I have stopped placing time markers in my chapters because of time jumps that are likely to come later in the story, they may come back but for now they're gone. Some content of this chapter is canon Season 3.

2009

Hong Kong

A week had passed since he killed that woman, or maybe two, he wasn't sure, days here converged into a blur for him. And since that afternoon he'd killed two more; Nefario's men whom were searching for her murderer. He found no fault in their actions; they were loyal men avenging their leader, and maybe the son I orphaned? What was worse was that Oliver could see himself becoming loyal to Amanda Waller, since he was doing everything she commanded of him. (Maseo might be giving the orders but he knew where they were really coming from) The names, the number of deaths he'd caused, and the reasons they had to die were becoming less and less significant with each passing day. But it was better this way, not caring about those who did not matter to him. It was selfish but so was survival.

His mother was on the news a few days ago, she was acting CEO of QC, bringing it back as a competitive player in the corporate world since Robert Queen's death. He ached to know more of those he loved back home; Thea, Tommy, Laurel, his mother. When he was shipwrecked, he knew at least one of them would never forgive him for his betrayal, cheating on her with Sara, now that was selfish, and I couldn't save her in the end. But after everything he'd done under ARGUS' command would any of them forgive him?

The ARGUS agent tapped on the table to get his attention. "They've cleared the docks, roughly a four kilometer radius".

"What does that mean?"

"That they don't want any witnesses to whatever shipment is coming in. This may have been the purpose of Nefario's meeting with Chien Na Wei. A trade of some sort".

"What's the shipment?" He asked as Maseo moved around the space, opening the wardrobe to take out their body armor.

"It's unclear, but knowing the Triad's nefarious investments, it would likely harm someone one way or another".

"And you think Elise's people still want whatever is on that shipment? She's dead."

He nodded, "someone like Elise would have a second in command" and handed Oliver a black fatigue and his bow and arrow. "We need to conduct an incursion before the weapon gets transported to Chien Na Wei." A mission such as this would mean more ARGUS field agents, they would probably get a unit of a dozen to be on the safe side.

"What if China White's at the docks?"

"Then we take her in."

Present Day

September 2014

ARGUS

He had told the ARGUS guards in grey fatigues not to accompany him, but they insisted on escorting Diggle down to the prison block. John was not accustomed to the protocol ARGUS stringently observed, but he was going to have to get used to it if he was going to be a part of them. He had not spoken with Oliver since their fight, but even if his friend was not helping him he felt like a fraud. Never had he imagined he would work for an organization like ARGUS, with its legacy of agents, secrets, archives, and dizzying number of support staff from research to black ops to espionage cells. The military was another beast all together and it came with its own hierarchies, there were similarities but in the end it was the differences that he had to learn anew.

Diggle glanced at the slim windows of the cell doors, occasionally he saw a figure in a yellow uniform pass by. He not seen the Squad in months and sometimes when he returned they were new faces and others that were no longer there. But it was the cell in the center of the row that piqued his interest. He waited as the agent swiped a key card and grouchily announced, "Lawton you have a visitor."

At first the prisoner was sour-faced to be disturbed, a snarky comment locked and loaded, but then his eyes drifted over his visitor and his mouth upturned in an artful smirk. He stood and strode nearer to him, Deadshot had an air of careless danger surrounding him even though he was locked in a cell, it made John despise him even more, "Well, well, well here I sat on my charming plastic stool wondering when my old pal Diggley would come for a visit and whadiya know? Here he is in the flesh. Not the reunion I expected."

"That's close enough Lawton" the guard warned and cuffed him, exercising their maximum security protocols. John had a quick glance at the shrine Floyd built for his daughter, she was cute, blonde hair in a ponytail, she had Lawton's smile, though it was not as devious as her fathers.

"We're going on a trip are we? Excellent."

There wasn't a chance his hatred for Deadshot would ever wane but he knew when to keep those emotions in check when it was required of him. When Floyd and Diggle were sat across from each other in a secure interview room and a metal table separated them, Deadshot pondered out loud, "You know what they say about distance?"

John clasped his hands on the table, "What?"

