, a very distressed and lost father.
She sighed deeply, then turned to Oliver. "Alright, I will tell him, make it as gentle as I possibly can. But you have to be prepared for his grief, and as a father, to take the responsibility and deal with the way he reacts, to lessen the pain it is sure to cause him. He knows you're his father, right?"
"Yes, I told him after the whole Chase situation. And I realise my responsibility, Emily. I will do my best to help him."
"Okay, so here we go then." She went up to William and put her hand gently on his shoulder, noticing he kept his gaze fixed on the sea, away from the boat and the wasteland. She had no idea how to break such heavy news to him, but she didn't have a choice. She remembered she had an energy candybar in her pocket, to keep her alert when she had to go on without food for hours during a mission.
"Here, a snack for you." She handed it to William.
"Thanks." He unwrapped it and dug in, smiling when he tasted the chocolate.
"Let's sit down, okay?" She said as Oliver moved further back. The boy smiled softly and nodded.
She let him enjoy the candy bar and the comforting sound of seagulls before she broached the inevitable subject. How does one tell a vulnerable child this age that his mother had just died? Emily had lost her mother when she was twice as old as he, had no experience with children. All she had to go on was her gut feeling.
"Thank you for the candy, it was very tasty," the boy said politely, and it almost broke her heart, knowing the information she was about to impart would shatter his world.
"You're very welcome, William."
"You seem sad, Emily."
"I am, because I have some very sad news."
"What happened?" he asked in trepidation.
Emily sighed inwardly, the core of her being twisting with grief. "Your mommy, William. She-" Emily struggled to speak as her breath caught in her throat. "She's gone. She died."
Emily saw the shock in his gaze turn to grief and grief in a child's eyes is something one never recovers from. She moved to hold him and he held her, too. He struggled to be brave then, though. He looked at what was left of the island for a while. "That stupid explosion that happened when my dad and me were on the boat killed her, didn't it?"
"Yes," Emily confirmed, then made a decision. William was an intelligent boy and she felt particularly vengeful towards Talia Al Ghul just now. "The man who killed himself on the boat had allies. And listen to me very carefully, William. There are a lot of us with bows around here, including your dad. But our enemies have bows too, Bows and scimitars and other swords and weapons. So I need you to promise me this. When you see a dark haired woman with a bow, shout 'Talia' and then hide. I'm only telling you this because my best friend and ally also has dark hair and her name is Sabrina. Sabrina is to be trusted, Talia is not. Neither are the men who look like ninjas."
Emily then made an executive decision and shoved one of the daggers she was equipped with into William's hand. "Hide it and use it only on Talia. Me and your father will be there every step of the way, got it?"
"Yeah." He nodded with determination.
Emily approached Oliver, her stance firm and determined. "I've done what you asked. Will knows what happened and I guess we are now bound for the ARGUS bunker Thea and Felicity are in."
Oliver nodded in confirmation as they started a fast walk, William gripping his father's hand.
Emily reactivated her commlink to Kevin, and he informed her that everyone at the bunker was fine. "We will be there shortly," she said and increased her pace. They were lucky enough not to meet any of Talia's men on their way.
XxXxXxX
Kevin met them at the door when they arrived. "Everything is calm here," he told them.
Oliver nodded, then moved to hug Felicity and Thea.
William just stayed next to Emily. He seemed to have taken a liking to her.
"Are we safe here? And who are these women my father is kissing?" He asked in a suspicious tone.
"We're safer here than outside; Talia didn't get to us," Emily whispered reassuringly. "The older girl is Felicity, a woman your father is in love with. The younger one is Thea, your dad's half-sister and your aunt." The boy nodded in understanding, confirming Emily's sense he was way smarter than Oliver.
"I feel like i should go to them and say hi, but I'm kinda not feeling confident enough."
"It's okay, I'll come with you," Emily said.
She shared a gentle smile with Kevin. "Just don't kill them, ok, Ems? I told them who you are before you arrived," he whispered so William couldn't hear.
Emily nodded, then took William by the hand and slowly approached the group. 'Don't stab Thea with the dagger, don't stab Thea with the dagger, there's a child in the room,' she kept repeating in her thoughts as she smiled politely at the women when she approached.
"Um, hello, Emily. Glad you and Oliver and William made it here safely." Felicity said with a smile as Emily put away her bow. "Your friend Kevin there is quite impressive. Former FBI, is it?" there was a sudden edge to Felicity's voice and it made Emily realize the hacker was still mistrustful and testing her. She took her time removing most of her hidden daggers and weapons, then putting them on the table in full display.
"CIA, actually," she corrected. "He went freelance several years ago," They shook hands in a friendly manner. Felicity grew more relaxed as she saw the honesty in the other woman's gaze.
Emily turned to Thea, noticed her pursed lips, but reached out her hand nevertheless. "Hi, you must be Thea." She almost puked into her mouth a little as she looked at the bratty look on the girl's face.
"And you are HIS girlfriend, from what your friend there told me."
Emily's gaze darkened. "If by 'HIM' you mean your father, who practically sacrificed his life for you, then yes, I am." The sudden fury in Emily's voice made Thea withdraw a few steps. "And don't call me 'girlfriend, you spoiled little brat!" Venom dripped from Emily's voice and despite the fact she held no weapons, her tone made everyone withdraw.
"He might not be a perfect father, but he sacrificed everything for you and all you have rewarded him with is your spite! How can you even live with yourself?I heard the entire conversation he had with you on commlinks before he gave up his life for you!"
"I didn't ask this of him!" Thea exclaimed, defensively.
"And didn't he tell you in that very same conversation that a child doesn't need to ask that of their parent? It's a given, you little fool!"
"I-I didn't want for him to get hurt." Thea stammered.
"Well, then, perhaps you shouldn't have stepped on a frikking mine!" Emily spat. "And your hypocritical self-righteousness makes me sick! I know how many times he's rescued you! The nights I spent hearing him crying 'Thea' 'Thea' 'Thea', the nights he woke up having screamed that same name, numerous times! When, WHEN will you get it through your thick head that your father actually LOVES you?!"
