Disclaimer: Arrow is owned by The CW, Berlanti Productions, and Warner Bros. Television. The character of the Green Arrow and the Justice League is owned by DC Comics. I own nothing; I'm just playing in their universe.
Chapter 29: Identity
"Well, no need to dawdle." Mia said. "Let's continue, shall we?" she lifted the remote and pressed play.
The memory set opened on Oliver working out in the redesigned lair, doing reps of pull-ups and pushups hanging off the gear over the Salmon ladder, before leaping off and taking out an arm on the training dummy with an elbow.
Felicity sighed in contentment, much to Tommy's amusement. Thea, however, groaned. "Why do I have to keep seeing my brother shirtless?"
"I think they wrote it into his contract." Roy quipped, earning a snicker from Sara.
"He does like to run around half-clothed all the time." Mia said. "It's a wonder he doesn't catch a cold."
The scene shifted to a dark road as a FEMA truck drove through the remains of the Glades. It was soon joined by a pair of bikers on dirt bikes who began harassing the truck.
"Faster!" the man in the passenger seat told the driver.
"Foot's on the floor, man." The driver replied. "Call it in."
"This is FEMA truck 52. We're being pursued by two armed bikers. We're heading south on Third Street, requesting immediate assistance."
A short distance away, Roy sat in a mustang, a police scanner sitting between the seats. He listened to the message, then popped the clutch and took off, racing to help.
In the truck, the two bikers pulled up alongside the cab. "Come on, get us out of here." The passenger urged his partner. "Get us out of here!"
"I'm trying!" he replied.
Ahead of the truck, Roy drove straight at them with his lights off. Seeing the situation, he pulled to the left and gunned his engine. At the last moment he turned his lights on, and the biker swerved to avoid being hit by him. He did not, however, avoided plowing in to the back of a parked car, the impact of which sent him skidding across the tops of the parked cars and to the ground hard. Roy grinned in victory.
"Nice moves, man!" Diggle said.
"Wait for it." Mia stated.
In the truck, the passenger, looked back in amazement. "Who the hell was that?" he wondered.
The other biker peeled off and turned around, heading towards Roy. Roy spun the mustang around and gunned it, heading towards the biker. It looked to be a repeat, until the biker pulled out a Mac-10 and opened fire, spraying the hood of the car with bullets. The sparks it kicked up momentarily blinded Roy, and when his vision cleared it was too late to avoided the large pile of debris on the road. The mustang hit the debris and flipped over completely, slamming down to the ground and skidding on blown tires and a busted frame for several feet.
"Nice job, Speed Racer." Mia said wryly.
"Too bad about your car." Tommy said, wincing.
"It wasn't my car." Roy said.
"It wasn't his car." Mia said at the same time.
Meanwhile, the men in the FEMA truck thought they had gotten away- until the two men spotted a figure in the road up ahead. As they got closer, they saw she was an Asian woman with stark white hair, twirling a pair of knives…
China white threw the knives at the truck. They smashed through the windshield and hit both men in the neck, killing them. As the dead drivers foot fell of the gas, the truck slowly came to a stop. A moment later, the second biker pulled up next to her and got off of his bike.
"Damn." Quentin said. "THAT woman again!"
"She was heading up the Starling City Triad by this time." Mia told the cop. "She always kept popping up."
"Chéngzuò kǎchē. Shēnhòu liú xià shénme." She told him. He nodded and jumped into the cab as she climbed onto the bike.
A short distance away, three cop cars surrounded the totaled Mustang as Roy crawled out of it. They approached him with guns drawn.
"Just so you know, the real bad guys are getting away!" he spat at them angrily as he collapsed against the side of the wrecked vehicle.
"Starling City's finest." Roy muttered sarcastically. "Always busting me for trying to help while the real criminals escaped."
"Well, if you were better at it, then we could have gotten both you and them at the same time." Quentin shot back.
The scene changed to Verdant, where the night was just getting started. Diggle stood watching the crowd of writhing patrons as Oliver, now dressed in a suit, came up to him.
"We're going to need more sparring dummies." He told his friend with a smile.
"I'll start ordering them in bulk." Diggle replied. "This mean you're ready to launch crusade 2.0?"
"I'm ready, I just don't know where to begin." Oliver admitted. "Last year, I had the list. Getting justice was as simple as crossing names out of a book."
"This is Starling City. You never have to look far to find someone engaged in illegal activity." Dig noted. "Yesterday Big Belly Burger got robbed."
"Was Carly there? She ok?" Oliver asked at once in concern.
Dig took a moment to answer. "Yeah, she was, um, it was her day off." He answered awkwardly.
Dig frowned and sat forward. What was going on with him and Carly?
"Good. Well, the three of us should get dinner." Oliver suggested. "I haven't seen her since I got back."
"Why the sudden interest in my love life?" Dig asked.
"If it's important to you, it's important to me." Oliver replied.
"He's missing something." Felicity said, frowning. "I think we all are, actually."
"Hey!" Thea said happily, running up to the pair. "I didn't see you come in."
"I had a secret entrance installed when I ran the club." Oliver said, actually telling the truth. She gave him a look and he smiled. "Kidding." He lied.
Thea thought about pressing, but then her phone rang. "Hello?" she said, moving behind the two to shield herself from some of the sound as she held the phone tightly to her ear. "Yes, yeah, this is Thea Queen." She listened, and her expression turned from puzzlement to concern to annoyed anger. "Of course that's where he is."
"Two minutes in, and I'm already pissed at you." Thea said wryly, looking at Roy.
"Sadly, that's not even his best record." Mia said.
The scene changed to the police station, where Roy was sitting cuffed in the interview room. He stared ahead stoically as Laurel circled around behind him.
"Who is he, Roy?" she asked.
"I already told you, I don't know." Roy replied impassively.
"So you just happen to have one of his arrows." She said, tossing down the flechette that Roy had kept in his pocket ever since he had been saved. He had painted it red, though- a fact he used against his interrogator.
"I hear he likes green ones." He noted.
"Do you think this is funny?" Laurel demanded. "Because I can charge you with obstruction right now!"
Roy grinned at Laurel. "I do love a woman who takes control." He quipped.
"I guess that explains why Mia has you so whipped." Sara interjected with a smirk.
Roy said nothing, so she decided to take another approach. She sat down across from him. "Look I used to feel the same way as you." She admitted. "He has this way of seducing you."
Thea coughed, desperately trying to surpass her laugh. Mia didn't bother.
