Disclaimer: Arrow is owned by The CW, Berlanti Productions, and Warner Bros. Television. The character of the Green Arrow and the Justice League is owned by DC Comics. I own nothing; I'm just playing in their universe.
Chapter 9: Vendetta
Moira took the remote, staring at her daughter as the next memory set uploaded.
"What?" Thea asked. "It's not as if I've had a lot of sex…"
A-hem.
Thea glared up at the ceiling. "I hate you so much right now."
Guess that makes you a masochist. Mia replied. Ready when you are, Mom.
"Thank you, dear." She replied. "We'll talk later." She promised Thea, and then pressed play.
The scene opened with Helena and Oliver, naked and in bed, seeming asleep.
"And we start with just what I want to see…" Thea muttered.
"I'm not minding." Felicity replied, and then blinked. "I said that out loud, didn't I?" she asked Dig, who nodded with a grin.
Slowly, Helena opens her eyes. She sits up slowly, seemingly coming to a decision. As she gets out of the bed and moves to get dressed, Oliver rolls over, subtly watching her.
The scene shifts then to an alley in China town. Helena (sans helmet) rides her bike down an alley, stopping several yards away from a parked Mercedes. She gets off the bike and watches the car, seeing a driver and two men outside acting as sentries.
"Ah, crap." Quentin said. "Triad. That crazy woman's going to start a gang war."
"Quán qīng." One said into a radio. A moment later, China White appeared. Helena pulled out her gun and took aim. A moment later, the man she truly wanted appeared- Zhishan, the leader of the Chinese Triad in Starling City. Just as she pulled the trigger, The Hood dropped down, forcing her gun away from the Asian and causing the shot to go wide.
"Shàng chē!" China White said, pushing her boss into the car.
"Shāle tā!" he ordered, and the Triad members opened fire. The Hood shot an arrow to give them cover, then forced Helena down an alley. They took cover in a doorframe as the Mercedes sped past, gangsters still shooting. After they had passed, Helena pushed The Hood away.
"Take your hands off me!" she snarled.
Oliver dropped his hood. "What the hell did you think you were doing?" he demanded.
"That man was the leader of the Triad." She explained. "My father blames them for the recent hits against his men!"
"These are men you killed."
"That's right." She boasted. "I take out Zhishan and the Triad retaliates. I have weakened my father's organization to the point where there is no way that he can survive their onslaught!"
"Yeah, him and half of Starling you crazy broad!" Quentin snarled.
Laurel looked at her father in surprise. "Jeez, Dad. Take it down a notch."
Quentin shook his head. "You're too young to remember the last gang war, when Bertinelli forced the Falcone and Maroni families out of Starling and back to Gotham City."
"I remember those days." Malcolm said. "I had to beg Rebecca to stay home some days; the fighting in the streets resembled a war zone." He looked over at Tommy. "You probably heard some of those arguments."
"The simple fact is if this woman triggers a gang war, too many innocent people are going to die." Quentin sighed. "I hope Oliver can shut her down."
"What, and then you'll have your revenge?"
"Then I have justice, for what he did to Michael and me." She said passionately.
"It's not justice." Oliver argued.
"And what you do is?"
"Would you let me show you?" he pleaded. She stared at him for a moment, and then sighed.
The scene changed to Big Belly Burger. Oliver and Helena, in civilian clothes, were being handed their order by Carly.
"Get you anything else?" she asked.
Oliver smiled at her. "No, thank you, Carly."
Carly looked at him suspiciously. "Where's my brother-in-law? It's late and this is the Glades. Shouldn't he be keeping you safe?"
Oliver nodded towards Helena. "She is tougher than she looks." He quipped. Carly's gaze narrowed, but she moved off. "I haven't been on a second date in a while. It feels good so far." He remarked, earning a smile from her.
"Look, um," she started awkwardly, "We slept together, and it was really nice. And I needed it. But I'm not looking for anything."
"Right. Because you have everything figured out." Oliver replied dryly.
"I don't think you're one to judge." She leaned forward. "I saw you kill people, remember?"
"I only kill people when it is absolutely necessary. It's not my opening move." He argued.
"Can't argue with that." Quentin said, somewhat reluctantly.
"And the way that you're going, you're gonna get somebody hurt, like my mother or yourself."
"I'm sorry about your mother." She said sincerely. "That was an accident."
"Well, that makes it all better." Moira said dryly.
"How many more accidents have to happen before you're done getting back at your father?" he asked.
"Hopefully none." She glared at him. "I am not getting back at him. I-I am stripping away everything that has meaning to him, just like he did to me when he had Michael killed."
"What if I could show you another way, a way you could take down your father's organization without putting innocent people at risk?" Oliver asked.
Helena sighed, and then smiled. "Thank you for the coffee and the sex. But I'm not interested." She gathered her purse and left, leaving a frustrated Oliver behind.
The scene shifted to the next day at the lair. Oliver was doing vertical pushups against the wall when Diggle walked in.
"Okay, now he's just showing off." Tommy remarked.
"I don't know where the next Olympics are at, but you might want to think about signing yourself up." He threw his jacket onto a nearby table and looked at the man. "So, you want to talk about last night?" he asked. Not waiting for a reply, he plowed on. "Okay. Last time you and I spoke, you were on your way to stop Helena Bertinelli from her one-woman war against the Mafia. How'd that work out for you? Nick Salvati, Frank Bertinelli's right hand, was found with his neck snapped along with a few of his thugs. Was that her or you?"
Oliver got up and moved to the salmon ladder. "I was with Helena when somebody jumped us. We didn't have a choice." He responded.
"We?" Dig asked, a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"She knows, Diggle, about me." He said. "It was my secret or her life." He tried to justify.
"It's not just your secret anymore, Oliver." He pointed out. "This woman is a killer. She's been dropping bodies all over the city."
He turned away from the salmon ladder to face his friend. "Diggle, she's not what you think she is. 3 years ago she was going to turn her father in to the FBI. She put everything she had on him on a laptop. Her father found it, thought it belonged to her fiancé, and had him murdered." He turned back to the ladder and began working out.
Diggle let out a heavy breath. "All right, listen, that's a heavy thing, man. But it doesn't change the fact that she is dangerous." He argued again. "And if Bertinelli retaliates against the Triad or is perceived to, the Triad is gonna rain down hell and innocent people are gonna be killed."
Oliver grunted as he worked his way up the ladder. "She's lost, Diggle, and whether she knows it or not, I can save her, stop her from doing anything reckless."
"That's just it. You can't save her, okay? Some people don't change."
