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.
Chapter 20: Salvation
Before the memory started, the door opened and Mia walked in. She smiled at the others, but made her way over to Roy and sat down next to him. Roy looked at his wife in confusion.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
"You'll see." She said as the memory started.
The memory set opened in the lair, where Diggle and Felicity were watching a news broadcast concerning Oliver's latest target.
'Lawyers for John Nickels spoke to the press today.' The reporter was saying. 'They say they're pleased the D.A. declined to indict their client on charges stemming from the recent fire in one of Nickel's buildings.'
Felicity looked straight up at Oliver, who was hanging from a pipe overhead.
"Best. Job. EVER." Felicity muttered.
"Agreed." Laurel said, smiling at the tech genius. Then she noticed Tommy's hurt expressing and shrugged. "He does have great abs." she said defensively.
"Here's a hint: work out." Thea told Tommy, elbowing him in the ribs.
"John Nickel is one of the wealthiest real estate developers in Starling City." Oliver explained to her as he continued to hang. "He's also one of the dirtiest. That building that burnt down last night? Wiring was not up to code."
"Maybe he didn't know that." She offered.
"I guess he also didn't know about the seven people who have frozen to death in his other buildings over the past three years." Oliver shot back.
"Yeah, he's a real man of the people." Diggle noted, still staring at the screen.
"Not for long." Oliver grunted. He let go of the pipe and dropped to the floor right in front of an impressed Felicity. "The D.A. ignores this, and the police can't do anything because all these slums are in the Glades." He picked up the book and opened it to the proper page, then handed it to Felicity. "So tonight, Felicity, we cross Mr. Nickel's name off the list." He looked at her seriously. "You ok with that?" he asked gently.
'The scene outside of the courtroom where Nickel was released this afternoon was not surprisingly tense.'
She stared at the screen as Nickels got into his chauffeur-driven BMW, then back down at the book. She looked at the inside cover of the book, and her finger's brushed over the strange symbol. "One hundred percent." She assured him.
Malcolm looked at the woman, impressed. She as an idealist, but she also knew that some things needed to be done. 'It's too bad she wouldn't get with the program.' He thought to himself.
Slade too was impressed with her resolve. 'She's stronger than she looks.' He thought to himself.
The scene changed to Nickel's penthouse apartment. Not one to live in the same crappy buildings he housed the low-income citizens of the Glades in, Nickels lived a two floor glass and steel luxury apartment in the best part of downtown. He was lying in his bed watching the news when he heard glass break downstairs. Concerned, he got up and slowly made his way down the stairs, pausing at the kitchen counter to take a knife from the block. He cautiously mad his way around the living room, searching for the intruder.
"Hello?" he called out. He never saw the man slam into him from the back, knocking him down hard. The knife skidded from his hand, and as he recovered his sense he reached for it- only for a boot to stomp down on his wrist, breaking it. "Aahh!" he screamed in pain and fear as he was dragged across the floor, out of sight.
Tommy looked to his father. "One of yours?" he asked.
Malcolm chuckled, but shook his head. "No. For someone like him, I'd just as soon kill him myself- much like Adam Hunt." He admitted coldly.
A short time later, The Hood landed on the patio just outside the apartment. He quietly slid the unlocked door open and made his way inside. Seeing nothing on the top floor, he silently made his way down the stairs. About halfway down he reached for an arrow, but what he saw made him stop. Instead he swiftly moved down the remaining steps into the main living area, observing the damage thought the flickering light of a broken lamp. He spied the knife and bent down to pick it up, and noted there was no blood on it. Bewildered, he looked around, searching for answers. He didn't find any.
Meanwhile, down on the street a man threw open the rear doors of a panel van and tossed a bound and gagged John Nickels into the back. Nickels let out a muffled, barely audible scream before the man slammed the door shut.
Roy sat back in his seat and frowned. 'That seems familiar….'
The scene shifted back to the Lair, where Oliver was explaining what had happened.
"He was just gone?" Felicity asked in confusion.
"No! Not gone. Taken." Oliver clarified.
"Looks like Nickel was on somebody else's list, too." Diggle noted.
"After the fire last night, it's not entirely surprising." Oliver replied. He turned to their resident genius. "Felicity, I need you to get me everything that you can on Nickel." He told her. "Focus on his tenants, and anyone who might have filed a formal complaint against him, or people that lost something in the fire."
"Well, it's going to be some list." She said. "I mean, slum lords aren't generally known for their popularity. Plus…" she trailed off as she sat down at the computer.
"What?" Oliver demanded.
"Nothing, it's just…" she spun in her chair to face him. "You went over there to be all, 'grrr, stop being bad or I'll arrow you,' and now you want to rescue him."
"I don't like the idea that somebody dangerous is out there." Oliver said. Felicity just gave him a look, and he exhaled loudly. "Somebody else." He amended. "Because typically they don't show my level of restraint."
"That's restr-" Thea started to say, but she stopped suddenly as she looked at Malcolm. "Never mind."
He picked up the book and started flipping through it.
"So you're going to cross Nickel off anyway?" Dig asked.
"No. I'm finding somebody else who needs a talking to."
"You're going out there again, Oliver?" he asked incredulously. "Why don't you go home and be with your family, man?"
"That's when the work is done, Diggle." Oliver replied.
"Ok, then I'll take you out to dinner."
"I'm not hungry." Oliver said. Dig snatched the book from his hands and flipped it closed.
"I'm not asking." He replied, setting the book down on the table.
"It's good that you're making sure he isn't working too hard." Lance said to Diggle. "The way he wants to go, he'd burn out in a month." Dig nodded in agreement.
"I'm surprised he hasn't burned out yet." Laurel opined.
"Well, Mr. Merlyn did give him a few weeks off." Slade said with a smirk.
FIVE YEARS AGO
The scene flashed back to the Island. Olive was still negotiating with Fyers over the radio.
"Simple exchange." He said as Slade looked on. "You get us a way off the island, and we'll give you the circuit board so that your missile launcher isn't just furniture."
Fyers began to pace next to the launcher. "You've grown up quite a bit, Mr. Queen. I'll give you that." He thought for a moment. "I can get you a boat. But I need time."
"You got an hour, Fyers, and then you're never—" Slade snatched the mic from his hand. "What?!" Oliver demanded.
Slade gave him a look, and then spoke into the mic. "We understand it might take you longer than an hour to get a boat. What we mean is you need to move with some dispatch."
"Ah, Wilson, still in command there, eh? I thought your little pet had staged a coup d'état." Fyers said in a patronizing tone.
"Just get us the damn boat." Slade growled.
"I'm guessing you didn't get the damn boat." Tommy noted. Slade chuckled, and then nodded.
PRESENT
The scene shifted to Roy's house, where Roy and Thea were heavily making out on his bed. Roy's hand was heading in a…interesting direction, one that Thea seemed to approve of, when there was a knock on the door.
Thea dropped her head into her hands, embarrassed that once again her family and friends (which she considered the rest of them now, minus Slade since he creeped her out) got to see her getting hot and heavy with a boy. It didn't help that Sara wolf-whistled either.
"Good times…" Roy said with a smirk, directed more at Malcolm than Thea. Malcolm glowered at the man, but held his tongue.
Mia slapped him lightly on the chest. "Behave." She whispered playfully.
"Oh sure, NOW you want me to behave." Roy teased.
"I want you to behave." Moira said sternly.
Roy backed off and looked back at his door, then got up to answer it.
"Now you want to stop?" Thea teased.
"Well, we don't all have butlers." Roy joked. "You know, some of us actually have to answer our own doors."
"Oh, the horror." She said dryly.