"It makes the heart grow fonder."

I walked right into that one didn't I? The suggestion that John actually enjoyed seeing the man who shot his brother through the head irritated him a bit, however he did not want to let the other man rile him up.

"I'm not here for a visit Lawton, I need to ask you a couple of questions and I need straight answers."

Floyd leaned back in his chair as if he were relaxing on a beach, "I figured as much. And besides when have I ever been dishonest with you John? We've saved each other's backs more times than once." His face darkened, "except for when you left me on the dirt road in Russia all on my lonesome, that was ice cold of you, especially since ARGUS was not far behind to plant this inside of me." He gestured his thumb over his shoulder indicating the chip implanted beneath his skin of his spine.

"Freeing you was part of the bargain, you're fully aware that wasn't my initial intention" John reminded. Most days he did not regret the decision, he would always be a man of his word and he intended to stick to that principle through thick and thin, and besides Floyd was serving his time anyway.

"I guess your honor got in the way and I guess it's my own fault I'm in these four walls huh?" Deadshot grinded out.

He saw himself as a patient man but he did not have time to endure Lawton's accusations, "I'm not here to hash out our past together; I'm here for information regarding one of your former employers."

"The HIVE lead I gave you? You're finally working on it? About time you got around to it don't ya think?"

"How did they approach you?"

Seeing that John was not taking the bait, his tone switched to conversational but of course with the usual dash of dry wit Deadshot was infamous for. "How else could they approach a man like me? With a bag full of money. I was in jail, they bailed me out, hired me to kill Andy; chose me for my special set of skills."

"Why were you in jail?"

He flared at the question, "You want to talk about HIVE? Fine, but don't go prying into my past got it?"

Diggle could respect the request even though he was curious how Floyd landed in prison in the first place. "Someone must have contacted you with the contract, was it in person? Over the phone?"

"Some woman walked up to my cell with a picture of your brother, she came with a lot of big words and a lot of money. She looked like a businesswoman."

"That's it?" Digg was aghast at how simple it was when you have all the power and money in the world murder does not weigh as much on the conscience and it's easy to commit. "You asked no questions? You just took the money without any reservations?"

"Hey you're the honorable one in the room John, remember?"

So much for finding a shortcut to solving this mystery. Sometimes he thought Deadshot might be envious of the code of honor that he unconsciously bore on his sleeve. Lawton attempted the noble deed of staying behind to destroy the vats of neurotoxin they found in Kadir's basement in Markovia, sacrificing himself as a human bomb. Why did he do that? Could he be trying to repent and benefit humanity somehow?

There was no time for those kinds of questions. "Did they ever hire you again?"

"Yeah, though never in person again, they used a laptop to contact me, should be in the ARGUS archives if you bother to search through all that junk. I offed a few diplomats for 'em for the next six months, none of it seemed connected, it was enough to get me started in my…new life." He hesitated which could only mean that last piece of information was a memory that pained him. "Afterwards I struck out on my own, finding my own work, snipers like me need variety, and of course I was always lookin' for the highest bidder." And thus the moment ended.

"You talk like you're solely motivated by money, but that's not true is it?"

Floyld held his chained hands out, they jangled with the movement. "We're both fathers John; we do what we got to do. Except now I'm in prison, and Zoe doesn't get a single cent out of any of this." And with barely concealed contempt said, "You're lucky to see them every day."

Diggle had no idea what the situation was with Lawton's family and he decided that getting involved was not important for him. In retrospective both men had been in the army, served their country faithfully, yet the battlefield had left more unseen scars in Floyd than it did John. Whatever trauma they'd experienced had led both of them to their respective positions, and how far our paths diverged. He stood abruptly "I think I've heard enough from you" and went towards the door when Lawton called to him, "word of warning Johnny boy this is gonna sound odd coming from me but… be careful."

He glanced uncertainly over his shoulder at the Task Force X member. "I've worked with the Squad several times now; I know how to handle this place and Amanda Waller."

