Chapter Nine: No More Masks

"I am no bird, and no net ensnares me; I am a free human being with an independent will."

-Jane Eyre

Based on her own Intel of what she had learned about Slade Wilson, better known to the criminal underworld as Deathstroke, and the information that her charge had given her, Tabitha White was able to surmise just exactly what Slade wanted in Starling City. A war based solely on revenge by using anything and everyone that Oliver Queen loves most in this world; meaning that her charge was in danger as well. Thus, that was how Tabitha – the White Tiger – found herself in the Lair of Deathstroke himself; ready to do anything she could to protect Talia.

"Well, this is a pleasant surprise. The legendary White Tiger…I've heard of you. To what do I owe the honor?" asked Slade in a calm but curious voice.

"I know what you plan to do…to Oliver Queen that is, and while I have no sympathies for him or his problems, I would like to make it infinitely clear that those plans of yours not involve Felicity Smoak. She is very dear to me, and while she may be the Arrows greatest weakness, she is still off limits to the likes of you," said Tabitha with as much authority of that of Rhas Al Ghul. Her old mentor had taught her very well. There she stood in front of Slade, who sat on the edge of his own desk, dressed in dark charcoal grey leather and a large samurai sword in one hand.

"Well, I respect you for your care of your charge, but I can assure you, I have no intentions of hurting Felicity Smoak," said Slade with a faraway look in his eyes.

"Strangely enough, I believe you. But…why?"

"I would think that the mere fact that I promise to never harm Felicity Smoak, or does she go by Selena Kyle now?"

"She has any names, but you still have not answered my question. Why?"

"She…She reminds me someone…someone who was very dear to me. I would never disrespect her life anymore then I would that of the life of the woman that I have acted my revenge for. Rest assured, Felicity Smoak is safe from me. However…"

Slade's words caused Tabitha to pause in her relaxed state and stiffen in preparations for a fight once more. "Yes?"

"I do intend to reveal the true Oliver Queen to your dear Catwoman. Yes, I know who she is in that respect. The truth may hurt her mentally and emotionally, but it needs to be done."

"Very well, so long as her life is not threatened I shall not stand in the way of your plans," was Tabitha's reply before she disappeared into the shadows from whence she came.

Moira knew Malcolm Merlyn was alive, that fact had been obvious ever since he had approached her after her release after her trial. The threat she had made to him that night all those months ago was still open. Rhas Al Ghul had not been pleased with Malcolm, but Moira Queen was even less pleased with one persistent Felicity Smoak. While Oliver and Thea both now knew the truth of Thea's paternity, Malcolm still posed a threat other than revealing said truth. He could still very well take her daughter away from her. Now, Felicity had simply made Moira very mad, first by revealing her secret to Oliver and then by not dying like she was supposed to when Moira pushed her out of that window four months ago. Suffice it to say, Moira was going to kill two birds with one stone. First, she needed to get Malcolm out of her children's lives forever, and in doing that…hopefully it would ensure the end for Ms. Smoak as well.

So, there on her phone in her office high up in her throne in her castle sat the evil Moira Queen. "Yes, I would like to speak with the your leader," said Moira as the sharp voice on the other end of the phone answered.

Bane answered Moira's request to talk with him, since he was the new Rhas Al Ghul since Henri Ducard's death. "What may I do for you Mrs. Queen?"

"I have some information that could prove to be very valuable to you. In exchange for this information I want you to do me a favor."

"Depends on the favor," said Bane, but he was curious.

"I want you to ensure the death of someone very close to my family," said Moira in a quiet but firm voice.

"And what is the information you have to give in exchange for this…favor?"

"Malcolm Merlyn is still alive, he is hiding somewhere in Starling City."

The news was not news at all to Bane, for he and the entire League of Shadows have known the location of Merlyn for a good year now, but he was still curious as to who Moira wanted him to kill. "And who is it you wish for the League to dispose of?"

"Felicity Meghan Smoak. I have sent any and all information I have on her to your fax number, you should be receiving it any second now."

