Disclaimer: I do not own Arrow.
Starling City
Night
"Thanks for helping me keep watch over my dad tonight." The Canary told The Arrow as they watched Quentin and his team from the rooftop.
"He's my family too, which means Slade will target him. None of our family is safe as long as Slade is alive." The Arrow reminded her.
The Canary nodded just as they heard gun fire. The two raced towards where the shots were coming from as fast as they could. Seeing an officer get shot down, The Arrow notched an arrow fired, getting the shooter in the shoulder. The Arrow jumped down and fired another arrow, this one getting another shooter in the hand and pinning him to a wall. Meanwhile, The Canary took out her baton and took out three guys. As the rest fled, Quentin jumped up and ran after them. One turned and fired, causing Quentin to go down. The Canary rushed over and ripped his shirt apart. The bullet was stopped by Quentin's bullet proof vest.
"I'm fine. Go. Go!" Quentin shouted at her and she took off after the man.
The Arrow fired an arrow at one of the fleeing criminals. It exploded into cables that wrapped around the man's legs, causing to fall. The Arrow notched another arrow and, as he approached the man, recognized him.
"Frank Bertinelli." The Arrow said shocked.
"My daughter send you to kill me?" Bertinelli asked dryly.
Before the archer could respond, there was the sound of glass breaking and screaming. A man landed next to them and The Arrow looked up to see The Canary standing in front of a broken window. Hearing the sound of blaring sirens, both Vigilantes turned and fled.
Arrow Lair
Later
"With Frank Bertinelli in town, it's only a matter of time before Helena shows up, looking to get at him." Oliver noted as Team Arrow stood in front of the computers, which showed a picture of Helena.
"Why does she hate her father so much anyway?" Roy, who was new to the team, asked.
"He had her fiancée killed, she wants payback." Sara said simply.
"Puts a lot of the fights we've had with dad in perspective." Laurel noted with Sara nodding.
"I've been keeping tabs on Helena over the past year." Felicity said as she moved over to the computers, "Last known sighting was a month ago, Palermo."
"She's been busy." Roy noted.
"If by busy you mean 'torturing and killing any Mafioso's that might know where her father is." Felicity said as she brought up images of Helena's victims."
"Bertinelli's arrest just hit the wire, how long do you think it takes her to head home?" Diggle asked.
The Amazo, five years ago
Day
Oliver spat out blood as one of Slade's men punched him. At the signal from Slade, the man stepped back. Slade walked into Oliver's line of sight, staring at his former friend silently for a moment.
"Go ahead." Slade said.
"Slade, please-aghhhh!" Oliver howled in pain as he felt a searing pain across his back.
Verdant
Next night
"Hey, what's going on?" Roy asked as he walked up to the rest of Team Arrow, minus Laurel, at the bar.
"I got a line on Michael Statton, Helena's fiancé." Felicity explained.
"He's been dead for five years." Diggle pointed out.
"Which makes it very impressive that he rented a car last night." Felicity said pointedly
"Helena." Oliver said angrily.
"I hacked into the car's GPS, she's headed for Starling." Felicity said worriedly.
"You ready to get back into the field?" Oliver asked Roy.
"I thought you'd never ask." Roy said confidently.
Starling City
Later
A black Mercedes was speeding down the road when it was forced to stop. The Arrow was in front of it, blocking its way with a bow drawn and an arrow notched.
"Get out of the car Helena!" The Arrow barked.
The driver ignored him and tried to back up but The Canary blocked their way, her baton out. Roy, his hoodie up, walked out as the driver lowered their window and stuck a gun in Roy's face. Roy quickly covered it with his hand but the bullet still went into his hand. Roy pulled his hand back, trembling, before reaching into the car and throwing the driver out. The driver, a man that was decidedly not Helena, was thrown into a fence that was knocked over and he landed on the ground.
"Roy, back off," The Canary ordered as Roy stalked towards the man, Roy!"
"Speedy!" The Arrow shouted and Roy seemed to come out of it, "Enough, he's just Helena's decoy."
Roy nodded shakily and stepped back. The Arrow turned his arrow on the driver.
"Where is she?" He demanded.
"I don't know, some chick just told me to take this thing for a joyride!" The driver said terrified and The Arrow growled in frustration.
Arrow Lair, next day
Morning
"Hey." Oliver said as Roy unwrapped his bandaged hand to reveal a wound that looked weeks old.
"By this time tomorrow, it'll be like nothing happened. That's one upside to Mirakuru." Roy noted.
"The only one." Oliver said as he sat down across from Roy.
"I know what you're gonna say. I had it under control." Roy insisted.
"So under control that I almost had to put another arrow in you." Oliver noted.
"I was going to back off but you never gave me the chance." Roy snapped.
