Disclaimer: Arrow is owned by The CW, Berlanti Productions, and Warner Bros. Television. The characters of the Green Arrow and the Justice League is owned by DC Comics. I own nothing; I'm just playing in their universe.
A/N: something a little different this chapter- I'll be including the commentary of Mia and Roy, who are in a separate room.
Chapter 17: Dodger
The group eventually made their way back into the viewing room and indulged in the dinner Mia had set out. Mia sat alone in the control room, a small plate of barely touched food next to her, as she sorted through the memory sets, pulling up three more to finish off the night.
"I certainly hope you ate something, Babe." Mia smiled and turned towards the door to see Roy leaning on the doorframe. "I mean, you're already thin enough."
"You know where flattery will get you." Mia said teasingly.
Roy grinned. "I'm counting on it."
Mia shook her head and turned back to the computer. "Wicked, wicked Roy."
Roy pushed off the doorframe and moved into the room, dropping into the seat next to her. "The tiny terror misses you." He told her. "Any chance you'll see her before 'the change'?"
Mia sighed, a wistful smile on her face. "Of all the things I hope to change, she is the one thing I wish wouldn't."
"Well, just remember how you sold me on this idea." Roy said. "If this works, maybe she'll come around sooner."
"Maybe." Mia agreed hopefully. "Go ahead and bring her up in a day or two." She deiced. "I miss my baby girl."
"And the younger you?" he asked delicately.
Mia shrugged. "She's seen almost all of the bad. Maybe it would help to see some of the good. Speaking of which, you picked a good time to visit."
"Ah, it's that time, isn't it?" Roy chuckled.
In the sitting room, after the food was eaten and the plates removed, Kara passed the remote to Thea with a smile..
"Your turn, I think." She said.
Everyone settled into their seats, and Thea pressed play.
The memory set opened in the Starling City Museum of Antiquities. A guard walked nervously into one of the numerous viewing galleries, his tie pulled down slightly and uniform shirt's collar unbuttoned. He moved towards the display in the center that held the massive Sherwood Ruby. In behind him walked his fellow guard Max, who looked at his colleague in concern.
"Ah, the Sherwood Ruby." Moira said wistfully. "I had wanted to buy that years, ago, but the owner at the time wouldn't sell."
"What would you do with a giant ruby?" Felicity wondered. Then she paused and thought some more. "And why is it called the Sherwood Ruby? Why name a ruby after Sherwood forest? Shouldn't that be an emerald?"
Moira went to answer, but Thea beat her to it. "It was actually named after Elizabeth Sherwood, the original owner of the ruby- not the forest." She explained. "And you basically own something like that for bragging rights. The 'Oh, I got the world's biggest ruby, look at me!' type of thing. Plus, you can usually rent things like that out to museums, so it's a good investment." She paused to see everyone staring at her. "What? In grade school, my teachers used to make me host field trips at our house and give tours or our art collection. "
"What a hardship that must have been." Slade said dryly.
Thea shrugged her shoulders, ignoring his sarcasm. "It did give me an appreciation for art, that's for certain."
*You certainly enjoyed the tour, Slade.* Mia's voice said dryly over the intercom, leaving the group to wonder when Slade got a tour.
Slade smirked and looked at Moira. "I look forward to visiting your home." he said. Moira shifted uneasily in her seat.
"Jerry." He said, trying to get the man's attention. "Jerry, you ok?"
"Yeah." He replied distractedly.
"You look a little peaked, man." Max noted.
"I'm fine. It's, uh… Mrs. Hill wants us to move the Sherwood into the vault." Jerry stammered out.
"Now? It's mid-day." Max argued.
"I know. She says it's a security threat. It's, uh, all the robberies lately." Jerry replied nervously.
"Right, right." Max replied with a chuckle. Both men reached under the base and placed their index fingers on two hidden fingerprint scanners. Registering that both men were authorized, the base began to lower, exposing the massive gem. Max leaned in for a closer look-
And Jerry whacked him on the back of the head with his baton.
"Ouch." Tommy remarked.
Hesitantly, he reached in and grabbed the ruby, which immediately set off alarms. A few moments later, he was walking as fast as he could down the hall, directing other guards and responding police back towards the room as he fiddled with his collar. He moved off into a side hall where a well-dressed man was leaning against a column. "Take this thing off me, all right?" he demanded, moving his collar aside to reveal the explosive device attached to his neck. The man smirked in response, so Jerry reached into his coat and withdrew the ruby. "I got it like you asked. Here!" he handed it over to the man. "Take it off me!"
The man calmly reached into his own pocket and withdrew a small remote. A couple of clicks later the bomb collar disarmed and unlocked. Jerry quickly removed the device. "Were… were you… were you bluffing? I mean, would the thing have detonated?" he asked.
"Violently." Dodger replied blandly. "Don't worry, though. You did exactly as I asked, so it's just unconsciousness for you."
"Unconscious?" Jerry said in confusion. An instant later Dodger tapped the end of his stun wand to Jerry's chest, and the guard collapsed, unconscious.
Quentin looked thoughtfully at the scene. "Why does that sound familiar?" he wondered aloud.
"The Dodger." Slade said. "High-end jewel thief, uses bomb collars to convince other people to steal things for him." Slade noted the look the cop gave him. "A.S.I.S. had a file on him."
The scene changed to the Foundry. Oliver was working on the training dummy with an escrima stick while Diggle looked on. Felicity was sitting at the computers, diligently running searches for Walter and surreptitiously watching Oliver as he worked out.
"You might want to take it easy if you plan on taking someone off that list tonight." Dig noted. Oliver stopped hitting the dummy and caught his breath.
"This is me taking it easy." He growled, snapping the bamboo stick in half on one of the dummy's arms.
Tommy squirmed in his seat. "Is it weird that seeing him do that makes me feel inadequate?" he asked, only half kidding. "Seriously, I feel like half of a man."
"You're all man to me." Thea responded automatically, and then blanched. "Wow, I really can't do that anymore."
"Yeah, kind of icky." Tommy confirmed.
*Hey, incest!* Mia said. *A game for the whole family!* Kara snorted in amusement, and Laurel burst out laughing as both Tommy and Thea looked sickened.
"Mia!" Moira yelled harshly.
*Sorry.* she said, not sounding sorry at all. *Couldn't resist.*
Felicity and Diggle both snickered, but remained silent.
"So who's our lucky guy tonight?" Dig asked.
"Ken Williams." Oliver replied. Felicity pushed her searches to the background as she pulled up information about Williams. "His pyramid scheme stole millions. People didn't just lose their homes. Their lives are ruined." Oliver walked to his work table and picked up his bow. Why don't you call it in early tonight, I'm not expecting much trouble." He said, walking away to quickly get changed.
Felicity pulled up more information on Williams, and then looked back to where Oliver was walking towards the door. Making a decision, she locked the doors and blocked Oliver's code.
"Oh, Oliver is going to be pissed…" Tommy noted as Felicity now squirmed.
Oliver walked up to the door and punched in his code, then tried to open the door. When it didn't budge, he entered his code again. A third time and he finally caught on.
"Felicity!" he yelled, stalking back into the main area. "Did you just-"
"Computer override your lock." Felicity finished. "Maybe a little."
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"I pulled up some information on Mr. Williams. Did you know he's a widowed father of a 10-year-old boy?" she said quickly. "I told you. I'm only in this to help Walter. Not to be an accessory to orphaning little kids!"
"I'm just giving him a warning." Oliver argued.
"Has it ever occurred to you that you could do some real good in the city?" she asked. "Beyond just recovering people's stock portfolios and their saving accounts."
