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 39: Tremors
Malcolm looked at Sara warily as the memory began to play. Having seen the true cost of his plan, he had no desire to see his earthquake machine in action again.
The memory set opened in Iron Heights as a new prisoner was led into processing. "Got your latest customer." The transport guard said to the two prison guards in the room. "Genius who held up the convenience store across the street from a police precinct."
"Not the smartest plan." The first guard said.
"Could have been worse. Could have been a donut shop." Thea remarked. Like Malcolm, she too was worried about the implications of another Markov device.
"Come on through." The second said, waving the con through the metal detectors. He walked through, setting them off.
"Bum knee." He said. "I had it replaced a few years ago."
The guard picked up the wand. "Well, I guess we'll have to do this old-fashioned-like." He said. "Arms up."
A short time later the guard led the con, now dressed in prison greys, to his new home on the cell block. "Got your new bunk mate." He said as he opened the cell. He gently pushed the con into the cell, then closed the cell door. "Play nice." he told the two men before walking off.
"Isn't that China White's friend?" Diggle wondered.
"Looks like it." Tommy agreed.
The con stood there in the center of the small cell, looking at the man in the lower bunk. To most people he was known as Bronze Tiger. But a select few knew his real name.
"Ben Turner?" Ben looked up at the strange man who most definitely DIDN'T know his name. "Tonight. Midnight. Redwood Drive and Larkspur Avenue." He said.
Lance leaned forward, concerned. "What…"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Ben asked, confused.
"Redwood and Larkspur." The con repeated. "The rooftop. Be there."
Ben scoffed. "I don't know if you've looked around, but we don't exactly have in and out privileges here."
"My son is with his mother." The con said softly. "I won't get to see him, anyway. This way, he's set. I do this, he gets the money."
Ben looked at him askance. "Do what?" he asked slowly.
The con pushed up his right sleeve and started pushing on his arm. A seam seemed to open up along his forearm, and he cried out in pain as a four inch, curved blade slowly forced its way out of his arm.
Thea, Tommy, Laurel, Moira and Felicity all screamed in disgust. Lance and Diggle even looked disgusted while Malcolm looked surprised.
"I do NOT want to see that!" Thea complained.
"That's sick!" Laurel said.
"I think I threw up in my mouth a little." Felicity said queasily.
"One of Blood's?" Lance wondered.
"Perhaps." Malcolm offered.
Ben watched in stunned amazement as the man repeated the gesture on his other arm, then his lower abdomen, then cut into his upper chest and withdrew a set of steel knuckles. Bun smiled in amazement as he recognized his gear.
"What's going on down there?" the guard asked a few minutes later as he ran down to the cell. He skidded to a stop in front of the bars and looked at the con, who was lying face down in a pool of blood. "Crap." He said, quickly opening the cell and kneeling down by the man. He looked over at Ben, who was hunched over on his bed. "What the hell did you do to him?"
"I didn't do anything." Ben answered honestly. The guard turned back to the con and felt for a pulse, allowing Ben the opportunity to move behind him and slit his throat using his now reassembled claws. As the guard died, Ben reached down and yanked his keys off of his belt.
"Naw, this can't be Blood." Lance said. "Why would Blood want a hired gun like him?"
The scene changed to an abandoned warehouse in the Glades, where Oliver had begun his training of Roy the best way he knew how. Roy stood sullenly behind a table, slapping water out of a large bowl as The Arrow paced around the room, lazily swinging a Singapore Cane.
"Again." The Arrow ordered.
Roy smiled. "Ah, yes. I remember this."
"You know, I slapped water out of a bowl yesterday." Roy said crossly. "And I slapped water out of a bowl the day before."
"You must be getting pretty good at it." The vigilante joked.
"Yeah, well, I can't wait to get attacked by a dog dish." Roy said sarcastically.
"Or a kiddie pool." Thea offered.
"This is how an archer builds arm strength." Oliver told him.
"I'm not sure if you've been paying attention, but strength isn't my problem." Roy replied shortly.
"No, controlling it is." Oliver said archly. "Again."
Roy snarled at the vigilante, and then drove his fist down. He punched through the bowl and the table both with ease, and when he withdrew his hand, there wasn't a scratch on it.
"Yeah, I'm guessing this isn't the best way to train you." Felicity said.
"As much as I absolutely HATE to admit it," Roy began, "I think Malcolm would have made a better trainer." Malcolm looked at the man in surprise. "Mia had run me through some of the League training you put her through; it may have been a better alternative for me."
"You're just saying that because you probably would have killed Malcolm by accident." Mia joked.
"Well, there's that, too." He admitted
"And that is how you put a guy in the hospital last week." The Arrow pointed out.
"How'd you know about that?" Roy demanded, looking at his trembling hand. He quickly shoved it into the pocket of his hoody. "It's none of your business."
"You made it my business when you agreed to let me help you." Oliver replied harshly, and then continued in a quieter voice. "I knew someone like you. Someone injected with the Mirakuru. He was my friend." He said painfully. "But it warped his mind to the point where I didn't even recognize him anymore."
"Who was this guy?" Roy asked. "How come I've never heard of him? Or that Mirakuru?" Silence. "Is there anything you can tell me about him?" Roy asked in frustration.
"Yeah. I had to put an arrow through his eye." Oliver said softly.
"Should have pushed it in deeper." Sara groused.
FIVE YEARS AGO
Oliver and Sara were slowly making their way through the forest, using the motion tracker to find Slade.
"If I'm reading this right, then Slade is back at the cave." Oliver said, looking at the display as he walked.
"Well, why would he go back to where the graves are?" Sara wondered.
"We'll find out when we find him." Oliver said tiredly.
"And when we do, you can't tell him." Sara reminded him.
"Tell him what?"
"Don't talk to me like I'm other people." Sara said, reaching out and stopping Oliver. "You've got that look on your face. The same one that you had after the first time we kissed. Pure guilt." She told him.
"Because I am guilty, Sara." Oliver said. "Ivo killed Shado because of me."
"Ivo killed Shado because he's a wackadoo." Lance said.
"But that's not true." Sara protested. "And even if it was, nothing good comes from telling Slade that you think you're responsible for the death of the woman he loved. Love's the most powerful emotion. And that makes it the most dangerous." She reasoned.
Oliver looked at her, annoyed because he knew she was telling the truth and that it was a bad idea to tell Slade. Then the tracker beeped twice and died. Oliver shook it, then slapped it on the side a few times, but got nothing.
"Great." He sighed in aggravation.
"You still know how to get to the cave?" Sara asked.
"Yeah. It's this way." He said, leading her onwards.
PRESENT
Moira was headed towards the door when she saw something she didn't see very often anymore- Thea, lounging on one of the couches in the den.
"Thea? What are you doing home?" she asked, stepping into the den. "I thought you were staying at Roy's."
"I was, but he was being a dick. DON'T SAY IT!" Thea exclaimed to her older self, who smirked.
"You're learning." Mia teased.
"Just needed a little 'me' time." She replied, glancing at the nice outfit her mother had on. "What's with the fancy-fancy?"
"Oh, I'm- I'm going out to dinner." Moira said nervously. "With Walter." She added.
Thea perked up. "Like a date?" she asked.
"Like a dinner." Moira clarified. "Truly, I don't know what the evening holds." She looked at Thea in concern. "Are you all right?" she asked.
"Yeah. I'm fine." Thea sighed. "Mostly." she added. "Uh… It's Roy. He had some trouble last week, and I don't know how to help him." She confided.
"Do you want me to stay home?" Moira asked. "I can call Walter and we can reschedule."
"Absolutely not." Thea said sternly. "If you and Walter are going to patch things up," she noted her mother's wary look. "No pressure." Thea said with a smile. "But you're going."
Moira chuckled and patted Thea on the knee.
"It may be nothing." Moira hedged.
"Only one way to find out." Thea said with a grin.
