Chapter 4
Oliver and Asami stood on a rooftop facing a man from the list. As the pair began to intimidate the corrupt businessman, a bullet flew at the man, throwing him into the pool. Oliver began to shoot at the place where the bullet came from. Asami sighed; she should have brought some ranged weapon.
Asami and Oliver returned to the foundry, where they extracted the bullets from their hands, and then they helped each other to sew the wound.
Suddenly, they fell dizzy and had a hard time standing on their feet. "The bullets were poisoned," realized Asami as the cousins quickly reached the healing herbs, which they consumed with water.
A few minutes later, after they felt much better, Asami and Oliver looked at each other. "Thank you for coming with me, but I could have handled it," spoke Oliver
Asami looked at him skeptically. "Perhaps, but you need to realize that sometimes we need others to help us," spoke the woman as she took of her shirt, wearing only a sports bra. She decided to practice on the salmon ladder for a few minutes. Oliver took out his notebook and crossed James Holder's name of the list.
Flashback
Oliver and Asami sat in a cave. An arrow pierced their right arms. The pair looked around and saw an Asian man enter it. "Who are you?" asked Oliver
"And why did you shoot us?" said Asami as the man spoke in Mandarin. While Asami knew some Mandarin, she was unsure what the man was saying.
The man in a hood gave some herbs and water to the pair, and after they swallowed them, he grabbed the arrows and quickly pulled them away from the bodies. Asami and Oliver screamed from pain.
Flashback ends
"I think we should get back," suggested Asami, "its morning already, and Aunt Moira would be unhappy to see us be outside of home without protection. Oliver nodded, and the cousins returned home.
When they entered, they saw that police were in the house. "What happened?" asked Oliver
"Your sister and her friends were arrested for breaking into a shop," spoke Diggle as he and Korra approached the cousins.
"How was your evening, sir?" asked Diggle
"Yeah, where have you gone? You told me that you needed to use the bathroom, and while I understand that a rich girl like you would spend an hour or two inside, you were gone for the whole night," spoke Korra
"I was busy," spoke Oliver
"In that case, I will now have to watch you pee," spoke Diggle seriously. Oliver was not amused, but he did not show it.
"I need to speak with Thea," spoke Asami as she left her cousin and their bodyguards.
"Korra, please make sure that Miss Sato is fine," spoke the older sibling.
"Of course I will. That woman needs a lot of help, she is so helpless," said Korra as she observed the Sato heiress.
"Thea," said Asami as she approached her younger cousin.
"Oh, hey Sami, what's up?" asked Thea, as if nothing had happened last night.
"Thea, I am very worried about you," said Asami
"A concern that I also share," said Moira as she looked at her daughter
"I don't give a crap," said Thea
"Thea, last time it was public intoxication, and now its breaking and entering. I am very concerned about you,"
"Yeah, well you never told Ollie to behave when he was my age," said Thea
"A mistake I made on my part," said Moira
"Thea, I know that you had a difficult time during our absence, but Oliver and I have returned. We both want to help you," said Asami
"Help? Ollie is such a hypocrite then, I am being just like he was before the island," said Thea
"Fine. If you don't want to follow your brother's advice, I would like you to at least follow mine's," said Asami
"Not a problem Sami. OK mom, I think I will go rest now. I was thinking of taking a sick day," said Thea
"Fine, get some sleep," said Moira
"Thea, I understand that you are having a difficult time, and that you don't want to go to school. I would like you, however, to spend a day in my office. I could use some help," suggested Asami as Thea looked at her mother
"What a splendid idea, Asami," said Moira
"I will look after Thea, Aunt Moira," said Asami
"And nobody wanted to ask my opinion on this?" asked Thea
Asami looked at her. "Fine, have a full day off. But I would like you to promise me that starting next week, you will help me on the afternoons with my work," said Asami
"Thea, please accept this suggestion. Asami really wants to help you," said Moira
"I will think about it," said Thea as she went upstairs to rest.