Bane turned in his office at the League headquarters, the one room that held electricity, and grabbed the papers that had just started coming in through his fax. He lost all breath when he saw the picture of this Felicity Smoak. It was her. The child he had sworn to protect and bring home to the League. It was his beloved Talia.

This changed some things. No longer would the League be hiding in the shadows as Malcolm Merlyn finished his task destroying Starling City. No, the League needed to come forth and get her out before the fall of Starling. But, first Bane intended to find out everything he could about his beloved's new identity.

When Felicity received a call from Digg, she wasn't too surprised, they had kept in contact for the last few months and was still just as close as they used to be, they just didn't see each other every minute of every day. She was, however, a little surprised when Digg asked if he could come over – there was something important that he needed to talk about and h couldn't do that with the others of their old Team. So, Felicity agreed and gave him her new address to her childhood home. When Digg arrived, he was shocked at the dark and brooding beauty of the houses architecture, and yet how it still seemed to be very Felicity looking.

So, there they sat in her living room, a cup of coffee in their hands, Felicity waiting to hear what it was the was clearly bothering Digg. "So, how are things?"

"Different," said Digg with a resigned sigh. "It's not the same without you. You were the glue that held us together and now…they are sorry, Felicity." He referred to Sara and Oliver and the clear shame the two carried day in and day out for their actions.

"I know. That's what makes everything so horrible. They had to have known what their actions would do to everyone around them, not just me or the Team, but Laurel, and rest of the Lance family, Thea and Roy. It's something that I think they have yet to learn, that actions have consequences and no amount of saying I'm sorry can fix them," said Felicity with a small resigned smile.

"He loves you."

"Does he? His actions prove otherwise and actions speak louder than words. But, you are right. I believe in Oliver's own way he does love me, but I don't think he knows what that means – what real love means. He's still just as foolish and childish as he was before the island, he needs…"

"To grow up?"

"Yes."

"I agree. His entire life he has had things handed to him, people saved him, protected him, and he was able to buy his way out of anything. Even on the island – from what he's told us – he still had people with him to take the fall for him, to protect and save him. When he came home everyone still wanted to cater to his needs. Perhaps he should have done the Arrow crusade of his alone, maybe then – with no one there to help him or bail him out of his troubles – he would have grown up more. Maybe we are the crutch that holds him back, but…then I look back on all the times we spent together as a team and how much he grew because of us…because of you. Either way you look at it there's good and bad reasons, but in spite of it all…I do believe he honestly loves you Felicity. He just doesn't know how to."

"I know, but is that fair to me. I deserve someone who is going to treat me the way a woman is supposed to be treated…to love me first and foremost and…I deserve more than constantly being in second place to Sara and Laurel. And until he realizes that, I am going to keep myself out of the equation," said Felicity with authority that Digg could never go against. "Now, what was it really that you wanted to speak with me about?"

"I've been recruited by a secret government agency run by a woman named Anna Waller. With the way things are with Oliver, I would have considered joining a new team, but one of the other members are…" Digg took a deep breath. "Ms. Waller has also recruited Slade Wilson, Floyd Lawton, Lyla, Bronze Tiger, and Shrapnel."

"Well, I'm guessing you don't particularly want to work with a big band of criminals."

"That is exactly why."

"What do you think you, me and Oliver were for the last two years?"

"We broke the law but we saved lives, Felicity."

"But we were still criminals. Vigilantes. We took the law into our own hands and we played judge, jury, and executioner," said Felicity with a faraway look in her eyes. That first year she had helped Oliver find his enemies from his father's list and he had killed them. She had helped and enabled him to kill all those people. They may have been bad guys, but they had been murdered nonetheless. She was as much a killer and Sara, Oliver, and Digg were. "You came to me to find out just what this secret government agency wants with people like you, Slade, and Deadshot."

"If you wouldn't mind," asked Digg. "And…if I cans stay here while you do it, I'd be much obliged. I can't deal with Oliver and his drama right now."

"Of course, but this could take a while," said Felicity as she began to work on fining out just who Digg was getting into bed with, figuratively speaking of course.