The scene shifted to Laurel's apartment. Quentin knocked on the door, and as soon as she opened it he barged right in.
"No, please, Dad, come right in." Laurel said sarcastically.
Quentin looked around at the messy apartment in dismay. "Well, I guess you're going for that lived-in look."
"Can't afford a housekeeper without a job." She said wryly.
Lance noted the many empty wine bottles lining the shelves. "Got enough beverage money, I see."
"Ooh, I could fill the empty bottles with layers of different colored sand! I'd make a fortune!" Laurel joked sarcastically.
"You know, if I wouldn't be worried about your health, you could totally come work for me!" Thea offered. "Maybe a bookkeeper position or something. You know, something away from the bar."
"Thanks, Speedy." Laurel said wryly.
"I'm going to need to crack open another bottle if we're going to fight." Laurel said, sitting back down on her couch and picking up her book.
"I didn't come here to fight." Quentin said.
"Then why are you here?" she asked. "Because I'm fine, really. In fact, I have a job interview. At Joanna's new firm." She added.
"That's good. Good." Quentin said. "But the real reason I came here is—"
"Is because you realized that you didn't reach your weekly quota of reminding me of how much I'm ruining my life?" she said sarcastically.
"It's 'cause I miss you, Laurel." Quentin said, bringing her up short. He sat down across from her. "For a long time, it was just you and me. Whatever else was going on, no matter how bad either of us was doing, we didn't disappear on each other. Because you're my family. And I miss my family." He sighed. "So how about we have dinner?" he asked. "You and me, tonight."
Laurel was silent for a moment. "I already ate." She said finally.
"Yeah." He sighed. "How about tomorrow night?" he asked hopefully.
Laurel sighed. "Sure. Dinner tomorrow." She agreed.
"Thank you." Quentin said before showing himself out.
Laurel glanced over at her father. "How much you want to bet that you'll try to get me into an AA meeting?"
"Was I that obvious?" Lance asked.
Laurel chuckled. "Only because I'm sober."
The scene changed to the Lair. Oliver was working out on the salmon ladder as Diggle and Felicity watched.
"How's it going with Roy?" Dig asked.
"Not well!" he lunged up another notch on the ladder.
"I don't know the kid all too well, but he seems to be five kinds of angry." Diggle noted.
"You might be underestimating." Oliver said, rising another rung. "Roy was mad at the world before he was injected with Mirakuru."
"You say you've seen this before?" Dig asked.
"Slade Wilson." Oliver said, lunging up another notch. "He was my friend."
"Troubling use of past tense there." Felicity noted.
"I thought I could help him control it. I was wrong. But I know more now, and I'm not going to make the same mistake with Roy."
"No, he'll make all new mistakes." Roy said grumpily.
A beeping caught their attention. Oliver jumped down as Felicity pulled up the alert program on her computer. "What's that?" he asked.
"Iron Heights." She said absently. "Due to their low security post-quake, I thought it would be a good idea to keep an eye on their internal communication for a while."
"You hacked into a prison system network?" Oliver said in surprise.
Felicity looked up. "Is that judgment I'm hearing?" she asked.
"Pride." Oliver said.
Felicity sat back and crossed her arms, a satisfied smile on her face.
The corner of her mouth ticked up in a pleased smirk, which faded as she read the news. "Iron Heights just put out a BOLO for Ben Turner, aka Bronze tiger, which, btw, is a terrible nickname, because tigers are not bronze."
"Turner escaped?" Oliver asked.
"Killed ten guards on his way out." Felicity added.
"You think that would have made the news." Diggle noted sourly.
"Iron Heights is better at keeping secrets than they are at keeping prisoners." Felicity quipped.
"Jesus." Lance spat angrily. "That whole administration needs to be turned over."
"I could bring that up with the mayor when we get back." Malcolm offered to Lance's surprise. "It's in everyone's best interest if Iron Heights is secure, wouldn't you say Detective?"
"I guess you got a point." Lance conceded.
"Any idea where he's headed?" Oliver asked.
"No." she said.
"Get one." Oliver demanded as he moved towards the showers.
"No pressure." Felicity grumbled.
"You're that good, remember?" Tommy teased.
The scene changed to the rooftop of the building on Redwood and Larkspur. Milo Armitage checked his watch was his bodyguards moved warily around the roof, semi-automatic weapons drawn and ready. But not ready fast enough as Ben Turner came up behind Armitage and lay his claws over his heart.
"Tell your men to take a walk." Turner said.
Armitage glanced over at his men. "Leave us." He told them.
"They can leave their weapons, too." Turner said. The bodyguards put the weapons on the roof and backed off back down the access stairs. "Thank you for the early release." Turner said, releasing Armitage who turned to face him. "Thought about taking off, but I'm… curious. Who would break a stranger out of prison?"
"Someone who wishes to hire you for a job." Armitage replied. "I need you to help my men retrieve a certain item." He pulled a picture out of his jacket pocket and showed it to Turner. "This is the item. You know it, yes?"
Turner stared at the picture for a moment. The guy had balls, he had to give him that. But did he have the money to back it up? "Yes, I do." He said finally. "Do you know what you're messing with here?" he asked. Armitage nodded in affirmation. "Won't be cheap."
"This is not a problem." Armitage assured him.
"You do know that thing could kill hundreds of people?" Turner said, wondering just how cold this cat actually was. He got his answer a moment later.
"No, Mr. Turner. It will kill thousands."
"Why does this mutt look familiar to me?" Lance wondered.
"His name is Milo Armitage." Malcolm said, a cold feeling in his stomach. It surprised him, as not one week earlier he had been content in knowing the device could kill thousands. It was amazing how a little information could change your entire outlook on things. "He's an arms trader and black marketeer. I believe he is on Interpol's most wanted list."
Lance nodded in recognition. "Yeah, now I remember him. I wonder what he wants the earthquake machine for?"
"I think we can safely say nothing good." Moira stated.
The scene changed to the warehouse. The Arrow demonstrated an exercise on a wing chun dummy as Roy watched, unimpressed. The Arrow finished and backed off. "Now you." He told his protégé. "Go slowly." Roy approached the dummy and started throwing punches at the center column. "Stop!" the vigilante ordered. "This is not about learning to throw a punch. This is about learning to control your strength." He reminded Roy.
"First water slapping, now this." Roy said as he slowly started to mimic Oliver's movements. "When are you going to run out of ways to make me look stupid?!" Aggravated, he launched a devastating single punch at the dummy, knocking the top off clean. "All I'm learning is new ways to get pissed off." He said, glaring at Oliver. "And in case you haven't noticed, I'm already pretty good at that."
"There's nothing wrong with anger, Roy. Anger is energy. But you need to learn to channel it in a positive way." The Arrow reminded him calmly.
"Like putting the hurt on guys going after the city. Let me try hitting something that'll actually hit back." Roy asked.
"Too soon." Oliver replied warily.
"Get me out there with you. One night." He begged. "All this, it would be a lot easier to take." The Arrow remained silent, considering.
"Except you already tried that, and put one guy in a coma and gave your friend a black eye." Lance reminded Roy, who nodded glumly.
"It's easy to criticize in hindsight." Roy said.
"Isn't that why we are all here?" Moira asked archly.
Roy chuckled. "Point."
The scene changed to a swank Chinese restaurant downtown. Moira was led over to the table where Walter was sitting, and she smiled at her ex-husband.
"Moira." Walter said pleasantly as he rose. Moira walked faster towards him, but stopped when another man rose as well.
"Ah. I didn't realize we'd have company." She said warily.
"This is Mark Frances." Walter introduced. "Mark's CFO at Kardak Holdings. We've been putting in some hours with the party's election steering committee."
"Oh." Moira said.
"It's a pleasure to meet you." Mark said, shaking her hand.
Malcolm chuckled. "Oh my…."
"What?" Thea demanded. Malcolm laughing was not a good sign in her mind.
