Starling City

Palmer Tech

On the surface it seemed as though everything had synced back to normal the moment they landed in Starling two days ago. But there were a lot of loose ends, and things left unsaid when they first left. Roy was MIA since the night he had asked to 'clear his head' and avoided the Foundry whenever Oliver and Felicity were there.

Harper had been busy though, dropping off Vertigo peddlers he'd busted for Captain Lance to collect like Easter eggs outside the precinct. Red Hood had buried further into the depths of the Glades, efficiently covering his tracks, making it impossible to interpret what his next move was. All they knew was that he had promised the criminal underworld of Starling protection from the Arrow. And that could mean many things.

As for what their team brought back when they returned. The HIVE task force had made leaps and bounds of progress with the unveiling of Commander Kane's former identity and an investigation was implemented. Despite this, Diggle still had to go to ARGUS to debrief Waller, and he had had to endure harsh point by point lecture on where he went wrong, with Lyla actually siding with Amanda on all accounts. But at least Shaw was in custody and the actual was secure.

Felicity sat at her desk after ordering her very own executive assistant to get her a latte to-go. It was near the hour she had to go to the Foundry for her secret part-time job. Ray Palmer tapped on her door and let himself in.

"You don't look tanned at all, paler actually—not that your skin tone doesn't suit you, it shouldn't matter anyway." She arched a brow. Foot-in-the-mouth syndrome was something they had in common. He stuffed his hands into his pockets after digging himself out of that hole.

"But hey, how was the holiday?" He asked cheerfully.

"Oh yeah, it wasn't that great."

"I was curious why out of all the holiday destinations I suggested, you chose to go to Corto Maltese? It's a nation on the verge of war".

Before she opened her mouth she already knew the lie would be total B.S. "Oh. Really?" She asked a little too breezily, "That's what they're saying on the news? Pfft." She swatted her hand.

"Yeah, they're saying things are getting pretty violent. I'm glad you're okay."

Felicity waved her pen at him trying to pinpoint a train of thought that had the most authentic explanation; the best lies contain a sliver of truth. "Er—my tourist agency, they knew how to get around the island. Whatever conflict is going down, I didn't see much of it. Went on a scavenger hunt actually, and um, met an old friend. But uh, thanks, for being glad that I'm okay."

"I came down here to check on you but also check on your progress with the hard drive. Anything?"

Phew. A topic she could actually discuss without her forehead breaking into a nervous sweat. "Actually…" she unfastened her side drawer. Ray went to the front of her desk; she noted how dashing he looked today in his dark grey suit, oh God. I better catch my tongue before I say something mortifying. She found the drive and passed it him.

"This is a completely new hard drive."

"Because I put all the data from the old charred one into it."

He actually fisted the air the way guys did when their favorite team scored a goal. She chuckled, he always had a way to lighten the mood given the brooding men she was usually surrounded by. "This is brilliant, thank you, Felicity."

"You're welcome. What are you going to use it for anyway?"

"It's a cornerstone in my plan to rebuild QC and thus the city. There were a lot of designs on this. You'll see." He winked, retreating to the door slowly but also trying to be polite, as if she didn't notice it. He was totally failing at being discreet but it was still cute. "I would stay and chat but I'm starting to get that giddy feeling little kids get when their parents give them a shiny new toy, so..."

She laughed and waved him away, "Go ahead." Felicity saw the time and stood, "Ray, actually, I've got to—"

"Yes, you can leave early" he finished for her, his hand on the door handle. She didn't realize how often she had asked him for early leave until it had become a habit.

"Oh and before I forget—" Ray spun on his heel, index finger pointed.

"—Please thank your hooded friend for me."

Felicity Smoak's mouth dropped open before she could stop herself. She almost had to physically close it with her hand.

"Um, err—I'm sorry—I didn't catch that, thank who now?"

Ray dropped the handle, throwing her that know-it-all look he used to wear the first few weeks she worked here as if to say 'really Felicity? Really?' And thus he went down a shortlist of every reason she sucked at hiding her secret vigilante life from her genius of a boss.

"My IQ is 140 points, Felicity. It wasn't hard. You always ask to leave early— which I don't mind by the way because you get your work done fast. You knew about the assassination attempt on my life, which was odd because why would your average Tech Village retailer have a single clue about that? You skip corporate luncheons and dinners like the one with Lex Luthor. And don't get me started on all the evidence I gathered from the last two years, because then we'd be here all day."