Six hours later both Digg and Felicity were shocked at what they had found out about Suicide Squad and the truth about Deadshot. "My God! Are you certain that all of this is true?" Digg asked Felicity for the umpteenth time.

"Yes, I hacked pretty much every government database and this was the same thing that they all said about Deadshot," said Felicity as she looked at Digg in sympathy. He had been a soldier himself, and the mere fact that his own government and country – the people he had sworn to protect and defend – would betray one of their own…it sickened him.

"How can this be?" asked Digg in horror and he stared at the paper files that Felicity had printed out for him.

"The only way you're going to get any real answers is if you ask him yourself."

When Digg called Oliver two days later to inform him that he was going to be gone for the next week to help Lyla with a mission for ARGUS, Oliver was hesitant to not ask questions, but he eventually let it go. He and Digg had not been on the best of speaking terms ever since Felicity had left. So, he would endure the absence of his onetime friend for the next week and hope that in that time he would be able to think of something…someway to make it up to both Digg and Felicity for everything he had done to them.

It wasn't until the mission was over, they had taken down a corrupt war lord in south east Africa as their first test run mission to see how well their new team fit. In the end Bronze Tiger and Shrapnel decided saving the world was not worth their time. Shrapnel, who had been fatally wounded during the mission died two days later, and Bronze Tiger wasn't about to put his own life in danger for the good of others. As such, it had Anna Waller thinking about offering Roy Harper a place on their team to make up for the loss of Bronze Tiger and Shrapnel. Digg knew all too well that Roy would jump at the chance to be part of a real team. Oliver had not been very welcoming with Roy and Roy was still pissed at Oliver for hurting Felicity the way he did, plus he didn't like Sara and the type of person she seemed to be.

So, that was how Digg found himself sitting in a private jet on his way back to Starling City with Slade Wilson sitting not ten feet away from him. Ms. Waller had made Slade the resident team leader for Suicide Squad. Lyla had fallen asleep next to Digg with her head resting soundly against his shoulder, and right in front of him sat none other than Floyd Lawton – Deadshot – the man who had killed his brother.

"You want to know if any of it's true," stated Lawton. Digg looked up to look his brother's killer in the eye. "All the information in that big file about me you've been carrying around with you for the last week." Digg wore a surprised look on his face that Lawton had figured out the file had to do with him. "I noticed it while you were packing before we left Africa. I'm guessing you found out who I really am and you're just aching to find out whether it's all true or not."

"Is it," asked Digg.

"Which part?"

"That you were once a sniper for the military, and that you killed my brother because you were ordered to?!" said Digg in a whispered shout, trying not to wake Lyla.

"You know, when I was younger I fell in love with my high school sweetheart, but we were both poor and we wanted out of the small hinky-dink town we'd been raised in, so the only logical option for me was to sign up for the military. That was when I realized I had a gift…or a curse, depending on how you look at it. No matter what kind of gun I was handed, I could shoot it. I had perfect aim no matter what. I worked for U.S. military for ten years, and in those ten years 80% of the people I was ordered to kill were innocent. When I found out I hunted down my superior officers and killed them all. By the time I was done with them I was too ashamed to go back to her," said Lawton in bitter ironic voice. Digg had been wondering who the girl was in the few pictures that Lawton carried with him everywhere, now he knew. "I gave my life, my mind, my, heart, and my soul to my country…and in return they betrayed me by having me kill innocent men and women; making me do their dirty work for them. You were a soldier once, how do think it would feel if the country you gave everything to took everything from you, including your humanity." That was the last that Lawton said on the matter before turning away from Digg.

"Did you make them suffer? The men who ordered my brother's death, did you make them suffer for it?"

"A thousand times over," said Lawton in a harsh voice.

"You pulled the trigger. You killed him, but…you also thought you were serving your country. I can't forgive you for what you did, but I can understand it…now."

"I understand."

