Thanks for the reviews, guys! Unfortunately, there are only a couple of chapters left in this story. A lot is revealed in this chapter, and I hope you guys enjoy it. I am also working on a new Olicity fic. You can find the summary on my profile page and the story banner on my twitter (Bindy_417). Happy reading and please review!

Chapter 28

Felicity yanked at the rope binding her to the chair and instantly regretted it. The more she struggled, the tighter it dug into the skin of her wrists and ankles. She didn't know how long she'd been unconscious. The last thing she remembered was being pulled into the elevator by a dark hooded figure. When she'd finally woken up and the fog in her mind cleared, panic had set in. The room was large and cold looking. Except for the station of computers, there was a lot of empty space. There was also a large screen on the wall across from the workstation that seemed to be showing a clock counting down.

After minutes of useless struggling, she heard voices. They sounded like they were speaking Russian. Men she didn't recognize had entered the room. They didn't say anything-only stared with blank eyes. They must have been injected with the serum. As horrible a thought as it was, Felicity couldn't help feeling relieved. They wouldn't do anything to her unless they were ordered. Felicity was well aware of the danger of the situation, but she'd been taken for a reason.

It was a couple of minutes later that she heard another set of footsteps. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of Cooper beside Merlyn.

"Looks like Sleeping Beauty is finally awake," Cooper said, smirking. "Nice sweater, by the way. All that crazy Hanukkah crap really brings out the blue in your eyes."

"I should've known you'd be working with the devil," Felicity replied.

Cooper shrugged. "I have to admit I'm disappointed, Felicity, that you didn't put the clues together sooner. Guess you're not the genius you think you are."

"It has nothing to do with clues, really. I just should've known you'd be incapable of pulling something off this grand by yourself," Felicity shot back. "After all, it was my expertise you'd needed all these years to make Brother Eye work."

That wiped the smirk right off of Cooper's face. He recovered quickly, though. "You're not the only one with rich, powerful friends."

"So much for your cause. I thought you hated corporate types."

"You know what I hate even worse?" He didn't give her a chance to answer. "Losing."

"Hello, Miss Smoak, I don't think we've been properly introduced," Merlyn greeted with an eerie charm and smile. "I'm Malcolm Merlyn."

"I know exactly who you are."

"Then you know that despite the less-than-stellar accommodations, I only use force when I'm provoked. Which means that we're not going to have any problems, and you're going to be a model hostage for us, right?"

"Actually, I was going to go with mass murderer. So, yeah, that doesn't inspire much confidence about my safety."

Merlyn smiled, unruffled. "You have a great fire in you. I can see why Oliver cares for you. I've known him for years, and he's always had a thing for strong women. At first glance"-he eyed her sweater distastefully-"you don't really seem like much. But when Cooper filled me in on your abilities and we saw that you'd hacked into my mainframe, I was compelled to believe him."

"What do you want from me?"

"Unlike Mr. Seldon, I don't want anything from you. You're simply a means to an end for me. I want a second chance to defeat The Arrow, and you're the only guarantee that he won't run off like a coward again."

"Oliver is not a coward," Felicity defended. "He's dedicated his life to saving the people of this city, including me. He's a hero."

"Not exactly your best argument," Cooper cut in, " since because of his lack of ability to protect you, you're now our hostage."

"You're both in for a world of hurt." At their incredulous expressions, she pushed on, "I'm serious. I've become something of an expert in all things 'Arrow,' and you guys are gonna be on the receiving end of a butt-kicking I can only describe as epic." She glared at Cooper. "Especially you. We both know you wouldn't last two seconds against him if you weren't hiding behind Darth Vader over here."

"Dark Archer," Merlyn corrected.

"Same difference. You're both into black, kill people, and are terrible fathers."

"My son has finally taken his rightful place in the company. He's much stronger than he was," Merlyn declared. "That's because of me."

"Tommy is a good person and a good boss in spite of you. He would never condone this. If anything, he's ashamed of what his father has become."

Merlyn took a step forward, his eyes penetrating. "Do not attempt to lecture me, little girl, on things you can't possibly understand."