"Wait for it." Mia said with a smirk.
"Those are words I'm not accustomed to hearing these days." Moira said with a wry smile as she took off her coat. Walter hung it on a nearby rack as she took her seat next to him.
"Oh, well." Mark was saying. "You were a lioness doing what she had to do to protect her cubs. You know, I'm not the only person in Starling who sees it that way."
"That's a comfort." Moira said.
"It's the truth. Please." He told her as they all sat down.
"Thank you." Moira said politely, then glanced over at Walter. "Well, it's unlike you to show such an interest in politics, Walter."" She noted.
"It's part of my new position at the Starling National Bank." Walter said. "My Board of Directors is very concerned about the trajectory of the city."
"You mean Sebastian Blood." Moira surmised.
"Yeah." Mark agreed. "We believe that his policies will bankrupt Starling within the next eight months. Not that the average voter cares. They're all caught up in his charisma." He groused.
"He does seem to have it to spare." Moira noted.
"And he's not running against a viable opponent." Moira noted, taking a sip of water.
"Blood's trounced every potential candidate we've focus-tested." Walter revealed.
"But we believe that he's vulnerable on regulation." Mark added.
"Even if he is, it hardly matters." Moira stated. "Banking regulations are an SEC issue. Starling City needs to use the means at a city's disposal."
Mark chuckled. "Walter said you were smart."
Moira looked at him, realization dawning over her face. "But you didn't invite me to dinner to hear my opinions. You want to hear my positions." She realized. "You want me to run against Sebastian Blood." She realized.
Moira's jaw dropped- and her's wasn't the only one.
"Well, this is an interesting wrinkle." Malcolm said in amusement.
"They want me to run for Mayor" Moira said in disbelief.
"No offense Mrs. Q," Tommy said slowly, "but in these memories, you just got acquitted on capital murder charges. And by acquitted, I mean my dad paid off the jury. How the hell do they expect you to become mayor?"
"Mr. Frances said it," Diggle said. "With the distance of time, a lot of people would view Mrs. Queen as a scared mother defending her family."
"Which is what she was." Felicity added in Moira's defense.
"Also, the Dearden name has been a staple in Starling City politics for generations." Malcolm added. "And the Queen name obviously still commands some respect. I think you would do quite well, Moira." Malcolm told her.
The scene shifted to the edge of the Glades as Quentin led Laurel to their 'dinner' destination.
"I'm starving." Laurel was saying. "Where are we going?" she asked.
"It's little hole in the wall right here." Quentin said, leading her to the door. He opened it for her and she walked in, but stopped dead at what she saw.
It wasn't a restaurant at all, it was an A.A. meeting.
A circle of chairs had been formed and several people were already in the space, either sitting down and conversing or grabbing some snacks off the small table that had been set up. Laurel scoffed, then turned and walked right back out.
"I forget did we actually bet money?" Laurel teased Quentin.
"I should remember that location." He noted absently, causing smiles to form on both Laurel and Sara's faces.
"Laurel, wait." Lance said, reaching for her arm.
Laurel yanked it away. "Don't touch me." She snarled. "I can't believe you would do something like this." She said once they were both outside.
"Well, you wouldn't have come otherwise." Lance said.
"Well, you got that right." She shot back.
"Laurel, you need help." Quentin tried.
"Not from them." She snapped. "There is not one person in that room who knows what I have been through."
"Yeah, you're right. Some of them, they've been through worse." Lance noted. "But for better or worse, everyone in that room needs to be there, and you need to be there. You think you're the only person, who ever got fired, who ever got their lives into a mess?" he asked. "You think again, kiddo, 'cause you're not. Now, look, we're here now. So why don't you just stay for a bit?" he pleaded quietly. "You don't have to share or talk. You just listen."
Laurel looked around for a moment, thinking. For a moment, Quentin thought she might actually stay. "I thought I made myself clear." She said finally. "I'm hungry. And now I think I'll eat alone." She said, turning and stalking off into the night as Lane watched, helpless.
"You know, with all due respect," Tommy started, "Laurel really has been through worse than most of those people. Not just me dying," he added quickly, "But also multiple kidnappings and assassination attempts."
"Are you trying to get me to start drinking?" Laurel asked.
Tommy shook his head. "No, but… would AA re enough, is all I'm wondering."
"I don't know. Do you think sitting in a room, sharing information, and learning for other people's mistakes can make a difference?" Mia asked her brother pointedly.
Tommy chuckled mirthlessly. "That is a truly excellent point." He admitted.
The scene chanted to the warehouse, where Oliver was still considering Roy's plea for action. The coms buzzed, and he activated it. "Go ahead." He said quietly.
"SCPD's network just lit up with a fresh homicide, multiple stab wounds. Like claw marks." Diggle informed Oliver as Felicity pulled up more information about the victim.
"The victim was an architect." She told him. "Turner ransacked his place; Took blueprints of his designs. One of the aforementioned designs-Malcolm Merlyn's house. I don't know much about architecture, but this can't be good." She stated warily.
"What would Turner want with Merlyn's house?" Oliver wondered.
"I must have stored the prototype there." Malcolm realized.
"That thing is already built!" Lance exclaimed worriedly.
Malcolm shook his head. "No, they were about a year away from a workable device the last time I checked. But if I took possession of a prototype, I would store it at my home. It would be the most secure place for it."
"Not sure yet." Felicity said. "All of Malcolm's holdings, including the house, are in receivership."
"Who's that you're talking to? Oh, wait, let me guess, you can't tell me that, either." Roy said sarcastically.
"A guy that I put in prison got out, and I have an idea where he's headed." The Arrow revealed. He paused, thinking hard. Finally he took a big breath and exhaled. "Do you have one of your hoodies?"
"Do you seriously have to ask?" Roy replied sarcastically. The scene changed to Merlyn's house. Oliver led Roy through the familiar halls of the Merlyn Manor. "Whatever happens, whoever we run into, do not engage." The Arrow said. The house was eerily silent; all the furniture was covered with white sheets. Roy idly wondered if the house was haunted by the ghost of all of Merlyn's victims as he stopped by an end table and lifted the white cloth that was draped over it. "And don't touch anything."
"Many a party held at that house." Tommy said.
"Remember your 25th birthday party?" Mia asked.
Tommy snorted. "Yeah, you crashed it. After I SPECIFICALLY told you NOT to come."
Lance's brought furrowed. "Didn't I have to arrest someone there?" he asked. "That night's a bit hazy."
"Probably because you were smashed." Laurel said pointedly. "And you didn't arrest anyone, there was a murder- some drug dealer."
"You had drug dealers in my house?" Malcolm said, a hint of warning in his voice, as he glared at his son.
"He crashed, too." Tommy told him.
"Off a balcony." Mia said.
"Yeah." Tommy agreed, looking at her warily. "How did you know about that? You weren't exactly sober yourself." Mia just wagged her eyebrows in reply.
"This is his kid, right?" Roy asked, looking at the framed picture if Tommy Merlyn. "The guy that died?"
Any anger that Malcolm felt at his son for his youthful indiscretions vanished a those words.
"Yes." Oliver said quietly.
"You know your way around this place." Roy noted. "You been here before?" The vigilante was silent. In the silence though, a new sound could be heard. "What was that?" Roy asked.
"It came from underground." Oliver said in realization. "Merlyn has a large garage. Let's go."
Down in the garage, Armitage's men had already backed a truck into it. The three men climbed out and looked around at all of the cars Merlyn had collected, but it was a small locked door at the far end of the garage that grabbed Turner's attention. Confidently he walked up to the door, and then slashed the keypad with his claws. There was a bright flash of sparks, but the lock was quickly disabled and Turner opened the door to reveal the prize inside.
"You need better security." Tommy noted, staring at a version of the device that would kill him.
"Clearly." Malcolm agreed absently.
"What the hell is that?" One of the bodyguards asked.
"Looks like a prototype." Turner replied.