"I can. I can help her." He insisted.
"All right." Dig said finally. "Maybe you think you're more persuasive than you are, or maybe she thinks she's fine the way she is on her mission of righteous fury. Whatever it is, either way, all of this, it ends badly."
"Either way I got to try." Oliver stated, giving up on the ladder and walking away.
"Man, I got a bad feeling about this." Diggle said.
The scene changed to Queen Manor. Moira and Walter were walking down the stairs, with Walter flipping through paperwork.
"Where are you off to so early? You just got home." Moira asked.
"The trouble with traveling overseas for a few weeks is that a few weeks' worth of work is piling up on my desk." He replied civilly. He slipped the papers into his briefcase. "I just want to start digging my way out from underneath it."
"Of course." Moira stared sadly at his back for a few moments.
"What is it?" he asked, sensing her stare.
"We haven't spoken since you left. Really spoken."
"I know."
"Well, I can imagine finding out that I had Robert's yacht salvaged and that he was murdered, it was a lot for you to take in."
"You think?" Thea said sarcastically.
Walter sighed and finally turned to face his wife. "Yes, it was."
"I just don't want you to feel that you can't trust me anymore. I wasn't lying to- to hurt you, but to keep you safe." She tried to explain. "I haven't changed, Walter. I'm still the woman you fell in love with and married." She said sincerely, gazing into his eyes. "Do you see that?" she asked, pleading.
"Yeah. Of course I do." Walter replied. He kissed her lightly on the lips. "I just want us to agree to be honest with one another, moving forward."
"Okay." She agreed at once. "Yes, of course." They started to kiss once more, but were interrupted.
"Walter." The man in question looked back and up on the balcony, where Thea stood with a smile on her face. "Will you give me a lift to school?" she asked, moving down the stairs. "I like to mix it up sometimes and actually be on time."
"Or actually show up." Moira noted archly. Thea grimaced.
"That would be my parental privilege." He said happily, closing his briefcase and moving with her towards the door.
"Or, you know, you could just buy me a convertible and then we could avoid this." She hinted none too subtly.
"Yeah, because nothing bad could happen with you behind the wheel of a car." Tommy teased.
"She'll have to be better than Sara was." Laurel put in. "She once bought a car and wrecked it on the way to getting it inspected for the plates."
"Thank you for your vote of confidence." Thea said dryly.
"What, and miss out on all those wonderful conversations we have in the car? I don't think so." He started as they walked out. Moira watched, her smile turning to a look of concern as the door closed.
The scene changed to the Bertinelli residence. Frank Bertinelli was consoling Dina Salvati, Nick Salvati's widow As Helena walked down the stairs.
"I'm so sorry, Frank." Dina was saying. "The last thing you need is me crying on your shoulder all night. I just can't believe that Nick is gone."
"Dina, look, you and Nicky, you're like family to me, okay?" Frank stated. "And in my family, we take care of our own. Okay?"
"Okay." She said.
"I'm sorry for your loss." Helena said, stopping at the base of the stairs. "Nick was like a brother to me."
"We have a very different definition of brother." Thea noted. "I used to threaten to kill mine; I was never actually going to do it."
In the control room, Mia flinched hard and Sara and Stephanie both sent her looks of comfort.
Dina gave her a watery smile. Frank kissed her on the cheek and led her to the door. "Hey now, come on." He said, hugging her once more. "We'll talk to you soon." He assured her.
"Okay." She said, walking out of the house. Frank closed the door, and then laid his forehead against the cool wood. "I'm gonna find the son of a bitch who did this." He vowed "And on my life, I'm gonna make him pay." Helena smiled at him in faked encouragement. Before she could say anything, though, the doorbell rang. Frank sighed, turning back to the door. "You know, that girl's always forgetting something." He snarked. But when he opened the door, he was surprised.
"Frank." Oliver Queen said, shaking his hand. "Sorry to drop by unannounced."
"No, no, no, come on in." Frank said. "It's all right. Come on in." Oliver walked in and shared a significant look with Helena.
"Um Look, I know, uh, I know we've been working on that construction deal, and I'm sorry for my dropping the ball." Frank started. "But we've had a death in the family." He started to explain.
"I'm terribly sorry to hear that." Oliver said.
"Thank you."
"Actually, though, I'm not here to discuss business." He continued, looking past Frank at Helena, who stared back, a friendly smile on her face. Frank looked back and forth between the two, realization dawning.
"Oh. Okay." He said with a smile. "Well, this is, uh this is one merger I won't stand in the way of. Excuse me, sweetie. A father knows when he's not needed." He joked, leaving the two alone in the foyer.
Helena walked down the final stairs, stalking up to him and crossing her arms in defiance. "Was I not clear that I wasn't interested in talking?"
"You don't have to talk." Olive said simply, the opened the door. After a moment, Helena grabbed her jacket off the small table by the door and walked out with him.
The scene changed to the Starling City Cemetery. Oliver led Helena to a particular grave.
Sara Lance
1987-2007
Loving Daughter and Sister
"You have got to be kidding me." Quentin growled.
"And now I hate him again." Laurel added with a snarl.
"Who was she?" Helena asked, staring at the stone.
"Somebody I knew a long time ago. I—" he stumbled over his words. "I was dating her sister, and it was getting serious. But back then, I did not do serious well." He paused. "But I was excellent at screwing things up. I started sleeping with Sara." His voice began to quake with suppressed emotion. "I started sleeping with my girlfriend's sister. I brought her on the yacht and she died." His voice caught, but he pushed through. "Right in front of me. And I hurt- I hurt her family… I just didn't care." Helena reached over slowly and took Oliver's hand in her own. "Before the island, I wasn't a good person." He admitted. "I was selfish and thoughtless and awful, and it affected- really affected people. People I loved." Oliver looked over at the woman. "'Cause, Helena you're on an island, too."
Laurel's anger faded away when she finally realized that he wasn't using her sister as a way to get into Helena's pants; she was using what had happened in a bid to get Helena to allow him to help her. It also pained her, in h light of her sister's survival, to know the depth of the guilt that Oliver carried.
Helena shook her head. "Oliver, I… I want to let you in." she said softly. "But Michael was the last man I opened up to. I can't be hurt again."
"I'd never hurt you." He swore. "I would never hurt you. I promise." She looked back at him, hope blooming on her eyes.
"He shouldn't have done that." Malcolm observed.
"What, try to help the woman?" Tommy asked sarcastically.
"No," Malcolm replied calmly. "Promise her something he can't absolutely guarantee."