"Roy, the only way to snap you out of it was when I brought up Thea." Oliver told him.
"That's why you called me Speedy? I thought you were trying to give me a nickname. For the record, don't call me Speedy." Roy warned him.
"Noted. But Roy, you're dangerous. I thought I was helping you control it." Oliver said.
"You are!" Roy protested and Oliver sighed.
"Your first time out in the field in weeks and you're ready to kill somebody. I'm-I'm sorry; I should have asked you to do this months ago." Oliver sighed.
"Ask me to do what?" Roy asked wearily.
"Stay away from Thea." Oliver told him and Roy stood up.
"No, I can't!" Roy protested.
"Roy, she's not safe around you, no one is when you lose yourself to this rage. You love her, that's why you're gonna do what I'm asking." Oliver told him gently.
"Ollie," Oliver looked over at Sara, "Laurel's leading the prosecution on Bertinelli."
"…What!?" Oliver asked as he stood up.
DA's office
Afternoon
"You heard." Laurel said as Sara walked in.
"Helena is coming back to town Laurel; you know how dangerous she is." Sara said.
"I know... I also know you and Ollie have beaten her before. Look, the DA hasn't given me any cases since that frame up mess. I love being a lawyer and I miss it." Laurel said before walking off.
Lian Yu, five years ago
Day
"Yeah, this is much better than the boat." One of the prisoners said as they walked back to the fuselage.
"You prefer boat Hendrik? Feel free to swim back." Anatoli told him.
"Oliver, Sara, and their friends survived here for over a year. We can do the same." Another prisoner said.
"Unless Ivo comes for us." Hendrik said darkly.
"We don't know what happened on the boat. Who's alive and who's dead." The same prisoner reminded him.
"Sara?" Slade's voice came over the radio, "are you there?"
"Slade," Sara ran over and picked up the radio, "is Oliver-?"
"He is in pain, yes, but he is still breathing." Slade told her.
"Listen, you won. You have the Amazo. Just let Oliver go and you can leave us here." Sara told him.
"Therein lays the problem. I can't." Slade told her.
"Why not?" Sara asked.
"During our assault, the engine was damaged. She won't sail. During the attack, I decapitated the engineer. So, here's our problem Sara. You want Oliver back and I want someone qualified to fix the engine. For Oliver's sake, I hope Mr. Hendrik is there with you." Slade told her.
Arrow lair
Afternoon
"So what are you gonna do when you find Helena?" Diggle asked as Oliver prepared his arsenal of arrows.
"What I should have done from the start." Oliver said darkly.
"Laurel won't drop the case," Sara said as she walked in, "she headed to the courthouse right now."
"I'll talk to her. If she won't listen to you, maybe she'll listen to me." Oliver said as he stood up.
Courthouse
Later in the afternoon
"Are you here to talk to me about dropping this to?" Laurel asked as she met Oliver in the lobby.
"I don't think you realize just how dangerous Helena really is. Laurel, drop the case, for your own safety." Oliver insisted.
Laurel opened her mouth to speak when they both heard a clattering sound. They looked down to a smoke grenade on the floor. Oliver looked up to see two guards escorting Bertinelli inside, which never happened from the front entrance. Putting two and two together, Oliver sprang into action.
"Everybody get down!" Oliver shouted before dragging Laurel to the floor with him.
The smoke grenade went off, shrouding the room in smoke. Two crossbow bolts flew out, killing the officers. Bertinelli stood up as Helena walked into the room.
"Hey dad," Helena said as she held the crossbow to him, "sorry I'm late but you're a hard man to track down. Fitting they'd bring you back to Starling, where it all began. Where you killed Michael."
"You know, I almost feel sorry for you." Bertinelli told her.
"Helena," Oliver called out and she took out a second crossbow, aiming it at him, "stop this."
"Oliver, you know I can't." Helena told him.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Bertinelli asked and she turned her attention back to him, "I said what are you waiting for?"
Helena looked at him, as suspicious as Oliver. She reached out and opened his shirt to reveal a wire. He laughed as the swat team burst in.
"Helena Bertinelli, put down your weapons and put your hands on your head!" The leader said.
"So this is a big trap. What'd they offer you?" Helena asked curiously.
"Oh, they didn't have to offer me anything." Bertinelli said and Helena flashed him a nasty smile.
"What was it you always taught me daddy? Be prepared for anything," Helena said and the smile was wiped off his face, "now!"
Suddenly, half the audience pulled out guns and exchanged fire with the police. It quickly became a shootout, which Oliver used to try and get Laurel out of there. He put her in the courthouse, closed the door behind her, and raced across the room. Grabbing Bertinelli, he got them both out of the courthouse and outside. Met with guns to his face, he held his hand up.