This time she was a little more prepared to answer him. "I—I don't know what to say. Should I be creeped out that you've gathered evidence on me from the last two years? Or that you know about my late night activities?" It occurred to her that he might know who the Arrow was, and that was going to earn her a cold shoulder and throaty growl from Oliver later tonight. Oh God. I'll have to stop him from suiting up and scaring the living daylights out of Palmer when he pays him a visit to 'be thorough, and 'make sure' he doesn't spill the beans.

Ray put her worries to rest. "I'm not going to cross the line and start figuring out who the Arrow is—because that's none of my business. This is though." He shook the hard drive at her. That know-it-all look switched to the earnest, warm genuine smile that could charm any client into signing a contract. "But like I said, thank him for me. Some whack-job had a knife to my throat and I would be dead if it wasn't for him."

Ray opened the door; he was half way out when he glanced over his shoulder and called, "Stay safe, Felicity! Don't do anything I wouldn't!"

He's so…cool about it. How many weird bosses will I go through in my lifetime before I retire? Felicity could only stand behind her desk dumbly, having no idea what to do with her hands. Ray didn't know Oliver was the Arrow, which was good enough for her. But she wasn't sure he would stick to his word, after all, there wasn't a challenge Ray would not undertake purely for the thrill of it. That's why he was a tech genius who was also, a millionaire.

"Yeah. Sure" she mumbled and slumped back into her chair, taking off her glasses to rub her nose bridge trying to recall a time when her life wasn't this exciting.

The Foundry

Maybe Ray knowing how I spend my nights isn't so bad. He isn't telling me to stop, and he isn't reporting me to the police or anything. He wouldn't. It's just one less person to lie too. Felicity deliberated when she arrived at the steel mill. She was barely there five minutes when Roy entered. And boy, he looked worse for wear. Harper had bags under his eyes that she did not even think was humanly possible, he was slouching into the room as if he was hungover.

Is it nightmares? Felicity chewed her bottom lip when she saw the fading bruise on the apple of his cheek; don't tell me those streets thugs are getting the better of him! This was worse than she anticipated.

It only added to how horrible she felt for lying to him. Another example of why she wasn't a fan of the act, especially when it involved people she cared for. How does Oliver do it every day? Roy had broken down to reveal his bare soul that night. Felicity did not know which part of the situation he was most hurt by; the fact that they lied, or the fact that he had killed someone. But she knew she would never want to be on the receiving end of that kind of pain.

"Hey. You're back" she smiled at him, hoping he wasn't still mad with her.

It wasn't reciprocated. Okay, I deserve that.

He gave nothing away, his countenance as unmovable as Oliver's could often be. "Got your note. How was Corto Maltese?"

"I've had better vacations locked in a college dorm room, coding. Remind me never to go to a country that's about to be thrown into a civil war it's not very tourist-friendly." She slid into her chair, "…and I'm pretty sure the store clerk ripped me off for these maracas." Felicity had left them beside her computer, she took one and shook it at him, the effect was as she desired. He smiled.

"Is that really all that happened?"

"Oh. Oh God no. We had a buttload of crazy thrown at us too. I would tell you but… is there still an 'us'? A 'we'?"

Roy was in front of her now. "I never left, Felicity."

She got out of her chair and hugged him. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. I had the time I needed and…maybe I was better off not knowing." Felicity pulled away but held his arm.

"I understand. We need to stay as a team, Roy. We can help you, please let us."

Despite the occasions where Roy annoyed her beyond reason with his tennis balls littered on her hardware, calling her 'mom' when she scolded him, and when he forgot to hang his costume…none of this would ever be the same without him. Ever.

Roy was about to respond when he was distracted by the CCTV footage over her shoulder.

"Is that Thea?"

Thea Queen must have plans to re-open Verdant. She was spinning in a circle in the middle of the dance floor absorbing her beloved club.

"Oh yeah, she's back. I should probably mention that at least."

"What is she doing here? Did Oliver—?"

"No, not yet anyway, but he's planning too. I figure, 'hey I've been lying to you for two years, I'm actually the Arrow' is not easy to confess."