"Aside from your insane paternal logic, I'm also having trouble understanding your little countdown over there," Felicity said and nodded toward the clock. Whatever it signaled, it wasn't far off. There were only two and a half hours left on it. "It's a little early for New Year's."

His diabolical grin was back. "All will come to light soon enough." He then pulled out his phone. "Speaking of, Oliver must be very worried about you by now. Maybe we should give him a call."

Her heart raced at the prospect of talking to Oliver. Even if it was because Merlyn intended to threaten him, she needed to hear his voice and let him know that she was okay. He must be going out of his mind right now. In between trying to figure out how to find her, he was probably blaming himself.

Merlyn placed the phone at his ear. "Hello, Oliver," his deep, slick voice coolly greeted. "Or should I say The Arrow. Finally, I can put a face to the man under the hood. It's been too long."

Whatever Oliver was saying brought a satisfied grin to Merlyn's face. "She's quite safe for now." Another pause. "Would you like to say hi?"

Felicity absently strained at her bindings as she leaned forward. She wished she could snatch the phone right out of Merlyn's hand.

"Don't disappoint me," Merlyn warned as he put it on speaker phone. He held it in front of her face.

"Oliver," Felicity exclaimed. She tried to sound strong but was unable to hide the slight tremor in her voice.

"Felicity, are you okay? Where are you?" he demanded.

Despite her precarious situation, his voice soothed her slightly. "Yes, I'm okay," she reassured him. Her tendency to ramble came in handy with her next words. She needed to get them out fast and warn him. "But don't listen to anything they have to say, because it's definitely a trap!"

"That's enough," Merlyn interjected and pulled the phone away.

"I swear, if you so much as breathe on her, I'll-" Oliver threatened. He was barely keeping his anger in check, she could tell.

"You'll do exactly as I say, Oliver, or you'll never see your harlot again," Merlyn retorted. "Well, you might see parts of her."

Felicity's eyes widened in horror. What the hell did that mean?

"What do you want, Malcolm?"

"You're going to meet me tonight, and you're going to come alone. Otherwise, Cooper may have to take matters into his own hands. The boy is still lovesick over her, but he's also quite bitter after her betrayal. I'd hate for Felicity to lose one of her fingers. It'll make it awfully hard to type, and she's much too valuable and pretty for that-despite the atrocious sweater."

Felicity swallowed the bile rising in her throat. There was no way Cooper could stomach hurting her-at least when it came to dismemberment. Observing the hard look in his eyes, she realized that although he couldn't do it himself, Cooper also wouldn't stop it from happening.

"I'll come but when I do, you're releasing Felicity. You no longer need her if you have me."

"Her release depends on if you can defeat me."

"I want to see her."

Felicity's heart leapt at that. She wanted nothing more than to see him and run straight into his arms. She would do anything to get out of this nightmare.

"That's not possible at the moment."

"Then we don't have a deal."

"You don't have a choice," Merlyn replied, looking smug, and added for effect, "She really does have such small, delicate hands. Doesn't she, Cooper?"

Cooper lifted her hand. It only went so far, since it was strapped to the chair handles. "I see some of your nail polish has chipped on your index finger. Maybe that should be the first one to go."

Felicity shrank back from him. She tried not to react but ended up crying out in pain when Cooper twisted her finger.

"Don't," Oliver growled. His voice was resigned. "Tell me when and where?"

Merlyn, grinning as if he'd already won, mentioned one of the old, abandoned Bratva warehouses on the edge of town. Oliver would meet him there at midnight to finish what they'd started in Corto Maltese. The very idea of Oliver facing off against him again, especially after the injuries he'd suffered last time, scared Felicity more than anything.

"Oliver, don't come. Don't-" Felicity tried to discourage him before Cooper covered her mouth with his hand. She couldn't let him walk into a trap on her behalf. The odds would already be stacked against him.

"I expect your best tonight, Oliver," Merlyn stated. "Once and for all, we'll finally see who's the better archer."