Oliver leaned in close, and then reached past her to input a command into the computer. He heard a satisfying click s the doors unlocked. "You're not the only one who knows how to reboot my system." He told her softly.
"I made a mistake." Felicity decided, standing from the chair.
"Getting in my way? I don't disagree." Oliver said.
"No." Felicity said. "Signing on with you. Even provisionally." With that she stalked out of the lair. Oliver watched her walk away, and then glanced back at Diggle, who smiled in amusement.
Kara noted her discomfort. "You made a mistake there, Felicity."
"What, pissing him off?" she asked worriedly.
Kara shook her head and chuckled. "No, you made an assumption. You assumed that everyone Oliver met as the Hood he put an arrow in. An unfair assumption, but one that was backed up by news reports and police statements. The one's he visited and didn't attack tended to settle things quietly."
"I guess I feel bad now, seeing as I know he became a hero and all that." Felicity said.
"The only hero in the League that hasn't had some sort of checkered past is my cousin." Kara told her. "And don't feel bad. You telling him he could do more? That got him thinking. Dig giving him advice? That got him thinking. And the more he thought, the more he considered- the more of a hero he became. Thanks to you two," she said to Felicity and Diggle, "The Arrow became a recognized hero within two years. Without you? He probably wouldn't have survived one."
FIVE YEARS AGO
The scene flashed back to the island. Slade way laying in the fuselage, wracked with a fever and coughing up a storm. Oliver walked up to him and knelt down, handing him a cup of water.
"Hey, hey." He called to the man to get his attention. "Drink."
Slade did so, then immediately spat it out. "That tastes like dirt." He complained between coughs.
"You've got to stay hydrated, ok?" Oliver said.
"Hydration is not my problem." Slade argued. "My problem is getting a bullet dug out of my arm with a dull blade."
Slade absently rubbed his arm where the scar from that wound was.
"Let me take a look." Oliver said. Gingerly, he pulled back the bandage on his arm and grimaced.
"Ick!" Thea exclaimed.
Slade groaned. "It's infected. Go figure."
"Yeah, uh I got to stop that before it spreads." Oliver declared. He stood up and started gathering some equipment.
"When you swing past the drugstore for those antibiotics, you want to get me a copy of 'Maxim', or maybe a 'Sports Illustrated'?" Slade gasped sarcastically.
"Yao Fei had these super herbs back in the cave that'd heal anything." Oliver told the man. "I'm going to go get them."
"You're not going to last an hour out there." Slade said bluntly.
"Well, I guess you better hope I get back in 45 minutes, then." Oliver replied glibly as he walked out of the fuselage.
"Way to show faith in the man trying to save your life." Laurel noted dryly. Slade grunted, but said nothing.
PRESENT
The scene flashed back to Queen Manor. The doorbell rang and Moira herself opened the door. On the other side stood Frank Chen, a businessman and old friend of hers and Roberts. "Thank you for coming." Moira said, hugging the man. "Ahh. It is so good to see you, Frank. It's been far too long."
"Yes." Frank said as Moira took his arm and began leading him to the sitting room. "My interests in China have kept me away more than I'd like. But with The Undertaking approaching, I thought a return to Starling City was in order."
"Hmm." Moira said thoughtfully. "Actually Frank, it's The Undertaking that I wanted to talk to you about. I want to get out." She declared. Frank looked at her in surprise.
"Is this because of what happened to Walter?" he asked.
Moira sighed. "With Walter, with Robert. Last week the Vigilante nearly made my children orphans. I've reached my limit, Frank."
Malcolm eyed Moira speculatively.
"That's, uh, a lot to confide in me, Moira." Frank said cautiously, making his way to the sofa.
"Robert did." Moira replied. "I know he reached out to you; whether I was supposed to know it or not. He had misgivings. He sought you out because he knew you did, too."
"But then he was murdered." Frank said bluntly. "And that should be a cautionary tale for both of us."
"Yes, I know." Moira said. "And I've gone along with this for as long as I can stomach it. We started this to fix the Glades, Frank." She argued. "To cure the city, not lay it to waste. You got into this because of what happened to your daughter. Frank… what would Amanda want you to do?" she asked. Frank looked indecisive for a few moments, and then looked back at Moira, giving her a subtle nod.
"You never knew, did you?" Malcolm said, looking at Moira.
"Knew what?" Moira replied suspiciously.
"After Robert told Frank his plan about going to China, Frank was the one who told me." Malcolm revealed. "And he was the one I directed him to place the bomb on the 'Gambit'." Moira stared at him in shocked disbelief.
The scene changed to Queen Consolidated. Diggle and Oliver walked into Felicity's office in the I.T. Department- to find it empty.
"Well. Maybe we should come back later." Oliver said glibly, walking around the small space.
"No, maybe we should wait, Oliver." Dig argued. "This is really serious. What if her next attack of conscience leads her right to the police?"
Felicity gave Dig a sour look. "I'm upset and annoyed you'd even think that; especially after all I had already done. Plus- flowers would have been nice. Or chocolates. Or flowers and chocolates. Just no nuts." she added. "That would be bad."
Dig chuckled. "I apologize. And duly noted."
"Oh, she won't say anything." Oliver said. "I know. I had to make the same calculation when you found out about me."
"Mm-hmm. And what would you have done if you were wrong, and I decided to make a call to detective Lance?" Dig asked.
Oliver looked at him, his face dead serious. "I would have put an arrow in you." He said, walking past the man with a smirk.
"Ha!" Dig laughed, and then looked back at his boss, worried. "Really-really-you really would have done that, really?"
"He probably would have done that." Malcolm noted with dark amusement.
"Oh, shut up, Malcolm." Moira said, still upset about the revelation about Frank.
Oliver was about to reply when Felicity walked in. She gave Oliver a cold look. "Hmm." She said, walking past him to her desk. "I had a bet going with myself on how quickly you two would visit. Tell me not to reveal your secret. Looks like I won."
"Actually, Felicity, I was hoping that I could get you to change your mind." Oliver said quickly. "I was worked up on adrenaline last night, and I didn't exactly put my best foot forward. I was hoping you'd give me the opportunity to do that now."
"How about you start with Ken Williams?" she said as she sat at her desk and booted up her computer. "Did he also get to enjoy your adrenaline last night?"
"No, he returned the money that he stole just in time to put his son to bed." Oliver replied, leaning on her desk. "Like I said, Felicity, just a warning."
Their attention was taken a moment later by the news playing on Felicity's computer. McKenna Hall was talking at a press conference about the Dodger case. 'At this time, we'd like to remind the public that we are coordinating our efforts with Interpol as the Dodger operates primarily in Europe, and they have advised us to warn the public that he is to be considered armed and extremely dangerous.'
"You know, I heard about this guy." Dig said. "They call him the Dodger because he avoids getting his hands dirty. He uses hostages to do his stealing for him."
"How?" Oliver asked, curious.
"Puts a bomb collar around their necks." Dig replied. "Last year, a guy in Madrid didn't steal what the Dodger told him to, and it took his head off. Literally."
"And now the psycho's in Starling City?" Felicity said. "It's too bad his name's not in your notebook." She added mockingly.
"You know, not all the people that I target are on the list." Oliver said, sensing an opportunity. "Every once in a while, I make an exception." Felicity looked at him, interest playing in her eyes. "A hostage-taking jewel thief, for example. How about you help us take him down?"
"That's got to be the weirdest case of bribery I've ever seen." Quentin noted with an amused smile.
"Yeah, and now we know she would have taken flowers, too. So why bother?" Dig joked. Felicity rolled her eyes.
