The Foundry

"I found evidence of dealings between LexCorp and Elise Nefario's subsidiaries when I hacked into the email of LexCorp's CFO," Felicity, showed Sara and Roy the data she collected. "Of course when Elise was not Adeline Kane she was an angel, every transaction was some philanthropic initiative or another."

"This is bigger than we thought." Sara pointed at a flow chart Felicity had constructed on a monitor, each piece beautifully slotted into place. "Lex Luthor funded Vertigo which had help from Talia Al Ghul…Adeline Kane financed Slade's assault on the city, Kane and Luthor have been business for years. This is it," she turned to them, the synapses firing in her brain. HIVE was common denominator beneath everyone on the chart.

"It's an umbrella organization, and these are its key figures. This is HIVE."

Sara said firmly, "But we can't treat the League of Assassins as part of this, Talia is a separate entity. That's why finding Malcolm Merlyn is no longer my priority. A conspiracy within the League of Assassins could change the playing field for everyone including Merlyn's sentence. If I gather enough evidence I can take Talia Al Ghul to trial, and I'll put an end to her for good."

Felicity folded her arms and leaned on the table beside Roy, "I guess this is the part where you set boundaries? No touchy the demon spawn?"

She smiled ironically, "You know the drill by now." Knowing who they were up against, they could plan for the war. But even with this giant revelation, one thing she learnt in a war, was that every variable involved was always unpredictable.

Sara left afterwards for a dinner appointment with Laurel and her father.

Felicity returned to her seat and chewed on the pen patiently. Probably the only damper to the thrill of hacking was the waiting period. She had attached small pieces of software to emails and sent them to all LexCorp employees; a memo telling them not to use the men's bathroom on the 45th floor or to always wash the mugs in the sink before leaving the office for example. Once they opened the email the software would be downloaded to their desktops, kind of like a Trojan horse. She would be able to monitor their traffic and hunt through the entire intranet for anything incriminating.

If she was lucky, Lex's assistant would check the memo and Felicity would have full access to his itinerary.

It was a slower approach than she would have preferred but she had to be discreet considering the last time she pulled a trick like this on Merlyn Global, Capt. Lance decided it was necessary to take on her on a trip down to the precinct.

Roy roared in frustration; his crutch was stuck in an unsmooth crack on the cement floor of the Foundry. When he managed to free it, it fell to the floor and he muttered curses under his breath.

"Sheesh, what did that crutch ever do to you?" She retrieved it and returned it to its owner.

"Aren't you going to tell me I was wrong about Jason? You're all thinking it." Roy looked off into space, defeated. He combed his fingers through his hair and waited for her to talk to him, to tell him he made a mistake putting his faith in the wrong friend, but she didn't.

"Honestly, I'm kind of tired of pointing out the mistakes you boys make. You're forgiven," she smiled in that understanding way only she was capable of and clapped his shoulder, "let's just get him."

Felicity's personal phone started to vibrate. The only people who would call her at this hour were Ray when he had a lightbulb-like idea pop into his head, and then Oliver. Considering the latter was sweeping up the aftermath of a battle with the Red Hood and the Hand of Four; it had to be Ray. But when she checked, the caller ID was unknown.

"Hello?"

"Hey Felicity, I'm sorry for the late notice, but I'm on my way to Starling City".

Oh my God. It was Barry Allen.

"Barry! Wow. Um now's really not a good time." Felicity clutched her head, remembering. Particle accelerator. Barry. Coma. Woke up. Freaky super speed. It sounded crazier every time she repeated it in her mind; no doubt it'd sound like the perfect thing to get her institutionalized if she said it out loud.

"I need your help! It's urgent. I'm here already. Is Oliver around?"

"No he's—"

"Never mind I think I see him—"

"No!— Wait, Barry I didn't—"

The speedster slowed down to run at speed with the Starling vigilante, who was concentrating on the road ahead too hard to notice he was being greeted by the impossible in the flesh.

Grinning, Barry said, "Hey Oliver, how're ya doing?"