It had been hard working without Digg for the last week, but the fact that he would be home later that night was a relief that washed over Oliver in such a strong wave that left him almost giddy. The loss of Felicity and the ever growing possibility of losing Digg weighed heavily on him each and every day. He sat in Felicity's old computer desk chair when the computers themselves began to go crazy with beeping and alerts. Sara, who had been practicing with one of the dummies, and Roy, who had been reading the latest article on Batman and Catwoman, both looked towards the desk of monitors and ran to Oliver's sides.

"Why is it doing that? What is it?" asked Roy with a frown etched onto his young and perfectly sculpted face.

"I don't know. It looks like it's one of Felicity's pre-programmed alerts for ARGUS. Roy, can you see how to access it?" asked Oliver as he made room for the youngest member of their team.

"Sure," said Roy. It took him a good ten minutes – ten minutes longer then it would have had it been Felicity – to find out what the alert for ARGUS was all about, but when he did it was a shock to say the least. "Oh. My. God."

"Roy, what is it?" asked Oliver but his question was answered when took a look at the computer screen of a street camera picture of Nyssa, an unknown man in a strange mask, and none other than Malcom Merlyn.

"The League. That's Bane from the League. If he's here then…so are the rest of them," said Sara with a shocked and frightened look written all over her face.

"Call Digg. See if his plane has landed yet. Roy, find out where the League is going to meet and what they want. Then I want you to call Felicity and see what she knows about all of this," said Oliver in a rush as he left the main room of the Foundry to suit up in his hood.

Meanwhile, Digg was just putting a sleeping Lyla to bed when he walked back out into the living room of their shared apartment to see Slade Wilson leaning against the open kitchen counter. "What do you want?"

"Felt like talking to my new friend and team mate," said Slade with a sideways smirk.

"We're not friends."

"Why not? When we have so much in common. You and I are…"

"Nothing alike."

"Oh, but we are, aren't we? Both soldiers, both friends with Oliver Queen, both betrayed by Oliver Queen," said Slade in a hard distant voice.

"Oliver has never betrayed me," said Digg.

"Hasn't he? About a year ago, wasn't it? The night you and a few – now dead – agents of ARGUS went up against your ex-enemy, Deadshot. Oliver was supposed to help, and instead he abandoned you to the fate of surviving a man with skills like Deadshot. And on top of that, five innocent men died that night because of his absence. Not only has Oliver betrayed you, but Ms. Smoak as well. What I don't understand is how you can work with a man who would hurt the woman you consider to be a little sister?! Or do you not care about her either?" As Slade continue to speak Digg could not help feeling at first, surprised by how much about their team Slade knew about, and then resigned and a little broken at how true everything Slade just said was. "It must hurt you, truly, to work alongside a man like Oliver Queen who has no recollection of what true loyalty is. Can you truly trust him? Especially when it comes down to the choice that he will have to make at some point between you and Felicity…and his precious Lance sisters! Can you honestly trust him to make the right choice? Let's face it…he knows nothing about trust, loyalty or love. He will betray you again, and Ms. Smoak, but the next time he does…the consequences might be a lot worse than just one of your beloved team members walking away. Next time someone's going to end up dead, and deep down you know that." Slade had made his way in front of Digg and they were now standing head to head. "Now, you may not care about your own life, but what about the life of Ms. Smoak. She has proven time and time again that her loyalty is true and honest. Instead of hoping that our mutual friend will change his ways…and grow into an honest man, perhaps you should take care of what little you have left of those you love. And just so you know, that wasn't a threat…just an observation."

With those final words Slade left, and Digg felt a little more empty inside then he had the week before. Slade had been right in his assessment of Oliver's character. That night that Oliver had chosen Laurel over him had hurt, not because he had chosen Laurel instead of him, but because Oliver had not even had the common courtesy to call him and tell him the truth…that their plans had changed; and because of his lack of thought or compassion – it was like Slade had said – five innocent men had died that night because of it. Oliver could have called, at least! Now, Oliver had done the same thing with Felicity, forever stringing her along and giving her hope while screwing around with another Lance sister.