The scene changed to the lair. Oliver stood next to Helena, who held is bow in her hands. She nocked and arrow and pulled back sharply.
"Uh-uh." Oliver gently chided. "Relax. Relax, relax, relax." He helped her adjust her grip. "Now, pull back gently. You need all 3 fingers to come off the bowstring at the same time." He instructed. "Relax. Breathe." Helena took careful aim at the target. "And release." Helena released the arrow, which sailed past the target, smashing into some bottles behind it.
Helena snarled in frustration. "This is a waste of time."
"I'm trying to teach you something." Oliver said patiently.
"What, the least effective way to shoot people?"
"Took the words right out of my mouth." Tommy noted.
"You'd be surprised how effective it can be; though you shouldn't be after seeing Mr. Queen in action." Slade pointed out.
"No, control." He took his bow back. "To use a bow and arrow requires patience and discipline." In one smooth motion, he withdrew an arrow from his quiver, nocked, aimed and fired, hitting the bull's-eye dead-center.
Helena gave him an impressed look, and then moved over to a work table. She picked up a metal coffee cup and smirked at Oliver. Then, she tossed it up in the air- and Oliver hit it with his next shot, pinning the cup to the rafters. Amused, she next grabbed an oil can, tossed it up- and it got pinned to the wall. Next she picked up a tennis ball. She was still holding it in her hand when Oliver shot, pushing the ball out of her hand and pinning it to the wall behind her. She gaped at him, impressed despite herself.
"Damn." Tommy said, astonished.
"He's gotten better." Slade noted.
Oliver smirked. "I can do this all day." He said, walking up to her. "It's kind of fun."
"I love a man with stamina." She quipped.
"Our crusades have something in common." He said, sitting next to her. "Mine started with my father, too. He left me with a list." Oliver pulled out the notebook and showed it to her. "People who need to be reminded that Starling City isn't theirs for the taking."
"Anthony Venza is in here." She noted, surprised. "He works for my dad. He deals illegal prescription pills." She was looking through the list when Oliver heard the door open. He looked up and smiled.
"Well, this isn't going to go well." Diggle noted.
"Diggle, this is Helena." He told his body man unnecessarily as Dig walked in. He didn't look amused by Helena's presence. "Diggle's my, uh… Associate." He explained.
"Well, any associate of Oliver's is—"
"Absolutely nothing to you." Dig cut her off. "Ma'am." He added, a bit sarcastically.
Helena looked at Diggle, then back at Oliver. "I'll leave you to- associate." She told Oliver, Getting up and walking off past Diggle into the Foundry.
"She knows my name." Dig noted after she left. "That's lovely."
"You can trust her." Oliver assured the man.
"Except I don't." Dig shot back. "You sleeping with this girl, Oliver?" he asked seriously.
Oliver looked offended. "Well, I don't think that's any of your business, Diggle."
"It became my business when you brought me into this." Dig argued, pacing the room. "And when I signed on, I told you I was gonna keep your head straight. Well, Oliver, you're lonely. Lonelier than you want to admit. And that's why you think you can change this girl, because you need to think you can. You're like a dope fiend who thinks he can deal with his own addiction by making another addict go straight." He stopped pacing and finally turned to look at Oliver. "Oliver, what you do is dangerous. And getting confused about who's good and who's bad is a good way to get yourself dead."
"You done?" Oliver asked shortly.
Diggle pursed his lips and nodded. "Yeah, I'm done. With this." He gestured around the lair. "Everything else, I don't know. I don't know, Oliver. You tell me." He asked, then turned and walked out.
In the control room, Stephanie leaned back and looked over at Mia. "I don't suppose you watched this memory before you decided to invite Malcolm and Slade up here, did you?"
Mia didn't look at her friend. "It's not the same."
"Mm-hm." Stephanie said. She didn't sound convinced.
"It's NOT." Mia insisted stubbornly.
The scene changed to CNRI. A smiling Tommy walked in and headed right to Laurel, who was looking through files in a large cabinet. "I hope you don't have plans tomorrow night, because I just got us a rez at that new restaurant, Table Salt, opening night." He said proudly.
Laurel looked over at Tommy. "Why would you do that when you have no money?" she asked. "You should be saving your money, not-"
"Spending it on someone who definitely deserves it?" Tommy finished.
"Flattery will get you nowhere." Laurel said, though she was smiling as she said it.
Laurel looked up from the file she was reading. "Isn't that place ridiculously expensive?" she asked, closing the drawer.
"Everywhere worth going is." He smirked, rubbing his finer on her forehead. "Ah, you have the cutest crinkle in your forehead when you're worried."
"Tommy, stop. This is serious." She argued. "I thought you were going to live more frugally."
"Yeah, I know. Everybody is grown up except for me." Tommy groused as they headed back to her desk. "Even Oliver has a job. He's working on that new night club." He paused as he saw Laurel's face light up. "You have thinky face. Why do you have thinky face?"
"Have you ever thought about asking Oliver for a job?" she asked him.
Tommy and Thea both looked at Laurel. "Seriously?" they both said at the same time.
"That's actually a pretty good idea…" Laurel started.
"Except when I hear the words 'Ollie', 'Tommy', and 'club', I don't think work." Tommy said.
"Do you think falling-down drunk and peeing on cops?" Thea asked sweetly. "Because I know that's what I think."
Tommy shot her a sour look. "One out of two ain't bad, eh, Speedy?"
Thea's grin fell off of her face. "Touchè."
"Can we not bring up the 'peeing on a cop' incident ever again?" Quentin asked irritably.
"Not even once." He replied immediately.
"This isn't a quality that I love most about you, but you do know the club scene and how to have fun." Laurel pointed out, sitting on the edge of her desk.
"You make some very valid points." Tommy conceded. "Look, I'll take care of it. I'll talk to Ollie later and we'll see what he thinks." He promised.
"He is gonna think it is a great idea." Laurel assured him.
The scene changed to QC. Walter was working late in his office when Felicity came in.
"How was your trip to Australia?" she asked. "I've always wanted to go. Down under. It's just- I have this thing about kangaroos. More of a phobia. They wig me out. They look evil, and I'm sure their picture's up on like everything everywhere in that country." She rambled before Walter, thankfully, cut her off.
Slade looked at her. "You think kangaroos are evil?" he asked, amused.
Felicity nodded. "Too punchy."
"You had something important to tell me, Ms. Smoak?"
Felicity forced herself to calm down. "Yes, I did. It's about Tempest." At his bored look, she pressed on. "Your wife's mysterious LLC, the one she diverted company funds to."