Oliver whipped his head around and the eye holes of his mask widened.

"Barry?!"

Barry skidded to a halt just outside the Foundry's back door; he was a blur and curl of a red lightning. The Arrow slammed the brakes on his bike before he crashed into the Central City hero.

"What the—?"

For a brief moment he didn't understand why such a stoic man was thrown by his presence, and then it clicked in his head what Oliver saw, and he glanced at his general person.

"Oh, Felicity forgot to mention it huh? Yeah, I'm really fast now."

...

Inside the lair, Oliver still felt somewhat hoodwinked into reality.

"So you're the red streak?"

"Yup."

Felicity was ecstatic to see the scientist awake from his coma and sheepishly apologized for not informing Oliver earlier of their friend's 'superpowers'. She enveloped Barry in a bear hug that bothered Oliver just a tad.

Roy was staring at Allen as if he'd beamed down from space; considering the most bizarre thing he ever laid eyes on was mirakuru. He couldn't blame him. Nevertheless, the list of weird that entered their world was about to become long and distinguished.

"Nice costume by the way. Red. Good choice" Barry gave Roy thumbs up.

For a fast guy, he was slow to get to the point, "...And how did this happen?"

"I've been up to date with the Red Streak Blog," Oliver said after Barry finished his recounting, "I'm sure you're aware of it? It describes every sighting of you in the past several months, including the cases you've undertaken."

"Yeah Iris West, she's a friend of mine, she writes it." He thought he saw Allen's cheeks redden at the mention of her name. "But she doesn't know who I am though."

"Well, I have notes."

He laughed, plainly assuming Oliver was joking, but saw the tight smile he had on and realized he was not. "Seriously? Notes?"

"But you're here for something else, aren't you?"

The urgency of his visit flooded back to him, he slapped his hands together, "Oh yeah, I'm sorry for literally barging in like this but Caitlin Snow is missing. You guys remember her?"

"What happened to her?" Asked Felicity.

"Star Labs was attacked and she was kidnapped by these—these ninja's in hoods and masks, they use swords and bows and they have no concern for civilian casualties. Dr. Wells said the leader called herself Nyssa."

"Nyssa?"

He instructed Harper to get a hold of Sara.

"So you know who she is?"

"A member of the League of Assassins."

Barry folded his lips and threw his arms out to the ceiling as if his day could not get any worse. "Great. Just great."

"How are Cisco and Dr. Wells?" Felicity asked.

"Shaken up, but they're okay. I've looked everywhere in Central City and I mean everywhere; I can't find her, I have no idea why they took her, and we haven't received any demands either."

Felicity said, "What makes you think she's in Starling City? That's why you're here right?"

"Cisco pinged her cell phone to this state before it went offline, there was speed cam footage of a getaway van but I lost the trail, it's—it's like they evaporated into thin air or something! I thought if anyone knew anything about their technique and Starling City it'd be you guys." He could hear the emotion clouding Barry's focus, "They set half of Central City on fire to distract me, and now they have Caitlin," he paused, "I couldn't even save everyone…"

"If she's here, we'll find her Barry."

Felicity asked for plates on the van to sieve through street cam feed to find the vehicle at the chance the assassins were sloppy. A group of assassins like this meant they would need time to scope out the city before forming a plan; the only downside was that it would be full-proof once they had one.

"Thanks Felicity."

Sara was on her way; Roy helped Felicity look for the getaway van. In the meantime, Allen was somewhere in the back of the foundry, arms folded, his face stiff and brooding.

"Hey."

Barry jumped a little, "oh, I didn't hear you." Seven years of training had made his footsteps dead silent no matter where he went, it was habit that startled both friend and foe.

"You okay Barry?"

Last year, Oliver used to think he was just a kid, but then he saved his life and he felt ashamed of himself for treating him that way. He still remembered him as the clumsy forensic scientist, and that charm Felicity saw in him would never be lost, but the lightning that struck him had made him wiser in a very short span of time.