" Making you feel like he's some kind of guardian angel. But he's not. He causes chaos and death. And you trying to emulate him just makes the situation worse."
"Half the city fell into a hole." Roy noted. "I'd say the situation's already worse. Look, some of us are just trying to make it better."
Laurel scoffed. "Who, like you and the Hood?"
"Look, there—" he paused, then leaned forward. "There are others. Others out there who are willing to do what's right. I've seen them. I've seen her." He told her.
"I'm not interested in anyone else." Laurel said. "Just him."
"Wow, one track mind, much?" Thea glanced over at Laurel, who was glowering at Mia.
A short time later, Roy finally exited the room to find Thea and Oliver waiting for him.
"What happened?" Thea asked, and then took in his appearance. "Are you hurt?"
"Fender bender." Roy said dismissively.
"He totaled his car playing hood junior." Laurel said.
"At least it wasn't my car." Roy shot back.
"Don't say anything!" Thea said in annoyance. "I already called you an attorney."
"That won't be necessary, we're not pressing charges." Laurel told them. "So long as he gives up looking for trouble."
Thea rolled her eyes. "Might as well tell him to give up breathing."
"I'll talk to him." Oliver told Laurel quietly.
"Ask him if he knows anything about the Vigilante." Laurel said, watching as Roy and Thea had a quiet argument. "Roy has obviously forged some sort of connection to him. Maybe it goes both ways."
"Doesn't sound like the Vigilante to have a groupie." Oliver said.
"That's just it- we don't know anything about the Vigilante." Laurel said. "Except for every time that he shows up, all hell breaks loose. It has to stop, Ollie. He has to be stopped." Laurel walked away, leaving a very frustrated Oliver behind.
"Am I this bloodthirsty this whole year?" she asked Sara, ignoring Mia now altogether.
Sara winced. "No. Right now you're still grieving and transferring all the anger you feel onto Oliver. It will take a while, but you eventually get past it." By crawling into a bottle, she didn't add.
Oliver looked at Roy with narrowed eyes.
"Thea." He called out as he walked towards the pair. His eyes were fixed on Roy. "Can you ask Mr. Diggle to bring the car around, please?"
Thea sighed, and then put a hand on Roy's shoulder. "I'll always think of you fondly." She told him wryly, and then moved off to find Diggle leaving Roy and Oliver alone.
"Save the speeches." Roy said after she was gone. "Your ex-girlfriend already laid one on me. Still, no effect."
"I used to be a lot like you, Roy." Oliver started.
Roy scoffed. "I doubt that. I spend more time in the back of cop cars than limos, so…" he moved to walk past him, but was stopped suddenly as Oliver grabbed his injured arm in an iron grip.
"The world doesn't work anymore." Oliver began as Roy gasped in pain. "It broke a long time ago, but it was like you were the only one who noticed. That makes you angry." Oliver let go. "And you're afraid that that anger is going to burn you up inside if you have to live in the world one second longer knowing that you could do something to fix it." He stared at Roy hard. "That anger's going to put you in the hospital, kid. Or worse."
"Well, I'll take worse." Roy said. "It's better to be dead than in a hospital these days, right?"
Oliver looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"Been to the Glades Memorial, lately?"
Oliver blinked. "No, but I didn't read that it was damaged by the quake."
"It wasn't." Roy said. "The medicine that FEMA's been sending the hospital is being hijacked. So, if they don't re-supply, they'll be forced to close."
"By who?" Oliver demanded.
"I don't know!" Roy exclaimed angrily. "The doctors and nurses are already bailing on the place. And the cops?" he asked sarcastically. "The cops rarely venture that deep into the Glades, so I guess that leaves only me! What's it take to make you angry?" he asked Oliver hotly. When he didn't reply, he scoffed and walked off, leaving Oliver to think.
Quentin winced. "Christ, did it get so bad we stopped patrolling the Glades?" he asked Roy. He nodded in reply.
"Yeah, it became like a demilitarized zone- only without the demilitarizing. Cops wouldn't go in unless they went in in force. It was like Gotham dropped the Narrows right into the heart of Starling City."
"We caused this." Moira said, looking at Malcolm. "How proud Rebecca must be right now." Malcolm looked at her, but stayed uncharacteristically silent.
FIVE YEARS AGO
The scene flashed back to the Island. Oliver was staring at his hands, hand he had just used to bash another man's skull in. He looked past his hand to the body. He looked up at his companions, who looked back worriedly, then turned away and sat down heavily.
"Others will come." Shado said. "They won't be happy we killed their men."
"All the more reason to figure out why they're here." Slade said, kneeling down to begin rifling through the men's pockets. He pulled a folded up piece of paper out of the first one's shirt and opened it up. "It's a map. Of the island chain, containing Lian Yu. This is similar to the recon shots that A.S.I.S. gave me before I came here to rescue your father." He said. "Whatever they're looking for, it must be here, on this island." He looked up at Oliver sadly. "I've seen men in war with that look in their eyes."
"What look?" Shado asked.
"The one that says he's split into someone else." He explained. "Someone he doesn't even recognize. If someone doesn't talk to him, it'll tear him up."
Shado looked at him, then back at Oliver. She walked over to him as Slade watched sadly. Shado moved in front of him and leaned over, taking his hands in hers "Come on. Let's get away from this place." She told him, giving him a reassuring smile.
Slade sighed sadly at the scene. If only he hadn't all but told Shado to go talk to the kid, maybe things would have been different. Maybe she'd still be alive…
PRESENT
The scene changed to Glades Memorial. Oliver and Diggle walked through the halls, taking in the signs of desperation all around them.
"They survived the quake and ended up here. From one hell to the next." Diggle said.
"Yeah, whoever's stealing from here, they won't be for much longer." Oliver vowed. The two ducked into a stairwell and headed down to the ground floor. Out front Oliver saw a man talking to both protesters and the media.
"This city is failing on all accounts." He was saying.
Oliver looked on curiously. "Who's that in the spotlight?"
"Sebastian Blood, the local alderman that I told you about." Dig said. "Not too shy about sharing his opinions."
"Which are?"
"Which are that the Glades have been abandoned. And no one gives a damn about these people." Dig replied.
"He hasn't met us yet." Oliver said, opening the door and stepping outside.
"I doubt Ollie will be able to charm him that easily." Laurel said. "I've heard of Sebastian Blood. He's not terribly fond of the wealthy, that's for sure."