The scene changed to a small art gallery downtown. A short, portly man with a gray beard paced around while his security guards looked on, impassively.
"He's late." The man growled. From behind him, footsteps could be heard and a moment later Dodger walked into the room.
"Never." He told the man in his cultured voice. Dodger walked up to a table and laid his briefcase down upon it. He opened it to reveal the Sherwood Ruby.
"I maintain a Swiss account for financial transactions." Dodger said calmly, handing him a card. "Here's the number."
"Thanks. I'll wire you the money. Assuming I don't misplace the numbers." The dealer said sarcastically, tossing the card over his shoulder. "My bookkeeping method is a little sloppy."
"Well, this guy is dead." Quentin noted.
"Really?" Dodger said in dark amusement. The dealer's three bodyguards moved in, all pointing their guns at his head. "Clearly you're under the impression that you can have the Sherwood Ruby for a steal."
"Well, you're new here in town." The dealer said cockily. "We're not as refined in Starling City."
"I am getting that impression." Dodger replied with a smile. Then his left hand snapped out, grasping the first man's gun and forcing it up. At the same time he pulled out his stun wand with his right hand and shocked the two men on either side of him, then shocked the man in front of him. The confrontation lasted less than three seconds. Dodger cleared his throat. "Don't worry. Your men are merely unconscious." He told the dealer, pointing the gun at his head. "In about 17 minutes, they'll wake up with the ability to tell every other fence in this town that I'm not a man not to be trifled with."
"What about me?" the dealer stammered.
Dodger gave him a look. "Umm…" he pulled the trigger, putting a bullet into the other man's head. The dealer collapsed to the ground, dead. "What about you, indeed." Dodger finished sarcastically.
The ladies in the room (save Kara) had jumped at the casual execution, while the men just shook their heads.
"Cass Derenick." Malcolm noted, shaking his head. "It always amazed me how far he got in Starling City, considering he was a moron."
The scene changed to Big Belly Burger. Oliver, Diggle and Felicity were seated in a booth brainstorming.
"So to catch this guy, we need to either figure out where he is, or where he's going to be." Oliver declared.
"Is this really how you guys figure out how to get your target?" Felicity asked in bemusement. "Over burgers and shakes?"
"Sorry it took me so long." Carly said, running up to their table and dropping off a sugar shaker for Felicity's coffee. "I'm waiting on a bunch of particularly rowdy customers." She nodded to a far window seat populate with young kids making a racket.
"You need me to handle that?" Dig asked.
Carly smiled at him. "I appreciate it, but I'm a pro by now."
"Aww. How cute." Thea teased.
"I'll be here if you need me." He told her as she walked away. Felicity looked at the bodyguard.
"Girlfriend?" she asked.
"No, it's my sister in law." Dig replied.
"Hmm." Felicity said noncommittally.
"Sort of." Diggle amended.
"Carly was married to Dig's brother. And he passed away." Oliver explained.
"Hmm." Felicity said again. "Well, looks like she's hot for you." She told Diggle, winking at him.
Diggle shifted uncomfortably in his chair. Tommy noticed and smirked. "Looks like the feeling is mutual." He said.
"Can we get back to crime fighting, please?" Diggle asked, embarrassed.
"Yes. Please." Dig said, agreeing with himself.
"Actually, Dig, I was thinking, you probably should ask her out." Oliver said.
"Really?"
"Mm-hmm."
Diggle sat back in his seat, his arms folded. "I'll do that just five minutes after you ask out McKenna." He dared the younger man.
"Ooh, the detective on the Dodger case." Felicity said with a smile. "You have a thing for her?"
"Yes." Dig confirmed.
The two smiled at Oliver, who looked stoically back. He turned his stare on Diggle. "I don't see you asking Carly out." He noted.
Diggle starred back, and then rapped on the table with his knuckles as he pushed himself out of the booth. Felicity smiled as she watched him head towards Carly.
"Felicity," Oliver said, getting her attention, "this guy, he's targeting a very specific type of jewel. We figure out why, and that'll give us the how to catch him."
"I have an idea." Felicity said suddenly.
"Mm-hmm?" Oliver looked at her with interest.
"Your crush object with a badge said they were working with Interpol." She started.
"Yeah…"
"Why don't I work up a little tech, you distract her with a little flirty flirt, slip said tech onto her phone. It'll turn into a micro transmitter, and boom, we'll learn everything she knows."
Lance looked crossly at Felicity, who shrugged and laughed nervously. "Could be worse." She said.
"Yeah? How's that?" Lance asked.
"Hmm." Oliver considered. "It's not how I typically get my information."
"How do you typically do it?" she asked.
"I find the person. And then I put the fear of God into them until they talk." He said seriously. "But we can try your way." He added.
Felicity gestured at the screen. "There you go." Lance just shook his head, but gave her an amused smirk.
Over at the counter, Diggle stood nervously with Carly. "You know, Carly," he stammered, "I don't want this to, um, you know, to come off weird or anything, it's just…" he took a breath and just went for it. "Would you like to have dinner?"
"How about tonight?" she replied at once.
"Tonight?" Dig said, surprised.
"Really?!" Dig said, surprised.
Thea shook her head. "Men are always the last to know, aren't they?" she asked Laurel, who nodded in agreement.
In the control room, Roy watched the exchange with interest. "Wow," he told Mia. 'You and Laurel getting along. There's something I haven't seen in-"
"25 years." She finished wryly.
"What?" she asked. "We haven't waited long enough?" Diggle smiled.
The scene changed to the Glades. Thea and Laurel were at a street vendor getting some lunch.
"Mmm." Thea said after taking a bight of her hot dog. "Who knew street meat could taste so good?"
"I had a feeling you needed a break from the office." Laurel replied after she paid. The two started walking back towards the office. "Hank was my first client. I kept his son from being sent away for a mugging that he didn't commit." She confided.
"And how did that not score you free hot dogs for life?" Thea asked.
"CNRI gives low income people access to the legal system. Without them, his son could have gone to prison forever."
"It sounds like you're giving me a sales pitch." Thea teased the lawyer.
Laurel shrugged. "Maybe I am. I'm trying to help you get on the right path, after all."
"I could have gone to prison, too." Thea argued weakly.
Laurel chuckled. "He couldn't afford a dream team of super lawyers."
"So I'm supposed to feel guilty because I'm lucky enough to have a rich family?" Thea asked defensively.
"No. You are lucky." Laurel said. "And hopefully CNRI will show you that."
Thea opened her mouth to respond when suddenly her purse was snatched from her hand. "Hey!" she yelled as the young man in a red hoodie took off at a full sprint.
"Hey, I liked that purse!" Thea said angrily.
In the control room, Roy looked at Thea with a wide grin. "Look honey, it's when we first met!"
"Ah, the romance." She replied teasingly.
Laurel took off right behind him, with Thea following close behind. The thug barely missed a car, and then turned down an alley that was blocked by a high fence. He stopped in annoyance, and then turned to see Laurel and Thea standing not four feet away.
"Give us the purse, and we won't press any charges." Laurel offered. The thug smirked, then ran up the wall, grasped the top of the fence and jumped over it. He landed on his feet facing the two stupefied women, and then bolted.
Thea scoffed. "Yeah, you're right." She said, trying to catch her breath. "I really do feel lucky."
Laurel walked up to the fence and pulled a long chain loose. "This got snagged as he bolted over the fence." She noted, tossing it to Thea. "Looks like a chain from his wallet."
"Don't tell me I'm going to Nancy Drew this." Thea said, amused.