The girl seemed at a loss for what to say. Everyone in the room was shocked by Emily's outburst.
"I- Emily, I didn't realise, I..."
"Then realise now, finally realise that fucking HELL, HE LOVES YOU ABOVE LIFE ITSELF, ABOVE EVERYTHING!"
Kevin put his hands on Emily 's arms in a comforting manner as her shout continued to echo through the room.
Thea just stood there, then said in a small voice: "I didn't know."
"Well, if him jumping on a landmine to rescue your sorry ass wasn't enough of a clue, then then I don't' know what would be," Emily shook her head resignedly as she made her way into an adjoining compartment, Felicity and Oliver following her.
She sat on the bed, her gaze a storm of dark blue and grey. Noone dared to disturb the silence until she looked up at them.
"I'm sorry for blowing up like that, Oliver. I know she's your sister and all, and yeah, Malcolm has his faults as a father, but who ever had not?" She sighed. "Thea's stubbornness just rubs me the wrong way. Perhaps I know him and his emotions better than you, Oliver; perhaps I 'see the man behind the monster, the good behind the evil.' I'm not delusional." She looked at them earnestly and continued, "I've just numerously witnessed a really amazing side of him, even before he risked his very existence for Thea. I've seen a kind man, whom life had put in horrible circumstances. He has been a rock to me, always, ever since we met." She gazed at the pair sadly, not even knowing why she was spilling her secrets to them. "Deep down inside, he's not evil. I know you're probably the last people on the planet who would trust me on this, but I cannot remain silent, not with what I know about him in my very core."
There was a long silence as Felicity sat down next to Emily, while Oliver moved to the window, both of them speechless for a while.
Felicity laid a hand on Emily's arm before she started speaking, struggling for words. "Well, that was… very deep and very honest and... I was there when Malcolm rescued Thea. Not only her, all of us. Never in my life have I thought I'd actually grow to admire him." Her voice grew hoarse as her memory returned to the situation. "What Malcolm said to Thea, it was pure love, none of it pretend... And I am very known for calling him a bastard and a liar every chance I get." Felicity's mouth curled up in a kind of roguish smile. "I know he wasn't then, despite his history. I admit I understand what you said about him. I… I thought of him as the very definition of a villain for most of the time I've known him and yet... Seeing this absolute selflessness in him on that forest road... He did prove me wrong then, Emily. You're right, there is good in him. Despite the things he's done, deep down there is this… a… a spark? A sacrifice like this, for a daughter that hated him, for us, who definitely hated him... I'm not sure if I'd be able to do that."
"Thank you for saying that, Felicity. And I'm not unaware of his sins. I understand the hurt he caused Oliver and why both of you can't forgive him." Emily paused briefly and sighed as she threw a glance at Oliver, then continued, "I also understand that you might think somewhat less of me because I love him and have been his associate and companion for many years. I'm not apologizing or asking for your forgiveness, neither is he or any of my friends." She paused again and turned back to look at Felicity. "I think… It's too late for apologies, but also not a time to hold grudges. So, perhaps we could find a middle ground and, well, focus on getting out of this mess?"
Felicity nodded. "Hm, like: 'no singing kumbya by the fire, but not jumping down each other's throats either' kinda thing?"
"Yeah, I guess," Emily chuckled.
Both Oliver and Felicity smiled at her then. "I think we can agree on that," Oliver said.
"Great," Emily let out a relieved sigh and then it was her turn to throw Felicity a roguish smile. "Although, um... I might have to ask a favour of you, Felicity."
"Oh?"
"Yeah," Emily laughed self-consciously. "I did hear you're the expert on hacking and computer stuff. My friend Sabrina is a genius at programming and making videos, even though she's very humble about it. Perhaps after we deal with all of what we're going through now, we could meet up and take Ms Felicity Smoak's course on computers? I have to admit, I'm a geek at heart."
"Well, no shame in that." Felicity laughed. "Maybe in exchange you could give me a crash course on using a bow."
"Sure. Probably, given the circumstances it might be best done sooner rather than later." Emily smiled.
"This is a great idea," Oliver piped in. "In fact, why don't you start now?"
"Wait, what?" the women turned to him in surprise.
"Well, we all should soon head for the bunker in the prison where your friends are, Emily" Oliver said. There is strength in numbers and we don't know when Talia might attack next. Your friend Kevin is clearly a warrior and I reckon we have some great warriors out there at the Chinese prison, so it's best we all meet and face this threat together, rather than remain divided like we are now. However, William is beyond exhausted after the entire Chase ordeal, so we need to delay for a while, which gives you two time for training. I'll feel more secure knowing Felicity gets some of these skills."
"I agree," Emily nodded. "Although, I'm quite surprised that you yourself haven't taught her yet, Oliver. I mean, you've been... um.. working together for years now, right?" She asked diplomatically.
Felicity and Oliver looked at each other, then the hacker turned back to Emily. "Well, let's just say Oliver isn't exactly what you would call 'teacher material'?"
Oliver flushed at that as his mind travelled back towards when he was training his recruits and all the mistakes he made with them. Rory, Renee, Evelyn… Well, there was no use to dwell on it now anyway.
XxXxXxX
"So, may I stay and observe your crash course?" Oliver asked in a playful tone, trying to disperse the sad mood that treatened to overcome him.
"Sure. Felicity, don't you dare and let him give you stagefright, despite the fact he's an accomplished archer."
"Ok you just read my mind there, right now. And I'm already stage-frighted." Felicity used a cute linguistics-based comment that made Emily laugh.
"Don't be 'stage-frighted', okay? Just put your focus on what you need to do, on the bow." She threw a brief look at Oliver that made him withdraw into a darker corner of the room, not to hover. Then she handed her bow to Felicity. "Get acquainted with its weight while I-oh, this will be perfect as target practice!"