"I've thought about coming to you sooner, and I should've. Being a hero isn't what it's all cut out to be."

He smiled forlornly, he wished he could lie, tell him that it gets easier, "trust me, I'm still learning myself."

"All my life, since my mum's death, I've always believed in the impossible. I've wanted to just, do more, be more, and now I am. Granted, I've screwed up a couple of times these past few months, more than I'd like to admit, but…never like this."

Barry did not ask for this, to be struck by dark-mattered lightning, it just happened. Whether it was fate or not, he felt the responsibility to use his gift to help the less fortunate, and most often the noble paths are the hardest and loneliest paths to take.

"So many people died tonight, because I couldn't save them, because I wasn't fast enough," he took out his frustration on the pillar behind him by slamming his fist into it.

God knows he felt the same way Barry did almost 24/7 these days. There were moments he felt like he was barely holding it all together. The team. The City. His family.

"If you're going to do this Barry, you're going to make mistakes. I've made mistakes. But the good you do will far outweigh the bad."

He shrugged wearily, "I don't know if I can be like you Oliver, I don't know if I can be some vigilante. Have what you have here." They looked at the rest of the foundry, at Felicity and Roy, even Diggle's presence was felt despite his absence tonight.

"This team wasn't built in a day Barry, and even then we have our ups and downs. I think you can inspire people, something I could never do. Watch over your city like a guardian angel and make a difference, saving people in a flash. I don't think that makes you a vigilante, but something better than that."

Sara Lance burst through the foundry doors with Laurel Lance on her heels, he could already hear them arguing.

"—and let you get yourself killed? I don't think so," the elder Lance said in tone he would expect her to use in a formal courtroom, not with her little sister.

"Relax sis, she won't know I'm onto her."

Oliver had to slide past Roy to get to them given how crowded the place just became. "Well, Thea just saw me" said Sara, not bothering to hide her displeasure at having her presence in Starling known by someone who was not in the room with them. "I thought you were working on the Foundry's security."

"Sara. She's my sister, not Slade Wilson."

Felicity looked at Roy, "maybe you should go distract her?" Seeing Harper on crutches made him wince but he hobbled out the door alright.

"I'll bet you a hundred bucks the bitch in the ninja costume was Talia Al Ghul—who's this?"

Since it would be a little unfair for Barry to wear his mask while everyone else was not, he walked out from the back and waved at them. Oliver was glad he did not zoom out of there and startle the sister's. Laurel's eyes went straight to the insignia on his chest while Sara went rigid with caution.

"Barry, meet Sara and Laurel Lance. Sara is—"

"The Canary," he burst out looking much happier than he did a minute ago, "I know, I know, huggge fan." Then he was a streak of red and popped in front of Sara, enthusiastically shaking the hand she did not offer - which, in normal circumstances would have resulted in Barry being forced into a bone-crushing chokehold.

Sara shut her open mouth and Oliver made a quick explanation regarding their meta-human friend.

After the fan-boying subsided, Barry said, "Talia? Dr. Wells said her name was Nyssa."

"It couldn't be her. She would have told me if she was coming here."

"Whoever took her, we need to find her. I'm just afraid she's already dead."

Sara's brow hardened, "I know Talia. She blew up half the city to get to your friend didn't she? All that trouble for one scientist? She won't kill her, not yet, she wants something."

Unknown Location, Starling City

"Set her here," Talia gestured to the ground, her assassins found a chair and rope to restrain Dr. Snow. Only two of her followers were with her now; David and Azura. The others had been decoys to lure the speedster off her trail.

She had carefully laid out every step of her plan to each of them, knowing how fast the speedster could run, each domino had to be in its exact position before they toppled perfectly into place. They had come to the most tentative part now and Snow was still unconsciousness. She instructed David to get smelling salts, declining Azura's eager offer to smack her awake.

Following Talia's inspection of the premises, David approached her with her burner phone. "It's Luthor."

A name I did not expect to hear ever again, at least not used so indiscreetly. She took the phone from him. "How's the war going?"