Oliver's voice took on a deep, menacing tone. He was in full Arrow mode. "I let you live once. I won't make that mistake again."

"Until tonight," Merlyn replied and ended the call.

Sick of having her voice stifled, Felicity bit Cooper's hand. He yelped, cursing, and quickly removed it. "You bitch."

"Don't you dare touch me, you rat."

Cooper grabbed her face in a painful grip. "I'll do whatever the fuck I want. I'm running the show here. Don't test me, babe."

"Correction," Merlyn interrupted. "This is my operation."

Letting her go, Cooper turned around to face Merlyn. "We agreed that we're partners."

"Partners under my leadership. I promised her safety, and I'm a man of my word. She's not to be harmed unless I say otherwise."

"You do what you want with your prize. I'll do what I want with mine," Cooper argued, not backing down. "Felicity is mine, and Oliver's not getting her back-even if your old ass does manage to beat him."

Merlyn was quiet for a moment. His face blank. There was no way to tell what he was thinking with that scary-calm demeanor, but she got the feeling that there was something brewing under the surface. A minute later, Felicity was proven right. Merlyn reached out and grabbed Cooper. He easily twisted him around with his arm bent at a painful angle behind his back. Cooper cried out in pain.

"You already endangered our plans once by using the men without my consent to show off at the restaurant. If you do anything else to upset my plans, I will end you. I don't have time for your petty breakup drama."

"You still need me for the next phase," Cooper stated. "You and Petrov never would've gotten this far with the nanotech if it wasn't for me. Remember that."

"When I initially came to you, I promised we would be in this together. But now that I have Felicity-you were right about her skills, by the way-you can easily be replaced. So I suggest you stick to the plan and refrain from doing anything else foolish. Otherwise, after I'm finished with Oliver, you'll be next. Understood?" He tightened his grip on Cooper for emphasis, causing him to wince.

"Yes, I get it."

"Glad we understand each other." Merlyn finally let Cooper go. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting with The Arrow. I expect everything to go off without a hitch while I'm gone."

"I won't let you down."

Merlyn turned to Felicity. "Anything you'd like me to tell Oliver for you."

She couldn't tell if he was serious or simply trying to taunt her. It was probably a little bit of both, but it made no difference. Felicity definitely had a message for Oliver. She smiled confidently. "Sure. Tell him I said to kick your ass."

Oliver showed up at the warehouse early to scope out the area. It was eerily quiet, which was probably why Merlyn had chosen this location. No one was around for miles. It would just be the two of them. He wondered if Felicity was nearby. Oliver hated everything about this meeting. If he could just see Felicity for a moment, he'd be able to tell if she was really okay-or as okay as she could be in a dangerous hostage situation with her psycho ex and a homicidal madman.

Instead, he had to show up to this remote location alone with absolutely no assurance of her safety. Even if he did beat Merlyn, that still left him with the dilemma of not knowing her exact location. What would Cooper or Petrov do if they found out the muscle and money behind this grand scheme were gone? Desperation could drive people to do horrible things. Hence, why he'd agreed to a situation in which the deck was clearly stacked against him.

Finally, it was time. Oliver entered the warehouse cautiously. At least this time he knew exactly who he was dealing with. He'd fought Merlyn before, and Oliver would be damned if he made the same mistakes twice-especially with Felicity's life on the line.

"Right on time," echoed Merlyn's voice. "If only you were as punctual as when you're playing CEO."

"I'm only late, because I'm busy taking out scum like you."

"And yet, you haven't killed anyone in at least a few months," Merlyn said, still hidden somewhere in the shadows. "I have to wonder if you're going soft."

"Why don't you stop hiding and find out?" Oliver retorted as he took a few more silent steps forward. He was also sticking to the shadows as he tried to pinpoint Merlyn's location. The warehouse was dark and dank like any other but oddly cluttered.

"Although, maybe it isn't so much you as it is that cute little blonde," he taunted. "Felicity...such a beautiful, delicate name."

Oliver's body was tense as he resisted rising to Merlyn's bait. "Enough talking. Let's do this," he challenged.