Roy opened the door and a guy bundled in a coat with thehood pulled up over his ball cap came in. - or started to, as Roy stopped him at the door. He glanced quickly towards Thea, and the friend took a look- then looked again.
"You look familiar." He said. "Did I see you on TV or something?"
"Probably." She smirked. "I'm Thea Queen."
The kid chuckled. "Yeah, right."
"Did you get it?" Roy interrupted, holding out his hand. The kid handed him a small brown paper bag with something in it. Thea looked at the bag in concern.
"Tomorrow night. Joe wants us there at 11 p.m. He said to be on time, Harper." The kid told him.
"Who was your friend, Harper? Another criminal who liked to rip off purses?" Malcolm asked; a sneer on his face.
"No, we robbed liquor stores. Important distinction." Roy replied. "As to who he was, he was one of those kids I was talking about that didn't get to make something of themselves because you dropped a building on him. And his his six year old sister." Roy added coldly. "But that's okay, 'cause she like to terrorize the playground. Isn't that right, Mal?"
"Enough, you two." Sara said, stopping the argument before it could begin.
Roy closed the door as he left and moved back to Thea, depositing the bag on the table in front of the bed.
"What's happening tomorrow at 11:00?" she asked.
"You know, I'm actually kind of focused on what's happening right now." Roy dodged, kissing her again.
"Oh, ok." She said. They made out for several seconds before Thea slipped free and grabbed the bag with a grin- a grin that died when she reached into the bag.
"No, no, Thea, don't!" Roy tried, but it was too late. She withdrew her hand, pulling out a snub-nosed .38.
Thea glanced at Roy, who shrugged. "I make no bones about the fact that I was a bad guy, Thea." He said simply.
"Why do you have a gun?" she demanded.
"Because I'm no good with knives." Roy said. Thea stared at him in disbelief. "Look, it's just a liquor store." He tried. "The guy's a creep. Trust me, he deserves it." Her look made him feel worse. He bent over the table and released the cylinder, then dumped the bullets out. "Look, if it'll make you feel any better I won't be armed. But of course, the owner won't know that, but…"
"I got you a job at my brother's club." She said finally; angrily. "You have choices. You don't have to be a criminal!"
"I'm not talking about phone bills." Roy said. "I owe people. People with much bigger guns than this." He sighed and leaned back tiredly. "Look, here in the Glades, this is pretty much the only solution."
"No, lots of people in the Glades live honest lives." She scowled, grabbing her purse and sweater, which she threw on. "Obviously not you. You're just a waste." With that, she stormed out of the house.
Mia took his hand and squeezed it gently. "Not a waste." She whispered to him, kissing him lightly on the cheek.
"No, Thea." Roy got up quickly and ran after her. "Thea! I'm going to make sure you get home ok." He called to her as she stormed across his lawn.
"Don't bother." She shouted, walking rapidly away. Roy sighed and went back inside, dejected.
Thea winced, but Roy chuckled. "Don't feel too bad, Thea. I really needed that." He assured her.
The scene changed to Laurel's apartment. Dinah was on the phone as Laurel came home from work.
"Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah." Dinah smiled at her and held up her hand, silently telling her she'd be a minutes. "Yeah." She said into the phone.
Laurel looked around at her dining room, at the maps and charts pinned to the walls in shock. An even bigger shock came when Quentin walked in form the kitchen, carrying two mugs of coffee.
"And suddenly my mother is planning to invade China." Laurel said dryly, causing Sara to snort in amusement.
"Armed with nothing but her wits and the ability to bore people to death with dry history lectures." Sara added. This time Laurel laughed.
"Hey, honey." He said. He set one mug down in front of Dinah. "There you go." He told her, and then took a seat at the table, sipping his own.
"Oh look, dad's involved!" Laurel shook her head in amazement. "And actually cooperating with mom."
"It's a Christmas miracle." Sara said teasingly.
"Alright, enough you two." Lance said, though he had a smile on his face, happy that he got to see his two daughters bantering once more.
Laurel blinked, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. "Um, what's all this?" she asked.
"Well, you asked me to look into your mother's leads on Sara, so I made some calls." Quentin said.
"It looks like you did a lot more than that." She noted.
"Well, yeah, but you're the one who said we should do this, Laurel, so, you know, if there's even a chance that your sister is—"
"Yeah, but—" she interrupted, but was then interrupted by Dinah.
"Thank you." Her mother said, hanging up. She smiled at Laurel. "Hi, sweetheart, I'm sorry about the mess." She turned to her ex-husband. "Quentin, I just got off the phone with the consulate in Phuket. The secretary there's going to run Sara's photo against their database, see if there's a match." She squeezed his shoulder, and he grasped her hand for a few moments.
"That's good work." He told her. Dinah grabbed her coffee and took a sip, looking at a befuddled Laurel.
"What?" Quentin asked.
"Well, I guess I just thought deep down that you were going to help mom accept things." She said slowly. "Things you and I accepted."
Quentin blinked. "Um… Yeah," he started, and then grabbed the photographs. "But you got to admit. This girl, she looks a lot like Sara."
"Sara had that same cap." Dinah insisted. "The Starling City Rockets. Your dad bought it for her, remember?"
"Yeah, I remember." Laurel said.
"Stranger things have happened." Quentin said.
"Yeah."She said; her anger barely contained. "I can see that." With that, she turned and stormed out of the room.
Laurel sighed. "Well, I'm taking that well."
"You always did have a short temper." Quentin said.
"Still does." Sara said with a long-suffering sigh.
"Amen, sister." Mia muttered.
The scene changed to Big Belly Burger, where Oliver was wolfing down his meal as an amused Diggle watched and ate at a more leisurely pace. "Hungrier than I thought." Oliver noted, taking another bite. He swallowed and then asked, "Are you waiting for me to finish before giving me the lecture?"
Dig smiled. "Oliver, you've been spending a lot of time under that hood the last couple weeks." He began.
"Keeps my ears warm." Oliver joked.
"And you made this decision to, um, avoid entanglements?"
Oliver nodded. "For their protection. The people who get close to me get hurt." He inhaled, and then exhaled sharply, bracing himself. "What's the problem? Do you think I'm losing my grip?"
"No, it's just the opposite, really." Dig said. "You seem calm. Scary calm." He looked at his friend in concern. "I get that things didn't end well with Helena, with McKenna… with Laurel."
"With Sara."He added. "The list goes on."
"Yeah." Dig agreed. "But what do you do? You hood up, you go home, you repeat. It's not much of a life."
"Well, the life that I'm leading for myself right now doesn't leave much room for an actual life." Oliver said coldly. "And I don't need one."
"Well, that's a healthy attitude." Tommy said sarcastically.
"Wow. That's a pretty bleak future you plan on spending with no one." Dig said dryly. All around them, cell phones started going off as one person after another received a text message.
"I'm used to isolation." Oliver said, oblivious.
"And that is exactly what worries me." Dig replied. "You've been home for 8 months, Oliver, but I don't think you left that island yet." The number of text alerts kept growing, finally drawing Oliver and Dig's attention. They looked around in confusion. "What the hell is going on?" Dig wondered aloud.
Oliver's phone rang. Looking down, he saw that it was Felicity."Yeah?" he said, answering the call.
"Found Nickel." She said without preamble. "Click the link I just sent you. This came up on every screen with an I.P. address originating from the Glades."
Oliver did so, as did Diggle and everyone else in the restaurant. What they saw was a bound and gagged John Nickel, looking terrified into a camera that was broadcasting live over the internet.