The scene changed to the SCPD. McKenna Hall was going through some files on her desk when she looked up at a knock on her cubicle. She smiled to see Oliver Queen standing there. "I thought you gave up crime fighting." She said with a chuckle.
That startled Oliver. "What?"
"Well, the business with your sister." Hall explained, and Oliver instantly relaxed. "I figured you'd stay out of police precincts."
This time Oliver chuckled. "Yeah, I saw you on the news and I realized that I never thanked you for everything that you did, so..." He smiled. "Thank you." He looked around her cube. "So you got promoted." He noted.
Hall nodded with a smile. "Major Crimes." She told him.
"Wow."
"And they assigned me to the Dodger case. He extorts people into stealing for him." She explained.
Oliver nodded. "How's that going?" he asked casually.
"Slow." Hall admitted. She gestured for him to stay put for a minute, and walked away to quickly file some papers in the file cabinet.
Oliver watched her walk off, and then looked down on her desk. There sitting on top of everything was her phone. Casually he picked it up, peeled back the rubber cover, and placed a small micro transmitter Felicity had made onto the back of the phone. It beeped to let him know it was active, so he replaced the cover and set the phone down just as he found it. A moment later Hall walked back over.
"Well… it was nice seeing you the last time that I saw you." He started.
Hall smiled. "Yeah. It's good seeing you, too. It was like old times. Except the PG version." She added.
Oliver smiled. "How do you mean?" he asked.
"Well, you and I always knew how to have a fun time. Something that's been missing from my life lately." She noted sourly.
"So how about a drink?" Oliver said suddenly "Not now. Would you, maybe… I'll take you for a… would you like to have dinner with me, McKenna?" he stammered out. Both laughed lightly at his delivery. "I don't know if you heard, I was on a deserted island for five years and I am totally out of practice with this whole… hmm." He noted with a wry smile.
"And suddenly we're in 'The Dating Game'. " Lance noted dryly, not commenting on the bugging of his officer's phone.
"And wow does Ollie's game suck." Tommy added.
"Well…well, dinner would be nice." Hall said with a smile. "In fact, I can make myself free tonight."
"Yeah." Oliver said with a smile.
"Great." Hall replied.
"So I'll grab you at eight?"
"That's perfect."
"All right."
"Ok."
Oliver smiled shyly. "I'm lingering. I'm going to go." He turned and walked away with a bounce in his step.
FIVE YEARS AGO
The scene flashed back to the Island. Oliver walked into the cave, pausing a moment to look at his former 'home'. Then he moved over to Yao Fei's supplies, rooting around for a moment before finding the small leather pouch that contained the herbs. He put them in his vest and was about to leave when the sounds of someone coughing caught his attention. "Who's there?! " he called out, whirling around to face the cave's opening and turned on his flashlight to see a young man, his bearded face swollen and bloodied, his hands bound behind him staggering in.
"Help me." The man said weakly as he leaned against the cave wall.
Slade sat up straighter. 'Wasn't that guy…' he thought. He wondered how this would play out, as Oliver told him he hadn't run into any trouble.
PRESENT
The scene changed to the Lair. Felicity sat at her computer, surrounded by Dig and Oliver, and listened as the bug Oliver had planted did its job.
-Lance.-
-Sergeant, it's Detective Hall. I have an update on the Dodger case. A body was found in an art gallery, shot point blank. There were three other men there, all rendered unconscious by a highly focused electric current to the heart.-
-Same M.O. as that guard at the museum. Got an ID on the vic?-
-His name is Cass Derenick.-
"Pause." Oliver said, and Felicity did so. "Who's Cass Derenick?" he asked.
Felicity quickly pulled up the info on the art dealer, including his rap sheet. "Arrest, possession of stolen goods. Arrest, conspiracy. Conviction, attempted sale of stolen goods."
"This guy's a fence." Diggle surmised. "The Dodger's looking to unload the Sherwood Ruby."
"Which means he'll be in the market for a new fence." Felicity noted. "One he hasn't, you know- killed."
"So we find the fence and we find the Dodger." Oliver declared.
The scene changed to Queen Manor. Thea was on the phone with a shop she had been looking into on line, trying to find a lead on the guy who stole her purse.
"Anyway, I saw online that you sell a chain wallet with an eight ball on the chain." She was saying. "I was wondering if you could give me a name of one of your customers if I gave you a description? Yeah, sure, you can call be back." She sighed, annoyed. She looked up and gave Oliver a tired smile as he walked into the office. "Like every other used clothing and leather goods store I've called today." She finished, hanging up.
"I don't believe it" Thea said, shaking her head. "I AM Nancy Drew-ing it!"
"It's good practice, you know." Laurel said. "Being good at uncovering facts is a good skill to have in a law office."
Oliver looked at her curiously. "What was that about?"
"What's up with the fancy-fancy?" Thea asked, ignoring his question.
"What?" Oliver looked down at his suit. "Oh, um, I have a date. Contrary to popular opinion, I do have a life."
"Then why do you seem so nervous?" she asked.
"Is it obvious?"
"Just be your charming and brooding self." She said with a wry smile. "I mean, the girls seem to dig that."
Oliver sighed. "This girl is different. She knew me before the island, before I was-" he was cut off by Thea's phone ringing. She looked down and saw it was one of the stores she had called earlier and snatched it up.
"That's CNRI." She lied. "I've got to take this. I'm working on a very important purse snatching case."
In the control room, Roy looked at Mia. "You blew off your brother so you cold bust me?" He patted his heart. "That gets me right here."
Mia placed her hand on his upper thigh. "You play your cards right, Tiger, and later on I'll get you right here…" she teased, moving her hand upwards.
"I like that plan!" Roy said with a grin.
"Yeah." Oliver said curiously. Taking the hint though, he turned and walked out of the office. As she took the call.
"Hello?" Thea said, ignoring her brother's exit completely. "Yes, I called you this morning. Yeah, he might have been wearing a red hoodie. Kind of Abercrombie-looking. His face, not the hoodie." She clarified. "Really? You wouldn't happen to have his name?" she asked excitedly. She wrote down the name. "Thank you so much." She gushed, and then hung up. Quickly scrolling through her phone, she found Laurel's number and dialed. "Hey, Laurel. Does your dad still like arrest people?" she listened for a moment, and then smiled. "I found the dirt bag. His name is Roy Harper."
Lance raised an amused eyebrow at the younger girl. "Do I still arrest people? I arrested your brother not too long before this!"
"Yeah, but that's my brother. You'd arrest him for a Klondike bar." Thea replied flippantly. Even Slade laughed at that.
The scene changed to a small park lit up with Christmas lights. Diggle and Carly were walking slowly on the main path, taking in the sights.
"Well, welcome back to Date Night." Tommy said laconically.
"I can't remember the last time I was here." Carly said. "It's so beautiful."
"Yeah, this was the place to take a girl in high school." Dig said with a grin.
"Hmm, I was never lucky enough to experience that." Carly lamented. I had braces and terrible bangs back then."
Both of them chuckled. Dig turned to her and smiled. "I'm sure you looked amazing."
"I'm glad we finally got around to doing this." Carly said as they came to a stop.
"Me, too." Dig agreed. The two looked at each other for a few moments, and then Dig continued. "You know, Andy set a pretty high bar when it came to first dates." He noted.
Carly's happy expression fell from her face. "Hmm." She said noncommittally.
Felicity slapped Diggle hard on the arm. "Seriously? You had to bring up your brother?"
Diggle winced, more at his stupidity than at Felicity's slap. "Yeah, that was stupid."