Lawton rolled his eyes; "I'm talking about HIVE" then said gravely, "If Amanda's reaching out to you and your green hoodie friend then she must be desperate. HIVE has its bees everywhere, get in the way of building their empire and they'll do more than just sting you, you'll never see your baby girl again."

2009

Hong Kong

They were dispersed in teams of three around Dock 52. The Triad had paid off local authorities to turn the other cheek and clear the highway that led to the docking bay to ensure they met no opposition to expedite transportation of the shipment. The moonlight did not reach where he and two others hid behind a shipping container, casting silhouettes in shades of grey. Introductions were not made, not knowing who he would be heading into battle with would have bothered him before, but he knew they all were aware of whom he was, and to keep their jobs they didn't make small talk.

"In position, seven hostiles, Triad" Oliver quietly observed into the comm. A ship was nearing the dock, its starboard and crow's nest dark as if it were being captained by a ghost. His task was to make a beeline for the container, open it and take whatever was inside or destroy it, whatever was necessary. He had asked for clarification to that order but Maseo shut him down. Waller obviously had an idea of what was in it but didn't care to disclose that information with them. He was anxious to get it over with.

"The one in the mask is Nefario's, they've continued operations without the head of the snake".

He saw the man Maseo pointed out. On the island the only masked freak he'd encountered was Billy Wintergreen. He still found it weird the lengths mercenaries would go to disguise themselves. He was taller than the Triad operatives at six foot two at least, broad-shouldered, blonde hair stuck out from the top of the mask, he was dressed in navy blue armor. "A mask? Seriously? Does he think this is cosplay?"

"Discretion was of great importance to Nefario".

The ship slowed, he heard the cranks turning from where he hid and the giant splash of an anchor into seawater. A crane hummed loudly as it was directed to lift the container off the ship and onto the platform. The Triad men were chattering, oblivious to what was coming for them. He heard the men beside him ready their weapons, semi-automatic rifles, with extra magazines tucked beneath their left arms. Oliver felt like a sitting duck with his bow in comparison, but it was ideal since he had to be fast. Still, a 9mm pistol was strapped to his right ankle if he needed it.

"Move forward". Oliver pulled a thin black balaclava over his face. They moved swiftly and robotically to the edge of the open space, barely embracing the light encircling it. The container landed with a thud on the cement, and on Maseo's count, a dozen weapons were fired.

He saw Triad men gunned down and other retaliate with their submachine guns going off, bright muzzles flashes everywhere. The distraction was provided, he charged for his quarry.

With an explosion arrow he melted the locks off the barred door, it opened a fraction. Auto lights flickered on from inside creating a slim bar of glowing light. He reached for the handle.

Feet pounded on top of the container.

He aimed his arrow at them…and they aimed one back.

Whatever armor they wore, he had never seen it before, a hood covered the mystery archer's head and a half-mask covered the bottom part of their face.

He shot and dived aside as the arrow skimmed the ground. They had back-flipped to avoid his. Oliver did not waste the opportunity he swung both doors open and ran inside.

Within, the container was completely white, lights fixed at its top corners. In the center was a metal safe, locked. His skin pricked as he felt the cold emanating from it.

In one smooth move, the archer swung inside from the edge of the roof, legs first. Oliver barely dodged the kick they aimed, sending him reeling, the skin on his cheek broke. ARGUS attacked the Triad men outside, but their distraction would not last, if he didn't get out of here with the package he could be left behind. In the space that was twenty by fifteen feet; it was life or death.

"You're not Triad, or Nefario". Then who the hell are you?

The light illuminated the mystery assailant's slate grey eyes. They lunged, and he knew it was woman from their frame. The grip of the bow slammed into his chest. And to Oliver's misfortune, he was not an expert at fighting with his bow the way the female ninja did, melee-style. With another swing she knocked his bow out of his grasp. The next try he was faster and grabbed hers, clocking her in the chin with his other fist. She used the close quarters to turn 180 degrees to face the wall, she ran up it. Flipping, she soared above his head in an arch like a ferris wheel, taking the bow they both held onto with her. Using the momentum she yanked her weapon back to her and head-butted him.

He stumbled back, Oliver got the 9mm from his ankle and fired. She ducked beneath the safe.