Roy scratched the back of his neck, stirring courage within himself to force his legs up those stairs. He went towards them, stopped and turned back to Felicity. She only smiled encouragingly. He had not seen Thea in six months, but the sting of heartbreak had dissipated, he was ready. "I'm going to go talk to her." He dashed to the stairs with a mixture of exhilaration and anxiety.

"Godspeed!" Felicity called after him.

…

The club was exactly as she had left it. Granted, it was dusty, required a fresh layer of paint and the bar to be restocked, but it was brimming with potential. She was already picturing what it would it be like to reopen Verdant; being her own boss, the lines filled with guests eager to spend a scandalous night on the town, music pumping through the expensive sound system, so loud it could be heard half a mile from the place. If she just had the funding—

"You should really get these spotlights fixed; the bulbs have been out since January." Thea Queen spun on her booted heel. Roy. There was a slight ache in her heart but also butterflies in her stomach.

"You think?" She held out her hands and gestured to the alcove beside the DJ booth, "I always thought the green and blue lighting suited this corner of the club better." Thea glanced at him again. Six months. Six months and he hasn't changed a bit.

In Corto Maltese the ocean had reminded her of his intense blue eyes. The perilous storm within them when he was drugged and tried to hurt her, the way they burned in his determination to change after being kidnapped…how they used to catch the light when they locked gazes across the crowded dance floor, the love in them, and the sweet smile that accompanied it.

"You're the boss" he said, pulling her from her reminiscing back into the present. "I like what you did to your hair."

"Thanks" she folded her arms and bit her lip hesistantly; she wasn't looking for a boyfriend, only to start over, but what did he want? "It's good to see you Roy, a familiar face in Starling." And she meant it. Any of the friends she had accumulated during high school being Starling prep's 'it' girl, suddenly had no idea who the hell Thea Queen was the moment her mother went on live television to confess her crimes. They were bad influences anyway. He might have a criminal record, but she learnt more of what it meant to be an adult in this world and selflessness from Roy than any of them could teach her.

"I didn't think you would come back, ever" Roy said, drawing closer.

Thea often had mixed feelings when it came to Roy and how she left him with only a letter…but then it must be because she was half in love with him. She wouldn't have minded his company in Corto Maltese when Malcolm was off on week-long elusive 'business meetings' or days when she just didn't want to see his face after eight hours of training.

"Neither did I, but Oliver, he visited me and convinced me. I guess a small part of me wanted to come back, to see if anything changed."

"I have. I just—I understand why you left, completely. Wherever you choose to be, I just want you to be happy. You deserve it." That warmed her heart. Thea had Oliver to be her brother and family, Malcolm to teach her how to utilize her inner strength and combat her fears. But she needed Roy to be her support, her knight, to be the person who knew her better than anyone did, even herself.

Up close she noticed his appearance, he was no less handsome but he looked like something the cat dragged in. "What about you? Are you okay? I mean, it is you who's been running around with the Arrow. Doing what you do every day. It can't be a cake walk."

He smiled dejectedly, but it wasn't meant to apologize for how he looked, but more as if he was trying not to betray how much he was hurting on the inside. "I've been tired lately. Of course, choosing to put a mask on every night means there are good and bad days to deal with. But I'm working on it."

The Glades

Later, with the sun only just beginning to set in the sky Roy wasn't due to report to the Foundry as his red alter ego in at least two hours. He was on his way home with the intention to catch a few winks of sleep before going on patrol.

But with sleep, came the nightmares.

He remembered everything. All of it. As vividly as if it had happened yesterday. Then he would jolt himself awake with a cold sweat, stare at his hands in the dark imagining the officer's blood still fresh on them, and not be able to fall asleep again.

Roy had lied to Thea when he said he was working on it. He wasn't. He didn't know how too. He was also reluctant to let Oliver, or Felicity or Diggle probe his mind, trying to get him to discuss the tragedy.

Knowing that going home to bed would be futile he ducked into the nearest diner. Sitting at the farthest booth away from the rest of the customers, he ordered a coffee and stared out the window at the dwindling traffic.

"Thea Queen? Oh she's pretty".

Roy's neck muscles tensed.

With a smirk Jason Todd blocked the butter knife Roy had tried to stab him with.

"—A little whiny though, don't you think?"

"Didn't I make myself clear?" He growled.

"Leave or else" the Red Hood's gaze shifted at the other end of the restaurant where their almost-confrontation had caught the eye of a few diners and a waitress. Todd knew that choosing a public place to speak would make it nearly impossible for Roy to attack him. "That was almost a week ago, and you've seen me thrice since."