Roy sighed. "Oh, yeah. Now I remember…"
"If you make the Glades your home, you know who this man is." An unknown voice was saying. "John Nickel. He owns your tenements. Manages your slums. Provides the leaking roofs over your head. The mold in your pipes and asbestos in your walls. Basically, he makes money off our suffering." Nickel let out a muffled scream. "But the police aren't interested in helping us. They may have let us down, but I won't. John, I want to give you the chance to state your case. Why shouldn't you be punished?" a hand reached out and tore the tape away from the slum lord's mouth.
Nickel gasped in pain. "I knew there was bad stuff in my buildings." He said fearfully.
Oliver grimaced in anger and switched back to the call. "Track him, Felicity." He ordered.
"I'm looking." She told him.
"Ok, yes, I made a little profit!" Nickel continued over the air."At least they had a place to live. Without me, people like that would end up on the street."
The man slapped the tape back over Nickel's mouth. "People like that." He repeated angrily as Nickel's muffled cries echoed in the background. "That's all we are to guys like this." Diggle and Oliver watched on, helpless and frustrated.
The camera shifted slightly, and suddenly a gun came into let out a muffled scream in panic, and began thrashing around uselessly. "I find you guilty." The man said, and then fired twice.
In Big Belly Burger, the crowd gasped in stunned disbelief. Dig and Oliver sat there, unable to do anything.
"Oh my god…" Laurel said, stunned.
"Holy shit!" Thea exclaimed more succinctly
"There are plenty more people who need to answer for their crimes against us." The voice said as the camera lingered on Nickel's corpse. "So…who's next?"
The scene changed to the Lair. Oliver stormed in to see Felicity working frantically on her computer. "Anything new?" he asked.
"This guy's definitely got more than a subscription to 'Wired'." She told him. "His website's protected by some very serious encryption."
Oliver grimaced. "Well, use that air magnet… thing, you said that it could trace—"
"Oliver!" she glared at him, stopping him mid-sentence. "No offense. Do I tell you how to sharpen your arrows?" He backed off.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Thea and Tommy both laughed at that.
"Spoke to my friend at the NSA." Dig said, coming into the base. "The website code matches a cyber crusader who's been on their radar. He hacks into fringe sites under the user name 'The Savior'. NSA believes he's a former resident of the Glades."
"Former?" Oliver asked.
"Yeah," Dig nodded."Well, a year ago, he hacked himself right off the radar. He erased all traces of his existence."
"So what happened a year ago?" Felicity wondered. Before they could even begin to investigate, the site went active again.
Once more there was a man, his mouth taped and his wrists bound holding him standing up."We're back." The voice announced. "I have with me assistant district attorney Gavin Carnahan." Gavin let out a muffled groan. "Now, DA's are supposed to go after bad guys. But this one can't even be bothered to bring them to trial. Like the ones who killed my wife in a bodega."
"Felicity…" Oliver started, but she was already typing.
"I'm on it." She said.
"Of course I am." Felicity said.
"They said there wasn't enough evidence." The voice continued. "You think the evidence would have turned up if she'd been killed in one of Starling City's nicer neighborhoods?"
"It probably would have." Malcolm growled.
Felicity found a news article about the bodega shooting. "Emma Falk." Diggle read. "Grieving husband is Joseph Falk."
"What do we have on him?" Oliver asked.
"Not much." Felicity had already pulled up what records she could find on him. "City worker. Department of Transportation, computer technician, left his job when she was killed." She looked back at Oliver. "One year ago today."
Tommy glanced over at his dad, who was watching with increased interest now.
"No current phone, no current address." Dig noted.
"Gavin, you're a lawyer." Faulk continued. "You're used to making a case. So go ahead. I'm going to give you ten minutes to deliver the closing argument of your life."
Oliver leaned down to Felicity. "Come on." He urged.
Felicity was frantically working her keyboard. "I'm trying to get a lock on his wireless signal."
"Ten minutes to convince me not to blow you away." Faulk set the camera down on a table, and then set his watch down in front of it. As Felicity worked, she watched the seconds tick away.
The scene changed to somewhere on the outskirts of Starling City. Moira stood looking out over the city, her umbrella keeping her dry from the light shower that had started up. She turned when she heard someone approaching, and saw it was the man she was supposed to meet.
"What did Malcolm want with you last night?" Frank Chen asked.
"A target for reprisal." Moira responded. "He wants justice, and he's not going to stop until he gets it." She looked back at the city. "Besides, this is good."
"I think your definition of good requires an adjustment." Frank noted wryly.
Moira turned back to Frank. "No, he came to me." She explained. "Which means he doesn't know that we're responsible for the attempt on his life."
"Yet." Frank said darkly.
Moira gave him a calculating look. "What are the chances of Malcolm discovering who paid the triad to assassinate him?" she asked, seemingly offhand.
"I was very discreet." Frank assured her. "I wired the money through a shell corporation I own, from an offshore account."
"Offshore?" she nodded, more to herself than to Frank. "Good. That's good."
"I'm sending Amanda to London for a few weeks, just as a precaution." Frank continued, putting a hand softly on her elbow. "Perhaps you should do the same for your family."
Moira looked down at the hand, then back up at Frank. "There's nothing I wouldn't do to protect my children, Frank." She promised him. Then she turned and walked away.
Moira sagged back against her seat, already knowing what she would do. Malcolm suspected it as well, and smirked at her.
The scene changed to CNRI. Laurel was working on her own time, trying to find out who the girl in the picture was. She didn't notice Thea walking behind her, filing away some documents, and barely noticed her when she came to stand next to her.
"Hey, can I talk to you about something?" Thea asked hesitantly."Almost woman to woman."
Laurel didn't even look up. "I'm really busy right now." She said.
Thea's hopeful expression fell. "Ok." She said, dejected.
"Sorry." Laurel said immediately to Thea, who smiled and shook her head.
"You got a lot going on with you; I wouldn't blame you for blowing me off." She replied.
As she walked away, Laurel's head finally came up and she realized that the younger girl had tried to ask her something. She rose from her chair and quickly walked towards Thea. "Thea!" she called out, stopping the girl in her tracks. She came up and gave her a sheepish smile. "Sorry." She apologized. "What's up?"
Thea took a breath. "I could use some advice." She began. "I'm sort of dating this guy who would definitely be described as a bad boy. And I figured, as someone who's dated like a gajillion of them—"
"I haven't dated a gajillion!" Laurel denied.
"I haven't dated a gajillion." Thea gave her a look. She sighed. "All right, guilty as charged."
Thea smirked at the lawyer, who merely rolled her eyes.
"You want my advice?" she put he hands on Thea's arms and gave them a gentle squeeze. "Run. As fast as you possibly can."
"Yeah. See, that was my first instinct, too, but—" she started, but was cut off by another intern.
"Laurel?" the intern held up a phone. "The Chinese embassy's on line two. I'm transferring him over."
"Chinese embassy?" Thea asked in confusion.
Laurel gave her a brittle smile. "It's just this case that I'm working on. But we are definitely continuing this conversation later." She told her as she walked quickly back to her desk, leaving a dejected Thea behind.
"I doubt that I'll be interested later." Thea noted.
"Besides, as far as bad boys go, I ended up pretty good!" Roy said.
"It's nice that you still have dreams, dear." Mia said.
"Wench." Roy groused.
"Thank you so much for getting back to me." Laurel said, taking a seat at her desk. "I'm trying to track down a woman in the photo that I emailed you." She listened for a few moments. "You did. Really? And you're sure that she's in the states now?" she pulled out a pen and pad of paper. "Do you happen to have an address on her?" she asked, scribbling the address they gave her even as she stared at the picture of the mysterious girl.
The scene changed to the Lair. Felicity was rapidly typing on her keyboard, and finally she managed to track Faulk's signal. She pulled up a map that showed his current location. "I got him!" she called out.