"Of what?"
"A machine that killed 503 people." Turner said, staring at the device. It was clearly an early work, nowhere near as refined as the one Felicity had talked Lance through disabling, of the one that had gone off. "Merlyn's own earthquake device."
"Ok, a simple snatch and grab." The guard said after they loaded the device into the van. "Don't know why Mr. Armitage thought we needed you."
"For that." Turner said, looking across the room at The Arrow and Roy.
As Oliver stepped around a lift, he caught sight of what was in the back of the van. Instantly his blood froze. "Step away from the device." He ordered sharply. "You don't know what it is you're dealing with."
"Don't waste time, destroy it." Malcolm urged quietly.
"Big machine, makes earthquakes?" Turner said mockingly.
"Do you have any idea what happens if the wrong people have it?" The Arrow demanded.
"Yeah. I get paid." He said. "Close it up." The guard closed the doors as Oliver fired off an arrow. Turner intercepted it with his claws and moved in to attack. As the two fought, Roy stalked up to the driver's side of the van. He punched the window out and yanked the guard out of the van, tossing him to the ground hard. Roy stalked up to the man and slammed his foot down on the man's gun, destroying it.
"That thing killed eight of my friends." Roy snarled, flipping the man onto his back and laying into him with punches to his face.
Bronze Tiger managed to get a solid hit on The Arrow, knocking him to the ground. He hurried back to the van and, ignoring Roy and the driver, climbed in and started up the van. Roy was oblivious as Tiger drove off with the Markov Prototype as Oliver fired several ineffectual arrows at the van. He snarled in frustration, and then turned back to Roy.
"Hey!" he yelled, Pulling Roy off the pulverized man. He looked once more out of the garage doors, but the van was pulling off into the night beyond his reach.
Roy shook his head. "I shouldn't have been out there. I just couldn't control my anger."
"No, what you should have done is disabled the van first, then beat the crap out of the guys." Felicity said.
"You probably could have ripped the engine out of the van and beat them with it." Diggle suggested.
The scene changed to the Lair later that night as a pissed off Oliver came back into the Lair. Felicity stared at him as he put up his bow.
"Uh-oh. You got angry face." She noted.
"What happened?" Diggle asked.
"Roy Harper." Oliver said simply.
"You took him out in the field—" Diggle started, outraged.
"He wasn't listening to me, Diggle!" Oliver shot back angrily. "I'm trying to reach him, but he lost control. Then he nearly killed somebody, which I obviously couldn't let happen, and in the process—"
"Turner got away." Felicity guessed. "What was he there to steal? Merlyn's art collection?" she asked.
"Something much more dangerous." Oliver said wearily. "It's a prototype earthquake machine."
Felicity paled, and Diggle stood up straighter "Oh, holy God." He whispered.
"Why would Turner want to destroy the city?" Felicity asked.
"He doesn't." Oliver said, reaching into his pocket. "He's a mercenary selling his services to the highest bidder." He pulled out a watch and handed it to Felicity. "This watch belonged to one of the guys Turner was working with."
"Fingerprints." She realized, gingerly taking the watch from him.
"Turner's a loner, which means that guy works for his client." Oliver continued.
Felicity nodded. "Fingerprints equals name, equals known associates." She said shakily. "I'm on it."
Oliver sighed, turning back to Diggle. "It was the look in Roy's eyes. It was Slade all over again."
"Oliver, what happened with Slade?" Diggle asked.
"Me. Someone killed Shado. Slade loved Shado, and it was my fault. I wanted to tell him, because it would have been better coming from me, but I didn't." he revealed.
Felicity turned back to the men. "And he found out another way." She guessed.
"If I had just told him the truth, I could have gotten through to him." Oliver said sadly.
"I'm still not convinced that is true." Sara said.
"And that's why it's so important for you to get through to Roy." Diggle realized.
"I lived a five year nightmare." Oliver said. "But if I learned something that could help me reach Roy now… it'll all be worth it."
FIVE YEARS AGO
Oliver and Sara walked into the cave, still populated with the skeletons of dead Japanese Imperial soldiers. That was all that was populating it, however, and Oliver sighed in frustration.
"He's not here." He growled.
"Where else could he be?" Sara wondered. "We already checked the plane."
"I don't know." Oliver looked around helplessly, but then something caught his attention. There were drawings on the cave wall, and they looked somewhat familiar to him. "Do you remember seeing these before?" Oliver asked her.
Malcolm got it first. "There is still a missile launcher on the island." He said.
"He could use it to blow up the freighter!" Lance said, getting it as well.
Sara glanced at the drawings. "I didn't really look around." She said.
"They look familiar." Oliver said, continuing to stare.
"This could be Lian Yu." Sara guessed.
"No, I mean the calculations. I've seen those before." Olive said, wracking his brains.
"Maybe the first time you were in the cave." Sara guessed.
"I don't think so." He said. Suddenly it clicked. "Fyer's launcher."
"What?"
"Oh, there were soldiers on the island last year, and they had a missile launcher." Oliver said off-handedly.
"I love how he says that as if it's normal." Tommy said.
"The sad thing is- by this time, it was normal." Sara replied.
"I saw one of these on the display. They're firing calculations…" then it fully dawned on him what he was seeing. "He's going to blow it up."
"Blow what up?"
"The freighter." Oliver said, bolting out of the cave. Sara followed right behind him.
"We're good." Lance said grudgingly to Malcolm.
PRESENT
The scene changed to Verdant. Roy walked in, looking around and sighing in relief when Thea walked down the stairs towards him.
"Oh, thank God you're here, I need your help—" she started, but Roy interrupted her.
"I have to talk to you. It's important." He said urgently.
"Ok." She replied slowly. "You look stressed out, is everything ok?" she asked, worried.
"You have to leave town." He told her. "Grab your mother and your brother, if you can, and leave. It's just for a few days."
"Smart." Malcolm said to Roy.
He shook his head. "Stupid. You don't know how stubborn she can be."
"A reason would be nice." Thea said, startled by his behavior.
"I need you to trust me, Thea." Roy said in a slightly panicked tone.
"I do." She assured him. "I just- I can't up and leave with my family without a reason." She argued reasonably.
"No, you have to." Roy said urgently.
"Roy, you're not making any sense right now." Thea said worriedly. "Would you just tell me what's going on?"
Roy grasped her by her upper arm. "Why aren't you listening to me?" he asked angrily, squeezing. "I need you to listen to me!"
Thea gasped in pain. "Roy, you're hurting me!" she exclaimed.
Moira gasped and Malcolm hissed angrily. Thea, though, just sent him a comforting look.
Roy let go like she was a piece of red-hot steel. He looked at his trembling hand in fear. "I didn't…I didn't… I didn't mean to." He stuttered as Thea looked at him in concern. "I'm sorry." He said.
"I know!" Thea called out, but Roy had already bolted out of the door.
"You should have just told me." Thea told Roy quietly. Mia nodded in agreement.
"Fear can make you do stupid things." Roy said. "You'll see me do a lot more in the near future."
The scene changed to Wethersby & Stone, where Joanna de La Vega, late of CNRI, was now practicing law. Laurel walked into her large office, knocking lightly on the door to get her attention. "Well. Your work environment has definitely improved since CNRI." She said with a smile. Joanna rose and gave her old friend a hug. "This place is bigger than my apartment!"
"Well, there is a limit to the glamour, unfortunately." Joanna said. "I spend my days in document production- and answering interrogatories." She added as she heard her e-mail beep. She ran back over to her desk to answer quickly. "It doesn't feel like practicing law so much as pushing papers." She groused.
"She's trying to get me to walk away." Laurel realized.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd think that you were trying to talk me out of the job here." Laurel said with a smile, which fell off her face as Joanna looked up at her sadly. "I guess I do know better." She added.
"I'm sorry." Joanna said.
"What's going on?" Laurel asked.