"Because you keep following me!" He nearly yelled and slammed the knife back on the table. To spite him further Jason slid into the seat opposite him. The waitress arrived with his coffee.

"Thanks" Jason said on Roy's behalf, he read her name-tag,"Natalie". To annoy him further, Jason flashed a smoldering knock-out lover's smile at her. She was young, and soaked the attention like a sponge like all the other girls who had blushed until their toes and lost the ability to form coherent words when Jason turned his moves on them. Little did they know they never stood a chance with him, since he loved his city more than he could ever love a woman.

"Oh—err. I didn't see you come in. Can I get you anything?"

"Nothing for me, but my friend here is having a rough day". She barely registered Roy's existence until Jason made her aware of it. Obviously Roy's tired, royally pissed-off and disheveled look was not as attractive as his friend's sky blue eyes and dimples.

"I just want to make sure he's feeling better, maybe something sweet for him? I hear the apple crisps here are great".

"Oh…yeah… they are" she said airily and reflexively started twirling a lock of hair around her finger, I sure as hell know she wants to give you something sweet. Roy rolled his eyes, and with his empty stomach he wanted to vomit too.

"Want one Roy?"

He threw Jason a dirty look. "No."

"But—"

"I said no. That's all. Thanks" he barked at the waitress. She scowled at him and just as quickly threw Jason a flirty smile before stomping off. Jason could fill him with so much hate without him even realizing it. Damn you, you Casanova, and damn you Natalie-the-waitress, I'm only trying to protect you from the hot-psychopath who used to be my best friend. Jason did the most annoying thing afterwards, which was widening his eyes at Roy as if he was the one causing the trouble here. It was infuriating.

"Sheesh Harper, where are your manners?"

"Stay away from Thea. Mark my words; if I see you here again—"

"You'll what?" He challenged, "Report me to the police? You're attacking a civilian in a crowded diner Harper, and I sure as hell know you can't afford a lawyer. And besides, we're just having a friendly chat" Jason leaned comfortably back in his chair. "I did not tag her for your type you know."

"The fuck do you know about me anymore, Jase?" Roy was chained to that booth when he wanted nothing but to lunge at his former friend with the butter knife that was lying an inch from his hand. But similarly to the other instances Jason had caught him off guard— walking to the grocery store or taking out the trash— the gang leader never intended to harm Roy, nor did he try too. He only wanted to talk to him, but the topic was always the same.

"More than you think" Jason said with just the right proportion of ominous and casual. "So you found out huh? The cop, Reynolds. He kept that from you. One secret can destroy someone's entire world, Roy. And I see it's changing you." He was using a different tactic this time by discussing the police officer Roy had accidentally killed. The whole world could see it was affecting Roy even if he didn't want to admit it to himself.

Before Roy could retort Jason said, "You remember Mrs. McDonally?"

"No."

Jason groaned at his forgetfulness, "Come onnnn" he pestered. "Irish? You said it was gross when she licked her empty gums? She waved her cane at us and called us 'youths' and 'hooligans'. But for some reason, thought you were a freaking angel?"

Roy stared at his coffee; he didn't have the appetite for anything. I think I'm losing it. It was evident he couldn't best Jason in a fight; neither had he informed the team of his relation to the Red Hood.

He was still trying to figure out just why that was.

"What about her?"

"You remember when we stopped two thugs who turned over her shopping cart like it meant nothing? And over there, just outside this place." Jason pointed at the traffic light at the junction. Roy glanced at it through the window. "Billy One-Eyed Dorsey, veteran, he lost his sight in the war. He almost got run over in traffic, 'cause we live in a city where no one helps the disabled man cross the street. Except for us." Todd had grown darker in his tone with every word. If the waitress had stuck around for this version of Jason she would've left feeling something opposite of admiration, more like bone-chilling fear.

Their good little boy-scout deeds were chivalrous and it was enough for Roy back then. They should have stuck to baby steps. But no, Jason decided it wasn't enough to save the city. And his decisions had culminated in them joining the losing side of drug war that ended in a death of someone close to them. A friend. And he could never forgive Jason for his role in that.

"I'm not feeling that nostalgic" Roy snapped, banging on the table so that the coffee mug trembled. "So take your memories and get out of my face."