"We cannot stand by while the doctors on the other side of those doors are working with the bare minimum of resources because the police department already sees us as a lost cause." Blood was saying. "Meanwhile, thieves are seeking to make a quick buck off the misery of the Glades." He paused as he finally spotted Oliver. "Oliver Queen, isn't it?" he asked, drawing attention to him.
"Alderman." Oliver said in reply.
"What brings you to Glades Memorial, Mr. Queen? I assume someone of your means can afford the best medical treatment money can buy." Blood said sarcastically. "And I can assure you, you're not going to find that here."
"That's wrong, sir." Oliver said. "The people of the Glades have suffered too much not to have access to basic medical services."
"Well, that's very compassionate of you to say." Blood replied. "Although I wonder where your family's concern for its fellow citizens was when they ordered the construction of the earthquake machine that killed 503 people."
"Ouch." Felicity said. "That was a bit harsh."
Oliver grimaced as he walked past the Alderman. He stopped, knowing that he couldn't leave it there.
"Ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, please! I will be doing everything in my power to atone for my family's culpability in this tragedy." Oliver promised.
"Well, I'm sure the people of the Glades that I represent will sleep better knowing that- if they still had a place to sleep." Blood said, fire in his voice. "If their homes hadn't crumbled around them. If their stores and their businesses hadn't been condemned."
"You did this to us!"
"Go back to your mansion, rich boy!"
"Spare us your mercy visits, Queen!" blood shouted as Oliver walked towards his car. "You've done enough for this city already." Oliver and Diggle managed to get into the car, and were driving out when someone shattered the rear passenger window, sending glass flying all over Oliver.
Moira shook her head. "He shouldn't have done that."
"What, try to defend our family" Thea asked her mother.
Moira smiled tiredly. "There is a time and a place for that, Thea. That was neither."
The scene changed to Queen Consolidated later that day. Oliver and Diggle exited the elevator onto the executive level, only to be greeted by an irate Felicity.
"I quit." She said.
Felicity looked at the screen in bewilderment. "What?"
"No, you don't." Oliver replied, walking past her and towards his office.
"Yes, I do." Felicity insisted. "Not my old job in the I.T. Department, but my new job as your executive assistant, which you think I'm going to accept. Your thinking could not be more wrong in this matter."
"WHAT?!" Felicity screamed as Thea burst out laughing.
"Oh, that is priceless!" she said in between guffaws.
Laurel shook her head. "Oh, Ollie…."
Tommy looked at Felicity with a smirk. "If I make a joke about 'embracing the stereotype'…"
"Then your dad won't have to cut you off." Felicity said sharply. "Because I'll drain every account you have!"
Oliver stopped outside his office and spun to face her. "I need a girl Wednesday." He said.
"It's…Friday," she seethed, "and the answer is no!"
Oliver took a deep breath. "These computers have been upgraded." He tried, gesturing to the computers at the desk. Her new desk. "Far more processing power than your typical secretary." He turned and walked into his office. Undeterred, Felicity followed as Diggle watched on in amusement.
"Did you know I went to M.I.T.?" she asked. "Guess what I majored in. Hint- not the secretarial arts."
"Felicity!" he shouted, causing her to go quiet. "We all need to have secret identities now." He explained. "If I'm going to be Oliver Queen CEO, then I can't very well travel down 18 floors every time you and I need to discuss how we spend our nights."
"And I love spending the night with you." She froze, then closed her eyes at the unintended innuendo.
Thea, Tommy and Laurel all snickered in amusement as Felicity seethed on the couch.
"3..2..1…" Oliver looked up at Diggle, who merely smirked in reply. "I worked very hard to get where I am, and it wasn't so I could fetch you coffee!" Felicity exclaimed as Oliver took a seat behind his desk.
"Well, it could be worse." Dig said as he pulled out a piece of gum. "My secret identity is his black driver." He popped the gum into his mouth.
"That's a good point." Diggle said, amused despite himself.
"Right now, I need you to figure out how the hijackers are getting a line on the goods earmarked for Glades Memorial." Oliver ordered. "If we know how they're picking their targets-"
"We will know when and where to stop them." Diggle finished.
Felicity exhaled sharply. "Fine." She said after a moment. She turned to go back to her desk, but then turned back to Oliver. "Oh! May I get you a cup of coffee?" she asked sweetly.
Oliver stared at her in surprise, then trepidation. He exhaled slowly. "You're not actually offering to get me a cup of coffee, are you?" he guessed.
Sara shook her head in amazement. "How the hell did he survive those five years?" she asked in wonder.
"Yeah, no." Felicity snarled, spinning back around and stomping back to her desk. "That won't be happening. Ever!"
"Well, if you can bring yourself to do it, can you please make reservations for Dig, Carly and I Saturday night at Table Salt?" he called out.
Felicity looked up at Diggle in surprise. Then she pulled out the rubber keyboard and her tablet. She waved the tablet at Oliver so that he could see it. "Sure! I'll get right on that. Using the Internet, which you also happen to have access to." She said bitingly. She attached the tablet to the keyboard and opened up her browser. "Still haven't told him?" she asked Diggle quietly.
"He has enough on his plate." Dig replied, going into Oliver's office.
Felicity glanced at Dig. "I'm guessing things didn't work out between you and Carly."
Dig looked over at Mia, who shook her head. "Damn." He said quietly.
Sitting at his desk, Oliver pulled up the local news feed on his computer screen. 'Last year when Oliver Queen returned to Starling City, he was met with flowers and well-wishes. However, today down at Glades Memorial, he was met with a far less cordial homecoming. The question is no longer, where have you been, Oliver Queen. Now it's, but what have you done for me lately? Mr. Queen was not available for comment.' Oliver sat back, deep in thought.
FIVE YEARS AGO
The scene flashed back to the island. Shado helped Oliver wash the blood off of his hands in the river.
"You saved my life." She told him.
He smiled humorlessly. "That's what I keep telling myself. That I killed that guy because he was going to kill you." He looked at her, pain in his eyes. "But what if that's not the reason? I just feel like this island is… it's turning me into something terrible."
"It turned us all into something terrible." Sara muttered, her eyes flickering over to Slade.
Shado dipped her hand into the river, cupping her hand. She raised it up and let the water flow over his forehead. "No island, no place can make you something you're not." She told him.
"So I've always been a killer?" he asked.
"Everyone has a demon inside of them." She replied. "The 'dao de jing' recognizes the yin and the yang. Opposing forces inside all of us. The darkness. And the light. The killer… and the hero." She pulled him down for a gentle. Kiss. After a moment, both began to slowly undress.
Tommy's eyebrows rose. "And suddenly we've gone from 'Battle Royal' to 'Fantasy Island'." He remarked, earning a growl from Slade.