"One of the partners serves on the bar association's disciplinary committee, and…" she sighed. "Well, when I sent your résumé, he did some checking."
"That was a complete misunderstanding." Laurel said quickly. "I mean, sure, yeah, I had some problems, but I'm fine now."
"The bar is going to open disciplinary proceedings." Joanna revealed.
Laurel stared at her, stunned. "What for?" she asked.
"Conduct affecting your fitness to practice."
Laurel's mouth dropped open.
"What exactly does that mean?" Thea asked.
"They're going to disbar her." Lance said in shock. "Wow, Blood's really doing a number on you."
"I… I can't believe it." Laurel said, stunned.
"Hate to ask the obvious question here, but if she gets disbarred for an arrest that was overturned because the cop was dirty," Tommy looked at Quentin, "then how the hell weren't you fired yet?"
Quentin opened his mouth to make a smart retort, but then stopped himself and really thought about it. His conduct was no worse than Laurel's had been, and for much longer. "I had a partner who covered for me." He said finally. "Maybe he shouldn't have been."
"Or maybe he helped you the only way he knew how." Laurel offered softly.
Laurel scoffed. "That's- that's ridiculous." she protested.
"I know." Joanna said quickly. "But while this is out there, the firm can't hire you." She told her.
"Thanks." Laurel said, gasping in shock. She immediately turned to leave. "Thanks for letting me know. I have to go."
Joanna hurried up to her, grasping her lightly by the arms. "Laurel, Laurel. You can fight this, ok? I'll help you, and—" she started, but Laurel pulled away.
"I need some time to…process. I'll call you." Laurel said, hurrying out of the office as Joanna watched helplessly.
The scene changed to Queen Manor, where Walter had come to pay Moira a visit.
"Can I fix you a drink?" she asked him.
"Whatever you're having." He replied. Moira fixed him a small tumbler of scotch. "It was good to see you the other night, Moira." He began.
"It was lovely. It's been a while since I've had such a good laugh." Moira replied lightly,
"It was no joke, Moira." Water said. "Mark was telling the truth. A significant number of people in Starling City feel that your actions with Malcolm Merlyn were justified to protect your family. 43.6%, in fact." He revealed.
"You polled people about me?" Moira asked in surprised.
"I bet that was a fun poll to take." Tommy joked.
"Prudent course of action when vetting a potential candidate, yes." Walter noted blithely.
"600,000 in Starling City. I'd think you could find someone not responsible for destroying it with an earthquake machine." Moira quipped.
"Not with your name recognition." Walter returned with a grin. "We need a game change candidate, Moira. And there's no one in Starling with a higher profile than you."
"Charles Manson is rather well-known, and no one is going to vote for him." Moira pointed out.
"True." Walter agreed. "Equally true, voters like redemption stories. Bill Clinton, Elliot Spitzer, Martha Stewart."
"Nice to see I'm in such good company." Moira said wryly.
"Yeah, but Martha Stewart? We all know you can't cook worth a damn." Thea teased.
"Amen." Mia agreed.
"You're just giving me ideas for punishments; you know this, right?" Moira said blithely. Thea paled and sank back in her seat as Mia giggled.
"Oh, I don't believe she ran for office." Moira said.
"But if she had, she would have won." Walter replied with a smile.
"Would have won what?"
Walter looked behind him and smiled. "Ah, Thea." He said happily, rising from his seat and giving her a hug.
"Mmm, what's going on?" Thea asked, joining them.
"I'm just convincing your mother to run for mayor." Walter told her.
Thea blinked. "Of what?"
The room burst out into laughter once more.
"You see?" Moira said with a chuckle. She looked at Thea in concern. "Sweetheart, are you all right?"
Thea rolled her eyes. "You really need to stop asking that." She said, taking a seat on the love seat. "Are you serious?" she asked Walter.
"It's hard to believe, I know." Moira started.
Thea shook her head. "No. No, it's not." She said, surprising both of the adults. "Look, this is actually the first election I can vote in, and…as a newly minted voter, I don't think it sounds that crazy."
"From out of the mouths of babes." Walter said to Moira, who actually started to consider the idea for the first time.
"I'd vote for you." Felicity said. "And not just because you're kinda my boss."
"No, it's because I'm less crazy than the other guy." Moira said.
"Oliver is less crazy than the other guy, and I think we've established here that he's nuts." Tommy pointed out. Then a grin came over his face. "Oh, you should have gotten Oliver to run for mayor!"
"He did." Roy said, to everyone's stunned amazement. "He gave a good four years before he was forced to resign due to being outed as the Green Arrow."
"You're shitting me." Thea said.
Roy shook his head. "Nope."
"He was a pretty good mayor, too." Mia added. "From what I read, anyways… I was away from the city at that time."
The scene changed to the warehouse in the Glades. Roy walked in as The Arrow knelt in the middle of the room.
"You're late." He growled.
"I tried to get my girlfriend to leave town." Roy said. Oliver's eyes widened, and he glanced over at the teen. "But she won't."
The vigilante rose. "You cannot bring her into this." He growled harshly.
"But how am I supposed to lie to her and protect her at the same time?" Roy asked. "How do you do it? How do you keep secrets from people in your life?" he demanded.
"By remembering it's the only way to keep them safe." Oliver said.
"Well, THAT'S a load of shit." Mia said darkly.
"No, keeping them safe is what keeps them safe." Roy shot back. "Telling people the truth. But you, you won't tell me anything. Not about the Mirakuru, and this other guy. And you got me slapping water and hitting dummies instead."
"Roy, you're spiraling and you need to calm down." The Arrow said coldly.
"No." Roy argued. "I need to save Thea." He turned to walk off, but The Arrow grabbed him by the arm.
"That thing is out in the open because of you." Oliver reminded him. "I think you've done enough."
"Let go of me." Roy said tersely.
"Roy…"
"I said let go of me!"
"Get control." The Arrow ordered. "If not for me or yourself, then do it for Thea."
Roy yanked his arm free. "What the hell do you know about Thea?" he demanded. "Don't you talk about her!" Roy took a wild swing that Oliver easily sidestepped. Roy went staggering away from the vigilante, but quickly came back. Oliver ducked around the wild swings, grabbing the neck of his hoodie and twisting it, then spinning around so that he was behind Roy. He held him still for several moments, cutting off his air, before he relaxed his grip slightly.
"That's a mistake." Malcolm noted. "He never should have dropped his guard. And his training regiment for you was completely wrong for your needs."
"Sometimes, when a person tries to correct a past mistake, they make all new ones." Roy said to the assassin, who nodded in reply.
"Are you done?" The Arrow demanded. Roy took a moment, appearing to calm himself down. But then suddenly he spun and lashed out, striking The Arrow in the chest and sending him flying across the room. The vigilante crashed into a table, breaking it in two and lay there stunned for a moment.
"No. I'm not done." Roy said, stalking over to the vigilante who was pulling himself up. "I'm going to stop this thing. And if you want to stop me, try. Try putting another arrow in me. Go ahead. 'Cause I heal fast now. But get in my way, then I'll give you a good look at that anger you're so worried about me losing control of." He warned before taking off.
The scene changed to the Lair, where Felicity was handing Oliver a cold pack. "You both scoffed when I said we should invest in an X-ray machine for down here." She noted wryly.
"What do you want to do about Roy?" Diggle asked. Oliver glanced at his body man, but turned to Felicity instead.
"Where are we with the fingerprint?" he asked.
"I struck out on domestic agencies, but I'm checking Interpol, PRC public security and MVD databases now." She said.
"Oliver, I know you've taken Roy on, and why, but Roy, Slade, a lot of guys I've served with," he continued, undeterred. "Some people are just broken, man. And nobody can put them back together."
"I refuse to believe that." Oliver said sharply. "I'm not letting what happened to Slade happen to Roy. I'm not." He said, determined. Before Diggle could continue, Oliver's phone rang. Diggle picked it up, looked at the screen, and then handed it to his friend, who answered it. "Yeah. He said in his 'Happy Ollie' voice.