Walter gave her a tight smile. "I appreciate your diligence on this, but, uh, it was a simple misunderstanding between my wife and I. Everything's been resolved." He assured her.
"No." she argued. "See, it hasn't. There was something about the money transfer that felt hinky to me. The money your wife withdrew from the company, I wasn't the only one who tracked it. She was being shadowed by another entity, and whoever it is, they're good." She noted. "NSA good. But, as you know, I'm good, too. So even though they left almost no trace of their presence in our system, I did manage to find one thing." She pulled out a print out and held it out to Walter. It showed the same image that was in Oliver's notebook. "Well, one image. Does that symbol mean something to you, sir?" she asked.
"No." he said shortly, grabbing the paper from her hand. He rose and walked around the desk so he was standing right in front of her. "What means something to me is one of my employees prying into my wife's private business without authorization. And should it happen again, I'll have you suspended." He looked at her, dead serious. "Is that clear?" he asked.
"Crystal." She replied, timidly. Shakily she turned and walked out of his office. Walter watched her go, the picked up the paper and looked it over again. He HAD seen that picture somewhere before. But where?
"Well, jeeze." Felicity said. "I was only doing what he told me to do, only more of it."
"Don't take it too hard, Ms. Smoak." Moira said. "I suspect he's only trying to protect you."
The scene change back to the lair. Helena walked in and smiled at Oliver. "Where's your friend?" she asked.
"Just the two of us tonight." He replied.
"Oh, really? And what did you have in mind?" she asked, coming up to him.
"An object lesson."
Realization dawned on her face. "We're going after Anthony Venza?" she asked.
"Yes." Oliver confirmed. "But we're doing it on my terms." He continued. "Your father loses a piece of his organization, but no innocent people get hurt in the process." He nodded towards a large wooden box sitting on the table.
"What is it?" she asked, walking over to the box. Oliver followed.
"I explained to you that guns were weapons of emotion and unpredictability, but since you are far from an expert at archery, this will have to do, for now."
She opened the lid and inside the box, lying on a bed of purple silk, was a small automatic crossbow pistol. "I like it." She said.
"Oh, that's smart Ollie." Laurel said. "Arm the crazy lady."
"You can't go out like that." Oliver noted. She smiled at him.
"Why? You got a spare hood?" she joked. He led her over to his computer and pulled up a special program. She looked at the design shown on the screen in awe. "Does it come in purple?" she asked. With a few clicks of the mouse, she gasped. "I like purple." She told Oliver, smiling at him.
"Oh, don't tell me…" Quentin started, then focused on the screen to confirm his fears.
The scene changed to a warehouse. Dozens of people were busy repackaging prescription pills to sell on the streets.
"This isn't crack." Anthony Venza was saying to a client. "Anyone can sell crack. All you need's a street corner and a hoodie." He held up a small baggie. "This is pharmaceutical grade Oxycodone." He explained. "It's caviar. It is champagne. And you sell this with fancy houses, at parties with rich kids have got money to burn." He laughed.
"And don't think I've forgotten about THAT, Thea." Moira stated crossly. Thea groaned.
Then suddenly the lights went out.
He looked over at one of his guards. "Check it out!" he ordered. The man drew his gun and cautiously made his way up a set of stairs to the second level. A moment later the sounds of punches could be heard, followed by the man's gun flying back down, landing on the floor near Venza. He picked it up, looking around. "Whoever you are, you really think you're gonna get out of here in one piece?"
"I was thinking the same thing."
Venza looked up to see The Hood standing on the upper floor. "Anthony Venza –" he started. Then Venza saw something move out of the corner of his eye and spun to see a woman, dressed in black and purple body armor, a long coat, and a mask holding a crossbow pistol.
"You have failed this city." She finished.
"Yeah. All the good things I've been thinking about Oliver?" Quentin said, looking at Moira, "Forget it."
"Really Quentin…"
"He put a psychotic woman in a mask and gave her a weapon!" he exclaimed. "One vigilante is bad enough!"
"Yeah." Tommy agreed. "I mean, he may be crazy, but that bitch is nuts."
Laurel slapped him lightly on the arm. "Language, Tommy."
The Hood fired an arrow at Venza's gun. On impact it exploded into a blinding flash of light. The two vigilantes jumped down and proceeded to wipe the floor with both Venza's men and his clients, who foolishly tried to fight back. Venza, for his part, decided discretion was the better part of valor and fled. He made it to the door before a bolt slammed into the handle, jamming it. He turned to see the Huntress stalking towards him, crossbow pistol pointing at his throat.
"Please!" he pleaded. "Just don't hurt me!"
"Aww." Helena tilted her head, an evil smile on her lips. "How about just a little?"
A short time later, Oliver and Helena watched from the roof as Venza and his men were led, limping, out to waiting police cruiser. Oliver looked at Helena.
"Millions of dollars' worth of illegal drugs confiscated, a massive blow to your father's criminal proceeds, and nobody had to die." He said. "Justice." She looked back down as Venza was put into a cruiser. "What do you think?"
"I think… this feels good." She said after a moment's pause. Then she smiled at him. "And not just the justice part." They both leaned in to kiss.
"You know, this could be a good thing." Malcolm said thoughtfully. At Moira's raised eyebrow, he expounded, "If he's able to bring her back from the brink, she could be a powerful ally to him. And perhaps someone else to keep him grounded." Then he shook his head. "I'm still worried about that promise, though..."
The scene changed to the Bertinelli residence. Frank was sitting at his bar, drinking scotch as he watched the news. 'Anthony Venza was arrested last night. The police confiscated a warehouse full of illegal prescription drugs with a street value estimated in the millions. Several unconfirmed witnesses reported seeing the Starling City vigilante leaving the scene with another unknown accomplice, possibly a woman.' He finished the scotch, then threw his glass down behind the bar, shattering it.
Helena walked into the room and slowly came up to her father. "Bad year? The scotch, I mean." She asked.
"Yeah." He said tiredly, taking her hand in his. "Sorry, another business setback." He leaned back and looked her over. "Wow. You look beautiful." He stated. "Oliver Queen?" at her smile, he chuckled. "Oh, it's nice to see you happy again. It's been too long." His cell phone rang. Sighing, he answered it. "Yeah?" hearing the voice on the other end, he turned away from his daughter. "Yeah. Yeah, I heard about Venza. Yeah, I know where that leaves us!" he slammed the phone down on the bar. He looked up to see Helena walking out of the room. What he didn't see was her satisfied smile.