PRESENT
The scene flashed back to the Foundry.
"Never thought I'd say this, but I'm actually getting more done down in the basement of an abandoned steel factory than in the corner office of a high rise." Felicity was saying as the golden trio entered the lair.
"What do you have?"
"FEMA is shipping 100,000 units of medical grade opiates to Glades Memorial." She said.
"When?"
"Truck is scheduled to leave the FEMA depot in 20 minutes."
"Not if this motorcycle gang has anything to say about it." Diggle said.
"Bad luck for them." Oliver replied. "I have something to say about it."
The scene shifted to the FEMA facility. The drugs were being loaded onto the trucks, but in a departure from previous heists, the motorcycle riders stormed the facility. They opened fire, killing everyone they saw before coming to a stop in front of a pair of trucks. They got off and quickly reloaded, advancing on a hapless driver.
"Here's a question- where are the cops?" Tommy asked. "If these trucks are being hit, why isn't there a police presence? Or even a National Guard presence, since it's a disaster area?"
"Because Pike is an incompetent ass." Mia said sourly.
"He's not…" Lance sighed. "Okay, he IS that bad."
"No, no, no, please, please, don't shoot."
"Down!"
The driver ducked, and the Arrow let loose a pair of arrows, striking both men in the shoulder and sending them to the ground.
"Make your delivery!" he ordered the driver, who nodded and jumped into his tuck. Before he could get all the way in, though, a knife pierced his neck, killing him.
"Emerald archer." The Arrow looked up to see China White standing there. "I feared you had perished in the quake, denying me the opportunity to pay you back in full for your past interference in my business."
"Your business is going under- permanently!" He drew and fired, but another figure dropped down between the two trucks, then blocked the arrows with a set of steel claws set into brass knuckles on his hands.
"I don't think my friend agrees with you." China White said. "Our new partnership was easily cemented. See, I was eager to see you dead, and he was eager to kill you."
"And now there's this guy!" Tommy exclaimed, worried for his friend.
Oliver drew several more arrows and fired them, one after the other, but Bronze Tiger blocked each and every one.
"No kill shots?" he asked scathingly even as China White jumped into a truck to take it. "I was promised a fight. I hope you haven't lost your nerve."
"Find out." The Arrow dared.
Bronze Tiger rushed him, swinging his claws in powerful arcs that the vigilante deflected with his bow. They fought on as China White pulled away with the FEMA truck, then back towards the building. Oliver directed them between the side of the building and several steam pipes the limit his motion, but it also constrained the archer. Tiger knocked his bow away and the two locked arms, with the Tiger trying to push the claws into the Arrows chest.
Meanwhile the police had arrived on the scene and deployed around the area.
"Oh look, the cops finally arrived!" Tommy said sarcastically.
"Starling City police!" Pike called out. "You're surrounded." Oliver looked over at the gathering of police- and saw Laurel right there with them. "Put down your weapons or we will open fire."
"Oh look, they're more concerned with catching a vigilante than with retrieving a truck full of drugs that will be repackaged and sold to school kids!" Roy added.
Laurel sighed miserably. "And looks who's leading the charge. Yay."
Angered by the turn of events, the Arrow forced Bronze Tigers claws into a steam pipe, letting a blast of steam out that obscured the two fighters. He ran off, grabbing his bow as he went as the police opened fire all around him. An errant shot grazed the back of his foot, hobbling him, so he withdrew a smoke bomb and threw it down, further obscuring himself. Then he withdrew a grappling arrow and fired it up, launching himself into the gantry above.
"Cease fire, cease fire!" Pike yelled . "Find them." He ordered the other officers. "They couldn't have gone far."
Up above, Oliver looked down at the cops, wincing in pain.
The scene changed back to the Foundry. Oliver was stitching himself up as Felicity paced around.
"Does it hurt?" she asked.
"Not as much as some things." Oliver said as he finished. He sat back and put the needle in the tray.
"I love that we live in a city where the police are more interested in catching you than the drug-stealing mobsters." She scoffed quietly. "Our tax dollars at work."
"The authorities have always gone after the Vigilante." Oliver said. "This time was different."
"Why, because this time it's Laurel leading the charge?" Dig asked with a smirk.
"Because they got in my way." Oliver snarled, forcing himself to his feet. He glowered at Diggle. "I can't make things better as Oliver Queen, and now I can't make things better as the Vigilante. So what if Laurel's involved?"
"Hey!" Felicity said sharply. "Go easy on him."
"It's all right, Felicity." Dig tried to interject, but she was having none of it.
"No, it's not." She glared at Oliver. "You don't get to jump down his throat just because you happen to be having a lousy week." She told him. "Ok, you're pissed he invoked the almighty Laurel. Well, you're not the only one whose love life is taking it on the chin!"
"Felicity-" Dig tried again.
"What are you talking about?" Oliver demanded.
"I'm talking about, you keep bringing up Carly but you're so involved with yourself that you don't even realize the look he gets every time you do." She pointed out.
Olive turned to Diggle. "What is she talking about?" he asked.
"Me and Carly pulling the pin." He replied. "It happened when you were gone. Truth is, it's been happening for a while now."
"Being the Vigilante's wingman was a strain." Felicity said. She looked to Diggle. "He needs to hear this."
"This wasn't just about what we were doing, Oliver." Diggle started. "This isn't just about you, man. I couldn't separate what's going on with me and Carly, and what went on with my brother."
"Deadshot." Oliver said in realization.
"He's still out there." Dig said. "My brother's killer. Still breathing. And I, uh, guess I couldn't hate him and love her at the same time. See?" he stood and grabbed his jacket. "You are not the only one having trouble reconciling two sides of himself." He turned and walked out. Felicity wiped away tears and walked off as well, leaving Oliver alone.
Tommy turned and glared at Felicity and Diggle. "Oh, REALLY?" he said scathingly.
Felicity shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "What?"
"YOU are getting pissy with HIM?" he hissed, angered on his best friends behalf. "Why? Because he needed you close so he made you his secretary? Or because he didn't keep up with his friend's Facebook posts about his love life?"
"Hang on a minute-" Dig started.
Tommy cut him off. "No, YOU hang on a minute!" he yelled. "You two dragged him back into this! Yeah, he needed to come home- but he needed to come home to be there for his family, NOT to put on that damn hood again!" he shook his head in disgust. "In case you forgot while you were whinging about your new job, or about how your girlfriend broke up with you, let me remind you of what he's had to deal with. His mother is in jail and is facing the full weight of the law because my father isn't around- because he believes he killed him. His sister's probably been getting hounded by the Papz, his company was nearly bought out from under him, and oh yeah! He has to deal with thinking that I thought of him as a murderer when I DIED! So please give the guy a FUCKING BREAK!"