"That is so off-putting." Laurel said.
"Agreed." Felicity said.
'Are you near the club?' Thea asked.
Oliver leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling. "I'm pretty close." He said. "Why?"
Up in the club, Thea glanced over at the bar, where a VERY intoxicated Laurel was happily leaning as she downed another drink. "Laurel's here. She doesn't look good." Thea told her brother.
Laurel sighed, and then smiled wearily at Thea. "Thank you for caring. Most bars would just let me drink myself into oblivion."
"I think I let you reach that destination first, actually." Thea replied wryly. "But you're welcome anyway."
Downstairs, Oliver held the phone to his chest. "Hey." He whispered to Felicity. "Laurel's upstairs." Taking the hint, she dialed into the security cameras to get a birds eye view of the bar. The three stared sadly at the screen as the formerly powerful attorney continued her spiral downwards.
Up at the bar, Laurel drunkenly leaned over and waved her arm. "Ohh! Excuse me." She said, catching the bartender's attention. "Can I get something with olives? I don't care what it is, as long as there are a lot of olives." She asked.
"There's a joke to be made about wanting olives and Olivers, but I'll be nice and let it go." Tommy said with a smirk.
"Gee, thanks." Laurel replied dryly.
Oliver, now dressed in his civvies, moved up next to her and leaned in. "How about coffee?" he suggested quietly.
"Coffee and olives? Bad combination." Laurel said, stating the obvious.
"Unless you're pregnant." Felicity said. "At least that was what my mother said."
"What are you doing?" he asked as Thea walked up and took position on the other side of her.
"This is where it's happening, right? The big club?" Laurel said jovially.
"Here you go, Martini, triple olives." The bartender said, handing the drink to Laurel.
"Thanks." She said, taking it and managing not to spill it.
Thea took the drink from her hand. "Laurel, go home." She said, placing the drink back on the bar.
Laurel stared at the girl for a moment, and then laughed. "Thea Queen, telling me enough is enough. Now that is rich." She said snidely.
"Thank you for trying." Laurel told the younger girl. "And sorry…"
Thea waved her off. "Hell, all the crap I gave you when I was drunk, I earned that one."
She sneered at her. "Fine. Bar me from your bar. That's today's theme, right? Disbarment."
Oliver blinked in surprise. "Laurel, are you being disbarred?" he asked in shock.
"Yeah, looks like my law career's over." She said. Suddenly she was smiling again. "But you know what? Maybe Thea here can hire me as a waitress." She said sarcastically. Thea looked at her, unimpressed. Then Laurel turned to Oliver. "Or, Ollie, I could come be your secretary." She frowned. "But that would mean you would have to fire her." The three looked over to see Felicity standing awkwardly in the club.
"Always the bad timing with us, when we need to get his attention." Diggle noted.
"Hi, Laurel." She said, waving slightly. "How are you?" she asked gently.
Oliver reached in and grabbed the keys from Laurel's purse. Laurel looked on and giggled, then draped herself over his shoulder. "Did you need to borrow my car? Did your limo break down?"
"Oliver, can I talk to you for a second?" Felicity called out softly, but loud enough for Oliver to hear over the noise of the club.
Oliver looked to Thea. "Get her a cab, please." He asked his sister.
"Yeah." She agreed, helping Laurel move to a seat at the bar before heading to the phone. Oliver, meanwhile headed over to Felicity.
"Fingerprint was in Interpol's database." She told him. "The guy worked for Milo Armitage. He's a black market arms merchant."
"He's trying to sell the device." Oliver reasoned. "I need you to search for any indication that Armitage is in Starling."
"I already did." She said. "His ship filed a loadlog manifest at the Starling City docks. I'll get you the slip number." She said before turning to head back down into the Lair. At the bar, Laurel had managed to finish off her martini before Thea came back. She took her arm and led Laurel to the door, where a cab would be waiting for her. Neither women noticed a man, who had been sitting next to Laurel at the bar, slip a glass vial back into his jacket as he watched the two leave.
Tommy sat forward abruptly. "What the hell!"
"Well, I think I just avoided a date rape." Laurel said darkly.
Malcolm shook his head. "Oh no, Miss Lance. I don't think you avoided anything at all."
"What do you mean with that?" Lance demanded.
"I don't recognize that man, but I recognize his demeanor. That man is an assassin."
Laurel blanched. "Are you saying-"
"You're not dead, remember?" Sara said. "This will make sense shortly, I promise."
Oliver pulled out his phone and dialed. After a moment, he began to speak. "Hi, it's Oliver. I just ran into Laurel, and something's wrong." He said. He paused for a moment as the person on the other end talked. "She needs you." He said finally, ending the conversation as he headed down to the Lair.
FIVE YEARS AGO
Oliver and Sara ran through the forest towards the wreckage of Fyers camp. They had almost made it when they reached a small clearing.
"Slade?" Oliver called out, looking around.
But it was Sara who spotted him first. "Oliver!"
Just ahead of them was Slade, who was busily reprograming the missile launcher. "Slade!"
"Get back!" he ordered.
"We know you're targeting the boat." Oliver said.
"I'm going to send that son of a bitch to the bottom of the ocean."
"You're going to destroy our only way off of the island!" Oliver argued.
"As long as Ivo is dead, it's worth it." Slade said manically.
"I can't let you do it." Oliver said softly.
Slade heard, though, and pulled his gun. He held it on Oliver with a crazy gleam in his eyes. "Get back, or so help me, I will put you down!"
Sara sighed. "We should have let him do it." She said. "So much of this could have been prevented it Ivo had just been killed like that. No muss, no fuss, and no time to twist Slade's mind around."
"What about Alexi?" Mia asked.
"A necessary sacrifice."
PRESENT
The scene changed to Verdant later that night. "Mom?" Thea said in surprise when she spotted Moira in the club. "What are you doing here?"
"I came by to get your advice on something." Moira said.
"Step into my office." Thea said, leading Moira over to a standing table. "This is about the campaign, right? It's really awesome you're thinking of doing this." She told her mother.
"You said something that stayed with me." Moira began. "The idea that there could be voters out there that wouldn't dismiss me out of hand."
"Well, you did run a multi-billion dollar company." Thea pointed out.
"Yes, and an undertaking that destroyed the city." Moira said.
"People will get over that." Thea said firmly.
"Yes. Just keep reminding everyone that it was his fault." Lance said, jerking a thumb at Malcolm.
"What makes you so certain?" Moira asked.
"Because I did." Thea replied at once. "Can I make a suggestion? Instead of punishing yourself because you think you destroyed the city, how about you start by saving it?" she suggested. Moira rounded the table and hugged her daughter, grateful for her love.
Moira took Thea's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Thank you." She said.
Thea shrugged. "Just telling the truth."
The scene changed to the docks. Armitage was having the Markov Prototype locked up as he settled his account with Ben Turner. "$10 million, I believe was the negotiated amount." He said. He held up his phone to show the funds being transferred into Turner's account. "Congratulations, you're now in a new tax bracket." He said as the transfer finished.
"Just out of curiosity, you pay me ten million, and you get…" he began leadingly.
"Three times that." Armitage replied.
"You already have a buyer?" Turner asked, surprised.
"I recommend that you stay clear of Markovia for a few months." Armitage suggested. "I believe our business is now concluded."
"Markovia?" Lance said in surprise.
"Palace intrigue." Mia explained. "Prince Brion had just ascended to the throne, but his sister wanted to take his place. Of course, using the machine in an area that is already highly seismically active would probably destroy the whole country, but then Tara was never the brightest star in the universe."
A sudden noise had them looking up as The Arrow slid in on a zip line. He dropped to the ground in front of Armitage and Turner.