Jason continued as if he had not spoken, "You wanna know where Mrs. McDonally and Billy are?"

He nestled into the booth and folded his arms, leveling a scorching glare at Jason.

"I have a feeling you're going to tell me."

"They're dead."

Roy felt as though a pit had opened up beneath him and swallowed him whole.

"Even after I left, they stayed in the same old neighborhood their entire lives" Jason told him. "McDonally died in her apartment when it collapsed during the Undertaking. Billy; well, he didn't exactly stand a chance against those masked men now did he?"

Roy swallowed and grated his teeth on his bottom lip, Jason could make him feel guilty about anything. The old woman and the veteren, Roy had grown up a street from them. McDonally used to babysit Roy when his crappy parents were being their typical negligent selves. Billy had a unique insight into the world even though he was blind. More than once, he had convinced a teenage Roy that running away was not always the answer.

"I had no idea."

"I'll bet" he narrowed his eyes at him, "You know where you belong, Roy".

"Get it in your head!" Roy said in a shouted whisper, pressing two fingers at his temple. "Everything's changed Jase!"

"It was the rich scumbags like the Queen and Merlyn family that started this. Stepping over us like ants! Making decisions for us because they thought they were better than us! How can you ignore that? How can you not see what this city needs? What it is?"

With that insult to two of the most important people in his life, he was seriously considering launching himself at Jason with that butter knife. "Don't you dare talk about people you don't even know!" Roy had registered that Jase never specifically said Oliver was the Arrow, if he did know, he wasn't saying anything about it. All he cared about was convincing Roy to join his gang of outlaws.

"You know what?" Jason hissed with a hostile scowl that would've sent John Diggle reaching for his gun. Todd stood out of the booth, went to the head of the table and loomed over Roy. "I don't have time to argue with you, you've drunk the cool-aid and now you've forgotten what matters. I've got things to do. Just remember what I said; you're just a part of his arsenal, Roy, replaceable." Jason leaned off and stabbed a finger at him.

"Stick around, Harper." He saluted Roy and sauntered off.

The Foundry

After returning from a doctor's appointment he had been bullied into going too by Felicity-Oliver arrived at the Foundry. The diagnosis; the air conduction route of his hearing was damaged. For at least a week, conversation five meters apart was going to be toilsome. It made him feel advanced in his years, and recall Felicity's harsh words from the night he kissed her after the assassin he left behind attacked his friends.

When he walked in, Roy was there. Before he could launch into a dialogue about how sorry he was. The young man held his gaze with a firm resolution that he knew where he belonged and the understood they were there to help him through his inner turmoil.

"Welcome back". They shook hands. The team was as it should be, once more. Of course he needed to discuss with Roy what had happened. Does it give him nightmares? Make him want to change into something else? Does he want to visit Reynold's family? Does he seek forgiveness? From who?

The Foundry's back door received a loud, insistent banging. Oliver was inclined to draw his bow on it. Roy got a little jumpy the moment the knocking started, and Oliver saw the dark circles beneath his eyes. So nightmares then.

No one would be waiting for them outside unless it was someone who knew about the lair, Oliver answered it.

"Sara?"

He had not seen her since Corto, Felicity told him she would back one day to give them the guidance they had requested, as promised. He did not think it would be this soon. She didn't say hello, only pushed past him with urgency to get inside.

"What are you doing here?"

"Are you here for a visit?" Felicity chirped.

From the dour, apologetic glance Sara gave it was clear she was not.

"Not exactly. There's something all of you deserve to know and it concerns someone we care about." Oliver folded his arms and leaned on a table, bracing himself. She glanced at their faces as if to make sure they were ready for whatever bomb she was going to drop.

He didn't know what to expect… that assumption was correct.

"Malcolm Merlyn is alive."

Dead silence.

Their gazes shifted between one another. Sara, like him, weren't much of comedians. Another moment passed, Oliver was the first to speak.

"How?" Externally he displayed mild shock but within, his mind was in tumult.

Felicity snapped her open mouth shut. "What proof do you have?" Sara was prepared for the tech's question and connected a pen drive to a display screen.

Pictures, taken less than six months ago showed Malcolm roaming Starling's streets. Walking in broad daylight, like any other normal suit-clad man in the business district spiriting from one place to another with purpose, a cellphone plastered to his ear. Kane. Merlyn. Who else have I not killed?