"TOMMY!" Mia said sharply. At this point Tommy was red in the face, and Felicity was near tears. Diggle looked about as angry as Tommy, and was struggling to keep it in check. "Two things. First- take it down a notch." She told her brother. "And second, please remember that the people in this room are NOT the people on the screen. And while I whole-heartedly agree that they," she nodded at the screen, "need to be told off, THEY," she nodded at Felicity and Diggle, "do NOT."
Tommy took a few deep breath to calm himself. "Sorry" he said shortly. Diggle glared at him, then turned back to the screen. Thea reached over and patter Felicity's hand to comfort her as the memory started up again.
Upstairs in the club, Roy was sweeping the floor after closing. He looked up as Thea walked over.
"Great crowd tonight." He said.
She stared at him with arms crossed. "Now that we're closed, are you going to be starting your second shift?" she asked sarcastically."Suicide by Chinese street thugs."
"Do you really want to talk about this again?" he asked, annoyed.
"We never finished talking about it. I wanted Laurel to arrest you." She admitted.
Roy stopped sweeping. "You know, you're not the first girlfriend to say that to me." He told her.
"Nor the last." Roy muttered.
"She said I couldn't change you, so I'm not going to try to." Thea said, handing him two items.
Roy took them and looked at them in confusion. It was a paycheck, and the Hozen Oliver had given her. "What, so you're giving me money and a rock?"
"The check is two weeks' severance from the club." Thea said to his surprise. He looked up at her as she wiped away tears. "Just because I can't change you doesn't mean I have to let you be in my life until you get yourself killed." Roy scoffed. "And my brother gave me that when he came back from the dead." She continued, indicating the rock. "He said it was a hozen, some Buddhist thing that symbolizes reconnecting. If you want to reconnect with me, keep the hozen and tear up that check."
"I don't do too well with ultimatums." He told her.
"And I don't do all that great with people I love getting hurt. And worse." She replied, and then walked off, leaving Roy alone to think.
Roy snuggled up close to his wife. "Pushy broad." He muttered to her.
"Damn right." Mia replied.
The scene chanted to Queen Consolidated the next day. Oliver was in his office when Felicity walked in.
"Your 4:00 is here." She told him, no trace of anger from the other day present. She had other reasons to be angry. "Although I'm not entirely sure why you invited him up to your office." She added, looking out to the waiting area where Blood was waiting.
"'Cause I need to fix this situation, and there are no cameras or people to throw things at me in here." He told her. As he rose from his desk, he walked past her and called out to the lobby. "Alderman. Thank you for coming."
"Mr. Queen." Blood replied as he walked into the office. Oliver moved to shake his hand, but Blood walked past him and to the windows that looked out onto the city. "This is some view." He remarked. "How small the rest of us must all look from up here."
"Wow. He sure is full of himself." Thea said sourly.
Oliver shrugged it off. "Ms. Smoak." He started, a small smile playing on his lips.
"Yes?" she asked.
"Would you get my guest and I some coffee?" he asked brazenly.
Laurel snickered.
"You know, I would, Mr. Queen, but it seems that someone's broken our coffeemaker." She told him, then added, "Violently." In a whisper as she left the office.
Sara joined her sister in laughing, and even Felicity cracked a smile.
"I was surprised that you wanted to meet." Blood said from the window.
"As surprised as I was when you turned a frenzied mob on me?" Oliver countered.
"Oh, that shouldn't have been too surprising." Blood said, taking a seat across the small coffee table in the room. "My constituents have a lot of anger towards your family."
"They have a right to." Oliver admitted. "My mother was involved in something unspeakable. But I'm my own man. And I'm not your enemy."
"You're not a friend." Blood replied. "To me or the people of the Glades."
"I am hoping to prove otherwise." Oliver said, pulling out his checkbook.
"Mr. Queen." Blood sat forward. "Not every problem can be solved by money. Real change will never happen until your elitist friends realize that it is morally unacceptable to allow thousands of its fellow citizens to live right down the street but in a third world." He said passionately.
"Then let's show them." Oliver replied. "I'll host a benefit. Invite some of my 'elitist friends,' and then you and I can help them see what needs to be done."
Blood sat back. "People seeing you." He began. "Seeing you stand up, the CEO of Queen Consolidated, taking responsibility and being this cause's public face. That would make a difference." He admitted.
Oliver stood and held out his hand. "Then let's make a difference."
They shook hands. "Listen. I am truly sorry for what happened outside that hospital." He told Oliver. "Sometimes my emotions get the better of me."
"I don't think he's a bad guy," Laurel told Thea. "Just… overly passionate."
Mia bit her tongue.
FIVE YEARS AGO
The scene flashed back to the island. Slade approached the river bank where Oliver and Shado, now mostly clothed again, were lounging.
"I don't even know how long it's been since I laughed." Oliver was saying. He watched them for a few moments, a sadness playing over his face, before he rose and moved away a small distance. He turned his back and then called out, "Hey, kid. Shado."
The two jumped up like kids being caught with their hands in the cookie jar and rapidly put on the rest of their clothes. "Yeah, just, um… We were just washing off." Oliver yelled back.
"Well, you better prepare to get dirty again." Slade said, walking down towards them. "I think I figured out where those men were headed. It's a couple of clicks northwest of here." The two looked at him, slightly ashamed. "Well, let's go." He said finally, moving off. Olive and Shado moved behind him as he walked.
"Be careful." Slade advised Oliver as they walked. "Don't fall too hard."
"Why not?" he asked. "To make sure there isn't part of this island that doesn't totally suck?"
"To survive." Slade said with a grin. "She's a distraction, and in a place like this, a distraction's going to cloud your judgment. And that is what's going to get you killed." Slade looked back at Oliver. "Look at what this island has already done to you, kid."
"Oh, that's nice." Tommy said sourly. Slade smirked but remained silent.
PRESENT
The scene moved back to Starling. Laurel was working late in the D.A.'s office. She was alone, looking over her next case file when the lights suddenly went out.
"Hello, Laurel." A familiar, distorted voice said.
"This seems like old times." Laurel said to the vigilante.
"I figured we should talk."
"Fine." Laurel turned to face him. "Turn that thing off and pull back your hood."