"Don't shoot at it!" She growled half in anger and half as if she was chastising an idiot. "Or you'll kill us both!"

How the hell would I do that anyway? He picked up his bow; at that moment another player entered the container making it ten times more claustrophobic. Nefario's blue armoured mercenary charged at the ninja, better they take it out on each other than on me. Oliver fired at the lock to break it, careful not to puncture the safe itself as he was warned not to. A hand grabbed his collar yanking him rearwards, he swiped at their leg with an arrow, they released him. He got onto his feet and turned. It was the masked blue man, he slammed Oliver into the wall; the ninja had fallen back momentarily. He got him in the gut, the other archer recovered and spun in the air kicking the mercenary's skull. A second ago she was my greatest enemy, a second later and she's my only ally—for now.

With their attention on each other, he opened the safe. Cool air blasted him, within was a vial of pale, transparent green liquid, an alpha symbol on the rim. All the hassle for a bottle of coloured water?

A growl ripped through one of their throats and they were on him again, a game of cat and mouse. He threw the female archer over his shoulder, and swept beneath the swinging arm of the mercenary. This time the ninja and he traded blows, they moved with fluidity; he could tell the woman favored her right hand side which suggested she was not as fully trained as she appeared to be. It was his chance. He punched her nose and twisted her arm, forcing her to release her bow. She blocked his next hit, arms moving mechanically in an arch, suddenly both his hands were empty. She socked him with a fierce uppercut as payback. She was shorter but faster. Dropping to a knee, she kicked out his legs. But he got her hood as he fell and pulled half of it off; tufts of blonde hair tumbled out, she hissed.

From the ground, she threw an arrow, he caught it mid-air as he flipped onto his feet; but he did not use it on her...from his peripheral vision he saw the blue mercenary with the vial in his hand.

Oliver threw the arrow, it punctured his wrist. The vial soared through the air.

Someone screamed, someone cried 'no', he had no idea who did what, he could only react. They both dived for it. He went down, sliding on his tummy and caught it first. But he could not breathe a sigh of relief; the archer assassin used the blue mercenary as a ledge leaping off his back. Impressively, she tucked her legs to her chest and then stretched them out as she bore down on him. He rolled onto his back, he saw the soles of her boots, they slammed on the ground where his head used to be.

And by God's grace help came. Maseo was at the door and fired his machine gun. The ninja assassin rolled into a ball, the blue mercenary took a hit but his armor deflected it like a paper airplane. Oliver scurried to the front, picking up his bow, Maseo pulled him out. He would've embraced his colleague right then and there if he could. Clutching the vial to his chest like a mother would her baby, Oliver ran.

Present Day

September 2014

The Foundry

To blow off some steam he busted a few Vertigo dealers in the Glades, sans Roy. None of them could provide useful intel when he questioned them. They were only troubled school kids who wanted to make cash on the side, he handed them over to Lance to throw into juvie. The investigation would go further if Roy wasn't off fighting his demons, if only he'd let Oliver help him beat them. When he returned to the Foundry however he got a very interesting text from Sara Lance.

"Sara contacted me" he told Felicity, the sole member of his team now apparently. "She saw Thea in Corto Maltese."

"Why is Sara there?"

"Well, everyone thought Thea was in Europe for the past six months. She must be concerned." Though he could not guarantee that, Sara was League and she could be in Corto for a great number of reasons, reprehensible reasons.

"So should I book your flight?"

"If you don't mind", he teased.

Felicity got out of her chair and went to him, a serious look on her face that almost beat his classic ones, "Oliver, we finally know Komodo's working for HIVE, a supervillain organization hell bent on world destruction. He's still out there tying lose ends for them. Not to mention Red Hood and Vertigo are right on our doorstep. I understand you want your sister home but we're up to our necks here. Are you sure leaving is a wise idea?"

"Thea left because she was angry, she's the only family I have left and I'm not going to let us drift apart because of my lies."

"And your solution is to tell her the truth? And by truth I mean all of it?"

"I'm not sure yet."