"Yes, let's," Merlyn replied.

Out of the corner of his eye, Oliver noticed movement. He turned just in time to avoid getting an arrow in the chest. Merlyn was dressed in the same garb as last time, except his hood was down.

"Your tricks won't work on me this time."

Merlyn grinned smugly at Oliver. "We'll see about that."

With lightening fast reflexes, Oliver drew back his bow and fired. Merlyn dodged the arrow but just barely as Oliver fired another one. It grazed his shoulder at the last second, drawing blood.

Merlyn looked at his arm. "First blood."

"Won't be the last," Oliver promised.

"On that we agree." Merlyn charged at him, and Oliver raised his bow and arms to block his blows. He tried to deliver a couple of his own, but Merlyn was just as quick to defend himself.

Oliver pulled away from him and fired another arrow. Then another that barely missed Merlyn's head.

"Don't think I don't know your strategy," Merlyn commented as they circled each other.

"And what is that?"

"You're keeping your distance on purpose. By now, you know that I've been taking the performance enhancers myself. You know that against me you don't stand a chance at hand-to-hand, which is why you're trying so hard to make a kill shot. Anything less won't cut it."

"The cut on your arm proves you're not invincible," Oliver pointed out.

Merlyn swiped the cut with his other hand. His fingers were barely covered in blood. "A cut that is already healing."

Oliver fired another shot regardless. Merlyn avoided that one, too, before charging at Oliver. He grabbed onto a low-hanging pipe and swung forward, kicking at Oliver's chest. The wind was knocked out of Oliver momentarily as he hit the ground. He got up quickly, though, and landed a punch to Merlyn's face and gut as they faced off. Oliver swiped his bow at Merlyn's head, but it ended up decapitating some random statue. There were odd items and boxes everywhere with God knows what kind of merchandise. Oliver dodged a kick from Merlyn, which landed on the statue's chest. The entire thing was obliterated to jagged pieces on the ground.

Oliver hit Merlyn again but was no match for the older man's enhanced strength. Merlyn hit him in the face a few times before grabbing Oliver and slamming him into a crate facedown. Reaching for one of his tranq arrows, Oliver swung his arm back and jammed it into Merlyn's thigh.

"It seems you didn't completely learn your lesson. Your little sedatives won't work on me," he declared and pulled it out.

"You never know," Oliver grunted as he fought to free himself from Merlyn. "Maybe I finally got the recipe right."

"Seeing as though the only genius in your group is being held hostage by me, I highly doubt that." Merlyn punched him in the side.

Oliver, grunting in pain, threw all his weight back and twisted so Merlyn slammed into the crate. They rolled to the side and onto the floor, both grappling for an advantage. Merlyn knocked Oliver's bow from his hands as Oliver kicked him off. He then got up and shoved Merlyn into the metal beam behind him with all his strength. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough. Merlyn got a hold of Oliver and flipped him onto the floor. Seconds barely passed before Merlyn was kicking him in the back and sides. It was even harder for Oliver to catch his breath this time around.

He grunted as excruciating pain radiated throughout his body. Felicity, Oliver kept repeating in his mind. He had to do this to get to Felicity. She was counting on him. Oliver caught Merlyn's foot and then kicked his legs out from under him. Merlyn fell partially on top of Oliver, his weight far heavier than he looked. Oliver tried to roll away, but Merlyn wasn't incapacitated for long.

He pinned Oliver to the ground and got in his face. "You Queens have always thought you were better than me. First your father and then your mother, but I showed them. Now it's time you learned your place, Oliver." He punched Oliver in the jaw a couple of times before fixing his hands around his neck. Oliver struggled against his grip, but it was useless. Merlyn was too strong.

The lack of oxygen made Oliver's lungs heave and his head spin. He could feel himself losing control. His mind and body shutting down as the darkness crept in at the edges of his spotty vision. It couldn't end this way. It couldn't. He still had so much he needed to do. So many things he needed to say. One desire surpassed them all and made the shadows a little more bearable. Felicity, Felicity, Felicity...