The scene changed to Queen Manor. Moira was busy putting the final touches on her outfit, while Walter stood in the room, reading a book.
"I'm sorry to rush out." She was saying as she finished putting her earrings in. "I have this impromptu Board of Directors meeting with the Starling City Modern Art Museum. I don't know much about art, but I do know how to pay for it." She quipped.
Walter kept staring down at the book. Hidden in its pages was the pint out Felicity had given him earlier that day. Seeing his wife rise, he closed the book. "No worries." He said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Whip them into shape."
"Yes, sir." She replied happily. "I'll see you when I get back." He waited a few moments after she left the room, then got to work. Swiftly but quietly, he began going around their room, looking through his wife's things. He looked through the drawers in the make-up desk, He looked through jewelry boxes, through books, even underneath statues. But nowhere did he find the symbol. He paused, picking up a picture of he and Moira in happier times. He smiled at the memory, but then something caught his eye. He looked up, over the top of the picture, to the grandfather clock that sat against the way. Through the glass of the door, he saw it- the symbol. Walter quickly put the picture down and moved to the clock, opening the door, he found a small wooden box with the symbol engraved in brass on the top. Cautiously he picked up the box, then opened it to find a small, tan book. He pulled out the book and opened it, seeing the same symbol in the inside cover. Flipping through the rest of the book, though, only showed blank pages. He stared at them, considering.
Moira sighed unhappily, worried about where this would lead. She always loved how determined Walter could be; though in this case it could cost him his life.
The scene changed to Table Salt, where Tommy and Laurel were waiting to be seated- a new experience for the Merlyn heir.
Tommy checked his watch. "Well, it's only been 30 minutes. That's not too bad for an opening." He said optimistically.
"If they don't seat us soon, I'm going to write a horrible review online." Laurel declared
"Let me see what I can do." He said. Tommy walked over to the hostess and gave her a winning smile. "Hey. I'm loving the Cavalli." He complimented. "Uh, look, I'm Tommy Merlyn. Is there any way that we can go to the head of the class?"
"Is there?" she asked in return, giving him a look. Tommy instinctively brought out his money clip- which was painfully light. He cleared his throat and returned the money to his pocket.
"Let us know when our table's ready, okay?" he asked, dejected. He walked back over to Laurel. "Maybe you can eat some of those fancy peanuts from behind the bar." He tried as she rolled her eyes.
"You know, if you wanted to impress me, you could have cooked me dinner." Laurel said, smiling at Tommy.
Tommy smiled wistfully. "Is this your way of telling me you told me so without actually saying 'I told you so'?"
"Oh, that's coming later." She assured him. "I'm just trying to give you pointers now to use in the future."
"Hey!"
Tommy and Laurel turned to see Oliver walk in with Helena. The three old friends looked at each other uncomfortably for a few moments, with Helena being thankfully oblivious.
"Hi." Tommy said, subdued. "It's Ollie, and…someone."
"Tommy, Laurel, this is Helena." He introduced.
"Nice to meet you." She said with a smile, shaking Tommy's hand.
"My pleasure." He replied. Helena held out her hand to Laurel, who took it after a few moments.
"Likewise." Laurel said.
"You look beautiful." Oliver told Laurel respectfully.
"Thank you." She replied. They stood awkwardly for a few more moments before the hostess, thankfully, came over.
"Mr. Queen, your table is ready." She told Oliver, who smiled in thanks.
"When is our table gonna be ready?" Laurel asked with strained politeness.
"When it is." The hostess replied shortly with a fake smile of her own.
"Why don't you both join us?" Helena asked suddenly. Both Tommy and Oliver panicked at the idea.
"No, no…" Oliver started.
"We're just gonna have a drink and—" Tommy said at the same time.
"We'd love to." Laurel said firmly. Tommy leaned in close to her.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"I'm sure I'm hungry." She replied.
Oliver looked between the two, then cleared his throat. He held up four fingers. "That… that'll be… it'll be great." He stuttered, handing the hostess a few more bills to get a bigger table. "That sounds great."
"Yeah, no way this could possibly go wrong." Thea said sarcastically, looking at Laurel. "Seriously, what are you thinking?"
"Probably that I'm hungry." Laurel replied with a sigh.
Later, the four were laughing as Tommy an Oliver told Helena stories of their childhood.
"I had forgotten that you filled your parents' pool with beer." Oliver said, still laughing. "How many cases did that take?"
"Roughly a thousand or so." Tommy said with a grin.
"You know, his father was so pissed, I thought he was actually going to drown you in it." Oliver noted to Helena.
"Yeah, well, death by beer, there's worse ways to go. Right, Helena?" he asked the girl, taking sip of his wine.
"Well, there are no good ways to die." She said. To recover from the awkwardness of that comment, she looked to Oliver. "So, uh, how did you and Tommy meet?"
"Actually, we've all known each other since—" Oliver started to explain, but was cut off by Laurel.
"We've all known each other forever." She said simply.
"You three have a lot of history." Helena said, finally tuning in to the undercurrent of tension between the three.
"Sometimes a little too much." Tommy said, taking another sip of wine.
There was an awkward pause, then Laurel looked back to Oliver. "So, how's the night club coming along?" she asked.
"Slower than I expected it to." Oliver replied, happy to move onto another subject. "I've, uh, I've been busy."
"Well, then you must be happy to have the extra help, then." She said, smiling at Tommy. Oliver looked at her, confused.
"Uh-oh." Thea said.
"What do you mean?" he asked, puzzled.
Tommy cleared his throat and leaned forward. "Laurel, I'm sure that Oliver doesn't want to talk about work right now." He tried.
"You didn't ask him?" she hissed.
Oliver looked between the two. "Ask me what?" he inquired.
"Tommy wanted…" she looked at him, silently fuming in his seat. She cleared her throat and continued. "Tommy said that he was gonna talk to you about working for you at your night club."
Oliver laughed, then noticed their faces. "Really? Sorry." He looked over at Tommy. "I didn't think that you wanted any responsibility at all."
"Ouch." Felicity said, wincing.
"Oh, yeah, who'd believe that?" he seethed. Oliver looked taken aback.
"You've always wanted to get into business with Tommy." Laurel pressed. I mean, don't you remember when we went to Aspen and you wanted to open a ski lodge?"
"The only thing that I remember from Aspen was your father being furious we shared a room with one bed." Oliver replied casually.
The sudden weight of the drama finally pressed down on Helena, and realization sparked in her eyes. "Wait, um…" she started, looking between the two. "So you two were together…" she looked at Laurel, "and now you're dating his best friend?" she asked.