"Thank you Asami. Thea needs a good role model right now," said Moira
"Of course. Thea is family, and I only wish what is best for her," said Asami as she looked at her aunt.
"I need to go. I will see you Auntie," spoke Asami as she went to the car that Korra had prepared for her.
"So, where are you going, Princess?" asked Korra as Asami buckled up.
"I need to get to Queens Consolidated. I am starting my new job as the Head of the Applied Sciences division," said Asami as Korra took the driver's seat.
Korra drove the Bentley. The traffic was almost non-existent due to the early time of day. As Korra drove the car, Asami yawned.
"Make a stop at a Starbucks, I need some coffee," said Asami as Korra parked by the nearby coffee shop, and the two women exited the car. Asami approached the counter and ordered two super strong black coffee drinks.
"Here you are, Miss," spoke a young man with black hair.
"Thank you. What's your name?" asked Asami as she observed the man who sold her coffee.
"Mako," replied the man.
"Nice to meet you Mako. My name is Asami," smiled the woman as she took the two cups of coffee and left the building.
"I didn't know you were this tired? Did you have a fun night?" winked Korra as Asami glared at her.
"I thought bodyguards should be serious. Their job is to protect the client, not to talk about life with their client," said Asami. This woman was really getting on her nerves.
"Not all. My brother liked to be professional, but I like to mix business with pleasure. So, have you slept with anyone I know?" asked Korra
"That's none of your business, Korra," said Asami as she drank her coffee and then climbed into the car. Korra smiled, and then began driving the car again.
An hour later, Asami sat in her office when Laurel showed up. "Hello Laurel," said Asami
"Hi. When I asked you to train me, I did not realize just how intense the training session would be," said Laurel
"I told you I am not an easy teacher," said Asami
"Yes, but I thought you would go easy on me during my first training session," said Laurel
"You think you had it easy? Oliver and I went to apprehend James Holder but someone him before we could let him talk," said Asami
"Why am I not surprised?" asked Laurel as she noticed a salmon ladder in the office.
"What's that?" asked Laurel
"This is your new friend," said Asami as she took of her shirt. While wearing only her sport bra, she approached the salmon ladder, and began climbing up.
"Wow, you are so good," said Laurel as Asami then jumped down and looked at Laurel.
"Your scars! I heard you had a lot, but," said Laurel she looked at Asami's scars.
"Alright. I want you to repeat what I just did," said Asami
"What?"
"Yes. This is your exercise today," said Asami as Laurel grabbed the metal bar and tried to lift it. After her tenth try, she managed to go up one step.
"Good," said Asami as she grabbed a towel and wiped sweat of her body. She then put her shirt back on.
"Hello?" asked a blonde woman's voice as she entered the room.
"Felicity, right?" asked Asami
"How do you know my name? Right, you are Miss Sato, who is the new Head of the Applied Sciences," said Felicity as she looked at Laurel who managed to go up another step, but then fell on the mattress.
"I think it will be enough for today," said Asami as Laurel nodded. The lawyer sat on a chair; relaxing from the hard work she just did, breathing deeply.
"Why am I here?" asked Felicity. Asami felt that the woman was panicking.
"I wanted to speak with you about an important development," said Asami
"I am getting fired, right?" asked Felicity
"No. I read your file, Miss Smoak, and I was very impressed. I know a lot about science and technology, so I understood your Master's thesis. It had a very high quality," said Asami
"I am confused," said Felicity
"Felicity, I think it would be a waste for you to continue your job as an IT girl," said Asami
"I knew it, I am getting fired. I just wanted to tell you, that it would be not the best decision for the company," said Felicity
"Relax, Felicity. You are not getting fired, you are getting promoted," said Asami
"Promoted? But to which position?" asked the woman
"I want you to work with me," said Asami
"I, I am sorry but I didn't go to MIT to become a secretary. I have to decline your offer, Miss Sato," said Felicity
"I did not say anything about being a secretary. You misunderstood, Felicity, I want you to work with me, not under me. I know tech very well, but I had been missing for many years, and I would appreciate for a person of your knowledge and skill to help me,"
"I am sorry, but I don't understand," said Felicity
"Your talents should not be wasted, which is why I want to offer you the position of the Deputy Head of the Applied Sciences," said Asami
"The Deputy, wait what? You want me help you lead the whole department?" asked Felicity in surprise
"Yes,"
"I am,"
"Please take your time to think over it. I will give you complete creative freedom. I will ask you, however, to push yourself to work hard on various projects," said Asami
"I accept," said Felicity
"Good. Here is the memo of today's plan. There will be a meeting in an hour. Now please excuse me, I need to be somewhere else," said Asami as she walked to the door. Laurel stood up weakly and followed her teacher.