It was not the fact that Malcolm had deceived all of them that made Oliver clench his fist until his knuckles were white— but the audacity, the fact that Malcolm was brave. Brave enough to meld into a crowd of citizens of the city he had tried to decimate with his earthquake device. No judgement. No guilt. No shame. Nothing. Rage spiked within him.

"Did you take these?" Roy asked trying to keep his bafflement at bay. At least now they could understand how unnerved Oliver had been when he saw Nefario alive and literally beating him senseless.

Sara must have known for months, years even, this revelation didn't nearly have the same effect on Oliver than it did on her. "No, another assassin did, they were tracking him but lost the trail. The task was designated to me."

As always, Oliver hid his displeasure perfectly beneath a stony glare. But he remembered Tommy and he could not keep it out of his voice. "How is he still alive? I stabbed him through the heart with an arrow."

"The police picked the body up afterwards. He must have someone at the mortuary and paid them off to look the other way" Felicity proposed as she scrolled through the pictures. Honestly, she had no idea how to react to this; of course she hated Malcolm for what he had attempted to do; destroy half the city to honor his dead wife. It wasn't even romantic, just psychotic. She would stick to her mindset that the world did not need any more men like him. A crease of worry formed on her forehead as it hit her that Merlyn might have another ploy in the works to devastate the city.

"But it doesn't explain how he survived" said Roy.

"There are ways to fake death in the League" Sara told them. "In the moment Malcolm must have seen no other choice."

Merlyn had been ousted by Moira, his controlling stakes in Merlyn Global seized as it was branded a terrorist organization, and one earthquake device disabled.

There was no life for him left as Malcolm Merlyn.

What enraged him further; Merlyn did not know Tommy would die when he planned to fake his death. He could not have anticipated a heartbreaking catastrophe like that. Like when Rebecca Merlyn died, Malcolm was going to abandon his son with the burden, guilt, and horror at what his father was. Leave him for dead.

"This person we care about; it's Thea right?" Oliver asked. "Are you saying she knows he's alive? What do you mean exactly?"

"I have theories but I'm not sure."

To Felicity, it occurred to her the favor Sara asked, "The number you wanted me to pin in Corto Maltese; it was Thea's."

"What? Why is this the first time I'm hearing about this?" Oliver threw an annoyed look at the tech, she made a conceding gesture with her hands.

"Whoa, whoa, I didn't know it was her number."

"You were tracking my sister?" He directed the sharpness at Sara, "And you didn't think it was important to tell me?"

Sara held her chin high. "You want the truth so badly? Here it is; I tracked Malcolm to Corto. I saw Thea by pure coincidence. So I connected the dots. I think it's highly likely Merlyn would follow her wherever she goes, to keep an eye on her. She's home, that means Malcolm is too."

"She's right" Roy agreed, "He may have contacted her by now."

"If he did then it was a big risk, he knows we're after him. Keeping Thea close could endanger her life."

He shot a look at Sara that contained a little too much hostility, "They sent you to track him, so you'll do whatever it takes to keep her safe and capture Malcolm Merlyn without involving her."

She stepped closer, jaw locked with resentment, "you know what Ollie?! I really hate it when you judge me before I even say a word!"

Oliver immediately felt like a total asshole, he scanned the room repentantly. They stared at him like he was crazy. Could he really afford to push more of his allies away? I have to stop thinking of them as allies, they're my friends.

"I'm—I'm sorry Sara. It's just—I asked her to come home because Corto Maltese wasn't safe for her anymore, but if Starling isn't either…"

Sara folded her arms, grudging, but she was forgiving him. "I chose you, Oliver; my friends. I kept her secret, I didn't tell the League she was Malcolm's daughter. She's safe. I would never do anything to put her in harm's way; she's like a sister to me."

"What happens now? What do you intend to do with Malcolm?" Felicity asked.

"The same I intended for Lacroix, only Ra's Al Ghul wants to kill Malcolm himself."

"For breaking your code" Oliver added. She was surprised by his comment but nodded; he could at least understand the laws the League assassins abided. "Thank you for telling us, Sara".

"I know I haven't been upfront with you guys these past few months. I'm sorry. But that's in the past. This time—with Malcolm, I am going to do whatever it takes to get him to Nanda Parbat and face the consequences of the Undertaking. He does not have a conscience like the rest of us do. I know one way or another, he'll find a way to drag us all into the ground with him to get out of his sentence."