Tommy laughed shortly. "Yeah, we're just prime for a reality show, aren't we?" he said, finishing off his wine. Helena soon followed, downing the half glass she had left in one gulp.
Tommy sighed dejectedly.
"Tommy, you working for me, that could be fun." Oliver said, trying to salvage something.
Tommy threw his napkin down on the table and stood. "I don't feel so good. I'm gonna step outside." He muttered, stalking out of the restaurant.
Laurel looked after him in concern. "I should probably go check on him." She said finally. She gave a small smile to Helena. "Helena, it was very nice to meet you." Helena returned the smile with a fake smile of her own.
Laurel left the table and made her way after Tommy. She caught up to him as he moved through the restaurant. "Tommy, why are you so upset?" she asked.
"Why did you have to say something to Oliver about the job?" he replied shortly.
"You were supposed to talk to him." Laurel said.
"Well, I hadn't."
Laurel winced. "Okay, I didn't realize." She apologized. "I was only trying to help."
"No, you were trying to get Oliver to help." He spun around and looked at her, anger and jealousy written all over his face. "It's typical Laurel, always running to her white knight." He scoffed. "It's Oliver and Laurel. It always has been." He shook his head. "That's not gonna change."
"Oliver and I are over." Laurel retorted.
"Oh, really? Because you seemed awfully bothered by his new girlfriend."
"What, am I supposed to like her?"
"I do not want to be Oliver's charity case, okay?" Tommy said finally. "To every day be reminded that I can't give you everything he could?" He sighed. "You know, losing a fortune I think is going to be easier than losing you, so why don't we just stop now." He said, leaving her stunned and upset in the restaurant.
"Wow. That was kind of harsh." Felicity stated, staring at the two would-be lovers who were looking everywhere else but at Felicity- or each other.
"Yeah, you both need to pull your heads out of your asses... oh, boy." she paused, watching the screen.
At the side entrance, another date was falling apart.
"Mt. Saint Helena erupting in five...four...three..." Thea said in resignation.
"Hey. I'm sorry." Oliver said, following an equally upset Helena out to the street. "How am I supposed to know it's gonna get so weird in there?" he objected. She spun to face him.
"No, I'm sorry." She said. "Sorry I ever listened to you."
"Helena, what—"
"You know what I've been through!" She interrupted. "I told you I couldn't be hurt again."
"I'm not trying to hurt you!" Oliver denied.
"So, making me have dinner with the love of your life is what, Oliver?" he frowned, and she pressed on. "Laurel was the girl things were getting too serious with, the girl whose sister's grave you used to manipulate me." She moved in closer. "I saw the way you looked at her. That kind of love doesn't die. You still love her."
"I don't." he denied.
Helena scoffed and started walking away. Oliver reached out for her arm, but she yanked it away. "Don't touch me." She snarled. "I am done talking." She turned and walked away, leaving a hurt Oliver behind.
"Uhh... bitch, it was your idea." Thea said crossly.
"Seriously." Laurel agreed, then looked askance at Thea. "And what do you mean I need to pull my head out of my ass?" she asked indignantly.
"You're pushy. Like, a lot." Thea said slowly. You probably knew he hadn't talked to Oliver yet, so you were trying to engineer the conversation; which just ended up pissing him off. And you," she rounded on Tommy, "are too damn prideful. Instead of thinking of it as Oliver bailing you out, you should be thinking of it as the opportunity that it is."
"She does have a point, Tommy." Moira put in. "
She's right, sweetheart." Quentin added. "Don't get me wrong, I love your tenacity; but there is a time and a place for it- and that wasn't it.
The scene changed to Laurel's apartment. She answered the door, frowning at who she saw.
"I came to apologize." Tommy said. Laurel moved away from the door, and Tommy followed her into the apartment. "I know you were just trying to help," he began. "I guess I wasn't ready to face reality. This is just so new, you and me, and I didn't want you to see I'm scared. I'm almost 30 years old and I've never been given an ounce of responsibility in my life. You, you are driven and intelligent. You're a million times too good for me, even before I was broke." He sighed. "And now I have absolutely nothing to bring to whatever this is."
"I never cared about the money." Laurel replied, her frown softening. "And truth be told, billionaire was your least attractive quality. I am so sorry if I pushed you too hard on the job with Oliver." She continued. "I just-I thought you working for him was a good idea because he's your friend. And it's okay to ask a friend for help." She smiled at him. "You won't lose your street cred."
"I'm happy to lose my street cred." Tommy replied. "I just don't want to lose you."
"Well I'm not saying that it's gonna be easy But I'm here for you if you need someone to lean on." She pulled him in close. "That's what people do when they're together."
"Together like boyfriend-girlfriend?" Tommy said, smiling.
"Mm. Do not ruin this moment." Laurel giggled. "It was going so well for you." The both laughed softly, then kissed.
"Wow. It's like they heard you." Felicity said, grinning at Thea.
The scene changed to the Lair, Oliver was sitting, alone in the dark, suited up. He was checking his quiver when Dig walked in.
"Didn't expect to hear from you tonight. Something happen?" he asked.
Oliver sighed. "I think you were right." He admitted.
Diggle nodded. "Okay. About which part?"
"All of it." He ground out, then sighed again. "I should have listened to you."
"I have a feeling that is a phrase I will be hearing often." Dig said wryly.
"Oliver, you said you wanted to help her change." Dig said, walking around the table so that he face Oliver. "The thing is, she already did change. When her father killed her fiancé, she changed into something dark and twisted. You see that now, don't you?" he asked.
Oliver slammed his quiver down on the table. "It's not that I-it's not that I couldn't see it, Diggle. I didn't-I didn't want to." He admitted. He looked up at him with almost a pleading look in his eyes. "I'm living a double life, and to do that, I'm taking all these people that I love and I'm putting them at arm's length. I'm giving up a lot, so maybe- maybe I thought the universe owed me one." He shook his head. "But I looked in her eyes tonight, and I can't stop her from going over the edge. She's-she's already past it."
The scene changed to a safe house somewhere on the docks. Zhishan was sitting around a card table with three of his men, playing poker, when suddenly the men's phones went off one after the other. One of the men finally answered. "Shénme?"
"Líkāi nàlǐ! Líkāi nàlǐ!" the voice on the other end said frantically. Before the men could do anything, though, The Huntress burst through the door. Instead of her crossbow pistol, she was packing her Glock and she executed two of the three bodyguards. The third tried to fight, but she quickly put him down with a broken arm and dislocated shoulder. She took his gun, then calmly got up and pointed both at Zhishan, who looked back at her calmly.
