2: DAWN
Felicity exited the building and immediately shivered at the bitter wind that had presented itself. She saw Oliver just in front of her, deep in thought with his eyes closed. She pondered for a few minutes whether or not to go over and talk to him, but eventually Oliver himself made the decision.
"What is it, Felicity? I know you're there." Oliver said, opening his eyes and facing her. She took a deep breath and walked up to him.
"I want to make sure you're okay. You seemed pretty shaken up back there. Why is it that you've suddenly developed trust issues?" Felicity asked.
"You know I can't tell you. I'm not sure who I can trust." Oliver said.
"You can trust me, Oliver. You okay? You look a little pale."
"Felicity, The Martyr said there was a traitor in my team. And he never lies." Oliver explained.
"Even so, you could honestly think I'm a traitor? A girl who spends almost all of her time with you, be it at Queen Consolidated or our humble abode beneath Verdant? The only free time I get I spent watching my Desperate Housewives DVDs and I DID NOT just tell you that." Felicity blabbed and Oliver chuckled.
"You're right, Felicity. I can trust you. I'm sorry." Oliver said comfortingly, placing a hand on Felicity's shoulder.
"So, tell me who this Martyr guy is? When did it all begin with you two?" Felicity asked. Oliver sighed.
"...After The Undertaking, after I failed to stop it, I left Starling and headed for Lian Yu..." Oliver began.
"Yeah, so?"
"So, I took a detour on the way there. I went to Hong Kong." Oliver said.
"Hong Kong? Why?" Felicity questioned.
"For old time's sake. I didn't spend all the five years I was gone on the island. I spent some of it in Hong Kong, too. So I couldn't resist paying it a visit to see how I saw the city now. When I was first there, I was a different man, so I was interested in how I'd react to going back. I needed to get my head away from The Undertaking and Merlyn and...Tommy. So, yeah, I went back to Hong Kong on the way." Oliver explained.
"Okay, I understand a bit more now. Go on." Felicity prompted.
"Yeah, so I was, uh...I was..." Oliver trembled, his face growing ever more pale by the second.
"Oliver, you don't look so good." Felicity said worriedly.
"I don't feel it either." Oliver said, and immediately bent over and threw up on Felicity's shoes. He stood back up straight and held a hand to his forehead.
"Sorry." Oliver said.
"I wish I could say you were the first guy who's done that." Felicity said. Oliver said nothing, and that's when Felicity knew for sure something was wrong.
"You didn't laugh. You're not okay, are you?" Felicity asked, supporting Oliver with all her strength while trying to forget she had vomit on her shoes.
"I don't think I am, no. Felicity, I need...I need...I..."
Oliver collapsed and fell to the ground with a loud thump. Felicity checked his pulse; it had grown very weak.
"DIGGLE! ROY!"
...
Oliver felt strange as he took his first steps in Hong Kong after a very long time away from the place. His head was all over the place after The Undertaking and Tommy's death; he needed to try and savour how he felt before he had failed Starling City. That was why the idea of coming back to Hong Kong was so appealing. It was the perfect place to escape to for a while before he headed to Lian Yu, where he could really clear his head.
He walked down the busy streets and the many emotions he had felt as he walked (but more likely ran) down them years ago returned. He knew deep down he saw Hong Kong differently to before, but he couldn't put his finger on exactly what had changed about it.
He continued walking and taking in the area with every step, breath and blink. Oliver didn't want to stay for too long; just a quick look around and he'd be off, but then something caught his eye. An obviously knew sign had been mounted on the wall, reading 'Amanecer' with an arrow below it pointing to the left. No one seemed particularly interested in the sign, nor did they completely ignore it. Oliver walked up to the sign and looked in the direction of the arrow, but there were so many buildings it was difficult to know which one the sign referred to; Oliver assumed there must be more signs later on the path. Oliver turned around and saw an older woman looking at him.
"You seem very interested in sign." The woman said. Oliver nodded.
"I am." He replied.
"You know what it is? Amanecer?" The woman asked. Oliver shook his head.
"No. I'm new here."
"Amanecer. Spanish." The woman stated.
"Spanish for what?"
"...Dawn."
"What exactly is it?" Oliver asked.
"Perimeter of houses. Cornered off. No public allowed in. Important people stay there, like hotel. Important people who come here for private meetings. Important meetings. Not been here very long. Neither has owner." The woman briefly detailed.
"Who's the owner?" Oliver asked.
"Man called Joseph. Joseph Sterven." The woman answered.
Oliver stared at the woman, not expecting that name to come out of her mouth. Ever since he returned to Starling and became a vigilante, he paid much more attention to the news and the goings on around the world, and Joseph Sterven was a name he had heard a few times. Sterven was the head of Armtry, a charity that campaigned and protested against not only the use, but the existence of, nuclear weapons. Sterven's many campaigns had gotten him coverage on the news many times. He had always slightly creeped Oliver out. He was a tall, thin man who always wore a grey suit and tie with jet black shoes. However, in recent months Sterven, and the activities of Armtry, had seemingly vanished. Oliver had no idea Sterven had moved to Hong Kong, and had done so very quickly considering he had been based not too far from Starling for most of his life.
"Thank you." Oliver said to the woman, who smiled at him and went on her way. Oliver looked back at the sign and an image of Sterven entered his mind. He could forget about Sterven and Amanecer and go on to Lian Yu, but Oliver knew that he was going to stay and investigate a little further. It could be perfectly innocent, but just in case something strange was going on Oliver had to look into Amanecer a little deeper. It was an opportunity, Oliver decided, to partly redeem himself for his failings in Starling City only recently. He failed his city, but he could do Hong Kong some good.
Before he investigated, however, Oliver knew exactly what he needed to acquire. He approached another citizen.
"Excuse me?" Oliver asked. The man faced him.
"Uh, yes?"
"...Do you know anywhere nearby that sells a bow?"
...
Oliver awoke and saw a similar view as to when he previously woke with a start. He sat up but Diggle forced him straight back down onto the cold table. Diggle, Felicity and Roy all stared at him with huge concern written across all of their faces.
"What's going on? Did I pass out again?" Oliver asked.
"Yeah. Oliver, this is more serious than you thought." Roy said.
"...I don't understand." Oliver said, growing worried.
"We were worried when we brought you back in. I'm pretty glad you bought some x-ray equipment and installed it down here." Felicity said.
"Why did you x-ray me?" Oliver asked.
"Because we thought there was more to The Martyr's plan that just cutting you open and sealing the wound up again. Oliver, he put something inside you before sealing you back up." Diggle said.
"...What?" Oliver almost demanded, now frightened.
"A bomb. A miniaturised bomb." Diggle said. Oliver's face went whiter than ever. Felicity took Oliver's hand and he faced her.
"And we have no idea when it's gonna go off." She told him.