"You know, he'd face down armed gunmen for a living but I've never seen him as scared as he was before that first date with you." Dig finally realized what he was doing, and groaned. "Ohh, Carly, I'm sorry." He apologized. "That wasn't good first date etiquette, was it?"
"Bring up Andy when we are having a romantic night? Probably not." She replied coldly.
"Look, Carly, this is difficult and complicated." Dig said. "It's not like there's a manual, you know?"
"You know… for a moment, I…I felt like a girl who likes a boy, and nothing else mattered." Carly said, near tears. "But if this is too hard for you, or too complicated, then please, just get out now, because I've already been hurt too much."
"Carly, listen, I'm sorry-"
"Can you just please take me home?" she interrupted angrily before stalking away. Diggle sighed.
"We kids call that an 'Epic Fail'." Tommy noted dryly.
The scene changed to Oliver's date with McKenna as the two were sharing a chocolate soufflé at Table Salt.
"Mmm." She moaned in pleasure. "No, no, no, no, it is not possible for something to be this good!"
Oliver smiled. "Right?" he agreed.
"Ohh! So you must have missed soufflés." McKenna said absently.
Oliver frowned slightly in confusion. "What do you mean?" he asked.
"Five years on an island, away from civilization." She said, and his smile slipped further. "Ah, what did you do? What did you eat? Where'd you sleep? How did you make it?" she rambled on.
"Wow, I so want to slap her." Thea remarked.
Oliver leaned forward. "McKenna." He whispered, interrupting her.
McKenna blushed. "Sorry." She said contritely. "Didn't mean to drill you."
"It's ok." Oliver lied.
"It's just I haven't had a conversation with a guy in a while without it resulting in me reading him his rights." She added, and both chuckled. The both paused and took a drink. "Yeah, but those years, they must have changed you." McKenna noted.
Oliver thought back to being shot with an arrow right after burying his father.
"From a guy I used to party with to who you are now."
Oliver thought about the beating given to him by Wintergreen.
"Yeah." Oliver thought back to the bound man staggering into Yao Fei's cave. "Because I had to make some tough choices." The happy smile was gone, and in its place was the mask. "You're right. It changed me."
"What kind of tough choices—" she started, but Oliver cut her off.
"I don't want to talk about those experiences, McKenna." He said with finality. They stared at each other in awkward silence, until McKenna's phone suddenly rang.
"I mean, seriously. How can a detective be so oblivious?" Thea asked.
"She's just doing what a good detective does." Lance said.
"What, interrogate her date?" Laurel asked, then shook her head. "No, what she's doing is being insensitive."
In the control room, Roy snorted. "Dinah calling someone else insensitive. That's rich."
Mia slapped him lightly on the arm. "That's not Dinah, that is Laurel. Before she got a raging case of the 'Bitchies'." She reminded him.
"Saved by the cell." She remarked, picking up the call. "Hall." Oliver watched her intently. "Ok, put what the C.I. told you in the warrant application. I'll be right there." She hung up and looked at Oliver. "It's work, I got to go." She said. There was more awkward silence, and then Hall got up and quickly moved away. Oliver waited a few moments before pulling out his own phone. He dialed a number, and moments later started talking.
"Felicity, listen, please. I need you to activate the bug in McKenna's phone. I think the police just got a lead on the Dodger. Ok." He finished, hanging up.
FIVE YEARS AGO
The scene flashed back to the cave. Oliver stood in front of the beaten man, who had fallen to his knees.
"Who are you?" he demanded.
"My name is Alan Durand. I'm an exchange student. I was on a fishing excursion with my class. We got lost and our boat caught fire. It was some mechanic malfunction. We had to jump ship." He stammered out.
"When?"
"Two days ago." Adam replied, crying. "It was awful. I thought I was going to die."
"Where are the other students? Where's the boats crew, huh?" Oliver demanded, not sure if he believed him or not.
"I think I'm the only one who made it." Adam said. "I managed to get to shore. I thought I was lucky, but…"
"What? Somebody found you?" Oliver said. "Soldiers, or-"
"Yes! Yes." Adam sobbed. They had these masks on and they attacked me and beat me. They left me here! Who are they?!" he sobbed harder. He looked up at Oliver with his one good eye. "You can untie me at any point, by the way." Oliver just stared at the man, unsure.
Slade watched the scene intently. He couldn't' wait to see how the kid dealt with that.
PRESENT
The scene changed to a factory in The Glades. The Dodger walked in with his newest fence, Tori.
"Nice place you have here." He remarked glibly.
"Oh, thank you." Tori replied dryly.
The Dodger noted the six security guards and sighed. "Tell me. Does every fence in this town hire muscle?"
Tori chuckled. "I did as soon as I heard about what you did to Cass Derenick."
"Oh, yes, Cass. God rest his soul." Dodger said sarcastically. "He wasn't a very nice man. He tried to steal from me."
"Oh." Tori said, the story now making more sense.
"I've heard that you have a better sense of judgment." He set his case down on a table and opened it to reveal the Sherwood Ruby. "And that you have no trouble in moving this."
"Well, it's only a recession for some people." She said with a smile. She pulled the jewel out and examined it with a jeweler's eye. "I take a 15% commission off the top." She noted.
"Let's call it at 12, shall we?" Dodger said disdainfully. "Obviously I don't have to remind you about what happened to the last person who tried to screw me over."
The sounds of running feet grabbed their attention, and both looked up to see a swarm of cops moving through the warehouse, their guns drawn.
"SCPD!" McKenna Hall shouted. "Grab the floor!"
Bedlam broke out as the guards opened fire on the cops, who quickly returned fire. Tori threw the Ruby back in the case, but the bullets whizzing around her head made her leave it and bolt for the exit. The Dodger likewise chose discretion of valor, jumping over the hood of a car and managing to avoid a stream of bullets. He spied an exit door and made a break for it. Tori was not so lucky, as she got broadsided by McKenna and thrown to the floor. Hall was quickly on her back, wrenching her arms behind her.
The Dodger slammed through the exit door and ran as fast as he could down the alley, only to come to a sudden stop as an arrow whizzed by his head and planted itself into the dumpster in front of him. Slowly he turned around and looked up to see The Hood standing on the roof behind him.
"Come quietly!" The Hood growled.
"I'm afraid I'll have to decline." The Dodger shouted back.
"Then I'm afraid you won't be going to jail." The Hood snarled, letting loose another arrow, The Dodger dodged it and ducked behind the dumpster. As The Hood made his way down to the street, Dodger pulled out his collar bomb and activated it. The Hood jumped down to the street and readied his bow, and the Dodger threw the bomb towards the vigilante. The explosion blew The Hood off of his feet, giving the Dodger an opening. By the time Oliver looked up- he was gone.
The scene changed back to the Foundry. Oliver and Diggle both leaned against tables looking dejected when Felicity walked in.
"I heard on the news the Dodger got away." She said as she made her way to her computer. She sat down and spun her chair around to face the two men. "Hopefully the night wasn't a complete waste. Your dates. How'd they go?"
"Great." Oliver said tonelessly.
"Awesome." Dig said at the same time, equally toneless.
"Yeah. So much for Date Night. More like 'Welcome to Fright Night'." Thea quipped.
"Only without the vampires." Tommy added.
"I dunno, Hall looked like a man eater for sure." Laurel said.
"You two suck at lying." Felicity said.
"The police and I busted it up before the Dodger could get himself paid." Oliver tried, but the hacker turned her gaze on him.
"Don't change the subject." She said.
"Is your hacker chip still working?" Oliver asked, ignoring her.