There was a random advert newspaper on the table nearby and Emily tore out a page, then glued it to the wall with a piece of gum she took out from her pouch. Oliver had to smile at the impromptu ingenuity.
Emily approached Felicity then, stood next to her. "Ok, so the bow shouldn't be too heavy, I'm about the same height and weight as you."
"Nope, doesn't feel too heavy, although I probably don't have the same pulling strength as you. I haven't been doing much of arm strength exercise."
"It's ok, I had little to no exercise either before I shot my bow the first time. Just forget any stagefright thingy, focus on that advert and my instructions, okay?"
"Okay."
"So, the most important thing is your stance." Emily moved behind Felicity and corrected it, moving gently but firmly, her tone calm and patient. "Remember to keep your stance." Suddenly Emily started to channel the archery lessons Malcolm had given her.
"Yes, right leg here, left a little back, at this angle. Now put the bow up and try to pull it to full draw. It's compound, so the initial weight will let go at that time, let you choose your target with ease."
Felicity did as she was told and sighed with amazement when she managed to pull the bow fully and the initial exertion to her muscles when doing it was suddenly relieved.
Emily noticed the movement and smiled. "Now, aim it at the newspaper. You can take your time, but remember not to forget your stance. Make sure your gaze is focused on the arrow and that its tip is aligned with where you want it to hit. After you release it, keep your muscles clenched and your position firm, the very same as when you're shooting, up until you notice it hit the target." Emily adjusted Felicity's arm position a little, lifting her elbow up the way it should be, then withdrew a step.
"Okay, Felicity, notch and shoot, focus on that ridiculous advert!"
Felicity did as she was told and managed to hit the picture, very near the middle. "Whoa, that felt strangely satisfying," she said.
"It is." Emily smiled. "Archery is a very satisfying sport and something of a work of art. If I may offer any advice, practice the stance even if you don't actually shoot anything and also, some arm exercises. Lifting weights or even arm aerobics. It will make the pull less of a struggle and increase your speed in shooting."
Felicity nodded and shot several more arrows, while Emily corrected the mistakes she was making, weaving in some technical info about bows into her instructions.
Felicity grew tired after a while and returned the bow to Emily. "Thanks for the lesson, you fully earned that hacking crash course from me," she smiled. "Are you sure you shouldn't be a teacher? You have a way of explaining things in a clear, no-nonsense way while making your student feel at ease and well, um, secure."
"Wow, this is quite a compliment, Felicity. I used to teach English once; you know it is not my native language." She smiled as Felicity nodded, probably having done her research and asked Kevin about her. "I used to work as a tutor on the side. And ya know…" She handed Felicity a bottle of mineral water. "When I think back to that time, I kinda enjoyed it, but I did not exactly go by the book, I mean… I chose subjects that I felt passionate about, like in English, texts that I liked and ones I knew wouldn't bore my students. I tried to make sure they understood the subject and that the lessons were instructive, not a drag. I hope I succeeded. They were wonderful people."
"Well, you have succeeded with me, " Felicity said warmly after she took a gulp of her water. "I've had my share of teachers that had too much ego and too little knowledge."
Emily smiled. "I think I know the type. My teacher at the university had the ego the size of a tank!" They both giggled a little, then Emily's expression turned serious.
Felicity looked at her curiously. Emily continued. "I have had some great teachers in my life. First is my father, the kindest person you could meet on this earth. Then, my literature teacher at my high school, the most inspiring of woman I have met. Then there is my friend, a man I met when I was at the hospital, twice my age, but he knew so much about life he could have been a hundred. Also, last but not least, and it might be controversial in your case: Malcolm Merlyn. I think he's the best teacher of them all. Or one of the best ones."
"Well, several weeks ago, I'd have vehemently protested against that statement. But after what I witnessed recently, I think I misjudged him to some level. I might just be willing to cautiously give him the benefit of the doubt."
"So there might be a Felicity-Malcolm archery training session in the future?" Emily asked with a laugh.
Felicity laughed as well. "There might be, provided he endures a computer code lesson, courtesy of me."
"Fair enough! Knowing him and his character, he'd appreciate acquiring a new skill. And I bet you'd enjoy watching him squirm a little as you make it the most difficult it can possibly be!"
Felicity almost choked on her water as she burst outlaughing. "True, true," she coughed.
"Ladies, I hate to disturb this bonding session, but we should get going to the prison. We don't know what Talia has planned. William is okay now, so no further delay needed." Oliver said.
"Sure." Emily stood up, but before she went out, she pushed one of her spare daggers into Felicity's hand. "No need for training on this one. Just stab." She smiled and went into the main room. Everyone was prepared and ready to go.
XxXxXxX
After they all went outside and started their trek, Emily fell into step beside Thea. "Listen, I'm sorry for going all ballistic on you earlier," she said to the girl. "I...I tend to get emotional and also I'm very protective of your father."
"It's okay," Thea said. "His first instinct in that awful situation was to protect me and everyone else. I'm happy he's alive and... I'm not exactly proud of what I said to him then."
Emily looked at the sad wasteland spreading before them. "You can tell that to him yourself once we get to the prison bunker. Just don't make his efforts be in vain and be careful. Keep yourself safe as we make our way there, ok?"
"Ok." Thea nodded.
Emily moved to Oliver then. He seemed to have some sort of trouble with William. "What's wrong?"
"I'm not sure. I'm new to this whole father thing. He's grieving for his mom and this sorry landscape here and the stress of it all are not helping. Perhaps you could- I mean, I should be the one to deal with this, but you've developed some sort of a bond with him. So, if it's not too much to ask, would you try to put him at ease somehow? I just feel useless." Oliver sighed.
"Of course; I'll do my best," she said reassuringly as Oliver nodded and moved back to walk with Felicity. Emily joined William. He seemed confused by the ugly landscape they walked through, his expression both haunted and determined at the same time.
Emily put her arm on his shoulder gently. "Not a prety picture, is it?" she asked softly.