"What am I supposed to do?" asked Felicity.
"As a Deputy Head of the Applied Sciences, you will be presiding over the meeting. Good luck Felicity," said Asami as she left her office with Laurel, leaving the former IT girl speechless.
"Asami?" said Laurel
"Don't worry, I read her file. Felicity will do a good job. Besides, we will need someone of her caliber to help us in our mission. While I know tech and computers, I cannot utilize my skills while on the field," said Asami
"Are you sure we can trust her?" asked Laurel
"I think so. Don't worry; I will not reveal anything about the mission to Felicity yet. I will first test her to see how far she can go to help us, not knowing that she really helping us," said Asami as she paused, "I think you should get a crossbow,"
Laurel raised an eyebrow.
"You are not a very good fighter yet, and archery is difficult. While you train, you should at least have some means to help you, so you should add a crossbow to your arsenal," said Asami as Laurel nodded.
"Fine. I will see you Asami, I have some work at the CNRI," Laurel then left.
Asami later met with Oliver to talk about his new info. "I spoke with Alexey. He will find us information about the shooter," said Oliver.
Some time has passed, and the two cousins investigated the lead. They fought briefly with the sniper, who managed to escape, leaving a laptop behind.
"He escaped," said Oliver in disappointment
"At least we managed to get the laptop," said Asami
"Can you salvage the information?" asked Oliver
"I can try, but we have a person who can help us in that regard. Come Oliver, I want you to meet my Deputy," said Asami as the two cousins traveled back to the Queens Consolidated building.
The pair journeyed to Asami's office, where they saw Felicity sitting in a chair, visibly exhausted.
"Felicity?" asked Asami
The woman quickly stood up and looked at her boss. "I am sorry, the meeting just ended, and I thought I relax for a little bit," said Felicity
"Felicity Smoak? My name is Oliver Queen," said Oliver
"Of course. You must be Mr. Queen," said Felicity
"No, Mr. Queen was my father," said Oliver
"Right, but he died. I mean he drowned, but you didn't, which means you can come to this office and listen me drabble which will end in three, two, one," said Felicity as she looked at Oliver
"I am having some trouble with my computer, and my cousin told me that I should speak with you," said Oliver as he gave the computer
"Poor baby," said Felicity as she observed the damaged computer.
"I was at the coffee shop and spilled a coffee at it," said Oliver as Asami glared at him. The lie was not a very convincing one.
"Really? Cause these look like bullet holes," said Felicity
"My coffee shop is in a bad neighborhood," said Oliver as Asami almost face palmed.
Felicity looked at Oliver with skepticism. "If you can salvage anything, I would really appreciate it," said Oliver as he gave the computer.
A few minutes later, Felicity managed to pull some files. "Have you found anything?" asked Oliver
"Yes. These look like blue prints," said Felicity
"Do you know of what?" asked Oliver
"The Exchange Building," replied Felicity. She noticed that Oliver did not know what this place was.
"I thought it was your computer,"
"Yes," said Oliver as Felicity looked at him in disbelief.
"It is where the Unidac Industries auction will take place. Look, I don't want to get into the middle of some Shakespearian family drama," said Felicity. Oliver looked at her in confusion.