"Shut it down." Oliver ordered. Felicity typed some more, but then shook her head. "Can't. He has a firewall protecting his wireless signal. But he's working off an IPX located at 23rd and Mira."
Oliver ran and grabbed his helmet.
"You want to hood up?" Dig asked as Oliver ran to the stairs.
"It's the middle of the day!" Oliver jumped on his bike and took off for the address.
"Yeah, not very subtle." Diggle realized.
In the Lair, Felicity kept a line open to him while she watched the video. After ten minutes had passed, Faulk pulled off the tape, and Gavin let out a gasp. He began to speak rapidly in a panic.
"Look! Listen. Listen to me." He pleaded. "I have 53 cases on my desk right now. I don't always have time to take on every case!"
'How's Carnahan?" Oliver asked on his bike.
"Not making a very persuasive argument." Felicity told him.
"I'm almost there!" Oliver weaved in and out of traffic, finally arriving at the building. He ran in the front door, and when the security door stopped him, he busted the glass and unlocked it. He ran in, looking up and down the halls for any clues as to where Faulk was.
"See anything?" Felicity asked.
"I'm only on the first floor!' He called back.
"Just six more to go." Felicity noted. Oliver began kicking open doors, one after the other, only to find empty offices.
"Yeah, 'cause that's subtle." Tommy said dryly.
"He is trying to save a life." Diggle pointed out.
"Where is he?" Felicity wondered, leaning forward.
'There aren't resources. I tried.' Gavin was pleading. Faulk jammed his gun into the lawyer's ribs. 'Oh, my God! I'm sorry!' he pleaded.
"Oliver, hurry." Felicity urged him.
Door after door, floor after floor, Oliver busted them all open- only to find nothing. "I can't find him!" he shouted over the line in frustration. Finally, the last door he busted through was the roof. He looked around in anger. "He's not here, Felicity!" he shouted.
"What?" Felicity said in confusion.
"What?!" Felicity asked, dumbfounded.
"I searched every office on every floor! He's not here." He took a breath. "Is this the right place?" he asked. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I—" she started to say defensively, double checking her signal. To her surprise, however, the signal location had moved. "Oh, crap." She muttered.
"What?" Oliver demanded.
"How is this possible?!" she asked, stupefied."This can't happen! He's—"
"Talk to me!" Oliver said.
"Wait. He moved." She checked the map. "Just north of and Grand."
"How could he move?" Felicity wondered. "What could cause that…"
Oliver took off at a dead run. "On my way!" he shouted. He began leaping from rooftop to rooftop, taking the fastest way to the new location- a straight line.
'I took on cases that were-that I thought that I could win.' Gavin was pleading. 'I'm sorry.'
Oliver shimmied down the side of a building, and then jumped onto the roof of a passing truck. He leapt off of that into the road, dodging between honking cars. He ran down Ocean, passing a boarded up subway station as he leapt a fence.
Malcolm snapped his fingers. "Of course! Oh, it's so simple!" he exclaimed.
"What?" Felicity asked.
'Gavin Carnahan, I find you guilty of crimes against the Glades.' Faulk said, raising his gun.
'Don't do this! Don't do this!' Gavin pleaded futilely.
'And I sentence you to death.'
"I'm at Ocean and Grand, Felicity." Oliver announced, looking around at a lot under construction. "That's just a vacant lot."
"How is this possible?" Felicity demanded, more to herself than to Oliver. She was banging away at her keyboard, trying to find Faulk."This can't happen. He—" she never finished her thought. As Gavin screamed in vain, Faulk opened fire, pumping five rounds into the lawyer's chest. Felicity watched, stunned.
Felicity collapsed back against her seat, her mouth coming to her mouth in shock. 'I failed…' she thought numbly.
Malcolm looked at the girl, sitting there in shock, numbed by her perceived failure, and for the first time in a long time, he felt… what? Pity? No, that wasn't it. Sadness? Yes, that was it. He felt sad because she was sad. Upon reflection of those feelings, he suddenly understood- Felicity reminded him a great deal of Rebecca. The same kindness, the same compassion for everybody, despite how despicable they might be. The same desire to help those in need…
"The reason Faulk wasn't where you thought he was, Felicity, was because he wasn't stationary." Malcolm explained calmly. "He's using the old subway tunnels."
"The same tunnels…" Tommy started, his implication clear.
Malcolm nodded. "I shouldn't be surprised; I couldn't be the only person who thought about using the tunnels. And it makes sense for Faulk- he used to work for the Department of Transportation. He probably knows those tunnels better than anybody else."
"I should have thought to-"
"Miss Smoak, you didn't grow up in Starling City, did you?" Malcolm asked suddenly, cutting her off.
Felicity frowned. "Well, no…"
"Then how would you have known about the old subway lines?" he asked reasonably. "Even Oliver, who DID grow up in Starling, didn't even think about them. I doubt he even remembers them." Malcolm posited.
"Hell, I don't remember them." Laurel said.
"We all have our crosses to bare, Miss Smoak." Malcolm said, not unkindly. "Don't bare yours needlessly."
Felicity nodded mutely, wondering why Malcolm Merlyn of all people were comforting her, and then turned her attention back to the screen.
'Find the right address, now!' Oliver was screaming over the earpiece.
"He's…" Felicity started to say, but couldn't get the words out. She had failed, and a man had died. As the realization crashed down upon her, she tore out the earpiece and bolted from the room as tears streamed down her face.
Diggle let out a long sigh, and then wearily sat in her chair. He picked up the earpiece and put it to his ear.
"Oliver, it's over, Carnahan is dead." He told him sadly.
A short time later, Oliver came back to the Lair. He jogged down the stairs and found Felicity standing at his work table, absently fingering an arrow as she stared off into nothing. He looked at her in concern. "Where's Diggle?" he asked softly.
"I asked him to leave me alone." She replied, equally quiet. "In my loud voice."
"This wasn't your fault." Oliver told her flatly.
"I was the one who was supposed to find Carnahan, and I was the one who sent you that bogus location." She said in a brittle voice. She was desperately holding back tears, and wouldn't look at him, instead focusing on the arrow in her hands. "I've never seen anybody die."
"Hey." He said, and she finally looked over at him, though not directly. "This is the thing with what we do. Sometimes we lose." He told her.
She was silent for several seconds. "Maybe it is better being alone." She said finally. "I'm not seeing anyone currently, but if I were, I don't know how I'd tell him about today."
Oliver looked at her sadly, then gently took the arrow from her hands, and walked off, leaving her with her thoughts.
"He's wrong, by the way." Roy told Felicity. "Being with someone gives you strength. Remember that." He advised.
FIVE YEARS AGO
The scene changed to the Island. Fyers with a company of men and Yao Fei at his side approached a clearing. For the opposite direction came Oliver and Slade, who had his 1911's drawn, but pointed down.
"Gentlemen." Fyers said casually. He had his own pistol drawn, and crossed his arms in front of himself. "Welcome. So happy we were able to reach an accord."
"Oh, good. Small talk." Slade said in annoyance. He turned to Fyers. "Are we going to get on with this?"
"As you wish. Straight to business." Fyers looked to Oliver. "The circuit board." He demanded. "Where is it?"
"Somewhere safe." Oliver said evasively. "So get us to the boat and then we'll tell you where it is."
"And of course you'll be honest about its location." Fyers said sarcastically.
"Well, I wouldn't be." Slade told the man honestly. Then he nodded at Oliver. "But this one's got some strange hang up about principles and integrity."