"Nope, but my life has been full of bleak ones recently. And it doesn't look like it's about to get better," he answered and she heard his voice break slightly. He clearly tried to be brave but the situation seemed to overwhelm him.
"William." She put her arm around his back. "This is beyond overwhelming, but don't give up. We are in deep shit, to put it bluntly, but we also have some wonderful friends that support us, some of which you will soon meet. We are in danger, but if we have each others' backs we can get through it."
He nodded and his posture straightened, clearly feeling less helpless. They walked in silence for a while, then William asked her a surprising question. "The man, the one on the boat that caused this awful explosion, he… he made this demand of my father, to let him kill me or everyone else here. Then my dad rescued me and he caused the island to explode… Am I… am I the reason my mom and all these other people died?" William started to cry.
Emily hugged him as he sobbed. "No!" she exclaimed. "Never blame yourself for that! He was mad, and I am certain he would have caused the island to blow up anyway, and also killed you. So listen to me, don't you blame yourself for a second! You're a smart, wonderful, kind boy and in no way responsible for his actions! Okay?!"
He looked at her, reassured.
Oliver had heard the last part of the conversation and approached them. He just put a hand on Emily's arm in a simple expression of gratitude as William joined Felicity behind them. "Thank you," he said." I couldn't get what was wrong with him until he just spilled the beans to you."
"You're very welcome. And since for most of the time, we have been dealing with personal drama and not the elephant in the... well not room, but wasteland, I think we should deal with that," Emily said.
"Yeah, Talia might attack at any second or whatever," Oliver agreed.
Emily nodded, her strategical thinking kicking in as she turned to look at the group.
"Alright, so I reckon we should do this. You, me, Kevin, and Thea take the flanks, to be the first line of defense in case of attack. The rest create a makeshift cordon around William."
"Sounds like good strategy," Oliver agreed and moved to inform the others about it. He returned soon afterwards.
"All set," he said when he returned. They moved through the forest, but met no resistance. The walk to their destination seemed to last for ages, though.
XxXxXxX
There was a sudden whoosing sound.
"Watch out, incoming!" Oliver shouted as he noticed a small missile make its way towards them, several kilometers away from the entrance to the prison.
"So that must be Talia's tactic!" Emily exclaimed as she ducked. "She wants to take us out at her ease, before we get there, then attack the prison itself and everyone there! Who at this time, have only the walls of the prison bunker to keep them safe!"
"What makes you so sure of that?" Oliver exclaimed as another missile hit nearby.
Thea and the rest of her group withdrew slightly, some shouting in panic. They hid behind a cluster of rocks.
"I know because I've seen it in my time in combat before! We need to make it to the prison as soon as possible. They want to keep us pinned down, hiding in this wasteland somewhere so they can kill everyone inside!" she gulped then continued, "Or, depending on their numbers, pick off all the ones inside and the ones outside at the same time! We only have these rocks to hide behind and they won't last long!" Her voice grew hoarse from all the shouting and dodging. "Kevin, tell me you have some handgrenades?!"
"Of course!" He started throwing them at the enemy. Arrows, bullets, grenades flying everywhere.
Sabrina opened the door to the prison hatch as Kevin approached with Felicity and William. She let them in, then joined the fray, downing opponent after opponent with her black and red arrows.
"Oliver, now would be the time for your smoke grenade, give us cover to get inside!" Emily shouted.
He nodded then threw one, then hightailed it with Thea, Emily and Curtis on their heels.
"Ok, we're all here," Emily gasped as the door shook from the explosions outside.
"I'm not sure when they're going to give up, but they seem to have a lot of ammunition!" Kevin exclaimed.
"Anyway, first things first. Malcolm?" Emily asked Bri.
"Stable. Although if they keep shooting at us like this, they might blow out the power generator and well, there goes our electricity. I don't need to tell you what that means!"
Another explosion shook the room.
"Uh, there is a helicopter, freakishly armed, shooting at us," Sabrina exclaimed, taking a careful peek out a small bulletproof basement window.
"Ok, I'm sick of this!" Kevin shouted and ran down the steps to an even lower level. "THIS IS a FUCKING MILITARY PRISON, they're bound to have a- oh yeah!" came his cheerful voice, seconds before he emerged with a bazooka, of all things.
"Move over, y'all," he said as he shoved Sabrina and Emily away from the window, then aimed and shot. The helicopter went down in a burst of flames.
"Well, that should keep them occupied for a while." He said in a detached voice as most of the people in the room just stared at him with shock.
"All right, we need to arrange things around here and remain prepared," Sabrina said and moved towards Kevin. Emily turned to Tim.
"I want to go to Malcolm, I need to- I-" Her voice was heavy with anxiety and impatience.
"Of course, go right ahead, There's good news, he's been improving steadily."
Emily started to move towards the chamber but Thea's hand on her arm stopped her. "Could I go with you? I know what the situation is, but I... I'd like to accompany you." Her tone was shy and uncertain.
Emily squeezed her hand. "Of course you can, Thea, you don't have to ask. He is your father."
They entered the room where Malcolm was recovering. The soft and steady beep of his heart monitor was the only sound that greeted them. They approached the bed slowly. Emily kissed her love, then made way for Thea.
The girl seemed unsure of what to do, how to behave. She only ever saw her father as this strong warrior, an assassin, a fighter, someone to be reckoned with, someone that caused fear in others, even in her. And he caused that in her now, but it was a different kind of fear. Seeing him so pale and vulnerable on that bed, so unlike himself, so unlike what she was used to... it was a fear of losing him, a realization that she needed him, desperately, needed the strength that she had asked him for, years ago, strength he had provided, even when she pushed him away stubbornly, giving into anger and sometimes unfairly, choosing to blame him for everything that went wrong in her life, even when he did not deserve it.
She sat on the bedside then leaned in and put her head on his chest gently, taking his hand into hers. "Dad? Daddy?" she asked quietly squeezing his hand a little harder.
He stirred a little as Emily sat on the bed next to her.
"Thea," he whispered softly as his eyes fluttered open. "And Emily. You're okay." He smiled.