Felicity sighed. "You two are no fun." She turned back to her computer and checked her bug. "Yeah. Still getting a strong signal."
"You should pull up the police records." Oliver decided. "Everything the Dodger's stolen so far."
"What are you thinking?" Dig asked.
"We know the Dodger has a taste for a very specific type of antiquity." Oliver said.
Felicity pulled up the files, and then cross checked what was stolen. "Yeah. These all look like they're from the Ominous decade. The last ten years of King Ferdinand's reign."
Diggle scoffed. "And she says we have no lives." Felicity gave him an exasperated look.
"Are there any other places that sell or display items from the... ominous thing?" Oliver asked.
"Decade." Felicity corrected absently.
"Decade." She corrected absently.
Tommy snorted in amusement. Felicity blushed, but just shrugged her shoulders.
"Not really. I guess people in Starling City prefer the Elizabethan era." Felicity said.
Oliver spied something on one of her screens- an ad for a fundraiser. "The Starling City Cancer Society. It says right there they're holding a fundraising auction tomorrow night. We could lure him out into the open." He continued, thinking as he spoke.
"With what? A fake?" Felicity asked.
Oliver shook his head. "No. The Dodger clearly has a trained eye for this sort of thing. He's not going to fall for anything less than the genuine article."
Felicity chuckled. "Where are we going to get our hands on a rare Spanish antiquity?" she asked.
Diggle looked at her. "You really have no idea how rich his family is, do you?" he asked. She looked at Oliver, who just shrugged.
The scene changed to the SCPD. Quentin Lance entered the interrogation room and flipped open the folder he was holding.
"Roy William Harper Jr." he began reading as he walked around the young man in the red hoodie. "Where's senior?"
"Norris Cemetery." Roy said coldly.
Lance sat down across from him. "Sorry to hear that." He said. Behind him was a two way mirror, and on the other side stood Thea and Laurel, who wanted to observe the man who stole her purse.
"You and an army of bookies." Roy replied. "Can I go?"
"No. You've been ID'ed as a suspect in a purse snatching." He looked though the file- Roy's rap sheet. "It's quite a résumé you've compiled here. Petty theft, B&E, robbery, petty theft. Stolen car." He looked up. "Well, it's nice to change things up once in a while." He glanced back down. "And petty theft. You got something against banks?" he asked Roy sarcastically.
"Well, it is hard to run with one under your arm." Roy replied, equally sarcastic.
Thea snorted in amusement at that.
Roy turned to Mia, a smug look on his face. "I see you're already won over by my witty personality."
Mia looked at him, confused. "You have a personality?" she asked in mock confusion.
"Well, maybe you'll learn a few new skills in prison." Lance said blithely.
"Like how to not drop the soap!" Mia cackled. Roy rolled his eyes in fond exasperation.
"Look, I don't want to steal, ok?" Roy started, emotion barely contained in his voice. "I don't have any other choice."
Lance scoffed.
"My mother, she… she has a problem." He continued.
"Yeah, her son's a moron." Lance said dryly.
"No." Roy argued harshly. "Vertigo. She got hooked on Vertigo last year. She kicked it, but I guess she'd done enough that it messed her up."
"Hmm." Lance hummed noncommittally.
"She hasn't been the same, and her medical bills… look, I'm…I'm just trying to help her get out from under." He said emotionally. "Look, we're not privileged enough to have as much as other people. Ok?" he pleaded.
Mia looked at Roy. "You had looked at my driver's license, hadn't you?"
Roy smirked. "Yup. And I knew you were probably behind the glass. Cops are so predictable."
One the other side of the glass, Thea was trying to reign in her own emotions. Roy's story had hit her especially close to home. "Fine." She said finally. "Let him go. It's just a damn purse, right?" with that, she turned and walked past Laurel out of the viewing room.
Slade snorted. "You do realize he played you, right?" he asked.
Thea looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"
Malcolm chuckled. "Your story would have been all over the news, including your Vertigo use." He explained. "He obviously went through your purse already, and tailored his story accordingly."
The scene changed to Queen Manor, where Frank Chen was meeting with Moira. He handed her a note.
"They'll meet with you." Frank told her. "It has been arranged."
Malcolm's eyes narrowed. What was she planning?
"Thank you for this." Moira told her friend. "There's one more thing I need you to do for me. Malcolm's the only one who knows where Walter's being kept. I just…I just need a clue." She pleaded. "Some lead to follow. If our plan works, I can't let it damn Walter to hell."
Frank looked t her sadly. "No." he said. "That's the fate that's in store for us, I'm afraid."
The scene changed to the Downtown Hilton, which was hosting the charity auction. Oliver had come through and donated a rare jewel encrusted brooch from the Ominous Decade. Oliver, in a suit, walked through the crowd, looking around. As he paused, Diggle walked up next to him.
"The police are here, too." He told Oliver. "Your bait's attracted them, at least."
"That's not exactly who I'm looking to catch." He looked around, and stopped suddenly as he saw a new person enter the room. She was tall, blonde, and showing a lot of leg in a very short form-fitting gold dress- and it took Oliver a moment to realize that it was Felicity.
"Hello beautiful!" Thea smirked at the blonde. "You clean up nice!" Felicity rolled her eyes.
Tommy looked over at Laurel and smiled. "Notice how I didn't say anything…"
"You were too busy drooling." She replied, though she was smiling as she said it.
Roy looked at the screen and nodded. "I'd totally get with her." He told his wife.
Mia smirked. "I'd join you." She teased.
"And I'll be in my bunk." Roy got to leave, but Mia pulled him back into his chair.
"Sit your ass down and watch." she ordered good-naturedly.
"Yes dear."
She smiled at the pair as they walked up to her. "So I'm getting a good signal from the GPS I put in your family's broach." She told them as they turned and walked down the hall. "I can track it on my phone. Speaking of, have you given any thought to what might happen if this doesn't work and the Dodger absconds with your family jewels?" Oliver and Diggle both stopped and turned to look at Felicity, who blushed. "I'm sorry, that came out very wrong."
Everyone was doing their best to contain their laughter, even the blushing Felicity.
"Let's just keep our eyes open, Felicity." Oliver said. Both he and Diggle were having a very hard time keeping their laughter in. Felicity moved off, and Diggle spotted another familiar face- McKenna Hall, also dressed in a short, form fitting dress- though hers was purple.
"Hey, isn't that…" Diggle started.
Oliver saw who it was and grimaced. "Mm-hmm." He confirmed. "I would rather take my chances with a deadly jewel thief."
"I'd second that." Tommy said.
"Third." Added Thea.
"Right." Diggle said, and the two moved off.
Over at the case containing the Queen brooch, the Dodger calmly walked up, slid open the glass top, and grabbed it. He took a moment to slide the glass closed, then walked briskly towards the exit.
"I know Oliver is using the brooch as bait," Moira said, "but where was the security on the case?"
"Who would rob a charity auction?" Malcolm posited. Moira glared at him, but sighed and nodded.
Felicity had noticed the brooch's movement on her phone, and spent several seconds looking around until she spotted it in the hands of the thief. Heedless of the danger, she walked up behind him. "Hey!" she said, gaining his attention. "That broach was donated by the Queen family. If you want it, you're going to have to bid." She said boldly.
He looked at her disdainfully. "Actually, love, I thought I'd just take it."
"I got a bad feeling about this…" Felicity said worriedly.
"Yeah. Should have just called us." Dig noted.
Diggle and Oliver were both still circulating, looking for the thief. They came together briefly.
"Maybe I should check out front, see if the security guards had any problems." Dig suggested.