"Profitably." They were of similar age but she often compared him more to her father than herself, both could be intimidating in their own ways, though Lex had a public image to maintain— a ruse neither her father nor herself had the burden of— which made him more underhand than Ra's to a degree.

Nonetheless, they were both hiding in plain sight as snakes in the grass and in that they could find a semblance of respect for one another.

"You have the King of Corto Maltese putty in your hands?"

"How did you know he was involved?"

"I've been acquainted with the monarch before; he seems like the type to incite a civil war in his own country. Ingenious plan you hatched, really."

"So you figured it out then, bravo," his tone did not alter.

"Have you forgotten who you hired to jump start that smarmy old man's business? Vertigo sells in America to pay for a war in a small Caribbean country. And who saves the day? Lex Luthor." They circled in two different worlds; he in world of politics and she in the succession of the League, but the game was the same no matter what the field.

"I didn't expect you to be one to get your hands dirty with filth like that, Ms. Al Ghul."

"We do what we must to make ends meet," she said with unbridled distaste. "Though it feels as if I did more work than I bargained for. How is Mr. Armitage? Still biding his time hiding behind all of you?"

Lex tisked, "now don't shoot the messenger, and don't fret; our leader will be in contact with you shortly if you continue in this path."

She pursed her lips, watching David wave the salts beneath Caitlin's nose, "as much as I enjoy this banter we have. I'm busy. You said that if you ever called yourself it meant there was a problem we had to deal with together."

He said coolly, "there's an assassin here. I think she's one of yours."

Talia closed her hand, squeezing until her knuckles strained. "The Canary... What has she done now?" She asked him as though she were asking a teacher what wrong-doing their ill-disciplined child had done this time.

"Well. First a hacker breached my company's system."

"And here I thought you had the best hacker in the world under your payroll."

"And then I find the Canary giving my drug-traffickers a run for their money. Less than a day later, the Arrow and the Red Hood took out my well-paid mercenaries in one fell swoop, killing one of them too. Whether they're all working together or not, they've hindered my business here."

Once is accident, twice is coincidence, three times is conspiracy. Sara Lance was onto her, she may have not made the connection between Lex and Talia, but if she caught whiff of it, even suspected it, she could keep digging and find a web work of lies. Talia had spun each one of those webs with cunning and grace and she'd be damned if she let that blonde-haired traitorous degenerate destroy everything she built.

Should words of her plans travel down the grapevine— she had purposefully said her name was Nyssa, throwing her sister under the bus could save her time in case Ra's got suspicious.

Her little sister had a strange surge of courage whenever her little bird was in its cage, therefore she'd allocated Taer-Al-Asfar to the search for Merlyn to keep Sara and Nyssa separated. I can't have Nyssa feeling emboldened to defy me. From Luthor's report, Sara had gotten side-tracked in her hunt for the Magician; in addition she was conspiring with the Starling vigilantes again.

She was a wild card Talia could not afford.

Lex said, "You can see why I had to contact you myself."

"I'll handle my end of the problem."

"And I'll handle mine."

The Foundry

"What could Talia want with Caitlin?" Laurel asked.

Oliver snapped his fingers; the answer was staring at them like a giant billboard. "The blood Artemis stole from Cyrus before we killed him—STAR Labs created the antidote to mirakuru. She wants to make it again."

Felicity went to her computer and rapidly tapped away. "He's right. Missing person's report lists several scientists across the country with bio-engineering backgrounds that have either disappeared or died in freak accidents that appeared to be total coincidences; heart attacks, muggings, hey even falling AC units."

"Then she's not here alone" Sara confirmed, "Talia would never bother to make her kills look like accidents. She's here with her followers."

"At least four of them" added Barry. "She would take Caitlin to an environment where she can recreate the serum."

The last of the Arrow's enemies who had dabbled with the miracle drug was Clinton. Oliver asked "The Church of Blood, where did all the equipment go?"