"Yeah, I'm okay, only thanks to that stunt you pulled there in the forest," Thea said in a mock angry voice as she snuggled up to him, letting Emily take his hand and wrap it in hers.
"Well, it was all worth it if I get to wake up to this."
"Don't joke like that, Dad."
"I'm not joking. It truly was worth it. I love the two of you and every pain is worth suffering through to have you safe with me." Malcolm's voice was hoarse, but not from exhaustion. He fought the tears of joy that threatened to start spilling because Thea was actually calling him 'dad' again.
"Well, we might not be all that safe. Digger Harkness is gone, but Talia Al Ghul is still here," Emily said bitterly. "She and her goons tried to attack us just outside this compound. We seem to have fended them off for now, though."
"And Oliver?"
"Both him and William made it safe back here; they're okay. The entire island above exploded though, because of Chase. So we are several feet below a wasteland and no clue as to the fate of some of our allies, like Diggle and Nyssa. Samantha is gone, unfortunately. She didn't make it inside the ARGUS bunker before the explosion."
"I'm sorry. William must be crushed right now. Sad, scared, and confused."
"He is. He does not remember you as scary, though. Said you were kind back when… You know, you took him to Dahrk." Emily bit her lip and looked away.
"Majorly bad decision on my part," Malcolm sighed. "To risk an innocent child's life that way, to give in to my anger at something Oliver did that I, in fact, deserved."
Thea took his prosthetic hand in hers then, surprised at the genuity of his guilt for what his decisions had caused her to endure. She realised it was the first time she'd ever touched it, realized she'd never asked if wearing it caused him any discomfort or pain. The only comment she'd made about it, many months ago was that he was lucky Oliver hadn't cut off his head. She'd shown him no compassion whatsoever, and for some reason it made her uneasy.
She looked back on her actions from the past year and felt a stab of cold. The way she went and destroyed her brother's reporter girlfriend's career without giving it a second thought, the way she treated her own father, what she'd said to him, the way she seemed to enjoy causing people pain. Perhaps the passing remark Malcolm had made, that Nyssa's potion didn't really cure her, that it was a temporary solution was correct? Perhaps there was still a monster inside her, hiding, waiting to rear its ugly head suddenly, only in a more subtle way? She'd always thought of Malcolm as the evil one, but was he? When push came to shove, he always saved her, almost gave his life for hers. He survived the sacrifice by pure luck, and even that wasn't certain, given his weakened state. And.. it had taken her mere seconds to abandon him and run off like a coward, leaving him on that mine. He was far from a perfect father, but she always had this hubris in her mind, thinking she was better than him. She wasn't. She was selfish and she had ignored her own blood, she had left him there, knowing he'd die. She had ran like a scared little animal. She felt ashamed of herself.
She hugged him harder then, a cry escaping her. "I'm sorry Daddy, I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I-I love you," she repeated the words she had said into an empty room at the bunker, only now she was telling them to him, a real person. "Recover from this, Daddy. I shouldn't have said what I said, I...I shouldn't have left like that, I want you alive and well and with me!"
Malcolm wrapped his arms around her as his breath hitched with emotion. It was the first time in her entire life Thea told him she loved him, the first time she spoke to him with such tenderness, hugged him with childlike abandon. Every pain, every wound he had endured was worth this moment. "You don't need to be sorry, Thea. I'm lucky to have such a treasure as you, and I am recovering." His gaze travelled to Emily who stood up, moved to tears by the reunion. She still managed a smile, though.
"I am coming back, to both of you. And Thea?" His voice grew stronger then. "I swear to you, I will be the father you deserve. Now snuggle closer, I can take it, I'm not made of glass."
Thea laughed and obliged, a huge grin spreading on her face.
Emily felt a presence behind her and turned to see Oliver. "How much of that conversation you've heard?" she asked as they exited the room.
XxXxXxX
"Enough," Oliver smiled. "And I'm glad I have. I haven't seen Thea this happy since I don't know how long. Timothy says Malcolm should make a full recovery. There is still Talia to deal with somewhere, though."
"Yeah," Emily said. "We need to come up with a strategy for that." They made their way outside and looked at what was left of the island, checked out the damage Talia's missile had made to the area around the prison.
"I think I have an idea where she might be hiding," Oliver whispered. "And offense is the best defense, so if you and your friends are game, we should pool our resources and hit her... Well, before she even knows what hit her."
"Sure. We ought to make an inventory of the weapons we have here, Anything that can be potentially transformed into a weapon should also be taken into account. Sabrina and Kevin are very skilled in that regard, so I will ask them to help."
"Okay." He nodded. "And thanks for not blowing up on me as you did on Thea. I realise you love Malcolm, so I get how you'd be angry at me for the... Well, the duel and the hand situation, the role I played in hurting him, in disbanding the League." He paused, sarching for words. "I mean, he did hurt me first, and he hurt a lot of other people, but... I realise now that keeping score is just feeding into this vicious circle that doesn't benefit anyone, just brings more harm. I was made painfully aware of that by Adrian Chase." Oliver's gaze grew haunted. "I may not be able to forgive Malcolm for the things he has done, but I have also done a lot of horrendous stuff in my life, so perhaps I shouldn't be one to judge."
Emily put a hand on his arm briefly. "You know, I was angry at you, very much so, after I learned what you did during that duel. If you had met me then, well... You would have had to deal with an angry blowout from hell." They both chuckled. "But life has taught me that things aren't always what they seem when taken out of context. What you saw was a man just giving up on his daughter's life because of selfish reasons."
Oliver nodded and Emily continued. "What I know is, he was, in fact, working on a solution to save her, a more permanent one than the Lotus potion, one he kept secret from everyone, because he wasn't sure whom he could trust. What he had planned for the League was truly to change the world for the better, as I'm sure he told you. And perhaps there might, some day, be a way to do that."
"Wait, did you just imply that the Lotus potion didn't fully cure Thea? That its effects are... temporary?" Oliver asked with unease.