He was delirious. Oliver was hungry and thirsty, too, but so far the fatigue was winning out. He wasn't sure how many days they'd been drifting at sea, but it felt like forever.

His father shifted next to him and squeezed his shoulders. "Oliver."

Oliver's eyes remained shut. He knew that his father was going to start babbling his nonsense again about the problems in Starling and his role in destroying the city. The days of barely eating and drinking must be getting to him, too.

"You can survive this," Robert started. "Make it home. Make it better. Right my wrongs."

Oliver felt himself being pushed aside. The next thing he knew, a gunshot sounded and a splash followed. Oliver opened his eyes to see the former crew member bobbing in the water, dead. "Dad?" Oliver scrambled away from his father, barely recognizing him.

"Survive," his father said before turning the gun on himself and pulling the trigger. He lay limply in the raft with blood pooling from the wound. Oliver felt like he was going to be sick. He was lost and alone, drifting farther and farther away from everything he'd known and cared about. And his father...how could he leave him? How could he pull the trigger right in front of him? Oliver was about to start hyperventilating when another voice rang out-much softer yet more urgent.

"Oliver, Oliver..." it repeated in the distance, getting closer by the second. "Oliver!"

He knew that voice. Oliver didn't know how, but somehow he knew that voice. Before he could figure it out, a wave rose up and headed straight for the raft. Oliver looked around for an escape, but there was nowhere to go. It loomed over him and crashed over his face, flooding his nose and mouth. His father had killed himself for nothing. Oliver was going to drown anyway as the selfish, spoiled party boy. That was going to be his legacy without any possible hope of redemption.

"Oliver. No, don't!" the voice rang out one last time.

Oliver sputtered, choking on water as his eyes flew open. He was in another dark and dank area but with much more open space. Immediately, as he attempted to get his bearings, Oliver noticed that his movements were restricted. He was shirtless and his hands were bound by a chain hanging from the tall ceiling overhead.

"Oliver, are you okay?" a female voice questioned, anxious.

Looking over, Oliver saw a young blond woman-wearing the tackiest sweater he'd ever seen-chained to the floor at the ankle. Every time she tried to get up, she was pulled back down. "Oliver, can you hear me? Are you okay?"

It took a moment for Oliver's mind to adjust. When he recognized Felicity, he instinctively tried to go to her. The chains dug at his wrists, preventing him from moving. "Felicity, you're all right."

A frown marred her beautiful face. "I told you not to come, you idiot!"

"Actually, the only reason he's here is because Malcolm beat his ass," a male voice interjected. Finally, Oliver was face to face with Cooper. He stood a few feet away with a metal bucket in his hand. So he was the one throwing the water.

Oliver ignored him and met her concerned, yet loving gaze. "You know I'll always come for you, Felicity." She didn't have to say anything back. Oliver could tell how much his words meant to her by the small smile on her face and the unshed tears shining in her eyes.

"Oh, please," Cooper scoffed. "You're making me want to hurl into this bucket. You know, I never took you for such a sap, babe." He turned to Oliver, surveying him up and down. "So this is the grand hero you left me for. I never would've guessed that self-centered playboy Oliver Queen was actually the vigilante. What's the matter? Did it get too boring having the world at your fingertips? Did the leather costume spice things up for you?"

"Most people fail to see the real me." His eyes landed back on Felicity, who met his stare just as intensely.

"She was mine first," Cooper said petulantly. "I was with her back when she was still an idealistic, confused teenager. She had the sexy Goth thing going as she tried to find her place in the world. I brought her into the hacktivist group and gave her purpose. Me." He turned to Felicity. "I made you. We could've had everything, Felicity. I would've given you everything. But then you stabbed me in the back."

"First of all, I was skilled and brilliant long before I met you. Second, all this 'you betrayed me and we could've had it all' blah blah blah is really starting to get annoying. You sound like a broken record, Coop," Felicity retorted. "Most people suffering from a breakup just listen to Adele and binge on ice cream. They don't throw a hissy fit by terrorizing an entire city."