"Hold your fire, they have hostages!" Oliver shouted.
"Hold fire. Say again, hold fire, they've taken hostages." The swat leader said as Bertinelli was led away and Quentin ran up.
"Where's Laurel?" Quentin demanded.
"I'm sorry Quentin, I couldn't get her out without risking her getting hit, and that's a chance I wasn't willing to take. She's still inside." Oliver said apologetically.
Arrow lair
Night
"I need my work clothes." Oliver said over the phone.
"On it." Diggle said as he stood up.
"Put Sara on the phone." Oliver ordered.
"Uh, Sara's not here." Felicity told him.
"Where is she?" Oliver asked though he had an idea.
Courthouse
Same time
Laurel was attacked from behind and retaliated. She was holding her own but it still wasn't enough. The Canary came up and knocked the guy out with a hit to the back of his head with her baton.
"This is why we didn't want you taking the case." The Canary told her.
Without waiting for a response, The Canary grabbed Laurel by her ha d and the two ran out of the room. They ran through the building until they came upon a door and Laurel used her keys to unlock it. Once they were inside, the hid behind a desk and waited. A moment later, two of Helena's posse ran by.
"Are you alright?" The Canary asked her sister.
"I'm so stupid. The only reason I'm here is because I'm decoration, expendable decoration. The whole trial was a shame. You and Ollie were right. I just…you are so strong," Laurel said as she looked up at Sara, "I wanted to show that I was strong to."
"So show me," Sara stood up and offered a hand to Laurel, who took it, "let's go."
They two were barely out the door when The Canary's comms went off. She tapped her ear to activate it.
"I'm okay, I have Laurel with me." The Canary answered.
"Where are you?" Oliver demanded.
"I'm headed to an egress point in the south wing." The Canary told him.
"Wait," Laurel said, causing her sister to pause, "Helena, she will kill all those people. You can't just leave them here to die."
"I have to get you to safety." The Canary insisted.
"You wanted me to show you how strong I am, this is me being strong. I'm staying, are you gonna help me or not?" Laurel asked her.
"What's going on?" Oliver demanded.
"She won't leave." The Canary said frustrated.
"Get her out of there!" Oliver ordered.
"Not like I can just knock her out Ollie. She's a part of this now; we can't treat her like a civilian." The Canary reasoned.
"Sara-" She cut the feed.
Lian Yu, five years ago
Day
"Did you hear me?" Slade asked.
"Yes, we heard you," Sara said as she stared at Hendrik, "Hendrik's not here."
"There's someone I'd like you to say hello to." Slade said and there was movement on the other line.
"Don't give him anything, Sara." A weak voice said.
"Ollie." Sara said relieved, having considered that Slade was lying.
"One last chance, Oliver for Hendrik." Slade offered.
'I already told you. Look, Hendrik didn't make it to the island, he drowned." Sara lied as the prisoners exchanged glances.
"To think, it was only a year ago you were a little college girl, fretting about boys." Slade sneered.
"What's your point?" Sara demanded.
"You're a bad liar. " Slade said and, after a moment, there was a scream.
"Slade! Look, please stop, he's your friend!" Sara almost begged.
"That is the sound of electricity surging through my friend. Five milliamps, to be exact. Seven causes cardiac arrest," there was another scream, "Oliver just passed out with six. He will be given a fatal dose of seven if Mr. Hendrik is not by my side in one hour!"
AS the feed cut, Sara turned to Hendrik. Only to find him holding a gun in her face.
"No way in hell I'm going back there." He snarled.
Courthouse
Later
Helena was about to kill one of the hostages when a small ball rolled inside. Before Helena could pull the trigger, a loud, sonic noise pierced the air. Everyone held their ears as the glass in the room shattered. When it stopped, The Canary rushed in, going for Helena with half her baton. It was an intense fight, as Helena was able to hold her own.
"Long time Sara." Helena smiled tightly.
The Canary rushed her but Helena grabbed her by the neck and pushed her out the window. The Canary managed to grab her grapple and fire it. It caught on to the edge just in time and managed to slow The Canary's descent considerable, lowering her to the ground harmlessly. Helena prepared to fire but an arrow knocked the crossbow out of her hands. Helena glared at him before moving away from the window.
"You alright?" The Arrow asked her.
"Laurel is still in there." The Canary said worriedly as she stood up.
Once they were at a safe distance, The Arrow pulled out his phone and dialed. Once the phone was answered, he began speaking.
"Helena, listen to me. This has to stop." The Arrow tried to reason with her.
"I agree. It has to stop. With my father in a box." Helena told him.
"Helena, the police are never gonna hand over your father." The Arrow told her.
"No, you will. It's a simple trade: my father for Laurel." Helena told him.