There was a vibration from her coat pocket. She checked her phone, and then looked at them.

"I have to take this. You have a lot to consider, Oliver. I hope you will try to understand. If we can't get back to where we were, we can try to move forward" she said earnestly, but to everyone, not only him. Her sincerity was refreshing.

Sara ducked out into the alley far from the ear-short of her former teammates. She had kept her reaction to the caller ID bland, but she knew the conversation was going to be unpleasant the moment her cellphone rang.

"You're not in Corto Maltese." Sara could imagine Talia Al Ghul right then, probably beside a large open window or within the practice yard, sword at hip, an arch smirk on her lips, long raven-hair blowing in the wind.

"No."

"You don't have him yet? The last time we spoke you told me you were close." Sara knew Talia was only calling her to plague her with mind games and underhand threats. She would obey, but resentfully.

"He managed to evade me. If I had some assistance maybe he would already be in my custody by now."

Talia gave her a back-handed comment. "I chose you because you were the best and everyone else we could have sent could never be as efficient as you, or they were preoccupied."

"Like Al-Sayad." Artemis was God knows where, Sara couldn't contact her. She was meant to be teaching the young girl to have principles, how to be an assassin but also a good person. How was she meant to do that with Talia playing all of them like puppets on a string?

The eldest demon's daughter ignored her. "I have to make inquiries; Oliver Queen was recently in Corto Maltese too… you didn't happen to get distracted did you?" She asked playful and poisonously. "Perhaps use your unique little canary device here and there, all the while allowing Merlyn to slip through your fingers like water."

She had to be careful how she treaded here. When it came to someone she could not rid of so easily with a swing of her sword, Talia was a meticulous tactician. The kind of person who would never outright tell you she hated you. She would lurk in the shadows, biding her time, plotting, weakening you with her venom, and then she would strike from the darkness with her fangs bared when you least expected it.

"Your father will get his justice" she said with thick sarcasm. "I hope he knows how tirelessly you work to serve him and his every need. You lead us by example Talia. We should all strive to be you."

She knew Talia loathed praiseful platitudes but she went along with it, maintaining the frontage. "We all must do our part, Sara. Just return to Nanda Parbat with Merlyn as soon as possible" and with sickening sweetness said, "Nyssa misses you so very much. She's getting quite desperate actually."

Talia Al Ghul hung up before she could respond. Sara glanced at the phone in her shaking fist. The bitch. In her mind she saw the wicked smile Talia had after leaving her with that crafted, cutting farewell. Fury clawed through her throat with a scream and she threw the phone at the wall, smashing it to pieces.

"And I thought my Thursday could not get any worse. I hoped too soon." Diggle lowered himself into a chair, feeling old and weary with yet another problem to pile atop the others. Oliver was sitting at a table, and Felicity was at her usual spot chewing on a pen. Roy was here too, Digg was glad the whole fiasco with Harper was settled.

"So what's our plan to get Merlyn?"

"There is none. We're leaving it to Sara and the League."

Diggle was stunned by this development; he could not remember an instance where they had ever given the League free-reign in Starling. Team Arrow had a knack of wedging themselves smack-dab in the middle of every conflict related to them, whether either group wanted it or not.

John arched a brow at the blonde tech. "Did you have a say in this before he decided or—?"

"I found many flaws in his decision, but he had one good point that outweighed them all."

Diggle gave Oliver the look he had when he was about to give the younger man counsel. "Let's not pretend we don't know what 'leaving it to Sara and the League' actually means. You seem ready to give Merlyn up Ra's. Not the same reaction you had when Sara wanted to capture Lacroix and severe his head from his neck."

Felicity made a face, "urghh, must you be so blasé about it Digg?"

"I just want to make sure Oliver knows what he's doing." Digg glanced deliberately at Queen, he couldn't suppress the big-brother role he had on the team. With his lessened influence on their decisions since joining ARGUS, he only wanted to look out for them and their best interests, and most importantly, their souls. "We can hand him over to those assassins, but after we do, we still have to live with ourselves."

As much as that comment cut him, for once, Oliver actually welcomed Digg's questioning, it only reinforced his decision.