"That's a good idea." Oliver said. "I'm going to go check on the bait." They both turned to leave- then froze in horror as Felicity walked up to them with a bomb collar on her neck.
"I think I have a problem."
"Definitely should have called you." Felicity said, her face pale in shared terror with her future self.
The scene shifted to a small, empty room off of the main gallery. Felicity backed away from the men, running into a table as she did so. "Get away from me!" she exclaimed. "If this thing blows…"
"Not going to happen." Oliver told her with a confidence he didn't feel.
"The Dodger said if I called the police, he'd… I'm going to get decapitated, aren't I?" she asked fearfully. Diggle looked around for some kind of tool to use, but all he saw was a glass full of pens. He knocked it over and grabbed a pen, then pulled the small metal clip off of it. He used that to open a small access panel on the front of the bomb, exposing the circuitry.
"The tracker's on the move." Oliver said. "If I find him, I can get him to disarm it. Talk me in." he told her in a calm voice. "Stay calm."
"Too late." She said with a watery smile.
"Go." Diggle told the vigilante. "Just go. Go, go, go."
Oliver ran outside, looking around. "Talk to me, Felicity!" he called to her over his Bluetooth earpiece.
"Ahem." Felicity tried to compose herself. She pulled out her phone and brought up the tracking app while Diggle examined the collar. "Heading towards Adams and O'Neil. At the clip he's going, he's got to be in a vehicle."
Oliver looked around, and saw a man putting up his motorcycle. "Hey." He called to the man, walking briskly towards him. "I need your bike."
The large biker stood up tall and glared at Oliver. "Are you kidding me?"
Oliver dropped him with two moves. "No." he said. He put his headset back in, put the helmet on, and slipped on a pair of gloves before climbing onto the bike. He hit the ignition and sped off. "I'm mobile. Where is he?" he asked.
Slade leaned forward and watched with increasing interest. 'Seems the kid has found a new girl.' He thought. 'Interesting…'
In the room, Felicity got out her tablet and brought up the tracking program, then tied that into the traffic cameras to get a real-time image of where the tracker was. -Talk to me, Felicity.- Oliver said over the phone.
"Come on." Felicity growled as the search ran. Finally she found what she was looking for- the Dodger's car. "First time anyone's ever been grateful for traffic cameras. He's one block from your position. If you cut through Harris Plaza, you'll end up right behind him."
Oliver did just that, startling several pedestrians as he rocketed past them down the stairs. He darted onto the main road and dodged between vehicles, looking for the thief. "Where is he now?" he asked.
Felicity took a moment to search before she found him. "Got it. I got him, I got him. Gray sedan driving north. At the light ahead of you." Oliver bobbed and weaved, cutting off several cars. "Ok, hard right." He did so, and found himself directly behind Dodger's car. He tried to get in front of him, but Dodger blocked him each time. Finally he managed to slip of the passenger side, but Dodger bumped him off the road and back onto the sidewalk. He quickly regained control and slipped back onto the road, sliding to a stop against a car that had spun out avoiding the thief. Heedless, he revved the engine and resumed his pursuit. Dodger tried to make him crash by running into barrels and wooden barricades, sending debris flying out behind him, but Oliver managed to avoid it. He maneuvered into position, then withdrew one of his flechettes and threw it. It hit the rear tire, causing an immediate blow-out, and the Dodger lost control. The car swerved, slammed intro a parked car on the side of the road and flipped, sliding several feet on its side before settling on its roof.
"Ouch!" Tommy said.
"He's lucky he didn't kill anyone with that stunt." Lance noted.
Oliver skidded to a stop and climbed off the bike. He approached the wreck cautiously as the Dodger crawled out.
"Hey! Don't do anything stupid." The Dodger warned, pulling out the remote control for the bomb. "I had the foresight to collar up a particularly inquisitive blonde. I assume she's a friend of yours." He smiled cruelly at Oliver, who stared back through the heavily tinted visor on the helmet. "Touch one hair on my head and she loses hers. You've got quite the choice to make, don't you?"
Oliver shook his head. "Not this time." Quickly, he withdrew another flechette and flicked it hard. It buried into the thief's arm just below the elbow.
Malcolm chuckled. "Very clever." He said.
The Dodger stared down in shock, and not a little bit of pain. "Your median artery's been severed." Oliver said as he calmly walked up and pulled the remote from his frozen hand. "You couldn't push that button if you tried."
Back in the room, Dig and Felicity waited in silence as the conversation over the phone died off. A moment later, however, the collar beeped, then the lights turned green as it deactivated and unlocked.
Felicity gasped. "Oh, thank God." She said as she quickly pulled it off of her neck.
Felicity collapsed back into her seat, relieved. "I'd fist pump, but I'm too tired." She said wearily.
"Ollie wouldn't let anything happen to you." Thea said confidently.
'Indeed.' Slade thought, considering the blonde.
Back on the street, the Dodger stared at the vigilante in disbelief. "Why are you doing this?" he asked. Subtly, he slid his stun wand down from his sleeve into his other hand. "I'm exactly like you. I only steal from the rich."
The Dodger brought the wand up, but Oliver grabbed the wand out of his hand and turned it around, jamming it into the Dodger's chest. The thief dropped the ground, unconscious. Oliver flipped up the visor of the helmet and looked down.
"I'm not Robin Hood." He said, then flipped the visor back down and moved off.
"I only dress like him." Tommy quipped in a gruff voice.
FIVE YEARS AGO
The scene flashed back to the cave. Oliver was still staring at the bound man uncertainly.
"I don't know when these men are coming back!" Adam sobbed. "You have to believe me. Untie me, please!" Oliver said nothing and did nothing, just stood there staring stoically. "What, do you think these men; they planted me here, some kind of trap or something?"
"I…" Oliver started hesitantly. "Well, why'd they tie you up like that and then just leave you? Huh? Why not just kill you?"
"They were going to!" Adam cried. "They got called away at some-some altercation somewhere else on the island. If they come back, they will kill both of us. Please! You have to believe me. Please." Adam pleaded tearfully.
Oliver was torn. He wanted to believe… "All right, turn- all right, turn around." He said finally, gesturing with his knife.
"Thank you." Adam sobbed as he turned around slowly. "Thank you."
Slowly, Oliver approached. He bent over and placed the edge of the blade on the leather wrappings that bound Adam's hands…
And then pulled away.
"I'm sorry, but I can't." Oliver said, shining his light in Adam's unbelieving face.
"What? Why?! Why not?"
"Because I don't know you." Olive said, switching off his light and walking out of the cave.
"Are you out of your mind?! Please! You can't do this! You can't just leave me here!" Adam cried out at Oliver's retreating back.
"He was right to do so." Slade said, noting the uncomfortable looks on the kids faces.
"What do you mean?" Thea asked.
"That 'student' was one of Fyers' men." The mercenary said.
"Wait, so Fyers had one of his men beat up to trick Oliver?" Tommy asked. "That's sick!"
Slade shrugged his shoulders. "The man did like his mind games."
PRESENT
The scene flashed forward to see Diggle and Carly walking down in The Glades.
"You know, last night all I could think about was how pissed off Andy will be; how hurt he'll be if he saw us together." Diggle was telling her. He stopped walking and turned to face her, exhaling. "But that's nothing compared to how he'd be if I did something to hurt you, Carly. Believe me when I tell you that war is easier than dating. In a war, you act or you die. No time to think, no time to second guess yourself."
"Maybe that's your problem." Carly said. "With me, you're thinking. Not feeling."
Dig looked at her sadly. "You're right." Making a decision, he stepped forward and kissed her.
Felicity nudged Diggle. "Aww!" she said.