Laurel, who was lingering, spoke up, "some of it's in evidence lock-up or was donated to research facilities across the state. Give me a list of the itinerary and I can make sure we have extra security on it."

As she folded the list Felicity handed to her, Sara readied herself for battle by throwing her leather jacket on, her mask, and extending her staff all in three fluid movements. Barry was practically drooling in admiration.

"I'm going with you."

Her sister put her hand on the edge of the staff and lowered it, "Why? You're needed here, more than following me around on guard duty." All her life, Laurel always believed she was meant to protect her little sister not the other way around. Sara's paranoia was becoming a little too close for comfort.

"I'm not taking the risk. If Talia's in town, there's no telling what she'll do to my family to get back at me." Laurel harrumphed in agreement and they started to leave.

Oliver frowned, "get back at you? Why? You've followed her orders to a T."

"Not exactly," the Lance's exchanged a look. Oliver sensed he was missing something here. "I'm taking Talia to trial. She's committing treason, Ra's needs evidence and I've made it my job to get it. Talia is his daughter and it'll take more than my word to get her into his bad graces. You guys keep searching for Dr. Snow, but please don't do anything that will get us all killed."

"Talia has it out for you, Sara. You could get yourself killed," he argued. And I've seen you die twice. I don't need a third time.

Laurel came to her defense, "we're aware of the risks Oliver and we're taking them. I remember when you used to be someone who was willing to do whatever it took to get the bad guy."

That was out of the blue. Both Lances left before he could object to any of it.

Felicity avoided eye contact. "Did you know something about this?"

She sighed, meeting his intent eyes, "I did, but you said you didn't want to get yourself under the League's radar. Have you changed your mind?"

Oliver rubbed his forehead, Diggle had warned them not to let their involvement with the League get out of hand. But that was before Malcolm Merlyn came into the picture with Thea and then it got a little hazy. I'm always making new enemies for myself, no matter what I do.

"Urggh I'm starving" Barry announced, holding his stomach, he could hear it grumble. "Running cross country consumes a ton of carbs. Do you guys want anything?"

"We're good," said Felicity, before Oliver could remind him that they were working a case and this was strictly no time for food.

"I'm feelin' like Chinese."

Schwoop and a rush of air and he was gone. Felicity held down the flying papers on her desk, "Whoa, I really need to get some paper weights down here." She glanced upwards at him from beneath her glasses, "so…you and Barry, teaming up huh?"

"You sound wary."

"Because I know you're already thinking of ways to keep the situation under your control. We all know you don't play well with others, Oliver."

Schwoop and Barry was sitting on a stool with enough Chinese takeout to feed an army. Setting guidelines for the speedster was probably the first thing he should have done. Felicity was correct in her assumption; he and Barry's personalities were on either end of the spectrum. The last thing he wanted was for them to come to blows in the midst of the mission.

"Ahem, Barry?"

Barry had stuffed five eggs rolls into his mouth at once, "O-weh O-wiv-ver?"

"Could you just..." he gestured to the mouth and Barry took the hint, taking a giant gulp.

"Sorry."

In some ways he is still just a kid. "I just want to make something clear," he licked his lips hoping he wasn't about to come out sounding too harsh, that was another habit he couldn't quite shake. "Things work differently here, this is my city and it's meaner than what you're used too; we do things my way, understood?"

"Oh yeah I get it, don't worry, it'll be awesome." And then a thought struck Barry and he put the chopsticks down. "Hold on. STAR Labs has a branch here, it closed down after the particle accelerator went kaboom." At normal speed he went to the monitors, and found the old site on a map of the city. "She has to be here. She has too."

"Could it be that simple?" Felicity asked.

"Why can't it be?" Barry glanced at them, "if I was Talia and I wanted my captive to make me a quality batch of super soldier miracle juice, I would take her to a place where she works best in."

Assassins were complex shadow creatures, and this was the demon's daughter, she would never allow herself to be easily captured by anyone.