"When I killed Malcolm— when I thought I did— I lied to Tommy about it in his last moments." He thanked me for that lie. "I guess it's ironic that I'm glad I failed to succeed."

"You can't mean that…can you?" Felicity stared at him doubtfully.

"But handing him over to the League? It's just like killing him isn't it? Hell, they'll torture him for orchestrating the Undertaking" said Diggle.

"Haven't I stepped on their toes enough, Digg? Keeping Malcolm away from Thea is the best way to protect her. If that means turning a blind eye in order to keep my sister as far away from anything remotely to do with the League, then I'm willing to let Sara do what she must."

The team mulled it over for several moments. Roy had chosen his side before the conversation had ever begun. Eventually, Felicity nodded and spoke for all of them, "Okay. But are we going to help her capture him?"

"I don't think two years is enough to forgive the son-of-bitch for what he did, is it?" John snarked, folding his arms and leaning back in his chair. The thought of Merlyn in their city without hand-cuffs or six feet below ground irked him.

"No it isn't. Malcolm might be the same man he was two years ago, but I'm not."

"We could put him on Lian Yu" suggested Roy. "A few decades in there could make a modest man out of him."

Oliver shook his head; he had deliberated that they should not obstruct the assassins and their quest. "I can't afford a war with the League of Assassins over one man. 512 people are dead because of his earthquake machine. I don't want any more bloodshed in my city that could have been avoided."

Diggle agreed, "Oliver's right. It's not worth it." This may not be the best path to take, but they needed to see how it played out. Malcolm could be in Starling for Thea, for any number of reasons. All they could do was build their defenses and protect the city from the threats they were aware of.

"We'll help where we can." Oliver said, standing. "We have enough on our plate as it is." As much as foreign threats pressed on the team, on the country and on the world-their home was Starling, and if they could not defend their home from those who would destroy it, then they did not deserve to be called heroes at all.

2009

Unknown location on the China-Mongolian border

The world was black. There were hands reaching to her, grasping her waist, arms and legs. Consciousness came like a diffident visitor. The faces she saw were demons torturing her, taller than regular men twisting her wounds, inciting her screams. Phrases were thrown at her, incoherent and jumbled, her mind crunched on them like broken bones. The world was spinning and spinning and spinning. In the distance, she heard a blood-curdling scream. The fevers took over after that; blazingly intense she thought her head might explode.

Elise woke with start, gulping for air as if she had been choking. Disoriented, she blinked as fluorescent light stung her eyes. After a moment to adjust she lowered her arm and saw an IV attached to it, there were electrodes on her chest beneath the scrubs she wore and she sat on a hospital bed.

It was then she realized she had company.

"Get away from me!" She screamed in terror, she reared in the bed as the masked man stood from his seat, the whites of his eyes gleaming dangerously.

"Why? Are you afraid? Worried I might kill you?" He mocked, relishing in her fear. She whipped her head around; there was no one in the room but him.

"You're—you're not real" she shook her head in fierce denial, "None of Team 7 should be alive."

His clenched fist was shaking with indomitable fury as if it were the only restraint he had from strangling her. "Because of you…because of you they're dead. You betrayed us, led us to a trap and let the assassins slaughter us like sheep!"

Vulnerable as she was, if this member of Team 7 wanted to kill her to make her pay for her sins he would've done so already in her sleep. "I don't regret my actions", she said defiantly, she had no other weapon but her words and position if it even mattered here.

Where was she? How did she get here? Why were people whom she thought were dead suddenly standing at the foot of her bed? None of it clicked. The ASIS agent walked to her slow and menacingly, like a wolf preying on its next meal from afar, she saw the weapon he carried and how easily it could chop her head off.

"But you did more than that to me", he said, low. "You killed our friends—"

"You left me to die on a deserted island!—"

His voice…. She didn't know whether she wanted to cry, be sick, or laugh until she went mad, maybe a combination of each. Neither could she discern whether it was fear or shock that kept her from fleeing.

"And then you took our son and fled!"

Recognition seeped through her like ice cold water.

"Slade…"

A/N: Pheww this was a long one. It's been a while since I first introduced her in the early chapters of this fic during a Merlyn scene, but Elise Nefario aka HIVE Commander is Adeline Kane aka Slade's wife. There is so much more coming, you guys! Next chapter, more Red Hood and new threats to Starling City. We check in with Oliver in HK and present day Nanda Parbat.