What was worse was the fact that in that past week, Digg had felt more loyalty, understanding, and trust while working alongside Slade, Deadshot, and Lyla then he ever had while working with Oliver – Felicity being the one exception. That realization made Digg feel ill, and he slowly sunk to the floor with his back against the wall of his living room. Slade was right in the fact that he couldn't change Oliver, but what Slade hadn't realized was that he and Felicity had never wanted to change Oliver. All they had wanted was for Oliver to become a better version of himself, but now Digg wasn't even sure that he could do that. Not after everything he had done.

He and Felicity thought they had seen something in Oliver; something honorable.

They were very wrong.

And in that moment, Digg realized that his friend wasn't a hero, he wasn't even sure Oliver was his friend anymore either.

The truth hurt.

Felicity had been looking for Isis for over an hour now, but no matter where she looked either in her house or around the property, she couldn't find her fury little friend. It took another twenty minutes of searching when she finally found a small note sticking to her entryway wall with a small Batarang protruding from it. It appears that a certain Dark Knight was getting back at her for dumping his car into the river that surrounded both Gotham and Starling City. Well, if he wanted to play then that was exactly what he'd get.

She found herself standing on the roof of the skyscraper across the street from Queen Consolidated a mere twenty feet from the Caped Crusader that she's been skipping around with at night for the last four and a half months. "Oh, come on now. Don't be shy. Why don't you say hello to an old friend, Mr. Wayne."

"Hello, Ms. Kyle…or do you prefer Ms. Smoak?" said Batman with a rough voice that still sent shivers down her spine.

"What makes you think either of them are my real names?" said Felicity cryptically.

"Fair enough. Now, I believe you came because I have something of your," said Batman as he held up Isis in his hands. Felicity didn't know why but the mere fact that the big bad Batman was holding a small ball of fur was both amusing and highly arousing to her.

"Yes, now if you please," Felicity said as she walked closer towards him, crooking her finger at him to give Isis back to her. They met in the middle, and he…handed the cat over to its rightful owner. Felicity honestly didn't know what to make of it.

"I just wanted to lure you here." There was her answer. Straightforward, she liked that in a man.

"What for?"

"To talk."

"So talk," said Felicity as she placed Isis back on the ground, but before the small black cat left their presence it rubbed up against the legs of one Caped Crusader before trotting off into the darkness. It appeared that her cat like her masked hero friend. "Flirt," mumbled Felicity under her breath as she glared at her retreating fury friend.

"I wonder where she got it from," said Batman in a low teasing tone.

"Listen, about the car…I…" Felicity was interrupted when Tabitha's voice came over their comm link.

"Dearest, your friends are in danger. Bane, Nyssa, and Merlyn have them cornered on the roof of Queen Consolidated. I will meet you there," said Tabitha in a rush. As Felicity turned to glance across the street, low and behold a fight had indeed broken out between her old family and her present friends.

"Friends of yours?" asked Batman.

"Yes, the League of Shadows has them cornered," said Felicity and she was a bit more surprised by the lack of shock on Batman's face when she mentioned the League. "By your indifference to the League, something tells me you know more about them then I originally thought."

"And by the fact that you referred to them as your friends as well as the Arrow, something tells me know them more then I originally thought. I also assume you need my help," was Batman's reply.

"Yes."

"Well, lead the way."

When Digg received the call from Roy about the League possibly coming back for Sara, the last thing he wanted to do was help Oliver or his recent screw have an all-out brawl with Sara's angry ex-girlfriend. But, when Roy made it clear that he was being dragged into this too, he couldn't let the younger man go out there with Sara and Oliver alone. So, that was how he found himself face to face in a confrontation between Nyssa, some dude named Bane, and Malcolm Merlyn.

"We had a deal Nyssa. You promised you would leave me and the people I love alone," said an angry Sara.

"Why do you assume that we are here for you, lover? Not everything is about you, my dear. In fact we are here for my father's true daughter," said Nyssa with an angry smirk. "Talia." Sara found considering she had thought the child from the story Nyssa had told her long ago was dead. Apparently not. "We want no quarrel with you lot, so let us be and we'll be out of your way in a few short days, as soon as we have what we came here for."