"Yes. "Emily confirmed. "At the library in Nanda Parbat, Malcolm and I found books that said there were ceremonies to be performed, books that analysed earlier cases of the Lazarus Pit resurrections and how people were cured fully from the side effects. It was sort of like putting together a puzzle. The details were there, but scattered. We needed time to complete it, only there was no time with Nyssa undermining Malcolm at every turn."
Emily sighed in frustration. "The Lotus potion is indeed labelled a temporary solution by all the sources we consulted… When Nyssa disbanded the League and destroyed the ring, Malcolm had no further access to the library, so we had to leave it at that. Damien Dahrk was threatening Apocalypse... Malcolm took the only logical course of action he could to make sure Thea and his closest associates stayed safe." She paused and looked at the Green Arrow earnestly. "Oliver, you must know that deep down, Malcolm was never really in cahoots with Damien. He knew the only way to defeat him was from the inside, to learn how HIVE works, what makes Dahrk tick. I'm not saying he didn't feel vengeful towards you, but he did manage to steer what you did to him in the right direction."
Oliver nodded, seeing her point. Malcolm had helped them fight Dahrk's forces that fateful night when Oliver killed Damien and despite the twisted way he approached things, there was a consistent pattern in the Dark Archer's actions. He always returned to rescue him and his sister. This reverie made Oliver miss some of what Emily was saying, but he refocused.
"...I mean, it takes time to bring something as powerful as the League and its resources back to life, but it is Thea's best chance, all of our best chances combined, really. Oliver, this could change the world as we know it, for the better."
Emily expected Oliver to react angrily at the fact she and Malcolm even entertained the idea of bringing the League back, but the Vigilante just looked away with a haunted expression.
"What is it, Oliver?" she asked.
"Thea," he said, in a weak, troubled voice. "The way she's been acting... I mean, she hasn't had the urge to murder people at random, but this… This coldness in her… She lied to me, numerous times, she almost destroyed my girlfriend's career, she made political decisions during my stint as Star City's mayor that were worthy of a tyrant and the way she acted towards some of our friends and towards Malcolm, sometimes towards me... Other little details…" He broke off and bit his lip. "Emily, I've known her since she was born and now, I don't recognize her sometimes. Is she under some twisted spell, is she not fully herself? Is she about to relapse into being a murdering, soulless creature?!"
He was almost panicking. Emily sensed it and lay a calming hand on his arm. "Oliver, don't freak out, that won't help anyone. Like I said, we didn't manage to investigate thoroughly, so while Thea might not be fully herself, you did see her with her father just now, the kindness she still clearly has inside." She sighed. "We have enemies almost literally knocking on our door, so let's get our priorities straight. Do what is possible, now." Emily's matter-of-fact tone helped ground him. "Oliver, we'll need to keep observing her for any disturbing signs and you're the best one to do that, perhaps alert Felicity and Curtis to the situation. Malcolm and I know it already."
Oliver nodded as Emily continued. "Also, I have an idea. You said Nyssa and Diggle might have been captured by Talia, perhaps others we aren't aware of. Nyssa knows League lore intimately, she's bound to know of a way to the library. I'm not doing this as a way to trick you," she warned.
"I wasn't thinking that," Oliver said. "I was just thinking about what Malcolm had said, sometime before our duel…" Oliver broke off. "The way he said it… Damn, I really am 'not especially bright' as he claimed! I failed to catch a clue and just effed the whole thing up!" He exclaimed.
"What was this clue?" Emily kept her voice level.
Oliver sighed in frustration. "Well, you know how he is! He implied it the whole time, in that covert way of his, that Nyssa wasn't providing the right solution; you know, indirect implications that he was working on one himself, only he probably couldn't tell me at the time directly. He might have suspected Nyssa or her allies had the room bugged. Damn, and only now do I see it! I'm an idiot!" he exclaimed.
"You're not an idiot," Emily admonished. "Well, okay, mostly not," she corrected herself and Oliver chuckled. "Anyway, there is no use in giving into anger at yourself. Like I said, we find Nyssa and then find our answers. What I know from some commlink eavesdropping me and my friends did, she still calls you 'husband'. Although it does seem, err.. slightly illogical, since the disbandment of the Leauge and its laws made your marriage null and void... But, anyway, use that potential loyalty to get her to give you the information we need. I'll do my part as well."
Oliver looked at her, trying very hard to not let his jaw drop in admiration.
"This is is a very devious and intelligent scenario, Emily," he said when he managed to regain his voice. "I'm glad you're on our side. I'd hate to have you as an enemy and, well, I'm happy I avoided that blow-up you are quite proficient at. I guess Thea took the brunt of that temper of yours."
Emily chuckled. "She did, and you're welcome. But she and I seem to have mended fences to some degree since then."
"I'm glad about that." They were walking through a private area of the corridor then, unheard by the rest of the team, their commlinks disabled.
Emily turned towards him as a small side corridor took them out of sight from Tim and Bri who were guarding the hall.
"Oliver, coming back to the topic of Malcolm and yourself…" She started, gently. "He doesn't want to pressure you into giving him your forgiveness for the pain he'd caused you. He only wishes to help you. He's always thought of you as a son... You know, the almost last thing he said to Thea before the whole mine thing happened was: 'You may not think of me as a father, but you will always be my daughter.' Quite a beautiful sentiment, and he has many of those, towards you as well." Emliy's breath hitched with emotion. "Each time when you were in absolute dire straits, his first instinct has been to help you."
"I've noticed that,"Oliver confirmed, recalling his recent trip to the island with Malcolm and decided not to mention how much he came to rely on the Dark Archer's support. He just wasn't ready.
Emily decided to push her agenda, sensing Oliver's hesitstion."From what I noticed, he wants the opportunity to do just that. Help you, protect you, be there for you when you fight the battles you face, be a person you might want to shake hands with. I've rarely seen him happier than when the two of you were on what one might call 'good terms.' As opposed to exchanging blows and hateful words." Her voice grew hoarser, lower at the memory.