"Not yet." He growled. He quickly fired two arrows- one took out the guard, the second landed in Armitage's leg, sending the man sprawling to the ground. The Arrow stalked past the arms dealer, looking for Turner. "Looks like your partner abandoned you." He said, turning back to Armitage.
"He's not my partner. He's someone I hired to do a job." The arms dealer said. Suddenly Turner dropped off the top of the crate, embedding one set of claws into Oliver's shoulder. He gasped in pain as he was forced to one knee. "And it turns out it was money well spent."
Malcolm shook his head. "Sloppy."
"Hey!" Thea exclaimed.
"No, he's right." Roy said. "Though I think it was more arrogance- a trait all of us archers suffer from." He said with a wry smile.
Oliver forced himself back to his feet, then lashed out, forcing Turner away. He gasped as the claws ripped free.
Turner staggered back a few steps, and grinned as The Arrow sank to one knee again. "Just too dumb to stay down."
But then suddenly Roy was there. One punch sent Turner flying a good six feet away. Turner staggered to his feet and took a couple of swipes at Roy, who moved out of the way before sending him back to the ground with one punch.
"All right, Roy!" Felicity cheered.
"Nice shot, man." Diggle said.
"It's like Han showing up with the Millennium Falcon at the end of Star Wars!" Tommy exclaimed, then noticed the looks he was getting. "What?"
Laurel leaned over towards Felicity. "Tell you what," she said in a mock whisper, "How about I get back with Ollie, and you take the nerd." She jerked her thumb back at Tommy with a grin.
"Hey!" Tommy exclaimed as Felicity laughed.
Armitage scrambled to his feet and pulled out the remote activator for the device.
"Don't do it! You'll kill everyone here." The Arrow yelled, pulling himself back up as well.
"If I don't deliver this device to my buyer in Markovia, I'm dead anyway." Armitage said, hitting the button. He then threw the remote to the ground and stomped on it, destroying it.
"No!" Oliver screamed, running to the dealer. He belted him hard on the jaw, knocking him out, and then turned and fired a pair of explosive arrows at the doors of the shipping crate. But the low-yield explosives barely dented the door. He looked on in panic, and then turned to see Roy still punching Ben Turner. The assassin was already out cold- all he was doing at this point was adding on brain damage.
"I think you got him." Mia told her husband wryly. "It's a fight, not 'Mike Tyson's Punch-Out'."
"Wasn't exactly thinking clearly." Roy reminded her.
"Roy! I need your help!" Oliver called out. Roy, lost in the haze of his anger, was focused only on killing Turner. "Roy, stop! Roy! Roy, I need you to stop!" Suddenly a hand grabbed his arm and yanked him upright. He turned to face the vigilante-
But instead found himself face to face with Oliver Queen.
Oliver had pulled won his mask and lowered his hood. "The earthquake device is in there." Oliver told the shocked teen. "The steel is military grade; it's built to withstand a bomb, but not you. Think about Thea." He pleaded. "Because she could die without your help. I know you love her… because I've seen it. Save my sister. Control." He reminded Roy. "Focus on Thea. She needs you right now, or she is dead. Everyone is dead." He told him.
Thea was stunned. "Wow." Was all she could say.
"Did not see that coming." Laurel said.
"I should have." Tommy said. At her confused look, he explained, "he had to reveal himself to me so that he could save…" he glanced over at Malcolm. "And if Roy wouldn't listen to The Arrow about Thea, the only one he would listen to would be her brother."
Oliver led him back to the crate. Roy stood before the door, trying to focus, trying to concentrate…
Thea
Roy balled up his fist, reached way back, and asserted himself. The punch tore a small hole in the door, just big enough for Oliver to toss in an explosive arrow. The two ran from the crate as, seconds, later, it exploded, taking the last Markov device with it.
Malcolm let out a sigh of relief as the tension flew from his body. No more of his children would die because of that machine- because of his mistake. The first thing he would do when they returned is end that program, he vowed.
The two looked back at the flaming wreckage, but Roy turned back to Oliver. He stared at him in amazement. "You're…"
"Yeah. Yeah." he said, awkwardly.
"Last year, you saved my life." Roy told him. "And I don't mean from the guy who kidnapped me. I mean, you… you saved me. You gave me purpose." He said, gratefully. He held out his hand.
"Yeah, and you also shot me and relished pulling the arrow out of my knee." Roy grumbled, but there was no heat to his words. The past was the past, and everything that had happened had made him the man he was today. He just hoped, as they changed things, that he would still get the chance to become that man.
As if sensing his thoughts, Mia leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "You were always that man." She whispered. "And you will always become him."
Oliver took his hand and shook it. "We're just getting started."
The scene changed to the Lair later that night. Felicity was patching Oliver up as Diggle paced the room.
"So…the secret society gets a new member." He noted. Where is he now?"
"Home." Oliver said. "He's, uh… processing."
"When I found out who you really were, I processed my way through a pint of mint chip." Felicity said. "I stress eat." She added as he chuckled.
"I really do." Felicity said. "I shudder to think how much ice cream I'll be eating when I get home."
"Speaking of stress... I'm not trying to Monday morning quarterback here-it's Wednesday. Didn't this all start because you were worried that Roy's marble collection was on the short side?" she asked.
"She has a point, Oliver." Diggle said. "Roy's a loose cannon. Now he knows your secret."
"You're right, and I wasn't thinking about the consequences." Oliver admitted. "I only knew that I needed his strength. His power. On the island, Sara told me that love is the most powerful emotion. Well, the Arrow couldn't get Roy to think about Thea." He admitted. "But I could."
"See?" Tommy said. "Great minds think alike."
"I look back at your earlier antics to refute the claim that you're a great mind." Laurel teased.
FIVE YEARS AGO
"I said get back!" Slade said, jumping down from the launcher and forcing Oliver to his knees. He didn't resist.
"Think about Shado." Oliver said softly.
"I am thinking about her!" Slade roared.
"There's something I have to tell you about Shado." Oliver said as Sara looked on, horrified. "It's something you deserve to know. She loved you, Slade." He continued, to Sara's relief and Slade's anguish. "Maybe not the way that you wanted her to, but she loved you. And she wanted you to make it home. She wanted you to see Joe again. She wanted you to hug your son." He said as Slade started to sob. Oliver slowly rose to his feet. "I know you're angry. And I know you want revenge. If you destroy Ivo's freighter, Shado will have died for nothing."
Slade finally backed off, collapsing against the launcher. He moved the gun from his left hand to his right before setting it down on the base of the launcher. "What is happening to me?" he asked shakily, looking at his trembling hand.
Oliver took the gun and held it loosely at his side. "I don't know." He admitted. "I am not going to let you go through it on your own." He vowed.
"The man who killed Shado is still out there." Slade said, trembling with emotion. "And whether that freighter's on the bottom of the ocean or not, we're still stuck on this island."
"Not for long." Oliver said. "Because we're going to take the freighter." He declared.
"When in doubt, think big." Tommy declared, then frowned. "Hang on, what about the submarine?" he asked Sara, whose face reddened.
"We didn't even think about it at the time." She admitted. "We'll regret that later, too."
PRESENT
The scene changed to Queen Manor. Moira answered the door, welcoming Walter in.
"I was glad to receive your email." He said, stepping back into the house. "Does it portend what I'm hoping?" he asked.
"I'm going to run." She declared.
"What changed your mind?" he asked, then he realized. "Thea." he said simply.
"Hmm. She reminded me that I still owe this city." Moira said. "And I want to be remembered as something more than Malcolm Merlyn's pawn."
Malcolm winced at the words, however true they were. He never considered her a pawn; he had always thought of her as a partner. Not an equal partner, to be sure, but a partner nonetheless. Now he saw how wrong he truly was.
"As you should." Walter said warmly.
"But you know there was another reason for my reticence." She added.
Walter nodded. "You're afraid the people will learn that Robert wasn't her biological father." He surmised.
"I managed to get through a criminal trial without the truth coming out, but political campaigns tend to be a bit more adept at extracting skeletons from closets."