"I'm not your enemy." He told her. "And I thought we understood each other."
"I understand that you're a criminal." She said. "And you think the law doesn't apply to you- it does."
"But you didn't always feel that way. You used to think that I was helping the people in this city." He pointed out.
"And then I saw you."
A pause. "I don't understand."
"The night of the earthquake. I saw you at CNRI." She told him. "My friend was inside the building when it collapsed. He went there to rescue me. And by the time I managed to climb inside, he was gone. But I saw you. Running away into the night. You didn't save him." She accused as her tears began to fall. "You were too busy… Fighting a meaningless duel with Malcolm Merlyn. And when people- people you told me you would protect needed your help- you weren't there." She sniffled. "I don't think you wear that hood because you're a hero. I think you wear it to hide that you're a coward, and I promise you, I will see you unmasked, prosecuted and sent to prison." She promised, before turning away from him. "Don't ever speak to me again."
Laurel sighed. "That was harsh." she said wearily.
The scene changed to Queen Consolidated the next night. The benefit for the Glades was under way on the executive level, and Laurel was walking through the room, a glass of champagne in hand, looking for Oliver.
"You look like a woman who's looking for someone." Laurel turned to see Sebastian Blood standing behind her, a drink in his hand as well.
"Friend of mine." Laurel said. "He's throwing this benefit."
"Ah. Oliver Queen. Didn't realize you were friends." He remarked.
"Very old friends." Laurel told him. "So you can imagine how I feel about you putting him in the crosshairs of public opinion, alderman." She added coolly.
"For what it's worth, I've apologized to Oliver for my rhetorical excesses." Blood said apologetically. "In fact, it is that détente which brings us all here tonight."
"So where is Oliver?" She asked.
Blood smiled ruefully. "That's exactly the question I'm asking myself."
The scene changed to Oliver and Diggle in the elevator, on their way up to the party.
Oliver looked at his watch and frowned. "We're late." He noted.
"The good news is, at least you get to make a dramatic entrance." Dig opined.
"Oh, I'm just lucky Oliver Queen has a reputation for not showing up on time." Oliver said, looking up at the floor counter and willing it to go faster.
"You know, I've been meaning to tell you it really weirds me out to no end the way you refer to yourself in the third person like that." Dig told his friend.
"Agreed." Tommy, Laurel and Thea all said.
The elevator dinged, and at the same moment Oliver's phone started vibrating. He pulled it out of his jacket. "It's Felicity." He told Diggle as he stepped off the elevator. He answered the call. "Tell me."
"I've got good news and bad news." Felicity said from the Foundry. "I hacked into FEMA's server, yet another federal offense, thank you very much, and was able to find out when the next shipment of pharmaceuticals is taking place."
"When?" Oliver asked.
"That's the bad news. Five minutes ago." She said. At Q.C., Oliver looked over at the fundraiser he was throwing, knowing even before she asked that he would be a no-show there. Still, she asked the question. "I know this is the definition of sucky timing, but which suit are you planning on wearing tonight?"
In the party, Blood stared out the window, his ire growing every second the party's host didn't appear. Finally he had enough. " Doesn't seem Mr. Queen is going to honor us with his presence this evening." He told Laurel.
"So where are you going?" she asked him as he started to move off.
"To address his guests." He said. "It's time they realize what kind of a man their host is."
"You're just going to crucify him in the media again?" she asked incredulously.
"Crucifixion has such a bad reputation." Blood replied. "The Romans used it to punish people who acted against the public good."
"Alderman-" Laurel tried, but Blood had already stepped up to the mic at the podium.
"Ladies and gentlemen." He said, drawing the guest's attention and a polite applause. "Thank you. Thank you." He said. "But you should hold your applause for Oliver Queen. This evening's charity was his brain child." He moved away from the podium, moving to stand closer to the people. " As such, you could be forgiven for wondering why Mr. Queen isn't with us tonight. And the answer, I'm afraid, is painfully apparent." In the foundry, Oliver was rapidly suiting up. "He doesn't care." Blood continued as Laurel looked on, helpless. "I told Mr. Queen that this city's problems cannot be solved with his money; that he needed to stand up and be counted as someone who cares. So where is he now?"
"Doing the polices' job." Tommy said sarcastically.
At the SCPD, an officer ran up to Lieutenant Pike. " Lieutenant! We got a Hood sighting, heading down Lemire Avenue."
"Let's go!" Pike yelled out, and the Anti-Vigilante Task Force raced to their cars.
"I don't know where Oliver Queen is." Blood continued. "All I know is that he isn't here."
The FEMA truck raced through the Glades, with the motorcyclists in pursuit.
"This city is dying."
Nearly a dozen police cruisers raced to take down the vigilante.
"And it needs someone to stand up and breathe new hope into it."
The Arrow raced towards the FEMA trucks on his own bike.
"And tonight, it is painfully obvious that that person is not Oliver Queen."
"This guy does like to hear himself talk, doesn't he?." Moira asked.
China White wiped her knife clean on the jacket of the dead driver. " Rúguǒ yǒurén dédào nǐ de fāngshì, xiūjiǎn xiàlái." She told her men. They nodded, and the two riders moved to the truck. One was climbing in the driver's side when the Arrow rounded the corner on his bike. As he sped past he fired a flash bang arrow into the cab that sent the gang member tumbling out as it exploded. As the Arrow brought his bike to a stop and climbed off to face China White and Bronze Tiger, the Asian assassin turned to the other rider. Go!" she ordered, and the man ran to the truck. She and Tiger then turned their attention to the Arrow, who was stalking towards them. "I told you." She reminded him. "On time to die."
"Moving in on the vigilante's location."
"So, are the cops going to screw up yet again?" Thea wondered.
The cruisers skidded to a stop in an intersection in the Glades. The cops got out and started looking around, and Pike looked around in confusion.
"This doesn't make any sense." One of his men said, coming up to him. He showed him the pad he was carrying, which showed a surveillance feed of the Vigilante- supposedly right where they were standing. "This is supposed to be live surveillance."
Pike looked down at the video, and then scowled. He pointed to a building on the screen. "What the hell is this building doing here?" he pointed up to the wreckage in front of them. "It was destroyed in the quake."
"Who in the hell could be feeding us year-old surveillance?" the other cop wondered.
In the Foundry, Felicity smiled as she continued her work.
"Boo-ya!" Felicity said.
Mia shook her head. "Don't ever say that again. Please. I'm begging you." she teased.