"I always imagined as much." Fyers said. "Which is why I'd like to make a counter proposal. "Men!" he called out. Suddenly two guards came out form the back dragging a woman. She was an Asian woman, with long dark hair and her hands bound behind her. The guards dragged her roughly, and then dropped her to the ground as she screamed out in anger.
"No!" Yao Fei screamed. He made to move towards the woman, but one of the guards next to him smacked him on the temple with the butt of his rifle, sending the man to hisknees. As he struggled, several men restrained him as they put him in handcuffs.
"Shado…"Slade whispered sadly, looking at his lost love.
"You will deliver back to me the circuit board, or I will kill Yao Fei's daughter." Fyers said coldly, and it all fell into place for Oliver.
"That's why he wouldn't leave." He said to himself.
"I can't imagine you want the death of an innocent young woman on your hands." Fryers spat. "Not with your… principles."
Slade growled lowly under his breath, but Sara caught the sound and stared at him. Slade's one good eye shifted to her face, and in it she saw absolute loathing for her.
PRESENT
The scene flashed back to CNRI. Quentin and Dinah walked in, then spotted Laurel and walked over to her.
"Hey." Her dad told her.
Laurel gave a strained smile, but rose to greet her parents. "Hi." She said, and then pressed on. "I wanted to do some research on my own into the evidence that you gathered on Sara. So I called my friend from law school who works at the Chinese embassy, and…" she took a breath. "The photo of the girl. I found her."
Before they could say anything, a young woman came up between them. She had dark, chestnut colored hair, and was about the same build as Sara- but it wasn't her. "I'm sorry." She told Quentin and Dinah as she squeezed between them. The girl smiled at Laurel. "Can I… can I borrow your phone?" she asked. "I promised my fiancée that I'd call him before phone's dead."
Laurel nodded, and then indicated the other two. "Jen, these are my parents." She introduced.
"Hi." Jen said, shaking each of their hands in turn. "Nice to meet you."
The little bit of hope that had built up in Quentin's chest died at that moment. "Yeah, you, too."
"That's the girl you paid?" Quentin asked Sara sadly. She nodded.
Laurel picked up the photos. "I just told Jen about this photograph that popped up in this case that I'm working on." Her mother took the pictures and stared between them and Jen.
"Is that you in the picture?" Quentin asked.
"Yeah." She replied. "I spent six months on an island off the coast of China. That was taken in a small fishing village called Zhengjiu. It's Mandarin for—"
"Salvation." Dinah finished, crestfallen.
Jen noted the somber mood in concern. "Are you all right, Mrs. Lance?"
"Yes, I… it's just, uh, you look like someone I used to know." Dinah said brokenly, before running off. Quentin closed his eyes tight, the grief returning to him anew as Laurel and Jen looked on, helpless.
"I'm so sorry." Sara said quietly.
Quentin gave her a strained smile. "You're alive, and we know it. That's all that matters."
"Yeah." Laurel said with a sigh. 'But what do we tell Mom?' she wondered.
The scene changed to the Glades as Thea walked slowly up to Roy's house. Roy was just leaving as she neared the door, and he sighed in exasperation.
"Wow. I was waiting for this." He said as he bounded down the front steps and breezed past her.
"Waiting for what?" Thea asked, equally exasperated.
"The whole 'You can change, I can see the real you' speech." He spun around gesturing wildly with his arms. "Look around, is home sweet home for me. You either starve or you do things that mean you're lucky enough to make it to 21."
Thea shook her head. "I can't accept that."
" can't accept me."
"Man, I was such a pessimist back then." Roy said dryly.
"I prefer the term 'asshole' myself." Mia replied.
Roy chuckled. "Oh look, I'm about to be kidnapped."
"Wait, what?!" Thea exclaimed
Thea sighed, and was ready to continue the argument when another voice interrupted them.
"Roy Harper?"
"Yeah?" Roy started to turn around when suddenly a needle was jammed into his neck.
"Roy!" Thea screamed, lunging on the man as he injected something. The man grabbed her and roughly shoved her to the ground. As she fell, she hit head first, knocking her out.
"Thea!" Moira exclaimed. Malcolm shot forward in his seat, his eyes fixed on the scene. For a moment he feared, irrationally, that Thea would be killed as Rebecca had been; then his mind settled down and remembered that the older version of that Thea was in the room right now, and his heart rate slowed.
The man turned to the fallen Roy. While the sedative was already working, Roy had the presence of mind to take out his gun. He pulled the trigger- but it was empty. He absently noted that the bullets were still on the table inside when the man roughly knocked the gun out of his hand, then hauled him up and tossed him into the back of a black panel van. Thea started stirring just as the van peeled out of the drive and into the darkness of the night.
"Oh my god, Roy…" Thea said tearfully. Roy grinned crookedly.
"This may sound weird right now, but that was the best thing to ever happen to me. And also, thanks to you, I didn't become a murderer." Then, he added silently to himself.
"More like because of me, you couldn't defend yourself." She groused. He just smiled and turned back to the screen.
The scene changed to Verdant. Tommy was looking over some paperwork as the girls set up for the night when a news bulletin came on the flat screen hung on the wall.
'More on the story out of the kidnapper seems to have another victim and is broadcasting the feed to his website.' The news feed shifted to Faulk's video feed, which showed a roughed up Roy bound as the other victims had been. Tommy stared in shock- he'd recognized the name as Thea's friend. He put down his clipboard and moved closer to the TV. 'A warning to viewers, this is live footage, so we're not sure what we're about to see.'
"You're about to see a kid murdered, you vultures." Tommy growled.
Faulk ripped off the tape over Roy's mouth; the boy let out a gasp as Faulk started talking. "Meet Roy Harper. Arrests for larceny and robbery, aggravated assault." He listed. "And yet you're out on the street. Another gangbanger in the Glades running free, like the ones who killed my wife." Roy struggled futilely to free himself as Faulk kept the camera zoomed in on his face. "I grew up in the Glades, too. And it didn't turn me into a criminal."
Oliver walked in and saw Tommy staring at the TV. Tommy noted his presence. "I know that kid." He told him.
Oliver looked at him in surprise. "How?"
"Tommy!" Both men turned to see a very disheveled Thea running into the club. "Tommy?" she saw Roy on the screen and let out a sob."Oh! Oh, God, no." she turned to the two friends. "I didn't know where else to go."
Oliver took her by the shoulders. "You know him?"
"Roy, he's my friend." She told him. "And we were in a fight and some guy came out of nowhere and just attacked us! He doesn't deserve to die!" she cried, tears streaming down her face.
"I promise you, he's going to be ok." Oliver glanced up at Tommy briefly, then back at Thea. "You stay here with Tommy, all right?" Oliver handed her off to Tommy, and then hurried towards the basement entrance.
The scene shifted to Queen Consolidated. Moira was heading towards her office when her phone rang. She picked up the call without looking at the screen. "Hello?"
"Moira, its Malcolm." Malcolm stated. "I've learned a high ranking member of the Triad was just arrested." He informed her.
Moira's breath hitched briefly, but she covered herself. "Well, I should have a word with him." She said, still walking to her desk.
"I already have." Moira wobbled in her heels as the fear returned in full force. "He's agreed to find out who hired his organization to assassinate me in return for a reduced prison sentence. By tonight, we should know the name, or names, of the people who tried to kill me." Malcolm said confidently.
"Good." Moira said. Malcolm hung up, and she shakily dropped into her chair.
Moira looked increasingly pale as the conversation went on, and collapsed back into her seat as it ended. Malcolm smirked at her.
"Oh, I wouldn't worry, Moira." He said casually. "I have the distinct feeling that you will come out of this ok." Moira glared at the man, allowing the hate that she felt towards the man to show through her eyes. Malcolm was the one who looked away first.