"Except you're not Talia" he said matter-of-factly, "and even with your super-speed she was able to put six-hundred miles between you and Caitlin before you even knew she was gone".

He could see Barry trying to argue that point, instead he said, "Isn't it worth checking out at least?"

"Yes it is. But first we should—"

The speedster flipped his mask on, smiling cockily. "Don't worry guys, I'll be right back."

"Barry—" schwoop— Oliver's hand curled into a fist. "Damn it." He grabbed his bow, feeling like a snippy old man trying to get his annoying grand kid to sit still in one place for one darn second.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going after him. This has 'trap' written all over it."

Port Adams, Gotham

Perching on the overhead beam forty feet above, she observed four HIVE agents patrolling the warehouse. Each was positioned at an entrance wearing black armour with yellow undertones and fixtures. Artemis was not interested in a few underpaid guards, only in the blue mercenary reporting into a comm with one hand whilst the other filtered through charts on an industrial work table. Artemis eavesdropped on his conversation.

"More men have been sent to the facility in Central City as requested…the meeting with the general will have to be rescheduled if I am to provide a protection detail for the Commander…yes, everything is going according to plan."

Al-Sayad flicked her wrist and sent a shuriken tainted with pit viper venom to a guard on the easternmost door. She dropped down, taking a crouched position to avoid the gunshots and took out a pair with arrows. The one nearest to her tried to attack but she rolled under, coming up she lodged a knife into his calf and then smacked him in forehead with her bowstave.

It took all of thirty seconds for her and the blue mercenary to be alone. He hadn't even bothered to stop her; neither did he wear a mask. He folded his arms, crossed one leg over the other and leaned on the table, amusement glittering in his eyes.

"I take it you're not here for a visit."

"Simon Lacroix. He belongs to us," she said as an answer, wearing her bow around her. They stood ten feet from each other, her arm muscles were coiled for attack while he was relaxed. Seeing no need for it, Al-Sayad removed her hood and pulled down her balaclava, calculating grey eyes sweeping over him.

"Do you take me for a knucklehead?" He snickered at the boldness of her demand, "should I gift-wrap him for you to take to Ra's? I wouldn't be much of an enforcer if I sacrificed my agents to the hellfire whenever I wanted too."

"Save it. You're a mercenary," she sneered with aversion to his occupation. Talia taught her it was always one vendetta or another with people like the HIVE enforcer. Their loyalty could be bought. They never had a code to comply too other than the one they made up to suit their circumstances.

"And you're an assassin," he said patronizingly. "You also don't have a nickel to your name so you can't pay me to give him to you. You have nothing to offer me."

"I don't think money has much value in this world when it comes down to it."

"Ha! Who gave you that wonderful chunk of wisdom? Your 'mentors' in Nanda Parbat? You obviously have your priorities confused."

"Lacroix is an inferior archer, let me take him off your hands and you can stop wasting your time."

The enforcer snorted at her attempt. "He was hired to kill people for us. Are you going to do his job for him when he dies?" He enjoyed seeing her stumble, but she was weak and he had no time for that, hopefully he could brush her off without too much trouble.

"You'll have to sweeten the deal with something else kiddo," he sneered.

"We can trade intelligence."

"And what can you tell me that I don't already know? This playing field is for the big boys, little girl. This is the real world, we don't waste our time avenging pissant misdeeds and wiping the asses of old pricks, worshiping them like they're friggin' God."

"I'll tell you where to find the Arrow," she said and knew she had him like a fish on a hook. "I know your leader, Commander Kane; doesn't like him too much. He's ruined numerous investments she's made. I'm sure she would be delighted to put an end to him."

"Where? How?" He asked before he could properly think of a crafty response. The HIVE enforcer could see the golden opportunity this presented.

"No, no," she wagged her finger. "I want Lacroix first, gift-wrapped and hand delivered to me," she threw his words back at him.

"How do I know you're not lying? That you're only saying this to trap me and kill me like you've always wanted too?" He said scathingly as if taunting her, goading her to give it a try just so he could defeat her.