Starling City Police Department
Later
Quentin was helping two officers lead Bertinelli into a van when two tranq darts flew out and hit the two officers in the neck. They went down, out cold as Bertinelli looked freaked out.
"What's going on?!" Bertinelli demanded.
"Don't worry about it," Bertinelli was shoved in the back of the van before Quentin turned to The Arrow and Canary," Swat's getting ready to breach the courthouse."
"Better make the trade now." The Canary said and her partner nodded.
"Look, I won't lose any sleep over Bertinelli, but are you really gonna just hand him over to his daughter?" Quentin asked.
"No. Only one person dies tonight." The Arrow said darkly.
Starling City, van
Later
"So you're just gonna hand me over to her? I thought you were the good guys!" Bertinelli protested.
"Shut up." The Canary snapped.
"We're not heroes." The Arrow said grimly.
"We are what we need to be." The Canary added.
Lian Yu, five years ago
Day
"Hendrik," a prisoner said and held up his hands when the man in question turned the gun on him, "put the gun down."
"Why? So you can send me back to that hellhole? I don't think so." Hendrik snapped.
"It's not up to any of us to decide who lives and dies." The prisoner said.
"In Hendrik's case, I'd be willing to make an exception." Anatoli said.
"I'm leaving," Henrik said as he turned the gun on Anatoli, "don't try to stop me."
"Good at talking, but you will not kill me." Anatoli said confidently.
"Let's find out." Hendrik was about to pull the trigger when Sara struck him across the head with her baton.
He went down, unconscious. Anatoli nodded in thanks.
Starling City
Later
"Well, this is Irony for you dad," Helena said as she appeared out of the shadows, holding Laurel at gun point, "Didn't you have Jimmy D'Agostino's body buried under the building next door?"
"I'm sorry my girl." Bertinelli said.
"Now that you're about to die, I'm sure you are." Helena smirked.
"No. I'm sorry for that little girl I used to take to ballet class. Go on ski trips with. The one I used to help with her math homework. Oh, she hated math." He chuckled. "Sorry that I caused her so much hurt. 'Cause she brought me so much joy."
Angrily, Helena shoved Laurel to the ground. Walking forward, she took out her crossbow and aimed at her father.
"You can never come back from this Helena." The Arrow warned her.
"It's too late for that. I'm already gone." Helena said.
Before she could fire, someone from above them opened fire on them. They all scattered, taking cover. The shooter jumped down and they saw it was the swat leader. The Arrow notched his bow and fired. However,, the swat leader jumped out of the way, forcing The Arrow to go in pursuit of him.
The Canary was walking through the shop when she came face to face with Helena.
"You've improved since you were last in town." The Canary noted and Helena smirked.
"Enough to beat you." Helena boasted and The Canary laughed.
"I was holding back that time. This time, I won't." The Canary said as she took out her baton.
She lunged for Helena, who jumped out of the way. Turning back, Sara kicked Helena's feet out from under her, making Helena fall to the ground. Helena jumped up and tackled The Canary but it became a fist fight after that.
The Arrow had his bow notched, looking around. He acted like he could see the swat leader until Quentin punched his lights out. Nodding at Quentin, The Arrow went on his way.
Helena and The Canary exchanged blow after blow until The Canary tackled Helena to the ground. Wrapping on her arms around Helena's neck, causing the other woman to kick uselessly as she struggled, The Canary put one hand on the side of Helena's head. Applying the right amount of pressure, The Canary heard a loud crack. Letting go, The Canary looked over at Helena's lifeless form.
The Amazo, five years ago
Day
"What are you doing to me?" Oliver asked weakly.
"In roman times, they had their criminals branded, to identify his crimes to the world, "Slade said as he pressed Oliver's back and he cried out in pain, "Shado wore this tattoo on her back…and now you shall have it for the rest of your life, however short that may be."
"Slade." Sara's voice called out.
Slade walked over to the radio and picked up the speaker.
"Hello Sara. I hope you made the right choice." Slade told her.
"Yes." Sara said as she looked over her shoulder at the other prisoners tying up Hendrik.
Arrow Lair
Later
"So, how'd it go?" Sara asked as Laurel walked into the lair.
"Well, I have my job back, the way it was before I was arrested," Laurel sighed, "I'm sorry about tonight. I should have listened to you."
"In the beginning, Ollie and I made a lot of mistakes," Sara said as she turned to Laurel, "this wasn't one. You did good tonight Laurel. Being taken captive aside, good job."
"Really?" Laurel said surprised.
"Well, you could certainly improve on not getting captured. Lesson one," Sara tossed Laurel a wooden bo staff, "combat training."
So, what do you guys think? Please leave any thoughts or comments in a review, feedback is greatly appreciated.