She pursed her lips and considered him; he did not like being analyzed. "You know who else left because they were angry? Diggle and Roy."

He sighed through his teeth, "Roy needs time to forgive himself, I'll give him that space. As for Digg, there's nothing I can do, he was already gone for weeks, and I couldn't stop him even if I wanted too."

She scoffed. "You know, we never asked him too, but he still helped us even if he wasn't on the team. For a second, forget about being the Arrow, Digg is your friend. Do you know how hard it is being the only person in the room who actually says what's on her mind?"

"A curse and a blessing."

Her countenance softened, the end of her mouth quirked upwards, "What I'm trying to say is that all of you can never admit when you're wrong or when you need help. But Diggle asked for it, earnestly and you turned him down, do you really want to leave your friendship like this?"

ARGUS

"The task force has its own emergency and black ops unit" Waller explained to him after his visit to the Task Force X cells. He would be lying if Deadshot's warning wasn't nibbling at the back of his mind, why does justice always come with a cost? "There are other agents such as you leading espionage missions, but it's important to keep the groups separate."

"In case one of them is compromised" he added, "Don't you trust your own people Amanda?"

"I've had to endure my share of treachery, Mr. Diggle" she said with severity, "I won't take that risk again."

"But you trust me?"

"Believe it or not, I do." John followed after her into the main briefing room where six months ago he and Lyla had tried to gun her down to stop her from initiating the drone strike on Starling. "You and Lyla have been tried and tested, and I need good people who can do what needs to be done and won't be tempted by our enemy."

He snickered, "I'll be damned, that actually sounded like a compliment." A difference he noticed between his bosses; Oliver would've laughed, Amanda trudged on as if he had not said a word.

"You'll be diverging between Starling and Central City a significant amount with this post". A tiring journey, but eased by the provision of ARGUS vans and helicopters. She signaled an agent to begin the briefing. "Your first mission is to retrieve Mark Shaw, a ground agent in Corto Maltese. Shaw was deployed there to investigate a HIVE subsidiary in Corto, an arms dealer named Solos Sepulveda. Solos was suspected of supplying the rebels with arms. He has not made contact for almost a month, not even to activate his emergency signal. He's known to be a wild card at times; benders with exotic women, stray unauthorized expeditions—all forgiven" she mentioned as an afterthought, "but this is the longest he's gone dark, and we're concerned."

There was plenty of coverage of the dire situation in Corto on the news, John said, "The rebels call themselves Embate or Onslaught; they've been stirring the public against the King, they say it could be another Syria in the making. On the other hand, I don't remember the public showing their support for the monarchy either, those protests were for him to abdicate."

Amanda chided, "Leave the politics to the politicians Mr. Diggle. Your flight leaves tomorrow morning."

Diggle's Apartment

Mrs. Michaels planted a big wet kiss on Rose's cheek, and thereby spent the next five minutes fussing over the baby in Lyla's arms. He couldn't blame Lyla's mother, their daughter was absolutely adorable in little pinks socks and matching mittens. Lyla on the other hand had been giving him calculating looks across the dining table all evening as if waiting for him to tell her something. The second she shut the door, she scowled at him, Rose still on her hip, and said reprovingly. "So now we're cashing in two pay checks from ARGUS?"

Of all the women in the world, Lyla was the one he was most afraid of especially when he knew he had done something wrong, for example not telling her about his new job. The fact that they now worked at the same place did not help. Not taking his chances, he raised his hands in surrender immediately, "I didn't want to say anything with your mother here."

"Waller approached you personally, to join the task force against HIVE."

"We're working on the name."

"This isn't funny Johnny" she looked pointedly at him, "I just can't believe she asked you before she asked me."

He widened his eyes and gestured to her, "So you're part of this too?"

She covered their baby's ears while bouncing her up and down to shield her from her next remark, "Hell yeah I am" she said zealously. "They killed your brother, and he was family. They've caused so much destruction to our country, to our city. I've lost dozens of friends to them, both in death and betrayal."

"How much do you know about them?" Rose started to whine, they went to the baby room to put her down.