Artemis shrugged. "You don't. It depends on what matters more to you, a promotion to a high-ranking HIVE general with large salary raise," she held out one hand as an option, "or one insignificant archer with a death warrant on his head," she held out the other.

"It's a gamble, but we both know what you'll end up choosing."

And that put a broad grin on his face, he nodded approvingly, "You're not completely hopeless now are you little girl? Give me a time and place."

Ignoring the veiled insult, she said "Park Row Subway Station. Dawn." The enforcer wasn't threatened by her, but he was somewhat impressed. She didn't know whether to feel spite or pride by that fact.

He shrugged as if they were not just bargaining on a man's life. "Alright, alright, I'll play along. I'll be there with Lacroix in a bag."

Unknown Location, Starling City

Caitlin stirred in her seat, "Urgghhh."

David withdrew to give room for his master to approach the captive. "Dr. Snow, welcome back."

She was slow to respond, "W-What do you want with me?"

Talia beamed inside, she loved holding them in suspense, "I'll explain shortly."

Snow's eyes swam with grief and panic, "My friends…"

"Cisco is fine, Dr. Wells, not so much." It was deliciously tempting to tell her that Harrison Wells was faking it with the wheelchair but that was beside the point.

She cowered beneath the deadly looks of Azura and David. "Are, are you going to kill me?"

"It depends on what you can do for me." She wiggled the vial of Cyrus Gold's blood at her. "This is blood from a mirakuru soldier, do you recognize the term?"

For scientist with two PhD's she looked like a blubbering, impotent idiot then. "How...how did you get that?"

"It was promised to me. I heard you made the cure for it, and that's why your experience with it is invaluable to me."

She gulped; Talia watched her throat bobble up and down. "You want to re-synthesize the mirakuru."

"Close." She drew an emerald green vial from a briefcase Azura opened for her and showed it to Snow. "This is Kobra venom, a type of super-steroid drug, lethal in the wrong doses. The cartel that distributed it is nonexistent, but I got my hands on the last sample." Talia held it closer to her eyes, reminiscing on that fun weekend where she hacked off the heads of cartel members. They were once one of HIVE's assets, but had been released for the sake of her cause.

She held both vials in one hand, steadying her viper eyes on Caitlin's. "I want you to combine the mirakuru and the venom to create a new more-advanced serum."

Caitlin swallowed, "What are you going to do with it?"

"Give it to those loyal to me. And take back what's rightfully mine."

She shook her head, leaning into her chair as if would protect her from the demon's daughter. "No, No. I won't do it. Those soldiers killed so many people!"

"Do I look like someone who takes no for an answer?"

She sputtered, "it-it might not work, think about it, the subjects may die, experience abnormal symptoms. I would need a control, not to mention the appropriate facilities to make it—"

The Al Ghul laughed and Caitlin went stiff as a board in her chair.

Civilians were utterly clueless sometimes. "I just out-ran your friend with super-speed; you think I haven't planned ahead of these questions?" She chuckled and signaled for Azura to turn on the lights. "You will use these facilities, I'm sure you recognize some of the fixtures, though the name out front has changed, within it is still very much the same." They were in a Mercury Lab, where most of the STAR labs equipment had been moved after the old facilities shut down.

She folded her hands behind her back, smiling proudly. "As I said Dr. Snow, I've been planning this for quite some time, I have the means and the allies in high places to get what I want."

"And if I don't do it? If I fail?"

Talia bent and held her chin between her thumb and forefinger, squeezing the pale flesh and watching her blue eyes rapidly shift across the face of her captor.

"I'll kill everyone you love, and then innocent people you don't even know...and then I'll kill you, and all that blood will be on your hands." She shoved her head back, and dusted her hands, "So get to work" she growled.

David and Azura chained Caitlin's ankles together, leaving her hands free. They hauled her into standing position.

"You have 24 hours."

A/N: dialogue and storylines adapted from the Flash and Young Justice. It feels like ages since I updated, it's good to be back. See you next time.