At the truck, Bronze Tiger and China White assaulted the Arrow as one, forcing the vigilante to fend them off. The last gang member had started climbing into the cab of the truck, when suddenly a man in a ski mask came out of nowhere and grabbed him. He hit him several times, and then threw him into a dumpster, slamming the lid on the punks' head for good measure.
"Healthcare has enough problems without you punks." Dig growled. Then he ran to the truck and climbed in.
Oliver managed to land a hard strike onto China White, sending her crashing into a K-rail. Tiger moved in, grabbing him from behind. Suddenly the lights of the truck flared onto them both.
"You're not the only one allowed to bring a friend!" Oliver growled, throwing him off and diving to the side as the truck raced past. China White scrambled to her feet and ran to the truck, jumping on the back as it past.
In the cab, Dig pulled up his mask and checked his mirrors. "I'm clear." He said into his com.
Oliver got up and looked around, searching for Bronze Tiger. "That makes one of us." He said. He moved cautiously around the area, looking for his opponent. All around him, wooden crates were stacked, and were covered with tarps that flapped freely in the breeze, creating a labyrinth. As Oliver moved deeper into the maze, Bronze Tiger came out behind him, slashing into his back with his claws before disappearing behind cover once more. Oliver gasped in pain and tried to draw an arrow- but he had no target. Cautiously, he continued his search.
In the truck, Dig was continuing to head of the hospital when China White suddenly popped up next to him outside his door.
"Here's Johnny!" Tommy said in surprise.
"China!" he yelled out in surprise, ducking a swing from he and the two began exchanging blows even as Dig continued to drive.
In the maze, Tiger once again leapt out, slashing into Oliver's chest and again drawing an anguished gasp before disappearing once more.
In the truck, Dig was fending off China White, but as a result of the distraction he crashed into some debris at the side of the road. The impact drove his forehead into the steering wheel; it also threw China White off of the truck. Dig groaned and rubbed his head as he tried to recover his senses.
"Again we see the damage distracted driving can do." Roy quipped.
In the maze, Oliver paused in his search. Then he spun and fired and arrow, which Bronze Tiger blocked.
"Go ahead, waste your arrows." He growled, advancing as Oliver drew and fired several more. One hit Tiger in his shoulder, but he still kept coming. He barreled into the Arrow, slamming him back against a dumpster and digging into the wound he had created.
"That hurt, but it won't stop me." Tiger said with a smirk. The smirk turned into a grimace and the gloating turned into an anguished scream as Oliver hit the activation button for the taser arrow he had shot into Tiger's shoulder. The man collapsed bonelessly to the ground.
"Shocking." Dig quipped to general groans.
"That was horrible." Felicity said.
"Better than 'Boo-ya'." Dig replied with a grin.
"That will." Oliver said to the mans' quivering, unconscious body. He hit his com switch. "Dig? Diggle!" When he didn't answer, Oliver left Bronze Tiger on the ground and took off for his bike.
At the truck, Diggle got out with his gun drawn, looking for China White. She charged him, knocking his gun away and swiping at him with her knife. She pressed her attack, putting Diggle on the defensive, and finally hitting a lucky blow and sending the bigger man to his knees. He pulled out a switchblade as she rose to drive her knife down-
But then the Arrow was their, firing a bola arrow which entrapped her hands and secured her to a utilities pole.
"Ah, I had her!" Diggle complained.
Oliver got off his bike and moved to Diggle to check that he was okay.
"You've changed." China White said. "You would have killed me by now if you hadn't."
"The police can take the shipment the rest of the way." He told Diggle. He turned to go back to his bike, but her voice stopped him.
"They still won't see you as anything more than the enemy." She taunted. He turned back to face her. "You'll never be anything but a criminal to them. Which means you'll never be a hero."
Oliver considered her for a long moment. "As long as this city is safe, it doesn't matter." He told her, then walked off.
Moira smiled, pride in her son filling her chest.
Later, Oliver and Diggle sat in his office watching the news report of the arrest. 'After a prolonged pursuit, police have arrested Chien Na Wei, a high-ranking member of the local Chinese Triad, which was responsible for the recent hijackings of pharmaceuticals bound for Glades Memorial. Representatives praise the efforts of the SCPD in saving the hospital from shutting down, though some sources say the Vigilante may have been involved.' Oliver smiled slightly at that. 'In other news, protests continue…'
"In other words, Pike is trying to spin it that the SCPD were actively trying to stop the hijackers instead of them being gift-wrapped by the Vigilante, who everyone knows actually stopped the hijackers." Tommy said.
"That's about right." Quentin admitted.
"You know, I was just about to make my move on her." Diggle said as he leaned against the wall. "I didn't need one of your trick arrows getting in the way."
"Sure you were." Felicity teased.
The both chuckled. "Couldn't risk it. Where would I be without my black driver?" Oliver joked. Dig smiled at him as he moved to get his coat. "Diggle!" he called out. "I'm sorry about you and Carly." He said earnestly.
"Yeah, well, couples break up." Diggle replied. "Not everything that happens in Starling City is your responsibility."
"I'm learning that." Oliver said. "What I meant was, I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you, because I should have been. I got wrapped up in my own suffering, and I forgot that some other people might be suffering, too."
"That is unexpectedly profound for Oliver." Thea said.
They both nodded at each other, then were silent. Finally Dig spoke. "You know, we're getting dangerously close to hug territory, so I'm going to fall back." Oliver chuckled. "You need a ride?" Dig asked.
"It turns that being CEO, I actually have some work to do." Oliver replied. "I'll find my own way."
"You always do." Dig said as he turned and walked out.
Oliver sat back and turned his attention back to the news. 'Oliver Queen's failure to show up to his own benefit shouldn't surprise anyone.' Sebastian Blood was saying. 'He's no different than the rest of the Starling City elite who have failed to show up when it comes to ending the suffering of those left devastated in the Glades. Oliver Queen is not a friend to the people of this city.' Oliver turned the news off with a frown, then looked down in surprise as a mug of coffee was set on his desk. He looked up to see Felicity. She smiled at him, then turned and walked out as well.
"Never gonna happen, huh?" Thea said to Felicity.
The hacker shrugged. "Every one in a while couldn't hurt.
FIVE YEARS AGO
The scene flashed back to the island. Slade, Oliver and Shado were moving quickly through the forest, following Slade's lead. Suddenly he paused, looked down at the map- and the photo that was attached to it, then looked back up. "To those men, this location could have been on any one of 150 different islands." He said, then turned back to his friends with a smile. "But for somebody who knows this island like he knows his own name…"
"So those men were looking for this place." Shado said, looking around. "Why?"