"As much as you were told" she whispered, gently laying Rose inside the crib, he had never seen so many pink decorations and pink clothes in his life until Lyla had moved in with the baby. And to think he'd bought the place as a bachelor. "Amanda does not trust many with ARGUS' secrets".

John placed his right hand on the crib and his other arm around Lyla; "I'm glad I'm not alone on this" he kissed the side of her head.

"You're going down to Corto to check on Mark Shaw, he's an old friend, could be a complete asshole at times but I hope he's okay. I requested a position at base. One of us should always be in the country. I know it's macabre but we're parents now. And HIVE is not an enemy to be trifled with."

"I understand". Until Rose was born he had never known how far he would go to protect another human being, but with her in his life he knew in his heart he would go to hell and back for her. HIVE won't get close to my family and they won't take any more from me than they already have. "Shame; I was looking forward to some get away time with you" he flirted in a way which made Lyla roll her eyes. "Waller asked Oliver to join; he chose to bury his head in the ground and avoid her rather than face her."

"I'm sure he has his reasons, but don't write him off."

Writing him off had never entered his mind; he doubted he could ever do that to Oliver after everything they had gone through. But he had not yet gotten the urge to run to the Foundry and forgive him. "I won't." He pointed at Rose, "She better not do anything interesting while I'm gone."

ARGUS Airfield

The next morning John Diggle arrived at the airfield with a small suitcase and a whole world of trepidation. He had learnt long ago that the concept of an 'easy' mission did not exist, everything could go south within the blink of an eye. This was his first solo mission on a case that had haunted him for years since Andy's death; he hoped this would make him one step closer to answering the questions he had. He only wished he had the back-up he'd wanted here with him. Within the ARGUS hanger the Learjet was being prepped for takeoff. With the civil war rumors circling in Corto Maltese and anti-American sentiment, taking a jumbo-American-military-airbus would not be sensible. He checked with the pilot and they would be in taxi for another twenty minutes. Restless within the cabin he decided to take a short walk around the hanger.

"Room for one more passenger?"

John could not help but smile wide at the sound of a friendly voice. He glanced over his shoulder; the newcomer appeared from the rear end of the jet, John pointed to the luggage in their hand.

"You better not have your green hood in that bag."

Oliver shrugged noncommittally, "Bermuda shorts and sunscreen…and my quiver and bow, probably the only good thing about traveling in an ARGUS carrier-", he glanced at the plane as if he was not looking forward to the journey "-no security checks. But definitely no green hood."

"I actually had to stop him from packing it". Having been focused on Oliver he did not see Felicity trot just behind him, wheeling a bright red hand-carry suitcase that stood out like a sore eye from the general grey and black theme of the carrier and well, everyone else.

"What is she doing here?!"

Felicity flicked her wrist and pointed out the obvious, "Duh, I'm coming with you. You certainly can't rely on these ARGUS noobs to give you directions, so I took a few of my vacation days—do you know how long it's been since I've had a vacation? Also, transmission from Starling to Corto would lag— unless we upgraded our system which we can't, because Oliver's broke—but I need to work on my tan and I've never been to South America, so all in all this was the next best option." She rambled, but did not lose any of her breath in the process. He did not remember half of what she said.

Oliver looked at her then back at Digg, "I tried to convince her not to come."

She held his arm, smiling up at him, "I'm not letting you do this without us John and neither is Oliver."

Oliver said, "I can't promise that Amanda and I won't butt heads on certain matters, and I can't forget everything she's done to me, and I can't promise I'll always follow ARGUS protocol." A lot of 'can't's' he mused, when were concessions ever his thing?

"But when it comes down to it Digg, you were right."

His ears perked up at the last statement, was he hearing this correctly? "I need to record this" Felicity muttered.

"You've always had my back and I should have had yours" he went on, "you need someone you can trust out there with you, and you can trust me Digg." Oliver thrust his hand out for a brotherly shake and promised, "In this fight, you're not alone."

A/N: Oliver and Digg are bff's for life! The flashbacks here aren't the ones I'm excited about but those will be in the next few chapters! Lot's of action and wtf's coming soon I promise!