"But no one else knows." Walter said.
"Someone does. My OB, Dr. Gill." She said. "There were complications when Thea was born, and I had to tell him that Robert wasn't her father. If we're going to move forward, we need to make certain that he won't be a problem for us." She said as Walter looked on in agreement.
Thea sighed. "How sad is it that I'm worried about whether your about to have the doctor killed?" Thea asked Moira darkly. Moira thought about protesting, then sighed and nodded as she agreed with her. Too much had happened already to discount the possibility out of hand.
The scene changed to Iron Heights as a familiar pair of high heels walked down the darkened corridors of the prison. The woman stopped in front of a cell, and her guard escort walked off.
"Mr. Turner." The woman said.
Ben Turner looked over at the bars and smirked. "Hmm. I didn't know this place allowed conjugal visits." He leered.
"My name is Amanda Waller." She said.
"You say that like it's supposed to mean something." Turner said snidely.
"To the contrary. My identity is highly classified."
"Then why are you introducing yourself to me?" he asked.
"I have an offer for you." Waller said. "A way to work off your sentence. As it turns out, I have need of someone with your singular qualifications."
"For what?" he asked suspiciously.
"For a unit I'm putting together."
"What type of unit?" he asked.
"Actually…it's more of a squad." She smiled coldly.
"I have killed a lot of people." Mia said suddenly. "I have a lot of blood on my hands. But there are two people I have never felt bad about killing- one was just thrown off this station, and the other is right there." She pointed at the screen towards Waller.
"Mia…." Roy said warningly.
"After everything you've shown me, everything you told me- you're still glad you killed people?" Thea asked in disbelief.
Mia leaned forward. "You want to know why I remember Tommy's 25th birthday party so vivdly, despite being high as a kite and three sheets to the wind?" she asked. "That's because I've viewed all of Oliver's memories before. He was there, the night of the party." She revealed as Thea, Moira, Laurel and Tommy gasped in surprise. "He saw the dealer sell to me. He pulled the kid aside and warned him to stay away from me, and when he was recognized, Oliver killed him and tossed him off the balcony."
"Why…" Laurel started to ask hesitantly.
Mia jabbed her finger at the screen again,a t the frozen image of Amanda Waller. "I told you that Oliver worked for Waller and ARGUS. What I didn't tell you was why. Waller was tracking Chien Na Wei, who was trying to steal a powerful biological weapon. It was a two part chemical, and he actually managed to get away with the second part and traveled to Starling to meet with her fence- Peter Kang."
Moira gasped again. "Peter! What—"
"He was a fence for the Triad." Mia said offhandedly. "Waller needed Oliver to access the Queen Consolidated servers, because Kang had stored files about the sale on them."
"There was a breach in security about two years ago." Felicity said suddenly. "My supervisor was up in arms about it. He said someone had used a dead person's identity to access the servers…"
"Oliver used his own identity to access the computer in Mom's office." Mia said. She laughed. "You almost met him that night, you know. You dropped off some files as he hid in the conference room."
"Why didn't he contact us!" Thea demanded. "Why didn't he tell anyone—"
"Because Waller ordered him not to." Mia replied. "She warned him that if anyone found out he was alive, she'd have them killed."
"There is no way—"
"How suspicious would it have been for us to die of an overdose?" Mia asked suddenly. "Or die in a drunken car crash? Waller is very good at her job, Thea. Sure, Mom probably would have been safe, but us?" she shook her head. "He didn't want to risk it. Instead he lurked in the shadows, checking in on us and watching out for us the only way he could. And then, when his mission as completed- successfully, I might add, and he was released? Waller tried to have him killed, to tie up loose ends." Mia shook her head, scowling. "I don't regret killing her. I will NEVER regret killing her, and if I had to do it over again, I'd take my time just so she knew how much I HATED—"
"MIA!" Roy said sharply, cutting her off. He pointed to the hallway. "Take a break." He ordered. Mia looked ready to argue, but sighed and rose from her seat, then stalked out of the room. Roy smiled at the stunned crowd awkwardly. "If you think that was bad, just imagine how hard it was for her to hold her tongue around Slade."
The scene changed to the Lair the next night as Oliver led Roy down the long, steep stairs.
"Is this the part where you kill me 'cause I know your secret?" Roy asked, only half joking.
"Do you actually think that I'd kill my sister's boyfriend?" Oliver asked.
"Yes." Roy and Tommy both replied.
"Well, you did shoot me in the leg." Roy pointed out. "Forgiven, by the way."
Oliver paused and turned back to Roy. "Thea." He stated. "She can never know."
"I get the feeling that if I did tell her, that would be when you kill me." Roy noted.
"Trust that instinct." Oliver said bluntly.
"Ok." Roy gulped slightly. "All right. How many people know what- who you are?" he asked.
"Too many." Oliver said. "But these are the only two that matter." He led him into the ArrowCave proper. Past the display cases and rows of arrows, Oliver's partners walked up to the pair.
"John Diggle and Felicity Smoak." Oliver introduced.
"Does this group have a name? Like Team Arrow, or something?" Roy asked, slightly overwhelmed.
"We don't call ourselves that." Oliver said quickly.
"I do. Occasionally." Felicity said.
"Stop.' Oliver told her.
"Whatever." Roy said with a grin.
Dig held out his hand. "Welcome aboard." He said as the two men shook hands. Felicity did the same a moment later.
The scene changed to Laurel's apartment as the former lawyer stumbled even more drunkenly than she should have into her apartment. Somehow she managed to close the door and set the chain, but as she stumbled deeper into the apartment, the spinning became to much. She collapsed, falling down and bouncing off the sofa onto the floor. As her vision blurred and dimmed, she spied a figure moving slowly towards her, and her vision cleared for a moment, allowing her to see a hauntingly familiar face.
"Sara…" she gasped as her vision once again dimmed, then went black as unconsciousness took her.
TBC
SPECIAL NOTE: Hi everyone! Sorry it's been a while. No I haven't been watching the trailers for Batman v Superman, The Suicide Squad, and Deadpool all this time (But could you blame me if I was? Wonder Woman on the screen! Wade Wilson mocking Ryan Reynolds in Green Lantern! Finally a GOOD Amanda Waller!) I've been working straight from July 11 through July 24 with no days off (overtime, baby!). But as a result, I just didn't have the time or the energy to post. I also haven't had the time or energy to respond to all of the reviews or PM's. Now, as a word of warning- I have another marathon work session scheduled near the end of next month, so I may go dark again. But I'm happy to say that I've almost finished this story, so updates should be fairly regular.
NOTE TO FELLOW WRITERS: A few authors expressed interest in using my transcripts for their own stories, and I agreed. But now I have even better news- I've managed to separate my story out from the transcripts, leaving them clean and ready to use. Feel free to PM me if you want me to send you the transcripts!
A/N: So, I noticed something. Malcolm's house…. In the less than one year since he 'died', it sure has gone to pot on the outside, hasn't it? Also, maybe because of the angle, but it looked completely different than the aerial shots we've seen of it (including the picture on Felicity's screen that we saw one minute before!)
A/N 2: in hind sight, wouldn't it have been better if they HAD blown up the freighter? Sure, all of the prisoners on the ship would have been killed, but the explosion might have drawn attention to the island and the three of them could have been rescued. Or, Slade could have eventually freed the submarine, and the three of them could have sailed on the slow boat to China.
A/N 3: you know, bartenders do have discretion on when to cut someone off. And usually it's before they are as drunk as Laurel obviously is. Also- did Thea finish up her community service, or was it thrown out when CNRI was destroyed? These are the things you think of when you are writing at 12:15 int eh morning.
A/N 4: The Markov device and Markovia are both not-so-subtle references to Prince Brion Markov, AKA Geo-Force. And of course Tara is Terra, the Teen Titan that betrayed the team and was a spy for Deathstroke in The Judas Contract.