"Dāng nǐ xúnqiú bàofù, xiān wā liǎng gè fénmù." He said simply. "Yīgè shì nǐ de dírén, yīgè shì nǐ zìjǐ."
Helena smirked at him. "I don't speak Chinese, so I'm just gonna assume you said good-bye." With that, she emptied both guns into the Triad leader. Once finished, she kneeled next to the wounded guard. "Tell your mistress Frank Bertinelli sends his regards." She said with a smirk, before rising and leaving the safe house.
Quentin sighed tiredly. "Great. Another gang war. Just what we needed."
"It might not be much of a war, if Bertinelli is a crippled as it appears he is." Malcolm said darkly.
The scene changed to Queen Consolidated. Felicity timidly walked up to Walter's glass door. Taking a moment to compose herself, she opened the door and walked in.
"Ahem. You wanted to see me, Mr. Steele?" she said. As he looked up at her, she rambled on. "Did I mention, it's almost Christmas, and many of the suicides this time of year are due to sudden and unexpected joblessness?"
"I want you to find out all you can about that notebook." He said, sliding the tan notebook across his desk towards her. "Where it was made, how it was purchased. And what it could mean." She picked it up, looking at it curiously.
"Yes, sir." She replied at once.
"Felicity," he said, catching her attention, "I asked Josiah Hudson, our head of security, to look into the same subject matter. He died the next day under questionable circumstances." He paused so she could take that in. "What I may be asking of you, this mystery, are you sure you want to do this?"
Felicity thought for a moment. "I hate mysteries." She said firmly. "They bug me. They need to be solved." She smiled at him and walked out of the office, leaving a concerned Walter with this thoughts.
Malcolm eyed the blonde speculatively. "You are a very tenacious woman, Miss Smoak." he said. she couldn't tell if it was a compliment or not.
The scene changed to the safe house. The Hood walked in, taking in the carnage around him. He stopped at the final body, that of Zhishan. He kneeled down to examine him, then pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
'It's Dig. What's the situation?' he asked on the other end of the call.
"War." Oliver said simply.
The scene changed to the Bertinelli residence. Frank was sitting at the bar when he got a phone call.
'Boss, we just got word- somebody hit Zhishan. He's dead.' The caller said.
Frank sighed. "All right. Then we know what's coming next. Tell everyone to strap up." He ordered, hanging up.
Outside the house, guards were patrolling the ground. One stopped outside the pool and looked around. Spotting nothing, he turned-
Only top have China White pop up behind him, slitting his throat.
"HOLY SHIT!" Thea screamed in surprise.
As the man's body dropped, she looked at her compatriots.
"Bù huì ràng rènhé rén huózhe." she ordered, and the crew moved silently on towards the house. One by one, the guards fell to the silent onslaught.
"I think you were right, Merlyn." Quentin said reluctantly. "This isn't a war; it's a slaughter."
The man guarding the door started calling out for guards on his radio, and got no response. "Ricco's not answering his walkie." He called to the man behind him, who had already been taken out. "Check it out." He turned- only to be garroted.
The Triad entered the house. While the rest fanned out on the ground floor, One headed up the stairs. As soon as he reached the top, he was struck in the chest by an arrow. The Hood Rushed forward, catching the man before he fell and lowered him gently to the ground. As gunfire erupted downstairs, he headed down to find Frank.
In his office, Frank was running and ducking the fire. He made his way to his safe. He managed to open it, then grabbed Helena's laptop. He closed the safe, and then threw the laptop in his briefcase. He moved to escape when China White caught up to him. She pushed him against a stone pillar and held her knife, ready to slit his throat.
"Frank Bertinelli- this is for Zhishan." She lifted the knife- and it was knocked out of her hand by an arrow. She spun in surprise to see The Hood, who put an arrow in her knee, dropping the assassin. He nocked another arrow as Frank lifted his gun up at the vigilante.
"Run." The Hood snarled, turning around and dropping another Triad member.
"Damn. Should have put an arrow in him, too." Quentin said.
"Dad!" Laurel exclaimed.
Frank ran, ducking and shooting as he struggled to make it out of his house. He made it out onto the yard and started running. He was passing his small duck pond and was halfway to the edge of the property, when suddenly a bolt slammed into his knee. Frank dropped to the ground, writhing in pain. Helena stalked up to her father as he rolled onto his back looking at who had just shot him.
"Helena." He said, surprised. "What is this?"
"Payback for Michael. I know you had him killed; Salvati told me." She explained.
"I did that to protect the family!" he shouted, but she paid him no attention.
"I had to take everything away from you because you took everything away from me." She looked at the fallen man, a look of anguish on her face. You finally know what it feels like to find out, your own blood is responsible for the death of your entire world." She lifted the crossbow pistol, ready to finish it. Before she could pull the trigger, though, an arrow knocked it out of her hands. She spun to see The Hood there. Laughing in disbelief, she attacked him. He fought back, doing his best not to hurt her, wanting to end it peacefully.
Frank, meanwhile crawled over to her fallen pistol and picked it up. As Helena kicked Oliver away and rose, she turned back to Frank-
"No!" Oliver shouted as Frank shot his daughter in the shoulder. He looked at her fallen body in satisfaction for a moment before Oliver ran over and knocked him out. He turned back to the moaning woman. "Helena? " he called out to her, but she slipped into unconsciousness. Hearing sirens, Oliver picked Helena up and carried her away, leaving Frank for the police.
"He's STILL trying to save her?" Thea asked, dumbfounded.
"No choice now. She knows who he is." Dig pointed out. He frowned suddenly. "And who I am. Great."
The scene changed to the lair. Helena was laid out on a table, an anxious Oliver sitting at her side. Suddenly she gasped as she regained consciousness.
"Helena, easy. Easy." He advised. "You were lucky."
"Am I supposed to be grateful?" she snarled.
"Helena—"
"He's a mobster. A criminal." She ground out as she forced herself upright. "Why would you save him?"
"I didn't save him." Oliver argued. "I saved you. You think that because you've killed, you understand what it's like to have blood on your hands. You don't understand." He explained. "You don't understand the toll that it takes on you, especially when it's your father."
"I'm not going to stop." She said with conviction.
"The police have him in custody." Oliver announced. "He's going to jail and then on to prison."
"They don't have any evidence on him." She objected.
"They do now."
Realization dawned. "The laptop." She said.
"He's going away, Helena, for the rest of his life. This is justice." He stated.