The scene changed to Laurel's apartment. Laurel and Quentin both walked into find Dinah sorting some papers, including 'Missing' posters of Sara.
"What are you doing?" Lance asked.
"So it's not Sara in the photo." Dinah said. "But she's still out there, I'm going to find her." Both Quentin and Laurel looked at her is disbelief, and she sighed. "Look, I understand now that neither of you have the stomach to continue looking for her. And that's fine. I'm sorry I involved you both." She moved over to the walls and started pulling things down.
"You know that I would cross to hell and back to bring her home, but I CAN'T!" Quentin shouted, his control leaving him. "'Cause she's gone, Di." He continued.
"No." Dinah denied frantically pulling posters off the wall.
"You got to let go of this now." He told her.
"No! I can't! I won't!" Dinah shouted back.
Laurel looked down at the pictures of the girl, Jen, and something that had been niggling at her conscience finally burst forth. "How did you know Sara had her hat with her when she went on the boat?" Laurel asked, causing Dinah to freeze. Laurel pressed on."You were so sure that the girl in the photo was Sara. Not because she was American, but because of her hat. Her Starling City Rockets hat that dad bought her." Dinah refused to look at her, but she was still frozen in place. "Mom. How did you know she took her hat with her on 'The Queen's Gambit' with Oliver?"
Dinah let out a groan. "I saw her."
Quentin looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean?" he asked.
"I came home early that day, and I saw her. Sara." She started crying. "I saw her put the hat in a bag. She was packing."
Laurel gasped, and Quentin went pale. Sara reached out and took both of their hands.
Quentin stared at her in disbelief. "You knew she was going with him?" he accused.
Dinah finally turned around to face hem both."I told her not to… I told her not to do this, not to you, Laurel." she told her eldest, who was also crying. "But she said she was in love and she had to follow her heart, even if nobody else thought it was right. Just like… I told her… Just like I told her I once did. So I let her go." She gasped. "I killed her. I—" she sobbed collapsing back against the wall. "I killed my daughter." She sobbed. Quentin rushed over to her, tears streaming down his own face and took her into his arm. "I killed her. I'm so sorry, Quentin." She continued to sob. "I'm so sorry, Quentin. I killed our baby." Laurel stood apart, her face full of anger and sorrow as she watched her mother collapse into her father's arms.
"Please don't be angry at her." Sara told the two quietly. "It was my decision; my fault."
"I'm not angry at Mom." Laurel said. "But seeing this is reminding me why I'm angry at you." She gently pulled her hand free.
Sara sighed. "Yeah…"
The scene changed to the Lair. Oliver paced behind Felicity as she worked.
"Anything?" he asked as he and Diggle came to her side.
"I've been going through all the video we got, trying to see if there's anything that'll tell us where this guy is." Felicity told him. "I got nothing, except a sound. Buried in the ambient noise. Almost rhythmic." She pulled it up and played it on speaker. "Here, I've isolated it." The three stopped and listened. Diggle frowned, a memory plying at the back of his mind. He picked up a headset and pressed one cup to his ear.
"What is that?" Oliver asked. "Sounds like a car driving over lane markers."
Felicity shook her head. "It's bigger than a car."
"Bigger than a car." Oliver frowned as he thought furiously. "What, a bus? Uh—"
"Wait, I know this." Dig said. "I know it." He repeated quietly, almost to himself.
Oliver let out an exasperated sigh. "Come on! Guys!" he exclaimed.
Dig leaned in close. "Felicity, show me a map." He asked, and she pulled up a map of Starling City. "Sights of the abductions so far." He added, and she placed them on the map. "Right there, right there." He said, pointing to one of the spots. "Locksley and Adams." His finger moved to the next spot. "Wells Street down by CNRI. Those are all subway stops!" He announced.
"Starling City doesn't have a subway." Oliver noted.
Dig shook his head. "No, but they used to. When I was a kid, my dad used to take me down to the Rockets game. By subway. For 14 minutes, I'd lean against the window, feeling the rhythm of the train moving." He explained.
"Well done, Mr. Diggle. And you, Felicity." Lance said, looking at the two on the couch. "Wish you'd come to work for me instead."
"That's how he did it." Felicity realized. She looked back at Oliver. "He was at 23rd and Mira, but he was underground. He used to work for the Department of Transportation, so that's why he knows all the old subway stops. That's why I couldn't trace the signal." She finished, feeling vindicated. "He was moving. He was in a subway car."
Malcolm smiled and nodded at the tech genius.
"Where is he now?" Oliver asked, pulling off his coat and grabbing his gear.
"He's on the old cross town line." She yelled. "If he continues on this route, he'll be at the Spring Street stop in 15 minutes."
FIVE YEARS AGO
The scene flashed back to the island. Slade grinned and raised one of his guns, pointing it directly at Fyers' head. "Let the girl go." He said, even as the other soldiers raised their weapons at him.
"No deal?" Fyers said casually. "Very well. Kill her."
Several things happened at once. Slade knocked the guns away from the nearby soldiers. At the same time, the girl reached back and slapped one gun away, then leapt up and disarmed the other guard. She punched one, then the other, then locked the first into an arm bar while warping her legs around the others, sending all three to the ground. Slade opened fire then, killing some of the soldiers outright, and Yao Fei tripped one of the soldiers, and then wrapped his leg around the man's neck. With a twist, it was broken.
Slade smiled wistfully. "God, but she was good." He said quietly.
Oliver charged at one soldier and shoved him hard into a tree. He followed that up with two hard punches, but the soldier shrugged them off and punched back. They grappled, and the two went down to the ground hard.
Slade sighed. "But he was useless."
Fyers stalked up to the girl, who had just finished off her two. He lifted the gun to shoot her in the head, but she knocked it away. She quickly disarmed him and sent him to the ground, then climbed on his chest and unleashed a flurry of shots to his face, rendering the man unconscious. Oliver kicked the soldier off of him, and then grasped a rock that was lying nearby and walloped the man in the head. Two more shots with the rock put the solider down for the count.
The soldiers momentarily defeated, the group gathered together. Slade smirked at the girl as she walked over to her father. "That was unexpected." He remarked. She grinned back at him, and then helped her father up, who had already freed himself of the restraints.
Fyers, seeing them loose and about to escape, called to his men that had been waiting in the forest. "Fire!" A line of fire from automatic rifles suddenly lanced out as more soldiers appeared. Slade picked up an assault rifle and returned fire, covering Oliver, Yao Fei, and the girl as they made their way for cover. A stray bullet lanced out and caught Yao Fei in the leg, sending him stumbling. Oliver picked him up and helped him hobble a few more yards until they were under some cover. The man collapsed to the ground.
Oliver pulled on his arm, trying to get the man back up. "Come on! Come on!" he urged s the fire continued behind them.
Yao Fei pushed him away. "Get her to safety!" he told him, nodding at his daughter. At Oliver's indecision, he yelled. "Now! I'll only slow you down. Go!" he urged. Slade came to them then and grabbed the girl, even as she screamed for her father. "Just go! You've got to go!" he urged.
"Go! Go! Go!" Slade urged as the three ran off into the forest.
PRESENT
The scene changed to Starling City. Oliver pulled up next to the abandoned subway station at Ocean Avenue. He fired an explosive arrow at an access grate, blowing it off, and then dropped a line down into the hole. He slid down the line, ending up in an access tunnel for the subway itself. He ran through the tunnel, hearing a train, and stopped just shy of the tracks as a train sped past.
Back in the Lair, Felicity and Diggle were watching the screen as Faulk started up again. "It's happening." She told Oliver.
"I'll give you 10 minutes to state your case, Roy." Faulk was telling Roy in the train car. Roy stared back, defeat in his eyes. "So tell us. Why do you get to live?"