"No, you come to my City and think that you won't face some retribution," growled Oliver, his bow and arrow drawn.

"Hmm, I see your boyfriend still wants to think the best of people in his precious City, including you, lover. Tell me, how long was I gone before you jumped into bed with him?" asked Nyssa with a disgusted sneer.

Sara flinched at the accusation coming from the woman she loved. "Nyssa, please…forgive…"

"You are not the woman I thought you were, now be gone from my sight."

But with one faulty move on Sara's part, an all-out fight broke open with a flood gates bursting fourth between these seven warriors. The fight was not too far in when Batman and Catwoman seemed to literally drop from the sky. The fight broke into an all-out war at that point. Oliver and Digg were the first to drop, then Roy and Sara; by that time another member had joined in on the fight – none other than the White Tiger herself. Between the three of them, the White Tiger, the Dark Knight, and the Catwoman…the fight was very nearly equal. The white Tiger had Nyssa in a tight hold with her arms wrapped around her neck and waist, while the Dark Knight quickly put Malcolm Merlyn unconscious and on his back. The Catwoman had gone up against Bane, but for some reason, Oliver could tell just by watching the deadly fight, that her movements were not fatal or deadly, but more of a distraction to get the bigger man's attention. It wasn't until Bane had her on her back a hand around her throat that she spoke, a voice that Oliver knew all too well. Felicity.

"Bane. My friend, please." Bane scrambled away from the child he had sworn to protect, but in doing so he drew the attention of everyone around him. Tabitha moved her gaze away from Nyssa and towards her charge, and it was then that the younger woman got the best of her for once in her life and withdrew a nine inch dagger and aimed it at the fallen group of barely-alive vigilantes. They were all clumped so close together – Digg, Oliver, Roy, and Sara – that it was hard to see which one of them the dagger was aimed at, but it didn't matter. It never reached its target, because in that moment Felicity came fly through the air as the dagger soared towards her old friends and instead of harming them, it pierced right through her chest and her heart. She was dead in seconds.

Bane was furious, it was only Tabitha's reassuring words of, "She has cat blood and Mirakuru mixed into her DNA, she will be fine in a few hours," that kept him from snapping Nyssa's neck.

"No, Felicity!" Oliver cried out hoarsely as he tried to crawl his way over to her. It took Roy, Sara, and Digg to keep him from going to her.

"Where is your Lair?" growled Batman, who had already pulled the dagger out of the now dead Felicity. "Where is it? We need to take her to somewhere safe?" it was Digg who answered him in the end.

It had been four hours since Nyssa had killed Felicity and Oliver could not understand how everyone could remain so damned calm! But, Tabitha just kept saying the same thing over and over again, "She has cat blood and Mirakuru mixed into her DNA, she will be fine."

"What does that even mean?!" yelled Oliver.

"You know, I would have thought working with Felicity would have rubbed off some of her intelligence on you, but clearly not," said Batman – or Bruce Wayne considering everyone's masks had come off once they were all safely beneath Verdant, which had been a shocker in itself – with a deadpan voice. "She's a cat, she'll be fine."

Oliver was about ready to punch someone or something if that repetitive saying wasn't explained clearly to him very soon, when Roy gave a sudden, "Oh.

"OH! I get it," said Roy airily. Everyone turned to look at him. "Well, cats…they have nine lives so…if what those two," points to Wayne and Tabitha. "Say is true, then Felicity will just…come back from the dead. Right?"

"Yes," said Tabitha with perfect timing as Felicity – who had been lying on the med-bay table in full costume minus her mask – gave a rasping gasp of life as she jolted into a sitting position. Oliver, Roy, and Sara were frozen in their place at the sight of their most valued team member literally coming back from the dead. Digg jumped up and started checking Felicity's vitals while Tabitha and Wayne did what they could to keep her calm and explain what had happened.

A/N: Ok, guys…let me just say that I am so glad final exams week is over! What a nightmare. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please, leave me a review or shoot me a PM! I always love hearing from you guys.

Next Chapter: The Dark Knight – things really start to get messy!