"She means the Hamlet play. Remember the to be or not to be play?" asked Asami
"No. I didn't study Shakespeare in any of the four schools I dropped out," said Oliver. Asami shook her head, sometimes her cousin liked to act silly.
"Your stepfather bidding on Unidac Industries, and this laptop is associated with a person he is competing against," said Felicity
"Floyd Lawton?"
"No, Warren Patel. Who is Floyd Lawton?" asked Felicity
"Patel's employee, apparently," said Oliver as he then looked at Asami
"Miss Sato, what's our plan for the rest of the day?" asked Felicity
"Look at the planner. I think there should be another meting later in the evening," said Asami as she left the office with Oliver, leaving Felicity alone in the office.
Oliver traveled to speak with Detective Lance about his need for help, while Asami met with Laurel, who just finished working on some case.
"Hello Asami," said Laurel
"We need to get you some outfit. We are going on patrol tonight. But, do not engage out target, he is armed and very dangerous. I will need extra eyes around the building," said Asami as Laurel nodded.
Half an hour later, the two women stood with a few bags of clothes. "It was a good idea for you to buy a hoodie to hide your face," said Asami as the two women returned to CNRI, so that they could change into their costumes.
"Laurel," spoke Tommy as he approached them
"Hi Tommy," said Laurel
"Laurel, I wanted to speak with you," said Tommy as Asami observed the two.
"What do you want Tommy?" asked Laurel
"I wanted to talk about us. I would like to ask you out," said Tommy Merlyn
"We both know that you are not a one girl type of guy," said Laurel
"I can be one," said Tommy
"By dating me,"
"By becoming better," said Tommy as Laurel smiled.
"That would be nice, Tommy, but I am kind of busy right now. Asami and I have some work to do," spoke Laurel
"Asami, are you OK with me dating Laurel?" asked Tommy
"Of course I am. You are a nice guy Tommy, but you should get more responsible," smiled Asami, "And don't worry, the fact that both Oliver and I dated Laurel in the past wont affect our friendship. We both approve,"
"Thank you Asami," said Tommy as he left the two women by the building.
"Let's change," said Asami as she and Laurel entered the building and changed into their respective black outfits. Unlike Asami, who had a wig and a mask, Laurel had a hoodie with a mask. She wore a similar black leather jacket and pants.
The two women journeyed to the Exchange Building, where they hid in one of the offices, with a clear view of the main hall. "It's a pity I cannot be there with my family, but we need to look after them," sighed Asami as they observed the party.
Deadshot fired a shot, but missed his target as Oliver jumped at Walter, saving him. He then checked his family. "Dig, Korra, please escort my family out of here," said Oliver as he ran to the stairs.
After the Diggles led the Queen family to safety, they ran after Oliver. "Where is Miss Sato?" asked John Diggle
"She bailed on me. Lets help Oliver," said Korra as her brother nodded, and the two ran after Oliver.
Oliver ran towards the stairs, grabbed a bag, and then continued running, changing in the process. He used his bow to get into another building, where he met his opponent.
Meanwhile, Asami and Laurel heard the gunshots and ran at the place where the sniper was located. Luckily for them, they were in the same building as the sniper.
After the chase, both Oliver and the two women entered the room where Deadshot was standing.
"I heard about you. You are that Vigilante who kills of rich people. Would you give professional courtesy to a fellow vigilante?" asked Deadshot
"I am not like you," said Oliver as he looked at Asami. While Oliver began firing arrows, Asami jumped towards Deadshot, and began fighting him hand to hand.
Deadshot noticed Laurel and shot at her. While Asami managed to hit his hand, deflecting the trajectory, a bullet hit Laurel's arm.
Oliver and Deadshot shot at each other, while Asami ran towards Laurel and pulled her away from the gunfire. "I will be OK," spoke Laurel as she looked at her arm.
"We need to get you to safety. I did not want you to engage Deadshot, just to help me find him," said Asami as John and Korra ran into the room.