Roy closed his eyes, the weight of his life pressing down on him. "I shouldn't." he said finally. "Just do it. Kill me." Faulk stared back, stunned. He wasn't expecting that. "Just go on!" Roy shouted."Kill me!"
Thea gasped softly, her hand at her mouth. Roy watched the scene with a sad look on his face, remembering a time when everything he had said had been true in his mind. Who would miss a street rat like him?
Sensing his thoughts, Mia squeezed his hand. "I would have missed you." She whispered.
Faulk lowered the camera slightly so he could look Roy in the eyes. "You really don't care if you live or die?" he asked, dumbfounded.
Roy just stared back at him with a defeated expression. "No one's going to miss me."
Back at Verdant, Thea stood, waiting anxiously for a miracle. Her eyes filled with tears at his pronouncement. 'I'm just a waste.' Tommy moved next to her, giving her silent support.
"Then we agree on something." Faulk said, staring hard at the boy. "This world would be better off without you in it." Faulk raised the gun, and Roy closed his eyes, preparing. Suddenly there was a crash on the roof of the train. Faulk looked up, startled, and dropped the camera.
Back at Verdant, all Thea saw was the camera falling to the ground, then static before the news anchor came back on. 'We seem to have lost the feed.' He was saying as Thea broke down in Tommy's arms. 'We will stay on this story and keep you up to date on any developments.'
"How could you think that?" Thea asked Roy. "That no one would care if you were dead?"
Roy smiled softly at Thea, remembering when his own wife had been so young and idealistic. "You always saw the best in people, Thea." He told her. "You saw the best in me when I couldn't see anything but a waste. Hell, even back then you saw something good in Malcolm; that's why he's here now. You had a gift back then, Thea, of making people want to be better. You lost that for a time, but you've gotten it back. You still make me want to be a better man every day."
Mia subtly wiped away her tears, smiling softly at her husband.
"Why was I ready to die?" Roy went on. "Because you saw that I could be better than I was, but I couldn't. At least, not until your brother showed up."
Faulk moved cautiously down the train, searching of the source of the sound. Suddenly a window next to him exploded as The Hood crashed in. The two men fell to the floor of the train, but both quickly recovered. The Hood spun and threw a flechette towards Roy, hitting right next to the tape on his left wrist. In the same movement he rose to his feet, drew an arrow and held it on Faulk's heart as the older man tried to bring his gun up.
"Let the kid go." The Hood growled. "You kill this kid, he'll never get an opportunity to change!" he said, trying to reason with the man. "You can give him a second chance."
"We're the only ones who can save this city!" Faulk protested; the gun trained on the Hood's chest. "We can't stop now."
"We're not the same!" The Hood screamed as Roy watched.
"You've killed people for this city; so have I." Faulk said. Oliver shifted his eyes to Roy, and then nodded his head at the flechette. Roy got the message and strained his hand, reaching for the flechette. "What's the difference between you and me? Emma never got her second chance." Faulk continued. "You have no idea how lonely it is."
Faulk looked back at Roy, who was still trying to get the flechette. "Joseph." Oliver said, trying to draw his attention away from the kid and back on him. "Joseph! I understand being alone." Roy finally reached the flechette and pulled it from the side of the train, then started cutting away at the tape on his wrist. "But it doesn't give you the right to kill people in cold blood."
"He deserves it." Faulk said. Roy freed one of his hands, and rapidly went to cut loose the other. "Just like the gangbangers who gunned her down, he's no different than them. And now I get to gun him down." Faulk turned and raised the gun at Roy, whose other hand was freed.
"Don't do it!" The Hood yelled. Roy ducked s Faulk fired. The deranged man only got off two shots before and arrow pierced his chest. He gasped in surprise and pain, looking down at the arrow. Roy watched, stunned as Faulk slowly sank onto the bench seat of the train, the gun dropping out of his hand to the floor as he died. Roy groaned as he pulled himself up, and then took a seat on the opposite bench, staring at the man who had unknowingly changed his life.
Roy shook his head. "What a waste." He said, looking at Malcolm. "Faulk could probably have done some good for the city. Instead, he let himself get lost in his vengeance- and it destroyed him."
"A lesson, Mr. Harper?" Malcolm asked.
"One you'll learn in a few hours." Roy replied calmly. They both stared at one another, reappraising the other in their minds.
The scene changed to Laurel's apartment. Dinah, her bags packed and coat on, moved towards the door as Laurel, still stunned from her mother's revelations, sat on her couch.
"Got to get going to the airport." Dinah said. "That red eye to Central City. I should be home in a flash." She finished lamely. Seeing Laurel just sitting there and not responding, she sighed and grabbed the handle on her bag.
Dinah had opened the door just as Laurel made a decision. "Mom." She jumped up, running to the door to stop the woman. Laurel took her hand. "Call me some time." Dinah looked at her in surprise. "I'd really like that."
"You would?" she asked, surprised.
"Of course I would. You're my mother." Laurel replied simply. The two hugged, though Laurel had a resigned look on her face.
"I love you so much." Dinah told her.
"I love you, too." She assured her mother. Dinah walked out, and Laurel closed the door, slumping against it.
Sara glanced at Laurel sadly, but chose to say nothing.
The scene changed to Verdant. Thea was sitting at a table, staring into space when her found buzzed. She looked down and picked up her phone, and her eyes widened in surprise as she saw she had a text from Roy.
:Turn to your left:
Thea spun to see a still shaken Roy walking towards her. She let out a happy sob as she grabbed him and hugged him tightly. "I thought you were going to die." She said, crying.
"That makes two of us." Roy replied, hugging her back equally as tight. After a moment, Thea pulled back.
"I probably look like a mess." She said, smiling now. "I'm going to go to the bathroom and freshen way, way up."
"Ok." Roy said, watching her walk away. Up in the balcony, Oliver looked down at the reunion. Deep in thought, he turned and moved to leave the club. He never saw Roy, still in shock from the night, pull out the small flechette that had saved his life. He stared at it, equally deep in thought.
"Why do I get the feeling that is going to be a big issue between us? Thea asked, indicating the flechette.
Roy grinned cockily. "Baby, you have no idea."
Mia rolled her eyes and slapped him on the back of his head. "See? Asshole."
Oliver walked out of the club, still thinking about what Faulk had said to him. He was walking aimlessly down the street when a familiar voice stopped him.
Laurel had taken a cab to Verdant, looking to forget the day she had had. As she looked around, she spied Oliver walking away out of the corner of her eye. "Ollie?" she called out.
Oliver plastered a smile on his face as he turned. "Hi!"
"Hey." Laurel walked up to him. "I heard Thea's friend was ok." She said.
"Yeah. That worked out ok." He gave her a look. "This Roy is more than just a friend, isn't he?" he asked, already knowing (and not liking) the answer.
"Bad boys. Hook you every time." She said. She started to head for the club.
"Oh, I think, uh, Tommy actually went home for the night." Oliver said.
Laurel paused. "Oh." She said, not knowing what to do.
Oliver looked at her with narrowed eyes. "You all right? You seem like you're something other than all right."
"My mom, she showed up in town this week and she's been…" she trailed off.
"What?"
"She had this crazy idea that Sara was still alive." She said to his shock. "She was so sure of it that she kind of had me believing it, also." Laurel took a breath. "But Sara's gone." She said finally.
"Yeah." Oliver said. That was one thing he didn't want to relive.
"I can't believe she sucked me in like that." Laurel said.
"You miss her." Oliver said.
"I miss them both." She countered. She sighed."Thanks for listening."