Helena got to her feet. "Then I guess you were right. I'm more interested in revenge." She headed towards the stairs. "Stay out of my way, Oliver, or I'll make sure your secret doesn't stay secret." She threatened.
Oliver grimaced. He couldn't leave it like this. "Helena. What I did, everything that I've done, I've done because I care about you." He tried to explain.
She looked at him balefully. "Too bad I can't say the same." She shot back, turning and walking up the stairs and out of the Lair, leaving a heartbroken Oliver behind her.
"I told you- bitch be cra-zay." Tommy said.
"You tend to go a little crazy when you loose someone you love." Slade said pointedly.
Tommy shot a look to his father. "Apparently."
The scene changed to Big Belly Burger. Diggle walked in and over to Carly.
"Hey, you." He said with a smile. "Thanks for the call."
"What are ex-sisters-in-law for?" she joked. He moved on towards a far booth where Oliver sat, drowning his sorrows in…
"Mm. Chili cheese fries with jalapenos." Dig noted, taking a sip of his water. "Hmm. That's a cry for help if I've ever seen one."
"That also sounds really good-" she stopped as a red streak raced into and out of the room faster than she could blink. She sniffed as a familiar smell hit her nose, then nearly jumped off of the couch as sown on the table in front of her was a plate of chili cheese fries with jalapenos.
"Talk about fast food." Laurel quipped as Felicity happily dug in.
"Ahh… I don't know what hurts worse, this or getting shot with a curare-laced bullet." Oliver joked.
"Been there, done that." Dig replied. "Definitely the bullet." Diggle sighed and sat down across from the man. "You know, Oliver, I'm no expert at this, but I don't think love is about changing or saving a person. I think it's about finding the person who's already the right fit." He glanced up at Carly at the counter, who smiled. "One day you will." He assured the man.
"I think I burnt that particular bridge." He said, laughing darkly. "Napalmed it, actually."
"So things didn't work out exactly as you planned. You did save Frank Bertinelli's life. He'll be doing time for a while. Justice wins out." Dig pointed out.
"Helena doesn't see it that way." Oliver said sadly.
"You opened up, took a risk with your heart. The Oliver I met a few months ago would not have been able to do that." He noted. "And when you meet the right person, you'll be ready for her." Oliver smiled, then passed the fries to Dig. Diggle reached out towards the fries, then changed his mind and grabbed the water instead. Both men laughed in camaraderie.
"I just wish that when he was opening up, he'd left my name out of it," Dig complained jokingly.
The scene changed to Q.C. Walter was again working late, trying to catch up, when Felicity walked into his office. Without a word, she began turning off lights.
"What are you doing?" he finally asked.
"It needs to be dark in here for me to do this." She replied, then closed her eyes in embarrassment.
Moira sent an amused look to Felicity, who swallowed her fries heavily.
"Sometimes I shouldn't say words." she complained.
"If I had had more time to think of that sentence it wouldn't have sounded so dirty." She handed him the notebook. "Look."
Walter took the book and flipped through it. "I don't see anything." He said.
Felicity pulled out a pair of glasses. "I got these from applied sciences." She explained. "They're able to pick up the sub-visible variations in the UV spectrum." She powered up the glasses and handed them to Walter, who put them on. "Now look at the book again." She said, and when he did, he saw a list of names, suddenly visible. He looked through the book, stunned.
Malcolm looked at Felicity again. "You clever girl." he complimented.
The scene changed to Queen Manor. Oliver was in the sitting room, staring out the window as the rain fell when Raisa led Tommy in. He caught his reflection in the window and turned to face him.
"Hi." He said.
"Now, look, I'm sorry about last night." Tommy began. "It just—"
"I let it get too far sitting at the same table." Oliver interrupted. "That was... that was stupid."
"No. I was stupid." He sighed. "I haven't been entirely honest with you." He admitted, then plowed on before he lost his nerve. "My dad cut me off. He froze all my funds. I am living on fumes."
Oliver looked at him, stunned. "Really?" he said after a few moments. "Why didn't you say anything?" he asked.
"Embarrassment, shame, jealousy, probably a few other emotions I'm not used to feeling." Tommy replied.
"Tommy, my trust fund is your trust fund."
"No." He said firmly. "That is the easy answer. And believe me, I have loved easy answers. What I need is a job." He continued to Oliver's amazement. "I'm trying to change. Not sure into what yet, but I don't want to be what I was anymore."
"Congratulations on finally pulling your head out of your ass." Thea said, tossing a grin at Tommy. He merely rolled his eyes in reply.
Oliver considered his friend for a moment. He didn't say it out loud, but he was very proud of Tommy in that moment. "It just so happens," he said, "that I have a general manager position that is available. You're probably the guy for the job."
"Will I be getting dental? This smile wasn't cheap."
"I'll look into that."
"Thank you." Tommy said, giving Oliver a manly hug. "Thank you." He repeated sincerely.
"You're welcome." Oliver replied. The two parted and Tommy looked at Oliver.
"You okay?" he asked.
Oliver sighed. "I will be."
Tommy gave him a knowing look."Something happen with Helena?"
"We had a falling out. But I have a feeling that I will be seeing her again."
At the edge of the city, Helena rode on on her Harley to an uncertain future.
"Well." Laurel smiled. "That was every bit the disaster we all thought it would be."
"Amen, sister." Thea said. She then looked over at Felicity. "Hey, pass the fries; I want-" a red streak zipped through the room once again, leaving another plate of fried on the table. "Huh." she said., picking up a fry. "Never mind."
TBC 12/28
A/N: That little blurb about Sara wrecking a car- that is actually a true story of a friend of mine from high school. He bought a used car off a guy, and on the way to get it inspected managed to wrap it around a utility pole. Oops.
A/N 2: Also, I feel the need to apologize for this chapter. To set this up a bit, I write both at home, and at work when I'm on break. But at work, I need to transfer the file from my flash drive to my work computer before I can add to or edit it for some damn reason. When I wrote this chapter, I did that at work- then forgot to transfer the completed file back to my flash drive. As such, when I uploaded this chapter, Only 2/3 of it was done. All of the dialog after the restaurant scene between my characters, I had to type in. And while I think i improved it somewhat (Flash cameo!), I'm not sure if I did enough. But it's late, I'm tired, and it's too late to do any substantial re-writes. Hopefully, this is the only chapter like this.
Mandarin Translations:
All Clear
Get in the car
Kill him!
What?
Líkāi nàlǐ!: Get out of there!
when you seek vengeance, dig two graves. One for your enemy, and one for yourself.
Leave no one alive