"That's some tough talk, Felicity." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a knife. "But you never know how you'll react until you lose someone you love."

Oliver immediately tensed and yanked at his chains. If Cooper so much as pricked her finger, Oliver would make him pay. Instead, Cooper started walking in his direction. Oliver was momentarily filled with relief. Despite being chained up, he could handle Cooper.

"Cooper, don't," Felicity warned.

As soon as Cooper was within range, Oliver kicked out at him and knocked the knife out of his hands. He wasted no time landing a debilitating kick to his gut, sending Cooper flying backward. It was difficult for Cooper to get up right away, what with the wind knocked out of him.

"Don't make threats you can't carry out, kid," Oliver replied, smirking. He'd been wanting to pummel the guy ever since Felicity had first come to him for help.

A door opened off to the side, revealing Merlyn. He stood in the doorway and took in the scene. "I told you not to get close to him," Merlyn stated, not all that concerned that his partner just got his ass handed to him by their prisoner. He redirected his attention to Oliver. "I hope I didn't hurt you too badly earlier. That wasn't my intention-not so soon at least. First I'd like to help you understand. I'm not the bad guy in all of this, despite what you believe."

"You murdered my father," Oliver growled. "You sentenced me to that island. To five years of hell."

"I am truly sorry for what happened to you. You were not my intended target. You know that I have lost people."

"Yes, your wife. Do you really think that you've honored Tommy's mother by killing thousands in The Glades and whatever else you, Cooper, and Petrov are planning now?"

Merlyn held up Oliver's suit and replied, "As surely as you believe you're honoring your father with this hood. Not a day goes by that I don't miss your father. Your mother, too."

"Don't you dare speak of my mother!" Oliver shouted. "I watched you kill her in cold blood. In our own home."

"The truth is I've always admired your mother. She was a strong woman and quite ruthless when it came to protecting her family. We had that in common. It's why I never thought she'd sell me out. It's not unlike what Miss Smoak here did to Cooper. They had an agreement. A plan they'd built until she lost her nerve and ruined everything," Merlyn explained. "Just like your mother almost thwarted the Undertaking. I had to send a message to her and my skittish allies. Betrayal will not be tolerated."

"Tommy always said you were a monster. He was right."

"It doesn't matter what I am. My actions have always been to help purge this city of its corruption. Of the lowlifes who targeted my kind and beautiful wife, who did nothing but devote her life to a bunch of ungrateful animals! They let her bleed out in the street, and so they deserve the same fate," he shouted in a fit of rage. He took a moment to compose himself once more. "I thought the Undertaking would take care of it, but the lawless continue to destroy Starling from within. Like any good businessman, I always have a Plan B."

He took something out of his jacket. It was a remote control. For the first time, Oliver noticed the flat screen TV on the wall above where Felicity was chained. Merlyn turned it on to the local news. The Brother Eye symbol filled the screen before the news anchor started explaining about the city-wide hack. All devices had been interrupted by Brother Eye, followed by strange behavior in countless civilians. People took to the streets to destroy property and pick fights with one another. The individuals effected were exhibiting unprecedented strength and violent tendencies. The news showed a street not too far over from where the loft was located. Cars were turned over and on fire as other people wrestled on the ground. Police officers were trying to break it up but had gotten injured themselves.

"Oh my God," Felicity gasped.

"What did you do?" Oliver muttered, staring at the headlines in horror.

"We needed to find a way to mass distribute the performance enhancers with the nanotech. Petrov has a lot of connections. One of his associates works for a pharmaceutical company that manufactures the flu vaccine. I'm sure you've seen the health truck making its way around town offering shots."

"You replaced the vaccine with your serum," Felicity surmised.

"That was only the first stage of the plan," Cooper cut in. He was upright and breathing normally now. Though Oliver did note with immense satisfaction that he was holding himself in an odd way. Cooper must have some bruised ribs from the kick he'd given him. "The nanotech was in the serum but remained dormant until prompted. I activated them about an hour ago. The Brother Eye message served as a trigger."