"That would be the question." Slade said.
"Slade." The pair turned to Oliver, who had moved a short distance off. "Over here." He pointed. Slade looked, and saw that there was a cave there, whose entrance was concealed behind thick vines. Slade put the map away and took out his K-Bar, then cautiously entered the cave. Inside he found a small area that had been converted into a rudimentary living area. On the ground, though, he saw skeletons dressed in Japanese uniforms with misshapen skulls.
Malcolm leaned forward, intrigued.
"What the frak?" Felicity wondered, staring at the skeletal remains on the screen.
Oliver knelt beside one of the bodies.
"Their skulls are misshapen." Shado noted.
"What happened to these people?" Oliver wondered aloud.
Slade bent over and picked up a samurai sword. "Whatever did happen to them was over 60 years ago." He said, looking at the rusted sword. "These soldiers belong to the Japanese Imperial Army."
"They've been here since World War II." Shado said.
"What the hell?" Tommy wondered. He looked up at Slade. "Were they like those soldiers I've heard about, that didn't accept the Japanese surrender and holed up in caves on islands in the Pacific?" At Laurel's amazed look, he rolled his eyes. "I actually LIKED history in school, you know."
"No, they weren't. There were soldiers that were marooned there during the war, who carried a most valuable cargo." Slade offered.
"We're missing something here." Slade said as Oliver examined another of the bodies. Around the neck he found a stone arrowhead with markings carved into it. He pulled it off and looked at it curiously. "You don't just come here for corpses." Slade finished, looking around for more clues.
PRESENT
Back in the present, Roy was taking out some trash behind Verdant when he suddenly sensed he wasn't alone. He knelt down, depositing the glass bottles as he subtly reached into his pocket. In one fluid movement, he withdrew the arrow, rose, and spun around, flinging the projectile-
Right at The Arrow, who caught it inches from his face.
Sara snickered. "Nice shot."
"He startled me." Roy complained.
"Really? Because i always thought, with the way you carried on about him, that you wanted to thrust something long and hard into him." Mia said with a twinkle in her eye.
"GAH!" Thea complained, rubbing her eyes. "There are somethings I NEVER want to think about!"
"Me, too." Tommy said with a groan.
Roy stared, stunned, before he finally found his voice. "I've been looking for you."
"You need to stop." The Arrow said forcefully.
"You saved my life!" Roy said. "Made me realize it wasn't much of a life." He admitted. "But I could do what others couldn't, or too afraid to do. I could help you save the city."
"You're untrained." The Arrow said.
"I can fight." Roy protested.
"You can take a beating." The vigilante shot back. "There's a difference."
"Yeah, but i could take a HELL of a beating." Roy quipped.
"Then teach me! Let me help you." Roy begged.
The Arrow walked slowly towards him. "Ok." He said after a moment of silence. "You can help me. But not by taking on the Triad or the cops."
"Then how?"
"To do what I do, I need intel. You can be my eyes and ears in the Glades." He offered. "That's how you can save the city."
"How do I contact you?" Roy asked.
The Arrow tossed back the flechette. "Leave that in the alley wall. Then I'll know to contact you."
Roy bent down to retrieve the weapon. "Are you sure it's all right that I keep this?" he asked, looking up- but the Arrow was gone. He grinned in disbelief.
"Why not? the cops already looked at it." Laurel pointed out.
Thea was sitting at the bar, going over paperwork when the hozen was suddenly put down on the file. She looked at it, then up at Roy.
"If I want to be with you, do I keep that or give it back?" he asked her. "You were a little unclear."
She looked at him hopefully. "You mean it?"
"No more fighting." He promised. "If it's a choice between life with you or life without you, life with you will win every single time." She smiled at him. "I'm done trying to be a hero." Thea rose and gently kissed him on the lips before embracing her boyfriend. Roy returned the hug gratefully, even as he felt the weight of the flechette in his back pocket.
Mia slapped Roy on the back of his head. "Lying jerk."
Roy grinned. "That becomes a common theme for this year..."
Later that night, Laurel was working late again at the D.A.'s office when, once again, the lights went out.
"I told you to stay away from me." She said, spinning around to see The Arrow standing in the darkened office.
Oliver activated the voice changer. "I thought you might have changed your mind after I stopped the men terrorizing our city."
"This isn't your city." Laurel said sharply."It's your killing fields."
"The copycats are still alive." The Arrow noted.
"Tommy Merlyn isn't." she shot back.
"Borken record, broken record, broken record..." Tommy teased.
Oliver paused for a moment. "I lost a friend that day, too." He told her. "And I would gladly have given my life for his."
"Well, don't worry, your life is over." Laurel said, grinning coldly. She held up a small device for him to see- a signaling device. "Your life as a free man."
She pressed the button, and instantly the Task Force warmed into the office. They surrounded the vigilante, cutting off all avenues of escape. He drew and arrow and nocked it, turning slowly to face each of the cops- but there were always more at his back. He was well and truly trapped.
"I told you to stay away." Laurel said smugly. "Somehow I knew you wouldn't listen."
"It's a trap!" Laurel exclaimed in dismay.
"No kidding, Ackbar." Felicity said.
"Very well done, Miss Lance." Slade said, smiling coldly.
"Well, don't get too happy, Slade." Sara said. "Because this is where I come in."
TBC
Sorry if the conversation is a bit light at the end. For some reason, all of my dialogue for the last act disappeared, so I had to recreate it the best I could.
So here's something that always bothered me. Shado was shown to be a badass fighter, right? How is it, then, that she always got captured SO EASILY?!
You know, watching this episode again- did anyone else maybe get a little mad at Diggle and Felicity? Especially Felicity? I'm a huge fan of the character, and I loved her interaction with Oliver in the office- but I was offended by her attitude. Both of their attitudes, really. They dragged HIM back, practically tricked him into putting on the hood again, maneuvered it so that he would become the vigilante again- and THEY get upset when things are a bit tough for them? Felicity is forced to become his EA- he has to sacrifice, did she think she wouldn't have to? And they couldn't get the actress back-er, Diggle and Carly broke up, and Oliver is just supposed to know? (Seriously though, does anybody know if that's why Carly didn't come back at all? Could they not get the actress back?)
Translations:
Take the truck. Leave nothing behind.- Chéngzuò kǎchē. Shēnhòu liú xià shénme.
if anybody gets in your way, mow them down.- Rúguǒ yǒurén dédào nǐ de fāngshì, xiūjiǎn xiàlái.