Deadshot managed to hit Diggle in the shoulder.
Diggle fell on the ground.
Oliver immediately shot at Deadshot, hitting him in the eye. The assassin dropped on the ground.
"Canary, help me to bring him to the Foundry," said Oliver as Korra stood next to her brother, facing the Hood.
"You won't touch him,"
"He was poisoned. Deadshot uses special poison. Let me save your brother's life, Korra," said Oliver as the woman looked at him skeptically
"Korra," said Asami as she took of her mask and wig.
"Princess? You are that masked woman?" asked surprised Korra
"Let us help to save them," spoke Asami
"Fine,"
The three people brought Laurel and Diggle to the Foundry, where Oliver gave the herbs to the two.
"What the hell Asami, why did you bring Laurel to this mission?" asked Oliver as he looked angrily at his cousin.
"It was supposed to be a recon, and I needed extra eyes to help me find the sniper," said Asami
"Laurel got hit. By bringing her with you, you endangered her life," said Oliver
"Go to hell," said Asami as she looked at her cousin as both Laurel and Diggle sat up. Oliver looked at the man without his hood.
"Oliver? Asami? Son of a bitch!" spoke Diggle as he hit Oliver.
"Brother, Oliver Queen saved your life," said Korra
"You were poisoned, so we brought you here and saved your life," said Oliver
"You really lost your mind on that island," said Diggle
"I also found a couple things along the way," said Oliver
"Like what, archery classes?" asked Diggle
"Clarity. The city is dying, and I need to save it from the criminal elite that does care who they hurt. I would like you to join me," said Oliver, "Special Forces our of Kandajar. It would be perfect. You are a fellow soldier,"
"No, you are not a soldier, Oliver. You are criminal and a murderer," said John Diggle as he looked at his sister.
"I want to stay," said Korra
"Korra,"
"I agree with Oliver, city needs saving," said Korra
"Fine. See you later," spoke Diggle as he left.
"Oliver," said Laurel as she sat up.
"You shouldn't have put on that costume," said Oliver
"I want to help. And I am getting training," said Laurel as she saw a salmon ladder. She approached it, and to prove that she could do it, she grabbed the metal bar and managed to go up two steps before falling on the mat.
"You are untrained. And I don't want you to get hurt," said Oliver
"It's not your decision to make," said Laurel
"I agree," said Asami as Oliver glared at her.
"See? If you haven't told Laurel about any of this, she wouldn't have gotten hurt," said Oliver
"I want to do this. The people in the list were responsible for my sister's death," said Laurel, "Besides, I realize that I cannot help this city solely as the lawyer,"
"I don't want you to be out there fighting various criminals," said Oliver
"I don't care," said Laurel
"I agree with Laurel. I was debating whether I should continue to work with you, Oliver, but I realize now that we have very different ideas as to how we can save this city. Goodbye cousin," said Asami as she grabbed her gear.
Laurel and Korra followed her, leaving Oliver alone in the basement of his future club.
"Where are we going now?" asked Laurel
"You had a busy day, we need to relax. We will need to find a new base of operations," said Asami
"Are you sure we will not return to work with Oliver?" asked Korra
"Yes," said Asami as the three women walked in the glades.
Laurel yawned. The day had been difficult for her. She looked up and saw an abandoned house with a clock tower. "How about that place?"
Asami looked at the clock tower. "Let's check it out," said Asami as the three women entered the building and looked over.
"This is perfect," said Asami
"How are we going to know whom to pursue?" asked Korra
"Don't worry, I scanned the notebook. I have the list of all names," said Asami as the other two women smiled.
A/N: While Felicity will be mainly working with Oliver, she will be providing support for Asami's team, acting like Oracle. Asami's team will now work separately from her cousin, although at times the two will team up. Asami, Korra, and Laurel will use a different base of operations.
When both teams find about the Dark Archer and Malcolm's involvement, Laurel will not be amused. She will also be very upset about Moira's involvement in the Undertaking.