"You embedded the message with commands, which they're forced to carry out because of the Cortana in the drug."

"Very good, Miss Smoak. I'm impressed," Merlyn replied.

Felicity could care less whether he approved of her reasoning. "So I've been meaning to ask, what's your story?"

"What story?"

"The 'How We Met' story," she said, making air quotes. "You, Cooper, and Petrov aren't exactly the most obvious evil trio. How did you even meet?"

"And where is Petrov?" Oliver added. "He seems like the type who wouldn't miss an opportunity to gloat."

"Petrov wanted to be here but he, unfortunately, is dealing with Bratva drama. It seems some of his own are hunting him. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" Malcolm eyed the tattoo on Oliver's chest.

"Not a thing." Oliver's hard stare remained. "Go ahead. Tell us how you crazy kids got together." Felicity's sarcasm was definitely starting to rub off on him.

Malcolm grinned, unaffected. "Despite my recent residence in Corto Maltese, I've still been keeping tabs on Tommy and my company. Needless to say, I wasn't pleased when I heard the news of the cyber attack on Merlyn Global. I was going to find the culprit and put an end to him. Some of my more underhanded associates tracked down Cooper. I confronted him as the Dark Archer and was about to kill him when he started pleading with me to spare him. He said he had information about The Arrow's identity." He shrugged his shoulders. "I'll admit that I should've put the clues together sooner. Oliver, you would've had access to the list for the Undertaking. Plus, you mentioned Moira specifically when we fought."

"So you decided to team up to destroy the city yet again," Oliver angrily replied.

"Pretty much, yes," Merlyn acknowledged. "Because our need for revenge aligned, we decided to be partners going forward. I also brought Petrov in soon after. He was quite miffed that you backed out on that drug deal after he provided you with all that information about me. When I learned about the effects of the Cortana, I knew that it was the missing piece of the puzzle. Finally, my investment in the nanotech would pay off. After we sought out The Count and then The Cook to get the recipe right, all we had to do was wait for the right time to put our plan into motion. And here we are."

"That's why I couldn't find Cooper's trail at all in Merlyn Global's system," Felicity muttered. "It didn't exist. He didn't have to hack the system, because he had your passcodes."

"Right again, Miss Smoak."

"Why now?" Oliver demanded.

"We were going to wait a bit longer to make it closer to the holidays, but Miss Smoak here dug a little too deep. She would've jeopardized our entire operation if she'd gone to you. As I'm sure you know by now, I do love the element of surprise. Now you're here, defeated and powerless to stop it."

"You won't get away with this."

"But I already have. When the city has effectively destroyed itself and the authorities conduct their investigation, they'll be able to trace back the performance enhancers straight to your company. Why do you think I killed the Unidac team and not the scientists working on the enhancement formula? I needed more leverage against your mother-and now you-if the time ever came. Queen Consolidated will never be able to recover from its involvement in yet another city-wide disaster. My son and Merlyn Global, however, will be stronger than ever."

Oliver met Merlyn's stare, disgusted by the malice in his eyes. "Even in death you're trying to one up my parents."

"Only the strong survive in this world. You obviously learned that from your time on the island."

Oliver pulled at his chains, wishing he could break them free and lunge at Merlyn. There was a slight twitch in the older man's hand, but he remained composed.

"I know what you're thinking. You can't beat me, Oliver," Merlyn declared. "Yes, you're younger and you're faster and yet you always seem to come up short against me. Want to know why?"

"Because you've turned yourself into some kind of science experiment."

"Because you don't know, in your heart, what you're fighting for. What you're willing to sacrifice and I do." He threw the hood on the ground and nodded to Cooper. When Cooper went to turn off the TV, Merlyn halted him. "Leave it. Let them see the consequences of their actions and watch it burn."

"Fine by me." Cooper grinned at Felicity. "Enjoy the show, babe. I'll be back to show you the encore later."

"No one can stop what's already been set in motion," Merlyn called over his shoulder, stepping on the hood on his way out. "Not even The Arrow."