"Of course." He said. As she walked off, he called out to her again. "Laurel." She turned to look at him. "Want to have dinner, or coffee, I don't know." He asked uncertainly.
Laurel looked at him in confusion. "Why?"
"I don't want to be on an island anymore." He said after a moment's reflection.
Laurel smiled softly at him. "Sure." She said. It wouldn't happen tonight, but it would happen sometime. Two old friends reconnecting. "Good night." She said.
"Good night." This time, he let her walk into the club, then turned and walked off into the night.
Tommy sighed. 'And I get the feeling that THAT will be an issue between Laurel and I.' he thought glumly.
FIVE YEARS AGO
The scene changed to the Island. Oliver was searching an old rotted out stump, and when he came up empty, he turned back to the other two with a sinking feeling. "Slade? Circuit board's gone."
Slade looked at him in surprise, and thenpushed past to search himself. "Damn." He said after a moment. "Fyers played he was screwing us around, his men were combing the woods for it." He stood and got into Oliver's face. "Now his missile launcher is fully operational."
"And he was never going to let us off the island," Oliver said in disgust, pushing the older man away. "I get it!"
"Of course he wasn't going to help you!" The girl said- in English. "He couldn't chance you warning the mainland what he has planned!"
Oliver sighed in annoyance. "She speaks English."
"He's surprised, even after Yao Fei?" Felicity said, shaking her head. "Some boys never learn."
"Yeah, well, guess what." Slade growled at her. "Neither one of us have any idea what his plans are."
She turned away for a few seconds, trying to think. Soon, she turned back to face the two men. "I do." She said.
PRESENT
The scene changed to the Glades. Moira stood on the side of a deserted street, waiting for Frank Chen to show up. Frank pulled up and got out of his car.
"Thank you for coming, Frank." Moira called out.
"Meeting like this is dangerous, Moira." He said, buttoning his coat as he walked to her. "Particularly now."
"Yes, I know." She looked at him, a determined look in her eyes. "Malcolm knows." She announced.
"What?!" Frank exclaimed.
"I had no choice but to turn over what I've discovered." She continued. "The evidence of the wire transfer; the money that you paid the Triad to assassinate him."
Thea gaped at the screen, and then almost as one everyone in the room turned to look at Moira, who looked as shocked as they all felt.
"Very elegantly done, Moira." Malcolm complimented. "And the best part is you were avenging Robert, and didn't even know it."
"What's that old saying?" Lance asked. "With friends like you, who needs enemies?"
"The money I—" he started to protest, but he was cut off by an arrow to the heart. Moira gasped in shock and He looked down in confusion, even as another arrow pierced his chest. Frank reached out to her. "Moira!" he gasped, falling into her arms, they both fell over to the ground, but only Moira got back up.
Moira rose unsteadily to her feat, and then gasped in shock as the Dark Archer walked towards her.
Tommy felt physically ill watching his father in that getup, so calm and collected after murdering someone in cold blood.
" thanks you for your loyalty." The archer told her. "You've done well. Now Chen's family will share his fate."
"Chen betrayed us, but his daughter didn't." Moira protested, finding the strength to put some steel into her voice. "Tell I want her to live. Amanda nearly lost her life in the Glades, now she's lost her father. I think she's suffered enough." She told the assassin.
"We must send a message." He said.
"We have." She looked down at Frank- her friend of many years. "We…"
"Very well." The archer said quietly.
"Thank you—" Moira said, looking up- but the archer was gone. She climbed clumsily back into her car and went to start it when she saw the blood on her hands- Franks blood. She reached into her coat and withdrew a Kleenex and began frantically wiping at the blood. She spat on her hands, trying to wash it off- but it wouldn't come off. She began sobbing- for herself, for Frank's daughter, and for the thousands of lives that would be lost because of her actions.
Moira rose shakily, then quickly made her way out of the room. Thea rose to follow, but Tommy held her back.
"Give her a few minutes." He advised. Thea sat back down, and Tommy turned to his father. "Would you have killed his daughter?" he demanded.
"Yes." Tommy head spun around; it wasn't Malcolm who had answered, but Sara.
"Blood for blood." She explained. "It is the way of the League. If one person attacks the League or its members, then that person's whole family would suffer their wrath."
"That's some group you two signed up with." Tommy said sarcastically, looking to Sara, then his father.
"It is what it is, Tommy." Malcolm said. "Nothing can change it now."
The scene changed back to the Lair as Oliver walked in.
"Thea's friend is upstairs." Dig said.
"I saw."
"You probably saw that they were very happy to see each other, if you know what I mean." Felicity said. Noting the looks on the men's faces- bemused on Dig, annoyed on Oliver, she grimaced slightly. "Which you probably don't want to talk about, because she's your baby sister." She slowly spun back around to face the computers.
Roy chuckled. "Leave it to Felicity to lighten the mood." He said with a fond smile.
"You ok?" Dig asked.
"I'm getting there." He replied. "Thank you." He walked over to Felicity and stood next to her. "Psst." She looked up at him. "By the you ever need to tell someone about your day, you can tell me." He told her. Felicity smiled. He put a hand on her shoulder, then glanced over at the computer screen and froze. He pulled away and walked around her to get a better view. "What's that?" he asked, pointing to the screen.
"Felicity pulled it up." Dig said. "It's an old map of a decommissioned subway line. Runs underneath the low rent district of the city."
Oliver picked up his father's notebook and opened it. He looked at the symbol on the inside cover. "I've seen that map before." He said, setting the book down on the table. Felicity picked it up and stared at it, and realization sunk in to her as well. "It was right in front of our faces the entire time." Oliver continued. "My father, the other archer, the undertaking, whatever the plan is. It's all connected to the Glades."
The memory stopped, and Mia stood. "Why don't we all take a small break?" she suggested.
"Yeah, good idea." Quentin agreed. He rose and followed Mia out of the room, and was soon followed by Thea, Tommy, and Diggle. A moment later, Malcolm rose. "You know, Miss Smoak," he began, "I think Rebecca would have like you." She smile pleasantly, then left the room.
Felicity looked to Roy. "Is it just me, or is his bi-polar mood swings starting to freak you out, too?"
"Hell kid," Slade said with a small smile. "They are beginning to freak ME out."
"I didn't think anything would freak you out, Slade." Sara said.
"I don't like unpredictability. Unless I'm causing it." He replied calmly.
"Well, if you think he's bad now," Roy said, "I'd wait about five hours."
"Why?" Felicity asked. "What happens in five hours?"
Roy smiled grimly. "We find out if Mia was right about her father, or not." He said.
TBC
A/N: So there is a little continuity problem with this episode. Jen is supposed to resemble Sara, and kind of did resemble the girl that had initially cast, but when they cast Caity Lotz in season 2 as Sara, there is no resemblance at all. Not that I really mind, because Caity Lotz rocks as Sara.
A/N 2: I apologize for any errors in this chapter. The first upload was cutting out portions of sentences (apparently because spaces between periods and new words mysteriously disapeared), so I did the final edit on the word document and only glanced at it when I uploaded it again. also- I'm doing this at work (shhh!)
A/N 3: So, the scuttlebut is that someone is going to be killed off the show in 'Broken Arrow', as both Stephen Amell and Colton Haynes Tweeted about filming a highly emotional scene, and that goodbyes are hard. Then David Ramsey posted a pic on his instagram of himself, Stephen, Colotn and Emily with the caption 'Team Arrow- FOREVER'. Personally, I think in 'Broken Arrow' we'll get the highly emotional death of Maseo's kid whose name I can't remember, but what do you all think?
This early update is for Lyla. Have fun with the grandparents!
Hard to find an endpoint for this episode. Next up- DRUGS!