Oliver remembered these times of confiding in Malcolm and had to admit to himself he had enjoyed them as well.
"I'd like that," he said.
"Well, then, let's put things in action mode. We'll have to make a move against Talia soon, but we need to make sure everyone's at least somewhat ready for that and turn this place into a fortress, now and later, in case we need to retreat. We'll have to prepare the others for what we gotta do, and there will be details and stuff, so probably, not an easy task. However, that should take enough time for Malcolm to recover, as well."
"Alright," Oliver agreed. He had to admire her no-nonsense manner, and her ability to make complicated decisions in difficult circumstances as well as not holding grudges when they no longer seemed productive. He was also grateful for how she'd helped him with William. He'd had no idea what to do after the trauma the boy had been through, but she'd helped them both through it and demanded no thanks for that. Her ideas about Nyssa and helping Thea made total sense. She was quite an inspiring force and even though Oliver might not have admitted it to her, she helped put him back into the right mindset after Chase's actions knocked all the fight out of him.
"Emily," he said, taking her by the arm.
"Yeah?"
"I wanted to tell you how much I appreciate the way you helped me with William, and, frankly the way you helped me. It hasn't been easy and I seem to have spent too much time second-guessing myself. Somehow, you have pulled me out of that funk and made me aware of friends I have had in my life that I had not appreciated before and introduced me to new ones and, found a potential way to save my sister from a threat that has been hanging over all of us for a long time. And, I should probably stop speaking now, or you might think I'm hitting on you or something." He laughed self-consciously.
Emily laughed amicably. "It's okay, I'm a spoken-for woman anyway with Malcolm, and as cute as you are, you couldn't compete with that. Besides, I've seen you with Felicity. You are a spoken-for man, as well." She smiled.
"True, that I am."
"Well, so, friends then?" She shook his hand.
They nodded at each other, then moved to perform their respective tasks.
XxXxXxX
The light in the room was soft and Thea found the steady rhythm of her father's heart monitor so hypnotising she dozed off for a while, hugged close to him. She woke up to find him smiling at her softly and returned the smile as she snuggled closer, gently. "Hi," she said groggily and her tenderness made him wonder if he might have been wrong in his suspicions about the Lotus potion not having worked.
And yet, there had been all these warnings in the books he'd read with Emily while he was still Resh, the expressions of pure hatred she had displayed, the minute and yet telling differences to her behavior after her resurrection and the potion treatment. He turned away for a second to reach for a glass of water and when he turned back, she was holding a dagger in her hand, a distant expression on her face.
He looked around the room, thinking she saw some enemy had made their way inside, given they were under attack from Talia's forces, but he didn't see anyone. Then he noticed the dagger was directed at his chest, the tip almost puncturing his skin, Thea's gaze unfocused and yet full of rage. She seemed to be in some sort of a trance, growling under her breath.
He tried to grab her hand but she wrestled away, making another, more vehement attempt at stabbing him, her gaze wild, animal-like. He realized what it was. Her bloodlust had returned. He was still weak from his injuries and gasped in pain as she nicked his forearm. He fought against it and after a long struggle, managed to restrain her.
He kept calling her name, softly, then more insistently until her gaze cleared and she looked at him in surprise, noticed the dagger in her hand and sent it clattering to the floor with a cry of shock. "Nnnooonnnonnnonononno!
"It's back, it's back, Dad, Daddy, I'm so sorry, I was afraid it would return! Oh, please tell me I didn't hurt you or anyone else, Daddy, I.. I just I-I blacked out like before, Dad, tell me!" She was clearly panicking.
"You haven't; you haven't, darling," Malcolm reassured her as he hugged her.
"But I could have, I could have, I almost stabbed you."
"You didn't, though, just please, calm down."
"But Daddy, it's so scary, it's- I'm out of control, I-I didn't even realise I was doing it; until you woke me up; it was as if I wasn't even here. What is happening to me? Tell me! The next time it could also be you or or Ollie or Curtis or Felicity, anyone! Perhaps you should lock me up somewhere, chain me to a wall so that this doesn't happen. I-I'm afraid, I'm afraid to touch you or anyone, it could kick in any minute, any second!"
She jumped off the bed. Malcolm ripped out his IV, disconnected from the heart monitor and jumped after her, tried to grab her and hold her, but she wriggled away, sobbing.
"No, no, don't, don't come any closer, no! " She exclaimed. "Damn it, I thought it was over, resolved! I mean, the Lotus potion was supposed to have done that! But no, I am doomed to be this monster, attacking people I love at random, this… this-" she suddenly lashed out and kicked a piece of furniture over, then turned to Malcolm. "Well, see?! This is what I am now! A rabid animal, one that should be put down!"
She dived for the dagger then and tried to plunge it into her neck. Malcolm managed to anticipate her intention just in time, found the strength to run towards her despite his injuries. He twisted her wrist just enough to send the dagger clattering back to the floor, then kicked it away and grabbed her by the arms.
"No, Thea, don't! I won't allow you to do that, I won't!" She tried to protest but he didn't let her speak. "Whatever the problem is, Thea, we face it together, understand me? I know I failed and hurt you before but I'm not EVER making that mistake again, do you hear me?!"
She tried to wriggle away again, but he insisted, steadfast and unyielding. Finally, she collapsed into his arms then, overwhelmed by the pure love that radiated from him.
"How do I face something I don't even understand, something that turns me into a killing robot?" she whispered in a broken voice.
"With help from me," Malcolm said. "And from our friends. There is quite a bunch of them here, in case you didn't notice. And just so you know, this annoying bastard of a father here's sick of this bed and would very much like it if his daughter accompanied him outside for a while," he said in a softer tone.
Thea seemed very reluctant. "What if I try to attack you again out there, what if ithe bloodlust kicks in then? You still have all these injuries, and I, well, I'm basically a ticking timebomb. Why would you be even willing to risk it?" she asked, surprised.