The scene changed to later that night. Thea walked up to an old, run down house deep in The Glades. She knocked on the door, glancing around nervously as a dog barked in the background. After a moment, Roy Harper opened the door, saw who it was, and immediately closed the door. Thea rolled her eyes.
"How did you know where I live?" Roy asked through the door.
"A little thing called the Internet." Thea replied dryly. "Look, could we not do this with a door between us?"
Reluctantly, Roy opened the door. He stared at her, and then he leaned out the door, looking for cops- or anyone else with her. "So I guess you're not pressing charges 'cause you feel like… you feel like you can change my life?" he asked sarcastically. "And so you can run and tell your rich prep school friends what a Saint you are and how you're helping the disadvantaged?
"You always were a charmer." Mia noted dryly.
Roy shrugged. "It's not every day I had to deal with a rich stalker."
Thea scoffed. "You don't know a thing about me."
Roy stared at her confidently. "Thea Queen." He began. "Trust fund brat. Totaled her car, which she got as a birthday present. Loves designer labels and is usually in the tabloids for partying too much." He smirked. "Did I…did I leave anything out?"
Thea crossed her arms. "Yeah. Dead father, missing step dad, damaged brother, and almost served jail time for that car accident. Plus, she really wants her purse back." She finished, silently daring him to say something else.
"You know, you showed some real sack coming down here, the Glades in the middle of the night." Roy noted.
"You must not know the value of a vintage purse." Thea said with a smirk.
Roy rolled his eyes. "Women and their purses…"
"I'm not above shoving an arrow up your ass, you know." Mia remarked, then seeing him open his mouth she quickly added "No sex jokes!"
Roy pouted. "Take away all my fun, why don't you."
This time Roy scoffed. He closed the door and moved back inside the house, then returned a moment later with the purse, which he handed over to her. Thea gratefully grabbed it and rooted through it, checking its contents.
"Don't worry, it's all there." Roy told her, and then pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pants pocket. "Except for these."
"Ahh." Thea nodded.
"Thea…." Moira said warningly.
Thea scoffed. "Please, mom. That's the least offensive thing you've seen me do."
"Yeah, there was still Shane- Ooph!" Tommy exclaimed as Thea rammed an elbow into his chest.
Roy laughed. "Man, I like Tommy." He said.
Mia smiled warmly at the screen. "Yeah. Me, too."
"You know, it's a really filthy habit you got there." Roy noted.
"Yeah, tell me about it." She replied dryly.
"Hey, can I give you some advice?" he asked. Thea nodded. "First, stay out of the Glades."
"And second?"
"Don't fall for every sob story a guy like me tells the police." Thea's eyes widened fractionally as she realized that she had been played. Roy smirked. "You have a great evening now." He told her, stepping back inside and closing the door. Thea just shook her head, swung the purse onto her shoulder and left.
Thea shook her head. "What a douche." She said, though she had a small smile on her face as she said it.
The scene changed to the SCPD. McKenna was filing away her report on the Dodger case when Oliver walked in. He knocked on a file cabinet to get her attention, but she just ignored him.
"Do you ever take time off?" he asked.
"I do." McKenna said, closing the cabinet and walking back to her desk. "In fact, last night I went on a date. The guy was kind of a jerk."
"Yeah, and the girl was kind of a bitch." Thea said coldly.
"Really?" Oliver said, leaning up against one of the cubicle's walls. "He might have had a reason. McKenna, I didn't just lose five years on the island." He started to explain, finally gaining her attention. "I lost the part of me that enjoyed being alive. Listening to music and, uh... eating a soufflé with a beautiful girl." He walked over to her. "It's the easy things. But when you asked me about the island, it reminded me of all the hard things and the choices that I had to make that still stay with me. Made me question how I can trust, and even if I'm worthy of being with anyone."
McKenna finally started to realize the mistake she made that night. She moved forward and kissed him lightly on the lips, then pulled back and smiled warmly at the damaged man.
"You are." She assured him.
"Can I take you to dinner?" he said suddenly, and then laughed quietly. "That I promise not to cut short." He added.
"Um…" McKenna teased. "Throw in a soufflé and you're on." She kissed him lightly again, then pulled back to grab her coat- just as Detective Lance walked in.
"McKenna!" he said, stopping short. "Glad you're still here." Quentin walked over to his desk, passing between Hall and Oliver. "Queen." He greeted the man shortly.
"Mr. Lance." Oliver replied with forced politeness.
"Actually, I was just leaving." McKenna started. "Is everything ok, sir?"
"Yeah." Lance said, turning to her. "I'd like you to, uh, work with me on the Vigilante investigation." He told her.
"Oy!" Tommy exclaimed. "Guy can't catch a break."
"It's like I want to be annoyed at you," Laurel said to her father, "But this time I really can't."
McKenna beamed with pride. "Thank you, sir." She said excitedly as Oliver looked on with forced happiness. "Well, don't worry, we'll bring him in."
"Oh, yeah." Lance replied. He grinned at Oliver, who returned it in kind.
Hall grabbed her jacket. "Ready to go?" she asked Oliver.
"Yep." He replied, never happier to be leaving a police station.
FIVE YEARS AGO
The scene flashed back to the island. Slade was drinking a tea with the herbs Oliver had gotten.
"Ahh. It tastes like an ashtray." He complained, though his voice was stronger. He put the cup down. "But it does the job. I owe you one." He told Oliver. He noticed how distracted the younger man was. "You didn't get into any trouble out there, did you?" he asked worriedly.
"Hmm?" Oliver brought his attention back to his friend. "No." he lied. "Not a bit."
Slade shook his head in grudging admiration.
PRESENT
The scene flashed back to Starling City. A deserted road under the train tracks was where the meeting Frank Chen had set up as taking place. Moira Queen stood confidently, taking in the sight of the person in front of her.
"Frank Chan recommended you." She began. "He said you could help us with our problem. He appreciates you agreeing to meet with me."
Chien Na Wei, aka China White smiled. "Anything for a friend. So how can we be of assistance?"
"China White?!" Lance exclaimed. Malcolm leaned forward, watching the scene unfold with quiet interest.
"Malcolm Merlyn." Moira began. "I want you to kill him for me."
Almost as one, everyone turned to stare in surprise at Moira, who was torn between feeling fear and satisfaction at finally making a move against her tormentor.
Roy turned to Mia. "I always liked your mother, you know."
"Shut up, Roy." Mia said.
TBC...
A/N: You know, just having scene Ghostbusters in theaters, when Oliver tells Felicity that sometimes he makes exceptions to the list, I couldn't help but think of Venkman telling Dana that he would prove himself to her by figuring out what haunted her apartment.
A/N 2: That last note tells you how long ago I wrote this chapter- September of last year!
A/N 3: Dodger's second fence Tori didn't have a name that I could find. I called her Tori as a nod to the fact the actress played Tori on Battlestar Galactica.
A/N 4: Didn't realize how 'romantic' this chapter was. Perfect timing for the day after Valentine's Day. Hope you all enjoyed the Mia/Roy stuff.
A/N 5: I never do this, but as I stole one of their jokes... I'd like to take the time to plug a podcast. If any of you are looking for a great movie reviewing podcast, I'd recommend checking out 'Now Playing'. They review movies series- Friday the 13th, Halloween, Star Trek, James Bond, all of the Marvel movies... right now they are doing all of the Steven King movies, though they are taking a break this week to do a live podcast for Kingsmen: The Secret Service. You can find it on iTunes, or at Now Playing DOT com. Very entertaining podcast that I listen to over and over again. Check them out!