Malcolm put his hand just above her heart then. "Because I trust this. I trust the strength that I know lies within you. The woman you have become despite your ordeals. I never told you this, but I said that to Oliver once. That even when you were a little baby, I-I had this sense you were my blood. I ordered a bloodtest just to be certain, although, on some deeper level, I just knew, earlier. But it's not what makes me trust you can overcome this. It's you yourself. This stubborness you have shown in fighting for what is right.
So, what will it be, will you accompany me for that short walk?"
Thea was still a little uncertain, but what he had said had really resonated with her.
"Okay."
They made their way upstairs, past Kevin and Tim standing guard by the door.
"Whoa," Thea exclaimed as she looked around. "This really is a wasteland."
"Only if you choose to think so," Malcolm said. "There is major damage but also, notice, there are some trees that survived the explosion and listen… Can you hear the birds chirping? They've returned here, so there might be something good about this place, after all, despite all this madness."
"Well, wow Dad, having this recent near-death experience sure has given you a fresh perception of life," Thea blurted out, snarkily, then wished she had bitten her tongue instead. Was it the bloodlust again? She didn't want to make light of his sacrifice, didn't want to turn into a spiteful bitch."I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to say that, Dad,"
He didn't seem to be angry at her. "It's okay, I understand how you might feel." He lay a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "When I lost my wife, when my entire life was shattered. I know what it's like to feel overwhelmed when everything is suddenly uncertain, when enemies seem to be approaching from all sides, even from within. You react in unexpected ways, are forced to do things you thought you never would have.
"I remember when I joined the League, I was completely out of my depth, alone in the midst of all these strangers, in an environment that didn't accept kindness or give it in return. It was a hard place to be at a time when I was at my most vulnerable." Malcolm sighed. "So I found a way to cope, a defense mechanism, if you will, to prevent myself from going absolutely mad. I'd just take a moment each day, however bleak life got and find some things to smile about. Simple things. Like enjoying a short, kind conversation, a drop of dew on a leaf, a tree rustling in the wind, the tasty smell of a meal. Being in the now, instead of dwelling on the past or dreading whatever the future may bring, The present is really all we have, Thea, and we so often forget to cherish it, recognize its worth."
"This is quite something, coming from a man whose life has been shaped by seeking revenge for what happened in the past, and dreading future threats." Thea remarked.
Malcolm smiled. "I'm not claiming I am proficient at this. It is a difficult skill to acquire, one that you can never cease to practice. And even then, it is always a struggle, but sometimes, it gets easier. Like, take your mind back to the happiest times of your life. The very very happiest."
Thea closed her eyes and remembered them.
"Were there any thoughts of past or future then? Or just you and the moment?"Malcolm asked.
"Just me and the moment, what I wanted to feel."
"And was your life perfect then?"
"No, not by far," she admitted.
"And yet, you had that moment of happiness, and it will stay with you forever, just like that time at the restaurant in Corto Maltese when we just joked around and had a good time, will stay with me forever. That moment, one we didn't even expect to happen, has helped me through some of the most difficult times in my life, Thea." His voice grew a little hoarse with emotion.
"I remember it." She smiled.
"And there are moments like that all around, only sometimes they are spontaneous, sometimes you need to look for them, sometimes you don't, you just have to direct your attention towards them. They can take you by surprise with their beauty."
"Like what?" Thea was genuinely curious then, the conversation captivating.
"Like that little rabbit down there." Malcolm indicated. "It's nibbling on the patch of grass that the explosion mercifully spared. And it spared its life too, despite how scared it must have been when it happened. And now, it's having its meal, just enjoying the taste of the grass, feeling happy and safe. Notice how safe and comfortable he feels, how focused he is on that grass and the food it provides him, despite the desolation that yes, is still around. But the pure fact is, he doesn't dwell on it, and in the midst of that horror, the danger he might have to face the next day, he has had this moment. And it will stay with him, and..." Malcolm moved slowly forward, and approached the tiny animal. He reached out and put his hand on its head gently, careful not to scare it. It seemed in need of some comfort, because it didn't run.
"Come on, pet it if you want," Malcolm encouraged his daughter. She approached slowly, then crouched next to them. The rabbit was now safely in Malcolm's arms. She reached out her hand and felt its fur, felt its softness. She looked for any traces of her bloodlust coming in, but there were none. Just this practically perfect moment with a very cute pet and her father, unexpected and precious, just the way he had said. The rabbit jumped away after a while after nuzzling her fingers a little.
"He probably needed to return to his home," Malcolm said, smiling softly as he stood and helped her up.
This was really a moment she would always cherish. And seeing Malcolm, so so tender, treating another creature with an almost childlike innocence and kindness, it reminded her of what she said to Felicity after the mine explosion. That she had caught a glimpse of the father he might have been, a father she wanted to have. She had thought he was gone then, but he was back and he still was this man. She thought she got a better understanding of him then. And of herself. He would always be the killer she knew he was, and it was what life has taught him, just as it did her. And yet, he would also be this man, full of kindness, her true father. Oliver was a killer and yet she never disavowed him as family. Robert Queen was someone she thought of as a father for most of her life and she cherished that, but now she did have Malcolm, and, well, who gets to have two dads?
Malcolm's philosophy seemed to be rubbing off on her. His openness, the innocence he had shown her touched her deeply. She searched for traces of the bloodlust inside her but there didn't seem to be any for now.
Malcolm put his arms around her and the sudden wave of tenderness towards him that enveloped her almost made her speechless.
Thea stared at the landscape and leaned into his embrace, any defences or doubts against him melting away. "I want you there with me, Dad, to keep me strong, every step of the way, always. I-I need you here and, please tell me you will protect me from this bloodlust; I want to be free of this. And... keep reminding me of this living in the moment thing. I really like it."
"I'm glad, and I will sweetheart." He hugged her closer and smiled warmly.
They both felt strong and alive, unlike they ever had before.
Author's note: Here it is, my wonderful fellow Malcolm fans. Long chapter for you to enjoy and review :)
